Easy and de-lish!

The coconut macaroons were good…..are good….yes, there are still some left!

(Lauren, I did give some to the guys working on my fireplace )

However, I have to have a lot of self-control….I love coconut!

yes, I had to eat one as soon as they were cooled!

See that little empty spot?

They got a little more toasted than I would have liked, but they were still good!

The recipe was really easy….

Coconut Macaroons

1 bag of coconut

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

(mix all that in a bowl)

In a separate bowl add

2 egg whites

1/4tsp salt

(whip with electric mixer until stiff peaks form)

Then fold egg mixture into coconut mixture and drop by tablespoons

full onto cookie sheet (use parchment paper or silpat mat otherwise you’ll

end up with a sticky mess)

Bake at 350 for approximately 25 minutes….I cooked both cookie sheets at once

and rotated them half way through the baking time. I had them on the convection setting,

so if I did it again in the convection oven, I think I would bake them at 325.

Let cool and then dip the bottoms in melted chocolate if you wish or drizzle chocolate on top.

I thought they were pretty darn good just plain and cooled.

Will keep covered in the refrigerator for 2 weeks…..yeah, like they will ever last that long here

at my house!

The fireplace is finished…..so glad to have the “hole” filled in….YAY!  Isn’t it nice to have a

project completed…..whether you’re the one who completed it or not?!

It used to have burgundy tile, and it just didn’t feel like “us”.

This is the same slate that we have in our kitchen.

Pic of old fireplace surround…..

The original plan was to have some iridescent lime green tile….I spent a lot on

it (the tile) and then it turned out horribly and I had them rip it out….I didn’t take pictures of

all of that, because it was rather heartbreaking

I also stopped by the library to return a few books, so I couldn’t

resist picking up a few more to have in the wings.

I’ve really been on a reading spree lately….it’s just such fun to escape

to an entirely different world for a while.

Time standing still…..have you noticed that?

When you are reading or hooking or doing something you love, time seems to stand still

and then you look up and you’ve been doing what you love for hours?

Love that!

Whipping something up

I’ve been meaning to try out this recipe for a while.

I’m off work today and stuck at home while they are putting in our

fireplace surround…..this has been a long time coming, so I’m trying to make

the most of my time at home today.

These are going to be chocolate bottomed coconut macaroons….

Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk, coconut, vanilla, egg whites and salt….

what could be easier?!

I’ll let you know how they turn out!

How to cure the winter blues

Since the weather here has been unseasonably

warm, we’ve been taking the dogs on more walks.

Kenny has been finding lots of moss and creating with it.

This is one of my favorites!

********

How about trying a moss martini?

No silly, you don’t drink it!

You bring it indoors to have a little bit of green in your home!

Don’t forget to add a snowdrop for garnish!

Do you judge a book by it’s cover?

Last night I stopped by the library to pick up a few books.

I was in a hurry, so I just grabbed what caught my eye.

Judge a book by it’s cover?  Who me?

Well, yeah, that’s exactly what I did and here is what I ended up with.

 

I started “Lamb” last night and so far it’s sucked me in and is

reading pretty fast.  That’s the best thing about the library….it’s free and

if you get a few books at a time, if you start one and it’s not jiving with you,

you can just lay it aside and start something else.

As for “Five Smooth Stones”……I tried for 2 weeks to “get into” that book

and I just couldn’t do it…..seems it was moving to slow for my taste.

Some books get returned unread, no matter how beautiful the cover is.

Advances and aspirations

I must admit…..a week or so ago I tried to “slip” into my skinny jeans and I realized I wasn’t “slipping” into them….I was “Squeezing” into them!

A few too many holiday cocktails!

So, please forgive me if you see me posting more and more about food and exercise and less about

rug hooking.

Yesterday, I went to a 2-hour “yoga flow” at my local gym, and this morning I must say I’m a little sore.  It was one of those days where I was feeling good and pushing myself a bit to further my yoga practice.

I was excited to be able to get up into “wheel” and hold it for a bit.

I’m really going to try and focus on building my upper body strength, as that seems to be where most of my problems lie…..I can get up into wheel, but I have a hard time holding it because my arms get tired.

I was also able to get up into “bird of paradise” on both sides yesterday.

The Bird of Paradise Yoga Pose -- powered by ehow

 

I can get this far. (that would be the first picture with her leg bent)….perhaps one day I’ll be able to straighten that leg, but for now it’s fun to be able to do another bound pose.

I’ve also learned another binding pose that I can do regularly on both sides.

Here is another pose I’m trying to get to….another reason

to work on strengthening my arms and shoulders!

Crow pose

Fun photos

Girl in front of me at the gym, Thursday night……sweated

a smiley face on the back of her shirt.

Do you think this is proof that people who exercise

are happier?

Comfort

Odd, this has been a really warm winter so far…….

I know that as I type this, that stating that fact, we’ll be in

for some kind of humdinger of snow or ice later on, but

I’m chancing it.

We’ve been craving comfort food here, warmer than usual or not.

Kenny made a great pot of chili that had all kinds of things in it like

beef, bacon, whiskey and beer.

It was called “Red Hot Whiskey Chili” and you can get the recipe HERE.

WARNING….we like hot and I’m not talking 98 degrees, I’m talking spicy!

Kenny put in less than 1/2 as much chipotle peppers in adobo sauce as it called for and it was STILL to spicy hot for us! I added some cheese on top, but it was still hot….added some ketchup and it was still hot!

He thinks he’ll make it again, but leave out the chilies this next time.

My comfort food dish this week was turkey pot pie.

