Whacky Wheelers

2011-09-29T19:59:00.001-05:00

School Cafeteria! YUK!

2011-05-17T17:11:00.005-05:00

This week . . . Holy Cow . . . I'm helping with the new Lunch/Recess program. (FYI . . . do you know how much food is thrown away?! That stuff is nasty!) The old schedule was to have half the school on the playground . . . while the other half was eating. Then switch it around. The lines are long and the kids have an incredible short time . . . sometimes 10 minutes . . . if that . . . to eat. They are trying a new system where we are doing it in thirds . . . giving the kids a LOT more time to eat. It also helps with the chaos and there is more control over the kids! I have also learned a deeper appreciation for the staff . . . especially the Lunch Hour Supervisors. I've only done this for two days . . . getting there by 11:15am and leaving after 1pm . . . and I'm beat!

Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week

2011-05-12T16:48:00.004-05:00

One of my very favorite things at the end of each school year is our Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week. I have been very blessed these past two years to be a major part of it.

I am also blessed to be able to volunteer at Matthew's school. One day a week I get to enjoy the kids in the Library. Other times I get to do fun and games with Matthew's class.

But, I don't even do 1% of what the staff at Matthew's school does. The teachers and our staff put up with a lot of stuff and work extremely hard. This story sums it all up:

"If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job."

Donald D. Quinn

Here's some pictures of our GREAT week!

MONDAY:

Doughnuts were on the menu . . . my neighbor Michelle helped out this day!

Handout:

Gift Basket Door Prize: School Supplies! We filled a SpongeBob backpack with TONS of school supplies. That pack was extremely heavy! We also included a $50 Gift Card from Meijers.

TUESDAY:

Panera Bagels . . . YOOHOO!

Handout:

Gift Basket Door Prize: Cooking! All the stuff below that included a $25 Gift Card from Panera and a $25 Gift Card from The Fresh Market.

WEDNESDAY:

Pastries . . . with help from my friend Jennifer.

Yipes! I forgot to take a picture!!

Handout:

Gift Basket Door Prize: Spa! All these great items and a $150 Gift Certifcate for a Manicure, Pedicure and Massage!

THURSDAY:

Great Harvest Bread!

Handout:

Gift Basket Door Prize: Fun & Games! All the items below that included $30 Gift Bucks for the Normal Theater, $10 Gift Card from iTunes and $5 Gift Card from Family Video.

FRIDAY:

Sam's Club Muffins were on the menu and I had a special helper!

Handout:

Gift Basket Door Prize: Sports! It also included a $25 Gift Card from Dick's Sporting Goods, a $25 Gift Card from Golf Learning Center and a free haircut from Great Clips.

WE LOVE OUR STAFF AT OAKDALE!!

2011-05-08T18:35:00.000-05:00

Cemetery Walk

2011-05-05T16:04:00.001-05:00

The Third Grade at Matthew's school does a "Cemetery Walk" each year about distinguished people from Illinois. The kids line up in the small gymnasium and as you stand in front of them . . . they give a little speech about who they are. Matthew chose Ward Hill Lamon . . . one of Abraham Lincoln's bodyguards.

Matthew and David did a great job! The shape of the tombstone is a medal.

Here's Matthew in costume . . . I'm sure they didn't have these kind of sunglasses back then, but he said a bodyguard always wears sunglasses:

Here's Matthew and some of his classmates at the actual walk:

Go USA!!

2011-05-02T08:49:00.001-05:00

Update . . .

2011-04-25T18:15:00.002-05:00

The big ball was rolling . . . I had lost seven pounds in less than a week. Okay, I probably pee'd seven pounds! Then I got a virus! Aaaarrrrggghhhh! We had to cut back on some medications and stop taking others.

Today is the first day I have felt n-o-r-m-a-l. No coughing, hacking, wheezing, etc. Yahoo!

Went to visit Dr. M and things are looking good and we're back on the meds 100%! So, my next big challenge is weight loss . . . and lots of it. I'm on a strict diet and might bet a little cranky at times.

I'm looking forward to my new adventure in life . . . getting healthy!! I feel incredibly blessed to find out what's wrong . . . and that it can be fixed!!

Here's to a better me!

My New Friend

2011-04-18T17:40:00.000-05:00

This is my glucose monitor . . . took me awhile to not be terrified of it. I couldn't do it the first day . . . chicken, chicken, chicken!

The second day . . . had to call my neighbor Michelle to do it for me . . . she's a nurse.

The next couple of days . . . hit or miss.

I had to learn that if the needle wasn't sharp enough . . . it didn't poke a good hole . . . and I had a couple of holes in some fingers.

I am getting better at it . . . and by the way, my blood sugars are doing good too.

Do You Do You Want To Hear The Good News or the Bad News First?

2011-04-08T09:48:00.004-05:00

Dr. M's office has poked me, plugged me, prodded me, attached me, etc., to see what is going on with me. I didn't know you could run so many tests on so little blood . . . okay, it was about three vials full. So, I went this week to get the results of all the tests.

Driving to Peoria I was anxious, excited, nervous and scared. I wanted answers, but was I strong enough to accept what he was going to tell me. What if it was like all the other answers . . . we don't know. My stomach was in knots.

Before I share the results . . . I want to take a few steps back. I have had a hard couple of years with my health. I tended to blame it on premenopause, then menopause and now postmenopause. A lot of things were going on and I was going to a lot of doctors to try and fix things. Frustrated and angry due to lack of results . . . I decided to take things into my own hands. Enter Dr. M . . . my new Endocrinologist.

Can I tell you the relief I felt when Dr. M told me what was going on? Can I tell you how I felt a couple of hours later when reality hit in?! Two major and different feelings. I'm kind of in a fog . . . but very hopeful.

I have diabetes . . . it is mild and can be controlled with oral medication and diet. My thyroid is inflammed and my metabolism is very sluggish. Many of the problems that I have been having over the years is due to my diagnosis. A part of me is really upset because I've asked my doctors to check me for diabetes, etc., and none were concerned about it.

What have I learned from this . . . you have to take charge of your own health and don't wait for doctors. You bring it to them and push them to do what is necessary. I complain about something and they send me to a specialist. I complain about another thing and they send me to another specialist. No one looked at me as a whole person, I was being treated in pieces and they seemed only to be concerned with that piece. I cannot begin to tell you how much money we have spent to get no relief and no answers.

So, I've got a new cool device to check my blood sugars every morning -- the positive attitude keeps me from being terrified! I'm on medications for my diabetes, thyroid and metabolism and I'll be on a very strict diet regiment for awhile.

I am very happy and relieved to finally know what is going on and why my body has been doing what it has been doing. I'm very happy to know that I can get better. But, I would be lying if I told you I wasn't scared too.

We NEED A Growth Spurt!!

2011-04-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

Matthew with Zane
(Zane turned 10 in December and is in the 4th Grade)

Matthew with Gavin
(Gavin turned 9 in February and is in the same grade as Matthew)

Matthew with Jonathan
(Jonathan just turned 6 and is in Kindergarten
But J is the size of a first grader!)

Infertility . . . after all these years

2011-04-03T12:06:00.001-05:00

So tell me . . . when does it stop hurting? I thought when I reached a certain age . . . it would stop. I thought when they took out all the parts and pieces . . . it would stop. I thought I had resolved this . . . apparently not. I think my doctor visit this past week re-opened the wounds. Seeing my friend remembering her son whom she lost at birth three years ago. Seeing women all around me pregnant. It is still hard for me to be around babies. I still can't do baby showers.

I feel extremely blessed and feel it truly a miracle to have our son Matthew. I remember not being able to enjoy my pregnancy because I was afraid he would be taken away from me any moment . . . that this was a cruel joke. I remember the first day home from the hospital lying in bed holding Matthew and I just burst into tears. My sweet hubby thought I was in pain from the delivery and just didn't know what to do. He then asked me if it had hit me . . . that we just had a baby and he was ours to keep. There was no fear of a birth Mother changing her mind and taking him back.

Then I precariously watched over Matthew through the years . . . praying that he would be okay and that Heavenly Father wouldn't take him home early. I wasn't the over protective Mother, but I have savored every moment.

I love my little Monkey! I love that he is crazy, goofy, loud, creative, loves to read, loves his Legos, loves to dance, loves to live!

My heart hurts when I know at times he wishes he had a brother or a sister. I am so thankful for neighbor kids who give him the opportunity to feel like a sibling . . . the good and the bad.

I am blessed . . . but it still hurts.

April Fool's!

2011-04-01T07:00:00.001-05:00

"Honey, put on your pajamas . . . it's time for bed."

March Madness!

2011-03-31T10:07:00.005-05:00

I asked Matthew to hang the clothes up. He decided to hang them all on ONE hanger!

Lego Games . . . Let the fun begin! Matthew built different games from his Legos and we had a blast playing them.

What does Ducky do while we sleep???

Mario Kart on the Wii!

David got a new shirt from his Mom and Dad . . .

I'm so busy I don't know whether I found a rope or lost my horse

SpRiNg BrEaK!

2011-03-29T18:15:00.000-05:00

Nope . . .

Not here . . .

Nor here . . .

Not even here . . .

But, we had a great time . . . HERE!

Matthew played video games and watched movies and played Legos and read and did some artwork, etc., etc., etc. His friend Gavin came over one afternoon and other days Matthew hung out with the neighbor kids.

David took off Thursday and Friday and we had a great time playing games and just having fun. The cold and rain didn't damper us at all!

My favorite . . .

. . . when we watched "Dirty Jobs" until midnight for two nights in a row. We also ventured out and tried the new Fuji Japanese Restaurant where they cook in front of you. The food was good and thank goodness we had a coupon.

It was nice just to chill at home for a change.

Meet Dr. M

2011-03-28T19:58:00.006-05:00

Today . . . I drove to Peoria . . . and met Dr. M.

Dr. M is an Endocrinologist and very talented in what he does. He doesn't have the best bed side manner, but I'm very thankful to have him on my side.

I've had a lot of health issues and gone from this doctor to that doctor to this doctor to that doctor. They only want to treat one piece of me . . . instead of looking at the whole picture.

Dr. M ~~tortured~~ interviewed me and reviewed my medical history for TWO hours!! He was extremely thorough. Then he did a LOT of tests . . . a LOT of tests.

So . . . we meet next Monday to hear the answer to all the tests. It's like waiting to see if you are pregnant or not . . . or if it's a girl or a boy.

I'm so dramatic!

Leprechaun Visit

2011-03-18T09:11:00.000-05:00

Step One: Make sign enticing a Leprechaun that there is GOLD
and point him in the right direction . . .

Step Two: Continue pointing Leprechaun in the right direction . . .

Step Two-and-a-half: Leprechaun is further enticed by a heart locket . . .

Step Three: What does that Leprechaun need . . . a neon sign or something?!

Leprechaun will go "Hmmmm . . . what's this?!"

"Aaaahhhhh!! It's not gold . . . it's a . . . . MONSTER!!!"

Side view of the monster . . .

The next morning . . . has a Leprechaun visited?!!!

Apparently the monster scared the Leprechaun . . . and he dropped his loot!
Harry Potter jewels and TEN $1.00 coins!!

Julie/Christy Challenge: The End . . . But Not Really

2011-03-11T14:27:00.014-06:00

Remember last January . . . the one in 2010, not a couple of months ago? I started my Julie/Christy Challenge.

I know some of you laughed and maybe choked on what you were eating . . . but I took the challenge.

