March 2007 - Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Saturday, March 31, 2007

FIVE SENSES SATURDAY!!! March 31

Sandra 7:41 AM 3 Comments

First I want to start by thanking you all for the prayers, I truly appreciate them :)

I woke up this morning and I'm not dizzy and lightheaded anymore, I think the meds have finally gotten out of my system....I have a headache and still don't feel 100%, but that is such an improvement from the past few weeks. I think my kids have missed me too, they've missed the funny happy mommy and I am just ready to go back to being that. So, thank you :)

::Hear::

- Ne-Yo "Because of You"

- Kids asking me why I'm sick
- The strong winds howling

::See::

- Pieces of rooftop all over the backyard

- Everything hazy due to my allergies
- Kids playing in the backyard

::touch::

- Moving Boxes
- The feel of my summer shorts
- Hundreds of Kleenex I've gone through this past week

::taste::

- Homemade Onion Burgers
- EVERYTHING after not being able to taste for a week
- Roast Beef Sandwiches

::smell::

- My kids and my husband, I missed that when I couldn't smell at all LOL
- Scented Candle
- The rain just before it starts pouring down

Continue reading...

# five senses saturday

Friday, March 30, 2007

Prayers Please!!!

Sandra 5:07 PM 10 Comments

I don't like asking for prayers for myself, I feel like I'm nagging, but I really need them today. After two weeks of being congested and not knowing what was going on, I went to the ER last saturday only to be told that I might have a cold or allergies, not a YES you have this, just a you MIGHT. The ER doctor gave me Claritin and told me to keep taking Sudafed. It did nothing for me, I thought I was finally going to turn a corner on wednesday only to get worse by nighttime.

By thursday morning I was literally in tears, I couldn't breathe, I had a headache and my stomach was starting to hurt from all the meds I had been ingesting. I decided I was sick of this and made a doctor's appointment with my PCM (Primary Care Manager) at the Base Hospital. I went in and she FINALLY told me I had Allergies, I don't have a fever, and after doing a check up on me and checking my nose, she said that it was clear I had a really really bad case of Allergies. My question WHY or WHERE did this come from??? I've never had allergies, I was under the impression that if you had allergies it was something you got from a young age, I guess I was wrong LOL

She prescribed Zyrtec and Nasonex. I got home and took them and within 1 hour I was 100% better. I could breathe, I could smell and taste and really felt SO much better. I took another dose of Zyrtec before going to bed and finally for the first time last night I slept well, the first time in about 2 weeks.

This morning though I woke up and though my allergies are under control, I'm dizzy and lightheaded. One of the side effects of Zyrtec.....It's the WORST feeling in the world, you have that disconnected feeling, like you're here but floating around. The feeling hasn't gone away and I called the doctor about it, she said it's normal and it's one of the side effects, but she did tell me to go ahead and stop taking the Zyrtec for now, see how I feel this weekend and if it goes away. If it does then we know it's the Zyrtec...I do have to keep with the Nasonex so the allergies don't flare up.

I'm exhausted and I'm drained, emotionally and physically. This has taken a LOT out of me, if you've been reading my blog for a while you know that I've been struggling with this for about a month or so.....it's just enough!!!

Here's where my request comes in, please please say a prayer for me, I need this to be gone, I don't mind having to deal with the allergies as long as the medicine doesn't kill me either....if I have to stop taking the Zyrtec then I just hope the Nasonex is enough to get me through this. I just need all the help I can get, so if you have a minute please just send up a prayer for me....I would really appreciate it.

I still managed to get groceries done, laundry, dinner, cleaning etc.....unfortunately I don't get a choice of not doing it, it's things that have to get done around here and whether I'm sick or not, feeling well or under the weather, it doesn't matter, I have to push through it as best as I can.

Curt has to work tomorrow so it will be just me and the kids, I pray for strength and most of all I pray that I can finally start getting over these allergies and not feeling so sick and light headed.

Hope you all have a wonderful friday, God Bless.

Continue reading...

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Sandra 6:15 AM 9 Comments

Welcome to my weekly Crockpot Recipes Exchange. It's such a great way to share your favorite dishes or to learn some new ones to make for your family.

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

Time to pull out those crockpots and put them to good use. If you want to join in, just grab the banner and add your name to Mr Linky :)

Here's mine for today:

CROCKPOT JAMBALAYA

1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 C. chopped celery
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 T. minced parsley
2 tsp. chopped thyme leaves
2 tsp. oregano leaves, chopped
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. salt
4 oz. smoked sausage, chopped
8 oz. chicken breast, chopped
2 cups Beef broth or bouillon
1/2 lb. cooked shelled shrimp
1 C. cooked rice

Shell shrimp, halve lengthwise. In crockpot, combine all ingredients except shrimp and rice. Cover and cook on LOW 9 to 10 hours.Turn crockpot on HIGH. Add cooked shrimp and cooked rice. Cover; cook on HIGH 20-30 minutes.

Continue reading...

# jambalaya # Slow Cooking Thursday

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Hold on to your hats people............

