Link

http://swirlsmellslurp.com/

Check out this link - its another blog. Good stuff.
Wine and food.

Good morning!

So I got this email from the Blogger team that if I link some of the products I talk about on my blog to their websites, and someone visits and buys, I can make money! Suhweet!!!!! Now, I just need to figure out how to do it.

I am starting a new book of Patricia Cornwells. Its called The Front. Will let you know how that goes. More later, gotta see if I can figure this out.

You know...................

March 26th I had surgery on my arm. I had a ganglion cyst removed in my wrist and and ulner tunnel release with the funny bone nerve being moved to the inside of my arm. I was in a cast from my knuckles of my right hand to my armpit. Bent at a 45 degree angle. I still can't straighten my arm all the way out, nor can I bend my wrist completely. So, when it was suggested that I go to rowing class at the gym on Tuesday morning, I had my doubts, but I thought what the heck....I will try it. WRONG MOVE!!! I can do alot of things at the gym, rowing isn't one of them, yet. Then last night I made a baby quilt for one of Jordyn's friends that is having a baby. When I started tying it, whew....there goes the arm again. Needless to say........today, I am hurtin' for certain.
Oh well, some ibuprofen and that should help a bunch. Out for lunch to Olive Garden today. Love their zupa! mmm mmm good.
Broke open a bottle of wine last night....a spanish Shiraz...Manyana. It was tasty. I have to get food bought for my graduation party, get cards for the open houses we have this weekend, and get some money to shove in them. Yikes. Anybody got some money to lend me? hahahahaha! tis that time of the year.
Might have company this weekend, Bruce's dad and brother might come down for his cousins son's open house on SAturday and then my graduation on Sunday. Wow! Hard to believe that I am done with school. It will hit me once the loans start coming due. ugh! It's also my 23rd wedding anniversary on Sunday. That's even harder to believe.

Here is a new recipe to try. It was really good. Chicken LoMein.....
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/chicken-lo-mein-107768.aspx

Even Bruce ate it. I couldn't find frozen onions and peppers, so I used a bag of frozen stir fry veggies and sliced up a fresh red pepper to add to it.

Weather

How can we go from 50 degrees to 92 in less than two weeks? Crazy MN weather.

We are so close to being done with the basement, now maybe I can get some sort of organization done upstairs again. It's been in disarray since Alicia moved home in September. All will be quiet once again. Ha!!

Renee and I had a garage sale this past weekend. The girls made a ton of money......I guess if you say it was all under me, we made almost $100 bucks. Got rid of a bunch of stuff, but still brought home a bunch. We will have to have another one soon. This time in Rochester. Then anything that is left goes to the Goodwill.

I finished another Janet Evanovich book. Another good short read.

I made a good recipe this past weekend, as long as you like Chipotle flavored food.
I got it from a Pampered Chef party that I went to. I will post it this week some time.

Don't you just love......................

A weekend when everyone is home and all is peaceful? Well, we are still working on the basement, so there was no peace to be found for a good portion of the weekend, but yesterday I was able to start another book...Janet Evanovich for those of you that read some good "romance" novels......I love it when I have enough time that I can sit with a good short book and finish it in an afternoon. I didn't get this one finished, but I almost did. I had to go to a meeting last night. I have expressed interest in getting back on the Kasson Mantorville Volleyball Board, so I was invited to come sit in on a meeting. Of course for those of you that know me, I put my two cents in here and there too. :) what can I say! Had a beer afterwards with my friend Michelle. Then of course I made it home for Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters season finales.
I am looking forward to the finale of the Biggest Loser and DWTS too. I guess now that I am done with school, I have turned into a TV hound. Not for lack of things to do, just because I can. LOL.
I am going to get going on a baby quilt for one of Jordyn's friends that is having a baby. I have everything bought, I just need to get it made and she needs to mail it out. I love making baby quilts. The flannel is so soft, and its something I can make in a few hours and be done. I need to see if my mother in law can help me make a blanket for my king size bed. She is the big blanket maker.
I am off for a walk and a stop at Mr. Pizza for lunch. A girl has to eat you know.

Anyone miss Hardees?

This was my all time favorite.....I would stop there in the morning just for Biscuits and an ice tea.


