We Need to Remind

As American Legion chaplain, my husband, Bruce, gave the invocation at our annual Amelia Island Memorial Day Service.  The keynote speaker was Madison Moore, Yulee High School, class of 2017.  An extremely talented orator, she explained how she had surveyed kids in her school, asking what Memorial Day meant to them.  The vast majority said things like: It's a holiday. No school! It's the first day of summer.  It's time for the beach.  We have hot dogs and burgers. While all these things are fun and all-American, these students completely missed the meaning of Memorial Day, which is to honor those fallen military, all heroes, who stood between us and those enemies who would see us destroyed.
 
I hope our children are taught the reason behind Memorial Day in school, but they need reminding.  Adults, too.  So I charge parents and grandparents to explain why we celebrate Memorial Day, as well as July 4th and Venterans' Day.

Remind them, too, to revere the United States flag and what the stars and stripes mean. Fly the flag, if not every day then on those patriotic holidays.  If they don't have a family flag, give them one as a birthday or Christmas gift. Better yet, take your child or grandchild on a jaunt and let them help pick out the flag to purchase. Let them help you install the flag pole. Can't afford a large flag right now?  Go to the dollar store and buy one or several small flags to wave and/or stick in the planter on the front porch.  Show the kids you are proud to prove you are a patriot, all the while you and they are wearing red, white and blue clothes. 

Go ahead and enjoy your hot dogs, take a swim, toss a ball, but first honor the men and women who died for us all.
  

Memorial Day

I came across this image and thought it was so sad, yet so comforting, the perfect representation of Memorial Day. 



 

 

 Angel carrying a WWI fallen soldier home...

statue in Winnipeg commissioned and unveiled in 1922

May we never forget the men and women

 who have given the

 United States of America

  all her freedoms.

 

Found on flickr.com then posted on Pinterest.com by jmm- http://www.pinterest.com/1janemarie/faith/

Mark of a Man- Peeper's Root Beer Punch

working cover of Amelia Island's Mark of  Man by Jane Marie Malcolm

Amelia Island's Mark of a Man, part of Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie series--
It is 1898 in the north Florida island town of Fernandina...
 
Peeper's bunions are hurting her today so she's stayed at Dunnigan Manor, missing Breelan and Carolena's suffragette rally.  She's attending in spirit, though.  The ladies of the movement insisted her Root Beer Punch be served in her honor. Now if they can keep Aunt Noreen from refilling her teacup too many times, there just might be enough to go around!
 


Grandmother Peeper

Below is Peeper's recipe, just as she wrote it out for them:

Peeper's Best Root Beer Punch

 
"Be sure and follow my formula close-like," Peeper writes, "sos it don't taste different from the intended flavor.

In any large bowl, pretty or chipped, it makes no nevermind, lessin yur atryin' ta put on the dog to impress folks, such as that Aunt Noreen is always doin'. 
 
Ingredients you'll be aneedin':
 
Root beer
Vanilla ice cream
 
Pour yur root beer in the bowl and add lots a scoops a 'nilla ice cream. Ladle inta  cups or jelly jars.  Now, don't be adrinkin' too much or ya might catch a chill.

Hollywood Hearts- CHER LIVE



Five girlfriends and I went to the Dressed to Kill 2014 Cher concert in Jacksonville, Florida. The opening act was Cyndi Lauper. In black leather and a wicked long red wig, she looked great and sang for a solid hour.  What surprised me was the power in her voice doing At Last near the end of her performance. Her only props were a backdrop of psychedelic colors. Since part of the fun for me, besides the music and the costumes, are the sets, I guessed Cher's show would be the same level of nothing stage production.
 

Take It Like a Man  (Where is Cher? Watch the video and see.)

 click here to see the video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNiyGQE3Nt8

 

Man-oh-man was I wrong.  Cher's show was full-blown Las Vegas-style entertainment! And at age 68, she looked beautiful.  I took my binoculars and, checking out the movie screens on either side of the stage, she hadn't a wrinkle.  We all know she's had work done, but it is the best work ever. Hats off to her doctors and her face isn't so stiff that she can't smile. I sincerely mean this in the best way possible.

 

 

So back to the show.  Cher began with a question to the audience, something like, "So where is your granny tonight?", and she was off.  Beginning with  Woman's World,  it morphed into some vampire thing, not my favorite,  and she continued to sing seventeen more songs, all of which were hits.  Between her songs, her dozen dancers wiggled and writhed in their expected scanty costumes while she changed wigs and outfits, oh the outfits.

