Cheese and Onion Pastie Pizza

Go on over to Full Bellies, Happy Kids for the recipe!

Cheese and Onion Pastie Pizza

Blessed Rain!

Come on in out of the rain and have some coffee with me. It's cloudy and dreary out there and there's some drizzling coming down.

See for the past week we have been extremely blessed with rain, which is just wonderful here in hot and dry Arizona. Every night the sky puts out a beautiful display of lightnining and then showers us with water, the kind that makes the grass gleam and the trees sing for joy. The kind that leaves that amazing rain scent. Is there anything better than that?

I could sit at my window for hours and just watch the lightning flash across the sky.

Yesterday we had a couple of errands to run and though the sky was littered with clouds, it wasn't raining YET. I just love this photo, so used to seeing nothing but desert and dirt, when I drive by this field I always smile, it makes me feel like I'm back in Idaho!

We went in search of a Flea Market, but unfortunately the ones we tried in Glendale were just not good at all, I think next week we'll try the other ones around the area. I still needed to pick up some things, so we headed to Walmart and by the time we got there, you could see the sky changing.

The palm trees were blowing in the wind and the sky was darker, as a matter of fact the whole time we were inside it kept getting dark, it was like someone was playing with a light switch.

Now by the time we left and headed back to base, the rain was moving fast towards us. The kids were amazed at how clearly you could see the rain coming down in the distance, how pretty is that?

I was able to get all my materials to start the Advent Calendar and that's exactly what I plan on doing today.

Photo courtesy: Allsorts

You may be wondering why I'm starting it so early, and the reason is that with all the craziness of everyday life, I tend to start projects for Christmas and half the time I don't get to finish, so I think that with all the interruptions, given this much time to make the Calendar, I should be done in a month or two. Hopefully, keep your fingers crossed LOL

Oh I have to tell you about this BBC Mini-Series I just watched over the weekend. It's called "Wives and Daughters" and it was based on the book by Elizabeth Gaskell. It was such a sweet story, just the kind I like. You do know I'm a huge fan of Victorian times so I'm always on the hunt for books or movies from that era. This one didn't disappoint.

And speaking of books, while at Cracker Barrell on friday I was able to pick up some new Gooseberry Patch books to add to my collection which is ever growing. I think one of the reasons I love these cookbooks is not just for the great recipes but for the tons of ideas they include on every page, I mean if I had to decorate my house with every single decorating tip, I would have the cutest darn house in the State.

I haven't had a chance to go through them yet, so that's something else I'll be doing today. As a matter of fact, the more I think about it, the more I realize that today is going to be one of those quiet, perfect days....those filled with cookbooks, cooking, sewing and crafting and cups of tea while the rain falls outside. Yes, indeed, I think I'll enjoy today!

My favorite sandwich!

Seafood Sub

PhotoHunt 125: Beautiful

The Theme this week is Beautiful!

Show and Tell Friday!

The wonderful Kelli over at "There's no place like home" has started this friday feature, here's what she had to say:

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!" Do you have a something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, a new antique find, an old love letter. Use your imagination and dig through those old boxes in your closet if you have to! Feel free to share pictures and if there's a story behind your special something, that's even better!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

So today I thought I would show you my husband's jet....his pride and joy, his F-16. My husband is a SSGT in the Air Force, a Crew Chief, a mechanic for these amazing machines. He works extremely hard, sometimes 14 hours a day, Saturdays and Sundays. It's not the first time that he's been called in to work in the middle of the night if one of the jets is broken and has to fly the next day.



It's a mighty powerful experience when you get to step this close near the airplanes, you can't help but be amazed at their power.


It's even better when you see your husband's name on the actual jet, right under the cockpit. The kids were so excited, they couldn't wait to tell everyone.


And sometimes they are rewarded for their hard work.....they get a Jet Ride. Boy was my husband ever excited about this, he was like a little kid in a candy store...a candy store with very big F-16's inside LOL


Here he is before take off

A view from the top....see there in the distance? That's another F-16 taking one of the other crew chiefs for their ride

It's just one of the wonderful perks of being in the military, this and so many other things are what we sacrifice for. And to watch the happiness on my husband's face as he works on HIS jet every day is worth it for me.

Things you do NOT want to hear at the Girlie Appointment!

If you're a man, and I doubt I have man readers, but still, if you are a man, I suggest you stop right now and go do something else. It's not that I'm about to go into details of any kind here but I'm sure you don't want to hear what I have to say....LOL

So I'm sitting there in that nervous limbo, you know the time between the nurse asking the questions and the doctor coming into the room???

You're sitting there at the edge of that uncomfortable table/bed/thingamagig and you're looking around at the weird posters on the wall with all the way too graphic pictures and there's always that annoying little Pain Chart with the faces.....you know that one???

This really happy face for no pain at all and this distorted one with a lone tear for excruciating pain. I'm wondering why they don't have a chart for Most Nervous and then they could display those faces and have things like:


1 - Very Very happy to be here

2 - Not happy but not scared either, it's just so so

3 - This place is creeping me out

4 - Quick, think happy thoughts and imagine you're on a deserted island

5 - Get me the heck out of here, I would rather have a root canal


But anyway, I'm sitting there and the nurse tells me the doctor will be right in, she walks outside and closes the door and I'm sitting there, FULLY CLOTHED, sitting on the table wondering what is wrong with that picture, but I'm not complaining, after all if I can get away with doing this exam without any clothes coming off, it's A-OKAY with me. LOL

But she walks out the door and closes it and I hear her voice outside.....she said....well this is what I heard:

Nurse Letsmakethepatientevenmorenervous - "For the removal of an IUD, do we need the forceps???"

UH?!?!?!?! It's even worse that she was dead serious, she was asking an honest question not joking. Then she quickly rushes back inside to tell me that she forgot to ask me to get undressed. Bummer! I was rather enjoying conjuring up in my mind ways in which to get through this fully clothed. And then just to add insult to injury let's give us some paper duds to wear, you know the paper vest with the opening in the front and then this yard of paper to cover yourself up from the waist down. So now I'm sure I look wonderful, I have a look of absolute fear in my face from the whole forceps conversation and the weird posters on the wall but I have to worry that this stupid paper doesn't even cover my backside. UGH!

Long story short, the IUD was NOT removed, I just did my annual exam and got the heck out of crazy town. I mean honestly, is it not bad enough that I have to sit there and pretend that I'm interested in the small talk about the weather and the rising gas prices when there's someone down under, but then to hear them talk about forceps. Last time I got close and personal with one of those I was in labor with Jasmine and it was not a happy experience!

I should have just shouted out from inside the room "Forget the forceps, see if the local city crane is available". Absolutely ridiculous!

But it's done, it's over with and I don't have to worry about it again until next year. I have to be honest, it is one of those exams that I loathe, detest, would avoid at all costs, but every year, like clockwork, I go and I grit my teeth through it. I would rather suffer an hour a year and be sure that I'm healthy. Besides, if I didn't go I wouldn't have this to blog about would I?

I wonder what they would have done if I had taken my camera and started snapping pictures LOL I know I'm a little nutty but even I wouldn't go that far. LOL

So thank you all for your thoughts and I was so glad to read that I wasn't the only one that loathed this kind of doctor's appointment.....but hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do right?

I'm off to read my new Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2008, it just came in the mail, and I can't wait to browse through it. Then I have kids to supervise with baths and homework and bedtime....after that I think I'll take a nice hot bath and crawl into bed with one of my Netflix movies. I have The Nativity Story and Wives and Daughters: Disc 1.

I hope you all had a good thursday, at least one not as weird as mine LOL

Girlie Appointment!

If you're a woman I'm sure I don't need to go into details, and if you're a guy, I'm sure you definitely don't want me to say anymore LOL

I have my yearly appointment here in an hour or so, to say that I'm nervous is an understatement because I would rather go pull a tooth at the dentist than go to this kind of doctor. Really!!!

So keep me in your thoughts, send out some good vibes that it goes by quickly and that I can find something amusing to think about while I'm there, laying down, staring at those awful boring ceilings while someone chats and makes small talk from my nether regions. UGH!

I know I'll imagine I'm here:

Sometimes it sucks to be a woman!

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.

As always, share your slow cooking recipes but if you REALLY REALLY don't have one and still want to participate, then you can share any kind of recipe.

I'm thinking this would make a GREAT gift for the holidays!

Pumpkin Bread In Jars

1 c Flour
1 1/2 ts Baking powder
1 ts Pumpkin pie spice
1/2 c Brown sugar; firmly packed
2 tb Vegetable oil
2 Eggs
1/2 c Pumpkin (canned)
4 tb Raisins or dried currants; f

In small bowl combine flour, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice; set aside.

In med. mixing bowl combine brown sugar and oil; beat until well combined. Beat in eggs. Add pumpkin; mix well. Add flour mixture. Beat just until combined. Stir in raisins.

Pour pumpkin mixture into 2 well-greased and floured 1/2-pint straight-sided canning jars. Cover jars tightly w/greased foil. Place a piece of crumpled foil in 3-1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker with liner in place. Place jars atop crumpled foil.

Cover; cook on high setting for 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours or until a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean.

