Bella

I cant stop thinking about how cute Bella was this weekend. Yes she is smart, active, full of imagination and just pure joy in a little package. We had a great time with Kathy, Crissy, Clayton, and Cara as well. I came home full of the Christmas spirit and I want to thank the kids for that. I love you all.

missed opportunies

Last week one day Tif and I met at Ms. Linda's for lunch. We sat on the front porch because the weather was so pretty and that way Tif could smoke(I am trying to quit AGAIN) Her uncle stopped by the table as he was leaving from his lunch. He started telling the coolest stories about her grandpa and him when they were young. After he had left, Tiffany commented that she found out more family history sitting there than she ever heard from her Grandma. I just thought how true that is that we forget sometimes to tell the old memories and they are special, too. Like how you all have a me who still says cool and doesnt apologize for saying it. I love you all.

new quilts

Been sewing and quilting this week and thought I would show off a little. The top picture is a new quilt top I made this week called Venetian Tiles and the other pictures are from Bryan and Linda's quilt. I got the binding on it this week.

Sleeping with the windows open

At last some decent days and nights for sleeping with the window open and the fresh breeze blowing in, I love it. The weather hear has been perfect since I got home from Franklin. Even the dogs seem more frisky since the weather cooled down a few degrees. Tina was here over the weekend and we had a good time, it just makes me miss her more when she leaves though. I got another quilt on the machine and today I went to Grand Chain to the little hardware store to buy a good extension cord, cause the cord on the machine is short and I kept having to unplug the machine and change plug ins yuck. I want to quilt.

tomatoes

Hi ya'll!!!

Well, I normally post a ton about my summer gardening experiences, but this year has past by.... too much going on... we have gone camping about three times this year.  10 day vacation in England smack in the middle of summer.  Then right into football season.
But I can report on my tomato plants are still producing very nicely.
The rainy hot summer that we have had was perfect for these little red babes. 
I've been able to pick handful on my way into the house each day after work for a nice little snack.

Today, I pruned back the wild vines and picked as many as I could.
Some I cleaned and have been snacking on this afternoon, some of them are on the back porch to ripen.

Up north

Good morning all I am up north with RedDog this week. So far it has rained like crazy and put RD in a bad mood, but I brought my knitting so I have been happy. We watched the Clint Eastwood movie "Gran Torino" and it wasnt a bad movie. Clint Eastwood's character reminded me of RedDog, cause he was grouchy and he called everybody names.LOL.

I made Parmesan Chicken Noodle soup on Sunday, cause I was dreaming about it Saturday night and it turned out yummy. It is Crissy's recipe and it is really good.

Hey ladies it is Friday and payday for me Yeah... I went to the movies and seen Proposal LOVED IT. I can't wait to buy it. I am not much on going to the show but it was nice Erika and I went together. I am planning on going to see Lyle and Candy & Red next weekend I will be kidless....Crissy & Kathy keep up the good work wish I could be as motivated as you guys. Sorry have not been bloging lately I have been on facebook. Have a great weekend.

Changleling

Hi Ya'll....  I need to get back into the groove here.

Movies... good topic.  I watched Changeling last weekend.  I thought it was good.  It was a bit disturbing.  I was not very impressed w/ Angelina Jolie's performance.  Although, she is a fabulous crier and she looks really good in the '20s clothing.  This was directed by Clint Eastwood....  Not a bad movie, just not a WOW...  movie either.

Movie notes

Thanks Crissy for the movie notes. I thought the Julie and Julia looked so good, I would have been very dissapointed if I had paid big money to go see it at the movies. I am really wanting to see GI Joe, it looked exciting. I totally agree with you on the whole body image problem. I have been thin enough you could see all my ribs and I still thought I was fat. I dont know a cure for that other than your suggestion to celebrate who we are and just love ourselves. I have been having a problem with my knees aching all the time so I finally broke down and bought some Alleve. I take two tabs in the morning and I can go all day with just a few twinges of pain, I feel ten years younger just being able to get out of a chair and have no pain. Yeah.

