Holiday Traditions!!!

So it's finally here, I've been talking about this for a while and I'm glad the time has come because I'm so eager to find out about all your traditions. As I said before, I just want to hear about what you do as a family during the holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas....

Do you and your family have a special tradition every Christmas Morning, or maybe it's a special dinner for Thanksgiving??? Do you all go out on a certain day to get a Christmas Tree??? Is there a special ornament or fun way your family decorates for the holidays??? How about different Heritages, how are the holidays celebrated all over the world???

I'll start with mine.

I'm sure you all know that I'm portuguese and since I can remember we have celebrated and opened Christmas presents on the 24th of December, Christmas Eve.

The whole day is spent in the kitchen, cooking and catching up with family, laughing and just having a great time. At dinner time we always have something like Roast or Bacalhau (Cod Fish) which are pretty traditional meals for a Christmas Dinner.

About an hour after dinner, the table starts being loaded with all sorts of different goodies, consisting of Codfish Cakes, Prawn Cakes, Prawns, Fried Chicken, Pasteis de Nata (cream cakes), Pudim Flan (Caramel Custard), Arroz Doce (Portuguese Rice Pudding), Rabanadas or Fatias Douradas (pretty much like French Toast), Bola de Carne (Meat Pie) and then a bunch of small things like dates, raisins etc.

Everyone sits around the table talking and eating, there's TONS of food, just before midnight we all move into the living room and sit around the tree counting the minutes.

We always open our presents on midnight and it was funny because when I first came to the States I just couldn't understand having to wait until the morning of the 25th LOL

But anyway, after opening presents the table is usually covered with a big tablecloth, anything that has to be refrigerated is put away, but everything else is pretty much left as is. The next day, on Christmas day, the whole family has leftovers, we spend the whole day YET again, just eating and enjoying our new presents.

Since getting married, we keep my tradition but now we leave some presents and the stockings for the Christmas morning.

Every year I also hang up christmas ornaments with the names of all the family members that can't be with us, either because they live far away or they've passed on. It's a great way to make it feel like they're here.

The kids and I also put together a Nativity Scene, they love being able to help me do it and it's also a wonderful way to teach them about the real meaning of Christmas.

And that is pretty much all we do, I just can't wait to start hearing about everyone's traditions, remember you can talk about Thanksgiving or Christmas, and if you don't have any traditions yet I'm sure you'll get great ideas from everyone else :)

Just go ahead and use the banner up top and don't forget to add your name to Mr Linky so others can come see your post.

Have fun :)

Anyone want to send some heat my way???

Don't forget about Holiday Traditions tomorrow, I'll put up mine and then add Mr Linky for you all to share yours....pass the word around if you get a chance too :)


Woke up this morning "freezing cold", just checked the temperature and it's 12 degrees. WHAT?!?!?! That's a bit too cold for my liking, I'm not ready for this, my poor sciatica is having a field day, but you know, who cares???

Lately I've felt like a walking muscle pain, and if it's not that it's a cold or sinus or a headache, I say enough is enough, I've let my guard down the past few weeks and I can see the enemy attacking in full force. So I'm putting my protection back up and grabbing onto the Lord's hand real hard, I know he'll get me through this.

So before I continue, HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone, have a safe and fun day!!!

The kids are ecstatic and already tried their costumes on yesterday, they look soooooo cute. Nicholas is Spiderman and after putting on the costume and the mask he looked at Jasmine and said "I'm spiderman and I'm going to kick someone's butt" LOL OKie dokie!!!
Jasmine is a Glamor Witch and she looks beautiful as always, I LOVE seeing her in big flowing dresses :)

We were sitting at the dinner table last night, eating Pumpkin Soup. YUMMY!!
The kids loved it, but while we were eating, Jasmine was instructing Nicholas on how to eat soup and I just quietly sat in the background listening...it was hilarious, she said, well....this is how it went:

Nicholas - OW it's hot!!!
Jasmine - Nicholas pick up your spoon like this and now get some soup, then blow just like this (she blows on her soup) and then you put it in your mouth and eat it.
Nicholas - (all wobbly trying to hold the spoon and soup without dripping) like this???
Jasmine - Yeah!!! Good boy!!! (here fido here's a treat lol)....now take the napkin and wipe your mouth like this. (she pats the sides of her mouth)
Nicholas - ok Jamine (that's what he calls her)
Jasmine - Good job, you know nicholas that's how rich people wipe their mouths and that's why they have all that money.

LOL HUH?!?!? Ladies and gentlemen, we've been wrong all along, apparently to have a lot of money we just have to wipe our mouths after eating soup. Who knew?!?!?!

Then she sat there and ate and out of the blue:

Jasmine - I'm fancy!!!

LOL I swear my kids crack me up. She's fancy she says, sitting there eating her soup wearing only a tshirt and underwear. That's fancy alright...I just have to look at her and smile, silly girl.

So last week at Jasmine's School Book Fair, I picked up 3 cookbooks for myself. You know me, I love cooking and I have an obsession with Cookbooks. I got Fix it and Enjoy it, Rival Crock Pot Slow Cooker Recipes and Silly Snacks.
I've just finished my menu plan for this week and I'll be trying a few new recipes, can't wait.

Here in a few minutes I have to get Jasmine ready for school, so since I'm feeling a little better and I've missed visiting you all, I'll be heading your way for a quick visit, hope you have some hot coffee ready, these 12 degrees are cutting right through my bones LOL

Susanne had asked me for my recipe for roasting pumpkin seeds, so here it is. You can also add garlic powder, chili flakes or seasoning salt...whatever you want.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds
2 tsp. melted butter or oil (olive oil or vegetable oil work well)
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 300° F.

While it's O.K. to leave some strings and pulp on your seeds (it adds flavor), clean off any major chunks. Toss pumpkin seeds in a bowl with the melted butter or oil and seasonings of your choice. Spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.

Alright, well I'm off to brave the cold, see you all tomorrow, if I'm not a frozen popsicle.



Last night I made Pumpkin Soup with all the pumpkin I've cooked up, it was so good and so filling, the kids loved it.

Tonight's dinner is Bacon and Tomato Spaghetti, just a quick meal that I came up with one day when I had pretty much nothing left in the refrigerator and pantry. It's really good and quick to fix.




Rachael Ray

Advice on childhood behavior; Halloween costumes; harvest recipes.

General Hospital

Ric sets his evil plan in motion.

Most Haunted Live

A webcam streams images of the scariest Edinburgh, Scotland, locations as viewers e-mail the studio with sightings, and the team may visit or revisit a room if strange occurrences are taking place.

House

A young interracial couple (Jurnee Smollett, Raviv Ullman) suffer acute abdominal pain shortly after he saves her from being raped during a holdup attempt at a diner. Then she goes into a coma.

Put away laundry
Jasmine's Class Party
Trick or Treating

Around the House.....

We had a cozy and comfortable weekend, not many like that at times due to the crazy hectic life surrounding us everyday.

I shared the pictures of our trip to the pumpkin patch, which turned out to be such a great day for all, hayrides and picking the perfect pumpkins, culmunating in us sitting around the kitchen table, eating snacks, laughing and carving pumpkins. It was great, just the kind of weekend I enjoy.

I've never been one to go out and visit people....I remember so many of my friends growing up, their families were always out on the weekends, on saturday they were at so and so's house and then sunday it was someone else....they liked the social life. Me??? I'm a home body, I just want to be left in my house, alone with my family, cooking or watching a movie, or curling up on the couch with a blanket and cup of coffee or tea while flipping the pages of a favorite magazine, or drifting away totally immersed in a great book.

So with all the pumpkins around this house....I spent yesterday in the kitchen, no place I would rather be quite frankly. I separated pumpkin meat from seeds, not once, but a couple of times, seems it takes quite a few steps in this lengthy process between pumpkin strings and beautiful seeds waiting to be roasted. Yes, I did roast pumpkin seeds, to which my family surrounded me with hugs and kisses and I think I heard a few "OH THIS IS THE BEST SNACK EVER". :)

I'm having a bit of a problem with blogger today, it's not letting me post pictures, which is frustrating, honestly I thought that we were over the blogger problems, but I guess not. So I'm having to do it manually, using HTML code...at least I know my way around it right??

I've been really slow today, over the past weekend I've managed to hurt some muscle in my body, started with saturday on our drive back from the pumpkin patch, you parents out there know what it's like right??? One kid wants something, or tries to hand you something, or asks you to open a toy or whatever...I don't even remember what it was, all I know is that I quickly turned back to Nicholas and pulled a neck muscle. GREAT, now I'm doing the weird full upper body turn to look to my left or right.

Then yesterday while trying to lift Nicholas up, I somehow pulled a muscle on my left, right under my rib cage. It HURTS, let me tell you. When it happened I actually had that sickening pain where you want to throw up??? And then you try to breathe and it hurts like heck???
So this morning I'm walking around all discombobulated, and it's painful sitting down for any amount of time because my ribs seem to press on the muscle that is pulled.

For THAT reason I'm cutting this post short, I've put it off all morning, but wanted to come and say hi and let you all know that I'm here, just not able to post much or visit you until later.

I'm going to take some pain medicine and lay down for a little before going to pick up Jasmine, have a wonderful afternoon everyone...Oh and I'll be posting the Ravioli Lasagna recipe this afternoon, so be on the look out for that :)

God Bless,

Welcome to Pumpkin Land!!!

Let me tell you right now, if you don't like pumpkins, I suggest you move along because I'm surrounded by them, literally.

Yesterday we finally made it to the Pumpkin Patch, remember we had wanted to a while ago but they were closed and then hubby was gone for a while, so we figured we better get on out there with Halloween being only 2 days away.

We had a GREAT time, we spent the day going on hayrides, finding our way through the corn maze and searching for the perfect pumpkins. By the time we got into the truck and headed home we were exhausted but happy.

So come on in and sit with me, I have some Pumpkin Pie Spice Coffee. Remember the other day I tried cinnamon and then yesterday some chocolate??? Well I just tried putting about 2 teaspoons of Pumpkin Pie Spice and OH.MY.GOODNESS, it's wonderful, it's like drinking pumpkin pie.....well put that way it sounds kinda gross, but trust me it's really good.

Go ahead and take a seat on one of the bales of hay, I thought it would be a perfect setting for all the pictures I want to show you.


So the first thing we did was go on the hayride, the kids were so excited to go and had a great time, you can see by their expressions.

See those pumpkins??? Those were just the big ones we got, at this point we hadn't made it to the small ones or the squash.

After we left the hayride we got the pumpkins paid for and loaded in the truck, but then it was time to go to the Corn Maze. We had a lot of fun, we were supposed to find 4 checkpoints, but we only found 1 LOL
We did see the other one right across from the corn, but we couldn't go through it, how unfair is that? LOL

Here are the pictures from the corn maze.

Nicholas did NOT enjoy the maze at all, he kept saying "this is not fun for me, I want to go home, we have to find our way out, I want to go home and play with my toys" LOL
It was hilarious seeing the faces he was pulling!!!

After the maze which took FOREVER, we found the way out and the kids insisted on the Cow Train Ride, of course since parents were going on it too, I had to go.....Curt declined the offer LOL He stood out and took pictures.....and we're off:

While we were waiting for Curt to get the tickets to that awesome ride up there (I felt like an overgrown kid on the wrong ride LOL), the kids went on the little straw maze and of course when I tell them to pose for a picture, I get a tongue sticking out....typical LOL

Here's some pictures of the pumpkins, aren't they just the prettiest things???

And that was the end of our day at the pumpkin patch, but of course we couldn't just walk past "these two" things....we would have been in major trouble :)

And with one last look at the beautiful pumpkins we were on our way home.

When we arrived I decided to grab a quick picture before the carving began, we were all antsy to get in there and get cutting into them...

We got all of those pumpkins for about $25, now tell me that is not a steal???

So we set to work, and this is the final result, I took a picture of them all together and then each individual one. Now if I just remember to post them at Theresa's Blog-O-Lantern Contest.

And with that my friends, I'm done....I think I've kept you here long enough and I'm sure by now your coffees are all cold, mine is. Hope you enjoyed the pictures....I'm off to start dinner and no I didn't forget about the Ravioli Lasagna Recipe, I'll be posting it on my food blog soon.

Have a great sunday, and I hope you remembered to turn back your clocks, hubby and I forgot this morning and when we went by Burger King we were very annoyed that they were almost an hour past time to open, little did we know that WE were the ones in the wrong LOL

See you all tomorrow, I'll be posting some pics of our front yard decorated for Halloween.

Five Senses Saturday!!!

Well this morning instead of the cinnamon in my coffee, which I just LOVED, I decided to change it to a teaspoon of chocolate powder. Oh goodness, it's sooo yummy, and you know what I'm thinking for tomorrow morning??? Some Pumpkin Pie Spice, that should be interesting, either really good, or puke inducing....hopefully the first one LOL

I don't have much time to write a lengthy post, we're heading to the Pumpkin Patch here soon and I have two kids to get ready, well and me and hubby too, but the kids is the hardest thing....ever try to get out of the house in a hurry??? I had Jasmine complaining that she couldn't find her shoes this morning, and then she proceeded to throw a tantrum while stairing at the ceiling, because you know, that would be the obvious place for the shoes to be???? I'm just saying!!!!

Anyway, I wanted to leave you with my Five Senses Saturday, it's a nice way to end off the week and kinda go back and remember everything I did the past few days, if anyone wants to play along, just let me know in my comments so I can come see yours when I return from the pumpkin patch. Have a beautiful day :)


::Hear::



- the quiet crunch of fallen leaves being walked on
- the hum of the dryer drying the freshly washed clothes
- rain hitting the windows at night
- the sound of my kids laughing together
- the tv in the background while I read my book


::See::



- pinecones everywhere in my yard
- the beautiful fall sunrises
- my favorite shows on tv
- the look of joy on Jasmine's face after moving up a level in AR Reading
- my husband walking towards us at the end of two weeks TDY


::touch::



- the feel of the wool as I knit Jasmine's scarf
- paper cut on the book I am reading
- arms of my husband around me
- the cold air in the morning, cutting through the warmth around me
- the heat of my coffee mug around my fingers


::taste::



- Ravioli Lasagna hot out of the oven
- Cinnamon Coffee
- The first slice of bread from the freshly hot homemade loaf
- The gooey first bite of a snickers bar
- grilled cheese sandwiches made with really good cheese and homemade bread


::smell::




- the rain outside
- the pine smell filling my backyard
- chicken and sausage gumbo cooking away in my crockpot
- coffee brewing before I get out of bed
- climbing into bed with clean fresh linens

Cinnamon Coffee Anyone?!?!?!

There's nothing more inspiring than waking up to a beautiful sunrise. Something about the dawning of a new day, the expectations and the eagerness to get out there.

It always reminds me of the beauty surrounding us, that same beauty which we so often taken for granted and don't even bother to look at. I for one enjoy every single pinecone, brown leaf and beautiful sunrise that comes my way.

So this morning as I went to make my coffee, I decided to sprinkle in some cinnamon with the coffee granules.....let me tell you, it's pretty good. It gives it that zing that makes you go "oooohh, that is good". It's not overpowering, just good coffee with a hint of cinnamon. Hubby loved it!!! Go ahead and give it a try sometime, you'd be surprised how good it is.

I've been enjoying these cooler temperatures, though I must say that it's like being in the winter season already, I don't think we've gotten above 40 degrees the past week and going outside in the morning is sure to feel like a good ol' slap in the face. Boy is it cold, cuts right through you too.

I think winter is upon us faster than we know, I for one welcome it, it means Thanksgiving and Christmas, family get togethers and glorious food. I've been eagerly anticipating Thanksgiving, that turkey is calling my name.

But with all the holidays around the corner, it means that I also need to get my lists started and you know I'm a little weird when it comes to that. I mean, I LOVE making lists, I find it entertaining and powerful in a way, I can control everything around me for that moment that I'm writing it down....but I tend to feel overwhelmed at the same time, if that is even possible, though in my universe ANYTHING.IS.POSSIBLE!!!

So I think I just figured out, well maybe not JUST figured out, but I think it finally hit me that being a mommy is a great thing, but it's also one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. There's good days and then there's crazy, hectic, banshee like days. My kids have this sibling rivalry thing nailed down, really if there was a test on it I'm sure they would pass with flying colors. Just this morning they had it out because apparently Nicholas was copying Jasmine....something about eating the same cereal on a bowl that looked the same as hers and *GASP* he was using a spoon like her......how DARE HE?!?!?!?

Then to end off these crazy days (yes I say days because it's not just a one time thing), there's always the great BATH TIME ADVENTURE.

What is it with kids and bath??? I might as well just get in with them because by the time they're done, I'm looking like a drowned rat, there's water everywhere including the ceiling, which they so proudly point out to me....and then we start the bathroom shuffle...

I have to time it just right, because God Forbid I take one out when the other one is noticing, there's the whole "Me first" and "that's MY towel" and "don't stand next to me" thing. So I calmly get one distracted with bubbles or spraying water or something (at this point who cares if there's more mess right?) and quickly grab one out, and send them on their way to their room.

Oh did I ever tell you about meal times and seating arrangements....because for some reason all of a sudden, NO ONE wants to sit next to anyone. Sometimes I just stare at my kids and wonder if they'll turn out like the guy in Office Space, the grumpy one that sits all alone and constantly complains about someone taking his stapler??
Yeah not exactly what I have in mind for my kiddos, but they're young and I'm sure I can change that.

