YUM!!!

My friend Tara is a graduate of the Scottsdale Culinary Institute, so she knows how to make all kinds of YUMMY stuff! Every now and again we have a little mini class with her, and she teaches us how to make something! On Tuesday we made cream horns!

Wrapping strips of Puff pastry carefully..

Then an egg wash and some chunky sugar..

We can smell them baking...

Fill them with chocolate whipping cream/pudding

mixtures, or strawberry whipping cream..

And VOILA!! Cream Horns!

Tara dolled up the one below- she's good like that!

We had lots of fun! We delivered a few to some friends and

neighbors nearby! Thanks again Tara for an awesome afternoon!

Whew!

Made it through another week. (Guess it's been more than one since I blogged last.)

There were no knock-down drag-out fights between my children while I was gone to work. (thankfully).

I don't want to quit my job - I enjoy the extra income, and the interaction with adults. But.. if the kids can't get it together... I think they did fairly well, but it's not good when a child hangs up the phone on her parent... sheesh. We'll get there.

On a brighter note, I want to challenge you to do something, my loyal readers (hee, hee).

This last week we went to my nephew's first birthday party. It's a family tradition of ours to let the 1 year old have his own piece of cake and let him dig into it! Jessica also had her hair cut to donate to locks of love - it looks really cute!!

Anyway, I pulled her close to me while we were at the party, and had my hubby take a picture of us! She tried to squirm away.. silly girl! Some of you may know how temperamental 11 year olds are. Anyway, I told her that I would give anything to have a more recent picture with my mom! Or even more when I was younger - there aren't many.

So, my challenge to you is to get a picture of you and your mom! You don't have to post it to your blog - but if you live in the same vicinity as your mom, get a picture taken of the two of you!

I used to think that I didn't look much like my mom, but I guess more and more I do..

The Beginning, and The End

Alternative post title... SCHOOL'S OUT!

They started on August 13th - more than ready to get back into the swing of things...

And May 22nd, they are done!! I think Brennan has grown a few inches since then..

And now they are going to have to figure out what to do with themselves two and a half months before school starts August 11th!

Brennan was accepted into National Jr Honor Society - He's had mostly A's this year... now he tells me he got a B.. in English. He went to California with the Symphonic Band to play at Disneyland. He also tried out for the District Honor Band, but didn't make it.

Jessica was her class finalist in the Spelling Bee - did a great job! She also performed in two acts in the School Variety show this last month. She plays the flute in the 5th grade band, and will be attending the Taylor Jr High Band camp in July!

Mallory.. has had a great year in 1st Grade! She's had different "friends that are boys" during the year, but I won't name names! I've enjoyed sharing the Art Masterpiece program in her class this years! It's been fun to hear "Hi, Mallory's Mom" from the kids in her class. I also did AM in her class year - so there are plenty of kids who know me!

I don't have the same flexibility at work as I did last year, so the kids will need to figure out how to get along better than they have.. I think there will be some financial incentive to not call Mom every 15 minutes while she is gone!

Happy Summer Everyone!

Happy Mother's Day!!

I think my favorite quote lately is..

There is not one way to be a perfect mother,

but there are a million ways to be a good mother.

I have given up trying to be perfect, but I will keep struggling to be

a good one.

I am thankful for the opportunity to be a Mother, I know it is an important job, and I am thankful for the help I receive in doing it.

I am grateful for the example that my own mother set for me. I miss her dearly. Whenever I am going thru a rough spell, either with parenting or something else, I know that she would have done whatever she could, and wished she could take away my pain.

(Dec 1994, right after I became a mom, with my mom, and her mom.)

I am also thankful for the opportunity that I had to look after both my mother and my grandmother when they each became ill. It was the least that I could have done for them, after all that they had done for me.

(Yeah, and I'll try not to cry too much today. Stop it already!!)

Tagged by Lisa

Hmm.. 6 Random things about me! I've been thinking about it for a few days, and I think I might have it.. (those who have done 100 random things.. more power to you, I don't think I could do it!!)

1. I have never had a manicure or a pedicure. I think I am way to thrifty, and don't like my toes anyway. My fingernails grow well, so I don't feel the need. Also, I waitressed for a long time, and we couldn't wear polish much, so I didn't get used to it.

2. I have a Hippo birdfeeder. Amazingly, birds have gorged themselves from it lately (I think its the pigeons.) I have alot of hippos, mostly stuffed, so this is my most unique hippos. (If it weren't dark outside, I'd take a photo..

3. I have never tasted alcohol. Just never felt the need, especially as I was taught growing up that it was not good. I was floored when I found out my younger brother drank himself sick one night with the swim team. He never did it again, however.

4. I have sat on what is purported to be St Patrick's grave. I went to Northern Ireland when I was 17, and we visited the site - a large stone, and I mean large, covers the grave. We joked that when Christ comes again, St Patrick will have a difficult time getting out!

5. I have a condition called Trigeminal Neuralgia. It is something more common in OLDER people, not young like me. I've had it for 14 or so years, and it has become increasingly worse over the past 4-5 years. I am considering a Gamma Knife procedure very soon to take away the pain that recurs.

