"The days are long, but the years are short."

I stumbled upon a really special website tonight. Click here and watch the 3 minute video:

http://www.theyearsareshort.com/

"The days are long, but the years are short..."

In honor of the little moments that help shape their childhood memories, I'll post a few pictures of my boys, that I took off my cell phone memory card this week...

August 16, 2011 - The day Carter "kinda" learned how to swim

August 10, 2011 - Jackson posing with his very own dessert creation of mango, banana, fresh coconut and strawberry & chocolate syrup

August 18, 2011 - Brady posing with his math equations we'd drawn in the sand

happy fall wreath (and some pinterest love)

So fall is knocking on my door.
The air is just a smidgen cooler.
Football season is here.
Grass doesn't need to be mowed (as much)!
Bathing suits are being retired till next year.
Baby Hancock (the first grandbaby in the family who will have this last name, grandbaby #14!!!) is due this month.
Windows can be left open at night.
Fall. Is. Coming!!!

So, what better way to celebrate than to add some fall colored accents around your home?!

Just about a month ago, I found pinterest (Here's my "site"). Mercy. Have you seen pinterest!?! If not, you better not. It's just as bad a time-waster as facebook. Not kidding. Pinterest has been both good and bad though... Yes, I've wasted time on this website. BUT, I've also found ways to spend money that I don't have! Jackpot!!!

I kid - I have really and truly found ideas (recipes, kids games, quotes, DIY projects) that have proven to be valuable finds. In fact, these three recipes have been huge hits, and I'm sure to use them again and again:

1. Honey Rolls from thepastryaffair.com

2. Roasted Red Salsa from oneparticularkitchen.com

3. Baked Parmesan Tomatoes from eatingwell.com

Yes. Pinterest and I are besties.

This brings me back to fall. It's almost here, and I could not be more thrilled! Pinterest has excited some pent-up (no pun intended!)  creativity in me, and apparently all I needed was a little inspiration. In fact, these are the wreaths that I had in the back of my mind as I went shopping for the right supplies for the one I ended up making...

#1. Love this one. Love the colors. Love the textures. Link to original post here.

  

#2. And love this one too. Great colors, and I especially love how she made the "x" pattern on top of the first layer of single colored yarn. Link to original post here.

#3. And one more that makes such great use of fall colors. I'll be using this one for inspiration again, as I also bought a grapevine wreath that I'm just itchin' to embellish! Link here.

Finally, here's a little tutorial for the wreath I just made to adorn my recently painted red front door (Color is named "Calico" in the Eddie Bauer line at Lowe's)... SUCH a good red... slightly bricky/brown/coral, but just a tad... not too much. Did I mention it's a great red?

Here are the supplies I used:
One 18" round form from Michael's. ($3.99)
Six fall colored skeins of yarn. (On sale, I paid $2.50 each at Michael's)
Six small sheets of felt, about the size of standard copy paper, but not exactly. (Sale price, $0.29 each at Michael's)
Hot glue, which I already had.
Masking tape, which I'll likely remove and hot glue those spots.
Grand total for $ is about $21.00, $15 of which was for yarn, but I'm not even kidding when I tell you that those skeins look untouched. I could make a flippin afghan out of what's left! And I just might! Did I just say that?
I started by carelessly measuring (meaning, not exact...) about 3 lengths that my arms could stretch of all six colors of yarn, at the same time. I then kept them bundled and together, and started wrapping around the form. Sometimes I would twist a little, and sometimes not. I was going for a "free" look to the application, not too "stiff" or "perfect." As that length of yarn was done, I'd just start again with the same technique, until finally, after about 6 or 8 go's at it, the form was totally covered. These pics are of somewhere along that step:

Then, to embellish, I used felt flowers and various yarn "fixins." Here is a great tutorial on the felt flowers (click here).

As for the yarn, to be totally honest, I just played with it. One fixin is just a large bunch of yarn (cut to about 9") tied in a loose knot. Three knots are placed side by side on my wreath, but that's just what happened today - No set "recipe" here, friends. Another yarn-y accent that I really like is the one that looks like a yarn doughnut (that has a gold felt flower placed in the center). I think that technique repeated several times on one wreath would look great. I'm going to have to make a video of me making that, because there's really no easy way to explain it. Another little "moment" on the wreath is a twisted mess of yarn, that just melted all onto itself. SUCH an easy technique. Takes 10 seconds.

