If it's not one thing, it's your mother...

Barometer

2012-02-28T08:04:00.003-06:00

Coffee of the Day: Butter Toffee

Mental Jukebox Selection: The Dandy Warhols -We Used To Be Friends

Reading:: Jennifer Lancaster - If You Were Here

Thinking: Hungry! Must eat!

Dreading: Cleaning the house today.

Looking: Switching between The Today Show and GMA

Wondering: If the ruffle in my blouse willl be pressed and if the wrinkles in my skirt will come out.

Needing: A million dollars.

Also needing: To shave these legs!

Bloggity, blog, blog

2012-01-28T13:50:00.006-06:00

(This is where I would normally insert some excuse(s) for not blogging since October, but phfft.)

Winter is finally upon us. We lucked out at not having any major snow since November-ish. Of course, that meant a brown Christmas. Sad face.

Have I mentioned I got a part-time jay-oh-bee? Yep. I went back to work. Marketing Coordinator. I'm the department head of a department of one. I'm a good boss. I should give myself a raise.

Since I have all of this fun money now, I've been eyeballing a new-ish car. I love my Pacifica. It runs fine and looks great, but I think it is time. I had my Shadow for six years, my Stratus for eight years and my Pacifica for six years. This is what I took for a test drive...

I love it, but the salesman BSed us with a list of things their mechanic guy found wrong with my trade in. Our mechanic took that list, checked my car and said that the majority of the stuff on the list wasn't bad enough to worry about, a couple of lines that were "wet" were totally "dry", and to fix everything would run about $1,300. I asked if it were his car, what would he fix. He said the only two things that needed fixing and we figured it would be less than $600 to get it ready to sell. We are taking it in next week and then putting it up for sale. We had it detailed a couple of weeks ago and it looks suh-weet! So, we will see.

No other great changes have been happening. The Boy is doing pretty awesome with his piano and school. Shorty started his first Senior year at State University. (He has to go five years with his major.) The Commander is going to community college again. He is loving his GI money. Tall Dog is good. Short Dog is still having allergy problems. We switched to no-grain, no-meat (just fish and veggies) food, but he is still licking like crazy. Cat is still nutso.

Update

2011-10-18T11:20:00.004-05:00

First of all, thank you for being so patient on my clear lack of posting as of late. I started a new, part-time job as a marketing coordinator for a nursing home/assisted living center and that keeps me busy three days a week. The other days, I'm trying to run the household and that can wear a person out! Plus there are Boy Scouts (Wanna buy some popcorn? Let me know.), piano lessons, book club, bowling, church ladies, music boosters, etc, etc, etc. I'm tired just thinking about it.

If it makes you feel any better, I've been neglecting my treadmill as well. I got on it this morning, the first time in about a month, and at minute 55, my left knee told me it was done. I made it keep going another five minutes and it feels fine now. I guess it was just out of shape! :)

Last week, I weighed in and had lost 30 pounds! The Commander told me he would take me back to New York City if I lost 30 pounds and I did! Now we will see if he holds up his end of the bargain.

______

This is the newest and exciting-est thing going on here.

We bought this land behind our house and are filling it up. We've planted 50+ trees and have built The Boy a huge "Fort" in one corner. Now, we are getting a storage barn.

This is the area it will be erected (heheheheh).

And this is what thousands of dollars will get you.

Doesn't look like much, does it? I'll post photos as we go along so you can see my new skating rink in progress.

Time, time, time

2011-07-22T12:30:00.002-05:00

This summer has flown past!

It started out a little slow, but then it gained huge momentum.

The Boy is now officially a Boy Scout and, boy, are those guys busy. Meetings every week, camping, food. A bunch of them just got back from hiking in the Black Hills and on Sunday, a different set of them (The Boy included) are heading up north for a week-long camp. This will be his first parentless Scout camp. We bought a nifty new Coleman cot and I now get to pack and pack and pack everything up for the trip.

Last week, he was at church camp and Shorty was away at Army camp for the past month. They are now both home and we are still trying to get caught up on the laundry!

Yesterday, I chaperoned the school band to the amusement park. It was fun, but it is hard because I like the roller coasters and big thrill rides and The Boy likes the smaller, less thrilling rides that go round and round. I can't do round and round. I ended up not riding much just so we could spend more time letting him ride the things he wanted. Oh well, I guess that is what parents do for their chirrun.

I have to finish writing a grant, work on a video presentation for a memorial service and get a package in the mail today. Boring, but needs to be done. That will free me up next week to party like a rock star!

Woot!

Conversation with my son

2011-07-01T07:42:00.001-05:00

Kissing him goodnight after he had a fun-filled day at the pool.

Me - You smell like the pool.

Him - You smell like a mom.

Me - What does a mom smell like?

Him - Weird perfume and sweat.

???????

Product Review

2011-06-21T13:45:00.004-05:00

If you know me at all, you know I'm an advid reader. I read a lot. A whole lot. I joined Good Reads two years ago and have 161 books listed so far! So when Mom Central asked if I would be interested in reading and reviewing a book, I jumped on it.

The book I was sent is titled Beside Still Waters by Patricia Goyer.

(From her website - Marianna Sommer believes she knows where her life is headed. Nineteen years old and Amish, her plan is to get baptized into the church, marry Aaron Zook, and live in the only community she's ever known.

When Marianna's family moves from Indiana to Montana she discovers life and faith will never be the same. As she builds an easy friendship with local guy, Ben Stone, Ben not only draws her heart, he also gets her thinking about what loving God and living in community is all about.

As Marianna struggles to find "home", she also encounters God in intimate ways.)

Marianna's older brother has left the community for an English life and her younger siblings are becoming more and more drawn to the English ways as well. Hoping to get them away from those influences, her Mem and Dat pack up the family and move to Montana. While Marianna doesn't have to go with them, she feels an obligation to her family. She packs up and moves away from everything she has known. Including Aaron. The man she thought she would someday marry.

I have always enjoyed reading books about the Amish and their ways. This book was not the "typical" Amish book to me. I guess I have never thought about the Amish moving away from their hometowns and being more integrated with the English.

Ms. Goyer's descriptions of Montana as seen through Marianna's eyes was spot on. I could imagine her coming from the relatively flat plains of Indiana to suddenly coming upon newness of all of the streams and mountains.

It made me sad to see Marianna struggling against everything she was raised to believe now being just a bit different. She also struggles with herself and her inner turmoil of starting to question her parents and their decisions.

I very much enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the next installment of the Big Sky Series!

_____

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of the Beside Still Waters Campaign and received a copy of the book and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

I've been ignoring my blog.

2011-04-14T15:35:00.004-05:00

Patches shows her disapproval.

Time sure flies when blah, blah, blah.

So this happened...

The Boy's car is in the #6 spot.

It won Scouts' Choice!

My car. It didn't win anything.

And we went here.

And here.

And then I did this because I'm a twelve year old boy.

Winter won't leave

2011-03-10T12:41:00.006-06:00

Sometimes, winter is nice.

Where there is snow you can go out and play in until Scotch wears out!

Where twenty year old young men love to pelt anyone in sight with snowballs!

Where eleven year old boys play until they are soaking wet!

Then? This happens...

Winter thumbs its nose at you.

And branches start plummeting out of trees.

Not nice, winter. Not nice.

Ha!

2011-02-11T11:21:00.003-06:00

I used to shave on Mondays, but now we weigh in on Fridays and since I wear shorts....

Ten on Tuesday

2011-02-01T20:02:00.002-06:00

Ten things that are on my nightstand:

1) Lamp with the beaded French Whorehouse shade. I admit I like to play with the beads.

2) Clock radio/cassette player. The Boy's old one. It has shiny stickers on it.

3) Lip balm. Four lip balms as a matter of fact.

4) A fan. I needs muh white noise.

5) My Nook. Named sNOOKie.

6) A suction cup. ?!?!?! No idea where that came from.

7) Scrabble Flash game I got for Christmas.

8) Flashlight. In case we lose electricity.

9) Wrist brace. Carpal Tunnel sucks.

10) iPod mini and headphones. Norah Jones relaxes me.

What's on your nightstand?

Are you a redneck?

2011-02-01T12:04:00.002-06:00

I got this in an email and just had to pass it along. Enjoy.

You might be a redneck if: It never occurred to you to
Be offended by the phrase, 'One nation, under God..'

You might be a redneck if: You've never protested about seeing
The 10 Commandments posted in public places.

You might be a redneck if: You still say 'Christmas'
Instead of 'Winter Festival.'

You might be a redneck if: You bow your head when
Someone prays.

You might be a redneck if: You stand and place your
Hand over your heart when they play the National Anthem

You might be a redneck if: You treat our armed forces
Veterans with great respect, and always have.

You might be a redneck if: You've never burned an
American flag, nor intend to.

You might be a redneck if: You know what you believe
And you aren't afraid to say so, no matter who is listening.

You might be a redneck if: You respect your elders and
Raised your kids to do the same.

You might be a redneck if: You'd give your last dollar to
A friend.

Wow

2011-01-27T13:21:00.003-06:00

Hey there. It's been a while. That darn Facebook is taking away all of our time together. I would say that I will try to do better by you, but we all know that's pretty funny right there.

We had a scare with one of the dogs. We pretty much thought he was dying. Seven different medicines later, he's better, but still not 100%. They think he has Erlichiosis. It is a tick disease our vet has never diagnosed in his 30 years up here. Imagine that. He talked to a vet in San Angelo, Texas, and got the diagnosis. Thankful for that.

Everything else is pretty much the same. Still bowling. The Boy is still in Scouts and taking piano lessons. He did join band at school and is learning the trombone. Doing pretty well, too. The Commander is still going to community college. Still cussing the computer out on a daily basis. Oldest Boy is still at Iowa State and hanging in there.

What about you?

Questions

2011-01-07T15:25:00.003-06:00

I'm borrowing this from Andria. I may even borrow some of her anwers just to show that, even though we have never met, we think along the same lines!

1. What curse word do you use the most?
Andria says...
I have to pick a favorite? I work in profanity the way artists might work in oils or clay. It is my true medium.