Sandra 6:57 AM 6 Comments

Since yesterday we've had high speed winds in our area, so much so, that I'm actually afraid of letting my children go out in the back yard for fear that I'll find one floating around in the sky or stuck in a tree branch or rooftop. Jimminy Crickets, I haven't seen these kinds of winds in a LONG time.

The whole night I had the sound of tree branches violently slamming against my bedroom window....scary isn't it? The kids crawled into bed with me because "mommy the wind sounds like a ghost town"....mmmmm ok!!! Wait until I take them to REAL Ghost Towns LOL

Me I don't worry about being blown away, I'm just worried about my hair LOL Don't mess with a woman's hair, seriously, I will have to wear it up today unless I want to go out and look like Medusa by the time I reach my destination.

Anyway, come on in and sit with me, I have hot coffee and some bagels. I want to complain about American Idol, can I??? I'm sorry but what the heck is Samjaya still doing there? He can't sing nowhere near as well as the other contestants, he always has the weirdest hairstyles, like last night....WHAT WAS THAT????
He BETTER be gone today, it's absolutely ridiculous that he is there and Sundance and Stephanie got kicked off....makes no sense at all. See my rant was short and sweet but I just had to get that off my chest.

I'm doing 100 times better than I was last week with my sinus/allergy. I have never had allergies so I'm not sure if it's because I'm getting old or what the heck LOL, but it was getting to the point where I was feeling like that lady in the Claritin commercial. You know the one that sees everything hazy, like a fog??? That was ME!!! I actually turned to Curt and asked if there was something burning in the house, I couldn't smell anything but I could see this smokey haze. He looked at me like I had grown a second head so I take that as it being just me who saw it LOL

Want to know the funny thing though, with all this medication I've been taking and anti inflammatory stuff, remember the 2 cysts on my left wrist??? They practically disappeared, yep, they're there but they're sooooo small that you can't really notice. Guess something good came from all this.

Thank you to those that signed up on my visitor map, I love seeing where everyone is from, I saw some familiar faces, Isabel, Sarah, Courtney and some new ones too that I have yet to meet, thank you for joining in though :)
Let me know if you get one of those maps on your blogs, I will come by and sign up too.

Today Jasmine has a dentist appointment so Curt is going to take her, it's easier than me going and dragging Nicholas with, he doesn't particularly like the dentist, he gets all scared and starts tripping all over himself. Last thing I need is for him to knock something over while the dentist is busy digging in his sister's mouth.

So, I'll stay home with him and daddy will take Jasmine....she's ALL excited, I've never come across a kid that loves the dentist so much.

On to moving stuff, Curt has his briefing on April 3rd, so we're waiting until then to know the exact dates of some things and to put in for housing at the next base. Here's the thing that's mostly getting to us, there are no base schools at Luke which means she has to go off base for school. I know that's not a biggie for everyone else, but when you've been living on base and have your child going to a school ON base, moving them off is a huge deal and tends to send parents into a frenzy.

My main issue is that I have to wait until we get a house at Luke to find out which school she can go to, the base is divided into 2 parts, the ones on the north of Glendale Avenue fall into one school district, the others on the south fall into a different district. It's all so confusing and it doesn't help that we know NO ONE there that can tell us which schools are the best. We're walking in blindly into this and it's scary!!!

Anyway, I think I've babbled enough for today, I have things to do and places to go, hope you all have a great wednesday.

Continue reading...

# wind dentist moving

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Stress Stress Stress

Sandra 7:18 AM 11 Comments

Before I start, I want you all to go to my sidebar there on the right, and please sign into my new Visitor Map, I would LOVE to see where you're all at. Will you do that for me??? Please???

I'm stressed and feeling overwhelmed with this PCS(Permanent Change of Station).

See it's not just moving from a house to another, being in the military means tons of paperwork and all this long process you have to go through.

You have to schedule the AF movers to come and sometimes during the summer months they take a little longer to get your stuff to you, I really don't want to get to Luke AFB and then have to wait another month or two for my stuff to get there. There's planning, there's house inspections, briefings, house cleanings, TLF (temporary living facilities) to book, pets have to have their shots up to date etc etc etc. It's not even the whole list but I'm sure I don't have to tell other military wives, they know EXACTLY what a pain in the behind this is.

We'll be making a 14 hour drive and let me tell you, I'm NOT a giddy driver, if I could get away with not driving ever, I would be happy. I just get bored in the car and in the summer months I tend to get car sick, so I'll be praying, and please throw a prayer my way too, that I can make this drive with 2 kids in the car and we can all get there safe and not completely depressed, OH and that I don't get car sick.

Curt will be driving his truck with the 2 pugs and I'll be driving my Durango with the kids.....who gets the better end of this deal I ask??? LOL

Actually I was the one who told him to take the dogs because I don't want their hair all over my car LOL
We've already decided though, if the kids start fighting we'll send one to him and switch back and forth etc...if it was up to me, hubby would be driving us all LOL

In the next month or two you'll see me using my blog almost as a central point for my move, a family BRAIN, you know how some people have a Family Brain Book where they write down appointments and important things to remember? Well this will become my brain, so be prepared because I'll be flooding this place with moving tips and all sorts of things that may not interest you at all, I will still be chatting about the usual stuff but you may see me going from happy and chirpy to frustrated and bitchy real quick....just be patient LOL

I will also be asking for some Guest Bloggers for the week or two that I'm moving, so I'm hoping I can count on you all to keep this blog alive.

