NO FLASHBACK...IT'S TIME FOR A NEW YEAR!!

"maybe it's much too early in the game...ah, but i thought i'd ask you just the same...what are you doing new year's...new year's eve?"
it's officially new year's eve. the bk and i have opted to ring in the new year quietly...mainly because the 3rd snowfall of the season is coming tonight, which makes me very happy...we will do a little cooking...have a little fire...put a little money out on the porch...sip a little champagne...and watch the ball drop. wait. what? we'll put a little money out on the porch!!?? why would we do that?! because we want to bring money in the house on new year's day! legend says, whatever you do on new year's day you will do EVERY day that year...i want to be bringing money in every day, don't you?
so, today will be spent tidying up the nest, doing laundry, cooking a new year's day meal ahead, as much as possible anyway (don't want to be doing any of these things on new year's day!!)...and taking a nap so i don't fall asleep before the ball drops. what will we be dining on this new year's eve and day?

the new year's eve feast:

BUTTERSCOTCH COOKIES
i have shared this recipe before and you can find it by clicking here

gouda, brie, horseradish, and chipotle cheeses with crackers
sushi
                           

new year's eve toast:

COTTON CANDY CHAMPAGNE

ingredients:
store bought cotton candy
your favorite champagne

fill champagne flute with cotton candy...pour champagne over the cotton candy...watch the cotton candy crystalize!! cool cocktail AND amazing science experiment!!



new year's day feast:

COUNTRY~STYLE RIBS AND SAUERKRAUT (for luck)

ingredients:
country~style pork ribs
worcestshire sauce
garlic salt
cracked pepper
paprika
olive oil
your favorite bbq sauce
sauerkraut

coat all sides of ribs with worcestshire sauce. season with garlic salt, paprika, and cracked pepper to taste. heat 3 tbs olive oil in iron skillet. brown ribs on all sides, reduce heat and fry an additional 15~20 minutes. brush on bbq sauce and cook an additional 5 minutes. heat sauerkraut in sauce pan. serve ribs over sauerkraut. 

COLLARD GREENS (for wealth)

1 tbs olive oil
3 slices bacon
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 cups chicken broth
pinch red pepper flakes
1 pound fresh collards cut into 2 inch pieces

heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat...add bacon, and cook until crisp...remove bacon from pan, crumble and return to the pan...add onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes...add garlic, and cook until just fragrant...add collard greens, and fry until they start to wilt...pour in chicken broth, and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes...reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until greens are tender

BLACK~EYED PEAS (for more luck)

4 c. fresh or frozen black~eyed peas
3 slices bacon
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stal, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In a dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp; set aside to drain on paper towels...saute onion, celery, and garlic in drippings...add broth, peas, salt and pepper and bring to a boil...reduce heat...crumble bacon and add to peas...add more seasonings to taste...simmer for 30 minutes to an hour (depending totally on how tender you prefer)...

hope the new year brings you luck, health, wealth, and happiness!!

