Our Loyal Friends

Even though I'm away on vacation, I'm not lacking in topics today....

In the past five months, three dogs of my acquaintance have died.  One I knew very well and I will sincerely miss him and the joy he brought to my best friend's home.  The other two dogs belonged to neighbors.  

Just the other night we got word that our next door neighbor's dog had passed away.  I was sitting, painting my toenails in preparation for the cruise, so Mr. Higgins got the door when they knocked.  I could hear most of what was said. It was a sad story and I know very well how hard it is to lose a pet.

But two things struck me as I sat there and listened...

1.  I realized just how introverted Mr. Higgins and I are.  The last thing we would do if one of the cats died is knock on the neighbors' door to let them know.  True, they haven't really spent time with our cats; we had petted their dog on numerous occasions.  But we're just not the type who would go out of our way to seek consolation from a near-stranger.  If we passed the neighbors in the street, we may tell them then, but we would not dream of knocking on their door to tell them.  

That being said, I know where they're coming from.  Perhaps they just wanted to talk to someone who had known - in passing - their dog.  Perhaps this was a step in their grieving process.  Either way, it struck me as a bit odd.

2.  Even if we passed neighbors on the street and told them of the death of one of our cats, they would hardly care.  Cats, after all, are not out and about in the neighborhood (unless they are outdoor cats - and ours are not).  Cats get such a bad rap for being antisocial.  This may be true, but I am antisocial.  It takes all kinds to make the world go 'round.  

Cats are deeply loyal pets.  Our cat, Sidious, is so loyal to Mr. Higgins that after three years of knowing me, she hardly lets me pet her.  Her affection is for her owner alone.  There's something to be said for that, even when she annoys me!  Cats are such a calming influence, they lower blood pressure.  Please find a dog that calm!

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I grew up around dogs.  I love dogs!  We seem so determined to classify everyone as a "dog-person" or "cat-person," it really is ridiculous.  I'd actually say I'm both.  I'm also an introvert who, on very rare occasions, has the need to be slightly extroverted.   

I've lost two cats now - two dear pets - and it's heartbreaking even to this day.  I saw dogs pass away growing up...  Losing a pet in any way is extremely difficult.  Perhaps it's because it's hard to find a person as loyal as a pet....and we should not take any of them for granted.

R.I.P.  Colby, Winter, and Molly. 

Travel Prep and Reflection

We're off on cruise #1 for 2013 today.  Unlike the last one - in the midst of the holiday season and with DisneyWorld tacked on at the end - I'm ecstatic to go on this trip. 

Mr. Higgins, my cruise-loving husband, gets to step foot on four new islands - a rarity for him these days!  We're quickly running out of "new" islands!  These islands are new to me, as well, and I can't wait to see them: St. Croix, St. Lucia, Guadeloupe, and Antigua.  Another perk: we dock in St. Thomas so we're going to hop on over to St. John, USVI - our favorite island and the place of our honeymoon.  We'll spend a few hours at a great beach there, and then visit our favorite shops and restaurants. 

I'm so looking forward to letting go and just having fun.  I couldn't quite do that on the last trip.  There were too many obstacles just a few days ahead; my  mind wouldn't stop worrying about the next step.  On this next cruise, there are so many ports, I won't have time to worry about what to do next.  Cruising like this gives new meaning to "go with the flow."  If you stop to think about what's going on, you'll be left behind!

Looking forward to 2013, there probably won't be as many trips as in 2012.  Really, 2012 was a wonderful, crazy, blessed year.  We didn't think we would top 2011 - and all the fun of the wedding - but we did!  It was also a very difficult year professionally, for us both.  I have a new boss and the transition has not be easy for him or for me.  Let's just say I'm eager to leave him - and all things work - behind for a week to sail the Caribbean. 

Seeing as how there will be fewer trips this year, we have to make the most of the ones we have!

Lacy Baby Socks

It seems everyone around me is having babies.  It's very odd to me.  The babies are all very cute...especially when I have a mama to hand them off to when the screaming starts!  The best part of all these babies, though, is knitting little presents for them!  The baby socks above are for Baby Lucy.  She was born a few weeks ago and is just precious.  These socks were made with a border to match a bonnet I've started....but not yet finished. 

Here are the sock details...
Pattern: Baby Socks by Joelle Hoverson
Lace Pattern:  the bonnet lace pattern from Erika Knight's Natural Nursery Knits
Yarn: Kertzer's Down to Earth Cotton
Needles: US 3 dpns
Made for: Lucy
Time to completion: a month

The bonnet that this lace comes from is knit on straight needles.  It was hard for me to tranfer that pattern onto dpns - or knitting in the round.  As a result, the lace is not perfect.  But at least it adds a little something to these little socks.  And it will match - mostly - the bonnet, soon to come!