My goal was to make her Top Ten Most Viewed Recipes on her website for 2009 in 2010. I did change a few . . . as my family doesn't drink coffee and I had made some of the items. But, my family enjoyed Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Monkey Bread, Homemade Banana Pudding, Melt in Your Mouth Doughnuts, Elvis Presley Cake, Grandma Lucy's Pimento Cheese, One Slow Cooker Recipe – 2 Meals, My Mother’s Southern Hoe Cake Recipe, Fried Green Tomatoes, Apple Fritters, Holiday Fruit Salad, Chicken Stew, Southern Chicken and Dumplings, Pumpkin Crumb Cake, Buttermilk Biscuits and Chocolate Gravy.

But, dag nab it (Warning: I just finished watching a program with Larry the Cable Guy and my Southern accent has slipped in.) . . . I didn't make it. Yep, I failed. I only had three or four more recipes to do: Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix and Snowman Soup Kits, Homemade Cinnabuns, Hollie Jollies -- Christmas Candy Recipes on a Budget and Crock Pot Apple Butter.

Now I'm not going to fret . . . because even though I didn't make those items under my deadline . . . they will be made. But let me tell you what got in the way . . . Christy posting new recipes!

I'd look at my list and then she'd bring up . . . Shortcut Tater Salad . . . and that's what I had been hankering for that day. That happened more times than I can count! We have also enjoyed Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Dirty Rice, 2 Minute English Muffin Breakfast, Pecan Pie Muffins, Quick & Easy Beef Stroganoff, King Ranch Casserole, Omelet's Made Easy, Slow Cooker Meatloaf, Bama Steak Sandwiches, Fried Cabbage, Mama's Strawberry Cobbler, Double Chocolate Chip Muffins . . . and tons more that I can even put down.

David doesn't need to call home and say: "Honey, what's for dinner?" He just needs to head on over to Christy's site and find out!

I feel so blessed as to have found Southernplate.com in more ways than one. I came across it right after my Mom passed away. The recipes, the stories, the comments . . . have all brought such peace and comfort into my life.

Thank you so much Christy!! Can't wait for your next book! Meanwhile . . . I'll be trying out more recipes! But the boys want me to retire the camera . . . it gets old having someone take your picture as you shove food in your mouth!

Life . . .

2011-03-03T20:37:00.007-06:00

Life has been extremely stressful for me lately. The world does not STOP and w-a-i-t. It continues on . . . and tramples you if you get in the way.

I needed to feel peace. I needed to feel calm. I needed to feel hope. I needed to be reminded of the person who I truly am.

It was a wonderful drive and I feel so much better.

A Peaceful Sunday?

2011-03-01T20:22:00.001-06:00

We had MAJOR thunderstorms Sunday night . . . crazy lightning . . . and then this . . .

HAIL STORM!! It felt as if the roof was going to fall in and we went to the front window to see what was going on. It was fun to see all the neighbors standing in their doors and windows looking too! It was fast and furious!

CARS! . . . at State Farm

2011-02-28T20:13:00.000-06:00

Einstein No More . . .

2011-02-26T11:41:00.003-06:00

He has a gorgeous head of hair . . . and we grew it out for his Einstein acting debut at school. He liked it, but hated taking care of it.

Cub Scouts: Blue & Gold Banquet

2011-02-24T10:51:00.002-06:00

The theme for this year was resourcefulness . . . and they chose to focus the cake baking on recycling.

So . . . let's take an empty recycling bucket . . .

Add tons of Ho Ho's, Dong Dongs, Twinkies, Zingers, Gummy Worms, Gummy Army Men, etc.

You now have . . . easy to hand out cake!

They were also asked to bring a talent to show or share. Matthew brought one of his infamous Lego designs and played the piano . . .

Here's his cake from last year . . . it was the 100th Anniversary of Scouting . . . notice a theme in his cakes?

Cub Scouts: Pinewood Derby

2011-02-21T09:22:00.000-06:00

The Pinewood Derby . . . a big lesson in humiliation for our nine year old son. He had a fantastic car . . . unfortunately, they didn't focus on making it heavy enough. I'm blaming that part on his Dad, as he used my Kitchen scale (which he didn't know didn't work) instead of the official scale. He didn't want to deal with adding weights when we got to the event. In hindsite, that will never happen again . . . we spent a LOT of time at the event trying to get Matthew to come out of a room and have good sportsmanship. Matthew has decided that next year his car will be a block of wood with four wheels . . . nothing else . . . no paint . . . nothing.

After the event was said and done and we were home . . . two hours later, Matthew had a temperature of 102 and puked EIGHT times from 9pm until about 2am. As a Mom, I'm hoping that his illness caused the major meltdown at the Pinewood Derby. One can hope.

Isn't this the coolest looking car (canoe)!

His official picture . . . had to rush home and get his Cub Scout shirt before the official race began . . .

Most Creative Design!

Our Little Actor

2011-02-19T12:40:00.000-06:00

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

2011-02-12T12:44:00.002-06:00

I've had some excitement in couponing and sales . . . here's a few:

I was at Toys R Us and went to the clearance rack . . . which I normally don't do anymore because I can find great coupons. But, thought . . . oh, let's take a peek. I found these Citiblocs for $3.90! Woo Hoo!

But . . . as I was looking at the box in more detail . . . and found another tag. $10.90! Rats!

Then I looked at the label for $3.90 . . . Shrek Swamp Buddies?

So, I took it up to Customer Service to let them know there were two labels. Starting to walk away . . . I turned around and asked them if it were possible for me to buy it at the lower price since both stickers were on it. They let me have it!

I also won something from my favorite website Hip2Save! It's a small thing . . . but, hey, I won!

It's My Birthday!

2011-02-10T17:49:00.002-06:00

My boys made me a b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l cake . . . and I guess they wouldn't think I would know they made it to look like an Oreo in a heart shape . . . so they wrote it on the cake. It was so gooooood!

Julie/Christy Challenge:Chocolate Gravy

2011-02-08T13:15:00.007-06:00

When I first saw this recipe I was excited . . . CHOCOLATE! . . . it was the GRAVY part that threw me for a loop. But, don't knock something until you've tried it. It was fast, quick and easy!

Here's the ingredients:

1 cup of white sugar
2 Tablespoons of flour
1 Tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/4 cup of milk
1 Tablespoon of butter

Combine everything into a pan . . . except the butter.

Bring to a boil. Here's the hard part . . . you have to stir constantly to prevent it from scorching.

Once you have brought it to the boil . . . turn the heat down and stir for a minute more. Your gravy should be getting thick pretty quick now.

Remove from heat and stir in the butter.

Pour over biscuits.

First impressions . . . my boys HATED it! I think because it was different.

I absolutely loved it! AND, I'm going to do it again. It tasted like a thick hot chocolate! I may see how it tastes over ice cream . . . you know . . . kind of like hot fudge topping.

Here's the recipe in Christy's own words . . . Chocolate Gravy

Julie/Christy Challenge:Buttermilk Biscuits

2011-02-07T19:40:00.042-06:00

You would not believe the agony that I have put myself through to avoid making this recipe. I cringed when I saw that it was part of her Top 20! Aaarrgghh!

Let me give you a little history . . . then you'll understand.

As many of you may recall from previous posts . . . I grew up setting the table or washing the dishes . . . never cooking. So, I'm not as talented as the rest of my siblings.

In high school I took a Home Economics class for half of a semester . . . I got bored easily. (My sewing class lasted a week because my teacher couldn't deal with a left handed student.) Back to Home Ec . . . one day we learned how to make homemade biscuits and I was so excited and couldn't wait to get home to show my family.

I worked hard to make my biscuits so perfect and beautiful . . . but apparently I didn't do so hot with the ingredients. My biscuits did look beautiful, but they were hard as rocks. I think a few of the family dropped them on the floor to make a point. I was humiliated, embarrassed and that's probably why I never wanted to cook again.

Fast forward . . . Julie/Christy Challenge . . . I have to make homemade Buttermilk Biscuits! Every awkward moment I had ever experienced in my entire life came back to haunt me. Aaarrrgghhh! I just kept telling myself that I would save this for last because it would take me about a year to get the courage up to do it.

Then . . . courage came before the end . . . and I decided to tackle the biscuits. I will tell you that my nerves had the best of me with every step I took. Now I look back and laugh at the simplicity of the recipe and all the drama I had brought to the Kitchen!

Okay . . . let's get started!

Here's the ingredients . . .

1/2 cup cold butter or margarine
2-1/4 cup self rising flour*
1-1/4 cup buttermilk (or whole milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice added)
flour for dusting
melted butter for brushing baked biscuits

* To make your own self rising flour, simply add 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt for each cup of all purpose flour.

Cut butter into 1/4 inch slices. Place butter slices on top of flour and cut into flour until crumbly.

I started with the fancy pastry cutter . . . but changed to the old fashioned fork. The fork worked so much better.

Cover and chill 10 minutes.

I've still got my Christmas dishtowels out! I sat the bowl outside on the deck to chill . . . it did a great job! Loving the snow!

Add buttermilk and stir until dry ingredients are moistened. I didn't have buttermilk, so I had to add the tablespoon of lemon juice to the milk.

Here's my mix . . .

Okay . . . before we continue on . . . don't do like I did. I forgot to grease the pan the biscuits were going to cook in ahead of time and had to clean my hands off a bit to spray.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface . . . I used my countertop,

Knead the dough 3 or 4 times. Gradually add additional flour as needed. With floured hands, press or pat dough into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle (about 9 x 5 inches). Sprinkle top of dough with additional flour. Notice you keep adding flour to cover things . . . it sure makes it easier.

I didn't take a lot of pictures at this point because my hands were messy and my Sweetheart had to go take care of something.

Fold the dough over into itself in three sections. Repeat this two more time starting with pressing the flour into a 3/4-inch-thick dough rectangle (about 9 x 5 inches).

Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness.

Using a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter . . . or like me . . . a small glass . . . cut out your biscuits and place on greased pan.

Make sure your biscuits touch because this will help them rise higher.

Aren't they pretty!

Bake your biscuits at 450° for 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Now . . . if you look at the biscuits on the left side . . . they didn't rise as high. This is because I rolled the dough again and rolled it too thin. Lessons learned.

Brush with melted butter.

I think I'm going to cry . . .

Look at the flakiness . . .

Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!

Leftover dough . . . When we were little and Mom had some dough that she could not roll into biscuits, she would let us kids make some weird shapes. I remember doing a knot or snake or something weird. I just rolled these into little snakes and let the huddle together.

The one on the right looks like a kitten . . . use your imagination!

I have to say that once my heart stopped beating out of my chest . . . I loved making these. The boys were bummed when they finished them and there were no more. So, I'll definitely be making them again!

Here's the recipe in Christy's own words . . . Buttermilk Biscuits

BLIZZARD!

2011-02-04T15:45:00.005-06:00

Our camera is not the best . . . we got about 15 inches on top of what we already had. Snow drifts covered our front, back and garage door. Most of the wind pushed the snow off the roof . . . we were lucky in that aspect.

Our neighbor's son, Zane, came over and dug us out. Then we were joined by his Mom and the Salms to help us dig out the driveway. David was sick with the flu and missed this wonderful opportunity . . . again.

The kids were out of school for three days (had Matthew home three days last week when he was sick).

Loving the blue skies and the white snow . . .

An added bonus . . . Matthew and Zane jumping on the trampline:

Matthewisms

2011-01-31T14:52:00.000-06:00

So you'll know . . . eating broccoli just to show your son it makes a person fart a lot . . . does not make him interested in trying it for himself. (January 5th)

Matthew: "I don't need a shower . . . I just played out in the snow and got clean!" (January 12th)

Mom: “Go take a shower and brush your teeth.”

