Silly Movie Time!

So I bet you didn't know Saturday night is treat night around here....and apparently silly movie night! Lol! I thought I'd share a short video with you of Quincy and Mocha this evening. I'm not sure where Emma was. Rest assured if she were around Mocha there would be a lot of hissing. :) Okay, so, ignore any mess you see and don't laugh at my doting voice. :) I'm their mother, I'm entitled, right? I sound a little ridiculous though.

The lighting is terrible....I'll try and get a better video up so you can see them all! :)

Halloween Continues!

I have got to show you what I got in the mail yesterday from dear, sweet Patti over at Creative Cottage Dreamer. I didn't win a giveaway or did I do a swap but she just sent this to me out of the goodness of her giving heart. In fact all of you have a wonderful heart. ;) If you haven't visited Patti's blog, please swing by. You will find the most creative poet (at least that I know of). Her words and poetry truly come from her beautiful soul. Thank you so much, Patti! I hope we're friends for a very, very long time! :) xoxo

Aren't the details just adorable?


Even Quincy needed to get in on the action. Apparently his nose needs to approve everything that comes through the mail. LOL!

I'm using this bookmark for my current read (Julia's Chocolates). Don't ya love the nail polish. Michelle is going through a midlife crisis and the polish is bringing joy and diversity to her life. LOL! Okay, humor me, will ya?

And these were the beauties in the package. I wore them the very next day to work with my black turtleneck. :)

THANK YOU, Patti! Love ya!!!

An Award!

I am so, so honored to have received the Friendship Award from none other than the very lovely Sophie over at Sophie's Foodiefiles! Thank you so much, Sophie! Okay, so my cooking does not compare to her unique, genuine and incredible recipes but she does encourage me to cook more! Sophie has been such a loyal and wonderful friend to me! One day, I may just become like her if I can get myself to experiment more and become fearless in cooking. She reminds me so much of Julia child. Creative, inventive, fearless and always so happy! Thank you, Sophie from the bottom of my heart. :) Swing on over if you haven't had a chance to already. You're sure to get a foodie surprise!

Hope you're all having a wonderful week. I have another surprise to share and a recipe coming right up! You know it's simple too. Lol!

xoxo

Beautiful Day Full Moon and All!

It was a gorgeous day for a ride! So, this will be a short post on my end but I'm sending you over to my fellow dear blogger, Kacy over at All Horse Stuff to checkout a few pictures from today!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

Happy Halloween All!

Just wanted to post a quick Happy Halloween to all! Halloween is when the veil is thin between the two worlds (living and the dead) according to tradition. If you keep your ears open you just may hear an ancestor calling out to you. :) Last night I had candles burning on a little table that I created this Halloween to honor those that have passed on before me. I have pictures of my grandparents, my pets and my father. I know my father has been with me this past week. I had a very vivid dream about him earlier on in the week where we held hands and visited...we walked through the city together. It was so comforting. As if he had just popped in for a visit with me. :) Well, during the week I've had some very odd things happen. One evening I came home and opened the garage door with my automatic opener and once inside the garage closed on its own. I had not even made it to the other side of the garage to push the button. Things have been flying off shelves (well okay, falling, lol). Last night the cats were acting strange. Mainly Quincy. He kept wanting to sit by me or stay next to me which is uncharacteristic of him. It was raining...and I could have sworn I heard drums in the distance. Hmmm..I'm thinking maybe a small Halloween festival nearby? So I opened the window to get a better listen. The air was still, the rain fell quietly and all of a sudden a huge gust of wind kicked up and blew through my window. Something had fallen behind me. As I turned to see what had fallen....I noticed it was one of my pictures. It was my father's picture. No one else's picture had fallen but his. I knew then he was here. :)

Have a safe and Happy Halloween all! I'm headed out today to have a Halloween tea with the gals! Yay!

Gothic Candleabras!

I seriously can see myself buying one of these beauties and putting one next to my bed. My ex sister-in-law always had the most elegant bedroom. Large puffy down comforters in white, canopy bed draped in sheers....and the one thing that stood out the most to me was the large, elegant, beautiful candelabra she had next to her bed. I mean it just made the room. I guess you could call it an "accent" piece. Now I want one. So, for the Fiberdoodles party today I am presenting some very elegant yet gothic candelabras for your pleasure. :)

I love these candelabras!