There's this great site called PCSing....it's a Spouse thing! It's hilarious, it's a cartoon site for military spouses and I know that so many of us can totally relate to the cartoons.

Another great site to check out is PCSing Tips, great tips and info as well.

I've come across a lot of spouses who absolutely dread PCSing and going to a new place, ME??? I've come to think of it as a constant vacation. Where else could you move from place to place, get to learn new things, see new places, eat new foods and have all of those moves paid for??? I can see it already, we're moving to Arizona, and I'm ALL for new experiences....Glendale which is the town Luke AFB is at, has an Historic Downtown and TONS of Antique stores........come ON.........am I being tempted or what???

We have the great Phoenix Zoo nearby, the Grand Canyon, Tombstone, Renaissance Faire, Ghost Towns, Petrified Wood Park......and food galore. I can just see myself donning a cowboy hat and wearing sparklies, or as the Texans say "Rhinestones Ma'm", running through the Ghost Town and playing pretend gun fights with hubby and the kids.....(well not really, I can dream can't I?). The great thing about this is that we LOVE Ghost Towns and there are 300 in Arizona....20 of them are in Maricopa County where the base is at. I'm SUPER excited!!!

I'm not just moving there, I'm taking you all with me, everytime I discover something new or visit a new place, I'll be posting about it and sharing pictures, before you know it, you'll ALL be familiar with Arizona too LOL

Well I have tons of things to do around here, again I didn't get a chance to go by everyone's blogs, guess that's why I only had 2 comments yesterday LOL You are all paying me back for not visiting you, I see how you work....well now I'm coming by and there better be some comments here when I get back....I'm just kidding, but I AM coming by now to say hi.

Have a great day everyone,

Continue reading...

# Arizona # moving

Monday, March 26, 2007

Spring Break!!!

Sandra 7:45 AM 7 Comments

I have to tell you, I'm so glad Jasmine's school is on Spring Break this week, with this cold/allergy thing I have going, I just don't have the patience and energy to get up in the morning and run around all day.

I finally went to the hospital on Saturday after feeling like my head was going to explode. I have NEVER had sinus this bad. I couldn't talk right, everytime I tried to talk it felt like my nose would explode, I was so congested that when I tried to breathe through my nose I would give myself a head ache....I mean really, how ridiculous.

Anyway I finally went into the ER on saturday night and the doctor told me that I don't have a sinus infection, I DO have a really bad cold and allergies too. Here's something else for you all out there, THROW OUT THE NASAL SPRAYS. The longer you use them the worst it is. It starts working against you, it makes the congestions recur and worsen, that is what was happening with me. The only way I could smell, taste and breathe would be when I used the Nasal Sprays, but within an hour I was completely congested again.

Now I'm on Claritin and Sudafed, and I've been taking Sudafed since last week wednesday, it hasn't been a week yet, but I'm feeling SO much better, what a huge difference it makes.

So moving on, we've been enjoying the warmer temperatures, the kids have really enjoyed being able to spend the day outside in the back yard. They even had their lunch out there on the picnic table, but now they both have a little cold, nothing major, just sniffles.

Jasmine is congested and let me tell you, when this girl doesn't feel well, NO ONE feels well. She's one of those kids that if miserable it means everyone around her needs to be miserable too. The main reason being that she hates medicine and absolutely DETESTS Vicks.

Our night went something like this:

Jasmine *whine whine* - I can't breathe
Me - Let me put some Vicks on chest and back and a little under your nose, it will help.
Jasmine *kicking legs and screaming like a banshee* - NO NO I hate Vicks.
Me - Jasmine please, it's 3am, I'm tired, you're tired, just do this so we can both get some sleep.
Jasmine - NO....I don't want it, I'm fine, just go back to bed mommy.

30 minutes later...........

Jasmine *cry whine whine cry* I CAN'T BREATHE!!!
Me *ughhhh* - Ok that's it, you are getting the Vicks!
Jasmine - NO I don't want it *starts crying*
Me - Fine, but God help you if you wake me up again (the threats we make as parents are just ridiculous)

I act like I go back to bed, she falls asleep within 5 minutes......I creep back into the bedroom, Vicks in hand and put some under her nose. All done, I won this battle, never heard another peep the rest of the night. This morning she asked me what I did to make her sleep and I told her about the Vicks....she was NOT impressed LOL

So that's how my night went, we didn't get very good sleep and today I think we're both trying to get through without falling asleep all over the place. Jasmine had a dentist appointment this afternoon but I was able to reschedule it for Thursday, don't think she feels up to it and neither do I really. We're all still in pajamas and who knows, maybe we'll stay this way for today.

If you're looking for this week's menus, you can head to my Food Blog, I've posted them there and also at Laura's "Menu Plan Monday", be sure to go by and check it out.

