Valentine Rambling

Happy Valentine's Day!

My sweet husband surprised me with this lovely little swan when he got home from work last night. I adore it, it's such a unique little bud vase. Roses from our backyard will be finding their way to this vase during the summer months, I do believe.

Our Valentine celebrations tend to be fairly simple. We will probably do a cheese fondue dinner by candlelight at home tonight, that's always romantic and fun. Then again, it's been a while since we've had a picnic on the floor...

I remember our first picnic on the floor. I was living in an efficiency apartment, a tiny little thing; the kitchen area was along one short wall of the living/dining room. We were both in college at the time.

We grilled steaks (a rare treat for college students!) on an indoor tabletop grill. I put an embroidered tablecloth on the floor in my tiny living room. Husband (boyfriend at the time) had gotten a pink rose for me, so that was in a vase in the center of the cloth. We heaped plates with steak and mashed potatoes and gravy. I think Husband got the biggest steaks he could find; they were huge! We had those little buttery crescent rolls, too. I don't believe there was a green or leafy vegetable in sight!

We sat on the floor and shared bites and savoured the juicy steaks. We laughed at our extravagance. So silly, but such a good memory. I think I might even have pictures of our feast somewhere, but this was way before digital cameras.

Still love him as much as I did back then, though.

Imbolc Planning

Tomorrow is Imbolc and I have been thinking a lot about what I'd like to do this year. I think of Imbolc as the time of earth's quickening and also as a time of clearing out the old to make way for the new. A time of purifying mind, body, spirit, home.

So I think I will take a purification shower and continue with the cleaning I've begun around the house. I've also decided to try a couple of new recipes. The first one being:

SPRING TONIC SOUP

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 leeks, white parts only, well-washed and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or more, to taste)
6 cups vegetable broth or water
sea salt
Handful of mustard greens, watercress, or parsley, coarsely chopped
croutons for garnish
sour cream for garnish
sprouts for garnish

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add leeks, bell pepper,
and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Sprinkle
vegetables with paprika and cayenne to taste.

2. Add vegetable broth or water, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil
and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Add greens and continue cooking
for 2 to 3 minutes.

3. To serve, place a few croutons in each individual soup bowl, then
add broth. Top each serving with sour cream and a couple of fresh
sprouts.

Serves 4 to 6.

This soup is supposed to be rich with flavonoids, and will clear the sinuses and promote healing. Its also full of spring and fiery flavor.

I've always wanted to try making a baked custard and while browsing recipes online, I found the perfect one to try:

BAKED CUSTARD FOR TWO

1 egg
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. In a bowl, lightly beat the egg. Stir in the milk, sugar, vanilla and salt until combined.
2. Pour into two ungreased 6-oz. custard cups. Sprinkle with nutmeg.
3. Place in an 8-in. square baking dish; add 1 in. of hot water to the pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

Other than these simple plans, I will wait and see what other inspirations arise tomorrow.

Feline Friday: Snugglin'

Husband caught us nappin' together...

I never thought my Moose-man would ever turn into a lap kitty... but he's become a regular snuggle bug lately.

It's taken almost 8 years to develop this level of trust from my Moose-man. I'm honored that he has decided I'm worthy of it.

... that's the power of love...

Nostalgia

Oh... I love '80's music... we're listening to Casey Kasem's AT40 Countdown for 1/19/85 on XM80's on 8 and there have been some good (and some bad) totally '80's songs playing tonight.

Like right now its Julian Lennon's "Valotte." I love that song... I had that album when it came out and it was a good one. I really liked Julian Lennon.

We've also heard some awesome Hall & Oates and I went right over Amazon and added some of them to my wishlist. Method of Modern Love, Adult Education, remember those?

And of course, we heard my favorite artist-- Steve Perry! Foolish Heart. God I love that song. I'm such a mushy romantic.

Listening to XM 80's on 8 has inspired me to add quite a few CD's to my wishlist lately-- Taylor Dayne, Level 42, The Outfield, Rick Astley, WHAM!, Pat Benatar. I am not ashamed! I have always said I'm a hopeless totally 80's girl.

Still Sexy at 60

"The Voice" turns 60 today! Rumor has is it, he is in the process of recording his first album in over 10 years. Hopefully, he'll post his annual birthday message at Fan Asylum soon and he'll confirm it.

Happy Birthday, Steve Perry!

Crab Lasagna Rolls

Thought I would post a favorite recipe. It's simple to make, tastes great and looks fancy-- which make it a nice recipe to serve for special guests/occasions. This recipe makes 8 rolls; serving size is 1-2 rolls.

