Merry Christmas to All!

A big WELCOME to our new Follower, Laurel King.  Laurel, I don't see a blog listed for you, if you have one (or start one) leave me a message so I can also follow you. : )  I hope you enjoy following along with us on our adventure to full-timing. 

I haven't been posting regularly lately, but have been keeping up with you.  I have a couple of photos to show you.  Finally, on my way home from work yesterday, I saw the surfer sculpture with clothes.  But check this out - kind of disappointing.  A torn tee-shirt?  I'm not sure what it is.

I don't know what it means, but he was also in the news tonight, so I Googled and found this most recent offering - he's being attacked by a spider.  Not very Christmasy.

 Cardiff Kook - December 12, 2010

I love the photos you all get of lots of birds on the overhead wires, and on the same trip home I was stopped at a light and looked up and:

I got one!  I love these photos!

The last thing is...  I'm cooking the turkey tomorrow for my son and his family.  I've been very busy all week shopping, wrapping last minute gifts, picking up the last of the food I needed, cleaning, etc.  I love making turkey and dressing and gravy, but it seems like just when things are really busy in the kitchen, the MASHED POTATOES need to be mashed.  And I have a small galley kitchen.  So I looked on line for a make ahead recipe for the potatoes and found one that looked good.  I tried it out tonight so that I could just pop it in the oven tomorrow.  There was extra after I filled the casserole dish, so I had some for MY dinner tonight. 

All I can say is:  DELICIOUS!  Really good.  I minced the onion up really small and it added such flavor to the potatoes!  I didn't do the garlic, but may in the future.  I hope the kids like them, because I made a LOT!

I don't know how many pounds I used - I just used five large russets, with the peels off.  Here's the recipe - if you are interested in it, click and it will be clearer:

 Now I'm going to relax and enjoy my evening, because tomorrow's going to be early and busy!

 Is this the strangest looking Reindeer you've ever seen?

 

From Me and My Dog, Katie, have a Very Merry Christmas, everyone!  : )

The Magic Carpet Ride in Cardiff, CA

On my way home from work I can take the freeway - "the 5," as it's called - which I usually do, but if there is a lot of traffic, I take the turnoff to the ocean and drive up Highway 101 - the coast route.  Then I pass by a sculpture in Cardiff that has an interesting story.

Per the North County Times, "The surfing sculpture has had a bumpy ride.  "The Magic Carpet Ride" was unveiled in Cardiff in July 2007.  Unofficially, locals dubbed it the "Cardiff Kook," criticizing the surfer's stance of a novice." 

This is the sculpture:

The Magic Carpet Ride, July 2007

People have been surreptitiously decorating it since then, and every so often a photo appears in the paper, such as:

Snorkel goggles, a bonnet, women's underwear, and an umbrella in August 2008

 This was Easter weekend April 2009

 Fourth of July 2009

 "Jaws" July 2010

The shark had a stealthy start. Papier-mache fins were spotted across the highway prior to the "attack" and the fins had moved closer to the well-known statue over the course of a week.You can barely make out two gray fins on the ground in front of the "shark."

 Clown with balloons - August 2010

Zorro - September 2010

Breast Cancer Awareness Month - October 2010

There are more, but you get the idea.  I drive by the statue a couple of times a week, but I have never seen one of the costumes.  At least, not yet...   : )  It's kind of a fun thing - of course, the sculptor is insulted.  He doesn't like people making fun of his sculpture. 

I saw the surfer statue when I took the coast route this morning - traffic on the freeway was awful with the rain - well, kind of rain.  Really just drizzle on and off.  Clogging the freeway.  What would San Diego do if it snowed?  We couldn't cope.  Coming from the Sierras where it snows in the winter and people just go about their business, it's absolutely amazing to me that a little drizzle almost doubles my commute sometimes, but it does. 

That's all I've got for today - a little bit of local history.

From Me and My Dog, Katie, have a great Thursday, everyone!  : )

I'm almost ready for Christmas

Well, I'm almost ready for Christmas!

