Project 365: Weeks 16 & 17

Day 103/365: Chicken cat in a sink

Day 104/365: Reason Chicken Cat was in the sink (dog sitting, not new family member)

Day 105/365: Mmm...jello eggs

 

Day 106/365:  The eggstravaganza

Day 107/365:  The finished product (yes, these were multi-day eggs)

Day 108/365:  The Easter picture outtake

Day 109/365:  Dads Pickled Eggs

Also known as : What happens when the neighbors chickens become prolific egg producers

Day 110/365:  First practice of the season

Day 111/365:  Branding Day

Day 112/365:  Mmm...Rocky Mtn Oysters anyone?

Day 113/365:  Silly girl

Day 114/365:  Attempted Madison Self Protrait

Day 115/365:  Why do I give this child chocolate donuts in the car on the way to church?  Why?

Day 116/365:  Itchy Bum

Project 365: Week 14 & 15

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!!!

Day 91/365:  Mama's helper, part one

Day 92/365: Mama's helper, part two

Day 93/365: Fashion Statement, part 1

Day 94/365: Fashion Statement, part 2

Day 95/365: Fashion Statement, part 3

Day 96/365: The humiliation of forced bib-wearing can be overwhelming

Day 97/365: Nutritious, organic breakfast, anyone?

Day 98/365: Real men rock color change hair clips.  On their back pockets.

Yes, I took a photo of my husband's rear.  And posted it. 

Day 99/365: My new toy ... still naked though

Day 100/365: When Grandma & Pepe come home from France...

Day 101/365: Three little butterflies

Day 102/365: The team mascots

TST: Best Date Night Ever!

My hubby knows the way to my heart.

He took me to one of my favorite spots.

where you can look out over the golf course,

up to this beautiful stone picnic building

which I have always thought would be an amazing spot for a wedding (without the ugly picnic tables, of course).

We stood, and watched the snow roll into the valley,

and put up with my desire to play with my new camera by taking random photos of waterbottles,

and windows,

and sunlight,

and budding tree branches.

Then he took me to the library, where he has a key to the secret room.

The secret room is where they pull all the books that have been donated that aren't going into the main collection.  Every month, he takes boxes of these books to a storage unit, where they sit until the library's book sale every summer.

The benefit of volunteering to drive books across town?  If he sees a book he wants, he can have it.  And when you have this many books to choose from:

you are practically guaranteed to find something you will love.  I did.  I am really into Vince Flynn books right now, in case you were wondering.

By this point in our date, I was hungry.  And my man knows that a hungry Tiffy is a grumpy Tiffy.  So he took me to the new smokehouse in town (the one all the boys have gotten to go to, but all of us girls haven't) to get me a shrimp po'boy and crawfish bisque soup.  Nom nom!

Want me to look for anything for you the next time I'm in the secret room?

For Love of a Bloggy Friend

My sweet bloggy friend Rachel tagged me in this Q & A post a while ago, but I am a complete slacker and haven't done it.  Sheesh...those silly excuses like sleep, and quality time with my children, and dinner...excuses.  All excuses. 


Well, no more!  Here I am, for all the world to see, in 19 completely random questions!



1. If you have pets, do you see them as merely animals, or are they members of your family?

Well, that's a silly question around these parts!  Our animals are certainly treasured members of the family.  And my cousin Heather (who happens to write an amazing blog about all things thrifty, and who is getting married this year - WOOHOO!), still gets the award for best photos of my fur babies.

Someday, when we have our 6 foot privacy fence built around our property, we will get another dog.  But, for now, we enjoy the felines.

2. If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?

That's easy!  I would be back home with my babies.  And I would probably be spending a good portion of the year in Haiti, working with orphanages.  And, if a sweet, precious little boy (or girl) just happens to find his way into our home, well, I wouldn't complain about that at all!


3. What is the one thing most hated by you?

I cannot handle mean people.  At all.  And I have learned, being in a service position at work, that there are a lot of mean people in the world.


