a mixed bag...

OK, this is a very mixed bag...  (or should I say mixed blog)... and possibly of little interest, but it is what it is.

Naan bread

This time my Naan bread came out pretty good. I will post the recipe here. It's pretty simple:

Almond Flour Naan Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup almond flour

1/3 cup flour ( I used King Arthur's non-gluten measure for measure)

1/4 cup Greek Yogurt ( I used sour cream... can't have yogurt)

1/4 tsp salt

pinch sugar

Instructions:

Mix together almond flour, flour, salt, and sugar

Add the yogurt(sour cream) and stir until dough forms

(add more yogurt/sour cream or water if too dry)

Divide into 6 balls

Roll dough out thin between parchment paper

Spray griddle

Cook until slightly browned on each side

Since I only wanted 3 pieces, not 6 - I halved the recipe and it came out fine. I used unsalted butter on mine, but you can put anything you want on it... cheese, tomatoes, garlic butter, etc.

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I like this photo of our grand daughter at Dinosaur Valley State Park taken a few weeks ago.

We picked her up at school yesterday... and got to spend some time together. Since we are all vaccinated and stayed masked, it was great. I sure have missed her this past year.  But her mom (who is a nurse) said that we need to stay vigilant... as they have some patients in the hospital now that had both vacs and still came down with Covid due to thinking they were safe and no longer masked or followed recommended procedures.

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More pics of kittens playing:

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And I've finally started taking down Easter.  Yes, I know I'm late, but I like Easter decorations. I generally pull all I can find and put on table in front room before putting everything away for another year.

This little teapot and cup/saucer I bought at Harrod's years ago

and this last tea set is one we gave my mother-in-law and it came back to me after she passed. My daughter has dibs on it now...

(I'm also cleaning and dusting my China cabinet today)

And that's it! 

For those interested, my back is better. I can still feel a twinge on occasion, but it seems to be on the mend. 

Take care, stay safe... enjoy this spring weather, but don't let your guard down just yet. We may be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, but we haven't reached it yet. 

Hugs (still virtual),

Rian

I'm a little behind...

Sorry if I haven't commented much lately, I've been a little behind on my blog reading.  Trying to catch up today. Easter was a milestone for me since we had the kids over for the first time in over a year.  All the adults here have been vaccinated... so we felt it was time (besides, I really needed those hugs!)

Then we had some 'plumbing' problems that needed attention... and not having the use of your kitchen sink is difficult. 

On top of that, one of the female feral cats in our yard (we call her Olivia - female Oliver Twist - as she constantly comes back to the door wanting "more please?") showed up with 3 adorable kittens (one black, one black & white, and one Siamese). They look about 6 weeks old.  

Olivia and kitten

All 3 kits here, but black one is inside U

2 of Olivia's 3 kittens

I also had a video of them playing, but for the life of me could not get it to post on my blog...

And I've now been on my 'gluten-free' trial for a bit now and it's not been too difficult. I have cheated on occasion... had a piece of Strawberry short-cake at Easter, but in general the gluten-free products I've tried (Canyon Creek bagels, Good Thins crackers,  King Arthur GF pancakes, Schar pizza crust) have all been good. I haven't tried the Barilla pasta nor the KA measure for measure flour yet. 

And that pretty much covers what I've been up to. Oh, I have also been working on the "Time After Time" sequel. Have completed about 46 chapters... and may 'possibly' be able to finish the storyline by my self-imposed deadline of May. But then the editing will start...  (I'm still amazed at the orders for the book that come in from Amazon each month... not a tremendous amount, but still a steady flow that makes me smile.)

The weather is beautiful here... although the weatherman is threatening some severe this evening. I'm really hoping it will pass us by. No one needs more to worry about these days when life in general is beginning to feel good again.

Find the little things that make you happy (or someone you know happy) and do them today! 

Make some brownies!

Call a friend! 

Tell someone you love them!

And thanks for reading my ramblings... 

Hugs (virtual),

Rian

Easter in the hill country...

The Bulverde Hillbillies

Happy Easter from the Bulverde Hillbillies!  My daughter is in the process of renovating what was once a barn, then  a bunkhouse, and now a guest house on their property. The kubota was being used to move junk out of the old place to be trashed. We decided that it would make a good hill country pic so we all jumped in. I think it came out better than the formal family shots we took previously as it was done spontaneously. 


Here are a few of the others...

granddaughter and Moose

The next 2 pics are 7 baby chicks born last week...

Hemi  after scraps of hay left in truck bed...

Chickens on front porch and walkway...

 Youngest grand daughter 

It was a beautiful weekend. Couldn't have asked for better weather. I really hope all of you enjoyed your Easter holiday. Now that we're back home, I will be reading everyone's blogs and catching up.

