Black Creates Drama!!!

Oh, how I love all these great blogs I've discovered! I spent the late afternoon/early evening spraypainting candlesticks matte black and setting medium sized pumpkins on top of them. Then I spray painted a large metal vase I had in a bathroom the same black. Next I took some dry tree limbs from around our yard and sprayed those black too. Then I sprayed the frame of a mirror I acquired from buying our house the same black. What then??? Well, it all went up onto the mantle in our family room and talk about drama! I will take a picture and post it soon. I will need to change the pumpkins as the seasons change but other than that I think I can leave it. My friend Jessica and I made a banner that says Harvest that is hanging on my mantle too. It was easy and fun and turned out sooo sweet!

If you have a chance, get to some of those blogs I've listed... they've got my juices flowing!!!

Silent War

A funny thing is happening in our home right now. Hubby and I are having a silent war over the bathroom window. I get up in the mornings and the first thing I do is open my blinds... I want to see the world and let the natural light in! I even open a small bathroom window's blind in our downstair's 3rd bathroom. It's small and the room is small but I love that natural light. It faces our next door neighbor's house and our side yard. Hubby is afraid our neighbors can see into our bathroom (ok, not the room I'd like them to be able to see in, I agree with that) so I put a plant on the window sill and only open the blinds a bit for light. Every time I go in there I find the plant on the counter by the sink and the blinds closed shut! So... what do I do? That's right, I place the plant up again and open the blinds, a bit. Some time can go by and back in I go to, you know it, find the blinds closed up and plant on the counter. This continues all day! Even when he's been at work he comes home and does it!

So, not one of us has said a thing about it but we just keep undoing each other's work! I really don't think our neighbors can see in there with the plant in the way but you know Hubby, always extra cautious! Girls, I need to strategize my next move, any ideas? I can hear my mother going, "oh, you shouldn't do that to each other, communicate" but I have a feeling one of Hubby's three sisters may have an idea or his brother? In any case let me know!

PS... if there's anyone out there who thinks this is a cruel thing to do to each other well, you don't know Hubby and I, this is our sense of humor and how we relate to each other! Don't criticize, just give me ideas!!!!

Chicken Rice Soup with Pumpkin Bread

Quick post... Chicken and Rice soup and Pumpkin Bread:

Take one Fall day, overcast and cool out, high of maybe 63;

Sunday, so Hubby and kids are home; burn some Fall scented candles and

make SOUP!

Chicken Rice Soup:

1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I used creminis)

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tsp. vegetable oil

1 32 ounce carton of chicken broth, more to taste if needed

2 12.5 oz cans of chopped chicken, no need to drain

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped green beans (I used frozen)

1 package long grain wild rice mix with seasoning packet (I used Uncle Ben's)

1 tbls. poultry seasoning

1 tbls. garlic salt

Saute onion and mushrooms in oil till tender. Mix in other ingredients. Bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat covered for 20 minutes.

Enjoy with pumpkin bread, either homemade or cheat for goodness sakes and make it from a box, I use Pillsbury Quick bread and it's our favorite!

Did I mention I love Fall?

Apples and um, Liquor?

Oh what a day!!!! We decided to go to our local small town apple orchards called Oak Glen. I say 'local' very loosely... it took us about an hour and a half to get there. We were going to meet my parents and my grandmother there for a day of apple pickin', fresh, cooler air, changing leaves and maybe a shop or two. We met them there, went and ate lunch and took the girls to a petting zoo and then Bug and I ran into a big red barn and bought four pumpkins, a bag of winesap variety of apples, apple butter and apple cider mulling spices. Everything is 'appley' up there. Buglette never took a nap so on the ride home she cried and fussed, fussed and cried until she fell asleep, five miles from home! She was so filthy dirty from her adventures in apples that she needed a bath right away!

