Brrrr

A photo is worth a couple thousand words...



But the cold doesn't keep the artist from his work.

I don't knooooooowwwwwww!

My loving husband told me that he was going to by me an ereader. Yay, me!

I don't know which one to get. Boo, me.

I have looked into both the Kindle and the Nook.

They both:
Have the same screen size.
Can take SD cards for more memory.
Can play games.
Can play mp3 files.
Can browse web (limited).

Plus -

The Kindle:
Is lighter in weight.
Is $10 cheaper.
Has an e ink pearl screen.

The Nook:
Can share books. (MIL and SIL have Nooks. I could share books with them.)
Can read epub format.

I have the Kindle App on my iTouch and really like it. I tried the Nook App and ended up deleting it.

Any suggestions? I'm kinda leaning toward the Kindle, but I just don't know.

(Totally forgot to put a title here. Oops.)

It is winter in Iowa. That means more time in the house. And less time out in the freezing, cold snow. So instead of just sitting on my hind-end, watching my stories, I decided that I would dust off my sewing machine and try some new things.

Flannel Rag Quilts. I've made a few.

This one.


This one.


This one.


And...doh!


I have made two more, but they are surprise gifts. Maybe I'll show them after Christmas.

Today, I saw a pattern for coffee cup cozies. I thought I would give it a shot. I had to stop at the Salvation Army store to find some buttons. I ended up buying a blouse with some red buttons. I ended up liking the fabric so much, I cut up the blouse and used it!







Who knew I had some sewing skills?

Product Review

Christmas is closing in and you know what that means!

HICKORY FARMS!!!

Yum, yum, yum.

I was selected to recieve a Hickory Farms basket and to give you a review of it. When I told The Commander, he said, "Yippee!" and may have clapped his hands a little.

Here's what we got...



(From the website) This Perfect Picnic Basket comes with everything. The lucky person who opens it will find it filled with Hickory Farms® Summer Sausage, creamy cheeses, crackers and mustards. Our Melt Away Mints and Famously Thin Peanut Brittle promise a sweet ending! Think of all the family picnics that will be all the more special because they open and close with a keepsake Peterboro Basket®. Wt. 3.7 lbs.

We were going to slice it all up and serve it at Thanksgiving, but most of it didn't last that long! We dove into the Mission Jack Blend cheese and Beef Summer sausage right away. (That cheese is SO good.) Peanut Brittle? Gone. Melt Away Mints? My favorite. (Don't tell the strawberry candies!) I haven't cracked open the mustards yet, but the honey pineapple has been calling my name.

And don't get me started on how cute the basket is. Perfect for transporting a pie or small casserole.

Hickory Farms gift boxes have always been a gift we know will get used. We buy at least one every year (if not more). If you are looking for that hard-to-buy-for person (or anyone else, for that matter), keep Hickory Farms in mind.

It's good stuff.

_____

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Hickory Farms and received a signature gift box from Hickory Farms to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Friday Five

1. Are you a morning or a night person?

I am totally a night person. You are lucky if you come in and wake me in your morning person, chipper voice and I don't punch you in the throat.

2. You’re having dinner with friends. They all start gossiping about another friend of yours. What do you do?

I listen and then confirm or deny based on what I know. If I don't know, I end up asking the friend later to see what's up.

3. What is the worst job you've ever had?

I was a cook at the Sonic Drive-In for one whole month. I hated that place. (My co-workers were great!) They would hose down and wash the floor while people were standing there doing their jobs! My feet would get soaking wet. I got grease burns every shift. We had to reach into the hot water the weiners were kept hot in WITH OUR FINGERS because they didn't have any tongs. And, I was told not to touch the pop machine and the ice machine at the same time because it would electrocute me. Great.

4. What magazines do you subscribe to?

I recently subscribed to Entertainment Weekly, Country Living (both of those purchased with Coca-Cola points), Good Housekeeping and Redbook ($5.00 a year each, on special). I want Reader's Digest, but I need a cheaper price.

