A Shot of Life

My brother said this when he came to visit and I made him a glass of juice. A Shot of Life. He's right. It is better than you would think.

I only made a small amount tonight and shared with my husband. Down the hatch! Mmm. I make my juices with an Omega Masticator Juicer. That is why it is so thin. Usually, I make more. We usually each get a glass with 6-8 ounces.

Ingredients: handful of spinach, 2 carrots, 1/3 cucumber, 1/3 sweet potato, small apple, handful of grapes, mandarin orange, and a shot of lemon juice.

Here is what the Omega J8005 looks like. 

I love mine. I have not only made juices, frozen banana puree, pasta, minced up veggies and pork for egg rolls, but I can also grind nuts into nut butter, coffee beans, make baby food, and juice greens including wheatgrass.

Fade to Black

Everybody who knows me knows that I am a banjo nut. I wanted to share this video which is really just a song with a picture of the album on it by "Iron Horse." They are a bluegrass band covering Metallica.

Fade to Bluegrass - The Bluegrass Tribute to Metallica - Fade to Black. I love this album. Hope you enjoy!

Probably not the Healthiest

But mmm mmm good. I threw some cooked zesties french fries in a cast iron skillet. Topped with cheese, bacon, and green cheese. Broiled in oven till melted. Walah! This is similar to what you would get at Chili's. This sure was good today with our lunch.

Canned Fresh Mushrooms

2 bags of sliced mushrooms = 3 1/2 pint jars

I decided to pressure can some fresh mushrooms. I started with 2 bags of fresh sliced mushrooms. I put them in water to soak a few minutes and wash them. Even though the bags say they are prewashed, a lot comes off in the water. Drain the water.

Add them to a pot of plenty of water and cook them. After they come to a boil for 5 minutes or less, take off of the heat. You will drain them again because this water will be brown colored.

Meanwhile, get your pressure canner and jars ready. Also, I heated a 4 cup measuring cup with water in the microwave to bubbling. You will fill each jar with 1 inch headroom. Fill each jar with strained mushrooms. I put 1/8 tsp of canning salt in each jar. Fill the jar up with the clean hot water. Seal up and put them in readied canner.

Process under pressure for 45 minutes.

At least you know that your jarred mushrooms will never taste metallic like the canned mushrooms from the store. I think some good variations could be adding garlic and herbs.

Drunken Deer Chili

Makes about 6 or 7 pints or 3 quarts with a little left over.

• 5 lbs. deer meet (I like stew meat chunks instead of ground)

• 2 cups chopped onions

• 2 or 3 cloves garlic

• 6 cups canned tomatoes and juice (I used 2 gallon sized freezer bags of fresh tomatoes)

• ½ cup chili powder (I added some Emeril’s Rustic Rub mixed in with this)

• 1 ½ tbsp. salt

• 1 large roasted red pepper

• 1 tsp. cumin seed
• 2 shots tequila

I soak my deer meat in milk for a little bit (hour or more) before I use it to get the gamey taste milder. I drained off the milk and seasoned it with just some salt and pepper and meat tenderizer. Brown it in a big stock pot. You need to put a good bit of some oil so it doesn’t stick. I use olive oil.

After it has browned, the deer’s natural juices come out. I add a bit more water and put a lid on it cracked so it can cook that meat and tenderize it. The stew meat pieces aren’t as tender so they need some cooking.

I scoop out the deer meat and chop it on a cutting board so it resembles something closer to ground but more texture. I return it to the pan and add the chopped onions, chopped garlic, and chopped roasted red pepper. Let that cook down until the vegetables are starting to get done. I then added the tomatoes and seasoning along with tequila. 2 for the chili and 1 for you. :)

I made sure and kept adding a little bit more water because I wanted it to cook down thicker but didn’t want to lose my chili. Let all that simmer down until your meat is good and tender. If you want it to reduce a good bit just boil it with the lid off. If that isn’t working fast enough for you and you want it to thicken, you can add a little bit of cornstarch mixed with water. I used about a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water. My total cook time on the chili was over an hour because my meat needed to get tender. In the end, the tomatoes cook down and everything thickens. The roasted red peppers still keep shape so there is some pretty color floating in there.

