We started the morning off with some Fernando Ortega hymns. The first one that played was 'I will Sing of My Redeemer'. It's been running through my head all day.
I will sing of my Redeemr,
And His wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross He suffered,
From the curse to set me free.
Sing, oh, sing of my Redeemer,
With His blood he ransomed me,
On the cross He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt and made me free.
I will tell the wondrous story,
How my lost estate to save,
In His boundless love and mercy,
He the ransom freely gave.
I will praise my dear Redeemer,
His triumphant power I'll tell,
How the victory he giveth,
Over sin, and death, and hell.
I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His heavenly love to me;
He from death to life hath brought me,
Son of God with Him to be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy New Year all!!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Kitchen Krafts
I started receiving Kitchen Kraft catalogs a month or two back. Not sure where they came from or why I'm getting them, but after looking through a couple of them I've decided that, given the opportunity, I could most definitely spend a rather ungodly amount of money on their products.
Some things, like the Cake Batter Dispenser, honestly just look unnecessary and space consuming. I, for one, use a spoon or a small measuring cup (if I'm needing to be exact) to transfer my batter to my muffin tins and it works absolutely fine. Also the Icing Drizzler looks..well...dangerous for a baker like me. I make enough mess dipping a spoon or a fork into icing and drizzling my sweets, without having a dozen different dripping prongs to manage. And to be honest, my drizzled end product looks every bit as good as that picture. In my (limited) experience I have found that the trick to beautiful drizzling is not nearly so much in the tool used to drizzle but in the consistency of the drizzling icing. It's consitency and how well it runs ultimatley determines drizzling finesse.
On the other hand, I do find other tools like the Layer Slicing Kit to look fascinatingly nifty. I always have a heck of a time getting my cake layers flat and even, even when I use my little Cake Slicer Leveler . I also found my self drooling over the 3-In-1 Baking Rack and the Space Saver Rack. Also, how cool would it be to be able to ensure that all of your cookies come out the exact same thickness by using these Rolling Pin Rings? Ok, yes, I am slightly OCD...
Anyway, I could go on and on about their cupcake liners, and decorating tools, but I really should go do something productive like pushing through laundry, or cleaning my kitchen. And it's definitley time for some more Pandora...
Some things, like the Cake Batter Dispenser, honestly just look unnecessary and space consuming. I, for one, use a spoon or a small measuring cup (if I'm needing to be exact) to transfer my batter to my muffin tins and it works absolutely fine. Also the Icing Drizzler looks..well...dangerous for a baker like me. I make enough mess dipping a spoon or a fork into icing and drizzling my sweets, without having a dozen different dripping prongs to manage. And to be honest, my drizzled end product looks every bit as good as that picture. In my (limited) experience I have found that the trick to beautiful drizzling is not nearly so much in the tool used to drizzle but in the consistency of the drizzling icing. It's consitency and how well it runs ultimatley determines drizzling finesse.
On the other hand, I do find other tools like the Layer Slicing Kit to look fascinatingly nifty. I always have a heck of a time getting my cake layers flat and even, even when I use my little Cake Slicer Leveler . I also found my self drooling over the 3-In-1 Baking Rack and the Space Saver Rack. Also, how cool would it be to be able to ensure that all of your cookies come out the exact same thickness by using these Rolling Pin Rings? Ok, yes, I am slightly OCD...
Anyway, I could go on and on about their cupcake liners, and decorating tools, but I really should go do something productive like pushing through laundry, or cleaning my kitchen. And it's definitley time for some more Pandora...
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Coziness and Contentment...
I'm sitting here feeling so very cozy and content at the moment. My house is smelling like a blend of vanilla cookie candle, baking banana bread and taco soup. So yummy. Taco soup and chili are some of my favorites. They turn out a bit different every time I make them, because I don't actually follow a recipe. I throw whatever I have that sounds good into a pot and spice it up to taste. And I have to say, I can't remember a time when it turned out bad. This time I started with about half of an onion, chopped and sauted in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. I added ground venison, 1/2 lb of 80/20 ground beef, and several tablespoons of chorizo. When that was cooked I dumped several cans of chili beans, kidney beans and black beans, a can of stewed tomatos and a small can of tomato sauce and about a half cup of frozen corn. For spices I added half of a packet of StoneMill Essentials taco seasoning mix and then added paprika, chili powder, cumen, garlic powder, cayenne and salt to taste. Pretty darn yummy, if you ask me.
I set my pandora to play Acoustic Eidolon and similar selections and have been enjoying a wonderfully soothing stream of various stringed instruments for the last hour or so.
Among the various goodies that I came home with from our trip to mom and dad's for christmas was a box of Land O'Lakes Chocolate Graham Hot Cocoa.
This was my first time trying LO'L hot chocolate and I was head over heels the second I tore open the first packet and got a sniff of the mix. It really truly tastes and smells like a graham cracker dipped in hot chocolate. I'm not sure I'm even going to be able to go back to regular hot chocolate again. Which is a bummer because I googled this new stuff and couldn't find a 6-envelope box for less than 6 bucks plus shipping and handling. Yikes. I don't know how much it is in-store but I'm not expecting a much better price. It makes me sad.
My timer for my banana bread is about to start yelling at me...
Ugh. Pandora just started a bluegrassy song with vocals. I'd better go kill it....
I set my pandora to play Acoustic Eidolon and similar selections and have been enjoying a wonderfully soothing stream of various stringed instruments for the last hour or so.
Among the various goodies that I came home with from our trip to mom and dad's for christmas was a box of Land O'Lakes Chocolate Graham Hot Cocoa.
This was my first time trying LO'L hot chocolate and I was head over heels the second I tore open the first packet and got a sniff of the mix. It really truly tastes and smells like a graham cracker dipped in hot chocolate. I'm not sure I'm even going to be able to go back to regular hot chocolate again. Which is a bummer because I googled this new stuff and couldn't find a 6-envelope box for less than 6 bucks plus shipping and handling. Yikes. I don't know how much it is in-store but I'm not expecting a much better price. It makes me sad.
