T-Shirt Quilt

11/30/09

Hayes and I made this T-shirt quilt for her out of her old t-shirts. One side of the quilt is strictly made of Camp Sweeney t-shirts (a camp that Hayes has attended for 10 years, loves dearly, and now works for as a counselor). The other side is made of t-shirts from her school sports, various walks she has participated in, and also from Camp. Because the quilt is double sided it is heavy!


We began by looking at all of the t-shirts we had saved over the years. We determined a uniform size that we could cut from each t-shirt, which we unconventionally chose to be 16 inches. Hayes cut out each square and then ironed fusible webbing to each t-shirt. She then determined the layout she wanted by looking at the color composition and numbering the blocks by position and row. I sewed each square together, completing rows, and then sewed the rows together until the two sides were complete. I used sheeting as backing rather than batting to keep the quilt from getting too thick since it was double sided.  I had to custom make the border to get the size we wanted which was 2 inches on each side. I used a heavy duty needle and sewed carefully, but my sewing machine got through it. The quilt has some flaws as I am no expert seamstress, but it came out pretty good and we are happy to have made the quilt together. I have seen some shops locally advertise that you can take your t-shirts to them to have a quilt made, and read about some others that do the same service via the web. But, I prefer my more economical route of doing it myself and the shared experience of Hayes and I having done it together. Slater already has plans for me to make one for him, too!

Thanksgiving Day

11/30/09

Thanks to extended family it is only rarely that I have made a real Thanksgiving meal. The majority of what we call our "at Home Thanksgiving Day" meals have been made by John as I have often had to work on many of these days.

We have learned that we aren't really huge fans of turkey, so we opt for a small 3lb cajun turkey roll rather than a whole turkey. Also, we prefer ham, so there is a small 3lb ham in there somewhere, too. As you can see, though, we thoroughly enjoy the sides. The desserts are still in the kitchen! I don't set the prettiest table as we utilize every glass and cup in the house and mix and match two different sets of dishes and napkins to accommodate everyone. It took me the majority of the day to make all of this food. For the second year in a row the ham took way too long to cook and held things up. I wrote myself some notes this year so that maybe I will get it right next year. Since I am not proficient at cooking Thanksgiving meals, I don't judge the quantities well and made way too much! It is now several days past Thanksgiving and we are still eating the leftovers, despite the fact that we had some special guests to help us eat it all. (Me and Myself are whispering to themselves that I really should have found a way to send some of this to a homeless shelter. Sigh..) But, on a good note, I didn't catch the stove on fire this year! (Yes, I have done this once in the past.)

We have also rearranged our official "at Home Thanksgiving Day" over the years. We usually go out of town on the official Thanksgiving Day to be with family that live out of town and don't get to see very often. For our immediate family and any friends that are inclined to join us, our "at Home Thanksgiving Day" is scheduled to accommodate my crazy work schedule, John's work schedule, and precious and loving daughter's schedule. The past few years have seen us celebrate our "at Home Thanksgiving Day" usually on Saturday. This year we switched to Wednesday.

It is easy for me to see that in the future we may even have multiple "at Home Thanksgiving Day's" to accommodate the schedules of our children. I can also easily foresee buying one of those long plastic rectangular tables, pushing all of the living room furniture back, and setting up the plastic rectangular table in the living room with a table cloth covering it specifically for the purpose of accommodating many more people in the event we can actually get everyone together on one day. Because the football game is very important, the TV cannot be blocked, though, or the meal has to be cooked and served before the game! These are all very good things to look forward to and to be thankful for. Maybe with more time I will get better at making the quantities right. Although I like the food, I still seriously enjoyed a hamburger while out shopping with precious and loving daughter on Black Friday at 9:00am. That was a very good hamburger! Probably because I didn't make it and it was in the company of precious and loving daughter.

Thankful For: My Top Ten

11/23/09

There is so very much to be thankful for, it's hard to get it down to just ten. Predictable as some of them may be, this is my top ten as I know it today (not necessarily in order of importance):

10: John - my husband

For more than 21 years, in sickness and in health; in times of financial difficulty and in times of financial ease; in times of unspeakable sadness... this man has loved me as I am. He has loved me when I have been thin and when I have been seriously overweight; he has loved me when I was a relatively happy individual and has continued to love me even when I have been so very depressed for so very long that I was not sure if there could be a tomorrow. He has loved me when I have been angry at the world for a very long time. He has loved me when I have time and again been unable to make a difference in the lives of others around me despite my need to try very hard to do so. He has loved me when I have been so very frustrated in my seemingly fruitless efforts. He has loved me and supported me anyway when I have refused to accept this fact and set out to make some small difference in my little corner of the world. He continues to love me despite all of my shortcomings and imperfections, with no judgment.  Most importantly, he is the very loving and caring father of our 4 children.


