Saturday Coffee

WWCS is really making me crave MORE coffee lately...LOL.....for Breakfast this morning I had a piece of yummy Pumpkin Bread with my Coffee....these are my new "Fall" dishes by Tracy Porter....Unfortunately I've already chipped one of the matching bowls...ARGGG...I bought a set of Winter dishes from her line a couple of years ago and within a month or two half the pieces were chipped and it really pissed me off...I kept meaning to send her a note about it, but never got around to it....so far this set has held up MUCH better...I really like her stuff... but it chips WAY too easy IMO....don't think I'll be buying anymore of her stuff....at least not her 'Target' ones...

and this afternoon I took a few minutes to relax with another cup and another piece....this is one of my favorite mugs...I like the little Roosters and the little flowers on the inside of the cup....these have a real 'french' flair to them....IMO

With the Holidays approaching I'm in 'crafty" mode....I have a hankering to make socks again...I think this will be my "Holiday" gift for most of my family and friends....I found this half finished sock today while I was searching for my Crochet Socks Book.......I started it AGES ago....I mean like 8 or 9 years ago....BEFORE blogs were the BIG thing and you could read all about bloggers making socks for things like Secret Sock Swaps , Sockapaloozas, Socktoberfests, and such.......LOL....I never finished them because I didn't like how they were crocheting up and I gave up on them ...but now that I am a Crocheted Sock expert( after Summer of Socks LAST year...I WON BTW)I am frogging it and will start another pair.

and Look what else I accomplished today.....This is what I fondly refer to as the Teen Hang Out Room....there's an ancient VCR for watching all those OLD Disney movies.....and there's a couple of gaming systems and video games...these days Dance Dance Revolutions and Sing Star get the most "play' time.... I can pretty much guarantee that it will look like the 'before' pic again before the week is done..LOL

Before:

After:

All Souls Day

Today was All Souls Day...a day to remember all those who have passed before us...I've lost quite a few relatives thru the years...All of my grandparents have passed...My paternal Grandfather died when I was Six..both of my grandmothers died of Cancer when I was in my teens...My maternal Grandfather died about 10 years ago , I think...I was not close to him as he left my grandmother when my mother was a child...My cousin Donald died on my 10th Birthday...he was hit by a Drunk Driver on his way home from school... it was a Hit and Run but luckily they found the guy quickly and he was convicted...that was a difficult one for me...I still have a hard time enjoying my Birthday sometimes...I've also lost a few Aunts and Uncles in the last few years....On Thanksgiving Day 2003 my husbands Step Father passed away ...and then during Spring Break of 2005 my Nephew Tony was killed in a freak accident...he was only 19 years old..the same age as one of my sons...and finally on Holy Thursday of last year my Brother was killed in a horrible trucking accident...you can read the story here ....his has been the most difficult so far....I still can't believe he's truly gone.

WWCS Topic of the Week

Winter Wonderland Coffee Swap is having a Contest each Friday...where we post about a specific Topic each week

This weeks topic is:

When did you first start drinking coffee? What age were you? Was it about the caffeine, or do you love the taste and smell? Tell us how your passion began!

The first time I had coffee I was probably about 10 years old....My father always drank coffee...like ALL day....he always had a cigarette or a cup of coffee in his hands or sometimes both...and he always drank Tasters Choice instant coffee ...he kept hot water in a huge percolator....I would often 'make' him some coffee...when I was about 10 , he would sometimes let me make a cup for myself...as a special treat...that is when my love of Coffee began....I really just LOVE the taste and smell....the caffeine never really does anything for me....I can drink a cup late at night right before bed and it doesn't affect me...thru the years I've graduated to brewed coffee and when we moved to the Puget Sound area in WA state I fell in love with Lattes....this was in the beginning of the Starbucks Craze.....in WA you could get Cappuccino, Expressos, and Lattes at McDonalds...and there was an Expresso shop on every corner...and small drive thru Coffee Shops everywhere....Raspberry Lattes are my favorite....but I still have a soft spot for Tasters Choice Instant Coffee...it's what I'm drinking tonight with a slice of freshly baked Pumpkin Bread...

Mmmmm.Pumpkin Bread

Feeling very Domestic today....DH was supposed to leave this morning for a VERY SHORT deployment but due to the weather ( high winds, stormy) the deployment has been delayed until further notice...so DH came home and we spent a nice cozy day at home....it was just one of those days where I felt like baking....blustery and chilly....

Ignore the dirty Broiler pan please!!!

All Saints

Today was All Saints day and a Holy Day of Obligation for us Catholics....so we had Mass tonight...it was really special and the Homily really made me think about what kind of Person and Christian I want to be...how I want to live my life...how I want to dedicate my life to God

WFD Thursday

So tonight I decided to try this Pampered Chef Recipe..oh my was it GOOOOOOOD!!

Porkchops stuffed with Cornbread Stuffing....

You use thick boneless chops and cut a pocket in each one.....you then mix a cornbread stuffing mix with onions ,celery, and dried cranberries....stuff the chops ...use toothpics to keep them closed.....put the rest of the stuffing in a casserole dish.....you then brown the chops for about 2 minutes on each side...then place them in the casserole on top of the stuffing and bake covered for about 40 mintues.....at that point you heat up some Orange Marmalade in the microwave ...remove the cover and glaze each chop with the Marmalade...and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes.....I also made Ginger Carrots to go with....( just canned carrots boiled with brown sugar and ground ginger) it was all just sooooo delish...I felt like a "Top Chef" tonight..LOL

Handmade Holidays

Come join the fun over at Sew,Mama,Sew! They'll be featuring 30 days of Handmade Gifts for the Holidays! It started today , November 1st. Today's tutorial was Aprons....