Humor at the House

Humorous Things that have recently happened or been said:

My nephew, Little D--I want to go visit Aunt Wee's house where there are no girls.
Question--Isn't Aunt Wee a girl?
Little D--She doesn't count.

My other nephew--Aunt Wee!!! I didn't know you were here. When did you come?
Me--I just walked in
Nephew--Well how come I couldn't see you?
Me--I don't know. I am here now.
Nephew--Go out again so I can see you first.

Little D--Aunt Wee, I want to move in with you.
Me--Honey, there isn't any room for you to move in.
One of my Friends--You could make Andy move out and then move into his room.
Little D--No Way!!! His room is way too messy for me. I don't want to clean it up.
Me--We could make him clean it up before he moved out.
Little D--Does that include him taking the smell with him?

Since Little D has arrived to stay at our house, the boys have acted nicer and played well together. Amazing what a little 8 year old can do to a household.

Please Indulge Me

I know I said that this was going to be a lighter blog but I feel the need to just write tonight. If you will indulge me for a small bit, I would greatly appreciate it. I have struggled this evening. You see, a dear sweet man in our church died Thursday afternoon in his sleep. He was a great musician and a good music teacher. I believe my oldest had him for band. Anyway, his oldest daughter is a dear friend and tonight, she came up to the church to see some people and I was able to let her know how much her daddy would be missed. Of course, I didn't last long before I was crying. I explained to her that I would not be attending the funeral and I explained why. She totally understood.
I find that there are times when I think I am moving on and I am going to make it through but then something like this happens. There are certain songs that have this same effect. I find myself missing Mom Pipes just as much as before. There are many times when I wish I could talk to her again. I know that time will heal but time sure is slow.
I know her family misses her more than I ever could but it still hurts from time to time. I am praying for the family that lost their dad, husband this past week.

Supper on Tuesday

I made chicken enchilada soup for supper tonight. I wanted to display it nicely so I set it up and photographed it. Jeff promptly sat down as I finished and started eating it. I am glad I got some pictures first. Recipe is below.

Chicken Enchilada Soup
1 1/2 onion diced

1 scoop of minced garlic (I used an ice tea spoon)

3 Tbsp olive oil

4 cups diced chicken

4-5 tsp chili powder

3 tsp cumin

3 tsp dried oregano

a couple of shakes of black pepper

a couple of shakes of cayenne pepper

2 small cans of diced green chiles

1 can of rotel tomatoes

2 cans of diced tomatoes with juice

2 cans of whole kernel corn

1 box of Swanson Chicken Broth

Cilantro

Saute onions and garlic in the olive oil. Once onions are softened, add chicken and cook chicken. Add spices and let cook for 1 minute. Add chiles and let cook 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, corn, broth, and cilantro. Let everything simmer together until it starts to boil.

Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, and/or tortilla chips, tortillas, or thick slices of homemade bread.

Jeff's Birthday

Jeff turned 43 on Monday, June 21st. He says that his momma always told him that the longest day of the year was really the longest day of the year.
I asked Jeff to smile and this is what I got! Several friends surprised him at the church on his birthday with cake, ice cream, and watermelon.

Debbie Inman made her famous cake.

Watermelon was there for those who wanted it. I am not a huge fan of watermelon but this was good.

Debbie Inman, Simone Hastings, and Lynn McCullough (she was hiding from the camera) were standing in the kitchen talking. We eventually moved out tot the common area and sat down to continue our visit.

Jeff, Flint McCullough, and Preston Hastings sat at the counter and visited. We all had a good time just hanging out together. We all had kids gone to camp and no one at home so we stayed out as long as we wanted (8:45pm). It was good to hang with our friends for the evening.

My "Brownies"

I had a craving for brownies tonight. So, I went to the pantry and pulled out a mix. Then I stopped and thought about it. One box of mix normally lasts maybe 30 minutes after I make it and they aren't very big. I like thick brownies. So, I got a second box down. As I mixed up the brownie mix, I kept thinking it was runnier than I remembered. I shrugged it off and continued.
I put the brownies in the oven and briefly thought it strange that you could make brownies in a bundt pan now. I went on my merry way. As is with any time I make brownies, the time elapsed and I had to let it cook longer. When I opened the oven, I was surprised to see that the brownies had grown much larger than I ever remembered.
I decided to look at the box one more time. It was at this point that I realized that I had not made a double batch of brownies but I had made a double cake in a 9 x 13 pan. Now I was committed because the cake was almost done. Unfortunately, I had told the guys I was making brownies.
When the "brownies" were done. I cut it up and got some. As I walked into the living room, the guys commented that they wanted one and I told them that it was in there for them. They all had the same reaction. "Those are some thick brownies! Hey, this tastes like cake." I finally admitted to them and they just laughed at me once again. Next time I will read the box. For now, the cake is really good.

