Recipes

Taco Bubble Casserole

I wish I could claim this one as my own but I found it off TastyKitchen and I knew I had to try it.


Taco Bubble Casserole
adapted from FeistyFilly on Tasty Kitchen

1 pound Lean Ground Beef
1 can of black beans, rinsed
1 package Taco Seasoning Mix (1 Ounce Package)
¾ cups Water
1 can (10 3/4-oz.) Condensed Tomato Soup
1 can (17.3-oz.) Grands Refrigerated Golden Corn Biscuits Or 1 (16.3-oz.) Refrigerated Buttermilk Biscuits
2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Your Favorite Taco Toppings: sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, olives, green onions, etc.

Heat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9x 13 with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Brown ground beef in large skillet over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain grease. Add taco seasoning mix, water and soup; mix well. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low; simmer 3 minutes. Stir in the black beans. Remove from heat.

Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into 8 little wedges. Add to the bottom of the 9x13 pan. Carefully spoon tomato soup mixture over the biscuits, spreading out evenly to edges.

Bake at 375 degrees for 18 to 23 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and biscuits are golden brown. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven; bake an additional 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes to cool before serving. (also makes cutting and serving easier)

To serve, cut into 8 squares. Top each serving with lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, olives, sour cream and onions. (I did this buffet style with bowls of toppings to people could customize their own piece. It worked really well.)


Chocolate Chip Cinna-Mini's

These use those fabulous new Pillsbury crescent roll sheets in the tube. So easy to do!

1 tube of crescent roll sheets cinnamon, for sprinkling brown sugar, for sprinkling mini chocolate chips, for sprinkling 2 tbsp melted butter glaze (recipe follows) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, unroll your crescent roll sheet and re-shape into a rectangle, if needed. Just pull it into shape; it won't mind at all. With a pastry brush, brush on the melted butter, coating VERY well. Sprinkle a good healthy amount of cinnamon over the butter. Now sprinkle about a cup of brown sugar over top of the cinnamon and butter. Using your fingers, schmear it all together, coating the dough sheet well. Now sprinkle on about a half cup of mini-chocolate chips (or less/more if you like). With the long edge facing you, roll up tightly. Pinch the seam to the dough to seal. Now using a very sharp serrated knife (I used my bread knife), cut dough into 1 inch slices. (I think I ended up with 10 slices) Place about an inch apart on your cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving and dipping into the dipping glaze. Dipping Glaze 1/2 cup of powdered sugar 1 teaspoon of vanilla (I used vanilla paste so you can see the vanilla bean specks in my picture) 4-5 teaspoons milk Mix all together. If too thick, add a splash more of milk to desired consistency.

Movie Day 8-17-2010

I did laundry and watched movies all day. Wash, dry, fold, wash dry fold. I watched Chaplin and I watched Amelie.

Chaplin was a bit sad, cause you know, he's dead and all. And they banned him from the US and he did everything for the movie industry. I didn't know J. Edgar Hoover was such a prat. WOW! I looked up a lot of stuff after watching it. Amelie made me laugh out loud over and over. It is a bit hard to follow for an American! They don't spell everything out and make it all obvious. It was funny, though. I ran to Costco and got milk and a couple of things and then ran in to Fresh Market to get my one thing there---their whipping cream. It whips up so easily. I HATE Cool Whip. I think it is total rubbish. The only way I like it is folded into peach jell-o pie or whatever it is my mom makes. I think she uses Cool Whip....maybe not. So, today was a day for folding many things, for contemplation and such. Now, off to bed. Should have gone to bed two hours ago!! Oh NO!!!

What a week 8-15-2010

Well, this week was crazy! I'm glad the first week of school is over, Ella's first day is over, most of the sign ups and supplies are DONE and this week I can try to catch up. I have to get a few more supplies, add a lot to my calendar and try to fit in some time for myself. Ha ha.
Today the sermon at church was really nice and I took a lot of notes. It was about sharing your faith by being yourself but also about reading who you are sharing with. The passage was from John and was about how the disciples first met Jesus. I found it interesting what made each one follow him. The pastor gave me real insight on what motivates people. For instance, Peter was purpose centered so Jesus challenged him right off by calling him the Rock. Peter did live up to this name and met the challenge. He went through all of the disciples in the passage. Very cool. I love it when the sermon makes me think.

