Chili and Apple Dumplings!

Dinner is served.

Go on over to Full Bellies, Happy Kids for the recipes. I would offer to take you there myself but after eating both of these delicious dishes for dinner, I can't move, I really really can't without risking injury to myself LOL

MOM'S FIREHOUSE CHILI


APPLE DUMPLINGS

HOME SWEET HOME!

Morning Sunrise from my backyard

"Home is where the Air Force Sends you"

Truer words have never been spoken, you see as a military family you never really get to place your roots down in one particular place, you're more like nomads going around, settling down over here and over there. There's no specific tree in my yard that I can point out to the children and say "when you were 2 years old, you used to.........".

But that's ok, we love our life and we love being in the military. How many people get to visit and live in so many different states, sometimes all over the world without actually having to pay for it? So we think of it as paid vacations, something we'll one day think back on and remember with love.

So after being in this house for 8 months, we're moving tomorrow, to another house on base, just a few streets.

I won't be here to post, I will be busy but I did go by the new house earlier and got some pictures, it all looks so bare right now, but give me a few days and I'll be posting the photos with everything done, our new NEWHOME.


This is the front of the house and you know what those three plants are under my kitchen window? Honeysuckle...how awesome is that?

My kitchen, everything is pretty much the same as this one just that it's facing the other way. Just imagine we took my house now and flipped it.

The guest bathroom, with a skylight

Backyard......

Ohhhhhh Ohhhhh be still my heart! It's a Clothesline EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Excuse my clear excitement over something as trivial as that but I'm sure my older readers KNOW how much I miss mine back in South Africa.

I can already picture my sheets and my tablecloths hanging there in the summer sun.

From the backdoor facing the kitchen and the hallway on the left.

Now remember that ORANGE tree? LOL It seems that overnight it turned into a LEMON tree. No I'm not kidding, I could have sworn it was an orange tree so you must imagine my surprise when I got there today and saw it filled with lemons. HUGE lemons.

Lemonade, Lemon Meringue Pie, Lemon Cake, Lemon Muffins. Ohhhhh Yum!


Love my Honeysuckle!

So there you go a first look at my new home, there will be more to follow in the next few days, and just to show you how big the lemons really are, here's a picture of Nicholas with the one he picked.

I have to laugh that thing is almost as big as his head


What did we do with our first lemon??? Well it's really hot here today so when the temperature heats up, one of our favorites things is a glass or in this case a McDonald's cup *snicker* with ice, coke and a slice of lemon. Oh heaven!

I'll be back tonight with two new recipes for you.

Our dinner which is Mom's Firehouse Chili, it's been simmering in the crockpot all day and it smells divine.......and for dessert? Are you ready for this????

Apple Dumplings baked in MOUNTAIN DEW! My hips are rejoicing, my thighs are clapping along and my poor waist is crying because it's worked so hard exercising and now it knows what fate awaits it. But it's ok, the next few days I'll work out all the excess Apple Dumplings while pulling and hauling a house around.

Oh my poor friend Susanne!

One of my favorite bloggers is Susanne at "Living to Tell the Story".

Unfortunately on Tuesday she fell down her stairs and broke her hand, apparently it's broken in such a way that she will need surgery on Monday so they can insert pins in her hand.

You know Susanne is one of those amazing women that you just can't help loving, she always has a way of making you smile and shares her love for the Lord constantly on her blog.

Shalee over at "Shalee's Diner" is keeping us updated on her and has asked us all to bring our friend Susanne to the Lord in prayer and petition starting today and covering her through at least next Wednesday. Praying at least once a day for her.

I certainly can do that and I know a lot of my readers know Susanne too, so let's pray for a quick recovery for her. She continues in good spirits and just asks that the Lord help her heal quickly so she may return to work soon.

The calm before the storm....or the day before the move?

Good Morning everyone, isn't that a beautiful sunrise?

You know I find myself squinting when I look at the photo LOL
I can just picture you all with your hands up to your foreheads covering the sun's glare as you gaze into your monitors.

It's thursday and I'm already mostly packed, I'm not packing the whole entire house, since we're moving just a few streets down, we're going to try and keep things built and together as much as possible.

Really, I just went through an ocean of packed boxes 8 months ago and it's not something I want to revisit anytime soon.

Thank you all for the prayers and thoughts for Jasmine, she came home from school yesterday and said her headache was returning but it wasn't very bad and it only really seemed to hurt when she ran or stomped around too hard. So I'm convinced this is all from her stuffiness and cold that's still lingering around.
She woke up this morning fine and with no aches at all, praise the Lord.

She's off to school, in her cute little braids and looking as sweet as sugar. Just love my little girl, one look at her face and I want to scoop her into my arms and hide her from the world.

So I tell you what's going on here, other than packing, I've been enjoying watching some good shows on the tv and reading my "The Constant Princess" book. I'm almost done with it and have loved it as much as I did the previous one. I truly truly enjoy Phillipa Gregory, what an amazing writer she is.

One show that I really enjoy is American Idol, I watch it every year since it started and I'll be honest and admit that usually it's the auditions that I watch for, I love watching the ones that can't sing. What can I say, it's like a train wreck, you know it's bad but you can't seem to pull away.

I do have some favorites this year, from the boys, David Archuleta is by far my number one pick, this kid can sing and wow, just amazed at him. If you missed this past Tuesday's performance, you have GOT to watch it....he sang Imagine by John Lennon and he had me in tears.

From the girls I enjoy Carly and Syesha.

But here is what annoys me on the show, the continuous fighting and bickering between Ryan Seacrest and Simon Cowell. I will admit right here and I may be in the minority, but I do like Simon, I think he's harsh at times but for the most part he is brutally honest and tells them what everyone is thinking but too afraid to say.

I find it disgusting that Ryan will go out of his way to attack him OR exclude him from the judge's names. What is that about? Where is the professionalism that is supposed to be part of this?


But moving on, I added a new recipe to the Food Blog for Crockpot Stuffed Green Peppers. They're SO good, the kids love the filling but completely obliterate the green peppers, it's very sad to sit there and watch them butcher the poor veggie. Tsk Tsk Tsk!

And if you have leftover filling, you can make yourself a burrito. That's what I did, I'm thinking next time I may add in some refried beans. YUM!

I want to stay and chat and catch up but I can't. We start moving tomorrow which means there's TONS to do and not enough hours in the day.

Curt is off tomorrow and the next week for the move, so I'm going to have him watch Nicholas in the morning while I got get the groceries. At first I thought I would wait until monday to do it, but people have to eat and unless I want to feed them some sour cream, or a couple olives and maybe a can of soup....I don't see how it will work.

So here's my to do list for today:

1. Write up menus for the next two weeks
2. Make the grocery list for tomorrow
3. Write up the budget and bills to be paid, U-Haul rental and school yearbook etc.
4. Put away 4 baskets of clean laundry
5. Continue packing

I don't particularly FEEL like doing any of it, but I gotta do it.

Oh I have to tell you that for the past 3 weeks I've been doing the Slim in 6 Weeks exercise program. I do it every day, take a break on the weekends, I've dropped 4 lbs and I've lost 2 inches off my waist, my shorts and pants are actually baggy on me. I'm SUPER THRILLED and so glad. I've actually worked the exercise into my daily routine so that between 3:30 and 4pm, that's mommy time, it's great.

I'm extremely proud of myself AND my legs have never looked better either, nothing like toned shapely legs to make you feel good about yourself :)

With that I'm out. I may do a quick check in post tomorrow, probably towards the night when I'll have pictures of the new house for you and the beginning of the move.....but then you won't hear from me until monday of next week, if I'm lucky. I think I've left enough reading material on my blog to keep you occupied, it's not like you'll miss me being gone anyway, I usually just talk about random stuff, nothing that interesting and deep LOL

God Bless everyone, I leave you with this prayer for the family. It always brings me peace.

O Loving God,
bless our family with your love.
Guard us from all danger and harm;
deliver us from anger that leads to division;
empower us to forgive as we have been forgiven;
and send us into the world
to witness to your love and grace;
in the name of Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.

Slow Cooking Thursday

All my slow cooking recipes are now online and starting today, I will add all the recipes shared weekly to my online del.icio.us site too. So if you're wanting to find ALL the slow cooked recipes that have been shared since the first SLOW COOKING THURSDAY, here is the link for you.

Don't forget to add your name to Mr Linky and a link back to your SCT post so others can come by and see your recipe too.

DEVILED SWISS STEAK
Credit: Taste of Home Slow Cooker Recipes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 beef flank steaks (1 pound each), halved
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 can (28 ounces) stewed tomatoes
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, mustard, salt and pepper. Add steaks and shake to coat. In a large nonstick skillet, brown steaks on both sides in butter.

Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Top with onion. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar; pour over meat and onion. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender.

Yield: 8 servings

There's nothing worse than a parents worry!!!

Jasmine has been sick with a cold on and off. Yesterday she still had a bit of a cough in the morning but since then it seems to have dissipated, but last night when she came running to me to say goodnight, she suddenly grabbed the top of her head and yelled out that it hurt.

She went to bed and slept and when I woke her up for school this morning again she said the top of her head hurt. She got up and started walking around and said it was ok unless she turned her head from side to side or up or down, then it hurt really bad. I HATE things like that, as a mother your thoughts start going crazy and you start wondering what it is, what it could be, what it could mean. It's annoying and frustrating to me because the last thing you want as a parent is to see your child in any kind of pain.

Within 5 minutes the headache was gone and she was back to her normal bouncy self. Now I ask you parents out there, what do you think it could be? Have one of your kids had this happen before?

In my mind I'm thinking it's because she's been sick lately and coughing up a storm. I know for myself when I cough a lot it gets to a point where my head starts hurting.

So she's in school right now and I've prayed and I've placed it in the Lord's hands and ask that he make her better, but I can't get rid of the knot in my stomach or the constant worry. "I wonder if she's ok, I hope she's not getting another headache, what if the school calls?" I literally have to yell at myself to STOP and not make a mountain out of a mole hill.

Oh but isn't it so easy to do just that? With every single aspect of our lives? How often do we exaggerate things? Enter into panic mode and then later come to realize that all it was, was a waste of time where we could have been worry free.

It makes me think of the Nooma DVD's. If you've never heard them, they are by this wonderful Pastor Rob Bell, and my favorite by far is called "Rain". Here it is for you to watch.

I can totally relate to this, to being so caught up in the moment and so overwhelmed with my problems or worries that I forget and tune out the Lord's. I drown out His comforting voice and then start getting upset because He's NOT there. Correction, He is, I'm just too busy whining and complaining to realize it.


I'm feeling a little overwhelmed today, the move is suddenly become that much real, I have but 2 days to get ready for it and I wonder how I'll get it all done.

There's lists and plans to make it go as smoothly as possible and of course I've been praying for help and patience through this all. My problem is control, giving it over to someone else and not allowing myself to just relax...but I'm sure I'll be fine. I think Jasmine's headache this morning was the *straw that broke the camel's back*.

You know I'm typically a very positive person and let things slide right over me, I don't dwell on things and I don't let stuff get me down, but I also have my days, the days that I just want to crawl into bed and have someone else take care of ME. Have someone else take all the worries and the thoughts that annoy me.

That's when I realize that I've once again left the door open to the devil. You know if you let just a little crack open, he will take it. He will come right in and start placing negative thoughts in your mind, making you questions yourself and your faith. He's a sneaky bugger, so I'm closing the door and padlocking it, no more starting right this minute.

So I leave you today with a question:

How do you, personally, discern when you run into a road block, whether it is God testing you or the devil trying to block the path and merely needs to be overcome?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. I'll tell you that for me, I've noticed that when I become complacent and start putting everything and anything ahead of God, that is when I start facing trials, when things start going wrong, my health deteriorates or something unexpected comes out etc.

Then there's times that I'm never been closer to the Lord and something will happen that I know for SURE is the devil's doing, trying to break me down, trying to stop me from achieving what I want. There's no real way to tell, I just KNOW!

It's time for dinner!

I know, it's late and by now most of you or probably ALL of you have already eaten so here's an idea for tomorrow night's dinner.

Some down home yummy comfort food. Go on over to Full Bellies, Happy Kids for the recipe.

CHICKEN TETRAZZINI

Finally got word on the move!

February 26, 2008 - Luke AFB

After waiting around for a week or so, Housing called Curt at work yesterday and asked him why he wasn't moving....YESTERDAY! All I have to say to that is *bwhahahahahahahahahahaha*

Oh come on, really, yesterday?!?!?! So they forget to call us to tell us to pick up the paperwork and the house key, then just call and want us to move THAT day. Alrighty then, let me get right on that. LOL

So anyway, our move is now scheduled for Friday, so I'll be away at least for the weekend and Monday, I should be back on Tuesday, if everything goes according to plan. But I've learnt that things sometimes don't quite work the way you want them to, so I'm not sweating the small stuff and I've allowed myself room for mistakes and unexpected things.

Today I'm going to be packing, taking down pictures and shelves and whatnot.....anything that is NOT a necessity for our daily life is coming down. Curt has the whole of next week off for the move, so we're going to take the opportunity to go and get my social security taken care of, then drive on over to get the kids passports taken care of too.

Not too much time left now....... before we know it May will be here and I'll be packed and heading to the airport on the way to South Africa. Please continue praying that we're able to get everything done on time and make this trip possible....it's been way too long since I've seen my family, almost 10 years.

