Saturday, December 27, 2008

Four Foods on Friday

Here is this week's Four Foods questions.

#1. Do you prefer cooking with electric or gas? I like gas because when you adjust the heat, it's immediate! Although I have a new stove that is an electric smoothtop that I'm getting to use and find out how I like it. (I didn't pick it out so hopefully I find out over time that I will love it.)

#2. How many times a month do you order out? At least 8 -10 times.

#3. How do you like your ice - cubed or crushed? Crushed is the best because sometimes when you get a drink, you also get a little chunk of ice to chew on. Sonic has the best crushed ice!!

#4. Share a Christmas recipe. I don't have anything specific to Christmas except what I made for dinner this year so I'll share my baked beans recipe.

Baked Beans
2 can 16 oz. pork and beans
3/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C ketchup
1/4 C mustard
1 onion; chopped
1 package bacon; raw, 2 inch pieces
liquid smoke
6 shakes Worcestershire sauce

Slightly cook bacon and onions. Mix all other ingredients together. Lay bacon strips on top. Cover and cook for 1 hour @ 400-425 degrees. Uncover and cook 5 - 10 minutes until bacon is browned.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Monday, December 22, 2008

Christmas tag

I saw this meme over at "That's Baloney" and I thought it was a great thing to post during the Christmas season.

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Tag as many people as you want to....Tis the Season to be NICE!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? At Christmas time I usually always use wrapping paper.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial, it's always been artificial.
3. When do you put up the tree? Anytime during December when I have time.
4. When do you take the tree down? I know this is going to sound bad but it's gone the day after Christmas.
5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, but only in small quantities and maybe only once during the holiday.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? My favorite gift was a stereo that I received for my birthday. I was the happiest child that day.
7. Hardest person to buy for? Parents
8. Easiest person to buy for? My children
9. Do you have a nativity scene? No
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I'm BIG on doing things on the computer, but Christmas cards need to be mailed the old fashioned way.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I've received tools in the past that I didn't want or need.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? The Santa Clause or Elf
13. When do you start shopping? Most of the time I start in November.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not yet, but I'm not against it.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Pie
16. Color lights on tree? white
17. Favorite Christmas song? Winter Wonderland
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home. I believe kids should get to have Christmas at home.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Probably not.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither, it's an old fashioned style fabric Santa Claus
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The hustle, the bustle and the finances.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Red ornaments are beautiful.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Mashed potatoes
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A laser hair remover but I'm not asking for it because it's super expensive.

I'm not tagging anyone in particular, so if you want to play just copy and paste and leave a comment so that I can visit your post and read your answers. Have fun!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Back off, Lady!

I stopped at Movie Gallery the other day to pick up some things for Christmas and the woman that checked me out absolutely annoyed me to the point that I was pretty mad by the time I left. She kept saying things like, "Do you need anything else, Sweetie?", and "Can you please sign here, Sweetie", and the final blow was "Here's your receipt, Babydoll".

AAaaaaarrgh!! I bet she called me "Sweetie" at least 4 times. I don't know, maybe it's just me but there is something about a woman who is the same age or younger than me calling me these ridiculous names. Maybe if she was 90 I would have thought it was cute. I felt like it was lacking respect. She better not catch me on the wrong day; a day that my children have seen me have in the McDonald's drive-thru.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Ice Fountain

Even though the ice had melted on the streets, this fountain was still frozen solid when I drove by it on Thursday morning.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Soon.. and counting!

I'm done with my Christmas shopping except for a few really small stocking stuffers for the kids. I have a few gifts that I will need to wrap and then I can sit back and relax.

Dylan will be coming home on Sunday and will be home for 2 weeks. His old room is now being occupied by Cody, so it's going to feel different having him here as a guest. Although I hope he feels comfortable and not like a guest at all.

I'm so ready for the holidays to begin!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Coated with Ice

Our area has been covered in ice this week and the schools have been closed for the past three days. If the kids return to school tomorrow, they will be taking their final exams without any chance to review in class, as was the plan this week.

The roads have been treacherous and I've been stuck a couple of times and sliding all over the road the other times. The streets in town are in pretty good shape but once you leave the city limits.. beware!

Friday, December 12, 2008

Jacket

I've been on the hunt for a new jacket for Cody and this has not been an easy task because I've have found that the boys are very particular about the style of their jackets. I think my problem in this search is that I was looking at coats which are too heavy and thick for their taste. So... to Cody's disappointment, Ray bought Hayden a new jacket this past weekend and because Cody told Ray he already had a jacket when Ray asked him about it, Cody once again, did not get a new jacket. The jacket he was referring to was a hand-me-down that started with Dylan (who is now 19 years old) and not one of the boys have ever wanted to wear it as it was passed down to each one. I think Cody didn't feel like he could say he hated the jacket just to get a new one, so he sat quietly and very disappointed that he missed this opportunity for a new jacket.


So when I got back from my trip to Raleigh, I went on an all day search for this new item. Cody found a near perfect jacket at Old Navy. I must say, this kid was incredibly happy to have this jacket and he put it on immediately when we got home after all the tags had been removed. He then took his evening shower, redressed, and put the jacket back on to wear for the rest of the evening. I didn't know whether to feel sad that I took so long buying this item or happy that he loved it so much.

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

We just went a little greener

After months of making a loud screeching noise, on and off for the past few months, my washer finally bit the dust. It happened while Ray was at home and I was only aware of it when I walked in and noticed he had it pulled away from the wall and was working on it. He said it was time to buy a new washer and who am I to argue.

So this is my new front loading washer that I've been yearning for ever since I used my sister's washer while visiting her one summer. It uses less water and spins the heck out of the clothes which makes drying time faster since there is less water left in your laundry. Only time will tell how much we like it but I have a good feeling about it.

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Four Foods

I'm at it again, sharing my answers to the Four Foods questions this week.

#1. Does your family usually eat meals in the kitchen or somewhere else?
We eat in the kitchen and living room. Unfortunately we are not the eat around the dining table type of family. Our schedules are way too busy for that kind of togetherness so we do our bonding at other times.

#2. Who usually does the dishes in your house?
Our Hotpoint dishwasher. We ask the kids to rinse their dishes and put them in the dishwasher and I add the soap and start it up. I'm not sure that's called "doing dishes". I am the one who scrubs dishes after cooking but I stick them in the dishwasher also.

#3. What’s your favorite small appliance or tool in the kitchen?
Probably my hand chopper for chopping and dicing vegetables. Makes meal preparation so much easier.

#4. This one’s for my son. Share a recipe for chili.

Chili
1 lb ground beef
Chili mix
1 cans tomato sauce
Optional: beans of your choice, tomatoes, stewed tomatoes and any extra spices.

Brown ground beef. Add the chili mix and cook for 1 –2 minutes more. Add tomato sauce and water and allow to cook for 20- 30 minutes. Serve.

Saturday, December 06, 2008

In Raleigh, in case you were wondering

We have been in Raleigh, NC since Thursday to play a few soccer games in a College Showcase tournament. Things have been uneventful unless you count the first plane ride that we caught out of Tulsa almost dropping from the sky and killing us.

I exaggerate. But it was the scariest moment I've ever had in a plane. The jet suddenly dropped down as if it had stopped running and everyone let out a gasp and/or was awaken from thier naps. My heart was racing and I think we were all a bit uneasy until we touched down. The pilot wasn't even kind enough to let us know what had just occurred. I guess he's used to acrobatic flying and he just treated it like it was a normal part of the experience.