Clue No. 1 - What Am I Doing This Week?

I mentioned a few posts back that I was in and out doing some fun things this week. Well here's a clue as to what it is that I am doing:



Whatever could it be? I was hoping that I might actually be able to lose belly fat while doing this since I've been very active, but I think I'm blowing it in the evenings with big meals and wine!

More clues to come... Stay tuned!

Sweet & Innocent - My Favorite Kid Photo

It's Blog Hop Day and the theme this week is "Favorite Kid Photos", i.e. you can have one or more of your favorite photos your kids, grandkids, someone else's kid or even YOU when you were a kid. Funny, precious, heartwarming... your favorite!

I have so many photos of my son that it was hard to pick just one, but this one, taken almost 17 years ago by my mother-in-law, has always been one that I loved. DS looks so sweet and innocent and the blue-green blankie, which he called "T" (because he couldn't say blanket and the nickname stuck.) went everywhere with us until he was five or six, makes his eyes look extremely blue.

I'm Not MIA

It may seem that I have been a little neglectful of my blog over the past week or two. I haven't forgotten, we've just been doing a few fun things and I haven't had the time or motivation to write. I will share some of my fun activities in the next few weeks, (and no they don't involve equestrian apparel, but horses might be involved... I won't know until the end of the week. I'll fill you in at that time!)

So stay tuned, I'll be in and out for the next week and then regular posting should return to normal.

Sausage, Potatoes & Onions - July 21 Blog Hop

This week's blog hop theme is a favorite recipe or dish. I love this because not only is it an easy one-dish dinner that my family loves - but it's oh-so-good! I usually make it when we go camping in my electric non-stick skillet so it's acquired the nickname 'camp food' around our house.

INGREDIENTS

(1) 1 lb package of polska kielbasa (or smoked sausage)
8 – 12 strips of bacon
4 or 5 (approx. 3 lbs) potatoes
1 large onion
1 green pepper
1 clove diced garlic
1 Tbs. seasoned salt
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

DIRECTIONS

Place the bacon slices in the bottom of your large non-stick skillet. Slice the potatoes about 1/8 inch thick and layer them on the bacon. Julienne the onion and green pepper and layer them on top the potatoes. Sprinkle everything with the garlic, seasoned salt, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until the potatoes are getting soft around the edges but the middles are still firm, turning occasionally. (Only a few times, turning too often will cause your potatoes to fall apart.)

Cut the kielbasa or sausage into sections 3 – 4 inches long and then cut those sections lengthwise.

Place the sausage/kielbasa sections on top the potatoes. Continue to cook until the potatoes are done and the sausage is heated through. Do not over cook because the potatoes will mush and fall apart.


Join us on our weekly hop! This week's recipe theme has been the most requested theme, so I hope we have a record turnout. Please put up a post with your favorite recipe, or if you don't have the recipe, a photo of your favorite dish and a description.

I Want To Go Home On Music Monday

I remember I was shopping when I first heard this song and wondered who it was. I was instantly in love with it and couldn't wait to get home to see if I could find it and download it. (And subsequently play it over and over.)

I love being home (although we tend to run - A LOT!) so not only did the tune move me, but the lyrics too. I wish I had learned to play the piano. This is one song I would definitely get the piano sheet music for and learn to play!

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

Different Colored Eyes, For Here Or To Go, And Mars, It's Thursday Thunks!

Welcome to the July 16th version of Thursday Thunks! (which we always seem to post on Wednesday) Where we make you think a little bit before you blog! This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by Kimber, the number 15 and the color of windows.

My answers are in red:

1. Do you know anyone with heterochromia? Does it freak you out or do you think it's interesting? I only knew what it was because of the picture on the Thursday Thunks blog. I've seen a few people with it, and I find it interesting!

2. Should a 5th face be added to Mount Rushmore? If so, who? No, it's fine the way it is.

3. If you could live on any planet other than earth, which one would you choose and why? Mars ~ because it's red... my favorite color!

4. We're going to spend the night at a reportedly haunted location, are you going with us?
If so, which reportedly haunted place are we going? NO WAY! I don't like ghosts!

5. Did you play The Queen's Meme this week? If so, was it fair of The Queen to put Berleen in the dungeon by association with Kimber? (We all know Kimber deserved it, but Berleen?!) I have no idea what this question is about.

6. What color is the towel(s) hanging in your bathroom? In one bathroom, pink. In the other, white, teal, and brown striped.

7. Tell us something funny that happened to you recently. The guy at the at the Taco Bell drive thru asked if it was for here or to go!! I thought about saying, 'for here... I'll eat it at the window!'

8. We just bought you a cow. Do you kill it & grill it, feed it & milk it, or sell it? Kill & Grill - I love steak!!

9. It's 115 degrees outside (46 degrees Celsius), are you able to go without Air Conditioning? I prefer heat to cold, but that's even a little too hot for me!

10. When you visit the zoo do you wonder which animal tastes better with a bit of butter & spices? No, but I will now!

11. Dog ate your homework/work papers. Does it crap out Shakespeare, quantum physics, or just crap? Since I haven't done homework in years, probably just crap.

