Bread

My first attempt at making bread.

I left in the middle of the job to drive Ana around.

When I got back home it was already baking.

Kneading the dough (by machine. Are you kidding? Not by hand!)

Rising

The finished product.

It was delicious and not really very hard.

Next time I could do it myself from start to finish.

But I thank Mike for taking over when I left.

Photos by Ana

Taken near Hoover Dam.

The Economy

Doing my part.

I spent $493.86 today.
Of which $291.70 was on Christmas gifts.

This does not include the electic bill of $124.50 which automatically comes out of my account.

Not a single penny went on a credit card.
I've started a new family policy.
Nothing goes on the credit card.
If we don't have cash, we arent' buying it!

The family is not really liking it, but that is what the economy has done to us.

Happy holidays everyone. I hope this Friday of shopping left you feeling merry instead of frazzled!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving came with all the traditional dishes.Turkey carcass

I wasn't there to see the whole turkey.

Someone carved it while I was elsewhere.

Stuffing

No, I don't have a picture of this finished dish either.Olives

Big enough for some people's fingers.Pumpkin pie

It's still in the oven.

That's how I managed a picture. Ana made apple galette.

Dinner.

Be patient

I'll get to it. I'll post after we eat. Then I'll have pictures.

The Drive

What she does for fun on the drive from Phoenix to Las Vegas.

Look carefully to see Sam in the back seat.

I guess the scenery isn't to her liking.

Not a good sign

If your hand weights are sprouting cobwebs,

you should probably use them more often.

Late Birthday

Sam invited his friend to go to a movie, eat cake and play video games as a late birthday party, of sorts.

Happy Birthday Sam!

The Sock

Is this your sock?

It appeared at my house.

It doesn't belong to me.

It's a Champion.

You know I'm too cheap to buy brand names.

If you'd like to claim it, leave a comment. And there's only ONE!!

National Adoption Day

This is my contribution.

Did all of you know my children are adopted? They are.

I also rescued these two.

And this one.

Irregardless

ir·re·gard·less (ĭr'ĭ-gärd'lĭs)
adv. Nonstandard
Regardless.
[Probably blend of irrespective and regardless.]


Usage Note: Irregardless is a word that many mistakenly believe to be correct usage in formal style, when in fact it is used chiefly in nonstandard speech or casual writing. Coined in the United States in the early 20th century, it has met with a blizzard of condemnation for being an improper yoking of irrespective and regardless and for the logical absurdity of combining the negative ir- prefix and -less suffix in a single term. Although one might reasonably argue that it is no different from words with redundant affixes like debone and unravel, it has been considered a blunder for decades and will probably continue to be so.



Irregardless of your opinion, this stupid word got it's very own post on my blog!

Fiddlesticks

Whenever we travel to Phoenix, the kids drive Go-Karts

at Fiddlesticks.

I actually had to yell out onto the course for Ana to get off her cell phone while driving!

She wants to get her driver's permit in February.

I'm not so sure. Sam will clearly never be able to drive a subcompact car.


They look pretty good moving at speed.

Sam liked to skid the back end around the turns.

When Sam was an infant, I had a recurring dream that he died in a car crash.

This does not help me sleep well at night.

Olivia

I composed yesterday's post over several days last week. It took me that long to think up six things about myself. In number five, I urged you all to wear seat belts.

My daughter's classmate was killed in a car crash on Friday. She was ejected through the front windshield when the truck she was a passenger in rolled. She was not wearing a seat belt.

Her memorial service was Tuesday afternoon.

These are the links to the newspaper article about the crash.

The crash.

The father (a local judge) of the boy who allegedly caused the crash wants him out of jail.

Ana sat next to this girl in three classes. She was supposed to try out for the soccer team with Ana on Saturday.

Saturday never came for Olivia.

Six Things

Six random things you may not know about me.

1. I dislike doing crafts. All crafts! I've tried many of them; scrapbooking, beading, Foamy things, sewing, knitting, selling Mary Kay. I'm bad at all of them and have no patience to spend time improving. That's why God made craft fairs.
2. I would like very much to be a karate instructor. I don't want to run my own school. It's entirely too much work. Since I don't have anywhere to teach, I'll just keep training. It's a sport I really enjoy.
3. I applied for a Discover card just to see if I could get one. I am not gainfully employed, have NO income and therefore, no means to repay any amount charged on the card. I was promptly issued a card with a $13,000 credit limit. Does anyone still wonder why we're in a credit crisis in this country?
4. I dislike Disney films because they often kill the mother. (Snow White, Bambi, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Lilo and Stitch, Tarzan) If the mother survives, they kill the father. (Lion King, Tarzan) If both parents manage to survive, they are replaced by others who care for the children. (Mary Poppins, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Lilo and Stitch, Peter Pan) I was once asked in a job interview who my favorite Disney character is. I replied, in my surliest voice, "Grumpy. Next question."
5. I have survived two major car wrecks. The first happened on July 4th, 1980 when I was just short of my 14th birthday. It was a head-on collision that resulted in a fatality. I only put my seat belt on because it was a holiday. I have worn my seat belt every time I get in a car since then. Wear your seat belts.
6. I sing along to whatever music is playing in my car. I don't care that I look like an idiot to other drivers. I'm a happy idiot.

Menu Plan Monday

If I call it Menu Plan Monday, I'm supposed to link to the website that actually does Menu Plan Monday. So here it is from I'm an Organizing Junkie.

We're doing things a little differently around here. I got tired of planning meals no one would eat so I've enlisted the help of the family. I make a list of 10-12 dinner entrees and they all have to choose five. Whichever dishes get the most votes go on the menu.

Sam only wanted to choose three so I told him he only gets to eat on three nights.