Remove jars from cooker; cool 10 minutes in jars. Remove bread from jars. Cool thoroughly on wire rack. Makes 2 loaves.

FOR 3-1/2 to 4 QUART slow cookerS--Halve all ingredients.


WARNING: Use only CANNING JARS for this recipe. Others may not be tempered to withstand the heat. Do NOT use coffee or vegetable cans as most contain lead and are painted or sealed with materials that may give off toxic gases when heated.

This recipe doesn't say you can seal them up and store them in your pantry but my Kerr Canning book recipe says you can; here's how:

Remove jars from the oven one at a time, wipe rim of jar clean; put on lid and ring and screw on tightly.

Jars will seal as the cake cools. Store like canned goods.

Getting to Know Us!

Well I honestly don't know what happened, but my blog ate up my last post. It's not the first time it's done this to me but it's quite annoying. Anyway......moving on.....

I'm an open book and I don't think there's much that I don't talk about on my blog. But I'm sure there's still a lot you don't know about me, about my husband and who we are, so I thought this meme would be fun to do.

We talk so much about our lives and kids and homes but very seldom do we take the time to talk about our better halves and let's face it, they put up with us a lot more than we let on LOL




1. Who is your man?
Curtis, a SSGT in the United States Air Force, a lover of video games and action movies, a kid at heart, a man that loves his family, that will get on the ground with the kids and wrestle and play pony and act completely goofy. The man I love.

2. How long have you been together?
11 years

3. How long dated?
For one year, we met online and got married a year to the day

4. How old is your man?
He is 35 years old

5. Who eats more? Must we really go there? I would say him, but there's days I completely overdo it LOL

6. Who said "I love you" first?
He did

7. Who is taller?
Definitely him, he's 5'11 and I'm only 5'4

8. Who sings better?
Oh that would be me LOL He unfortunately is tone deaf...*sorry honey but you are*

9. Who is smarter?
Ha Ha Ha Ha, Ho Ho Ho, He He He, oh you're serious??? Oh well then me I guess LOL

10. Whose temper is worse?
I think we're both pretty even here, it just takes me a lot longer to loose it, he tends to snap quicker LOL

11. Who does the laundry?
I do

12. Who takes out the garbage?
He does or I do if it needs to go out and he's not home or is deployed....though maybe next time I could just call his First Shirt and demand that he is brought home cause the garbage is overflowing LOL

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
He does

14. Who pays the bills?
I do

15. Who is better with the computer?
For software and programming it's me, for anything hardware and building and rebuilding etc, that's him.

16. Who mows the lawn?
He does

17. Who cooks dinner?
I do

18. Who drives when you are together?
He does, I don't even like driving when I'm alone LOL

19. Who pays when you go out?
Whoever stopped by the bank before the meal LOL

20. Who is most stubborn?
Definitely him, he will just NOT give in even when he knows he's wrong (though he just said he is NEVER wrong LOL)

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong?
Me LOL (Oh boy I am going to be in so much trouble when he reads this LOL) But really, it's me, he will just act like nothing happened or wonder what I'm upset about like he wasn't even there during the fight LOL

22. Whose parents do you see the most? Neither, mine are in South Africa and his mom is in Texas and this military thing means we're never near anyone.

23. Who kissed who first?
It was a mutual thing

24. Who asked who out?
He asked me out

25. Who proposed?
He did

26. Who is the most sensitive?
Oh definitely me, sometimes I wonder why he has to act like he has no feelings (again, I'm probably sleeping in the dog house tonight LOL)

27. Who has more friends?
Neither one of us, we're each other's best friends. Again, being in the military you never really have a set group of friends, they're always moving

28. Who has more siblings?
I do, I have 3 brothers and one sister, Curtis has one brother

29. Who wears the pants in the family?
Literally, it would be him, but figuratively (hahahahahahahah)

30. How did you meet?
On the internet, in a chat room



That was a LOT of fun to do LOL Curt read the answers and he's not very impressed with me (hahahahaha)

If you decide to join in, which I hope you do cause now I'm DYING to know the answers to yours LOL Please let me know so I can come and take a peek. I'm off to kiss my husband and hug him and tell him that I really didn't mean what I said here, but then again I would be lying wouldn't I? LOL

Perfect Dinner!

Our tummies are full and we're happy. For dinner tonight I fixed a Slow Roasted Chicken and for dessert we had some Applesauce Spice Cake. Boy does it smell like Fall in this house.

Go on over to Full Bellies, Happy Kids for the recipes.

PERFECT SLOW ROASTED CHICKEN

APPLESAUCE SPICE CAKE

From Sunset to Morning Bread!

Do you know that one of my absolute favorite things in the whole wide world, is a sunset? There is something magical about that time of day when the sun lazily creeps behind the horizon, it leaves this trail of orange and pink across the sky and you are left with a palette of amazing colors around you.

As I finished off the dinner dishes last night, I looked up from the sink and saw this:

This beautiful purple/pink/orange big fluffy cloud, right in front of me, I knew I had to get out there with the camera and boy was I glad I did

This was the actual color of the sky to my left.

You can see the White Tank Mountains in the distance

And right above me was this.....now tell me does the Lord not make breathtaking skies?

After snapping a few pics, and at one point crouching behind the truck because there were a few cars driving by and looking at me with that "there's the crazy camera lady again" look on their faces.....I came back inside and smiled. Just being outside for those few minutes seemed to lift a weight off my shoulders.

The middle of the night brought rain showers and it was wonderful, at first I was awakened by the sound of pitter patter against the skylight in the master bathroom, I wasn't sure what it was, you know when you're in the middle of that sleep state? You first startle awake and can't even make out where you are? LOL That's what it was, I jumped up in bed and thought "Now why would a woodpecker be messing with the windows at this hour of the night?". Poor Poor Sandra, I'm loosing my mind. LOL

We've been enjoying our morning walks, just before 9 am we set out towards the school and it's so quiet out there, it's just us talking about what the day holds for us and what we'll do later. After dropping off the kids, I walk back home alone and it feels wonderful. It's very relaxing when you're able to slow down and just go at your own pace, you hear the birds, you hear those weird cricket kinda loud bug things...I think Nancy had a photo of one on her blog. You see the birds flying overhead and you get the occasional car with the military guy drinking his coffee as he makes his way to work on the other side of the base.
But most of all you get solitude and quietness and nothing but you and your thoughts. Boy can it get scary LOL

I'm an active thinker, I think and think and think some more and it's not always good stuff. I tend to over analyze things and worry and wonder, all those "what if's" coming at me. But I've started using these morning walks as my time to throw out what I'm having problems with and then making sure that by the time I reach my front door, I leave them outside in this imaginary God Box. This comment/help me box, if you will. I imagine that once I get inside, the Lord steps in and grabs my problems out of that box and returns an empty one in its' place. It's been very freeing, you should try it.

So anyway, after getting the house cleaned up and everything straightened out from the weekend, I got my steaks marinating and in the refrigerator for tonight's dinner, and then I baked some bread. Ahhhhhhh.......a cup of coffee and a fresh slice of bread slathered with butter!

I'm the kind of gal that doesn't like pretty bread. You know....perfectly round tops and shiny brown surfaces and all that shebang. I like the rustic, uneven loaves that make me think of the little bakeries in portugal where I would walk in and find those big round or oval shaped cracked bread loaves with all it's bumps and lumps. THAT is the kind of bread I make.

And my family has this aversion to dark bread, if the crust is dark they don't want it. No matter how many times I explain that it's not burnt, it's just golden brown. Nope, ain't having it. So I bake my bread until it's done and then I remove it, so I get this pale lightly browned bread. Who cares, as long as it takes good!


I divide the dough in half and make one loaf and turn the other half into small dinner rolls. See that one in the middle with the butter all over it? I know it's not dinner and all, but once the camera was shut off I breathed and it was gone. I have no clue where it went....really I don't! It's like magic, one minute it's there, the next it's gone. LOL


I'll have the recipe up on my food blog later tonight. Right now I have to hurry up and get on out of here, the kids leave school in 10 minutes and I have to be there to pick them up.

Have a great day ladies, eat bread and be happy :)

The Simple Woman Daybook - August 25th

Hi everyone, come on in and see what's in my daybook!

If you want to join in, just got visit Peggy over at The Simple Woman, read the guidelines here and then add your name to Mr Linky. There are so many other participants sharing their day, I'm sure you'll enjoy looking through them :)

FOR TODAY

Outside my Window...there are two hummingbirds enjoying the Honeysuckle, they're so close to my window that if I had to reach out I could touch them.

I am thinking...that I need to bake some bread today

I am thankful for...the rain we got last night, we've been needing it and it felt wonderful hearing the pitter patter on the roof and knowing that the plants were getting the water they needed.

From the kitchen...for breakfast we're having Cinnamon Roll Toast and Steak with Pepper Sauce for dinner

I am wearing... camouflage capri's and a black tank top, black flip flops

I am reading...The Barefoot Princess by Christina Dodd.

I am hoping...That my appointment with the OB/GYN on thursday goes well.

I am hearing... The dishwasher buzzing in the background and the coffee pot percolating.

Around the house... Toys scattered in the living room, remnants from the weekend with everyone at home.

