Paula Deen or Mortimer Beckett??

This week I've had a hard time deciding who I want to be. If you recognize those two names in the title, you have some idea of what I'm talking about. Paula Deen is, of course, a cook. Tuesday we decided to create our own Japanese Steak House at home. We made a huge pot of fried rice, stir fried veggies, shrimp, chicken & steak. Then I made the creamy sauce they serve in the restaurants. We also had some spicy mango sauce and some onion blossom horseradish dip. It was all delicious. We invited my sisters over to eat with us, and even took some "take out" to my Mom.

Wednesday, my husband promised to make my nephew a pan of bread pudding. My grand-niece came down and decided she would make the bread pudding with Kirby's instructions. So, while they were working on that, I fixed the rest of the steak from the night before, along with some oven roasted garlic potatoes. When my nephew came for the bread pudding, we ended up feeding steak and potatoes to him, his wife, my grand-niece and nephew, and one of their friends. Everyone loved all the food, but grand-niece Jessica said she would rather have my sloppy joes than steak.

You probably know what happens next. Thursday we made sloppy joes for everyone, along with a special request for my cole slaw (from my nephew). Dessert was peanut butter cookies with M&Ms (one of my favorites).

So what about Mortimer Beckett, you ask? He is a character in a computer game. I have become obsessed with hidden object computer games lately. Between all the shopping for food and cooking, I sit at the computer and download free trial versions of games. Some, like Mortimer Beckett, I enjoyed enough to actually pay for the full version. Others, I play for 30 minutes and decide they are not that much fun. Right now I am going through Escape the Museum. It's pretty good, but the objects are very well hidden (to the point of being impossible to see). Yesterday I played Unicorn Castle all day. The day before that it was Hide & Secret Treasure of the Ages. I have my sisters playing these now, too. They finished Mystery PI - the Lottery Ticket and now they are playing Mystery Quest Secret Island.

I have probably played upwards of 20 of these type games and so far, Mortimer Beckett is still my favorite. There are two of them in case you are interested. Secrets of Spooky Manor and Time Paradox. Both are entertaining and sometimes challenging. Be prepared to waste a considerable amount of time if you start playing. They are addictive. But it's a relaxing, good for your mind kind of addiction.

Pay it Forward

This was a game that a neighbor and friend of mine (a young woman who is in Germany with her Army husband) put on her blog. I thought it seemed like fun, especially since I was one of her first three to respond. Read the rules and post a comment so I can send you something from Wild, Wonderful West Virginia. I may even go more than three people if I don't get too many. Then post the rules on your blog and pay it forward!!



Here are the rules:


1.Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me - something crafty or yummy, who knows?!

2. Winners must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward by creating a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send to your 3 friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember - It’s the spirit and the thought that count! (I think 365 days is too long myself, but that's what was in the rules. Believe me, you won't have to wait that long to get your gift from me!!)

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love! If you are not one of the top three commenters on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!

That's it. Pretty simple. Hope some of you decide to play along.

Sick!!

Isn't it funny how thinking of one thing gets you to thinking of another thing and pretty soon you are thinking of things that had nothing to do with your original thought? I have been sick with a head cold for the last couple of days and for some reason, all my wadded up tissue this morning made me think of an old Brittish comedy we used to watch in the 80's called the Young Ones. If you ever watched it, you know it was outrageously crazy and disgusting. Perfect for a teenage boy (my son) and his friends. The Sick episode was one of the funniest, along with Have We got a Video and University Challenge.

Anyway, then I was reminded of a time when my Mother was sick and she was in her bedroom and heard us coming toward the room and she started yelling "unclean" like the lepers did in the Bible. She didn't want us to get her germs, but I always thought that was so funny.

But unclean made me think of the laundry I had in the washer. So as I was putting that in the dryer, I had to clean the lint filter. Which made me think about the air conditioner filter.

So I checked that, and of course, it needed to be changed. When I tried to throw it away, the trash can was full, so I had to take the trash out.

When I got outside, I noticed my car was facing the wrong way because my last trip had been to my mother's house. Which reminded me that I needed to go back to her house and fix her kitchen light for her.

I got in the car and there was the mail in the sunvisor that I had forgotten to take inside the day before. And in the mail was a coupon that I had sent for. $1 off cat litter.

Which reminded me to check the cat litter, which needed to be changed. Which reminded me that I can't smell anything because of this head cold. Which got me right back where I started. I need to get rid of all these wadded up tissues and take something for this cold.