"what are you, the lucky charms leprecaun?"

"you're not in america now, you're in ireland. so have a drink and shut up."

leap year 

Storyline

A woman, who has an elaborate scheme to propose to her boyfriend on Leap Day, an Irish tradition which occurs every time the date February 29 rolls around, faces a major setback when bad weather threatens to derail her planned trip to Dublin. With the help of an innkeeper, however, her cross-country odyssey just might result in her getting engaged.

But to whom?

"may you never steal, lie, or cheat, but if you must steal, then steal away my sorrows, and if you must lie, lie with me all the nights of my life, and if you must cheat, then please cheat death because I couldn't live a day without you. cheers!"



this movie is so cute:)

the irish just have a way.

it would be a great one for you to watch this week...

thanks for all the sweet comments...

i love you all!

hope your luck continues.

looking forward to

the secret keeper

bye...

more later...

almost famous:)

we are featured in the spring newsletter 

of

thebookclubcookbook.com

thanks to these two fun and famous ladies
we got to participate in their
book lovers dream:)web site...
their cookbook is available
here
and at costco,
and it is really amazing!
thanks vicki and judy!!!

it was a really fun and unique experience for me to be involved in...

i feel quite honored and proud that they chose us...
they also featured some our delicious ideas
for pairing food with books...
they chose this one...

Baked Caramel Popcorn

1 cup real butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup karo syrup
1/2 tsp. salt

boil to 240 deg. w/ candy thermometer
remove from stove
add 1/2 tsp soda...stir
pour over warm popcorn.
spread over cookie sheet.
bake for 45 min at 250 deg.

this is mom's and my favorite...we add raisins and nuts and i think it is yummy with pretzel m&m's too. add these before baking. also sprinkle with sea salt if you like the salted caramel flavor. you will most likely become addicted too:)

they were featured in the costco connection magazine during the month of february and it's fitting that we chose

"the night circus"

because we read that last year in february...

check it out!!!!!!

bye...

more later...

"you should be kissed every day, every hour, every minute....

how do you explain something that you can't even understand yourself?

Logan is a marine serving in Iraq. While there, he finds a photo of a girl with "keep safe" written on the back. He is admiring it when his unit is attacked. He survives and credits the photo for saving him. He tries to find the owner but can't, assuming he was killed. When he goes back to the States, he finds it difficult to adjust and is still haunted by what happened. Analyzing the photo, he finds in the background a landmark that tells him she is in Louisiana. He then goes there and finds her. He learns her name is Beth. He tries to tell her what happened but can't get the words out. She assumes he's there to apply for the job they advertised looking for someone to help at her family's business, a dog kennel. He says yes but at first she gets an uneasy feeling from him but her grandmother decides to give him a chance. It isn't long that he makes a connection with her son. He then discovers that it was her brother who had the picture only he doesn't remember him. He sees that her brother's death has a profound effect on her. Eventually they get close which makes her grandmother happy but not her ex who is a deputy sheriff who's always threatening to take their son away from her.

i thought we would try something lucky:)...

this is a really good one for this lucky month...

hope it's been a good and lucky one...

bye...

more later... 

p.s....
it is officially the first day of spring and 

easter is coming:)

the winter sea

 

"it wasn't chance.

there wasn't any part of it that happened just by chance."

 Basic Plot:

A well know historical fiction writer, Carrie McClelland, travels to Scotland to research the material for her book in progress and to get a feel for the area where the main action will take place. Her main character is Sophia Patterson, named for an ancestor who, coincidentally, had lived in Scotland in the early 18th century and had been an relative of the Duchess of Slains castle. The Duchess was an instrumental figure in the times of the Jacobite rebellion and, Sophia resided with at Slains Castle at this time.


The book is really two stories in one: the 'old 'story playing out during 1708 and the Jacobite rebellion, the 'new' in present day Scotland.


Carries rents a small cottage from a local man , Jimmy Keith (who retains the decided burr of the local dialect) who has two sons, Stuart and Graham. Both sons begin to fall in love with Carrie - although only one of the sons 'feels right'. As Carrie's research intensifies, and her need for for more information increases, she calls on her father to fill in details about their ancestor's story. Gradually as her research and writing, as well as her love interests, progress, Carries finds herself swept up in more than just words on on paper. She finds herself caught in a time warp of sorts. Her flashes of insight feel more like memory than writing and her love for one of the brothers feels more compelling than just a present day love interest. As Carrie writes her book she finds that she is, in fact, recounting her own story - a story that began during the Jacobite rebellion and a love that has lasted through time. Her flashes of deja vu are more than just images - they are images that are filled with remembrance and as real to her as her present day life as a writer.

this was a "book within a book" and i found myself equally invested in both stories.

i loved graham...

i would love to know what you thought:)

slains castle in its prime

slains castle now

here is my review on goodreads...