I'm thrilled with how this little lady turned out. She makes me happy and makes me want to do more, just to hang inside and around my life. Maybe one for the van, one for the aerobics room at Granite Falls where I spend a few hours each week, one for being my computer monitor, cause I'd surely get a good taste of it there. ;)

Finally, a few more detailed shots, and a finished work. That's all, folks.

Friends

I was taking a moment's notice today at a particular friendship I have. She's a gal I've known for about as long as we've lived in Rolesville, and come to find out, we have quite a bit in common. Apart from how we look (She: Native American, pitch black hair, paired with beautiful blue eyes; I: quintessential Scandinavian), we've found over the years, time and time again, that we are SO alike!

For example...

Easy one first, we act a lot alike. Hope she wouldn't mind me saying this but, we both sometimes act like we're a few fries short of a happy meal! haha! We forget things, we need reminders, we have rather peculiar memorization methods, the whole shebang. Just plain foolish, I suppose...

She and I noticed about 3 years ago that we wear the same exact watch; and agree that the battery is incapable of staying charged as long as it ought to...

We both wear (of ALL the perfumes sold in department stores and discount stores in this day and age) Jessica McClintock. I know that I started wearing it around spring '95ish, and I'm pretty sure she too has been wearing it for many years...

There have to be a dozen more ways, but finally, just last week, we discovered our LOVE for an unusual menu item. By menu, I mean, a fine cuisine prepared only in home kitchens, no restaurant would dare serve this, at least I think that's the case... IRISH POTATO SANDWICHES!!!!!  For those of you reading this who don't know what they are, they are simply potato slices, cut about 1/4" thick, fried in a frying pan, rested on a few layers of paper towels to absorb at least a little of that extra oil, then drenched with salt (YUMM!!!!). Finally, they're served on loaf bread with your choice of condiment. She likes it with ketchup, and I like it with mustard, but who cares!?! We agree that it was a favorite growing up, and that we should prepare it more now that we could sway another rising generation of it's fried-up-sodium-packed goodness...

I am thankful for friends... I have so many good ones who really "take care" of me...
~Friends who, at the drop of a hat, would help me or my family with *anything*...
~Friends who teach me about life, parenting, cooking, domestic goddess~ness, good health (or the lack thereof), and catching whatever curve ball life throws at you...
~Friends who I can complain to about anything, and they'll tell me they understand...
~Friends who I love to gossip with (but very, very sparingly! haha!)...
~Friends who make me laugh...
~Friends who listen to my occasional cries... (Somehow, they're very few and far between because I've grown more bratty and cynical than I'd like to admit. I should talk to one or many of these friends about how to get those cries out more often! They can feel so good!)
~Friends who make me a better me.

Thank you, friends. You're awesome. And, you know who you are. Love ya, mean it.

Episode 4 of "Lines from the Hymnal"

This morning, while getting ready for the day, I had a certain primary song on my mind, "Faith." The very last line of the song is "Faith is strengthened; I feel it grow whenever I obey." It made me think of a book by Spencer W. Kimball, "Faith Precedes the Miracle."

So, it dawned on me, a certain order of things, in a "if/then" sort of way:

In other words, Obedience ---> (yields) Miracles! Awesome! I like miracles. I even LOVE miracles. Heck, I'd pay for a miracle. Miracles. Rock.

Then, after going a step or two further with my thoughts, I realized that I had put together enough supporting "evidence" for a family home evening lesson, a talk in church, or even just a testimony. Finally, and with a little more delay than I'm comfortable admitting, I thought - "This could be shared with my Young Women! YES! If only I had a lesson to teach on Obedience, wouldn't that be GREAT!?!?!"

I had no sooner thought that thought when it dawned on me that it was probably my turn to teach this coming Sunday. Looked online, found my teaching schedule. Yep, it's my turn. Lesson #25, it says. Found the online manual for my lessons. Here's the link. Young Women's Lesson Manual

That is all.

Episode 3 of "Lines from the Hymnal"

Episode 1, found here.
And Eposide 2, found here. 

Last night, while driving home from Young Women's, I was listening to one of my favorite cds Take Time to be Holy, which is a collection of instrumental hymns by Lyle Hadlock. I was reminded of how much love the song, "There is Sunshine in my Soul Today." Not only that, but I was also reminded of a story I heard years ago about this particular song. Now is when I copy/paste.

