My day!

I got this idea from another blog and I thought it would be perfect for today since I have nothing to say LOL


Outside my Window... the hummingbirds circling the backyard and playing in the sprinkler


I am thinking...about the fact that my passport is STILL not here and I travel in two weeks (prayers please)


I am thankful for...not feeling as sick as before


From the kitchen... portuguese beans


I am going...to give the kids a bath and settle in for the night


I am reading...The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory


I am hoping...that this awful virus will leave us once and for all!


I am hearing...the kids playing in the bedroom


Around the house...the dishwasher is running


One of my favorite things...warm bread with butter!


A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...packing for the trip, last minute shopping, grocery shopping


A picture thought to share for the day...

Well it's just April and we are at 96 degrees.......

makes me wonder just how hot it will be by July???

I was watching the news yesterday and they were saying that by summer time there will be some areas hitting 150º. SAY WHAT?!?!?!?!?! Am I supposed to be happy, scared, sad or should I start saving for an indoor ice rink?
I mean really, 150º, that's not even funny!

Anyway, needless to say it's really hot here, we've started walking to school in the morning and then just driving in the afternoon because there's no way the kids and I can handle walking in that heat, even in the car it's horrible.

I don't have much going on here, trying to get everything packed and ready for our trip which is just over two weeks away, I can't even believe it, I keep telling my family that I'll only really believe it once I'm there.

So what have I been doing to spend my time??? Reading and watching tv, mixed in with housework and not feeling too great......I'm seriously beginning to believe that I don't bode well with Arizona. I used to get colds and sometimes allergies back in Idaho once in a while but this is just ridiculous, I feel that ever since I moved to Arizona I've been constantly sick.

If there's anyone out there that has gone through the same or has any advice, I welcome it. I've been researching online and it seems that this area is just awful and they're actually telling people to leave if they have allergies or respiratory problems because the smog and the pollution is just horrible and a lot of people suffer all year long. Guess I'm one of them!

I can't wait to be in Africa for a month, I'll see how I feel there and if I'm doing good, I'll see how I react once I'm back here, if things don't get better, I'm going to the doctors for tests.

Anyway, just wanted to drop in and update you all on my goings on, I'm about to go do bath time with the kids and then I have American Idol and Dancing with the Stars to watch....hope you're all having a good Tuesday!

God Bless,

I bring photos....

One of my favorite things to do is look through photo albums, which is something I can tell you I will be immersing myself in back home in South Africa.

As a matter of fact, there is a certain plastic bag filled with all of my great grandmother's photos (circa 1900) that I would just love to get my hands on.....no one touches them, my brother's could care less about old photographs because they're boys after all LOL But me, I would treasure them and I would scan them and post them for you and place them into beautiful little albums etc. Oh the possibilities are endless.....so maybe just maybe I will be lucky and my grandmother will allow me to bring those back, along with old cookbooks and bake ware that is no longer used by anyone but was my wonderful Bio's.

So the photos I have to share with you are not that old, as a matter of fact they're from last night LOL
First the birthday girl and her cake....I've said before I'm not a baker, well I'M NOT A BAKER and I am not good at decorating cakes, I got through Nichola's Yoshi cake with a lot of prayer and I'm sure God's hand leading mine as I went LOL
For Jasmine it was easier, she's a girly girl and her favorite color is pink, so really how wrong could one go with that?





I just LOVE this one, nothing like an unprepared photo and they're usually the ones to turn out the best.

So last night around 7:30pm the kids and I headed to the back yard. Curt was working and would be arriving home around 8pm, he had taken off a little early so he could be here for Jasmine's birthday cake. We waited until he got home to do that!

It was just gorgeous outside, the sun was setting leaving this beautiful orange pinkish glow in the sky and there were tons of birds around. I'm not joking, if only I knew what they were called but I'm not bird literate at all LOL I can tell you that they're big or small, black or blue and white or whatever.......but the ones that I DO know are the hummingbirds and I had never in my life seen one up close....until last night.

There we were hanging out by the swing set when what looked like huge bumblebees with a birds body came zooming by over our heads, then back to the grass, circling and flapping those tiny wings so fast you can't even see them.

I tried to get some photos but those little buggers are fast. I'll just be prepared from now on, we have Honeysuckle in the front of the house and I know they're around there so I'll grab some photos if I can.

I did get some of the kids out there:



And now I have to show you one of my latest obsession. The Trash Ties....oh Lordy what did I get into? If you don't know what these are, you don't know what you're missing, I'm by no means an expert at them, as you can see by my photo it's still a little messy but whatever, I love the pink (my favorite color) in the black of my hair, I think it looks cute.


And I got completely distracted LOL Anyway, Trash Ties are the brilliant invention of Heather from "HELLOmynameisHeather" you know her right???? She actually is located here in Mesa near me, how neat is that?

