Wednesday Dog of the Week, Foxy

Foxy got her name by how she looks, she is a miniature Pinscher mix and so cute..just like a little fox..she's about a year and a half old and looking for her forever home..
she's friendly and sweet..a nice small companion dog...when she is adopted, she will bring along with her 30 days of pre-paid pet health insurance and also free registration of her microchip with 24 hour PetWatch..you can find Foxy at the Sun City K-9 Rescue as well as other information.

The rescue has a program those of you who have furry pets might be interested in....if you enroll your pets in the Shelter Care Pet insurance program though the rescue website, the rescue is given a $25.00 donation. If you've ever had an ill pet, you know how expensive vet care can be...pet health insurance can save you thousands $$..just click on the link on the main page of the rescue for more information, its on the lower right hand side of the page.


“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,” (Philippians 1:9-10)

Hello.......we had a quiet weekend...it was so hot...too hot to go outside much and the air quality was poor......today is much better...cooler too! We haven't had to use the AC today which is amazing.......we watched old movies all afternoon yesterday and I embroidered another candle mat so my time wasn't wasted......we don't decorate very much for Halloween..but its the next holiday approaching......

..How do you like the spider web candle mat? I tea dyed it .....it was fun to make, it used almost an entire skein of black floss! It would look better with a orange or black candle. I found this pattern on the Primitive Stitches website....they certainly have alot of cool patterns, if you'd like to make your own...I will be listing this mat soon on Etsy....waiting for the shipment of wool
felt for the backing....
I am getting low on alot of floss colors....I had stocked up before Walmart discontinued their floss.....so I guess one of these days, I will have to make the trip to JoAnns and stock up again with basic colors anyway....

Today with the cooler weather, I was inspired to make a apple pie.....I use the pie crust recipe from the Pioneer Woman website...its very good but I always had trouble with the crust being a little too "short", it would break easily..this time, I didn't put quite as much shortening in it..and it was much better, no breaking or piecing!
As Alan is a diabetic, I used some sugar-free apple pie filling (Super Walmart) which is good...and added more cinnamon/a little nutmeg....sometimes I add raisins or cranberries if I have them...That thing in the middle is supposed to be an apple...yes, it does have a little stem somewhere....now, if he wasn't diabetic, I'd sprinkle sugar over the top like my mom used to do...
but in any case, yum!

Who Am I? Part II

Wow...no one dared to guess? Maybe I made it too hard..here is his childhood photo...does he look familiar? He should.....I will give you a few more hints....here are a few of his movies...maybe I will make it too easy....Raging Bull, Cape Fear, The Untouchables, The Godfather, Part II..
The first one to guess correctly will receive a sweet little book of good thoughts..the topic will be the surprise.....

Who Am I?

Its Friday and another guessing celebrity game...this will be the last one as its the last Friday in September...I will come up with something else next week.

Who Am I?

I was born in 1943, in New York, New York...my mother and father were respected artists..I caught the acting bug early, and did was the cowardly lion in a stage production of The Wizard of Oz at age 10. Later my mother sent me to acting and preforming arts school, but I dropped out as I wasn't ready. Ran around with a bad crowd for a few years...but it didn't last long..at 16, I was again preforming, touring in a company doing a play from Chekov.
I acted ever since, and have two Academy Awards, one Golden Globe....and considered by some to the be greatest actor of all time.

The winner"s door prize will be a surprise this week.....a mystery gift......

We had another hot day yesterday, although it was slightly cooler..the good news is the nights cool off nicely.......we've spotted a few small fires in the last day or so, and the fire department gets them out immediately.......nothing real close to us but within sight......our tomato plants are starting to flower so I am hoping for a second crop......lots of weeds though and its been so hot, I haven't wanted to pull them.....
I wanted to share...I have always admired artists...I've always wanted to learn to paint and maybe will take it up one day but until then, I enjoy seeing others work.....if you get the time, please check out Dave Huddleston:Home SweetHome blog..he also sells on Etsy.....what talent!

I have one more candle mat just about finished..I am waiting on an order of felted wool for the bottom...

again, this pattern is from Primitive Stitches...

Can hardly believe the month is almost over!