Matthew: “Okay.”

(10 minutes later)

Mom: “Time to come out.”

Matthew: “Okay.”

(He’s dressed.)

Mom: “Did you brush your teeth?”

Matthew: “Yes.”

(Mom goes to the bathroom . . . because she needs to . . . and then checks his toothbrush.)

Mom: “You didn’t brush your teeth . . . your toothbrush is not even wet!”

Matthew: “I dried it off when I was done.”

Mom: “Yeah, right.”

(Mom goes to shower and checks out soap . . . it’s dry.)

Mom: “Did you use soap when you showered?”

Matthew: “Yeah . . . and I dried it off too!”

[Note: He later apologized for not being so honest.]

(January 17th)

Why build a snowman when you can just do his face:

Another favorite reading spot:

Thankfulness

2011-01-30T07:15:00.000-06:00

I don't think I can let this month go by without being thankful for so many things in my life. I have a husband who loves me in spite of me . . . and he's been doing it for 24 years now. Has it been a wonderful 24 years? I'd like to say yes, but I'd be lying. But I am so grateful that he stuck with me through all my insecurities, frustrations, overwhelmingness, anger, depression, and heartache. You know the line . . . I wish I knew then what I know now. But I'm glad for having gone through so much to help us to grow and learn. I am so thankful he honors his priesthood and loves Heavenly Father so much. I'm thankful he is a good man, husband and father.

I'm thankful for my nine year old son who has unconditional love for me. I love the way he loves me . . . especially all the snuggling. When I was up with him during the middle of the night . . . he said, "Mom, I'm sorry you have to stay awake to take care of me." He was more concerned about me than himself. I love the way he makes me grow and learn. I look at him and I'm in awe of how he thinks, what he does, everything. I wonder if my Mom looked at me the same way. I like watching him have light bulb moments, temper tantrums, frustrations and joy. I am so honored to be his Mom.

I am thankful for family and friends who give us the boosts we need. It's hard living away from family, but we are so grateful for friends who become pseudo grandparents, aunts, uncles and more.

More than anything . . . I am thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. It has been such a strength and joy. I love knowing that my Father in Heaven cares for me and wants what is best for me . . . even though I might have my own temper tantrums. I am thankful for the example of Jesus Christ and how it helps me to try and be a better person.

Green Acres is the place to be . . .

2011-01-24T12:15:00.019-06:00

I was surfing Hulu and found some classic television shows that I wanted to introduce to Matthew. So . . . we started with this one . . . and he LOVES it! We have watched the first seven episodes (David lasted through three) and Matthew has yet to meet . . . Arnold! (He had a brief moment in the first episode.)

I loved watching this show when I was little. I thought Mrs. Douglas (Lisa) was the most beautiful woman and had the most beautiful clothes. I knew when I grew up that I would buy beautiful nightgowns to walk around the house in. This coming from a big tomboy!

Matthew has become infatuated with the name "Eb" . . . and has decided that it is his new nickname. (Eb is the name of the Douglas' farmhand.) Me . . . I'm trying to still understand why Mr. Douglas (Oliver) farmed in a suit. David . . . he's going nuts because Matthew and I are singing the theme song over and over again.

. . . . farm living is the life for me!

My Favorite Guys!

2011-01-22T12:07:00.000-06:00

. . . and the furry one too!

Julie/Christy Challenge: Pumpkin Crumb Cake

2011-01-14T11:07:00.002-06:00

Here are the ingredients . . .

Batter:

1 can of Pumpkin (15 ounces)
2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
2 cups self rising flour
1 stick margarine
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

Crumb Topping:

1 stick (1/2 cup) Margarine
1 cup brown sugar (dark or light)
1 cup flour (self rising or plain)
1 cup oats (quick or old fashioned)

Let's get started!

First, I have been looking at my beautiful Mabel on the counter for months . . . it's time to USE her!

Spray 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray.

Place all batter ingredients into large mixing bowl.
Mix until well blended. Didn't Mabel do a great job!

In medium bowl, place all topping ingredients.
Cut together with a long tined fork until well blended.

In the middle of mixing the crumb topping . . .
I glanced over and saw this envelope on the counter . . .

You are my ailean!" You know what he means!

After big hugs . . . back to the recipe . . .

Pour 1/2 of batter into pan, top with 1/2 crumb mixture.

Pour remaining batter over and top with remaining crumb mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour at 350.

Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

It looks b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l!

This was so very easy and it tasted good. We didn't like the crumb topping that much and I think the next time I may just try putting it on the top instead of in between.

Here's the recipe in Christy's own words . . . Pumpkin Crumb Cake

Julie/Christy Challenge: Chicken and Dumplings

2011-01-10T09:25:00.001-06:00

3 or 4 chicken breasts
32 oz chicken broth
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1-10 count can Pillsbury layers biscuits
salt and pepper to taste
flour

Cook chicken breasts in approximately 4 cups of water until fork tender, about 45 minutes. I used a whole chicken that I had cooked previously.

Place broth in medium to large sized pot.
Stir cream of chicken soup into gently boiling broth.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pull biscuits apart into three layers.

Dip each layer into flour and then tear each layer into three pieces.

Drop pieces of floured biscuts into gently boiling broth mixture. Do not stir biscuits a lot, or they will cook up. Gently push dumplings down into broth as they float to the top. This cannot be stressed enough. Cook about ten minutes after last dumplings are added.

Tear up chicken and add to broth mixture . . . again,
do not stir . . . gently push into dumplings.
Turn on low until ready to serve.

Let me tell you up front . . . I love chicken and dumplings, but I think I really messed this recipe up and I need to do it again. I used a whole chicken and the broth from my chicken . . . I don't think there was enough liquid. I didn't measure it (32 ounces). I also used the wrong can of biscuits. I used a larger size that had eight biscuits. Between too much biscuit dough and not enough broth . . . my dumplings did not have a chance. They were gooey and yucky and we couldn't even finish it. I will definitely try again. I have used flour tortillas in the past when making dumplings (cut them up) and they were delicious.

Here's the recipe in Christy's own words . . . Chicken and Dumplings

Updated: Where Do I Put The Blame??

2011-01-09T19:06:00.020-06:00

I've updated all my posts . . . enjoy! Some great recipes and some funny pictures and stories. Start in November!

I haven't been on my blog because . . . Facebook, sickness, tired, life, holidays, missing my Mom, couponing, etc. Pick one . . . and that will be excuse enough. I have really missed writing on my blog . . . it is like my journal. I've been putting a lot of pictures up and just doing silly stuff . . . but not writing. I keep worrying about what people will think, so I don't write what I really feel. That has got to change.

Facebook has been great . . . it has been instantaneous gratification . . . but it has not been filling. I've enjoyed connecting with family, friends and even folks I grew up with, went to school with, served a mission with, worked with, went to church with . . . you get the idea. But, then I found myself saying . . . their life is so much more interesting in mine. When in reality . . . my life is just fine.

I also got caught up in "couponing" . . . and have loved the adventures! But then I find myself scared to buy something . . . . because I'm sure there is a coupon for it somewhere! I love the deals I am getting . . . and my grocery budget is awesome. BUT, my eating out budget went sky high! I was out shopping all the time and didn't have time to fix dinner so we'd stop and eat somewhere or I'd bring something home. I've got a pantry full of food, but we're eating out!! Does that make sense?! Didn't to me either. So . . . I've cut back on couponing . . . plus I think Christmas shopping really has me tired of going into stores now. On a side note . . . there is a new show on TLC called "Extreme Couponing" . . . it is not the norm. It is what it says . . . extreme! I wish it was more on the side of educating people on how to use coupons instead of seeing people hoard items or putting their kids in dumpsters or other ridiculous stuff. It just gives us normal people a bad rap.

I have also missed cooking! Cooking is such a stress releaser for me . . . not that I'm a great cook or anything. I've been doing the Julie/Christy Challenge and LOVE it! I'm behind . . . but have extended it to end in February. I've done some cooking over the holidays and will post those in the next couple of days. I got two great cookbooks for Christmas . . . Southern Plate by Christy Jordan (which is now my new cooking Bible!) and The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond. Again, just wish I was a better cook!

So . . . you've heard all my excuses . . . well, maybe some of them. Come back and visit because I have tons of stuff coming your way!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T22:18:00.020-06:00

What a fun filled and busy day! We started out with Matthew's piano recital that had been postponed from early December. Matthew started piano lessons at the end of August and despite his occasional whining . . . he really enjoys it. Marla (Mrs. S) is a wonderful teacher and it amazes me that she can keep Matthew involved each week for an hour.

Mrs. S has two piano students and three voice students . . . so it went very fast, but very enjoyable. It was also the first time that I had seen Matthew nervous. He can play his music by heart . . . he can stand with his back to the piano and play the song. During the recital . . . he had to use his book and he wasn't playing as freely as we know he can. It was a very interesting thing to realize.

Mrs. S and Matthew . . .

Matthew with Mrs. S's kids . . . Walter and Emma

The piano recital was in the Chapel at Church . . .

We then headed over to have fun at . . .

Okay . . . David and Matthew played and I went to . . .

. . . and bought something I've always wanted . . . The Pioneer Woman Cooks

We then went and had a late lunch/early dinner at one of our favorite places . . . Thai House of Bloomington! Matthew loves their appetizer called Sumai . . . he could eat that all day. We had some great Pad Thai chicken and Sweet and Sour Pork. Yummmmmmy!

If all this wasn't enough . . . we went . . .

. . . thank goodness for bumpers!!

We stopped to get some ice cream at . . .

and then headed home to watch one of our favorite movies . . .

We had a fun day!

Tornado Watch?!

2010-12-31T19:11:00.005-06:00

We are under a tornado watch!

Our beautiful snow has disappeared and we've been going through lots of thunderstorms! The temps are to hit the 60's! What a way to welcome in the new year.

Julie/Christy Challenge: Chicken Stew

2010-12-30T08:40:00.006-06:00

Chicken Stew

1 chicken
2 large onions, chopped
7 cups water
4 cups canned tomatoes
6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 cups frozen or canned whole kernel corn
2 Tablespoon butter
5 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
2 teaspoons pepper (or to taste)

Cook the chicken in water until done.

Remove the chicken from the pot, leaving the broth and discard skin.
Separate meat from the bones and shred.

See my handsome assistant . . .

Didn't my assistant do a great job!

My beautiful chopped potatoes . . .

Dip off as much fat from the broth as possible.

Simmer potatoes in 1 cup of broth in covered saucepan until done, do not drain. Mash potatoes slightly, keeping them lumpy.

Add corn, onions, tomatoes, sugar, salt, and pepper to broth.

Aren't the colors b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l! Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Just like my kitchen rug . . . handmade by my neighbor Jackie! She made it out of strips of clothing.

Add potatoes and chicken and simmer slowly with lid off for at least 45 minutes. (NOTE: this makes A LOT and my pot was not big enough!)

Right before serving, stir in butter and let it melt. Best if made a day ahead and reheated to serve. I also made some Hoe Cake to go with it! Yum!

Here's my baby!

This is an incredible stew and tastes so gooooooood! My only concern . . . too much pepper! I don't know if I put in 2 Tablespoons instead of 2 teaspoons . . . but it was a lot! This recipe made a ton, but I was able to freeze some for a later time.

Here's the recipe in Christy's own words . . . Chicken Stew

Matthew in December

2010-12-28T18:44:00.015-06:00

He likes to be adventurous with what I bring home from my coupon shopping trips . . . some of the free pasta . . .