My timer for my banana bread is about to start yelling at me...
Ugh. Pandora just started a bluegrassy song with vocals. I'd better go kill it....
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Xanga excerpts...
I found my xanga blog earlier today. My last post was over a year and a half ago. Yikes. And despite wracking my brain for like an hour, I cannot remember my password. I barely remembered the url. Ugh. I even dug through my entire memory trunk hoping that I had written down my sign in info on a scrap of paper and stored it amidst my college papers and keepsakes. No such luck. I did, however, find a different xanga blog that I had completely forgotten about even starting. I'll be signing into that soon and seeing what I can salvage. For now, here are a few excerpts from my days as PianoGirl_87 on xanga.
Friday September 22, 2006
'I went and got my lunch out of my car today only to find, once I got back inside, that the microwave has been removed. All I had this morning to eat was a zone bar. I didn't even have time to make a protein shake. A threatening headache finally forced me to the snack machines, which contained absolutely NOTHING that looked even remotely filling much less healthy. I finally settled on Harvets Cheddar Sun Chips and Sour Cream and Onion baked Ritz Chips. So I'm sitting in the theory room again waiting for class, eating my 'lunch' and staring defiantly at the "NO FOOD OR DRINK" sign posted on the wall in front of me, as I shovel chips into my mouth. Yummm...'
Friday, August 4, 2006
'I dreamt last night that the fall semester started and we walked into theory only to find that we had not only new fellow students but a new teacher, who as it turned out, was just a difficult and rediculous as Riche was. I just sat there the whole time going, "Who is this guy, and where is Roed?! I want Roed!"
Not a good dream.'
Monday, July 10, 2006
'Highlight of the day; A book I ordered came in the mail. It's an early edition of Louisa May Alcott's Jo's Boys. I was so excited. I've spent pretty much the rest of my day smelling it.
Ok, I know that sounds wierd.
But seriously. There is not a neater smell in the world than that of an old book. And this book is OLD. I'm talking about 109 years old. It was printed only 7 years after it was first published. Very cool. Alcott is one of my all time favorite authors, right up there next to Gene Stratton Porter, Charles Dickens, Jane Austin, George MacDonald, and J.R.R. Tolkien. And the list could go on.
The only qualm that I have with going to college, is that over the last year I haven't had time to read the way I used to when I was in highschool. With homework constantly hanging over my head and threatening my GPA I can't afford to spend 2 and 3 hours a day on anything. Not even homework. It's a vicious cycle, I'm telling you. But who's complaining? Not Me.
Emoticons for the day;
Did you hear about the midget fortune teller that broke out of prison.?
It was a small medium at large...
Har Har Har...
One last thing; POTC Dead Man's Chest was AWESOME beyond words.
Absolutely, unbelievably, amazingly, spectacular. And that doesn't do it half the justice it deserves.
By the way, it set a record debut, bringing in over 120 million.
The only negative; I HAVE TO WAIT AN ENTIRE YEAR TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS!!! WAAAAHHHH!!!!!
I don't know if I have the patience for that.
If Elizabeth ends up in love with Jack, I'm going to die of laughter...'
Sunday, June 25, 2006
'Is it OK to be in love with a fictional character? What about two?
I'm thinking Jack Kelly and Laurie (Teddy) Lawrence.
Oh, and Quinn from Reign of Fire. That makes three.
*sigh*
One of these days I'll grow up. I promise.
All I know is, that day is not today.'
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
'Our pool is UP UP UP!!!!
Very exciting! It’s not full quite yet, but by this weekend it will be.
Went to the gym today, as always. Mack called be body-building material. Oh yeah.
Supposed to be studying Oceanography right at this very moment, but durn it, I can’t concentrate. I’m already three days behind, so I figure what’s another day gonna hurt?
I’ve nothing planned for tomorrow so I’ll just make it a study day. I hate first tests, cuz I never know what to expect.
Got a B today on my first in-class history assignment/activity. I’m slightly worried and annoyed at myself for not having done a better job. I hate B’s.
After class I went to the office to ask Lisa something and Mr. Riche was there. Before he left, he pointed to me and told Lisa, “That’s a good person there. A really good person.”
?!?
I was flattered of course but very curious as to how he came to such a firm conclusion after only two class periods and only one activity to show him what I’m capable of. And as I said above, I didn’t exactly do a very impressive job if I only got a B.
Stayed home tonight from VBS, determined to study. So far I’m not succeeding.
It’s dull as tombs around xanga and myspace. Somebody needs to liven things up. Jeepers.
Hardly anyone comments me and I’m OFFICIALLY COMPLAINING.
A thought: If I were to create a Multicultural Lit. Bank of Memories type thing, would anyone contribute? Pics, fave memories, recipes, songs, so on and so forth. I thought it might be neat. Probly won’t do it, but I was just curious.
*Sigh* Gonna go make another attempt at study.
What I want is sleep.'
Thursday, May 25, 2006
'I used to spend time outside by going down to the creek to catch frogs and crawdads, or walking along the river, or spending time down at the cabin at the foot of the mountain. But now we have a bear… ever since it moved in it has been the object of my despair. Stupid bear, that’s my mountain you're terrorizing… and I want it back.'
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
'Concerning our discussion today in Lit. about weight, gravity and mass, I think I've finally gotten figured out.
Weight: The pull of gravity on an object.
Mass: The amount of space an object takes up.
And finally...
Gravity: The pull of weight on your mass.
One last note:
The difference between light people and heavy people is in the 'm'.
Science according to my mom.'
I'm still hoping I'll remember or find my password for that site. I'm also severely tempted to switch over and make that my main blog. Reason? The emoticons. Blogspot doesn't have emoticons. It's a sad thing, really. :)
I'm sure I'll be posting more snippets from xanga.
