Kitchen Disasters & Small Miracles.

Okay, so today, I took the pans out of the oven before turning it on to make mine & Paul's dinner...(Tea). Well, I didn't realize it at the time- but the glass lid to the big skillet had slid down the back of the oven- and was standing sideways right against where the open flame is...(we have a gas oven & cooker). So after about 3 minutes- it doesn't take long for the oven to heat up because it IS a gas oven- I opened the door and tried to put the pan with the oven fries in it. The pan wouldn't go in- so I got on my knees and looked back there- and saw the glass lid wedged in the back of the oven.
Well, thinking it hadn't been in there long enough to get too hot- I got a potholder and got it out-AFTER I turned the oven off, of course. There was a bit of a white spot on it but the black plastic lid handle on it wasn't smoking or melted even a little bit and so I put it on top of the skillet it belongs on to cool off. Then I turned the oven back on and put the oven fries in the oven to bake while I started the Hamburger patties on the cooker for supper.

The burger patties had been on cooking for about two minutes- and I went to the cooker to flip them to brown on the other side and JUST as I turned away from the cooker and took ONE step away- the glass skillet lid that had been in the oven EXPLODED and sent thousands of tiny glass shards all over the kitchen!!!!!

I was stunned- thinking the cooker had exploded. But I realized after a few seconds that it wasn't THAT bad- and I was alive and except for glass all over my hair and clothes and the kitchen, I was okay and the house wasn't broken. Except for the glass lid.

Paul was upstairs working on the computer with the headset on and didn't hear it- thank God.....if he had, he probably would have either broken his leg coming down the stairs or something equally bad.

I went out side- shook the glass out of my hair and flipped it off my clothes- then went upstairs to tell Paul what had happened. After making sure I was okay, he came down to see the damage and offered to help me clean it up- but I told Him I had it under control. I had to start dinner over- the meat anyway, and spent the next hour cleaning the glass from the surfaces of the kitchen... counters, floors, the cooker, the cabinet doors, that glass dust was EVERYWHERE.

God bless him- I love my hubby.......now I just have to face my mother-in-law and tell her I ruined her pan- the one she always uses to make her world famous Paella. Well, not the actual PAN- but the lid for it. Knowing what a sweet woman she is- she will be more concerned about us and the dogs and the house not being blown up than the pan lid- but that's neither here nor there.....I still screwed up. And I WILL replace the pan as soon as I get working.

*Note to self*- if this situation EVER arises again (GOD FORBID) turn the oven off and leave the pan/lid/whatever INSIDE the oven to cool off S-L-O-W-L-Y.

And Thank you, my Guardian Angel, for sitting on my shoulder today. A face full of glass shards would NOT have been fun today- or any day for that matter.

Thank God for small miracles.

Kitchen Disasters & Small Miracles.

Okay, so today, I took the pans out of the oven before turning it on to make mine & Paul's dinner...(Tea). Well, I didn't realize it at the time- but the glass lid to the big skillet had slid down the back of the oven- and was standing sideways right against where the open flame is...(we have a gas oven & cooker). So after about 3 minutes- it doesn't take long for the oven to heat up because it IS a gas oven- I opened the door and tried to put the pan with the oven fries in it. The pan wouldn't go in- so I got on my knees and looked back there- and saw the glass lid wedged in the back of the oven.
Well, thinking it hadn't been in there long enough to get too hot- I got a potholder and got it out-AFTER I turned the oven off, of course. There was a bit of a white spot on it but the black plastic lid handle on it wasn't smoking or melted even a little bit and so I put it on top of the skillet it belongs on to cool off. Then I turned the oven back on and put the oven fries in the oven to bake while I started the Hamburger patties on the cooker for supper.

The burger patties had been on cooking for about two minutes- and I went to the cooker to flip them to brown on the other side and JUST as I turned away from the cooker and took ONE step away- the glass skillet lid that had been in the oven EXPLODED and sent thousands of tiny glass shards all over the kitchen!!!!!

I was stunned- thinking the cooker had exploded. But I realized after a few seconds that it wasn't THAT bad- and I was alive and except for glass all over my hair and clothes and the kitchen, I was okay and the house wasn't broken. Except for the glass lid.

