Pizza Hut Tuscani Pasta

REALLY?

Now, I haven't tried it, so I might be a bit too judgmental, a bit too soon. But do they HONESTLY expect me to believe that I can go to a nice restaurant, which appears in the commercial (judging by the linens and such) and get THIS?



But I think I'm getting THIS?

Hmmmmm.....that's gotta be some GOOD PASTA!

Join me on Mondays for "Making a Happy Home Monday."

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

My blogger friend, Lisa, started this carnival. SO FUN! You need to join us!

This is another winner.....I hope I haven't posted it already.

ENJOY!

CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

Ingredients:

1 pkg spaghetti (16 oz)

1 chicken (cooked and deboned)

sauce:

2 tbsp butter

1 onion, diced

1 green, bell pepper, diced

1 pound Velveeta, cut into cubes

1 small can of milk

1 can Rotel

Cut your cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Prepare spaghetti according to directions.

Meanwhile, saute your onion and bell pepper in butter until soften...but not browned.

Add Velveeta, milk and Rotel. Stir until smooth and completely melted. (Continue to stir as the milk can easily scorch.)

When sauce is smooth, add the chicken. Mix well.

Mix sauce with prepared spaghetti. You can serve this from stove-top or put into a baking dish and brown a bit of cheddar over the top.

SLAP YOUR MOMMA!!!

*this does not freeze well, as the Velveeta breaks down.

Scroll down and check out "Making a Happy Home Monday!"

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

Hey, y'all. I'm slow on Monday's...I'm sorry. I need to start working on this on Sunday night, huh?

OK. As some of you know, and as some are hopefully finding out, I have started hosting a blog carnival called: Making a Happy Home Monday.

The purpose is to encourage, and inspire, other women to make a positive difference in their homes. It can be as small as a vase of fresh flowers to as big as painting an accent wall. Won't you join me? Just hook up on Mr. Linky down at the bottom.

This is what I focused on. I have a few (OK...several) "catch-alls" throughout my house. The Fly-Lady calls them "hot spots" (I think.) I call it a mess!

I chose one of those areas and spruced it. Here are my before and after pictures.

This is my dining room table. I tend to be lazy and put things on the table (to deal with later.) Later is usually right before we eat...where it ends up in another hot spot, which I will focus on next time.

What is all that? New shoes, 2 rolls of shelf liner, a JBQ Coaches book, notebook full of coupons, recipe for tiramisu, laptop computer, JBQ question notebook and various other "crap" materials that need a home.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

The center piece is the finished project from last week...the pumpkins.

I got a basket and put some pumpkin spice potpourri in the bottom and then placed my fun, glittering pumpkins on top.

Join me!

DO YOU KNOW WHAT TODAY IS?

Scroll down a bit - looking at my sidebar.

Do you see the countdown to Opening Day of THE Great State Fair of Texas?

0 weeks

0 days

0 hours

0 minutes

0 seconds

IT OPENED TODAY A FEW HOURS AGO!!!

Do you know what that means?

It means that the holidays have officially begun. WOOHOO!!!

In honor of the holidays and all the plans you need to make for your baked goods and such, go here:

http://www.northpole.com/Kitchen/Cookbook/

SATURDAY MORNING

Saturday mornings NOW are a lot different than they were THEN.


Now, I want to sleep. If I get to sleep until 8:00 a.m. I count myself lucky. THEN? I couldn't wait to get up.


What is it about Saturdays that is so different than the rest of the week? Take the kids. My children are HARD to wake up in the mornings. We get up at 7:00 during school. That is not some horribly early hour. My 2nd gets up better than the others, but we still have to work on him. My oldest....we have to nag for about 20 minutes. My youngest 2? Well, if my hubby is home, we just leave them for a few extra minutes.


Here comes Saturday......6:30 a.m. (or earlier) and I have one of my children asking if they can either play PlayStation, or watch T.V. "JUST DO IT, ALREADY!"


