Well, it’s official. Autumn is here!

Summer certainly flew by and while I occasionally wish we had just one more month to squeeze in all of the things I had hoped to do, I realized that I had a very eventful three months.

1. I worked full time @ Powell’s Supermarket in Carbonear. In the beginning I was in the Deli dept… gotta say those girls( Debbie Juanita, Marilyn, Judy and Paula work hard ,then I went to the Meat room …had a blast with the guys ( Jerry, Michael from Greeley's Reel, Chris) then somewhere along the way I ended up on Cash ( Kelly , Jeff, Christine, Michelle, Alexis, Mary , Rhonda and I’m sure I’m missing someone. Overall it was a great experience a great bunch to work for.

2.   Caught up with an old friend I haven’t seen in years. It has been a while since the two of us have had a coffee session together. What can I say …Life gets in the ways sometimes. When we did finally meet it was as if we had seen each other last week. It’s great that strong friendships can survive such gaps.   She’s the first friend I remember having as a kid … yup it’s been that long and we  look so young..lol!

Lynnanne, Roxanne, & Me

3. Went on a walking tour of old town buildings in Carbonear

Roake's Shed

Train station

Old Post Office

4    Had some pretty awesome BBQ’s (Thanks Hubby!)

How was your summer? I hope it was full of excitement!

Even though we still have some days that still felt like summer, I’ve happily welcomed the season with the changing leaves. The afternoons are warm and the evenings are cool, things begin to turn different shades of red and gold all around you and the light is just perfect. Like summer, I have a large list of things I want to do in the next month or so.

My list includes:

• take lots of fall photos

• start carrying tissues

• start drinking tea to stay warm ( Earl grey is my favorite but I’d like to try Lipton’s Island Mango & peach)

• get and massage & take a nap

• Going on a hayride.

• Celebrate Halloween.

Keep your eyes on the horizon, everything is about to change. It’s going to be a great season! I can tell. What are some things you’re hoping to do this autumn?

Hamming it up! ~ August 2011

My Palm Tree

So we decide the other night to invite a few friends over for a fire & a few drinks. I ended up working until 9 so hubby had to do all the prep work. Thanks Hubby!! Here are a few pics of our good times.






My  strong, unique, funny, & smart BFF Lisa



Son's GF



My nephew Zachary




Oldest boy- Berk




Grill Master




Me



some munchies before we put the ham on the Fire-pit Grill



my funny , hilarious, cool, clever, and witty friend Linda




My friends ~ they are a blessing
Me, Linda & Lisa



The original Grill Master checking on the Ham



The Ham on the fire-pit grill



sure looks good

too bad blogger doesn't offer scratch & sniff

the back garden

final check before we munch down

everyone anxiously waiting

tasty treats



Greeley's Reel ~ 3rd CD ~ Live at O' Reilly's

Greeley's Reel Review

Recently received my copy of Greeley’s Reel 3rd CD “Live at O’Reilly’s” and since I know a couple of da boys I thought I’d write a blog .Tony is married to a childhood friend of mine Tracy Button- Menchions and I work with Michael .

About Greeley's Reel

Since 1999, this group of musicians that have been going around playing music for the young and old, and everyone who enjoys some good old fashioned Irish Newfoundland Music. Greeley's Reel has evolved from a kitchen/basement band in Upper Island Cove, NL, to one of the most enjoyable party bands on the Avalon Peninsula. The band consists of Justin Greeley- Mandolin, Accordion, Bodhran, Vocals and also acts as General Manager & booking agent for the band------ Tom Greeley- Guitar, Vocals------- Jack Smith- Bass, Vocals------ Michael Greeley- Guitar, Vocals------ Aubrey Greeley- Fiddle, Accordion, Vocals------ Tony Menchions- Banjo, Harmonica, and Vocals------and there’s Steven Greeley – who sometimes joins the band playing Mandolin but is not a full time member.

