Take a Hike!

No, I don't mean in a bad way, not in a "get the heck out of here" way. I mean, let's go for a hike at the White Tank Mountains? What do you say?

We set out around 11am this morning, the White Tank Mountains Regional Park is only 11 mins from base and it's such a beautiful area, filled with trails of all kinds, little nooks and crannies, Saguaro Cactus as far as the eye can see, and even a little waterfall.

So come with me and I'll take you on the hike, it was a beautiful day, 72 degrees, a light breeze and tons of other families hiking and walking with their pets.

We picked the Waterfall Trail which is 0.5 miles long and home to Petroglyph Plaza. I tell you, seeing those up close is just absolutely amazing. If only I knew what they meant.

Getting higher into the mountain and closer to the waterfall. This waterfall is dry unless there's been a lot of rain lately, luckily for us, last week was filled with rainy days.

One of the tanks filled with water, we found out that this is what gives the White Tank Mountains their name........the tanks of water found throughout the park.

Getting to the waterfall was fun, to say the least, we had to climb over rocks and water tanks.

The park has worked hard at making a lot of the place more accessible, up until about a year or so ago, these rock stairs did not exist.

Time to stop for some photographs with the beautiful scenery behind, I just love the ones of daddy and kids.

Of course mommy and daddy were having a lot of fun too....sorry it's a bit blurry.

Stunning HUGE HUGE Saguaro Cactus, you have no idea how tall these things are. Actually if you click on one of the thumbnails above, there is a photo of me and the kids next to one, we look tiny.

Moss was everywhere and I just had to snap a picture, it's such a rich green color, gorgeous.

It was a wonderful day, for only $6 per vehicle to get in for the day and so much to explore, it's one of those inexpensive ways to have fun with the family. If you're ever around the area, be sure to check it out.

I leave you with a view of Phoenix from the White Tank Mountains....the smog is horrible, look at that brown cloud over the area

There was eating and decorating and.....

a run away Turkey!

by the way, that's a wheat roll in the picture, not a potato. Just thought I would let you know since Nicholas asked me why he never got a potato like that one LOL

I tell you, Thanksgiving Days are always full of surprises, if it's not fighting family members then it's the turkey that just didn't want to get eaten. Curt and I have never laughed so hard.

You all know that we deep fry our turkeys, I used to do the whole oven thing but it took forever and I could never get my turkey nice and juicy so about 3 years ago, we bought a deep fryer and started using that instead. The result, the juiciest, brownest, crispiest skinned turkey EVER.

So let me tell you how my day went. I woke up at about 1am on Thursday morning with the worst sore throat ever. It literally felt like someone was shoving a knife in there and twisting and prodding, it was so bad that it kept me up all night, by 7 am I just said "forget it" got up and started cooking.

By noon everything was cooked and we threw in the turkey and while waiting for it to fry, we started decorating the outside of the house. You know how that goes right? You keep all the decorations and lights from the year before and then you plug everything in and half of the light strands don't work. So you sit there and go one by one looking for the burnt out and exchanging lights until everything is working, because you know....that's easier than just going out to buy new ones? *ROLL MY EYES*

We have 3 reindeer, the animated ones, they move their heads up and down and side to side and one moves it's legs etc. We've had them since Idaho and they're getting so old that there's rust starting to seep through on some, but that is ok, at night no one will know. What they WILL notice is that one works fine, one has no lights down it's whole right side and the one that is supposed to move it's legs is suddenly motionless. What a sad sight! LOL

Now let me tell you about the turkey, I got a 20 lb one which is just ridiculous for us, but in my defense, I couldn't find any of the smaller ones at the commissary, I'm thinking all the retired couples got the itty bitty ones just for the two of them, so I got stuck with this huge bird...... which meant, only the bottom half of it was completely immersed in the peanut oil, the top wasn't and while it cooked, it didn't get brown. So we look at this thing and decide, well let's flip it over and let it sit for another 30 minutes. And that's when the adventure began LOL

I should have grabbed my camera but I was so busy laughing, it totally slipped my mind. So this is how it went.

Curt grabs the basket and pulls it up and there's this sad looking turkey in there, bottom part brown and top part pale. It looked like it had been to the beach while wearing a long sleeved shirt and shorts then fell asleep and got sun burnt.
So I say to him, ok let's flip it and I run inside to get a big fork, I come back out and try to stick the fork in it and start pulling but the darn thing is stuck to the bottom and my fork is bending. ABORT that idea!

Curt says "hey I have some new work gloves in the truck, still in the plastic, let me get that and then I can grab it". Ok, sounds like a great plan...NOT LOL
He comes back with his gloves on and proceeds to try and grab the bird, but it's hot and it's still stuck to the bottom and somehow wedged in the basket and just not budging. So I start laughing, which if you know me personally, you know if something funny or weird is going on, I just can't help it. He is struggling with this bird and I'm trying to hold the basket while he pulls it out and next thing I know this turkey flies past me and lands on the driveway. LOL

Our expressions were a mixture of surprise and OH.MY.GOSH that's our turkey. We run to it and Curt picks it up and turns it and slams it back in the basket. But now it has one of it's gigantic legs sticking out and he's telling me "shove it back in" and I'm trying but the darn leg won't move. So he grabs the leg, breaks it and wedges it into the basket. There ya go.....back into the oil, the heat will kill any germs LOL
Thankfully I had JUST finished sweeping the driveway and had actually hosed it down.....I must have known what was to come.

So after 30 minutes, we sit down to eat, but I have to get the turkey out of the basket and cut it, so I grab my trusty bent fork and shove it in the turkey breast and pull it up to get it out of the basket and guess what happens? It was like someone threw a grenade in there, the fork shreds through the breast and all this flying turkey meat hits me on the face and head. Curt and the kids start laughing, I'm standing there with a bent fork, a shredded turkey breast and meat all over me and the floor. You can't help but laugh at this, it's just too ridiculous for words LOL

Even if I had tried to, I couldn't have made this up. But we DID finally eat it and boy was it good.

We spent the rest of the day putting up our tree and decorating inside, it had started raining so we had to leave the yard decorations for later. There was a christmas tree, you know the prelit ones? Yeah, well we took it out of the box and some of the lights fell out LOL Then we put up the tree, Curt grabs the angel for the top and shoves the branches of the tree into it and then it topples over so he tries to pull the angel back out but it's stuck and he's pulling so hard that the top of the tree comes off with the angel. (hahahahahahahahah)
He's standing there holding this beautiful angel by the waist and there's a huge tree stuck to it's bottom, he's trying not to laugh but of course, I'm already in tears in the corner. He managed to get it loose and I reattached the tree and got the angel back on.

The rest of the night managed to go by without any further crazy happenings. It was a weird, funny but definitely unforgetable Thanksgiving.