Hymns Facilitate the Bearing of Testimony
(Full text available by clicking here. By Merrill J. Bateman)

This story concerns a young girl, the fourth child in a family of six children. Her name is Heather. Three of the children, including Heather, suffered from a rare disease called glutaric acidemia. In each case, the onset of the disease occurred during the first year of life when an enzyme attacked the brain, causing paralysis. The disease results in acid forming in the muscles similar to that which occurs following a period of intense physical activity. The problem faced by the children was that the acid never leaves and causes great pain. Cindy, the first child with the disease, died at the age of 23. She was one of the oldest living persons known with the disease. At death she weighed about 40 pounds.

Soon after Heather’s birth, the parents realized that she would be physically handicapped and that her spirit would be housed in a body with great restrictions. As she grew, she was confined to a wheelchair, was unable to speak, and could send messages only with her eyes. A direct gaze and a smile meant yes. A blink meant no. Despite the handicaps, one could feel her vibrant spirit.

As Heather progressed, it became obvious to her parents that she was extraordinarily bright. She would play guessing games with the family using her limited means to communicate. When she was old enough, the parents enrolled Heather in a special school to see if she could learn to speak. The teacher was a gifted therapist. One morning as Heather and the teacher visited about the prior weekend, the teacher learned that Heather had attended Primary. The teacher then sang for Heather “When He Comes Again.”

The expression on Heather’s face revealed the delight within her. When the teacher asked Heather if she had a favorite song, the young girl’s wide eyes and engaging smile left little doubt. But what was the song? Through a series of questions, the teacher learned that Heather’s song was one she had heard in Primary. She wasn’t sure which songbook it was in, but it was about Jesus. The teacher sang all the songs she could think of, but to no avail. However, Heather was not about to quit; she wanted to share her favorite song. At the end of the day, the two were still searching. The teacher agreed to bring her songbooks to school the next day.

On the following morning, Heather and her teacher continued the quest. From the first hymn to the last, the little girl blinked her eyes, indicating no. They were still unsuccessful. Finally, the teacher told Heather that her mother would have to help her find the song and then they would sing it.

The next day Heather arrived with the green Church hymnal tucked in her chair, but there was no marker. So they began with the first hymn. The teacher would sing the first part of each song, and Heather would give her answer. After the first 100 hymns, there were 100 no’s. After 200 hymns there had been 200 no’s. Finally, the teacher began to sing, “There is sunshine in my soul today.” Heather’s body jumped, and a big smile crossed her face. Her eyes gazed directly into the teacher’s, indicating success after three days of searching. Both teacher and student rejoiced.

As the teacher sang the first verse and began the chorus, Heather mustered all her strength and joined in with a few sounds. After finishing the first verse and chorus, the teacher asked if she wanted to hear the rest of the verses, and Heather’s eyes opened wide with a firm yes. The teacher began to sing:

There is music in my soul today,
A carol to my King,
And Jesus listening can hear
The songs I cannot sing.

Heather’s reaction to these lines was so strong that the teacher stopped. As the reality and significance of the words pressed on the teacher’s mind, she asked: “Heather, is that what you like about the song? Is that what you want me to know? Does Jesus listen? Does He hear the songs you cannot sing?”

The direct, penetrating gaze indicated yes.

Feeling guided by the Spirit, the teacher asked, “Heather, does Jesus talk to you in your mind and in your heart?”

Again, the child’s look was penetrating.

The teacher then asked, “Heather, what does He say?”

The teacher’s heart pounded as she saw the clear look in Heather’s eyes as the little girl awaited the questions that would allow her to share her insights.

“Does Jesus say, ‘Heather, I love you’?”

Heather’s radiant eyes widened, and she smiled.

After a pause, the teacher asked next, “Does He say, ‘Heather, you’re special’?”

The answer again was yes.

Finally the teacher asked, “Does He say, ‘Heather, be patient; I have great things in store for you’?”

Heather summoned all her strength, and her head became erect and her eyes penetrated the teacher’s soul. She knew she was loved, she was special, and she needed only to be patient.

Two years later, Heather died because of the ravages of the disease. Her younger brother Mark also suffers from the disease but not to the extent of his older sisters. He can talk, although it is not easy. As the parents discussed Heather’s passing and the funeral that would take place, Mark exclaimed, “No go Heather’s funeral!” Heather was his best friend. As the parents tried to explain death to him, he would not be consoled. He was crushed and did not want to attend the service. For two days he could not be persuaded.

