Major Random Conversation

If I happen to be home, and bored, and Chelsea happens to be at her place, and bored, it's never good because then we end up texting back and forth and the conversations get more random and more silly as the conversation goes on.

This is a copy of a recent conversation we had, and just how weird we really are:

C: (showing me a picture of someone with a scooter on the back of their vehicle) Look, someone else with a scooter thing.

D: You should have pulled them over and gotten their name. I could be scooter buddies with them.
C: haha they have a blue scooter so you could be primary colors pals (gee does that sound like someone who's an early childhood major? lol)
D: Yes, and we can go to scooter conventions all over the world
C: Scooter conventions? about what? backing up 101?
D: Yes. That is very important so that you don't knock over a mannequin (which I've done). Also they could tell you about the latest accessories.
C: Like what?
D: blinking flags so people can see you when you are scooting in the dark.
C: Yes! and how you can get new scooter horns instead of the beep beep one you have.
D: Yes, ones that can be heard and intimidating. Oooooo, an air horn would be awesome!
C: Wow. I would say one that yells out things like bomb! Gun! Fire! But then again, that might be bad. LOL
D: How about if it yells "Get your big behind outta my way!"
C: That could be offensive if they have a little behind.
D: I don't care what size it is, if it's in my way, it's big.
C: nice. Just get a sign.
D: What good is a sign going to do me if they aren't looking at me?
D: If they aren't looking at me, I'm going to have to shout at them to turn around and read my sign. If I'm going to have to do that, I might as well just tell them to get outta my way!
C: Get a flashing arrow.
D: WHAT? lol What am I supposed to do with that?
C: Well, I would say flash 'em, but that's probably illegal haha
D: Flashing a sign at them isn't illegal, but me flashing them is...and not something either of us would want me to do.
C: Yea, good point.
D: Gee, thanks for the love.
C: Wait. What were were talking about in the very beginning?
D: I was hoping you knew.

Donovan's Daughters

I forgot to blog about Austin being in his school play a week or so ago. Funny thing was, he didn't try out for the play.

One day during lunchtime at school, I got a text from Austin, the conversation went something like this:

Austin: I'm in the play
Me: What? I thought you weren't trying out.
A: I didn't
Me: Wait. What?
A: I'll explain when I get home. Oh, and I got the lead.

Do I need to try to explain just how long of an afternoon that was? I nearly pulled him out of his truck when he got home begging for more information.

It turned out that the kid who had the lead, had something happen and he just decided to quit the play.

This was a month into rehearsals.
This was 3 weeks before the play.
This was a lead role.
This part had over 130 lines to be memorized.
Did I mention it was 3 weeks before the play?

The co-directors of the play scrambled to figure out who they thought could do this, and they both thought of Austin. According to one director, when they asked Austin if he'd do it, he just shrugged his shoulders and said "Sure, why not".

Fortunately for Austin, he is extremely good at memorizing. The one thing he can't do is accents. His character was an Irish immigrant, but Austin is a true, no accent, midwest farm boy. The directors let the accent go.

A week before the play I asked Austin if he'd like me to run lines with him and he said "What for?" I explained that it might help him with learning his lines. He looked at me and said "I've had them learned for a few days now." Uh, ok, nevermind then. lol

I will be honest, I was so nervous on the opening night of the play. I knew this was a lot of pressure, and Austin's never had a lead role before. I wanted this to be a great night for him, but I needn't have worried. He did great!

He never missed a single line and was animated and believeable. Well, as believable as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed teenage boy can be when portraying an Irish father of 5 daughters.

All of the kids did awesome and the play was a great success.

The following Monday after the play, I again got a text from Austin:

A: I'm in Speech now
Me: What?
A: Mrs. V and Mrs. P (speech coaches) told me they saw me in the play and they want me on the team.
Me: So you have groupies?
A: What?
Me: Nevermind

Here's a couple of pictures from the play:

Here's Mr. & Mrs. Donovan. Yep, they sure look Irish don't they? lol

This is one of my favorite pictures. Austin is 5'7", but he looks so tiny next to all those big guys. lol