Nicholas being his chirpy boyish 3 years old, I don't know I say boys are harder to raise than girls, but what do I know right??? Anyway, he's latest favorite thing is back talking when he's in trouble, and not just doing that but asserting his independence while doing it. It goes something like this.

Me - Nicholas I said do NOT climb on the counters

Nicholas - I said YES!!!

Get it??? HE SAID YES, so I'm to shut it and jump to attention. Tell me all you moms of grown boys, does this last for a long time??? Is there a support group for moms of boys, maybe the MOB Support Group (Mom's Of Boys)???

Anyway, it's friday and I'm thrilled, because tomorrow we're heading to the Pumpkin Patch...there's a hayride and a corn maze and who can forget the 50-100 lb pumpkins for $4. So I guess we're getting a few, and then we're coming back home to carve them, can't forget to enter them in the Blog-O-Lantern Contest hosted by Theresa. It started today, and you really NEED to go see hers, it's brilliant.

So with that said, I'm going to take my cup of coffee and refill it, this one is cold and yucky, then I'm heading over to your house for a visit. Oh don't freak out, as long as you have coffee for me I'm happy, I'm easily amused LOL

Have a wonderful friday everyone :)


Last night I fixed Crockpot Stuffed Peppers, they came out SO good. I actually changed the recipe a bit by substituting the ground beef for maple syrup sausage...OH.MY.GOODNESS...it was heavenly.

Tonight for dinner, I'm fixing Ravioli Lasagna, I'll have the recipe up at the food blog later.




Rachael Ray

Recycling household items; do-it-yourself fixes; getting a woman who doesn't like fish to give it a try.

General Hospital

Luke realizes that Laura has no memory of events leading to her breakdown;
Lainey warns Luke not to force Laura's memory;
Laura is confused by how much Lulu has grown;
Sonny, Jason and Sam keep Ric from taking Molly;
Sam vows to make Ric pay;

1 vs 100

One contestant competes for cash against a group of 100 people by answering trivia questions in this game show.

Trading Spouses: Meet your new mom

Part 1 of 2. Moms from Colorado and Massachusetts switch places.

Most Haunted

Mains Hall is visited in Blackpool, UK, for a paranormal investigation.

Ironing
Put away laundry
Clean living room
Clean downstairs bathroom
Sweep and Mop
Vacuum
Bake Bread

SLOW COOKING THURSDAY!!!

With fall just around the corner and so many wonderful recipes being shared, constantly, amongst the blogging ladies....I thought that it would be neat to have a feature every thursday, just for crockpot recipes.

What do you think??? Do You have some great recipes to share, or perhaps you're looking for some delicious ones to give you a reason to pull out the ol' crockpot???

Well it's thursday ladies and you know what that means. Time to pull out those crockpots and put them to good use. If you want to join in, just grab the banner and add your name to Mr Linky :)

BEEF AND CHIPOTLE BURRITOS

1 1/2 pounds boneless beef round steak, cut 3/4 inch thick
1 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/3 cup chopped onion (1 small)
1 to 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
6 9 to 10 inch flour tortillas, warmed
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Salsa
Sour cream (optional)

Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into 6 pieces. In a 3/12 or 4 quart crockery cooker place meat, undrained tomatoes, onion, chipotle peppers, oregano, cumin and garlic.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours. Remove meat from cooker. Using 2 forks, pull meat apart into shreds. Place meat in a large bowl. Stir in cooking liquide to reach desired consistency. Divide meat among warm tortillas, spooning it just below the center.

Top with cheese, Salsa and if desired, sour cream. Roll up tortillas.

It's windy, windy, windy here......

It started last night at around 10 pm and at first I thought it was a thunderstorm, the tree branches were smacking up against the windows and you could hear the wind outside....there's something powerful and scary about strong wind isn't there???

I thought it would let up during the night, but it didn't, this morning it's still very windy, makes me want to crawl back into bed with the kids, wrap them up tight and just go to sleep for the rest of the day, but THAT is in my rose colored dreams, reality is a totally different thing.

So we had the pumpkin decorating night yesterday, I'm so glad the school does this every year, it's just so much fun. They go out to a pumpkin patch and buy dozens of pumpkins, and they also supply decorations and paints and even have a bake sale during the night. It's great seeing parents with their children, just relaxing and laughing and having a good time.

I have pictures to share of the pumpkins we decorated, except for Jasmine's because she entered it for the contest. So here they are, Curt and nicholas both made puppies, a daddy and a baby puppy, they're so cute, though we both agreed that they turned out looking more like little mice but I think that makes them even cuter, what do you think....puppy or mouse???

They even have little legs, I tried to take a photo from the side so you could see better.

And here is mine, I'm not very creative LOL I figured I would go with something simple and quick to make, so I present to you "MRS CLOWN" LOL

And here they are all together

This weekend we're doing the actual pumpkin carving with the pumpkins we get at the Pumpkin Patch. Wow that's a lot of pumpkins in one sentence.

I just can't believe Halloween is less than a week away, time just flies by. For the past two years Curt has missed Trick or Treating, he was either deployed or working 12 hour shifts, but this year he managed to get the day off so that he could be there with the kids. They miss him and he misses taking them, I am not sure who has more fun, daddy or the kids. :)

So with Christmas quickly approaching, I've decided that I need to start on the homemade gifts and decorations. It will be the first year that I'm making Stockings for us, and I also want to make all the tree decorations. Up until now we've been using the fake christmas trees and while that's all time saving etc, it's become too much of a hassle trying to get it back up, fluffing the branches to make them look normal and realizing that half the fake needles are missing. We've decided that it's ONLY real trees from now on....besides who can resist the pine scent????

I'm excited to get started, and I can't wait to get Barb's patterns and directions. Go and read her Homemade with Love post, this lady ROCKS!!! And if you're looking for some great ornaments she even offered to send them out to those that email her, so go on over and see what she's been up to.

I wish I could write more but my wrist is just not cooperating, I know I need to go back in to see the doctor and then have surgery, but I've honestly been putting it off. It's not that the surgery is anything major, it's the recovery time that is the worst. I will need a cast for two weeks and can't do anything with that wrist and then get a different bracer for another few weeks....having little ones makes it hard for me and of course with no family nearby to help, so yes, I'm putting it off as long as I can, but it's getting to the point where I need to get it done soon. *sigh* decisions, decisions.

Well I'm out of here....I have to run to the post office and the Airman's Attic. Have a great day!!!

For dinner we're having Chicken and Sausage Gumbo!!! If you like spicy food then this one is a MUST TRY, boy it's hot. I will have the recipe for it and for the Fettucine ala Carbonara posted later this afternoon :)

Rachael Ray - *New*- The CW- 12pm

Bones' star David Boreanaz and Rachael play a little game of air hockey -- or, as Rachael likes to call it, "air your dirty laundry hockey!" Then, a neat way to clean your microwave, and a progressive dinner party for four women with dinner dilemmas!

General Hospital - *New* -ABC- 1:00 pm

Sam accuses Alexis of trying to punish her;
Carly tells Jason he is not the father of Elizabeth's baby;
Maxie pressures Lucky;
Sam finds Elizabeth with Jason;
Luke approves the treatment for Laura;
Skye allows Alcazar to visit her and the baby;

Laundry
Post Office
Airman's Attic

Pumpkin Decorating Day!!!

Tonight the PTP is having the annual Art Night "Pumpkin Decorating" get together. It's always a lot of fun to go in with the kids, have some snacks and let our creativity run wild.

The school provides all the pumpkins and decorations, there's NO carving allowed though, so it always thrills me to see what the kids come up with.
They also have a contest afterwards for the best pumpkin!!!

Now me, I'm a pretty creative gal I think, I mean at least when it comes to graphic design and computers etc....but for some reason I have a hard time getting the creative juices flowing to create some great masterpiece.
Hubby on the other hand is a genius....last year he took a small pumpkin and using black pipe cleaners, he created a spider pumpkin. It was THE cutest thing, but he didn't enter it for the contest, he brought it home, it was too cute to leave there and he was mighty proud of his creation. ;)

This year the school encourages everyone to bring in their own decorations too, so this should be fun. I'll post the pictures tomorrow :)

So what do you think of my latest template??? I love PINK, it's my favorite color and I was thinking that being it Breast Cancer Awareness Month too, it was the perfect time to go girly on you all. I'm pleased with the results, and yes I know that October is almost over, but I'm enjoying this relaxing and calming layout....it does wonders for my stressed mind.

It's not that I'm stressed, per say, but you know with kids there never is a day of completely peace and quiet, especially when they start bickering over everything, from who's turn is it to watch TV down to who touched who's toy. It's an all consuming constant sibling rivalry that will end one day...I hope....

While running errands with hubby yesterday we stopped by Arby's for some roast beef sandwiches. I didn't know at the time that the Large really did mean LARGE, I mean this sandwich was huge, so by dinner time we weren't too hungry, but of course the kids were, so I made Chicken and Dumplings.....goodness gravy, they were SO good. Let me just say that the minute the wonderful aroma started permeating the air, I grew hungrier and hungrier by the minute....literally starving by the time I sat down at the dinner table. Nothing like a good big bowl of Chicken and Dumplings to warm the body AND soul.

The wonderful Dee over at "All the While" tagged me for this fun meme. It's the Refrigerator Tag, and we're supposed to take a picture of the front of the refrigerator, in all it's glory, boy am I glad I just cleaned it all out the other night, or you would see tons of unnecessary decorations. Did I mention that my kids love using the door as their personal Gallery???

So the top half holds:

Jasmine's School Lunch Menus
Jasmine's School Calendar
Important upcoming events or notes to be signed
Extra Magnets

The bottom half holds:

Family and friend pictures
Kids never ending art gallery (I have to go through it every few days and rotate with the new one they just made that day)

So there you have it, behind those brilliantly decorated doors, lay the ingredients for all my yummy meals, some secret ingredients too....not really, but it's nice to wonder isn't it? LOL

I want to tag Judi, Sharon Kay, Mrs Blythe, Brony and Morning Glory. Now please don't run away just cause you're tagged, I really really want to see those refrigerator doors LOL

I'm having one of those days where I just want to lay in bed and do nothing. Of course that's impossible when you're a mom of two little ones, but it's nice to dream right??? I tend to go through phases where I run at turbo speed, constantly on the go and do expect too much of myself. It's like I feel that if I'm not doing something productive, I'm being lazy and far be it from me to lay around and actually live up to it.

But I think today has to do with the fact that Nicholas is extremely whiny and clingy, he has been sniffling around and sneezing, so I know what's coming, and if I didn't, his chirpy sullen attitude sure lets it on. It's time to pull all the stops, it's funny that I do that with my kids but not myself. The minute I see them feeling sick I tend to nip the cold in the bud, but for me it seems to just go on and on, as I'm sure you've realized I'm not exactly the best nurse for myself....something I need to work on.

What's majorly contributing to my "not so happy" mood is my wrist. If you've been reading my blog for a while, I'm sure you remember the day that I shared a picture of my wrist....it's not for the weak of stomach (no really it's not that bad), but I do have two huge cysts that for the most part don't bother me, unless it's really cold or I move my hand a certain way, how dare I move my hand at all, they seem to say. But yeah, if you look at this post you will see what I mean.
So this morning it's really hurting, and it's bad enough that I don't have much strength left in that wrist, but when it starts acting up it's even worse....so I'm wearing my trusty wrist brace and I'm trying to "own it", you know, make it look all that and all....don't think it's working though.

Well anyway, now that I'm done whining about "poor ol' me", it's time to head out, I have some errands to run with hubby again, mostly we're going to go pick up some pumpkins to carve, seeing that he has the day off. :)

You all have a great day, you know one of these days we should pick a time and all meet on the computer, in some chat room or something, with a cup of coffee and some cookies, and just have a great time :)

See ya tomorrow, God Bless,

For dinner we're having Fettucine Ala Carbonara!!!

Rachael Ray - *New*- The CW- 12pm

Closet Intervention
Rachael and Gretta show you the rules for what to keep vs. toss, and how to update any wardrobe! Plus, one woman confronts her darkest fears, and a mom who serves one meal all week long learns how to add variety while still keeping it simple.

General Hospital - *New* -ABC- 1:00 pm

Ric threatens to take Molly away from Alexis;
Helena warns Emily that Colleen is a danger to Nikolas;
Skye begins to soften towards Alcazar;
Sonny watches as Elizabeth reads the test results;
Elizabeth visits Lucky;
Maxie manipulates Lucky;

Errands
Post Office
Commissary for Pumpkins
Bx for Pumpkin decorations

Monday Monday....

I'm so glad it's Monday, I know I know, the weekend could have been longer, but being that it's monday already, it just means my hubby is home. I even welcome his snoring, it makes me happy just to hear him, would you believe me if I told you I actually MISSED the nightly serenade???

He just laughs at me because usually I complain and wake him up, oh, a hundred times a night just to tell him to lay on his side. But it's those little things that you miss when they're gone.

Anyway, I got up this morning and as I put the dogs outside to go potty, I saw this lonesome pinecone sitting there on my bench. I had to snap a picture. I don't know what it is about it that I love, maybe the thought that pinecones mean christmas trees, hence the realization that's it a mere 8 weeks away??? I love the smell of pine trees and when the pinecones start falling, I start collecting them for numerous projects around the house.

I know we're supposed to be in Fall Season, but it's been more like Winter here, there is frost on the grass, ice on the windshields and that wonderful crisp chilly air in the morning. It's only 36 degrees right now, and to say that I was freezing this morning when I took Jasmine to school, would be an understatement. We've quickly moved from a light jacket to sweaters, coats, gloves and hats. It's THAT cold!!! Brrrrr indeed!!!

I have a couple of errands to run this morning with hubby. He has tomorrow off but it's stuff that needs to get done today. Usually when they come back from a Deployment or TDY they have a week off to be with the family, not only does he not get that this time, but he's been put on Swing Shift. You all know how much we ALL love it....it's the shift where he goes in at 3pm and doesn't get home until 11:30 pm. He doesn't see the kids, especially Jasmine, so they're bummed about that, but as my sweet daughter reminded us "It's ok, I would rather have daddy home and working these hours, than having him gone, it's nice knowing that he is here with me". How sweet is that???

Nothing a like a child to bring things into perspective, I tell you, if we would allow ourselves to see things as kids do, at times, things would be so much easier and pleasant to deal with.

Last night, hubby insisted on me going upstairs and having 2 hours to myself, to read or watch tv or do whatever I wanted to. He spent time with the kids, which he dearly missed while gone, and I got to watch my movie "The Lake House"....what a sweet movie, it had me smiling the whole time, though I did get a little confused in some parts, then again, doesn't take much to confuse me these days ;)

Let's see, what else is going on over here in cold and dreary Idaho.....Oh tomorrow Jasmine's school is having a PTP Art Night for the family. We get to go in and decorate a pumpkin, something we always have a lot of fun doing. :)
We're also going to get some pumpkins to carve this week, and then enter them in Theresa's Blog-O-Lantern contest. Don't forget to get your pumpkins carved and pictures taken, we all want to see what you come up with.

I updated my Weekly Menu on my sidebar there on the right, and the meals that have recipes posted already...there's a link to them to make it easier for you all to check them out.
My menu for this week is also posted at Full Bellies, and speaking of menus, don't forget it's monday so Laura is hosting her weekly "Menu Plan Monday".

I want to ask you all for a prayer for my MIL. She has been going through the chemotherapy and we've seeing how amazing the Lord has been in shrinking her tumor by 50%. Unfortunately she's now starting to have a hard time with the chemotherapy and I don't want to go into details, but if you could please say a little prayer that she is able to get through the treatments without too much discomfort....I would appreciate it. She is very thankful to all of you who have kept her in her prayers and she appreciates all the well wishes :)

I need to get going so I'm leaving you with my usual daily happenings. Have a wonderful Monday and I'll be here tomorrow bright and early.

God Bless,

Tonight we're having Beef and Onions with Rice. I made Apple Cider Chicken last night, and though it was quite tasty, I think next time I am going to cut back on the Apple Cider Vinegar, it had a bit too much for my taste, but it's really good otherwise :)

Rachael Ray - *New*- The CW- 12pm

Joan Cusack.

General Hospital - *New* -ABC- 1:00 pm

Elizabeth rushes to retrieve the paternity test results;
Ric is stunned when Alexis sides with Sonny;
Luke is forced to untie Alcazar;
Helena threatens to kill Colleen;
Emily tells Nikolas what she learned about Colleen's past;
Patrick faces prejudice;

The Bachelor Rome - *New* - ABC - 8pm

What About Brian - *New* - ABC - 9pm

Errands
Clean bathrooms
Dusting

There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BETTER

than having the love of your life back home with you. It doesn't matter if he's gone a year or months or weeks, just watching him walk toward you is sure to send you to cloud nine. That's how I felt last night as I saw him approaching us with a big smile on his face.....the kids screamed out "DADDY" and took off running towards him, they jumped him before he even put his bags down.

Me being the mommy, I had to wait my turn, which meant being last, and those are the times I wish I was the kid so I could run up and claim first hug LOL
But no matter because the minute he got to me and his arms went around me, all was well with the world, really, is there anything better than being in your husband's arms????

