My Friends

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Text color and Size.


Hi my Blogger friends. 
I have enlarged the text and brightened the color to make it easier for those that are having trouble seeing it. We are all getting a tad older, dang it, and some of our faculties are not as great as they once were like our eyes especially. I saw a sweet little older lady at the market the other day with glasses on and holding a magnifying glass. I was so impressed and told her that I was going to start doing that. I swear that on some items they deliberately make the text so small that you do indeed need a magnifying glass to read it. So, I would appreciate it if you let me know if this makes it easier to see and read my blogs.
Thank you, Hope you all have a great day.
Just trying to light the way and make it easier for us older folks. 
hahah.


Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Hi gang, Its a damp day here in Toledo Oregon again
Not raining but damp and misty and the perfect day for this pot
of Potato corn chowder w/ white cheddar cheese grated on top.



Some  Red Lobster biscuits and a little green salad will be just perfect for dinner tonight to go along with it. It Smells delicious and after sampling it a tad, I think it's another winner. I will add a few clams
to mine. Greg isn't big on clams or any seafood at
all for that matter. Crazy isn't it. 


Well, Dinner's ready. Now I can just turn it down and 
wait for Dad to get home. 
The Baxter and Phoebe's noses have 
been going crazy from smelling the bacon and all the goodies. Sorry kids this isn't for puppies. Its got cooked onions and they aren't good for dogs. I know you don't care but momma loves you.


Saturday, August 6, 2016


Good Morning to all my Saturday bloggers.
This is what I woke up to this morning. It was so foggy I
couldn't see my ole house down below. Yep I used to live down at the bottom of this hill about 3 years ago. I so enjoy the view from here much more. This is what it looked like about 40 minutes later.

 Its a beautiful day today and the
sun decided to show it's wonderful
face.

The Begonias and Lilies are loving  it as are the rest of the flowers and trees.





Baxter is taking his early morning
Nap and Phoebe is following his lead.


The sun is shining through the front window and I am working on starting my day. 

I don't have any specific plans but I am hoping to start some projects that I need to get going on. 
Not going to rush into anything today, It's 
Saturday. 

This was our old house at the bottom of the hill. 
I sort of miss it. It was a cute little house. I miss the
smaller yard.




Friday, August 5, 2016



I am going to be so busy today so won't be posting more till later this evening. Payday and bills to pay and groceries to buy and maybe stop and have a little clam chowder at my favorite spot, Newport Cafe !
They have the absolute best chowder, garlic toast and a nice root beer to down it all with. Yummers. Will post more later. Have an AWESOME Friday.

Later Gators.

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

My beautiful Asian Lilies. Wish I had scratch and sniff, the aroma is Heavenly

Well since I have decided to start blogging again, I will put all my family and daily adventures here at my primitive nest. I will keep all my Handiwork such as quilting, crocheting, needle punch, rug hooking, and general needle work activities at
punchdrunkneedleworks.blogspot.com.

I know its going to take a while to get everyone back into the blogging mode since FB started taking over. I admit I was and still am hooked but I so want to detach myself from the social media buzz.  Its tough since that is where my family and friends all gather and contact me there instead of having to go to different areas like different blogs.

So I hope that you will be one of the few that takes a moment to say good morning and share your day on a more personal note. That is what I am going to do.

Please leave a message to let me know you stopped by. I am so happy that you did.

So are Phoebe and Baxter
Have a wonderful day ya all !!!

Thursday, January 21, 2016

My Crazy, crazy hump day ! ! !

Had to start my day with an MRI first thing thing at 7:45. Having it done on my coccyx and lower pelvic region. I have been having some major pain and at times I can barely walk. It's not sciatica as have been through some horrendous injections and manipulations with no relief at all. The MRI noise sent my head into an intense migraine. I went from there to the lab and I barely sat down and the alarms went off, announcing that there was a Code red in the ER! Fire alarm! ! ! !

