Dackel Princess

The Magic Of Grandchildren

My weekend with the kids really was great. I love being their Oma and spending time getting to know them more and more. We read, we played, and we snuggled and watched a few kid shows.

Savannah ran a fever on Saturday and so she was a lot quieter than usual. And the sweetest thing happened while she was curled up on the sofa with her blanket. Quinn cuddled up next to her in the afternoon, both Saturday and Sunday, and fell asleep. He napped for about an hour each time happily nestled up to his sister.

Savi is a great big sister, and she really loves Quinn. And he in turn loves her too. Their affection for each other, makes my heart swell.

Of course, they play too hard sometimes, and they accidentally get too rough, but then they apologize and life goes on.

It pulled at my heart strings to leave them yesterday afternoon. I just love being with them, watching them, listening to them chatter with each other. My heart belongs to them, and it always will!

I always knew my relationship with my own Grandmother was special, but I never understood how deeply one can love their grandchildren until now.

What a blessing these two wonderful children are to me.

I am so very lucky!

A Cat & Mouse Story

Ok, I admit it. I do not like mice! So last night, when I opened the door to let the cat in out of the rain, you can imagine my horror when Bear came running in to the house carrying a mouse! He then preceded to drop it, I am guessing to play with it, alive and kicking, and as I stood there, momentarily frozen, I started to scream!

It was not a pretty scream. In fact I sounded quite shrill. I glanced over at my two grandchildren sitting together on the sofa, and both were laughing like crazy! Apparently they found Oma’s screaming at a mouse really funny!

Now, I will admit, my fear of mice is great and I was terrified!

The cat followed the mouse into the kids playroom and I tried to steel myself and go in and catch that thing. I even called Jack to ask what to do! Simple, he said, close the door and leave the cat inside with the mouse.

Simple he says, but that still meant dealing with a decapitated creature in the end.

I paced back and forth, until Bear meowed at the door to get out. Then I slowly opened the door and peeked inside. Sure enough, there it lay. Gone to another world.

After I disposed of the body, I came back in the house, and sat down with the kids. My heart was still racing!

I settled Quinn and came back down to Savi. I looked at her and told her I needed a hug! She smiled and threw her arms around me!

All I can say is, I am so glad it’s over!

And yes, I know I am a chicken!

Oh yes, I don’t like snakes either!

Off To See My Loves

See these two beautiful children? Well by the time you read this I will be on my way to have a fun playtime with my two lovies! My bags are packed and so is the car. I have all sorts of plans for a thrilling time and I am happy to go.

You know I am not just head over heels in love with my grandchildren, I really like them too. Both are really good kids and both are sweet and loving.

So think of me, and I will be posting pictures as soon as I can. I hope I can get a bunch of really good ones.

The Friday Five

Another week has come and gone and today will find me getting ready for my overnight with the kids. I am so excited to have some real quality play time with them as well as snuggles and smiles!

So as the week ends, here are the five things I am thinking about.

Today I am making mini sized blueberry muffins to bring down for the kids. I have the cutest kid size muffin pan to make them!
Jack hasn’t been feeling too well the last few days, so I want to go through the fridge and make sure he has a few things to eat while I am gone.
I’m still having trouble with the comment section of the blog. It looks like I will have to contact GoDaddy again later today and see if I can get this working. It is a real irritant. My cousin Janet and her husband think I have blocked them from commenting, 😉 which is not the case, it’s just the stupid GoDaddy Server! I will keep you all posted!
Still crocheting up a storm, and will bring that with me overnight on Saturday. Once the kids are settled it gives me a couple of hours to work on the afghan.
Still no word from my doctor regarding the biopsy. I will feel so much better when it comes back and it is negative.

This Is A Test!

I have been working with GoDaddy to get my comments section unlocked. They have supposedly fixed this, and everyone should be able to comment now. So here is a test, before I pull my account with GoDaddy and move to another Server.

Could you leave a comment on this entry, letting me know if you get through. If it kicks you off and you find you cannot comment, please write me and let me know. My email is: dackelprincess (at) metrocast.net

I am working furiously to get the comment section fixed so I can once again hear from all of you!

Thank you!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. April is National Jazz Appreciation Month. Are you a fan? If so what’s a favorite you’d recommend to someone new to jazz listening?

