Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, if only...

I was packing all of my clothes and accessories in some of these..but I am not!! It would be so much more fun!! I guess first things are first and I NEED to get the laundry done! I wish I had a genie, or a maid, or enough clothes that I didn't have to wash!! LOL Gotta run and fold some more LAUNDRY!!!!!!!!!!

Looking Forward...

to a little time away.

Yep, leaving gives you time to think. Thinking allows you to gain new perspective. And gaining new perspective allows you to reevaluate the things that are important.

The boys have a huge week coming up with swimming and Mulan! So we are in the throws of getting EVERYTHING organized to be missing a WEEK plus a day of school. {My sweet school was so sweet to give me the time off!!} And the break comes at a much needed time! I soooooooooooo look forward to being away from home, no worries, no animals to feed, no schedules to have to attend to, no bills to pay {i have to pay them all before we leave!! LOL} change of scenery! All these are good things! Visiting relatives we hardly ever get to see and even better thing! And just having some down time! WE NEVER HAVE DOWN TIME!! Of course we have a long way to go to get there... school, rehearsals, practice, shopping, banquets, laundry and packing all must get done. But it will get done! {and I have 2 really good books to take with me!! Can't wait to start reading them!}


Maybe I will do some blogging while I am gone, maybe not! Maybe I will be on FB while I am gone, maybe not! What I will be doing is enjoying my family and that is what is the MOST important. Because the boys are getting older and sooner rather than later that time will be gone!


So I wish you all many blessings during my absence....hope the weather is beautiful where you are... and enjoy the time with your family!! Time goes by way to FAST!!

Don't you just love..

a day with nothing to do?? Well, I have had a whole entire week off and have been busying around the house "simplifying" things a bit. That and getting the house CLEAN pretty much was a 2 day process. {And since Monday was "MY" day and Tuesday was spent "recovering" from "MY" day that left Wednesday and Thursday to clean and today to veg out!}. So I have spent the day watching movies and chillin' out. I did have an appoinment this am at 9:00 but after that I have been a free bird. I have watched my soap {Y&R}, gone to Publix, given my friend Kim her b'day present {even though we are going out tonight it was easier to give her her gift today}, watched a movie, TAKEN {if you haven't seen it, it's really good!}, and have my TWO loaves of bread rising and HOPEFULLY they will be ready to bake this evening.

I love the weekends but not when they are jammed with stuff to do! Tonight is GNO, and Sat and Sun afternoons are spent at the swim meet for Number 1 son. Number 2 son still is on the DL. I hope McSweetie can get a little done around the house this weekend, some touch up painting and such.

I hate that I didn't do anything more fun with my time... like scrapbooking or shopping {well, I did run to goodwill and got a couple of treasures and I went and spent my Valentine's gift certificate on 2 beads for my pandora bracelet}.

You know, still saving my pennies for one of these...Not sure if it will be that one but I do LIKE IT ALOT!!

Feed the Beast...

sourdough beast that is! So I am on round 2 of my sourdough starter. I fed it last Sunday then added the flour to let it rise overnight. Then I "punched" it down and divided it into TWO loaves. Now this is Monday mind you and MY DAY TO PARTY!! So I tell NUmber 1 son that when he gets home that night he will need to bake them. And of course I left the directions out for him. The loaves were rising in the microwave to be kept out of "harms" AKA Annie's way.

So Number 2 son wants to heat up his snack in the microwave so he removes the loaves of bread. Then he LEAVES the kitchen... within minutes he hears a crash and runs to the kitchen. Yep, harm had fallen to my bread. {Now also keep in mind that I am using loaf pans and one of my loaf pans is my NEW MCKENZIE-CHILDS loaf pan.} So Number 2 son talks to McSweetie and gets everything all cleaned up. {Of course he forgot to take the trash out immediately and it was only the next day did I notice this very STRONG fermenting smell in my kitchen}

So I call Monday afternoon during a lull in the action{LOL, there were no LULLS} to check on NUmber 2. I can tell immediately that something is wrong. So I ask. He asks if I have talked to McSweetie to which I reply NO. Then he procedes to tell me the story. I just ask one thing... was it the pretty loaf pan. NO!! Are you sure?? YES!! Then all is well!

