Bliss

OK, I was officially grumpy. Five days in bed, taking meds that make everything taste metallic, not that a liquid diet is all that appetizing to begin with, and I was a beast. Today was my first solid food day and we decided to have salmon and fried rice. Don't even ask. Frank headed out to get the salmon while I crashed again with my brood. Home he comes, tromping up the stairs with that crooked grin of his, announcing the fish was in the fridge. Two hours later, I head down to marinate it and sitting on the counter top is this dreamy piece of chocolate cake from the bakery. I was in heaven. I intended it for later as a bed time snack. Who was I kidding, it is GONE. He is such a good guy.

By the way, I am by no means Susie homemaker but this is the BEST recipe for salmon I have ever eaten. I wish I knew to whom to give credit:

Marinated Mediterranean Salmon

6 oz frozen limeade, thawed
¾ cup olive oil
¾ cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. minced fresh garlic
2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
6 Salmon steaks or fillets (4 to 6 oz. each) fresh, thawed or frozen.

Combine limeade, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic and rosemary in a flat dish or gallon-sized zip-top bag.

Rinse Salmon under cold water; pat dry with paper towel. Place salmon in marinade turning several times to coat. Cover, if needed, and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat grill/coals to medium high heat.

Remove salmon from marinade and place on a well-oiled grill, 4 to 5 inches from heat. Cook, turning once, 12 – 15 minutes for frozen salmon or 8 – 9 minutes for fresh/thawed fish. Cook just until fish is opaque throughout.

Yummy, yummy, yummy.

A little Daisy D, a little ink, a little album.

Feeling a little pressure to get scrapping again to get caught up, this little chipboard album sort of created itself. I pulled out the Daisy D Attic Heirloom paper collection, cut down some chipboard, grabbed a black ink pad, a square punch and my Thanksgiving photos. I cheated and used the journaling from the first entry of this blog and it fell together. Simple and easy.
But of course I have to rat myself out. The journaling was originally done on vellum and adhered with permanent Xyron. Big mistake, I hated it. It didn't flow with the rest of the album. When I tried to pull it up, the background paper started to come with it. ACK!! I dug in my stash and found an old bottle of Undo. I happily removed one side and realized I was out of Undo and the other side was still stuck. And, speaking of stuck, I am stuck at home in bed with bronchitis and diverticulitis, (when I fall apart, I fall apart!), so I pleaded with Frank who must love me dearly because he agreed to make an ACMoore run for more Undo right after his dental appointment. Sweet man. I think I'll keep him . . . forever.

Answer: 23 minutes, 12 seconds

Question: How long does it take three cats to find new bedding and make themselves comfortable?

Rainy Day Goodness

Happy, happy day. It is cold and rainy! I know it sounds odd but when you live in monochromatic weather, blue gets boring. A little gray now and then is the perfect thing. As I stand at my window listening to the tattoo of the lingering rain and watching the wetness soak hungrily into the earth, the window starts to blur from the warmth of my breath. Perfect. A great day to stay inside and putter. The options are endless. I am curled up in bed with an extra fleece blanket with plenty of company to keep me occupied until Frank wakes. Maok is snuggled at my feet trapping in the warmth, Snoop has lodged himself along my side and Bru has wiggled his old body under the covers to nest under the bend in my knees. Visions of Swiss Mocha waft through my brain but I don't want to disturb the peace. It can wait.

And Katie is coming home. Just for the night but she is stressed and looking for the solace of her own room. How wonderful to live where someone comes to feel safe.

It's a good day to look at the small things and be thankful.

Under the category of trash to treasure. . .

Destined for the trash bin, I found an old stained, damp, wrought iron bench. Man, did I snatch that in a NY minute. Spent Saturday afternoon tearing it apart, cleaning it up and reupholstering it with some left over fabric from the living room cornice boards, and now I have a new bench. Do I love it? EEK. No. I will give it a few weeks to see if it grows on me. If not, the bench part is coming off and a glass top is going on and I will have a new table. I really did do the majority of work myself and have the sore fingers to prove it but when it came to screwing the seat back onto the frame I had to call in the troops. I love the help squad around here. Thank you Frank and Bru!

