365...Day 25

                                                              Fabulous Crackers

These oil-drenched crackers are sinfully delicious and addicting.  Our friend Andrea brings them to our scrapbooking retreats.  We almost fight for the last few in the bag...usually eaten about 2 am.  I don't have her exact recipe, but here is one I found online.  Now I just need an occasion to make some!

Ingredients:


1 cup of Light-tasting olive oil

1 box of multi-grain saltine crackers

1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix (dry powder package)

1 tbsp of garlic powder

1 tbsp of crushed red pepper flakes or cheyenne pepper


Directions:

1.  Make sure you use "light-tasting" olive oil - regular olive oil has to strong of flavor. Also make sure to use Hidden Valley Ranch "Dressing" mix not the "Dips" mix

2.  In a large tupperware container place entire box of saltine crackers.

3.  In a bowl mix light-tasting olive oil, package of HVR dressing mix, 1 tbsp of garlic powder, and 1 tbsp of crushed red pepper flakes.

4.  Pour mixture over the saltine crackers and seal tupperware container. Continuously flip the container to make sure the mixture evenly coats all the crackers.

Some people bake for 10 minutes or so at 200 degrees.

Makes 33 servings of 5 crackers each.

365...Day 24

Oh, the life of a kid whose DS has dead batteries.  Shane had not gotten to play Sarah's DS for two days for not following directions.  When he could finally play it, the battery was dead.  No worries, he just plopped down on the floor next to the plug.  Problem solved!

365...Day 23

A few of my favorite things...

 

                                   Snickers actually tie with Peanut M&Ms for my favorite candy!

Orange Chicken, steamed veggies, and Dr. Pepper

Kettle Korn...really love it at Six Flags or a fair where you can watch them make it in a huge cast-iron skillet.  Yum!

Julios's chips. 

My Del Rio military friends can agree these chips are the best! 

My scrapbooking friends have come to love these as well. 

At our biyearly weekend retreats, we always look forward to Julie bringing them from Abilene.

Luckily, they now sell them at Albertsons.  Wish they would bring in the salsa, too.

Sarah's first big computer project

Sarah has been researching oil spills and taking notes for her GATES class at school.  She had to make a bibliography page and then use her notes to create something to share the information.  She chose to use publisher and make a newsletter.  We did not have publisher on any of our computers, so we had to load it.  Since we had an older version, she could not work on it at home and school.  Last night, we finally finished the project.  Printing was another story.  Both printers downstairs were out of colored ink; therefore, they would not print at all.  Finally, I tried to print on Steve's printer upstairs and it worked!!  This is a copy that I scanned in so that Steve could see it via email.  I'll try to get one that is in color.

365...Day 22

Ho Ho Ho!  Merry CHRISTmas!  We stopped at the nearby Keller bus barn last Friday night and had an impromptu visit with Santa.  Shane asked for a DS and a K'NEX roller coaster set (kind of like legos).  Sarah asked for a car charger and the LEGO Harry Potter game for her DS.  Boy are they growing up.  I went in Toys R Us a few weeks ago and realized that my "babies" have outgrown many of the toys there.  I basically was able to visit only the LEGO and electronics sections. 

365...Day 21

1--2--3

One pair of socks

Two holes in the heels

Three hours of free-time while Shane played outside (without shoes, obviously)

PRICELESS!!

365...Day 20

Here is another favorite.   This was taken last year at Sarah's veteran's day program.  The music teacher had asked me to find these to put in this year's slide show. 

365...Day 19

This is one of my favorite pictures of Steve from his military days.  As an IP (Instructor Pilot), he got to have his name painted on a T-1 jet.  "Sprowler" was his pilot nickname.  I think he got to fly this plane for his last, or fini-flight.  He served 12 active duty years and has a little less than one year to go in the reserves.  Next September, he will be officially done with the military! (I think he will have retirement benefits at 62.)

It's that time again...

time to start working on holiday cards!  I just saw a great deal for 50 free cards from shutterfly!  I use shutterfly blogs for my girl scout troop and community group.  I have ordered their holiday (Christmas and Halloween) cards in the past and they were great quality and affordable.

To check it out ..click here

Halloween

This year's costume winners...Bakugan: Dragonoid and Candy Corn Witch, and Oreo, as herself!!

