Almond Brittle Biscotti

"I'm not where I thought I would be or where I wanted to be at this point in my life." Have you ever uttered these words to someone else or has someone spoken these syllables into your life? The quotation marks are intentional as they represent words which have echoed within the chambers of my soul from the moment I was told them nearly a year ago. To reconcile ourselves with pain we must first be thankful for the pain. What a minute?This is such a tough notion to wrap our flawed human desire around, as most of us will shut down rather than dive into hurt.

The Tibetan Buddhist nun, Pema Chodron opened my soul to search beyond love and to examine attachment. We can both love and yet separate ourselves from being attached to people. For in loving them we can also learn to let go of them. The love does not seize to exist. It's merely transformed. Perhaps it's through death, divorce or a geographical distance that we find ourselves separated from a love we once came to know and could not or would not imagine ever being apart from.

As we enter into the season of Easter, I ponder upon how Christ spoke of such separation at the time of his Crucifixion. As he expressed the feelings of being forsaken by his father. Religion does not solely represent peace and love. Faith however in a collective spirit of inner self love is a common thread through out all religions..In that common thread our soul can find peace.

Love yourself where you are at this point in your life. Give love and be open to receiving love. Not the greedy sexual desire of love as Henri Nowen speaks of in his book The Return Of The Prodigal Son. There is a pure love. Outwardly, we can fool, trick and be impostors of love. Inwardly, until we reconcile ourselves to our own pain and reconcile ourselves with the source of pain, the searching will continue and self love will always elude us. We will never arrive to the point in our life where we "want to be."

Offer praise and thanksgiving for suffering as it is in those times that we see the face of God.

Almond Brittle Biscotti

• Make your Almond Brittle
• Make your Biscotti Batter
• Shape
• Bake
• Slice
• Bake Again
• Share with Love

Make your Almond Brittle
2 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of sugar
1/4 cup sliced blanched almonds

Melt the butter with the sugar in a skillet over medium heat. Add almonds and cook until the nuts turn golden brown and are caramelized. This will take a little while, shake your pan, stir, watch them closely. Once the almonds and sugar syrup are golden turn the mixture out onto a parchment lined baking sheet to cool.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Make your dough.
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream that butter and sugar together until nice and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine your flour, soda, salt and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to your creamed mixture and gently stir them all together. Remember you want a nice tender dough. Just combine everything and then stir in your beautifully caramelized almonds.

Divide the dough in half. Creating 2 individual sections. Shape each section into logs on your parchment lined baking sheet.

These should be about 1/2" high by 1 1/2" wide by 14'" long. Wet your fingers to make this process work more efficiently.

Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes.
Place on cutting board or flat surface and slice each log with a serrated knife into about 3/8 inch thick slices. Yes, the dough really expands in the baking process.

Lay the slices back on the baking sheet.
Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until your desired crunchiness. I baked mine for about 12 minutes.

Bake these to share with those you love. By all means bake them just for you. Love yourself!

Perseverance

If you're new here, take a minute to check out the tab entitled "About", The words written today will be better understood as you read.

Columbia Creations... do I look for the connection therefore I find it, or does this reoccurring theme truly seem to unravel?
As I sat on the phone with my local gas company today, switching the bill from Mister's name to my own. The surreal reminder of this blog shot through me like an electric pulse. Right through to my very core.

It's been nearly two years since my last post.

During this time period, I have endured and been grieving the loss of my mother, the death of my brother, the death of both of my beloved dogs, the end of my marriage to Mister.

I tell you this list of personal catastrophes not looking for comfort as there is no earthly way to overcome. Breath. Accept. Release. Let Go. Repeat. Daily if not hourly at times.

So, good old Columbia Gas Company turned my writer bone back on. I considered starting a new blog. A fresh, updated, solo venture blog.

 Yet, every post.
 Every triumph in gardening, Every adventure in travels. Every recipe tasted and enjoyed, were and still are the shining truths and accomplishments of my experiences.

I fired up the oven today, dusted off the cookie sheets.
I will come back to this place.
This place is my home.
This place is my expression.
 Columbia Creations and I have been stagnant. But, like the Dahlias I've grown. We both will bust open in bold bloom once again.

