It's all about the MAN!

My heart hurts...

So, I've started writing this post many time. It's not very Merry Christmasie (is that a word?) Why now? I guess because once again it's gotten too big and my heart needs to burst.

My life seems to have themes...some come and go and then there is this one thread that is constant, nagging and down right painful...Loss/Grief. I've tried ignoring it, boxing it up and stuffing it in the back, facing it and then moving on.... and for awhile all of those work, but as life would have it before long I'm again faced with another opportunity to be intimately acquainted, again.

Today, it's facing the first Christmas time with half my children gone. It's not what I planned and I don't like it! I tease my sister, Em, because she isn't big on doing things alone. The older I get the more I realize how important it is to have my children around, participating in our family traditions. What makes is worse, what overwhelms me with grief is that this was not the plan...ok, not my plan. Mychel-Anne, I knew that was coming. I had 18 years to prepare. I know it would still have stung, but when you add Nathan's absence...well, it's just too much.

Slowly, patiently, lovingly I think Heavenly Father is trying to teach me to feel. I gotta tell you...not really liken it. Hard feeling are like dental visits...they have a purpose but no need to have them more often than absolutely necessary. But, since all my other methods of dealing with it haven't really been working for me...I'm trying the feeling thing...alright already...can we be done now?

In the end I guess this really is about Christmas. The core. The heart. Jesus. He came for us...each of us. He came for me. He knows me and still loves me...how amazing is that? If you are struggling this holiday season, sista or brother come on over (physically or virtually) and get a hug. I believe in hugs. Words...not as dependable or helpful sometimes. Listening on the other hand....priceless.

Ok...enough feeling for one day. Maybe I'll just go eat some sugar cookie dough. I can tell ya that will make me feel something and look at all the calories I'll save by not having frosting! Mychel-Annie...want some? Come and get it!

Emily Wootton Carmack....it's your day!

I remember the day she was born, clearly. I came home from school and no one was home. It was a cold and snowy afternoon. I couldn't figure out why no one was there. I was 8. Now before you get all child welfare on me...that's not the point. Hello, I'm not "gifted" but you'd think I'd have paid enough attention to know that my mom was about to have a baby! Who knows maybe I did realize it and just don't remember that part...it was a long time ago (that's not an age crack Em...just my reality) I was so excited when they finally brought her home. So excited I could have caused her early departure from earth.She got pneumonia and had to stay in her bassinet a blanket over it and the humidifier on. I couldn't stand it. I kept going in and lifting up the blanket to look at her. Needless to say, once again, not the brightest bulb.

Anywho, she survived me and is amazing. So amazing I recommend checking out her blogs: here and here. Don't be a hater...I know you're going to wish you were me...what can I say...umm...I'm good at sharing ;D

No surprise to those who know me....

You Are a Bright Christmas Tree

For you, the holidays are all about fun and seasonal favorites. You are into all things Christmas, even if they're a little tacky.

What Christmas Tree Are You?

Do Pumpkin Cookies Count as a Vegetable?

It's been almost a year since Cully came to play with our family Monday thru Friday. He could not be more of a blessing. We're so grateful his parents allow us the privilege of loving him. Plus, seriously...could he be any cuter?

Thanksgiving left over goodness!

Confession...I saw this on the food network and purposely made green bean casserole so I could make this. I don't like it and we usually have lots left over I end up tossing...oh, not this year!

I don't watch a lot of Food Network Chefs but I do have Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee set on the DVR.I've learned so many trick...if you haven't seen her show...check it out.

Anyway...here is a yummy, quick left over dinner idea....she calls them Next Day Empanadas.


May I just say...where have I been...parchment paper rocks! If you don't have some...go, seriously...go get some and USE it!

My adaptations are: made my own pie crust...it's fast and easy; used turkey and drop of gravy instead of potatoes and Mexican seasoning. Let me know if you make them and what you do to put your own spin on them.

Bonus recipe from Sandra I also recommend: Turkey Chilaquiles

PSA (public service announcement)

Note:
Do not throw a hissy fit
(no matter how justified it may be)
while carrying a glass of cranberry apple juice
while walking on light carpet

Do be grateful
for friends
you can call
(ok dear husband can call)
at 9:30 p.m. on a Sunday night
and ask to borrow their carpet cleaner

Finally,
be willing to eat crow
when focus of alleged hissy fit
stays up past midnight
cleaning the carpet
even though he has to be up at 6 a.m.

a painful farewell

I'm in mouring.
i had to let a new friend go.

iT pains me
I'm having Withdrawals

the worst part is...I was duped

so that none of you experience the same TramA i'll share the depressig details

Last January Gary and I gave up all soda.
it wasn't as hard as I expected, except for the ice.
I lOVe good ice...you KnoW what I mean
sonic, sams, zaxby's

i adjusted..most places have lemonade, but sometimes I need a change.

then, sOnic introduced 1/2 pRice hAppY hr...oH, haPpy Day!
Cranberry slush
real fruit slushes
....life was gOOd!!!