Canning Instructions:

If you want to can this, it will need to be pressure canned since it contains meat. Ladle into 6 or 7 pint jars or 3 quart jars. Leave 1 inch headroom. Bring pressure cooker up to pressure and cook pint jars for 75 minutes and quart jars for 90 minutes. Pressure canning this chili will make it even tastier because it is being cooked with 10 pounds of boiling pressure. The meat will be like it set in a crock pot all day.

Will keep for 1 year.

What kind of coffee are you?

Are you a coffee drinker? If so, what is your favorite kind? Mine is breakfast blend. Liquid creamer. Sometimes a little coolwhip. Hot or cold.

Papa and D

One of my favorite pictures of my dad and youngest baby. They were playing BlackJack in this pic. Baby D is 10 1/2 months here. This was a week and a half ago. 

Lessons of a young adult

I remember this lady was going to show me how she fixes her Swedish meatball dish. She got a box of hamburger helper (Swedish meatball). When she was browning her hamburger meat she added in onions and garlic salt. Is that it? Was this her idea of really jazzing it up? Yes, it was. Sixteen years later, this makes me giggle. I thought she cooked pretty good at the time. Lol

Campbell's Soup Ruined my Tastebuds

Growing up on this condensed canned soup, I often times did not dilute with water. I got used to eating soups very salty. I always grabbed for the salt shaker. As an adult, I find myself only diluting 50% of the time and even then I can only put 3/4 a can of water.

Not Enough or Too Much!

I felt like a goober awhile ago. I just made coffee and  forgot to set the coffee mug in front of the maker. Surprise! All of the coffee went into the overfill tray. Yay! Either I have had enough or need a little more.

The Poop at Graceland

In August this year, we decided to take a family vacation to Memphis, TN. It was a lot of fun. It was our first big trip with the whole family. My hubby, my 16 year old daughter, 12 year old son, and our littlest son who was probably around 7 months.

We made it to Graceland and was getting loaded up for the drive over to Graceland on the Elvis shuttle bus. We were about to enter the bus when my hubby says "I think the baby pooped!" Oh no! We just paid 100 dollars and are about to get on the bus. I thought I could change him on the back seat because it seemed like a good idea at the time.

I opened his diaper up to find that he had explosive diarrhea and it was everywhere. I frantically tried to clean it up and people are entering the bus at the same time. He was squirming and I was trying to gracefully clean him up. I had poop on my hand and various things and was getting down to the last few baby wipes. The smell was starting to circulate on the bus and everyone started getting that look on their face. Then, the mean looking bus driver says really loud "I know you aren't changing that baby on this bus." Oh yeah, she called me out several times. I thought they were about to kick us off the bus. The bus driver walks to the back with air freshener and to scold me some more. I felt beet red and was about to cry. ha! ha!

My hubby was nice enough to be the one who got off the bus and dispose of the stink bomb. It was probably one of the most embarrassing moments in a long time. And for the occasion, we decided to dress the baby up as Elvis for Halloween. He had the white shiny jumpsuit with the red sequins and all.

Hindsight is 20/20. Don't ever do this.

Danny Lynn Cooper III - 6 weeks old

How to Unsubscribe to your friends' Junk Mail

How do you nicely ask someone to quit sending you all their junk mail? Probably no nice way to do it. That is why I just hit delete. I really am not going to forward to 10 people to save my luck. Phones will not ring and nobody is going to walk through my door. Just kidding but you know what I am talking about.