Stew and Cornbread

Over the weekend, I was once again inspired to make a soup to freeze for lunches and quick dinners.  I saw this recipe for Black Bean, Chicken, and Red Pepper Stew and was immediately tempted.  There was some chicken in my freezer that really needed to be eaten.... 

I had plans on Saturday to spend the day with my best friend, AL.  I emailed her for approval of the recipe and voila!  I made it for our lunch and it was delicious!  Roasted red peppers may just be my new favorite food.  This recipe calls for a whole jar of them! 

If you plan on making this stew, be sure to read over the recipe.  It details crock-pot instructions; the stove-top directions are at the bottom.  (I had to do this stove-top, which uses more broth.)

To go wtih our stew, I wanted cornbread.  But....I'm trying to be calorie-conscious leading up to our next cruise (in a week!).  So, I turned to my Weight Watchers cookbook (which I always forget I own).  Their cornbread recipe was.....a little hard and lacking in any moisture whatsoever...but each muffin was only 100 calories.  My one true love of all cornbread, Dorie Greenspan's Corniest Corn Muffins, comes in at 180 calories per muffin.  Next time, when I have no swimsuit in which to look good, I'll revert to Dorie's muffins.  But Weight Watchers is good when you have to count every one of those pesky calories!

The Night Circus

In December, I read a great book: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  I really enjoyed this novel, though, ironically, I've never really liked circuses.  

This is the review I posted on Goodreads: 

I've had little time to read of late, but every time I picked up The Night Circus, I was transported into a fascinating world of magic. Having no idea what to expect from this book, and not really liking circuses, I was pleasantly surprised. Morgenstern is a gifted storyteller, leaving the reader guessing from one chapter to the next. I loved Celia and Marco and all of their magical creations. This is a book I'd like to read again! 

I loved Celia and Marco's story of magic, love, and fierce competition.  If you haven't read this book and are fascinated by abnormal, magical happening, I recommend it!

Thunder Snow

We had a surprise on Tuesday morning...

Early in the morning, about twenty minutes before the alarm was set to go off, I heard thunder.  Surely not, I thought.  Mr. Higgins confirmed it, though: thunder.  We heard a bit of rain and then something that was a bit too solid to be rain.  I ran to the back door: sleet!!  

By the time I'd gotten out of the shower, it was snowing in earnest.  I think we ended up with about an inch of snow/sleet.  Along with some lightning and thunder.  Ha!

None of this was in the forecast, you see.  No rain, no sleet, no snow....no thunder snow.  Local meteorologists blamed in on faulty computer models.  Heaven forbid forecasters should....forecast....without the use of computer models.  

But I loved the now.  LOVED IT!

Baked Onion Rings

I like onion rings.  Growing up, my dad ordered them constantly and I hated them - just to be annoying and angsty, I think. Onions were never my favorite thing, but they've grown on me. A lot.  

Over the past few months, I'd come across two recipes for Baked Onion Rings.  One from Skinny Taste and another from Simply Scratch.  Feeling adventurous over the weekend, I decided to try the recipe from Skinny Taste...only I forgot buttermilk at the store.  So, I turned to Simply Scratch. 

First off, these were very good.  I liked them; Mr. Higgins liked them.  My only complaint is that dredging onion rings through flour, then egg whites, then breadcrumbs is not nearly as fun as I thought it would be.  It's messy...and I hate messes.  I filled two baking sheets of rings and decided to stop - my breadcrumbs were almost gone and my egg whites looked dirty.  Not to mention my patience was wearing thin.  

Dividing the two baking sheets between the two of us, my portion is above.  I'd make them again.....except for the mess.  But I recommend them if you're craving fried food but don't want to detour from your diet.

Scrapbook Frame

About three years ago (er...or maybe more), my sister gave me a scrapbook frame from Creative Memories.  I was super excited but....  My living situation was up in the air.  So, I never opened the box.  I'm really ashamed by how long it took me to open the box.  

When Mr. Higgins and I moved, I opened the box.  Now, two years later (ack!), I finally put a page in there and Mr. Higgins hung it for me.  I love it!  I decided to change out the page every month.  And no, I'm not keeping a picture of food in there.  I really need to have some pictures printed and a nice picture of Colorado will go in there.

I like being craftily productive!!  