So she came up with these hair thingies that are just so much fun, I got some red ones and some black ones too and it's been fun messing with Jasmine's hair and mine, of course it's easier on her because I can't see what the heck I'm doing with mine LOL



Anyway, just thought I would share it without you, they're especially cute for little girls.


Now before I forget, Merideth from Crockpot asked me to pass this info along to everyone and she's been such a sweetheart that I couldn't say no.

The “Small Changes” campaign asks people to share a story about a small change they have made in their lives on the new site www.YourFamilyTable.com and with each story shared Country Crock Omega Plus will donate a meal to a family in need through America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network.

“Small Changes” encourages families to share the simple changes they make in their lives to better their family’s health and well-being. These little things can add up to make a big difference, whether that involves taking a bike ride after dinner, walking to work instead of driving or going to a concert to enrich the mind, body and soul through music.

We hope that you will encourage your readers to log on to www.YourFamilyTable.com to share the small changes they make to better the lives of their family members, and we hope people will borrow small changes from others on the site to enrich the lives of those they love. Again, for every small change shared, a meal will be donated to America’s Second Harvest to help a family in need. We can all make a big difference one small change at a time!

Isn't that a great idea? Please share it on your sites too, the more people participating, the bigger the impact we can all make.

So you wondering what I'm doing today right??? Aren't you??? I'm gonna tell you whether you want to or not LOL

Right now I'm about to go put my Cola Wings in the crockpot, just imagine chicken wings, coca cola, jalapeno peppers....mmmmmmmm. I'll let you know how they turned out.

The rest of the day will be spent doing laundry, putting it away and hopefully sneaking in my new "Road to Avonlea" disc. I just got it in the mail and I'm dying to watch it, but I'm getting sad because I'm pretty much near the end of the series.

I hope you're all having a wonderful saturday, get on out there and enjoy the day, I may just grab the kids and head to the park for some fun or even step outside to the backyard for some bird watching, you never know what you will find.

Happy Birthday Jasmine!

9 years huh????

This beautiful child of mine has been the love of our lives, bringing us joy and at times heart ache and definitely keeping us on our toes.

Jasmine Savannah, a red haired green eyed little firecracker. She's impulsive and smart and quirky and sensitive and way too independent for her own good. She can amaze you with her knowledge in one minute and then drive you completely insane with her lazy streak in another but she's my love and I am so thankful and so blessed to have her.

I just hope that she continues to be this amazing human being, loving and respectful of others as she has shown to be since she could talk and walk.

She's a great big sister, yes she has her moments, the sibling rivalry kicks in at times, but there's nothing more precious than to see her hold Nicholas hand to help him cross the road, or get him a drink because he's thirsty or throw her arms around him and squeeze him tight as she says goodnight.
It's a bitter sweet feeling for me, here is my little baby growing up to be a beautiful young lady and I want to celebrate and smile but then my heart squeezes and hurts to know that she's getting older and as much as I want to shelter her and keep her under my wing, that time is quickly ending.........so I loosen the cord and hand her over to the Lord and know that He will love, protect and watch over her the same if not better than I ever could.


So Happy Birthday my sweet daughter, we love you more than words could ever say and we're extremely proud of you.

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.

German Potato Salad

6 cups peeled and thinly sliced potatoes
1 large chopped onion
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup water
⅔ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1 tbsp quick cooking tapioca
½ tsp celery salt
½ tsp ground mustard
6 slices cooked crumbled bacon

Instructions:
Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Mix potatoes, onion, and celery in crock pot. In a small bowl, combine water, vinegar, sugar, tapioca, celery salt, and ground mustard. Pour over potato mixture. Cover and cook on low 8 hours, high 4 hours. Prior to serving, stir in cooked crumbled bacon. Serve warm.

Pull Apart Caramel Coffee Cake!

How about surprising your kids tomorrow morning with this for breakfast? It's really easy and super quick but OH so good.....

PULL APART CARAMEL COFFEE CAKE

Time to ask for your help!

I'm no stranger to trips with small children, not just car trips but airplane ones too.....BUT.....it will be our first time doing such a long and exhausting international trip with the kids.
They are really good for the most part and they do enjoying flying but this is a treacherous flight, it's horrible enough for us adults and believe me, by the time we get to Europe I'm DONE and don't want to step foot in another airplane, so I can't even begin to imagine how this will be on the children.

I need your help, I need your advice, your tips, whatever you have to offer I'm willing to take and believe me, every single comment will be greatly appreciated.

Just to give you an idea of how long this is....we will be taking 3 flights, the first one is about 2 hours, then we have a 5 hour layover, then an 8 hour flight to Europe and then a 3 hour layover and the last flight to South Africa is 10 hours long. My eye is twitching just typing this out LOL

So I beg you, please please help a stressed mommy out????