I say...
This was me when I worked. Now I don't have much of an opportunity to let it fly. I did say, "sh*t" the other day. I was alone though so it was sort of a waste.

2. Do you own an iPod?
I have a mini and an iTouch. The iTouch is used to watch movies on the go and to check FB and email when the computer is occupied. Also? I can kick butt on Bejeweled with it. I use the mini when I remember it! I just charged it the other night so I could take it to Sleeping with the Dinosaurs. One of the Scout dads snores like crazy. (I heard him during a camp out last year.) I'm hoping I can drown him out with some Nora Jones.

3. Do you still remember the first person you kissed?
Yes. And the second!

4. Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture?
Andria says...
I would love to be in some pictures so my kids will remember what I looked like, but no one else in this house will ever use the camera.

I say...
Amen, Sister!!

5. Has anyone ever called you lazy?
*I* call me lazy.

6. Has anyone told you a secret this week?
Nope.

7. What is the first thing you notice about someone to whom are attracted?
Eyes, shoulders and butt.

8. To what are you looking forward?
To when people can end a sentence in a preposition without shame!

9. Do you own any band t-shirts?
Rolling Stones, Harry Connick, Jr. and Riders in The Sky. Can you tell my taste in music varies?

10. When is the last time you slept on the floor?
Last year at Sleeping with The Dinosaurs at the museum. (If by "sleep" you mean tossing and turning on the floor, curling up on a three foot long padded bench, and finally resigning myself that sleep wasn't going to happen.) This year, I've got my air mattress and battery operated pump ready to go!

11. What did you do last night?
Went to eat pizza at Jake's, tinkered with my new Nook, watched Modern Family and had a pretty good night's sleep.

12. Do you get along better with the same sex or the opposite sex?
I've always gotten along with guys. I was a big tomboy growing up and I still have a lot of that lingering. I worked closest with guys at my two real jobs. It was like having a butt load of brothers! That is one of the big things I miss living up here. No guy friends. I miss my boys!

13. Who was the last person to make you mad?
Hi Husband!

14. To whom would you want to be tied for 24 hours?
Andria says...
Does an extra soft king size bed with 1000 thread count sheets count?

I say...
Sweeeeeeeeeet. Can someone bring me food?

15. T or F: All’s fair in love and war?
Andria says...
No. Just because I want to say no.

I say...
Exactly.

16. What’s something you’ve always wanted?
I don't know. I'm pretty good with what I have. More money is alway nice. (Money can't buy happiness, but it can take you places where you can look for it.)

17. Do you enjoy spending time with your mother?
Yes! I love my mom!

18. Do you want a bright yellow ‘06 Mustang?
How about a blue '08 Sebring convertible? With heated leather seats and a remote start?

19. Where is/are your best friend(s)?
In Oklahoma and sitting across from me.

20. Would you rather swim in the ocean or a lake?
I grew up swimming in lakes so I'm gonna have to go with the ocean.

Brrrr

2010-12-20T10:44:00.003-06:00

A photo is worth a couple thousand words...

But the cold doesn't keep the artist from his work.

I don't knooooooowwwwwww!

2010-12-12T13:40:00.003-06:00

My loving husband told me that he was going to by me an ereader. Yay, me!

I don't know which one to get. Boo, me.

I have looked into both the Kindle and the Nook.

They both:
Have the same screen size.
Can take SD cards for more memory.
Can play games.
Can play mp3 files.
Can browse web (limited).

Plus -

The Kindle:
Is lighter in weight.
Is $10 cheaper.
Has an e ink pearl screen.

The Nook:
Can share books. (MIL and SIL have Nooks. I could share books with them.)
Can read epub format.

I have the Kindle App on my iTouch and really like it. I tried the Nook App and ended up deleting it.

Any suggestions? I'm kinda leaning toward the Kindle, but I just don't know.

(Totally forgot to put a title here. Oops.)

2010-12-06T16:55:00.005-06:00

It is winter in Iowa. That means more time in the house. And less time out in the freezing, cold snow. So instead of just sitting on my hind-end, watching my stories, I decided that I would dust off my sewing machine and try some new things.

Flannel Rag Quilts. I've made a few.

This one.

This one.

This one.

And...doh!

I have made two more, but they are surprise gifts. Maybe I'll show them after Christmas.

Today, I saw a pattern for coffee cup cozies. I thought I would give it a shot. I had to stop at the Salvation Army store to find some buttons. I ended up buying a blouse with some red buttons. I ended up liking the fabric so much, I cut up the blouse and used it!

Who knew I had some sewing skills?

Product Review

2010-11-29T10:07:00.005-06:00

Christmas is closing in and you know what that means!

HICKORY FARMS!!!

Yum, yum, yum.

I was selected to recieve a Hickory Farms basket and to give you a review of it. When I told The Commander, he said, "Yippee!" and may have clapped his hands a little.

Here's what we got...

(From the website) This Perfect Picnic Basket comes with everything. The lucky person who opens it will find it filled with Hickory Farms® Summer Sausage, creamy cheeses, crackers and mustards. Our Melt Away Mints and Famously Thin Peanut Brittle promise a sweet ending! Think of all the family picnics that will be all the more special because they open and close with a keepsake Peterboro Basket®. Wt. 3.7 lbs.

We were going to slice it all up and serve it at Thanksgiving, but most of it didn't last that long! We dove into the Mission Jack Blend cheese and Beef Summer sausage right away. (That cheese is SO good.) Peanut Brittle? Gone. Melt Away Mints? My favorite. (Don't tell the strawberry candies!) I haven't cracked open the mustards yet, but the honey pineapple has been calling my name.

And don't get me started on how cute the basket is. Perfect for transporting a pie or small casserole.

Hickory Farms gift boxes have always been a gift we know will get used. We buy at least one every year (if not more). If you are looking for that hard-to-buy-for person (or anyone else, for that matter), keep Hickory Farms in mind.

It's good stuff.

_____

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Hickory Farms and received a signature gift box from Hickory Farms to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Friday Five

2010-11-05T13:37:00.004-05:00

1. Are you a morning or a night person?

I am totally a night person. You are lucky if you come in and wake me in your morning person, chipper voice and I don't punch you in the throat.

2. You’re having dinner with friends. They all start gossiping about another friend of yours. What do you do?

I listen and then confirm or deny based on what I know. If I don't know, I end up asking the friend later to see what's up.

3. What is the worst job you've ever had?

I was a cook at the Sonic Drive-In for one whole month. I hated that place. (My co-workers were great!) They would hose down and wash the floor while people were standing there doing their jobs! My feet would get soaking wet. I got grease burns every shift. We had to reach into the hot water the weiners were kept hot in WITH OUR FINGERS because they didn't have any tongs. And, I was told not to touch the pop machine and the ice machine at the same time because it would electrocute me. Great.

4. What magazines do you subscribe to?

I recently subscribed to Entertainment Weekly, Country Living (both of those purchased with Coca-Cola points), Good Housekeeping and Redbook ($5.00 a year each, on special). I want Reader's Digest, but I need a cheaper price.

5. What is your favorite restaurant in your area?

Describe "area". In town? The Dairy Queen. Within 30 miles? The Green Mill has a Blaze Burger that makes my eyes sweat, but The Dairy Freeze has the best soft serve chocolate ice cream I have ever had. Ever. Within 45 miles? Mineral City has a most tasty Coconut Chicken Salad. Nom, nom.

It's fall, y'all!

2010-10-25T14:10:00.004-05:00

It's fall. Time for pumpkins...

and mums...

and leaves...

lots of leaves.

We raked and mulched last Saturday. I took this photo this morning. I guess we get to do it all again.

It is kinda pretty, in its own way.

I did get to use some of my artistic qualities to make "art with natural media".

In other news... my husband was surprised that the grass under the tire swing was getting killed off. Silly man.

The kids around here love this thing. We don't need no stinkin' swing set. Just a flat tire and some rope.

Conversations with my son

2010-10-25T09:11:00.002-05:00

Actual conversation in the car on the way to school this morning.

Him: Can I have a flare gun?
Me: No.

BBQ Samich

2010-10-22T09:52:00.002-05:00

I'm making this again today.

I was whining the other day about not having any good BBQ since I've been up here so I went on Tasty Kitchen and found this recipe.

It. Was. So. Good.

I'm not going to add as much water this time because it was a little runny, but everything else was tasty!

Enjoy!

Tangy BBQ Samich

•3 pounds Beef Roast Of Choice
•1 cup Onion, Sliced
•1 cup Ketchup
•1 cup Favorite BBQ Sauce
•1 cup Water
•2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
•2 Tablespoons Vinegar Of Choice
•2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
•2 cloves Garlic, Minced
•1 teaspoon Chili Powder
•1 teaspoon Sea Salt
•½ teaspoons Black Pepper, Cracked

1. Dump all of the ingredients in your slow cooker.
2. Cook on High for 6-7 hours. At that point, pull out the roast and shred meat using two forks. Then put the meat back into the crock and let it sit a bit to allow the juice to saturate meat.
3. Pile the meat into a good bun such as Bolilo or Telara and top with cheese if you choose.
4. If you don’t eat it on the way to the oven, you can broil the cheese and buttered bun until golden and crispy.

Come on cold!

2010-10-13T10:32:00.008-05:00

What a crazy fall we are having up here.

This time last year, we had more than an inch of snow. Temps have been in the 80s the last few days and the Asian Beetles are going strong.

I thought they were cute, little ladybugs, but, boy was I wrong! These suckers bite! They come in yellow, orange and red, with or without spots. And they invade like nobody's business. We've had a bunch come in the house and collect up in the corners. The Commander had to get a broom handle and knock them down. And they stink when you smush them. Yick.

There are some other bugs that are everywhere as well. People call them No-See-Ums, but when I looked at photos on the web, that isn't what these bugs look like. They are tiny, black things and they excrete an enzyme that burns.

The Boy's scout leader said to wipe Listerine on you to keep them away. We looked at him like he was crazy and ended up joking about wiping Jack Daniels on you and swigging the rest of it down!

The mosquitos are still trying to carry off young children. We just need a good hard freeze!

