Spring Flowers

The Peep and I made these flowers for Easter lunch. The took 2 days to make and turned out great- for the 2 that were still standing after all of the hullabaloo.

I had heard from Duke to make the recipe that came with the cookie cutters so I did even though Slick does enjoy a different recipe for cookies. I really wanted these to work so I followed the directions to the letter. Those of you who know me do know I am a rule follower- but I like to stray a little... on these cookies there was not even the merest hint of a stray.

The directions indicate to let the dough cool for 3 hours. Did it. They say to roll out and let rest on cookie sheets for 30 minutes in the fridge before baking. Did it. They say to make sure to measure the dough to make sure it is a uniform thickness. I used a green ruler. The directions say to make sure the openings in the cookies are parallel after baking since cookies sometimes expand when baking. Stayed up until 11 PM doing it.

The next day the Peep helped with the making of the frosting and the making of the paper cones for the frosting to go into. She chose the colors for the frosting. She carefully and individually placed each of the eggs into the green frosting grass.

We put the flowers on the grass like on the picture on the box. And 6 of the 8 flowers fell off of their stems onto the cake plate.

It was such a let down.

They tasted OK but for a year I have been thinking about making these cookies for Easter and how wonderful they would look on the mantle or table. Dang that William Sonoma.

Days.

I can't log into my email today. I have been trying since Tuesday unsuccessfully. Today is Friday.

Days.

Days I tell you. Days I have spent on this and I am beyond caring if I ever get another email again.

This whole computer thing is overrated anyway and why would I want to read when people can just pick up the phone and call me. Or write me a letter.

In the meantime, I will have to continue to communicate with the outside world through this here'n blog of mindless chatter and reserve the return messages clogging my outbox for another time... 8 and counting awaiting sent status.

This is not to say that I don't love my webmaster, because I do. Just to say that last week everything was fine and this week it is not. Days. Did I mention I have not e-mailed in days...?

Big Time!

Last week during Spring Break we went with the record number of others to the zoo. This was more than crazy as we are members who live almost close enough to walk to the zoo and can go any day of the year for free and not even pay parking, but we decided to go with our friends the Clark Boys to the zoo during Spring Break.

We remembered the mess on the freeway last year on the Wednesday of Spring Break- Wednesday, you know is 1/2 price zoo day all year- so during Spring Break it is especially crazy- so we planned our trip for Thursday. We are smart like that.

On Tuesday I happened to see one of those light up construction signs on the freeway two exits before the zoo redirecting traffic to a different route. Uh-ho. There might be trouble come Thursday. No worries. The Clark Boys and their mom are up for anything. Wednesday comes and goes and we decide to start for the 2 mile drive to the zoo a full 20 minutes before it opens. Good thinking. We get there with a few minutes to spare, but are way back in the line. It is almost 10:oo and we are no where near the front.

Finally the line starts moving and we get in and the Peep in her gracious hostess voice says that she wants to know where the boys want to go in the zoo, but after we see the snakes and tomato frog. So through the zoo we trudge to see the snakes and frogs. And then back past the entrance to the giraffes and then the hippos, past a wrong turn- sorry I am directionally challenged- to the tigers and lions when our kids announce that they are done with the zoo. Excuse me. We have picnic lunch. We have fresh baked cookies. We have ice cold diet cokes. Who are these kids that would rather go back to our house and play dress up than wade through all of the screaming yelling crazy other zoo patrons??

So back to our house we went and the boys and the Peep all had a lovely time playing with her toys. Before we had the mass exodus from the zoo I was able to catch the moment for posterity... thank goodness!

PS- there was a woman at the zoo with a Gucci fanny pack. I saw one the next day at Nieman Marcus for $450. Seriously. It was Gucci. And it was a fanny pack. Someone needs to tell her...

Fast and Clean

I have a new computer that I don't know how to use. It is all new and fast and clean and I got it because I had to restart my old computer 4 to 6 times some days just to get an Internet connection. Not good in my business of Internet sales... and Internet postings...

So I have a new fancy computer that I can use to connect to the Internet and that is about all. I can not check e-mail. In case you have sent me something, I don't know about it.

Back to the instruction manual.

Start off right!

What a wonderful time we had yesterday with our Easter guests!

If you were here- thank you for a lovely afternoon of egg hunting and food feasting. The ham was wonderful and the strange strawberry pretzel salad was super tasty. The Peep especially liked the blueberry stuff.