I have one friend in particular that I had been friends with for years and we moved away from each other over 7 years ago. We tried to email and phone call from time to time. In the past few years, I write an email and get nothing in return. I just get their never-ending forwards. So, I wrote her an important email when I got pregnant to catch her up. Nothing! I finally reply to one the ridiculous forwards and said, "Are you getting my emails?" Later, I received a "Yes, been real busy. Will write you tonight." Okay, if you guessed I did not get any real email, you are correct. But a few days later, I was still receiving all the junky emails. I am thinking if you have time to read this garbage and keep the flow of spam circling, then you could have written an email if you really wanted to.

So, I just hit delete and go on about my day. After a few years of frustration with this, you finally get to the point that you want to reply with the words Unsubscribe. As fitting as it would be, I will not do that. Maybe I am just hormonal and pregnant.

If BumBum could see me now

My grandmother, who I was very close to, was called BumBum. Her real name was Errolene Brimberry and went by Lynn. I spent lots of time with her and always strived to make her proud. When I was little, I use to go to church with her when I visited her. She attended the Sunset Christian Church in Grapeland, TX. She loved that I was involved in music and especially that I had started trying to play banjo in high school.

Many years later, picked up banjo again and have recently joined the Antioch Christian Church in Hooks, TX. Well, she would be super happy if she is watching me from Heaven because I am playing banjo this Sunday in a Christian Church. I am playing bluegrass style even though it is not my favorite because it is easiest to chord along with piano. I am just going to keep it simple and do some simple rolls in the chords and maybe throw in a bluegrass lick or two. We are playing 3 songs so I hope I don't choke. I was so excited when I left church yesterday. First thing I did was call Nana. I was like a little kid going "Guess what? Guess what?"

I am thankful we get to wear casual clothes in church because banjos are not made for dresses. :)

Cucumbers and Church

Here is one of my cucumber plants in my hanging basket. This isn't my biggest plant, but I have 2 good sized cucumbers growing on it plus some smaller ones. Super neat! We have to water them once or twice a day depending on the heat of the day.

We still have 4 of these hanging on my backporch. We never lost any of them. I have started using Miracle Grow spray once a week now. It seems that they have start producing a little more since I started with that.

I am so anxious to eat the cucumbers!

I have now joined the Antioch Christian Church. They will make it official in a few weeks once Grace is back from Band Camp. My daughter and I both moved our previous memberships to this church. I haven't moved my membership since I was in high school. It's a great church, and I am happy to be a part of it. Another great perk is that they don't mind you wearing casual clothes so you can wear skirts, capris, jeans, or long shorts. All is welcome.

I am taking my banjo down there this Wednesday and am going to start working on incorporating banjo into their music for them. Woohoo! I am nervous and excited.

I am 14 weeks pregnant now. My belly is starting to show, and I am having to really spend more time picking out clothes now since I don't have many loose fitting clothes. There are a few of my bottoms that absolutely don't fit anymore. I am on a tomato kick and sometimes eat 4 a day. My daddy's home grown tomatoes are awesome.

Back in the Day

Becka sent me some old pics that she scanned in. This picture seems like a lifetime ago. It was around 4 1/2 years ago, I believe. My kids are now 15 and 11 (on the left). Becka's girls aren't so little anymore, 5 and 7.  Becka is probably the one taking the picture.

Fish Babies

Yesterday, I was adding some water to my fish tank and noticed something small moving on the side. I have 3 small babies. The only livebearer fish I have are Dalmation Mollies so I am sure it belongs to them. I was totally shocked. The big Dalmation Mollies are not pictured in this image.

You will have to click the picture and look at the full version. They are hard to see because they are transparent with just a little bit of black on the tail. You can only see 2 in this picture, and I had to make red arrows to point to them. Not the most detailed picture since this was taken with my iPhone. In this picture, you can see one of the clown loaches swimming toward the camera and part of another one. They are orange and black striped.

Club Dead

I am following suit from Elissa and Kasey and sharing what I am reading. I am a slow reader because I am a spastic hobbyist and work too much. I am reading Club Dead right now from Charlaine Harris. It is the third in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I had watched True Blood and saw that Elissa was reading this series. She has good taste and suggested to read it. Wallah! She is right. It is gripping.

