aloha

i hope all of you had a beautiful weekend.  it was mostly quiet around here - a little cooking, a movie, dinner with friends and family, a bit of picture taking.  quiet.  nice.  actually, very lovely.

i will be away at a conference monday through wednesday, so i'm not certain how much computer time i will have.... i will miss you guys if i don't get back to you until thursday....(i hope that's not the case) but, the conference will have some night functions *sigh*

mother's day treats

something easy to make for mom tomorrow morning!  the key to these is NOT to overbake them.

pecan pie muffins
1 cup pecans, rough chopped and toasted
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 tsp vanilla

Combine pecans, sugar, and flour in a mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl, beat eggs until foamy and add vanilla.  Stir in butter and then pour mixture over dry ingredients.  Stir until moistened.  Scoop batter into baking cups that have been sprayed with pam (or similar product). I used mini-loaf pans for something different in the presentation (it makes 3 mini loaves)

Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes.  Check the muffins after 20 minutes to make sure they do not dry out.  Cool on rack.

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i hope you have a beautiful mother's day - full of love and laughter.

confessions

i'm totally unprepared for cinco de mayo - it crept up on me like...well, a sneaky little holiday.  does that mean that i get to have dinner out tonight instead of making dinner at home?  *crosses fingers* i think it does actually.  i could really enjoy a pitcher of margaritas and some nachoes tonight.  yum 
time for some confessions: 
1.  my 365 is for all intents and purposes doa - i just do not have enough things to photograph during the course of my day - especially when it's rare that i get out the door to lunch.  and the bottles are quite weary.  i will continue to post shots to that website as i take them, but it will not be daily.

2.  despite all the fancy lotions and potions i've owned over the years - simple jergens remains my favorite lotion.  i wish it still came in the bottle with the black and white label.

3. i'm a southern girl that does not like raw tomato or mayonaisse.  (give me the miracle whip)

4. i really dislike the music players and flash bits on the websites - it makes it very difficult to visit a lot of the sites during the day (when i have some spare moments) and then by night - the blogs can get so buried in the 200+ that i have on my reader, i may miss some of your posts.  so if you noticed me absent lately - that could be the issue.  i only have ie at work and some blogs crash my computer with all the fancy gadgets.  i come to read you and look at your photography - music is great - but your work is even better.

so...question - do you celebrate cinco de mayo?  if so, what are you doing today?

also - what are your plans for mother's day?

i believe

a bit of sunshine ...

flowers to make me smile...

good music and homemade chicken salad.

those are very good things on a tuesday.

not everyone is that lucky - please keep my friends

to the north (nashville) and south (the gulf coast)

in your thoughts and prayers. 


i believe in positive thoughts and prayers - the faith to see the crisis through.  i believe in sending your love through the airways and hoping it lands where it needs to land.  like the butterfly on the shoulder - gentle and kind.

i believe its better to do good than to take revenge and though i would never want anyone to mistake my kindness for weakness, it's better to take the higher road - even when that tastes bitter in our mouths. 

i believe...i do.  even when i feel caved in and hollow, weak and helpless.  i believe because it keeps me going on, when i don't feel like going.   

the past few days .... in pictures of course