9: Cryton-baby
       
Our fourth child and third son. He didn't live long enough to
outgrow this nickname. Although Cryton is not with us here on earth, he is never forgotten. And even though I am not wishing my life away, I look forward to the day that I am welcomed to heaven first by the Son, and then by my son. That will be a great day! It's been a long 5 years since you left, sweet boy.  God knows I miss you so very much of every single day. When it became 4 years since you died and therefore longer that you have been gone than you lived, it hurt deeply.  But not as much as when you died. There is no greater hurt than that. You and your love are still part of me and with me. I am a better person because of you.

8: Slater-Man

Our third child and second son. Our musically talented, uniquely expressive young man who is not afraid to do things his own way. Great to include younger kids when they are around and if their parents will allow it, Slater is quick to remember how much he loved it when older kids included him when he was a "little kid" and carries that with him.  Slater's motto: Never give up! You should see him apply this motto to video games!




7: Garrett-Barrett

Our second child and first son. Our tackle football, quarterback-sack-loving boy-growing-into-a-man! Thoughtful, respectful, and quick to do what I ask, Garrett is a responsible, diligent and hardworking young man. He has "grown into his own" so to speak, and it is a joy to see him enjoying high school and life. Drivers Ed is around the corner, and I am looking forward to a willing chauffeur!





6: Hayes E. Daisy

The one and only precious and loving daughter, and first of our four children. She endured the most trial and error of her novice parents. She is truly a beautiful young lady, inside and out, and seems to have inherited the best of our personalities. She is a force to be reckoned with in her independence despite difficulties many others would choose to use as a handicap. She is my heart. She continues to teach us what it is to persevere despite the odds being stacked against her.

5: Time Together

It doesn't have to be a holiday for us to
enjoy spending time together. We are all good with simply enjoying everyday life with each other. For a family that has had two or more teenagers in it for the past 5 years, this is really good! We come by this the hard way, though, and we know what it is to not have this simple pleasure. We will not take it for granted.

4: Home

Our house has been in an array of various do-it-yourself remodel projects since the day we moved in 7 years ago. Some have been in the works for over two years! We are slowly working on it, though, and thankful for our home.

3: Family and Friends

We have been greatly cared for and
blessed by family and friends who have been very good to us in times of desperate need and in times in which we lived in an emotional desert. Although our circle has gotten smaller due to my own social awkwardness, our small circles are made up of some really great and genuine people. They inspire me to be as genuine as they are.

2: A Great Job

I have a job that I consider a great job, and for this I am very thankful! The primary job I had before I went to nursing school was working for a computer retail chain that no longer exists.  If I was still working either in computer sales and / or retail sales I can tell you I would not be a happy persons! I have been taking care of sick and premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit for close to 17 years now. My babies are very important to me, and it is a privilege to take care of them. Until God pushes me on to something new, I plan to stay in the neonatal intensive care unit.




1: The Son, Jesus (and yes, this is #1!)
Thankfully, He did all of the work.


Happy Thanksgiving!!!

It's All in Our Perspective

11/19/09

Recently I got a card from precious and loving daughter. Well, actually, it was half of a card recycled into a postcard of sorts. She had cut a card in half and simply used the normally unused left side of the card as her improvised postcard. In one way or another I have been teaching her all of her life to be economical (note thoughtful reader: this is different than cheap!). This unused-side-of-the-card-turned-into-a-postcard was not something I had taught her, though, and I was impressed with her resourcefulness.

I whispered to Myself (with just a little bit of pride), "I taught her well!"

Me and Myself nodded their heads in agreement.

But then I noticed Me and Myself exchanging knowing looks with each other at the same time. I hate it when they do that.

"What?  What are you looking at each other like that for?" I demanded of them.

Me looked away and edged to the corner of my mind.  She's a little bit afraid of I.  Myself isn't, though, so she just told it like it is:
"You know, there are other people in our family who are as 'resourceful'. " she said, with her arms folded defiantly.

"Yeah, so what's your point?" I said.

Myself forged on.  "Well, when precious and loving daughter does something like this," (pointing at the 'postcard') "you consider it resourceful and are proud of her.  You even mentally pat yourself on the back and take credit for teaching her to be economical."

"We really should leave You and Yourself out of this," I retorted.  "We have enough to deal with between the three of us," I reminded her while pointing at the three of us and simultaneously glaring at Me who was still playing chicken in the corner of my mind.

"Point taken, but don't try to change the subject," Myself said.