So I'm a happy woman this morning, for the first time in the past two weeks I slept peacefully knowing that he was right there keeping us all safe. I'm in Heaven!!!
My heart goes out though to all the other thousands of wives who are still awaiting the return of their husband from Iraq or wherever their deployments may have taken them, I just hope and pray that very soon they'll be able to wrap their arms around their hubbies :)

Last night we had The Ultimate Meatballs and Spaghetti Supper, it was soooo good, and the kids kept going on and on about how they loved the meatballs. You know I used a mixture of Ground Pork and Beef and it really does taste wonderful.

While we're on the subject of meatballs, you may want to give my Portuguese Meatballs a try, they're different than the usual ones, because they're not cooked in tomato sauce, but I'm sure you'll enjoy them anyway. I use the same recipe to make my homemade Sausage Biscuits...they're delicious.

It feels wonderful to be back in the kitchen, cooking a meal for the family. For dinner tonight I'm making Apple Cider Chicken, and I've posted the recipe as you can see, so go on over and take a look if that sounds yummy to you.

While talking to hubby this morning about what he did in Vegas for fun...he told me about the Las Vegas Renaissance Faire that he and a friend got to go to. I am so jealous, if there is ONE thing that I LOVE is anything medieval, and for the longest time hubby and I have wanted to go to one of these Faires, so I don't blame him for going given the chance. I'm SO thrilled that he got to go and see a Joust and sword fights, everyone dressed in medieval costumes, fairies and elves, Pirate Ships having canon ball fights, and he even got to eat chicken on a stick (which he says was really good) and a HUGE turkey leg. He LOVED it, I don't blame him, though I do feel disappointed and jealous that I wasn't able to join him. LOL
But you know there's always next year :)

Doesn't that look like fun??? Seriously, if you're ever near a Renaissance Faire in your area, be sure to go, it's a great way to spend a family day. My kids are dying to go, and when daddy was telling them about the horses in armor and the battles, they were just thrilled.

I got all my housework done yesterday, so today I'm able to relax and do whatever I want to. Hubby is playing a game on his computer, relaxing while the kids are rediscovering Video Tapes. Do you know that we have tons of them, and for the longest time they seemed to be set aside because, let's face it, with DVD's nowadays, who buys video tapes anymore, certainly not me.
But this morning while hubby was looking through his DVD Movie Collection, the kids all of a sudden realized that there's tapes. So they've been sitting on the couch, with a blanket and a bowl of popcorn, watching Rolie Polie Olie, Dumbo, Charlotte's Web and Fern Gully. It's pure bliss watching them sitting there having a nice relaxing day.

So I plan on spending this afternoon, reading or knitting, or maybe watching a movie. Just being happy and content with my life and my family, seems that the minute Curt came home, my sanity was returned. Nothing like him to ground me and make me feel normal again, I am ONE.LUCKY.LADY!!!

Before I leave, I want to remind you of some great things going on in blog land, beginning tomorrow.

Gibee at Kisses of Sunshine is hosting a Homemade with Love feature.
Write a post about homemade gifts for Christmas and then go on over and add your name to Mr Linky so you can share it with others, I'm sure you'll be getting tons of great ideas from the other participants too :)

Jennifer from Snapshots is hosting a Gift Idea Exchange, go on over and read the rules if you want to participate.

And finally also starting this week, Theresa at Bullfrogs and Butterflies is starting the Blog-O-Lantern contest. She encourages us to carve a pumpkin and then show it off for everyone to see, she's have a post up with Mr Linky so you can add your name and allow others to see your work of art.

I want to send a HUGE hug and kiss to my family in South Africa, I loved talking to them yesterday and I miss them terribly. Love you guys!!!

You all have a wonderful Sunday and I'll see you here tomorrow morning :)

The end in sight!!!

It's been two crazy and hectic weeks, but thank God they flew by at turbo speed. As we speak, hubby is on a bus back home, I'm excited and just can't wait.
So in just a few hours, I'll be able to wrap my arms around him and tell him just how much I love him and missed him.

I have so much to do today, but since it's still early, I get to enjoy my cup of coffee while chatting with you all.

I thought I would start my post a little differently today, by sharing with you what is around me, what my thoughts are after this past week, and what I'm busy with.

On my bedside table:
Simply Love by Mary Balogh
The Bible in 365 days
The Brethren by Beverly Lewis
From our house to yours by Habitat for Humanity

On board from Netflix:
United 93
The Lake House

Latest interests:
Knitting
Creating the perfect home baked bread
Vintage fabrics

On my mind:
Halloween costumes and trick or treating
Things I want to make for Christmas gifts

Learning:
How to crochet
Adobe Photoshop
Best way to use my Bread Maker

Making:
Small purses for gifts
Scarf and Glove set

Looking forward to:
Husband coming home
Trick or Treating with the family
Going to Red Lobster and the Bookstore next week

Enjoying:
Watching the leaves change colors
Seeing Jasmine do so well in school
Watching Nicholas grow up and become independent
Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy

With hubby arriving today (and because he already asked me to), I will actually be cooking....YAY!!! I don't understand how some people don't like cooking, I just love it so much that it's hard to wrap my mind around the concept that some really don't like it. For me it was almost like having withdrawals from an addiction, my fingers have been itching to get back in there, crank up that stove and cook a meal for my family. :)

For those of you that were interested in trying the Tooth Fairy Pillows, the instructions and pattern are really easy to follow, you don't have to be an expert seamstress. Let me know if you try them I would love to see the end results :)

I've been on a journey to make the perfect Cappucino. It's not easy making a good one, I thought that just having a Cappucino maker would be it, but apparently not because I seem to keep messing it up....never fear though I WILL achieve that perfect cup yet.

I'm a perfectionist and so it drives me nuts when I can't get something just right, but it also makes me go out of my way to try and try again until I'm happy with the results.

I remember back home when the whole family would go out to dinner, we always had either Cappucino or Irish Coffee OR Kahlua Don Pedro after the meal. Hayley and I loved the Kahlua Don Pedro, it was one of those girly things that we shared and just giggled over. If you've never tried one, you just have to, they're delicious and so easy to make too.

Here's the recipe:

1 oz whiskey
1 oz Kahlua® coffee liqueur
1 cup vanilla ice cream
cream

Combine all ingredients together in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a hurricane glass, and serve.

It's very refreshing and perfect for get togethers too. Boy do I miss sitting around the table with my family and just chatting while sipping on a delicious Kahlua Don Pedro.

I am keeping this one short, I don't have time for much more today, and I have so much on my mind that I can't concentrate long enough to give you a good post...I could try but it would probably come off as incoherent and confusing, and I like you all too much for that...think of it as me saving your sanity. LOL

Have a great Saturday everyone, I'm off to start my busy day.

As per hubby's request for a homecooked meal when he arrives around dinner time, I'm fixing The Ultimate Spaghetti and Meatballs Supper. It's a recipe that I got from Rachael Ray and it's really really good. Can't wait :)

Putting laundry away
Sweeping and Mopping
Cleaning Living Room
Cleaning Downstairs Bathroom
Dusting
Library to return movies and get books for kids
Baking a Carrot Cake

Alright come on in Ladies and sit with me

You might want to grab a cup of coffee and one of my freshly baked gingersnap cookies, which are fabulous by the way.

Remember how I was telling you yesterday wasn't too cold and there was no ice on my windshield??? Yeah well, that was yesterday, today is a toooootally different story.

So come on inside and sit with me a while, I have pictures to share, some will make you hungry and others will make you want to bring out the sewing machine, I mean, you just HAVE to make these cute tooth fairy pillows for your kids or grand kids, they're so easy and just adorable.

But before I start showing you pictures, I want to say "HI HONEY, I MISS YOU!!! See hubby reads the blog everyday and he's going to be home tomorrow, a day earlier....YIPPEE!!!

So first thing I want to do is point you in the direction of this great site called Thrifty Mommy and to the fact that I got a mention, I'm thrilled. It's always great when someone mentions me in their blog, makes me feel that at least someone out there is enjoying it :)
So go on over and say hi to Karen, she also talks about 5 Minutes for Mom and Holly's Corner.

Alright now that I got that out of the way, here's the first pictures, and I hope you're hungry, because if you're not, believe me, YOU.WILL.BE!!!!
Remember the Grandma's Gingersnap Cookies recipe that I shared with you on my food blog yesterday??? Well I made them yesterday afternoon and OH.GOOD.GRAVY....they are soooo good and they're chewy which I just love. So here they are in all their goodness and delicious glory!

Hot out of the oven, just want to jump in and rub my face on them LOL Not really, but I do want to just reach out and grab some.

And then just because I can, and because they weren't sweet enough (I'm bad) I slathered some Vanilla Frosting in between some. How GOOD does that look????

Now go on, head over to Full Bellies and grab the recipe, you can bake them this afternoon with the kids, that's what I did and they had a blast. Since Nicholas is only 3 years old, I let him stir the sugar and Cinnamon together, and he did a great job. Jasmine on the other hand got to mix and stir and shape and roll and all that other fun stuff :)

Yesterday morning I had told you all that I was going to make some Tooth Fairy Pillows, it only took me an hour to make both, and Jasmine's is finished, all that is left on Nicholas is to sew his name on it. But that will be done this morning and it won't take me but a few minutes. You want to see what they look like??

I just love these, they're super easy to make and it's such a cute idea, I'm thinking some pillows are on the way to some little ones in my family :)
If any of you are interested in making them, let me know and I'll point you to the pattern and instructions.

One thing I absolutely love is kids art, and I just have a blast looking at the pictures that Jasmine draws. She is one of those kids that given some paper and crayons, will sit on the kitchen table for hours, just drawing and making "books" and coming up with stories etc. She has a very vivid imagination. So I am going to share with you a picture she made for school, the minute I saw it I just started laughing.

The Teacher gave them a paper with words on, and then they had to come up with their own sentences and draw a picture to match, take a look:

I am just digging hubby's cowboy boots LOL When I started laughing she said to me "you know, those were SO hard to make" LOL

On another sheet of paper they were told to record acts of kindness. Now remember these are second graders so obviously they don't know how to spell that well yet, which I always enjoy reading because they spell as they say the word. Or so I think...take a look at this and see if you find the error: Jasmine had a good laugh with this one and she told me she can't believe she wrote that LOL (and yes I have her permission to post these, so I'm not embarrassing my child unnecessarily)

I also help him when he can not get his "shirt" on. LOL

Well anyway, we always have a good laugh, she's a great sport about it and she doesn't get upset or embarassed, she just laughs it off and asks me how to spell it right. What a sweet girl I have :)

I'm so thrilled that it's friday, you have NO idea. Here I was thinking hubby was going to be home on sunday but then he called yesterday and said it's tomorrow....the kids are thrilled, I'm thrilled, even the dogs are thrilled. Did you know that dogs can see photographs and understand what's on them??? I never knew they could, but yesterday I took this picture of Curt, it's a big one of his, and I put it on my face (yeah the things I do when I'm bored lol), and then walked up to Lola and she freaked out. LOL
She was so excited to see daddy's face, she sniffed at it and that tail was going super fast...guess I learn new things every day.

I've gotta get this house in shape today, got a bunch more laundry to do and mopping and sweeping and all that fun stuff. Well now it's fun, but when I first got married, I really disliked it, I felt like it was a chore, hard work, when I would rather be sitting around doing nothing. Yeah, the days of being spoiled ended when I decided to play "grown up" and get married and become a mom.

Then I slowly started thinking of it as something I like, a way to contribute to the family, to take care of them. The minute my view on it changed, I found that I no longer resented having to do things like dishes, laundry, cooking (well that was never hard for me, I love it)....so now I just think "what can I do to make this a better home for my family?" and that is when I start sewing or baking, adding more decorations to rooms, or special touches that will make my family WANT to come home at the end of a busy day. It's great!!!

Anyway, I have to get the kids up and ready for school. Thanks for sitting with me today and just listening to me babble on and on :) I did give you coffee and some yummy cookies though, that should count for something LOL

Have a wonderful friday!!!

It's friday which means Pizza Night. The kids and I will be making pizza for dinner, using my Quick and Easy Pizza dough, it's wonderful and so fluffy.

Rachael Ray - *New*- The CW- 12pm

Rachael's ready to cuddle with adorable pets, so what's all the screaming and running away about? Plus, her list of must-have pantry items and advice for a woman who just can't say no. And what's for dinner? Irresistable comfort food!

General Hospital - *New* -ABC- 1:00 pm

Sonny tells Elizabeth that Jason had to leave town after nearly beating Ric to death;
Sonny threatens to expose Ric's truth;
Elizabeth has her paternity test results;
Mac confronts Lucky;
Emily learns disturbing information about Colleen

Ghost Whisperer - *New* - CBS - 7pm

The spirit of a man (David Paymer) buried in the wrong grave asks for help, but Melinda is angered when she learns the man had abandoned his family, reminding her of her own father. Meanwhile, a ghost begins following Delia.

Most Haunted - *New* - Travel Channel - 8pm

Bolling Hall is visited in Bradford for a paranormal investigation. Host: Yvette Fielding.

Laundry
Sweeping and Mopping
Cleaning Living Room
Cleaning Downstairs Bathroom
Finishing Nicholas' Tooth Fairy Pillow
Posting Flan Recipe on Food Blog

Thursday is MUST SEE TV!!!!

If you're here just for the Slow Cooking Thursday, the post is just below this one :)

Thursday is my favorite day of the week, just because of all the great shows on, so when it rolls around I'm antsy with anticipation.

See I never used to like ABC, I thought NBC was all that and a bag of chips....then the last year ABC started getting really good, where else can you get General Hospital, Wife Swap, Ugly Betty, Brothers & Sisters, What about Brian, The Nine, Lost and my favorite *dum dum dum duuuuummm* GREY'S ANATOMY???

Oh that's not to say I don't switch to NBC at 9pm, I mean I couldn't just let ER go, it's been a favorite of mine for a long time. I don't think Luka would be happy if I stopped watching LOL
Anyone else like Luka, or is it just me???

So yes I'm a happy girl today!!!
Honey, I miss you, I know you read the blog, so "HURRY UP AND GET HOME" LOL

While driving to school this morning Jasmine asked me, yet again, why is she going to school at night. It's cloudy and dark here, not as cold as it's been the past few days, so this morning I didn't have ice on my windshields, but it's still nippy outside. You know it's a dreary day when it's 9am and you have all the lights on in the house.

One thing I love though is watching the sun trying to peek through the clouds, it always makes the sky look beautiful. I was just thinking the other day that, when I was growing up and up until a few years ago, I never really paid attention to the sky or the clouds or how beautiful the trees look when the leaves start changing colors, I guess I just went about my day without ever giving it a second thought. But I've come to appreciate and really enjoy those little things, if you ever stop and just take a moment to look around you, you'll realize how amazing everything is. Try it, it will give you a totally different perspective on life!!!

It seems that Nicholas and I are coming down with a cold again. I've already started taking some cold medicine for it and I'm feeling a little better, but yesterday, oh boy, it took all out of me just to take Jasmine to school and then go back and get her. Both Nic and I were running a fever, he was crying and clingy because he didn't feel good, and I was exhausted from not sleeping the night before AND running a fever too....we looked pretty pathetic just laying on the couch all day.

But we're feeling a little better today, just don't want to be all sickly and miserable when hubby returns this weekend. Poor guy!!!

While I was at Airman's Attic yesterday I picked up a Bread Machine Cookbook from Fleischmann's Yeast. I've been going through it and my oh my, it's full of great recipes, can't wait to try it this weekend. The first one I'm making is Pumpkin-Nut Bread, mmmmm sounds wonderful. But you know what I'm baking this afternoon??? Grandma's Gingersnap Cookies, it's a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com a while ago, it was actually a link I picked up from one of my favorite Crafty Blogs, named "Turkey Feathers". Vicki mentioned the cookies and even posted a yummy picture.

It will be perfect for this rainy day, just me and kids in the kitchen, baking and having fun. I've posted the recipe on my food blog, so go HERE to see it, and I'll come back and post pictures once the cookies are done. :)

Since it's cold and I really don't feel like going anywhere, plus I don't want to get any sicker, I thought that I would spend the day making some Tooth Fairy Pillows for the kids. Jasmine has been wanting one for a long time, and they're so easy to make. I'll show you the pictures once they're finished :)

I've really got to get myself in gear soon, it's almost the end of October and it doesn't leave much time for all the Christmas gifts I want to make AND send off in time, especially to South Africa. I just hate leaving everything til' the last minute and then stressing over what should have been done or sent.

Well I better get started on my day, would love to have that pillow finished for Jasmine when she gets home from school :)

Don't forget to check the Slow Cooking Thursday post below, there's some really good recipes being shared today.

For dinner I'm making Sausage Rice with a Salad. It's quick and easy and the kids love it, heck throw sausage (especially hotdogs) in anything and they're thrilled :)
For dessert we'll be having the Gingersnap Cookies.

Rachael Ray - *New*- The CW- 12pm

Grey's Anatomy's Chandra Wilson
She's dishing on her co-stars, giving Rachael a lesson in the kitchen, and then cooking up an Italian soul food dinner! Plus, planning a party on a budget and extreme bartending tricks.

General Hospital - *New* -ABC- 1:00 pm

Jason and Elizabeth wonder how Ric will use their secret against them;
Sonny convinces Jason to leave the country;
Nikolas questions Sonny about Ric;
Sonny admits that Ric cannot be trusted;
Noah accuses Patrick of taking unnecessary risks

Ugly Betty - *New* - ABC - 7pm

Crises make for strange bedfellows when Betty, Marc and Amanda try to find out how a secret magazine feature was scuttled, and Wilhelmina and Daniel become allies to beat a deadline on a photo spread. Meanwhile, Justin spends a day at Mode.