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved it! So romantic and tragic and beautiful!

View all my reviews

thanks for the pictures of all the fun

"scottish"

things you made last month.

we will try some

"lucky"

ones this month:)

bye...

more later...

grandma's need energy:)

here's a look at what you guys

were up to last month...

robyn made this... 

Irish Winter Vegetable Cobbler

Use an oven proof pot w/lid, or flameproof casserole dish.
Heat oven to 350*

1-2 T. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 onion chopped
Saute together on med heat 4-5 mins, careful not to burn garlic

Add following veggies & Saute for 5 mins.
4 organic carrots (they taste better) chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 3/4 c. rutabaga, peeled and chopped (I used 2)
2 beets, peeled and chopped
4 small red or gold potatoes, chopped
1 pkg organic cherry tomatoes (optional)
1 pkg baby bella mushrooms, sliced
(if you want a bigger stew add more veggies and increase stock)

Then add:
1 can fire roasted chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 c. vegetable stock (bullion & water)
1/4 c. red lentils
4 T. water, mix with the corn starch!!
4 T. corn starch
Tabasco (6-12 shakes) to taste
2 t. chopped fresh oregano (1 t. dry)
1 t. kosher salt
pepper to taste
Pour over the vegetables, stir and turn off heat.

Heat oven to 350*.
Cover pot or casserole dish and bake for 1 hr.
until the vegetables are cooked and soft.   Add salt & Pepper if needed.
Then make cobbler. Turn oven up to 400*

Cobbler Topping:
1 3/4 c. flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
4 T. butter, cold cut up
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 t. chopped fresh oregano
1 egg lightly beaten
2/3 c. milk

Mix flour, baking powder and salt.  Cut in butter with pastry blender or smash between
your fingers until it is like cornmeal.  Add cheese and oregano.  Add most of milk and
almost all of the egg.  Mix gently until it is all incorporated into a soft dough.
Drop by spoonfuls onto the top of the cooked vegetables.  Turn oven up to 400*
remove lid and bake for 13-15 mins or until the cobbler is cooked.  Check one
and make sure it is cooked thru in the middle.  Should be like a cooked biscuit.
Garnish with more cheese and oregano.

Enjoy!!
PS you can change up the vegetable to any you like, or leave out those you don't like.
The beets make it a very pretty red color.

~~~~~~

some of you made the yummy scones...

penny tried out the scones...

(awesome right?)

quincey made giant sugar cookies...

dallys made homemade energy bars...

 to give us grandma's the strength to

survive all this love...



cindy tried out the scones...

  and also made

homemade chicken soup to ward of all the

flu germs...

noelle made the scottish ale bread

with my homemade blackberry jam...

and every last crumb was gone:)

i ate pizza every chance i had to help me get through the worst part of winter...

dallys and i had a little grandma bonding time

over pizza and dreams:)....

all in all...

we survived...

bye...

more later...

i love you till the end...

"every morning i still wake up and the first thing i want to do is to see your face."

~~~~~~~~~

p.s. i love you

 "you've dropped your sweets, luv. you mustn't do that around these parts. pretty woman like you, a fella could take it the wrong way."

Storyline

Holly Kennedy is beautiful, smart and married to the love of her life - a passionate, funny, and impetuous Irishman named Gerry. So when Gerry's life is taken by an illness, it takes the life out of Holly. The only one who can help her is the person who is no longer there. Nobody knows Holly better than Gerry. So it's a good thing he planned ahead. Before he died, Gerry wrote Holly a series of letters that will guide her, not only through her grief, but in rediscovering herself. The first message arrives on Holly's 30th birthday in the form of a cake, and to her utter shock, a tape recording from Gerry, who proceeds to tell her to get out and "celebrate herself". In the weeks and months that follow, more letters from Gerry are delivered in surprising ways, each sending her on a new adventure and each signing off in the same way; P.S. I Love You. Holly's mother and best friends begin to worry that Gerry's letters are keeping Holly tied to the past, but in fact, each letter is pushing her forward... Written by Orange

"dear gerry,

you said you wanted me to fall in love again, and maybe one day i will. but there are all kinds of love out there. this is my one and only life. and it's a great and terrible and short and endless thing, and none of us come out of it alive. i don't have a plan... except, it's time my mom laughed again. she has never seen the world. she has never seen ireland. so, i'm taking her back where we started. maybe now she'll understand. i don't know how you did it, but you brought me back from the dead. i'll write to you again soon. P.S... Guess what?

this movie might be cheesey...
but i love it so much!

bye...
more later...