6. I kissed a boy on top of the World Trade Center. We were on a choir trip to NYC in college, I liked him, we had sort of dated previously, but somehow I managed to get him to kiss me while we were there! Ahhh, blond haired, blue-eyed, cute boy. We couldn't have married, though, and I'm okay with that.

The rules:
a. Link to the person who tagged you.
b. Post the rules on your blog.
c. Write six random things about yourself.
d. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
e. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment at their blog.
f. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

I tag..
http://www.fatsassyandmrwonderful.blogspot.com/ Kayola
http://lynnewsnyder.blogspot.com/ Lynne
http://puffyspatter.blogspot.com/ Puffy
http://www.kristyskritters.blogspot.com/ Kristy
http://blueberrybuckets.blogspot.com/ Kerrie
http://dfliesblog.blogspot.com/ Dragonflies

(and then would someone please tell me how to get this linky thing to work!! It is driving me nuts!!)

Whew.. that was tough! Good luck ladies!

Bucket List

I don't even really have one.. but a post on one of the message boards I visit asked,
what are two things on your bucket list? Two things you would like to accomplish before you die.. Hence... "kick the bucket.."

I posted that I would like to visit the Netherlands, where my grandmother was born.
Another is to write my personal history. There are many things that I would like to know about my mother's side of the family, that I don't believe are written down. So, I don't want to leave my life in pieces for my children to pick up... that's assuming that SOMEDAY.. they will think I have been an interesting person.

What do you have on your list?

Can you guess?

What Mallory's favorite color has been this last few days?

I just had to giggle when I pulled these all out of the washer to hang to dry! (Yes, I'm trying to do my part to conserve energy, and not have such a high electric bill! )

So here is her variety of green shirts, and she may have more in her drawer! Guess Mom needs to do better when shopping!

On this Day, 38 years ago...

My Sweetheart was born!

He is the older boy here..

There aren't many pics of him as a boy, but he was a good big brother to Matt.. and obviously STRONG to pick up his mom!Can you pick him out here, in his senior picture? (btw.. it's hard to get the yearbook placed just right on the scanner!

And then.. he convinced me to marry him, and I'm glad that I did!

Mark, thanks for all that you do for me! I hope that you have a Happy Day!

Tjitske is Dutch for...

Jessica!!

Jessica is named for my grandmother Tjitske, Jessie to us common folk.. She was born in Holland, and my Jessica was born 11 years ago today! I will have to find some of her baby pictures this afternoon!

Oh, the joys of a preteen girl.. she is emotional, I hesitate to use the word drama queen, but...

I struggle with her, Mark says because we are too much alike, both headstrong.
Thanks alot my Dutch grandmother...

I love you, Jessica!

Not a member of the ASPCA...

Now, I am not normally one to encourage cruelty to animals.... but,
there is a little yappy thing, a chihuahua, or a rat terrier or something,
that lives behind me, that I would really like for it to have its vocal cords clipped.
It is really grating on my nerves this morning.
It's yapping echoes over the entire neighborhood.
Other than the sky-high electricity bills, it makes me look forward to summer when I can
shut my doors and windows to turn on the a/c and block out the sound!

Now, I will go turn on the tv, so I can't hear it, and eat my breakfast.

That is all.

I met WHEEZY!!

Last night I went to Borders at Superstition Springs, and met Lisa McMann, who is the author of a new teen book called Wake. I haven't read the book yet, so I can't give any reviews, but I had to go and meet her anyway!

For my non-OT friends, Lisa, aka Wheezy, is a former poster at Off Topic, which is part of a Reality TV message board where I occasionally post messages. I found the board when I started watching The Amazing Race, and eventually made my way to the Off Topic - where Lisa used to post. That is also what led me to blogging, as many of the posters there had blogs, and in order to comment, I needed to have a blog as well. Occasionally, these posters from around the country would have Peep Meets - meeting up when travelling around, and many have become good friends as a result, and I believe two marriages have come about, and consequent babies also.

I'm not terribly bold when it comes to arranging peep meets, as there had been a couple of posters here in the area, but this one was easy for me, simply go to the mall, and talk to Lisa for a few minutes! Anyway, it was exciting for me to meet her, although we didn't talk for long, it was fun!

Tagged by Robin!

Robin has tagged me, although I didn't find out until I read my neighbor's blog and then went back to hers!

1. Pick up the nearest book (at least 123 pages)

2. Turn to page 123

3. Find the 5th sentence

4. Post the 5th sentence on your blog

5. Tag 5 people

Okay, the nearest book to me is...

Fifth sentence.. "And it is wondeful training for the prospective power pilot : knowledge of air currents, landings when his motor has failed."

Wow, that was pretty boring! I picked up this book for 50 cents, I think, at the used book place just outside the library, I tried reading it, but it did get a little boring. I didn't know that she flew so many places with her husband! And, I didn't get to the end of the book. If anyone is interested in it, I'll send it to you.

Now, for the fun part... I tag... MTW, Nutz, and Silvergirl, (some of my OT friends) , Aileen S. and Heather R.

Have fun! (Hope your books are less boring than mine..

Whew!

It's found.. where I suspected it to be.. In B's bedroom. Such is the bedroom of a 13 yo boy.

