Pawleys Island, SC

Atlantic Ocean and 1Atlantic Ocean and 1Atlantic Ocean and 1Atlantic Ocean and 1Atlantic Ocean and 1Atlantic Ocean and 1Atlantic Ocean and 1Atlantic Ocean and "wild life" ~ lol

Holiday visit with my Sister and Brother-in-law

CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING

Description:
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Show: Paula's Home Cooking
Episode: Comfort Food

Ingredients:
1-pound loaf French or Italian bread, cut into cubes (about 15 cups)
3 cups milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup coffee-flavored liqueur
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pure almond extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Place the bread in the baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, and liqueur.

In another bowl, combine the granulated and brown sugars with the cocoa powder and mix well. Add this to the milk mixture and whisk to combine.

Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the cinnamon to the beaten eggs. Combine the egg mixture with the milk mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes; let stand, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes, or until the bread has absorbed most of the milk mixture. Bake the pudding for 1 hour, or until set; a knife inserted into the center of the pudding should come out clean. Serving the pudding warm, or refrigerate it and serve chilled.

Serve it warm or cold, with whipped cream or a dessert sauce.

PICTURE PERFECT FRIDAY ~ FESTIVE

 

 

Festive..... hmmmmmm, how do you do or find festive when you seem to be only at the hospital (working ~ I am a nurse), sleeping or running the many errands that need to be done before the holidays?

 

Sooooooooooo, I decided not to do a PPF this week...............................  WHAT ~ no picture perfect?  Now that is enough to send me into withdrawals as I have not missed a week since my first one...  Even visiting my Mom and Sis, I usually take them on wild goose chases to get a picture.  So I couldn't let a little bit of work or loss of sleep stop Picture Perfect....

 

I remembered....Everywhere around the hospital are festive signs of the holidays and the answer seemed simple.....Just packed up my Kodak 740z when leaving for work last night....

Took 65 pictures of festive things around the hospital....  The big tree in the main lobby...  my favorite angel tree on the third floor....the gift shop full of Christmas things.... but the picture that stood out to me was this festive looking fellow......

 

 

...............................................................................

Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul,
With a corncob pipe and a button nose,
And two eyes made out of coal.
Frosty the snowman is a fairy tale, they say,
He was made of snow but the children
know how he came to life one day.
There must have been some magic in that
Old silk hat they found.
For when they placed it on his head,
He began to dance around.

 

It is possible....

 

Disney ~ Aladdin ~ A Whole New World (Instrumental)

< a> 

 

"It is possible to be standing on one side of a door

and perceive the world as a dark and lonely place,

while on the other side of that very same door

are countless people just waiting to lend support

and cheer you on.....

All that is required is that you turn the knob."

 

Author Unknown

But Greatly Appreciated!

 

 

  < a>

 

Don't know where you are on your path.

I have never stood in your shoes.

I see not with your eyes.

I know not what your purpose is here

in this stage of your evolution

but I feel blessed to know you

as you are not in my life by chance.

And you are my teacher,

as I hope you learn from me.

I pray I show reverence to you.

I pray not to judge you.

I wish to let you be

who you are,

who you dream of being.

I will just be beside you,

and watch you grow.

And the day will come for sure

when we will know why

our paths crossed this way.

And until then, my friend

Be who you must be.

 

 Be Who You Must Be

 Diarmuid Cronin

 

 

 < a>

HANG IN THERE

AND

< a>

PICTURE PERFECT FRIDAY ~ INTO THE NIGHT

 Hannah Montana ~ True Friend

 

 

I was a slow starter on this one but after talking with my best friend there were lots of ideas on the table: Dance Into the Night, Walk Into the Night, Tail lights leaving Into the Night, Flying Into the Night..... Well lots of other things Into the night.   I had several beautiful pictures of walking on the beach Into the night that I had taken last year and a couple more coming home from my daughters where I had pulled over to the side of the road and taken an airplane disappearing Into the Night but it once again came down to the music for me and when I was looking for Into the Night music I heard this song and the words in it about Talking Into the Night.  That was it ~ so perfect for me.  I have a best friend and many times we have talked from early morning Into the night ~ between errands ~ on cell phones ~ before and after dinner ~ she is a joy to me and we share so much and so my Into The Night

picture is not the prettiest but the meaning behind it means so much to me.  And I don't think that I have ever had quite this much fun making a PPF.  Thanks to everyone that helped!