CRAB LASAGNA ROLLS

8 lasagna noodles (cook & drain)
1 jar (26 oz) Italian-style tomato sauce

FILLING:
8 oz. package of imitation crab meat (or real crab, it it is within your budget)
1 1/4 C cottage cheese (drained)
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
1 TBSP dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 egg

1. Start with boiling water for the lasagna noodles. It's important that the noodles are whole, so I cook the pasta in a large skillet. Strange, I know, but I've found it works well.

2. While the pasta cooks, mix the crab, cottage & parmesan cheese, parsley, onion powder and egg together.

3. When the pasta is al dente, drain carefully and spread the noodles out flat on waxed paper. Do not over cook the noodles or they will be too mushy and easily split when you try to roll them.

4. Spread approximately 1/4 C crab mixture along the center of the noodle, leaving about an inch bare at one end. Keep the mixture away from the edges of the noodle and not too thick, or it will make too fat of a roll and will ooze out the ends.

5. Firmly but gently, roll up the noodle from the filled end towards the bare end. Don't roll too tightly or the filling will ooze out! Leave the crab roll with the seam side down to keep it from unrolling.

6. Place crab lasagna rolls seam side down in a pan and cover with sauce. Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese and cover pan with foil. Bake covered at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Four to freeze, four for dinner.

7. Serve with a simple salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!

Feline Friday: All Grown Up

A miracle has occurred!

You may recall that our Moose-man had some neuroses regarding food and eating habits, so he had his special dish. But no more!

He's all grown up with a real bowl and able to free range feed whenever he wants. Here he is, enjoying his meal at the "cat food station" that my dad made in his wood shop especially for our cats years and years ago, and until now, we've never been able to use.

We do still give him a specific measure for the day, and he's still on his special high fiber food, but he's able to pace himself now and make it last for 24 hours and not gobble it all in one feeding! This is incredible progress, people!

We are so proud of him. It only took about 8 years.

Shoplifter

Huh. I witnessed an interesting incident today.

I was at the craft store and a woman at the next register over was raising a big stink about the price of wicker basket. She had a whole bunch of things she was buying and the cashier had already rung up and bagged the smaller items when the woman got upset about the price that rang up for the wicker stuff. She started to get louder and more belligerent, arguing with the cashier and then with the manager that came over. She got them all scurrying to make her happy, the manager went to check on the price for her and then, BOOM! She stormed out, saying she didn't want any of the items.

However, she stormed out with the bag of smaller items that had already been rung up and bagged, but not yet paid for because she was arguing about prices. By the time the cashier realized what happened, the woman was long gone.

Some people. Really.

New Tutorial

Visit my craft blog for a *new* tutorial on
HOW TO MAKE POMANDERS.

Happy Solstice

Happy Winter Solstice and warm wishes to all who celebrate today! (And for my blogging friends in the southern hemisphere, Happy Summer Solstice!)

I *did* put up a tree this year-- our small one. It fit perfectly on the coffee table in the living room; that's why I love these "skinny" x-mas trees-- its much easier to find a spot to put one of these than it is a big, bushy tree. I surprised Firehand by having the tree up, along with a few other decorations (mustn't forget the mistletoe ball!) when he got home from work on Friday evening.

I am full of joy knowing that from here on out, the days only begin to get longer and longer! Huzzah! Welcome back, Sun!

Whirlwind Iowa Trip, part 2~ Family

SATURDAY PM

We arrived at Firehand's cousin's home around 2:30 PM and the holiday festivities were already in full swing. Everyone was just finishing lunch and Santa and his Elf were there visiting with all the young ones. After he left, it was time for all the kids to open gifts.

There was restrained order as every kid got to open a gift at a time around and around the circle, according to Great-Grandma's direction, while the adults looked on...

Once all the children's gifts were opened, chaos reigned. Below, Firehand is looking a little shell shocked from all the uproar.

The kids retreated to the play room and then the adults played a word game and had our grab bag gift exchange. All in all there were 19 adults and 8 children there for the day's celebration!

I got to make the acquaintance of one very special little boy, my newest nephew, now 5 months old, and as cute as can possibly be. He's feeling mighty sleepy in Grandpa's lap in this picture.

The festivities began to disband around 8 PM. We discovered our car was stuck in the mud, and all the men in the family tromped out into the wet and cold to solve that problem for us. Then off to the hotel for some quiet time with MIL, FIL, SIL and nephews before bed.

SUNDAY

Off to the holiday gathering at Grandpa & Grandma E's. Grandma (and helpers) had been cooking up a storm and we enjoyed beef with homemade noodles, her fabulous apple salad and all sorts of other good food for lunch. And off course we got our traditional plate of cookies and bucket of caramel & cinnamon popcorn to take with us when we left.

It was a much smaller gathering on this day, the only children being our 2 nephews, plus 10 adults. Still, that quite a few people in a small apartment! After gifts were opened, most of the adults played cards-- but I played with my newest nephew. A happier baby I have never met, I swear.