Paul was upstairs working on the computer with the headset on and didn't hear it- thank God.....if he had, he probably would have either broken his leg coming down the stairs or something equally bad.

I went out side- shook the glass out of my hair and flipped it off my clothes- then went upstairs to tell Paul what had happened. After making sure I was okay, he came down to see the damage and offered to help me clean it up- but I told Him I had it under control. I had to start dinner over- the meat anyway, and spent the next hour cleaning the glass from the surfaces of the kitchen... counters, floors, the cooker, the cabinet doors, that glass dust was EVERYWHERE.

God bless him- I love my hubby.......now I just have to face my mother-in-law and tell her I ruined her pan- the one she always uses to make her world famous Paella. Well, not the actual PAN- but the lid for it. Knowing what a sweet woman she is- she will be more concerned about us and the dogs and the house not being blown up than the pan lid- but that's neither here nor there.....I still screwed up. And I WILL replace the pan as soon as I get working.

*Note to self*- if this situation EVER arises again (GOD FORBID) turn the oven off and leave the pan/lid/whatever INSIDE the oven to cool off S-L-O-W-L-Y.

And Thank you, my Guardian Angel, for sitting on my shoulder today. A face full of glass shards would NOT have been fun today- or any day for that matter.

Thank God for small miracles.

Deep Dark Luscious Delight........

I'm sorry- but what is WRONG with some people. I just cannot- absolutely cannot -relate to anyone who doesn't like chocolate.
Choooooooooooccccccooooooolllllllaaaaaaaaatttttteeeeeeeeee!!!!
I adore chocolate. Most women(and men) do.

I personally love the darker, less sweet versions of chocolate. Love all the candy bars with dark chocolate covering a different kind of goodness inside.
When Hershey's came out with their Special Dark Cocoa, I was overjoyed!!!! Now I could bake all my favorite chocolate recipes and have them turn out the dark-almost BLACK- chocolate I have always loved.

But I'm surrounded by people who DON'T love chocolate....not only that- they don't even LIKE it.
Who wouldn't love the smooth ooie, gooie, meltie taste of a S'mores? Or Chocolate Lava Cake.....or Home-made fudge? Who could resist a big think slice of mile high chocolate cake, filled and frosted with a thick layer of swirly, dark chocolate mocha frosting? Or a pure white layer cake filled and frosted with that very same chocolate mocha frosting? Or a big slice of Mississippi Mud Pie?

What about a Cadbury's Creme Egg? Or a bag of Brach's creme filled candies? M&M's?
Quik milk? Milk Chocolate Stars??? Chocolate brownies........Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies?
Remember Bar-None Candy Bars?... so rich and chocolaty you could hardly eat ONE?

Oh The Pain- The Pain!!!!!!!........of everyone not loving chocolate like we chocolate connoisseurs do.

Rufford Old Hall......

Today we went to a National Trust house.....Rufford Old Hall...and when they say OLD- they mean it. The main portion of the house was built in 1580. The next newer portion had a brick on it dated 1662. Here are a few photos of the visit. The house sat right on the canal......The grounds were beautiful as was the house- altho we wasn't supposed to photograph inside the house except for the Great Hall.....because flash somehow makes things age or disintegrate or something like that. Sorry about that. At any rate- I still managed to get some good shots. Not great- Paul only brought his recorder and I thought it was his cam- so these were taken on my Phone Cam. But it was a lovely day out. And I enjoyed it thoroughly!!!!

Occasionally......

Occasionally I make something that's NOT sweet that I want to share.......This is one of those times. I know it's like a zillion degrees in the states, but it's barely sixty here in England...so maybe you can squirrel it away for the cooler weather.

Hamburger Stoup

2 lbs. ground beef

2 tablespoons soy sauce or Teriyaki sauce

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil- or bacon grease

1 can diced or chopped tomatoes

2 medium onions, chopped

2 stalks celery, diced small(optional-but recommended- you cannot taste it if you chop it small enough and it makes all the difference in the world to the taste of the soup!!!)