Friday September 22, 2006
'I went and got my lunch out of my car today only to find, once I got back inside, that the microwave has been removed. All I had this morning to eat was a zone bar. I didn't even have time to make a protein shake. A threatening headache finally forced me to the snack machines, which contained absolutely NOTHING that looked even remotely filling much less healthy. I finally settled on Harvets Cheddar Sun Chips and Sour Cream and Onion baked Ritz Chips. So I'm sitting in the theory room again waiting for class, eating my 'lunch' and staring defiantly at the "NO FOOD OR DRINK" sign posted on the wall in front of me, as I shovel chips into my mouth. Yummm...'
Friday, August 4, 2006
'I dreamt last night that the fall semester started and we walked into theory only to find that we had not only new fellow students but a new teacher, who as it turned out, was just a difficult and rediculous as Riche was. I just sat there the whole time going, "Who is this guy, and where is Roed?! I want Roed!"
Not a good dream.'
Monday, July 10, 2006
'Highlight of the day; A book I ordered came in the mail. It's an early edition of Louisa May Alcott's Jo's Boys. I was so excited. I've spent pretty much the rest of my day smelling it.
Ok, I know that sounds wierd.
But seriously. There is not a neater smell in the world than that of an old book. And this book is OLD. I'm talking about 109 years old. It was printed only 7 years after it was first published. Very cool. Alcott is one of my all time favorite authors, right up there next to Gene Stratton Porter, Charles Dickens, Jane Austin, George MacDonald, and J.R.R. Tolkien. And the list could go on.
The only qualm that I have with going to college, is that over the last year I haven't had time to read the way I used to when I was in highschool. With homework constantly hanging over my head and threatening my GPA I can't afford to spend 2 and 3 hours a day on anything. Not even homework. It's a vicious cycle, I'm telling you. But who's complaining? Not Me.
Emoticons for the day;
Did you hear about the midget fortune teller that broke out of prison.?
It was a small medium at large...
Har Har Har...
One last thing; POTC Dead Man's Chest was AWESOME beyond words.
Absolutely, unbelievably, amazingly, spectacular. And that doesn't do it half the justice it deserves.
By the way, it set a record debut, bringing in over 120 million.
The only negative; I HAVE TO WAIT AN ENTIRE YEAR TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS!!! WAAAAHHHH!!!!!
I don't know if I have the patience for that.
If Elizabeth ends up in love with Jack, I'm going to die of laughter...'
Sunday, June 25, 2006
'Is it OK to be in love with a fictional character? What about two?
I'm thinking Jack Kelly and Laurie (Teddy) Lawrence.
Oh, and Quinn from Reign of Fire. That makes three.
*sigh*
One of these days I'll grow up. I promise.
All I know is, that day is not today.'
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
'Our pool is UP UP UP!!!!
Very exciting! It’s not full quite yet, but by this weekend it will be.
Went to the gym today, as always. Mack called be body-building material. Oh yeah.
Supposed to be studying Oceanography right at this very moment, but durn it, I can’t concentrate. I’m already three days behind, so I figure what’s another day gonna hurt?
I’ve nothing planned for tomorrow so I’ll just make it a study day. I hate first tests, cuz I never know what to expect.
Got a B today on my first in-class history assignment/activity. I’m slightly worried and annoyed at myself for not having done a better job. I hate B’s.
After class I went to the office to ask Lisa something and Mr. Riche was there. Before he left, he pointed to me and told Lisa, “That’s a good person there. A really good person.”
?!?
I was flattered of course but very curious as to how he came to such a firm conclusion after only two class periods and only one activity to show him what I’m capable of. And as I said above, I didn’t exactly do a very impressive job if I only got a B.
Stayed home tonight from VBS, determined to study. So far I’m not succeeding.
It’s dull as tombs around xanga and myspace. Somebody needs to liven things up. Jeepers.
Hardly anyone comments me and I’m OFFICIALLY COMPLAINING.
A thought: If I were to create a Multicultural Lit. Bank of Memories type thing, would anyone contribute? Pics, fave memories, recipes, songs, so on and so forth. I thought it might be neat. Probly won’t do it, but I was just curious.
*Sigh* Gonna go make another attempt at study.
What I want is sleep.'
Thursday, May 25, 2006
'I used to spend time outside by going down to the creek to catch frogs and crawdads, or walking along the river, or spending time down at the cabin at the foot of the mountain. But now we have a bear… ever since it moved in it has been the object of my despair. Stupid bear, that’s my mountain you're terrorizing… and I want it back.'
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
'Concerning our discussion today in Lit. about weight, gravity and mass, I think I've finally gotten figured out.
Weight: The pull of gravity on an object.
Mass: The amount of space an object takes up.
And finally...
Gravity: The pull of weight on your mass.
One last note:
The difference between light people and heavy people is in the 'm'.
Science according to my mom.'
I'm still hoping I'll remember or find my password for that site. I'm also severely tempted to switch over and make that my main blog. Reason? The emoticons. Blogspot doesn't have emoticons. It's a sad thing, really. :)
I'm sure I'll be posting more snippets from xanga.
Tuesday's Thoughts
Christmas is over. The tree is put away. Decorations are packed and lights stripped off of the patio banister. I can never stand to leave christmas stuff up after christmas. I find it depressing to constantly be reminded that the holidays are over. And, besides, after having my tree up since October, I was quite ready to have the 10 sq ft of floor space back that it was consuming.
The week before christmas my sister-in-law gave us her piano that she was replacing. Once the guys got it up the stairs and in the door, they made it no further than the entry way with it and there it sat for almost a week. Once the tree came down, I rearranged the living room and moved the piano in. I topped it with a pretty green satiny table runner that I had found at the dollar store last week (was that really only a week ago?!) and arranged our hymnals and a few other trinkets along the top. It looks so nice.
I think we will play it more now that it's no longer in the cold empty entry way. I already sat down and played for a few minutes today. I'm so very rusty.
