Bonnie's Notes from the Nest!

How many times would we like to have a "do-over" as the kids say?  Maybe we painted a wall in a color that looked ever so wonderful on that little delicate petal pink one-inch chip at the paint store, but looked like Pepto Bismol when the whole room was dripping in it?  A chance to take back words that we said in haste, without thinking, only to realize that they were hurtful or, at the very least, could have been said in a hundred other ways that would have been better.

Sometimes it is even something we did without knowing it ~ not inviting someone who gets their feelings hurt by being left out, not displaying a gift for someone prominently enough to please them, wearing perfume that is too spicy or too sweet to be pleasing to someone else.  Innocent mistakes, but some that have the potential to be deal breakers in a friendship.  Couldn't we just solve it with a "do-over" coupon presented with an honest conversation where we discuss the fact that we acknowledge that we did, whatever we did, without realizing it would be hurtful?  Or from the other perspective, give someone the "do-over" coupon when you feel you need to clear something up or let them know you were disappointed/offended/etc., and let them have the opportunity for another chance?

For some reason, that level of honesty is hard to come by.  Is it that we can't admit that we made a mistake?  Is it that we can't bear to take a chance that we will be rejected if we level with someone that we don't like something about them or their actions?  Well, I'm here to offer you an official "do-over" coupon!  Please use it if I ever do anything to offend you...or if you feel the need to present it to any friend or  loved one when you hope for a second chance!

Now if I could only get the computer to give me a second chance!

As Easy as...well...Pie!
Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie

1 cup apple butter (comes in 30 oz. jar ~ see "note" below)
1 cup mashed pumpkin (comes in 16 oz. can)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
3 eggs slightly beaten
3/4 cup evaporated milk (comes in 12 oz. can)
1 unbaked 9" piecrust in metal pan (frozen ones come in pkg of 2)
Whipped cream for garnish

Preheat over to 425 degrees.  Combine apple butter, pumpkin, sugar, salt and spices in a bowl.  Stir in the eggs.  Gradually add the milk and mix well.  Pour into piecrust.  Bake on lower rack for about 40-minutes until set.  Cut in wedges and serve with whipped cream!

Note from Bonnie:
I discovered as I was making this that the jar/can ingredients will make enough for 2 pies, so may as well make two at a time and share one with the neighbors!  Bon Appétit!

Recently, a friend and customer was telling me about her mother, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in the store a year or so ago.  At the height of her professional career, she had a very responsible position at a University with a large staff working in her department.  She was well respected and a very busy career woman and mother.  Today, she is still a lovely, well groomed, attractive and vivacious woman, who happens to suffer from acute, early onset dementia.

This lady now lives in a small group home with other dementia patients who are high functioning ~ meaning they are able to dress themselves, feed themselves, read, and carry on conversations, though they are often fantasies about dreams, stories they've read, etc., but are still real to them.  Her daughters visit her regularly and show her their love as they have all their lives ~ taking her on outings, dinning with her and best of all, laughing with her.

I've thought a lot about that conversation with my friend and how who we are in our professional lives is so tied to our identity.  Perhaps one of the reasons that some people have difficulty retiring is that they are afraid that their identity as someone important will be lost when they are no longer introduced and Mr./Ms. Somebody, Professional Something.  I've been asking friends what accomplishment in their lives they are most proud of, and so often it has been a professional accomplishment.  When my Grandpa Roberts retired, I had some business cards made up for him that said, "Ivan Roberts, Retired Independent Insurance Agent, Great Dad, Wonderful Grandpa and Amazing Great Grandpa."  He liked having cards to pass out to people he met in retirement and he loved the conversation starter that these provided!  He also carried a key ring with silver silhouettes of all his grandchildren and greats, with their birthdates engraved on the back ~ just in case you would like to know more about his brood.

As our identity changes over the years ~  Wife, Mother, Event Planner, Advertising Account Executive, Rotary President in my past life, to my favorite titles today: Mom, Grandma, and Gatherer at Birds of a Feather ~ I hope that I will be just as happy as I am now, when some years from now, my title is "Silly Lady Happily Drawing Pictures and Baking Cookies!"  And, I'm still enjoying my proudest accomplishments: 2 lovely, loving daughters with wonderful husbands and 8 adorable grandchildren (though I can't really take credit for the latter two categories!).

P.S.:  Next time you are in the store, please share your proudest accomplishment so far in life.  I'd love to hear about it!

