Come Saturday Morning

Hope you're having a great weekend.  My days seem to kind of run together, so it's hard to remember what day it is.

Ron is mowing the grass out back, the girls were in the pool at 8 AM, but they've gone with their daddy to get chicken sandwiches now.  

I had another weak day yesterday.  My BP was only 60/40 at one point.  I slept a lot.  But it's back up today, and I feel better.

Ron brought me some Cheerios with fruit and coffee for breakfast, and I'm keeping a close eye on my sugar levels.  Guess I'm having chicken for lunch.  :o)

I think Kelly is coming over today.  I untangled the embroidery floss that the girls messed up yesterday, and I'd like to start on the handmade pillows I want to make.  I can cut them, but need Kel to turn under the hems and iron them down for me so that I can stitch them.  I'll also need some polyester fiberfil.  

I'll have to update my bucket list in a day or so.  Haven't done much, but some bits are getting there.  Happy weekend, dear ones!

A Quiet Day with Kelly

Johnnie, Evann and Braden left this morning.  The kids wanted to go see their beloved Great Gran.  They came by for a little while to say good-bye.  I hated to see them leave, but loved our time together.  So they are in Bryan with Gran and Sandi tonight, will stay Friday, and head back to Kansas on Saturday.

Jason and Ahlyssa also went home.  I will surely miss my chef and carb watcher.  :o)  He took wonderful care of me.  But he said he will be back.  I know his family has missed him, and he has business to take care of at home.  I'm fortunate that he is a computer guy and can work from here as easily as he does from home.  He has some plumbing problems to take care of, too--no fun.

They had to send a nurse out this afternoon to re-draw my blood for labs.  For some reason the ones taken yesterday didn't work.  I had never seen her before, and liked her very much.

Kelly was here while Ron took Jason and Lyssa to meet Jason's friend halfway.  She is starting to put our crocheted flowers on a vine with leaves to make our banner.  It looks cute.  She has also been cleaning out our office/craft room.  I haven't been in there in months, and Ron lets the little girls play in there when he's on the computer.  (No more--I've put the kibosh on that).  They make the most unbelievable messes.  Kelly said it looked like Hoarders in there.  She hasn't finished yet.   She will take what she wants from the craft supplies and get rid of the rest.  She's such a treasure.

I hardly slept last night, so after Kelly left I took a nap.  Josh grilled me a steak, and I had broccoli and a little bit of sweet potato with it, then a couple of pieces of the wonderful chocolate covered bananas my cousin sent from Edible Arrangements.  

I can feel the love.  :o)

Mary and Family

Thank you so much for the delicious Edible Arrangement.  It arrived today and my grandkids, who love fruit and chocolate, were so excited!  (Me, too)!

The one I got was a little different from this one. Our pineapple is formed into flowers.  It also came with a box of chocolate covered fruit.  Reece and I just enjoyed  chocolate covered bananas for dessert tonight.  They are soooo good!

Johnnie, Evann and Braden were here when it arrived, and they thought it looked wonderful, too, but none of them would eat any.  There is plenty for everyone.  They should have tasted it.  :o)

How thoughtful of you to send the arrangement.  We have a store in the shopping center near us, so it is very, very fresh.  Love you all so much!  Thank you again!

Wednesday Night

Johnnie and her grands got here late today because they went to see the Alamo and the Riverwalk.  I'm glad they took some time to have fun.  They ate at Dick's Last Resort, a crazy, kind of fun place on the Riverwalk.  

I love having them all in here with me, lying on my bed, looking at pictures and talking up a storm.  Reece and Braden are so cute together.  

Cyrise made a yummy dinner for us, pork in the crockpot.  And I had a little dish of ice cream for dessert, which was a real treat.

Johnnie and her grands are leaving tomorrow.  They will go to see Mom and Sandi in Bryan before heading for Kansas.  

Jason and Ahlyssa are going home, too.  Ron will drive them halfway, and Jason's friend will meet them and take them home.  I'm glad he is able to do that, because it will make the time Ron's away shorter.  He has another two furlough days on Thursday and Friday.  I think Jason is planning to come back in a couple of weeks or so.  I'm sure going to miss him.

Kelly will be here tomorrow to spend time with me until Ron comes home.  Cyrise and the kids will be here, but Cyrise has her hands full with the girls, so Ron wanted Kelly to be here as well.  Sometimes I feel as if I'm an awful lot of trouble.