 The sets changed, too, with the help of a huge back screen wild with a castle interior or a Greek temple (as in first picture/video above) on fire or glittering stars, all with the accompanying flashing flurry of ever-changing lights bouncing to the beat. With so much to see, there was no way to take it all in the first time. Bring on YouTube.com.  I found the video clips there and most of the traveling tour show can be seen, too.  It doesn't compete with being in the Veteran's Coliseum live with Cher, but it will give you a good clue as to what it was like.
 

 

Sonny and Cher singing I Got You Babe

She didn't forget Sonny and sang an I Got You Babe duet with him from their old black and white TV show days.  She said it took her a long time to be able to get through it.  She mastered it without a hitch. The scenery was back and white, so she popped in her red body suit. Bring on the golden Trojan Horse and her exit from it. Colors and glitter and sparkle were everywhere as her performance lasted about an hour and three-quarters.  It was a workout but you'd never know because it's all a part of her.  She said this is her final-final tour and then winked.  I'm glad she winked.  She can never say goodbye to her music, her sequins and her great hair.  Her fans won't let her.  
 

 

 Hope You Find It, closing number

click here to see the video -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wxUeVYKkFE

 

 

I snapped the photos of Cher myself.  The two videos are from YouTube.com.  Thank you, as always to them and those who post for all of us to see. 

 

Mark of a Man Excerpt-Tear Catchers/Peeper & Aunt Noreen

11/29/18
Update: I got an email from Lorena, the creator of the tear catcher pictured below.  I found it on Pinterest and stated that in my article, but now I am pleased to share this replica is made with a vintage Avon bottle from Rose &  Plum on Etsy.  Please go to https://www.etsy.com/market/rose_plum to discover more beautiful treasures.  Thank you, Lorena,  for allowing me to credit your artistry! -Jane Marie

  

Tear Catchers, also called tear vials or tear bottles, were used to capture tears.  They go way back and I discovered they are mentioned in the Old Testament, Psalm 56:8. Some came with an opening in the top to let the tears evaporate.  When the vial was empty, mourning was over.  A bottle with a solid top might be used by a widow.  A year after her husband's death, she would empty the contents over his grave.  Or a returning soldier would discover how much he was missed.

I found a sample of a necklace tear catcher on Pinterest (link below).  This could be one used by Aunt Noreen, a less than gracious character in The Goodbye Lie, Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow and Mark of a Man, novels in my Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy.

Here is a silly excerpt of the on-going bicker-fest between beloved Grandmother Peeper and not so beloved Aunt Noreen from my upcoming historical novel Mark of a Man set in 1898 in Fernandina on Amelia Island:  

   "Keep our Bird a the Earth in yur care, dear Lord," prayed Peeper, unable to kneel and so was seated on the edge of a chair.

   "Strengthen those of us who remain behind," added Aunt Noreen, removing the cork from the tiny tear catcher she wore hanging about her neck.
   Peeper saw the familiar movement and asked, "Why are ya actin' so sad, Noreena?  You don't never care a lick fer nobody but you. If ya think you're ashowin' yur devotion by collecting tears, ya ain't. Everybody knows how ya kin squeeze out yur eye-drops whenever ya have the notion.  I wouldn't be surprised ta find ya drank a extree glass a water afore ya come here, just ta be certain there was anuf juice in ya ta have a good weepin' flow."
   Hoping the others were more concerned with their praying than with Peeper's true evaluation, Noreen only compressed her lids more tightly, gathering another droplet from her left eye.  


To see more tear catchers, click here and scroll down the page: http://www.pinterest.com/twinavon/tear-catcher/

A Mother's Recipe + Goodbye Lie Diaries - Peeper's Fave

Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida
for Mother's Day
2014

Jane Marie writes:

On birthdays and holidays, I often make a chocolate cake with "Boiled White Icing" as my husband, Bruce, calls it, just like his mother, Mary Jo, used to do for him.  It is a wonderful way to remember her for all of us.

Happy Mother's Day to everyone because our mothers brought us into this world and that, in itself, is a miracle and cause to honor these special women, grandmothers, great grandmothers, aunts, neighbors, etc.! A mother's love goes beyond blood.

