Pressed Petals

the party-the details part two

2012-01-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

the cake stands were simple.

candle sticks from thrift store, some glue on the upper lip of the candle stick

and press the album on...

just wipe away the extra gunk and you're done!

the holders for the oreo pops.

i cut some of the table cloth to cover the styrofoam. cut a circle for the top, taped it on. then cut a strip and taped it onto the sides. place it in the small record bowls (we called them our ashtrays).

we had these hanging from the ceiling too. from walmart.

we were originally going to dip the oreos in white chocolate then sprinkle with colored sugar, but the kept coming off the sticks. so i used a cake piping bag and tip.

the party-the details

2012-01-25T12:33:00.001-07:00

i know some of you wanted to know how we made the decorations.

i bought a big stack of 45's from an online yard sale.

drilled holes in 7 of them (see pic 3).

then threaded them with thin twine, reajusting the distance as i went.

laid them out to make sure they wer all straight.

no measuring, just eye-balled each hole.

daughter made the decals. we glued them on.

then i glued the lettering and glittered them all up. they really took a long time to dry.

the bowls.

the smaller albums took longer to "melt".

All i did was set the oven at 250 degrees F.

watched for the record to bend.

the small ones more or less just curled and i bent them some with my hands.

the biggers records bent right away like 2 minutes. i took the out set them in a bowl and sort of pressed the center with a jar, shaping as i went. they harden quickly.

some layouts

2012-01-25T06:52:00.001-07:00

sugarplum paperire

lauren reid

sahlin studio

the party-the games

2012-01-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

The games were really the highlight.

there were two written games..."how much do you know about...?

and "name that tune."

hubby took charge of the games. what a blessing.

oh, also you had to guess how many candies were in the jar on the table.

529 (i think) and daughter counted them all out!

there was (i don't know the name) a game where you pass a gift, that has been wrapped like 6 times, around. when the music stops, the person holding the gift unwraps a layer. The winner is the last one to unwrap it.

musical chairs. the girls held their own against the guys.
then the three-legged race. these 4 guys were the winners of their groups.

too much fun! no broken bones or major injures.

the party-the decor

2012-01-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

much of the decor was inspired by pintrest and blogs.

both kids decorated the buttermilk pies. (she has these pies every birthday.)

the wind picked up, hence the banana.

The party was a big hit! Most everyone came and then some. We had enough food and drinks. Everyone played the games! There was laughter and just good fun all around! Hubby helped out big time with the games. Son helped set up...he really has a knack for it. Afterwards we were all pooped! It was all well worth it though!

More Reason to Love Walgreens

2012-01-21T01:01:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you have a Walgreens by you? Do you love your Walgreens? Who doesn't love their local Walgreens, right? I mean they are even on Facebook Walgreens on Facebook and Twiiter Walgreens on Twitter

Right now there is more reason to love them. From printing photos, to late night "I forgot to grab that." runs, we love our Walgreens. It is a one stop shop.

1.) Walgreens is offering a special discount on annual membership for its Prescription Savings Club:
http://www.walgreens.com/pharm…
For $10 a year, a family membership covers everyone in your immediate family, including a spouse, dependents 22 and younger and pets. Individuals may join for $5. Join and receive discount prices on your prescriptions. Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens

Other benefits include:
-Savings on more than 8,000 brand-name and all generic medications
-Discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, nebulizers and diabetic supplies
-Bonuses when you purchase Walgreens brand products and photofinishing services

2.) Support Walgreens and stay updated by liking them on Facebook and following them on Twitter @Walgreens. Encourage your readers to do the same.

I am looking into this. I am always looking for ways to save money. This just may make me go there more often.

Again, those links are:

Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens

Walgreens on Twitter

Walgreens on Facebook

sweet sixteen

2012-01-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the big day...daughter's sweet 16 birthday party. We have been getting ready now for some time. Just thought I'd share these with you.

The top photo is me on my 16th.

The bottom one is our daughter at 16.

(I haven't forgotten about the answers to the civil war ?'s. I have seriously been super busy.)

Can You Answer These?

2012-01-13T08:58:00.001-07:00

1. Who was the general of the Union army?
2. Who was the general of the Confederate army?
3. What was the cause of the civil war?
4. Tell me what the Emancipation Proclamation was.
5. Which side, the North or the South, had more resources, money, men, etc. Did this help them win the war?

if you give a girl some garlic

2012-01-12T06:37:00.001-07:00

if you give a girl a big bag of garlic.

she will put it in a jar.

she will take out all of her spices. she will refill, mix, and empty.

she will relabel and make a chart.

would you ? do you?

2012-01-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

Would you/ do you eat day old apple slices?

Reheat day old coffee?

Crush your water bottle ~~loudly like a muscle bound teenage boy~~?

Store things on top of your frig? Or have a dirty frig top? (YIKES!)

life is like that

2012-01-10T12:24:00.000-07:00

It all started with a Christmas card.

Well, it got restarted...I guess that's the word I am looking for.

Let me give you the back story.

Hubby was in the U.S.M.C. It was 1992, Feb. I think.

We were fresh newly weds, 3 months.

He was getting deployed to Japan.

There was a deployment "party" for the spouses and families.

I didn't want to go, so I just picked hubby up afterward.

As I waited outside there was another wife, not at the party.

Angie and I met and became instant friends.

We were both young, newly wed, scared, our first deployment.

We clung to one another for 6 1/2 months.

She taught me how to make tater tot casserole in her kitchen.

We talked through her dog's parvo.

I drove to her place on base late at night after the wind blew my door open, scaring me half to death.

We took photos of each other for our hubbies.

We watched each other's wedding videos and cried.

I got her a job at the local hospital where I worked.

She ended up going into that field.

Our hubbies, who didn't know each other, actually got put together in the armory and became friends.

When our hubbies came home, all of the spouses waited and waited in this building. Angie and I were stuck together, not talking, just watching and waiting. Once we saw the buses driving up some how we were holding hands and I remember looking at her, we said something and then she let my hand go. Her hubby was back. My hubby was back.

Somehow we lost touch. Fast forward...my hubby got sent to Oregon for work.

They live in Oregon.

The guys are getting together tonight.

Oh how I wish I was there.

I have thought of those 6 1/2 months with Angie so many times over the years.

So many times have I served that tater tot casserole.

Funny how in such a short time in our lives someone can have such an impact.

sneak peek

2012-01-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

here's what daughter and i have been working on.

Healing is a Choice

2012-01-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

Healing Is a Choice 10 Decisions That Will Transform Your Life and 10 Lies That Can Prevent You From Making Them

By Steve Arterburn
Published by Thomas Nelson

Have you ever heard the saying, "Eat the meat and spit out the bones"? This applies to this book. Fortunately, there was more meat than bones. I was pleasantly delighted and helped reading Healing is a Choice. While I skipped through some of the "bones", many of the chapters had down to earth and sound spiritual guidance.

Here's what I liked about the book: the completeness of it. By that I mean, it comes with a worksheet, prayer, review, etc. at the end of each chapter. It can be used by ones self or in a group setting. It was well written and easy to understand. It had plenty of scripture. It just really made sense and was basic enough to follow through.

What I didn't like: I really wished more of the scriptures were New King James Version. Call me old school, but to me, that is almost always the best version. While I do understand the need, to me, there were too many "suggestions" to seek professional help. The Blood of Jesus was never mentioned as a source of healing. If it was I missed it.

This is a wonderful book for those seeking healing, emotionally, spiritually, physically or for those who want to be reminded of God's grace, and some of the basic principals of Christianity.

Project Life

2012-01-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

I found a way to organize all of our photos!

Project Life.

I am not actually using any of Becky Higgins products at this time, but items very similar.

The albums and the page protectors are coming as I type.

So, I am laying my first few pages out to get a feel for it.

I have made my own journaling cards, used digi scrapbook designers journaling cards, etc.

Also making my own 2 x 7 inserts for some of the pages.

Can't wait to work on this more! I can see I will need LOTS more page protectors! LOTS!

Starting off

2012-01-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

January has started off to a good start.

The 1st we were in church, car started making a funny noise and the kids have a cold.

The 2nd found me in the grocery store and our clothes were being done for the third time at the laundromat.

$50+ in quarters, waiting on the fix-it man to fix our washer.