We got to go to my family's house for Christmas. We missed Thanksgiving with them and I was afraid we weren't going to make Christmas either, but we hitched a ride with cousins who were headed that way anyway. Our stay was less than 24 hours, but we had a blast. Mashed potatos, corn, green beans, turkey, brisket and mexican casserole for christmas dinner and pumpkin pie, cheesecake, cracker candy, dipped pretzels and dipped peanut butter and ritz sandwhiches for dessert and snacks. I, of course, over ate. And enjoyed every bite.
We spent the day hanging out, eating, playing games. We checked out the local walmart for their after christmas markdowns. It's the weirdest thing, but the Fredericktown walmart always has the best christmas clearance. It's become an annual must-do. I found four-packs of red and gold glittered ornaments for next year's tree for .50 a pack, 6-packs of votive candles in vanilla cookie, cinnamon, and cinnamon apple scents for .50 a pack, cute christmas mugs for $1.50, plastic christmas cups for .50, a six-inch red pillar candle for $1.25 and canned snow for .62 a can. I love stocking on sales after christmas and then having a bunch of new decor to open up and use the next year. I opened one can of the fake snow when we got home and added 'frost' to my living room windows. I wanted it before christmas and wasn't able to get it, but now I'll leave it up with the snowflakes for a while longer. It is, after all, still winter. :)
I came away from christmas this year with pretty good loot. My wonderful hubby bought me the leather Steve Madden boots that I had fallen in love with on our christmas shopping trip the week before.
I absolutely adore them. I've been hunting for a comfy pair of boots for several years now. Last year he bought me leather high healed boots, and as much as I love them, the height on them kills my feet if I wear them for more than a few hours and walking for very long distances whatsoever in them is an absolute no-can-do. Which limits their wear time to sunday morning services and occasional wednesday night church sessions. So I am very ecstatic that I now have a warm comfy pair of boots that I can wear for whole days at a time if I so desire.
My wonderful and talented Mummy, gave me a quilt that she had worked on all year. It's so gorgeous. I'm thrilled to finally have something pretty to go on my bed.
Now if I can only stay motivated to make my bed every morning. :)
We also received a pretty reed diffuser from Jase's mom, which is at this very moment, filling my living and dining room with a lovely, cozy, cinnamon orange aroma, an acapella praise cd from the above mentioned si-in-law, an adorable cupcake themed calendar from another sister-in-law, a cute crocheted scarf and necklace (for me) from my litter sister, sweaters (for Jase) from my family, and various other fun items. We are very blessed.
I hope that all of you, my readers, had a lovely christmas and I send warmest wishes for a very happy new year.
May God Bless,
~Tonia
The week before christmas my sister-in-law gave us her piano that she was replacing. Once the guys got it up the stairs and in the door, they made it no further than the entry way with it and there it sat for almost a week. Once the tree came down, I rearranged the living room and moved the piano in. I topped it with a pretty green satiny table runner that I had found at the dollar store last week (was that really only a week ago?!) and arranged our hymnals and a few other trinkets along the top. It looks so nice.
I think we will play it more now that it's no longer in the cold empty entry way. I already sat down and played for a few minutes today. I'm so very rusty.
We got to go to my family's house for Christmas. We missed Thanksgiving with them and I was afraid we weren't going to make Christmas either, but we hitched a ride with cousins who were headed that way anyway. Our stay was less than 24 hours, but we had a blast. Mashed potatos, corn, green beans, turkey, brisket and mexican casserole for christmas dinner and pumpkin pie, cheesecake, cracker candy, dipped pretzels and dipped peanut butter and ritz sandwhiches for dessert and snacks. I, of course, over ate. And enjoyed every bite.
We spent the day hanging out, eating, playing games. We checked out the local walmart for their after christmas markdowns. It's the weirdest thing, but the Fredericktown walmart always has the best christmas clearance. It's become an annual must-do. I found four-packs of red and gold glittered ornaments for next year's tree for .50 a pack, 6-packs of votive candles in vanilla cookie, cinnamon, and cinnamon apple scents for .50 a pack, cute christmas mugs for $1.50, plastic christmas cups for .50, a six-inch red pillar candle for $1.25 and canned snow for .62 a can. I love stocking on sales after christmas and then having a bunch of new decor to open up and use the next year. I opened one can of the fake snow when we got home and added 'frost' to my living room windows. I wanted it before christmas and wasn't able to get it, but now I'll leave it up with the snowflakes for a while longer. It is, after all, still winter. :)
I came away from christmas this year with pretty good loot. My wonderful hubby bought me the leather Steve Madden boots that I had fallen in love with on our christmas shopping trip the week before.
I absolutely adore them. I've been hunting for a comfy pair of boots for several years now. Last year he bought me leather high healed boots, and as much as I love them, the height on them kills my feet if I wear them for more than a few hours and walking for very long distances whatsoever in them is an absolute no-can-do. Which limits their wear time to sunday morning services and occasional wednesday night church sessions. So I am very ecstatic that I now have a warm comfy pair of boots that I can wear for whole days at a time if I so desire.
My wonderful and talented Mummy, gave me a quilt that she had worked on all year. It's so gorgeous. I'm thrilled to finally have something pretty to go on my bed.
Now if I can only stay motivated to make my bed every morning. :)
We also received a pretty reed diffuser from Jase's mom, which is at this very moment, filling my living and dining room with a lovely, cozy, cinnamon orange aroma, an acapella praise cd from the above mentioned si-in-law, an adorable cupcake themed calendar from another sister-in-law, a cute crocheted scarf and necklace (for me) from my litter sister, sweaters (for Jase) from my family, and various other fun items. We are very blessed.
I hope that all of you, my readers, had a lovely christmas and I send warmest wishes for a very happy new year.
May God Bless,
~Tonia
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Yummies and Ramblings...
I spent the day making yummy edibles for the goody tins that I try to make every year as christmas gifts. I so love the candy making process and every year I look forward to revisiting the traditional christmas recipes as well as trying a few new things. The only thing I do NOT enjoy about my baking days is the aching feet that I end up with as a result of standing all day long. My feet are throbbing as I write. And I even had my Asics on all day. They would be hurting so much worse, I know, if I hadn't taken the time to stop and slip on my tennis this morning before I got started. Darn feet.