 

Mary Jo's Seven Minute Boiled White Icing

You'll need:

• Double boiler with water in the bottom or a 4 quart sauce pan or pie or cake pan filled with a 1/2" of water in which you will place the sauce pan for heating.

Combine in the top of your double boiler or saucepan substitute:

• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tarter
• A few grains of salt

Turn burner setting to medium high and place double boiler on the stove.  (Watch to see that the bottom of the double boiler neither boils over or boils dry.)

 

Add:

• One unbeaten egg white

Beat mixture until soft peaks form when the beaters are stopped and lifted.

 

Add :

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla just before the frosting is spread on the cake.

This makes enough frosting to cover the top of a 9”X12” cake.  The recipe can easily be doubled.

***   Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida 1880s   Grandmother Peeper writes:   Now ain't that the silliest thing.  I been amakin' this frosting the last longest!  All the Dunnigans just love it and I, also, sos I make a double batch, too.  Aunt Noreen tried it once but she forgot ta add the vanilla and it tasted only like eatin' a fork fulla sugar.  If it tweren't fer my naner puddin', the family party would have not had no dessert. Nobody said nothin' mean to Noreena but she is so stubborn, she cut herself a piece of her cake and ate it all down.  I have ta say, that woman is a good actress cause she didn't never make a face whilst gobblin' the stuff.  If ya make it right, and don't forget the vanilla, sure as the world, it'll be one a everybody's favorites.   Also, diary,  I like that there is a special day for all the mothers in Jane Marie's time.  I'm awonderin' why we don't do that, too.  Think I'll be gatherin' some flowers from Miss Ella's roses garden and make a extree perty settin' for the dinner table fer her.  She's a extree special mother, and it's best nobody says different.  Maybe I'll tell the children ta pick some weeds and give 'um ta Noreena.  The children don't know a weed from a flower but old Noreena does and I like to needle her whenever I kin.  It might not be the most Christian act, but it sure is fun.    Peeper, Aunt Noreen aka Noreena and Miss Ella Dunnigan are all featured characters in Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy set in Victorian Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida, USA.

 

 

 

 

Ask Jane Marie- What's Up with the Name?

How observant are readers of my Goodbye Lie series set on Amelia Island? Very, because I am often asked why my name on the cover of The Goodbye Lie is Jane Marie and on the cover of Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow, it is  Jane Marie Malcolm. Originally, my pen name was to be Jane Marie, which is my real name. My daughter, Barbra, thought it sounded more romantic for a writer, and suggested I leave off my last name.  All was well until Amazon.com added my last name.  I thought it best to avoid confusion so I now use my full handle going forward. 


   My sister, Nancy Kamp, gave me that gracious description, a thing toward which everyone should strive, but I am certainly not to that point. Bottom line, no matter what you call me, I hope you will join our Victorian world where love, lace and teddy bears reign, here on this blog.

 

INFO and PURCHASE HERE 

Recipe reprinted from www.GraciousJaneMarie.com 

Hollywood Hearts: That Lusty Month of May

My plan was to write a lovely piece about May Day.  It will have to wait until next year since May Day, the first day of May, has passed. I ran out of time dress shopping. Whoever invented spandex should do time, along with the men, it had to be men, who designed three-way mirrors and dresses with horizontal stripes.  After that escapade and feeling the need to loose 20 pounds in  less than a week for an event I'll attend, I arrived home to eat three fish sticks and a bag of nuked broccoli.  Only nineteen  pounds, 15.99 ounces to go.

So for Alternate Plan B, and an equally fine plan it is, here is Julie Andrews singing The Lusty Month of May from the musical Camelot.  Listen closely to the clever words by  lyricist and librettist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pljyjiIMH9o and read along below.  Too wonderful!

                                          Julie Andrews and Richard Burton from Camelot
                  Thank you to http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_llz5m9T4Jx1qjrnp8o1_500.jpg


GUENEVERE sings:
Tra la! It's May!
The lusty month of May!
That lovely month when ev'ryone goes
Blissfully astray.
Tra la! It's here!
That shocking time of year
When tons of wicked little thoughts
Merrily appear!
It's May! It's May!
That gorgeous holiday
When ev'ry maiden prays that her lad
Will be a cad!
It's mad! It's gay!
A libelous display!
Those dreary vows that ev'ryone takes,
Ev'ryone breaks.
Ev'ryone makes divine mistakes
The lusty month of May!