(photo not mine)

We (our church) are also in a three day prayer and fasting.
"Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of it's sorrows, but only empties today of it's strength." Charles H. Spurgeon

January 3rd found me shopping for daughters 16th b-day party.
I also bought this, (a little early b-day present to myself) to motivate myself to burn off all of those holiday calories (and then some).

2012-01-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

1. Alpaca field trip
2. Pureed vegie kick.
3. Zuc. Bread...yum!
4. Art
5. Cali trip for Grammy's funeral. We are Hunting Beach here.
6. A D.I.Y. (really with hubby's help) project.
7. Another craft/project.
8. Organizing our photos.
9. More art using my mom's chalks.
10. Thanksgiving at our house, outside.
11. Daughter got her provisional driver's license.
12. We got about 4 snow storms in Dec.

Hope you all had a wonderful new year celebration. We did. Off to start the first week on the new year.

a personal note

2011-12-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,
     I have been thinking about you a lot lately. Raising two teenagers is very different then raising two toddlers. While I got wore out from all of the needs of toddlers, teenagers wear on you in such a different way, at such a heart level. I can't imagine doing this husbandless as you did. I apologize for all of the complaining, the attitudes, the...you know, I gave you. Raising teenagers sure brings motherhood to a different level. While our kids a darn good kids, some days I just don't feel like I know what I am doing. Every time our kids give an attitude or be unappreciative I think, "Man, I said much worse to my mom." Every time I sacrifice for our kids, albeit little at times, I think of how much you gave up so we could have. I think of the things our kids don't know we have given up or simply given and think, "How much more did you do for us."
     It is funny how we become like our moms and our kids like us. I know that if you did it, I can do it.
     Mom, for me and for all of the other moms of teenagers, I am sorry for the times I gave you a hard time and made you doubt your ability to mother. Thank you for the example you set and for your patience.

Love,
Your daughter, who finally gets it.

P.S.
Thank you for all of your prayers and your patience with me even now.

review 2

2011-12-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

may-aug

1. crafting
2. granola making
3. greens and bugs
4. cherry picking
5. hubby cut himself bad.
6. new dog
7. 4th of july
8. daughters photo for county fair
9. weird tomatoes from our garden
10. kids entering theor art/pics in the fair. DD won.
11. science
12. DD driving to AZ.

Year-end Review

2011-12-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

Just reviewing 2011 blog posts.
Jan-April

1. Our bird friend who hung out at our light. He has since moved to the front door light. We like him but not the mess he leaves.
2. Jan. is birthday month here.
3. I believe January kicked off our scone fest.
4. How my blog got it's name.
5. I wrote about my closest friends.
6. I also did a 30 day blog post in Feb.
7. Baked.
8. Went on a cleaning fest that didn't last in March.
9. Featured son's photos of his legos.
10. Kids and I went to Sante Fe on a field trip.
11. Daughter won two awards in the writing fair.
12. We started our garden and planted grass.

rainbow of books

2011-12-26T06:00:00.001-07:00

so i am wrote this friday for monday.

friday we woke to a snow dusting, more snow coming.

the church is having a Christmas banquet in the mountians tonight, should be interesting with all of the snow.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

onto monday's post.

i have seen this around blogs and pinterest. wednesday i decided to do it.

rearrange our bookshelf into colors. it was previously grouped in categories.

our yellow books are lacking in comparison to the rest. the votes are still out as far as the family is concerned. i like it, the kids no...hubby hasn't noticed or hasn't said anything.

veggie food

2011-12-24T06:49:00.000-07:00

back to the eating vegan/vegetarian...well, we are definitely more vegetarian than vegan.

we have eaten meat (boy did it taste good!).

hubby has been better ate not eating meat then me.

i actually think i was getting a bit sad. i had heard you have to be careful about that.

so, i happily enjoyed a burger with the kids, etc.

however, i still want to share with you the things we do eat that are vegetarian.

here's a pizza daughter and i made.

took a french bread loaf, cut it in half and topped it.

son made these all by himself! he saw these in the vegan cookie cookbook and wanted to try them. NY Black and White cookies. i must admit i had never heard of them, but after doing some researching discovered theta they are quite popular. they are huge and super sweet, too sweet in fact. it helps if you fold them in half so they chocolate helps cut the sugary taste of the white side.

my own creation. i have found that adapting our own food to vegetarian is much easier and tastier. here's your basic broccoli and cheese baked potato with black beans. it was really good. the cheese was hubby's idea and a good one at that.

Merry Christmas to all of my readers!

who's is it??...talking tree and more

2011-12-23T09:49:00.000-07:00

this year the kids are getting too old for presents.

well, not like that sounds.

they can almost figure out what is in the gift without opening it.

I wrapped them in bigger boxes, different shaped bags and still they are guessing right.

i resorted to leaving the names off.

they swear i will forget which belongs to whom.

my dad would. with three of us he'd give us each a symbol/shape.

we wouldn't know which one was our appointed one of course.

he'd sometimes forget. so, we'd open one and switch if needed.

next year i may just keep all of the gifts hidden until Christmas.

drive them really crazy!

we have a talking tree. well, every time you turn on the lights "it" says "the force is with you young skywalker, but you are not a jedi yet, breathe..." son's darth vader ornament is a highlight of our three every year. we love to turn on the lights all of the time.

yummy gift. hubby and i were in the kitchen, when we hear "UPS!". then see the UPS guy smile a bit embarrassingly as he realized we were right there. anyway, this, plus jams, etc. came all the way from Maine! YUM! gotta be thankful for family on the east coast. though i will have to get creative with that mixer since we don't drink.

to get you in the spirit

2011-12-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

While I was looking for videos I came across these. Not exactly what I went to You Tube for, but pleasantly surprised.

For kicks...I am always amazed when people can do things like this.

I could NOT resist. You all know I hold a special place in my heart for the military, especially Marines.

Touching.

The real reason of Christmas.

I could listen to this ALL day!

around the house

2011-12-18T06:09:00.002-07:00

Just wanted to share some of our Christmas decor with you.
1. Pretty ornament...I LOVE these type of ornaments.
2. One of the kid's ornaments. In our family our dad's parents and our parents would always get/make us an ornament each year. when we moved out we had a treeful. My dad's parents and my mom (and sometimes we) have kept it up. I rarely put any of mine on.
3. One of our former tree's stumps.
4. One year our son, maybe more then one year, loved nutcrackers. He still puts them up on the mantel every year. He usually decorates the mantel.
5. Stockings, oh the stockings. My mom's mom made ALL of her grandchildren stockings. I am the second oldest and got the same pattern as a couple of my aunts. My name is actually too long so she shortened it. My mom has made her grandkids stockings.
6. Just another pretty ornament, these are hanging from our fan/light.

And just because, here's a free recipe for you.

Guamanian BBQ Sauce
2 cups soy sauce
1 cup white vinegar
1 lg onion, squeeze juice in
2 lemons quarted, squeeze juice in
1 cup ketchup
1/2-1 cup water (cuts saltiness)
meat, any kind (large enough to grill) *awesome for game*

mix wet ingredients. if you'd like cut up extra onion for onion rings. marinade, then grill.

blessing of praying friends

2011-12-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

I am going to make this short, cut out some of the details, so I hope this makes sense.

This is also written from a Christian perspective, with "Christian" language so I realize it may not jive with your beliefs or it may not make sense. I do hope this ministers to you though.

Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning I was feeling pretty bad. I was under spiritual/physical attack.

When I woke up Wednesday, I knew I needed help, I couldn't fight this on my own.

So, I texted (is that even a word?) some of the ladies in church and asked them to pray for me.

As I sat in the office praying, fighting it through, their texts started coming back. "Praying right now" and other words of encouragement. Their words, their taking the time to stand in the gap for me brought me to tears. While they were praying I could rest, even for five minutes. I felt a breakthrough. It felt good knowing that my sisters have by back and are willing to fight with me.