Hello

My flea market fever is creeping up on me as winter drags it's evil feet out the door. Our local second hand shops have been stocking their shelves with new items which have been purchased from department stores and then re-shelved at the likes of the Goodwill. All winter long I've dreamed of the flea market scene. Slim pickin's at the local secondhand stores around here.

I'm not sure who is involved in the restructuring of our area Goodwill stores. I will say, "I'm not impressed". The prices are outrageous. The "new" items that they have stocked can just as easily be found at a dollar store for far less than the Goodwill prices. My last 3 shopping trips to what was once a favorite secondhand store has found me leaving empty handed. Bummer.

Selling stuff at the flea market is just as exhilarating as shopping and find a gem. I've been stock- piling this winter and have a nice bounty to peddle at a few sales this summer. The gypsy wagon shall roll again!!

We had a slight break in the cold last week. Red potatoes went in the ground. We planted the leftover potatoes from last years harvest. Uneaten and waiting, covered in 8 inch sprouts, it seemed a shame to not give them a chance at a second go around. I'm hopeful their efforts won't go to waste and the planting will succeed.
 Also, two types of peas were planted. Of course....peas!!

No sign of asparagus yet. I have flea market fever and asparagus anticipation.
Crocheting has kept me within decent boundaries of sanity.
Stained glass window project number one is hours away from completion and projects two and three are in the works.
Isn't that just like the month of March? Hurry up and wait. I have many unfinished projects that are waiting in the wings for sunshine and blue skies.
Another winter in the books! Hip hip Hooray.

Nooks and Crannies

If you landed here on a search for English Muffins then here is a recipe you might enjoy. Were you in search of reading devices? I can't help you there. Let's move along to the nooks and crannies of a 1920's bungalow home. Come on it will be fun.
Behind this hardly noticeable door in my kitchen is a bounty of goods. I have opened this door to retrieve an item while in the midst of company and several people have remarked to having never noticed it as a cupboard.
Check it out!

Many nooks and crannies of our home have been left in their original condition. I'll save my money on baking supplies. Have you priced home remodeling items lately? Kind of ridiculous when our kitchen functions great as it has for nearly 100 years. Why on earth I would be so bold as to come in and start renovating? If that's your thing, great. I would rather forsake new and improved to have a little extra spare change on hand for luxury baking items in my kitchen. What do I consider luxury baking items? Parchment paper, coarse sugar, lots and lots of flavorings, good flours, the best butter I can get my hands on, you get the point. Nook untouched holding my supplies.

I didn't tidy it up before you arrived. This is how I live. Someone lined the interior of my spice cupboard with a spiffy patterned wallpaper. I washed it down with some bleach when we moved into this house over 2 years ago, shut the door, and felt good about that.
The door of this cupboard has the cool old hardware. I considered cleaning it up and all, but times a wastin' and she waits for no one. Again, if you're into fine tuned hardware in your home, great. I have cakes to bake and no time for fine hardware. Isn't it splendid with natural patina?

In older homes with lots of wood, the eye overlooks hidden treasures, like my spice cupboard. It's been in my mind for days upon days to bake a cake. Not a chocolate cake, not a Maida Heater cake, not a spice or fruit or cinnamony cake. What to do, what to do?

We are suppose to be hit with some artic air soon so I might as well put on another pair of socks and go slide around in the kitchen and bake a cake.

Good bye January you mean old bitch.

Deep Freeze

Look what found their way into my cart at the Goodwill. Lucky brand slipper boots with a sole sturdy enough to venture to the back porch to feed the birds but, still relaxed enough to putz around the house in a slipper sort of mode.

Bargain at under $4.00.

 Look double squirrels on the bird feeder. The snowman feeder is cute as heck but, a real pain in the behind to fill with sunflower seeds. I purchased this thinking it would certainly prevent the squirrels from eating the bird feed. How's that working for me? Not effective. This was taken pre-deep freeze. Currently the feeder hangs among the snow covered frozen branches waiting for me to come out and refill.