I was the same way. I didn't watch TV during the week. But Saturday mornings were all mine. I used to think it was a nice gift my parents gave me. Now, I know it was their need for sleep.


I would sneak into the living room and turn the KNOB to one of the 3 stations we got. (There were only 13 numbers to choose from and only 3 of those played what I craved for a week at a time.) It was the desire of every child from age 5-12. CARTOONS!!!


So excited was I for the start of cartoons (at 8:00 a.m.) that I would rush out a bit too early. And disappointed (and obviously a bit "clock-reading" challenged) I would see this:










Like Pavlov's dog, the test signal cued me to begin breakfast preparations. On the menu for every Saturday morning?








At long last, after finishing my cereal and seeing the sun come up, I would begin my weekly binge of violence and stare, as if hypnotized, to the evils of the world.

"SUFFERIN' SUCCOTASH!"

"CONJUNCTION JUNCTION! WHAT'S YOUR FUNCTION?"

OK...I don't remember a catch phrase from this, but all I know is this: except for the cute little dino, this show creeped me out!

And Chaka......Do you remember him? It's like some kind of cave-Ewok.....what's up with his melon?

One minute to go tinkle.

"HEY! HEY! HEY!"

Right when I'm getting settled into some mind-numbing posture...no doubt involving some drool...THIS would come on.

UGH! I HATED this....you remember the voice? "The SOOOOOOOOOUL Train!" Then the blasted iron horse would chug it's way across my dad's 23 inch Zenith, F3385H, floor model.

Welp....that is my week of cartoons. I guess it's time to go play outside.

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

PECAN PIE BARS


These are so yummy and pretty easy....and did I mention they were yummy?

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold butter

Filling:

4 eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/2 cups corn syrup
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups chopped pecans

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press firmly and evenly into a greased 15-in x 10-in x 1 in baking pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

For filling, combine the eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter and vanilla in a bowl. stir in pecans. spread evenly over hot crust. Bake 25-30 minutes longer or until set. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

Obviously, once they were done, I dipped half in chocolate.....just to cut the sweet ;)

Also, I DIDN'T do this before, but I will next time I make it. I will probably line the pan with parchment and have it hang out enough to lift the bars out and cut a little more neatly.

ENJOY!

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

For this installment of "Making a Happy Home Monday" I chose to decorate some pumpkins. I do this every year. It's an inexpensive, easy and very pretty decoration to place around the house in the fall.

All you need:

pumpkins (I buy the bags of the small, decorative pumpkins for about $2.88 at WalMart.)

glue (Elmer's school glue is a bit too gummy for this. I have never tried spray on adhesive. I use Aleene's all purpose Takey Glue)

brush (Bristles are better...the sponge does not work too well)

glitter (This is NOT child's craft glitter. Go to Michael's or Hobby Lobby and be sure to get EXTRA FINE or FINE)

paint (I like to paint my stems brown. You don't have to, but you can't really see them once the pumpkin is glittered.)

Here are my supplies:


First, I poured some glue onto a plate. I then brushed the pumpkin, working in sections, with the glue. A thin coat will do.

Next, I dusted some glitter over the glued section of the pumpkin, letting the excess fall into the plate below. (This allows you to use the extra on the other sections. It really does not take a whole lot of glitter.)

After about 5 minutes, this is what I have.

This is what I ended up with: (yes, I know that THESE pumpkins are last years, but I needed to get this post up. I did the above pumpkin this morning.)

I allow about 1 day to dry completely before I put them out. I usually do around 1 dozen each year. We give them to teachers, piano teachers...I took 4 of them as a gift for my Pokeno group a few weeks ago.

What are you going to do today to make a happy home. Share it with us. Assuming Mr. Linky works....well, assuming I can get it to work....you can simply add your link to the post and we can all pop over to see. If it does not, PLEASE leave a comment so we can click on your name.

Tell your friends!

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

Hey, y'all. I'm trying something new and I need help in the way of participation.

I'm starting a thing called: MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY.