Wednesday Dog of the Week

This is Bella..she is a 3 year old Jack Russel Terrier mix......maybe chihuahua? sometimes its hit and miss guessing the mixture..she is very active like most terriers and very friendly...she was found as a stray....sorry the photo isn't very good...she likes to wiggle...hard to keep her still....she was rather excited...loves attention........you can find Bella and many others at the
Sun City K-9 rescue..the only no-kill rescue in the Menifee valley......please check out the website, my son designed and developed it..he also has a list of all the dogs that have been adopted.......

yesterday evening I made homemade macaroni and cheese......the men in the house were delighted, they quickly finished it up...Don came home and took the rest back to his trailer.....
he had dental work done and couldn't eat much but as this is soft and creamy, it fit the bill.


I posted the recipe once before but its been awhile........this is the best mac and cheese I've ever tasted so wanted to share again...

Company Macaroni and Cheese

1 pkg. 7 oz. elbow macaroni 2 t. spicy brown mustard
6 T. butter
1/2 t. salt
3 T. flour
1/4 t. pepper
2 c. milk
3/4 c. bread crumbs (Panko)
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
2 T. minced parsley
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, melt 4 T. butter in a large saucepan.
Stir in flour until smooth...gradually add milk. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat, add cheeses, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir until melted and smooth. Drain macaroni and add to cheese sauce and stir to coat. Transfer to a greased (I use Pam) shallow pan. Melt remaining butter, toss with bread crumbs and parsley. Sprinkle over macaroni..bake, uncovered at 400 degrees for 15 -20 minues or until golden brown and bubbly...serves 6.. or in our house, 4..3 of them hungry men.
I usually serve this with a green salad, and steamed broccoli or green beans....plus some kind of fruit dessert...Don had brought home some wonderful purple seedless grapes.

Our local Target supercenter gives away day old bread, and produce...he brings us home some great things...yesterday we got a head of cauliflower, a pint of blueberries, the grapes and two cans of Mandarin oranges (sugar free)..last week, Don came home with a sugar free angel food cake, and alot of breads...most of which I froze....This morning I used the blueberries and made muffins.

Tuesday Chat

I stitched up another candle mat yesterday.....same pattern as the first one.....plus I ordered 3 more from Primitive Stitches...she's a seller on Ebay.......I am supposed to mention her when I sell the mats.......I ordered two more Christmas patterns and one everyday one.......plus I have a harvest one that I haven't made yet.......so its stitching time again.......I will let everyone know when I list them.

Just a note...I listed the candle mat in my Inspiration shop on Etsy..if you are interested.....

Can't believe its the first day of fall....its warm here, in the low 100s...great for our tomato plants...they are really taking off but no flowers yet.......our weather usually stays warm well into October...only starts getting chilly in the evenings towards the end of that month......I did some weeding yesterday morning before it got hot.....and made a gallon of sun tea. We drink quite a bit of iced sun tea during the summers......the Teaman sent me my tea order and included some free cherry almond orange black tea and I think I will make sun tea out it...might be very tasty.

I expect you know how to make sun tea...if not...just get a large jar (we use a old gallon pickle jar) with a screw down lid...fill it with good filtered water if you have it, and put in 6 regular size tea bags..put outside in the direct sunlight for anywhere from 4 -6 hours or until the tea is the strength you like it..take the bags out and chill....easy..we like it made this way as there is no bitterness and the tannic acid is minimal.
We use a pickle jar as we found that the sun tea jars you buy with the spigot on them tend to break easily and also the spigot gets very grungy in a short time...

Alan has to work in San Diego county today and isn't too happy about it......we are praying our work will increase here in our county so he doesn't have to travel these long distances....plus the realtors he's working for are very difficult....they owe us over 2,000$ and are always late in payment..enough said.

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:7

Monday

Another Monday....its supposed to be very hot today, triple digits but so far its nice........we spent yesterday afternoon, organizing our office space...Alan bought and put together a shelving unit so it looks alot better...I want to get a second one for my store things so the office will be completely organized.
Matt got home from the camping retreat on cloud 9......really had a wonderful time. They climbed Mt. San Gorgonio, or "Old Greyback" the highest mountain in Southern California..11, 504 ft. Here is a photo..I am not sure which trail they took as there are several.

He is sleeping in this morning....a tiring but rewarding weekend.......there were 28 men who went from his age, 18 to the age of 68. Calvary Chapel has lots of events for all ages much of the year.

I posted in my other blog the candle mat I made.......I am working on a second one today......

