Weekend Update 10-29-11

Can someone please show me the way to the fountain of youth?

This weekend we went to the fair. Now, we were iffy about going at all because it's really a pretty penny for such a short time. But my wonderful husband took me as a present with his poker winnings :)

Anyway, we got there and the first ride we hopped on was the Gravitron. Now called the Starship or something like that. But to me it will always be the Gravitron. Anyway, basically you spin so fast that the centrifugal forces plaster you to the wall so you can climb it and such.
Que nausea. For both of us. No vomiting though. Just didn't feel great.

But we pushed through and got in line for the Wild Claw. This one is more heavy duty. Basically a gigantic swinging spinning claw. John laughed and screamed in delight. I had my eyes closed almost the entire time and did not say a word because I was trying not to puke. Oh the flips my stomach was doing. Butterflies MAJOR. As we got off John said "Wow, I genuinely don't feel good".

So we decided to do the gondola (Ferris) wheel for a break. Great for me, not so great for the husband who's afraid of heights.

John felt calmed enough to then get on "The Stinger". I knew just from watching it I could not handle it. Think Wild Claw on crack. This claw swings back and forth, then swings enough to make a complete loop. All while all the passengers are spinning around in a circle. Then at some point they "release" the seats and each individual cart of people (4) can flip head over heels should the gravitational forces get strong enough. And it whips you hard when you do. John advised me when he got off that it was good I did not ride it.

Then this part spins head over heels

While John was in line for the Stinger, I realized my phone was no longer in my pocket! Que trip to Wild Claw, not there. Ferris wheel, nothing. I was convinced my phone fell into the floor that opens up when Wild Claw swings and that I'd just lost $200. But, when we went to the Gravitron, the operator graciously looked behind the moving panels, and there it was! SO grateful!

So at this point we are both kind of admitting that we are old. Our bodies, stomachs and equilibriums just can't recover as easily from these types of escapades anymore.

But wanting to get our $20 worth, we tried a few more. Even the Tilt-a-Whirl was butterfly inducing. We decided to try one more "big" ride.

This one did not take any huge swings while throwing your body in all directions. It simply lift the claw into the air, tilted it, then spun you around and flipped you head over heels. I thought I could handle it since it would not induce butterflies. I actually enjoyed it. I did close my eyes but I was screaming and laughing the whole time.

Want to know what added laughing to the screaming? Well, each arm hold 4 people. We got on with a young girl and her dad. The way the seats are designed is to go under your bum just a tad, but not a full seat, and then a bump in the middle to keep your legs fitted in tight. The a big harness (padded) that comes down over the shoulders and chest. Well right away both men (John and "dad") are like. "Man, this is kinda uncomfortable". I was like, put your feet down. Well John could put his feet down but he could not really stand because the shoulder harness was not long enough to allow him to. So the ride starts, lifting us up. And from how John describes it, it was like being picked up by "the goods" and then "corn dogged" from the front. For like 2 minutes. Then other man was screaming too. We were all screaming and laughing. I saw the "dad" kinda limp off the ride like he had a mattress between his legs. I could not help but die laughing for a few minutes after we got off. Because John was making funny remarks about what just happened, and because I have a horrible habit at laughing at accidents or freak injuries. Like falling. Or running into something.

I know, I'm awful.

I think after that we rode one more, the Tidal Wave. Like the Himalaya only the carts are separated and tilt a little. It was kinda jerky.

Then John was done. He could not take any more jarring and I could not take any more nausea. As we walked around the kids area and petting zoo browsing, we mourned the loss of another part of our youth.
As a kid I was too scared to ride anything that went high, upside down or was scary. Then for a few years I got to the point where I let go of those fears and rode almost anything. Now I'm not afraid, but I feel sick on them. Maybe someday I can dry again, with lots of Dramamine on board. But I guess it's just another sign I'm not 18 anymore :(

But at least next  year we'll save $30. Because I don't think we'll be doing that again.

Purty Pumpkin Pickin'

Happy Friday all!

Yesterday we went and picked out our gourd. This was our first trip to a patch and so of course I had to get photos!

Sea of pumpkins

Wart-y pumpkins. Kinda gross

Dead pumpkins? They are actually supposed to be this color. Ugly. But very ghoul-ish.

