Dackel Princess

The Friday Five

This was another crazy busy week, with another wicked snow storm! I think the most interesting is that we had to go out the morning after the big snowfall, making me glad we had only gotten a foot of the cold, wet, white stuff! So here are the five things I am thinking about as the week comes to an end.

Do any of you watch, “This is Us”? It’s my favorite show, and on Tuesday it was the last show of this season. I had to rewatch it so I could get all the small innuendos that were in the story-line.
I watched a great program on National Geographic TV about Jane Goodall. She was the woman who has devoted her life to the study of Chimpanzees.
As I said we had another big snow storm. We got close to 12 inches, but my daughter got more.
This weekend I plan a nice quiet time. I want to wok on a few projects and just kick back a little.
Next week is a busy week too. More snow is forecast, but best of all, next weekend I get to spend time with my daughter, granddaughter and grandson!

This & That On Thursday!

Life has been so full this week. We had our third Nor-Easter in the last three weeks. It seems we just get the drive and steps dug out, when we get hit again. Now I must say that although most of the storms have dumped either 12 inches or there-abouts here, the real breadbasket of snow-fall and high winds have been Cape Cod and the Islands, and the south eastern part of New Hampshire. My daughter had 2 feet of snow from this last storm. At least this time they didn’t lose electricity!

The worst thing is, they are forecasting storm #4 for next Tuesday/Wednesday! Aside from avid skiers, no one is especially happy!

Oh wait, there is Lili! Our four year old “puppy”, is delighted every time it snows. She goes bounding through the snow, much like a deer would do. Only Lili has a smile on her face and a real spring in her step! Or should I say, LEAP!

We went to the LL Bean Outlet store today, and usually Jack is the one to find things cheaply in there. Today was my day and I got two pairs of pants (1 corduroy and one casual blue khaki type pants) on the 80% off rack! The cords are an awesome shade of hunter green! I love them! I also bought two blouses. Something I never buy, but truly, desperately need! Jack bought two pair of jeans, but found one pair was mislabeled when we got home, so we will return them next week.

We’ve had to leave the dogs for a few hours each day, recently, and our return is always heralded with happy yips and barks!

And the plight of my UPS package finally resolved today, or so I thought. After picking up my lighting fixture from UPS, I got home and discovered that they had only sent one! Not the two I had ordered! I called the company and they basically said, “Ooooops!” and the next one will ship today and get here next week, “In the middle of the snow storm!”

Ah, such is life. I do like the new Wall Sconce, and once they are installed it will be great!

The week is almost over so I will wish you all a great weekend!

Turkey Tetrazzini

I pulled out a turkey from our deep freeze. It was 15 pounds, and made a lovely first meal. But I wasn’t looking forward to continuous turkey soup meals, so I started looking around at things to make with ALL THAT TURKEY! Here is the recipe I adapted for tonight’s dinner. I felt like I was on my own cooking show, as I chopped and measured and stirred, but the end result was actually quite delicious! Try it! Good luck!

Turkey Tetrazzini

Ingredients:

1- pound Egg noodles
4 Tablespoons Butter
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
1/2 onion diced
1/2 cup green pepper diced
1/2 cup red pepper diced
1 pound White Mushrooms, Quartered
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup White Wine (I used White Zinfandel)
1/3 cup Flour
4 cups Turkey (or Chicken) Broth
1 block 8 Ounce Cream Cheese (I was skeptical, but this made a nice creamy sauce)
4 cups Cooked (leftover) Turkey, Shredded Or Diced
1 cup Finely Chopped Black Olives
1-1/2 cup Frozen Green Peas
1/2 cup chopped up broccoli (only because I had some left over!)
4 slices Bacon, Fried And Cut Into Bits
1 cup Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
1 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
1/2-1 cup light cream
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Extra Broth For Thinning
1 cup Smashed barbecue chips (or Panko Bread Crumbs)

Preparation:
Cook pasta until not quite done Drain, rinse, and set aside.

Cook bacon until crisp. Set aside.