I am so blessed to have ladies who may not even be my closest of friends stop and pray for me just when I needed it. Thursday I felt really good, and I still do. The devil is a punk and God is so good and so are His people.

baby you can drive my car

2011-12-16T13:26:00.001-07:00

yesterday, our daughter passed her driving test with 100%!

we went up to the mountains, quicker and we know the man who works there.

i only took a couple of photos...it was cold and i didn't want to distract her.

she backed up without the ice affecting her!

she is so happy.

and so darn cute i had to add another photo.

we are actually going to be stricter than the state. "her rope is a short one" (to quote dad).
never the less, we are proud and nervous at the same time.
oh, many folks are telling me how nice it will be to have her to go this and that...well, hubby drives the car to work. i have the truck, which is a hard one to drive. so no errand runner for me until night time.

one boy and one girl

2011-12-15T06:56:00.000-07:00

"Oh, one boy and one girl, that's perfect." is a common comment spoken by others upon finding out we have one of each.

while i don't think about it too much it is nice having one of each.

i do sometimes wish we could've had a sister for our daughter and a brother for our son.

while he can't rough house with her and she can't play make-up and girly stuff with him; i have to admit that God knew just what He was doing. Our daughter is perfect for a brother and our son is good for her.

he gets to learn to be a gentleman, have patience while waiting to use the bathroom, and to listen.
she gets to learn to be a lady (let him open her door, etc.), that boys can play dress up, just a bit differently, and that you can't be their mom.

while they are completely different and often get on each other's nerves, watch out if someone else should be mean to them. i love that they stick up for each other and that when a boy "looks" at C. he wants to beat them up. i love that she knows he's got her back and she his.

yeap, God knew what he was doing when He blessed us with one boy and one girl. while the dynamics are different, two girls or two boys just don't seem "us" to us.

just a few deals

2011-12-14T11:02:00.000-07:00

Social Spark has a few offers for you.

This one looks fun.

What a nice Christmas gift.

For all you bloggers using WordPress...

And a why not one.

Thanks for looking.

our tree tradition

2011-12-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

Every year for the past, oh, I don't know, for a good while we have been going to the mountains and cutting our Christmas tree. I really do look forward to it.

Just us driving through the mountains, sometimes snow, searching for the perfect tree. I have been known to tag a tree or two (put some toilet paper on it so we can come back to it if there's nothing better).

This year was a bit different, the kids stayed home. Daughter wasn't feeling great and son stayed home with her. There was a good deal of snow in most of our normal areas.

We opted to get one on the side of the road instead of driving through/on ice and snow.

It's not the prettiest one we have had, but it comes with a bit of a story and you should smell the smell. Seriously, it is so nice. At first it was almost too strong.

random

2011-12-13T16:45:00.001-07:00

beef stew done in the crock pot.

teeth clean at dentist today. love my hygienist.

raining, all day.

our tree makes me happy. (seriously need new batteries for camera-pic taken with laptop)

made peanut butter oat bran cookies.
the house is quiet...love it!
did i mention i need batteries for our camera? double A rechargeable would be lovely.
found someone to haul off our eight bags of leaves for free!
i am seeing break through in some long term problem areas! Glory to God!
i only have two more gifts to get, then i am done with Christmas!

Typical Monday (week) in Homeschool

2011-12-12T08:46:00.001-07:00

So, I am looking for my camera, the one with the almost dead batteries so, I can take some photos of our homeschooling day for ya. Frustrating!

Here's how our Monday's usually go. (most days actually)
Son gets up at around 7:00-7:30 eats, and starts school. (I am still in my robe at this point, not ready to do school yet.)***Added note...as of 12-12-11 son is actually starting school at 8 am. for some reason he changed it up after i wrote this post.***
I am ready for school around 8:00
Daughter...ummmm let's call it 9-ish. Seriously that is how different they are.

(this is all i could get from kids...them getting out of the way of the camera.)
Son does his handwriting, grammar and science by himself. We do spelling together.
He has to show me what he does and we go over the good bad and ugly of it all.

Mondays I usually watch their math videos so I can teach them their new lessons for the week.
Then I teach each one as they are ready.

Daughter does her science, grammar and spelling by herself.
I usually don't have to check her work. She is good at telling me what she's done and if we need to go over something we do.

By 10:00 their independent work is almost always done, if not they stop so we can do history and reading together.
Monday-Wednesday I read their history book while they listen for the answers on their worksheets. This really helps them learn to listen and learn to learn.
Thurs. the reading is usually done and they go through the book on their own to find the answers they may have missed while listening.

After history, I read a book out loud to them. We love it even though they are older it is still a great time.
If they are goofing off while I read they have to read some of the history/book. That usually does the trick.

11:00-ish we are done. Time for lunch.

If they have any work that needs to be done they finish after lunch. I am done after lunch. Unless I am reading up on curriculum or teaching methods, etc.

Fridays is art day or finish what needs to be finished day.
They still do science, math, grammar, spelling, handwriting.
Just art replaces history.

Our schedule usually changes from year to year.
Also, our schedule is flexible.

We do take field trips, can arrange the schedule around hunting, etc.
There you have it.

New-Skin

2011-12-09T19:01:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of New-Skin for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Now I don't believe in fate or whatever you want to call it, but this is funny.

I received this offer to write about New-Skin products for my blog. I read about it and thought it sounded useful. Then this morning (TMI alert) I cut myself shaving. The cut itself wasn't bad, but it wouldn't stop bleeding. After quickly going through 5-7 bandages (no joke), I couldn't help thinking I need that New-Skin product I just read about. I told hubby about my cut and how it wouldn't stop bleeding. He (having NO idea about the New-Skin) told me I needed some thing like that. It has stopped bleeding. However, let me tell you about this New-Skin product I keep mentioning.

New-Skin is a liquid bandage that is perfect for the outdoorsy, hardworking, hard playing type, or the to close shaving type like me. They have a Scar Fade and a Poison Ivy Treatment too. The liquid bandage come in a spray as well. I may try the Scar Fade on our daughters elbow. (Too bad it didn't help all of my typos!) Now I know some of my readers have kids (lots of boys out there), DIY-ers and leg shavers (I hope). So, I am sure this product could come in handy.

Now New-Skin is having a big sweepstakes, a chance to win the 4-day adventure of your choice! All you need to do is complete the entry form on the New-Skin® Share the Outdoors sweepstakes link and have your friends and family visit your sweepstakes page to earn up to five votes per day – every vote increases your chances of winning the adventure of your choice!   Now who wouldn't want to get away after the holidays? Tell me why you'd want to win, where you'd want to go and leave me your sweepstakes page so I can vote for you. Maybe you can take me with you if you win! heehee

Here are all of the links you need:

New-Skin sweepstakes

a little bit more

2011-12-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

we got more snow last night.

it always amazes me how fast the leaves fall some years.

1 inch of it

2011-12-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

as seen from bedroom...

from kitchen #1...

from kitchen #2...

trying to make some $$

2011-12-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

i am sure you've noticed some of my post are for Social Spark.
i am trying to earn a few extra bucks.
i accept some offers and they post whenever they like, so i may have a boatload (not really that many) of posts coming from Social Spark. sorry.
also, the more readers i have the more i qualify for, SO if you like this blog could you please follow and tell your friends about it...THANKS!

just because you took the time to read...Charlie our dog who lets son dress him up.

are you serious?

2011-12-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

can someone tell me, where did this year go?

i haven't meant to not write for so long, but b.u.s.y. is what i've been.

so, here's goes a random catch up for you.

thanksgiving was great! the weather so nice we ate outside. (first time ever.)

unfortunately this is the only photo i was able to take. we were just setting up.

we had so much leftovers that i actually had to throw some out.

onto our venture into vegetarianism. we are much more vegetarian then vegan.

i want to show you a couple of recipes i have made this week.

this one i'll call veggie stack. (taste better then it looks.)

sliced eggplant, sauteed in olive oil, garlic, chopped onions and balsamic vinegar.

sliced blanched tomatoes

sliced zuchs, sauteed like the eggplant

layered with feta

topped with salt and pepper

warmed in oven

served with wild rice with browned pinon nuts

YUM!

This one is from Two Peas and Their Pods. LONG name which basically tells you everything that's in it.

canneli (sp?) beans

spinach and fresh basil torn

artichoke hearts, drained and cut

sourdough flute bread (everything tastes better with sourdough bread)

feta, 1 tbls lemon juice, salt and pepper

cut and brush with olive oil the bread (i sprinkled them w/garlic powder), toast for ten minutes

mix the rest of ingredients in bowl and serve over warm bread.

i loved this one. wasn't sure about the fresh basil, but loved it. hubby liked this one too.

Master the Meal

2011-11-28T21:00:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of GravyMaster for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have to be honest with you here, when Social Spark sent me an offer to write about Master the Grill Gravy Master, I thought my hubby makes the best gravy around. However, I read more about it and thought "Hmmm, maybe I will write about it."