Homemade Granola makes me get out of bed in January. I like a little yogurt with a generous amount of granola. I could live on this stuff. I've found granola is most enjoyable without the addition of dried fruit. I'm kinda over dried fruit. From scones to biscotti to granola, I've used my fair share of dried fruits and at some point my interest might return to this humble ingredient but, for now, I'm over it.

Uncle Tim Soup loaded with crackers makes a perfect weekday evening meal. This soup is quick to come together and everyone loves it around my house. A huge pot of soup is ready in under 20 minutes. Caker cooking at it's finest.

Deep Freeze weather demands crocheting. Today I floated from the stove to the crochet corner to the glass cutting area of the basement. The scarf is for Anna. It matches a slouchy beanie that I've already crocheted for her. The scarf is a free form piece of work with no pattern. I'm making the ends of the scarf fancier by crocheting in the back posts only and doing a half double crochet throughout the entire middle section.
Here's a little update on the stained glass piece, I've been fussing with lately.

A serious amount of aged caulk needed removed first and foremost. A heat gun and razor knife made this job easier.

 Plexiglass does not play well with a heat gun. This panel held a little challenge but, it's de-caulked. Yep, it's a word, de-caulked.

 So here you have it. Old window panes and plexiglass removed. Painted with leftover brown paint from my basement stairs project. Today, six more pieces of glass were cut for this piece and are placed into their proper area. Good news, I only broke two pieces of glass. I'm getting better at the cutting and grinding of the glass.

It's my goal for the weekend to finish the stained glass window and Anna's scarf.
Pot number two of soup is made and dinner is covered for the weekend so aside from an exciting auction to go to, I will be tinkering away during the deep freeze finishing up projects.
I really cannot think of a better way to wittle away the time when it's to cold to venture out and about. Deep freeze mode has arrived!

New, Used, Not Amused

Are you a dust free on top of the refrigerator type of person? Or do you just pile random stuff and loaves of bread up there, sort of like an extra shelf. Maybe you have a cupboard above your ice box, the type of cupboard no one can ever reach
Last week our new refrigerator was scheduled to arrive. I hauled out all of our food from the freezer and loaded everything into a cooler. Then I proceeded to pitch, cook, or load the entire contents out of the refrigerator into another cooler. The condiments took up temporary residency in the kitchen sink.

The old side by side refrigerator has been a pain in the butt from day one. The freezer cramped my style. Have you ever tried putting a frozen ice cream cake or a whole pizza in a side by side? Well just forget that plan.
 After hating this refrigerator for quite a few years, we decided to go deep into the wallet for a more user friendly version. In general, Mister and I are smart with our money. This purchase was a complete luxury for our home.

Have I painted a picture of desperation and frustration? Food in a cooler, refrigerator unplugged, and sold in fact, ready to be picked up and hauled away by it's new owner. Finally my day of refrigerator nirvana had arrived.
 I waited. Patiently. Waited.
No delivery truck arrived.

A phone call to the Depot confirmed my worst fear. They were not coming. Apparently someone at the big box store failed to call us and reschedule our delivery.
My deluxe apartment in the sky dreams were dwindling quick.
My wonderful french doors, freezer on the bottom, ice and water in the door, was on back order.
 No. The "someones gonna get it" attitude gets inserted here.

The Depot's answer was to bring me out a "loaner" refrigerator.
I am now stuck with this little dinky stainless steel hunk of crap refrigerator temporarily until my refrigerator is available. I'm 7 days into using it and will be waiting until the 21st for the goods to be delivered. Am I complaining? Nah, not really, I'm looking forward to my first "new" refrigerator and other than a lot of frustration, extra work moving my food from coolers, and huge disappointment, I'm cool.
Here are a few things which can usually be found atop my refrigerator

The cookbooks I go to most often for inspiration. I like having them there, right on top of the refrigerator, at my fingertips.
Somehow I have managed to raise 4 children and get by with used appliances for all of these years. A few more days of waiting for the holy grail of chill to arrive should only serve to make me appreciate it all the more.
Still come on, get it right Depot!

