Elvis Presley Cake

1 package white cake mix, baked according to directions in 9 x 13 pan
20 oz can crushed pineapple, slightly drained
1 c white sugar
1- 8 oz package cream cheese
1/2 c softened butter
4 c confectioners sugar
1 t vanilla
1 c chopped pecans

Combine pineapple and sugar in saucepan. Bring to boil. Pour over cooled cake.

Cream butter and cream cheese, add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat till smooth.

After frosting cake, sprinkle pecans over top.

Sausage and Sun Dried Tomato Rigatoni

This is very good. Was a little dry, so I added extra dressing... mmmm!

16 oz rigatoni pasta, cooked
1 lb Italian sausage, cut in chunks and browned
1 red onion, sliced
1/2 c tomato paste
1/2 c Kraft Sun Dried Tomato dressing
Parmesan cheese

Stir onions and tomato paste into sausage, cover. Cook 15 minutes or until onions are tender and sausage is cooked, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing. Toss sausage mix with pasta. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Makes 8 servings.

Denny's Clone Vegetable Barley Soup

Verry quick, very easy and quite tasty on a cool evening!

1 lb ground beef, browned and grease drained
1 16 ounce bag frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 c barley
64 ounces beef broth
2-14 oz cans diced tomatoes
pinch dried basil
2 T dried onions
garlic, salt, pepper to taste

Simmer for at least 30 minutes. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes!

The Next Four Years

PSALM 2008-2012: FIRST BOOK OF DEMOCRAT


OBAMA IS MY SHEPHERD,

I SHALL NOT WANT.



HE LEADETH ME BESIDE STILL FACTORIES.

HE RESTORETH MY FAITH IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.



HE GUIDETH ME IN THE PATH OF UNEMPLOYMENT.

YEA, THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE BREAD LINE,

I SHALL NOT GO HUNGRY.



OBAMA HAS ANOINTED MY INCOME WITH TAXES,

MY EXPENSES RUNNETH OVER MY INCOME,



SURELY, POVERTY AND HARD LIVING WILL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE.



THE DEMOCRATS AND I WILL LIVE FOREVER

IN A RENTED HOME.



BUT I AM GLAD I AM AN AMERICAN,

I AM GLAD THAT I AM FREE.

BUT I WISH I WAS A DOG

AND OBAMA WAS A TREE.

Philosophy Of Life

Received this from a friend and it just so describes my life and how I feel about things... just had to share!

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making
my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love .... I will.


I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.


They, too, will get old.
I know I am sometimes forgetful.
But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.


Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers,
or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and
compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.
So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their
hair could turn silver.


As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore.
I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever,
but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day(if I feel like it).

Quote For The Day

I have an issue with "piles". Laura tells me that I can take one pile and create 7 others (she is probably correct, wink, wink), but I have been working hard to eliminate some of my garbage. Geez, if I didn't have sooo many interests... there just wouldn't be a need to save everything. AND what about all that "stuff" that needs to be listed on Ebay? It is just a never-ending job!!

Was recently talking to my friend Pam, discussing what we had been doing throughout the week.. and her hubbie Steve tossed this one out-

"Piles can not be created or destroyed, only changed".

Am now giving up on piles and going to clean windows instead!

Vanilla Hazelnut Chow Mein Cookies

Todays new recipe (at least for me!) was Vanilla Hazelnut Chow Mein Cookies. I love quick and easy.. and these are. Tasty and different also!

1-12 oz bag vanilla/white chips
1/3 c Nutella
3 1/2 c chow mein noodles

Melt chips in double boiler until smooth. Add Nutella, mixing well. Add chow mein noodles. Stir to coat completely coated. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Cool completely.

Tradition recipe is-

12 oz bag butterscotch chips
1/2 c peanut butter
3 1/2 c chow mein noodles.

Brooklyn Tweed Noro Scarf

What a fun knit the Brooklyn Tweed scarf is! I thought that 1 x 1 ribbing would drive me insane... but the color changes definitely made up for it. Thank you so much, Jared for posting this!

39 stitches on Size 7 needles. I slipped the first stitch of each row (that way I didn't have to keep track of what row I was on). Used 2 skeins of Noro Silk 211, one of each 230 and 92.

This is a great mindless project.. and I will be doing more of these!

On A Roll

Day 2 of finishing SOMETHING!! Probably a good idea since I am not sure of what yarn this scarf was knitted of... or even when I made it. It is nice and soft and fluffy.. not that it matters since it is going to be almost 80 degrees today.

I Hate Weaving Ends

I hate weaving in ends! It is the part of a knitting or crochet project that I put off... and unless it is a project that HAS to be finished now, it often goes into a pile until I decide to finish the whole pile. Today I wove the ends on 32 knitted cotton dishcloths. These are a mindless project that I carry in the car and do whenever, wherever. BUT these should have been done a long time ago.

Laura had all of her dishcloths stolen (along with a multitude of other things that I had given or made for her). Even though she has been sent some since that happened, she needed a bigger and better selection... Guess she can have that "quantity" now these are finished!

Thought For The Day

"The national budget must be balanced. The public debt must be reduced. The arrogance of the authorities must be moderated and controlled. Payments to foreign governments must be reduced if the nation doesn't want to go bankrupt. People must again learn to work instead of living on public assistance."

-Marcus Tullius Cicero, 55 B.C

Hot Italian Subs

Tonight's dinner is such a breeze.. it gives me more time to do something else, like knit or read. We have had these before and they are always a hit.

6-6 to 8" hoagie rolls
1/2 c. Italian dressing
1/2 lb sliced deli salami
1/2 lb sliced deli ham
1/2 lb sliced deli turkey
1/2 lb sliced provolone cheese
tomato, sliced thin
onion, sliced thin

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread Italian dressing on cut sides of hoagie rolls. Layer w/ meats, cheese, tomato and onion. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake 12-15 minutes until cheese is melted.

These are just as good as the local pizza shop and takes less time than running out to buy them!