Monday, June 30, 2008

Why are they called "wisdom" teeth?

I'm taking my daughter to an oral surgeon today to have her wisdom teeth removed. That will probably consume most of my day with the trip to the pharmacy afterwards and then a stop for something to put in her stomach. I'll then head to the grocery store to pick up the types of items that she can eat for the next few days. I told her I was going to video tape her behavior after the procedure to use as blackmail when needed. Just passing that along to all of you other moms because we need to stick together.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Diving In

The fun thing to do in the pool these days seems to be working on diving form. Swim masks are a must for these swimmers.

Here are some shots from two different days. It's uninteresting, but it's all I've got in me to post.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Bicycling Family

Have you been reading a fellow blogger's site called "A Wayward Journey"? I started reading her blog a few months back as they were cleaning, painting and packing up their house to make preparations for their family to make a journey on bicycles from Alaska to Argentina that would take them 2 1/2 years. Over two years on bicycles!!

Well, they are in the midst of their journey, where they started in Prudhoe Bay and it has been so interesting to hear what they encounter and how well their young boys are handling this task. So, far they've faced rain, hail, mosquitos and a couple of other snags but something or someone always comes through to help this family out. Check out this adventure at A Wayward Journey .

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Four Foods

I've been out of touch with Four Foods for the past two weeks. So I'm happy to be getting back to it. Visit Val's site for many, many recipes and to play Four Foods on Friday.

#1. Name one cookbook, cooking website or food blog that you frequently use.
I have become a big fan of Pioneer Woman's cooking blog. Her pictures are a great and the recipes that I've tried have been very delicious.

#2. Do you watch any cooking shows on tv? Which ones?
I still love Barefoot Contessa because watching her show has a relaxing quality to it. And even though Paula's accent gets on my nerves at times (I feel I can say this because I also have a southern accent), I've learned to enjoy her personality and I love her show, Paula's Home Cooking.

#3. Are you in a cooking rut? Name a food or dish that you’d like to find a recipe for.
I'm always in a cooking rut, mostly because I don't love to cook. The recipe that I would like to find is for this dish that my husband would bring home from work that was prepared by his co-worker's mom. She was from Iraq and the dish was grape leaves wrapped around rice and some type of meat. So delicious.

#4. Share a recipe created by somebody else that you haven’t tried but would like to.

Spinach Stuffed Shells Alfredo

1 pkg Jumbo pasta shells 12 oz
1 jar Alfredo pasta sauce 16 oz
1 pkg Spinach: frozen, chopped, thawed and squeezed dry
1 C feta cheese crumbled 4 oz
1/4 C milk
1 C mozzarella 4 oz shredded
1/4 C sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 egg
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t oregano, dried
1 pkg ricotta cheese, 15 oz.
1 T. parsley, chopped and fresh

Cook pasta shells according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat shallow 2-qt baking dish with cooking spray.

In bowl, mix Alfredo sauce, milk, tomatoes and pepper. Spread 1/2 cup sauce mixture over bottom of baking dish. In separate bowl, mix ricotta, spinach, feta, 1/2 c. mozzarella, egg and oregano. Drain pasta shells well. Fill each shell with about 1 T. of spinach mixture before placing in baking dish.

Pour remaining sauce over shells. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Done

We lost our game in the quarter finals, 1-0. We just did not play well and that's what happens. There is always next year and we will be back. So we are flying out Tuesday morning to go home, and are we ever ready.

Do or Die

This pic is Caitlin taking a corner kick. Can you feel the intensity??

We won our third game, 7-0. We now move on to the quarter finals where it's do or die. I hope we do... not die.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

A win and a loss

Our second game didn't go as we would have liked, we lost 3-2. It was a great game and our team played really well. We need to win this next game to move on to the quarter finals. I didn't take any pictures for no apparent reason, but I'm going to try and get some today. Send good vibes our way... Go Oklahoma!!

Saturday, June 21, 2008

One down, many to go.

We won our first game in the regional tournament, 3-1. We are off to a good start, but our next game is going to be tough! Here's a picture of Caitlin taking a corner kick with the scoreboard behind her, showing our score when it was 1-0.

Once again, we ate dinner with the team after the game and this time it was at a little Italian restaurant called Monticello in Wilson, NC. It was very good and it was the first time that I had noticed the people around here have a very different accent.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Opening Ceremony Day

We've arrived in Raleigh for the regional tournament. All the teams from each state that one their respective State Cup (and some that weasel in) are invited to compete in this tournament. It's very competitive and takes a lot of work to get here.

The opening ceremony was nice and exactly the same as the past years except for the little girl that sang the National Anthem and brought us to tears or gave us chills. She was amazing to say the least! Here is a photo of all the teams on the lower level as they walk around and exchange our team t-shirts and try to get t-shirts from the other teams in our region. The girls love this part.

