Happy New Year 2014!

I wish you all Health, Happiness and Love in the New Year.

Please remember to find joy in the little things, try not to let anger get the best of you, when life throws problems at you, take a deep breathe, count to ten slowly, take a walk and clear your head.

When society is mean and cruel and you think you can't take it any more, take it a little more, respond with a smile and keep on keeping on.

Life is short, let go of resentment, cleanse your soul in any way possible...tomorrow is a whole new start on life...make it a good one!

Peace, Jackie

 

Happy Christmas!

I like Happy Christmas better then Merry....cause Happy is Happy! So Happy Christmas everyone!
I got spoiled....Thank you to everyone, I feel so loved!!

Flowers from friends and family.

coffee maker from the hubby.

coffee!

Panda Slippers from Pat, Sammy likes them!

Snowman apron from Tanya, she machine appliqued the snowman herself!
And a new Tanya Purse, and hand knitted scarf!

Love these for scrapbooking, hand knitted fingerless gloves from Colleen!
She made the enameled buttons herself!



A canvas photo of the grandsons, Ethan and Bryce!! Love this!!



All kinds of goodies from Christy, Jeff, and Rebecca and Travis!
Shirts for Charlie, ipad case, wine signs, wine journal, lucky wallet!!


Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, like I did!!
See you next year!!!
 

Lots to say..

Just wanted to say a few words of thanks and more....

I had to have surgery on Friday, a hysterectomy due to cysts and fibroids. I still have one ovary left so I was not forced into menopause, glad for that.

My doctor is Carla Turner, she is so nice and did an amazing job in getting me into surgery ASAP as I had suffered so long. Thank you Dr. Turner.

I need to thank all the staff and nurses at spring valley hospital here in Las Vegas. Everyone was so caring and nice to me. I have to apologize for getting sick on one nurse who was trying to get the anti nausea medicine in my IV  but was just not quick enough! And the post op nurse who I grabbed by the shirt and tried to drag through my bed rails when I was coming out of anesthesia and couldn't breathe. They had to put me back to sleep and start over slowly. But it happens. You never know how your body will react but they were quick to help!

Thank you to The nurse who took care of me my first night she was so sweet. She really cared and checked on me to make sure my nausea was under control. The nurse who took my blood who liked to talk tattoos with me! Everyone so cheerful and kind. The last nurse who didn't want to discharge me cause Charlie and I made her laugh and she was worried her next patient wouldn't be so fun!

Thank you to all my family and friends who sent food, flowers, get well wishes and more, thank you, thank you!!!

I am up walking around feeling really good. I have not had to take one single heavy duty pain pill just the ibuprofen one in morning one at night!! So amazed. I just have a sore tummy from being poked and prodded and gassed up, it stretches your tummy muscles terribly, takes time for that to go down. But as this is only day 3 1/2, I am doing amazing!!!!

Last of all, I want to thank my husband who takes care of me and all my goofy demands on him. I had him cleaning and organizing my hospital room, yep, OCD from my hospital bed!
He bought me a Keurig coffee maker so I could make coffee one cup at a time from my bed. I did not need to have it near my bed as I am pretty mobile! But the thought was so great of him!!
He works so hard to pay for all I need and want, I wish he could win the lottery so he could get spoiled for once! But knowing him he would spend it on everyone else. My rock, my love, my knight in shining armor. Thank you honey bunny, I love you more than you will ever know!!

Oh last thought today.. Happy birthday to my Travis Carl who turns 30 today!! Hope you enjoy your day!!!

A little fun in the kitchen...

I stayed home one day last week and decided, I am going to try making Christmas cookies! I have never been able to bake cookies, what was I thinking?
Cakes I can do, casseroles I can do, pies I can do....but never cookies.

OH CRAP! I just realized I did not email the pics to myself and I deleted them from my phone and ipad..
I don't like to keep a lot of stuff so I delete everyday...only keep what I want...I did keep this photo...

once his head fell off, I went with it....anyone remember this guy.....OH Noooooooooo, Mr. Bill for SNL???
Basically the rest of the cookies looked the same, just lines and some sugar sprinkles, really primitive!

Tanya got me a Pizelle baker one year for a gift, still can't master the dang thing...but it is a lost art and I will conquer it one year! No picture of mine, but they came out kinda close, mine were thicker, gotta work on that, they should not be thick! These are beautiful!

Not mine, just showing what they should look like!

How the hell do these people do this???

Geez, I wish I could decorate like that!

I really want to learn to make these!!

This must me some professional, wow, they are awesome!!

Maybe next year I will try again, but for now, I am done with cookies...I don't even want to eat one.
Going to make a big pot of chili, hey, at least I know my chili is the best there is!! And there is no decorating involved!

A little taste of Vegas...

My friend Tanya, who you know by now enjoys the many splendors of Vegas like I do.... every once in awhile we get out (ditch work) to enjoy this fabulous town we live in..this day was one of my very favorites!!

