Wordless Wednesday

Can You Smell That?

I'm in the mood to cook!
It happens every Fall....I start to smell Fall in the crisp, morning air and I just get itchin' to cook and bake!
I wonder if it's because I'm just completely tired of summer salads and sandwiches and wraps and all the 'cool' suppers and I just want to turn on the oven and eat something warm that smells soooo good!
The problem is, by the time I get home from work at night, the house is hot again and I just can't make myself turn on the hot ol' oven!
Hmmmmmmm....maybe the bbq outside?
No, it doesn't work real well for warm gooey cookies
or mmmmmmmm-smells-so-good soup and hot buttery breadsticks!
Yikes! My mouth is watering just thinking of it all!!
Well, luckily for me, I did catch a cool afternoon one day to make some cookies at least. They are kind of fun and different.
It's a recipe I got out of my newest cookbook of recipes made totally with cake mixes.
I took some pictures and thought I'd share.

Mix all the following ingredients together:

2 pkgs Devil's Food Cake Mixes (18 1/4 oz)

4 Eggs

1 Cup Vegetable (Canola) Oil

(That's All!!)

It will be really thick and look sort of like this when it's mixed up

Then you roll the batter into 1 inch balls....about the size of a quarter.

They may look really small, but the flatten nicely when they cook.

Bake at 350* for 8-10 minutes until they are set on top....don't overbake.

When they come out of the oven they look like this:

Let them set for a couple of minutes before you try moving them

 and then let them cool on a rack.

In another bowl, beat:

1 8oz pkg of Cream Cheese

1/4 Cup Butter (Softenend)

Add:

1 tsp Vanilla

2 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar

Beat until smooth.

Spread Cream Cheese Mixture on the bottom of 1/2 of the cooled cookies.

  Add a 2nd cookie to make a 'sandwich'

And.........Voila

Instant Happy Husband!!!

You have to keep them in the refrigerator....but that turns out good because you can hide them behind something big and they aren't so accessible to the cookie elves in the night!

MMMMMMMMMMM!!!   Can you smell that?

Catching Up

Yep...it's been a while. So much happens so fast.

These last couple of months have been busy...what's new!

Last summer I was asked to be on a committee that heads up the Relay For Life event here in Riverton.  It has been an awesome and humbling year-long experience.  We have worked our tails off from putting on the Hats Off For Hope Gala event in March down to the actual Relay the first week of June.  And we aren't done yet, we still have the Day In The Park event to finish things up. We raised almost $60K at the Gala and the totals aren't in yet for the Relay.  WOW! Amazing!  I never knew the amount of planning and organizing and work that went into this event.  I wish I had pictures to tell the story, however, my job on the committee kept me so busy during the events that I didn't have time to snap pictures. But I can tell you that I am a changed person because of being a part of the entire thing.  Next summer.........be prepared family.......because I am going to get you all involved in this worthwhile event!  You will be amazed at what it will do for you as you do for others and their families who have been touched somehow in their lives by Cancer.....and we are numbered among them.  It's not just about walking...it's so much more!

And on with the news....

I now have a chauffeur! Yep that's right!  My own personal Chauffeur! 

It's kind of good,however, because of my new status........I never get to drive anymore!

Here is a picture of my new chauffeur...

Doesn't he look handsome behind the wheel?

I bet you are wishing you had a chauffeur!

Here's how it all happened.............

We show up at the D.L. Place. This would be the 2nd time

as the first time we went they were closed.

What a disappointment! I didn't realize there are only certain days and hours

 that you can get a chauffeur!

Next....the dreaded test!  I hope he studied!! :\

Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock

Wow.....their taking his picture....does that mean.......????

 

Yes!!!  The long-awaited day has arrived!!

Give us a smile  (Oh Mother!)

You don't know the rest of the story.....my fancy new red car....is a stick shift! 

 What a horrible thing to do! What was I thinking? 

 It was enough to turn a smart, sophisticated, handsome 15 year old

 into a blubbering, fit-throwing, temper-tantrum-fit throwing teenager!

That poor car went through a lot the first 3 weeks!  I'm surprised it is still in one piece.

You probably have seen a few pieces of the transmission

laying on the roads here and there!

But, I'm proud to report - it is pretty smooth sailin' now! 

 One night we were in town waiting for the time to pass

 so I made him take the driver's seat.

It had literally gotten that bad because he was now

refusing to drive and stating "...I can't do it!"

 We jerked through a couple of stop signs, killed it once and then

just like magic

it suddenly just clicked!

He got it!  Those big size 10 !/2 feet finally just worked the clutch and gas like a pro!

What a night of celebration!  Only I did it silently as to not upset the karma!   

But what a smile on that kid that night!  I think we all slept soundly!

Phew....one more crisis down in the world of the teen-ager!