Well I'm going to try and come by and say hi to you all, I've been sick this weekend so now I have 485 new posts on my bloglines. I honestly don't think I can get through it all, but I'm going to try my best. I would ask you all to quit posting when I'm sick but that wouldn't be fair LOL

Have a wonderful day, I'll see you all tomorrow,

Dinner tonight is Maple Sausage Lasagna. It's something I tried one night when I realized I didn't have ground beef....I just substituted the Jimmy Dean Maple Sausage for the ground beef and YUMMY...it was really good.

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

The 11 remaining finalists perform songs from the '60s British-pop invasion.

Ironing
House cleaning
Cleaning my Carpets
Getting moving boxes

Continue reading...

# cold and allergies # spring break

Saturday, March 24, 2007

FIVE SENSES SATURDAY!!! March 24

Sandra 7:15 AM 5 Comments

::Hear::

- Elliott Yamin (American Idol) "Wait for You"

- Air Conditioner bringing in the cool weather
- My friend Veronica on the phone
- Excitement on my hubby's voice talking about the move
- Mrs Doner praising Jasmine at school

::See::

- Horses at the base stable
- Green grass peeking through the dirt
- Jasmine's Report Card
- Nicholas smiling
- Big hole in the street by our house

::touch::

- Paper plates the kids used to make crafts
- Pieces of glass that exploded in my oven
- Sun peeking through the clouds
- My favorite TV shows on the tv
- Kid's Bible as we read about Jonah

::taste::

- Taco Bell Chicken Crunch Wrap
- Sinus Medicine *eewww*
- Homemade Pizza
- Club soda and lime juice
- Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

::smell::

- Downy Vanilla and Lavender Dryer Sheets
- Rose bush in my front yard
- Peanut Butter Swirlz cereal
- Bacon sizzling on the stove
- Kids Mango/Orange Shampoo

Continue reading...

# five senses saturday

Friday, March 23, 2007

ARIZONA HERE WE COME!!!

Sandra 5:50 AM 19 Comments

I've been kinda MIA (missing in action) for a few days, I did come in to post my Slow Cooker Recipe but haven't even made it to everyone to say hi, the reason is that we got orders and we are PCSing (Permanent Change of Station) to Luke AFB, Arizona.

Yep, Arizona here we come, bring on the hot weather, the grand canyon, the petrified wood forest and most of all, bring on the closer proximity to the beach. LOL

Yes, my kids have never seen the ocean but we're going to be much closer to California and being able to drive to the beach. I'm OVER the moon.

We're so excited and I have to tell you, God works in mysterious but amazing ways. You know that we've been planning our trip to Africa this summer, everything was pretty much ready and done, we just had to save a bit more money to get the tickets which were $8000.

I have been praying every night and asking the Lord to please help us get to Africa somehow because it's a lot of money and it's just not really doable right now. Thank you Lord, you answered my prayers. Yes we're moving to Arizona, but we're going to be just a few miles from Phoenix which has an International Airport. Since we will be moving during the month that we were supposed to be in Africa, we've decided to look into going there maybe for Christmas for about 3 weeks, and wouldnt' you know it, the plane tickets are WAY WAY cheaper???? $3000 CHEAPER!!!!!

I could be negative and say "Oh but we still have to pay so much and we can't go in the summer, I really wanted to stay at THIS base blah blah blah", but we've all chosen to be positive, downright giddy with excitement for the new possibilities and a new place to live. We're so excited it's actually sickening to be around us right now LOL

Now the fun part begins, PACKING!!! Laura Laura where art thou LOL I could really use your organizational skills for this move.

I'm either a sick person or I don't know, but I'm looking forward to packing.....yep, I think I'm not normal, who in their right mind looks forward to packing up a whole house???

So the kids are excited but also sad, they were both born here on this base, so I've decided that I'm going to take pictures of ANYTHING they want, no matter how silly it may sound to me, then we'll make a Scrapbook that they can keep forever and whenever they're sad or miss Idaho, they can look through it.

Anyway, I have a LOT of things to do, lots of planning involved, paperwork, moving etc....3 months goes by really fast. I am coming by to say hi to the ladies that left their recipes yesterday, I can't wait to see them.

Hope you all have a wonderful day, I'll be back tomorrow with my Five Senses Saturday.

Oh and I want to send a big hug and kiss to Anabela in South Africa, I can't believe you read my blog, it makes me happy :)

God Bless,

Continue reading...

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Sandra 6:26 AM 16 Comments

Welcome to my weekly Crockpot Recipes Exchange. It's such a great way to share your avorite dishes or to learn some new ones to make for your family.

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

Time to pull out those crockpots and put them to good use. If you want to join in, just grab the banner and add your name to Mr Linky :)

Slow Cooked Barbecued Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

4 pounds split chicken breasts, boneless
1 sweet large onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 1/2 cups ketchup* (or 1 - 10¾ can condensed tomato soup)
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon ground red pepper flakes, optional
1/4 cup water (optional - use water if sauce appears too thick. Add towards the end of cooking)

Directions

Spray lining of slow cooker with non stick cooking spray.
Layer 2/3 of onion slices and all slices of garlic in bottom.
Layer the split chicken breast and top with additional onion slices. Separate them if preferred.
In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.
Lift the breasts to allow some of the sauce to escape to the bottom of the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.
Slice and Serve

*Add more ketchup if you prefer a thicker sauce.