(Thanks, Lana, for creating this wonderful widget for me....and thanks, Lisa, for helping me out so much with this.)

Anyway, here is the gist of it all. With the holidays starting on Friday....no really....they are. I'm really trying to organize the whole house, a bit at a time. It occurred to me, after doing one small task, how every little thing can make a big difference.

So in the spirit of supporting other women as they make a positive difference in their own homes, I thought we could make this a weekly thing.

Here is what you do:

Each Monday you need to do ONE THING, just one, in your home, that makes a positive difference. It can be a new decoration, painting a wall, cleaning off that "catch-all" corner of your counter...anything that makes YOU feel better and helps to make the home a happier place.

Assuming my Mr. Linky works, please add your name to the list. Pictures are nice, but if you can't do a picture, then describe what you did. The hope is that we will be a support and an inspiration to each other as we start to tackle some of the unpleasant jobs that we have put off for weeks....OK months *ahem* years.

Won't you join me in MAKING A HAPPY HOME?

NEW YORK CITY

First off, I need to say this: when you read the title, you have to say it like the cowboys on the Pace commercials when they discover that their salsa was made in "NEW YORK CITY?!"

The reason I never blogged about it is because I was lazy, got distracted, forgot....you choose something.

SO, I will tell you about our wonderful trip, now.

Last June....no....back further....LAST June (of 2007) my hubby and I took our annual "weekend" kid-free outing. This time, it was to NYC. Now, DH is the "world-traveler" being a pilot and all. Me? I'm just a country bumpkin out of place in any setting but one with dirt and sticks within spitting distance. So this trip was a NEW thing for me. I was so excited....and a bit scared.

We stayed in the Waldorf Astoria (my choice.) I wanted to stay in someplace famous. You hardly ever hear of the "Motel 6 of New York." It was gorgeous (I'll put up some pics.)



We did some sights...went on top of some really tall (frighteningly so) buildings. We walked a LOT. My feet hurt. (I need a foot rub....Aaron?)

We flew in on a Friday afternoon (late) and were home by Sunday night so we had to get a lot of stuff done in a brief amount of time.

The highlight was going to a Broadway show. We saw "Chicago." Joey Lawrence played the male lead. He is a cutie-patootie. We were on the 2nd row. At the end, when the girls threw out flowers, I caught one. It is packed away (somewhere ) waiting for me to scrapbook it.

We took the ferry out past Ellis Island, on into Staten Island. There, I met a cyber-friend. So fun to meet people IRL when you have been getting to know them online for a few years.

Probably the thing that stuck out most was the subway travel. Now, the cities close to where I live have public transit...by way of buses. I had never been on a subway. I've only been in a taxi MAYBE a dozen times.


But, being the bumpkin I am (and not a city girl in the least) I was really nervous when it came to being out on the street....even more so when in the subways.

First off....NYC stinks.....OMG does it stink. I was surprised at how dirty it is. There are neat things to do, but man, oh man. BLECH.

On the full day that we were there we went through St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was gorgeous...as was the wedding that was taking place inside. Seriously. Hundreds of people going through and around the edges of this church, and there was a couple getting married there. Hmmmmm....wonder how much that cost them?


Anyway, one time, we were on the subway and this girl was standing in front of me. She had track marks all up and down her arms. I know of people (including friends) who have done drugs. That is sad enough, but to be an adult and strung out? Poor soul. It just makes me sad. (And I know you are curious, but I have NEVER done an illegal substance...save alcohol when I was underage.)

The biggest scare...and it is funny, looking back, but it freaked me out! The subway had come to a stop, we stayed on. This man (obviously a user and homeless and suffering, I'm sure, more unpleasant afflictions) got on. The doors closed and he said,

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"

I immediately bowed my head...I was convinced that we were about to die.

Heh....he was begging for money.

That probably happens often.

Anyway, those are just a few things that we did. Now, I want to go back. Since I don't have to do the touristy stuff, there is more stuff I want to do without rushing around. Like the museum,


Central Park,


GYROS!!!! OMG....the GYROS!!!


and more Broadway!

