Dackel Princess

What I Did This Past Weekend

Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

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My steri-strips fell off, giving us the first look at my eye brow. Hubby examined it closely and declared that it isn’t perfect. It got me to thinking. Are any of us really perfect? (Besides my Savannah, who is perfect in every way!) Not really. Maybe our ears stick out, or our noses are too big, or in my case I am a patch work all over my face.

My skin cancer and the surgeries that followed taught me so much about how I have looked at life and what is truly important.

I am alive. I am happy and I hope I am a good person. Isn’t that what counts in this crazy world of ours?

I worked on Sunday to clean up my kitchen. (28 cabinets and 4 drawers and one wine rack) I washed each and every cabinet and the wine rack and drawers. That took me all morning. Then this afternoon I did laundry. All of it. Sheets, towels, clothes and doggy blankets.

There is a Sunday roast in the oven and I’m planning the turkey day cooking. Some I can do the day before, but some has to be done on Thursday. Thanksgiving, like actually cooking the turkey!

But the green beans and butternut squash are all done and in the freezer. The stuffing I will make the day before, so I can stuff the turkey cold. I always make my own gravy and I’ve been reading that you should start to make the base the day before.

I will also make the apple pie on Wednesday during the day. And I am thinking about making a cranberry/orange sauce on Wednesday too. Hubby wants pearl onions. Thankfully he just wants them boiled.

I’ve done some Christmas shopping as well. Mostly for Mandy and Matt and Savannah! Oh my sweet family! It is so wonderful to buy gifts for them!

Sunday night ended with us enjoying our roast beef dinner, and of course, me doing the dishes. Yah-hoo (not)!

Have a great Monday Everyone!!!

Bazaars

Saturday found me visiting five Christmas Bazaars. I had a great time. But it struck me that some things certainly have changed at some of the Bazaars, while at others, they were blessedly familiar.

What used to be, were the table upon table of hand made, hand knit, Christmas items. Cookies, cakes and pies, all from loving kitchens. Oh yes, and Grandma’s fudge.

Two of the Bazaars were like that today, one was close, and the other two were more like going to the local Mall, with high prices and mass produced ‘product’.

I love the hand made items. I love grandma’s cookies and fudge. I love the ladies in Christmas aprons and jewelry, smiling, as Christmas music wafts through the air.

I love Christmas in Old New England fashion.

The other Bazaars. The commercial ones, just aren’t the same, and sort of leave me cold. The only good thing about the last one we went to, was seeing a girl that had helped me care for Shubi all those years ago. She was painting handmade ornaments. She was doing a fantastic job!

Tonight is an easy Saturday night meal. We’ll sit in front of our fireplace, and enjoy the end to our day.

The Last Weekend Before Thanksgiving

Life has been busy lately! Good busy, but busy none the less. I’ve been out for gal pal time lunches, Christmas Bazaars, doctors appointments and shopping. It’s all good, but often in the evenings, I’m so tired I just want to put up my feet, make myself a nice hot cup of herbal tea, and do nothing in the evenings.

Of course the pooches keep me honest with their desires to be fed and walked and then walked again. They play with me, by racing around the house and under my feet and making me laugh.

Tonight I made Hubby his favorite quick, easy, and comfort food for him, meal. Scrambled Meat. You can go HERE and get the recipe. I served it over mashed potatoes and he was a happy man. I wasn’t really hungry and just had some Carrot Casserole. You can go HERE for the recipe for that.

Saturday is the last of the Christmas Bazaars and my friend Laurie and I are going to four of them. I love going and it makes me feel all warm and happy inside. After this, I will have to wait until next year.

Well, have a great weekend everyone!

Friday Five

It looks like I am done with my facial reconstructive surgery! I had my stitches out on Wednesday, brought a small gift of my jams & jellies for my doctor, and we said our good-byes.
Sad really. I admire Dr. P. greatly and have valued the friendship we have shared. He helped me to believe in myself again and to see myself with new eyes.
I’m going for a girls lunch today with my next door neighbor.
I have this favorite little place. The Meredith Bay Coffee House. Just perfect for an intimate little lunch.
Saturday is the last of the Christmas Bazaars. My friend Laurie and I will hit them all and then, we will be done.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Thursday Thirteen

I’m starting to make up lists and recipes for our Thanksgiving. Which is really amusing, as there will just be the two of us. However, I take my job as chef seriously, and so I plan out each and every detail before hand. So far, here is the menu.