We are official now! 

I'm glad...but I'm sad! 

I do miss my 'little' boy....I am proud of my 'big' boy!

Happy 80th....A Little Late

Well, today is May 1st.  May Day.  I'm telling you, someone hit the 'Speed Up' button on time!  It goes by way to fast!
We had a special birthday in our family at the beginning of April. I've been meaning for a month now to tell about it and ...again...what happened to the time?
Anyway, My Mom turned 80 years old on April 2nd. 
80 Years!!  How can that be? She's not really sure either :)  I wanted to tell storeis and I remember when's, but how do you put all those years in a blog page?  I'm already all teared up! It would go on for weeks once I started.
I just need to say that I love my Mom with all my heart!  I've known her for 44 years (don't go there) and I owe her everything. Today she is my very best girlfriend!  She is a rock in the gospel and a true example of faith and endurance.
I truly hope that when I am 80, I can be just like my Mom!!

Geri and I (her oldest and youngest) had a little surprise party for her.  We invited her oldest (as in long-standing) friends. 
None of her family got to come because too many other commitments going on, but, I think she understood.  She had a good time and she was really surprised!  I had called all of her friends a couple of weeks before hand and invited them and told them it was a surprise so not to tell.  They were all in on the game!  They had some great stories about how they kept it a secret.  We got her good friend and neighbor to bring her to the church without her knowing what was going on and when she walked in and we sang happy birthday to her she was so confused! She asked Geri what she was doing there and she really didn't even see me standing there for a minute.  I had told her I was coming down for the weekend, but that I wouldn't be there until much later.  Finally one of her friends had to sit her down and say, "Elaine, your girls threw a surprise birthday party for you...this is for you!" 
It finally clicked!!
Then all she could do was scold me for lying to her about when I was coming. She told her friends, "I didn't raise my kids to lie!" She was jokingly mad of course!  (At least I didn't say 'poop!')
I shot a few pictures...I'm sorry they aren't very good.....but you get the drift.  The ladies in the pictures are very dear to our family as we grew up with their kids, and they are all a part of our childhood. They are a circle of friends like you can't imagine! 99% have lost their husbands and they are truly just sisters who take care of each other.
Anyway, Happy Birthday Mom!

Easter Surprise

My husband surprised me Easter morning.
He does that sometimes.  Not often...but sometimes.
I love him for it!  Love him!
We've been married 17 years and I can count on my fingers how many times he's bought me flowers.
Not because he doesn't love me enough. He's just too practical.
Flowers are beautiful for a minute, then they die. He wants his gifts to last for the money.
I'm here to tell you that they last!
The feeling you get when you get flowers from your husband doesn't ever go away.
It's exilerating! (even if I can't spell it.)
It's a boost up to heaven.
It's an expression that can't be expressed any other way.
I cried.  I admit it. They are roses!
A girl just needs to get flowers every now and then.

Wordless Wednesday

Working Today...Tomorrow?

I'm yawning today.

Isn't it funny how a few little changes in routine can make your inner clock go whacky?There are two changes in our house that are making my body feel out of whack.

First, Daylight Savings Time.  Who invented that? And why does one hour make such a difference? I feel like loosing that ONE hour on Sunday has ripped a hole in a time warp somewhere and I will forever feel like I need more sleep!

Then, to top it off, Keith got a temporary job as a security guard working the night shift.

Now, if you think about it, he's the one who should be all time-warped-mixed-up because he's the one who has had to change his schedule to sleep in the day and stay awake all night....but I kid you not....the more his first week of nights edged on...the tired-er I have become! 

Is it sympathy pains?

Or is just that I am so set in my ways so that small change in routine at our home really upsets my inner well-being that much?  I must have issues!! (No comments required!)

But on the brighter side........Hooray for Keith!!!

If you didn't know, he got laid off a year ago and we have been stumbling on trying to keep our heads above water ever since.  He has put in more applications and had more interviews than I think I have done in a lifetime, but it seems there are a 500 other people out there looking for the same jobs he is. This is just a temporary job for 5 weeks but it is at least a little breath of fresh air.

And look!  He gets to wear a badge and an official uniform and everything! 

He's not even.....(yawwwnnnnnnn).......yawnning!!

Moving In A New Direction

My last post got me thinking this weekend and I decided I needed to dig deep and pull myself out of the rut. I think Winter Blues sometimes come into play and the sunshine this weekend helped me get motivated.
I got a little crafty!
I have always loved to 'craft' but Madam Time seemed to steal that away from me as of late....I'm stealing it back!
Sunflowers are my fave! I think they are beautiful!  There are so many varieties and colors and I think they are classy and happy!
My co-worker and I got to move into a new office this past month, and we are in desparate need of some 'bling' in our office! So I gathered up some supplies........

and came up with this.......