"Farmer John"

But no farmer John's wife. Someone had to take the photo!

Then I finally asked the salesman to take our pic :) Please excuse the white pumpkin in the background that was at just the right spot to make me look like I have an Mennonite cap on. Lol. 

Our choice. One for mom and dad and 4 little ones for our fur children

Then we brought it home to carve

The inspiration for this year's design

An Ernie pumpkin!

I thought about getting 3 more after Halloween and doing all the dogs. Not after this! They take a while to carve. Thankfully John did 80% of it. What an artist!

He was terrified to be next to it. Lol.

On display.

All lit up

And I just had to leave off with a group shot of the canine members of the White household. Notice Eby the loner in the back 

I'm so glad the holidays are on their way! Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Being "Berry" thankful

Ok, so today I am feeling a lot like this character

before she learned her lesson.

Surely you all know the lesson of Madame Blueberry? If you don't know Veggie Tales, you should.
Anyway, suffice it to say she has a woe-is-me-I-don't-have-everything-I-want-everyone-else-has-more-than-me attitude. And that's rather how I've been feeling lately.

I know in my head it's wrong. But my heart still needs to learn this lesson. I've just felt sort of "stuck" lately. I would like for some things in life to change, but I don't see how to make it happen. Or at least how to make it happen soon.

Anyway, enough of that. I purposed in this post that I was going to be thankful and count my blessings. So here goes listing as many as I can think of (for now).

I'm thankful:
1. I grew up with a mom who loved me.
2. I earned my 4-year degree. Something many in my family purposed to do, but didn't.
3. I've always had work when I needed it.
4. For just the right shade of pink nail polish.
5. For a very nice home to live in.
6. That I didn't have to wait "forever" to get married.
7. That I have a husband who likes to keep peace in the home.
8. That I have learned to apologize (even if I'm bad at it).
9. For health insurance.
10. For dogs who rarely have accidents in the house and "go" outside
11. For a car that's still running pretty well at 11 years old.
12. For freedom from debt.
13. That someone invented skinny jeans so that I can tuck my jeans into my boots easily.
14. That I live near the ocean.
15. That I get some time away camping in three weeks.
16. For a pastor who is approachable and available.
17. For stylish flat shoes. What if you had to wear Granny shoes just to get flats?
18. For eyeliner. It sure helps put your look over the top.
19. For doggie diapers. No more cleaning up piddle and yelling at dogs.
20. And of course, for all the major things- my Jesus, my husband, my family, my health. The really important stuff.

Weekend Update 10-22-11

Hi all!

Overall I had a pretty great weekend! Did a lot of fun things and got a lot accomplished.

FRIDAY night I went with a friend to Gallery Night downtown. The air was crisp and cool and we (and almost every other fashionable female) seized the opportunity to break out the boots and scarves.

I tried to rock the tights-with-shorts look. I call it "Bohemian Cowgirl" lol

We ate really great Mexican food and sampled a few treats at a new bakery. Their cake bites were tasty tasty but their mini cupcakes were yuck! In one of the areas they were having an almost mini-Hispanic-festival. We stood and watched for several minutes as couples showed off their moves on the dance floor. I used to do those same dances and I must admit I felt very sad that I couldn't participate. But alas, you can't have your cake and eat it too. My husband has a lot of wonderful qualities. Dancing is not one of them. He will do some slow numbers with me on very special occasions because he loves me. But going out dancing for fun will probably not ever be on our to-do list.

SATURDAY I was a complete bum until about 1pm. As in stayed in my robe and slippers and took a 90 minute nap and watched TV and ate. It was great.

         Me and Ernie slobbin-it-up. It's a hard life my dogs live                                                                                                To clarify- I'm not nakey :)

Then I was really productive til about 5:15. I cleaned our garage. It was a COMPLETE disaster. Like made me angry to look at it disaster. Anyway, I got it taken care of. And that made me feel good.

Before- and this was after I cleared one path

Before

After

Left side

Right side

After a really quick clean-up I rushed off to meet a friend and go to hear Chris Tomlin and the "And if our God is for us" tour. It was ah-maze-ing! The presence of God was so strong. The crowd joined right in on every number and really it was just a big worship session. I was blessed to have won tickets- but even if I paid it would have been worth every penny. It always such a blessing to see a Christian artist live and know that they are genuine and it's not just showbiz and hype.

