RIP Scooby

I am very sad today.   Our family has lost an important member - our dog Scooby.  Technically, he is my son's dog.  However, I will never forget the day we brought him home from the pound in December of 2000.  I was not ready to get another dog after the loss of Rascal (which is a whole other blog).   I argued with my Daddy when he insisted that a 12 year old boy needs a dog.  Of course Jake and my Daddy wore me down and Scooby came home with us.  She was a great dog - housetrained already.  I made her live in the back yard.  Jake would sneak her in every day for some inside time and let her in at night thinking I was asleep.

Eventually, Scooby went to live with my parents.  My Daddy said he was taking care of Scooby "for Jake".  My Mother fussed about Scooby much like I did, but she too fell in love with the dog.  She would "cook" for Scooby as she got older and make sure she was warm and dry.  She would "let her in" when there were thunderstorms.  Everyone in the family grew to love that wonderful little black dog.

Scooby and Jake spent many hours on the farm squirrell hunting.  When Jake moved to Alaska, Daddy and Scooby would walk through the woods so Scooby would not miss Jake so much.  When Jake would return from Alaska each year, I can't tell who he missed the most - me or the dog.  At the end of each telephone conversation, he would always ask if we were taking care of Scooby.

Scooby was a smart dog.  Jake taught her lots of tricks.  She was polite, never barked, didn't bite and even loved kids.  When Mom & Dad enclosed the porch last year, Daddy paid $200 for a top of the line doggie door for Scooby.  Daddy and Scooby sat on the porch a lot lately.  Daddy has been plagued with foot problems and he and Scooby talked a lot on that porch. 



This morning, Scooby did not want to get up.  She was not well.  Jake called to see if we thought she was sick last night.  Finally at 9:00 this morning, he put her in his truck to take her to the vet.  He wanted his dog to not hurt or be sick.  On the way to the vet this morning, Scooby took her last breath.  I think it is remarkable that she waited until she was alone with Jake.  They said their goodbye's in private. 

Last night I said goodbye to Scooby and didn't realize it was REALLY goodby.  When I left, I bent down to pet her and told her what I always do.  I said, "Scooby, take care of 'em around here.   See ya soon ole girl.".  I wish I had known that I wouldn't see her again.  I would have taken a bit more time to give her a final hug. 



 My heart is breaking this morning as my son will bury his beloved Scooby at the cemetary at the farm where she will join Lou (my Daddy's birdog), Valentine (Jake's goat), and Windy, (the farm horse).  I guess that is a final less for us all.  We never know how much time we have with those we love.  Hug them often.  Express your heart openly.  Don't be afraid to love. 



 



RIP Scooby Dooby Do.  We will miss you terribly.





It's Finally Friday

I have had the longest week.  I've been sick, my Daddy has been sick, my Mother fell, and another friend lost her Father.  The good news is that I feel better today and it's Friday!  I love Friday nights.  My hubby and I go to the coolest little place in town.  They don't serve booze but they have great burgers, tacos and nachos.  We can eat cheap and then go home and have a glass of wine out by the pool or in the hot tub. 

I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to Friday night.  If you haven't taken time to relax and reconnect with your someone special this week...........  do it tonight.  It's Finally Friday!

Last Rites

Today is a very sad day for me.  My good friend is laying to rest her father who is in his 90's.  I really didn't know her father, but have enjoyed the many stories she has told of growing up amid privilege, traveling the world, and seeing the lasting impressions her father has made upon her.  He must have been a great man, because raised an amazing daughter.  My heart is heavy for her as we head out to the Party to Celebrate his LIFE! 

My own father is having surgery tomorrow.  It's a gentle reminder that life is short and there are no guarantees.  My Father has lived his life to the FULLEST.  I hope that when I die, I have enjoyed life as much as he has.  My father was not wealthy, nor extravagant, but he was larger than life.  He was an educator who impacted the life of so many people.

Today, as you wander through this Thursday, celebrate the life of someone you love! 

A Great Family Trip

I have had a wondeful weekend with my parents.  We traveled to the Big Bend so my Daddy could look over the area.  We traveled, talked, ate great dinners and enjoyed each other's company.  I still believe car trips can be fun.  I have enjoyed spending time with my sweet parents.  It did me good to see them so happy.  Family is still one of the most important things ever!

