Come on already! This is just stoooopid. Where is the respect for the office of The Presidency. Obama is cheapening the office and this country by these idiotic publicity stunts. Disgusting.
They don't even fit in the dern chairs for goodness sake.
source Drudge.
I found this extremely funny..in fact, I am still laughing...just thinking about it makes me laugh even harder..
But Wait! There's more..go check it out here.
I heard this on Neal Boortz today. HI!Larious...enjoy..
True Friendship -- None of that Sissy stuff
Are you tired of those sissy 'friendship' poems that always sound good, But never actually come close to reality?
Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship.
You will see no cute little smiley faces on this card -- Just the stone cold truth of our great friendship.
1.... When you are sad -- I will help you get drunk and plot revenge against the sorry bastard who made you sad.
2.. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.
3.... When you smile -- I will know you are thinking of something that I would probably want to be involved in.
4.. When you are scared -- I will rag on you about it every chance I get until you're NOT.
5.. When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining..
6.. When you are confused -- I will try to use only little words.
7.. When you are sick -- Stay the hell away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have...
8.. When you fall -- I will laugh at your clumsy ass, but I'll help you up.
9.. This is my oath.... I pledge it to the end. 'Why?' you may ask; because you are my friend.
Friendship is like wetting your pants, everyone can see it, but only you can feel the true warmth.
--I send this out to JOT! I think we got it like that girlfriend!
God, you are my God, I pine for you;
my heart thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
as a land parched, dreary and waterless.
Thus I have gazed on you in the sanctuary,
seeing your power and your glory.
Better your faithful love than life itself;
my lips will praise you .
Thus I will bless you all my life,
in your name I lift up my hands.
All my longings fulfilled as with fat and rich foods,
a song of joy on my lips and praise in my mouth.
On my bed when I think of you,
I muse on you in the watches of the night,
for you have always been my help;
in the shadow of your wings I rejoice;
my heart clings to you,
your right hand supports me.
May those who are hounding me to death
go down to the depths of the earth,
given over to the blade of the sword,
and left as food for jackals.
Then the king shall rejoice in God,
all who swear by him shall gain recognition,
for the mouths of liars shall be silenced.
- Psalm 65
no, not car insurance. Daughters haircuts! How? You ask? How did I save $30? Well, I did it myself! Yea!! $30 bucks folks! That's a lot of dough! oops..I'm on Atkins...no dough! That's a lot of salad folks!
Now, mind you, this is not the Hollywood, $75 hair style. Just a cute bob with bangs. Keeps it off the neck and out of the eyes and *ahem* I think I did a pretty good job of it. When I get my camera I'll put up some pics. Tomorrow!! I get my camera tomorrow!
Now for some reason I have a bit more trouble cutting the boys. Perhaps because it's so short already. I'm nervous to make 'em bald. Hubby cuts the boys hair. It saves us $20 every two weeks. That's a whoppin' $40 a month and $480 a year. With me cuttin' the girls (they don't need it as often, a trim every 6 weeks) we are saving $270 a year. That's $750 a year on haircuts! And that's when I can find a salon that will cut the girls for $15. Some of them charge $25. I even wash and style their hair, talk about life and such and we make it a true salon experience..at home.
Now, if I could figure out how to cut my own hair...
I have recently discovered this tiny little blog Holy Experience. It is so very different from all the blogs I visit. It is a very private, intimate place to relax. If you can say that about a blog. Take a moment to check it out. And if you do, watch the video in her most recent post. It will be the best six minutes you have spent today.
In my previous post I told you that I would let you know every week how much I've lost on Atkins. I've added the weight loss ticker on my posts. I'll update it every week. It's sort of an accountability thing..seeing it there..staring at me. Makes me feel good to see that ticker slide to the right.
With my guys away at camp this week, my evenings have been very quiet. Once the girlies hit the sack, I usually read the blogs or do some clean up.(I like to read the blogs more :}) Yesterday I said NO MORE! I went to Michael's. The girlies talked me into a Playdoh activity set ( on clearance..good eye girlies) and I picked up some small crafts.
I have always wanted to try cross stitching and a couple of you guys out there have been posting your needlework on line. It has inspired me to give it a shot. I also picked up some card making supplies. It's been over a year since I sat down to construct a greeting card. Card making is so much more fun with friends. I thought about scrapbooking but decided against it. Way too much involved in that. I do like the digital scrappin' but that can get just as expensive. I am working on getting all of my digital photo's into albums but that may take years, in the meantime, I keep taking more. (Hubby is snappin' away at camp this week)
So, I'll be working on the cards today. I have general housekeeping to do as well, that comes first. Work before play, right?!? When I get my camera back I'll take some pics of my craftiness..beware..it's sorta like my poetry. :)
The guys over at Men's Health have written an interesting article on bottled water. Is it better outta the tap?
