Shirley's World: November 2011

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Monk is Doing Well

Monk had his second round of heart worm treatments the last 2 days at the vet. He stayed overnight last night and came home late this afternoon.

So he's back on his couch!

He looks good but is sore and moving slowly. (I mean slower than his normal slow.)

He has to stay quiet for about a month. Some more active dogs have to actually be in a crate for a month. This is to try to prevent the heart worms from breaking off as they die (before they decompose) and going to the lungs.

He's groaning a lot and wasn't interested in eating his supper. He didn't eat much at the vet's either. So I went right into "cooking for Monk" mode and made the "tummy diet".

I gave him a couple small helpings which he of course gobbled up.

I hope you feel better tomorrow Monk.

You can find the "Tummy Diet" here. A vet gave this to the rescue where Monk came from for any dogs with stomach problems.

It certainly has worked for Monk.

http://shirleys-world.blogspot.com/2011/09/for-dogs-tummy-diet.html

Shirley

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Blue Skies in the Pasture

This was a couple days ago when the temp was 60 degrees and it was a beautiful sunny day. Rare for November in NE Ohio!!

I'm linking up with "Blue Monday"

At: http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/

and

"Mosaic Monday"

At: http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

Have a great week.

Shirley

The End Of November

For Today 11/27/11

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Outside my window: It's cloudy, a little gloomy, breezy but still warm. A real delight to have 60 degree temps this time of year.

I am thinking: I should spend some time outside today as this could very well be the end of the warm weather before winter hits!

I am thankful: For my faithful God, my family, a warm beautiful home, my horses and my 2 dogs and 2 cats.

In the kitchen: There's nothing cooking at present. My island needs cleared off!

I am wearing: A sweatshirt on top of my ever present long under ware! and running pants, and garden clogs.

I am creating: My first Simple Woman's Daybook!

I am going: No where today. One of the few days I can just spend at home with my dogs!

I am wondering: Why my Voltarin isn't helping my back, shoulder and hip pain!! Maybe I'll just try Advil for awhile!

I am reading: I started "reading" by getting audio books about a year of more ago. Reason being that I kept dozing off when reading. (Hey, I'm old!) I have an audio book on my CD playing in my car at all times so it's like reading a chapter or two every time I drive somewhere. Right now I'm just about finished with "Sugar Cookie Murder" by Joanne Fluke. Before that I "read" her "Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder". They are cute, interesting and "safe". (No real descriptive violence or bad language.)

I am hoping: That my rescue St Bernard (Monk) will not be really sick after his second heart worm treatment which he goes in for this Tuesday and Wednesday. He's 7 years old and was in bad shape and heart worm positive when the rescue got him. I adopted him about 3 months ago.

I am looking forward to: A healthy happy St Bernard (Monk) to romp with in the snow this winter along with my English pointer (Rocky).

I am hearing: Silence! All my animals are sleeping.

Around the house: I am deciding what Christmas decorations to put out. I think it will just be my "Charlie Brown Tree" in the front window and some decorations on my mantle in the family room. It won't be much as I'm not having any guests that I know of and Christmas Eve will be at my son's this year again.

I am pondering: On what to go have to eat. I'm hungry!

One of my favorite things: Believe it or not . . . is to be snowed in!! That is only if my heat stays on and I don't have to really go anywhere! (And it's only for a day!)

A few plans for the rest of the week: Doing some Cyber Monday shopping on line, being with my horses and taking Monk in for his heart worm treatment.

A photo to share: Fall is done, winter's coming.

This is my first attempt at the blog, "The Simple Woman's Daybook"

See all the other's and a lot of great blogs here:

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Shirley

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Our Intimate Thanksgiving Plus

Our Intimate Thanksgiving and Little Jack's Birthday

Ava and I set the table while Linda was busy in the kitchen.

A great Thanksgiving at my son's house with his wife Linda and my two grandchildren and my daughter Michele.

Carl filled the kids plates and then was working on his own!

The day after Thanksgiving was Jack's 3rd birthday so we celebrated it too.

He was SO excited opening his gifts!!!

He's into super heros

AND

TOOLS!

Yep, I'm three!

