Today we went to church...great sermon, our pastor is delving into a "beyond the baby Jesus of Christmas" 3 week study. Afterwards we came home and got a few things and headed back out because my oldest two had a leadership meeting for the Jr. High group they help with. Then I came home, got a few more things done and headed back out to take my 3rd dd to a friend's house to spend New Year's Eve and go to Costco and the fire station to take some stuff to Tim. At Costco I started looking for new cordless phones. Our current phones are not working all the time and we end up getting messages on our phone company's "voice mail" (something I am glad we have as well as the answering machine) and then I don't know it until I pick up the phone to call someone later. I had researched what was available at Best Buy/Office Depot/CompUSA, etc. in the circulars and on their website and found the same thing at Costco for about $110 less....score!!!! Of course, being the techno-geek that I am, it had to be one of the most complicated phones for the price out there. Oh well....I had fun playing with it and setting it up and now I am just waiting for it to charge 7 hours so it will work okay.
Also at Costco we had to get some snacks because the girls had invited friends over to watch movies and play Xbox games and we had to go to the fire station to drop off Tim's iPod (I'm not quite sure why he wanted it, but I think he is using it with his speakers as an alarm) and an eye compress "thing". The other day when we had terrible winds, it did something to his eyes and now they are really hurting and red. I told him if it isn't better by Tuesday, he needs to call the doctor. We then stopped by Trader Joe's to get some more "snacky food" and other stuff we needed and headed to my mom's to get some stuff she had received in a gift basket and would never use. Aside...always invite teenage boys to your house if you want to get rid of food. We came home and straightened up a little and got the new phones charging and semi-figured out.
Now the girls are watching "Cars" with their friends and Tara and eating snacks. I told them they all (except the one girl who is staying the night) have to be gone by 12:30pm. I think I may get ready for bed and read for a while. Tara is sleeping with me for the night. Of course, she just got her finger slammed in a door and is crying so we are putting ice on it (it looks quite bruised) and we will see how the sleeping goes.
Happy New Year Everyone!
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Goals for 2007--What's the plan?
Every year I make goals and resolutions (not all carried through) and this year is no exception. Although, I do think I need to have more "plans of action" (like that, De'Etta?) to carry them through. Some things I am muddling around are:
1. Be more fun as a parent--definitely need a plan of action for this one as I have a terrible time being spontaneous and am much better if my fun is planned. I also want to think of some fun things to do in a serving capacity with my girls and whole family.
2. Better time manager--okay, this is one I make every year, but I do think an action plan will help this one too.
3. Take more pictures!--action plan is not too hard for this one...I have some friends who are doing a Project 365 webring where they are going to take pictures every day. I didn't join this, but I am going to try and do this as well.
4. Entertain in my new home--I am totally excited about this one! I love to cook and try new things and love to have people over to share. It has been really hard the last 1 1/2 years in this house, but the new house is begging to be used for entertaining! Come on over...you are all welcome!
5. Decorate the new house--Tim will be a lot of help here as he is the artistic one and I am the detail person. I am not even talking all new furniture and decor, but I want to get it all where it looks warm and inviting so I can enjoy sharing it with others (see #4). At this point we will definitely be using what we have as decor as we won't be able to afford many new things.
This is all I can think of for now, but I will post more thoughts on this as time goes by.
1. Be more fun as a parent--definitely need a plan of action for this one as I have a terrible time being spontaneous and am much better if my fun is planned. I also want to think of some fun things to do in a serving capacity with my girls and whole family.
2. Better time manager--okay, this is one I make every year, but I do think an action plan will help this one too.
3. Take more pictures!--action plan is not too hard for this one...I have some friends who are doing a Project 365 webring where they are going to take pictures every day. I didn't join this, but I am going to try and do this as well.
4. Entertain in my new home--I am totally excited about this one! I love to cook and try new things and love to have people over to share. It has been really hard the last 1 1/2 years in this house, but the new house is begging to be used for entertaining! Come on over...you are all welcome!
5. Decorate the new house--Tim will be a lot of help here as he is the artistic one and I am the detail person. I am not even talking all new furniture and decor, but I want to get it all where it looks warm and inviting so I can enjoy sharing it with others (see #4). At this point we will definitely be using what we have as decor as we won't be able to afford many new things.
This is all I can think of for now, but I will post more thoughts on this as time goes by.
Thursday and Friday--Dec. 29-30
I haven't felt great the last few days and haven't blogged much. Some stomach thing that is going around. Not enough to incapacitate you, but enough to make you not feel like doing ANYTHING! These have been nice, quiet days....which I do enjoy. Yesterday our friends that we tailgate with came to visit and see our house. They hadn't seen it yet, only pictures and it was fun visiting with them, even if just for a short time. They brought their two HUGE Great Danes...one of which is almost as tall as Tara....and they are only 7 months and 15 months.
The girls have been in and out lately with friends, going to movies, or Alyssa had to work last night. I am still trying to get my house cleaned and I need to get all my bills taken care of (including our INCREASED property tax bill...if your house is a certain percentage completed, you get a tax increase) and get all my calendar and Outlook stuff straightened out. Up until getting this new cell phone on the 1st, I have had a Palm OS PDA and I am switching to Windows OS. Well, my Palm synced to my Palm desktop programming and I have to put everything now into Outlook so my new phone will be able to sync to that. I want to get this done before I get my new phone because then I can just sync it and play with the fun aspects of it. Also, my GPS program came yesterday and, of course, I had to take some time to play with the desktop portion of it. I will get to play with the rest after I get my phone and load it on.
Today I went to the house and talked to the guy who is "smartwiring" our house. I needed to find out what I will need to do to hook up internet, etc. when we move and he needed to know what else he needs to get. He has internet access wired EVERYWHERE in the new house so we can use it in the living room, kitchen, etc. He is also doing our central vacuum system and I need him to let me know about how much that will cost. Our current Kirby (20 year old) is getting close to it's last leg and I don't want to buy another new vacuum when we are getting the central vac. Aaaah....the cost of building a new house and moving.
I need to go pay bills, etc. now, but I really just feel like sleeping. I haven't slept well the last few nights because of this stomach thing and then last night our battery died in the Carbon Monoxide Detector and it started chirping and I couldn't figure out if it was the that or the smoke detector (it was 3am). I had to get Tim to get up and help me. Oh well, such is life.
The girls have been in and out lately with friends, going to movies, or Alyssa had to work last night. I am still trying to get my house cleaned and I need to get all my bills taken care of (including our INCREASED property tax bill...if your house is a certain percentage completed, you get a tax increase) and get all my calendar and Outlook stuff straightened out. Up until getting this new cell phone on the 1st, I have had a Palm OS PDA and I am switching to Windows OS. Well, my Palm synced to my Palm desktop programming and I have to put everything now into Outlook so my new phone will be able to sync to that. I want to get this done before I get my new phone because then I can just sync it and play with the fun aspects of it. Also, my GPS program came yesterday and, of course, I had to take some time to play with the desktop portion of it. I will get to play with the rest after I get my phone and load it on.
Today I went to the house and talked to the guy who is "smartwiring" our house. I needed to find out what I will need to do to hook up internet, etc. when we move and he needed to know what else he needs to get. He has internet access wired EVERYWHERE in the new house so we can use it in the living room, kitchen, etc. He is also doing our central vacuum system and I need him to let me know about how much that will cost. Our current Kirby (20 year old) is getting close to it's last leg and I don't want to buy another new vacuum when we are getting the central vac. Aaaah....the cost of building a new house and moving.
I need to go pay bills, etc. now, but I really just feel like sleeping. I haven't slept well the last few nights because of this stomach thing and then last night our battery died in the Carbon Monoxide Detector and it started chirping and I couldn't figure out if it was the that or the smoke detector (it was 3am). I had to get Tim to get up and help me. Oh well, such is life.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
House Update--Dec. 28, 2006
My new refrigerator
My new ovens
Master bathtub
Master shower--door is still to be put in
Master bathroom vanity--purchased off ebay!
Our master bedroom
Our entryway
Our spiral staircase from the second story up to the office
Our red bathroom--Tim has decided that every house we build has to have a red bathroom--this one looks much deeper red in real life
After Christmas...Tuesday and Wednesday
Tuesday was kind of a quiet day. We cleaned up some and hung out. Alyssa and Sammy went to the movies (Jenna wasn't feeling well) to see "Night at the Museum" with another family and I worked some on getting my CEUs done for my Speech Therapy license. I only got 3 done and needed 15 total. That night Sammy had a friend spend the night and we just relaxed.
Wednesday I knew I needed to finish my CEUs so I got busy!!! I downloaded 12 more hours worth of coursework throughout the day and took tests on 6 of them and passed. I need to take the tests on the other 6 on Thursday morning so I can get the paperwork mailed in. My house is still looking disastrous so I will try and get it really cleaned Thursday after catching up with blogs and taking the tests for the other 6 hours of coursework. The girls all worked on making a movie with Sammy's friend. They took our video camera and were doing all kinds of scenes inside the house and out. I don't even know if I want to look in their rooms!
Tara making a naughty and nice list (she got it from the movie Elf)--guess she doesn't realize we have another whole year until Christmas
Wednesday I knew I needed to finish my CEUs so I got busy!!! I downloaded 12 more hours worth of coursework throughout the day and took tests on 6 of them and passed. I need to take the tests on the other 6 on Thursday morning so I can get the paperwork mailed in. My house is still looking disastrous so I will try and get it really cleaned Thursday after catching up with blogs and taking the tests for the other 6 hours of coursework. The girls all worked on making a movie with Sammy's friend. They took our video camera and were doing all kinds of scenes inside the house and out. I don't even know if I want to look in their rooms!
Tara making a naughty and nice list (she got it from the movie Elf)--guess she doesn't realize we have another whole year until Christmas
Christmas Day 2006
Christmas day began with early rising from Jenna and Tara (6:30, so early for them, not for me). They checked out their stockings and then Jenna went back to bed, but Tara stayed up with me and had a cuddle drink (her hot chocolate) and played with the new stocking stuff. I had made Gingerbread Muffins for breakfast Christmas Eve and we had enough left over for Christmas Day breakfast, especially since Daddy was going to work overtime.
