Union Jack Side Table

I took an old piece of furniture that is in my 14 year old daughters bedroom and gave it a face lift.

This bed side cabinet was purchased when me and my hubby first moved in together 21 years ago. Solid Pine it has travelled across the pond from Blighty to the USA.

My daughter, who never doubts my artistic ability obviously she has never spoken to my High School art teacher! Made a request I could not refuse.

I am so glad I did….

I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White and Provence. I did Clear Wax after distressing a little… it is 21 years old! The pink was a satin from Lowes I had hanging around.

She loves it!

Remembering Louis

My dear four legged friend passed away February 26th 2014.

Sudden Pet Death is so very sad.

Louis had a blockage in his small intestine, surgery was preformed and the vet removed a berry, smelly and rotten but clearly a Mulberry from our tree.

A section of the small intestine had to be removed so I am guessing this berry had been there a long time. Mulberries cover my garden in the summer months.

The following morning Louis had a heart attack and could not be saved.

Every day I miss his smiling face and the happiness he shared. He was always so happy, his tail always wagging.

I wonder… Did the berry pass his stomach to the small intestine and lodge there rotting for months or did is seed get lodged and the berry grew?

Either way the tree is coming down and something without Berries will be planted.

You don’t realize how much the passing of a pet effects the pets that are left behind. Charlie has acted strange and for days carried his toys from one place to another constantly moving them.

Now he just looks sad all the time, but he never smiled like Louis!

Oatmeal and Cranberry Cookies… Gluten Free and Dairy Free if you eliminate the Choc Drizzle or use Dairy Free Choc Chips

So I love the Trader Joe Oatmeal and Cranberry Dunkers and have been wanting to make version for the past week.

Today was the day. I started out trying to find a recipe online but then I just decided to use my Oatmeal and Raisin Cookie Recipe I always use and use Cranberries instead and add the Choc Drizzle.

Here is my recipe…

3/4 Cup Crisco Shortening I use the All Vegetable sticks

3/4 Cup Sugar

3/4 Cup Soft Brown Sugar Packed

2 Large Eggs

2 tsp Vanilla Essence

1 Cup Gluten Free Flour (Trader Joes)

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1/4 Salt

2 3/4 Cup Old Fashioned Oats (Gluten Free Bobs Red Mill)

1 Cup Dried Cranberries or Raisins

1 Cup Chopped Walnuts (Optional, I threw them in because I had them)

Mix Shortening and Sugars in a mixer until smooth.

Add the 2 eggs and Vanilla and Beat.

In another bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and Cinnamon. Add this to the already mix ingredients. Mix until it is all mixed together nicely.

I add the Oats by mixing in with a wooden spoon, not my kitchen aid. Once the Oats are mixed in, add your Cranberries and Walnuts if using them.

You want your oven at 350 and I line my baking sheet with Parchment paper.

Spoon your mixture on to the paper, about 1 Tablespoon, 2 Inches apart.

Bake for 11 mins, Cool on tray for a minute or two as they will be soft when you take them out the oven.

Transfer to a cooling rack once they have started to harden.

Once cooled you can melt White Chocolate Chips in a glass bowl over a pan of hot water and then Drizzle over the top of your cookies. This must be Dairy Free if you want Dairy Free version.

Enjoy…

And the culprit is…..

After much sleuthing all evidence is pointing at King Charles aka Sir Barksalot.

Yesterday he took the bait. I placed an empty Dunkin Cup in a waste paper bin and yes, you guessed it. Charlie was seen in a like of laundry removing and chewing the cup.

Like me he is a fan of the French Vanilla.

Suspect #2

King Louis… Otherwise known as Mr. PP

He also should no adverse effects to cafeine. I wondering if the cup was empty… Have to ask hubby.

Suspect #1

King Charlie… Otherwise known as Sir Barksalot.

If it was him the caffeine did not keep him awake.

Dunkin Lid

Found the lid of the destroyed cup…

Still no clues on who did it!

Running On Dunkin?

There’s a dog in the house and it’s running on Dunkin!

Which on was it?!

Life in the Garden Pond…

Yesterday I added a few fish and a tadpole to our little garden pond.

I purchase 12c feeder fish to eat the mosquito larvae… My first batch lasted a while, in fact one still lives 7 years on. Hurricane Sandy turned our garden in to a river and the pond over flowed terribly and the river arose around it.

Up until this morning we had two old fish of different ages, 10 new baby fish and one frog, seemed to be last years tadpole.

I was sad I had not seen the bigger frog at all and we feared that he had been lost in sandy.

This morning I take a stroll to the pond and there he was waiting for me!

I was so happy to see him, his friend was laying in the plant in the pond.

Now all the fish seem alive and happy and the countdown to when the tadpole is a frog has begun…

We love frogs!

Is today my Wedding Anniversary?

Today in America it is Memorial Day.

Today I got up at 6am to head to work at the Hotel, Motel.

I get to work, sit down and write the date, I look at it and ask myself…

“Is today my Wedding Anniversary?”

Now I start to doubt myself… Telling myself that it is the 29th not the 27th.

I can’t decide which date it is, but I know it has been 19 years!

I text hubby…

“It’s not our anniversary today is it… It is the 29th right!”

He replies “Sorry, it is our anniversary 🙂 that would be 19 then”

“Wow, I am getting forgetful, Happy Anniversary”

As I send it he replies… “Same day in history that I passed my driving test and the same month that Cov beat Tottenham in the FA Cup in 87”

That is how we roll…

Here we are 19 years ago today, looking 12 years old.

Now to get that date engraved somewhere, I fear that I will continue each year to bloody forget. Once he forgets it too we really are screwed.