So how did yours go? Any run away turkeys? Fighting family members? Crazy trees? Rain, snow, thunder and lightning? I want to hear all about it.

I leave you with some pics from last night.

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our home to yours, wishing you peace, love and a day filled with blessings, gratitude and yumminess for your tummies.

I am thankful for my husband, my children, my parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews and in laws and cousins and aunts and uncles. And for all my bloggy friends, those who have stood by me through funny posts and sad stories, have offered prayers for me and my family and always know just what to say to cheer me up.

But mostly for the Lord, for blessing me abundantly year after year.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

It's Raining, It's pouring, the old man is snoring

LITERALLY! Curt is snoring, I'm serious. LOL

Anyway, it's raining, we woke up to tons of rain, and you know that scent that comes with it? The wet earth, crisp, clean scent? If I could bottle it up I would.

So my house is dark but definitely not gloomy, there's Thanksgiving Food already being prepared, there's Christmas decorations in the hallway waiting to go up and there's knitting and sewing and candles and cookies and hot tea. It's just pure bliss, for me at least. I'm happiest when I'm at home surrounded by my things and completely immersed in the homey atmosphere. It's who I am and it's who I've always wanted to be since I was a little wee one....I remember playing house, pretending I was the mom with all my dolls around, I would *pretend* to go to work and then come home and be oh so tired, but still cook a meal and clean the house and give the kids a bath.

Good times! Sounds very familiar LOL

Now I want to show you a picture of my lemon tree. Remember the whole debacle of the falling tree branches? I am no expert on lemon trees, heck I'm no expert on trees period, I couldn't tell an Oak from a Maple and the only reason I know the different fruit trees is because the fruit is hanging on it LOL
Anyway, I had no clue what was going on and I was so sad to see it falling apart, the branches literally ripped from the tree, but I guess it's a process it goes through because it grew back and now it's overflowing with lemons, not quite ripe yet.

See how pretty it's looking? I'm just keeping an eye on them and waiting for the lemons to start falling, once they do there will be Lemon Meringue Pie, Lemon Fudge (oh yeah baby, just wait for the recipe), Lemon Bars, Lemon Chicken and Lemon whatever I can come up with.

If I close my eyes and pretend (sometimes I wonder if I don't live in fantasy land hahaha), I can imagine that I'm in a farm somewhere, surrounded by fruit trees and horses and mountains. It's good to dream isn't it?

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

Here, I'll show you mine if you show me yours? LOL I'm sorry I'm in a weird mood today, must be the anticipation of Thanksgiving dinner.

Welcome to Piglet Cottage (no I didn't give it the name...quite funny isn't it? I mean I know I love food but from that to Piglet is quite a stretch)

It's nestled in Dartmoor. I can already imagine Sarah giggling at me, she knows my obsession with English Cottages and especially Dartmoor.

These would be the kids ponies, Jasmine's is the white one picking on the little brown one, which of course is Nicholas' LOL if you only knew how close to the truth that is.

We would also have ducks or are those geese? Geez, I'm horrible when it comes to identifying things LOL

A few feet away we would have this beautiful river, a place where you could go and sit down with a blanket and a good book.

And then of course just up the street we would have views like these.

And if you came to visit, I would let you stay in this guest room and I would even cook for you

And every morning I would go out and get fresh eggs for breakfast....wait....do chickens lay eggs everyday? I am SO not a farm person LOL

At the end of the day we could just sit and have some tea. Now doesn't that sound wonderful?

SNAP back to reality...I'm in Arizona, it's raining outside and the only thing close to ponies are my pugs. At least now you know what one of my dreams is. If you decide to play along and show me yours, let me know in my comments so I can come and see it.

I'm off, I have a to do list that needs to get tackled and just because I'm in the mood for showing things, I'll show you my list.

• Iron and put away two loads of laundry
• Sweep the kitchen floor
• Finish another 5 pockets for the advent calendar
• Work a little more on Nichola's scarf
• Start the Crayon Rolls
• Make the pecan pie for tomorrow
• Make sure the turkey is thawing
• Strip the beds and wash all the linens
• Make the pizza dough for tonight's dinner

Yeah, I'm sure there's things I'm missing in there so I'll add on as I go. BTW there will be no Slow Cooking Thursday tomorrow, it will return next week.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, enjoy the food and enjoy the family. I'm thankful for each and every one of you :)

New Knitter in the house and Tips on Tuesday!

And oh does that make me happy. Jasmine has taken to knitting like a fish to water, she loves it and is doing very well already. Ok...yes, she does have her occasional meltdowns over dropped stitches or a thread that is too loose, but for the most part she's doing very well.

And while Jasmine is into knitting, Nicholas is into drawing, he's been going crazy with crayons and paper. I think the Crayon Roll is going to be a huge hit with the kids :)

As for me, well the Christmas season has kicked into high gear, for the next few days I'm going to be completely immersed in sewing and embroidering, I have to finish the Advent Calendar, no matter what.

So if you need me for anything, I'll be near the white felt, somewhere underneath red buttons and green floss. You'll find me, I'll be the frazzled looking one.

I have to thank you all so much for the great ideas you continue to bring in for the homemade gifts, you don't know how much I appreciate it. I'm so excited to be doing this and it makes me feel good knowing that whatever I give my family will be made with love BY me.

I'm still looking for more and I will share what I find as I go, this way if anyone is looking to make gifts too, you may just find what you're looking for. One great link that was left for me in the comments section was this one.....gifts for men. THANK YOU Anonymous, wish I knew your name :)

A couple of things jumped out at me, this first one would be great for an avid TV watcher, which is not my husband. He loves movies but he doesn't really have time to sit down and watch anything with his work schedule, but I still think this is just awesome.

A Remote Pillow...and look at that, you can even use their favorite sports team for the fabric. If you want the pattern, you can download it here, thanks to Julie-Bird.

If you're looking for cute and fun holiday tags and stickers for your gifts, then look no further than A Print a Day...they're free to download thanks to Yasmine.

One of my favorite craft blogs is Bella Dia and last year she came up with an Activity a Day for the kids using the Advent Calendar. She had the coolest, neatest ideas on there so I'm giving you the link because I for one am planning to use most of them myself and maybe change some up to things that work for us.

I'm also planning to make some of these for the kids, aren't they just the cutest?

Here's the pattern for you if you want to give it a go too. They're pretty quick to knit and simple, I'm sure I can handle it *snicker*

If you want ideas for wee little ones in the family, take a look at this list.

So there you go, there's some stuff for you to look through, I will have to go through all those links again and browse for more gift ideas for myself. For now though, I have advent pockets needing my attention and lots of knitting in between.

