My great-aunt Glady's Butter Crunch

I was looking for this for a long time. I am so glad that my Mother found it.

Butter Crunch

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Margarine plus 3 tablespoons of water
1 cup sugar
1/2 semi sweet, milk chocolate chips, or dark chocolate chips (optional)

1. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with foil.
2. Butter or spray lightly.
3. Cover bottom with nuts and set a side

In a heavy 2 quart saucepan or a 12 inch electric skillet combine butter, margarine, water and sugar. Place over high heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon. The mixture will foam. Cook stirring constantly, until mixture becomes a light tan color. Do not let the mixture get brown! = come to a boil, then stir for 7 minutes.

• Remove from heat and poor over the nuts in your 8 inch square baking pan. Spread mixture evenly over nuts. Cool at room temperature for 24 hours then brake into pieces.
• If you choose to use chocolate chips. While the mixture is hot spread the chocolate chips of choice on top. The chocolate chips will melt. Let cool at room temperature for 24 hours then break into pieces.
• If you want to use a dipping chocolate instead of chocolate chips. Let the mixture cool for one hour at room temperature. Then spread the melted chocolate over the candy. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Then break the candy.

Cheers everyone!

My big epiphany

I wrote on my twitter page: "Had a big epiphany last night. The result; I may not be going back to choir." I think I freaked out my Choir Director. Understand that I did not say this to get attention, the epiphany really did happen.

It started when I was invited to audition for a musical or two. I was little confused, the person who invited me knows that I am not an "Show Tune Singer. " In fact I am a "Classical singer." Classical because if I say Opera, people will tune out and cringe. I am so much a Classical singer, I took a show tune and turned it into an almost Opera song. It was unintentional. I tried so hard to keep this show tune as is and not turn it into a classical type category. So what I sang during the auditions was only a fraction of what I can sing when I really try to sing Opera at full voice. It was weird, people that was standing on the other side of this big room, could hear me and was looking at me like I came from another planet. Go Venous!

So my mom asked me how it went I told her from my point of view. Then I asked her: 'How do you sing "Show Tune."' She told me how I tried it and honestly, and please know that I am not exaggerating when I say this. I sounded like something was dying in my vocal cords. I wanted to claw out my own vocal cords and it was so harsh on my own ears.

During choir my choir director would always tell me to "lighten up." Mostly because the natural tone of the choir is light and airy, they are not classical singers. As having a classical voice, I have a deeper tone with a natural dramatic vibrato. It is so hard for me to "lighten up" and sing the way the choir director wants me to. I have tired, heavens knows I have tried. While trying I have notice a problem and a change, a change that I didn't like. I started to back off like crazy and singing without spirit, without heart.

I was thinking all of this over last night in the late night hours. I have realized that wasn't singing to my full potential, I was cutting myself short. I was having so much fun preparing for this audition, I was singing Opera songs, then I stopped myself short because I knew that I needed to sing an show tune and try and sing it as a show tune. As I said before, I failed to do that.

By not singing up to my full potential, cutting myself off short, I am not happy by doing this. I am happy when I do sing in my full classical voice. So that is why I may stop going to choir. If I sing to my full potential I stand out and cant blend in with the other choir members. If I stay and back off like I have been, I'll become more and more unhappy.

This decision didn't come easy and I am still on: should I or shouldn't I? I do like to sing. This has nothing to do with the auditions, or the choir director. I just want to be happy, and sing the way that I was meant and taught to do.

Cheers Everyone~

Road Construction

A Satire poem by me....Hollie Ruth Robb

Road Construction

Oh road construction how do I love thee?
Who needs to have the smell of Eggs Benedict and Bacon in the morning,
When I do have the lovely smell of Asphalt, and Tar instead?

Road Construction....please never leave.
Thou have been here for over ten years.
Thou will never over stay thine welcome.

Momma said that delays, confusion, and disappointments
will be apart of life...but who knew that it would come from thee Road Construction!
The orange cones, the smells, the road closes, what could be better?

Dear Road Construction, you are perfect in every way!
Thou must know that I do love thee.
I just love that thou have blocked every road.

Remember this is Satire. It had to be done. I haven't read many poems upon this subject.

Cheers Everyone!

Rediscovering my curls #3

Curly Girl: The Handbook by Lorraine Massey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Ok I do love this book. But I still have a question. I live in a desert and the gel's that I have been trying on my hair have just been making the hair have the freeze look, and would weigh down the curls. And I have very curly hair.