He took something out to the freezer for me on Tuesday, and that's the last we saw of the key.
He told me that he checked all of his pockets - but I went in this afternoon and went thru his laundry basket myself.. and found it on the floor next to it. Well, he tried.

It's going to be a weekend of cleaning stuff up - we have a neighborhood exchange in a couple of weeks down at the church, and I am hoping someone will want some of the stuff that I have!

What in your house would YOU like to give away - or what do you need to get rid of?

Me? Mostly kids clothes that they have outgrown.. but also stuff from my parents house.. When my mom died, Dad sold the house, and he now lives in MN. A lot of stuff is now at my house, dishes, books, decorations.. that I really need to get rid of. My hubby always tells me how much STUFF we have.

Oh, and now I'm going to make peach pie with the peaches I found in the freezer!

WHERE IS IT??

Does anyone know where my freezer key is?

It's kind of hard to figure out what to get out for dinner

when I can't even look in the freezer...

So Long, Little Red Car

It's been a great 11.5 years. We bought this Taurus just before our family expanded to two kiddos. It has taken us on trips to Utah and California, but mostly was used as a commuter car.
A few years ago, someone stopped and asked if it was for sale... uh, no, I need it to get to work!!
Now that I have my new car, we don't need it anymore. I had meant to get a for sale sign on it, but didn't get there. Yesterday as we were fixing dinner after church, someone came to the door, interested in it. I talked with them, and they looked at it, but told them they had to come back, because I wouldn' t do business on Sunday.
So, they came after two this afternoon - handed me the cash and they drove off in my little car.. We got nearly 120k miles out of it - I think we got our money's worth! I got rear ended once in it - after M was born - but other than that - it's been a good car. But - I'm not sorry to see it go! So long, farewell, auf wiedersen, adieu!

It's Spring!!!

Well, in Arizona it is anyway!

Brennan and I planted tulip bulbs back in.. November maybe?

And here are some of the results!

I am excited to see them!

It is supposed to be 90 degrees today, but we're supposed to have a cooling trend coming along..

Oh, and I love the smell of Alyssum. Along with the few blossoms on my grapefruit tree, my yard is smelling pretty good, even though it doesn't look great!

Anyone else having spring weather??

Whew...saved by the.... receipt?

Note to self... again... don't procrastinate!!

On the previous episode of As the Toilet Flushes...

Well, the exhaust fan in our bathroom was not working.

No, not that kind of exhaust..

We had been having alot of moisture in our bathroom, and were wanting to
get a new fan, and have some other work done. So, I went out and bought
a new fan kit at my local home improvement store. I thought this had been done
only a few months ago.

Since we are on Spring Break, I thought I'd get up and try to take the motor out of
the fan above the toilet! It came out pretty easily! However, when I opened the box
of the new one, it was the WHOLE UNIT - that needed to be installed in the ceiling.
Not really what I needed. It turns out that the same fan is in my laundry room, so I
took that motor out and put it in my bathroom, so we have a fan working in there now.

My brother suggested that I see if I can find a replacement motor by calling the company
who made it! Turns out the company is located in Phoenix, and I was able to pick one up
at a nearby hardware store! I replaced that one in my laundry room, and then
determined to return the whole unit that I had purchased.

A trip to Home Depot - it wasn't their product, should try Lowe's. Finally today I made it
to Lowe's and found that I had the receipt still in my planner. I knew I'd saved it for a reason!
The helpful customer service person scanned the box, "this item has been discontinued." Then she continues to look at the receipt - "this is from Last Year!!" but then.. "let me see what I can do." She talked to the Higher Up Muckity Muck manager type guy, and he said if the scanner recognizes the receipt, then she can still refund it to me.

Well, Praise be to the Almighty Scanner!! It recognized it, so I got my $55 something returned to my account. Then I took a look at the receipt, to see how long ago I'd actually bought it...

Sad to say.. May 2007. For Pete's sake.. I really need to stop procrastinating.
Maybe tomorrow.

Do I get Great Mom points for this??

Sunday morning... what for breakfast?? I found some great looking strawberries at the grocery store last night... so how about this??

And I was thinking about a coffee (breakfast) cake that my mom used to make.. Royal Danish Kuchen... cinnamon and nutmeg in it, with raisens.. but the best part is the topping... cinnamon sugar and WALNUTS!! Yumm!

This has got to be better than boring old cereal, right?

I guess my Mallory thinks so... (even though I think this is the first time I ever dipped strawberries), looks like I am famous to her, and that's all I need!

TGFMB*

I honestly don't know what I'd do without it! How would I live??

I got my Bosch a few years ago, when it was on sale. This Concept 7 machine came with a blender, and a grater slicer attachment as well. I also make my bread in it about once a week.

When I was not working during Summer 2006, I ended up making a lot of bread, and selling to neighbors and friends. There were some kids who were coming around the neighborhood selling bread, and I figured I could sell my own. So I got a little more proficient at it. I use my Great Gramma Bloomer's bread recipe, which I got from my mom, so I feel like I'm doing something handed down.

I don't know how my mom made bread for years without one.. I'm sure with a family of 7, and not alot of money, she made plenty - I know she got a Bosch years later, but I'm not sure when. I do remember toast made from homemade bread - it just can't be beat!

