Just a Simple Blogger

Im Just a simple blogger.

Not a very creative writer (though I wish I were).

Someone asked me once if you can make money blogging. hmmm, I guess the good ones can.
I do it for free. Yep, its all a gift to everyone. ha.
I do not use advertising on my blog. I guess that's where you make money huh? But no, One thing I hate the most is when I visit some ones blog because the title interest me and I have to wait 3 minutes for the whole page to pull up (ok that might just be my cheap computer) then once I get interested in reading their post, a pop up ad will flash up. grrrr hate that! I wouldn't want anyone to suffer that when they visit my blog. You can just hop in and start reading. Nice huh?
However, I will share links for free for some. You will see them on either side of my page. No ad, just links. Sort of like free advertising, right?

I don't have a fancy set up with a purchased domain (how do you do that?).
I do not keep a blog journal, my gears do not work that way. I've tried it. When I write, its usually right off my mind. Want to hear about the dream I just had? Just kidding. There have been actual moments I've pulled out my phone and started writing about something going on at the moment. Yes, I've even wrote a whole blog post from my smart phone. I have scheduled a few post because I have more than one thing to share and want to add a little space between them, but again, not planned. My post are fresh off the mind.

Sometimes I will adjust my blog and try to fancy it up just a little bit, for example: I just redone my "recipes" in the recipe tab. Go check it out. I've learned about a site called Inlinkz that helped me build the html code thing to make it all look neat and spiffy. It was easy.

I have been asked to be a guest blogger before but I turned down the opportunity because frankly, I didn't know how that worked and didn't want to sound like a dumb dumb and ask how. Same with having a guest blogger to my blog. I have no problem sharing. It is what it is.

Why do you blog one asked? Well, I want to keep my mind and imagination going. I eventually want to be able to write some interesting things, and be creative. I do not have a lot of traffic to my blog but that's ok I do it mainly for myself. Just puts my mind away from other media and fast pace living we have today.

I want to share things I do with my family (which I've learned that my Mom is the only family that reads my blog).  I also find it relaxing to sit and tell a story or share a recipe or craft.
I hate to read but Im gradually learning to like a book here and there and will usually read one a year. (Stop laughing). I was a failure in English class all my years of school. I hated it. I hated to read but loved to write. Weird huh? I know, It doesn't make much since.

So with all that being said. Don't make fun of my grammar or writing skills.  Im just an ordinary general educated girl. A simple blogger that wants to share her stories and is very thankful for my readers, comments and most of all  "spell check".

New Year Twenty Sixteen

Happy New Year everyone.

I'm up early this morning having my breakfast and enjoying a cup of Joe before I begin preparing for my annual family New Years Dinner. 

On New Years Eve, Nick and I choose to avoid going out into the mob of booze infused people and loud noises. You can tell I'm getting old huh? We opt for a nice Sushi dinner and enjoyed bringing in the new year cuddled up on the couch.
 

Then we anxiously await that new years text from our daughter. It just gives us a little piece of mind that's she's okay out there living it up with her friends.

As I sit here, I can smell the aroma of the pork shoulders that have been slow cooking all night, thanks to my darling husband. He has already cooked ten pounds of collard greens.

He cooked those yesterday because we find that they taste better reheated the next day. He cooks them outside. If you have ever cooked collard greens, you'd know why.

I used to do them this way. But thank the Lord they come ready to cook now.

Now I need to start peeling ten pounds of taters, prepare the crock pot macaroni n cheese, cook the black eye peas and bake three fruit cobblers. 

Last year was a pretty good year. I lost 47 lbs. and only suffered one agonizing back pain that lasted a couple weeks and a small three day cold. Nick and I do good avoiding getting sick.

Here are my top ten goals for the new year.

1.  Continue good health
2.  Maintain my weight loss
3.  Participate in a small marathon.
4.  Clean closets out (again).
5.  Blog more 
6.  Stay off Facebook
7.  Redo my Kitchen 
8.  Worry less and pray more
9.  Get to work on time
10.  Renew my Phlebotomy certificate
11.  And better myself all together.

Now I'm off to the kitchen to get this feast ready by noon. I will be missing my daughter this year as she will be traveling to the beach for a friends wedding party. This will be our first new years day without her here. I pray for her safe travels. I'll worry about her until she gets back home. Oh darn, I just messed up #8. Can I have do over?

What are some of your goals for the new year?