....until yesterday....
when I made a necessary but tragic discovery on the SoNic website
a rt 44 cranberry slush has 616 calories (I could live with that occassionally) and
166 carbs!
You've got to be freakin' kiddin' me....
166
are they out of their minds!

just for comparison
a rt 44 coke has 371 calories and 101 carbs
a large tropical smoothie has 593 calories 146 carbs
a large chocolate malt has 844 calories and 144 carbs

there is no justice in this world.
I've switched over to dark chocolate
given up soda
don't keep chips, cookies, related junk in the house
don't eat fast food
and now...now they've taken away my last drive thru bright spot

....I can't talk about this anymore
....it's just too painful

I

*60*

sixty
it's my new favorite
number!
ten MonThs x 1 day at a time =60 lbs!!!

boys.....

My new motto is...you can't fight 'em so find the humor and share it!

Early this morning Will had to have an upper g. i.

It wasn't too bad but he didn't enjoy
the two glasses of barium
or "pop rock stuff".

We were driving home, his stomach killing him, telling us about
how "gross" (read cool) it was to see the inside of him and how weird it was/is to feel it moving through him.

Zac said something about farting.
To which Will replied: "I can't fart."
Yup, I fell for it...
"Why?", I ask
....wait for it....

"'cause I got junk in my trunk."

boys...ya just never know what's gonna come out.
(I so had to say it...forgive me)

from Mychel-Anne

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

hAlloWeEn...ya gotta love it!

Julie gets all the credit for my wonderful polka dot pumpkin.....
hers are cuter I have to admit...check them out.
2008 will be remembered as the year mom gave in and bought a mask...
We missed having our Mychel-Annie with us....
still makes me feel sad I don't have a picture of her...
first time in 18 year....
this growing up stuff is hard on parents!

we WiN!

Soooo Close...

We're holding our breath....

If only we were spontaneous, rich and had lots of vacation time....Gary could be on his way to Philly to be part of the celebration (I'm thinking positive)

PHilly Matters...

make that...tWo! down and TwO to GO!

ps Nice job Eagles

Goooo PhiLLies!!!!

One down......only 3 more to GO!

October 1Oth Matters

I gotta tell you this really is my favorite time of year. It used to be because of my birthday in September and Halloween (I loved dress-up as a kid). Then my Dad died in October and it became a hard time of year. The day he died Gary had stopped on the way home from work to buy a pumpkin at a roadside stand. It was in the dark ages before cell phones. I'd come home between classes to work on a paper when I got the call. I sat holding myself together waiting for him to come home. In he walked with a huge smile and this cute little pumpkin to surprise his new bride (we'd been married less than 5 months). It has become a treasured family tradition that we get our pumpkins every year on October 10th. It's been 19 years and I still miss him terribly, but this has helped me share my dad with my children, honor him, and have a happy activity to look forward to on this day every year. Love ya Dad! Love ya Gar! ...and yes that is me...many, many, many years ago :D

Weekend Update...more reasons I loved it!

Gary has waited for this day for many, many years....Going to Priesthood session with his sons...we brought an extra son...his dad is currently deployed to Texas so we had the pleasure of stealing him for the weekend.

ps As you can see Zac is into bow ties...if anyone has a drawer full of ones they'd like to get rid of feel free to send one his way. We can't find any locally.

For my sisters...hope you're proud...I got out my fall decorations and did a couple of "set ups". love ya! Yea!!!! it's fAll!

I love today...

It's Saturday, it's cool, it's sunny and we're all home today...

Toooo Much Fun!!!

Ya gotta check out this fun site. Make your own family sticker. Mine it too big to fit here so ya gotta scroll to the bottom of my blog to see it. Thanks McMullin's for sharing...love ya!

I'm your mother, not your....

The all knowing, guru and guide BlAck BoX took me to a rocking blog where she had a great post and invitation to make our own list and join in the fun. So here's mine...if you make one let me know so I can come read yours.