Say it with flowers. .

I love flowers. . . . not roses and the elegant end of the spectrum . . . the down to earth variety. . . . growing in cracks in sidewalks, along the side of the road, in window boxes. You know the kind. The ones that make your heart smile. When Stacie came to pick up Chauncey, she brought me a thank you present. Flowers and a hug and it doesn't get any better.

The Newest Cat Adventure

Frank’s oldest was getting ready to move to a new apartment on the river. Everything was a go until her cat Chauncey developed an oozing lump under his jaw and was miserable and not eating. Not good. So before we left to load all of her worldly possessions onto the truck, she brought Chauncey to me to take to the vet. My vet would not see him until the following week since he had never seen this particular cat before. Huh??? Haven’t I been coming there for the last eight years??? So I called the Animal Cat Clinic, about which I had heard good things and they agree to see Chauncey, if I would leave him there for the day. So here I am in ratty moving clothes, half drenched from the rain with a terribly sick cat that I am trying to explain I know little about because he isn’t really mine and his mom is in the process of moving. Can you see the eyebrows rising?? Yes, they wanted a deposit. So I leave my cell number and head off to help with the move. Now would be the time to interject the fact that my cell is partially on the fritz and has developed a new penchant for turning itself off at the most inopportune times – like when the new vet calls to consult. Yikes. Now I'm sure they think I dumped poor Chauncey and took off never to be seen again. I finally call since I had not heard from them and Chauncey needs to spend the night. It is either an abscessed tooth or a cat bite. They will do the surgery the next day. Mean while, his hair was so matted, he is now sporting a lion cut. Frank and I leave to pick him up at 4:30. Poor beastie is doing as well as can be expected for a cat that is still groggy from pain meds and anesthesia. At least this time, I am dressed like a human being and am dry. I hand them my credit card laughing about how I must have appeared to be one of those people who just dump cats. Of course as I am saying this, I am tucking away my receipt for the charges, that turns out to be their receipt. . . . Thankfully, they have a sense of humor and I now finally have a new vet!!!

p.s. He is now in our bathroom waiting to be picked up later this evening and purring so loudly I can hear him from the next room. My beasties are wearing a trench in the floor running back and forth between the two bathroom doors trying to sneak a peak at the visitor. Have I mentioned that Chauncey is Moaky's granddaddy?? I wonder if somehow, they know??

Essentials

Good timing! Two days before Ali Edward's "essentials" challenge, I found a business card file from a company apparently called REAL SIMPLE. I thought this is do-able and so "10 REAL SIMPLE Pleasures", was born. Because I was limited not only by height and width but also depth, I had no choice but to go back to essentials: card stock, my computer, some ink, stamp, corner rounder, a couple of rub-0ns and oh yes, three Rain Dots. Works for me.

Happy, Happy.

Don't you love it when simple things make you happy? Frank is happy: The drip stopped. I am happy: For the first time ever, I have a matching set of new pots and pans. Mine have always been a mishmash of hand-me-downs, cast offs, pieces picked up here and there. We bought a glass top stove a few years ago and my not so flat bottomed pots used to eerily dance about on the surface like some inebriated poltergeist doing a Texas two-step. I made stuffed cabbage for dinner and had all four burners simmering away. Clean up was a snap. Bliss. Gotta love non-stick KitchenAid!

Catnip

Gotta love a little furry beastie high on natural herbs. Bru, Moak and Snoop each got their own toys for Christmas. However, Moak was the most enchanted. He'd roll in it, snuffle in it, lick it and inhale in pure euphoria. He was entranced. Giddy. Ecstatic. Happy. Complete and utter joy.

