Turtle Burgers Recipe!!

I got this recipe in email today from my Aunt and thought they were too cute.  It's just in time for BBQ season and while they would be extremely unhealthy, they would be a hit at a backyard BBQ....particularly with kids!

These are handmade ground beef patties with hot dogs added as the head, legs and tail.  Top that off with sharp cheddar cheese and cover all of that with a bacon weave

Grill until done!

A little crispy, not too crunchy...just how a turtle should be, right?

Yay! It's Wordless Wednesday time again!

 

Wednesday is rapidly becoming one of my favorite days of the week because that is the day that I get to participate in Wordless Wednesdays over at The Miller Racing Family. 

This is my third week to participate and I find that I give a lot of thought to which photos that I want to include.   I don't have a lot of time for blogging; but it's never far from my mind.    This week, in honor of my son's visit, I thought I would share some of my favorite photos of him.  He's an adult now; but in my heart, he will always be my baby. 

Thank you for visiting today!  I hope you enjoyed my photos and that you will take some time to visit Tanya over at The Miller Racing Family. 

She always has lots of great photo entries over there.   If you would like to participate, grab your photos and hop over there to link up!  I will look forward to seeing your pictures!

 

And so today is my birthday......

To be this age again.....~sigh~

FOLLOW ME BACK TUESDAY TIME AGAIN!

It's Follow Me Back Tuesday time again!  What a fun way to make new friends!  If you aren't participating in these blog hops, you really should give it a try. 

It's very simple to play.  All you have to do is.....

Follow the 4 Hostesses #'s 1 -4.

Be sure and leave a comment so that they can follow you back too!

Go ahead and add your blog to the list so new friends participating in the blog hop can find you. You only have to do this once.


Visit some of the other blogs on the list and follow any that you like. Once you follow a blog, leave them a comment so that they know you were there.


When new friends visit you and leave comments, be sure and return the favor!

And please remember to leave a link to your blog with your comments.   That information is not always available through the Google profile information pages.

Now that's all there is to it.  Easy Peasy, right?  Now I'm off to add my name to the list and see if I can find some new friends.  Won't you join me?

Clean Eating Magazine's Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been really trying to eat as clean as possible lately and I picked up the latest issue of Clean Eating Magazine  at Books a Million on Friday. 

While thumbing through it, I noticed a review of the Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe from the March/April 2010 issue of Clean Eating Magazine.   My guests that are visiting for the weekend also try to eat healthy too so I thought this would be a great recipe to try.  I was right.  These turned out really well.   They were a little crumbly but were nice and soft.   If you want a good cookie that also happens to be gluten free, you should give these a try.  Everyone agreed that they were yummy!  They definitely didn't last long. 

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Clean Eating Magazine, March/April 2010

(Makes 24 Cookies)

1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well

3/4 cup Sucanat

1 large egg

1/2 tsp baking

1/4 tsp sea salt

3 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa or greater), broken into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium bowl. stir together the first 5 ingredients until blended. Stir in chocolate. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes.

 

Nutrients per cookie: Calories: 110, Total Fat: 8g, Sat. Fat: 1.5g, Carbs: 10g

NOTE:  My almond butter was salted so I omitted the sea salt from this recipe.  I also used 85% Lindt chocolate.  70% might have tasted even better.  I just didn't have any.  85% was the lowest that I had.  I'll be trying these again soon, I'm sure.    My cookies turned out darker than the picture in the magazine.  I think maybe my sucanat was darker than the what was used to make these.  That's my guess.    It didn't appear to affect the taste.

Guess which one is me?

Hi Everyone!

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.  My weekend has flown by!  My son made it in for his visit and it is soooo good to have him here.  My mom and stepfather are also here for a few days so we have been catching up and enjoying a relaxing weekend here at home.  I will try to carve out some time soon to post!  

My birthday is coming up next week and I've been feeling a little nostalgic.  I'm going to leave you with a photo that surfaced recently.  I had no idea that it even existed and have to say.....it's hilarious.  Guess which one is me?  

  

Talk to you soon,

I NEED SOME HELP, PLEASE?!

Ok, I think this is going to truly be my last post of the day but I need some help from you guys.  I need to know about "commenting".  I truly want to comment and carry on dialogue with each and every person that takes the time to stop in and comment on any post that I make.  

I've left comments under the comments and I've popped over to their blogs and left comments and some people I've emailed, if that was an option and some I've done both.    I don't want to overdo it; but I want to make sure that everyone sees my comments back to them and knows that I care they they have taken time to leave one.  Any advice on how I should be doing this?  I'm not sure that everyone gets the follow up comments after they have left a comment somewhere.  Any help you can give me will be appreciated.  This is all new to me but I will figure it out eventually.  Thanks, in advance!!  Candace~♥

NEW FRIEND FRIDAYS!

