BOEUF BOURGUIGNON, SERVED WITH A FINE AUTOIMMUNE WHINE......

Just so you know, I really, really don't like talking about what ails me. I find it boring, and well, nobody wants to hear it! It's TRUE...we all know "That Woman", the woman who, when you innocently ask her "How are you today?", and she actually goes ahead and tells you all the bad stuff that might be going on in her life. Stuff you really didn't want to hear...you were just making pleasant conversation, right? Trying to be polite?

Well, I was asked by a very nice local friend the other day just how I was doing, and when I replied, "Fine, thank you", she replied, "But I heard you haven't been well lately...you sure LOOK great!" Which got me thinking...about how many of us hide invisible illnesses, and how somedays we might look pretty great on the outside, but feel like HOLY S*%T on the inside. And how brave people like us have to be, because (with the exception of our families and our doctors), NOBODY wants to hear it.

And in the case of most autoimmune diseases, nobody knows anything about them, because they're invisible. Cancer--we know all about that, what with the hair loss, weight loss and other physical signs that are so obvious. Sometimes those of us with hidden A.I. diseases aren't taken seriously, because most people don't die from them anymore.

I'm here to tell you that even though what I personally suffer from might not be terminal, it IS a death sentence...because I will suffer from this horrible disease for the rest of my life, and the medications I am forced to take WILL shorten my life. My doctor done told me so......

When people ask what Sjogren's Syndrome is, I usually tell them it's just like Lupus, because Lupus, another autoimmune disease, is fairly well known. Heck, I didn't know what Sjogren's was when I was diagnosed...had never even heard of it, and how in the HECK does one pronounce "Sjogren's", anyways (say "Show-Grin's)?

Here's a little description of Sjogren's Syndrome for you, complements of the National Library of Medicine:

"Sjogren's Syndrome is a disease that causes dryness in your mouth and eyes. it can also lead to dryness in other places that need moisture, such as your nose, throat and skin. Most people who get Sjogren's Syndrome are older than 40. Nine out of ten are women. Sjogren's Syndrome is sometimes linked to rheumatic problems such as rheumatoid arthritis. Sjogren's is an autoimmune disease. If you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system, which is supposed to fight disease, mistakenly attacks parts of your own body. In Sjogren's Syndrome, your immune system attacks the glands that make tears and saliva. It may also affect your joints, lungs, kidneys, blood vessels, digestive organs and nerves."

Sjogren's affects everybody differently. I only recently have started having problems with severe eye and mouth dryness. My first symptoms (about 6 years ago--healthy as an ox up until then!) were problems with my blood vessels in my legs (which I now know is Vasculitis, common with Sjogren's patients) and EXTREME fatigue. Fatigue so bad that it truly felt like I was coming down with the flu, each and every day. I also found out that I have a pre-cancerous blood disorder, also common with Sjogren's patients, and will have to see an oncologist for the rest of my life (along with a rheumatologist, neurologist and ENT specialist) to monitor the extra proteins in my blood. After multiple bone marrow biopsies, I now know no fear!

My rheumatologist told me recently that, because I was on the youngish side, diagnosis-wise, my symptoms will only get worse in my 50's....can't tell you how much I look forward to the future sometimes!

I know that my perspective sounds bleak, but I'm just being very honest about how the disease has affected my life...and believe it or not, I AM optimistic about the future, because recently I have been feeling better than I have in a while, thanks to a pretty strong immuno-suppressant drug cocktail. And I know that so much research is being conducted, as we speak, on ways to improve the lives of those affected by autoimmune diseases such as mine.

If you'd like to read more about Sjogren's Syndrome and how it affects the lives of other women, I invite you to read my friend Julia's most EXCELLENT blog, called Reasonably Well, HERE.

Thank you for letting me bend your ear on this subject that is near and dear to my heart, because it is my wish that more people will become educated on Autoimmune diseases, as they affect the lives millions and millions of people ( and don't forget, mostly women!) in our country.