I'm kind of tired tonight, but it's a good tired.  See you back here soon!

A Good Day

It's been a lovely Saturday here.  

My morning routine is to wake around 6:30 or 7, take my synthroid and check my blood sugar levels and wait for Ron to wake up.  We are getting my bathroom routine down.  Potty, dress, roll into bathroom for washing up, toothbrushing, hair combing.  The hospice people come some days--RN, aide, pastor.

When I'm ready, Jason or Ron usually makes my breakfast.  Lots of protein and good food for the immune system, like bacon and eggs, steak and eggs, omelets, eggs and cheese, and always a little bit of carbs, a little fruit and a yummy cup of coffee.  Jason often adds some veggies, hummus, yogurt--much like the food we ate when we visited Israel together in 2005.  Very healthy.

I usually lie back down around 12:30 or 1 for awhile.  Feels good after sitting in my wheelchair all morning.  I don't usually sleep, but have my computer, the TV remote and the phone available.

This morning I worked on learning the pattern to the crocheted flowers Kel and I are doing.  She came around noon and helped me with that.

She made me some soup for lunch, with bread and parmesan cheese and a glass of iced tea.

I went downstairs around 2:30 or 3:00 and spent the rest of the day down there with everyone.  Kelly and I poured off the oil from the peppermint leaves to make the peppermint oil.  We used some to make toothpaste.  We used my homegrown peppermint.  It's all very natural and healthy.

Kel and Lys went to Hobby Lobby in the afternoon to get the shadowboxes I wanted for the dolls I made.  Kelly framed two of them already, and they look like museum pieces in the boxes.  I just love them!  I'll try to get pics tomorrow.

The third one is for a little fairy I started of polymer clay.  He isn't finished, so Kelly is going to complete him for me, and we will put him in the last box.  His head and body are done, but he needs some arms and legs, an acorn cap for a hat and some kind of leaflike clothing.  Kelly will have fun completing him.

I loaded the dishwasher, with a little help from Cyrise to reach things.  It felt good to be doing something productive.

The children played so hard all day.  They went to IHOP with Papa and Uncle Jason this morning.  They were in the pool all afternoon.  Cammy fell asleep on the couch for awhile.  

We drew pictures for a bit.  I'm still trying to learn to draw a bird.    

Jason made planked salmon and cauliflower rice, and Cyrise made green beans with bacon for dinner.  It was all so good!  Then Jason made me a berry shortcake in a mug for dessert, which was really tasty.  I have it pinned on my pinterest recipe board, but I can't figure out how to put a pinterest button on my sidebar so people can look at my boards.  Let me know if you'd like the recipe and I'll post the link to the website where I found it.

After dinner, Jason made the marinade for kalbi ribs, which we will have either tomorrow evening or Monday--whenever Johnnie gets here.  I'm so looking forward to having her here with us for awhile.

As you can tell, my appetite is still very good.  That makes me think that things are going pretty well so far.  Dr. O has written orders for labs, and the lab people are coming here on Monday for a blood draw.  I am curious to see what my labs will be like.  I have noticed a little shortness of breath lately, but nothing too bad.  I'm having some allergy symptoms, so it may be just that.  Of course I am praying for God's will, and asking that that be a miracle.  :o)  But truly, I am content, happy and I totally accept whatever it is He wants for my life.

If you are Catholic and pray the Divine Mercy, I would appreciate it if you would say it for me now and then.  Thank you so much!

Becky

Hello!

I've been having a busy and wonderful week.

On Tuesday, my BFF from Missouri flew down to see us.  Her name is Becky, and there is no one in the world so sweet.  She stayed until Thursday.  My grandchildren fell in love with her immediately, and she took charge of them the very day she arrived, taking them with her to her hotel and letting them explore.

On Wednesday, she spent the whole day cooking in my kitchen.  She helped Lily make snickerdoodles, then she made chocolate Reece's cookies.  Then, she made her mom's famous, delicious lasagna for us.  We had it with garlic bread, salad, and a strawberry jello salad for supper that night.  It was sooooo good!

And, she made these fantastic desserts called peach bombs.  They are simply whole peaches wrapped in pie dough.  After they baked to a golden brown, she poured a syrup flavored with almond extract over them.  I've never had anything quite like them.  They are absolutely delightful.