SO SORRY

I am so sorry for being MIA for the past bit. There has been so much going on. So this post...for the 3 of you who read and care...is a dump. I have been busy and am behind in EVERYTHING. This post will probably be boring. It isn't even necessarily to tell you what is going on, but to help clear my mind...or I won't be able to sleep.

Frankly, I had totally forgotten about blogging for the past few days when I was watching Martha Stewart (recorded). She was talking about blogging. WELL...I realize I neglected the TMTT! That is my favorite time to blog. I'm sorry. I will do it next Tuesday.

At this point, I'm going to ask you to stand back....I will start with Sunday the 7th. It won't be a play-by-play, but will have a lot of the "why" I have been missing a bit.

The 7th, my hubby and I missed church...well, I missed church because my 3rd was having asthma issues. Granted, that stuff isn't contagious, but considering how his cough was just gross sounding, I didn't think adults would like to hear it around their own kids. Because of the sickness, we missed our Bible study...which is now every week for 8 weeks instead of every other Sunday. DH came home...which is a big help.

The week went along decently. Wednesday found my hubby tearing up my bathroom. I have now been sent to the boys bathroom. EWWWWWWWW!!!!!!! So that has been interesting, to say the least. But by Wednesday....or was it Thursday? I was getting sick. Too sick to go to Pilate's, but NOT too sick to go to Pokeno. Heh...I DO have my priorities straight. Meanwhile, DH had to halt work on the bathroom as my 1st and 2nd sons had piano, 2nd had soccer, but had to miss because HE was feeling puny.

In Pokeno, we have to bring a gift...I decided to bring some glitter pumpkins. So last Wednesday, I did 4 of them for the game. They are SO CUTE. I need to do some more. I'll do them then post some pics.

The weekend came FINALLY and we got to go see the Eagles. All I will say is this....it was expensive, yes, BUT there was no opening act. They started at 8:20 and ended at 11:45 with ONLY a 20 minute intermission. They were AWESOME!!! I will start saving NOW in the event that they should live long enough to do another show here.

My boys are a bit behind in their JBQ stuff...nothing that is a problem, per se. There is just a certain test that we wanted them to complete by the end of August....we are now shooting for the end of September, before competition starts. No biggie...my 2nd only has to know 288 questions and answers and #1 only has to know 480 questions and answers. (I'm not kidding.) I have also decided to do what they are doing and am dismally behind in the 288 that I should know for the first test.

DH has been slaving away on the bathroom....pulling wallpaper and repainting the walls, baseboards AND cabinets.....pulling and reseating the toilet, replacing the floor....such a good, good man. I don't brag on him NEAR enough, but he is one in a million. (And no, I'm NOT saying that because he is one of my faithful readers...he truly is my hero.) BUT, in the last few days, my poor baby has started getting the same funk that 3 of us have had (minus the asthma) I hope the other 2 don't get it.

Last night, my 4th grader had an INSANE amount of homework.....we were up until 9:30 doing it. He goes to bed at 8:30. I sat with him the entire time...helping. I didn't DO his work, but I eased his pain as much as possible. In my honest opinion, that is TOO MUCH!!!! When I taught 7th grade, I gave no more than 10 problems for homework. I can tell if a kid understands or not....I don't need to see 50 division problems to get that he doesn't understand division, you know? Also...THEY'RE KIDS!!! It has been beautiful, as far as weather goes, so we have been playing. I'm sorry....there is more to life than "book learnin'." ooooook! Stepping off my box now.

Yesterday, we went to Lowe's to pick out a new faucet for my sink and you know what? They had their Christmas stuff out. I'm beyond excited!!! I'm also behind ALREADY!!! I'm working on it, though. The kids and I went to Target to buy Halloween costumes...they were putting their stuff out, too. Same as last year....SEPTEMBER 16!!! In 9 days, the Great State Fair of Texas opens.....that is the official opening for the holidays around here. So you may be wondering why/how I'm behind. Well, I usually have my Christmas cards ordered by now. But this year, I haven't seen any that have "spoken" to me. I'm a bit panicked. It will be full-blown hysteria if I don't have them in my hand by the first of November.