 

Ok, one more.....now I might be a tad bit addicted to this blog hop thing....but it's so much fun!   I'm sure I will settle in at some point and not participate in EVERY one that I find.....but then again, maybe I won't.  Anyway, this is my first time linking up with New Friend Fridays over at The Girl Creative  and I'm excited.  As always, I am hoping to make new friends.  So without further adieu, I am off to do just that....and then I'm going to pick my son up from the airport!  Yay! 

Have a fun and safe weekend!  Candace~♥

FRIDAY-FOLLOW ME Time Again......

It's time for Friday-Follow me again and I'm linking up this week for another round!  This blog hopping is so much fun!   Yes, it's true.  I am following around a gazillion blogs.  There's so many good ones out there and I can't believe it, but there are people kind enough to follow me too! I'm getting to know some new friends and I'm all about that, ya know? 

If you aren't participating in some of these fun parties, I encourage you to give it a try.  You'll be glad you did!    What a great way to make friends! 

This week's FRIDAY FOLLOW-ME is being hosted by Kmama at The Daily Dribbles, Elizabeth at The Crafty Charlestonian, and Brittany Ciara at Not Your Average Teen.  Thank you ladies for being willing to host this fun party!  

Here's how to play:

Add your link to the list.  You only have to link up once.  

Grab the Friday-Follow Me button and include it on your side bar or in your post and if you would like, go ahead and grab the linky information too.

Follow the Friday-Follow blog  AND the hostesses in slots 1, 2  and 3.  You can then visit and follow any and all blogs that you like.  When you follow, please be sure and leave a comment that you are following from Friday-Follow Me and don't forget to leave your blog address so that they can return the visit.

This is a family friendly blog hop so please....no spammers and no X-rated sites!

So I'm on my way to link up now and I hope you will join me. Good luck and have fun!  I hope your weekend is wonderful!  Candace~♥

It's FOLLOW ME FRIDAY time again!!

This is my second week to link up with Follow Me Friday.  I just love making new friends through these blog hops.  If you aren't participating, you really should give it a try.  If you are visiting from there, please let me know that you've stopped by and where you are visiting from and please don't forget to leave your blog address so that I can return your visit. 

Now I'm going to hop over and visit Lydia at Still on the Verge  and link up with the Follow Me Friday crew.  Hope you have a great weekend!   Candace~♥    

IT'S TIME FOR "FOLLOW FRIDAY 40 and OVER!"

 

Last week I linked up for Follow Friday - 40 and Over for the first time and had so much fun.  What a great way to make new friends!  There are so many wonderful blogs out there written by gifted men and women.  I know I must be following a gazillion of them already.  I like this party because it is geared toward my own age group.  If you are 40 and older and not participating, you really should give it a try.  It's a great way to find new blogs to follow, find new followers for your blog and to meet some really nice people.  

FOLLOW FRIDAY IS HOSTED by Java from Never Growing Old .  If you haven't met Java yet, you are in for a treat.  What a sweet lady she is!  You need to hop over there and say hello.  You'll be glad you did.   

This week the party is being co-hosted by Audrey from Audrey's Country Crafts.

The rules are very simple to follow....

Grab the button.

Add your link to the list

Visit as many other blogs as you can....I always like to say hello to the hostesses and thank them for hosting the party first!

Follow any and all of the blogs that you like.  When you do this, please be sure and leave a comment on the blog to let them know that you are following and where you are following from and DON'T FORGET to leave your blog address so that they can return the visit.  Sometimes I get followers that I can't visit because I can't find their "home" on their Google profile page.  

Each week there is a new list.  It doesn't carry over week to week so you will want to link up each week to find new friends.   I'm on my way over there now to the party and I hope you will join me. 

Have a great weekend and enjoy making some new friends today!  Candace~♥

Terry Bradshaw, Lady from Arkansas & Chicken CPR courtesy of Jay Leno!

Happy Friday everyone! 

I'm working on the Friday linkups so that I can meet some new friends.  If you aren't doing that yet, please come back and join in the fun.  I found a "new to me" Friday party that I'm going to link up with today.

But before I do that, I just have to share this with you.  Anybody who knows me knows that I love to laugh.  Truly it's one of the healthiest things that we can do for ourselves.  I saw this video again this morning and knew that I needed to share it with you. 

This lady from Arkadelphia, Arkanses is hysterical......but maybe even funnier to me is Terry Bradshaw's reaction to her.  If you want to laugh, take a peek at this. 

Now.....on with the show!  Candace~♥

Chicken CPR - Jay Leno : The Coolest One

So this oil spill has me feeling.....

 

blue.....