I've discovered a new site that I look forward to using in the future. Become.com is a comparison shopping site that helps you find the best price on everything from clothes and shoes to electronics and home and garden. I browsed through Steve Madden boots, looking for a pair that I found and fell in love with at a shoe store last week. Unfortunately, I had no luck finding them. I also browsed the sports shoe section, including the MAVRK Team Red Sprt Red 37 BR, naki shox turbo 10, and the nike shox turbo 10. Wishing I had extra christmas money to buy my sweetie a new pair of tennis. It'll have to wait a while, though.
Well, I'm off to cook some more of the pizza pockets that my hubby picked up for me today on his way home from giving his brother-in-law a ride across town. He really is the best hubby ever. <3
I've discovered a new site that I look forward to using in the future. Become.com is a comparison shopping site that helps you find the best price on everything from clothes and shoes to electronics and home and garden. I browsed through Steve Madden boots, looking for a pair that I found and fell in love with at a shoe store last week. Unfortunately, I had no luck finding them. I also browsed the sports shoe section, including the MAVRK Team Red Sprt Red 37 BR, naki shox turbo 10, and the nike shox turbo 10. Wishing I had extra christmas money to buy my sweetie a new pair of tennis. It'll have to wait a while, though.
Well, I'm off to cook some more of the pizza pockets that my hubby picked up for me today on his way home from giving his brother-in-law a ride across town. He really is the best hubby ever. <3
Saturday, December 18, 2010
It's the most wonderful time of the year...
I so love Christmas.
The last few months have been a bit rough. Jase was without work and there was a period of about 7-8 weeks between our last paycheck and the first unemployment deposit. To be honest, it made it rather difficult to get into the holiday spirit. Having no money for christmas decorations and fun holiday baking and treats was difficult enough, but not being sure we were going to get our bills paid every month was stressful. But God is faithful. Bills are caught up on and unimployment started just in time for Christmas. :) God is good.
And so it's finally starting to feeling like Christmas. I finally got the lights I wanted for the balcony banister, candy canes for the tree and the tins that I will be filling next week with yummy goodies are stacked under the tree. My kitchen counter is stacked with candy making ingredients and my 4 ft tree is set up in our bedroom and decked out in white and silver ornaments and ribbons.
We had our first round of gifts today with Aunt Jane, my father-in-law's sister. She gave us a gorgeous set of dinnerware, white with gold trim, a couple of super cute ornaments, a beautiful red and black decorative tealight candle holder, and a big yummy tin of popcorn. :) Very good start.
I had super much fun setting my table when I got home this evening.
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I'm starting a little project. Trying to use my blog to generate a little income. We'll see how it goes. Of course my first assignment WOULD be something that I know nothing about, in a place that I'm halfway across the US from. Ha. Los Angeles auto repair
Fortunately having experience or knowledge are not in the required criteria. Cars are so not my thing. I had to look up a Honda Civic to even know what one looked like. Sad, I know. My hubby can tell the make, model and year of a vehicle, even if the only thing he can see is it's headlights in our rearview mirror at night. He amazes me.
I also had to look up a head gasket. I still have no clue what it is. Oh, well. Anyway, for anyone living in LA would might be reading my blog and own a Honda Civic, check out the site and see what they may have to offer you.
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For now, I'm going to go find a few more things to knock off my to do list before the craziness of Christmas week sets in. Merry Christmas to all!
The last few months have been a bit rough. Jase was without work and there was a period of about 7-8 weeks between our last paycheck and the first unemployment deposit. To be honest, it made it rather difficult to get into the holiday spirit. Having no money for christmas decorations and fun holiday baking and treats was difficult enough, but not being sure we were going to get our bills paid every month was stressful. But God is faithful. Bills are caught up on and unimployment started just in time for Christmas. :) God is good.
And so it's finally starting to feeling like Christmas. I finally got the lights I wanted for the balcony banister, candy canes for the tree and the tins that I will be filling next week with yummy goodies are stacked under the tree. My kitchen counter is stacked with candy making ingredients and my 4 ft tree is set up in our bedroom and decked out in white and silver ornaments and ribbons.
We had our first round of gifts today with Aunt Jane, my father-in-law's sister. She gave us a gorgeous set of dinnerware, white with gold trim, a couple of super cute ornaments, a beautiful red and black decorative tealight candle holder, and a big yummy tin of popcorn. :) Very good start.
I had super much fun setting my table when I got home this evening.
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I'm starting a little project. Trying to use my blog to generate a little income. We'll see how it goes. Of course my first assignment WOULD be something that I know nothing about, in a place that I'm halfway across the US from. Ha. Los Angeles auto repair
Fortunately having experience or knowledge are not in the required criteria. Cars are so not my thing. I had to look up a Honda Civic to even know what one looked like. Sad, I know. My hubby can tell the make, model and year of a vehicle, even if the only thing he can see is it's headlights in our rearview mirror at night. He amazes me.
I also had to look up a head gasket. I still have no clue what it is. Oh, well. Anyway, for anyone living in LA would might be reading my blog and own a Honda Civic, check out the site and see what they may have to offer you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For now, I'm going to go find a few more things to knock off my to do list before the craziness of Christmas week sets in. Merry Christmas to all!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Fall is here!!...
There is something about the fall that inspires and motivates me. It's my favorite season. Maybe it will inspire and motivate me to keep my blog better updated after this last unexpected break. :P
For now here are some pics from the last few months...
Moving into our new apartment at the end of May...
We really like it...
My new kitchen. I'm loving the counter space and extra cabinets...
The first weekend in June we spent a couple of days in St. Louis shopping in St. Peters and visiting historic downtown St. Charles. It was so much fun...
We found a little authentic Italian pastry shop and got to have a nice chat with the owner, Jasper Noto, and try some cream puffs and canolis...
We found some loose leaf tea in one of the shops...
