A Very Merry Christmas!

Every year as the Christmas season rolls around, I look forward to being able to buy tamales. The only place I've known of to purchase them around my house is at El Pollo Loco. But this year I didn't buy ANY from them because I have a friend who makes them HOMEMADE! She sells them every year and I never knew it. So this year I bought a dozen of her chicken tamales and boy, oh boy are they wonderful!

I wish I had taken more photos but now they are completely gone, and how I wish I had more! I guess I'll have to wait until next year. Darn! Maybe that's what I should ask for next Christmas. Ha ha ha! I just realized I haven't shown you guys our Christmas tree.

My husband picked it out all on his own this year and I think he did a pretty good job! See these pretty red glasses in the photo below? Years ago they belonged to my grandmother and I remember always admiring them. Sadly, she passed away when I was fourteen. But recently my aunt found her glasses in storage and sent them to me and I'm so happy to have them! I really wanted to have them on display so I thought I'd put some silver ornaments in them for a centerpiece. It's so nice to have something to remind me of her. (In between are some candle holders that I just received in a surprise box on my doorstep for Christmas!)

There were many nice gifts to be had for Christmas this year but the best one of all was being able to spend time with my family. Having good food and great conversation. I hope this Christmas found you surrounded by your loved ones and that it was very merry and bright! Taniya

Gold Canyon Candle Party

I know all of you have heard of Tupperware parties, right? And maybe some of you have even been to some sort of jewelry party or maybe Mary Kay. But a CANDLE party? Well, I had never been to a candle party. Had never known of such a thing...until I heard of this Gold Canyon Candle party a friend of mine was hosting. I walked in and the whole house was full of amazing scents! Her counters were covered with samples in categories like "masculine" and "fruity", and there was a whole group that smelled like my favorite...FOOD! Not food like steak and potatoes, oh no, but Toasted Coconut Macaroon and Toffee Drizzled Popcorn! Oh yeah! There were so many I liked I couldn't decide on just one. So I didn't. I bought three! And they have arrived so I can show you.

This giant one is Salted Caramel. I can't even tell you how yummy this is! I could just lick it, but I won't! Next, I got tea lights in Brown Sugar Cookie.

I light just one of these teeny things and BAM! it smells like I've been baking all day. Quite lovely. Now number three you might think is a bit strange. It was in the "Masculine" section but reminded me of growing up in Orange County with our horses because this scent is called Leather.

It smells like saddles and bridles and cowboy boots and is just great! Kinda funny they're all brown. Hee hee! I have already decided that if I go to another Gold Canyon party I'm going to get some summery scents like Sparkling Apricot or Ginger Lime. So if you haven't ever heard of this company and want to check them out, they have a website.
Here's to a brown sugar cookie scented day! See you next time. Taniya

A Very Rainy 12-12-12

As you all know, I am up all through the night every night to care for our little paralyzed dog (who is not REALLY paralyzed because she has feeling in all her legs but just can't use them right. YET!). This is what her sweet, little face looks like when I get up to find her waiting for me.

If you don't know her story click here. I'm up about every three hours, sometimes a little more time will go by before she calls me but usually it's less than three. But each time I was up with her I heard the rain coming down outside. And I loved it! We don't get much action in the weather department in Southern California so this rain made me so happy. The sound it was making on the roof, and when it blew through the trees. It also made me feel so grateful for my warm, little house for keeping my family and me safe and dry. This morning there was big, poofy, grey clouds in the sky and the sun peeked out here and there and I drove past this great tree in my neighborhood that I wanted to share with you. It looks like a big, green, fluffy cloud, don't you think?

We have been working on building a dog wheelchair lately and as soon as we can get everything right I'll share it with you! Until then have a happy, and safe rainy So. Cal. day! Taniya

Christmas Trees, Hurray!

I just love seeing Christmas trees outside my grocery store! Especially the ones in pots. Because they're the ones that will still have life AFTER Christmas is over!

They don't dry out or get brittle and lose their needles. They stay fresh and beautiful and keep on growing. And they smell AMAZING!!

Of course not everyone can get a living tree because they may have no yard to plant it in later. It's also more economical to buy a plastic one you use year after year.

When I was growing up we were pretty different from other families in our area. We were in the middle of the city but had property and lots of animals. Chickens, ducks, horses, even a peacock! We also had a Christmas tree in a pot that we would bring in the house year after year. As it grew my mom would transplant it into a bigger pot and we just kept bringing it inside again and again. Struggling with it's weight a little more each year! Ha ha ha!! If I can hunt up a photo I'll share it on here. So stay tuned, and may your Christmas tree, whatever kind you have, be lovely! Taniya

Time For Some Christmas Lights!

