Every year there's a dinner auction at the high school my kids attend(ed) and one of the things we all look forward to is seeing the centerpieces. There's one woman who makes them to go with the theme and it's always fun to see what she'll come up with. These get auctioned off as well. I know my camera stinks, but you can click on them to see the detail.
Last year our theme was "Come Home to Trinity" and the centerpieces were birdhouses and she does each one differently. I think we had 37 tables. That night, the lady who does these specifically asked me not to mention or recognize her at the auction. That's her donation and she said it's her gift from God to be able to do that and He gets the glory, not her. No problemo. Well, I forgot to tell the principal and she got up and was thanking everyone and said, "I have to give special thanks to _____ for these beautiful centerpieces that she makes herself every year!" Whoops. Next thing I knew, the woman was marching over to me with daggers in her eyes. Well, thank goodness I was forgiven. I won't say her name, even though you won't know her, but I did want to show you some of her handiwork. She truly does use her gift for good and I wish we all could've brought one home.
This picture is like looking at a dinosaur, isn't it? If you have teens, chances are they have a cell phone, and if not they use a cordless one around the house. We had it rough - we had to actually WAIT for someone to get off the phone to use it and then we had to strain our fingers and actually turn the dial. Sheesh, those push-button phone were so great when they came along. I remember my very first phone number, 831-8670, only my mom would say it was Temple1-8670 or something like that. HUH? I remember my mom setting a timer for when we were on the phone and I just kept hoping she'd have somewhere to go so I could get on the phone again. Kind of ironic because nowadays I couldn't be more opposite. I'm actually one of those moms who likes to text, especially since I learned the T9 way to do it - hello! The less small talk I have to make, the better.
Not only that, we had to call people one at a time...not these kids! These guys send one text to 10 people at once. And the ring tones - need I say more? I even like that part. Right now I have a dog bark as my ring, but I used to have "My Favorite Things" from Sound of Music, and of course "Jingle Bells" in dogs barking at Christmastime (I know, so holy, right?), and I even used to have it ring "Ain't no other man" by Christina Aguilera but I only had that ring set for when my husband called. See, I can waste a couple bucks with the best of 'em.
Remember sleepovers and looking up weird names in the phone book, like Poos, or Christmas, and asking if Mary was there?? They were probably thinking, 'Yeah, good one!' And of course you had to call boys just to see if they'd answer or one of their parents, and then hang up really quick. Do kids even do telephone pranks anymore? I doubt it. Too much caller ID and *69.
I can't speak for every teen out there, but seriously have you ever listened to them tell a story or talk to each other? It's a crack-up. The word "like" peppers every single conversation and we don't even live in the Valley! When my daughter gets done telling a story, I'll ask her to tell me everything again only without using the word "like". As moods go, sometimes she'll go along with it and it's sort of like watching someone write with their wrong hand or say the alphabet backwards. You know they CAN do it, but it's really awkward and very frustrating. Other times, she huffs and shakes her head and leaves the room.
I know a lot people still like using Ma Bell, but I have to tell ya, it's just not my thang. When our house phone rings, the kids don't look at it, answer it, or probably even hear it because they know it's not for them, and my husband and I look at each other like, YOU get it!, no...YOU get it! And it's funny when people start leaving messages that say, "I KNOW you're screening your calls, so pick up the phone! I saw your car in the driveway!" Oops.
It's week number two for me and this is going to be tricky. Joanna at This Southern Girl's Nest is the host of this fun Tuesday event. I have to be honest, I'm in it for the cookies! I like to visit the other blogs and see who's got their thinking caps on and what they're coming up with. I may just have to tie this in to a giveaway one of these weeks because now that school has started, I'm thinking about Christmas.
These aren't technically "cookies", but that's OK. They're so easy you'll fall off your chair. Seriously, the hardest part was sitting there trying to keep my mind occupied while I unwrapped 56 Rolos. Turtle Cookie Snacks 1 bag of pretzel twists (actually you only need about 56) 1 bag of Rolos Pecan halves Please ignore the M&Ms in the picture - my bad.
I hope you're sitting because now comes the hard part... Preheat the oven to about 250. Lay the pretzels on a cookie sheet or parchment paper. Unwrap the Rolos and put one on each pretzel. Put them in the oven for about 10 minutes or so. They won't melt, but they will get soft. Feel free to test one - they're your cookies. Correction, cookie snacks.
