Monday, April 28, 2008

Books on my Nightstand


These are some of the books I am enjoying right now. I have read two of them already and enjoying tidbits of them again. I am slowly reading the two books on Unschooling, giving the information time to seep into my brain.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Photo's from the Shreveport trip

The trip to Shreveport was very nice. I called it my mini-vacation. For those of you who don't know, I need something new and different interjected in my otherwise dull existence. I have to have little "adventures" to keep things interesting or I get stagnated. Even driving through a neighborhood that I rarely go through, looking at the views on a different route are little ways I interject newness into my week. Eye candy is what I call it! I have to have that or I feel like a rat on a wheel and get very bogged down!!! I loose my creative spark. I have to have something...to energize me. I am just weird that way...anyway...

This was a shot of the Boardwalk. It looks like you are walking down a city street with shops along each side. But the street is only for the trolley, not cars. It is very neat!














This is Noah as we were getting ready to leave. He is peeping around the light pole at Megan.










This is what we did while there...

Megan and Noah posing on the boardwalk.
















The trolley was a great way to get around after you got tired of walking. Noah loved the trolley. Of course, he is really into trains right now and we said the trolley was like Thomas.











The carousel is also great fun for the little
ones!




Megan rode with him. I know she still loves to ride the carousel. She loves horses of any kind!

Megan posing in front of the flowers that made the area seem so spring-"y".













Noah with his "first fishing cap" he got at Bass Pro.













This is the Texas street bridge that runs over the Boardwalk area. This is the back side of the Boardwalk that faces the Red River. This is where the restaurants are facing. Btw...I was married on the Red River, only it was in Alexandria, Louisiana, a few miles to the south of Shreveport. We were married on a stern wheel paddle boat. It belonged to a friend. Her husband had rebuilt it. So I am partial to the Red River!

















Thursday, April 24, 2008

We're Home

Well, we made it home yesterday evening. Noah and I had taken a quick two day trip to Shreveport. Yes, I know, not exactly the place I would have chosen to spend a couple of days, but...



Mom had a Dr's appointment near there and Megan had been gone for over a month, so we decided to meet in Shreveport and spend a couple of days together. It wasn't to bad.




We went to the Louisiana Boardwalk which turned out to be a nice place. We spent most of the afternoon there on Monday. We ate supper at Joe's Crab Shack. I haven't eaten at Joe's since we left Corpus Christi. It brought back memories of time spent with our friends Susan, Allison and Ron. I can't believe that Allison is graduating this year! Hey Susan, miss you guys! It also reminded me of times spent in Florida and The Outer Banks of NC. OBX being one of my favorite places in the world!!




Then we went back to the Boardwalk on Tuesday spending a big part of the day there. We enjoyed walking along the boardwalk and shopping in the stores. Noah like riding the trolley and riding on the Carousal.




We also visited the Bass Pro Shops. It was the first time I had ever been to one. I must say, they have a lot of "stuff" in there. I also got to go to the Kitchen Store and I found some soup spoons!! I have been searching for soup spoons forever!!




Finally a Kitchen Store to shop in...So I bought eight spoons. We love soup, and eat it often. Everytime we eat soup, I think how much more enjoyable it would be to be able to eat it with soup spoons...Yes, I am strange that way...




And when the two days were over, Megan decided to come home with me instead of going back with my parents. She didn't have all of her things, but I am planning a trip down to my parents in three weeks, so we will get all of her things then. She will have to make do with what she has here.




Here are a few photo's of our trip.


Well there was a problem in the uploading process so I will try to upload the photo's later.

Check back later today.








Friday, April 18, 2008

A Growing Experiment


Sometimes there are regrets.....


While going through some things the other day, I ran across this postcard that I had done for my grandmother. I had painted it and written a note to her on the back. I had not mailed it. It was dated a week before she passed away. I wish so much that I had hurried and mailed it so she could have gotten one last thing from me. Through the years I had sent cards and letters and odds and ends to her. If I had mailed it when it was dated, she would have gotten it just a couple days before she died. I wish now that I hadn't been so slow about getting around to it.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

A Beautiful Day

It is shaping up to be a beautiful day. It is going to be sunny and in the low 70's. Just my kind of day! I need the sunshine!

Yesterday I bought some plants and soil to place in the planter that I posted about yesterday. I plan to get out and do the planting today. By the time I got in yesterday, I only had time to dig up some of the plants that were coming back up from previous plantings. And I broke up the soil so I could add the new potting soil today and plant.