We had one of the most beautiful sunsets last night. I don't think I'll ever get used to the Arizona skies, every single day there's something new, something standing out and making us aware of the beauty that is the Lord's work. He knows that I am not thrilled to be here, if I had my wish I would still be back in beautiful Idaho, but He also knows that I'm trying my best to adapt and to embrace our new home for the next 2 or 3 years and I think being aware of the beauty around me makes it so much easier to deal. I find that after I've witnessed yet another gorgeous sunset, I smile, I take a deep breath and say "I can do this, it's not that bad" It really isn't!

So grab your cup of coffee and be prepared for some stunning sunset pictures....the progression from late afternoon to dark skies is amazing.









You all know that I LOVE television and love watching all the different shows but there are some out there that make me sick to my stomach and I refuse to watch.

One of them is that disgusting new show called "Moment of Truth", it's appalling to say the least, the lengths some people will go to for some money. I watched the very first episode and didn't even make it through the whole thing, I got about halfway and turned it off, but yesterday while I was watching Little People, Big World (which I LOVE LOVE LOVE), I was surfing through the channels during a commercial and caught a piece of it. Some woman who sat there in front of her husband and admitted that she should be married to her ex boyfriend and then admitted that she had sexual relations with other people during her marriage.....I mean REALLY.....gross, gross, gross.

But as I was saying some shows I do love, like the one I mentioned above about the Roloff Family and Jon and Kate plus Eight, about the couple who have twin 6 year old girls and sextuplet 3 year olds. I enjoyed watching the one last night where they took an airplane trip to Utah. LOL
Curt had just gotten into bed and he watched about 5 minutes of the airplane ride and turned to me and said "Oh heck no......there is NO way I could do that" LOL

I'm going to get on the packing wagon right now, I have so much to do and so little time.

But I won't leave you without anything to do, I'll give you some ideas on what is being talked about in Blog Land right now.

If you go on over to Brandy's site, she has put up a link to the webpage for Erin, the 14 year old little girl that is still so very sick, please continue to keep her in your prayers.

If you're hungry and craving some Winter Breads to go with this nasty cold snowy weather some of you are getting....go visit Kelli, she has Banana Bread and Orange Spice Loaf with Marmalade Butter....*drool*

Katy has a great post on Proverbs - A guide to successful living in Christ, and the theme today is about marriage and not straying. She would love your thoughts on it :)

Speaking of great posts that make you think, the sweet Sarah had a great one yesterday, I have had to reread the article again because there's so much in there. Go on over and take a look.....there's some great discussion going on in the comments section.

If you're hungry (I know I always am LOL), the wonderful Barb posted a great beef stew recipe which I'm going to try this coming week, AFTER the move.

You in the mood for some biscuits????

I just made these for dinner to go with our spaghetti, they're great for when you don't have any Garlic Bread available.......they're quick and easy too, I promise!

AND I dare you to eat only one *wink*

Quick and Easy Garlic Cheese Biscuits!

For more recipes check out my food blog "Full Bellies, Happy Kids"

Hey Blogger, just a thought.....

but do you think you could maybe, just maybe, try using verification words that require normal eyesight and not x-ray or telescopic one ????

See I am a Stay at Home Mom and contrary to belief that we sit on the couch eating bonbons, I'm usually quite busy and sneak in a little blog time when I can, so it defeats the purpose if I spend oh....10 minutes just trying to get the right word combination out? Your m's look like n's....your r's look like I don't know what, so I tend to just go with what MY eyes are seeing, but apparently it's not up to your standard because you keep spitting out my comment and telling me to "Enter the letters as they are shown in the image."

So while attempting AGAIN to decipher your verification word, the conversation between me and Jasmine went something like this.....


Me - Dagnabit what is that?
Jasmine - Mommy that's a M...see?

*I type in blah blah blah M blah blah and enter, wrong........I did it wrong*

Me sighing - that was not a M. Jasmine - Well....that's what it looks like..... Me with my eyes almost glued to the monitor..... - it's an I and a N but it's stuck together so it looked like an M right? I mean that's what it was? Jasmine - I don't know, can I just go back to reading my book now.?


Pffttt, if I could SEE the right words I may get it, but as it is, I usually only get it right after the 5th or so attempt in every single blog I go to that uses these words. See this is affecting mother/daughter relationships everywhere. So please, fix it?

Guess I'll get an email from Blogger saying "it's not us it's YOU". I'm ready for it! Those are fighting words LOL



Now that my vent is out of the way, why don't you come on in, I promise I won't make you verify words to enter my house *snicker*

It's a nice day outside, we're still a little cloudy but it's hot and no rain in sight, which makes it a joy to be outdoors.

Jasmine is home sick today, she's been coughing and was a little warm today, she also complained of a headache and this is a child that LOVES school, so unless she's really feeling sick, she won't ask to stay home.

She's laying on the couch watching her favorite movie "Sky High". She LOVES anything to do with Super Heroes, Justice League and X-Men, Superman and Spiderman, Catwoman and Wonder Woman and all of the above. But she never watches movies alone, the pugs love watching tv with her, so if she's on the couch, we will always find one or both of the pugs with her.

This is Jasmine and Lola, the youngest Pug, she's such a lovable animal, she'll be perfectly content laying in someone's arms all day.

Nicholas is playing on the computer while his sister watches tv. He said she could, he was allowing her to watch her movie, I would just like to know since when has he become the master of the house, the one that makes these decisions LOL



I have never seen a 4 year old that is so good with computers. This child has been around computers and technology since he could walk and he's developed a real understanding of it.

He can turn on the computer on his own, go to the internet, click on his kid websites, play his games....turn them off, go to another website etc.

Before you freak out, we have a blocker on that doesn't allow ANY x-rated or weird sites to show up, so he only goes to the kid friendly ones.

But it's not just that, he has managed to do things to our computers that we have NO IDEA how to do ourselves. Nothing like that to make me feel like an idiot LOL



I'm taking it easy today, yesterday Curt took the kids over to the neighbors for their little girl's 4th birthday party. He knows how much I prefer staying home and having some time to myself, so he always takes the kids for me.

While he was gone, I finished all my laundry, put it all away, changed all the bed linens, swept and mopped the floors and watched "Matilda" on TV. I love that movie, it's so cute.

So today I have a sparkling clean house and all that I have to worry about is fixing lunch, dinner and snacks. Pretty neat huh?

I'm hoping to get some more reading on my "The Constant Princess" by Phillipa Gregory. The first 2 or 3 pages were a little boring for me, but now it's starting to get really good, so I'm excited to watch.


For dinner tonight I'm fixing good ol' spaghetti, garlic bread and a salad. It's easy and it's quick and everyone loves it.

For lunch I'm about to go make some scrambled eggs with sausage, cheese, onion, green pepper and bean sprouts.....I'll make some mixed veggies too. Everything the kids like.

But now I'm heading out, I need to print out some coloring pages for the kiddos so they'll be entertained while I make their lunch.

God bless,

Lori Wick Contest Winner!

Thank you all for entering the contest, I do love these books and can't wait for the next reader to enjoy them.

I will be having another contest in the next few days, keep an eye out for that!

The winner of the English Garden Series by Lori Wick is:

Morning Glory at Seeds from my Garden!

Congratulations MG, please email me at bourlandcs@msn.com with your address so that I can ship these out to you :)

Relaxing Day!

Come on in out of the cold, I know some of you are sick and tired of the freezing snow and ice that's been taking over your area.

I have some hot coffee and some yummy, delectable, TO.DIE.FOR hot Pumpkin Pancakes (try saying that 5 times fast *wink*)

Oh yum, be still my hips LOL
Really though if you love pumpkin as much as we do, you have got to try these pancakes, they come out big and fluffly and just melt in your mouth. Delicious!

Alright, so I've given you coffee and something to eat, I guess we can sit down and chat right?

I have a full day ahead of me, here's my to do list:

1. Laundry - wash, iron and put away
2. Change all the bed linens
3. Sweep and Mop floors
4. Dust
5. Pack a few more boxes for the move
6. Weekly computer clean up - get rid of unwanted junk, organize photos etc

I know I'll get it all done and I should be getting up and doing it right this minute, but I'm still digesting my pancakes and enjoying my coffee, so I'll sit and visit with you for a bit. If anyone asks, I can just blame you for coming by LOL

The skies are a little cloudy this morning, so instead of a sunrise picture, you're getting a sunset from last night. I've actually turned this photo into my desktop background because I LOVE the way it looks. One thing about Arizona, you get spectacular sunrises and sunsets.

Isn't that breathtaking? The colors and the clouds are what get me, it's enough to make you stand there with your mouth open, camera in hand and completely in awe. Problem is there's neighbors around and I would hate to know what they're thinking of me at that moment. *hahah*


I finished "The Boleyn Inheritance" last night, stayed up until after midnight to read it, I couldn't put it down. Oh I tried a couple times, I closed it and set it on the nightstand, then turned off the light and closed my eyes only to quickly jump up in bed again, my mind racing with questions "Oh I wonder what is happening to Katherine?"...."Is Jane going to betray her?".....so on goes the light again and out comes the thick heavy book onto my lap. I loved it, absolutely loved this book. and I highly recommend it if you're looking for a great read and are also a history fan. Ms Gregory has a way of bringing to life all the characters from our past, it's just amazing.

I also got my Netflix movies and was quite annoyed with myself. Seems I somehow pushed 3 different movies to the top, right in the middle of my "Road to Avonlea" series, so you can imagine my face when I got 3 DVD's, quickly opened them up and found "Falling for a Dancer" and "Love's Unending Legacy".

What the heck? Where's Sarah Stanley and Hetty King? But it's ok, I already watched "Falling for a Dancer" which is a book turned movie from the author Deirdre Purcell, and it stars Collin Farrell....a very young Collin.

The movie is about Elizabeth, a 19 year old girl who falls for an actor, has a brief fling and finds herself pregnant, in the 1930's. Her parents and the community pressure her to marry a middle aged man whose wife has passed away. Elizabeth now finds herself living in rural Ireland, with a much older husband and 4 children to take care of.
As the time goes by, the husband begins getting abusive towards her and she struggles with trying to remain a good wife to a man she doesn't love while fighting the love she's feeling for a much younger man (Collin Farrell).

I didn't know if I would enjoy it at first, but I really did. It was a good movie. So this afternoon I'm going to watch "Love's Unending Legacy". Now THAT one I know for sure I will love, I can't wait to watch it.

Next on my list to read is Phillipa Gregory's "The Constant Princess".

As youngest daughter to the Spanish monarchs and crusaders King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, Catalina, princess of Wales and of Spain, was promised to the English Prince Arthur when she was three. She leaves Spain at 15 to fulfill her destiny as queen of England, where she finds true love with Arthur (after some initial sourness) as they plot the future of their kingdom together. Arthur dies young, however, leaving Catalina a widow and ineligible for the throne. Before his death, he extracts a promise from his wife to marry his younger brother Henry in order to become queen anyway, have children and rule as they had planned, a situation that can only be if Catalina denies that Arthur was ever her lover.

So that's the plan for my day, some housework and then rest and relaxation....reading, watching good movies on tv and maybe sneaking in a nap. I don't count on that one though, the kids have this habit that if mommy is in bed for anything, even if she's sick, they HAVE to go in there every 5 minutes to tell me they used the bathroom, are hungry, are thirsty, one of them is copying the other, they need help, they want me to change the video game, they want me to put on a movie. ALL this while daddy is in the living room with them......I mean, I'm all for feeling loved but jeebers creepers, give the lady a break LOL

Have a great sunday everyone!

Hungry?????

Because I just finished making some yummy chicken sandwiches and a nice fruit salad for dessert.

Go on over to my food blog for the recipes if you wish, I promise I'll fill your tummy!

Chicken Sandwich Spread

Yummy Fruit Salad

A trip to the library!

Before I start..........I have to say Congratulations to the sweet Michelle over at Big Blueberry Eyes. Guess what???? The wait is over, little Lucas Tyler was born at 12:25am....I'm SO SO thrilled for Michelle, Joe and Kayla. Go on over and congratulate them :)

Come on let's head to my library together.

I don't think I have to explain my love for books or my weekend library trips, I mean really, if there's a library around I'm THERE. When I walk into mine now, the ladies smile and know my name....but then I wonder, are they smiling because they're happy to see me or because they're thinking "Oh good Lord, she's going to check out half the library again......quick hide the books"

Either way, I don't care, because the minute those doors open you get that library smell. You know what I'm talking about don't you? The book scent, you can literally smell the pages of every book on every shelf and it makes me giddy.....who needs drugs when you can have a good book? I personally think that they're as addictive!

So first let's drive there, it's a beautiful day outside, sunny, only a few very thin clouds splattered across the sky, it looks like whoever was in charge of setting up the clouds in the sky this morning, had to leave in a hurry LOL

When we first got to the base back in July of 2007, this overpass was under construction, the point is to connect the two sides of the base and not have the military families go through multiple gates in and out and in and out. It gets a little frustrating when you have to keep pulling out your ID card.......but it also gives quick access to the troops from the working side of the base to the housing area.

So on the 25th of January 2008, the bridge was opened and dedicated to Maj. Troy Gilbert, a Luke pilot who was killed in Iraq the same month construction began on the overpass in November 2006.


Curt and the kids don't like going over this bridge, something about the height and too curvy or whatever, I don't know, I don't pay attention to silly things like that, I just drive LOL

As soon as we come down on the other side, we continue ahead to the library, but on our left you will see the Base Chapel and the Airplane Park, where you find the static displays of Jets that used to fly.

And here we are at the Base Library. Oooohhhhhh Aaahhhhhhh, I get all excited just looking at it.

Here we are, now this is looking in from the entrance, to our right is the check out desk and ahead......well ahead is nothing but goodness, I'm seriously, just good wonderful books.

My first stop was the Children's room, the kids LOVE it in here.