Matthew just broke the long mirror in the bathroom. I'm not going to look at it as seven years bad luck . . . just that he made it more artistic with all the cracks running through it.

Leaving treats for Santa . . .

This is Matthew's last year of truly believing in Santa Claus. His friends told him there wasn't a Santa Claus and he came and talked to me. I told him that when you stop believing in Santa -- he doesn't come to your house anymore and your parents have to put your gifts under the tree. But as long as you believe . . . Santa will be the one who does it.

Matthew set a record . . . he threw up 8 times from 7:30pm until 1:30am! (Thursday, December 14th)

Fun with icicles . . .

Didn't know watching Mythbusters would start an impromptu conversation about breasts with Matthew. Myth: Do breast implants explode at high altitudes or when your deep sea diving? Another episode covered spermicides . . . where is his father when I need him?!

Lego Portal of Atlantis

2010-12-26T21:10:00.013-06:00

We don't usually go to extremes in buying Christmas presents. Many of the items that were given for Christmas were gifts from others or ones that was purchased extremely cheap or free.

Another very important reason . . . he went through all his games, toys, stuffed animals, etc., and let go of a lot of things that he had been hanging on to . . . even though he didn't use them anymore. One of them being his Thomas trains and tracks . . . that was a big step.

Because of this . . . and Matthew's report tugging at our hearts . . . AND that we found it CHEAPER online ($25 cheaper and free shipping) . . . we gave in.

Here's where the story begins . . . a school report

New Lego Atlantas Set
By Matthew Wheeler

All I want for Christmas is the new lego Atlantas set. The design is awsome. I might become a builder one day and I might want to copy the design. It has lots of jewels. If I become a jewel seller I need to know what they look like to find them. It takes a long time to build. You would have me out of your hair for about 30 min. O how I wish I had the new lego Atlantas set.

Lego Portal of Atlantis . . . over 1,000 pieces . . . well worth it!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T20:58:00.003-06:00

We feel so very blessed to enjoy a wonderful Christmas and to finally be feeling well. We all experienced a lovely stomach virus and David went through some nasty pneumonia and bronchitis.

We were also blessed to hang out with the Albrechtsens for Christmas dinner . . . thanks Howie and Donette! Their tradition of prime rib for Christmas dinner is awesome!!!

Here are a few pictures . . .

Julie/Christy Challenge: Holiday Fruit Salad

2010-12-24T18:11:00.003-06:00

I've been anxious to make this recipe and fortunately we had to bring something to dinner with friends. I didn't want to do anything that was too salady (is that a word?) and I didn't want to do anything to desserty (another new word) and this was perfect.

Take a look at what's happening outside while I'm doing this . . .
I LOVE SNOW!

Here's the recipe . . . WARNING . . . it makes A LOT! Also, this is one of those recipes you need to make at least 24 hours before serving so that all the ingredients can come together. It is so worth the wait!

6-8 Apples
6 Oranges
1 lb Grapes
3-4 Cans Fruit Cocktail
1 Cup sugar
6 egg yolks

Peel oranges and apples and chop into small pieces. Cut grapes in half.

My little helper . . .

Cut oranges over apples so that the juice from the oranges will stop the apples from turning dark.

Pour fruit cocktail over fruit . . . juice and all . . . and mix. (This bowl is the largest round bowl Tupperware makes!)

Drain juice from the bowl into a saucepan adding 1 cup sugar and 6 egg yolks. Mix this together well and cook for approximately 15 minutes over medium heat. Stir until it is slightly thickened. Once it's done . . . let it cool.

Pour the juice over all the fruit and mix. When I first did this I thought: "This is not enough juice for all this fruit." Trust me . . . it is. Cover and refrigerate. Again . . . make it at least 24 hours before serving.

This will keep in the refrigerator for a week . . . if it can last that long! Also, every day that went by . . . the bowl seemed to get heavier and heavier . . . even though we were eating it. So make sure you mix before serving each time.

You can add other ingredients . . . nuts, coconut, etc. Bananas can be added, but they turn dark quick and the fruit salad will not keep as long.

We really loved this recipe and I will definately be making it again!!

Here's the recipe in Christy's own words . . . Holiday Fruit Salad

Festival Of Lights and Sonic!

2010-12-05T09:00:00.002-06:00

Gearing up for the drive!

We headed up to East Peoria and saw the wonderful Festival of Lights and by accident . . . we found Sonic!

We totally forgot to take pictures during our drive through the lights . . . this is one we got from the website:

We had fun at Sonic . . . but forgot it was a drive-in and it was COLD outside! Matthew was bummed that our waitress did not come out on roller skates. Can't wait for the Sonic to open up in our area!

We've got SNOW!

2010-12-04T13:41:00.001-06:00

I love snow! Don't be jealous . . .

My favorite guy . . .

. . . working hard on the drive-way . . .

Our cat, Zack . . .

. . . trying to figure it out . . .

I love snow!

Matthewisms!

2010-11-30T18:20:00.009-06:00

He wanted to read his book . . . outside . . . while it was snowing . . .

Matthew: "Mom, I had a staring contest with my reflection."

Me: "Who won?"

Matthew: "Me!"

David and I are discussing life insurance and how much he gets if I die and vice versa.

Matthew walks over with a smile on his face and excitedly says:

"How much money do I get if you both die?!"

One of my couponing shopping trips (13 pound turkey in freezer) . . . Matthew's holding the free $25 gift card from McDonald's . . .

Me: You've worn that shirt for two days now . . . even slept in it!
Put it in the laundry basket.

Matthew: Uh, Mom . . . I've actually worn it for more than three days.

Me: When's the last time you changed your underwear?!

Matthew: But they're my favorite!

W-R-I-T-I-N-G

2010-11-18T09:53:00.002-06:00

R-E-A-D-I-N-G!

2010-11-15T11:20:00.000-06:00

A tiny Egg!

2010-11-13T08:14:00.001-06:00

Our farm fresh eggs came with another surprise . . .

Isn't it the cutest?!

We boiled it like the other . . . and this is the results of what was inside:

We Brought Out The Scarves, Hats and Gloves . . .

2010-11-12T18:25:00.003-06:00

Matthew also wrote "Do not disturb" with the hats, gloves, scarves . . . but it got put away before I could get a picture. He and I were taking a nap on the couch and Matthew didn't want Dad to disturb us when he got home.

I Got An Early Christmas Present!

2010-11-11T09:47:00.000-06:00

My sister sent me this book last week and I have read it from cover-to-cover and made some delicious recipes! I've known for almost a year that this book was coming out in October and it was at the very TOP of my Christmas list.

Christy is my favorite new friend whom I met through her cooking blog earlier this year. Many of you know I'm doing my own Julie/Christy Challenge . . . if she would just stop coming up with such great recipes so I can focus on the challenge and not the new recipes!!

You know how in Julie & Julia she cooked from the entire Julia Child cook book every night for a year? You could definetly do that with this book! Christy's book is so not intimidating to me and I love all her recipes. I love the stories that go with these recipes.

I wish you could hear me now . . . I'm speaking with a southern accent again!

Thanks Sis!

Another Adventure With Apples

2010-11-09T09:20:00.001-06:00

Making applesauce was so easy . . . I decided to try again! Plus, add a new recipe . . . apple pie filling in a jar!

I got a new toy! This is MY new sauce machine that I got from Christ Orchards. I only have one complaint . . . I need to get an extender for the crud (apple seeds, peels, etc.) that come out because it wanted to fall in my applesauce bowl.

I didn't have an apple peeler/corer and borrowed this potato peeler from my neighbor:

It worked okay . . . but works better with potatoes and making potatoe strings. Okay, I digress . . . but it was cool watching the potato waste away and see the string get longer and longer. (It was also cool to cook it and eat it too!)

My second batch of applesauce only gave me 12 pints:

But look at these b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l apple pie filling in a jar bottles!

I was so hungry for an apple pie before my apples arrived . . . I bought one from Sam's Club over the weekend. When I was done with all this hard work . . . I treated myself to a slice of pie. Can't wait to see how the real apple pies turn out!

The recipe I used came from Mommy's Kitchen: Apple Pie Filling In A Jar. I would do it again in a heartbeat, but I would have enough apples to make tons more. This recipe only made six quarts and I don't think I had enough apples or sauce to fill the jars. It was a lot of work for only six jars. I would also borrow/buy an apple peeler/corer/slicer for the next go round because that took a lot of time and energy for what little I did get.

I think I might try it again before apple season disappears because these would make cook presents for Christmas!

Shades of Creativity

2010-11-07T21:06:00.005-06:00

We are about 98% done with Matthew's room and it is beautiful! We still need to put up pictures and a bulletin board so that he will not tape everything all over the walls, doors, etc.

Here are the beautiful shades that we got from Penney's. Getting them was an adventure in itself. I purchased five shades . . . three for Matthew's windows and two for the Office/Library once we've completed repainting and renovating. I ordered the same color that we have in our bedroom, but realized that I needed white for Matthew's room. I went back to Penney's and wanted to exchange the three shades for white ones. Because I paid with a debit card . . . they had to give me the money back in cash and then I had to turn around and pay for the three new ones with the cash. I know . . . it didn't make sense to me either. What was sad . . . he didn't have enough money in the drawer and had to go and get some. Then the new amount was cheaper than what I paid for them in the first place! He couldn't explain that one. So . . . they didn't have the ones I wanted in white and we had to order them. Less than a week later I stop by Penney's (making sure I don't get the same cashier) and there are my new white shades! I am so proud and can't wait to put them up. A few days later we go to put them up . . . right color . . . wrong size! What?!!! Again, I go back to Penney's and explain the dilemma. She had to reimburse me with cash and we ordered the correct color and size . . . and find they are on sale and I get another refund of cash. I don't understand . . . but it all worked out in my favor cash wise! This time we have them delivered to the house at no charge.

Here they are!!!

This particular wall is yellow. The other walls are blue, green, red and beige. The ceiling is white. It is so beautiful! I'll post more pictures later.

This is what Matthew decided to do with the boxes the shades came in . . . I love his creativity!

Happy Birthday David!

2010-11-03T19:17:00.002-05:00

Okay . . . I apparently forgot to hit the "Publish Post" on some of my postings. So before I move it to where it is supposed to be . . . September 16th . . . I thought I'd share.

This is a picture that David's brother Mike (photo, stage right) sent recently. David and I had been married just a few years and lived in Maryland at the time.

Boy With The Gold Earring

2010-10-31T07:17:00.021-05:00

With Halloween falling on a Sunday this year . . . we told Matthew that we'd make it up to him by taking him to Halloween events on Friday and Saturday. The Sabbath Day is very important to us and we try our best to keep it uplifting and holy.

Last weekend our Ward (church congregation) had a Trunk or Treat and we remembered it at the last minute. It was Matthew who reminded us at 5:30pm that it was happening. After a few phone calls we found out what time and what else was going on.

After looking through our costumes (gotta love deep discounts at Target after Halloween), Matthew decides to be a dinosaur. He puts on the costume and we stuff his tail so it wouldn't be so droopy, but reminded him not to use it as a weapon. Gotta love kid's imaginations! David took him to the activity and they had a blast.

Looking through the local paper and websites this week we were trying to come up with something new. We had lots of choices, but trying to decide what we were doing was another story. I saw on Facebook that the other Ward was having a Trunk or Treat AND a camp fire to roast hotdogs! Candy and fire . . . gotta love the combination!