Let us start off the week with a new list of things to be happy about and get the week off to a great start!

1. an evening of zero productivity
2. love returned
3. raspberry vodka
4. Sunday papers
5. dog piles
6. tulips pushing through rain soaked soil
7. Boston ferns
8. Easter ham
9. snow in March
10. different onions

Tulip Day

Today is the day.

Of the 50 tulips I planted for Slick, today is the day that one of them bloomed.

Yeah!

Why??

Why is it that when I am the sleepiest the Peep wakes up at the crack of 6:45 and when I have been up since 6:30 she sleeps until 8?

Things to be Happy About

A million years ago I was a high school teacher. I thought I would be the coolest teacher in the world- which did not happen- and best decorator in the school- again, not me- and have the most fun in the classroom- possibly- but not the students...

I had a weekly list of “5 Things to be Happy About” on the chalkboard created each Monday morning with the help of 14,000 Things to be Happy About, a book by Barbara Ann Kipfer.

I tell you all of this to lead into the following list, possibly a new weekly item for the Paper Girl:

Ten Things to be Happy About:
1. Hula-hoops
2. sunglasses
3. drawstring pants
4. cut flowers
5. secondhand books
6. plastic colored Easter eggs
7. seedlings
8. organizing your goals
9. cake stands
10. cakes baked in animal shapes

I am certain you have your own things to be happy about this week, please do share…

Major Problem

Those of you who know me know one thing for sure.
I drink DIET COKE.

A LOT.

I have a necklace from the Junior League of Fort Worth's Christmas in Cowtown shopping extravaganza that says "Diet Coke Lover." I actually wear it. I mean call a spade a spade.

You will be just as shocked as I when I went to the doctor for a routine check up today and he suggested I drink only water.

Seriously.

I am going to try it. Starting tomorrow. Or the next day.

I think I hear the phone ringing with word from Vegas as to how long the shots are that it will last more than a couple of hours...

Tulips for Slick

The Peep and I both like most every flower.

Papa likes most flowers as evidenced by his variety of pots on the back porch at his and Bucia's house.

Lulu likes every flower. Check her backyard in the summers for some of everything strategically placed in the sun appropriate part of the yard.

Slick is a different story.

Slick likes tulips. He thinks other flowers are OK, but his favorite is the tulip. I'm not sure if there is a color preference- but tulip is the winner.

Here are a few tulips for Slick.

a dog day

Putter is pooped out. She spent the weekend with the Peep at Chief and Lulu's house while Slick and I went away for a couple of nights. More on that fun soon, but in the mean time I am checking often with Putter to make sure she is still breathing. I have not seen a dog sleep so soundly. She did not move during the night- a change from the walking around our bed getting comfortable routine she normally preforms. She got up this morning only long enough to eat and lay down again. She wandered slowly into the kitchen while I was feeding the Peep but then walked- dare I say crawled- back to bed for more sleeping.

Chief and Lulu's house is too fun for sleep, especially if you are a rowdy beagle. This weekend proved no exception. There are dogs on both sides of their yard- the one on the East likes to come out and torment Putter and the two on the West live outside full time and bark like maniacs regardless of if Putter is out or not. When she is there Chief and Lulu encourage Putter to go out and bark back so they "have a dog in this race" so to speak...

This weekend there was an added element of fun in that a pair of ducks have landed in the back yard and decided to stay a few days. They swim in the pool and nap on the deck. We were not there when Putter was introduced, but the rumor is that she was not as hospitable as we would have hoped, especially for the dog with "Perfect Attendance" from Pet Smart puppy school, but the ducks must not have noticed, because they stayed anyway.

Needless to say- we have little of that excitement at home- and Putter is probably glad. A girl can only take that excitement in small doses. And now... she sleeps... man it must be great to be a dog...

DJ Jazzy Peeper

The Peep is a singer. She doesn't always get the tempo or notes right but the girl knows words. Last night she impressed Hill Dog with a rousing rendition of Please Come to Boston and then doing a little Temptations "My Girl" the first time she heard it...

This is why I hardly know what is going on in the world of pop music because we listen to CD's constantly in the car. The Peep likes a variety now, thankfully, and we are freed from Toddler Tunes. She will occasionally do a little She'll Be Commin' Around the Mountain, but for the most part it is the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Van Halen, Jack Ingram or U2 in Slick's sedan and Kenny Chesney, Little Mermaid, Backyardigins or of course Kenny Chesney in my mom-mobile.