The alarms continued to blast, turning my head into a time bomb ready to explode and then after what seemed to be ages, it stopped! ! ! They were doing a test! ! ! Thank you very much. 


from there it just got worse. My doctor  changed my pain meds to something that would actually help my pain. At first I thought it was going to be the just the ticket. NOT ! I started to itch like a mad woman and welts started to develop all over an the itching was intense and it was everywhere from the bottom of my feet to my eyes and scalp. It was even in the worst possible areas.  I called the ER and asked if I could mix the pain med with Benadryl. He said he couldn't advise me over the phone but in a roundabout way he said that he had heard that people had taken it that way before and they felt better. I told him I understood and thanked him and I am now laying in bed comfortably and I am going to say my prayers and thank God for giving me  some relief.

Thank you God and now I am going to say,
Goodnight and sleep well. I will. See you all in the morning light.
Goodnight my friend's,
Goodnight........zzzzzzzzzz

        

                                          

Whew !

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Happy Hump day everyone. Hope your week is going great so far.




I am so glad that so many of you friends and family are visiting my blog but I would so much love to hear from you. Even a hello or love or didn't care for your blog. Its just nice to get some feedback. I am trying to break away from spending so much time on Facebook, but I miss the interaction between you and I. Feel free to share anything on my blogs and I hope to see some of my old friends stopping by again. 
Hope you liked the first recipe. I will be sharing the Key lime Cheesecake recipe this weekend. See you then.

Baxter and Phoebe say Have a Woofy Great Day.


Tuesday, January 19, 2016


As I Promised I am going to share this recipe with you. It is
 one of my very favorite cakes. I make it for  very special occasions and also for others upon request. It's not a quick 
easy cake but you should have no problems if you follow the
recipe I give. It takes two days do it right.
Make it when you're not in a hurry and your
family will love it and so will you.

 Red Velvet Cheesecake



INGREDIENTS;

CHEESECAKE;

Two (8 - ounce ) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
pinch of salt
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

RED VELVET CAKE

2 1/2 cups all purpose flout
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder ( not Dutch process)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda.
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temp
1/12 cups vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup red food coloring. I use less just because I don't feel its all that necessary to be
dark red.... just by choice.
2 teaspoons white vinegar.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted lightly to remove any lumps
Two (8 ounce) packages Cream cheese, at room temp
1/2 unsalted butter, at room temp
1 tablespoon  Vanilla extract.

Method:

1. Prepare the cheesecake layer: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place a large roasting pan on the lower third rack of the oven. Place a kettle of water on the stove to boil. Spray a 9 inch springform pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Wrap a double layer of foil around the bottom and up the sides of the pan. ( you want to seal it so the water from the water bath doesn't seep into the pan) In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix the cream cheese - blend until it is nice and smooth and creamy.Mix in sugar and salt blend for 2 minutes , scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. Finally mix in sour cream, whipping cream and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set the pan into the roasting pan in the pre=heatd oven. Carefully pour the hot water from your kettle into the roasting pan ( it will fill the pan surrounding the cheesecake). Pour enough water so that there is about an inch of water coming up the foil along the sides of the cheesecake pan. Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes. It should be set to the touch and not jiggly. Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. When it has cooled, place the pan into the freezer and let the cheesecake freeze completely. This can be done in several hours or overnight. 

2. Prepare the cake layer? Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9 =inch round metal baking baking pans ( or spray with nonstick baking spray with flour). In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar to the flour mixture. Using and electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat for 1 minute, until blended. Scrape side and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans, then invert cakes onto a rack to cool completely.

3. Prepare the frosting: In a large bowl, using a electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter and vanilla until it is smooth and creamy ( do not overbeat).

4. Assemble the cake: Place one cake layer into the center of a cake plate or platter. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, take off the sides of the pan, and slide a knife under the parchment to remove the cheesecake from the pan. Peel off the parchment. Measure your cheesecake layer against the cake layers. If the cheesecake layer turns out to be a little larger round than your cake, move it to a cutting board and gently shave off some of the exterior of the cheesecake to get it to the same size as your cake layers. Place the cheesecake layer on top of the first cake layer. Place the 2nd cake layer on top of the cheesecake. 