One of my favorite things...onions and garlic frying in olive oil

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... Doctors appointment on thursday

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Fairies amongst us!

I'd Love to Be A Fairy's Child

By Robert Graves

Children born of fairy stock
Never need for shirt or frock,
Never want for food or fire,
Always get their hearts desire:
Jingle pockets full of gold,
Marry when they're seven years old.
Every fairy child may keep
Two strong ponies and ten sheep;
All have houses, each his own,
Built of brick or granite stone;
They live on cherries, they run wild
I'd love to be a fairy child.

Who am I???

Here's some more fun facts about me, in case you were wondering, and if you weren't, well.....now you know anyway LOL



What were you doing 10 years ago?

10 years ago I was in South Africa, having just married Curtis and found myself pregnant with Jasmine. I was embarking on the journey of my life, leaving behind my family and my friends and the home that I knew, flying across the world to new beginnings and new adventures. Scared, worried, happy and excited....all in one!

What were you doing 1 year ago?

One year ago we were settling into Arizona, we had just gotten our PCS (Permanent Change of Station) from Idaho and were faced with making a home of a totally new and completely different area.

Five snacks that you enjoy:

1. Gardetto's Mix

2. Maui Onion Chips (these are just so bad, bad, bad, I could eat the whole bag alone)

3. Trail Mix

4. Coconut Macaroons

5. Fresh Cherries

Five things that you would do if you were a millionaire:


1. Open a Bed and Breakfast or a Coffee Shop

2. Build my own English Cottage in Idaho LOL

3. Move my whole family to the States

4. Travel to England, Scotland and Ireland...it's always been my dream.

5. Give a whole lotta money to charity, especially ones helping starving children all over the world

Five bad habits:

1. Worrying and not giving control over to God....I'm really bad with this

2. Sweet Tooth, way too much of a sweet tooth

3. Watching junk on tv, especially those reality shows, I don't know why I do it LOL

4. Curt says nagging, but I'm going to ignore that one because it's simply not true LOL (I should go nag him now just because *teehee)

5. I do say *crap* a lot.... and it's bad and I hate it and feel really bad about it, but sometimes I can't help it, it just comes out.

Five things you would never wear again:


1. Hair Scrunchies....oh my goodness

2. Leg Warmers

3. Those 80's Gel Shoes LOL

4. Hipster Jeans....that just went out the window 10 years ago when I first got pregnant with Jasmine. I still don't know what the whole appeal was, I mean, you couldn't even sit down without making sure you had a long shirt or a purse to shove behind you otherwise people would be seeing the china crack. Ridiculous LOL

5. Tie Dyed Shirts...enough said.

Five favorite toys:

1. My Passe-Vite...love love love it.

2. My computer, I don't think I would survive without it.

3. My sewing machine

4. My coffee pot

5. My stick blender, when my old one broke and I was making soup the next day, THEN I understood just how much it meant to me LOL



I hope this gave you a little more insight into what I like and who I am. If you decide to do one for yourself just let me know so I can come by and see it too :)

************************************

I'm leaving you with some links to great blogs I've found the past week, maybe they'll become some of your favorites too.

♥ Among the Hedgerows: I absolutely could get lost going through Lynda's blog, it's just so full of pretty photos and wonderful home things. Go on over and take a look.

♥ Beachys Cape Cod Cupboard: If you love the beach as much as I do, you won't want to miss this blog. The blog owner lives on on Cape Cod... in a Cape Cod style home with weathered shingles. You won't believe the beautiful photos she posts.

♥ Cowboys and Custard: Another great blog set in the south west of England, I'm always amazed at the beautiful countryside some of these bloggers live in.

♥ Lily's House: One of my favorite blogs, Lily lives in Devon and she's another of the bloggers that posts the most incredible photos, you should see her latest visit to Cornwall....breathtaking.

:: Quiet Saturday! ::

There is something about Saturday mornings, something about hearing the birds chirping outside and allowing your body to wake up on it's own, getting up while everyone is sleeping in and turning on the coffee pot, nothing but the morning silence around you. Everything still looks kind of dark and you can see the sun rising in the distance, slowly creeping up over the mountain top.

Moving to the stove with some breakfast recipe in mind.....or not....sometimes I grab one of my old cookbooks and quickly flip through for some inspiration.

By this time I start hearing the pitter patter of little feet coming down the hallway, hands rubbing eyes and sleepy looks on their smiling faces. I absolutely love that first sight of my children.

After some quick hugs and kisses they head to the couch, the tv on to some cartoons while they wait for whatever mommy is making. It's a good thing that none of them are usually ready to eat until about 30 or 40 minutes after they wake up. For breakfast this morning it was Applesauce Puffs, quick and easy to make and the scent of apple and cinnamon linger in the house for a couple of hours.

Would you think less of me if I told you I stayed in my pajama's until noon today? Because it wasn't like I was planning to, I just completely forgot that I had them on and by the time lunch rolled around I was horrified LOL Not that there's anything wrong with wearing pj's all day, I've done it before when I'm sick.

After changing and eating some left over Orange Chicken for lunch, we headed to the park for a few minutes, it was all we could take, the heat was just unbearable so after only 20 minutes we quickly made our way back home to the air conditioning and big glasses of homemade iced tea.

Now it's night time, there's the sound of crickets outside and the moon shining in the sky, not a single cloud is in sight. It's the perfect ending to a lazy quiet Saturday.

I'm off to get the kids ready for bed and then I'm planning to settle in for the night, a good book in hand or maybe some knitting, we'll see what I'm in the mood for.

Orange Chicken!

I absolutely love Chinese but I don't go out for it that often, so when I'm in the mood, I turn to this dish, it's a family favorite.

It does take a bit of time because of having to fry up the chicken first, but it's well worth the time you spend on it :)

ORANGE CHICKEN

Show and Tell Friday!

The wonderful Kelli over at "There's no place like home" has started this friday feature, here's what she had to say:

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!" Do you have a something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, a new antique find, an old love letter. Use your imagination and dig through those old boxes in your closet if you have to! Feel free to share pictures and if there's a story behind your special something, that's even better!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

On the way home from South Africa back in May, one of our stop overs was Amsterdam which is just gorgeous. While sitting around during our 3 hour lay over, waiting for our next flight, we walked around the stores and I couldn't believe just how many things I wanted to bring home with me, but they're expensive and probably would have ended up breaking anyway, so I had to choose something small.

That's when I saw this:

And that is what I brought home, this beautiful little windmill that is hand painted in Holland.

What's great is that they also have a website where you can purchase all sorts of pottery from, I'm not sure how expensive it would be with shipping etc, but I guess I'll wait until we travel to South Africa again next year and purchase something else.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

If you want to join in, just go on over to the wonderful Kelli and add your name to Mr Linky.

Back to Normal!

Thank you all for the well wishes, things are finally back to normal here, we're still holding on to the cold but it's almost gone and the kids were able to return to school today. I again found myself with the deafening quiet of a house all to myself, but it feels good and I don't mean in any way that I don't miss my children and I don't wish I had them with me, but you know, I think every mother needs a couple of hours a day to herself. It helps to replenish the soul.

Nicholas with the projects he made at school today

Jasmine, she's in a bit of a cranky mood today, says it's way too hot and she has homework everyday and the world is ending.....*roll my eyes* LOL

I got the house clean and the laundry all finished this morning and then spent the rest of the day on the computer, cleaning it up. You know computers need a good cleaning once in a while too right? All those files you accumulate and programs you download, it's good to back things up so you don't end up like me, having the computer conk out and loosing everything you had.

It took me the whole afternoon to get this done, who knew I had so much stuff, it's mostly photos because you know me, I pretty much have the camera attached at the hip and anything that moves gets a flash in it's face. I've been able to collect some great pictures over the years but I've also managed to eat up a big chunk of my hard drives, so I'm in the process of picking and reorganizing and ditching those photos I don't need and backing everything else up. It will take me a few more days, but I'm sure I'll get through it.

You know what I also realized while doing this????? That a lot of my life is spent in one room in this house, one room that has always been my favorite and brings me so much joy...my kitchen.
If I'm not cooking up a meal for the family, I'm sitting at the table drawing up menus or grocery lists, or reading through cookbooks or paying bills, helping kids with homework, sewing, reading, washing dishes or talking on the phone. It's my little happy place I guess.

So I thought I would share a few of my favorite spots in the kitchen, just little things that make me smile while I'm in there.

I love this one, she hangs on my wall in the kitchen and holds all my plastic bags

Clothesline behind my washer and dryer, right now I have some *soon to be made into wall hangings* projects. I dyed the fabric with vanilla flavored coffee to give it that old look and they smell SO good too.

Here's a close up of one of the Halloween pictures

I bought this one years ago back at the Quilted Bear in Idaho...it hangs in my laundry room and always makes me smile

My kitchen window sill.....I'm going to paint the birdhouse soon

Little rabbit that hangs out on top of my stove

And now here is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. My Passe-vite......Do you know what it is???

Dinner tonight was Shepherd's Pie

• Cleaning up computer
• Re-watching Robin Hood Season 1 clips online

Olympics - 7pm - NBC

Track and Field, Women's diving, Men's beach volleyball

********************************

One Year Ago Today:
Two Years Ago Today: Today is the Day

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.

