Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Go Rockets!!


I just received an email from a former HS classmate telling me that they have started a website in order to plan our 20 year reunion. Holy Crap!! 20 years?!? I figure this June will be 16 years since I graduated from high school.

Reality check... you are OLD!!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

I've Been Tagged...

**Random fact #1 updated Saturday February 23**

Blunoz tagged me with a meme.

THE RULES:
1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog.
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

I can do this... wait, I already did this, but it was early in my blogging and no one really asked me to play. So, I am going to re-post what I wrote so that you all can share in my craziness that a lot of you may have missed. I was actually thinking about this post the other day as one of my favorites, so I'm glad I got tagged. You can click here to see the original post and comments, or just scroll down and enjoy.

Here goes...

1. I have an irrational hate of conversion vans. Not that there are many around anymore, but still, I have nothing but hate for them. It could be that I dated a guy for 3 1/2 years that drove a big brown one. Or it could be the accident that I was in, in a conversion van, when I was a child, where we drove into a ditch full of water that proceeded to fill up the van. I just can't pinpoint it. Probably a topic for a therapist down the road.
**Apparently, we have moved to the land of the conversion van. On the way to run errands yesterday, I counted 7 conversion vans in the course of one hour. Some one help me please!!**

2. I alphabetize. If it can be alphabetized, I do it. Movies, file folders, spices. I distinctly remember a progress report from the 5th grade where my teacher said that I was great at alphabetizing. See, what you learn in school DOES translate into the real world. It really it a useful skill.

3. I hate wash cloths. Despite my mother-in-law's quest to convince me that the wash cloths that she uses and searches far and wide for are, 'The best wash cloths ever', I can't have anything to do with them. Not for dishes, countertops, or personal hygiene. I cannot stand the foul order that will emit from a wash cloth that has been used for over a day. I think I single handedly wiped out a forest with my use of paper towels. That's the way to do it. Lysol or 409 cleaner and paper towels, that's the only way to get your counter clean.

4. It takes me almost as long to unload my groceries as it does for me to go grocery shopping. I not only put my groceries away, I organize them as well. Not at all shocking to those that know me. I take every individually wrapped snack item out to put into the 'snack basket'. The film over the juice boxes is removed and they are lined up according to flavor. I cannot stand to have trash in my cupboard. Old fruits and vegetables are removed so that the newer ones are placed in the bottom of the drawer. The good ol' FIFO method. Yet another lesson learned that can be applied to the real world.

5. I am addicted to reality TV. There is not a reality show that I haven't liked. OK, there are a couple that I don't watch, but for the most part, I love them. In fact, my friend Jenn and I auditioned for 'The Amazing Race'. I have no idea why they didn't pick us. We would have made great TV... we had only known each other for a couple of months.

6. I rarely go more than one day without talking to my sister. Sometimes I talk to her 5 or more times in a day. E is an only child, and not a woman, so cannot begin to understand why we talk so much. 'What do you guys talk about?' is always his question and my answer is always, 'I don't know, stuff'. That usually explains it.

7. I ALWAYS have a scrunchie on my wrist, unless my hair is already pulled back by one. You just never know when you are going to need to put it up. The ladies that worked for me at Target used to call it my 'work hair'.

I don't have 7 people to tag, but I will tag:

Felicia at Bread, W(h)ine & Cheez
Jacinda at Creative Legs

and anybody else who would like to play along.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Manamana!

KK and I were waxing nostalgic this morning of our times with our great friends, The "A" Team, that we left back in California.

We have watched this video over and over and over and... It's sure to put a smile on your face.



Have a great day!

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Hiiiiyahhhh!!

e has found a new love in her life.... Tae Kwon Do. Ever since Guam, she has been asking to take Karate. Had we've known how much she would enjoy it, we would have done it sooner. It is so much fun to watch her.

A couple of weeks ago, she earned her white belt... she was so excited. She worked really hard to learn her kicks, punches, blocks and terminology.

Here, the chief instructor is putting her white belt on her.


Bowing to the class and some great photography.

Congratulatory hand shakes from the other instructors. Look at the smile on her face.


Congratulations little e!! Good job!!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

A Great Day

The nice thing about where we are living now is that we have a wide range of temperatures. One day it can be snowing and the next day will be sunny and in the 60s... we get to experience it all.

This past Sunday was beautiful and we all went for a long walk through the woods and down to the water.
There is a great path just a couple of streets away from our house where you get to see this...
or this... I love scenery.
When you get to the end of the path, you climb down this sturdy ladder to get to the water.
and if you're a little nervous about it, don't worry... someone will be there to help you down.
'It's OK... follow me, girl.'
Everyone had fun playing and running on the beach. Isis played fetch and even took a dip in the water. e collected rocks, as usual... our geologist in the making.
Mom and e even braved the cold water...
to retrieve this beauty.
'Can we come back again?'

Friday, February 8, 2008

Unheard Of

We met with some friends at a park today for lunch and play... which meant that KK didn't get to take her nap at the usual time. The girls played for a couple of hours and then we went to E's work for a tour and then to the NEX and Commissary for some last minute weekend necessities. KK was pretty whiny when we got home and said that she wanted to go 'night-night'. I said 'fine, go ahead,' not really thinking anything of it. About 15 minutes later, I went upstairs to find her in her pack-n-play fast asleep. It's now 5 pm and I am thinking I should probably wake her up, but...

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Baking with Philpop

Philpop is a nickname for my mom's husband, Phil. A mispronunciation on KK's part allowed this one to stick... I love mispronunciation's. Anyway, he is a great cook and I have posted one of his recipes before and will most likely post more in the future.

This one comes from his Grandmother who used to bake these yummy, yummy


cookies and send them to him when he was in Vietnam. Now, my mom and him bake tons of these and send them to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. So, go bake some for yourself or for someone else. You won't regret it.

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening
1/4 stick real butter (melt in microwave on defrost)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla (or caramel or butterscotch extract)
1 cup sifted all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup each chocolate and butterscotch or caramel morsels
1/2 cup broken walnuts (optional)
cream or half & half (optional)

Preheat oven to 340.
Cream shortening, butter, sugars, egg and vanilla.
Sift together flour, salt and baking soda. Add slowly to mixture and mix thoroughly.
Add morsels and nuts.
Add small amount of cream or half & half to thin slightly for thin crispy cookies.
Place about a tablespoon glob spaced about 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove onto grate or cooling rack.

The cookies pictured above are made with chocolate and butterscotch chips. The nuts were eliminated because we have picky, picky eaters... and I didn't use cream because I didn't realize it was on the recipe. They still turned out really, really good. They are a crispy cookie, not a mushy, ooey, gooey cookie, but they are dang good.

Thanks Philpop!

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

5 Signs...

your extremely active toddler does not feel well:

1. She lays on the floor in the same position when you take a shower.

2. You get her dressed and she does this:

3. You drop your husband off at work 2 miles away from home and she falls asleep in the car.

4. While waiting for breakfast, she does this:
and

5. She asks to take a nap at 10am.

Feel better soon Bean!