JUST FIVE LITTLE WORDS

My friend Lisa (not the same Lisa who does Tempt My Tummy Tuesday) posted this entry awhile back. It was interesting, so I thought I would do it.

The deal is this.... Lisa gave me 5 words. I am supposed to tell you the first thing that comes to mind. Kind of fun. I asked her for my words... then I flagged the email so I would remember, but not over-analyze as I knew I wouldn't be able to post right away. But now?

Wait right here... let me go get my words:

OK, here we go:

She said: Cream

I think: I could put my face in it!

I LOVE CREAM! Heavy cream. I don't like sour cream. Sometimes I whip it, with very little sugar, to garnish a decadent dessert. More often, I pour it over ice cream. It hardens and creates a thin shell. YUMMY! You will not find Cool Whip or anything else (unless it is used specifically in a dessert or salad), but you will almost always be able to find a quart of heavy cream in my fridge.

She said: Cafe (and put a little doo-hickey/accent mark over the "e" which is a talent which seems to elude me.)

I think: HOW do I get that accent mark? Lisa... you will have to post a tutorial. Other than that, I think of truck stops. When I was little, after my dad would come in from work and get a little rest, we would leave for the long drive to Oklahoma. We would leave about 5:30 a.m. I can remember stopping around 7-8 in the morning at truck stops for breakfast. Not necessarily the best memory... the smell of the cigarette smoke mixing with the grease from other things was a bit nauseating.

She said: Smart

I thought: hmmm.... what do I think? Smart car? Whatever. Smart a$$? Usually. Intelligence? Obviously. LOL! ;) Heh... that's about it.

She said: Green

I thought: My yard is still green. It's not the bright "spring green," but 80% of my yard is green. The flip thought is green as in "environmental." Again, whatever. Green is the favorite color of my 1st and 3rd. My carpet is green. I have had green carpet for the past 10-12 years... it seems like EVERY place has carpet this color. Next time I get to pick... it will NOT be green!

She said: Shin

I thought: Come ON, Lisa! Give me something to work with here! LOL!

First thought.... "The shin bone's connected to the..... knee bone. The knee bone's connected to the... thigh bone. Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones."

OK... so I couldn't find anything that really stuck me for the others. Sorry. LOL! I need to go get the kids, anyway.

If you want 5 words of your own, just leave me a comment and I will get some to ya!

Y'all have a great day!

DISNEY - FINALLY

Honestly.... does this picture just melt your heart into a puddle? #4 only wanted to see 2 things.... Mickey Mouse and Little Einsteins. He got to do both. When Mickey bent down, #4 went right to him for a big, mousy hug.

I know I will not be able to convey to you, my reader(s), the absolute joy that was experienced by all. Even in the past 10-15 minutes, as I was going through the HUNDREDS of photos, my eyes were tearing up at the memories made. My ONLY regret about this is that I don't think I will be able to convince hubby to take us every year.... but I'm going to try.

I will do my best to share some pics that are meaningful, plus a few anecdotes. I think this will actually be better than giving a day-by-day run down. OR, maybe I'll end up doing both. I don't really know.... just keep reading. =)

Our trip started the first Friday in December. My kids didn't know what was coming. We dressed them, packed their lunch, and shipped them off to school, just as we do any other day. However, once attendance was taken, we pulled them out. Thanks to the help of some friends who work in the office, we were able to make this a wonderful surprise. We had the kids (one-by-one) called out of the office. It sounded something like this:

"Mrs. D?"

"Yes?"

"We need DS #1 to come to the office. He is leaving for the day. He is going to Disney World."

At that, the speaker was left on so we could hear the reactions from the other kids. "AHHHHHHH!!!!" Total. Coolness.

We did that for all three. We then went to the house for a potty break and to change clothes. They never even noticed that we were packed for 6 people the whole week prior (10-day's worth of clothes, I might add.) It was awesome.

We drove... an 18 hour drive in all, but honestly, it wasn't bad. And when you consider the major loot we saved by purchasing a bottle of Benadryl vs. 6 round-trip plane tickets.... well that, my friend, is some considerable moolah.