David was/is sick . . . so I get to hang out with our little man. This time he decides to be a pirate . . . "Arggghhh!" It was so cold out that we decided he would dress normal and we used a Pirates baseball shirt . . . see here . . . same shirt, just older kid! We had a pirates hat, sword, hook for a hand, eye patch . . . and his favorite of all . . . the GOLD (plastic) earring!

He went around in true pirate form: "Arggghhh yea old Matey!" "Walk the plank!" "Gimme some candy or else!" "Swab the poop deck ye old landlubber!" "At the crack of dawn . . . ckqqqqq!" (sword cutting neck)

Well . . . it was STINKING COLD and DARK! The kids were all freezing and we couldn't get a stick to cook a hot dog on. So being the ~~lazy~~ sweet Mom that I am . . . I bribed him. "Let's do the Trunk or Treat and then I'll take you to McDonald's!" At first he said no because he wanted a hot dog. But after we got the candy and he was freezing and couldn't get close to the food . . . he decided McDonald's was the better choice.

He went to bed that night in his PJ's and wearing the gold earring. He's been wearing the gold earring most of the day and wants me to open the other pirate package so he can have the other earring! He is too funny!

For Saturday night . . . we were going to do Uptown Normal and walk around getting candy from the local business owners (i.e., stand in a LONG line going door-to-door for one piece of candy which is usually a mint or something cheap!). Knowing that I would be bored and if I was going to have to do it . . . I wanted company. So, I asked the neighbor kids to come.

Then . . . Matthew decides he wants to stay home and not go out anywhere. I kind of questioned his motives and wondered what was going on.

"Are you not feeling well?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you mad at your friends?" (They were just outside playing on the trampoline. And in true family/friend form . . . that get mad at each other.)

"No."

"Did someone hurt you?"

"No."

"Anything you want to tell me?"

"No. I just don't want to talk about it."

He climbs up in my lap and holds me close. I'm still concerned and he can sense that.

"Mom . . . I just don't want to talk about it."

Then my Mommy radar, intuition or whatever you want to call it kicked in . . .

"You miss Grandma Honey don't you?"

Tears just streamed down his face and he cried . . . and cried . . . and cried.

We had a nice long conversation about my Mom and how much we all miss her. I feel so blessed that Matthew still feels the love from his Grandma Honey. She was a very important part of his life and he misses that. It will be three years in January that we lost Mom and I know how it affects me and my siblings . . . I just keep forgetting how much her grandkids miss her too.

I love my son's tender heart . . . and his fascination with his new gold earring.

Sunday Mornings . . . Ahhhhh!

2010-10-28T09:54:00.004-05:00

Matthew and I woke up last Sunday morning and hibernated on the living couch with a couple of good books. We were there for several hours . . . and it was heaven.

FYI . . . my BIG reader did 1,253 minutes in his Road to Reading this month. His class goal was 250. I so love that he loves to read!!!

Matthew looking at this post:

"Hey Mom . . . you look OLD in this picture."

Gotta love their honesty.

Ugly Ceiling

2010-10-26T21:50:00.002-05:00

No, this isn't a water stain or a darker color. The walls in this room were painted white about 10 years ago. We are now painting again, but only the ceiling will be white.

On the left . . . the old white . . . on the right . . . the new white. We are a smoke-free home, but apparently have a lot of dust bunnies! Scary, huh?

Applesauce!

2010-10-22T08:39:00.001-05:00

Earlier this month we went to Christ Orchard (west of Peoria) and bought some apples! My friend told me that I could make some applesauce . . . she assured me it would be e-a-s-y! I was skeptical . . . but it worked!!!

What's in your fridge? This is just a few of the apples we bought:

Setting it up in the Kitchen:

Getting the water ready:

Cutting the apples . . . no peeling, no de-seeding . . . just cutting the apples and removing the stem:

What the apples looked like once I cooked them for about 10 minutes:

My favorite part of the whole thing . . . the "saucer":

Applesauce out the front and the yucky stuff (seeds, peels, etc.) out the side:

I don't know what you called this thing, but it helped me to get the applesauce in the jars without any mess:

My babies . . . before I cooked them to seal them:

They're done! I got 16 pints of applesauce!

PaRtY!!

2010-10-17T20:54:00.004-05:00

So, Matthew turned nine on October 9th . . . but we didn't have his birthday party until the next Saturday . . . the 16th. His birthday came on a three day weekend and we thought people would be out of town . . . we were wrong. But, it all worked out.

We had neighbors and some friends from school over to our home and thank goodness the temperature was excellent . . . because we partied outside!!

We played "Minute to Win It!" games and had a blast! We also had a contest and decorated individual brownies. We ate a LOT of junk food, played a lot and made a MESS! It was a GREAT party and David and I were exhausted!!

We totally forgot about the camera until one point and then I think we forgot about it again. So, there's not that many pictures, but we had a b-l-a-s-t!!

I also didn't know that girls could out fart boys! But, the boys tend to do s-t-i-n-k-y ones and almost on command. The things you learn . . . or don't want to learn!

Farm Fresh Eggs!

2010-10-10T16:29:00.000-05:00

So . . . for those of you who have been nervous about eggs because of the latest scare . . . we have been blessed with FARM FRESH EGGS!!

JD is a young man that goes to our church and he has chickens. He sells the eggs to earn money and we get two dozen a week. They are the best! Now . . . we don't eat two dozen a week and probably not one dozen a week. We give one dozen to some friends who deliver us a free paper every day and gives us extra inserts on Sunday. When we get more eggs than we can think about . . . we give them to others and sometimes trade for home canned items. We are so blessed!

JD's Mom is Matthew Primary teacher and she sent a "special" egg to Matthew. Apparently one of their hens misses a day of laying eggs and the next day . . . double yokes!

Here's a line-up of eggs . . . all farm fresh

White eggs . . . a little smaller . . .

Brown eggs . . . the size we get each week . . .

Our double yoker!

We were going to do a scrambled egg, but Matthew decided he wanted a boiled egg. Here's the BIG egg with a regular brown egg:

On the plate:

Two Yolks!

But, alas . . . he only eats the white stuff . . . not the yolks!

What We Were Doing Nine Years Ago Today

2010-10-09T07:23:00.005-05:00

Spaghetti-O's!

2010-10-06T16:59:00.003-05:00

My son LOVES Spaghetti-O's and could eat them every day if I let him. I think they are so nasty . . . yuk!

Zane was over and wanted to eat dinner with us when he heard there were Spaghetti-O's . . . must be a boy thing.

Zane and his bowl . . . look close!

Zane spelled his name with Spaghetti-O's . . .

Is that a big booooooger?!

Julie/Christy Challenge: Apple Fritters And Fall Days

2010-10-05T11:10:00.001-05:00

I kept looking at the recipe for Apple Fritters on Christy's website and wanting to make them so badly, but the ". . . and Fall Days" just couldn't justify making Apple Fritters in the Spring or Summer.

Our neighbors gave us some apple cider that their family made and that put me in the mood to make the Apple Fritters. Yea! So, I took a stab at it.

Here's the ingredients!

2 cups apples, peeled and diced
2 cups self rising flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix flour, sugar, and cinnamon together using a fork to break up any lumps. Add in milk, melted margarine, and eggs. Stir well to combine. Peel and dice apples, add to batter, stirring in. Drop by 1/8 cup fulls into hot oil and turn to allow to brown on both sides. Drain on paper towel lined plate. Dust with confectioner’s sugar, if desired. Serve with apple butter. (Makes about two dozen)

Chopping the apples . . . next time I'll chop them smaller:

Mixing the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon:

Getting out the brown sugar bumps . . . get your fingers in there!

Adding the eggs, milk and butter:

Adding the apples to the mix:

It dawned on me . . . why didn't I use Mabel? I'm so used to doing it myself!
Next time I'm pulling out Mabel!

Putting it in the oil . . . I used big spoonfuls and next time I'll make them smaller.

Looking down the line . . .

Ta . . . Da . . .

Hubby being a model and holding the plate and patiently waiting for his wife to take the picture so he can take a bite:

Yummy bite:

Thinking . . . I'm thinking:

Overall opinion . . . they were good! I could have done half of the recipe for my small family of three. I also need to work on size . . . because I made some big ones! I think I put too much oil in the pan . . . and had a couple of grease pops . . . man it was messy. I tried coating some of them in powdered sugar, but we preferred the apple butter. I'd make them again!

Here's the recipe in Christy's own words . . . Apple Fritters and Fall Days

Sep . . . timber!

2010-10-03T15:46:00.018-05:00

What?! Where did September go?! I looked up and the calendar said OCTOBER! September was so crazy that I didn't even have time to update my BIG calendar . . . the one that tells us where we are supposed to be, what's happening and anything important. I printed out our calendar from Outlook and taped it to the big calendar. Even the Outlook calendar wasn't updated.

Was I doing nothing? Was I playing Sleeping Beauty for a month? Was I lazy? Okay, let me pass on the last one. I was B-U-S-Y! I was busy with so many little things, that I didn't get to do many of the things that I love . . . like blogging, cooking or hanging out.

I did get some practice with my couponing . . . need any Cap'n Crunch or Tuna? Even couponing doesn't seem to have any great deals lately.

My hubby turned the big 5-0 in September. (I know . . . I married someone way o-l-d-e-r than me!) Matthew and I took him out to eat and played an interesting trick on him. We had two gift bags and told him he could only choose one . . . the other had to go back or be given to Matthew and myself. We filled one bag with 50 quarters ($12.50). It was very heavy! The other bag was filled with a crisp, clean $50 bill . . . thus giving the feel that there is nothing in the bag. My hubby chose the heavy bag. When he opened it and the quarters fell out . . . he realized there were 50 and laughed. Matthew got all excited because he knew what was in the other bag. We then opened the other bag and pretended to be all excited!! Then Matthew smiled and gave David the bag with the $50 back. It was cute.

My dear hubby . . . he has been swamped between work, his church calling . . . he teaches Institute classes twice a week, home and whatever else wants to pull his way. His been there for us in so many ways . . . and we are so very thankful. This December marks 24 years for our little family. It was September when we "fell in love".

September also brought our little Cub Scout from a Wolf to a Bear! It has been an exciting first year in Scouts and we have such great leaders. Matthew is already talking about becoming an Eagle Scout! I'm just grateful we made it through his first book!

As mentioned in a previous post . . . Matthew is our BIG reader. His class is doing "Road to Reading" and their goal for September was 200 minutes. Matthew read 1,217 minutes!!!!! I told you this kid loves to read! His goal for October is 250 minutes. Our goal is to focus on bigger books and more minutes in those. He just finished "Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3" (don't ask me why he didn't start with 1) and he just started "Lunch Money" by Andrew Clements. We are still going to let him read other things, but I told his teacher that I was only counting the minutes read in the larger books.

His piano lessons are the BEST!!! If you live in my area and need a piano teacher (she also does voice lessons) . . . I'll tell you about Marla! What a jewel! Matthew loves sitting down at the piano and just playing. I love that about him. Third grade is interesting. He's enjoying being back with his friends, but I also find him getting bored and not focusing. He knows answers to questions, but is in such a hurry to "get it done" . . . he doesn't realize the mistakes he is making. (Did you know there were a LOT of hills where we live . . . not!! His response: "I know Mom . . . I just wrote hills instead of flat!") That's what we are focusing on with him. S-l-o-w down and re-read what you wrote. He had this problem in Kindergarten when we found out that the teacher told the kids that when they finished their work they could pick out a toy to play with. They ALL wanted a certain Beanie Baby and would hurry to finish to be able to get that particular Beanie Baby first. So, we've got to find out what is pushing him to "get done" now. We've got Parent-Teacher Conferences at the end of this month.