Shabby chic candelabra.

This candelabra is oh so romantic!

This one belongs in the Haunted Mansion.

Ready for Halloween? :)

The Phantom...

has to be one of my favorite "monsters" and Gerard Butler did a great job in the movie! Yum! :) Don't forget to turn off my player to hear this beautiful music!



Hmmm..the other has to be Gary Oldman in Dracula. *sigh*

The Fiberdoodles Halloween party continues! :) Yea, I would be the girl in all these movies choosing to stay with the monster. LOL.

Happy Vintage Halloween

More of my favorite pin up pictures for Halloween! :) The Fiberdoodles party continues! Swing on over and see what Sharon is cooking up in her cauldron for this fun party! Thanks again for hosting, Sharon!

I think there's a little witchy pin up in all of us. Happy Monday all! :)

Spider Hurricane by Martha

As the Fiberdoodles party continues...so do the spooky crafts! :) First off, sorry I have been terrible about posting lately. The last few days have been hectic as all heck but I haven't forgotten you! I decided to do a quick craft by, you guessed it, Martha Stewart! Her spider hurricane is spooky, easy and quick. You know how I like easy and quick. Take a look yourself! And if you wanna try one of your own, go here. :)

Did it spook you? ;)

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I know you all know this already BUT I thought I'd post a recipe to make your mouth water and inspire you to roast those seeds when you carve your pumpkin. The Fiberdoodles Halloween Blog Party continues!

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds

Preheat oven to 300.

Combine 1 T oil or melted butter plus ½ t salt per cup of seeds. If you like, you can add other spices like pepper, paprika, and/or garlic.

Toss seeds with oil mixture until well coated.

Spread evenly on a cookie sheet.

Bake until golden, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Let cool on paper towels and ENJOY!

Dessert for Fiberdoodles Halloween Blog Party!

I'm a little late on this but only by an evening! I've been invited and am participating in Fiberdoodles Halloween Blog Party! Come join the fun and see what others are doing for this fun, fun holiday. :) To kick things off on my end I am bringing some yummy dessert....pumpkin chocolate chip bread. You know I love baking and chocolate so I had to add the chocolate. :) So, let's begin this party and allow me to SCARE you with my baking. Okay, cheesy...go ahead, say it. Well, you never know....once you taste it, it could be scary. Lol!

Isn't it just yummy? You can make your own by following this recipe!

PUMPKIN BREAD WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup fat-free vanilla pudding
4 large egg whites
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Now don't forget to stop on by Fiberdoodles to see where this party will lead you. It may lead you to some dark creepy corners so watch your back! ;)

Pampering.....and another award!

These days I have been feeling like pampering myself. I look back at my daily routine (yes, I'm obsessing about it, I know) and realize I just don't pamper myself enough. So, last night my friend Bryan and I went to have a bite of sushi for dinner and headed over to NW 23rd here in Portland. The street is lined with adorable boutiques and fabulous restaurants. I maybe get down there about once or twice a year. So, while down there I decided to stop in at Lush and treat myself to some food for the tub. I just need to remember not to eat the stuff! :) This has also inspired me to get back into soap making. I know, I know..I've mentioned that before. Well, my social calender is slowing down a bit now that winter is approaching and this will be the perfect time for me to start again. So far on the agenda, bath bombs, bubble bars, hand cream, tub truffles. :) My creative juices are flowing!

This soap actually came from a store in Whitefish, Montana I went to with sis and niece. Oh this smells lovely! Clean and fresh. I can't wait to use it. Don't you love the dragonfly?

Also! I got my very first horse award from my wonderful friend Kacy over at All Horse Stuff. This is an award Kacy created herself so I am SO, so honored to be the first few to receive it. What a beautiful award. Thank you so much sweet Kacy! I don't say this much about people I have just met but as soon as I met Kacy I knew she was genuine and truly had a heart of gold. I can't wait to go riding again!

Here is what the award is all about!

This Award is dedicated to those Horse lovers and riders that inspire others to go deeper in ability, knowledge and understanding of the Equine(s) they have been entrusted to.

The good of the horse is the ultimate goal apart from pressures to achieve ribbons and fit into lesson schedules.

These riders are fearless, when it comes to weather conditions and the forecasting of them...being with their horses, fills these folks' soul and takes the cares out of daily routines.

