Driving Through Blizzards,or Double Your Fun

Several weeks ago Grandma J decided to drive to Denver.  That's right...in January.  She hadn't seen her baby girl in ages.  Her grandsons came to Texas in the summer of 2009, so she was overdue for a nice visit.  The weather was fine until the day she got there.  Then it snowed, and it snowed.....and it snowed some more.   Temperatures got into double digits below zero.  So, she drove back to Texas in blowing snow, that followed her all the way home.

This is a picture of Grandma J's baby girl and her husband.   They look like real official mountain folks all ready for a harsh winter, don't they??

It's so cute when people dress alike.  I don't mean kids, like twins or sisters for Easter....I mean couples.
Mostly you can find them in places like Walmart. 

Like this cute couple......

Or these cute couples aka Doublemint Twins X two.

This isn't too shocking to the dyed in the wool Walmart shopper because Walmart opens it's doors and arms to twos of all kinds.  

I'm soooo glad  mama was considerate enough to lay a puddle pad down under her pooches so the shopping cart wouldn't get contaminated with dog stuff......any dog stuff.   I mean, would you want to be the next customer who uses that cart?  Another reason to wash all produce as soon as you get home.

***The contest is still open....leave your comment on Sunday's post***

What The Heck Do We Win?

When Grandma J decided to have a welcome back to my blog contest, she wanted to award the winner with a fabulous prize that wasn't a KitchenAid mixer  thoughtless average gift.  With that in mind she wracked her brain to figure out what would make her happy if she won it. After all, her friends mean a lot to her.  So, this is what she came up with for the winner's prize!

You will have your choice of  the following:

1.  A $25 gift card to PetSmart where you can buy toys for your pet, get them groomed, get obedience classes, or check out the line of Martha Stewart products for your pet.

2.  Or.....the winner can receive three full days of romping with JJ at  Pouncing Paws Doggie Day Care.  Pictured is JJ with a few of his pals in the small dog playroom.   Yes, I know there seems to be a big dog
in the picture....but that's Hank, and Hank is JJ's buddy....and his pillow at nap time.  The play yard is equipped with toys and playground equipment, with wadding pools and shade umbrellas in the summer.  It's truly a dogs world!
FYI, JJ is going bananas because he sees my car.....



Decisions, decisions....I know, it's hard to pick between the two.   You have until Friday to enter the contest in the post below.
In the meantime, there are so many adventures to tell you about.  Stay tuned because I'm back for good!

And The Chocolate Goes To......


Not so fast! You know Grandma J doesn't use a random automated winner picker when it comes to important stuff like naming a rubber squeaky toy family member. Instead, she decided to print out the comments, cut them up, fold them, and put them in the official mixing bowl astronaut helmet for a hand drawing. You know, we gotta have a bit of pomp and circumstance.....




So, crab and I paid a visit to my granddaughter and JJ to keep the selection of the winner on the up and up. Of course if my memory was functioning properly, I would have remembered about all the bad blood between JJ and crab! Duh!






Things were going along quite well without any major incidents......Grandma J's granddaughter picks the winning comment....





.......and in the blink of an eye, JJ is flying through the air, lunging at crab! Grandma J shouts out, Mother of all things holy, don't hurt the crab. JJ retreats, and no one got hurt.

Now the reason y'all are here....the winner is.......



Congratulations to Cdub! The crab's new name is Crusty!


Cdub, I hope you enjoy the selection of chocolate goodies I ordered for you. I picked the following three items.......a cross-section of items from the Dove Chocolate Discoveries Catalog.








Enjoy your winnings Cdub! Crusty is a happier crab now that he has a real name! email me so I can get your address to ship your prize: jannieret@hotmail.com



Some of you mentioned that you didn't know that Dove Chocolates had a catalog. Dove Chocolate Discoveries was launched in 2007. Their products are sold exclusively through independent contractors called "Chocolatiers" through fun home parties.

My daughter Kim became a Dove Chocolatier several months ago, and has grown her business to the level of Manager, winning trips to Dove Headquarters twice. Since it's such a new concept in home parties with such a wide variety of products, I thought showcasing Dove as my contest prize would be a great way to introduce you to the products and company.


Check out the Dove Catalog, you will be surprised at the selection of yummy stuff they offer. And, for the next two days, Kim will accept orders via her website if you mention you came from Grandma J's blog....kind of like a virtual party.



If you haven't heard of Dove Chocolate Discoveries, you might be interested in becoming a Chocolatier in your area. You can check out Kim's Dove website.

Thank you to all........

.......who entered the Name That Crab Contest.






A winner will be announced before the rooster crows!

Amen, Dear Brother

On Sunday, Grandma J decided to bring Phillip Johnny Bob to the earliest Mass ever church at 7 A.M. because they serve breakfast burritos afterwards, and they beat the heck out of the donuts after the 9 A.M. Mass. Being a nice guy who wants to bond with Crab in the worst way.....PJB asked if Crab could come with us. Grandma J, who loves to volley between referring to herself in the first and third person the idea of inclusiveness, said sure, why not?

So it was off to church without incident.





Afterwards the Phil and Crab seemed to be getting along, and I could see that eating burritos attending church together was a good idea.






Until Crab went for PJB's throat!





Crab was made to ride shotgun where grandma J could keep an eye on him. But all this brings up other issues that could be contributing to Crab's behavioral problems because I don't think most crabs live in Texas attack bears.

There are some ideas coming down the pike, or since we don't live near a pike, the cow trail. By ideas, Grandma J means a contest...a contest with a super gift.

