T Day Taxes and More

  Well, we got hit with yet more snow and freezing rain and rain and what a royal mess!! It began Sun. evening and continued through today (Monday) off and on. It was so heavy I couldn't help with the shoveling-poor hubby had to do ours and our neighbors' place (how dare they be in Florida???) before going to work.

                                             
  It really was this ugly and gray looking :(  My fear is the overnight freezing because it is supposed to go down to the single digits again. Already there have been numerous -some serious- accidents, and appointments scheduled for Tues AM have been moved up to the afternoon. Enough already!

 Spending more time indoors has me cooking and baking more.

 I made a new recipe of baked red snapper over a bed of spaghetti veggies which included carrots, red peppers, onion, yellow and green squash. This was the first time hubby had red snapper and I wasn't sure how it would go but he loved it! And not one comment about the fact that there was squash involved (which he claims he can't stand). Smile.

 I also made a batch of  Breakfast Squares:

 These are not only a healthier chewy version of a granola bar but also melt in your mouth yummy with no preservatives. I've adapted the original recipe which I will share at the end of this post. They freeze well and are perfect with coffee or tea! You can also find links to other recipes I've posted and photographed under the 'Recipes' category just below my banner at the top.

 I have to share something artsy too. This is a small journal book I covered:

 
 This book is for poetry and haikus I write, along with a bit of art. I want to share how I made this shiny cover:

 Start with a piece of tin foil. Crinkle it up gently and then flatten it. Paint over it with metallic acrylic paints. Allow to dry. Overstamp with some black paint and punchinella. Once dry I cut it to size and glued it to the book cover using PPA (Perfect Paper Adhesive by US Artquest) . An alphabet stamp was used with black permanent ink for the title. I then sealed the cover with a coat of the PPA. The foil is actually pretty sturdy once the paint is applied and the coat of sealer protects it also. I hope you'll give it a try!

 A big thank you! to Krisha who generously offered to send out extra ATCs she made. I received one of the wildflowers and dragonfly ATCs and it is beautiful! I love the pearlescent finish. You can see her ATCs in this post.

 Hopefully I will have gotten to the accountant and to an eye dr. appt. Tues. afternoon pending road conditions. Regardless, I will be making time to visit Elizabeth and friends at T Stands For Tuesday.
Be safe and be warm wherever you may be.

            " The more passions and desires one has, the more ways one has of being happy."
                                                                                Catherine Charlotte de Gramont

                                                   
                                                            Breakfast Squares

            2 c quick cook oats                       1/4 tsp salt                    1/4 c vegetable oil   
            1 lg egg                                         1/2 c brown sugar         1 c milk
            1/4 c whole wheat flour                1 tsp baking powder     1 tsp cinnamon
            1/2 c chopped walnuts                  1/2 c raisins   

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 7 1/2 " x 11 " pan. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Scoop into prepared pan. Bake 25-30 min. Cut into squares.