So here it goes. First off, you know that hubby and I are trying to eat vegetarian/vegan. (That is a whole other post.) And most gravies (especially hubby's) is NOT vegan at all. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised when I read: "Gravymaster is both vegetarian and vegan, it contains NO meat." That's good. Second, we try to eat products that don't have a lot of junk, you know all of those additives and stuff. So, another plus for GravyMaster is: "Gravymaster contains a carefully concentrated blend of celery, onion, parsley, garlic, caramel, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, apple vinegar, salt and pure cane sugar. NO chemical preservatives, artificial color, flavors or additives are ever used." What a great way to yummy up your Christmas dishes. It is wonderful for caramelizing veggies too.

There is more information here: http://gravy.com/t-GravyMasterProductInfo.aspx

I would love to make this: only try it as a bean burger. Or the first thing that came to mind was slow cooking our beans in it. I tried that with BBQ sauce and they were delish! What would you make?

Find more information here:

GravyMaster

Master the meal

catching up

2011-11-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

We went here for our 20th...

This is happening today...

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

the blog boards are by lauren reid designs and the lilypad.

2011-11-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

good morning monday before thanksgiving.
got a good night's sleep.
will start on my thanksgiving to-do list today.

i have been planning (sort of ) a post about homeschooling, our school day, etc.
do you have any questions you'd like answered?

off to shower...you didn't really want to know that did you.

20 years

2011-11-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

(photos are unedited as is our marriage.)
20 years ago I married someone who would become my best friend.
We only knew each other 8 months before we got married.
We knew that we were going to marry...so much so that hubby just assumed we'd get married. I had to ask him to ask me to marry him. Funny, now.
We didn't really know what we were doing in the beginning, but golly, we made it work and made it fun.

I could go on and on about our marriage, but instead I will give you a list of 20 things I have learned in 20 years of marriage. (in no particular order.)
1. I am one selfish person.
2. I really need my hubby in my life.
3. Just how deep I can love.
4. How fun it is to have someone in my life.
5. Some things are better left unsaid...
6. ...unless they are kind.
7. It is such a stabling feeling knowing the same person is there with you all the way.
8. How to laugh...hubby is a character.
9. How to forgive.
10. How to press on in hard times.
11. How to get close to God in those hard times.
12. It is really nice to have someone who knows me inside and out and still loves me.
13. That two really do become one. (I realized that when hubby went overseas in the Marines.)
14. Having a hubby makes me want to be a better person.
15. Sometimes holding hands says so much, so very much.
16. How to appreciate picking up after someone.
17. How to rest in the good times.
18. I have learned just how strong and vulnerable I am.
19. (19 already...) How to live out the vows we said..."for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health..."
20. I would do it all again.

some shots

2011-11-16T06:11:00.000-07:00

our daughter went to a sweet 16 birthday party sunday.

they had a photo shoot.

love this girl and her precious smile.

most of these girls have grown up together since birth.

each birthdays are within months of each other.

while girls are girls, these photos warm my heart.

because i can

2011-11-15T06:05:00.001-07:00

i have been able to stay home with the kids their whole lives.
for that i can't even start to express my gratefulness.
staying at home has many advantages.

my mom had to go back to work.
and a conversation with her one day brought this to mind.
all of the little things i can do because i am home, i have the time.
like cut up carrots for my daughter.

while this may seem like no biggie and i may be able to do this even if i worked outside the home, but to me it really struck my heart and gave me joy.

some crafts

2011-11-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

remember these frames?
i finally filled them.

son found this butterfly. matches our bedroom perfectly!

look what i found

2011-11-13T06:41:00.004-07:00

while digging out the chalks, i found this.
my old art book from high school.
(i'll keep most of these small since there's so many.)

from my more depressed days.

a friend. i drew the pink one while on vacation with their family.

one of my faves.

from this album...i think the actually picture was inside of the album.

from a tears for fears album cover.

love her eyes. when i took it out her face looks like someone i know now. weird.

and a later one...my hubby.

a right of passage

2011-11-12T06:23:00.002-07:00

my mom used to draw.
she had this fancy chalk set.
i remember watching her take it out and drawing.
i loved the colors.
i love the square chalks.

once i got old enough she let me use them.
what a pleasure.
today they are mine.
we dug them out (honestly, dug them out) this morning for art.

the colors still delight me.
though this morning i was the one saying, "be careful" and "put the colors back in the right spots."
this morning i passed on a right of passage to our children.

we were to draw those pears.

they seemed WAY too much for daughter. she switched to an apple.

here's what we ended up with.

daughter's ended up looking the best. maybe we all need to do a bunch of complaining for our art to turn out so nice.

son turned a practice pear into a punk avocado.

we ate the model pear i used tonight.

son did two. here's his black and white version.

Happy Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T06:59:00.000-07:00

to my hubby.
to my brother-in-law.
to my uncle. my cousin, my father-in-law...and ALL those who served past and present.

going vegan...?

2011-11-10T18:22:00.000-07:00

so, my hunting, meat loving hubby and i are trying out the whole vegan thing.
now, we don't hug trees...we cut one down every Christmas.
we are trying it out for health reasons and nothing more.

so, i am going to blog about our progress into the vegan world.
i know there are anti-vegans out there, we were two of them.

i have made a few ~~almost~~ vegan meals. (chicken and beef broth make them almost)
breakfasts are easy.
lunches pretty easy. though we still are eating tuna.
dinner is the tricky part.
soups have been the easiest thus far to make vegan.

the other day i picked up a package of vegan hot dogs.
YUP!

why not?
how were they?
not too bad, weird shaped but nothing i am going to crave anytime soon.
they would be better in a soup then in a bun.
though son ate three of them.

funny story.
daughter is already skeptical about what is served at dinner, since hubby hunts and we eat game.
after one bite she says, "what kind of hot dogs are these?"
me: "they are a different type of meat."
dd: "are they organic?"
me (looking at hubby): "yeah, organic."
dd: "is there grass in there?"
laugh, hahaha
later when we told her what they were..."i knew i tasted grass. GROSS!"

tonight, i made a vegan cornbread.
(sorry for the blurry pic, this was the best one.)

here's what i replaced:

applesauce for the shortening

flax seed meal for the egg

wheat flour for the white (has nothing to do w/vegan cooking)

and flax milk for cow's milk

it wasn't bad at all. daughter actually liked it.

it was a bit crumbly and a bit different texture, but still good.

i found a whole cookbook on vegan cookies that actually sound pretty good!

if you have any vegan hints please pass it on.

honey we got a new dog...

2011-11-09T06:26:00.001-07:00

I had to pick up hubby. I told him I'll bring our new dog.

His reaction was classic. Something close to "WHATTTTT!"

Anyway, we only got our dog, Charlie groomed.

He was pretty much like this when we got him.

We have tried to keep up on his dreadlocks, but really to no avail.

So, he had to get shaved very short. He actually isn't unhappy, just a bad shot.

We are still getting used to his new look.

He is so soft and easy to brush.

He just gets cold so easy now.

I will have to take some pics of his clothes!

getting organized

2011-11-08T06:11:00.001-07:00

Last Friday hubby and daughter went to a concert 3 hours away.

Son went to a concert 1 1/2 hours away.

I stayed home and hit our photos.

This is only part of the stash that we have here and there and "where is that one photo?"
So, I checked out three stories on CD and went to work.

I took four shoe box size boxes, plus loose pics, grouped them together...

...remember these? Grouped these all together.

Fit them into these two boxes.

Not close to being done, but I had to stop after 5 hours.
I want to eventually want to get the photos like Paislee Press'. (If anyone wants to donate, I am open! heehee!)

Cute Factor Plus

2011-11-07T08:04:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Puppies vs. Babies for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

The Ultimate battle...Baby vs. Puppy. Who has the most cute factor.

Look at these two...don't you just want to squeeze them? I do, you know I do! I just love chubby babies and soft puppies, but I digress.

(internet photo)

Animal Planet is having an online contest from now until November 23rd.

The winning puppy or baby will get $5,000! How's that for a prize! Wonder what the puppies are going to buy?

