It's A Purple Kinda Thing

A new year

2011-02-27T09:27:00.003-06:00

Ok, so I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I just have kinda forgotten about blogging. I can hear the gasps, smartypants, cuz I never forget anything. Right?! Anyway, it's a new year and I am going to try to do better. Let's ignore that it is the day before March. So lots has been happening around mi casa. Still doing foster care, Chick is almost done with her junior year, I am still working full time, Mike is still making my blood boil for fun. Ok, maybe not so much new.
My mother moved in with me, that is new. She is going to help me keep my kids going in the right direction. I have had a really hard time adjusting to working full time, full time mom, chauffeur, chef, laundress, banker and 1001 other things. I started to feel that the kids are not getting enough grown up time so she is going to help me out with that.
I have made only one quilt in the last year. I really miss that. I haven't really had a reason to make one though, so that probably has something to do with it. The last one I made was for the Hasting's Community Club Christmas party. Oh, that is something else new. I am the secretary for the Hasting's Community Club. We are trying to breath some life into this dying little town. We held a Town Christmas Party, have started holding game night once a month, are having an Easter egg hunt/pancake feed in April, bringing back Hastings Fun Day this summer and then having another Christmas party this winter. Lot's of projects. There seems to be quite a bit of support for us throughout town so that is a great start. The thought being, if people have some kind of pride about the town, things can only get better. I am paraphrasing the mission statement but you get the idea.
My friend/little brother Snatch got married over Thanksgiving. I am so happy for him to find someone he can be happy with.
It is starting to sink in that next summer, my baby girl will be 18 and looking for her own home. I think it is very important for her to get her independence and am trying to get her to think about colleges. She keeps telling me she is only 16, she has plenty of time. I keep telling her it will go faster then she thinks. She looks at me like I am nuts. Kind of like I used to look at my mom when she would say totally ridiculous stuff like that.

It's fall already

2010-09-08T08:10:00.002-05:00

The cool weather is here already and I am not a bit sorry to see it. I don't like to melt, it just isn't proper. As we all know, I am super concerned with propriety. School started August 18th and three weeks in, I have gotten calls from the principals 3 times. Twice in one day. Are you serious? I got exactly 2 calls for behavior from the old school in the entire 7 years my kids had been going there. Maybe I was just spoiled but I am a little concerned when one of the calls was because my 7 year old was playing tag at recess. Apparently that is no longer allowed. Really? When did that happen? Isn't it a training game for future sports like football, basketball, soccer? You don't want kids to sit around and play video games but you don't want them chasing each other either. OK.

I seriously suck at updates

2010-08-19T08:52:00.002-05:00

Ok, so it has been a little longer then a month. I really need to get better at keeping all the adoring fans updated, both of you. The wonderful blessings I call my offspring have all started back to school. Thank the powers that be for that. Chick is now a junior, Bubba is officially a junior high student in 7th grade, 411 is in middle school at 5th grade and Mr. is in second grade already. We do have a new friend staying with us, she is a freshman. I tell you what, getting 5 kids ready for a new school year was not as much fun as one would think. I don't know that I could do anymore than that. Of course, you don't know what you can handle until the situation presents itself.
We still have not gotten down to the river again this year. Stupid Missouri, coming out of the banks all summer long. At this point, I think we will just have a get together at the house for labor day.
I did finally get a new couch. It's a sectional that is supposed to be L shaped but the girls put it in a straight line so it takes up an entire wall which works cuz all 7 of us can sit on it :) Now Mikey is bound and determined to get the biggest TV he can to go in the living room. Boys and their toys.
We got Chick a car. She can get her license in October so she will be ready to go. It's a 2000 Intrepid, like my old car but red. I miss that car. I had to get rid of it because Mr decided to make an entrance into the world. I almost want to trade her cars, how sad is that?
We are taking the kids to Adventureland next weekend. That ought to be a great photo op. We haven't gone to an amusement park since we left Germany so I am super excited.

Monthly update

2010-06-25T15:16:00.002-05:00

So my baby girl turns 16 today. She is flying to visit her aunt and cousins in July. I couldn't wait and told her about it last night. She was properly excited by it, I got cool mom points and everything. Wow. I am not sure how I am feeling about this. I am so excited for her to be experiencing all the greatness this time of her life has to offer. And I am soooo thankful that she isn't nearly as extroverted as I was at that age. I couldn't handle half the stuff I pulled on my mom. Of course, I did it, so I would recognize it and be able to squash it. Right? I am contemplating these things because 411 is following very closely and she will be here in 6 years. I know she will make up for everything that Chick isn't doing. Bubba is stretching out, starting to get his growth on a little at a time. His orneriness is in full steam ahead mode though. Mr is in full glory this summer, he gets to spend most of his days with his cohort in crime, Riles. Those two kill me, I am really grateful that Aunt Wendy loves him so much that she lets him hang out. We are going to take Mike's twins out tomorrow. For those of you that aren't on facebook, his twins are the new boat and new truck he had to get to haul said boat. We have been trying to go out on the lake for the last two weeks but mother nature being the bitch she is, we haven't been able to go. So tomorrow we are going. I am packing a picnic and getting some sun, sounds heavenly. Next week we are going to see BEB for the 4th. I don't know who is more excited, Mike or Zach. We are both ready for some time away from the day to day routine. I am making a quilt for his neighbor and taking it with us to save on postage. That makes sense right, drive 10 hours to save $10 postage? I know, just made me giggle when I thought about it. I got to stressing a little when I made this brilliant decision, I only had 2 weeks to get it done. So I cut it all out, got all the flags made, got the ribbons attached and clipped and all the backing squares. Then I realized that they were all the wrong size and had to recut it all. Thankfully the flags were the right size. So I am on a schedule now, I have to get one row done every night and then I will have to clip it on the way to Tennessee. That should make Mike's truck nice and decorated by the time we get there :)

Amazing!

2010-05-19T09:46:00.002-05:00

I know, I am amazed at remembering to update almost as much as you are amazed that I am updating. Tis the season for graduates. This year, it is striking me rather harshly as some of the kids graduating are related to me. And I used to change their diapers. Ok, maybe not literally but I was certainly old enough to. So, there are four of them between this weekend and last weekend. Wow. Then I get to thinking about how Chick is going to be a junior in high school. When did that happen? I know, when I wasn't looking.
Speaking of Chick, she got her learners permit. She is doing a great job of driving, gets a little nervous when semi's pass her but that is just a confidence thing. She also got 1st place in an art show at school. It is a huge paper mache bug she named Quasimodo. I will try to get some pictures up later.
Bubba is doing his best not to do anything this last week of school. There are 5 days left, I hope he can hang in there for it :)
411 is having her year end recital for dance class next week. She is so excited, she gets to sing too so she can hardly contain herself.
Mister is loving having roads to ride his bike on. He has made a new bestest best friend that he can hang out with and has had the other half of double trouble spend the night.
We went to the heart walk along the river in Omaha last weekend in memory of our niece, Hadleigh. It was pretty bittersweet to see all the people that turned out is support of her. The team raised about $800 which I didn't think was too bad.
We are getting ready for camping season, next weekend, bring it on! Mike is so antsy, even Chelle is ready to go!! I am toiling away at my job, I have discovered I am pretty good at this leasing stuff. It has almost been a whole year, it doesn't seem like it.
The kids are getting ready to transfer to their new school next year. The younger ones are excited, Chick not so much. She would rather stay put, I think it would be very good for her to meet new people and interacts with other kids her age that can give her a fresh start socially. We'll see.

2010-04-02T18:19:00.003-05:00

ok, so I have been seriously slacking. I am going to attribute that to moving. Yeah, that's it. We bought a home in an even smaller town but with almost twice the space. Go figure. All of the kids will have their own room finally so that is a plus. I will actually have my own sewing room too. FABULOUS!! I received a promotion at work, get to be legitimate now. Mikey has been taking over alot more of the day to day stuff, its not so easy to do it all when you are getting home at 6:30 or 7 at night. The kids are going to have to transfer schools next fall, they aren't especially groovin' on that but aren't exactly heart broken either. I have been mostly just hanging out, working and trying to learn to not share my opinion unless someone asks for it. That is a hard one for me. It's getting better though. We had the family Easter get together last weekend, that was so fun. My wonderful new camera is in a box, dammit. Wendy got some good ones so hopefully she will share. The heart walk is coming up again. This year we are ordering long sleeved shirts, it was chilly last year. 411 got to do the cookie sales again this year. Unfortunately, that is about all she gets to do. I am hoping that her new school will bring a new girl scout troop that is a little more organized. She is doing dance so there will be a recital again this spring, I just got the email to the link of the pictures from last year. Nothing like being on top of it. Apparently my friend Jen graduated from nursing school, WAY TO GO!! And on another facebook connection moment, I found one of my bestest friends I grew up with. I was amazed at how much she hadn't changed. She is one of those people that just didn't change very much, I am soo envious. Funny thing, her name is Brandy and she has 4 kids now too. I was thinking, I graduated 18 years ago. That means in 2 years there will be reunions for 20 years. Where in the hell did the time go?

What's been happening

2010-02-27T09:00:00.003-06:00

We made a quick trip to Tennessee, dropped off a couple gifts, had a great time!

This is the quilt I made for BEB. His neighbor ordered one for himself!

Here is how the guys spent their time together, this and drinking beer.

Chick went to the winter ball at school. I think next time, I am going to have to plan on more then one day dress shopping, I can't do the 10 hour marathon shoping anymore. I get too crabby.

And working. That is what I have been up to. Not really anything terribly exciting. I might have some good news soon but I don't want to jinx it.

2010

2010-01-25T14:12:00.003-06:00

Ok, I guess after a month I should probably update. Been a quiet year so far, I do have a new niece, McKynlee Breeann. She was born January 2nd and has the honor of being the first baby born in our county. She was soo tiny (4 lbs 14 oz) and a little early. She wasn't supposed to be here till February 21st but she wanted to make a dramatic entrance I guess. Kinda like her mama (wink wink).
We just got back from a quick dash to Tennessee where our BEB let us buy his car that he doesn't need anymore. I appreciate it greatly and so does Mikey; he can have his baby back. He went to work an hour early this morning because he was so anxious to drive it. It had nothing to do with the extra work from this weekend that he said it did, I know it was because he missed his baby.
The kids are doing well, I did find out that Bubba has striations on his esophagus and can not have dairy products at all till his next allergist appointment. Poor Chelle watched my kids this weekend and couldn't give Mr anything Peanut or Bubba anything Dairy. She was such a good sport about it.
I have been working full time days, which lends to the explanation of why I am not updating. Ok, not really but it sounded good. :)
411 is in full Girl Scout Cookie selling mode. I just adore it. NOT
We are trying to buy a different house, we decided that the one we are in will not work for us any longer. It is just not practical for our family. Wish us luck that everything goes through. I was surprised to hear how hard it is to get approval nowadays; I thought everyone was so upset because no one was buying. Now that we are trying to, no one is lending. Kinda creates a circle, right?
That's about all, I have to get stuff ready to pack. ahhhhhh, I love being a grown up!

What an end to the year

2009-12-26T10:48:00.004-06:00

I am sitting here listening to the police scanner go off telling the local rescue squad where to go and that they will have a snow plow headed that direction to help them get where they are going. Looking out my window, there is maybe 3-4 inches on the ground in my driveway. I am told this is because we live out in the open, the wind has blown most of our accumulation away from us, in town there is 18 inches. In the last 2 days we have gotten that much, preceded by freezing rain and sleet. In short, a mess. We stayed home (not that we could go anywhere anyway) for Christmas, just our little clan. I made my very first prime rib roast, twice baked potatoes, asparagus and cracked out cheesecake. We sat as a family and ate. It is so easy to forget to do simple things like that. The kids spent all day playing with their new stuff and Mike & I were totally lazy. It is killing him today though, he has gone to town twice, burned the trash, and is trying to find a shovel to scoop out the driveway. Chick and 411 have gone through their clothes, getting rid of all the too small and just don't likes. And I am going to go make chicken and dumplings.... Something with a certain stick-to-your-ribs quality!a> In the meantime, here are a few pictures of recent festivities.