Things to come

I am ready to be finished with Summer School so that I can start really cooking. I plan on doing some baking and cooking and then posting it up for others to see. I don't know if my family will eat what I fix because it might have some vegetables (heaven forbid) involved. I am to the point that I want to try new things and see if I like them.
Hang with me and hopefully soon I will post some great things for your family to try.

Backtracking a Night

Saturday night, we had a party for a friend and Mexican food was served. It was buffet style. There was fajita beef, fajita chicken, rice, salsa, tortillas, chips, guacamole, cheese, sour cream, and grilled veggies. Everything was delicious! For dessert there was sopapilla cheesecake and homemade ice cream. I put cheesecake on the bottom and then a large scoop of the homemade ice cream on top. Heavenly!!! Most everyone else had the ice cream with crushed Butterfingers on it. They ate the cheesecake on the side. We ate, laughed, played cards, and had fun until we hurt. It was a great night!!!!!

Sunday Lunch

Sunday we celebrated Father's Day a week early. The Hales had plans for the actual Father's Day so we all got together early. I made a brisket. It smelled great. I am going to be critical though, it was not as tender as usual but then again it did not have much fat on it. I also brought homemade tomatoes to share. SE made potato salad, coleslaw, and bread, all of which were good. The boys even made a point to say that they liked the coleslaw. We also had chips with the salsa that was left from Friday. Everything tasted really good. It was a good visit and meal with everyone.

Our Adventure with Jeff

Jeff and I had seen this place on a show called "Daytripper" on PBS. It has a logo that says "Best Pizza in Waco for last 30 years.". It intrigued us so we scheduled a day and set out to see if it really was good pizza.

The gang was anxiously waiting and it finally arrived. They endured my picture taking for a brief moment.

I took this shot just to make sure everyone was in the photo.

The boys ordered the giant 4 meat pizza. They were so hungry they dove in before I could finish photographing the food.

Grandpa, Jeff, and I ordered the Veggie Pizza. I wanted the Gourmet Veggie Pizza because it has tomatoes but I was overruled. We just ordered a large for the three of us. I guess I have different tastes than people in Waco. We thought the pizza was okay but we have had better. We were hungry so we ate all but a couple of slices. It wasn't bad but it wasn't the best. At least in our opinion.

In order to make this trip, the sacrifice of a major soccer game was made. They were not happy about this and so the trip home was tense, at least for some of them.

Andy had his poutty face on.

Then because Jesse wouldn't smile for me, the games began behind his head.

All the guys got in on it and yet, I don't think Jesse was even aware. He had his headphones on. The trip picked up a bit and they finally relaxed some.

Our Doctors

I really like my family doctor and the physician's assistant that works with him. These two men are the medical team we have been going to since my oldest was born. I love them both because they care about their patients. They don't waltz in, go over a couple of symptoms, and whiz you out the door. They talk to you. They inquire about the family and in our case, the extended family. They make you laugh even when you feel your worst.
The PA has always been referred to by our family as Dr. Tom. He is a hoot! Dr. Green is very old school and I like that. He doesn't just whip out a prescription pad and give you the latest drug. He will tell you like it is and then use tried and true methods that usually work better than the new fangled stuff.
Anyway, I had to go see the doctor today and I got to see Dr. Tom. I don't go to the doctor very often so it has to be something of importance to warrant my going. I have in infection on my thumbs and nothing I have tried has fixed it. Therefore a doctor visit. Dr. Tom told me that I am always presenting him with something new so he looks forward to my visits. Today was no exception. The first surprise for him was my blood pressure. I normally run 130/70 on a good day but today I ran 118/68. Dr. Tom asked if I had been breathing when they took the blood pressure. He said he has patients that dream of those numbers and one of them is my husband. We moved on to my thumbs. He was amazed at what he saw. He said he had never seen anything like that ever. He, of course, referred me to the dermatologist but I also had strict instructions to call him with the findings of the dermatologist. He said that this really had him stumped. It is not viral nor is it fungal. It was unique and different. He said once again I had not failed to amaze him. I told him that I saved the best for him.
We then discussed family and work and his family and such. I left the office feeling like I had visited with an old friend. What could have been unpleasant, cold and callused was actually nice.
Incidentally, when all three of the boys had their tonsils out on the same day at Cook's Children's Hospital, Dr. Tom's wife was one of the nurses in the recovery room. When she found out who we were, she told us that Dr. Tom talked about us frequently. Again, it was like having family there.
I hope you find a doctor's office like ours. It is well worth it.