Summer Life

Hey all,
So Kathy and I went to see G.I. Joe yesterday. It was action packed and fun. Last week we went to see Julie and Julia, rent it, not worth the money, it was really slow moving and had no point. The house is looking good, but we've been on a little hiatis with the heat advisory so high. This weekend I'm off to Chicago to help my friend pick out her wedding dress and the brides maid dresses for her wedding next May. It should be fun! Kathy and I are still losing weight although it is painfully slow right now. I hit 33pds and seemed to stop. I will tell you that I have finally changed sizes and am now wearing the same size I wore my senior year of high school. I still have 18pds to lose for my Christmas goal. When Candy was here, Kathy and her went to Walmart and bought an exercise bike and some free weights. I've been loving the cardio work out and I think my arms are finally shrinking. Since this a girl's zone, I thought I would ask the advice of you very intelligent ladies. When your losing weight and it seems to stop, what's the best way to jump start your body again. I really want to make my Christmas goal and I'm starting to feel discouraged. Side note- One thing I have learned about myself over the years is that my body image hasn't changed much. I've been looking at old photos trying to pick a goal picture and as I'm looking at myself I realized that I have always thought I was fat. I'm not sure that we are able to look at ourselves through unbiased eyes and see what we actually look like. Now that I am actually fat, I look back and think why didn't I rock that body and find happiness with it. So on my journey through weight loss I've been trying to step back and say " hey your sexy, look at the progress, keep going" So I have decided to give you all a little assignment.
1. Stand in front of a full length mirror naked ( i know scary but humor me)
2. Really look at yourself turn side to side, stare at you butt, take an honest look
3. And then tell yourself, somebody I love, loves this body, the one I have, and although I see flaws, I have accomplished so much in this body. I love my body, I'm gratefull for my body and my health.
4. If you see something you want to change, remember the change is for you, your body is not screaming at you hey get rid of this stomach fat it's ugly, it's your head, and if you want to change, not neccessarily improve, because your body is damn sexy, then do it because you would feel better
5. Put your clothes back on and look at yourself again, and remember that few people really see you naked and those people still love you, so why don't you still love you

I hope everyon takes time to try this challenge. I recommend making it a ritual. We are so blessed ladies. Some of you have carried children in those bodies, found lovers and soulmates in those bodies, and happiness in those bodies. It's about time that we love ourselves. Well off to work for me, but i think I'll stare in the mirror first!

Let's break the silence

Okay, this break has gone on long enough. It is time to come back to the blog. Kids will be going back to school, it will start to cool off which means less yard work so we had better start communicating sisters. Tell me about the latest movie you saw or a new outfit anything just start talking. I recently went to see Kat and Crissy and my mom and sister Stephanie, while I was at Kathy's house she had a couple of my friends over and we did Karoke and had a good time. It felt good to reconnect with my old friends and I remembered why I liked them so much. I just finished my first paying job on the quilt machine and she said she really liked it, but you know me I still think I could have done better.

Thoughts on turning 55

Yesterday was my birthday, sadly the older you get the less you look forward to your birthday. But on pondering the day I decided it was a good thing to be my age after all.

I qualify for Senior dinners
I can get cheaper car insurance
Maybe my husband will finally retire, since I am 55


If you can think of more things for me to be happy about, chime in.

Peppers

Hi!!  I bought two of these pepper plants and planted them out front.

They look gorgous, very healthy.... but, I don't remember what variety that they are.

They almost look like jalapenos, but I'm not sure.

I thought I kept the little tabs that come w/ them, but I can't find it... so, if anyone can identify this pepper, let me know:')

Happy 1st of July

I still am not able to view you alls post unless I go to edit posts and read them there. I am going to refrain from posting so many pictures since this does slow us down a lot. I thought about starting a mini blog for just pictures we want to post but dont want to say alot about them. I like to do random pictures a lot. I am still walking to the mailbox in the mornings, still huffing and puffing, but I am not giving up. I plan to be around to bug you for many, many more years.

Bored

Kathy you need to join us on the farm. It is so fun... You wont be bored.

A new plan

Sorry I havent been on the blog in a while. I am forming a new plan for myself. One that involves more exercise and a closer watch of my diet. This means more time outside and less time on the computer with the exception of this game called Farm Town that Tina has got me addicted too. Yes you heard me right why else would I get up at 1:00 in the morning to check my crops to see if they were ready of beg perfect strangers for a job on their farm to earn money. It is totally fun, but let me warn you hard to stop.

Rails and Ties

I watched a real tear jerker of a movie yesterday am...
It is called Rails and Ties, w/ Kevin Bacon.
It was a pretty good movie, really heart wrenching.
So, if you need one of those emotional roller coasters to get you in a good mood... watch this one:')

Hello Everyone

Kathy and I went to see the Proposal yesterday. It was the perfect funny romantic comedy. On Tuesday the movie theater offers free small popcorns and cheaper matinee shows, so Kathy and I have been taking full advantage. I recommend for all out there to see if you theater runs any specials and slip away for an afternoon movie with someone. It's been a great break in routine for us. As you all have probably heard we have been losing weight. I hit 25 pounds this morning. I will tell you all that I thought that much weight lost I would feel a significant difference. Not so much. No change in pant size or exciting new curves I forgot about, but hey it's less weight I'm dragging around RIGHT? So I'm on to wish everyone a happy summer and keep blogging it gives me something to do.

