The Consequences of Feminism

"Then" by Brad Paisley

I fell in love with this song by Brad Paisley the first time I heard it.This is the live version of "Then" that was played at the CMA's. Ahhh... just listen to the words (and look at the cutie).... this would make a nice wedding song!!!

Silver (passed away June 28th, 2009)

It wasn't that long ago I had to post this about Harvey.

And then this about our little Megan.

Now, I have to post about our little Silver Boy. I found out today from the co-worker we gave Harvey & Silver to that Silver passed away yesterday afternoon. He lived to be about 18, which is a pretty good life for this type of bird. He was a sweet little bird, that enjoyed just sitting wherever you placed him. He learned to say a few words, but the best was when he called for his best buddy ~ Harvey. Silver was a special gift to my parents (mainly my mom) for their 25th wedding anniversary. Silver was a rare type of Cockatiel, who just happened to be super clumsy!! I don't think he EVER had a beautiful, full tail, and somehow he always seemed to have poop on him! Usually Harvey would sit on a top perch while Silver was at the bottom. His little feet never seemed to have much coordination or strength... but this little guy could scream with the best of them!! Although his last year wasn't spent with my family, we still feel the loss... just knowing we won't get any updates... or ever be able to hold him again... it's sad!!! :-(

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Just wishing you a wonderful birthday, Dad!! Hope you just sit back and enjoy the day!!You (and mom) are always so willing to do for others!! I love you very much!

Happy Father's Day Dad!!! xoxo

A Dad is a person
who is loving and kind,
And often he knows
what you have on your mind.
He's someone who listens,
suggests, and defends.
A dad can be one
of your very best friends!
He's proud of your triumphs,
but when things go wrong,
A dad can be patient
and helpful and strong.
In all that you do,
a dad's love plays a part.
There's always a place for him
deep in your heart.
And each year that passes,
you're even more glad,
more grateful and proud
just to call him your dad!
Thank you, Dad...
for listening and caring,
for giving and sharing,
but, especially, for just being you!
Happy Father's Day

June Celebrations!

My family has three major celebrations in June... all relatively close to each other. My brother Mark's b-day, Father's Day, and my dad's b-day. We usually decide one Saturday in June to celebrate all three. This was yesterday for us - and it was a beautiful day! I get to see my parents all the time, but Mark lives a bit further away, so it was WONDERFUL seeing him again. I enjoy his company and really miss not living closer to him!! He and I have always been close, and I believe help to keep each other "grounded".

I wish I thought to take a few more pictures than I did, but the ones I did take are like a little story. I couldn't seem to get one good picture where both my dad and brother were smiling at the same time, and then my camera was lagging... so, needless to say I took several in a row.... laughing so hard, tears were streaming down my face (which made taking a picture even harder). They were kind enough to let me snap one after the other... but even they became slap-happy! It was too funny... so, to best illustrate the moment, I created this little filmstrip of the pictures taken.
(if you click on the picture, it should open up full size - to better appreciate the facial expressions)

Pulling Weeds (part 1)

Let me start this post with the "END RESULT" picture. Maybe by doing this, you will better see all the hard work we put into cleaning the front yard of the office I work at.
Last Friday the girls in my accounting department at work were "hired" to pull weeds in the front yard of our office. Usually, they hire a crew to take care of all that, but to help save $$$, the company decided to ask us girls if we would be interested in that job for CA$H. We all agreed, and the four of us threw on our grubbies and headed out front. OH-MY-GOSH!!! I have NEVER seen (or pulled) so many weeds in my life. There were weeds taller than me - and I'm 5'2". I took some before and after shots to show off all the hard. It took the four of us from noon, till 3:30 to get it all cleaned out. We worked NON-STOP to get that job done... and I was BEAT by the time I got home. Thankfully, my knees didn't suffer any pains!! Here are the pictures.

This first one shows some of the weeds that had grown along the front brick wall. The wall actually has beautiful Day Lilies that line it (which you will see in the after pictures). Below this picture is showing how LONG that brick wall actually is....
These shots below were taken from standing right outside our front door. The weeds were so bad that you can't tell that we had Tulips growing.

Now, maybe the Day Lilies actually have a chance to grow and bloom!!! (you can actually SEE them now) These "after" shots were taken from inside my car... on my way HOME!!!Our tree actually looks like a tree now...