The pattern is from Primitive Stitches (ebay).
Linda, I have your door prize ready to mail!

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

We have a winner!

Linda Sue won this week! Tom Hanks was the answer.......what can I say? you are just too sharp,..can't fool you readers........his looks haven't changed that much, have they?

I woke up very early this morning, 4:30 and helped our youngest to go on a men's retreat....the local Calvary Chapel men's group is going up to the mountains for the weekend......first time, Matt has been camping so he's in for an adventure......I took him over to a friends house who was taking him at 5:30 in the morning......he'll be back tomorrow afternoon.

I have to drop off something at the post office and then maybe hit the local thrift shop..or see if there are any garage sales today....a little tired from having to get up so early.....

Who Am I?

we will again return to my little game...this time the door prize is a set of note pads....

I was born in 1956, and moved around alot......born in California.......I have been married twice and have 4 children...I met my second wife on my first TV show that I worked on......I've been an actor, director and producer, and won two academy awards..I am a distant relative of Abraham Lincoln..
I've made many family films and then stepped into dramatic acting.....I am an investor in electrical
vehicles and an environmentalist.....

I just finished 3 more redwork towels!..this time I used Dancing Dishes as a pattern...they are one of my favorites......I am also working on a Christmas candle mat........its all embroidered, I am adding some beading to it.........I'll post a photo when its finished..........the towels are in my etsy Inspiration shop

My cough is getting better...just takes time.......I rode along yesterday evening down to El Cajon as we were called to take a lock box off a house...a long trip for a simple fix......someone had changed the code on the box...this happens when a realtor doesn't want anyone else to visit the house....actually it happens quite a bit.......the traffic wasn't bad and it was a pleasant trip.....

Our poor garden looks kinda sad right now...we've harvested almost everything...there are two tomato plants and also the pumpkins but that's about it.....the tomatoes we just planted a few weeks ago and they are really growing with this milder weather......yesterday I put the cages on them........they are Big Beefy tomatoes and we hope to have fresh tomatoes for Thanksgiving if the weather doesn't get too cold.....of course, the weeds are taking over the empty space so I am thinking of covering the area with plastic or something or perhaps getting some hay that we can till into the ground later........what do you think?

I was just listening to todays scripture verse “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)
I wish our elected officials would have that attitude.....I am especially praying for our own Congressman Darrel Issa ...he has that attitude and is a good man.......he is up against the corruption of congress so please pray for him as he's fighting the good fight......

Wednesday Dog of the Week

Introducing Gabby, a 2 year old pure bred Papillon...Papillon's are small friendly dogs, bred for companionship, rather elegant...they are a type of spaniel and love human companionship...Gabby is no exception...she loves people and loves to be held.......not really recommended for small children however. She was a stray, is healthy and ready for her forever home.......she needs an owner, who will pamper her and give her the love she craves...she will reward her owner with loyalty and companionship. You can see Gabby and also many other small (and large) dogs at the rescue website.....Sun City K-9 Dog Rescue

Just to let know, Kiki the cat has been adopted! and I think that Prince has also...happy endings!

A Box of Surprises

I spent part of last night coughing again...can't seem to shake it yet....been over a week..I feel fine but just have this residual cough....kinda annoying......plus I kept dreaming about kittens...kittens?
I dreamt we were re keying a house and there was a litter..Alan said to pick one out to take home and I kept chasing them around the backyard......the one I wanted was a little orange puff ball but I never did catch him....
Thank you to all who have sent me get well cards...that is so nice! I so appreciate it, more than you can know....

I was cheered up a few days ago with a package.......Nancy sent me a box of goodies.....and alot of her handmade soap samples.....she wanted us to test them and see what we liked the best..I like the prim brown sugar and also autumn about the best....
wonderful fragrances and good soap.......I am getting into washing my hands more and more after everything...be like Monk in the TV series soon if this keeps up......I went into the grocery store the other day and looked for the antiseptic wipe dispenser many stores have near the entrance to clean the cart handle but didn't find it...
She also sent me a nice market tote,

this one has kittens on it....another sign?

and two pincushions.....

I had posted already about the other pincushion that I was lucky enough to win in one of her giveaways.....
This box was such a cheerful thing...and I hope you will check out her nice goodies on her website....just click on her name at the top of this post.......

