Reflections...

Doesn't it always happen like this? You tear out a whole bunch of concrete with the good intentions of setting sod - and then it RAINS. Now we have a nice muddy backyard with eight hairy doggy paws running in and out. And of course, we have a very pale carpet.

Is it Karma or bad luck?

Does anyone else have carpet in their kitchen and bathrooms? We have beautiful kitchen carpet, installed sometime in the 1970's, and that very pale carpet extends into the bathrooms, even around the toilets! ICK!

I had a plumber come out to check the dishwasher and commented on my good fortune in having carpet in the kitchen, and he told me about a house he once worked in actually had shag carpet in the kitchen!~ Good gosh! You could lose a spoon and never find it!!! He also said it was extremely greasy. Nice...

Now, when we bought this place we did so with the obvious idea of removing that wonderful carpet and putting in tile or a nice grade of laminate. The lovely pale carpet will eventually be replaced as well as there are portions of it where you can hear the padding "crunch" when you walk on it. It was a good grade of carpet when it was installed but it is well past its prime.

The photo was taken just a couple of days after we moved in and shows off our beautiful, one of a kind paneling. Also, if you look up at the top of the photo, you'll notice a unique "roof" over the wet bar. What does one do to "decorate" a roof inside one's den? My son said, "Just hang a bug zapper on it." Now, that's a novel idea! Any other ideas?

I torment myself by watching HGTV and all of the kitchen remakes. I would submit this place for a makeover but somehow, I don't think they send film crews up our way. We've stripped away two layers of 70's wallpaper in order to put in a tile backsplash and replace the countertops. But, in the meantime, I will wait the approximate year and a half before we can remove the unfortunate error in design, continue to lament my fate and tear out my hair by watching those poor people getting kitchen remakes. Sigh...

Manic Monday - Gravy

Good gravy, Charlie Brown~! Gravy making is an art, one that I failed miserably in the early years of my marriage. Both of my husbands are products of the south, an area that puts gravy on everything, even ham - good ol' Red Eye gravy.

Biscuits and gravy are staples around here and one of the reasons for my gastric bypass surgery. The same gravy that goes so well on biscuits is equally yummy on fried chicken, pork chops and chicken-fried steak, to name a few.

My first few pitiful efforts made wallpaper paste seem like a cullinary delight. It's true. I couldn't get it to thicken so I kept adding flour. And more flour. When that didn't help, I had to increase the liquid. Then it needed more flour. Yep, you're getting the picture, all right. I had a mess!!!

I'm the type of personality that, when something doesn't turn out right, that's that. Tenacious, I'm not. But I had a big hungry man telling me how wonderful his mom's pan gray was! Now, them's fightin' words, right? So, I kept on until I got it. Finally. No lumps, no extra flour, just good ol' pan gravy.

Then I went on to conquer the harder variety - the brown kind that you make to serve on with a beef roast - and it doesn't come from a jar or can! I grew up seeing that little bottle of "Kitchen Bouquet" in my mom's cabinet, and for a reason. It's the clever little secret that goes into good brown gravy.

I honestly wish gravy made me gag or turn orange or some such ghastly thing. But it doesn't. It just makes me crave more.

Here's the link for Mo's MANIC MONDAY

Photo Hunt - Flexible

Sugar
K.T.

Well, the subject matter this week certainly won't be me! I'm as stiff as a board...I can barely touch my toes and it's not a pretty site. I recently spent a few days with my cousin, who has two lovely and loving cats. Everytime I watch cats I am amazed at the flexibility of their bodies. They're like rubber bands, especially when they stretch.

I got some wonderful shots of both of them but unfortunately, they weren't being flexible at the time! So please use your imagination and picture them stretching in the sun...

Join in the Photo Hunt with TNChick!

The Construction Goes On...

The dust clouds are still churning out back. I feel as though it's the revenge of the Tonka Toys! They move dirt from one place and then move it back again. The terracing is just about complete but the big rigs go from 6:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. It's no wonder I have a major sinus infection!!! My house is full of dirt and dust. Cough, cough...

For the uninitiated, we purchased a mobile home in May and beginning July, the "vacant" field behind us turned into a construction site of soon-to-be mobile home park, which will obliterate our view of the mountains. ARGHHHH!

Last weekend, Hubman took out 13 slabs of concrete in order for us to plant some grass for the pups. A buddy he works with helped and took it to his house in order to lay out a pathway. It was gruelling work! So tomorrow, he's going to work on getting the soil ready to accept sod. Voila! Instant lawn! Now, maybe the pups won't poop in my rose beds...

Isn't That the Truth!!!

Thursday Thirteen - More Old New Sayings

MORE NEW OLD SAYINGS...

1. - Don't byte off more than you can view.

2. - Fax is stranger than fiction.

3. - What boots up must come down.

4. - Windows will never cease.

5. - In Gates we trust (and our tender is legal).

6. - Virtual reality is its own reward.

7. - Modulation in all things.

8. - A user and his leisure time are soon parted.

9. - There's no place like ( http://www.)home(.com)

10. - Know what to expect before you connect.

11. - Oh, what a tangled website we weave when first we practice.

12. - Speed thrills.

13. - Give a man (or for that matter anyone) a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to use The Net and he won't bother you for weeks.

JOIN US AT THURSDAY THIRTEEN

Blogging for Peace Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007

Let there be peace on earth

And let it begin with me

Let There Be Peace on Earth

The peace that was meant to be

With God as our Father

Brothers all are we

Let me walk with my brother

In perfect harmony. Let peace begin with me

Let this be the moment now.

With ev'ry step I take

Let this be my solemn vow;

To take each moment and live

Each moment in peace eternally

Let there be peace on earth

And let it begin with me.

I remember singing this song in elementary school choir. The message is simple yet one we do not heed. It even happens on the blogs. Someone disagrees with something we write and tempers flare, things get ugly. How wonderful it has been to find friends that live each moment in peace and not discord, even though we may disagree. This has nothing to do with politics - this has to do with how we treat our fellow man and how we take stewardship of this earth and it's resources.

A very wise person said to take friendship as a sheaf of wheat, blowing the chaffe into the wind and keeping the kernels of wheat. The rest is forgotten. Take this message to heart and live it. This is what I strive for everyday of my life.

~~~BLESSINGS TO ALL and PEACE IN OUR AGE~~~

The Mo Show - Blogs for Peace Wednesday

Don't miss out on this opportunity to be part of the celebration

of our planet!

Manic Monday - Earth

"Nothing that I can do will change the structure of the universe.

But maybe, by raising my voice I can help the greatest of all causes -

goodwill among men and peace on earth.

---Albert Einstein 1879 - 1955

German born American Physicist who developed the special

and general theories of relativity. Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921.

This Wednesday is the day to join in solidarity and

post your peace globe onyour blog.

If you don't have one yet, please visit Mimi Writes...

"In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth."

---Genesis 1:1

Click here to join us at Mo's Manic Monday

Photo Hunt - Classic

Here's a couple of real "classics" for you! For Christmas a couple of

years ago, I gave the hubman a gift of a ride in a warbird. He's

always wished he could be a pilot and this gave him an opportunity

to be one for an hour. He said it was the best gift ever.

The plane resembled a Japanese Zero (I can't remember the type)

but they used them as trainers during the early part of WWII.

I think next time the warbirds come to town, I'll go too!

Join TNChick and Photo Hunt