_____

Harvest is slowing coming to an end. Thank goodness. The dust and stuff in the air is causing a bunch of folks to be coughing, sneezing and gacking. Hopefully we can get a good rain (before the freeze!) and get some of this stuff settled down.

_____

In other news...

Someone joined the band.

Conversations with my son.

2010-10-05T14:23:00.002-05:00

Me: Did you get a cough drop?
Him: No.
Me: Go get one.
Him: Not right now. My program is on.
Me: Your program is on? What are you? 87?
Him: Well, if you multiply my age by eight and add seven, then yes.

Friday Fill-In

2010-10-01T09:23:00.004-05:00

1. I'm going _____.

2. Laughter _______.

3. Perhaps today you can make it a point _____.

4. It's hard to know how much ________.

5. Compassion is _____

6. _____ no matter how difficult.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!

**********

1. I'm going to attempt to make a quilt. I won't be one of those fancy quilts with the stars, barns or Sunbonnet Sues, but it will be mine! I love the quilt my Granny made for me and I would like to pass a little something like that down to the kids.

2. Laughter is a wonderful thing. I miss my Oklahomies. They made me laugh like crazy.

3. Perhaps today you could make it a point to do some laundry?

4. It's hard to know how much is too much? I don't know! This one is hard.

5. Compassion is getting to be a sparce commodity. Parents are teaching their children.

6. I'm going to try to start exercising again no matter how difficult. I wish I had a treadmill. That would make it easier.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching Avatar, tomorrow my plans include a trip to the cities for in-laws' birthdays and The Science Museum and Sunday, I want to just hang out with the fam!

Murphy went with us.

2010-08-27T14:58:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was a doozie.

It started out okay. The Boy and I were making pancakes into odd shapes and I attempted to make the number ten (for his age). I ended up with a legless turkey.

Then, we got in the car and headed north to get a replacement lens for my glasses. (I was cleaning them one day and TINK! a small chunk broke off right next to my earpiece. Luckily, there is a one year warranty and so they ordered a new lens for me.)

I got my glasses at a small department store's eyecare place. I really like the store. It is kinda like K-Mart's more sophisticated older sister.

Anywho...The lady put my new lens in and I walked back to the toys to fetch the boy. We wandered toward the front of the store and I noticed I already had something on my new lens. I took my glasses of to check and there was a crack in the lens!

I went back to the eyecare place and let the lady have a look-see. We both agreed that it wasn't in the lens when she put it in, but it sure was there now.

I asked her to put the other lens back in since the piece that was missing didn't interfere with my vision, but the new crack sure did.

We got back into the car and headed to sprawlmart for another gallon of paint for the deck.

Wouldn't you know it? Dutch Boy is not longer making the accent base. How special is that? The paint manager told me a different store had three gallons left and if went to that store (An hour and a half from where I was.), and couldn't get any, come back and they would try to match as close as they could and if I bought a gallon, they wouldgive me a gallon for free to make up for the gallon we used. While that was nice and all, we really don't want to repaint what we have painted. We are headed down to Ames tomorrow so maybe we can look at the store there.

In case you are wondering why we are going to Ames? We are going to visit that tall boy in the above photo and wish him a happy 20th birthday! And take him presents! And food! And buy him supper! (Red Lobster hates to see him on All You Can Eat Shrimp Night.)

Let us take a moment to remember him when...

This blog

2010-08-20T22:28:00.002-05:00

This blog is powered by donuts. As you can tell by the sporatic posts, my donut supply is slim to none.

Send donuts. Not to be picky, but Daylight if you got'em.

TMI

2010-08-09T16:00:00.000-05:00

My body is using all of its moisture to make snot.

That's corny.

2010-08-02T16:38:00.002-05:00

Sing it with me...

127 ears of corn on the counter.
127 ears of corn.

Take one down,
Boil it around,
Cool it down,
Cut it off the cob,
Bag it,
Put it in the freezer,
Attempt to write a poem and run out of words that rhyme with down and you're too tired to really put any effort into it.
126 ears of corn on the counter.

(I couldn't get them all in one photo. They were spread out from one end of the kitchen to the other.)

Product Review

2010-07-27T16:35:00.005-05:00

I know it is hard to believe, but I really like product reviews.

And I really, really like food product reviews!

So when Mom Central asked, "Do you want to try the new Eggo Fruit Pizzas?", how could I resist? Eggos and fruit? Suh-weet.

From the website:
There's an exciting new way to enjoy Eggo® products! New Eggo™ Real Fruit Pizza, topped with real fruit and crunchy toasted granola… they're the perfect way to shake up your breakfast routine! Ready in just a minute from your microwave. Try both tasty flavors, Strawberry Granola and Mixed Berry Granola!

I waited ~~not so~~ patiently for the pizzas to arrive and, of course, when they did, I was out of town. Luckily, my husband was here to get them and keep them safe for me. (They were supposed to be for me and The Boy, but you'll see why that didn't work here in a minute.)

With huge smiles and lots of anticipation, we opened the package. Then, The Boy saw the photo on the box.

"Granola?!?! Ugh." and off he went to play far away from the granola.

Now, I'm all about granola, so I stayed put. More for me!

I ate this one...

...and saved the strawberry one for later.

It. Was. So. Good.

It comes with one of those silver microwave trays and it only takes a minute to cook. It wasn't overly sweet (which is what I was worried about) and the berries didn't have that weird frozen/thawed taste. The Boy doesn't know what he is missing.

I highly recommend you fetch you some and I thank the folks at Eggo and Mom Central for letting me try them.

_____

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Eggo Real Fruit Pizza and received a sample of the product and a $20 Amazon gift certificate to facilitate my review.

Shut the front door!

2010-07-25T18:55:00.006-05:00

Whoosh!

That was the sound of the summer flying by.

And this young man flying by...

Second overall in the 5K on the 4th of July! First in his age group. Yay!

And this young man flying by...

Sadly, he didn't place, but he had a great time. Look at the concentration!

And look how ~~lazy~~ industrious.

I guess he wanted to spend more time watching the parade than trying to chase down candy. It worked well. People tried to see if they could actually make it into the wagon.

There isn't much whooshing here...

She loves the new windows. Barely fits in the track, but it doesn't stop her. She also loves the weather stripping. Not cool.

I would say summer is winding down, but we still have another five weeks to go.

Both of the boys are at camp this week. The oldest is one of the adventure counselors at church camp and is loving it. He is going on his second trip to The Boundary Waters. Poor kid. He's only gotten to go parachuting in Georgia, rock climbing and rapelling in South Dakota, scuba diving in Iowa and canoeing in Minnesota this summer. He's probably bored to death.

I applied for a full time job as a marketing assistant, but I haven't heard anything. They wanted someone to do A and some bcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz. Well, I have had experience with bcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz, but not so much with A. I guess I'll just continue being a slackass. (Love that job.)

In other news...

read her books. Or else.

Actual conversation with my son

2010-07-21T20:56:00.003-05:00

Me - Why don't you run downstairs and get us an ice cream sandwich?

Loving child - Why don't we just have an apple?

He ruins everything.

Trippy

2010-06-28T12:51:00.007-05:00

Did you know we went to Oklahoma and Texas for a couple of weeks? Well, we did. And I have visual proof.

We started out in Oklahoma visiting with my parents and one of my dad's sisters whom I haven't seen since I was a teenager. I had a good time with her.

I also had a mini-class reunion/get-together with some folks I haven't seen since...well...a long time ago.

Then, we headed to Texas!

Here is the hunting/fishing lodge we stayed in. It was pretty nice until the family started wandering in from their respective sleep houses. Then the AC decided that it would freeze up on us. We toughed it out for a while then headed into town to a cousin's house to swim or to shoot pool. Or both. (Not at the same time, sillies.)

This is the lane going up to another cousin's house. Her and her husband have 80 or so acres to toodle around on.

We took their off-road vehicle thingie and explored the wildlife. I miss the smell of the plants in the country.

We had to stop to take photos of this little guy (girl?).

A Texas cousin, two California cousins and I made a day of it in Lubbock. We shopped some and ate ourselves sillier at The Cracker Barrel. Chicken and Dumplins...yum.

We stopped at Sonic for a beverage on the way home and later, we had to go to Dairy Queen (Had to, I tell ya!) I had totally forgotten about the DQ Dude (Steak Sandwich). I ordered one of those and enjoyed every bite of it.

Back to Oklahoma and a quick trip over to see some friends in Stillwater. We ate lunch at Mexico Joe's. OMG, I miss those people (and that salsa and blue corn enchiladas with Sonoran sauce!)

Back at Mom's...she made me make my Granny's homemade banana pudding. I had to stir that mess for 15+ minutes! It is worth it though...

Oklahoma sent us off with a gorgeous sunset.

And Iowa welcomed us back with an also gorgeous sunset.

So I'm tired. But I'm back home where it is cool!

And now for something a little more upbeat.

2010-06-27T17:51:00.005-05:00

1. It's 2AM and you are not home. You are more than likely:

Somewhere else. (This is pretty easy so far.)

2. What's the last thing you spent more than $100 on?

The disaster that was the National Bowliing Tournament (Tourney, plane ticket and hotel. I could have bought a fancy new mattress!)

3. What do your bank checks look like?

They're rectangular. And were free.

4. Where did the shirt you are currently wearing come from?

It was a used t-shirt swap from Swapbot.

5. Name something that will be on your Christmas wish list:

I would like a new mattress.

6. What color is your toothbrush?

White and pink.

7. Name something you collect and tell us about it.

Dust. You can write your name in it, just don't date it.

8. Last restaurant you ate at. Who were you with? How was it?

Los Agaves. Me and the family. Good as usual.

9. Who was the last person you bought a birthday card for?

I'm into the whole rubber stamping thing so I make homemade cards now. And I can't remember that far back.

10. What is your worst bad habit?

I recently acquired a twitch in my left arm when I drive. I don't know why and I'm trying to stop. (Is that a habit?)

