Drivin' 55

Last year, I had the pleasure and opportunity to take a lovely 7 day Scrapmap Scrapbooking cruise with Lisa Bearnson around the Hawaiian Islands with some of my friends. It was the first time I had ever gone on vacation without my husband. Granted, I traveled quite a lot in my former life/career, but nothing like this. No business meetings. No contract negotiations to be concerned with. The only things on my to do list was meet Lisa, absorb as much of her creativity as I could, not get sea sick, and oh, yes, have fun. This post is not entirely about the cruise itself, rather the beautiful murals in the main dining room aboard the Norwegian Cruise Ship Pride of America . I found these murals quite mesmerizing. Each one was approximately 12' x 8' in size. There colors so brilliant. The stokes of the brush invisible to the eye at first but upon closer inspection so delicate. The Hawaiian Islands remained unknown to Europeans until he late 1700s. For nearly a decade, Englishman ...

This recipe comes to you from my good friend, Becky. It is a staple in her dinner repertoire and I think you will find that you love it as well as I do. Here's what you need. 4 - 6 boneless chicken breasts, large family size cream of chicken soup, either one large container of sour cream or 1.5 of the medium size containers. These were on sale so it was cheaper to buy them this way. Either a tube of Ritz or Town House crackers. Store brands work just as well. 1 teaspoon of poppy seeds. Half stick of butter. I forgot to photograph the rice. This dish works very well with white rice. Preheat oven at 375 degrees. I chopped one clove of fresh garlic. A little extra virgin olive oil ... twice around the pan. Add the garlic and saute. I prepared this dish for 4 individuals. 3 chicken breasts worked fine, but Becky's family is larger and she will use as many as 6 chicken breasts. Season with salt, pepper, paprika. Even though I photographed the parsley, I didn't use it! Saute...

The monitor begins to sound A whimper A coo A soft cry Shall I go to his call I wait A louder cry I will go Tiptoe into his room Still dark Safe Peaking into his crib He's rolled on his tummy Little eyes still closed I pat his back He is between slumber And waking I roll him over Little eyes still shut tight He yawns Face contorted He is sweet Another yawn I succumb Pick him up Nestled on my one leg Head on my chest He falls back into slumber land His face So sweet So innocent My eyes A hint of a tear Love beyond all call.

It's a lazy Sunday, partly because I am a bit under the weather. I think I have a toss between a cold and or allergies. My eyes are watery, noise is intermittently stuffy and I just feel as though I want to sleep and sleep and sleep. Besides feeling as though I couldn't punch my way out of a paper bag, I feel weak. Try to ward off this impending ailment, I have force feed myself orange juice. Sadly, I have omitted the vodka which makes me no fun at all. I really wanted to post my Southern Chicken Poppy Seed Casserole tonight, but not sure if this will occur. Tuning out for now....

Saturday mornings are often lazy, relaxing times. Hubby and I enjoy fresh coffee. We take time to fix breakfast and leisurely enjoy each others company. However, this morning, we encountered a few hairy moments. Hubby takes pride in maintaining his own hair, granted, it is very easy as long as he has his clippers. Number one on his beard and all over his head. Simple right? He then switches to a super close cut for his neck and removes the #1 clip. Moments after the switch, he comes out of the bathroom holding his neck with his blood covered hand. Here's what transpired.... me: "What did you do?" him: "I cut myself and I'm bleeding like a pig." me: "Kinda looks like to me you tried to slit your neck!" him: "Very funny...now help me!" After administering first aid, Hubby decided to take his coffee outside to enjoy the weather but really, he makes his exit for an occasional smoke. Moments later, here what transpired! him: "A )^%$# bee ...

After our treacherous drive up to Pike's Peak, I managed to catch my breath enough to venture out to snap this photo. Looking at the clouds below us was a treat. Go! Behold many more sky scenes from around the world on the official SkyWatchFriday website !

Some days are better than others, granted, we cannot all live at the top of the mountain all of the time. As with ups, there are always downs. Case in point, the economy. The tragedy in Texas. The deficit. Lost jobs to China. As I ponder this state of the world, I wonder, will we ever see those high times again? Or will it be a modified version of "happy days are here again". The Cunningham family lived care free lives. Ahhh...the 50's. I was just a babe without a care in the world. If Marion or Joanie had a problem, The Fonz would always come to the rescue. For that matter, Fonzie solved every one's problems. We don't need a bail out plan. We need a modern day Arthur Fonzerelli to the rescue. Who do you think is the modern day Fonzie?