Weather Outside Could Be Frightful!!!!!

The food, batteries, and salt have all been purchased, waiting now for the snow to start!!! We are in North Alabama and expect anywhere from 3-10 inches, down here that's almost paralyzing. Had to make preparations for the storm and to send BigBoy back to school today to avoid it all. He may get more ice where he is, miss him already. Will catch up with all soon as long as we get more snow than ice, keeping our electricity! VolleyGirl and I are thinking of snow statue ideas, if snow cooperates.

Dogs On Thursday

Happy New Year to all my good buddies out there including the two-legged ones that care for them. My very best buddy has been home for quite a while and it has been nothing short of pure bliss! Perhaps it is not proper that one of such high canine stature fawn over one so much but I am giddy, I say, giddy!!!!!!!! Numerous times each day you may find me exactly in this place of utter comfort and satisfaction as shown in the above photo. No, I refuse to think of it, will not go to that place in my mind......of his leaving again.

Fun times! Do you get me? Can you just see the happiness we make! Much to the surprise of my mom playing that white stuff outside on Christmas Day was so much fun! Take me out again....and again.....and again! Run!!!!

This is my best angle. Oh, who am I kidding, every angle is good. What? Did I hear someone mention snow is possible again? Woof, woof!!!!! Hope your year has started out great my friends Snuffles, Annie, Ema, Luna, Buddy, Dizzy, Penney, Tonka, Hope, Trixie, Bella, Zoe, Chief, Sophie, Budro and Snickers!

Decking the Halls and Other Places Too

Just when I was working towards posting more regularly.....BAM......decorating season began. It has been up awhile though the gifts aren't all wrapped, the parties have began and so has the baking. I have enjoyed seeing friends decorations posted so I took a bit of time to snap some scenes of an Artist Unplugged's plugged up home......... Mr. Unplugged and VolleyGirl set up the initial setting. BigBoy arrived home from school and are still adding to it. Those guys LOVE Christmas!

The foyer, just inside the front door.....not quite like I want but it looks festive with the little lights inside the glass containers filled with shiny ornaments.

The front stairs and view of the den from the foyer.

Big Boy and the chosen one agreed to be in the shot.

I put a small tree in the den since "someone" might bother the big tree. This year I put all the bulldog, golden retriever and a kitty ornaments on it which was met with glee. He owns the den, may as well decorate it that way!

Carolers, given to me by my MIL, are on a table in the den. Some of my Christmas plates, mugs and such are on the kitchen cupboard.

The dining room is to the right as you walk in the front door. It is painted a dark red. The chandelier came from my grandmother's house, as did the table, buffet and a china cabinet that isn't in the photo. The red tablecloth was embroidered by my mother, she used it on her dining room table which my brother has now.

The cupboard in the kitchen is covered with mugs to use.
Go up the front stairs, to the right ,down the end of the hall is a rec room where our big tree is up. Have had the white tree for a couple of years now....kind of a nice change. I will show the "wreck" room after I've finished wrapping. It's also where I paint.

Dudley checks out the lighted garland every year right after it's put up.

The kids' stocking were crocheted by my mom and are about 4 foot tall. She made one even bigger for her first grandchild, sort of as a joke. She reigned them in a little bit for the rest of the grandchildren. Makes a cute decoration and a conversation piece. Many gifts have been stuffed down into those stockings through the years. Hope to keep up a bit better if it doesn't get too hectic this week. May everyone be blessed and safe this week.

SkyWatch Friday

Chilly, early December morning before the moon and stars retired for the day. Apollo was totally unimpressed. See some impressive skies at http://www.skyley.blogspot.com/ !!!

