Travelin' Again

I hope everyone had a wonderful mothers day, daughters and mothers alike, that is.  I had a very lazy day.  We took the camper to Tanya and Adrian's for their 5th Annual Cinco De Mayo party Friday night.  Stayed through Sunday at about noon then drove home.  We were totally wiped out by the time we got home, so we laid around.  So, I told Brett... I would really love for my mother's day present to be for someone to run out get us a pizza for dinner.  So, that is what we did.   Not a bad day at all.

So, on to the title of this post.  Charlie will be on travel for about seven days.  He is leaving Wednesday.  His flight is at like 6am, so he'll have to leave here at about 4am.  UGH...  he is heading to Chicago for a couple of days then on to San Diego for a couple of days.  He should be home by next Wednesday. 

Brett has a game this Saturday, but other than that my only plans are to get caught up w/ the cleaning around here.  NOT fun. 

Oh...  this will be my first full week back as full time.  I'm not really thrilled about that either, ha ha...

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

Well, with grilling season being here I thought I would share one of our favorite recipes. This is so good we usually have to make twice as much, because everyone makes a pig of theirself and eats 2 helpings. The kraft foods website has a lot of good recipes and you can sign up for a free magazine to come in the mail every season.
I think next time I make this I will try putting diced onions in with the tomato mixture.


Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

Prep Time:5 min
Total Time:30 min

Makes:4 servings

1/4 cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing, divided
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil leaves

PLACE large sheet of heavy-duty foil over half of grill grate; preheat grill to medium heat. Pour 2 Tbsp. of the dressing over chicken in resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with the dressing. Refrigerate 10 min. to marinate. Remove chicken from marinade; discard bag and marinade.

GRILL chicken on uncovered side of grill 6 min. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, cheese, basil and remaining 2 Tbsp. dressing.

TURN chicken over; place, cooked-side up, on foil on grill. Top evenly with tomato mixture. Close lid. Grill an additional 8 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF).

Happy Mothers Day!!!

No Fishing For Me

My neighbor had invited me to go on a chartered fishing trip several months ago.  I agreed.  It sounded like fun.  Only hitch was that we had to leave our house at 4am to get to Chesapeake Beach by 6am.

Well, the captain called and cancelled our trip tomorrow because of the weather and rough seas on the bay.

So, I have to admit, I'm a little relieved... 

New Recipes

Good morning girls, hope everyone is fine on this Monday morning. I tried a couple of new recipes from the food network that I thought I would share with you.

Crab Rangoon Dip

2 cans crabmeat drained
1 can campbells cream of shrimp soup
2 8 oz pkg cream cheese cut in cubes
1 tsp worchestire sauce
2 tsp soy sauce

Mix your ingredients together and pour into oven safe dish. Broil for 10 to 15 minutes. But I would keep an eye on it . Dont try to cream the cream cheese first it is supposed to be in chunks. She fried Wonton wraps but I just used tortilla chips or bread like for Brushetta.


Rootbeer Brownies

1 1/2 cup flour
2 c sugar
2 sticks softened butter
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
2 tsp root beer extract

Mix all ingredients and bake at 350 for 28 to 32 minutes. I frosted it with powdered sugar icing that I had added Rootbeer Scnapps to but you could use the rootbeer extract if you wanted to. This is a Paula Deen recipe, but she made Orange brownies using orange extract. I thought you could use any kind of extract, not flavoring to make brownies. Just makes us a cut above everyone else.

I know it is spring

Well you know it is spring when Mom knocks down part of RD's pretty white fence. Last year Tif and Jarrod came by and fixed the fence after I caught it with the back tire of the tractor. This year I thought I was being so smart and keeping the tires away from the fence and I caught the fence with the bucket instead. So this weekend Red Dog gets to fix the fence. I don't think I will tell him until he gets home. No sign of the coyote since I have been back from taking Gma home thank goodness.
I loved all the extra sites you girls have been sending me to and wanted to ask you if you had been to www.etsy.com if not it is really cool site.

Earth Day

So I was talking to an older lady who was shopping in the paint department today. Her vericose veins didn't stop her from wearing shorts and flip-flops, but she pulled it off well and topped the outfit with a straw hat. She was selecting spray paint colors for her annual "spruce up" of her outdoor pots. She picked a pink and a lavender to complement the flowers she wanted for spring.

We chatted about plants we didn't know the names of and problems that we'd had getting things to grow. She was frustrated that she didn't know the name of the plant that she'd had so much luck with. We bid our good-byes and I felt pretty good about the encounter.