Side note

Tzatziki Sauce
(I love this as a mayo alternative!)

1 large (I like to use 2 of the small ones) cucumer peeled, seeded, and grated.
1 32oz container of plain, non-fat yogurt
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic (or more if you love it like I do)
small squeeze of lemon juice

The trick to this whole thing is controlling the amount of moisture. Drain the yogurt...I've used cheesecloth, a handheld metal mesh colander, and even a pair of Crissy's pantyhose! Don't skip draining the yogurt, you'd be surprised how juicy it is. You are supposed to drain it for 4 hours but I'm not that patient. Instead I let it sit for an hour and mush it around with a spoon occasionally. I even dry the grated cucumber with paper towels. That's it! It tastes fresh and crisp...just what I'm looking for in the summer.

The Bench

Don'tcha just hate when you type something all up then hit some button and everything dissappears! Anyway, this is the project I've been working on. The kitchen bench was driving me crazy so I had to reupholster it. This was before...

This is after, and an extra shot to give a better idea what the fabric on the back looks like. The seats look blue in these shots, but they are actually black. Yes, mom, I put three coats of Scotchguard on each piece. Not bad for my first try without Mom helping!

Alright Already!

Mom's been on my butt cuz I haven't sat on the porch for awhile...so here I am with a nice tall glass of ice water with a wedge of lemon floating in it. Mom might have mentioned to ya'll that Crissy and I are working on a "lifestyle change." So far I've lost 8 lbs. and Crissy's lost 16 lbs. We aren't drinking pop or tea with sugar, and we're trying not to eat anything we can't pronounce. Read the labels, it's harder than you think. I think I'm almost able to gauge how much a portion is! I would recommend reading "Eat this, Not that" to help pick the best options at the grocery store on the regular things you eat. The best advice I've heard so far is to stick to the outside of the store when grocery shopping; the inside aisles are where the "bad" stuff is. The best part is that we are trying a lot of new things and now we're out of that food rut. Jo, don't forget that summer is time for Tzatziki sauce...I've really been enjoying veggie burgers with feta cheese and Tzatziki! The most pleasant surprise has been the Smart Balance butter alternative made out of EVOO.

Grocery shopping

http://www.mommycoddle.com/2007/09/how-to-save-mon.html

I know that we are always trying to find a way to save money at the grocery store. I came across this blog and thought you all might be interested. I especially liked the idea of budgeting for white wine, cause you know we like our alcoholic beverages.

Hats from Wal-Mart Bags

I thought this was very interesting and something you would appreciate. This lady is crocheting Wal-Mart bags into hats!

http://www.kfvs12.com/Global/story.asp?S=10439785

I am finished

I got the little dresses done about 2:30 this afternoon. I am a little dissapointed in the pictures, cause they dont really show how cute they really are. Every one of the dresses is a little different, just using several methods to sew the bodice to the skirt.

Out of the sewing room

The sewing bug has hit me and I have cut out 5 little dresses for Abby girl. I finished one last night and hope to have the others finished today since it is raining and I cant mow. I think I will try to do each one of them a little differently or at least that is my plan at 7:30 in the morning who knows what the day will bring.

My meal time

When I get done cooking I place everything on our bar. If Kaylie is there we eat at the bar. If it is just Jerrod and I we make our plate at the bar and sit in the living room. I permanently keep a barstool in the living room and use it as my table and Jerrod just places his plate in his lap in the recliner. If we have a big crowd we place everything on the bar and eat at the table in the office/party room. For some reason we never, ever sit at my actual dining room table.

songs....

Candy, I love that song too... my favorite line is "He’s a six pack up when he walks in"
I used to always get a head start... not so much anymore! LOL..

I also love your pick, too, Tiff!

I'm still digging on Run to You cuz I like to belt it out in my car when no one can hear me.

Meal Time

My meal time routine is that I try to cook exactly the amount that we will eat, or I intentionally cook for two meal. I serve up the plates at the stove and serve. I do this for my own portion control and to ensure ease of clean-up. If I serve it all up, then the cookware goes right into the sink for a rinse!! I've been doing it this way for as long as I can remember:')
If I put food on the table, then I always eat more that I need.. UGH!
Also, I hate it when there is that one tablespoon of green beans left and no one will take it.