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And now onto the real reason I'm here...the FOOD!.......

Still working through Barefoot In Paris, Ina Garten's fabulous cookbook on all-things Frenchie. I prepared her very intimidating-sounding Boeuf Bourguignon for supper the other night....it really is just a basic beef stew with red wine. But I think this is the BEST Boeuf Bourguignon we've ever tasted! The beef was super tender, and the flavor of the broth was incredible....I do declare that this would make a mighty sexy Valentine's Day dinner for someone special!

I served ours with some toasted sliced of Ina's homemade Brioche (recipe, HERE) for dipping...all in all, a fabulous meal. To begin, cook a little bit of bacon in a large Dutch oven until lightly browned..............MMMM that smells terrific!...........

Remove bacon and brown beef, in batches.....

Set beef aside with the cooked bacon. Add carrots and onions, salt and pepper and cook until onions are browned.......

Add garlic and cook a little bit more...add Cognac ( I used good brandy), stand back and ignite a match to burn off alcohol........(ALWAYS pour from a glass, never the bottle, unless you enjoy emergency rooms).....

Check out the little flame action I caught here...scary!..........

Put the meat and bacon back into the pot, then add a whole bottle of red wine plus some beef broth.................

Add tomato paste and some thyme, and put the Dutch oven into the oven for about 1 and a quarter to 1 and a half hours, or until everything is very tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and add a little bit of flour and butter, then the frozen pearl onions..........right outa the bag! As Ina would say, "How easy is that?"...........

Saute mushrooms until browned..............

Add to the stew. And here's what the end product looks like....talk about hearty comfort food!................

I'm too tired today to type out the whole recipe for you, but you can check it out, HERE (it's printable, too)....please come back soon for Ina's incredible Chocolate Truffle recipe, just in time for Valentine's Day!

TODAY I'M SO THANKFUL FOR.....

***Today's recipe--Wink ! has asked me to prepare it for him again, and soon! I'm thinking a great excuse for a dinner party!

***That Little Miss Thing's Valentine's care package reached her all in one piece ($85 for a 10 lb. box!) in freezing, snowy Paris...thank goodness I included a few sweaters and a new scarf in addition to her requested Skippy Peanut butter (outrageously expensive there).

***My husband Wink !, who made me laugh this morning at the gym, and keeps things fun!

INA'S GOAT CHEESE TART, AND THIS IS HOW WE DO IT!.....

Well HELLO Super Bowl Sunday....my name is Kitten (more on that in a bit), and I don't care even one little LICK about this stupid game today, since my beloved San Francisco 49rs AND the New Orlean's Saints aren't playing ....how's that for a sore loser !

But I do love, love, love the Half-time entertainment (Madonna!) and the fun commercials, so I'll be a good sport and join my man on the couch and pretend to be interested in the game. Why, I even threw together a crock pot full of chili (a very turkey healthy chili...you might remember this recipe from HERE), and bought a bag of tortilla chips AND a six pack of beer for the event---let's PARTY!............

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So my husband is at it again....changing his nickname, that is. Did you even know that was possible, to change one's own nickname? I swear he thinks he's George Costanza.....Let's see...first, he was Big Daddy, next, he was Bad Ass (NOT my favorite!), and now, well, he's officially..........

WINK! That's it...Wink ! Willard.....with the "!", of course! Because he's always, always winking at me and our daughter. Kinda creepy. And speaking of ME...he's started calling me "Kitten", after the mama in our new "favorite" show, Bayou Billionaires..............,

 which is 2nd only to our alltime favorite, Our Redneck Wedding........

And who could ever miss Hillbilly Hand Fishin'.......(This one's for YOU, Patty J!)

It's been a loooong winter, folks.

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And now I'm going to take a complete 180 degree turn, and chat about French cooking! Still enjoying preparing The Barefoot Contessa's recipes from her new cookbook, Barefoot in Paris, and last week I made her Goat Cheese Tart for dinner one night, served with a crisp green salad.