Monday, I went and played Bunco. So fun. Heh.....during one of the games, I was talking to my partner and she was asking about the concert: Where was the concert? Were they good? Did they sing Desperado? Things like that....(I'm forgetting to mention that I was wearing my Eagles t-shirt....showing the men standing on a dune...."Long Road Out of Eden" tour.) So anyway, an older lady beside me says, "Which Eagles?" Huh? That's like asking, "Which Martha?" or "Which Bon Jovi?" I smiled, pointed at my shirt and said, "THE Eagles." teehee.....my partner and I have had a great laugh over that.

Yesterday..it must have been all the holiday excitement that has caused me to forget to do the TMTT. I need to plan out the holiday stuff I want to share so I can get it on in a timely manner.....

I was painfully behind in couponing. I get 4 papers per week....that is 16 coupon inserts per week. Well, I was about 4 1/2 weeks behind....you do the math. BUT, I did sit down tonight for about 2 hours (watching Martha...recorded) and worked. Now I'm only two weeks behind.

I need to work on the school section of my Home Management Notebook. I am homeroom mom to both boys. It will be fine...as long as I don't forget something. Anyway, our school does "Birthday Friday" which is the last Friday of the month in which 4 kids bring juice and goodies (usually cupcakes) to celebrate. It is NOT a party...it takes about 10 minutes, but it is a little treat to say, "Happy Birthday" and all that crap. I am in charge of that....not to mention the 4 other parties (is it 4? Le?) I need to get my spreadsheet for each class, with names and birth dates and kind of sketch out who will do what/when. I do it NOW so I can make sure it is even for all. (Yep....anal, but I don't care.)

Not as much homework tonight. #1 worked hard today during school...remembering the pain of last night. He finished in about 30 minutes. We then went to guitar lessons. Then we came home and all 4 boys rode 4-wheelers while I worked on my Pampered Chef order and began my annual flip through a holiday cookbook so that I may begin to plan my Thanksgiving, candy/goodies making and Christmas dinners (in that order.)

My house is a disaster....I blame the bathroom.

I just checked out a book from the library....never heard of the book or author. We'll see. But first, my oldest is about to read 2 novels for his class (starting in about 3 weeks) I need to get those read. YES, I read everything they have to read for class. How can I be "THAT MOM" if I need to be, if I don't know what is going on? (Le...are y'all reading stuff as a class? Wonder if they are the same....email me.)

I'm behind in laundry. I really need to do 3-4 loads a day to be in good shape. Well, I haven't done any since Saturday, I think. Hmmmmm....I blame the bathroom again.

I really should go to Pilate's tomorrow, but she about killed me 2 weeks ago, and I need my life...otherwise, who is going to fold all the clothes? I might just sit around a work on the house.

OH...and I now coordinate the food for our Bible study group....we meet at 6 and end at 8:30. We eat together and I have since begun coordinating it. So....nothing major, just part of what is happening.

Well, y'all...that is the insanity of my world. Really not insane, I just choose to make it so. My hubby says I need stress to feel right. I guess so.

You know what bugs me? When people write "chose" instead of "choose." They do that because of "lose" and "loose." Do they really get "corn-fused?"

Chose....to have selected something YESTERDAY (or whenever) VERB past tense

Choose....to select something, VERB present tense

Lose....to misplace something, VERB present tense

Loose....in need of tightening, ADJECTIVE (mainly) though it can be an adverb or a verb

Granted, these are not Webster's...these are ~LL~'s. (I'm sure I'll hear some belly-achin' about that, but.....whatever.)

But that is a whole "nother" blog.

I'll be back soon.

EAGLES

Dinner for 13?

$485 (no we didn't pay for that)

Two tickets to an Eagles concert?

