Good Reads and Fun Needleart

Busy Monday here. Great start to a new week! I see it as a positive when there's work to be done. Apart from the usual housework, garden type variety, I've got a book review to do in the weeks ahead. Got my books in the mail today. Looks to be some good reading!

This time it's two books. "Dancing with My Father" is the one I have eagerly looked forward to reading. I assume it's about what it is like to trust completely in my heavenly Father, much as we do our earthly Fathers.

This one titled "Mother-Daughter Duet" promises to be about building a good Mom/Daughter relationship. Both are soft cover books.

Also busy over the weekend embroidering a baby blanket for a customer/friend.

Work consisted of merely adding a design and personalizing with name and a monogram.

I'm hoping she'll like the embroidery.

The blanket still shows some of the water soluble stabilizer. It comes off easily in the wash or by spritzing with some water. Not a big deal. I try to remove as much as possible, but I don't dare get too close to the stitches with my little scissors. Better to let the water take care of that. Hoping to get the parcel in the mail tomorrow.

Watched "Chuck" on the telly earlier. It's become my Sweetie's and my new favorite show. It's a little bit of James Bond mixed with some geek squad comedy. It's also the only one of the new shows I like. But then, I'll take the "Beverly Hillbillies" any day over any of the new-fangled shows. Which would explain why my new picture on Facebook is that of Granny.

Time to go check the Swagbucks fan page. Like everyone there who stays up late, I too am hoping for my midnight buck!

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February 25

Well, in case anyone is thinking about signing up with Swagbucks, I really should let you know that perhaps this is the best time ever to do so. On the days leading up to February 25, TSG will be giving his followers on Facebook many opportunities to earn multi-denominational Swagbucks. That translates to more money for gift cards or items you want to buy. February 25 will be the second anniversary of Swagbucks coming to fruition as a search and win site. So anyone coming aboard around this celebration time will be sure to quickly see rewards. I wouldn't be promoting the site if I personally did not truly see how beneficial it has been for me. I refuse to make fraudulent statements, so right off I'm saying that you will not get rich instantly or stand to be the next great winner of a millionaire sweepstakes somewhere. What I will honestly tell you is that once the swagbucks start adding up, you will have enough to buy that gift you'd like to with your very own money. If it's teens using the site, they will be able to save enough for their own purchases, thereby helping the family budget.  And did I mention the word sweepstakes earlier? You do actually have the opportunity of 'buying' Swagstakes entries with your swagbucks. There are $100, $500 and even $1000 Swagstake entries you can snag with your swagbucks if you should want to take a shot at winning those large amounts. The entries generally only cost 1 to three swagbucks.

For transparency purposes, I will say that right now I have $25 in an Amazon account that I can use to buy anything I want there on Amazon.com, and I have 57 swagbucks in my Swagbucks account which I've accumulated just since I cashed in the other ones for the Amazon gift cards. I actually have enough right now to buy one more $5 gift Amazon gift card which I would then add to the $25 for a total of $30! And this is in just over a month! I'm not filthy rich, but I have that little 'nest egg' in Amazon. I could also have bought PayPal gift cards, but those cost quite a bit more. Almost everyone on the Swagbucks fan site buys the $5 gift cards, because they only cost 45 swagbucks.

And lest I forget to mention it, you can earn those swagbucks in a variety of ways, not just by using the search engine. On the Facebook fan page, TSG puts clues and codes that you then go looking for to insert into your account 'code' box, thereby adding more into your account. There are Special Offers that you may or may not choose to take advantage of, but where if you do, you can earn more swagbucks. Then there's the Shop and Earn page, where it's like shopping at your regular stores, but with the added incentive of earning swagbucks which when added to your account means more buying power. It's unbelievable how many ways there are to earn those swagbucks. Swagbucks, swagbucks, swagbucks, I know I keep repeating that word. It's hard not to- the list of reasons to join just goes on and on and on!

                                    

I know that once anyone sees how great the site is they'll want to let all their friends and loved ones know about it. This post is just a heads up to how great the timing is right now to be a part of this web site. For anyone who does decide to join, I urge you to become a fan of the site on Facebook, and just read what goes on there. You will learn a lot! Also read the FAQ's, as well as the discussion threads. You will be glad you did, because you'll also hear about what web sites to stay away from due to viruses or problems with getting swagbucks credited. I would want anyone joining to be really educated about the site so it will be a much more enjoyable experience. So I hope you do join, and the sooner you do, the sooner you'll be racking up those swagbucks!

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Baking Love

Today I awoke to a chilly, drizzly day. As for me, I love days like this. The misty rain stopped early though. I am grateful for any amount of rainfall. I know it's good for our garden. And so all day I have been indoors, puttering inside the house.