4. What would you do with a billion dollars?


Well, I would do the obvious things first.  Pay off the house, pay off my parents' house, buy a house for my sister so they could move back to CO.  Stick some aside for the girls for college, some for retirement for us. 

And then I would probably go ape crazy.  Pay off other people's houses.  Leave envelopes of cash on people's front porches.  Pay rent for someone for a year.  Send enormous amounts to missionaries & orphanages in other countries.



5. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?

'Nuff said


 6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
 
No fair Rach!  You didn't say anything about making me think!  I am honestly not sure.  You are either a blessing by loving someone, or being blessed by receiving that love back.  GAAH!!!  My brain just imploded.  And now I have to go clean grey goop off the computer.  Thanks, Rach.

7. What is your bedtime routine?


Our bedtime routine starts with the babes.  We put on their pjs, brush hair & teeth, and read stories.  Then Daddy carries each of them to bed, where we pray and snuggle for a few more minutes.

Once the minions are locked and banished tucked in sweetly, we usually watch a show or two, then head to bed ourselves.  Jerome has to have a glass of milk and a few minutes of E*PN news every night.  Cause we all know the man would not be able to get a decent nights sleep without the day's stats...

We head to our room, put on our pjs, pray, kiss, then Jerome usually falls asleep while I read for a while.  "A while" being relative to how bad my insomnia is acting that night. 



8. If you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner?
 
We bonded over the fetal pig dissection in 10th grade.  And trying to make the popular/mean girl in the class throw up every day.  Hmm...perhaps that should be a TST...

 

9. If you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be?



I would require the use of a time machine for this one.  I would love to go back to my childhood and watch my grandma.  Here she is holding Kat as a baby.

My grandma is, by far, the most creative person I have ever met.  But time and age have deteriorated both her mind and her body.  I would love to be able to go back and watch her when she was truly able to do all the things she loved to do.



10. What kinds of books do you read?
 
Anything.  No, seriously.  I am pretty much wide open, and will try anything at least once.  Well, not smutty romance novels (have no desire to read about someone else's bedroom habits in full living color), but other than that I am open to suggestions.  I love Christian fiction, regular fiction, sci-fi, mystery, historical, biographies, sports, humor, ...

See, I wasn't kidding! 


11. How would you see yourself in ten years time?


At home with my girls (ack!  They would be 17, 14, and 13).  Oh Lord!  Will you start praying for me now?  Thanks.

Anydoodle, my "ten years" answer reads much like my "dream come true" answer.  Home, part of the year in Haiti, and perhaps a few more minions added to the mix.  I'm going to need a bigger car...



12. What’s your fear?


Losing someone I love.  It is a deep fear that I have always had, and that I constantly struggle with.  Honestly, there are evenings, when I am driving home from work, when the thought of losing someone overwhelms me to the point of tears.  It is a battle I fight daily, reminding myself that God does not give a spirit of fear, that the fear itself is the battle.





13. Would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to visit outer space?


Seriously?  What kind of silly question is this?  What woman, in her right mind, would EVER give up junk food for the rest of her life, just to go see a vacuum.  I've got one of those in my laundry room. 

Pass the chips & salsa, please.



14. Would you rather be single and rich or married, but poor?


Again, very silly question.  Obviously, I would rather be married.  When I said "for richer or poorer" 8 1/2 years ago, I meant it.  Also, I have informed the dear hubby that if he wants to get rid of me, he's going to have to kill me first.  And good luck with that, because I am a pretty good shot.





15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

Hit the snooze and doze for another 9 minutes.  When the evil instrument of doom nags me again, dear hubby gets out of bed & starts the shower.  Approximately 30 seconds after the shower is turned on, we have this:

The girls (especially Madi - the rooster) know that they are not allowed out of bed until the shower turns on.  Works fabulously for Saturday mornings, I might add.  But, once the shower is on, they know Mommy is in bed and would love to snuggle for a minute. 