About an hour later the paint associate called me and said there was a customer requesting my assistance at the paint counter. When I got there my friend in the straw hat was back. She had brought me a pot with a cutting of her favorite plant in it and written instructions on how to take care of it. "Happy Earth Day," she said, "I thought I'd do my part to celebrate."

Maybe I touched her life by just stopping for a moment to chat, but she certainly touched mine by taking that extra step.

With spring comes photography..

Charlie and I have taken the camera out a few times over the last week or so.... 

Check out latest pics.

Hey Ya'll...

Hey everyone... I have clearly not been online lately as much as I have been in the past.

I attribute that to Charlie being home, Brett in guitar and baseball at the same time, and spring time!  Who can resist getting their arse off the pc and outside.  Baseball is going well, our team is four for four!!  WOW! 

So, Pottery is done, I need to take pics of all the wares, maybe tomorrow.

I got my quilt from Candy and have been keeping to myself.  It is so beautiful that I want to use it as decor, a showpiece really, but instead I have been wrapping up in it on the couch.

Work is the same old crap...  I so want to like my job and enjoy my work, but like millions of Americans, I do not.  Oh well.  And I willingly signed the form to go back full time on May 3rd.  This is ok, as it will help me accrue the leave I need for vacation this summer and will be more money, also to pay for vacation this summer.

Brett's guitar teacher has him practicing "Secret Agent Man" and "Sweet Home Alabama" and we all think that is pretty cool.

Yesterday afternoon, Jenny and Julie and I got Greek salads from Mama Lucia's, I picked up a bottle of pinot noir, which made for a lovely afternoon.  Which consequently lead us to very sweetly ask the men to take the boys to the Boy Scouts presentation of safety, or something, and us girls all scrounged our fridges and freezers to come up w/something to make for dinner.  So, I found some frozen corn on the cob, two packs of Italian sausage, I whipped up a pasta salad w/Italian dressing and I had some pepperoni and provolone cheese which I chopped up.  Julie pulled out a kielbasa and sauteed some peppers and onions and made nachos w/canned chili and shredded cheddar, YUMMY!  Jenny chopped some veggies and made two dips, again... YUMMY.  When the guys got back they started a fire, we ate and had a very nice evening.  

Brett had a 9am game today, and it was already in the high 70s.  They kicked butt!  Then we hustled to the high school for football signup's before they closed at noon.  We came home, I made sandwiches, then I crashed on the couch for almost 2 hours!  I almost never nap.. but I was seriously wiped out.  Probably too much wine and beer the night before... ha ha..

I did come across this really neat quilt blog http://crazyshortcutquilts.blogspot.com/.  Candy, I think you would really appriciate this ladies craftsmanship.

I have a HUGE salmon filet prepped for baking!!  Gee, and I wonder why I can't lose weight, ha ha...

Hey Ya'll

Crissy and I just wanted to say hey and tell ya'll that WE LOVE TEQUILA! I'm finally getting to work in the yard and I feel good. It must be spring, I've fixed the gate for the first time this year. I love my new blower/vac. If ya don't have one, ya gotta get one. Nothin' like an outdoor vaccuum cleaner with metal impellers. I'm thinking about using it inside. Two hundred and thirty-five miles per hour has to be better than Bissell.

Bullies

I saw a little segment on CNN that I thought was interesting. There's a website for the Workplace Bullying Institute that I recommend visiting. I see my boss all over this site. He talks "over" people and can only seem to ask a question in a humiliating way. His way of interacting with people is causing a majority of our morale problems. Check it out http://workplacebullyinglaw.org/index.html

new hammocks

Brandi ordered hammocks for the back yard. I thought it made her yard look awesome. I cant wait to sit under the trees and watch the world go by.

We thought it would never happen again

I know that history repeats itself, but we didn't know that it applied to bad fashion. Please, don't try this at home.

My new favorite shirt

Ok, I'm not much for pink, but I think that I might even consider wearing this. Thats just funny. In case you can't read it, its a breast cancer awareness fundraiser shirt that says "Save the Ta-Tas."

