Food and four-leggeds

Last weekend, we finally made it to our local bakery! The cream-filled donut and apple fritter were top-notch, which is normal for Peggy Ann Bakery. Their donuts are enormous. We usually get two and cut them in half to share. Pictured is my half of the cream-filled donut. That donut was smooth, and so was the cream. I could have eaten a couple whole ones by myself, but my bloodwork at my age is really good, and moderation helps keep it that way. I have found that, for me, eating exactly what I want is perfectly fine, but over-eating/over-indulging is not. If that practice means that I get to eat these from time to time, then hurray!

My Lacey, my heart. Isn't she a gorgeous girl? She's getting more silly every day as she comes out of her shell and warms up to the idea that this is home, and she is loved. Lacey was basically a neglected, feral dog. Thanks to our favorite rescue, East TN Border Collie Rescue, she has the chance to not only survive, but to be loved and content. Now, she's a spoiled rotten family member, and I couldn't be more overjoyed! Sometimes you get the happy ending in rescue work. 

Kitten alert! Baby Trudy runs the show, y'all. Look at this stinkpot's face! Her Jampy has her, and she's appealing to me to let her go outside. We did; she got 30 supervised minutes to explore after this picture was taken. She tends to get her way a lot, but when you have a face like this, you do have significant powers of persuasion. Those huge hypnotic eyes are a real lure, y'all. I could eat her up!

Mmmmmm. Bojangles biscuits topped with gravy, salt and lots of pepper and a side of cheesy eggs with ketchup. Truthfully, this was breakfast for a few mornings in a row. I still have four Bojangles biscuits in the freezer, and they'll be polished off within the next week or two. I'll be sad to see them go, ha ha.

I absolutely love food (well, really, I mean, who doesn't?). Ironically, I dislike having to think about a shopping list and meals for the week. We don't buy a ton of food in advance, so if we simply eat out of the fridge and cabinets and give the store a miss this weekend, I'll be out of meals by Wednesday and have to go mid-week. That is NO fun when you work full time and just want to go home after a long day. 

I could do meal planning for two weeks in advance, but what I have discovered is that what sounds good at the time of purchase, two weeks later, I'm wanting something different. Not one to waste food and being very frugal, we do eat what we buy. So if I go weekly, I find that I enjoy meals better because the choices at the time of purchase hit the mark of cravings for that week. Then, of course, I'm one to keep in mind the blessing of health and a job - the two things that make it possible to not go hungry. That isn't lost on me, so, although I don't find grocery shopping a pleasure, I also don't complain. 

This isn't getting that grocery list together, is it? We are heading into a soggy warm-up today and tomorrow, but it does look like we'll have some breaks in the rain. Here's hoping and praying for no flooding or nasty winds. Blessed Saturday to you. No matter what your plans, remember to keep wearing your mask and washing your hands or, if you can't wear a mask for medical reasons, keep at least 10 feet away from others. Covid numbers are looking much better, but remember, flu and colds are out there, too! May as well take advantage of the precautions and, by doing so, perhaps avoid those other things floating around, as well! Tons of love to you.

 

Twinkle twinkle, little star, how I wonder where you are . . . .

I do not want a drought. I do not want 90-degree temperatures. I do not want to walk outside and feel as if the heat is very nearly smothering me to death and that the humidity is going to finish the job that the heat could not. But I'd love a break from the rain and gloom, specifically a couple days of sunshine to the point that when you step outside, you don't feel as if you're stepping into a darkened room. 

I honestly think that clear skies would be a relief for many people. I've not seen my twinkling night sky in ages, due to cloud coverage and snow falling in the early morning hours. That type of early morning can be beautiful, too, but it's not the same as my night sky where I can see every star, and the face on the full moon seeks me in return. 

Temperatures in the 50s and a clear sky would be just about perfect and would create a fantastic chilly early morning where all my brilliant friends could say "hello" before the sun comes up and shows itself. I try not to complain. I give thought to and say prayers for the people who have gone through that terrible winter storm out west, and I know that I'm blessed to not walk that path of frustration and fear. But I AM human, and humans need sunshine sometimes. Maybe we'll find favor with Mother Nature a few days in the near future . . . . I can only hope.

