Monday Musings

No pictures on this post, which really bothers me...but what's a girl to do when she has computer problems at home and is "borrowing" a computer at work to do her blogging?

I hope to have that particular little problem remedied soon. In the meantime, just a few little catch-up details from the Hamlet.

Catch up detail #1: Jonah is now a baseball player!! He tried out Saturday, will find out his team and coach today or tomorrow...I hope he's on a red team. I like red teams-the Braves, the Cardinals, the Razorbacks...

Catch up detail #2: I spent the weekend, except for the hour or so we were at the ballpark, on the couch with muscle spasms in my neck and right shoulder. It's not much fun, and I don't recommend it.

Catch up detail #3: I have some BIG plans for our yard this spring and summer...stay tuned for details, and if you're really lucky, some before and after pictures!

Catch up detail #4: I'm ready for sping. Those of you who know me are most likely very surprised at this detail, and may possibly think I've been kidnapped and that someone else is writing this, but it's really me. And I'm really ready for warm weather. Just back-porch sitting, baseball playing, flower planting, herb gardening kind of weather. Not that hot, mosquito slapping, sweat provoking, stay under the air conditioner kind of weather. Actually, I'm ready for fall, but that's another post for another day in the not too far future.

Catch up detail #5: I have a bunch of ideas for upcoming blogs, just need time to get them done (oh, yes and a working computer). Look for these exciting future posts: 5 word phrases; spring decor ideas; Easter plans; and a give-away!!

I need to get to work on some paperwork for my grown up job. Working for a living is not much fun...not a fan. But the bill collectors are insisting that I do it, so ta-ta for now!

Leave me a message and let me know if I've left out any details that you are dying to know and I'll try to answer it!

Later!
Cathy

Snow Day!! The Blizzard of '10!

For some of you who get snow all the time, it's just another day. For us, who rarely get snow, it's an EVENT! And, like all good events, it should be celebrated. And celebrate we did!

This is the front porch as it looked at 5:30 am when I got up Monday morning. Our weather guys hadn't predicted this..so I was totally surprised!

The boys suited up and headed out. Before long, they had a snowman going, albeit a dirty snowman!

Their dad helped them finish it, and I forgot to get a picture of the finished product on my camera. I did get one on my phone, but unfortunately I have no way to load those pictures onto the computer.

I sent my brother, Michael, a text and told him to send his kids down if he wanted to. My boys love playing with their cousins. He said he'd send them down, but he had to stay home and work. I said ok. Then he said "well, if you'll make some coffee I'll come down too. This snow isn't going to last long, might as well enjoy it." I said ok. So they came down. And Jonah and Makayla were telling us something...

And so we looked out the door and it was pouring snow. I'm talking snowflakes the size of quarters...

And the kids played and played and played...

And then they came in and ate and ate and ate...and that snow that Michael said "won't last long"? Well, it's Thursday night and it's still here. And guess what..."they" say more is on the way tonight! Yippee!! More celebrating coming up!!!

Stay warm!

Cathy

Super Bowl!!

You already know that I'm a football nut. So today is a little bittersweet for me...the biggest game of the whole year, but it's also the LAST game of the season. And baseball, which is my other big sports addiction, won't start for several more weeks...but, hey-we do have the winter Olympics to look forward to!! I also love them. I want to race a bobsled, and I'm pretty sure I'd be real good at it. I used to race all the boys on our Flexible Flyer sled every time it snowed or iced on our hill when we were kids! Sometimes I even won.

It seems that the Superbowl has gotten to be more about food and commercials than the game...or at least equal amounts to the game. I have some yummy stuff planned, but I don't have pictures of it yet...but I will. Lynn says I'm the only person he knows that photographs my food before I eat it. Well, how else can you post it if you don't photo it?

We have a hot drinks station left over from the snowy/icy weather last weekend. We had hot chocolate, chai tea and green tea, along with coffee and caramel apple cider mix. Yummy!


We're having a burger bar tonight..I'm making sliders. Actually they are just cute little mini burgers and I really don't understand the purpose of them, but they are awfully cute. Here's the setups for the burgers. Oh, I get it-you can dress each burger differently and have 3 or 4 or 10 different tastes.

That bottle of red stuff-that's the homemade sugar-free ketchup I made. It's good...spicier than regular ketchup, it makes a fabulous garnish for burgers or a base for barbeque sauce or cocktail sauce. I make homemade Thousand Island dressing with it-just mix equal parts of mayo and ketchup (homemade or store bought) and a spoonful or two of pickle relish. I make a Big Mac salad...two all beef patties, special sauce (see above), lettuce, cheese, pickles (relish) and onions-no sesame seed bun for me, just the salad. It's so good. You don't even notice you don't have a bun!

My boys discovered appetizers around Christmas and are in love with all appetizer dinners. So we're having shrimp poppers, cheddar poppers, cheese sticks, aforementioned sliders, chips and dip (bean dip and Fritos-my favorite!) and chicken nuggets and fries.

So, which ever team you're for, I hope you enjoy the game, the commercials and have great food! Geaux Saints!

Later!

Cathy

Valentine's Day will be here in a week. Do you decorate for the heart holiday? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. A couple of years ago, I did. I used my favorite black and white checked ribbon to make bows on red and white heart shaped paper doilies..then tied them on a pine wreath on my front door.


