Pretty Pretty Pots

I had a pinspiration that I got from Better Homes & Gardens Pinterest post and it got me thinking. . . I can do something like that...or, my hubby and I can do something like that. So we did. First we bought a few little pots at a craft store for .99 cents per pot.

Then we primed the pots with a nice little coat of paint.

Next we picked pretty paint colors and alternated the colors on the rims or bottoms of the pots.

Then we added some inexpensive plants and hung the pretty painted pots on the fence.

Wah-lah!!! Pinspiration!!

Fry...day Fish

Pacific Northwest Steelhead Trout is yummilicious. The one thing you never want to do with fish, is overcook it. And it's EZ to do. Fish only needs about 3-5 minutes on each side to cook all the way through.

This trout is crusted in a light batter of breadcrumbs and cooked in a little butter. Fry it skin face down first so that the fish can get cooked through before you flip it over to give it a nice crust.

I usually use an egg to get the breadcrumbs to stick to the fish. But...this time, this fish was just lightly drizzled with breadcrumbs as it fried in the pan. So it is a very light breading.

Then serve it with a little fruit, some lemon and some sort of carbohydrate: we used a few rustic chips to get the carbs in there. The only thing that might have made this dinner more delectable would have been a white sauce :) But this was supposed to be a healthy dinner.

Pinterest - I'm addicted

Okay so how am I going to keep up with facebook, my blog, emails, and twitter. . .?  Plus...now Pinterest! Oh well, I'm absolutely addicted. It's so much fun poking around on Pinterest. It's simple to do a flashby photo peek... There are great photos, ideas and even some short little comments.

So what about you???? Are you a Pinterest Phan? If you are pop on by my page and check out my boards, all you have to do is click here.

I hope you have some fun peeking at my fotos and if you have a Pinterest page, let me know. I'll definitely pop on by for a peek or two . . . or three.

Word for Wednesday - a Game for Writers

Guess what the word means.

The Word for Wednesday: Remuneration.

What does it mean?

Take a guess.


Scroll down for the answer




Further...



Further....



Further....



Remuneration is pay or an exchange for services.

If you want to read more about it, check it out here.

Picture Perfect - NO WAY

Have you ever looked for a photo of yourself? One you might actually want people to see? Well it's not as easy to find something as you might think.

I have a couple of photo-phobias.

1) Keeping my eyes open.

I know, I have lots of pictures on my blog but a lot of those were taken when I didn't know they were being snapped. But, if you put me in front of a camera and tell me to smile. . . well, it's not always a pretty picture.  I just have the worst time keeping my eyes open when someone snaps a photo. No kidding. I just went to get my passport renewed and the guy had to take five pictures because I had my eyes closed in all of them. On the final photo, I only have one eye open. The photographer said, "That's good enough."

I'm just not good at posing - in fact I'm horrible. My eyes are always half closed.

Plus, I'm a card carrying Starbucks fan - so my teeth aren't as white as they should be. So . . .

2) I'm always worried about showing my coffee-stained teeth. So most of my smiles are with my mouth closed.

Anyway, I tried putting on a little makeup so I'd look a little better than usual . . . but my husband said I looked like a ghoul with those ruby red lips and said I should wash it off.

And, I have super thick hair so I tried to style it. . . a little, I mean I didn't want it framing my head like a giant horsetail so I put some mousse in my mane to tame it but my son said it made me look like I was trying to look like a teenager leaving a rave.

So, I just asked my oldest son to snap a couple pictures. He did, but when my younger son looked at the photos he said he wouldn't even recognize me looking at those pictures.

I almost gave up. But finally I picked one photo everyone was happy with - well, maybe happy isn't the right word. I was able to find a photo no one complained about  . . . too much. I put a headband on my hair to hold it back and wah-lah Mom-Mane.

So, how 'bout you? Any photo fails for you?

Movie Monday - Chimpanzee

If you're going to see a movie this week, you might want to see Chimpanzee because it won't just be a movie, you will also be helping animals because when you buy your ticket it will benefit Chimpanzees in the Wild. because Disneynature will make a donation to the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) to protect wild chimpanzees but it's only during the opening week of the movie. You can check it out here.