Weekend Adventure of sorts

I'm back! We had a good weekend....haven't really been very busy this month as far as work goes...not a good thing, but Saturday had 3 jobs in the Los Angeles area....one was the second half of a old duplex that we had re keyed earlier in west L.A.
We did see some street preachers by the west L.A. house ...he had a bullhorn and was really preaching......when we went by later, he had given the horn to a woman who had taken over by that time....maybe his wife.....there are quite a few churches in the area...

Then the realtor wanted photos of two other houses that would be in fore, we spotted the famous Capital Records building

This is the entrance to the Hollywood Bowl..

Capital Record building......Hollywood is a study in contrasts....either very wealthy or poverty....not much in the way of middle class......the freeway traffic was terrible...really bad and this was on a Saturday........although the first house and the others were only 7 miles from each other...it took us over 40 minutes to get to them.....plus we actually had a minor fender bender..Alan hit the brakes but the van slid into a small car in front of us......thankfully, no damage was done and no one was hurt......the other person didn't want to pursue anything, we got our insurance information but she didn't want to go there so all is well......

We were very thankful to get out of LA county and back into sanity......our little town and house looked very good indeed........I am thankful we got work, and also that the accident was very minor....I am thankful that we live in a quiet little town and am not part of the rat race nor caught up in the vanity of Hollywood.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
"May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word"

9/11

I have been posting a "Who Am I?" game on Fridays but as this is 9/11, I thought I'd skip it this week....

Thursday

I had another photo to post of Prince...this one is better..he's sitting on our sons lap at the Woofstock festival that they had on Saturday...like I said, I think I am in love with this little guy...wouldn't you be? He looks like he's smiling, huh? but we are cat people, sorry, Prince....

Did you listen to the Presidents speech last night? what you may not know is while that was going on, there was a vote on another czar....Cass Sunstein as the regulatory czar
..he believes animals should be able to sue in court...right off the Peta website for sure...he agreed with the regulations passed here in Ca to stop the water to our farmers because of a tiny smelt, putting farmers out of business and prices to rise...he doesn't believe in even killing mice and rats when they invade your house..that its cruel....guess we will have to adopt several more cats! I think cats are way more cruel than a mousetrap but maybe that's just me?
He also wants to regulate the internet...but his nomination is being held up....you can read more about it here

Wednesday Dog of the Week

This is Prince, he is a pure bred Pomeranian and I think I am in love...he is the sweetest dog! like a little teddy bear and the happiest little guy.....he is an older dog, 7 years old, healthy and ready for a new home...his former owner had to go into a nursing home...he is well behaved, house trained and a wonderful companion. He will need grooming as his coat is full, and lovely. He just wants to please......you can find out more about Prince and the rescue here

I am feeling better, still congested but on the mend.....today I am getting a little caught up with the housework, laundry, etc. Its much cooler today too which helps alot...in the 50s this morning and supposed to be in the high 70s today...which is nice....makes you feel like doing something.
I am looking forward to cooler weather as I love to bake!...can't really do it during our summers.
The sun dried figs have been packaged and I started more figs outside today...they are so good and will be nice this fall and during the holidays......fig bars!

I've been sick with the flu....I don't think its the swine flu but am taking precautions.....feeling a bit better today but not out of the woods yet...still achy and sore from coughing.....so far no one else has gotten it and pray it stays that way.
Lots of rest and liquids.....I haven't gotten the flu in years....
its not much fun...so I thought I'd post some fun photos and make my own.



I am learning to be thankful in any state I find myself.....there is always something to be thankful for......


BE THANKFUL


Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

~~Author Unknown

Who Am I?

I was born in in Los Angeles, Ca, a only child....as a child, I liked baseball cards and comic books....
I was very close to my Russian grandmother who I called "Oma" she passed away in German at the age of 93 in 2008....and I visited her often in her later years..

I first started in commercials and my first break was in a TV show that was shortlived based on the Parenthood movie.....I went on to do small roles in "The New Lassie" and "Roseanne". I got to work with Robert DeNiro, and Helen Barkin in my first big movie. I got an academy award for my next movie, and a Golden Globe in 1993....

I am unmarried and in my spare time, I work on environmental issues....
Who am I?

More hints tomorrow and a photo...
the prize this week is a set of sticky notes and a pen..sorry, no batteries in my camera...for a photo of the prize...