This tart is a rich as Mitt Romney, and the amount of butter used in the crust would make Paula Deen swoon! The actual recipe for the crust would be a great one to keep on hand, as it is truly a no-fail, and can be used for any sort of a tart you might desire, sweet or savory.

Basically, this whole recipe is prepared in your food processor, which I love. To start, cut butter into a large dice, and place in the processor with the flour and salt.....

Pulse the butter and ICE water, until the dough becomes crumbly.....you don't want to over-process!........

Gather dough into a ball on a floured board, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out dough until large enough to fit into a 9 inch tart pan with removable sides.

Here's where I cheated a little bit...Ina says to line the dough with a sheet of tin foil, then weigh it down with dried rice or beans...I didn't have any on hand (for shame!), but I did have split green peas, so that's what I used.....worked out fine......

(In the future, I plan on having a jar of dried beans on hand JUST for this purpose, because it worked really well...the tart was PERFECTLY flat)

Bake the crust for 30 minutes...meanwhile, heat up some more butter and saute some beautiful chopped shallots until tender.....

Put about 10 ounces of good goat cheese in the bowl of your food processor and process until crumbly. Add eggs, cream, basil, salt and pepper, and process until blended......

Scatter cooked shallots over bottom of tart shell, then pour all of that goat cheese goodness over the shallots to fill the shell. Bake for 30-40 minutes, and then you get THIS.....

Wanna bite?.........

If you love goat cheese as much as I do, and are in the mood for something very French and very rich and special, give this recipe a try! Fantastic for breakfast, brunch, lunch OR dinner!

Thanks again, Ina Garten....Here's the recipe....

BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S GOAT CHEESE TART
Serves 6

1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board
Kosher salt
13 tblsp. cold unsalted butter, divided
3 to 4 tblsp. ice water
3/4 cup chopped shallots (3 to 4 shallots)
10 1/2 oz. garlic and herb soft goat cheese, such as Montrachet
1 cup heavy cream
3 extra large eggs
1 / 4 cup chopped basil (I used 2 tsp. dried)
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the crust, put the flour and 1/4 tsp. salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Cut 12 tblsp. of the butter into large dice, add to the bowl, and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, add the ice water all at once and process until the dough becomes crumbly. Don't overprocess. Dump the dough out on a floured board, gather it loosely into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll the dough on a well floured board and fit into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable side, rolling the pin over the top to cut off the excess dough. Butter one side of a square of aluminum foil and fit it, butter side down, into a tart pan. Fill the foil with rice or beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and foil from the tart shell, prick the bottom all over with a fork, and bake for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in a small pan and saute the shallots over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tender. Place the goat cheese in the bowl of the food processor and process until crumbly. Add the cream, eggs, basil, 1/4 tsp. salt and the pepper and process until blended. Scatter the cooked shallots over the bottom of the tart shell. Pour the goat cheese mixture over the shallots to fill the shell (if the shell has shrunk, there may be leftover filling). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tart is firm when shaken and the top is lightly browned. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve hot or at room temperature.

TODAY I'M SO THANKFUL FOR......

***Methotrexate--for me it's been a miracle drug, once I got through the nausea stage. Feeling better than I have in years--WAAAHOO!!!

***Plane tickets purchased and hotel reservations made...... DONE! We will be staying on an actual island in the middle of the Seine river in Paris this April, called Ilse St. Louis...rumor has it this is the island Johnny Depp lives on.....here's a pic...

Do you think Johnny and his family will be having us in for tea and scrumpets? I'd better make a few calls........

***That Little Miss Thing seems to be flying through her courses at Sciences Politique--just received an A on her first 30-minute presentation, all in french........Sometimes I can't believe I gave birth to that child!

INA'S BRIOCHE LOAVES, AND JE VOUDRAIS DES ASPIRINES ( I WOULD LIKE AN ASPIRIN )!!!..............

(I don't really need an aspirin...just practicing on you!)