Container: 4 quart slow cooker
Servings: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 or more hours

Continue reading...

# Slow Cooking Thursday

Monday, March 19, 2007

BAM GOES THE DINNER!!!

Sandra 8:21 AM 13 Comments

They say there's a first time for everything, I guess I'm no exception to that rule.

Sunday night was much like any other, I went into the kitchen to prepare dinner

, popped it in the oven and went into the living room to sit with Curt and the kids, no cares in the world, just chatting and laughing with the family while dinner cooked, it smelled soooooo good and I was eager to try it because it was a new recipe.

Next thing I know BAM, this loud sound that I can only describe as a bomb, eminates from the kitchen. I didn't know whether to run in there or run out the door with the kids. It's funny though because it only took a few seconds for my mind to register what had happened.....before I even went into the kitchen I knew. Yep, my pan just exploded in the oven. WHAT THE HECK???

I started to run a checklist through my mind.....what went wrong???

Pan too cold when I put it in the oven - Nope, wasn't cold at all - CHECK
New pan that is not safe for oven use - Nope, been using this pan forever - CHECK
Very cold ingredients that would cause it to explode - Nope, nothing cold in there - CHECK

So I have come to the conclusion that I really don't know why it happened, just that it did, and with it took my beautiful favorite pyrex dish. THAT is what I was most upset about. LOL
Nevermind the dinner and the fact that now I had to figure out what to make, considering I had nothing else thawed out......just the thought that my beautiful dish was gone, shattered into millions of little pieces, is what got to me.

I did feed the family, I made some quick Grilled Cheese and Ham sandwiches with some potato salad and macaroni salad, some carrot cake mini muffins for dessert and that's it. I spent the rest of the night cleaning out the oven with Curt's help, I'm so lucky to have a husband like him.

But moving on, I'm sure you've noticed the new template, the other one was seriously getting on my nerves LOL I found it nice the first 2 or 3 days and then it got really boring and you know me, I don't like boring, it does not reflect my personality at all. Since I don't have the time right now to be messing with my own template, I just used one of the premade ones available on the net.

The kids are both doing good and both back to 100% health, me on the other hand, I am still battling this sinus, congestion, whatever it is, it's frustrating and I can't remember the last time I was able to breathe, smell and taste food and have a good night's sleep. I've been to the doctor and I've been taking

but it's still not helping, guess this is what I have to look forward to for the rest of my life because I am NOT going under the knife, unless I really can't smell or breathe, then I might reconsider. Who knows!!!

I haven't had a chance to go around visiting anyone's blogs either, sorry about that, it's just been really crazy around here.

Tomorrow I have a Parent/Teacher Conference in the morning and a dentist appointment in the afternoon. Next week Jasmine has 2 dentist appointments, I also have my INS Interview coming up within the next few weeks, plus Check Up appointments for all of us, so as you can see it's always busy in this place.

I want to ask you all for some prayers for my husband, he's having some problems at work and without going into details, let's just say that at times bosses can be very unfair. Please send out a prayer that everything works out for the best.

I'll be updating my food blog later today, but for now, I've shared a recipe for Baked Ham and Cheddar Sandwiches, I tried them out the other day and they were really good.

Well I have things to do around here so I'm going to say goodbye for now, have a wonderful day.

God Bless,

For dinner we're having porkchops and homemade fries.

American Idol - *New*- Fox - 7pm

The 11 remaining finalists perform songs from the '60s British-pop invasion.

Law and Order SVU - *New* - NBC - 9:00 pm

Stabler agrees to hear the dying confession of a cancer patient named Judson Tierney (Brian Dennehy), but first he and Benson do some digging into what possible crime Tierney's guilty of and come up with an unsolved case that goes back 47 years. However, according to Tierney, that is merely the "tip of the iceberg."

Laundry
House cleaning

Continue reading...

Saturday, March 17, 2007

FIVE SENSES SATURDAY!!!

Sandra 10:17 AM 5 Comments

Good Morning everyone, it's been a while since I've done my Five Senses Saturday but since I really don't have time to post about anything else, I thought today would be the perfect time to bring this back. Enjoy!!!

::Hear::

- Birds outside my window

- Faith Hill "Stronger"
- Dishwasher running
- Drip of the bathroom faucet
- TV in the background

::See::

- Laundry waiting to be washed
- My tulips peeking through the ground
- Half empty cup of coffee on my computer desk
- The Pugs playing
- Sun shining through the living room curtains

::touch::

- Pages of the cooking magazine as I look through it
- Fabric waiting to be used
- Warm sun on my face
- Paper cut on my finger
- Crayons while I color with the kids

::taste::

- Diet Coke with ice and a slice of lemon
- Baked Ham and Cheddar Sandwiches
- MIni Carrot Cake Bites
- Hot onion rings
- The first sip of Caramel Truffle Coffee

::smell::

- Laundry fresh out of the dryer
- Glade Angel Whispers Candle
- Olive oil, garlic and onions frying in the skillet
- Bath and Body Works Cotton Blossom Body Lotion
- The scent of Johnson's Baby Lotion on my kids after bath

Continue reading...