What a disaster people!  The scenes from the Gulf Coast are just heart breaking.  The devastation that is happening to the marine life, the birds and the people who make their living off of the sea are just unreal.  The people of the Gulf Coast do not know any other way of life. To them, it seems so hopeless.  The bureaucracy is overwhelming.  

If I'm blue, I cannot begin to imagine how they are feeling about this situation.  I heard on the news tonight of a fishing boat captain who apparently committed suicide.  For 20 years or so, he took families out on his charter boat to fish.  Once the oil spilled, all of that dried up for him.  From what I understand, he took a job working for BP a couple of weeks ago.  There's apparently so much bureaucracy in this cleanup effort that he just couldn't handle it anymore.  He took his own life.  The psychological toll on people is of epic proportion.

I heard on the news recently that owners of marinas that have oil washing up into them are not to clean up.  They are supposed to wait on BP to clean it up.  Really??  Why can't everyone pitch in and help?  I just don't get it.  This is a national crisis that everyone needs to be involved in to help in any way that we can.  We've never seen a disaster of this magnitude.  Wait on BP??  Seriously.....to me that's just not on option.

What do you think??

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY....

I had so much fun participating in Wordless Wednesday last week that I knew that I would be back this week too.  My life has been a whirlwind lately so I haven't had a lot of time to browse my photos for something to contribute.  I have been thinking about it though.....mostly while driving to and from work.....and this is the one that keeps coming to my mind.  It is one of my favorites.  I hope you like it too.  Thanks for taking time to visit me this morning.....Candace~♥

If you would like to play too, hop on over to Miller Racing Family for all of the details and add your name to the list.  I can't wait to see your pictures!

FOLLOW ME BACK TUESDAY TIME AGAIN!

Well, we made it through the dreaded MONDAY again and we're off and running into Tuesday.  You know what that means. 

 I had so much fun participating in this blog hop for the first time last week that I absolutely had to participate again.  I made quite a few new friends and hope that I will see some familiar faces around here today along with some new friends.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!  If you have participated before, you know how it goes.....but if this is your first time, click here to get started.  Now I'm off to find some new friends. 

Have a great Tuesday!  Candace~♥

IT'S MONDAY MADNESS WITH MICAEL AND MEGHAN...

I know I'm getting a late start with this but geez......It's Monday....and has it been a Monday for me too.  The only bright spot for me is that I had a rare lunch date with my husband today.  Yay!  We really should do that more often and not just when we don't have anything in the house to make lunches with so we opt to meet at a restaurant somewhere.  It doesn't happen very often as we usually ALWAYS have food of some sort around the house.  For whatever reason though, it was a great way to break up the day for me and I got to eat one of those yummy Caribbean Salads from Chili's. Yum!

So anyway....as I was saying.......It's Monday.....and what better way to celebrate the day than to join up with Micael and Meghan for some Monday Madness.  This is my first time to link up but playing appears to be really simple.  Just add your blog, Facebook, and/or Twitter to the Mr. Linky that follows.  Take some time to visit some of the other participants.  Follow any and all of the blogs  that you like but be sure and leave a comment so they know that they have a new follower.  This is another great way to make some new friends.  Hope you enjoy it.  I am off to play now.  Candace~♥

Awards for me?! Really?!

Hey Friends! Guess What?

Mitzi over at ~Southern Style~  was kind enough to pass on two awards to me today!  What a wonderful surprise for me this morning!  I am so blessed that she honored me with these awards today.

Thank you so much, Mitzi! I felt right at home the first time that I visited you.  It must be that wonderful southern hospitality that this Bayou Girl recognized instantly.

Friends, if you haven't visited Mitzi yet, please go over and see her.  I know you will be blessed. Her photography is beautiful, her words are inspiring and I know you will feel encouraged by the peaceful presence in her "home".

So in the spirit of the awards that have been given to me, here are my instructions as I understand them....

"Thank the person who gave the award to you"......  Thank you again, Mitzi!

"Share up to 10 things about yourself. Short & sweet" ......

 1.      I would love to do a tandem skydive someday.

 2.      I love to cook.

 3.      I enjoy growing houseplants and herbs.

 4.      I love to read - lately it has been blogs & not books.

 5.      I am always ready for a road trip.

 6.      I hate hot weather and love fall and winter.

 7.      I love Air Streams & Craftsman Bungalows.

 8.      My toenails are always painted.

 9.      I am learning to knit.

10.     I love all music & love to sing but can't carry a tune!

"Pass the award along to up to 10 bloggers who you have recently discovered and think are fantastic!"  Okay, here goes!