The other night I was headin' home from picking up a few things from Walmart. Buglette was with me and was ready for bed. We got stuck in traffic though going through a DUI checkpoint. We sat and sat and sat some more and my baby who had, up to that point been in a good mood, went south really fast. By the time we made it up to Mr. Police Officer Buglette had worked herself into a full blown fit and was screaming at the top of her lungs. I rolled down the window to speak to said officer and he got an earfull of how displeased my 16 month-old was. With a straight face and ignoring the screams he asked me if I had been drinking that night (probably the 200th time he had to ask that in about 2 hours) and I returned his question with a straight face answer, "No, but I should be after listening to her for 15 minutes. If you're offering, I'll buy". I know, I know. What was I thinking? Well, being a cop's wife (and daughter) I was never 'afraid' of authority. I have a healthy respect but no fear. Anyway, I could tell he needed a good laugh, I could just tell. I needed to laugh at my 'predicament' too. We did! (Laugh, that is, not go get a drink).

No Time Because He Answered All Those Prayers!

Sometimes finding the time to sit down and write is very difficult! This has been one of those weeks! Bug has needed more help with her studies, Buglette commands a lot of my time just by being herself and Hubby, well, he is understanding but it takes work to make a relationship well, work! So, sometimes the last thing on my list is this blog even though it's the second in my heart after God of course.

We have a weekend coming up and I've been thinking about to do with it. I am taking suggestions! Just a day trip somewhere to do something fun as a family would be nice. Maybe apple picking or getting our pumpkins. Maybe off to a Harvest Festival. Who knows. I'll let you know once we decide.

Buglette has been funny lately. She has been trying to say 'pumpkin' but it comes out funny. She tries to ride her sister's old red and white tricycle. She climbs and climbs all over it and rocks back and forth to get it to move. We went to church last night and at the nursery she cries when we go and stops just as soon as we're gone! She did the same thing at bible study with me this morning... at least she stops! I always hold my breath when I pick her up... was she naughty? A handfull? Clingy? Into everything? Noooo, she researves those behaviors for mom. I guess I can't complain, I'd rather her be good with others.

On our way to school we listened to our Christian radio program as usual and today it was about infertility and adoption, two subjects very close to home for us. We struggled with infertility for four years before I miraculously got pregnant with Bug. Boy were we beside ourselves with joy over that child (still are). Then, after eight years and one miscarriage later we get a phone call from family that a baby girl will be born soon and needing a home. We had never even considered adoption before! Never. But God has a way of showing us His plan and we just knew that this was our baby girl. Well, Buglette is ours (mine, Hubby's and God's that is) and we can't imagine life without her. I never mentioned she was adopted because it's not what defines her. It's like saying, "this is Bug, our girl who likes blue"; being adopted is just a matter of how she got here, not who she is. But this morning I heard something that so fit my life over the last ten years and I want to share it. "In regards to my children, God let me hunger so I would know when I was fed." He answered those prayers for our children and filled them in ways we could never imagine. Are you open to how God will answer your prayers even if it's not how you asked Him to?

Achievements and Turkeys

Oh what a week we are having. Mom called me yesterday to make sure I was feeling fine because "you haven't blogged in a while" and I guess she got bored at work not being able to read about her girls. Sorry, Mom. I had a bee in my bonnet and had to start making all those pretty crafts I've seen and been talkin' 'bout to you all. So off to Michael's and Joann to get all the goodies so I can copy everyone's ideas! So far so good, I've made about ten or so sweet paper crafts with my friend and neighbor Jessica. We are having fun with it. All of those great blogs also has given me yet another bee in my bonnet about re-decorating our family room, which will be happening soon. I'll let you know.

So, on Friday we got some fun news that Bug got elected to her school's student council! She is the only fourth grader on the council. She is the public relations officer! Way to go Bug!! When her daddy was in 6th grade he was elected as president of his school so she's taking after him! Daddy took her out for ice cream after school to celebrate. Buglette had her own little achievement herself... she climbed up six ladder rungs into their playhouse all by herself a few days ago. I was outside with her while she was playing in the sandbox, looked over and she was half-way up the ladder. I calmly went over (praying the whole time) and asked her what she thought she was doing. She looked down at me, smiled, pointed to the top platform while mumbling something and climbed the rest of the way. Now, mind you, she's sixteen months old! She's definitely my little independent, determined girl. Hubby said she is just like me. I wasn't like that as a child, just as an adult. Used appropriately I think those are good qualities...

Hubby wanted me to blog about 'the turkey'. Why he thinks you want to hear about this I don't know but here you go...