$420

The chance to see the Eagles live, and to sing along with them?

PRICELESS

WOOHOO!!!

FRIENDS

"Friends are for a season."

This tidbit was given to me by my mother when I was pregnant with my 4th child. I was having trouble with a dear friend of mine because she was judgmental...or at least, it seemed to me that she was.

I went through a phase of life thinking that I had lots of true friends. I would pity the person who held the idea that "you are lucky if you have at least 5 really true friends."

Well, I thought I was there. It turns out, though, that I have LOTS of acquaintances and just a few friends. And by "friend" I mean a true-blue, call in the middle of the night, take my 4 kids in a flash, type of person.

The thing that bothers me is this: I would do the above for any number of people, despite the "season" of our friendship.

I admit to being a bit naive. (My hubby knows this more than anyone and he knows how hurt, bruised and upset I get when I feel that I have been misjudged, misunderstood, or just plain picked on.) But in my "old" age, though I still have those ideals and a touch of naivete, I have accepted the fact that a lot of folk are just plain full of IT with no intention of giving....only getting.

People (myself included) get insulted when their ideas aren't taken or when a better idea is presented. We tend to surround ourselves with people who agree in the same way, and when they don't, often-times, it is a "deal-breaker" in the relationship.

Most have gone through the gaining and losing of friends. I hesitate to say "losing" friends as I think difficult times simply reveal the actuality of a friend. This was felt by many of my acquaintances last year when a large group of us, who had been "cyber-friends" for several years, suddenly had issues.

Issues to the point that we were split into "factions" (for lack of a better word.)

Remembering what went on truly revealed who the real friends were. And the ones who were true-blue, remain so today. I keep up with most of these ladies....and they keep up with me. We politely "ignore" each other until something nice needs to be said; then we just as politely respond with some nicety. Sad, huh? It remains to be seen whether these relationships will ever be salvaged and restored to what we once thought, and wanted, them to be.

I don't know why I decided to post this. I don't think it is one of the 4-5 annual "Girlfriends' Day"s, or "Hug a Bud" or whatever is going on. I just did.

So, a big shout out to my TRUE friends....and a friendly shout out to those who are simply friends out of season.

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

This recipe is totally awesome. It is super-simple....a one bowl job. This cake is my oldest son's favorite. If you like lemon, you will LOVE this.

LEMON POUND CAKE

ingredients:

(cake)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup apricot nectar* or orange juice

3/4 cup oil

2 teaspoons lemon extract

4 eggs

*you can find apricot nectar in the juice section, or in the Mexican food section*

(glaze)

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice

Heat oven to 325. Generously grease and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan. (I spray with Baker's Joy) In large bowl, combine all cake ingredients. Blend at low speed until moistened; beat 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 325 for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. remove cake from oven. with along-tined fork, poke deep holes every inch. In small bowl, blend glaze ingredients until smooth. Spoon half of glaze over hot cake in pan. Let stand upright in pan 10 minutes; invert onto serving plate. Spoon remaining glaze over cake. Cool completely.

While spooning glaze over inverted cake, I use a pastry brush and brush the glaze onto every part of the cake. (This gives it a nice tang.)

To garnish, I like to thinly slice lemon and dredge them in powdered sugar. A slice of the cake with a slice of candied lemon.....my mouth is watering, just thinking about it.

ENJOY!

DIAMONDS

I enjoy diamonds.....most girls do, I guess. I got it from my mom, I assume, as diamond jewelry was often her gift of choice for holidays and anniversaries. I received my first diamond when I was 6 years old. It was a thin, gold band with a single diamond...a small chip of one, I'm sure, but for a 6 year old, it was more than enough.

There are two instances I remember happening, concerning diamonds. One is from a time when I was a child and the other, as an adult.

I was in 5th grade, I think - perhaps a year younger. I was wearing a pair of diamond earrings. Nothing so big that it drew attention, but diamonds. They were my mother's. (No, I didn't just take them. She let me wear them.)