You can get it cheap on Half.com.

Overton Tin Whistle

This guy from Brazil commented on one of my piano videos on Youtube. He said he played the song on his Tin Whistle. I thought of a little kid's tin whistle but was curious so went and looked. What he played in one video was testing out his new Low D Overton Tin Whistle. You have to listen because it is amazing. If you remember listening to the Sacred Spirits music a long time ago, that is what it sounds like.



Beautiful!!! After hearing this, I really want one. So, I went looking for one on the internet. It will have to be a splurge in the next few months because I am tapped out after my last old banjo buy and Danny's bday and father's day. :)

Here is where you can buy it in the UK. Overton Whistles I did some quick converting from Euros to Dollars and including VAT, it would be about $303 for the Low D, Tenor D Tin Whistle. Not really sure why I am fascinated about playing instruments outside and in the woods, but wouldn't this be awesome to go find a nice hiding spot in the middle of nowhere and just play.

Canoeing on Caddo River

Saturday, I was at the church by 8:30 in the morning so we could all go on a canoe trip on Caddo River in Glenwood, AR. I was a chaperone, and both of my kids went. We had 5 adults and 8 kids. We headed out after a bit and made it there around noon. We had to do some stopping and get signed in. There were a ton of people, over a hundred. Some people were just camped out on the grass in tents. We got all geared up and waited for our big shuttle bus. This was one of those old school buses that had been painted and no a/c. It was a definite adventure about to happen. We rode the several miles in the bus to our drop off point.

We had 5 canoes, several ice chests, food, sunscreen, and such. We took off and did a 5 1/2 hour canoe trip. It was around 8 miles long. The river was low so we had lots of rocks to avoid and a lot of paddling to do. We saw 2 snakes. This picture is from the place we used, Caddo River, Camping & Canoe Rental. It shows what the river looks like. There were parts that were super peaceful. Along the way were plenty of rockbed to stop on to eat a bit of food or just rest. There were also tree swings. I rode in a canoe with my daughter. It was a lot of work, and I don't think I knew just how much it would be but it was fun.

After we got back, we grilled out some food and found the community shower and bathrooms. Later in the day, we made our way to our bunkhouse. These rooms are really just a bunkhouse. Small one room with 3 bunkbeds in it and window unit for air conditioning. We had two of the rooms. No chair or anything else. There was a community bathroom and shower at this camp. There was a front porch to sit on and plenty of fire pits to use and such. We didn't do the paint ball. I carried my 100 year old openback banjo up there with me and sat on the front porch and played my banjo. Awesome!

We hung out and the kids roasted some marshmallows and threw those little popping things. We were so tired that we didn't want to do much but sit. I had a ton of snack food so we just sat around snacking. Later by lantern light, we got a game of Spades in. I hit the hay by 12, and we were up by 7 the next morning and gone by 7:45. We hightailed it back to Hooks and made it to both sessions of church.

We were so lucky that the high school class of '49 reunion had some food left over and it was at the church. They fed us. We ate really good. We looked and smelled funny, but we made it back.

I made chicken and dumplings yesterday and did a few loads of clothes. Danny took us to see UP 3D later in the evening. I passed out pretty early and got plenty of sleep. My body still aches, and I am still wore out. If I was asked to go back and do it all over again, I definitely would. We had a few water cameras, and I am not sure how great the pictures will be, but once I get them developed, I will upload them.

Angeline the Baker Video

I decided to make another banjo video. It was hot today and the sun was really shining on my front porch. I decided to wear a crazy cowboy hat because all old time banjo players wear crazy hats. I know, I must get a really funny hat. I plan to, but this old cowboy hat will have to do. And, of course, I am barefoot because it is Texas and hot. Funniest thing is that I am barefoot and pregnant. Tuning is ADADE.