Mr. Donovan giving one of his fatherly speeches

When a girl is in a play, you normally give her a bouquet of flowers, but what do you do for guys? I knew Austin would die of embarrassment if I gave him a bouquet, so I had to be creative. I decided to take one single red rose and tie it to a big bag of skittles, which happens to be his favorite food of all time (yes, he swears it is one of the food groups). After the play, the rose was on the counter and the skittles were never seen again. If you look closely, you can see the tip of the flower and part of the skittles, hidden behind the congratulations picture his girlfriends little sister had made for him. But at least he survived. :)

Oh, and I thought his hair would be great for the Winterfest dance or even Prom, but I was vetoed by both Austin and his girlfriend. lol

Our New "Baby"

I'd like to take this opportunity introduce you to "Divot" our new addition to our family. He is a one year old cockapoo that we adopted from a nearby rescue shelter. Austin got to name him, and what else would a golfaholic name a dog, besides a golf-related name, so Divot it is. At first I thought he was nuts, but now I think it's cute and unique.

We lost our Molly a few weeks ago. She had some fear aggression issues that kept getting worse the older she got, and the last time something happened, she bit Ashley several times and drew blood. To know that she was now starting to turn on us was the last straw, and after talking to our vet, we all agreed it was time to let her go and no longer have to deal with the constant stress she had been obviously feeling, so we had her put down.

I cried so much afterwards and I told the vet I had such guilt, but she reminded me that these problems were caused by the puppy mill she had been stuck in for 7years, and that we had done an amazing job at giving her a normal life, so she could learn about love, compassion, and happiness. She was right when she said it was more than she would have ever had the opportunity to learn had she never been adopted, and it makes me happy to know we were able to give that to her for 3+ years.

When we saw Divots picture on the rescue leagues website, I felt so bad for him. His hair was so long that I knew it had to be matted (and I was so right! It was horrible!), and yet, he had a happy look to him.

The shelter gives you a two-week trial period where you can bring the dog back if he doesn't "fit" with your family, and you can get your money back, or adopt a different dog. We've had Divot for about 10 days now and he's starting to settle into our family nicely.

He listens so amazingly well, and he's super smart. He learned how the doggie door works in less than 10 minutes. He has already learned his name, he now knows "Sit" "Stay" "No" and "Down", which was necessary when he kept trying to jump up onto the dining room table. :-/ He is also starting to play fetch and he loves, loves, loves playing with toys of all shapes and sizes. He is just about perfect in every single way, except one...

He plays too rough with the other dogs. When he gets all wound up, he bites and the other dogs were terrified of him. Tucker, who is my baby, would hide under the end tables. Now, Ringo & Gabby have put him in his place so he knows not to mess with them, but poor Tucker is too sweet to ever do that. Therefore we have a behavioral specialist working with us to help us figure out how to get him to stop doing this.

When we brought Divot home, I gave him two days to relax a bit, and then I started cutting away at all the matted fur. Last week I took him to the groomers and oh my goodness, I can't get over how much better he looks!

As you can see, he is all black, except for a small patch of white on his chest and  under his chin, which Austin calls his soul patch. lol

I think Divot will be a much loved member of our family for many years to come.

I Rescued a Human Today.

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid.

As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card, I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life. She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her.


Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well. Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes. I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor.

So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

~~Author Unknown~~

Miss Independent

I used to pride myself on being independent. I didn't rely on anyone for anything.

One thing my illness has taught me is that asking for and receiving help is not a sign of weakness. People don't think less of you if you need help. While I get that, I'll be honest - I still missed my independence.

For the past 2 yrs I could go to a grocery store or Wal-Mart/Target by myself on my good days, because I could lean on a cart. But to go to a mall, or to go anywhere on my not-so-good days, required someone going along to either push me in a wheel chair, or later, lifting my scooter out of the back of the Vue.

We recently purchased a lift that goes on the back of the Vue and it has a ramp so I can drive the scooter on and off by myself.

It was a chance to have my indepence back and I was so excited!

Yesterday my chance finally arrived for me to go to a mall all by myself. The night before I was like a child on Christmas Eve.

But once the morning came, and it was time for me to go, I got so nervous. My face got red, my hands were shaking and my stomach was all in knots. The "What Ifs" hit me and thinking of all the things that could go wrong and having no one there to help me started to freak me out.

Fear of the "What Ifs" has stopped me for so long and I knew I had to push through. Honestly, I had tears in my eyes as I rode my scooter up to the entrance of the mall. I said a little prayer asking for courage, and the doors to the mall opened.