At about 8am I got a call from Tim and he was coming home...aaaaahgh! I hadn't finished wrapping gifts because I thought I would do that on Christmas Day while he was working and I had desserts and other foods to get started. We rushed around and I had the girls wrap all his and my in-laws gifts (they were coming over for dinner) and then quickly ready for the day and started on dinner stuff. He came home and gifts were wrapped and the mincemeat pie was in the oven. My dad always loved mincemeat pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas and I never did like it much until a few years ago when I learned to make my own mincemeat and Tim makes a great rum sauce to go on top.
We opened gifts and everyone was very happy with theirs even though we did a smaller Christmas this year. The girls got an HD DVD player that goes with the Xbox and an HD movie (Tim got one too) and big fuzzy down blankets. I have one of the blankets and they kept stealing mine so we got them each one of their own. They actually are only fuzzy on one side, but very warm and cozy and the girls are always saying they are cold and I refuse to turn the heater above 68 degrees. Tim got a leather 49er helmet that Jenna and Sammy are embarassed to have him wear, the DVD and the 5th season of 24. He got some stocking gifts too...two CDS, a game and a book. He got me two new 49er shirts, some tea and a digital picture frame (something I had wanted, but not expected). We are both getting new Pocket PC phones after Christmas when our contract is renewable so we didn't want to spend too much. Besides, I am getting a new house as well sometime soon.
The girls and their new blankets
Tim and his new helmet
After gifts we rushed around getting stuff ready for dinner. The prime rib was in the refrigerator at the new house and Tim had to go get that as well as get his Xbox (at the fire station) as the HD DVD player did something wierd with the other Xbox (yes, we have two of them...one for the girls and one for Tim to take to work). I got started on the dinner: cheesy cauliflower with bacon, scalloped potatoes with smoked gouda, popovers, and green salad. I also got the other pie made...pecan. My mom came over in the early afternoon and gave me stocking presents Santa had left at her house. Somehow, Santa always leaves her stocking presents at my house and mine at her house....hmmmmm. Tim met his mom and dad at the house in the afternoon as his mom hadn't seen it for a while. They came home and started the prime rib. It was already cooked and I had never done it this way so I left the job to Tim and his dad (they owned a meat market while Tim was growning up so they are good with cooking meat). Everything turned out great, although it was a little late because the prime rib took longer than expected. Fortunately everything I made was ready to go, I was just waiting for the meat so it wasn't even my fault this time. I am terrible about not getting things done on time.
After dinner we opened gifts with my in-laws. Tara got a few new outfits and sticker books and the rest of us got money. This is okay with me as I am also getting a GPS program to add on to my Pocket PC and the money will go towards that.
It was a really nice evening overall and we all crashed afterwards.
At about 8am I got a call from Tim and he was coming home...aaaaahgh! I hadn't finished wrapping gifts because I thought I would do that on Christmas Day while he was working and I had desserts and other foods to get started. We rushed around and I had the girls wrap all his and my in-laws gifts (they were coming over for dinner) and then quickly ready for the day and started on dinner stuff. He came home and gifts were wrapped and the mincemeat pie was in the oven. My dad always loved mincemeat pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas and I never did like it much until a few years ago when I learned to make my own mincemeat and Tim makes a great rum sauce to go on top.
We opened gifts and everyone was very happy with theirs even though we did a smaller Christmas this year. The girls got an HD DVD player that goes with the Xbox and an HD movie (Tim got one too) and big fuzzy down blankets. I have one of the blankets and they kept stealing mine so we got them each one of their own. They actually are only fuzzy on one side, but very warm and cozy and the girls are always saying they are cold and I refuse to turn the heater above 68 degrees. Tim got a leather 49er helmet that Jenna and Sammy are embarassed to have him wear, the DVD and the 5th season of 24. He got some stocking gifts too...two CDS, a game and a book. He got me two new 49er shirts, some tea and a digital picture frame (something I had wanted, but not expected). We are both getting new Pocket PC phones after Christmas when our contract is renewable so we didn't want to spend too much. Besides, I am getting a new house as well sometime soon.
The girls and their new blankets
Tim and his new helmet
After gifts we rushed around getting stuff ready for dinner. The prime rib was in the refrigerator at the new house and Tim had to go get that as well as get his Xbox (at the fire station) as the HD DVD player did something wierd with the other Xbox (yes, we have two of them...one for the girls and one for Tim to take to work). I got started on the dinner: cheesy cauliflower with bacon, scalloped potatoes with smoked gouda, popovers, and green salad. I also got the other pie made...pecan. My mom came over in the early afternoon and gave me stocking presents Santa had left at her house. Somehow, Santa always leaves her stocking presents at my house and mine at her house....hmmmmm. Tim met his mom and dad at the house in the afternoon as his mom hadn't seen it for a while. They came home and started the prime rib. It was already cooked and I had never done it this way so I left the job to Tim and his dad (they owned a meat market while Tim was growning up so they are good with cooking meat). Everything turned out great, although it was a little late because the prime rib took longer than expected. Fortunately everything I made was ready to go, I was just waiting for the meat so it wasn't even my fault this time. I am terrible about not getting things done on time.
After dinner we opened gifts with my in-laws. Tara got a few new outfits and sticker books and the rest of us got money. This is okay with me as I am also getting a GPS program to add on to my Pocket PC and the money will go towards that.
It was a really nice evening overall and we all crashed afterwards.
Christmas Eve 2006
Christmas Eve turned out really nicely. Tim had to go to work and the girls and I got to sleep in a little because the first service was not until 11am. I had to be there at 9:30 to practice for worship team and the girls had informed me the night before that they all needed nylons for church. I did not want to go to Walmart that night, so we got ready to leave the house by about 8:45 and headed to Walmart for their nylons and a couple other things we needed...since we were already there. We made it to church a little early so I had them stand in front of the church Christmas tree and took their picture. Jenna had to do a reading for the services and did really well, even though she was a bit nervous.
The girls--Alyssa, Jenna, Sammy--in back, Tara in front
Also, I had received a call at home (actually I didn't get the call, but they left a message) that we needed a baby Jesus for the manger and could I bring a baby doll. We just so happened to have Bitty Baby with us because Tara was taking her to Christmas Eve dinner at Steven's house (she was getting new clothes for her, but didn't know it). So, Bitty Baby got to be Baby Jesus!
We only had the one service at 11am and right after that I herded everyone out the door quickly so we could go to my brother and sister-in-law's house for Christmas Eve dinner. We only had to bring green salad because my s-i-l knew how busy we were going to be so it wasn't too bad. She made an awesome chicken dish from the Barefoot Contessa's cookbook over a bread over sourdough crouton-type things and my mom made Italian Green Beans that I had given her the recipe for and Tim loved and my salad. Between dinner and gifts we opened our Christmas crackers. This is an English tradition my mom started with our family years ago. Gia got the best crackers this year. They were from Costco and had the typical paper crown and jokes, but the little gifts were silver whistles, compasses, keychains, etc. Usually they come with little plastic toys, but these were actually metal and nice. We will definitely have to remember the Costco crackers next year. For dessert, Gia made the most beautiful trifle! It was delicious with raspberries and blackberries. We ate until we were absolutely stuffed! The kids opened their gifts between dinner and dessert and the older kids all got money, but Tara got clothes for Bitty Baby as well as a matching Bitty Baby and big girl pajamas and a tea set from Grandmama and her husband, John. She had brought Bitty Baby with her and immediately changed her into her new clothes.
The girls and Anthony being goofy
Precisely at 3pm we left their house because we had to drop the prime rib Tim had forgotten off at the fire station and get to church before 4pm, when the second service started. Tim informed me that he probably was going to have to work mandatory overtime on Christmas day so in my head I was trying to reschedule the week. We got to the church and the service went off very well and then I took Alyssa and Tara home between services so they didn't have to stay for all three of them. Sammy had to do childcare for the third service and Jenna had to read again so they stayed. The third service went great too, but we were all exhausted afterwards.
Jenna doing her reading
We came home and crashed. I stayed up long enough to get everyone in bed and put out stocking presents and went to bed. I figured I didn't even have to finish wrapping because we weren't going to do Christmas until later in the week.
The girls--Alyssa, Jenna, Sammy--in back, Tara in front
Also, I had received a call at home (actually I didn't get the call, but they left a message) that we needed a baby Jesus for the manger and could I bring a baby doll. We just so happened to have Bitty Baby with us because Tara was taking her to Christmas Eve dinner at Steven's house (she was getting new clothes for her, but didn't know it). So, Bitty Baby got to be Baby Jesus!
We only had the one service at 11am and right after that I herded everyone out the door quickly so we could go to my brother and sister-in-law's house for Christmas Eve dinner. We only had to bring green salad because my s-i-l knew how busy we were going to be so it wasn't too bad. She made an awesome chicken dish from the Barefoot Contessa's cookbook over a bread over sourdough crouton-type things and my mom made Italian Green Beans that I had given her the recipe for and Tim loved and my salad. Between dinner and gifts we opened our Christmas crackers. This is an English tradition my mom started with our family years ago. Gia got the best crackers this year. They were from Costco and had the typical paper crown and jokes, but the little gifts were silver whistles, compasses, keychains, etc. Usually they come with little plastic toys, but these were actually metal and nice. We will definitely have to remember the Costco crackers next year. For dessert, Gia made the most beautiful trifle! It was delicious with raspberries and blackberries. We ate until we were absolutely stuffed! The kids opened their gifts between dinner and dessert and the older kids all got money, but Tara got clothes for Bitty Baby as well as a matching Bitty Baby and big girl pajamas and a tea set from Grandmama and her husband, John. She had brought Bitty Baby with her and immediately changed her into her new clothes.
The girls and Anthony being goofy
Precisely at 3pm we left their house because we had to drop the prime rib Tim had forgotten off at the fire station and get to church before 4pm, when the second service started. Tim informed me that he probably was going to have to work mandatory overtime on Christmas day so in my head I was trying to reschedule the week. We got to the church and the service went off very well and then I took Alyssa and Tara home between services so they didn't have to stay for all three of them. Sammy had to do childcare for the third service and Jenna had to read again so they stayed. The third service went great too, but we were all exhausted afterwards.
