OH, N.Y.C., the whole world keeps coming....

Lyrics from the musical ANNIE....and so true.

In fact, the days we were there, so was the whole world! It was so crowded, the whole world HAD to be there!!

(Hey, I'm from Maine, where it's a 'traffic jam' if there are more than 3 cars at the stop light.)

Here are some images from our journey.

The view of the NYC skyline from the ferry terminal to go to Ellis Island. (Jersey side)

Blustery, raw day.

In a line boarding Miss New Jersey ferry. Notice the buildings to the left with the green roofs, one pointed and one round. The Twin Towers used to stand behind them.

Another view from the ferry terminal.

The terminal building from my seat on the ferry. It was great. I picked the seat right next to the heater. Nice.

Entrance to the Ellis Island Museum.

The immigrants traveling to the United States lugged their crap around in these types of luggage.

Next day, in the city. We started walking around at 42nd Street, wandering around aimlessly, crashing into 'stuff' as I was walking mostly looking UP.

Leaving Times Square.

After seeing Radio City Music Hall, Rockerfeller Plaza, and many store front displays, we ended up in Central Park.

Still pretty crowded for a park.

As picturesque as these things are, they have a certain aroma.

We ended up around 72nd Street and the Dakota, where John Lennon lived and died.

Yoko Ono donated a million dollars to Central Park to create a haven for John Lennon fans to wander, sit, remember and imagine.

After walking all day, we took the subway back to the bus which took us back to our car.

A lovely day was had by all.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.........

I can’t cook a turkey. Well, what I mean is, I don’t like cooking a turkey.




I try very hard to end up at someone’s house for Thanksgiving. 

Trouble is, when we get back, the very next weekend, Mr. Downeastdoingstuff suggests we cook a turkey so that we have his favorite thing.....leftovers! He gets bummed out when we don’t have left over turkey for turkey sandwiches because we’ve managed to go to someone elses house for Thanksgiving.

 So guess who cooks a turkey the next weekend so that Mr. Downeastdoingstuff is happy? I like Mr. Downeastdoingstuff when he’s happy.

BUT.....To me, handling a turkey is like fondling a corpse. It’s too dang big to be food. (see above photo) (Right?)

I know, I know.....I eat beef and cows are, in fact, much bigger than turkeys. But I don’t put a cow’s lifeless, cold carcass, sans fur, into my sink. And then stick my hand into it’s innards to pull out more innards. How disgusting would that be?

Well, a turkey is the same. Whole chickens I can handle, barely, but I can.  A hamburger is no problem. Even hotdogs don’t gross me out. And they probably should......

So we’re going to my cousin’s for turkey. Driving over 350 miles so that I don’t have to touch someone’s dead skin. It’ll be worth it.

But who am I kidding? You know what I’ll be doing next weekend. Sigh.

Unless.........someone invites us over to their house to eat next weekend.

Right, Donna?

Lobsta !

Lobster is a treat for most folks. But do you ever wonder about the first person ever to eat a lobster?? If you were the first person that came across that thing pictured above, would you think...."yummm! dinner!" 

Not me.

That thing is as close to a monster as anything I've ever seen.

That being said, I DO eat lobster. 

We mostly cook it at home. I've documented the event for you.


Only one minute left! 

Frank......use sunscreen next time.

Add some corn to the menu.....

Melt some butter.....healthy butter.....if there is such a thing.

Yummmmmmmmmmmmm! Another monster conquered.

What the?????????????????

Help!

Call the authorities!

Up the terror alert.....

What, what, WHAT is this white stuff on my rhododenrons this morning??????

Say it ain't so............

Delicious Chocolate Chip Pumpkin cookies....

I'd  like to share this healthy, yummy recipe. Pumpkin is a fruit or a vegetable or something isn't it? And they're lower fat than the original recipe! (see note in recipe...)

Recipe:

4 Cups All-Purpose Flour....you can make part of it whole wheat flour.

2 Cups quick or old fashioned Oatmeal

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 Cups butter or margarine, softened....I use  3/4 Cup butter

and 3/4 Cup applesauce....... cutting the FAT !!   Click on it, I dare ya.

2 Cups brown sugar

1 Cup granulated sugar

1 16 oz. canned pumpkin

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

  

3/4 C chopped walnuts, more or less, whatever you want.....I don’t chop them. I like them chunky.

1 1/2 Cups chocolate chips

Preheat 350 degrees. (how the HECK do you do the ‘degree’ symbol on a computer!!??)

Combine flour, oats, soda, cinnamon and salt.

Cream butter.

 

Gradually add sugars, beating butter and sugars til light and fluffy.