Before it started. We had pretty good (free!) seats

A big worship session. I love all his music.

It was dark, but we were having fun

SUNDAY after church my grandma came over for lunch. We chatted a bit and then I spent the rest of the day running errands and cleaning. And I read some more of my new book from the library. I love a good book. I stayed up til 1am Saturday night reading it. Rarely do I read 138 pages in one sitting, but it was really enthralling.

I leave you with a little proof that I am never alone- not even in the bathtub

Here's to hopes that the work week flies by!!!!

Weekend Update 10-15-11

Happy Monday all!

This weekend was pretty darn nice!

FRIDAY was spent doing things around the house, grocery shopping, going to Lowe's etc. Then my sweet hubby made us dinner. We had delicious fried Speckled Trout and a baked potato. My dad brought us the fish when he visited in July and we are just now cooking it. I had not had fried fish in some time and it tasted so delicious!

SATURDAY we went out on our weekly yard sale hunt. I've been doing some buying for a friend of mine and was able to get her some really great things to add to her wardrobe. I also got a few things for myself.

Hanging in the sun to dry. Green purse, PJs, brown sweater and blue shirt for me. The rest for a friend.

 I really love the purse, the deep green cable knit will be great for fall and winter. I also got some silk black and white polka dot PJs, a brown short sleeve sweater, no button style with a ruffle along the opening and a basic dark teal long sleeve shirt with a button and ruffle detail.

The jean jacket and grey sweater are for a friend. The coral and lavender sweater sets for me (for work). I know they're kinda grandma! Just for work.

Saturday was a busy day! I made lunch (fried fish repeat) while John put together a wood rack. Then I helped him unload a truck bed full of cut trees into the wood rack. We were fortunate to get firewood for free this year since a friend cut down several trees. But we do have to let it dry out and then John has to split it. I watched him do this some already and it is seriously hard work!
In the evening we visited my friend and she tried on all the things I'd collected. All but one fit her! She was so happy and grateful to get new things and it made me happy to give them!
This weekend was also our city's annual Greek Festival. So the three of us headed there for dinner. It was tasty! I had a gyro and some Greek fries. But the best by far was the dessert tent. I had a Baklava sundae that was so so tasty! John had "pasta" which is actually a desert, and it was really good too! I don't think they have any bad desserts!

SUNDAY after church I made lunch, this time trying out a skinnytaste.com recipe, Sesame Chicken. I love her site! A side of basmati rice rounded it out. We recently just tried this type of rice and I really like the flavor and texture. I also made a dashingdish.com recipe, pumpkin cinnamon rolls. Also a hit! The day had warm but bearable weather, and I spent the afternoon outside playing with the dogs, clipping their nails, giving baths etc.
I ended the day by watching our wedding ceremony DVD again. It's been about a year since I watched it last and I was feeling nostalgic. Yes, I did cry, but I also laughed. It was so wonderful to watch, and to think about our kids being able to watch it someday. I'm really glad we filmed it.

Sunday our Pastor said he hoped by this time next year we'd have 6 babies in church. Even if that meant one couple had to have triplets. Lol. I sure hope the triplets won't be us!

SO WHAT! Wednesday 10-12-11

So what if I take a break from "So Whatting" to brag on my husband!

Ladies!
My husband is so thoughtful and pays attention! I asked for my romance, and I so got it!

Monday when I left my ladies' bible study, I opened my car door to find a bouquet of flowers and a love card! It's an hour round trip to bible study, and I would be coming straight home. He could have just had them waiting at the house for me. But he took the time and effort to drive out there just to leave them in my car while we were meeting. I was so surprised!

Then when I got home there were 2 more cards taped to our front door. Another card from him and one from the dogs. The dogs card was so funny!

Then when I opened the door, rose petals made a path and candles were lit. The dogs had been put to bed and all was quiet. It was so lovely!

So I just wanted to share, because it's certainly worth sharing!!!!!