5. What is your favorite restaurant in your area?

Describe "area". In town? The Dairy Queen. Within 30 miles? The Green Mill has a Blaze Burger that makes my eyes sweat, but The Dairy Freeze has the best soft serve chocolate ice cream I have ever had. Ever. Within 45 miles? Mineral City has a most tasty Coconut Chicken Salad. Nom, nom.

It's fall, y'all!

It's fall. Time for pumpkins...



and mums...



and leaves...

lots of leaves.



We raked and mulched last Saturday. I took this photo this morning. I guess we get to do it all again.

It is kinda pretty, in its own way.



I did get to use some of my artistic qualities to make "art with natural media".



In other news... my husband was surprised that the grass under the tire swing was getting killed off. Silly man.



The kids around here love this thing. We don't need no stinkin' swing set. Just a flat tire and some rope.

Conversations with my son

Actual conversation in the car on the way to school this morning.

Him: Can I have a flare gun?
Me: No.

BBQ Samich

I'm making this again today.

I was whining the other day about not having any good BBQ since I've been up here so I went on Tasty Kitchen and found this recipe.

It. Was. So. Good.

I'm not going to add as much water this time because it was a little runny, but everything else was tasty!

Enjoy!

Tangy BBQ Samich

•3 pounds Beef Roast Of Choice
•1 cup Onion, Sliced
•1 cup Ketchup
•1 cup Favorite BBQ Sauce
•1 cup Water
•2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
•2 Tablespoons Vinegar Of Choice
•2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
•2 cloves Garlic, Minced
•1 teaspoon Chili Powder
•1 teaspoon Sea Salt
•½ teaspoons Black Pepper, Cracked


1. Dump all of the ingredients in your slow cooker.
2. Cook on High for 6-7 hours. At that point, pull out the roast and shred meat using two forks. Then put the meat back into the crock and let it sit a bit to allow the juice to saturate meat.
3. Pile the meat into a good bun such as Bolilo or Telara and top with cheese if you choose.
4. If you don’t eat it on the way to the oven, you can broil the cheese and buttered bun until golden and crispy.

Come on cold!

What a crazy fall we are having up here.

This time last year, we had more than an inch of snow. Temps have been in the 80s the last few days and the Asian Beetles are going strong.





I thought they were cute, little ladybugs, but, boy was I wrong! These suckers bite! They come in yellow, orange and red, with or without spots. And they invade like nobody's business. We've had a bunch come in the house and collect up in the corners. The Commander had to get a broom handle and knock them down. And they stink when you smush them. Yick.

There are some other bugs that are everywhere as well. People call them No-See-Ums, but when I looked at photos on the web, that isn't what these bugs look like. They are tiny, black things and they excrete an enzyme that burns.

The Boy's scout leader said to wipe Listerine on you to keep them away. We looked at him like he was crazy and ended up joking about wiping Jack Daniels on you and swigging the rest of it down!



The mosquitos are still trying to carry off young children. We just need a good hard freeze!

_____

Harvest is slowing coming to an end. Thank goodness. The dust and stuff in the air is causing a bunch of folks to be coughing, sneezing and gacking. Hopefully we can get a good rain (before the freeze!) and get some of this stuff settled down.

_____

In other news...

Someone joined the band.

Conversations with my son.

Me: Did you get a cough drop?
Him: No.
Me: Go get one.
Him: Not right now. My program is on.
Me: Your program is on? What are you? 87?
Him: Well, if you multiply my age by eight and add seven, then yes.

Friday Fill-In

1. I'm going _____.

2. Laughter _______.

3. Perhaps today you can make it a point _____.

4. It's hard to know how much ________.

5. Compassion is _____

6. _____ no matter how difficult.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!