Check back tomorrow for the details, and how you can be the big winner of the best contest ever. By ever, Grandma J means the best contest ever sponsored by her..

We Have A Winner!

You know the one thing Grandma J hates about this book giveaway, is not being able to send everyone the book. The MIDDLE PLACE is an amazing story. It's my kind of story, about a real person with a real family, living a real life. Not necessarily the life she would have planned, but one she wouldn't trade.

(click to enlarge)

I used a random number generator because it's really the only fair way of picking just one person out of the eighteen that entered.

The winner is Noe Noe Girl...Tall Tales from a Short Chick.

Noe Noe Girl, please email me: jannieret@hotmail.com , so I can get your address and send the book on it's merry way. I hope you decide to move it along and share it after you read it. It's that kind of powerful story.

Thanks to everyone who left a comment requesting the book next. Hopefully you will get the opportunity to read this book one day.

HAPPY EASTER

Grandma J and all her peeps wish you a Happy Easter.

Here's a closeup of my basket with all my Grandkids (10), Phil and of course my beloved JJ!




And here's Phillip Johnny Bob with his ? Mom? GF? Sister? Your guess is as good as mine.

Please check the previous post and submit an entry for the book giveaway!!

Step Into My Kitchen

As you know, Pioneer Woman had a contest, inviting four bloggers to her ranch to cook with the infamous Barbarella Bakerella. I missed the cut.

I've been following Ree since October of 2006, and I can remember getting so excited when she'd have a name that photo contest for a $25 gift card out of her junk drawer. And then over the years she became so dang popular, and her blog blossomed into cooking, and remodeling, and castrations, and birthing of calves. Her blog is so big....like world reknown, and her contest prizes are now over the moon! Ser.i.ous.ly. But I don't go gaga over Mixmasters and Porsches.

Cooking with Ree on the ranch was a contest I wanted to win. But I didn't, so I decided to be there in a virtual sense.


Wanna join me?





We made cupcake ball things...These are the ones I made...in my humble not so upscale kitchen.

Let me give you a few step by step photos. I know you want actual lessons but it would be less that tactful for me to cut and paste the whole thing from The Pioneer Woman's blog. Ummm, yeah, I could do that for you, but really? You can get a much better tutorial from P-Dub herself. Let's just pretend we were at the big bash at the ranch.



These are my balls.....you know, the end result of crumbling up cake and mixing it with frosting. Then you make little balls by rolling dough with your hands...and refrigerate while you go wash your car, but then if it rains you take a nap.


I wanted to make some special treats for St. Patrick's Day, so I used green and white melt away chocolate. This is what they look like after you drop them in melted green chocolate. Mine are a bit messy and crooked because I spiced up the process by pretending I was playing beer pong.

After the green stuff hardens up, you take the little cupcake papers off and dip the top part in melted white chocolate.

I then make little shamrocks out of fondant. I have never used fondant, and could have easily made shamrocks with plain old green icing using a decorating bag. But....I bought the fondant so I could pretend I won the "come to the ranch contest follow along with Ree and the winners.



First I rolled little bitty balls with my fingers and spaced them like this.



Then I smashed them ever so gently with the new fondant smasher I bought in case I won the contest.




This is what the ended up looking like when finished. A bit on the sloppy side, but hey......





I wrapped them with love, and I will deliver them to my daughter tomorrow. She will probably bring them to work and tell her boss she made them....or not.

AND WE HAVE A WINNER.....
Here's how it went down.....

Astro bear , who now has a new name, and I, picked up JJ to go with us to the middle school.

My grandson official name drawer got out at 3:35, and we scurried to his house to start the process.

We folded all the entries, and shook them up in the official bowl.

We made sure they were mixed up, then mixed up again with some shaking going on. Finally, the winning name was drawn........

Congratulations to Mila @ Life With Kaishon, for submitting the winning name....

Ladies and Gentleman, meet Phillip Johnny Bob!

Yes, that's the luck-of- the-draw winning name. I may refer to him as Phil is that's ok Mila? But, on legal documents it's always Phillip Johnny Bob.

Mila, please email me your address so I can send you your Walmart Gift Card. (this red one is the actual card).

Thanks to all of you who entered, That was fun. There were some really cute and clever names.

FRIDAY MATINEE

HAS BEEN POSTPONED.......
....until Monday, and here's why

The why is because I can't find a movie that I like ends in time. Because in case you forgot, I have a contest that ends at NOON PDT....which in plain old English means 2PM in Texas. Which is why Grandma J has to personally pick up the official winner picker from school. And that's because we want to get the show on the road ceremoniously have the official drawing with all the pomp and circumstance the winner deserves.

So here's how you can help...because I count on readers like you when decisions get tough. Please put your heads together and let me know which movie I should see on Monday. It's between two movies...the only two playing around here that I care to see. All the others are too scarey or violent.....so here we go

The Secret Life of Bees.....I love queeen Lativa and Jennifer Hudson. I've read the reviews, and the critics are very critical...but the reviews from the viewing audience are somewhat better.

Zack and Mira Make a Porno....Ok, don't say it! I don't like porn..but supposedly the only reason this movie is rated R is the language. It originally was N-17 (or something like that). The reviews were very good, and it's supposed to be hilarious...if you can get beyond the word Porno.

Either way, I'll go with the your choice...Majority Rules, that's my motto.


* If you haven't voted on picking a name for my bear, you still have time. I have a little slide show over on the right in case you don't remember him know what he looks like.