When I became a Christian back in the early 1980's, it was because the Holy Spirit used Becky in my life.  You can read more about that in my conversion story.  The link is on my side bar.  He is still using her in my life.  Our friendship is eternal.

Thank you, my dear, dear friend, for everything.  I am so grateful for our time together this week.  Love you forever!

My Little Summer Bucket List

Don't worry, I'm also planning a little fall bucket list and a little winter bucket list.  :o)

I was thinking about some of the little fun things I've been meaning to do for a long time and decided to write them down and do them.  Want to see?

1.  Get 3 shadowboxes for some little dolls I've made.

2.  Make a crystal garland.  Years ago Kelly and I had a craft booth at a craft show in Blanco, and a couple traded me a big bag of crystals for one of my candlelights.  We are going to twist wire into loops and curls and hang the crystals on it for some sparkle.  Won't that be pretty?

3.  Make oatmeal cookies with Reece.  I'll have to use the piano bench and round oak table as my mixing area, but that's okay.  I can't stand at the counter any longer.

4.  Have a tea party with the girlies.  We have a special Gramma tea set, and another that I got Cammy for her birthday that we can use.  Maybe we will wear hats.  Reece will be invited, too.

5.  Play Ave Maria on my violin.

6.  Learn the chords to Mull of Kintyre on the mandolin.  I couldn't sleep one night, and this song was in my head.  It has become our theme lately, with Ron and Jason finding some beautiful Scotch whiskey to drink from Ron's birthday Glenfiddich glasses.  I don't drink it, but I smell it, and it smells wonderful.  It came from the Mull of Kintyre.  It's called Spring Bank Single Malt Scotch.

7.  Buy mandolin strap (this one's done).

8.  Work with Reece on his reading and math.

9.  Draw.  Birds.  Flowers.

10  Make natural peppermint oil with my mint.  Use in toothpaste.

11.  Get rid of old green couch.  (I can't do that myself, but I can nag).

12.  Get another anointing.

13.  Visit the local Schoenstatt Shrine.

14.  Visit the local Divine Mercy Mission Center.

15.  Make handsewn pillows from my old summer yukatas.  I'll hem them with blanket stitch.  Simple and soft.

16.  Crochet flowers with Kel to make a cute garland together.  (We got a few of these done today--me one, Kel four). 

17.  Get a new water bucket for my dogs.  Their plastic one keeps getting moldy.  Yuck.  I'll get a metal one. 

That's it.  Happy weekend, dear ones.

One more beautiful family day.

Had another beautiful day with my family yesterday.  This time it was all of us here (Ron, Josh, Cyrise and their 4 littles, Jason and Kis and their four), Kelly and Mike, then Sandi and Mom, Johnnie and Mike, Jared (their son), Cole and Collin (Sandi's sons) Kori, Steve and their two little guys (Kori is Sandi's daughter).  A big, fantastic houseful.

They brought all kinds of food!  Some of the guys stopped at Costco and Target and got everything imaginable for a big cookout.  We had hamburgers, brats, hot dogs, all kinds of cheeses, baked beans and pickles, chips and drinks.  Dinner was delish!

It is so wonderful to see the now grown-up cousins together, and the little ones, too, of course.  Kelly and Jared have a family tradition of making no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies whenever they are together, because we always did it when they were little.  They let Lily help them this time.  That was a privilege for her, because they usually allow no one else in the kitchen.  :o)  They (the cookies) were good.

The guys sat out on the patio at the back of pool, talking and talking.  They are all so handsome and strong.  Most of Great Gran's grandchildren are boys.  She has two granddaughters, Kelly and Kori, and they are both strong and beautiful, too.  Great Gran had her hair cut short, and wore cute clothes.  She is a little doll.  I liked just looking at her.

There was lots of swimming and playing going on.  Sandi trimmed my hair for me as we sat out back on the patio.  Steve took a big family picture (I'll see if it's in my iphoto so I can post it).  Oops, not there yet.  I'll try to get it downloaded later today.

We turned on the party lights on the patio at dusk, and Jason and Lys played for us, and Jason sang.  That was wonderful.  

We're all doing okay.  I haven't noticed much physical change.  I'm tired, but that's nothing new.  No new numbness or tingling anywhere, no breathing difficulties yet.

