Scatergories theme

Try this Scatergories game you can play yourself! If you do it, leave me a comment.

Rules: Using the THIRD letter of your MIDDLE name, provide a word that describes each phrase.

My letter: I (from my Elizabeth)

Names used in the bible: Isaac
Junk food: Ice cream!
Things that grow: Irises, Imperial Moth
Companies: IBM
Articles of clothing: Inuit parkas
Desserts: ice cream sundae
Car Parts: Ice scraper
Things Found on a Map: Islands
Athletes: Allen Iverson
4-letter words: Iris, ices, inky
Items in a refrigerator: ice, iceberg lettuce, ice cream
Farm Animals: ibex? on an exoitic animals ranch?
Street Names: Indiana Ave. (in my neighborhood), I and GN Road
Things at the beach: incurrents, insects
Colors: inky black
Tools: inclined plane---it's a simple machine, right?
Heroes: Isaac (from the TV show, Heroes!)
Gifts/presents: interesting imitation incense
Terms of endearment: itchy inky insect, you!
Kinds of dances: Indian Rain Dance (very politically incorrect, maybe?), Irish jig

These were really a lot harder than I thought they'd be. I got out the dictionary! I had to!

In other news, B had a rash and a sore throat (tonsils swollen a lot), and I thought, "Strep throat!" So first I googled "tonsils" and "rash" together and came up with a page that said Scarlett Fever. Larry stayed home with her, and I went on to school to teach. Lar took her to her doctor this afternoon, and yes, it was strep throat, and she will be home tomorrow. The bad thing is, I saw the rash on Sunday afternoon (after we'd been selling cookies---I thought it was just from the heat)!! I apologize to all who were in contact with her!! So she went to church and school on Monday. I am sorry all in her class! She is not miserable, but her throat has been bothering her, and she has had no fever. Her temp at the doctor was 98.1. She has been gargling salt water, which probably helped some. I am just really bad at looking at a throat and knowing what I am seeing. It should not be hard---it seems so easy for my Mom? But I look in there and just can't tell anything except the tonsils look big.

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt, February 24th

The theme this week is Soft.

If you want to join in, click here.

If you want to see more photo hunters, this is the blogroll.

This is my dog of long ago, Brownie. She was the best dog ever. Not only the best dog I've ever had, but I mean better than any other dog that ever lived, I am sure! I know 3 other people who would agree with me---my sister, my Mom and my Dad. :-) We got Brownie as the runt of her litter when I was in 6th grade. Her mother was a border collie, and her daddy---a brown neighborhood dog. We lived in town when we got her, but she moved with us to the "country" with no fences a little later. She ended up being the boss dog of the neighborhood. Brownie was an inside/outside dog, and she slept on our beds and under the coffee table and ran the house. She would often herd us all into the living room. She had one litter of puppies, and we kept her son, William with us. She would trick William into going outside and then stay inside with the family. She did not like to go out in the rain, and would dance on the porch whenever we would come home. Whenever her first owners, her mommy's owners, would come over, Brownie would tinkle on the ground she was so happy. She liked to chase the frogs around our house, and it made her foam at the mouth! But her softness was one of the nicest things about her. She listened to our teenaged problems while we stroked her fur, and there was no doublt that she loved us like we loved her. I didn't even mind all her fur all over the house! She died when I was in college. Mom called the dorm room and left a message with my roommate to call home asap. I was so sad about that. But her memory lives on, and I am always hoping to find such a loyal and wonderful companion.

Next week's theme will be Salty.

Check out my photo blog---Project 363. Click on the link on the sidebar.

A bad combo

This is post 183, and I am thinking of doing a "100 Things (about me)" post for #200. I didn't know you were supposed to do 100 things for your 100th post until after I had done my 100th. I don't think anyone will read 200 things about me! So 100 things for 200, it will be. How many days will it be to 200?

This picture is for my Mom's amusement.

