PIANO LESSONS

"Beauty" and her Piano Teacher

We are so excited for our oldest daughter to begin taking piano lessons.  The first lesson went very well. She just wanted to go home and continue practicing "for the next three hours." :)

 

HE'S JUST TOO COOL, FOLKS

Here he is. The one. The only . . . Little Man!
 

And he is just way too cool in his shades. :)

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SHOES

"Cutie's" shoes
See how tiny his feet were?

 

O'Man's shoes
I love his expression. It's like he's saying, "I can't help myself. I see a pair of shoes, and I gotta wear 'em. So sue me." 

Momma's shoes
Striking a pose. T-shirt by Carters, jeans by Wrangler, shoes by Nike.

Daddy's shoes
Could he be thinking, "Alright, already. Enough with the pictures, Mom. Gimme dat camera!"

"Beauty's" shoes
Look at his little fists. Is he thinking, "I saw 'em first. Now back away from these shoes!"
He's pretty dangerous in a diaper.

Little man just likes wearing shoes. He really likes BIG shoes as you can see from this collection of snapshots. It's hilarious to watch him "clomp-clomp-clomping" around the house.

I LOVE GERANIUMS

These are my two hot pink geraniums. One of my favorite flowering plants. O'Man planted them in this lovely green planter. He fertilizes them once a week with Miracle Grow, and "Cutie" waters them once a day.
They are simply gorgeous, and they are surviving!

[Did you notice that I am no where in the above? Indeed, that is WHY they are thriving. It's nice to know our limits, eh?]

ONE OF MY FAVORITE BIRTHDAY CAKE MEMORIES

"Happy Birthday to me ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ Happy Birthday to me ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ Happy Birthday, to me ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ Happy Birthday to me! ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪



"Old age is a privilege denied to many."

If  you LOVE frosting be sure to get the basket weave on all sides.   ;)

Rose buds, Daisies, and Dots!

Couldn't have asked for a prettier cake ... and so tasty!

A surprise gift from a friend. She never ceases to amaze me. What a wonderful friend who pays attention to the details.  I love ya! "Crunch - Crunch"

[Below is a link to an earlier post I made. It will explain the above gift. Check it out, if your curious.]

http://beautyforashes2010.blogspot.com/2011/01/feelin-kinda-homesick.html

WE CAME FOR THE STRAWBERRIES, Y'ALL

Today I went strawberry picking with friends. What a "sweet and juicy" time we enjoyed!



Such bounty! Aren't they beautiful? So sweet, too.

Rows as far as the eye could see just waiting for hands to pluck those juicy, red berries.

Filling their buckets.

Me and little man tasting a berry . . . or two.



Official Taste Tester

I have more pictures, and definitely want to share our experience in more detail. It's been a long day, though, so I'll do my best to put the info and pics under my REVIEWS page before this weekend is over. Please check back y'all! Bye for now.  :)

YE OLE "MOM AND POP"

 

Still Smiling

 

THIS ONE'S FOR ALL THE FINE PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD SUFFERING WITH ALLERGIES - "I FEEL YA!"

This is how I looked this evening after dinner. It wasn't the enchiladas. My nose just would NOT stop running! It had been driving me KraZy ALL DAY along with intermittent sneezing. At last, I could take no more. My solution? Stuff it myself.

Yes, I know I looked absolutely ridiculous. My dear hubby was quick to assure me of that fact . . . once his laughter subsided.
Hmmmm, at least my nose stopped running!

This is me happy for ten seconds without drainage. (Hey, if you can't laugh at  yourself, I would be happy to do it for  you ;)

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Tonight we made Chicken Enchiladas. I wasn't sure if the kids would like them, and neither were they. Actually, they were so yummy, we ended up eating them all by themselves. What a pleasant surprise.  :)

They are so opposite of Beef Enchiladas . . . white sauce, creamy, and, of course, no beef. Really, the only thing that is the same is that we use corn tortillas in both recipes. Even the cheese is different. Check them out below.


Chicken Enchiladas

The recipe filled an 8x8 pan and a 9x13 pan. We even had some extra filling leftover. I realized we could have easily filled two 9x13 pans. (As always you can find this recipe in my RECIPES page at the top of this page under my Stick Family.)

WHAT HAVE YOU BELIEVED?

The motto below causes me to think about my "To Do" Lists and how much I believe I can do in any given day.  I'd have to be Superwoman to complete the things I place on most of mine.

 

Are you guilty of this mentality? I am. Boy, oh boy, am I ever guilty. I'm not sure why I do this, but I do. Here's an example of what my list might look like.