Add egg and vanilla.

Add applesauce IF using to replace part of butter.

Alternate additions of dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing well after each

addition. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

.....If you need to make the dough thicker, add more flour to compensate for the liquidy applesauce, if you used it. It's a pretty sturdy dough.

For each cookie, drop 1/4 C of dough onto a greased cookie sheet.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

Makes about a million cookies.

(I make mine much smaller....using 1/4 C of dough makes a pretty big cookie. I like mine smaller. Eating 5 or 6 smaller ones instead of 2 large ones must...I say, MUST...save calories.)

Enjoy!

BOO!! Another project....

Are you scared? You should be. It's another project you can make 5 minutes before Halloween.

Your very own ghost. 

I told my kids at school that it's a real ghost. I'm sure there are a few that will go home and tell their parents that I have a real ghost in my room. My classroom can be spooky at times, that's for sure.

This real ghost is about 12" tall. Not really big enough to cause any mental or psychological problems if you see it.

Want to know how to make it? Then keep on reading. If you don't want to know, go to www.hulu.com and watch any episode of any tv show you want to see. That's how I got caught up on Glee, Modern Family and Community. I have tried watching the Office multiple times and just don't get it.

Nevertheless....
Get any bottle or something like a bottle. This will determine how tall your apparition will be. Add something round to the top for the head shape. Twist a wire around the neck of the bottle and bend it into whatever position you want the arms to be. I then bent the wire around at the ends to make 'hands' and padded the 'hands' with some scrunched up masking tape.

I took a piece of plastic wrap and draped it over the armature.

I taped the plastic wrap to position it around the armature better. I bought some liquid starch and some 100 percent cotton cheesecloth at the grocery store. (Before I got to this point.)

I draped the cheesecloth over the armature from back to front to see how much cheesecloth I would need. Leave a little extra so you can bunch it up at the base. Cut.

Unfold the cheesecloth because it's all folded up when you get it. And then double it before you use it. Pour some starch into a bowl.

Dunk the cheesecloth into the starch to soak it.

Carefully remove the cheesecloth from the starch. Don't wring it. Drape it over the armature and arrange the folds into however you want them to be. I did mine on a paper plate. I bunched up the cheesecloth at the bottom to give it good support and arranged it into the shape of the paper plate. (Actually it was a styrofoam plate but don't tell the environmentally concerned teachers I work with. They would have a coronary.)

Ready to dry. It takes a long time. Don't attempt to remove it if it's at all wet.

When it's all dry, carefully pull it off the armature. Cut out some black felt into eyeballs and a mouth of your choice. Tell everyone it's real.

That's it!

P.S. Did you know that you could actually make CHEESE with cheesecloth? 

Pumpkins Rock!

Here's a little project, using small, smooth rocks to make small, smooth pumpkins.

They can be used as a paper weight or......

I don't know what else they can be used for.

But I thought they were kinda cute!

Two finished rock pumpkins.

HOW TO DO THIS:

First I went to the beach and found some nice, smooth, small rocks. If you don't have a beach nearby, I don't know what you do.

Then I primed them with some Gesso. (I suppose any primer will do.)

I used Acrylic paints: an Orange, a yellow-orange, and black.

I painted them regular orange first. Then I did the streaks using orange and black mixed together to make a dark orange/brownish color.

Then I used the yellow-orange to brush in some highlights here and there.

Close up.

Then using a fine tip sharpy, I carefully drew on jack o'lantern faces in black.

I brushed on a shiny finish. I used gloss acrylic medium. I suppose any type of glossy, clear finish will do, like Shellac, Polyurethane, etc. Then I hot glue gunned a stick to the top for the stalk. I also cut a small oval of orange felt and glued it to the bottom so that it doesn't scratch anything.

That's it!

It's Fall in Maine...

Nature's paint box is now opened...

The view out my front door.

Chilly air is a good reason for lighting the fireplace.

The cat is now in ultra slow motion mode.

A little cuddling is always good. Especially fur against fur. What could be nicer?

Time for home-made rolls and Golden Autumn Chowder. (See January 12, 2009 post...)

Autumn is fleeting. Come a windy, rainy day and all the leaves will be gone.

A brief touch of beauty.

The Fun Theory....

I saw this on someone's blog and then found it on You Tube. Volkwagen started this initiative and I think it's very cool. I love stuff like this.



Upon further grueling research, I found two more....


And this....


As a teacher, I KNOW that making things fun is so much more productive.
Even for me!
That's one reason I love my Mr.Downeastdoingstuff....he's FUN !

It's my Birthday!!

This picture just about says it all....(sigh)