Successful Pampered Chef Party

I had a Pampered Chef Party tonight.  I had a pretty good turnout.. party is open for about three more days if you want to order something.  Just go to: www.pamperedchef.biz/julielillycrop and click on "our products" 

I made this dip, and it was a huge hit!!
Chicken Enchilada dip
3 lg boneless skinless chicken breasts, shredded  ( I used chicken tenderloins, I roasted them in the oven, then shredded, about 1 pound)
1/4 t. chili powder    ( I think I used more like 1whole teaspoon, I like to taste teh chili powder)
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
4 oz can green chilies, drained
1 can Rotel tomatoes w/green chilies, drained
1 t. garlic powder  ( I used garlic salt, cuz that is all I had.. If I could have a do over, I think I would have opted for the minced garlic and left the salt out)
[2] 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 t. paprika
4 green onions, chopped
Forkful of chopped jalapeno  ( I did not use jalapeno)

Broil chicken in oven until done (about 20 minutes).

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 c. of the shredded cheddar cheese, green
chilies, and tomatoes. Add garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, green onions, and jalapeno and mix well. Add the chicken to mixture & mix well.

Pour into pan (9x13 or close to it) ( I used a fiesta ware medium bowl instead)
Bake at 350° for 20 to 30 minutes or until dip is lightly browned & heated through.
Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Queen Jolene's Quilt

I had lots of fun working on Jolene and my quilt. She cut out the triangles probably a decade ago and when we were out visiting I offered to bring them home and finish her quilt. To quilt it I used all kinds of fun techniques. Some free hand embroidery and just stipple quilting. I pieced the back as well as the front, which gives her two quilts in one.

Stop The Phone Book!!

I have lived at my address for less than 4 years.  But oddly enough I have received about 12 new phonebooks in that time.  Today, I received 3!  Do you believe it?? THREE!    I have not used a phone book in years!!! 

I received a lovely two inch book from Yellow Book serving Westminster/Carroll County for 2008-2009. 

Ooh.. lookie here, I have a totally bodacious 2.5 incher  serving Greater Baltimore from Verizon!!!

Oh..  and I can't say enough about the honking THREE inch book serving the entire 410/443 area code from... ooh...  Verizon again! 

I can't take it anymore!! This is the single most ridiculous thing in my opinion...  I wonder if I can find Greater Baltimore numbers in my 410/443 book?  What do you think?  I also can't help but wonder if Westminster is in the Greater Baltimore area..

Hold on.. I'm checking...

Nope...  it ends at the reservoir. 

So, I have decided that I need to figure out how to stop the phone books from coming.  First place to look is, on the book itself... no number, no email... but there is a website on verizon books www.directorystore.com let's go there real quick.  Hm.... I'm not seeing the "take me off the mailing list" link. 

So, I googled the phrase "how to stop phone books" and it got 70,700,000 hits in .26 seconds.  Gee, if I was marketing a product and got hits like that, then I'd be a millionaire.  So, I'm cruising the hits... most are blogs..

I did find this:  http://www.paperlesspetition.org/  so, I signed the petition   .

I also came across some phone numbers to try to call:
Yellow Book: 1-800-929-3556 or 1-888-400-5914
Verizon: 1-800-555-4833...  

Another blogger suggested to call this number :Call 1-(877)-243-8339... I'm not sure who this is, but hey... it might be worth it.

Well, at least I can donate these books to the arts center, we use the paper in my pottery class :")

Tea parties and American idol tryouts

We had the Curry's over for pizza last night and Cloey loved playing tea party and then we had to do karoake. Jerrin thought he was trying out for American Idol. All in all a fun evening. I need to get way more karoke tapes to make this even more fun. Notice big girl camo pants. I think we all need a pair of pink camo pants to set us off from the rest of the crowd.

Cauliflower Soup

Ok.. This story is a few weeks old, but better late than never, right?!?!?!

So, a dude on food network was cooking up some cauliflower soup and charlie and I both thought.. "Well, that looks good!"  So, next trip to the store I picked up a head of cauliflower.

I get home, get to cooking... Oh yeah, it is going well...  the directions said to let it simmer for 20 minutes, but I'm impatient so I just boiled it for 10.  I kept an eye on it, stirred it often.  Lookin' good!  Then I need to transfer it to the blender... well, you should let it cool, but no, not me.  I'll get it over there, no problemo!  So, I transfer half the batch, blend, transfer to a bowl.  Going good!!  Then I transfer the second half.. well, this half is a little larger than half. Oh hell, I'll just filler up!   I press the button on the blender and whamo!  The lid comes up and steaming hot cauliflower soup sprays all over me! ha ha.. too funny.  So, there I am, covered w/ soup and my hand is scalded!   I did wipe most of it off of me prior to getting the camera out...