Myself continued, "If our other family member sent you half of a card, rather than thinking how great it is that she is resourceful, you would shake your head sadly and think about other things she does that are similar and feel sorry for her."

I knew exactly who and what Myself was talking about.

I had to admit, Myself was right.

Of course, at least one of the three of us is usually right about most things, but that is another discussion for another day.

Me was no longer hugging the wall of the corner of my mind.  "You know, it's ok," she  said, as she reached over to hug me. "We are all very proud of precious and loving daughter. We aren't trying to take that from you.  We just thought you should think about things from a little different perspective."

"Point made and taken," I said.

So the three of us are at harmony once again.  We are all very glad to have gotten half of a card from precious and loving daughter.  We are all a little ashamed of ourselves for not having been as graceful about others in the past who have been as resourceful and more so, especially when they have had much better reasons for their resourcefulness.  We remain committed to looking at things from different perspectives that will grow us into a more graceful, generous and loving persons.

Boys and Their Toys

11/16/09

It doesn't matter what they are playing with.  Our sweet, innocent little boys will find a way to use it as a weapon.  From their own fingers on their hand, to a pencil or a pen, a stick in the yard, or an eating utensil.  You name it, they can make a weapon out of it.

Then they get older and learn from their friends that there really are "play weapons".  Air Soft guns, paint ball guns, and the like.  Not my sweet boys, you think.

Before you know it, you have not only bought them one, but you have allowed your kids to invite all of their friends to come shoot each other in your backyard so you can keep an eye on them and make sure they at least wear protective eye gear, etc.  No, it doesn't make you the cool mom that you make them wear the appropriate protective gear, but when you feed them snacks and drinks, have their parents on board, and have the biggest backyard with a hill, a shed for hiding behind and in, and access to the creek, they go for it.

This picture is a few years old, but this is what you boy moms have to look forward to:

Only 12 boys on this day.  They were  always very polite.  Thanks to their protective eye gear no one has ever had an eye shot out.

They don't play as frequently as they used to.  They are more into the organized paint ball clubs these days.  But, the paint ball clubs are expensive.  Air Soft in the back yard and creek are free except for the ammo, so on occasion a spontaneous Air Soft war will still erupt in the backyard.  It's great to hear the noise of a bunch of boys having fun shooting at each other.

Fun With Photos

11/15/09

She is taller than me now.
She has always been so beautiful.
It has been, and still is, the greatest blessing and privilege to be her mother.
Denise on the left, Hayes on the right.

                            

Chicken Enchilada Tortellini Soup

11/15/09

This is a homemade soup that I made up.  It is now a family favorite.  The quantities are based on having plenty for 6 people to have 2 or more servings plus some leftovers.


2-3 chicken breasts, skinless
2-3 chicken thighs, skinless
3 envelopes dry enchilada seasoning
1- 2 large cans of rotel (we like the medium version)
1 family size prepared cheese stuffed tortellini
1 bunch of cilantro, cleaned with stalks removed and chopped
fresh sliced avacado
grated cheese to garnish

• Cook chicken until done in large stock pot.  Once chicken is completely cooked remove from water and allow to cool.

• While chicken is cooling, use the water that the chicken was cooked in and blend in the 3 envelopes of enchilada seasoning.  The amount of water I use is something close to 1/2 gallon of water to 3 envelopes of enchilada seasoning, give or take some depending on how much of the water evaporated while cooking the chicken.

• Add can(s) of rotel to mixture.

• Add chopped cilantro.

• De-bone and chop cooled chicken; add to soup.

• Bring soup back to a boil and add the prepared stuffed cheese tortellini.  Cook tortellini in the soup on high for as long as the directions on the package direct.  Stir frequently.  Once tortellini is cooked through the soup is ready! 

• Simmering for 10 minutes will allow the tortellini to absorb the enchilada flavoring.  However, if you are picky about your pasta being "al dente" then don't cook on high for quite as long and allow cooking to finish during the simmer stage.

• Place sliced avocado in bottom of soup bowl and serve soup over avocado.

• Garnish with grated cheese.

• Serve with your choice of bread.

If you have leftovers the soup will be considerably thicker the next day.  Either thin it out with more water or just eat it as it is.  We like it both ways.

Happy Eating!