And, yes, I have just shared a photo of my bed, with me in it.  Please don't be horrified - there are cute toddler chubbies in it!

 16. If you could change one thing about your spouse/partner what would it be?


Oh good golly, what are you people trying to do to me?  This is like marriage dynamite right here! 

Ok, well there's ...

...

... yup, drawing a blank here.  There are times I threaten to throw his phone out the window when he answers it for business, but I love the part of him that wants to serve people and bless them. 

I just have to face facts.  I got the best man in the world. 




17. If you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?


Francine Esmerelda Ruth.  Or Zoe for short.

And if you believed that, do I have a deal for you! 

Seriously, I have no idea.  I guess I've never thought about it. My parents always told me how grateful they were that I was a girl, because Tiffany was the only girl name they every wanted to name me, and they had NO names picked out if I was a boy.  And, knowing that my parents went through 2 years of infertility to have me, I know they spent a lot of time thinking about my name.  And I like it.  So there.



18. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?


No.   I have forgiven some atrocious things from my past done by very special people, but that does not mean I have forgotten.  And, while I have been able to use those horrible things to bring healing to other people, I have not forgotten.  I honestly do not think you can. 





19. If you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be?

Figures that the easiest question would be the last one!  That is so easy - Mexican!

Image from Google

The dear hubby jokes that I am only happy eating food when there is hot sauce on it.  And he's right. 


And, there you have it.  19 completely random facts about me. 

True Story Tuesday: Its Back!!!!!!!

Oh, I am so happy that TST is back!  I have missed all the silly, funny, miraculous, serious, silly stories from all my blogland buddies.  Go see Rachel & Mr Daddy over at Once Upon A Miracle for more fun!


Yes, we took all three kids camping this weekend.  In the mountains.  Yes, we slept in a tent. Well, slept as much as you can expect to sleep in a sleeping bag on an air mattress with a slow leak in a tent with a snoring husband, a snoring child, a child who turns circles in her sleep, and a child who wakes up every hour to inform you of what everyone else is doing in their sleep. 


No, there were no bears.  We were very sad.  Apparently, they heard rumors of the arsenal our group  brought, and decided not to tempt fate.  Darn smart bears...


Sunday afternoon was pretty lazy around camp.  We were just chilling around the fire, watching the children cause general mayhem in the woods.  And you know, when you are sitting at camp, you get the munchies.  I thought I had the perfect remedy.


I had a moment of brilliance at the grocery story Friday, and purchased one of those jiffy pop things that you are supposed to be able cook over the campfire.  I had never actually used one at camp, but thought the idea itself was brilliant.So we pulled it out in anticipation of movie butter popcorn goodness. 


Yeah, not so much.  It popped about two dozen kernels and promptly burned them. The remaining kernels decided to skip that ever-pesky popping stage and jump directly to burn. 

It was rather disappointing.  But, we are a creative bunch.  Here, we had fire and the potential for entertainment.  Oh, and a camera with video capabilities.

And so, I proudly present, our attempts to pop and catch popcorn over an open flame.

Yup, weird things happen at camp.  Strange, but true.

Recipe

Simply take three of these:

(Keep in mind that they may not be readily available in your area. You may have to special order them. Contact your grocer, OB-GYN, or adoption agency for details.)

Add this:

By following this recipe from Betty Crocker (my new favorite recipe site).

Make sure to use your special rolling pin and rolling helper:

And don't forget to make sure the cheese is evenly spread.

And you too can have a tasty meal on the table in under thirty minutes, even with helpers.

And, of course, my camera decided to randomly change settings WHILE I was trying to take photos. Without my permission. Oh well, it tasted much better than it looks, I promise.

It was actually a very easy recipe, and very kid friendly. They helped from beginning to end. And no one was hurt by Madison's fascination with the giant rolling pin. And they ate their dinner. A successful evening, I think.