This is what happens when we get a wild hair and decide to put up Christmas lights...at night!

Alani and Luke wanted lights up for days and they finally broke down and couldn't take it anymore. They worked with flashlights and put some up, but I'm glad they're leaving the rest of the yard and trees for tomorrow.

Just love my little elves! I Hope you are able to put some Christmas cheer around your home soon...only, hopefully during the day!! Christmas lights and jingle bells, Taniya

Turkey Roasting 101

Let me say right off that I am no cooking expert! Just mentioning it is hysterical. But this recipe I have used year after year and been so pleased with the outcome that I just have to share it. Clark Kent is even happy with the outcome and he is especially particular about his turkey being moist and flavorful!

I always use a heavy roasting pan with a rack. You'll also want to get some cheesecloth, and a cooking thermometer. This is for a turkey that's about 20 lbs. Adjust cooking time for other size birds and keep an eye on your thermometer. Heat oven to 450 degrees and place rack on lowest level in oven.
1. Remove giblets and neck from body.
2.Tuck wingtips under body so they won't burn.
3.If you cook your stuffing in the bird, be sure you don't pack it tightly or it won't cook evenly and bacteria could grow.
4. After stuffing, pull the neck flap down and fasten with a toothpick.
5. Pull legs together loosely and tie with any kind of sturdy cotton string. Tie in a bow to easily untie later.
6. Rub turkey with butter and salt and pepper.
7. Cut a large piece of cheesecloth into a 17", four layer square.
8. Melt at least two sticks of butter in a bowl and soak cheesecloth in it.
9. Cover turkey with the soaked cheesecloth; the cloth should cover the breast and part of the leg area. Make sure the cheesecloth never dries out or comes in contact with the sides of the oven as it could catch on fire.(This has never happened to me but good to know)
10. Cook for 30 minutes at 450 then reduce temp. to 350 and continue cooking.
11. Every 30 minutes (I set a timer so I don't lose track),use a pastry brush to baste the cheesecloth and exposed area of the turkey with the butter. Do basting in the oven and as quickly as possible so oven temp. doesn't drop.
12. If pan juices are ever in danger of overflowing (again, never happened)spoon some out and reserve for gravy.
13. After the third hour of cooking remove turkey from oven and discard cheesecloth. it will be quite brown. Gently baste turkey with pan juices and return to oven.
14. After the fourth hour of cooking, insert thermometer into thickest part of thigh. When the temperature reaches 180 degrees, your turkey is done!! Easy peasy!
Many blessings to you and may your Thanksgiving be full of family, friends, and giving thanks to the One who gives us all so much!! Taniya

Violette Update

It's been three and a half weeks since our little dog Violette had her neck broken (if you don't know the story click here) and I want to thank all my dear friends and relatives who have been praying for her recovery! She is not walking yet but we continue to see improvements almost daily. She hasn't been very interested in eating her dog food and I was very concerned about this because she lost weight. I tried cat food, which she used to love, but she didn't want that either. So then I started trying human food and WOW does she love human food!!  Fish, chicken, and eggs are some favorites. Here's her morning meal...scrambled eggs!

Yummy!

One improvement in her leg function is that she pulls her back legs up under her like this

See, I take her outside a few times a day and support her underneath and she tries to scoot around with her muzzle, so I move her in the direction she wants to go in and she used to just let her legs drag behind like this

But now she's pulling them up under her! So I'm excited about that. Also, I don't think I mentioned this before but the bite to her neck also damaged her voice box or vocal cords because she hasn't been able to make a sound ever since. But now she's beginning to get her voice back!! Well, I've been trying everything I can think of to upload the video I wanted you to see but it keeps saying it can't support it so... I'll post it on my Facebook page! So thanks again to all of you for your continued prayers for our little doggie and we'll see you soon! Taniya

Junk Food 911!

Yes this is a junk food emergency. If you have not yet heard, the Hostess company, creators of that insanely popular fat and sugar laden superstar the Twinkie, are indeed going out of business. Even though I wasn't allowed to eat such things very often as I was growing up, I did have my favorites. Those raspberry iced Zingers with coconut...Holy Cow!

Fortunately, I only eat one about every 3 or 4 months. Ha ha ha! I also have a weakness every now and then for Suzy Q's. They remind me of being a kid because on the rare occasion when we got this sort of treat I picked Suzy Q's.