11. Name a magazine to which you subscribe?

How about the ones I want? People and Readers' Digest. I actually get Mad Magazine and M@rth@ Stew@rt's Everyday Food (Shut up. It was free. I hate it.)

12. Your favorite pizza toppings?

Ham and Pineapple or Pork Sausage and Jalepeno.

13. Whose number were you looking up the last time you used a phone book?
Why? What did you see?

The Dogs' Inn. I needed to board the dogs. I saw their number. Duh.

14. Other than family, who is the person that you love most?

Love love or like love? No fair. I'm not taking sides.

15. What is the last thing you cooked?

I'm making meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans and garlic herb biscuits as I type this!

16. Name something you wouldn't want to buy used.

Underbritches.

17. Which shoe do you put on first?

I don't play favorites.

18. What is the last thing you remember losing?

I can't find my set of keys to my husband's vehicle. They'll show up.

19. What is the ugliest piece of furniture in your house?

I like everything in this joint, but I guess I would have to say the sofa in the basement that has the one cushion that Scotch decided to make a meal of. It has a slipcover on it so you can't really tell.

20. Last thing you bought and ended up returning?

Nothing in a long time.

21. What perfume/cologne do you wear?

I have been spritzing with Bath and Bodyworks Sensual Amber. I don't think they make it any more, but SprawlMart has a knockoff.

22. Your favorite board game?

Sorry!

23. What was the last board game you played?

Sorry! or Spongebob's Life.

24. Where did your vehicle come from?

Johnson's of Enid, Oklahoma. As did the vehicle before it.

25. If a movie was made about your life what would the theme song be?

Bobby Brown's That's My Prerogative.

26. You're sad, who can cheer you up easily?

Vinny.

27. What was the color of the bridesmaid dresses of the last wedding you went to?

Uh....the bride wore white. I don't know. I don't pay attention to that stuff.

28. What house cleaning chore do you hate to do the most?

Dishes!

29. What is your favorite way to eat chicken?

Sitting at Eischen's with my friends. And with a side of fried Okra with Ranch for dipping.

30. It is your birthday. You hope the cake is?

Not chocolate and has that crazy good Crisco frosting like they used to make years ago.

Don't let me interrupt your interruption

2010-06-27T14:20:00.003-05:00

I'm not as forgiving as I used to be.

I used to get interrupted every now and then and I suppose I was just used to it, but lately, that nonesense has worked my nerves.

Just recently (and this happened MORE THAN ONCE! with various people, both young and old), I was talking to person "B" and out of nowhere, person "C" would start talking to "B" and then "B" would turn to "C" and totally leave me hanging.

I felt like yelling, "Hello! I was talking here!"

We teach kids (for the most part) to not interrupt and to wait until someone is finished talking before they ask a question or put their two cents in. And while many kids grasp this concept, it isn't sinking in for some and for some adults, if it did sink in, it fell out the bottom.

So what should I have done? Waiting until they were finished talking and complete what I was saying? Waiting until they were finished and refuse to continue what I was saying? Jumping in on their conversation to let them know how rude they were?

I started thinking that I was just boring people to death and they relished the interruption, but then I remembered what a brilliant personality I have and realized that wasn't the problem.

Africa Hot

2010-06-24T10:32:00.003-05:00

Oklahoma is hot and wet.

Texas is hot and dry.

Either way...it's hot down here.

But the fun I'm having kinda evens it out...honing my pool playing skills...eating good snacks (ask me about the peanut butter fudge!!!)...seeing relatives I haven't seen in many years...seeing friends I haven't seen in a couple of years...

I'm tired of driving for hours on end, but just one more long jaunt and I'll be home on Friday.

Photos later.

Um.

2010-05-26T08:16:00.002-05:00

So much for posting three times a week in May!

Maybe later today I will get everyone caught up.

Until then...

Your Creative Power is Your Logic

You're the type of person who is great at execution. You don't just dream about ideas - you make them happen!

You are idealistic and determined, but you are also a realist. You only undertake projects you're pretty sure you can finish.

You are a natural problem solver, and you actually think better when you're being challenged.

You do best when you work by yourself or when you're in charge. You ideas are big, dramatic, and the best.

What's Your Creative Power?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

You Are a Lucky Person

You are cautious and slow to act. It takes you a long time to get used to ideas.

You are happiest at any given time. You find so much to be happy about that you're usually quite content.

You may not seem to be working hard, but that's an illusion. You make hard work look easy.

You are a very patient person. You stick with people and things for a lifetime.

The Swimming Pool Test

Blogthings: Cheaper Than a Therapist

You Should Smell Like a Peach

You are sensual and flirtatious. You always make sure to enjoy yourself, even if no one else is having fun.

You feel like everyone takes life too seriously. You wish people would lighten up and see how sweet life is.

You are naturally sexy and attractive. Even when you're trying to be more serious, you can't help but be a bit of a tease.

Some people are scared of your power, but anyone who knows you loves you. You are so much sweeter and juicier than anyone imagines.

What Fruit Should You Smell Like?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

You Are Cooking

You are a very generous and caring person. You love to make other people happy, and you love to give.

You are content when you are busy with projects. You enjoy working with your hands.

You are both intuitive and creative. You are good at figuring out how to make things work, and you love to experiment.

You may be only following recipes for now, but eventually you'll be creating your own amazing, original meals.

What Hobby Are You?

Blogthings: Discover the Parts of Your Personality that Have Been Hiding

I was tired just hearing about it.

2010-05-11T10:03:00.003-05:00

The oldest child is doing well at Airborne School. He passed his PT (physical training) test yesterday and this morning, he called bright and early to let us know he passed another physical test.

Him: We had a longer run this morning.

Me: How long?

Him: Just four miles.

Me: JUST?!?!

I guess some of the kids aren't making it through the physical tests and are having to leave the school. I know physical endurance is a big part of the military, but there are some people who are built for comfort, not for speed. I feel sorry for those folks because I am one of them.

Today, the ones still there get to jump off the 34 foot tower.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Happy Mothers' Day

2010-05-09T21:48:00.003-05:00

When The Boy was two years old, his daycare teacher helped the kids in his class make gifts for their moms. The teacher would ask each kid a question and then write their answer down on.

When I arrived to pick him up that afternoon, there was a gathering of teachers waiting for me. I didn't know what the heck was going on.

Now keep in mind that he was only two and you know how kids think.

Yeah, I was flabbergasted as well.

Now I knew why all the teachers were waiting for me.

I told them I would find out what the heck he was talking about and get back to them.

It took a while (you know how two year olds are), but I finally figured it out!

Me: I don't put soap in your mouth.

Him: Yes you do!

Me: What color is it?

Him: Blue!

Me: Is it toothpaste?

Him: Yes!

It never fails to make me smile. I have kept it on my fridge for seven plus years.

I love you, Chicken Pot Pie*.

The Best Mom Ever,
Mom

*I told him now that he was ten, he could pick out a new nickname for me to call him. He said he liked Chicken Pot Pie and he wanted to keep it.

I Quit Twitter

2010-05-05T09:36:00.002-05:00

But I can't quit you.

I did it. I quit Twitter. Most of my real friends on Twitter are also on Facebook. So every post they put on Twitter...you guessed it, they also posted on Facebook. I was getting all of their information twice.

I followed a bunch of celebrities. That was fun. Especially the Modern Family group.

But it was time to give it up. I still miss it. I still think about going back for a lookie-loo. I haven't though. Good for me.

I'm going to try to put a little more effort into this blog. I have a couple of friends who aren't on Facebook with me. I still need to entertain them. :)

_________________

In other news...

TEN POUNDS GONE!

Still trying to walk and to keep my calories down.

I fudged up a little last night. I took The Boy to the Pizza Ranch for supper after piano lessons. I had six pieces of pizza. Six crazy, delicious pieces. BBQ Chicken, Pineapple & Canadian Bacon, and Garlic & Cheese. MMMMMMMM. I paid for it later though. I haven't eaten greasy food for about three weeks. You can see where this is going, can't you? I'll just let you take it from here.

Sometimes things...

2010-04-26T13:49:00.003-05:00

don't go according to plan.

When we moved up here to Iowa, I thought, "Good. Now I can finally lose weight. I won't be able to eat out at every lunch and I won't be sitting behind a desk for eight hours a day."

Let's take a moment to laugh at that.

I weight more now than I ever have. Sure, I don't eat out at lunch every day. Probably 95% of the time, I make something here at home. And because I don't work eight hours a day, I'm within walking distance to the kitchen 24/7 most days.

I also eat the majority of my suppers here at home. Our dining prospects are few and far between in this tiny town. Plus, I can make some pretty tasty meals.

When I stepped on the scale nine days ago, I said a few choice words and decided to buckle down.

I started my DIEt on a Friday. I didn't want to wait until Monday. Now, now, now. Something had to be done.

I started walking, eating less and not snacking.

I lost five pounds in one week.

Zoinks!

Then a Fireman friend suggested the Lose It! application for the iTouch. He and a bunch of his Fireman friends use it and it has been working for them. I downloaded that puppy and went to town! I put in my starting weight(I used the current weight, not the weight I was a week before.), my age and my goal and it gave me a suggested caloric intake. I have only used it three days, but I haven't gone over my calories yet.

It is SO hard! I have been able to treat myself with a small chocolate cone or a couple of Hershey's Kisses, but that has been fine for me. I don't want a large chocolate cone or the entire bag of Hershey's Kisses. (That's a lie. Of course I do. But I choose not to.)

This morning, I was down four more pounds. Nine pounds in nine days. I know that is way more than is recommended, but I don't feel like I am denying myself of food. I'm having a salad at least once a day. I'm having carbs and proteins. I've cut back to MAYBE one Pepsi a day. (Throwback Pepsi is 150 calories. I have to really want it.)

(I just had to go check that one can wasn't two servings which would have thrown me WAY off! It isn't. Whew.)

I went to my closet and tried on my capri pants this morning. I can tell they have loosened up!

I just hope I can stay with this change.

DIMOBS*

2010-04-14T13:26:00.004-05:00

*Do It My Own Bad Self

Saying goodbye to the 1970s a little at a time.

There are two of these in the hallway. They gots ta go.