I hope you're having a wonderful Tuesday, and no I didn't forget the Tips on Tuesday....I'll just add it to this post so I don't have to make a separate one.

Do you have a tip on cooking, cleaning, homemaking, kids, marriage, travel or anything that you would love to share? Feel free to join in!

Here's some tips for gift giving on Christmas, if you're buying that is:

• Keep a small notebook with details about friends and family so you can pick out gifts for them whenever you pass a clearance aisle or a sale rack.
• Stores are packed this time of year with buy-one-get-one-free offers and seasonal sales. Take advantage of them to stock up on gifts. Then create a gift closet filled with your loot.
• If your credit card has a rewards-points program, check how many you've earned. Sometimes you can redeem them for gift certificates or magazine subscriptions that you can give as gifts. If you have your own gift cards, try giftcardbuyback.com to exchange them for cash to buy presents.
• Give gifts as a group, or for a group. Pitch in on a season pass to an amusement park to be split among all your friends, or join your siblings in sending your parents to a nice restaurant.
• Make a personal coupon book with certificates that can be redeemed for free baby-sitting, car washes, a home-cooked meal or yard work.
• A secondhand, “gently used” gift can be just as valuable as a new present. Give antiques or family heirlooms to younger generations, or visit garage sales for steep discounts on everything from books and DVDs to clothes.
• At consignment stores or thrift shops, or even businesses like Play It Again Sports, you can trade in items you no longer need for cash or store credit while picking up good deals.
• If you’re really up against the wall, trawl sites like Freecycle or Craiglist for items that people are giving away. Something might be a good fit for a buddy or relative.
• Looking for good deals online? Try sites like Slickdeals.net, MyBargainBuddy.com and FatWallet.com, which compile coupons, discounts and other bargains around the Internet.

The Simple Woman's Daybook!

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

If you want to join in, just go 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 sun is rising and there's beautiful scattered clouds of purple and pink hues.

I am thinking...
that I really need to get a move on and finish the Advent Calendar or my kids will never forgive me LOL

From the learning rooms...
Knitting galore, I've been teaching Jasmine (my 9 year old) to knit, and she's loving it.

I am thankful for...
everything around me.

From the kitchen...
For breakfast we'll have Cinnamon Roll Toast, lunch will probably just be a sandwich for hubby and I, and dinner will be Bife Trinchado (Portuguese Steak)

I am wearing...
blue jeans and a white with tiny blue stripes blouse

I am reading...
Just started "The Shape of Mercy" by Susan Meissner and so far I'm loving it.

I am hoping...
that I can give this house a really good clean today, it's in desperate need after the weekend

I am creating...
an advent calendar, a scarf, knitted kitchen towels and dishcloths, crayon rolls for the kids Christmas presents.

I am hearing...
The dryer running, just giving the kids jeans a quick once over making sure it's dry for school.

Around the house...
3 loads of laundry to iron and put away, the floors need to be swept and mopped, the bedrooms need to be tidied up and the bathrooms need to be cleaned.

One of my favorite things...
sleeping in on the weekends

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...
Thanksgiving with the family and just relaxing

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

Christmas in the country

Homemade for the Holidays!

You heard right, I said HOMEMADE for the holidays. Because the economy downright sucks right now, and things are bad for everyone and I just can't see myself spending a crazy amount of money for a few hours of opening tons of presents that get forgotten within a few days and some never even opened.

So I am pledging to buy two gifts and make the rest. Now you may be wondering if I'm off my rocker or just exactly how I plan on achieving that, it's simple, I'm going for things that I know my family loves, things that I know they'll use or need, things that they can't just use one time and be done with.

Here's my plan, to begin with I'm going by the 4 rules of gift giving for Christmas:

Something to Read
Something they Need
Something they Want
Something to Wear

Then I'm going to use what I like the most, turn my hobbies into gift making machines. Let me show you what I made for Jasmine yesterday, in 3 hours, I knitted the scarf and it's finished and hidden for Christmas.

Each of the kids is getting a scarf, Jasmine is done and I've already started Nicholas. I also am making each of them a crayon roll, they both love coloring and drawing so this is perfect.

I've spent some time looking through Sew, Mama, Sew's list and she has some amazing ideas, so I'm sure I'll find plenty of stuff there. From the kitchen, they're also getting the Homemade Caramels that I make every year, these will also be used as part of the gifts for the teachers, along with some other cute stuff.

I'm also making cookies for Curt and the kids, Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, Shortbread etc.

Jasmine is getting a Tote Bag and Apron too, she's been begging for these for so long, so now is the time.

That's just an idea of some of the homemade gifts. For Curt it's harder because he's a man and I doubt he'll want to walk around with a tote bag, or a pretty dish cloth LOL
One of the things that I'm making which I did last year and was a huge hit, was a gift basket for him. I got a small basket at the dollar store and threw in two movies that he likes, some beef jerky and other snacks and movie tickets. He loved it.

But I still need ideas for him....help me out, those of you going Homemade this year, what do you give your husbands?

Then of course, I have the Advent Calendar to finish and I want to make some Elf Clogs as ornaments, they're so easy and so quick to make and how adorable?

So who else is going to take the pledge with me? Are you ready to step up and try your best to go homemade instead of bought? As the weeks go by, I'll be posting more and more about the gifts I'm making as well as links that can give you some great ideas to use yourself.

I'm off to get into the knitting and sewing....hope you have a wonderful Sunday.

Let's chat!

First and foremost, yes, the template is different. I put up the christmasy (I know, not a word but just go with it) one yesterday and then sat back and looked at it and really, really, really didn't like it. I don't know what it was but ugh...yuck...ugh...ugh....you get the picture.
This one is more me and if you know me, you know why. How's that for confusion? LOL

Sticking with the topic of knowing me, I'm not one for a deep thought provoking posts, as a matter of fact I shy away from those, blogging to me is all about sharing my daily life, my crafting, the ups and downs of military life and what I'm thinking and doing. I leave all the earth shattering important stuff to the experts *snicker*

Yesterday I made a quick trip to the library to return a book and then ended up doing what I ALWAYS do, walking out with 6 more. You would think by now I would have stopped doing this considering my TBR (to be read) bookshelf is overflowing, but there's just something about walking around the library, the smell of the books....yes call me a weirdo if you want but I love the smell of book pages....the pretty and colorful covers that tempt you and the yearning to open the book and be transported to a far away land or back in time.

So yeah, I walked out with these:

First on my list to read? Definitely Phillipa Gregory's "The Other Queen", oh I can't wait.