I stuck some more doilies on the mantle in the yellow berry garland I had there...with the "heart" banner I made-my very first one!

And I used them on my year round tree, making it into a Valentine's tree!

This year, I haven't decorated at all. I did place some of my white dishes on top of the corner china cabinet and leave the red berry and pine garland from Christmas to light it up. I will show you some pictures of that later. I like the way it looks...sort of festive, but not so much that my family makes fun of me.

I have another blog for you to check out. It's a new one to me, and boy, is it fun!! It's called Visual Vamp. The owner has lots of pretty pictures. You know I've gotta love a blogger who has her own tiara/crown/diadem collection!! Hope over and join the carnival!

We might get more snow Monday night! I would love to see one more "event" and then I think I'll be ready for spring. I have lots of plans for my yard that I'll be sharing soon!

Until then,

Cathy

A Wintery Mix and an Ideal

No, not idea...ideal. More on that later.
First, the wintery mix. We are in the middle of a winter storm. I just checked the weather at Channel 7, the ultimate Little Rock area tv station in my mind, and now they are predicting that we are going to get slammed all day, with it wrapping up midnightish. Ok, fine by me. It's my ideal day. See where this post is headed?

So, we get up and it's sleeting like mad, and Lynn said that the boys and I aren't going ANYWHERE today, whether they cancel school or not. I said "yes sir" quite happily. When I was a police officer, back in the dark ages as Jacob likes to say, I had no choice and had to drive in this mess. I no longer HAVE to do (well, so far anyway) so I DON'T do it. I stay home. And I'm blessed with a husband who has more common sense than almost anyone I know and he had the foresite to cover the woodpile with a drop cloth, so we have a stack of dry wood to put on the fire he was kind enough to build for us before heading out into the elements to win the bread and bring home the bacon. In other words, he's working this morning, then stopping by the grocery store on the way home. Yay, Lynn!

So, the boys and I are having an "ideal" morning at home. Jonah has been in his cozy little bed, watching "Tom and Jerry" cartoons on dvd. Benjie is wrapped in his comforter on the blue couch (you know the one, the most comfortable seat in the house, the one we all fight for on Sunday afternoons and wintery mornings) watching "ScoobyDoo" and Jacob is sleeping. Me? I'm drinking another cup of coffee made yummier with real cream-none of that fake stuff for me-and surfing the web. I've caught up with a high school friend and a college friend on Facebook, texted Melissa a half dozen times and Lynn once to add waffle makings to the grocery list, and found some fabby new-to-me-blogs. I'm formulating a plan for showing them to you. I have several, so I'm thinking I'm going to spread it out over a few posts.

The starting point for blog-searching for me is my friend Susan's Between Naps on the Porch. You know Susan if you've read my blog much. Her fabulous porch was the inspiration for my own porch, and she drew my name on one of her giveaways, sending me a totally gorgeous and unexpected Christmas gift. I've emailed her enough over the past couple of years that I refer to myself as her "favorite stalker". I'm sure she would agree with the "stalker" part-"favorite"-maybe not so much.

Susan hosts Tablescape Thursday, a fun little blog party where bloggers post photos of fabulous tables set for fun events-some real, some imaginary-and then link to BNOP. It's wonderful surfing on a snowy, sleety (um, yeah..that IS a real word) morning with contented little boys leaving me alone. So today, when you check out Susan's darling table, check out some of the others too. But pay lots of attention to this one if you are a French Country nut like me.

Talk about inspiration! I went a ways back into her archives and wow! Does she know how to decorate! Beautiful stuff. I want this and this and this...um, huh. Oh, heck..anything you see on her site that you want to bring to my house...would be ok with me!!

Enjoy your day, whether it's an ideal or not. It's the only January 29, 2010 you'll ever have!!

Stay warm!
Cathy

Blog Resurrected

I've revived my food blog, Dinner at the Hamlet and given it a new purpose. I will be using this as a sort of on-line journal for my new "diet". I don't think of it as a diet, I think of it as the way I will be eating for the rest of my life. All the details are there..check it out. I'm working on a face-lift for it too.

Speaking of facelifts, do you like the new look here at the Hamlet? I really like the browns and creams. Sort of like the chocolate that I no longer eat. At least I can look at it!

Stay tuned here for some upcoming news. I'm giving this blog a little re-vamping too, and to celebrate I'm planning a little giveaway. I'm not good at these things, so I'm not giving details until they are nailed down. Check back later this week.

Until then...stay warm!

Later!
Cathy

Catching up

Sorry again. I'm going to do better. Really.

For the first time since Christmas, we don't have a busy weekend. The little boys are at a church-sponsored lock in tonight, and Jacob is at a movie with a friend. Jonah has a basketball game at --gasp--8:30 am...then it's home to a fire and enjoying the rain! I have to do some work on Mt. Washmore, but other than that...we're chilling this weekend.

Last weekend was Reality Weekend, and it was amazing. A group of around 600 kids from 14 area churches raised $19,000 for Compassion's work in Haiti. Isn't that awesome?

I'll try to get some pictures of the worship service posted tomorrow. But tonight..I'm enjoying a warm fire, a sweet husband and a quiet Friday night. See ya'll later!

Stay warm!
Cathy