Grey's Anatomy - *New* - ABC - 8pm

Bailey treats a young mother with breast cancer; Derek learns more about Addison's relationship with Mark; the interns defend a resident's competence at a staff meeting.

ER - *New* - NBC - 9pm

As Abby returns from maternity leave, Luka takes the stand in a malpractice suit involving a former patient (Forest Whitaker), who accuses Luka of neglect and causing his stroke. Also, Pratt and Abby use unusual methods to treat a heart patient.

Laundry
Tooth Fairy Pillows
Baking Cookies

SLOW COOKING THURSDAY!!!

With fall just around the corner and so many wonderful recipes being shared, constantly, amongst the blogging ladies....I thought that it would be neat to have a feature every thursday, just for crockpot recipes.

What do you think??? Do You have some great recipes to share, or perhaps you're looking for some delicious ones to give you a reason to pull out the ol' crockpot???

Well it's thursday ladies and you know what that means. Time to pull out those crockpots and put them to good use. If you want to join in, just grab the banner and add your name to Mr Linky :)

One thing I love is chicken and mushrooms, oh and stew, so what's better than everything in one pot huh???
I found this recipe on one of those small cookbooks that usually hang out (he he) at the grocery stores, right by the checkouts...I grabbed it a couple of months ago, and I've tried many of the recipes, haven't disliked one so far :)

Photo and recipe courtesy of: Prevention Guide Slow Cooker Recipes

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM STEW

1 can (10 3/4 oz) 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup + half a soup can water
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 2" chunks
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 lb fresh medium-size white mushrooms, or a variety of mushrooms, including portobellow, cut-up
1 c. baby carrots
2 ribs celery, cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp garlic powder

• Combine soup and water in slow cooker.
• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place in slow cooker.
• Add mushrooms, carrots, celery and garlic powder. Stir gently to mix.
• Cover. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

This stew is great over rice and since I LOVE mushrooms, I usually double the quantity.

Enjoy!!! OH and here's the best part, this stew is only 230 cal. per serving :)

I'm Cranky today.....

Boy I tell you, just when you think you've got this being a mom thing down, you're hit with a night of running between two rooms and stepping on dog poop. Yeah, if nothing else, THAT will wake you up!

Since hubby left, Lola has been acting up, she's used to hubby and being his girl, so I guess it's her way of missing him, but every once in a while she'll leave me a little present. Usually I get annoyed but it's during the day and I can see it and SMELL it a mile away.....at night is another thing, I'm not fully awake and I am not one to turn on all the lights in the house just to go to the bathroom or to one of the kids.

So anyway, Jasmine spent the night crying about having bad dreams.....Nicholas spent the night tossing and turning and whining because his nose was congested. Then I have Pugs....I love them to death but they have this thing (must have been in their Pug Memo), that every time someone lays on the bed, it means they are to come and lay ON TOP of you. Not next to you or at the feet....ON.TOP.OF.YOU...preferably as close to your head as possible. What the heck is up with that??? Last thing I need at 4 am is a Pug Butt on my face.

Well between running the two rooms, I stepped on it. The "dreaded poop" and at first I went into denial, but really what else could it have been??? So I hopped into the bathroom (what a wonderful visual) turned on the light which blinds me because I'm now in night vision mode, and there it is. Yep, in all it's smelly glory!! I had to wash my feet at 4am, I'm all for being clean all the time but this is ridiculous.

Anyway, I finally managed to fall asleep around 5 am, but the alarm goes off at 5:45 though I did switch it to 6:30 am which is pushing it already.......did I get to sleep until then??? Nope, because a few minutes after, the dogs needed to go out and Jasmine was up. HOW?!?!?!? That's all I ask, HOW do they do that?!?!?! How can they be up all night and then be ready to get up so early?!?!?! If I could just have a tenth of their daily energy I could get so much more done.

Needless to say, I have a HUGE cup of coffee in my hand and I'm savoring every sip, it's helping clear the cobwebs up there. OH and I did remember to set my car to defrost so I can actually see where I'm driving this morning LOL
Thank you Morning Glory for the tip too, I lived most of my life in South Africa and winters for us are like the spring here, it's not cold at all, in fact the first winter I spent here I thought I was going to die LOL

There's not much going on here in my corner of the world. I do have some new faces popping in, so I'm going to talk about them of course, that way you can all meet them and go say hi.

Doing My Best to Save a Buck - A SAHM, homeschooling mom who has recently started living frugally....go on over and say hi and see the ways in which they're saving money :)

In Season - Well it's always wonderful when I get to meet another book lover, this is her second blog, but you can also find her book blog here. Can't wait to read about her books :)

Sweetnicks - OK calling all FOOD LOVERS....if you love food and recipes and great food pictures, you have GOT to run over to Sweetnicks...what a great blog :)

So go on, don't mind me, just go say hi but be sure to come right back OK??? I really don't like being alone here, I get bored easily.

Last night I was thinking about blogging and my favorite blogs, what draws me to them and what it is about a certain blog that makes me go "Oh I really like it", compared to some that I will just take a glance and decide it's just not for me.

Have you ever gone back and read people's first blog entries??? The very first ones they right all seem to have come from a "Blogging Memo", they start pretty much the same way "OK so after months of lurking I decided to take a crack at this, ummm I don't know if this will work, but here we go".....within a few weeks you start seeing a change, the way they write, they way they interact with other blogs, and you watch this growth.

Really for me it's almost as if I'm watching a Caterpillar develop into a beautiful butterfly, not that we weren't beautiful before, you know what I mean, don't get snippy at me LOL

But I really enjoy some blogs, and you will usually find them on my sidebar, though some are in my Bloglines, but nonetheless, still my favorites. I like reading an entry and thinking "Wow, what an inspiration, wish I was like her" or "she's going through so much, wish I was there to give her a hug" or "OMG, she is hilarious". And I have to say that some of my favorites are those that just talk about the day to day, I do occasionally enjoy deep and profound posts, but I tend to loose concentration when I'm reading those.

I often read someone's blog where they say "Oh I don't know how to write, I wish I could be as funny or intelligent as some of the known bloggers". That annoys me, really, and if you're one of them, I'm telling you...ANNOYING!!! LOL
Know why???? Because blogging is not supposed to be a contest for the most popular of funnier, blogging is about YOU and that is what I love about my favorite blogs....down to earth, wonderful ladies and gent, who talk about themselves and their families, their days, their struggles and their thoughts and their successes and disappointments. I don't care if you have 50 or more comments or just in the teens like me....it's not what matters, really.

What matters is that you're writing for yourself, and if along the way it touches someones life or they can relate to you and find some comfort in knowing that others go through the same daily struggles, then great :)

So anyway, write as you would be talking to me, or anyone actually, I don't meant just ME, per say. Don't try to write as a WRITER, just write as you would have a conversation with a friend...believe it helps a lot!!!

And that's it for me this morning, I need an other cup of coffee or I may just end up falling asleep on the couch.

Have a great day everyone!!!

Boy I can't wait until hubby is home so I can start using my stove again, I miss it dearly. Tonight we're having Ham and Cheese Quesadillas, nothing fancy but the kids seem to be enjoying these kid friendly meals :)

Rachael Ray - *New*- The CW- 12pm

Rachael's showing you must-have jewelry on a budget, and then Lost star Dominic Monaghan teaches her how to surf (in heels no less)! Plus, Rachael's cheerleading moves and reinventing the TV dinner for the 21st century.

General Hospital - *New* -ABC- 1:00 pm

Sam and Jason do not want to stop trying to be together;
Carly warns Sam that she could lose Jason to Elizabeth;
Lucky makes amends with Jason;
Dillon defends Lulu;
Maxie manipulates Lucky into comforting her;
Lulu finds Maxie in Lucky's arms

The Biggest Looser - *New* - NBC - 8pm

The gym is locked up for the week, so the contestants must work out elsewhere. The teams compete in a challenge involving "the wave" at the L.A. Coliseum, and also receive messages from home.

Ghost Hunters - *New* - Scifi - 9pm

Investigating alleged hauntings at the Bird Cage Theatre in Tombstone, Ariz., a famous old-West nightspot, said to have been frequented by legendary figures such as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday while it operated in the 1880s.

Airman's Attic to donate clothes
Cleaning Living Room
Hopefully getting a little nap

Goodness it's cold outside......

Did I tell you that I've been turning the Heat on every night, and actually during most of the day??? It's THAT cold here.

The picture on the left is the view from my backyard this morning, I just thought the clouds looked so pretty, the whole sky is clear but for that one part....beautiful!!!

And speaking of photos, is anyone else having problems uploading them to Blogger, is it just me or does Blogger seem to be super slow the past two days??? It uploads photos but I have to let it sit there for 5 minutes or so, and I know that's not normal. Well, for Blogger actually it might be LOL

So this morning I had a MAJOR blonde moment. I was driving and complaining the whole time that I couldn't see out of my window...it kept getting fogged up and I had to keep reaching up and using my hand to clean it so I could see. Not very safe for driving....anyway, we get to the school and I pull up with my fogged up windows, it's embarassing, anyone seeing me drive up will think that there are a couple of teenagers doing unmentionable things in there....LOL

Anyway, we're sitting there in the car and I'm complaining saying that I can't see a single thing and these fogged up windows are bugging me and I don't know how to make it better...then Jasmine looks at me and says "Why don't you just turn the button to Defrost? Won't that help?". DUHHHHHHH!!!!
So my 7 year old had to remind this stressed out whiny mom, that there IS a Defrost button, you know?!?!?!?
VOILA, within two seconds I could see....how embarassing!!! Ditz Patrol to the Rescue!!!

Anyway, I was watching The Bachelor Rome last night, ummm excuse me but "Erica, what the heck is wrong with you?", that girl was starting to scare me, I don't think I've ever seen anyone act like that on the Bachelor before. See I'm not as big a Reality TV fan as I used to be a couple years ago but then it seems that the networks got inundated with ridiculous reality shows, each one progressively dumber than the last one, so I got turned off. I think The Bachelor, Wife Swap and The Nanny are the only ones I still catch from time to time.
The Bachelor because it's just funny to me, the Wife Swap because then I can tell my hubby that he really IS lucky to have me (LOL) and The Nanny just to show myself that my kids are really Angels comparatively. It's all part of my life lessons, or so I tell myself so that I have an excuse to keep watching them. LOL

I have laundry that has to be put away, but I'm in one of those "lazy days", the ones where all I want is to cuddle on the couch, watch tv and do absolutely nothing. I also want 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, a porsche and world peace....so you see where this is going right???
But really, you ever have those days where you have to bribe your body to do things...like "if you just walk into the kitchen, I promise there's a cupcake in it for you" or "if you just get up off the chair I will let you watch tv for an extra hour later, ok?". It's ridiculous when you start bartering with your own body.

But now you see where I'm at today...I just want to sit right here, on the computer chair, visit your blogs and do nothing. But alas, reality calls, I have errands to run, a house to clean and a 3 year old to keep entertained, though I've realized it doesn't take much to keep him happy, just give him a few chips, a cup of milk and an empty box and this child is thrilled for hours.

Don't forget that there's a lot of blogdom happenings coming up, our wonderful friend over at "Overwhelmed with Joy" put up a list, so go check it out if you're interested in participating in something fun.

I'm hosting my own Holiday Traditions on November 1st, so I hope you will all join in, I would love to hear about your family traditions.

Do you and your family have a special tradition every Christmas Morning, or maybe it's a special dinner for Thanksgiving??? Do you all go out on a certain day to get a Christmas Tree??? Is there a special ornament or fun way your family decorates for the holidays??? How about different Heritages, how are the holidays celebrated all over the world???

So please, if you want to share your Traditions, just remember to come back here on the 1st of November, and in the meantime if you wouldn't mind helping me spread the word, just grab the banner and maybe give a little shout out??? Also link to THIS POST, for the rules!!! You know I'm not one to ask and I actually feel bad doing it, but I would love to see as many people as possible participating :)

I'm sure by now you've noticed that I made a few small changes to the template, and at first I was going to change it completely, but I realized that if this is working for me, there's no need to go messing with it. Having this simple base to start from allows me to change it according to the holidays or seasons, which is great.

Well I better get moving on out of here....Have a Blessed Day!!!

Dinner tonight is just a simple Tuna Salad, something the kids and I really enjoy but it's not one of hubby's favorites, hence we have it for dinner when he's gone somewhere :)

Rachael Ray - *New*- The CW- 12pm

Hate going to the gym as much as Rachael does? Then don't miss today's "better than nothing" workout! Also, kitchen boot camp for a husband who won't cook, affordable New York City eats and the fine art of bubble blowing.

General Hospital - *New* -ABC- 1:00 pm

Ric determines to protect Elizabeth;
Ric visits Lucky;
Jason wants to work things out with Sam;
Sonny orders Jason to stop Carly from marrying Jax;
Mac is devastated about Maxie's pregnancy;
Lulu suggests that Maxie terminate her pregnancy

Dancing with the Stars - *New* - ABC - 7pm

Sixth round competition.

Putting away laundry *still looking for the laundry fairy*
Errands
Mopping
Clean Computer Area

Oh Blissful Morning and Blissful Rain....

I stepped out this morning and could smell the rain, is there anything better??? It's misty but with a clear blue sky, and the sun shining down creates the most stunning effect. Yes, it's a beautiful day in my neck of the woods.

I did have some problems trying to drive though. It's so cold that my brakes squeal, so if you hear a squealing car coming your way, don't be scared, it's just little ol' me. It's a "sight" I tell you, squealing brakes and fogged up windows....pathetic, though by the time I got back home from dropping off Jasmine, the brakes no longer squealed and the windows were again transparent. Hey, better late than never right???

I'm so happy that it's monday, weekends just drive me nuts, well, only when hubby is gone. We ended up calling each other a couple times yesterday because we were both bored out of our minds LOL
Gotta love cellphones!!!

I've been thinking about changing my layout again, and don't go running away or shaking your head at me, I just get bored easily and like changing things. Would you really stop visiting me if I changed the look yet again??? I'm not saying it's going to happen today or this week, but I'm just warning you for the expected change, just so you don't think you stepped into a different blog. I like you all, that's why I tell you ahead of time, see I'm actually quite a nice person LOL

So this morning Jasmine hauled off a big trash bag with stuffed animals. It's always something trying to get rid of any kind of toy in this house. You would be amazed how many "my favorite toys" there are....and the funny thing is that they don't even play with them or know they exist until the possibility of getting rid of them arrives, the excuses they come up with are just ridiculous. I kept putting in stuffed toys which "magically" (according to Nicholas) kept disappearing. Listen kiddo, I wasn't born yesterday, and that blues clues sticking out behind your back is not hanging in mid air.

But we managed to finally get a few collected for the school. I hope they are able to collect alot to send to Iraq, I think it's wonderful that the troops are trying to bring a little bit of happiness to the kids over there. God Bless our Troops, men made of steel during battle but soft wonderful hearts the rest of the time!!

If you take a look on my right sidebar, I've added a new section called "What's for Dinner?", that's where I'll have my menus posted every week, you can also find them at Full Bellies, Happy Kids under my Menu Plan Monday post.

While you're there, be sure to check out my "Roupa Velha" recipe, it's the one that is used for leftover meat or chicken etc....I just uploaded some pictures from the one I made last night. The kids LOVED it and both had seconds....now that is something for kids who usually pick at their food.

I woke up with a whopper of a headache, think it's just my sinus letting me know what is to come....you know what I always envision when I start feeling the sinus pressure??? That commercial where there's these nasty slimy things having a party inside your nose??? I know, I know, it's gross but that's really what it feels like!!!
So I've taken some Sudafed already and it seems to be subsiding...YAY!!!

I was just thinking that Halloween is only but two weeks away, it just seems that this whole year has gone by at lightning speed, weren't we just out Trick or Treating last week??
So the kids have their costumes all picked out and ready....Nicholas being the boy he is always goes as some sort of SuperHero, last year he was Robin, this year he is Spiderman.
And NO he didn't go out barefoot, this was him trying the costume the day we got it. LOL

Jasmine on the other hand loves the chance to wear big dresses, the more ruffles the better. Last year she was a Southern Belle which I LOVED LOVED. This year she is a Glamour Witch, all because the dress is Black and has red flowers, her favorite color....she doesn't even pay attention to what it's called, it could have been anything really as long as the dress went with it.

You know how a lot of parents will dress up too??? Well hubby wants to dress up again this year, I'm not sure what he's going as, but I'm sure that I'll be the Stressed Out Mommy of Two, it's a great costume you don't even have to spend money on it, just wear the jeans with the torn knee and the baggy t-shirt and DON'T brush your hair, it's that easy!!!

And while we're talking about Halloween, don't forget Theresa's Blog-O-Lantern Contest coming up next week, you can find the rules here. My kids are all excited about it!!!

Oh I know you're probably tired of all the pictures on this entry, but hey I have only 3 more to share with you, you can handle it can't you??? I'll throw in a cappucino, really I will, I just took out my Cappucine Machine and got it all ready to make myself one, so I'll throw one in for you if you just stick around for a few more minutes.