I am reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and I hope it will end well. There is nothing worse than a book with a bad ending. Except maybe a movie with a bad ending. I finished Bram Stoker's Dracula and I have to say I was surprised that it was such a page turner. I did want to shout at the characters at times because they did not see the obvious. So far, Great Expectations is pretty good and is very funny when you catch the humor.
When Ella's first day at school went down, Ella was ready. Frank went with us and Ella was excited. She told me she was not going to give me a kissing hand and she meant it. I cried as soon as the teacher starting reading it which annoyed Ella. Then when it came time for us to exchange kissing hands Ella said no way. We had our picture made and left and Ella was very happy. I hope she will be as fine tomorrow. I'm afraid the lunch line will stress her out.
Elise is in the middle school band I had to go get her an instrument this week. She had used my 30 year drum (got it when i was ten) for the past two years and dragged that heavy thing to school. She had to have a bell kit and a snare drum this year. So I went to Lane music and I made the lady give me used price for a new one and did the rent to own thing. Then I looked on the internet and found a PEARL one for the same price as I rented that one and it had free shipping. I can insure it for $14 a year. I took it back and that was traumatic. The new one should be here Tuesday. I should have shopped around first and I know that!
A lot is going on for Ella's birthday. I have to make her a poster, make her a scrapbook page for school, figure out a party, mom and Jon are coming and maybe my cousins, figure out a cake, and on and on......I hope I can get this all done! LOL
Tomorrow I am going to try to relax for the first time in a while. We'll see how it goes.

No news is good news?

We were supposed to receive an offer from our mortgage company (related to Recession Never Ending Blog below) and still have not. They say they have sent it.....did my crazy neighbor steal it? You only have a few days to respond, so I have to call them and tell them we did not get it YET. Our agent says this is not going to be their best offer but he also says we might not get a second offer....WHAAAA? This is making me so upset but I can put it out of my mind and think of other things like school starting. Getting together the school supplies and such is a nice ritual that offers comfort....except for the spending part.
So, I'm going to change my sheets. I love clean sheets.

Trip Log July 2010

Trip report day 1

Sunday, July 18, 2010 at 6:42am
On the way to the airport we went into Arbys. Ava spilled a whole
Ketchup cup on her clothes, shirt and pants. We went to Target and grabbed an outfit. Forget opening that suitcase! We jumped on the plane and we arrived late last night. By the time we got to the hotel it was 11:15pm. The kids had to settle down and get some rest. I'm fighting a cold or something and had to pack everything for today and try to rest but I tossed and turned all night. Now we are hurrying to get to breakfast at the Crystal Palace.

Trip Report Day Two

Sunday, July 18, 2010 at 11:04pm
Because we have one day at the Magic Kingdom we wanted to maximize ride time. We booked the Crystal Palace breakfast so that we would see Pooh, Eeyore (spelling?), Piglet and Tigger.

We were able to ride everything and see the new fireworks and new parade. What we didn't ride was Space Mountain since no one wanted to ride it. Last time we didn't get to ride as much because of character lines. Ella rode Splash Mountain for the first time and that was great. All three girls rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for the first time. Every time something closed (POC) or it rained it was at the right time and we still got to do it. Like they moved the Pooh ride Fast Pass to beside the Philharmagic which is great because you can get one as soon as the time hits for your PPF Fast Pass! I made sure we took lots of Photo Pass photos since we pre-ordered the CD. The girls had some made in the studio. There is some new construction that is exciting. Right now it is a huge dirt pile! I took a photo of the new construction. Funny thing is what they tore down was the new stuff like Ariel's grotto and Pooh's Playful Spot. They are putting in a new place for Ariel's show and Beast's Castle so that Belle can read her stories there instead of that tiny garden. The girls were well behaved until 8. Then they got tired and bickered. We had a great day, though. Oh, but Ella cried in the lines for some of the rides because she didn't want to ride them. Like, Splash Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, and the most crying of all, Jungle Cruise. She actually asked to go to the Haunted Mansion but cries about those other rides. After Buzz Lightyear we had no more crying.