So we didn't stay at a resort. Again.... major moolah. The world didn't stop spinning. We don't feel like our Disney experience suffered. We had our own vehicle, stayed right across the street from Down Town Disney AND had free lodging, thanks to hubby's job perks. We probably got out for about 50% of the average Disney vacation for a family our size. (Just guessing, of course.)

We went to Animal Kingdom, Disney Studios, Magic Kingdom and Epcot over the course of 6 days. (We drove for 2 days either side of our stay.) We woke up early and went to bed late each night, save one. We were totally worn out. But, the kids were troupers and did so well. I'm proud of them. We had a blast.

Some of our fondest memories:

Did you know a 41-inch 4 year old can ride the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror? Hee hee..... yep. This is probably the best story, but I need to lay a little background.

My 4th son calls hotels "Abilenes." Yes... Abilene... as in the city in Texas. Why? Easy... his first memory of staying in a hotel was in Abilene.

"Daddy? Where are we going?"

"To Abilene."

There ya go.

So, we get on the TZTT. We go strap into the elevator. Go up, up, up. I get a good grip on said young'un, as I know he is about to freak out. Lights go out, we drop. Go back up. We drop. Repeat. Repeat. The whole time, my baby is screaming.

We come to a stop. EVERYbody lets him off first, since he is tearing out of his seatbelt yelling, "We have to get outta here!"

As soon as I step off, he collapses against me in tears. Why is this the best memory? Because of the following...

He says, "This is NOT a safe Abilene! I want to go to a DIFFERENT Abilene!" LOL

Then, later that night, he looks at me with THE most serious look and says, "Momma! If duh man says, "Duh elevator is ready for you." DON'T GO! It is a spooky ride!" HAHAHAHA!!!

That was the 2nd day. After that, he would put his head down and close his eyes during every ride that took us into a tunnel of some kind. He would also look for seat belts to determine if the ride was OK.

My 3rd son probably got the most out of the trip. He love, love, LOVED every bit of it. He was a madman, asking to get on the TZTT again. He loved Space Mountain and anything else that went "Super-duper fast."

My oldest, bought a Goofy hat. We were in one of the shows that is interactive. Well, my oldest had his noggin put on the big screen when one of the "jokesters" said, "First, let me show you something really goofy." This is focusing on the kid who does NOT like to be focused on. It totally made his day, and he still reminds me of it, from time to time.

My 2nd son really got into everything, too. He realized he wasn't going to die if he rode a roller coaster. He is now chomping at the bit to get into Six Flags, knowing that those rides are small taters compared to what he did at Disney. The cool thing for him was that his birthday was at Disney. He got a button that said "Happy 9th Birthday, DS #2." All of the cast members would tell him, "Happy Birthday." He also got a $68 gift card FROM Disney to spend on whatever he wanted. I don't know about you, but I think that is totally cool.

One night, we went to Epcot and ate dinner in "Germany." Well, they had a Polka band and some little kids were dancing on the floor. My 3rd said, "Can anyone dance?" I told him that yes, they could. I then asked if he wanted to dance. He said, "No." Well, a few minutes later, he wanted to go and asked me to go with him. I went and we twirled around a few times when suddenly it was like "Saturday Night Fever" took over. He pushed me back, threw his hands in the air and twisted and turned. He did cartwheels (as well as a 6 year old boy can) and mule-kicks. He even attempted a wee bit of break-dancing as he sat on his rump and spun around. I cried from laughter that night. It was great!!!

THEN, the band started to play the Chicken Dance. My 3rd yelled, "I KNOW THIS!" And was a VERY animated chicken.

We didn't check our computer, we didn't talk on the phone. It was a long-awaited, well-deserved, family vacation that I hope to repeat soon and often. Can we, Honey? PLEEEEESE???

Following are just a few pictures. I might caption a few. Some speak for themselves.

Mom and DS #2.

DS #3 watching fireworks.

The Cartwheel

The family at Epcot

#4 in the red Mickey hat, #2 behind, #1 leaning on mom, #3 in the other stroller

Light Parade at Magic Kingdom

Cinderella's Castle at night during the Christmas season

These joyous smiles were common. Note the shirt... it is no longer "soccer monster" that is a daily wear, but Thomas.