Andrew got the yard mowed and Noah enjoyed playing outside for a little while. Today I am going to blow up his big bouncy-jump and slide. I want to get him an outdoor swing set like this one. I know he would enjoy it. Hey, I think I would like it too!

Megan is still at my Mom's. We are going to meet next week and spend a couple days in a hotel. Kind of a mini-vacation. I have a few things planned to do just for fun. She isn't ready to come home yet, but wants to see us. So we thought it would be fun to just get away for a couple of days. I told her she could come home now and go back later, or stay until I go back to La in a couple of weeks to get my hair done. She said she wanted to go stay longer and come back when I go back down to get my hair permed. I was wanting to get it done before the end of May. The reason I haven't yet, I was waiting until it got closer to summer to have it done. So it will be fresh for the hot humid summer!

I ordered part of my dress for Daphne's wedding the other day. I have to go back and order some fabric to have a top made. I haven't decided for sure if I am going to do just a simple princess top or if I am going to do a tank style with a jacket. I am looking for patterns that I like. The colors are Dahlia and Cabernet. The skirt is a long trumpet style in Cabernet. But they don't have the tops in the Dahlia, so that is why I am ordering the fabric to have one made.

Well, I need to get going on the day. It is already 7:30 and I have lots to do today. I will post photo's of the planter after I finish planting.

Today Quotes
Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"
~Robin Williams~
The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.
~Henry Van Dyke~

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Play Dough

Today I have seen this recipe on two other blogs, so I thought I would try it for Noah. I am posting it here and will let you know what comes of it...
Play Dough
1 c flour
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 c water
1/2 c salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
Food coloring
Stir all ingredients in a saucepan and heat, stirring the whole time until a ball forms, and then remove from heat. When it is cool enough to handle, knead until smooth.

Gardening challenge


Trying to find something to plant in the planter that goes around the sun room. I need something that will have a good coverage and that is easy to maintain. I also have the added challenge of finding a way to keep the dogs out of it. They love to jump into that area and lay down. Any ideas?

Monday, April 14, 2008

Super Supper

Tonight we had Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms! Wow! Were they good! Here is my recipe if your interested.


Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms


2-4 large Portabella mushrooms

1- 8oz package of Crab Selects (chunk style)

1-8oz package cream cheese (softened)

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

crumbled cheese (I prefer goat cheese)

Salt

Black Pepper

Tony's

Garlic powder

Parsley

liquid smoke

Olive Oil

In a skillet saute' crab in olive oil and seasonings, add green onions and allow to soften. Clean mushrooms and rub with liquid smoke and olive oil.

Soften cream cheese, add crab mixture and mix thoroughly. Place mushrooms in large baking dish and put crab/cream cheese mixture to fill mushrooms. Put bread crumbs on top. Bake at 400 degrees about 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven, top with crumbled cheese and put back into oven for 3-5 minutes. Remove and enjoy. Serve with a side salad or small bowl of light creamy soup. Such as onion soup or broccoli and leek soups.


I served it with left over pasta salad and left over lentil soup. But I think it would be better with a leafy salad and creamy soup.

Bon Appetite!!!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Slow Sunday...

Noah started running a fever on Friday night. He wasn't exhibiting any other signs of illness. He played around on Saturday, but seemed to continue with a low grade temp. He stayed with Lauren while Andrew and I both worked on Saturday. When I got home, he seemed to be feeling well, just still a little warm. Last night he woke up crying again and was running a temp of 101. So I gave him Motrin and he slept well the rest of the night. He woke again this morning with a temp. Andrew had to work, Lauren went to church, Noah and I stayed home, and of course, Megan is still in Louisiana with my parents.

So Noah and I stayed home from church and he lay around and did a little coloring and played with Thomas. But mostly just lay around. He started sneezing and wiping his nose and seems to have a touch of allergies. However, I am not going to rule out ear infection. He and I went to the Big Dam Bridge on Friday and walked it and was outside for a hour to two hours. On the bridge, the wind was so strong it was almost breath taking at times. So I don't know if it was to windy for him and now he has ear problems or what. The pollen is also pretty bad here right now, so it could be allergies. I will call the Dr.'s office in the morning to try to get him worked in sometime tomorrow. I also have a follow up at my GYN tomorrow so it should prove to be a fun day all around!

Today I have been in the mood to do a little cooking. I decided on Lentil Soup for lunch. Then I made some caramel sauce. I had never made any before but I think it turned out great! I want to make some caramel dip next, to dip apples into. Today I am using the caramel sauce to drizzle over my oatmeal/apple bake. I will post that recipe later.


