Wow! It's been a long time...

...since I last posted!

One thing that is bad about having your own business is that you are the only one that works to keep it going!

I'm looking out my studio window right now and there are actually snow flurries in the air. I took pictures of the snow storm of 2017, but never got a chance to post them. I'll refrain from posting them now because by Monday, the weather is going to take a drastic change; it is reported that it will be in the 70s next week!

I can't wait to get out and start walking again. I just bought a stroller for my two dogs to ride in as I walk. My family thinks I have lost it, but I couldn't think of a better way for my 16 year old Cockapoo to join me while I walk. She is hard of hearing and just about blind, but she has a lot of spunk left in her. I used to walk her on a leash all the time, but I fear it may be a little difficult for her now. With the stroller, I will be able to continue getting her out and about. I will have to post pictures of her first ride in the stroller.

Enjoy the weekend; I will be starting my Easter cooking.

Feeling a little Spring Fever here in CNY...

Look at our weather station this past Saturday...

February 18, 2017 and it's 58 degrees...seven (7) day low was 17 degrees. Oh, my goodness! If only the winter weather was done, but I know we can expect more cold and snow at least through March; that's just CNY weather for you! Actually, March can be quite nasty.

At any rate, I have to share another recipe...this time for Spicy Orange Chicken which I made for dinner on Saturday. (The recipe actually made more than in picture, but by the time I grabbed my ipad to take a picture, everyone had already taken a plateful.)

This was super simple to make and so delicious.

After cutting up the chicken and marinating for a couple of hours according to the recipe, the rest of the meal took less 30 minutes to finish.

I served it with Basmati rice and fresh strawberries.

If you would like the recipe, I have included it in my Pinterest, or just click on the picture to go directly to the recipe found on the Tidy Mom blog.

So, what to do on a cold, snowy day like today...

I'm not a skier; too old for sledding down the hill; and basically, not a fan of shovelling! So, I did the only thing I could under the circumstances; I made some homemade Chicken Tortellini Soup...

...and homemade Oatmeal Bread....

Yummy...so good! Both were recipes I found on Pinterest and definitely keepers!

You can get both of the recipes by visiting my Recipes from the web that are keepers Pinterest board!

Stay warm CNYers!  The weather forecast is calling for more snow throughout the overnight!  Yikes!

Pumpkin Cookie recipe...

Fall is definitely in the air...

This morning was quite crisp when I walked my fur babies, but I actually prefer this time of year over the summer heat.

I just about have all my Halloween & Fall decorations out, but this past weekend, I decided I needed to crochet a pumpkin centerpiece from a pattern I fell in love with from one of the many catalogs I get everyday. I could wallpaper the town with all the catalogs I receive, but I just love looking through them for ideas. I plan to use my latest project right through Thanksgiving so I thought it would be worth the effort to crochet it.

When my project was finished, it looked kind of bare just sitting on my table. Not that I don't have a lot of decorations that I could have placed in the center, but to keep the Lawrence household happy, I decided I had to bake some pumpkin spice cookies using a recipe I found on Pinterest.

The recipe makes about 2 1/2 dozen soft, cake-like cookies that are absolutely delicious. My family raved about them, however, I must say that they are still talking about the pumpkin coffee cake recipe I shared in my last blog. I might have to whip up another one this weekend.

However, even though they really liked the coffee cake, it looks like there is going to be a "fight" to get the last one of these cookies since they are just about gone.

The best part is that I only had to use half a small can of pumpkin for these cookies which leaves me with the other half to make a pumpkin bread recipe I found on Pinterest.

I love having a weekends-off diet!

If you would like the recipe for these melt-in-your-mouth cookies, click on the picture to be taken directly to the recipe from "The Recipe Critic".

Another busy weekend has come and gone!

I'm almost finished with my Mr. Frank N. Stein; just need another day or two:

But I have to tell you about the cookie recipe I tried this weekend...Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies:

These are so soft and lemony; they actually melt in your mouth. They were very easy to make; however, I made a couple of substitutions.

The recipe called for organic all-purpose flour...I just used regular all-purpose flour. I didn't have any lemon oil and frankly with 2 tablespoons of lemon zest and 1-1/2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice, it was lemony emough for my taste. I also didn't use the yellow food coloring...I don't need an artificially-colored yellow cookie to figure out it is lemon flavored.

Other than that this is a cookie that anyone would be proud to serve; I think it will be included in my Christmas cookies this year.

Click on the picture if you would like the recipe from Wicked Good Kitchen.

Daylilies are in bloom...

...and they are spectacular!

About a month ago, I transplanted some purple and yellow daylilies on either side of my patio.

They are now in full bloom and I can see them from my kitchen window. What a great way to start the morning gazing out the window looking at the beautiful flowers and the birds that visit my yard; it takes the drudgery out of cutting several vegetables to cook in my omelet each morning.

For those of you who like recipes, here is one I plan on trying this weekend. It came across my Facebook feed this morning and just sounds so good given that the weather here is hot and sticky. What is better than lemonade on a hot, humid day?

Click on the picture for the recipe; there is also a recipe for a lemonade milk shake on the same page. Yum! The muffins are definitely on my to-do list for this weekend; the shake I probably will pass on, but I'm betting a tall glass of ice tea will go great with those muffins!

We are in the process of once again updating my computer system because I need more storage space. Besides writing this blog, I also write several other blogs for my online business as well as writing a blog about our town political shenanigans which includes videotapes of each town meeting and that takes a lot of computer space. I am hoping that the changeover to the new system will be this weekend (fingers crossed) so I probably will not be blogging at all for the next few days.

In the meantime, I'm off to my studio to finish creating my latest pattern that I will be releasing early next week. If you are in love with American Girl dolls (I actually have several) or know someone who is, my next pattern may be just what you are looking for!

Hope everyone finds some time to relax and stay cool in the days ahead!

Time to PARTY!

Birthday party at my house yesterday and, of course, to make it fun, I had to crochet a banner and enlist my youngest son to post it outside in the wee hours of the morning when the birthday boy was sleeping.

Needless to say, I didn't get my omelet with ham and cheese because my youngest son who loves to cook made too many tempting goodies for the party.

Let's see, he made two (2) cakes, a batch of soft pretzels, a tomato pie and a 12" cookie with M&M candies and chocolate chips. On top of that he ordered two pizzas and chicken wings from Tony's Pizza.

I resisted most of the food, but I just had to have some pizza and a piece of the Creamsicle Cake! Oh well, today is another day and my diet shall start again tomorrow.

To be sure that I don't eat anymore cake, I will be taking the rest of it to my mother this afternoon and I am sure she will not turn it down.

It's a gloomy and rainy day in CNY and the week doesn't look much better. No problem...I will be in my sewing room crocheting a special hat to celebrate another birthday next week...a silly surprise hat for my son who was kind enough to put the banner out for this week's birthday!

Yippee! It's Friday...

That means that tomorrow and Sunday I can have my omelet with ham and cheese instead of just mushrooms, onions, and peppers.

Yes, I finallly did it! I tried the Nutrisystem with weekends off plan. Without sounding like an infomercial, I have to say that it works and with very few sacrifices. I now fit into all those tailored business suits I used to wear when I was employed as a financial assistant. Yeah!

I have a full weekend planned with my grandson visiting on Saturday night with his Mom and Dad and then I will be visiting my mother on Sunday.

My grandson is the apple of my eye. There is nothing like his arms around my neck and him saying "I love you, Grandma!"

I hope everyone has a pleasant weekend. We are expecting some rain, but it will hopefully hurry the flowering of my cherry trees and rhododendrums.

Stay happy and safe!