I finally got some sleep last night, after two nights of tossing and turning and this horrible cough keeping me away, I was able to get some rest.....I won't say it was a full night's sleep or that I slept like a baby, but it was something and I already feel much better just with the small amount I got.

At least today I can smell and taste. Is there anything worse than trying to eat or drink when you're sick and everything tastes like cardboard???? For someone who loves food the way I do, it's just torture.

I was so sick yesterday, fever, chills, cough and sore throat and my voice was pretty much gone. By the time dinner rolled around I was just done in and didn't have the energy to get up and cook so we had frozen tv dinners......it bothers me. I'm serious, it really really bothers me having to serve it to the kids. They love it, they don't care but for some reason it just downright annoys me LOL I guess there comes a time when I have to say "look, you're sick and you're doing the best you can, just deal with it".

So they had kids meals and cake for dinner and they were happy....I was all proud of myself for getting through dinner time and thanking the Lord for giving me the strength for it when all I really wanted was to crawl into bed and not move an inch.......but Curt is working those weird hours which mean bedtime falls on me, sick or not, rain or sunshine.

I LOATHE bedtime. You think I'm joking but I'm dead serious, it is the one time of the night that I completely utterly LOATHE. The excuses they will come up with not to go to sleep are just ridiculous.

I'm thirsty
I need to go to the bathroom
There's a weird sound in my closet
What's that light on the ceiling
Where's my favorite teddy bear
But why didn't you read me a story tonight, I can't go to sleep without a story
Where's daddy, I want him to put me to sleep
I'm hot
I'm cold
I need another blanket
Take the covers off of me
Can I have a snack
But I'm dying of hunger
But I really need a drink of water
Can you turn on the radio
I don't like the dark
I don't like the light

I could just go on and on and on and you would think after doing this for years they would have figured out that no matter what they say they will STILL be going to bed, but no. Every night they push the envelope a step further and every night they try to come up with yet another excuse. Lord give me patience LOL

Anyway, I need to get going, we have to run to Walmart to get some last gifts for Jasmine's birthday on friday. She's actually upset because there's no school that day due to some Teacher Meeting or something, so she's insulted that on her birthday she has to stay home with us. Now I'm the one feeling insulted, are we not good enough? LOL

I tried to get her some stuff at the BX (Base Exchange) yesterday but again they were moving shelves and departments around so I headed for the toy section and ended up staring at lamps and comforters. Weird!

They had all the toys in carts and boxes so there was no way I could find anything.

Hope you're all having a great day, please keep me and the passport issue in your prayers, I am truly hoping it comes in soon, there's not much time left now until we leave.

God Bless,

Cloudy and Dreary!

That's what it looks like today and it matches the way I feel.

Whatever this virus is that is going around it's really persistent and annoying to boot. Last week Jasmine was home from school 2 days, she had a bad cold, a bit of a fever, sore throat, cough etc....I should have known it would come my way but I didn't think of it, see I was kinda busy dealing with the sore neck/shoulder whatever, so I kinda/maybe/definitely forgot to arm myself against a possible cold.

Needless to say yesterday my throat started hurting and last night, oh last night.....UGH, I spent the whole night trying to sleep through the knife that someone so kindly left lodged in there. Please remove it and take it back, I don't want it.

Yes I know my template has changed, I got a craving for green. Everyone is going green nowadays, there's all these programs and shows and all this green splash of color everywhere and I HATE to be out of the loop, so why not?


I hope you like it, it's simple but it's making me happy, it's like a perpetual summer time on this blog. Think of it this way, I'm trying to provide a hideaway for all of you that are still dealing with the crazy cold and snow out there. See? I do love you all! :)

I'm not sure what my day is going to be, actually, I have an inkling because this poor old (lol I love referring to myself as old lately I don't know why....maybe it's to see Curt's annoyed look) body of mine is going nowhere. I will blame it on the clouds and the fact that I'm sick and maybe climb into bed with a hot cup of tea with honey, pop in my "Road to Avonlea" and just drown out the world.
Forget the laundry, the floors that are asking to be mopped, the living room that the kids have messed up while playing last night. I'm going to rebel today and do something I NEVER do.....I'm not making any beds. YIKES! *I literally felt the gasp of shock around the world*

Jasmine is old enough to make her own, Nicholas can just pull the covers up over his and mine, well mine is going to be holding my little body in, so no use making it right??? If you only knew how it gives me hives to think of unmade beds and an untidy house.....it's like my fingers are itching to go, but NOPE, I'm putting my foot down today. It's MY turn to lay down and recuperate and get better....it's less than a month now for our trip and there's no way I'm showing up there after 10 years with a snotty nose and a croaky voice.

Dinner tonight is whatever the kids and daddy are fixing, I guess. I was supposed to make some seafood gumbo but I'm not sure I'll be up for it....that will have to be tomorrow's meal.