A friend of mine is turning 60 this year and she noted that I seemed pretty happy being 60 (+!) and wanted me to name 3 things good about turning 60.  "Well...you don't have to worry about getting pregnant," I answered.  Then, I began to think of some of the things that I really like about this age.  Here are a few ~ if you have reached this milestone, see if you agree:

• You can look at what you can and cannot do and then work to improve the "cannots" IF you want to (in my case to do calligraphy well, learn about gardening, knit) or just be OK with what you CAN do.
• Social faux pas are more forgivable.  I still commit them, but I am usually OK to say, "I just can't remember your name...help me!"
• You can focus on who you are, not what you are not.  I am not a tall, thin brunette with flawless skin!  Instead I am "Rubenesque" with a real body, white hair and my skin has wrinkles from fun in the sun, worry about my kids for nearly 40 years and from LAUGHING!  I have spots and dots and scars that tell stories of my life.  I'm not the best gourmet cook, but I have the confidence that I can read a recipe and, probably, tackle most any dish.
• You need only say yes to the things that you really want to do.
• If you are fortunate enough to have grandchildren, they think you are wise, fun, and beautiful (or handsome) without the influence of reality.  This continues until age 13 and then again after age 20.
• You don't need a closet of uncomfortable shoes.  One pair of "1/2-hour" shoes is all you need for special occasions ~ the rest of the time you can wear Clarks.
• Some can shop for reading glasses in all colors at Rite Aid for under $10...and you can loose them regularly and not feel badly about it.

I am still a work in progress discovering what I can do, what I like, and occasionally what I don't, what makes me happy and what I am to do with my life and talents.  Being 60+ allows me the flexibility to explore those things.

Thank you to all of you for accepting me as I am and for your friendship and support of my little store in 2007!  As some of you know, this year has had some extra challenges for me, but your smiling faces and caring hearts have, once again, seen me through to embark on 2008 with optimism and strength (and I'm working on that patience thing!)

A Blessed 2008 to you!

Cream Cheese Pastry:
2 sticks butter (1 cup)
8 oz. cream cheese
2 cups flour
Place in food processor or mixer and pulse until large "cottage cheese size curds" form.  Remove and form a ball of dough.  Wrap in Saran wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

Filling:
Raw (uncooked) top sirloin or flank steak 8-12 oz. cut in a fine dice and placed in a mixing bowl.
Cut all of the following in fine dice or pulse in a food processor and place in the bowl (careful not to puree!):
1 small onion
1 small rutabaga or turnip
1-2 large carrots (grated/small dice works best)
1 large potato
Add:
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
pinch of salt and pepper to taste
1-2 OXO or beef bouillon cubes dissolved in 1/4 c. boiling water
Note: Quantities vary by number of pasties you want to make.  This filling is enough for nearly double what you'll need for the above pastry recipe.  You can double the pastry recipe ~ or freeze the left over filling for another time.

Here's where the fun starts:
Roll dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4" or slightly less and cut out 4" circles or use an empanada tool.  Spoon 1+ Tablespoons of the filling and fold circle in half.  Moisten edge and seal closed with fork.  Brush tops with a beaten egg.  Cut 2-3 slits in top to vent.  Bake at 425 degrees 10-12 minutes until golden.  Yield 24 pasties.

From Bonnie:
I tried this recipe last night just to see if I could make them and was very pleased with the results!  It took about 1 & 1/2 hours from start to finish and I had to work to get them to seal (I used the juice from the filling instead of water as it seemed to want to drip out anyway) and used a 3" cutter first and then changed to a 4" one, as it was easier to handle that size.  Tina makes such lovely little ones and I hope with a little practice mine might measure up to hers!  Bon Appétit!

One warm day in Brimfield, MA last May, we came upon a little neighborhood lemonade stand and I insisted we stop and have some.  Two adorable little kids (with their Mom in the shadows) sat at a little table adorned with homemade signs and a pitcher of fresh lemonade...a familiar scene!  And it was delicious!  Cold, refreshing, all American.

One of my daughters said that a friend once advised her, "Never pass a lemonade stand -- that's where our future entrepreneurs are born!"

Thank you to our friends and neighbors in Bakersfield who encouraged our entrepreneurial spirit and thank you to all of you who visit my little "lemonade stand" known as Birds of a Feather in Cambria.  Yikes!  I still have hand drawn signs, hand written receipts, and an occasional cookie to serve with lemonade at our open houses...guess I haven't moved too far beyond my lemonade stand of the 50's...and it's still just as much fun!  If you're planning a jaunt to the Central Coast...I'd love to see you!  Call me and I'll make lemonade!