The first thing Nicholas does is usually go on over to the ladybug and the other bean bags and lounge out, give him a book and he's a happy camper.

For him today, I picked out:


Miss Spider's Dashing Through the Snow



A Blue's Clues Holiday

Next time I'll be getting these:
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? by Bill Martin, Jr.
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
Corduroy by Don Freeman
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Now we're moving to the Young Adult Section to get Jasmine some books.....
She LOVES this room and especially the shelf right in front of us, see it's filled with American Girl Books and she's absolutely addicted to them. After reading all of her Felicity books she is now moving to Molly......so I got her the first three in the series.
Meet Molly - Book 1
Molly Learns a Lesson - Book 2

Molly's Surprise - Book 3

So now that the kids are taken care of it's time for mommy and boy oh boy am I happy LOL

I love my children dearly and would do anything for them, if I have an idea of which books I'm getting and have the list with me, I take the kids with. But on days like today, where I just wanted to browse and see what I could find, what would get my attention, I prefer going alone and since Curt would rather stay at home with the kids, it works out just fine for me.

Here we are at the main reading room and you see those big brown leather chairs???
I tell you, they are the MOST comfortable chairs EVER. I try not to sit on there too long because if I do, I'm guaranteed to fall asleep with a dozen books surrounding me. I'm sure someone would find it hilarious and who knows my picture would probably appear in the base newspaper LOL

Without question one of my favorite sections to look through is this one.....the cookbooks!
I run my fingers through the spines of the books, I pull one out and browse through it, I put it back, I pull out another, I smell the pages (ok maybe this makes me weird but I can't help it).

You may wonder how I pick a book, by it's cover. I know, I know, what's the saying:

Never judge a book by it's cover

But that's what I do, what first catches my eye are the covers and I often will surpass any that don't appeal to me, anything that is too boring or not colorful and catchy. I like cute graphics on the front, or a yellow or pink cover, maybe a romantic couple in a beautiful landscape......ohhhhh landscapes. Anything with an old victorian house is sure to make it into my hands.

This time though, I didn't get any cookbooks, I stuck to one my newest favorite authors....Phillipa Gregory.

Earthly Joys - Phillipa Gregory

The Constant Princess - Phillipa Gregory

The Favored Child - Phillipa Gregory

Anne Boleyn - Norah Lofts


After reading "The Boleyn Inheritance" I've become so fascinated with King Henry VIII, his court, his wives, the whole shebang. So I'm looking for books that teach me more about it. Anne Boleyn was his second wife, the one that he sent to be beheaded on charges of adultery and incest so I picked up her biography and can't wait to read it.

Here's a few more links if you're interested:

History of the Monarchy
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Tudor History
Anne of Boleyn


Hever Castle was given to Anne of Cleves in1540 in her divorce from Henry VIII. Anne owned the Castle until her death in 1557.


So there we go, we have our books and we're ready to head back home.

URGENT PRAYERS NEEDED!

If you have a moment, could you please visit Brandy's blog for an urgent prayer request for a beautiful 14 year old girl.




Heavenly Father, watch with us over your child Erin, and grant that he/she may be restored to that perfect health which it is yours alone to give; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


Please if you have a moment, say a prayer for Erin and ask your friends and family to do the same, we've seen what the power of prayer can do and we've witnessed many of it's miracles so let's all gather as many people as we can to pray for this family.

No title, just insert one of your own choosing...

It's a cold and dreary morning to go with our gloomy sniffling noses. I would be happy to never have to hear another sneeze or cough OR have to look at a runny nose....seriously how much yuckiness can one little human being have in them????

So as you can see by my photo, that is a view from my backyard, nevermind the ugly chain link fencing, it's one of the things here that I detest. I'm like a psycho running after the kids yelling to get off the fence everytime their little hands come into contact with one. Visions of cuts and other not so nice fates haunt me. It's probably ridiculous, I know, but still I think it's all part of being a mother, things I never worried about before suddenly become monumental and terrifying.

So anyway, now that I've traumatized you with my crazy thoughts, I suppose I should change the subject, maybe even come up with this amazing deep and thought provoking post, but I got nothing....zilch, nada. I'm sure you've noticed that I'm a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kinda blogger, whatever comes to mind is what I throw out here.

This is a super supercalifragilisticexpialidocious short post, I don't have time for more, have to get my Cabbage Rolls in the slow cooker and really really want to finish my book. Sorry, I'll make it longer tomorrow ok?

Here, I'll leave you with a music video, how's that? Oh and if you want something else, how about some books, for free of course.....just go enter my giveaway and you might just be the lucky winner. I am so glad I don't have to enter, I have NO LUCK with contests LOL

Lori Wick Giveaway!

Edit: BTW, I'll ship to USA and Canada :)

You all know how much I love Lori Wick and especially her English Garden Series. Well, I don't need my books anymore and they're in really good condition, pretty much new, so I thought I would pass it along to someone else.

So this is what I'm giving away:

The Proposal #1

In the first book of Lori Wick's new English Garden series, lifelong bachelor William Jennings finds himself guardian of a distant relative's son. In over his head, William goes to his sister for refuge and advice and meets Marianne, who turns his beliefs about women and God upside down!

The Rescue #2

In a strange turn of events, an accidental fall from a ladder into a stranger's arms leads to hastily arranged, but fake, wedding between Anne and Robert Weston. As they struggle with this odd situation, their admiration for each other grows. Could a real marriage cure the heartache caused by a false one?

The Visitor #3

When Londoner Alexander Tate is thrown from his horse, his vision that suffers most. After placing patches over his eyes in hopes that rest will restore his sight, the doctor recommends that Tate leave the city to convalesce in the fresh air of the country. Tate's aunt Harriet offers to go with him to Collingbourne, where she meets the Steele family. Warm and caring, the Steele siblings are surprisingly generous to the newcomers. Tate doesn't need his vision to know that when this family reaches out, the unexpected is bound to happen. And happen it does when Tate finds himself falling in love. Just one question remains. Will one of the beautiful Steele sisters love him in return?

The Pursuit #4

Edward Steele is at last on his way home and determined to be in Collingbourne before Christmas—but that was before he met Denley and Osborne.

Sailing from Africa to England, Edward meets these two very different men aboard ship. Osborne chooses to ignore everyone while Denley and Edward find themselves much together. But as their journey continues, Denley begins to feel unwell. By the time the ship stops in Lisbon, Portugal, he is very sick indeed.

Not able to ignore his traveling companion’s plight, Edward abandons his goal of going home and disembarks with Denley and Osborne. He never dreams that his association with them will lead to the mysterious Nicola Bettencourt, a woman who captivates and confounds him in equal measures.

So there you go....the whole English Garden Series.. I'm not going to get all technical with the like some blogs do, I'm not going to make you run all over and advertise and link and whatnot....I just ask that if you enter the giveaway you give the books a good home and not trash them.

I will leave this up until Sunday Night and announce the winner on Monday morning, so if you're entering please make sure you leave me a comment and a way to contact you, if you don't have a blog, just leave an email address or something.

Good Luck!

Nurse Sandra checking in!

Wow, what a night I had!

I have heard that this is the worst flu/cold season EVER and I'm believing wholeheartedly. To say that I've been on and off with a cold is just an understatement, it seems that it comes around, hangs for a few days and then leaves, no trail that it was even here.

Now it's the family that has the flu. Curt came home from work yesterday and just one look at him I could tell he wasn't feeling well.....he was running a fever and had a sore throat. Nicholas seems to have had a runny nose FOREVER and now Jasmine is coughing and sniffling around too. I have a headache and I feel sick but I have to keep going....no time to mope around.

I was up literally all night taking care of sick ones. Curt was running such a high fever, he was restless, couldn't get comfortable in bed and tossed and turned. Jasmine was babbling in her sleep and whining and Nicholas kept sniffling, he was annoyed because he couldn't breathe through his nose and then kept trying to get into bed with us. On top of all this, I hurt my neck and shoulder again, I am blaming the mattress which is old and has not been replaced in many many years, I can literally feel the old springs pushing through my sides and back at night.

But I'm here, tired, cranky, dinner in the oven and finally sitting down on the computer. I almost forgot about the Slow Cooking Thursday this morning, that's how out of it I was.....then I posted it but first forgot to post Mr Linky, THEN I had half of last week's recipe on the post too.....seriously, just give me a blanket and pillow and put me to bed because I'm good for nothing else today.



The pictures above are of the sky right now, we have this deep blue sky in one part and those menacing clouds approaching from the other....love it.

I know some of you were wondering why the change in template again....this time it wasn't because I was bored and as many of my older readers will remember, this template was used a year or so ago. The problem I was having was that in trying to set up an RSS Feed that was requested by some of you, I was running into major problems with the other template.....lots of code errors were popping up, the minute I changed to the older template it worked fine.

It's not going to stay like this though, I really liked my blue one, so be prepared to see this one gone soon.

I'm almost done with "The Boleyn Inheritance" book by Phillipa Gregory. I just can't tell you how much I love it, for me, when I can read a good book that is also teaching me something about history and the way things were during certain eras, is a huge plus. It's been fascinating reading about the 16th century and King Henry the VIII. Here's the synopsis:

From the bestselling author of 'The Other Boleyn Girl' comes a wonderfully atmospheric evocation of the court of Henry VIII, and the one woman who destroyed two of his queens.

The year is 1539 and the court of Henry VIII is increasingly fearful at the moods of the ageing sick king. With only a baby in the cradle for an heir, Henry has to take another wife and the dangerous prize of the crown of England is won by Anne of Cleves.

She has her own good reasons for agreeing to marry a man old enough to be her father, in a country where to her both language and habits are foreign.

Although fascinated by the glamour of her new surroundings, she senses a trap closing around her. Katherine is confident that she can follow in the steps of her cousin Anne Boleyn to dazzle her way to the throne but her kinswoman Jane Boleyn, haunted by the past, knows that Anne's path led to Tower Green and to an adulterer's death.

The story of these three young women, trying to make their own way through the most volatile court in Europe at a time of religious upheaval and political uncertainty, is Philippa Gregory's most compelling novel yet.

I'll have to read "The Other Boleyn Girl" as soon as I'm done with this one, I know it was released prior to this book and I'm kicking myself for reading out of order, but it won't keep me from doing it nonetheless. If you've never read Phillipa Gregory you have no idea what you're missing....she's just outstanding.

It's time to finish off dinner, the sooner I get all my chores finished off for today, the sooner I can climb into bed with my book.

Have a wonderful night everyone, and please don't forget to wipe the monitors down when you're done reading this, I don't want to be blamed for anyone getting sick. *snicker*

Slow Cooking Thursday!

All my slow cooking recipes are now online and starting today, I will add all the recipes shared weekly to my online del.icio.us site too. So if you're wanting to find ALL the slow cooked recipes that have been shared since the first SLOW COOKING THURSDAY, here is the link for you.

Don't forget to add your name to Mr Linky and a link back to your SCT post so others can come by and see your recipe too.

CHINESE STYLE BBQ PORK

Credit: Gooseberry Patch Slow Cooker Recipes

2-lb. boneless pork roast
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. hoisin sauce
3 T. ketchup
3 T. honey
2 t. garlic, minced
2 t. fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 t. dark sesame oil
1/2 t. Chinese 5-spice powder
1/2 c. chicken broth

Place roast in a large plastic zipping bag and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients except broth; pour over roast. Seal bag; refrigerate at least 2 hours, turning occasionally. Place roast in a slow cooker; pour marinade from bag over roast.

Cover and cook on LOW setting for 8 hours. Remove pork from slow cooker; keep warm. Add broth to liquid in slow cooker; cover and cook on low setting for 30 minutes, or until thickened. Shred pork with 2 forks and stir into sauce in slow cooker.

Serves 6.

Works for Me Wednesday!

So Shannon wants to know what works for us.....many things I would say, there's so many little shortcuts and helpful things to make my life easier, but for today I'll stick to the NUMBER one helper.

See I love watching tv and I love recording a show that I don't have time to sit through and I ALSO love having it accessible on my computer so that I can upload it online and share it with friends and family.

So what exactly am I talking about? Hauppauge WinTV2000. It's a TV card for your computer, it only costs $75 dollars and all you need to do is buy it, install it on your computer and then plug your cable tv into it.


It's been the best thing I ever did, because really who wants to fight over the tv with the kids or the husband? Everyone wants to watch something different and this way I get to blog, pay bills or surf the internet AND have the news or Food Network or whatever in the background.

When I want to schedule a show, I just go to the WinTV Scheduler program that comes with, tell it which channel and what time to start recording and ending and go on my way. It does everything for me, it records the show to my computer, it turns off the TV once it's done...it's just great.


So there you go, this is what works for me. If you have a great tip to share just go on over to Shannon's blog and add your name to Mr Linky. Be prepared to be there for a LONG time, there's so many entries. LOL

Want a Scone????

I just made some this morning and they're nice and hot, I don't think I have enough for everyone though so I guess some of you will have to just make your own???

I just posted the recipe on Full Bellies, Happy Kids!

ENGLISH SCONES

A little of this and a little of that....plus some photo tricks

Well that was a nice long weekend, I didn't do much but clean the house and well....clean the house. Now that I think about it, it really wasn't that much fun for me LOL

Saturday was wonderful though, I'm dying to go back to the Renaissance Festival and if you've never been to one, you really should go. If you're wondering if there's one in your area, I've got a list for you, so no excuses not to go mingle with the 16th century crowd.