Right now Curt is running to Taco Bell....Oh I love him, I love love love this man. He sees me not feeling well and he knows what will cheer me up.....a Bacon Chalupa! YUM!

I'm out of here, my head is pounding and the knife is still hanging here waiting for it's rightful owner to claim it, please be don't be scared to step forward I promise no charges will be filed, as a matter of fact I'll be so thrilled to have it gone that I'll cook you dinner. Not tonight, read above for details....but maybe another time?????

God Bless you all.....

Darn Yummy Pasta!

So I was standing in the kitchen, wooden spoon in hand and staring at the refrigerator. I have a menu planned but for some reason I somehow messed up and didn't buy anything for today.........must have been during my "really tired just want to crawl into bed and sleep the week away" daze.....so anyway, I had to come up with something.

In this house, pasta is the staple. You can't go wrong with it, I'm serious, you can't, so I pulled out a bit of this and a bit of that and box of this and a can of that and before I knew it I had dinner on the table and big rave reviews from the kids.

So here you go........it doesn't have a name other than,

DARN YUMMY PASTA

It's Friday and I couldn't be happier!

Because this week was crazy and because I need a break and because it's another week down before my trip home.

I know you're probably sick of hearing about it but for me it's a dream come true, the thought of my children seeing my home and my family for the first time is something I have thought about for so long and I plan on catching everything on camera. The first time their little toes feel the sand on the beach, the first time their eyes meet the ocean or a lion or elephant at the Kruger National Park......the first time their little hands hold their grandfather's.........it's those little things that I'm just thrilled to see.

So we've been planning and deciding and talking and laughing and reminiscing and hoping but I know that as with any other plans sometimes things change, but instead of worrying about it, I'm going to throw care to the wind and say "I don't care because I'm home".

This morning I checked on my passport and it seems that it's FINALLY being printed and I couldn't be happier, it's been a worry but something that I've managed to put in the Lord's care and NOT worry about it at all. If you know me and you've been reading my blog for a while, you KNOW the issues I have with this, I'm more of a "Here you go Father, I am putting this problem in your hands"..................................then I wait 5 minutes............................bite my nails for another 10 minutes..............................start looking up and wondering if I did the right thing..................and then:

Me - You know I gave you that problem and said I wouldn't think about it? Well I've been thinking and is it taken care of?
Lord - You just gave it to me, remember things are done in MY time not yours....be patient!
Me - Right but you know I have a problem with control, so why don't You just give it back to me and I'll do it my way.
Lord - Are you sure? You know you need My help?
Me - yes I'm sure, just give it back, thanks.....

The next day................darnit nothing ever works the way I want it too, I don't understand. Problem is I DO understand I just don't want to admit it LOL

So this time I honestly didn't worry, didn't flinch, didn't cry, didn't have a pity party. I did think about it, I did wonder and I did my part, I did everything in my power and everything that I could possibly do, no stone left unturner, the rest I left it up to the Lord and as always, He embraced it and dealt with it.

Now onto something else, I've been craving chocolate, and NO I'm not pregnant LOL If that were the case I would be having children every month.........

I didn't have candy bars in the house so I just made my own using Jared's recipe and let me tell you, this is just sinful and dangerous and SO bad....but SO good. Here, help yourself to some:

Now if you want some for yourself, just grab 2 bags of chocolate chips, 1 bag of walnuts and 1 bag of dried cranberries and go check out Jared's recipe, you won't believe how easy it is.

I'm off to watch the last episode on my "Road to Avonlea" Disc. It really is my getaway to a simpler time, I love it.

Wouldn't you just love living in Prince Edward Island? I'm thinking a vacation there is in my future. :)

Have a wonderful day everyone, I'll be back tomorrow.

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.

Yesterday I tried the Dark Chocolate Walnut Cranberry Clusters and they are just divine....thank you Jared.

CHICKEN STEW

Ingredients:
Yield: 10 servings
2 lb Chicken breasts/skinless Boneless/ cut in 1' cubes
2 c Fat-free chicken broth
3 c Potatoes; peel, cube
1 c Onion; chop
1 c Celery; sliced
1 c Carrots; sliced thin
1 ts Paprika
1/2 ts Pepper
1/2 ts Rubbed sage
1/2 ts Dried thyme
6 oz No-salt-added tomato paste
1/4 c Cold water
3 tb Cornstarch

Directions:
In a slow cooker, combine the first 11 ingredients; cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours. Mix water and cornstarch until smooth; stir into stew. Cook, covered, 30 minutes more or until the vegetables are tender.

Pork chops or Chicken?????

The recipes are posted on the food blog, go forth and conquer the kitchen ladies.....or whatever LOL

Breaded Pork Chops

Chicken Wellington

Bloggy Love!

You know when you have those days that you just draw a blank and have no idea what to blog about???

That's when you turn to what's going on in bloggy land because let's face it there are so many wonderful bloggers out there and there's always a contest or a fun meme or even prayer requests going on.