Jenna doing her reading
We came home and crashed. I stayed up long enough to get everyone in bed and put out stocking presents and went to bed. I figured I didn't even have to finish wrapping because we weren't going to do Christmas until later in the week.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Dec. 23, 2006
Well, I kind of got my house cleaned yesterday. Jenna still needs to sweep/mop all the floors and I will clean the kitchen again, but it's almost finished. I did get her to Dillard's for her new dress yesterday and she found one that is very cute. I also stopped by Ann Taylor Loft as I had a gift card from last Christmas I hadn't used yet and wanted to see if I could find a new sweater or something for Christmas Eve. They were having a buy one, get the second item 50% off sale and so I got a sweater and some cute pajamas.
Got home and the girls had wanted to go to a friend's house to play Xbox for a little while. I drove them over there and then had to pick up Alyssa from there in about 1 1/2 hours to go to work. I picked up Sammy too at that time and Jenna hadn't gone because she was cleaning up her room and doing a few other things and didn't really feel like going. Alyssa was supposed to work until 10pm and so I was set to pick her up then, but she called me at about 8pm and said she had gotten off early (she works in an ice cream shop and it wasn't very busy). I happily trekked down to pick her up. We got caught up on Jotham's Journey (almost...my voice was giving out after two days worth of reading and Tara was losing patience with the story because they were longer readings). I will try and read throughout today and tomorrow because there is a lot to read for Christmas Eve and I would like to do some of that reading today.
I did not finish my grocery list and menu for the week. I did get Christmas dinner pretty much planned, though. My dilemma was solved when my f-i-l brought over a prime rib to cook (he works for a meat company) so I have planned around that. I still am not quite sure about dessert for the day, though. Gotta do that this morning and get out to the grocery store before it is much later so I can come home and make whatever we are having for dessert today. Tomorrow we have three Christmas services (not feeling sorry for myself as my friend, queenbee, has quite a few more services and she is sick) and lunch at my brother and s-i-l's house. I still haven't heard anything about going to the fire station for Christmas Eve so I will get snacks for the girls and I to eat after the services.
Well, off to menu plan.....
Got home and the girls had wanted to go to a friend's house to play Xbox for a little while. I drove them over there and then had to pick up Alyssa from there in about 1 1/2 hours to go to work. I picked up Sammy too at that time and Jenna hadn't gone because she was cleaning up her room and doing a few other things and didn't really feel like going. Alyssa was supposed to work until 10pm and so I was set to pick her up then, but she called me at about 8pm and said she had gotten off early (she works in an ice cream shop and it wasn't very busy). I happily trekked down to pick her up. We got caught up on Jotham's Journey (almost...my voice was giving out after two days worth of reading and Tara was losing patience with the story because they were longer readings). I will try and read throughout today and tomorrow because there is a lot to read for Christmas Eve and I would like to do some of that reading today.
I did not finish my grocery list and menu for the week. I did get Christmas dinner pretty much planned, though. My dilemma was solved when my f-i-l brought over a prime rib to cook (he works for a meat company) so I have planned around that. I still am not quite sure about dessert for the day, though. Gotta do that this morning and get out to the grocery store before it is much later so I can come home and make whatever we are having for dessert today. Tomorrow we have three Christmas services (not feeling sorry for myself as my friend, queenbee, has quite a few more services and she is sick) and lunch at my brother and s-i-l's house. I still haven't heard anything about going to the fire station for Christmas Eve so I will get snacks for the girls and I to eat after the services.
Well, off to menu plan.....
Friday, December 22, 2006
Christmas Picture--2006
The girls new Christmas picture...it was taken pretty quickly, but it will do for now. Jenna is in the back, Sammy on the right middle, Alyssa on the left middle and Tara in the front
Dec. 22, 2006--Update
Just thought I would update our week quickly. I did get the Christmas cards finished Sunday and out early Tuesday morning. I also finished all my Christmas shopping on Amazon by Tuesday morning so everything arrived yesterday. I still had a few things to grab on Wednesday so I went out and dropped Sammy and Alyssa off at the mall while I got my nails done and finished my shopping. Tara was at a friend's house I had traded babysitting with (I had her son on Tuesday) so we got done pretty quickly. I took the girls to the other mall so they could finish their shopping and they both found Christmas dresses that they bought (I told them they don't wear dresses enough for me to warrant buying them for them so they could buy their own). Wednesday night I had worship team rehearsal with the band and Tim was at the house until almost 9pm.
Yesterday I went by the house to see all my appliances and I can't wait to be able to use them! Tim is trying to get them installed today. After I saw them, I had to go pick up Sammy and Tara's homeschool pictures and then met some friends for lunch at my favorite "girly" restaurant. Afterwards we went and saw "The Nativity". I had heard some people loved it and others did not so I didn't really have any expectations. I really liked it. For me, it made me think about how hard life was then and how difficult the whole situation (Mary being pregnant with no husband, persecution by the Romans, the journey to Bethlehem, etc.) really was. I tend to think of the Christmas story in my "happy-shiny" way most of the time, but it was good to be reminded to look at it from this perspective. Afterwards I came home and got ready quickly to go to choir. Jenna reminded me she needed ingredients for making Mexican Caviar--a dip with corn, beans, peppers, etc....nothing to really do with caviar--for school today so I had to go to Walmart to get the stuff. She also told me she needed stuff for her "Secret Santa girls" for the junior high group she helps with on Thursday night. Alyssa had gotten a bunch of stuff the week before and Jenna had only gotten a couple things so she needed more. Off to Walmart I trekked to get the stuff and get back home in order to get the girls and I to church for worship team/choir and the jr. high group. We were a little late, but not bad...considering. There was no child care so I stayed for the beginning part of choir and left as they were having the dessert potluck because Tara was tired and really hungry (and not for dessert). I called Tim and he was at the fire station checking to see if he had remembered to take the day half off today to work on the house so he picked the girls up on the way home and Tara and I got ready for bed. We are a couple of days behind in Jotham's Journey because of Tara falling asleep early Wednesday night and Jenna was busy finishing homework last night.
Jenna got up early this morning and made the Mexican Caviar and I braved our icy roads to get her to school. I took the Excursion after our last adventure in the Volvo with ice and even slid in that. Thankfully Tim had plugged it in for me the night before (it is diesel with a heater block and has to be plugged in when it is cold). Today I need to clean the house for Christmas, make my menu for the week so I can go shopping EARLY tomorrow morning and take Jenna to get a dress for Christmas. Dillard's is having a huge sale and a lot of their Christmas dresses are only $30 so she will probably buy hers there. She is doing a reading for our Christmas Eve services and didn't want to just wear pants. Hopefully I will get a good picture of them before we leave for church Sunday because they will all have their dresses on.
Better get started cleaning!
Yesterday I went by the house to see all my appliances and I can't wait to be able to use them! Tim is trying to get them installed today. After I saw them, I had to go pick up Sammy and Tara's homeschool pictures and then met some friends for lunch at my favorite "girly" restaurant. Afterwards we went and saw "The Nativity". I had heard some people loved it and others did not so I didn't really have any expectations. I really liked it. For me, it made me think about how hard life was then and how difficult the whole situation (Mary being pregnant with no husband, persecution by the Romans, the journey to Bethlehem, etc.) really was. I tend to think of the Christmas story in my "happy-shiny" way most of the time, but it was good to be reminded to look at it from this perspective. Afterwards I came home and got ready quickly to go to choir. Jenna reminded me she needed ingredients for making Mexican Caviar--a dip with corn, beans, peppers, etc....nothing to really do with caviar--for school today so I had to go to Walmart to get the stuff. She also told me she needed stuff for her "Secret Santa girls" for the junior high group she helps with on Thursday night. Alyssa had gotten a bunch of stuff the week before and Jenna had only gotten a couple things so she needed more. Off to Walmart I trekked to get the stuff and get back home in order to get the girls and I to church for worship team/choir and the jr. high group. We were a little late, but not bad...considering. There was no child care so I stayed for the beginning part of choir and left as they were having the dessert potluck because Tara was tired and really hungry (and not for dessert). I called Tim and he was at the fire station checking to see if he had remembered to take the day half off today to work on the house so he picked the girls up on the way home and Tara and I got ready for bed. We are a couple of days behind in Jotham's Journey because of Tara falling asleep early Wednesday night and Jenna was busy finishing homework last night.
Jenna got up early this morning and made the Mexican Caviar and I braved our icy roads to get her to school. I took the Excursion after our last adventure in the Volvo with ice and even slid in that. Thankfully Tim had plugged it in for me the night before (it is diesel with a heater block and has to be plugged in when it is cold). Today I need to clean the house for Christmas, make my menu for the week so I can go shopping EARLY tomorrow morning and take Jenna to get a dress for Christmas. Dillard's is having a huge sale and a lot of their Christmas dresses are only $30 so she will probably buy hers there. She is doing a reading for our Christmas Eve services and didn't want to just wear pants. Hopefully I will get a good picture of them before we leave for church Sunday because they will all have their dresses on.
Better get started cleaning!
My island!!!!--House Update
My island was finally finished being installed (no countertops yet, though) and I love it. There is a ton of work space...enough for three of us to work in the horseshoe part.
The island from the work space side
The island from the eating bar side
The island from the work space side
The island from the eating bar side
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Adventures in the Snow--Dec. 16, 2006
Our Winter Wonderland
So, when we last left you the girls were supposed to call and tell me what time their exhibition team was performing. Alyssa did call, but the reception was so bad that I thought she said 2:30 when she really said 1:30. At about 1:45 she text messaged me (realized calling wasn't working) to say that they had already performed. We were just getting ready to leave. Aaaagh! So I have no drill meet pictures. She said they would be done at about 3:30 and they needed a ride. Okay...we will leave at about 3pm to pick her up.
I looked outside at 3pm and it is snowing. Okay, it had said it was going to snow, but I hadn't paid a lot of attention. That's all right; maybe it will take us a little extra time to get there. Sammy, Tara and I pile into the car and off to the school we go. We took the Volvo (mistake) because we are low on fuel in the Excursion and I didn't want to have to get fuel (it takes diesel and that means going to the diesel gas station, which is not as convenient) plus it doesn't get as good of gas mileage as the Volvo. It took us 1 1/2 hours just to get to the school because traffic was going 15-20 mph because of the slick road conditions. And it was really slick!!!! The girls kept calling to see when we were coming and Sammy gave them updates as to where we were. Fortunately, a friend waited with them and let them sit in his car because they had closed the school. They kept asking me if they should get a ride home, but because I was already out and everyone they would have gotten a ride from has only had their drivers license for about 3-6 months, I just couldn't let them go home with these kids in the bad conditions.
