Comet 2012

Comet’s almost three years old now, she’s calmed down a little, though the raccoons on my roof have her stirred up this week. Her favourite sleep places:

The Queen’s Christmas Day Speech 2011

The Queen writes her own message to the Commonwealth each year.

Banana Pudding

Although I do have traditional English Christmas Pudding,  today I thought I’d make a simple banana pudding for dessert:

• 2 boxes vanilla instant pudding
• 3 cups cold milk
• 2 bananas
• about half a box of vanilla wafers
• 1 carton Cool Whip

It’s really easy- make the pudding mix, add half the Cool Whip, then layer the mix with vanilla wafers and bananas. Decorate the top with remaining Cool Whip and a few half vanilla wafers around the edge.

Simple tasty no-cook pudding- good for today because my power went out mid-cooking….

10 years in America….

Our son’s ‘School Days’ photo frame records ten years in the US:

Rum Balls

My friend ( a.k.a. Humming Bird ) made me a batch of delicious Rum Balls for a Christmas gift:

I don’t know the secret recipe, there’s definitely rum, and cocoa, and nuts and sugar….and they taste best to wait for 5 days before consuming apparently ( if you can! )

Házi Áldás

This traditional embroidered prayer known as the House Blessing was a gift from my Hungarian friend:

It means:

Where there is faith, there is love; where there is love there is peace; where there is peace there is blessing; where there is blessing there is God; where there is God there is no need.

Drain flies…

I have had a small infestation of drain flies ( about ten per day- which is apparently nothing, an infestation can mean literally hundreds of flies! )

The flies, psychodidae, also called moth flies because of their appearance under magnification- minute moths- live and breed in sinks and drains where homes have been uninhabited

The pest control information I read said it takes an enzyme compound to destroy the larvae in the drain- so the flies don’t keep hatching and reappearing.

I tried biological laundry soap liquid in all my sinks and the problem has gone, no more flies!

Susan Boyle’s Amazing Grace- and composing!

Discovered a new way of writing a descant today, listening to this recording of Amazing Grace and singing it over the top, recording it then writing it down.

It showed up because I am painting a bald eagle in oils for a friend…perfect synchronicity!

Picture with the recording

Bauducco Panettone

Walgreens is currently selling mini Bauducco Panettone for $1 or $3 for two, several people have told me they don’t like this special cake: that’s because it’s really a bread, a fruit bread- add butter and it will be delicious!

 

Crockpot Turkey Soup

I should probably never write a recipe book, but this tasted much better than it looked, I used half a bargain $3 13 lb turkey and half a bag of fifteen bean mix and some veggies, cost was about $5 for 12 servings:

Favourite photos: son and his dog

 

Vonage Home Phone

For $26.99 is unlimited free calling including long-distance and international to many countries with Vonage including their ‘extensions’ programme which gives you a number and pin to use making your registered  cell phone an extension with the same free calls.

Their sign-up offer is $9.99 for the first three months. Once a customer is signed up on-line they send a free adapter which plugs into phone and router and their website is very easy to use to set up voicemail and adjust settings.

I got mine because AT & T has poor service in my new place, but I anticipate it will save money too.

Bradford Pear in December

Beautiful red rustling leaves…

Family tree!

Peppermint checks out the tree I put up at Thanksgiving:

Distant kin

AAA of Texas : tipsy-tow

AAA Texas offers free rides home for up to three miles to drivers who have been drinking alcohol on New Year’s Eve and 4 th July holidays:

 Ask for a Tipsy Tow by calling 1-800-AAA-HELP [222-4357]

Callers do not currently need to be members of AAA to use the service.

Tightwaddery: thrift

Many people are rediscovering the art of thrift and money management out of necessity in 2011, and it can be rewarding as a way of life to pay down debts and meet savings goals.

Amy Dacyczyn, author of The Tightwad Gazette advocates frugality when money is plenty, so thrift doesn’t feel like deprivation, and downswings in income are balanced out by savings and planning. In seven years on a small income and with a growing young family the Dacyczyn family saved enough to settle their debts and buy their dream home in Maine:

I had always wanted a large family and a rural pre-1900 New England farmhouse (with attached barn). I had a crazy notion that I could have both without the two income/daycare frenzy that has become the norm for the modern American family.

She did this by researching free or nearly free stuff, budget grocery shopping- enlisiting the help of her husband and children, and recycling everything.

Georgina

My grandmother with her first son who died in infancy

Comet’s new chair

Some friends gave me a computer chair- it’s now Comet’s favourite place in the house!

Complaint and Comet

I video-taped my empty apartment before leaving. At one point Comet thinks I’m taking too long and comes to get me. I put her in the carrier and then she can be heard yowling the place down!