Cocoa Powder

Learning new things at my age makes a lasting impression. I'm left with the question as to how I've managed to get through life this far without knowing this information. Take cocoa powder for instance. My pantry has always contained that familiar brown can of cocoa powder and that was enough for me. Certainly the only difference was cost and possibly a slightly higher quality but, no...there is much more complexity to cocoa powder.

 Ignorance is only bliss until you discover the information. Now I'm left with wondering how many recipes could have been better if I had researched my cocoa powder choices further. This is a little thing. The world has major issues. Yet cocoa powder still tops my list of major concerns today.

There's gonna be a new cocoa powder (or two) about to move in on that brown can in the pantry. There's a few recipes I need to remake. Turns out that cocoa powder is acidic and different levels of acid in different types effect the outcome of recipes more than I ever realized. Cocoa powder acts as a leavening agent as well as a flavoring. Who knew??

Yep, I'm not a trained professional just an average person learning as I go. Now, what about that butter?? More research is needed...

How to bring solitude to your life

Commonly, the weekends are busier than the weekdays around here. Once upon a time, my ambition was to spend Saturday afternoons in the kitchen cooking long slow pots of stews, soups, or sauces. From time to time this still happens. With only three of us living at home now, it's more realistic to order dinner in or just dine on a simple meal.
This new lifestyle holds a few charms. After a short trip to Hobby Lobby to retrieve acrylic paints and a short trip to a local ceramic shop, my long weekend formed. I spend almost every waking hour held up in the basement blissfully painting visions of sugar plums. What great joy! I stumbled up the stairs a few times to do a household chore here and there. I even cooked a somewhat proper Sunday morning breakfast. Aside from miniscule duties, my weekend was spent in solitude. Charming indeed.
As Monday morning approaches, I'm considering the wonderful grocery list that will be compiled for the annual feast of Thanks. I'm thankful everyday. Supposedly the entire country pauses for a minute to reflect upon the things that matter. What matters to you? What makes your life filled with charming moments. What brings solitude into your day?

What matters to me?

• Growth of myself as a person, in a way that brings goodness to those around me.
• Tolerance, being surrounded by people who are tolerant of others religion, race, lifestyle.
• Order, never placing the horse before the cart.

It stands to reason that I will be making the exact same holiday food this year as in the past 30 years. It's a meal served once a year (usually) so we've come to expect a certain amount of sameness. Should I veer off the beaten path and throw in a zinger, I will share the recipe here with you!

Kick off your season with the ones who bring joy to your life. Set aside the people who predictably create strife in your days. Search for the folly, the jolly, and the simple silence of life.
Everything else is just horse shit anyways!

Take a good hard look at your family tree and don't be afraid to identify the broken branches!

Andy Griffith and real life.

I have cake on the brain. It's been stuck in there for a few weeks. Not muffins, or cupcakes, an honest to goodness challenge of a cake. My priorities are straight, cake just hasn't been on the top of the list of stuff to accomplish. Tomorrow maybe.
On a happy note, my marjoram, oregano, basil, and assorted herbs are thriving in my garden. As predicated though, the tomato plants for the most part are dead. It seems most of things that I truly enjoy doing have been stagnant for too long.
Do you ever find yourself in this situation? A few little changes in my routine and my harmonious cake baking self gets all out of whack.
I watch as my 6th grader is struggling with summer vacation. She likes routine. I'm thankful she isn't the kind of kid who is amused easily by the media and video games. She informed me of this last week. "Mom, I'm not a cozy clothes, lay around, and watch television type of kid." So, she's missing her routine of school. Just as she finds herself adjusting to summer vacation it will be time to start back to school.
Structure is good.
It's time for cake baking, blogging, and photo taking. Who's with me?

A Tom Cruise Moment

Am I whining or rejoicing? It's sort of hard to tell sometimes. Oh yes, I know, the world has real suffering. People are hungry, cold, and heartbroken. I've been there too! Maybe that's why rejoicing seems all the sweeter.
I have been without a full functioning kitchen for over 9 months. My cake baking, slow, long roasted dinners, and huge vats of soup have been all but non-existent. I am within days or maybe weeks of having my kingdom restored. I'm neither cold, hungry, or heartbroken. Just eager to slide around in my socks in the kitchen and flit from counter to counter. Heck yes, it's time to churn out the goodies from the kitchen. There, that's the whining part... over with!