As always, share your slow cooking recipes but if you REALLY REALLY don't have one and still want to participate, then you can share any kind of recipe.

Snappy Meatball Heroes

1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
1 lb extra lean ground beef
8 oz ground turkey
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
1/4 c. dry red wine
6-8 hoagie rolls, split and warmed

In large bowl, beat egg with salt, seasoning, red pepper flakes and garlic. Add chopped onion, beef, turkey, crumbs and parmesan cheese; mix well. Shape into 1-1/2" balls. Place meatballs in 5 qt or larger slow cooker.

In same bowl, mix tomato sauce and wine; pour over meatballs. Cover and cook at low setting until meatballs are no longer pink in middle, cut to test (5-6 hours).

Carefully lift meatballs from cooker and place 3-4 in each split roll; moisten with a little sauce from cooker. If desired add condiments (pepper strips, slices mozzarella cheese, olives, etc) to each sandwich. Makes 6-8 servings.

Halloween Costumes!

For some it may sound a bit too early to be talking about it, but honestly, it's really just around the corner. Now is the time to start thinking costumes, what are the kids going as this year?

As a mother, the search for the perfect Halloween Costume is just as exciting as it is for my children, we will sit around the computer and go through pages and pages of costumes and there have been years where we ended up rushing and buying something off a shelf at the nearest store. That's usually when you end up with kids dressed in things they DON'T want to be, because it was the last costume available.

Let's face it, as much as I would love to make my kid's costumes by hand, it's just not possible with all the craziness of my life and as much as I love sewing, I'm not comfortable doing something like this. Halloween is a big thing for the kids, they have pretty definite ideas on what they want to be.

So here's where I'll be getting the kids Halloween Costumes this year and boy does it have some of the cutest costumes ever, now you all know that I don't talk about something on my blog unless I really like it........so here's some examples that I'm sure will have some of you rushing over to see for yourselves. Looking at these almost makes me want to have another baby...almost!


New for 2008....how adorable is this? Lil' Elephant Elite Collection


Lil' Stinker, not only is the name too cute for words, but the costume...oh my goodness, if only I had found this when Nicholas was a baby!

Little Red Riding Hood....OH.MY.GOSH!

After looking through the site with Nicholas, he immediately shouted out that he wanted to be Heat Blast from Ben 10.


And since Jasmine is absolutely obsessed with dresses and ball gowns and all that stuff, she chose this one.


Well I'm going to keep looking around, I'm having way too much fun on there.

UGH, what a night!

To say I had a bad night would be an understatement, it was more like one of those that the sun rises outside and you wonder how that can be possible since you didn't sleep at ALL....and no amount of willing the time back will do it either. I tried!

Both Jasmine and Nicholas are home from school today, both sick with a cold, both running fevers and both cranky and whiny. They were also the reason I was up all night, having a sick child is not easy but when it's both at the same time it's downright ridiculous, I've mastered the art of cleaning a running nose while hushing someone else to sleep in the next room. Just when I thought they were finally asleep, I would crawl back into bed and close my eyes and BAM again, someone crying that they can't breathe or just crying because they felt awful.

So anyway, it's morning, they're both settled in front of the tv with their blankets and their pillows, they've had their breakfast and the cold medicine and I think that pretty soon they will be out for the count. At this point I wonder "maybe I could slip back into bed for a nap" but you know what? I'm not like that, I'm the kind of person that the minute I get up in the morning I just can't go back to bed.....crazy I know, but what can I do?

I have my hot cup of coffee and a piece of toast that I'm not enjoying, the toast that is, the coffee is my salvation in the mornings. It's going to be one of those days!

I finished the Robin Hood Season 2 series and I loved it and hated it. Yes, both, more on the hated the last episode and cried my eyes out and got very annoyed with the writers. Even Nicholas was shocked and upset and if you can get a 5 year old to shed a tear in a season finale, you KNOW something is not right.

I would tell you what it was that upset us, but in case there's someone out there busy watching the series, I don't want to spoil it. I'll just say that I'm very irritated LOL But I can't wait for the new season to start in January of 2009 on BBC, it helps that Jonas Armstrong is very easy on the eyes.

I'm sure you were expecting me to say more, but I have nothing, zilch, nada. it's what happens when you're tired and feeling sort of out of it. I know I have a load of laundry to wash, iron and put away but that's the extent of my to do list for today. Well maybe some reading but I doubt much else will get done with two sick kiddos, so I figured I would end this post with something I used to do a long time ago, like when I first started blogging:


Dinner tonight is Galinha A Braz - it's this portuguese dish that includes cooked chicken, fries and eggs all together, it's kind of like a big casserole egg thingy. Ugh it's hard to try and translate things LOL




One load of laundry - wash, iron and put away




Olympics - 7pm - NBC

• Track and Field, Gymnastics, Women's Beach Volleyball

Ghost Hunters International *NEW* - 9pm - Sci-Fi

• Dracula's Castle in Romania

*****************************

One year ago today - *there was no post, I don't know what I was doing LOL*

Two years ago today - Crafts, Cries and other Crazy Things!

Snickerdoodles!

Here ya go, some fresh warm out of the oven Snickerdoodles. Don't say I don't love you :)

SNICKERDOODLES

Cup of Tea and good reading!

It's just short of 2pm and I've finished all my house work, the laundry is washed, ironed and put away...the floors are swept and mopped....the living room is clean and tidy and I'm just sitting down to a cup of hot tea.

I don't have to pick up the kids for another 45 minutes so I'm going to enjoy this quiet time with my books and magazines.

Earlier this morning I returned some books to the library and then of course, I couldn't leave without filling my little tote bag with some more. Then I stopped at the BX and picked up some magazines too.

Oh this magazine just makes me all sorts of happy

Not only is it pretty to look at but they always have some of the best recipes, ever!

How neat are those blue bottles?

Just imagine waking up every day to this view? I would probably spend a lot of time in bed though LOL

One of the library books I got is called The Smart Approach to Kid's Room. I'm trying to redo the kids bedrooms and this book has tons of awesome ideas.

This one below just screams Jasmine to me.

And the kitchen, I mean, this kitchen could have been built in my name, I could see myself in there cooking and baking

Yeah, I want a bedroom like that, not sure how Curt would enjoy it though, he may run screaming because of all the pink and ruffly stuff LOL

So here's a list of what I picked up and I can't wait to start reading:

Romantic Country
Victoria May/June
Victoria July/August
Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion
Country Living

Laura Ashley Bedrooms
The Smart Approach to Kid's Rooms
Country Home New Country Style

The Simple Woman Daybook - August 18th

Hi everyone, come on in and see what's in my daybook!

If you want to join in, just got visit Peggy over at The Simple Woman, read the guidelines here and then add your name to Mr Linky. There are so many other participants sharing their day, I'm sure you'll enjoy looking through them :)

FOR TODAY

Outside my Window...the base landscaping people are mowing the yards in the back. In the front, there are 2 hummingbirds fluttering around my Honeysuckle, right outside my kitchen window!

I am thinking...that hopefully Nicholas feels good in school, he and I have a small cold and he's not feeling 100% but I can't keep him home if he's not running a fever.

I am thankful for...being sick this weekend while hubby was home to help me, as a matter of fact he ordered me to bed on saturday and it felt so good to relax!

From the kitchen...Portuguese Steak with tomato and onion and these wonderful donuts which my children love.

I am creating...A clean home today, after dropping off the kids at school I'll come back and mop the floors and change the bed linens. I also have a basket of laundry to iron.

I am going... to miss the Robin Hood Series. I've loved watching the first two seasons, but now I have to wait until next year for Season 3. Bummer!

I am wearing...short pink satin robe and slippers.

I am reading...The Barefoot Princess by Christina Dodd.

I am hoping...To get everything done on my to do list

I am hearing... Nicholas sniffling in the background while he plays a little Wii before school, the lawn mowers outside, jets flying overhead

Around the house...Beds to be made, laundry to finish and the wonderful scent of fresh brewed coffee

One of my favorite things...that first sip of coffee in the morning, the one that makes you go "aahhh"

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... Library on thursday, other than that, nothing at all

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...Jasmine's fairy house in our back yard

Template change, I'm sorry!

I had that nice yellow one and for some reason I went to add a link to it and completely messed it up, I hadn't saved a copy of it yet and I didn't want to start from scratch, so up comes this nice pretty blue one which I had worked on last week.

Hope you guys like it and I do apologize if I'm making you all dizzy with my constant template changes!

Kisses and hugs,

Robin Hood!

You know I'm watching the Robin Hood series on Netflix? You know the ones from BBC?
To say that I'm enjoying them would be a lie, I'm absolutely loving them and I guess it helps that Jonas Armstrong (Robin Hood) and Lucy Griffiths (Lady Marian) have me totally captivated.

Nicholas loves it too, the minute the theme song comes on he is running into my bedroom and crawling in bed with me to watch it. "I love his bow and arrow" he tells me. So do I babe, so do I!

