New Years Resolutions.

I have not made any for a few years because I don't keep them. I also don't want to be making resolutions such as losing the weight I have to lose this year, or getting healthy. I am relatively healthy and I know I do have to lose weight but I don't want to sabatoge myself by making a resolution about it. It just does not seem like the right reason to accomplish such a personal goal.
But there are things I do desire and I know I am going to be the only one who would be able to make myself desire them enough to actually work to achieve them. So the dilemna is do I make some resolutions and really apply myself to making them come true or do I not.

If I was to make some resolutions that I really want to happen in my life then they would be:
1) To find the son I miss so much. Oh, I know where he is and what he is doing and I talk to him but there are issues and he does know about those issues but chooses not to deal with them. So can I look past those issues and just accept my son for who he seems to be now or am I still going to grieve every day for that loss? Do I get to know and accept the man he is today or do I pine for the lost son I used to know and I know is still buried deep within him? God, I miss my boy.
2) I want and need to be debt free. Whether that will happen this year or next it has to happen. I know for sure I will not increase the debt I already carry. I cannot carry anymore.
3) Finally end my car accident case. It has been over a year and I just want the whole thing to end. Court is next month and there seems to be an end in sight. My body will never be the same, with its aches and pains and permanent stuff but my mind needs to bid it all goodbye and move on.
4) I got the first book of the Twilight series so I will have them all read by the end of the year.

And now because most likely if I make any resolutions I will end up doing the exact opposite of what I have resolved to do, so in that case maybe I should resolve to do:
1) Gain fifty pounds this year.
2) Eat any and all junk food my mind desires.
3) Spend a ton of money frivalously.
If I break these it won't be so bad. Maybe the opposite will happen and I will eat healthy, save money and lose the weight.
Can't be too bad can it??

Merry Christmas

I just want to send out a very Merry Christmas to all. I wish you all health, happiness and prosperity for the coming year.
I am very grateful to be able to get home today and spend Christmas with my hubby and my daughter Lora today. We have had so very much snow here, about three feet in the past week so travelling has been a nightmare. I went to work two days ago and just got home today. A little break in the snow fall allowed other workers to get to work and me to get home today. I am so grateful.
I am grateful Lora made it to our place as well in one piece. I worried about her the whole time she was out on the road. At least I have four wheel drive and a bigger car. Her little Honda isn't much protection.
Christmas was very low key this year. We did not draw names with the family but rather just bought a small gift for every person we chose to. I do that every year but taking the names away somehow made it easier.
I have three days off and the weather is supposed to take a turn to the warmer and hopefully will melt this snow and bring back the green.
Have a great Christmas everyone!!!

Ham and Lentil Soup

Its a cold snowy day outside and I am hunkered in for the day so what better to make than a bowl of soup for supper. We had a ham a couple nights ago for dinner so this is a good use of leftover meat to make a hearty bowl of pure comfort!! The Cast of Ingredients!! Fresh vegetables, cut up ham and stock, canned Lentils, Tomatoes and Beans.

Chop all vegetables into small chunks. I like a lot of texture in my soups and fresh vegetable cut up into small chunks provides that.

Simmer vegetables in dutch oven with 1TBSP of Butter and Olive Oil, until translucent and starting to brown.

The cast of spices I put into this soup. Salt, Pepper, Cumin, Italian Seasoning, Smoked Paprika, Oregano, Red Pepper Flakes.

Add spices and Ham to the sauted Vegetables and mix together. Add two cups of Ham Stock to the pot.

Add Canned Lentils, Chopped Tomatoes and Beans and stir into the soup.

Squeeze the juice of one Lime into the pot and simmer the soup on the stove on Low heat for about an hour.

Its ready to serve and enjoy!! It is a very hearty and nutritious soup and the only thing I would do different is to omit the salt if you are using a salty type meat such as Ham. I thought it was just perfect but some might think it has too much salt.

HAM AND LENTIL SOUP

19 oz. can Lentils

19 oz. can Chopped Tomatoes

14 oz. can Pork and Beans

2 cups Chopped Ham

2 cups Ham Stock

2 diced carrots

1 chopped Celery stalk

1 chopped Red Pepper

5 chopped cloves Garlic

1 TBSP. Butter

1TBSP. Olive Oil

1 Lime

1 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Pepper

1/2 tsp. Cumin

1 TBSP. Italian Seasoning

1/2 tsp. Smoked Paprika

1 tsp. Oregano

1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes.

Saute carrots, peppers, garlic, celery and onions in butter and olive oil until browned. Add spices, ham and ham stock to the pot. Add Beans, lentils and Tomatoes to the pot and squeeze the juice of the lime into the pot. Simmer the soup on low heat for about an hour. Its done!!!

Enjoy!!

Today's Flowers

Today's Flowers gives me another change to share a picture from my little Christmas tree. What tree would be complete without a candy cane?? I always look forward to stirring my mug of Hot Chocolate with one of these candy canes!!