Hardee's Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits
1 oz. Bran Flakes cereal
1 tbsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 1/2 cups Bisquick
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup tonic water
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Place cereal into blender. Add cinnamon and brown sugar and blend
for about 3 seconds or until crumbled, but not powdered. Empty into
small bowl. Stir in melted butter with fork until mixture is completely
softened. Set aside. For biscuit dough, use a 2−quart mixing bowl.
Stir Bisquick together with sugar and raisins. Put buttermilk, tonic,
and vanilla into measuring cup without stirring and pour into Bisquick
mixture. Use a fork to mix until all of the liquid is absorbed. Knead
in the bowl with hands, dipping into additional Bisquick, to make dough
smooth and no longer stick. Break dough up into 4 or 5 portions in the
bowl. Sprinkle the flake mixture over the dough and then work it into
it with your hands until most of it is evenly distributed throughout.
Marbleize the dough more than just mix the flake mixture in. Divide
into 12 equal parts and shape each into 1/2−inch thick patty, arranging
together in 2 Pam−sprayed 8−inch round cake pans. Bake at 400F for 20−25
minutes or until evenly golden. Remove and top with icing.
Icing:
With an electric mixer beat on high speed, 2 Tbls. melted butter,
1 teas. vanilla, 2 Tbls. sour cream, and 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
until smooth. Place one tablespoon icing on each hot biscuit.
Allow to melt slightly and then swirl to cover top surface.

Yesterday

Yesterday was my oldest daughters 22nd birthday. I told her that I was on maternity leave with her when I was her age. Yikes! We took her out to lunch at Whiskey Creek in Rochester. If you have a chance to go there, do. Excellent food, decent prices and really good service. We sat in the bar, and there weren't many others on that side, but our waiter was awesome. Of course for your birthday, you get a huge brownie sundae and a cowboy hat...The wait staff comes out and sings to you too.
The sun is shining today. I don't know about you guys, but when the sun is shining, life just seems so much more energized. Your attitude is better, you smile more, and your outlook is so much more positive.
My sister and I are having a garage sale next weekend, so I have to start digging and pricing. I hate this part. I hate the part of bringing stuff home even worse. But, I guess there is a place in Stewartville that if you have a garage sale, they will come over at the end and look through your leftovers and give you a lump sum for the remainders. Sounds like a deal to me. Less I have to haul to the Goodwill store.
I wanted to share with you some of my favorite authors too....Patricia Cornwell is an excellent author. I love her books. They are suspense novels. Sandra Brown rights some good mystery and smut. Tami Hoag is from MN at one point, she has some really good books. One cannot forget James Patterson. I am tired of Danielle Steel - All her books are pretty much the same story, just switched a little don't you think? Kind of like theHarliquen (I know I am spelling that wrong, but you know what I mean) romance novel.
Jordyn and I went to Marissa's last choir concert for the year last night. They did a really good job. All Disney songs. Fun for the kids and fun for those of us that know the songs.
I have a really good recipe for you to try. Click on the link below and it will take you to Kraft Foods website - I didn't use ritz crackers, I used soda crackers instead and I didn't use frozen spinach, I used fresh spinach instead - just lay the leaves on top of the cream cheese mixture.
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/chicken-parmesan-bundles-107338.aspx

Have a great day. I will post some more recipes next week. I have a ton of them.

This and That

Welcome to my blog! I have been toying with starting this thing for a while. I thought it would be a good place to post my favorite stuff, favorite recipes, books I read, TV shows that are worth a good laugh, etc.
So, the first thing I want to talk about is the book "The Shack" by William Young. Great book, great message, but kind of goes against this Catholic raised, turned Lutheran girls learnings. I liked it. I liked how it talked about life being about relationships, but it also goes against the Bible's teachings. I get out of it that basically there isn't hell and damnation, fire and brimstone. Your "devil" and "hell" and eternal damnation is decided not by God or the devil, but by how you treat yourself and your relationship with yourself and your relationships with others. No eye for an eye thing here, God always tries to pull you back to him/her until death. I won't go into it any more in case you all want to read the book.
I love watching Dancing with the Stars and Biggest Loser. I wish they had a DWTS for ordinary people, wouldn't that be fun? Biggest Loser is so inspirational for me. It teaches what I have said all along...just diet won't help lose the weight, it's diet and exercise. Move People!!!! It all starts with a couple of steps.
When my husband and I first got married, in the summer we would open up the windows in the house and turn the MN Twins on the radio, sit outside - and listen to the games. Well, three kids and 8 years of school later, I am finally getting back to listening and watching the games. I can't wait to go to Target Field and watch some outdoor baseball.
Speaking of summer, when will it come? I am so looking forward to 80 degree days and 60 degree nights.
Have a great day you all......I will scrounge up some more of my favorites later this week.