Alright, so last week I went by the Base Thrift Store and I walked out with some beauties for only $5 for everything. Knowing that I love cooking, I'm always on the prowl....well, maybe not prowl per say, that makes me sound animalish.....let's say on the "look out" for cooking and serving dishes, so when I saw these I just knew I had to get them and at that price you really can't say no. Want to see them and then let me know what you think???

The first is a Pasta and Pizza Bowl Set, I'm already envisioning Spaghetti and Meatballs or some Fettucine Alfredo, yum:

And these two are glass baking dishes, oven proof of course, the rectangular one will be perfect for my Ravioli Lasagna next week:

Alright, alright, I'm leaving you now because I've babbled long enough and I probably didn't you let you get a word in edge wise, so I'm heading out, but not before I share this last photo of my babies. When hubby goes somewhere, whether it's a two week TDY or a few months Deployment, the kids have this thing where they each pick one of his old t-shirts and then I slather on a ton of daddy's after shave or cologne. That's the t-shirt they wear to bed, and if they get too hot, they take it off and hug it close while they sleep. I just think it's the sweetest thing, and I've done it before too, especially during long deployments, makes you feel like he is right there with you.

Well ladies, have a wonderful manic Monday, I'll see you all back here tomorrow morning :)

For dinner we're having some Pork Roast Sandwiches on Toasted Wheat Bread and some Veggies with Ranch Dipping Sauce. I'm so glad my kids love veggies :)

Rachael Ray - *New*- The CW- 12pm

Jessica Simpson.

General Hospital - *New* -ABC- 1:00 pm

Ric discovers Jason's secret.

Wife Swap - *New* - ABC - 7pm

A wealthy California housewife trades families with a bucolic matriarch living on a farm in Texas.

The Bachelor Rome - *New* - ABC - 8pm

Nine bachelorettes remain, and Lorenzo takes six of them to a Tuscan castle for a sleepover pool party. And he spends a night at the opera on a one-on-one date.

What About Brian - *New* - ABC - 9pm

It's Adam and Marjorie's wedding day, but she has some explaining---and soul-searching---to do over her encounter with Brian the night before. He won't let the matter drop, either.

Putting away laundry *where is that laundry fairy when you need her?*
Sweeping and Mopping Kitchen
Starting Purses for Christmas Gifts

Well good morning, come on in and sit with me!!!

I can't tell you how thrilled I am that it's already Sunday, which means just another week before hubby is home. The kids are counting down the days, and I am too, I just try not to sound as desperate as they do, after all, I'm the mommy I should be the strong one right???

So I talked to hubby yesterday, he had gone to downtown Las Vegas for some Steak and Lobster....HELLO?!?!?! What do you mean Steak and Lobster and how come I'm not there to go along????
After talking to him he did promise me that when he gets back, he's taking us all to Red Lobster, well how can I not be looking forward to that....I can hear those Cheddar Bay Biscuits calling my name. Since I love to cook, about 5 years ago I hunted down the recipe, I just had to make them at home.

I did find it at the great CopyKat Recipes site. Now if you've never been there, you don't know what you're missing. You can find recipes for some of the biggest names in restaurants out there, anything from Olive Garden to Outback, Red Lobster, Cracker Barrel and TGIF. It's just wonderful. I posted the recipe on my food blog for you all. Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits recipe, enjoy!!!

You know I'm one of those people who are shy in person and don't really like big get togethers and social events, it's just not my kind of thing. But once I know you, I do tend to relax and be myself, and to me there's nothing better than sitting around the kitchen table chatting. Reminds me of wonderful afternoons spent with my greatgrandma and grandma, sharing stories and thoughts over a cup of tea and some cookies. I miss that, I miss talking to them, I learnt a LOT from my greatgrandmother and I'm glad I was willing to listen and not throw it away, it's made me into the homemaker, mother and wife that I am today. :)

It's like blogging, I like the feeling of having my family and friends here reading my blog, it's almost like you all sitting around the table or in the living room, just chatting about our day. I guess this is the reason why I'm not one to do posts just about one subject, or posts that are too profound and deep, honestly I wouldn't know where to begin.
But now that you're all here, just sit on down and have some coffee or tea, and I also have some Pumpkin Tartlets that I baked yesterday, they are delicious and really make me look forward to Thanksgiving.

Let's see what has been going on in Blogdom this past week, a couple of interesting posts, but before I go on and share them with you, I have to say that I've noticed a common sense of "realizing you're extremely happy with your life". Is it just me or does that seem to be going around??? I've noticed a lot of people, me included, who have been feeling blessed and absolutely joyful with their family, they husbands and children and their life in general. I can see the Lord's work at hand through blogging can't you???

Anyway, Sarah wants to know what is the emergent church and the purpose driven church, now because I have absolutely no idea, I encourage anyone who does to go on over and tell her.

Laura answered my question as to how to keep a kitchen organized, where things should go, where they shouldn't and how to access all the things you use daily. This lady is just unbelievable when it comes to organizing.

Kelli is holding a contest over this weekend, you're supposed to tell her what you most like about Fall and she has some great prizes up for grabs. Go on over and check it out :)

And lastly if you're hungry for some Squirrel and Liver, I mean aren't we all at some point in time (eeeewwww), go over to Barb's, she posted the recipe because we egged her on and then I wish we hadn't because it's just not my cup of tea, really it's not, but hey if you're into Game Meat, is that what you would consider a Squirrel? I'm not sure, but anyway, go and see it LOL

The kids and I had a great day yesterday, and you know I've realized that if I have a positive outlook on things, they're not so bad. Just wish I would remember that ALL.THE.TIME.
WE didn't do anything exciting or elaborate, but just tried to not think of the fact that hubby is gone and that it's the weekend and we usually get really bored, and the time just flew by.

So we went to the library, you know that's our usual Saturday afternoon outing. The kids picked out a couple of books they like, some of which they've already checked out before but it's their favorites. Like this one book called "I Stink", it's actually quite yucky if you think about it, but every kid I've ever come in contact that has read this book thinks it's hilarious.

Here is their reading list for this week:

I Stink
Sleepy Time Olie
Poodlena
Dora's Chicks
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Racer Dogs

and I also picked up two more books for myself, I'm almost done with "Anyone but You" by Jennifer Crusie (loving it), so I needed something else to read. I'm going through one of those Fiction Phases, and even though my Fall Reading Challenge has a bunch of heavier non fiction books listed, I just can't seem to concentrate on those right now, so I'm going for the Historical Romances, Contemporary Funny Romances and the just plain Chick Books. It's doing my soul a world of good.

I have some housecleaning to do and some other projects in mind, so I better get on with those. I hope you're all having a great sunday.

God Bless,

The Pork Roast that we had last night was wonderful, so I'm using the leftovers as a base for today's and tomorrow's dinner. For tonight I'm making "Roupa Velha", it's really good, and I plan on serving it with some rice.
For dessert we have Pumpkin Tartlets that I baked yesterday, topped with some whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon, they're delicious!!!

7th Heaven - *New*- The CW- 7pm

Eric has a bad day that only gets worse when he loses Happy and has a run-in with the twins' teacher, but a stop at the hospital to visit a sick patient changes his mood.

Desperate Housewives - *New* -ABC- 8:00 pm

Edie moves in on Susan's territory while Ian (Dougray Scott) and Susan are off on a romantic getaway, and Lynette must support the family while Tom is off chasing his dream. Meanwhile, Bree's family life doesn't get any easier.

Brothers & Sisters - *New* - ABC - 9pm

Kitty's love life gets more complicated; Justin struggles to adjust to the demands of his new job; and Sarah and Joe enter their most difficult phase as parents.

Last load of laundry
Ironing
Putting away laundry *where is that laundry fairy when you need her?*
House Cleaning
Collecting stuffed toys for Jasmine's school
Vacuuming

Scary Shows = No Sleep!!!

That's a no brainer for me, or at least you would think so, but nooooooo I decided to use the last of my brain cells yesterday when I sat up late watching scary shows on TV. You would have thought that after the second one and me being terrified, I would have turned it off, but you see it became this weird tug of war kinda thing in my mind.
So this is how my train of thought went:

• Turn off the TV Sandra these shows are freaking you out.
• Ok, but if I turn it off then it will be dark in here......what was that?!?!?!?.......did I just see something????
• Oh never mind it was just Lola walking around the corner.
• Ok so turn it off now and go to sleep....
• I can't, if I turn it off it will be dark!!!

See how ridiculous that is??? I'm not afraid to say that I talk to myself sometimes, well not like crazy talk, just once in a while, is that still considered freaky???

But anyway, I finally turned off the TV just before midnight. Then I sat there for 15 minutes willing myself to sleep. Isn't it amazing how your mind starts playing tricks on you when you're scared??? Every shadow on the wall becomes a potential ghost, or every sound is of an intruder...it's just nutty!!! So, I've decided, NO.MORE.SCARY.SHOWS.UNTIL.HUBBY.COMES.HOME!!!
All together now.....NO.MORE.SCARY.SHOWS.UNTIL.HUBBY.COMES.HOME!!!

Thank you all for the wonderful comments on the family portraits, I'm glad you enjoyed them and actually don't think I'm a two headed monster LOL.
To answer some of the questions....

Emily asked what is the secret to getting my kids to look pleasant without making faces.
Jasmine LOVES photos and the minute she sees a camera she starts posing..so she's easy, now Nicholas on the other hand is a different thing. He gets bored easily so to get him to cooperate, hubby and I told him that he if smiled nicely and did what the lady said, we would buy him a surprise afterwards....works like a charm LOL

Susanne asked if I made them this color on the computer or if that is how they came. This is what we picked, the choices were Black and White or Sepia, we picked Sepia, which I just LOVE.

Vmac wondered if they charged us a fortune, and I have to say that YES. I paid $211 and I wanted to cry, but having a big family all over, means I need tons of photos to send out, so I had to get a big portrait package....it's definitely hurting my budget this payday though. But you know the Lord will provide and help me stretch the rest for what is needed :)

Laura wondered where I would put the huge family portrait. Well actually I put it up on the wall just above the couch, between two shelves that I have. Now I just have to fill the rest of the wall with other pictures, without making it cluttered. If I had a fireplace I would have most likely put it above it. I mean this is a HUGE portrait!!!

My sciatica is all but gone today, thank goodness, though it did hurt quite bad after I finally lay down last night. Took some Motrin and it helped a lot. Thank you all for the well wishes :)

After having a bad day with the kids on Thursday, yesterday morning we made a deal. I said that I didn't want to hear one yell or one scream all day long, only quiet voices were allowed. The kids of course thought it was a game so they were more than happy to play along, and it turns out we had a wonderful day. No fighting, lots of hugs and kisses and a stress free mommy. I think hubby was happy to hear me smiling and not crying LOL

I also managed to get groceries with Nicholas WITHOUT me running around or yelling like psycho inside the store. It was a first for me, usually he takes off running around the corner and I'm the nutty mom running behind him yelling not to take another step, which in toddler language means "Run Run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the Toddler Man".

But he behaved and he even helped me with the groceries, so I'm a very happy mommy right now. This morning they're a bit hyper though, while I type this they are running from the kitchen to the living room, laughing out loud and just being goofballs.....makes me smile though, I remember those days.

We're going to keep busy today, trying to make the weekend go by fast. Ask any military wife and they'll all tell you that the worst days are the weekend. During the week we have schools and appointments and errands to run, and the days just fly by....but come Saturday it's just boring, we often end up looking at the walls or staring at each other thinking "oh man I'm so bored". That's usually when the time just drags on by....frustrating I tell you!!!

Anyway, I have housecleaning and yard cleaning to do, and kids to chase. Oh I'm sharing this little video with you. Bella, the pug that we adopted a couple of months ago, is just the sweetest little thing. She does neat tricks and all but the one thing that we love is how she tries to talk back to us. This is Jasmine yesterday morning, watch how Bella reacts to her. Sorry it's so dark, I (being the wonderful ditz that I am) forgot to turn on a light...DUH!!!



Enjoy your weekend everyone :)

Right now I have a pork roast in my slow cooker. Since it's just me and the kids, the roast will be enough to make dinner for the next 3 nights. Tonight we're having some roast with mashed potatoes and green beans.
Tomorrow night, I will use some of the left overs to make a portuguese dish we call "Roupa Velha" or Old Clothes (don't be discouraged by the name LOL).
The following night we're having Pork Roast Sandwiches served on toasted bread. How much better can it get, 1 meal turns into 3, perfect :)

Little People - *New*- TLC- 9pm

Matt hires the twins to help in the pumpkin patch after the peach crop fails, but the boys go on strike in hopes of earning more money.

Little People - *New* -TLC- 9:30pm

Matt urges the family to prepare for a trip to Hawaii, causing stress during the last-minute rush before they leave.

Laundry
House Cleaning
Collecting stuffed toys for Jasmine's school
Baking
Updating Book Blog

FAMILY PICTURES!!!

I know I usually don't post twice in the same day, but I wanted to post the Family Photos. My family has been dying to see them.

Well I finally got the pictures today, I'm actually quite pleased with the way they turned out, especially the family one. :)

So here you go, for my family in South Africa and the family here in the States, and of course all the friends out there, enjoy!!!

First is the family portrait which is 16 x 20, I'm thrilled with the way it turned out :)

Next is me and hubby, I don't know, I'm not too happy with me in this one LOL Then again I'm surprised I like me in the family one above :)

Then here we have the kiddos, I love them together, it's just perfect :)

Now here is the Princess Jasmine in all her glory. :)

And finally here is the Prince Nicholas himself....with that naughty look that is so typical of him :)

This cold is killing me.....

Would it be ok if I just stayed in bed all day????

For the longest time, about 10 years or so, I've had sciatica problems. It's not that bad really, only when the weather gets really cold then it acts up. Yesterday I started feeling a little throbbing down my left leg, but it didn't get any worse....this morning though it's a different story. It's really hurting, so I'm limping and we all know that trying to be a parent and in control while limping around and going at snails pace, is NOT condusive to anything.

I'm hoping the weather warms up because I have a couple errands to run and I also need to get groceries. Already took some Advil so it's taking the edge off, but I know that by the time I lay down tonight I'll be in some serious pain from all the walking. I did call on some help, the Lord's help and and as usual He was more than happy to step in....so I'll be clutching His hand tightly in mine, it's going to be a LONG day!!!

Did I tell you I LOVE LOVE Grey's Anatomy??? I can't believe I missed the first season, I'm beating myself over it, so I'm going to get it on DVD and watch it. Yesterday's episode was just wonderful, really enjoyed every minute. Another show that I'm loving is Ugly Betty, have any of you been watching??? If you haven't yet, I suggest you try to catch it next time, I think you'll like it :)

So today we get our family photos, remember the ones we went to take about two weeks ago??? Am I the only one who thinks that Family Portrait packages are extremely expensive??? I mean you can't get anything under $100. Wow!!!! But anyway, I'm excited to get them and see how they turned out. I'll definitely post the kids ones later, as for mine and hubby's I'm not sure, I just HATE HATE HATE having my picture taken, and let's not forget that at the time I was sporting a humungous cold sore. Makes for a very pretty picture I'm sure LOL

Last night I had a bit of a breakdown. You know I SO look up to single parents who do it all alone, day in and day out. It's not easy. There's times that I feel I'm going nuts, especially when the kids are just not listening or should I say doing the "selective hearing" thing. Nothing worse than telling your child to stop doing something only to have them continue to do it right in front of you. I HATE yelling, but yesterday I caught myself doing it alot, and then I stopped and thought "Oh man I've got to get a grip on myself, I can't do this".

Needless to say by the time I talked to hubby on the phone I was in tears. I just vented and vented for 15 minutes before I even let him get a word in, but being the wonderful guy that he is, he just let me and then told me I'm doing a wonderful job and that he's sorry he can't be here to help me righ now. Then he asked to speak to the kids......Ummmm that's when I thought, oh boy!!!

I don't know how he does it, but they listen to him, me I guess I'm just the bozo that sits home with them all day. But whatever, what matters is that he got through to them and by the time they fell asleep everything was better. Bless my hubby's heart!!!

It's like I said before on this post, this thing of playing grown ups is not so fun at times. I truly miss having my family nearby, I miss being able to just pick up the phone and call them, I'm lucky if we speak at least twice a month being that it's expensive to call South Africa and vice versa.

I really want to have someone nearby when I'm having a bad day, someone to be the voice of reason, to calm me down and say "hey it's not so bad, you're just upset". I want to take a breather AWAY from the kids, not try to take a breather while they're still fighting and screaming at each other right under my feet.
I want to crawl into a warm lap and just close my eyes, say "to heck with it all for now, I want to be alone for a minute". But you know, that's not how life is, we can't just stop being parents, we can't just let it go and I know that even though there's days that I just want to scream at the top of my lungs and run away, I have to PUSH through them and put a smile on my face.

Don't get me wrong it doesn't mean I don't break down and cry, but I've learnt to do it after the kids are asleep, AND I allow myself just 5 minutes to let it all out before facing the next problem.....I don't let myself wallow in it for long, cry and get it over with, that's my way of thinking and it seems to work.

So I'm heading out for the day, I've said a prayer that we have a good day, that I don't miss hubby too much, that the kids actually listen to me, and that this sciatica cooperates until AFTER I'm done running around for the day.

Have a great friday,

HA!!! You've got to be kidding me!!!

As usual, the Slow Cooking Post is just below!!!

