Jelly Roll

Book Club met at my house yesterday, and that meant not only did I have to get the house in order, I had to come up with a suitable dessert for the midafternoon meeting. I decided on Jelly Roll, an old favorite that my grandmother used to make. I told my plan to my childhood friend here, and she said that she had my grandmother's recipe. Was I surprised! I had always used one from a cookbook when I baked them, and never realized my grandmother even used a recipe. Since I had never tried making Jelly Rolls this way, I stuck with the one from the BH&G cookbook, but next time, I am definitely going to follow family tradition! They sure are good, and it is nice to have a little left over for coffee in the morning.

 

 

Mama's Jelly Roll   

 

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cold water

1 cup plain flour

 

Preheat oven to 425. Beat eggs and sugar until thick. Add water and flour alternately. Spread in wax paper lined jelly roll pan.  Bake 12 minutes or until golden.

 

Sprinkle clean tea towel with granulated sugar. Unmold cake on towel. Remove paper lining and trim any dry edges. Roll while hot and let cool in towel. Unwrap and spread with grape jelly or other filling.  Reroll with seam side down. Enjoy.

all I could find were these geese...

A couple of days ago as I was driving by an open area with a pond near my house, I saw a lot of cute ibises bobbling around, looking for food I suppose. A few minutes later I saw them in the air, flying with grace and precision. I was awed. I hoped to see some today but geese had taken over. Oh well...they are cute, too.

visitor

About five-thirty this afternoon, the doorbell rang. I wasn't expecting anyone. Who could it be? Thankfully I had not yet donned my winter nightclothes and could answer the door dressed decently. A nice middle aged man stood there, and within the first couple of sentences he said, "I used to live here." He had something to give me, the new owner, extra hooks for the pot rack that he had been holding onto for a while. I asked him to come in. I was thinking of the time when Ned and I stopped by our old house in Spartanburg, and the new owners let us come in and look around. It was so cool to reminisce. "Wow," he first said, as it is a totally different look from before. He started his own reminiscing, and I eventually learned a few things that had perplexed me about the house.
We chatted and realized we had much in common, but mostly we agreed this is a great little home.

A good thought to end the day

From somewhere on the web.

living

Somehow I managed to get on the board of the Art Association. I really didn't know that by agreeing to do the eblasts, it made me the "internal communication" person. But that is fine. I will enjoy getting to know the members, seeing how the many projects and shows are handled, and occasionally go to lunch at a new place, like today's healthy meal at an organic type market-restaurant.

This afternoon I went to PT, and I am doing so well I can start going once a week. Yippee! I am getting my life back!

Cute Turtles

Wanting to blog today but not having much to say, I resorted to looking through some old photos. I chose this one. It was taken by our October guests when we were at Airlie.

Back at it

My studio has had two months of neglect. The pics, supplies, and shelves were dusty, but it sure felt good today to spend some time in my happy little getaway.
Since this is my first art studio, it has been a learning experience. Most of the other artists there also have home studios or have had prior studios elsewhere, but it has been all new to me! To get going this year, I need to apply what I have seen in the others, I must declutter and reorganize, and of course dust and vacuum. But mainly . . . I need a clear idea of what I am going to do. That remains the biggest challenge.

A New Do

. . . for the new year.

One of the worst things about aging is hair. Not enough on top of the head and finding it at unwanted places on the front, commonly known as the face. It was past time for me to get my trim, so I stopped by the nearest Great Clips while I was out today. I asked for about an inch off, planning to keep the same old basic look I have had all my life, though now sadly with less hair. To make conversation I asked the haircutter what sort of volumizer she would recommend, and what she thought of the bob, a style that may be popular now. She said she thought the bob would be a good look for me. I could tell she thought any new do would be better than my old style. And she showed me how to use a volumizing product that is for sale in the store. I said . . . let's go for it! Why not!

The New Year begins!

Another round of putting the past behind, looking with hope toward the future and setting personal goals for the next 365 days.

For me 2014 was wonderful even though it ended with a whimper. My usual energy got lost in necessary inactivity, and I even realized that I was/am getting lazy. But at this time, two months after the injury, I have only weak left triceps and a stiff and creaky neck. Not enough for an excuse to keep me down any longer. Besides, I don't think I can bear another Hallmark movie. I must get going with the rest of my life.

In the next few days, I will take my camera and go to one of the pretty sights around town and see what it looks like in the winter. Gotta get back on that horse.