On the morning of the funeral, the father went to Mark’s room to get him up. As he entered the room, Mark was sitting up in bed with a big smile on his face. His first words were, “Dad, go Heather’s funeral!”

The father responded, “Mark, what has changed your mind?”

“Dad, had dream.”

“What did you dream about, Mark?”

“Dad, dreamed about Heather.”

“Mark, what was Heather doing?”

“Oh, Dad, Heather running and jumping and singing, ‘There is sunshine in my soul today.’ Dad, go Heather’s funeral.”

May we rejoice in the power of sacred hymns to lift our souls and to bear testimony. Truly “the song of the righteous is a prayer unto [God], and it shall be answered with a blessing upon [our] heads” (D&C 25:12).

***************************************************

Complete Text: "There is Sunshine in my Soul Today"

(verse 1) There is sunshine in my soul today,
     More glorious and bright
            Than glows in any earthly sky,
                   For Jesus is my light.
 

(chorus) O there's sunshine, blessed sunshine,
    While the peaceful, happy moments roll;
           When Jesus shows His smiling face
                   There is sunshine in my soul.

(verse 2) There is music in my soul today,
     A carol to my King;
            And Jesus, listening, can hear
                   The song I cannot sing.

(verse 3) There is springtime in my soul today,
      For when the Lord is near
             The dove of peace sings in my heart,
                    The flowers of grace appear.

(verse 4) There is gladness in my soul today,
      And hope, and praise, and love,
             For blessings which He gives me now,
                    For joys laid up above. 

 ***************************************************

Here are a few links to see/hear more of this gem of a hymn. 

Upbeat version from "Singles Ward" Soundtrack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ll2JTYiPKo

Organ solo, old man hands, precious <3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8O5nTxRIUU&feature=related

General Conference  (Relief Society Women's Session) 2009: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGzPiWEdbeA

Sheet music from LDS Hymnal: http://lds.org/churchmusic/detailmusicPlayer/index.html?searchlanguage=1&searchcollection=1&searchseqstart=227&searchsubseqstart=%20&searchseqend=227&searchsubseqend=ZZZ

Female solo, a capella: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umGNGxMprqs&NR=1

My favorite version of all though, is the $0.99 audio file found here... You may also want to check out track 2 - Beautiful compilation of "Come Ye Disconsolate" and "Sheep May Safely Graze" : http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/take-time-to-be-holy/id341205385 

 

Tell it like it is, young one.

I'm reminded of a few days ago when Rodney and I were expressing our dissatisfaction with one another about Jackson's recent rotten attitude with his brothers. Carter interjected, "Jackson's a TURD!"

Truer words have no almost-4-year-old ever said.

Carter is only TWO SLEEPS away from his much anticipated birthday. We have this vinyl calendar and drawing page on our kitchen wall. Only last month, we saw the number for Brady's countdown grow smaller and smaller ever day. It was such a thrill, it was no question that we should do the same thing for Carter's birthday! Here he is fixing the countdown today!

Our conversations about this these last few days have been so... so... adorable! With the thrill in his eyes of Christmas morning, he says, "Today it says THREEEEEEE, then tomorrow it's gonna say TWOOOOOOO, then after that, it's gonna say OOOONE, then after that, it's gonna say ZERO, and that's gonna be the BEST DAY EVER!!!!"

I should probably go plan something.

Pen Pals!

My school aged kids have written letters to pen pals in Pellworm, Germany, thanks to my 4th grade teacher, Ms. Susanne Guthrie. She's over there right now, and has invited those she knows to send messages to her email, and she'll taking the letters to the kids at school tomorrow! How fun is that!?!

Dear Pen Pal,

My name is Jackson Steelman. I am 7 years old. I will be 8 on September 25th. I am in the second grade at Sanford Creek Elementary School in Rolesville, North Carolina, USA. I am the oldest kid in my family, and have two younger brothers, named Brady and Carter. My mom's name is Leah, and my dad's name is Rodney. Mom stays home with us during the day, and cooks and cleans. She was born and raised at Harkers Island, which is probably a lot like your hometown. My dad goes to work 5 days a week in an office where he is an analyst. I'm not really sure what that means! haha!

