Check out my nephew, James, on GMA Live. As his aunt, I think I bear some of the credit for his coolness.
Category: Family
Wow. Hospitals have sure changed! A family member was recently hospitalized, and the staff actually encouraged us to stay the night and help with care. It’s a good thing to be able to do, if you have the ability. Sometimes responsibilities at home might get in the way, but being there as much as possible helped my loved one get through the rough patch.
I remember one time when I was really sick and in the hospital, though. I didn’t even want calls or visitors. I just wanted to be left alone. I bet most people prefer the company!
Quarter-Finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Competition < Read this first
Amazon.com Review
A nicely-paced, intriguingly written story that has a palpable ring of truth in its universal portrait of thorny family dynamics. First person narrator is honest and sympathetic and her observations are smart and articulated with an original style.
Amazon.com Review
The main character, Sarah, is the strongest aspect (at least in this excerpt). She is quite fully realized, very believable and so well drawn that I can easily visualize her. Her reactions as she deals with her problems are realistic. The author has done an excellent job introducing the characters and setting out the problems they face. The needed information is supplied but it is done in an interesting manner
PDF version of excerpt. Download and review!
http://rachelunkefer.com/2011/03/26/more-about-a-useful-life/trackback/
This is the new doggie. I don’t have a name for her yet, so any suggestions are welcome. Thanks to the Collie Rescue of the Carolinas for bringing her to me.
She’s a sweet pup. I’m not sure how old she is, but the vet paperwork says “> 8.” She seems to be deaf, so it’s ok that I don’t have a name for her yet. She does respond to hand gestures, which is pretty cool. I can motion to her to come to me, and she does!
Here’s a picture I took yesterday. I think she’s feeling safe and secure here. She took over my bed!
I’m still considering names, but her inability to hear me call her means there’s no rush. She’s quite a pistol. She’s getting into the garbage and eating cat food. We walk every night, when it cools down a bit, and we’re both enjoying that. Once the temperature gets a little cooler, we’ll start going to the park to walk. Buddy used to love that, and I hope the new doggie loves going there, too.
Ben had an auto accident last night. It’s amazing that he was able to get out of this car. He might make light of it, but it appears to me to have been a pretty serious accident. He’s finally asleep, so we’re sitting here in the dark in case he wakes up and needs anything.
He’s being such a trooper.
Kittens are the cutest things on the planet, there’s no doubt. I could watch them for hours. There are times when their kittenish antics make me laugh out loud. The kittens’ mothers are getting a little tired of their offspring though. They want to be let out of their room to roam the house, and it’s harder to get them to go back in there than it was a couple of days ago.
I’d like to encourage those seeking companion animals to look for a local animal rescue group from which to adopt. They usually vet the animals and make sure they’re suitable for a particular situation. In my case, I now know that the mother cats are completely accepting of other cats and dogs, and are not at all aggressive. They like children, too. None of the cats flinched when I turned on the vacuum cleaner!
Animal Advocates of Moore County is going to be having an adoption fair soon:
Where: Local Armory on Morganton Road
When: July 11th 2009
Time: Noon to 6 PM
Rabies Shots Given by Frank Ringleberg of Animal Control….$5.00
Nail Trim by famous groomer Karen Richardson……$5.00
Nail Painting by Karen Richardson……………………$5.00
The Lunch Box will be selling Hot Dogs and Drinks
I copied a friend’s recipe to spread around for people who’re making ice cream for the 4th of July.
This is the easiest recipe I found. It uses no eggs. It requires no cooking. It’s super-easy! :) That’s what I like for my “Cooking for the Motivationally Challenged” posts. :) And, that’s what I like for myself, too! ;)
Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe for a 1.5 Quart Ice Cream Maker
Stir the following together and chill in the refrigerator for several hours, or overnight, before pouring into your ice cream maker. (The only variation I made is that my freezer wants only 4 cups of the recipe, and it expands to 6 cups while it freezes. I mixed the recipe below, then poured in 4 cups and saved the rest for the next batch.)
No-Cook Homemade Ice Cream
Southern Living , Aug 2004 by Dosier, Susan1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup evaporated milk
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 cups whole milk
That’s all. That’s it. It’s that easy.
Just be sure your freezer tub insert has been in the freezer long enough to freeze liquid on contact. And, chill your ingredients long enough to have it really cold before adding it to the freezer. And, after the ice cream is ready, put it into an airtight container and put it into your freezer (if you don’t eat it all in one sitting!). :)
Two Recipes of Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
I made two batches today. Actually, I mixed up the recipe last night, and made the first run this morning. Then, I thought the freezer can was still cold enough, so I mixed more and poured it in. (I did not follow the instructions to chill the ingredients before freezing or to add them to the freezer can straight from the freezer.) The second time it didn’t work. So, at this point, the recipe ingredients are cooling in the refrigerator and the freezer can is in the freezer. Maybe I’ll freeze the second batch tomorrow.