# five senses saturday

Friday, March 16, 2007

Spring Sickies

Sandra 7:32 AM 8 Comments

WHAT A DAY!!!!

I swear if I see someone run to the bathroom again or have to deal with vomit once more, I will get sick myself. It's been crazy the past two days and I've had no time to do anything.

I can tell you that just yesterday morning, I was up and down the stairs every 5 minutes, while one kid was getting sick in the bathroom, the other was crying cause his nose was congested, I literally felt like I was being pulled in 100 different directions and didn't know whether I was coming or going.

Talk about getting some exercise, my lower back and my legs are killing me. To make matters worse though, yesterday the weather changed from warm to really cold again, so my sciatica decided to make an appearance. I was quite the sight people, trying to wobble up the stairs half curved over because every step I took sent shooting pains up the side of my leg, while trying to balance 2 sick kids.

They're both doing a little better today, but still not 100% which for all you moms out there, you know means whining and crying, I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, I don't feel good, my stomach hurts, I need a hug, I need love, I don't feel good, I'm hungry.........rinse and repeat a couple hundred times during the day and by nighttime I just want to run out the house and keep going until I find a cave to hide in for a few hours. Preferably a cave with no vomit or runny noses.

Anyway, this again has interfered with my ability to put together a "Greatest Places on Earth" post. I miss those, I miss being able to take a trip somewhere beautiful and for those few minutes just immerse myself into another culture and way of living. I'm hoping next week I can do it.

You know what I need??? Groceries! With the kids being sick and Curt working night shift, I haven't been able to make it to the grocery store, but I really need to go this afternoon or tomorrow, it's not that we don't have any food left in the house but for one, I'm out of coffee. BIG NO NO!!!

I sat down and made my menus for the next two weeks but have yet to make the grocery list, I'm hoping to get a few minutes this morning to get it ready in case I get a chance to run to the store later. What saves me is that usually on sundays I cook up a huge batch of homemade waffles or pancakes and then freeze them, during the week I just pop one into the toaster or microwave and VOILA!!!

So, right now I have a batch of Banana waffles and one of those little flavored coffee pouches that are enough for a pot, breakfast is served.

It's one of those days where I just want to crawl back into bed and sleep the day away, don't you ever get those days???

I find that cooking helps me relax so I have a few things planned for this weekend, one of which are these cupcakes....just looking at them makes me smile.

If I had the energy I would stay and chat but I think I'm going to grab my book "The Rescuer" by Lori Wick and go sit on the couch, the kids are both laying down dozing off to sleep (the one pro of not feeling well), Curt is upstairs asleep having just come in from work about 2 hours ago, and me, well I'm ready to sit down and relax. The phone has been muted and the answering machine turned on, the tv has been turned off and I have a cup of steaming hot coffee sitting next to me. Life is great!!!

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# sick kids groceries cooking

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Slow Cooking Thursday!!!

Sandra 7:17 AM 10 Comments

Welcome to my weekly Crockpot Recipes Exchange. It's such a great way to share your favorite dishes or to learn some new ones to make for your family.

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

Time to pull out those crockpots and put them to good use. If you want to join in, just grab the banner and add your name to Mr Linky :)

I'm running a little late on posting this today, I have two sick kids at home, Jasmine with a stomach bug and Nicholas with a cold, needless to say I've been running around from one to the other, I'm exhausted already and it's not even 9am. Wish me luck!!

I gave you all a theme last week but quite honestly I don't even know if you guys will remember it because I didn't either LOL Maybe we will just stick to posting whatever recipe we want, that will make it easier for everyone.

Here's mine for today:

BANANA NUT BREAD

Ingredients:
1/3 c shortening
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1-3/4 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c mashed ripe bananas
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Directions:

Cream together shortening and sugar; add eggs and beat well. Sift dry ingreds; add to creamed mixture alternately with banana, blending well after each addition. Stir in nuts. Pour into well-greased 4-6 cup mold (I used a ceramic souffle dish).

Cover with foil and tie a string tightly around it to keep foil down. Pour 2 cups hot water in slow-cooking pot. Place mold on rack or trivet (I modified a metal veggie steamer) in pot. Cover with crockpot lid and cook on high 2 to 3 hours or until bread is done. Be sure not to check bread during the first 2 hours of cooking.

CHEESEBURGER SANDWICHES

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1/2 tsp. garlic-pepper blend
1 pkg. pasteurized process cheese spread, (8 oz.) diced
2 Tbsp. milk
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 sandwich buns

Directions:
In a large skillet, brown ground beef and garlic-pepper blend until thoroughly cooked. Drain.
In a 3 1/2 to 4 quart crock pot, combine cooked ground beef and all remaining ingredients except buns; mix well.
Cover; cook on low setting for 6 to 7 hours.
To serve: spoon mixture onto sandwich buns.

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# Slow Cooking Thursday

Monday, March 12, 2007

Ahhhhhh, my ideal place to live!!!

