Smart-mouth purgatory

My friend sent these along, they will help us in what will probably be our future (but hopefully not permanent) destination, Smart-mouth Purgatory:

Zen Sarcasm

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead.
Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow.
Do not walk beside me either.
Just pretty much leave me alone.

2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.

3. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

5. Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.

6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.

7. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

9. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.

10. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

11. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

12. Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield.

13. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

14. A closed mouth gathers no foot.

15. Duct tape is like 'The Force'. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

16. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.

17. Generally speaking , you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.

19. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

20. Never miss a good chance to shut up.

We don't need no stinkin' candy thermometer!

I have never mastered candy making, so I rely on 'cheater' type recipes. Not being a fan of the marshmellow creme faux fudge, I've settled on this cheater style stir up fudge:

Easy Fudge

3 oz. softened cream cheese
pinch salt
1/4 t almond extract (or other flavoring)
2 oz. melted chocolate or 2 oz. cocoa powder
2 1/2 c. confectioner's sugar.

Beat cheese to soften, add chocolate and other ingredients together. Press into greased pan and chilluntil firm.

Variations: use white chocolate chips , then add chopped glace cherries and almonds or pecans,
use dark chocolate, add a glaze of dark chocolate on top,
use wimpy milk chocolate and add mint flavoring and a mint frosting on the top,
use peanut butter chips and peanut butter, then marble with chocolate fudge (had to add a t. ofbutter to the peanut butter to make it mix together.

I was feeling cheap and bought an 8 oz dark chocolate candy bar and melted it instead of buying the baker's chocolate (the candy bars are on sale this time of year for $1.25 at Wal-Mart)

Blitzen

Which of Santa's Reindeer are you? Blitzen Like Blitzen you are sharp and a good coordinator. People look to you for direction and you always seem to have the right answer Find out which of Santa's Reindeer you are at Quizopolis.com

A Christmas Meme

A Christmas Meme
got this one from the Sass:

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? either or both

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?Unwrapped

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I like both, maybe all white is a bit better 4. Do you hang mistletoe? it sounds tacky to admit that I hang up plastic mistletoe, doesn't it?

5. When do you put your decorations up? sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? hmm, that leaves out a lot, maybe 7 layer dip 'n chips

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child:the feeling of anticipation, knowing that somehow, magically, Santa would come!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? just figured it out last year, whadja mean?

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?not usually

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? In stages, we get it out, put on the lights, then come back and put on the ornaments, no tinsel

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? I would love it more if it didn't last so long (if spring came in Frebruary, for ex, how would that work for everybody out there?)

12. Can you ice skate? yes, but my ankles scream the whole time, now

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I've been given a lot of really nice, thoughtful gifts over the years, can't pick one out

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? getting everything done ( or not), contemplating the birth of my Savior.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? cookies, mostly any kind
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? reading the story of Jesus' birth on christmas eve

17. What tops your tree? a paper mache star my husband made as a child, attached with non-original popsicle stick

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? both, same as the Sass.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? I like a lot of them, almost all, really, The First Noel would be one of my faves

20. Candy canes: better for decoration than for human consumption.

21. Favorite Christmas movie? don't really have one, just saw Jim Carrey's Grinch again, and loved that

22. What do you leave for Santa? Cookies, and milk, sometimes a carrot for the reindeer.

let me know in comments if you do this meme too!

Free flowers !

I was given free flowers at the end of a wedding reception! lucky, lucky me!!!!

Abap purse

I miss the good old diaper bag! My purse is ABAP, as big as possible. I realized last week that I had carried my black purse through last spring, summer, and fall, and it was too late to change over to a camel colored purse I have. oh well.. slow me. Yeah, it's stuffed with everything possible. Yea, it's too big. oh well, I admit it gives me a certain amount of security, having my 'stuff' with me. Could be worse, I could have my things in a red dishpan (see previous post) !

'O'er the hills we go, dorky all the way'

My kids will tell you, I'm not a very stylish person. I wear flats, heels hurt my feet, and even elastic waistbands, the whole bit. When I go out in public, my goal is usually to look unremarkable (i.e., no food stains on my shirt, no weird looking hairstyle). This Sunday, however, I hit a new low (or high, depending on how you look at it) - I rolled into church carrying my very own red dish tub to carry my 'stuff' in. Now, admittedly, I was in a hurry, but as I'm walking up the hall I realize how stupid and how un-stylish I look. My friend noticed and teased me, so I bought her one today (I like to share my 'special' ideas). At least is a lovely seasonal color!

Popcorn's poppin' !

We grew popcorn in the garden this year, to see if it would really pop, and it does!

(tastes good, too)

sage dressing recipe

Thoughts of the upcoming feast make me think of this yummy, basic stuffing recipe, it is one I got from my Grandma, and have added a few ingredients, too.