365...Day 18

I think this is Steve's favorite dress up day for the kids at school.  He loves camo-ing up their faces!  This was "Join the Fight Against Drugs" day.

365...Day 17

This is my favorite picture of Cari and I from high school.  It was taken at a cold football game in the fall of 1993; we were SENIORS.  Cari asked me to dig it out so she could include it in her book about her life.  Thought I would post it.  Oh, those were the days of super, red lipstick!!  Go Rebels!!

365...Day 16

As a consequence of me working, there are many things that just don't get done.  Last week, I was going to Walmart and Shane asked me if I could just get him a  loaf of bread.  Sorry buddy, mama just cannot keep up.  I am glad I work here and there and am so grateful I don't have to work full time.  Yesterday, Shane wouldn't brush his teeth beacuse we had run out of Aquafresh and the toothpastes we have at the house are just too hot.  I have two tubes in my bag from Target. :)

365...Day 15

Go Cowboys!!  We love Justice.  Cute little monkey shirt that endorses Steve's favorite team!

365...Day 14

Lots of stuff, huh?  It is amazing how much stuff you need to scrapbook for a 3 day weekend.  Who cares that I forgot my toothpaste and conditioner.  I had adhesive, paper, and stickles.  Twenty-two women, each with a 5 foot table piled with stuff in a room, is a LOT of stuff.  I got so much done!  Almost finished scrapping 2009 for our family album.  Backed up my laptop on a new external hard-drive, transferred my pictures from my phone into my computer (so I could do more blog posts.)  It was a great weekend!

365...Day 14

Give this kid a camera and she can entertain herself (and others) for hours.  This was at her birthday sleepover; she is being quite a ham.  When she was little, she would play amuse herself with mirrors and the glass patio door -- making funny faces and giggling at herself.  Same kid...just a little bigger.  How I love to hear her deep-belly laugh!

365...Day 13

My kids love to build tents out of blankets and then play and sleep in them.  This one is upstairs in the playroom.  Recently, they use the bay window in the living room as their location.

365...Day 12

Hands on science!  Shane received this volcano kit as a birthday present.  You mixed an orange tablet with baking soda and vinegar and it erupts.  What fun!

365...Day 11

We love this kitty!  Little Oreo is so playful and puts up with Shane's craziness.  She must like him, too; as she has chosen to snuggle up with him on the living room floor.

365...Day 10

One of my favorites from Steve's half marathon last April.  This is Shane giving Daddy an encouraging "high-five" along the race route.  The kids and I went to different stopping points to wave at Steve.  Being geographically challenged, I did prety well navigating around Arlington and still made it back by the end to see Steve cross the finish line on the big Jerry screen.

365...Day 9

For the church talent show, Sarah m'ceed using her puppet Cindy-Lou.  She participates in Kid Serve on Wednesday nights to practice scripts to perform on Sundays for Shane's class.  The other pre-k kids also enjoy the weekly puppet show.  Sarah has really come out of her shy shell the past year!

365...Day 8

Just like her Momma...she loves to take pictures.  I'm anxious to see if she uses her new DSi to take pictures while they are on the Disney Cruise with Grandy and Papa.

365...Day 7

Tri-Shane-O-Saurus. 

Last Thanksgiving, we went to Dinosaur World in Glen Rose.  We took many pictures of Sarah with the Tri-Sarah-Tops.  One day while bathing (Jan 2010), Shane called me in to take his picture... Tri-Shane-O-Saurus...was his self-chosen dinosaur name.

365...Day 6

Funny picture from Shane's birthday at Let's Jump.  Notice his mismatched socks.  He doesn't get the "socks have to match"gene that both Steve and I have.  He loves the character socks from the Target $1 bins.  Here he has on one dinosaur scok and one Lightning McQueen sock. 

 I am in the process of printing pictures for my upcoming scrapbooking weekend get-a-way, so that's why I came across this picture.

365...Day 5

We were the last family to leave a Ft. Worth police carnival last Saturday at Home Depot.  Sarah wanted a pink balloon, but it was tangled with 9 others, so the lady gave her the whole bunch.  She was estatic!  Who would have known that having a BUNCH would be so fun.  The cats are loving the strings as much as the kids love running through them.  The strings are so long, the kids can let them float to our living room's 20 foot+ ceiling and still get them down.  Kids are on the the stair landing with coat hangers, "fishing" for the strings to pull them back in.