One correction fellows, Dave and Matt say tap water is free..I got news for ya..I get a bill for mine every three months.
But..it is still cheaper than having some gurus at Coke or Pepsi bottle it for me. Why pay twice?
Check it out..The Truth About Bottled Water.
** UPDATE ** I rinsed, peeled and chopped up this little guy for my salad the other day. Daikon is not bad. I wouldn't eat it all by itself. But I wouldn't eat a radish by itself either. It does taste like a radish without the pepperyness (is that a real word? probably not). It does have a very subtle sweetness at the end. I tried it raw. I am guessing that the sweetness will come out more if you give it a little heat in a stir fry. It will definitely add some crunch to your stir fry. I give it a 5 on a scale of 1 -10. 10 being the best vegetable I've ever tasted. (I haven' t found that one yet)I thought this description was particularly funny:
The word Daikon actually comes from two Japanese words: dai (meaning large) and kon (meaning root). 2 cups of coffee, 8 am and I am looking up Daikon on the computer. Get a life will ya!
Anyhow, I found out how to work with this baby.
First, here's what it looks like so you can recognize it at the produce line up.
Now, here's some ways to use this little gem:
Source: What's Cooking America
This is an extremely versatile vegetable that can be eaten raw in salads or cut into strips or chips for relish trays. It also can be stir-fried, grilled, baked, boiled or broiled. Use the daikon as you would a radish. It may be served raw in salads or grated for use as a condiment (if you don't have a Japanese-style grater, use a cheese grater and grate just before serving), pickled, or simmered in a soup. They are also preserved by salting as in making sauerkraut. Daikon also is used in soups and simmered dishes. To prepare, peel skin as you would a carrot and cut for whatever style your recipe idea calls for. Not only is the root eaten, but the leaves also are rich in vitamin C, beta carotene, calcium, and iron, so they are worth using instead of discarding.
A Japanese secret to cooking daikon is to use water in which rice has been washed or a bit of rice bran added (this keeps the daikon white and eliminates bitterness and sharpness}.
For Chips, Relish Tray Sticks or Stir Fries - Simply peel Daikon with a peeler and cut crossways for thin chips. Dip thin chips in ice water and they will crisp and curl for a Daikon chip platter with your favorite sour cream or yogurt dip. Cut into julienne strips for relish trays, salads or stir-frys.
Nutrition Information - Daikon is very low in calories. A 3 ounce serving contains only 18 calories and provides 34 percent of the RDA for vitamin C. Rich in vitamin C, daikon contains active enzymes that aid digestion, particularly of starchy foods. Select those that feel heavy and have lustrous skin and fresh leaves.
I will be trying mine today. I'll post back here to let you know how it goes. If you have an interesting veggie to share please drop a line in my combox.
So today I went to school. I learned how to read a restaurant operating statement. I did math today. My homeschool experience was called into action today as I sat with a calculator to figuring gross profit, net sales and personnel costs. Not to mention all the percentages that go along with them. I learned that my scientific calculator was really, well, too scientific and the best tool for the job is a regular old adding machine or a pocket calculator with a memory function. Who knew?
I learned that cheese is a handy snack and low in carbs. I learned that I can eat Daikon. Have you ever eaten Daikon? Neither have I. I bought some though. I hear it's handy as a low carb cracker of sorts. It's a kin to the radish but apparently not as spicy. I am looking forward to a few slices with some tuna on top. Speaking of tuna..what's your favorite recommendation? Of course, the cheapskate I am, I have chicken of the sea in the pantry. Today I noticed a brand called Genova, whole fillet in olive oil. Sounded good, was a bit pricey at $1.29 (yeah..I'm a cheapskate)so I figured I'd research it first. Anyone out there try it before?
About the kitchen sink..well, I have the sink, but I have no faucet. They finally replaced my granite (can I get an oh yeah!) last night. Guy shows up at 7:30. "I didn't read my order" he says. "It's gonna be awhile". See, he had to remove the old granite. Not such an easy task. Needless to say, some pieces didn't fit, there was some tile cutting at around 10 pm. They finally got it installed around 11:30. I say, "are you gonna put the faucet back in?" He says "no, the kitchen guy will be around tomorrow". Oh. Okay. So, that's all fine and stuff, but I'm not gonna be around. "Oh, okay" and off he goes. So I called the warranty place but of course, there's no one around at 5 pm. So tomorrow, am early, I'll be on the phone. Keep your fingers crossed that I'll get my sink. Thank goodness the boys are gone to camp. I don't have near as many dishes with the girls. Whew..
So that was my day, how was yours?