FLASHBACK december 31, 2011

"should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind...should old acquaintance be forgot, and days of auld lang syne"
every january, the bk and i take a much needed trip to fort myers, florida. much needed because we've been cold for 3 months. and...more importantly...because we haven't seen moniebird and jimmy for 4 months. this year we go a little early. we arrive in time to celebrate moniebird's birthday, with a trip to her favorite restaurant (red lobster...she loves the garlic cheese bread), and to ring in the new year with the old timers. they throw quite a party. there are cheeses and cakes and meatballs and cookies and stuffed olives and dips and chips. there is beer and wine and cocktails and champagne. there are board games and cards. there is conversation and jokes and laughter. there is cheering and kisses after dick clark and ryan seacrest countdown to the new year.
FLASH FORWARD december 31, 2013
as we have every year before, the bk and i will wait until the last minute to decide what we will do. we may go out to our favorite bar. we may have friends come over for games and food and laughter. or we may simply stay in and quietly ring in 2013. whatever we do, we will reflect on what we saw and did in 2012. and what was that you ask? well...
we watched my sis in~law's sister make a miraculous recovery from a traumatic brain injury she suffered in a plane crash on december 28, 2011 (click here to read her version of events, as well as my sis in~law's and track her progress)...we started a new valentine's day tradition (the valentine's breakfast)...i got a new job and quit a mere 3 months later as the bk took a new job, within his company, that brought us back home...the bk gained a daughter in~law and my lil bro and family gained a puppy...the country survived an election that nearly divided the nation...we lost neil armstrong, whitney houston, etta james, dick clark, and a beastie boy...we saw "zombie" attacks and the manhunt and capture of "canadian psycho" luka magnotta...there were horrific mass shootings: the aurora, colorado movie theater; the sikh temple in oak creek, wisconsin; and, most recently, at sandy hook elementary school in connecticut...we watched america shine at the olympics...and the bk and i rejoiced as the osu buckeyes went undefeated, even though they were banned from playing in ANY bowl games...my niece turned 16 and got her license...the bk's daughter turned 18, meaning our collective kids are all adults...i started this blog AND got another job and my daddy decided to retire...and the entire world waited for an apocalypse that never came (stupid myans!)...
wherever you are...whatever you do...look back and remember 2012...what made you laugh? what made you cry? what made it a year to remember?

                 

                  

               

 

FLASHBACK september 2006

facebook is open to EVERYONE 13 and older with a valid email address. before that it was open to employees of certain businesses. before that? to high school students with valid high school emails. and before that? only to college students.
FLASHBACK july 2006
twitter launches. it doesn't gain popularity until late 2009. now people can express an opinion, or tweet about their day, in 140 characters or less.
FLASH FORWARD october 2012
166.1 million americans have a facebook account.
FLASH FORWARD december 2012
200 million people, world~wide, have active twitter accounts.
FLASH FORWARD today
facebook and twitter are the place to be for people that want to keep up with family and friends that live far away. wish happy birthday to people they haven't seen since high school. reconnect with long~lost friends/loves. and express their opinion on everything from aardvarks to zyzzyvas. and express opinions they do...often with the mistaken notion that the person they are EXPRESSING about will never know. WRONG!!! ESPECIALLY in the case of twitter...even if you THINK you are set totally private, people have ways of finding out. 
friend #1...trying hard to have a baby of her own...is less than excited for a co~worker who is the mother of a soon~to~be teen mom. she tells the woman this. later, she posts a status basically saying "sorry, but i am not excited that your daughter is a teen mom." no names. could be talking about any mother of a pregnant teenager. AND the person doesn't have facebook, so no worries, right? right? WRONG! another co~worker sees the status and tells other people at work. friend #1, then, gets called into her boss's office because her post hurt someone's feelings. ummmmmm.... 
friend #2 and i have a disagreement...who doesn't have occasional disagreements with friends?...and it should have ended right then. but friend #2 goes home, changes her twitter settings to private, and blocks anyone she thinks will tell me. she, then, tweets about the disagreement prompting quite a few of her "followers" to chime in. friend #2 thinks it's private, but, of course, i find out. how? after being told about it, i do a twitter search and find all the tweets friend #2 is mentioned in. no...i can't see what friend #2 is saying, but the tweets she is mentioned in make it PERFECTLY clear what is being said. 
so. is there a way to prevent this from happening to you? is there a way to protect your posts and tweets? sort of...

on facebook, you can set different levels of privacy. additionally, you can completely block individuals that you have no desire to be friends with. after her incident, friend #1 decided to be very careful who she was facebook friends with. she went thru her list and "unfriended" people that she doesn't have a real relationship with and then set her privacy settings on the highest level. how do you change your facebook privacy?

