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So I convinced the neighbor to get up early today......in the cold and the rain.....and go with me to a "Decorating Class" at our local Pottery Barn. Being a good sport she went along with it but I'm sure 10 minutes into the "class" she would have liked to kill me. Now I've been snookered by these folks in the past with their attempt to teach people how to better improve their living arrangements. I swore I would never go back after the last time as the class is truly LAME........this time I got an e-mail stating that they had gotten together with an editor of Real Simple magazine to put on a presentation you would be stupid to miss....Call me dumb, I interpreted the e-mail to mean that an actual person from the magazine would be at the store and give us good info.....maybe a free copy of the magazine.....Hey, when you get me up out of bed on a Sunday morning in the rain I expect some sort of "free goodie".....I could have stayed home and watched t...

While shoppers were going crazy over at the local mall today I took a little trip up to Kennesaw to a lovely gift shop that's going out of business...It's actually a "gift house" called the Rose Cottage....I hit the sale jackpot. Everything in the store and barn in back was on sale for atleast 50% off.....90% of the store had an additional 50 off the 50.....I purchased 22 items for $52.00!!! The best thing, which is especially what I went to buy, was a set of 6 red Waechtersbach mugs from Germany. I had seen them a few weeks ago and they had only been marked down once. I was happy to see them still sitting on the shelf waiting for me.....I left with two huge bags of stuff and a true "retail high"........there's nothing quite like a good sale, add in a piece of cheesecake and I'm a happy camper.....But I have to admit that at one point in the middle of the ornament aisle I was so overcome with the discounts that my head felt like it was going to explo...

Don't you just love that tie knot.......He claims it's a "Windsor knot"........I don't know about that but I can tell you that for daughter's wedding he tried to sneak that knot past us claiming with the tuxedo vest you wouldn't be able to see how short it was........at least at the wedding he wore pants......For the past 38 years we have no pictures of the guy from the waist down......Daughter can you verify that? ......................husband wanted everyone to know that it's common knowledge digital pictures add on 10 pounds to the image...........maybe 20.

That was the extent of my Thanksgiving......I've been making cream puffs for years.....So long that it's considered my "signature" dessert...What possessed me to make them this morning with self-rising flour, I just don't know.......first batch into the trash compacter....second batch perfect....... I filled them with a pumpkin-whipped cream filling and I must say they were delish. Much lighter then pumpkin pie but just as flavorful......I was leaving the Walmart the other day when I spied, sitting alone on a shelf, a box of Jello instant pumpkin spice pudding.....with a little sign on the box that said "Limited Edition".....okay, being a collector for over 38 years that intrigued me....But then again it's just pudding.....But it's really good pudding. If you ever see it while your shopping pick it up because it will not disappoint. I mixed the pudding with 1 cup of milk then blended it into a 1/2 pint of whipped up whipping cream. Me and the Bos...

FROM THE NORTH TO THE SOUTH TO THE EAST TO THE WEST....HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY!

Tonight I made a wonderful "cold weather rainy day" soup.....I haven't eaten barley in years, ever since Campbell's discontinued their Scotch Broth soup.....Boy, I used to love eating that with a cream cheese and jelly sandwich.....but back to my soup. It was a bit time consuming but it really came tasty.....To serve with it I made very simple muffins that I actually saw Paula Dean making the other day.....yes, no mayo in these muffins!! It's just self rising flour, melted butter and sour cream, they tasted just like Chick fil A biscuits......The Boss gave his approval and the soup got the thumbs up....I did let it sit a bit in the crock pot after cooking it on the stove just so the tastes blended together.......I think next time I will add some lamb, diced potatoes and rutabaga to try and re-create the Scotch Broth..... Sour Cream Muffins..... 2 sticks of melted butter 2 cups of self-rising flour 1/2 pint of sour cream Blend together and put into non-stick muffin...

The "Boss" read my Culture Wars post and said he thought some people might be offended......It was meant to be Satire .......I made fun of people from the North as much as I made fun of people from the South....and I guess you need to be from one of those two places to get the joke...... And one more thing.......in today's Atlanta Journal Constitution on page D2 in a section called the Vent is the following quote.......... ATTENTION, disgruntled Notherners! We have I-75 and I-85 in Georgia, and both go north. If that does not work for you, go east on I-20 - into the Atlantic Ocean........ I make my point.

Ask someone from the North why they moved to the South and 95% will tell you in one word..... weather......tired of cold weather in the Northeast they flock to Southern states in droves. Today may have changed all of that. When I got up to let the Boo Dog out I couldn't believe my eyes......Such a shock to the system I went in and got the camera, the Boss was not going to believe me.... Temperature 20 degrees......Now we have had cold weather in past years and even a bit of snow but not in November.......Maybe in February but not November. Heck it was just 80 about 2 weeks ago. But then I thought about it and the "Southern Weather Gods" have finally figured out a way to get us out of their state....See they've been trying for years. They start the minute you drive over the Mason-Dixon Line.....Oh, they want you to think they like us....you'll see Southern Hospitality up the ying yang but I'm here to tell you what's really going on........31 years ago w...

Poor Boo.....it's getting to be that time of year again and it seems he knows that I was on the phone today with the Ropers over at "Sleepy Hollow Kennel"....the resort for dogs....I put in my reservation for the Boopster to spend his Christmas at the next best thing to a spa.....not really, no play time at this kennel.....Just good "we love your animal as much as you do" care....Upon getting off the phone I told him the good news and he attempted to give me the raspberries......So much for dogs not knowing what's going on.....

Today we made the trek south of Atlanta to the Scott's Antique Market....We hadn't been in years because it was always very hoity toity for our taste....Alot of silver and crystal and more jewelry that you can imagine. Wonderful Lakewood Fairgrounds flea market closed last year and we missed spending a Saturday scouting for something we couldn't live without... So I talked the boss into driving down below the airport and after ten minutes walking through building "one" we were ready to leave. The prices were Park Avenue antique shop prices and once again tons of silver and oriental rugs....Not an animal head in site. Scott's is the show that I bought my beloved Moose head at years ago from Mr. Scott himself......We were pretty disgusted that we paid ten bucks to get in and it was the same old same old.....But!!! Scott's has two buildings. One on either side of the interstate. Building "two" used to be the also-ran building....Half filled with not...