My son and his family are coming here for Christmas dinner.  I have a small condo and Tom has a huge house - a really huge house - so he always hosts when we have holidays or family get-togethers.  This year, Kristy and her family are coming the week following Christmas, so on Christmas Day, it will only be me and Tom, his wife, and three kids.  So this will be a great time for me to cook the turkey.

I've got most of the food - just need a few more things including the turkey.

Monday night I made a double batch of my world famous fudge.  I used to make it every year, batches and batches, and bring some to work, give some to friends and family, but I haven't made it in a while.  It's just the Fantasy Fudge recipe on the marshmallow creme jar, but somehow mine is smoother than other people's fudge that I've tasted.  I'm not bragging - it just IS.

I make great turkey dressing, gravy and fudge.  I've always said anyone who can read, can cook.  No excuses.  You just need to be able to read and WANT to follow a recipe.  So, I can cook, and most things I make are pretty good.  But my fudge, turkey dressing, and gravy really are GREAT.  It's nice to have something you're great at.  : )  I'm a good person to have around during the holidays. : ))))

This year I got a container that sprinkles candy cane crumbs, and I sprinkled candy cane crumbs on the tops of the fudge in the pans.  I made two pans without nuts, because my family doesn't like the nuts, but that makes it too sweet for me, and so I made one pan with chopped walnuts.  After the pans had cooled in the fridge, I cut out a tiny piece of the walnut fudge (see top left corner of square pan - really tiny piece gone!) to see what it tastes like with the candy cane sprinkles, and it was the BEST!  I'll see what my family thinks.  If they like it, I have a new twist to my familiar fudge recipe.

I've never used foil before, but it makes sense - less clean-up, the fudge should come out easily.

 The tiny bite I had was delicious - I liked the peppermint on the top.

The pans of fudge don't look very fancy, but once I cut it in squares and put them in pretty boxes, they will look good.  When I make it in a round or oval pan, I always square it off and keep the curved pieces for myself.  Yum.

Since three grandchildren will be here for Christmas, one less than two years old, and then Kristy's family is staying with me this year while they are here for a few days, and some of us will be sleeping on the floor - having a campout in our sleeping bags (I'll let Kristy and Matt have my bed), I thought I'd better shampoo my carpet.  So yesterday after work I got out the carpet shampooer and got all the carpets shampooed.  It looks really nice - and clean.

I was tired and hungry after vacuuming and then shampooing, so I microwaved a fish dinner, made a Waldorf salad, sat in front of the TV and finished every bite.  And fell asleep.  When I woke up, the carpet was dry so I put back all the furniture and things I had moved off the carpet, cleaned up the shampooer, and was done.

Not much else to do.  The presents are bought and wrapped, the house is ready, and just a little food shopping to go.

I always make my own Christmas cards, and usually have them all mailed out by the end of November, but this year...  Well, I'm lagging a bit.  I've put together a couple, printed a sample, and haven't liked them.  I'll have to work on them again and try to get something I like.

When Gavin was here for his Birthday cake baking, I showed him a Christmas tree I made in Photoshop Elements.  He didn't like the way I positioned the buttons (ornaments), so I pulled up the file and asked him how he would have done it.  I moved the buttons where he liked them, and I think I may print it out on photo paper and paste on the front of cardstock, put a greeting inside, and call it a Christmas card for 2010.  I really like the way he positioned the buttons.  Here is what he did.  What do you think?

 I think this is the one!

On nice shiny photo paper, it looks great.  Perfect size.  Gavin specifically liked the "zig-zag" of the diamond buttons.  He took a photo of the tree home to tape to his door.  They are so cute at six years old. 

From Me and My Dog, Katie, have a great Wednesday everyone!  : )

My 100th post! And grandson Gavin's birthday

I love milestones, and 100 posts is a milestone for me.  Especially the way I'm posting lately! :)

Last week was my grandson, Gavin's, sixth birthday.  He's in kindergarten this year.  So Gavin came over on Wednesday to bake a birthday cake.

When my grandkids have a birthday, I have them over to bake a cake for themselves and decorate them to bring home for their birthday.  (At least my son's kids.  Kristy's two live too far away, but I bake with them when I can.)  Lots of kids don't help mom bake in the kitchen anymore - in fact I'm not sure my kids helped me when they were little.  I made their birthday cakes myself.  But now that I'm a grandmother, it seems important to let them bake and decorate their own cakes.