**********

1. I'm going to attempt to make a quilt. I won't be one of those fancy quilts with the stars, barns or Sunbonnet Sues, but it will be mine! I love the quilt my Granny made for me and I would like to pass a little something like that down to the kids.

2. Laughter is a wonderful thing. I miss my Oklahomies. They made me laugh like crazy.

3. Perhaps today you could make it a point to do some laundry?

4. It's hard to know how much is too much? I don't know! This one is hard.

5. Compassion is getting to be a sparce commodity. Parents are teaching their children.

6. I'm going to try to start exercising again no matter how difficult. I wish I had a treadmill. That would make it easier.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching Avatar, tomorrow my plans include a trip to the cities for in-laws' birthdays and The Science Museum and Sunday, I want to just hang out with the fam!

Murphy went with us.

Yesterday was a doozie.

It started out okay. The Boy and I were making pancakes into odd shapes and I attempted to make the number ten (for his age). I ended up with a legless turkey.



Then, we got in the car and headed north to get a replacement lens for my glasses. (I was cleaning them one day and TINK! a small chunk broke off right next to my earpiece. Luckily, there is a one year warranty and so they ordered a new lens for me.)

I got my glasses at a small department store's eyecare place. I really like the store. It is kinda like K-Mart's more sophisticated older sister.

Anywho...The lady put my new lens in and I walked back to the toys to fetch the boy. We wandered toward the front of the store and I noticed I already had something on my new lens. I took my glasses of to check and there was a crack in the lens!

I went back to the eyecare place and let the lady have a look-see. We both agreed that it wasn't in the lens when she put it in, but it sure was there now.

I asked her to put the other lens back in since the piece that was missing didn't interfere with my vision, but the new crack sure did.

We got back into the car and headed to sprawlmart for another gallon of paint for the deck.



Wouldn't you know it? Dutch Boy is not longer making the accent base. How special is that? The paint manager told me a different store had three gallons left and if went to that store (An hour and a half from where I was.), and couldn't get any, come back and they would try to match as close as they could and if I bought a gallon, they wouldgive me a gallon for free to make up for the gallon we used. While that was nice and all, we really don't want to repaint what we have painted. We are headed down to Ames tomorrow so maybe we can look at the store there.

In case you are wondering why we are going to Ames? We are going to visit that tall boy in the above photo and wish him a happy 20th birthday! And take him presents! And food! And buy him supper! (Red Lobster hates to see him on All You Can Eat Shrimp Night.)

Let us take a moment to remember him when...

This blog

This blog is powered by donuts. As you can tell by the sporatic posts, my donut supply is slim to none.

Send donuts. Not to be picky, but Daylight if you got'em.

TMI

My body is using all of its moisture to make snot.

That's corny.

Sing it with me...

127 ears of corn on the counter.
127 ears of corn.



Take one down,
Boil it around,
Cool it down,
Cut it off the cob,
Bag it,
Put it in the freezer,
Attempt to write a poem and run out of words that rhyme with down and you're too tired to really put any effort into it.
126 ears of corn on the counter.



(I couldn't get them all in one photo. They were spread out from one end of the kitchen to the other.)

Product Review

I know it is hard to believe, but I really like product reviews.

And I really, really like food product reviews!

So when Mom Central asked, "Do you want to try the new Eggo Fruit Pizzas?", how could I resist? Eggos and fruit? Suh-weet.

From the website:
There's an exciting new way to enjoy Eggo® products! New Eggo™ Real Fruit Pizza, topped with real fruit and crunchy toasted granola… they're the perfect way to shake up your breakfast routine! Ready in just a minute from your microwave. Try both tasty flavors, Strawberry Granola and Mixed Berry Granola!

I waited not so patiently for the pizzas to arrive and, of course, when they did, I was out of town. Luckily, my husband was here to get them and keep them safe for me. (They were supposed to be for me and The Boy, but you'll see why that didn't work here in a minute.)

With huge smiles and lots of anticipation, we opened the package. Then, The Boy saw the photo on the box.