I woke up this morning and immediately wanted carbs. Why? Well, of course, it's because I told myself last night, that I would have no more. I tossed and turned all night.
This just pops in:
No bread, no flour
no sugar or cookie hour
Vegetables, fiber and fat
that's where it's at!
Protein is my newest friend
On Eggs and bacon I now depend.
The road to skinny is a long and hard
I will not relent! I will not retard!(that means go back ;))
I will win this battle of the bulge
I will post it here for you to indulge
your weird fascination with anothers quest
your sordid desire to know my weakness
I'll share with you the ups and downs
the treadmill smiles and no pasta frowns
I won't post my weight, just how much I've lost
Once a week I'll weigh in, log the fat that I've tossed.
Keep your eyes on the prize
That's what I hear
My prize is size 12 in
under a year!
*(I apologize to everyone who can actually write real poetry.)
on Atkins that is. I am starting the induction phase tomorrow. But I had to share this with you..I found these little pieces of temptation at Rite Aid.
Yum Yum Yummy. Just don't look at the bottom left hand corner. (I knew you'd look, 210 calories! Yikes!) I love the yellow guy falling from the palm in the back. Great cover.
If you can find these, try them. Just a hint of coconut flavor over solid milk chocolate. They are about the same size of peanut M&M's but solid chocolate.
Well, yesterday was a mighty fine day! I received my package from the Honolulu Cookie Company (the cookies I won from JOT's quiz contest) and at work I was privy to the most fabulous sky transformations.
Yesterday was pretty hot and humid here..we hoped there would be rain. Well it came along about 6:30 pm. The sky went from a nice pale blue to a bruised purple and gray. I didn't get pictures because I was behind the cash register at the theater watching out the window. Then the wind..the crepe myrtles out front were blowing pretty good (everyone quick...roll up your windows..it's a comin') and finally, the rain. Blessed rain. I could hear my flowers and grass singing "Hallelujah!". Best of all I could actually hear my water bill decreasing. Ahhhhhhhhh.
Anyhow, after the rain(and my thanks to God for keeping my water bill low)..I finally got all my customers in and was able to head outside to take a picture of God's handiwork. This is what he painted for me.
Not just one, but two. Side by side. I wished I had a fancy shmancy camera but I don't. I was using my cell phone. They were much brighter in person. Not as lovely as a Hawaiian bow but lovely enough for me. The entire bow was visible in the sky. I just couldn't get the entire bow in my picture. When are they gonna come out with a Nikon D40 on a cell phone?!?!? Come on folks..we need some new thinkers out there!
I also captured this beautiful sky on my way home..it was about 9 pm.
Disclaimer: Do not take pics with your cell phone while driving.
(I only took three pics while driving. I won't do it again. I promise.)
This one came out all weird, but I love it.
Big Hollywood offers this article today:
Ukraine bans 'Brüno' for nudity, gay sex,
It's depressing to know that our perverted America has this movie at the top of the box office. Disgusting.
My most highly favored kitchen implement, my OXO Salad Spinner (yes it is that good and so qualifies for Capital Letters) has stopped spinning. My daughter had dish duty..she (no doubt) lovingly and oh so tenderly hand washed the top spinning portion and placed it on the counter to dry.
Then my middle son picked it up and wah lah! It came apart in his hands! He swears he did nothing to it! He swears that it just fell apart! Something is amiss here. Either the tender loving washing was not so tender and loving or the pick up was bad.
Either way, my OXO spun it's last salad this evening. Ooooh it was sooooo good! I even grilled chicken to put on top. Yum Yum Yummy. Fortunately I have a 20% Bed Bath & Beyond coupon and can replace this irreplacable kitchen implement. It is,after my Kitchen Aid mixer, my favorite tool and after my Pampered Chef chef's knife and bowl scrapers, the most used item in my kitchen.
Farewell my OXO Salad Spinner. You have served this family well.
The Consecrated Hands of a Priest
We need them in life’s early morning,
We need them again at its close;
We feel their warm clasp of true friendship,
We seek them when tasting life’s woes.
At the altar each day we behold them,
And the hands of a king on his throne
Are not equal to them in their greatness;
Their dignity stands all alone;
And when we are tempted and wander,
To pathways of shame and of sin,
It’s the hand of a priest that will absolve us–
Not once, but again and again.
And when we are taking life’s partner,
Other hands may prepare us a feast,
But the hand that will bless and unite us–
Is the beautiful hand of a priest.
God bless them and keep them all holy,
For the Host which their fingers caress;
When can a poor sinner do better,
Than to ask Him to guide thee and bless?
When the hour of death comes upon us,
May our courage and strength be increased,
By seeing raised over us in blessing–
The beautiful hands of a priest.
When you can't think of what to pray: Prayers for Priests
This is the granite we currently have: I'm not a fan.