Cough, cough, hack, hack. How much bugs, crud and popcorn ceiling spray can there be in here?

This is the point at which I left to go get a headlamp to help me see a little better. (Note: It is not very bright in a hallway with the electricity turned off.)

This is also the point where I took a potty break and switched out my jeans for a pair of shorts. Shorts with no pockets. I had to put the screws somewhere, so I put them in the First National Bank of Titty City.

Tah-to-the-dah!

One down, one to go. But I'm not doing it until The Commander can be here to hand me things I drop. And to wipe my brow with a cool, wet rag.

Seriously?

2010-04-11T20:55:00.003-05:00

It is a regional thing.

Rarely do you find a person here that has heard of a Frito Pie or even Okra.

I'm learning new things as well.

Never heard of a lug. Now I know what one is. (A wooden box for transporting fruit or vegetables.)

Hot Beef Commercial? Nope. Not an ad for hot beef. (Open faced hot beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy.)

Dinner? (Lunch, not supper.)

But one of the biggest surprises of these regional things is a food I wrinkled my nose at. I may have even said, "You've got to be kidding me."

Are you ready for this one?

Cheez Whiz on cinnamon bread.

I KNOW! Yick.

It is usually served as a finger food at get-togethers. And often with a slice of green olive on each piece.

But I like it. A lot.

David's Aunt had her 80th birthday party today. I didn't have any cake. I had three slices of cinnamon bread with Cheez Whiz. AND I brought four more pieces home.

Oh, my-lanta. Good stuff.

Date Day

2010-04-11T20:23:00.004-05:00

The Boy spent most of the weekend with his Grandma and Aunts so The Commander and I had a Date Day!

I finally got to go to a baseball game. I love baseball. I never go to games though because my husband doesn't like baseball. "Two minutes of excitement packed into two hours." Phfft on him.

He has a classmate at college who is a pitcher for the team. Luis is here on scholarship from Colombia. He hopes to make it big someday and said he will get me VIP seats. (Yay me!) He may be headed to Oregon to finish school and play ball there. I imagine I won't get to see him play much ball once he moves.

Here is the team getting a royal butt chewing by the coach (#22). They just lost the first game of the double header. (Luis is the one in the blue with the white pants.)

Here is my husband in the process of licking his thumb to smear it across my camera lens if I don't quit taking photos of him already!

We went on to eat at a restaurant/bar called Tweeters. I had a buffalo chicken sandwich and sweet potato fries. Mmmmmmmmmmm.

Then we went to a movie that didn't contain animation of any sort - Date Night. Apropos, n'est pas? Good movie. Action and comedy! Plus, Steve Carell does a pole dance. Woooooot!

I'll end the tale here since this is a PG blog. Heh.

________________________________

Here is the family on Easter. We clean up pretty well.

Last, but not least, this is what I have to put up with...

Actual Conversation with My Husband

2010-04-05T20:43:00.001-05:00

Just now...

Him - You know what I would do if I get that job?

Me - Buy me something nice?

Him - (Nods) A new computer.

Me - (Eyes light up) A REAL computer? Or one of (gestures at PC in my lap) these?

Actual Conversation with My Husband

2010-04-04T07:51:00.001-05:00

This morning -

Me - If I'd have known Jesse James was so easy, when we saw him at the fair last year, we could have invited him back to our house. Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink.

Him - Then we could have been in the tabloids.

Me - Yeah! Then we could have been rich!

Ha Ha Happy Easter

2010-04-03T10:18:00.003-05:00

A Methodist pastor, a Lutheran pastor and a Presbyterian pastor were all sitting around at coffee one day and the topic of their churches' rat infestations came up.

The Methodist said they had hired an exterminator and the rats had disappeared for a while, but then they all came back.

The Lutheran said they had purchased a cat, but there were too many rats so the cat ran away.

The Presbyterian said they had no problem with the rats.

The Methodist and Lutheran pastors were shocked! How could that be?

"Simple." said the Presbyterian. "We made them all members of the church and now they only show up at Easter and Christmas."

---------

Happy Easter everyone!!

A funny for you.

2010-03-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

Everyone loves Mrs. Hughes!

The Explanation

2010-03-23T15:49:00.004-05:00

If you are friends with me on Facebook, you may have seen my status this morning discussing drilling holes in the master bathroom's door to get it open.

No, the lock didn't accidentally get locked. The lock on that door doesn't even work.

The explanation and photos, let me show you them.

Here are the drawers in the master bath vanity. Please ignore the dust.

Notice how if any of the drawers is open, it blocks the door from swinging inward. This can be useful in the off chance you have a home invasion and need to lock yourself in the bathroom. Also notice the top drawer is where I keep the washcloths.

Now, there is a younger member of the family that rarely uses this bathroom and is not aware of the "home invasion lock" (HIL). I sent him in with a batch of fresh from the dryer washcloths to put away. After cramming them into the drawer, he couldn't get the drawer to stay closed. So he held the drawer closed while he quickly closed the bathroom door behind him. That was all fine and dandy, but when he snatched his hand away from the drawer at the last minute, the drawer popped back open. Thus engaging the HIL.

Zoinks.

There was abso-freakin-lutely no way to get that door open without doing major damage. We tried to go outside and take the storm window off of the house so someone (child-sized) could climb through, but we couldn't get the window off.

So we got the drill. With a really big bit. I figured if we could get enough room, we could shove something through the hole and push the drawer shut enough for the door to clear it.

We had to guess where the drawer was and the first holes wound up too high.

The next holes were low enough, but too far out.

Then it was too straight. I needed an angle.

Finally!!! and with a little damage to the front of the drawer, we had success.

Today, I went to the hardware store and bought some spray foam to fill the holes so we can (hopefully) spackle, sand and paint or stain the door.

Hey! Mickey Mouse!

And that, my friends, is the explanation.

Lives with kids are never boring, are they?

Confession

2010-03-19T08:49:00.003-05:00

I like bread.

There, I said it.

I'm a breadaholic.

I rarely make bread. If I do, it is the frozen kind.

Within the next 10 days, I pledge to make some rolls from scratch.

This is going to be a challenge for me. Yeast intimidates me. NOT TOO HOT! You can kill it. NOT TOO COLD! It won't activate.

I've got a dough attachment for my KitchenAid mixer that has never been used. It will this week.

I've got a couple of recipes to choose from:

Pumpkin Knot Yeast Rolls

or

Cloverleaf Rolls

Decisions. Decisions.

Scotch on the Rocks

2010-03-11T18:05:00.002-06:00

Scotch loves the snow and ice.

See (and hear) for yourself.

Missing my kitty

2010-03-05T15:03:00.002-06:00

Tabby Elizabeth Cat
7/7/1991-12/21/2005

The Fallen Comrade Table

2010-03-01T09:59:00.002-06:00

"You may have noticed the small table set for one that is off on its own - it is reserved to honour our fallen comrades in arms. This symbolizes that they are with us, here in spirit. We should never forget the brave men and women who answered our nation's call [to serve] and served the cause of freedom in a special way. We are ever mindful that the sweetness of enduring peace has always been tainted by the bitterness of personal sacrifice. We are compelled to never forget that while we enjoy our daily pleasures, there are others who have endured the agonies of pain, deprivation and death.

I would like to explain the meaning of the items on this special table.

* The table is round - to show our everlasting concern for our fallen comrades.
* The tablecloth is white - symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to duty.
* The single yellow rose reminds us of the life of each of our fallen comrades, and the loved ones and friends of these comrades who keep the faith.
* The vase is tied with a red ribbon, symbol of our continued determination to remember our fallen comrades.
* A slice of lemon on the bread plate is to remind us of the bitter fate of those who will never return.
* A pinch of salt symbolizes the tears endured by the families of those who have sacrificed all.
* The glass is inverted, they cannot toast with us at this time.
* The chair is empty because they are no longer with us.

Let us remember - and never forget their sacrifice.

May they and their families ever be watched over and protected."

Cake and then a dog

2010-02-20T15:40:00.002-06:00

I said turn it to two. He went to 11.

It turned out well though.

Everything had to be edible. We used fruit roll ups, Tootsie rolls and Little Debbie Cakes.

On a totally different note...

The snow in the backyard is a little deep. During the summer, he only comes up a little over half way up the fence.

Wallpaper

2010-02-13T20:00:00.004-06:00

kmkat wants to see my computer's wallpaper.

Here it is.

This is probably in the top three of my favorite photos. The main reason being that my husband never smiles in photos. (Most of the photos of him also include closed eyes.)

Love you Pumpkin!

Winter Games

2010-02-03T10:11:00.005-06:00

Camping in the winter. It is an experience...

One thing you can't really do is picnic.

These are photos of the resort we are members of. You can store your camper there year round. Some people even come there during the winter to camp. Crazy people!

We went over there to go to the University of Okoboji Winter Games. I didn't know what there were more of - Drunks or Snowmobiles.

A lot of the activities take place on the lake. That's right. This is ON THE LAKE.

The lake may be frozen solid (16 1/2 inches. A little less than usual.), but there is still quite a bit of snow. As this lucky person found out the hard way.

Here are my boys. The little one was a little hesitant about going out onto the lake.

Here is me. I would like to say I have on a puffy coat, but I guess I'm the one who is puffy. I'm gonna work on that.

And here is the crack I saw that made me say, "Okay! We're done here. Let's move on, shall we?"

Gravy

2010-02-03T08:36:00.001-06:00

You Are Chicken Fried Steak

You are bold and fearless. You tend to think big, and that includes eating big.

If you're going to go out to eat, then you're going to order something amazing. No salads for you!

You live in the now. You figure the future is uncertain, so you might as well just make the best of today.

You don't believe in moderation or holding back. You just go for it, consequences be damned.

What Kind of Diner Food Are You?

Blogthings: Cheaper Than a Therapist

You Are Beer

You are very relaxed and casual. You're happy to have a drink with friends, and you're not too picky about what that drink is.

You are definitely not a snob, and it drives you crazy when people get too fancy about what ever you're drinking.

You drink to let loose and have fun. You are the furthest thing in the world from uptight.