We had lots of rain over the weekend and still have cloudy skies with supposedly more rain on the way, it's funny because I have this thing....I love the rain but only if it's at night and when the whole family is home, no need to go out and do anything. If it rains during the day then I get a little annoyed LOL

I've had a lot of questions on my templates and some of my photo tricks etc....so I thought I would share some of that with you today, but before I do so, I want you to go over to two blogs for me, they're by some friends of ours, he's a retired Air Force Veteran and we met back in Idaho when we were stationed at Mountain Home. We've stayed in touch throughout the years and consider them good friends....we also share a love for Idaho and often talk about returning and buying a house there in a few years. They're both really good writers too and often share their poems on their blogs.

The Corner of Insanity and Chaos - This is Sam's blog, she's married to Kelly and a good friend, so please go on over and say hi.

Musings of a Sand Dollar Philosopher - This is Kelly's blog, he is a really good writer and like I said above, a retired Air Force Veteran, so go on over and spread some love hahahah

Often times I get asked how I did a certain photo, how I changed the color or made it so bright or black and white with just a pop of color, which is my favorite thing to do, but when I tell you how it's done you're going to smack yourself in the head because it's SO easy.

I use PaintShop Pro 9, I've had it for years and even though the new ones have come out, this is what I feel comfortable with and what I'm good at so why change???

So let's start.....we're going to take this photo


and turn it into this...See how it's black and white but only some things are color??? The trick to doing this is to open up your original photo in your graphics program. Then you're going to duplicate that layer....


Right click on the layer in your layer menu on the right and click duplicate. Now you have two layers. Make sure you have the duplicate selected and go to Adjust/Hue and Saturation/Colorize, then make sure your Saturation is set to "0" which will make the photo grey.


There are a lot of ways to do this, but I figured out that this is by far the easiest and quickest way.

Now that our photo is in black and white, we are going to start coloring it. All you need to do is make sure you have the duplicate layer selected and then grab your eraser tool and start erasing the areas you want to have color in. Like for mine I wanted the two knights and the king area, so I erased around there and the bottom color starts coming through.

What you'll be left with is this:

Here's some more examples of other photos I've used this trick on.





So go for it, and if you do try it out come back and let me know so that I can see your results :)

I've been feeling kinda off since sunday, my nose is congested and I feel lightheaded, my stomach hurts and I'm also a little nauseous. I don't know what's going on, is it a cold? Is it a stomach bug? What the heck is it? Whatever it is though, I can't afford to have it right now, not when I'm so close to moving again, that would be awful.

Speaking of moving, we're waiting on Housing to calls us and let us know when the house is ready, then it's just a matter of Curt's work giving him time off and we can move into the new place. Right now we're counting on leaving this weekend but the way things are going, it may be not happen until the 1st.

As you may know from our relocation to Arizona, I'm not the most patient person in the world....I don't like being told I'm going somewhere and then having to wait around for weeks or months, I like getting things done right then and there. Boy have I had to learn patience though, I think God is constantly reminding me that things are not done on MY time but His, and you would have thought after all these years I would get the message.

I hope you all have remembered to watch the Jane Austen Masterpiece Theatre every sunday, this week was the first part of Pride and Prejudice, one of my FAVORITE Jane Austen works. I can't wait for next week.


I also started a new book yesterday, The Boleyn Inheritance by Phillipa Gregory. Loving it so far, if you want to read Chapter 1 of this book just click here. I guess I should also read The Other Boleyn Girl right? Trust me to read things out of order LOL

I think I've babbled enough for today, I have laundry to finish and then I'm making some English Scones. I'll have the recipe on my food blog later for you all.


Dinner tonight is my Fish Cakes and some Tomato and Spinach Rice. Believe it or not, it's one of my kids favorite meals.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye......

You won't believe where we spent our day....ALL day!


OH.MY.GOLLY.GOSH.GOSH.GOSH.ANOTHER.GOSH! For years I have wanted to go to one and about 2 years ago Curt was sent to Nellis AFB, Las Vegas for a two week assignment and the local Renaissance Fair was going on there, needless to say when he came home and told me that he went I wanted to kick him out the house and make him take me again.......but that wouldn't be very nice, so I let him stay with the promise that if we were ever near one he HAD.TO take me.

So yesterday morning started like any other, I was cleaning the house, had just finished the master bathroom and was in the guest one, swishing around the toilet and all that fun stuff, the radio playing in the background while I hummed and danced. Yes, you see when I clean the house I turn on some music and it makes it go a lot faster, plus I get exercise while I dance so it really is a win win situation for me. *snort*

But anyway, sorry I went off track there....I was so engrossed in cleaning the bathtub that I kinda tuned out the radio but suddenly I hear Jasmine scream from her bedroom (she was cleaning her room too).

Jasmine - MOMMY......the renaissance fair!
Mommy drops the cleaning stuff and gets deer caught in the headlights look - WHAT?!?!?! WHERE?!?!?!
Jasmine - I just heard it on the radio, it's going on right now....from February 9 to March 30....can we........
Mommy cuts her off - OH.MY.GOSH.......get dressed, we're leaving!

Really, that's how it went. I ran into the living room like a drill sergeant and said to Curt and Nicholas "Boys get dressed, we're going to the renaissance fair" and I was met with YAY.......so anyway, off I go to the computer to get the directions. It's actually an hour from us, in Apache Junction which let me tell you......is GORGEOUS! Oh wow.....absolutely breathtaking area.

The Festival is held near the foothills of Superstition Mountain which are just...wow. That's all I'll say about it, because you really have to be there to understand.

As we drove up to the festival the sky was littered with these small puffy Cumulus Clouds.



And HERE we are, at the Renaissance Festival. Just one quick tip, remember to take a stroller or wagon for the little ones, mind you mine didn't complain once that they were tired and we were on our feet for 6 hours. But after a while, you want to put down the drinks and bags and stuff, so it's a great idea to have something for that.

But let's go in....by the way, throughout this post you'll find some videos, so I hope you enjoy and if you don't have your coffee cup refilled....you may just want to go ahead and get it so you can sit back and allow me to transport you back in time to the village of Fairhaven in 1590.


Go ahead and buy your tickets, I'll wait......

Now before we start, since the drive is an hour, I suggest you use the Privies LOL


Right as we step inside, we see this announcement, apparently Robin Hood is wanted and Maid Marion is missing, which makes me believe Robin Hood took her? Just saying!

I have to laugh at the kids expressions, Nicholas Hood really does look guilty doesn't he? LOL

Now we have to step out of the way because there's a funeral going on.

Here's where the King and Queen gather....they were all sitting in these beautiful embroidered chairs and drinking wine.

See this lady? she's the Rag Lady, she walks around the city and hands out rags to people who are dirty LOL We had just tried some free chocolate samples and Nicholas' mouth was a disaster, just brown all over, sort of like our shoes in the dirty mud....so she handed him a blue rag to clean his mouth.




Curt bought one of these for himself, a green Knight to go with his Squadron Emblem which are the Emerald Knights. I was looking for a SAHM pink one but no luck LOL

This guy was really good, he had this whip on fire and did all these neat tricks. One thing I loved about the entertainment is that it was all really funny and the performers were friendly and wonderful with the audience.

I had to take a picture of these two, I wanted to get them so badly. I don't know why, I mean I can't exactly imagine me in that get up driving Jasmine to school or cleaning the bathrooms LOL
And it's not like I can see Curt in those tight pants either....AND it's not like I have $300 for each either so...well.....maybe next time LOL
They're both gorgeous though aren't they?

Now we're heading into the Fairhaven Farm, see that big white horse above? That's Nellie, that's the horse that takes the King and Queen around in their wagon.

This Goose was so funny, she kept coming right up to the fence and sticking her neck way up, then just standing there.

After a few pictures though she got annoyed, and she went over to the husband and they both turned their backs on us. How Rude! LOL

For a dollar you could get a huge handful of feed for the animals. The kids had a lot of fun doing that and you should have seen those sheep/goats/whatever they were (sorry I am SO not a country girl, I have no clue which is which).

Hahahahah Nicholas always crouched down to feed them, it was so funny watching him.

Here are the kids giving some words of advice to Nellie for her upcoming traipse around town with the King. I couldn't understand what they were saying but whatever it was she either liked it or was bored to sleep, cause her eyes kept closing LOL

I just love this cow, this is a Scotland Shaggy Cow, isn't she cool?

Now let's head into the Storybook Castle for some myths, legends and stories.

Sleeping Beauty....must be nice to get a full night's sleep LOL

Snow white....that's the stepmother and her magic mirror

My favorite, Goldilocks and the three bears.....

Mmmmm porridge!

Hansel and Gretel

Watch out...dragon above!

The kids with a beautiful mermaid.

One of our favorite shows in the festival. Pirate Shantyman and Bonnie Lass. They were SO funny.

Then we decided to get the kids some armor, I mean, after all, they would have to duel to see who would get dinner later.






Next we went on the boat ride, which is for little kids but hey, I'm short *shrug*


This was one of the pirate's dog and he just sat there with the banner on his nose...."Surrender Thy Treasure" that's what it said LOL

One of Jasmine's favorite things....the Harp.

Royal Stables right outside the arena where we're heading next, for the Jousting Tournament. I was so giddy with excitement at this point....I've always wanted to watch one.


The jousting tournament was the last event of the day so before we left, Curt told the kids they had to duel for their dinner. Whoever won, got McDonald's, whoever lost got nothing. LOL (we were just kidding, but Nicholas thought we were serious....poor thing.

Can you see his face? He was loosing and at one point he yelled out "I'm hungry, I really want some dinner" Hahahahahaha

There goes the King and the Queen.....and Nellie. She's not really standing up straight I wonder if the kids pep talk from earlier backfired LOL

They divide the crowds into four and each of them have to support one of the Knights. Ours was Joseph, the one in red and green....of course he was the first one to get killed. Really, I have NO luck LOL

Here are the kids and our cheerleader. She was so cute and so funny.

Just before we left some random sword wielding squire came running up and the kids defended our honor. They did great LOL

What an amazing day we had with the Lords and Ladies, the insulter, the jesters and the pirates, but now it was time to head home, off into the sunset, our swords at our side....but never fully disarmed, see how Jasmine is bringing up the rear, making sure NO thieves loot our booty???

I tell you, if you are nearby a Renaissance Festival and have never been to one, or even if you have, just GO. Get your family and go...I promise you will have the best day ever. Just another tip though, you might want to eat beforehand....things at the festival are expensive, and not just the crafts and goodies, the food and the drinks too.

But other than that, LOVED it and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Here's the sunset as we drove out, I have never seen so many people stop to take pictures with their cameras, it was just breathtaking.



And here's the videos....enjoy :)



Boat Ride

Fire Show

Jousting Tournament

Arizona Renaissance Festival

Perfect Day to stay inside!

Woke up to this gorgeous sunrise, it's really hard to describe just how amazing it looks in person, the orange and pink spread across the sky gives out this golden glow that just takes over everything, roofs and trees and houses, it's as if God lit a huge candle to illuminate the world. Beautiful!

Today is payday for us military folks, it usually means grocery shopping, paying bills and running errands, so after Jasmine is off to school, Nicholas and I set off to the commissary. BUT we have to make it there exactly at 9am because if we don't then the shopping carts he likes riding on are gone and then we have a cranky, fed up little 4 year old that refuses to cooperate. Here's my thing though, I don't mind getting him the shopping cart, but it's annoying because they waste so much space on the seats and the cool looking kids stuff that you end up with an area for groceries that is about two baskets long. Tsk...Tsk....Tsk.
Anyway, by the time we were dressed and ready to go, the sky was looking like this. No biggie right? I fed the dogs, rechecked my grocery list and headed to the door, opened it and was met with a rain shower. So it's been raining ever since and it's cloudy and cool and just the perfect day to stay inside with a good movie.....like, oh I don't know......Road to Avonlea Series???

I got another 2 DVD's from Netflix yesterday and I've already watched one LOL I'm just loving this series.

So I'm back home, groceries are done, I'm paying bills online, both the dishwasher and washer are running and we've had our lunch. Not bad for it only being noon.

Jasmine came home from school yesterday with a bag of goodies from Valentine's Day and my first thought was "Oh crud, there's going to be fighting over the candy". But to my surprise she picked out the only Scooby Doo she got and went over to hand it to Nicholas. He was so happy LOL
And here's Jasmine with all her goodies......
And one of her with her straight hair. You all know how she has that beautiful curly hair? Well she's growing up and realizing that she doesn't HAVE to keep the same hairstyle, so lately she's gotten into begging me to straighten her hair for special occasions....you know....like Valentine's Day at school. *snicker*
I love my girl, she's just so beautiful but it's so weird for me because when her hair is straight like that I see myself in her, like REALLY see myself in her, it's like looking in the mirror. Not that I'm saying I'm beautiful LOL
Believe me, I do not think I'm pretty at all.....see now I'm all confused because how can I not think I'm pretty and see myself in my daughter but thinks she's gorgeous?????? Somebody help me, my view of myself is very skewed LOL

But enough with the photos.....Curt came home from work yesterday with tons of chocolates and cards for me, and not just any chocolate, the Godiva expensive chocolates. I love my man!

We got another house just a few streets above ours. Won't be within walking distance to the school anymore, but that's ok.

It's a corner house, the front yard is huge and we still don't have a fence in the back, but we're getting one put in right after we move in so the kids and the dogs can go out there without us having to be outside constantly worrying about them staying in the area they're supposed to.

But you know what we have in the backyard??? An orange tree! Yep, an orange tree overflowing with big juicy oranges....I think! I mean I know the oranges are there, we saw them but as for the juicy I can't vouch for that yet, but I will soon. *snort*

We move out next friday so it doesn't give us much time at all to get things ready, but since we've opted to move ourselves, we're renting a U-Haul for a day and getting the big stuff in there, the rest of the things we can easily take between Curt's big truck and my SUV. So with God's help and a lot of patience, it will be done and we will be in our new house by the 26th of February. Goodness that's not far away at all.