Nevertheless, I do make alot in my Bosch - bread, cookies, crepes (in the blender) - I don't know that I'd bake as much without it!

For all those of you with Kitchenaids, come over from the dark side and get a BOSCH! They are the best!

*Thank Goodness For My Bosch!

A Grandpa story.

Not long ago, Lynne http://lynnewsnyder.blogspot.com/ posted about her grandpa, and chocolates. One of the stories I remember about my grandpa, was before I was born. I asked my dad to clarify a bit, because it's been awhile since I heard the story. We usually heard it every time we went to Wellington, but it's been awhile. My great grandmother lived there, and is buried there, along with my Grandma Rita.
In my Dad's words..
I was born in November, 1940, a year before Pearl Harbor and the beginning of World War II.
Vance was born in 1945, at the end of the war. Mom was “on again, off again” with my father during all those years of the forties and early fifties. She met and married Vance’s father, Walter Sullivan, in 1944/1945 sometime, and Vance came in September, 1945.

As long as I knew them my mother’s parents, Semon and Myrtle Golding lived in the little town of Wellington, Utah. Their little, two-bedroom home had the spacious yard and driveway, and corral, and behind the yard was a nice pasture, all common to homes in rural communities, especially in Utah. The pasture bordered on one of the Southern Pacific main railroad lines.

Their home was a refuge for Mom, and Vance and me, sometimes all three of us together and at other times, one or two of us. Mom was not successful in marriage, or in keeping a home for us to live in together.

Dad was always a cook, and in the navy during the war he was stationed at San Francisco, and his assignment was to ride the troop trains that carried troops back and forth between the coasts. As a cook, he had access to the supply cars of the trains.

The trains often used the line that went through Wellington, and passed behind the house. Food was short for everyone during the war, and well appreciated when it came, from whatever source.

This event must have been close to the end of the war, because I was old enough that I still remember it. The “folks” would all go down to the side of the tracks when Dad had phoned that he would be going through. When the train came Dad would have the side doors of the food supply car open, and whatever foodstuffs we needed, and would survive being tossed to the ground from a fast-moving train, he tossed.

The train came this day, and we waved to Dad as he passed, and he would kick the containers out the door. The stuff would be strewn along the side of the tracks for us to retrieve. What I remember is the bag of sugar, which was always in REALLY short supply, breaking open, with a cloud of the white stuff settling down in and on the black rock beside the tracks. I can still see the adults, and even me, bent over with fingers and utensils scooping what we could of the sugar into containers, so the precious white stuff could be saved.

I am the only one alive who would remember this story, because it was before Vance came, and all the folks are long gone from the world.

My kids didn't know my Grandpa McCabe - as he passed away shortly after Brennan was born. But, I hope to be able to keep him alive for them, in stories such as this.

And Lynne, if you can tell me how to put the link in with just your name.. inform me!!

Warning.. rambling ahead...

We moved to Evanston Wy when I was 15 - it was tough to move, I soooo wanted to attend High School in my old town, with all of my buddies. I'd watched the activities my older friends went to and I really wanted to go. But my dad was selling real estate, and he hoped to get in on the housing boom in WY.

I had worked in a coffee shop bussing tables and then waitressing, so I had some experience. I applied at JB's, and although the minimum age for working was supposed to be 16, Doug hired me anyway, since I had experience. I also looked older than my age so it helped. I worked at JB's all through high school, and with it being a fairly small town, I got to know lots of the regulars.

My mom was custodian for one of the church buildings in town, and she would see and talk to people as they came through the church during the week. That is where my mom met Bryan. I don't remember first meeting him, but he was a talker... he talked and talked - always had a story to tell. I waited on him plenty of times I'm sure, but he was 8 years older than me, so I don't think he ever asked me out, since I was still in high school. He was a nice guy, but I wasn't terribly attracted to him or anything. I did consider him a friend, however.

I graduated from HS, and went to the University of Wyoming, on an academic scholarship. The scholarship was a blessing, because I didn't have any money to go to school, nor did my parents.

I worked at the JB's in Laramie as well, and Doug was good enough to let me work when I was home on Christmas break and in the summer. After two years in college, my family moved to AZ. I went back to college in WY -(DH always teases me about that.. I was then in AZ in the hot summer, and in WY in the wintertime freezing - crazy!!) Since it was too far to go home for Thanksgiving, I caught a ride back to Evanston and stayed with my best friend, Tami. It was that year or the next that Bryan asked me out!

I don't remember how we stayed in touch, but we did! Bryan and I drove down to SLC, about a 80 mile drive and went to Crownburger. He had said it was "the " place to go. Then we went to Temple Square to see the lights turned on. This always happens the day after Thanksgiving. He held my hand for the first time there, mostly out of necessity, because there were alot of people there! However, it didn't send any electric shocks thru me or anything.

Bryan and I had been out once before, when he drove me to Ogden for Japanese food. I think it must have been before this- my memory escapes me! There was just not much to do in Evanston, that's why we had to leave town to go on a date!