And we can actually see out of our kitchen window. We had to leave one of the bushes alone because there was a nest with tiny little baby birds. In a few weeks, when the nest has cleared, we plan on going back and trimming it like the others.All in a days work...
Stay tuned for more "Small Jobs for CA$H" posts in the future!! :-)

Tuesday Night Dinner and a Study

Tuesday night has become one of my favorite nights. Why you ask?? Well, two reasons, one is because I know I will be getting a GREAT home-cooked meal, and the other is because I open my home to a small bible study that provides the dinner (and dessert). We alternate weeks for cooking, and let me tell you... the menu has been out of this world good. We've all started to become a little (no scratch that) a LOT more health conscience, and try to find new recipes (or improve old ones) to bring to the table. Here is one from two weeks ago. I found the recipe in a Taste of Home magazine, and asked my parents if we could make it. Between both of us, we had all the ingredients... and it was a BIG HIT! The dinner was: Grilled Tilapia with Pineapple Salsa, Sweet Potato Fries, brown rice, green peas, and fresh out of the oven rolls.
For dessert, my mom made (from scratch) a Strawberry-Rhubarb pie, and it was to die for!! The Rhubarb was fresh from my friends yard, and we topped it with French Vanilla ice cream.

So, as you can see... Tuesday nights are filled with good food, good friends, and good conversations!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

A few weeks ago I decided to make one of my favorite soups... Chicken Tortilla Soup. I posted the recipe below the picture of ingredients.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 tsp Olive Oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 10 ounces)
1 cup whole kernel corn, frozen or canned
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper or 1 Tbls chopped seeded Jalapeno Pepper
1 tsp ground Cumin
1 tsp Worchestshire Sauce
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans no sodium (or low sodium) chicken broth
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can crushed tomato
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can Healthy Request (or Progresso) Tomato Soup
1 pkg corn tortillas or tostada shells

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 2 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken and next 9 ingredients (chicken through tomato soup); bring to a boil. Cut or break 4 tortillas into pieces and add to soup. Reduce heat and simmer at least 1 hour. Ladle soup into bowls and top with additional tortilla pieces and a tablespoon of sour cream if desired.

Happy Birthday Mark!!!

Hope your day is EXTRA special!

I love you!!!

Broken Computer :-(

Ugh! Being without a computer is the worst!! Last weekend my computer decided to stop working - out of the clear blue, without any warning. At first I thought my monitor just went, but after buying a new one and hooking it up.... still nothing! I've contacted my friends "computer geek" nephew to check things out. We're thinking maybe my graphics card is shot... but not sure. I'm really hoping it's a simple fix. I've had my computer for 6 years, and never once have had any problems with it. Sure hope it didn't catch the SWINE FLU!!

Princess Lena

We all have one...(or two... or three)

This weekend I had a few goals I wanted to accomplish. I won't list them all (because I don't want to feel like a LOOOSER), but one in particular was to CLEAN OUT just one of my spare bedroom closets (but do it in a way that would NOT disrupt every other room in the house - I didn't want to spend my last long weekend day organizing every room). Oh sure, doesn't seem all that difficult... but when it's the "closet from hell", it's a big job! This closet is centrally located to both my kitchen, and my computer room (a.k.a. Caleb's Room), so as you can imagine, it catches EVERYTHING!!!. It's true that I am only one person, and one would ask oneself, how can one person have so much "stuff"? I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER!!! (phew... that felt good)

Ok, so as to better "motivate" myself, I snapped some "before" pictures a few days prior to my big day. I just opened the door and snapped!!... YIKES!! I was glad nothing fell out at me.

Here are the pictures - feel free to click on the pictures... they will expand to a larger, more detailed picture:

Before / After TOP

Before / After BOTTOM

I feel so glad that task is over... I actually ended up "killing two birds with one stone" - sorry Caleb. One of the other "goals" I had was to also better organize and clean out my kitchen cabinets. As you can see, this closet now holds ALL of my can goods. (well, almost all of them). There is still like 50 more cans of Jellied Cranberries (tucked neatly in the BACK of my kitchen cabinet) my parents got a good sale on, and wanted to share the deal with me. I do have 8 cans neatly placed against the wall in the closet... you just can't see them. :-) (gotta love SALES - and Jellied Cranberries)

Mom's Famous Garlic Chip Dip

Last night I decided to treat myself to a recipe my mom taught me growing up... GARLIC Chip Dip. When I was growing up, and living at home, my dad would CRINGE when my mom asked me if I wanted some dip!!! Oh, he enjoys garlic... cooked in food... but NOTHING like this dip!! I added the DANGER to the picture for you dad. :-)

It's simple to make, but I warn you... it's NOT for the faint of heart!!

Of course, as with any recipe, you can decide how strong you want to make it (we LOVE it garlicy)... or if you make it toooo garlicy, you can add more milk to tone it down. The recipe is below.

ENJOY!!!