I'm not a high maintenance type of woman. My kitchen will function very practical and efficient. Most important to me is a non cluttered, spiffy clean workspace.
I'm stalking down recipes. Making up for lost time. The Kitchen Aide mixer is calling for me and it's time to get my cake on.
Just knowing the cans of  Lime Rickey paint are coming up from the basement and going on the walls soon, gives me hope. Hot Dang!

Windows

I've heard, if we dream of a house, the house is a representation of your inner self. I quite frequently dream of a house with an attic. In this attic lives a crazy witchy lady. Often in my dream I am going up the attic stairs to see if the lady is there. She has many cool things in the attic. I always sneak and rummage through her possessions. I never take anything. I just admire them. No kidding. It's often an exhilirating, scary feeling. Sometimes, I am showing other people this secret attic area in my dream.

Don't worry I'm not delusional. I don't believe that some weirdo is living in my house or anything of the sorts. These dreams I'm telling you about are good dreams. Somewhat scary but very long, vivid, curious dreams. I do not want to awake and leave behind the dream. I must be trying to embrace my inner crazy lady self. Really, it's the house that represents our inner self, not necessarily the objects. The house is large with tall ceilings and echoing hallways. The steps to the attic turn into a portale of sorts. Difficult to go into the attic rooms, even more difficult to go back into the main house out of the attic.

In the real world, architecture fascinates me. Mister and I recently went on a long explore around this new town we live in. One by one, I admired the houses. Each house had such neat unique features. Older homes. 

Have you ever had the feeling that you are exactly where you are suppose to be. Not a dejavue feeling. Just a peace of being on the right path in life. Honestly, I have felt that so few never times. Most of my life I've fretted if any decision of direction taken or made was correct.

For a short period of time, as a small child, I lived in this town. I have a few childhood memories. Very few. I do recall this house. This house we now call home.

The memory is of my brothers, who were young, my mom was a young vibrant woman. My memory of this house was one of deviance. I was mad at my brothers. Possibly mad at my mom. Pouting, as most 3 1/2 year old girls do. I saw this house. It was just a house to me. Nothing remarkable about the house stands out in this memory. The feeling of just being grumpy. It was October. The four of us were walking. I was tired. My brothers were picking at me, and my mom was obviously doing her best with three kids in tow. We may have been trick or treating. Although I do not recall costumes or candy. We were stopping for a minute to let me rest. No photographs exist of this time or this event. It's a genuine memory of a very young age.

Mister and I started house hunting 10 months ago. I've told you the story of how difficult it was to find something in our price range meeting the criteria we had. This little town was about #6 on our list of destinations. I gave no thought of this house or that memory. We looked at several houses in this town. Online I saw the interior of this place and loved it. Mister didn't like it. He gave it about a 30 second consideration. Then we continued our search. House after house, something fell through. I came back to this house again. I'm the slow down girl. I like to single task and take life slow. Mister is like a tazmanian devil, devouring life, and rocking the casbah. We balance each other well in this regard. So, when I finally slowed Mister down long enough to give real consideration to this house, he saw all the potential. I saw the house and potential and how well it fit our needs. The first time we stepped into it, I knew. My spirit moved into this house months before our furniture did. Now here we are. If we never remodeled or finished another project, I would be happy here. Happier than I have ever been in any house.

My dream of the crazy lady in the attic has not surfaced during my nights of sleeping here. I hope to find her, and her things again.

My fascination with architecture, particularly windows has left me curious. I am curious as to why this house built in 1923 only has one coat of paint on the exterior of the windows. We are one by one readying the windows against the cold and snow of Ohio, we have discovered the lack of love given to them. Despite the neglect, the windows are restorable and will not be replaced. There is too much character and richness brought to this home by their presence.