I have light brown hair and brown eyes. Right now, I am wearing braces on my teeth, and hope they will be removed by this summer! I like to fix my hair in a mohawk for fun.  My favorite food is anything Asian, like shrimp and lo mein noodles. I like to play with legos. I love to play basketball with my dad. In our back yard, we have a trampoline, swings, and a playset in the woods. We play out there a lot, especially in the spring, summer and fall. We had a lot of snow this past winter! It has just gotten warm enough here to go to the pool. Our family will probably go this weekend!

Please tell me a little about yourself, and your hometown. Do you have a big family? Do you like any sports? Do you play legos? What is your favorite food? 

Your friend,
Jackson

(I'm in the middle in the picture)

Dear Pen Pal, 

My name is Brady Steelman. I am 5 years old. I will be 6 in 6 days - May 23rd. I am in Kindergarten at Sanford Creek Elementary School in Rolesville, North Carolina, USA. I am the second of three boys in my family. My older brother is named Jackson and my younger brother is named Carter. My mom's name is Leah, and my dad's name is Rodney. Mom stays home with us during the day, and cooks and cleans. She was born and raised at Harkers Island, which is probably a lot like your hometown. My dad goes to work 5 days a week in an office where he is an analyst. I'm not really sure what that means! haha!

I have brown hair and brown eyes. My favorite food is pancakes with syrup, bananas, strawberries, and whipped cream. I really like dinosaurs and all outdoor creatures, like turtles, frogs, grasshoppers and butterflies. I want to be a paleontologist when I grow up. In our back yard, we have a trampoline, swings, and a playset in the woods. We play out there a lot, especially in the spring, summer and fall. We had a lot of snow this past winter! It has just gotten warm enough here to go to the pool. Our family will probably go this weekend!

Please tell me a little about yourself, and your hometown. Do you have a big family? Do you like outdoor creatures too? What is your favorite food? 

Your friend,
Brady

(I'm wearing the red and blue striped tie in the picture)

Being misunderstood

April 16th is a day most central and eastern North Carolina residents won't soon forget, as it was the day a terrible tornado outbreak passed through a great portion of our state. Fortunately, our home and our family was spared, but in Wake County alone, there were thousands of homes and families affected, and several even lost their lives.

On Rolesville Road, about a mile or two from our home

Also on Rolesville Road. The size of the downed trees is amazing!

Anyone who knows anything about the Mormons knows that we are a serving people. When there is a need, especially a natural disaster, we are notorious for being early on the scene, ready to take part, and even lead, in the relief efforts. Not only that, I feel inclined to tell that it is never on the premise of it being only Mormons that we serve. Quite the contrary. Serving someone in need is serving someone in need. Period. (Read a little about it here, if you'd like.)

On Sunday, April 17th, less than 24 hours after the tornado outbreak in Wake County, the boys and men of our church, county wide, were given instruction of where to be and what to do. They would meet up at the "such-and-such" church on "such-and-such" road, immediately following church. The were to come dressed for the occasion, bringing any and all tools that would be helpful in the cleanup and disaster relief effort. My guess (totally not worth citing as fact!) is that there were easily 200 boys and men who reported then and there, that day alone; two of which were Elder Tolman and Elder Garrard, Mormon missionaries who serve in my local congregation.

Last night, these two fine fellas joined my family over dinner and the subject of that day came up. I asked them, "Tell me about the tornado relief you were able to take part it - How was it?" Much to my surprise they told me that the were turned away by the managing organization at "such and such" church. Mormons weren't allowed.

Now isn't that just something!? Samaritan's Purse, "a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world" (quoted from their website which I linked to) turns away those who are willing and able to help, on the premise of religious differences.



Quoting from their description on Wikipedia, "The organization’s president is Franklin Graham, son of Christian evangelist Billy Graham. The name of the organization is based on the New Testament Parable of the Good Samaritan, in which Jesus uses a parable to teach people the Great Commandment - how to "love thy neighbor as thyself".

Isn't it ironic that in the story of the Good Samaritan, found in Luke 10:29-37, Jesus teaches about the Samaritan who was helping someone who wasn't of the same faith as he, as the wounded man was a Jew?

Curious for a reason why, the missionaries were told that they had to sign the following faith contract in order to be affiliated with their outreach. The contract is found here. In case it doesn't jump out to you like it does me, bullet point one is the offense of those who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, because we not only revere the Holy Bible to be scripture, but also the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price, all found in our scripture tote bag or quad.

