100th Post!!!

It only took me three and a half years!! Good Grief!

I will now list (and in no particular order) most of the reasons I have not posted for the last two months:

*As recently as today, Dan was bitten last Friday by an evil spider (apparently Brown Recluse, but we can't be sure) that left a wicked mark (as in hideous). He went to the doc - on - the - block yesterday where he received a whoppin' big shot of antibiotics along with a prescription for the same at a high dosage. Poor buddy feels like he has the flu. Needless to say, he is going to the real doctor's tomorrow. *please pray that there is no permanent damage*

*Measuring children, knowing that the days are numbered that they will be able to look up to me.

*Tori got braces!! 

*Visiting my friend in the country, meeting all of her sweet animals including lamas!

*Eating breakfast with my best friend at The Original Pancake House. Then we went Christmas shopping. Lovely.

*Rode the Dart Rail to Mockingbird Station to enjoy "Ladies' Night Out". Dinner and lots of laughter at Margarita Ranch.

*Attacking clutter in my home and redistributing the wealth to Good Will.

*Began Face Book two months ago. Totally hooked. Maybe that would explain my absence?

*Lots and lots of school projects and such.

*Volunteering weekly at my church, working on stage sets - highlight of my last few weeks!

*Playing dominoes with friends and family until way late and laughing so hard it hurt.

*Standing in line at 4:30AM @ Bass Pro Shop for great deals. Totally worth it when I managed to get the very last ball cap/LED hat lamp/knife combo. I love the feel of conquest and victory.

*Feeding four lovely, rambunctious lambs during Thanksgiving vacation. (Pictured above.)

*Eating at Toby Keith's Bar and Grill and driving by his house. I even saw where his mom lives.

*Volunteering at the kids' school. My specialty is serving hot lunch and sweeping floors.

*We went to a Parenting Conference at the Marriott in October. It had a great view on the fifth floor, enjoyed room service, and learned more about the teenage years. The "What's-His-Name" comedian was not very funny. That is my only complaint.

*Went to a Training Day at our church and totally loved learning more about the Book of James and the Life of Joseph.

*Found out that I am going to be an Aunt a second time. Yeah! Welcome, Sweet Judah!

*Learning how to raise "Free Range Kids". Google it.

*Found out that two of my friends are writing books. One wants to put one of my poems in her book, and the other made me one of her characters and now calls my Sydney!

*Decided to limit the gift giving for our kids to two gifts each. That is really hard to stick to.

*Found that some critter is munching on the last of our cucumbers. I feel okay about encouraging the local wildlife. It is driving our puppy crazy, though. His territory has been invaded.

*We joined the Texins Archery Club. We have spent a lot of time with the kids taking lessons there. We love it, they love it - it is great to have something to do together outside!

*Full filling my Handmade Pledge for Christmas gifts. Need I say more.

*Finally finished and shipped "The Swap Box" to my kind and patient friend. Totally loved receiving her swap box just in time for my birthday.

*Oh, and we got a great deal on a new digital camera. We had fun with consumer reports and shopping around and finding THE best deal.

*Wylie Opry - WoW! Hey, who knew that Loretta Lynn was at Billy Bob's this last weekend?

*We have had a couple of really great extended family birthday celebration get togethers. Love those!

*Making our yearly visit to The National Cowboy Museum. Did you know that John Wayne's nick name was "Duke"? His real first name was Marion, not John. 

*I have not kept up with any one's blog, including my own, obviously. I will spend some dedicated time catching up with my favorite blogs over the Christmas vacation. Promise.

*We are so thankful for the growth we have seen in our family, for the good health that we have been blessed with and are happy to finding ways to serve others!

What? You want to see some pictures? Okay, let's see if Blogger is willing to cooperate. 

Well, bummer. I only got one picture to load. I'll try again later. 

Good night, friends.

Word Cloud Fun!

Create your own at Wordle. I'd love to see ya'll give it a try.

Welcome, Autumn

Did you know that there are only two days out of the year where day and night are of equal length? There's something special about that. So, after reading "The Book of New Family Traditions: How to Create Great Rituals for Holidays & Everydays" by Meg Cox we have a plan to make it a tradition to make some sort of appropriate fall decoration for the dinner table and make a dessert with apples. This evening we will cut out a few leaves from a variety of colored paper to make a center piece. Dessert will be something a kin to a pie/dumpling/cobbler deal. I'll post the recipe if it turns out nicely. Otherwise, I would like to wish every one a happy new season that celebrates cool air, school fundraisers, chili cook offs, and my favorite - - school supplies!