After leftovers for dinner, it was time for us to hit the road again...

... another 3 hours of driving to get to my hometown and family... More of the whirlwind trip on the way!

Whirlwind IowaTrip, part 1~ Traveling

Our trip back to Iowa to visit family for the holidays was a real whirlwind this year-- I think this one was the shortest and fastest trip we've ever done. Want to come along on the journey?

FRIDAY PM

We left Friday night, almost as soon as Firehand got home from work. We had everything packed up the night before and just had to do a few last minute things and get our suitcases into the car and go. Sorry Howling Hill, the cranberry bread went with us...

Here we are, somewhere on the interstate between Sterling, CO & North Platte, NE. It's a mighty long drive, so I was entertaining myself by taking night photos of the lights as we drove.

Late night stop for gas. We were getting pretty tired by this point, but decided to drive a bit further. We finally stopped in Kearney, NE around 1 AM to get some sleep.

SATURDAY AM

On the road again the next morning... we stopped briefly at a truck stop outside Lincoln, NE to get something to drink and saw these old-fashioned gas pumps there.

Woo-hoo! Welcome to Iowa! Crossing the state line and the bridge over the Missouri River.

We stopped at the Iowa welcome center to use their wireless internet. We had to retrieve Firehand's cousin's new address from e-mail so that we could find her new house, which was where one of the family gatherings was being held this year. Still a couple more hours of driving until we get there, though.

Next up... family, family, family!

MMmmm... Cranberry Walnut Bread

Made with fresh cranberries!

That's definitely good for a little Yuletide cheer. Oh yeah.

Feline Friday: Squished

This does not quite look comfortuhbuls...

... but a little bit of head squish doesn't seem to be deterring Moose from his nap, so what do I know?

Song Title Meme

Okay, so I found this meme over at Magic In These Hills a while back, and of course I have to do it and OF COURSE I choose Journey-- the Steve Perry years... what else? Duh.

Rules: Choose a singer/band/group.

Answer the following using ONLY titles of songs by that singer/band/group.

1. Are you male or female? Walks Like a Lady

2. Describe yourself. Colors of the Spirit

3. What do people feel when they’re around you? Why Can't This Night Go On Forever (**ROFLMAO** sorry, couldn't resist!)

4. How would you describe your previous relationship? Don't Be Down on Me Baby

5. Describe your current relationship. Stone In Love

6. Where would you want to be now? Escape

7. How do you feel about love? It's a Natural Thing

8. What’s your life like? Sweet & Simple

9. What would you ask for if you had only one wish? Precious Time

10. Say something wise. Be Good to Yourself

Bah Humbug This Year

Maybe. Maybe not.

We've been slow on acquiring the holiday spirit here at our house. For one, it's hard to think it's winter when the temps have been in the 50's. We have had snow a couple of times, but its melted within a day or two.

The only holiday decorating I've done so far is to put out the Yule wreath by the front door along with some silk poinsettias and our "Season's Greetings" sign. With having our upstairs so crowded with stuff from the downstairs, we have no room to put up our tree, even the smaller one. Not to mention, we can't reach the trees or ornaments because they are packed away downstairs while we've been rebuilding/refinishing the basement level. And it just seems like the house upstairs will feel even more cluttered if I put out holiday decorations. So I've been holding off.

But it would be nice to put a little bit of something Yule-ish out. I've been thinking maybe just the lighted garlands and giant pinecones and candles. Something really simple, from the box of stuff I *can* reach. Hmmm. Maybe. I'm thinking about it.

Surprise!

My surprise from Beweaver arrived over the weekend! Isn't it gorgeous?!

Not long after Samhain, Beweaver posted her spirit photos for readers to interpret and gave out 3 prizes. I won 3rd prize for giving an answer that made her laugh, so I got a surprise gift in the mail-- this beautifully stitched wallet. I love it!

Being that I am so NOT a sewer, I am just fascinated by hand stitched and appliqued items and Beweaver makes some of the most lovely items I've ever seen. Her stitches are so tiny and even-- how does she do it? Check out her textiles page for more of her beautiful work.

Thank you, Beweaver!

Tarot for 2008~ 12th Moon

The 12th cycle of the moon for this year began on November 27th. This is the moon cycle I've been apprehensive about, here's why:



Keywords/phrases from TP&S: chaos, shake things up, disruption, awakening, shock, havoc, major transformation, crisis, release from bondage, unavoidable change

Sound like fun? Yeah.

However, Tarot: Your Everyday Guide gives this insightful and helpful interpretation:

With this card, there is always the recognition that as traumatic as changes may be, they bring about the necessary end to something that is unsatisfactory, whether in one's personal life, or in one's greater social environment... If the Tower is about drastic, even catastrophic, changes, then the card read as advice to emulate suggests initiating such changes oneself.