½ cup carrot, chopped small

½ red bell pepper, diced medium

2 vegetable stock cubes

1-2 cups leftover Black-eye peas or pinto beans

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into chunks

Heat oil or bacon grease in skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and celery to oil. Lower heat and continue to cook until onions are translucent- about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same skillet, brown ground beef. Drain excess fat. Add soy or teriyaki to ground beef. Dissolve the vegetable stock cubes in a cup of boiling water. In a large saucepan combine the ground beef and cooked vegetables. Then add the vegetable stock, tomatoes, salt, pepper, carrots, black-eye peas or pinto beans. Add water to the saucepan until it is 1 inch above the ingredients in the pan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for an hour. THEN add potatoes and simmer until potatoes are cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with biscuits, cornbread or crackers.

The Little Things.....

Today I was having a bit of a tidy in our bedroom, going thru some of our boxes we shipped over from the states, seeing what we had in them. (I was actually looking for my cake decorating set which I haven't found yet.......)...but in looking thru the boxes- I came across one of the little golf-tee puzzles from Cracker barrel. I cleaned it up and have sat here for the past hour playing with it- (WITHOUT looking up the cheat-looking up cheats are no flipping fun at ALL)- and thoroughly enjoyed myself, just as much as I did the hour I spent playing the computer game MINECRAFT before I went up to tidy the bedroom.
That got me thinking and I remembered when my kids were little and I was recently divorced, working part time on weekends and struggling to make ends meet. The carpenters shop at work always had a half barrel of odd pieces of blocks and bits of wood left over from their projects at the end of the week. Very small pieces of them- like children's blocks you buy at the store and paid a LOT of money for. (This was back in the 80's, mind you).
One day, I found one of the carpenters working late and so I asked him if they used the leftover wood pieces in the barrel. He said no- they were just leftover scraps good for nothing, so I asked if I could grab a few of the "scraps" they had in the barrel. He said "Sure, feel free to take what-ever's in the barrel."... and when I came back by on my way back to the guard house, he asked me out of curiosity what I was planning on doing with them. I told him I had three small kids- two boys and a little tomboy girl, and I was wanting the blocks for them to use as building blocks since they loved the set my dad had gotten them for the previous Christmas, but they were WAYYYY too expensive for my budget at the moment. He laughed and said he certainly understood that and to help myself to whatever I wanted.
Every weekend I worked after that, there was a couple dozen or so bits of the blocks in a bag in the barrel. Not only was it the blocks...but they were sanded down a bit as well. My kids thought they were awesome and had the best time building huge cities with them the next few years.
God Bless Angels on Earth.

A Few Of My Favorite Things....

Feeling a bit homesick today- so thought I'd take a trip down memory lane and think of all the things here that remind me of home...

...the smell of fresh sheets and pillowcases dried on a clothesline.
...the sound of children playing outside.
...the clear Carolina Blue sky(not quite as vivid a blue here in England- but beautiful, nonetheless.
...the smell of freshly cut grass.
...talking to my family and friends on FB and SKYPE.
...low-country Shrimp boil....
...fried chicken
...ketchup(go figure...)
...the black and white "neighborhood" cat that reminds me of my cat(now my brother's cat), Logan-but isn't nearly as big or as soft as Logan...
...traffic(but on the wrong side of the road).
...daffodils
...azaleas

And these are some of the things I don't have here that I miss......
...my family and friends
...being able to jump in my car and just go for a ride/drive
...waffle house at 3AM
...the sound of the train rumbling by every hour or so
...weeping willows
...going to work
...McRibs
...knowing where I'm at(or at least knowing somehow I WILL get back home)
...friendly cashiers
...accents I understand
...vanilla wafers
...real yellow cheese like I'm used to
...our favorite Chinese restaurant
...Carolina BBQ!!!!!!!!!
...MY spice cabinet with all my favorite spice combinations all mixed and ready to go.
....celebrations. No one really makes a big deal of birthdays or anniversaries or Wednesdays- or holidays for that matter, here......it's like just another day. I could always find a reason to celebrate something and I certainly went out of my way to make ALL birthdays especially Special at home. I love little celebrations and the laughter and fun that goes with them........
Maybe Christmas season will be different?

In the end- I have a few things here that are the same as home.......and I have more things I don't have but I can somehow try and make my own or duplicate. So it's up to me.

All That Jazz......

Well, I'm a bit more optimistic today.

