i'm not one for

new year's resolutions.  Let's face it.  Anything I need to change, I don't have the will power to and the things I do have the will power to not do, I don't do anyway.  Prime example: Coke.  I'm drinking a Coke as I type this.  Sure, I've tried to cut back and I have... for a while. 

Have you ever sat though and thought about things that have changed from a year ago?  I have and I did it this morning.  It was actually more like looking at things that I hope will change by next year.  Let's start with my living room furniture.  It was on it's last leg a year ago.  Today it's just sad.  By next year I really hope I have new furniture.  I've been looking for a long time.  I go back and forth between leather and fabric.  I just don't know.  I want something that's easy to care for but will work well for this environment.  We have two cats but sometimes I feel like this


It can be a little overwhelming at times.  For now, I'll just keep looking and being indecisive.

On a different note, for the sake of blogging, I just had a piece of cheesecake.  I needed to post a picture along with the recipe on the recipe blog.  This is the best cheesecake ever.  I think my great-grandfather got the recipe somewhere.  At one point I heard it was from Lindy's but that couldn't be because it's nothing like their cheesecake recipe.  It doesn't matter because to me, it was something my grandmother made so I consider it her recipe and it's delicious.  Sometimes I sprinkle a little extra cinnamon in the crust just for the heck of it.  You can see it here. 

Now I need to get some chores done.  We're going to see a movie and go out to eat today.  As much as I dislike Jamie Foxx, we're going to see Django.  It all evens out though because while I might not have the same political views as him, I equally dislike Spike Lee, who wants us all to boycott the movie.  Plus, Eric already saw it and said it was good.

Cats, cheesecake and Coke, I'm signing off for now.

and just like that

Christmas came and went.  And just like every year, it was filled with joy, laughter, anger and swearing.  I also probably gained 5 pounds off hors d'oeuvres and sweets.  On that note...

bacon.

it's a stones

throw from being stoned.  They started yesterday morning at 9:30 and this is how it was when they left yesterday at 5:30.  They're fast.  A lot faster than me.  I'm totally stoked and can't wait for them to finish today so I can figure out the lighting situation and put the fire pit together... just in time for all the rain in this weekend's forecast.

I thought about posting "Everybody Must Get Stoned" but I don't like Bob Dylan.  I thought about posting The Black Crowes version but then I decided not to.  I thought for a second about any other songs containing "stone" in them.  "Like a Rolling Stone"... ugh... Bob Dylan.  Then I remembered a few months ago.  I was listening to the radio and heard a song and knew it sounded familiar so I Shazammed it.  It was Jimi Hendrix with his version of "Like a Rolling Stone".  The following week I heard a song and thought it sounded familiar so I Shazammed it.  Again, Jimi Hendrix with his version of "Like a Rolling Stone".  So on that note, I'm posting Jimi Hendrix (which, by the way, is MUCH better than Bob Dylan).

our cats are indoor

cats.  Lucille could go outside but long story short, she's an indoor cat.  Yesterday, when I was waiting for the patio to start, I went out to clean out my shed.  It's chilly and it's a shed and that tells me one thing.  There are probably a few snakes hidden in there.  I thought I would feel a little better if I had a snake killer with me.  That's where Lucille enters the pictures.  I don't have a leash so I went and got some ribbon.  (Can I just say this moment is SO Melanie and Lucille.)  I picked my ribbon with wine bottles because I've had it for a few years and have never touched it.  I tied it to her collar and picked her up.

I held her at first because she gets scared easily.  I don't really think she was liking it.  It was windy and chilly.  I decided to put her down in the grass and let her check it out.

She was biting at it and meowing.  (It looks like I'm pulling at her, judging by the awkward position of her head, but I wasn't.