I don't know why she did this. She enjoyed every ride! When we got back to the room we had to shower and wash hair because everyone was so sweaty. It wasn't too hot most of the day but after the rain it got humid. Looking forward to tomorrow.

Trip Report day 3

Monday, July 19, 2010 at 10:39pm
Today we went to Epcot.

The first funtastic adventure was the Princess Breakfast in
Norway. We took a photo in front of Spaceship Earth, saw Stitch and had a quick photo with him.

Then straight on to Norway. We checked in and it was very hot. We waited in the doorway of an
air-conditioned gift shop for ten minutes. The girls were dressed in their princess outfits and I know it was hot so I made them stay inside. Finally they called our royal family and we went in. We were in such suspense to see who the princess photos would be with. Elise was dressed as Belle, Ella was dressed as Snow White and Ava was dressed as Cinderella. Lucky Elise, it was Belle. Last time we ate there (in 2006? Ella was a toddler) Ariel was featured and Belle had on her blue and white dress when she came around to the tables. So we were happy it was Belle wearing her gold dress. We got two complimentary 8x10s (well, we paid for them by paying their outrageous price for a skimpy breakfast). Then we were thrilled
to see the princesses inside were Ariel, Cinderella and Snow White! We took some great photos.

We rode the Norway
Ride (Ella cried and said she didn't want to ride it and didn't like the waterfall trick). We went to Mexico and rode their ride (Ella cried again, and also asked if the volcano was going to erupt I told her yes, we were going to be covered in hot
lava) , then went to get a Fast Pass for Soarin'. It was around 1pm. The FP return was 7:15-8:15! We rode Behind
The Seeds, went over to The Sea, rode the clamshells, and then saw Crush. Elise got to ask a question and she asked Crush what do sea turtles eat. He answered and asked her what she liked to eat. She said steak. He asked what that was. She said cow. He asked what it tasted like and she said COW! He said he didn't mean to hassle her. LOL. Saw Chip and Dale. Dale was excited about Ella's pin of them with her name on it (thanks Maria!). We went to drink some free Coke, trekked over to Test Track and they were out of Fast Passes! I talked to the guy and he gave me a child swap. But he put us in the FP line! Yay! So we went on and rode it. Next was Mission Space, then the "Ellen ride". Ella started getting nervous and asked if there were waterfalls or lava and then
if the dinosaurs were going to eat us. I told her yes, they would eat us. After the lava cooked us. Next was Spaceship Earth. We went on to a boat launch to Germany, walked all the way around to Morocco, saw Jasmine and Aladdin, went to England where I felt very sick. I don't know what hit me. I put a cold wet paper towel on my neck, sprayed Rescue Remedy in my mouth and sat down a minute. The RR worked and we went to Soarin. Yay! Ella asked if there was a waterfall, lava, etc. I told her we were flying over a volcano where a dinosaur would push us over a waterfall. The end

Trip Report Day 4

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at 10:43pm
Today was Universal Islands of Adventure. Of course, the reason was The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWHP). We got there when the park opened. It was CRAZY! They told us to go the long way around to WWHP and of course I was like whaaaa? So we went the other way. Well, first thing in the morning they are doing crowd control so they want you to go the long way around and get a ticket. This is a free ticket, a different color each day, I guess. Today they gave out pink tickets. So if you went to any WWHP entrance they had it blockaded and you had to give a ticket to get in. The line went all the way round the park! So when we got to the entrance they wouldn't let us in and we had to go back. We went back a ways, got the ticket and went back to that gate instead of staying in line. We went right in. Later, when Frank got there after work there was no blockade and you could walk in. Every shop has a que and they only let a few in at a time. Forget Ollivanders! Over an hour wait and in the sun. Ava and Elise rode the hippogryph, we rode Forbidden Journey (elise rode three times). Have I mentioned the groups from Brazil? They are everywhere. They kept coming up to Elise and wanting their picture made with "Hermoine". LOL
So, I am too tired and will edit this tomorrow!!
Okay, so we tasted butterbeer, both kinds (frozen and regular). The foam topping was great and at first the regular was better. But out in the heat it quickly melted and the frozen was better. It had a little bit of a cream soda taste. The topping was like rich whipped cream, like whipped custard.
At Honeydukes we bought a bag of mixed candy, and some pumpkin juice. The pumpkin juice was great. It has apple juice, pumpkin juice, and spices. Very cider like but also like a pumpkin pie. At Zonko's the girls got blow tongues.