Altho I haven't heard anything from the positions I've applied for-YET....I'm certain I/we will soon.

I've added a new blogger to my Sunny Says Bloglist- her names Jazmine and you can find her blog here. She hasn't written but a few posts- but I like her stuff. Check her out if you have a minute- (or 30 as I did once I got there).
;-)

Otherwise- I'm working on my book some more this week- (Hunters Revenge). I'm also adding some recipes to my cookbook too. I'm finding recipes I like- but having to tweak them a wee bit to my taste.

I KNOW y'all don't wanna hear it- but Christmas is only 167 days away!!! I have GOT to find a job so I can get started on my shopping!! It's going to be a HORRIBLE Christmas if I don't get to get Christmas gifts for the family.

OMG- speaking of....That's one job I could NEVER have- working as a postman. It would be bad enough to deliver packages without opening them up-(I'm HUGELY bad about opening Christmas packages and seeing what's in the box and the re-wrapping them and no one being the wiser-I'm a flipping PRO at it now)....let alone having to deliver them and NEVER being able to know what was IN them!!!


The weather here is absolutely beautiful this weekend and week. balmy breezes- warm sunshine- occasional showers in the evenings...sounds like a late spring day in South Carolina to me!!!

I got to talk with my mom, baby sister, baby brother, and my daughter last night on SKYPE. It was the first time in like-5 WEEKS I had gotten to talk with my Baby Girl. But now- after talking with everyone for an hour- I feel sooooooo much better. Being thousands of miles away isn't easy. I don't know how my hubby did it for 7 years with only two visits from his parents over that time. I suppose I'll find out tho....I'm expecting to be bale to visit my family about every other year too.

So- That's it for me for now.....
Y'all have a great day!!!

Eight Pounds!!!!!

Weighed and have lost from 16 stone 8 & 1/2 pounds down to 16 stone 1 & 1/2 pounds. (235.8 lbs. down to 227.6 lbs.)
What have I done differently? .... Well, I upped my water intake from a half gallon to a gallon......I've started walking every day again(outside- not on the treadmill), and I cut out ALL my sugar and practically all my bread. And I stopped drinking my diet sodas and have limited myself to ONE cup of coffee in the morning when I first get up- and ONE cup of coffee before I go to bed every night.(Down from at least 6-8 cups a day)
I'm still eating my potatoes(either baked wedges or an actual baked Potato or occasionally mashed), rice(VERY occasionally), and Pasta(Occasionally) but in controlled one cup portions instead of the huge unmeasured platefuls of before.

That first few days of going off sugar was BRUTAL tho.....altho I have to confess I DO still have two teaspoons of sugar in my coffee. So I haven't went COMPLETELY cold turkey.

But.......

EIGHT POUNDS LOST!!!!!! And I would have been happy with a three pound loss!!! Yay!!!!!!

Goofing Off A Bit......

So I got up this morning, did a couple of loads of laundry, applied for a half dozen jobs, and then decided to goof off a bit til time for dinner. I went on Minecraft and decided to post a few pics of my Kingdom...or in my case My GODDESSDOM...I named it Lavahalla, a combination of Lavada and Valhalla.
Very Narcissistic of me.
This is a side view of my Main Palace. I have built three, so far.
Lavahalla is a nation of approximately 174 million.Crime is moderate. Lavalhalla's National Animal is the Ellenian Dragon, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its currency is the Catalyst. It's national anthem is "Ride Of the Valkyries".
This is it's national Flag-








This is a view of the Great Hall inside my Main Palace. I had to go to the Netherworld to get the NetherRock for my fireplaces. The Netherworld is a damn scary place. Nothing but huge cliffs, lava and fire....Basically- Hell. The red you see on the floor glows red at night when you turn the switch on. heheehheeheh....








This is my Mini Castle....Nothing more than a great hall and a kitchen so I can make stuff without having to go all the way back to my Main Castle.









This is a far off view of my main castle.







This is a front view of my Main castle from the servants courtyard.











A view from the other side of the castle.





This is from the bailey...if you can call it that.