Jeannene at "Love Conquers All" is celebrating her first bloggy anniversary, we all know what a big deal that is right? So she's having a giveaway and according to her:

*Stay tuned and be ready in "TWO DAYS", trust me, there will be not one, not two, not even three or four but more winners for my "special one year giveaway" just for YOU!! All you have to do is just let me know you "READ" this post and drop me a comment and will draw a name the night of my Anniversary.

Looks like another Bloggy Giveaway Carnival is getting ready to launch on April 21st, go on over to Chilihead's blog for more info.

Annie is having her Time Travel Tuesday today and it's all about the prom baby. That's right, she wants to hear all about it, your dress, your date, memories etc. So go on over and share that with her :)

Niki at Nostalgia at the Stone House is taking us on a trip to Bath, you'll see such beautiful pictures as this one.


Karon is talking about "Aging Gracefully" today, boy do I need to read that LOL Lately I feel like even though I'm not old, my age IS starting to show. Pains hurt more, last longer and seem to show up out of nowhere......weight doesn't come off as easily, the doctor has told me to start taking calcium and just like Karon mentions in her post.....people under 30 have started calling me "ma'm" *blink blink*

Bev at "Scratching the Surface" has posted something that has left me amazed and wanting to go out and get it NOW, right this minute. Problem is that I can see myself using it all over the house and then it might feel like I'm living in a book or something with words all around me. But I know for sure it's going in my kitchen....and living room.....and bedroom......Oh Bev what have you started?

One of my favorite blogs is "Simple Folk", I just truly admire Amy, she's a sweetheart. Her and a couple of other ladies who live on farms are doing a six week blog-a-thon and the first week was all about aprons.....ooohhh aprons. Go and take a look.

And then we have our friend Kelli at "There's no Place like home" and today she's trying to corrupt me with yumminess.
If you don't believe me, I have proof, just look what she's sharing today....tsk tsk tsk LOL


Sheila has a GREAT post today on "When you don't see eye to eye with your husband". Is she talking about me?? LOL

And that's it, I think I've covered all the major bloggy happenings. I'm off to finished laundry and then I have floors to sweep and mop. HATE doing that.

God Bless,

What in the heck is going on here.....I am NEVER

this bad at blogging but lately, Lordy, I don't know what is happening.

So anyway, what has been going on here in the hot desert of Arizona??? Not much really....my neck and shoulder pain seem to have finally almost disappeared, I have a tiny crick left in my neck but nothing like it used to be. Only problem I'm having now....AHHH there is ALWAYS a downside to medication isn't there???

Since I was on the muscle relaxants for about 2 weeks I feel like my body is still used to it, so since Saturday I still feel a little lightheaded at times, kinda drowsy, but I'm sure it will all go away soon.


We're on the homestretch, exactly one month from today we will be boarding an airplane to South Africa, can you believe that????
10 years in the making and finally it's here upon us....I still don't have my south african passport so I'm praying every single day that it comes in and soon.

Last week friday was Nicholas' birthday, my little man turned 5 years old and I was left with the task of creating a Yoshi cake. Why me??? I am just not a baker, I love cooking but baking is just not my thing...so I had a blank cake, frosting and food coloring and a knife. Sounds ominous doesn't it? LOL

I'm afraid to post the picture for fear that I will shatter that image that you all may have of me, you know the one where I cook well so I HAVE to make awesome cakes too??? Or is that just my own image of myself??
Anyway, here it goes:




It's been a while since I've posted my sky photos and I think it's about time I did. So this is what it looks like outside right now, we have the beautiful White Tank Mountains in the distance, they are just beautiful.
They even have a webcam set up....how neat is that?

If you had to turn around and look behind me you would see the dark grey clouds closing in on us, I'm hoping there's some rain in the forecast. We could use some right about now, it's been in the mid 90's and the poor plants are begging for water.

I just posted a recipe for the Chicken Tortilla Bake, a couple of ladies asked for it on my food blog, so you can see it just below this post.

I have Chicken Wellington and some Breaded Pork Chops recipe to post tomorrow but here's a preview just to wet your appetite.


Curt is working really weird hours this month, he's going in the afternoon and only getting home around long after we're all asleep....which means, it's just me and the kiddos, which means bedtime falls all on me and it's NOT easy getting two kids into bed when they're determined to do and say anything to say up. I'm about to start the bathes and then we're settling down to watch American Idol.

Have a great night everyone,

Go grab a plate, I have dinner ready!

I hope you're in the mood for Mexican because that's what we're having tonight.....

Follow the link to my food blog and you'll find the recipe.

CHICKEN TORTILLA BAKE

Makes you think......