Sage Dressing

12 c. dry bread
1/2 c chopped onion
3 c. chopped celery
1/4 - 1/2 lb cooked sausage
chopped mushrooms
chopped walnuts
optional: 1 t. poultry seasoning
2 t. salt
1 t. pepper
chopped parsley
sage to taste, 1 t - 1T?
broth
5 eggs
melted butter

Shred bread into large bowl(sometimes we let it dry out overnight). Beat eggs, add spices and pour over bread. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, except broth and butter, add enough of these to make a sloppy mixture. Stuff in turkey or put in greased casserole dish (9x12, etc) and bake at 350 F for 1/2 hour or so before serving. If you don't like mushrooms, walnuts, butter, don't put them in!

Veggie Quiche recipe

yea, I know this recipe is more Betty Crocker than Julia Child, but it's yummy and easy:


Veggie Quiche

½ c baking mix ( jiffy, bisquick)
½ c. chopped onion or less
1/c – 1 c. Swiss cheese, grated or sliced
2-3 sliced tomatoes
2 eggs
½ c. cottage cheese
½ c. milk
½ c sour cream or yogurt
¼ c grated Parmesan cheese

preheat oven to 350

grease a 5 x 8 casserole dish

chop onion and sprinkle onto the bottom of the casserole dish, then sliced tomatoes, then Swiss cheese. Mix the remaining ingredients together; pour over the veggies and cheese, then bake about 20- 30 minutes.

Make it stop!!!

I am ready to be done with tomatoes. Here is a poem that illustrates

my thoughts:

Tomatoes on my Windowsill by Robin Benzle

Tomatoes on my windowsill,
Lined up like happy soldiers,
from pale green as Key lime pie
To red as sunburned shoulders.

They seem to smile at the sun,
While they patiently a-ripen.
And when I do my kitchen chores,
I smile back, enlightened.

One by one I take them down
From their nest upon the sill,
And add them to a salad or
Perhaps a sauce with dill.

Then to my garden I return
To pluck another load,
And tenderly I line them up
On that shelf in my abode.

No sooner do I get them shelved,
Than my garden calls me back.
They're ripening all at once, I think,
As I stuff them in my sack.

So I give them to my neighbors and
I give them to my friends.
I give them to my enemies,
Just to make amends.

Soon, I note, they're turning red
So fast it makes me ill.
From off the vine, they drop like flies.
My plot looks like road kill.

Tomatoes on my windowsill
All rotting in a row.
I never though I'd say this but,
"Where the heck's the snow?"

Green salsa Tomatillo recipe

recipe from my daughter, Edge -gal (mom of 'yun man')


Green salsa

Tomatillos, chopped
Garlic, minced
Cilantro, chopped
Jalapeno or other pepper, chopped
Green onion, chopped

Mix together in proportion to taste (i.e., less peppers if you don’t like it hot, less garlic if you don’t like that) good with any Mexican- type meal!

Harvest time

This is K with one giant tomatillo plant, she planted it, and now is harvesting it.

We have a bountiful harvest, with tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, carrots, cantaloupe, cucumbers, and popcorn !

Navy Blue memories

Well, I love most colors, but two are my least favorite, orange and navy blue. I suppose this will sound whiny, but I don't like navy blue because I look lousy in that color, and I wore it a lot as a child. My mother was into simplified shopping, and I went to school 'back in the day' when girls wore dresses to school, no pants allowed. Bottom line, here, is that she picked clothes for us that were the same style, but my sister's were red, and mine were ... you guessed it .. navy blue.. dull , flat, boring, dark navy blue. I can remember envying my sisters bright outfits, compared to mine. As an adult, I have seen people wearing n. blue that is cute, flattering, but I still can't deal with it for myself. And don't get me started on orange. blech........

Anybody else out there have a color they hate?

What's for dinner Wednesday?

How 'bout stuffed bell peppers? any body have a good recipe???

WE must NEVER forget

Harvest time

We hauled 5 bowls of tomatoes, beans, tomatillos, and more out of the garden this morning! yum yum some more

What's for dinner Wednesday?

Yea, I know it's almost Thursday, but we had sausage cheese balls (a Bisquick recipe that I don't recommend much) and tomatoes and fresh mozarrella with fresh basil leaves! one of the joys of summer!!!!!!! yumma yum yum

what kind of boredom is this?

You Are Fozzie Bear

"Wocka! Wocka!"You're the life of the party, and you love making people crack up.If only your routine didn't always bomb!You may find more groans than laughs, but always keep the jokes coming.

The Muppet Personality Test

bye bye bus!

First day of school for my not so little one!

Here is a great poem:

Back to School

Somehow the sunlit world is gray

A small boy went to school today.