Can you tell where my mind is these days? Mmmmhmmm.....France, and all things Frenchie. Like learning our way around the city of Paris, learning some basic French language, and maybe even trying out a little bit of French cooking.....speaking of, I picked up this FANTASTIC cookbook at Barnes and Noble the other day.........

(which, in hindsight was really pretty stupid, because B.A. just gave me my early Valentine's gift, a tablet/reader gizmo--TOTALLY could have saved myself about $15, buying the book online-duh!)

The secret reason I really purchased this book was for Ina's simple decorating tips AND the lists of her favorite chocolate shops/wine shops/restaurants/bakeries and specialty food stores in Paris. Where I guess she and her husband now own a fabulous apartment of their very own. Sigh.

As my mama always says, "It's tough to be poor"!

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For the next 3 or 4 posts, I'm going to go all "Julia and Julia" on you, or, should I say, "Ina and Leslie"? I've picked out some of the recipes from the cookbook that I've watched Ina actually prepare on the tellie, and they seem totally do-able, in my book. If I had a book.

Hey, should I write a book?

First up, her Brioche Loaves. Because later on this week I'm trying out Ina's Boeuf Bourguignon (fancy talk for Beef Stew with Red Wine), and the recipe calls for some toasted "country bread" to serve the stew over. I'm assuming I can toast Brioche, unless I hear otherwise......

So here we go....recipe #1! Brioche! Egg bread! Gotta love that there's very little kneading involved, although the dough does require refrigerating overnight, so it's kind of a 2 day process. The recipe makes 2 nice-sized loaves of bread, so you can freeze one for later.......

First thing to do is to combine water, dried yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.....HEY--I can do that!.............

Wait until the sugar dissolves, then add the 6 eggs and beat until well mixed. Add some of the flour and salt and keep mixing (real recipe below). Add more flour, then soft butter chunks. Switch to a dough hook and mix some more...I do declare, this is one of the stickiest doughs I've EVER seen....check it out....almost broke my mixer!.....

Scrape the dough into a buttered bowl and refrigerate overnight. The next day, cut the dough in half.....

Pat each portion into a greased loaf pan, cover and let rise until doubled in volume, about 3 hours (I placed mine in the warmest spot in my kitchen, in my microwave above my stove). Brush the top with some egg wash............

Bake for about 45 minutes...your house is going to smell A-Freaking-May-Zing!!! Here's what my darling little darlings looked like, right out of the oven.......

And here they are, cooling on racks....you KNOW I had to slice myself off a hot little hunk, slather it in butter and snarf it right on up!

Wouldn't you?.......Hmmmm?......

Okay, one recipe down, a bunch more to follow! Please join me next time for The Barefoot Contessa's Goat Cheese Tart--simply To. Die. For. For reals.

Here's the Brioche recipe.....

BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S BRIOCHE LOAVES
Makes 2 loaves

1/2 cup warm water
1 package dried yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
6 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
4 1/4 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature (she suggests letting it sit out overnight)
1 egg mixed with 1 tblsp. milk, for egg wash

Combine the water, yeast and sugar in the bowl of an electic mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (If the bowl is cold, start with warmer water so it's at least 110 degrees when you add the yeast). Mix with your hands and allow to stand for 5 minutes until the yeast and sugar dissolve. Add the eggs and beat on medium speed for 1 minute, until well mixed. With the mixer on low spped, add 2 cups of the flour and the salt and mix for 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low, add 2 more cups of flour and mix for 5 more minutes. Still on low speed, add the soft butter in chunks and mix for 2 minutes, scraping down the beater, until well blended. With the mixer still running, sprinkle in the remaining 1/4 cup of flour. Switch the paddle attachement to a dough hook and mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the dough into a large buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. The next day, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Grease two 8 1/2 x4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pans. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and cut in half. Pat each portion into a 6 x 8 inch rectangle, then roll up each rectangle into a cylindrical loaf. Place each loaf, seam side down, into a greased pan. Cover the pans with a damp towel and set aside to rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. When the loaves have risen, brush the top of each with the egg wash and bake for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back and it sounds slightly hollow when tapped. Turn the loaves out onto a wire rack to cool.