Well, Number 1 son forgot to bake the loaf. How do I know this? Because at 2:30am I go to check out the damage in the kitchen and see that there is no freshly baked bread to be found. So I go to microwave and see this oozing mass... So McSweetie who is soooooooooooo wonderful offers to stay up and bake the bread for me! Isn't he a doll??!!

So today I am hoping that it will be uneventful and that I will be baking 2 loaves tomorrow!!

"WORD ON THE STREET IS...

...Number 1 son sure does know how to treat his Valentine." How does stuff get spread around so fast? I was told this by one of my guy friends at the Mardi Gras Ball Monday night. "Who did you hear that from?" "Well, the girls in my car were all talk about it."

HMmmmmmmmm, well I do think he did a pretty good job this year. Last year's Valentine was all a blur because McSweetie's Dad was sooooooooo sick. I guess his sweetheart last year kinda got jipped.

So this year Number 1 son decides he wants to invite his "girl" over and cook for her. {His specialty cheesecake being number 1 on the list of things to make. } And he cooks Chicken ALA King for her as well. Accompanied by Roasted Asparagus and a fresh green salad. They had their own table set up {I did that} with flowers as a centerpiece which were hers to take and a special CD that was made just for her.

Pretty good, huh? Not bad for a 14 year old... He's going to make a GREAT HUSBAND one day!!

Happy Mardi Gras, Y'all!!

McSweetie and I on Family Day

My Float ... A girl wants

A Day at the BEACH!

The boys

All of our Gang at the Ball

{It took a while to get us all together,

we clean up pretty well, I'd say!}




McSweetie and me

My Besties...
Caught in the action!

Through me somthing "sista"


Lead Singer of the Velcro Pygmies...

anyone out there remember them

from your college days?

I loved it when they were in T'town!

Oh wow!! Things have been CRAZY here with all the Mardi Gras stuff in FULL swing. We have the greatest time with our friends during this time of the year... parades and balls, moonpies and beads. This is one of my favorite things about living where we do... a whole new reason to decorate. Although my mom says which do you choose to decorate for Valentine's Day or Mardi Gras? Well, I did a little of both!

We had the fun of going to 2 Balls this year {one being my own} and we had a BALL!! {LOL} This was also my 2nd time to parade and it was so much for more than I remember it being last ...year {despite the cold which I did NOT even feel!}

Hope you enjoyed the pics... {and yes we did celebrate Valentine's Day as well, another post for another day and my date with a loaf of sourdough bread TBC.....}

There REALLY is snow...

in SouthTown! Too bad it's not sticking or that my camera doesn't pick it up. But it's here... it's real and it's a TREAT!!!

Great way to spend a day out of school. Kids have had a ball and I have stayed in my pj's... given myself a manipedi and read my book all day long! Now in a little while this gal needs to get dressed for the ball... but until then, I think I will just enjoy my day of leisure!

Happy Friday, y'all!!

There's Snow in SouthTown...

so today I am teaching PE OUTSIDE {and it was FREEZING} and I hear this ping, ping, ping sound. I think is there water running somewhere?? What is making that sound? Then I see it

SLEET!!!

Do my eyes deceive me??!!

So I pause and wait.... Yes, more of this sleet stuff. So I tell my students to stop what they are doing and look....

finally one yells.... It's SNOWING!!!

So, here in SouthTown we are having a snow day tomorrow!! gotta love it!!

Helpful Hint from Busy Mom...

WE all love Publix and HERE is another reason why...

who doesn't love getting your medications for FREE!! I was sharing my "fun" experience yesterday with my prayer partner and she said did you know you can get select antibiotics free at Publix? NO I DID NOT!! And if you DID NOT... Now you do!!

Also another big SCORE for PUBLIX is this....BREAD!!

One of the things I miss about back home is my VERY FAVORITE BAKERY....

BIG SKY BREAD COMPANY!!

They have the MOST delicious breads, cookies, granola, etc. So I am walking through my Publix and notice they are carrying the GRANOLA!! OOooooo, so I think maybe they would be willing to carry my favorite bread... three seed!! So I go talk to the manager and he says he will tell the bakery. Great!! Well in the mean time I ask my mom if they still sell the bread at her Publix...

well, it turns out that Publix Bakery gets the dough from the bakery and they make "their" own 3 seed bread. So today while I am getting my beef tips for dinner tonight I swing through the bakery and LO and BEHOLD... BREAD!!! I rushed right home and put a slice in the toaster oven and when it was ready spread some peanut butter on there and OM MY GOODNESS... YUMMY!! Oh, how i have missed the bread!! Healthy, dense, full of fiber...