I ask for prayers for my family.  This is harder on them than it is on me.  Ron and I have been one for over 44 years, and I can barely imagine what this is doing to him.  I know the kids are worried about him.  They are all strong, but I can see that they are torn apart, too.  Please pray for strength and peace and comfort for all of them.  Thank you!

Goodbyes yesterday were difficult.  We live so far apart from extended family, and we don't know what will happen next, or when.  I feel so blessed that everyone was here while I'm still doing well.  

Thank you for reading, and thank you for your sweet thoughts and prayers.  Love you, dear ones!

Friday Five

1.  Today is the start of the novena to the Holy Spirit.  You can see the novena here.

2.  I went shopping this afternoon, looking for summer clothes.  Got a simple little flared navy blue polka dot knit dress, a gray and black striped top and a pair of black capris.  I'd like to find a pair of navy canvas wedges to wear with the dress.

3.  I've gained back some of the weight I had lost during my cancer battle.  I was down to 105 at one point, am back up to around 117 now.  Yay!  I'd like to stay around this weight.  My hair is growing, but my eyebrows are barely there.  I don't know if they will ever come back, but as long as the cancer is gone, I don't even care.

4.  I made strawberry shortcake today.  Aubrey nagged me until I got it done.  :o)

5.  We had another thunder storm and some rain last night and early this morning.  I'm really happy for the rain we've had lately.

Daybook

Date:  Wednesday May 1, 2013. 

Time and Weather: It's 69 degrees at 9:10 AM.  We've had some rain the past few days, but not enough.  The high today will be 89 degrees.  I'm sure the kids will be in the pool after school.  

Clothes:  Wearing my gray PJs this morning.            

Food:  I had a cup of pomegranate tea with honey and two pieces of buttered Health Nut bread toast with apricot jam for breakfast.

I've put beef and veggies and broth in the crockpot today, for soup tonight.      
 
I made Oriental chicken for supper last night.  It's a dish I used to make when we lived in Japan.  Once a month we had a newcomer's luncheon, and Asian chicken is what I usually made for it.  The newcomers always loved it.  The marinade smells heavenly.

Here's my recipe:

Oriental Chicken

2 pkgs chicken drumsticks (I like to use thighs)
1/2 C soy sauce
3 garlic bulbs, crushed
A few gratings of fresh ginger
2 T sesame oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 1/2 T vinegar
4 to 5 T sugar

Mix all marinade ingredients and pour over chicken. Let stand in refrigerator overnight. Cook next day, in the marinade, about 40 minutes on the stovetop or about an hour in the oven.  Serve with steamed rice.

Sounds:  The little girls are playing in their room next door to mine.  I hear little squeals and laughter. 

Comings and Goings:  I've mostly just gone to Mom's this week.  Josh has been on break, so he has been ferrying the kids to school and back.  

Ron and I went grocery shopping for Mom Monday night.  
  
Little Favorites:  New hummingbird feeder.  We hung it up late this year, but a little hummer found it yesterday.  Our little wrens flew from the wren house last week.  I miss them.

    













Music:
    

Memories:  When our older two children were small, Ron and I used to go to Colorado for vacations with them.  Ron learned to fly fish, and one year in June we drove to Colorado in a red Pinto station wagon, pulling a pop-up camper.  Ron had a map with several little mountain lakes marked, where he hoped to catch some cutthroat trout.

I remember being so scared driving on a road on the side of a mountain where I could look straight down from the passenger side window.  I just knew we were going to fall off.  But we didn't.  

It was cold in the mountains in June.  We found the most isolated campground I've ever seen.  We were the only ones there.  At night we could hear coyotes or wolves howling.  In the morning, we had fresh caught trout, fried in an iron skillet over a campfire, for breakfast.  Best fish ever!

While we fished at that lake, a storm came up, with loud thunder and lightning.  I was terrified that my children would be struck by lightning, and remember running with them away from the lake and back to the campground.  

One of the lakes Ron found had a beaver dam.  We could hear the slap of the beaver's tale on the water as they warned the other beavers that people were coming.  Coming down from that lake, we ran into snow.  And we saw some mountain goats.  They were climbing down the steep mountain side--amazing!

At another lake near Steamboat Springs, we hiked up to the lake and could hear the sounds of a cattle drive somewhere close by.  We never saw the cattle or the cowboys, but we could hear them off in the distance.  I sat on a big rock, watching Ron fish and holding a sleeping Kelly on my lap.  While I was sitting there, a bird came and landed on my head.  I was trying to get Ron to look without scaring the bird away or waking Kelly, but I don't think he ever did see the bird.  It sat on my head for a couple of minutes, then flew away.