Cowboy Camp Supper

A. K. A. Hungry Jack as stated by the original recipe umteen years ago when I first made it as a bride.

Our cowboy-in-residence loves anything cowboy related. Whilst helping in the kitchen to prepare said dish - he didn't feel that the name "Hungry Jack" really conveyed the essence of this hearty meal. And so, I asked him what would he rename it if he could. With only a very small pause for thought, my eight-year-old son duly dubbed it "Cowboy Camp Supper". And so I am happy to share this delightful recipe with you! *Feel free to call it what ever you want to.*

Here's what you'll need to rustle up:

* 1 lb. lean ground beef (93/7)

* Best Texas-sized sweet onion you can find

* 52 ounce can of Ranch Style Beans

* Kraft Original BBQ Sauce (use a bit over half the bottle)

* Brown sugar (light, dark - whatever you have) about 1/2 cup packed

* Buttermilk biscuits (from scratch, a can, or frozen) 6, 8, or 12

* Grated cheese (calls for sharp cheddar, mild works too or Mexi mix)

You are going to need a big pot. Dice the onion very large, not tiny - chunks of onion. Brown the meat and onion at the same time. The meat is lean enough that draining is not necessary. Add in the beans, then the bbq sauce, and brown sugar. Stir well and let simmer. It may look soupy at first, but as it simmers uncovered it will thicken up a bit. Stir occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom. Bake your biscuits. Serve this way: Cut biscuit down the middle and lay on plate or bowl, sprinkle cheese, ladle meat/bean mix over this and then sprinkle some more cheese. Enjoy! Can't you just see a big pot of this next to the chuck wagon with a bunch of cowboys scraping their plates. My little cowboy does.

*Since this does make so much, I serve the left over biscuits with breakfast in the morning and then reheat and serve left over meat/bean mix over toasted bread for lunch.* Yummy!

Happy Birthday, Aunt Susie!

She had a large summer bag for a purse, perfectly applied lipstick, and a purple cast on her foot - that was my first memory of Aunt Susie. After being introduced by her nephew (who became my husband), she sauntered right up next to me and said, "She doesn't look so tough to me." A very memorable and totally unexpected response after an introduction!

After dinner today, we went as a family to go to her grave site. In honor of her birthday today, I picked out some happy, yellow daisies to place in the vase. As the children explored the nearby surroundings with my husband, I stood gazing at her name and was overcome with a flood of memories. She was one of, if not the most, influential woman in my life. I learned more by watching her than anything else.

She taught me what I needed to know about keeping house, attending to my husband and then our children. She taught me about meal planning, shopping on a budget and even sewing. She demonstrated the most gracious hospitality and was not easily flustered or upset by much. She was able to handle most everything with smile. I appreciated how she always gave me a nudge in the right direction by her wonderful "suggestions". It was magical the way she was able to do what I call the sandwich conversation: Say something positive, make your suggestion/reprimand, and then more comments on the positive side. Let me tell you, this works wonders when I use this method while talking with my kids! She was sincere and concerned without being a hovering or controlling person.

Since this is a blog and not a book, I will try to keep this cursory. It has been fives years now that she has been gone. I have come to the final stage of grief, which is acceptance. How I have missed the love that she showered into all of our lives though! Around Aunt Susie,I would never know what to expect next. If she was on a trip to Canada or Paris or Mexico - we might receive post cards or envelopes filled with correspondence on the hotel letterhead indicating where she was and what they were up to. She always brought back sweet, little gifts, nothing extravagant (she was a thrifty shopper) but it expressed her love - in which we were delighted about, even if it was lotion from the hotel in Paris! (But the chocolate was the best!)

She is the reason I had such a beautiful wedding. She was there when I had both of my babies, at the ready to help me through it all. She was there when I was sick in the hospital or helping to find the right speech therapist for my daughter. I miss our telephone conversations and seeing her sing in church. I miss sitting around the table watching her laugh and talk.

Our lives will never be the same. Because she loved God, she was able to love others so well. Who could ask for a better example of a godly woman? I am so blessed and so glad for the time I had with her. I wish I had paid more attention, but the lessons I did learn from her will not be easily forgotten and will hopefully be passed on to the next generation. 

". . . beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness". (Isaiah 61:3)

Cup O' Love

I did a little "house cleaning" on my computer - you know, with the new school year and all. So, dummy-me, I cleared out my temporary files and kept right on clearing, including my cookies. Good grief, that is a mistake I won't be making again any time soon.

Anyhoo, I didn't have time to get it all figured out until this morning. I think I have all the kinks worked out. So, now that I am able to post. . . I have some thanking to do.

Now, I have seen this award, "A Perfect Blend of Friendship", floating around various blogs. I was so excited to see that Tracie sent it my way. Thank you for your kind words and for thinking of me. A hot cup of comfort is just as sweet and savory as a special friendship. It makes me feel so rich. I have truly enjoyed getting to know her better over the last year and am so glad she made the leap into blogland! Thank you, Tracie!

I love to pop over to Louise's blog - always full of charm, beauty, and surprises. She also gets really neat awards. And now I get to pass one on to her! She is a kindred spirit who enjoys the bliss of life in lovely England. Louise has left such kind and thoughtful comments on both of my blogs - pretty special after seeing how long her blog roll is.