It's Friday Night

I love Friday nights.  I am so excited this Friday night in particular.  My sister and I are hosting a Cotton Bowl Party.  It will be a spectacular night.  Burgers and Beer on are the menu and the venue is the Fort Worth Club.  I'll keep you posted.

Sunday Night Treat

Ever wonder what you will have for dinner on Monday night?  Well, stress no more.  Here is a very easy dish to prepare on Sunday night for cooking in the crock pot on Monday while you are at work.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!!!

Crock Pot Baked Beans


Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef , browned

1 large chopped onion

3 lb pork and beans

1 pkg sloppy Joe Mix

½ c. chopped bell pepper

½ c ketchup

½ c. BBQ sauce

2 TBSP mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

½ lb smoked sausage (sliced thin)(optional)

Directions:


Brown the ground beef with the onions. Add remaining ingredients. Place in a crock pot and cook 4-5 hours on low.

Family Fun

What a glorious Christmas we had this year.  Lots of family and friends in for the holiday followed by a family ski vacation.  Although there was not much snow in Red River, there was enough for us to enjoy.  My son, his girlfriend, and my nephew enjoyed three great days on the slopes.  My sister and hubby manned the homebase (our motorhome) by the river and shuttled us back and forth.  What a delightful way to end 2010!!!!!

Life Lesson

Yesterday I flushed my only set of car keys down the toilet at the office.  No, I did not do this on purpose.  No, I was not drunk.  No, I don't have an extra set of keys to my car *(I lost them over a year ago).  But today I learned an important lesson from my sweet husband.  You can't fret about this kind of stuff.  Life goes on.  Someone will come and make you a new set for about $200.  You can survive overnight without your keys.  Life just goes on.  People laugh at you and with you.  But in the long run, you learn that when you are most stressed about work, Christmas, etc, a little flush can change your whole perspective on life!

So, I say to you............relax.  Breathe.  Enjoy the holiday season!

Sunday Lunch

Today my husband and I had Christmas Brunch with two of our grandchildren. We dined at The Club on a delicious menu by award winning Chef Prefontaine! I love that my stepdaughter and son-in-law are raising my grandchildren to behave and use manners in a lovely dining environment. They use their napkins, respond kindly to the waitstaff and remain in their seats throughout the meal. What a treat to see children growing up and being trained with social graces! I am truly blessed!!!!!!


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Location:Fort Worth Club

A Great Winter Dish

When the weather turns cold outside, we often tend to think about cooking soups and stews.  However, when the weather turns cold outside, I tend think of Cajun Etouffee'.  One of my favorite and easy recipes is Crawfish or Shrimp Etouffee'.  I've included the recipe below: 


'


3 lbs of shrimp or crawfish
1 large chopped onion
1 medium chopped bell pepper
2 stalks of celery chopped
1 can of condensed tomato soup
1stick of butter
Louisiana red pepper sauce to taste
Cooked rice






Saute shrimp or crawfish, onions, bell pepper and celery in butter. Add tomato soup and simper about 30 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and pepper sauce. Serve over cooked rice.


Let me know if you enjoy the recipe!

Pork/Chicken Dressing

One of my favorite dishes is my grandmother's chicken & dressing recipe.  She actually boiled and put three full hens in her dressing.  I have also substituted pork as well.  I have tried on so many occasions but have never been able to recreate her exact recipe.  Granny Lester used to just dump stuff in and stir it up and it was excellent.

Recently I found a "shortcut" version of dressing to make that tastes almost identical to my Granny's.  Surprisingly, it is really delicious and makes a nice 9x13 baker of dressing.  It is so easy to make that you can fix for a Sunday lunch whether it is the holiday's or not!  Here's the recipe:

2 pkg Cornbread mix – prepare & crumble

2 Celery stalks chopped fine
1 Onion – chopped fine
2 Tsp oil
1 Can cream of chicken soup
1 Large can of chicken broth *(add more if necessary)
3 TBSP Sage
1 TBSP Celery salt
4 Hard boiled eggs - diced
2 Large cans cooked chicken (mixed meat) *do not drain
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Saute celery and onion in oil. Add in chicken soup and broth, sage, celery salt, eggs to cornbread mixture. Add more broth as needed to avoid dryness. Should be fairly moist when you start baking. Cook in a 9 x 13 baker for 40-45 minutes at 350°.