Whence this fragrance wafting through the air?
What sweet feelings does its scent transmute?
Whence this perfume floating ev'rywhere?
Don't you know it's that dear forbidden fruit!
Tra la la la la! That dear forbidden fruit!
Tra la la la la!

GUENEVERE & CHORUS:
Tra la la la la [etc.]

GUENEVERE:
Tra la! It's May!
The lusty month of May!
That darling month when ev'ryone throws
Self-control away.
It's time to do
A wretched thing or two,
And try to make each precious day
One you'll always rue!
It's May! It's May!
The month of "yes you may,"
The time for ev'ry frivolous whim,
Proper or "im."
It's wild! It's gay!
A blot in ev'ry way.
The birds and bees with all of their vast
Amorous past
Gaze at the human race aghast,
The lusty month of May.

CHORUS:
Tra la! It's May!
The lusty month of May!
That lovely month when ev'ryone goes
Blissfully astray.
Tra la! It's here!
That shocking time of year
When tons of wicked little thoughts
Merrily appear.
It's May! It's May!
The month of great dismay.

GUENEVERE:
When all the world is brimming with fun,
Wholesome or "un."

GUENEVERE & CHORUS:
It's mad! It's gay!
A libelous display!
Those dreary vows that ev'ryone takes,
Ev'ryone breaks.
Ev'ryone makes divine mistakes
The lusty month of May!

Lyrics from: http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/camelot/thelustymonthofmay.htm

A Sparkling Find!

I love sparkles, glitter, bling and anything shiny.  Don't we all? My sister, Nancy, is among us and even has a jewelry website called www.VeryShinyObjects.com.  So there I was, shopping for my sister-in-law's birthday gift when I stopped dead-still at the sight of the rhinestone lanyards! From multi-color to solid red, blue, yellow and white diamond, they beckoned me come. What use would my sister-in-law have of this?  None, I tell you. It was not for her, but for ME!  Why would I need such an item? Simple. When I do book signings and art shows, I hang my business card around my neck. This is perfect for a romance writer, me thinks.  Did I find a gift for said sister-in-law? I considered the peppermint-pickled beets in the glass pig-shaped jar bedecked with delicate hand-painted orange pine cones, but I'm not quite sure she would appreciate my depth of thought that went into choosing such a treasure.  Thus, I continue the quest for her.  I have achieved mine. Plus, I will write off my glorious lanyard as a business expense because, as you can tell, I'm all about business.

"diamond" lanyard against antique dress

 

  

No Kindle? Use Your Smart Phone to Read

I have often regaled you with my lack of technical skills. (I can type 576 words a minute, if you don't hold my mistakes against me. That's an old joke.) So, it is always a pleasure to discover and retain useful info with regard to electronic gadgets. If you already know this stuff, be kind and graciously hide your laughter behind your hand. If you don't know about it, then we will learn together.

What I just found was taken directly from the latest Kindle Newsletter:
Did you know your readers don't need a Kindle to read your book? Simply download one of our free Kindle apps--available for every major smartphone, tablet, and computer.

Go to www.Amazon.com and in the search box type: Free Kindle Reading Apps

or click on the links below:

Kindle for iPhone & iPad | Kindle for Android Phone & Tablet | Kindle for PC | View all Kindle apps Sample for android phone:

         

Kindle for Android by Amazon.com (Mar 18, 2011)

• $0.00
• Available instantly on your connected Android device
• (4,891)
• Product Features
• ... best reading experience available on your Android phone--no Kindle ...

Then  get started on The Goodbye Lie and Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow, my historical fiction novels, and become a Goodbye LieR like the rest of us.  Discover what drives intelligent women like the Dunnigans into doing ... Well, into doing less than intelligent things ... things that will change their lives for the rest of time.

(Once you have your ebook reader loaded on your device, go to www.GraciousJaneMarie.com and click on The Goodbye Lie and/or Velvet Undertow book covers to take you to Amazon.)

Posters and More Posters

Over time, my Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie series has had many posters.  Here are some of them plus a couple miscellaneous ones from www.GraciousJaneMarie:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.MarthaBear.com - silly short stories for the whole family

 

Posters for the next novel in the series,  Amelia Island's Mark of a Man, are in progress.  Stay tuned...

Novels, Kindle and Nook available for order at all book sources, www.Amazon and www.GraciousJaneMarie.com.