I was allergy tested when I was 6, and had numerous numerous food allergies. I got a stomachache whenever I would eat these things, so I learned to read lables early on. I don't pay much attention to these food allergies since they don't bother me like they used to. But too many foods in one meal, and I do get a stomachache. This meal contains the following, all of which I am allergic to:

chicken, soy, sesame seeds, rice, green beans, garlic, and pineapple.

What was I thinking? I wanted to make a Chinese dish from scratch, so I chose this yummy Sesame Chicken Dish from allrecipe.com. Of course I had to serve rice with it. And what other veggie seems good? Oh! green beans, since B will still eat them if she doesn't like the main dish. I let J come in the kitchen and pick out a fruit to go with the meal. So that part was his choice. As I was getting the dishes ready, and as I looked at my filled plate, it dawned on me, "This is a stomachache in the making." I grabbed a glass of milk to wash it down with. The milk always seemed to soothe my tummy of the pain! I survived by just eating light and using that milk! It turned out deliciously, I thought. :-)

Right, Mom? Isn't that the worst combination I could have come up with?

Friday's Feast, February 23rd

Appetizer
Where on your body do you have a scar, and what caused it?
I have some chicken pox scars from 7th grade, a scar on one finger from a cut I got while working at Taco Bueno, but the best scar of all is my c-section scar from baby #2, B. It's not a bad scar, though!! I never even notice it.

Soup
What is something that has happened to you that you would consider a miracle?
I always thought surviving my car wreck in 1995 was a miracle. I was hanging in my seat belt in our upside-down Dodge Neon on a bridge in Fort Worth when some off-duty firmen came to my rescue! Someone tried to cut across in front of me to make a exit ramp, and he made at least two more of us wreck. I still don't remember any of the wreck. The real miracle was that J survived. I was only 6 or 8 weeks pregnant with him (after trying to get pregnant for 15 months!), and they told me at the hospital (what I can remember---I had a head injury) that I would most likely lose the baby. But I didn't! God has big plans for J. God waited for the right time to put him in my womb, the right time for him to be born, and protected him to be in this place at this time.

Salad
Name a television personality who really gets on your nerves.
I really get tired of almost all the sportscasters on TV. And sadly, I am tired of Rosie O'Donnell. Things could have been so different, Rosie!

Main Course
What was a funny word you said as a child (such as "pasketti" for "spaghetti")?
I don't know this one! Mom will have to leave a comment and fill in this one for me. Now, my sister and I had some misconceptions---like that french fries were made of bread!

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I have always thought spring was the best time of year!

I just updated my 363 blog, too, with pictures from this week. Take a look---leave a comment!

Manic Monday

Larry got picked for jury duty today. He was #79 going in, and got picked as the 11th juror. He can't talk about it---until oit's over! Funny thing is, we got jury duty notices in the mail on the same day, but mine is for March 13th. But I can exempt myself because of being my children's caregiver. They told Larry he might be busy for all day tuesday and Wednesday, and they got started with the trial as soon as they seated them. He went in at 1:15, and they were in the courtroom by 3:30.

I think Larry doesn't mind serving on the jury. It is sort of interesting to see how the whole system works, and to be a part of, to do your duty. He got picked for a Grand Jury one time, and he had to go once a month for 6 months. That was interesting, too.

Larry won $20 to a restaurant and we ate on it for lunch today!! Look at my 363 blog to see where it was!

I went to the mall and got a new pair of jeans, new tennis shoes, and a light jacket. Everything was on sale, of course. :-) I am so excited about those purchases. Oh! I also got some Bath and Body Works products---the anti-Bacterial soaps were on sale 4 for $10. Yea!

In the bad news side of things, our friend, M.A., had a house fire yesterday. He is okay, and I think he stopped the fire pretty quickly, but some damage was done in the kitchen area and smoke damage everywhere. He sent an e-mail talking about how he thinks it was VERY fortunate he didn't suffer more or even die. Things could have been very different. he thinks it was a halogen lamp that popped and flew over to his kitchen table--so check out your lights!