Within minutes all my fears dissipated. I spent over an hour in just one store looking, browsing, trying things on. Things I hadn't done since 2008. Oh sure, I had looked in malls and tried things on, but Jay was always along, and even though he never said a single word, I knew it was pure torture for him. lol For that reason, I would look for a short while and try one or two things on and we'd move on.

I tried on so many clothes yesterday, it was awesome! I went into so many stores and I was really proud of myself.

One of my biggest fears was the food court. Trying to maneuver through all those people and to try to get my scooter through to a table worried me. When I ordered my food, I asked that it be put in a "to go" bag so I could put that in the basket of my scooter instead of trying to balance a tray (yea, that would have been total disaster!). I went around to the outside of the food court and found a table that I could park my scooter right against, and it went well.

I was exhausted when I left the mall, but it felt so good to have my indepence back. I have learned that it's ok to ask for help, but it's also so nice to be able to do somethings on my own again.

And when I look in my closet and see new jackets, pants and shirts in with some of my other items, I can't help but smile to know that I was able to do it all by myself. :)

Halloween Dance

Only my son (a farm boy who shows pigs) and his girlfriend (a farm girl who shows pigs) would go to their school Halloween costume dance dressed as a man who shows pigs and his prize winning pig. LOL

I do have to admit that while he looked the way I see him dressed most days (jeans, boots, Heeren Farms jacket and hat), she looked so cute! She was most proud of her pink slip on "hooves" that she found for $1.00 at Target.

My New Blog

As you know I've been Gluten-free since mid-July. I have tried many GF recipes and let me just say that a whole bunch of them are just plain awful!

Over the past couple of months I have begun to find some recipes that we as a family truly do like, and I wanted to share them with others.

There are only a few recipes on there so far. While I've made more, I want to include a photo with each posting, so you know for sure I've actually made this recipe.

Here's the link to the blog: Gloriously Gluten-Free

And here's the link where it explains in more detail why I started this new blog: Introduction

If you know of anyone who is GF, be sure to send them by! As a matter of fact, you don't even HAVE to eat GF to enjoy these recipes. Just rest assured that these recipes ARE good, and they have even passed inspection by the two picky eaters I live with. :)

Guest Bathroom

Several years ago, I gave up my part of the master bathroom to Austin, that way I could have the guest bathroom as my own. I've never had a bathroom all to myself while living with someone else, so to me this was a huge treat. To really "claim" the space, I repainted the bathroom a very dark pink, and I liked it. I change the bathroom decorations for each season, and it was a color that worked well with all seasons.

After Ashley & Chelsea moved out, Austin asked if he could move his bedroom upstairs, so he wasn't the only one in the finished basement. After some rearranging was completed, Jay's office was now downstairs, and Austin was upstairs.

A couple of months ago, I asked Austin if he would like to move his showering and shaving items to the guest bathroom because it would be so much handier, and he agreed it would. The bathroom is right next door to his room.

This shows the true love of a mother for her child - I gave up my bathroom, my only "girlie" space left in a house full of testosterone.

Then he asked if there was any way the bathroom could be repainted a color that wasn't so girlish. Again - true love prevails and I agreed.

I knew that with Jay being in the field, & Austin having school, cross country, and play practice, there was no way either of them would get it painted any time soon. I also knew that there was no way I could do it, so I went looking for hired help. Ashley was going to be coming home for a couple of days and I asked if she was interested, and she was. Yippee!

I selected a nice calm, light mint green and Ashley started to paint. Even though the paint had a primer in it, we knew it was still going to take a second coat to cover that dark color.

Slowly, but surely the pink started to go away. At first I was kind of sad, because I like bright/bold colors. However, as the first coat gave way to the second coat, I could see how much lighter & brighter it was in that bathroom, and I started to really love it.

The bathroom is completed, the protective tape has been removed and the decorations have been put back up.


Austin loves having it a different color and even referred to the new color as "cool".


The master bathroom had become the "guys" bathroom complete with a golf shower curtain, golf bath accessories, and golf pictures on the wall.

I'm thinking that if I had to change that bathroom, it's time for this bathroom to get a change as well. Not more girlie, but more neutral. hhhmmmm....I think it's time to visit some websites with bathroom design ideas. :)

Here's the before and after shots:

What do you think??

Channeling My Inner Witchiness

My daughters and I have a Halloween tradition where we watch the 1993 movie "Hocus Pocus" together. If you've ever watched this movie, you know just how silly and funny it is! It's a spoof on what are supposed to be these three scary sister witches brought back to life, but they are just dim-witted.