Turkey. I have a ten pound young turkey for the big day. I’ll use butter to rub it down and then sea salt and pepper to season it.
Stuffing. Usually I make a chestnut dressing, but this year I asked Hubby what he wanted and he asked for a sage stuffing like his mom used to make. It’s fairly simple, but delicious.
Gravy. I make my own pan gravy. Yum!
Yukon Gold mashed potatoes. I love their slightly yellow tinge and sweet flavor. What a great mashing potato!
Green beans. They are flash frozen in our freezer from the garden last summer.
Butternut squash. I cooked all my squash from the garden, cooked it up and then mashed it, seasoned it with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, and then froze it.
Cranberry sauce. I’m not sure if I will make a cranberry/orange relish or just use normal cranberry.
A relish tray with olives and pickle relish.
Apple cider.
Champagne.
Homemade apple pie.
Classic vanilla ice cream.
Alka Seltzer! (lol)

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What lesson has failure taught you?

To keep trying. I may have failed at things, but I am not a defeatist. I just stop, think, regroup and try again!

2. What decision are you glad you made?

Lets see. Most recently it would be to keep both Arnie and Anneliese. I was just saying to Hubby the other day that it is such an amazing feeling to have two pups that you helped deliver and have literally been part of their lives since they took their first breaths!

3. I’ve been a little bit surprised to see fully lit and decorated Christmas trees popping up for the past several weeks in friend’s Instagram feeds. So tell the truth-is your tree up and decorated, and if so when did that happen? If not, when will you be decking the halls?

No mine is not up. I was ‘thinking’ about it yesterday. Perhaps the day after Thanksgiving.

4. Solitaire-Poker-Rummy-Hearts-Go Fish-Old Maid…which game of cards would you most like to join?

I play solitaire on my computer when I am bored. Lately I am reading two books, and working on projects, so needless to say I have not been bored.

5. This question comes to you courtesy of a Facebook friend, who once upon a time had a blog…When you’re feeling stressed do you snack a lot or are you more the ‘can’t eat’ type?

I am a stress eater. Which explains my weight gain this year. My sister can’t eat at all. Which is why part of the time I want a DNA test to make sure we are really related!

6. Have you ever reviewed a product or service on line? Was your review favorable or less than favorable?

I review for Trip Advisor as well as Amazon.com. And yes, I have give a couple scathing reviews. I do not like to, but when it deserves it… Mostly I can find good in almost anything.

7. What was the best conversation you had yesterday?

Ones with Hubby as we drove down to the VA for his appointments and then back afterward. Sometimes I think we talk the very best when we are driving around in the car.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I get my stitches out today. I can hardly wait to see what my eyebrow will look like now!

Day 1

Monday was day one as a fifty-five year old woman! It wasn’t bad, really, but as it was Hubby’s medical day at the Veteran’s Administration Health Center, I was up and out of here pretty early on Monday.

I am amazed and appreciative of the quality care Hubby is getting through the VA. His service to our country in Vietnam has cost him dearly health-wise. Finally I feel like he is getting the testing and medications he has needed for some time.

I went with him to keep him company and also to make sure I could take notes and such. So when we got to the VA and I went to open my car door, I broke two finger nails! (Which up to that point, had all remained long and beautiful!)

I’ve decided I love Hubby’s podiatrist! Oh how I wish he was in private practice because I would go to him myself! He was able to treat Hubby’s feet and make a plan to treat the diabetic neuropathies in his feet.

I got home and I found a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my dearest best friend, Uschi!

The flowers are so lovely and were such a surprise!

What a wonderful birthday I had.

Fifty-five is actually pretty darn good!

My 55th Birthday Celebration

Ah yes. I woke early on my birthday and got myself all washed up, hair done, and make up as well. I was feeling good.

I know the numbers are adding up, but it doesn’t matter when your family is around you. I had called a local restaurant that we all love and made reservations. Hubby and I got there early so I could make sure it was all set up. Hubby teased me, because I am always early, and my cousin is always late! lol

But soon everyone arrived and there we were all together enjoying some champagne and some delicious food! After we ate, I opened up my gifts, with Savannah helping me, of course!

Opening dachshund book ends. Savannah helped!

Listening to a card that Savannah made for me. Telling me Happy Birthday and love you!

Me with my daughter, Mandy.

I loved all of my gifts!

Having a nice Cappuccino.

The newlyweds, Dave & Janet.

All too soon, the luncheon ended and it was time to go home. Savannah’s Daddy Matt, picked her up and carried her to the car. You can see, she looks a lot like her Daddy!

Birthday Girl!

Yes, today November 17th, is my birthday. It’s my 55th birthday! Wow! I don’t feel older, but there it is! So, I broke out pictures of me through the years, and those closest to me, and made up this short montage.

My Birthday Montage from Dackel Princess Maribeth on Vimeo.

I hope you enjoy it!

Christmas Bazaars

Last weekend my friend Laurie and I hit two local Bazaars. Today there are four of them scheduled and we are going to hit them all. We both love the atmosphere and also buying little gifts supporting the various churches!

I also love the cute Christmas ornaments that you can get there. This is one I got last weekend.

I know it is mid November, but I’m looking forward to Christmas. Probably because of Savannah! The world just looks brighter, through a child’s eyes!!!