HE IS RISEN

HE IS RISEN!

 

HE IS RISEN, INDEED!

 

Happy Easter everyone!

Goodbye Lie Diaries - Peeper's Bunny Buns

Fernandina, Amelia Island, Florida
1880s

Grandmother Peeper writes:

Easter is tomorra, sos the children and me made the family some cinnamon rolls ta look like bunny heads. First off, we took a portion a bread dough and mixed in a tish a cinnamon.  Next,we shaped a head and pinched off a little more dough ta make two long ears each.  Then I baked 'um in the oven, watching sos they didn't burn. We iced 'um with vanilla frosting and added raisins for two button eyes and one nose. They was very popular  and there's none left!  Next year, we'll make two batches for all them hungry youngin's a ours.

More important than bunny buns, is Easter and that our Lord raised hisself up.  It's a miracle and we're all blessed because he dun that for us.  Thank you, Jesus! I'm pretty old, so I'll be aseein' ya soon! 

*****.
Fernandina, Amelia Island, Florida
2014

Jane Marie writes:

Peeper, your bunny buns sounded so yummy, granddaughter, Ava, and I made some of our own. In our time, we are very spoiled, so I didn't have to go to all the effort to make bread dough from scratch like you did.  These days, you can go to the grocery and purchase a sleeve of dough with cinnamon already mixed in.  We sprayed a cookie sheet with non-stick spray, formed the bunny heads and ears, baked them for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees, I think it was, and frosted them with the icing that came with the dough.  We didn't have any raisins on hand so we used peanuts for the eyes and nose. Of course, some people who are allergic to peanuts should just leave the bunnies faceless.  They taste swell either way.

raw bunny buns - before

 

baked bunny buns - after

 

Happy Easter to you and the Dunnigans, the Duffys and Mrs. Ickles and Aunt Noreen, in particular.  The good Lord teaches us to pray for everyone, including the most difficult of people.  Sometimes it's a challenge, but then it's nothing compared to what He did for us.  May we all remember the meaning of Easter, the same as our parents, and their parents before them.  Let us carry on their faith, which is now ours.



 



P.S.  I also saw similar bunny heads on Pinterest.  I guess good ideas are not restricted to particular centuries...

(Grandmother Peeper is just one of the beloved characters from Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy set in 1880s - available at www.GraciousJaneMarie.com , through www.Amazon.com and all bookseller outlets.)

Making the Mark - What I Discovered

Questions, I have questions.  I have lots and lots of questions… (This is a direct rip-off from  Letters, We Get Letters, We Get Stacks and Stacks of Letters.  Folks would write into the Perry Como TV show from the 1950's.  He would choose a letter and sing the requested song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC7o7FbUipg

 

And you wonder why it takes so long to write my Amelia Island/Fernandina, Florida novels?  Research, dear readers.  Research and tweaking. With regard to research about things available and happening in 1898, the year in which my Amelia Island's Mark of  a Man, the next novel in my Goodbye Lie series,  is set,  here are just a few questions to which I had to find answers:

• When was Yankee Doodle written? – Answer: 1770s
• What were the Suffrage movement colors  worn by women seeking the vote?  I thought they were red, white and blue.  Answer: WRONG, oh great assumer, I say to myself.  I was watching a PBS show and there, before my eyes, were suffragettes.   They were wearing white, green and gold!  I verified this through research and went back and corrected it.
• Will lavender grow in north Florida? Answer: Yes, provided it's watered and in pots.  Then I recalled a horticulturist friend of mine telling me that, yes, it will grow here, but he suggested no matter where it is planted, you cover the surface of the dirt with pebbles.  Without pebbles, the water may splash up onto the lower leaves and transfer bacteria to those leave, causing mildew or fungus or whatever bad germs might make the plant to die eventually.
• Did doctors wear surgical masks? Answer:  Not yet.  They weren't developed until 1905 or so I read.
• When as Ava Maria written? Answer:  The music was written by Franz Schubert to a poem before he died in 1828, so I can use it!
• What about God Bless America?  When as that written? Answer:  1918 by Irving Berlin, so I can't use it.
• How about Rock of Ages? Answer: Yes, it was written before 1872.
• Hail Holy Queen composed when? Answer: It is from the 11^th century, so heck yes.  Use it!
• John Phillip Sousa's Stars and Stripes?  Answer: composed in 1896 and published in 1897.  It's a squeaker, but it will work!
• What is the difference between a bowler and derby hat?   Answer: The bowler, a hard felt hat with a rounded crown, was invented in Britain in 1848.  The Americans copied it and called it a derby.
• Lyceum Hall in Fernandina, Florida – When was it built and where was it located? Answer: Built in 1873, Lyceum Hall was located on Centre Street, the main street in historic downtown Fernandina,  between Sixth and Seventh Street.  Lyceums were public halls in small towns constructed to showcase wholesome entertainment, song, dance , the arts and assorted programs.