After that they gather together and have a team photo taken in their state shirts that were given to them by Oklahoma. The actual ceremony only takes about 45 minutes which is great because we've already been there for 2 hours sitting and watching the teams on the floor. That's exciting for about 10 minutes. I had a smudge on my camera while at the ceremony so a small portion of the picture looks a little wacky.

We had a team dinner afterwards at a place downtown called "Hi-5". The name of this place sounds appropriate for this day and age. (Sorry for the blurryness of this picture; that's what happens when you don't want to use flash because the flash will distort the color).

We had a good time but now it's back to business and it's time to open a can of "Shubert" on this place.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The Registrars

Here is a picture that was sent to me from the block party.

This is me with the Grand Paha as we sat at the registration table. Did I ever mention that the weather was beautiful that day? Just sayin'.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Raleigh...darling!

I've been getting things in order around the house before my trip to Raleigh, NC. Caitlin and I are going to the Regional tournament and will be gone for a week. Yes, I will have pictures, don't you worry.

So I started my day with this...











and after a quick shower, I painted these (for the first time in about two years)...











and I've been doing this all day....







But while I did all of that, this was outside doing this. I'm just glad I had some help with something around here.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Alone in my joy

I spent the weekend watching some amazing golf, thanks to Tiger Woods. I don't know how I became interested in the sport because I've never played a day in my life, except for the times when I've hit the ball around in the backyard. I don't have friends who play the game or are interested in this sport. And without anyone to share the amazing "Tiger" moments with this past weekend, I felt very alone with my excitement when he eagled a couple of holes and kept himself in the game. And when he birdied to tie the leader and force an 18 hole playoff, again I wished to share the moment with someone. But I enjoyed it all the same and I'm glad I didn't miss it. I need to find a sports bar where I can be amongst my "golf" people.

We had some terrible storms blow through Claremore last night that flooded our streets downtown and caused them to be blocked off by the emergency officials. More rain is headed our way right now, so it's not over yet.

We lost electricity during the night for a few hours and all I could think was that I hoped it came back on before the golf playoff today between Tiger and Rocco. And so far, things are looking great!!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

My Dads

I have two dads in my life, my daddy and my dad that my mom was lucky enough to find and marry after my parent's divorce. They have something in common that makes me adore them.

They both have a wonderful sense of humor and are always bringing laughter to my life over and over again. Both are caring and when I was younger, they disciplined with love, never anger. I was lucky to have them when I was growing up and I'm lucky to still have them in my life today.

I love them both.

Happy Father's Day!!

Friday, June 13, 2008

Senseless talk

Is it sad when you've reached that stage in life when you look forward to going to bed and going poo? I was talking to a friend and telling her that those were my two favorite things to do. When did those items get to the top of my list?

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Rainfall

I heard on the news that since April, Tulsa has received over 24 inches of rain. Isn't that incredible? 24 inches... just since April!

I think they said we are double our normal amount of rainfall for this time of year. No wonder they call it Green Country.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Self Improvement is a good idea for everyone

I was watching 3 famous dads on the Today show and was really struck by what one of them had to say about making that effort to be a loving dad to his children.

He said that men are bigger, stronger and have deeper voices and when he speaks to his children he does so almost like a whisper. He also said that he is very aware that when something doesn't work well with his kids, he never does that again. He always tries to improve his dad skills. He is a best dad of the year.

I've seen some dads who tower over their children and point in their faces to make their point. As if their stature wasn't threatening enough. The look on those kids faces is just sad. There is a word for those people... bullies.

I'm glad to see these dads getting the word out about how to be a better dad when we've always seen mothers sharing what they have learned.

Happy Father's Day to all those great dads out there!!

We don't need another

This is how my morning started.

Caitlin: Good morning, Madre. Isn't it the most beautiful morning ever?

Me: What's up... is it bad?


Anytime that sweet words come singing out of the mouth of one of my children, before 8:00am in the morning, it's a sure sign that something is up.

This sure sign came in a furry package.

Anyone need a cat?

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Yahoo Cody

I'm not sure why Cody keeps me updated on Yahoo news but this has become a regular thing.

Cody: You know the I-Phone?
Me: Yeah
Cody: Well now it has a GPS and the price has gone down.


Cody: Jessica Alba and her husband named their baby.
Me: oh, ok.


Cody: Gas prices are $4 now.
Me: wow.


Cody: There's something on the internet about how not to waste gas.
Me: I've seen that before.


Cody: They have this thing that helps your car to save gas.
Me: I saw that on tv this morning.


Cody: Anyway, it said on the news, that Evil Knievel’s son jumped 21 Hummers.
Me: Oh yeah, I saw that.


