A new day. A beautiful one at that...

As usual I sat out on the porch this morning watching little man as he waited for the bus.  The fog was low and heavy across the street where the countryside dips into a valley.  There are a few pluses to living on a hill, and the view is one of them.  Being a lightening magnet is not one of the positives, though. LOL.  The tree cut up in the front yard is proof there is a negative side to the new house.  Oh well.  Still wouldn't trade it for another.

This weekend went by quickly, which can be good and bad.  We were able to get some cleaning done so I won't have as much to do this week.  I have two service appointments for the house this week and a doctor appointment in the city.  So it's looking to be a busy week.  But the good about it being Monday?  The guys are out of the house and it's quiet.  My plans today are to try to root around in the last remaining unpacked boxes and find my rolling pin.  I found a yummy recipe for sugar cookies and want to start experimenting with icing decorations.  Little man has a fall party Friday and I'll make Halloween cake pops.  I bought a plastic black witch's cauldron and spiderweb material.  Hopefully my fingers will work so I can mold spooky characters and I'll put them on sticks.  I plan to lay foam in the bottom of the cauldron with the spiderweb on top to look like smoke.  If I can get it to work I'll upload pictures before I take it to the school.

Off to work on critiques and getting my partial request ready to mail.  Just a few tweaks and it's ready to go.  And yes...I am getting a little nervous.  The 3-4 month wait will be unbearable but I have plenty of projects to keep me busy.  Have a wonderful and productive Monday, my friends!

Happy Monday!

And what a weekend it was.  I don't think we did a whole lot of anything.  Except get the house dirty.  *sigh*  So I spent today catching up the laundry, cleaning little man's room, cleaning up after the cowboy, and made the man/child bring me his dirty clothes and dishes.  I try not to venture into his cave very often if I can help it.  But I also finished the revisions on my partial and sent it out to the crit partners.  I've already heard back from two of them and it looks like I can get it submitted by Wednesday.  Which means I might be able to finish the second request and get it sent to the crit partners by next Monday.  Man...that would be HUGE if I could get them both sent out and off my to-do list.  I've got two short stories that need attention.  Like yesterday.

I found the secret to getting more writing time.  Keep the family stuffed with good food.  The boys are extremely happy with me because I've been cooking more lately.  Last night I made homemade sausage/bacon pizza.  My man/child is usually the picky one, but he ate three huge pieces.  They are so big it's like a deep dish.  Tonight?  I made parmesan crusted chicken with a vodka cream sauce spaghetti.  Tomorrow I'll have to do a thick and hearty soup with vegetables and pasta.  Maybe even some homemade bread.  It'll be perfect for the cold front we've got coming in as I type and it'll also be an easy fix.

Okay...as promised. Here is my recipe for chocolate pecan pie.  I've found similiar recipes but I think the reason we like it is because I add Kahlua. Yummo.  Add/delete ingredients to your taste...but enjoy.


Aunt Susie’s Chocolate Pecan Pie

Deep dish pie shell or handmade
¾ cup white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
½   cup real butter
4 eggs
2 tbsp bourbon (I tried Kahlua)
1 tsp. vanilla extract (Madagascar pref.)
¼   tsp. salt
½   cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a small pan over medium heat, constantly stirring until sugar dissolves. Set aside and let it cool.  Combine eggs, liquor, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl and mix well.  Pour sugar mixture slowly into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.  Pour chocolate chips and chopped pecans into bottom of the pie crust.  Pour pie mixture on top and bake for at least 50 minutes or lightly brown.  If you want it to be pretty for company, before baking you can top the pie with pecan halves in circles or designs.
 
I found very similar pecan pie recipes online but I think the bourbon or Kahlua makes a richer pie for holidays.

Finally Friday!!

Woohoo!!  Are you proud of me?!  I've blogged twice in one week.  I actually tried to blog on Wednesday and had an emergency call from little man.  They took school pictures and I'd forgotten to put the order form and check in his backpack.  So I made a mad dash to brush my hair and change out of my pink flannel jammies.  He probably would've appreciated it more if I'd taken the tiara out of my hair.  Just kidding.  I did brush my teeth though.

Fall?  You say it's fall in Oklahoma?  Really?!  *sigh*  It's still hitting the mid to high 80's here during the day.  And because of the severe drought, I doubt the trees will come back to life to turn spectacular colors to signal that my favorite time of year has arrived.  Oh well.  Little man and I decorated pumpkins last week and I pulled out the fall scents for my warmers.  At least the house is telling me it's time.  I believe we're supposed to get a cold front next week that will drop the temps by 30 degrees.  Which also means my body will rebel a day or two in advance.  But it'll be well worth it.  I'm so ready for jeans and sweaters.  Of course I'll still have my flip-flops on.  Ha.

Another favorite for this time of year are the fall recipes coming out of the drawer.  Monday I'll post a recipe my aunt gave me years ago for her chocolate pecan pie.  But for now...I'm off to work on my chapter and critiques for my girlies.  Hope you guys are having an awesome Friday!!  Be productive and get that word count!!

XOXO

Good Monday morning!

As requested...I'm sharing a picture of our new fur baby, Lilly.  My heart still hurts when I remember Gracie and Joe Boxer, but Lilly is doing an awesome job of keeping us occupied.  She is soooo smart, sometimes a little too much.  ;)

I hope all is well with you!  Life is as usual chaotic in our household.  But I have to admit, I am loving the quiet time while the boys are in school and the husband at work.  Makes for a peaceful working atmosphere.  I've had my coffee this morning but listening to the soft hum of the dryer is making me sleepy.  LOL.  I've got chicken breasts in the slow cooker so that dinner will be ready when the guys descend on me once again.  Easy, peasy recipe...I added frozen chicken breasts to cans of cream of chicken, 2 cans of cream of cheddar cheese, and a can of fire roasted diced tomotoes with green chilis.  I set it on low and will let it slow cook for 6 hours. I'll serve the chicken shredded with some of the sauce on flour tortillas and with rice I've doctored up with a tablespoon of butter, the juice of one lime, a tablespoon of chopped cilantro, and a teaspoon of garlic-pepper seasoning. If you question any of those ingredients, either leave them out or start with a smaller amount and taste as you add. I know my husband isn't fond of cilantro and usually just eats his chicken with the tortillas.

So with the house semi-clean and dinner in the slow cooker, I'm motivated to open my Word files and get to work.  What are you guys working on?  I'm almost finished with the revisions on a partial I had requested by Harlequin Superromance. A  LONG time ago.  I'm thinking I won't put requested material on the envelope since it has been so long that it was requested.  I've learned from experience that requested material doesn't necessarily speed up the response.

Good day to you all!! Hope it's the wonderful start to a productive week.