TODAY I'M SO THANKFUL FOR.....

***My friend Sharon over at I'm Sharon With You, (a fantastic blog to check out if you love to decorate your home!), for helping me with my blog's "new look"! I love my new banner, Sharon--thank you!

***Paul and Deb Mills of Old Forge, New York AND North Carolina, who lent B.A. and I all of those nice books about France. Because they know that Mr. and Mrs. Apple Pie America needs all of the help we can get!

***New Orleans, 23 days from today--Sweet!

WARM AND COZY TOMATO SOUP WITH PARMESAN CHEESE DUMPLINGS.....

B.A. and I have been doing a lot of this lately......

That's right, ordering from menus and also staying in motels, because we've been out of town for the past couple of weekends. Bidness trips and such.

And while I love, love, love adventures out of town, here's a little something I'll bet you don't know know about me:

I LOATHE coming back home.

Wait--that didn't come our right--I don't actually hate coming back to our HOME (I LOVE our home, really I do!), but I hate everything I have to do when I walk in the door---unpacking, cleaning up cat messes, getting depressed when I see the devastation that one of God's most perfect creatures hath wrought upon our front porch, once again.....lemme splain.....

Deer. Gotta love 'em. Drove up our drivway to see a GI - NORMOUS 4 point Buck chomping away on my sweet little plant that was trying so valiantly to get through the winter, hidden in the very side corner of the covered porch.....look at it now...SOB!....

Here's the freaky thing : that darned Buck climbed up our very steep front steps to reach his little feast, and this wasn't the first time......this photo doesn't even come close to capturing how high up our porch really is......

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Here's another thing I hate about coming home after a trip--trying to figure out what to fix for suppah! You know the feeling, right? You're tired, the house is a little cold, you're hungry but you don't want one more thing from a restaurant, you just want a home cooked meal, and there's probably not much in the fridge!

Can you relate? Or, is it just me?

Here's what I whipped up for B.A. and myself, in about half an hour flat....a super delicious Tomato Soup with Parmesan Cheese Dumplings--all from stuff I had on hand........

I tell you what....these dumplings are the ULTIMATE in comfort food....this was such a wonderful and warming meal...just what we were craving! I might have even been a little less grumpy, after eating this all up.

By the way, I didn't even take any photos of the prep for this recipe, because my batteries were dead, so you'll have to live with just this one. So sorry.

Here's the recipe.....

TOMATO SOUP WITH PARMESAN CHEESE DUMPLINGS

Makes 2 - 3 bowls of soup, or 4 - 6 cups

1 tblsp. olive oil

1 / 2 yellow onion, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups chicken broth

1 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes

1 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. kosher salt

3 / 4 cup Bisquick

1 / 2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1 / 2 tsp. dried oregano

6 - 8 tblsp. milk

In a large pot, saute onion, celery and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until tender. Stir in broth, tomatoes, brown sugar and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree slightly, leaving a few chunks of tomato. Cover, and return soup to a low simmer. Meanwhile,  in a small bowl combine Bisquick, Parmesan cheese and oregano. Add milk (adding more as needed) and stir until a sticky dough forms. With Bisquick dusted hands, roll dough into 12 balls. Add dumplings to soup--cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until dumplings are cooked through.

TODAY I'M SO THANKFUL FOR....

***Can't believe I'm even saying this, but for MORE snow, which we've received over the past 48 hours. Our economy really suffers here in Snowmobile, U.S.A., without it.

***Sleeping in until 7 a.m. this morning--so fabulous!

***My new cookbook, Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris--can't WAIT to get started learning how to do some easy French cooking!

THE BEST BEST BESTEST SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING, AND I'M A' FLYING MY VALENTINE'S FREAK FLAG MIGHTY HIGH THESE DAYS...!!!

