Harry Potter

I added another countdown to the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (book 7) to my sidebar. It's 3-D, fun and addicting. It also includes daily trivia! Click on it and then run your cursor over the book to make it spin around and around. Have fun with it!

Friday's Feast is Served!

To enjoy more feasts please click on the picture above.

Appetizer: How many pieces of jewelry do you wear most days?

Seven. Four of them being earrings. One toe ring. Two rings.

Soup: What is your favorite instrumental song?

Cannon in D

Salad: Who has a last name that you like?

I really have absolutely no idea. Not the best answer I'm sure.

Main Course: Name a popular movie you’ve never seen.

Chariot's of Fire

Dessert: Fill in the blank: Nothing makes me ___________ like ____________.

Nothing makes me more angry like inconsiderate drivers trying to hurry just to get to the same place I'm going just a few seconds faster.

Or....Nothing makes me laugh like my son.

I Am Tired

Last night Andy reminded me that I hadn't updated my blog since last Thursday. I've been a bit busy and tired. I volunteered to be the crafts person for our VBS. I'm enjoying it but it has kept me busy and very tired. I have crafts for the Kindergarten through 5th graders which is roughly 100 kids. The younger kids, (ages 3-5) stay in their own rooms for crafts. I've been there early every day and today I even went back to get things ready for tomorrow. So far we have done foam pencil toppers, bracelets/necklaces, and prayer journals. Tomorrow and Friday will be duffel bags (thanks to a good friend for this idea) and sleep shirts. I was trying to keep the crafts to where they would still use them after this week. So many times Sam has come home with a craft that will go on the refrig for awhile or in his room and then I end up throwing it away because we really have no more use for it. I feel like this years crafts at least will be used a little while. Here are a few pictures for you. Just a reminder that you can click on the pictures to enlarge.
Here is Sam talking to his groups (The Quarterbacks) leader.
Music is right next door to my class so I peeked around the corner and snapped this picture.
In the morning we have cheerleaders doing our morning cheer and I couldn't resist taking a picture of these three teenage guys doing the cheer along with them.
Here are the 4th and 5th graders making their prayer journals.
It was amazing how much concentration when into the making of the prayer journals today. It was the one craft that I thought everyone would fly through and I would have some time to fill afterwards. Nope. Every class took the full 30 minutes to make their prayer journals.

Entering Contest and Recipe

Found another contest on a blog (thanks!) that I am now entering. Hence the post of this recipe. This recipe actually came from my sister. It's one of my favorites and it is soooo easy to make that ANYONE can make it.

Frozen Peppermint Cheesecake

40 Chocolate vanilla wafers or cream-filled chocolate cookies, finely crushed

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup crushed hard peppermint candy

3 drops red liquid food coloring

2 cups whipping cream, whipped

Combine first 3 ingredients; firmly press onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of a springform pan. Chill. Beat cream cheese at high speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Stir in condensed milk, crushed candy, and red food coloring. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into prepared crust. Cover and freeze until firm.

My notes: I don't own a springform pan so I use just a good ole pie pan and it works great! Also, if you have left over filling you can drop spoonfuls onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Pop it into your freezer and then you either have mini desserts or you can also drop one in on top of a mug of hot chocolate. YUM!

Another big thank you to my sister for introducing me to this recipe!

Friday's Feast is Served!

For more feasting please click on the picture above to be taken to the main feast.

Okay...now on to feasting....

Appetizer: Name a funny habit you have.

How about putting pencil in my hair (usually my ponytail) and then looking all over the house trying to find it. Not much of a habit but everyone usually laughs at me when I ask where I laid it down at.

Soup: If you could instantly know how to play a musical instrument, which one would you pick?

The piano. I only took a semester and passed a test on it. But have since forgotten pretty much all of it. I would love to play it now. That or the guitar.

Salad: How long is your hair?

It is currently halfway down my back.

Main Course: When was the last time you forgave someone, and who was it?