Treasured Recipe

There is still time for you to get yourself to the nearest grocery store, pick up the items and start preparing my dad's traditional, awesome cornbread dressing. I have posted the recipe as written by one of my beloved niece's (eldest grandchild). The first Christmas after my mother passed in September my dad insisted we have the dinner at his house. Not anything really new for him, being that he usually preferred to stay home and let everyone come there to visit. We never lacked for food around our house, especially during holiday meals. Mom always made what everyone liked, macaroni and cheese for me, fried okra, lima beans, creamed potatoes if no dressing, so that the beans and okra could stick to it for a trip to your mouth, deviled eggs, fruit salad, rolls, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, cake......uh, you get the idea. All that food but much of the talk went to dad and his dressing, which is awesome but...you know....gotta give kudos to my mom while once again, dad's dressing is highlighted. My eldest niece, Stephenie, went out early to help with the making of the dressing. Frankly, I do not recall if dad made the cornbread alone the day before, probably, though he was weak then and the large cast iron skillet filled is heavy. He lived 45 minutes from she and I. She made a video of the whole process and I have yet to watch it, don't know if ever I will, but am sure that I want a copy to pass to my children. I have not made it in a while, deferring to my mother-in-law's recipe, which is very different, to please my picky eating husband. My kids like both recipes and this year wanted dad's. So today, I have baked the cornbread and cut up my vegetables, thawed my hen and am ready for tomorrow. My niece is making the dressing for my brother's (her father) side of the family's meal tomorrow. Her 4 year old little boy's is interested in cooking already, VolleyGirl is helping me tomorrow, just as she did today. The tradition will continue, hopefully.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Papa Loyd's Holiday Dressing & Giblet Gravy

Note: no shortcuts allowed. No broth instead of homemade stock. No store bought cornbread. I've tried the shortcuts and they just. don't. work. It's not the same.

1 hen (not chicken)
2-3 onions, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 large pones cornbread (if you don't know what a pone is you have no business making this recipe)
1/4 butter
2 TBS yellow mustard
2 TBS ketchup
2 TBS Italian seasoning
1/2 to 2/3 cup fresh sage, finely chopped (reduce amount if dried)
3 slices bread, torn up into small pieces
1 (8 oz.) can oysters, drained & chopped
3 TBS jarred pimento, finely chopped
salt & pepper to taste

The day before: cook cornbread & cool completely. Crumble both pones.

Day of Thanksgiving:

Remove giblets from hen and set aside.
Rinse hen and place in stockpot & cover with water, about 8 cups. Simmer covered until done, reserving broth. De-bone hen & reserve meat.

Preheat oven 350 degrees
In large saucepan melt butter & add onion, celery, and bell pepper. Add all the broth from hen, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

In BIG ("dressing") bowl, combine crumbled cornbread, torn bread pieces, & the broth mix until it reaches spaghetti sauce consistency. If mix is too soupy, add more bread pieces.

Add all the remaining ingredients & mix well.

Pour mixture into a large roasting pan. Bake 1 hour until golden.

Serve hot with giblet gravy & hen meat on the side.

GIBLET GRAVY:
Finely chop hen giblets.

Simmer 3 cups chicken broth on stovetop. Add flour a little at a time, stirring constantly until a smooth, thin rue is formed. Add chopped giblets, blend well, and simmer.

Salt, pepper, and otherwise season to taste, can add one or two sliced boiled eggs to gravy if you want to be extra-Southern.

Yields: enough for a crowd of at least 10-15.

Tardy SkyWatch Friday

Recent sky event outside our house. See more at http://www.skyley.blogspot.com/

Dogs On Thursday

Alas, my friends, I am still very much here, taking nourishment and keeping a keen eye on that pesky, furry cat! Oh how he teases me with his strolls through my royal den, taunting, luring me with his crystal blue eyes. Down the front stairs he comes, effortlessly leaping over the inconvenient blockade placed by my two-legged servants. He pauses, looks, laughing silently as I lay upon the carpet. Step, pause, two steps, pause....oh, you little tomcat......dash to the kitchen on your silent fleeting pads. Run, I do, sort of, through the kitchen but once again, instantly before my arrival he leaps to his escape. We gaze momentarily, then up he goes instantly and lightly as a ballerina to the top of the back staircase while I, once again, am beckoned back to my starting position. Often I hear him run the length of the hallway above only to descend again signaling the game's start.

Enjoy your games my friends Snuffles, Annie, Emma, Luna, Buddy, Dizzy, Penney, Tonka, Hope, Trixie, Bella, Zoe, Chief, Sophie and Budro! My earnest wishes for your full recovery Snickers, will be checking in on you.