Necessary item for dog walks . . .

This cracked me up! Such a clever graphic for a doggie doo bag. Luckily I don't have this problem since Webster is the most fastidious dog on the planet. He always goes in the woods way away from the yard. He walks himself too. I am truly blessed!

Timely illustrated VOTE QUOTE . . .

YES WE CAN ~ 13 days and counting . . .

Baby It's Cold INSIDE . . .

Webster is worried again. He is remembering the summer and the fact that I did not turn on the central air one single time. He is afraid I am going do the same thing with the furnace this winter. How many blankets can you pile on a dog? Brrrrr!

Do you go by the calendar or the thermometer? I try to hold off until November. As I write this I am wearing flannel lined jeans, wool turtle neck, heavy Norwegian cardigan, thick wool socks, and I am seriously considering searching for my fingerless gloves. I just got back from a walk and it is warmer outside. I can't see my breath so I think I am fine. Can't wait until bedtime comes and I can jump under my big fat down comforter.

FREE DOWNLOAD ~ Origami CD Sleeve ~ Tutorial . . .

Here’s a video showing you how to do a little origami to turn a sheet of paper into a CD sleeve:



I like this craft. I often make custom music CDs to tuck in with Christmas Cards. These would be good to make out of gift wrap, recycled paper, custom printed paper, etc.

Further Step by Step instructions ~ very easy to understand.

Another set of instructions in a pdf document ~ also easy picture reading. You can print a cheat cheat.

NOW here are TWO COOL DOWNLOADS for PRINTED GIFT WRAP...perfect for these cd cases. They both use black ink so you won't have to waste any colored ink.
The designs are very elegant.

I made the two you see above in just one try. They are sooo easy. The one on the left is called SWIRLY. The one on the right is called GRAPHIC. They are both from Martha Stewart. These gift wrap papers are designed to be printed on an 11x17 sheet of paper. Ignore and print on standard 8-1/2 x 11 inkjet paper. Don't print the second page of the pdf. When the printer page comes up choose print page 1 of 1.

When these print on standard paper size you will have a 1/2" margin at the bottom and there will be small white margins on either side. This will all be folded under. You can choose where you want the 1/2" margin. It can either be tucked under and have a completely printed case or you can have it show and use that space to write the CD title on it. The choice is yours. The two I made have the white band showing so I can write the title on the outside. PS...you just barely fold the corners under in the last step.

Let me know how you like this tutorial and download. It's so much fun to make something out of nothing, isn't it?




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Bookmark this recipe for Sour Cream Apple Pie . . .

Sunday was my mother's 88th birthday. I made a sour cream apple pie instead of a cake and it was absolutely delicious. I have new respect for food bloggers. I wouldn't last a week if I had to cook something imaginative every day and then photograph it for the web. It's not that easy! And forget photographing the dish while you are preparing it.

Sour Cream Apple Pie
(Alicia Paulson's recipe)
Topping:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c. plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 t. cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour
Filling:
1 1/3 c. sour cream
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 or 5 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced. I used Golden Delicious because that was what I had on hand.
Pie crust ~ you can make your own, or use a pre-made one from the refrigerator section of the market fitted into a deep-dish 9" or 10" pie plate and chilled. I did not have the deep dish crusts...just regular...so it ran over in the oven but I knew this was going to happen. I had a pan underneath; the overflow was delicious.
To make the topping ~ in a bowl blend the butter, sugar, cinnamon, and flour until the mixture is combined well. Cover and chill the topping.
To make the filling ~ whisk together the sour cream, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs, and flour until the mixture is smooth. Add the peeled, cored, and thinly sliced apples and stir the filling and apples together. Spoon the filling into the chilled shell and crumble the topping evenly over it. Bake the pie on a baking sheet in the middle of a pre-heated 350-degree oven, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. (You might need to put a bit of tinfoil on top of the pie during the last 15 minutes to prevent the top from burning.) Transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely.

I have a gas oven and had to cook my pie a little longer. Adjust cooking time according to your oven. I think this would be delicious without the crust. One day I shall make it in deep baking dish.

High Tension Fun or the REAL reason for power surges . . .

JUMPING CABLES or WHAT THE POWER COMPANY DOESN'T TELL US

I think this happens quite often when nobody's looking. It's the real reason for power surges and mild earth tremors.

WORLD ANIMAL DAY . . .

World Animal Day was October 4th. THE BIG PICTURE has 38 of the most stunning photos you will ever want to see showing recent photos of animals from around the world.

Head over there so you can see them all. The five photos I am showing above are just a tiny preview. Plus mine are miniature versions. The Big Picture site from The Boston Globe has giant photos...guess that's how they came up with their name.

It is my favorite site of all. Always informative with fabulous photos.