Fall Wine and Cheese

Every year I host a wine and cheese party for friends.  It is one of the most fun events I enjoy hosting.  I literally lay out blocks of great cheese on some of my platters, open some great crackers, and numerous bottles of wine.  Girlfriends from all over come to enjoy wine and fellowship.  I love to celebrate fall and friendship.  It is just too easy to put together a wine and cheese party.  You don't have to serve expensive wine, and cheese is always a hit at every party.   Open up a bottle and enjoy some friends this fall.

Laundry

Today has been a red letter day!  I have actually caught up on all my laundry.  This is the first time in two years that I have washed, folded, AND put it all away all caught up!  I really don't like doing laundry but this has almost become a mission for me.  I just have had to push myself to do it all weekend long.  Why do two people have so much laundry?  I think it is because we put it off so long.  However, I am committed to keeping up and not ever getting this behind on laundry again. 

Stay tuned.............I'll keep you posted!

Grilling

I came home Thursday evening to discover that one of my freezers went out that day.  In the freezer was a brisket, huge pork tenderloin, 12 racks of ribs, 2 chickens and some quail.  So.........today we are smoking meat.  I can't stand the thought of all this meat going to waste so we are cooking it up.  If you are not doing anything, come on by around 6:30 and eat some meat.  What is left goes to neighbors to enjoy on Sunday!

Great Recipe for Football

Saturday will be a great day.  I have scheduled my day around all the football games.  But you always need a great snack food for game day.  Here is a recipe I wanted to share.  It's easy and tastes great!  Enjoy while you cheer on your favorite college team!

Pecan Bacon Cheese Wafers


1 ½ c. of butter softened 1 lb bacon (cooked and crumbled

16 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 c finely chopped tasted pecans ½ tsp ground red pepper

½ c finely chopped green onions 4 ½ c all purpose flour



In a large bowl, combine butter, cheese, bacon, pecans, green onions and red pepper. Beat with a mixer until combined . Gradually add flour, beating until just combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place dough 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Lightly spray baking sheet with Pam and flour pan. Flatten each dough into ¼-inch thickness. Bake at 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool on pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire racks.

Fireplace

Today was an exciting day for us.  We put in a wood burning stove in our den that has glass doors and can be opened for a mini fireplace.  Many people have said - wow, why not pellets or gas logs.  Why would you want a real wood burning stove? 

The answer is it makes for a cozy den with a warm and inviting atmostphere.  The winter months are dark and lonely.  They are cold and damp.  A warm cozy fire makes the room inviting.  It makes it feel like home.

I can hardly wait for a day where the temp never gets above sixty so I can build a tiny fire in my newly installed wood burning stove.  Ya'll come on over.  I'll have a hot toddy for you to sip while you watch the flames dance!

Dinner on Sunday

On the way home from New Orleans, our plane was delayed, there was traffic on the freeway and I was pretty tired.  It was so nice to be able to pull something from the freezer, heat it up and have a great home cooked meal.  I love to vacuum seal left overs.  If you use good seal bags, food tastes just like it is freshly prepared.  Two great tricks for recycling leftovers are great precut bags from the The Vak Shack and Pampered Chef stoneware.  You can take just about any kind of meat (roast, burgers, meatloaf, brisket, ribs, sausage) and after storing it in Vak Shack Bags put it in a Pampered Chef stoneware bowl and lid with about 1/2 inch of water in the base to reheat, and make it taste just like it was freshly prepared. 

As a busy working lawyer, I have found that when I cook, it is just as easy to cook a commercial can of beans, peas or whatever vegetable and freeze it in portions for two rather than just try to cook for two.  It makes for cooking during the week easier and beats going to a fast food joint when pressed for time.  Entertaining and managing a household is pretty easy when you have the right equipment.  A vacuum sealer and good bake ware are essentials in the equipment division.