Reminds me of my favorite Christmas Song, Carole of the Bells!

When you want to explore Vegas, you have to be willing to fly by the seat of your pants, you have to be willing to go anywhere, try anything, and eat what is put in front of you...sometimes it turns out to be the best time of your life!

They are still busy building the magical place!

A polar bear in Las Vegas!!

A beautiful Rocking horse in the check in area of Bellagio!

We started out going to the Bellagio to see the changing of the seasons from fall to Christmas, but they were not quite ready for us...so we took some pics anyway and moved on to, get this, Tanya told me you can hop a tram to the Aria and City Center and Monte Carlo from the Bellagio...who knew??

So we found the tram- not easy to find, just ask for help, and hopped on to the Aria, I was so excited, like a kid on the Disneyland monorail, I loved that damn ride, really, it was my favorite part of Disneyland!!! So I was grinning like a kid in the candy store...wheeeee....

We get to City Center and start taking pics of all the Christmas wonder....The decorations for Christmas in Vegas are pretty spectacular.....

The sun was shining just so that I could take a pic with the sun on top the tree! Awesome!

This tree was huge, no really huge!!

Tanya won't let me take her picture, but I snuck this one!!

Then as it is getting to be lunch time, (I have to eat every couple hours), damn low blood sugar, so I find Todd English Pub tucked in the corner and find all kinds of cool things on the menu, did I mention I was hungry, Yep, even Duck Buns and Puppy dogs sounded good!! Let's eat here Tanya! and as usual she was game, the same as me when she says "here hold this" and snaps my photo, only to find out later I am holding hair spray called Blow Pro!! hahahahaha! We make a great team!

Nothing like a mimosa when you are ditching work!

Yeah, that's how you serve a bologna sandwich!! Fabulous!!!

Don't miss this place..EVER!

So in we go to find a great place to eat, we choose mimosas to start, hey, you can't play hooky without drinking, right??? I choose the bologna sandwich and she chose grilled cheese, we split them so we can try both..Gosh Dang, that Bologna sandwich was to die for!!! I am going back for sure for that one!!!

Do not miss this little gem of a place to eat when you hit Vegas, you will not be disappointed!!

Then we decided to hop over to the fashion show mall so we could take pics of the beautiful decorations there, we shopped a little, Starbucksed a little, and then headed home....WOW, what a great day that was!!!

I can't wait for the day we go Vegas-ing and get on the new Ferris Wheel they are building, yep, she is the only one brave enough to go on it with me!! So stay tuned for that blog post, I am sure it will be a doosy!!!

It's all about the music....

I love Christmas music...I have it on all day when I am home during December...the lights are on, on my fake trees, candles are burning and christmas music is playing....
I came across this video on youtube and just had to share the beautiful music...ENJOY!

It's soup weather!

I was watching Diners, Drive ins and Dives the other day, when Guy goes to Grover's cafe in New York, I think....but anyway the lady there made Cheeseburger Soup, oh dog, Guy could not stop eating it!!
I love cheeseburgers but I can't really eat the buns and the meat anymore, but I thought maybe all liquidy in a soup might be great and no big butt bun to deal with!! And I can buy the meat my tummy agrees with!

So I searched online and found the recipe for it or as close as anyone could get, you can watch the video here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/cheeseburger-soup/46957.html
I got the recipe here: havepanwillcook

The temperature dropped here and today was very chilly, only going to be in the 20's to 40's for the next week or two...perfect soup weather!

YOU HAVE to try this soup it is amazing!!

1 pound lean ground beef  or whatever type meat you desire for a cheeseburger
1/4 onion minced fine
3 tablespoons butter
1 box low sodium chicken broth 32 oz
1 two pound brick Velveeta cheese cubed
1 1/2 cups cream
2 tbsp flour mixed with some water to make a slurry
chopped tomatoes and chopped lettuce

Brown your ground beef until crumbly and set aside.
In large soup pot melt butter and add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes on medium heat. Add the chicken broth, the Velveeta, the cream, cook on medium heat until all melted, then add your flour slurry and turn up heat to bring it all to a boil, make sure you stir constantly and add the meat.

Now ladle into bowls and add about a handful of lettuce and a couple spoonfuls of tomatoes, stir and eat!! The lettuce freaked Guy out until he started eating it and he said the lettuce makes the soup!! He was so right, I love it!!!
Fabulous!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONKEY!

So my son, Travis Carl turns 30 this month..Dec.23 to be exact!

So I scoured the internet to find unique way to celebrate with him, he lives in

California and I can't go see him due to my surgery on Dec. 20th....

After reading tons of ideas, I came up with this:

I sent a box to arrive by Dec. 1st inside is 23 gifts for him to open!! One per day!!

Here is Gift #1 he opened today! Cool shirt I found on etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/Tees2Express
 

I think is going to try out for Duck dynasty or the Boston red sox????

I will update later in the month with more of the gifts I gave him, some were funny, some were serious. I hope he likes them and has a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!