(Wooden heart trio from Etsy.com)

I have a girlfriend (I'll call her "M" here, to protect her identity--you'll soon see why!) in the Midwest who is just about one of the coolest people I know. M works for the Department of Homeland Security, has two kids of her own AND has successfully raised a few foster children with her husband over the years. But that's not why she's my hero--here's why : M seriously has all of her Christmas decorations in and around her home (including the ROOF!) PUT AWAY BY EARLY AFTERNOON ON CHRISTMAS DAY--every single year! She needs to do this for her sanity, I do believe. And while I'm not quite that on top of it, I, too, want all of the holiday stuff GONE by around the 28th of December.

But here's where I get really strange.........

I've always, always loved romance, and I've always adored St. Valentine's Day, even as a small girl. I fondly remember making homemade Valentines out of doilies and crayons and stickers and such, and always eagerly awaited receiving pretty cards and conversation hearts in return from kids in my grade school classes.......

Now I have a wonderful sweetheart of my own who spoils me rotten each and every St. Valentine's Day, and I try to do the same back. Usually by baking something--Mr. Badass has one hell of a sweet tooth! (and then there's my annual trip to Victoria's Secret, but that's just T.M.I. !.........)

Well anyways, after I've boxed up all of our holiday decor, I start putting up my ever-growing collection of Valentine's decorations--and it's usually not even January yet.......see--told you I'm a little whacked!

I mean, doesn't everyone decorate not ONE, but FOUR Valentine trees?........

I like to use vintage Valentine cards as ornaments, tied on the trees with pretty ribbons....

On my kitchen table, I like to have fun with the centerpiece...found these darling faux chocolate dipped strawberries at Pier One recently......

Are you in the mood yet?......

Our foxy snow guy sure is......

Little hearts stuck here, there and everywhere......

Found these little wooden letters at Etsy (Etsy.com)...the BEST source for handcrafted home decor.....

See? I told you I'm a freak! And at my age, who even cares? Bring it on!

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In my last post, I promised to share the recipe for this "creation"...well, what's UNDERNEATH all of the crazy cake decorations, anyways.....the cake was a huge hit, by the way, eaten mostly by the teenage girls who were hanging about at Psychic Night. Us middle aged girls just nibbled--always on a diet, we are!...............anyways, remember this fabulosity?......

Underneath it all lies an Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Decadent Sour Cream Chocolate Cake, with the easiest, and BEST Buttercream Frosting, EVAHHHHHH!

Here's what I love about this cake--you can either make the cake itself in a bundt pan OR two 9 inch rounds, and you don't even need to use your mixer! It's one of those great "dump" recipies that come together in just one bowl. And the FROSTING--well!!!!!!.........

 Did you know that frosting is my daughter Abbie's and my favorite food of all time? We could SO live on it--for reals.

This particular frosting is great because it firms up quickly and is fabulous for decorating--amazing for cupcakes, too. So here's both recipies...enjoy!

DECADENT SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 box Devil's Food chocolate cake mix

1 package (small box) instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup sour cream (not low fat)

1 / 2 cup water

1 / 2 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 12 oz. bag miniature chocolate chips

Lightly spray a bundt pan or 2, 9"round pans. Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl--do not use mixer. Pour into prepared pan(s) and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool, then invert onto a cake plate.

BEST BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1 cup shortening

4 cups powdered sugar

1 / 4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 / 3 cup heavy whipping cream

In a mixing bowl (I used a stand mixer), cream shortening until fluffy. Add sugar and continue creaming until well blended. Add salt, vanilla and whipping cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.

TODAY I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR.....

***Friends that I can call and always feel better after talking with ....you all are my lifeline, some days!

***That our daughter is loving life in Paris, and is busy checking out fabulous bakeries, creperies, restaurants and museums to share with her Mama and Daddy soon!

***That the site that powers this little blog, Blogger, has gotten its act together this week and fixed their photo uploading issues---whew! I thought I was going to have a stroke yesterday, what with the difficulties I was having....