We hosted the guy's annual TI party...Fortunately this time, they opted to start in the morning and go all day...so much better than pulling an all nighter...
Summer showers...
And double rainbows after...
Homemade ricotta gnocchi...
My first time trying the popular fruit flag cake...
Summer soccer league...
My Love's 26th birthday...he was quite thrilled with the set of GLAD cd's that he's been wanting for so long...<3
Jase's second birthday present...:)
A new game Jase came home with one day...it's called Quelf... it has quickly become a favorite with friends and family...
Playing Quelf with the guys and Rachel at the little goodbye party that we held for JB before he left for Cape Verde...
A day on the lake at Bull Shoals while on vacation in Arkansas with the Burks clan...
Lastly, our most recent undertaking is a low carb diet. This is my first real low carb meal. Hamburgers with mozzarella on flax focaccia, cooked cabbage with cheddar and steamed broccoli and cauliflower. This plate was around 8.5 carbs...
I didn't care for the focaccia so my plate was about 6 carbs without the bread...
For now here are some pics from the last few months...
Moving into our new apartment at the end of May...
We really like it...
My new kitchen. I'm loving the counter space and extra cabinets...
The first weekend in June we spent a couple of days in St. Louis shopping in St. Peters and visiting historic downtown St. Charles. It was so much fun...
We found a little authentic Italian pastry shop and got to have a nice chat with the owner, Jasper Noto, and try some cream puffs and canolis...
We found some loose leaf tea in one of the shops...
We hosted the guy's annual TI party...Fortunately this time, they opted to start in the morning and go all day...so much better than pulling an all nighter...
Summer showers...
And double rainbows after...
Homemade ricotta gnocchi...
My first time trying the popular fruit flag cake...
Summer soccer league...
My Love's 26th birthday...he was quite thrilled with the set of GLAD cd's that he's been wanting for so long...<3
Jase's second birthday present...:)
A new game Jase came home with one day...it's called Quelf... it has quickly become a favorite with friends and family...
Playing Quelf with the guys and Rachel at the little goodbye party that we held for JB before he left for Cape Verde...
A day on the lake at Bull Shoals while on vacation in Arkansas with the Burks clan...
Lastly, our most recent undertaking is a low carb diet. This is my first real low carb meal. Hamburgers with mozzarella on flax focaccia, cooked cabbage with cheddar and steamed broccoli and cauliflower. This plate was around 8.5 carbs...
I didn't care for the focaccia so my plate was about 6 carbs without the bread...
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
6 Days to Go...
I'm living in a sea of boxes. Can't wait to get rid of them. Living half packed is miserable.
Boxes in my living room...
Boxes in my dining room...
Boxes down my hallway...
Boxes in my bedroom...
Boxes in the back bedroom...
Too many boxes...*sigh*
Boxes in my living room...
Boxes in my dining room...
Boxes down my hallway...
Boxes in my bedroom...
Boxes in the back bedroom...
Too many boxes...*sigh*
Friday, April 16, 2010
Apartments, TVs and Failing Diets...
Just got home from several appointments to look at apartments and I'm happy to say that after several phone calls and 3 different appts we finally decided on one. And this one will for sure be available (we double checked) for our move in date. We stuck with Coryell Courts since we already had a prelease down and everything set up. We also stuck with the Morris floor plan, except we had to go with the Phase I instead of the Phase II. Basically we gave up the elevators and enclosed walkways for slightly lower rent, comparable utilities, hardwood floors and keyless entry. After we get everything up three flights of stairs to our third floor apartment I'm sure we'll think it was a decent trade off.
'Sides...we're still getting all the amenities: heated pool and hot tub, free to reserve private theatre, private fitness center, outdoor basketball, tennis and sand volleyball courts...and I'm finally getting the hardwood floors that I've been longing for ever since I was old enough to start building castles in the sky...:)
This is the new floor plan.
1225 sq ft, 2 BD, 2 BTH
It's the same size, and the layout is similar though it doesn't feel *quite* as open as the Morris Phase II did. Oh well...I think it looks nicer that the Phase II because of the hardwood floors, and as we found with our current apartment, the rooms always look bigger once they have furniture in them. :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jase has already firmly stated that he refuses to even think about moving our 56" high def tube TV up said stair flights. So onto craigslist it goes and whatever we get out of it is going into a savings fund towards a newer, smaller, thinner model.
------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm sitting here finishing up fries from my Wendy's deluxe chicken sandwhich meal. *sigh* This week's diet has been a very lame joke. Monday I did wonderful. I didn't go over 1500 calories and I got my t-tapping and hoe downs in for the day. Tuesday was the girls shopping day in Branson. I ate three times that day...Chili's for lunch, Braums for dinner... and later that evening, a very small bowl of icecream and brownie torte for dessert. It's been downhill ever since. Thankfully I have kept up with t-tapping at least once a day and random sets of hoedowns whenever I remember them.
For the past week I've been itching to get outside for walks and runs but Jase has been sick so I've been stuck inside nursing him back to health. Fortunately he's feeling somewhat better today, though he still has enough of a cough that we had to reschedule his dentist appointment that was set for today. Granted that he feels better on monday, we have vowed to start running. Must. Get. Into. Shape.
...
'Sides...we're still getting all the amenities: heated pool and hot tub, free to reserve private theatre, private fitness center, outdoor basketball, tennis and sand volleyball courts...and I'm finally getting the hardwood floors that I've been longing for ever since I was old enough to start building castles in the sky...:)
This is the new floor plan.
1225 sq ft, 2 BD, 2 BTH
It's the same size, and the layout is similar though it doesn't feel *quite* as open as the Morris Phase II did. Oh well...I think it looks nicer that the Phase II because of the hardwood floors, and as we found with our current apartment, the rooms always look bigger once they have furniture in them. :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jase has already firmly stated that he refuses to even think about moving our 56" high def tube TV up said stair flights. So onto craigslist it goes and whatever we get out of it is going into a savings fund towards a newer, smaller, thinner model.
