These are a few of my favorite things

The Holy Grail of toys in  the 60's

Just looking at this Easy-Bake Oven takes me back to memories of childhood.  On this Flashback Friday I am having serious flashbacks!  Alas, I never owned the prized plastic baking incinerator although I wanted one, ohhhhhh I wanted one.  I speculate that my Mom wouldn't let me have one because she didn't trust that a light bulb could cook dough thoroughly enough to be safe to eat.  Bah, moms worry too much.  Well, I made up for it when I got older and I still prefer baking than cooking.  So all those "horrible" desserts I make are all my Mom's fault :)   Going back just around the the same time as the 

The Rootsy Family 

Dang, I'm out!

As I contemplated what I would use as a topic for this Thoughtful/Thankful Thursday, I was leaning towards the thankful side of the equation. Hands down, the number one thing that means the most to me on this earth is my family and those friends that assimilate into that group.  I am blessed to have tight family...I think those Polish genes have some kind of magnetism built into them because not only my immediate family but the whole extended lot of us stay pretty close.  

The pic to the left is of me a few years ago (hahaha) with my two older bros.  I grew up in a baseball family so naturally there would be baseball pics. I can still remember my Dad making me pose for this photo and how I was a bit flustered at being posed into the sliding position, but there was only the three of us so I was a poser by default. Of course I had to be the "bad guy" and be out!

As I said earlier my Polish roots run strong and deep so it seemed like we were always going

The Lady is not a Tramp

It's W/E Wednesday so I'm just gonna talk about whatever I'm thinking is cool at this moment and that would be Lady Gaga.  Not too long ago I wouldn't have believed I'd be this interested in The Lady G, but I was more than thoroughly impressed with her performance at the Oscar's this past Sunday.  I actually didn't watch on Sunday but I caught some snippets of it on the news the next day and hitched on the ol' YTube to view the whole production and I thought it was incredible. The more I catch of her, the further engrossed I become.  I've loved the Sound of Music ever since I saw it in the movie theater when I was a little girl and came out singing...poor Mom!  So, when I heard the

Brownie Blitzkrieg 

Ooooooo yum

Hellow der!  Doesn't that image on the left make your mouth curious a bit?  Oh, it should because it's a scrumtrulescent dessert I just made the other day.  Seeing as it's Tips, Tricks and Treats Tuesday I thought it'd be a good day to pass on the recipe.  My cooking skills, in my opinion, are okay (I might kick myself up a notch to good when it comes to Polish Foods which I'll probably cover in the future), but my dessert slinging is pretty good.  I'm thinking my family might be in agreement with me on the dessert front, at least I hope they are as it makes me happy to feed their faces!  My "baby" girl will periodically  

Hello Dali

Just wow...

For today's Mesmerizing Medium Monday I was trying to decide what type of artistic topic to cover and, seeing as I've been posting a lot of music, decided to go the odd artist route.  I'm a type that can appreciate many forms of creative expression, but I do have a hankering for Surrealism.  Perhaps my bend in that direction came from reading a ton of Dr. Seuss books when I was young...LOVED them and I still consider Theodor Geisel one of my most admired authors.  However my tastes became acquired is of no matter, I suppose, because they are what they are now and they sure go down easy and fill me up inside!  Today my artist of choice is going to be Salvador Dali, whose works and life are awesomely interesting.  You would not be at a loss for finding images of and by him, just 

Simple Sunday-Winter-tide Waltz

The snow's stark white patina

flows as far as my

 eyes observe

Walking, crackle-crunch my boots whisper

in the silence of the moment

A brittle breeze sneaks into

the few gaps of my

coat of winter armor

reminding me of it's 

presence and power

I shudder, adjusting my knits and fluff

in attempts to fend off

the windy bites 

Succeeding, I trod on

the day's sun hung

high and dry

making the trek a treat of beauty

Atmosphere azure

the world's clock seems stilled

My mind swirls and sings

with the visions 

around about me as I dance this

Winter-tide Waltz

CCB 

2/22/2015

Weathering Winter

Ah, such exuberance!

As I was talking to a neighbor the other day. we started chatting about the "brisk" Michigan winters and she stated something to the fact that she was just searching for an opportunity to get the heck out of Dodge and move to a warmer climate.  Well I, being the Michigan Lover that I am, was actually saddened at her attitude.  Now, there's nothing wrong with this young gal wanting to flee the coldness that the Mitten is known for and I know there are many out there that feel the same.  I'm not particularly in love with the cold but I do enjoy the snow for the most part and I believe that it truly helps, in any seemingly unpleasant situation, to search for a golden nugget of fun. So, on this Snapshot Saturday I'll clue you in

The Much-more-than-swinging Sixties

Flashback Friday's is heading into the Swinging Sixties this week.  The Hub and I were talking the other night and, for the life of me I can't remember why, we started talking about a song we remembered from when we were young sprouts called "Winchester Cathedral".  Actually we had trouble remembering the title, thinking more along the lines of it being "St. blank blank's Cathedral" but thank goodness for Google Search!  Of course when you go to YouTube you end up wandering far from where you started so I'm finding lots of tasty tracks for future posts, but I think I'll concentrate on those that are a bit more on the fun side for this week.  Next up is

Take a Close Look

What am I?