But the questions have come up. I'm sick with a cold and so is Nicholas, so while cuddled in bed yesterday watching the Robin Hood Season 2 disc, he started asking me things like:

• Is Robin Hood real?
• Where did he come from?
• Did he really exist?
• How did he die?
• IS he dead?

Things that I honestly have no answer to, I mean, as long as I can remember I've just known about Robin Hood, it's pretty much a world known thing right? Right??

So I figured, to find out if the Legend is true or just a myth, why not go on the internet and see what we can find? You with me? I'm sure you'll find it interesting and I'll even throw in a recipe for Snickerdoodles at the end of the post, just to sweeten your tooth *snicker*



What I've learned is that there has been speculation through the centuries as to who he was, but his identity remains unknown. No one could provide authentic records of his activities, but five of the oldest surviving poems or ballads as they are now called, tell us about the legend of this English outlaw.

Robin Hood has been associated with two different regions from a very early date; Barnsdale north of Doncaster in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. Though I always thought of him as being from Sherwood Forest.

Sherwood Forest was a royal forest, deep and inaccessible. It was frequented by hunters and poachers, and over the centuries, has been a hiding place for outlaws. Once a hunting ground for the kings and queens of England, 'Shire Wood' covered a large area of the county of Nottinghamshire, stretching twenty miles from Nottingham north to Worksop, and it was over eight miles wide. Today little remains of this once great forest, which has been ruined by exploitation of the area. There is a scattering of woodland and heathland, which is the last refuge for ancient and decaying oaks. The Major Oak near Edwinstowe attracts thousands of visitors each year.

This giant tree, with a waistline of 35 ft, a height of 52 feet and weighing an estimated 23 tons, has been here for about 800-1000 years. The exact age of this magnificent tree can only be estimated. Its huge size is a clue, and yet at the same time as some oaks grow faster than others, the enormous trunk conceals the real answer.

Legend has it that once upon a time Robin Hood hid from his enemies inside the hollow of the Major Oak

Robin's a reckless lad sometimes. He'll sneak into Nottingham once too often and get caught by the sheriff. Or he'll pick a fight with the wrong traveller. And when the going gets rough, Robin blows three great blasts on his horn. That's when his Merry Men appear.


Little John


Maid Marian (local legend has it that Robin and Marian were married in St. Mary's church in the village of Edwinstowe)



Friar Tuck - (It's said Tuck comes from Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire or Fountaindale in Nottinghamshire)



Will Scarlet - (Some legends say he was killed by the sheriff's men, here is the unmarked grave)


Much the Miller's Son

Alan a Dale


Now I absolutely LOVE Maid Marian or Lady Marian.

I went to Wikipedia to see what I could find and this is what it says:

Maid Marian (short for maiden) usually named Lady Marian Fitzwalter of Leaford (first mentioned c.1200-1400), is the female companion to the legendary figure Robin Hood. Stemming from another, older tradition, she became associated with Robin Hood only in the sixteenth century.

Even cloistered away in Nottingham, she acts as a spy, passing information to the rogues in Sherwood. The sheriff only suspects her ties to Robin Hood. And in a time when women were forced into unwanted marriages, Marian chose to love Robin.

****************************************

As you can see there is so much out there to read, I guess it all comes down to what you want to believe, did Robin Hood really exist or is it just a myth, a fairy tale passed down from generation to generation?

You decide!

I thought it would be fun to post some photos of places mentioned in the tv series.

Nottingham Castle

Locksley in Yorkshire

Sherwood Forest

The Third Crusade

And now I'm off to go lay down a bit, I have my little boy with me, so we'll probably pop in another Robin Hood disc, or just take a nap, who knows.

If you need me, I'll be in bed!

Not a good day for me, I have a really bad headache, a congested nose and I feel just out of it. I am not sure if it's a cold or allergies acting up, whatever it is, I wish it would just go away.

So I'm spending the day in bed, husband's orders, with some of my favorite *make me feel better* things.

Robin Hood Season 2

A cup of tea and a good book

Weird Travels - love shows like this

Most Haunted - What can I say, I love paranormal shows

Warm blanket

Shortbread

Donuts and Burritos!

Is there anyone that doesn't like a yummy donut?

I'm a donut addict, I admit, shamefully! I can't resist them and I have to control myself when I'm around these yummy fluffy treasures. *drool*

Before the kids left for school this morning, Nicholas asked me to please make some donuts for an after school snack, and because I love my kids so much and I can't resist his cute little *pokey pokey* face LOL I said ok.

I whipped these up in 20 minutes because, guess what? They use canned biscuits. How cool is that. Now here you go, help yourself to one, or two, then go on over to my food blog for the recipe, and if you're feeling up to it, why not take a few minutes and whip up a batch for your family too.

Biscuit Donuts

Right after I was done with these, I quickly whipped up a bunch of Breakfast Burritos (if Barb had only known what a burrito monster she was creating in me LOL). Every payday I go grocery shopping them come home and stock the freezer with these great burritos, which I eat for breakfast, lunch, snack....I really do eat a lot don't I? Hmmmm!

Breakfast Burritos

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.

As always, share your slow cooking recipes but if you REALLY REALLY don't have one and still want to participate, then you can share any kind of recipe.

Apple Cobbler

1 Oil
4 md Tart apples
1/2 c Sugar
1 Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
1 ds Cinnamon
5 tb Butter
3/4 c Natural cereal with nuts and fruits

Grease side of 3 1/2 quart slow cooker lightly with oil. Core, peel and slice apples; place in slow cooker. Add sugar, lemon rind, lemon juice and cinnamon. Combine butter and cereal. Add to slow cooker; mix thoroughly. Cover. Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or High for 2 to 3 hours. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping, if desired.

From the mouths of babes!

Who knew that once Nicholas started Kindergarten he would be coming home every day with new things to make me laugh??

Me - Nicholas did you have a good day?

Nicholas - Yes, we did the pokey pokey today, but I didn't do it too much cause I got confused with my left and my right foot.

LOL

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Jasmine is enjoying her fourth grade but not really too happy, they started on monday and she's had homework every single day. I am not sure why they are already giving them work but what can I do? I keep explaining to her that things just get harder every year and she will have to adjust. Of course who knew that 9 year old girls were so hormonal, everything is filled with drama......this afternoon she came running into the kitchen, crying, because she had forgotten her composition book at school and couldn't do her homework which means she'll stay in for recess tomorrow and do it in the classroom.

You would have thought that it's the end of the world, she's been in a foul mood since then. Makes me so eager for the teenage years...NOT! LOL

So you may be wondering what exactly I'm doing to fill my time alone, let's just say that the house has never been cleaner, there is this amazing feeling of getting a chore done without interruptions. Who knew that if you started putting away laundry and had no interruptions you would be done within 20 minutes? I'm not used to this, it usually takes me a day, put away a shirt, mommy I'm hungry, put away some pants, mommy I'm thirsty, put away some underwear, fighting kids. This is a whole new way of living for me people LOL


In the meantime I've got a couple projects going on. The other day Katy mentioned using a canning jar as a candle holder and I smiled, because she must have read my mind....last week I made these, see them in the photo above, they're small jars above my stove, all I did was pop in a tea light and VOILA! instant country deco.

I have another tote bag I'm making for myself and I am trying to get started on the christmas projects, especially the advent calendar.

But I find that I get distracted because of the Olympics. I LOVE the Olympics, especially Michael Phelps in the swimming and anything to do with gymnastics. I sat up until way too late last night, watching the girls gymnastics and it broke my heart, I felt so bad for them, but so proud too, they are amazing.

BTW, Barb did an interesting post on the scoring being used for the Gymnastics, I have no clue why they changed the way they do it, but I'm confused and I was glad to see Barb confused too LOL I hate feeling that way alone! LOL

I haven't done my interesting cooking lately as a matter of fact I feel that my food blog is being neglected, but things will change in a few days. I'm getting my menus ready for the next two weeks and I'm hoping to make some really yummy stuff and then share it with you all.

For now, I'm going to take a shower, get into my jammies and help the kids get ready for night time, then I have more Olympics to enjoy.

I know, I know, this post was all over the place, I've switched subjects faster than the Arizona drivers switch lanes, which if you lived here you would totally understand. *snicker*
Tomorrow I'll try to come up with something more thought provoking, or interesting, or that actually makes sense, ok?

WWWAT: A Different View

It's time for another Wordless Wednesday With A Twist and this time we're looking at things through a different view.

If you want to join in or see the other participants, just click on the banner above.





So proud of this picture, my husband and I are HUGE astronomy fans, we have telescopes and special lenses and cameras etc. I took this photo of the sun and if you notice on the bottom left you can see a sunspot.

It's my Anniversary!

10 years since I exchanged vows with my husband and embarked on the best years of my life.

There's been ups and downs and times of grief and times of laughter, there's been moments of frustration between us, times where it would have been easier to just walk away, but we didn't and we don't plan to. Marriage is all about compromise, I don't have to like everything he does and vice versa, but there has to be respect and there has to be a give and take.


I've shared my life with the most wonderful man in the world, he has been there for me through some of my darkest moments and I only hope I've been able to reciprocate as much. I seriously have the best husband in the world, wonderful father, amazing soldier, everything we could have wished for and more.