One question

I am brazenly stealing an idea I saw on another blog site. Just to ask a simple question like; What is you meal serving style. Do you prefer buffet, single served, dish up at the stove give me your feedback on your particular style.

All of you have eaten at my house at one time or another so you know that I go for the pick it up with your fingers or go get your own plate and start dishing up what you want. I honestly used to prepare real meals and have everyone sit down at the same time, but since it is usually just RD and me we tend to be very informal and to be honest I think I am out of practice. I would love to hear about your style.

Okay here goes, my new favorite song is below. It makes me think of RedDog when we were dating and went to the bars. He still can be a party all by himself sometimes and I love that about him.


One in Every Crowd, by Montgomery Gentry


Golden Tee, shuffleboard,Pinball, he’s got the score
That everybody around here’s tryin to beat,
He’s a six pack up when he walks in,
Tells the band crank it up to 10,
Then he’s up dancin on his seat,
Well he’s a big mouth, yellin’ hey play some free bird,
Says give me three steps and nobody gets hurt,
Then he takes off his shirt
There’s one in every crowd,
Brings the party in us out,
Good time charley with a harley,Whiskey bent and hellbound,
He’s got the next round,
But he always drinks for free,
There’s one in every crowd,
And it’s usually me,
Hey ya’ll, hey ya’ll, hey ya’ll,
There’s one in every crowd
Got a fliptop box of marlboros,
He’ll bum a light and steal your girl,
Then laugh at you for gettin’ all upset,
Well everybody here knows his name,
Makes everybody else look sane,
When he’s out, as far as you can get,
In his mind he’s a rock star,
Crankin’ out that air guitar,
Til the bartender says fool, get off my bar
There’s one in every crowd,
That brings the party in us out,
Good time charley with a harley,
Whiskey bent and hellbound,
He’s got the next round,
But he always drinks for free,
There’s one in every crowd,
And it’s usually me,
Hey ya’ll, hey ya’ll, hey ya’ll,
There’s one in every crowd
He’s a hard drinkin man’s man,
And women love him when they can,
He’s a bartender’s best friend,
It ain’t a party till he walks in
There’s one in every crowd,
That brings the party in us out,
Good time charley with a harley,
Whiskey bent and hellbound,
He’s got the next round,
But he always drinks for free,
There’s one in every crowd,
And it’s usually me,
hey ya’ll, hey ya’ll, hey ya’ll
,There’s one in every crowd
It’s usually me,
Hey ya’ll, hey ya’ll, hey ya’ll,
There’s one in every crowd, that’s right

New Favorite Song

Well Jolene, I missed your new favorite song post awhile back. I figured I would share mine. I really like the tune and its pretty catchy, it makes me want to drink beer! Sorry mine isn't too inspirational of a song!

She's Country
By Jason Aldean
You boys ever met a real country girl? Talkin, true blue, out in the woods, down home, country girl.
She's a hot little number in her pick-up truck Daddy's sweet money done jacked it up
She's a party-all-nighter from South Carolina, a bad mamajama from down in Alabama
She's a raging cajun, a lunatic from Brunswick, juicy Georgia peach

With a thick southern drawl, sexy swing and walk, brother she's all Country, (shoot) from her cowboy boots to her down home roots
She's country, from the songs she plays to the prayers she prays,
That's the way she was born and raised, she ain't afraid to stay, country
Brother she's country

A hell raisin sugar when the sun goes down, mama taught her how to rip up a town Honey dripping honey from the hollerin Kentucky, getcha flippin kinda trippie like a Mississippi hippie, She's a Kansas princess, crazy mother trucker, undercover lover

Thick southern drawl, sexy swing and walk,
Brother she's all Country (shoot) from her cowboy boots to her down home roots
She's country, from the songs she plays to the prayers she prays, That's the way she was born and raised, she ain't afraid to stay, country Nothin but country
Brother she's country, from her cowboy boots to her down home roots
Nothin but country
Yea yeayeaaa She's country (shoot) from her cowboy boots to her down home roots She's country, from the songs she plays to the prayers she prays, That's the way she was born and raised she ain't afraid to stay, country Yea she's nothing but country She's all about the country From the backwoods she's a homegrown, down to the bone, she's country

Time to Blog

Well I figured I should blog and give some updates since it has been awhile. Jerrod now has got our garden in and it is starting to look pretty good. It also looks like we are going to have a large peach and apple crop this year, along with sunflowers for the doves. Summer is gearing up and that means softball for us. Kaylie is playing on two teams this year and Jerrod has finally given up softball at 31 years old.

Our family was super excited last week to learn that Kaylie had won the Superintendant's Award at her school. The Superintendant's Award is given to the student that has the highest grade point average for the year in the grade. So Kaylie got 5th grade this year!

School is still a bitch. Right now I am doing a business simulation that allows me to manage a global camera company for the next 5 or 6 years. Unfortunately at the pace of my classes each year is over every Thursday and then again on Sunday's so I have to plan 6 years worth of business decisions in less than 3 weeks .

The George's are also taking their first family vacation ever! Kaylie, Jerrod, & I will be spending the first week in June in Gatlinburg, TN. We are planning on going to Dollywood, the Dixie Stampede, and some of the Ripley's attractions. Unfortunately Einstein will be going to the Kennel instead of Doggywod (and there seriously is a Doggywood)! Poor Velcro will be staying her usual stay at the George Motel alone (our house), needless to say she will be mad. (For some reason she acts like she has to go to work every morning at 5 a.m. chasing the birds outside).

Well that's about all I got right now. I thought I would end with some time of thought provoking reflection or question for everyone to answer but I can't seem to think of anything.

We have a new baby

His name is Kota and we adopted him from Christopher and Brandi. I was supposed to go north this week, but wanted to stay home with the new baby. He rode in the back seat of the truck with Tanner and did just fine.

Front porch sittin

Come one, come all the ice tea is made and the beer is always cold. Thinking of all you and seats all filled.

More on breadmaking

It must be an epidemic of breadmaking right now. Kathy told me she found a recipe for Whole Wheat bread in Motherearth News. This is a magazine I used to subscibe to way back in the 70's when I was a young hippy. http://www.motherearthnews.com/ Anyway, if you havent been to the site it is well worth looking at and who can resist warm bread out of the oven, yummm.

Bread Making

Ok girls... I bought this book a LONG time ago.. maybe almost a year....

But this morning, I finally put together my first batch of dough!!!
It is in the container, now I let it rise for 2 hours...

I'll let ya'll know later how it turns out.

Regional News

I know that anyone who has been in Jacksonville, Illinois in May will understand my news. The whole town of Jacksonville is out of vanilla. Yes you heard me right. You can not buy vanilla in this town. The gnats get really really bad here and for some reason they dont like vanilla so every year there is a shortage of vanilla. I will plan ahead for further trips. At Walmart yesterday they did say that Absorbene Jr. would work also, but I dont think I want to go around smelling like that all day.

Family Pics

My sister Stephanie had asked me to scan some old family pictures and email them to my sister Jan. I thought you might get a kick out of them. If you would like to see more of them they are at www.knoxie.shutterfly.com . I am the little one in the front. The picture was taken in front of my Grandma Hall's milk house after a fishing party on the Embrarass River.

Tyler is growing

I think I surprise myself on taking pictures. Of course I take a million pictures and have maybe five good ones. Christopher, Brandi, and Tyler were home on Saturday. They are getting ready to go to Japan, so they had brought things home to store. I have new rocking chairs on my front porch for three years at least. There will be plenty of room for all of us gals to sit and gossip together. I am not giving up on my dream of getting you all here together one day for the great Karioke party and gossip fest.

Galette

I saw a blog post yesterday on how to make galletes.

Today we went to Westminster and we stopped into Bed Bath & Beyond, so I picked myself up a new toy. A dough blender.
I'm wondering if there is a trick on how to use this thing....

let me know if there is...

I had some frozen raspberries that Brett and I picked last year, so I whipped up some dough, rolled it out, baked it and there you have it..

This was a really simple recipe to make.

I couldn't help myself, I went ahead an had a little nibble.

I think that I have some whipped cream in the freezer to put on top.

Adding to my google reader

I've added the following blogs to my google reader:
Beauty that Moves
House on Hill Road
Posie Gets Cozy
Green Clogs
The Simple Green Frugal Co-op

I just thought I'd share...
enjoy!!

Vanilla creamer... part 3

I tried the homemade creamer, made from condensed milk. It was not so tasty.
I consequently went back to the vanilla creamer sold in the big plastic container.
I just blocked out the the guilt of ingesting chemicals and polluting the evironment w/ more plastic. I do recycle, but I don't think that is good enough....