You have to have Christmas crackers and presents under the tree!!

Christmas ornaments look good in martini glasses and candle holders! There are also some holiday ornaments in the post directly under this post, go check that out too!!

Part of the Christmas Wreath on the door.

For more Christmas treasures and wonderful flowers click on Today's Flowers and go visit some wonderful sites.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Christmas Ornaments

We put up our little tree this weekend. It is only a foot tall and already decorated. There are a few ornaments that are loose but the ribbon, lights, garland flowers etc. are all glued on. It is the easiest thing to put up now that it is only my hubby and me here for decorating. The tree used to belong to my dad and decorated his room in the nursing home when he was alive. We inherited it after so for me it has a bit of sentimental value. My hubby has a wicked sense of humour and this Christmas ornament appealed to it. His shirt says Slay Bells Ring and he hides behind the tree and trys to catch the duck!!

This is my newest ornament. I bought it a couple of weeks ago and the thing I liked best about it is its egg shape. I collect eggs you see. I love the blue stones as well.

This little duck is older than I am. He was the very first ornament I ever recieved right after I was born. If you put him on a slanted surface his little feet walk down the hill!! His colouring has long faded, the black of his eyes are gone and his beak is washed out orange now but Christmas would not be Christmas without him.

I have yet to finish shopping but considering that we have five more days until Christmas, I am doing pretty good. One more present to buy and I actually found it today in a downtown store. I couldn't pick it up as I need some strong arms and a big space in the back of my car to transport it. I am going to beg my neighbour to lend me her SUV and help me go to get it. I can't tell you what it is!! My darling daughter might just read this!!

Freezing cold in this neck of the woods.

First it was the skylight being ripped off the house and flung into the neighbour's back yard. A big open hole in the ceiling of our kitchen, snow gently falling onto the kitchen counter, the heat rising up through the hole and out. Lucky for us a friend came over and replaced the skylight and all is well there.
Tonight the furnace decides to quit. The pilot light goes out and it will not go on. Its 10degrees below Celcius outside and starting to snow again. No heat in the house. So again we phone around and find a repairman willing to brave the elements and venture out to help us. We did find one, he came over right away and fixed the problem. He charged us a minimal fee, mostly for parts for his labor.
There are good people out there and we seem to be on a quest to find them, via our broken home.

Winter Storms

Its been a very chilly blustery day here. Winter has finally arrived with a vengeance. You can't believe the weather man who says it will be clear and cold here with no snow falling. Its cloudy and cold and the snow is falling right now.
The wind was blowing so hard earlier it sounded like a wild animal outside the door. You could feel it shake the house. It blew so hard that one gust caused the kitchen skylight to loosen, and the next gust picked the skylight up and blew it off the roof, and completely into the neighbour next door's yard. We were very lucky it did not break. But there we were, 5pm on a Saturday night of the coldest most miserable day of the year, and after all the stores have closed with a great big hole right over the kitchen counter. Snow drifting in and the heat in the house drifting out to the great outdoors. Well, now that is a dilemna. My hubby otherwise known as the Bear is handicapped and cannot be running around up ladders and on the roof and neither can I. Who to call. No business either roofing or glass would come out. We finally called a friend whose hubby is a construction worker and he came over, braved the cold and the roof and fixed it for us. Luckily when the skylight went sailing through the air it did not break.
And there are good samaritans out there, he not only came over and did the deed for us but he would not accept any kind of payment for it, even for the stuff he had to buy to fix it for us.
He is definetly on my Christmas list.
I am so grateful for my friends.

Where is Dew Drops

Its been so long since I have been able to get to post here. Work is demanding at the moment as we are very short staffed. Overtime is not so much a bad thing as Christmas is around the corner and I don't want to use the dreaded Visa for anything this season.
The economy is kind of scary right now and anyone with a bit of debt at this time of year holds thier breath to get through the season. I guess there never is a right time for bills etc. It just is.

Christmas Baking causes Smoke alarms to ring!!

No pictures today. I could never show the burnt offerings that we cooked up today.
At work we all decided it was time to get a jump on Christmas baking. So we all love our Crack, homemade butter candy, so decided to make that.
Well problem one was no one from last year had written down the recipe so we were going on my memory which was not too good apparently. We got the butter melting, stirred in the brown sugar and boiled it for the three minutes then poured it over the crackers and shoved it in the oven for the five minutes. Well, it looked burned but we attributed it to the dark brown sugar we were using. Something must of been wrong with our noses too because really it smelled slightly singed. Into the oven it went and about four minutes later a bunch of smoke came wafting out of the stove burners and irritated the smoke alarms to no end!! The Crack came out of the oven and we sprinkled some nuts and chocolate chips over top, let it cool completely and then got brave and tasted it.
Well, it looked good with all the gooey chocolate and nuts on it but one mouthful went in and one mouthful came out really fast. The whole thing went sailing into the nearest garbage and all of us very dissapointed staff and client's licked our wounds and vowed to try again another day.
With the recipe of course.