Then there's:

Dream when you're feeling blue - Elizabeth Berg (I'm a huge E. Berg fan)
The Forbidden - Beverly Lewis
The Parting - Beverly Lewis (another favorite author)
Remember Me - Sophie Kinsella ( I LOVE her, the Shopaholic Series were so good)
The Quilter's Kitchen - Jennifer Chiaverini

I also have Knit Two by Kate Jacobs and The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner, both won in a contest. So yes, my reading pile for the next 2 or 3 weeks is all set. I'm one happy camper. Of course, I don't know how much time I'll have to read considering I have an Advent Calendar still waiting to be completed, plus the family name ornaments, plus a few other knitting projects I have sitting around here.

Like more of these:

Knitted Corner Bookmark

And this adorable knitted acorn bookmark with a crochet chain, super easy to make and fast too. Jasmine wants me to make her one in red for her school books and her friend wants one too.

So as you can see, looks like I'll have plenty to keep me busy, well, apart from the usual mommy and home duties around the house. I just can't believe that Christmas is creeping up on us so fast, I haven't even begun to shop.

And speaking of shopping, I would really appreciate it if the toy makers would stop with the extravagant bankruptcy inducing EXPENSIVE toys. I mean, come on now. Really? A $300 dinosaur that has my five year old son counting pennies and crying whenever he sees me buy anything at the store because "Mommy, then we won't have money to buy my dinosaur for christmas".

If you don't know which one I'm referring to, it's this thing, this noise making ride on Kota Triceratops.

Nevermind the fact that these people tend to forget that most families don't have the room for that thing? I mean last year it was that huge pony that you feed or whatever, I don't even remember the name, but it was something like $200.

Here's a thought, and this is free advice from a mom who knows what her kids like....advertise some plain cardboard boxes for christmas, we all know that if you give a kid an empty box they'll be the happiest you'll ever see them and will be entertained for hours. Heck if you want to push the envelope, throw on some glitter or sparkle, or even some stickers for them to decorate it themselves. I'm sure it would be a LOT cheaper than $300 and the kids would actually like it. Just saying!

So I'm off, I'm going to sweep and mop the floors and take my chicken out for the White Chicken Chili for tonight, then I'm going to sit down and try to figure out how to make it through Christmas shopping without wanting to cry....

I leave you with a question? What are your plans for gifts this year, are you going all homemade or store bought? What is your budget when it comes to the kids? Do you have a bigger budget for the older ones and just how many gifts do you give the children? Do you get them one big expensive one, or do what I do and try to make the money stretch so they'll end up with a bunch of little ones?

Come on I want to know, so let it all out (well not all, but you know what I mean LOL). Even if you're one of my lurker readers, I would love to hear from you today.

Portuguese Chicken for dinner!

Dinner tonight was another favorite Portuguese dish....Frango com Cerveja or Chicken w/ Beer.

Don't be afraid of the beer, it's not going to make you drunk or turn you off the meal, as a matter of fact it's one of my kids favorite meals. Give it a try!

Frango com Cerveja - Chicken w/ Beer

Fave Five for Friday!

I'm playing along with the sweet Susanne. You can check out the guidelines and details here, if you want to join in.

Here's mine for this week:

#1 - My new haircut....love it love it love it. Can't say enough about how cute it is AND it's super easy to take care of. Just what I need. BTW some of you emailed me and asked what the haircut is called, it's an A Line bob and the back is STACKED. That's how you get that cool effect in the back of their hair. Now go forth and conquer your own A Line Bob's, I want to see LOL

#2 - My new knitting projects, the dish cloths that I finished and the two bookmarks which I'll shared in a post later today.

#3 - My niece Anastacia leaving the ICU and being home since yesterday. Thank you all for the prayers :)

#4 - The hot Green Bean soup I made a few days ago, it warmed us up and the kids loved it so much they both had two servings and Nicholas actually came back later that night and asked for a bit more.

#5 - The two new books I got in the mail, I won one from Barb and one from Michelle and I can't wait to read them. The Shape of Mercy and Knit One.

New Haircut!

Well I did it, I finally cut my long hair off and I LOVE it. It's so much lighter and so cute and spunky, my husband loves it too :)

So what do you think? Suits me or not?

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.

Did you know:

* Very light colored sweet potatoes are not as sweet and are drier than the darker-skin ones.
* Darker skinned sweet potatoes are by contrast moist and sweet when cooked.

Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

* 6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
* 1 1/2 c applesauce (cinnamon flavored is good as well)
* 4 tbls butter melted
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon - or less if you used cinnamon flavored applesauce - I go by my "nose."
* 1/2 c chopped nuts - walnuts are great as are pecans - toast for extra flavor first

Procedure:

1. Place sweet potatoes in a slow cooker, at least 3 qts (Double everything if cooking for a crowd )
2. Mix ingredients and pour over potatoes. Do not add water, keep covered and it will make it's own steam.
3. Cover and cook 6 - hours until potatoes are very tender.
4. Sprinkle with nuts before serving - do not add nuts before then, as they could get soft.

Knitting, cooking and a meme!

Well I feel it, the back pain is pretty much gone, thank God, and things have finally calmed down here, so I'm feeling like my old self, my crazy, nutty, always on the go but loving the quiet, self.

I've been trying to catch up on my knitting, I still have to finish Jasmine's scarf but last night I made a little dish cloth in just an hour, yes you read that right, an HOUR. I'm a fast knitter, I first learnt how to knit in high school when I was about 15 years old and I've been knitting non stop since then.

I came across this great pattern for Knitted Kitchen Dish Cloths and just had to try, luckily I had some red yarn leftover and it was just enough AND it matches all the red in my kitchen. YAY!
For Jasmine's scarf I picked up this beautiful pink and purple soft yarn and I'm going to use the Feather and Fan Knitted Scarf pattern over here.

I'm hoping to finish it soon because I want to make some more dish cloths and other cute little things for Christmas gifts. What about you, do you use knitted/crocheted dishcloths or have you never tried them?

That's why I'm heading to Walmart soon to go pick up some more yarn and needles. Jasmine wants to learn how to knit and I'm tickled pink, it makes me so happy to see my girl interested in cooking and knitting, can't wait to show you all what she makes. Maybe one of your little girls will want to learn too.

So, it's been a quiet day, the kids are off to school and all my housework is done. I've managed to update my food blog with a new recipe, a great way to get the kids to eat fish. Go check out my Cod Fish Casserole or Bacalhau com Natas as it's known in Portuguese.

For dinner tonight I'm making a portuguese Green Bean Soup, will share the recipe later.

Now on to a meme that Heidi tagged me for....it comes with an award too, thank you so much :)

the rules for this award:
Pass this on to 5 blogging friends.
Open the closest book to you, not your favorite or most intellectual book, but the book closest to you at the moment, to page 56. Write the 5th sentence, as well as two to five sentences following that.