Betsy, from work, has stopped using her creamer, on her son's advice. He is a green naturalist. She has been just using organic sugar to sweeten the coffee and she does not miss the creamer at all. WOW! I thought I could give the sugar only method a shot and I did, albeit the non-organic process variety.
Nope, not good....

My latest attempt: I have purchased organic half 'n half in a box (no plastic). I put some sugar in the coffee, a little half 'n half and dribble of vanilla. It tastes good, but vanilla is expensive, so maybe I can wean myself from that.... in due time.

Tuesday night knitting class

Good morning, I went to knitting class last night and some of the girls are planning a trip to Nebraska to a wool festival. We came up with the name the Happy Hookers to put on the side of the van. Everyone was wound up and it ended up being a lot of fun, not very productive but way fun. The weather here is still cold and rainy, yuk. RD said if it rained on Thursday we were heading home. The neighbor with the mushrooms also gave us some wild Turkey to try, so that is on the menu for tonight. I am still knitting on the jumper for Abby, but I am almost done.

I know that you all think I have been doing nothing lately, since I havent posted a lot, but nothing could be further from the truth. The pink chick and the pink booties are for Abby girl and the gray alpaca shawl and cotton glover were for my sister Stephanie. The pink chick is a coin purse with a zipper at the top. I am currently working on a knitted tunic for Abby and just finished a sweater for Bella, but I didnt bring my camera so no new pictures this week.

Grandma Clapp news

On Saturday Kathy and Crissy went over to Gma Martha's house and planted three new alberta spruce bushes in her front yard for her birthday. Everytime you talk to mom all she can talk about is her new bushes and how cute Kat and Crissy were(like they were still babies) and she thinks her birthdays just keep getting better and better. I guess once you hit eighty who cares about the little stuff.

New Camper

Charlie and Jolene got a new camper isnt it cool. Sometimes I miss our old camper, just because I always had that extra room if I needed it. It is getting the right time to take off for the weekend or any time you can get two days off in a row and see the country. We are in Franklin this week and the spring flowers are beautiful. We got 2 1/2 inches of rain yesterday so RD and I took off and went riding around and then shopped at all the farm stores in Jacksonville. The farm stores always have cool stuff that other stores dont have. One of our neighbors had been out mushroom hunting and brought us last night. Every time I fry mushrooms I think of Libby when she was about 3 or 4 years old and they were home for a visit and she ate more mushrooms they any of the adults. She was so cute standing in the chair like a little bird waiting for the next batch of mushrooms to be done.

Happy Birthday

Happy 86th Birthday to my mom, Martha. My sister Stephanie and my Mom came to visist me yesterday. Stephanie helped me clean up the sewing room and the closet. Since I got the new quilt machine I had been throwing things everywhere. What a mess. But with sister doing it, it turned out to be a lot of fun. We had a salad with cucumbers, pecans, grilled chicken and hard boiled egg in it and for dessert I had made brownies. Yum.

Stop smoking campaign

Most of you know that I have been trying to quit smoking, so I have been engaged in cleaning and busy work to take my mind off of cigarettes. So far I havent been doing to bad having just one or two cigs a day. I have completely rearranged the dining room and made a new tablecloth that will be burn hole free and with the left over fabric I made a runner for the coffee table. To update you on RedDog's progress, he has not had a cig since last friday so he has been smokefree for over a week now. Yeah!!!!!!

My new favorite song... What is yours?

I Run to You by Lady Antebellum

I run from hate
I run from prejudice
I run from pessimists
But I run too late
I run my life
Or is it running me
Run from my past
I run too fast
Or too slow it seems
When lies become the truth
That’s when I run to you

Chorus
This world keeps spinning faster
Into a new disaster so I run to you
I run to you baby
And when it all starts coming undone
Baby you’re the only one I run to
I run to you

We run on fumes
Your life and mine
Like the sands of time
Slippin’ right on through
And our love’s the only truth
That’s why I run to you

Spring

I love spring. My perennials are coming up. Last year I transplanted peonies and I thought that I had killed them but looks like 3 made it. I planted Clematis and they are looking great. My yard is to shaded for me to have a vegetable garden which I would dearly love to have.. I enjoy mowing as long as the temp is not 90 degrees. Best of all the cook outs. This summer I am going to try new things on the grill, more veggies.

Spring

Ok all.. It is Q&A time again.... I want to know if ya'll are looking forward to spring and what you love most about it...
I know that I am happy to see Spring!!
I most look forward to the warmer weather so we can use the fire pit!
I get so excited as the grass is looking more and more green every day.
I like to watch budding growth on all the trees and shrubs.
I can't wait to sleep w/ the windows open.