"Granola?!?! Ugh." and off he went to play far away from the granola.

Now, I'm all about granola, so I stayed put. More for me!

I ate this one...



...and saved the strawberry one for later.

It. Was. So. Good.

It comes with one of those silver microwave trays and it only takes a minute to cook. It wasn't overly sweet (which is what I was worried about) and the berries didn't have that weird frozen/thawed taste. The Boy doesn't know what he is missing.

I highly recommend you fetch you some and I thank the folks at Eggo and Mom Central for letting me try them.

_____

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Eggo Real Fruit Pizza and received a sample of the product and a $20 Amazon gift certificate to facilitate my review.

Shut the front door!

Whoosh!

That was the sound of the summer flying by.

And this young man flying by...



Second overall in the 5K on the 4th of July! First in his age group. Yay!

And this young man flying by...



Sadly, he didn't place, but he had a great time. Look at the concentration!

And look how lazy industrious.



I guess he wanted to spend more time watching the parade than trying to chase down candy. It worked well. People tried to see if they could actually make it into the wagon.

There isn't much whooshing here...




She loves the new windows. Barely fits in the track, but it doesn't stop her. She also loves the weather stripping. Not cool.



I would say summer is winding down, but we still have another five weeks to go.

Both of the boys are at camp this week. The oldest is one of the adventure counselors at church camp and is loving it. He is going on his second trip to The Boundary Waters. Poor kid. He's only gotten to go parachuting in Georgia, rock climbing and rapelling in South Dakota, scuba diving in Iowa and canoeing in Minnesota this summer. He's probably bored to death.

I applied for a full time job as a marketing assistant, but I haven't heard anything. They wanted someone to do A and some bcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz. Well, I have had experience with bcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz, but not so much with A. I guess I'll just continue being a slackass. (Love that job.)

In other news...

read her books. Or else.

Actual conversation with my son

Me - Why don't you run downstairs and get us an ice cream sandwich?

Loving child - Why don't we just have an apple?



He ruins everything.

Trippy

Did you know we went to Oklahoma and Texas for a couple of weeks? Well, we did. And I have visual proof.

We started out in Oklahoma visiting with my parents and one of my dad's sisters whom I haven't seen since I was a teenager. I had a good time with her.



I also had a mini-class reunion/get-together with some folks I haven't seen since...well...a long time ago.



Then, we headed to Texas!

Here is the hunting/fishing lodge we stayed in. It was pretty nice until the family started wandering in from their respective sleep houses. Then the AC decided that it would freeze up on us. We toughed it out for a while then headed into town to a cousin's house to swim or to shoot pool. Or both. (Not at the same time, sillies.)



This is the lane going up to another cousin's house. Her and her husband have 80 or so acres to toodle around on.



We took their off-road vehicle thingie and explored the wildlife. I miss the smell of the plants in the country.



We had to stop to take photos of this little guy (girl?).



A Texas cousin, two California cousins and I made a day of it in Lubbock. We shopped some and ate ourselves sillier at The Cracker Barrel. Chicken and Dumplins...yum.



We stopped at Sonic for a beverage on the way home and later, we had to go to Dairy Queen (Had to, I tell ya!) I had totally forgotten about the DQ Dude (Steak Sandwich). I ordered one of those and enjoyed every bite of it.



Back to Oklahoma and a quick trip over to see some friends in Stillwater. We ate lunch at Mexico Joe's. OMG, I miss those people (and that salsa and blue corn enchiladas with Sonoran sauce!)



Back at Mom's...she made me make my Granny's homemade banana pudding. I had to stir that mess for 15+ minutes! It is worth it though...



Oklahoma sent us off with a gorgeous sunset.



And Iowa welcomed us back with an also gorgeous sunset.



So I'm tired. But I'm back home where it is cool!

And now for something a little more upbeat.

1. It's 2AM and you are not home. You are more than likely:

Somewhere else. (This is pretty easy so far.)