I was out a few days ago and spotted something I thought would look cool, literally and figuratively, in a pic.  Oh, ta da, it's Thoughtful/Thankful Thursday, so maybe I'll make you think a bit and hopefully to be thankful, too.  So, to continue with my chilly endeavor, I grabbed my camera and ventured outside to grab a few images.  As I was composing my shot, I was thinking about how perspective plays a huge roll in how we interpret information and draw conclusions.  It's hard to make a judgement based on one tiny piece of information.  For instance, can you tell what this picture is of?  You can probably make a good guess...I didn't get too

Dogumentary

                                                           

A Frosted Chowbador

As I was thinking of what I was going to chat about today, I got to thinking about one of my fav-o-rite creatures in this whole, ginormous world and that would be dogs.  Seeing as I am going to make yet another pronouncement and dub Wednesdays as W/E Wednesdays which leaves me a day to discuss anything that poops (yes, I meant that) into my brain-bowl, I thought the pawsy set would be fun and, of course, a-dooooor-able to concentrate on.  I suppose I'll highlight my own bundle of fuzzy-love, my Chowbador (part Chow Chow and part Black Lab) Vader.  I can still remember when he was first brought to my attention on

So cheap yet soooo good

"Iz it moi, or iz it zee bocking soodah?"

I was watching some tube the other day and there is a new trend making the rounds where women, searching for that smooth face, are shaving...ewww!  It's bad enough shaving my legs (and sorry to you guys out there, both for those of you who choose to shave your face everyday and for those actually reading this part of today's posting...I apologize and promise to get off this particular topic in a few more sentences) but to resort to my face, well I don't think so.  But the smooth face did appeal to me so I continued to listen on and I'm glad I

did.  Later on in the segment some man, who

Baby it's cold outside!

Well, apparently we're in the midst of another cold snap which by definition means "a sudden, relatively brief period of cold weather".  In the middle of it this cold "snap" it's not feeling particularly brief. And I wonder where the term "cold snap" came from in the first place...maybe from things snapping off of you from the frigid temps?  However I'm sure it simply conveys a quick time period.  Whatever it's beginnings as a phrase, it's surely not a "snap" to go through!  The video here was sung by one of my new favorite singers, Dean Martin and accompanied 

Relax y'all

Mac in the deep freeze

Today is Simple Sunday, a day when all I'll post is just a photo and possibly some prose to go along with it.  You'll be seeing a lot of Mac ( the Mackinac Bridge to those unaware) as I love this area and this bridge.  I have actually had multiple dreams about Mac...sounds weird but what can I say?  I hope you enjoy this image and feel some peace from this winter scene.

Have a Cheerful Lovey Day

A heart-y sentiment 

It's Saturday and I've decided that I'll set this day aside as Snapshot Saturday and let my own photos do most of the "talking" for me.  I love, love, love to take pictures so I have a stockpile to choose from, plus I'm always, always, always taking more.  The first pic and last pics are oldies but the rest are fresh.

So whether you have a honey to share Valentine's Day with or standing independent and strong, we can all get that lovin' feeling by just sharing a nice comment or even a simple smile to those you chance to meet along life's path.  Actually, thinking about it,

Have a Happy Day :  )

Okay Universe, say "Cheese"!

Perhaps you've seen this image recently as it's been making the media rounds this past week or so.  If you have no idea what this is about, which if you're reading my blog and on the internet I would find hard to believe, I can tell you that it's an image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of a  massive galaxy cluster known as SDSS J1038+4849.  That last bit means nothing to me, but I suppose it does to some 

We are the Music Makers

I was just re-thinking over all the hub-bub after the Grammy's and a certain persons reaction to another person winning a Grammy (that'd be Kanye West and Beck).  I didn't bring it up to add to any controversy (this is a happy place, after all), but the situation did make me look up Beck as I wasn't familiar with his music.  I found a really interesting video with him and a large group of other wonderful musicians and it impressed me very much, so much so that it got me to pondering on music in general. Before I get into my topic further here is the Beck video for you to 

           

Living in the Past

Theodore Roosevelt, our most awesome President

I'm not what some would call a history buff, but as I've gotten older I've acquired a taste for reading about information from our past.  I really didn't care all that much when I was younger but now have gleaned that we actually CAN learn from the past.  Not that I think we should yearn for things from the "Good 'ol days" to the point where we attempt to stay there and not enjoy our life in this moment.   Remember, today will be the future's "Good 'ol days"!  With that being clear as crystal, I'll continue on with my

Family Dinner Fun

Yummy Muggy Cake!