DJ Jazzy Peeper... what can I say???

Big Auntie's Salmons

This is the Peep with Big Auntie. She was our Memaw's sister who lived here in the Big City near us our whole lives and who could do the cool grandmotherly things like sew and cook and give big hugs and good advise.

In my memory her Christmas tree was always decorated with blue ball ornaments. Did this really happen? I am not sure- but I certainly remember it vividly. Her Chocolate Pie was legendary in our family and that six sided pie pan that I baked the blueberry pie in was hers. I am honored to have it. I will treat it as carefully as she did- you know, washing it by hand because she never had a dishwasher...

Last night I had to call Lulu to get this recipe for the Salmons. I am happy to share them with you and delighted to mention that they were delicious last night. If you have not had them before, they are like crab cakes, but made with salmon. I read a couple of cook books looking for recipes and they use things like fresh salmon and fancy bread crumbs. Not so much Big Auntie.

Big Auntie's Salmons: serves two adults with a couple left over for the next day or a family of 4 where the youngest kid only eats a couple of bites... (Hilldog!)

1 can of salmon- we always had honey boy, I think as a kid, but last night the Tom Thumb brand was perfect
2 or 3 saltines crushed depending on the amount of liquid in the can
1 egg
a couple of tablespoons of finely chopped onion or a few shakes of onion powder
salt, pepper and garlic powder
a little flour
and the secret ingredient: 1 tsp baking powder

Dump the can of salmon in a bowl, juice and all. Sift through to remove the large bones. Fluff the meat and add the crackers, egg, onion, salt, pepper, garlic and baking powder. Mix carefully and add just enough flour so the mixture holds together. Shape into 7-9 patties- you want them al little thin so they can cook through before turning too brown when they cook. (I added the step that I coat the patties thinly in flour before dropping them into the oil. Do this only if you want.)

Heat a little oil- maybe a couple of tablespoons only (I use canola) in a nonstick pan and "fry" the cakes. It might take 2 or 3 minutes on each side depending on how thin the cakes are. Remove to a paper towel lined platter and eat one of them to make sure they are super tasty. It will probably take two batches, add oil between them so second set of the cakes get nicely crisp like the first.

Add a little more oil to the pan and then a couple tbsp of four and whisk to combine. Salt and pepper the flour mixture and continue to whisk while adding some milk and making cream gravy. Let the gravy cook a couple of minutes while you add more milk or water depending on how thin you like it.

Serve the Salmons on a bed of mashed potatoes with the cream gravy.

Smile and think of a wonderful Aunt who made everyone who she loved feel like the most special member of her family.

Everyone's Busy

I know it has been a week since I took the time to post.

I am so sorry to the many many (few) readers that it has been a bummer when you have tuned in and tried to catch up. I know it has been an issue because all five of you have e-mailed or called to see what's up!

The answer. All I have been doing is listening to Kenny Chesney and the Please Come to Boston song. I don't know what it is about it- "Somebody I can SIIINNNNG to..." it gets me EVERY time. I was thinking that next time it won't but it still does. After four days of nothing but that song. Still gets me every time.

Dang it.

Just listened again and still- all I am thinking is he can sing to me ANYTIME.

I just thought you deserved to know the truth. And that last week I was busy working for Lulu, de-cluttering, moving my desk to the Command Position in the office, having a go to bed headache, going to the World Trade Center to order ribbon, attending a meeting where Hilldog and I advise collegians, cooking dinner for a few collegians, cooking the Pioneer Woman's chocolate cake, walking at the gym, eating cake and having my infusion all afternoon Friday. I know everyone is busy. I am too.

I promise not to let life get in the way of the Adventures again... but maybe one more listen to Come to Boston before I return phone calls...??

Super Secret

The Peep watches a show called the Backyardigans and they had a special not long ago called Super Secret Super Spy. I really have no sense of how long ago it actually aired for the first time... we have recorded it to the DVR and have watched it a million times.

I bring it up today because Lulu and I were super spies last week as we found three secret tracks on a Kenny Chesney CD quite by accident while we were in a showroom at the World Trade Center. Slick has been so wonderful to burn them from i-tunes for me onto a CD which you can hear if you are in the car with me. Just in case everyone can't fit into my mom-mobile, a link here will take you to the video for the super secret Kenny music. Just in case you are fan. Like me. And The Peep.