In a large pot, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onions, peppers and saute for a couple of minutes. Add mushrooms and salt, then saute for a couple more minutes. Pour in the wine and allow it to cook with the mushrooms and onion and peppers for several minutes, or until the liquid reduces by half.

Sprinkle in flour, then stir the mushrooms around for another minute. Pour in the broth and stir, cooking for another few minutes until the roux thickens.

Reduce heat to medium low. Cut cream cheese into cubes and add it to the pot. Stir it to melt (don’t worry if the cream cheese remains in little bits for awhile) Add the leftover turkey, the olives, the peas, the chopped up bacon, and the cheeses. Stir to combine, adding salt and pepper as needed. Add the cream.

Add the cooked Pasta and stir it to combine. Splash in more broth as needed; you want the mixture to have a little extra moisture since it will cook off in the oven. If it’s a little soupy, that’s fine.

Pour the mixture into a large baking dish and sprinkle the top with the Chips or Panko crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown.

Another Foot Of Snow!

I am not a fan of Time Change. Especially when one has four dogs. They are all sort of messed up by the change, and I know I sure am.

I’d say it would be so much better if Spring would arrive at the exact same time, but I woke today with a forecast of 8-14 inches of snow for our area in New Hampshire on Tuesday. And the silly weatherman said, “Oh the skiers will just love this!” Since I no longer ski, I am sitting here thinking, “Ugh!”

I asked Jack if we had enough gas for the generator and snow blower? I know we have plenty of food, so I guess the only thing I can say is…bring it on!

Happy 14th Birthday, Greta!

Today is Darling Greta’s 14th Birthday. She is the oldest doggy I have ever had. It’s been one heck of a ride. Two beautiful litters of puppies, 5 puppies in each litter (10), the mother of our Arnie and Anneliese, and the Matron of our four dog crew.

Greta is fierce, gentle, funny, warm and bossy. She was so dark when we got her, and now her fur is nearly white, as she has aged.

It’s funny, when I wake in the night, I always know which dachshund is Greta. Her whiteness stands out in the dark.

I know her time on earth is coming to a close, and as painful as this is for me, I am grateful, beyond words, to have had this wonderful doggy as my constant companion these last 14 years. She truly has been, such a blessing.

Snowing

Yes, it’s snowing again. I am not sure how much, but I suspect it’s close to 8-10 inches. The dackels were not amused! They are forecasting another few inches before it stops. And to top it all off, it is supposed to snow again tomorrow!

I was notified by UPS that my package is delayed due to weather and a natural disaster. Then I heard that a huge UPS tractor/trailer truck slid off the Turnpike here in New Hampshire! I bet my package is on that truck!

Oh yeah, it’s pretty, but I am so over winter! I sure wish that the snow would stop and then melt, and the sun would come out and the temperatures return to a descent 68-78 degrees!

Meanwhile, Brrrrrrrr!

Happy Birthday Quinn!

As we sit here in New England awaiting the arrival of Winter Storm Quinn, in our family we are also celebrating something else!

Today is the actual birthday of our grandson Quinn! It doesn’t seem possible that it has been only two years, and yet, I will say, I can’t seem to recall a time before Quinn was a part of our lives. When he was born he fit right in.

I was lucky enough to be there right after his birth. I brought Savi up to meet her brother, along with Matt’s Mom, Mary. I could not believe how beautiful he was!

I changed some of his first diapers while Mom and Dad rested and Mary and I and Savannah took turns holding Quinn. Our beautiful, fair-haired baby boy!

Now let’s look back on the last two years.

Happy Birthday, my darling Quinn!!!

My “New” Computer

I was so upset last week when my laptop’s hard drive blew. In the past it was prohibitively expensive to replace the hard drive, so one was destined to bite the bullet and buy a new machine. Technology changed along the way, and my Computer Guru suggested an SSD replacement. For those who have never heard of this it is a Solid State Drive.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when my laptop (I feel I should name her), came home. The first thing was, I turned her on, and she turned on instantly. And although I have an I5 processor, she runs so much faster than Jack’s computer with the I7 processor.