They are unconditionally loving to the horse and may have rescued it from known ailment or living condition. Others have researched and purchased/ acquired their horse, to find a difficulty in temperament or a physical burden within the animal. Yet, Being dedicated , they have persevered to proudly be in partnership with their horse, lovingly striving for deeper awareness's between them.

They might have been riding for years and suddenly had an accident that takes them away from the great joy and freedom they have, being aboard such a magnificent animal. They have allowed the healing horse to rise in their hearts once again, and beckon them back

~INTREPID RIDERS FACTION ~We strive to go where others only dare to go with our horse loves...healing, riding, playing, camping, jumping, swimming and traveling down the trails of life. . . . with the horse in Heart~Overcoming many obstacles and sometimes weather, to ride!

Thank you again, Kacy! We need to get together really soon! Miss ya.

Hope you're all having another wonderful weekend. :) Plans for mine...tonight another paranormal investigations from 5 p.m. to midnight and Sunday, the cat shelter and going to the movies with Bryan to see Paranormal Activity. Supposedly the scariest movie out there right now! Can't wait to jump in my seat! :)

Oh yes! Baking, of course. I'm headed out to get my ingredients for what I'm baking up today. Stay tuned! Pictures coming up!

Serious Cuteness!!

I accidentally found this on YouTube the other day. Now Michelle, you DO NOT need another kitty. No, I'm not getting one but I can still say awwwwwww when I see these kinds of things! This gal must raise Himalayans. In her other videos you can tell how much she loves them by the way she talks to them. Lol! This is baby's first sight. Don't forget to turn off my music to get the full effect. :)



You gotta admit this baby is too adorable!!

Hmmm...I feel some holiday baking coming up this weekend! Already have a yummy recipe lined up! Stay tuned!

Skin Care Routine....Come On Let's Dish!

I feel as though the week just flew by since getting back from Montana. I'm still catching up on sleep from the ride on the way back. I wasn't able to get a cabin for myself so sleeping in a seat was tough. Anyhoo, like any girl would do when looking at pictures of herself, I started analyzing pictures of myself from the trip with a fine tooth comb. Ugh! Where do those wrinkles come from?! Note to self, do not smile that big, yes you're happy, but not enough to show those "happy" wrinkles. In the last week I have started really thinking about my skincare and makeup routine. I need more color, less wrinkles, more highlights in the hair, more eye makeup..oh the list goes on and on. ;) Maybe turning 42 (or heck turning 40) brought out all those insecure thoughts (aka midlife crisis) Lol!

So, what I want to know is what is your skincare routine? Do you have products you can recommend, can't stand, will swear by? Come on gals, dish! I know Randi over at Beauty Be Good will probably have some great advice. Oh and Randi....I need help with the eye makeup. Should I wear more? What can I do to bring out my eyes. :)

I know sis...I can hear you now. I am beautiful just the way I am. I am so lucky to have such an encouraging sister. It was fun this weekend. She showed me a few makeup tricks and even some products she uses. I miss spending more time like that with her but hey, the little time we can get like last weekend, the more I cherish and appreciate them!

Back from Montana!

Hey everyone! I'm back! So glad to be home but unfortunately as soon as I walked in the door I noticed Emma was in an asthma attack. *sigh*. I no sooner put my suitcase down then threw her in a carrier and rushed her to the vet again. They got her in the oxygen chamber and more steroid shots and after a few hours and an afternoon in the emergency vet she was stabilized. This time they sent me home with the inhaler and a chamber they made out of a toilet paper roll (the cardboard part) and a dixie cup taped to the end that will go around her nose. I'll squirt the inhaler on the other end, let it dissipate a bit and put her nose in the dixie cup. Lol! Poor thing! I will be bringing her into the regular vet Friday to see the naturopath. She is home next to me, happy and doing fine. In the meantime, here are a few fun pictures from Montana!

Downtown Whitefish.

The ranch owner's cabin right across from ours. Isn't it just adorable?

Look at beautiful scenery!

That's my brother-in-law out there trying to catch some dinner!


Isn't this store adorable? I bought a few things from here to bring home.

Me and Tank. One of their seven sweet dogs in his "show" pose. Lol!

Tank and Hemi checking out Friday morning snow!

Relax time for these two!