Today I decided to make a dessert for our weekly Family Dinner.  Ha, that sentence sounds weird since it seems to imply that we only eat dinner once a week.  So to clarify, at our house we set aside Tuesday for our extended family (as in my MIL, nephew, my two brothers and daughter and SIL when they can make it) to have dinner.  Seeing as Valentine's day is coming up I thought I'd make something with a heart theme. I rifled through my cupboard and decided to make Aunt Betty's 1-2-3 Cake, or Muggy Cake as I call it just because it's quicker and sounds more fun.  Oh, before I forget, here's the link.....

http://thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2011/11/aunt-bettys-1-2-3-cake.html 

I thought this was also a better choice as I am in great need of losing a bit of weight, boo, and I believe each serving

Didja Know?

Did you know that the Andy Griffith show's theme song was titled "The Fishin' Hole" or that it actually has lyrics?  I sure didn't.  Hubster and I have been watching a lot of Andy and Barn lately as we don't watch a bunch of the regular fair that's available over the airwaves.  You may giggle and call us archaic or cheap (the latter is the best choice), but we don't have cable.  However, the world still continues to revolve despite this fact!  Oh, and make sure to click on the READ MORE tab in the lower left corner (I've just learned how to use a jump break) as there's much more to see!

The Sheep's Learning!

As I stated in my last blog I'm a technological oaf so my progress will be super-slow going.  However I conquered a few new techniques including how to post from YouTube as evidenced above.  I couldn't figure out how to center the video (yet) but I am still excited that I was able to figure out, on my own, how to share this cool kitchen tip with you!  I haven't tried this out yet but I'm pretty geeked up see if it works.  Let me know if you have tried this out and had success.

Some people may like to slap me for this, but I enjoy the winter snow.  I don't particularly like to drive in a blizzard but I do like to play around in it and I don't even mind shoveling

Stuck in the pudding!

...it's good exercise!  Through all my longgggg years, I've recently learned a to have an attitude of adventure and not apprehension about the challenges in life that plop along in my path.  I learned this lesson a few summers ago when the hubster and I headed to the U.P. (that's the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for those not-in-the-know) to drive up to  Mt. Arvon, Michigan's highest point.  Our excursion was in the Spring so, unbeknownst to us, the dirt road to the top was more like a thick, chocolate pudding.  Sounds yummy but not to drive on.  We presently got stuck, no more like glued, into this slurry and absolutely nothing we did helped.  Lots of praying ensued and somehow I was able to get through to AAA (remember we were in a mountainy area).  After much apprehension (at points I yelled for help to hubby's annoyment) we were rescued by some great Yoopers (for those not from Michigan, those who live in the U.P.).  I kept apologizing for our predicament and the tow truck driver told us it was okay and that that's what sometimes happens when you go "adventuring" and another just chortled "Ah, we do dat fer fun!".  I love the Yopper attitude and I've been trying to adopt it as my own ever since.  This mind set certainly helps, especially during our brisk Midwest Winters.  As I said earlier, I always did like winter and still do. My favorite activity is to just savor the view and perhaps take a few pics like the two I've shared today. I hope you fancy them.  I can only hope so as I have tons more to share in the future!

Sea of Snow

Snow Moon

Can you teach an old sheep new tricks?

Well here I am, starting on a new adventure which is becoming a new motto in my life.  I always was  a more hesitant person, apprehensive at trying out new things and I'm sure when I honestly think  about it, it was for fear of failure.  I'm getting older now and, I suppose, a bit wiser from plain old observation,  the sweet/sour experiences sent my way and the gift of common sense to try and make some sense of it all.  Being the older "sheep" that I am, this blog, for me, is a "new trick" of sorts.  I am largely a technological oaf so this endeavor, or adventure as I actually prefer to call it, makes me a bit nervous given my general personal makeup.  However, as I have stated earlier, I am trying be wise and apply many of the lessons I've learned in my life and now on my bleating blog.  Hopefully I can inspire someone out there in blog-land to learn, laugh and loll  along with me! 

Why should I follow your blog? you may ask.  Good question!  I am hoping that my blog will become a sort of oasis in this hectic world we live in.  I have felt so bombarded with negativity, whether it be in the news, online (Facebook can be soooo negative at times!), or in my own dealings with people, that I felt compelled to offer a positive choice to those of you that my feel the same.  My Grandma was always looking for an excuse to have a party and spread some "old fashioned" fun and love and I have picked up on that vibe.  Consider my blog your mini-party for the day.  I think that's a pretty cool reason to follow!

As this blog-thing is new to me, I hope you will be patient with me as I learn the process of creating a  neato-keen place for you to visit and hopefully bring a giggle and grin, a smirk and smile and possibly a corny but welcome heartwarming...ah, just like hug from a warm chocolate chip cookie, potentially messy but oh, so good.

I enjoy writing and also photography so I'm planning on incorporating those interests into my blog so check back often on my progress with that!  I'm curious myself to see how that will turn out.  I have some grand visions in my head and I'll try my best to brighten your day with some light in this sometimes dark world.  So this old sheep will toddle along a new path and hopefully you will tag along...I believe we're both in for some adventuring.  Baa baa!

He's not s sheep, but you can't get much more heartwarming than a Chowbador with a Chocolate Chip Cookie on his head.