We started the night with dinner at Chili's. We were excited because we were having a Girl's Night Out.
This is what I had for dinner. I had the Chicken Nachos. I took most of it home. I guess I was too excited to eat much.
This is right outside of Bass Hall. We were in search of gum so we went to Barnes and Noble across the street and looked at books and such. They didn't have gum. We then went to Embassy Suites and checked their sundries department out and they didn't have gum. We finally ended up at the Marriott and they had Altoids which was double the price that we would pay at the grocery store. We were desperate so we bought them. Then it was time to go see the play.
The only semi-decent photo of the stage and pit area.
The ceiling was painted to look like angel wings were surrounding it.
We had to take a picture of us there. We sat in the Upper Gallery in the front row. We had a great view of the stage. We could see all the action. Since the cast was miked, we could hear everything clearly.
This is the quote from Lincoln concerning homesteading. This was the cover for the stage.
This is a shot from the terrace at intermission. I didn't make it to the side with the angels.
This is a shot of the bathroom tiles in the bathroom on our level. It is an angel in case you didn't catch it.
As we were getting ready to leave, we decided to go to the bathroom. This is the bathroom on the floor level of the theater. When all the doors are closed, it makes a music staff. It is so cool!!!!!
This is the last door of the stalls. I loved this on the bathroom doors. I am weird, I know it. I saw this and had to take the pictures. It was an experience of a lifetime. I loved the whole thing. I loved being able to see Melissa Gilbert live and the play was well done. I definitely want to do this again someday.

Changes are being made

I haven't consistantly blogged in a while. It has been sparatic. I have a lot that I want to say on the serious side but I have been giving this a lot of thought and I have decided that I am going to give in and conform. I am going to keep my blog light and airy. I have decided that I won't get as in depth in this blog. The reason is this. I made innocent comments on my facebook page throughout this year and some people decided that I was commenting on them, things at work, etc. So they presented it this way. I have decided that my blog is just as much at risk as the facebook stuff. It is time to make sure that the technology age doesn't cost me my job, cost my husband his job, cause harm to my children, family, or anyone else because of a post I made. So, I will be a light hearted blogger.
I don't know how oftern I will blog now. Keep checking back and see if I have updated anything. With this new style of blogging also comes a new title. I hope you enjoy.

The reason I teach

I will admit it. I cried many tears yesterday. More this year than probably any other time as a teacher. It is silly really. My kids that I have worked with received their awards yesterday. Normally, the 6th graders would move on to the Secondary School and so I wouldn't see them much anymore. Next year though, we will house the Junior High (Middle school grades) so I will see them everyday still. The kids that were 5th graders this year will be 6th graders next year and being that I am suppose to teach Math, I will have them in class.
Yet, as each of my "babies" walked across the stage and stopped by to hug me, I cried. I love my kids and I love working with each and every one of them. Actually, these are the kids that I taught in 1st grade. So, I guess that may be why they mean so much to me. They all have such a special place in my heart. They will always have that place in my heart. As an educator, you are told that there will be that one kid that will work their way into your heart and will stay there forever. Well, in this case there are about 30-40 kids who have done that with me this year. What can I say. I have a big heart with lots of space.
I look forward to watching all these kids grow and move on in life. This is the real reason I teach.

Great Friends

This is a picture of two of the most wonderful friends ever. Vona Hopkins (in brown) and Jan Stinson (in yellow). They have been my biggest cheerleaders, mentors, sounding boards, and friends that one could have. It has been a rough year for me and these two ladies made it possible to get through the "fire". One person who is not in this picture is Jan's sister (Gwen but we call her Sissy). I love Sissy! She is retired and some how she knows exactly when she needs to be at the school to hand out hugs, advice, support, etc. I love how she looks me in the eye and tells it straight up. No pussy-footin' around. She will tell it like it is. It is always in love that she does this. I will really miss her tons.
Unfortunately, Jan decided to retire this year. She had been talking about it a lot through out the year but she finally decided that it was time. I knew she was ready because once she made the decision and took action to put it into motion, I saw her relax and the weight of the decision come off her. She has been an educator for 30 years at Maypearl. What a ride!! I want to be that kind of a teacher.
Vona is around still and I plan on continuing to hang with her throughout this next year. She is my buddy. She puts things into a calm perspective. She has really been through a lot with family illnesses but through it all, I have seen her rely more and more on her faith. She is a strong woman and one that I want to be more like.
I have enjoyed my time with both of these ladies and I have cried a lot the past few days because I feel like I will be missing a part of me. But I know that I am growing and that it is time that I grew in strength without relying on others to help me be strong. The best way I can think to relate this to is that "instead of hiding behind the bushes and letting the strong people be the front line, I need to stand up and join them. I need be a strong person and not rely on the strong people." Once in a while they need some help as well. These ladies mean the world to me and I just hope that I can be just like all of them.
If this doesn't make sense then just remember who is writing this. You should know me by now. :D