Next was Dragon Challenge, but we've ridden it lots anyway when it was Dueling Dragons. We headed out to Jurassic park but the wait was too long. So we went to Toon Lagoon and stood in he water sprayers. We knew we were getting tired and wanted to head toward Suess Landing so that Ella, who hadn't been able to ride anything could ride. So quickly rode the Hulk and the Storm spinner thing (Ella love this one) and heading over to Suess Landing. Ella saw Cat in the hat right off. Then we rode 1 Fish 2 Fish, Cat in the Hat ride, and went to the Sneetch Ride. Frank developed a bad rash on his ankle and was tired of walking and standing. A nice lady let us in the FP line and we rode it and left.
After that we went back to the hotel, showered and went to dinner. It was very good and the waiter really was sweet to the girls.

Trip report day 5

Wednesday, July 21, 2010 at 9:23pm
Today was Aquatica. It was a really nice park but I have go say the commercials are misleading. There is one ride where you slide through an aquarium. The dolphins are in there, those black and white kind called Commerson's. You cannot see them when you go through the slide because you are going fast and water is in your face. We loved the Rapid river. We rode most of the slides and there were two kids areas, one for little little ones and one for bigger little ones. The slides on the rafts, not the inner tubes were the most fun and three could ride.We came back, showered and went to dinner with Cute Donnie. The best raspberry cheesecake ever! So now I'm going to sleep peeps.

BTW this was our last park and I have to say once again that Disney is just head and shoulders above the rest. No surly hateful workers, no impossible food lines, everything works magically. The cast members are nice and although the heat seemed to be getting to some of then and not all of the exchange cast members were easy to understand, they were still better than the other park's workers. The cleanliness is second to none, also. The Hall of Presidents really pissed off Frank, though.

Thursday, July 22, 2010 at 10:02pm
Ha ha I put Thursday instead of a number to confuse you! Lido Key is beautiful. As soon as we got to our room we jumped into our swimsuits and hurried to the beach. A nice lady spotted us as she was leaving their cabana and told us to use it. We caught lots of conchs and threw then back and two hermit crabs. The girls wanted to keep the crabs but we said no. One had a baby! We saw sea turtle nests and there are lots of shells. Beautiful beach! We stayed a long time until about six.

We took a shuttle to the square and ate pizza. We walked all around, ate gelato, bought some chocolates at the fudge store, and bought a sand pail and shovel.

I took a picture of the girls in front of Neptune (becaue they love Ariel!). We had a great time at the beach!

Recession Never Ending July 2010

We took a vacation that was much needed since we are so stressed our health has begun to suffer. My PMLE (Polymophic Light Eruption)has been acting up and it is said that it is emotionally active. Frank's stress leaves him exhausted. The vacation cost us little since Frank was able to call in many favors of friends that enabled us to eat drink and be merry. I can never thank them all for doing all they did to see that our kids had a decent vacation. We had not been to the beach together since WELL before Ella was born. I'm thinking we also never took Ava to the beach together, that it was before she was born. So, it was a wonderful thing, this vacation. It is amazing to see how everyone cares for Frank. They did all sorts of things for us and the kids, from a free soft drinks to gift certificates for a dinner, a bag of tokens for video games and laundry, a free appetizer, free refills for the kids at places where you don't get them, etc. Everyone wanted pictures and email from us and want us to come back as soon as we can. It was so sweet.

