Rambling Just A Bit Today

Back in the early 60s my hubby went to Haiti on a ship with other Marines and Sailors. He described the condition of that country and felt so sad for those people. Poverty beyond description to most of us. No sanitation. Bathroom duties were done right there in the street, women squatted and men stood and did what they needed to do. He said it was filth beyond anything he'd ever seen. Personally, I think it's very sad. 
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Recently I've come across a few blogs from surfing from other blogs. The blog posts were pretty old but in perusing them further I noticed that some had abandoned the blog altogether and some had deleted their blogs—or so they thought. Let me state here and now that a blog is never deleted from the web. Once it's published, it's published forever! I'd go to the new blog site, which sometimes they'd give a new name and start over, but the old one was still there. So be careful. This particular blogger thought her old blog sounded too "down" and wanted to start all over with a less depressing blog. Well, she got a new blog but the old one was still there for all to see. I can't say it enough: Once you hit the word "Publish", it's a done deal and there forever. So be very careful what you say on a blog. You can't take it back.
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Smile as though you make them wonder why you're smiling. I do. It will always bring a smile back to you.
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A beautiful passageway in a European country.

A lovely English road with the homes right on the edge of the road. Quaint.

Isn't this evening purse gorgeous with its white embroidered fabric?

A blue room like this is something I could live with if I didn't like pink so much. This is beautiful.

This entry is stunning and I'd love to have it. But that chest is gorgeous!

Very bright and lovely kitchen area. Looks almost like a restaurant.

Another narrow, windy, steep road in Europe somewhere.

More thatched cottages.

Pink antique kitchen table.

Cute bathroom.

Beautiful sun room/dining room near the water.

Beautiful pillows stacked on a lovely chair.

A pretty vignette with fans and roses and ephemera.

Cute little embroidered wall hanging for a kitchen.

Looks to me like an old English country bedroom. That chair looks very substantial.

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Tidbits:
A Danish company has given its employees free subscriptions to internet p**n sites, but what would you expect from a country that now euthanizes its citizens. Sad and horrific in my opinion.
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Our state is #1.
Here is what the "D, F, G and H" states are #1 in:

Delaware:
Most profitable farms
Theft

Florida:
Freshwater turtles
Mortgage loan fraud

Georgia:
Best conditions of roads
Personal bankruptcy filings

Hawaii:
People who carpool to work
Highest cost of living
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It's Near That Time Of Year Again

It's near summer and already I'm getting the heebie/jeebies. You who have read me for any length of time know what that means: camping season! I hate it!

Now, last year when we brought the camp trailer over from the storage place and it had gotten ruined by mildew from the rain somehow getting under the tarp or the weather had deteriorated the tarp, it was just about a total loss. Okay, okay, so I was jumping up and down with impish glee and, perhaps, wishing hubs would just trash it or sell it as-is just to be able to get rid of it. But nooooo, he decided to order a new canvas covering to the tune of $800.00 and fix the wood inside the metal shell, picking the rotted wood out small piece by small piece. Does this man never run out of energy?! Sigh. Then came the painting part. He still needs new decals but we'll forgo them for a while I suppose. He's a-hankering to get 'er out in th' wilds of Idaho. Pffffft!

Well, I may take a 2-night trip with him, but the older I get the harder it is to sleep on those 3" foam mattresses with my hips. I know some of you understand. And also, some of you think I'm nuts. Why would I want to leave the comfort of my air-conditioned home with my computer, thick foam queen-size bed, refrigerator, TOILET to go to a camp site with 90° weather, skunks, bears, no phone, have our food in soggy water because the ice only lasts two days and he usually drags me along on a 3 or 4 day trip, sit on a folding chair, not be able to read past 8 pm because it gets dark early in the mountains? If this appeals to you, you need serious psycho-counseling.

Last summer our daughter and her hubby bought an RV. They said we could use it if we wanted or come down to California and go with them to the coast or lake. I could have popped her for encouraging her father even more. Plus she's decorated it all in Hello Kitty! Need. I. Say. More? Hmmmm? I knew you'd understand.
 
With that being said, below are some cute caravans for your perusal. If I could have one in my back yard and never go anywhere in it, that would be fine with me. We could "play" camping and come into the house when I get tired of it.