So here's to 10 years together and the wish for many many more. I love you Curtis!

Kindergarten Here We Come!

This morning started like any other, the sun was shining, the alarm went off and I was up and rushing to get kids ready for school, getting two out the door is harder than just one, but I'm sure I don't need to tell you that LOL

We walked to the school and as we approached it I started feeling a lump in my throat, this was it, this was the moment I would have to leave my beautiful girl in a new classroom with a new teacher and then leave my baby boy alone for the first time in my life.

This summer they broke down the old school building and built a new one, the teachers and staff ONLY moved into this school this weekend and up until friday they were still accepting registration. No problem right??? WRONG! What happened is that a week or two ago we got letters in the mail stating the name of the kids teachers and the room number, but when we arrived at school this morning we were told that everything had been changed. After checking in with the teacher on Jasmine's letter, she kindly informed us that she didn't have her anymore, check next door. Luckily enough, that was the right teacher and I got Jasmine quickly situated before setting off in search of the Kindergarten teacher.

We walked the confusing new hallways, looking this way and that way and finally saw the kindergarten hallway, it would be the one littered with little ones tightly grasping their parents hands, digital cameras and camcorders shot off flashes and bright lights following the little ones every step and in every room you looked into, there were tears and little bodies clutching tightly on to their mom or dad. It was heartbreaking, I'm a softie, I cry easily for goodness sake, so walking through this all enfolding before us was just awful.

We made it to the teacher on the letter and she again kindly informed me that it had been changed, Nicholas wasn't on her list, check with the other teachers. We walked from classroom to classroom and teacher to teacher, it almost felt like I was a door to door salesman trying to sell my child, finally the LAST one, teacher #5 was it. We were ushered in, hung up his backpack, got him his name tag and dumped all his supplies in the bins provided.


He made his way to the first table he could find with the boys, sat down and proceeded to draw like nothing happened. I hung around for a bit, and I realize now that it wasn't for HIS sake because, well, because he was just dandy, it was for my sake. I am pathetic I admit it LOL

After 15 minutes, the parents started to leave and I figured I may as well take the cue and head out as well, no matter how much I wanted to stay there forever, I doubt I could pass as a 5 year old, I mean, if my height didn't give it away, I'm sure the wedding ring and the sunglasses perched on top of my head would.

I reached down gave him a big hug and a kiss on the lips, like I always do, but this time he quickly grabbed a hold of his shirt and wiped, God forbid one of the other boys sees him kiss his mother. I laughed it off though inside I wanted to cry, not only did I have to leave my baby but I couldn't even kiss him anymore, how sad LOL

I said goodbye, told him I loved him and went over the rules again, you know the "listen to the teacher", "If you need to go potty, you have to ask to go ok?", "don't be sad, remember mommy will be back soon" and all that other stuff we tell them just to make ourselves feel better LOL
He gave me a hug and said he loved me and then went back to drawing, I walked to the door, camera in hand and turned back expecting to see him looking back at me with sadness in his eyes or actually crying like some of the other kids, but what I saw left me perplexed and wondering why I was making such a big deal out of nothing.


Now tell me does that look like he's falling apart at the seams because mommy is leaving him? Does it look like he is struggling to see through the tears in his eyes??? LOL
He was already up and playing without a second glance at me. Oh well....I snapped the pic, turned the camera off and walked out, got lost in the new school for 5 minutes (again, I felt pathetic LOL) and then walked home, wiping the tears from my eyes and staring at my shadow remembering that just last year there was two of us, mine and a little boy's on my side. Now there's just one and it's a sad feeling but also very freeing.


So I came home and walked around the house, cried a little more and then told myself to snap out of it, he was fine, he was having fun and besides, I had the house to myself, alone, all alone for the first time in 9 years. Want to know what I did? I turned on the radio loud and danced in the living room, yes I did, I shook my booty, I felt like an idiot (I am starting to see a pattern LOL) but I danced and then I cleaned the house while listening to music...I ate lunch alone in the quiet, just me and the Lord and just when I thought I would start crying again and feeling sad, He whispered in my ear:

"Do not fret my child, remember that you've done an amazing job with those little children and you've devoted your life to them, and now they're off starting a whole new chapter and so are you. Don't cry for the loneliness, rejoice at the chance to put yourself first for a few hours"

I smiled and I thanked Him and then I finished the housework and sat down to make a list of projects I want to get done to keep me busy. By the time I went to pick the kids up at school I totally felt like a new woman, like my soul had been recharged and as I took each one into my arms and hugged them tight, I knew that no matter how hard the separation was, it was the right thing to do.

The Simple Woman Daybook - August 11th

Hi everyone, come on in and see what's in my daybook!

If you want to join in, just got visit Peggy over at The Simple Woman, read the guidelines here and then add your name to Mr Linky. There are so many other participants sharing their day, I'm sure you'll enjoy looking through them :)

FOR TODAY

Outside my Window...blue skies, not a cloud in sight, my sheets drying on the clothesline.

I am thinking...that dropping off Nicholas at kindergarten this morning was just as hard as I thought it would be

I am thankful for...the fact that he was such a strong little boy, he didn't cry or cling at all, he just jumped right into it. :)

From the kitchen...Ham and Cheese Casserole and for dessert the leftover Tres Leches Cake from my birthday yesterday

I am creating...Fabric purses with some fun summer fabric I have laying around

I am going... to clean this house from top to bottom, with both kids in school I'm sure I can get a lot done

I am wearing...shorts and a pink striped top, black flip flops

I am reading...Wow, well, nothing right now, I've read a bunch of books this past week. I finished the "Firstborn" series by Karen Kingsbury which I loved, then I read "The spell of the highlander" by Karen Marie Moning, absolutely loved it too and I also read "One Tuesday Morning" it was so sad and I cried most of the book. Next on my list to read is "Bright Captivity" by Eugenia Price, it's the first book in the Georgia Trilogy.

I am hoping...That my kids have a good first day at school.

I am hearing... absolutely nothing, the silence is actually deafening for me since it's the first time in 9 years that I've had the house to myself.

Around the house...the dishwasher is running, the washer is running too, I have floors that are about to be mopped and bed linens to change

One of my favorite things...kisses from my children first thing in the morning

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... Library on thursday, Grocery shopping on Friday. The rest of the week I'll be busy reorganizing the kids bedrooms and purging what is not needed anymore. It's easier done when they're out of the house because everything tends to turn into their favorite once I try to get rid of it LOL

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...First day of school, fourth grade and kindergarten

It's my birthday and I'll eat cake if I want to!

Forget the diet, at least for today, because I just turned 34 years old and what better way to celebrate than with a big slice of Tres Leches Cake?

I even have some for all of you, so go ahead and help yourselves to a slice :)

Wow, 34! Where did the time go?

Last year I had made a post about how my birthday was going to be like any other, a day that would not stick out in my memory for any reason, nothing major or important would happen but little did I know that within an hour of writing that entry, I would get a phone call with the news that my Uncle Carlos had just passed away.

So the days leading up to today have been a mixture of anticipation, excitement and sadness all rolled into one big ball of emotions. I woke up this morning determined to have a good day no matter what came my way, but then I checked my email and had a message from my youngest brother wishing me a Happy Birthday but also giving me some sad news. My sister in law Nadine (his wife) is 5 1/2 months pregnant with their second daughter, yesterday she started bleeding and having some stomach cramping, she's been admitted to the hospital and is still there. So again, Sandra's birthday coincides with another family struggle.

Nadine and Bruno

I'm asking you all to please say a prayer for Nadine and my little niece, they could use it right now, please pray that they are able to stabilize them both and that the baby will hold on until November to be born, or if it is God's will that she is born early, then that she will be strong enough to fight through this. I'm almost positive that she will be, she is after all a member of this amazing family and our love will pull her through.

But enough with sad things, I could sit back and think that it's becoming a pattern, every year on my birthday something happens to someone in the family, but I choose to believe otherwise. I choose to rather think of this as just a reminder of what a wonderful family I have, how much we love each other and how important each and every one of them is to me. They are my rock, all of them in their own special way!

So before I go and celebrate, I'll leave you with some fun facts about August 10, 1974!