Then for an early dinner I made a meatloaf chock full of veggies, with a side of baked potato and green beans. Meatloaf for me is a perfect opportunity to use up as much of the herbs and spices in the pantry before they go stale. So I add a little bit of everything-- thyme, marjoram, parsley, chervil,  savory, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, even ground up juniper berries (a wonderful aroma) and of course a good dose of curry powder...... oh yes, and salt and pepper. After shaping the loaf I add a sprinkling of worcestershire sauce and a layer of tomato ketchup. Finally some strips of bacon on top and in the oven it goes for about an hour and a half.

I started thinking early in the day that meatloaf would go really nice with some home baked bread. Since the weather got me in the mood for baking the timing was great. Once I get started mixing up a batch of dough I am reminded that this is my first love of all things creative. It just feels so good to play with masa (dough)! I decided to make some short baguettes. In Mexican culture they are called 'bolillos'. As I understand it, the recipe is one of the many left from the time of the French occupation in Mexico. I just know they're good! Mine aren't nearly as perfectly shaped as a bakery one would be:

And good they were! Love the way the kitchen smells when I bake bread! It's like you step inside the house and the aroma is the first thing you notice- makes you want a slice slathered with butter! I'm just going to have to get in the habit of baking more often. And you know what else is so wonderful? I know exactly what ingredients went into the making of it. Only flour, yeast, water, and salt. The sesame seeds are optional and they're good for you too. Big reason to make your own!

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Mex-Ita

It has been said that necessity is the Mother of invention. For dinner I was making chicken envueltos also called 'flautas', and you absolutely have to have salsa when eating envueltos. Well that, and Mexican rice and refried beans of course. Anyhow, I was out of fresh tomatoes, which I prefer, and upon checking my pantry, I discovered I didn't have any cans of crushed or whole tomatoes to make it with. What's a cook to do? I may have very well discovered a new version of Mexican hot salsa, or hot sauce. I could probably name it MexIta sauce, since it's a mixture of Mexican and Italian flavors. I happened to have different brands of jars of Italian pasta sauces. Now I knew Prego or Ragu just wouldn't do, because they have such a strong 'oregano' or classic spaghetti sauce flavor. I needed something that was more about tomatoes and less about Italian spices. So there I was in the middle of my kitchen reading ingredient labels. I found this one, but I took the picture after I had rinsed out the bottle:

I proceeded to use it by first toasting the dried 'chile de arbol' pods over a skillet, then tossing into boiling water with three large cloves of garlic, cooking until well hydrated and softened. After draining the chiles, I added them with the garlic to the tomato sauce in the blender. You do have to be careful at this stage because suddenly breathing in the fumes can induce an uncomfortable coughing fit! The resulting product was thick and smelled earthy and rustic and just plain delicious. And the color! Oh, what a festive shade of red!

Who would've thought that it works! I really like the texture the tomatoes give the salsa. It's a velvety almost unctuous feel that is hard to describe. It's an intense flavor, different from your traditional hot salsa. It doesn't have the bright, crisp and clean flavors of traditional Mexican sauces. This is something different. A sauce for when you want something a little 'different'. So next time you're fresh out of an ingredient, use and make do with what you have. You just might find that you've discovered a special treat! I'm thinking I may have to do a poor man's copyright on this!

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Welcoming a New Blogger

I remember well when I first made my foray into the blogging world. I was unsure if I could even think of things to blog about. One thing I will never forget is that it was my dear friend Beverly from Tea Time and Roses who gave me a warm welcome and offered her help if I should need it. I learned from her that the blogging community is full of warm, friendly and helpful people. I also decided based on that experience that I too would try to 'pay it forward' when the opportunity arose. In a way, I did that by trying to be helpful to my friend Gloria from Viva La Vida by making posts about her and trying to direct readers to her blog. Gloria however, was already an experienced blogger, as she had already had a blog before the one she now authors.

I think the real opportunity to pay it forward came recently through Facebook and Swagbucks, where I 'met' another very nice lady who just barely started her own blog. I wanted to introduce her to the nice people who visit my blog. Her name is Michelle, and she is a stay at home Mom, a former air Stewardess, or flight attendant. She has so many ideas for being thrifty and saving money, and I just know her blog, Thoughts and Ideas, which is also titled "Girl in Air' in blogger, will be a great success! Please join me in giving her a warm welcome and visiting her blog. And please, do leave her a comment....or two ;)........As bloggers isn't that the one thing we aspire to? Comments, of course! I always say that comments to a blogger are like applause to an artist. So please head on over to her blog and pay her a friendly visit. You'll be glad you did, because already from the looks of it, she has some super helpful tips posted.

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Colors

I am loving the colorful visuals in this video! Ethnic and bold- full of Mexican symbolism. The bright cheerful colors remind me of a Frida Kahlo painting. Wish I could infuse all these colors into my world!

