Pssstttt....come here!

Go ahead and sit down, I have a few things to share with you, or rather, show you.

It's a quiet morning here, the base is having a wing down day which means the guys are off for a day of rest. I think they deserve it, they've worked extremely hard the past few weeks, first pulling in 13 and 14 hour shifts during an exercise and then the Air Show. So, they're all home, sleeping and catching up on their rest. I'm sure the internet will be completely bogged down soon once they start getting up and making their way to the computers to play games *snicker*

Ok, so here's the first thing I want to show you. You all know about Google Reader right? I mean, you should, because if it weren't for you guys, I would still be sitting with Bloglines, completely frustrated with feeds not updating and other things.

But did you know about the NEXT button? Oh if you don't, you don't know what you're missing.

Come here, let me show you. If you go to your Google Reader and click on Settings up top, near Your Account.....you can add the Next button to your browser. Let me show you how easy it is.

Isn't that the coolest thing?

Ok now something I want to talk to you about is Earth Hour. If you haven't heard about it, you can go here and read more, or watch the video below. It brought tears to my eyes, I don't know if I'm hormonal or what, let me know if it does the same thing for you.



We didn't participate last year, but we are tomorrow and the kids are super excited about it. I think it's a great opportunity to turn off the computers and the tv's (even though they just mention lights), and do something as a family.

So tomorrow night, between 8:30pm....no matter WHERE in the world you are, at 8:30pm YOUR TIME....you are to turn off all the lights for just one hour, just until 9:30pm. I'm sure we can survive one little hour can't we? And just think we'll be helping the wildlife and the planet, so what better way to get your kids involved?

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Turn out. Take action.

Be part of this historic event.
March 28, 2009, 8:30 pm local time

World Wildlife Fund is asking individuals, businesses, governments and organizations around the world to turn off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour – to make a global statement of concern about climate change and to demonstrate commitment to finding solutions.

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We'll be lighting candles, we'll go outside with flashlights and look at the night life, we'll also just sit on the couch and talk, tell stories, laugh whatever comes to mind. I'll be taking photos and posting them here on the blog too, so you'll see.

And if your kids want to learn more, there is even a great site for them called Earth Hour Kids, they can play games, learn about animals, there's a place for teens, a place for teachers and parents etc.

If you plan to participate, be sure to Sign Up so that you will be counted in.

I'll be putting up a giveaway this afternoon for Bella Sara products. Jasmine is completely hooked on them and loves them, so much so, that Nicholas is actually wanting to play too. There will be two winners, so stay tuned.

I think that is all I wanted to talk about, I can't remember anything else, if I do, I'll let you know.

For now, I'm going to wake up my hubby and then we're going out to lunch, just the two of us which is something we don't do that very often at ALL.

Then it's back home for a few more loads of laundry and cleaning before the kids come home from school. They're so happy that daddy is home today.

Speaking of kids, I need to make an appointment at the eye doctor for both, I think it's time for them to go in and have an eye exam done. Also after the antibiotic ointment they were both fine, but this morning Jasmine woke up again with a little bit of that gunky stuff and her eyes looked a little red again in the corners. I honestly don't understand what is going on and I'm done playing with the normal doctor, I think the eye doctor is the way to go.

Wish me luck and say a prayer that whatever is going on with the eyes gets resolved soon.

Slow Cooking Thursday

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.

Mustard-glazed Ham

3 pounds cooked ham - (to 5 lbs) -- drained
10 whole cloves - (to 12)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Score ham in a diamond pattern; stud with cloves. Place in slow cooker. Combine brown sugar, mustard and lemon juice; spoon over ham. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour; turn to LOW and continue cooking for 8 to 10 hours. Remove ham to a serving platter; keep warm. Turn slow cooker to HIGH. Combine orange juice and cornstarch to form smooth paste. Stir into drippings in slow cooker. Cook stirring occasionally for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until sauce is thickened. Spoon over ham.

This recipe yields 8 to 12 servings.

Wanna Try That Wednesday!

There's so many wonderful projects and ideas that I come across while blog hopping and web surfing, that I thought they needed a place of their own.

Since Wednesdays I really don't have any kind of features going on, I thought this would be perfect. It doesn't mean that I won't post another entry if I want to, but at least every week, on Wednesdays, I will post my Wanna Try That Wednesday!

- When I'm working on the computer, I love having the radio on in the background or the tv or something, so when I came across iSerenity online, I just knew it was exactly what I wanted to try. With sounds such as Rain (my favorite), Roaring Ocean, Thunder and Lightning and even Birds, you can be sure to relax.

- My husband actually came across this one when his alarm clock stopped working....I decided to take a look at it and see what the big fuss was about. Imagine if you will, an alarm clock on your computer, even if the internet goes out, once the alarm is set it will still work. You can set the time on Kuku Klok and even choose the sound to wake up to, including a Rooster. Nothing like that wake up call to make you think you're out in the country.