Now here are the biggest changes. She runs quietly because an SSD has no moving parts. She also runs very cool. Jack’s laptop, and all other laptops I have had, all run very hot and the fan runs almost constantly to keep them cooled down.

It’s like having a new computer except….my Computer Guru also moved all of my programs over to the new drive! I basically sat down and started to work! So it makes things even better!

I’m very happy to have chosen to re-purpose my machine. I had not even come close to using up all my memory and I did not want to take the plunge and buy a new machine.

I’ve never thought of myself as being a super recycler, but in this day and age, I think if we can do it, and save a landfill, and our pocketbook at the same time, then it’s worth looking into.

I am lucky. I have a Computer Guru (and I say this with a lot of love and thanks for all he does for Jack and I), who truly believes in re-purposing machines when you can. His prices are really good and I think he enjoys helping people with their problems. They’re hard to find, but I know they are out there. Ask around. Anyone that lives near me, email or PM me and I will send you his number. He comes right to your house, and if he can’t fix things there, he will take your machine, fix it, and then bring it back and reinstall it for you. The day I found this young man, was a very lucky day for me!

So I am a very happy girl, with her very nice almost new computer! Thank you Brad!

Quinn’s Party

This past weekend we celebrated Quinn’s Second Birthday. This little guy works so hard to keep up with the big kids, that you forget that he is still a babe.

Quinn is one of those kids, who walked before he talked, was taking things apart and putting them back together pretty early on, and now at age two, he is talking up a blue streak. But I have to remember that he is still a baby. Two really is still very young!

So many happy, loving faces!

I was amazed watching him play with all the older kids. He would run after them, with them, and at times fall down. But this kid never cried. He just got up and kept on running.

Here’s the thing. Quinn didn’t realize that the party was for him. He just accepted that everyone was there and there was a party going on, and wasn’t that just wonderful! He played and partied and had a wonderful time. Then, as we stood and the kids sat around the table, and we sang “Happy Birthday to Quinn” he suddenly realized the party was for him and his little face brightened right up.

I want to say one other thing. All the children there were wonderful together. Not one of them wanted the birthday gifts, and they all were happy for Quinn. I think the cutest thing ever, was watching Jackson put together the Little People Animal Rescue set that I gave Quinn. This young man should be an engineer! He had that thing put together in no time.

In the background is the young man, in red, who amazingly put together Quinn’s Little People Animal Rescue Center!

My sister, Melodie and me.

So I spent the day loving and being with my grandchildren, and all those who love them. I’ve known most of these kids since they were born, and I have to say that their mothers and fathers are doing a great job. They are nice kids, and I love being around them.

Like all good things, they eventually come to an end and I had to go home. I left with a smile on my face and my heart full of love. Later this week on Quinn’s actual birthday I will post a montage I made for him.

A New Era

My computer problems appear to be nearly over. At least for now. After considering all the angles, I decided to allow my Computer Guru to replace my Hard Drive with a Solid State Drive. I did this for two reasons.

Right now there is a big change going on in the computer world. With the advent of Solid State Drives, and several other computer things (which, quite honestly I do not understand), I felt it was time to wait, if I could. I spent hours yesterday going over computer specs, looking for a good fit, and just couldn’t find one. Thus, a new hard drive, and some time, will allow me to determine what will work for me.
The money involved. The SSD is not all that expensive and as I stated it buys me time to learn and make a better decision. If I am spending a thousand dollars on a laptop, I want to make sure it is the exact one I want, which will last me for a while. (And I know so many of you love Apple, but for the one I would want it is close to three thousand dollars! Honestly, I am not ready to spend that!) I did see several that have 17 inch screens which would be good. My eye problems make it difficult to use small screens. So this would be great!

I am just waiting to get my laptop back now with the new hard drive. I’m actually excited about this as I am hopeful it will solve my problems for a decent price, and allow me to learn more about the new era of computers!