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Staying Busy

I haven't forgotten about blogging. I've simply been spending way too much time on the Swagbucks fan page looking for clues and codes to help me earn swagbucks. Already, I've earned 5 $5 gift cards, which I'll redeem over at Amazon when they're posted Monday. I think I've got enough for one of the Tasha Tudor books I've been wanting (there are several I want). Not too bad for for it being under a month registered with the site. The thing is, it can become a little addictive. You start earning, and then it's like you want more and more. I think I'll just take a more laid back approach after today. I'll simply do the searches and the weekly codes. Keep it simple, and it doesn't take over your life.

In other news, I've been tryin to make time to visit my fellow bloggers' sites. Also trying to learn to use Twitter. I for the life of me cannot get the workings of it. But I'm trying. Interestingly, it's also one of the sites used by Swagbucks for giving out codes and Swagbucks.

If this sounds like I've neglected my other hobbies, I'd have to agree. But only for today. I've got a couple of things I need to add to my Etsy shop. I will post about that soon.

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Candied Pomelo Peel

Well my friend Gloria is always cooking up yummy things in her kitchen. She recently made a post about making candied orange peel. Her post inspired me to give it a try. Since we had a goodly amount of pomelos from our tree, they yielded quite an amount of peel for just such a treat. I found this recipe for making Candied Pomelo Peel and it was perfect and so easy with a simple illustration too.

During the first stage of the process it simmers away:

The syrup took upwards of an hour and a half to finally reduce at a slow simmer. Then it was a matter of laying them out to dry.

Mmm... they looked so good at this stage and ready for enjoying.

But the recipe said to toss them in granulated sugar, so that was the final step.

They are delicious and bittersweet. I really like their color! They remind me so much of Mexican candied sweet potatoes "dulce de camote". Now I just have to find a nice container to store them in. This is such an easy thing to do with something you'd normally throw away. I'm thinking I'll do this again with oranges and even ginger. It's so easy and fun!

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Another Windy Day

Gorgeous but blustery day in January. The sun is out, and already I see our Arizona ash trees are budding. Hot days are not far behind. Inside the house, I'm feeling cold. I'm still wearing sweaters and pants, and my ever present fuzzy socks- even so I can still feel the cold of the tile floor.

Windy days like this are perfect for snuggling inside the house to write or read. My Sweetie has gone to the ranch to change the batteries in his cameras. I could have gone with him, but the last time I went the jostling of the truck on one of the dirt roads left me with a very sore backside. I can still feel the pain when I cough. A visit to the Doctor because of that yielded a prescription for sore muscles. I decided not to chance getting hurt again.

And so I am all alone now with my thoughts. I look at my hands and I see five small and faint age spots, but only on my right hand. An old hand and a young hand? Had they been on my face I could chalk it up to freckles. Freckles are cute. But on hands, they are a symbol of aging. Proof that no one escapes the ravages of time.

I like sitting in this very spot when it's windy. For some reason, possibly less noise barriers, I can really feel and hear the sound of the wind.  Usually it evokes sadness in me. But today, it just makes me think about the realities that other people live. Like a blogger in Illinois, who I'm sure loves where she lives, but I think about the stark countryside she is surrounded by at this time of year. And how the wind must sound there. Probably more pronounced and sad. I remember passing through the countryside of Illinoise on my way to Chicago during my late teens. It was the trip which changed my life forever. But perhaps that's a post for another day. There were so many fields, similar to where I had grown up in North Texas. Everyone has their own reality to deal with. Whether surrounded by beautiful green landscapes or dormant fields, it's what each person carries inside that shapes their view of their own and others' world.

For me, it all comes down to the fact that I'm a people watcher. No, not stalker. Watcher. Ever since I was a little girl, I remember my Abuelita taking me to the town plaza on Saturdays or Sundays to enjoy a snowcone, a tostada with chile, or a skewered mango with chile,and we'd sit in the beautiful marble benches, just watching people stroll by. I was always very curious and often wondered who they were and where they were going. I'm afraid I watched so much, I forgot to just live fully. But in a sense I suppose it explains why I enjoy blogging. It's a form of people watching. And we bloggers all do it. Of course, it also comes with a small caveat. This form of people watching is on a global scale. No longer merely the people strolling by in your neck of the woods...... and now they can also watch you! On the plus side, it has become a way to make new friends and to share knowledge and skills. Mind boggling when you think that just before the last twenty or so years, life as we know it was so very different. You'd lose touch with people you had known in school, and that was it. You'd never hear from them again. But then along comes Facebook, Twitter, Blogger and all that changes. Such a different reality from the one I grew up with.

Goodness! A windy day can surely set me to thinking!

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Work in Progress

My blog has become my little project- a work in progress. I've made the top banner and am using a template with multiple columns. I really only wanted three columns, but am finding uses for the other columns.  The only thing is it does look cluttered. Even my banner with the photos is a bit much.  It's all experimental at this stage. And it's all fun for me learning how to move things around and playing with gadgets and what not. I still have much to learn though.

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