J has the TAKS test tomorrow, so say a prayer for him and M.A., too. :-)

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt, February 17th

The theme for the week is Antique. Check out other hunters here.

The antiques I chose were things we got from Larry's Dad. he and Larry's mom liked to go antique hunting, and these things were some finds of theirs and some things handed down in the family. The bookcase itself is a "barrister's bookcase" which really did belong to a lawyer. The encyclopedia set is from 1879--Encyclopedia Brittanica, ninth edition. (Apparently the 11th editionis th "the" one people want!) The encylopedias were bought at auction also; it's a complete set! We like having that old Texas Aggie record album in there, since we're Aggies. The butter press/mold and the little cookie cutter were from my grandmother. The iron, basket, butter churn, meat grinder, and books were from Larry's Dad's family.
Here's a closer look at the butter churn. I love it. It still would work, I think, but I would never try it.

Larry's Dad was born in 1919, and these things belonged to his parents or grandparents. So that makes them really really old, but I do not have dates or even the stories straight about what belonged to whom.

Enjoy your day!! Next week's theme will be Soft. I already have ideas about this!!

Newspaper clippings

No, I can't read it---but both my kids are able to! :-) I have scanned the article and I know it talks about the pretty dresses and Miss Texas and Miss Bryan that were there. B told me about how the girls all danced together, and the dads all danced with the girls on "YMCA" and "Butterfly Kisses."

This is a clipping from the Spanish-language newspaper in our town, La Voz Hispana. It's a free newspaper, so J came home from school with one today. On the front page was a picture with two of J's classmates, and his sister! Yes our B was on the front page in full color.







J's classmates are the ones on the far left and far right, 5th graders. They took pictures of the girls and dads at the Daddy-Daughter dance on Feb. 9th. It was for the kids in Milam and Jones Elementary Schools. There was another D-D dance going on the same night for 5 times the price at the Children's Museum. This one was really fun for B and her daddy. B had a lot of her friends from her class there.

Can you see B in her blue dress in this picture?
This last one has one of B's classmates in it, with her grand-dad, B thought.







It's always exciting to be in the newspaper.

J was also really excited to see this picture of teachers at his school---and his homeroom teacher! (She's the one "with child.") They were doing a dance to cheer them on to good performance on the TAKS tests (coming up on Tuesday).

I took a quiz I found on the blog My Many Colored Crayons, and I really liked finding out I am a red crayon! It was messing up when I tried to make a new post out of it, so I deleted it. But check out that blog! She is a teacher in a school in Los Angeles and it's really interesting. :-)

Friday's Feast, February 16th

Appetizer
What sound, other than the normal ringing, would you like your telephone to make?
Anything funny---I like those ones that sound like kitten meowing. I also like the songs---but I never pay to download anything.

Soup
Describe your usual disposition in meteorological terms (partly cloudy, sunny, stormy, etc.).
I think I'm in general partly cloudy. I couldn't say sunny all the time, but I wouldn't say stormy or even cloudy. I had a really cloudy day---Valentine's Day, for some reason---but I'm back to sunny today. A few clouds stray into my outlook everyonce in a while!

Salad
What specific subject do you feel you know better than any other subjects?
I know how to run a 4-year-old classroom. I am an expert on 4s and 5s. I can predict almost everything that happens in my class. Well, I take that back---they are so unpredictable with their own unique outlooks! :-) But I have more than 10 years of experience with kids that age, and I have a wonderful file system of my own of fun things to do for every letter of the alphabet and every holiday and a lot of pre-school themes. I also am pretty good at maintaining control----but trying to maintain a fun atmosphere. It's all about getting a routine going with them.

I think this may be a book I write someday!