The Great Tree adventure '09

2009-12-15T20:33:00.006-06:00

We decided this year we would go cut down our own Christmas tree thanks to a leaky basement ruining the fake one (lil blessing in disguise!) So we loaded up our family and Chelles and went to the tree farm. Didn't put two and two together that a foot of snow 4 days earlier would probably still be on the ground....

Mr gave up and wanted Mike to carry him. I am surprised this picture turned out ok, I was laughing so hard. Poor little guy was up to his chest in some spots.

So we found one that we liked and gathered everyone up to take a picture....

Then we changed our minds and Mr refused to do anything but be carried.

The pre-cut trees at the house were so much easier to get to and transport!!

There was this really cool old church I HAD to get pictures of. It always makes me a little sad when I see old buildings just rotting away like this but it made an awesome backdrop!

Coming soon: pictures of the Christmas program '09!

A tale of my days....

2009-12-05T07:37:00.002-06:00

So I spent all day yesterday wrapping packages for under the various Christmas trees at work. I thought I was kickin' butt doing it too. Till I realized that it had taken me ALL day to do it. To be fair to me, I was interrupted to go do other things a time or two. The district manager was there and she told me I was crazy because I like to wrap gifts. I will admit 10 hours of it was a bit much. :)
Bubba's procedures went fine, he was in a hurry to get it done so he could eat. Poor little guy had to stop eating Monday night and didn't get it done till Wednesday @ noon. That seemed like forever. I think he has finally stopped hoovering everything in sight.
Chick got four of her teeth pulled. She wanted me to stop and get her all this food that she couldn't eat. She doesn't get to go to the city as much as everyone else and she was sooo disappointed. I couldn't see doing it when she couldn't eat it though, fast food is NASTY reheated.
411 got her Girl Scout nut money turned in finally. I was really lazy about taking her to sell them and she still sold over $200 worth of stuff. She is a natural seller. Or everyone knows how good the stuff is.
Mr goes into a reading class to help him catch up speed wise with his classmates. He is starting to really enjoy it, he finally caught on that if he learns to read, he doesn't have to ask 'what does that say?' . I can always tell when he hasn't done his "homework" for her though, he doesn't want to go to reading that day. I have to make time every night to listen to him read his two books. It gets to be frustrating when I don't get home till 8:30 or 9 but I am the mom :)
Today I have to go to work, we are bringing Santa back to the Brandeis. Apparently, that used to be a huge deal back in the day. I was amazed when we were out handing out flyers for it how many older people remembered going to the Brandeis to see Santa and were totally jazzed to bring their grand babies. I am really thankful that I don't have to wear the elf suit.

Feeling overwhelmed

2009-12-01T08:16:00.003-06:00

I have been getting alot of grief lately for not updating. I know I am slacking, there is just a lot going on right now and I feel under alot of pressure, it doesn't make me too chatty. To give lay it out there, I changed to a day time position that I am confident I can do once I have all the means to do it. The kicker is though, I am getting bits and pieces, lots of 'O, I didn't tell you?' things. Kind of frustrating. We are looking for another house because we have decided this one really isn't going to work for us, so once again we are looking at moving in the middle of winter. Great. Bubba has to have a colonoscopy (sp?) and upper GI scope tomorrow. Nerve wrecking. Chick has to have four baby teeth pulled to try to make room for her permanent ones to come in tomorrow. Groovy. Trying to think of something cool for all my kids for Christmas when all I want to do is sleep. Aggravating. I have 3 quilts I am supposed to be making and I just can't get inspired. Poor poor me, I know I am wallowing. Sometimes you just got to take a minute to assess where to start.

On a lighter note, our good friend/brother/pain in the ass BEB (or Snatch, as he is known) was here for the Thanksgiving holiday. It was really good to see him and his son again. He drove 10 hours to get here, stayed 3 days and drove 10 hours back. He says it was worth it. It must be a guy thing, I HATE driving long periods like that.

So that is what is going on, now, aren't you sorry you asked? ;)

Better late then never

2009-11-07T08:01:00.002-06:00

I think I am in trouble, she is rocking the vampira look!

Superman away!!

Zombie's attack Iowa, aaaahhhh!

My little fairy. You can't see it but she was GLITTERY!

a minute to sit

2009-10-24T12:29:00.002-05:00

I actually have a minute or two to sit down and tell ya'll what I have been up to. Not a whole lot to be truthful. Trying to get Mikey to go to a class so we can get re-licensed for foster care. I thought we were signed up for one today and it turns out we weren't so I have 4 hours to do what I want. Hmmmmmm...
I am working on a Christmas gift, realized that maybe starting early would be beneficial with the way things are going. It seems there just is never enough time to get anything done after I sleep all day. I really am understanding why everyone wants a day job. Having people to talk to is nice. Having a similar shedule makes communicating a ton easier. I am keeping my fingers crossed that something will come up where I can move to days.
We are going to a family get together at my sister in laws tonight. I made a coconut cake and artichoke dip. It is a yummy combo. Just kidding, the dip goes with the beer bread that Chick made for me. I have never made a coconut cake before, I am excited to try it.

Fascinating story

2009-10-19T19:57:00.002-05:00

I was sent this story in an email and went to Snopes.com to see if it is true. They say that it is. AMAZING!

http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/sendler.asp

It is the story of Irena Sendler, a woman who was nominated for the Nobel peace prize in 2007, and how she rescued over 2500 jewish people during world war two. She just died at the age of 98 recently, fascinating.

Hadleigh Ann Griffin

2009-10-17T09:07:00.002-05:00

This is Haddie. She was born with HLHS. Basically the left half of her heart didn't work. The doctors discovered it when her mom was 28 weeks pregnant with her. The doctors told her that she probably wouldn't survive being born. She survived. She needed 3 surgeries to repair her heart. They took her off to the first surgery and warned her parents that she might not make it. She survived. They warned her parents she might not make it to her first birthday. She survived. Last spring the doctors told her parents that a heart transplant was her only option for survival. She survived. Yesterday afternoon, Hadleigh Ann lost her battle against HLHS, four days after her second birthday.

These days

2009-10-15T17:27:00.002-05:00

So we finally got to have our sister breakfast for me this past weekend. I got a really cool digital camera and an MP3 player I never would have bought for myself. I had a lot of fun as usual but I am not sure how things will progress in the future. Kinda sad.
The kids are all doing well in school, I have to take Chick to get 4 teeth pulled. She still has 12 baby teeth in her head and the orthodontist is hoping having these teeth removed will motivate the permanent ones to come on down. Needless to say, she is less then thrilled with this development. I can't blame her but at 15, we need to get the ball rolling.
Bubba finally got into the pediatric gastro-intestinal specialist. She gave him a bunch of 'softeners' and we haven't had a problem since. He was backed up almost to his small intestine, which is most unhealthy. Now we just have to figure out why.
411 is selling girl scout nuts and chocolates again. I hate it.
Mr is adjusting to first grade. He is getting a little extra help in reading so he is finally understanding that once he learns how to do it, he can read everything. Great. No more spelling things out.
We might have some great news soon, keep your fingers crossed for us!

Tired

2009-10-06T17:20:00.002-05:00

I am adjusting to working the night shift (from 11 pm to 7:30 am) an hour away. I am doing better, at least I am getting more then 3 hours sleep per day now. It is still hard though because there is stuff that has to be done during the day like doctors appointments, grocery shopping, hardware store shopping, meetings etc. I enjoy my job but think I would like it more during the day, but it was my choice to take the hours. I will suck it up and am hoping to eventually get totally adjusted. eventually.

I rolled off my chair!

2009-10-02T10:06:00.002-05:00

Awhile ago I received a really funny email that had pictures of people in Wal mart ( Wal mart proves God has a sense of humor). I just found out there is a whole website dedicated to the hilariousness. WWW. PEOPLEOFWALMART.COM There are about 150 pictures of random people/things that you would only find at a Walmart.

wow

2009-09-27T10:07:00.002-05:00

There is a woman in Tennessee who is having a very bad year. She is friends with BEB, i got to meet her and her boyfriend (now husband) this summer. She is raising 5 kids, with no financial support from her first husband, four of whom they adopted together. Both her mother and father passed away within a couple of months of each other this year. Now, a sixty year old woman crashed her car into Donna's house. It is condemned and they have to find somewhere to stay with all 5 kids till the insurance can get it all straightened out. This is bad enough, then you have idiots like this one.............

chickenshift wrote:
this house has pool out back.. nice lawn furniture, four or five cars. always got out lots of xmas decorations. etc. not hard up for money..

posting remarks like this on the local newspaper's website. Seriously? Does the fact that they are providing a nice home for their kids make it any less tragic that they are for all intents and purposes homeless unexpectedly through no fault of their own? Her home is in the middle of the block and set back away from the street a little way. How much money she has, how nice her home is, what kind of cars are there, none of that matters. And morons like this guy are why I say STUPID SHOULD HURT.

A new favorite

2009-09-24T15:39:00.002-05:00

While shopping for groceries the other day, I thought to myself, we haven't had bagels with cream cheese for a long time. I adore the flavored cream cheeses and it's a treat they kids love. SO I cruise on over to the dairy section and find...... Spinach and Artichoke cream cheese spread from Kraft. Now might a good time to mention I also adore Spinach Artichoke dip appetizers when I go out to eat. Finding this combination was AWESOME! My children and husband think I am nuts, they so don't get it. I am telling ya'll, spread some of this yummy stuff on a warm and toasted bagel and I am melting!

seriously

2009-09-20T23:56:00.002-05:00

I have had a rather rough re emergence to the productive faction of society. Another words, it';s been rough since I started working. First, I am having a terrible time adjusting to sleeping all day. I wish I could remember what it was like as a teen, these hours were the norm then. I get off at 7 am, get home about 8 usually and fall asleep around 9. Then I wake up anywhere from 11 to 1 sometimes 2 if I am really lucky. I didn't think I needed a lot of sleep but apparently, I missed the memo that tells me all the fun stuff about getting older. So, as I am cruising down the desolate gravel road on my merry way to the highway that takes me to my new job, I am thinking in my head all the stuff that I should have gotten done that day and what I can cram into the next, when I miss the slow your butt down spot and hit a 20 mile an hour curve at like 40. On loose gravel. Yeah... guess what I found out? An '07 Dodge Caravan will NOT fly over a cornfield and land gracefully. It goes CRASH, BOOM and there are 2 airbags in front of the driver. One is in the steering wheel and one is in the column to protect your legs. That one hurts like a dickens, FYI. So I had to call my husband and tell him that I wrecked our minivan. I started the call by telling him "you are going to be so pissed but don't be mean to me" and he was pretty great about it. Of course now I have to listen to "it's not harvest time yet" and "I didn't know Dodge made a combine". The insurance company totalled the van, when I get the picture ( I just got one, that is another story) I will have to share, to look at it, there wasn't that much damage. Till you looked under the hood, where the radiator was supposed to be there was corn stalks and mud and a little grass. The radiator was shoved against the engine so hard, it broke the motor mounts. Apparently, those are necessary. :) I felt so bad, especially when Mikey is back to driving his old truck after just getting his new baby a couple of months ago. Then I hit a deer. I still stand by my statement, it was a suicidal deer. I cracked up the grill on Mike's baby and he is fully on board with finding a little gas car for me to drive. I think the thought of another scratch is almost too much for him to bear. And really, I don't wanna keep the two of them apart, it is almost heart breaking to watch.

something different..