On Saturday I decided to make a turkey for us and neighbors that I told you about in the last posting. So, on Friday night I took it out of the freezer to thaw and put it in the laundry room sink in cold water. I asked Hubby to stick him in the fridge when he came up to bed after watching his movie. He forgot and I slept the whole night while said turkey slowly grew botulism or some other "bird flu" buggie that could kill us all. In the morning I knew I could not cook the bird and serve it (at least to people I love...) so out into the outside trash (in a bag) he went. As you know, I did cook another birdie who didn't kill anyone (that I'm aware of) and my family and neighbors still love me. Meanwhile, in the outside trash...

My next door neighbor asked the other neighbors if they had found their lost cat because "somethin' died out in the yards between our houses". Oops, my dyin' turkey is now officially dead and beyond. Me to my neighbor inquiring about the stench: "smell? no, I don't smell anything..." "oh that smell, yes I must confess, I killed our neighbor's cat"...

But seriously, our family has a long history of turkey catastrophes! The first bird my mother cooked (by the way my neighbor thinks it's absolutely hilarious and adorable (her words) that mom and I call it 'the bird') was for the entire family in the house we lived in in Lake Arrowhead, Ca. I mention the house because it had a ton of steps leading to the front door and I can just see my mother lugging the frozen turkey, a four-year-old (me) and a one-year-old (my brother) up all those stairs to just have the following happen to the bird. So, she gets up nice and early to prep birdie and get him in the oven. Hours later after he's roasted and ready and the family sits down to eat someone cuts into him and realizes all the 'parts' are still in him...cooked. Mom had never taken out the gizzards and neck etc... She's never lived it down. And now me of course with my dead cat, err, turkey story. The bad thing for me, though is that I've cooked several turkeys before! Hmm, all this turkey talk makes me hungry for fish...

All Manner of Things Black and White

Good morning! It's Sunday morning and the Hubby and I are up with the girls... he made pancakes, the girls played outside and I am drinking my coffee sittin' on this here computer. Last night (make that yesterday too) I cooked a turkey, green beans with onions and bacon, mashed potatoes and an angel food cake trifle. We had friends and neighbors from two doors up over. We enjoy their company, their girls are around Bug's age so they're always running back and forth between houses playing (oh how I love that they can do that in this day and age). My friend's mom and sister just got back from a missions trip to El Salvador and we had them over for dinner too and got to hear all about the trip. There is such need all over the world. I was going to take some outgrown shoes and clothes from my girls to Goodwill but friend's mom then told me about little children who have never even owned one pair of shoes before and they wear the same clothes day after day. I think I will try to get a box together to go to the church for those children. When I think about all the things, clothes, shoes in my girls' closets and then the need that's just everywhere it breaks my heart. This recession may just be a good thing for this country's kids.

I found a new charity shop (sort of like a thrift store I guess) that I want to visit. I saw on a blog that this mom found an old white, small cupboard and turned it into a play kitchen for her daughter. Wouldn't that be fun! I have thought about getting Buglette a kitchen for Christmas and would want a wooden one but boy, are they pricey! I found one online at Target but even that's at least $200! No thanks. So I'm accepting ideas and suggestions! I would love to find and restore to girlie-kitchen- quality a little cupboard!

Hubby had an interesting week at work. He called me Monday night to let me know he would be a little late for dinner because he had, um, locked his keys in his work car (an obvious police vehicle) um, while it was running. That's right, a cop had to call AAA and ask for help gettin' his keys out and turning off the car. The AAA lady had to get the vehicle description... hubby: "um, it's a Ford Crown Victoria" AAA lady: "and the color?" hubby: "uh, it's black with white trim..." about this point in hubby telling me I was on the floor holding my sides dying of laughter. If you at all know hubby you know this is the kind of stuff that happens to him ALL the time. He's a bit like Barney Fife. He's also incredible endearing and lovable so everyone forgives him for his little 'mishaps'.

Side note... he works at the police academy teaching for overtime detail sometimes at night. He told me there's a skunk that lives there stinkin' up the place, gettin' into trash and makin' a mess of the place. I could just see all the cops watching this thing and no one wanting to get near it. Murderers, drug dealers, all manner of bad guys they'll face but one skunk and forget it, they'll deal with his antics! I told hubby they should name him Black and White...