My husband and sister-in-law threw a surprise birthday party for my father-in-law on Saturday to celebrate his 70th birthday! Part of the surprise was taking a limo to several significant locations from his life around Atlanta. The original Krispy Kreme location is just down the street from the old Sears building where Jim worked for several decades. Naturally, we had to stop there and get a couple dozen doughnuts! Especially since the Hot Now sign was lit!
I was playing around with editing options with this photo and now I can't decide which is my favorite. When you don't have to think about skin tone the options are endless.
What an exhausting day. I'd never have made it through without help from Out of Eden. Oh! to be a fly on the wall when I'm cleaning up the house to that album. I can think of lots of word pictures to give you but none of them are pretty. But when I have those songs to listen to I can get so much done so quickly! It's like a double shot of espresso that takes immediate effect. My favorite songs on that album are Now I Sing and Different Now.
I needed those songs because I had to do some cleaning in between phases of baking a cake today. And I do mean phasES. Plural. Very Plural.
I mixed up a batch of yellow cake and baked it in a 9x13 pan around 7:30 a.m., had it out of the oven and cooling by the time I had to wake Anna Banana up for school. When I got back I made the chocolate butterflies that I put on top of the cake and put them in the fridge to set. Then I realized that one 9x13 cake wasn't going to be enough (cake would have been very flat) and decided that I needed to make another cake for a second layer. But...I only had 2 eggs when I needed four. So...I had to wait until Brian could stop at the store for more eggs at lunch time.
Hence the cleaning. And the need for movin' your tush music because I was already wore slap out and it was only 10:30.
When he got home with the eggs, I mixed up and baked the second cake. Headed back to school to pick up Anna. Had to wait for the second cake to cool. It was now 2:00 p.m.. Started to frost it but only had two cans of frosting and that was only enough to cover a little of the sides and glue the layers together in the middle! Ugh.
Had to wait until Cameron and Parker got off the bus so I could go to the store to get more frosting. Quick trip to Kroger and picked up THREE more cans of frosting. Back home.
Have I mentioned yet that the cake was for my mom's group that she meets with on Wednesday nights and that it needed to be done by 5:00?
Well, it did indeed get done. With just enough time to spare to put it in the refrigerator to chill to help keep it from melting and sliding apart like last year's cake did.
It didn't turn out as well as I would have liked but I'll bet it tasted fine.
Now all I want to do is take a bath, watch the American Idol results and go to bed.
But before I do all that I have to share this song.
And, sorry, but I have no clue what these pictures of water have anything to do with this song. Just ignore the pictures and just listen to the song. 'Night, y'all.
Here I am again! This whole motivation and accountability thing I've started here is really helping! Would you believe I actually quilted for about 3 hours today?! I would have taken pictures of my progress if the batteries in my camera hadn't died. I think, if I keep this up, I could have the loud puppy dog make your eyes go all dizzy quilt done by the weekend. I'm only 2 self-prescribed deadlines and 1 to 3 months late with it but who's keeping track? Nephew Bug will get it before Christmas anyhow. And, really, he doesn't mind. He's such a tolerant little lad.
On another topic, I've been cooking this week as well as doing laundry and quilting. I am so impressed with myself. Last night I cooked up some Beef and Mushroom Stew accompanied by Chile Cornsticks. Oh my! Oh my! We ate what was left over for lunch today. Let me confess that I wasn't at all disappointed that the kids didn't eat more than their required one bite. We always make them try at least one bite of something new and they weren't thrilled with it. Darn! You gonna eat that? No? Ok! Thanks! (Don't worry; they didn't go hungry. They decided they would rather have strawberry-banana yogurt instead and they each ate a cornstick.) Every year I look forward to turning the page in my Cooking Light Annual Book 1997 edition to the September chapter because I know what's coming. Beef and Mushroom Stew with Chile Cornsticks, baaaybeee!