This time I'm gonna show the blender who is boss.  So, I applied the appropriate amount of pressure onto the lid of the blender and finished my blending.  I transferred  it all back to pot, I ate and all is well! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CRISSY

Happy Birthday to the baby of the blog. Hope you have a great day, sing on sister

Pottery, so far...

Well, I've been in my class for several weeks now and I finally got some pieces back.

This casserole was my first piece.  We rolled out slabs of clay then draped it over a mold.  I liked this one a lot.  Then I painted on a green slip, which is tinted clay.  I don't like the green so much.  then I put an active glaze in the bottom, then an inactive clear glaze over the whole thing.  I don't think the two glazes reacted well together because the blue looks all funky.  The clear is very nice.  I love this red clay, I love the specks that showed up through the green slip and clear glaze. 

The second one I did, rolled slab that "slumped" into a mold.  In this case I used a glass pie plate.  It was a MESS!  I did not roll out a big enough slab to fill in the whole plate so I compensated by making weird handle.  Then I tried out a relief, by making a swirl pattern in the bottom of the plate. Then used an Active glaze.  I really love this blue.  You can see how active it is cuz it ran off the edges and shows the red clay nicely.  I had to much on the piece cuz you can see the dark areas where it pooled then got funky.  I do like this glaze a lot and plan to use it for my next group.  I don't like the pattern, but thought it was neat to see how the relief worked.

This is another slab, draped over a Styrofoam meat tray.  you can see the distinct lines along the edges where the tray ended.  Jane, our teacher wanted us to try out some "scratch" techniques, and I wanted to keep it simple, so I drew these hills and the moon.  I put some white glaze in the moon, then blue glaze over it all, then green on top of the blue for the hills.  Well, live and learn... I should not have put the green over the blue, cuz now it is just black..  but everyone in the class said it is good, cuz it is a night scene.  I'll go w/that one.  The I painted on the clear glaze over the whole piece.  Oh.. I accidentally jammed the side w/the back of my paintbrush when painting on the white glaze, so Jane said.. Just leave it and add a few more.  So, now I have these cute little dots on each side.

During the first slab class I made a long rectangular tray, but it mysteriously went missing.  I have no idea what happened to it.

Next class we continued w/slab, but we rolled a slab around a mold to make a cylinder, then cut a base and attached the upright cylender to the base.  This was hard... I kept jacking mine up.  So I decided that would "artfully" make dents all round the sides.  Then double dipped into first an antique blue opaque glace, then into a black glaze.  It is of interest  to note how the black glaze reacted differently depending on what glaze it went over.  If it went over an active shiny glaze, then it stayed shiny... over an inactive opaque glaze, it remained opaque.  Kind of neat.   I might try black over that blue (from the pie plate on one of my bowls).

I learned the wheel last week, got four pieces made, this week I trimmed the bottoms and set them aside to dry.  I got three more pieces thrown on the wheel as well.. Way Cool!!!  What fun.. now I want my own studio.

I'm back....

I'm fresh off the boat from my week-long retail management seminar (optomistically named SureStart) and I sure have learned a few things that I'd like to share:

1. I don't ever want to live in Chicago.
2. Customer service sucks (except at Champaign's Best Buy).
3. Nobody has $ so it's a deathmatch for every $ (but see #2).
4. There's no place like home for a good poop.

You've all seen them, perhaps you even have one...The Motovational Poster. A pretty picture, a keyword, and a phrase designed to inspire has made $billions$ for more than one company. Now I give you Demotivators. Can't find something that fits your situation? Be sure to check out their do-it-yourself tab at the top.

Bread in Five Minutes

I'm thinking about ordering this book....

What do ya'll think?

I'm so sore.

At work, we save all the boxes for the computers systems we buy, so we have them when we want to ship the system out.  Well, we had the boxes stuffed into two tractor trailer in our parking lot.  Yes, high tech storage solution, eh!!  Me, Chuck, Betsy and two other guys completely emptied them and restacked all the boxes according to product type.  It took 2.5 hours.  We busted out butts!!! 

Today, I am sooo sore.  My ankles, wrist, neck, shoulders, biceps, butt, calves, stomach and back all hurt!!! 

But that won't stop me from heading out to my pottery class this morning...  so, I'm sure my back will be really hurting this afternoon.

playing with the pictures

I know,I know, I know, I have to much time on my hands, but isnt that cool.