- With our summer trip to Texas coming up, I really want to try these Fabric Car Organizers. I have some cool fabric the kids would love and I think this would be perfect for keeping Nintendo DS's and games, books and snacks and even empty wrappers and trash that may otherwise end up on the floorboard.

- Speaking of trips, I'm going to plan our trip online with the Yahoo Trip Planner. You can add as many cities as you want to stop over, you can make it public or just private, which means if you go public you can actually share your trip details with family and friends.

- I'm getting the kids more involved in the kitchen, they love cooking, so I want to try some of the tips offered by Simple Mom.

- I'm going to have to try this Apple Dessert in less than 5 minutes from 4 Reluctant Entertainers. It's simple and I think will be perfect for the summer when we're craving something sweet and simple.

- I'm thinking these Baked Doughnuts are JUST what I'm looking for, the recipe is from 101 Cookbooks. I'm a huge doughnut fan, so much so that I avoid buying them often because I can easily get through half a dozen on my own. But I'm craving some, so this may just be today's snack.

- I want to start Spring Cleaning and I'm thinking of making my own cleaner, so I can't wait to try these great tips from The Simple Dollar.

Pretty Things...

Some crocheting while waiting for the clothes to finish washing.

Cupcakes and Donuts....they look good enough to eat.

A new set of curtains I'm making for the living room

I hung them up so I could pin where I needed to hem. I love the colors, the main panel is a sage green and for the bottom I added a stripe in a red flowery pattern.

A trip to the Airman's attic to donate some clothes and then a quick peak inside where I found the cutest vintage lines. FOR FREE!

Pretty pillow case

Another beautiful pillow case....they've all been washed and bleached and look good as new.

Pretty white curtains with little pink flowers embroidered. I don't know yet where these are going but I couldn't leave them behind.

My new nightgown. I absolutely adore it. I found it a few weeks ago while out shopping.

It's so girly and so me

Gorgeous pink flowers and a pink ribbon

It makes me smile!

What about you? What are some of the pretty things you keep around the house?

Blimey the sunburn is annoying!

I have to say though, having a Medicinal Aloe plant around is OH SO WONDERFUL. It's what has helped me through the past two days, I don't burn people, I go brown, but this Arizona sun is a killer and it got me good. I can almost hear it cackle way up in the sky *shake head*

Anyway, what a wonderful weekend, full of airplanes and boys in uniform, well my husband in uniform is what I concentrated on. I love it! What can I say, there's something about a man in a military uniform WITH children around....it melts my heart and it makes my uterus start crying for another baby. Shame on me!

But just look, tell me that doesn't pull at your heartstrings?

And this?
What about this?
A man who loves his children and his family and is not afraid to show it. A man decked out in a military uniform ready for battle but yet calmly walking along the flight line holding his daughter's hand tightly in his, and pulling a wagon with his son. It's heaven :)

So Saturday because of the sunburn and the heat, we came home and didn't get to see the Thunderbirds, but we decided to go back yesterday. Well, we went, but we came home without watching the Thunderbirds again because....this is so ridiculous.....a wind/dust storm kicked up during the Air Show. I was whacked by flying boxes, I saw a couple trash cans go barreling down the air strip and everyone was so covered in dirt at one point that all you saw was a dark film on their skins.

Oh well, I guess my backyard show on friday was a sign LOL

But let's get back to my day. With the kids both off to school I jumped right into cleaning. You know how it is after a weekend, it just seems like the house is turned upside down, there's dishes everywhere, drinks in the living room and blankets and shoes thrown around, there's toys all over and Wii remotes laying on the couch.

I started off with opening all the windows in the house and allowing the cool breeze to come in, with the curtains blowing in the wind, I set to work.

Washed all the laundry, hung it out to dry, ironed and put away. Swept and mopped all the floors, vacuumed the living room area AND the couches. Then I changed all the bed linens and dusted everything.

By the time I was done, I had to head out and pick up the kids from school, Monday's are early days.

While the kids played and watched TV, I finished cleaning Jasmine's bedroom and then started dinner, Stuffed Meatloaf....SO GOOD! And some Brownies for dessert.

I have been letting the kids help, they both love cooking and being in the kitchen with mommy and it's also a way of everyone contributing. I made the meatloaf, Nicholas did the mashed potatoes and Jasmine made the brownies. I love it, it makes me happy to see my children so invested in learning to cook.

And that is how my day went, I'm going to put away one last load of laundry while helping the kids with homework, then it's bath, book and Bible reading with the kids and they're off to bed.

I'll probably watch Dancing with the Stars and then later Paranomal State.....unless I nod off to sleep before. Who knows right?

Well I'm out of here, I am coming your way for a bloggy visit, hope you have coffee and cake *snicker*