My posts may become sporadic and may be none while we get cable and internet set up in the new house, but since it's already empty, I am just waiting on confirmation from housing on the actual move in date for us and I'll have cable and internet set up and ready for us. It's always better to think ahead.

I have a huge headache today and my allergies are bugging the heck out of me, so much so that I was walking through the commissary and my eyes were watery and itching and Nicholas yells out "Go away allagies" LOL It was the cutest thing ever.

My kids are always saying the funniest things, so I think I'll start posting some of it every day....a From the Mouthes of Babes kind of thing.

Just this morning I was laying in bed and Nicholas woke up, climbed in with me and started rubbing my back then he notices a mole on my right shoulder and got really confused.....

Nicholas - What's this mommy? This thing I'm touching?
Me (half asleep) - It's a mole Neenee (that's what we call him lol)
Nicholas - A MOLE?!?!?!?!
Me - yes baby, a mole, that's what it's called....it's a mole.
Nicholas - But moles are supposed to live UNDER the ground not on people.

Bwhahahahahahahahahahaha I tell you that woke me up straight away, I've never laughed so hard.

Anyway, I am going to take something for this blasted headache and lay down for a bit. I've updated the Padre Island Shells recipe on the food blog if anyone is interested.

Have a great friday everyone.

Valentine's Day Lovefest!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Andrea is doing something really cute today, she decided to host what she calls "Valentine's Day Lovefest" and she is asking us to share our love stories, you know the cute way we met our significant others, the amazing "oh my goodness that is so sweet" stories that we will one day tell our children.

So here's mine, I've told it a couple times....well maybe just once or twice but still....I never get tired of sharing my love with everyone because it was just meant to be and you will understand why and just HOW amazing the Lord is.


Back in 1997, I had just started delving into the Internet and all the possibilities of being able to chat and interact with people from all over the world. I still remember the Mirc and Pirch chats, I would go into one and just sit and watch everybody else.....until one day, I decided to take a leap of faith and jump right in.


One of the first people to talk to me was none other than my hubby. Yes you see where this is going right??? So 11 years ago, I had just started using the internet and becoming familiar with chat rooms. After lurking around for a few months, I decided to join MIRC Webchat. It was August 12, 1997. After chatting for a few minutes with some people, I get a private message. It was Curt. My chat handle was Koala, so his first question was "are you from australia?". LOL


I told him that I was not, that I was in South Africa, and we started chatting, we hit it off and during the next year we talked on the phone, wrote letters, emails, sent packages and photographs. Now that may sound like your usual internet love match, BUT there was an obstacle. I was christian and Curt was a Pagan third degree priest.


I told him that I was not comfortable with that and that nothing could ever happen between us while he was involved in the Wiccan/Paganism Religion. I didn't give him an ultimatum, that wouldn't be my place to do so, but I was also not about to immerse myself into that belief. And so it started. A whole year of questions, endless questions about the bible and why MY way was the best? Why MY God was the right one? I felt overwhelmed, I loved him but I honestly did not know how to answer some of the questions, so before we talked everyday, I prayed to God to give me the right words to reach Curt. He obliged!!!!

I knew the right scriptures to quote, I knew the right things to say and I didn't give up. It took time and patience, but he is now a devoted Christian like I am. One of the best examples of the power of God working in our relationship, was when Curt was deployed to Bahrain.


He called me in the afternoon, and I was talking to him on the fax machine phone, which was plugged in to the power outlet. We talked for about an hour, and when I got off the phone, my grandmother walked up to me.

Grandma: "What were you doing on the phone?"
Me: "Talking to Curt"
Grandma: "Really? Are you sure? How long have you been talking to him?"
Me: "Oh I don't know, maybe an hour? Why?"
Grandma: "Well I don't know how to tell you this but we have had a power outtage for the past hour, there's no way you could have talked to him on that phone"


I was stunned, I picked up the receiver and brought it to my ear, SILENCE!!!! The phone/fax machine was indeed dead. Wow, to this day it gives me goosebumps to remember that. How amazing?

So exactly one year to the day we met, on August 12, 1998, Curt flew to South Africa and we got married. One month later, I packed my bags, already pregnant with Jasmine, and moved to the States. I left my family, my house, my friends, everything behind. It was the scariest thing on earth for me, I was and still am, extremely close to my family, and leaving everything I knew behind was terrifying. BUT I did it, I held my head up high, I moved to where my husband was stationed and 2 kids and 2 dogs down the road, we are still happily married :)

I thank God everyday, for my life and my family!!!


I wouldn't change a single thing about our life. I love him now as much as I did the first day we lay eyes on each other, he's my best friend and he's everything I've always wanted in a man. I truly believe that God brought us together and has kept us together through all the ups and downs of our life, learning to be a married couple, having children, having miscarriages, the death of family members....everything. Being in the military there's the endless moving and deployments, separations and sacrifices but we've made it because we love each other.

In August we will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary and I am ready for another 10, 20, 30 or how many ever the Lord may bless us with.

Crock Pot Versaware and Slow Cooking Thursday!

This past week I got a new toy in the mail, if you don't know what it is, go check out this post.

So here's my new baby:

A Crock Pot Versa ware. But before I tell you about it here's a little history on the brand name that was passed on by Merideth from Crock-Pot.

Like many great product brand names, Kleenex for example, the Crock-Pot brand name has become so well known that many people think it is synonymous with slow cooker and they refer to all slow cookers as “crockpots”. Crock-Pot is actually the original brand of slow cookers, they introduced the first slow cooker in 1971, and are the most trusted brand with the longest history of expertise and quality products.

My first impression when I took it out of the box was that it was surprisingly light and very sleek, it wasn't one of those bulky huge slow cookers, which is a huge plus for me. I want something that I can move with ease. Then the next thing was the color...it's this really pretty metalic light green which goes really well with the dark chocolate brown of the stoneware.

The biggest pro has to be the versatility of this slow cooker. You know how sometimes you get those slow cooking recipes that require you to brown the meat on the stovetop and THEN transfer it? Well no more, because I can just set the stoneware on the large burners and cook it in there. (In case you have an electric stove top, it brings a heat Diffuser grill to use.) then lift it off the stove and set it into my heating base. Holy Mackerel, you won't believe how nice that is. It's just a really really pretty slow cooker but it's not just looks because it stands by what it can do.

One of the nicest features for me is definitely the timer. You turn the knob to low or high and then turn the other knob in increments of 30 minutes all the way up to 20 hours. 20 HOURS?!?!?!
And once it's done, it automatically sets itself to warm.


This beautiful stoneware looks good on the table to serve your dinner, it works as a Dutch-Oven if you need to cook something in the oven, it holds the leftovers in the refrigerator. I mean, what else could you ask for?

I'm beyond thrilled with it and even more excited that Merideth and the wonderful people at Crock-Pot would allow me to try their product.

One of my favorite things about it is the crock pot word embossed on the stoneware, I just love that :)

I tell you, if I could I would do a contest and offer one of these to a lucky winner, that's how much I love mine and just how highly I recommend it. If you're looking for a new slow cooker, I think this one is the perfect buy.

Now onto Slow Cooking Thursday......I tried out two recipes this past week and they turned out pretty good. Chicken Nachos from the Crockpot Lady and Triple Chocolate Mess from Betsy. Thank you ladies!


All my slow cooking recipes are now online and starting today, I will add all the recipes shared weekly to my online del.icio.us site too. So if you're wanting to find ALL the slow cooked recipes that have been shared since the first SLOW COOKING THURSDAY, here is the link for you.

Don't forget to add your name to Mr Linky and a link back to your SCT post so others can come by and see your recipe too.

EASY AND ELEGANT HAM

Credit: Taste of Home Slow Cooker Classics

2 cans (20 ounces each) sliced pineapple
1 fully cooked boneless ham (about 6 pounds), halved
1 jar (6 ounces) maraschino cherries, well drained
1 jar (12 ounces) orange marmalade

Drain pineapple, reserving juice; set juice aside. Place half of the pineapple in an ungreased 5-qt. slow cooker. Top with the ham. Add cherries, remaining pineapple and reserved pineapple juice. Spoon marmalade over ham.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until heated through. Remove to a warm serving platter. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Serve pineapple and cherries with sliced ham.

Yield: 18-20 servings.

OH MY GOSH.........LOL

I am so embarassed, I can NOT believe I let that entry go and didn't notice the huge, embarrassing, I want to hide in a corner and never show my face again typo LOL

I don't think many of you noticed but those that did, Cheri and Karen.....buahahahahahahaha

If you didn't notice it Thank GOD, because not until these two lovely ladies told me did I notice that I had typed "it hurts my toosh to s-h-i-t" when it fact it's supposed to have been "it hurts my toosh to SIT......SIT PEOPLE.....sit" I'm such a ditz at times!

So for those that caught it and are probably sitting there ashamed and thinking less of me, I apologize, I am putting myself on a strict Spell Checking Diet. Goodness, I'm so embarrassed but I can't stop laughing either, hubby got a really good laugh out of it.

I made a mess this morning........

Well good morning everyone, see the sun shining through the tree in my backyard? Am I the only one that actually squints when looking at the photo? *snicker*

Anyway, come on in and have some hot coffee, I have to tell you about the BIG chocolatey mess I made and instead of cringing at the thought of having to clean it up, I actually can't wait to shove the mess into my mouth. Am I making you sick?
Cause there's really no reason for it, the mess I made is a good kind of mess, it's a chocolate and peanut butter mess, one that you leave cooking in your Crock Pot the whole day and then when it's done you slap on a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and oooohhhh and ahhhhhh in the corner.

I've made two recipes on the new slow cooker and I'm LOVING it, but I'll tell you all about it tomorrow since it's Slow Cooking Thursday.....you didn't forget did you? Hope not, I would have to have to come track you down at your house and type up the recipe for you on your blog, it's just unnecessary work for me you know LOL

Tonight Curt has another meeting at the Housing Office, they'll be doing a lottery drawing to determine our new home. Really? A Lottery Drawing? Couldn't they just give out the houses? I mean I am never one to win anything so this frightens me, what if we get stuck with the cruddy house that nobody wants? No but really, we will probably end up with what we want because we seem to be the only ones that are happy with keeping one of these older houses, everyone else is scrambling for a new house, they even offered us money to trade if we get one LOL

So by tomorrow we should have an idea of where our new house is and when we can move in, that will determine whether we do it this coming week or have to wait until the end of March for it.

I'm an impatient woman, I don't want to sit around waiting, if you give me the keys to a new house, just step out of the way cause I'll move in right away.

Do you like candles? Do you have tons of those little Glade candles around your house, or is that just me? I'm addicted to those, they smell so good, my favorite are Angel Whispers and Clean Linen, so I have them in the kitchen, the living room, the hallway, the bathrooms, my bedroom and even the laundry room and if it weren't weird to society, I probably would carry them around with me too LOL

But there's a downfall to all those candles because once they've run out I used to throw them out and then the other day I looked at the little glass container and thought "Why am I throwing this out, I can use it", so this may not seem like much but now I realize that they're so useful for tons of things.

These I used in the bathroom, one for my random make up that seems to take over and the other for qtips. And it looks cute, I've got a couple more ready to use, I'm thinking in the kitchen, in the office area as a pencil holder, by the front door shelf where spare change tends to show up. See, there's SO many possibilities for these, so next time you have a Glade candle laying around, don't throw it out, wash it well in some soapy water, remove the label and put it good use.

I'm even thinking, some glue and some cute ribbon or ric rac.....

I started exercising yesterday and I'm so sore, nothing like knowing that you're unfit, makes you feel even older. But anyway, last year I got the Slim in 6 Weeks DVD's and resistance thingies ( I can't remember the name), never used it, just completely forgot about it, but recently I started noticing that no matter how hard I try I can't seem to loose weight as fast as before. Yes, another one of those age things......doesn't matter that I've been drowning myself in water and hitting the bathroom every 5 minutes, apparently that alone doesn't work anymore. What to do, what to do?

I got it, bring out the Slim in 6 program, start it and breathe and push through the 30 minutes, realize you hear your heart beating really fast and loud in your ears, but keep pushing through the pain radiating through your thighs and calves because Hey...it's all worth it right?

So I sit here right now, it hurts to walk, it hurts to stand and it even hurts my toosh to sit, but I'm not backing down, I'm putting on my sweat pants and going right back to doing it again this morning, my weight may be stubborn but I'm even MORE stubborn. Hopefully I start loosing weight soon!

I'm leaving you again with some pictures of the sky. You know how you see the vapor trails from the airplanes? I never really noticed it back in Idaho, but for some reason there's a lot of them here and today it seemed that a HUGE airplane had just gone by, it wasn't this little pin thin stripe of white vapor, it was this fat, wide one all across the sky.


And here's some of our pugs Bella and Lola, they're just so cute.

Slow Cooker Recipes!

Are you in the mood for some Chicken Nachos or maybe you want to come and make a mess with me?

Last night I made Chicken Nachos which were a recipe shared on the Slow Cooking Thursday of last week, so I added the recipe to my food blog including pictures and all that fancy shmancy stuff.

Right now, I have a Triple Chocolate Mess in my kitchen....well in the slow cooker I should say, but it never felt better to be the actual Mess Maker in the house, for ONCE.

Chicken Nachos

Triple Chocolate Mess

What are you waiting around here for, go and get the recipes and make them for your family. I'll have a review on my GREAT crockpot tomorrow, during the Slow Cooking Thursday which I hope you didn't forget about.

Oh and I even redid my template, hope you like it :)

Good Morning!

