Photo 365 #131

December 16, 2014December 17, 20144 Comments

It’s hard to beat a sweet treat every now and then:

bananaslices

One of my favorite treats as a kid was sliced bananas with sugar (or sprinkles – sprinkles are always good, too), so when Seymour brought home a couple of green bunches last week, I couldn’t wait to dig in. But then, of course, we headed out to the hospital before they’d ripened, and before I knew it they were starting to spot.

So this morning, I dug in. And they tasted every bit as sweet as I could have hoped. You slice up the bananas into a bowl, sprinkle a quantity of sugar over them, then stir it all up. The sugar and the banana secretions (for lack of a better word) combine to form a syrup, and it’s a little bowl of heaven.

What are some of your favorite childhood treats?

Photo 365 #130

December 15, 2014December 17, 2014Leave a comment

Sometimes, it’s the simple things in life that are the sweetest.

besties

Like visits from best friends on cloudy days, or – in this case – a night out with great food, great friends, and great fun. I still maintain that Gaelic Storm concerts need to be an annual thing. Who knows? Maybe 2015 will be the year we revisit the Englert and have a rollicking good time!

What simple things do you enjoy?

Photo 365 #129

December 14, 2014December 15, 20142 Comments

Abdominal surgery is the pits. Recovery means relaxing and taking it easy, but those are both easier said than done when you have two toddlers running around the house at mach 10. Luckily, Miss Tadpole and Bubbles have been wonderful helpers. They’ve been Toddler Distractors and Chefs Supreme, and Miss Tadpole was even a Baby Shower Ambassador this morning.

$chefrachael.jpg$

Last night, she fixed supper by herself for the first time. Bubbles fixed dinner, a frozen pizza, but Miss Tadpole fixed up a pan of Hamburger Helper. I sat in the kitchen and supervised, and everything came out wonderfully. That’s the best-tasting Hamburger Helper I’ve had in quite a while, as a matter of fact.

I hope I’m feeling better soon so that the kids can return to being kids. But in the meantime, I am unbelievably proud of the way they’ve stepped up to help out while I’m recovering. 🙂

How do your kids make you proud?

Photo 365 #128

December 13, 2014December 16, 20142 Comments

One of the good things about my return trip to Mayo Clinic was the opportunity to get a picture of this gorgeous poinsettia tree. I’d seen it last week when we were there for my initial consultation, but by the time I saw it, we were in a hurry to get to a couple of other places, it was late, and I just didn’t take the time to photograph it.

After trying to capture the brilliant crimson of the poinsettia near my desk at work, I wondered if I’d have to underexpose this image, but it came out perfectly on the first try. If I hadn’t been feeling so rotten (and if we hadn’t been in such a hurry to pick up the kids), I’d have played around a bit and taken a few more shots. But surgery sucks, and long post-surgery drives suck even more, so I only got one.

Still, it’s beautiful. Hope your weekend is just as rosy! 🙂

Photo Friday: Cookie time, part two!

December 12, 2014December 10, 20146 Comments

So, I’m sure you’re asking yourself how in the heck one manages to accidentally make somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 dozen cookies, right? I know I would be if I were you.

Look at all the cookies!

Mmm, cookies…om nom nom!

Bubbles and Miss Tadpole have a cookie walk tomorrow, and they are each responsible for providing ten dozen cookies. That’s 20 dozen cookies (aka a whole freakin’ lot). Last year they both helped with the baking and whatnot, but this year we’ve been so busy that it got left to the last minute. Bubbles is sick, so he wasn’t cooking anything for anybody, and Miss Tadpole was at school on Tuesday (aka, the only time I had to do any baking whatsoever before tomorrow), so it was on me…

Photo 365 #127

December 12, 2014December 10, 2014Leave a comment

Time to visit Ye Olde Archives again, because I’m still a bit groggy:

family

This is one of the first pictures of Seymour and me together with the kids. We were out getting into the Christmas spirit at Miracle on Main, and we were just over a month away from being engaged when this picture was taken. It was a magical time, and one I’ll always treasure.

And look how tiny the kids are! It’s hard to believe that next year, Cricket will be the same age as Bubbles and Miss Tadpole are in this picture. If anyone would like to donate some bricks to my “Keep the Kids Little Forever” campaign, please direct them to my email.

Cinder blocks are also welcome. 🙂

Photo 365 #126

December 11, 2014December 10, 20147 Comments

I’ve been digging through my archives. Today I’m having surgery, and ever since Cricket was born, I think of this picture when I have surgery:

fingerprints

I don’t do needles, you see. And the nurse I had when Cricket was born was less than gentle with the IV needle. This is Seymour’s hand five minutes after the nurse got done inserting the IV line in my left hand. That imprint there? That’s my right hand.

Seymour: When did you suddenly get strength in your hand?!

Me: About the time they stuck a needle in my other one!

I was telling the lab nurses this story last week at my pre-op appointment because I had to distract myself somehow. They were all very nice nurses, but it took three of them to find my veins and get the necessary blood samples, and now I have two lovely bruises on my forearms.

But now I’m going to go. I’ve got things to dream, see, so I’ll see you back here sometime over the weekend. Have a great Thursday!

Photo 365 #125

December 10, 20144 Comments

Christmas means cookies. Lots and lots of cookies. At least, it has the last couple of years.

Now, I like Christmas cookies as much as the next person, and I can’t remember ever not having Christmas cookies. But between my church’s cookie walk and the kids’ 4-H cookie walk, I’ve made more cookies the last two Decembers than I can ever remember baking. Ever.

Cookies are serious business. 🙂

And baking cookies is pretty much how I spent my day yesterday. It was the only day I had to get the cookies done for this weekend, so I took advantage of it – I found a recipe for some vanilla wafers that sounded promising, and I went to town.

Stop back on Friday and I’ll tell you all about how I accidentally made somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 dozen cookies.

Yes, you read that right. See you Friday!

Photo 365 #124

December 9, 2014December 10, 2014Leave a comment

It was a beautifully sunny day the other day, the kind that makes you feel glad to be alive. I couldn’t help taking a picture of it:

The snow is gone now, and so is the sun. It’s beginning to feel a lot like February, weather-wise, instead of nearly Christmas. I can do without the snow, but I dearly miss the sun.

Strange Portals now available!

December 8, 20144 Comments

Just in time for a much needed holiday break, twenty-two stories about fairies, vampires, werewolves, zombies, and everything in between. Visit a witch’s body swap victims (Samantha’s Day), find what happens when a girl is buried alive (Buried Alive), learn the origin story of Harper (from Night Touched Chronicles) and Verchiel (from the Amaranthine series), and much, much more. So kick up your feet, relax, and indulge in a short story by a new favorite author.

Includes stories by AK Stein, Adan Ramie, B.G. Hope, Barbara G. Tarn, Bonnie Mutchler, CG Copolla, DM Yates, JK Rosaline, Joleene Naylor, Kay Kauffman, Maegan Provan, Rami Ungar, Roger Lawrence, Roxanna Mathews, Russ Towne, Terry Compton and Tricia Drammeh.

What better way to celebrate the holidays than by picking up a free book? The Ink Slingers League is proud to present Strange Portals, a collection of twenty-two short stories to help you fend off the holiday crazies. Take a load off and escape into one of these holiday havens, or kick back for a couple of hours and visit them all. They’re our gift to you this holiday season, so enjoy!

Strange Portals is available for free on Smashwords and Amazon (where it will hopefully be free soon), so pick up your copy today!