You know that I've been completely engrossed in the "Road to Avonlea" tv series through Netflix, and by engrossed, I mean absolutely, shamefully addicted. I remember putting the first DVD on my queue at Netflix and I waited with baited breath until it came in the mail and since then I've been on a wonderful journey through the lives of the folks of Avonlea. I love them and I think it's because they're family oriented which is so hard to find nowadays anywhere. All these reality shows are just plain horrid to me, there's cursing and fighting and yelling and backstabbing and women portraying themselves in a very nasty way.


If you don't have the reality shows, then you have all the crime investigation shows like CSI and Law and Order etc, and as much as they may be great for us adults to watch, there doesn't seem to be anything on tv (that I've been able to find) that is catered towards the whole family.

So while watching this series it's become almost a getaway for me, a time where I can lay in bed and be transported back to a simpler time where family came first, where kids were an integral part of the everyday life, they had chores, they were good students, they helped in the running of the household and they didn't watch tv or play computer games.

I know for a fact that the minute the tv, computer, video games are not accessible to my children they become completely lost. They're bored, they don't know what to do with themselves, they complain and they whine and honestly don't know what to do for amusement.

Watching the series you see young girls who by the age of 9 or 10 can cook, sew, embroider, take care of little ones and pretty much run a household, which then makes me understand why in the early 1900's they got married a lot earlier and younger than we do now.

The boys helped the fathers with all of the physical work done in the farms and the ranches and this was all done before school, when today I can barely get Jasmine dressed and out of the house for school, imagine if she had to go milk a cow or gather eggs or clean the stables before hand? LOL


Road to Avonlea has to be one of the BEST television shows ever. It’s funny, it’s dramatic and it’s real without being surreal. In the second season, the focus shifts from Sarah Stanley of L.M. Montgomery’s Story Girl series to Felicity King, Sarah’s cousin and this is mainly because of the introduction of Gus Pike which has become one of my favorite characters.


Watching him go from boy to man and become one of the most romantic fictional characters ever has been such a pleasure. He's the kind of man you want for your own daughter.


If you want to watch the first episode of Road to Avonlea, click here.

And then I BET you will either rush out and buy it OR add it to your Netflix Queue.

I'm off, I have laundry to do, the new menu to draw up and MORE Avonlea to watch....can't wait.

From little one to Big Boy!

It's true when they say that you need to cherish every single moment you have with your children because before you know it, they're not so little anymore.

My little baby Nicholas is turning 5 today.......FIVE?!?!?! Where has the time gone???? In a few months he will start Kindergarten and then it's all downhill from there, the time will fly by and before I can blink he will be in Third Grade just like his sister.

How did we get from this?

To this?

And even this.....
Finally to this???? How, how did it go by so quick?

Nicholas has always been our miracle baby. When Jasmine was about 2 years old we decided to try for another baby and unfortunately it wasn't meant to be.

I went through 2 miscarriages, it was one of the darkest moments of my life, I literally felt defeated and a failure, I felt that somehow I was to blame for this, that I wasn't able to keep my babies safe within me. I lashed out and I cried and I hurt, but I never turned away from God, because you see even in my darkest hour I knew that He was at work and that it wasn't meant to be, there was a silver lining, there would be something amazing coming my way.

I didn't understand why the miscarriages happened and it's something that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy (not that I have any, but anyway).

About a year after my second miscarriage, I found out I was pregnant, needless to say it was a bitter sweet moment. I was ecstatic but apprehensive and worried, every little cramp, every little thing that wasn't quite right made me fear for the life of my baby.

I was considered a high risk pregnancy and had to go in every week to draw blood so the doctors could be sure that my HCG levels were rising. My arms were bruised and my heart was heavy with worry, I couldn't really enjoy my pregnancy because of that.
At about 28 weeks, I started having contractions and was admitted to the hospital, this was the day before Curtis was leaving for Texas for a 2 week deployment......I was alone with a 2 year old and a high risk pregnancy.

I got through it, Nicholas hung in there and from the very start he proved to be a fighter, he wasn't giving up and neither was I.

I had bleeding, I had contractions, I felt horrible all the time but on April 11, 2003 at exactly 5:30pm, he made his entrance into this world and would you believe that when he came out he had the cord wrapped around his body???? LOL
I guess it was his way of holding on in there, he made sure he wasn't going anywhere LOL

I am beyond greatful for our son, he has been the light of our lives and has turned into such an amazing little man.......immensely loved by mommy, daddy and big sister.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICHOLAS!!!!

And now I'm off to bake a Yoshi cake, wish me luck, I don't know how it will turn out but I will take pictures to show you either way.

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.

FINGER LICKIN' RIBS

3 to 4 lbs. baby back pork ribs
salt and pepper to taste
garlic salt to taste
8-0z bottle Russian salad dressing
3/4 c. pineapple juice

Slice ribs into several portions to fit into slow cooker; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange in a slow cooker; add enough water just to cover.

