Author: robin

The Moments Were Special

- robin

The past weekend was  rainy and foggy

but

the moments were special.

On Saturday, Larry and I went to Gunter {TX}

to pick up Girl Scout cookies.

We don’t eat them, but give them to neighbors and friends.

Sunday, dinner and movie was  fun.

I opened Boursin Cheese and nibbled while I cooked.

{I TRACKED each bite!}

Larry opened a bottle of wine,

I baked potatoes, boiled corn on the cob

and

broiled small filets.

We did not watch a movie,

because the football playoffs were on.

Today, the fog is burning off

and I have a project to start.

The fabric is faux suede.

I will modify the pattern, as the fabric is very busy.

{have a date for Valentine’s Day}

*****

Love is a canvas furnished by nature

and

embroidered by imagination.

~Voltaire~

Love you.

Me

Other Than That

- robin

I am posting, while the washer is swirling.

Libby had a small accident.

Her blanket was the only casualty and is being washed now.

Yesterday was busy, with nothing important.

Book Club met last night, but I missed it.

My book club somehow lost my email address in November.

I missed that meeting

and the book they chose for

January.

When My Larry asked if I would come

to a business dinner last night

I accepted.

{I had not read the book club book

and I would just be taking up space}

Other than that, I have been behaving.

I walk 3 miles at least 4 times a week

and hope to add to that as time goes on.

Making better choices with food is easier than it sounds.

Breakfast is my favorite meal these days.

I lost weight at my Weight Watcher weigh in yesterday.