Finally, I got to pick them up and we start heading home. Tara pops up with, "I have to go to the bathroom." We have to find a place to stop because if it takes us as long to get home as it took to get here, she couldn't hold it. We stopped at Jack in the Box and Sammy took her in to go potty and got a drink for herself and us to share. Back on the road we go...we were slipping and sliding all over and still going 15 mph. The Volvo is not the best snow car and I even had it in Wet Driving Condition mode! I got to one point on the road and it was slightly uphill and we were stuck because it was so slippery and we couldn't get traction. I kept trying to pull forward a little at a time and turn the wheel and we went about 6 inches each time we pulled forward. It took us 30 minutes just to go a few yards, but we finally got to where we weren't totally stuck. I was getting stressed out and hot and made the girls turn off the heater and even roll down the windows. They were all freezing and complaining. We finally made it back to the freeway and all the way down to our exit without too much trouble...just slow going. I knew that our street would not be easy to drive up because it is a steep hill and I couldn't stop(I can't wait until we move and are not on this hill). I finally made it to the house and pulled in the driveway and we slid right back out of the driveway (our driveway is really steep too). I then was stuck in the road and finally backed down enough so I am not in the middle of the street, but I am parallel parked partly on the sidewalk as my car wouldn't stop sliding. I will try to move it later today, but we left it there as we were stuck and couldn't move any more and since it was in a safe place from being hit by another car I gave up.
My "lovely" parking job
Tim laughed at my parking job when we got home, but said what else could we have done. He said even with the 4WD truck, he was having trouble last night so no wonder we had trouble in the Volvo. I do love that car except in the snow.
BTW, the girls' Exhibition team got 4th place yesterday and their Regulation team got 2nd place...not too shabby. The boys got 1st place in Exhibition and Jenna and Alyssa said their routine was awesome! I wish I could have seen it.
Today Tim went to work. He is not looking forward to all of the accidents, etc. he knows they will have today with the slippery conditions. That leaves me with shoveling the snow. I decided to miss church this morning in favor of shoveling snow and not driving in the slick conditions. I hate missing church, but know there won't be too many people there because it is so slick. Actually, I don't mind shoveling so much because I get to be all by myself outside and it isn't too heavy of snow right now. I will wait until the sun has had a chance to be out a little before I start. Sammy and Jenna decided they would walk to church (it is only a mile away). Alyssa said she is too tired after yesterday and Tara wanted to go, but it would be too hard for her to walk all that way in the snow so she is watching Christmas movies this morning.
Today should be a day of finishing Christmas cards and finishing shopping online (I am so glad I have Amazon Prime this year with two-day shipping) besides the shoveling. I need to take the Christmas picture of the girls, edit it and print it in order to get my cards out.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Split Pea Soup in the crockpot
I said I would post my Split Pea Soup in the crockpot recipe...here it is:
Split Pea Soup with Ham
You can make this vegetarian by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth an omit the ham hock
2 T Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion, finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Smoked Ham hock, about 1 1/2 lbs.
1 lb. Green split peas, picked over and rinsed
3 Carrots, chopped
2 Celery stalks, chopped
6 c. Chicken broth
1 t dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 c. fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
1. In a frying pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened, 4-5 minutes. Put the ham hock in the center of the slow cooker and spread the split peas around it. Add the sauteed onion and garlic, the carrots, and the celery. Add the broth, thyme, 1 t salt, and 1/2 t pepper. Cover and cook on the high-heat setting for 4-5 hours or the low-heat setting for 8-10 hours, until the peas are very tender.
2. Transfer the ham hock to a platter or cutting board and let cool unti it can be handled, about 15 minutes. Using your fingers or a knife and fork, remove the meat from the bone, shredding or cutting the meat into bite-sized pieces. Stir the meat back into the soup along with the parsley. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve
Split Pea Soup with Ham
You can make this vegetarian by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth an omit the ham hock
2 T Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion, finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Smoked Ham hock, about 1 1/2 lbs.
1 lb. Green split peas, picked over and rinsed
3 Carrots, chopped
2 Celery stalks, chopped
6 c. Chicken broth
1 t dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 c. fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
1. In a frying pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened, 4-5 minutes. Put the ham hock in the center of the slow cooker and spread the split peas around it. Add the sauteed onion and garlic, the carrots, and the celery. Add the broth, thyme, 1 t salt, and 1/2 t pepper. Cover and cook on the high-heat setting for 4-5 hours or the low-heat setting for 8-10 hours, until the peas are very tender.
2. Transfer the ham hock to a platter or cutting board and let cool unti it can be handled, about 15 minutes. Using your fingers or a knife and fork, remove the meat from the bone, shredding or cutting the meat into bite-sized pieces. Stir the meat back into the soup along with the parsley. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve
Dec. 11-15, 2006
This week things have calmed down a bit. Tim and Nick stayed at the loft Sunday night so they wouldn't be too tired to drive home. They left for home at about 7am.
The girls have had to be at school at 6:45am all week so I took them early and went to the gym. Except Thursday, Sammy went to a friend of ours' house Wednesday night and stayed the night to help her clean up and decorate (and earn some money) because she was having her Christmas on Friday. I had to get Tara up at 6:30am to go to take them and then we came home. For those who don't know, Tara is not a morning person and was not too happy. Childcare at the gym doesn't start until 8am and I couldn't take her then because I had Bible Study. School was not super productive this week as Sammy was gone helping Thursday and Friday and Alyssa had extra long practices for drill team as they have a Drill Meet Saturday. We did get a lot of the basics done, however and Alyssa is reading Faust this week and really likes it! Go figure! I didn't know if she would care for it, but she told me she thinks it is really good.
I received my ornaments this week and they are so cute. Three pewter snowflakes and a Santa Moose in a canoe from Kathy in Washington.
I also FINALLY took the car in for an estimate from my meeting with the tree stump. Our insurance had told us that if it was less than $750, it would not affect our insurance rates...good thing because we are hoping Alyssa will have her license at the end of this month and that WILL raise our rates. I told the estimator this and he gave me an estimate of....drum roll, please...$647.50. Tim was very happy with me as he was not thrilled with our insurance going up. We still have to pay the deductible, but it will all be okay. Now I have to wait for the parts to come in to get it fixed.
Thursday Tim informed me that we were having some friends over to watch the 49ers play. He thought I had choir and so invited them. We had this week off so I got some "football food" at the store and was home. The game was on NFL network and in High-Definition and this friend doesn't have either so he asked if he could come over. He is a fireman with Tim and also has season tickets so tailgates with us at the games. We have a ton of food left so I guess my menu will be changing this week and we will be eating leftovers.
We continue to read Jotham's Journey every night for advent...I am determined to finish it this year. We have been really bad in years past and not completed these books. I do have Friday night to catch up on today because we missed reading (see below for reason), but we can catch up just one night.
Friday night we had most of the girls spend the night here so they could get up together and get ready for the drill meet. This meant 12 or so girls spending the night all over my house. It was fun, though. They watched movies and ate. Tim was working so Tara slept with me and we went to bed at about 10pm. I told the girls they needed to settle down at 11pm or so because they had to get up at 4:30am so all of them could get ready and leave by 6am. I woke up right after they left (or so Sammy told me) and have cleaned up some, but I have a lot more to do. I have no schedule of this drill meet and the girls are supposed to call me and tell me what time they are scheduled to perform so I can go over there. Of course, this high school is about 30-45 minutes away. I hope to get some more pictures to post later.
Okay...confession...I have also spent a lot of time online this week researching a new cell phone. I get a new cell phone on Jan.1 and Tim gets one Jan. 11. We are with Verizon and you get a new cell phone every two years (really 22 months) with their program. Tim has lost his PDA and so I am looking at smartphones for both of us. There is not a lot of choice through Verizon, but to get an unlocked phone of another kind would be A LOT more money! I am such a techo-geek so I have been looking at all kinds of reviews, etc. to see what will serve us best for the best price. I told Tim that this phone (and the new house) would be plenty for a Christmas present for me, but I want to tell him exactly what I want and he always gets the same kind as I have so I can program it for him and figure it all out and just hand it over to him ready to go. He doesn't have time or patience to read directions and I love reading directions and seeing all the things my "gadgets" will do. I really need to move on to finish getting ready for Christmas now, but this was so much more fun for me.
The girls have had to be at school at 6:45am all week so I took them early and went to the gym. Except Thursday, Sammy went to a friend of ours' house Wednesday night and stayed the night to help her clean up and decorate (and earn some money) because she was having her Christmas on Friday. I had to get Tara up at 6:30am to go to take them and then we came home. For those who don't know, Tara is not a morning person and was not too happy. Childcare at the gym doesn't start until 8am and I couldn't take her then because I had Bible Study. School was not super productive this week as Sammy was gone helping Thursday and Friday and Alyssa had extra long practices for drill team as they have a Drill Meet Saturday. We did get a lot of the basics done, however and Alyssa is reading Faust this week and really likes it! Go figure! I didn't know if she would care for it, but she told me she thinks it is really good.
I received my ornaments this week and they are so cute. Three pewter snowflakes and a Santa Moose in a canoe from Kathy in Washington.
I also FINALLY took the car in for an estimate from my meeting with the tree stump. Our insurance had told us that if it was less than $750, it would not affect our insurance rates...good thing because we are hoping Alyssa will have her license at the end of this month and that WILL raise our rates. I told the estimator this and he gave me an estimate of....drum roll, please...$647.50. Tim was very happy with me as he was not thrilled with our insurance going up. We still have to pay the deductible, but it will all be okay. Now I have to wait for the parts to come in to get it fixed.
Thursday Tim informed me that we were having some friends over to watch the 49ers play. He thought I had choir and so invited them. We had this week off so I got some "football food" at the store and was home. The game was on NFL network and in High-Definition and this friend doesn't have either so he asked if he could come over. He is a fireman with Tim and also has season tickets so tailgates with us at the games. We have a ton of food left so I guess my menu will be changing this week and we will be eating leftovers.
