The New Cook Book is available!

Nancy now has her new cookbook ready to go...I have ordered two of them, one as a gift.....can't wait to leaf through the pages, and try recipes!

what I like is the spiral binding...you can open this flat on the counter.....I've got alot of cookbooks that are hard to use as they are more traditionally bound....
Nancy has worked constantly the last few weeks to get these ready..and is having a big write up in her local paper also.....the proceeds will go for animal rescue.....you can order yours..through her selling blog...

Del Mar Road trip and gas prices

Today we had 3 jobs...one of which was in Del Mar, Ca.....its a beautiful beach town, famous for horse racing and the county fair.....we re keyed a condo that had been foreclosed...rather sad but it was in a lovely complex with very tropical plants....thought  you might enjoy these few photos...this is a hibiscus...that was growing by the front door. There were many Camilla plants also...some were just in bud but I did find this one with loads of blooms....

on the way out, I spied this honeysuckle......the fragrance was wonderful....

 Del Mar has a web cam where  you can see live the beach area....here is the link  Del Mar Beach Live...we came home rather tired as it was a long ride...a beautiful day with clear blue skies and warm temperatures.

.Gas prices have sure gone up quickly...yesterday we passed a favorite gas station and for reg. unleaded it was $4.11 and today when we went by it was $4.17...the place was very busy as it was the cheapest in town with most stations charging $4.25 or more....when will it end?

Book of Mark and Jayden Sitting!

Something I've been reading about and am very intrigued  is the announcement that fragments of the Gospel of Mark have been found that are first century...this is a big deal if found to be true.....there have been many books and opinions that say that the New  Testament can't be reliable as there are no manuscripts from that time period..... If these fragments are true..they were written when many of the disciples were still living....and will be an amazing find......the internet has been buzzing with excitement and interest....here are just a few articles....
Baptist Press, Church and Ministries and American Freedom...anyway, I thought it was really interesting...I like to keep up on archeological  finds....

 On the home front..yesterday was a big day...Jayden is sitting up on his own! a development milestone.....
he's also trying to crawl so it won't be long before he'll be exploring the house...time to start baby proofing...

Monday, One for the Money

I think I have the video right in the last post.....will now know to load videos into Photobucket, and then paste them in the blog.

we had a quiet weekend....Alan nursing his shoulder..we did have two jobs in Saturday deep into San Diego county...one was near Balboa Park and the other in La Mesa, a suburb, east of San Diego.....both were condos...we're supposed to be getting about 9 more very soon..at least that's what we were told...its rather a cool job, working together and getting paid for driving....the bad thing is the price of gas has gone way up...almost $4.00 a gallon.....
Last Friday we had a job in Oceanside and decided afterwards to see a movie...
We saw "One for the Money" with Katherine Hegel and Jason O'Mara...it was good and funny....we both like Janet Evanovich books......the matinee was rather cheap so we may go again....with the senior discount, its a good buy.....The movie started out slow...but as it went on, it got better and by the end, the characters and action really connected. We hadn't been to a movie theater in years.

The weather here has been cool, and cloudy. In the 50s and 60s...being Californians, we think its on the cold side..I haven't worked on our garden yet ...our son is going to help get us started as Alan can't use the rototiller with his shoulder....last year was rather a bust with all the tomatoes being too small ....hopefully this will be a better year.....

Remember I said our boarder was moving to Arizona? He registered his car there and got his new license, plate, and tags there immediately....and the cost was 1/3 lower than here in California...we have to wait here for at least 3 weeks to get a new license or license plate. No smog check either..ever...and when does  his new license expire? 2052! Arizona seems to be doing something right!

A Rainy Wednesday and a Bouncing Baby Boy

We had a cold front move in and its been pouring a cold rain all afternoon and into the evening.....Alan's still having problems with his shoulder so he stayed in his chair much of the day, with hot packs....we found the nicest rice hot pack that is used in the microwave...and stays warm for quite a while.....we did have one job this morning and tomorrow have one also...but business has been slow.....in some ways, its just as well right now....who wants to work in the cold downpour?

Our  youngest son who is 20 is moving back home on the first of March..and our boarder we've had for over two years will be moving soon for Arizona...he's an avid fisherman and he's moving to Lake Havasu, Az. more for the fishing than anything else.....we'll all miss him...I do recommend taking in a boarder as its worked out well for us...

....Jayden has a bouncer that he just loves....when he bounces, lights go off , also music, and comical noises..he just loves it and will play for a long time in it...I've been playing a game with him....when I start jumping up and down, he will bounce and when I stop, he stops...its rather fun..good exercise for Grandma as well as baby..
 Here is a short video, with Grandpa and (a little tired) Jayden.....,,,well, this morning when I came back here, the video says its unavailable..sigh...I'll try loading it into Photobucket and see if that works....

Happy Valentines Day!

I wanted to wish my readers a very happy Valentines day.....don't you remember getting Valentines in school? I sure do..I would decorate a box for my desk (as did everyone else) and everyone would give colorful valentines out to their classmates....it was fun and now I wish I had saved them as they are collectable..who knew?