Main Course
Imagine you were given the ability to remember everything you read for one entire day. Which books/magazines/newspapers would you choose to read?
I would read the Bible first. Could I speed read? I'd need a lot of time to just do that one book! Maybe I'd read a Spanish dictionary or a Spanish textbook also. :-) I'm definitely thinking this is all academic learning type books. Know the Bible cover to cover! That would be the best asset to have.

Dessert
If a popular candy maker contacted you to create their next confection, what would it be like and what would you name it?
I'd love to combine white and dark chocolate, pecans, and caramel into a candy bar. It would be called the Jenny Bar. (I know that's lame, but I need to go take a shower!!)

how we're doing today

J is doing better--finally! He was running fever again yesterday afternoon---100.3. I think we're finally out of the woods with this, though, no fever this morning at all. Whew! I was going to call the doctor's office this morning if he was running fever again. 4 days of fever seems like an awful lot.

We just finished watching Star Wars Episode 3, the saddest of them all. Anakin and Padme---so pretty, so in love---but you know they're doomed from the beginning. Because you know the ending! Ug! It's painful to watch. So why did I? I was cleaning up all the receipts here in the living room, inputting them into the computer, and I couldn't get away. I just love it, anyway! The music, Yoda, those cool Wookie aircraft, the first sight of Darth Vader in the "the" costume. Ahh . . . I just love it.

B made a Girl Scout cookie poster this morning, and it's great. I did help her some, but it was all her vision. We will be working a booth at HEB grocery store next Saturday. I hope we can sell a lot of cookies!!

The kids are off from school today, one more day J can recover. It is a teacher workday. I am calling this "Clean Up the Bedrooms Day" although the kids are not as enthused about it as they ought to be. I didn't really count on this being something they wanted to do!

My do-do list:
laundry, 2 loads washed, which is 3 loads to fold and put away (One already in the dryer.)
upkeep dishwasher
cook dinner---spaghetti and meatballs
go eat lunch with Larry and kids--a treat on their day off.
take recyclables to re-cy center
exercise
read Bible (these two things are not going really consistently)
put away all scrapbooking stuff---heh heh it's been out a few days!!
vacuum high traffic areas---and bedrooms, if I can get the kids on track

And two things are lost that I am really thinking about constantly:
a DVD from Blockbuster online---so I'm not in a hurry (no due date), but it's somewhere in this house
B's Girl Scout Cookie form! with a bunch of orders on it! Some cookie orders were on another form, and those are under control, but I have to figure out what to do about the ones on the other form. Ug. I guess I'll have to re-ask everyone. That form was last seen at church.

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt---Feb. 10th

The theme: Broken
This is the fence after it was fixed---but it was broken!!


And this is who broke it.

Angel has literally gone UNDER the fence, OVER the fence and THROUGH the fence. She has broken these boards by sheer will, trying to get a squirrel or the dog next door. And it is much to my frustration!

Check out the next post below---I had a special holiday Thursday! also look at the new pictures on my 363 Blog---link on sidebar.

Sticky Chins Day

I have to write about Sticky Chins Day before it becomes a memory I can't remember!!

First, the history. Larry and I set up our first date for Saturday, Feb. 10, 1990. We were going on the dinner and a movie date---Los Nortenos in downtown Bryan and then onto the dollar movie at the Schulman Movie theater. We saw Parenthood! But, on the Thursday before, Larry had a test on campus at night. After his test he called me and asked if I'd like to walk over to Northgate and get an ice cream. I said yes! So this was our first date---to a place called Sticky Chins. Seems like I drank a Dr. Pepper from a glass bottle. I don't know why I would remember that.

Ever since then, we have acknowledged this date---1991, when we were engaged to be married; 1992 as newlyweds in our first apartment; 1996, when J was only a baby; 1998, when we had moved back to Bryan and I was pregnant with B. One year, I would guess 1999 or 2000, J was on antibiotic and threw up right in Swenson's.

The one thing we do is eat ice cream for dinner. The optional ending is dinner food for dessert. Sticky Chins the eatery is no longer, and even Swenson's has left our town as well. We've recently been to Coldstone Creamery and The Marble Slab.