I picked her up and brought her back inside where we both stayed for the rest of the day and forgot about the shed.  It didn't take Lucille long to find her happy place.

ps - They still haven't made it over to start on the patio.  If everything goes as planned, they'll be by this afternoon to see exactly where and how I want it so they can start digging in the morning. 

i'm ready to

get stoned... or at least to have my backyard get stoned.  For the longest time I've been thinking about an extra space in our backyard.  Our patio is long enough but it's narrow and makes sitting and talking a little awkward.  For Christmas I decided to ask for a stone patio in our backyard.  I had it all planned that I wanted it going, as you walk out my back door, off to the right in a big empty spot.  And I wanted it round.  I went on Thursday and bought stones and now I'm waiting for them to come and dig up the grass.  I have decided to change a few things though.  The round patio will now be square and instead of going off to the right of the patio, it'll head straight off the back of the house.  Here are a few pictures:

This is one of the stones with the granite gravel.  I'll have granite gravel instead of grout.  This way, if I ever need to get under the patio or say, I don't know, move it to put a pool in, it'll be a lot easier.

This is standing and looking straight ahead at the area I'm dealing with.

Or when you're standing from the back porch, it would have been out over here.  It would've been a great spot but I had my doubts for a few reasons.  First of all, even though it's not right up on the neighbor's house, it's the closest spot to their bedroom window.  Our group can get a little noisy and I really don't want problems.  Another doubt I had was the fact that the gate and driveway are right there.  That means I just felt a little exposed.

So after looking around and measuring over the weekend, I decided to have the patio come straight off the back porch.  There are more trees around, it's further from the neighbor's bedroom window and it just feels like the right spot.

The plan was for them to start today but when I called around 10:00 to see if I'd miss them if I made a quick trip to the store, I found out I had plenty of time.  The main guy has been at the hospital with his daughter all morning.  Now it's looking like my roast will be done before they get here.  I'm not worried though.  It should only take a couple of days to complete and a week from now I might just be doing a post from my new patio.

i'm home alone because

everyone else is hunting.  I'm not crazy about being home alone.  I'm scared of the dark, scared of noises, I have a crazy imagination and I had nightmares all night.  I did watch a chick flick, extremely bad chick tv last night and I've had the tv on HGTV and Food Network all morning.  Actually, I had the ironing board set up in front of the tv.  You wouldn't believe how much better the tv makes ironing.  Oh, I also dyed a shirt I'd been planning on dying for about a year.  (It's amazing how a bottle of brown dye can bring a white shirt with motor oil on it back to life.  Today's just full of revelations.)  But we'll see how it turns out.  I didn't leave it in very long and what looked like a maroon has gone through the washing machine and is now a camel color.  So as I sit here waiting for my shirt to dry and have a frozen dinner with a glass of iced tea, I thought I'd share a few things.

First of all, I had to hit pause on my chick flick to get a drink.  I caught Emily Blunt in a not-so-attractive moment.

Next up, a screen shot of advice on wrapping Christmas presents.  "Wrap Gifts to Match Your Decor".  I want to visit whoever has decor that involves a disco ball.  Actually, I want to go to one of their parties.

Speaking of dancing and having fun, somebody's got priorities.

This next screen shot is something I had to do.  There was a video I was trying to find to share.  What it came down to was a guy dancing to "You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate.  He was stripping down but when he got to his white underwear, the girl screamed because of a mess in the back.  I had to find the video to share so I did a search.  If somebody didn't know what I was looking for, these keywords might seem weird.  Yes, it does seem weird to want to search for that video but imagine if you didn't know the story and only saw this.