 

The Flying Carpet Review

Like a lot of people after New Years, I'm trying to stick to a diet for the month of January to lose any weight I gained during the holidays.  (That's why I was busy making healthy tomato soup last weekend.)

When a friend wanted to get together for dinner on Wednesday, I was skeptical.  Can I really afford to eat out this week?  It's my first full week back from the holidays.....  My friend is super sweet, though, and had a Groupon she wanted to use at a new Turkish restaurant in my favorite part of town.  She wanted to treat me and she knows how much I love hummus; I couldn't say no.

I tried to eat healthy.  I had a bit of the hummus on my friend's vegetarian sampler platter.  It was good and second only to my favorite hummus in town.  I ordered what looked to be a healthy entree (and the only appealing thing on the menu) - the roasted chicken with collard greens.  The chicken was amazing!  I'd never tasted collard greens before but these were good, especially with the tomatoes they appeared to be stewed with.  When the waiter came by, my vegetarian friend asked him about the greens and he admitted there was some bacon in there.  Aha!  No wonder they were good!  Is anything bad with bacon as an ingredient?!

Before leaving, my friend wanted to try the Turkish coffee and baklava.  I had only a small piece of the baklava and it was good.  Yes, that's the extent of my baklava review; I'm no baklava expert!

If anything, The Flying Carpet suffers from a limited menu - and an expensive, limited dinner menu.  Even for the many vegetarians in this part of town, there are only one or two menu options.  I liked the atmosphere - a house made almost entirely of wood, tables surrounded by piles of rugs, and rugs hung on all the walls.  However, I don't think I'll return until a) they have more lunch menu options or b) they lower their prices.  Why go there when I can get much better, cheaper food - and many, many menu options - at King Tut down the street?

But, I'm proud of myself for not overeating while out at a restaurant.  And I made good diet food choices.  Success!

 

 

Homemade Tomato Soup

If you had seen my kitchen on Sunday, you would have laughed.  I had an explosion....of sorts. Er.....

I had the bright idea of making some soups to freeze for lunches and dinners.  I was happily boiling my tomatoes and peppers for my new favorite recipe - homemade tomato soup.  Having made this soup once before, I thought I was a pro at it.  Not so.  

When I went to blend the tomatoes/broth into creamy goodness....  The blender exploded.  The top, despite my holding it down, busted forth and tomato brothy-ness went everywhere.  EVER-Y-WHERE!  

I stopped, stunned into silence.  "What just happened?" Mr. Higgins asked from the couch.  "Uh....," I said.  "Are you okay?" he asked.  "Maybe," I said.  "Did you mean to press the button?" he asked.  "Yes," I said.  "Were you holding down the lid?" he asked.  Yes, yes, I was. 

I refused help as I cleaned up my mess.  Finally, I glanced down at my wrist, which had been hurting.  It had taken the brunt of the hot broth eruption and was an angry red.  I finally stopped cleaning and stuck it under cold water.  Already, angry red blisters were forming. 

Terrified of the evil blender, I put the rest of the tomatoes/broth in my Ninja.  Thank goodness for that nifty machine!  Once I started, I remembered using the Ninja when I made the soup previously.  Sigh!  I must really remember to write down these helpful hints!

I love this tomato soup and highly recommend it if you like Campbell's but are terrified of all the sodium and neurotoxins (MSG) it contains.  That being said, I added salt, pepper, and tons of other spices (cilantro, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes) to my soup.  It's just too delicious!  And almost, almost worth a few burns.  Ha!

The Archies: 2012

It's that time of year again.   It's time for the Archies - my annual review of the past year and all the great things it offered.  This idea came from Donna and it's something I genuinely enjoy doing.  It's basically a list of my favorite things from the year.  My 2011 list was particularly fun (due to a wedding) but 2012 was a great year, as well.  Here's why....