Which do I think is cutier? Hmmm...that's a tough one, but it will have to be puppies. Almost all breeds are cute as puppies, but not all babies are cute. Every time I see a puppy, I can't help but do the "Ahhhh, I want one." Babies don't do that for me, anymore. Speaking of dogs/puppies, our dog, Charlie is at the groomers, getting all handsome. Oh, I bet he was a cute puppy, but our kids were pretty darn cute too. Maybe, I have to change my opinion and side with the babies.

What about you? Babies? Puppies?

Cast your vote here: Puppies vs. Babies or here: Puppies vs. Babies online contest

So, who'd you vote for?

100 year old steamer

2011-11-07T06:56:00.000-07:00

In celebration for New Mexico's 100th year anniversary (next year), this 100 year old steam engine came to town.

We could hear the "toot, toot" from our house (a truly unique sound). I dragged our daughter out with me. Son wasn't here, and hubby was napping.

There was a good amount of people and a gusty cold wind. (gorgeous)

not bad for a point and shoot.

you could feel the water from the steam and smell the coal. i could just imagine what it was like 100 years ago.

Halloween

2011-11-06T15:56:00.000-07:00

this is a short one.

our kids got invited to go trick-or-treating (1st time)...

here's what they threw together at the last minute.

son was a detective.

(we have dogs...please excuse the yard. this was the best light.)

daughter was a nerd...a cute one at that.

Plans for November

2011-11-03T13:18:00.001-06:00

I am going to toss in a few of my latest LO's for your viewing pleasure while you read.

I have been thinking about November, the month that kicks off BUSY season for us around here.

In Nov. we have an anniversary, Thanksgiving (which will be at our house), some friends and family b-days, home bible studies start, etc.

I also need to nail down and wrap up (literally and figuratively) Christmas gifts.

Figure out something for hubby and I to do for our 20th ann.

Start getting goodies for DD's upcoming 16th b-day.

Hubby and the kids are going to concerts out of town (two separate places) this Friday. I am staying home and organizing our photos. Ugggh! They are a mess.

october obsevations

2011-11-01T13:35:00.000-06:00

*when my kids step it up and are a bit better then normal, i find myself wanting to step it up as well.
*when someone dies things (emotions, thoughts) get all jumbled up, especially if you're not sure if they knew Jesus.
*nothing says home like your own bed after a long trip.
*family is always worth the drive.
*teaching your kid to drive can make you a more cautious driver.
*those first "i am not ready for this." feelings do give way to "i can't wait until you can go to the store on your own for me."
*macaroni and cheese taste really good if you haven't had it in a LONG time.
*hearing our kids talk and laugh together, never grows old. wish i could bottle it up.
*i do love those rainy days. wish we had them more.
*setting schedules can do weird things to our son.
*cold, rainy days aren't meant for school work.

Today is Thursday (ok so it was yesterday)

2011-10-28T06:52:00.000-06:00

Today is Thursday...it is raining...it is chilly.

I hope you don't mind if I think aloud here.

Thursdays have always been the hardest for me to concentrate on schooling the kids.
It's been like the day I've needed to just take off and not do much.

It's raining. I LOVE the rain.
I want to sit and sip coffee.
I want to go thrifting, find some treasures.
I want to read, just for me reading.

I don't want to teach or check the kids work.
I don't want to do laundry or clean the house.
I have some pillows I want to make a rag rug I need to finish.

But alas, 'tis all wishful thinking.

But I am going to go have a cup of coffee.

windows

2011-10-27T06:49:00.001-06:00

so i have a thing with windows.
doesn't everybody?

i love windows.
the light they let into the house.
the view.
the ability to spy on your neighbors.
(you know you do too.)
it is one of the big reasons we bought our house.
we have two windows walls.
everywhere you go in our house there's windows.
cleaning them it another matter in and of itself.

yet windows-at night-well they need to be TOTALLY and completely covered.
no gaps, no room for eyeballs to peek through!
especially when we lived next door to two families from church.
you know eyeballs like on Count Olaf's ankles.
like the one's in the isles during Halloween.

anyway, have a great day and cover your windows!

Road Time Funnies

2011-10-26T06:37:00.001-06:00

Some funnies from our trip:

Me: Is that corn? (Looking at short corn stalks.)
Hubby: Yes.
Me: It's really small, maybe it's baby corn.

Son: (upon seeing a covered speed limit sign.) Look no speed limit.

The kids and hubby noticed me taking out my little notebook and noting things. They started making stuff up. Like:
Day 3...I have gas.

I travel with my pillow everywhere. So, as the road was endless, the stories started flowing.
One I wrote down was about me jumping out of a plane with my pillow strapped to the backpack.

Daughter got chocolate on her pants...right there...oh the drama!

Then as we drove through Yuma, AZ. My jukebox of a hubby started singing the Numa Numa song. Video follows! (Oh not of hubby, but of the numa numa guy.)

One more for you.

After leaving AZ/CA checkpoint someone says...

You'll have to step out, this car smells like bananas.

Fresh Brewed Life-Review

2011-10-25T15:12:00.001-06:00

Man oh, man...am I late on reviewing this book. Coffee, it tastes good, smells good and makes you feel good, right. Just walking into a coffee shop can make your day better. Books can do the same, make you feel good, take you to other places, awaken your senses. So, when I agreed to review this book I hoped it would be like drinking a fresh cup of sweet cream flavored coffee while reading a good book, but as another reviewer put it, "it was a little like drinking that lukewarm cup of coffee you seem to never finish because of kids and chores." (partial quote from Angela Cook)

For me a good cup of coffee is freshly brewed, iced, most days, some autumn harvest or caramel flavoring added and sweetened with a bit of splenda. I like to drink it slow and savor the flavor, make the moment last. A good book makes you think, makes you want to drink that late night coffee to stay up and read it. Unfortunately Fresh Brewed Life was too much fluff and not enough coffee, or in this case spiritual depth. Nicole Johnson had too many coffee analogies for my taste. When I read spiritual books I want to be convicted, be encouraged to press on, to grow and get closer to God. Unfortunately Fresh Brewed Life was more like ordering a Caramel Macchiato Frappe without whipped cream and paying for coffee on ice.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Photoshopping

2011-10-25T07:47:00.000-06:00

I wanted to give you guys a little tip on photoshop.

I am sure you could do it in other programs as well.

I LOVE this photo of the Huntington Beach Pier, but it is lacking some umph.

Introduce some PW Actions...I believe I used the Boost here. One of my faves. Talk about umph!

I made this into a layout. It is softened with a paper layer over the photo. I have the words to Where I Belong by Building 429 on the side.

Here's the song for you.

It really speaks to me.

Taking up Space

2011-10-24T06:32:00.000-06:00

So I bought these chair things, small rail things...?...awhile back. We're talking last year, back.

I liked them, but had NO idea what i was going to do with them. So they sat taking up some space.

Hubby thought me a bit strange and funny that I wanted photos of this and of him.

I also bought this for a different project that is not yet finished, taking up space.

Also had a contanier full of tape taking up space.

Had the light bulb come on one day and thought of this.

Works perfect. Just need to paint the tips of the arms. Hmmm...my painting crazy son could do it.

Hubby even cut the arms at a nice angle.

Art Fridays

2011-10-22T13:28:00.002-06:00

It's October and we finally have a pretty set schedule for school.

Everyday is math, spelling, grammar, science (we are on hold as I ordered a new science) and music. Mon-Wed I read history to the kids and they fill out their worksheets as I read. Thursday they fill in any blanks on their own. Friday we don't do history. We do art instead. I am LOVING art this year.

Here's what we did yesterday. (This wasn't a cheap project as we had no paints.)

Got the idea here from Vinnie Pearce.

(Sorry, didn't edit the pics.)

Son's in the beginning stages.

Daughter's half way through.

Mine...ended up taking off the green tape and the leaves.

Son...

Son's finished.

Mine finished. You should've seen me in Hobby Lobby picking out colors. I knew going there what I wanted, but the kids picked out colors that were too similar. I was driving son nuts!

Daughter's finished.

I really like how they look together.

Son had to make one more that night.

He's now touching up our dining room chairs. I created a nice painting monster!

Fall Flashback

2011-10-21T06:55:00.000-06:00

Found these photos while going through our stack (and I mean stack) of photos.

Nothing says autumn like apple picking in New England.

I was actually a few months pregnant with our son here.

This one was taken locally probably in 1997.

Post Cards

2011-10-20T06:51:00.000-06:00

Post card update.