The results from research are fun, don't you think? 

Hollywood Hearts - Sway

Everybody knows I'm a fan of old Hollywood, so I love Turner Classic Movies on television.  I was walking through the house one evening and heard a guest speaker on that channel. I think she was a college English teacher. When the host asked her how many of her students were interested in old movies, she said none.  Yes, I am realistic about such things.  The younger generations want to look forward and don't care about what used to be. Still, I remain ever hopeful and will never give up in sharing the joys of music and movies from times past.

Today's offering is a modern day version of Sway, a mambo written in  1953 featuring Mathew Morrison of the TV show Glee. Click on link to enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mathew%20morrison%20sway&m=1.  Dean Martin made this a hit in the same decade, as well.

Also, click here to see a composite from Rita Hayworth films, as she dances to Sway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5FtCIoJATM

But wait, here is yet another modern version from Dancing with the Stars featuring Nicole Scherzinger and the Pussycat Dolls. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bnW3ALEccY

Come on and Sway with me.

Serving Makes the Difference- a Dessert

Rather than go out to a fancy dinner on our anniversary, I usually choose to make a semi-fancy meal at the house.  I'll set up a table in the living room or anywhere, other than the dining room.  It changes the mood from everyday to special.  Cover the table with a sheet, quilt, place mats, or tablecloth you rarely use, get out your best dishes and silver, a fancy serving tray or dish, cloth napkins,  and your grandmother's salt and pepper shakers.  Clip some greenery and a few flowers from your garden or your nice neighbor's, light an unscented candle (so the aroma is the food, not a candle scent), and turn on the music from your radio, TV, CD or phone. Try something romantic and slow for back ground atmosphere.  After dinner, dance to the wonderful lyrics from the Big Band era, something from Frank Sinatra always works.  In each other's arms, lean back and listen to the lyrics as they tell a story which will inspire you both or, if the words are sad, make you count your blessings.

 

As to the food, keep is simple and fun.  Make something in the slow cooker, so it's ready with no effort. It will give you both time to dress appropriately.  Whatever your lifestyle, the swirl of a skirt and the look of a tie add so much with so little effort.

 

And for dessert, I made these easy brownie, chocolate pudding (sugar-free), whipped topping (lite) and stemmed cherry delights. Yummy and the secret to special is to serve in a fancy stemmed glass.   In the photo below, I wasn't sure which order to layer the ingredients, so they would present best. I tried, from bottom to top, brownie pieces, whipped topping, pudding and cherry.  On the right, I had brownie pieces on the bottom, pudding topping and the cherry.  Decisions, decisions.  Which looks better?  I guess it really doesn't matter, because it sure tasted swell.



 

Oh, don't forget a selfie photo of the two of you and your dessert.  You can't have too many pictures. 

Clever, I Love Clever

While visiting a wonderful ice cream shop in Tallahassee, Florida called Lofty Pursuits, I notice the wall behind the candy-making worktable.  An interesting use of domino pieces made up the backsplash.  Centered in the middle of the domino tiles was a small sign.  See the second photo below to appreciate the cleverness. 

 

 candy-making worktable

 

If you're in the area, stop by Lofty Pursuits at 1415 Timberland Road, #410, Tallahassee, FL 32312 and visit www.LoftyPursuits.com for more info.