I like old Jazz. Lambert, Hendricks and Ross are my favorite This is one of their songs from 1962. It makes me smile every time I hear it!

2. Mandolin, ukulele, harp, accordion or banjo…which would you be most interested in learning to play? Or do you already play one of the instruments listed?

I do not play one of these, but I did play a flute. If I had any chance of learning, I’d play the Ukulele. I’ve always liked the way that sounded.

3. Do you judge a book by it’s cover? Elaborate. You may answer in either/both the literal or figurative sense of the word.

No I don’t. You see, I’ve learned in life that people protect themselves by putting on a brave face. And the biggest scars, the most painful are usually hidden from the world.

4. According to a recent study the ten most nutritious foods are-almonds, cherimoya (supposed to taste like a cross between a pineapple/banana), ocean perch, flatfish (such as flounder and halibut), chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, swiss chard, pork fat (shocking! but I don’t think they mean bacon), beet greens, and red snapper. Are any of these foods a regular part of your diet? Any you’ve never ever tasted? Which would you be most inclined to add to your diet?

I eat almonds almost daily. I love them. I also love fish and try to eat it at least once a week, although Jack isn’t as big a fan as I am. Not tasted Cherimoya or Chia seeds, and not a fan of swiss chard or beet greens.

5. Besides a major holiday what is the most recent thing you’ve celebrated with your people? Tell us how.

Jack and I celebrated our 30th Wedding Anniversary. Many young couples will think, oh heck, what’s the big deal? It’s not a 50th! But when you are married to someone who is 20 years your senior, when you reach a milestone like this it was so very special. We celebrated quietly and privately with a nice meal out and a bottle of champagne.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Not too much else is happening here. On Saturday I go to Mandy’s home to watch the children. I am so excited about that and I plan a day of fun, playing, and silliness! Pictures to follow!

Happy Days & Happy Memories

A funny thing happened on Monday, on our way out to lunch. The restaurant we chose is closed on Mondays in the winter, and the summer hours don’t begin until Memorial Day Weekend! Our back up restaurant was also closed and a new one we were going to try only served sandwiches. Not what we had in mind.

So we went to our old standby, “The Common Man” in Ashland, NH. And coincidentally, we had the same waitress we had on Valentine’s Day. Moe. So, it was not only comfortable, but warm and friendly too. We also had a fabulous meal, which means that I will not be cooking dinner tonight.

I had two glasses of Prosecco, and Jack had light beer. We shared an appetizer of Mussels cooked in white wine, garlic and cream.

It was so good! Next we each had soup. Jack had the French onion and I had the Lobster Corn Chowder. Main courses were Salmon for me, and a chicken pasta for Jack. It was all outstanding!

We came home and changed into our lounging clothes. Yoga pants for me and a comfy pants for Jack. I say we’re entitled to do this on our special day, but after such a big meal, I really needed the extra room!

Our day was quiet and enjoyable and we shared some of our favorite memories over the last 30 years! There were so many. We laughed a lot over our luncheon.

As we sat in the evening watching mindless TV, were mellow and happy and I hope for many more years with my guy.

Our 30th Anniversary

Today, Jack and I celebrate 30 years of marriage. It doesn’t seem possible that it has been that long. In the grand scheme of things, 30 years is like forever in a Hollywood marriage. And at my age (59) it certainly is a large chunk of time.

In our thirty years of marriage we have had 4 White German Shepherds, Rex, Max, Fritz and Lili. Four Wire-haired Dackels, Shubi, Greta, Arnie and Anneliese, and lived in four homes. One was a farm in Lyndeborough, NH, a nice ranch home in Punta Gorda, FL, in a motor coach here in Meredith, NH for 9 long months, while we built our current home, and lastly this beautiful house, that Jack and I designed.

We had four children, between us. Three are living, and they have grown up to be really good people. We also have two of the most beautiful, and wonderful grandchildren on the face of the earth!

Marriage is never easy, even if you are married to your best friend. There are days you want to murder each other, but lucky for us, those days were few and far between.

Forgiveness is so important when you live with someone this long. People do stupid things, and if you can’t forgive them, then you are with the wrong person. I am the Queen of stupid things and I am married to the King of stupid things. So it’s a good thing we forgive and forget.