My girls love Snoballs so we went out tonight to FIVE stores before we found any! And we just found these single serve packs. But it's better than nothing!

We found one lone box of Luke's favorite...the Orange Cupcake!

And Clark Kent's favorite were found only because a very sweet cashier thought they had a couple more "in the back."

I must admit it was a fun adventure dashing around town from store to store mostly finding this.

But we completed our mission! Now...if we can just make them last a year or two. Hee hee! Happy hunting out there all you junk food maniacs/adventurers. I hope you find your favorites!! Taniya

Prayers For Violette

I haven't made any time to blog lately because I've been so busy taking care of our precious little dog, Violette. She had a terrible thing happen to her about two weeks ago. She was attacked by a pit bull. It happened at night so I rushed her to the emergency pet hospital that's open all night. The prognosis was grim. She has a broken neck and could be paralyzed. The damage to her spinal cord made it hard for her to get enough oxygen so she had to be in an oxygen chamber. But she had some feeling in her back legs so I was hopeful. After a couple days I decided to bring her home. Pet hospitals get expensive!

She can't move so I turn her over every two or three hours and offer her food and water...even through the night. It's kind of like having a newborn baby. So I'm pretty tired out! But every day I notice a small improvement. Like she has begun moving her legs. All of them! She lifts her head now and moves it around. She has begun licking our hands again. And now I've been taking her out in the yard to get some sun three times a day. She also got her neck bandage off!

The bite wounds are healing,

and she's able to hold herself up on her front paws a few seconds now!

Pretty exciting! The vet could hardly believe it. So next week she starts some physical therapy exercises. So we're hoping and praying that our sweet puppy will be back to running and playing in no time! Please pray for Violette and I will keep you updated. Thanks everyone! Taniya

Sheriff's Dept. Picnic

Every year around this time, our local sheriff's department has a big picnic! With carnival booths, jumpy houses, tug o war competitions, a petting zoo, and demonstrations put on by the various divisions within the department. Like S.W.A.T. for example or the helicopter pilot.

I love helicopters and would love to learn to fly one. Maybe someday! This year they had alpacas at the petting zoo.

They're like llamas but smaller. Look at that cute, fluffiness on it's head!

This is the mounted posse. They search in terrain too difficult for vehicles to access. Pretty cool!

All the food was free for members of the department and they had pulled pork, barbeque chicken, baked beans, and salad greens. Yum! It was a hot day so Kona Ice made a perfect dessert.

Halloween isn't too far away now, so I'll leave you with this skeleton chart to help you learn all those important bones. Ha ha!

Hope you are enjoying your weekend, and thanks for stopping by! Taniya

Too Busy For Breakfast?

First thing this morning we had to get dressed and get out of here for Alani's physical therapy appointment. All I had time for was to drink my lemon water and grab a banana and out the door we went. Then while we were at the doctor's, I remembered I had a fiber bar in my purse!

Breakfast is super important to me because I will feel rotten if I don't eat it, so I'm glad I had a little something with me! But, clearly, this is not enough food to last very long. So a little later I got a second breakfast, which we're famous for in my family. Hahaha!

Oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts ( no sugar!), and coffee. Yum! Hopefully I can be home for lunch to eat at my very own table. Hope your morning was a bit less on-the-go than mine and that you had a nice, big, healthy breakfast. Thanks for stopping by! Taniya

Orange County Fair 2012!

This years Orange County Fair was full of fun! Here are some photos of our day. We just HAD to ride the ferris wheel or it would not have been a day at the fair.

Just Clark Kent and I. This was taken waaay up high in the ferris wheel.

The children stayed down below eating a funnel cake. Yum!

Here's the view from up there.

So if you're afraid of heights, you may want to stay away from this one. When it came time for some grub there was the typical county fair food like deep fried twinkies and this kind of stuff.

But I wanted something a bit healthier. So I ended up here.

Because they actually had some lighter-on-the-stomach type fare like this chicken breast with veggies, which is what I ate.

Of course we played carnival games like the shooting gallery, which Luke was very good at.

And basketball. (I think those hoops are bent. Not fair!)

We saw lots of cute animals too! They even had a rabbit judging. This ones name is Cola.

This is the biggest horse I've ever seen!

And I made a new friend.

By the end of this very busy day, Alani needed help walking. So her daddy helped her out.

If you were able to go to the O. C. Fair or some other fair in your neck of the woods, comment and tell me all about it! If you haven't gone to one yet, just be sure you don't eat a lot and then go on a ride like the zipper. NOT a good idea! Keep smiling and I'll see you next time! Taniya