We have the entire move memorized and we say our favorite parts along with it, as well as sing the songs. It starts Bette Midler, so you know the singing is great! Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy are also in it and Kathy is the nuttiest of them all and totally cracks me up. For example, someone steals their brooms so they are forced to improvise, and Kathy gets stuck with a vacuum. LOL

Anyhow, this year, to get ready for the movie night, I bought a witches hat. But of course, not just any hat would do. I would wait until all the decent looking hats are gone, so there is just one more left in the dismal pile of ugly stuff no one wants in the Wal-Mart Halloween section. The one with big ugly flowers on it, and a small piece of net that goes straight out the back. Oh yea, that's a scary one. (insert rolling eyes here).

My daughters arrived and laughed at my hat (not the reaction I was going for but oh well). They took a picture of me looking as scary as I could, but later they said I looked more constipated than scary.

After we enjoyed the movie they caught me in action with a little toy.
 

What? Doesn't every Halloween witch play a scary tune on their uber-scary melody maker?

Have a fun and safe Halloween!!

Pure Sexiness

What woman doesn't enjoy a little sexiness on her mans face now and again?

One Year Anniversary

This week it was one year ago that I finally learned I had Fibromyalgia. One the one hand, I remember crying with relief that someone finally believed me and believed I was really suffering. On the other hand, I was scared to death because I had no clue what that meant for me, or my future.

I had my diagnosis confirmed a few weeks later by a Rheumatologist. It was then that I also learned that I was one of the 10% who had a severe form of it. I've always been an all-or-nothing kind of girl, and that continues even when I'm sick. lol

It took a few more months of trial and (some scary) errors & ER visits to figure out if there were any medications out there to help me.

Even though I hate this illness with every fiber of my being, I have learned some valuable lessons because of it. The biggest things I've learned is that #1 I'm a lot stronger than I ever thought I could be. There were times I would cry out on my bed shouting "God please, I am not this strong. I can't do this" and he'd let me cry it out and show me that, yes I could, even if I didn't want to.

The #2 thing I learned is that I'm ok, just the way I am with all my flaws, extra pounds, and weaknesses. God loves me, my family loves me, and that's all that really truly matters. I'm not hung up anymore on what people think.

Ok, wait, that's not entirely true. I still have a very big complex about being seen with my cane, or even worse, with my scooter. People always want to ask questions, and after you explain what's going on, they always sweetly give you that "aaww you poor thing" look. I hate that look. LOL So yes, I guess I am still vain when it comes to my cane and scooter.

I've learned more about Fibromyalgia in the past year than I ever thought could be possible. I spent a long, agonizing winter last year with my body wracked with pain, and I gained a determination that this year I was not going down without a fight.

I began to read and read and all the research pointed to people benefiting from going gluten-free. My food allergies showed I had an allergy to wheat and gluten, so why not give it a shot.

Let me just say that going gluten-free is not for the faint of heart. It's hard. No really...it's hard! I still miss a good turkey burger on an onion bun. I miss pizza with a thick crisp/chewy crust. I miss bread. Good, soft, multi-grain bread. I miss it all very much. However, if it will help, than it's a sacrifice I have to be willing to make.

It's meant I have had to start cooking. Many days my poor kitchen looks like a bomb went off in it. There's food splattered everywhere, and every single pot, pan, bowl, and spoon we have is piled high in the sink, and somehow I always seem to end up with a scalp full of oregano, even on a day I was making cookies. It has also meant my poor husband and son are having to pay the price as my taste testers, and it has my daughters glad they got out when they did.

Something else I recently started doing is taking an online Fibromyalgia self-help course teaching ways to cope with the different symptoms you experience, and oh my goodness it was such a help to me. I learned tips and tricks that I never would have imagined. I am now a member of their alumni group (with the benefits of a message board and open chat nights), and have signed up for their advanced course. When you do the course you have a moderator and a (MIT) moderator in training. After I finish all the courses, I am interested in paying what I've learned forward and perhaps becoming an MIT and then a Moderator. But that's a long ways off.

For now, I'm content to keep working on what I've learned not only in class, but throughout this past year. I'm looking ahead and praying that I will be blessed with more successes and more lessons to learn....not that I have all these learned yet. ha

No, I'm not thankful I got sick, but I do feel blessed because of it. If that makes sense. I'm also re-learning something I learned long ago...laughter really is the best medicine!

