TTTTTTAXES

Yes, Taxes.

Need I say more?

Just a quick hey to everyone. Make your day great. And remember, thank God for credit cards. =)

Image left added to make calmmmmm...... breathe.... smile

Study, Study, Study

Hi Gang,

Isn't Madelein adorable?!? She came to visit Aunt Melissa and Uncle Steve a few weeks ago and in the picture at left, she doesn't quite know what to think of her own reflection. Sooooooo Cute!!!!!

I've been a little occupied with classes all day every day for the past 6 days, and tomorrow I will attend an exam prep class. Okay, perhaps I'm the biggest dork you know, but I've loved my classes this week and tonight I came straight home to take an online exam with no preparation just to see what I've retained. (I know, HUGE dork) It's a shame it wasn't the real deal, though, because I passed!!! Tomorrow I'm going to an Exam Cram class anyway, just to be extra certain that I pass first time. Some of you already know what I'm studying, but later I will just surprise the rest of you.

Latest interview news for those who asked is this: I have 2 great interviews with a great company next Friday, so please keep your fingers crossed and positive thoughts & prayers coming my way, if you're so inclined. I've made it through the second round of interviews which included an Assistant Vice President and Senior Vice President last month. Friday's meetings are with an IT Director and the Regional CIO. ( Sounds promising, doesn't it? I'm pretty happy for this opportunity!)

Well, I know I've been slacking off in the blog department, so for your viewing pleasure, following is the Lion Brand Cupcake Shawl I crocheted last week in only 2 days!!! Super fast, super easy!


Okay, in the photo, it doesn't look so large, but I'm tellin' ya', this thing covers half our king-sized bed. It's as big as an afghan, and while it's cozy and comfy to sit around and watch tv in, its a little too large to be attractive as a normal accesory, so I'm probably going to unravel the last pattern repeat so that I can wear out of the house. It was really fun to make, and very satisfying.
=) Instructions can be found at:http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/70474AD.html?noImages=



And YES, Aunt Melissa's kitchen was open 2 weeks ago and the following Dark Chocolate Cream Pies (Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book Special Edition, Page 407).



This pie was the 'to die for' kind of dark chocolate that feels almost sinful. Oh my Goodness it had been so long since I had made an actual cream pie from scratch and you know what???? There is a HUGE difference between homemade and pudding from a box. AAAhhhhh..... I'm smiling just thinking about it....

Well, must get my beauty sleep and be prepared for Exam Cram tomorrow. I'll let you know how the whole licensing plays out. I'm pretty sure it will be middle or end of April before there is an open and available test time... but after that, look out world!

Until next time, go ahead... cook something nice, knit for a while, watch a movie, hug a cute dog and smile. Life is good.

Aunt Melissa

LA to TEXAS and Back Again

Amtrak adventure from LA to TX and Back again was GREAT! At times there were difficulties and inconvenience (I had to sleep sitting up one night), but mostly very, very good. There was beautiful scenery, I got a lot of knitting and napping done... I even continued my job search and conducted telephone interviews.... I couldn't have asked for a better adventure.



It was great to see family, pay respect to my cousin's memory and meet new friends of both the 2 and 4-legged variety...





Boxes of family photos helped everyone remember good times with Lynn.

This photo proves my cousin Elaine brings a whole new interpretation to the concept of "Time Out Chair".

Below, the Harvey sisters are just as beautiful and wonderful as ever.

Gorgeous sunrises and sunsets mean I must be in Texas.
(Sadly, we just don't often have the clouds necessary for
a pretty sunset in LA.)





Below is a view of Dallas from the train, featuring the infamous school-book depository and grassy knoll. OOps! No it's not... we've passed it.... ohwellfine....

The country around Big Bend was AMAZING... just like riding through an honest-to-goodness western.

Mom makes the best fried fish on the planet! Ask anyone who's eaten at Aunt Chuck's and they'll verify. Daddy's success as an amateur angler gives her all the practice she needs. Uncle Mac and Aunt Chuck, what a team!

The musical tribute and celebration of Floyd's life at Antone's (Home of the Blues) was AWESOME. It was a Great Austin crowd. Excellent entertainment (Jimmy Vaughan, Lou Ann Barton, Omar Kent Dykes). A great time was had by all and it was so great to see so many of Lynn's friends and family in one place....I can't remember ever being in a nicer crowd.

Was that a special light shining down on Omar as he played the blues???
hmmm... I wonder....

Jimmy Vaughan singing with soul...

Lou Ann Barton - Singing on her birthday.
That was a nice gift!

Me and Billy and Tiffany

And then on the trip home, a view from above the Pecos River.... (just past Judge Bean's and Langtry Station, by the way)...

Thanks, Tiffany, for reminding me I had some bloggin' to do...

Have a great day and I'll see you soon!

Itinerary

Well, no, I'm not really going to post an itinerary, but if you know me, you know that I'm off on a 10 day adventure beginning tomorrow immediately following church.

I'll tell you all about it when I get home and possibly blog along the way.... but let's just say I'm looking forward to seeing friends, family and a huge swathe of the Southwest United States.

Happy Adventures...

All Aboard?!?

=)

So Much Cooking, So much Plannin'

Oops. Promised to post recipe for Indian-inspired Meatloaf last week and totally got wrapped up in travel plans and interviews... and well... Let me just say, though, that this really is my new favorite meatloaf. I use ground turkey, approximately 1/3 envelope of the Tikka Boti BBQ MIX I find at my local Indian grocer (India Sweets and Treats), along with one egg, chopped onion, chopped celery, Italian-style breadcrumbs and oh-my-goodness is this the best spicy meatloaf. It's flavorful enough to not miss the beef AND there is no hint of a bird-like flavor. (I'm really picky about my ground turkey... don't like the turkey flavor in a burger or in the meatloaf.)

Here's the way it looked on the plate (someday I'll get a camera with better resolution... you'd appreciate that, wouldn't ya?) =)
This particular night I served with carrots saute'd in butter and maple syrup. (The husband prefers plain carrots, but carrots have never been my favorite, but let me tell 'ya... butter and maple syrup are ALWAYS good. Add some homemade mashed potatoes and turkey gravy (I cheated and used one of those little pouch mixes because they were on sale at Smart and Final for $.25). Yummo.

Breakfast the following morning was: really nice chicken sausages (again Smart & Final), biscuits made from Bisquick and those lovely breakfast potatoes I make every single week.


Anyone curious about the progress of the fingerless glove project on double-pointed needles? Well, first glove completed during Super Bowl and second is well on its way... (Notice how nicely it matches my amethyst ring?



Okay, the big project this week (between telephone interviews that is) has been planning the trip home for cousin Floyd's memorial and the benefit concert. It promises to be a great Amtrak vacation with beautiful scenery and many, many, many hours of knitting along the way.

Following are links to blues-related sites who pay tribute to my sweet cousin. I think he would approve of the way he will be remembered.

Here's a link to buy tickets: http://www.antones.net/

And here are the links paying tribute:

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Blogs/Music?oid=oid:585620

http://www.livebluesworld.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1598513%3ABlogPost%3A6948

http://bluesslave.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!E5C567548D9EFBE6!137.entry

See you in a week or two!