Today's Quote
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction. ~E.F. Schumacker~

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Today's Quote

Do not go where the path may lead.
Go instead where there is no path
and leave a trail.....
~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Great article in Parade

For those of you who didn't get the Parade this Sunday, I have attached a link here to an article that everyone should read.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Thank God we are safe

Well, the Lord kept us last night when a tornado passed through the area. Lauren was at choir practice and Andrew, Noah and I were at home when the emergency alarms started going off. We turned the local weather on and they were saying that a tornado was on 1-30 in Benton heading toward us. We were in the path. I started to panic, called Lauren and couldn't get her. I immediately called Megan at my mom's. They were visiting with my dad's sister at the time and I told them to immediately start praying for us. I threw some pillows and blanket into the tub and we waited. It was minutes away...the news announcer was calling the names of streets just near us, for those people to take cover. We prayed. I got Lauren and she and a friend were on their way to her friends house in North Little Rock. I told her to get there and get into a hallway or something and stay put. And to stay in touch with me by cell phone...And to pray...
Noah was so hyper, he picked up on my stress and panic and he was going nuts. We listened...
Our electricity blinked once and then like that it was over.
Andrew tried to call the security guard at his job site to check on him, because it was right in the path of where the tornado was suppose to have been traveling before it got to us. He couldn't get him. So when things settled down here we all got into his truck and drove to the site. On the way, just a block down the street there was an overturned car in a parking lot, and emergency vehicles in the road. We got to the site and all was well. We saw no damage anywhere other than the car overturned. On the way back we took the other way back to our house and came down the street in front of a grocery store just two blocks from the house. The subdivision across from the store was hit. Trees uprooted and some snapped off mid way. Debris was everywhere in the road. Houses with trees down, lights out everywhere. The roadway was full of lawn chairs and other debris with things hanging from the power lines. Some of the damage was within a block of our house. You could see the path that it took. One street over, no power, all that damage, and for us, all we got was lots of water. Our garage flooded and the sun room flooded. The yard looks like a swamp. But that is all!!! So I thank God that he moved it over one block from our house. I truly believe the prayer is what did it! I called Megan back and told her that their prayers had moved the tornado over one block and God spared us!!!
The great news is that noone in this area was killed and only a few minor injuries. All that was damaged were things! Things can be replaced, people can't.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Obessions

Is it just me or what? I find a food that I love, and that is all I ever want to eat. I eat it every day until I can't stand it any longer and I never want to eat it again... Well, not quite. But I do want to eat it every day. For instance; I started changing the way I ate back in November so I could lose weight for my best friends wedding this coming October. So far, I have lost 20 pounds, but want to lose 20 more. Somehow, I have hit the wall, and it isn't coming off anymore. So when the weather gets better, I plan to get out and get moving!! But I digress...


Although I have never eaten apples much in my life, I was more of a banana kind of gal, I started eating cut up apples with fat free caramel dip. And I fell in love. I eat them every day!! I love the organic granny smith ones!

I have always loved couscous, but I started fixing whole wheat couscous and topping it with sauteed crab meat. Well it is actually crab classics, which is crab and other seafoods flavored like crab, but it is reasonably priced and a fairly good substitute when you can't buy crab everyday! Anyway, I sautee the "crab" meat and season it with garlic, black pepper, and Tony's. Hey, I am from Louisiana, Tony's goes on everything. For those of you who have yet to experience Tony's well check it out.

So I sautee the crab and then put it over the top of the couscous!! Wow! Talk about great! I want it nearly everyday! The flavors of the seafood, mixed with the textures of the couscous! An unbeatable combination in my book. Of course, I could live off seafood!
The photo just doesn't do it justice.
Another food obsession I have developed is fat free vanilla yogurt, I use Dannon Lite and Fit, mixed with granola, (I like Back to Nature organic Cherry Vanilla granola), mixed with fresh blueberries. Put it all in a bowl and stir...YUMMY! And good for you. Then there is the Kefir... I get Lifeway lowfat. I like the blueberry flavor and pomegranate flavor. I drink about a cup a day. It help clean out the pipes, if you know what I mean. It is healthy, good for you and since I am lactose intollerent, I get my calcium from yogurt and kefir. I want to get kefir grains and make my own, but I haven't gotten that far yet.
What food obsessions do you have? I would love to hear them. Gotta go, that bowl of couscous and crab is calling my name, then I think I will have an apple with some caramel.....

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