The Littlest Apple Tree

 This little guy to the left is a 4 yr old dwarf apple tree. Isn't he cute? Still just a baby as far as trees go, and just as confusing as any toddler can be as well.

We were told when we bought this tree that it takes at least 4 yrs for a tree to start producing fruit. He didn't grow at all until this year. Seriously, it was shorter than me until a few months ago. I'm only 5' tall, so you know how short it is.

Well that very next Fall, our little 1 yr old tree, gave us 1 cute little apple that you can see here.

Last year, our little 3 yr old tree (that was still barely 4-5 ft tall) gave us an entire tree full of apples. I seriously don't think another apple would have fit on there. It was amazing! Granted, they were all about the size of golf balls, but hey...we had apples!

Now we are on year 4. This is the year we would really start raking in the apples. I was so proud of my little tree for doing a nice job of growing over the past year. It was now around 6' tall and I couldn't wait to see just how many more apples we'd get this year. I waited and waited all year (apples are my favorite fruit after all). I could barely stand the excitement.

I thought of all the applesauce, apple crisp, and apple pies I could make, as well as fresh apple cider. True, I'd never actually make any of those things, because that requires using an oven, and mine is only there because I've heard kitchens without them look silly.  But...if I did want to, I'd have plenty of apples to do it with.

 Earlier this week I went out to see how the little apples were growing, and to get a guesstimate on how many apples we'd get this year. Look to the left. How many apples do you see? Zero? Me too.

Here I waited anxiously all Summer long, and wouldn't you know it, there is not a single apple to be found anywhere on that silly little tree. Not even one!



I am highly disappointed.

I Want To Be My Dog

Austin has the lead in the school play, which is ironic since he didn't even try out for the play. The kid who did have the lead quit after a month of practices, and the directors scrambled to think of who could handle the challenge of learning 130 lines in just 3 weeks, and they basically begged Austin to do it.

Thankfully Austin is good at memorizing, so I know he will rise to this challenge. However, this means he has practice before school, and  next week will have it after school as well.

That means his alarm goes off at 5:30 to get in the shower. That also means my alarm goes off at 5:45 so I can make some breakfast for him, and to see him before he heads out.

While it's tough enough to have to get up that early, this is what really kills me:

This was taken at 7:30 and Tucker was still sound asleep, even though I had the light on and had been on the computer. I would love to be able to do that.

I want to be my dog.

My tattoo

I've had my pictures of my tattoo posted on Facebook, but hadn't posted them here yet, sorry about that. I had planned to and then forgot, so thanks for the reminder! :)

Here ya go:

I was in total amazement in the process of the whole thing. I watched what was happening almost the entire time, and my mother was my awesome paparazzi! (Thanks again mom!) Mom, you could have told me to pull my bermuda shorts down a little though so I didn't look like a dork. LOL

She really was incredibly talented at what she was doing, and I kept commenting on how steady her hands were (which of course is a very handy thing to have in that line of work lol).

And Voila! There it is. The meaning behind it is that the butterfly is the symbol for Fibromyalgia, and I knew I wanted that, but I didn't want some cutesy or cartoony butterfly. I wanted it to look artistic. The words come from my sweet husband who constantly says this too me when I get overwhelmed and frustrated with the things I can't do. He reminds me that even on the days I can't do anything "You're enough". :)

I have waited over 30 years to do this, and I'm actually glad I waited as long as I did. I waited out of fear until I turned 40, and then waited until now to decide what I wanted it to be, because I didn't want to get one just to get one, ya know? The time now was right.

So, what do you think of it?

Hello, Dear Blog

Well hello there dear blog. I have to admit I had forgotten about you for a while. I missed you, I really did, but life got in the way and there never seemed to be enough time.

But I'm back now dear blog, and my plan is to make you more of a priority because you really can be therapeutic, as well as enjoyable.

So what's all been going on? Let's see if I can fill you in:

Ashley decided to not be on the college dance team any longer, and Chelsea decided to not be on the college equestrian team any longer. Both feel their classes are getting harder now that they are juniors and they want to allow more time for studying. I totally get that dear blog, but I have to admit that I do miss watching them entertain and/or compete. I've been watching them do that since they were in dance class at age 4. It tugs at my heart knowing that chapter has closed. At the same time I am so proud of them for wanting to work hard to achieve their goals.