When I say that things happen when hubby is gone, I am not joking or trying to be cute, I mean things HAPPEN!!! This morning is a perfect example. As I do every other morning, when I get up I head straight into the kitchen to start my coffee, see I need that boost of energy or I'm terribly cranky. I'm sure it's all psychosomatic, but that's neither here nor there LOL

But going back to my story.....I go to get water and *drum roll*.......there's no WATER!!! Well I should say there's hardly any water, just a trickle coming in. Then I hear this "Arghhhhh" and realize it actually came from me!!!!

Know what I did??? Cause there's no way I'm NOT getting my coffee. I sat there for 20 minutes (stop laughing) until I had enough water for my coffee. LOL
A desperate woman does desperate things!!!

Of course here shortly we'll be brushing teeth and getting ready for school with a drop of water, but I'm sure we will manage. *Edit: The water is back on, seems there was a broken pipe or something in the neighborhood*

So now, you all wanted to know what those green things were??? Let's just say that for a while I've been giving him snacks and never saw the empty containers. It's those individual Pringles packs. Ahhh what a wonderful child I have!!! :)
Oh and upon closer inspection, he had been using them to store things too, they each had their own treasure, let's see I found: Crayons, marbles, two cookies, a small action figure and a piece of apple *eeeewwww*

Kids are very creative actually, they will come up with amazing things out of just an empty box, a roll of toilet paper or some crayons. Real McGuyver's they are!!!
Just this morning I found a wonderful painting on my bathroom wall, Nicholas decided to add some color I guess, even HE'S getting sick of the egg shell color that is so happily provided by the Air Force.

When I asked him why he did that, he calmly replied "I'm just making it all pretty". Well there ya have it, I think my son will become an Interior Decorator. In the meantime I'm heading into the bathroom with my trusted Magic Eraser.....be right back!!!
THERE mission accomplished, Mr Clean took care of the dirty wall, much to Nicholas' chagrin.

The kids are missing daddy and usually that means acting out. They're just not listening very well, and to say that they're testing my patience would certainly be an understatement. We go through this everytime hubby goes somewhere, I think a routine is what gets them through it. Just this morning Jasmine said to me "wow mommy it's thursday already". I hadn't even realized it, time really has flown by. Thank the Lord for that!!!

A couple of you had asked what TDY means, it just means Temporary Duty. PCS would mean Permanent Change of Station (that's when you get orders to another base), you know when you become a military wife there are so many abbreviations and sayings thrown your way, it's hard to keep up with them all...but I think all military spouses know those two well :)

You know the one thing I enjoy while hubby is gone??? I actually loose weight!!! Now that's not to say that I like him being TDY or deployed, but seriously, it's the only time I actually loose weight. I remember back in 2001 right after 9/11 when hubby got deployed, just the stress of him being gone, worrying about him and being alone with a 2 year old, I lost 25 pounds LOL

So far this TDY I've lost 3 so I figure by the time he gets back maybe I'll be lucky and have lost at least 6 pounds hopefully 10???? Then again I can't trust my scale, she's a traitor and loves torturing me. The next time I get on it and it tells me that I'm 125 lbs and then starting blinking ERROR ERROR, that's IT, she's GONE!!!

Anyway I better get going, I'm going to jump in the shower and then start some laundry. Oh don't forget to check out the Slow Cooking Thursday feature just below, go on and check out the great recipes being shared :)

Have a blessed day,

For dinner we're having Hotdogs and Chips, kids pick. Let me tell you, they're LOVING these meals LOL

Rachael Ray - *New*- The CW- 12pm

On the stage with Martin Short.

General Hospital - *New* -ABC- 1pm

Sam fears she could loose Jason to Elizabeth.

Ugly Betty - *New* - ABC - 7pm

Betty uses her Queens connections to book a high-profile photographer to do a shoot for Mode, but feels she needs a makeover before meeting him. Meanwhile, Wilhelmina preps for a date.

Grey's Anatomy - *New* - ABC - 8pm

Addison doubts her medical skills; Cristina pushes Burke's rehab; one of the interns has a personal medical emergency; and Izzie gets a surprise. Fred Ward guest stars as Denny Duquette's father.

ER - *New* - NBC - 9pm

Abby and Luka discover both the joys and difficulties of raising a newborn; Pratt finds juggling the interns and residents a challenge he never contemplated; and Neela continues to be the target of her difficult supervisor.

Laundry
Budget
Next Week's Menus

SLOW COOKING THURSDAY!!!

Well Ladies I have to say that I'm so thrilled that so many of you have been participating, I've been able to expand my Slow Cooker Recipe Collection, and I can't wait to try them all :)

With fall just around the corner and so many wonderful recipes being shared, constantly, amongst the blogging ladies....I thought that it would be neat to have a feature every thursday, just for crockpot recipes.

What do you think??? Do You have some great recipes to share, or perhaps you're looking for some delicious ones to give you a reason to pull out the ol' crockpot???

Well it's thursday ladies and you know what that means. Time to pull out those crockpots and put them to good use. If you want to join in, just grab the banner and add your name to Mr Linky :)

One meal that I grew up with and I love, but don't make often enough, is Stuffed Bell Peppers. I just don't ever seem to have the time to make them, so when I found a recipe for a Crockpot version, I knew I just had to try it.

STUFFED PEPPERS

1 lb. estra lean ground beef
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1 can (15oz) Spanish Rice
1 lg onion, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 lg bell peppers, tops removed, cleaned of seeds and cored, but not halved

Combine all ingredients, except half can of tomato sauce and bell peppers.

Stuff bell peppers full of mixture.

Place peppers in slow cooker. Pour remaining tomato sauce over peppers.

Cover. Cook on high 4 hours.

Makes 4 servings

EDIT: Thank you Sue for mentioning the Can of Spanish Rice. Ladies I've never seen it either, so I just use the pouches that they sell, it works fine too, it might need a little water though, I found that I had to add a little to mine, just do whatever you like for yourself :)

How many times do you have to mess up

until you learn the lesson??? No really, humor me, how many times??? Once or twice, four times or maybe ten???

See I won't even go on to say how much I love my coffee. I think everyone and their mother already knows, "no coffee and no creamer make sandra something something" (sorry Homer Simpson jumped into my brain for a second).

But anyway, this morning I did it again. It's now the third time, "ALERT THE MEDIA", that I get the coffee machine ready and then turn it on, walk away and forget to place the carafe on it. So now I end up with delicious coffee ALL.OVER.THE.COUNTERS. It's heart breaking!!!
The first time it happened I was so upset that Jasmine said "why don't you just lick it off the counter?". Yeah thanks honey, although I would lie if I didn't say I was tempted. Does that make me weird???

So my blogging friend Courtney, had a great post yesterday about the things she's learnt through her husband's deployment. I have to say that reading her entry was like reading a page from my own journal.

I admit I too take my husband for granted when he's home. Actually there's times that he really gets on my nerves, but then he gets deployed or goes TDY and I'm miserable without him. It's the little things that you overlook when you're just going day to day, like.....the sound of the door opening when he gets home from work, the kisses that follow, the hugs when he walks by me during the day, and even the little spats over who left the empty box of cookies in the cupboard.

See the enemy has a way of placing doubts in our minds, especially when we're most vulnerable and there's nothing better than a woman alone with the kids, having to do it all, and worrying about her husband's safety. My mind goes into overdrive....I wonder what he's doing??? Did he eat?? WHAT did he eat??? With WHO did he eat??? Better not be a hot blonde around there!!!

It's just ridiculous the things that I think about, but usually only for a few seconds (yeah I can think all that and more in just a few seconds), I can tell when I'm being coaxed into these thoughts and that's when I ask God to wipe them from my mind and help me get through it without going nutty. Another lesson that will most likely repeat itself again next time he deploys.

I've been finding the weirdest things in my house, they're quite hilarious actually considering Nicholas has been the one behind them. I'm going to share two photos with you and you have to tell me whether I'm loosing my mind or my son is just trying to amuse me or himself. LOL

So this first one is sort of like a puzzle/riddle kinda thingamabob. See I hadn't been noticing (sorry I can't be everywhere at once) that Nicholas had been doing this. It's really quite interesting when you realize what they are....so let's see if you can all figure it out. Just take a look at this picture and tell me what is NOT supposed to be there, and then tell me if you know what they are.

Umm now I know I'm no Interior Decorator but even I can see that those green things are not supposed to be there....guess what they are???

And then to top it off, I walk around the corner and find this. LOL I'm sorry but I just can't stop laughing, to think that he did this and the silly dog just sits there. COME ONNNNN....get up or shake it off or something LOL

Doesn't she look happy???? LOL She actually stayed like that while I got my camera and took the picture...wonderful pug :)

So since I'm sharing pictures I couldn't help but to show you this next one, this is the sky this morning, it's just, well, it's just gorgeous....take a look. Jasmine said it looks like a Grill LOL

While we're on the subject of pictures etc....I added my Chicken Curry picture to the recipe post. Go check it out and tell me you're not hungry now...go on I dare you!!! I might just have to come to your house and cook!!! LOL
Hey if Curry is not your thing, then go check out the photo of my Crockpot Beef Stroganoff, now THAT is sure to make you salivate....I'm starving just looking at it.
*SIGH* I miss hubby, not because I'm talking of beef, but because I miss cooking big meals LOL

Today is our turn to provide the snacks for Jasmine's class. A lot of moms send in little bags of chips, granola bars, little donuts etc....just quick and easy stuff that the kids like, but being the homemaker that I am, can't pass up the opportunity to cook. Last month I baked peanut butter cookies and white macadamia nut cookies for the class.
For today, I made Cookies on a Stick. The kids LOVE them and it's a fun snack. But more than that it's EXTREMELY EASY to make.

Wanna see what they look like??? Oh and let me just say that what I love about these is that you can use them at any time of the year, like for Valentine's day you can use heart shaped cookies, for Easter Oval shaped ones decorated like eggs etc....just use your imagination :)

Now tell me which kid won't love eating a cookie like that???

Ok so now for the last photos of this post. This is what happens when daddy is gone and we get bored LOL Jasmine I guess wants to take in her mommy's "papparazzi" footsteps, give her the camera and she just loves taking candid shots. Of course this time I WAS the one in the crosshairs. First the kids wrestle me to the ground, beat me up (not really but hey if it makes them feel strong), and then she takes photos of my messed up hair. SHE said it was to show everyone my new haircut and highlights....I SAY it's just to embarass me, and so because I love my family and all my friends so much, I am not ashamed to post these. Now you look while I go hide my face for a few minutes.

Oh Lordy!!! Anyway, that's me when I'm bored, doesn't that look like so much fun??? NOT!!! LOL Actually it was fun messing around with the kids, just letting your hair down (literally) and saying "to heck with being a mommy right now". You should try it often it helps release stress.

And that is IT, I think I've either put some of your to sleep with all this babbling, or I may just have you in hysterics over my pictures....either way, it's amusement at it's best right???

Well my friends, I have tons of errands to run today, so I better get on with it. Have a great wednesday and Hey, go out and do something fun, but be sure to get pictures. Oh and I really want to know if you can tell what those green things are on the shelf....I'll let you know tomorrow what they are. Of course, I'm sure everyone will get it right, it's not Rock Science like Tara Reid says LOL

Adeus, Adios, Totsiens, Au Revoir, Ciao, Bye Bye!!!

For dinner we're having Bacon, Sausages, Biscuits and Gravy. Favorite kids breakfast and hey we all know how fun it is to have breakfast foods for dinner right??? I do miss cooking big meals though :)

Rachael Ray - *New*- The CW- 12pm

Scott Wolf is on the show today.

General Hospital - *New* -ABC- 1pm

Sam tells Jason she can't live without him. YAY!!!

Montel Williams - *New* - ABC - 3pm

Psychic Sylvia Browne.

The Biggest Looser - *New* - NBC - 8pm

After a frustrating week, the red team starts feeling the pressure. The teammates also try to win a free pass to prevent themselves from being eliminated. But then, they discover they're playing for $10,000 during an escalator challenge.

Running Errands
Budget
Appointments
Airman's Attic
Thrift Store

What a Wonderful Lord we have!!!

No matter how many times I witness the power of prayer in my life and in those close to me, it always takes me by surprise. I'm constantly in awe of His love!!!
I have an update about my MIL, most of you know what is going on because you've been reading my blog for a while, but for those that don't.

Back in August when my MIL was visiting us, she told us that she had just been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. It was a shock, especially for my husband and brother in law because their dad has just passed away 3 years ago due to cancer. The great thing about my MIL is that she's a devoted Christian, she's courageous and brave and I know that if anyone can deal with this prognosis, it would be her.

I posted that very same day about what was going on, and I asked for prayers for her. Of course being the wonderful blogging friends that you are, you all started praying and I want to thank you for the continued prayers, because they have already begun to pay off.
She recently started chemotherapy and she's had 3 chemo treatments so far, but here is the amazing thing.

This is an excerpt of the email we got last night, I'm just thrilled beyond words:

Do you believe in the power of prayer???? I sure do. And again I have proof that God is with me and answering the prayers that have gone out for me. Today I had my appointment with my doctor. He checked my tumor and said it has shrunk 50%. I thank and praise God for such a miraculous movement. The doctor was shocked. But I became excited immediately and gave God the glory for answered prayers. I had my third chemo treatment today. He wants me to get another mammogram. Then I may only have to have one more treatment. He is still talking about surgery -- but my prayer is that it will only be a lumpectomy. God is so good.

Praise the Lord indeed, how wonderful is that???? How good He is. Thank you all again for praying for her and for continuing to do so. This is what she said at the end of her email, which I think is just great proof of how calm and collected she's been through it all:

You can pray for me but please DON'T WORRY about me. I am in good hands. God will be with me and see me through this.

See she has the right attitude in dealing with this :) If you could continue to keep her in your prayers, I would really appreciate it!!!

So, it's cold here, and I know I've said it before, but this morning I actually had to scrape ice off my windshield. ICE.OFF.MY.WINDSHIELD!!! Something is not right here, it shouldn't be happening yet, which makes me think that we're heading for a really cold winter. Hopefully enough snow to make some good snowmen.

I was surprised at how fast yesterday went, I think the key is to stay busy. Before I knew it, it was bedtime, got the kids to sleep and then settled in for some TV and some reading. Catching up on the Bible, I might add. See I'm doing it again. I have this knack for getting extremely close to God and then suddenly things happen and before I know it, it's been a week or two since I last touched the Bible, and a while since I included Him in my day to day. I'm sure you understand that is exactly when things don't go quite as planned.

It all snowballs, from one tiny little incident to something slightly bigger and bigger, it just keeps rolling and I feel at times like I'm standing right in the path of that HUGE avalanche, desperately trying to get out of the way, but indirectly adding "fuel to the fire" so to speak.
Everyone always tells me that I seem to have it "all together", I seem to handle everything with such a positive attitude, and yes for the most part I do, but it takes a LOT out of me.

When I feel cornered I often think of myself as having "blinders" on. I am so focused on the here and now and the problem at hand, that I tend to overlook God. It's sad but true!!!
So I'm trying really hard to include Him again in everything I do, every little thing, it doesn't matter if I'm scrubbing toilets, washing dishes or fixing dinner, He loves me and He is interested in everything that I do, even the not so glamorous aspects.

So that's where I'm at right now, trying to find my way back to that wonderful calm and comfort that I felt not so long ago. It won't be easy I'm sure, nothing worth having ever is, but I'm willing to put up with whatever comes my way.

It's my turn to send in the class snack tomorrow, so I'm going to be baking Cookies on a Stick, the kids love them. They are extremely easy to make and it's a nice change from the usual plain cookies right???

I'm out off here, I have my cold coffee miserably sitting on my desk....it's beckoning for a refill and I'm only too happy to oblige. Have a wonderful day everyone!!!

For dinner we're making pizza, the kids love helping me and adding their own toppings. The recipe I'll be using for the dough, can be found here on my blog, it's a wonderful pizza dough recipe and the it always bakes up to a golden fluffy crust, it's just delicious.

Rachael Ray - *New*- The CW- 12pm

A mystery taster visits. Also: inexpensive table decorations.

General Hospital - *New* -ABC- 1pm

Elizabeth learns some important news about Maxie.

NCIS - *New* - CBS - 7pm

The murder of a petty officer who was working undercover as part of an arms operation leads the agents to a Russian spy, but Homeland Security throws a wrench in the case when they claim that the spy is working for them.

Law & Order SVU - *New* - NBC - 9pm

Dani (Connie Nielsen) has difficulty controlling her emotions while working to solve a sadistic double rape-homicide case involving a single mother and her young daughter. Jerry Lewis guest stars as a homeless man who becomes a suspect.

Ironing
Dishes
Cleaning upstairs bathroom
Cleaning driveway and backyard

Oh Lordy it's going to be a long two weeks......

You know I thought that after being a military wife for 8 1/2 years, that I would be used to hubby going away. I mean seriously, it's only two miserable weeks, I think of Courtney and Charla or Faith, and I have no room to talk, but hey, I miss my honey!!!