From The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner:

"Fellowes fell upon hard times and came crawling on his knees to San Francisco, beggins his illegitimate son to have pity on him. Abel, so the story goes, gave Fellowes what Fellowes had given him when he told Abel he would never amount to anything -- five dollars and a tin of cheap tobacco -- and sent him on his way."

Now for the tag:

Amy at The Joy of My Heart
Bonnie at Simple Beauty
Lara Gisela at Prossigo Para o Alvo
Posh and Trendy
Nikowa at Knowledge House Academy

And I'm out of it, got things to do and stuff to knit and dogs to play with. You know...the usual.

Happy Birthday Tiffany!

I love my nieces and nephews to death and it's always so hard being away during their birthdays and other milestones.

This little girl has a special place in my heart, she was the first baby in the family and she was also like a daughter to me, while my brother and sister in law were working, Tiffany stayed with me and it was heartbreaking the day I left South Africa. It literally felt like I was leaving my own child behind.

Tiffany, I love you more than words could ever say and I only wish I could be there for your birthday, to give you a big hug and kiss and tell you just how proud I am of the beautiful young lady you've become.


I hope you have an amazing day and that you get everything that you've ever wished for and more.

Happy Birthday Honey!

Never Alone!

Have you ever just sat back and realized that you are not alone? EVER?

Yes I know that sometimes things happen and we feel like we are, just us alone against the whole world but I think it's due to the fact that we get so completely caught up in what is going around us at the time, the heartache or the grief, the sadness or the loneliness and we tend to forget that no matter where we are or what we're doing, we're not alone.....NEVER!

It's such a wonderful feeling because even here on the internet where there's millions and millions of webpages and blogs and people, you still manage to realize that you have a circle of friends, amazing friends, friends with no faces, just a voice on the phone or a line written on the computer screen. But they're the ones that are there for you when you're having a bad day, they're the ones that offer a kind word of support or advice, they're the ones that can say "I've been there, done that, and this is what worked for me".

Because in the middle of this craziness that we call life, there is the constant warmth and love from those we call friends. They don't need to be there in person, they don't need to be someone you've known your whole life or have met face to face.

So I want to thank you, all of you, all my readers and friends that I've made since I began this blogging journey back in 2006. A timid, shy, scared blogger, typing those first few words and wondering who would even care about my daily life, whether I fixed pasta or steak for dinner, who would want to know how to even make those dishes or who would care when someone in my family needed prayers. Boy was I wrong and I'm so glad that nowadays I can say that I'm blessed, not just for the family I have, for the wonderful husband and children, my parents and grandparents and siblings and nieces and nephews or the delicious meals that sustain us....but for YOU. You and You and You in the back and You in the corner, for those that have stuck by me from day one and for the new great readers I get to meet on a daily basis. Thank you for always being there and reminding me that I'm Never Alone.

This song is for all those I love, family and friends alike and yes that includes my blogging friends and readers.

So here is a new award I created for my readers.....Never Alone Award....pass it on to as many as you wish, I'm not going to tell you to pick 5 or 10 or whatever. You give it to those that you feel are deserving, those that stand out, those that never waivered in their friendship, those who have made a difference in your life.

If you wish, go ahead and pass on the song too, who says we can only hand out little cute buttons right?

Jim Brickman & Lady Antebellum - Never Alone (Version 2)

Tips on Tuesday!

Do you have a tip on cooking, cleaning, homemaking, kids, marriage, travel or anything that you would love to share? Feel free to join in!

TIPS FOR THANKSGIVING

1. Make desserts the day before Thanksgiving. This really makes sense. It’s so hard to bake everything at the same time because everything seems to bake at different temperatures. Even if you aren’t baking this easy preparation tip comes in handy. Having your pies, candy, etc already made will give you more time to work on preparing the turkey, vegetables, etc.

2. Peel potatoes the day before Thanksgiving. This easy preparation tip may not seem to save a lot of time, but it really does. The day before Thanksgiving I peel the potatoes, place them in a bowl of water, and then put them in the refrigerator. This way, they won’t oxidize and turn brown. When you are ready to cook your potatoes, simply drain off the water and cook them like normal.

3. Make cornbread for homemade dressing the day before Thanksgiving. I can’t believe I went so many Thanksgivings without doing this. I used to bake my cornbread while my turkey was baking and hope I could get my dressing mixed and baked before the turkey was done. Now, I always bake my cornbread the day before and then all I have to do is mix up the ingredients and bake the dressing.

4. Cut up vegetables the day before Thanksgiving: This also saves a lot of time. Whether you need vegetables for homemade dressing or you’re putting out a vegetable platter, this is an easy preparation tip that will make your Thanksgiving more enjoyable.

5. Thaw turkey well ahead of time. Nothing is worse than going to fix your turkey on Thanksgiving and it’s still partially frozen. By following this easy preparation tip, this Thanksgiving, you will be able to get everything finished on time rather than having to wait longer because you turkey still isn’t done.

6. Purchase rolls rather than making them from scratch. You may be completely against this easy preparation tip, but believe me you can buy rolls that will be just as good as homemade. There are rolls in the freezer section that you thaw and then let rise. There’s also wonderful crescent rolls found in the dairy section next to the biscuits. If you honestly cannot do this, prepare you dough in advance and freeze it before it rises. Then remove it from the freezer and allow it to thaw and rise before baking.

7. Buy desserts from a local bakery. If you think making desserts from scratch will drive you over the edge this Thanksgiving, use this easy preparation tip. Go to a local bakery and choose desserts that you can pass off as homemade.

8. Have someone else do the little things. Whether it’s buying precut vegetables from the produce section or buying pre-made mashed potatoes, this is an easy preparation tip that just makes sense. Why should you waste your time this Thanksgiving cutting vegetables or baking rolls?

9. Share the responsibility. This Thanksgiving ask your friends and family to bring different dishes and then all you have to do is cook the turkey. This is an easy preparation tip that will truly allow you to have an enjoyable Thanksgiving.

10. Order a Thanksgiving dinner from the store. In this day and time you can get wonderful Thanksgiving dinners from your local grocery store. If you aren’t comfortable with having the whole dinner catered, only buy the items you dread making the most.

What's for dinner?

How about a pasta casserole from the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog? Another great recipe.

AUNTIE BETTY'S PASTA CASSEROLE

The Simple Woman's Daybook!

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

If you want to join in, just go 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...
my lemon tree full of lemons turning from green to yellow....a light breeze....dogs playing in the backyard

I am thinking...
that this muscle I pulled in my back is really irritating me. I need it to get better ASAP.

From the learning rooms...
We've been looking up the Smithsonian Museum and watching videos about it too...very interesting.

I am thankful for...
my family, my newest niece.

From the kitchen...
For breakfast sausage biscuits, lunch for hubby and I will be leftover Chicken and Noodles and dinner will be Aunt Betty's Pasta, chocolate cake for dessert.

