Tuesday, September 30, 2008

A little babble here and a little babble there.....


I feel like I haven't done an actual post on what's going on here, in a while. So here we go, get ready to hear all about my interesting days, days filled with runny noses, kids bickering, amazing new fall tv lineups, my adventures with birth control and husbands drenched in jet fuel. Doesn't it sound appealing???

It does to me, I live for this, I thrive in this environment, it's called LIVING, it's called family and home and everything that comes with sharing your life with 3 other wonderful individuals who love you to death and can drive you to drink in a matter of seconds LOL

So we're at the end of September and it seems like the beginning of June here in the Phoenix area, Arizona, the heat is not budging, the dryness is sticking around and it's just another day in cactus paradise....and you would think after 1 year of being here I could say "I'm used to it already". Nope, not happening, I still long for the coolness of Fall in Idaho, for the changing of the leaves, for the impending snow flurries that will start hitting around November. I miss it, dearly, but I'm making do here. I'm trying my hardest to like it, I don't care if it's not working, maybe in another year I'll be able to say I'm finally content with it....chances are the minute I do that we'll have orders to another base LOL


My lemon tree seems to be thriving, after loosing so many of it's branches, it's finally full of lemons again and some are turning their beautiful shade of yellow, a few have made it to the ground and have been picked up by little fingers and excitedly brought inside to show mommy.

Thank you all for the prayers and thoughts, after discussing it with the doctor this morning and going back and forth with her saying"I don't think your symptoms are from the pill" when I KNOW they are, and "no matter what other pill I give you they all have estrogen". I've decided to go off all types of birth control right now, I'm not ready to take the chance and continue taking this pill especially when you hear of blood clots and such.....She agreed it would be best to give my body a rest and just use the normal contraceptives if need be LOL I feel that I have to do this for myself, to feel better and stop pumping so much estrogen and progestogen and whatnot into my poor body. Wish me luck ladies, Curt and I feel we've made the best decision for our family.

I've been enjoying all the new seasons of my favorite shows, Desperate Housewives was a shocker for me but I'm REALLY enjoying where they're going with it, same as Brothers and Sisters and Grey's Anatomy. Nothing like the fall season line up.

And that is pretty much what's going on here in Sandra Land...not much but yet I find myself running around like crazy everyday, like now...I'm off to start dinner and then there's homework to oversee, grocery list to draw up for tomorrow, budget to make and bills to prepare for paying.

I hope you all have a wonderful night, I'll see you in the morning.

Tips on Tuesday!

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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!

http://www.edining.ca/pictures/Beef%20Penne%20Pasta%20Casserole.jpg

♥♥Here's a handy tip to keep casseroles from bubbling over...just slide a toothpick between the casserole dish and the lid. The steam escapes and the oven stays clean!♥♥

http://badbanana.typepad.com/weblog/images/2007/12/15/1.png

♥♥Fill an old copper boiler with water and float apple candles inside for a beautiful fall decoration. The candles are easy to make....just hollow out an apple and tuck a votive inside.♥♥


♥♥For nostalgic lanterns that glow like fireflies, use milk glass jelly jars. Wrap a piece of 14-gauge wire securely around the neck of each jar and then bring the ends up and twist together to make a loop♥♥

Monday, September 29, 2008

Little Prayer please!

http://womenretreat-vcws-us.org/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/prayer114.100185915_std.jpg

I'm having some issues with the birth control pill I was put on, I've been on it for a little over two weeks and I'm feeling cramps in my right leg and arm and hot flashes and just downright not feeling well.

I'm getting in contact with the doctor tomorrow to switch pills but until then I'm completely stopping this one and not taking another, Curt actually told me "NO MORE".

So please say a little prayer for me that I'm able to start feeling better and that getting off this pill does help the symptoms....with things like this there is always the thought of blood clots and all that serious stuff. I'm a worry wart, what can I say? But in the meantime it's all in the Lord's hands and I know that He will walk me through this little bumpy patch.

God Bless,

The Simple Woman's Daybook!

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

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


FOR TODAY
Outside my Window...
my hummingbird friend is watching the going ons in the kitchen. Landscape people are mowing yards and Jets are already flying over head.

I am thinking...
that I need a nap after I drop the kids at school. I got NO sleep last night, Nicholas was up all night with a congested nose and even though I put him in bed with me thinking it would calm him down, it didn't, he kicked and was restless ALL.NIGHT.LONG.

From the learning rooms...
I watched a documentary on the Amish, it was very interesting and I really enjoyed it. We also learnt about the Chiselhurst Caves.