The South

You just have to love the South.  They say "please", "thank you", and "Yes Mam and No Sir".  They know how to host a party and how to make you feel right at home.  Complete strangers speak to you like you are long lost kin.  I love how much fun it is to travel in the south.  My good friends, The Hortons, invited us to go to the LSU game with them.   What a treat.  No where else in the south do they know how to party with such hospitality.  I love living in the South and SEC games on Saturdays!

Real Mail

I love to get REAL mail.  Not bills.  Not circulars.  Not credit card offers.  Not politician ads.  I love to get handwritten notes.  I love to get cards.  I love to gifts.   Society is so electronically connected that we forget that the United States Postal Service actually delivers mail to us curbside on a daily basis.   So I recommend that you take the time each day to write at least one handwritten note to someone.  You can brighten their day and remind yourself how much fun it is to reconnect with someone in a way other day email, text, facebook, my space or twitter.  Give it a try - you have no idea how much fun it is to hand write personal notes!

Weddings

Watching Kim and Zachary exchange wedding vows last night was so sweet. It is a reminder of how wonderful it is to be married to such a great guy!


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My Birthday

This photo was taken in 1983.  My Daddy looks so you.  It was only 17 years ago.  This past Saturday I turned 48.  I am fortunate that my Daddy was there to celebrate with me.  Many changes have taken place in my life over the last 17 years.  I've had different jobs and am now an owner in a statewide law practice.  I moved 200 miles from the only hometown I ever knew (and it was scary).  I divorced the father of my child, fell in love, had my heart broken, realized I could survive as a single mother and then wound up marrying my best friend and the greatest man on earth.  I have watched my son grow into an amazing young man whose talents never cease to amaze me.   I realized that God really is in control and i don't have to help HIM (although I struggle and still try usually on a daily basis).  Finally, I have learned that getting older means life just gets sweeter. 

I think birthdays are meant to be celebrated and done so with gusto.  Birthdays are a celebration of life - not a day that marks getting closer to the end of your time on earth.  This year I was so blessed to celebrate my birthday with family and friends in a beautiful country setting with great food and perfect weather.  As I reflect on the past birthdays I have celebrated - I am truly blessed each year and especially so on this year.



Good friends

Enjoying a night with good friends is the best medicine in the world.



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New Mexico

Each year after the annual school board convention, Ray and I make this wonderful two day pilgrimage to Red River New Mexico.  We always get to see our good friends the Wiggins and usually friends we have made over the years during our travels in this lovely little town.  It is our way of ushering in Fall, My Birthday Season, and generally a relaxing two days.  Tomorrow we travel up to Goose Lake in ATV's to fish and relax and enjoy the day.  We have planned a wonderful picnic and so look forward to relaxing at the top of the mountain in the clear cool air.   This is truly the vacation place of a lifetime!

Family Time in Arkansas

Well its time for another pilgrimage.......our family's annual visit to Lake Greeson in Arkansas to the family compound to celebrate the birthday's of Rhett and Papa.  Papa turns 87 on Saturday and Rhett turned 18 on Thursday.  There will cake and you can count on some fish.  Lake time on the pontoon and floating around in some cove enjoying the last weekend of summer.  The nights will be cool in the 60's - just enough to wear a long sleeve shirt or sweatshirt.  No makeup or hair accessories are required.   Flip flops are the shoes of choice.  What wonderful memories of our family in this beautiful and undeveloped country!

Meatloaf

Today was the first day of school for most of the kiddo's in the area to return to school.  Such was the case at Ray's school as well.  So, in honor of the first day of school, I decided last night to cook him a fabulous dinner.  I cooked some fresh purple hull peas and cornbread, mac & cheese (with homemade sauce - not the box kind) and meatloaf.  This was my first attempt at meatloaf.  It was delicious.  I have determined after searching no less than 300 recipes and talking to some of my great cook friends that meatloaf is somewhat of a moving target.  The basics are some ground beef, egg, onion and and breadcrumbs.  You can use tomato paste, ketchup or blended tomatoes for the tomato flavor and just about any kind of spice in your cabinet will work.  I am excited about my next meatloaf attempt.  I think it be great depending on what you are in the mood to taste!

Some of the best ingriedients that I want to try are some chili powder, red pepper, bell peppers, fajita seasoning and dry ranch seasoning.  So for now.....I'm off to clean the kitchen and hit the hay!