Here's what the movie blurb says: "The world is a playground for little Oscar and his fellow young chimps, who'd rather make mayhem than join their parents for an afternoon nap. But when Oscar's family is confronted by a rival band of chimps, he is left to fend for himself until a surprising ally steps in and changes his life forever."

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Well here in Portland, Oregon, I sure hope so. Something good needs to come from all this liquid sunshine. Here we have names for every kind of rain...and there's a reason...because we get it all. Every type of rain is experienced here in the Rose City.

We have mist, sprinkles, showers, downpours, and of course true rain. And when someone says, "it's a sunbreak" everyone knows what it means.

Anyway, we've had buckets and buckets of this wonderful liquid and I'm seriously hoping these April showers will bring May flowers. And, CafeMom is having a contest to celebrate this harbinger of spring. If you'd like to play along, look over here. And, I hope you have a SUNNY weekend :)

It's Coming. . .

April 22, 2012 is Earth Day. Communities are having special events, activities and educational opportunities to help people learn how to protect the planet.

If you're interested, check it out here and here.

There's still time and if we all do a little, it will do a lot.

Doggie Dash

May 12th walk or run, with or without your pet to support the Oregon Humane Society.

Check it out here.

Flower Fotos from Spring 2012

It was such a pretty day. I had to snap a few fotos of the yard so I'm sure to remember it next winter.

How Knit to Follow the Rules

I love knitting and crocheting. When I was little I used to make all my own doll clothes because Mom and Dad could never afford the fancy (and pricey) Barbie clothes. So, either my dolls were going to go naked or I was going to make their clothes. And, I couldn't let Barbie go on a date with Ken in her birthday suit...so, I figured out a way to keep her clothed.

I started crocheting. I never followed a pattern. Heck, I never even had one or would have known how to read one with all that strange coding. So, I just started and didn't stop until I'd figured out a way to make the yarn work its way into an outfit. And, that's the way I knit today. I have trouble following patterns. I try. Honest I do. But...I fail miserably.

This weekend I started a hat for a baby shower and a blanket.

The only thing is . . . I wish my fingers were faster.

I didn't finish the blanket in time :( and I'm still knitting away . . .

Game of Thrones

I'm addicted. My hubby and I have been watching one episode after another. At first I didn't want to watch it. I didn't like the relationship between the brothers and sisters and, to me, family is very important. . . but if you can get beyond that one issue - it's amazing. I love the different cultures, I love the acting and I love the idea of dragons...who doesn't?

But, it's like crack. It's absolutely addicting. So, if you're going to watch it, beware...this will have you waiting to see the next episode, and the next and the next.

So if you turn on the t.v., remember my warning...

OH and Happy Friday the 13th!!!

Oprah ASKS

What fictional character would you like to meet?

If you want to check it out, look here.

I had lots of choices to choose between: Katniss Everdeen, Dorothy, The Wicked Witch of the West... especially after seeing Wicked, I would have loved to have talked with the WW.

How bout you? Who would you like to meet?

Spring

Wicked

When I was little, we had one t.v. and nine kids. I was one of the youngest which meant I almost never got to choose what we'd watch. So I read...a LOT. And my favorite story of all was . . . actually all of the Oz books. I read the series over and over again. I loved L. Frank Baum.

So, when Wicked came out I didn't want to read it. Call me an Oz Snob. I was loyal to the original series and didn't want to be unfaithful. But...after hearing so much talk about the musical, my resolve was worn down. I wanted to see the show but I didn't want to spend the money.

Lucky for me, my hubby got tickets because it was a wonderful, wonderful performance. I loved the music, the dancing, the acting, everything. Glenda played the part way over the top, in a wonderful, wonderful way. I'm hoping it comes back again and I can get tickets for the entire family. It's worth the money.

Easter 2012

I love to decorate Grandma's old barrel - it's easy - all I do is throw on a tablecloth or some fabric, put out some candlesticks and a holiday accessories and Wah-Lah - instant Easter decoration. Of course, flowers never hurt. I took a couple pictures and wanted to share how pretty a simple little arrangement could be and how it can brighten up even a boring little corner.