Sandra 7:53 AM 14 Comments

You know as I get older I find myself thinking about the kind of place I would love to retire to, live out the rest of my days.....and for some reason I'm always drawn to England. Why?? I haven't the foggiest idea!!!

I think maybe my obsession with Anne of Green Gables? LOL

Seriously though, I dream of moving to one of the small English Villages, I picture green everywhere and beautiful quaint cottages, just like the picture above and my house would be the white and blue one just because it's so cute.

I guess in a way it's my homemaker screaming in me, wanting to be released into a small cute cottage to run amock. I picture beautiful breakfast tables overflowing with waffles and bacon and eggs and cute teapots, a small vase of flowers sitting ever so prettily on the table.

I also envision a bedroom much like this one:

A girl can dream can't she??? That's what I plan on doing, keep dreaming and who knows maybe one day in the future I'll be blogging from the english countryside, talking about crumpets and Yorkshire pudding LOL

You do know if I ever go to England even if just on vacation, I'll be searching for my friend Sarah to finally meet her face to face....poor poor Sarah LOL

Anyway, it's another beautiful monday morning here, we're finally heading for Spring, the temperature is supposed to be in the 60's this week which after all the cold and snow is a much welcomed one. I can NOT wait to start walking, taking the kids to school and picking them up, walking to the park and the library or just around the neighborhood.

Winter always brings on the pounds for me, I have a little tire around my stomach that needs to go like, yesterday, I think because I sit around snacking and not really getting much exercise outside. When Spring arrives and I get out there with the kids, the pounds just drop and I for one can't wait.

I have a house to clean, menus to plan and grocery lists to write up. The next 2 weeks are going to be busy ones, I have a couple of dental appointments and errands to run, some reorganizing to do and house hunting too. We're still searching for the perfect house for us to buy, it's such a huge step and so scary isn't it?? Wish us luck!!!

While out at the base thrift store I found a couple of books and even though I have so many already, I can't pass up a good one. I picked one up and I'll be honest and admit that the only reason I grabbed it is because it says "Delicious Recipe & Knitting Pattern Included". Am I the only one who picks up books just because they have a recipe included???

It's from a series called "A Knitting Mystery" by Maggie Sefton and even though I'm more into romance and christian contemporary romance books, I think I'll enjoy this one. What's even better is that I paid NOTHING for it. They always have a bunch of books for free and you would be surprised at the great ones you'll find.

With that I'm going to leave you all, I better get back to cleaning around here. I'll be back later to post my menu on my food blog.

Today's TO DO LIST:

~~Ironing~~
~~Put away laundry~~
~~Vacuum~~
Start bread
Wash children's bedding
Clean appliances

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# books # english village

Sunday, March 11, 2007

THE SIMPLE THINGS!!!

Sandra 8:51 AM 10 Comments

Morning everyone, it's a beautiful Sunday morning, crisp and sunny and just perfect for Spring which is just around the corner.

I actually forgot to set the clocks ahead an hour until I saw it on my tv this morning, so if you're like me and didn't remember, now would be the perfect time to get with the program, unless you're willing to show up an hour late for work tomorrow.

The picture to the left is one I took at Silver City, Idaho. A ghost town just 20 miles from where we live, we had such a good time there and it's just beautiful.

So the simple things huh??? You know why I titled my post this way??? Because that's exactly what yesterday was about. We didn't do anything special or elaborate, we stayed home and had fun.....good old silly fun.

Curt is back to working midshift this week which means he goes in at 11pm and doesn't get home until 7:30am. It used to be my most hated shift because obviously when we're sleeping he is at work, then we get up in the morning and he is just going to bed. BUT after he gets up around 2pm, we have the rest of the day together, and it's great for appointments or running errands etc.

Anyway, he has to get into this schedule so after he woke up yesterday, I took the kids to the BX to pick up something fun to do. We all ended up buying puzzles, cheap puzzles. See you don't need to spend tons of money, the puzzles were only $2 each.

We brought them home and then we ALL sat down at the kitchen table and did the kids ones together.....yes because mine is 1500 pieces, little easily lost and chewed up by dogs pieces.

After the puzzles, Curt took the kids to park while I started on mine and must I say how good it felt. Just sitting at the kitchen table with my coffee cup and my table covered in puzzle pieces.....overwhelming yes, but so thrilling, I just got in there and started it while listening to the birds outside, watching the neighborhood kids riding their bikes and rollerblades, yelling with excitement and laughing.....it was just perfect!!!!

Now I want to share something with you, you all know that I love watching the show "Most Haunted". For the most part I actually get a good laugh out of it at times, it's very entertaining and while I don't know why I watch it, I just enjoy hearing the british accents and seeing new places. I was on YouTube (yes I know) and I found this clip from the show. I almost wet myself laughing at this one, you can't help but have your mind in the gutter with it....so you've been warned. Let's see if you can get through it without laughing LOL

LOL OH.MY.GOODNESS.....I tell you I watched that yesterday morning and literally spit my coffee all over my keyboard. Mary Loves Dick (Richard)......COME ON!!! LOL
Anyway, I thought you could all use a good laugh, I tell you, I can NOT watch this without laughing until my sides hurt, I can't even think about it during the day without just going into a laughing fit....Curt got a good laugh out of it too.