 I'll spare you the video but just in case you're curious, those keywords will get you there.

just like the

little things can get me really worked up, it can take little things to put me in a happy place.  I like running my dryer when it's chilly out so I can see the smoke/whatever coming out of the vent.  No, there's nothing great about that but it's what it means.  I spent a lot of years working for the county.  Each of those days I wished I didn't have to be there.  In the mornings when I'd drop Eric off at school, I'd see the other mothers who weren't wearing dresses and pantyhose (we were required to wear pantyhose at one point, and some Fridays we couldn't dress casual if there was a chance we'd end up in court that day).  Anyway, back to the other mothers, the mothers who would drop their kids off and even volunteer at the school.  I'd see them and wish I could wear jeans and not have to work.  I made a promise when I was watching them doing their non-working thing that if I could ever not have to work, I would volunteer in some way.  Here we are now and I'm outside staring at my dryer vent.  The dryer vent means that I'm home and not sitting at a desk on the county's time.  See?  It's the little things that make me happy.

Speaking of work, I used to work at JC Penney.  On long days I'd come home for lunch and take a nap.  On days I went in later, I'd try to get a nap in the afternoon.  One thing that always helped me sleep was soap operas.  They were so boring they became my midday napping material.  I always ended up on one, Days of Our Lives.  I don't know why but for some reason it always ended up on NBC.  It's really similar to now.  My morning station is NBC (unless I need some kind of motivation and then it's HGTV or Food Network).  While Eric was in school it helped me keep up with time.  Now I think it's just out of habit or comfort.  The other day I walked in the room and Days of Our Lives was on.  I didn't know what was going on but I knew I needed to pause it for a picture of the ridiculous characters.  What the heck?

And this is daytime drama?

Another perk of staying home, besides watching quality television, is being able to bake at anytime.  Yesterday morning I made banana bread.  We've almost finished one loaf and I'm keeping another for us.  I called a friend to stop by this morning so I could give her some and I'll probably run the last loaf to West Columbia today.  Again, it's the little things that can make me happy.

 Tomorrow's topic: how easily little things get me worked up and make me flip out.

and just like

that, Thanksgiving came and went.  We did things a little differently this year.  We had company, in-laws and a brother-in-law.  I made plenty of food and even forgot to put one of the sides out (corn casserole).  I made my first turkey and it was very moist.  I pulled the neck out and was looking for the giblets but couldn't find any.  I went ahead and stuffed the bird with plenty of vegetables and seasoned it and stuck it in the oven.  Approximately 3.5 hours later, we had a juicy turkey. 

Here are the desserts.  I made pecan pie bars and baked frozen apple and pumpkin pies.  I hate pumpkin pie but Cosme eats it so there it was.  Guess which pie wasn't touched and got thrown away this morning?  If you said pumpkin, you are correct.

As everything was coming together and being pulled out of the oven, Strat waited patiently.

He was watching everything going on.

I think I was taking too long but he wasn't about to give up his seat.

Everything went well and Strat eventually gave up his seat.  When I was putting everything away and getting the last of the meat scraped off and put in a container, I found the giblets.  Uh oh.  They were neatly packed in a little plastic bag, wedged in a crevice somewhere.  Oh well, nobody knew and nobody complained.

Last night I ordered Chili's and went to pick it up.  I saw this sign and thought it needed to be shared.  I guess they got tired of being courteous, along with getting an order right.

Now I'm off to get busy on my Christmas lists.

i made two sides

yesterday, leaving me with three sides and one dessert to prep today.  That's what I'm in the middle of right now.  I baked pecan pie bars earlier this morning, I just pulled a sweet potato casserole out of the oven and I have potatoes coming to a boil as I type.  I do not like sweet potatoes.  Everybody goes on about sweet potato fries and to me, it's still a sweet potato and I don't like them.  I eat sweet potatoes one way.  Sweet potato casserole... and especially hold the marshmallows...YUCK.  My sweet potatoes have to be topped with a crumbly streusel mix.  So this morning I was mixing the topping.  It looked different than normal.  It was really wet, really, really wet.  I double checked the recipe.  Instead of adding 3/4 of a STICK of butter, I added 3/4 of a CUP of butter.  (That's 1 1/2 sticks versus 3/4 of a stick... double.) 

See the difference?  The bowl on the right is correct.