We love Colorado.  The beautiful mountains, the birds and animals, the scent of the pine woods.  We used to think we would like to live there, but now we are spoiled and like warm weather.  I don't mind a week or two of snow and cold weather, but would not like a whole winter of it.

Thank you, God:  for our beautiful world.  Amen  

Kicking Off The Weekend

Ron, Reece and Aubrey had the day off yesterday.  Ron worked in the yard, mowing the grass.

Reece and Aubrey played with the Wii, went swimming and went with me to Gran's.    

I planted the front flower bed with the pink begonias and green and pink potato vines I bought a couple of days ago.

In the afternoon, I made some bruschetta for a snack for the family, but it wound up being my dinner as well.  Everyone liked it, even the little girls.  

I made two kinds, artichoke/parmesan and parmesan with tomato and basil.  So simple to make, and so delicious!  I started with a skinny loaf of french bread, sliced it into 1/2" pieces and brushed each piece with olive oil.

For the artichoke ones, I mixed about 3/4 of a jar of marinated artichokes with about 1/2 cup of fresh grated parmesan cheese.  Put a spoonful of the mixture on the bread and broil under the broiler for about 2 minutes, until the topping is bubbly and cheese is melty.  Eat it while it's warm.  Yummy!

For the tomato basil ones, each slice was brushed with olive oil, then put under the broiler to lightly toast.  Put a thin slice of parmesan on each toast and either stick them back under the broiler for a minute to melt the cheese, or put them into the microwave for 30 seconds until the cheese melts.  I used smallish tomatoes, and topped each piece of toast and cheese with a tomato slice and a fresh basil leaf.  Drizzle with a little more olive oil and shake on some salt and pepper.  So good!  And healthy.

There are so many toppings you could make for these.  Tomorrow I may make some with avocado, tomato and rosemary.  I also have some ricotta cheese, fig jam and honey--I wonder if that combination would taste good on them?  

Ron and I went to Lowes in the evening.  We got some Hasta Gro for the yard, three bags of potting soil, some organic bug spray and a liner for one of my hanging baskets.  I'm going to plant yellow petunias and a blackie sweet potato vine in it.  Oh, and we got two red knockout roses.  I'm looking forward to getting those planted.

Then we stopped at Sonic for a small chocolate malt for me and a mocha java chiller for Ron.  It was a nice day.

Have a great weekend!

Weekend Roundup

The weekend has flown by.  The weather was beautiful.  The kids spent lots of time outdoors, playing in the yard or swimming.  Reece is already getting tan.

Kelly came over today and it was so good to spend time with her.  We went to Gran's and took her out to lunch.  We stopped at Lowe's and got some flowers.  I got some pink begonias to put in the front flower bed, underneath the living room window, and some sweet potato vines to put in between them.  The vine has smallish green leaves with pink edges.  Very pretty.

I got a large potted red geranium and some yellow petunias for the patio, and a little pot of mint (for our summer tea).  And I got three pots of yellow and pink lantana for the flower bed along the backyard fence.  But when I went out there to plant them, the bed looked so awful I decided to wait.  It's just so overgrown with the invasive rock roses.  The soil needs to be amended, too.  So I'll wait until Ron can help me.  Wish I had one of those little tillers.  I got one small pot of society garlic to put out there, too.  I tried to find perennials that will come back each year for that back flower bed.  It already has a large turk's cap, the jasmine, and those darn rock roses.  I think there are some dwarf lilies in there, too, and a patch of michaelmas daisies that will bloom in the fall.

No veggies this year.  The last two years have discouraged me.

The jasmine on the fence is blooming like crazy and smells like heaven.  The peace roses are blooming, too, but one vine has reverted back to it's original and has single petal red roses--not very pretty.  I wish I had enough to make rose petal jelly.

I was going to make something (I can't remember what it was now), and asked Ron to pick up some heavy cream at the grocery store.  The cream was sitting in the fridge and I decided to have some in a cup of coffee.  I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but oh wow, that cream made even Ron's strong coffee taste delicious.  Now I find myself craving a cup of coffee with cream every day.  Maybe I'll try some in my Earl Grey in the morning.  (Oh yeah, it was a cake I had planned to make with the cream, but never did).