It's late and I didn't make the doughnuts, or banana muffins that were planned. Tomorrow is a long hard work day in the cold. It's the busy season for Mister and I and our business. The browning bananas on the counter will need to wait another day. Tonight, I will do my best to conjur up the dream of the crazy lady and fall asleep wondering if years ago someone peered through the windows of my home and saw me, the tired little girl and her brothers and Mom.

Pumpkin Rocks

My guess is, that most of my reading audience will only actually prepare 1/10 of the recipes I post here. Maida Heatter has published work. For my birthday, Mister bought me a copy of her Book Of Great Cookies. There are now several strips of paper hanging out from between the pages. I've marked many recipes I want to try. Pumpkin Rocks were the first on the list. If my description sounds appealing to you, then seek out a copy of this book. Mine came from ebay but, I saw several copies available at different shopping locations on the internet. I'm sure your local big box book store could get a copy for you too. Or the local library. If you like pumpkin, this is one of the recipes you might want to actually prepare. If you do an internet search the recipe can be easily found on various other writings.

Now to describe this cookie for you. Don't let the name fool you. These are soft. The word rock in this recipe, according to Maida Heatter makes reference to the appearance, not the texture. The raisins provide a nice sweetness. I used 7 ounces of raisins. This would be a comfort cookie for me. It's not sickenly sweet. The best part about these cookies, as far as baking them is concerned, is that a nice dollop of batter goes on the pan and it doesn't spread much. The day I baked these cookies I was home alone. I took the time to dive into the recipe and enjoy the baking process. The glaze on the cookies is a highlight for me too. Taste wise, the lemon juice in the glaze added a nice tangy flavor against the dull pumpkin. With the many spices, raisins and pecans (that's what I used) the pumpkin is a low note but, a nice flavor base to build on. Back to the glaze. I brushed the glaze on the cookies as soon they came out of the oven. As the cookies baked, with each pan, I went back to the previous batch and bathed them in the lemony sugar glaze again. I glazed until the appearance of a glazed doughnut was reached. The recipe didn't indicate to this but, it was a great outcome, if you ask me.

Recipe is HERE

Day 3, the Pumpkin Rocks are still soft, and even more delicious than right after baking.

A bitchin' good time was had by all this past weekend as we took advantage of the snow on the ground. This was our first chance to actually enjoy a little winter snow sports. It's amazing the entertainment we had with a 4-wheeler, a length of rope, and a sled.
 Today, the snow is gone.
 "Make hay while the sun shines" right? Or, make snowmen while the snow falls. Great time and good cookies.

Me Birfday

Considering the tears that swelled in my eyes today.
 The glow of my birthday candles
 and my own reflection,
 in the eyes of my children.
 One by one
 I met eyes with the four.
 Singing Happy Birthday,
 and in a slow motion reality,
 for that moment, I saw love.

Janice Weyand

My day started out with the wonderful well wishes from friends via the internet. Mister returned home this morning with pastries from a wonderful bakery and a cake decorated with snowflakes.
Anna and Aimee made me a card that started the laughter for the day. Over the years, the handwritten messages have meant so much to me.
Josh, who has a way with words, gave me his handwritten wishes, and a tin filled with Walkers shortbread. His words validated my contribution to the lives of my children.
Libby brought me an iced coffee, and her ever cheerful spirit.

Surprised in myself, I cried as they sang Happy Birthday to me. I wonder if they realize how much it means to me to gaze into their eyes and know they love me.

Parenting is not a great self-esteem builder. I've made mistakes. Even with my heart invested in every moment, little things can slip by. At certain ages, children are all too quick to point out and remind us of every slip.

It wasn't until my children were grown that I realized, forgiving our parents for being human is so important. When my kids were young, it was easy to remember the failings of own my parents. The little things...convinced that I would be the best. Then, children inevitably do things...little things, that cut us to the quick. During those moments we dwell on every cross word, and stern moment.

Oh sure, there are the joys. The proud moments. Times when we feel confident in the paths we have taken and the world we created for our children. Those are not the times we lose sleep over.

Today, I am blessed. The diverse personalities, ambitions, success, failures, past, present and future could be seen in the reflection of their eyes. Candles burning on my snowflake cake and the words "Dear Mom" as they sang Happy Birthday. Validated the life spent, devoted to the love of who they are.