Anyway, when we got back to Evanston from SLC, Bryan walked me up to Tami's door, and he kissed me. Um.. nothing. Like I said, I wasn't attracted to him really, but he was a nice guy. Again, no electricity happening. "Um, thanks for the date." We didn't go out again. But we were still friends. After I finished at UW, I wasn't back in Evanston regularly, so, I don't think I saw him again - so the last I would have seen him would have been 1988.

Fast forward a few years... When my mom passed away two years ago, I posted her obituary online in the Evanston paper, because we'd lived there 7 years, and I thought maybe people who had known her would like to know. Then in December, work was kicking my butt, and I was tired. I must have been away from home when Bryan called. Mark took a message and his phone number - said he'd seen the obit or something, and recalled my name, and tracked me down! His parents still live in Evanston, although he lives in St George now. It took awhile for me to find time to call him back, it was into January sometime. It was a little weird, but we talked for a little while. He kept telling me that I sounded like my mom, or that I looked like her, and kept bringing up memories of her.. meanwhile, I'm bawling away. My heart is still very tender missing my mom, so it kind of irritated me that he kept bringing her up! At that time, my face pain was hurting more with me getting emotional, so it was hard for me to talk to him! He left me with his email address and website (he's into real estate) but I hadn't emailed him, I hadn't thought too much about it again. He'd told me that he was back in Evanston more frequently with his mom being ill, and spending time with her in SLC as well at the hospital. And I thought that was the end of it.

Tonight.. Mark was working late, I'm trying to get the kids to finish their dinner, and the phone rang with a double ring, meaning it was long distance. Lately we've been getting more telemarketer stuff, so I almost didn't answer. The caller id showed a 435 area code, which I knew was UT, so I answered. It was Bryan. His mom had passed away last month, she was only 68. He saw my phone number on his cell and thought he'd call, knowing I could understand. We had a good talk... the kids finished their dinner and went out to fill up water balloons. (they are going to jump on the tramp at the neighbors with them on Sat.) Bryan and I talked for awhile - remembering the times we went out, and how we met and stuff - which is why I am writing it down. He is married and has 3 kids - I don't think I know his wife - I don't think she was from our town. He still always has a story to tell - I remember the names of people he mentions, but I probably know their younger siblings who were closer to my age.

All in all, I was glad to talk to him this time - I wasn't emotional, my face didn't hurt, and it was easy to talk! Not awkward at all - and no mention of the nonelectric hand holding or kiss! I got his email address again, maybe I'll keep in touch - in case I need to ever buy a cabin in the mountains near St George!

Thanks for indulging me.. I hope to write more stories, for my sake, and for Lynne's Somewhat Invented Life's sake... :-)

Happy Birthday Mallory!

It was Sunday, but I just want to wish my cutie youngest a Happy Birthday! I'm glad she came along to our family!

Anyone else heard of these FurBerries things?

It's All about Me!!

My Dad was quite the photographer around the time I was born - and my mother was very photogenic as well. So, there are plenty of pictures of us. I believe he won a prize for a photo of me and mom when I was only a few months old. To the right is my big brother and me! He was good and protective!






My first Christmas to the right, and I'm not sure how old to the left!













My youngest brother asleep in the high chair, I am probably 4 or 5 in this pic!

My hair was straight as a stick as a kid... it was to the point of waiting to take out the foam curlers until JUST before the pictures were taken, so that there would be SOME curl!










Yeah, it looks like curls.. but .. Yes, my mother made my dress.. but don't ya dig the beaded purse?






Fast forward a few years.. probably 7th grade here. My grandparents grew roses in their garden.. next to my wannabe Farrah Fawcett hair.

One of my favorite pictures from college.. wish I still had the sweater!!

Ack! Dig the big old bangs?? This was when I was about 22.. on my mission for the LDS church in England!

My four generations.. my son Brennan, my mother Nancy, and my grandmother Jessie (Tjitske) who was born in Holland.

And then my sweet Jessica, named after her great grandmother!



I'll need to get a pic of all of us.. I just love this one taken in my parent's backyard!


Just a few highlights of my life!
Happy Birthday to me!

(okay, and so my layout doesn't look so great... I'm working on it!!)

I could eat myself silly!!

With my birthday coming up, I'm getting emails with yummy invitations!

Cold Stone Creamery for a Love It creation!

Red Robin for a Gourmet Burger of my choice! (Mushroom Swiss burger, most likely!)Molly Branigan's for a Complimentary Entree (local Irish pub - yum!)

So, when will the feasting begin?

What is YOUR favorite place to go for your birthday?

This is me and my Mallory, and my little sis Laura. We got together to celebrate my mom's birthday last week. Not a great pic.. but oh, well.

Hannah, Montana, Bobana, Fofana...

If you ever need to get a preteen girl to help you do some dirty work? Let her bring her cd player and whatever music she wants and you will get a good chunk of time out of her!

When it rains here, I swear that there are weed seeds in every raindrop! And the fact that we have no grass in either the front or back yards means that shortly after the rain, the weeds start popping up.

In times past I have pulled them in the back yard myself, rather than fight with my children. Well, with the promise of a Sonic treat, I lured my girls into the back yard to pull weeds. So, we listened to Hannah Montana and Sugarland and cleared probably 75% of the green monsters! They are fairly easy to pull, so I promised dinner out if we kept going! Now we are just waiting for DH to finish work, and we'll go to Red Robin, and everyone will get shakes! (Usually I am a cheapo, maybe one shake gets shared..)