I am thankful for...
everything in my life, my husband, my children, my parents and siblings and grandparents and nieces and nephews and pets and house and just everything around me.

From the kitchen...
For breakfast it will be cinnamon rolls, for lunch I'll probably just have a Grilled Cheese and Tomato sandwich and dinner is Yummy Beef Bake.

I am wearing...
still in my silk robe and slippers

I am reading...
A really funny book by Mary Kay Andrews called "Itty Bitty Lies".

I am hoping...
to get all my floors mopped today.

I am creating...
christmas projects, an organized home and a cookbook for myself.

I am hearing...
the mowers outside and the birds at the feeder, the occasional jet zooming loudly overhead and making my pictures on the wall shake.

Around the house...
Clean up after a weekend, the usual.....laundry to be washed, living room to be tidied up etc.

One of my favorite things...
while the kids are at school and hubby is at work....to sit quietly on the couch and read a book with a nice hot cup of tea and some cookies.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...
Grocery Shopping on Wednesday, going out to a chinese restaurant sometime this week (depending on hubby's hours at work), probably taking a drive up north this weekend to see the changing leaves.

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





Fresh homemade bread that I just pulled out of the oven....yum!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

It's time to refill the cookie jar.........

It's that time of the week again, time to pull out the flour, sugar and eggs and make another batch of cookies for the cookie jar.

This weekend I used an old portuguese recipe for Biscoitos (cookies), they are good on their own but I prefer to turn them into little sandwiches using strawberry jam.




Creative Love!

The goal of the game - List 10 things you love that begin with the letter you are assigned.

The sweet Annie assigned me the letter C, so let's see what I come up with. If you want to play along just leave me a comment and I'll assign you a letter.


1. Curt (my husband)
2. Coffee
3. Cinnamon
4. Crockpot
5. Cooking
6. Chocolate
7. Cookbooks
8. Coke (diet)
9. Candlelight
10. Camping


Saturday, September 27, 2008

Weird and Wonderful Travels!

I love traveling and exploring new areas, whether they are beautiful or frightening, just around the corner or across the globe. But let's face it, unless you're a millionaire there's no way you have enough cash to go everywhere you want to, so I travel from home, it doesn't stop me from exploring and enjoying the weird and wonderful locations that exist in this beautiful planet of ours.

Today I'm going to the Chislehurst Caves in the UK. Come with me, I've even packed some snacks for us.


http://www.urban75.org/london/images/chis03.jpg

CHISLEHURST CAVES

Chislehurst Caves are a labyrinth of dark mysterious passageways which have been hewn by hand from the chalk, deep beneath Chislehurst. There are over 20 miles of caverns and passageways, dug over a period of 8000 years. The vast complex of caves are a maze of ancient mines originally carved out in the search for flint and chalk. They are divided into three main sections, Saxon, Druid and Roman. Each section was later connected by digging joining passages.

The last time the mines were known to have been worked was around the 1830's when the Saxon section was used by a flintmaker and limeburner.

During the 1914 World War the mines became part of Woolwich Arsenal, used as an ammunitions depot. A narrow gauge railway was installed to aid the transport through the passages.

The war and the constant bombings over London turned the caves into a massive air raid shelter within easy reach from London and its main suburbs.

Image credit: Warren Williams
http://www.warrenwilliams.co.nz/2008/MAY_1109.jpg

The Chapel in the caves - credit: medwaylines

A WWII church - credit: medwaylines

The hospital during the WWII



History of Hauntings

The caves have long had a reputation for being haunted. There is even a 'haunted pool'. There used to be a 'challenge' with a reward for anyone who could spend the night there alone.

I wouldn't even spend an hour there alone, nevermind a night LOL
But apparently there are so many stories about paranormal activity and ghosts and weird stuff going on. The caves are 22 miles long and it would take you about 10 1/2 hours to get through them all.

http://www.medwaylines.com/chiscaves16.JPG

I can't even imagine being down there, as interesting and fascinating as they seem....my poor claustrophobia would have a field day LOL

Haunted Chamber - It may look like an enlarged puddle to you, but this was where a woman murdered in the caves supposedly rises through a mist from the floor of the puddle, sorry, 'pool'.