I am wearing...
black sweat pants, white tank top

I am reading...
Absolutely nothing right now, hoping to start a new book today

I am hoping...
that the muscle pain goes away, that my kids have a good day at school, that my new McLeod's Daughters DVD comes in soon.

I am creating...
an advent calendar, a scarf, arm warmers for Jasmine and family felt stars for the christmas tree.

I am hearing...
Absolute silence, the kids are off at school, hubby is still sleeping because he works nights....the dogs are sleeping with hubby LOL
The silence is actually deafening right now, not even a car or a bird is heard...

Around the house...
Clean laundry to iron and put away, projects to finish

One of my favorite things...
being in my kitchen cooking

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...
nothing at all planned for this week

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

Vilamoura, Algarve..........I remember spending a summer here and it was by far one of the most beautiful breathtaking places I've ever visited.

Restful Sunday

I had wished for a quiet weekend where I would have to do pretty much nothing and that is exactly what I got, but not exactly by my own hand....I must have done something in my sleep friday night because I woke up on Saturday with a pain in the neck and back on the right side. One of those annoying nagging muscle spasms that make you want to scream.

I hoped it would go away but last night it was even worse, I got next to no sleep with all my tossing and turning, trying to find the best position.....there is none apparently. You never know just how much you use your neck and back muscles until every little movement brings tears to your eyes. And is it just me, or is this like an age related thing? LOL
It just seems that the older I get the more muscles I pull and the more pain I'm in, sheesh, doesn't exactly make me look forward to getting older.

I've taken pain meds, I've done the ice pack and massage and whatnot...it's just not feeling any better and I'm dreading sleeping tonight, I may just try propping myself up in bed.

So it's made for an uneventful weekend which is fine by me, it's just what I needed any way. Aside from the usual mountain of laundry that I've done today, I've been able to sit around...literally just going from couch to kitchen chair, to computer chair trying to find a position that wouldn't make my head feel like it weighs half of my body weight.

What else is going on around here? Honestly not much and I don't know but I've been just drawing a total blank when it comes to posting, maybe I need a break from blogging?

Let's see...I'm still loving McLeod's Daughters, just not enough good things to say about it, in the meantime while I was waiting for my next Disc, it wasn't available at my shipping facility for they sent me the next thing in the Queue which was Five Mile Creek...I did NOT like it, UGh....just I don't know, didn't like it at all, so stopped watching and removed it all from the Queue. I think I'll just wait for my next McLeod's.

I haven't been reading anything either, but I'm hoping to start again today, I still have so many books on the TBR Bookshelf, I'm sure I can find a good one.

Dinner tonight is Galinha Guisada com Massa....or in English Chicken and Noodles, the portuguese way. For dessert I've made a Chocolate Devil's food cake with chocolate frosting. I'm craving chocolate like crazy.

So there ya go, a little sneak peek into my uneventful boring life.

Thank you again for all the prayers still going up for my niece Anastacia, she's still in the ICU but doing very well. Here's some more photos for you all, she's just the cutest little thing :)

Proud Mommy and Daddy :)

Proud big sister Alyssa

Just look at this beautiful little face and OH MY GOODNESS does she ever look like Nicholas and Jasmine when they were newborns

I just want to have another one LOL She's just so adorable

It just gets crazier and crazier.....

One thing I do every payday is head to the commissary for grocery shopping, I've said before, I shop for two weeks because being military we get paid on the first and the 15th. With that said, grocery day is always crazy, we live in a base that is surrounded by the biggest retired military community, there's something like 70 000 retirees and things can get quick hectic near the Commissary and inside.

You have to be extra careful when driving and obviously inside the store. It's already crazy but when the base or whoever, suddenly decides to resurface the parking lot, then boy are we stuck with a major hassle.

This is the parking lot before, now most of it is under construction leaving pretty much nowhere to park. I had to park across the street at the Chinese restaurant, I have a friend who had to park on the 3rd floor of the BX covered parking (right ahead on the photo above). Of all the times in the year to decide to do this, they pick now????

Needless to say, it took me forever to find a spot, took me forever to get the groceries because the store was full and it took me forever to get the heck out of the parking lot. It's been ONE of those days.

But after that crazy day, I'm now finally able to sit at the computer and relax, if it were up to me I would already be in bed.

I have absolutely no plans for this weekend, I think it's going to be one of those easy going whatever happens go with the flow weekends and that suits me just fine. It's been way too busy around here lately and I'm craving peace and quiet, hot coffee, a good book and comfort food, maybe some knitting and definitely some more McLeod's Daughters.

For now though, I'm going to take a warm bath and then give the kids theirs, then it's warm pj's for everyone, hot chocolate and butter cookies and reading in bed, we may watch a movie too and try to stay up waiting for daddy to come home from work.

It's my perfect little moment in this imperfect world we live in.

Happy Birthday Taryn-Lee!

My beautiful niece is celebrating a birthday today.... how cute is she?

I only wish I could be there with her today, but I can't, only in thought and spirit and that will have to do until I can hug her again next year.

Taryn-Lee, we hope you have an amazing birthday and that you get everything that you ever wished for.

We love you baby girl!


One of my favorite pics taken in the car at the Kruger National Park....they loved playing together and became instant friends. Nicholas and Taryn-Lee. :)

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.

Creamy Leek and Potato Soup

6 medium leeks -- (2 pounds) thinly sliced
4 medium potatoes -- (1 1/2 lbs) cut into 1/2" cubes
2 14. 5 oz cans vegetable broth
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup half and half
chopped fresh chives -- if desired

Mix all ingredients except half and half and chives in a 3 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours or on high heat for 4 to 5

hours or until vegetables are tender.

Pour vegetable mixture by batches into blender or food processor. Cover and blend on high speed until smooth; return to slow cooker. Stir in half and half.

Cover and cook on low heat for 20 to 30 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with chives.

I want to be here....

Nestled amongst those trees, laying on a blanket, nothing but the birds chirping and the blue sky above.

Oh how I wish I was there, maybe laying on that little canoe with a good book in my hand, just enjoying the peace and quiet.

It's been an absolute crazy week, I honestly don't know if I'm coming or going, which way is up or down. Between public holidays, weekends, sick husband and kids, births in the family and the usual up keeping of the house.....I'm pooped!

Even my cooking has sort of taken a back seat, there's no new recipes being tried out or hours stuck in the kitchen preparing a meal. It's all been throwing ingredients together or falling back on family favorites and comfort food....oh the comfort food, the sort that makes you close your eyes and sighed deeply and think "Thank you Lord".

As next week approaches I'll be back to posting frequently here and on the food blog, I have a couple recipes I want to try and will most definitely share them with you.