Happy Weekend, everyone!

Po-tay-to, Po-tah-to

No matter how you say it, they are yummy. But tonight, I'm talking about fried potatoes.

It's cold and rainy, and I needed something to warm up with!


Several years ago, we went camping with two other families from church. One family lives 2 houses down and we'd probably call them our best friends - after 9 years of living so close. On the camping trip, we decided we'd do common meals so we worked out a menu. We suggested fried potatoes along with something else.



"Huh? Fried potatoes, what's that?" was Allen's comment... "ACK" was our combined response!

Chop up an onion or more, peel (or not) and slice some potatoes.. Heat up a few tablespoons of vegetable oil and fry them up until a little crispy! My dad used to say the ratio of onions to potatoes s/b 1:1, but that's a bit much! Of course, when we had them camping, fried up in a cast iron pan, they were even better! We just couldn't believe they'd never had fried potatoes!


So, do you like fried potatoes? Onions or no? Or have you never had them?
We now like to put shredded cheese on top, though we really should cut them there calories!

And I'll try not to make my next post about food...

Next Question..

Cauliflower.

Yes or No?

Cooked or Raw?

In Soup?

With Ranch dip?

DH has had a cauliflower gratin- I didn't taste it.

I made cauliflower soup for my lunch today, I think I'm going to go make Cranberry Almond scones... found here.. don't they look yummy?
http://blog.narons.com/2007/10/05/coffee-break-for-everyone.aspx

I found in a roundabout way from Pioneer Woman, to Country Doctor's wife to this lady..

whew...

A Survey..

If I was your neighbor and I was making you cinnamon rolls to thank you for doing something for me, would you like them with:

cinnamon alone,

raisins,

nuts,

icing,

cream cheese frosting,

or all of the above.

Please answer.

*just finished a loaded roll... nuts, raisins, and almond flavored icing!*

To answer ...

Zombs asked about my work at home job...

It's not really a work at home, but some stuff I can take home.

I work for Treasury Mgmt at our bank, and Lockbox is a part of that.

One of our "clients" (not customers..) is a local diocese which has private schools around the area. People can donate up to $1000 tax deductible for married couple which goes to the private schools. This time of year, er, December & November, the donations get pretty heavy - as the year end push for tax deductions goes on. We process the deposits for the diocese, and then we also do the data entry for each donor into the database - noting which school they want their funds to go to, etc. I can access the database at home, and we have been overwhelmed, as it's mainly me, and sometimes one other gal that do the data entry. I am still working on 12-31 work, as we received 900+ items that day. It takes about an hour to do 50 items... so I'm plugging away.. and getting a few extra hours in..

Which will help pay for...

My New Car!!

it is a Tango Red Pearl Honda CRV - it's pretty basic, no fluffy stuff on it, but I like it! It will get better gas mileage for running the kids around. (no moon roof either!) This is what we spent New Years Eve doing... I didn't really want another car registration due at the end of the year.. (our suburban's is due in November.) We don't have cheap registration here.. For example, it was $550 on the burb. Who has them cheap? Other than Oregon, I know it's pretty reasonable there.

Anyone want a Ford Taurus with 120k miles on it?? I've got one for sale, really cheap!

Hope everyone's New Year has started off well!

Whew

Anyone else glad that Christmas is over?

1. To answer MTW, Diamond Earrings - which I traded up today - I wanted a little more sparkle. Is that bad? I am paying for it with earnings from my part time job, which I've sort of been socking away.

2. DH and DS are watching the 4th Harry Potter. The DD's are watching HSM2 - Me? working my part - time job - some data entry from home, well, I'm taking a break.

3. My dad & his wife have been visiting, I'm glad I've been able to spend time with them. Glad I get along with Jean much better than I did a year ago. It doesn't make me miss my mom any less, but I can accept his happiness a little easier.

4. I am the loser at OTSS. My SS has still not received their gift - granted- I didn't send it until the 18th, but I would have figured it would be received by now. Perhaps I should not play next year. Or I should plan a little better.

5. Dad is giving us a wireless something (for Christmas) for the other computer in the house, he already gave us his wireless router he didn't need anymore. This will allow us to get on the internet in the other room. Though.. DD got on a chat room whilst at her grandma's the other week... her dad was not happy. She is 10, and where she went wasn't great. So? there will be settings & passwords & such set up.

6. Milo. He cracks us up. He has a new bone that he is carrying around from room to room, as if looking for a place to bury it. Hasn't found the perfect spot yet. After all the years of resisting a dog, I'm glad we've got him. He's cute. He'll lay down right on top of our feet if we sit still on the couch. Automatic foot warmer! (and yes, it's a bit chilly here now!)

7. Now, he's scratching on the door to take it into my bedroom! Not!

8. I have not sent one Christmas card out this year, and I would like to be better. Work will slow down after the first of the year, so I'm sending them delayed this year. (and I should send something BIG to my SS giftee.