12. We are taking you to a broadway show, what are we going to see? The Lion King - heard it was great!

13. Gunshots in your neighborhood. Pop, pop, pop. Do you go out to take a look, or hide? Take a look, how would I know to hide if I didn't know for sure what was happening?

Head over to Thursday Thunks and join in the fun!

Three Things About Me - Blog Hop Tuesday

This week, on TUESDAY, 7/14/09, the theme for the blog hop is THREE THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ME.

This was actually quite a bit harder than I thought it would be considering I generally write it down if I think it, so I had a hard time thinking of new things to tell. But finally a few came to me. Here they are, hope you enjoy!

One:

Hilarious isn't it? That's me at about 13. I took ballet and tap dancing for 3 or 4 years. I can't even walk without tripping over my own feet now - lot of good it did me!

Two:
I recently started my own cleaning company. It's not glamorous, but it pays well... and I get a workout in the process, at least that's my theory!

Three:
Hubby laughs at all the strange stories I have from my childhood. Such as the neighbors that blew themselves up making a pipe bomb, the boys across the street that got struck by lightening in their backyard while sitting on a picnic bench after swimming when a storm blew in unexpectedly, and the time we had to stand in the hallway because the man next door had a gun and was threatening to shoot his wife. -- I know it sounds like I grew up in the ghetto, but it was actually a decent subdivision neighborhood. I just have a horrible memory that only remembers all the terrible things that happened.

I Can't Believe I've Become A Deadliest Catch Fan!

I never intended to watch The Deadliest Catch, I have no interest in watching men fish. So I thought. But then one night it came on (after Cash Cab) and so I watched a few a minutes of it. Next thing you know, I find myself setting up a season pass for it on my DVR... I was sucked in by yet another reality show!

After watching just a few minutes I realized why Alaskan crab is so expensive. Fishing for them is no pleasure cruise, closer to the Titanic - but without the romance of Jack and Rose and the diamond heart jewelry. Instead, the fishermen are literally endangering their lives.

Yes, if it's a good season each hand can make a 6-figure income in a few months, but practically every year, a boat goes down including the crew with it.

There's no amount of money worth being cold and wet with no sleep for days on end. Seriously, the ocean spray was freezing before it hit the deck and they were shoveling it off for hours. I HATE being cold. There could be no worse job, in my opinion.

But, apparently I enjoy watching someone else's misery.

When Hubby has equipment failure with his lawn care business, he gripes and complains and it messes up his entire week. But now I just look at him and say, "at least it's not going to cause you to sink into an ice cold ocean." --He loves that!

Friday Fill-In #132 - What I Ate, Rain, And Hugs

I'm running late, but here is this weeks Friday Fill-In!

1. The last thing I ate was steak and potato wedges.

2. Food is something I recently bought.

3. When it rains, it makes my plants happy and fills up my cistern.
4. Hubby was the first person I talked to today.

5. Hugs are good for making me smile.

6. My bed gives me extra comfort.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing, tomorrow my plans include grilling with friends and Sunday, I want to Chill!

I Love Memes - Thursday Thunks

I love memes and have found a new one! This one actually makes you think! My answers are in red:

Welcome to the July 9th version of Thursday Thunks!

(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)
Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!

This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by

Berleen, the number 141 and the color of your underwear.

1. Do you tend to have a guilty conscious? I don't do anything to have a guilty conscious over - but I just feel guilt in general. Am I good enough mother, wife, friend, did I say something to hurt someone, the list goes on and on...

2. Do you still have your wisdom teeth? No. I had them cut out when I was 34! -- big mistake! If it could go wrong it did! I had a dry socket, they hit a nerve and the feeling wasn't completely back for over a month, the steroids they gave me swelled my face up like a balloon, and I got thrush, a yeast infection, in my mouth.

3. Peanut Butter - creamy or crunchy? Creamy

4. Get up off your butt. Take 5 steps. Which leg did you start out on? Right

5. What color is your favorite kitchen utensil? Black

6. Did you watch the Michael Jackson memorial/funeral? The last 15 - 20 minutes -- just because it was on when I turned on the TV

7. Do you know anyone who graduated from high school this year?
Were you invited to their graduation party? Did you go? Umm... my son and I gave the party!

8. White with black stripes or black with white stripes? Black with white

9. If we were to call your 6th grade teacher, what would they say about you? I don't remember 6th Grade - seriously! I remember 5th, 7th, 8th - but not 6th! I was always a good student though - I'm sure they loved me! lol!

10. Can you draw a perfect circle? No, but I painted one on the ceiling (I used a string and pencil to draw it out though.

11. What was your favorite scratch & sniff sticker scent? Watermelon

12. What does your sibling do for a living? One Watches kids, one is a mechanical engineer, one makes great blog headers!