Easter Hugs,

- Rian  

past weekend activities...

grand daughter and her horse practicing for cross country

My daughter sent this pic of my grand daughter practicing this past weekend. She and her horse had an 'incident' a few weeks ago where Tootsie (her horse) got herself straddled on one of the jumps at a show. It was the first time this has happened and un-nerved both my grand daughter and the horse. Now they are working at getting over it... and from this pic, it looks like they have.

And it's finally looking like Spring around here... although we've been told that rain is coming Tuesday and Wednesday. But if we can trust the weathermen, it should be a nice weekend for Easter. 

Our neighborhood had an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids this past Sunday. My youngest grand daughter participated. Here is a picture of her after the initial egg hunt waiting for the balloon lady to make her a balloon creature.

first in line for a balloon creation

She is five and getting ready to start Kindergarten this Fall. We are anxious to see how that goes. Academically she should do fine and emotionally I think she could be far beyond that... but physically, she is extremely active and we wonder if she will sit still long enough to handle a class room situation. I guess we shall see.

Oh, and I have to boost a bit about my clean (and almost clutter-free computer room/office). We have been using this room as the 'dump anything we didn't know what to do with' room for a while. It was getting out of hand. Since my daughter and 16 year old grand daughter are coming in this weekend for Easter, I finally got motivated to tackle it. It's not completely un-cluttered, but it's definitely better.

Also our  Home Owner's Association is promoting a neighborhood lawn sale in April and asked everyone to participate. We don't generally do garage sales, but this was another good reason to get rid of stuff that has been accumulating. It's unbelievable how many books and old DVD's we boxed up... not to mention old toys and computer cr....p - excuse my french!). 

Anyway, if I don't get back to the computer in the next few days, I wish you all a very Happy Easter and hopefully some wonderful spring weather!

cat planter in progress and Easter commith...

First underglaze

I did the first underglaze on my cat planter this morning. Have decided to make him a tuxedo cat - black and white  (surprise! surprise!). But I'm just about out of underglaze so the black won't be added til I can get to the ceramic store (which is way across town) so probably not until next semester starts in May. I also wrote that 'plan' with my stylus on the computer picture. That's a new accessory that came with this computer (well, not came - I did have to pay extra for it). 

Thinking it may be time to put out some Easter decorations (I finally took down our "Merry Christmas" sign off the front door). 
Perhaps I should make some Easter Cheeky Chickens... you know in pastels... pink, blue, and lavender colors? Hmm..mm, since I can't fire anything these days, I'd better put that idea on the back burner.

Did you watch the Oscars? We don't exactly watch them, but do switch back to them during commercials just to see what's going on. The clothes and hairstyles are interesting. It's strange, but DH and I feel that most of the actresses and actors look better when in their normal attire. It would seem that the simpler the dress or tux, the better it looks. Outlandish doesn't work - but that may just be us.

Well, Spring may be on it's way. It's cool and windy today, but the weatherman says it may be 80 on Saturday! 

Happy Tuesday to all! (NCIS New Orleans comes on tonight!)

Easter momento/memento?

I found this cute little lamb at the grocery store this morning.  We have a window on each side of the fireplace and I keep the little wood tulips there year round. I know that I should remove them after Easter or Spring, but they brighten up the place - so I don't.  Anyway, I thought the lamb would look good there... as a momento/memento of Easter/Spring.


This *pull string* bunny has been hanging here for years. It has amused many a grandkid.  Now it is a favorite of youngest grand daughter (almost 14 months).  She grabs that string and janks it so hard that his little bunny legs fly up over his head! (and it makes us both laugh)

Easter bunny pull string

Easter bunny pull string on cluttered china cabinet

We used to have several china cabinets. I always had this one and when Mama came to live with us... she had 2.  We have given the other 2 away in an effort to 'down-size', so my existing one is a bit cluttered.

This morning (Sunday) I was making waffles for DH and I when I saw this crow in the backyard. As you know, I have an affinity for crows - so I ran for my camera.  He sat in the tree for a bit, then got bold and flew down to the yard to partake of the dry catfood available there.

... and I wanted to show you the pretty artichokes we found at Central Market Friday morning.  I plan to stuff them later this week. DH and I love stuffed artichokes!

artichoke plant (not mine)

Also as reported by my cousin in New Orleans, Mardi Gras day this year was cold and rainy... so she stayed home. The weather doesn't usually dampen the mood of the hard-core merri-makers, but as you get older, it definitely does. Growing up we always went to the day parades that gathered around City Park on the week-end before Mardi Gras (and did venture to a few of the night ones - people dancing around twirling lighted torches put me off ). And then when in college at LSUBR, we always went as a group - sometimes tying ourselves together with a rope to avoid getting seperated in the crowds. It was rowdy and fun. (When in the French Quarter downtown, one always knew where it was safe to go and where it wasn't.)  That has changed a lot.  The place has been cleaned up and looks pretty darn good last I saw... possibly thanks to Katrina (even though the Quarter wasn't hit that hard).

cold rainy Mardi Gras day in New Orleans - note umbrellas!