I got up this morning and opened the blinds, this is the view from my bedroom window. I know, it's nothing great, no rolling hills or mountains in the distance, no sparkling rivers or creeks running by. Just this.....beautiful deep blue sky, trees and palm trees, birds flying by and then the stinky construction. I'm so sick of it already, it's been going on since we moved in and I'm sure it will continue after we move.

It's a gorgeous day though, we're supposed to get up to 80º today. Wow! It's weird how temperatures change so drastically from one state to another.

I have a busy day ahead of me, remember my to do list yesterday? Well let's just say that the only thing I really got done was the trip to the post office, everything else seemed to have been left hanging in limbo, until today, until I get off the computer and go do it. You wouldn't want to come hang out with me and play with my new toy would you?

I'm about to get it started with some Chicken Nachos, a recipe shared by the crockpot lady on my Slow Cooking Thursday feature. We love nachos and we love chicken so this is the perfect combination. Besides, I don't have time to be in the kitchen today AND I'm dying to try out the crock pot. I'll take any excuse I can LOL

Karen asked me if I get sent stuff like this all the time, the answer is NO. This is the first time I was sent anything to try. I guess that's why I am so excited too, especially since I never approached anyone about it, the people at Crock Pot just saw my blog and my Slow Cooking Thursday and contacted me. But enough about that, I'll have a post up tomorrow with my review and thoughts on the crock pot, I can tell you already I think it's going to become my best friend because one of the features that I LOVE is that the stoneware can be used in the oven, slow cooker, stovetop, microwave OR refrigerator. Hence the Versaware. How NEAT is that???

Image credit: Alicia Paulson from Posy gets Cozy

While browsing through some of my favorite craft and sewing blogs, I found these Kitchen Towels. Alicia designed them and then offered the download for free on her site, of course I got them straight away and can not wait to start on mine. She's shocked that so far it had been downloaded 1,717 times. Wow, but really who can resist them?

I can already envision them in my kitchen!

I've started the book "Candle in the Darkness" by Lynn Austin and I'm loving it already, can't seem to put it down, I even took it with me to the park the other day. I'm sorry but my obsession with books just takes over, I have to read wherever I am and if it was possible to carry all my books with me I would. Maybe I could leave one or two in the car for those days that I'm waiting for Jasmine or Curt is driving us somewhere? Then again maybe not, I may get yelled at for ignoring the family while my face is buried in "yet another book" LOL

As for movie watching, Sherry asked me what I thought of "Tales from Avonlea". I LOVED it and I've just started "The Road to Avonlea" which is different episodes and still the same characters and it picks up where the other one left off, again I'm loving it....just completely engrossed in it.

But you know what's even better? I have to tell you all that Jasmine has become completely addicted to Felicity: An American Girl. Last year while still stationed at the Idaho I went to the Airman's Attic and picked up the whole book set for free, brought it home and she wasn't impressed.......this was during her "must fight off any chapter book reading" phase. Now I have to fight with her to put the book down and go to sleep because I just realized that she's been staying up past her bedtime with a flashlight under her covers to read the books LOL

She's begged me to get her a Felicity doll and please please buy the DVD movie. I'm thrilled, but my next move is to get her to watch Anne of Green Gables and Christy, only then will I be victorious. Muahahahahahaha!

I need to go start the slow cooker with the Chicken Nachos for dinner, so I'm out, I'll leave you with a picture of last night's sunset.

God Bless,

Lookie what I just got in the mail!

I hear a knock at the door and I open it to find the UPS man with this HUGE box in his hand....he hands it to me and asks if I can carry it "it's a little heavy" he says. Oh Pfftttt......really, I can carry this....I say grabbing it from him and smiling through my gritted teeth because indeed it is kinda heavy...what the heck is in there?

I open it and find this inside, I literally jumped for joy and my family came running to figure out what the commotion was. I guess they thought I had opened the door to Publisher's Clearing House, but to me it was even better than a check for money.....because you see, the wonderful people at Crock Pot sent me this:

One of their newer slow cooker models, for little ol' me. They read my blog and saw the Slow Cooking Thursdays and then contacted me to find out if I would be interested in trying one of their newer models. Uhh....are you KIDDING me? Not only interested, literally begging LOL So I want to thank Crock Pot and Merideth specifically, you guys rock :) And I have to thank you my wonderful faithful readers that participate in my Slow Cooking Thursday every week.

I'll be using the crockpot tomorrow and then I'll tell you all about it and you can be sure that I'll be thinking of you all while I play with my new toy. Oh and PLAY I will...I'm more excited than I was when I was pregnant with Nicholas and found out that the base hospital had just started using epidurals. LOL

Wonderful weekend......blissfully content!

There is something about being out of the house every day, out in the warm weather, the soft breeze that tickles your nose with scents of Pine trees and Lavender.

My weekend was spent outside....OUT, away from the computer and the tv which are our cold weather friends. You know how you tend to stay put in the house, you migrate from a movie to online surfing, or a craft, some knitting or sewing or whatever. But truth be told the minute it gets a little warmer, I swing open all the windows in the house and literally stand in the middle of the hallway with my head thrown back and my arms up to the side. It may look dumb but who cares, no one but Nicholas sees me doing it and he couldn't be bothered to make fun of mommy.....after all, he KNOWS who feeds him and takes care of him LOL

Yesterday was spent park hopping. Oh what rebels we are, instead of bar hopping we go PARK HOPPING with the kids and a wagon in tow. You should try it though, it's a great way to get exercise and the kids love it too.

Here's some pictures from our day out.

There was this swing, this round sorta like a tire swing that we loved but I guess there's nothing like trying to climb on that to make you realize your body just does NOT cooperate like it used to LOL
While I was scrambling to get off the darned thing, I had no idea that Curt was filming it, so here you go, I'm not one to be embarrassed of myself, I'll gladly give you something to laugh about.....



Hahahahahahahaha I have to laugh at the little shriek I give at the end when I thought the tire was coming down on me. Feels good to laugh at myself, makes me remember not to take things so seriously.

It was a wonderful afternoon, we were out from noon to 5pm, I got myself a nice tan and some exercise and I feel great.

The sweet Bonnie asked me how I did my Yoshi video. I used Windows Movie Maker, just added the yoshi theme song that I had on my computer and the photos I wanted to use and that's it. I love messing around with that program, it's so easy to use and I enjoy making little videos of our outings, it lets you add different transitions and titles and effects etc.

Moving on, I have to say a big thank you to all the wonderful ladies who have passed on awards to me, there's SO many, I can't keep track LOL I truly appreciate them all and it means a lot to know that there are bloggers out there who are enjoying reading my crazy posts and my nutty life. So again "Thank you"!

I'm slowly starting to pack the house up again, we would have made great nomads, you never really know where you're going the next month or two. It's frustrating but I'm also up for the challenge, what can I do BUT be up for it, it's not like I can pout and stomp my feet and refuse to move right?
There will be pictures of me and us and boxes and houses....and moving.....and unpacking again and next discoveries at the new house. I already told Curt for Christmas I want a new digital camera because my poor WITTLE one is starting to cry and beg for mercy.

I have quite a big To Do list today:

• Sweep and Mop
• Change bed linens
• Pack a few more boxes for the move
• Post Office
• Finish laundry, iron and put away
• Make Valentine's Day Goodies for Jasmine's Class
• Sort through kid's toys and clothes, get rid of stuff, pack others for donations

I don't think I'll get everything on that list done, but that doesn't bother me, whatever I don't get to today will wait until tomorrow.

I've posted my menu for this week on my food blog and this weekend I also shared a recipe for the Butter Pecan Rolls which are to die for. A couple bloggers have tried them already and agreed that they are just too good for words.

Tonight I'm making the Chicken Pot Pie again since it was such a hit at our house.

Well my coffee's gone cold which is my cue to get off the computer and start on my to do list, but before I go, here's some interesting bloggy stuff and some more pictures of our day yesterday.

Kelli is sharing some great Valentine Goodie Bags idea, I may just steal them for Jasmine's class since I'm drawing a complete blank on what to make.

Ree of course is in the kitchen, this woman is my hero and she makes me salivate just looking at her pictures on her blog. She's showing us a great meal for Valentine's Day so don't miss out, today she's roasting garlic and I can almost smell it through the computer.

Morning Glory did a post on wedding dresses, she shared photos of her daughters, hers and her mother and grandmother. Beautiful old photographs. Go and take a look.

The wonderful Sarah, shared two recipes, one for delicious roasted potatoes and the other for a Pork Chop Risotto. Yum!

One of my favorite bloggers is Tracey at Notes from A Cottage Industry, and just like me she loves Victorian houses. Well one of her biggest dreams is to have one and she seems to have found the perfect house for her, she even shares all the photos and let me tell you, I am right there with her, wanting to live in it so badly.

Talk about a HUGE cactus, look at the size of that thing!

Oh I LOVE the warm weather........

It's been a month or two since I've been able to do this......wear shorts, slip on my flip flops and enjoy the green grass and the hot sun.

The weather has started warming back up, not that we even had a winter like the rest of the country, it got a little cooler but I never had to wear a sweater or a coat. Today it was gorgeous outside, hot, deep blue sky and just amazing.

We had a really good day, it started with my Butter Pecan Rolls for breakfast and if you missed my previous small post about them, you have NO idea what you're missing, run don't walk to get the recipe, they're sinful.

At lunch time Curt had to go out to get some oil and anti-freeze for my car so he decided to stop by the BEST pizza place just outside the base. They're called New York Deli Pizza and OH.MY.GOODNESS.....the pizza is to die for.....but the funniest thing was watching Curt try to walk through the door with the pizza in his hand. He ordered a large and well, the large was enough to feed the whole base *snicker*


Just take a look at the size, I even put a soda can in there so you can see the difference. Needless to say we have pizza for a couple days and I don't have to cook, which is fine by me, I love pizza and I love taking a break. I bet you though that by tomorrow night everyone will be sick of it and begging mommy to cook.



After lunch I got the oil and anti-freeze in my car and headed to the library. My secret get away, it's almost like going on a date, I get all dressed up which for me as a SAHM means slipping out of the sweat pants and putting on a nice pair of jeans and a top, styling my hair, some make up and even a spritz of perfume. Oh what a rebel I am *snort*

There's something very relaxing about walking in a library, shelf through shelf, book through book. Your head softly tilted to the side so you can read the titles (or am I the only one that does that *looks around unsure*). You see one that looks good, then another, then another, then...well you get the picture. I can't ever just pick one, there have to be a few. So by the time I left this was my check out pile:

Day Trips from Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff - Weather is getting hot, so it means we'll be out of the house every weekend.

Daughters of Lancaster County Series:
The Storekeeper's Daughter by Wanda E. Brunstetter
The Quilter's Daughter by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Whence Came a Prince by Liz Curtis Higgs
Grace in Thine Eyes by Liz Curtis Higgs

Candle in the Darkness by Lynn Austin
Fire by Night by Lynn Austin


By the time I got home, I was in the mood to get out of the house, it was just beautiful outside, so we loaded the kids into the wagon, grabbed some water bottles and the camera and off to the park we went. They were THRILLED, it had been a while since they'd been there and they were just eager to get in there and play.

Now the thing is, Curt and Jasmine tend to go off and do their own thing which usually means a game of tag with a ball and running around etc. Nicholas doesn't like that, he is quiet and likes playing on the slides or with the sand or whatever....he just has absolutely NO patience for running. LOL

Here he is with his Yoshi in his hand, just minding his own business, off on his own adventure. But soon he got tired of playing alone so he asked me to help him make a Yoshi Story. At first I was confused....what the heck is a Yoshi story and why does he need my help with this? Is this going to make me look like an idiot at the park? What if he asks me to slide down on my back or put my legs up in the air or something....ridiculous the kind of stuff my mind will go to.

But what he really wanted was just for me to be the photographer while his yoshi had fun at the park and I tell you, as reluctant as I was at first, I had no idea how much fun this would be for us both. So next time you go to the park with your kids, encourage them to take along one of their favorite toys or dolls and let them make up the story. I took all the pictures then came home and made a little video using the theme song from the Yoshi Video Game. Nicholas is thrilled and Jasmine is so envious that she is now working on her own Yoshi Adventure. It's the simple things I tell you.





After the park we came back home and Jasmine went to a friend's house to play, but Nicholas and I wanted to stay outside, we didn't want to be stuck in the house watching tv or playing on the computers which seems to be what happens.

Since the cars both needed to be washed, that's exactly what we did, we washed, we scrubbed, we played with water, we got soaked.........then aired the tires of both cars and by the time that was done, it was getting dark, the sun was setting and again we had a beautiful sky to show it. That is the ONE thing I love about Arizona, the sky.

So I leave you with random pictures I took today while outside....starting with the morning sun and ending with the beautiful sunset and the moon. You might want to go grab a cup of tea or coffee and get comfortable, there's quite a few :) Enjoy!

Butter Pecan Rolls!

Have you had breakfast yet? Are you ready to whip up some quick yummy, gooey rolls?

If so go on over to my food blog and see what I made this morning....my hips are literally screaming at me right now but I couldn't help myself, one is just not enough to have.

BUTTER PECAN ROLLS

Please don't stop the music!

My kids crack me up, no matter how stressed or upset or sad I may be, they have this way of completely removing all the negativity and making me laugh until my sides hurt. So while fixing our Baked Potato Soup last night, I had the radio on and a song came on that turned them into dancing fools.

Of course being a blogger the camera is always attached to your hip, waiting for that great blogging photo or video. (ok maybe not literally stuck to your hip, but always within arm's reach)
I grabbed the digital camera and recorded their dancing. If you feel like going aawwwwww and then laugh too, go ahead and click on the videos below.