------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm sitting here finishing up fries from my Wendy's deluxe chicken sandwhich meal. *sigh* This week's diet has been a very lame joke. Monday I did wonderful. I didn't go over 1500 calories and I got my t-tapping and hoe downs in for the day. Tuesday was the girls shopping day in Branson. I ate three times that day...Chili's for lunch, Braums for dinner... and later that evening, a very small bowl of icecream and brownie torte for dessert. It's been downhill ever since. Thankfully I have kept up with t-tapping at least once a day and random sets of hoedowns whenever I remember them.
For the past week I've been itching to get outside for walks and runs but Jase has been sick so I've been stuck inside nursing him back to health. Fortunately he's feeling somewhat better today, though he still has enough of a cough that we had to reschedule his dentist appointment that was set for today. Granted that he feels better on monday, we have vowed to start running. Must. Get. Into. Shape.
...
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Vitamins and Chocolate...
Vitamins to keep up healthy...
Chocolate to keep us happy...
What more does one need?...
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Just had to share...
I came home from a long day of fun shopping in Branson with the Burks girls to a clean house and this sitting on my stove filling my apartment with a luscious chocolatey aroma...
A cream cheese, sour cream and white chocolate chip brownie torte...
So we bought some Braum's ice cream to add to it...
...and enjoyed a bowl of nice, fattening, diet-defying, heavenly goodness...
A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.
I seriously have the best hubby...
A cream cheese, sour cream and white chocolate chip brownie torte...
So we bought some Braum's ice cream to add to it...
...and enjoyed a bowl of nice, fattening, diet-defying, heavenly goodness...
A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.
I seriously have the best hubby...
Monday, April 12, 2010
Last night...
we made a wally run for meds, tissues and cough drops for Jase who has been severely congested, feverish and achey since friday. I forgot shampoo so we're gonna have to go back today. I hate it when I do that. We found Ricola sugar free Lemon Mint herb throat drops and decided to give them a try. They're amazing. I've been sucking on them and I'm not even sick. :)
We also bought some Kraft mac 'n' cheese. I haven't allowed it in my house for months now because I'm trying to keep healthier whole foods available and cut out the unhealthier stuff. Mac 'n' cheese was one of the first things to go. But Jase's throat has been raw for days now and he wanted something hot and soft to eat. So I actually suggested it...cuz I love him...:)And it tasted so very yummy.
[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*]
Friday we made a trip to Mama Jeans for some tea and lozenges. We bought cinnamon apple spice and honey vanilla chamomile. Jase has been drinking it like crazy. He's gone through 13 tea bags in about 3 days. I'm not a tea person. I've made myself try it several times now thinking each time that maybe my tastes have changed and I'll like it. Hasn't worked yet. The cinnamon apple spice is not too bad. The honey vanilla is not too good. They do both smell pretty wonderful though.
The lozenges on the other hand are all around nasty. Thayers Slipper Elm Lozenges with rose hips and vitamin c. They're supposed to be a natural tangerine flavor. They're barely orange. Basically they are little round pasty tablets that you're supposed to allow to dissolve on your tongue and repeat every 2 hours as needed. I haven't tasted them but they smell pretty offensive. Jase actually ate about 10 of them. His throat must feel pretty bad. :(
><.><.><.><.><.><.><.><.><.><.><.><.><.><.><
Last month was long. Very long. The company Jase worked for let him go at the beginning of the month. It's been a big long drawn out mess that actually started late last year. I can't go into details. Basically it was a ridiculous situation (much more complicated than one would think) that was going to make it very hard, if not impossible, for Jase to get another job. Finally, towards the end of the month, after much stress and frustration, resolution took place. Very not fun, though we are grateful to the Lord and to the company leadership for making it happen.
<> (My commas don't look like they're in the right spots. I really hate commas.) <>
But God is so good.He truly does work everything out for good, even if only in that we don't have to deal with a certain somebody ever again. :) That in and of itself is immense relief and happiness. But that hasn't been the only blessing. God has provided financially ever since and we've lacked in nothing. Jase now has a new job which he is very excited about and which has the potential to be more successful than his last one. And he's working from home. HAPPINESS!! I've had him home with me for over a month now and I'm not sure I'll be able to bear it if he ever has to 'go' to work again. I'm getting very spoiled.
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
I'm hoping this month goes a bit better though it started out with a phone call from Coryell Courts saying that they aren't going to have availabel the apartment that we wanted after all. Grr. Apparently they allowed us to prelease without explaining that at the time they still had not received all of their notifications for who was going and who was staying for the month of June. They only told us that several leases were coming up and that we could put down money to secure one of the apartments. On Thursday they called saying that all of their notifications are in and it turns out that none of the Morris Phase IIs that we wanted are going to be available.
So we're left scrambling around trying to find somewhere else, because as of June 1st our apartment is rented out. We have an appt today to go look at another apartment at a different complex and I'm hoping we can squeeze in a trip to Coryell also to look at the Phase I apartments which are supposed to be available. We really liked the location of Coryell, we LOVED their amenities and even the Phase I apartments are newer and nicer than our current one, so maybe we'll get one of those. We'll see. I also found several duplexes in springfield and even a 4 plex in Marshfield that we may look into if we don't settle on an apartment within the next week or so.
I'm tired already just thinking about it.
<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>
We also bought some Kraft mac 'n' cheese. I haven't allowed it in my house for months now because I'm trying to keep healthier whole foods available and cut out the unhealthier stuff. Mac 'n' cheese was one of the first things to go. But Jase's throat has been raw for days now and he wanted something hot and soft to eat. So I actually suggested it...cuz I love him...:)And it tasted so very yummy.
[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*].[*]
Friday we made a trip to Mama Jeans for some tea and lozenges. We bought cinnamon apple spice and honey vanilla chamomile. Jase has been drinking it like crazy. He's gone through 13 tea bags in about 3 days. I'm not a tea person. I've made myself try it several times now thinking each time that maybe my tastes have changed and I'll like it. Hasn't worked yet. The cinnamon apple spice is not too bad. The honey vanilla is not too good. They do both smell pretty wonderful though.