The choices this week are:

Chicken
Easy Chicken in Wine Sauce
Savory Chicken Saute
Coconut Chicken
Chicken Capri

Fish
Grilled Salmon with Rosemary
Bombay-Style Sole

Other
Turkey Burgers
Sicilian Chopped Sirloin Steak
Meatloaf
Vegetarian Chili (with meat)
Chilaquiles

The winners are:

Savory Chicken Saute*

Chicken Capri*

Bombay-Style Sole*

Turkey Burgers on sourdough English muffins

Chilaquiles

*The first three recipes are from The South Beach Diet.

I don't know the order. We'll eat them as my mood strikes and time allows.

Helping Hands

There was nothing accompanying this sign, so I really don't know what my hand can do.

The list is endless, I suppose. Ana and I snickered terribly in public at this sign.

I guess we have dirty minds.

Mmm...pudding

Delaney is quite good at making Rice Pudding.

She made it for us twice when we were there to visit.

Miles to go

before I sleep.

I drove 146 miles today just going on my appointed rounds.

I'm just about ready for sleep.

Ouch!

It's not what you think. This is NOT on a t-shirt worn by my teenage daughter.

It was on the apple pie box at McDonald's.

Souvenir

These lollipops are for sale at the Chevron in Kingman, Arizona. Ana tried to eat hers, but the strawberry flavor was,

shall we say, disgusting!

The dead scorpion didn't seem to bother her.

A meme, of sorts

Place an X by all the things you've done and remove the X from the ones you have not. Answer the questions at the end. This is for your entire life!


( ) Gone on a blind date
( ) Skipped school
(X) Watched someone die
(X) Been to Canada
(X) Been to Mexico
(X) Been to Florida
(X) Been on a plane
(X) Been lost
(X) Been on the opposite side of the country
( ) Been to Washington, DC
(X) Swam in the ocean
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
(X) Played cops and robbers
( ) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Sang Karaoke
(X) Paid for a meal with coins only?
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't?
(X) Made prank phone calls
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Danced in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone you care about
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Been skinny dipping outdoors
(X) Gone to the movies
(X) Got a speeding ticket

Any nickname? Madre
Favorite drink? A&W Diet Root Beer
Mother's name? Julie
Tattoo? no
How much did you love your job? I didn't
Birthplace? Orofino, Idaho
Favorite vacation spot? Bermuda
Ever been to Africa? No
Ever eaten cookies for dinner? Yes
Ever been on TV? Yes
Ever steal any traffic sign? No
Ever been in a car accident? Yes
Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? both
Favorite salad dressing? Newman's Own Family Style Italian
Favorite pie? Coconut cream
Favorite number? 5
Favorite movie? Sense and Sensibility
Favorite holiday? Christmas
Favorite Dessert? Brownies
Favorite food? Mashed potatoes
Favorite brand of Body wash? whatever
Favorite toothpaste? Colgate Kiss Me Mint
Favorite smell? rain on asphalt
Where do you see your self in 5 years? In this house, Ana in college, Sam a junior in high school
See yourself in 10 years? Both kids in college, still in this house wanting to move to a smaller one
One secret? I don't keep secrets much. Ask anyone who knows me.

Happy Veteran's Day

Hug a soldier.

Thank him or your freeddom.

Marcel Walker

I met this woman at my daughter's black belt test. She sent me a great picture of Ana.

Go look at her blog and her professional website. She takes fantastic pictures.

Enjoy.

No Country For Old Men

That's two hours of my life I'll never get back.

How this movie won an Oscar for Best Picture is beyond me!

Too many loose ends.

Animals Can't Tell Time

Last year it was the dog.

This year it's the cat.

Same basic problem.

The kitty wants his cuddle time every morning.

He can't tell time.

No one told him about Daylight Saving Time.

I don't want to snuggle at 4:30 in the morning.

Come to think of it, I never wanted to snuggle much at 5:30am either.

Obviously!

Recently, I spotted one of the best personalized license plates I've ever seen.


It was on a white Ford Bronco.


It said: NOT OJ

OJ is currently a guest of the state of Nevada. On December 5th, he gets to find out how long he'll be our guest. I'm only slightly miffed that my tax dollars are going to pay to house and feed him for the rest of his life. It really ought to be the burden of of our neighbors to the west.




I hear Ely is nice this time of year.

Which brings us to...

the Epiphany.

Epiphany is a Christian feast day which celebrates the "shining forth" or revelation of God in human form in the person of Jesus Christ. The feast falls on January 6. Western Christians commemorate the visitation of the Magi to the child Jesus on this day.

So, if the Magi were this late to the party, was everyone still hangin' out in the manger? In thirteen days there wasn't a single vacancy. That must have been one happy inn keeper. One hundred percent occupancy in a time of year that doesn't see much travel.

Again, the source is Wikipedia.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Turns out Jerry was right. The twelve days of Christmas do start on Christmas day. I always thought they started on December 13th and ended on Christmas.

The West generally acknowledges a twelve-day festival, starting on December 25, and ending on January 5, known as Christmastide or the twelve days of Christmas, although some Christian cultures, especially those of Latin America and some in Europe extend it to as many as forty days, ending on Candlemas (February 2).

I rather like the idea of 40 days of Christmas, but that would be an awful lot of shopping!! And, can I just say?, my source is Wikipedia which any school child will tell you is not a reliable source.

Election Day

Vote!!

Based on the mail I've received, Jon Ozark most wants my vote. Sadly, he didn't get it since his opposition is Ellen Spiegel, my neighbor.

More than half of Nevadans participated in early voting, including myself. Our county makes it very easy and convenient to vote.

My husband prefers to vote on Election Day.

Happy Birthday Sam

Sam is twelve today.

He looked a little different just 3 years ago.

.

Happy Birthday, Sam!

Who wore it better?

I say Ana but I'm her mother.