First, thanks to those of you who have sent us a post card.

We LOVE getting these little suprises in the mail.

I have to admit that the Hawaii one is my favorite...so cool, so classic.

And you who sent the Washington one...thanks. Wish I knew who you were.

We have:

Texas

California

Mass.

Illinois

Arizona

Washington

Ohio

Indiana

Again, if you'd like to comtribute to our paot card collection please email me @ pressed24petals at yahoo dot com.

Thanks!

The Lord Takes Pleasure

2011-10-19T07:00:00.000-06:00

Sometimes (a lot) of the time a need to be reminded that I need to depend more on God and less on myself. A lady in church gave me this scripture:

Psalm 147:10 & 11
He delights not in the strength of the horse: he takes not pleasure in the legs of a man.

The LORD takes pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

His mercy, man do I need that!

Monday

2011-10-18T06:35:00.001-06:00

Almost done, I promise.

On the way to my mom's in AZ. we stopped in Cabazon, CA. The same dinos in PeeWee Herman's Big adventure movie.

Please don't make me do it, I promise I will be good.

One, two, three...ahhhhh!

Then off to Az. to sleep at my mom's and drive back home Tuesday. LONG, LONG trip.

But WELL worth it.

Sunday Night

2011-10-17T06:28:00.001-06:00

Sunday night we remembered that our mom wanted a group shot. The kids were mostly in their pj's. The adults were very sleep deprived. Throw in two very funny guys, and a dog who went from person to person and you have the makings for a funny photo shoot.

This is the one we sent to my mom.

Sunday

2011-10-16T06:55:00.000-06:00

Are you tired of our trip yet? I hope not.
Sunday we went to church with my sister (we stayed at her house) then headed up to the high desert to see my maternal grandparents. We also drove by my old high school.

It was a nice surprise to see my aunt and her hubby too.

Now for a special treat. My grandpa was singing up a storm when we were there so I had Colleen record it. (I am not pregnant, just look like that in that shirt.) He sang this song all of the time growing up. "Little Brown Jug"

Not bad for an 80+ year old man. The one thing I wish I got on tape was him trying to get a picture of us. You know that video of the two elderly folks trying to figure out the camera on their laptop? Well, triple the funny factor. He was hysterical! He didn't know how to find us in the camera then he learned how to zoom in and out..."WOW!" Click..."That was beautiful!" Zoom...click..."Beautiful!" He had us all busting up.

Everywhere we went seemed like it took at least 1 1/2 hours to get there. So our bums still have the car seat seams in them.

Saturday

2011-10-15T06:39:00.002-06:00

Saturday started out at our niece's soccer game. She's the one in the green.

Then it was to my Oma's. It is always nice to listen to hear stories. She was a young teenaged girl during Hitler's time. Very kind lady.

Then off to Huntington Beach with my dad. This is where spent a good amount of the time.

It was a bit chilly, but beautiful.

Friday

2011-10-14T06:26:00.001-06:00

Friday was the funeral and the wake at my aunt's house.

Though it was a sad time, it was nice to see family that we haven't seen in years.

Here is my beautiful sister and one of beautiful cousins.

(Don't know why I am slouching.)

Us...

My dad, step-mom and brothers.

Thursday

2011-10-13T06:58:00.002-06:00

We left NM early Thursday morning and came back Tuesday night.
We were pretty non-stop and were in the car A LOT!
Here's some of our trip.

We followed a trail of hay for about 40 min. This is why.

Of course we had to stop. (We don't have any here.) Hubby would've eaten there more if he wasn't out numbered.

This photo doesn't do this justice. There was a section in Cali that looked like God was making a bunch of big rock piles.

Imperial Sand Dunes.

A blur

2011-10-12T10:58:00.000-06:00

You've probably noticed that I haven't posted in about a week.

We had to go to California for a funeral. So, we stayed and saw a bunch of family.

My Grammy passed on Monday.

She was a tough, tenderhearted lady who had a BIG heart for kids.

Up to the day she died, she had little kids following her.

It was a nice, small service with her favorite meal afterward...hot dogs and beans.

So fitting. (Don't get me wrong she was a classy lady, just very unassuming and down to earth.)

Though we had different faiths, a few things really got to me.

She and my Papa were very dedicated to their faith. There was no question as to what they believed.

I asked myself a few times, "Am I as dedicated to to what I believe." "Am I giving my all?"

While my Grammy lived with many physical problems, she was always smiling and concerned for other people.

She will be missed.

Speaking of Peach Pies

2011-10-05T11:30:00.001-06:00

Here's how mine turned out. The recipe was from Southern Living magazine. it had ALOT of steps.

including freezing. But it was worth it. (except the salty crust.)

Layouts

2011-10-04T06:50:00.000-06:00

one of my new favorites.

credit

In October

2011-10-03T07:46:00.000-06:00

YIKES! So sorry for the hugeness of the photos in the last post. How embarrassing and distracting. I tried to make them smaller.

Anyway, onto a real live post. I'll try not to post too many ads for products. Those two just fell one after another.

Last month I wrote I wanted to do a few things...let's see how I did.
remember my sister's b-day...Check

take the kids to see alpacas...Check
exercise more...does a two hour walk with hubby count?
have some ladies over
not get mad at hubby hunting so much...hence the two hour walk
make my first peach pie...made it and ate it! it was good too.
spend more time with God...check
do some art with the kids...Check

Five out of eight...not too bad.

Now for October...just that name brings visions of autumn.
transfer files from pc to hard drive
clean out laundry room
exercise more (let's see how i do this month)
speak more positively
go on local train ride with kids
get to bed before ten more often

That's all for today. Off to start homeschooling, showering, grocery shopping, clothes washing, slow cooker filling.

Have a great day!

T.G.I. Fridays

2011-10-02T08:02:00.002-06:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of T.G.I. FRiDAY'S for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Tonight we tried T.G.I. FRiDAY’S “Entrées for One”, Prime Rib Stroganoff.

Let me tell you these were a bit hard to find. Had to ask a worker to help me. Sometimes things can be hard to find at WalMart as they always move things around.
Anyway, I chose the Prime Rib thinking my hubby would love the meat. He also loves old fashioned type cooked meals. So this fit the bill. I don't think we have ever eaten at T.G.I. Fridays, so I was curious to try some of their food out.

It was easy to heat up. Our teenage daughter got it ready for us all to try. We all had a taste. Hubby went first. Here's what he thought, "It needs more taste", "Not to die for", and the like. Our son liked the meat and thought it had enough taste. Our daughter, thought it was what she expected and ate a few more bites. I had one bite and passed it on. Not my cup of tea. Hubby did finish it all; he was hungry.

So, you can guess we don't recommend it. Maybe another flavor would be better, maybe not. I do hope Friday's food tastes better.

T.G.I.Fridays is having a fun contest, here: Fun Freezer contest
Go and check it out, enter and you may win some cool prizes.

Hill's Pet Nutrition

2011-09-30T04:01:00.001-06:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hills Pet Nutrition for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

So, I joined up on Social Spark. I am still trying to figure it all out, so please bare with me. However, you get to hear about some great products and deals.

Our dog Dolly. The kids LOVE to dress her up. She's a good sport.

First off is Hill's Pet Nutrition

(I have to be honest, I think I have only tried some of the breath treats for dogs. However, I may look into them more after reading about them.)

Here's Charlie. He's such a love bug!

Here's the scoop:

*Visit http://bit.ly/nT6qYu and research the Hill’s Healthy Mobility Challenge. I know I am going to check it out.

*Ycan register now and receive $30 in coupon offers. Who couldn't use an extra $30 to use on their pets.

*Get this...registering automatically enters you in the Sweepstakes where 30 winners will receive FREE PET FOOD for a year! That would save a bunch of $$!

*To get more information about Hill’s Science Diet dog food by visiting http://bit.ly/nh5LiQ. Again, I will be doing some reading today.

*Did you know Hill’s Pet Nutrition is on Facebook? http://www.facebook.com/HillsP… Who isn't on FB!

Again, some links for you:

Hill's Healthy Mobility Coupon

Hill's Pet Nutrition

Hill's Pet Nutrition on Facebook

just pulling photos out of the files

2011-09-27T06:22:00.000-06:00

The kids have colds. Not bad, but still sick.

We made a teranium for science...thanks Anne for the container.