So often in these last few years

of healing hurts

and drying tears...

Of picking playthings off the floor...

Of running often to the door,

One thought has been a placid pool...

He'll soon be old enough for school.

He was old enough today,

Yet all the sunlit world is gray.

So soon my rooms grow orderly,

With no small boy to bother me.

But quiet rooms are lonely things

when in their walls no small boy sings.

A quiet yard's a lonely place,

When it has known a small boy's face.

Today he joined the world of men...

He'll not be wholly mine again.

Today he braved life's rise and fall...

Dear Lord he seems so very small.

Somehow the sunlit world is gray...

My baby went to school today.

author unknown

Rain and rainbows

We live in the desert, and it is raining today! I think the last rain we had was 4th of July, and I took this double rainbow pic in early June. Hoping for a lot more rain and maybe even another rainbow today!

Apricot jam

We got some free apricots, and so made some freezer jam!! easy and yummy

WISTERIA HYSTERIA

It finally bloomed!!

Raspberry daylily

also delicious!

another daylily

I'm enjoying the flowers while they last, hope you are too!

It's ripe !

didn't make it by the 4th, but here is our first ripe tomato of the season!

hookay! five things:

five things in my closet: some really cute suits I love to wear, a box of hats I rarely wear, a box of gifts to give, clothes I've worn but hung up to wear again before I wash them(gross, huh?), a roll or two of wrapping paper.


five things in my frig: leftovers of various and sundry meals, dijon mustard remnants , too small of an amount to use, two boxes of eggs (store bought, thanks to our on strike chickens!), seedless watermelon, yum!, and four different types of jam/jelly.

five things in my car: a music stand, a back massaging seat cushion, three half empty bottles of water, an almost empty bottle of diet coke, and? dust.

five things in my purse: only change after paying short cakes her allowance today, lipstick, tic tacs, business cards, a coupon folder, and other boring and usual stuff.

more daylily pics

another beauty !

Happy 4th of July!

Daylilies

These have been yummy!

How would you die on the Oregon trail?

Hmm, should be doing a lot of other things, but did this instead:


http://www.caffeinenebula.com/quizzes/quizFiles/oregontrail/quiz.html

(and died of exhaustion)

ripe by the 4th of July?

This Early Girl has been growing like crazy, I am hoping I'll have a ripe tomato by the 4th. I'll keep you posted.

Milkweed

This is one of about 50 blooms on the volunteer milkweed 'bunch' that has taken over between our driveway and rocks. Bees all over the place.

Blue Delphinium

Just a pic of the delphiniums!

bloomin' cactus

These are always a surprise in the spring when they bloom!

Bean house

We are a month late, but little sis wanted to make a bean house, with purple pole beans climbing up to make a 'house' -we'll add some twine for the beans to climb up the walls on the side.

The last of the irises

This is one of my new irises, I had hoped for a bigger 'show' from all the irises I planted last year, but this is a good way to end the season.

What's for dinner this Wednesday?

Who knows? It is a busy day, with work in the morning, and church stuff in the afternoon and evening. hmm, maybe leftovers? We had veggie soup (see last post) last night, maybe we'll have it again. Still working on teaching 'little sis' how to cook. We have had a little bug that has resulted in a lot of sitting around and eating junk in front of the TV.
Hope you are having something better, and tastier!

What's for dinner Wednesday?

Ah, it is teach little sister (10) to cook week. We always start summer vacation with a burst of 'how can I make summer an educational time for my kid(s)', which always fizzles. However, this week she is learning to cook, and picked some entrees to learn to make:

fajitas (Monday)
empanadas
soup
homemade pizza - she has since nixed this and added chicken and dumplings to the list
ham, beans and cornbread (Tuesday)

So tonight , we are having..........

a beef roast with veggies

Why? because you have to make soup out of leftovers, of course!

5500 feet, my eye!

The weatherman said no snow below 5500 feet (we are at 5000) , but hopefully the tender plants will be ok........

Gardening woes

Well, this is what I saw out my back window this morning! I covered my two Early Girl tomato plants last night, as well as the jasmine that is about to bloom. However, I didn't cover the herb pots I put together last night(for Edgy, Sassy, Gretchie and myself), so they got covered this morning. Hope the basil survives!

Bloomin' Azalea !

One of my favorite spring plants!!! (Ok, so I have a lot of favorites!)

Azalea ready to bloom

Here is one of my favorites ( ok, pretty much all flowers are my faves) - my peachy-tangeriney azalea, getting ready to bloom.

flowering dogwood

Just a spring pic, pretty, isn't it?