And tonight I made Ginger-Glazed Pork Tenderloin out of Southern Living's September 2008 issue. I thought it might end up being a disaster but, let me tell you, it was anything but a disaster! I'm already looking forward to my left-overs for lunch tomorrow.
Mmmmmm.... I'm going to have tasty dreams. I hope I don't eat my pillow.
Okay, I'm posting a recipe. I don't know if this is even allowed since it isn't my recipe but if I'm giving Cooking Light the credit is it okay? If it isn't, then let someone from their site know that this recipe isn't on their site and if they want you to love them as much as I do then they will correct this oversight immediately! And then I'll totally remove it if I need to. It's from their recipe bookThe Lazy Gourmet published in 1997, the year we were married and was a wedding gift from Brian's parents - do you think that was a clue that she was more than a little worried that her baby might not eat as well with a Yankee chick cooking for him? hmmm... Don't answer that!
Spicy Tomato-Corn Chowder
Prep: 5 minutes Cook: 25 minutes
Vegetable cooking spray 2 teaspoons roasted garlic-flavored vegetable oil (which I've never been able to find and regular vegetable oil works just fine) 1 (10-ounce) package frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed (fresh corn works too since that is what Pioneer Woman is talking about today) 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil 1 (14.5 ounce) can no-salt-added chicken broth 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can reduced-fat, reduced-sodium tomato soup 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper Nonfat sour cream (optional) (but totally recommended by me because I'm a sour-cream freak)
1. Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray; add oil, and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add corn and basil; saute 2 minutes. Add broth and next 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Top each serving with sour cream, if desired. Yield: 4 (1 cup) servings.
How do you wrap up summer in one post? It seems a little strange to me to be bringing it all to an end when it's only August 4th but school started today for June Bug and Cuddle Bug and Lady Bug will start preschool in 2 weeks so summer break is officially over. It was hard for me to find pictures to add in this post that I haven't already posted in June and July and I realized I missed one or two things that I still want to post about. I have had a lot to write about in the last 2 months because we've been having so much fun around here. So this post is a little bittersweet for me and I'll be referencing and linking up to some of my favorite posts of the summer if you choose to spend the afternoon here on my little blog. Of course, you could always come back later if you are just browsing through the pictures because you've come here from I heart faces blog(I wish I knew how to get the little heart icon in there).
Here we go,....
June Bug turned 8 and Lady Bug turned 4 in June. Here is the pile of wrapping paper from their birthday party. We introduced a pet into our family as Lady Bug's present.
These are Stephanie's tomatoes on July 4th. I'm including these in this post because they look so summery and where else could I include it since they're not even my tomatoes?
The 3 bigger bugs took swim lessons. Only Lady Bug really got the hang of it. She's quite fearless sometimes. Here is Cuddle Bug with his instructor Francisco.
We took a day trip to Chattanooga on Brian's birthday.
We went to a couple concerts and we made and/or ate a lot of ice cream, cupcakes, cookies and barbecue. I'll miss these things the most. I have 13 pounds to lose before my birthday in October. T minus 10 weeks and counting...
Last Friday, Taylor, the most efficient, competent babysitter EVER, watched the kids while Brian and I went out. While we were gone she helped them whip up a batch of cookies. She gave them baths and did the dishes! They will never want a different sitter ever again! .... I might not either.
Look how much Lady Bug loved the cookies: I think she wrote an ode to the cookies on Saturday afternoon.
And, later that day, Daddy hailed down the ice cream truck at the end of our street. Spongebob Bugs Bunny Dora, ...of course. With one eye left. And the classic fudge covered cone. He knows a good thing when he sees it. And when he tastes it. Even if it is mixed with a little dirt. Mmmm... Heaven on Earth.
The food we ate this weekend was fabulous! I told Brian I was letting myself eat that way, "So that the results [of working out] will be more dramatic." ; ) If I ever get back on that treadmill to produce any "results".