Tomorrow the dog rescue and others are having a Woofstock festival at the park that is very close to our home so hopefully I will get some batteries and take some photos...should be fun if it isn't too hot...it was 110 yesterday on our patio....

A New OOAK site

Nancy Huggins has opened a new online shop and I had to let you know...she has some of the nicest one of a kind (OOAK) items. I love her pincushions. She also has market bags, placemats,
and so many other nice goodies.....soap too! This rose petal soap is wonderful and would make great little stocking stuffers this Christmas....


So please take a few minutes and check out her shop...its called Huggins Haven...and she does take special orders also.....she will be coming out with some men's soaps too....for those grubby work hands.....with the flu season coming, soap and water is the first defense....
please check out her blog also...they just moved from Illinois to southern Alabama, in a very rural area..lots of vintage homes, farms and interesting scenery...her blog is Inside Nanas Head



Its been hot and muggy here. Hurricane Jimena off the coast of Baja is sending alot of humid weather ahead of it...we are having huge thunderheads, and a few showers in different areas..none in our neck of the woods. There is talk of dry lightening storms..hope not with the fires.....We don't get hurricanes here as the ocean off shore flow protects us or it has so far.....

Did you know that about 200 years ago, Southern California was wetter than it is now? When the Spanish first settled this area, the rivers were deep enough for them to take their ships inland for a distance? I know that the San Luis Rey river in Oceanside was deep enough to float inland almost up to the Mission San Luis Rey which is a good 2 miles inland from the coast.

We would sure like to have a wet winter this year, we are into a 3 year drought. Stage two water
alert, we got a large water bill and I was looking it over, discovered they said we only had 3 people living here. I had to fill out a form and send it in..as although Don lives at the rescue 5 days a week, he comes home, does his laundry here and showers....plus washes his van....we do comply to the rules, water only at night for only 15 minutes, no run off, etc. our cars are kinda dirty too.....the woman on the phone said we were within compliance with 4 people..as if you are over they charge you extra...they figure 60 gallons a day per person. What I couldn't understand was only use your dishwasher 3 times a week?

Wednesday Dog of the Week

Another Wednesday and another terrific dog, this is Shadow, a Weimarner mix, he is only about 4 months old...he is such a playful sweet guy and loves his toy, carries it everywhere and if someone comes by, he always wants to play...he is intelligent too and would be a great companion, teachable and good natured...
we went over to the rescue last evening, Don had invited us to supper...KFC and I took my camera....unfortunately the batteries died before I could get any photos of the dogs but I did mange to get one of the duck....she is a real quaker and we really like her...we thought originally we'd bring her home but it didn't work out....we did get her a nice pond to paddle in and I want to make her enclosure more duck friendly, right now there is alot of gravel there which can't be good for her feet..

she has recovered nicely from the dog attack but will never fly again sadly...she is happy though..Don has carved out a nice piece of the property for her but just doesn't have the time to work on it much...you can see the little pond up on the top of the photo. I want to get rid of the gravel, and plant some grass...maybe just buy a few pieces of sod and lay down there...we gave
the rescue some sod from our garden project and it is growing well so it would probably do alright here too.....

There is going to be a big celebration called Woofstock

Free Wallpaper Sites and California fires

I like to redo my PC every month or so with new wallpaper....I expect you do too...if so, I get mine from two different sites...the first is from Cross Cards...they have some very pretty paper,
all with scriptures like the above ....some of the months calendar too...another one is the Birds and Blooms online magazine site
these fall leaves are an example....

Its been very hot here this last week, in the triple digits....it was 107 yesterday.......this kind of weather makes me feel lazy, and with no energy....can't wait until fall...but its rather normal for here....August and September are our warmest months....also our fire season as you've probably heard about......really feel badly for the firemen and pray for their safety as its so hot and sometimes windy....the fire that is most close is the one near San Jacinto, the Cottonwood fire, is about 20 miles north of us...we had a job near there yesterday and saw the smoke billowing up....(.I naturally forgot my camera.)....they fight many of these fires with airplanes and helicopters..dropping both water and fire retardent....
I found this photo on a desert newspaper site, the Desert Sun (Palm Springs) many more photos there if you are interested ...just click on the link
So we are keeping as cool as we can, drinking lots of water, sun tea and crystal light.......trying to eat mainly fruit, cold sandwiches, salads, etc. heavy meals are a no no when its this hot.....