2009-08-31T12:32:00.002-05:00

SO this weekend we are down at the river and we whipped out the ol' turkey fryer and made the most unhealthy meal. We fried chicken. We fried onion rings. We fried cauliflower. We fried Zucchini. Noticing a pattern? It may have been non calorie friendly fare but it was sooooo good. Here is the thing though, our family tends to over do it when it comes to get togethers food wise. We had a ton left plus dessert (I'll tell ya'll about that in a minute). The veggies weren't so good the next day but the chicken was crusty happiness. Fried chicken is one of my very favoritest things on the planet. I have a deficiency making it though, I have to have supervision. Anyway, we brought home ALOT so I was thinking, what could I do with this? My first inclination is to make COLORFUL CHICKEN SALAD but I am the only one in my house that likes it. :( Then I remembered seeing a recipe for MEXICAN CHICKEN MANICOTTI. I made that and let me tell you, it was de-lish! Everyone liked it, the boys even asked for seconds, something totally unheard of.
The story about the desert. In this family we make this stuff called NEXT BEST THING TO ROBERT REDFORD, it is a pecan/shortbread crust, a sweetened cream cheese layer, a pudding layer and topped with whipped cream. It is a staple at get togethers. Mr absolutely adores this dessert. Aunt Deanne thought she was going to get out of making it, but he quickly corrected that notion. You know those huge roasting pans that is like double a cake pan size? She made one of those and after we all gluttoned ourselves on all the fried stuff, we had a piece. There was ALOT left of that though, too. So Sunday morning Mr wakes up first and goes outside the camper to play. He was merrily digging in the huge hole on our lot with the kids next door so Mike and I dozed and rested and enjoyed a quiet, lazy morning. Mr comes in after awhile and tells us how his day is going. He tells us that he threw some paper towels in the fire ring to restart the fire and he got Robert Redford for breakfast. He got a BIG piece and it was good he says. He was so proud of himself, Mike and I had a hard time not giggling at him. We brought everything home and Mr had another piece because he was starving and that would make his tummy feel better. After dinner, he had ANOTHER piece for dessert. There isn't that much left now.

MEXICAN CHICKEN MANICOTTI

1 8oz package manicotti shells
2 C. cubed cooked chicken
2 C. (8 oz) shredded monterey jack cheese, divided
1 1/2 C. (6oz) shredded cheddar
1 C (8oz) sour cream
1 small onion, diced, divided
1 can (7oz) chopped green chili, divided
1 can (10 3/4oz) cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 C. salsa
2/3 C milk

Cook mancotti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chicken, 1 1/2 cups Monterrey jack cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, half the onion and 6 Tablespoons of the chilies. In another bowl, combine soup, salsa, milk, and remaining onion and chilies. Spread 3/4 cup in greased 13in x 9in x 2in baking dish.
Drain manicotti; stuff each with about 1/4 cup chicken mixture. Arrange over sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over shells.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle remaining Monterrey jack cheese over top. Bake additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

NOTES: Obviously, this recipe can be adjusted for heat preference: use pepper jack cheese, hot salsa etc. I am a sissy and used Monterrey jack and cheddar marble with a mild salsa. Actually, it was a homemade salsa that my sister in law Kathy gave me that she had made. The only thing I thing I will tweek next time I make it is to use jumbo shells instead of manicotti shells, I didn't' like stuffing them. I got the recipe out of a Taste of Home magazine from 2006.

What a difference a few days make.

2009-08-26T12:42:00.002-05:00

The kids slipped right back into their school routine, even with changing up who is getting them up in the AM with little trouble. I started a new job, had to train a couple of days and tonight I start the overnights. It is going to be a good schedule fit, it's weird to be going back to work after around 15 taking care of kids. I wonder if I will still get the comments about how I need to get a real job.... EEWW a little bitterness there. Anyway, I think it is going to be a good thing.
Today is school picture day. One week exactly after school starts. Homecoming is October 2nd, it seems like stuff just gets earlier each year. But, like my daughter tells me, "you've been out of school for like forever, you just don't know what it's like". I remember saying something similar to my mother. I remember her laughing. I understand that laughter now. It is true, things have changed alot but some things don't. There is still that kid that is miserable and loves making everyone else miserable. There is still the one that everyone loves but is secretly so jealous of. Still have those few souls that just don't fit anywhere. Somethings stay the same.
Mike is doing well, they are staying so busy at his job. It is really something to be thankful for when so many people are losing their jobs and have to start all over again.
I was talking to my mom yesterday, my uncle has prostate cancer. We aren't sure how advanced it is or where he's at as far as treatment. I bring this up because it's one of those things you hear about but think in the back of your mind, oh that is someone else problem, not mine. So, as my service announcement for the day, get your yearly physicals and tests done people. It is amazing to me how many people say ' I need to get this or that checked' and then don't. It isn't like a car, you can't just go buy a new body. Maybe someday we can. OOOO there is a happy thought, I'll order the size 8 with curly hair and perfect vision with great teeth. Hmmmmmm.........

RJ's Quilt

2009-08-25T20:06:00.000-05:00

It's as off beat and fabulous as her. Almost.

First day

2009-08-19T21:45:00.003-05:00

Of First grade

Of 4th grade

Of 6th grade

And of 10th grade

Let me tell ya...

2009-08-14T14:24:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was my 35th birthday. Every year it is really kinda a bummer because I am an adult and you just never get that huge deal made out of your day like you did when you are a kid. I know this but I still get really excited that maybe someone will do something super special just for me on my day. I know, we do the sister breakfasts and I get REALLY spoiled when it is my turn. BUT I am at least part toddler because I still hope that my day is MY day. Ya know? I woke up and Mikey had made a special trip to town to get me a fountain pop and a cinnamon roll stick thing. Two of my faves, not healthy in the least, YEAH! In the afternoon, I took my two niece's up to the city so they could spend their hard earned babysitting money on a gift certificate for their parent's anniversary. Which just happens to be the same day and did I mention that one of these niece's birthday is also the 13th? I thought it was so cool of them, how could I not help out? To thank me for my chauffeur skills, they bought me a bag of LINDT White Chocolate Lindor Truffles. OMG!! Love these, Godiva now has to share my heart with Lindt. SO, while I am out driving my teenage family around, my friend RJ made a surprise visit to drop off a gift for me from her and Shawna. I was so sad I missed her/happy I got a gift/surprised that they thought to do something. It was a Post Secret book! As you all know, I have this little fascination with Post Secret and that is what made this gift so much more to me. I cried ya'll. Just a little bit cuz I was overwhelmed with emotion but still.
Speaking of emotion, I do not understand people who can't understand how their actions directly affect other people's emotions. Or, actually, how one can deliberately hurt another human emotionally because they think it is a game. I am actually kinda ok with not understanding the whys and hows of that type of behavior because I think one would have to be broke somewhere to 'get' it.
The kids are almost back to school. I have 5 days left of them being home all day. I love my children but am soo ready for them to be learning again. I still need to get back packs, a binder, a scientific calculator, and a whole bunch of lunch supplies. It will be worth it though for daytime quiet. Which I will start to need very soon. I got an overnight job, Mike is not the least bit happy with it. I figure, I have no work history for the last 15 years, no work references, no marketable skills, I have to take what I can till I can acquire a couple of these. The hours will work out well, I will be available during the day if there is doctor appointments, early outs, sick kids, etc and I won't leave till everyone is in bed for the night anyway. SO I am on my way to being a productive member of society.
I had my foster license renewal visit today. The lady seemed surprised that I hadn't had a placement since August. I told her well, I won't take teenage boys so no, no placement. I don't' think a teenage boy would be a good idea with a 15 year old daughter. She agreed with me.

So so

2009-08-03T16:14:00.001-05:00

I have taken a little break from working on the fabulous quilt. It is doing things all on it's own that I am trying to figure out how to work with. Chick came home from her annual adventures, complete with double ear infection. That makes for a happy teen.
I registered the kids for school today, two weeks till it starts. Bubba is going into 6th grade, 411 is a fourth grader, Mr is in first and Chick is my sophomore. From one to ten, I spread them out pretty good I must say.
I am procrastinating, I am supposed to be cleaning my camper out for our grand adventure this weekend. Mikey brought it home and washed the outside, I didn't realize how nasty it was. Sitting for a year and a half under mulberry trees will do that I spose. Good excuse to strip it out and put new bedding in, make sure all the pans and utensils are in place, and load up the new tv and dvd player since we keep forgetting to do that.
The next sister breakfast is in a couple of weeks, I am so looking forward to it. I am TIRED of the whining and arguing and sassyness. I am really thankful for these get aways.

a little bit more

2009-07-28T17:12:00.003-05:00

I am so loving this project! There isn't a pattern, my only restraint being not using a certain color. I sneaks in there occasionally but all in all, not much. This is about half done, best I can figure. The downside being, I have to quilt it to a batting and backing then do a binding. I am not quite as scared of the binding as I was but not looking forward to the stippling (quilting it together). My lil ol arms get tired, ya'll!

sneak peek

2009-07-24T08:36:00.002-05:00

This is the start to a lap quilt I am making for a certain artistic friend of mine....

winding down

2009-07-21T12:39:00.002-05:00

so, all my trips are taken, all the company is gone, and school is starting soon. Matter of fact, I have to register my children on the 5th. It just gets earlier every year. Then we have to get school shoes/clothes/supplies. Let the fun begin.
Chick is ready to come home. She goes to her dad's family every summer and they spoil her rotten. She is treated like visiting royalty then comes home and is grouchy when reality comes crashing in. Apparently, she is not liking her visit this year as much because within 2 weeks she was ready to come home. She hasn't even seen everyone yet. She is fifteen now so maybe that is playing a part too. Fifteen, wow, how did that happen? I know, there is lots more to come, it takes me by surprise sometimes. I mean, yesterday she was wanting to go play with the 'germs' (German children in the neighborhood when she was four) and now I have to get her homecoming gowns and class rings. AND I have three more people to make this journey with.
My mother is getting ready to move. She was living at my grandmothers house and now that she has passed, mom is ready to get out of there. I am ready for her to get as far away from Missouri Valley as she can. Probably not very mature of me but I do not like that town. Lots of shady politics. So I imagine I will be enlisted, no, not imagine, I KNOW I will be enlisted to help. And I do so gladly.
Bubba went to the prostedontist (sp?) yesterday to get impressions for his over dentures. Poor kid, he is 11 and will have to wear them because his permanent teeth will never come in. He has 2 permenant teeth and has no molars, I feel kinda bad I hadn't noticed that till the regular dentist pointed it out. They are a little different from regular dentures in that they go over his existing teeth. They don't want to pull teeth unless they have to because without the teeth there, the jawbone starts to shrink and that will cause problems later in life. He really fought it, was kinda depressed about the whole thing. I think once he gets used to them, he will wonder what the big deal was.

Ed Freeman

2009-07-17T08:51:00.002-05:00

I recieved this in an email and checked it out on Snopes.com. It is a true story and one that I thought is pretty damn cool.

You're a 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley, 11-14-1965, LZ X-ray, Vietnam. Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8-1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the Medi-Vac helicopters to stop coming in. You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is half way around the world-12,000 miles away-and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day. Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear that sound of helicopter, and you look up to see an un-armed Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because no Medi-Vac markings are on it.
Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac; so, it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come.
He's coming anyway.
And he drops it in, and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 2 or 3 of you on board. Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire, to the doctors and nurses. And, he kept coming back, 13 more times and took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out.
Medal of Honor Recipient, Ed Freeman, died August, 2008 at the age of 80, in Boise, ID. May God rest his soul.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/freeman.asp here is a link to check out the whole story.

What I have been up to..

2009-07-16T16:08:00.002-05:00

Stocking for Aubree, I have had it done for weeks now, just now getting it sewn.

From this....

to this.....

This is the quilt I am donating for Hadleigh's benefit dinner/dance/raffle.

This is the back, it is much more burgundy in person but I like the effect of the white herats regardless.

pix!!

2009-07-16T16:02:00.002-05:00

I finally got my camera and my puter communicating again. Here are a couple of shots from the party Saturday to welcome BEB back to the states.....

Quiet

2009-07-14T14:51:00.003-05:00

So all my company bailed within an hour of each other today, like within an hour of each other. SO I have a few hours of relative quiet. I pulled the quilt I have cut out and got that laid out. I have four rows done and six more to go. I think it is going to be cute, hopefully help Hadleigh's benefit!