9. When someone wants you to pick them up at the airport at 11:55 on Christmas Eve?? the airport is NOT crowded, but?? their plane may be delayed, as well as baggage delayed, and you might not get home until 2a.m. *yawn*

10. I think I'm going to go to bed, and read a bit of "It's Not Easy Being Green." (from the bargain price table at Barnes & Noble. )

gnight everyone!

(wow... I made my first list!)

SURPRISE!!

I think everyone was here by 2:05! It was amazing!
Closest thing to being on time my family has ever been!

We had a good meal together! My DH makes the BEST
mushroom gravy when we have turkey!

And,

"he went to Jared"!

Merry Almost Christmas..

Still have things to do before tomorrow,
Pick up Dad and Jean at the airport, after midnight, get them set up at my sisters apartment.

I'm thankful I have a husband who doesn't mind doing almost all the wrapping, last night, instead of tonight!

Dinner at our house at 2 pm tomorrow!
DH makes an awesome mushroom gravy with the turkey!
We'll see how much of my family actually arrives on time.
Many of them have bad habits of arriving late.
Dad & Jean will come.
1st younger brother and family sometimes late, hard to tell.
Next brother is single, most often late.
Sister, BIL & baby, most likely will be late.

We told them we are not waiting for anyone, we are eating
AT TWO!!

Merry Christmas , Everyone!

Upcoming report on who made it on time...

It Snowed!!

Well, not here it didn't, but I have a snow man!!

A melted one, that is!

That is what my funny mail sender sent me from the frigid North.. with a few smooches along with! I got a plastic bag, with some white stuff in it, a button, and a pretzel stick.. so, I'm guessing it was a mini-snowman, that melted! (as far as I can tell..) It was cute, nevertheless!
Hooray for FunnyMail!

Okay, let's see if I can remember the pig with the peg leg joke.

Yippee! I found it, or a version of it.. I remember hearing this joke a long time ago on the Johnny Carson show.. one night when I'd gotten up and couldn't sleep. My dad was watching TV, and I hung around for a little bit..

A man traveling through Eastern North Carolina got lost, and stopped by a farmhouse to ask directions. His eye was caught by a pig with a wooden leg. So he said to the farmer -- an old-fashioned family farmer, not the head of an agricultural conglomerate -- "I don't think I've ever seen a pig with a wooden leg. What happened to it?"
"Well," said the farmer, "this is a truly remarkable animal. A few years back, it was rooting around under the oak trees near the house and discovered truffles. This new crop has brought us a tidy income, I can assure you."
"Fascinating," said the visitor. "I never heard of truffles in North Carolina. But -- why does it have a wooden leg?"
"Well," said the farmer, "just last year, on the north forty, the pig discovered oil, and the proceeds from that oil well are going to make us set for life, including even being able to send all our kids to college."
"A truly incredible animal," said the guy. "I am sure that you are the envy of all your neighbors. But why does he have a wooden leg?"
"About six months ago, the farmhouse caught on fire," said the farmer, "and this pig saved our lives. He rushed upstairs, woke us all up, carried my baby daughter down the stairs by the hair, and made sure we were all safe outside.""Wow," said the visitor. "You are very fortunate, indeed. But I'm still curious about the wooden leg."
"Oh," said the farmer, "if you have a pig that valuable, you don't eat it all at once."

Of Course, it wasn't that exact version I heard, mine had something to do with the pig rescuing him from an overturned tractor.. and I found a Cajun version online.. but nevertheless.. I've always remembered it!

Maybe today?

Maybe today I will get some funny mail!
Today is my day off, and it would be fun!

I know that mine has been sent, and received!
Glad the receiver enjoyed it!

Otherwise, my feet and hands are cold sitting here,
and I need to get slippers on, and go get some breakfast!!

*sniffs* Not today.

Note to self : don't take sewing jobs!!

Sometime, a long time ago, I can't even remember how long, a neighbor came to me with her daughters Winnie the Pooh quilt, and asked for some help. She'd put it in the dryer, and it melted the batting inside. She bought some more batting and was wondering if it would work to replace it. So, I cut out the old stuff, and got the new stuff in. I just needed to tack it down in a few places so it wouldn't slip around. I got it pinned, and did one or two spots on my sewing machine, but then I got frustrated, and it somehow got relegated to my craft room.

And there it sat.

Then a couple of nights ago, she called to ask if they could come and get it, as the nights are getting chilly, and this little 3 year old needs something warmer. Oh Crap! So, I pulled it out, and quickly finished it up. The material was kind of a knit, and tough to work with. But, I got it done.

So, last night I walked it 3 houses down to return it, along with a little Fleece blankie, as she is expecting a new baby. (Kind of a "I'm so sorry I kept it so long " gift. ) Then I had an "only in Arizona" moment.

Only in Arizona, in November, at 7:00 pm, can I walk down the street with no coat, and hear the Ice Cream truck coming up the street, playing "Popeye, the Sailor Man. " It was DARK, for Pete's sake!!

House Meme

I found a meme at another site, and have never done one, but I could easily answer these questions, so here goes. If anyone would like to play along, I'd love it, though I'm not going to tag anyone, since I don't have many readers!