Also: Consider where drastic changes need to be made in your life. The Tower has a lot to do with the toppling of structures, so a restructuring , or even total dismantling of certain systems may be in order. You must be flexible, imaginative, and prepared to let go of cherished beliefs and ways of doing things.

I've been hoping this card would only represent the chaos of balancing work with the holiday travel back to IA and all that entails, however, I have a sneaking suspicion that there is more to it than just that.

One possibility: I have had a tooth bothering me lately. I think that either an old filling is coming loose, or that there is a new cavity around it. At any rate, I need to go to the dentist, something I dread for many, many reasons. So much so, I've not gone to a dentist in aeons. As usual, I've been putting it off hoping I'm mistaken, but at this point, I'm sure I need to go. So I need to suck it up and find a dentist and go take care of myself.

Therefore, to help me motivate myself to do what I know I need to do, some empowering words from the Tarot Affirmations deck Tower card:

I am freedom from towering prisons of outworn defenses, habits and attitudes.

I am sudden disruptions in established routines that cause unexpected growth.

So be it!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American blogging friends! May the blessings and abundance of this celebration be upon you and your families!

I am thankful for:

• my husband; he's funny, loving, kind, understanding and cuddly-- and handsome to boot
• my marriage-- its not always been perfect or easy, but its better each year as the two of us share and grow together
• my Moose-man! such a sweet kitty, such a great lump!
  
• our house-- I'm thankful we have a house, a HOME, and are no longer renting; we can paint and personalize to our hearts content, as well as enjoy a yard to garden in and a patio to sit and relax
• family-- wish they were closer, but they are only a phone call away
• my spiritual path, spiritual guides & allies
• friends-- new, old, bloggers, and those I haven't met yet
  
• cinnamon rolls
• trees, herbs, flowers
  
• warm, fuzzy slippers
• flannel sheets
• candle light and candles
• crock pot recipes
• polymer clay-- and all art supplies!
• being able to create with my hands and mind
• the glorious color spectrum
  
• good books to read... and re-read
  
• fresh cranberries!
• house plants
• comfy new jeans
• my Subaru Forester; it fits me just right, its safe, dependable, in good repair
• a job I enjoy
• commuting with my husband to work-- bonding time + saves gas!
• my awesome camera
• all our bills are paid each month
• good music and the way it makes me feel when I listen to it
  
• our president-elect
• vintage china
• down throw blankets
• footstools
• holiday baking opportunities
• Swheat scoop cat litter
  
• comfy pajamas for lounging in
• being able to do laundry at home!
  
• soups of all kinds
• tarot decks
• sunshiney days
• much needed rain
• yoga
• alpaca wraps!
• pashminas!
• trade arrangements
• Birkenstock shoes
• felt tip pens/markers
• crochet and all you can make with it
• life in general
  

Value of Trade

I'm becoming friends with a woman I've met at work. She noticed that I'm always FREEZING at work; I wear layers and have my coat draped over my knees and still am cold. Most days I'll bring my pashmina and wrap it around my shoulders and arms while I work, too.

Anyway, so she commented on my pashmina because she loved the color, and then told me about how if I liked shawl-type wraps that I should try alpaca because its really warm. She said she had an olive green alpaca shawl that she bought and never wore because it's too hot and she felt like she's drowning in it. She said she'd bring it in for me to see if I liked it and maybe we could work out a trade.

So yesterday she brought it in and I wore it during the afternoon. OH! So warm! Like, *immediately* warm. Better than wool. As soon as I wrapped it around me, I could feel the warmth rising in me. It was wonderful. And quite a lovely shawl, very simple but elegant-- green with a scalloped edge with fringe and a button to hold it shut. Fuzzy and warm, warm, warm! I told her I loved it.

Well, let's talk about trade, she says with a gleam in her eye. Yep, she definitely had something in mind. She knew I crocheted and what she really really really wants is... (drumroll please)...

a crocheted tea cozy!

That's it! Can you believe it!? I don't know why, she says, I've just always wanted one. I like the idea of them. And you're the first person I've met who could make me one. Her teapot? Round, 3-4 cup size, she wants something in blues. She drinks a ton of tea, in fact earlier this week I brought some special Red Bush Chai blend to share with her because I knew she'd appreciate it.

So. I'm scouring the 'net for a nice crocheted tea cozy pattern. I'm thinking maybe I'll make her a nice little set as a surprise... tea cozy, napkin ring, place mat or something like that.

I hope that will make a fair trade. I dunno, I'm new at this. But I like the idea of trading. Each of us gets something we really like and want. And it's nice to be able to give something that I created.