1.  four vacations in one year (4 cruises, one trip to CO).
2.  Josephine Grace.
3.  a best friend's wedding.
4.  Project Life.
5.  Virgin Gorda - The Baths and Spring Bay.
6.  Mullet Bay, St. Maarten.
7.  Middleham Falls (and the hike to it), Dominica.
8.  Sky Pond, Rocky Mountain National Park.
9.  retreat at Memory Lane Inn.
10.  CocoCay.
11.   Studio Calico kits.
12.  picnics with Mr. Higgins.
13.  Labadoozies on Labadee.
14.  iPhone 5.
15.  first December Daily Album.
16.  a new LYS -  MadTosh.
17.  Casa Rita's.
18.  The Dovekeepers, Alice Hoffman.
19.  lunches with my old boss.
20.  THE AVENGERS.
21.  new friends who knit!
22.  DFW Fiber Fest.
23.  My mother-in-law's sweet potato casserole.
24.  The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern.
25.   free airline tickets, thanks to AA.
26.  October Afternoon.
27.  Texas Caviar.
28.  the discovery of Cat's Creations in Mineral Wells, TX.
29.  Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese.
30.  Chocolate Yogurt Cake.
31.  fireworks at Epcot.
32.  knitting for babies.
33.  The Tiger's Wife, Tea Obreht.
34.  decorating our home.
35.  Blue Mesa - chips, Happy Hour, lunch wraps.  
36.  homemade Tomato Soup.
37.  view from Timothy Hill, St. Kitts.
38.  MI:4 - GHOST PROTOCOL soundtrack.
39.  board/card games with family.
40.  Michelle Dozois' "Peak" workout series.  It kills me.
41.  Cinnamon Chip Scones.
42.  Pinterest.
43.  Brimstone Hill Fortress, St. Kitts.
44.  The Civil Wars (singer-songwriter duo) - please stay together!
45.  THE HOBBIT soundtrack.
46.  homemade pesto.
47.  Chocolate Orange Cream Cheese Pound Cake.
48.  green smoothies.
49.  The Rose Garden, Susanna Kearsley.
50.  french toast bakes. 
51.  challenging myself to do longer, harder hikes.
52.  flannel sheets.
53.  bamboo yarn, t-shirts, etc.

If you're looking for a way to reflect on the past year, I highly recommend The Archies.  And if you make your own list, post a comment to let me know! 

2013

Happy New Year!   

2013 seems such an odd year.  It's odd to say, odd to write...just odd.  But I sincerely hope it's a wonderful year for all.

We're back from spending three days with my parents and seven days with Mr. Higgins' parents.  Our trip to Nashville was great fun.  It snowed several days but, unfortunately, with little accumulation.  We always hope for snow in TN but, this year, our home in TX saw more snow than we did during our travels.  Go figure.  

It was very sad to pack up all the Christmas decor yesterday.  I kept looking for the light from the Christmas tree...but it was no more.  The cats are particularly traumatized to have lost their favorite spot to nap - under the tree.

I'll have more craftiness to show you soon enough.  But in the meantime, Happy New Year!

Christmas Cards

Here they are - the Christmas cards I made this year. 

I love the paper - My Mind's Eye Winter Wonderland.  So pretty!  I also bought the coordinating embellishments.  Together with some washi tape, red buttons, and generic stamps...voila!  I made 35 this year and had to send out about 10 store-bought cards.  I made the paper and embellishments last but couldn't squeeze out ten more cards. 

The iPhone

Well, I caved and converted to the dark side.  I gave in to popularity.  I embraced just how much I love Apple.  I bought an iPhone.  

When I went to get my "upgrade" of a phone, the nice man behind the counter informed me that I was due for an upgrade almost four years ago.  Yep, I'd had that "dumb" phone for six years.  During those six years, I watched everyone around me get a smartphone.  I watched as non-Mac users bought iPhones.  As a faithful Mac user who absolutely hates being chained to a PC at work, I was annoyed.  How dare these PC people buy Apple products!  

I told myself that I wasn't going to get an iPhone - or pay money for a new phone - until I got a new job.  But despite my best efforts, that hasn't happened.  There's only so much of that quest  I'm actually accountable for.  The economy sucks. The job market sucks.  And I'm apparently undesirable to employers.  

I did my research on our family plan and how much it would cost to add a smartphone.  I thought it would be crazy expensive.  It wasn't.  I was shocked at how cheap it was.  So, I decided to spend the money for an iPhone.  (Let's say it was my Christmas present to myself.)  It was either that or get a different brand of smartphone, which didn't make sense (Android, ew), or get a free "dumb" phone (one designed for the older crowd, with huge numbers). 

Despite shirking the trend of the iPhone for so long, I do love it.  Apple makes a great product.  But I refuse to become addicted to it.  Ha!

Linen Stitch Scarf

Remember that UFO I mentioned a long time ago?  Years ago?  Well, it's finished.  Finally.  It only took six years.  Ha!  Oy...

First off, here are the details...

Yarn: Colinette Prism
Color: Toscana
Needles: US11
Pattern: Woven Knit by Candi Jensen  
For: my mother-in-law
Began: Dec. 2006
Finished: Dec. 2012 

This scarf sat in my UFO basket for years, as you can tell.  It wasn't until last Christmas, when I took it to my in-laws on a whim, that I decided to offer it up to my mother-in-law.  She loved it just as I do!  I promised her that I would finish it in a timely manner.  That meant, in my mind, apparently, next Christmas.  And so it's done with 13 days to spare.  Yay!  