365...Day 4

30 minutes is a long time to wait to pet kitties.  Only 2 minutes and 48 seconds to go...can he make it? 

Little boys that carry kitties around too much, have to have limits set. 

(On a side note, Shane has been very good not to traumatize said cats, and they seem pretty tolerant of him.  They often initiate contact and playtime with him.)

365...Day 3

Here is where life finds me these days.  I am doing a long-term sub job at Granger Elem for 7 weeks.  I teach math, science, and social studies to 4th graders.   I started Sept 7 and will go until Oct 21. I love being a my kids' school, love seeing them in the hallway and at lunch.  Love spying checking in on them when I see teacher's in the lounge.  I don't love staff meetings, parent conferences, or grading papers.  While this is fun for a while and a nice change of pace, I am glad it's not FULL time.   

365...Day 2

Did I mention that I love BACON!!  Yes, but I really love it more when someone else cooks it. Now, I love bacon with my pancakes, in a club sandwich, crumbled in that broccoli salad, and also a good BLT sandwich, but NOT on a burger or in Outback's Alice Springs Chicken!

Whenever my kids spend the night with my parents, my dad cooks them bacon and pancake; Shane eats the bacon as fast as it can cool on the plate!

365... Day 1

A friend of mine takes pictures of every day stuff and updates in her Facebook account.  I thought that was a great idea, except, I wanted to blog instead so I could eventually ptint it in a blog/book... 24/7...365 days of our lives.

So, here is blog day one...now those of you that know me well, know that I am not very consistent with blogging.  It seems that LIFE somehow gets in the way.  But rest assured, my family and I are making memories everyday, I'm just too tired to BLOG about them at the end of the day.  I love to sleep!! 

Anyways, for now...here we go...

Day 1

My FAVORITE breakfast is pancakes and bacon.  This was the griddle my parents always used, and I love cooking for my family using it.  When my mom decided to get a new one a few years back, I was tickled to get it as a hand-me-down.  Every Christmas, my dad cooked a big breakfast, which we ate between Santa and opening presents.  Since Steve and I lived away from home for the first 12 years we were marrried, we were always at my parents for Christmas morning.  I sometimes tease my dad that he was lucky that all 3 of his kids were home for 31 years before he had to give up this Chirstmas morning tradition.  Now, I cook bacon, pancakes, and waffles (for everyone else) or sometimes biscuits and gravy for OUR big Christmas morning breakfast. 

Dear Shane,

How can you be a kindergartner already?  It seems like just yesterday that we brought you home from the hospital.  You broke Mommy's heart today when you refused to let go of Daddy and I.  You were like a little octopus, holding on for dear life.  Everytime we took off an arm, another would grab us.  It made me feel so good when your teacher, Mrs. Schindler, took you in her lap and cuddled you. After we took Sarah to her class, Daddy snuck back down your hallway to make sure that you had settled in.  You were coloring at your table.  :) 



You have always been slow to warm-up to new situations, so I wasn't too surprised that you didn't run into the classroom without abandon.  As you grow up, even of you maintain your cautiousness, I hope that you will never let it hold you back or miss out on a great, new opportunity.  Even though it takes you time to try something new, once you jump in, you do so with both feet! 

At the end of the day today, you were all smiles.  The line for kindergarten walkers was SOOOO long, but we could see your little hand waving from the back.  (It's cool to be tall ;) ) You were happy and told us all about your adventures in school.  You explained that you were nervous when we dropped you off and that is why you cried.  The best news is that you had a good time and are willing, even excited to go back tomorrow.  (You did inform me, however, that you would rather not get up early.  (That's my boy!) 

You will never again have a FIRST day of school!  I hope that you will always be open to learning new things, that you will make great friendships, and enjoy school as much as I always did.  An education will take you so far, and will give you AMAZING opportunites. 

Love, Mommy

Blink

                                                                                  

Where oh where has the time gone?  How can I be old enought o have two school-aged children?  Shane started kindergarten today.  Decked out with a Star Wars backpack and a Perry the platypus shirt (a character from Phineas and Ferb).

Not very excited about heading to school!

            

Sarah, of course, had to wear something PINK!! She chose a backpack and lunch box from Target with a cute little monkey on it.

She was excited to start 3rd grade.  Here she is with her homeroom and LA teacher, Mrs. Austin.