Squeegy and Paris. Squeegy is my niece's favorite horse at the ranch.

Friday morning snow! It was typically 25 degrees during the day at 10 or less at night! Burrrr...wasn'st ready for that.

I rode Ricki on the only trail ride we were able to get in before the cold front hit!

Big 'ol Tank sitting on our doorstep.

Coconut saying, pleassssse pet me!

Paris enjoying a ride on Surprise.

Paris and Nancy (owner of the ranch). It was just the three of us!

Turning leaves in Montana.

Paris riding the barrel.

Me and Tank again.

Sis and Tank. Tank got his fill of pictures if you can't tell. Brother-in-law was taking most of these pictures!

Me and sis! Best friends!

Good morning! Where's our treat?

One of the many beautiful deer we saw.

At a reigning event.

Ride 'em cowboy!

The horses....relaxing.

That's all for now!

Made it to Montana!

I'm here in the cabin waiting for sis, niece and brother-in-law! It's so beautiful! Looks quite a bit like Oregon!

I figured I probably won't have time to post once everyone else gets here so here are some pictures to hold ya over. With seven dogs and thirty-two horses I am definitely going to get my animal fix. :)

Oh and the train was fabulous!! I took the Amtrak to Montana because the flight times were terrible and I could spend more time with my family taking the train (if you can believe that). I had my own private sleeping quarters! Our car had a personal porter and he was so wonderful!

Little touches count (for me)! Especially when it's chocolate. :)

Um and being served champagne as soon as I got on set the mood!

At the ranch!

This is our cabin.

Doggies to greet me. I've been slobbered already :)

The owners of the ranch came and picked me up at the train station, brought me back and made me breakfast! They are so sweet!! We are staying at Gaynor's Ranch in Montana if you want to check them out on the web.

Okay, going to take a nice bath and freshen up! Oh and I was so relieved to know that the kitties are doing fine with their new sitter. They LOVE her and Mocha even slept on the bed with her last night which is a first. Erin is a cat person and they know that. Oh and Teresa, Erin said she might steal Quincy but I told her she was in line behind you. ;)

The cabin feels like it's moving. I think my body still thinks it's on the train. Lol! Talk to you all soon! Have a wonderful week!

Meeting Fellow Blogger Kacy!

So I had a wonderful and exciting Saturday! I finally met fellow blogger Kacy over at All Horse Stuff. Kacy is the sweetest ever. She is so easy to talk with and so easy to get along with. I hope this is just the beginning of a wonderful friendship for us.

So, here are some of the pictures from the day and Kacy took all of 'em except for the one of us posing in front of the building. Enjoy and visit Kacy over at All Horse Stuff. She has a beautiful blog and she certainly knows her horses. She is already teaching me so much!

We first met at The Singer Cafe in downtown Oregon City. I had some good 'ol waffles and coffee and she had a yummy breakfast quiche. So, we sat and talked and got to know each other! I loved it!
After breakfast we headed to the barn to get the horses ready for the day! Both of these horses are Morgans and my horse was named Romeo. Kacy rode Danny. :)

I mean can you believe this view?? Oh yea, we had to wear orange vests because hunting season started! Yikes.

Kacy found a rock to place the camera on. Not bad. :)

Thank you, Kacy!! I had an awesome day and I am looking forward to more rides and amazing views! Hope you all enjoyed! xoxo

One last thing. A few of you asked where I get the gummy pumpkins. I got them at Michaels!

My Favorite Halloween Candy!

Yep, it's NOT candy corn! In fact, I'm really not that crazy about candy corn. My favorite is the gummy pumpkin! Actually I am a sucker for anything "gummy." My mom and I both love those dang Dots too! Oh and by the way, they have Dots that taste like candy corn for the holidays. Didn't work for me. Lol! Notice the jar is only half full. That's because Michelle ate half of it in one day.

What is your favorite Halloween candy?

One last thing! I have an exciting post coming up! Yesterday I met fellow blogger, Kacey, over at All Horse Stuff blog (she's on my sidebar as well) and we went on a 4 hour horse ride! It was amazing! I was so excited to meet her. We met for relaxing breakfast, headed out to the stables and groomed the horses to classical music and took off into the hills. *sigh* I can't wait to show you the pictures! I rode in an English saddle for the first time (out on the trails). Needless to say, a bit more work with the legs made this poor body sore today but WELL WORTH IT! :) Stay tuned!