House meme:
1. What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now? Zest- not sure what flavor, it’s almost gone and I must buy more today.
2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? No
3. What would you change about your living room? Get new furniture and make it bigger.
4. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? Dirty, DS emptied and refilled last night.
5. What is in your fridge? Eggs, Milk, condiments, leftovers from last nights Cheesecake Factory.
6. White or wheat bread? White usually, but I also bake half wheat half white, later today.
7. What is on top of your refrigerator? About 10 boxes of cereal at the moment.
8. What color or design is on your shower curtain? White. Kid’s bath has a map of the world.
9. How many plants are in your home? Real plants? Maybe one fake, we just don’t get enough light in our main room.
10. Is your bed made right now? No, just recently got out of it.
11. Comet or Soft Scrub? Comet
12. Is your closet organized? No. It's scary in there. Needs a good cleaning.
13. Can you describe your flashlight? Don’t know if I could find one.
14. Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? With kids? Mostly plastic.
15. Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? Nope, don’t drink it.
16. If you have a garage, is it cluttered? Of course! Lots of leftovers from relatives who have passed away and/or moved.
17. Curtains or blinds? Some of both.
18. How many pillows do you sleep with? two
19. Do you sleep with any lights on at night? No, the lights from the microwave & cable box light my way when I go let the dog out of the kennel at 4 a.m.
20. How often do you vacuum? Me? Not much. The kids do the vacuuming once a week.
21. Standard toothbrush or electric? standard
22. What color is your toothbrush? Purple, I think.
23. Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? Yes.
24. What is in your oven right now? Nothing, will be bread later.
25. Is there anything under your bed? Yes, The standard wrapping paper container, and a few dust bunnies.
26. Chore you hate doing the most? Cleaning out moldy leftovers from the fridge
27. What retro items are in your home? None.
28. Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? Yes, main reason we bought it. DH was in school at the time, and we needed a separate room for him to study.
29. How many mirrors are in your home? Four, tops
30. Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home? Nope, but I should
31. What color are your walls? All except 1 are white. The girls room has a watermelon pink wall. That was the one time we got brave. I'm a skeered of color, that I'll do it wrong.
32. Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home? Nope.
33. What does your home smell like right now? The outside, the doors and windows are open for the cool night air.
34. Favorite candle scent? Right now – Honeysuckle, but I need to buy a new Yankee Home Sweet Home.
35. What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now? Sweet
36. What color is your favorite Bible? Black
37. Ever been on your roof? Nope, but near it to clean branches off. From the silver ash tree in the backyard that we hate!
38. Do you own a stereo? Yes
39. How many TVs do you have? 3, but only two that work
40. How many house phones? 3, all cordless.
41. Do you have a housekeeper? I wish. No, but the kids have jobs that help with housework.
42. What style do you decorate in? I have no style.
43. Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? We have prints mostly.
44. Is there a smoke detector in your home? Yes, several, but they need to be hung up.
45. In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip? I don’t have stuff all in one place that could be snatched up. I need to do that. But photos mostly. And some of my Grandma’s & Mom’s things from Holland.


And look! It's two posts in one week, I'm on a roll!!

"We're Having a Heat Wave...

A tropical Heat wave."

At least we were a couple of months ago.
Which resulted in an increase of $45 on my electric bill.
I have a plan that evens out my bills over the year.
Since it was still very hot in September, we ran the
A/C for alot longer, and now we are paying for it.
Crud!

In other news, DH got a bonus, and a promotion at work,
so I think we are going to Cheesecake Factory for dinner tonight,
WITH the children... oh, this'll be fun.
I'm going to have to take my Frugal hat off, and not be so controlling.

Yep, me, the Controlling Mother.
More about this later.

pics?

Okay, here are a couple!

Once a month posting??

I'm not doing so good am I? Finding a time to write posts is hard, I only have about an hour after work before the girls get home and demand my attention!

And... I'm just not sure what to say. I don't feel like a creative writer at all.

Halloween went alright. DH had to go to St. Louis on Weds, and then came back on Thurs, so I had to do Halloween ALONE with the kids. I am NOT the one usually handing out candy... I am grumpy that way. We have a Trunk or Treat down in the church parking lot.. and a chili cookoff, though there is really no contest. I made a pot of White Chicken Chili - using a McCormick's spice packet, only to be found at WalMart. It was yummy, and there was plenty to bring home, and have as leftovers on Thurs. I didn't enjoy handing out candy, the pain in my face was acting up a bit (though I'm feeling WONDERFUL today!) so I wasn't in a good mood.

The kids had fun anyway... we had a self made Baseball player, a self made Pop Star, and a mommy-made cheerleader costume! (darn good if I say so myself!)

DARN IT!!!

No, nothing is wrong.. I just Darned!

I don't think I have ever before done so in my life, but I darned my husband's socks last night.
He had several that were getting holes in the toes... I kept asking him where we'd bought them, believe it was Target. But, alas, I did not remember to buy more when I was there earlier this week.

However, if I stuck to the old adage... hmm, something about Using it up, and wearing it out??
I determined to darn his socks. I've done plenty of sewing, so it was no big deal.

Other than that, I'm feeling underappreciated at home... tired of my kids grumping at me.

Anyone else feeling the same??