Which, I spose, I should share info so ya'll are not lost. My niece Hadleigh, who is a year and a half old, needs a heart transplant. She was born with HLHS which roughly means her left half doesn't work. There is a three part surgery to work around it, she has had the first stage. She developed pulmonary hypertension to add complications. She went in to see if she was ready for the second stage and ended up hospitalized for the last month. At one point the doctors said her only hope at living was a heart transplant, her body won't handle anything else. Then the specialists that would be doing the transplant refused her saying her antibodies are too high and she would reject a new heart. SO now she has had a pacemaker implanted till they can do the second stage surgery. A heart transplant would still be the best option but with all the other complications, this is what the doctors feel is her wisest course at this point. With all that being said, her mother can't work due to Hadleigh needing constant care, her father is out of time he can take off at work, they just bought a house a couple of months ago and the bills are piling up. They are a young couple who are doing the very best they can in an extremely frustrating situation. They have a three year old as well and just found out she is pregnant again. We are having a benefit to help them out financially because, honestly, all they should have to stress about is whether their little girl is going to live. There should be an easy button for situations like this. There isn't so we are doing what we can. There is a poker run , a scrap booking night, and a dancing/dinner/raffle. That is what I am making the quilt for. Local business' have donated cash and prizes to be raffled off. One lady on Whimp's message board sent a gorgeous prayer blanket and a box full of donations. Mike's work is matching employee donations dollar for dollar. I am amazed at the generosity of the human spirit sometimes. I have seen some of the stuff that is going into the raffle, I am saving my money to buy tickets! So, if you are in the southwest Iowa portion of the country on the 25th of JULY, come on out to the Mineola community center around 6 and help out a good cause!!

The Fourth

2009-07-07T22:07:00.003-05:00

I am so boring, my company just snoozes...

I love the skeptical look on RJ's face. She KNOWS Mikey is full of it!

Sitting relaxing with the in laws.

Everyone needs a good campfire.

Food? Check. Fireworks? Check. Seeing how many cousins we can put in a hammock? Check!

Welcome home BEB!!

2009-07-04T12:00:00.003-05:00

Mike and G'Pa Gleichman on the bus

Me and G'ma Gleichman waiting for the yelling to begin...

There he is, our BEB, in the right country at last!

And just for Shawna....

time is flying

2009-06-24T08:54:00.002-05:00

Mostly because I am having fun. The trip to Arizona went very well, there are rumors of it being an annual occurrence. I haven't mentioned that to Mikey, I'll work up to it :) We were supposed to make our trek to welcome home Snatch Friday but they changed his flight date til next week. We are still going, Mikey told his boss that he was going to need so many days in between such and such date because we know how the military loves to change it's mind. I am getting super excited to go, days with no kids and just my hubby, it will be good for us to get away. We return just in time to have a fourth of July celebration. The next week Snatch will be up here so of course we will have a get together. The week after that our nephew and his long term girlfriend will be tying the knot. Our lot is definitely getting full use made of it this year. There is something going on all the time this summer.
We are meeting Chick's Grandma on the way so she can go for her summer visit. She wants to go visit her cousin in Arizona (which ironically, I was an hour away from) in July. I am not sure if she will get to go, apparently there is some logistics problems. I made her coordinate everyone this year to try to push responsibility. It sorta worked. She didn't start making the calls till she found out all the kids were going to my mothers while Mike and I are gone. Not that she doesn't love mom, it has more to do with being in close proximity to her siblings. She is used to being spoiled all summer (cuz that is the only time that side of the family sees her) and that is so much more fun then having to share.
Mr gets to go to summer school. He is not liking it at all. He didn't care for regular school so I probably could of guessed this reaction. He has 2 more days after today. If he would quit being so stubborn..... yeah, then he wouldn't be him.
The community is holding a benefit for Josh Hill this weekend, we will be unable to attend but I am sending our donations in tomorrow. I think it is really great how people are rallying to help one of their own.
Hadleigh is still in the hospital, she is feisty and that is a good sign. They had her sheduled to place a pacemaker but she got a staph infection. The baby girl is due for a break soon.

Ta da

2009-06-16T20:38:00.002-05:00

The latest editions, Noodles (on Chick) and Biscuits (beside her).

The latest quilt, all clipped and washed and fuzzied up.

A close up of the flower. Now that it's done, I am not groovin on it. I ran out of the fabric I was using so I decided it would look ok with the patchwork look. I am wishing I hadn't done that but live and learn. And the tulips look like dinosaur footprints. I know I am being hyper critical but that is my job :)

I have to remember to breathe

2009-06-15T09:54:00.002-05:00

SO I have less then 55 hours till RJ and I are in Shawna's hood. I am really looking forward to it. I think they might be just as excited to be reunited, but I could be mistaken ;)
Mikey had to go on a business trip to Texas for three days. His return and my departure might not overlap so chances are I won't see him till Friday night. He really missed me when I was gone for 4 days, we'll see how he handles 5 :) I need to publicly express my eternal gratitude to the fabulous Whimpy for easing my mind and taking my boys till there is an adult here again. My mother is taking 411 for her annual summer visit so that worked out nicely.
Miss Hadleigh had a great up turn, her heart was beating all on it's own. This morning, she has a fever and is relying on the pacemaker again. She is hanging in there though, and fighting hard. A cause has been started on Facebook called Praying for Miss Hadleigh (or something similar) and I am touched that so many of my friends that have never met her or anyone from this family for that matter have joined the cause. I knew they are good eggs. She needs all prayers and good juju she can get.
The local community is having a garage/bake sale benefit for Josh Hill the weekend of the 27th. All the proceeds are going to help pay for the massive medical bills the family is accruing. It is the town's annual celebration and there is usually a lot of extra people in town. Anyway, I must give a shout out to RJ for having the courage to face her storage unit and donate 4 moving boxes of items to the sale. Thanks so much. I am wondering around seeing if there is anything I can get rid of, I mean donate. Normally I would bake a bunch of stuff to help out but....
Snatch gets to come home early!! We will be taking a trip to meet his plane in a week and a half. I am really excited to be there. I am going to be a bawling fool, deployments and reunions are SOOOO emotional. OOHH I need to get his sheet painted!!
I promise to take alot of pictures of my various adventures. Boy, the rest of the summer is going to be boring.....

THe whole Fam Damily

2009-06-12T17:54:00.002-05:00

Look, everyone is showered, in the same vicinity and wearing respectable clothes. That doesn't seem to happen very often around here so I had to share the documentation of this momentous event. It is hard to believe my camo dude is older then 411 by 18 months looking at them together.

new quilt

2009-06-08T17:06:00.003-05:00

this is the back

this is the front, pre clipped

this is a close up of the flowers since it's kinda hard to see...

So.....wow

2009-06-07T20:13:00.002-05:00

Ok, things have gotten really unusual around here. I mean, usually, there is nothing going on worth talking about really. That doesn't stop me but you know what I am saying. So, this week, a couple of brothers from the local high school got into a car accident. Turns out both of them were on the Washington DC trip. The older one is "temporarily" paralyzed and the other one is home already.

Then my niece's baby girl, Hadleigh, took a turn for the worse. She was born with half a heart, one side quit working while she was still in the womb. There is a 3 surgery protocol for this health issue. She has had the first surgery and they were waiting till she was stronger/older to do the second stage. In the meantime, they discovered that she has pulmonary hypertension to add to her troubles. She is a year and a half and still has a feeding tube because she can't keep solids down. It was getting better but now, her levels are all off, her oxygen isn't looking good, they can't proceed with the second stage. The only option for Miss Hadleigh Ann is a heart transplant. Which, we have found out, they only do on infants in St. Louis and somewhere in Pennsylvania. Omaha Childrens hospital got on the phone with St. Louis and they refuse to put her on the waiting list for the transplant till her various numbers get to where they want them. The poor thing has had surgery and two procedures done in the last week. She is a fighter and we are all rooting for her to get where she needs to be to get a transplant.

So, last night, my sister in law had to take her husband down to the hospital because his gall bladder attacked him. what a week.

a few more

2009-06-02T15:45:00.003-05:00

I loaded 342 of my pictures and over 100 of celeste's so I am picking through and trying to find the most interesting. I will share as I get a minute or two..

I have no idea what building this is but isn'[t it cool?

Here is the whole group on the first day. The yellow was a WONDERFUL thing through the airports and the more crowded tourist spots.

One of the 3 pictures of me.

The inside of the dome in the capitol. Did you know that if you took the statue of liberty off her pedestal she would stand in dome from floor to peak and her torch would not touch? FYI....

the dome of the capitol

pictures

2009-06-02T12:24:00.003-05:00

we got to see lots of really cool things....

This is one of 19 statues in the korean war memorial

this is in the library of congress, AMAZING ceilings

I am not sure which building this is, it is a blur. I will try to got hrough and sort it out......

one of the few pictures of Chick that I managed to get

The original Smithsonian castle.

A couple of things

2009-06-01T23:03:00.003-05:00

My trip to DC went well, I enjoyed it alot. There was a few of the teen boys that made it less enjoyable but out of the 49 that went, they were only 6. I will post lots of pictures later, I promise. It might be a few days because I am dealing with a lot of heartache right now. As soon as I got off the plane last night my husband informed me that my grandmother had passed away while I was gone and my mother made him promise not to tell me til I returned. So I have to go to the funeral Wednesday. Then I found out that one of my oldest nephews is getting married, Saturday, and oh, by the way, his fiance had another baby a couple months ago. It kind of made me sad to find out in passing, by a third party, that I am out of the loop. Maybe it's just the timing; I am feeling melancholy. Just letting ya'll know what is new in my world.

And, by the way, Hadleigh will be having her heart cath surgery on Wednesday. Please keep good ju ju streaming her way.

2009-05-27T07:26:00.002-05:00

There are rumors about on of my favoritest movies having another made. BUFFY: The Vampire Slayer . It is so funny, just tickles me and makes me giggle when I watch it. You have to smile when your biggest weapon against a legion of vampires trying to kill you is your keen fashion sense. Anyway, I was so excited about them making another movie. Until I read this....

The new "Buffy" film, however, would have no connection to the TV series, nor would it use popular supporting characters like Angel, Willow, Xander or Spike. Kuzui and Vertigo are looking to restart the story line without trampling on the beloved existing universe created by Whedon.
One of the underlying ideas of "Buffy" allows the filmmakers to do just that: that each generation has its own vampire slayer to protect it. The goal would be to make a darker, event-sized movie that would, of course, have franchise potential.

I like the new generation of slayer concept, not messing with characters that are out there. BUT I don't like the idea of making it 'darker' or more serious. One of the greatest things about that movie is that it's fun.

There have been a lot of remakes of older stuff. I went to see the new Star Trek at the IMAX when my sister was in town last week. I was never a 'trekkie' but she was. She LOVED the show growing up and has seen every movie ever made, every spin off tv show. We both loved it. I liked the little shout outs to the original - 'dammit, Jim, I am just a doctor' and the way the story makes sense and opens the door for more. Terrie had a much more in depth analysis of details and such but she liked it too. That to me says the writers, actors and directors did a good job when you can impress old fans and make new ones.

bug bites suck

2009-05-26T07:57:00.002-05:00

So, as you may have gathered from my last post, we went camping this memorial day weekend. I enjoyed myself quite a bit aside from a few tiny things that I am choosing not to dwell on. One of the things I have to acknowledge though, is the bug bites. I didn't think to set off a bug bomb in my camper before we stayed in it for the first time this year. I guarantee I will not forget next year. I woke up Saturday with a huge red spider bite. I woke up Sunday with two more on my side. Monday I had another one on my side up on my ribs. I freakin HATE bugs. The thought that a flippin' spider was crawling around, looking for a snack int he middle of the night gives me the heebie jeebies. I try to live a 'you do your thing, I'll do mine' existence with nature but when they are biting me, it is on!!
I have to be at the airport at four am on Thursday. With Chick and Megs. I am really looking forward to going to Washington D.C., I have always wanted to go. Ever since my sister went for the NOW chapter of ISU and brought me back a tee shirt. We are going to go/see Union Station, Capitol visitors center, the Supreme court, Library of Congress, the Newseum, FDR memorial (the kids get to sign a book that will be put into the library of congress for posterity), Vietnam Veteran's memorial, Korean memorial, White house visitors center, Fords theater, air and space museum, natural history museum, Reagan trade center, national Cathedral guided tour, the holocaust museum, Lincoln memorial, Kennedy memorial, Jefferson memorial, mt Vernon, drive through Alexandria, Roy rogers, Iwo Jima marine memorial, Arlington (i am so happy to go here and pay respects), museum of American history, national archives, world war II memorial, Washington monument, Gettysburg battlefield and visitors center. we will be going non stop from the time we land until we get back to the airport Sunday. The teens are so excited about the hotel having an indoor pool, I just wonder when we will have time to utilize it. Mikey isn't excited about this at all but I will bet money that when he goes with Bubba in a few years, he will be just as excited.
So now all I have to do is pack, make sure Chick is packed, get the laundry caught up from the weekend, do my regular menu planning, and shop for it. I have two days, plenty of time!!