Now it is time to try to finagle the finances to afford school supplies, clothing, Ella's birthday, a car tag renewal, and, of course, groceries. Let me be clear and honest. We have not been able to pay our house payment in eight months. We were able to hold on a while with our savings after the bottom dropped out of the car market in December 2008, after the election. Once that was used up, we struggled to make the mortgage and finally could no longer afford it. We are trying to refinance our home and stay in it. We are desperate. We hired a friend of a friend that is helping us and he is trying to help us negotiate a payment we can afford. We are scared and it goes without saying, STRESSED. I don't think we could even afford an apartment.We are trying to save but even saving half the payment is very hard. We were just making it before and now with 33% cut, that we are not making it at all. I have tried to find work from home because there is nothing out there that will pay daycare during the summer. Hopefully, when the kids are in school I can find something but so far there is nothing out there. I would need to make $17/hour and work from 9:30 to 2:30 in order to overcome the tax bracket. That is about impossible. Also, I would have to quit when next summer comes. Work from home would be better, but that is apparently a dream that does not come true very often, like winning the lottery. We told the girls they will not be going to the Delta Fair this fall, that they can't take dance probably, that we are taking lunch to school more often rather than eat hot lunch. They seem to understand. They were so thankful over the vacation. It is sad to see them try to play the piano and they ask for lessons, it just breaks my heart. There is a limited time window that learning an instrument is hard wired into the brain. That window is passing them by. I feel guilty all of the time.
If I buy them clothes at Wal-Mart, $8 each that's $24 I feel guilty for spending. Then all their friends are wearing Limited Too or Justice and I feel guilty for not spending. Guilt has many streets it seems. Frank feels it more than me since he is the "bread winner". The uncertainty is driving me crazy. It's so suspenseful this touch and go with the mortgage company.
Plus, our neighbor is driving us nuts, because she IS nuts. She called the police while we were gone, we think something about the dog. Maybe about the pool, who knows? We feel like she is watching us all the time and I am tired of answering the door to find the police here for some crazy thing she has imagined.
I simply must find a job!! I must....
Departure into fantasy is the only thing keeping us going. If we win the lottery this week we are moving to Florida. I will buy expensive gauzy clothing to wear over my sensitive skin and we will live right on the beach. The dog will have his own bedroom, the guest room. Visitors will be welcome but only if they don't mind sleeping with dogs.

Recession

This recession and mortgage crisis has left us all feeling down and bruised if not downright depressed. Every time there was a light at the end of the tunnel, it seemed to flicker. Our family had to downsize our home, which was utterly wrenching,especially for the kids. For months they had nightmares and seemed like hollowed eyed little shadows of themselves. We would put them to bed and feel like failures, like utter fools at what we had lost and what we had done. The house we have now needs MAJOR repairs, and of course, we can't afford them. So, even moving seems a failed experiment. We have tried to console ourselves and each other but tempers have been short these past two years and has had a definitive impact upon our family.
Now, faced with more crisis developing from the continued economic downturn, we are struggling to conceal it from the children this time. Last time, that was impossible, and this time it may come down to moving or something again where that they will find out. We are praying and searching for ways for this not to happen. It is a weight that weighs us on the happiest of days. The gifts and generosity of my family can never be repaid because of the joy and timeliness of them. Searching for ways out of the situation seems to wrap us up in gloom. We must trust in God and keeping putting one foot in front of the other. "Recession is when a neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours." --Ronald Regan

Delta Fest / Fair Sept. 2010

The Delta fest/ fair was fun Sunday. The kids had a blast. We rode rides, ate junk, petted animals, saw monkeys ride dogs, and took lots of pictures. Soooo much fun. We walked until our feet hurt and we SURE did take a bath when we got home!!

During the time we where there we all ate funnel cakes, I had a chicken pita that was the bomb, Ella had a hamburger, popcorn and a snow cone, Ava had a candy apple and a snow cone, Elise had pizza and a snow cone. Frank had a hot dog....not sure if it was a footlong...or if it was a polish sausage. He gulped it down before I could see and I was talking to Julie at the time.

