Books I Haven't Finished

I'm in two book clubs. So, I read a lot of books. But...are some books that I never am able to finish. I don't know why or what it is about those books that makes me put them down and never pick them back up.

I've even started a couple of books by my favorite author and put them down never to finish them. And, I've tried. Believe me. I keep telling myself...it will get better. But...I just never seem to be able to get through the pages.

How 'bout you...have you ever picked up a book and fully intended on finishing it and not been able to do it?

It's not that I'm in a class or going to school and I have an assignment that I have to finish to pass the class. So, I shouldn't feel bad or guilty...but sometimes I do.

Sometimes I think, I should finish it to give it a fair evaluation but...life gets busy and if the book isn't "fun", I'm not going to finish it.

Life is just too short to spend time doing something just to get it done.

This makes me think about reading and writing...and wonder what makes one book great (at least in my opinion) and other book unreadable...

Because sometimes even my favorite authors write a book that I just can't seem to reach the end.

Any thoughts...?

Those Were the Days My Friend

I remember sitting and watching my grandma. She always seemed to have a hook in her hand or a needle.

You see, my Grandma used to knit and crochet and sew all sorts of things. When I was little, I didn't appreciate all the skill and talent that went into her doilies, table clothes, blankets, afghans, or even the clothes she made for us (especially the flannel nightgowns) but now I do.

It took a long time for me to come to my senses. But when I took up knitting, crocheting and sewing, I learned that these things aren't easy to make. It takes talent, patience and practice to perfect these delicate crocheted borders--not to mention the flowers and scenes she sewed.

Now these old linens are keepsakes.

Lucky for me my MIL gave me a few more vintage linens to add to my growing collection.

Aren't these beautiful? And to think these are decades and decades old but they still retain their vibrant punches of color.

How 'bout you...do you have any items that have been passed down in your family that you didn't appreciate as a child but now have come to love them?

Earth Friendly Friday

With planting season upon us, I'm thinking of planting foodstuffs for the future. Beans, radishes, spinach...things I can dry, can, or cook right out of the garden.

I don't use chemicals to fertilize or to kill weeds. I use my hands to pull the weeds and mushroom compost to help build strong plants.

Plus my hubby always helps me build little trellises and supports for my plants.

How bout you? Are you thinking of planting any fun edibles this spring?

Planting Time

Well it's nearly planting time here in the Pacific Northwest. And I've been thinking. . . blooming beauties are sort of like writing..."write"?

Well, a beautiful word or turn of a phrase can bring beauty into our lives just like a flower in bloom.

This is the time of year when I write the most. In the spring . . .I'm just popping with ideas. And the spring seems to be such a wonderfully inspiring time of the year.

How 'bout for you? When do you write the most? When are you inspired the most?

Beans, Beans the Tropical Fruit

So my family is planning another cook-off. This time it's a test of "Texas" or at least one of their famous dishes: yep, chili.

Now, I didn't win the last cook off. But you have to remember I come for a BIG family. Mom had nine kids so when we all get together it can look like a little slice of Texas, right in my own house. Yep, down there they say Bigger is Better. Mom must have been listening to that motto, why else would she want nine kids?

Anyway, we're going to be doing a chili cook off. So, I'm asking for some tips, tricks and for readers to share some of their chili cooking talents 'cuz I wanna win this one.

I have a sneaking suspicion that my brother (who used to own his own restaurant) is going to be stacking the voting bin . . .again. So, I can use all the help I can get.

If you know any good recipes...or better yet...some really GREAT recipes for chili, please leave them in the comments section.

I've got to start taste testing some of these beanly beauties to make sure I come up with the best combination, if I wanna win. And, this time I think there's going to be a trophy.

Okay, so my family is a little overly competitive when it comes to cooking but that's why I'm asking for your help. There's gotta be a few chili lovers out there in cyber land. So, please share my plight with your other cooking friends. Maybe they'll have a few tricks tucked up their aprons that they won't mind sharing.

And, if I use your recipe or one of your tips, I'll give you the credit (here on my blog). And, if you wanna play along, take out some pintos, red beans, beef, or whatever else you want to try and start roasting, boiling or baking those beans too. I'd love to hear all about it well only "hear" on my blog because you know the saying...

Beans, beans the tropical fruit,
the more you eat the more you toot,
the more you toot, the better you feel
So eat beans at every meal!

Now, that's not the sort of thing I want to hear about...I'm only talking about the yummy scrumdilicious conversation of chili.

DIY Edible Arrangements

It's so easy to make an edible arrangement out of fruit.  All you need to do is cut the fruit into thick slices and then punch out the fruit using cookie cutters. I skewer the fruit with bamboo shish-kabob sticks.

I stick the skewered fruit into floral foam and stick it all in a vase.

Then cover the floral foam with beans, rice, paper grass or anything.

It's healthy, delicious and looks really cute.

What a fun way to feast!

Wolf Connection - a nonprofit organization that works with At-Risk Kids and Wolves

My sister, niece and I went to volunteer at Wolf Connection during spring break.

This is Maya the Arctic Wolf. She is a sweetie. My sister and niece and I couldn't go in all the wolf pens to spend time with the wolves. But Maya is a very gentle wolf and Kenai was fine with us in their "den".

Wolves might look like dogs but there are a lot of differences. Wolves can crush bone in their jaws and they have very large paws and long spindly legs. They are also much larger than an average dog. I have a husky and this is how she looks.

And this is me with Maya the Wolf

Do you see the difference in their size? Plus wolves are much more powerful than dogs. Of course every dog has descended from the wolf.

Here are a few photos of my time at the wolf sanctuary.

This is Teo and Rene. They are the leaders of the pack at Wolf Connection.

And  this is a video clip of the wolves howling as a pack.



This is my sister Tammy carrying some of the poo away from the pens.

It was a great way to spend a vacation.