 
 

Cruises and Disney

Here's how last week went down....

Thursday night: 8:45 flight to Miami.  Arrive around midnight.  Crash at a cheap hotel by the airport.

Friday:  Wake up in Miami around 8am.  Board Majesty of the Seas at 11am.  Sail away from Miami at 6pm.

Majesty of the Seas at sea.  She's the smallest ship I've sailed.

Saturday:  Despite crazy winds, we're able to be tendered to Royal Caribbean's private island CocoCay.  It was marvelous.  Just marvelous.  I loved it!

CocoCay perfection.

Sunday:  8am the ship docks in Nassau.  We decide to stay on board, leaving only briefly to walk down the pier to look at Oasis of the Sea, the largest ship in the world.  

Oasis of the Seas.

Monday:  Disembark Majesty of the Seas in Miami at 7am.  Rent a car in downtown Miami at 8am (wait outside the door until Avis opens).  8:15 we're driving to Cape Canaveral and arrive roughly 3.5 hours later.  Take rental car shuttle to Port Canaveral and board Monarch of the Seas around 1pm.  Sail away at 6pm.

Tuesday:  It's windy again and the ship bypasses CocoCay; the tenders can't run when it's this windy.  The ship continues on to Nassau and arrives at 5pm.  We stay onboard.

Wednesday: We get off the ship and take a bus to the Sheraton at Cable Beach where we get day passes to sit on their beach and use their facilities.  Sitting under a palapa all day, looking at the sea (the water is a bit too chilly to brave), was pretty nice.      

Cable Beach.

Thursday:  Our only day at sea on this trip.  We spend it reading, eating, and relaxing.

Friday:  Disembark Monarch around 8am.  Arrive back at our same Avis in Cape Canaveral and rent a car.  An hour later (and $5 in tolls later) we're in Orlando and soon Disney World.  First stop is Epcot.  Mr. Higgins makes me ride rides, something I'm not too fond of.  It's fun when I can ignore being terrified.  A brief stop at Hollywood Studios sees me going upside down - twice - on the Rockin' Roller Coaster.  Oy.  Back to Epcot to watch spectacular fireworks.  In bed at 11:30ish.  The hotel A/C is crap and makes too much noise so it's off.   Even so, I'm dead to the world.

Saturday:  Wake up at 6:45 and we're in Magic Kingdom at 9:15.  Do all of Mr.  Higgins' rides and then on to Animal Kingdom, the one park I was interested in.  I loved seeing the animals and managed to wiggle my way out of riding the Mount Everest coaster.  Mr. Higgins is not happy but then, I wasn't happy going upside down.  Back to Epcot one last time and finally on to Magic Kingdom for more fireworks at 10pm.  I'm exhausted.  In bed at midnight.

Cinderella's Castle at night.

Sunday:  Wake up at 4am to catch a 7am flight.  Home a little after 10am.  

It was quite a whirlwind but very fun!  

Tree Cats 2

Since we're still out of town, I thought I'd entertain you with another tree kitteh photo.  This is Dooku, when he discovered he could go under the tree skirt.  Oh, boy!  He slept quite a bit under there and gave me quite a scare when he popped out.  

Again, here's hoping the tree is still standing and that the house is not burned down!  

Recipe Reviews

Over Thanksgiving, I tried a few recipes that turned out great!  I thought I'd share!

 - For appetizers, for 17 people at Thanksgiving, I turned to many of my mother-in-law's spreads and cracker mixes.  But I also found this yummy concoction online: Texas Caviar.  I'd had something similar a few years back and this turned out to be just as good!  It's sweet and tangy and spicy, all at the same time!

Be forewarned, though.  The recipe says to boil vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper.  Yikes, this produced quite an unpleasant smell!  I was really worried but, after the veggies and beans sat in this for 24 hours, it was great.  I highly recommend this for all your appetizing needs!  Ha!

 - For breakfast on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, my mom and I decided to experiment.  We found this recipe for Pumpkin Pie French Toast Bake - a take on your classic french toast casserole.   Wow!  It was so, so yummy!  We used french bread, cubed (not sliced like the recipe), and let it all sit overnight in the fridge.  Also, there's no need to put all that butter on top.  We used about a tablespoon total, dispersing little pieces on top.  

It was great without syrup.  So, save the calories if your on a diet!

Happy eating!