Their first CD was released in 2005, simply called Greeley’s Reel, their second album; entitled “The Valley Road Sessions” was released in 2008. In November, 2010, the band recorded their third album, in front of a live audience at O’Reilly’s Irish Pub in St. John’s, NL. The CD was released in June, 2011, and is fast becoming the most successful to date. Greeley's Reel performed with the Ennis Sisters at The Music Industry Association Awards Gala and have shared the stage with such names as Rex Goudie, Trooper, Honeymoon Suite, Shanneyganock, The Fables, The Masterless Men, The Irish Descendants, The Celtic Connection, Dermot O'Reilly, Fergus O'Byrne, The Punters, and the list goes on. They have also become regulars at O'Reilly’s Irish Pub on George Street in St. John's, NL.

About the CD

These are just my thoughts as I listened to the CD and I encourage everyone to take a listen and judge for yourself. You won’t be disappointed. Disclaimer: I am no music expert… couldn’t even carry a tune in a wheel barrel as the old saying goes but I know what I like and I really like this CD. Also I have no connection to this band or its web site and receive no money from them. It’s my view for whatever its worth.

Track 1 -Mermaid- a tale of love between a mermaid and a mortal… a grand clever song, very catchy and well sung.

Track 2 -Barley Mow- The verses of "The Barley Mow" wish good luck to various sizes of vessels of alcoholic beverages ( English measurements), and lastly to the barley mow, one of beer's key ingredients. These are sung in descending order from largest (barrel) to smallest (round bowl).Da ‘boys do a top notch job… it’s definitely a tongue twister… Lots of Fun!

Track 3- Black Velvet Band - There are several versions of the Black Velvet Band to be found all across the world from Ireland to America and on to Newfoundland. This one is true to the original and Greeley’s Reel does a wonderful job.

Track 4- Grandpa was a Carpenter – an upbeat two step feel, hard swinging rhythm, distinctive vocal voice…Well done guys!

Track 5- The Good Ship Kangaroo-challenging but traditional shanty, Maritime music with flair. These guys are a talented bunch who can sing bloody well.

Track 6- Red Rose Café – Superb! This definitely is my favorite. Well worth listening to over and over again! Great Voice!

Track 7- Hot Asphalt- Wonderful rendition. Loved it!

Track 8- Wagon Wheel- Words can’t describe how good this is! So I won’t even try.

Track 9- Donegal Danny - about a crew of fishermen who were drowned at sea. A sad but lovely song and sung very well… very moving!

Track 10 Golden Jubilee- Another great tune!

Track 11- Black & Tans- This is real Irish stuff… sounding pretty darn good without the drink…

Track 12- Barrett’s Privateers - really feeling the music (or the drink…lol)! Nice job.

The boys really know how to make their voices grab you and make you listen. This Irish band is highly entertaining and a real crowd pleaser. Run out and get your copy today!

Also a Big shout out to the band for producing an environmentally friendly CD.

All pictures are courtesy of Greeley’s Reel.

  Click here to check out their website

Disclaimer- terms & conditions

Privacy
The owner of this blog does not share personal information with third-parties nor does the owner store information is collected about your visit for use other than to analyze content performance through the use of cookies, which you can turn off at anytime by modifying your Internet browser’s settings. The owner is not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without permission.

Blog Comments

The owner of this blog reserves the right to edit or delete any comments submitted to this blog without notice due to;

1. Comments deemed to be spam or questionable spam

2. Comments including profanity

3. Comments containing language or concepts that could be deemed offensive

4. Comments that attack a person individually

Terms and Conditions

All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.

This policy is subject to change at anytime.

Where did Summer go?