Cody: This girl died when she was 115 years old and her brain was perfectly healthy.
Me: that's amazing.



Gotta love him!

Monday, June 09, 2008

Raining Cats and Dogs

We had thunderstorms show up during the night and the rain did not stop until about 30 minutes ago. The pool looks like an overflowing toilet, but it makes it easier for the pets to get a drink with it filled up to the rim. The storm poured 5 inches of rain onto our town and that's a good deep soaking for the plants in all the beds. I hope Mother Nature doesn't think she can dump this huge gullywash on us at one time and then forget about us in the next couple of months. You know how that goes.

Song clip

This is a little "sumthin', sumthin'" from the block party. This song is long and repetitive and the sound isn't good because of my camera, but I like the ending because some of the neighborhood kids really enjoyed participating in it.

He loves to help

Laundry is his favorite task.

Sunday, June 08, 2008

River Ranch knows how to party

Our annual block party was worth the wait. We missed the first one last year because of soccer so we've been waiting an entire year to experience the fun that we only heard about from all of our neighbors. We started the night off with a Fun Run for the kids.

And since they were hot and sweaty after the run, we moved on to the water balloon toss.

How could it be a fun time without sack races?

Once the kids' events were over, it was time to get this event going. The band was great and they played a mix of music consisting of country, rock, and pop from the 70's, 80's and on.

The grills were smoking hot and hard at work.

It didn't take long before everyone was kickin' back and enjoying good music, good food, and good friends. And lets not forget the karaoke and dancing.


Caitlin and Caleb seemed to enjoy the evening as well.



Saturday, June 07, 2008

Block Party

Today is the day of our 2nd Annual Block Party. Or as we affectionately like to call it, the PAHA party (People against Housing Associations). The party starts tonight at 6:00 and I'm sure to have pictures of the extravaganza for you to see later.



Neighbors are pitching in to get things set up and....

the band is making it's final adjustments to the sound system.

This is the person who helped get this all started last year and we like to call him our Grand PAHA.

Check out this sign and it's officialness. I didn't say it was fancy... but it's sure to be fun.

Strike A Pose!

The passion vine that I bought this spring has been causing me some concern. I check it often to see how it's growing and although there are some changes, the changes are very small. I don't know if I have it planted in a bad spot so I'm going to try and find it a new home if it doesn't have a growth spurt soon.

I noticed earlier this week that it had developed a few buds, so although the leaves aren't spreading out in abundance, it is doing something.

And look!! I saw this today and just had to snap a photo. Isn't it a fascinating plant? If you want to see one that I think looks like a sea creature, then look at Tanya's passion vine. Be sure and click on the picture for a close up look. They certainly are not ordinary.

Friday, June 06, 2008

Four Foods

This week's theme for Four Foods is "the movies".

#1. What snacks do you eat at the movies? Do you buy them there or bring your own?
I buy a drink and bring my own candy if that's my mood for that day. But sometimes the day calls for popcorn or nachos. Yummmm.

#2. What’s your favorite food movie, or movie that shows a lot of food?
This one is hard. The only thing that comes to mind is "When Harry Met Sally", the scene where they are becoming friends for the first time and they are having salads. They look delicious.

#3. What food or meal do you wish was available at the movies and why?
I wish they had smaller servings of candy so that it was less expensive.

#4. What’s your most favorite way to make popcorn? Hot, cold, buttered, air, microwave, chocolate, caramel, you get it.
We only buy "Microwave Extra Butter" popcorn. Nothing better.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Gust with a chance of wind

We are having one of those days where the wind is so bad that you decide to hide away indoors all day and ignore it because it's horrible and scary.

As I go about my dailyness(yes, it must be a word!), I hear it. I hear it at the back door, and I hear it blowing past the chimney top. And when it starts shaking the window screen, I can't help but stop what I'm doing and look. Look to see if it's just the wind or something more.

I hate the wind.

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Colin Firth

Yum. Who else thinks he's delicious?

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

He's doing grown up things.

My oldest son is going to boot camp in a few months and preparation for the Air Force has already started. He meets one Tuesday of every month to learn marching skills and memorizing things that need to be memorized.

He's already had his physical and taken the ASVAB test and because he scored well, an officer called yesterday to let him know they want him to take a programmer test because they have a slot open. So he's headed back to MEPS(Military Entrance Processing Station) today. I hope he does well because he really wants to go this direction.

Yesterday he had gone to work out and called from the store to find out if I needed him to bring home anything. He also wanted to know if my favorite snack was still peanut clusters. He ended up bringing a treat home for everyone in the family. So sweet! This was a side of him that we don't get to see often, if ever. If he keeps this up, I'm going to miss him more than I would have normally once he's gone to bootcamp.