For my two sons...
I'm your mother not your pro wrestling partner
I'm your mother not your lawyer, policeman, judge....parole officer
I'm your mother not your waitress, short order cook or bus boy
I'm your mother not your garbage man, pest control person or maid
but
because
I'm your mother I'll gladly be your sounding board, chef, librarian, advocate, biggest fan, memory maker, record keeper, bank (at least for a little while longer), teacher, and safe place.

For my daughter...
I'm your mother....please still need me or at least act like you do ;D

and for the other man in my life aka BB.....
I'm Not your mother....I'm your wife
I'm Not your secretary...I'm your wife
I'm Not your detective....I'm your wife
I'm Not a mind reader...I'm your wife
but
when needed I will try to be whatever you need since you are my everything!

Black Box...take a trip...

I discovered a cool widget called "black box". It gives you two choices, pick one, repeat a few times and then you end up at a blog. It's fun. You can enter two choices and add your blog. The widget's down a bit on the right side. Give it a try and let me know if you find somewhere cool. And if it brought you here...take a sec and say, Hi!

Everyone needs their own Cooking Goddess, but...

you can't have mine. I'm not sharing, so don't even ask! I've been working on this post for awhile and I'm posting it now because she could use your prayers. She's been in the hospital...imagine her torture...sick and having do deal with hospital FOOD! Anyway, I hope it makes you chuckle and remember to send a little love and healing her way. (Note to Cooking Goddess...you may want to either skip this post or have a paper bag handy for any hyperventilation that may occur)

She has changed my life in the following ways:

1. I no longer put my knives in the dishwasher (usually)
   
2. My boys willing help with the cooking and prep work including chopping and cutting (they cut a mean green pepper...safely and properly)
3. I'm in stirring therapy and re-eduation
   
4. Occasionally, I now break one or two of my cooking rules .
5. I can make a Rue and I'm looking forward to making gravy at Thanksgiving
6. I want a digital meat thermometer and I know how to use it
7. My picky, picky daughter has eaten all sorts of new foods and LOVED them
8. I wash off the tops of cans before I open them....more often that I used too...don't even ask...
   
9. I plan my menus a week or two in advance using what's on sale
10. I look forward to dinner time
11. I allow other people to cook with garlic in my kitchen, sometimes.
12. We now have kosher salt and sea salt. We're using up our regular salt and will not buy it ever, ever again!
13. I've kept a basil plant alive longer than two months and I'm using it. Oh, I love the smell of fresh basil...hmmm I'm gonna go get a fix right now.
    
14. Cooking is fun!!!
    
15. If we can keep up the current learning curve...my boys should be doing all the cooking by the time they turn 14....need I say more?
    

Bye, Bye Mom Mobile!!!

An adorable family with three little kids purchased our van today. It's sad to see it go, but YEA!!! Just had to share :D

I learned a new trick...

..thanks to Tip Junkie. Did you see my orange gerber daisy up on the address bar and tab? I'm so excited. Orange is special to us because it's Nathan's favorite color and I love him and gerber daisies...... I feel so techy :D Want to be cool too ;) Click here

Want to buy our van....

Since we're down to four...I no longer need a van....yahoooo!!!!! I love my odyssey, but it is a van. I'm ready to move out of the mom mobile stage. I'd love it to go to a good home so if you're interested...leave a comment. And since my choices are now wide open if you have a vehicle you love...tell me about it. My requirements are not a van and good gas mileage.
2005 * Dark Green * Leather * Seats 8 * dvd system * sunroof and all the regular stuff...air, auto windows and locks, heated front seats etc. Less than 66,000 miles

I have a crush...

on Pierce Brosnan. Seriously...it's bad. Gary does know about it. He just smiles at me in that "you're a trip" way. Anyone up for seeing Mamma Mia with me? It will only be my third time.... I should warn you, though, I sing along the whole time...I mean really, who can resist ABBA!

She's gone...

I loved college. I would do it over again in a heartbeat. We're thrilled with the college she chose, we know it's where she's suppossed to be, we want her to stretch and grow....but dang it all...this is hard on your heart!






Letting your children grow and go is definitely not for the faint of heart!

FREE adorable, fun PENS!!!

so if you like FREE and want to own a one of a kind pen, pop over to our craft blog *Crafts with S and E* and enter our giveaway. It won't surprise you that Mychel-Anne made them or that she set up the giveaway. As of today, your odds of winning are good...and hey, I'm all for giving away free things to people I know and love!