DS #2 holding up part of the castle on his birthday.

Waiting for Magic Kingdom to open. DS #3, 4, 1 and 2

Woody

DS #2 on the train at Magic Kingdom

Snowfall on the streets of Disney Studios

Mom and the kids

#3 with his favorite Disney characters: Leo and Annie

Dad and 3 of the boys in "Andy's Room" at the Toy Story ride

Mom and DS #1

The boys in the Candyland game in Andy's room.

Santa Goofy.... or is it Goofy Santa?

That look of wonder.... LOVE IT!

Dad and DS #3... he was the happiest kid!

And so was this one!!!

Mom and the boys with Pluto.... our first character sighting

Our passes

The end.....

MY BIRTHDAY

SO, last year, I shared with you, BAKAWA and how she got her name. Here is is, if you have forgotten.

Her name is "BAKAWA" (pronounced /bah-kuh-wah/) I'll explain the origin of that name.

I need to put a little history down.

My hubby and I, if you remember, have known each other for MORE THAN 30 years....and have been married for almost 18 of those year. A lot of our personality is the same. Our sense of humor....even more so. Usually, he only has to say one word (or start to) and I start laughing because I get the joke.

One time, I didn't.

One day, many years ago, this horse fly was buzzin' around me. I asked, "Dang! Is that a horse fly?"

My hubby's reply...."No....it's a baf."

Me - "A what?"

Hubby - "A baf."

Me - "There is no such thing."

Hubby - "Of course there is....look it up!"

Me - "OK....how do you spell it?" as I grab the dictionary.

Hubby - " B - A - F."

I start flipping. Stop. Look at him and start laughing and said, "Is it a big-a$ fly?"

It was. Isn't that funny?

So now, anytime there is something funny or impressive to us, we will name it a "BA-", the last letter actually being the first letter of the object. So a pimple might be a BAP.

OK....now you know about the first 2 letters of Bakawa's name.

You can figure out the next 2 quite easily.....what is the gadget I have so fondly named?

The final 2 letters? Heeee heeee...this makes me laugh, still...."With Attachments!" ROFLMBO!!!!

SO...Bakawa means "Big A$$ Kitchen Aid With Attachments."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

For my birthday, I got a watch, a few meals out and.......

LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA - (Angels singing)

BEHOLD!!! LAKAWA!!!!

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!

YES, I KNOW!

I'm not doing any better at blogging than I was about 6 months ago. But, this time, I have an excuse. I have just been busy. I haven't read the blogs as much as I normally do. Nor, have I been on Facebook as much as normal.

I have been subbing. I'm thinking of looking into a secondary certificate. I have my first through eighth grade certification... and have a major love for 7th grade. But, I have subbed in the high school and I LOVE THOSE KIDS. Oh, my.... after 2 days with them, I'm thinking of changing my certification.

I still want to stay home next year. I want my youngest son's first year before I go teach. That will give me time to sub a bit more and really decide if I want to pursue a secondary certificate.

My hubby has been fighting ear infections for the last several months. Not a good thing for a pilot to deal with. Well, he suddenly started having problems with his ear lobe area. He went to an ENT AGAIN.... staff. Infection. Not office staff. HE HAS A STAFF INFECTION. That should be enough, right? Well, it just doesn't look like it is going to be cleared up by Wednesday, when he is supposed to fly out. The problem is that his head set has ear plug dobber-ma-jigs that go IN his ear. His ear is so swollen and painful that he just won't be able to wear them. :( After an 8 day tour, I would love for him to have an extra day off.... but not at the expense of his sick days.

BECAUSE, this summer, we might start working on #3's ear. (To read up on that, just search my blog for the word "microtia.") VERY. STRESSFUL.

I still have to blog about Disney.

I have a good friend who is about to pop out a baby. I need to help her, so I might be scarce... well, no more than usual, I guess.

Our JBQ is ramping up to post-season play. That means our study time will increase. Right now, we study 3 kids, each night for 20-30 minutes. EACH. ONE-ON-ONE. Yes.... 1 to 1.5 hours a night. On top of homework, showers, baths, laundry, dinners, lessons, bed times. My oldest will be studying about 40 minutes each night. Until March, my 2nd will be studying about 40 minutes per night. And my third? About the same.