Memorial weekend '09

2009-05-25T14:13:00.010-05:00

Double trouble got as dirty as they wanted to be.....

The neighbors caught a couple fish......

Went on a boat ride.........

Made omelets in a bag.........

Ate them, they were YUMMY!!

It was this big.......

Had a great campfire all weekend.......

And Mikey got to relax a little.........

Ok, I have tried to get these to line up, I am giving up. Ya'll can connect the dots on the captions to the pictures......

some stuff

2009-05-19T09:32:00.003-05:00

This is 411. She is such a little me.

My sister, my mom and moi. I hate pictures of me.

Mr and 411 on the way to the spring concert. They are both clean at the same time, I had to take a picture :)

Heart walk

2009-05-16T07:38:00.001-05:00

Today I got to participate in a walk for the American Heart Association. We called ourselves Team Hadleigh and had a great time doing it. We walked four miles around riverfront Omaha. It was a bit chilly but for a great cause. Our niece was born with basically half a heart. Her mother found out when she was about 6 months pregnant and was told they would be surprised if she lived to be born full term. She celebrated her first birthday in February and is a beautiful toddler. She needs two more open heart surgeries and will soon have the next stage. Like my husband said, if she could be fixed right now, we would've ran the whole 4 miles.
Getting ready for the trip to Washington D.C. . We have to be at the airport by four in the morning a week from Thursday. Not looking forward to that but everything else sounds groovy!
The kids are out for the summer next week. Yeah, that should be fun.

Cutest fabric giveaway

2009-05-14T07:11:00.001-05:00

http://quilttaffy.blogspot.com/

She is having a drawing for a yard of cherry fabric. TOO cute!

breezy days

2009-05-11T17:21:00.003-05:00

Here is what I have gotten done so far with the latest quilt. The dark greens on the bottom look more brown then moss but it works for what I am doing. I really need to prioritize the next quilt I make, there are four or five ideas floating around my mind....

Mikey bought the kids a go cart and of course had to test it out. I laughed out loud to see his six foot frame scrunched into that lil go cart.

My nephew Jake and his daughter Kynnedi. She was having a ball swinging.....

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T08:09:00.002-05:00

I love this week's Luann.

odds and ends

2009-05-02T18:29:00.002-05:00

I finally got the flag quilt finished, I learned alot about what not to do and what works best for me. I like this method of quilting better as opposed to rag because I don't have to clip ;)

Here's a peek at the next one, a rag one. Sigh...

and I found a wonderful use for the batiks that I got for my birthday. I am LOVING it!

beautiful monkey bread for my monkey's. Just for Cindy!

And the first strawberry shortcake of the year. Gee, ya think I am hungry or something?

sssiiiigggghhhhhh

2009-04-27T12:06:00.002-05:00

That is where I am at today. I haven't done anything extraordinary lately, just kinda bummed around. I went to the latest sister breakfast, that was a hoot. This one was in honor of Dianne and Deanne, they are twins so we do theirs together. Dianne has had the same hair style for...... awhile. For her gift form her, Michelle got her fabulous cosmetologist niece to come up to the condo's and give her a color and cut/ style. It was amazing! She looked years younger, but that could have something to do with the ear to ear grin she had on her face when she was showing it off. I wish one of us brainiacs would have thought to bring a camera along. I think someone got some cell pix so we'll see what we can come up with.
I had to leave earlier then everyone else because my two soccer players both had games on Saturday. When I got a coupla miles from home, they decided to cancel the games because of the weather. It turned out ok though, me and Mr took a nap most of the afternoon. He wasn't feeling well at all and wanted his mommy. I know it isn't going to last, I am trying to savor it while I can. Sunday was just a lazy day with a little trip to the city. I did come up with a plan for another throw, I am going to stick with the rag quilting for this one. Just cuz I am more comfortable with it.
I am getting excited, I have a busy summer coming up. I go to Washington DC in May, Arizona in June, Tennessee in July and prolly another sister breakfast sometime in there. I never have anywhere to go so I am really REALLY excited!! Mike is looking forward to camping, we are going to have to go get the spot cleaned up from the winter and ready to go. We have been getting a lot of questions about exactly when it will be ready, so I guess he isn't the only one.

another fabric giveaway!

2009-04-24T09:42:00.001-05:00

http://littlewhitehousefabric.blogspot.com/2009/04/my-very-first-giveaway.html

This site has the cutest fabric! I stumbled across it and became a follower, I am so going to keep checking back in!

sneak peek part duex

2009-04-21T16:22:00.003-05:00

my computer is acting up so I can't rotate the picture, I apologize. but anyway TADA!!! Now I just have to figure out how to stipple (SP?) and put on the edging. I am really excited about my first attempt at a non-rag quilt.

2009-04-20T07:03:00.003-05:00

I am not good at the whole food picture taking thing but I thought this turned out so pretty I had to. yeah, not so much on here, but in person, it coulda won a pageant! It is called a Lazy Day Cake, a recipe I found in my favoritest magazine, Simple and Delicious. It is different, not bad, not great but good.

And here is a sneak peek at the next quilt...

411 on the night of the Talent show. She sang Traveling Soldier and did a great job. Even if they did turn off the lights on her 3/4 of the way through it.

And I tried another new recipe last night, Onion Pork Tenderloin. OMG, it was yumm-o!! Everyone liked it, Mike was giving me grief because I commented on how much I liked it a couple of times. I didn't even care. I have been trying a lot of new recipes lately cuz I am bored making the same ole stuff. Most of them haven't gone over well, but a few have.

So, my friends, I am sharing my new favoritest recipe:

Onion Pork Tenderloins

2 pork tenderloins (1 to 1 1/4 pounds each)

2 TBSN olive oil

1 envelope onion soup mix

1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth (I used broth)

1 TBSN cornstarch

3/4 cup water

In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown tenderloins in oil on all sides. Sprinkle soup mix over the meat, add wine or broth to the skillet. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 25-30 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees, adding water to skillet if needed. Remove tenderloins and keep warm.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water until smooth, stir into pan juices. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with sliced tenderloins.

and in the spirit of sharing ( I did double the recipe since I have a large family),

Lazy Day Cake

cake batter:

1/4 cup butter or margarine

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsn Vanilla

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tsn baking powder

1/4 tsn salt

3/4 cup milk

Topping:

1 1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

5 TBSN whipping cream

1 1/2 tsn vanilla

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Pour into a greased 8 inch square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Meanwhile, combine topping ingredients. Spread over warm cake. Broil 3-5 inches from the heat for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.

I don't usually do this..

2009-04-14T09:04:00.003-05:00

but it is for fabric people!! This blog is giving away some really cute fabric, I am always looking to plump my stash.

http://thefarmchicks.typepad.com/farmchicks/2009/04/happy-spring-giveaway.html

Spring Break '09

2009-04-13T13:30:00.002-05:00

My sister in law requested I make this pillowcase for her. Unfortunately, it has taken me a month to get it done. But it is done now, looks cute I think.

The kids are off for their spring break. They have been home with me 4 days now and have one more to go. It wouldn't be so bad if they got along but all I hear is "MOM! He/she is doing this or that......." It is amazing how old that gets. Don't even get me started on the teen nazi. She has decided that she is in charge of every one's manners. Including mine. I am dreading summer break at this stage of the game.

Share...

2009-04-11T19:38:00.001-05:00

http://quiltpixie.blogspot.com/
I was surfing through the land of quilting blogs and found this one, LOVE the castle!

Can you keep a secret?

2009-04-09T14:56:00.002-05:00

Look what the Easter Bunny delivered early!

Chick (Y) Bubba (B) 411 (P) and Mr (G) are going to be so excited. The grass is edible. If you like flavored styrofoam, it's edible anyway. I guess the big eared guy knew how busy we would be the next couple of days and decided that I could hide them while the kids are at school instead of trying to deliver them later. I can't wait till Sunday!

Dude

2009-04-08T17:24:00.004-05:00

Mr played his first soccer game yesterday. The team had no practice together due to weather. The teams are both kindergarden and 1st graders.

About 1/2 way through the first half, he decided he had enough.

The second half he grudgingly was goalie.

After awhile, he got more into it.

Saturday idleness

2009-04-04T15:27:00.002-05:00

It is about 45 degrees outside and windy like the dickens. It is raining off and on with tiny hail mixed in once in awhile. can you begin to imagine how much fun I am having with all four of the kids wired and stuck inside? Pity me. I am just kidding, they are getting along and that goes a long way.
Mikey made it back from his adventures in Indiana. He had to go inspect trucks that his company is buying. He left Monday morning and just got back around 7 last night. We went up to see his brother, Ron, who had been in a terrible car accident Monday and is still in ICU. The doctors started to take him off the sedation and respirator yesterday. He was awake and talking today, everyone is very relieved that he is on the road to recovery.
I am trying to get started on another quilt, I can't get the colors the way I want them. I have a couple that I am supposed to be making, but I have a few months before they are due so I wanted to just whip something together. Easier said then done when I can't make a decision.
I have a trip in May, one in June and then another in July. Busy busy busy.
Soccer season is under way, oh the joy of being a soccer mom. I used to be cool. LOL

I am going to be controversial today.

2009-04-03T10:42:00.003-05:00

My state has just overturned a law banning same sex marriages.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/03/iowa.same.sex/index.html
I applaud this. I do not understand why two people who love each other and are committed to each other should not be allowed to marry. I can not grasp the reasoning behind- it's wrong. It is such a blanket statement, I don't get it. Why is it wrong for two people to make a commitment in the eyes of the law? I am proud that my state joins the few that allows for all people to enter into matrimony. Now, I just hope they don't reverse themselves like a couple of states have.

Ron

2009-03-31T23:02:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, my brother in law Ron had a terrible car accident. I am not clear on the details but let me just summorize, he is in intensive care with alot of broken bones. I ask that you keep him and his family in your prayers.

Finally!

2009-03-31T22:43:00.005-05:00

I was talking to a relative of mine the other day on Yahoo. They have this wonderful new (to me) thing, photo sharing. You can upload a picture right to the conversation in a matter of seconds. The person you are talking to can decide whether or not to save the image to their computer. That is so cool! I got a bunch of pix of that twig of the family tree that I wouldn't have otherwise gotten. The downside to it is, I realized how long it has been since I have taken pictures of my children. I don't want to look back years from now and see only the posed shots of special occasions. Those are good but every once in awhile, a candid just tells a story. Mikey has been gone for a couple of days now and the kids are actually getting along for the most part. I had to memorialize it!

On the table behind the girls is the infamous quilt.... I am going to have to hide that shirt of 411's, it is one of her favorites but so obviously getting too small. SSIIGGHH all the growing these kids are doing.

I rather like how it turned out. This is the front...

and this is the back.

the main bodies of squares are quilted with just a simple X but for the long strips, that wouldn't really work. Or I should say, I am not smart enough to make it work. So, I got inspired, and made a template to look like the white stars and quilted that around. I like how it turned out but it is a devil to photograph. The back seemed to be more camera friendly :)

A Definition

2009-03-29T20:09:00.002-05:00

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America' for an amount of 'up to and including My life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.'

My husband forwarded this to me. I know all of you are aware of my feelings for the military. I thought this was an apprapo way to explain it once again. I have great respect for anyone that will put their lives on the line to defend my freedoms.

a couple randomness

2009-03-25T13:16:00.003-05:00

I was messing around my myspace page and decided to delete my blog there. Seriously, I don;t have enough to keep this one maintained so there is no way I could do two. anyway, I had to go through and delete every post individually, that sucked! but I did find some humorous items...

A Short History of Medicine2000 B.C. - "Here, eat this root."1000 B.C. - "That root is heathen, say this prayer."1850 A.D. - "That prayer is superstition, drink this potion."1940 A.D. - "That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill."1985 A.D. - "That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic."2000 A.D. - "That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root."~Author Unknown

Then I found this from when my first husband passed away. He was an organ donor and they sent this in a packet after it was all done.