We continue to read Jotham's Journey every night for advent...I am determined to finish it this year. We have been really bad in years past and not completed these books. I do have Friday night to catch up on today because we missed reading (see below for reason), but we can catch up just one night.
Friday night we had most of the girls spend the night here so they could get up together and get ready for the drill meet. This meant 12 or so girls spending the night all over my house. It was fun, though. They watched movies and ate. Tim was working so Tara slept with me and we went to bed at about 10pm. I told the girls they needed to settle down at 11pm or so because they had to get up at 4:30am so all of them could get ready and leave by 6am. I woke up right after they left (or so Sammy told me) and have cleaned up some, but I have a lot more to do. I have no schedule of this drill meet and the girls are supposed to call me and tell me what time they are scheduled to perform so I can go over there. Of course, this high school is about 30-45 minutes away. I hope to get some more pictures to post later.
Okay...confession...I have also spent a lot of time online this week researching a new cell phone. I get a new cell phone on Jan.1 and Tim gets one Jan. 11. We are with Verizon and you get a new cell phone every two years (really 22 months) with their program. Tim has lost his PDA and so I am looking at smartphones for both of us. There is not a lot of choice through Verizon, but to get an unlocked phone of another kind would be A LOT more money! I am such a techo-geek so I have been looking at all kinds of reviews, etc. to see what will serve us best for the best price. I told Tim that this phone (and the new house) would be plenty for a Christmas present for me, but I want to tell him exactly what I want and he always gets the same kind as I have so I can program it for him and figure it all out and just hand it over to him ready to go. He doesn't have time or patience to read directions and I love reading directions and seeing all the things my "gadgets" will do. I really need to move on to finish getting ready for Christmas now, but this was so much more fun for me.
Dec. 4-10, 2006
Me in the Christmas Musical at our church
This week was an absolute blur. Monday night was our annual Ladies Christmas Tea at the church. I decided that I wasn't going to be able to do anything for it this year so I just went. I had rehearsals and the Christmas musical (I had one of the leads) the rest of the week and I just couldn't add one more thing to my plate. It was such a nice event, but I forgot my camera so I have no pictures. We had several women who had been raised in different countries talk about Christmas traditions in their country and then we got to taste food from each country. The girls sat with me along with my friend, Karen, from worship team and Suzie, a fellow home schooling mom as well as choir, etc. (we've been great friends for a long time) and her mother-in-law.
I also got De'Etta's tea mailed to her finally. I had gotten her some tea at our Davidon's Tea Outlet sale and finally got it to her. I really hope she enjoys it and can use some of it while her girls are home for Christmas (you need to do the Pride and Prejudice night, De'Etta). I got the ornament mailed too (the one for the ornament exchange through my email loop).
Tuesday night I actually got to stay at home...yeah!!!..., but Wednesday the madness started. We had dress rehearsal for the Christmas musical Wednesday and Thursday nights and they, actually, went pretty well. We got a lot of the kinks worked out. Thursday morning was Bible Study and I woke up in a panic...I had not really worked much on it and felt overwhelmed with all I had to do during the week. Then I couldn't find my car keys! Aaaaagh!! I called my friend, Karen, and told her that I couldn't go because too many things to do that week. She totally understood and said she would tell our leader. I did find the keys underneath the pile of laundry (one of the things that was overwhelming me) I folded. I got the house semi-straightened up and felt so much better. I do not deal well with clutter and this house is bad enough in that it is small and we have stuff all over we usually wouldn't, but then extra clutter makes me panic! My Bible Study leader is also in choir and I saw her Thursday night at practice. She gave me a big hug and said it was totally understandable that I wasn't there. I love my Bible Study group!
Friday night was our first performance. It was a dinner theater performance and the audience got a choice of salmon or pork. They both smelled wonderful and we got a little taste before the performance. They made this same salmon recipe last year and it is awesome. All you do is take the salmon filets and season them with garlic salt and a little italian seasoning. Then you brush a Raspberry-Chipotle sauce on top (you can get this at Costco or other stores) and broil them until they are done. It is so good and EASY! The performance went very well and I had several positive comments about it afterwards. Our choir director wrote the play that was weaved through the songs and it was a very simple, to-the-point message.
Saturday night was the second performance. Tim and the girls came to that one as that was his only night home to be able to go. They served dessert that night and it was cheesecake. Tara thinks it is so cool when I am onstage, but was glad we weren't doing the same play as last year as that was much more dramatic and sad in a way. She liked this better. Sammy took pictures for me and they ALL turned out blurry so I won't post them. Sunday night my in-laws came along with my mom and her husband and my mother-in-law took a lot of pictures so I hope some of them came out and I will try and post them.
Sunday Tim left at 4am to go to the 49er game. This is the first game since we have had season tickets that I can recall not being able to go with him. He took the guy who made our cabinets. They had fun, but the 49ers lost. I told him it was because I wasn't there (they have won every game I have gone to this year). LOL I missed going with him, but it was cold, too, so if I had to pick a game to not attend, this would have been it.
Decorating the Tree--Dec. 3, 2006
Jenna thinking she is cool
Sammy and Tara decided to decorate the ficus with our extra lights
Tim putting the angel on top of the tree
Sunday we decided would be the best time to decorate the tree. We aren't doing a lot this year because of moving (sometime), but I wanted a few things up. It was the only night we would have home all together and I wanted to take advantage of it. I made a Cheese Soup for dinner (request from the girls) with sausages and sauerkraut topping it...except for Sammy and Tara, who don't like sauerkraut. We also had some soft pretzels that I had bought from a friend's son for a fundraising project for school and a salad. The girls have decided that this cheese soup is what we need to have every year. It does have beer in it, but it must not be too strong because all the girls like it.
Cheese Soup
Sweat in 5T unsalted butter
1 c onion, minced
1/2 c celery, minced
1/2 c carrot, minced
Combine; stir in:
5 T all-purpose flour
1 t paprika
1 t dry mustard
Add:
1 c. beer (such as lager)
3 c. chicken broth
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 t. Tabasco
Whisk in:
1 c. whole milk
1 lb. sharp Cheddar, grated
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
Stir in; Season with:
2 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt to taste
1. Sweat onion, celery, and carrot in butter in a large pot over medium -low heat for 10 minutes.
2. Combine flour, paprika, and dry mustard in a bowl, then stir into v3egetable mixture. Increase heat to medium and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add beer and simmer until thickened. Add broth, Worcestershire and Tabasco, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes.
4. Whisk in milk and both cheeses, stirring constantly until smooth. Do not boil or the soup may curdle.
5. Stir in parsley and season with salt.
We got a kielbasa and cut it into small cubes and sauteed it to put on top as well as warming up a little sauerkraut. I suppose you could omit the beer and just put more chicken broth or put non-alcoholic beer, if you wanted.
Air Nat'l Guard Christmas Party and other doings--Dec. 2, 2006
Tara and Santa
Well, December has started along with Christmas parties and other events. This was the annual Air National Guard Christmas party. Alyssa had been working so she didn't go, but the rest of us traipsed over to the guard after Tim got home. It always is fun and I see people I don't get to visit with for pretty much the rest of the year. This event always makes it feel like we are kicking off the Christmas season to me because it is always the first weekend in December. Tara got to see Santa and get a gift (a "Bratz-type" doll). They served turkey and all the trimmings and there were about a million desserts, I think...okay, maybe it just seemed like it.
Military Ball--Dec. 1, 2006
Jenna and Alyssa and a group of about 15 kids from ROTC went to the Military Ball together. It is so nice that they go as a group with some of them having dates and some not. No one really feels left out that way and they all get to go. Alyssa did have a date and Jenna went with another friend of hers with a guy escorting them. They all went to Red Robin for dinner and then to the ball. This dance is for all the ROTC groups in the local high schools so it is HUGE! The guys who are in ROTC all wear their uniforms and it looks so nice. They all rented a limo to get there to so none of it was too outrageously expensive. We have been fortunate enough that a friend of ours whose daughters are now grown have quite a few formal dresses that they have loaned us for the girls to wear. Jenna did want to buy her own dress this year so she did.
Jenna and her dates (Jenna is on the right)
Alyssa and her date
Jenna and her dates (Jenna is on the right)
Alyssa and her date
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Today's events...Nov. 29, 2006
My split pea soup turned out wonderfully! I will try and post the recipe later. Even the girls liked it...except Tara who doesn't like much, but she ate it without too much trouble. We had corn muffins instead of corn bread because I found out one of Jenna's friends took my 8x8 pan when they made brownies the other day and I haven't gotten it back yet. We had a nice quiet evening. Tim didn't get home until later because he was busy painting the bathrooms and working with the electrician. They got some ceiling fans up and more switches put in.
Today I got to work out again...upper body weights. I am on my way to meeting my goal. Jenna woke up last night at about 1am with a TERRIBLE headache (she thinks she has migraines, but I am not sure...I just know she has terrible headaches)and didn't sleep all night so she didn't go to school today because she still had a terrible headache all day, but I had to take Alyssa to school. Why can't they coordinate this being sick thing so it could happen on a day I don't have to take Alyssa? I came home later and got dressed and ready and then went to pick up Alyssa from school. We came home, did a few things and then went to my nail appointment. Afterwards I went shopping at Trader Joe's for the week and then brought those groceries home. I picked up Alyssa and Sammy and took Alyssa to drill team practice. Sammy and I then went to Walmart and Winco to grocery shop and then picked up Alyssa and came home. Alyssa and I called the florist to order her boutonniere (sp?) for military ball on Friday. It will only be $10..yeah!!! She is paying for it, but does not have a ton of money to spend on things like that. We had Baked Chicken Breasts with Pesto for dinner...super easy and good, I will try and post the recipe later with my soup recipe. Sammy also made a salad and I took Sammy and Jenna to AWANA. Tim came home and is now gone to work for the night. He finished painting the bathroom today and our other worker is in the middle of tiling the stairs. They both look great and I will get pictures when they are done.