Have a good week.

Weekend Summary

It's been a pretty quiet weekend around here.  

Ron and I ate dinner on Friday night at The Lion and the Rose English pub near our house.  Ron had fish and chips, and I had a grilled cheese with tomato on pretzel bread with chips.  Pretty good.  We've eaten there before.  I tried the shepherd's pie that time, but wasn't impressed.  

We went shopping Saturday and got Mom a wireless amplifier so that she can watch TV without turning up the sound on the TV.  The office had called to let us know that there had been several complaints from her neighbors about the volume on her TV late at night.  I think she falls asleep watching TV and it stays on all night.  She turns it up very loud so that she can hear it.  Poor neighbors.

So we went to set the amplifier up, and it wouldn't work.  Brought it home and it worked fine on our TV.  Ron said that it had to be something about her TV (it was old), so today he went and bought her a new one.  She was delighted with her new flat screen, and the amplifier works great on it.  We put the TV on mute, and she can still hear through the headphones.  They have excellent sound quality, and she can turn them up as loud as she likes, but no one else will hear the TV.  Praying it works, as we don't want to disturb other people or have her asked to leave.  

I made sausage and tortellini soup for dinner tonight.  I thought it was good.  I love homemade soup, and the family liked it, too.  Here is the recipe.

Sausage and Tortellini Soup

1 Sausage link, cut in slices (I used an Eckrich Farm sausage).
1 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 C chicken broth (or beef or vegetable broth)
1/2 C red wine or cooking sherry (I skipped this b/c I didn't have any wine or sherry).
1 can diced tomatoes
4 carrots, chopped
2 T finely chopped fresh rosemary (or to taste)
1 bunch of fresh basil (I only left this in the soup for a short time because it had such a strong flavor).
1 zuccini, chopped
8 oz. of frozen tortellini
Handful of baby spinach (I used regular sized spinach leaves).
Parmesan cheese to grate over the top of the soup.  (Get good, stinky parm--it makes a difference).

Brown the sausage in a large pan for 10 minutes.  
Brown the onion in the grease from the sausage with a little olive oil added for 5 minutes.
Add the stock, wine, tomatoes, carrots, and herbs.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
Add zuccini and tortellini.  Simmer 10 minutes or until tortellini is fully cooked.
Add spinach leaves 5 minutes before soup is done.
Ladle into bowls and top with grated parmesan cheese.
Serve with yummy bread.

Enjoy!

(Recipe adapted from a recipe found here.

Fry Bread Recipe (And Shoes)

I've had a few requests for the recipe for the fry bread, so here it is, with my changes.









Cherokee Indian Fry Bread

2 C flour
1/2 C dry milk powder (I don't use this.  See note at the bottom).
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 T lard or Crisco (you could probably just use butter).
3/4 C warm water (see note at the bottom).
Cooking oil for frying.

NOTE:  (Instead of using powdered milk and water, I just used a scant cup of regular milk, warmed for a few seconds in the microwave).

Stir together flour, dry milk powder (if using), baking powder and salt.  Cut in lard/Crisco/butter until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.  (Mine never did look like coarse bread crumbs).  Stir in water (or regular milk).  Turn out onto floured surface; knead to a smooth ball, 10 to 12 strokes.  Divide dough into 8 balls.  Cover and let rest 10 minutes.  On floured surface, roll each ball to a 6 inch circle.  With finger, make a hole in the center of each.  Deep fry, one at a time, in hot fat (400 degrees) until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes on each side.  Drain on paper towels.  Makes 8  (These are best served hot).

I fried mine in a large skillet, 3 at a time.  I didn't measure the oil, just poured in what I thought was enough.  It didn't cover the tops of the bread; I turned them after 1 1/2 minutes or so. I drained them on a couple layers of napkins, since I was out of paper towels.

You can eat them plain, or put butter, honey or jam on them.  You can sprinkle them with powdered sugar for a sweet treat.  Or, best of all, you can use them for Indian Tacos.  Just use the same ingredients you use for tacos.  For example, refried beans or black beans, cooked ground beef, pork or chicken, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, jalapeno peppers, etc.).  Put your taco ingredients on the fry bread and wrap the bread around them like a taco.  Add salsa.  Yummy!