TO REMEMBER ME BY ROBERT N.TEST
The day will come when my body will lie upon a white sheet neatly tucked under four corners of a mattress located in a hospital busily occupied with the living and the dying. At a certain moment, a doctor will determine that my brain has ceased to function and that for all intents and purposes my life has stopped. When that happens, do not attemot to instill artifical life into my body by the use of a machine. And do not call this my deathbed. Let it be called the bed of life and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives. Give my sight to a man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby's face or love in the eyes of a woman. Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain. Give my blood to the teenager who was pulled from te wreckage of his car so that he might live to see his grandchildren play. Give my kidneys to one who depends on a machine to exist. Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk. Explore every corner of my brain. Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that, someday, a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat and a deaf girl will hear the sound of rain against her window. Burn what is left of me and scatter the ashes to the wind to help the flowers grow. If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weaknesses, and all prejudice against my fellow man. If, by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you. If you do all that I ask, I will live forever.

Kaleidoscope of thoughts

2009-03-25T08:24:00.002-05:00

I have a few thoughts I would like to share. The first being.....

Octomom. WTF?! She is so obviously a media whore, it is repulsive the way she is using her babies to get what she wants. Now she has fired the FREE nurses. FREE. Because they were supposedly spying on her to report to DHS. Hello, dumbass, anyone in the medical field is a mandatory reporter. That means that now you have to pay for all the nurses that you need, they will still report you if you are doing something wrong. You won't get a pass to screw things up just cuz you are now paying for it. I am sorry, cuz TAXPAYERS are now paying for the nurses. What quality of life are these 14 children, who are all under the age of 10, supposed to have? There is no way one person or even 3, if you count her mom and dad, can possibly give them everything they need. It makes my blood boil.

Obama. Mike and I watched his speech last night, the first presidential speech I have ever sat through from start to finish voluntarily. I like that he speaks in plain English and tried to keep his answers to something anyone could understand. I like that he is human and has no problem admitting it. I am so tired of the politicians with a superiority complex. Granted, he is a politician so you have to take whatever he says with that grain of salt, but at least there is a little lime to go with it ;)

411 and MR are both joining soccer this spring, they start practice next week. It isn't going to be as easy this year, we don't live across the street from the practice field anymore. I love watching the little ones play, they so don't understand the subtleties of the game, it is all about fun. I just wish they could hold on to the fun aspect of it as they get older. There are some parents who come to watch the games that could totally be on the "psycho-soccer-mom/dad" list. I am all about cheering your kids on to do their best, but you shouldn't belittle them for missing a goal or not being in the best position. Let them be kids for goodness sake.

Chick and I are getting excited about the trip to Washington DC. Then there is another sister breakfast coming up, then I have been invited to tag along on a trip to Arizona, then the trip to welcome Snatch back, then there will be another sister breakfast by that time. Mike is going to have a coronary by the time summer is up. Maybe mother nature will co-operate and there will be much more camping then last year. That would help, I doubt he would notice me missing if he was camping. I am kidding. Kinda ;)

I am still battling the whole to edge or not to edge debate. I am pretty sure I have now decided to edge but with what? I might layout a white border to see what that looks like. The more I look at the star material, the more I agree, it doesn't flow with the feel of the quilt. It is going to be hard to market them with this much time from start to finish.

I am looking for new recipes that are fairly simple and cheap. I am burnt out on spaghetti/goulash/meatloaf/tuna casserole/taco's/shepard's pie/chili/potato soup/and -gasp-cheeseburger soup. I crave variety. I say that BUT when trying to keep within the likes/dislikes of my family, it is hard to find new recipes that will meet that criteria. Chick hates lettuce and doesn't like tomato based food, wants seafood but won't eat fish. Bubba hates veggies in general, only wants pasta. Mike hates spinach and alfredo, wants to cut back on chicken recipes and doesn't really groove on new things. 411 will eat almost anything so that helps. Mr doesn't eat anything or at least like a bird and tells me I don't like it almost daily. It is so frustrating to plan, shop for, prepare a meal and then get groans and skeptical looks.

That pretty much sums up what is on my mind right now.

drug free cheesecake!

2009-03-22T11:15:00.003-05:00

I had a fabulous Saturday night/Sunday morning. My friend RJ came down to visit, my sister in law Michelle came over, I cooked. All the food turned out like I wanted it to, that is a major happy face for me. Alot of the time, I get impatient and don't let something cook long enough or forget something and it gets over cooked. So anyway, I made BBQ country ribs, twice baked potato bake and a no-crack cheesecake. I was super excited, I have been making these homemade cheesecakes for years and every time they crack. I have tried all the 'tricks' to make it not happen but, siiigghhh, it always does. And if you know me, I tend to obsess a bit when I don't get it right the first time. Hence my Mario kart obsession but that is another post entirely.
ANYWAY, I made a perfect cheesecake and was very excited and showed it to everyone who walked in my door, Jake, Wendy, Chelle, RJ, Mike, all the kids, their friends, EVERYONE! I showed it off and presented it as a no crack cheesecake. Well, some smart asses decided that I was saying there were no drugs in it. We had a hysterical laugh for quite awhile. So I took a picture, so I could prove it, which resulted in more harassment for me. But you know what, I don't care, it was a proud accomplishment. Chelle was excited by it, see?!

decision

2009-03-21T07:36:00.003-05:00

After doing some research, price comparisons, and getting some various advice, I think I have nailed down my pricing.
Crib size...................$40
Throw size...............$60
Twin size..................$100
Full/Queen size.......$150
King size...................$200

Now, to just decide to edge or not......

answers

2009-03-20T11:59:00.005-05:00

The quick cuts (fat quarters) are in the fabric section by the needles and stuff, they have some jelly rolls too. I had to force myself away.
As for price, I haven't made up my mind yet. I was thinking of listing it on ebay to see how it goes but that is such a pain in the tush. It is kind of a feeler piece to see what a fair price would be, if there is even a market for them. Any suggestions? Keep in mind, it is really heavy so shipping will be killer and it is only throw size. On the other hand, it is an original and really cool looking. IMO.
I was thinking
Crib size...................$50
Throw size...............$75
Twin size..................$100
Full/Queen size.......$150
King size...................$200

I am sending out a request for input on this too. Are these fair? too much? too little? Help a sister out!!
PS> I can find a different border fabric, I am wondering if it even needs the border. It would make it a little bigger (about 4" on each side) but does it need to be?

I need input

2009-03-20T07:30:00.008-05:00

I will get to why in a minute. Look at this adorable fabric I found at Walmart. I had to refrain from buying one of everything, they are all fat quarters and the type of material I use on my quilts. I LOVE the turquoise/brown. It's the new purple!

I found Mator crocks for Mr. I giggled at the "underside" and the back has a tow hook and liscense plate. He loved them.

Now, here is where I need input. I got the quilt done this far. Now I have a choice. It is made with a denim backside and a layer of batting so it is heavy already. My original design calls for an edging that will add 8" to the length and width. I took pictures of it without and with a mock up of the edging, that material but I haven't assembled it yet. I can either finish it up without or assemble and attatch the edge. What does the majority say?

This is the backside with, just to give an idea..

my husband's humor

2009-03-18T09:22:00.001-05:00

I got this in an email from him. The timing was funny if nothing else after yesterday.

These are actual comments made on students' report cards by teachers in the New York City public school system. All teachers were reprimanded (but, boy, are these funny!)
1. Since my last report, your child has reached rock bottom and has started to dig.
2. I would not allow this student to breed.
3. Your child has delusions of adequacy.
4. Your son is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot.
5. Your son sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them.
6. The student has a 'full six-pack' but lacks the plastic thing to hold it all together.
7. This child has been working with glue too much.
8. When your daughter's IQ reaches 50, she should sell.
9. The gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn't coming..
10. If this student were any more stupid, he'd have to be watered twice a week.
11. It's impossible to believe the sperm that created this child beat out 1,000,000 others.
12. The wheel is turning but the hamster is definitely dead.

Untitled hodge-podge

2009-03-18T07:46:00.002-05:00

this is the bottom 5 rows of the quilt. I got it started and then got distracted. It might get some attention today, I am not sure what I am doing. I have to get groceries, get my tire fixed, and run some other errands but I am going to try.

We went to parent teacher conferences last night. It went just like we expected, Mr is his father all over again. His dad used to tell me a story of when he was in Kindergarten, they would drop him off at school and before they pulled in the driveway at home, he was waiting for them on the doorstep. He would run home as soon as the car started to turn the corner. Little stink butt. Well, now we have Mr and that isn't an option since we live so far away but he lets his disinterest be known. I wish I could invent a way to make a child interested in school. I would make millions!

Bubba's went as expected too. SIGH. He is very smart, his teacher even used the word brilliant, but he doesn't want to take the time to do things the way the instructions are given. He won't show his work in math or write complete sentences. He reminds me of my high school Chemistry teacher, the man was amazing smart but couldn't put together a complete sentence because his mind kept going off on all these sidebars that he knew. It made it very difficult to sit through his class. The teacher asked us for strategies for dealing with Bubba and getting him to turn in his work, do it the right way and basically be more responsible. I wanted to tell her, when you figure it out, let me know. He is one of those kids that you have to be right on top of him for him to do something, not because he can't focus, just because if he doesn't wanna do it, he isn't going to. I am kinda concerned about the coming years, it is only going to get harder.

411's teacher really likes her and is very pleased with her. That was really refreshing to hear. She loves attention and is very competitive, so when Bubba gets good grades, she is going to do her best to get better. And she is. I pay the kids for their grades on their report cards. Only at quarter report cards though, mid terms make it too often. I give $1 for A's, $.50 for B's, and nothing for C's. But if there is a D, they owe me $.50 and F's cost them a dollar a piece (and grounding but that is another story). 411 gets so excited about her report card, she looked at it and told me "that's gonna cost you $8.50 Mom!". I am happy to pay it.

My mom wants me to come help her clean her basement. I am going to but I am not looking forward to it. There are spiders, mice, possibly snakes, not something groovy. But I will do it cuz she is my mom and doesn't ask me for much. I don't have to enjoy it though.

the rest of the story

2009-03-13T08:28:00.002-05:00

So I forgot to come back and tell the rest of the story....
For my birthday I got some really cool fabric, I love the blues, I was saving it for something great. Then I had this brainstorm and thought, what a perfect fabric for it!

I LOVE IT! I am almost sorry to use it but then what purpose would that serve?

You can get the gist of what I am going for, I am excited to get it done.

As promised, you don't recognize that slab-o-meat do ya? Course, I think you need to experience the yummy smell to appreciate this picture. Not looking so appetizing, but it was YUMMO!

A day in the life

2009-03-12T11:44:00.005-05:00

Nothing really exciting going on, trying to wait patiently for warm weather. When I say nothing, I mean exactly that. I don't have a career to discuss, any spectacular solutions to the worlds problems, amazing artistic ability or financial mastery to share. This is what I did today:

I gathered all my denim parts and pieces to cut into backing for the newest quilt I am working on.

I have to measure, cut, curse because I did it wrong and then recut.

I am left with this perfectly neat stack of squares

and this heap of parts. My poor lil sewing machine won't handle the thickness of the seams on the pockets which is too bad because they look really cool incorporated.

I have the blisters to prove my hard work

When I got all that done I decided to make beef and noodles for supper. This is before seasonings, doesn't it look suspiciously like a hunk of beef in water? By the time I am done, you won't recognize it, promise.

Strolling

2009-03-06T17:58:00.002-06:00

Today I went on a field trip with my oldest son. 26 fifth graders in an Air Force museum to learn about brains. An hour bus ride to and from with said fifth graders. I was looking around the classroom before we loaded up and thinking, wow, things have changed. At the same time I was thinking wow things haven't changed at all since I was a fifth grader. There are two things I remember from my 5th grade year. 1) the first day a sixth grader came up to me and pushed my shoulder and said 'hey you're cute'. I was so flattered! 2) my math teacher , Mrs. Kirkpatrick, made me share a seat with Kyle Jung-something because he was sitting behind me snapping my bra strap and I turned around to tell him to stop. So because I was interrupting her class, I had to share his seat with him. I detested him and was sooo mad.
My son has his first crush, which I think is just so cute but 'gawd, moooooom' so I keep these thoughts to myself. He LOVED it, towards the end of the trip I asked him what he thought of everything we had seen today and he said " the Air Force is definitely in my league of interest". I kept a straight face and didn't let that little 'you are so cute' smile out till I realized that in less then a decade, that will be a serious choice he will have to make. So yeah, that little smirk was replaced with thoughts of where in the hell did time go?