For now, I'm just going from hour to hour, counting down the minutes until my weary body can climb into the comfy bed and snuggle underneath those covers. Not even books have been touched this past week, my fingers itch for the pages but it will have to wait.

I hope your week is way calmer and slower than mine. I leave you with some more photos of my beautiful niece Anastacia. She's still in NICU but she's doing very well, no longer needing the feeding tubes, she's eating well and very alert. Thank you for the prayers, my brother and sister in law truly appreciate them.

My baby brother, proud daddy :)

Just look at that beautiful face, it's so hard being thousands of miles away when all I want is to be there and to hold her :)

Tips on Tuesday!

Do you have a tip on cooking, cleaning, homemaking, kids, marriage, travel or anything that you would love to share? Feel free to join in!

♥To help relieve common cough and cold, drink half a glass of warm water mixed with one teaspoon of lemon juice and one teaspoon of honey. This can be taken 2-3 times a day.♥

♥If you are suffering with a stuffy nose, try boiling a bit of sage in water. It helps clear your nose and makes the house smell great too.♥

♥Wrapping a wet cloth around your neck relieves some headaches.♥

The Newest Love of My Life!

I'm extremely blessed to have the most beautiful and amazing nieces and nephews and last night, I got a call at 3am from my baby brother Bruno, letting me know that I was an auntie again. It makes me SO happy. You remember the fright we got back in August and as always you all answered my call for prayers for this little one :) Thank you again!

She's a little early so she's still in the NICU, please send some prayers her way, we want her to thrive and be allowed to go home as soon as possible.

So here she is, Anastacia....the newest love of my life.

Some of you wanted to know her weight, she weighs 1.6 kilos which is about 3 lbs 7 ounces.....Tiny little sweetheart :)

Time for dessert....

Pineapple, condensed milk and one or two other ingredients make up this quick and easy dessert.

PINEAPPLE DESSERT

(click for recipe)

Mystery Photo!

Let's play detectives for a second, shall we?

This morning I stepped outside and took these two photos, one right after the other, I mean a second or two between each. Now look at the first one and then look at the second one and tell me if you don't see something weird?

I have NO clue what the heck it is, it does not look like an airplane of any kind around here, it's just weird.


So don on your detective caps and let me know if you figure it out will ya? Who knows what's been flying around these parts of the country.....actually I may not want to know what it is either LOL

Being a Parent is tough!

It wasn't a good morning, as a matter of fact I can say that by the time I got in the car to drive home from dropping the kids off at school, I was in tears.

It started out with both kids having congested noses and little of the sniffles, they were just moping around this morning and didn't look like they felt very well, so I decided that I would keep them home and shower them with love, attention and fluids. I wanted to keep them so that I could fight this cold before it gets worse but I also relish every second spent with my children.

Within 10 minutes of calling the school attendance line, they were running around, yelling, fighting, and screaming at the top of their lungs.....the unwell feeling they had obviously gone. I warned them twice that if this continued, they would be going to school. It fell on deaf ears, they were more worried about bickering over who got what computer and who got to play what.....completely forgetting that they were home because they weren't feeling well and not home for a day of fun.

So I did it, I snapped, I yelled once and got their attention and then proceeded to get them dressed up for school, grabbed the backpacks and dropped them off. There were tears, there were pleas to stay home, there were sorry's being thrown left right and center. By the time they walked into their classrooms, Nicholas was fine but Jasmine being the girl, the hormonal one, had red swollen eyes. I explained to the teacher that it had been a tough morning and she was a little emotional, the teacher was very understanding and promised to keep an eye on her and call me if she wasn't feeling well.

I remember walking down the corridor to the building doors and feeling glad in a way that I had put my foot down and stuck with it, because honestly, and I'm being completely honest with you now....I far too often fall into the "threat without consequences" category.

"If you don't stop that, I'm going to......" "You better do this, or I will.........."

And you know what? NOTHING! So I'm proud of myself for sticking to it today but I tell you, as a mother it absolutely broke my heart. I feel awful.....tell me I'm not the only one to feel this way....tell me I did the right thing......having to leave them there and walk out the door took everything out of me. My head said keep walking, while my heart screamed "those are your babies, go back and get them".

So here I am, feeling bad, missing them like crazy but knowing deep down that I did the right thing. Though I do plan on picking them up from school early and taking them to lunch.....yeah I know, but they're my life :)

I would love to hear from other moms out there, tell me about your experiences with doing the right thing even though it breaks your heart.

I've been MIA haven't I?

I know you probably haven't missed me much, with all my babbling and run on posts about nothing in particular, but I've missed blogging.

It's not like there's been anything interesting going on that has kept me away, I've just been busy with life in general and no matter how much I will time to slow down, it's no use, it just keeps flying by.

You can tell when the tv commercials start showing Christmas stuff...it's great and all, unless it's the newest toys, like that new big dinosaur that moves and reacts to kids. You know the one? The one that costs $299.99?!?!?! So frustrating, I wish there was a way to block commercials from the tv when the kids are in the room LOL

So what exactly have I been up to, well, let's see, I am almost done with Season 3 of Mcleod's Daughters and OH.MY.GOODNESS, did this last episode have me in tears. I won't spoil it for you but I don't recall crying this hard since I watched Sam and Jason on General Hospital when she was dying and he was at her bedside willing her to live. Yeah, THAT much. If you haven't yet started watching McLeod's Daughters you really really, and I mean REALLY don't know what a good show you're missing.

I've also been knitting, working on a scarf for Jasmine using the "My So Called Scarf" pattern which I love. I'm sure I've mentioned it before here but for those that don't know, you can watch this video on YouTube for a tutorial. You won't believe how easy it is and how good it looks.


The kids had school photos taken and we just got them back today, they turned out so good and I'm excited about these because they're Nicholas first School Photos.


In the meantime, Curt has come down with a cold, Nicholas is starting to get it again, Jasmine is trying to slide by without it touching her though her sniffling is increasing and I'm getting the whole congested head thing...AGAIN.

It doesn't help that there is some sort of chest virus going around the area, lots of coughs and the like. I've already started gulping down orange juice and making sure I remember to take my vitamins but sometimes no matter what you do, you STILL have to fight the cold right?

So that's what's been going on around here, I am about to go visit all the lovely SCT participants, I am sorry I'm so late coming around today, but I can sneak in quite a few visits while dinner cooks. After that it's dishes and kitchen clean up, homework with the kids, baths, books, cuddling and bedtime....some knitting might get sneaked in there too just depends on how I'm feeling after they're asleep, with this cold coming around I may just get under the covers and call it an early night.

For now I'm about to go enjoy my dinner....Sausage Rice just like my greatgrandma used to me :)

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.