And if that wasn't spooky enough, the chamber is supposedly unique amongst the 22 miles of passageway because it has no echo.


http://www.urban75.org/london/images/chis11.jpg

While watching Most Haunted last night, they actually went to the caves and the historian told all these stories of people getting lost in the caves, of a man literally dying of fear and found naked near the door, of there being 7 sacrificial altars six of which were used for animals and one for humans....a hunchback man that haunts the caves and all these other interesting but I doubt true facts. LOL

Let's face it, whether true or not I think that it would be interesting to take a trip to Chislehurst, if not just for the caves but the town itself.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/graphics/2006/09/20/pfringe21.jpg
Image credit: Telegraph UK

http://www.zen68622.zen.co.uk/Lisa_and_Kids_on_Corner_of_Sun_and_Main_Streets_Haworth.jpg

Image credit: Lisa Haffey

http://img01.beerintheevening.com/d4/d4980dc5f7225509e46ac6b97a82cb38.jpg
Image credit: beerintheevening





*sigh* I do wish I lived closer.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Fave Five for Friday!


It's my first time playing along with the sweet Susanne. You can check out the guidelines and details of this feature here.

So here's my favorite five things for this past week:

1. Homemade shortbread that I somehow botched and in order to try and save, I ended up adding a spoon of strawberry jam to each little round cookie. Turns out, I should REALLY mess up more often, they were delish. LOL

2. My favorite shows starting again on tv, love the fall season tv lineup.

3. My new hummingbird friend that watches me through the kitchen window.

4. Talking to family on the phone, all the way in South Africa, it's one of those things we can't do often so it's always a treat :)

5. The Civil War cookbook that Jasmine brought home from the library, I'm loving looking through not only the recipes but the history.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Content!

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Image credit: photobucket.com

It's one of those quiet days, the morning started out pretty hectic, if you have school aged children then I need to say no further, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's harder to get them out the door on time than it is to give birth, for me at least....by the time they're both ready to leave and in the car, I am quite certain I could have popped out one or two babies. No kidding! LOL

But that was then, this is now and here I sit at the computer, my front door is open and I'm listening to the wind rustling outside and the cars driving by once in a while, some military clad airman on his way to or from work......and the pugs who seem to think that this whole neighborhood is THEIR turf, anything that moves or breathes gets barked at. They've yelled at the wind a couple times and I think it's the funniest thing....want to see my view from the computer desk:

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I've been wanting to catch up on my reading but honestly haven't had a chance, first I was sick and now with Curt working these weird hours, it means that everything falls on me. Usually at night he will help Jasmine with her homework while I fix dinner and do the dishes etc....then he helps me overlook the kids showers and reading and bedtime routines.

From 3:30pm until 11pm I am going non stop, it's just continuous crazy hectic couple of hours until I can sleep.

I know you're all sitting there wondering why I am telling you these things, you probably don't care about it LOL But it's for my family's sake, they're the ones that do want to hear about the nitty gritty, the mundane details, what the kids are doing or what I'm doing....it's a way to keep us all connected and closer over the thousands of miles that separate us.

So anyway, as I was saying....the kids get out of school at 3:45pm and by the time we get home it's 4:15pm, right away, they ask for a snack, poor things are hungry since they had their lunch at 11am, I mean that's along time for little kids to go without eating......heck that's a long time for ME to go without food LOL

After the snacks and juices are handed out, they sit down and relax for a bit, Nicholas usually playing the Wii and Jasmine on her computer playing a game or on the phone with her best friend from Idaho. I'm already going through backpacks, sifting through the hundreds of papers they send home, honestly WHY so much paper???? UGH. I sort it all into piles, what we keep, homework and trash.

After that is done, it's usually around 4:45pm and that's when I start dinner so that we can eat around 5:30pm. Which reminds me, what time is dinner at your house? Back home in South Africa we were always running around and working, so dinner was around 7 or 8pm....which now would NEVER work for us, hubby gets home from work around 4:30pm and is usually already starving LOL

Once dinner is done, the kids again go off and play together for a little while I do the dishes and clean the kitchen....then it's bath time, everyone takes their showers and puts on pj's, settles into mommy's bed and we do homework. Nicholas doesn't have any so he's content sitting there cuddled up watching cartoons or playing with the pugs while I help Jasmine with hers. This poor child has SO much homework each night and soon they'll be expected to do book reports on top of it too....she has math, spelling, 30 minutes of reading and then social studies or anything else she didn't have time to finish in class. It's a LOT and by the time she goes to bed she's beat, heck I'M beat and I'm not even doing it.

