29 December 2012

Hello my bloggy friends!  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a wonderful New Year.  That's still up in the air what with fiscal cliffs and winter weather possibly wreaking havoc, but there's still lots to be thankful for and we truly are blessed to live in the greatest nation on earth.
We've had some heavy-duty snow this past week in our little town of Burney, but only two homes' roofs caved in and one store and NO ONE DIED because of it, so that is definitely something to  be thankful for.  Christmas was interesting trying to get everyone together.  This house only saw half the family able to make it over the mountain but I am grateful to have had at least half.  And thanks to my son, I got a respite from shoveling the white stuff. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
With three feet plus of snow, getting wood to the house is a challenge. The snow has packed down, frozen crust on top, but one still sinks up past the knees in places when trying to traverse the white expanse.  Running a wheelbarrow through it is obviously impossible. Year before last I bought a kid's sled and had to use it a couple of times that winter.  Last winter it stayed in the shed.  Now, with this #@%! looking like it might be around for longer than any of us can imagine, it is time to utilize Sled.  It works like a charm as long as 1.  it isn't too bumpy along the snow path, 2.  the path is wide enough, 3.  you go slow.  Number 4 may come into play as the days progress and that would be:  4. there aren't too many sunken foot prints for the sled to get caught on.  There are places where that little sled glides along perfectly on the packed snow and over the sink holes and it glides especially well once we get to the little deck in back of the house.  Once onto that (it's cleared of snow as I write this, but that could change) and if it is early enough in the morning and things are still icy, Sled glides along like a penguin 'ice swimming' on its belly and you better look out or it will bowl you over.  Don't ask me how I know this!  I am perfecting my techniques every morning and it is getting easier and easier -- practice makes perfect --  and using  Sled is a hundred times easier than hauling a small arm load of wood at a time across 100 plus feet of unstable white @#%!, umm, I mean snow.
Here's a pic of Sled and a shot of the wood pile at the back of the property----  It's that brown , iced over, snow covered lump you can see between and behind the two bushes.


Well, for heaven's sake!  Here we go again with the side-ways photos.  Sorry.  I simply do not know how to correct this!


Getting around is a case in careful placement of every step because as the snow melts a little each day, it freezes again at night and there are icy patches everywhere.  Winter.  Such a lovely time of the year. Oh please, just shoot me!


29 October 2012

Bandon R & R

Wow, it has been a busy summer!  I have had all I can do to keep up with Paperkissesandinkywishes.com not to mention the three part-time jobs, the house, and the yard. But I am not complaining, just explaining. I am truly blessed and very grateful.
I do have some fun and interesting things to share with you soon, but today I just wanted to pop in, say hi, let you know I am still alive and kicking, and let you know that the disposable razor test is over.  It's true ---- you CAN get a LOT of use out of a disposable razor if you take the time to dry the blade each and every time you use it and then store it in a dry place.  I started this little experiment a year ago this month and while I don't have to shave as often now that I am a bit older, it was still a worthwhile test I believe. This is not only cost-effective in tough economic times, but getting as much mileage as possible out of these things keeps the stuff out of our landfills.  Frugal and green; that's me.
Burger and I have been away for a little R & R ----- we visited a good friend in Oregon and we spent some time on the Oregon coast.  Bandon!  What a gorgeous little seaside town.  It's full of charm with easy access to some beautiful, rugged coastline. We had such fun.  I leave you with a couple of photos.  Well, maybe more than a couple.  Thanks for stopping by.  I will be back soon with another money-saving tip.  Take care! Shawna





                                       This isn't Bandon, it's the new foot bridge on the
                                        North Umpqua River near Susan Creek. Frannie
                                        took me on a little cruise around Roseburg to see
                                        the sights.  We are having a wonderful visit!


31 July 2012

I'm baaaaack....

Gee, where has the time gone?  And I see I need to be changing that Christmas banner.  Or just leave it up as the holiday will be here before we know it.  Sorry about all that; I have been busy. Who hasn't????
As for the post on the vinegar and water bath to extend the life of berries ---- it works!!!  I got up to three additional days out of the last basket of strawberries I purchased.  They may have lasted longer, but I gobbled them up too quickly, so the experiment will continue if I can ever leave them alone long enough.

I am sure you have heard about Teflon coated pans being in disfavor due to flaking of the Teflon coating and using high heat with them being a no-no. Big health risk if you are using these things.  The big thing now is ceramic coated pans and I found one at my local market the other day and on a whim decided to give it a try.  WOW!  All I can say is WOW!!!!  I bought the saute pan and when I got home I tried it out immediately by spraying some vegetable oil in it ---- a teeny tiny amount --- and tossed in some cut up bell peppers, onion, zuchinni, potatoes, and garlic and broke some eggs while the mix sauteed.  Once the veggies had  delectable browned bits on them, I removed them and scrambled my eggs in the wonder pan.  Amazing.  I used high heat, too, and I have to tell ya the results were remarkable.  I am in love with this pan.  The food browned nicely and nothing stuck to the pan.  Seriously.  Cleanup was unbelievable, too; just a swipe with a paper towel and most of it came right off.  I had one tiny little spot that required a damp paper towel, but it too, was easy to remove.  I have been sauteing stuff like crazy around here!  You don't have to use plastic utensils with this stuff, nor do you have to watch the heat level.  They recommend you do not cut food up inside the pan, but that's no biggy.  This stuff delivers on its promise!  They aren't all that expensive either.  I paid $17.99 for my small pan and I think it is worth every single penny.   Have a wonderful day.  I am off to saute another wonderful dish.  Thank you for not abandoning the Two Dogs blog.  Hugs, Shawna
 This photo shows some corn in the mix, took this one during a different sauteing session.  Different mix, same results.


16 March 2012

MIA

Did you think I had given up on the Two Dogs blog?  Nope.  Time just flies and before you know it, FOUR months have passed. Guess I should be happy it wasn't four years!  *smile*.  Lots of things have happened.  Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day; all the big holidays.  Someone knocking, nay POUNDING, on my door at 3 a.m.  Time to gear up for defending the home front.  And worst of all, I had to put my precious little Toonie Mae Hound, Princess Dog of Burney down and my heart has ached ever since.  A sweeter pup one could never find and I will miss her forever.  I try not to dwell too much on losing her because it just gets me to the melt-down stage, so enough said.
Someone sent me an email describing how to make your store-bought or home grown berries last a lot longer.  Bear in mind I have not tried this yet, but I can see how it would work.  Make up a solution of one part vinegar to 10 parts water and just dump those berries -- any kind ---- into the solution and swish around for a few seconds and drain.  No need to rinse.  Store as you normally would and you will get quite a few more days to enjoy nature's bounty if you don't get them eaten up right away.
I have an adorable picture of Burger to show you that was taken at work, but I don't have it on my computer yet. Soon as it arrives in my email I will try to get it posted.
Have a wonderful weekend!!!
Hugs,
Shawna