This year, Thursday, J came home from school sick with the fever --- this fever that seems to be going around that lasts and lasts. Larry ended up picking him up and staying home with him. I wasn't even reached at my school, but it all worked out for the best, as we had 4 teachers out at my workplace, and I was needed. Larry had been at work long enough that day that it wasn't even counted as a missed day of work for him, which is good.

After school, Larry and I had to make a decision about whether to go on out to eat. J was feeling good, and his fever was gone when medicated, so Larry said, "It's Sticky Chin's day. Let's go ahead and take him out." Sorry all you out there who followed us! He might have left his germs there.

The new cool spot in College Station is this place on University with a big fountain out front. (Cool to my kids, maybe!) And surrounding the fountain are places to eat (so far). Ben and Jerry's had come here for their first shop in town, so it seemed right to try it out today.

None of the pictures inside looked very good. But the ice cream was really good!! I think I hit the perfect ice cream on my first try----New York Double Chocolate Chunk. It has both chocolate and white chocolate chunks in it (yum), plus walnuts and chocolate covered almonds (yum), in a chocolate ice cream that really did taste like the best chocolate ice cream. Yum! Larry got a cookie sundae (with Cherry Garcia ice cream), and both kids picked out the Lemon Sorbet---J in a waffle cone, B in a cup.

Another good reason for this locale was the Boston's gourmet pizza place in the same place. We got a pizza to go home with---that was our dessert we ate while watching the first Survivor episode.

I enjoyed my Sticky Chins Day! I love that we have our own made-up holiday and that a delicious fun tradition has developed out of our first date.

Raspberry Chocolate Dessert

I was going to take this to the Not-So-Newlywed Game at church, but we didn't go! I haven't made it, but I can tell we're going to like it. I am making it with my Larry in mind---he loves raspberries. it makes a lot of servings!

This is a convenience recipe---using boxed mix and canned frosting-----but this is how I do stuff! I got it from the Betty Crocker website this morning. I get an e-mail from Betty Crocker once a week or so, and I get good ideas from that. I saw the picture and knew it would be a hit.




Raspberry Mousse Brownies
Brownie mix, chocolate chips and whipping cream create a chocolate lover's dreamy indulgence.
Prep Time:20 min
Start to Finish:4 hr 10 min
Makes:24 servings






1 box (1 lb 6.5 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme brownie mix (with chocolate syrup pouch)
Water, oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box
1 bag (10 oz) raspberry-flavored or semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
1 container (1 lb) Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy cream cheese frosting
1 tablespoon whipping cream
Fresh raspberries, if desired






1.
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray or shortening (for easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom only of pan). Make brownies as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

2.
Reserve 1/4 cup chocolate chips for drizzle. In large microwavable bowl, place remaining chocolate chips and 1 1/4 cups whipping cream. Microwave uncovered on High 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once every minute, until chocolate is melted. Stir until mixture is smooth. Refrigerate about 20 minutes or until slightly thickened.

3.
Add frosting to chocolate mixture. Beat with electric mixer on high speed 1 to 2 minutes or until well blended and soft peaks form. Spread over cooled brownies, smoothing top.

4.
In small microwavable bowl, microwave reserved 1/4 cup chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon whipping cream uncovered on High 30 to 45 seconds, stirring once, until mixture can be stirred smooth. Drizzle over frosting mixture. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until set.

5.
Cut into 12 squares; cut each square diagonally in half to make triangles. Garnish with raspberries.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Follow High Altitude directions on brownie mix box for 13x9-inch pan.





There are a ton more recipes to help you cook for Valentine's day over at Overwhelmed With Joy for Favorite Ingredients Friday.





Jamie is doing okay, by the way. He is still running fever, and when his medicine wears off, his fever just shoots back up. He was 101.8 earlier, and was down, but he's back to 101.9! Yikes! I better take care of my boy and get him some medicine!

