Auction Time!

Feb 252012
 

You already know that Rick & I have grown fond of attending auctions in our area.  I mean, where else can you find stuff that you didn’t realize you needed for little or nothing?  Plus, its a great social activity for people like us who don’t really go anywhere or do anything.

So imagine my surprise when I saw that Becky over at Mommy Wants Vodka is holding another auction at her Band Back Together website.

This is a non-profit that she and a group of wonderful people have been tirelessly working on for people to share their stories.  And folks, some of these stories will break your heart and give you courage all at the same time.

And when I saw that they were taking donations for the auction, I immediately knew that I had to help out. But what did I have that could be worthy of such a great cause?

So I’m donating my Turquoise Drop necklace to the auction.  But I didn’t stop there.  I’m also letting them choose another necklace from my site to sweeten the pot!

Make sure to mark March 26th on your calendars so you can “ooh” and “ahh” all the wonderful items that they will have available.  Or if you prefer, send them a couple bucks to let them know that you support all the hard work they are doing.

Heck, if you can’t spare the time or money, just leave a comment on the site.  Support is support, no matter how it is made!

 

I Had a Dream

Feb 212012
 

It wasn’t a long dream, more of a commercial.  And I only remembered this tiny portion of it:  I went out to my car in the garage and had a flat tire.

I don’t remember anything before or after that.  Why am I telling you this (except to remind everyone that I am nuts)?  Because of what happened the day after the dream.

Rick goes out to vacuum up the water from the vehicles and dry out the garage.  When he gets the cars out of there, he comes back into the house and announces…

Yep, I had a flat tire.  Flat as a pancake.

WOAH!!

Naturally I told him about my dream.  Was he shocked?  Impressed?  Awed?

Naw, more concerned that it would cost over $200 to have the tire fixed.

But he filled it up with air and it has held air so far.  Good thing too, because I really didn’t want to see that tire laying in my sink to find out where the leak was coming from.

 

My Week Ended Just Like it Started

Feb 172012
 

My week started off with 2 things:  a head cold and spaghetti sauce.  And it’s ending the same way.

I still have the head cold which is trying to move south into my chest.  Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) my nose is still stuffed (the left one now… just in case you wanted to know) so the majority of the germs are centralized north of my neck.

Yeah, my co-workers are really feeling the love from me this week… hehehe.

All that spaghetti sauce that I so lovingly prepared on Monday has been chillin’ in the fridge all week.  And last night I transferred it to ice cream pails (reduce, reuse ya’ll) because they are the Tupperware of the Northwoods.

Then it was a quick trip to spend the night in my car (the sauce, not me) because I wasn’t going to transport it at dark-thirty in the morning.  And since I live in Wisconsin and it’s February, the temp inside my car at night is as close to the fridge as you’re gonna get.  I’m good at planning these things.

And tonight the people that are attending the workshop will be served this wonderful sauce and bask in all it’s gloriousness.

At least I hope they will.  Remember, I really couldn’t taste it when I was making it because of this damn cold.  But Rick seemed to like it.  But then again, he’d tell me that dirt cakes were great if I made them.

Well, I’ll just cross my fingers and  hope for edible.

 

Yes, I Will Take Some Cheese With My Whine

Feb 152012
 

Wednesday.  Day 3 of me being tortured with a head cold.

Maybe tortured is a little harsh.

On second thought, no it’s not.

It wouldn’t be so bad if I could just stay at home and feel miserable all by myself.  Silently groaning at not being able to breath out of one nostril that is so stuffed up that it’s oozing icky mucusy stuff into the rest of my head, making me brain dead to everything but my basic bodily functions.

And every once in a while a rogue drop of liquid will break free from the pack and quickly slip southward (usually during the most inopportune time).  (I know everyone has had this happen, so quit saying “ewww”.)

How can one small nose create so much gunk?  And where is it stored when I don’t have a cold?

Oh, and my nose feels like it’s as big as a softball and as bright red as Rudolph’s.

There is usually a pattern to this:  One side plugged one day, the other side the next, and then the dam breaks loose and I’ve got oogy stuff coming out by the gallon.  So far that pattern hasn’t happened.  Ugh!

So instead of taking a sick day from work and staying home cuddled up in blankets and trying to blow my nose off, I share these lovely cold germs with the people that gave them to me:  my co-workers.

Because my Mama raised me to share things.  She just didn’t break it down into categories.

 

ACHOOO!!!

Feb 132012
 

It started with a sneeze.  And then another.

Of course, with all the dust in our house this time of year, I didn’t give it much of a thought.  Plus, I eat lots of garlic so that fends off most illnesses that come my way.

But I came home yesterday from the Memorial service for a person that I adored… and started sneezing again.  Yes, I had hugged many people, but I do this every day.  And then the unmistakable slightly heavy head that I knew was not a good thing.

Crap, I was getting a head cold.

Normally, I would just say “Hey, my body is just fighting off something that could be worse” and deal with it.  But no, there was more at stake here.  And that was my reputation as a cook.

No, I’m not a professional chef of any sorts, but I like to think that I can make certain dishes pretty good.  And that is why I volunteered my services to a committee at the college that was building their coffers for our Christmas party fund by providing the food for a workshop next weekend.

This was when I wasn’t being threatened with a head cold.  I need to be able to smell and taste what I’m cooking in order to make something edible.

Then I looked closer at who was putting on the workshop:  the son of the man who owns Famous Dave’s.  You know, the ultimate BBQ restaurant in the upper Midwest.

Crap! Crap! Crap!  This guy knows quality food, and I was expected to deliver something spectacular to him, plus 30 other people.

Breathe, Sandy, breathe.

I am making the spaghetti sauce for a main dish, which I could do in my sleep.  But you still need to be able to smell and taste as you go along, and when I make a sauce like this it takes a minimum of 6 hours so that all of the herbs and spices will get together and have a party.  It will also be vacationing in the refrigerator for 4 days until the big event which will take all of those flavors and enhance them even more.  It is a fine science and I want to make sure that the end result will make everyone wanting more.

OK, I can do this.  I’ve done it before for many other events so I just have to do my best and make sure that it comes from the heart.  That’s what real cooking is all about, isn’t it?

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