You know...I honestly don't know. I guess it's because that I have learned that when I forgive someone I need to try and forget the "incident" in which I needed to forgive. I used to hang on to all of those incidents and then bring them back up when I really shouldn't have. Trying to learn as I get older.

Dessert: What is your favorite kitchen appliance?

Well I have quite a few that I really like...blender, mixer, coffee maker (right now I only seem to make it just to chill it for iced coffee), dishwasher, etc. But I would have to say that my favorite one right now is a wonderful WORKING garbage disposal. I've had some in the past but none compare to the one that I have now.

Zoo

Here are the pictures to part of our trip this past Wednesday. We went to the Louisiana Purchase Zoo and Gardens the first part of the day and had a blast! We will definitely go back. I didn't label all the pictures because there were just to many. Have fun looking!

Our Trip to Houston

Well I'm playing catch up tonight. Here are about half of the pictures I took while we were in Houston visiting the UTI Campus this past Monday. Sam was in heaven being able to see where daddy's students get to go to learn. It was a 4 hour trip down there and then a little bit longer for the way back because we stopped along the way for dinner.

Tuesday Sam and I went to go see Barnyard at the free movies down on the Louisiana Boardwalk. We ran into one of Sam's good friends, enjoyed the movie together and then set up a play date for later that day. We went over to their house at 2:00 and didn't return home until a little after 5:00. He had a great time playing with his friend and I had a great time talking to his friends mom which has become a pretty good friend. We also found out that they will both have the same teacher again this year.

Click to play Make your own Smilebox

My Weather Guy

Last Thursday I found Sam out in our backyard sitting on an old step stool. He was taking down observations of the weather. He had even made his own wind sock out of a stick and a torn up plastic bag to see which direction the wind was blowing. It is a great feeling knowing that our trip to the National Weather Forecasting Office stuck with him! Ever since last Thursday he has been watching the weather outside and reporting back to me every day.

Happy Father's Day

Thanks to my hubby for finding this one!

To all of the father's out there and to all of us that have father's this one is for you.

To mute my music please scroll down to the end of the page and just hit pause. Then you will be able to view this here by clicking the play button. Or if you want you can just click in the middle of the picture and you'll go to YouTube. Oh...have a tissue handy.

Sunday Skies

Today we kept going back and forth with the weather. One minute it was sunny, then partly cloudy (as in the first picture) to looking like it would pour down any minute. I really like the second picture I took. We had to run to Wal-Mart to get some things for our trip tomorrow (more on that later) and had the camera in my purse and shot this as I was getting out of the car.

Blech!

I went to the doctor today. Wait a minute, let me back up and start earlier this week. This past Tuesday I noticed that I had a lump/bump on the left side of my head towards the top. It was tender and hurt. I didn't remember ever hitting it or anything else happening to me so I didn't think much of it but thought to myself that I should probably keep an eye on it. On Wednesday I noticed a lump/bump behind my left ear and then last night I noticed a much larger lump/bump at the base of my neck and top of my shoulder on the left side. Okay. Now I was getting worried. Andy and I both decided that I would call the doctor first thing in the morning. So here it is Friday and I've been to the doctor. I was a first time patient there and we knew that it might be hard for me to get in but it's amazing how quickly they get you in when you say that you have three unexplained lumps/bumps on your head and neck!

Ends up that the lump/bump on the top of my head is a bacterial infection. The other lumps are my lymph nodes trying to fight off the infection. I left the doctor's office with a shot in my left hip (ouch!) and a prescription for a combined antibiotic to take for 7 days. Oh and I also have to do a warm compress two to three times a day. If this doesn't work then I will have to go back in to have it drained. Not what I want to do! He said that I caught it in time that I shouldn't have to come back but you never know. I do know that now not only does my head and neck hurt but now my hip hurts too.

Now I'm back home after running to get the drugs that I need, lunch and cat food for the cats (obviously). I'm going to take it easy the rest of the day as my head and neck are throbbing and now the meds are making me feel queasy and just plain ole BLECH!