I am having trouble finding a sitter. I'm very picky about my kids. I can't get into details because I don't know who all reads...

OK... I need to go. I'll BBL

JUST A FLY-BY

I know that I haven't been as diligent as I had hoped to be. When I finally lay down each night, I think of awesome things to talk about... even get most of it "written" in my head. Then, I wake up knowing I have/had an awesome post... only to have forgotten it. Guess that means it wasn't that great, huh?

I still will try, even if is just a short blurb to say "Hey," and to tell you what I'm up to.... because I know you care. ;)

So, what is going on right now? Well, hubby is on an 8 day tour. Those are really hard. I remember when he used to fly for Eagle... a 5 day tour was something we moaned about. Now, a 5 day tour is like a gift. The months of February and March do seem difficult, mainly because of all the things we have going on and his work schedule.

I started subbing with the new semester. I did my first gig as a middle school PE sub. Only for a half day. That was a good thing... the haft day. It was OK. I mean, middle school... sure, I LOVE that age. PE? I didn't like it when I was a student. LOL! It was easy, though.

Then, last week, I subbed a full day as a 1st grade teacher. All I can say is this, "PE!" HAHA!! That was easier. I was told by a few little girls that "you are my favorite substitute teacher." That is sweet. I also had a sweet baby tell his momma that I wouldn't let him use the bathroom unless he had to poop. WHAT? HAHAHA!!!! I'm mean that way. (FTR, I would probably do that in middle school, but NOT 1st grade.)

I will be subbing at the high school this coming week... 2 days worth. I won't normally do the high school, and I hope it's not expected often. BUT, they are testing and need a certified teacher, so they were very emphatic in their request. It will be fun. I'm actually looking forward to it.

I need to post about my birthday.

I need to post about the 5th annual Birthday Bash.

I STILL need to post about JBQ.

I need to post about Love Languages.

I REALLY need to post about Disney.

I need to do another post about microtia.

I was going to do another post about friendship, but that was "brain-written" in anger/frustration... I'm SO over it....

DO YOU HEAR ME?!?! I'M OVER IT!!!

Really....

really....

I need to clean out my kitchen for a few reasons.

1. The Birthday Bash is coming up.

2. I got a lot of new bake ware (TOTALLY excited) and I need to make room for the new and ceremonially retire the old.

3. My birthday.... you'll find out why, soon. ;)

4. There is an unidentified odor in my fridge. It's weird. It's deep.... I don't know how else to explain it. It's not apparent when you open the door, but as you close it, there is a mild "after-smell" that assaults you. THAT simply will NOT do. I'm not a great housekeeper.

OK... You are right.... I'm not even a good housekeeper. But, I'm picky about my kitchen. I'm a messy cook/baker, but you can be for darn sure that anything you eat that was prepared by my hands and in my kitchen will be fresh and good. The smell bothers me.

It smells like the milk section in grocery stores... not *sour* milk, but bad milk. Maybe one of the gallons had a leak? I don't know.

Well, we don't have church tomorrow night. SO, while the kids are outside playing, I will be sitting in front of the fridge, with everything out on the counter top and wiping down the inside with hot, soapy, bleach water.

OK... Thank you for your audience. I shall return soon. :)

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

I have an on again/off again relationship with Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. That is not a bad thing. My wonderful friend Lisa, and her twin sister Lana, host this fun blog in which people share recipes, kitchen tips and ask questions.

I LOVE to participate... I have been very bad, though. I either feel like I don't have anything to share (which is really not true :-p) or I'm busy... which is more accurate. I have been very busy and neglectful of my blog. I'm trying to do better.

That being said, I would like to share a recipe for salad dressing.

A lot of people are intimidated by salad dressing. I never knew this until one day, I had a friend begrudging the fact that she was nearly out of dressing, and was having a dinner party. I whipped some up. She asked me when I learned out to make it... or something like that. I didn't really know... I just knew how to make it.