Monthly Mammoth Grocery Shopping (revised)

11/14/09

AKA Monthly Mammoth Grocery Shopping When You Live With Two Bottomless Pits Teenage Boys

This post is not meant to put terror in the hearts of my friends who have small children and still enjoy rather tame grocery bills.  But, it isn't for the weak of heart, either.  You have been warned.  *smile*

To the right is the receipt from last month's Monthly Mammoth Grocery Shopping.  Due to the length of it I had to cut it into three so that it would fit on my scanner.  Monthly Mammoth Grocery Shopping occurs about every 3-4 weeks.  At least one of the two Bottomless Pits is required to accompany me so that I have help pushing the baskets around, because halfway through I will have to get a second cart and they will both be very full when I finish.  It takes me about 2-3 hours at the grocery store, so refrigerated and freezer items have to be picked out last.  These Monthly Mammoth Grocery Shopping trips are timed

so that the two Bottomless Pits help with putting all
of the groceries away once I get home, because that can take up to another hour.

Of course, this much of the budget going towards grocery shopping didn't happen overnight.  We have been "growing" into this the past few years.  I use coupons and generally save 10-20%.  I buy things in bulk that I have coupons for or that are on sale.  In addition to the Monthly Mammoth Grocery Shopping is still the weekly grocery shopping at the local Kroger or Albertson's.  I go through those ads and buy what is on sale there and pick up the fresh items that we run out of quickly like milk, bread, eggs, etc.  Plus, I prefer to buy things like produce, butcher block, seafood and deli items from these particular stores as they handle them better.  Picky, I know, but I have my reasons.  Between the Monthly Mammoth Grocery Shopping and the weekly grocery shopping it takes some planning to do it well.  Lists are generated frequently.

Scary ending over there on right, huh?

Clicking on the picture should enlarge it.

PS:  I lost this original post when I tried to make a correction and some formatting errors required that I delete it.  ARRRGGGGHHHHH!  I even tried to copy and paste it from a word document, but that ultimately had formatting errors, too.  The receipt images were really hard to line up and keep the text lined up.

I know the spacing is not good above, but I can't fix it without making the whole thing freak out.  So I am giving up before I lose it all again!

sigh...  I even had a comment on my original post that I have lost now.  :-(

November Birthdays

11/13/09

Slater and Hayes celebrate their birthdays this month, one week apart.  Now rather than having three teenagers, I am officially the parent of one adult and two teenagers.  Although I believe the statement that I am the parent of an adult, because she is living proof, I don't feel it.  I mean, really, how can it be that I am the parent of an adult?  For goodness sakes, when did it happen???  It seems just a few days ago she was still helping me dress one of her little brothers in the morning or doing something to help with one of them in one way or another!

We did an inversion of their birthday celebrations this year.  Usually we celebrate their birthdays chronologically.  With Hayes in Houston, though, we celebrated her birthday a week early while she was home.  Slater will officially celebrate his birthday later this month when things calm down with our schedules.  Of course, it has nothing to do with the timing of the release of a popular XBox game.  The priorities of teenage boys!

The celebrations weren't crazy, but all good.  Great dinner made by John and good time with the fam at home.  No pressure, no hurries, no worries.  Time with each other is always the greatest gift of all.  You would think it was my birthday.

Happy Birthday, Hayes and Slater!

Way to Go, Slater!

11/09/09

Slater recently competed in the Arlington All City Band.  He placed 4th out of 50 kids on the euphonium (yoo-foh-nee-uhm) from the Arlington Independent School District. The top 6 euphonium players in the district make the Arlington All City Band.  This is an accomplishment for someone who has only been playing for a little more than a year.

WAY TO GO, SLATER! I'm proud of you, man!

Blog Plagiarizer

11/09/09

I am guilty.  I committed blog plagiarism.

I didn't do it intentionally.  If copying someone is the highest form of a compliment, then I have complimented one of my fellow bloggers quite well.  It was my post "She Calls Me Ma".  It wasn't until a week after I had published this post that I realized that I had commited the plagiarism.

My fellow blogger at Hitchin Posts had titled one of her own posts about her son, Toby, "They Call Me Wyatt".  It was a post that I enjoyed reading.

I guess I liked it so much that nearly a week later one of my alter ego's, Me or Myself, (I don't know which one it was) suggested that we make a post about precious and loving daughter and how she so sweetly calls me Ma.  I liked the title "She Calls Me Ma" and made my post, plagiarizing in innocence.

I suspect I will be guilty of Blog Plagiarism again in the future.

Homemade Salsa

11/08/09

This is a salsa we make on a regular basis at home.  We treat it as a food group in it's own right.  In other words, we really like it!

whole jalapeños, 1-3
several whole cloves of garlic removed from bulb but unpeeled (at least 4, more if you really like garlic)
2 cans (appprox. 14.5 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 bunch of cilantro, cleaned and stalks removed
salt to taste

• Dry roast the jalapeños and cloves of garlic in a small fry pan on high.