Diving right in!!!

I have frosting up my nose I think!!

Linda had put pumpkins out for the deer and they came to visit. First one and soon there were eight!! Sorry I didn't get a picture of that.

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!!

Shirley

Monday, November 21, 2011

Orange Juice Cake - OOPS

I'm linking this post with Tempt My Tummy Tiesdays

http://www.blessedwithgrace.net/

This is a recipe that my sister brought me when she visited a couple weeks ago. I'm not sure where she said she got it. It sounded really good to me and I had all the ingredients.

And I had my silicon bundt pan!

I didn't save the directions to my silicon pan but I was pretty sure that you didn't have to grease them.

Now if you read the recipe, you know that you are supposed to pour a hot glaze over the hot cake when it comes out of the oven.

Notice that the cake has risen above that tube in the middle and the tube has a hole in it.

Here is the glaze of butter, orange juice and sugar boiling for 2 minutes while the cake is about done.

I poured the glaze over the cake, a lot of it escaping down the hole in the middle and making a sticky mess.

Now it is to sit and soak in and cool for an hour before you "release" it onto a plate.

That's where the OOPS part comes in!!!!!

The glaze acted like a sticky glue and my wonderful smelling orange cake would not come out of my silicon pan!!!

I tried sort of piecing it back together but it was still a sad looking mess.

I'm sure glad this was just for me and that I hadn't made it to take for Thanksgiving dinner!!!!

The cake is just delicious however!! Very sweet and very moist!

I'm keeping mine in the refrigerator.

I'll try a regular metal bundt pan next time that you can grease and flour!

Oh yes, and it would be important that the tube in the middle be higher than the cake rises!!

Still delicious though!

I'll also be linking this post with Foodie Friday

http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/

and:

Show and Tell Friday

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Shirley

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Last Year's Thanksgiving

http://happytodesign.blogspot.com/

I'm republishing this post of last year because this year we are going to my son's and daughter-in-law's house for Thanksgiving. It is easier for them with the kids and it's little Jacks birthday the day after so we'll be having a birthday party too. He will be Three!!

I'll be cooking and bringing several things but Carl, my son, is deep frying the turkey.

Thanksgiving 2010

This is the first Thanksgiving in my new dining room. I wanted to make it perfect. Of course it never is. The names on the leaves were a last minute thought. I was so busy trying to keep organized in the kitchen that I didn't get any pictures of the food on the table or the family around the table!!! Really dumb mistake.

Another mistake was that I set the food on the "buffet" table then served the soup. Of course by the time everyone was done with their soup, the food was only luke warm!

Also have to make a note to use smaller soup bowls next year!!

The one different placemat is because I had thought the children would sit at a little table but Ava wanted to sit with the big people and I only had 4 of the other place-mats!!!

Michele took these last two of the table.

Jack's 2nd Birthday

Opening presents.

The big dump truck.

No one had to tell him he could ride in it!!

Happy Birthday little Jack.

Shirley

Finicky Miss Ellie

Linked to http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

for "Mosaic Monday"

My Cat Mosaic

My female cat, Miss Ellie, will not drink out of a water bowl! She waits by any spigot I'm by for me to turn it on and let her drink from running water!!!!

She's my sort of nasty cat that hisses at anyone disturbing her. Even Monk, my St Bernard, gives her a wide berth and whimpers when he passes her. Rocky won't even go near her. She takes full advantage of them and will sit in a doorway just to keep them from passing through!

Shirley

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

A Practice Tea or (Cookies for Cake)

C is for Cookies for Cake

I received this little tea set for my grandkids from my niece. It was her girl's when she was young.

Today I showed it to Ava and she wanted to have "tea" in the worse way so here was our "practice tea" with her little brother Jack.

I had planned on a fancier occasion with hats and high heels and cake. Today I just broke up a couple pumpkin Cookies and pretended it was Cake

http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/

Shirley

Monday, November 14, 2011

Momma's Got a New Pair of Boots!

I first saw these polka dot rubber boots in K-Mart but didn't get them. When I decided I wanted them, of course they no longer had them. However, I found them a couple days ago in TSC so here they are.