Hearts and Dances and Love

These were too fun not to post. :-)






If you want to go make some of your own, here's the link. You'll need to save them to your computer after you make them.
I found the link on Heart of Rachel's blog.


J is home with the sickness----fever. We did let him go out last night for Sticky Chins Day (more on this later with pictures), after he came home from school early with the fever. (We dosed him up with medicine to get our ice cream supper.) He also now has a stuffy head and runny nose. Our plans for this evening (the Not-so-Newlywed game for us adults) are out the window now, but I think Larry will take B to a Daddy-Daughter Dance instead! So maybe it was just meant to be this way after all. I am going to try to find a Christmas dress on discount really quickly so she can be dressy tonight. I'm going now to B's Valentine Party at her school!

Friday Feast, February 9th

Appetizer -
Have you been sick yet this winter? If so, what did you come down with?
I haven't. At least nothing with a fever. I have had several headaches that were pretty bad.

Soup -
What colors dominate your closet?
I have a lot of turquoise/aqua right now, but also black, red, blue.

Salad -
How would you describe your personal "comfort zone"?
Is this about how close someone stands to me? a foot? At my work we have these couches we sit on, and we sit three to a love seat and 4 on the couch when we have our devos, so I am comfortable sitting by these closer friends. On the other hand, I am not a really touchy-feely person, and I do not initiate hugs hardly ever.

Main Course -
On which reality show would you really like to be a contestant?
This is easy---The Amazing Race! I would be really good at reading maps and stuff like figuring clues out, especially if Larry was my partner. (That's how I always imagine it!) But I would have to get my body in shape for all the physical aspect of the race! That is what would get us in last place and kicked out early on, I am afraid.

Dessert -
Which holiday would you consider to be your favorite?
Christmas, of course. :-) I just love Christmas!!! (It lasts the longest, too.)

Check out other feasts by clicking on this link for Friday's Feast.

Goings on

I haven't posted here since Saturday??!!? Outrageous!


I just put 4 pictures of our family on the Project 363 blog. These sunset pictures I took on Saturday night. I had posted my picture of the day early, and then we get this really spectacular sunset! What caught my attention was the purplish light coming in the window at the back, and I stepped out on the deck with the dogs to see what was going on. It was beautiful back there for a few minutes, and I was glad to get a look at this wonderful rainbow that God painted in the sky here.





Here are some exciting goings-on:

• J almost got an opportunity to be in a commercial---M.A. thought of him, and asked us if we were interested, but it turned out they wanted a much younger kid. But maybe in the future?! J was so excited about the prospect.


• We picked up B's Girl Scout cookies today. We turn in our money at the end of the month, so we have some time, but I am nervous about getting it all together!! We jumped out in faith and got a few extra cases----a total of 25!----thinking we'd sell them. They are easy to sell, but we gotta get crackin'!


• I have three school Valentine's Day parties I can attend , and I am going to make all three because they are on 3 different days!! Isn't that weird? B's party is on Friday this week, my pre-school party is on Tuesday, and J is the only sane person having his on Wednesday, actually Valentine's Day!
• Tomorrow is Sticky Chin's Day!! Larry and I started dating 17 years ago tomorrow. Ice cream for dinner!
• The Not-So-Newlywed Game is Friday night at church. It is always a funny time!! We'll be eating taco salad stack-up. we're taking sour cream and a dessert.
• Looks like we're going to another women's Aggie basketball game on Saturday.
• February 10th is the date of Larry's and my real first date---the one we had planned a week or so in advance back in 1990, planned before he took me out on a Thursday night on a whim. We saw Parenthood (with Steve Martin?) and ate at Los Nortenos for dinner.

Anyway, that's what's up around here. It's a fun time of year---I have lots of romantic things going on this week! :-)

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt, February 3rd

I got B's permission to post this picture of her. Instead of trying to find something completely gross----it happens here all the time!----I am posting B feeling gross on Thursday night. Her nose is all stopped up, but the fever was making her feel really gross.