If someone hands you a drink, you'll drink it. You'll toast often and to anything!

Are You Beer or Wine?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

Product Review

2010-02-01T17:17:00.003-06:00

See this?

Without going and digging into coat pockets, I can still easily assemble this many lip balms. One beside my chair. Two beside the bed. And three in my car key bowl.

You may wonder why I need all of these when I'm surrounded by feet upon feet of snow.

It's a dry snow.

Very little humidity. Ergo, my lips are dry.

But why so many?

Nothing works well.

Oh sure, they may be pretty tasty. Especially the margarita and peppermint flavored ones.

But they don't really help much.

That's why, when the fine folks at Mom Central wanted to know if I would be interested in trying Neosporin Lip Health, I said a big, "Heck yeah!" (Right after I said, "Neosporin has lip goo?")

They do!

I recieived a small jar of Overnight Renewal Thereapy and a tube of Daily Hydration Therapy.

I started off with the Overnight - Repair and nourish as you sleep and restore visibly healthier lips in three nights.

Bring it on, sister.

Night one - As I slathered it on, I could feel the roughness of my lips underneath my fingers.

Night two - As I slathered it on, I could tell that my lips were A LOT smoother than the night before.

Night three - I felt like I usually feel when I take antibiotics - I feel better. I really don't need this anymore. But I put it on anyway.

Verdict? I liked it. It worked for me. I really like the creaminess of the product. When I woke up, I could tell that it was still there and hadn't vanished in the night. I'm keeping this stuff around!

I didn't want to use the Daily while I was using the Overnight so I could see if the Overnight was doing what it said it would. Since I was happy with the Overnight results, I went ahead and started using the Daily. So far, I have liked the results from it as well.

Not only is it hydration therapy, it also is SPF 20. That comes in real handy here with all of the shiny, shiny snow!

I will add that neither product is "flavored". I kinda miss that. Maybe Neopsorin could look into that, m'kay?

Head on over to Neolips and there is a link you can click for a coupon. Tell them I sent you.

__________

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Neosporin and received a sample of the Lip Health Overnight Renewal Therapy and the Lip Health Daily Hydration Therapy to facilitate my review and a $20 thank-you gift certificate."

Remember the Ten

2010-01-27T10:28:00.001-06:00

RIP Kendall. Love and miss you.

Weeeeeeeeeeee

2010-01-18T09:16:00.002-06:00

Did I do that?

2010-01-12T14:38:00.003-06:00

Shopko has all of their Christmas stuff for 80% off! Woo and then Hoo!

We were needing some new ornaments for the tree and the other night we got some really nice ones for pennies on the dollar.

I was also wanting to get some place settings for the winter months. (All the cool kids have different dishes for the winter, don't ya know.) But my husband said no. :(

Today, I sweet-talked him into agreeing with me!!! Yea me!

Do you know how loud the noise is when you pick up a box of a 16 piece place setting and the box falls apart?

I do.

And not a thing I could do about it.

I think most of the pieces survived, but a few bowls and at least one coffee cup didn't make it.

Luckily, I was in the store and a worker was right there when it happened so she saw the whole thing. While she swept up, The Commander grabbed two other boxes, put them in the cart and we high-tailed it out of that area.

He told me when we got to the car that he was glad it was me because he is usually the one that does stuff like that.

Now I should go back and get some individual pieces that match. I'm sure they'll be pretty cheap!

Riddle me this.

2010-01-07T09:06:00.001-06:00

I was sorta agreeing until I got to the part that says I don't like change. Then I totally agreed.

You Are a Pen

You are a very precise and detail oriented person. You don't make many mistakes.

You're the type who can risk writing in pen. You like making things permanent.

You are decisive and focused. You know what you want, and you go after it.

You like to be in control, and you don't really care for change. You like to count on yourself.

Are You a Pen or a Pencil?

Blogthings: Discover the Parts of Your Personality that Have Been Hiding

Showing her school spirit.

2010-01-06T14:53:00.003-06:00

When The Boy was little, I would hold a lollipop for him to lick on to keep him occupied while getting a haircut.

This little girl had to lick on a Goldfish Cracker to keep still for her "pet"icure.

We'll see how long they last.

Go Pokes!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T10:15:00.008-06:00

Christmas Eve. We had some snow. I helped shovel.

The boys in front of the tree.

No rabbit ears during Christmas. You must make reindeer antlers.

The traditional opening of one present on Christmas Eve.

More snow Christmas Eve night.

Christmas morning. See the Uno Attack Santa brought (behind the Legos)? Totally fun!

Snow. Snow. Snow.

Here is our grill.

The railing on the back deck.

This morning, I decided to take a walk around the block and snap some photos.

Here are some trees in the neighbors' yard.

One of the county roads before the plow.

After the plow.

Neighbors' cars.

A bench at the park.

This merry-go-round won't be going around any time soon.

Poor horsie.

Not much room to swing!

Lonely play structure.

More neighborhood trees.

Our street.

Our house.

Hi!

Brrrrrrr and then some

2009-12-09T14:33:00.005-06:00

Did you hear it snowed up here?

(These were all taken through windows. That's why they are sorta blue-ish.)

They plow the roads up into big piles all over town...

Then they load the snow into dump trucks, take it out and dump it beside the river.

Here's the side door of the library. One of the medium-sized drifts in town.

This is one of the roads on the East side of town looking out over a corn field. The wind is still whipping the snow around.

Cooper says, "Ha, ha. Now open the door, woman."

Here is the birdhouse on our back deck. I took this yesterday afternoon.

Here it is again this morning.

I find it is better to just not ask questions...

And remember! If the temperature gets below freezing where you are, make sure you go outside and blow bubbles. It is so cool the way they freeze and pop. I'll see if I can get some photos this year.

Birds of a feather

2009-12-08T18:09:00.003-06:00

The Commander went to the store last night to stock up for Snowmageddon '09.

Today, while he was in class, I decided to stop by the store and get a few more things. Just in case.

He called me on his way home and, surprise!, he had stopped at the store as well.

Here's where it gets creepy.

I bought a gallon of milk. He bought a gallon of milk.

I bought two bags of chips. He bought two bags of chips.

I bought spiral mac and cheese (we never buy spiral). He bought spiral mac and cheese.

I bought Pepperoni Pizza Lunchables. He bought Pepperoni Pizza Lunchables.

Weird.

Hickory Farms Product Review

2009-12-07T10:23:00.003-06:00

The Commander came into the kitchen the other day and saw a box from Hickory Farms sitting out on the counter. His eyes lit up and he asked if it was a Christmas present. I told him that it wasn't. I had gotten it to review for my blog.

The next time I saw the box, it was open and parts were missing.

This is how it looked before *someone* got ahold of it.

He had opened up one of the summer sausages and the sharp cheddar. And most of it was gone. I managed to snagged a few slices of the summer sausage. It was as tasty as I remember.

But the real surprise was the sharp cheddar. I don't like cheddar cheese much. I REALLY don't like sharp cheddar. THIS STUFF WAS OMG GOOD. I ate a healthy portion of it.

We haven't opened the other sausage or cheeses (Apple Pie Cheddar and Edam) yet, but we will probably have them a little closer to Christmas.

Hickory Farms gift boxes have always been a gift we know will get used. We buy at least one every year (if not more!). And yes, we have since purchased one and it is wrapped and under the tree.

If you are looking for that hard-to-buy-for person (or anyone else, for that matter), keep Hickory Farms in mind.

It's good stuff.

(When I was younger and haven't quite developed the palate for summer sausages, I always laid claim to the strawberry candies. I still get a little thrill when I open up the box and see them!)

__________

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Hickory Farms and received a Hickory Farms gift basket to facilitate my review.

6:30am is too early, but I did it anyway.

2009-12-03T06:57:00.000-06:00

The Boy just came into the kitchen and exclaimed, "I woke up to the sound of bacon cooking!"

Yowl!

2009-12-01T10:30:00.003-06:00

You remember that sweet, little kitten we recently got?

She's driving my husband up the crazy wall.

We didn't know how old she was when we got her, but we guessed a couple of months.

Evidently, we were off some.

She's in heat.

Yowl! Yowl! Yowl!

Day and night.

Night and day.

We've had to put her in the utility room at night so we can all get some sleep!

The vet says she could be in heat 8-9 days and that he could spay her after that. We told him we would be calling him at 8 days, 1 minute.

Then he said that if she doesn't come out of heat (WHAT???!!!) he could go ahead and spay her.

I hope she comes out of it soon or I'm going to have to buy The Commander some ear plugs. (Being a Mom, I can tune her out.)

Grrrrrr

2009-11-19T08:22:00.003-06:00

Martha Stewart said about Rachael Ray, "She's more of an entertainer with a bubbly personality than she is a teacher like me." Another reason I can't stand that woman. I can honestly say I have made more RR recipes than I have MS's.

Diane Sawyer added after the interview aired, "Can I say something? Rachael Ray? You cook for me anytime."

I got a free subscription to MS's "Everyday Food" magazine (Rachael Ray's magazine is called "Everyday with Rachael Ray".) and let me tell you, I have yet to find one so-called "Everyday" recipe in there. I've never even heard of some of the ingredients.

Grrrrrrr.

__________

The first full recipe The Boy cooked was a RR recipe for Mega Meatball Pizza. It was so easy! And good!

(And I have photos! Somewhere!)

You decide

2009-11-17T08:12:00.002-06:00

Operation Introduce Cat To Christmas Tree

Human says - Not go so well.

Kitten says - Looks good to me!

One of the many reasons...

2009-11-14T21:44:00.002-06:00

...I read her blog.

"As for grammar pet peeves, the misplaced plural/possessive apostrophe drives me BATSHIT. Jesus Lord God. Here, people, IT'S EASY:

RIGHT: I don't like blogs because I don't think bloggers are good writers.

WRONG: I don't like blog's because I don't think blogger's are good writer's.

RIGHT: I cannot stand that blogger's overuse of the caps lock key.

WRONG: I cannot stand that bloggers overuse of the cap's lock key.

Got it? Good. Please don't ever do it again."