Good news is that Sam is doing much better! He only ran his fever for 24 hours or so but his cough lasted until Wednesday evening. Last night was the first night his coughing didn't wake him up. Thanks for all the well wishes everyone sent to him.

Friday's Feast is Served!

Appetizer: Fill in the blank: The best thing about where I live is _________________…

Oh boy...this is a loaded question for me. The best thing about where I live is our friends.

Soup: Create a new name for a deodorant (like “Flower Fresh” or “Shower Scent”).

I can't wait to read all the responses to this one! Let's see...Odor Be Gone. Or maybe...Put This On Or Go Sit In The Corner. How about....Smell Be Gone, Pit Juice Deluxe, You Stink and I Don't, OMG What is that Aroma. Okay, I'll admit it, I asked my husband for help with this one. But you have to admit they are pretty funny. Thanks sweetie! I love you!!!!!

Salad: What was the last piece of software you installed onto your computer?

An anti-virus.

Main Course: If you were to receive a superlative award today beginning with the words ”Most likely to…”, what would the rest of the phrase say?

keep creating until she dies.

Dessert: What two colors do you like to wear together?

I haven't worn them together because I don't know how they would look on me but I love the colors brown and pink or brown and orange together. To answer the question though I would say that I like to wear red and black together.

Oh My Gosh!!!

I just can't believe it! What, you ask, is it that I can't believe? Well.....I WON something. Well not actually "something". YARN! Alison over at The Blue Blog and author of Charmed Knits (see link in sidebar) was having a Charmed Knits give away. Of course, I entered every one of them but knew I probably wouldn't win because I very rarely win anything. I have been reading her blog since before her book was written and have enjoyed every post. I went over there today to see if she had updated and there in print was my name next to one of the items!!!! Go here and here to see what I won.

Alison, thank you so much!

Travelling Scarf Group #1 Update

Here is an update on the last 4 scarves that I have knitted on for the Travelling Scarf Group #1. WARNING....if you don't want to know what your scarf is going to look like then don't read any further. This would apply to the following people: Chris, Deb, Sandy and Karen if I remember correctly. I'm working on Patty's right now and it will be done today.


So...here they are. I took a picture of the whole scarf as it currently is and then a closer shot of the part that I did.

Oops!

I just realized that I forgot to post my Sunday Skies picture yesterday so I'll just go ahead and do it today.

Disappointment

Well Sam is now disappointed. I had told him last week that Monday we would be going to a blueberry farm to pick some blueberries. Now we will not be able to go due to Sam being sick. He had complained about a headache now for 2 days and had a slight cough. Well as of 7:30 this evening he had a low fever and his cough has worsened. Now as I write this he fever has gone up and his cough has already woken him up 3-4 times. It looks like it will be a long night. I told him that we can reschedule when we go berry picking but he has been so looking forward to this one. Hopefully by the end of the week or early next week we'll be able to go.

Looks like tomorrow Sam and I will be spending most of the day on the couch. When he is sick he is glued to me. We'll probably watch movies all day and I'll get some crafting in when he'll let me. Oh along with some household chores which desperately need to be done as I put some of them off for a few days. Maybe if he takes a nap tomorrow I'll be able to get to some of them. That is unless he falls asleep on me like he has done in the past when he gets sick. Such the mamas boy he is. But I love him all the same.

Chimp Haven

Today Sam and I went to Chimp Haven. They are only open one day a month and during the hot summer months they are only open in June. (as I write this the current temp is 92 degrees F with a feels like of 104!) So off we went. We spent more time on the trip there than actually being there. It all started off by us leaving a bit early (8:00am) so that we could get some gas for the car. Then back over by the house to meet a friend of Sam's and his mom so that we could go together. We waited for roughly 15 minutes and decided that we would go on. I don't have her phone number or I would have called her to make sure everything was okay.