Frosting the cake and applying  a crumb coat layer to the to the cake. Use a long, thin spatula to cover the cake completely with a thin and even layer of of frosting. Be sure to wipe off your spatula each time you are about to dip it back into the bowl to get more frosting ( this way you won't be transferring any red crumbs into the bowl of frosting)  Don't worry at this point about the crumbs being visible in the frosting on the cake. When your cake has a thin layer of frosting all over it, place it into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to " set"  the frosting. Once the first layer of frosting is set, apply the 2nd layer. Start by adding a large scoop of frosting onto the top of the cake. Use a long, thin spatula to spread the frosting evenly across the top and then spread it down the sides of the cake too. 
Because you applied a crumb-coat layer you shouldn't have any red crumbs floating around in the final frosting layer.

Tip: I trim a little bit off the top of the bottom layer to use for the crumb portion. You can also use Red Velvet Rose cookies for the crumb crust. Also, I took plastic wrap and put it around the crumb covered sides and pushed the crumbs firmly onto the cream cheese frosting layer.

Soooo.... the rest is up to you. My first one came out great.



Yummers! ! ! and Enjoy!

Monday, January 18, 2016

Welcome back to my Primitive Nest.



 Welcome back to my Primitive Nest. 

Yes We're BACKKKKK ! ! ! ! 




Okay, since I am getting away from the infamous Facebook, I am going to be needing another outlet for my friends and family to stay in touch with me and the Fam. being Greg my dear sweet hubby, the fur babies and me. 

This blog will be more about the goings on around here where my other one punchdrunkneedleworks.blogspot.com. is more about my quilting, sewing, crocheting and other creative needleworks.

So my friends. please drop by for good recipes, tips, and what have ya to pass on. 

You will discover that Cheesecake is my weakness and I love them all but I do have my favorites.
 I will be sharing recipes and more. 
Baxter and Phoebe will always be here to give you all 
the great MacKay welcome. Hugs and stop by often.
Baxter                                      Phoebe            
                                  

Whoops!!! Looks like I better get busy. Hahah

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Punch Drunk Needle Works: MY SAVING GRACE

Punch Drunk Needle Works: MY SAVING GRACE: Oh my gosh, If God ever created tools this was one of them. I can thread a needle with my eyes closed. Seriously. This is the most awesome Needle threader I have ever used. It is made by Clover.
http://www.anniescatalog.com/list.html?criteria=clover+needle+threader&go.x=2&go.y=2
check this out. You will wonder how you ever got along without it.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Gourd Beading 101 in 2013

Where did the year go??
I swear, the older you get the faster time flys by.

I am going to be doing this for friends that have asked for it

I am working on a tutorial for gourd beading. I am doing it frame by frame as I don't have a mobile web cam and I can't use my camera as I only have two hands.

I think though that I am going to share the tutorial here as a lot of friends have expressed an interest in learning the art.

Very first requirement is the Patience of Job. It takes a long time to complete a project but once you do you will be a Happy Happy Happy.

These are a few of the ones that I have done in the past just to give you an idea of what the beaded gourds look like.

Now that you see what I am talking about. I will post a materials list and then begin the tutorial'
Would love to hear if there is any interest.




Materials list,

Depending on the surface you wish to work on will determine how many sheets of beeswax you will want.

I have used gourds, Ostrich eggs, emu eggs but they are a little more fragile. I have also used a sword fish bill like the one below.
                                         
I would at least begin with about 10 -15 sheets of Beeswax natural. 
Lots and lots of 13/0 seed beads.
A design in mind and lots of time.
Don't get in a hurry as it just won't come together.
Most of my students purchase one of my 'Thing-A-Ma-Jigs"
Like the one below
You really need one of these or a T-pin to pick up the 13/0 seed beads as each one is pushed into the wax one bead at a time.

I will break off here and give everyone a chance to gather some of the materials if you are interested in trying this. 
If you are interested in one of the Thing-A-Ma-Jigs you can purchase one from me for $5.
plus shipping.
Until our next meeting start your gathering and let me know if you are really interested in learning this technique.

Thanks 

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Hello my friends and followers.