DH just handed me the camera and said that he took a few pics of one of the outside kittens playing in the tree out back.  So here they are:

Have a great weekend !

Grand daughter's First Easter...

Going to extend my Grandmother's privileges... couldn't let the week go by without recording new grand daughter's First Easter.  She didn't know what was going on, but seemed to enjoy all the bright colors. At 4 months she is coo-ing and trying her best to 'talk' - comes out sounding a bit like 'dolphin sounds' but of course it's adorable to us.  Son and DIL record her efforts and send them to us via iPhone along with videos and photos. Wish we had that technology when our kids were young ( I'd love to hear their first little voices again).  I will say that she seems to have perfected 'the raspberry'...

Other grand kids were down in the hill country enjoying Easter at my daughter's.  But the cats here also had a good Easter. Jack was feeling better and even though it thundered and rained Easter morning, the sun came out by afternoon so we were able to take a walk (with the stroller) around the neighborhood. And  the outside cats, who hang about on the back covered porch when it rains, were able to get out and romp in the grass.

Now it's already Thursday and probably time to start thinking about putting away all the little bunnies and chicks that have popped up here and there this past week.  However, there's no hurry... right?

My friend gave me a new recipe that she thought I'd like... a meatball and spinach or kale pizza. I'm thinking about trying it with tiny meat balls and fresh baby spinach leaves on one side and just meatballs on the other (boys are not spinach fans, but I am). It has cheese and a white sauce (not red) so-oo it sounds interesting. Will let you know how it goes over.

I also crocheted  another 'slouchy hat'.  This one actually fits. With our Alaskan Cruise only a few weeks away, I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row. I used some old yarn that I already had at home and it seems to go well enough with my blue fleece vest...

Another post I read today mentioned encyclopedias and reminded me of our old set that I grew up with... Richards Topical Encyclopedia copyright 1933.  Took a picture to post here. I loved this old set growing up. Spent many a day perusing through it. Now... we no longer need encyclopedias for information since we have the Internet which is fast and efficient.  But when you love books, it's hard not to miss them.

and couldn't close this without a cat pic!

Little Julie (sister to Jack and Tux)

Easter brings 'hope'...

Happy Easter!

There's something wonderful about Easter... spiritually as well as physically.  Easter brings *hope*... hope for a better world, hope for a new beginning, hope for a new better tomorrow (and on a more personal note - hope that if we keep trying, one day we'll get it right).  

Emily Dickinson's poem about Hope is one of my favorites:

"Hope is the thing with feathers 

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune without the words, 

And never stops at all.

And sweetest in the gale is heard,

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird

that kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,

and on the strangest sea;

Yet, never, in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me."

And on a lighter note... Easter brings families together for services, gatherings, food, and candy! Easter Egg Hunts are great fun! Watching the kiddies run around in the green grass (or snow as the case may be) looking for brightly colored eggs, Spring flowers in abundance (although since Easter is a bit early and winter still hanging on, flowers are a bit scarce this year), new life and Chocolate Bunnies!!  What a wonderful world!

Don't mean to be too Pollyanna about it, I do know that life is hard and some people (here and in other countries) are in extreme difficulty, but I do believe that our attitude and perceptions and inner beliefs can help alter lives and re-activate hope.  The other poem/saying (?) that runs through my head almost daily is "The world is so full of wonderful things... you'd think that we'd all be as happy as kings."

We're having an odd Easter dinner.  DH and I love stuffed artichokes and we don't get them often. His mother (who is 95) made them for us in years past in New Orleans. So since Central Market had some beautiful ones this week, I decided to stuff one for us.  If any of you are interested in stuffing your own, I kind of did a 'picture commentary' on how it's done (pretty simple really).  

 

Remove pointy tops of leaves

Assemble ingredients:

bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic, parsley, olive oil (salt and pepper optional)

 Spoon stuffing into leaves...

                                                                                           

close up of stuffed artichoke

Steam in covered pot until leaves come off easily (about 45 -60 mins)

and then:

we'll have manicotti, salad,

and 

PIE!

Buttermilk pie

Jack and the bunny parade...

Jack is feeling much better today...

As you can see, Jack is feeling like his ol' self again... playing with his bunny.  While I watched him play, I thought that maybe I would do a bunny post - similar to the Christmas Elf that pops up everywhere!  So here are a few shots of the pop-up bunny!

Bunny joins Elephant Bank on shelf...

Bunny hops into Clay Bird House...

Bunny slips over to window sill...

Another bunny gets into the game...

and another !

OK... he's not a bunny, but Finky wanted to play too!

Happy Easter Saturday to all!