Garlic Chip Dip (best on Waves chips)

1 pkg Cream Cheese

Couple cloves of garlic
(you decide how many you like... I start off with 4 large cloves)

Paprika

Garlic Salt

1/4 cup milk (you can always add more)

Put the cream cheese in a bowl, and add your minced garlic, Paprika (just a few shakes), a little shake of garlic salt, and milk. With an electric mixer, mix all the ingredients together. If your dip is still too thick, add more milk (slowly) till it reaches the consistency you like best. Taste test to see if you need more garlic. If you do, mince another clove and mix well, if you want to tame the garlic flavor down, add a little more milk.

That's all there is to it. Very simple, and VERY tasty treat for all you garlic lovers out there.

Lena and I LOVE lazy days.........

My day never begins like this... I wake up with the BEST of intentions... rip-roaring, and ready to take on projects. Then, something happens (I don't know what), and Lena and I end up doing this........but I keep telling myself... the day isn't over yet!!!

Happy 90th Birthday Grandma... Sure miss you!!

Just remembering my wonderful Grandmother (Ada) on what would have been her 90th birthday! She was such a wonderful lady. She totally enjoyed having a beer while listening to the Detroit Tigers on the radio. She loved to play catch with my brother, work puzzles, cook and clean. She was a tom-boy at heart for most of her life... but as she became older, she let her feminine side show through. Maybe because she had a daughter and grand-daughter who loved to do hair, nails and makeup. She was a simple lady who didn't require much... but always gave as much as she could. Her treats to me and my brother were as simple as a pack of gum... but that's what made her special! You were the BEST Grandma, and will forever be in our hearts!

Szechuan Noodles with Pork

I decided to cook a meal for myself today. A friend gave me this recipe a few weeks ago. The first time I tried to make it, I had to substitute a couple ingredients since I didn't have them in my pantry (I used chicken rather than pork, and water rather than chicken broth). It turned out so-so. But TODAY, I had all the proper ingredients... YUM-OH!! I posted the recipe below. If you try it, come back and let me know what you think!!

Szechuan Noodles with Pork

12 oz linguine
1 cup NO SODIUM chicken broth
2 Tbsp low sodium Soy Sauce
12 oz ground pork
1/4 tsp rounded - red pepper flakes (or cyan pepper)
6 scallions, cut in 1" pieces
1 large carrot, shredded (I use my food processor)
1 Tbsp each minced garlic and fresh ginger
1 Tbsp creamy peanut butter

Cook linguine as package directs. (but save some of the pasta water for later in the recipe if needed)

Stir together broth and soy sauce in measuring cup.

Heat large skillet over medium/high heat. Add ground pork and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up pork, until no longer pink. Add scallions, carrot, garlic and ginger; cook another 3 minutes.

Stir broth mixture and peanut butter in pork. Cook until peanut butter is melted and blended.

Reserve some pasta water. Drain linguine, add to skillet and toss to coat with sauce. (stir in pasta water if needed to keep creamy)

* to heat leftovers, add a little more peanut butter and water

**I like it spicy so sometimes you can add a little hot chili sauce.

Italian Sausage & Peppers

It's always a good thing when you can cook a good meal at home, and share it with a friend.

On Friday, Jeff came over after work and brought over all the ingredients for his famous "Italian Sausage & Peppers". This meal turned out wonderful!! I could eat this till I got sick!

We had red, yellow, and orange peppers, onions, grape tomatoes, and garlic. Then I browned the sausage, and cut it up into bite size pieces. Toss them into the peppers mix, let the juices start to say HELLO to each other... then toss in the pasta. This time, Jeff picked up a more "healthy" type of pasta. Whole wheat egg noodles that were gluten free. Surprisingly, they tasted really good. When it comes to pasta... I'm pretty fussy!!

For dessert, I went out earlier to Walgreen's to get their BOGO free deal on Breyer's ice cream. We decided on Mint Chocolate Chip, and Butter Pecan. Oh-my-gosh... the Mint Chocolate Chip made my mouth happy!!! I didn't even try the Butter Pecan... even Jeff was smiling with the Mint!!

Look what you missed... yummm!

Oh-my-gosh... you guys missed THE BEST dessert this side of Detroit!!

(You know who you are...)

My dad whipped up a wonderful dessert for our meeting night. Lemon pudding, Redi Whip, and fresh cut strawberries!! Simple, but to DIE for!!

I *heart* Craig...

Who doesn't love Craig??
He's got the BEST list around everyones town!!

My parents have had THEE BEST luck selling LARGE items on Craigs List. They were a little hesitant at first, but now seek out things to $ell. Oh sure, there will always be the occasional "deadbeat" emails from people who seem to be really interested, then give a bad phone number, never return your emails or let you know they changed their mind... whatever. But for every "deadbeat", there are tons of great people that email you right away (very interested), wanting the item, and schedule a pickup right away - and to those great people we say:

THANK YOU!!!!