I realized I don't typically take pictures of gross things! Now my kids, they do. Open mouths of food, weird faces, stuff I don't want to think about. :-) Lately, it's all about gross sounds around here, and I'll let your imagination run wild with that thought. Sigh. I'm a mom who wishes sometimes she had a little decorum within the happy household.

Oh! I just thought of another picture---
Now, I am more fascinated by this little creature than I am grossed out, but he is kinda gross! He was crawling on the sidewalk near the front door, and crawled onto the leaves under the shrubs. I put my camera on the "close up" setting and took several pictures of him. Sort of looks like a creature from another world!

If you're interested in other photo hunt participants, click here. I always spend a few minutes looking at how other interpret the theme. It's cool! I have a couple of blogs I always check in foreign countries, also, and that is really cool. If you want to see how you can join in, click here. Next week's theme is "Broken" which I think might be easier to find in my set of photos!

Update on B---she is feeling better and finally eating stuff---all foods from the bread group, but we are on our way back to health. However, her temperature is 99.8 this morning. I hope we can go to see Willy Wonka this afternoon!

Have a great Saturday! Ba and I are going to scrapbook a little bit after this episode of "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse." That's a great day for me! ;-)

Happy Ground Hog Day!

A quick little update on B who's been sick--

After running a fever of 103! last night, and freaking her daddy out, B's fever is gone this morning. Larry even checked her out about 2 am and she was not as hot, so we didn't wake her up to give her more medicine. She had her last dose at midnight, so maybe she burned the germs out of her with that high fever last evening.

When the fever got over 102, we'd overlap acetaminophen and ibuprofen----two hours after one, give the other. That seemed to kick the fever Thursday morning, and then again at midnight last night. I hope she'll stay fever free today---we have tickets to see a Willy Wonka play at MSC Opas tomorrow afternoon.

My dad sent an e-mail today saying we need to have Sausage Casserole (our standard birthday dinner request----a real treat for dinner---made with breakfast sausage) for today specifically, Groundhog day. I had to ponder that one. Why? I thought it was a reference to the movie, Groundhog Day. You know, where Bill Murray keeps waking up on Groundhog day and does the same day over and over again. If we had to eat Sauasage Casserole every day for a while like Bill Murray did, I'd be happy! But no, the reason is this: it's Ground-Hog day. ground hog. Oh, haha, Dad!

Here's the recipe. It's delicious, and yes, to promote Dad's efforts to start a groundhog day tradition, I'll make it for dinner---I have stuff on hand to do it! (i'm doing this one from memory---I can't find the recipe written out.)

Sausage Casserole

1 lb. ground sausage ---I usually buy Jimmy Dean "regular"

chopped onion

chopped green bell pepper

garlic, minced, about one clove

1 tbsp dried oregano flakes

2 cans (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste

16 oz. bag of shell noodles

Velveeta (at least a half pound---1/4 a brick)

Brown sausage, onions and bell peppers in large skillet. Drain off grease and and add spices, and tomatoes. Simmer while you cook the shell noodles in a large 4 qt. pot. Pour cooked noodles into a 9x13" baking dish (or equal sized casserole dish of any kind). Pour sauce on noodles and mix up well. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Slice Velveeta thinly and arrange on top of the casserole, to completely cover the top. Return to oven to melt.

I serve this with a green salad and rolls of some kind and a fruit.

Another update: B took her temperature just now: 99.0

Friday's Feast, February 2nd

Appetizer
What was one of the fashion fads when you were a teenager?
Well, shoulder pads were in everything I wore. I loved wearing a big, long shirt with a belt, with tapered stirrup pants and flats. The look is not complete without really tall bangs! One funny link here.