1.  Finish painting living room, dining room, and hallway trim today

2.  Purchase groceries, pay bills, return library books, and go to post office

3.  Prepare enough food for this week's meals

4.  Cut out pattern and material for girl's dresses and sew

5.  Sift compost and transplant geraniums into new pots

6.  Catch up on correspondence, phone calls, and post on my blog

 

Time for me to start believing in six POSSIBLE things each day.

How about you? What might YOUR list look like? Leave me a comment, if you please.

SWEET & SOUR CHICKEN AND CHEESECAKE

Today we enjoyed some delicious homemade Sweet and Sour Chicken and New York Style Cheesecake. Boy, oh boy, was it good!

These are better than any chicken nuggets. Eat your heart out, McDonalds! ;)



So rich. So decadent. So much Philly cream cheese...FIVE packages! It fills a lovely 9x13 pan to perfection.

[Look for my RECIPES page which can be found at the top of this page under my Stick Family for these and other recipes.]

KISS ME, YOU FOOL

He's so cute when he's comin' atcha with that kisser. :)

Little Man (aka "Hot Lips")

AZALEAS IN BLOOM

I've been keeping an eye on our azalea bushes this week. They've been full of buds, and I didn't want to miss their grand opening. When I went outside today I was greeted by a burst of color ... and pink is my favorite. :)

OUR BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN

 Just like old times.

It's nice to see the ole toothbrush cup filled up again! ;)

ELEPHANTS ARE HATS, TOO

Little Man seemed to be sweeter, more adventurous, and just plain loveable this week. I had so much fun capturing his antics in pictures and in videos. I was beginning to think I should start a new blog all about him.

In the video clip below I caught him listening to one of his musical books. He put his elephant box toy on his head and "felt the music." I had to stay behind him because if he had seen the camera, he would have immediately stopped because he's doesn't like his picture taken lately. 

When I finished recording him I did go around and take a picture, but as you can see in the photo below, he got mad and started taking off his "hat" (just as I knew he would). Glad I waited until I had the moment captured on video. Whew!



He see's the camera, and off comes the "hat."



There lands the "hat" having been thrown down violently.

One of his musical books he was listening to.

 

This is the whole set of toys. Believe me, he has tried to get every one of them on his head, but only one fits.

I just love that little purple monkey, too!

♫ Brighten the Corner Where You Are ♪

I got these tulips today.  

Aren't they pretty?
They made my already bright day even brighter.  :)

 

 

 

OH, NO HE DIDN'T!

SHARING SOME LAUGHS

1) The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot 's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted, "My mommy looked back once while she was driving," he announced triumphantly, "and she turned into a telephone pole!"

2) A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan. She asked the class, "If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?"  A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, "I think I'd throw up."

3) A Sunday school teacher asked, 'Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark? ''No," replied Johnny. "How could he, with just two worms?"

4) Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School. "Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt . When he got to the Red Sea, he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then he radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved." "Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you," his Mother asked.  "Well, no, Mom. But, if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!"

5) A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible - Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter. Little Rick was excited about the task - but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know."

6) The preacher's 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day, she asked him why.  "Well, Honey," he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages, "I'm asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon."  "How come He doesn't answer it," she asked.

7) During the minister's prayer one Sunday, there was a loud whistle from one of the back pews. Tommy's mother was horrified. She pinched him into silence.  After church she asked, "Tommy, whatever made you do such a thing?" Tommy answered soberly, "I asked God to teach me to whistle . . . and He did!"

8) When my daughter, Kelli, said her bedtime prayers, she would bless every family member, every friend, and every animal (current and past). For several weeks, after we had finished the nightly prayer, Kelli would say, "And all girls."  This soon became part of her nightly routine, to include this closing. My curiosity got the best of me and I asked her, "Kelli, why do you always add the part about all girls?"  Her response, "Because everybody always finishes their prayers by saying 'All Men'!"

9) Little Johnny and his family were having Sunday dinner at his Grandmother's house. Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served. When Little Johnny received his plate, he started eating right away.  "Johnny! Please wait until we say our prayer," said his mother.  "I don't need to," the boy replied.  "Of course, you do," his mother insisted. "We always say a prayer before eating at our house."  "That's at our house," Johnny explained, "but this is Grandma's house, and she knows how to cook!"

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES

A father wanted to read a magazine, but was being bothered by his little girl. She wanted to know what the United States looked like. Finally, he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed the map of the country. Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to her and said, "Go into the other room and see if you can put this together."

After a few minutes, she returned and handed him the map, correctly fitted and taped together.

The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly.

"Oh," she said, "on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got all of Jesus back where He belonged, then our country just came together."

MY HOBBIES



Culottes gone awry -
[awry - away from the expected or proper direction; amiss; WRONG]

Sweet Christmas Dresses

Frogs, anyone?

 

My First Shirt