Why did God invent camping trailers? Actually, I think this is one of satan's tricks to make wives miserable. Yeah, that's it.
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Another gorgeous porch in red and white stripes.

An efficiency apartment or loft done extremely well and beautiful.

A beautiful porch overlooking a beautiful ocean.

The next few photos are trailers or caravans depending on where you live. Actually, I prefer caravans because it sounds a bit more elegant than trailers.

Isn't this adorable in red?

This looks like something out of the 50s and so adorable.

The owner of this caravan is a gal after my own heart. She's bold with color and accessories. Who would have thought antlers in a froufrou setting? Love it! Perhaps her hubs needed something signifying a man lives there too. ;-) Hubs would understand this.

Another red one with aqua walls.

One of my favorite ones with all the different fabrics in it.

Can't you just see this in a shabby home? Darling.

Fields of hydrangeas.

This is a home in Russia with an indoor pool and waterfall.

The colors may blind you but it's certainly cute.

I'm not fond of the smell of lavender but it's still gorgeous growing in fields or around a home garden. We have huge lavender fields just down the road a bit from us. All the seniors want their photos taken in it for their senior year photo.

Is this glam and glitz to the extreme or what?!

Another gorgeous porch for you to see.

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Tidbit:
Studies show that your favorite foods are likely foods your mother ate when you were in her womb.
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The World's Ugliest Ottoman Transformed!

You get an extra post this week. Isn't that exciting? LOL Anyway, Happy Valentines Day to everyone and hope your sweetheart makes you as happy as mine makes me.
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This is the world's ugliest ottoman and I am almost ashamed to admit I bought it in 1973. Yes, I did! But the upside to this is that as ugly as it is, it's been used every single day since we bought it and hasn't lost its foamy-ness (just try to figure out how to spell that since there isn't a word) or its usefulness or its cushiness. It was well worth the price. The chair it came with is long gone. I just couldn't stand it anymore. Gone to chair heaven with all the other hideous stuff I've bought over the years. Remember, when hubs was a Marine, we took hand-me-downs and whatever we found cheap at garage sales. This was the sixties so you can imagine what we had. This ottoman and its matching chair I actually picked out myself new. Bleecchhhh!! Must have been cheap because I wouldn't even consider it today. That's why I gave it a new cover. This is what I made for it a couple of years ago. It's in the forefront here.

Here it is uncovered, ready for a new fresh cover.

I used a $20 drop cloth from Home Depot and had some left. Now, here's the story.

I used the old cover as a pattern so that worked out well. But when I put the skirt on the two seams were inside out. Now, I did this over a couple of weeks to not get frustrated and hurried and make mistakes. Sigh. Mistakes happened anyway. I ruffled the skirt and them sewed it to the border around the middle with the seam showing on the outside. Hubs told me to just take it apart at the two seams and turn them. I started doing it for then I realized I not only sewed a straight seam but I also sewed a overcast seam and that wouldn't come out as easily. So I thought I'd be creative, leave the seam inside out and add a feather stitch up the seam. Turned out fine. I simply didn't want to take it completely off and turn it around after sewing it on and overcasting all the edges.

This is the top with a ruffle of rose and cream stripe. I still need to iron the whole thing and hem it. But it's pretty much what I wanted to do.

Here is the seam if you look closely. Just a cute embellishment, I must say and there are only 2 seams so that's a bit of luck.

A fence with a plethora of roses on it.

I thought this wintry snow-covered road was beautiful.

Look at those darling little crocheted shoes for a little baby. And those little legs? Adorable!

Just a beautiful look at fall foliage.

Another look at a European village and the beautiful homes and walkways.

A lovely study in blue.

Just can't get enough of these thatched cottages and will display them as long as I can. They are so serene-looking.

And I love looking at dining chairs now that I am on another quest to find 2 more chairs for my dining room.

I love this setting but I think it's more than one tablecloth. I could do this and think I shall when I get some time. First come the dining room table and 2 French chairs, painting them with some chalk paint. This may take a while though. I'll be looking for some old cotton sheets for making the 2 cloths.