Frank is in a bad mood. Downright cranky with a capital "C". There is a leak somewhere in the kitchen sink area that is happily dripping down into the cabinet below. Is this the first time? NOOOOOO, last time he so thought that he had the problem licked that he actually tore up the old concave bottom and replaced the entire thing and even laid new laminate. So it is no wonder that discovering all his work was for naught was a little unsettling. Aarrrghh. Saturday night, he and his brother, finding the source of the leak, happily patted each other on the back and enjoyed the rest of the game. That is until the next morning, when it was once again dripping. Not to be discouraged, he rebeaded the faucet complex and pronounced it FIXED. Until I did the dishes. Grrrrrrr. Once again he disappeared under the sink muttering unmentionables. This time he has determined that it is a leak between the granite counter and the backsplash. . . again with the beading. He is now, thoroughly discouraged.
I head down for a bowl of carrots. Yes, I am still on a diet. By Easter, I will be THE rabbit. Klutz that I am, one carrot, having a mind of it's own, hops out of the bowl and does a double gainer onto the floor. A perfect 10. I look at Frank and announce that the 5 second rule does NOT apply to my kitchen floor. He looks dumbfounded and then roars in laughter. I am specifically known for my not so spotless floors. Gotta love a man who keeps his sense of humor in the midst of defeat and chaos.

Amazing Beauty

That's Haleakala, the dormant volcano on Maui. I knew we were rising above the clouds on the way up and I knew it was at 10,000 feet, what I couldn't know was how awesome it was on top of the world. What brought this up? I finally scrapped it this morning and the chill ran through me again. Just stunning. And yes, a chill in both senses of the word. It was downright cold up that high. Remember, I live at sea level. The bridge over the intercoastal is the highest elevation for 50 miles. And why am I not sharing the layouts? My scanner is full of built up glue bits. Any suggestions for cleaning?

Cat's aren't stupid. . .

The great debate is whether or not Snoop is a frantic soul because he was feral for too long before he came to us or because he's just naturally 'high strung'. At the vet's he is known as "he who walks on the ceiling," but I digress. We have fleas. Well, not I but Bru, Moak and Snoop. Applying Advantage to Bru and Moak is quick work. But Snoop has to be dosed first. If he smells it on the rest of the clan, he hides for days. He also needs his nails clipped. Desperately. So today I decided to sneak a little "mickey" into his treat and kill two birds with one stone. He took the bait. Now to wait until his pupils get large and he starts to lose his natural coordination and turn quite loopy. . . and manageable. He is a blood brother with the tech at the vet, not a club I want to join. I thought he was ready. He wasn't. Either the pills are too old or like a recalcitrant child, I will find the spit out pill in some out of the way place. I tried my best but he is only half dosed. I hope the fleas get the message and move elsewhere. The nails will wait for a trip to the vet. And yes his file is marked "caution" in big red letters. He is indeed smarter than I.

Happy New Year

It is a time to reflect, a time to give thanks, a time of anticipation. Our family was blessed this past year in big ways and small. Katie's depression almost capsized her life again as she juggled the stress of track, finals, IB and and life as a 17 year old. But she survived for which no words can explain how truly thankful I am. And she grew. She entered college under her own steam and has not only survived a new environment but thrived. She is happier than I have seen her in years. Enough so that she, with approval from her doctor, has weaned herself off her meds and flying free. May she continue on her journey with this fresh breeze under her wings.

And smaller joys came her way: Six months after taking her IB finals while slogging through the depths of depression and missing one exam, news came that she was granted her degree. I am grateful for her advisor who kept plugging away at the system to make this a reality. And to the little Mauian who sends her goodie boxes to welcome her to college and cheer her through finals. Thank you Leonore, for being you!! For a chance to run in the Texas Relays, for the perfect graduation dress, for a cat named Moaky, for new friends and old, for joy and life.

And Frank survived melanoma , a broken hand, and putting up with me! Tomorrow will be our 10th anniversary. When the cancer scared us, I realized that while I have loved him from the beginning, I love him more as the years roll by. Imagine!

I am thankful that we are all three together, healthy and happy. That God had been good to us. That we have love and strength among us. I don't usually make New Year's resolutions because I am so bad at keeping them but this year I have decided to make a life change instead and learn to take better care of my body and soul. To find and nourish the good things and let go of the bad. My wish for all of you my friends, at the beginning of this new year, is Peace where ever you may find it and with whomever.