Took this picture today with my

Kodak Z740 Digital Camera

 

Talking Into the Night

.

My thanks to Superman William and John Chocolate Wonder for the above bodies & heads.

............................................................................................................

You're a true friend

You're here till the end

You pull me aside

When something ain't right

Talk with me now and into the night

'Til it's alright again

You're a true friend

Lyrics from "True Friends"

 

 

And will talk from early morning

well into the night 

when needed!

 

 

Another Chocolate Wonder Masterpiece

 

MAY EACH AND EVERYONE

HAVE A WEEKEND FILLED

WITH FUN AND FRIENDSHIP!

Writers Block ~ Challenge # 26 ~ Just like this ladybug

 

 

 

Just like this ladybug surrounded by the fluff

of a dandelion in seed,

I feel safe in all the beauty of the woods.

It is just something I need.

Or like a walk on the beach where I grew up,

listening as waves hit the shore...

I could walk or sit quietly thinking for hours

absorbing all the peace and more.

Once in awhile here are breezes that come

blow seeds of our dandelion away.

These seeds are spread so other dandelions

grow for us to enjoy another day.

There are many times when I have to fly away

from my safe little space,

to take care of responsibilities I have in this world,

with its fast modern pace...

Work has to be done, bills that need to be paid,

care to be given and those to feed...

What a joy it is when there is time to fly

back to the beauty of my dandelion in seed...

 

just like this ladybug

 

 

 

 

 

AND A GREAT WEEK!

PICTURE PERFECT FRIDAY ~ OUTRAGEOUS

Thinking caps on again ~ Came up with, of course, outrageous prices, outrageous clothes, outrageous hair-dos, and outrageous behavior..... could go on and on, but for some reason I got caught up in outrageous living conditions.....

 

 

 

My eyes have seen outrageous living conditions that broke my heart....

The crumpled sleeping bag lay under the over pass with a sack of worldly possessions tossed next to it....

An old 57 chevy with little ones in the back seat with their pillows and blankets  and dad holding a sign "WILL WORK FOR FOOD".....

 

 A tornado hopped around the neighborhood with the last stop our yard (Harley's and mine) and did a number on Harley's Dog house (the igloo)....

(Yes, he was in there and I wasn't home ~ I was in a hallway 20 miles away with my grandson strapped in his car seat and we both had helmets on looking completely outrageous ~ lol  and it never touched us at all ~ You can imagine my relief at seeing Harley in the house okay when I got home!  One tree went through the roof of my  house so we both had outrageous living conditions for awhile!)

Well, the last one was taken care of....

Now, if only we could fix the rest!!!

 

 

 

JUST REMEMBER

AND HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!

 

JUST REMEMBER

The Simple Difference

Calvin, of the "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip fame, once imparted some timeless wisdom: "If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night," he observed, "I'll bet they'd live a lot differently."

I believe he's right. Year by bewildering year, our world grows more complex. We crave peace within our souls. We long for simplicity in lives that too easily become inexplicably tangled in complicated webs.

David enjoyed the simple things of life. He sometimes took jobs at dude ranches, national parks and seasonal resorts. His brother, however, wanted to entice him to get a "real" job and live in a world surrounded by things that only money can buy. David's brother often sent him photos of himself enjoying the so-called "good life." He labeled his snapshots "My new sound system" or "My new car."

But the photos stopped arriving after David responded with a picture of his own. He sent his brother a large poster with a breathtaking view of Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park. On the back was David's message: "My back yard."

I believe I understand how David feels. "The Good Life" is not defined by possessions, but by pure and utter enjoyment of simplicity.

John Burroughs (1837-1921) put it like this: "To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter...to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring -- these are some of the rewards of the simple life."

Those who take time to find pleasure in the ordinary DO live differently. The simple difference is this: because they have learned to live simply, they have learned to live.

 

Your Life Support

~ Steve Goodier

 

 

Pictures by Q T Luong

http://www.terragalleria.com/parks/np.grand-teton.all.html

 

Wishing all

 a Wonderful Week!