Breakfast Quesadillas

1 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced cooked ham
1/3 cup chopped and seeded tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped green onion
4 flour tortillas

Place ham, tomatoes and green onion in slow cooker. Cook on Low for 2 hours. Add in cheeses and cook for another 5 - 10 minutes to an hour until cheeses are completely melted.

Remove and place inside flour tortillas. Roll up and garnish with more cheese and green onion if desired.

Serves 4.

Tips on Tuesday and whatever else pops to mind

It's been a pretty crazy last couple of days, weeks. I feel like I've been in a marathon without an end in sight, where the heck is the finish line?

I also realize that I've been horrible at staying in touch with family, emails, chatting, blog visiting and all that other goodness. What can I say to make it better? Other than I'm sorry and I hope to slow down a bit to smell the coffee.....ooohhh coffee would be great right now. See, easily distracted, I do that all the time.

Have you ever walked into the kitchen to put a dish in the sink and realized you had to load the dishwasher, only to open it and realize you need to put the clean ones away, then reach for the baking pan and realize you forgot to put out the meat for tonight's dinner and go to the freezer only to realize that you need to clean it out, so you pull out the meat and then proceed to clean the freezer and while you're at it, might as well do the whole refrigerator.

Then while you're doing the refrigerator you see the whipped cream that you bought for the dessert you wanted to try and set that aside, so you finish cleaning, start making the dessert and put that away then go back to the sink with the dirty bowl only to REALIZE you never finished the dishes??????

Please say I'm not the only one. Sometimes it's a wonder I'm so organized and get so much done, you would be surprised at how many days I have like what I just described above. Fly by the seat of my pants days, is what I call them.

I didn't get around to telling you that last week I had no cable tv, did I? A WHOLE WEEK without cable, only 3 channels on the tv's and that's because I found some weird computer cable that works as an antenna, then it took a couple of hours of holding these ends up in the air and moving to the right and the left and turning upside down and shoving it on the curtain rod and then taping it to the wall......yeah, so much excitement just for 3 channels. LOL

And there wasn't even anything interesting on.... *shake head*

I did get a jump start on my scarf though, when you have no television to distract you, you have to find other thing to do, like reading and crafting, knitting, bugging the kids, playing computer games, mopping and cleaning.....bugging the kids......doing laundry and bugging the kids. Did I say bugging the kids? By the time the cable people got it fixed on sunday, I think the children were happier than I was, they could finally get peace and quiet and not have to put up with an annoying mommy. In MY defense though, I was just trying to keep the boredom away and I guess, in some way seeing if I still HAD it. Whatever that means, turns out I don't HAVE IT, maybe I never did LOL

But I think I've bugged you enough for today, I'm going to go post the recipe for last night's dinner at the food blog....and maybe get myself another cup of coffee.

Do you have a tip on cooking, cleaning, homemaking, kids, marriage, travel or anything that you would love to share? Feel free to join in!

One thing I deal with a lot here in Arizona is the ants....ugh, the ants, ants, ants, ants, ants....everywhere.

Here's some tips I found the other day to control these pesky little things.

♥Spread some ground cinnamon where you think the ants are coming in to the house.

♥Basil repels flies and mosquitoes. To deter ants, use catnip. Sprinkle it in their paths.

♥Make a mixture of 2/3 cup water, 1/3 cup white vinegar, and 2-3 Tablespoons dish soap. Spray where the ants are marching

♥Perk up soggy lettuce by soaking in cold water with some lemon juice. To store place in a zip lock bag with paper towel to absorb moisture. ♥

♥For a fresh smelling fridge, keep a box of baking soda, a can filled with charcoal or dried coffee grounds or a cotton ball soaked in vanilla extract inside of it. ♥

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

The Simple Woman's Daybook!

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

If you want to join in, just go 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...
a light breeze is rustling the trees. Military men and women are making their way to work and some returning home from a long night.

I am thinking...
that this weekend went by too fast, I'm not ready for it to be monday.

From the learning rooms...
Absolutely nothing

I am thankful for...
the moments we get to spend with hubby, he's on a weird schedule so we only see him on the weekends.

From the kitchen...
For breakfast cereal, lunch for hubby and I will be leftover Turkey Breast Tenderloins with cream, mushrooms and bacon.....dinner will be Pork Chops with a cheese bechamel sauce.

I am wearing...
pink jeans and black and pink top

I am reading...
Sanctuary by Beverly Lewis

I am hoping...
to get a rush of energy so I can push through with the Advent Calendar

I am creating...
a clean, happy home.

I am hearing...
Absolute silence, the children are still asleep, so are the dogs, so is hubby. My coffee pot just finished so not even the dripping sound is coming through. I LOVE these moments of silence.

Around the house...
Clean laundry to iron and put away, floors to be swept and mopped.

One of my favorite things...
a big bowl of ice cream with whipped cream, nuts and caramel sauce

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...
nothing at all planned for this week

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

Candy, Costumes, Children and a Crazy question!

What a night we had. It started with the fact that Curt is working swing shift and his work had given an hour to come home and take the kids trick or treating. Well, this is the military and we already know not to ever expect plans to be set in stone, 99% of the time, they change....and last night was no different, after waiting until around 7:30pm, we found out that he wouldn't be able to come home because one of the jets was broken.

The kids were extremely disappointed but I explained that daddy wanted to be home with them too and he was sad that he couldn't and that I would take them trick or treating alone. Before we set out, we handed out candy and it was a blast watching the cute costumes and the little kids. You could tell which ones were doing it for the first time because they had the whole confused, amused, scared, excited emotions written on their faces. There were the ones that walked right by you to the candy bucket and helped themselves, even though you were standing there with the candy in your hand LOL

Then there was the little boy who refused to come up to us, he kept saying that I was scaring him. "That lady is scary"..... and here's the kicker....I wasn't even dressed up as anything. *shakes head* How's THAT for a self esteem booster LOL

Go ahead and laugh, my husband and kids did.

And not 30 minutes later I had another little boy, about 6 or 7, ask me what I was supposed to be. Again people, I did NOT dress up. I was in jeans, tank top and flip flops. So I answered "I'm a frazzled mommy". He seemed to accept that explanation and moved on. Honestly, I wonder if it was the lighting or what, but something was making me scary to the kids LOL

I took the kids around for about an hour and half and by that time they were both tired and ready to come home. Again another Halloween comes and goes, such a huge build up, so much anticipation for weeks and months on end and within a few hours it's over and done with. Is it bad that I've already removed my decorations? I'm like that, I don't leave stuff up for a while, as soon as the holiday is over everything comes down LOL

Here's some pictures, not many, taking photographs at night is frustrating and not to mention blinding to those around, nothing like a dark street and then a bright flash in your face.