Me . . . trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up! Frustrated that I'm not doing my best at what I've been given. Angry because I'm still suffering from hormone issues. I love crying . . . it cleanses me . . . makes me feel better . . . gives me hope. My little patch . . . won't let me cry . . . or just gives me a few tears. You know . . . I'm so happy to be so sad. Stinking hormones!!!!

On the other hand . . . volunteering at Matthew's school, helping a friend's Mom downsize her home, carpooling kids from school, running errands for friends, learning more about couponing, trying to get some projects done at home, wanting to "stop and smell the roses", being a busy wife and mother, etc.

But, amidst all this . . . I am so thankful for a Heavenly Father who watches over me and loves me in spite of me. Who takes me for what I am and continues to have hopes and dreams for my life.

I love my little family . . . and I love September . . . even though it came and went so fast!

Hello October!

My Big Reader

2010-09-24T18:50:00.008-05:00

I love to read! Whenever or wherever we moved my first place to visit was the library. I had a book in front on my face ALL the time. I loved reading all different kinds of books, but my favorites were biographies. I remember as a teenager that I would go to the biography section and pick a person in the "A" section, the the "B" section . . . until I got to the end and then I would start over again.

One year I decided to read all the books and started with the letter "A". That didn't last too long when I got into the Adams family (President). . . I apparently decided to read ALL the books, not just one book about the Adams family. I got extremely bored. I went back to my A, B, C method.

I love reading how people "grew". How they were just normal people and put their minds to things or developed a talent or seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

I will, however, never enjoy "Abbott and Costello" again. The book I read was filled with filth . . . swearing, gambling, drinking. I was totally surprised that there was a book in the library with so many "F" words . . . and this was in the early 70's. They were not the funny guys that I had watched on television. It was totally disgusting. Maybe they were desperate for money . . . I don't know.

These days I enjoy reading children and young adult books. I guess I didn't read too many of them when I was younger because I went for the older stuff. If I had my life to do over again . . . I would be a librarian in an elementary school. I feel so blessed to be able to volunteer at Matthew's school one day a week. I love seeing the kids realize they can read and when they are enthusiastic about certain books.

The reason for this post . . .

. . . he takes after his Mom.

I brought home a book from his school library because one of the kids read it and loved it . . . It's called "The Meanest Doll in the World" by Ann Martin.

I dropped the carpool kids off and had to run in the house for something while Matthew waited in the car. Matthew picked up the book and started reading it. He put it down when we got to his piano lesson, but immediately picked it up again when he got back in the car. When we got home . . . he decided to stay in the car and read. He was out there for about half an hour.

I love my big reader! And, yes . . . he takes after his Dad too. He's a big reader also.

got Wasabi?

2010-09-10T13:14:00.009-05:00

After Matthew has piano lessons, we usually go out and pick up something to eat. This is because Thursdays are very busy days for me and by the time we're done with piano . . . I'm too tired.

Matthew would eat McDonald's food morning, noon and night . . . but I told him that we were going to do something different. We got it down to Asian food . . . Chinese, Japanese or Thai. The Thai House was on the other side of town and I didn't want Chinese . . . so we went to Orient Gourmet so I could get some suishi!

We had a GREAT time eating dinner and hanging out. He loves miso soup, he loves rice, he loves a lot of different foods . . . but vegetables are not at the top of his list. He tried the suishi . . . California roll . . . but was not too happy with the avacado or cucumber in it. I also explained to Matthew what the ginger and wasabi was that came with the suishi.

So . . . we are eating and he was having a hard time wanting to eat some of the vegetables that came with his meal. I then told him that I would put some wasabi on my suishi if he ate his veggies. He choked down the vegetables and was anxious for me to fulfill my side of the bargain.

Stupid me . . . I didn't just put a little smear of the wasabi on the sushi . . . I took a little over a teaspoon and plopped it on the suishi. What?!! It looks like avocados . . . and I love avocados!

I realized I had made a STUPID mistake when I hadn't even closed my mouth and was s-u-f-f-e-r-i-n-g!!! Tears, snot, burning throat, gasping . . . you name it . . . I was doing it! I was trying not to draw attention to myself from the other customers . . . but Matthew was laughing his head off!

Fortunately we had some leftover rice and I just kept shoving it in. It's going to be awhile before I force my son to eat his vegetables . . . and I get the feeling back in my tongue.

S-E-P-T-E-M-B-E-R!

2010-09-04T14:57:00.005-05:00

68 b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l degrees! Windows are up and doors are open and it is bliss! I can't believe that just weeks ago no one wanted to go outside and play because it was just TOO HOT!

We're back in the groove of things with Matthew going to school, David continuing to work hard with work, home and his church callings. He's decided to teach Institute twice a week to accomodate the students. He's really enjoying it. Right now he is studying his brains out for an Insurance Exam that he has to take on September 13th. Part of his continuing education with work.

Me . . . enjoying the QUIET days running here and there and waiting for an opportunity to just rest and relax. It's fun being back at the school's library and seeing old faces. It's amazing how much these kids have grown.

My couponing has become an adventure that I love! It has taken some time to get used to the ins and outs and the rules that seem to change weekly . . . but I'm loving being out and about and saving money. I will have to say that we are going to have to invest in another refrigerator or freezer soon.

I'm also trying to get back to cooking! I've been on the run a lot lately and our family has seen too many fast food restaurants.

Feeling so very blessed . . . and loving the fall weather!

Corn, Corn, Corn, Corn, Corn, Corn!

2010-08-30T10:45:00.004-05:00

Corn Fest was this weekend and the boys picked up four dozen ears of fresh corn for us. They were generous . . . and gave us a baker's dozen in each bag. Corn on the cob is right next to chocolate for me . . . the BEST!

I also made . . . for the first time . . . fried corn!! It was GREAT!

Started with 52 ears of corn . . . cooked 8 for regular and fried corn . . . leaving me with 44 ears of corn. This morning I broke the ears of corn in half and cooked all of them. I now have 88 ears of corn! Yeah, baby!! Gonna put them in the freezer and eat during the Winter.

My little helper . . .

That's a LOT of corn . . .

Scouts . . . and Corn!

2010-08-28T10:00:00.004-05:00

Matthew's Cub Scout troop went to help with the Corn Festival here in town. I was hoping to have more pictures . . . but they haven't posted them on the Scout website yet. Matthew was so excited to see the MOUNTAIN of corn. The boys helped shuck the corn for cooking.

August Randomness

2010-08-27T10:00:00.001-05:00

Haircuts . . . a little too short for my taste on David . . .

Zack . . .

Robot Boy . . .

Matthew and Courtney . . . she was his babysitter a couple of times this month. I think this was here first babysitting job . . . (she was also Matthew's first crush when he was way younger).

Michelle holding up one of our watermelons from the garden . . .

Happy Birthday Mom!

2010-08-25T08:00:00.001-05:00

Becky's Sausage Dish

2010-08-22T10:22:00.019-05:00

My niece, Becky, shared a sinfully good sausage dish with me and I thought I'd share it!

Ingredients:

1 pound bulk pork sausage
8 counces cream cheese, softened
2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls (8 ounces each)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of a 9x13 pan. (Becky's recipe called for a 9x11, but my choices were 9x9 or 9x13.)

Cook the sausage in a skillet over medium heat until crumbly and beginning to brown; drain.

Stir the cream cheese into the cooked sausage.

Roll the dough from one can of crescent rolls into the bottom of the prepared baking dish without separating. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes.

I do not use canned bread items very much and I hate how they POP open. This one said to press a spoon on the seam until it opened. I tried . . . and tried . . . and tried. Finally, I called for backup. David looked at the can . . . then the spoon . . . then at me . . . and gently whacked it on the side of the countertop. Guess how I opened the second can?

Spread the sausage mixture over the baked crescent rolls;

top the sausage mixture with cheddar cheese

and then the remaining can of rolls.

Return to oven and bake until the top layer is golden brown, about 12 minutes. (Becky's recipe called for 8 minutes, but my crescents weren't done. I just followed the cooking time on the can.)

I served it up with our farm fresh eggs . . .

David's first thoughts . . . "Tastes like a cheeseburger." (Looks are deceiving . . . he liked it!)

Matthew's first words . . . "Yuk!" But he says that for almost everything . . . and he puts ketchup on almost everything!

What would I do next time? I LOVE cream cheese, but I think I would use just half of the cream cheese and more cheddar cheese. I would also mix the cheddar cheese in with the sausage too.

I'd also find a sale on crescents and sausage!! I had a $10 catalina I needed to use and I went to Jewel Osco near my home. (I was lazy and the catalina expired the same day!) The Pillsbury Crescent Rolls were $4 EACH!! I had a coupon . . . but you had to buy three cans and it was only 75 cents off three! So, I bought two store brands at $2 each. The sausage was $4 and they were sold out of the ones I had coupons for. I think next time I just need to plan ahead!!

On a scale of 1-10 . . . David gave it a 7-8 and Matthew gave it a 5 (he doesn't like sausage). I'd give it a 7-8 too and I'd make it again.

CoUpOn CrAzY . . . and GROWING!

2010-08-18T17:30:00.002-05:00

Last month I went to Kroger's with my friend Jenn. I've been learning the couponing game and was still nervous. I wanted to follow Jenn around to see how you do it. Now that I look back . . . I can laugh at my nervousness and I'm sure Jenn thought I had lost my marables!

But . . . look what I came home with . . . (perishables were in the fridge: cheese, hot dogs and cream cheese . . . lots of it!)

Look how much it costs . . .

Plus . . . I got money back! They're called catalinas and you can use them at several stores in the area.

I've been going out doing small trips and trying to feel comfortable about stuff. Why does one feel intimidated? Maybe all the people behind you waiting in line or worrying if I have the right amount of coupons or grumpy cashiers. The list goes on and on.

But, I am soooooo over that right now. I use the U-Scan in stores that have them and if I have to use a Cashier . . . I just smile at the people behind me. (I do warn them that I have coupons.) But hey . . . they are paying full price and I'm NOT! I am not a fill-up-four-shopping-carts kind of couponer . . . yet! LOL!

Here's a picture of all the stuff I got FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE from my shopping trip on Saturday. Can you say FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Let's try another angle . . .

20 Packages of Super Sticky Notes (Got 25 free ones earlier in the week)
Plus a $4 catalina ($8 one earlier)

2 Packages of Quaker Quakes Rice Cakes

8 Packages of Bic Cristal Easy Glide Pens (10 in each bag)

6 Cans of Select Harvest Soup: (3) Maryland Crab, (3) Mexican Chicken Tortilla
Plus a $10 catalina

Two pounds of Bananas

Two McDonald's Smoothies . . . one earlier in the day, the other later . . . hey, last day to use them!

That was just the FREE stuff. I didn't take pictures of the stuff that I bought at a great price! This is too much funnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!

Let Me Introduce You To Mabel!

2010-08-15T11:09:00.007-05:00

My friend Syndy put together an awesome Swap Meet at church! She was going to have it at her garage at home, but interest grew and grew . . . thus the church. It started out with clothes and then other things trickled in . . . shoes, toys, games, books, videos, household items, etc. It was exciting! You could donate items and take away items or you could just give or you could just take.

I went over on Friday night to help set up and then returned Saturday morning to help out. The event was to go from 9am until Noon. There was a LOT of stuff!

It was fun helping people find what they needed and just hanging out. When we realized the stuff wasn't moving fast enough, Syndy put out a sign in front of the church to lure people in, had a friend put it on Craig's List and we called anyone we knew to come! There was tons of stuff and it needed to go! Did I mention . . . there were TONS of stuff!