Where has the time gone? No wait; where has my summer gone? Funny isn't it, how it seems to take forever to get here and then, poof, it's almost over! I cannot believe that it is already July and that I’ll be back at CNA starting a new semester soon. Ah, July in Carbonear. A time for long sleeves and umbrellas, of days spend indoors, or nights huddled around a campfire. Summer, it seems, has gone missing, and the prime suspects are spring and fall. The warmest season has made appearances in places, like Ontario and Nova Scotia. But it's boycotting Newfoundland.""I think the worst is the days are just counting down and we're just not seeing any summer weather." realize my whole summer was spent waiting instead of doing. I don’t do well when it’s hot. I wanted cooler days so I can do the things I enjoy. The older I get, the faster time goes. Sometimes it whizzes by as I wait for energy to get going. I should have cleaned house and done other inside work while it was hot outside. Forget the wiser part. Getting older comes way too soon and youth is gone before you know it! Another reason the time has flown by is because I got a part-time job at the local Supermarket (Powell’s) to help subsidy this poor student.  About school I got my marks for semester 3 had made the Honor Society (3.6 GPA). Wahoo!!! I hope to maintain that!!! So Pat & Shola go easy on me… (Hey Shola you made the blog…lol). I am sad to see summer end but also excited about going back to school some might think it’s boring or hard, but it’s actually can be lots of fun."  So it seems that fall is fast approaching so I urge you all to take advantage of the remaining summer and do something ...anything. Enjoy! Also a reminder  that the Carbonear Car  Show & Shine will be going on this weekend  August 5 ,6 & 7th, 2011 @ Paddy's Garden... Come out & support the Special Oyympics...

Five Weird Habits ...Count'em. Five. No more, no less.

1. I am beyond anal when it comes to the covers on my bed. They have to be smooth. I cannot stand bumpy sheets. I have been known to tell Bert to get out of bed and help me straighten the covers! Gives me the willies just thinking about it.


2. Whenever I eat Smarties (candies) I have to eat them in two's, either in pairs of the same colors or similar colors.
3. I don’t like Christmas. Deal with it.

4. I don't like my hands to be dirty or icky.. I'm not OCD about it, but I need clean hands. Especially under the nails. Evidently I have been this way since I was little. Mom said I would come in the house and wash my hands and then go back outside to play some more.

5. I talk to people in other cars when I drive. Mostly the morons. I thought Berks' first word was going to be "Dumbass". Because of the dumbasses, I don't like to drive. People are idiots. (No, not you. You are pretty much perfect!)

What about you, you perfect, weird person? What weird habit do you have?

Self -Care

I just finished Day 1 of a 2 day training program on Suicide Intervention Skills. It’s an eye opening experience, very intense and emotional. The group itself is varied… young, old, male female, those just out of school and retirees. In our discussions, we discovered that anyone and just about everyone has at some time or another has been effected or touched by suicide. The seminar has covered a lot of information and hopefully by its end it will have taken away a lot of the fear associated with helping people dealing the suicide. My trainer Terry has given us some homework; we are supposed to do a self care activity. The purpose of this activity is that if we cannot take care of ourselves how can we be expected to care for others. Self care has been defined as “the right and responsibility to take care of your physical, emotional and spiritual well-being”. Self care may also be thought of as anything that contributes to our emotional, spiritual, physical, and/or social rejuvenation. In other words it’s “Me Time”. Me time,” refers to time for oneself to participate in activities that you enjoy, that provide you with peace and happiness, and awaken your senses. It can be anything from taking a shower / or bath, going for a walk, doing your nails , reading a book, paint, sketch, draw, or be like me and blog. For me blogging is therapeutic . And if I still want to get away from everything I'll get into a steaming bath and play music and just shut my eyes. No interruptions allowed!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day

Questions …

Here are my Answers … write in the comment section and tell me yours


1. What curse word do you use the most?

It changes often, but these days I've been saying... "Bloody Hell!"

2. Do you own an iPod?


No

3. Do you still remember the first person you kissed?

Yes. And the second!

4. Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture?


I would love to be in some pictures so my kids will remember what I looked like, but no one else in this house will ever use the camera.

5. Has anyone ever called you lazy?

*I* call me lazy.

6. Has anyone told you a secret this week?

Nope.

7. What is the first thing you notice about someone to whom are attracted?

Eyes, shoulders and butt.

8. To what are you looking forward?


I'll get back to you on that

9. Do you own any band t-shirts?


Nope..
10. When is the last time you slept on the floor?

Many years ago..

11. What did you do last night?

Surfed the net and watched Big Bang Theory

12. Do you get along better with the same sex or the opposite sex?

I've always gotten along with guys. I was a big tomboy growing up. But now it’s mostly girls... marriage changes things

13. Who was the last person to make you mad?

Hi Husband!