Take them out of the oven and put one pecan half on each Rolo and push down slightly so they stick. Let them cool and enjoy! They're terrible because they're so poppable - whenever you walk in the kitchen, you'll pop one in your mouth and your rear end will say "thank you!".
This is my youngest child, Sara, starting kindergarten in 1997 and starting her Senior year this very day. I can tell the subtle differences in her smile - the first one says, "I'm so excited to start school, and learn new things, and have snack time, and nap time, and listen to stories, and learn to share (which I hate but I guess I'll have to), and be in the same school as my brother and sister!" The second smile says, "YES! I'm finally in my last year of school then I'm outta here!" I just wish she'd still let me put matching bows in her hair - what's the matter with her!!!!???
In their school, kindergarten was all day so they had rest time after lunch and I made nap mats for both my girls and still have them. My son went half-day and I don't think they napped. I used to sew and cross-stitch more than I do now (hello, blogging!) and I just took two bath towels, sewed them together and stitched their name with some I think 11-count Aida cloth. Then I bought a mat at Target or someplace and slid it in there. See, I'm not completely hopeless!
Trust me, if she could still take a nap mat to school she would. It must be tough being a teenager. But like she always says, "You just don't understand!". Yep, I went straight from being 10 to being 40 - never was a teen. Isn't that weird!?
Welcome to Flashback Photo Friday. It's 40 years later and I'm still feeding kids. Wait, that's a lamb - but I do see goats. Why is eating always animal-related? Someone eats like a bird, or they eat like a pig, or a cow. Have you ever had a bird feeder? Birds don't eat like birds, that's for sure, but they do pretty much eat like pigs. They sure are pretty though. Of course I have some family members...nevermind. ☺
One young adult male + stove popcorn + a fire + water on the fire (yes, you heard that correctly) = beautiful ceiling art. And that, my friends, is not only your math problem for the day, but your no-no for the day as well.
I seriously hope I do this every Tuesday. I can commit to a marriage, but baking cookies every week...that's a little tougher. Well, I figured since the holidays are but a mere 4 months away and baking really starts in about 3 months, I want to hop on the cookie train! Joanna at This Southern Girl's Nest is hosting this Tuesday event every week so pop over there to not only see her recipe, but visit the links of those who have signed up to take part. You might come away with some new cookie recipes to try this year! How fun is that!? Did I mention Joanna is the talented muchacha who designed my blog?? I posted a recipe not too long ago for Gooey Butter Cake, and these cookies are a quick little knock-off. They are so heavenly and oh so gooey good.
Here's my recipe for this week: Gooey Butter Cookies - so easy! 1 box of yellow cake mix (no pudding in the mix) 1 stick of butter (softened) 1 egg 1 8-oz. pkg. of cream cheese (softened) 1/4 t. vanilla Powdered sugar
Mix the ingredients and put in the fridge until cold - at least a 1/2 hour (or until you get impatient and want to just bake already!) Scoop out balls of dough and roll in powdered sugar.
Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. The only thing I might do differently is sprinkle them with powdered sugar when they're finished baking. Otherwise, most of it dissolves into the cookies while they bake. Oh don't get me wrong, they're still F-I-N-E, but looks-wise, you may want to do the sprinkle.
Ahhhh, so tasty. And yes, I do hope I get a new camera for Christmas, thank you for asking! This one makes me crabby. :)
I recently won a VERY cute giveaway at It's So Very Cheri and I wanted to show you how cute her things are - and these are even available for order as well (click to enlarge). It's personalized with the initials of my three kids ~ SOOO adorable! Thanks for the great giveaway, Cheri!
Now onto the recipe ~ Buffalo chicken dip I know most people have had this but it's one of my favorites. I'm very into appetizers and dips I think because they're quick, they're easy and you can kind of munch and grab & go. This dip is one we used to always make in the oven but then had it cold and it's just as good, plus it's easier to take somewhere. Ingredients: 3 chicken breasts - boiled and shredded 2-8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese 1/2 c. hot sauce (your favorite kind) 3/4 - 1 c. Ranch dressing 1-1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese chopped celery - optional Club crackers (or your favorite store brand) First, shred the chicken. Next add the cream cheese, Ranch, hot sauce, cheddar cheese, and celery (opt.).