Worry Beads

I'm one of those fidgety people. I'm a nail biter, and a finger popper. By the end of church services, the bulletin will be rolled and my Bible pages will be curled. 

While I'm at home, I have to be doing something with my hands. I guess that's why I take so much pleasure in painting or crocheting.

I'm not really that big of a worry wart but I do worry about the safety of my daughter out on her own in this mad mad world. But that's not constant. I'd be sick if I let that bother me so much.

I'm just fidgety. That's when I discovered worry beads. It only took me one look at these in shops around the internet world to realize I can just make my own. So that's exactly what I did. I also made a couple more sets for my own shop.

Let me just say, I am not one of those people that believe in special powers of meditation, stars, minerals or rocks. My power and relaxation comes from God and prayer.

Worry beads are also called Begleri.

Begleri is a Greek name for a beaded toy you twirl between your fingers with a technique you have to learn. Its brings relaxation and stress relief.

Worry beads also have another name called Komboloi. 

Komboloi is also a Greek name for a strand of beads used to pass time. This is more of what I have made. The toy "Begleri" is longer and usually has less beads so they are easily flipped around and over the fingers at fast speed.

These are not prayer beads. Prayer beads are used in religious traditions. Worry beads have no religious or ceremonial purpose. These are just something I can fidget with instead of continuing to destroy pen clips, paper clips, earrings and the charm on my necklace. 

Speaking of beads on a string? Who remembers these old toys? 

My Grandmother had a couple sets of these glass Klackers. I loved playing with them when she'd let me. They were later outlawed. Ok they have no relation to the beads I'm talking about in my post but I had to mention them. They wouldn't relieve worry, they caused it. ha!

Do you worry? Are you fidgety? What are ways you relieve your nervousness or anxiety?

Last Walk of The Year

With all the Christmas decorations taken down and put away, Me and Nick venture out for my last walk of the year. I work until dark all week so the weekends are all I get right now but that will soon change once the days start getting longer.

 

As we stepped out for a three mile walk, the weather was wet, muggy and 70 degrees. With a mist in the air, we could hear the birds singing and bullfrogs chirping as if they were confused by the weather. This is not the normal temperature for the end of December here in North Carolina but I'll take it. Just like the birds, I pretended it was spring too as I wore my shorts and t-shirt. I was not a bit bothered by the rainy mist. I still thought it was a beautiful day.

Mother nature seemed a little confused by the unusual warm weather too. While we were walking, I could not help but snap a few pictures of signs of spring in December.

Dandelions along with many spring onions are filling the yards that need mowing.

 

Bright green moss was growing on the sidewalks

The rain drops on these leaves look refreshing.

 

The Daffodils think its April

and this rose bud is hanging on as if its doesn't want to let go of summer.

Now this tree shows that Mother nature has a since of humor. Do you see what I see?

 

Its back to work tomorrow after four straight days off. I'm going to miss the time I got to spend with my Daughter and Husband during the long weekend. Time to get back to reality as the cold weather suppose to creep in by New Years morning but still giving unseasonal warm afternoons. 

The Good ole Days of Christmas

Its early and Im already up. I get just as excited about Christmas morning as any kid. I cant sleep, and then Im up early with anticipation. Ok, maybe that's due to all the sweets I ate last night at Mom and Dads but still.

As I sit here having my coffee and breakfast, old time memories flash through my mind. I remember how me and my siblings would open a few gifts on Christmas eve from friends and family and on Christmas morning we would jump out of bed before the sun came up. We would run down stairs to see what Santa brought us. It was always a surprise to know Santa actually thought I was good and left me toys. I never took for granted he would come anyway like kids do today. I really thought if I was bad, I wouldn't get anything.

As we would get to the den, there would be piles of gifts! Santa didn't wrap presents, he would just lay toys and bikes in separate areas for each of us. We always knew which pile was ours. It didn't really matter because we would end up playing with each others toys anyway. It was always so fun.
Then we would all pile in the station wagon and head to our Grandmothers house for dinner. I sure miss those days.

I have always tried to carry on that tradition with my daughter. The only difference is , Santa would wrap most of her presents with his own pretty (usually tacky) paper and leave only a couple bigger things unwrapped.

Things change when they get older. Once Santa was caught using OUR wrapping paper, the Santa situation begun to get harder to play off. Ashley must have been about 12 when she learned that we were actually Santa's. She looked up at me with a sweet little voice and said "well, can we still pretend there is a Santa?"