The scene at home these days is reflected in pictures below . . . on warm days in spring and summer, the kitties are often sunbathing on the front porch or on the back steps. In winter, though, they're true homebodies, not budging from their warm spots. As you can see, Lacey is friends with the kitties; they love napping with her. The picture of baby Oscar is hazy, but it's easy to see just how adorable he is; he's my gammybaby, and I love him.

I am sticking hard and fast to my rule of no indoor gatherings. Covid cases are declining rapidly, thank you, God! But there is still risk, and while our Covid bubble is small, it is somewhat aged. I won't risk anyone's health for a few hours together. If we can get a pretty day, though, an outdoor social distance picnic with a pitfire would be really nice. 

So, today is Saturday! Yay! I do have to work a few hours this weekend on some things, but I can do that from home. I'm craving vegetable tater-tot casserole. We'll see if one gets made this weekend. I think I have all the ingredients except the tots. 

This morning for breakfast, though, we will have Bojangles biscuits, lol. I have six of those tasty things in the freezer, and I've set out two to thaw. I'll make gravy and cheesy scrambled eggs to go with them, and that will be a heck of a yummy start to the weekend. On a side note, if you love Bonjangles biscuits, they do freeze really well. I wrap them individually, then place them in a tupperware container, put parchment paper over the top of all of them, then put the lid on and freeze. They really do taste just as good as the same day they were bought when I freeze them this way.

I am determined to get to Peggy Ann bakery this weekend. I'll try to remember to get pics of what I get from there, as well as our breakfast this morning. I do love that on weekends, we get to take things a little bit slower. There are the must-dos like laundry, cleaning, grocery store, weekly cooking, etc., but we can set the pace. Last week was rough for a number of reasons. I'm glad to look back and declare that it's over!

I hope you have a blessed Saturday. May the sun pop out for all of us! And may you find something as tasty as Peggy Ann bakery goodies and Bojangles biscuits on your plate. 

I almost didn't recognize that heavenly glow

We finally had sunshine and nearly 50 yesterday! It was gorgeous and felt soooo good. The babies got some time outside where they weren't dodging snow, ice or mud for a change. I'm looking forward to the time change. It means that we can take them outside after dinner and not have to rush to fit it in before dark. As you can see, Baby TC and Baby Trudy found themselves a tree. They are ten months old now, and they think they are really big stuff! They are so cute.

Baby TC

Baby Trudy

I actually have some time off coming up soon, and I'm very excited. I'm hoping the weather is decent those days, but it's still winter, so it'll be anyone's guess whether or not we'll be indoors the whole time. I hope not, though. I'd love a good run or two, just me and my playlist or a true crime podcast or a food or holiday podcast. Nothing like an hour spent with just yourself, the trail and your preferred choice of entertainment. It also means that we can stay out with the babies a bit longer those days that I'm off. They'll love that, although it turns Baby Trudy into a bit of a monster. She's the tiniest of all the babies, but if she doesn't get to go out, she sits at the door and yells her head off. It's really screechy sometimes, too. She's got some real lungs. The more she gets to go out, the more she demands it!

The time change is coming up mid-March! I'm not a fan of time changes; they mess terribly with my body and brain for a bit, but I do look forward to more light for an extended period during spring and summer. It can make a lot of things easier, and my body doesn't feel like it needs to go to bed at 5:30 p.m.! Then, on June 20th, we'll have the longest day of the year, and the days will begin growing shorter again, all on their own. I do wonder if we shouldn't leave the time changes alone. The earth and sun do what they're going to do without our interference, and we really don't need the time changes based on old reasons that no longer really exist. 

I'm craving biscuits, but it's a hectic week, so nothing homemade. It'll be canned Aldi biscuits. They're decent and fairly cheaper than other brands. Homemade is better, but canned is fine for us, too. I had meant to grab a handful of Bojangles biscuits for the week (love them soooo much), but I forgot, and so canned it is. I think I"ll make up a few egg and cheese biscuits and wrap them for the fridge. Easy to grab and heat up in the morning. I don't make more than a couple days' worth, as you don't want the egg to go rubbery after a couple days.