Happy October 1st!

'Tis one of my favorite seasons of all! Time to pull out some of my favorite movies as Halloween approaches. This is, by far, one of my favs. Veronica Lake was one of the most alluring witches in Hollywood. :) I loved her hair!

Happy October 1st all!

Homemade Cinnamon Apple Chips

Try this comforting and healthy snack to welcome Autumn. They are wonderful!

Ingredients:

2 cups unsweetened apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
2 red delicious apples

Preparation Directions:~ In a large saucepan, combine apple juice and cinnamon stick; bring to a low boil.~ Meanwhile, prepare apples. Cut top and bottom off apples, then cut crosswise into 1/8-inch thick even slices. Drop slices into boiling juice and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until slices are lightly golden.~ Preheat oven to 250 degrees. With slotted spoon remove apples slices form juice and pat dry. Arrange slices on wire racks in single layer. Place racks on middle shelf in oven and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until slices are lightly browned and almost dry to the touch. Let chips cool completely on racks.~ Store in airtight container.

Only three ingredients!

Not sure why my picture was so orange! Oh well, fitting for this time of year, huh?

These are so easy to make so have fun with them! I think they will make the perfect Autumn gift packaged up with brown and orange ribbon!

Fall Stuff

Okay all I backed off the Halloween decorations and put up some Fall decor. :) Not wanting to hurry anyone to one of my favorite holidays, I put these up today.

And then decided to finally do a chore that I have been putting off for so long. These poor pitiful plants needed some serious re-potting. I took one of the plants out of its previous small pot and I thought a creature from another planet popped out! The roots were SO entangled and wrapped around the bottom of the pot it seriously scared me. One of those, la la la la la moments and then AAAAAAHHHHHHH! But now the monster has room to grow. ;)

One last exciting thing to tell. Yesterday's trail ride was so much fun. It was a first for me and Ari. We cantered! I had never cantered with Ari before and I wondered for so long what it would be like. Last weekend we did more trotting and Debbie cantered Magic. So, this weekend it was time for me and Ari to try. It was such a high! He loved it and I could tell he didn't want to stop. Neither did I. Unfortunately, we came upon a few horses coming the other direction so we had to stop all the fun, mainly for common courtesy and etiquette on the trails. Next time I may just let him loose a little more and take him just a little faster. *sigh* :) This was cute too. As we stopped with the horses and ate our lunch, Ari came up to me and put his nose....against my cheek. Oh my gosh, what a moment. He wouldn't move it. It was almost as if he was saying he loved riding with me. Debbie looked at us and said..."If I didn't know any better, I think Ari loves you more than me!". Lol! I told her we can call me the God Mother to Ari and Magic. She liked that. :)

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

A Little More Halloween....

I was digging through some boxes in the garage. Yea, still digging since last year when I moved in. See! Major procrastinator. Anyhoo, I found some of my Halloween decorations! Yay! So, in the guest bedroom they went for a little whimsy. I'm sure I will be adding to the collection very soon. I just love my Mr. Pumpkinhead. He kinda looks like he has a little attitude goin' on. Lol! If you could hear him talk, what would he be saying?

Vacation finally!!

I'm so, so excited! I am finally going on a real vacation! I've had such a busy summer here at home that I didn't think I was ever going to get away. My sweet sister and brother-in-law over at Cottage by the Sea and Paris, my niece over at Puppy Cove , (yea, we're a blogging kinda family) have invited me for a long weekend to Whitefish, Montana. :) Ahhh...the mountains, a ranch, family, good food, horses, animals and shopping. I am so already there! I'm also excited because it will be the first time that I will be able to finally ride horses with my niece. She and I are both excited. Of course visiting with sis and brother-in-law is exciting just as much! I haven't seen them in about six months so this will be a fun and special trip for me!

So, just a quick post today to tell ya'll (gotta get the lingo down) I'm headed to Montana the second week of October! Wahoo!! Now, the real question....the blue cowboy boots or the pink ones? Lol!

xoxo

Guest Bedroom Transformation

Well I am in a decorating and transforming mode so I have decided the guest bedroom is going to be my victim! :) I took the huge queen size canopy bed out (since you could barely move around with that thing taking up most of the space) and added a vintage daybed. Perfect for the cats! Lol!