I would post photos of the other Big castle- but 1) its above the clouds and doesn't photograph very well...and 2) It seems the farther you wander-the more world it creates to give you to wander....and I can't actually FIND that particular castle again. I can tell you it's in the high country of Lavahalla because there was LOTS of snow and ice. But it's REALLY pretty as well even tho it has no courtyard and bailey.
Oh and btw- I took this pics on my phone cam- so I apologize for the quality of them.......and the reflections of my head in the background...and the blurriness of them...I was beginning a blood-sugar drop and didn't realize how shaky I was til I had finished.

Ummm...yeah...so look forward to seeing those in the future.

Just Goofing Around......Lavahalla

Well, I got up- did a couple loads of laundry- applied for a half dozen jobs in Warrington area... and decided I would play Minecraft for a while. So......I decided to take a few pics of my Kingdom...or in my case, My Goddessdom.
I call it Lavahalla...and combination of Lavada and Valhalla. And my National Anthem is "Ride of the Valkyries". And my National Animal is the Elonian Dragon...a fierce and Mighty Beast!


And this is my flag....I don't know where it came from...I Googled "Hearts, Daggers and Angel Wings" and this popped up- Kudos to the Unknown Artist!!!! I personally think it's the most awesome flag EVER!!!!
See what y'all are subjected to when I get bored??????
Tsk.....

Our Trip To Warrington!!!

Friday we went to the city of Warrington to spend the evening with our friends, Anthony and Carlie.(I wanted to get a photo of them and Ant's little girl Maisey, but it completely slipped my mind til we were back home-so next time we go I'll be sure to do it at the BEGINNING of the visit!!) We had a lovely dinner of Roast veggies(bell peppers, new potatoes, garlic, red pearl onions, carrots and celery-OMG They were AWESOME!!!!!), bacon wrapped stuffed Chicken breasts, and dinner rolls. We drank a couple bottle of wine with dinner, too. We talked for hours, played Dance Central for a while, and just had a BLAST before finally "hitting the hay" at around 1:30am!!! They were awesome hosts and it was a wonderful creating some new memories.
The next day, while Carlie was at her hair appointment- Ant took us on a tour of Warrington to show us around.The photo above is of the Towne Centre. A lovely fountain in the middle of the square and those unusual lamps all around it!!










This photo is of the pavilion just off the Towne Centre...They have ice skating in it in the winter-time- about the same size- or maybe a tad bigger than the Pavilion at the Peace Center in Greenville. They were doing a Disabilities Awareness Event there yesterday and a big crowd of people.










This is a Letter Box in England......kinda looks like an over-sized Fire Hydrant, doesn't it???













This is a quick snapshot of one of the stalls in the Open Air Market. They do have them over here...and you can buy everything from candy to carpets to veggies to clothes there. I LOVE them!!!









My gorgeous Hubby as we're walking around. I love seeing him so relaxed!!!










Maisey beside the Golden Gates in front of the Stately Home. I took a photo of the Stately Home too- but it didn't show up for some reason. LOL. It was VERY pretty tho.










Another shot of the Golden Gates....with a BIT more detail. Looks kinda Asian influenced to me.










Of course, the obligatory photos of the Red Telephone Boxes!!!!! believe it or not- they are fast disappearing here in England and being replaced with the ugly standing pole type ones. Such a pity!!!!!










You're looking at brick that is HUNDREDS of years old here. There is the most amazing architecture here in the UK......but be warned- the locals get a mite miffed if you say their town and homes are "quaint". It's considered to be a bit condescending. Beautiful, lovely, interesting...all true and MUCH better ways to describe it to them....altho I still LOVE Quaint and use it to myself and y'all!! ;-)











Also some architecture and quaint buildings in Warrington on a side street.










Notice the unusual wood and wrought iron bench in the square. and the cobblestone pavers.
Just Beautiful!!!!!!!!









A wide view of the Golden Gates.

So that was our tour for today.
Honestly- I definitely could see us/myself living in Warrington.....It's a lovely city- about the size of Downtown Greenville Proper...from the old library to Stone Avenue to 385 to the corner of 123/124/Academy Street. Everything is within easy walking distance- including the Bus station and the Train station. I think my job hunt will switch gears to closer to the Warrington Area!!!!!

Anyway...It was great fun and I enjoyed the entire experience IMMENSELY!!!!!! Hope y'all enjoyed the tour as much as I did!!!!