Salad dressings that you buy in the store are cr@p. Sorry. I'm not saying that taste like it. There are a few that I enjoy. But, for price and quality... you are buying a bottle of cr@p. Homemade is almost ALWAYS better, and salad dressings are no different. If you keep a few key things in mind, you can whip up an easy dressing. Using this recipe as a base, you can create your own dressing that suits your taste.

Easy Salad Dressing:

You need an acid

aromatics

oil

sweetener

salt and pepper

Acid can be vinegar or citrus jucie, my favorite are wine vinegars or balsamic vinegars

aromatics: ANY herbs or spices

Oil: for something that doesn't affect taste, you vegetable oil. For a bit of a flavor, choose an olive oil. (I use Light Olive Oil. Not a lot of flavor, but I prefer it to vegetable oil.)

Sweetener, I generally use honey for this

Salt and pepper (fresh cracked pepper yields a better taste)

First, put your acid in.

Whisk in your seasonings and flavorings. Go ahead and add your sweetener, salt and pepper

Whisk in your oil. (some people measure and do a 2:1 oil to vinegar or 3:1 oil to vinegar. I just start whisking and tasting and stop when I have the flavor that I like.

Here is MY personal favorite.

Honey Mustard Dressing

I start with white wine vinegar.

I add in minced garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper, honey, COARSE GRAIN MUSTARD, a bit of Dijon mustard

I whisk in light olive oil

After whisking this, I pour into a dressing bottle (you can get these at WM in the dressing section where the packets of dressing are sold) and store for about 1 week in the fridge.

IT GOES ON AND ON

I assume you go through the same thing. Just when I think things are calm or settled, I turn around. It's the same for groceries and supplies. Just when I clear out the closet, or sort through clothes, and take that deep breath of relief at a job well done, I do laundry and see holes in undies, dingy socks.... whatever.

Today, I decided to get those items that we need. Boy, do they add up. First, we are having a SUPER cold front coming the end of this week. Those of you in these parts, I think you are aware of it and, hopefully, ready. Those of you up north, this is nothing to you. This is just normal. We are supposed to be in the low teens... 2 days where we don't get out of the 20's. For us... that is MAJOR.

Your normal winter gear is not my normal winter gear. My winter gear consists of a jacket with a hood. There usually aren't mittens, hats, scarves, snow boots, parkas or anything. We don't have a winter wardrobe and a summer wardrobe. Our winter wardrobe IS our summer wardrobe... with a wind breaker over it, or jeans instead of capris.

MAN, did I run down a bunny trail.

All that to say I went and bought hats and gloves for all the boys. Since I don't know about recess for them (I have a friend WAY up north who says that recess is only cancelled if the temps go below zero... WHAT??? The only zero we see in temps is following a number.) I had to actually LOOK for hats and gloves... I didn't know where they would be.

SO, 4 hats and gloves. I will be subbing soon, so I got some for me, too. My 2nd son has started to wear under shirts because.... because.... I think it's because he has a friend who does it. Rather than have him wear a blue Sponge Bob t-shirt under his uniform shirt, I got him some undershirts. My honey needed some, too. His had the deodorant "glaze" on the pits... how do you wash that out? Really? I'm asking! If you know, let ME know. My washing techniques do not break through that.

I also decided that I needed a new coat. This is where I stand on coats/jackets (before today.) I have a NICE duster... gets worn a few times every few years... it's too heavy. I have a fleece. Everything else belongs to my hubby. Every time I decide to get a jacket I decide it's not worth the money. I would MUCH rather spend the money on something else... like a kitchen gadget. :)

Well, I went to the grocery store and had to buy a BUNCH of stuff. There are so many different types of things we buy during school for lunches and stuff. The good thing (that I will quickly point out to my hubby when he looks at the price of it all :-/) is that we are WELL STOCKED!

Now that all that is done, I have to find places for it. If something horrible happened and we were home-bound for a week... or 2... or even 3, I could make it. That is a great feeling.

I guess I should go now. I need to finish putting stuff away, go get the kids, put some laundry away, take my oldest to guitar lessons, feed the kids, put fresh sheets on the bed, dust, vacuum, get the kids showered/bathed and in bed... then by that time, hopefully, DH will be home.

Y'all have a good one!