August 27th....arrival and departure...Happy Birthday Mychel!

Some days it's the only option

I hate this day. The sooner it's over the better so I'm going to literally and figuratively go to bed and pull the covers over my head. See ya tomorrow.

I love the person that invented the CrockPot!

Ok, so this post is kind of random, but since we still have two birthdays to go this month I thought I'd break up the celebrating by sharing my favorite CrockPot recipe and cooking blog! If you haven't been to A Year of CrookPotting...go! Go, as soon as you finish reading this post, of course.

When it come to making dinner I have rules (shh don't tell the Cooking Goddess. I don't want her to give up on me or lose my privileges...more on that later)
One: Quick prep
Two: Use the least amount of bowls, dishes, pans etc as possible
Three: Healthy, inexpensive and easy
Four: One dish meals rock!
Five: If I make it everyone tries it! Then you get to vote if we have it again.

The other night I made Stephanie's Creamy Corn and Spinach Enchiladas CrockPot Recipe. You must know I've never made enchiladas in my life and really probably never would have because they seemed like too much work and would require multiple side dishes. Then I saw Stephanie's recipe and it included two veggies. So I thought what the heck...can I just say, "Oh, my Yum!" I did make a slight variation that worked out great. I realized after I had the enchiladas all rolled and in the pot that I'd bought "hot" sauce ( I don't do hot) so I vented the lid with a toothpick and turned it on the slowest setting ( 8 hours, maybe) while I ran errands. About two hours later which was also about half an hour before I wanted to serve dinner, I got home and mixed the enchiladas sauce, sour cream poured it over the enchiladas and then topped with cheese. They stayed together perfectly. I also used flour tortillas for half and low carb tortillas for the other half (her recipes are gluten free so she used corn.) The flour wouldn't have lasted much longer, but the low carb ones had plenty of holding power left.

Let me know if you make this or something else yummy...it's nice to share and COMMENT ;D (hint, hint...with Mychel-Anne deserting me I need interaction)

Twelve, 12 лет старых, Yes, 12 years old today!!!

I don't know how it happened. I can watch the home movies, look through the scrapbooks, close my eyes and spend hours remembering, but I still can't tell you how our little Antoshka became big, twelve year old Will. I could go on and on but since I have tears streaming down my face I'd better stop...plus it's easy to embarrass my darling Will and he hates it when I get all emotional. So Happy, Happy Birthday My Sweet William!!!

Happy, Happy Birthday Sarah dear!!!

Today is my sister Sarah's Birthday. I don't remember the day she was born, I'm not THAT much older. In fact, I don't have really any childhood memories without her. She doesn't have a blog yet because having pictures of her and her family on the internet kinda freaks her out...hopefully this will help get her over that hurdle. She's so amazing talented I'm dying to see what her blog would be like. So everyone have a piece of cake and ice cream or whatever the sugar rush of your choice is...on Sarah...she'll take all the calories for ya too! That's just the kinda person she is ;Dps Sorry no baby pictures because my scanner isn't working...trust me, she was adorable!

Tag. I'm it

10 random things about me because Christina asked.

• 10. I love liver and onions w/bacon, especially when my mom makes it. My heart smiles every time Zac proudly announces he and I are the only ones in the family who like liver and onions.
• 9. I'm not anything like the grownup I thought I'd be. Really, not even close.
• 8. I'd rather read that do most anything else, but I hate to buy books. I don't read books twice, almost never. Same with movies (the buying and twice part)
• 7. The older I get the less I like being alone for very long...go ahead Em, laugh, laugh out loud, make the call, gloat ;D
• 6. Naps are my talent
• 5. One of the worst days of the year for me is the first day of school. The last day of school is one of the best.
• 4. Double stuff Oreos are sooo much better than regular
• 3. shhh don't tell anyone and jinx it, but my boys will still cuddle with me sometimes
• 2. I still miss my dad everyday. My favorite compliment was when people told me I looked like him. Now when I see his features in my aging face...not so much...
• 1. I'm over the top, down right giddy, heart throbbing in love with my husband of over 19 years, even though we still don't have the communication thing figured out quite often. Our last two fights were about Asian salad and the first day of school...go figure.
  

If you wanna play...consider yourself tagged and then let me know so I can come over and read yours.

We're BACK and Remember When?

Internet's been down for a few days...I'm officially an addict. I nearly went to the library to check e-mail and blogs. Sooooo glad to be back! Christina...I did see the tag...I'm working on it ;)

My friend Shalene started this and I thought it would be fun. Hope you'll play along :D

1. As a comment on my blog, leave 1 memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, if it is recent or years old, silly or serious--anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

What REALLY Matters...at least according to Zac!