• log on to your account and then click on the settings tool
• under "who can see my stuff" click edit and decide between public, friends, friends except acquaintances, only me, or custom. *hint: choose friends. you don't want your stuff public but...why be friends with people if you don't want to share with them?*
• under "who can look me up" click edit and decide who can search for you via the email or phone number you provided (everyone, friends of friends, or friends). *hint: choose everyone. why be on facebook if you don't want to be found? you can, then, choose to accept a friend request or ignore it*
• you can set individual posts to be seen by a select group of people. again, i feel like this tool is unnecessary...you shouldn't be facebook friends with people you aren't comfortable sharing everything with...but if you want to, it's there. 

a google search of my name brings up my facebook page. all the person sees is my profile pic, my cover photo, a list of pages i have liked, and where i went to high school. all these are items i decided everyone can see, and i can change the setting at any time. that being said, i CANNOT control what my so~called friends decide to show my mortal enemies...so, again, it's not always TOTALLY private.

twitter is a little more difficult. as i said, friend #2 set her tweets to private but i still could find her in mentions by her followers. the only way friend #2 could prevent this is to only follow people who are also set to private. and that's nearly impossible. i am not a fan of private twitter accounts. the whole point of twitter is to connect with the world. if i had been set to private, alec baldwin would have never seen my tweet to him...meaning he would have never tweeted me back...meaning i would not have had top tweet that day. but, should you want to be private, here are the steps:

• log on to your account
• go to settings...on your computer: click the person icon at top right corner and then click settings...on your phone: go to your profile and click on tool bar icon.
• click "protect my tweets" and then click save changes

now you will have the option to approve followers and only those people will see your tweets. but i CANNOT stress enough...you will still be seen in mentions, and people aren't stupid. if you are talking about them, they will know.

another hint for facebooking or tweeting...and i have said this 45,000 times before...THINK BEFORE YOU POST. friend #1 had every right to post what she did, and was only repeating what she had already said to the woman, personally. she had NO intention of hurting anyone's feelings. changes she made to her account were made because of the way her post got blown out of proportion. but friend #2? well she, also, had every right to post what she did...however...she is upset that i found out what she was posting. if friend #2 wasn't comfortable with the fact that something she posted might become public knowledge she should NOT have posted it. 

happy posting!!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

and there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. and lo, the angel of the lord came upon them, and the glory of the lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. and the angel said unto them, "fear not: for behold, i bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. for unto you is born this day in the city of david a savior, which is christ the lord. and this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising god, and saying, "glory to god in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."...

merry christmas!!

FLASHBACK 1966

festivus is celebrated, for the first time, in celebration of writer dan o'keefe's first date with his future wife. it eventually became the family's way of protesting the pressures and commercialism of christmas and is celebrated on december 23. 
FLASH FORWARD 1997
daniel o'keefe, dan's son, incorporates the holiday into an episode of "seinfeld" and people all over the country embrace it!
FLASH FORWARD december 22, 2012
i work retail. i work retail during the holidays. everybody warned me. everybody. warned. me. not to work retail during the holidays. "i know you! you're gonna want to punch people in the throat!" no i won't...don't be silly! "people are horrible!" nuh uh!! and they were wrong. most...not all...but most, of my customers have been amazing. until. until....3 days before christmas. now they're frantic. now they're demanding. now they're vicious and cruel. "i want to pay my bill." okay ma'am, how much would you like to pay? "all of it!! you people are so rude!! i'm paying it off and never using it again! i may never shop here!!" i'm so sorry ma'am, i wish there was some way i could help..."you can! you can tell them not to hire so many damn foreigners!! there is nothing i hate worse than a damn foreigner!!" *silence as i take her payment and feel horrible for the long line of foreigners that are ready to make purchases*..."you had a purse here two weeks ago...where is it?" describe it to me ma'am..."it's black...with a zipper" ummmmmm...."it looks just like this brown one, only it's black" we sold the last one and we won't be getting any new in...would you like me to see if another store has it? "yes...please! thank you!!" the closest store is in brooklyn..."can they ship it to me? i need it before christmas!!" ummmm....*okay. i am pretty magical and can get the customers ALMOST everything they want...but...BUT...it's 11:45p on a saturday night 3 days before christmas...it's not going to happen.*
FLASH FORWARD today
today is festivus..."a festivus for the rest of us"...and after the night i had i am all for protesting the commercialism and pressures of christmas. so, how exactly does one celebrate festivus?