Said "statement of faith" reads: We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. II Timothy 3:15-17.

So, I've been pondering on this conversation since last night, and basically am writing this down for my posterity. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of ridicule Mormons face in our day to day lives. It was so when my great-grandmother Bertha was the first one of her family to unite with the faith, with a backdrop of the Mormon church on Harkers Island being burned by angry mobs. It was so when my mother was chastised by her family choosing to marry my father, a Mormon. It was so when I was young and was misunderstood for not being able to join friends at the beach on Sunday, as we observe it as a day more for worship, and not recreation. And it is so today. It will be for a long time, for generations to come, I'm sure.

I was about to close with the sentence "Being misunderstood sucks," but I won't do that. That would be immature... And tacky. ;)

Sweet times Infinininity

(That means very, very sweet)

I just wanted to record my favorite Mother's Day gift ever. Rodney really outdid himself with this little number. I am so blessed to have him for eternity. And those three little buggers ain't so bad either. ;)


First is the youtube video 1 of 2 (The first 10:00) and then below it, is video 2 of 2 (The last 4:50).

Hiding in the Book of Matthew

Heaven knows I love a parable. Recently, I was glancing over Matthew, Chapter 13, wherein lies a number of them, including the wheat and the tares, the grain of mustard seed,  the treasure hidden in the field, and the pearl of great price.

Read with me, the final few verses of this chapter:

53  And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.

54  And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

55  Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

56  And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

57  And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

58  And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

  

(Can you tell I wanted to bring special attention to that final verse? I was going to share my thoughts on this here, but instead, I'll let you ponder on those words, and draw your own conclusions.)

 

My mossy "S"

Recently, I stumbled upon a craft online that I really wanted to try. Today, I did just that. Here are the step by step instructions for my mossy "S." All you will need is a piece of foam (mine was $7 at Walmart for a piece that was about 14" x 20" x 2"), real moss (Walmart, $2 per bag, and I used about a bag and a half), knife, hot glue gun & lots of glue. I went through about 12 - 15 mini glue sticks... (Each mini stick is probably the equivalent of about 1/2 of a regular glue stick, so if you have regular sticks, about 7 should be enough.)

1. Start by using a marker or pen to draw your letter or shape. Freehand works. However, if you're a perfectionist (which I am not), you may also like to use a stencil.

2. Cut. You'll want to be outside for this step, for sure. I used a kitchen knife, and just sawed at it, standing at the rail of my back porch. I'd recommend you use some sort of electic kitchen knife though, if you have it. It was tough. Took me about 20 minutes.

Oops! BUT, not to worry, if you do the same thing. Hot glue saved the day.

3. Time to apply the moss! This part was so much fun. I used hot glue, and it worked perfectly. My regret is that I didn't have some sort of "pressing" helper, though... like an old plastic credit card or something - just something that can stand between your fingers and the hot glue. I don't know - that might not be the best example of  a "presser" but something kind of like that would help you not end up with burned fingertips. Also, I forgot to take a picture of the back, but there is no moss on the back side.

All done! Total project time was about 90 minutes. I'm too impatient (and excited!) to prepare a better hanging method today... Eventually, I'd very much like to hang it from ribbon. The clear plastic door hanger thingy will have to do for now. :)

Shrimp 'n Grits

I wanted to try Shrimp 'n Grits tonight and really knew what I wanted it to taste like more than I wanted to go try to find a recipe. :) Welcome to "How to create a recipe to your liking - 101."

Ingredients (Feeds 5-6 adults)
apx. 30 uncooked shrimp
1 lb. neese's sausage (breakfast, ground sausage)
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 tsp fresh minced garlic (i used the kind already prepared in glass jar)
1/2 stick butter
2 cups milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup flour
grits, however you'd typically prepare them for your family (we use quick grits).

Here are some pictures of some of the ingredients that might not be familiar.

ez peel bag of apx. 25-30 worked perfectly

I didn't use hot, but THIS is Neese's Country Sausage

Walmart/ Great Value or Quaker... They taste the same

Found this at Target, in the fridge close to cheeses.