14. To whom would you want to be tied to for 24 hours?

Does a firm king size bed with 1000 thread count sheets count? If not …. Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson from Stargate SG-1.

15. T or F: All’s fair in love and war?

No. Just because I want to say no.


16. What’s something you’ve always wanted?

I don't know. I'm pretty good with what I have. More money is alway nice. (Money can't buy happiness, but it can take you places where you can look for it.)

17. Do you enjoy spending time with your mother?

Yes! I love my mom!

18. Do you want a bright yellow ‘11 Mustang?


Sure would!

19. Where is/are your best friend(s)?

In Carbonear.. Hi Lisa!!

20. Would you rather swim in the ocean or a lake?


Doesn’t matter I love to swim…

Photo Hunt

This one is for the Bachelorette....

Hashbrown casserole

There is just something about comfort food.


Ooey, Gooey, Cheesy, Warm, Filling Food that feeds your belly and your soul. Eaten with family and friends, this is the food that is served at baby showers, brunches, and afternoons with friends and family. The food of your childhood and your best memories.

Everyone has a recipe for Hashbrown Bakes and Casseroles, those recipes passed among friends and family. This is my recipe with some variations thrown in for you to try. It’s cheesy and gooey, hot and slightly crisp, while creamy, with just a dash of tang from the sour cream and a sweet bite from the onions.

What? You want the recipe? Okay

Basically, you take frozen hash browns, add some condensed soup, sour cream and cheese, add something crunchy on top ( if desired), and bake it into this yummy, cheesy pile. And really, who doesn't love a yummy, cheesy pile?

Hashbrown Casserole Ingredients

• Non-stick cooking spray

• 1 bag hash brown potatoes

• 1 can condensed cream soup, undiluted

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

• 1 medium onion, minced

• 1 small tub sour cream

• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• OPTIONAL… top with crushed potato chips ,crushed corn flakes or Ritz crackers & a little melted butter ( personally I never use this option)

Hashbrown Casserole Instructions


• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

• Combine the cream soup, butter or margarine, onion, sour cream, cheese, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Mix until well combined.

• Fold the hash browns into the cream mixture. Transfer to the greased casserole dish.

• Bake for about 40 minutes or until bubbly.

• If your crumbs are getting too toasty, cover the dish with tin foil, at that point, and put back in the oven.

• Serve or you can mix this the day before, refrigerate it & then cook it. ( if waiting don’t add topping)

• You can prepare ahead and freeze this.

Hashbrown Casserole Variations

• Omit onion salt & pepper…. Add onion soup mix

• Try different cream soups… I use whatever is on hand

• Try different cheese or combine them Parmesan, Mozzarella, Fontina, Provolone, Asiago and/or Romano

• Top with a can of French fried onions.

• vegetables such as peas or peas & carrots, green beans, corn, red or green pepper , mushrooms …etc

• Add parmesan cheese

• Add bacon

• To make it a full meal, add meat… any kind (chopped turkey, sausage, chicken, ham, or ground meat).

• For the last 10 minutes of baking, add a fresh topping of cheese.

Status Updates!

Here are some good facebook/ twitter/ msn status update ideas :

- Hey baby, wanna come over to myspace so I can twitter your yahoo til you google all over my facebook?

-Pardon me but your status is showing.

-remembers when blackberry & apple were just fruit

-found the pot at the end of the rainbow…too bad the leprechaun already smoked it…

-Relationships are like farts… If you push too hard, things could get messy.

-2012? Seriously I survived 9/11,6/6/6, 9/9/9 , H1N1, Swine flu & Bird flu… bring it on!

-It still haunts me… what I did for that Klondike bar….

-It doesn’t matter if the glass is half empty or half full. There’s clearly room for Vodka…

-Roses are red, violets are blue, I have 5 fingers and the middle one is for you….

-is reading other statuses but your status is important to [him/her]. Please stay online and your status will be read in sequence. Approximate wait time 17 min.

- Please don’t interrupt me while I’m ignoring you.

-Funny how a dollar can look so big when you take it to church and so small when you take it to the store.

-Men are like coolers. Load them up with beer and you can take them anywhere.