Quick quilts

2009-03-04T16:03:00.005-06:00

THese are a couple of quick quilts I made for my niece to give to her niece/nephew.

these are the backs, the yellow is the tink back and the blue check is the spiderman back

ho hum

2009-03-03T14:10:00.003-06:00

Another chilly day in Iowa. Hold back the excitement!! I have started the plotting of a new quilt. Designing, I totally meant designing. hee hee. I am trying something a little different this time and have discovered I am not a fabulous artist. I know, hold back the shocked gasps, it's true. I can see the image in my head, and I like it alot, but I can not for the life of me get my hands to draw it. I think it has to do with my lack of hand eye coordination, depth perception, or space management. One of those many things I totally ignored in art class. Anyway, I am working on it. I am going to have to buy some new fabric (oh poor me, right?!) because I don't have the color in a big enough piece for my creation. Usually I do alot of little squares & it doesn't matter. SO, of course, this time, I have to be difficult. Drives Mikey mad.
For those of you that don't know, Chick got an A+ on her poetry assignment. I take partial credit for that grade because I was the one up till 2 am with her grouchiness helping to get it together. I told her not to expect that kind of help again, I am getting too old for that. But it is nice to know I can accomplish a freshman's assignment. :)
My mom is already planning a mini family reunion for Labor day. It seems the holidays are all claimed for various spouses so my mom put her claim in on Labor day. We are thinking that at least 3 of the 5 kids, their kids/grand kids, her sister and her brother with his family will all be attending. It ought to be something. She really enjoys having everyone around. I need to make a better effort to visit more, that might be a little easier if she lived closer. I am trying to get her to move to Tabor, that might have a little selfishness behind it. Then I could visit daily, although that might be construed as an argument against.

I have proof!

2009-03-02T08:26:00.003-06:00

I have proof that I do have a friend. I am not imagining things, she does exist!! Meet RJ>>

We went to Jr hi together and thanks to the wonderful tool of Facebook, we got in contact again all these years later. She came down to visit me Saturday and we stayed up all night visiting. like till 5, I haven't done that in years. I was kinda nervous because after 20 some years (we are so not going into exact numbers), what could we possibly have to talk about? I suck at small talk and to steal a funny line (thanks RJ) I don't want to bring all my baggage on the first trip. I enjoyed the visit a lot and hope to keep the friendship going after finding her again after all this time.

Finally pictures

2009-02-26T01:06:00.003-06:00

411 in her new HSM robe, she is so proud.

Mr in his stuper-man Pj's. I looked all over for some in Shawna's size with no luck ;)

Michelle. She loved her ugly ass rooster, can't you feel the love? Even the bird is giving me some. Bird that is.

And here is the illustrious POB. It is hard to take a picture of everyone when they are unaware but these are the women I hang with. It is all about comfort: being who you are, wearing what you want, eating what you want (notice the wine and plethora of snacks) and everyone loving you anyway.

Tuesday. Yeah.

2009-02-24T08:24:00.002-06:00

I was gonna post some pictures from this weekends festivities but my children have absconded with my camera. Again. So I will just tell you about it. I went up on Friday night with my Sister in law, Dianne, and we stopped at Walmart to get food. Can't have a guilt free get away with out the proper assortment of high calorie products you know. I had bought a DVD player to use while we were up there and of course, the thing didn't work right. I really hate the cheapness of today's products; you can't count on something working. Just FYI, it was GPX, which apparently is an off brand but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. By the time we got up to the condo, everyone else was already there, the wine was opened and the sushi eaten. As a rule, I don't care for Sushi but after a couple glasses of wine, I almost like it. :) I had brought along apple pucker and buttershots. Did you know that if you take a shot of each and combine them, it's like a carmel apple? YUMMO! I thought so anyway. We all stayed up visiting and just relaxing and sort of watching a movie (cheap ass dvd player!) Saturday we went to Olive Garden for the meal the birthday girls got to choose (everyone else pays for their food, it started years ago as just breakfast, we have kinda expanded that). I had 'four cheese mezzaluna with shrimp'. All I can say about it is YUMMO! Then we went shopping ( I stopped by walmart and bought another dvd player, one that would work) and we went back and watched movies and visited some more. Originally I wasn't planning on staying both nights but my husband helped make my mind up. I fell asleep before most everyone. Since Chelle and I shared a room, when she came in, it woke me up and we ended up talking for another hour or so. Then we came home before noon on Sunday. The kids missed me and were very happy to see all the junk food I brought home. It was a lot of fun and very relaxing to get away. I am a stay at home mom and usually my get aways consist of grocery shopping. We all get together like this 4 times a year (that's the way the birthday's fall) and I look froward to it. The next one won't be till June.
I paid for mine and Chick's trip to Washington DC. It is a school sponsored trip that will leave May 27 and return May 30. There is like 30 different things we are going to see but I am most excited about the Vietnam wall and Arlington. It is really kinda serendipitous that we are going cuz I told Mike one thing I wanna make sure the kids see before they leave our home is the nation's capitol. I think it is important. Then I found out that the school goes every other year. This time it is Chick's and Meg's classes, next time it will be three of my niece/nephews, after that is Bubba and Kennabean. 411 will go the trip after that and the trip after THAT, dude will go. This is all assuming that we are still in the same school district and things continue the way they are. I found out that two of my cousins lost their state jobs because of the cutbacks states are making. It's kinda scary, I am really glad that lawmakers are at least trying to fix the problem before it gets too overwhelming.

Because I can laugh at myself...

2009-02-20T15:02:00.002-06:00

I was going through the scrapebook my mom made me and I was kinda surprised at the stuff she had. and the stuff she didn't. I have no pictures of any friends except one in 4th and one in 7th. Anyway, SHAWNA, remember these notes?

This is cultural day in Missouri Valley, we were supposed to dress up as our heritage. yeah that worked. I am in there, I promise!

Fourth grade, the year we moved to Missouri Valley. I can tell you who 10 of these people are if I include myself. I am kinda proud of that :)

A tear..

2009-02-19T17:16:00.002-06:00

I found this article on yahoo, it made me tear up. This is the kind of coach I want for my kids!!

The coach never considered any other option.
It didn't matter that his DeKalb, Ill., High School basketball team had ridden a bus two and a half hours to get to Milwaukee, then waited another hour past game time to play. Didn't matter that the game was close, or that this was a chance to beat a big city team.
Something else was on Dave Rohlman's mind when he asked for a volunteer to shoot two free throws awarded his team on a technical foul in the second quarter. His senior captain raised his hand, ready to go to the line as he had many times before.
Only this time it was different.
"You realize you're going to miss them, don't you?" Rohlman said.
Darius McNeal nodded his head. He understood what had to be done.
It was a Saturday night in February, and the Barbs were playing a non-conference game on the road against Milwaukee Madison. It was the third meeting between the two schools, who were developing a friendly rivalry that spanned two states.
The teams planned to get together after the game and share some pizzas and soda. But the game itself almost never took place.
Hours earlier, the mother of Milwaukee Madison senior captain Johntel Franklin died at a local hospital. Carlitha Franklin had been in remission after a five-year fight with cervical cancer, but she began to hemorrhage that morning while Johntel was taking his college ACT exam.
Her son and several of his teammates were at the hospital late that afternoon when the decision was made to turn off the life-support system. Carlitha Franklin was just 39.
"She was young and they were real close," said Milwaukee coach Aaron Womack Jr., who was at the hospital. "He was very distraught and it happened so suddenly he didn't have time to grieve."
Womack was going to cancel the game, but Franklin told him he wanted the team to play. And play they did, even though the game started late and Milwaukee Madison dressed only eight players.
Early in the second quarter, Womack saw someone out of the corner of his eye. It was Franklin, who came there directly from the hospital to root his teammates on.
The Knights had possession, so Womack called a time out. His players went over and hugged their grieving teammate. Fans came out of the stands to do the same.
"We got back to playing the game and I asked if he wanted to come and sit on the bench," Womack said during a telephone interview.
"No," Franklin replied. "I want to play."
There was just one problem. Since Franklin wasn't on the pre-game roster, putting him in meant drawing a technical foul that would give DeKalb two free throws.
Though it was a tight game, Womack was willing to give up the two points. It was more important to help his senior guard and co-captain deal with his grief by playing.
Over on the other bench, though, Rohlman wasn't so willing to take them. He told the referees to forget the technical and just let Franklin play.
"I could hear them arguing for five to seven minutes, saying, `We're not taking it, we're not taking it," Womack said. "The refs told them, no, that's the rule. You have to take them."
That's when Rohlman asked for volunteers, and McNeal's hand went up.
He went alone to the free throw line, dribbled the ball a couple of times, and looked at the rim.
His first attempt went about two feet, bouncing a couple of times as it rolled toward the end line. The second barely left his hand.
It didn't take long for the Milwaukee players to figure out what was going on.
They stood and turned toward the DeKalb bench and started applauding the gesture of sportsmanship. Soon, so did everybody in the stands.
"I did it for the guy who lost his mom," McNeal told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "It was the right thing to do."
Franklin would go on to score 10 points, and Milwaukee Madison broke open the game in the second half to win 62-47. Afterward, the teams went out for pizza, two players from each team sharing each pie.
Franklin stopped by briefly, thankful that his team was there for him.
"I got kind of emotional but it helped a lot just to play," he said. "I felt like I had a lot of support out there."
Carlitha Franklin's funeral was last Friday, and the school turned out for her and her son. Cheerleaders came in uniform, and everyone from the principal and teachers to Johntel's classmates were there.
"Even the cooks from school showed up," Womack said. "It lets you know what kind of kid he is."
Basketball is a second sport for the 18-year-old Franklin, who says he has had some scholarship nibbles and plans to play football in college. He just has a few games left for the Knights, who are 6-11 and got beat 71-36 Tuesday night by Milwaukee Hamilton.
It hasn't been the greatest season for the team, but they have stuck together through a lot of adversity.
"We maybe don't have the best basketball players in the world but they go to class and take care of business," Womack said. "We have a losing record but there's life lessons going on, good ones."
None so good, though, as the moment a team and a player decided there were more important things than winning and having good stats.
Yes, DeKalb would go home with a loss. But it was a trip they'll never forget.
"This is something our kids will hold for a lifetime," Rohlman said. "They may not remember our record 20 years from now, but they'll remember what happened in that gym that night."

One day at a time..

2009-02-19T15:05:00.002-06:00

I have been unpacking and trying to get everything relocated.
I took all four of the kids to the dentist, Chick has to see an orthodontist, Bubba has to see an oral surgeon (because there is a shadow on his x ray), Mr has 4 cavities between his teeth, and 411 had one. I know what I will be doing for a while, running.
Tomorrow is the start of the sister weekend. We are meeting up in downtown Omaha and staying the night so we can get up and go Saturday morning. I am really excited about it. The next one won't be till April but we are going to Kansas city so it should be fun. It is Chelle's and Whimp's and nothing will beat the gift I got a couple of years ago. I told Michelle to get a list of stuff she wanted out or she was getting the ugliest rooster I could find and a thong. It is a long running joke between us about her roosters because there are certain ones she likes and most she doesn't and it is hard to get the right one unless you are very in tune with her specific taste. So, I was tooling around Goodwill one day and I found this ceramic pink and orange rooster that must have been like a flower pot from FTD or something, I just started laughing in the middle of the aisle. I knew this was meant to be Michelle's. I took it and showed Whimp and she helped me paint a thong on it. Not as easy as it sounds. I was giggling like a preteen all the way to the party. This was also the year that I took her kids and got their pictures taken without her knowing about it. She had told me how she wished she had a more recent picture of the kids together so I knew what I had to do. Anyway, she opened up the rooster and laughed her ass off, it was great. Then she opened her pictures and bawled her eyes out. I loved it. I am evil like that. I haven't' been able to top that but I am thinking about it.
The licensing lady came and redid all our paperwork since we moved. Found out I have to have our well retested again in 6 months. That makes me happy.
I cleaned the boys room for them, took out another trash bag of stuff. You would think they would start to notice....