That's Nicholas and I just want to squeeze those puffy cheeks....he can't even keep a straight face while dancing LOL



Here's Jasmine, she's not extremely coordinated if truth be told but she LOVES dancing and prancing around so I love watching her.



And here are the kiddos together, the last part of the video had me in tears especially because at one point it looks like Jasmine is about to spank his little butt. LOL

I realize I didn't do a Greatest Places on Earth post this morning, I'm moving it to tomorrow if that's ok, I don't want to just throw out any old post and Nicholas is really sick with a fever and runny nose. There's a flu virus going around the area and a lot of people continually sick. I'm seeming to dodge it, I've been taking Airborne and it seems to be helping.

On to moving news, next week wednesday we get to find out which house we're moving to, then if the house is already empty we can go ahead and move right away or wait until the end of the month for the current residents to leave. One thing is for sure, Curt and I want to move as soon as possible to be over and done with, I'm supposed to be working on our trip to Africa and have no time for other stuff right now LOL

But don't worry I'll bring you along for the move, if only I could actually BRING you physically along it would go so much faster wouldn't it? *snicker*

Our trip is coming along well, we are just waiting for the tax return now so that we can purchase our tickets. The kids are super excited, I'm sure not as excited as mommy is, I can't believe it's been almost 10 years since I've been home and the family has yet to meet the kids. It's about time they do and you know I don't like asking for prayers for myself, but if you could all keep us in your prayers that everything is taken care of and we're able to go, I would forever be indebted. :)

Spring is already starting for us, as a matter of fact the temperatures are already warming up and I've even worn shorts this week. *GASP*
Look at that beautiful morning sky? If I could have it my way, I would be outside all day, just lounging on a chair, coffee cup in hand and watching the changing sky, the clouds rolling by, the color from grey to deep blue and then to pinkish orange as the sun sets. No need for anything else to make me happy.

I've realized that things that made me happy when I was younger are completely different to what brings me happiness and contentment now.

Before I got married, having the latest fashionable clothes, great hairstyle, manicured finger nails and being in the "know" was it for me, I felt pretty accomplished. Then I got married, had children and became a housewife and I don't say that in a mocking tone, I know that a SAHM and Housewive is at times looked down at, it's like we're being lazy and not really contributing to society which I find completely idiotic, but that's my opinion of course.

But nowadays, having a clean house, happy kids, a hot homemade meal, the bills paid and a good book in my hand is extremely gratifying, it makes all the pressures and responsibilities of being a grown up, worth it. Not to say that I don't yearn at times for my family and for being the one taken care of, but it's the simple things that bring a smile to my face. I'm happy, I'm content and I wouldn't trade the life I have right now for anything in this world. I'm not one for "what if's", you know how some people think about life and how things would be different had they taken a left turn instead of a right? Or married so and so, or moved to this place or that place?

I never ask what if, I never regret! It is what it is and IT is exactly the life that I wanted for myself. What about you? Are you happy with your life as it is? What simple things bring you contentment?

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

No Spring Chicken!

I tell you as I get older I realize that there are things my body just can't do anymore and that's quite a sad thought at first, my initial reaction is to be shocked and stunned but then I have to remind myself that everyone gets older.

What kind of things you may ask? Well it's not even major stuff, but I've noticed how the smallest of strains I put on my lower back will leave me in pain for a few days, how no matter how much I try to control what I eat my weight is still going to yo-yo and my metabolism is getting older too, it takes forever to do anything LOL

Isn't it funny how a few years back the thought of running around with the kids was no biggie and now I cringe and think "I can't do that, it's too much effort, I am too tired, I'm too sore" whine whine whine. I'm truly pathetic at times, I feel bad for Curt who has to put up with me for the rest of his life LOL


Anyway, I told you all last night that we're moving again. Thankfully it's not to another state or base yet. We have only been here 8 months and haven't even begun to think of it as home......besides I don't think I have to remind you all how much we dislike this base, but that's neither here nor there.

We got a notice a few days ago and last night Curt had to go to a meeting at the housing office. They are tearing down the houses we're in right now and relocating us to a different house on base, we have to be out of these by the end of March. MARCH?!?!?!?!?!
I just thank the Lord that it's not in May when I'm going to be in Africa because that would just be heartbreaking for us.

So here we are, waiting until next week for the next meeting when we find out which house we'll be moving to. Curt and I are perfectly fine moving into a house just like the one we're in right now, after living in a two story for 10 years, I was glad to finally be on a one level house, it just makes everything so much easier for us. The rest of the military members being moved out are all fighting over the new houses and some even offered us $100 and $150 to trade with us if we get a new one. Curt's reply "you can have the new house for free, I don't want it" LOL

Now before you think we're crazy, you have to understand the reasons. If you ask any military member about the cons of moving into a new house you'll get a long list, the main one is the money you will have to pay for anything that is broken or stained or whatever. They are downright strict and knit picky when it comes to it. I've seen many members pay huge fines when they move out.......and really, I'm not interested in paying $1500 because the carpet is stained or there is a mark on the wall, or the grass is not mowed to 2 inches tall. FORGET ABOUT IT!

We don't plan on staying here forever, so we're fine moving into an old house. We can have the military move us or we can move ourselves and they will pay us for the relocation. Of course we chose to move ourselves, extra money for the trip AND I can easily go back and forth between the houses moving things while Curt is at work......but they also give the soldier 5 days off from the day we get the keys to move everything....so that's where we're at.

I am not going to lie and tell you that we weren't a little irked to begin with, I mean we've been here only since July and they knew they were tearing down the houses, so why not move us into one of the others already? Not to mention, I was happy being only a few houses down from the school, but you know I have to remember that I'm not in charge or in control of certain things, it's just something else to hand over to the Lord and go with it. I've learn to go with the flow, literally, stop pushing and pulling to have things MY way because in the end the lesson is always the same for me "you pushed and fought and resisted but once it was done, you realized it was for the best".

Psalms 55:22:
"Give your burdens to the Lord. He will not permit the Godly to slip nor fall."

I Peter 5:7:
"Casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you."

So, it's in his hands, we're moving for a reason, I may not know what it is right now and honestly I probably DON'T need to know the why's at this moment, I'm sure it will all be revealed at a later date.

Moving on, I added the recipe for the Cheesy Kielbasa Bake at my food blog. Go on and take a look if you're interested.


I also want to share something else with you, I found this great idea for a quilt, I have tons of Charm Squares laying around and was drawing a blank on what to do with them, but no more. Take a look at how Wendy is doing hers. Oh the possibilities!

I can see some nice quilts being made this fall :)

And with that I'm off to the post office and then have to get some housework done, good thing about moving, I'm already packing things in boxes LOL

God Bless,

Slow Cooking Thursday

All my slow cooking recipes are now online and starting today, I will add all the recipes shared weekly to my online del.icio.us site too. So if you're wanting to find ALL the slow cooked recipes that have been shared since the first SLOW COOKING THURSDAY, here is the link for you.

Don't forget to add your name to Mr Linky and a link back to your SCT post so others can come by and see your recipe too.

Last week I had mentioned that we would try to do some theme's but I don't know if anyone is going to remember or not. If you and have some breakfast recipes to share with us, then great....if not, no problem, just shared whatever recipe you were going to.

The one I'm sharing today comes from my new Taste of Home Slow Cooker Classics.

I LOVE Cabbage Rolls and it's been years since I've made any so when I found this recipe in the cookbook I quickly made note to include it in my next menu.

SLOW COOKED CABBAGE ROLLS

1 large head cabbage
1 egg, beaten
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
3/4 cup quick-cooking rice
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup crushed saltines (about 15 crackers)
1 envelope onion soup mix
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 can (46 ounces) V8 juice
Salt to taste
Grated Parmesan Cheese, optional

Remove core from cabbage. Steam 12 large outer leaves until limp; drain well. In a bowl, combine the egg, tomato sauce, rice, green pepper, cracker crumbs and soup mix. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.

Place about 1/3 cup meat mixture on each cabbage leaf. Fold in sides, starting at an unfolded edge, and roll up completely to enclose the filling. Secure with toothpicks if desired.

Place cabbage rolls in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Pour V8 juice over rolls. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until filling reaches 160º. Just before serving sprinkle with salt and cheese if desired.

New Template...

I actually like this one too, I wanted a change and this is what I came up with for now.....

Don't have time to post, I'll be back tomorrow with the Slow Cooking Thursday posting and some interesting news on our NEW move. LOL

Haven't been here a year and already have to leave this house.....tsk tsk tsk.

Nothing like a kink in your neck to ruin things!

This is what the sky looks like today, looking towards the mountains in the distance, it's just beautiful. Ok, I know I'm not really a fan of Arizona and believe me, given the chance and the choice, I would be back in Idaho in a heartbeat. But I'm also not blind to the beauty around.....so when I look out into those mountains every morning I can't help but smile, let's face it, God's beauty is everywhere no matter where on earth you live.

It's been a weird day I would say. I must have pulled a muscle while sleeping cause my neck feels all stiff and it's hard to look to the side, nothing like a kink in the neck to make you find muscles you had no idea existed. Who knew that taking a sip of your favorite drink would have you wincing in pain and snapping your head forward so fast that you're lucky you don't have whiplash. I've used some Vicks on it and it seems to be working.

So it's 6:43 pm and I've got dinner done, the dishes washed and I'm just blogging for a little before I do the baths and night routine and settle in to watch American Idol.

Doesn't that look yummy? That was dinner tonight, Cheesy Kielbasa Bake, I'll have the recipe and pics up tomorrow on the food blog.....but be forewarned this is a Freezer Recipe so it makes two 13.in x 9.in pans. The good thing is that it freezes for up to 2 months, so I already have a meal for next pay period in two weeks time :)

I don't have much to talk about today, it's one of those blah days so I'll just share some of my favorite blogs with you.

Confessions of a Pioneer Woman - If you have never been to this site you have NO idea what you're missing. This woman is not only hilarious, she is an amazing cook and she takes the best photos ever. If you love horses and ranches especially you really need to go look. Ree has now started putting up some of her wonderful photos for us to print out and really....I am SO doing it.

My Cup Runeth Over - One of my favorite homesteading blogs......

Lily's House - I just love visiting this blog, the owner lives in England and just this week posted some pictures of her trip to Dartmoor. Beautiful!

The Vintage Home - If you're like me and love vintage stuff, you have to check this blog out :)

GIANTS.....Spring Cleaning.......Goodies!

First and foremost I have to tell you that I was never a huge football fan, I do enjoy sports and as you know during the Soccer World Cup I'm ALL over it. but I keep up with sports and had been watching the build up to this Superbowl.......one thing I was hating was Tom Brady's arrogance and attitude and for that alone I had already started pushing towards the Giants but then on Saturday after I met Jason Bell, I really became a GIANTS Girl, so yesterday we gathered around the tv and watched an AMAZING game.

It was just unbelievable, especially the last minute, OH.MY.GOSH.....we were at the edge of our seats sweating it LOL But that last TD was just a beauty, the kids were jumping up and down with their signed footballs in their hands, it was pretty funny.

CONGRATS Giants!

Anyway, I just spent the day cleaning the house and gearing up to start my Spring Cleaning. I know I know, it's one of those jobs that you don't really want to get into but after you're done it's so rewarding and SO worth it to see a decluttered house.

I found the easiest way for me is to have a checklist so that I keep track of what I'm doing and don't feel overwhelmed, there's nothing worse than deciding you're doing this and then looking around the house not knowing where to start first. So here's the checklist I'm using:

I'm sure I'll add more things to it as I go along, like the kids toys that seem to multiply into a million pieces, then there's the sad ones with missing legs and arms but if you go near them and try to throw them out, you get your child's sad puppy eyes "But this one is my favorite" RIIIGGHHHTTT!


Another thing I want to share with you is this great site called Internet Archive, you can find Audio books and text books online, free to download and read. They even have a wonderful Children's Library that will leave you in awe....I haven't even begun to look through all the available materials there.....but the first one I did download was Anne of Green Gables and The Swiss Family Robinson, go ahead and click on the link to see the book.

But in my browsing around I came across the Chicago Evening American Cookbook and let me tell you, YIPPEE. I downloaded the free copy and love it.

A book of practical recipes for the housewife. The pages which follow were compiled with a view to dependable recipes.
Grateful acknowledgment is hereby made to more than 13, 000 housewives, ready and willing to contribute their favorite recipes and thereby help to make this cookbook possible.

So I started browsing through the 294 pages it has and a lot of things caught my eye like, Household Tips on keeping flowers alive longer, cleaning piano keys, removing stains etc. Then it starts with the recipes but boy oh boy, was I in for a treat. This is an old Cookbook, dated to 1908 so it talks about pasteurizing milk......I mean, who knew? I certainly don't know how to do it but I'm very interested in how it was done.

The recipes are great too, Russian Tea....Oatmeal Bread....Popovers....Cheese Souffle....Gnocchi....and the list goes on. A true treasure I tell you, it even includes menus in the back.

As I sit here, there is thunder outside, loud booming thunder. I love it, the kids on the other hand tend to cringe at the sound, but when you've lived in Africa with the unbelievable Thunderstorms, you don't fear it.

This is what the sky looks like, now bear with me, this is straight out in front of my back door, see the almost cloudless sky and the bright hot shining sun???

Now turn to your left, yeah, that's it, just turn, don't even take a step anywhere, just turn around and look at the sky. What a difference huh?

It's heading towards us and unlike others who get frustrated over the rain, I'm the lady jumping up and down with glee. I don't know, I just love the rain, I love the smell of rain, I love the sound of it hitting the roof at night and I love seeing how it makes everything look brighter and shinier.