So anyway, after the kids and Curt got back from the park we all went a little bonkers...we decided to play a game of tag inside the house. Now, I am NOT fit at all, I haven't ran around since high school, if that, and though I felt like my lungs were on fire, we had SO MUCH fun. Imagine if you can, 2 adults, 2 children and 2 pugs running around the house laughing and screaming, tagging each other. It was the BEST 30 minutes I have spent in a long time, I laughed so hard and almost passed out with exhaustion but watching the smiles on the kids faces was worth it.

One thing I haven't done in a while, is give you a link to the fun and interesting posts around blogland, so I thought I would end with those today.

My dear friend Sarah from "A Bend in the Road" has put up her Home Management Binder. She mentioned it on her blog a few days ago and we all encouraged her to share because honestly, I could use some help in my schedule and routines and I know Sarah will give me good ideas.

Barb is a woman after my own heart. I think she loves cooking as much as I do, so when she offered to share her Jalapeno Garlic Tilapia, I was ecstatic. Well she keeps to her word and shared the recipe PLUS another 2 great recipes for us all....run don't walk over to Barb's site.

I am not even going to tell you to just check one post from Kelli's blog, this lady always has the best posts and pictures to share. She's the kind of SAHM and homemaker that we all want to be like....I know for myself I get a lot of ideas from her. Kelli when I grow up I want to be just like you LOL

There are so many others and I wish I could mention them all but if I did, you would be here for the rest of the day, probably falling asleep at the keyboard too.

Have a great sunday, enjoy the wonderful weather and again, don't forget to set your clocks one hour ahead.

God Bless,

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# blogs # family life

Friday, March 9, 2007

Following Your Bliss!!!

Sandra 8:53 AM 13 Comments

First though I have to say that I've been so busy this week that I honestly didn't get a chance to get my Greatest Places Post together and right now I am out of time to do it again, so it will have to be for next week.

I want you to watch this video, Joseph Campbell talks about following your bliss. Staying true to what you want to do and be in your life and not deviating from it.

How many of us go through life wanting to know what our calling is??? Trying to figure just what it is we are supposed to be doing and achieving.
A lot of us seem to think that our calling is supposed to be this earth shattering and really really grand thing, when in all actuality it could be something as simple as being a homemaker.
Yes a homemaker, Stay at Home Mom, I'm ORDINARY and I love it, for me it means that the minute I realized that is what I wanted and truly wished for, it became the moment that I found complete calm and peace in my life.

I remember so many of you asking me "where do you get the time to do it all?", and the answer is simple, I'm following my bliss, THIS is what I want to do and this is what makes me happy so it's not a chore and it's not something I push and trod through everyday, it's something that I can't wait to get up for in the morning, tackle another day of mommyhood and wifehood and deal with the obstacles and problems that come my way. The difference is, before I realized that this is what I really loved doing, I was unhappy and I was annoyed and frustrated and every little thing got on my nerves. Taking care of my family felt like a chore, a hard and dirty, messy and complicated chore.

JOSEPH CAMPBELL: All the time. It is miraculous. I even have a superstition that has grown on me as a result of invisible hands coming all the time - namely, that if you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.

The thing is you can be completely blissful doing ordinary things, things that don't mean blowing your finances over or elaborate planning involved....do you know when I'm most blissful and happy, here's some examples:

- When I'm sitting at the dinner table with my family talking and laughing over the day we had

- When we take the kids to park and I watch them laughing and running with daddy

- When we sit down to read a book we just picked up from the library

- When little hands help me bake cookies and there's flour everywhere even on little noses

- When I hear the sound of my family on the phone

- When we go for a walk or a drive or sit down to watch a movie together

- When I look around and see my house clean and a homemade meal on the table

Sound real simple???? It is, but it's ME following my bliss. Are you following yours???

Every single woman that I have met through this blog and who I call my friends, whose blogs I have in my bloglines and read everyday, are ordinary women, but you know what???? If you follow them daily and their stories and what they share, you will realize that they are amazing and truly EXTRAORDINARY human beings, women who I'm proud to call a fellow homemaker and stay at home mom......true friends following their own bliss and being happy in their lives.

I think that in order for your to realize what your own bliss is, is to know yourself and what you like and don't like doing but also open yourself to what is around you. Bliss arrive in so many different ways for us, it could be in that hot cup of coffee, a walk through the park with your children, the first flower you see before Spring arrives.....

I truly believe that we're always on the right path, no matter what stage of our lives we're in, which means we already ARE following our bliss, just that sometimes it's not easy to see when it's clouded by so many other things around us.

I truly hope that you all find your bliss and follow it, if any of you have indeed already found yours, I would love to hear about it.
Was it a coincidence that I stumbled across Joseph Campbell and this video??? I think not, because now I can truly say that this is really what I want to do and I'm FOLLOWING MY BLISS.

Have a wonderful day,

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# following your bliss # joseph campbell

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