Today I got to work out again...upper body weights. I am on my way to meeting my goal. Jenna woke up last night at about 1am with a TERRIBLE headache (she thinks she has migraines, but I am not sure...I just know she has terrible headaches)and didn't sleep all night so she didn't go to school today because she still had a terrible headache all day, but I had to take Alyssa to school. Why can't they coordinate this being sick thing so it could happen on a day I don't have to take Alyssa? I came home later and got dressed and ready and then went to pick up Alyssa from school. We came home, did a few things and then went to my nail appointment. Afterwards I went shopping at Trader Joe's for the week and then brought those groceries home. I picked up Alyssa and Sammy and took Alyssa to drill team practice. Sammy and I then went to Walmart and Winco to grocery shop and then picked up Alyssa and came home. Alyssa and I called the florist to order her boutonniere (sp?) for military ball on Friday. It will only be $10..yeah!!! She is paying for it, but does not have a ton of money to spend on things like that. We had Baked Chicken Breasts with Pesto for dinner...super easy and good, I will try and post the recipe later with my soup recipe. Sammy also made a salad and I took Sammy and Jenna to AWANA. Tim came home and is now gone to work for the night. He finished painting the bathroom today and our other worker is in the middle of tiling the stairs. They both look great and I will get pictures when they are done.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
House Update--Nov. 28, 2006
The deck out to our side yard
The deck that is outside of the master bedroom--I can't wait to be able to sit out here at night and see the lights
Tim isn't finished painting the bathroom yet so I couldn't get pictures of the paint today, but he is trying to finish tonight so maybe tomorrow.
Our Second Thanksgiving and beyond
We made it to mom’s house at only 5:05pm (a record for us…only 5 minutes late) and my brother’s family was already there. We started off with appetizers…smoked salmon and cream cheese on crostini, marinated olives, almonds, spiced pumpkin seeds. It was all wonderful!
Appetizer Time!
The turkey was resting when we got there and Tim got busy pretty quickly carving it.
Turkey Carving
Doing Dishes
It was a great turkey and we had stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, green beans, green salad, my mashed potatoes and rosemary sourdough rolls to go with it. We were all really full, but somehow found room for pie for dessert. My mom’s husband had gotten pumpkin, pecan and apple from the casino where he works and they were really good. I think we are all a little overwhelming to him as he has not really been around a lot of family before us, but he seems to be a good sport about it.
Family Picture...maybe we should have taken it before dinner
We got home about 9pm and we all crashed…especially Tim who had 1-1/2 hours of sleep the night before.
Monday was back to the old grind. Tim went to work painting the house some more. He is working on finishing the bathrooms and kitchen area because those would be hard to do later. The guy who is working for us worked on the railings for the decks and finished them (I’ll get pictures later) and then started tiling the stairs. Tim finished the base coat in the master bathroom and should finish faux painting it today. Then he is trying to finish the kitchen before they want to deliver the island.
The girls were back at school. I got to work out…one more time toward my goal. My stomach was still not totally normal so I just did a brisk 2 mile walk on the treadmill. I did it at 4mph so it wasn’t as hard as usual, but it was something. Alyssa had her class so I took and picked her up and then Sammy had an orthodontist appointment. Her braces should come off next Monday….yeah!!! Sammy and I stopped at the tea store and stocked up as well as getting tea for De’Etta and my mom, got my ornament for my email loop ornament exchange. No, I have not sent it yet, but will tomorrow. I won’t share more in case the person reads my blog, but I got an ornament that represents something she and I share. That afternoon we were back to drill team practice and then Jenna had piano lessons…how many more days until Alyssa can get her license? We had to get Alyssa a winter coat and found a cute one that wasn’t too expensive at Walmart. I didn’t feel like going anywhere else so was happy we found it there. We then picked Jenna up and went home for dinner. Since I had been squeezed out of time, I found a jambalaya mix at Walmart and put leftover turkey in it for dinner. Alyssa had to be taken to work and then when I got home Tim was home getting ready to go to work. Besides the exhaustion from work…nothing new…he says it isn’t making the pain any worse in his neck and shoulder. I made a grocery list/menu for this next week so I can shop on Wednesday.
Today I took Jenna to school and went again to work out…lower body lifting today. I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and got stuff to put in the crock pot for dinner. We are having split pea soup and I have never used this recipe before, but it was super easy. If it turns out good, I will post it. We will have a salad and corn bread with it.
I called the insurance company today about my car accident (yes, I am a procrastinator) and have to call the repair place to get it in. I can only pray it doesn’t make the premiums go up because they will increase next month if Alyssa gets her license.
The girls are getting their schoolwork done and I need to go clean the kitchen as it is still not completely clean like I like it from all the Thanksgiving cooking. Alyssa and Jenna have drill team practice again so I will take her over there and have to pick them up. Our last drill meet is the in a few weeks and as fun as it is for them, I will be glad when it is over and I don't have to take them and pick them up from practice every day. Tonight Alyssa and Jenna have bible study at 7pm so dinner will be ready by 5:30 so they can help do dishes after they eat.
Appetizer Time!
The turkey was resting when we got there and Tim got busy pretty quickly carving it.
Turkey Carving
Doing Dishes
It was a great turkey and we had stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, green beans, green salad, my mashed potatoes and rosemary sourdough rolls to go with it. We were all really full, but somehow found room for pie for dessert. My mom’s husband had gotten pumpkin, pecan and apple from the casino where he works and they were really good. I think we are all a little overwhelming to him as he has not really been around a lot of family before us, but he seems to be a good sport about it.
Family Picture...maybe we should have taken it before dinner
We got home about 9pm and we all crashed…especially Tim who had 1-1/2 hours of sleep the night before.
Monday was back to the old grind. Tim went to work painting the house some more. He is working on finishing the bathrooms and kitchen area because those would be hard to do later. The guy who is working for us worked on the railings for the decks and finished them (I’ll get pictures later) and then started tiling the stairs. Tim finished the base coat in the master bathroom and should finish faux painting it today. Then he is trying to finish the kitchen before they want to deliver the island.
The girls were back at school. I got to work out…one more time toward my goal. My stomach was still not totally normal so I just did a brisk 2 mile walk on the treadmill. I did it at 4mph so it wasn’t as hard as usual, but it was something. Alyssa had her class so I took and picked her up and then Sammy had an orthodontist appointment. Her braces should come off next Monday….yeah!!! Sammy and I stopped at the tea store and stocked up as well as getting tea for De’Etta and my mom, got my ornament for my email loop ornament exchange. No, I have not sent it yet, but will tomorrow. I won’t share more in case the person reads my blog, but I got an ornament that represents something she and I share. That afternoon we were back to drill team practice and then Jenna had piano lessons…how many more days until Alyssa can get her license? We had to get Alyssa a winter coat and found a cute one that wasn’t too expensive at Walmart. I didn’t feel like going anywhere else so was happy we found it there. We then picked Jenna up and went home for dinner. Since I had been squeezed out of time, I found a jambalaya mix at Walmart and put leftover turkey in it for dinner. Alyssa had to be taken to work and then when I got home Tim was home getting ready to go to work. Besides the exhaustion from work…nothing new…he says it isn’t making the pain any worse in his neck and shoulder. I made a grocery list/menu for this next week so I can shop on Wednesday.
Today I took Jenna to school and went again to work out…lower body lifting today. I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and got stuff to put in the crock pot for dinner. We are having split pea soup and I have never used this recipe before, but it was super easy. If it turns out good, I will post it. We will have a salad and corn bread with it.
I called the insurance company today about my car accident (yes, I am a procrastinator) and have to call the repair place to get it in. I can only pray it doesn’t make the premiums go up because they will increase next month if Alyssa gets her license.
The girls are getting their schoolwork done and I need to go clean the kitchen as it is still not completely clean like I like it from all the Thanksgiving cooking. Alyssa and Jenna have drill team practice again so I will take her over there and have to pick them up. Our last drill meet is the in a few weeks and as fun as it is for them, I will be glad when it is over and I don't have to take them and pick them up from practice every day. Tonight Alyssa and Jenna have bible study at 7pm so dinner will be ready by 5:30 so they can help do dishes after they eat.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Nothing this weekend has gone as I thought! I think that just when I think I have things under control, God loves to show me how much I am not in control. He has done it in big ways every time we have decided to sell our house and move and when I got pregnant with Tara and this weekend He was showing it to me in small ways. I was still not feeling great all weekend. My stomach felt better, but it has just been kind of yucky all weekend. I got laundry done and cleaned up some, but have done not much else.
I did get Alyssa to get her new ring sized on Friday. They got it finished in an hour and I thought while they did it I would go to the tea store. It wasn't open and the sale doesn't start until Monday. Aaaaagh!! We decided that we would go to the Christian bookstore instead and I got a little Christmas shopping done while we were there. I have to go back to that side of town on Monday because Sammy has an orthodontist appointment over there so I should be able to get to the tea store then, though. We didn't get home until much later than we thought on Friday so I didn't get all the stuff done I thought I would and we just had leftovers for dinner that night.
Saturday we slept in a little and then got up and around to do chores and more laundry (somehow my kids think they need to wear clothes or something every day LOL). The older girls wanted to go to their high school football game. It was great because they all got their chores done very quickly and without complaining. I took them over there and then Tara and I stopped at the house on the way home. They had finished our deck railing on the side of the house and were working on the railing on the side. Tim was painting inside where the stoves will go in the kitchen so we won't have to shut down the kitchen after we move in. After that we came home and I did school planning while Tara and I watched the movie Christmas Shoes. I love that song and never had seen the movie when it was on TV. I saw it at the Christian bookstore Saturday and it was on sale so I got it. We had it on our Blockbuster list, but there was a VERY LONG WAIT for it so I just decided to buy it. I am glad we did now because it is something I will want to watch again every year. After that we watched Ice Age 2. It was okay, not great, but I got a lot of school planning done while I watched it. Saturday night I took Alyssa to work and the girls went to a surprise birthday party for a friend. Tara and I came home and Tim was home.....getting ready for work. Woo hoo! He left and Tara and I were going to watch Cars, but she said we had to wait until Daddy was home and able to watch it. We watched A Chipmunk Christmas instead. I remember seeing that when I was in college and listening to the CD of it every year so it brought back a lot of memories. Later Alyssa called and said she was getting off work early and could I pick her up and could she go to the surprise party. It was between her work and our house so I said that would be fine and took her over. They all had a ride home so Tara and I got in my bed and cuddled and read stories. Sammy ended up staying the night at the house where the party was (they have a daughter her age besides the son the party was for). Tara ended up sleeping in my bed all night...something she missed while Daddy has been home the last six months. 