1. get a festivus pole. it's just an unadorned aluminum pole...
2. prepare a festivus dinner...the meal is important for step 3...it should be turkey or ham followed by a pepperidge farm cake decorated with m&m's
3. the "airing of the grievances": this takes place during the meal. each member of the family takes turns lashing out at everyone for all the disappointments of the past year.
4. festivus miracles: a festivus miracle is an easily explainable event. example? you bump into me at the store..."what are YOU doing here?!" i work here. "it's a festivus miracle!!!"
5. feats of strength: after the festivus meal, the head of household chooses a challenger for the "feats of strength"...a wrestling match. festivus does not end until the head of household is pinned. 

a silly and fun party idea as you prepare for the real deal...a mere 2 days away...

                      

FLASHBACK april 2009

"don't you know about the bird? well everybody knows that the bird is the word..."
queenie and i talk everyday. she tells me about her friend "bird" which leads to a facebook friendship. bird and queenie dub me cardinal, because cardinals are the north carolina state bird. fortunately for me, they are, also, the state bird of ohio and 5 other states. i can safely live in north carolina, ohio, west virginia, virginia, kentucky, indiana, and illinois without changing my nickname.
FLASH FORWARD december 
i go running out of the house to run an errand. i hear a strange noise and assume the gardeners are working on the grounds of our apartment complex. i step off the porch and SPLAT!! bird doo on my neck!! ewwwwwwww!!!! i quickly realize i am dead center in a humongous flock of birds. i run to my car and watch in amazement as this flock swarms a berry tree and, then, in complete unison, flies on to the next...inevitably dropping doo on the next person to mistakenly walk thru them. 
FLASH FORWARD december 14, 2012 thru january 5, 2013
the audubon society sponsors a yearly christmas bird count. during these 3 weeks, tens of thousands of volunteers will brave rain, wind, and snow to go out and attempt to get a count of bird populations in their area. this information will be collected to help guide conservation efforts and assess the health of bird populations. click here if you would like to get involved...

                    

^three little birds and my artwork^

         

                                      

    

FLASHBACK december 2008

i've told this story before: like i have done countless other trips to philly, i have breakfast at a diner before heading to the airport. i give a hot cup of coffee, a donut, and 5 bucks to the homeless lady bundled in blankets beside the building. i'm paying it forward. 
FLASH FORWARD december 14, 2012
i am sitting in my living room...eating lunch...watching the local news. they begin talking about a school shooting. any school shooting is horrible, but this one. this one is different. far more devastating. i spend the rest of my day in tears as more and more news becomes available. 26 people are dead. 6 adults. 20 beautiful first graders. my heart is shattered.
FLASH FORWARD december 15, 2012
as more information becomes available, facebook becomes a political soapbox for people...some screaming for gun control...others opposed to it...some people opening a debate about god in schools...i immediately close my computer. do these people have the right to discuss this? of course they do. but i have the right not to read it. this is not a time to argue politics...it's a time to grieve and pay respect to those who lost their lives. 
FLASH FORWARD december 18, 2012
the debates have subsided...people seem to understand it can wait a few days. now a new movement has begun. people on facebook and twitter are screaming "PAY IT FORWARD!!!!"...i'm proud of all my friends for pushing this movement. some of them are truly committed to it. the only thing that saddens me: why would it take a senseless act of violence to wake people up? shouldn't we ALWAYS be paying forward?
need some ideas for paying forward? my first thought is: it should come from the heart...and it doesn't necessarily have to cost money...but here are some simple ideas:

1. over~tip your waiter/bartender/delivery driver
2. pay for a random person's dinner (in the drive~thru: the car behind you; in a restaurant: pick a random table)
3. leave a gift card on someone's windshield (grocery store, target, coffeehouse)
4. take a cup of coffee to your doorman or security guard at your office
5. give that homeless person your spare change WITHOUT questioning what (s)he might spend it on
6. give your time to a homeless shelter
7. go visit people in a nursing home
8. donate toys to toys for tots or your local children's hospital
9. bake cookies for your teachers, policemen, first responders
10. leave a brief note and money in a book in the bookstore or library
11. scrape all the windows in the parking lot before you go to work
12. buy a homeless person a blanket
13. give a stranger flowers
14. give a stranger candy (i suggest nothing with peanuts...you never know who might be allergic!)
15. let the person behind you in line go ahead of you, even if they have a HUGE cart full
16. pick an angel off the angel tree: get them everything on the list plus something fun
17. send a care package to a soldier...
18. leave quarters in all the gum ball machines at the store
19. take dog biscuits and cat treats to your local animal shelter
20. buy a weeks worth of groceries and give them to a needy family (you can find a family in need thru a local church or soup kitchen)

these are just a few simple ideas...i would love to hear any ideas you have...:)

  

                            

^a check list if you want to participate in 26 acts of kindness or you could just do something everyday^

i apologize in advance: this IS gonna bring tears to your eyes

FLASHBACK november 16,2012

"let's deck the halls with holly...sing sweet silent night...fill a sheet with angel hair and pretty, pretty lights"
3 great friends go get pedicures. while they are waiting for their piggies to dry, they decide that they should have a christmas party. it should be fancy...NO!...better than fancy!...it should be fancy schmancy! "maybe it could be a progressive dinner?" ABSOLUTELY!! it SHOULD be a progressive dinner. that settles it...progressive dinner...one month from today!
FLASH FORWARD december 15, 2012 
all the plans are set. appetizers and cocktails at cardinal and bk's! dinner at bridgey and danno's! dessert and after~dinner drinks at lance and alissa's!! the menu, you ask? here is just a sampling of some amazing recipes:



SILENT NIGHT MARTINI

1 shot pineapple juice
1 shot malibu rum
1/2 shot blue curacao
1/2 shot white creme de cocoa
dash or 2 of whipping cream

shake all ingredients over ice and pour into a sugar~rimmed martini glass...enjoy!!

BACON~WRAPPED TATOR TOTS

1 package ore ida tator tots
1 lb thin sliced bacon
1 jar sliced jalapenos
1 lb finely shredded cheddar cheese

slice bacon in half. wrap 1 piece of bacon around 1 tator tot and 1 jalapeno...secure with a toothpick. deep~fry until bacon is cooked thru (about 5 minutes). place on oven~safe dish and cover with shredded cheese. bake in 350 degree oven until cheese melts...yum!!!


CHICKEN TACOS

1 rotisserie chicken
1 can diced chiles
1 bag sharp cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 small tub sour cream

mix ingredients together in crock pot and cook until heated thru. serve with salsa, sour cream, lettuce, cheese, guacamole...anything you want...delicious!!

PEANUT BUTTER CHEESECAKE MINIS

crust:
1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
4 tbs sugar
1/4 c (1/2 stick) butter, melted
12 bite~size peanut butter cups

filling:
2~8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all~purpose flour
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs

preheat oven to 350. line muffin tin with cupcake liners. mix all crust ingredients (except peanut butter cups) in a bowl and press into cupcake liners. press peanut butter cup into each crust. whip cream cheese until fluffy. add sugar, flour, and vanilla until well blended. add eggs, one at a time, until blended thru. spoon over crusts and bake until set, about 20 minutes. cool completely before serving. OMG!!

CRANBERRY CHAMPAGNE

1 bottle of your favorite champagne
fresh, or frozen, whole cranberries
cranberry juice

place a few cranberries in each champagne flute...fill with champagne. add a splash of cranberry juice...serve...cheers!!!

           

                                          

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