Cover and cook on high setting for 6 to 7 hours, until tender; drain. Arrange ribs on a broiler pan and sprinkle with garlic salt.

Combine salad dressing and pineapple juice in a small mixing bowl; brush ribs with half the sauce. Broil until browned; turn over, brush with remaining sauce and broil other side.

Serves 8-10

Slowly Coming Around!

Where has the time gone? I haven't been on the blogs at all, I've actually slacked off on mine too but that is due to the neck/shoulder pain that I have been battling for the past 3 weeks or so. Nothing like one of those really annoying grinding pains to put you in a miserable mood.

Today is the first day that I'm somewhat feeling back to normal, I'm not completely 100% but at least I'm no longer wishing to cut off my own neck and shoulders....as gross as that seems.

Thank you to those who have continued to come by and leave me well wishes, I truly appreciate it.

So where to begin, what has been going on here you may wonder???

Well, we are pretty much set for our trip to South Africa, I'm just waiting on my passport to come in, please say a prayer that it does indeed arrive soon. The problem is that if it doesn't then I have to apply for a temporary passport and apparently, I won't be able to travel through Europe as they don't accept such documents. That's all fine and dandy, but considering that we WILL be traveling through Europe on our way to Africa, this could put a serious crimp on our plans.

I'm confident that the Lord is at work here and that everything will work out, but an extra prayer or two never hurts does it???

AND guess what??? While in Johannesburg I'll be meeting up with Marcia from Organising Queen.....isn't that exciting?



Not much else has been happening here, Nicholas' birthday is on friday and he wants to go bowling but Curt is working really weird hours and won't be home at all, so Nic decided that we can just bowl at home on the Wii. Works for me!


I'm going to be making his birthday cake, he is absolutely crazy about Yoshi so I'm going to try my best to come up with a Yoshi themed cake. Wish me luck, I'm not really a baker which is weird since I can cook so well, but cakes and such are just not my cup of tea. I'll gladly eat them if someone else makes them LOL

I hope you're all signing up to win Karon Phillips Goodman's book. She's giving away a free copy of "Grab a Broom, Lord -- There's Dust Everywhere!".
Go check out her blog here.

I'm heading to the library this morning, I have some books to return and I have "The Other Boleyn Girl" waiting for me. I'm so excited to read this one, can't wait.

I hope you're all having a great day, I'm hoping to come by and say hi after I get back from the library. Hope you haven't forgotten me or think that I'm rude for not being around your blogs recently.

God Bless,

The Perfect way to spend the day!

Yesterday around noon we decided to finally go and check out the Wildlife Zoo which is only 4 miles from where we live.

We've been to the Phoenix Zoo already but this one is different in where it's mainly about Exotic Animals.

Wildlife World Zoo has Arizona's largest collection of exotic animals with over 2400 individual animals representing more than 400 exotic and endangered species.

By the time we got there it was packed....I mean the lines to get in were ridiculous and it was hot and we wore flipflops not realizing that there's dirt everywhere. Needless to say we weren't the only ones who wore flipflops and ended up with really dirty feet. GROSS!!

Anyway, it was a lot of fun, the kids loved it and so did we....here's some photos:






That's an ostrich egg!
My neck and shoulder are slowly returning to normal. I realized I wasn't taking the medication right, I was taking just one at night because it makes me drowsy, but I was supposed to be taking it 3 times a day........I'm going to take it once in the morning and another time at night and see how it goes. I'm just SO SO tired of the muscle pain, it's frustrating.

Nothing much is going on here, I am about to watch the new Tudors Episode from last night....if anyone missed it and wants to watch it, just email me, I recorded it on the computer and have the files for it :)

I'm also in the middle of my "Road to Avonlea" series, I absolutely adore them. It's those kind of shows that you walk away smiling. So much tv nowadays is about violence and crime, so when you watch a show that is family oriented it's a shock........but in a good way. If you haven't watched these, you really need to........though I will say at the end of Season 3 I cried my eyes out because.........well.................don't read this part if you don't like to be spoiled ok?



Marilla Cuthbert Dies! :(


So sad.......but still really good!


I've posted my menu on the food blog, it's pretty much the same as last week, I ended up switching things around and not making exactly what was on there.

Before I leave, I just have to let you know........Karon Phillips Goodman is giving away a free copy of "Grab a Broom, Lord -- There's Dust Everywhere!". If you're interested please go on over to her blog and check out the details. Go Go, if you don't have this book you NEED to get it.

Well I'm off to watch The Tudors and visit some blogs.....have a great day.

Five Senses Saturday!

It's been a LONG time since I've done the Five Senses Saturday but I truly am drawing a blank on what to post this morning, so here we go..............as always this is what happened this past week.