Soup
Name one thing you think people assume about you when they first meet you.
That I am not too interesting---I am quiet. I'm not a boisterous, obviously funny person, fun to be around. I think I thought this all during my teen years and sold myself short. What I thought everyone would think was cool and fun was just not what I was all about. But I found people who were of like mind and we all got along great and had fun.
All that to say, I *think* people probably think I am not quirky or outgoing----but I am just not going to change myself or try to be falsely quirky to "make" people like me more! I'm an adult now! Just take some time and "Get to Know Me!" (some kind of Sat. Night live skit?)

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how hard do you work?
9 Even in jobs I didn't like, I would work hard to find the most efficient way of doing it, or the most "correct" way to get it done. I was always told I did more than was expected in my elem. schoolwork.

Main Course
If you were given a free 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl to sell anything you currently own, what would you advertise?
I think I would sell my Creative Memories products! I have a closetful of stuff on hand, and I love it. I am totally sold on the products, and the "mission" of it. Everyone needs to record their life, their travels, their thoughts. So I'd want to promote that.
Although, I don't think I'd be hitting my target audience during the superbowl, for the most part.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I love to __take pictures of bluebonnets__ when it is __March in Texas__.

Slow Cooking Thursday

This is my first time to participate in this Slow Cooking Thursday. I am determined to use my weekly to save time and money. So follow this link to even more slow-cooker recipes at Diary of a SAHM!

My contribution: Pork Chops l'Orange from Rival Crock-Pot Slow cooker Favorites cookbook. I made this yesterday for my family. B didn't try it---my picky eater---since she was sick---see below! But Larry liked it, and J ate it up, too. It isn't a sweet orange sauce--to Larry's delight.

Pork Chops l'Orange

2 tablespoons extra-virgin Olive oil

8 pork chops ( I used the big economy pack)

1/3 cup orange juice

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp. grated orange peel

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 cup water

Sear porkchops on both sides in oil over medium-high heat. (Work in batches.) Set aside.

Combine orange juice, honey, salt, brown sugar and orange peel in crock pot. Add chops, turning to coat each chop well. cover; cook on low 6-8 hours.

Transfer chops to warm plate. Pour liquid into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Add to orange sauce. Stir well and continue to simmer on low heat for 5 minutes longer or until thickened. Spoon sauce over chops and serve immediately.

Serves 8

I really enjoyed this one! Something new to eat. Variety is the spice of life!

B is sick

I've been home with B today. Her fever is running high. It went away with medicine, and then came back after I took her to the doctor and stopped to get my check and stick it in the bank. I asked B if she felt good enough for me to make that one stop, and she was feeling good then, but she fell asleep at the bank. B also has a bit of a runny nose, which is making her cough and have sore throat.

I knew something was up last night----B fell asleep before dinner, and I thought, "Maybe she's going to be sick," but I instead chalked it up to her staying up the night before. I tried waking her up for dinner with the thought of mashed potatoes---her favorite----but she stayed asleep. I thought that was weird, so I didn't wake her any more, but J an B and I just stayed home from church. Good thing we did---I would have exposed everyone to B's germs!

B had a test for flu---and it was negative. I feel better. She had no fever at the doctor's office! Of course, but this morning she had 102.5, and now it's back to 102. But the deciding factor this morning when I set up her appt. was that her legs ached. I thought if it was flu, I'd better get in quickly so she could get that Tamiflu. But it isn't flu, so we're treating the symptoms, like I always do. B's last appointment was in October 2005! How lucky are we to have been so healthy? I just do what I always do with the fever---fluids and rest. They kids can drink any decaffeinated beverage they want, and lay on the couch watching TV all they want. Today we've seen Bartok the Magnificent, High School Musical, Springtime for Strawberry Shortcake, and now we're on The Wizard of Oz.

Other than this, I IM-ed with my sister, did some laundry, and rescued the dog from being stuck in the fence where she had gotten herself wedged in the hole where she had pulled down another fence slat. Ug. It is still extremely muddy over there, and I tell you I am tired of this! The mud, the fence being broken, all of it!

Tacos for dinner tonight! My sister in OK is also doing tacos---great minds think alike!