C picked out the plants, some type of fern and a cactus.

Just about done. For some reason the colors relax me.

Art...watercolor and cut outs (no drawing allowed, for the cut outs) to make a stormy day.

C's...she always put so much thought into her art. She wasn't sure what to draw in the sceen. I suggested off of the top of my head a graveyard. There you go.

She always has the better water colors too!

Son's...um, blame the medicine or the goofy mood, or call it totally abstract art...

He took more of our cut pieces and made something out of it.

Let me explain...the thing on the bottom left is a boat with someone's arm, then there are birds lined up on the dripping glue, in the middle we have a hill, with a tree and a dinosaur, and then on the right is another hill.

He even added a 3D affect to the tree.

Mine. It is much harder then you think to just cut out items without first drawing them.

They Are Onto Me

2011-09-26T06:08:00.000-06:00

I had mentioned that I have been trying out new recipes without much success.

Here's the scoop.

I don't like to give some cooks a bad rep, so I won't really tell you whose cookbook I have been using.

However, she is married to a Jerry Seinfeld.

The main thrust of her cookbook is eating healthy (and who isn't trying to feed their family better).

She adds pureed vegies to almost everything.

Even desert. These called for pureed carrots, but I was out. So, I added pureed yellow squash.

Son took one bite and spit it out. Seriously. They weren't that bad. Though too salty. Hubby and can handle the "healthy" taste, but not the kids.

Her Spinach Chocolate Chip Mint Ice Cream was a thumbs down too. I ate it all! You have to like the taste of greek yogurt. Can't taste the spinach, honest.

I have a few more to try and probably toss, but I will keep her trick of adding vegie purees to our food, though not religiously.

Just a word to famous cooks or those who are putting together a cookbook.

PLEASE don't tell us "This is the best...I have ever eaten.", "Is this what Heaven smells like?" and the like, until you've feed it to others outside of your family. "Sounds too good to be true" fits in this case.

Alpacas...

2011-09-24T13:08:00.000-06:00

We went to the Alpaca Farm today.

Pretty neat (for me anyway).

The little brown girl is only 2 weeks old.

These are all females.

Males. Much friendlier. One wanted to kiss people.

Here's C petting the baby.

Alpaca facts. (let's see how much I can remember.)

From South America

From the camel family.

Can be breed two weeks ago giving birth! These people wait longer. (There were other breeding facts I will spare you.)

Need to be in a herd.

Pretty gentle animals.

Do hum! (that one's for the twins!)
Breed for their fleece.

Their hair/s are hollow which act as a great insulator. (Something like R90 where our roof has R30? Some factoid the lady put out there.)

You can't import them from South America any more.

Breeding them is catching on and growing.

A rug made from Alpaca fleece needs no washing; simply flip it over, sweep under the rug and walk on it. You can hand wash if needed.

Their fleece is great.

*socks will absorb wetness and not be wet.

*she really went on about the fleece.

Their manure can go directly into the garden without burning your plants.

They have sweet breath.

Oh, one more interesting fact...the all go "to the bathroom" in the same spot. (true. we saw it.)

Just in case you wanted to learn more here's a site.

Random, Very Random

2011-09-23T06:45:00.000-06:00

I have been going back between two pounds. Gained two, lose two, gain two...I have prevailed and finally lost three!

I am going to have a few hours to myself today!

It seriously seems like everything I make for dinner lately is a miss. I have been trying new recipes (more on that later) and have yet to find a good one. Last night was a bomb and so we had ~~not-so-yummy~~ leftovers. I left the table and the conversation turned to what it was like eating in the Depression. "Is this what it was like?" Son actually concluded that now is probably worse. See what I mean.

I highly doubt the my beloved Red Sox are going into the post season.

We just came out of revival and man was it good. God moved powerfully!

Need to come up with something for our church potluck this Sunday. Something tried a proven.

Being Nosey

2011-09-22T07:39:00.001-06:00

So our kids think I am nosey.

I ask them questions about everything really.

Even hubby agrees at times.

But I am the mom for goodness sake. I NEED to know these things, right?

I know that some people believe that if you don't ask your kids/teens questions they will just talk and you'll be able to "tell". Okay, maybe.

So I am going to give it a try. Only ask really important questions, like "How many fish sticks do you want?",
"How did you do on your math?" (this one they do tell me w/o asking sometimes.)

I am going to see how this don't ask, they'll tell method works.

How about you? Are you a nosey mom?

Calling all Post Cards

2011-09-20T12:37:00.004-06:00

We are studying US History right now and I thought it would be grand to have a post card from each state.
When the kids where very little and homeschooling was not a thought in our minds, we had a huge US map in their room. I had hung some post cards with strings (yarn) to the coordinating state. A big HOWEVER, we got rid of it. I kick myself everytime I think about it. Anyway, we have a new US map and would love to do the same thing, just more in depth. I also got inspired by this blog post.

Here's where you come in:

I know I have readers from all over.

Would you be so kind to send a post card of your state and maybe a bit about it...population, industry, etc.

How awesome that will be!

If you are willing, please comment with your email (if I can't get to your blog) and I will email you my info.

Thanks a bunch!

We have:
New Mexico
Coming:
Tennessee (I believe.)
Washington (I think.)
Utah (thanks Mandi!)
Hawaii
Illinois
Mass, VT & NH
California

Also, just for kicks, I have a poll on the top right hand side. :)

2011-09-19T12:05:00.000-06:00

Okay, I managed to take a few photos.

Picked these up at WalMart.

(imagine them right side up.)

White Chocolate Candy Corn M&M's...VERY sweet. They have a hint of candy corn flavor otherwise just candy coated white chocolate. Not complaining, but won't buy again.

The kids even said they were too sweet.

Another goodie I bought while grocery shopping...Pumpkin Pie Bar mix. I usually make my own desserts, but I am longing for Autumn and Daughter loves to bakes.

Yesterday morning, outside of our gargage. Every Sept. hot air balloons fly over the city. We almost always get them over our house, landing in our street (twice). This year the closest we got was this lone balloon.

Now off to:

finish putting away the groceries

laundry

straighten house

dishes

iron

you get the picture

Thanks for your comments...they really make me feel loved!

busy busy busy

2011-09-18T16:06:00.000-06:00

is anybody still out there?

i know i have been a bad blogger.

we have been almost crazy busy.

between homeschooling, revival (awesome), life, errands, life, i have not taken many photos or found time to blog.

will you forgive me?
i promise to blog here soon, if you promise to comment.
it makes me feel good. ;)

ten on ten

2011-09-13T09:34:00.000-06:00

awhile ago i saw a blog post featuring ten photos of the blogger's day on the tenth of the month. i have been wanting to do this for some time. i finally did. here's my 10 on the 10th. i don't know if the blogger is still actively doing this, but what the hey! it's a great idea.

caught up on my blogs, etc. while i ate breakfast.

picked up daughter from sleep over. we really do clean our car. it's just very dusty here.

had tuna, iced decaf and kettle corn for lunch.

ironed

enjoying some cooler temps

went to another party. daughter drove us there.

returned book for daughter to the library.

did some errands.

had an evening concert/healing crusade at a local park. here's my friend anne of alamo talking to a lady about Jesus.

the rap group. a friend and i prayed with to young ladies. the Holy Ghost was in that witness. awesome!

where were you?