I'm NOT looking forward to the work of putting in the garden and cleaning out last years dead plants from the flower beds.

What do ya'll do in the spring?

Grandbabies

Libby, Tanner, Brycen, Brett, Tyler and Brandon.

TGIF

Hey Ya'll!!!
I'm so glad it is Friday, I still have yet to recover from our busy weekend traveling last week.
We had such a good time seeing everyone, however short:')
Brett got invited to a freinds house, Charlie is helping Keith as a vendor for a fundraiser.
I got invited to some friends..... or I could go to the fundraiser and hang out w/ Melanie.
BUT, I think I just want to stay home.
Maybe I'll change my mind in 30 minutes after I've time to unwind a bit... and get bored:')

Candy and RD, I'm sooo proud of you both for quitting! I need you guys to be around for another 30 years! I'll still need your love, support and guidance when I'm 60!

Will we stop smoking

Hello my ladies, just wanted to update you on our progress using the stop smoking pill. I am averaging about 3 cigs a day and RD is down to 1 cig a day. We started the pills last Sat. night when we ran out of cigs. The most scary part of the whole thing is how civilized we have been about the whole thing. He or I will state we are having a cigerette and the other will say ok. We have only burned one together once this week. I am a little afraid of the Friday trip home because that is where I seem to have the urge to smoke the most. Wish me luck. I am packing us up to head home this afternoon. Hope to hear from all of you this weekend. I will be staying home for a while to mow and do some work outside so if I dont answer the phone be sure and leave a message and I will get back to you. I know we all think our lives are boring, but I would still like to hear what you are all doing . I miss you.

Remember Me....

I haven't blogged in FOREVER... but here I am finally. Tiff I totally agree with you about the increase in cig prices. Kathy and I have been looking for alternatives and stumbled upon the Smoke 51 electric cig. I suggest you look up there website and see for yourself. On another note, I was recently promoted at my job and tonight is my last night of training. I don't know whether or not to be happy or depressed. Some of you probably know that I graduated with my teaching degree last May, but have had little success finding a job. So after leaving Home Depot, I received a job at Cato Fashion Store making min. wage. Real step up....but what are you going to do. Anyway I've been promoted to second assistant with a whopping .50 cent raise. I'll take the money when I can. The biggest pro is that I will get more and consistent hours every week. Changing subjects again, I am happy to report that Kath and I know have T.V. service. It's nothing fancy just the basics, but I am elated-she could probably care less. Let me brag for a little bit about my honey and what she's been up to. Yesterday the cable guys came, (side note-today is my eighth day of an eight day stretch at work) so needless to say I've been exhausted. The house was a tornado, I say tornado, because I swear the house caused it own chaos. She cleaned everything for the cable guys and last night I got to come home to a spottless house. She swears there's hidden chaos, but I'm happy in ignorant bliss. That's about it for us here. Hope you all are doing well.

The new Quilt Machine

You may remember my posting on the new quilt frame I got a month ago, well here is my new quilting machine that will make my quilting not only fabulous, but much easier. It is not only beautiful, it runs very smoothly along the rails to make it so I can make fancier patterns on the quilt. I have a great view out the windows in the sewing room. I am up north this week, but that doesnt mean I am not making plans for starting my first quilt project. I know it will take lots of practice, I guess for me that is part of the appeal that there is a challenge to trying something new.

the price of smoking

It has been a while since I have been on the blog and it is very interesting to me that Tif should have be having the same discussions at her house that we are having at our house. What can be done about an involuntary stop smoking campaign being waged against a vast majority of the American people. They have already messed with us on gas and even food, what's next. I think that smokers are probably a vocal group that should be out there voicing our protest, like Tif what do you think?

Dill

I am glad you asked about dill, cause it is one of my fav herbs in the whole world. I use it on salmon, chicken when it is grilled, homemade bread, dill butter, which can be frozen for later, dips always taste better with a little dill added to them, I think lemon dill quickbread even sounds good. So you see there are many uses for dill and when you add it to your homemade bread before you bake it you have dill-dough, hah hah

taxes

I finally filed my tax returns!!
Yay...
I finish grad school and filed my taxes all w/in a few days!!!
Maybe I'll finally be able to relax.

Dill

Jo,
I really don't know what to use fresh dill for. You could always dry it out and use it for other things such as canning pickles, pickling okra, dip, etc. I always like the oyster crackers with oil and dill. Those use up a lot of dill.