Bedtime for the kids is 9pm and only after they're asleep do I then go around the house one last time picking up toys, turning off video games and computers, putting away any last load of laundry I have left, setting the breakfast table for the morning, getting their backpacks ready, signing homework agendas and any other notes I have to for school and removing from the freezer whatever I need for the next day's meals. I put it in the refrigerator to thaw out overnight.

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Image credit: photobucket.com

I'm beat, I'm honestly exhausted by the time my head hits the pillow, so reading is out of the question, as it is I watch all my new shows in between division, multiplication, pronouns and suffixes. Yes my life is THAT exciting, but yet each morning I wake up invigorated, restored and with a smile on my face because no matter how hard I thought I had it the day before, when I look at the smiling faces of my children and get a hug from my hubby telling me he loves me and appreciates everything I do.....THAT is all the reward I need. THAT is true contentment.

So here's my question....what is contentment for you?


Two Years Ago: The Things That Nourish Us
One Year Ago: LOVE Fall Season

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

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.

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http://img.foodnetwork.com/FOOD/2007/12/27/RM0608_Chicken_and_Rice_e.jpg

Parmesan Chicken and Rice

10-3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 oz. pkg. onion soup mix
1 c. long cooking rice, uncooked
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 T. butter, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Mix together soup, milk, soup mix and rice in a medium bowl; set aside. Arrange chicken breasts in a lightly greased slow cooker; place one tablespoon butter on top of each chicken breast.

Pour soup mixture over chicken; sprinkle with salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours, or on high setting for 4 to 6 hours. Serves 4 to 6.



How well do your children know you?



I've always been under the impression that my kids had a general idea of what I enjoyed but didn't really pay much attention. Not because they didn't care, but because they're kids, they're busy playing and enjoying their childhood, too busy to notice certain things.

I was wrong....boy was I wrong. Apparently my children know me better than I would ever have thought possible.

Just a few weeks ago we were talking about Christmas and Nicholas announced very excitedly that he knew exactly what he wanted to get mommy. I asked him what it was and he kept insisting he couldn't tell me, it was a secret but he just KNEW that I would love it.
After a few hours he turned to me and said "ok mommy you know what I want to get you?"....now keep in mind this is a 5 year old boy, a BOY, a little man who loves spiderman and video games and playing ball and wrestling with daddy, so when he said "A sewing machine because yours is old and you need a nice one"......I was in shock.

Well now, he really does know me well. Of course Jasmine surprised me too because yesterday she came home from school with a really heavy backpack and when I asked if she had brought home a piece of the school building, I don't know some bricks or one of the cafeteria tables or something....anything that would explain the heaviness of that thing LOL
She reached in with a big smile on her face and said "We had library today and I got a book for you", and she hands me this:

http://americancivilwar.com/amazon/Civil_War_Cookbook.jpg

Oh do I love this child. A book AND a cookbook at that? Not only with great recipes but wonderful photos and stories.




I can't wait to sit down with this treasure and delve into the civil war and it's history.

Thank you for all the well wishes, the cold is still lingering around but it's slowly going away and that's a good thing.

In the meantime I'm taking it easy and trying not to overdo it, which as a mother it's not an easy thing, there's always something to clean, to cook, to wash isn't there?

Have you all been watching Dancing with the Stars? I'm a huge fan of the show and I've enjoyed the first 2 nights, we have some good dancers and the usual not so great.....the kids and I also watched Opportunity Knocks and liked it, we actually played along but using our own lives as example and it was fun seeing who knew what :)

There's just so much on TV nowadays, so many of my favorites are returning this week and I couldn't be happier, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters....love it love it love it.

Well I'm about to go do the dinner dishes and clean up the kitchen, then we have homework to get through, baths and reading and all the other fun nightly routines. If you're wondering what we had for dinner, it was Smothered Chicken and OH was it good. YUM!

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Don't forget Slow Cooking Thursday tomorrow, gather those great recipes to share especially now that the weather is cooling down.

God Bless,

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Playing catch up.....

http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/9/6/0/5/ar119366226050691.jpg

Boy it's been a weird couple of days. The cold knocked me off my feet, literally, I found myself in bed or walking around the house hunched over because my body hurt so much. Thankfully the brunt of it came during the weekend where I had a wonderful husband confine me to bed and take over.

For me, it was sheer frustration, listening from my bedroom as the kids and daddy laughed, ate take out and played together....for them it was great, it was a change from the normal routine, a change from homemade food and NO cookies for breakfast. It feels good to break the rules once in a while, it's called *living*.