I hurried and mixed the proper topping to get it in the oven.  Then I started thinking.  What would happen if I put my mistake on a sheet and baked it.  I did.  Can we say "happy accident"?

I had a few bites.

the tree is

up, garland is on the mantle, a turkey is in the refrigerator and I'm ready to finish getting ready for the holidays.  I've never made a turkey and this will be my first time.  I've done some researching and I think I know what I'm going to do.  Today I'll probably make a side or two to pop in the refrigerator.  I've got 34 sticks of butter.  Tomorrow I'll probably make pecan pie squares and another couple of sides.  I'll probably pull out a few more decorations today, along with doing some dusting and floor cleaning.  I really need to get a lot done today which after a great sleep, should be fairly easy.  My one complaint is the trash pickup.  I hate that our trash day is on Monday and Thursday.  This means I won't have trash pickup again until Monday.  So I'm trying to put everything I can in recycling bags which gets picked up tomorrow.  I'm pretty sure I'll have to buy a new can by Saturday.  I don't have any related pictures to share so I'll just share these:

I don't know what the green spots are on the first two pictures.  Maybe they're green orbs.  Or maybe they're reflecting off something.  I've seen blue orbs float across the room here at home but I don't know what green would be.  I'm not even going to get started on this because I'm home alone.  If there were going to be orbs though, I'm surprised there wouldn't be any in the following picture.  I was between a church and a cemetery.

I've been wanting to get out and play with night/lights like this and with it getting dark at 6:00, it's easier on me with my 8:30 bedtime.

i'm taking a break

for lunch.  Speaking of food, I sent a message to a cousin on Facebook.  I found out she has the cookbooks of my dad's grandmother and she's sending me more recipes for the recipe blog.  This will be cool.  Speaking of grandmothers, I used one of my grandmother's recipes for a photography thing the other day (see pie recipe picture).  I thought I'd stick with the same theme for the still life assignment.

Speaking of photography, my mother crossed over to the dark side.  She got a Nikon.  We might not be able to share lenses but I'll have a new partner for a photo walk and guess what.  She's the one that suggested we go on a photography outing.  I told her I'd think of places.  I started thinking of all the wildlife areas around here and suddenly the zoo popped in my head.  That might be a good one.  Speaking of animals, it sounds like one of the cats is trying to eat my Christmas tree (yes, it's up).  I better go stop a possible situation.

not only did i deserve

a trip to Moeller's Bakery after my trip to the dentist, but I figured I needed a pie too.  Not really.  Like I said, I'm trying to work my way through my grandmothers' recipes.  I found a chocolate pie recipe and wanted needed to make it.  (Face it, the recipe blog really needs pictures.)

As for the pie filling, I thought it was really good and I whipped up some cream for the top.  Let's talk about that crust though.  blgh.  The next time I need a pie crust I will probably not turn to the frozen section at the grocery store.  I've NEVER had a problem with store bought pie crusts but this one had a weird taste to it.  When I'm having to actually cook the pie filling and not pour it from a can, I should take the time to make a good crust.  Next time I'll try one of the crust recipes on the following pages.  I think I'm done with store bought crusts.  This one just wasn't good.  Maybe there's a better brand, I don't know.  yuck.  There has to be a better brand.  Want to see how the pie turned out?  Click on the link to the recipe blog.  Since I couldn't stand it and had to cut a slice before it was completely set, it's not the prettiest slice of pie.  Actually, it's technically not even a slice.  It's a blob of pie but it was a tasty blob.

before i totally drop

the topic of my tooth, I figured I needed to share what I used for my temporary filling.  I already told Mom and Lauren about it so I'm just going to put the info out there for the world to use, I mean since the dentist went on about how well it held up.  It's less than $6 at Walgreens.

Now, moving on to other matters.  Remember the photo challenge I was doing for a few months?  I'm still doing it I just haven't been posting it here.  Sometimes the pics make it to Facebook and sometimes they just end up on Instagram.  Either way, I've created an Instagram tab up above that links directly to any and all photos I've posted to Instagram.