You will also find during a long term marriage (or relationship) that there will be those days when your significant other just makes you crazy. Whether it’s how they are chewing their food, or even sipping their soup, you will sit there and wonder how you never noticed this before!

But then, there are those times when a little look, the warmth of a hug, or a gentle squeeze of your hand, will make you feel loved and safe. During my illness last year, when I felt like I was dying, I was so scared, and Jack just kept the home fires burning, cooked my meals, did the laundry, and did not allow me to believe that I was leaving this earth.

Likewise, not even six month later when he got the infection in his foot that led to the amputation of his toe, I made sure I was at the hospital each day. I brought him goodies to eat, stayed to speak with each doctor, and informed Jack that at 79 years old, he wasn’t leaving me yet.

No, marriage isn’t easy, but the pro’s far outweigh the cons, and life would be so empty, so lonely, without my Jack.

Even after all these years, Jack is still the first person I want to speak with in the morning, and the last person I want to speak to at night.

I made up a short montage of our life together using one of our favorite songs. I hope you enjoy it!

Happy Anniversary Jack!

The Child In Time

Last night I was sitting here crocheting, Jack was working on our income taxes, and I was the sole operator of the remote control. I was looking for something to watch on the TV, when I happened upon PBS and Masterpiece Theater’s version of “The Child In Time“.

Now I had read Ian McEwan book many years ago when it was first released. The plot was such, that I felt I probably understood more than many the feelings of the main characters.

The Child In Time follows Stephen Lewis (Benedict Cumberbatch), a children’s author, as he struggles to find purpose in his life after the loss of his daughter. His wife Julie (Kelly Macdonald) has left him and his best friends Charles (Stephen Campbell Moore) and Thelma (Saskia Reeves) have retired to the countryside, battling demons of their own. With tenderness and insight, the film explores the dark territory of a marriage devastated, the loss of childhood, the fluidity of time, grief, hope and acceptance.

I watched the Masterpiece Theater adaptation and I felt myself instantly, thrown back in time, in my own life, when my own daughter Katie, passed from this life, forever changing everyone I know in the process. For the loss of a child is the worst thing that can ever happen to you, and although you eventually find your way through to a new normal, a person is quite simply, never the same.

The acting in “The Child In Time” was amazing. I can see why people have been raving about Benedict Cumberbatch. He really was incredible. He quite literally, was the center of the movie. The supporting cast, was also excellent, not a bad actor among them. I can recommend this movie highly.

But I also recommend the book written by Ian McEwan. Author Christopher Hitchens viewed the novel as McEwan’s masterpiece. Writing about McEwan, Hitchens remarked the break out successes of “Amsterdam” in 1998 and “Atonement” in 2001 and but then said that “The Child in Time” in 1987 was “still, in my view, his masterpiece”.

Having ready nearly all of McEwan’s books now, I can honestly say that “The Child In Time” is my favorite as well. For it touches so many places in ones mind and heart.

So go grab the book, it will not take you long to read through the 220 pages. Or watch for it on your local PBS station.

Barbecue Chicken & Cornbread Casserole

I made this last night for dinner. Both Jack and I loved it and ate happily. He asked if there were leftovers. There are, so he is even happier!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
¾ cup barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)
1 cup frozen corn kernels (you do NOT need to thaw the corn in advance)
1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, NOT drained (I used Italian Basil & Herb Flavor)
9 ounces (about 1 ¾ cup) cooked, diced (or pulled) chicken
1 cup (4 ounces) grated cheddar cheese, (or Monterey Jack) divided
1 (8.5 ounce) box cornbread mix (I used Jiffy), plus ingredients called for on the box (1 egg & 1/3 cup milk)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray an 11 x 7-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook onion and bell pepper just until tender (about 3 minutes).
Reduce heat to low, add barbecue sauce, and simmer until thickens slightly (about 1-2 minutes).
Stir in frozen corn, tomatoes, chicken, and ½ cup of the cheese.
Transfer chicken mixture to prepared baking dish.
In a separate bowl, prepare cornbread batter according to package instructions. Stir in remaining ½ cup of cheese.
Spread cornbread batter over chicken mixture. I like to do this by using a large spoon to dollop the batter all over the top of the casserole. Then used a knife to gently spread it around until it covers most of dish.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and cooked through.