Shiela from MI

JaneS (Shiela, CynB, Glinda, Victoria) -
Since Northanger Abbey is lesser known, I just jumped in and posted a big, long intro to it (without too many spoilers, I hope).
Please feel free to pounce on anything JA up through NA and add a comment or just check in. I know that Shiela's eager to jump into Persuasion, but I'm saving the best until last (?we can debate that with you Shiela ).
Actually, if you haven't noticed, I put the novels in the approximate* order they were written (*she wrote and rewrote over the years).
Forgive me if I'm long winded in today's post, but I've gotten the idea to make a JA literature course for my homeschooling friends's teens, so some of what I'm posting I'm posting so I can get at it later.
Please, friends, if you want to challenge me on any point or enlarge my thoughts, please help me out! Thank you.

hi shiela, just wanted to say that I think your paintings are beautiful I just checked them out on Debbys page, you are certainly one talented lady, do you have any other interests and are your paintings for sale, cheers sophia

Hi Sheila,
Thanks for your message about hospital/home and there/here. With far-eastern friends I sometimes do get confused about there/here anyway (especially talking with Indonesians and Japanese). Indonesians are sometimes unable to think of words out of a rigid context so they get to using those two words wrongly; and the Japanese have three words instead of our two. They mean 'here'; 'there a little distance away'; and 'there a long distance away'.
Pain-killing drugs really do things to the mind. I was not the only one. Patients in neighbouring beds also experienced wierdy perceptions. They were not unpleasant - indeed quite fun.

Hi Shiela. Save Friday morning for me. I will probably be whipping up another batch of cookies for a school function. To make the é, hold down your Alt key and type 130, then let go of the Alt. Mine will only work if I use the 130 on the number pad, not the numbers above the letters. I usually remember the Alt part, but forget which numbers to type! That is why I was proud of my accomplishment today!

Hi, Shiela! Apparently, Mexican Train has been around for a long, long time since I've found several variations in the rules depending on where you're playing, so "house rules" prevail! Google "Mexican Train", and you'll find several sites with the rules. We use the double-12 dominoes, but apparently, you can play with double-sixes, as well.

I don't use a recipe for chili. It just sort of "happens". I always grind my own meat. I use a very lean London broil and add some beef broth to replace the fat. I cook it in a Crockpot with canned diced tomatoes, some Herdez salsa, chopped red onion, diced green pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander, salt and ancho chili powder. I add an assortment of beans toward the end of the cooking cycle (black, kidney and navy beans, usually). And if I want to thicken it up a bit, I add some corn meal.

And speaking of corn meal, I have a good recipe for corn muffins which I thought was in the cookbook but see that it's not, so here's the recipe (I'll add it to the cookbook next time I update):

DOUBLE CORN MUFFINS

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 Tbs. golden brown sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 8.5 oz. can creamed corn
½ cup nonfat buttermilk
1 egg
½ stick butter, melted

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425. Butter a standard size muffin pan.

Mix first 6 ingredients in large bowl.

Whisk creamed corn, buttermilk & egg in another bowl until well combined. Whisk in melted butter.

Form well in center of dry ingredients. Add buttermilk mixture to well and stir just until all ingredients are moist. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling ¼ full.

Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove muffins from cups and cool slightly on rack.

Makes 12 standard size muffins or 24 mini muffins (reduce cooking time to 10 minutes for mini muffins)

Happy Valentine's Day dear one! A day of love and hugs to you!

Hi Sheila, for taking the time to send a message. I think it worked after I posted the message. I can't remember if I refreshed the page or not. At any rate, I was able to do the puzzle and that is what counts. I also posted again on page two that it was okay. or in this case, puzzle on.

Hello Sheila - thank you very much for my birthday wishes. I had a wongerful day even though I had to go to work but we stopped for morning tea and cake then I visited my daughter and her family for tea in the evening.

Anne x

regarding the sear climbing challenge -- a flight of stairs equals 10 steps -- to climb 103 flights of stairs in 2 weeks - that's 7 flights a day -- I'm going for 14 flights each day -- so far - I'm halfway there with some planning - got 2 flights at the library - 8 at the fitness center and 4 so far in the house -- tomorrow at work -- I can walk up 8 flights of stairs twice and I'll be ahead of the game !!