Dill

I only use Dill in scrambled eggs. I would like to know what else to use it in all so. Jo it sounds like you are a green thumb. Keep on growing I love to plant something and watch it grow.... I wish I would be able to attend your party but I can't. Please blog about it and takes some pictures.

Smoking

Tif you vent all you want sometimes that helps. I'm glad I quit all ready. When I quit cigs were over $3 a pack. I was at the point you are now. Health reasons it would be better for you to quit, but I spend the money on something else now I thought that I would save the money. If you decide to quit you need to quit cold turkey don't slow down because you wont stop, at least I didn't. Good Luck

What should I do with Dill?

the herbs in my areogarden are growing very well.
So... now I need some ideas on what to do with the fresh dill?
HELP!!!

Ticked Off!

Well I need to vent and I figured what better place to vent than the blog. Has anyone bought cigarette's lately? Well I bought cigarettes today only to find out my cigarettes have raised $10 per carton. After some research, it seems as if the cigarette manufacturer's have raised prices to offset the decrease in revenue expected when the federal government raises taxes on cigarette's in April. I call it price gouging. Will the manufacturer's lower prices then? No! So April 1st they are expected to go up another $8 per carton. So $18 per carton on cigarettes next month and I smoke generic's!

Oh and by the way, if you live in Illinois, there is talk on the table to raise the state tax $10 per carton in the near future. So if you buy cigarette's in Illinois, we are talking about a $28 dollar per carton jump.

The federal rate jump that spawned the manufacturer jump is going to pay for children's healthcare, which is a good idea, but I already have to pay for my child's healthcare. Furthermore this is suppose to be a push to make you quit, so if we all quit, then how is the government (that manages money so well) going to pay for it. So needless to say, I am pissed and not extremely pleased with our President. (Please don't tell Toby Keith I said that or I will be exiled like the Dixie Chicks! Oh different President, Toby may not mind!)

I figured it up tonight that we will spend about $7000 per year on cigarettes without considering the Illinois raise (we buy our cigarettes in MO). I think these price hikes are going to make me quit, cause I can't afford to smoke. Jerrod says he isn't paying that for cigarettes. He doesn't think he will have a problem quitting except when drinking. He has quit before for a few months.

I have never quit. I have tried to quit before. After I got down to 6 cigarettes a day, my husband came in the door and chunked a pack of cigarettes at me and told me to smoke. He said he didn't like me anymore! I was that bad and didn't even quit.

We made a pact tonight, if I try to quit smoking, we won't end up divorced!

So right now, I sit infront of my computer, puffing away on cigarettes one right after another, cause I am mad, (I might as well throw a quarter in the trash, each time I light up) and it dawns on me What in the hell am I going to do if I quit smoking when I am mad.....count.....take deep breaths....or go off the deep end!

Well, I say smoke them while you got em, cause I may not be able to smoke them much longer.

Let me know what you girls think about this and thanks for allowing me a place to vent!

Update on Libby's new tooth

Well, I don't know if any of you remember Libby getting half of her front tooth knocked out, but here is a "new tooth" update. We went to the dentist yesterday and got her permanent crown put on. This tooth is hers for the rest of her life (hopefully). I think they did a good job!! I can't tell which one is the fake one. She is very happy to have her smile back.

Tina's friend Jennie

Tina took me to her friend Jennie's house last night. It was quilters paradise. Jennie has a quilt machine and does quite a bit of her own quilting, but the angel quilt in the pictures below she had professionally quilted for her. It is a beautiful quilt, one of those block a month kits, that no one tells you how hard they can be. I really enjoyed the visit and got all inspired when I go home this week

Chicken 'n Dumplin's

 Yes, my dumplings are made from bisquick, just like mom used to make.

You can see the rosemary and the thyme in there...

Look at those herbs!

This thing is working out really well so far!!!

The basil is growing sooo fast!!!

I used the thyme in my chicken and dumplings on Sunday and it was yummy.

My new Quilt frame

Look what RD put together for me this weekend. The quilt frame is 10 feet long so it takes up one whole wall in the sewing room. I have the old sewing maching on there so you can see how it works. On the back side of the frame is a wooden template board that you put the stylus into and follow if you want a uniform quilting pattern. But you know me I will probably wing it most of the time. The table that the sewing machine sits on slides on the two top poles and just moves along quite easily. Then the table itself will move giving you the ability to make just about any kind of move you want with it. I think the whole thing is awesome.