I think it turned out pretty and adds a nice touch above my desk.

Don't Sunflowers just make you smile?

Now I'm soooo in the mood to craft and I'm itching to do more!

Stay tuned..............

As The World Keeps Turning

Okay, time to say...I'm still alive!
I wonder sometimes though!  I started this Blog to help my busy self keep up on some journaling and family history and I thought I would just have so much to say and show that I wouldn't be able to keep up.
What I didn't bargain for is that you can get 'Writer's Block' in Blogging World!  Did you know that?  It seems like every time I think I need to get posting, I suddenly have nothing to say!
Why? My life is certainly busy enough!  I should have so much to tell.
It's busy all right...but maybe a little too boring to tell all on a Blog!
Here's my life in a nutshell:
4:30am...up and at 'em!
Feed Cats
Shower, attempt to make my hair and face presentable :)
Pull load of clothes from the dryer from yesterday, put washer load in dryer, start new load in washer.
5:40am....Quentin's first call to get up.
Fold basket full of clothes I just pulled from dryer.
5:45am...Quentin's 2nd call to get up.
Start some breakfast.
5:50am...Quentin's 3rd call to get up.
5:55am...yell and threatin Quentin if he doesn't get up...now!!!
6:05am....set Quentin's breakfast on the table for whenever he gets out of the shower.
6:10am...get dressed and ready to go to work.
6:30am...tell Quentin to quit eating and get dressed so we aren't late
6:35am...go out in freezing cold to start the car, scrape windows, etc.
6:40am...go in and loudly tell Quentin...again...to hurry up!
6:45am...family prayer...out the door
6:55am...drop Quentin off at Seminary.
7:00am'ish...Arrive at work....and let the day begin!
3:30pm...pick up Quentin from school and take him to work then go back to work if needed for as long as it takes
or
4:30pm-5:00pm...head home for the day
5:30pm....think hard about what to make for dinner.
5:45pm...get dinner going
6:00pm...eat dinner with hubby and on rare occasions...Quentin
6:30pm...clean up dishes/kitchen
6:45pm...read newspaper
7:00pm...chill....fall asleep on couch/do whatever else needs to be done/attend meetings for Church/Relay for Life Committee/Quentin's Concerts/Study Primary lesson for Sunday/run Quentin around (Keith usually does that)...whatever.
8:30pm....Family Scriptures/Prayer
9:30pm....Nighty-Night!
Next Day...start all over agian.
Now, doesn't that sound exciting? Not much changes in my life it seems unless there is a birthday, or a funny moment to catch on camera....You can see I don't have much to blog about. Maybe I might just start sharing some of my random thoughts......now there is a thought! 

Wordless Wednesday

Winter Blues

Okay....so remember In November when I said

 I couldn't wait for the snow and winter?

And remember I said ask me how I feel in January?

Well, it's February now and I'm over it! It's cold and I am ready for Spring!

Even so, I know that Mother Nature has the say,

 so I decided that I needed to see if I could find

 some common ground and cheer up!

I guess when you look at it, cold can be beautiful.

Winter is beautiful!

But it's still cold!  And as for me.........

I'll be under under a cozy blanket!

Let me know when Spring is here!

15 Years and Counting!

Today is Quentin's 15th Birthday!

What an amazing 15 years it has been!

I know, I know, I'm the Mom so the word prejudice comes to mind I'm sure, But.....I think Quentin is one of the most unique, gifted, intelligent young men that I have ever known.  He has accomplished more in his fifteen years than most young men his age will ever do and I don't have a doubt that we 'aint seen nothin' yet!'

I want to share some of his accomplishments....I am pretty proud of him.

4.0 Grade Point Average

RMS Student Body President

RHS Freshman Class President

2008 Wyoming Middle School Chess Champion

Speech and Debate Team Member

Accomplished Piano Player

More than Accomplished Trombone Player

Jazz Band Member

2009 All State Orchestra Member (as a Freshman, he scored the 4th highest in the State on his audition)

All of the above....plus a 15-20 hour per week job at Papa Murphy's Pizza

But, it's not just all the things he does on a daily basis....it's more about who he is.

His smile warms my heart!

His tender heart has always shown what a compassionate person he is to anyone....he would spend his last dime or bend over backwards to help someone who needs it....or just to make someone smile.

He never hesitates to volunteer. 

I love to hear him say "Yes Mam" or "Yes Sir" and I get a tear in my eye when I see him hold the door for someone. 

He's not afraid to stand up for what he believes in....sometimes to a fault :)

And....isn't he just the most handsome guy you've seen in a long time?!

I love that kid.....and I can say 'kid' 'cause he's mine.  But, really 'kid' just doesn't cut it anymore.  He's a young man.....and an awsome one at that!

I love you Quentin!  Happy Birthday!