Before the trip I had looked up the directions. Bad thing. Should have called them to get the directions. But no...I had to do it myself. Now the trip there should have only been 30 minutes and they opened up at 9:00 and close at 12:00. Had plenty of time since we left our meeting spot at 8:45. Followed the directions and did not find Chimp Haven or any sign of Chimp Haven. Retraced my steps and still no sign of Chimp Haven. All this time Sam is in the backseat asking when we are going to get there and if I was lost. I told him, "No, I'm not lost. I know exactly where I am. I just can't find where I need to be." So off we went to find someone to ask. Got new directions. Followed those directions and still no Chimp Haven. So I backtracked yet again and found a different place. Everyone there seemed to know exactly where to go so I felt better about their directions. Sam and I were at Chimp Haven probably 10 minutes later at 10:30. Only took us 1 hour and 45 minutes to get there! The directions I had started out with had left off several different streets/highways to get on. Oh well.

We had a great time while we were there and will go back. Here are just a few pictures for you to enjoy. Oh...I would also highly recommend that you watch these videos.

Here are just a few pictures of the chimps. Such amazing, beautiful and wonderful creatures.

Okay...I know that this is a picture of a frog, a flower and a butterfly...but they were there and I just couldn't resist. I had a camera in my hands...what was I to do???

Of course one more flower shot and then two of Sam including the silly one.

Well we have a church dinner tonight, church tomorrow and then on Monday we will be off again.

National Weather Forecasting Office

This summer I have taken it upon myself to get some of Sam's friends together (along with their parents) and do some tours and trips. Most of these trips will be fun but some of them are going to be educational too. Every summer Sam has always had activities planned out because of the fact that I worked at a preschool before moving. Even after he became school age they had a school age program where there was something to do. They had swimming a couple of days a week, movies, and even some field trips. Even though Sam and I will probably be doing some of these on our own due to the other families also having some family vacations and just other plans, we are going to have a lot of fun. It all started earlier this week with Sam and I going to SciPort on Tuesday. This is one that we did alone but we had a ton of fun.


Last night Sam and some of this friends got to go to the National Weather Forecasting Office for a tour of their facility and to watch them put up their weather balloon. Below are some pictures for you. I think that the adults learned just as much as the kids did on this tour. It was just amazing. If you ever get the chance I encourage you to go. Or better yet, call them!

This is where they launch the weather balloon from.

She was calling the airport, which they are located next to, to let them know that they were going to launch the weather balloon.

Did you know that when the weather balloon is launched it is roughly 6 feet tall. As it goes up it expands. Right before it pops it will have expanded so much that it is roughly the size of a two bedroom house! I never knew that!

Here is the balloon on it's way up.

The Doppler radar next to their facilities.

Here they all are looking and listening to our guide (Senior Meteorologists) telling us about one of the three rain gauges that they use. This one actually measures the weight of the rain. Never knew that they weighed the rain!

Just another look at the inside of the rain gauge.

This is the kind of rain gauge that I always knew about. It measures in actual inches.

A quick view of part of their computer room. It sure was nice to come back inside and go directly into this climate controlled room. While we were outside there was a feels like temperature of 101 degrees!

Well due to one of the other parents there I am with the boys. They of course are looking directly into the setting sun so they are all squinting. Me? I've got my sun glasses!

Friday's Feast is Served!

Appetizer: What do you consider to be the ultimate snack food?

Chips or popcorn.

Soup: On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 as highest), about how popular is your last name?

Married name probably about a 6. Maiden name was probably about a 2.

Salad: Who is your all-time favorite sitcom character, and why?

Bill Cosby. Loved his show and still miss it. I do try to catch it every now and then with repeats.

Main Course: Do you shop online? If so, name some sites you like to browse for goodies.

Amazon would probably be the one that my family uses the most in general as a lot of stores are using them for their online stores.

Dessert: Fill in the blank: I think ___________ should be ___________.

I think that every family should be at the dinner table together a few times a week at least.

Technical Question.....

Okay everyone...I need some help.

Will a yarn with a content of 65% wool, 25% mohair and 10% synthetic fibers felt?

Last Saturday was Home Depot's Kids Workshop. Sam with some help from Andy and I made a bi-plane. He loved it and wants to now paint it and hang it in his room. We'll work on that later.


Of course I had to put this picture on here. :)