To Drink or Not to Drink

My husband, Bruce, has had a cold.  While he is infirm, I make him sleep in the guest bedroom.  My primary goal is for his quick recovery, and so undisturbed rest is key.  Of course, I don’t want to catch his cooties, either.  Therefore, I’ve been sleeping by myself, accompanied by the baked potato warmth of Abby, our rescued Chihuahua. Abby is a funny little doggie.  One of her weirdnesses is that she doesn’t like to eat from a bowl.  Her food must be on a flat plate.  A noisy saucer on our tile floor will not do.  It must be on a plastic lid from a Cool Whip type container.  All that is fine until it comes to water.  Ever try having sufficient water for an animal to drink contained on a flat lid?  It makes for desert conditions. Like it or not, I am forced to fill a bowl to the top with water and she eventually drinks.  Sometimes when she sits on my lap, which is her choice and constant, and which I like, she will lick her black dog lips, sounding rather dry to me.  I worry and I always try to remedy negative situations to avoid worry.  To that end, it was 4:30 a.m. and I got up to get myself a quick drink.  Abby was snuggled under the covers and I decided she was as thirsty as I.  So, guided by the glow of a small plug-in night-light, I filled a plastic glass with water and took it to Abby for a few puppy swigs.  I tipped the glass so the water was close to the lip and she wouldn’t have to stick her snout down inside.  I was triumphant.  She was thirsty.  Well, less than thirsty, but she did make one and a half tongue laps on or around the water.  The truth is, I heard more than I actually saw.  While I gloried in her hydration victory, my ears perked to another sound.  It was the soft splashing of the liquid falling upon the blankets and sheets in the center of the bed. 

My triumph dashed, I didn’t bother to turn on the light.  I crawled in bed with the dog, which seemed unmoved that I’d poured water on her blankies.  I pushed the cold wet covers to the side, in search of a dry spot.  Like a saturated sponge, the fluid had spread rapidly and wide.  I finally found that dry spot, located six inches from the edge of the mattress.  I had a decision to make.  I could either hug the seam binding and hope Abby, in her cuddling, didn’t push me off onto the unforgiving tile, not forgetting I was likely to hit my noggin on the marble bedside table on the way down. Or, I could sleep on the short loveseat in the parlor accompanied by the horrendous bong of the huge grandfather clock every thirty minutes, with the added harmony of Abby's howling, her latest self-taught trick.  Or I could put clean sheets on the recently stripped, hard to make up single bed in the office. Remember, it's now 4:45 a.m.  Hmm.  I decided to be brave and tough it out on the wet mattress with the singing dog.  And some say I’m not adventurous.   

Velvet Undertow Fave- Welcome Landscape Timber

Gardening   Home Decor

I came up with the idea of a painted landscape timber that says Welcome while putting the finishing touches on my garden in preparation for a family reunion.  It's easy to do whether freehand, traced, or stenciled.  You'll love it, and so will your neighbors.  Be prepared. They may want you to paint one for them, too!

      Enjoy,
     Jane Marie

 

an Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow fave at http://greenlightwrite.com/velvetundertowjanemarie.htm



You'll need: 1 pressure treated landscape timber, length is your choice Acrylic paints in assorted colors, black for lettering, white for background under the letters Paint brushes Pencil for marking/outline/tracing, stenciling, optional Stencils, optional Spray paint, optional Sealer Newspaper Spray paint or paint the center third or so of the timber with white paint to set off the lettering.  Find the center point of the timber and mark it with pencil. Plan the lettering style and spacing.  Draw the letter C in Welcome on the center point. Working from the center out, evenly draw the other letters of the word Welcome, making sure to keep the spacing even between letters. Using black paint, paint the letters, adding decorative gold or single color trim on the upper left edges of each letter, if desired. Trace, stencil or free hand vines from the center out to about 3 inches from each end of the timber. Add leaves and colorful flowers in the same fashion. Wash paint brushes with soap and water. Let your painted timber dry over night. Seal the painted surface by spraying it with two coats of acrylic sealer.   Seasonal Timbers* Paint Merry Christmas with green holly vines and red berries. Valentine's Day / Anniversary:  Paint Happy Valentine's Day or Happy Anniversary, adding green vines and different sized hearts instead of flowers, angling the hearts differently.  Trace a bird or two.  Add some painted curling ribbon. Halloween: Paint Happy Halloween, adding green vines with orange pumpkins. St Patrick's Day: Paint Happy St Patrick's Day, adding light green vines with gold and/or dark green shamrocks instead of flowers. New Home / Wedding Gift for Newlyweds: Paint the couple's last name in the center with the wedding date written as: Est. 2006 (Established) on one end in smaller letters.  Paint vines and flowers along the length. You get the idea.  Make any occasion special with a painted landscape timber.     Reprinted from: www.GraciousJaneMarie.com