********************************************************************

Started by adding butter to hot pan, and sauteing the onion, celery, sausage & garlic over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Then I added the flour. Started with a little dusting, and did it a couple more times. Probably equaled about 1/2 cup. Stir it in till all the contents are coated, and there is no sign of "white" to your flour anymore, only about 1 minute.

Next, add liquid. I did 2 cups of milk, and 1 cup water. After it was brought back up to a low simmer, I added the ravioli (about 1/2 of the 20 oz bag). Also at this point, it's a good time to get your grits going. Our quick grits only take about 10 minutes on the stove top.

Since the ravioli need to be in for about 7 minutes to be fully cooked, I waited till the last second to add the peeled shrimp. Shrimp only needs to be pink to be fully cooked. Don't over-cook your shrimp, y'all.

Don't forget to salt & pepper your bowl to taste. I'll rate it a 8.5/10. Next time, these are the adjustments I'll make. #1. I'll use a full pound of sausage. This time I only used about 1/3 pound. And #2. I'll add some sort of cajun seasoning for kick... Maybe about a teaspoon or two of something like this:

Here's the finished product. The kids all enjoyed it (***Pretty much*** Brady was not a huge fan, but he's been grumpy today, so had it been another day, I think he'd have eaten it up!)

This is about the time that Carter told me "There's a party in my tummy!"

Directions with no pics:
Started by adding butter to hot pan, and sauteing the onion, celery, sausage & garlic over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Then I added the flour. Started with a little dusting, and did it a couple more times. Probably equaled about 1/2 cup. Stir it in till all the contents are coated, and there is no sign of "white" to your flour anymore, only about 1 minute. Next, add liquid. I did 2 cups of milk, and 1 cup water. After it was brought back up to a low simmer, I added the ravioli (about 1/2 of the 20 oz bag). Also at this point, it's a good time to get your grits going. Our quick grits only take about 10 minutes on the stove top. Since the ravioli need to be in for about 7 minutes to be fully cooked, I waited till the last second to add the peeled shrimp. Shrimp only needs to be pink to be fully cooked. Don't over-cook your shrimp, y'all. And finally, Don't forget to salt & pepper your bowl to taste. I'll rate it a 8.5/10. Next time, these are the adjustments I'll make. #1. I'll use a full pound of sausage. This time I only used about 1/3 pound. And #2. I'll add some sort of cajun seasoning for kick... Maybe about a teaspoon or two of something like Emeril's "Essence."

I did not know that.

So. I've been on this Earth for all of 11,278 days.
I'm married to a man who has been around for 11,849 days.
I've been learning as a mom for 2,752 days (not including the approximate 250 days in utero).
My mom and dad together have seen the sun rise and fall 42,525 times.

All in all, days and days and years and years of experience give us much... but far from **ALL** the information that could contribute to a perfectly well lived, well loved life. Naturally, there are those times of learning when you say to yourself, "How did I make it this long without knowing THAT!?!?!"

Today friends, it happened. I found something that I didn't even know I had been missing. And when I googled it, amazon showed me that it comes in a 24-pack case. Oh amazon. Why must you be so... so... perfect?!

Tally your birth date (or any ol' date) here. It's fun stuff!
timeanddate.com

April 1st (*Fool's Day*) 2011

Bless Brady's heart. I don't plan on fooling him again anytime soon...

Notice Jackson in the back seat, trying to cover his ears with a toboggan.

 

 Who'd have thought a joke about heading to the doctor's office for flu-shots (right out of early release school) would have set him up for such a fit?! I had planned on pranking him and Jackson with that plan, and then the reveal would only be about 3 miles down the road, where we'd arrive at **CLAY FUSION** for a little pottery glazin'!

Picture from their website - clayfusion.com

The plan was to pull up (at Clay Fusion) and tell them "APRIL FOOL'S!" But, as anyone could probably guess, I couldn't let Brady continue with his fit (whose volume deserves a blog post all its own!), so I quickly appeased him with the good news, only about 1/10th mile down the road. Man, you should have seen it! EPIC!!!

We did make it there, safe and sound. Carter was spending a little while at Kaitlin & Olivia's house (Thanks again, Linz!), so it was a great little date for mommy & big boys. Jackson picked out a sports car, and Brady picked out a (*SURPRISE*) creature. :) Here are are few pictures of all the fun we had. The colors will fire much darker than they look now (the pink will end up red, etc.).We'll pick up the finished product next Friday afternoon. Can't wait to see how they turn out.