Kristin at Bringing Pretty Back

Julie at Engine 3 The Life of Riley

Dawna at Hiccups in Time

Leiah at A Southern Belle Trying Not to Rust

Steph at A Grande Life

Katie at Katie's Dailies

Tree at Mother of Pearl It Is

Now I must contact the bloggers that I've chosen and let them know about the award.  I hope they like it as much as I did.  Enjoy your Sunday afternoon and don't forget to go say "hi" to Mitzi.  You'll be glad you did!  Candace~♥

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

I sure do miss you!

My Saturday Adventure.....

Hi Friends! What a wonderful day!  Pull up a chair and let me tell you about it.

I got up with every intention of making an early morning visit to the Farmer's Market and then maybe venturing over to a neighboring town for Bonnie and Clyde Trade Days and then maybe a trip to Shreveport for a day of shopping and dinner out somewhere.  It was my husband's weekend to plan what he wanted to do and as long as we were hanging together, that was okay with me.  I had no idea what lay in store for me today.....

We got up and dressed and out of the house early and my husband decided to that we should fill the car up before we hit the Farmer's Market.  I thought it was a bit odd; but, I went along with the flow as he headed toward Wal-Mart. 

When we got into the parking lot, he was talking about my birthday present that he had ordered and that he hoped I would be okay with getting it early and then he pulled into a parking space at the edge of the parking lot.  I told him that it was fine to get it early as I was fully expecting a new lens for the camera.....and then he said.....Happy Birthday......this is your present.  What??  Wal-Mart is my present?  I looked around and still didn't "get it".  He said....."the Winery tour is your present".  At that point, I noticed the Tour Bus.  He had booked us for a day trip with a local group to visit two vineyards and wineries!!  What a great surprise!  We saw a flyer last weekend about it and I mentioned what a cool present that would be....not expecting AT ALL that he would book us on that trip.  Neither of us had ever done anything like this before! 

Mayo Tours from West Monroe, Louisiana provided a brand new bus for our "daycation".  What a great way to travel!

Here I am chatting with our tour bus driver for the day.  He was such a nice man and a very good driver.  We were in good hands with him! 

As we got on our way in our nice comfy bus, our host and hostess for the day, Hugh and  Carol treated us to some yummy Daylight Doughnuts and Mimosas.  I could get very used to traveling like this! 

Our first stop of the day was Enoch's Stomp Vineyard and Winery located in the piney woods of East Texas.  What a beautiful place!  Take a look......

Amazing huh?  These pictures truly do not do this place justice.  It's pure serenity out there!  We enjoyed walking around and enjoying the views and taking pictures of the scenery.....and then there were the grapes.  Look at these beauties.....

After walking around for awhile and taking in the beauty of this place, we went inside the Lodge to look around, cool off (It was really hot today!!) and prepare for lunch and our wine tasting.  The Lodge is a beautiful compliment to this property.   Some couples choose this place for their wedding and I can see why.

The Lodge is available to rent for overnight stays too and I must say, the accommodations are luxurious.  Who wouldn't want to stay in such a beautiful place?

The kitchen was a flurry of activity as they prepared for lunch.  Wait until you see what's on the menu!

I am having a blast.  Can you tell?

As the staff of Enoch's finished the preparations for our lunch and wine tasting, the views through the french doors beckoned us out to the wrap around porches.

Oh yeah...still having fun!

So we all find our way back inside for lunch and our wine tasting.  Take a look at the menu.....

I'm sorry but we had so much fun with the group at the table that we didn't have time for photos of the actual food.  Trust me, it was fabulous!  And the wine.....

There were some that I preferred over others; but there was not one served that I didn't enjoy.

After lunch, we were taken over to the winery for a tour of how the wine is made.  Here are few photos of the technical part...

   

And we couldn't leave this wonderful tour without a few of our favorites to remember the occasion...

When the grapes are ready to be harvested at the end of the summer, you can actually go to the Vineyard and participate in the stomp....Just like Lucy!

After our tour of Enoch's Stomp, we loaded back up on the bus for the next part of the tour.  Our next destination was back to West Monroe, Louisiana where we visited Jeff and Libby Landry at Landry Vineyards.  What a beautiful place right in our backyard!  Jeff and Libby moved up to North Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina and have built a wonderful family business with their four children.  We toured the vineyards with their son, Noah, tasted their wines and learned about each one from Jeff and had a wonderful Jambalaya dinner prepared by Libby.  It was the perfect way to end the tour.  Here are some highlights from Landry Vineyards.....

I loved this sign!

And of course, we couldn't leave without a few of our favorites......

Thank you for joining me on the tour of my day.  I honestly cannot remember when I have enjoyed a day like I did this one.  I spent the day with my very best friend doing something that I've never done, seeing things that I've never seen and meeting new friends.  What could be better than that?  I hope your Saturday was everything that you hoped it would be plus more.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!  They go by way too fast around here.  Candace~♥