She is now 24 and Santa still leaves her surprises under the tree on Christmas morning. She lives out on her own but comes to stay with us a few days. She still has her old room and bed. She will be up in a few minutes and the fun will start. She will march down the hallway in her tacky pajamas and have that child like excitement when she enters the room. Later, we will head over to Nicks family for Christmas dinner. His parents passed away a few years ago and the boys still plan a big dinner just like their mom used to do. Its always delicious as we set around the table a talk more...About the good ole days.

 

"Go tell it on a mountain that Jesus Christ was born!"

Merry Christmas Every one!!

Cookie Baking and Delivery

Winter is here and Christmas is just two days away. I have been working in the kitchen making goodies to pass out to my wonderful neighbors. This is one of my favorite things to do.

I will find a recipe to experiment with but I usually stick to basically my favorite cookies to make.
Italian Almond cookies (AKA snowball cookies), Fudge and Biscotti are my in my safe zone. Well, except I did burn the Biscotti this time. Not good.

This year I experimented with making another Italian cookie called Crostoli , also known as Chiacchiere or Galani.
My husband is always talking about a lightly sweet cookie that his Italian grandmother used to make every Christmas. The story of how good they are is always brought up this time of year. I set out to find the recipe to this cookie since obviously his grandmother kept it in her head and to her grave.

He doesn't know what they were called but I searched until I found what seemed to be pretty close to what he has explained. I'm sure mine will not be as good as hers but it was worth a shot and it gave me an excuse to try something new. They turned out delicious but he said " These are close, but still not the cookie Grandmother made." It was hard to get them rolled out thin enough to turn crispy. That was the texture he was looking for. Ill give it another shot another day.

While I was baking, Nick was laughing from across the room. I kept asking "what is so funny?"
It was the chef hat on my head. Yes I felt like wearing a chef hat. I meant business! As I was mixing and patting, he sent this text picture to my phone.

Now I know why he was laughing. Yes, I love Lucy. This went on the whole time I was in the kitchen. I don't know who had more fun, me or Nick.

I gently packed each tin with cookies and ventured out into the freezing cold and snow to deliver the cookies.

Just kidding!!!! Its in the 70's today here in North Carolina. With thunder storms. Doesn't feel like Christmas weather at all!
I will not complain. I love the warmth.

My Daughter will be coming home again soon to spend Christmas with us. She usually helps me bake but she has to work. Even though she's only 30 minutes away, its always exciting to me when she's home. She still has her room and loves sleeping in her old bed. She will be working on Christmas Eve but lucky for her, she can remotely work from home in her Pajamas on that day.

Now that all the goodies are delivered and the shopping is complete, I can set back with a cocoa and cookie of my own and relax.
I think me and Ashley will be going to the nail salon for a quick manicure too.

This will be my last post before Christmas. With that being said, I wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas!

German Pancake

When Sunday morning rolled around I decided to try a new recipe. "German Pancakes". These are also called baked pancakes or bubbly pancakes. Did you know my maiden last name is German? Of course not, you don't even know my Maiden name. But yes, its was originated in Germany, but I'm not German.

My daughter came home so she could go to church. We listened to the Christmas cantata with a following covered dish dinner. I think I ate a little dab of everything. Its always so good. There are a lot of good cooks in my church family.

Every morning that my daughter is here, I always make her breakfast. I do not think she has ever waken up at home without a breakfast from the day she was born. Usually its a cooked breakfast because Its my favorite meal to fix and its also the most important meal of the day.

This recipe was really delicious and easy. While cooking, it begins to look weird and then started to bubble in the middle and the sides start to come over the edge of the dish as they stop just in time with a golden brown trim.  

Ok, when I just said that it bubbled in the middle, I could not help but think about Stymies surprise cake from the little rascals.

Once the pancake is finished, you cut and dish it out like pie and add your favorite toppings. I used powdered sugar. I tried it with syrup also and it was still a win.

 

Today I am going to share this recipe with you. It will be perfect to fix on Christmas morning for the family. I may make this again along with my sausage balls.

German Pound Cake

• 6 Eggs
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1 Cup all purpose Flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Melted Butter

Mix well in blender and pour into a buttered 9x13 pan.
Bake 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
Cut and serve warm with powder sugar, syrup, cinnamon your other favorite topping. 

Enjoy