August 10, 2013

  • Sometimes It’s the Simple Things…

    Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that make me want to jump up and down and cheer. Like yesterday, for example… There are a couple of Farmers Markets that I enjoy going to in my area; one is closer to me than the other, but the closer one starts at 3:00 P.M. on Friday and is harder for me to get to before all the good stuff is gone since I don’t get home from work until after 2:00 P.M. I’m glad I have the option of the one that’s farther away in case I miss my window of opportunity, but it opens at 7:00 A.M. on Saturday, and really I enjoy sleeping in on the weekends if I am able.

    Anyhow, after work yesterday it was my goal to make it to the Farmers Market closest to me as close to 3:00 P.M. as possible because I know the one thing I absolutely have to have will be gone in no time, even though there are several market vendors who carry them. These things go fast because they are so good and fresh. I almost thought I was going to be out of luck to get what I was going for yesterday, as I left later than planned and had one errand I had to run before I made it to the Market. But, SCORE! I did a little happy dance inside when I snagged the prize before they were all gone! What are these fabulous things? I’ll show you:

    free range eggs

    Farm fresh, free range eggs! They are a little more expensive than store-bought eggs, but so much better for you. They are the one thing I splurge on every week. I make my breakfast for the workweek with them: a casserole or breadless “strata” with sausage, cheese, bell peppers of every color, heavy cream, and these wonderful little ovoids pictured above (yes, I took the photo!). Even if I can’t afford grass fed beef, or grass fed butter and cheese all the time, I can get a powerful nutritional punch from these babies at a fraction of the cost for what I’d pay for breakfast at work or pre-prepared elsewhere, so it’s very much worth it to me.

    The prices for a dozen of these beauties range anywhere from $3.50 to $4.50 in my area. The vendor with the cheapest price is at the Farmers Market on Friday, the most expensive are at the Saturday Market (and it costs more money for gas to get there, since it’s farther away). That’s another reason I rush home from work on Fridays, a piratess on a quest for her treasure!

    The vendor who sells these cheapest eggs is a family of Anabaptists, or German Baptists, or some other of the sects whose men wear beards and women wear prayer coverings, but they have a truck and calculators, and a small electric refrigerator, so they aren’t Amish. I want to ask what they are because I’m curious, but I don’t want to be rude. They are very nice people, and the man who sold me the eggs this week just about fell all over himself to help me. Ha ha! I guess men are men no matter what religion!

    Do you have a weekly splurge?

    What is your favorite way to eat eggs, or do you hate them?

August 8, 2013

August 7, 2013

  • I Could So Win MasterChef

    A co-worker of mine is an avid hunter, and this past season I paid for his deer tag and he killed a deer for me so I could stock my freezer for the winter. So far I’ve made steaks, roasts, chili, and a lot of other ground venison dishes. The supplies are dwindling, but I still have some good cuts left.

    I thawed a venison loin a couple of days ago, one of two loins I received when the deer was processed. This is the one cut I hadn’t tried yet. I marinated it overnight last night (this recipe), with plans to cook it for dinner today. I couldn’t find my one and only meat thermometer, so I had to guess at the cooking time. About 25 minutes at 350*F made it a perfect rare. I paired it with fried cabbage and bacon. The meat was melt in your mouth delicious, and the fried cabbage was a perfect complement. It was a fabulous dinner, and made this evening a wonderful celebration for some good news we have received today.

    It will be deer season again before too long. I think I’ll make another investment in a deer tag since the co-worker has offered to bag another one for me.

     

    How do you like your venison? Or will you take a pass on eating Bambi?

August 6, 2013

  • Pats on the back, and all that

    August 10th will be my 4th anniversary of working where I do. The boss gave me my review a little early, like right before I left work for the day today. I received pats on the back for my hard work, and a big, fat raise.

    Working life these past 4 years has been a far cry from someone in my not too distant past predicting I would fall flat on my ass for leaving him and wouldn’t be able to make it on my own without him. Ha. Choke on it, stupid ass!

    I’m doing great, and happier than I’ve ever been in my life, thanks for asking.

August 3, 2013

  • UGH!! *taptaptappingfingers*

    Patience is a virtue, right? I am practiced at having it in abundance usually, being a mom and all. Right now, though, all I can think about is how soon is Xanga 2.0 going to be up and running?? I know, I know, these things take time, and I shouldn’t hold my breath because maybe we won’t have it up and running till the end of August?

    I keep hoping to see an email about which account I want to migrate (it will be this one, of course. Yeah, I have others.) No email yet. I know I am not the only one wondering when this will happen. I have been thankful that edlives has been keeping us updated here, and on Facebook. We need more updates and information on the timeline of this project, though. Another post, even a quick one, from The Xanga Team would be fabulous.

    Many have invested their time and money into this relaunch. Quit leaving us hanging, Xanga!

     

    These features are the ones I am most looking forward to:

    (from this Xanga Team post)

    * Custom themes – you’ll be able to use custom themes we’ll pull from around the web, as well as add/edit CSS.

    * Plugins – We will provide a library of powerful plugins that you can activate and configure on your site.

    * Group blogging – At long last, you’ll be able to allow others to blog on your site… and share moderation rights on your blog.

    * Moderation features – You would be able to put keywords, IPs and usernames into moderation on your blog.

    Woohoo! Group blogging? Imagine the possibilities!

     

    I would also like to volunteer to do some themes, but I have no idea who to contact about that. Anyone have a clue?

     

    What are you looking most forward to in Xanga 2.0?

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    UPDATE: It’s happened: CynaraJane is on Twitter!

    https://twitter.com/CynaraJane

    @CynaraJane