Shiela, I'm so sorry to hear about Tuxedo and what your vet suspects. What sad news and you must be beside yourself. We lost our Moriarty at age eight to injection-site cancer (1 in 10000 cats get it) and it was a blow to the soul. I hope your sweet kitty gives you many more years of companionship and I know you'll shower your friend with loving care and affection.

for your kind words , and i am sorry for your cat , did i understand right that it is sick ?

Hope your kitty's days are pain-free and happily.

Oh, Shiela, I feel so deeply for you, having been in your situation twice now. Tuxedo will let you know what is best. There may come a day, hopefully a ways off, when your beloved companion will communicate that you can't ask any more of him. Our Moriarty did; after stoically living with a huge tumour for many months (about the size of a baseball on his side, wrapped by us in "t-shirts" we'd made so he wouldn't disturb the oozing wound), his eyes clouded over one day and he just hung his head. I knew immediately. I really believe Tuxedo will let you know when enough is enough and you'll give him a peaceful journey. I'll be there for you, with prayers and comforting thoughts. I'm tearing up as I write this ... I remember the pain as if it was yesterday, and Moriarty's been gone for 6 years. He was a beautiful, loyal friend. Sending you tons of love and wishing you strength as you continue your compassionate care.

Dear Shiela.
.
For your very lovely welcome to my return back online.

All my best wishes ti You.
Miss all of you.

I am so, so sorry about your kitty Tuxedo, Shiela. My Littlebeans developed that cancer, and lived happily beyond her prognosis, but then developed a second tumor adjacent to the first site, and it grew very quickly. It was so hard to have her put to sleep, but she stopped eating and lost weight and had that look in her eyes. But s my very kind vet told me, we can do something for our pets to curtail their suffering that we cannot do for ourselves or for anyone we care about. It doesn't help the pain of loss of a little loving friend, but it is an act of love and compassion that we can give our failing pets - as Cathy expressed it so poignantly, to give them a peaceful journey. Again, I am so, so sorry, my heart is with you.

That's a beautiful story about the shells, Shiela. I can't imagine life without you!

Thank you for your birthday wishes, Shiela. You made my day a little more special
I didn't know you had lost your precious Tuxedo. I am so sorry. It is so hard to let them go, even though we know it is for the best. I like to think they are all waiting patiently to see us again. You have my sympathy.

Hi Shiela, thank you for the birthday greetings! I get quite excited heating from so many lovely people from around the world :)
And thanks for looking through my photos - took me a while to work out, but now I really enjoy putting up new ones!

CAT NOTE: My cat Tuxedo must have had one of his nine lives left!
Tuxedo had been in such pain that having him put down was the next step. BUT... He has had a reprieve and is doing much better! He is eating, drinking and walking around again. We still are not sure what's really going on and it may still be cancer, but for now we still have him and he seems his old self for the time being.
The vet's cancer prognosis was only an educated guess, since I refused to have Tux go through exploratory surgery at his age (15 years) to find out for sure. The vet had also given him antibiotics as a precaution so Tux may have had something else going on that the drug treated. OR maybe it's my superior cat care! (Ya, sure, Shiela!)

Shiela, hope Tuxedo continues without pain for a long time - it is very hard to lose a beloved friend. Our dog, Jack, was 16 years old when we had to say goodbye - a very hard decision to make. Maybe Tuxedo is over whatever problem he had - really hope that's the case!

Shiela, I am delighted to hear Tuxedo is doing well! Don't make light of your superior cat care, it may just have made the difference!
We, indeed, did get the predicted snow. About 8 inches of the white stuff. Because I don't have to venture out in it, I think it is beautiful!

I determined it was a young Coopers because of the size and the rounded tail. It was noticeably larger than the mature Sharp Shinned pictured sitting on my bird bath, just above my YouTube.

Just took post #422, without even noticing.

Hello my friend! How are things on the feline front? Wishing your Tuxedo all the best as he soldiers on ... give him an extra pat and cuddle from me.

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival takes place the entire month of April. Usually they make an appearance during that time as do the daffodils, my favorite.
We are weather wimps here in western WA. We don't deal with snow, low temperatures, or high temperatures well. The only thing we're good at is rain.

Good Morning, Shiela! I am just stopping by to say, "hi!" I hope you have a great day.