Top News Headlines This Week:
Aug 10 - Judy Rankin wins LPGA Colgate-European American Golf Open Aug 11 - Head-on collision between two buses kills 21 (Ankara, Turkey) Aug 11 - Lee Trevino wins PGA championship Aug 11 - 56th PGA Championship: Lee Trevino shoots a 276 at Tanglewood NC Aug 11 - Coup in East-Timor under UDT Aug 12 - Nolan Ryan strikes-out 19 Red Sox


Top Songs for 1974

Billy, Don't Be a Hero by Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods	Seasons In the Sun by Terry Jacks
Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas	The Loco-Motion by Grand Funk
The Streak by Ray Stevens	The Way We Were by Barbra Streisand
TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) by MFSB with the Three Degrees	Having My Baby by Paul Anka
Annie's Song by John Denver	I Can Help by Billy Swan

US President
Gerald R. Ford

US Vice President
Nelson A. Rockefeller

Academy Award Winners
The Godfather Part I
Directed By Francis Ford Coppola

Best Actor: Art Carney
in Harry And Tonto

Best Actress: Ellen Burstyn
in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

1974 Prices
Bread: $0.28/loaf
Milk: $1.39/gal
Eggs: $1.24/doz
Car: $4,440
Gas: $0.53/gal
House: $38,900
Stamp: $0.10/ea
Avg Income: $14,711/yr
Min Wage: $2.00/hr
DOW Avg: 616

People born on August 10

1959 - Rosanna Arquette NYC, actress (Desperately Seeking Susan)

1947 - Ian Anderson Scotland, rocker (Jethro Tull-Bungle in the Jungle)

1874 - Herbert Clark Hoover, West Branch Iowa, (R) 31st Pres (1929-1933)

1928 - Jimmy Dean Tx, actor/singer (Jimmy Dean Show, Diamonds are Forever)

On TV in 1974
Emergency
The Bob Newhart Show
M*A*S*H
Little House on the Prairie
All in the Family
The Rockford Files
The Waltons
Happy Days
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Columbo


Hot New Toys in 1974

Connnect Four	Evel Knievel Dragster	Star Trek figures
Evel Knievel Stunt Stadium	Monchhichi	Planet of the Apes figures
Digger the Dog	Rubik's Cube	Sit 'N Spin

Top Books in 1974
The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
The Lives of a Cell by Lewis Thomas

The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro Working by Studs Terkel

Walking on Sunshine!

Boy did we have a huge thunderstorm last night, the lightning was so bright that everytime it hit, the inside of the house looked like it was afternoon.

I do love sleeping with the sound of rain outside the window though, you hear the soft pitter patter on the rooftop, the branches scraping against the window, the wind blowing, and you're safely snug inside your bed, it's like being in a little cocoon of warmth.

But this morning, it's all gone, the rain has left and instead we have a cloudless blue sky, the sun is shining bright but there is still the *after the rain* smell. You know the one right? Love it!

Since it was cloudy and dreary all day yesterday, I threw a beef stew in one crockpot and a Herb Bread in the other. The scent emanating from both was enough to make me almost say "forget the diet", ALMOST, but I did behave and contain myself. By the time nighttime rolled around, the rain was coming down hard while we sat around the dinner table with a bowl like this:


See that bread slice? Can you believe that it was baked in the crockpot? I had no idea you could do that, I guess I should have known since pretty much anything can be made using your slow cooker, but there's a first time for everything right? I think I'll be baking more soon, and with 3 slow cookers at my disposal I may just turn my house into a small bakery *snort*

Later today I'll post a recipe for Apple Hand Pies, they are so easy to make and the kids pretty much snorted those up in no time LOL



Remember the sewing machine problem? Well I cleaned it up really good oiled it and changed the bobbin and now it works just wonderfully (wait is that a word? I can't even remember), so I sat down yesterday while the kids were quiet. Jasmine was in her bedroom devouring books, she's become quite an avid reader which makes me so happy....and Nicholas was in the living room laying on the couch with his blanket, watching tv.

I cut out all the fabric and within 30 minutes I had made two very easy fabric tote bags, they turned out so well and one has already become my designated library bag. In fact, I took it with us to the library yesterday and got 2 compliments on it. Who knows, maybe I'll make one to give away here or make some to sell. Seems that everyone and their mother has an Etsy shop nowadays LOL Maybe it's my turn?



LOVE them and Jasmine has already asked me for one for two matching ones, one for herself and one to send to her best friend in Idaho. BUT, I also want to make some for my nieces back home, so I guess I'll be busy for a while but considering how extremely easy they are to make, shouldn't take me long.

I also want to start my Advent Calendar from Allsorts. With the kids starting school on Monday I'll have plenty of quiet time to get stuff done around here, so don't be surprised if you start seeing pictures pop up on my blog with crafts and projects galore.

Now what else is going on here??? Oh reading, of course, I'm already reading, I finished the Firstborn Series by Karen Kingsbury and while I loved them, it was sad to read the last book and now it makes me want to jump right into her Sunrise Series which are supposed to be about the Baxter family and also Katy and Dayne. Can't wait.

While at the library yesterday I picked up a few more books:

One Tuesday Morning #1 September 11 Series- Karen Kingsbury
Spell of the Highlander - Karen Marie Moning (yes it's a series but I didn't realize until I picked up the book and started reading it LOL..oh well)
Bright Captivity #1 in the Georgia Trilogy - Eugenia Price

Good books!

For today I'm just cleaning the house, probably making one or two bags and getting all the final things ready for school starting on Monday. It will be a busy morning but then I'm hoping to have some quiet time in the afternoon to visit all the blogs, catch up on email and watch some tv.

Hope you're all having a wonderful friday!

Show and Tell Friday!

The wonderful Kelli over at "There's no place like home" has started this friday feature, here's what she had to say:

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!" Do you have a something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, a new antique find, an old love letter. Use your imagination and dig through those old boxes in your closet if you have to! Feel free to share pictures and if there's a story behind your special something, that's even better!

If you would like to join in, all you have to do is post your "Show and Tell" on your blog, copy the post link, come over here and add it to Mr. Linky.

What I'm showing you today, I already did back on my blog a LONG time ago, but I know that most of you wouldn't have seen it and it bears repeating.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

If you've been visiting my blog for a while you will know how much my Greatgrandmother meant to me, still does. I always think back about the times we spent together, the laughs, the jokes and all that she taught me.

One thing I love doing is cooking, and she did too. I remember spending hours watching her at the stove and learning from her. Those were some of the best moments of my life.

She loved collecting recipes and so do I, so when I was about 15 or 16, we sat down at the kitchen table and cut out recipes from magazines or newspapers to make this little booklet for me. I still have it and it's one of my treasured possessions. Now mind you all the recipes are in portuguese, because, well, because I'm portuguese LOL

Some of the pages are starting to fall apart, and at first I was thinking about redoing it, but then I remembered that my greatgrandmothers hands touched it, she tied the strings for me and I wouldn't DARE undo it. I hope to one day pass it on to my daughter.

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.

As always, share your slow cooking recipes but if you REALLY REALLY don't have one and still want to participate, then you can share any kind of recipe.

Bread anyone?!?!?!

Honey Wheat Bread

2 c Dry milk, warm/reconstituted
2 tb Vegetable oil
1/4 c Honey
3/4 ts Salt
1 pk Active dry yeast
3 c Whole wheat flour
3/4 c All-purpose flour (to 1 cup)

Preheat slow cooker (3 1/2 or 5 quart) on high for 30 minutes.

Combine warm, not hot, milk, oil, honey, salt, yeast, and half the flour. With electric mixer, beat well for about 2 minutes. Add remaining flour; mix well. place dough in well greased bread 'n Cake pan; cover. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place pan in slow cooker. Cover and bake on high setting for 2 to 3 hours.

Remove pan and uncover. let stand 5 minutes. Unmold and serve warm.

Herb Bread

1 tsp. granulated sugar
1-1/3 cups warm water
1 envelope active dry yeast (1 scant Tbsp. )
2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
1 tsp. dried whole oregano
1 tsp. ground sage
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup all purpose flour

Stir first amount of sugar in warm water in large warmed bowl. Sprinkle with yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast. Add next 8 ingredients. Beat on low to moisten. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Work in second amount of flour. Turn into greased 3-1/2 quart slow cooker. Smooth top with wet spoon or hand. Place 5 paper towels between top of slow cooker and lid. Put wooden match or an object 1/8-inch thick between paper towels and edge of slow cooker to allow a bit of steam to escape. Do not lift lid for the first 2 hours cooking time. Cook on High for about 2-1/2 hours. Loosen sides with knife. Turn out onto rack to cool. Cuts into 14 slices.

Cloudy, Rainy, PERFECT!

I'm thankful that we've been getting quite a bit of rain here lately, it seems that we spend the day with really high temperatures around 112º and then by 5pm the sky starts changing and I love just staring out my kitchen window and watching it unfold.




So no rain yet this morning, just the clouds but it's feeling so much cooler and it makes me want to get in the kitchen and bake, maybe a Banana Bread or some Gingersnap Cookies, or I may just put together a big pot of vegetable soup. YUM!

You guys are lucky that I am so open on this blog and don't think there's anything that I won't talk about, because I'm about to admit that I'm an idiot, with a capital I. Remember the whole sewing machine ordeal? Some of you gave me some really good advice, things I hadn't even thought of....the first sign that I'm an idiot LOL But then yesterday while talking to my Grandma back home, I asked her about it again.

First let me tell you why I asked her, she is a seamstress, and some of my fondest memories are sitting with her in her sewing studio surrounded by fabric and all sorts of sewing machines, thread and needles and pins around us. She made wedding dresses and alterations and she's a genius with a sewing machine. So when I mentioned my problem she calmly asked me a couple of questions, things like "Are you sure you're threading it right?" YES..."did you make sure it's clean inside, dust can sometimes interfere" YES....."have you oiled your machine lately?" UHHHH...I'm supposed to oil the machine?????

DING DING DING Idiot alert! Boy did I feel stupid, considering I've NEVER oiled it and the machine is about 7 years old LOL

So guess what I'm doing today? Yep, oiling the machine! Thanks Grandma :)

I'm off to clean the house and conjure up some yumminess in the kitchen, but since summer is pretty much over for us with the kids returning to school, I thought I would leave you with a Summer Photo Album, a little reminder of what we did since school ended in May.