13. How many light switches and electrical outlets are in the room that you are in right now? 17

14. Do you know sign language? I used to know the alphabet - might still be able to spell a few things.

15. Do you step on cracks in the sidewalk? I'm just happy when I don't trip over them and fall on my face!

16. And the sheets on your bed look like....? Easy - since I haven't made it for days... they are gold.

17. What is something that everyone else has, but you don't? Energy!

How I Fed The Masses

We had probably close to 200 people attend my son's graduation party - and would you believe, I actually had food left over? I received many comments because there was plenty! I even went home with about 15 unopened 2-liters. So, how did I plan, and shop for food, for that many?

I have to give a lot of the credit to a site I found called Ellen's Kitchen. Here I found the amounts I needed for each item for my taco bar. Ellen's site was the only place I found on the net to help put together a meal for such a large crowd.

I started by writing down all the foods I wanted on the bar, taco meat, refried beans, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, lettuce, nacho cheese, drinks, cake, etc. Then I took the amount she gave for 100 and doubled it. There were a couple things not listed, such as the Mexican rice and sliced olives, but just about everything else was there. And, wouldn't you know, the items she didn't have amounts for were the ones I way over purchased for. (I still have two 55 ounce cans of sliced olives - if anyone is in need!)

The one item my hubby didn't agree with her on was drinks. He said on a hot summer day I would need many more 2-liters than she suggested. I guess we know, from the 15 I brought home, who was right on that one!

Another thing I did that helped immensely was to start a couple months in advance. Way back in March I found packages of 50 20-ounce sized cups for just $1.99 at a salvage store in our area. I also found Styrofoam trays that I thought would make a great plate. They were thick and study and large and only $3.00 for 150!

I also purchased drinks and ground beef anytime I found them on sale. I went ahead and cooked the ground beef and seasoned it and then froze it in large, gallon-sized freezer bags. So then all I had to do was thaw it out a couple days before the party and then the day of stick it in crockpots to heat.

Speaking of crockpots, I already had two, but I was able to find another at a yard sale for $3.00, and then I borrowed my mother-in-law's two and my neighbors two. I kept everything in them until a few minutes before we served. At serving time I had chaffing pans ready, fired them up, and dumped my crockpot items into them. This made it easy to have two lines, one on each side of the table.

I decorated the night before the party, even setting the tables and putting the drinks out. But in the end, there were two dear friends that I couldn't have done it without. One in particular got there early, and never stopped! She made the rice for me, (thanks to CVS for the easy packages you just add water to and bake.) made sure everything was refilled when it ran low, moved the empties out of the way, and basically ran herself silly for four or five hours.

In the end, everyone was well feed, DS got a ton of presents, and we all had a great time... until Sunday when I faced the mountain of dishes left in my kitchen sink!

I wish I had pictures to show you of the serving table, but I was too busy to think of taking them! My mom, thankfully, did grab my camera and at least get me some pictures of my son with his cake and opening his gifts and some of the guests... thank goodness for moms!

I had too many desserts too - can you tell?

Then & Now - Do They Still Resemble Each Other?

Yesterday when I posted my favorite photo of my son and his cousin when they were little for the MckLinky Blog Hop, Kathryn with This 'n That From On The Mountain, asked me if they were still friends.

Actually, they are very close. So close, that when I was putting together the slide show for my son's graduation I realized that most people would have thought they were brothers because about half the photos I posted had them together!

I have many pictures I could post of them now, but this one makes me laugh every time I see it. My son is on the right, making the goofy face - which is quite normal. I have to threaten to get a picture of him with a smile. Usually this is what I get!

Do you still see the resemblance, or have they outgrown it?

My Favorite Photo: The Osh Kosh Twins

This week, on TUESDAY, 7/7/09, the theme Blog Hop Theme is A FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPH.

This is one of my most precious photos. It is of my son and his cousin, who isn't his twin - he's actually 9 months younger than my son. They still look somewhat alike, but when they were young they looked so much alike that everyone mistook them for brothers.

I entered this photo in the Osh Kosh photo contest years ago, but it didn't win. I still, to this day, think it should have!

Peaceful Easy Feeling (The Eagles) On Music Monday

I'm one of those people that knows the words to a million songs. Part of the reason comes from the fact that my parents listened to a variety of music. What hubby calls, 'cool music'. While his parents only listened to old country or Frank Sinatra, mine liked Jim Croce, Bob Segar, the Bee Gees, and this group - whose hits are still classics today!

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

What's So Great About The PS3?

I asked my son tonight why someone would want to purchase a PS3. He had a PS2 and now has an XBox 360, so I wondered, when I saw an ad for thePS3, the difference between it and the other systems.

Being a man of few words, my son told me that the biggest draw for getting a PS3 is the fact that it can play Blu-ray disks, and apparently Blu-ray is quite a bit better quality, in both image and audio, than DVD.

That was about all my "talkative" son had for me, but you can find out anything on Google. So, with very little effort, I also learned that it has a unified online service that is free, always connected, and supports multiplayer play.

$399 might seem a lot for a game system, but remember you are also getting a Blu-ray player - a $299 item!