2. What's the last thing you spent more than $100 on?

The disaster that was the National Bowliing Tournament (Tourney, plane ticket and hotel. I could have bought a fancy new mattress!)

3. What do your bank checks look like?

They're rectangular. And were free.

4. Where did the shirt you are currently wearing come from?

It was a used t-shirt swap from Swapbot.

5. Name something that will be on your Christmas wish list:

I would like a new mattress.

6. What color is your toothbrush?

White and pink.

7. Name something you collect and tell us about it.

Dust. You can write your name in it, just don't date it.

8. Last restaurant you ate at. Who were you with? How was it?

Los Agaves. Me and the family. Good as usual.

9. Who was the last person you bought a birthday card for?

I'm into the whole rubber stamping thing so I make homemade cards now. And I can't remember that far back.

10. What is your worst bad habit?

I recently acquired a twitch in my left arm when I drive. I don't know why and I'm trying to stop. (Is that a habit?)

11. Name a magazine to which you subscribe?

How about the ones I want? People and Readers' Digest. I actually get Mad Magazine and M@rth@ Stew@rt's Everyday Food (Shut up. It was free. I hate it.)

12. Your favorite pizza toppings?

Ham and Pineapple or Pork Sausage and Jalepeno.

13. Whose number were you looking up the last time you used a phone book?
Why? What did you see?

The Dogs' Inn. I needed to board the dogs. I saw their number. Duh.

14. Other than family, who is the person that you love most?

Love love or like love? No fair. I'm not taking sides.

15. What is the last thing you cooked?

I'm making meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans and garlic herb biscuits as I type this!

16. Name something you wouldn't want to buy used.

Underbritches.

17. Which shoe do you put on first?

I don't play favorites.

18. What is the last thing you remember losing?

I can't find my set of keys to my husband's vehicle. They'll show up.

19. What is the ugliest piece of furniture in your house?

I like everything in this joint, but I guess I would have to say the sofa in the basement that has the one cushion that Scotch decided to make a meal of. It has a slipcover on it so you can't really tell.

20. Last thing you bought and ended up returning?

Nothing in a long time.

21. What perfume/cologne do you wear?

I have been spritzing with Bath and Bodyworks Sensual Amber. I don't think they make it any more, but SprawlMart has a knockoff.

22. Your favorite board game?

Sorry!

23. What was the last board game you played?

Sorry! or Spongebob's Life.

24. Where did your vehicle come from?

Johnson's of Enid, Oklahoma. As did the vehicle before it.

25. If a movie was made about your life what would the theme song be?

Bobby Brown's That's My Prerogative.

26. You're sad, who can cheer you up easily?

Vinny.

27. What was the color of the bridesmaid dresses of the last wedding you went to?

Uh....the bride wore white. I don't know. I don't pay attention to that stuff.


28. What house cleaning chore do you hate to do the most?

Dishes!


29. What is your favorite way to eat chicken?

Sitting at Eischen's with my friends. And with a side of fried Okra with Ranch for dipping.

30. It is your birthday. You hope the cake is?

Not chocolate and has that crazy good Crisco frosting like they used to make years ago.

Don't let me interrupt your interruption

I'm not as forgiving as I used to be.

I used to get interrupted every now and then and I suppose I was just used to it, but lately, that nonesense has worked my nerves.

Just recently (and this happened MORE THAN ONCE! with various people, both young and old), I was talking to person "B" and out of nowhere, person "C" would start talking to "B" and then "B" would turn to "C" and totally leave me hanging.

I felt like yelling, "Hello! I was talking here!"

We teach kids (for the most part) to not interrupt and to wait until someone is finished talking before they ask a question or put their two cents in. And while many kids grasp this concept, it isn't sinking in for some and for some adults, if it did sink in, it fell out the bottom.