Next up on today's agenda, after the usual chores of course, I bought a new memory card for my camera and I can't get it to work with my card reader.  When I had my last HP, I couldn't connect my camera directly to the laptop to get my images.  I had to change up my system, get a card reader and come up with new steps to accessing my images.  Now that system is messed up so I'm having to come up with a new system.  I hate that.  I liked the way I was doing it but I have to find something convenient and easy.

Today I'd also like to post a recipe or two to the recipe blog.  I'd be super stoked if I came across my grandmother's lemon cake recipe so I could not only post it but bake it too.  I'm not getting my hopes up.

i'm stopping in for a

little update.  Remember that magical unicorn I mentioned?  I think he was eaten by the fire-breathing dragon.  So I didn't get an appointment with the dentist yesterday but I did get a haircut.  (Woohoo!)  This morning was my appointment with the dentist.  I was really hoping that a filling replacement would work, but I had doubts.  I sat down and the tech did a couple of x-rays... "you probably need a root canal".  He didn't know for sure but sent the dentist in to check.  (By the way, the dentist kept going on at how well I did with the temporary filler from Walgreens.  I said I guess I missed my calling... yeah, like I'd EVER dig around in someone's mouth.)  Yep, it was confirmed, kind of.  It looked like I needed a root canal UNLESS... they got down in there and saw that the roots/nerves/whatever were okay.  So basically, worst case scenario I was leaving with a root canal but definitely no less than a temporary crown.  After all the bad news and headache I've endured over the last day or two, guess what.  My roots/nerves/whatever looked fine.  They want me to make sure that in the next few weeks, while I'm waiting for my permanent crown, that I have no heat sensitivity in that area.  So my prayers are being said, my fingers are crossed and my lucky charms are working at full speed to avoid a root canal.  I was so happy after leaving Dr. Schleicher's office, I stopped at Moeller's Bakery for petite fours.  Not only do I deserve them but hey, somebody has to help him stay in business.  In the meantime, I'm accumulating so many crowns, I'm starting to think I'll be mistaken for a pageant queen.

i'd like to say that

yesterday ended on a stress free note but I'd be lying if I did.  Everything was fine.  We were exhausted, went out for dinner and we were going to come home and pass out.  I was going to wake up this morning, clean while I catch up on dvr and then go for a haircut.  It all changed when we got home and I went to floss my teeth.  A filling fell out.  I don't like going to the dentist.  The people are friendly and it doesn't hurt but it seems like it always turns into something major for me.  Toothache?  Ah, I need a root canal (and let's face it, I did bust into a fit of laughter during the jackhammer portion of that root canal).  I want to floss?  Ah, a filling falls out.  I realize there are far worse things I could be facing but the dentist is just one of those things I dread.  I wait for bad news.  I stress over it.  I make myself sick.  You know those times when you stop and think "wow, everything's great right now" and then you all of a sudden remember it's not?  I had a dream the dentist looked at my tooth and said "oh, I don't see anything wrong.  It was just an old filling and you don't even need it anymore."  Then I woke up and had that moment.  Anyway, the office opens at 7:30 so my plan is to be dressed and ready to go by then.  I'll call and they'll tell me to come on in.  I'll stop for gas, giving me just enough time to miss traffic.  I'll get there, they'll look at it and say "Ah, an easy fix!  And you know what, Melanie?  It's about time.  You deserve it."  Then I'll ride off on my magical unicorn...

Speaking of unicorns and happy endings, here's a picture from yesterday.  It looks like I had a nasty lens or sensor but it was rain drops.