We also had a LOT left over! Vehicles were loaded and it all went to the local thrift store to help others in need. Syndy did a fantastic job and I was worried that she wouldn't want to do it again because we had so much stuff left over. But, she assures us that it will happen again! Yea!

Oh . . . let me introduce you to Mabel . . . I met her Saturday morning when I walked into the Gym at Church . . . she's going to be my new best friend!

Here she is sitting between her two new friends, Fred the toaster and Ethel the crockpot . . .

Isn't she pretty!

Piano Lessons

2010-08-13T12:31:00.005-05:00

Matthew started piano lessons last week and you would have thought I was dragging him to his death when we headed over to Mrs. S's house. When I came to pick him up . . . he was smiling so big. He had a blast!

When he sat down to practice at home . . . I just cried. I so wanted to learn how to play the piano when I was little. We didn't have a piano . . . as my Mom was into organs. When our family went to visit my Mom's family in Alabama, I would just sit at their piano and play and play and play. (Who needs to eat and sleep?) I think at one point they locked the piano because they were so tired of me playing the same thing over and over and over. I tried to teach myself how to play and I've had some lessons at various times in my life. I love the piano. So . . . my son is living out my dream.

Julie/Christy Challenge: Fried Green Tomatoes!

2010-08-10T08:47:00.069-05:00

Well . . . I've been trying to find the time to make Christy's Chicken and Dumplings for the past week, but we've been busy with one thing or another. Matthew wanted some Macaroni and Cheese last night, so I put all my energies into that. When I got the mac and cheese in the oven . . . I decided to make some fried green tomatoes to go with it!

The way I sound . . . you'd think I was making a five course gourmet meal. Things that come so natural and easy to you experienced folks . . . takes awhile to sink into this little brain. My biggest fear on the Julie/Christy Challenge . . . biscuits! I know, some of you could do it in your sleep. What can I say?!

My idea of homemade biscuits:

But, this isn't biscuit time . . . it's fried green tomatoes time!

First . . . let's look at my maters! Aren't they pretty?! We grew them in our garden. I only used the three green ones for the recipe.

Here's our tiny ones . . . they taste so sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!

This recipe is so easy that I had to re-read it at least four times to make sure I wasn't missing something.

Here's what you need besides the tomatoes: corn meal, flour, Mrs. Dash (original recipe called for Season All), milk and vegetable oil.

Time Out! This is important! Get your oil HOT before cooking your tomatoes!! You want to put in enough oil that will come up at least half way up the side of your tomatoes.

If your oil is HOT your food won't be "greasy"! If your oil is COLD . . . everything gets soggy and yucky!

Back to our regularly scheduled recipe . . .

Slice your tomatoes thick. (I did a thin one and it kind of fell apart when it was cooking.)

I then set up two bowls. One with corn meal (1-1/2 cups), flour (4 tablespoons) and Mrs. Dash (2 tablespoons). I learned that the flour will act as a type of "glue" to help hold all of this together. The other bowl . . . a cup of milk.

Place the tomato in the bowl of milk covering both sides:

Then throw that tomato into the dry mix -- covering both sides:

Look at those babies cook! Now let them settle, don't be playing with them! Get them brown on each side:

Put the cooked tomatoes on a plate with paper towels . . . hey, who took a bite?!

Oh yea, it was me! I ate maybe two of these babies before they made it to the table. (I will not tell you how many my husband ate!) Okay . . . I don't wear an apron when I cook, but I do keep a dish towel handy on my shoulder.

We had a nice and easy dinner -- macaroni and cheese and fried green tomatoes! This recipe made more than what you see on the plate. There were more under the paper towels too. We ate lots during dinner and had a few leftovers. But, before I could put the dishes away . . . they were gone. So, they were good cold too.

Any changes I would make? None . . . these things rocked!

For the record . . . Matthew did take one bite of the tomatoes before saying: "Ewwwwww!"

Check out Christy's website for these two awesome recipes!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Hanging Out With Raegan!

2010-08-04T12:16:00.000-05:00

Matthew's friend Raegan came over to hang out. It was so hot that we stayed inside and played games.

2010-08-03T18:50:00.000-05:00

Our Little Artist

2010-08-01T20:36:00.009-05:00

Matthew loves to take pictures, cartoons, etc., and copy them. Whether it is a direct copy or copying the situation. For example, in the cartoon the character is blonde and the end result is going in a charcoal grill. In Matthew's cartoon copy . . . the character has dark hair and it's going into an electric grill. I asked him why and he said because he was drawing himself and he had dark hair and we have an electric grill.

I then pulled out my sketch book from when I was younger and showed Matthew how I did the same thing that he is doing. But, he went one step further and used his imagination . . . putting himself and his own stuff in it.

Some of my pencil sketchings from my teenage years . . .

We Are A Whacky Family!

2010-07-29T18:49:00.002-05:00

Solomon Is In The House!

2010-07-26T17:38:00.002-05:00

We were so excited that Solomon got to hang out with the family for five days. He and Matthew were "two peas in a pod" the whole time. It was so cool! On Sunday, Jeanie and Jerry joined us for a day. I cannot believe how much these boys have grown.

They called this the "human taco" . . .

Three Little Monkeys . . .

Jeanie and the boys . . .

Julie/Christy Challenge: Double Header!One Slow Cooker Recipe: 2 Different MealsSouthern Hoe Cake Recipe

2010-07-23T09:14:00.011-05:00

Okay . . . before you go thinking I'm brave for doing two recipes in one week . . . it's more like three . . . they were ridicously E-A-S-Y!

The first . . . One Slow Cooker Recipe: 2 Different Meals

Take one large roast (4-5 pounds), add water, add 4 beef boullion cubes (optional) and cook. (3 to 4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low) Remove from slow cooker and shred with fork. Reserve half of meat for second meal.

Look at it cook . . .

I found two roast packaged together at a cheap price that totalled five pounds. I took out one to shred, but the boys wanted it this way. I shredded the leftovers and added it to the other roast.

Slow Cooker Recipe: Part Two

I took the shredded meat and we made soft tacos. I mixed taco seasoning into the meat and we put it on a tortilla. You can add whatever you want . . . tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, etc. It was so good!

The other part of our meal: Southern Hoe Cake Recipe

2 Cups of Self Rising Flour
1 Cup of Milk
1/2 Cup of Vegetable Shortening (or 1 stick of margarine)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pour a thin layer of oil to cover the bottom of an eight inch round cake pan (I used a cast iron skillet) and place in oven to heat.

To two cups of self rising flour, add 1/2 cup of shortening. Cut it in with a fork. Pour in milk and stir until wet. What you are looking for is a soupy biscuit batter . . . so you might need to add 1/4 cup more of milk. This is what it should look like when you've mixed it:

Pour into well heated pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until brown.

Invert onto plate. Serve with butter, jelly, honey or anything you'd like. I should have used a more colorful plate.

The first meal with the meat was kind of a regular roast. I put out some Worchestshire Sauce and BBQ Sauce for the boys to use. We also had some mixed vegetables in spite of Matthew's protests.

David's loving it . . .

Hmmm . . .

The results are in . . . empty plates! We really liked the Southern Hoe Cakes. They were a cross between biscuits and cornbread . . . and they were really good!

Here's Christy's recipe in her own words . . . and probably a lot more pictures!

One Slow Cooker Recipe: 2 Different Meals

Southern Hoe Cake Recipe

My Nused Piano

2010-07-21T14:11:00.000-05:00

Years ago (pre-Matthew) I found a piano in a yard sale. It had been stored in their garage and had some broken keys and one part had wood pieces chipped off. But, it was only $25 and I had wanted a piano all my life!! Can I play? Not realy well. But, I've had several lessons at different times in my life. In fact, I had started again when we found out we were pregnant with Matthew. I loved this piano!

[Here she is sitting in our garage -- waiting for a new home. I don't have the heart to put her on the curb. Let me know if you know of anyone local who is interested.]

Fast forward . . . Matthew is eight and going in the third grade. We want him to start piano lessons. I've looked long and hard for a free or cheap piano, but it had to be in better condition than the one we had. I tried the paper, craigslist, mcfreecycle, word of mouth, nothing. I was either too late or it was in bad condition.

I went to help a friend last week and she told me she was getting rid of her piano! It wasn't free, but it wasn't in bad condition . . . and it had a piano bench! We had a special chair for the old one.

Here's our nused baby . . . and look who's tickling the ivories!

Oh, yeah . . . here's the movers! Thanks Cliff, Jim, David, Tommy and Matthew!

Food From The Garden

2010-07-19T12:19:00.000-05:00

We've enjoyed onions and are now enjoying cucumbers!

The tomatoes are in the middle of the garden because we left so much space for ground growing items. From the tomatoes to the left . . . it is luscious and green.

The other side of the tomatoes . . . two small pepper plants and nothing else. We got some onions, but the green beans, beets, kohlrabi, lettuce (I got one small one) . . . didn't survive.

We're not sure if it's the rabbits or the rain or the fact that David pulled out my favorite bush next to the garden. Oh yeah, David planted cabbage near the cucumbers, but something is eating them too.

But . . . here is my HAPPINESS!

Yes . . . watermelons!!!

Matthew Made Me Breakfast!

2010-07-17T14:05:00.000-05:00

Matthew wanted to make me breakfast in bed. The problem . . . I wake up HOURS before he does. We talked about it the night before and I told him that I would be up but that I wouldn't eat breakfast. Well . . . he woke up and was all upset because I wasn't in bed. In his mind it was okay to wake up earlier, but I couldn't get out of bed. I had dashed his dreams.

A couple of days later he decided to make me breakfast . . . and it was okay that I wasn't in bed.

Rootbeer float with Oreo cookies! Dang . . . he can cook breakfast for me anytime!!

Temporary Blindness

2010-07-15T12:10:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was the first day that I entered the “pool area” of SF’s Park. Not just this season . . . but years. I’ve eaten at the grill, I’ve fed the ducks (or whatever they are) but never, never gone near the water in the pools. The reason for this . . . I am fat and very white. Not white like . . . you’re black and I’m white . . . but a “no sign of tan” white or a blinding white. Being in a bathing suit traumatizes ME . . . why would I want to hurt innocent bystanders. I found a swimsuit at Kmart before we went on our mini-vacation . . . we were going to a water park . . . I had too! But . . . the water park . . . you NEVER see those people again!!!

Back to my story . . . I picked up Matthew from Day Camp early and we went to the pool. (David would be joining us after work.) I took a deep breath and just prayed that I wouldn’t trip walking down the steps. With each step I also noticed that not everyone at the pool were in bikinis and had buff bodies. I was beginning to feel okay.

David, Matthew and I had a wonderful time . . . and I really liked the lazy river! We went up to the grill and had dinner and then I decided I would go to the locker room and change. I wish I could fast forward . . . but, the next part seems to go in extremely s-l-o-w motion!

I opened the door and saw two pre-teen girls. They were dressed and seemed to be waiting. The next aisle over . . . the aisle as to where my locker was . . . there it was . . . there she was . . . Grandma . . . n-a-k-e-d Grandma . . . N-A-K-E-D!!! Not beautiful naked, but yucky naked! That’s where the temporary blindness came in. I stood frozen in my tracks and then I heard a young Mom dragging her four year old boy out of the locker room. I looked down at the little boy and his eyes were “fixed” on Grandma’s nakedness. The young Mom was not happy about the whole situation. I quickly faced the locker and tried to remember the combination to the lock . . . it would not open fast enough!!! I grabbed my clothes and headed straight to the bathroom stall.