We paid to see the "Freak show" and most of it was pictures and mummies or stuff preserved in a jar. So gross. The poor two headed cow looked so pitiful. I hope next year they remember that they said they don't want to see that stuff again.

At the petting zoo a goat grabbed Ella's feed cup from her hand and she lost her $2 feed cup. Her sisters shared theirs with her. The Alpacas were the nicest and softest animals. Next were the little goats--so sweet.

My favorite ride is Cliff Hanger, where you lay down and it flies you around. You feel like you can fly. But only in a circle ;). Ella loved the hangliders that you sit it and we rode them a twice. She wanted to ride them again. Ella also liked the pumpkin Ferris wheel and the motorcycles,too. Ava rode everything that Ella rode and she loved the fun houses the most. It was very hot at first, but when the clouds blew in, right after we left the petting zoo, it was nice.

At 7PM Elise got picked from the crowd to be a cheerleader for one of the monkey jockeys and had to wear a banana hat and cheer. Then she got her photo made with the monkey for free. Ava decided to have hers made with the monkey, too, but Ella declined. Elise and I rode the big swings, the swinging boat and the spinning boat and the Cliff Hanger together. Suddenly it was 9pm. Frank was worried that it was going to rain so he made us leave and it took us 20 or more minutes to get to the car. It didn't rain on us but the wind and lightening was going strong.

Zoo, Fair and Summer

It is sad that summer is over. The pool sparkles and looks inviting but is too cold, at least for me. The kids and I went to the zoo today. Ava and Ella cried and cried for a snow cone. The stupid things were $3 and that meant paying $9 total for three kids. I told them no and they cried forever. I know what you are thinking..."what spoiled brats". But no, they cried because they said, "you NEVER let us have anything." What can I say? This has been a tough year and they get get treats without treats. We go to the zoo, but you can't ride the carousel or have an icee. I buy ONE photo from the school photos, not the package. They might get to go to a play, but we have bad seats and no treat there, either. Sneaking candy and drinks into the movies or going to the drive-in where they are allowed. I know my kids are not deprived but I am sick of telling them, not this time. Not this time. Not this time. For an effing snow cone. Now the fair is here and guess what? No snow cones. Lucky you even got to come here? No. They each are taking their own five dollars that my mom gave them and are buying one treat or two if the dollars stretch that far. SO there. Nuts to you economy. Take your badness and ride outta here before I dump sticky cone juice on you.

Mother's Day Filled In 5-09-2009

At school they fill out Mother's Day questionnaires sometimes and this year two of my kids did this activity. Last year Ava, who was five then, put that I was 65 years old and weighed 53 pounds. These are always funny but are also insightful to my children's thoughts. The two things that I get onto my kids for unnecessary dishes and clothes. They will put clean clothes in the floor and I end up washing them again or they use 20 cups in a day. I guess this made an impression on them! This is what my youngest two put (the all caps words are what they filled in):

From Ella, age 3:
My Mommy is FIVE years old and has GREEN eyes and BROWN hair.
Her favorite food is TACOS.
Her job is TO WASH DISHES.
I love my mommy because SHE LETS ME WATCH TV.

From Ava, age 6:
I love my mom because she reads me FAIRY TALES.
I love my mom because she helps me PLAY THE COMPUTER.
I love my mom when she makes me laugh by TELLING FUNNY JOKES.
I love my mom because she taught me how to PLAY THE PIANO.
I love to hear my mom sing OH SAY CAN YOU SEE.
I love my mom because she finds time to PLAY WITH ME.
I know my mom cares because SHE LOVES ME.
I know my mom is smart because SHE FIXES COMPUTERS.
I love my mom because she works so hard at CLEANING THE HOUSE.
I love my mom because she's the BEST MOM EVER.