Here are Gavin's, from 3 to 6 years old:

 3 years old - blowing out his candle.

 Yummy cupcake!

 4 years old - measuring.

 Decorating star-shaped cupcakes.

 5 years old - this poor cake looked great when it was decorated, kind of...

 Getting ready to blow out the candles!

6 years old - licking the bowl, the best part!

 Decorating the cake.

Beautiful! He carefully drew lines, crossed them, put patches of color - all very carefully constructed.

It's really fun to see how Gavin has grown.  At first I just let him stir the batter, then each year he did more of the prep.  This year I measured, and he did everything else, pouring the ingredients into the bowl, stirring, pouring the batter into the pans, and all the decorating.  I decorated one and he decorated one.  He wanted to take a photo of me holding "my" cake:

Happy Birthday Gavin!

That's a tired Grammy at the end of a long day, but the photo he took of me was actually flattering, I thought. I was pretty beat by this time.  Such tired eyes...   But worth it for the memories!  Notice the professional-like decorated cake! Gavin was very impressed - I love working with kids!  : )  

Then the next night at 5:30 Gavin had a pizza party with a few of his closest friends at his house - here are a few photos from that evening:

  Blowing out the candles.

 Gavin and his sister, Kennedy

Gavin, baby brother Graydin, and Kennedy

And that's it until next Saturday when the REAL birthday party is - a couple of Gavin's best friends couldn't come on Saturday, that's why they had the pizza night.  He's having quite a Birthday this year!

From me and Katie, have a great Tuesday, everyone!  : ) 

PS:  If you noticed the difference in my kitchen counters, the first year the tile was an old yellow - from the early 1960s. Still pretty much in good shape, just worn.  The next three birthdays, look at the tile - beautiful.  That's what my company does - refinishing.  Kitchen counters, vanities, bathtubs.  Instead of replacing the fixture, you can have it refinished.  Click on the photos to really see what a difference it made in my kitchen and bathrooms.  : )

Happy Monday

WELCOME to our new follower, The Old Geezer! Thank you for following along with us as we prepare to RV full time.  Hopefully in one more year!

I just haven't felt like blogging lately, but am still enjoying reading your blogs!  So glad Gypsy made it home safely in her new "Sir Lance-A-Lot!"  What an experience she had in her adventure to pick up her new truck camper between the baked potato disaster and "the fall," she's had quite a time of it.

I was also wishing I was on the cruise with Kim, it looked and sounded wonderful, but she is already back home, it seemed so short to me.

Jeana is still in Arizona, I guess, checking out new homes and RVs to full time (?) in.  She has given me some new ideas - with home prices in Las Vegas and Merced so depressed, I am thinking I might buy a home after I retire in one of these areas, and use it as a home base for RVing.  I'd sure love to have a home base to return to once in a while, and have waiting when (if) I tire of RVing full time.  We'll see.  I'll figure that out when the time is closer.

I am going to have a Realtor come by soon, maybe this weekend, and let me know what he thinks my condo would sell or lease for at this time, and if he has any idea of the numbers for one year from now.  That will give me an idea to plan from.

Even the people who aren't RVing full time are traveling.  And the snowbirds.  Some of you have found warmer weather, and for the rest, I hope things warm up for you soon!

New mushroom family in the yard:

There are three more families, but I won't take space for them all.  I love my mushrooms. : )

Above is just an odd-ball photo I took when I was up in Julian a month or so ago.  These large concrete stairs looked like they were very important once upon a time.  I stopped the car and walked up them to see if anything was left of the home they used to lead to.  Nothing.  Just brush, weeds, and trees.  I wonder what the house and grounds looked like in it's prime.  Funny how sometimes all that's left is a chimney or stairs.  If these weren't concrete, they would have been long gone.

That's all for now.  My grandson had a 6th birthday last week, I'll post some photos tomorrow.

From me and Katie, have a great Monday evening, everyone! : )