So this morning I'm almost back to normal, I can still feel that my body is slowly catching up, my chest feels heavy and I have a cough and a pretty banged up nose from all the nose blowing I did the past few days. I'm quite the sight I tell you LOL

I went into my bloglines a few minutes ago and wanted to run away, seems you've all been very busy posters and I don't know how I'll catch up with everyone, part of me wants to just hit "Mark all Read" but then another part of me, the wussy one, says it's not right, not fair, and imagine all the cool blog posts I've missed while sick. So I'm going through the list, slowly, methodically and hopefully get to stop by everyone.

One of the posts that caught my eye was this one from Aiken House and Gardens. Uhhhh YEAH I'm a huge Anne of Green Gables fan, along with Kelli and Sarah and some others I'm sure. Just go look at this post. It's amazing enough that Carolyn lives in Prince Edward Island but yesterday she took a trip to Cavendish, oh come on, if you know Anne of Green Gables you KNOW what that means.

Yesterday I started noticing that I had ONE specific hummingbird perched on one of the Honeysuckle branches near the feeder. He flew in and out but for the most part, just sat there and I couldn't understand why, so I went online and did a little bit of research and found out not only the species but why he was doing this. Turns out that he is a male and has claimed the feeder as his own, he's marking his territory and chasing away any other birds, bees, butterflies etc that may come near it. LOL
He's also become very used to seeing me near the kitchen window and just sits there facing me, watching my every move and posing for photos, I mean, what more could I ask for?

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I also realized the feeder was empty and didn't want to wait to go back to Walmart when I could make my own. And no it's not rocket science and you don't need any weird ingredients, it's just sugar and water.

Hummingbird Nectar

4 cups water
1 cup superfine sugar
3-5 drops red food coloring (optional)

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Allow sugar to dissolve and remove from heat. Let the nectar cool and then pour into your feeder. Store remaining nectar in the refrigerator.

I refilled the feeder and had 3 hummingbirds come charging, amongst those I ended up with a huge bird trying to eat out of there, it was the funniest thing ever.

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I mean really??? LOL

Curt is working a weird shift this week, he goes in at 1pm and doesn't get home until 11pm or so....it's one of those annoying night flying shifts. It's not really swings or mids or days, it's just whatever and it's frustrating because the kids don't see him at all. He's asleep when they leave for school and they're asleep when he gets home from work, so there's some crankiness going around and some "I miss daddy". It's just another of the sacrifices that come with being a military family.

My coffee is calling me, so I guess I should get off here and start my day. I have laundry to put away and some paperwork to file and I need to get my ground turkey out of the freezer for tonight's Turkey Burgers.

As soon as I can get all this done, then I can maybe sit back down on the computer and try to answer my emails, reinstall MSN messenger, visit some blogs and watch my new episode of Paranormal State that I missed last night.

Have a great day everyone!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Tips on Tuesday!

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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!

http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/2102028/wintersquash-main_Full.jpg

I LOVE squash but I used to hate buying it just because it's kind of hard to cut into for cooking. Well, that was until I ran across this tip in one of my cookbooks.

♥♥Hard-shelled fall squash can be difficult to cut for cooking. Do it the easy way, in the microwave. Cook the whole squash on high setting for 5 minutes, pierce with a knife tip to check for tenderness and cook a few more minutes as needed. Cool, cut in half and scoop out seeds....simple!♥♥

http://img.timeinc.net/recipes/i/may1/freezer-1602670-l.jpg

Freezing meals is a great idea but how many times do you end up looking for a casserole dish only to realize it's holding that lasagna in the freezer?

♥♥Here's a great tip....line the dish with aluminum foil, bake a casserole, wrap and freeze....lift out the frozen casserole and return the dish to the cupboard. To serve, slip the casserole back in to the same dish and bake.♥♥

http://hostedmedia.reimanpub.com/TOH/Images/Photos/37/exps13731_CB1217C1.jpg

Having Taco Salad for dinner and want to set up an array of toppings?

♥♥Fill a muffin tin with fixings like sliced black olives, chopped green onion and diced avocado....everyone can top their own taco salad to their liking. I've done the same thing but using toppings for Tacos....shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped tomatoes etc.

The Simple Woman's Daybook!

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

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


FOR TODAY
Outside my Window...
my backyard covered with pigeons, not sure what they're doing but they're HUGE.

I am thinking...
that I'm glad I am able to move around today, after spending the weekend in bed with a fever and a really bad cold, it feels great to get up without feeling like you were hit by a truck

From the learning rooms...
I've been reading a lot of books on the Amish, it's just fascinating to me to learn about their lifestyle and their beliefs.