Weekend Update 10-08-11

It's almost hump day! This week is going quickly it seems. I hope that keeps up til Friday at noon and then slows waaaay down! :)

This FRIDAY we attended a housewarming for a good friend (and former bridesmaid) of mine, Hayley. I went over to her house a bit early to “gussy her up” as I like to call it. I made sure to also polish her nails. Little did she know all this was in preparation for a big surprise! Her fiancé drove 14 hours from Texas to pop in on her at the party and deliver her engagement ring! They actually got engaged without a ring, and Hayley thought she was going to have to wait until Thanksgiving to get it (it was custom made). But all of her friends and family have known for like 6 weeks that she was getting it at her fall party! And he proposed again, formally, with the ring. She was BEYOND shocked. It was so sweet. She just kept saying “Seriously? Seriously? How did you get here? Is this for real?” So cute.  It was also the first time that most of us had met her fiancé, Isaac. It was good to meet him before the wedding which we’ll be driving 12 hours to go to (and be in!) in March. They will wed just 3 days before our second anniversary!

SATURDAY I went out to a few yard sales myself. John went Friday and spent a good deal of the week’s budget on some good finds so he didn’t need to go Saturday. Well, I woke up bored around 8am so I decided I’d venture out alone to browse. I’m so glad I did because I found a lot of good deals on clothing for myself, John and also some for a friend. Then we also went to a charity auction at a local church. They were raising money for the tornado victims in Alabama. 

The rest of the day we vegged.

SUNDAY after church my grandma  came over for lunch. Then I took a much needed nap. I was so tired! Not sure why. I also hung our new "headboard". Free is best! I really do like it.

Very modern

To finish off the weekend John and I enjoyed a nice walk through our neighborhood and enjoyed the cool air.

SO WHAT! Wednesay 10-05-11

via Shannon at Life After I Dew

Today I'm saying SO WHAT! if-

• Our garage is a complete and total disaster. And I'm learning to deal with it. My husband probably thinks this is great as he's sometimes irked by my cleanliness. I'm not so sure it's a good thing myself. But as soon as I start helping with the business- that thing is getting organized!
• I still have not re-done the ribbon on our curtains. There are no craft/fabric stores near my house and I haven't looked for a coupon yet. Same goes for fabric, foam and batting for the headboard. I've realized the headboard is going to cost about $50+ to make and there are 3 identical full length mirrors that are already at home that are not in use. I am thinking of mounting them on the wall horizontally staggered as a headboard.
• We fed the dogs the remnants of a roasted spaghetti squash. It was basically like baby food. They only got about 2 Tbsp each and they LOVED it!
• I'm really thinking about going part time. I even took one step towards it. We shall see.
• I'm anxious to put my fall wreath on the door but am waiting for hubby to get it out of the attic. Along with putting up our luggage from the cruise. Which was a month ago! (Hint hint hubby)
• My grandma asked me today if I've been feeling ok lately. I have. She said the last couple of times I've come over I've looked "sick" and am I pregnant? That my face kinda looked like "pregnant women do". Thanks grandma! I feel fine and I'm not preggo.

Share your "So What's" with us and link up over at Shannon's blog!

Weekend Update 10-02-11

Monday is here, and I'm likely rubbing my eyes and wishing I drank coffee. Mostly because we have such fun on the weekends I'm sad to see them go.

Friday I worked a few hours later than usual. This sometimes happens the last Friday of the month. But I was able to get a lot accomplished with the time that was left. I was able to get our new drawer hardware attached after purchasing new screws of the proper length. I also got ribbon detailing put on the curtains, but I don't like the color in person. The color of the ribbon was too light of a yellow and against the grey it almost looks like a light lime. I'm going to have to go to the fabric or craft store to get the ribbon I want. Another day :) Here's the bedroom progress so far:

I'm really pleased with the new knobs. They're even better in person IMO. I told the hubs it was like our furniture put on a custom tuxedo. Lol.
So really what is left is to make the headboard (we're getting closer since we picked up a jig saw Saturday to make the cuts) and to re-do the ribbon on the curtains.