2011-09-10T09:37:00.000-06:00

i know that ALL over the web, radio and tv the talk is about 9/11. i for one was getting "tired" of it, a bit, if i may be honest. however, i did watch two videos this morning that brought me back to that morning.

i remember it was around 8-ish here.
i was getting our daughter and myself breakfast. (i don't even remember where our son was at that time.)
for some reason i was chatting with my sister-in-law in the phone.
the radio was on...NPR.
i remember as my SIL was talking hearing the words on the radio announce that the first plane had struck the tower.
i mentioned it to my SIL.
like so many other people didn't think too much of it.
then the second one struck.
i felt like the rug was pulled out from under me.
i told her to turn on her radio and what had just happened.
we hung up.
i remember thinking, what in the world?
i don't remember if i called hubby or not.
only i was in a numb state.
(what will happen now? what does this mean? will hubby be called back into service?)
even though we were far from the scenes i felt unsafe.
daughter was in kindergarten and it was half day.
i took her to school, numbly going through our routine.
there, i noticed there wasn't as many people.
one mom and i talked.
she being an air force wife felt the sting even more.
i remember her telling me. "that bringing the kids to school is good. it keeps them in there routine."
i think hubby came home early.
we went to a friend's house to watch it all on tv.
those images are FOREVER etched into my heart.

after a few days of being glued to the radio and internet, flags showing up everywhere, one vision sticks in my head...
i was at the school dropping of daughter when a few jets flew overheard from our air force base.
those jets, those pilots became real to me.
i remember thinking, that jet noise sure holds a lot more weight.
and those pilots may go and fight and never come back.
sobering.

how has 9/11 changed me?
while my flag isn't flying as much i would like to think i have more of an American pride.a level of safety was taken and still lingers.
honestly, i feel a certain uneasiness, distrust towards a certain race of people.
i hope though that the events of 9/11 have brought some sort of maturity.
i feel more connected to past generations who have seen and lived through similar events.
i say thank you to more military personnel now.

as i end this post, i know that America is still divided on so many fronts.
i know that the world we live in is different than 10 years ago.
i also know that God is still in control and it is upon Him i stand.

God bless America today and every day.

rag rug

2011-09-07T12:45:00.000-06:00

i finally tried my hand at making a rag rug.

(these pics are taken from the laptop. all of our camera batteries are dead.)

my first attempt looked more like a very loose hat.

i rewatched the videos. (she has the best tuts!)

this one is actually my second one. i am using material here. this is not finished.

my first one (well third attempt). using old t-shirts. not done either. this one's going in to our laundry room.

or i may start a new fashion trend!

have a great day!

is it september already!?

2011-09-03T15:44:00.001-06:00

where did the time go?
have you seen it?

this month i want to...
remember my sister's b-day
take the kids to see alpacas
exercise more
have some ladies over
not get mad at hubby hunting so much
make my first peach pie
spend more time with God
do some art with the kids

****************************
just because i know you like photos:
here's one of me in the 70's.

Another Zucchini Recipe

2011-09-01T12:04:00.000-06:00

ok, so the title is a bit misleading.

i don't really have a zucchini recipe for you.

More of a handy hint, with lots of photos ~~to get my point across~~ for your enjoyment.

you can do this with any zuc bread recipe.

cut up zucs like so.

just throwing in our little compost container (this goes out to the outside composter).

put eggs, oil, vanilla, and zucs in the blender along with any other liquids.

you can also add half of an orange, rind and all (minus seeds) at this point. you won't regret it.

give a whirl on puree setting.

pour it into your dry mix. mix as usual.

bake as instructed and enjoy.

and please if you're still reading, my comment button is lonely. thanks!

can't remember

2011-08-31T15:58:00.000-06:00

I was up late lasy night. Wasn't that tired.

I had a very lovely blog post planned out for you.

Now I don't remember.

It's the Little Things

2011-08-26T06:26:00.000-06:00

Yesterday started off not so good.

I actually left the kids to do school on their own and went to a friends to vent.

I came home the kids had done the dishes, laundry was about done and their chores were done!

Gotta love that. I am blessed.

Then this came in the mail. It's from my grandma.

I had recently talked to her. She and I share a love for gardens. I told her that hydrangeas were one of my favorite flowers. We really can't grow them here. In here card she wrote of finding this card at the thrift store and thought of me, and some other nice things. It really topped off my day.

It's the little things...an upside down stamp means "I Love You". (at least in our family)

And Sealed With A Big Kiss.

Go and make someone's day!

Food and Stuff

2011-08-25T06:25:00.000-06:00

My first try at Chicken Wellington (before the sauce). Yum.

I LOVE these. That coming from a former non-tomato gal. Fresh tomatoes sliced, a hint of olive oil, Italian seasoning, mozzarella cheese and parsley...YUM!

Here's what I do every two weeks. I plan out our meals (dinner) for two weeks.

Helps SOOO much! This binder has recipes from magazines, newspapers, etc. I rotate what books to get my recipes from. Keeps things exciting.

Wet & Jello

2011-08-24T06:04:00.001-06:00

We have been getting rain...good rain.

The kids have been having fun riding in it.

Here's a cell we made in science. The egg is the nucleus.

she won!

2011-08-23T08:53:00.000-06:00

Last week both of the kids entered some art/photographing in the fair.

For J's (art) there was no line. So in and out for him.

For C (photography) we were in line for 1 1/2 hours!

It was worth the wait. Her baseball photo won first place in the computer enhanced category!

Here's J's art.

Also, someone is coming tonight to buy a copy of C's sunflower photo.

Thanks for the suggestion on getting her into some competition.

life with teenagers

2011-08-20T07:05:00.001-06:00

honestly, i don't feel old enough to have two teenagers.

but as i type i can't help but think of how our life is with teens.

take this little conversation from yesterday:

the kids were discussing the fair..."i don't want to throw up on the rides.", "i don't want to be on any rides with teenagers kissing.", "don't know what i am going to wear." and "what if i sweat." then proceeds on demonstrating many armpit moves.

the one who was worried about getting sick, didn't. it was the other one.

and golly when we caught up with the kids two teens were very much attached (i will leave it at that).

our daughter drove to the fair and upon getting out son says "my pits are dripping."

mothering teens and toddlers are much alike.

pros:

you NEVER know what they are going to do/say next.

they grow and mature at such a fast pace.

some days you are all they need and know everything.

they are learning to be responsible (though the responsibility thing is much greater with teens.)

they look through the world through different eyes.

they want to do things for themselves (can be a con)

cons:

the emotions

the having to let go and let them fall and get up on their own while you watch.

the drama (sometimes)

their independence

the seeing your bad behavior/habits in them (that one is really evident as teens)

their loudness

the mess (but that goes with being a kid)

some days hubby and i are pulling out our hair, but most days we are laughing at (with) them or looking at each other with "what in the world?" looks.

I remember asking my MIL when do they "get it". to which she quickly replied, "when they move out."

having teens also means i have no photos new to post only ones they took of themselves.

sure they may take forever in the bathroom grooming themselves, our nostrils are blown away with too much body spray and they have swapped out diapers for zit creams i do love having teenagers.

one more funny quote from son:
while hearing a very deep voiced singer...

"he must have a very big johnny apple...seed hahaha"
he forgot what an adams apple was called.

Layouts

2011-08-19T09:54:00.000-06:00

I have started making an album for the kids.

Reasons why I love them.

Here's the cover page for daughter.

Reason no. 1.

Reason no. 212 (the number just sounded good.)

Cover for son.

Reason no. 1.

credits here

classics

2011-08-18T11:29:00.001-06:00

just to show you that not every dish/dessert i make turns out...

this was supposed to look like...

...this. the brownies ended up in a heap of crumbles and the shortening in the creme was gross.

to show you what the kids did one time while i was reading literature or history. maybe i can give them horticulture credits...i know that's pushing it.

tonight we go to the fair and cast our votes for our kids' art/photos.

blogger's block

2011-08-12T18:10:00.000-06:00

do you ever sit at your blog and start typing then erase the whole thing?

i guess you'd say it's blogger's block and i have it.

can't figure out pintrest either. can't make the photos i like from blogs go to my pintrest page. probab;y a good thing.

anyway i do want one of these. hubby may make one for me.

Passport to India

2011-08-11T13:33:00.000-06:00

I am very excited about this news.

Last year through our Sonlight Cirriculum we watched a missionary video series on India.

I have had a burden for India and it's people, and this just furthered that burden.

(all photos are from the passport to india web site)

We followed Chris (the big American) through his travels in India.

We saw their poverty in material things, and their richness in heart and smiles.

We saw how they are starting schools and teaching children and adults about Jesus and His saving grace.

I loved it. The kids loved it and hubby loved it. (He had us wait until he got home to watch them.)

So, I couldn't be more thrilled to find out that they are doing this again this year!

You can go there yourself. http://mypassporttoindia.org/

Your heart will be changed.

a surprise blessing

2011-08-09T17:43:00.000-06:00

A couple of Sundays ago we came home from church to find this on our door step.
YAY!

I called a friend whom I suspected to thank her.
She denied it all.
Anyway, I used it once and made the best cookies and cream ice cream.
Then it broke...which is still a mystery.
Anywhoo, the company Rival is sending me a new one!
Thank you helpful service lady.

If you have any favorite ice cream machine recipes (the ones that use no salt), send them my way!