I cannot believe that I have still not made it to Peggy Ann Bakery lately. I need to make sure I get there for Easter, as least. I want some of their cupcake bunnies! They are oval in shape and completely covered in piped icing to look like bunnies. Last year, I got a few pink bunnies and few purple bunnies. They were almost too adorable to eat, but we ate them anyway, and they were good! Old-fashioned frosting, cut with shortening. Not too sweet, super creamy and has that crackle-cut to it unlike any other type of frosting. If they ever change their frosting, I'll probably lose it.

Sonic drink days are coming up, and so are scary movie weekends! Right about March, I start getting my seed orders completed and begin researching new scary movies to watch for the hot summer months. I'm looking forward to less mud and muck, although I'm hoping and praying that the trade-off isn't high winds and tornadoes. 

Today, we take my big, beautiful baby boy Oliver to the Univ of TN small animal hospital for his check-up with his cardiologist and lung specialist. I'm always nervous, you never know how it might go. Hoping and praying for a report that his heart and lungs are both stable. I don't know how long we'll have this precious boy, but I'm praying that God will give him a much longer-than-expected lifespan. He's the sweetest Maine coon mix; not a mean bone in his body, and he has these huge, fantastic eyes that look at you with all the love and trust in the world. He's been a gift, no question about it.

Need to go pop those biscuits in the oven, they don't bake themselves. Blessed Tuesday to you.

More snow means more coffee

Today is going to be one of those days where it's just mushy outside. Snow has already started falling (it's that heavy, wet stuff, too), then I think we go back to rain, then cloudy and damp and cold. It's a combination of blech and blah, for sure. We do have a nice silver lining, though - the frigid temperatures that were being called for in the near future seem to have given way to much better temperatures. Still cold and seasonal, but not nearly as frigid. Very grateful for that. When it gets so cold that the air makes skin hurt, then it's too cold. It does look as if the next two weeks are pretty much complete cloud coverage. I'll have to try to make my own sunshine, as that constant cloudiness can get depressive for me after a while.

This beautiful boy sees his cardiologist this week in Knoxville. Praying for a good result. Hard not to worry about him constantly, but he seems well enough and happy. I'm hoping that his eco-gram and other tests reflect that his heart and lungs are holding their own. He will be three years old in March. He's absolutely precious to me, and we are very attached to each other, my Baby Oliver.

Valentine's Day is nearly upon us! Not my favorite holiday, but I do get a few people some little doo-dads. As I've gotten older, I've progressed to getting people useful, consumable stuff, or even a small bouquet of cut flowers. I try to think "what could they use that they would enjoy but would not be around forever?" Nothing to dust, in other words. 

I do have a couple girlfriends at work for whom I generally get flowers. I save up Dr. Enuf bottles and buy a pretty bouquet of daisies or miniature roses and split them out among the bottles, then tie a ribbon around each bottle. Those bottles are so handy. They are a pretty, green colored glass and they fit perfectly in a car cup holder, so when they take their flowers home, there is zero hassle. Nobody has to sit on the passenger's side and hold them, and they don't have to be secured against spills if you don't have a second rider in the car. It doesn't cost much, and it's so cheerful.

Speaking of holidays, they can be a ton of work, can't they? I must admit that during Covid, the reduction of the holiday fanfare made me very, very happy. While I was not happy canceling Christmas altogether with family, it did feel so much easier this past year. I was able to truly focus on Christmas and what it means. There was no last-minute rush the day of Christmas, nowhere to be. Gifts had been delivered to various family members with strict orders to not open until Christmas day! When the actual day arrived, it was a day of quiet simpleness - soft, traditional music; some good but very simple food for Christmas lunch; and a leisurely day watching old movies around our normal, daily activities. Plus, we had quite a bit of snow, so it was a white Christmas! When you work full-time and then some, the holidays with all their planning and places to be can be exhausting. A quieter holiday is like being handed a gift to us working gals.

The temperatures for Halloween and Thanksgiving were decent enough that we were able to gather strictly outdoors for a meal, but even that was miles better! In the past decade or so, I find that there's just been too much food, too much flurry and too much of everything else for my taste. There are some things that I love during the holidays and hope to always do or have, but overall, the skinnier versions are much more to my liking. I'm really hoping that, once restrictions are lifted, we stick to those pared-back versions.