The lozenges on the other hand are all around nasty. Thayers Slipper Elm Lozenges with rose hips and vitamin c. They're supposed to be a natural tangerine flavor. They're barely orange. Basically they are little round pasty tablets that you're supposed to allow to dissolve on your tongue and repeat every 2 hours as needed. I haven't tasted them but they smell pretty offensive. Jase actually ate about 10 of them. His throat must feel pretty bad. :(
><.><.><.><.><.><.><.><.><.><.><.><.><.><.><
Last month was long. Very long. The company Jase worked for let him go at the beginning of the month. It's been a big long drawn out mess that actually started late last year. I can't go into details. Basically it was a ridiculous situation (much more complicated than one would think) that was going to make it very hard, if not impossible, for Jase to get another job. Finally, towards the end of the month, after much stress and frustration, resolution took place. Very not fun, though we are grateful to the Lord and to the company leadership for making it happen.
<> (My commas don't look like they're in the right spots. I really hate commas.) <>
But God is so good.He truly does work everything out for good, even if only in that we don't have to deal with a certain somebody ever again. :) That in and of itself is immense relief and happiness. But that hasn't been the only blessing. God has provided financially ever since and we've lacked in nothing. Jase now has a new job which he is very excited about and which has the potential to be more successful than his last one. And he's working from home. HAPPINESS!! I've had him home with me for over a month now and I'm not sure I'll be able to bear it if he ever has to 'go' to work again. I'm getting very spoiled.
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
I'm hoping this month goes a bit better though it started out with a phone call from Coryell Courts saying that they aren't going to have availabel the apartment that we wanted after all. Grr. Apparently they allowed us to prelease without explaining that at the time they still had not received all of their notifications for who was going and who was staying for the month of June. They only told us that several leases were coming up and that we could put down money to secure one of the apartments. On Thursday they called saying that all of their notifications are in and it turns out that none of the Morris Phase IIs that we wanted are going to be available.
So we're left scrambling around trying to find somewhere else, because as of June 1st our apartment is rented out. We have an appt today to go look at another apartment at a different complex and I'm hoping we can squeeze in a trip to Coryell also to look at the Phase I apartments which are supposed to be available. We really liked the location of Coryell, we LOVED their amenities and even the Phase I apartments are newer and nicer than our current one, so maybe we'll get one of those. We'll see. I also found several duplexes in springfield and even a 4 plex in Marshfield that we may look into if we don't settle on an apartment within the next week or so.
I'm tired already just thinking about it.
<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Finally!...
I got a new dining table and chairs!! I'm so excited. I've been shopping around for a set for months and just hadn't found the right one...until yesterday when I was looking through Craigslist posts and saw this set. Today, Jase took me to look at it. The guy said it was straight out of the box, but it had a few dings and scratches and one of the chairs was slightly wobbly (which they kept trying to blame on the floor, and it seems they were right as I've noticed no wobbliness now that it's in my dining room) so they gave me about a 10% discount. *smiles*
I really, really like it. It's pretty much exactly what I've been looking for and it looks so good in my dining room. And it will look SO much better in my new dining room. :)
Mom Burks helped us pick it up in her van and brought it home for us. Then she helped me rearrange a bit. We unloaded the hutch, centered it, and set it back up again. After dinner I got Jase to help me put up the mirror that was originally in the living room and had been replaced by a painting yesterday. Finally my dining room is complete. Happiness...
Dinner was cream cheese, garlic and chives stuffed chicken (minus the chives, cuz I didn't have any so I substituted a dash of oregano), buttery mashed potatoes, and a salad...
Last night's dinner...meatball nirvana and homemade marinara on whole wheat pasta with homemade whole wheat garlic bread...
My last batch of roses from Jase are drying and turning dark...and looking gorgeous in the process...
Last week we shopped for and organized an easter egg hunt for Jase's siblings...I forgot to take my camera on Sunday so I missed pictures of the actual hunt and all I have is prep pics.
Our loot...
It didn't look like much at first...but then we got all of the candy dumped into a bowl and realized just how much it actually was...lol...
Our first batch...150 eggs...
And the leftovers...
So when we went back to Hobby Lobby to make some returns we picked up a few more bags of eggs...
All filled and ready to go...246 small, medium and large eggs...and we had to exchange the nesting eggs from purple to yellow cuz the first set we bought had a crack...
It was a fun Easter Sunday...
I'm going to go t-tapp and go to bed...good night...
I really, really like it. It's pretty much exactly what I've been looking for and it looks so good in my dining room. And it will look SO much better in my new dining room. :)
Mom Burks helped us pick it up in her van and brought it home for us. Then she helped me rearrange a bit. We unloaded the hutch, centered it, and set it back up again. After dinner I got Jase to help me put up the mirror that was originally in the living room and had been replaced by a painting yesterday. Finally my dining room is complete. Happiness...
Dinner was cream cheese, garlic and chives stuffed chicken (minus the chives, cuz I didn't have any so I substituted a dash of oregano), buttery mashed potatoes, and a salad...
Last night's dinner...meatball nirvana and homemade marinara on whole wheat pasta with homemade whole wheat garlic bread...
My last batch of roses from Jase are drying and turning dark...and looking gorgeous in the process...
Last week we shopped for and organized an easter egg hunt for Jase's siblings...I forgot to take my camera on Sunday so I missed pictures of the actual hunt and all I have is prep pics.
Our loot...
It didn't look like much at first...but then we got all of the candy dumped into a bowl and realized just how much it actually was...lol...
Our first batch...150 eggs...
And the leftovers...
So when we went back to Hobby Lobby to make some returns we picked up a few more bags of eggs...
All filled and ready to go...246 small, medium and large eggs...and we had to exchange the nesting eggs from purple to yellow cuz the first set we bought had a crack...
It was a fun Easter Sunday...
I'm going to go t-tapp and go to bed...good night...
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