This morning we all got up to go to church. It is so wierd not having to sing and be at church early every week, but we did get there five minutes early this week. Tim got off work late and so he couldn't be there (not unusual when he works Saturdays). Our regular pastor was sick this week so one of our music leaders preached today. It was a great sermon about serving. We came home after church and watched the 49ers lose to the Rams. 
There goes their three game winning streak!
Tim went off to the house to paint the master bathroom today. I need to get started on making mashed potatoes for tonight's dinner at my mom's. She just called to tell me that dinner will be ready at 5:30 so we should be their at 5pm for appetizers. My stomach still feels kind of funky, but I will be okay. I will try and get some pictures of dinner this time.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Thanksgiving turned out really great! I made my stuffing and rolls (the rolls turned out really flat and weren't as good as usual and I don't know why). In the course of making my stuffing, I was grating Parmesan cheese with my rasp grater and cut my finger, not on the grater part, but on the sides that stick down. Now, I did this the other day when I made the stuffing before the tailgate, but it wasn't too bad. This time I couldn't get it to stop bleeding. The girls were really grossed out...fine nurse Jenna will make... and weren't much help. I had to get to big gauze pads and wrap them around my finger and tape it. I just bled through two band aids. Tim came home not long after that and just laughed at my bandage job. He brought a new band aid to put on my finger at dinner, but we never ended up doing that and it stayed in my little "cast" all night. Maybe I need to think about getting a new rasp grater that I can't cut myself on....hmmmm.
Dinner was incredible! Our neighbors made a ton of food and it was wonderful...not having to do most of the cooking helps. There was turkey, stuffing, cheesy twice-baked potatoes, all kinds of veggie side dishes and pumpkin cheesecake and apple pie for dessert. She also had appetizers before we started, including pate which I love and no one else in my family does so I thoroughly enjoyed it. We all came home very full with a ton of leftovers. Of course, I forgot my camera at home so I have NO pictures to mark this event...oh well, I will try and remember it Sunday at my mom's.
Later on that night I had a terrible stomach ache and almost felt like I was coming down with the flu. I thought it might have been something I ate, but now I don't know. I still don't feel very good and am achy all over. My stomach doesn't feel quite as bad, but I hope I am NOT coming down with the flu. I have a ton of things to do including getting bills paid, school planning done and Christmas/Moving planning finished today plus I have an eyebrow waxing appointment this afternoon and Alyssa wants to take her ring to get sized and if we get over there today I want to go by the tea warehouse (they have a big sale every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas) and get my teas for the year and pick up tea for De'Etta so I can get it sent to her, also I need to do a big house cleaning tomorrow (my house is a mess and I can't stand it anymore) and Sunday I want to get Christmas cards ready to go and we are having another Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's house (I am making garlic mashed potatoes...easy). I DON'T HAVE TIME TO BE SICK!!!!!
On a brighter note, Tim asked me when I was planning on packing. It took me a minute to think...for what? He said, "To move". Oh yeah....it certainly makes me feel better that he wants me to start packing and getting ready. That means he truly believes we will be moving next month too and it is not just my own wild hoping. I told him next week I needed to do some paperwork and complete my Continuing Education for my Speech Pathology license as well as Christmas shopping and then the next week I would start with the garage. Whether we move the week before Christmas or not, most of the stuff in the garage can be packed up and gotten ready. Then the next week I will be able to determine better how close we will be to moving in the next two weeks or so and I can decide what I can pack or not then. I really need to get Emily from my SHS loop to motivate me to pack and organize. She deep cleaned her house the last few weeks and it looks BEAUTIFUL!!!
Well, off to try and get something done.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I hope you all have a great day today.
We have been just kind of lazing around this morning. I was trying to straighten up the house, but got caught up in my blog and playing with Photoshop and lost track of time. I now have showered and need to finish getting ready and make stuffing and rolls. I am making my Artichoke, Sausage and Parmesan Cheese Stuffing (recipe follows) and rolls to take to our neighbors' house (by our new house). We are having dinner there because my mother-in-law is out of town and we invited the neighbors to our house, but they wanted to have it at their house because it is bigger. That was fine by me because it meant I didn't have to clean house. Woo hoo! Tim is at the house painting the bathroom today and hopes to get that done without being disturbed. He will come home about 2:30 to shower and get ready and we will go over at about 4pm.
Artichoke, Sausage and Parmesan Cheese Stuffing
15 c 1-inch cubes crust-less sourdough bread (from two 1-pound loaves)--I don't cut the crust off because we like it better that way
3 T Olive oil
1 1/2 c Italian sweet sausages, casings removed
2 c chopped onions
3/4 c chopped celery
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 8oz pkg frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, coarsely chopped
2 t chopped fresh thyme
1 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 oz)
1 c (or more) low-salt chicken broth
Preheat oven to 350. Divide bread between 2 baking sheets. Bake until cubes are dry but not hard, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and saute until cooked through, breaking up with back of fork about 5 minutes. Add onions, celery, and garlic. Saute until celery is soft, about 10 minutes. Mix in artichokes and thyme; saute 2 minutes longer. Transfer sausage mixture to large bowl. (Bread and sausage mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately. Store bread at room temperature. Refrigerate sausage mixture and reheat to lukewarm before continuing.)
Add bread to sausage mixture; toss to blend well. Mix in cheese, then 1 cup broth. Season with salt and pepper.
To bake stuffing in turkey:
Loosely fill main cavity and neck cavity of turkey with stuffing. Add enough broth to remaining stuffing to moisten slightly (1/4 c to 3/4 c, depending on amount of remaining stuffing). Generously butter baking dish. Spoon remaining stuffing into prepared dish. Cover dish with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake stuffing in dish--alongside turkey or while turkey is resting--until heated through, about 25 minutes. Uncover stuffing in dish. Bake until top of stuffing is slightly crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.
To bake stuffing in dish:
Preheat oven to 350. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Add enough extra broth to stuffing to moisten (3/4 c to 1 1/4 c). Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake until heated through, about 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 20 minutes longer.
Makes 12 servings
I put this in the crock pot after it has cooked in the oven and let it keep warm so I can make it earlier in the day. It also stays very moist this way.
My Baby is 17! Nov. 22, 2006
Tuesday was rather uneventful...filled with doing laundry and general straightening and recovery from our weekend. I didn't even make it to work out because I had to take the girls to school really early and I needed to come back home and help Tim with some stuff before he left for the house.
Wednesday was busier. I did make it to the gym and rode the bike and even picked up a Christmas gift on my way home. Afterwards I came home and got ready to go out shopping for groceries and Alyssa's birthday gifts. We got her some small travel speakers for her iPod and the video game "Viva Pinata". It's kind of a neopets/Sims type game where you build an island filled with different pinata characters. Kind of wierd, but it's fun. I also picked up Adobe Photoshop so I can edit my photos when I print or upload them. I used some of my birthday money for that. We had to drop off Alyssa at the school so she could go with another girl to talk to a principal at an elementary school about doing a canned food drive with them through ROTC. I also picked up Jenna from school and then we took some money to Tim to pay people. They had almost finished grouting the rock for the stove area and it looks so good. They have also finished grouting the showers and they look fantastic. Tim is hoping to have the master bathroom painted by Thanksgiving. They are also hoping to have my kitchen island done over the weekend and delivered by the beginning of next week. Our plumber is on vacation until Dec. 8th so Tim is going to try and have everything ready for him to do the finish plumbing when he gets back.
We went home after that and started dinner. Alyssa requested spaghetti (well, she actually requested lasagna, but didn't tell me this until I was already out and I didn't have the recipe with me). We had spaghetti and salad and I bought brownies and ice cream at the store so we could have brownie sundaes. Besides the presents from us Alyssa got a purity ring replacement (she lost her first one) from my mom that is beautiful and money and a candle from my sister and her family.
The girls waiting for present opening time
Alyssa and Tara blowing out candles
I can't believe she is 17 years old this year! It just seems so wierd thinking back to the night she was born and how different our lives are now. God has done some amazing things in those years!
Wednesday was busier. I did make it to the gym and rode the bike and even picked up a Christmas gift on my way home. Afterwards I came home and got ready to go out shopping for groceries and Alyssa's birthday gifts. We got her some small travel speakers for her iPod and the video game "Viva Pinata". It's kind of a neopets/Sims type game where you build an island filled with different pinata characters. Kind of wierd, but it's fun. I also picked up Adobe Photoshop so I can edit my photos when I print or upload them. I used some of my birthday money for that. We had to drop off Alyssa at the school so she could go with another girl to talk to a principal at an elementary school about doing a canned food drive with them through ROTC. I also picked up Jenna from school and then we took some money to Tim to pay people. They had almost finished grouting the rock for the stove area and it looks so good. They have also finished grouting the showers and they look fantastic. Tim is hoping to have the master bathroom painted by Thanksgiving. They are also hoping to have my kitchen island done over the weekend and delivered by the beginning of next week. Our plumber is on vacation until Dec. 8th so Tim is going to try and have everything ready for him to do the finish plumbing when he gets back.
We went home after that and started dinner. Alyssa requested spaghetti (well, she actually requested lasagna, but didn't tell me this until I was already out and I didn't have the recipe with me). We had spaghetti and salad and I bought brownies and ice cream at the store so we could have brownie sundaes. Besides the presents from us Alyssa got a purity ring replacement (she lost her first one) from my mom that is beautiful and money and a candle from my sister and her family.
The girls waiting for present opening time
Alyssa and Tara blowing out candles
I can't believe she is 17 years old this year! It just seems so wierd thinking back to the night she was born and how different our lives are now. God has done some amazing things in those years!
Update on Tim--Nov. 22, 2006
After I posted Tuesday night I talked to Tim again. He told me he had talked to one of the other captains from the fire department and they weren't going to let people go back until they were able to come back fully healed, full-time. I could tell he was really disappointed, but knew that the doctor even letting him go back part time was a good sign. Yesterday he talked to one of the Batallion Chiefs and they said that he gets to go back part time starting Saturday night. This means he will work from 8pm-8am. He is sooo excited I can tell. You would think that by going back at night he wouldn't have to run as many calls, but not at the stationed where he is assigned right now. They have a lot more calls at night! Tim will work four shifts and then go back to the doctor on Dec. 5th. The girls are already picking out a "chick flick" to watch Saturday night.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Update on Tim--Nov 21, 2006
Tim just got done with his EMG and called home. They are going to let him work three night half shifts (8pm-8am) the next go around and then reassess how it is going. He would start another go around of shifts on Saturday, then Monday, then Wednesday. I could tell he was very excited!!!! I will post more later when I get to talk to him more after he gets home.