Now if only they made the cookies.... didn't check that but the peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are too DIE FOR!!!

And that my friends is YOUR helpful hint of the day!!

Hints from Busy Mom...

Here is your helpful hint of the day...

If you want to take this to school for your child who was sick and absent yesterday and the only way to get him through the day is with this {I hope it gets him through the day}

Make sure it is in the original bottle... {ok so I fudged a little on that and bought a HUGE bottle to keep at home and sent a smaller bottle with just enough to get him through the next few days}

That has the seal that is UNBROKEN!!!! Seems that our society has even made that into an issue by sending medicines to school for their children that are NOT what they are supposed to be!! Seriously... there are parents out there that do that??!! What are they thinking/doing??!!

So I clearly thought I had the best plan today... got up, made lunches, at 7am ran to Publix to get more cough medicine. Came home put just enough to get child through today and tomorrow in smaller bottle labeled with his name and the dosage I want him to take and at the exact times. Even bought cough drops as well for him to keep with him through the day!

Arrive at school. Park car and walk medicine to the nurse. Who then "sweetly" tells me, "I see you tried to have your ducks in a row but I cannot accept a bottle of medicine that has been opened. I just shot your duck out of the water didn't I??" Uh, YOU THINK??!! "Now don't feel like you have to hurry.... We don't need the medicine until 10:30" Hmmm, let's just factor in that I was going to Zumba at 8:30 and have work today at 10am. So even if I do HURRY I'm not going to be able to do the things I had planned this am... ZUMBA!!! {Still have the work thing} I also asked if he could carry cough drops with him for the day. "Do you think he needs them?" What??!! I wouldn't be ASKING if I didn't think he NEEDED them.

So after a trip to the local WalMart and a new bottle of generic cough medicine {oh and a scrapbooking magazine} back to the school to drop off BOX of UNOPENED, still SEALED medicine which the nurse was not in her office so I left it with the 8th graders that run the office upstairs... {Let's just see how well that one flies...}

Thanks people, thanks for ruining our system that EVERYONE is now suspect because there are some of you that have absolutely NO UPBRINGING!!

And that my bloggy friends is your HINT from BUSY MOM today... hope it saves you some grief one day!!

It Begins AGAIN....

FRIENDSHIP BREAD!!!!!

YUMMY!!
{Don't you just LOVE my loaf pan??!!}

If you have never made this, it is sooooooooooo good, fattening but GOOD! So, since the family has been on a healthier eating program I cut some of the fat out of this loaf using the 1/2 oil and 1/2 applesauce. Had to cook it a little longer but it is soo moist and YUMMY!! Next round I plan to use 1/2 sugar and 1/2 splenda!

I have never started the starter, but found this recipe that you may want to try...

This is the Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe that you will need to make the Amish Friendship Bread (above). It is very important to use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers when making this. Do not use metal at all!

Ingredients:
1 pkg. active dry yeast 1/4 cup warm water (110°F) 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup white sugar 1 cup warm milk (110°F)
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.
2. In a 2 quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or the flour will get lumpy when you add the milk.
3. Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Loosely cover the mixture with a lid or plastic wrap. The mixture will get bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle, or the day you receive the starter.
For the next 10 days handle starter according to the instructions.

Day 1 - receive the starter (the recipe for the starter is below)
Day 2 - stir
Day 3 - stir
Day 4 - stir
Day 5 - Add 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk.
Day 6 - stir
Day 7 - stir
Day 8 - stir
Day 9 - stir
Day 10 - Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Divide into 4 containers { I use gallon ziploc bags and label them with the date of DAY 1}, with 1 cup each for three of your friends and 1 cup for your own loaves. Give friends the instructions for Day 1 through Day 10 and the following recipe for baking the bread.

After removing the 3 cups of batter, combine the remaining cup of Amish Friendship Bread starter with the following ingredients in a large bowl:
1 cup oil

3 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 large box pudding

1/2 cup milk

Using a fork beat by hand until well blended. You can add 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts (optional).
Grease two loaf pans with butter, sprinkle with sugar instead of flour.
Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour (individual oven temperatures vary). Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans. Makes two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread.