photos by Darren

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Well, we seem to have started a new tradition/ritual.

We started watching Chuck this season and it’s become a Monday ritual.  Since it comes on at 7, we have to high-tail it home from swim practice.  We usually eat something easy for dinner.  This week it was sandwiches and chips picnic style. Our kids are obsessed!  They really don’t watch too much TV anymore.  We took their TVs out of their rooms due to some bedtime meltdowns.  And we’re just not home very much.  We usually wrap up school just in time to tidy the house and then go to swim practice or church (Wednesdays).  On non-Chuck nights, we eat and then they get ready to be in bed to read or listen to listening libraries until lights out. 

We are also starting a new tradition for Thanksgiving this year.  We invited our parents to eat with us, but we are staying home.  I’m cooking a 22 lb. turkey (gulp) and we’re going to watch football.  “We” meaning those in this house whom are fans.  I’ll most likely be in the fetal position wondering what I’m going to do with all of the leftover turkey.

So, what are your Thanksgiving Traditions?

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My favorite mother of eight asked an interesting question on her blog today that I feel I need to answer.  I come from a family that talks about what we’re going to have for dinner while we’re eating lunch.  Octamom asked, “What is your favorite comfort food?”  My first reaction was, “Do ya gotta few hours?”

My dad’s side of the family is Swedish.  Swedish Lutheran.  Guilt is an art form with my people.  So is carb loading.   We spent a lot of time in Kansas learning the ways of proper Swedish eating.  Kansas, you say?  My ancestors settled in and around the Lindsborg and Salina area.  There’s quite a few of ‘em around those parts.  Be warned.  Swedes are proud of their heritage and will entice you with coffee and desserts so they can tell you all about the old days.  About Alfred, Swann, Gjord and Olaf.  The Prince of Sweden even visited in 1927.  Pay attention.  There will be a test. 

Any good Swede knows that all food must be beige.  You can get away with color, say, like on broccoli.  But it must be cooked in butter until there is no nutritional value and then covered in gravy.  And God forbid you don’t have bread with every eating event.  It goes without saying that you have bread with every meal.  But you also have rusks (toasted bread with cinnamon) with coffee and eat desserts like bread pudding.  And there always…I repeat always has to be a pot of coffee on.  My grandpa was actually a freelance waiter.  Whenever we ate out, he would find the coffee pot and would then walk around the restaurant refilling cups so he could get to know people. 

And you may remember this photo…

Someone allowed Alice and Eugene to go to Germany to visit my aunt and all hell broke loose.  That’s not coffee and that’s definitely not a rusk.

But to answer the question, I guess my favorite comfort food would be potatoes.  Fried, mashed, roasted, baked…doesn’t matter.  As long as it is beige.

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photo taken in 1987…yes, that’s gold chain.

Today I am celebrating the birth of my favorite husband!  Here’s why: 

1.   He likes the beach

2.   He calls me baby.

3.   He’s Hottie McHotterson

4.   He likes to make dinner

5.   He reminds me not to cuss in front of the kids

6.   He tells me he married my legs

7.   He joined church choir

8.   He loves my kids

9.   He is a hard worker

10.  I can smell his cologne for hours after he leaves for work

11.  He’s passionate about photography

12.  He tells me I’m beautiful everyday

13.  I know he’s not just talking about my face

14.  He cleans the floors

15.  He plays with my hair

16.  He tolerates chick movies

17.  He was truly mad at me at the end of The Notebook

18.  He gets me birthday presents when I tell him, “I don’t really need a present.”

19.  He’s smart because he knows better

20.  He giggles like a little boy when he’s shooting fire works

21.  His eyes are my favorite color of green

22.  He played football

23.  He loves his mama

24.  His dream car is a Corvette

25.  He tickles me.  I hate it.  But I love it.

26.  He never ever ever raises his voice to me.

27.  He tears up when we discuss the struggles our children face being part of a blended family

28.  He knows when I need a hotel night

29.  He completely supports homeschooling our kids

30.  He brings me flowers when I least expect it

31.  He thinks I’m funny

32.  My daughter calls him Daddy and means it

33.  He protects our new family’s traditions

34.  He makes pizza every Friday

35.  When he comes home from work, I say, “Yay!”  and I mean it

36.  He lets me have the remote most of the time

37.  He helped me heal

38.  He holds my hand when we pray

39.  He protects me fiercely

  40.  He makes me happy 

Happy Birthday, Baby!!!!  We’re just getting started!

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We are supposed to get a cold front this week, so it’s Chili time.  I called my dad to get his recipe and as he was rattling off the ingredients, I thought I heard him say mini-wheats. 

Me: Mini-Wheats?

Dad: No!  Cheese.  Mini-Wheats…Can you imagine what kinda gas that  would give you?

These conversations are why I am the petite flower I am…

Larry’s Chili

Ingredients

2 lbs.Ground Beef

Onion

2 big cans of Red Beans

2 big cans of Diced Tomatoes

Cumin and this:

People, it’s just not Larry’s Chili if you don’t use this chili seasoning.  I am going to use two packets.  Brown the meat with the onion.  Combine everything into a crock pot and let it simmer for a few hours.  I didn’t put an amount for Cumin because I feel Cumin is a personal choice.  I don’t want to be “that guy” that forces you to define your relationship with Cumin.  It is what it is for most people.  So, reach deep inside your soul and search for the right amount for you.  I fasted and prayed for a week and God told me my amount is 1 Tablespoon. 

Monday

Lunch- Beanie Weenies (Huge hit here!)

Dinner- Beef Stroganoff

Tuesday

Lunch- Grilled Cheese and Soup

Dinner- Chicken, Broccoli with Cheese Sauce, Carrots, Fruit Cocktail

Wednesday

Lunch- Pasta Salad, Garlic Toast, Peaches

Dinner- BLT Sandwiches, French Fries (I know.  But they’re taking up room in my freezer.)

Thursday (Cold front moving in.  And by cold, I mean the high temp will be 77 instead of 80)

Lunch- Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Chips, Banana (Tip: I found that if I use the Oscar Meyer Ham and Cheese Loaf, I don’t have to buy cheese singles.  Duh.)

Dinner- Larry’s Chili, Saltines, Sliced Cheddar Cheese

Friday

Lunch- Chili Mac with Leftover Larry’s Chili

Dinner- Chili Pizza.  I kid…  Homemade Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Saturday

Lunch- Cheese Quesadillas with Corn, Lettuce and Salsa 

Dinner- Beef Hot Dogs, French Fries, Carrots and Ranch

Sunday

Lunch- Meatloaf, Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans,  Pears  

Dinner- Leftovers

Have a Good Week!!!!

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I am amazed at Loree’s progress in reading.  This is one of my favorite parts of homeschooling.  Seeing them turn the corner and watching the light finally come on.  But we do have the days when she can’t be bothered with cooperating and forces me to exercise every last bit of patience left in my body.  When I calm down and realize, “No, she hasn’t forgotten everything I’ve taught her.”, she can actually be quite humorous.  While we were making lunch, I was having her review her BOB books.  Today, she was reading to Hannah, her doll.  When she got to this page, she got tickled.

When she’s not concentrating, she has trouble with has, was and as.  She’s been taught to read phonetically, so she sometimes says hass, wuss, and yes, ass.  I am not mature enough to hide my mirth.  Neither is she.  So reading time is fun with Loree cuz she cusses and she’s 7.  I’m not saying it’s right. 

One of my favorites:

Reader: Gus is as fat as a big tent.

Loree:  Gus iss ass fat ass a big tent.

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Continuing with our love affair with Dave Ramsey, I tried again to be frugal this week.  Using the word frugal makes me want to store up food and wear a head covering. 

Monday

Lunch- Pepperoni Spaghetti

Dinner- Pork Chops, Roasted Potatoes, Salad with Avocados

Tuesday

Lunch- Leftover Spaghetti, Salad.  I’m learning to not be afraid of leftovers.  It goes against one of my top food rules, but I am trying to embrace my inner doggie bag.

Dinner- Beef Stroganhoff, Green Beans, Fruit Cocktail

Wednesday

Lunch- Beanie Weenies.  This was a huge hit last week.  Cheap and easy.  It’s how I like my men and my meals.

Dinner-Grilled Cheese with Chicken Noodle Soup

Thursday

Lunch- PBJ sandwiches, Carrots and Ranch

Dinner- Roasted Chicken, Broccoli with Cheese Sauce, Pears

Friday

Lunch- Ramen Noodles, Salad

Dinner- Homemade Pizza, Cokes (or pop depending on what part of the country you’re in)

Saturday

Brunch- Egg-in-a-hole, Bacon, Cantelope

Dinner- Barbeque Baked Potatoes

Sunday

Lunch- Pot Roast, Carrots, Potatoes. Green beans

Dinner- Leftovers

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Tooalk amoungnst ya selves while I pooull myself togetha.  I’ll give you a topic.  The Progressive Era was neither progressive nor an era. Discuss! *pulls self together*

OK.  So, I’ve been bestowed the prestigious blog award.  Twice.  *sniff*

I received it from Angie and Melissa that are two of my lovely blog sistas that also homeschool their delightful children.  I dare you not to go to each of these blogs, look at their kids and say, “AWWWWW!”   To be honest, I feel quite humbled.  These two ladies’ have it together when it comes to homeschooling.  They have some wonderful resources and I’m dazzled by their creativity and I want to be be like them when I start homeschooling my kids.  Oh.  Wait.

But, thank you, ladies for this award.  Some days I feel like, “Tap. Tap. Tap.  Is this thing on?”   Knowing someone is actually listening to my silliness and appreciating my DH’s pictures (His are the ones that don’t suck), well…It’s like buttah.

Here are my eight.  Being at home with my 237 kids day after day, I tend to have moments when I need to escape, if just for a few moments.  The judge says I can no longer hide in the closet and drink whiskey.  So, I go visit these ladies:

1. Nesting Place-  What I wouldn’t give to have 1/2 of this woman’s design talent.  Her attention to detail is very inspiring.  I want to live in her house. 

2. Secola’s Space-  She lives near my hometown and we share a very similar sense of humor.  This makes me feel safe.  There’s at least one person I won’t offend today with my Jr. High Humor. 

3.  My Sweet Life-  This talented mom is such a good writer and I love to get a glimpse of her life, especially when it involves her sweet children. 

4.  Urban Mom-  She lives in Chicago and I want to live with her, too.  I’ve never experienced “city life” and it’s on her doorstep every day.  She, like Secola, shares an interest in pop culture.  Not that I go read People.com everyday.  Because I don’t.  I swear. 

5.  Oh My Stinkin Heck-  I don’t even know where to start.  My blog told me it wanted to be her blog someday when it grows up.  I was like all, “Whatever.  Like you’re ever gonna grow up.”  My blog then said, “Well, I can dream…”  Sheesh!  My blog is such a drama queen. 

6.  Sarcastic Mom-  She has the cutest baby I’ve seen at the moment.  Don’t believe me?  Just know you’ve been warned.  Cute Baby.

These next two are IRL buddies.  I see them at my church and they make me wanna go get coffee.  Even though I don’t drink coffee.  But, I’d sit and watch them drink coffee.  But that might be creepy.  Never mind. 

7. Popcorn’s Page-  Popcorn has the sweetest, most talented family.  And the woman can accessorize like no body’s business.  Go to her page and listen to her wonderful husband sing. 

8.  Super ChurchLady-  SCL seems to be one of the most even tempered ladies I know.  She just spit coffee all over her laptop when she read that, because she has been a little stressed lately.  She just has a certain air…an aura, if you will.  She’s very serene with an unruffled repose.  (Thank you, theasurus)  So, SCL I hope that’s what you were going for, ‘cuz that’s what I see.

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This is what I woke up to find today.  Careless, useless tradgedy and carnage. 

How fast and reckless do you have to be driving to get your car on top of another? Their bodies were thrown from the vehicles like lifeless dolls.  Let this be a warning to you, friends. 

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Dude…what part of my brain has been shut down that caused me to forget about steel wool.  I mean, seriously!  I got rid of my Teflon* because I’m easily influenced by the media and replaced it with stainless steel.  I had been poisoning my body with Teflon* for so long, that I forgot steel wool even existed until one of my kids needed it for science.  I picked up the box and I was like all, “Huh…”.  (Last comment proves to me I need to talk to some adults.)  I failed to take before and after pics to post.  (Please don’t tell the blog police)  But, lemme tell ya!  My pots and pans are so shiny, it nearly brought me to tears.  (Another reason I need to so go do lunch with someone my age)  So, that’s what’s workin’ for me!

*disclaimer- I never did the research on the whole Teflon thing.  I just wanted new pots and pans.

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*taken by Nana

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The first shot is one of my favorite shots by my husband from our hotel room during one of our visits.  The other is a shot from the Seawall yesterday.  You’ll notice no fishing pier at the end of the jetty.  It’s just gone. 

There were several places were boats had drifted on land.  This is right near the Harbor House Hotel.  Even more startling were the piles of boats as you drive over the causeway onto the island.  They are strewn about like toys.  Hundreds of them!  

And this was Murdoch’s.  My most favorite souvenir shop in the whole wide world.  It was built in 1910 and was a bathhouse.  They had sharks in jars, shell picture frames, Galveston snowys and these:

I made Darren take me there every trip so I could visit my awesome lamp.  It actually hulas.  But I never could justify the $50 for a lamp.  Now, I regret it.  I have to admit, a small part of me held out some hope that I might find one sticking out of the debris.  But the clean up is going really well.  The seawall is mostly clear.  Except for a few of these:

And we saw at least 2 of these:

Huge debris mountains waiting to be taken off the island.  I bet that’s where my lamp is.  So sorry I didn’t buy you! 

This was a stairway that went down from the seawall to the beach.  The surge and the waves battered it. 

Another treasure that was lost was the Balinese Room.  You know, the ZZ Top song.  It was located next to Murdoch’s. 

This is what it looked like.  Now, it’s simply gone.  And to think most of that structure washed up onto the seawall in bits and pieces.  It’s just heartbreaking. You can read about some of it’s history here. And here is a satellite before and after pic of Hooter’s, Murdoch’s and the Balinese.  The owner says he still has the option to rebuild and is working with the insurance companies, but financially he will not be able to take it on himself.  $50 says Tillman Fertitta of Landry’s, Inc. picks it up.  He’s not a very popular fellow down there at the moment. 

Tillman Fertiita also bought my Flagship Hotel.  I’m just hoping he doesn’t cheese it all up like the Rainforest Café.  The jury is still out for me on this guy.  Something about him just screams, “Tool!”  He could really help bring the island back.  If he wants to rebuild Murdoch’s and needs someone to run it, I would totally do it.  I’d just need a little homeschooling room in the back somewhere.  And since we’re asking, maybe a suite at the new Flagship big enough to house my family.  And Tillman, if this all pans out, please disregard the tool thing…

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