I am thankful for...
the fact that the worst part of the cold hit me on friday and through the weekend while I had hubby at home.

From the kitchen...
For breakfast it was just cereal and lunch will be Pizzeria Pot Pie leftovers. Dinner will be Crockpot Garlic Swiss Steak.

I am wearing...
Khaki shorts, purple top and slippers

I am reading...
Nothing right now, just finished The Shopkeeper's Daughter and The Quiltmaker's Daughter, both were very good.

I am hoping...
to get a little nap in today, just because I feel able to move around doesn't mean I should overdo it.

I am creating...
a clean tidy home after the weekend of being sick. It's amazing how much of a mess a husband and two kids can make when unattended LOL

I am hearing...
the pugs snoring....hubby frustrated with his computer, apparently some spyware got on there and he's having a hard time getting rid of it.

Around the house...
Laundry to be ironed and put away, floors to be swept, living room to be tidied

One of my favorite things...
cuddling in my warm bed and watching a good show on the tv.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...
Absolutely NOTHING this week, just whatever

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

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Do you have 5 minutes???

Because if you do and you have some basic ingredients and coffee mug laying around, you can make yourself some chocolate cake.

Don't believe me? Go check out my food blog.



A day spent in bed....



It's early here and I've just managed to pull myself out of bed. This cold has completely taken me by surprise, not to say that I don't get my share of summer colds or winter or pretty much anytime during the year actually, but this is one that really really got to me.

Yesterday I spent the day in bed and I don't mean, just relaxing or reading....I was running such a high fever that it felt like I had a run in with a semi truck. My body hurt something awful and I felt no energy to do anything at all around the house. Thank you Lord that it was saturday and not a week day because I don't know how I would have gotten through it.

It started rearing it's ugly head on Friday around noon and by the time I went to pick up the kids from school they could tell that something was wrong. I remember driving back home in a sweat, body aching, nose congested and just yucky. That was it, thankfully Curt was already home from work because I went to bed and didn't get up until this morning. My family survived on take out and lots of snacking while I lay with the tv on trying to pay attention to the shows but not even caring what was on......at one point I remember Curt walking in and asking me why I was watching cop shows LOL

Anyway, seems that the cold moved from my head down to my chest, so I'm coughing, I have a hoarse whiskey voice and I'm still congested, but thankfully the fever is gone.

So here I am, I got up early, cleaned the kitchen and did the dishes, cleaned the living room, rearranged all the couch pillows and picked up all the toys, got rid of empty cups and soda cans and I fixed some Cinnamon Rolls, and not the ones in the tin either, homemade ones. Now I have a load of laundry started and I am sitting here on the computer with a hot cup of coffee and my gooey rolls. Life is good.

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I'm not going to overdo it though, it's too easy when you're feeling a little better, to just jump in with both feet and then end up worse than when you started.

After the laundry is switched to the dryer, I plan on changing out of my pj's and then laying on the couch and maybe watch some tv, or read. Lunch will be grilled cheese sandwiches and dinner is Pizzeria Pot Pie. Sometime during the afternoon the kids asked me to make them some 5 minute chocolate cake and since it's so easy and they can make their own, I'll probably do that. What you never tried it?? It's SO good and super easy because it's baked in a coffee mug in the microwave, YEAH that's right. Very dangerous recipe and not because of the radiation of the microwave but because now you have access to this goodness at any time of the day. Tsk Tsk Tsk

Sounds like the laundry is ready to be switched so I better get on that, I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday.

God Bless

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Five Senses Saturday!





::Hear::

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- the birds outside on the feeder
- cartoons Nicholas is watching on tv
- my own sniffling as I deal with yet another cold
- the new episode of Most Haunted on my computer
- the dogs moving around in the bedroom


::See::

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- the little puddle of antifreeze that my car is leaking again
- construction all over the base
- a very old couple shoppping at the commissary and still so in love
- deep blue skies
- the bruise on my right shoulder where I walked into my car mirror


::touch::

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- the bottle of vicks that is helping me breathe
- the pages on the book I'm reading
- the soft kleenex on my nose
- the cut on my finger
- the soft skin on my children's faces


::taste::

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- the wonderful Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf
- the lollipop my kids gave me
- creamy white chili
- buttered toast
- cold medicine I'm taking


::smell::

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- not much right now, I'm congested
- wet grass after I've turned off the sprinkler
- clean laundry hanging on the line
- my favorite perfume
- the food court at the BX