Topol

Topol....need I say more? I just got home at 11:30 pm. Tonight was kid's night at the Orpheum and I took Elise to see Topol's farewell tour in Fiddler on the Roof. When he came out on stage everyone went crazy....especially me. It's a really good thing I was not sitting up front or I might have made a fool of myself. When he began to speak in that unmistakable voice we were all mesmerized. He had lost weight in the past thirty years. Maybe his face was a little older. But that voice!! Even beyond his voice was the acting. His facial expressions, his comic genius was extraordinary. Was part of it ad-libbed? Who knows? It might be the same every night but it looked fresh, like it was just happening. When he accidentally put his hand in the milk, maybe he didn't mean to or maybe he does it in each performance. You really couldn't tell. When he laughed to himself maybe it was part of the performance or maybe he just cracks himself up. I loved it, each and every minute of it and I would go see it again and again. I had to refrain from screaming "I love you, Topol" at the top of my lungs during the quiet part at the end. And by I love you I don't mean like girl/boy love. I mean like hero love.

There will never be another like him. I thank GOD that I got to see him on this last tour. I wish I could put into words (and send them to him) of how great he is. Thank you Lord! And thank you, Julie for the ride and the burger!

Update, Funny stuff and MORE

UPDATE: Well, the letter turned out to not be all bad. The news we received is that our axe is stayed for the time being....after I fill out mountains of paperwork...and then MAYBE something good will happen.

FUNNY STUFF: I told Ava to stop bothering Ella...she had made her cry for about two hours on and off. Ella obviously needed a nap but it was time to eat. Ava made Ella cry AGAIN, so I went over and moved her plate to the end of the bar, moved her chair and her while saying, "Ava, do not touch her, do not look at her, don't put your hand on her, don't put your eyes on her." In about one minute Ella squealed and began to cry. She sobbed, "Ava put her eye on me - she's looking!" I laughed until I cried.

MORE: I decided to give stress the day off and take the kids to the movies after school. We saw Monsters Vs. Aliens and it was quite amusing. I was wearing a dress and heels because most of my clothes wear hanging up to dry and I didn't have time to find something that matched, hence quickly pull on a dress and slide into some sandals and go. After the movie I decided that the back yard needed mowing immediately because it is supposed to rain tomorrow. So I cranked it up and started mowing. Later, I was on the phone with my mother-in-law and she asked how my allergies were doing. I told her I hope they get better in spite of the fact that I just mowed the back yard. Elise said, "Tell Nonnie what you were wearing...a dress and heels while mowing the yard!" I cracked up because this must have been a funny site to the girls. At least they will remember me mowing the yard! This is what I was wearing...(see photo)

Praying

I am trying to pray for the right thing. We are carrying a big burden right now and I would like the burden to be lifted but there are several ways for this to be carried out. We would like for the burden to be lifted in a GOOD way, with no losses of any kind. Praying is not hard, and having faith is not hard. But putting away the gut gnawing worry is hard. I feel the axe waiting to drop and keep praying for God to make another way, to stay the axe, to blow the axe totally away. We received a letter about the burden and it was not good news. Now I feel even more worried. I am praying and I have a lot of faith. I am and I do. I do and I am. Pray. Pray for me, please.

What is wrong with us?

I just took a walk that was supposed to be a run with the dog. I made it one block running and had to walk the rest of the five blocks. My lungs are wheezy and I coughed my head off. Three of the five of our family are affected. Coughing and coughing. Then nothing for hours, then coughing and choking. What is up? We have had this for two weeks. Every time I want to go to the doctor we are better. Every time we are sick and I call the doctor we get better for a time., then it's back. We tried cough syrup, Benedryl, Sudafed, Mucinex, Mucinex Cough, Prescription cough syrup, Claratin, Zyrtec. I coughed until my head and neck ached. Now I am not coughing but I feel like there are bubbles in my lungs. Going to call the doctor tomorrow.

Company Leaving

Well, you saw how sad I was at Christmas when my mom and my brother left on New Year's Day. So sad! Well, last Friday my cousin and my mom came (separately) and now they are both gone. Sad sad sad. Marta and I and the girls had such fun. We went to movies, strolled the village square and delighted in the quaint shops, lunched, went to the circus, and had general rowdiness. Marta left and we were all sad. Mom was our consolation prize, but now she is gone, too. I know that we are going to Georgia next month (to see Mom and Jon) but we still miss them right now. Mom and I went on a quest for a magic dress but it did not appear. But we did get many other treasures on our quest. For instance, some squished gingerbread hearts and an awesome 6 qt dutch oven. We resisted the temptation of more garden lights---for now. Mom left this morning and the children went to bed tonight with no grammy to sleep with.....no grammy to give them cocoa in the morning. And I guess I'd better load up the automatic coffee maker. Boo hoo.