• While the jalapeños and garlic are dry roasting, place the two cans of diced tomatoes in a food processor. Add the cilantro.  Set the food processor so that the cilantro and diced tomatoes are blended until the cilantro is finely mixed (about 60 seconds or so).

• Remove the jalapeños and cloves of garlic from pan once dry roasting is finished (this takes about 15 minutes or so).  The jalapeños will have a "blackened" appearance.  Cut off the tops and bottoms of jalapeños.  If you do not like medium or hot salsa, remove the seeds and only use one jalapeño. Otherwise, use 2 jalapeños and don't worry about removing the seeds.  Peel the garlic (after dry roasting this is a pretty easy job).  Add the jalapeños and garlic to the food processor and tomato / cilantro mixture.  Blend for another 60 seconds or so.

We don't usually add salt, but I know most people really like salt added to their salsa.  Start out with one or two teaspoons and flavor to taste.

A good option to this recipe is to add a cup or more of finely diced onions, or throw them in the food processor, too, while blending.  We use this salsa for chips, burritos, fajitas, etc.  Like I said, it is nearly a food group in our house.

Happy Eating!

To Blog or Not To Blog...

11/08/09

Why would anyone choose to write or keep a blog?

Blogging is not new to me.  The reasons for blogging are many and varied depending on the blogger and their purpose.  I know some who blog for the purpose of allowing family and friends to keep up with the everyday activities of their families.  I really like these blogs a lot.  I like looking at the pictures and reading the different perspectives from the blogger and their family members.

I know some who blog primarily for the purpose of sharing their message and opinion.  Some are very witty and have a unique perspective on things for me to consider.  I follow one or two of these.

I know some who blog simply because it makes them happy, and some who blog for one or more of the reasons listed above.  I blog for a variety of reasons.  Some of my posts are simply because I had an opinion or wanted to further explore thoughts on a subject that didn't interest anyone around me, and I wasn't satisfied discussing it with just Me, Myself and I.  My blog gives me a place to park some of those thoughts.  Some of my posts are about our family outings or daily activities.  I know of one or two family members and friends who will occasionally take a look at this blog to see what we are up to these days.  It gives them the ability to feel like they are staying in touch and involved.  They usually like the pictures as one of the best components.  Blogging is much easier on me in that people can either choose to read the blog or not and I don't have to worry if I sent the same letter to multiple people and accidentally forgot someone.  Therefore, blogging actually helps to keep some of the critical conversation to a minimum between Me, Myself and I.

I have encouraged others to start blogs.  I can think of several people I would love to be able to check out a blog and see what is going on in their lives.  It's not for everyone, though, and I get that.  For those that check in on this blog, thanks!

Sheldon Cooper on Texas

11/03/09

Last night on The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon made some statements about Texas. For those of you that don't watch The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon is a 20-something uber geek with a Masters Degree and 2 PhDs that started college at the way too early age of 11.  Like most geeks with advanced degrees, he doesn't truly "get" social norms.

"I grew up in Texas.  Football is ubiquitous in Texas.  Pro-football, college football, high school football, peewee football...  In fact, every form of football except the original European football, which most Texans believe to be a commie plot.  If you're interested I also know all about frying meat that isn't chicken as if it were chicken."

I found these statements pretty funny. Sheldon did a good job spelling out the obsession with football here in Texas.  Even though I didn't truly care about the game itself, I occasionally went to some of my high school football games as there was a social aspect to it that I wanted to be a part of.  But since my own small town did not have a school district and I was bussed or drove over 20 minutes away to go to school, I often chose to go the celebrations of the high school football team of the bordering small town of Rockwall.  Living on the border of the two small towns, most of my friends that I socialized with lived in Rockwall.  Rockwall had only one high school at the time.  When I say that the whole town supported the high school team, I am not exaggerating.  If it was an away game, the town was nearly a ghost town on Friday night until after the game was over and everyone returned home.  Rockwall literally had a town square which the whole town gravitated to on Friday night after the game.  I remember my pastor of the little church that I went to in Rockwall congratulating the team on a game well played at the beginning of a sermon or two.  Over the years as my oldest son has played the various versions of football appropriate to the age group he was in, I have become much more interested in the sport in that as long as he is playing, I am interested.  I am very aware of the great importance to most of the people around me concerning how the professional football game went on Sunday, though!  I often ask my husband if he is ok after a game in which the Cowboys did not win.  Poor John.  He is always so disappointed when the Cowboys don't win.

About frying meat that isn't chicken as if it were chicken:   Me and my family love a good chicken fried steak!  Sheldon forgot to mention that everything has to be covered in gravy made from the drippings, though.  Sheldon must not be a native Texan.