This is the one I chose in the beginning but they got it wrong. Apparently there are 8 versions of Santa Cecilia granite. Ugh. I chose this originally because of the white background (brighter) the burgundy bursts (match the cabinets) and the honey colored patches match the back splash in the kitchen. So today, we drove the five hours (there and back) to ATL and actually wrote our address on the two slabs that will be used to redo our counter tops. I can't wait. It's going to brighten the kitchen considerably. I just wish we could have spent more time in ATL. We have family and friends there but just couldn't make it work today.
Mr. Pinch begins the tour..the foyerTo the left of the foyer...The Schoolroom
Off to the right of the foyer...the dining room
The kitchen..still waiting on my new granite :)
The breakfast place as she calls it...My sista's artwork completes the otherwise nonexistent decor..:)
The spare room/office/home gym..I do use that treadmill! Hubby made the platform bed..he's so dern handy!The wood burning fire place..not that it gets cold enough here..but T-bone(my Yorkie) sure does love sitting on the marble after a long walk...go figure..
The living room..the sectional is 10' by 10'. E-N-O-R-M-O-U-S!!
The girls' room
Alower's room..he's a minimalist.
The Chosen One's room..almost clean..
the hallway...
Part of the master suite..this sofa and love seat used to take up all the room in my old home..they are dwarfed here..Mr. Pinch models my fabulous jetted tub..this is one of my favorite spots...
We finally got a king sized bed! I've never had one before.
The Master Suite..it's really obscenely large. I don't know what to do with it. Any suggestions?
Wait a minute!! I've seen this monster before!
Ahahahahaha! Mr. Pinch Strikes Again!
Regina says it perfectly. Sometimes we need this very simple reminder of what the Mass is.
Father Trigilio at The Black Biretta has a done a wonderful, practical post for Priests on keeping up their spiritual health and well being. It is our obligation and pleasure to pray for our priests. Please take time out today to pray for your priest.
As promised, here is a pic of Therese's garden.
From Blogger Pictures
The flowers are still small. I planted the Mandevilla and Lilies behind the statue. The Mandevilla is a creeper so it should begin to grow up the trellis. The lilies won't bloom again until next spring. There are two California palms on either side, a knockout Rose bush on the right and a zinnia on the left (looking at the picture). The petunias and geraniums came from Father D. Vinca lines the front (directly behind the brick border). I will take another picture in a few weeks, hopefully we'll have some more growth at that time.
My mom is sending me a beautiful statue of the Blessed Mother to place here as well. Thanks Mom! Hubby will build a niche to place Her.
The Chosen One turned 15 this last week. His latest favorite things: Star Trek and Michael Jackson music. Some things never go out of style.
Pannini turned 11 in the last few weeks. Her latest favorites: webkinz and Mystery Diagnosis on Discovery Health. Got a medical mystery? Ask Pannini. She's got all the answers.
Mr. Pinch helped us take apart the shelves before the move. Watch out Andrew Dan Jumbo and Ty Pennington! Mr. Pinch is going to take over the world one Drill at a time!
Alower prefers to remain behind the scenes. 'Nuf said.
First I must apologize for being absent from the blogosphere for so long. Trying to get internet service has been a bear and we have been offline since June 18.
Our move is complete now, with phone and internet connected we can begin to get back to normal.
I have to give so much thanks to my brother and my husband (he got some awesome guys to help us move). They got us moved in one day and didn't put a scratch or dent anywhere in the new house. They were awesome! Thanks Guys!
After going through much stress with buying this house, we know now that it was the right thing to do.
On June 27 I had a miscarriage. Therese was 12 weeks along. She was so very very tiny. Her little feet and hands were so perfectly formed. Her ears so very tiny. We were so blessed to have been able to hold her (quite literally)in the palm of our hands. Our priest here was so awesome. He came and said the Mass of Angels at our home and blessed our little one. She was buried on July 2nd.
Because we now own our own home, we were able to plant a beautiful garden in her honor. We finished it yesterday. I planted Mandevilla, roses, white asiatic lilies, zinnia, petunia, wave petunia, geranium, vinca and two palm trees. I'll get some pictures up soon. We will eventually add some jasmine and more perennials. Father also gave us some wonderful plants from his garden and they have made our home look fabulous! Thanks Father! You are truly a blessed Priest. We are so honored to have you as our shepherd.
I have to say that I was not looking forward to this post.
Every now and then I get a very empty feeling in my heart. I am begging our Lord daily to conform me to His will. He is so good to us, even to let us hold our little one was just amazing and we are so blessed by it. Thanks be to God! Please keep us in your prayers and know that we pray for all of you ( I mean all of you bloggers and blog readers!) daily.
Blessings!