The kids have the hardest time, hubby wasn't even gone an hour and they were both crying and asking to talk to daddy. See, for Jasmine this is nothing new, she's been through it before, but for Nicholas this is pretty much like his first time away from daddy, the other times daddy was gone he was too young to understand anything. He's having a hard time, really hard time, it breaks my heart, but with the Lord's help we'll get through it just fine :)

I want to start this morning by saying a HUGE thank you to Dr. John from Dr. John's Fortress, he sent so many wonderful bloggers my way and I'm going to spend the morning visiting with them all, and of course my usual blogging friends :)
If you've never been over to visit him, please do so. He and his wife are such amazing people and I LOVE his blog, so if you get a chance today just pop on over and say hi, tell him that I sent you :)

It's a cold and rainy day, sorry I didn't mean to just leave you standing out there while I blabbed about other stuff.....come on in, I have hot coffee and cinnamon rolls hot out of the oven. Mmmmmm....nothing like one drenched with icing. I'm so bad!!!

Know what I'm going to miss??? Cooking!!! Yeah you heard me, you all know how much I love being in the kitchen, but really, with the husband gone it's just me and the kids and there's no reason for me to make elaborate dinners. They hardly eat anything and I'm not going to gobble down a meal for 4 or 6. Uhhh...no thanks!!! Though my thighs and behind get excited just at the thought!!!

Speaking of cooking, remember to go by Laura's blog today, she hosts her Menu Plan Monday and you're sure to find tons of great blogs participating, and if you make your own menus why not share them with us???

Also don't forget Theresa's Blog-O-Lantern contest coming up the week before Halloween, and then on the 1st of November I'm going to host Holiday Traditions, where you share your own traditions or if you're just wanting to start your own, I'm sure you can get tons of great ideas from everyone else. *Hint Hint*.....(please participate and help me spread the word)

I think it will be great to see what everyone does, what their family traditions are, new traditions that they've just started and even different heritage traditions. I can't wait!!!

We're getting ready for Jasmine's Halloween Class Party, but this year it's been changed to just a Fall Party because one of the kids doesn't celebrate Halloween. Jasmine of course wanted to know WHY??? Why doesn't he??? Doesn't he want to dress up???? Doesn't he like candy??? Isn't he going to feel sad when all the other kids go trick or treating????

This is the thing, for us Halloween is just about dressing up and trick or treating, that's IT. We don't go into details as to why or how, it's just a day to have fun. Now I'm not saying that everyone else who tells their kids what it's really about, is wrong. Far be it from me to say that, I don't judge what others do. But I'm just saying, for us, we try not to get into the whole background of it, far as I'm concerned, my kids don't need to know, if they ask, I'll tell them, but until they do, we'll just leave it at that.

How do you all deal with the Halloween issue??? Do you tell your kids everything about it or just let them think it's about dressing up and candy??? Do you celebrate Halloween or not???
I'm just interested in what everyone else does....curious ol' me at it again!!!

Anyway, I'm a DITZ!!! There I said it....I swear sometimes I wonder my brain goes. When hubby is not here I lock all the doors. Living on base is safe safer than living off base!!!
We don't have to lock our homes and cars, unless of course you have your purse with money just sitting on the passenger seat.....that would be asking for a bit much wouldn't it???

As I was saying....when hubby goes anywhere I lock all the doors. Even though we have the fire station right behind our house, and tons of neighbors around, cop cars driving by all the time....just makes me feel safer. So I leave this morning to go take Jasmine to school, I get back home and TADA!!! The doors are all locked!!! LOL
Then I realize that my house key doesn't work on the front door (don't ask why, I don't know). It works on the kitchen door, so I try that one, but the doorknob is loose, so it takes a while to get it in and then it opens the door....but now I can't get the keys out LOL

I'll have to go jiggle it a little more!!! If not, I'm sure Housing Maintenance can come by and fix it. *sigh* See what I mean about things happening when hubby leaves....but unfortunately this time it was my own stupidity at play!!!

I'm sorry am I babbling and boring you guys??? I seem to just go on and on at times, don't mind me. If you've actually read all the way through here, then WOW, you're fighting sleep or you do find what I have to say interesting....I'm hoping it's the last one.

Well I better get on out of here, my Blog Mobile is warmed up and I'm heading out for a little visit to your blogs. Hope you have hot coffee for me, it's coooooold outside!!!

God Bless,

As I stated above, this week's menus are going to be all about the kids and what they like. I am actually looking forward to eating breakfast for dinner, or cereal for dinner....the kids are thrilled too.

Tonight though I'm making some Chicken and Dumplings, been meaning to make it and haven't had a chance. Can't wait!!! :)

Rachael Ray - *New*- The CW- 12pm

A Sopranos "Sauce-Off" Competition.

General Hospital - *New* -ABC- 1pm

Lucky has his hands full with Maxie.

Wife Swap - *New* - ABC - 7pm

A former champion boxer trades families with a woman whose husband is a competitive eater. NFL player Lorenzo Neal has a cameo.

The Bachelor Rome - *New* - ABC - 8pm

The 12 remaining bachelorettes move into a villa, and before three rose-less ladies move out at the end of the episode, Lorenzo squires one, Lisa, around Rome's Villa Borghese. This doesn't make Lisa popular with some of her competitors. Group dates include a motor-scooter tour of Rome and a Mediterranean cruise, where one bachelorette passes out after drinking too much. There's also an emotional breakdown, suffered by Erica. And back at Lorenzo's villa, two bachelorettes break into his bedroom.

Putting Away Laundry
Knitting Jasmine's Scarf
Cleaning up Computer Files, Backing up Photos etc
Cleaning bedrooms
Cleaning downstairs bathroom

And to finish this post.....I saw this over at Flipflopmamma this morning, as well as on a few other blogs, thought I would play along LOL Funny how they couldn't come up with a celebrity to match my "caught in the headlights" deer look LOL

Enjoy LOL

Cold but pretty morning!!!!

Well come on in everyone, it's kinda chilly outside. We're only at 41 degrees and I actually had to put on a coat when I took the pugs out this morning. BRRRRR!!!
I have hot coffee and well, just good company I guess!!

Hubby just left about 40 minutes ago and we already miss him. Isn't that something???
The kids are already walking around saying "I miss daddy, when is daddy coming home?"
It's just hard for them to understand why daddy has to go somewhere else to work.

Jasmine asked me this morning "but doesn't he work here? Why does he have to go work somewhere else, don't they have people there?" LOL
*Sigh* the magic of military life!!!

So as with any other deployment or TDY, now we start the phone tag game. Making sure my cellphone is with me constantly or making sure I'm home when he is supposed to call.....there's nothing worse than coming home only to hear his voice on the machine. It's the WORST feeling in the world because you don't know when he'll have the chance to call again.

You know when hubby goes somewhere I get into cleaning moods. I guess I first started doing it as a defense mechanism to get me through the deployments....I felt that if I was cleaning and reorganizing and keeping busy, then the days would go by faster. If I just sit around, I can literally drive myself insane!!!
Guess now you know what I'll be doing a lot of these next few weeks LOL

What is it with kids and couch pillows??? Every time I turn around, they've removed them all and are using them as a trampoline.....or flying off the couch acting like Super Heroes. It's amazing how easily amused kids are, sometimes makes me wonder why we spend thousands of dollars on expensive toys when they're perfectly happy playing with furniture, empty boxes or pots and pans. With Christmas coming up, maybe we should just buy them an old couch to play with??? What do you think, would it work???

I have a ton of projects that I want to either finish or get a start on, and I'm thinking I'll be able to get them done within the next few weeks. I'm telling you, I will just be getting into something and then hubby will be back home, nothing like staying busy to make the time fly.
It's like "A watched kettle never boils", so we'll just look away from the kettle for a minute LOL

I'm about halfway done with Jasmine's Scarf, so I want to finish that up, with the weather being so cold lately she's going to need it soon.
I also have a couple of those little purses that I want to get done and one candlewicking pillow ready to sew and stuff. Just wish I had a room to myself, to use as a craft area for all my stuff. But hopefully one day!!!

I got laundry and ironing to do, a kitchen floor to sweep and mop, apparently the sticky spots on the floor were NOT made by the kids (so they say). Must be a an invisible person leaving a mess around the house, how unfortunate of me!!!

I have my Blog Mobile all warmed up and ready to go, so be forewarned, I'm coming your way for a quick visit. Have a wonderful sunday!!!

TO DO LIST:

Finish laundry
Iron
Sweep floors
Mop floors
Change bed linens
Put away laundry

I'm grabbing at every minute......

It just seems that time has flown by this past week and there's so much I need to get done, just don't have enough hours in the day. I'm trying to grab onto every minute, I guess in an attempt to stretch it or multiply it, not that it will work.

Hubby leaves tomorrow morning and there's still things that need to get done....most importantly making sure he has everything packed and ready to go.

Nothing more frustrating than getting a phone call from him saying that something got left behind. Last year when he was gone, he called me to tell me he had left his ATM card behind, YEAH, the ATM card.....so now he's in Vegas with $20 and no access to money. I had to use Western Union to send him some cash so he could eat....so that's definitely one incident we don't want to repeat.

So now, the day before he leaves, I start going into single parent mode. Getting the kids prepared for me being mommy and daddy, mechanic, carpenter, fix it all, and preparing myself to the usual things going wrong. Really, I mean it, you may think I'm kidding, but any military wife will tell you that usually when the hubby goes somewhere, that's when the weirdest things tend to happen.

Last year when he was gone, we only had the one vehicle, his truck. It worked perfectly fine while he was here, a few days after he left, I went to the commissary to get groceries, walk out to the truck with the kids, load up the groceries and then get in only to find that it won't start. So now I have two cranky kids, tons of food and I'm sitting there thinking "You have GOT to be kidding me". I couldn't get it to start at all, it was like the battery was dead. Finally a nice gentleman in uniform stopped to help me, he messed with the battery cable a bit and VOILA!!! It started right up.

It continued doing that, to the point where everytime we went somewhere, I was prepared to pop open the hood and mess with the cable to get it running. But then, something else came along. I would go to leave the house and the front left tire would be almost flat. I would air it up and the next morning, back to the same.

Then my washers hose broke, flooding the kitchen.
The minute hubby got back home, everything was fine. He has had NO problems with his car whatsoever, not even the tire goes flat anymore. How about that?!?!?

But anyway, like I said, with me being sick, then our beloved dog passing away, and now trying to get hubby ready to leave, I just haven't had time for anything.
No phone calls, emails or visiting my blogging friends.
I so appreciate your comments and knowing that you still visit me, I promise to be back to normal blogging tomorrow.

See I always thought that I was one of the most consistent bloggers, I haven't really ever missed a day. Not because I'm obsessed or addicted to it, but it's really become a place for me to vent, to let it all out or just to talk about anything I want. It sure helps a lot.

So I ask for you patience, believe me, next week I'll be back in full force and probably venting or whining about something and the kids and the husband being gone.

This afternoon I had to run to the library to return some movies. Now you KNOW me, I can not walk into the library without getting something. It would be like sending me into a Dunkin Donuts without getting at least one donut.....mmmmm donuts, maple frosted or or or boston kreme. OH why do I do this to myself???

Anyway, I got:

Fern Michaels - Fool Me Once
Beverly Lewis - The Englischer
Beverly Lewis - The Brethren
Jennifer Crusie - Anyone But You

I love those authors so I'm dying to get into these books. I did read The Englischer before, well actually almost finished it, but then had to return it and forgot to recheck it out....yeah yeah, not very bright on my part, so I'm re-reading that one.

I got 3 movies too:

The Brothers Grimm - I've heard mixed reviews on this one, so I guess I'll see for myself.
{Proof} - Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins, the movie trailers looked good, will see.
White Oleander - From the novel by Janet Fitch, starring Michelle Pfeiffer.

Will probably watch those next week sometime, that's the beauty of getting them at the library, you get to keep them a whole week, isn't that great???

Well I better get off here, my laundry just finished washing so it's time to switch it to the dryer, then I need to check on hubby's packing and check on dinner etc.

Hope you're all having a wonderful saturday, I'll be back in the morning and this time I'll be able to go on my usual "Morning Blog Drive", oh how I've missed that!!!

God Bless,

Well the Slow Cooked Sirloin from yesterday, ended up being for today. We had to run out and get a few things done for hubby's TDY, so we grabbed a bite to eat while we were out.

Right now I have that wonderful Sirloin warming up in the crockpot and it really smells good. I'm going to fix some mashed potatoes to go with, and some veggies. For dessert we have Brownie Sundaes. Yummy!!!

Little People Big World - *New* TLC 9pm

In the second-season opener, the twins turn 16 and celebrate with friends at the beach. During the party, Jacob starts acting out, so Matt and Amy devote more attention to him.

Laundry
Cooking
Helping hubby pack

IT'S A BETTER DAY!!!

Thank you all for the wonderful comments you left, it means the world to me and the family. It's always great knowing that there are others out there who understand what we're going through.

It's amazing how much a pet becomes part of the family. You don't really think too much about it until they're gone.

The little things are what get to me, the fact that I can't open the back door every morning and see her come running, wagging her tail just happy to see us, or not having her eagerly waiting for her Milk Bone Treat (she loved those).
So yesterday morning, I opened the back door and was not prepared for her not being there, so I had a bit of a breakdown, cried and cried, but it's a lot better now.

We're slowly getting used to the idea of not having her and I do thank God that she passed away before hubby left. It would have broken his heart if he was already gone when it happened. So you see there's always a positive to everything, you just have to look for it.

So we're getting ready for hubby to leave this weekend, and granted it's only for about 2 weeks, it's always hard seeing them go. You never quite get used to the constant TDY's and deployments in the military...you would have thought after 8 years of this it would be easier for me, but it really is not. There's nothing quite like having your husband with you everyday!!!

I have a couple things I need him to help me with before he leaves, and I really want him to take a look at my car and make sure everything is running fine. You have no idea how things break or stop working when he goes somewhere. It's actually become a joke between us!!!

We have nothing planned for today. The kids have had yesterday and today off of school, so we've been enjoying sleeping in and just hanging out. With the rain outside, it's just perfect for watching movies, cuddling on the couch and eating popcorn. Though the sibling rivalry is at it's peak....I swear these kids love each other to death but they can't go 30 minutes without screaming or yelling at each other, or fighting over a toy or the what to watch on the tv. Amazing!

With this weather, I've been enjoying my crockpot, and speaking of it, thank you to all who continue to play along every thursday. I'm slowly getting a wonderful collection of slow cooker recipes thanks to all of you :)

I've also met new wonderful blogging people. So I thought that I would mention them here so that you can all go over and say hi, that is if you've never met them.

This Mom's Life - Jill is a mom of four and she's only been blogging since September. I've enjoyed going back and reading her posts, boy was I happy to know that she loves books too :)

Shady Hill House - Emily has also just recently started blogging, in August to be exact. She's a Christian mom who is expecting her third child. Go on over and say hi if you have a chance.

Urban Christian Gal - Mrs K. is also new to blogging, just started this week. She brings a new perspective into blogging, the one from someone living an urban lifestyle in what she calls "cement city" LOL

Well I'm off to my food blog, need to post tonight's dinner recipe and also get my Five Ingredients Friday post up. If you're interested in joining, just go over to Overwhelmed with Joy for a list of other participants sharing recipes that are 5 ingredients or less.

Hope you're all having a wonderful Friday, I'll see you all back here tomorrow morning :)

I mentioned that I'm using my crockpot alot this week, so today is no exception. It already smells wonderful in the house, we're having Slow-Cooked Sirloin.

Rachael Ray - *New* The CW 12pm

Michael Bolton performs on a program that features recipes for a movie-themed party.

General Hospital - *New* ABC 1pm

Maxie has some very surprising news for Lucky.

Ghost Whisperer - *New* CBS 7pm

The ghost of a drowned girl haunts her home's new owners, clients of Delia's real-estate business. Melinda attempts to help while keeping her ability a secret, which jeopardizes her budding friendship with Delia and the young couple who moved into the haunted house.

Nanny 911 - *New* Fox 8pm

A family with three out-of-control children and a dad who's more interested in cycling than parenting gets help from Nanny Stella.

Most Haunted - *New* Travel Channel 10pm

Craigievar Castle is visited in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, for a paranormal investigation. Host: Yvette Fielding.

Cleaning
Laundry

It's a sad day in our household!!!

The Slow Cooking Thursday post is just below!!!

The reason there were no posts yesterday is because after 14 years of having a wonderful dog, she passed away. Our Misty!!!

We knew this day would come, during the past 4 years she progressively got slower, couldn't control her bladder, and just became quieter. It broke our hearts.

This was my husbands dog, he had her for 14 years and I remember when we first got married she took me in, she was my company when hubby had to work or deploy. She slept with me on the bed while pregnant and became extremely protective. We used to laugh because hubby would try to hug me and she would get between us.

When Jasmine was born, Misty was ecstatic, she acted like it was HER baby. She played with her, she slept next to her and just adored her. Through the years we got cats and other dogs, and Misty welcomed them all, never once did she resent them, she sort of adopted them all, they were HER babies. What a wonderful dog she was!!!

While I was getting the kids ready yesterday morning, I heard a howl outside. I looked out the window and saw Misty howling and crying and then just drop to the ground. I ran out and checked on her, she wasn't moving much and I just knew in my heart that this was it, this was the day we knew would come but were so desperately trying to avoid.

Within an hour, she had moved to a different spot in the yard. Right underneath the kids swing set, a place she loved to be when the kids were outside playing. She remained in the same spot for the rest of the day. I got down and petted her and told her I loved her and it just broke my heart. I was gone for the rest of the day, had errands to run, hubby and the kids were home. They checked on her all the time and eventually around 5pm, hubby thought it was time for the kids to say goodbye to her, which they did through tears and cries. Then he said his goodbyes too.