It was there I overheard Grandma telling the young girls not to leave the locker room. They were totally humiliated and they kept asking to leave the locker room and she kept repeating over and over . . . “Wait until I’m done!”

I’m over the . . . I’m too fat and white for the bathing suit . . . I would just like my vision back . . . without the picture of Grandma.

Legos and ABC's

2010-07-14T10:55:00.000-05:00

Julie/Christy Challenge: Grandma Lucy's Pimento Cheese

2010-07-11T11:33:00.010-05:00

Here's the simple ingredients:

16 ounce block of Velveeta Cheese
2 ounce jar of Pimentos, drained
1/2 cup of Mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip)

Here's the simple instructions:

Grate the Velveeta Cheese, add the Pimentos, mix in the Mayonnaise . . . you're done! You can also add salt and pepper if desired.

My biggest problem . . . grating the Velveeta cheese! I searched the internet and then finally read the comments section under the recipe page on Southern Plate and they suggested "think Playdoh" with your grater.

Here's what it all looks like when it's mixed:

The next morning I had a toasted pimento cheese sandwich . . . YUM!

I am a HUGE Pimento Cheese Sandwich fan! I love the fact that I can make it from scratch now. I'm not a huge Velveeta cheese fan and have not liked many of the things that I've made with it . . . it's too cheesy for me. I kept thinking the sandwich needed some bacon when I was eating it. (That was probably because I had just read Christy's post about her husband throwing out her bacon grease by accident.)

My boys are not pimento cheese fans, but they did taste it just to give me their opinion. They both gave it a "five" on the 1-10 scale . . . which is good for them. I think what I might do is surprise them with a grilled pimento cheese sandwich and see if the scale improves.

I'm also thinking of investing in a Play-doh machine to make it easier to grate the cheese! LOL!

VaCaTiOn: Legoland!

2010-07-08T21:58:00.004-05:00

We drove up to Chicago and spent most of the day in Legoland!

VaCaTiOn: Bear Lodge!

2010-07-08T20:35:00.010-05:00

I surprised the boys and we went to Grizzly Jack's Bear Lodge Resort in Utica, Illinois. We enjoyed their indoor water park and indoor amusement park. I loved the lazy river, the wave pool and the warm spa tub!! The boys tried to get me on the crazy slides . . . but, I wasn't brave enough. My bravery went toward wearing a bathing suit in public -- only because I knew I would never see these people again! We had a great time!

Our Owies Come With Smiling Faces!

2010-07-05T09:02:00.001-05:00

Same picture . . . bigger view:

One of MANY he has earned over the past couple of weeks! What can I say . . . he's all boy!

What's Been Going On . . .

2010-07-03T08:07:00.004-05:00

June just flew by! Here's Matthew hanging out with one of his best buddies and also our neighbor . . . Johnny:

Friends stopped by to visit on their move to Washington from Florida. Cora, Wayne and their daughter Stephanie. Cora and I were roommates in Maryland during our single years:

One of our neighbors has a telescope in his backyard . . . not your cheapo kind, but one that takes pictures, etc. Matthew was so excited that he got to see the rings of Saturn! The boys were invited to the Twin City's Amateur Astronomy public viewing at Funk's Grove and loved it. There was a 15 minute talk about stars and they were then given a sky tour. The organization had set up five different telescopes and the boys were able to see tons of things . . . including craters on the moon, the rings and moons of Saturn and constellations. David and Matthew can't wait for the next viewing in a couple of months.

David took our camera . . . but the pictures didn't turn out so well . . . so we only have pictures of the same telescope.

Or, you can try the old fashion way of looking at the sky:

Japanese Star Wars!

2010-06-24T10:45:00.000-05:00

I was checking out a Japanese Store online looking for some chopsticks for Matthew. He LOVES eating with chopsticks. Here are a few of the Star Wars Lightsaber versions:

This is a R2D2 bottle that holds soy sauce. There is also a R2D2 shampoo bottle, gum holder, USB port and more:

A Darth Vader USB port. Darth Vader also comes in tons of other stuff too.

Julie/Christy Challenge: Fork In The Road

2010-06-21T21:10:00.008-05:00

I took on a challenge in January of this year to make one recipe a week from Christy's "Top 20 Most Viewed Recipes" on her site for 2009. It has been a lot of fun and my boys are enjoying being guinea pigs, but they keep rating every thing I make . . . even if it's not from Christy! "Mom, I rate that a seven." My biggest challenge . . . Christy keeps adding new recipes to her site or bringing up some old ones and it distracts me from my mission, as I want to make those too!

Then, I was blessed with a bronchitis/asthma episode and it knocked my on my butt for almost six weeks!

Well . . . I'm back!

This weekend I didn't make anything from the challenge because I was getting back into the swing of things. But, I did make two of her recipes that are now a family favorite in our home too! Have you tried making the Shortcut Tater Salad using frozen Southern Style hash browns? I think I did a little happy dance in the frozen food section of Walmart when I found the "Southern Style" ones . . . hey, I'm in central Illinois! I will never wash, peel, cut and cook potatoes again -- for any recipe! This was too easy! I had three problems with this recipe . . . I put the frozen hash browns on medium instead of medium/high and they got a little mushy because I cooked them forever waiting for them to boil. The other thing . . . I would wait until the potatoes weren't so hot . . . let them cool a litte before starting to add the ingredients. Finally, I put in too much bacon (how can you add too much bacon?) because I love bacon. Try this recipe . . . I dare you!

The other thing I made . . . her Mom's Macaroni Salad. I've had so many nasty Macaroni Salads since leaving the South and I wouldn't dare make one from scratch. Again, this was EASY! I've got to make more because we ate it too fast!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T07:00:00.005-05:00

It all started here . . .

Venturing Out Into The World . . . and Back to Cooking!

2010-06-19T19:19:00.000-05:00

Feeling better, I decided to get back to life and do things I haven't done in awhile. Thursday night was our Relief Society Meeting and I so wanted to go. The last time I was at church was when they announced the Ward/Branch boundary changes . . . am I sounding like a broken record? Anyway, it was great to be out with the women. We learned about bread making and got some tasty treats! I had that annoying cough and at one point I went to stand up at the end of the room. I did pretty good, but got tired after an hour.

On Friday, I went to Target . . . just because I missed it. I walked around, but didn't buy anything. I then headed over to Bed, Bath and Beyond and bought a rolling pin that I had seen at one of the bread demonstrations. Maybe it will inspire me to try baking again.

Then, hesitantly, I headed to do some major shopping at Walmart. I was tired, but thought I would just plow through. I was there for over two and a half hours! Not because I was buying a lot of stuff, but because I was tired and had to stop and rest. At one point I thought I was going to call David and have him come and pick me up. I rested and then thought of Jillian Michaels and "pushed myself through it"!

I had David unload the car and then I headed for a "long Winter's nap". It was just what I needed.

Today . . . I COOKED!! It was awesome! I'll share some thoughts are recipes later, but it was just so exciting to want and to be able to cook. It was also fun trying to explain to Matthew what "cooking from scratch" meant too!

I did corn on the cob, cooked a pound of bacon -- some to add into other recipes, made Skillet Mac and Cheese, Potato Salad, Macaroni Salad, Egg Salad for sandwiches, cooked some smoked sausage and ended it all with Fluffernutter cookies!

It's been a good week!

According to the Cat . . . I'm Dying!

2010-06-18T21:02:00.003-05:00

I read an article a couple of months ago . . . heck, it could have been a year ago . . . about a cat in a nursing home. This cat apparently hung out with people who were getting ready to cross over to the other side.

Oscar the cat

The nursing home adopted Oscar, a medium-haired cat with a gray-and-brown back and white belly, in 2005 because its staff thinks pets make the Steere House a home. They play with visiting children and prove a welcome distraction for patients and doctors alike.

After a year, the staff noticed that Oscar would spend his days pacing from room to room. He sniffed and looked at the patients but rarely spent much time with anyone - except when they had just hours to live.

According to Dr. David Dosa, 37, a geriatrician and professor at Brown University, works on the third floor of the Steere House, which treats patients with severe dementia. It's usually the last stop for people so ill they cannot speak, recognize their spouses and spend their days lost in fragments of memory.

He once feared that families would be horrified by the furry grim reaper, especially after Dosa made Oscar famous in a 2007 essay in the New England Journal of Medicine. Instead, he says many caregivers consider Oscar a comforting presence, and some have praised him in newspaper death notices and eulogies.

He's accurate enough that the staff - including Dosa - know it's time to call family members when Oscar stretches beside their patients, who are generally too ill to notice his presence. If kept outside the room of a dying patient, he'll scratch at doors and walls, trying to get in.Nurses once placed Oscar in the bed of a patient they thought gravely ill. Oscar wouldn't stay put, and the staff thought his streak was broken. Turns out, the medical professionals were wrong, and the patient rallied for two days. But in the final hours, Oscar held his bedside vigil without prompting.

Dosa does not explain Oscar scientifically in his book, although he theorizes the cat imitates the nurses who raised him or smells odors given off by dying cells, perhaps like some dogs who scientists say can detect cancer using their sense of scent.

Our cat, Zack, has been hanging out with me almost 24/7 since I have been sick. Is it love . . . or should I be concerned?!

Cub Scout Day Camp

2010-06-18T19:46:00.003-05:00

This is Matthew's first year as a Cub Scout and he really is enjoying it! This is also his first year at Cub Scout Day Camp and he has had a blast! He got to do tons of things including shooting a BB gun, archery, crafts, swimming, shooting rockets, sponge wars, playing, etc. It rained the first two days, but that just added to the fun and excitement. David was able to join him on the last day and he had a great time too.

OK . . . Don't Freak . . . I'm Back!

2010-06-16T18:16:00.004-05:00

The first week in May . . . I got sick . . . and it didn't want to go away! I went to a Pulmonary Specialist and we both agreed that she wasn't needed. But . . . she gave me a stronger prescription for the Advair that I had been on for several weeks and I am a new woman!! I was taking 100 mg and she knocked me up to 500 mg for a week, then I'll be going to 250 mg for a week. Day and night difference!!!

The boys were gone all day . . . I'll post about that soon . . . and for the first time in my life I didn't want to stay in bed with the laptop!

We are in the process . . . have been since Thanksgiving . . . of painting the upstairs three bedrooms and hall. We finished our bedroom during Christmas time and are now working on Matthew's new room. We use one bedroom as our Office/Library and decided we wanted to swap it with Matthew's bedroom. So the Office/Library stuff has been moved all over the house so that we can clean up the walls, paint and clean the carpet. Last week David "moved" his clothes into Matthew's room. We don't have dressers in our bedrooms . . . our closets have systems. (Sounds fancy, huh?) David's stuff is in the Office/Library closet so that I can get all my stuff in our bedroom closet.

Well David "dumps" his stuff on the floor, under Matthew's bed and who knows where else. Now . . . before David's stuff came in . . . Matthew's room looked like a couple of tornados hit it. Now it looks like a couple of more tornados came back and decided to stay.

This should tell you how much better I am feeling. I worked on that room all day long and it looks b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l! I wish I had taken a "before" picture, because no one will appreciate the "after" picture. I cleaned, organized, donated, packed away, threw away (Shhh . . . don't tell Matthew!) a lot of stuff! It felt so gooooood! The boys got home and I showed them the room and said: "Keep it clean!" I should have added . . . "at least for five minutes!"

Yeah! It feels so gooooooooooooooooood! Tomorrow . . . I'm tackling the toys! Mwaaaaaa!

2010-05-31T06:33:00.000-05:00