Sweet Observations

*Callie Cat should have been my first cat.  She is just the sweetest thing.  She has never bit or scratched me.  Never fusses too much if I have to wipe her down or trim matted hair off her because she's rubbed up against some tree sap like I did yesterday.

This week, I spent a delightful morning getting ready for work while she chased her tail in the bathtub, then hopped up into the sink and played with a dribble of water out of the tap.

She's part of the pack now.  She and Ginny will race down the hallway.  She flops herself over and lets all the dogs sniff her purring the whole time.  She lets us sleep, never meowing in the middle of the night for attention.  Now that the weather's turning I find her sleeping in the house overnight.

She really can't be called the freakin cat anymore.  She's just adorable.  Don't tell the dogs but if she'd have come around first, I might have become a cat lady. @:)


*I am going to have a fun time getting used to "Falling Back" this week.  I've gotten used to sleeping when I can.  I don't fight it.  You learn not to.  Some nights I sleep pretty well.  Some nights, eh...not so much.  I've been falling asleep by 8pm and up at 3 or 4am lately.  Fun week ahead!  You really wouldn't think that an hour more or less would make much of a difference but it does.


*Baking for a diabetic is fun.  SM is in the mood for chewy baked goods.  I've been playing around with some cookie recipes this month.  He tells me that they're tasty enough but he wants a "chewy" cookie. 

I've been baking with Splenda and avoiding brown sugar, honey and molasses which all help provide "the chew" factor.  I tell him he's just going have to get used to a lighter cookie. 

In the meantime, I've been making these apple crisps with some Granny Smiths we bought at the farmers market.  Definite chew factor here.

Here's the link to the recipe I've been using.  Two thumbs up from SM.

*Speaking of apples, I've been saucing every weekend slowly working through the bushes we bought.  The freezer has 21 quarts last count.  I'm hoping to make another couple of batches this weekend which should bring me up to my goal of 30 quarts  for the freezer.

*I'm wanting some winter flowers.  I think I'm going to buy some pansy's for the back porch and also get some amaryllis and tulip bulbs.   Years ago I forced some paper whites over the winter.  Man, were they stinky.  Oddlyenough, I've never done amaryllis or tulips.  Since the hard frost last week, I've really missed having flowers in the house.

*Coconut oil is my new best friend.  I admit to being addicted to the Dermalogica skin care line.  I've used it for over 10 years now with great results but it's expensive.  Ka-Ching.  I wondered about natural alternatives.

I was reading an article about using natural oils on the skin.  I tried olive oil years ago but didn't like the lingering smell.  I bought some coconut oil several weeks ago and started using it.  So far, so good.  My skin has never looked better.  I was concerned about acne on my face with the oil clogging my pores but that hasn't happened.  Supposedly, coconut oil has antibiotic properties.  It's pretty oily stuff until absorbed but with wearing winter clothing, I don't worry about it. 

Not sure I would use this over the summer months though.  We'll see.