House Update--Nov 21, 2006
I didn't get the chance to post this picture the other day. Tim has been working on the rockwork for the stove area. It isn't grouted yet, but it looks so great I wanted to post it anyway. You really need to click on it and look at it in a larger picture to see how awesome it looks.
The Loft and Trip Home--Sunday Night/Monday
Sunday night we went to the loft and it only took us about 20 minutes. Last time we got lost and so it took much longer, but we kind of knew where we were going and I had bought a new California map book. Last time I had found the directions on Yahoo, but there was a street closure and it messed us up.
I didn't really comment last time, but this loft is amazing! It reminds me of something you would see on a TV program. It is really modern and industrial (I wouldn't decorate my own house this way, but it is really cool).
The Loft Bedroom
The Living Room
The Kitchen
We left Monday morning at about 11am from the loft to come home. Traffic wasn't bad at all and we stopped on the way home for lunch and to refuel the car. We got home at about 5pm (after a stop at the house) and Tim took Alyssa to work. She got a ride home later from a friend she worked with. Tim and I finally watched The DaVinci Code and Tim really wants to hear some of the stuff I have gotten refuting his supposed "finds" about how the church hid the truth of Jesus, etc. I fell asleep part way through the movie so I need to finish it today while I am making our grocery list and doing some other paperwork. If I hadn't read the book I would watch the movie more closely, but I basically know what happens.
I didn't really comment last time, but this loft is amazing! It reminds me of something you would see on a TV program. It is really modern and industrial (I wouldn't decorate my own house this way, but it is really cool).
The Loft Bedroom
The Living Room
The Kitchen
We left Monday morning at about 11am from the loft to come home. Traffic wasn't bad at all and we stopped on the way home for lunch and to refuel the car. We got home at about 5pm (after a stop at the house) and Tim took Alyssa to work. She got a ride home later from a friend she worked with. Tim and I finally watched The DaVinci Code and Tim really wants to hear some of the stuff I have gotten refuting his supposed "finds" about how the church hid the truth of Jesus, etc. I fell asleep part way through the movie so I need to finish it today while I am making our grocery list and doing some other paperwork. If I hadn't read the book I would watch the movie more closely, but I basically know what happens.
The Game--Sunday
We got up early Sunday morning and left at 4:30am for the game. We were both exhausted, but we drank our coffee on the way and got there in plenty of time for tailgating. The weather was amazing and warm! The other family we tailgate with brought mini scones and more coffee for breakfast and I got the stuffing in the crock pot hooked up to the generator right away to heat up. We visited for a while and watched the early football game on TV while we made lunch. The turkey was in a foil pan and got heated up and we heated up the gravy all on the grill. Everything turned out great and we even got in the game early to watch Bruce and Denise's daughter perform in pregame (she is a cheerleader for the 49ers). We have been really bad this year about getting in to the stadium in time and Denise was determined we would.
The game was awesome and we even won! It was so funny because a guy in front of Tim (who is a 49er fan and yells at the coaches and players most games) told Tim he was clapping and cheering too loud and could he be quieter. We were shocked because isn't that the part of the point of "home team advantage"? This guy did move over in the 3rd quarter of the game.
This was Jerry Rice's retirement game and it was really neat to see him and so many of his old teammates there to support him. He even caught a pass from Steve Young! Denise got much better pictures than I did so I am hoping she will email the to me and I can exchange them for mine here.
Jerry giving his speech
Jerry catching a pass from Steve Young
After the game we went and said "hi" to Janelle and then went into the parking lot to visit and revel in the win some more. We stay there because it would take as long to get out of the parking lot as we sit there and we don't want to sit in traffic. Tim has a rule that we never leave a game before it is over so we always stay until the end and then wait outside.
The game was awesome and we even won! It was so funny because a guy in front of Tim (who is a 49er fan and yells at the coaches and players most games) told Tim he was clapping and cheering too loud and could he be quieter. We were shocked because isn't that the part of the point of "home team advantage"? This guy did move over in the 3rd quarter of the game.
This was Jerry Rice's retirement game and it was really neat to see him and so many of his old teammates there to support him. He even caught a pass from Steve Young! Denise got much better pictures than I did so I am hoping she will email the to me and I can exchange them for mine here.
Jerry giving his speech
Jerry catching a pass from Steve Young
After the game we went and said "hi" to Janelle and then went into the parking lot to visit and revel in the win some more. We stay there because it would take as long to get out of the parking lot as we sit there and we don't want to sit in traffic. Tim has a rule that we never leave a game before it is over so we always stay until the end and then wait outside.
Fixing Thanksgiving Dinner--Satuday Night
I had to stop by Trader Joe's to get some things on my way home from the Drill Meet on Saturday and we were totally exhausted, but we did it and came home. I hurried to get the turkey in the oven. Fortunately it was only 12 pounds and I wasn't stuffing it so it didn't take too long. I had brined it earlier in the day so I pulled it out of the brine, got it ready and stuck it in the oven. Then I got started on my stuffing. I make a stuffing with crusty sourdough french bread, italian sausage, artichoke hearts, parmesan cheese, etc. every year that my family loves so Tim wanted me to bring this. I got it ready and into the oven (I am thankful for two ovens in the rental house). While it cooked, I remembered that I had said I would bring gravy. I got the gravy stuff that I could ready and then went to pack for the weekend. When the turkey was done Tim carved it and I got the cooked stuffing into the crock pot. I usually put my cooked stuffing in the crock pot to keep warm for dinner and that way I can get it done early. I finished up the gravy, but we didn't get done getting ready until 11:30pm and I had to get up at 3am to try and leave by 4am. I was wiped out.
Drill Meet--Saturday
Saturday I thought I would get to sleep in...ha! I got a phone call at 5:45am from Alyssa and then from Jenna telling me they needed different things. Alyssa could have waited, but Jenna needed her tie for her uniform (it wasin the car)and wanted me to come and drop it off before they had to leave at 6:15am. I threw on sweats and drove over, realizing that I didn't know if her tie was in the car and hoping and praying it was. I got to the house and she found the tie...thank God! I went back home and crawled back in bed for a little while to get warm.
I got up after a little while and got Tim off to the house. Tara, Sammy and I got ready to go to the Drill Meet. We finally left and knew we were running late, but I know the meets always run a little late so I thought we would be okay. I got to the school and found my mom and she said they were running two hours late! We went in between performances and got to watch the color guard before we watched the girls perform. Tara started to get a little restless and bored and wanted to go home, but I got her something to eat and this kept her busy for a while. The girls finally came out to perform for Exhibition Without Arms and they did great! They ended up getting 3rd place in that event.
Alyssa is standing behind the girl in the red beret and Jenna is on the right side second from the front.
Then came Exhibition With Arms (the girls aren't in that, but it is fun to watch) and our guys got second place in that. It is so cool to see them twirl and throw the rifles .
Our Exhibition With Arms Team
Then Alyssa got chosen to compete in the Drill Down. This is where they have to follow commands and if you hesitate or do something wrong you are out...kind of reminds me of Simon Says. She made it through the first half and then hesitated on a command and was out.
Alyssa competing in the Drill Down
Last was the Rifle Twirl Off which was really fun. Tara even perked up for that one and enjoyed it. Each school has one person compete and they do a Rifle Routine where they twirl and toss the rifles. We didn't win this one, but our representative did great.
We didn't finish until almost 6pm and I still had to go home and get our tailgating Thanksgiving dinner ready.
I got up after a little while and got Tim off to the house. Tara, Sammy and I got ready to go to the Drill Meet. We finally left and knew we were running late, but I know the meets always run a little late so I thought we would be okay. I got to the school and found my mom and she said they were running two hours late! We went in between performances and got to watch the color guard before we watched the girls perform. Tara started to get a little restless and bored and wanted to go home, but I got her something to eat and this kept her busy for a while. The girls finally came out to perform for Exhibition Without Arms and they did great! They ended up getting 3rd place in that event.
Alyssa is standing behind the girl in the red beret and Jenna is on the right side second from the front.
Then came Exhibition With Arms (the girls aren't in that, but it is fun to watch) and our guys got second place in that. It is so cool to see them twirl and throw the rifles .
Our Exhibition With Arms Team
Then Alyssa got chosen to compete in the Drill Down. This is where they have to follow commands and if you hesitate or do something wrong you are out...kind of reminds me of Simon Says. She made it through the first half and then hesitated on a command and was out.
Alyssa competing in the Drill Down
Last was the Rifle Twirl Off which was really fun. Tara even perked up for that one and enjoyed it. Each school has one person compete and they do a Rifle Routine where they twirl and toss the rifles. We didn't win this one, but our representative did great.
We didn't finish until almost 6pm and I still had to go home and get our tailgating Thanksgiving dinner ready.
My car fiasco--Fri. Night
I am a total ding dong! Friday night I took Jenna to the sleepover for Drill Team and as I was backing out of the driveway I backed over a stump and got stuck. I thought I was just stuck in the gravel so I powered out and in the meantime ripped off the trim under the right side of the car. I got home and Tim was a little frustrated with the whole thing and I thought I would be sick when he told me to fix it would be EXPENSIVE! Aaaagh! He ripped the trim completely off so we can drive it, but I have to call the insurance today and see what I need to do. I really hope this doesn't increase or premiums. I did get Alyssa to work as well and then Sammy and I had to back track to see if we could find the mudflaps which had been ripped off. We did find both of them. Alyssa didn't get finished with work until midnight and so I picked her up then and took her to the sleepover. I was so glad I didn't have to get up and take her to the meet in the morning.
Friday, November 17, 2006
House Update--Nov. 17, 2006
Here are the newest house pictures:
View from the street...you can see the trellis they are building along the house and between the house and detached garage.
The detached garage and driveway
View from the "courtyard area"
View from the street...you can see the trellis they are building along the house and between the house and detached garage.
The detached garage and driveway
View from the "courtyard area"
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