-shaved my commute time in half by changing my car’s horn to sound like gunfire

- Just farted and it froze. Damn its coooold!

- Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

- Nothing like an old high school crush finding you & friending you on Facebook because he needs cows or some crap for Farmville

-║▌║█║▌║▌││║▌║█║▌│║▌║█║▌║▌││║▌║ *ZAP* *BEEP* Price: $7.95

- Warning: the internet may contain traces of nuts
 
-If guys had periods, they’d brag about the size of their tampons

- What does a blond owl say? What? What?

- Two people in every one is a schizophrenic

Oven- Fried Onion Rings

                                                     Oven-Fried Onion Rings

Picture Courtesy of: Bless Us O Lord

about six side-dish servings

2 medium (or 1 large) sweet onions, sliced ½-inch thick

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ cup buttermilk

1 egg

¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

1½ cups crushed potato chips (kettle-cooked chips, if available)

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.Combine ¼ cup flour, salt, black pepper and cayenne in a bowl.In another bowl combine the buttermilk, egg and additional flour, whisking until a smooth batter is formed.In a third bowl, place the crushed potato chips.

Prepare the onion rings by first dipping a ring into the seasoned flour, then into the batter (let the excess batter drip off), and then coat with the crushed potato chips. As you finish the rings, place them on a large plate. Repeat with all rings (make sure you have all the rings breaded before you proceed).

Cover a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper (or aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray -- I used two cooking sheets so they would have plenty of room). Drizzle the vegetable oil on the parchment-lined sheet and place in the oven for 8 minutes. Carefully remove the sheet from the oven and tilt to evenly coat with oil.

Working quickly, place your onion rings on the baking sheet and return to oven. Bake for 8 minutes, then flip onion rings (carefully or the breading will come off) and bake for an additional 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown.

While baking, prepare your dipping sauce!

Dipping Sauce

½ cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons ketchup

2 Tablespoons horseradish

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon dried oregano

Dash ground black pepper

Dash cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate.

Source: Brown Eyed Baker/ Bless Us O Lord

My Birthday ...Number 41

A late post I know but here it is anyway. I turned 41 about 2 weeks ago and I actually had an awesome night ( until the accident that my son was in not me... just a minor fender bender). To celebrate my birthday I askked my besties... to come to a comedy show with me. They all say yes ...except my good friend Linda who ended up working... I'll forgive her but Linda you owe me a night out. The Comedy show was held in Harbour Grace, NL by hometown comedian John Sheehan and a few of his friends. The event was held to raise funds for the Fire Brigade and was very successful. My friends and I laughed til we cried, had stitches in our sides and our jaws actually hurt. What a time we had


Comedy on Fire tickets



Lisa & Heidi





 






Lil' Sis - Big Sis

 

Lisa, Heidi, John ( My birthday gift), Me & my sister Tracy



The fender bender

                                                               





My Parents

My Sister, Mother, Father & Me

I'm definately not a High Tech Blogger

  So bloggers just to let you know I survived my first term of College. Actually got a 79.2 average.... in your face non believers and I only had one night involving books and breezers. Not bad for after being out of school for twenty years.  I find this term is filled with a lot of dry but necessary material.... BORING!!!  But I am was enjoying Media class until Pat ( our Instructor) informed me that I would have to do an impromptu speech... damn I hate those. We had to list 5 topics and and he randomly selected students to give their speeches.  My five topics were: 1. Scrabble, 2. Blogging, 3. Reading trashy romance novels, 4. Crossword puzzles and 5. Picture taking. Pretty easy topics huh... Not!! I rehearsed each topic in my head so that I had at least some key points to review but oh no could my brain handle that... got in front of the class and my brain goes to mush and all rational thought was out the door . Here I was in front of the class feeling like a blubbering idiot .My topic was Blogging which although I enjoy I still haven't got an effing clue as to what I am doing here. This blog is a testament  to that. I'm sure there are ways to add fancy text and cool graphics but I don't know how and I won't pretend to. Whether I'm doing it right or not I enjoy it so you can kiss my " Rebel Slut _ Prom Queen " Non- Techno ass if you don't agree...LOl!