I've always loved to decorate - even when I was a little girl. We didn't have any money to buy any fancy decorations so I'd make my own. At Christmas I'd string popcorn and cranberries, hang pictures on the windows, and make yarn-haired witches for Halloween. Every holiday has always been more fun - at least for me - if I have a few decorations hanging around the house.

Coming from a family with nine kids, every gathering used to be humongous. But now the kids are grown and so many of us are so busy - it's hard to get everyone together. . . but I still try.

So, to entice the kids to get up out of bed, on Sunday, I put together a fun little feast. A little basket was waiting at everyone's seat. The Easter Bunny filled each basket with yummilicious goodies and a special treat for each person: maybe socks, seeds, or even a little cash :)

I stuffed the napkins with bunnies and filled the wine glasses with colored eggs.

I dipped Strawberries in chocolate and stuck them on skewers to stick into a vase - like a spring bouquet . . . only this bouquet was so much better 'cuz you could eat this one;) (I weighed the vase down with beans but you could use rice or jelly beans)


I also made some white chocolate lollipops that I stuck in some floral foam inside an Easter basket for another quick "edible bouquet".

Oh and the girls brought over some rice krispie treat Easter Eggs, and to be even more decadent they dipped some in chocolate - yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

And if you look closely, you can see some jellybeans hidden inside the "Easter Eggs" :)


I'm lucky to have a side table where I can stack loads of food without taking up room on the already overcrowded dining table.


Because as you can see, there is barely room for salt and pepper

I think it was a fun way to spend a day. How 'bout you - what did you do?

Downton Abbey

My favorite new show on t.v. is on PBS or OPB and it's Downton Abbey.

My husband and I discovered the show by accident and ended up watching the entire first series in one weekend. . . and we aren't even big t.v. watchers. It's kind of a Pride and Prejudice during the Titanic era.

Have you seen it? Do you like it?

If you haven't seen it, look up Downton Abbey and check it out. It's on Netflix and you can probably check out the dvds from your local library - at least you can here in Portland.

Rice Krispie Easter Egg Treats

I spent the night with my daughter and her gfriend making candy, Easter Eggs and Rice Krispie treats.

We stuffed the eggs with jelly beans and peeps

Word for Wednesday

This is a game for writers or anyone who loves words.

Guess what the word means.

Word: TIZZY

What does it mean?



Scroll down.


Further.



Further. . .


Tizzy is a dither, a nervous, excited, or distracted state. If you want to read more, read it here.

The Lucky Seven Meme

I recently received this award from Rena who writes the her own blog. The Lucky 7 Meme award is for writers, and it's a chance to showcase your latest manuscript. Here are the rules ...

1. Go to page 77 of your current manuscript.
2. Go to line 7.
3. Copy the next 7 sentences exactly how they're written. No cheating!
4. Tag 7 other writers to pass this meme on to.

Here is an excerpt from page 77 of my manuscript, THE WRITER'S HOUSE . . .

but the bigger question screaming in my head, the real question everyone wanted the answer to was WHO? Which one of us had done it? I had no idea. But, I knew one thing. One of us had. One of the few guests left alive was a cold blooded murderer.

I looked around the lobby, wondering which one of us was the heartless killer.

Kelly Matthews had shifty eyes. She never looked right at a person. She bobbed and weaved even when she was standing directly in front of a person. Her

Here are 7 writers I'd like to tag. Please check them out!

1) Cate Gardner
2) David Batista
3) Christina Farley
4) Jen on the Edge
5) Green Girl in Wisconsin
6) Ellen Oh
7) S.R. Johannes

Drum Roll Please

And the winner is:

young primrose they chose
girl on fire goes instead
let the games begin

only one can win
for their sick entertainment
the berries she held

Thanks to everyone who played!!!

I'll post pictures on the shoes being created.

Fatina email me your shoe size.

Winner Will be Announced Tomorrow

I had my dates wrong on the last post. Monday is April 2, 2012 not April 1, 2012 and that's when I'll announce the winner.