Archive - June, 2006

June 24th

By on June 28, 2006 in Celebrations, friendship, Home, kiddos 31

I’d like to share a couple of pics from my birthday. I wish I could turn the creative part of my brain back on. I somehow feel like forming a complete, coherent thought is difficult these days! I catch myself wandering around Wal-Mart in daze; I so easily shut down! Maybe it’s a mom thing because I spend most of my energy on my family. It’s definitely making blogging difficult!

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My bestest, longtime childhood friend, Elizabeth, spent three days with me last week. It was so nice to have her company. She left the morning of my birthday, after James snapped this pic of us. I think we’ve aged well, girlfriend! (Some of our childhood pictures are rather scary!) We met as pre-schoolers and became friends in first grade. She looked like Melissa Gilbert as Laura Ingalls. I looked horrible with my giant cow lick. Liz thought I’d cut my bangs off! Our friendship grew stronger during our Duran Duran days and has perservered throughout all the joys and pains of our adult lives.

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My girls decorated a cake for me at Mom’s. Anjelia kept blowing the candles out while we were trying to get a picture! They are such sweet girls when it comes to birthdays. They were so happy for me and I so enjoyed them.

I have been so lazy with my camera. I wish I had more pictures to show. James and I kept waiting to ask someone to take one of us but we never got around to it. We need to have more pictures taken together.

The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.” Morrie Schwartz

Kitties make good pillows

By on June 23, 2006 in Home, kiddos 31

I wish I’d seen you as a little girl, without your armor to fend off the world…I would have kept you underneath my wing…I would protect you from everything.”

weekend update- part 2

By on June 17, 2006 in Home 35

OREO COOKIE EATING CONTEST!

Please forgive me for these gooberish posts. I feel the need to share our stupidity.


This was the licking stage. All the icing had to first be licked off.


Cookie dipping stage.


Mom began to choke. There wasn’t much concern.


Kandi got sprayed on the back of her head from milk coming from Tootsie’s nose! All the milk had to be drank. Mom won and Punky came in second! Kandi was last cuz she nearly peed her pants.

“Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap.” Robert Fulghum

us girls just wanna have fun

By on June 16, 2006 in Home 26

Well, it’s that time a year again! My Mom, Aunts Tootsie and Punkie, Cousin Kandis and Grandma Dorothy and I spend a weekend in a hotel each June. We always have a dorky, fun time!

Here are some of the highlights of Friday evening.


My Aunt Linda sent us all chocolate covered coffee beans in the mail. We received them today just before we left for the hotel!


Well, most of us got coffee beans. . . Someone was just a little disappointed.


Carl and Mary gave me a bottle of Port Chocolate Raspberry Sauce. Kandi and I have really enjoyed it! It’s good on Mom’s rhubarb cobbler.


Knife swallowing is always a fun activity.


Mom gave me my birthday present. It’s a really pretty porcelain figurine. She waited all day at an auction to purchase it for me.

A cheerful heart does good like medicine. Proverbs 17:22

We’re off the floor!

By on June 10, 2006 in Home, homemaking 38

If you’ve been reading this blog over the past year, you may remember this post about our new king size mattresses. Well I’ve been waiting, wishing and hoping for a king size bed frame for over a year. Our mattresses have been on the floor. It makes getting in and out of bed easy, but I don’t think it had a very comfy, homey feel.

As you know, I love garage sales. The girls and I have been going weekly and their stuffed animal collections have grown by leaps and bounds! I’ve found a few little treasures but Friday morning I received a big payoff!!!! I consider this buy a gift from God so I have to give him the credit for this one. I purchased a solid oak, king size bed! It is only a year old and I wiped it down with polish and couldn’t find a single nick or scratch. It matches our oak entertainment center and James’ oak computer desk perfectly. I only paid 90 bucks for my pretty new bed!

I completely cleaned my bedroom today from floor to ceiling. It looks so nice and feels so comfortable–just like a real bedroom.

I ran up the door, closed the stairs, said my pajamas and put on my prayers, turned off the bed and hopped in the light, all because you kissed me goodnight”

smothered burritos

By on June 7, 2006 in Comfort Food 54

I thought I’d share a yummy burrito recipe. I used to make this a lot and I decided to dig it out of my recipe archives and fix it for dinner last night. This is soooooooo yummy. I just had some leftovers for breakfast!! It’s a crowd pleaser and my ENTIRE family cleaned their plates!!! Yes, you heard me right! It’s always a miracle when that happens!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. hamburger
1 can refried beans
1 pkg. taco mix
2 jars Heinze Homestyle Savory Beef gravy
2 cans Campbell’s Fiesta Chili Beef with Beans soup
tortillas
mozzarella and cheddar cheese
green onions
tomatos
sour cream
shredded lettuce

Directions:

In large fry pan brown 2 lbs ground beef, drain and add 1 can refried beans and 1 pkg. taco mix.

In large sauce pan add 2 jars Heinze Homestyle brown gravy and 2 cans chili beef soup. Fill (almost full) gravy jar with water and add to soup mix. Heat and mix well.

Spoon meat and bean mixture into shells (I made eight burritos). Top with shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Roll and place in pam sprayed pan. Pour gravy over top and sprinkle on more cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly.

Serve with shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, green onions, sour cream, taco sauce, etc.

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Here is a bonus picture. I grabbed my camera last night to get a shot of this. James is so spoiled. As soon as he gets home from work and sits down, his lap is immediately full of little girls. He looks a little exhausted doesn’t he?

“With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks. Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?” Jay Leno

Grandma Tootsie, a quote, a song and praise!

By on June 2, 2006 in Home 43

My cousin Kandis decided to give my Aunt Tootsie (AKA Marlis) the nudge she needed to start her own blog. Kandis set it up for her last night and surprised her. My Auntie has already made her first post!! Check it out!

http://grandmatootsie.blogspot.com/

I wanted to share a quote that has meant a lot to me recently. God has given me several opportunties to help out a neighbor lady/new friend. It’s an honor to help out one of his children, but he had to give me several nudges. This quote was one such nudge.

I never look at the masses as my responsibility; I look at the individual. I can only love one person at a time – just one, one, one. So you begin. I began – I picked up one person. Maybe if I didn’t pick up that one person, I wouldn’t have picked up forty-two thousand….The same thing goes for you, the same thing in your family, the same thing in your church, your community. Just begin – one, one, one.” ~Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Another nudge was a song that I’ve grown very fond of by Martina McBride. I am having a mental block and can’t remember how to go about linking to a song. Maybe later James can give me some pointers. Anyway, if you have Rhapsody, you may want to check it out. I LOVE it! Oh, it’s Love’s the Only House by Martina McBride.

James’ business is really starting to look very, very promising! God is soooooo good and I give him all the honor and glory! I just had to share how thankful I am. He is able to far exceed our expectations above and beyond what we can ask or even imagine!! James worked ’til nine last night because there’s more work than he can get done!!! He has worked so very hard over the past couple of years through blood, sweat, tears and lots of prayers. I am SOOOOOO proud of him. Thank you so much to all of you who have prayed. May you be blessed. And, hey, keep it up!!!

Have a good weekend!