I got home shortly afterwards and we ate dinner, when I went to check on Misty, she was gone. My heart is breaking, I have such wonderful memories of our beautiful dog, like this one, where she wanted to be a part of everything we did, even going down slides with Jasmine.

She brought so much love to this house, and with her passing, much sadness.

My husband is devastated, this was HIS baby. Nothing like seeing your husband sitting on the ground next to his beloved dog, sobbing and heartbroken, and there's nothing you can do to make it better.

So Misty, we love you, thank you for the hugs and the kisses, thank you for being the best pet anyone could ever wish for. The only comfort I have through all this is the fact that I KNOW you're in Heaven, you're running free, no more old body to weigh you down, no more walking slowly, you're RUNNING and you're happy. WE'LL NEVER FORGET YOU!!!

The kids are having a hard time, especially Jasmine. It breaks my heart because there's nothing I can do to make the pain go away. She knows that Misty is in Heaven and that she will always be with her, but she's only 7 years old, right now she feels pain and hurt from loosing the best friend she's known all her life.

I ask that you please pray for my daughter's and my husband's heart to heal over this, and to bring Jasmine some comfort. If anyone has any ideas on how to make this easier for her, I would appreciate it, I'm having a hard time being the mom and acting positive when my heart is broken too.

If there's one thing that this shows me, is that life is precious, our pets are precious, hugs yours today, let them know that you love them, and honor them for all the love and laughs they bring us daily!!!! I would give anything to be able to hug Misty again!!!

SLOW COOKING THURSDAY!!!

With fall just around the corner and so many wonderful recipes being shared, constantly, amongst the blogging ladies....I thought that it would be neat to have a feature every thursday, just for crockpot recipes.

What do you think??? You have some great recipes to share, or perhaps you're looking for some delicious ones to give you a reason to pull out the ol' crockpot???

Well it's thursday ladies and you know what that means. Time to pull out those crockpots and put them to good use. If you want to join in, just grab the banner and add your name to Mr Linky :)

BEER BRISKET

2 lg. onions, sliced 1 beef brisket (3-4 lb), trimmed of fat 1 bottle (12 oz) beer 1/2 cu bottled chili sauce 2 tsp dried steak seasoning

Place onions in slow cooker. Top with meat. If necessary, cut beef to fit into slow cooker.

Mix beer, chili sauce, and steak seasoning. Pour over onions and meat.

Cover. Cook on low 10 to 12 hours.

To serve, remove meat from cooking liquid. Thinly slice meat across grain.

Using slotted spoon, remove onions from cooking liquid and place on top of meat.

It's quiet today.....

For some reason things seem really quiet. Nicholas is not watching TV or playing loudly with his toys, he's just playing quietly in the living room.

I'm not used to this, I'm used to noise and chaos. Isn't it weird how we complain about these things and then the minute they stop we somehow get panicky "what's going on, why is everything so quiet and normal?".
It just goes to show that we're never really happy with the way things are, we'll I'll always find something to complain about.

Curt has been in combat training this week. Not only are they really long days, like 14 hours for them, but they're crawling through mud and getting downright dirty. He walked in the door last night and immediately stripped off his clothes, they went STRAIGHT in the washer, no one was allowed near him until after his shower. LOL
I have never seen so much dirt on a person, I didn't even know it was possible to accumulate so much.

Tomorrow he's back to midshift, or graveyard shift as some of you know. Not much time left before he leaves on Sunday and with school and work and life, time will just fly by.

I don't have much time to post today, have a couple errands and appointments to get to. I did finish the two meme's I was tagged for, so look on the post below for those.

You know I'm a HUGE General Hospital fan, or actually more of a Jason and Sam fan, but good grief lately it's really getting on my nerves. You know it's bad when a tv show can make your blood boil. I still can't stop watching it though, what to do what to do??? LOL

Anyway, I hope you're all having a wonderful day. Please say a prayer for the families of the little girls killed in yesterday's senseless shooting at the Amish Schoolhouse. What is this world coming to???

My thoughts and prayers are with the familes and the whole community.

God Bless,




I have a great Creamy Beef Stroganoff in the crockpot. It already smells delicious :)
I'll post the recipe for you all at the food blog later today.




Rachael Ray - *New* The CW 12pm

Recipes for people with food allergies.

General Hospital - *New* ABC 1pm

Sam and Jason go their separate ways.

WIC appointment
Running Errands

Tagged Twice!!!

So my wonderful blogging friends Becky and Susanne, tagged me for some fun memes. I hadn't been tagged in forever, guess no one finds me interesting enough LOL Just kidding!!!

Well here we go, Becky's first since she tagged me last week (sorry Beck's but better late than never right?).

And now I tag.....wait don't start running, let me tag you first, you'll enjoy it, I mean you'll enjoy the tag. Ok, so I'm tagging for both memes:

Brony
Morning Glory
Carrie
Christina
Addie

1) Five Minutes to Yourself. How would you spend them, ideally?
Using the bathroom without a kid audience or without the kids all of a sudden needing to go so bad and making me wait. Frustrating I tell ya LOL

2) Five dollars to spend right now. How would you spend it?
On a book of course, where else would you spend extra money??? Definitely books!!!

3) Five Items In Your House You Could Part With Right Now?
A. The prenatal vitamins that I was supposed to be taking in case I wanted another baby, AIN'T happening!!!
B. The chocolate flavored Coffee Creamer, it's horrible, sorry!!! (christina don't hate me lol)
C. The tons of toys seemingly multiplying through the house.
D. The phone, I really really hate the phone.
E. The bills sitting on the counter....isn't there a bill fairy somewhere???

4) Five Items In My House You Could Absolutely Never Part With?
A. My computer.
B. My bookcases.
C. Our Tv.
D. My kitchen stuff (sorry I can't just name 1, I LOVE cooking)
E. My nasal spray and stuff, thanks to my defective sinus passages.

5) Five Words You Love?
A. Love
B. dagnabit
C. mommy
D. food
E. coffee

And now the wonderful Susanne's tag:

1. Favorite memory of your mother:
My parents divorced when I was two years old, and because my mom couldn't afford to keep me and my three brothers, we stayed with my dad.
Through the years my mom and I haven't really had the best of relationships, we fight like cat and dog and just couldn't be in the same room for too long without some major argument breaking out.
The older I got the more I started understanding what it's like to be a mom, and hence my relationship with her has progressively gotten better. My favorite memory of my mom is when I was turning 5 or 6 years old (can't remember which), and she came to pick me up from my dad's house, she took me out for the day and then bought me this huge pink teddy bear. I kept him all these years and he's still back home in South Africa. Whenever I missed my mom, I would hug the teddy bear and it was like she was there with me. I never forgot that day :)

2. Favorite memory of my dad:
I'm daddy's girl, especially since I'm the only girl in the middle of three boys. Dad was a hard worker, he had 3 kids to raise and that meant working a LOT, which didn't give him much time to spend at home with us.
As we got older, we were involved in the Family Radio Station, putting on concerts and shows etc.....it was a family of talented people, I tell ya.
I think one of my fondest memories is of singing with my dad and then later on in life, after I was married and my hubby had to return to the States first, I was pregnant and scared and having a hard time leaving my family behind. My dad drove me to my first OB appointments and that meant the world to me, the fact that he took time off his busy schedule to drive me to a place that most men dread LOL

3. Favorite memory of your sibling(s):
Oh boy, there are SO many great memories of my brothers. Like I said, I was the only girl but that never made a difference, I didn't get special treatment, I was just one of them and had to fight for what I wanted. At the time I hated it, but now I am so happy that they treated me that way, they turned me into a fighter and I have them to thank for my survivor spirit.
We did a lot of crazy things together, played cowboys and indians, cops and robbers, we played with their cars and they even played with my dolls with me, although it was under the pretense of playing hospitals.
My fondest memories is of me and my brothers back in Portugal, we would build go carts and then since me and my youngest brother were too small to ride our own, my brother Miguel would take me and my brother Paul would take Bruno. It was just so much fun and I treasure those moments :)

4. What one skill would you like to wake up tomorrow and be able to do (though you'd never learned it):
I have to agree with Susanne, I would love to wake up and have a Grand Piano in my living room, walk up to it and just play. Play beautiful music!!! I would even settle for playing a guitar, I think that would be wonderful.

5. Which one of your dreams has come true:
Man why just one??? I can't just stick to one thing, there's so many LOL
Funny though because growing up I would always joke with my family. I have a birthmark on my right arm, right above my elbow, and it looks like an A. So I always joked that it meant that I would one day marry an American and move to America and have little American kids running around. Ummmmmm.....VOILA!!! We just laugh about it now, it's actually freaky that it came true, but I'm so glad it did, I have the best husband and kids ever :)

There's a WHOLE LOTTA COOKING going on....

First thing, before you even go any further, if you haven't already done so, I suggest you RUN, not walk, RUN RUN over to "Overwhelmed with Joy". She is hosting the "Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style" recipe exchange today.

Go share some of your favorite recipes or be prepared to be overwhelmed by food. Yes, I made the mistake of visiting some of the blogs before breakfast and now I'm just starving, salivating and hallucinating the holiday table filled with all that yummy food.

So here, I am looking out for you, here's a cup of coffee and some bacon and eggs, oh and toast, this way you won't be affected as badly as I was.

I've been sitting here getting prepared for the recipes, trying to figure out how to save them all, and there's so many that I'm overwhelmed with joy (literally). So I made a folder in my Bookmarks called "Holiday Cooking" and I'm saving all the links there, later during the week, I'll go through and individually copy them, print them out etc. I figure with so many great dishes to try I will probably have enough to make my own little cookbook....how neat huh???

With all this Holiday talk it got me thinking about my family traditions. Reading about some of the other ladies' traditions also brought back great memories from my childhood and it got me wondering if maybe we could have a Holiday Tradition Day, maybe November 1st???

We could all share our family traditions, different heritages and beliefs, it would be really neat to see how everyone celebrates their holidays. It would be a great place to also get some ideas for those that want to start their own but don't quite know what works for their family. So what do you think, will you join me on November 1st for some Family Holiday Traditions???

It won't be hard, and nothing that you have to really prepare for, just help me spread the word (if you wish of course), use the banner above and then on the 1st of November, I will put up a Mr. Linky and we can all share our traditions. See??? Not hard at all :)

The kids were really disappointed about the Pumpkin Farm, but we told them that there is still one weekend before Halloween, after daddy gets back, so we're planning on going then. Because we couldn't go, we decided to go get a few Halloween Decorations and let them do what they wanted. So this is what we have going on so far:

Just excuse the leaves in front of the door, I haven't swept those up yet or put away the hose. Hubby and I are going to put all the summer stuff away this saturday, so that he'll help me before he leaves.

I also picked up a wonderful candle called "Pumpkin Pie"....OH.MY.WORD!!! It's just amazing, makes me crave pie all day long. Although now that I think about it, I don't know if that's a good thing, since the potpourri you see on the top picture is called Pumpkin Pie Spice and THAT alone makes me gain 2 pounds everytime I walk in the kitchen.

Woke up this morning to cloudy skies and really cold temperatures. You know it's dark outside when your children ask you on the way to school, "why are we up already, isn't it still night time?", you look at the clock in the car and it says 8:15 am. Oh Glorious Fall!!!!

As I was driving back home I couldn't help but to ooohhh and aahhhh at the trees that abound our neighborhoods. There's orange, green, yellow, brown and a beautiful pinkish red.
Here's an example...I took the picture two weeks ago and then this morning again, look at the difference, how beautiful :)

Well it's lunch time for Nicholas, so I better get moving. Don't forget again, go on over to "Overwhelmed with Joy" for the Holiday recipe exchange, and also don't forget to check Laura's blog for her Menu Plan Monday.

OH Boy, hubby and I are in trouble......

So this whole week we've been telling the kids we're heading to the Pumpkin Farm today. Everyone was excited, I mean, the thought of the hay rides, the corn maze, the 50-100 lb pumpkins and just having a great family day before hubby heads out next week.

Well, I got up this morning and called up the Farm just to get directions, and they told me that they were not opening today, they were supposed to but something came up. WHAT?!?!?!
No, No, you don't understand, I have a 7 year old and a 3 year old who have been waiting for this all week, and yes I even bribed them a couple times to get things done around the house. Well not really a bribe more of a reminder "remember the pumpkin farm on sunday, can you be a good boy for mommy and pick up the toys?".

And now??? What do I tell them??? Well I mean, obviously the truth, but it breaks my heart to think how disappointed they're going to be. I know we won't be able to go this week with everyone's schedules, and then hubby leaves next weekend.....*sigh*

Just my luck that the farm would close!!! I suppose I could try to find some other place for pumpkins nearby, but I doubt it, we're pretty much in the middle of nowhere.

As if having this cold wasn't enough, my mouth has decided to erupt like Mt. Vesuvius. I just woke up to another cold sore on my upper lip. What is going on??? I really should be used to them, I get a few a year, but everytime it happens I'm still all panicky and trying to avoid eye contact with anyone, covering my mouth. Why do I do that???? I mean really, I'm sure other people could care less whether I have a HUGE cold sore on my lip.

I've been feeling really miserable lately, I know that it's due to being sick, but none the less frustrating. For some one who is used to constantly being on the go, it's hard to feel like I just want to lay down. The Lord has been helping me along, I think He's had to carry me a couple of times and yet He remains faithful to me. How amazing is He???

I have come to the realization that women are extremely resilient and stronger than we give us credit for. How many colds and flus have we fought off while doing laundry, working, driving kids around, grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning and taking care of equally sick children??? Isn't that something??? We don't just get to lay down in bed and rest the cold away, and I for one have come to appreciate myself and other women a LOT more.

A couple of you asked about my haircut. It turned out good, I didn't do anything drastic, just went in and got some layers done. I have super heavy hair and I just can't have it all one length. I'm glad it wasn't anything THAT different because it came just in time for the Family Portrait.

We got our pictures taken yesterday. One of the four of us which will be used for our 16x20 portrait, and then we got one of me and hubby, one of Jazzy and one of Nic and then one of the kids together. We'll have them on the 13th of October, and I just can't wait. They're all done in Sepia which I love. Don't worry, I'll post the pictures and will send them off to family too :)

I hadn't realized how much I had done yesterday, until I finally stopped at night. When I pulled off my boots and my feet were aching so bad, that was the sign that maybe I overdid it a bit. So I took my bath and then crashed in bed at 7pm. Daddy gave the kids a bath and then kept them downstairs with him. We try to do this every night, even if I'm not sick.

After dinner and bath, daddy always takes them for an hour or two, they get to spend time with daddy and play together, and mommy gets those two hours to just lay in bed, read, watch tv or even put away laundry without kids grabbing the clothes from the baskets and throwing them around. It works great for everyone :)

So anyway, I didn't find anything interesting on tv, so I popped in my movie "Charlotte Gray". I loved it, it's one of those great war love stories, a must for a chick flick lover. It's based on Sebastian Faulk novel and I for one can't wait to read it :)

Oh and speaking of reading I found this really neat thing while surfing the net for books. It's called the Literature-Map. You type in the name of an author you read, and it brings up a TON of related authors that you would probably enjoy, it's really neat. When I typed in L.M. Montgomery I got names like Jane Austen, Julie Garwood, Charles Dickens and John Grisham.
Go ahead give it a try and see what comes up for you.

And with that I think I better get moving. I actually got to sleep in today, Nicholas and I woke up at 9am....YIPPEE!!! Now THAT is sleeping late LOL




While running around all day, we ended up not eating the steaks in the crockpot. By the time I got home they were so tender and just shredding, so we're having Beef Sandwiches and a potato salad to go with.




Bertie and Elizabeth - Movie

In 1920, Elizabeth Bowes-Lytton accepted a dance from the Duke of York ("Bertie" to his royal friends). Soon, they fell in love, married and had children. But when Bertie's brother, Edward VIII, abdicated, Bertie improbably ascended to the throne of England -- something he never planned on doing -- as George VI. This is the story of the couple's life together as king and queen of England, ruling thoughtfully through eras of peace and world war.

Laundry
Run to Walmart

Holiday Traditions!!!

The Holidays, more specifically Thanksgiving and Christmas, are my favorite time of year, and I know that there are a lot of you out there that have Family Traditions that have either been carried on from generation to generation, or that you've started yourself.

I thought that it would be fun to hear about how everyone celebrates the holidays, and who knows for those who don't have any traditions of their own but would like to start some, it could be a place to get ideas.

So with that in mind, I thought that on the 1st of November, I would host a "Holiday Traditions" day. I will put up a post with my own traditions, and being that I'm portuguese, I will definitely be sharing tradtions from my heritage.

Would you like to join in and share your own???

Do you and your family have a special tradition every Christmas Morning, or maybe it's a special dinner for Thanksgiving??? Do you all go out on a certain day to get a Christmas Tree??? Is there a special ornament or fun way your family decorates for the holidays??? How about different Heritages, how are the holidays celebrated all over the world???

If you want to share with us your Family Traditions, just remember to come back here on the 1st of November, and in the meantime if you wouldn't mind helping me spread the word, just grab the banner and maybe give a little shout out???

And feel free to share recipes, or music or favorite things to do, the more visual the better. If you have photos even better :)

Hope to see you all here on the 1st of November!!!