Now it's off to start my day by doing the litter box.  It can only go uphill from here, right?

last night was a

lot of fun and I even have my voice today.  (Last time I couldn't talk for several days after.)  Anyway, it was so much fun.  It's great when we make the people scream.  The preteen boys aren't as much fun because they try to be all cool and talk to us when they pass.  For the most part, we got them.  Girls are the best, girls of all ages.  One group was great because I scared them and they ran then the next girl scared them and got in front of them.  They couldn't go anywhere because they didn't realize I had followed them (standing right behind them and in a not so friendly voice, hissing/commanding for them to go) and they were sandwiched in and screaming.  It was great.  It was times like that where it was so hard to keep from laughing but once they left, we broke down.  We posted that it was for ages 10 and up but some parents insisted on bringing their little kids through.  For people like me, it was easier because I could see better and knew when to tone it down a little...I said a little, but other people who where hidden had no idea what was coming.  We warned the parents when the kids looked too young that it might not be best for them but some insisted.  A few only made it part of the way while others might have gone home a little traumatized.  I still think the best scream I ever heard was from a few years ago when a girl was half through and screamed, "I THOUGHT THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A CHURCH!!!"  That, was good.

Here are a few pictures

Me, on the way to church.  The glasses kind of kill the whole look but I had to see to get there.

Me, set up in my spot, warning everyone that "EVIL AWAITS YOU".  Speaking of my spot, I brought an old rocking chair that belonged to my grandmother.  It was great because it has an eerie creak to it.  And no, I didn't always look like Alice Cooper, just this shot.

This is the jar of brain and rats I put together.

And here's the graveyard after we added the music but before the moss, fog and werewolf were added.

I have a few funny stories but I'll probably share those later.  This post is getting a little lengthy and I need to get some breakfast.

you'll have to

excuse me but this is a very busy week.  I have a lot going on.  I know I was being pretty consistent with my posting but I'll definitely be falling off the wagon this week.  Halloween is tomorrow and I'm helping with the haunted house.  This means that my photo assignment, which is done on a schedule, is being squeezed in.  Once the haunted house is over, I'll probably need a day or two to go back through all the photo stuff I've been trying to squeeze in to stay on schedule.  For now, I'll give you a preview of what I'll look like tomorrow night at the haunted house.

You know what?  I know that's me and it's still creeping me out.

i learned this from

my grandparent's neighbor when I was a kid.

MR Ducks
MR Not
OSAR
CM Wings

This was from one of my stops in West Columbia.  Foie gras, anyone?  I'M KIDDING.  (I'd never eat that stuff.)

Oh, and the stuff I wrote above translates to this:
'em are ducks.
'em are not.
Oh yes they are,
  see 'em wings?
Which translates to:
Those are ducks.
They are not.
Oh yes they are,
   see those wings?

remember that workshop i

mentioned yesterday?  We have a little assignment but I have a problem.  There are so many interesting things around here that I don't know where to start.  At first I thought about Brazos Bend State Park and Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge but I just don't know.  I've been to both of those places and I'd really like to head back out to Brazos Bend.  When I'd just about decided on loading up to be there when they open at 8:00 this morning, I thought about West Columbia.  There are so many neat places in West Columbia, I mean it was the first capitol of Texas...  I don't know a whole lot about the town I live in.  Yes, I've lived here for 7+ years and before that I worked here for 10 years but let's face it, it's really not as interesting or historic as West Columbia.  Who knows.  Maybe I'll hit up one right after the other.  I really don't know but whatever I choose, I need to leave in an hour.  Some places don't open until 8:00 but my goal is to try to get as close to sunrise as possible.  I shall return with pictures.

yesterday was a

busy day.  I was at Firestone by 7am so I could be the first in line for tires.  (It seems like all our vehicles need tire attention at the same time.)  After that I headed down to vote.  Have I ever mentioned that I worked for 8 years in the county clerk's office?  I started having stomach issues and then came the skin issues.  I diagnosed myself as being allergic to work.  Many will agree, but none of that "many" are doctors.  It does seem strange that things got better once I quit working... I'm just saying.  After that I came home and did some laundry while I was doing some stuff for a photography workshop I'm taking.  I could finish about how I went for a pedicure and later on to Pearland.  Or I could tell you how today I need to go to Houston for more errands and then probably stop in Pearland on my way home.  I could tell you how I'd like to hurry back so I can clean the floors.  I could go on to tell you about the other things on my to-do list (like adding recipes to the recipe blog) but I won't do that.  I'll give you a peaceful picture from our walk at the beach.