Saturday we ate at Shane's Rib Shack for lunch pound 1
and the Duttons had us over for dinner and fed us ribs and chicken, pound 2
peach cobbler and homemade ice cream! pound 3
(S and B, I ate enough for you since I couldn't ship it to you. I'll also carry those couple extra pounds around my waist for ya, if that's okay. That's how much I love you!)
Marc and Brian
I was able to spend some time with two men who helped to defend freedom in World War II and Vietnam. Thank you, Grandpa and Uncle Alan!
Thank you, Dad, David Burris, Jonathan Condrey and Ryan and Lori Dean and so many others who have or are serving our country right now. Without you we wouldn't have so much to celebrate on the Fourth. You're keeping all these beautiful faces safe. Thank you!
Thank goodness for Tuesdays Unwrapped or I might not have bothered looking for "not what will be or what is to come, but what is real and true this day: the messy, the lovely and the unexpected".
It has definitely felt like we made a 180 degree turn here in the month of June from what Manic May looked like. That is,.... IF (big if) I survive VBS week - cue foreboding music: *dun dun dun!!* Lovingly surrounded by 25 three-year olds for 4 hours is delightful. *ahem* ..... It's been a couple of crazy days. We're out the door by 8:15 each morning and aren't leaving the church until 12:45. I was feeling a tad frazzled when we left this afternoon and I knew I didn't have it in me to make lunch for everyone once we got home so we went to Chick-fil-Allelujah. There must have been a dozen cars in line but it took approximately 30 seconds per vehicle and we were on our way home. I L-O-V-E that place! Their motto should be, "Speed, Smiles and Grace served here." Having that enormous Coke and waffle fries in the seat next to me softened the blow to come. - I forgot that the bridge on Highway 5 is closed and I had to turn around and go the long way home and got stuck in traffic on Sixes because of the detour and it took us 30 minutes to get home. *sigh* We actually managed to make it to our destination with all the childrens' eyes open! Again, credit is due to Chick-fil-A.
Now after a two-hour nap my skull feels like it is stuffed with wet, fuzzy cottonballs and I have laundry to do, I have to decide what to do about dinner even though we're a week past due for grocery shopping and I still have to plan tomorrow's schedule for herding 25 three-year olds to the Preschool theater, inflatables, music, snack time, make a craft and show each of them how much Jesus loves them.
"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."
So, did you catch that? My gift today was from that Shining Beacon of Light - Chick-fil-A. Thank you from the bottom of my pea-pickin' little heart, Truette Cathy; another jewel was added to your heavenly crown today.
Some of you know that I have been working semi-hard to lose some weight and get into the greatest shape I've ever been in (which wouldn't be hard considering I've never been in good shape). Part of the problem in getting this way in the past is because I've realized that I reward my myself for healthy habits with food! For example: "Oh! I've been so good this week; worked out 3 times and ate mostly healthy at lunch and dinner! I think I'll go order a Frisco-melt, cheese fries, an enormous Coke and a chocolate/orange side-by-side shake from Steak 'N Shake!" Needless to say, any strides I had made during said week are viciously erased by a saboteur - myself!
Well, now that I have had this "revelation" I've been trying to come up with various healthy ways of rewarding myself for good behavior. Unfortunately, most of what I have come up with involve cold hard cash; of which, I have very little.
One of the things I've been contemplating is waiting to cut my hair (that I've been growing out to donate) until I've lost the complete 10 pounds I set out to lose. Can I tell you that this has been extremely difficult?! I love changing my hair and can hardly stand for it to be this long and bo-o-oring and I'm ready to whack it all off and tattoo beautiful pictures onto my bald head instead of it looking like it does. I thought this waiting would be motivation to do better and get rid of these last 2 and a half pounds but I completely set myself back this weekend and tonight with chicken mushroom lasagna from Maggiano's and Arby's curly fries! Aaurghhhh!!! (No, I did not eat them together! Saturday night and Wednesday night respectively - just thought I would clear that up or there would be rumors spreading that I'm pregnant again - which I am DEFINITELY NOT!)
Anyhoo, I'm telling you all this to hold me accountable for what goes in my mouth!