Hi Shiela,
Thanks for your kind comments on my pix. The rock formation is on US 93 between Wickenburg and Wikieup AZ.
I saw your paintings on Debby's gallery... I'm impressed, you are quite talented.
Thanks again,
Hal

Checking in on my friend, Tuxedo. Hope all is going smoothly with your faithful feline. Currently, our Spike, who just had two teeth extracted, is behaving like a bulimic cat--wolfing his food, then heave-ho seconds later! Even before the surgery, he didn't always chew his food and would take it in so fast the inevitable clean-up would ensue. And here we thought that once his sore teeth were removed, the problem would be solved. Hah! The things we do for love, right Shiela?

Raspberry chocolate cake. 3 cups of sugar, 2-3/4 cups all purpose flour, 1 cup baking cocoa, 2 tsp. baking soda, 3/4 tsp. baking powder, 1-1/4 cups of buttermilk, 3/4 cup canola oil, 3 tsps. vanilla extract, 3 eggs,1-1/2 cups strong brewed coffee (room temperature).
Filling: 3 Tbsp. all purpose flour, 6 Tbsp. of milk, 6 Tbsp. shortening, 3 Tbsp. butter softened, 3 cups confectioners sugar, 2 Tbsp. Raspberry liqueur, 1/4 tsp. salt, 2 drops red food coloring optional, 4 Tbsp. seedless raspberry jam,melted.
Frosting: 1 pkg.8 oz. cream cheese,1/3 cup butter softened, 1/2 cup baking cocoa, 1 Tbsp. Raspberry liqueur, 4 cups confectioners sugar.

Line 3 greased 9-in round baking pans with waxed paper and grease paper; set aside. In a large bowl combine the first 6 ingredients. Combine the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; add to the dry ingredients. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each edition, beat for 2 min. Gradually add coffee (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 10 min. before removing from pans, to wire racks to cool completely. Discard waxed paper. (con't)

Filling: In a small saucepan whisk together flour and milk until smooth. Cook over medium heat for one minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.Remove from heat and let stand until cool. In a large bowl, cream shortening and butter, gradually add confectioners sugar mix well. Gradually add cooled milk mixture. Beat for four minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in liqueur, salt and food coloring, if desired. Level tops of cakes if necessary. Place one layer on a serving plate (spread with 2 Tbps.jam). Place remaining layers on waxed paper; spread one of the remaining with the remaining jam.Let stand for 30 minutes. Spread 1/2 cup filling over cake on the plate to within 1/4 inch of edges. Top with jam covered cake, then spread with remaining filling. Top with remaining cake layer. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add cocoa and liqueur; mix well. Gradually beat in confectioners sugar until light and fluffy. Frost top and sides of cake. Store in the refrigerator.

Hi Shiela, and great news about Tuxedo. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all continues to go well. Our Spike is nine and has been doing his little heave-ho for awhile. Apparently, he just eats too fast sometimes, which we can't understand because there's never "competition" at the food bowls with our other two cats. One Internet site advised trying to feed him separately so he can relax around his food. We'll try anything. Plus, with these new larger kernels/dental food which we're putting in the dishes as a treat, he's not chewing them at all, just flipping them back with his tongue, then down they go. He's a long, large cat but not overweight, and no wonder, with the way he doesn't keep everything down! Yikes.

Aw heck ... just got your message. I hope you'll be treated to many more months of cuddling and purring with your little friend. I feel for you, Shiela, and am sending positive thoughts and heartfelt prayers for Tuxedo's comfort. I know you'll provide the best of care and that you'll shower your kitty with love. Do keep me posted...

I identified the dragonfly in the photo of today's Hard.

here you go!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQXkNSB9KlY

I chocolate is delicious.

I loved the chocolate and it is delicious.

Hi Shiela,
Messaging you because I know that you are a daily visitor. Are you able to access the page for 4/2/09 today? I cannot, but I can access pretty much everything else. Any ideas? BTW, hope you are having a great morning!

Aimee :)

Thanks for the birthday wishes Shiela, I loved getting all those messages

Hi Shiela,

It's great to hear from you. I haven't been posting, but have still been sudoku-ing and reading everyone else's posts. Sometimes I have more to say than other times, I guess. Thanks for the birthday wishes! It's been a lovely week for me, with out-of-town visitors, two cakes, homemade ice cream, and a party! LOL Now it's time to start walking to the park...

Cheers,
Jenn

Oh, and I'd love to get together again - just let me know when Debby gets back.

Jenn