The birds have invaded

These black birds have invaded the neighborhood. It looked like a million of them. I tried to catch them in flight, but it was hard to do.

I would do anything for. . .

. . .my grandson, Tony. He asked me to climb up into his under construction treehouse. He said it was only scary the first time. I promised him I would. So, after work yesterday I fulfilled my promise and climbed up the ladder to the platform. I don't know if the ladder was a little shaky on its own, or my shaking made it that way, but it was really moving. But I did it. After the treehouse is is finished, there will be no girls allowed, so I won't be allowed to climb that ladder again.

Black Forest Cake

For the past several years, I've left hints (recipe card taped to cabinet) that I wanted a Black Forest Cake for my birthday. Never got one. Not even my daughter, who has four years of culinary school, made me one. Well, this year I decided to make my own. But instead of making my own birthday cake, I decided to make it heart-sharped for Valentine's Day. Glenn, who is not much of a cook, made the cake--with my supervision. He did pretty good. He even split the two layers into four layers and cooked up the cherry filling while I whipped up the cream for the frosting. This is the final result. Pretty good for a team effort. I may make it again, for no special reason.

An "A" in Math

This is what my grandson received for getting an "A" on his math test--grapes, pineapple stars, and strawberries (bare and chocolate covered).

It isn't an issue . . .

. . .until it affects you. I said these words to my significant other as he was complaining about washing the pet food dishes. You see, our cat and dog have their own mis-matched plates. Being fed twice a day, this adds up to four dirty plates a day. As we only run the dishwasher a couple of times a week, we run out of plates before the dishwasher is run. So, the pet dishes need to be washed by hand every other day.


It isn't an issue until it affects you.


The more I thought about these words, the more I thought of situations where these words would ring true.

If your neighbor's electricity is off - oh well can't do anything about it. But if your electricity is also off, it is an issue.

We give a passing thought to those people in the midwest who have suffered tornado damage. Then the thought is gone. But what if a tornado hit our home?? It would be an issue.

We see someone on the side of the road broken down or with a flat tire. How many miles does it take to forget about it? What if it was you on the side of the road. It would be an issue.

There are many other scenarios when it would be an issue.

Something to think about.

Out with the old????

Almost 30 years ago, my mother-in-law surprised me with a new Sunbeam Mixmaster stand mixer. It wasn't my birthday, Christmas or any special day at all. She said every kitchen needed a good mixer. Well, I've been using that mixer since then. I broke one of the bowls that came with it but other than that, I have not had a problem with it. Here's a picture:

While I was off work recuperating from surgery, I watched a lot of the Food Network and Martha Stewart. What wonderful Kitchen Aid mixers they used. Just throw everything in and it mixes it up. I don't have to stop midway in my cookie making to change the beaters to the dough hooks. And it sounded so quiet. I did some online research and found the model I wanted. It seemed to be the same price at most stores. Since I had a 20% off coupon from Bed Bath & Beyond, I decided to go there. I got $60 off. I love a bargain. Here's my new mixer:

I used my new mixer yesterday to make pie crust. How easy! The only downside to the new mixer is its weight. It is heavy! So instead of being put away in the pantry, the new mixer has to stay on the counter.

I've put my old mixer in another room for now. I cannot get rid of it. Every time I used it I thought of my wonderful mother-in-law. I actually hugged the mixer (and her) before putting it away. I'm thinking about passing the old mixer to my daughter. She may be able to appreciate it as much as I do as it was her grandmother who gave it to me. For the time being, it's in another room and I can hug it whenever I want.

Pet Proof Christmas Tree

Since we got J.D. two years ago, we haven't put up a Christmas tree. Because he ate the legs of the sofa and coffee table, we figured a tree didn't stand a chance. So, I found a Christmas tree curtain and a snowflake curtain. They fit perfectly on the French doors between the dining room and living room. We can close the other door to the dining room (or put up the kiddie gate) and the "tree" and gifts under it are safe from a two-year old "dab" (dalmation/lab mix-picture of him above).