That evening we had our Pastor and his wife over for dinner. I tried a new recipe for chicken pot pie and John made mashed potatoes. It tasted pretty good. I had to improvise it a bit (but I seem to always do this) because WalMart does not carry canned corn chowder, which is what the recipe called for. I'd like to make it again by the book. But maybe add a bottom crust. I really like that in a pot pie. Anyway we had lots of funny stories and learned more about our church and the families there. We are hoping to have our Sunday School class over for dinner sometime this fall.


Saturday I deemed "yard-sale-a-palooza". The temp dropped here this weekend and so everyone and their brother was taking advantage of not having to sweat to death while selling their stuff. We went to about 3 or 4 neighborhood yard sales and several individual ones. We did not even put a small dent in the map of yard sales. In fact we kinda stayed on our side of town. It's days like this I wish there was 3 or 4 of me so I could make them all. Never know what you might be missing!!! Here's my loot, minus the jig saw ($7) and the metal tool box ($3). I didn't really think you'd want to see a picture of those.

It came up to a pretty big total this week- especially for a yard sale- $50.75. But they were all pretty great deals!


The rest of Saturday was pretty relaxed. A nap for John, some light housework for me. And as I was blogging Paula Deen came on the Food Network. Dash her!!! Everything she makes looks so so delicious and so so fattening. This is the recipe she was making: Orange Brownies. In fact it was a whole show with different brownies from different Food Network hosts. TORTURE.
This weekend I also used our nice camera for the first time in a good while. It was so nice. I'm going to try and pull it out more often. Here's what I captured:

So as you can see the new computer is up an running. So much faster and easier to deal with. I also got a new mat ($5!) for the back door and my annuals are doing really well. The first batch I planted failed miserably. I don't think they could handle the sun even though they were supposed to. It seems Marigolds and Mums are a bit more hardy.


Sunday we had a wonderful church service. The presence of Jesus was there so strong. We had in a mother daughter family trio and they harmonized so beautifully. I'm always impressed with people who sound good a capella. They also sang with instruments. I was surprised that I enjoyed the music as it had a bit of Southern gospel flair which I've never really enjoyed. Sunday was relaxing. We ate, played with the dogs, napped, watched a movie and I worked on the menu for the coming week. We ended it peacefully as a weekend should be.

Homemade Meatballs (Recipe)

So I adapted this recipe from E-Mealz. It was my first time to make my own meatballs and to me, it was Ahhhhmazing! But, it's the most amazing when you combine it with this sauce:

Bertolli pasta sauce, Italian Sausage flavor

And now, for the star player, the meatballs:

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef (leanness of your choice, we get 90/10 or 93/7 usually)
2/3 c plain bread crumbs
4 Tonion, minced (adjust amount for desired flavor)
4 T green bell pepper, minced
1/4 c finely grated parmesan cheese (the kind in a can, not the shredded)
1/3 c fat free milk
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1-2 t garlic powder
1 t Italian seasoning

Mix all ingredients together by hand. Roll into a ball of desired size in the palm of your hand. Place into a casserole dish, bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until internal temp reaches 160 degrees. They will be a grey-ish color when they come out but will brown up as they cool.

Alternatively- you could cook them on the stove top. As the original recipe called for baking them an hour and I was short on time and hungry, I browned mine on the stove top in an iron skillet, turning once, then I placed the skillet in the oven for 10-15 minutes just to make sure they were cooked through.

Combine with a sauce of your choice and serve!

Chicken portfolios (Recipe)

This is another E-Mealz recipe. It was a HUGE hit with my husband. If you had pre-cooked chicken this recipe would be pretty quick to make!

Ingredients:

2 cans (8oz each) reduced fat crescent rolls
2 c cooked chicken, chopped into bite size pieces or shredded/pulled
2 T minced onion
8oz 1/2 fat cream cheese
4 T margarine, melted
1/2 c FF milk
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t garlic powder

Blend cream cheese and margarine until smooth. Soften cream cheese a bit if necessary. Mix in all remaining ingredients except crescents. Lay out crescent rolls onto baking sheet, keeping them together in pairs so that you have a rectangle, pressing the seams together to make the rectangle whole. Place a few spoonfuls of the chicken mixture into the center. Pull the corners of the dough together in the middle and then pull up remaining dough to make a sachet of sorts. (As you can see in the picture mine was too full, but tasted good!). Bake at 350 15-20 minutes until crescent is golden brown.