When I took the picture of my moccasins, Reece and Aubrey wanted me to take pictures of their shoes, too.  So here they are.  :o)

Aubrey's Boots

Reece's Crocs

Saturday Summary

Wow, it's quiet here right now.  Josh and his family have gone to the grocery store and Ron went to the pool store for shock.  

Reece and I went to Gran's this afternoon.  He loves her so much.  We stayed over there for quite awhile.  It's peaceful, and Gran does whatever he wants to do.  We baked some cookies and they took Teddy for two walks.  Reece took Gran out onto the patio.  He was pretending to take Teddy to school out there, and he told me that no Grammas were allowed in school.  Only dogs, Great Grans and Reece.  :o)  Teddy got into trouble at school for not paying attention.  Hmmm.

We're still having great weather--74 degrees right now.  I feel bad for the people in the north with all the frigid temperatures and ice.

Have you seen those stories about Obama with flies on his face?  Weird.  It's happened quite a few times, evidently.  When I told Kelly about it, she said, "Lord of the flies."  :o)  That was such a sad book.

I made cinnamon bread pudding on Thursday.  It was so good.  I need to make it more often.  Josh has liked it since he was a little boy, and Ron likes it, too.  And so do I!  Real comfort food.

It was so warm yesterday that we stayed outside from the time the kids got home from school until dark.  I blew the leaves off the patio, and Cammy and I walked all around the yard with the yard cart, picking up toys and bits and pieces of junk.  The kids and I ate out there and just enjoyed the gorgeous weather.

So far it's been a nice weekend.  Hope you're enjoying yours.

South Central Texas Saturday

We've had a gorgeous day here, sunny and not too cold.  Sixty-eight degrees right now.  

My sister Sandi showed up around noon and we went with her to Mom's.  She was going to hang pictures and go through boxes this afternoon. 

Ron and I went to Mama's Cafe for lunch around 1:30 or 2.  Ron had a smothered steak and I had a turkey fiesta sandwich and fried okra.  They have little table juke boxes at the booths (like the pic above).  

When we got home, Reece wanted me to help him put his Monster Mutt truck together.  He got it at the Monster Truck Show.  It's a K'Nex toy.  So we did that and he is having fun playing with it now.

I'm waiting for the cable guy to call and let me know when he's on his way to Mom's.  They said it could be any time between noon and 9 PM.  Hope they can fix it quickly and easily; her phone is not working, either.

Are you having a good weekend so far?  Hope so!  

Friday Four

1.  Got a little bit of work done on our bedroom, but have a long way to go before it's "pretty."  Too much stuff!

2.  I made coq au vin a few days ago.  I used white wine instead of red, and though it was good, I think it lacked some of the good flavor it should have had.  

3.  Ron was off work today for a training holiday, and will be off Monday for MLK day.  The kids will be home from school, too, so we'll have a nice long weekend.  

4,  Please pray for my mom.  She has been more confused the past week or so than usual.  We thought she did well with the move, but maybe it's affecting her after all.  Thank you!

Have a great weekend!

Monday Bits and Pieces

The kids had fun at the monster truck show on Sunday.  They came home all excited, with cotton candy, a plastic Gravedigger hat, some crazy flashing rings, a lego monster truck, etc. etc.  I meant to get a picture of Reece in the hat, but forgot.  Maybe tomorrow.

He was keyed up Sunday night and didn't get to sleep until late, so he was tired today.  I hope he was good at school.  He went to sleep like an angel tonight, about 7:40 PM.  The little girls did, too.

Still cold here--44 right now, and will get down to 33 degrees tonight (or early morning).  Brrr.

I saw an article on the internet about freezing whole lemons, then grating them up to use in whatever you like.  You wash them first, really well.  Then put them in a freezer bag and freeze them.  When they are frozen, take them out and grate the whole thing, peel, seeds and all.  The article, which I can't find now, said to sprinkle the frozen bits of lemon on everything: soup, eggs,  salads, veggies, beans, ice cream, ramen noodles--you name it.  It said that it brightens up the flavor of any food and is good for you, as well.

I like lemon, so I bought some and tried it.  I've only grated one so far (I used the small holes).  The article (that I can't find) said you can put them in the food processor to grate them, and I'm going to do that with the rest of them tomorrow.  The one I grated smelled heavenly while I was grating it, and I put the gratings in a plastic bowl w/lid and put it back in the freezer.  The gratings tasted good all by themselves.  They sort of melted in my  mouth.  I'll try them on food tomorrow.