Ummm..apparently the cats think I made the room for them. Of course, you know I tell them yes.

See the little "Believe" sign up there? It makes me continue to believe life is always magical. :)

This is what it looks like so far. What do you think? Isn't it just magical? :)

Oh quick update on Emma. She's doing really well. I have her on prednisone pills (I think I said cortisone in my last post) for the next seven days and then we'll go in for a follow-up check.

Sick Little Emma

Sometimes I ask myself why I seem to often end up with the animals that have issues. :( Don't get me wrong, I don't love them any less but I always seem to wonder if I'm doing something wrong. Last night I had to bring Emma to the emergency vet at 9:30 p.m. She had been coughing/hacking as if she was trying to cough up a hairball so I gave her Petromalt and waited the day out, ran some errands, etc. Later that evening she seemed to be breathing heavier, more of a labored breathing and I thought that's it, we're going in. So off we went to the emergency vet. I explained to the vet what had been going on. He explained that if we had to pull something out of her that she ingested they would have to put her under. To be safe, however, he wanted to check her lungs and make sure her lungs were healthy enough to be anesthetized. Well, a few minutes later he came back into the room and showed me the x-rays. He told me if he looked at this x-ray and someone asked him how old this cat was he said he would have guessed 11 or 12. Emma is only a year old! He then told me he showed the x-ray to another colleague and they both concluded that she has all the signs, even clinical signs of asthma. :( Apparently hacking like she was doing earlier is also a sign of asthma but may mimic a hairball sort of hack. So.....they kept her overnight with a shot of cortisone and a few shots of an inhaler. YES, an inhaler!

After a restless night and a very worried Quincy, I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and called to see how she was doing. They said her breathing got better but was still a little faster than normal but that I could take her home with cortisone pills. I'll follow-up Monday with her regular doctor. If it is asthma I will be meeting with the naturopath at her regular doctor's office to see how we can avoid an attack. The emergency vet suggested if I vacuumed to keep her outside. *sigh* I'm also going to start using "greener" products and organic products to clean with so my cats aren't affected by all those harmful chemicals!

So....that was my evening. Emma is home now and I've never seen her so affectionate in all my life. Lol! Quincy was very happy to see her home. :) I treated her to albacore tuna in water this morning. She was SO hungry. Home sweet home for Emma. :)

Sexy + Beauty = OMG

So yesterday my friend Deb and I took a ride on the trails after work. It was still light for a couple of hours and it was wonderfully warm! So we loaded the boys up and went to a park nearby. We go there for quick rides. Anyway, it was a great ride! We got the boys trotting and even cantering a bit. It's so funny because when they start trotting Deb and I just start laughing! I don't know why...but there's something about the energy of a horse when it starts to trot or canter that just makes you want to laugh! Lol!

Okay, so you're wondering about the title, I'm sure. So we're on the trail and about to head up a steep hill when all of a sudden we look up and see this beauty coming down. It was the most beautiful Friesian we had ever seen. Our mouths just hung open. We were speechless! She even had those big fluffly hooves!

And then...and then...I could have sworn the Marlboro man was on that beauty. So when we looked up and saw this, I think our jaws dropped open even more. Lol! It was actually a funny moment. We both saw the horse first and said, "Oh my God." Then we looked up and said "Oh my GOD."

I think even Ari and Magic were smitten with the Friesian. Lol!

Later we get back to the parking lot and see the Marlboro man again. This was after we loaded up the horses. So, Deb swings the trailer around and heads towards him. I asked Deb what the heck she was doing and she proceeds to tell me that we're gonna flirt a little. Okay, Deb has a lot more guts than I do and I'm freaking out because I have helmet head and I'm all dirty from the ride and, well, I really don't look my best! Lol! So, we ride up and she politely asks if we can see his horse. Okay, no dirty jokes now girls! But we really did want to see her. I get out (hmmm..Deb stays in the truck) and we start talking and I get to see beauty up close (and oh gosh was she gorgeous!). I ask him what her name is and, okay, I have to laugh because this is coming from a manly man. "Her name is Love". Altogether....awwwwww! He tells me he breeds Friesians and owns a ranch not far from there. *sigh* Anyway, long story short we talk for quite awhile and he goes to his truck to give me his card and we say our goodbyes.