A Coffee Giveaway

Nancy is having a coffee giveaway on her blog...Inside Nana's Head....I like Gevalia  coffee and used to be on their list, got shipments and really enjoyed it.....so can recommend this coffee wholeheartedly.....I drink decaf now....the winner will get coffee and a nice mug to enjoy...I posted a link on my sidebar also...
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My first memories of coffee are pleasant ones..Mom and Dad always made a pot early in the morning before he went  to work....I started drinking it when I was in my late teens.....with milk or creamer like my dad..my mom drank hers black....I still drink mine "white" as the English say.....
Going to college, coffee was the drink of choice.....lots of conversations over steaming cups......
Later, when the boys were in elementary school, I would volunteer in the classroom..another mom and I would take orders from the teachers and make a trip to Starbucks for coffee....it was fun bringing it back and delivering lattes and more to the different classrooms......
I just have a regular drip coffee maker...nothing fancy....but it does a good job....it would be fun to have one of the expensive ones with steamed milk attachments, etc..but sometimes less is more.......I think coffee drinking is more social than anything......but if  you want to jazz it up a little...

A simple recipe for Mocha Coffee:is just 1 cup of hot brewed coffee, 1 t. of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 T. of white sugar and 2 T. milk (to taste)...mix it well.....easy and very good......
finally..

the perfect coffee cup!

Alan and I reorganized our outside canned and such goods.....we still have canned tomatoes from last year which I didn't realize as it was so messy before, plus I found two boxes of canned vegetables we had bought at Costco I forgot about......everything is organized now so it will be much easier to manage....

While we were out there, Alan realized how his shoulder had gotten hurt...he'd been moving some heavy boxes around over his head, taking them down from the upper rafters...aa ha! It was a relief to realize what the problem was...he has a doctors apt. later this  month so now he can let her know...he sometimes forgets he's 62 and not 35!   we both agreed no more heavy boxes up above our heads.....

Jayden got all dressed up....

I never knew they made dress shirts and ties for 6 month old babies, but there ya go......Alan said all he needs is a briefcase and he can start work....LOL

Monday

 Sorry I haven't posted much lately...Alan hasn't been well and we spent Sunday afternoon at the emergency room.....he's doing better but still in pain from the shoulder thing he's had for about 10 days now..good news is it isn't his heart.......we're going forward with insurance issues so please keep us in prayer....

We've got our taxes done as well as the boys taxes so that burden is off the table.....thank the Lord....

My dear friend Kay sent me the most wonderful email and graphic, I just wanted to share it....no matter how rough the storm....

I've been busy doing some stitchery also and finished this little one that has been so popular in my Etsy shop....

I did some beading on it also but you can't see it in the photo....all my stitcheries come completely framed and ready to hang..

.I've also been doing some extra cleaning, especially in our  kitchen...reorganizing too...our youngest son, Matt has announced he's moving back in so that will make 7 in our little house....organization is so important but we can use the extra help from him...he's a wonderful gardener so will help us this year  with the garden as Alan recooperates...and we find out what the problem is with his shoulder....with the pain meds he can still work somewhat at least for now.....we may have to apply for SSI disability, time will tell.....

Celebrity Cookbook

I wanted to let you know more about the Celebrity Cookbook that Nancy Huggins is working on....it sounds really fantastic.....many old stars and alot of new ones also...here is just a very few of the older stars and celebrities  Peter Falk, Johnny Cash, Nancy Reagan,  Bob Hope, Mary Kay Ash, Lady Bird Johnson, Roy Rodgers and Dale Evans....they were all gracious and sent her their favorite recipes.....there will be many more but I am not allowed to mention them at this time.....Nancy did let me publish a few photos.....these photos are of the first cookbook done some years ago.So many of these celebrities are gone now sadly....the second edition should be even better with not only the old recipes but many new stars recipes also.......the proceeds go to animal rescues and shelters. You can order your copy now as I have....they are $25.00. You can contact her through her selling blog, Huggins Haven

She also has  another surprise for us crafters and bloggers but I will save that for another post when I know more about it...it will be a cookbook in which we can all be participants! sounds interesting, huh?

Our January Giveaway Winner!

I drew the winner and have notified her...the winner is Melanie and her blog is From Melanie's Home to Yours..

Her blog is beautiful and  hope you drop by and congratulate her...I will be mailing out the stitchery this week to her....

We've had a quiet week, a few jobs...Alan hasn't been feeling well...his shoulder and arm have alot of pain which comes and goes....extreme pain at times...he's quite miserable....we went to see if we could get on the states plan but as we have no children under 18 at home (our grandson doesn't count)....we are disqualified..we're not old enough for Medicare yet...but the good news is we do qualify for a new program ..in order to get accepted though, we have to have a disqualifying letter from the other insurance...go figure..anyway the worker was very nice and said as soon as she gets it, she will mail us a copy and we can apply for the other insurance....so in a round about way, its all good...what hoops you have to jump to get your needs met, huh?
meanwhile, he's working through the pain, with cold packs, extra strength Tylenol and prayer. Thankfully, locksmithing is not hard physical work......coveting  your prayers...

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