Voila! Serve with crackers, Fritos, stalks of celery, or anything sturdy. That sounds weird, but thin chips sometimes break. Enjoy!
This is something I'm doing for the first time - Flashback Friday, hosted by Alicia at More Than Words. This picture is from 1991, the day I had my youngest, Sara. Big sister Meredith (who just turned 2) is holding her and big brother Adam (3-1/2) is looking on. This is probably one of my favorite pictures. It was too funny because Meredith was holding her and said, "Hi baby - HONK HONK" and honked her nose. This picture was pre-honk. My "baby" will be a senior in high school this year ~ and her nose suffered no permanent damage. ☺
If you've ever worked with the public, you know that they are very funny creatures! Working in the library gives me a chance to see a little bit of everything - rich, poor, smart, not-so-smart, sick, healthy, and the list goes on. Probably the phrase I hear most often this time of year when students and their parents are coming in to get some last-minute books for their reading lists is, "I don't even know how to use the library anymore." That's OK!! If you knew how to do everything, we wouldn't have jobs, so please ask and let us help you. If you're a homeschool mom, the library should be your best friend - not only for books and learning resources, but there are countless programs designed just for homeschoolers. They even have new release DVDs and CDs if movies and music are more your style. I only mention that because almost everybody says, "I didn't know that!". Surprise!
Anywayyyy, when you work with all kinds of people you never know what the day will bring - like last Friday when grandpa dropped off his 8 year old grandson to play on the internet while he ran some errands. HUH??? Turns out the boy's card was expired and I told him to get his mom or dad and I'd renew it. No can do. He whipped out his cell phone (yes, the 8-year-old) and said he could call his grandpa because he told him which numbers to press. Yeah, and pronto! Sorry, grandpa, we can do a lot of things, but babysitting isn't one of them! If I thought that would've worked, I'd have dropped mine off a long time ago - OK, not really.
Oh yeah, and there was one time two teenagers were going to use one of the bathroom stalls at a different branch for, let's say...science class. How's that for classy? I wasn't working that day and was thrilled to learn that neither teen was related to me in any way!
So let's go over this again...the library IS a place to check out books, movies, CDs, use the internet, research any topic, attend many programs, and learn new and amazing things. The library is NOT Kinder Care, Motel 6, or a fast-food restaurant. And if you walk up to the counter either ON your cell phone, or with one of those obnoxious ear-piece phones and motion for me to get you a pen or paper, I'll probably feign ignorance and shrug like I don't understand you. Silly me.
If you want to know what a real librarian does all day, then check out Monica's description at The Mennobrarian. She's a full time librarian at the Headquarter's branch in her area - I bet she could tell some stories!!
This is a brand new thing that Cheri is doing over at Its So Very Cheri! You show us your favorite knock off, or knock out and post it for everyone to see - it can be a recipe from a favorite restaurant that you've duplicated, a room that you've redone in your own house to look like a room you may have seen in a magazine, or any number of things. So here is my Knock-off for today...my Vera Bradley look-alikes!!
I'm not a name-brand person - my main criteria is cuteness, not labels. However, I do love me some Vera Bradley. Her purses and accessories are colorful, bright, and just make me happy - and come in every color and pattern imaginable. In addition to purses, she's got matching wallets, clutches, totes, you name it! I've got two original Vera Bradley purses, seen below. My daughter then bought me the matching umbrella for the pink purse - too adorable!!
Well, sometimes money gets tight and you have to improvise and I found these two ADORABLE look-alikes. The first purse is one I picked up at LTD for about $15 for the purse AND wallet.
These next pictures show little over-the-shoulder purses that are perfect for when you need both storage and some free hands! The purse on the left is one I picked up at LTD for $7.95, and the purse on the right is a similar Vera Bradley for $45. They both have the same adorable quilted material, but in different patterns.
If you'd like to grab this "knock off", visit www.ltdcommodities.com and do a search for quilted purse.
They may not be name-brand, but they sure are cute! So that's my Knock-off for today! Be sure and visit Cheri and see who else joined in the fun today!
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