Now that I've got the picture up, I might as well start all that stuff I have planned today.

i used to love

to swim.  At some point, I became terrified of water.  I can only think of two things that have happened that might have prompted my fear of water but they both happened long before the fear kicked in, years before.  When I was in elementary school, a girl in the grade above mine drowned.  We came back to school after the weekend and found out she had died.  She was in her pool and her hair got caught in the drain (or at least this is the message all the third graders were given).  Apparently, her family thought she was goofing off but she was actually stuck under water and trying to get free.  I'm sure I've talked about this before but about the same time as that incident, I went fishing with two friends.  It was the two girls (sisters), their brother and their mom and stepdad.  I don't know where we were but I can describe it.  The local jetties are all just strips that stick out into the water.  These jetties went straight out but were butted up against a tall wall, then made a right turn once we got to the end.  I always figured it was Galveston but I really don't know.  We were playing on the rocks at the very end, after that right turn, while the parents were fishing.  A wave came and knocked me off into the water.  I was having a hard time grabbing onto the rocks because they were so slippery.  I remember that a couple of times I was able to get a good grip to pull myself up but each time, another wave would hit and I'd be sucked back under like I was in a vacuum.  Nobody helped me and not only was I scared of drowning but I suddenly thought about the stepdad's stringer of fish he'd caught that were probably touching me.  I finally pulled myself out of the water.  The palms of my hands were bloody from the barnacle or whatever on the rocks.  I also had scratches on my legs from rubbing up against them.  I don't remember exactly how everyone reacted once I got out but I had a feeling like they thought I did it on purpose.  After that my friends and I walked back to shore so I could sit in the shallow water to soak my scrapes in the saltwater.  Needless to say, that sucked. 

Yesterday morning we went out to the Surfside for pictures.  For the first time in a long time, I walked to the end of the jetties.  Along the way, I stopped and watched the rocks along the side getting hit with waves and then that water being sucked right down the side of those rocks.  I watched and thought about that time I fell.  I took a picture of the water being sucked down but it just doesn't stand out.  Oh well, here's the picture.

i reopened a can

of something yesterday.  After my blog post, I clicked on the recipe blog's link.  It had been a REALLY long time since I'd posted anything there.  I got busy with that.  You know, because I need another never ending task.  I did make a few changes though.  See, around 2005 I made cookbooks for Lauren and Brittany.  Lauren was in college and Brittany was graduating high school and moving off.  I collected recipes from relatives that are considered family classics, you know, the dishes that certain people always make and bring on certain occasions.  Anyway, I did that.  Fast forward a few years.  Once my grandmothers started going downhill with Alzheimer's, I ended up with more old recipes.  I started the recipe blog just so Lauren and Brittany could turn to it if needed.  (I mean it's not like I'm the only granddaughter but I do have all the recipes...)  Lauren asked me for a recipe the other day.  It was one of those that was in the cookbook of family classics but her cookbook has since disappeared.  I thought about that while looking at the blog yesterday and realized how easy it would be to just have everything there for everyone.  Right now I'm in the process of finding all the recipes from the cookbook to add to the blog, in addition to all the recipes that still need to be sorted through.  It's not a spectacular setup.  I mean it's a blog so everything is listed by its posting date.  I am trying to label them as well as I can so the recipes should be fairly easy to find.  Think of it as a database of family recipes.

I hit pause while catching up on Project Runway the other day.

She looks surprised. 

i've claimed a lot

of words to be my middle name.  I'm pretty sure "consistent" has never been one of those words.  How about a random blog post several weeks later?