If you want to join in, just let me know in my comments so I can come and check it out :)

::Hear::

- One Republic "Stop and Stare"

- Birds outside
- Kids yelling excitedly while playing the wii
- Curt's voice at the end of a long day
-My coffee machine starting a fresh pot of hot delicious coffee

::See::

- The doctor for my muscle sprain
- A puddle of leaking anti-freeze under my SUV
- The tickets to Africa arriving in the mail
- Another lemon falling off the tree
- The excitement in the kids faces when we bought the Wii

::touch::



- My sore neck muscles
- Hot coffee mug as I take a sip
- The netflix envelopes bringing my "Road to Avonlea" Series
- The wrapper of my Nestle Caramel Treasures
- The pages of my new Taste of Home Cookbook

::taste::



- Chicken in Cream Sauce....YUM
- Chocolate Cobbler
- Garlic and Beer Shrimp>
- Cold mug of beer
- Portuguese Bread Rolls



::smell::


- Garlic and Onions frying in the skillet
- Yummy aroma coming from the Food Court at the BX
- Lavender Shampoo on my hair
- Tiger Balm rubbed on my shoulder and neck *yuck*
- Lemon Blossoms from the tree

Are you Hungry? In the mood for some Asian Cuisine?

Last night for dinner I made Gingered Pepper Steak and some Korean Pancakes. Both turned out REALLY good.

If you're interested in the recipes, they're on my food blog.

GINGERED PEPPER STEAK

KOREAN PANCAKES

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.

Mixed Berry Crumble

Ingredients
2 12 oz. bags frozen mixed berries
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup cranberry juice cocktail
1/4 cup quick cooking tapioca
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup sugar
For Crumble Topping:
1 cup baking mix
3/4 cup Kashi cereal
1 cup almond biscotti (about 5 biscotti cookies), crushed
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Directions
1. In a 4- or 5-quart slow cooker stir together mixed berries, dried cranberries, cranberry juice, tapioca, cinnamon, and sugar.

2. Cover and cook on high setting 2 to 4 hours or until fruit is tender.

3. FOR CRUMBLE TOPPING: Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, combine all crumble top ingredients. Spread out on prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 to 18 minutes or until crisp and golden.

5. To serve, sprinkle crumble topping over warm berry mixture. Makes 8 servings.

Bed please!!!

Image credit: Sheryl's Originals

I'm literally forcing my eyes open today. I started my muscle relaxants last night and woke up this morning with my neck feeling MUCH better but the drowsiness is still here, I am one of those people where if medication says "MAY cause drowsiness", to me it means it "WILL cause MAJOR drowsiness and you WILL be using toothpicks on your eyelids to keep them open". I'm already wishing it was bed time and keep imagining laying down, pulling the covers over my weary body and drifting off into a nice cozy slumber. *sigh* Thank you all for the prayers, I can feel them at work and I truly appreciate every single one of you.


It's been a while since I've shared sky photos so I have 2 for you today.....I was outside with the kids admiring the Lemon Tree again when I took them.


Now did you know that the Lemon Tree has thorns and they are SHARP???? I had no clue until I accidentally brushed up against it with my arm and YIKES that hurt.

Are those not huge thorns? I thought only rose bushes had them but I was clearly mistaken, I can't tell you how much this little tree has educated me.

The lemons are all gone, I've made the lemon bars and some lemonade, the next ones that fall off the tree will be used in a Lemon Meringue Pie - Curt's favorite. Thank you all for the tip on the issue of Taste of Home Magazine with all the lemon recipes, I went out and bought it yesterday so I have plenty to choose from.

I've slacked off on my reading, this neck pain was not helping either because it hurt to look down at the book or to even keep it in one position for longer than a few minutes, but I miss my books.

I'm hoping to get back into them this week, we'll see how this goes, I don't want to push things just because I feel a little better.

The next book on my list to read is Katherine the Virgin Widow by Jean Plaidy, can't wait.

Well I wish I could stay and chat more but I'm drowsy and sore still so I'm going to fix lunch for Nicholas and I and see about taking a short nap.

Have a wonderful wednesday and please don't forget about the Slow Cooking Thursday tomorrow.

Blessings,

I'm off to the doctors!

That neck/shoulder muscle pain is just not going away so I'm off to the doctors this morning.

Please say a prayer that it's in fact just a pulled muscle and not something more that would require surgery or anything....last thing I need is that before my trip to Africa in a few weeks.

Will let you all know how it goes when I return.

Blessings,


UPDATE: I just got back from the doctors, it is indeed a muscle sprain so he prescribed muscle relaxants and pain medication for it. He also told me to go out and buy a heating pad and use it too. The problem is that I pulled the muscle while sleeping but then aggravated it by doing the move, then the rides at the carnival and then the wii LOL So, now it's time to heal up, he said it should take another week or so for this to completely heal up.

Thank you all for the prayers, I'm thankful that even though it's painful, it's not something that will require surgery. Now I just have to pray for a quick recovery from it so that I can enjoy my trip to Africa :)