Summer Walks

Summer Runs

Seaside

Countryside

Sunshine

Thunderstorms

Cook outs

And cook ins

And enjoying full days of fun and staying up way past bed time to swing outside in the moonlight

I should have just stayed in bed!

Yesterday was one of those days where you get up in the morning and within an hour you're wondering what the heck you got out of bed for? Everything went wrong!

It started out with me trying to make an appointment to the Base Hospital for my annual pap and my IUD is also scheduled to be removed. I got the run around, I sat on the phone for 30 minutes with Tricare and then this panel and that panel and whatnot. At some point in the conversation I was told that I may have to go to my PCM (primary care manager) to have it done. I'm sorry but WHAT?!?!?!? Really?!?!?! Cause there's no way I'm going to a normal doctor to have him give me a pap or remove anything, that is just ridiculous. By the time I got off the phone with them, I was wishing I was rich so I could board a plane to Idaho and go and get my appointment done there.

As it stands right now, I'm waiting for my PCM's nurse to call me and tell me if she can give me a referral to the OB/GYN clinic on base. Hopefully she can!

Then I realized that with all the run around lately, I still hadn't gotten my driver's licence renewed, so off I go looking for the DMV number to find out exactly what I need to get it renewed here since my licence is from Idaho. AGAIN, 20 minutes on the phone, run around, call this number, call that number. I had everything set to go and Curt was supposed to be home at 2pm so we could go. I still don't know the area around here very well and didn't want to take off with two kids in tow.

While waiting for the time to come I decide to try and get some sewing done, it always relaxes me. Right???? WRONG! I don't know what the heck is wrong with my sewing machine but it sews 2 stitches and then the thread breaks off. I must have rethreaded that thing a dozen times before I finally decided it's best to put it away, it did nothing to relax me, if anything it just frustrated me even more.

But my day wasn't over because I got ready, got the kids ready and sat waiting for Curt to arrive. 2pm came and went, so did 3pm and 4pm....he walked in the door at 4:45pm and the DMV closed at 5pm. YEAH, no going anywhere for us.

By the time I climbed into bed last night I was beat, emotionally, but after some prayer and some reading I finally relaxed just in time to close my eyes and hit the sack. Today is a new day, so here's hoping to less chaos.

I did manage to finish the first book in the Firstborn series, "Fame" by Karen Kingsbury, then quickly picked up #2 "Forgiven" and started it, I'm loving the series and can not wait to see where Dayne and Katy end up. Love Ms Kingsbury, she's an outstanding author, especially if you like Christian Romance.

I'm also keeping an eye out for Netflix, because Season 2 of "Robin Hood" was released today and I have it on my Queue so I'm hoping to get it as soon as possible. I could watch it online at BBC, but I would rather do it while laying in bed with some popcorn.

The kids are enjoying their last few days of summer, there's lots of computer games, watching tv, drawing and coloring and playing around. They're excited for school, Nicholas is so so, one day he's fine and then the next he is telling me that he's going to miss me and doesn't want to go. I've put it in the Lord's hands and I know He'll watch over him.

I think what's bothering me a bit is that usually we have the Meet the Teacher open house at the school a week or two before it starts, this year however they're not doing that until the 21st of August, AFTER school has begun. The problem is that they tore down the old school building and just built a whole new bigger school. I just wish that I could get to meet his teacher before hand, even for him as a kindergartener I think it helps them being able to see their classroom and the teacher first. So I'm hoping the transition from home to a full day of school, will be a smooth one for him.

And I realize I've babbled on for quite a bit today haven't I? Goodness, I'm sorry about the venting, I didn't realize I had so much to complain about LOL But I'm done complaining, I choose to concentrate on the positive side of things, like my birthday coming up on Sunday...... the fact that I've lost 4 lbs this past week YAY!
I did my weigh in yesterday and went down from 142 to 138, I'm thrilled!

So I figure after all the not so happy talk in this post, I would end with happy things, things that make me smile.

The Simple Woman Daybook - August 4th

Hi everyone, come on in and see what's in my daybook!

If you want to join in, just got visit Peggy over at The Simple Woman, read the guidelines here and then add your name to Mr Linky. There are so many other participants sharing their day, I'm sure you'll enjoy looking through them :)

FOR TODAY

Outside my Window...thunder, lightning and rain. The perfect day to stay inside :)

I am thinking...that I'm so proud of myself for sticking to the diet and for having lost 2 lbs this past week

I am thankful for...the wonderful husband and children I have, they make me laugh every day and show me more love than I could ever imagine

From the kitchen...Chicken Alfredo Pizza for dinner tonight and this afternoon I'm making a batch of Homemade Caramels

I am creating...Fabric purses with some fun summer fabric I have laying around

I am going... to get my driver's licence renewed today

I am wearing...jean shorts, white tank top, slippers

I am reading...just finished Breaking Dawn on saturday night and LOVED it, I also finished "Where Yesterday Lives" by Karen Kingsbury. It was a tear jerker. Now I'm starting "Fame" also by Karen Kingsbury and I have that whole series here at home to read, can'tw ait.

I am hoping...I am actually able to sit at the sewing machine today and get something done

I am hearing... thunder outside, Jasmine playing her game on the computer, Nicholas laughing as he blows bubbles in the living room

Around the house...the dishwasher ready to unload, beds to be made and windows that were supposed to be washed, but with the rain, why bother? LOL

One of my favorite things...Lavender....lavender linen water, lavender body lotion, lavender candles, lavender soap, lavender ANYTHING

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... Just my driver's licence today, the rest of the week we're taking it easy and doing nothing, we're enjoying our last week of summer before kids head to school on the 11th

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...my favorite cake, going to bake it for my birthday on sunday and I thought I would share the recipe with you too. If you've never tried it before, you just HAVE to. Think of it as a birthday celebration with me LOL

TRES LECHES CAKE

1 package white cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare mix
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup milk
1 cup (1/2 pint) whipping cream
1 container (8 ounces) whipped topping, thawed

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Bake about 35 to 40 minutes or until cake is firm to the touch. Remove cake from oven; cool 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine sweetened condensed milk, milk and whipping cream in a 4-cup measure. Poke holes all around the warm cake, using a wooden skewer or toothpick. Slowly pour milk mixutre evenly over top of holes on cake. Let cake cool 10 to 15 minutes more to absorb all the liquid. Cover and refrigerate cake in pan at least 1 hour.

When cake is completely cool, spread whipped topping evenly on top. Cut into pieces and serve with fresh fruit. Keep cake covered and refrigerated.

Asian Beef Wraps!

Go make some, go go, they're super easy and I'm sure you have all the ingredients on hand.

ASIAN BEEF WRAPS

Sunday Morning!

Hope you're all doing well, me, I'm feeling a bit slow this morning. Had a busy busy day yesterday, it started with the morning at Walmart, then Peter Piper Pizza for lunch, it was a special treat for the kids.



And then I didn't get to bed until late last night, you know why? Because of this:

Because I've been waiting for so long for it and literally ran to it in the store, then came home and closed myself in the bedroom to read. It's THAT good, and I'm proud to say I finished it last night. This was for me, by far, the BEST one of them all. Props to Stephenie Meyer who I believe is a neighbor of mine here in Arizona. AMAZING book, now I just have to try and contain myself to wait for the movie in December.

Breakfast is done and I have my hot coffee in hand
It's already hot outside, the sun is shining brightly and the birds are singing.

So after breakfast I'm ironing two baskets of laundry and mopping the kitchen floor and then?

Who knows! Maybe some more reading, maybe watching "The Secret Garden", one thing is for sure if I could I would be going for a walk here

But I can't, so I won't! I'll probably be getting backpacks ready and gearing up for school starting in a week. We got all the school supplies and wardrobe bought yesterday, all $350 of it. At Walmart no less, I can't even imagine if we were doing it somewhere else. But at least it's a once a year thing.

So tell me, how do you do your back to school shopping, do you also start the year with a bunch of new clothes for the kids and then buy at least one new outfit a month? Or do you buy just one back to school outfit for each kid and then clothes throughout the year?

I'm heading off to the laundry pile, it never ceases to disappear does it? I guess I'll putter around the house a little after that, who knows what else I'll do, I may just get some motivation to go sit in front of this and finish one of Jasmine's Summer dresses.


One Year Ago Today: It's Friday Already?
Two Years Ago Today: My sides hurt from laughing so much

Green Chili Chicken Casserole & Palmiers

Have you ever had one???? Because if you haven't, you don't know what you're missing and when I tell you that they're SUPER easy to make, I mean like super easy you won't believe you ever lived without making them, kinda way.

I just made a batch to use up the Puff Pastry I had on hand, go on and make yourself some too. It's not too sweet and it's fluffy and just perfect with a cup of coffee, or tea, or juice, or heck whatever you have on hand, even without a drink.

PALMIERS

But before you eat those, make sure you get some yummy food in, like my Green Chile Chicken Casserol.

GREEN CHILE CHICKEN CASSEROLE