The best

2009-02-13T07:53:00.004-06:00

I moved out of my mom's house and into my very own apartment when I was 17. I was thrilled and scared at the same time. I was smart enough to know that I was really stupid and needed help with cooking since I hadn't cooked anything harder then an egg the entire time I lived at home. Baking I could do so I had the insight to buy a cookbook. The one that caught my eye was

BETTY CROCKER'S COOKBOOK The foolproof guide for every cook . ISBN: 0671850393

I love this book, I call it my idiots cookbook because it is geared to someone unfamiliar with the kitchen (say a 17 year old on her own?!). I have used this one over and over (this is where my chocolate chip cookie recipe comes from), it has a lot of info besides just recipes: equivilents, how to set a table, how to cook in a microwave, guides for grilling, pictures of spices and herbs and what they are used for, table for the food groups (what makes a serving, how many per day etc), how to store food, you guys get the idea. I just looked it up, it's like $2 on http://www.alibris.com/ . One of my favorite recipes I shared with Whimp and I thought I would share with Ya'll too.

CHICKEN POT PIE

1 pkg frozen peas and carrots
1/3 c butter or margerine
1/3 c all purpose flour
1/3 c chopped onion
1/2 teas. salt
1/4 teas pepper
1 3/4 c. chicken broth
2/3 c milk
2 1/2 -3 c cut up cooked chicken or turkey
pastry for two 9" crusts *

Rinse frozen peas and carrots in cold water to seperate; drain. Heat margarine in 2 quart saucepan over meduim heat until melted. Stir in flour,onion,salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute, stir in chicken and vegtables.
Heat oven to 425 degree. Prepare pastry. Roll two thirds of pastry into 13" square ease into ungreased square pan, 9x9x2". Pour chicken mixture into pastry lined pan. Roll remaining pastry into 11 inch square, cut out designs with cookie cutter, place square over filling. Turn edges under and flute. Bake about 35 minutes or util golden brown.

Pastry for two 9" crusts
2/3 cup plus 2 TBSN shortening or 2/3 c lard
2 c all purpose flour **
1 teas salt
7 to 8 TBSN cold water

Cut shortening into flour and salt until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time. tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1-2 teaspoons can be added if neccessary), gather into ball.

** if using self-rising flour, omit salt. pie crusts made with self rising flour differ in texture and flavor from those made with all purpose flour.

This is the basics, I tweaked it, I boil a whole chicken then strip the bones and use the broth from that, I use frozen mixed veggies and store bought crust. I also don't usually do a bottom crust and double the batch to use a 9x13 pan to feed us all.

Nauseated

2009-02-12T08:43:00.002-06:00

I was listening to the radio this morning, as I do every morning, and I heard about the Suleman family website. This is the woman who already has 6 kids ages 2-7, is divorced, living off of government aid and with her mother, and gave birth to octuplets. She is proud to have 14 kids under the age of 7 and is asking for 'donations'.

http://www.thenadyasulemanfamily.com/

OMG! my stomach turns at this. This woman got pregnant every time by in-vitro, at what point does a doctor say, enough? I am all for anyone having a family as big as they want as long as they can support them. The Duggars are a great example- they have 18 kids and want more. More power to them! The difference being, they are taking care of them financially, physically and emotionally. The state of California is going to have to cover over 1.3 MILLION dollars in medical bills because this woman is on welfare. Let me interject here, I fully support someone who needs a helping hand from the state getting it. I totally disagree with women who live off of it for years and years and have more babies to stay eligible. There are so many women/men/couples/people who long for a child of their own and never get the chance to experience the joy/stress/heartache/heartwarming that it entails. Then there is this woman who is making her uterus her business. Can someone please explain how a single woman is going to take care of 8 preemies on top of 6 children under the age of 7 by herself and give each child everything they need (basic care, not to mention materialistic items such as clothes, diapers etc)when they have no home of their own? I do not think it is humanly possible.

I am so bummed!

2009-02-05T10:10:00.004-06:00

The hospital called and Mr.'s peanut test numbers are still too high. In fact, they went up. I was really hoping (since the doctor said it was what he thought) that his numbers would go down and we could start the challenge. Sigh, all it means is that he is still aller-gix.

This is how double trouble spent some of their Wednesday afternoon. Riles gets to come over to play on Wednesdays but yesterday for some reason (weather change?) they were acting up on the bus and the bus driver threatened to kick them off.

I am planning on making another flag quilt that is a little different from the one that I made Dianne. Her's is what she picked out after getting the certificate for a throw sized quilt for the family grab bag. I am really sorry it took a month to get to her, what a Christmas present, but life got in the way. On the plus side, I got an order for 2 more kids sized ones. WOOHOO

It's done!!

2009-02-04T17:03:00.001-06:00

Mike said he couldn't see what it was, whatcha think?

previously on desperate housewife......

2009-01-25T21:27:00.002-06:00

Great weekend; Mike and I took the weekend to relax and enjoy our new house.

Saturday I went up to NFM with Chelle to "window" shop for some new furniture. It was kinda depressing because all of the stuff I liked wouldn't work in our new living space. Hi, my name is Brandy and I am addicted to over sized furniture. I did get a couple of idea's for Chelle though. Her and I got into a discussion about my honesty in the middle of the store. It kinda bummed me out.. here is the thing. Chelle and I have drastically different styles but we know each other's fairly well. When we go shopping, she knows not to ask me what I think of something unless she wants to know what I really think, I don't lie to her to tell her what she wants to hear. I hate when people do that, you know: 'oh it looks great!' then you get home and really see it and can't believe you picked it out. She was giving me grief about not liking her choices and stuff so I started agreeing with everything, for some reason she didn't like that either. Gee, can't please some people (insert giggly emoticon here). It is really neat to have a friend like Chelle, she gets me. Not a lot of people do.
Saturday night Chelle & Jason, their kids, Kelly & Dan, a couple of their kids, Kevin & Kathy, Jake and Emilee and their kids came over for a little impromptu get together. I LOVE that we have those. The sad part was this house just isn't big enough to hold the whole family when we want to have a big get together till Mikey gets his building built. That is ok though because the whole fam damily doesn't usually get together till Christmas so we have plenty of time.
Today I started working on Dianne's quilt. I am kinda excited about it, it isn't a totally original design but I adapted one I had be given. I feel bad I am just getting to it but you know moving kind of took a lot of my time. I will post pictures when I get it done. Next weekend we are going to help Chelle and Jason move so having a coupla days downtime was nice. This week I get to try to find room for all the stuff that Mike shoved in the back room. Wish me luck with that! ;)

It's Girl Scout Cookie Time

2009-01-20T10:17:00.002-06:00

I have always HATED selling door to door, I don't even like telemarketing. So I really don't understand where my effervescent-esque daughter, Katelyn, gets it from. She Loves it. She is always wanting to go beat on doors and has no problem asking everyone in sight if they want to buy whatever she is selling. And there is a lot between the soccer club, book drives, girl scouts, soccer camp, etc. It all goes to a good cause, to help enrich the kids' lives but it gets old. Especially when you have as many nieces and nephews as this family does that all go to the same school.
We are all moved, the apartment is officially not ours anymore. It is a great feeling. And I owe a HUGE debt to Chelle and her family for painting and cleaning their butts off this weekend. I will get to return the favor when they move into the apartment in a couple of weeks but not this weekend. This weekend, we are going to relax. Just sit and relax, yeah that sounds GREAT!
My mother called to tell me to get off the computer and go watch a historic inauguration. oh all right.....

To state the obvious...

2009-01-14T13:26:00.002-06:00

I HATE MOVING! They got our phone lines up and working, so I am connected to the outside world once again, but it is the coldest cold spell I can remember for a very long time and it is a real bitch to move boxes and what have you to the vehicle and back out. I love my SIL Michelle because she is moving into the apartment and doesn't have faith in my cleaning/painting skills (I hear the chuckles out there, you think I don't but I do) so she is coming over this weekend to help get the apartment ready for the carpet layers to go do their thing. I tell you, I am so ready to be done moving. The fun part is coming up, figuring out how to store all our stuff. I fully own that I have way to much stuff. But I have to not have something I need so I am one of those hoarders that holds on to everything because 'you just don;t know when you might need that'. Chick inherited that tendency, poor kid. She had prolly 30 boxes of her own plus her furniture, fish tanks and misc. stuff. It is now in a 11'x11' room, I am glad I don't have THAT to organize. I did find out my dryer works ALOT better then I thought. The vent at the apartment must of been semi plugged because now it takes about an hour to dry clothes as opposed to the 2-3 it was taking before. When we get all settled I will post pix, I promise :)

Moving

2009-01-11T20:27:00.003-06:00

We are moving. Like I am sitting at the last chair in my apartment at the very last thing still connected to write this. It isn't as sad as it sounds, they can't move my phone till Tuesday so we just left the puter connected so we can check our emails. We have had alot of help, Michelle, Jason, Kenzie, Megan, Logan and Kelly worked their tushies off. We got kind of a late start yesterday and worked till around 9pm. Mike's sister Cindy make a couple of pans of Lasagna and some garlic bread and brought it out to our starving selves. Today , Chelle and Jason and the kids came back and we got the rest of the major stuff moved. I ran out of boxes so there is some little stuff I still have to pack and move but I can do almost all of that tomorrow during the day. It is quite a change, the house is two levels and the rooms are smaller. I have always enjoyed a challenge. Chick is on a real grouch kick so that is fun. The kids have been just staying out of the way, it is easier that way ;) They are in for a treat, the bus comes 1/2 an hour earlier at the new house in the mornings. Yeah! Wake up is 1/2 hour earlier. Wish me luck.

411 is 9

2009-01-05T10:38:00.001-06:00

It is the day after 411's birthday. She got to choose dinner and she chose Shish Kabobs. They turned out rather well, a bit spicy. I used McCormick (sp?) grill mates marinade Peppercorn and Garlic for the steak (which my loving sister in law Dianne gave me from her home butchered stash), shrimp, mushrooms, onion and zucchini. I boiled up some 1/2 ears of corn and cooked some cheesy garlic bread to go with it. It is going to be a couple of weeks before she can have her party. At 9, that is a LOOOOONNNNNGGGGG time. It took me about 3 hours from start to stop for the kabobs, I had to cook them 7 at a time in my rotisserie, dump them in a bowl, assemble the next go round, and at the end, as I am assembling plates of food for my little angels, I hear, 'Why aren't they on the sticks? I thought they were on sticks. I really wanted it on sticks..'
We got the floors all sanded and the first coat of floor finish on them. I got the dining room repainted, I am still not happy. If I ever want to paint any room red again, slap me. It is really difficult to get an even coat the shade you want it. It is getting to the point where I am out of time/patience and will have to live with what I have.
The kitchen still needs to be assembled, Mike assures me that it won't take that long. Then comes the joy of moving. Woo hoo. yeah. more like pppbbbbffftttt.

more house pix

2009-01-04T08:20:00.002-06:00

Lesson learned: When texturing a ceiling, the stuff flies EVERYWHERE! My whole lovely red dining room looked like this. It took me almost 6 hours of scrubbing to get it all off. Then the next day Mikey says ' oh I need to touch up a coupla spots' I could have easily cried.

Here is Ironbite getting into the mudding groove...

Mikey the builder, I am so going to love the recessed lighting...

Mr helping to paint his room..

Mikey got impatient to start the floors, I think we are going to like it though...

housing update

2008-12-31T18:31:00.004-06:00

This is what came home with me today after a day of texturing ceilings..

here is a shot of the kitchen since we painted, but that is getting covered, more on that later....

here is the dining room, I have to repaint it and get the border up....

Here is the living room and the start of the sofet (SP?) that mike is building to house some resessed lighting...

And this is my own Mike the builder....

THis is the bathroom that Deanne and Michelle bravely conquered....

2008

2008-12-29T10:02:00.002-06:00

Let's review, shall we? Cold, cold, cold, wet, wet, HOT, HOT, HOT, wet, warm, cold, cold. Yep that pretty much sums it up. On a personal level, it was a decent year. Well, except for the $4.09 a gallon gas. And the dramatic exit of our foster daughter. And having our little brother go off to play in the desert. And G'ma battling cancer, again. Yep, other then those blemishes, everyone is still alive, healthy, mouthy as ever. So that counts. I am hoping for a smooth move and lots of good times in 2009. I wish the same for all of you too!