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

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

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

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



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


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

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


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



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


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

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

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


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

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

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



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


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


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


Here he is before take off

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

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

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


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

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

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


1 - Very Very happy to be here

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

3 - This place is creeping me out

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

I know I'll imagine I'm here:


Sometimes it sucks to be a woman!

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.

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




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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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




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

2. How long have you been together?
11 years

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11. Who does the laundry?
I do

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

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

14. Who pays the bills?
I do

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

16. Who mows the lawn?
He does

17. Who cooks dinner?
I do

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

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

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

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

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

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

24. Who asked who out?
He asked me out

25. Who proposed?
He did

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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





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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



What were you doing 10 years ago?

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



What were you doing 1 year ago?

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



Five snacks that you enjoy:

1. Gardetto's Mix

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

3. Trail Mix

4. Coconut Macaroons

5. Fresh Cherries



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


1. Open a Bed and Breakfast or a Coffee Shop

2. Build my own English Cottage in Idaho LOL

3. Move my whole family to the States

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

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



Five bad habits:

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

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

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

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

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



Five things you would never wear again:


1. Hair Scrunchies....oh my goodness

2. Leg Warmers

3. Those 80's Gel Shoes LOL

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

5. Tie Dyed Shirts...enough said.



Five favorite toys:

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

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

3. My sewing machine

4. My coffee pot

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



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


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


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

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

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

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