Yep, its been ages and so much has happened. Life goes on and I am dealing with some
heavy duty health issues so that seems to put a crimp on my normal goings on. But, I just
keep plugging along.
Phoebe and The Baxter keep me going too, especially when the front door blows open when
I was gone and they decided to go for a walk off the leashes, by their selves for the first time
ever. My dear Husband got home before I did and did the initial panicking for me. He went
and down the street, talking to neigbors, calling for the two of them. He came back home and
called me at which point my heart flew out of my chest. Then he said, "oh wait, here they come
wagging their tails behind them". They must have had a great time and thank the lord we
live in a somewhat quite area so there isn't a lot of traffic. OMG... I would be heart sick
if anything happened to my sweet furry kids.

.
Anyway, just want to say that I wish for all my Friends and Followers a very
Merry Christmas and Joyous holiday season to all.
Hugs and Holiday blessings
Jan, Greg, Phoebe and the Baxter

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Its amazing how fast the kids grow up


I got a real chuckle when I looked at these two pictures.


He is all of 40 lbs now. Yep he's a chunky monkey 
but we love every pound of him and so does
Phoebe. I am hoping thought that this growth
spurt is slowing down. He is a puggle
not a labble. heheh


He was the biggest of the litter and he has outgrown
his father and his mother. 


Sunday, April 15, 2012

My oh My I've been gone too long

Wow, I had no Idea that it had been that long since I last posted here. Guess I have been too wrapped up in my daily life. Taking care of my dear friend with cancer and then the new puppy that has grown so much. You aren't going to believe how much he's grown so I better show you.
Isn't he just a cuddle bug. We have had so much fun with this little guy. Baxter and Phoebe get along so well. I could't have picked a better match.

I haven't been able to do too much in the garden yet since Mother nature hasn't been very cooperative. I did get new stawbales and got them transplanted with my strawberries but thats about the extent of it.

I have been working on a new punch needle for another sewing basket.


Well, better go get some breakfast going for the hubby. 
I promise not to stay away so long again

Friday, March 23, 2012

Memorial to Rufus






As many of you know I am an avid animal lover and just lost my William Wallace last mothers day. Well, we have a new kid in our family named Baxter that is growing like a weed. Him and Phoebe get along famously and couldn't be closer if they were related.
How ever this posting is for a very dear and special little guy that I have grown to love and adore across the miles. His name is Rufus. He and his brother Buddy were dropped off on the property of a fellow FB friend Named Lana.



I have just adored Rufus from the start as he reminded be in spirit of my dear William Wallace that I so recently lost. He just crept into my heart from the start.
Last night he was hit and killed by a car and was gone before they could even reach him. So fortunately he didn't suffer but I am just beside myself and my heart is breaking all over again.
Phoebe is so good at picking up on these things and has been trying to comfort me in her own way with toys and paws in my lap. It's funny how they can pick up on those sort of things. I know that Rufus wasn't mine but in my heart he belong to me. I am going to miss him terrible and the tears are flowing freely once again. I take comfort in knowing that he and Wallace are up there playing and running and waiting for us to cross that Rainbow Bridge so we can all take comfort in each others love again.

Rufus, we are going to miss you. Big hugs go out to Buddy and to Lana who I am sure is suffering from the loss too.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

I am such a lucky lady today

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to All

I am feeling the luck and love of the Irish today. My dearest friend just gave me her old couch and chair as she is getting a new one. The couch isn't really old at all but it is exactly my style and what I would have picked out if I were to go and buy one. I love it and feel truly blessed with her gift.

She is such a giving lady and I feel so lucky to have her in my life. I have never had a friend like her and her dear daughter and I hold their friendship in my heart and like I say I am truly blessed. Not by what they give me but by there unconditional friendship.

Also, I want to share, that Phoebe and Baxter now have there own special FB page. Yep, just click here and it will take you there. https://www.facebook.com/PhoebeAndBaxter
It just seemed like most of my postings on FB were of Phoebe and Baxter so I thought that I should just get them there own special page.

Well, as if God heard my pleas for some sunshine, it is gorgeous outside today. What a better way to celebrate Saint Patricks Day. Hope your day is as truly blessed as mine is.

Friends, Family and sunshine what more could I ask for?