In our community, we encounter lots of students who are attending Cal Poly and whose families are quite a distance away. Recently three girls came into the store on a quiet afternoon and, though they were reluctant to admit it, they were all pretty homesick. We talked for awhile about their crafting/ribbon projects, and then just talked. In the conversation, one of them said that I reminded her of her Grandma and then she started to cry. Those of you who know me, know I boo-hoo with little provocation, so of course I immediately welled up too. It happened that I had homemade cookies there that day (left over from the open house!) and so we talked and munched and they told me of silly things that they had done with their moms and grandmas. It was hillarious and heartwarming and reminded me of the sweet memories that I hold dear of my mother and grandmothers and how they are based on those feelings of being loved unconditionally--even when I did the dumbest things!

So--please don’t miss an opportunity to tell someone today that you love them, and then love them unconditionally--even when they do something dumb!

As the early days of 2007 pass by us, my wish for you is that any bad news you receive is no worse than Luke's disappointment on that warm day in September and that you receive lots of good news and experience great joy all through 2007!

My motto for the year is to "Live with a thankful heart" and I count you as one of my treasured blessings that I am thankful for!

Start by taking those old magazines, papers, books, or a stuffed toy and close them up in a plastic bag.  Add the key ingredient: Kitty litter!  Buy an inexpensive brand that is just clay litter with no scents or clumping additives.  Put the closed bag with your kitty litter and item on the shelf for at least a week.  Then,  go back and check it.  If it still smells a little "funny," repeat the process with a new batch of litter.  Let us know how it works.

e wanted to share with you our joy for our daughter Courtney's marriage to Tom Russell November 10th. Together, their new family consists of 5 children ranging in ages from 19 to 10.  The only down-side is that Courtney, Jarred and Taylor will be moving to their new home in Utah, so we won't get to see them quite as often,  but to see Courtney so happy and to know that her life will be wonderful with such a great person as Tom, makes up for it.  After all, planes fly to Utah, too, don't they?!  Tom is a Professor at BYU and teaches film making.  He also has produced an independent film that he wrote and directed, and has a couple more are in the works.  We've known Tom for many years and are so happy to welcome him and his family into ours.  So, we present to you the new Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Russell.

Photography by Bill Nelson, www.nelsonmedia.com

1 can creamy Vanilla frosting
1 12-oz. package Vanilla milk chocolate chips
1/4-tsp. peppermint extract
4 drops red food coloring
2 tablespoons crushed peppermint candy

Line an 8x8 inch pan with foil with a 2-inch overlap on the edges.  Butter lightly (or use spray).  Melt ships over low heat in double boiler until melted and smooth.  Remove from heat and stir in frosting and extract.  Spread in pan.  Drop food coloring on fudge and swirl with a knife.  Press crushed candy into top of mixture.  Refrigerate.  When thoroughly chilled and set, lift out of pan, peal off foil, and cut into pieces of desired size.  Recipe may be doubled and put into a 9x13 inch pan.

Put selection of pieces on candy dish, sit down, get your favorite book, and enjoy.  Yum! ;0)

Use a medium sized cookie sheet with raised edges (jelly roll pan). Fill it with Keebler Club crackers, single layer, not overlapping. Melt 2 cubes butter minus 2 tablespoons, then add 1/2 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and boil just 2 minutes--NO LONGER! Pour over crackers, covering each one. Sprinkle chopped pecans over all (or any nut you prefer). Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Remove from cookie sheet and cool on foil. Don’t scrape up any extra topping and add it to a cookie--looks ugly!  Scrape up all the excess into a ball and let it cool and eat it! Yum!

Protecting your paper collectible or ephemera: Many times you will find that some bubble-head has placed a sticker on a paper item!  Don't fret.  To remove it, simply use lighter fluid.  It removes the sticker by melting the glue, and doesn't harm the paper in any way!  One other hint for paper--there is a deacidifier spray that you can purchase that will neutralize the acid in paper and prevent it from deteriorating.  This makes it safe for scrapbooking, if that is what you like to do.  You can purchase it from a company called Brodart on their website at: www.brodart.com

In a large plastic container with a tight fitting lid, pour some really strong hydrogen peroxide (the kind from the beauty supply store--40 volume).  Use rubber floves and do this outside!  You don't want to spill this in your house or get it on your skin (makes you wonder what it does to your head??!).  Anyway, you don't have to completely submerse the item, because the fumes will work in addition to the liquid.  But immersing it works best and fastest.  Don't put anything cold painted in the container!  Leave it for several days, and when you open it you will have a clean, shiny piece.

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