For nearly two years we planned this great last big family vacation before our angel daughter heads off to college. Two weeks together....beach, Philly, family....we're all looking forward to it. Kids count down our departure. We spend 3 days in Philly, do all the historical stuff, tour the city, get to see where grandparents and great grandparents lived. We spend a week at the beach with family we only get to see every other year, lots of cousins, boardwalk full of yummy food, rides etc. Spend three days with grandparent the boys adore. We go to Lancaster and see the Amish. Again, lots of yummy food. Boys were fascinated with their way of life. We stop and talk to an Amish farmer. He invites them in to see the barn and them milking cows. There's a big family party for Gary's mom. They all have a great time. Don't want to come home. We'd been home a few days when a family friend asks Zac how the vacation was...on a scale of 1-10. He gave it a 7! I used all my strength, self control and fear of prision to show him what I thought of this rating or burst out with a "Are you freakin' kiddin' ME! 7!"

Jump to last night. We have a yard full of brown shirted aliens...scout campout! Mind you it's beyond hot and humid here. No one in their right mind leaves the ac for long. It started at 1pm, but 1:15 everyone looked like they'd just gotten out of a pool...a stinky, gross pool, but dripping and drenched. They hike around, catch more bugs than I want to ever know about...all of which are currently residing in my freezer....scoutmaster's bright idea....something about insuring their dead, not just hibernating....ok that works for me, but I'm not going near that big white bug coffin. After dinner Gary made them a yummy dutch oven oatmeal cake etc, etc. About 9pm Zac pops inside for something and I ask...so on a scale of 1-10 how this? 8! He give it an dag gum 8!

I spent about $10 on food and didn't have to leave home...next time they mention going on vacation I'm gonna go buy some marshmallows and call the scoutmaster.

ps You may have noticed the lack of pictures. I sent the camera out with dear husband...who I'm going to refer to from now on as BB. Did BB take even one picture....stinker!

Cute Blog Layouts Matter, but Customer Service Matters More!

Facts: I'm new to blogging.
My children have waayy surpassed my computer knowledge and skill.
I want to enjoy my computer and blogs not add them to the list of things that drive me crazy and want to through out the window of a tall building.

So when I went looking for a cute layout for my blog I need easy, fast and of course cute! I found one I liked, uploaded it and loved it except for one thing...the main part was too narrow. I tried messing around with the html and got no where. Since I don't understand a single letter, symbol, space da gum thing about it I figured I quit while I still had a blog and the earth was still spinning on it's axis. For those of you fabulous computer minded people don't look down on me...I graduated from college before anyone really had them. I remember typing one of my last papers before graduation....on an electric typewriter, ok!...so be patient with your elders. I sent a "help I'm computer/html illiterate" e-mail to the designer not really expecting a reply...Ashley ROCKS! She not only took the time to walk me through enlarging the "brown" part step by step, in case I didn't want to or couldn't figure out editing the html, she wrote me a whole new code I could just cut and paste. I'm proud to brag I was able to edit it myself! I feel soooo smart, which is a rare thing when you have a teenage daughter and preteen sons. No chance of getting a big head with them around. Check out her blogspot....click here.

Back to School Organizing Bug

So, one of my pet peeves is buying stuff I already have plenty of, but didn't remember I had it. That goes for groceries, clothing, household stuff and SCHOOL SUPPLIES! Combine that with my personal crisis that is school starting again and you get Back to School Cleaning! I love my kids, I loves school holidays. Some of my most depressing days are the first day back to school after vacations. To help me prepare we're having make Shelice happy activities like...cleaning under sinks and closets. I know I should post before as well as after pictures, but I have too much pride and since this blog is new I didn't want to scare anyone off so soon. So, here are 3 sinks and two closets...only 6 more closets to go!


PS The bottom closet on the right is the one where my daughter and I "cleaned upon" some of the inspiration for our new blog. Look down the right side for the pink button. It won't officially open until the first of August, so bookmark it and then be sure to check back. We welcome feedback, ideas, links etc

Cycling Matters...really fitness matters!