Journaling the Journey

This week has been a little hectic. Wrapping up Girl Scout Cookies sales (although they are allowed to sell, pre-orders were needed) and turning that in, getting business cards made for me and for the scouts, Ava acting nutty (won't do her homework!), Ella crying all the time (growth spurt) and me, the so tired mom. Frank has cooked dinner a lot lately because I am so tired. Now, he doesn't do dishes and they are always waiting on me, but it is nice for him to cook dinner. The laundry is taunting me from the basket on the table. The dog is curled asleep (just bathed by yours truly) and oblivious to the chaos of my thoughts. My husband is depending on me making a sale on our internet business. The person has not called me back, yet. I have not had coffee so these thought in my head are not ordered...just flapping around like seagulls after a hotdog bun. I am tired of this change of which everyone speaks....it saps my energy, my will, my hope. I want things back the way they were, back with people buying things and people going places and happy. When I was just a mom and not having to worry, not worrying about when I can make the house payment, when I can make a sale and save the day, how long we can stretch payments before we get notices. The kids don't understand that asking to go to the movie makes me cry. God says don't worry and I usually don't. But each month brings new challenges and while I know that I will rise to meet them I am weary and wary of these new leviathans the come up to devour the whole middle class of America.

Ten Things I Love About You and Me, Babe 1-19-09

The ten things I love about my family....NOT in order
1. My girls are ready to go at a minute's notice. They are spontaneous and usually ready to hit the ground running.

2. My husband laughs at me! This is great for when I am just ridiculously mad and need to see the humor in the situation.

3. My family loves the outdoors...camping, fishing, we are up for it! We love nature.

4. My girls love to pile up in the bed....to read a story, to talk about stuff or just to snuggle.

5. My family goes to church. Thank you God for my husband. What is the most often quoted scripture in my house? Philippians 2:14....but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen!!

6. My family likes to party, too! LOL We had such fun at Christmas and New Years this year that is was a special time for us all.

7. My husband will party big once a year --or let me party! Frank didn't get too mad at me and my posse's antics at the BIG party this year...it's our one time a year to let off steam and be wild girls again.

8. My family likes crafts. Even my husband will go to the craft table to help the girls if summoned by one of the princesses. They all love photography, especially Frank and we girls love to scrapbook those photos.

9. My family likes to relax. The best thing is when our house has a peace about it. A summer day by the pool, burgers on the grill, sleepy lazy days. They are the best.

10. My family loves movie night! When we can all watch family movie it is something special. Our last one was Arthur and the Invisibles....good little flick.

Music I love

Monavie

I am selling an exciting new product that is called Monavie. The nutrition value is through the roof and now my energy is too! I love the taste and how I sleep better. The company is sponsoring a school and providing jobs in the community when the Acai is harvested. Check it out at
www.mymonavie.com/memphistn

Mary in a Martha World 1-03-2009

I am reading this book and trying very hard to learn from it. I tend to be on one side of the meter or the other completely! Either rushing around trying to do everything at once while missing precious "moments" to saying "let it wait" and enjoying that special "moment" completely. I am trying to be more of the later...hey those dishes WILL wait and I know this because I am always the one they are waiting on. Whatever mess is made I am the one that will clean it up so why go crazy trying to do it all when I can read a book to one of the kids then take care of things when they are playing together? It is VERY hard and this book is excellent. Remember, Jesus himself (yes, I hear you self-righteous doubters) said, "Mary has chosen the BETTER part." Mary did not miss the moment. Our sermon was even about this one week in December!! The pastor asked if you were a "trash collector". The one who misses the whole present opening and the looks on the faces because you are so intent on getting all the wrappings and ribbons picked up immediately. Good stuff! I will keep everyone posted on how this is going. I think it went well on both Thanksgiving and Christmas.