I went for a drive this morning.  This was the one picture I got.  I thought the sky looked pretty.  I liked the leftover fog.  I liked how it looked over the prison farm.  It was about this same spot on Highway 36 that I broke down in the early 90's.  I was so scared and it was around midnight.  For some reason, broken down near the prison, a teenage girl automatically assumes there's a murderer on the loose.  Okay, maybe not most girls but this one did.  A couple of cops passed and did nothing.  I had no cell phone and my grandparents were expecting me.  A long while after waving my little glow stick out the window, a deputy finally stopped.  My grandmother was waiting up with every outside light on and looking out the window.  Can you imagine her reaction when a cop car pulls up in the driveway?  I'm sure she was relieved when I not only got out of the car but got out of the car without handcuffs.  They were both happy to see me.  The next morning was a different story.  When my grandfather took me to get my car and it actually wasn't broken down but just low on transmission fluid, I got a very common and much repeated lecture on how I only worry about whether or not there's gas in the tank. 

I'm going to try to make "Consistent" my middle name... in a good way.  I'll try to be more consistent with my posting and less consistent with the neglect.

a stomach bug

hit Friday night.  It hit several of us but didn't last very long.  I walked down to get the newspaper this morning and once I got back, I started not to feel so well.  It might have been the heat or the Off I was covered in but thinking a can of Diet Dr. Pepper was not the answer.  That whole "starting not to feel so well" turned into UGH...  The Dr. Pepper did me in.  I should have had Coke.  Right now I'm drinking ginger ale but it's not my usual brand.  I'm a Canada Dry girl but I bought Seagrams because it was on sale.  I hope it does the trick but next time I'll stick with Canada Dry.

Here's a picture I took out on the back porch in Brazoria yesterday.  I couldn't get the hummingbirds at the flowers or their feeder so I settled for the strand of lights.

yesterday i picked

Mom up and we went to the beach because she wanted to go walking.  She walked and I took pictures.  We left Surfside Beach and drove over to Quintana Beach.  After Quintana, we drove to Sargent Beach.  Our day involved beaches, fried shrimp at a surf shack and a lot of driving.  These pictures are from Surfside.

 Not my footprints.  They could be Mom's but I honestly don't know..

I didn't see this rose at first.  The first thing I saw was the rest of the bouquet towards the upper left of this pic.

By looking at these, you'd think I all of a sudden have a thing for tilting the camera.  That's not the case.  I was trying to be careful and keep my camera safe.  Did I mention I got a new one for my birthday?

the birthday

celebrations have come to an end.  I had fun and I got a lot of good gifts.  As I mentioned before, one of my gifts was a new camera.  Cosme took my old camera and I'm hoping I might have a partner in crime.  As most people know, I like to go driving around with my camera and just look for things.  That's what we did last night.  It got dark not long after we started so we didn't get to stay out long.  That'll be really awesome if he picks up on photography and enjoys it.  It'd be nice to have someone to go along with me.  Speaking of which, I'm about to leave because Mom called last night asking if I'd go to the beach with her this morning so she could walk and I could take pictures.  Here's one from last night's drive.

Also on the agenda today is getting the correct nasal decongestant.  I bought the wrong stuff last night and not only is it only 10 mg instead of 30 but it's 10 mg of an ingredient that doesn't work.  Note to self: buy pseudoephedrine, NOT phenylephrine.  (I knew it started with a P.)  I took one anyway, hoping it'll at least make me think I don't have a horrible sinus headache.  On the plus side, it shouldn't make me drowsy.

i don't really

understand Blogger.  One minute I've posted too many pictures and the next it's all fine.  Whatever. 

I know this isn't a good picture.  The dog is too dark, the background is too bright.  It's all good though.  I'm just going through my card before I insert it into the new camera.  What???  Oh yeah.  Happy birthday to me.