I do think that some things that I missed doing last year will continue to be placed on hold this year - a couple festivals that I always attend, the county fair. If I'm honest, my family has come this far without anyone being endangered or contracting Covid, so even if they do have those events, I may skip them for one more year. I miss going to them a lot. They're tradition for me, but giving up tradition a couple years in a row is a better trade-off than getting sick. We'll see how it goes and wing it sensibly. 

Signing off, as we need a new outdoor fireplace, and I plan to research those today. I'm thinking a chimnea may be the way to go this time, but there is also a pagoda style that I think I may like even better, fully screened, but one side has a screen door that you can open so that you can roast your marshmallows and other goodies. We'll see what I come up with, if anything. 

Happy Sunday to you and yours. If it's anything like mine, the more snow you get, the more creme brulee coffee you drink! I happen to have dark chocolate peppermint creamer to go with it, so that's a double yummy!!

Our Lacey and a snow day

First off, happy first day of February, which means Happy Adoption Anniversary to our Lacey girl! It was exactly one year ago today that we brought home this gorgeous baby. She was about three years old, a previously feral dog who had been abused and neglected. My favorite rescue, East TN Border Collie Rescue, took her in and did wonders with her for nearly half a year. When the time came for us to adopt another BC, we visited the rescue and met this girl. It's been love ever since.

I'm so proud of who she has become - relaxed, confident, happy, silly, hilarious and spoiled rotten. She's accepting of just about anything and has been a dream around the kitties. She initially ignored them, but now she loves their company, especially my little calico kitty girl. They're daytime buddies, and they always sleep near or with each other. Lacey is loved. She has a family now who would do anything for her, and she is pretty much allowed to do whatever she wants. She is the best doggie, and I can honestly say that I'm still a bit shocked every now and then that such a beautiful animal is ours. We are blessed and grateful to have her.

Today is a snow day at the University. They've already called it, since snow is predicted all day today, all night, and through tomorrow morning. It has already started at our house, with flurries blowing a bit when I took Lacey out for a run a few minutes ago. Got lucky yesterday when my dad delivered homemade potato soup and corn muffins. We'll have that for lunch. It's very nearly perfect for a snow day! With Covid, almost everything went virtual in my office, so I will actually work from home. I'm a believer that if you can do your job, then you should, unless you are on a sick day or vacation. So, I'll sign in and work away. My home office has two big picture windows, which means I'll get to see the snow come down all day. No complaints here, it'll be beautiful.

February is a short month, but it's packed with things - Lacey's adoption anniversary, my parents' anniversary, Valentine's Day, and mine and my husband's anniversary. At the end of the month, we'll have 23 years under our belts. We are huge thinkers when it comes to celebrating our anniversary - this year, if the weather permits, we'll go for a run, then afterwards, we'll order a Godfather's pizza on our special day! Not quite a trip to Paris, but still very good. We love cake, as well, so I'll head to the bakery for one that we'll eat on for a few days and enjoy the heck out of it. I don't make or buy cakes often - it's one of the few things that I over-indulge in (meaning that I eat cake in place of meals, lol), so I'm careful to not have them often. 

Looks like a significant portion of the country is getting hit with this winter storm. As pretty as snow is, I'm very grateful to not be directly in the path of something like a nor'easter, which combines dangerously fast, high wind and gobs and gobs of snow. I've no desire to lose electricity or have huge trees topple over or my car to stay frozen over for days on end. I'll take our much milder version of the storm, thank you very much!

We've had quite a bit of colder weather and snow this year. Funny how, when I'm in the hottest throes of summer, I pine away for the colder months. Then, those colder months get here, and I think "If I have to bundle up just ONE more time, I'm gonna snap!" All of the seasons have their best days, though. They're true gifts to be celebrated with food and drink and slowing down a bit to enjoy them. 

Here's hoping the snow is picturesque yet uneventful (safe)! My cinnamon french toast, vegan sausage and maple syrup are calling me. I shouldn't keep it waiting!