* * * Things Mom Would Never Say * * *

1. "How on earth can you see the TV sitting so far back?"
2. "Yeah, I used to skip school a lot, too."
3. "Just leave all the lights on ... it makes the house look more cheery."
4. "Let me smell that shirt -- Yeah, it's good for another week."
5. "Go ahead and keep that stray dog, honey. I'll be glad tofeed and walk him every day."
6. "Well, if Timmy's mom says it's OK, that's good enoughfor me."
7. "The curfew is just a general time to shoot for. It's not like I'm running a prison around here."
8. "I don't have a tissue with me ... just use your sleeve."
9. "Don't bother wearing a jacket - the wind-chill is bound to improve."

read this on GCFL (good clean funnies),
received from FranCMT2.

White Bleeding Heart

Ah, I was afraid this little plant had died last summer!!! It was newly planted thing, then, and I knew bleeding hearts 'disappeared' after they bloomed, but I thought mine was permanently gone. Not so! Yahoooo!

wood violets

So, just another picture from the yard, I love these little flowers!

Is this for real?

Someone sent me this picture, does anyone know if there really is such a thing as an albino peacock, or do you think this is an edited pic?

Thursday 13----- Insomnia!

can't deal with the code stuff, just hoping to make a quick insomnia list!

13 things I do when I can't sleep:

1. Hey, I go thru the alphabet, too, and list colors, plant names, family names, etc.. hopefully boring enough to go to sleep over.
2. Sing the 'books in the old testament' , 'books in the new testament' books, too.
3. move to the couch
4. this is always bad- go play solitaire on the computer and check my email
5.snuggle up to my husband and try to lie really still next to him
6. review all the places I've lived, go thru the floor plan of the house/apt - tres boring!
7. put lotion on my feet and heels, if they are itchy!
8. read a bit, usually the scriptures
9. go visit the temple in my mind, review what I wear there, picking up my bag, driving there, going in, etc.... helps me feel calm and relaxed
10. pray
11. try to relax, and it doesn't work well for me, either
12. if something's bothering me, I pick it up and throw it in a big box, to look at later, or hand over to Someone else! My latest box has a big R on it for resentment, and features big pokey sharp things sticking out from the sides.
13...... uh, ? guess this is really a Thursday 12!

? tulips?

So, these are some kind of mini - tulips ? I am not sure, any guesses are welcome. I love the color!

Spring flowers

Some jonquils in the yard!

blog or garden?

so, it's spring, and instead of words, I think I'll be posting pics, this is of grape hyacinth blooming in my yard!

Guess! What's for dinner Wednesday!

Well, I thought I'd be running out the door too quickly to post, but I thought I'd let you guess what we are having tonight- any guesses? mmm, good!

fun car quiz

I'm a Porsche 911!

You have a classic style, but you're up-to-date with the latest technology. You're ambitious, competitive, and you love to win. Performance, precision, and prestige - you're one of the elite,and you know it.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Thursday 13

13 things about me:

1 my kids have to help me blog
2 I have red hair, originally brown
3 I have worn glasses since the 5th grade, can’t handle contacts or surgery
4 I have hairy arms –so feminine!
5 I loove gardening!
6 I'm getting older by the minute! (but aren’t we all)
7 Yellow is my favorite color
8 A day without chocolate is a wasted day, in my opinion
9 I used to be shy, now, not so much
10 Picky about shoes, no I’m not, this is a takeover entry by my 10 yr old daughter WA HA HA
11 WEIRD EYEBROWS LLLL ---- ah , this is the kid who is not going to help me with my blogging!!!!
12 I snore like a buzz saw (sorry, DH)
13 my morning wake up routine includes checking my email and reading the comic strips on line

Spring?

These crocuses bloomed last Saturday in our yard, then we got three inches of snow on Sunday. I'm sure (almost sure) spring will come soon...........

What's for dinner Wednesday?

Wednesday is a full day, this is what we had on Tuesday. 'Popeye' is a thick , square noodle cooked in broth and served over mashed potatoes, which was a family favorite when I was a kid (obviously pre-Atkins!) . It is total comfort food. It may be a Pennsylvania Dutch type recipe, I have not found it in a lot of places, but it is sold in the grocery stores' freezer section in Ohio where I grew up. Much better homemade, though!



Popeye or potpie

2 cups flour
1 t. baking powder
2 eggs, beaten
2 T shortening, heaping
approx 2 – 6 T water

cooked beef and broth, salted to taste

Stir flour and baking powder together, add eggs and stir together with a fork. Cut in shortening (Crisco), then add in water, and stir and knead briefly until the dough holds together. (it will be thicker than cookie dough, not as thick as bread dough). Divide the dough in half, and roll it out on a floured surface until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into squares of about 1 ½ inches, and then repeat with the other half of the dough. Put into the simmering broth, and cover, lowering the temperature so that the broth is still simmering at a low level (as for dumplings) for 20 minutes. Serve over mashed potatoes.