Amen, Sister Friend.

Therefore and thusto

2009-11-06T09:58:00.003-06:00

Nowhere, and I mean nowhere, does either of these proclamations say anything about "TURKEY DAY". I know people think it is funny to call it that, but I'm not one of those people.

[New York, 3 October 1789]

By the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor--and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be--That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions--to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness onto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go: Washington

AND

By the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

_______

And to show you that I do indeed have a sense of humor...

Love, peace and hair grease

2009-11-03T08:29:00.001-06:00

You Are a Hippie

You may not have long hair or a closet full of tie-dye, but you definitely dance to the beat of your own drum. (And you may even play the drum as well.)

You are a true free spirit. You don't let yourself be weighed down by rules and expectations.

You are creative, philosophical, and caring. You want everyone to have a better life.

For you, the worst thing in the world is being stuck in some rat race. You rather be broke than have to wear a suit every day.

What's Your Stereotype?

Blogthings: Our Quizzes Weren't Written By Bored 12 Year Olds

Spooky and Annoying

2009-10-28T10:27:00.006-05:00

So there is this broom in Prattville, Alabama that stands on its own.

The video swept (pun intended) across the country! Pretty creepy, right?

But then I walked passed my kitchen last night and saw this -

Whaaaa???!!!

The Boy did this. It was pretty impressive. He took it down and stood it up a few times just to show me how he had balanced it. I told him to take it closer to the stove to see if it would balance in a different area. IT WOULDN'T BALANCE THERE!

OOOOOooooOOOoOOO Even creepier when it is in your own house.

Hey TV stations! Come see us and bring your cameras!

__________________________

In other news...Cooper wants to know what's up with little sisters and can we send this one back?

Brusha Brusha Brusha

2009-10-27T08:26:00.006-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, The Boy and I started a little something new - the "October Oral Care Challenge" created by Listerine and Reach.

We were given a huge box of dental care products including Listerine Total Care mouthwash, Reach toothbrushes and floss, Agent Cool Blue and Smart Rinse. We also recieved a set of tooth shaped stickers and a calendar to keep track of our activities.

The goal of this challenge is to brush, floss and rinse every day, twice a day for two weeks — a key step in building a strong foundation of good oral care habits.

First, a swish around with Agent Cool Blue! This tints the plaque on your teeth so when you brush, you can make sure you have visual proof you are getting rid of it. (This is a kid's product, but I used it too. Remember when we got those little tablets in school that we chewed and turned our plaque red so we could brush it off? This is along those lines, but way better.)

Brusha, brusha, brusha!

Then the floss. We had two choices: Reach Access Daily Flosser or Reach Ultraclean Floss.

I'm a big fan of the Access. The Commander and I both have them and use them all of the time. It is so much easier to use the toothbrush shaped flosser way back on the molars than it is to get my ginormous hands back there.

The Ultraclean floss caught my eye though. It has "proprietary flexible MICRO-GROOVES technology" and cleans 2X more plaque. As much as I like the Access, sometimes I have to pull out the big guns for something that is stuck pretty well. This did it! (A little tip from my former dentist - if you have something that just won't come out after you have flossed and flossed, tie a knot into the floss and pull the knot between the teeth. I have had to do this several times and it has always worked.)

Finally, the rinse. The Boy had Smart Rinse and I had the Listerine Total Care. Both worked very well and left us kissable!

We were very happy with this challenge and recommend the products mentioned above (especially the Access Flosser.)

If you would like to try something from Listerine, Listerine Kids or Reach, they currently have a special offer on their websites to receive coupons for their products.

___________

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Listerine and Reach and received Listerine and Reach products for the Oral Care Challenge and a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Shoop, shoop

2009-10-25T13:53:00.001-05:00

We had seven kinds of fun on Saturday

Wrist Pain Update

2009-10-21T10:11:00.001-05:00

I went to the doctor and got an xray.

Bad news.

I'm not big boned.

heheheheheh

Nothing is broken so he thinks it is tendonitis. Wrist brace 23.5/7 (I have to shower ya know.) for two weeks (He said that or a cast. I'll take the brace, tyvm.) then slowly start doing range of motion exercises. Two Aleve twice a day and Tylenol for pain. I have to wait 7-10 days after the pain is gone to start bowling again. :(

If it doesn't get better, orthopedic surgeon for further examination. Something could be torn.

He said where my pain is is not a usual place for wrist pain. Why am I not surprised?

Too many cooks in the kitchen

2009-10-17T17:36:00.003-05:00

So I left.

He wanted to learn to cook, so we turned him loose on the Indian Tacos.

Frybread thief!

For your viewing pleasure.

2009-10-15T10:28:00.004-05:00

Fifteen years ago...

My folks.

His folks.

The oldest.

He's grown since.

Happy Anniversary. Mwah.

It's Fall, Y'all

2009-10-12T07:53:00.002-05:00

The leaves are turning a gorgeous rainbow of reds, yellows and oranges.

Soon, we'll be raking the leaves into large piles, ready for young children to jump and frolic amongst them.

Can Winter be far behind?

Awwwww.

2009-10-08T08:47:00.001-05:00

Scotch will play with her. Cooper says, "Stop touching me!"

Cough

2009-10-05T17:22:00.004-05:00

The Boy has been coughing for about a week now. It has been a dry cough usually when he gets up in the morning. Nothing a few cough drops couldn't handle.

This morning though? His cough sounded seven kinds of juicy.

That means we get to test our (CUE OMINOUS MUSIC) health insurance company (rhymes with Banana.)

When we signed up last year, we chose the policy with the ungodly high deductible so we would be able to afford the premiums. We can pretty much handle an occasional office visit (we don't get sick much, knock wood and all that), but we wanted something in case we had to go to the hospital. And we wanted prescription coverage (I'm looking at you, High Blood Pressure! You too, Migraines!) One bonus to this premium is that we get six visits per year where we just have to pay a co-pay before we start doing the deductible.

Fast forward to one year, one office visit (not in network, dangit) and a few prescriptions later. We get the letter in the mail for the policy renewal. Surprise, surprise. The premiums had gone up $80 (EIGHTY DOLLARS!!!) a month. Bastards.

The Commander called and got himself taken off of the policy since he can go to the VA clinic. It nearly halved the premium.

So today, I took The Boy to a Banana network clinic in the town 20 some-odd miles away. (What's that, you say? Why didn't I take him to the clinic here in town. 'Scuse me while I laugh in your face.)

The Boy saw a physician's assistant and was diagnosed with Tonsillitis. I pay the co-pay, go to the pharmacy, gather the prescriptions and head home. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

WRONG.

WRONG.

WRONG.

Ring-a-ling. Hi, this is the clinic, we don't do Banana. But we will give you a 15% discount making the total NINETY-SOME-ODD DOLLARS.

(Expletive deleted.)

I sign on to MyBanana online and sure enough, there is the doctors' names listed as providers.

I call Banana and explain what we have been told. She tells me that as long as they file under a doctor's name (not a PA's [there are a lot of those here]), they will pay for it.

I call the clinic back and the lady was GONE FOR THE DAY. Of COURSE she was. I passed along the information and hopefully it will be covered.

I think I may need some of the "with codeine" that came in the pharmacy bag. (Kidding! Against the law. Never do that!)

Maybe.

When you wake up at 3am, you look for things to do.

2009-10-05T06:19:00.002-05:00

You Are Warm Apple Cider

You love to feel warm and full. You love all the small comforts that come with fall.

Unlike most people, you are as active in fall as you are in the summer. You just make sure and keep warm.

For you, fall is the perfect time of year to visit cafes or go for long walks. The season makes you feel energized.

You love the bustle of everyone being back from the summer vacation and back to work.

What Autumn Smell Are You?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

Your Hippie Chick Name Is: Promise

Right on, sister!

Hippie Chick Name Generator

Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet

Your Birth Month Says You're Flexible

Unique and creative, you seek your own path in life.

You love change and are able to adapt to any situation.

Your soul reflects: Sweetness, joy, and a complete life.

Your gemstone: Emerald

Your flower: Lily of the Valley

Your colors: Yellow, red, and green

What Does Your Birth Month Mean?

Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!

Sorry Sweetie

You Wear the Pants in Your Relationship

You definitely wear the pants in your relationship, and you sweetie doesn't seem to mind.

Your partner seems to worship you, and you could get away with murder... if you wanted.

Enjoy your top dog status, but don't exploit it too much.

Even if your sweetie doesn't require compromise, it if you compromised every once and a while.

Who Wears the Pants in Your Relationship?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

He's smart, this one.

2009-09-29T15:20:00.003-05:00

Me - How was your day?

The Boy - I learned something, but I forgot what it was.

I was actually a paid "professional" once.

2009-09-22T11:50:00.002-05:00

So. Or should I say "sew".

I'm not a sewer so much. I was the official seamstress for the OSU Cowboy football team once (for about two weeks), but other than a straight line, I'm not so good.

The Boy is now a Webelo Scout. This means he gets a new Scout shirt. That means he gets new patches.

(See where I am going with this?)

I had to sew on a new council patch (shoulder), two new pack numbers (under council patch) and a world crest emblem (above the left pocket). That is where my troubles lie.

I did pretty well on the council patch. Awesome on the pack numbers. But when it came to the world crest. I buggered it up.

First - I put it up too high.
Second - It is round. (See straight line comment above.)

You couldn't even see it the way the collar folded over on it. I had to use my seam ripper (I love seam rippers.) and carefully remove it. These shirts aren't cheap and I didn't want to have to replace it.

I repositioned it and used some straight pins to hold it in place. Every time I had to spin the shirt on the curve, the patch would move, but not the shirt.

Say it with me, "Frustrating."

Finally (and there may have been some Super Glue involved) I got it on. Now he is good to go.

I hope he stays in Scouts. The oldest boy got his Eagle Scout last year. It would be nice to have them both be Eagles.

We had to change packs this year. The one here kinda fell apart. The Boy was the only one in his den to earn his advancement badge. Most parents did not help their boys at all. It was sad. Now we drive up into Minnesnowda. I think we are going to like this group much better.