So instead of "Rain Rain go away" I'm chanting "Rain Rain come this way".

I just looked out the window and saw this beautiful Rainbow....




Did you remember to watch Jane Austen's movie last night? It was "Miss Austen Regrets" and I really enjoyed it, it was interesting learning a bit more about who the author was, what she liked and didn't like, her family and her struggle to make money.....all leading up to her death and the burning of her journals and writings. It was really good, so I'm glad I recorded it for myself :)

I can't wait for this sunday though, one of my favorites "Pride and Prejudice" is playing. Oh Mr Darcy.....love him.

In the meantime I started the "Tales from Avonlea" series on Netflix. I have to tell you that at first I wasn't sure if I would like it because when I think of Avonlea my mind goes to Anne of Green Gables and without her I just wasn't sure that I could get into it. Was I wrong!!! This time we're enjoying the story of Sarah Stanley and but even in the first few episodes we get to see Marilla Cuthbert and Rachel Lind so that alone was worth it for me. I'm done with the first DVD and am anxiously awaiting the rest.

With that my friends, I have to get going, I have my Parmesan Chicken in the oven, but still need to go start my rice with green peas and onions. I'll have the recipe for everything up in my food blog later :)

God Bless,

Superbowl, Cracker Barrel and Costco!

What more could you ask for right?

We set out this morning with a ton of errands to run, our first stop was Costco. We got a membership back in July and haven't been back since, so today we decided to go in and get a few bulk items AND our passport photos taken.

I didn't know that Costco did them and I was surprised to find out that not only are they really cheap, $4.99 a set of two.....but they're also really good. I think they turned out perfect. Now if the cheap inexpensive photos and the bulk cheaper items are not incentive enough, you could always do what I do. Enjoy all the free food samples LOL
Seriously, by the time you leave the store you have had lunch and dessert. We tried meatballs, pork loin, chicken soup and chocolate banana cream pie........which ended up coming home with us, couldn't leave it behind of course LOL

We also picked up one of these Can Organizers for only $20. I think Laura will be extremely proud of me LOL My cans all fit perfectly, it's expandable AND you can make the sections as wide or as thin as you like. It also brings it's own little labels, I haven't put them on yet.

One of the things we eat a lot as snacks are Pretzels and these Costco Sourdough Ones in the big tub are just to die for. I also picked up a huge jar of olives, Granulated Garlic and Chopped Onion. Those big tubs were only $3 and it will last me a couple months at least.

Of course you can't leave without looking at the books and when you see something like this, you have to grab, place in the cart and quickly proceed to the checkout so you're not tempted to get any more. I've quickly flipped through it and GOODNESS GRACIOUS, I don't think I saw one recipe on there that I didn't like. I can't wait to try them all and share them with you on our Slow Cooking Thursdays.

After we left Costco it was lunch time and we headed to Cracker Barrel. Not just because it's our favorite but it's again, inexpensive and good homemade food. No matter how many times I go to that place, I am always amazed at the decorations inside, the old photographs, the antiques hanging on the walls and that little Peg Game sitting on the table. It just feels like home....well, if you live at Cracker Barrel I mean LOL




You can't leave without a quick game of Checkers, some fighting over who beat who and who is cheating and also, getting your shoe stuck on the bottom of the rocker *looks at Jasmine* LOL



This Cracker Barrel is just across the street from the Cardinals Stadium and let me tell you, it is CRAZY out there. Traffic Jams, parking lots overflowing with cars, people on foot, police and helicopters just nuts.

I was able to snap two pictures of the stadium as we drove by because getting anywhere near it was impossible. We actually had to put up a paper in our car for the restaurant parking, they were monitoring all the parking lots to make sure that it wasn't for the superbowl.

We decided to give up trying to get near it and just came home. I got the groceries and the Costco stuff put away and then took the kids to the BX. They didn't know what was going on, I just told them we were going there for something really neat.......when we arrived there was already a line waiting. Jason Bell from the NY Giants was signing autographs at the BX, the kids were so excited, they don't really know who he is but they just knew that he had something to do with the Superbowl and that was enough for them. I bought them each a football and then waited in line for almost an hour. He was running 45 minutes late.

But I tell you what, it was worth it. I have never come across a sweeter, kinder, well mannered young guy. He was really cute with Jasmine and Nicholas, he wanted Nicholas to sit by him for the photograph and even joked back and forth with him about the football that Nicholas didn't want to let go of. LOL
Then I asked him if he would mind signing a little paper for me and he said "Absolutely, the mommy deserves it too, after all you do most of the important work don't you?". He even let me take his picture and I could have just hugged him and taken him home with me LOL

Just one of the perks of being a military family, once in a while we get some celebrity coming to base, where else would you get a chance to interact with them and see them up close?






Yeah I'm a NY Giants fan now LOL I'm so easy, all it takes is a sweet football player to charm me and I'm a fan of the team *tee hee*

So all in all, it was a wonderful day, shopping, a great meal, meeting a famous person and now sitting here at the computer. The laundry is going, the dishes are washing, Nicholas is playing video games on the tv and Curt and Jasmine are playing a game online together. I'm about done with my blog and then I'm going to settle in to watch my first DVD from the "Tales from Avonlea" series. Outside the sky is getting really dark and there's the smell of rain in the air, I for one couldn't be happier, love the rain.

Happy Super Bowl Weekend everyone!!!

I'm tired!

I wish it was bedtime, but I still have a couple hours to go since it's only noon here. *sigh*

Jasmine was up all night with a cough and a congested nose, I'm already seeing the cold coming again. Seriously, how many colds does a person have to go through during this crazy weather??? You know how it's always really hot here in Arizona? Well now every morning it's COLD, I mean, not snowy ice cold but enough to make you see your breath in front of your face, then within 2 or 3 hours it's HOT, really hot, hot where you wear short sleeves and sometimes shorts. Not good for the body I tell you.

Anyway, I dragged myself out of bed this morning and fixed waffles for everyone, then headed out to the commissary for groceries.

No matter how hard I try and even cutting back on some things and going for the cheapest on others, I just can't get out of spending $250 for two weeks of groceries. Just can't! It's even weirder because there were times in Idaho where I remember the money being really tight, you know the "living from pay check to pay check" kinda thing??? We've all been there!
I would pay the bills and end up with about $150 for groceries and I made do, and it worked. Now?!?!?!? I don't know, can't do it.
Though I have noticed though that things here in Arizona are a lot more expensive than Idaho.

Before leaving for my errands this morning, I took some pictures of the sky, it was just gorgeous and I love how the rising sun leaves this beautiful pinkish hue on the clouds.

One great thing about being a military family is that you soon learn to cut your own hair, well the boys at least. So it's typical for a military family to buy a set of hair clippers very early on.......in this house, unless you're a girl, your hair WILL get cut in the bathroom. LOL

So here's Nicholas haircut, his was just getting so long and it honestly looked like he had a bowl underneath his hair, that's how tall and weird it was looking. After getting it cut by Curt last night, he looked back at the mirror and said "Wow daddy, I look really cute" to which daddy replied "Yes, son, you really do" LOL

And this one I just had to show you. He has stunning big eyes with these HUGE eyelashes, it reminds me a lot of my Great Grandfather Eduardo, the same eyes. So this ones is for my family in South Africa to see.

This one is just funny, I was sitting here trying to blog and Nicholas called me and snapped the picture. LOL Be nice people because I HATE having my picture taken and can find tons of wrong things with me.

The Superbowl is upon us and you won't believe the craziness around here. The Cardinal Stadium is about 5 minutes down the road from us, I've actually showed you pictures before that we took. It's just pandemonium now, but we're trying to get near it tomorrow to get some pictures, also on base we will have Jason Bell and Ray Crockett signing autographs and taking photos so we're heading to the BX tomorrow for that. Can't wait :)

I got my Christy movies from Netflix yesterday. A New Beginning and A Change of Season and I have already watched one LOL AND I finished the actual book and loved it, it was soooooo good.

Next on my list from Netflix is the Series "Tales from Avonlea" followed by "The Road to Avonlea" which is a pretty big series actually, it will take me a while to get through those LOL

Well I better get going, I need to check the bank and pay some bills and all that fun Pay Day stuff. Have a great friday everyone!

Greatest Places on Earth! *Great Barrier Reef*

I LOVE the ocean but it is one of those beautiful natural wonders that amaze you and also demand respect, so when I think about one of the greatest places on earth, no doubt it has to be The Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

So come on, let's get going.

THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

The Great Barrier Reef is undisputed as one of the world’s most important natural assets. It is the largest natural feature on earth stretching more than 2,300km along the northeast coast of Australia from the northern tip of Queensland to just north of Bundaberg.

The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps.


The Great Barrier Reef supports a diversity of life, including many vulnerable or endangered species.

Thirty species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises have been recorded in the Great Barrier Reef, including the dwarf minke whale, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, and the humpback whale. Large populations of dugongs live there.

Six species of sea turtles come to the reef to breed – the green sea turtle, leatherback sea turtle, hawksbill turtle, loggerhead sea turtle, flatback turtle, and the olive ridley.

215 species of birds (including 22 species of seabirds and 32 species of shorebirds) are attracted to the reef or nest or roost on the islands, including the white-bellied sea eagle and roseate tern. Most nesting sites are on islands in the northern and southern regions of the Great Barrier Reef, with 1.4-1.7 million birds using the sites to breed.


The most significant threat to the Great Barrier Reef is climate change. Mass coral bleaching events due to rising ocean temperatures occurred in of the summers of 1998, 2002 and 2006, and coral bleaching will likely become an annual occurrence. Climate change has implications for other forms of life on the Great Barrier Reef as well - some fish's preferred temperature range lead them to seek new areas to live, thus causing chick mortality in seabirds that prey on the fish. Climate change will also affect the population and available habitat of sea turtles.

Another key threat faced by the Great Barrier Reef is pollution and declining water quality. The rivers of north eastern Australia provide significant pollution of the Reef during tropical flood events with over 90% of this pollution being sourced from farms.

Due to its vast biodiversity, warm clear waters and its accessibility from the floating guest facilities called 'live aboards', the reef is a very popular destination for tourists, especially scuba divers. Many cities along the Queensland coast offer daily boat trips to the reef. Several continental and coral cay islands have been turned into resorts, including the pristine resort island of Lady Elliot Island.

A variety of boat tours and cruises are offered, from single day trips, to longer voyages. Boat sizes range from dinghies to superyachts. Glass-bottomed boats and underwater observatories are also popular, as are helicopter flights. By far, the most popular tourist activities on the Great Barrier Reef are snorkelling and diving, for which pontoons are often used, and the area is often enclosed by nets. The outer part of the Great Barrier Reef is favoured for such activities, due to water quality.

SCENERY

VIDEOS

The Great Barrier Reef


The Great Barrier Reef in photos


Scuba Diving in the Reef


Shark Feed in the Great Barrier Reef

RECIPES

Garlic Scallops:

• 500 g scallop flesh

• 1 medium sized onion, diced finely

• 4 to 6 cloves of garlic finely chopped or crushed

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 100 ml pouring cream

• 4 spring onions sliced Chinese style (on an angle)

• a splash of white wine (50 ml)

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives or parsley

METHOD:

1. Fry garlic and onion with oil in a medium hot pan for 2 minutes, but don't allow to colour. Add scallops, lightly cook on one side for 20 seconds. Continue to rum and cook for another 20 seconds and then remove from pan.
   
2. On medium to high heat, add the splash of white wine to pan and reduce for 1 minute, Add cream and reduce until the sauce thickens to a nice coating consistency.
   
3. Add scallops, spring onions and gently toss in sauce for about 1 minute, Place scallops on big mound of rice pilaf and pour over sauce, then garnish with chives or parsley.
   
4. Note: This lovely dish can be enlarged by the addition of Prawns and most fillets of fish.

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Baked Chicken with Potatoes

• 1 X 1.5 kg chicken

• 5 potatoes, cut into wedges

• 125 ml (1/2 cup olive oil)

• 1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese

• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

• 2 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons dried oregano

• 5 cloves garlic

• salt and pepper to taste

• 250 ml (1 cup) water

• 125 ml (1/2 cup)

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree centigrade.
2. Cut the chicken into pieces of equal size and place in a baking dish. Distribute the potato wedges here and there snugly, wherever they fit.
3. Pour the oil all over.
4. Sprinkle cheese and breadcrumbs all over, followed by tomato, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Finally pour in the water and wine gently, in one place so that it seeps under the chicken pieces.
5. Cover with foil and bake for about 35 minutes. Remove the foil to brown all over until cooked.

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ANGELA'S PAVLOVA

• 4 egg whites

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1 level teaspoonful corn flour

• 1 teaspoon white vinegar

• Pinch of salt

• Vanilla essence

• 300 ml of whipped cream

• 1 peppermint crisp or equivalent

• 1 chocolate flake or equivalent

1. Beat egg whites and salt until stiff. Add a couple of drops of vanilla essence. Gradually add the sugar while beating.
2. Add the vinegar and beat well. Sift in the corn flour and fold in lightly.
3. Run a large oven proof dinner plate under cold water. Place the mixture onto the plate. Be careful that it is not too close to the edge as it will expand during cooking.
4. Place in hot oven and bake in
   Electric oven at 140 degrees centigrade for 90 -120 minutes, then on low for 20 minutes or
   Gas oven at 200 degrees centigrade for 10 minutes, then on low for 1 hour.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
6. When cold top with 300 ml of whipped cream.
7. Chop 1 peppermint crisp and 1 chocolate flake. Mix well together and sprinkle on the top of the pavlova.
8. Enjoy.