Flirting is fun whether it be with a man or horse. Lol! Truth is, I'm not sure if I'm ready for all that yet. ;) But girls can have fun huh?

Getting to know me! Getting to know all about me.

I was tagged by sweet Maria over at Rainy Day Farm. If you haven't seen her farm, errrr blog swing on over. She's always got something going on. She is wonder woman to me! :)

Okay, I'm supposed to talk about 7 personality traits. So sit down, relax, have a cup of tea and let me tell you all about me....

1. Animal Lover-Like Maria I am an extreme animal lover. I connect with animals better than I do humans. Lol! It's true. Maybe because they can't talk. Ha ha! Still there is something about any animal that is around me that feels as though I have been around that animal all my life.

2. Procrastinator - I am a terrible, terrible procrastinator. Well okay, if it's something that's not exciting to do I will procrastinate forever. Cleaning, laundry, getting organized. Can anyone suggest anything to change that because I am in need of help in that department!

3. Fear of being controlled - I have a terrible fear of being controlled. I need room to breathe, room to be me in any relationship and if I can't have that I have these 20 foot walls that go up, made of concrete I'm tellin' ya!

4. Loyal - I am loyal to the end with my friends. Even if I haven't talked to a friend in a very long time or we parted ways on not so good terms (which really is rare) I will be there if they come to me asking for help.

5. I often don't finish what I start. Wait, does that go in the procrastination column? Lol! My attention span is very short. Once I start something and can't finish it the same day, forget it. It will be done in a year. Isn't that terrible? Must be the Gemini in me. :) There's my excuse.

6. Stubborn - Okay, this may sound bad but in certain situations where I have lost trust or have been "burned" in situations I can become VERY stubborn and not give in or even compromise. Now if someone is willing to compromise from the beginning, I can do that but if not, then lookout, the arms are folded and stayin' there.

7. Giving - I am a very giving person. I love volunteering and knowing I am doing good for someone or something else less fortunate than me. It makes me feel so good. :)

Okay, I invite all of you to play along with this tag. I can never choose just a few people. So come on guys, I wanna learn more about your shortcomings or wonderful traits! :)

Nectarine Pockets!

Yes, you heard me right. nectarine pockets! You know you have your peaches, raspberries, blueberries...well why not make a pastry with nectarines? :)

I really just did a pinch and dash on this one. Peeled and cubed the nectarines, threw in a bit of cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg. Rolled out ready-made dough, cut out large circles, filled the pockets and crimped them with a fork! I also brushed the dough with melted butter and sprinkled with a bit more sugar then baked at 375 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or until brown. How easy is that? Then I cozied (is that a word?) up with my kitties in my favorite soft robe and enjoyed one of these beauties. I actually ate them too early..they were still hot. I sighed in anticipation and took a bite and immediately had to do one of those blowing out sucking in things before I spit out my first bite. You should have seen the look on Quincy's face. Lol! Ruined the moment...but they were still good! The burn on the roof of my mouth was SO worth it.

Okay seriously I need to stop baking and start cooking more!

Drying Basil

Drying basil is very simple, and there are several tried and true methods for doing it. The first is to merely hang it in bundles. This does tend to discolor the basil so you should place a thin layer of stripped leaves in between two folded sheets of newspaper. You can then hang it on a wire rack and turn it twice a day until completely dry. The paper will reduce the discoloration and oxidation that it would go through without the paper. Some basil lovers like to dry their herb on a special basil-drying screen and then finish the process by baking it in the oven.

When you are drying basil in the oven you should first remove all the stems from the plant leaves. Then, after tearing the basil leaves into tiny pieces, you can lay the pieces on a baking sheet. The oven should be no higher than 350 degrees to reduce the risk of browning. It should take approximately 7 - 10 for the leaves the thoroughly dry, but it may take less time in electric ovens. You should bake them until they are crumbly, but take them out before they turn brown. If this happens you won't be able to use the basil because of the burnt taste it may have. Once your basil has cooled you want to crumble it up more in order to refine it to how you like it. Another way is to use a sieve to help to thin out the basil leaves.

Taken from http://www.basilguide.com/

Happy Weekend!

I'm sitting down this morning visiting blogs with a nice hot cup of coffee and some scrambled cheesy eggs. I LOVE cheesy eggs, don't you?

Quincy! Get your pudgy little butt out of bed!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!