We’d cooked a turkey earlier in the week and I had a few odds and ends of veggies

lying around….carrots, celery, mushrooms, pearl onions, peas…..so I sauteed those in a little butter, added in a can of cream of chicken soup and a little milk and put it in a pie dish.

Pictures of hot pads that my great-grandmother crocheted.

I never saw her crochet, but I think of her every time I use them….

another sort of comfort I suppose.

My mantra, “Use those beautiful things that people have made”

Philosophical

A philosophical journey from here to there...

Do you think that if $10,000,000 were to be suddenly deposited into your checking account, that over the following months and years you'd have fewer and fewer challenges?

Or do you think, perhaps, that your challenges would simply evolve and change?
Right, evolve and change.

And do you think that with your extra $10 million, you'd gradually be presented with more and more opportunities to be happy?

Or do you think, perhaps, that your opportunities would simply evolve and change?

 
Right, evolve and change.

Now doesn't that answer everything?

Abundance rocks but it's relative.

(Borrowed from tut.com)

"Food's Erin Brockovich"

Watch, listen and think…..

Just another reason to try and eat more REAL food.

I find it scary that we think that everything in the grocery store

is “safe” to eat.

Crikey!

Somehow my “blog list” disappeared…..I’ll slowly be rebuilding the lists, but perhaps in a manner that makes it easier for me to check in on things…….friend’s blogs, rug hooking blogs, yoga blogs, fashion blogs, etc……

Slots of fun!

Had a great night last night! We headed to Downstream Casino to see Lorrie Morgan.

She did not disappoint, she was awesome!  Kenny got us 3rd row seats!

I took lots of pictures, but in most of them she just looks like a white light…..

I guess it’s because we were so close and there were so many lights…

However, I did video her last song, one of my favorites….

I love going to see someone perform and they are just as good or better

than they sound on their albums.

Lorrie was awesome!

After the show, Kenny played the slot machines for a while…..yes, he was a big winner!

He won this on a penny machine…..how fun, we were whooping and

hollering as the machine just ching, ching, chinged along!

I guess it paid to “get out of the nest” last night!

Hope you are getting a great start to your weekend!

Push me–Pull me

I need to get up and go to yoga class,

(it snowed here today…not a lot, but it’s really cold

…..20 degrees as I type)

but part of me wants to stay home and snuggle in……

ever feel that way?!

Inspiration

Just a few pictures from my “INSPIRATION” board

on Pinterest

and what I find inspiring about them.

This pictures of paint brushes inspires me to

want to get out

my art journaling book that I’ve abandoned

for quite some time.

This little patchwork horse makes me think

it would be awesome as a rug,

or a jumping off point to hook some sort of animal

in a bright patchwork style with

a softer watercolor-y looking background.

There is a tutorial HERE for how to make these

snappy rain boots for cheap….

makes me want to get cuted up

and splash in puddles this spring!

This nubby, scrubby pillow makes me wonder what fibers

I could use and achieve this look in rug hooking.

I love it’s earthy, organic look!

Another rug inspiration jumping off point….stark-dark

angular shapes played against

beautiful girly colors….

love that

contrast!

If I ever get out my art journaling stuff,

I love the idea of writing about

myself in the shape of a fingerprint.

Would I get more done if my “to-do” list

looked more fun like this one does?

Hounds looking as chic as I know they really are!

Once I clear all the “junk and clutter”

out of the rug hooking room,

I think this would be way fun.

I already have a chalkboard door….

but a whole wall…..WOW!

Color for color’s sake!

Color

5 questions

I picked these up over at Of Petals and Wool and thought I’d play along.

1.What's your favorite kind of tree?

Hmmm, have never really given this much thought, but I do love a birch tree…..that peeling white bark….pretty in spring and ghostly in the fall. We have a birch in our front yard.

If you want to know about the Celtic symbolism of the birch tree read this from What’s Your Sign…..

The Celtic meaning of the birch tree deals with:

• Growth
• Renewal
• Stability
• Initiation
• Adaptability

Listen closely and you will detect whispers of transformation and growth in the midst of the birch groves within your soul.

The birch is highly adaptive and able to sustain harsh conditions with casual indifference. Proof of this adaptability is seen in its easy and eager ability to repopulate areas damaged by forest fires or clearings. Bright and beautiful, the birch is a pioneer, courageously taking root and starting anew to revive the landscape where no other would before.

This is a powerful metaphor for our lives. The birch asks us to philosophically go where no other will go (voluntarily or otherwise). The birch asks us to take root in new soils and light our lives with the majesty of our very presence. The birch sings to us: "Shine, take hold, express your creative expanse, light the way so that others may follow."

Paradoxically, while the birch is a brilliant symbol of renewal, it is also symbolic of stability and structure. The druids also held the birch as the keepers of long-honored traditions.

Associated with the sun, the birch is a solar emblem, and facilitates passion, energy, as well as growth. This solar association is paralleled when we learn the druids carried birch bark with them as kindling. Birch serves as a perfect igniter as it will start to burn even when damp. This makes it a prized fire starter over most other wood types.

Here again, this makes for a perfect analogy. The birch asks us to serve our fellow man with a fire in our hearts. In this respect, the birch reminds us that even if our spirits are dampened by the set backs in life, we can always catch fire from the spark of passions that drive us to divinity.

2. How did you celebrate the New Year?

New Year’s eve, we stayed in and had steak and potatoes and watched movies. My husband was asleep before midnight, but I woke him up to give him a New Year’s Eve kiss anyway!

3. Do you have any family traditions for the New Year?

no

4. I'm so glad I (fill in the blank) found yoga in 2011.

5. Did you have a nickname as a child?

Yes, still do. Tambo