Babies and Cucumbers

I went to my first doctor visit yesterday. That always seems a little tramatic because you are anxious about going and then they make you do so much stuff. Anyway, my due date is December 30, 2009. I am 10 weeks. I had a sonogram done, and I got to see the baby move around. Very cool.

Awhile back, my dad suggested for me to grow some trailing vegetables on my backporch in hanging baskets. What a great idea. I was a bit skeptical at first and figured that they would dry out too fast. I do have to water them daily, but they are making it pretty good.

Here is what one looks like up close. They are just now starting to put baby cucumbers on them. We have one that is starting to reach the top of the backporch.

Here is my baby cucumber. I hope they do good and get big. It is starting to get hot here in Texas and the noontime sun is really hot.

Here, you can see the whole thing. I have 4 hanging on my backporch. The best part about hanging baskets is that I never have to weed, EVER.

Back in the Gym

After a month of yuckiness, fatigue, and company, I was able to make it back to the gym yesterday. I started slow and only did 30 minutes since I haven't done it in awhile. It felt great. I was watching Dog the Bounty Hunter and doing my elliptical. I really was focusing on my heartrate yesterday because it is not supposed to get too high since I am pregnant. I do those machines and my heartrates get high in a hurry. So, everytime I would get close to 140, I would start stepping slower and would let it fall again.

Even though yesterday was Sonic's Customer Appreciation Day and they were giving away free Rootbeer Floats from 8-12, I didn't get one. yeah me! My kids got them with church. I ate a big salad.

So, finally I used Staples to recycle my ink cartridges. They give you $3 a cartridge when you recycle. I always have ink cartridges around.

I got the True Blood DVD series yesterday. I am so excited because I missed most of the shows due to their nature. I wasn't able to watch them with the kids around. I have the books and love them. I am on the third book. I wish the series was a little less nasty, but I can live with it. HBO always nasties up their movies for more viewers.

Pregnancy Update & Band Banquet

I am about 9 1/2 weeks pregnant now. I don't really look pregnant, but I feel it. It seems that eating is always on my mind. I am either starving or so full I feel sick. ha! I was having a bad spell of morning sickness or all day nausea, whatever you call it. This week, I have started eating all beef hotdogs for breakfast with a tall glass of milk. Man does it make me feel good, and I haven't had a problem with the sickness now. I really never used to eat pickles and now I am eating them up. It is very strange. I have a doctor's appointment Monday. It will be my first one.

My mean old mom finally wrote back after I told her I was pregnant. 3 weeks to squeeze out a note. No mention of love. She signed her letter with "Wishing you good health, Mom." Nice!!!! Not surprised but still dissapointed. She hasn't mentioned love in the few times she has contacted me in 3 years. Hmm!

My daughter, Grace, had a band banquet last night. She is a freshman. She had a late start with band and has only been playing now for 2 years. She plays in the jazz band and had a solo last night. We are really proud of her.



Last Sunday, I went to a great church called Antioch Christian Church. It is the first church I have been to in a long time that I felt like I could call a church home. Everybody was really friendly and they were so involved. The one thing I did love was that they paid a lot of attention to their youth and they weren't a very large church. I used to attend a Christian Church with my Bum Bum when I was a kid. It reminded of my childhood, and I always felt welcome at that church. I can't wait to go back because I realy enjoyed the women's group.

I mean some Green Beans

My daddy farms in Lufkin and is always growing a ton of food. He shares with me when he sees me. He has already supplied with me with a bunch of onions, potatoes, and now green beans, radishes, and zucchini. He asked me the other day if I wanted some green beans. I love to eat stir fried green beans so I said yes. He asked if I wanted them fresh or already frozen. I said fresh. I was expecting a few handfuls. He brought me this big bushel basket thing full. Wow! I am going to learn to clean, snap them, and freeze them tonight.



I'll have to blog about the response I finally got from my mother about being pregnant. That will be for another day. I hate to spoil a good green bean blog. :)