Some people call it a sport.

2009-09-21T14:17:00.003-05:00

Shopping. I do it well. Most of the time, I'm just lucky.

The other day, I was jonesing for some sweaters at an online store I lurve. I put three of them in my shopping cart just for giggles.

This morning, an email from that store appeared in my inbox. It said, "Buy one, get one 50% off!" and "Buy three items, get $3.00 shipping!"

That clenched it. I only had to throw one more thing in my shopping cart. (You can't just buy three things at a BOGO sale.)

But wait, surely there must be a code somewhere online to SAVE EVEN MORE MONEY. Sure enough. I found a code for $20 off a purchase of $80 or more.

Cha-ching.

Now I'm set for winter. (Almost. I still need winter footwear.)

Good thing. High today is only getting up to 67 degrees.

Yippy-skippy!

We finally made it!

2009-09-19T20:43:00.003-05:00

We finally made it to the county fair.

This guy was here. He's a lot cuter when he cleans up. The Commander wanted me to tell him he has seen his wife nekkid. I didn't wait in line to see him, though. I figured I would get up there and babble like a fool. So I just stood back and snapped some photos.

I did get my fried Snickers bar. Mmmmmm. I could have had another, but I'm too cheap. Of course I had to buy an RC Cola. You can take the woman out of Oklahoma...

My feets hurt.

OMG!

2009-09-17T21:50:00.002-05:00

Patches used her eye lasers to stun Scotch!

R.I.P. Black Dog

2009-09-15T22:07:00.003-05:00

I killed a dog tonight.

I was driving down the highway out in the middle of nowhere, doing a little over 55 MPH (Thanks Iowa! for giving me great gas mileage.) and I noticed a dog sniffing around in the ditch on my right.

I was getting ready to turn off of the highway, so I started slowing down while looking at the dog. I was saying to myself, "That dog looks like (The Commander's cousin Joe's dog) Sammy. But it doesn't have the white tipped tail."

When all of a sudden, Not Sammy made a bee-line for the other side of the road. I barely had time to slam on the brakes and no time at all to swerve. I hit him dead center. (No pun.)

He looked like an adolescent dog. Medium sized. Gangly. Sorta doing the "yup, yup, yup" gallop across the road.

I looked in my rear view mirror and didn't see him. I thought, "Great, he's stuck under the car." (Not really cold hearted. More like OH NO!)

Then I looked in my side mirror and saw him come to a floppy stop on the opposite side of the road. I wanted to stop, but I didn't want to stop. Know what I mean? I ended up not stopping. I was on my way to take The Boy to piano and didn't want to be late for the first lesson with the new teacher.

The Boy glanced over at me and said, "What was that?"

I told him I hit a dog.

He didn't say anything for a while. Then he asked me why I looked so sad. I told him that I was sad for the dog and sad for the owners if it had any.

He didn't say anything for a while, then he reached over and patted my leg. "Was he dead?"

"I think so."

"What position was he in when you hit him?"

"He ran out in front of me."

Oopsie. He didn't know I had hit a live dog, he thought I had ran over an already dead dog.

I'm still sad. I have never done that before. I have been in the car when my dad hit a dog, but I have never been the driver.

It isn't pleasant.

His first solo.

2009-09-12T19:20:00.002-05:00

His first solo ride. It wasn't very long, but he did real well. The second ended with a fall at the end. The third ended with an almost fall and me yelling at him, "NO! NO!" As soon as he stops, he wants to hop off which is exactly what he did with his bicycle. We told him after ride #2 that he couldn't be jumping off like that. He did anyway. It wouldn't be so bad, but he doesn't put it in neutral before he hops off. The third ride, he hopped off and gunned the thing and it took off without him. I think he learned his lesson.

I'm officially an Iowa Housewife.

2009-09-08T13:02:00.003-05:00

Sweet corn time here in Iowa. We have been getting it from roadside stands for a couple of months. You have to be careful and not buy too early. They charge and arm and a leg for the first couple of weeks. I saw some for $7.00 a dozen and passed on them. The most I have paid has been $5.00 for 13 ears (the ones below and the most delicious) down to $3.50 for a dozen (they weren't too shabby either).

Yesterday, I bought $20.00 worth and ended up with 55 ears of corn. We ate six last night and I set six aside for tonight. The rest I put up.

Here I go!

Mmmmmmm.

Token artsy shot.

Most of the worms were at the top of the silks, but this little fella had dug down deep.

Boil them up for a bit.

Quick ice bath to blanch.

Debris.

Scrape, scrape, scrape. I bought a tool to use, but it was worthless.

Ta-dah! I got nine bags of two cups each and two bags with six ears each. That should last for a month, right?

Now, who's coming to clean up the mess?

My Living Will

2009-09-03T19:23:00.000-05:00

I, Sherry, being of sound mind and body, do not wish to be kept alive indefinitely by artificial means.

Under no circumstances should my fate be put in the hands of lawyers or doctors interested in simply running up the bills.

If a reasonable amount of time passes and I fail to ask for at least one of the following:

Donuts
Chocolate
Margarita
Sex
Cold Beer
Chocolate
Chicken fried steak
Cream gravy
Mexican food
Chocolate
French fries
Chocolate
Pizza
Ice cream
Doritos
Chocolate
Hard Cider
Milk
Chocolate

It should be presumed that I won't ever get better. When such a determination is reached, I hereby instruct my appointed person and attending physicians to pull the plug, reel in the tubes, let the 'fat lady sing,' and call it a day!

Nope

2009-09-03T08:21:00.001-05:00

I was hoping it would say, "WTF? You shouldn't be teaching anybody anything!" or "Art"

You Should Teach Kindergarten

You are a warm, empathetic person who truly loves children. And children love you right back.

You have more patience than most, and you're able to let little things slide.

You are also expressive and fun. You have the perfect personality for reading aloud and leading art projects.

You are creative and inspiring. You can keep learning interesting, simple, and fun.

What Grade Should You Teach?

Yep. Yep. And Yep.

2009-09-02T08:15:00.000-05:00

You Are Cereal

Playful and lighthearted, breakfast is likely your favorite meal of the day.

(In fact, you're probably the type who sneaks cereal as a midnight snack.)

Your culinary skills are probably a bit lacking... and you are a sucker for junk food.

Some people accuse you of eating like a kid, but you prefer to think of yourself as low maintenance.

What Kind of Breakfast Are You?

iNeed a new Macbook

2009-08-31T18:19:00.003-05:00

Here while back, I needed a new power supply for my iBook. My old one's plastic had cracked and the wires were showing. I bought one from Powerbook Medic for a reasonable price and am pretty happy with it.

I say "pretty happy" because I hadn't had it too long and my stinkin' screen went out on my iBook.

(Luckily, I had purchased an external hard drive and had copied all of my music, photos and recipes on it about a week before. Whew.)

Now, the folks at Powerbook Medic are giving away a pre-owned/gently used/formerly loved Macbook.

And I want it.

I really don't want to give you the link because I don't want to decrease my chances, but darn it, they made that one of the rules. So here you are.

Enter The Powerbook Medic Macbook Giveaway.

(If you click that link and end up winning, I'm gonna haunt you. Not the cute little woooOOOOoooo. But more I'M GONNA GET YOU!!!!)

First day, last kid to go

2009-08-31T10:11:00.005-05:00

Kindergarten. Many moons ago.

4th grade. This morning.

Yes, he has a disco ball in his locker. There is even a little light that shines on it.

Poor baby.

2009-08-29T20:27:00.003-05:00

School starts Monday for the youngest boy. He's not handling it well.

He is excited about going back to school, but he is going to be in the middle school this year. (Small town consolidation, y'all. Pre-K through 3rd in one town. Fourth through 12th in another.)

He is nervous about changing classes and he has heard that you have to stay an extra 30 minutes after school for each assignment you don't turn in. We told him that we didn't think that was true. And if it was, work harder!

He has attached himself to me. He sits beside me, he stands behind me, he almost follows me into the bathroom. (Uh, no.)

He has been whining every sentence he says.

It is, quite frankly, getting on my last nerve.

But then, he says this, "Mom? I'm sorry for making you mad." Me - "When?" Him - "I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to make you mad."

Gah!

He also was crying today. When I asked why he told me he misses Oklahoma and his friends. When he plays the Wii, he remembers the first time he played was at Granny's house. Sniff, sniff.

Me (to lighten the mood) - "Do you miss Mexico Joe's?"
Him (smiling) - "Yeah! And New China!"

First day of school

2009-08-27T18:05:00.003-05:00

They grow up so fast.

Here's a funny for ya

2009-08-17T16:56:00.003-05:00

Me and the youngest get dropped off by the oldest at the store with the eye doctor's office in it (not sprawlmart). The oldest then drives off to sprawlmart and points unknown. I told him we would be in there about an hour.

During my checkup, the doctor dilates my pupils LIKE THEY'VE NEVER BEEN DILATED BEFORE. I couldn't see anything clearly. I have never had that kind of reaction to dilation before. I couldn't even pick out new frames because I couldn't see any detail (Me, looking at a pair I might like - Are those rhinestones? Her - Yes. There are three of them. Me - ????)

I tell her I'll be back when I can see. I leave the office and scurry to the restroom (of course). When I come out, my phone gives me the text chirp. I CAN'T READ IT.

I hurry over to the toys where the youngest is, shove the phone in his face and say, "What does this say?"

The oldest is on his way to the auto parts store.

I fumble around and manage to text him back. We are finished. I CAN'T SEE. (This is more legible. I used no punctuation at all on the actual text.)

So what does he do?

TEXTS ME BACK.

Hello? I CAN'T SEE.

Evidently he can't either.

Too much work

2009-08-12T15:15:00.003-05:00

I posted 24 or so of our vacation photos on Facebook and then realized that I can't link to them from here (that I know of). Plus, I'm too tired right now to post them on flickr. If you are a Facebook friend, the photos are in the Black Hills '09 album. If you aren't a Facebook friend and you would like to see them anyway, whisper sweet nothings in my ear and I'll see what I can do.

Okay, you talked me into it. Try clicking here.