Now there was a girl by the name of Wendy Tucker. (Do my childhood friends remember her?) Well, she, some other kids, and I were walking home after school. I remember her suddenly crying and freaking out because she had lost the back of an earring. I can remember a group of us combing the street in the area, hoping to be able to help her out. Now the backs don't often just fall off....she had been jacking with it and it fell off.

This is where my blond-ness is my problem. She was worried that she would get into trouble. Being the soft-hearted, gullible, soul I was, I decided to give her the back from one of my earrings. I put the mate-less earring into my pocket......you can probably imagine what happened after. My jeans were washed BEFORE I remembered the earring. Much like a lone penny in a pocket, the earring came out of its place. UNlike a penny, it went down the drain. I was in a bit of trouble after that.

Now to more recent times. This happened in my very first year of teaching. I had a child....well, I could write a few posts on this child alone...anyway, for my birthday, I received a few gifts from some kids: handmade cards, Dr Pepper, chocolate - this child came and handed me a small, unwrapped gift....a pair of earrings. USED earring. EWWWW!

I thanked him, thinking it was some cheap pair of earrings from a dollar store or his sister or something. Nope...they were diamonds. DIAMONDS! I had an 11 year old give me diamonds! SO, I called the mom - it was a very uncomfortable conversation, I might add. Here is how it went:

Me - Hello, Mrs. T. I needed to tell you that Danny gave me a gift for my birthday today.

mom - Well, he IS very fond of you. I didn't know it was your birthday. Happy Birthday.

me - Uh.....thank you. I was curious about the gift as it appeared to be quite expensive...something that I really can't accept from a student.

mom - Well, what was it?

me - It was a pair of mismatched diamond earrings.

mom - *stomp stomp stomp* as she headed up stairs. At that point I hear some words that shan't be typed....imagine what you would say if.......

mom - He STOLE his dad's earrings!

me - (in thought only) WHAT? EWWWW!!!! THAT IS NASTY!!!

(in words) OK. Well, I have them here. When you come to get Danny today, come find me and I will return them to you.

It is almost laughable to think that I had to flunk that poor child for the year. Perhaps if he had cleaned up a pair of MATCHING earrings.......hmmmmmmmm.......

DP UPDATE

Just a quick update on my Dr Pepper situation. I have had a few people ask. I won't be updating daily because, if this becomes a life habit, you will be very bored....or more bored...or very much more border....by this blog, than normal.

It is no longer a situation. I haven't had one yet. I'm not cutting out forever, but I would like it to seem a bit TOO sweet when I finally cave.

The headaches are past. I have a sweet tea from Chick-fil-A about every 2 days. I am drinking a lot more water and even more milk.

I don't feel totally "awesome" and I didn't lose enough weight to see a difference. It's more mental, I guess. And I KNOW it's healthier.

Thank goodness...otherwise, what the heck am I doing this for?

I think I'll pop the top of a Dublin and mull that thought over a bit. ;)

SWITCHING TEAMS????

To my darling hubby,

I think I'm in love......with a woman.

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

This cake is SO SO yummy. There are a few names for it. I always called it "Cinnamon Chocolate Cake." But I've also heard it called "Mexican Chocolate Cake" or "Texas Sheet Cake."

Either way...it is totally easy, quick, can feed a lot and is the ultimate "death by chocolate" dessert. All great reasons for you to try it.

CINNAMON CHOCOLATE CAKE

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package (1 pound) confectioners' sugar
1 cup pecan pieces

Sift flour and sugar into large bowl. Bring 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup cocoa and water to a boil in saucepan. Pour over flour mixture; mix well. Add buttermilk, baking soda, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla, eggs and salt and mix well. Pour into greased and floured 10x15-inch cake pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean.

For the frosting, bring 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup cocoa, milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla to a boil in saucepan; remove from heat. Add confectioners' sugar gradually, mixing until spreading consistency. Stir in pecans. Spread over hot cake.

Cake may be baked in 9x13 inch cake pan for 40 to 50 minutes.