Lasagna Lover

Have you seen these lasagna pans by Rachael Ray? They are stoneware, 9 x 13, and come in many colors. I discovered them while searching a bridal registry at Bed Bath and Beyond. She does not have this on her list, but I found it on the website...I called the store 24 hour number at 2:30am this morning to inquire if I could add a gift from the store in with the registry items that will compliment this pan. They said yes...they could help me over the phone or in any store...so I am heading to the store this afternoon to make a customized wedding gift. She has a set of stainless steel lasagna serving peices on her list to go with it, and I am also adding some towels that she has on her list. I think it will be just about as perfect as it comes, don't you??? This is the color I would choose, but she will get the blue one with matching towels.

A new blog started and carrots planted!

This morning my DIL and I and daughter and baby ran around doing some chores. DIL is a bridesmaid this weekend and she is closing up loose ends getting ready. I polished up some 6mm white pearls I had made years ago on sterling silver lever-backed earrings. They look very shiny and ready to wear now. She is wearing pearl earrings, necklace and braclet, and will look very pretty with her dress of a satiny material sort of a dark brown, purple shade (VERY BEAUTIFUL)! I think she will look like Cinderella, except with Snow White's hair, LOL!!!!

Ran to Home Depot to buy my favorite organic cow manure compost (it's very inexpensive too)...and got my three new pickle green 5 gallon tubs filled with the compost and some Miracle Gro soil on top, and planted my Big Top Carrot seeds! I can hardly wait to see how they do both in the containers and in that mixture. I will take a pic of them when the seedlings are up! Buddha is watching over them out there for me! Hehehe. We calculate they should be ready by Christmas, and for grandson, Donovan's birthday...so we decided we will be making a fresh carrot cake!!! He is excited...yeah!

I am washing my new uniforms, checking to see if I still own any socks, and getting paperwork ready to take to work tomorrow. Our job ads look really terrible here...narry a job listed. I am feeling grateful for my new job.

I was playing around last night (late) trying to make some paper beads to be like the Pandora or Trollbead style...and this is what I did. I rolled them on a wider stick (a skewer) and actually painted them. This morning I am putting a few coats of glossy nail polish over top and they are actually really pretty. I may need to make enough to try a bracelet.


I started a new blog...granted, it may not be frequently updated, just as my ATC and collage cards blogs are (not)...but it is a record for myself as to what I am doing or have done. Maybe someone can be inspired by some little thing there. I hope so. The new blog is here at "Let It Beads".

Do you have a plastic pelican in front of your fax machine???

Chances are, you might, if you are a parent or grandparent! I had not ever had one until today when a grandchild placed it there. My first reaction was a negative one, and my daughter completed the statement I was ABOUT to make, with a totally positive one, and with a feeling of gratefulness! My attitude changed on a dime, and it just goes to show how you can take a situation and turn it around all with how you look at it!!! So...the pelican in front of the fax machine is a symbol of love for me! I can't dare move it!!!


Now if anyone wants the recipe I used for my roasted pumpkin seeds, you can find it HERE, at Allrecipes.com. These were the best I've made so far. I have roasted them about 5 times over the years, and these were crunchy, sweet and slightly spicy (only a tad). I didn't have any chili powder, so I substituted cumin.

Oh, and it is official...I am gainfully employed once again!!! I start orientation on Friday! I have to buy scrubs again, and either nurses shoes or sneakers...I am leaning toward nurses shoes...as long as they are COMFORTABLE! I will report on it all later! Wish me luck! Hopefully this will be a dream come true...I hope so...regardless, I am sticking it out till the day I retire! Only 12 more years!


Oh...and I am already planning the Disney World trip with the kids in a few months! Nice time of year to go when it is cooler during fall/winter...maybe around Thanksgiving or Christmas time...we shall see. Gotta see Micky and Donalds house and get an ice cream cone on Main Street!!!

Pumpkin carving!

The grands with their Mom. I think Em was ready to go!! LOL.

Donovan and Emily had a grand time picking out pumpkins yesterday at our local pumpkin patch! This morning (even before dressing), we went outside in the cool breezy air, to carve. Donovan was the carver (or mostly grandma... since Mom was at work...with strict instructions on exactly where to cut, and how the features were to look). Emily was too young, so Donovan drew a nose and mouth on her little pumpkin and we attached sticker eyes. They both turned out real well.


The large pumpkin lost his right eye in a terrible pirate accident!

Happy Pumpkin time to you all!

Curls, Smiles, Flowers and Clafouti

Hello!!! Tonight I have a variety of pics. The cutest ones are of my grandkids, of course! I was looking at Emily's head as she was turned around in the bathroom last night and saw this (I did not mess with it at all, this is all natural, lucky girl)! :

Then she turned around and I saw this:

Then a few shots of Donovan being his usual fun and handsome self:



I made a wonderful dessert last night! It was a
Pear Clafouti recipe from Organic Gardening.Com. You can see a pic of it at this website. I had to make it once I saw the pic and read the recipe!!! The only problem was that I couldn't afford the fresh pears for it. I figured I would need 8 pears and the least expensive ones were a dollar each! Good lord, I may as well go to the Cheesecake Factory for that price!!! With all of the other ingredients it would have been well over 14 dollars!

So I substituted apples. We looked for MacIntosh, but only found Jonathan apples (all the others were crunchy ones). I also added about a tablespoon of Apple Pie Spice, and when I went to get my flour, I was all out of white, so had to use whole wheat. I did make a little more of the crust too, just because it was kinda scant and I figured "Why not"??? I'm glad I did it...the whole thing was fantastic! A lovely fall dessert. Here is what was left of mine after we all had some...(I am polishing off the last bit tonight)!

A huge okra bloom was opened this morning and I ran out as quickly as I could to snap a few pics! (They close up quickly). I am so in love with these hibiscus relatives!!! A few close ups:





Have a wonderful weekend everybody!!!