Chatbug Karen

Interesting questions for this weeks meme, Four Foods on Friday.
1. Name one bad habit you have in the kitchen.
I eat cookie dough when mixing up a batch of cookies.

2. Do you have a tv in the kitchen?
Yes

3. What’s one food you can’t stand cold?
Coffee I am not picky about my coffee. No need to get the water from rain barrels but I do like it hot!

4. What’s your favorite juice?
cranberry apple

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I have worked with computers for probably 20 years and I am still afraid of them. This morning I received an error message that told me my virtual memory is low. What the heck is that? Do I need an sd card to move my information onto?

On to more normal things. We woke up to fog today. I was very surprised that the schools did not delay the bus pick ups like they usually do. It is so dangerous to drive in fog.

Extreme Makeover, Home Edition was in our county. They have been working in the rain since last week. It has been very exciting to read the progress report each day. They had so many volunteers that the workers were put on other jobs in the area. There are so many places that need help whether it be painting or plumbing. I hear that the episode that was filmed here will air some time in December.

My husband and I were talking about how awful it is to have to get out of bed when it is still dark outside. I thought it was going to be necessary to haul in some heavy duty industrial equipment to get his butt up this morning. LOL Usually, I am the one who pulls the covers over my head while crying 15 more minutes! Please! I hope that the change in time helps us. Did you know that, here in the United States, our time will be changing soon?

The U.S. begins Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 a.m. local time on the second Sunday in March and reverts to Standard Time at 2:00 a.m. local time on the first Sunday in November. DST is not observed in Hawaii or Arizona, with the exception of the Navajo Nation, which does observe DST, even in Arizona. In 2009, DST starts on March 8 and ends on November 1. In 2010, DST starts on March 14 and ends on November 7.

Why do clocks change at 2:00 a.m. in the U.S.?
In the spring, clocks spring forward from 1:59 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.; in the fall, clocks fall back from 1:59 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. The time was originally chosen because it minimized disruption. Most people were home at the fewest trains were running at 2:00 a.m. It is late enough to minimally affect bars and restaurants, and it prevents the day from switching to yesterday, which would be confusing. It is early enough that the entire continental U.S. switches by daybreak, and the changeover occurs before most early shift workers and early churchgoers are affected.

I made a Tweety Bird purse for a friend’s daughter. I noticed that Tweety is celebrating his 67th birthday! Tweety Bird made his debut in the Warner Bros. cartoon A Tale of Two Kitties (released November 21, 1942), directed by Bob Clampett. He is an old critter for never having to deal with acne treatments!

Tweety didn’t meet his most famous adversary in that first outing — his role was to defend himself from a pair of Hollywood-caricature cats named Babbit and Catstello. Nor was he called by name — like Chip’n'Dale, Wile E. Coyote, and many other cartoon stars, the name came only when he’d appeared twice. He did, however, utter his most famous line, “I tawt I taw a puddy tat.” And the child-like, ever-so-innocent demeanor with which he demolished his antagonists was there right from the start.

You can read more about Tweety at Toonpedia.

I am afraid to look! I don’t know how many days there are left before Christmas but I know that soon it will be time to pick out Christmas party invitations, plan Christmas menus and get out the snow shovel.

One of my favorite gifts to buy is chocolate candy. We used to have a candy shop here in our town that was known for their gold brick candy. These were so good that our hometown hero, Cole Porter, would have them shipped to him wherever he might be.

This recipe is as close as I could find to what we used to buy at Arnold’s Candy Shop.

Gold Bricks

5 cups sugar
1 stick of butter (not margarine)
1 large can or 2 medium cans evaporated milk
2 packages chocolate chips
1 large package marshmallows
1 quart pecans

In heavy boiler bring sugar, butter, and milk to a boil. Boil hard for 7 minutes.
Take off heat and stir in chocolate chips and marshmallows.
Beat until thick.
Stir in pecans.
Pour onto wax paper and spread to 1 inch or less thickness.
Let cool.
Cut into small squares.

I think Val has Halloween on the brain! Here are the questions she asked for this weeks Four Foods on Friday meme:

1. Name something you like with pumpkin in it.
pumpkin bars with cream cheese icing
2. Name an orange food you like.
orange slice candies
3. What’s your favorite color/flavor of licorice?
red, I don’t like black licorice
4. What’s your favorite hot beverage at Halloween?
Fall is the time of year when I love to drink apple cider.

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Bryan and Dusty Schoening are entrepreneurs with a sense of humor. They’re the creative minds behind the Coffin It Up website that sells custom-made coffins of all shapes, sizes and purposes: coffin-shaped luggage, jewelry, end tables, bookcases, medicine cabinets — and yes they even build coffins for human and pet burial.

This is how they decorated their front porch in honor of Halloween.

I don’t know if I can take watching the new show Trauma. Every few minutes, they are rescuing someone who has done something awful. Last night, a man severed his arm, another had a metal rod impaled through his back and a mountain biker tumbled down a mountain. Too much intensity for me, I am afraid. It might have been exasperated by the fact that I was in pain. Don’t laugh but I really was in pain. What did I do, you ask? I bit my tongue.

This was not your typical bit the side of your tongue owie. This was a full chomp in the middle of my tongue. It was a gash so deep that I wondered if I needed stitches. Have you ever tried to put ice on your tongue? Thank goodness, it feels better this morning.

I have a lot to do today. I have to mail packages of purses sold from my Etsy site, wash two very stinky dogs and clean up my car accessories before they get lost. My laptop adapter has to be put in just the right spot or I have to crawl over the seats while hubby is driving in order to retrieve it.

Our begonias bit the dust. We had a frost on Sunday morning and that was the end of my beautiful begonias. It is time to wack down all the dried purple cone flower. It is sad to see bare flower beads.

Time to get a cup of coffee. Have a great day everyone.

If you ever feel down in the dumps, simply turn on The Ellen Degeneres Show. She has been very active on Twitter! She tweeted to UC San Diego, and over a thousand people showed up! She had quite the challenge, and a huge prize for the winner, that was more exciting than (diet pills that work! The winner received tickets to one of Ellen’s Twelve Days of Giveaways show. The amazing thing, in addition to the great prize; Ellen couldn’t decide on just one winner so she gave tickets to all who entered!

Is anyone watching Desperate Housewives? I crack up at all the things that go on in this show. The story lines are so far out that I can laugh at the absurdities. Tonight’s show dealt with paying off kids to be a son’s friend, calling boobs the twins and of course the usual infidelities. Humor. It is what goes on in between the story that bugs me. I am uncomfortable with the ads for some kind of phone. Are they AT&T phones? I forget the brand, but remember the commercial because the constant backstabbing in these commercials is uncool. Is it because commercials are supposed to promote their products in honest advertising. If the story is unbelievable why should I like their products? I don’t want to buy from a company that advertises lies.