Austin has really blossomed this past year. The shy introverted kid he has always been is opening up, and sometimes it shocks us. We hear that he is liked by all his teachers and can be pretty funny when with his friends. Even when at home, he'll start doing this slow-paced goofy dance when a good song comes on the radio. It cracks me up.

As you know dear blog, he was recently accepted into the National Honor Society and we thought we couldn't be more proud of him.

Then he came home the other day and said he had the lead in the school play. To say our jaws dropped is an understatement. He had told us he wasn't going to try out for the play. He didn't. The young man who had the lead quit the play for whatever reason and with only 3 weeks left until the play, the co-directors scrambled to find someone they thought could handle the challenge of learning over 110 lines in 3 short weeks. Austin was told he was their first choice. As he put it "Mom, they were like begging me. How could I say no to that?" What a good boy.

The rest of the kids in the play have been practicing for a month already, so most have their lines learned. I told Austin that if he ever wanted me to run lines with him, I'd be happy to do that. He really shot me down dear blog. His exact words were "Thanks, but K said she'd do it". K is his girlfriend. Okay then.

Fortunately for Austin, he is excellent when it comes to memorizing. Within 2 days he had the entire first scene memorized, and there are 5 scenes total. He doesn't seen frazzled by the challenge at all, and I have no doubt he'll do amazing!

There have been other things going on dear blog, such as getting my very first tattoo, trying new recipes, doctor visits, etc, etc. But I'll leave those for tomorrow.

It's been so good seeing you again dear blog. I promise to do my best to stop in daily, or every other day. Yea, I'd like that too.

Have a great day dear blog. Bye.

Brag Alert

I have failed so miserably at the Project 365 in recent weeks. I've been in a bad flare that lets up for a day or two and then I'm right back in bed. Since I haven't participated in 3 weeks, I have felt terribly guilty...and therefore avoided coming here.

However, it is what it is and since I can't change it, I'll just move on. :)

One thing that really made my rough day better was reading this in the school announcements this past Wednesday:

Other Announcements:
Congratulations to our 2010-2011 New National Honor Society members:

Anna XXXX, Taylor XXXXX, Kacey XXXXX, Paiton XXXX, Austin Heeren & Rachel XXXX. 

We are so proud of him! He's a pretty mellow kid (just like his dad) and he never acts excited, so when he told

us about it the day before it was along the lines of "Oh, by the way. I'm a new member of the National Honor

Society". As if he were saying "I'm going to take my truck in to get an oil change." 

Austin is a very good student.He's always been very concientious about getting his homework done right away,

whereas Jay & I were the type who decided at 10pm on Sunday night that we better get to our homework

done that was due on Monday morning. lol

Ashley & Chelsea were/are good students as well, but they have had to work at it, whereas Austin just has

it come so easy to him. Jay and I on the other hand worked at it (well, maybe not so much) and were 

average students.

hhhmmm....I wonder if Austin was switched at birth and he's not our biological child. That would explain

why he's so good at school and so easily, because he sure didn't get it from us. Thankfully he looks just like

his dad, so  yea, he's ours. lol 

Before I Eat

This is so me.....especially the crispy creme on the treadmill. LOL

Project 365 ~ Week 39

It was Homecoming week, which meant a busy, fun week full of sports and other activities almost every evening, and of course the dance last night.

Sunday - 9/19

A sight I don't like to see - Geese heading south. :-(

Monday - 9/20

Austin had another cross country meet. Thankfully, it was one of the few nice afternoons/evenings without rain.

Tuesday - 9/21

Our Satellite box/DVR combo died and the new one arrived today, much to my delight. I had forgotten how torturous it can be to have to sit through every single commercial! lol

Wednesday - 9//22

While I'm not a huge fan of rainy, yucky days, I am a big fan of beautiful sunsets they can sometimes leave behind.

Thursday - 9/23

Tonight was the Homecoming King and Queen coronation ceremony and the band played the school song. That's Austin in the white hat playing his trumpet.

Friday - 9/24

HOMECOMING! The band did a pre-game show and an tribute to Elvis for the half-time show. They sounded great!