So now I am currently asking a pro. hair dresser also with curly hair about this problem.

Also I love the added chapters and information in this book. The chapter about Chemo really touched me.

I am trying to love this curly top of mine. It is a process.




View all my reviews

Yes, I am still on a quest to love my curls. But as living in the second most driest state in the US country. We have such extremes as in one day we could be 100 degrees with 0% humidity but the next day we could be at 90 degrees with 30% or more humidity. So I am having problems following the "Curly Girl" cleansing and styling regime as prescribe in the book. I'll put in the gel and the problem is that the gel would make my hair look frozen and the curls would just be weighed down. I do have very curly hair, with the gel in it makes my very curly hair looks like a wave.

So I have asked questions, as I have said above. I am currently hoping that my questions will be answered. Once I do get the answers then I'll let you know.

~Cheers Everyone!

Rediscovering my curls part zwei (2)

I haven't been able to update on this, I haven't exactly had that time. I have been keeping an account in my personal journal, so I don't feel that bad.

Saturday afternoon: The dry wicked wind blew and dried out the curls. The result: Frizz and untamed-unmanageable. Argh!

Sunday: All I did was sprayed my curls with water and natural lavender oil mixed with water. The Lavender oil is a natural cleanser. How I made this stuff is:

Regular spray bottle filed with cold water and about 3 drops of lavender oil and shake well.

Sunday continued: That wind again was there and my curls this time wilted and frizzed. By-the-way if anyone in my ward reads this: thank you for not laughing at my hair. If you don't know by now my hair and I have issues.......still.

Monday: Again I just sprayed my curls with lavender oil/water mixture. Left it to dry. The curls look good. Possibly/most likely because of the extra moister in the air. Also possibly because I was working with a lot of water. I was shampooing my mothers carpet.

Today: Washed my curls with of curse conditioner and lemon juice. I toweled dried it and then jest let the air do the rest. While it was mostly dry, that is when I put in the all natural conditioner and left in. The abundance of curls are back!

Note to self: Look for an deep conditioner for these dry and windy summer day's. That might help, but use it to wash the curls combine with lemon juice; to keep as much moister in as possible.

Cheers Everyone!

Rediscovering my curls

I hope you don't mind but I am going to wright an online journal about Rediscovering my curls. This is mostly to help me. I am also going to put in my personal journal. However if it helps anyone else then.......sweet!

About 10 years ago I have stopped straightening my curls but still was at a loss on how to work with my curls. Then I got a book called Curly Girl. The book it's self explains that using shampoo will damage the hair and scalp, and make it frizzy and somewhat straight......mostly frizzy. So I had to use a lot of conditioner and oil; yes I do put oil on my hair. Now I was noticing that my curl was starting to get weighted down with way too much product.

So Thursday night I washed my hair; not with shampoo but with conditioner and lemon juice. To take out build up and clean it. Then I decided that I wasn't going to put in any conditioner while it was still dripping wet, like I'd usually would do . I just used a towel to dry it, then let the air do the rest. The result was more curl then I could even imagine that existed on my head, and they stick out everywhere. However I still have a little issue with frizz. So while my hair was still slightly damp, I put on an possibly 1- 1.5 teaspoon of a all natural conditioner. By doing that it controlled the frizz more still had some but not as much. And the curls looked great.

Yesterday I didn't wash it at all. I just use an leave-in-conditioner. One that was free of silicone's, the curls did come back and they still look good.

Today well, I tried to go without washing it again. Result was: it looked dirty, and the curls was seriously weighted down and unmanageable; as in the curls would not behave, some would only wave then frizz. So I washed it with of course conditioner and lemon juice. Right now it is currently drying. So I am hopping that I can somewhat repeat the process/cycle. We'll see how it goes. Then I'll do a new update.

Ginger and Lime Marinade

I have made this marinade. It was a big hit in the family!

Ginger and Lime

2 Tablespoon of Ginger (or to the preference of your taste)
2 cup of lime

Mix the two together and then pore it over 4 pieces of pork,or chicken in a dish that you can cover. I used a zip-lock bag. Put in fridge over night. Now because of the lime juice it make the meat look like it is done. The meat won't be so you can either grill the meat, bake or fry. Just make sure that the middle of the meat reaches 160-170 degrees using a meat thermometer. The next time I use this marinade I'm going to dutch oven it, Mormon style.

~Cheers Everyone!