FREE

Trendy, I am not. That is to say, my marching thru life has always been to a different drum. In fact, if we are using a musical analogy, I'm tone deaf. My position concerning this blog has always been one of not doing advertising of products for material gain. I know... this goes against the basic principal of what America has become.

I'm quite happy with having this blog be a journal of sorts. It's not my job, and I don't write professionally. Damn good thing, I suppose, since punctuation and grammar rules are never adhered to here.

So, what was I thinking recently when I considered the offer from a company to host a giveaway of their product on my blog? I'll admit, it was flattering.
Here I am in my humble little corner of the blog.com world, when an email arrives asking me if I would like to promote their product with a FREE giveaway to my readers and a FREE product for myself as well. An $80.00 value. Really, I would sell out for a measely 80 bucks? Almost.

The company is internet based, the software is something I would use. Several of my readers may use the software as well. The idea of offering a FREE item to my readers seemed fun & trendy.

I agreed, only to the extent, that I be able to try the product before endorsing it. This sounds reasonable to me.

Time is a precious commodity for all of us. I wasted several hours last night trying to get the companies product to install. This failure was not due to operator error. I'm not about to jump through the hoops of trouble shooting some product, then turn around and endorse it, with smiles on my fingers as I type the review. So, needless to say I will not be doing this giveaway.

Really, are giveaways just a cheap cry for attention anyhow? I would hope my readers visit this blog, just for the sake of enjoying themselves, while meandering  the "ins and outs" of my ordinary world.

In the time wasted trying to get this product to work, I could have baked something great to share with you. I certainly could have taken photos of what is left of the garden. Or told you stories of my dogs and their folly in the river over the weekend. But, no, I was too busy trying to swallow the baited hook of FREE.

Trendy is to offer giveaways. This is networking. Everyone benefits. The company offering the free merchandise gets traffic to their product. I get traffic to my blog. Trendy, cute little package.
But, I'm not trendy!

The correct and polite thing is to thank the company for finding my blog of interest and considering it a good place to advertise their product. I am polite. Thanks for your interest.

Tribute to Doree

I met Doree today, at the flea market. She is a 78 year old lady who makes fabulous fudge, divinity, and other goodies. Doree had peanut butter fudge on her table and I could not resist. I completely admire a woman of her age who still makes homemade candies, and has the ambition to go out on a chilly day to sell them. Her business card for Bonnell's Candies has artwork of a heart and a butterfly on it. It seems very fitting to her personality. I hope to find her at the market again. The chilly wind cut my visit short today.

I brought home a few treasures from the flea market today. Among the treasures are, some great cookbooks, delicious snacks, and best of all the inspiration I gained from Doree. The world is a better place because of people like Doree.

She tells me that her peanut brittle recipe is an Irish recipe. I will be buying some of that the next time we meet.

Doree's crystallized ginger and candied kiwi. Also, a few chunks of delicious fudge made their way with me.

I love meeting people who make a positive impact on me. Telling this story is my way of paying tribute. A tribute to the type of peaceful lady that I hope to be someday.

Train Ride Today

The silence a train creates late at night, is a lullaby sound that entrances me. City trains sound different from a rural train. A rural train is further away, and the whistle carries across the empty fields. This is the silence the train creates. Sleep.

Our train today

My Easter day was spent aboard a slow moving train rolling through the rain. I sat in the diner car. We had brunch. Lovely day.

Four courses were served. Sitting aboard and being served lunch was the best part of the meal for me.

The topic of trains is an unusual one here at Columbia Creations, however this nostalgic feeling inspired me to write about my train ride. I'm not intending to endorse a product or service. The link below is a good starting point to introduce the world of trains to your world.

The station where we boarded.

The National Railway Historical Society is a good place to start if you are interested in finding a chapter of this organization near you. It really is an adventure.
The rain on Easter added charm to our holiday.

Happy Spring

Rain gutters worked over time on Easter 2011

Saturday our weather cooperated just in time for the egg hunt. Each family who came for lunch took home the thinning of my chocolate mint.