I thought this was one of the cheeriest 2 rooms I've ever seen. Just so bright and cute.

This has also given me an idea. I have a chandelier just like this over my dining table but done in pink. But I am going to add some little roses to the lower arms like this. Truly, I can't get enough roses! :-)

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Tidbit:
Worldwide, Norwegians drink the most coffee and have the highest rate of anxiety disorders.
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Linking up with Inspire Me Monday.

This Is NOT A Food Blog

I do not like to cook often at all. I much prefer going out to eat but we only go out twice a week for dinner and at least once a week for lunch. But I am a terrific cook. I can say this with modesty because I'm not much good at anything else, except listening to friends problems and listening well and giving good advice.

Anyway, this is definitely not a food blog. But a recipe I've developed myself and recently taken in to friends in our ward who are sick and have absolutely raved about it. To me it's just a simple recipe for my favorite food pasta but I'm going to share the recipe.

I fly by the seat of my pants usually in creating a new recipe. I'm also picky, picky, picky about food. I use the best ingredients and do NOT economize on essentials. I believe this makes a world of difference in taste.

Pasta Primavera, which translates to Pasta Spring, meaning fresh vegetables. I love pasta. I use rigate penne for this dish.

For two people:

If you want chicken in it, take one chicken breast, sprinkle it with black pepper and Mrs. Dash seasoning and roast it in the oven just until it starts to darken in its juices. That will be the best time to pull it out. It will have a sweet roasted flavor. I may sometimes spread a tiny bit of butter over it but there's no need. Let it cool before cutting it into small bite-size pieces. Then set it aside while preparing the other stuff. I have never, ever boiled a chicken. I can't imagine doing it because of the gross smell. I've always roasted chicken breasts in the oven with Mrs. Dash, which makes all the difference in the world for a piece of chicken breast.

2 cups of penne pasta, salted lightly in pan. Cook until al dente. Set aside for a few minutes.

Topping:
Sliced red onion
Sliced yellow bell pepper
I toss in some California veggies—broccoli, carrots and cauliflower, just one or two handfuls
Chicken you've set aside
Fresh cut up tomato, one roma does it for 2 or 4 people
Peas, a handful of frozen

I throw all the stuff for the topping in a sautè pan with 1/2 stick of butter or more if needed.

This is what the vegetables will look like sautèing in butter.

Closer view. See how some are browning a bit. Just be careful not to burn. Keep tossing until the vegetables carmalize in the butter. This makes a tremendous difference.

And what they look like when ready to serve. Now you'll take the penne pasta and drain it, put it in a pan adding one whole cube of butter, some heavy whipping cream and Parmesan cheese. I don't measure anything because as you start adding the whipping cream and stir it in you'll see how it looks. Just enough to cover the pasta but enough to not let it be dry. Put some on plates and then spoon the sauteed vegetables/chicken, if you want chicken, over each plate of pasta and serve. It's a wonderful meal and so incredibly simple. I can throw it together in 15-20 minutes. Friends and family will love it and it quite impressive to see on a plate. French bread if you want also. Just remember to saute in the butter to carmalize the vegetables and they just start turning brown. The sweeter they'll be, I promise.

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Isn't this a beautiful shot of the sky through a beautiful umbrella?

This is gorgeous! I really do like stripes.

A pretty bracelet.

Squeeeeal!!! How tiny can things get? Adorable!

A caravan or camper with all the accoutrements needed. Well, except for maybe a chef to cook all the meals. ;-)

Loved this photo of the table setting.

I have no idea where this is or even WHAT it is but it looks like some sort of living quarters.

Adorable entry. This is one I'd like to have.

We took some old windows out of a storage shed we had once and I saved them. Imagine my surprise when Love Bunny burned them in a wood pile! I was NOT happy, trust me.

A beautiful shot of a sky, castle and private beach.

Gorgeous vine/climbing roses.

One of my top favorite flowers.

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Useless Information:
First year sales of famous products, proving you shouldn't give up if you've come up with an idea:
VW Beetle: 330
Wite-Out: 1,200 bottles
Cuisinart food processor: 8
Remington typewriter: 8
Scrabble: 532
Coca-Cola: 25 bottles
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