Well another Tour de France has come to a close. Way to go Carlos Sastre and team CSC, what a great tour for ya'll. Our family really started watching when Lance was on his roll. We still do not understand all the ins and outs of cycling. What we do understand is how tough, grueling, demanding, man, where do I stop, not to mention how incredible these riders are, physically tough, mentally tough, and that diet. Just to compete at that level, climbing up the Alps and then the descents at speeds that are just insane. Have I mentioned the scenery of France and Italy from this years tour, it's just beautiful. What I don't understand is the drug scandals and why certain teams can ride and why some cannot. Like Levi Leipheimer, from team Astana, from what I understand, they were not allowed to compete because of what happened in the past with their team and some of those team members doping. There's a new coach Johan Bruyneel, who coached Lance, new team members, it just does not make sense to a weekend warrior. All in all, we enjoy watching cycling, one of our favorite riders is George Hincappie, seems like a classy guy, humble, and true competitor. Viva la Tour! Gary

Unexpected Orange Matters!

While my dear spouse watched the short version of today's Tour de France stage I was "blog jogging" (my sister and blog inspiration calls it that...I hope I'm using the term properly) and came upon my new favorite blog (beside my sister's, daughter's, son's etc). .

Orange has special significance to our family...it's Nathan's favorite color. I was in heaven....great ideas, love her voice, lots and lots of orange and THEN I found my new favorite website.
Holy Cow Batman it's a twofer! Quick back story. We adopted our three sons from Russia when they were 2, 2.5 and 3. No, we weren't crazy, No, it wasn't a spur of the moment decision and Yes, we would do it again in a heart beat...just gotten happy drugs sooner and cherished each moment more) None of boys spoke English and we didn't speak Russian. We tried to learn basic words and phrases in Russian, some of which we still use today. Our Russian resources are limited but we do what we can...and now we have a whole new resource . Hey, for those of you non-bilingual families, you can teach your children how to make the sound of a horse in four or five languages...that 'll put all those "my child is a genius at 9 months" parents in their places. I'm not sure how my soon to be sixth graders are going to use their soon to be new found knowledge to their advantage, but maybe there's scholarship potential in it for my soon to be college student. Orange and Out! ps This post is dedicated to my brilliant daughter who taught me how to import pictures and make them a link. Love ya Angel.

This isn't a cooking blog

My new favorite person in the world, who is also a professional chef, has worked a miracle. We'll call her the Cooking Goddess. On Thursday the C.G. gave her first cooking class. We made Fetucci Alfredo. It is one of my ever so very picky seventeen yr old daughter's favorites...so I dragged her to the class with me. Not only did she enjoy it...she made it for us for dinner tonight...all by herself...and she cleaned up after. This is the child that used to cook with me all the time when she was little, but in the last few year has become an expert at whinning, complaining and feigning helplessness to get out of doing nearly everything in the kitchen. Don't even get me started on our dishwasher issues. There wasn't much left over, but I can still taste it calling me for a little bedtime snack. I'd share with you if I could...ok that's a lie, but I would give you the recipe. It's a good thing she had a friend over or I would have licked the plate! Oh, and who is the mother of those boys that look like little piggies shoveling the pasta in their snouts? Someone teach them some manners

1 Chicken = how many meals?

My new obsession is seeing how many meals I can get from cooking once - like making a roast and then having left overs and a pot pie. I've started making my own chicken broth. It's really easy. I get meat cooked at the same time, and it makes me feel all domestic goddess! Here is my list for the latest whole chicken plus a few legs and thighs...they were even cheaper a pound than the whole chicken. 1. Chicken Quesadillas 2. Chicken Salad 3. Chicken Noodle Soup 4. Spaghetti with Chicken. So anyone wanna share any of their time saving meal tips?

Scouting Matters

Zac and Will went on their first boy scout camping trip. They went to Uchee Creek Campground down on Fort Benning. They got to do all kinds of things and worked on numerous merit badges. Such as a five mile hike, swimming, cooking their own meal, canoing, making a fire on their own, and boating. I slept over on Friday night and left Saturday morning. They came home late Saturday afternoon. As you can see they were ready to go and were wore out upon return. They're ready to go again!!!!!! Gary

Where, When, Why...matters

During our recent family vacation Gary decided we should have a family blog. Mychel has one. Will has one. Zac has one. I spend way too much time on the computer as it is, but since he was motiviated, I jumped on board. After a couple of days of discussion we found a name we both liked that wasn't already taken. I'm looking forward to both of us sharing what matters to us and hopefully it will matter to those who choose to stop by. We've been blessed to have our lives embellished by the many wonderful people we've met in the many states, cities, homes, and wards we've lived. Keeping in touch with them and making new soon to be cherished friends matters!