Camryn has a dentist appointment tomorrow, so I will drop her and her mommy off at the dentist's after we take Aubrey to school at 11:15.  Gina will stay with me.  

I also have a dentist appointment, but mine is next week on Tuesday.  Dreading it, but need it.  I have 2 broken molars that have to be fixed.  The dentist didn't want to do it while I was still recovering from cancer and chemo, but one of them is starting to hurt a little and I don't want it to get worse.

Hope you've had a good start to your week.

Friday Five

It's a chilly Friday night and I'm glad to be snug at home.

1.  Ron took me out to see a movie this afternoon.  That was fun.  We saw The Hobbit, and I enjoyed it very much.  I had seen some bad reviews, but I thought it was a good movie.  Total escapism.  I wondered about taking Reece to see it, but now I know we will not be doing that.  Some of the villains in the movie are too scary for little kids.  I liked the music and the fantasy scenery.  So pretty.  Lots of violence, though.

2.  I made vegetable beef soup using the stock that we made from the leftover prime rib bones.  It was delicious.  I put in the leftover green beans from Christmas dinner (including the caramelized onions and pine nuts) and a couple of potatoes, cubed.  Not only did we enjoy eating it, but it was fun making soup from scratch.  We got a loaf of sourdough bread from Panera Bread to have with it, and that was delish, too.

3.  Reece, Ron and I went to Gran's today.  She likes her new apartment, and doesn't seem to be having any trouble adjusting to a new place.  We still need to find homes for some boxes of pictures, etc., and we need to buy a 3' long piece of dryer vent hose to hook up her dryer.  Ron got the washer hooked up, but discovered the dryer hose that was on the dryer is too short for this setup.  Gran has misplaced (or hidden) her apartment and mailbox keys.  I couldn't find them today.  It's very frustrating.

4.  My sister Sandi and her daughter and two little grandsons are coming down from Austin for the day tomorrow.  It will be nice to see them.  I have never seen Sandi's youngest grandson, so I'm really looking forward to meeting him.

5.  Jason and his family will be here sometime this weekend for an extended Christmas celebration.  I'm always happy to have them here.  

Have a great weekend, dear readers. 

Cookie Baking At Our House

Here's what Christmas cookie baking is like at our house.

It starts out peacefully enough, with Mommy wanting to make a fun Christmas memory for her kids.

She tries to find some Christmas music on the radio, but can't find any.

Mommy gets a package of sugar cookie mix and mixes it up with the kids watching (and helping).

She starts rolling out the dough.  All the kids want to use the rolling pin.  So they take turns rolling for a bit.  Reece is pestering the heck out of Cammie and she is screaming like a little banshee at the top of her lungs.

Mommy says, "Don't touch the dough," and turns to the sink.  Aubrey immediately touches the dough, Reece sneaks a piece to eat, Cammie puts a dirty cookie cutter on the dough.  When Mommy has finished washing the cookie cutters, they each get turns to cut out a few cookies.  Reece is not particular, and uses whichever cutter is in front of him.  Cammie has a weird oval one that she likes, and Aubrey has chosen an ugly horse that Cyrise keeps setting aside because she doesn't want to use it. But Aubrey insists, so these ugly Christmas horses are mixed amongst the bells, trees, stars and gingerbread men.

As the rolling out and cutting continues, the noise escalates until I have to leave the room.  They are fighting and whining and crying.  Cyrise has never made sugar cookies before, and they get a little darker and harder than desired, but they smell good.

They all want to eat the cookies before they are frosted and decorated.  More crying and screaming ensues when they are told they have to wait so that they can have the fun of decorating the cookies.  They each have a couple, but that's not enough for them.

Gramma loses her temper because of all the noise and chaos, smacks Aubrey's butt down onto a bar stool, does the same with Cammie, who is silently stealing and eating as many cookies as she can get her grubby little hands on while no one is looking, and goes to ask Daddy to put the girls down for a nap.  He agrees, and more screaming and crying happens when he tells them they are going up.

Now it is peaceful, but Gramma feels like a grinch.  I think a little more planning needs to happen next time.  Maybe Mommy can make the whole batch of cookies herself the night before while the kids are asleep and they can do the frosting and decorating the next day, each decorating their own little batch of cookies so there is no argument.  No screaming, no fighting, no ugly horses.  :o)  Or maybe not. 

Sigh.  Trying to keep it real, folks.