So what should I have done? Waiting until they were finished talking and complete what I was saying? Waiting until they were finished and refuse to continue what I was saying? Jumping in on their conversation to let them know how rude they were?

I started thinking that I was just boring people to death and they relished the interruption, but then I remembered what a brilliant personality I have and realized that wasn't the problem.

Africa Hot

Oklahoma is hot and wet.

Texas is hot and dry.

Either way...it's hot down here.

But the fun I'm having kinda evens it out...honing my pool playing skills...eating good snacks (ask me about the peanut butter fudge!!!)...seeing relatives I haven't seen in many years...seeing friends I haven't seen in a couple of years...

I'm tired of driving for hours on end, but just one more long jaunt and I'll be home on Friday.

Photos later.

Um.

So much for posting three times a week in May!

Maybe later today I will get everyone caught up.

Until then...

Your Creative Power is Your Logic

You're the type of person who is great at execution. You don't just dream about ideas - you make them happen! You are idealistic and determined, but you are also a realist. You only undertake projects you're pretty sure you can finish. You are a natural problem solver, and you actually think better when you're being challenged. You do best when you work by yourself or when you're in charge. You ideas are big, dramatic, and the best.

What's Your Creative Power?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

You Are a Lucky Person

You are cautious and slow to act. It takes you a long time to get used to ideas. You are happiest at any given time. You find so much to be happy about that you're usually quite content. You may not seem to be working hard, but that's an illusion. You make hard work look easy. You are a very patient person. You stick with people and things for a lifetime.

The Swimming Pool Test

Blogthings: Cheaper Than a Therapist

You Should Smell Like a Peach

You are sensual and flirtatious. You always make sure to enjoy yourself, even if no one else is having fun. You feel like everyone takes life too seriously. You wish people would lighten up and see how sweet life is. You are naturally sexy and attractive. Even when you're trying to be more serious, you can't help but be a bit of a tease. Some people are scared of your power, but anyone who knows you loves you. You are so much sweeter and juicier than anyone imagines.

What Fruit Should You Smell Like?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

You Are Cooking

You are a very generous and caring person. You love to make other people happy, and you love to give. You are content when you are busy with projects. You enjoy working with your hands. You are both intuitive and creative. You are good at figuring out how to make things work, and you love to experiment. You may be only following recipes for now, but eventually you'll be creating your own amazing, original meals.

What Hobby Are You?

Blogthings: Discover the Parts of Your Personality that Have Been Hiding

I was tired just hearing about it.

The oldest child is doing well at Airborne School. He passed his PT (physical training) test yesterday and this morning, he called bright and early to let us know he passed another physical test.

Him: We had a longer run this morning.

Me: How long?

Him: Just four miles.

Me: JUST?!?!

I guess some of the kids aren't making it through the physical tests and are having to leave the school. I know physical endurance is a big part of the military, but there are some people who are built for comfort, not for speed. I feel sorry for those folks because I am one of them.

Today, the ones still there get to jump off the 34 foot tower.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Happy Mothers' Day

When The Boy was two years old, his daycare teacher helped the kids in his class make gifts for their moms. The teacher would ask each kid a question and then write their answer down on.

When I arrived to pick him up that afternoon, there was a gathering of teachers waiting for me. I didn't know what the heck was going on.

Now keep in mind that he was only two and you know how kids think.



Yeah, I was flabbergasted as well.

Now I knew why all the teachers were waiting for me.

I told them I would find out what the heck he was talking about and get back to them.

It took a while (you know how two year olds are), but I finally figured it out!

Me: I don't put soap in your mouth.

Him: Yes you do!

Me: What color is it?

Him: Blue!

Me: Is it toothpaste?

Him: Yes!

It never fails to make me smile. I have kept it on my fridge for seven plus years.

I love you, Chicken Pot Pie*.

The Best Mom Ever,
Mom


*I told him now that he was ten, he could pick out a new nickname for me to call him. He said he liked Chicken Pot Pie and he wanted to keep it.