Not much…but it was a loss.

~~~~~~~~

And….. are you ready for

The Days Of Love?

Last year, Larry gave me a sweet book.

I will be posting a LOVE quote, out of my book

each day till Valentines Day.

Today’s quote:

Real love stories never have endings.

~richard bach~

It is true, isn’t it?

True love never dies. No matter the situation,

love lives deep within you.

Love you.

Me

Yesterday, Yesterday

- robin

Yesterday was beautiful, sunny and 80 degrees.

{in January!}

Libby ate all of her food without being hand-fed.

I had great visits with both Lauren and Jamison.

Larry took his lunch hour to walk 3 miles with me

and

then took me to Chuey’s for a salad.

Granted, it was a taco salad

but I did not eat the shell.

Half of  my Christmas “thank you’s” are finished

and

I have 3  new watercolors on boards.

It was a LOVEly day…..

We come to love not by finding the perfect person,

but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly.

~Sam Keen~

Love your day.

Me

The Moon and the Fire Pit

- robin

Yesterday was windy.

It reminded me of the first winter we lived in Texas.

Windy.

My Larry, myself and two little girls lived with my parents

for six months.

{we moved from Memphis, Tennessee}

It was difficult,

but it was also the greatest gift they gave to us.

To be somewhere we love and raise our girls.

The wind let up in the afternoon.

Last evening, we had dinner at the fire pit

and

watched the moon come up.

Larry and I gossiped and visited.

Solving the worlds problems in one evening.

It was nice.

Then…it started getting chilly.

It was a good day.

Love is something eternal;

the aspect may change,

but not the essence.

~vincent van gough~

Love you.

Me

Me and Rodin

- robin

I love Meryl Streep.

Her ART has been part of my entire adult life.

But what makes it ok for her to insult and berate someone

and

not ok for for Donald Trump to insult and berate someone?

I am sad that she is perpetuating the

negative political atmosphere in this country.

I still love her but….gosh.

Please, Meryl

just go make a movie so we can all go to the theater

and

escape this petty and  ridiculous news.

*****

In other news:

I am almost finished editing and posting the photos from Paris.

2016 was a very good year in France,

filled with many special moments.

I am trying to learn more about Word Press

so I cam post a widget to my FlickR account

in the side bar. Over there —–>

Here is one of my favorite shots from this year.

Larry took the shot at the Rodin Musee.

Yes, that is me and Rodin.

Rodin had awful political ideas….but he was still a master.

We all must learn to live and respect each other…

even if we disagree.

Love you.

Me

Drafty Cottages and Warm Sweaters

- robin

Larry and I both love Thursdays and

we believe that our weekend starts there.

Last Thursday was Twelfth Night and

we took the wreath off of the front door.

We also took down the Christmas Cards that hung on ribbons.

Christmas is officially done, till next year,

On Friday, it snowed!

The deck greeted me on Saturday morning

with its solemn, geometrical, zen way.

How wonderful it is to have a taste of winter once and awhile.

The Cottage gets drafty and I wear warm sweaters

to cuddle under blankets and read.

On Saturday night, we bundled up

and met friends for dinner.

The company was charming

and

we talked over wine late into the evening….it was lovely.

Sunday was Dinner and a Movie.

Now that we are home from France and the holidays are over,

It is time to get back to normal.

{whatever that is}

Sunday, dinner and a movie: A Tolbert tradition since 2003.

It never evolves. We try to switch things up sometimes

but

when we try to change it…it always backfires in some way.

People message me, email me and if they are friends

call me, to ask what movie is showing this Sunday.

It makes me smile.

Yesterday, Sunday dinner and a movie

was,

Roasted salmon, rice and green beans.

The wine was Blindfold.

Dessert was, drum roll please….

A rum cake made with the

bee hive cake pan Matilda gave me for Christmas.

For our viewing pleasure, we watched.

The Wind and The Lion.

It is a historical movie….filmed in 1975, set in 1903.

 Brian Keith played Teddy Roosevelt and we liked it very much.

If you are wondering where I got the perfect roses

that have graced my photos all weekend,

they were a gift from dear friends.

They arrived last week and have been a constant reminder

to My Larry and I how lucky we

are to have Karen & John in our lives.

I have noticed that during the most agonizing times,

special people have come into my life.

Karen & John.

Karen et John, vous êtes les amis les plus étonnants. Merci.

We love you.

Have a blessed day today.

Maybe take a moment to say hello to an old friend,

or check on a neighbor?

{I plan to do both}

Love you.

Me

Country Ham In Crock Pot~Chef Valentine

- robin

This entry should be called,

Chef Valentine misses the boat.

I Have seen this recipe here and there,

but did not think one thing about it until My Larry and I

got into a ham mood.

Yes, this recipe is for a spiral cut ham….

in the crock pot.

And yes, the flavor is simply amazing

and

the cooking effortless.

We had it for dinner Tuesday, left overs last night

and had cut off the solid end for soup.

I honestly have never seen Larry eat so much ham before.

A lot of spiral hams are on sale after the holidays….

you might want to try it on a snowy day.

Spiral Ham In The Crock Pot

1-spiral ham

brown sugar

1-can of pineapple chunks,  not drained

1/2 cup raisins

My ham came with a seasoning packet. I used that too.

Cover the bottom of the crock pot with brown sugar.

About 3 cups.

Place ham in crock pot, flat side down

and

cutting off short end so the top closes.

Sprinkle raisins over the ham.

Pour can of pineapple and juice over ham,

then the packet of seasoning that came with it.

Cook on low for 6 hours.

I did not make gravy out of the drippings, but next time I will.

The flavor of this easy crock pot ham is absolutely amazing.

on Sunday, Larry wanted ham sliders and wine…

last night,

we had it with hash brown casserole and green beans.

I don’t  think that I can wait till Easter to make this again.

Enjoy!

Till next time,

Valentine

Lost In Translation

- robin

I am a self professed, Diet Coke addict.

I LOVE Diet Coke.

My Larry’s father worked for Coca Cola. {30 years!}

While in Paris one day, we went to Carefore.

Carefore is our local market….to pick up a few things.

I am not so great at the whole language, product, Euro thing,

So, I do the easy shopping.

I am smiling……who am I kidding?

Larry sells food for a living, he loves to shop with me.

 I took half the shopping list and Larry took the other half.

After finding the Cokes, they were up on a high shelf.

I had to ask the stock boy to please help me

and

I guess my translation was really bad….

he got me  MIDGET diet Cokes. {new on the market this year}

I know that I should have asked him

to switch them for the regular size……but I was flustered.

How do you say switch in French?

When we got back to the apartment,

Larry said: What the…..????

{Like me Larry had never seen the little cans of Coke before}

I explained what happened and he has been teasing me ever since.

Last week, I saw the midget Cokes at Target!

Hummmmm this gives me an idea….LOL

Love you.
Me

PS: This post has been brought to you because I have cut way back on my diet Coke consumption.

I drink ONE a day now.

Like Butterfly Wings

- robin

Yesterday was a strange day.

After a moment of sunlight in the morning,

the day became gloomy and bitter cold.

I had a million errands to do,

worried about Libby

and

a new recipe to try.

By four o’clock PM, I was antsy and sad.

It is then when I grabbed my coat  and took a walk.

A three mile walk.

It felt awesome and cleared my head.

When I arrived back at the cottage,

I stopped by the mail-box.

In the pile of catalogs and mail

I found a note….

a lovely note from a dear friend, very far away.

The paper is covered with filmy fabric,

much like butterfly wings.

The note was from our dear friend, Kevin.

Kevin, like so many of us had an interesting 2016.

He wrote, thanking us for friendship and love.

How on earth, did he know I needed that,

at the very moment I opened it?

I believe that is called…friendship.

Thank you Kevin.

Love you beyond butterfly wings.

Me