After the game, the kids got ready for the dance. This is Austin with his girlfriend. Their first date was last year for the homecoming dance, so they have now been dating for a year. She really is a sweet girl and she calls me "Mama Dena". lol

Saturday - 9/25

Our passports arrived today! Ashley already has her from her trip to Spain in high school (although she did have to get a new one with her married name), but the rest of us didn't have them. The last time Jay & I went to the Bahamas (for our honeymoon) you just had to show your birth certificate, a passport wasn't needed. Times do change. 

That was our week! How was yours? Go visit Sara's through the link in the sidebar to see other pictures!

Crockpot Apple Caramel Pie

WARNING! This is NOT a low-cal recipe!! But, if you want to make a super easy dessert for your family that will make your house smell yummy, then make this recipe! 

I made the following recipe for my guys at home, and they sang my praises! They did the dance of joy around me and chanted my name over and over! They declared me the wife and mother above all others!

Ok, that's a lie. That didn't really happen, but the recipe was a hit! 

The hardest part about this recipe is unwrapping the caramels. No, wait, that's another lie. The hardest part about this recipe is having to resist eating the remaining caramels.     

 

Apple Carmel Pie

Makes 8-10 servings

Prep. Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 3 hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.

2-crust refrigerated pie dough pkg.

2 22-oz. cans apple pie filling

1 tsp. cinnamon

12 caramel candies

1. Press one crust into half the bottom of a cold slow cooker, and an inch or so up half its interior side. Overlap by ¼ inch the second crust with the first crust in center of slow cooker bottom. Press remainder of second crust an inch or so up the remaining side of the cooker. Press seams flat where two crusts meet.

2. Cover. Cook on High 1½ hours.

3. In a bowl, mix together pie filling, cinnamon, and caramels.

4. Pour mixture into hot crust.

5. Cover. Cook on High an additional 1½ hours.

This is from the Fix It and Forget It cookbook - one of my favorite lines of cookbooks!

Project 365 ~ Week 38

For the most part it was a really nice week with great weather for being outdoors. The exception was on Monday when Austin's cross country meet got rained out. Bummer!

Sunday - Sept 12

I actually forgot to take a picture for today, so I'm using one taken this week in place of todays. lol

I took advantage of the lovely weather to be outside when I could, and on this particular day, my son had forgotten something at home that he needed for school. I took one of the dogs with me, and on the way home we stopped at the nearby lake and took a short walk.

 Monday - Sept 13

I started an online class today. It's for those who suffer from Fibromyalgia and other chronic conditions, and it's to help teach coping mechanisms for the emotional and physical pain, and tips for improving your quality of life. Because so many sign up for the class, we are divided into smaller "classes". There are about a dozen in my class. The majority are from the US, but there are a couple from Australia, England, Germany & Belgium. We have online discussions, and already we all agree that it's so nice to talk to people who understand.

Tuesday - Sept 14

Another day at the lake. Pelicans are starting to migrate through the area and there were probably 30+ in the group today. I probably sat there for about an hour watching them. They were so fun to watch.

Wednesday - Sept 15

This picture makes me laugh. I met Ashley today and we went for supper at Okoboji Grill. It's hard to see it in the picture, but the first energy drink listed on the left side is called "Cherry Bomb". Anyone who knows Ashley well, knows the car she has (which is the only car she's ever had) is named "Cherry Bomb". She thought it was so cool that it was on there and wanted her picture taken with it. Of course afterwards we noticed the big yellow letters, which make it look like we're excited about the Beer & A Bomb. LOL

Thursday - Sept 16

Today another flare reared it's ugly head and had me in bed. I had fallen asleep, but was soon awakened by Tucker who had decided to lay down beside me...right beside me....on top of my outstretched arm and halfway on my face, beside me. I took this picture with the arm that was pinned down. I guess I should be thankful for the love. ha

Friday - Sept 17

I got out of bed today to give Jay a ride because his pickup was at one field and he was at another. When I got there, he was out there in the combine, just finishing up this field, but was ready for a little break as he'd also get something to eat.

Saturday - Sept 18

Still in bed, but I did get a smile on my face when Jay brought in a package that had arrived in the mail for me. I have mentioned my love for the Life Is Good brand before, so it goes without saying that I was very happy that my package contained a new shirt and a pair of socks that I had ordered. If you haven't tried LIG shirts you really should. They are uber soft and comfy! As a matter of fact, on my flare days that's all I want to wear.

That was our week. Head over to Sara's through the link in the side bar to see more pictures!