happy halloween!

happy halloween for ya

just a happy halloween to ya!

snowmen rock!

this is my latest experiment with rocks and crocheting.   i've made several necklaces but i wanted to start getting some Christmas ornaments done.   while meandering through my head, i happened upon this snowman idea.   at first i thought i'd paint some rocks white, then i remembered that i collected several white rocks from the lake this summer.  ironic, huh?

no pattern.   just crochet a circle and continue around the biggest rock.   then i made a 3 double crochet wide strip that attached around the next rock and on the other side.   i chained around both sides to cinch it down so the rock wouldn't come out.   repeated on the top head rock.   then i just used chains to make a hat and attach it.   the scarf is a chain, doubled back and around the neck.   really simple.

 it could use some improvement.   this is my first one.   i'm thinking i could make a santa head, and tree, who knows what else.

my kids and i just keep bringing home rocks so i better keep finding uses for them!

folding snowflakes and flowers

i was just using scraps for the flowers on my card.   you need a square-ish piece of paper.   your going to cut the outside off anyway so it isn't really important that the outside is straight.   

 get your basic square by folding over one corner to where the opposite corner should be.   line up the edges.

 if there is a lot hanging over, cut off the excess.

 fold it back over corner to corner, then half again.   you only need the center of the long side of the triangle marked.

 now your going to bring the outside corners up and across.   your folding it in thirds from the bottom center.

 this is the only part that needs to be exact.   if the edges don't match up on the sides you'll end up with uneven cuts.

 for the flower i folded it again with the tall point on the inside.

 then i can see the lowest edge where i can cut.

 cut two half petals

 open it up and there ya go.

 my grandmother showed me how to do snowflakes like this.   we do lots of them every year for her windows.

 again, the edge isn't important as long as you keep the lowest edges to the outside so you can see your lowest points that you can cut.

 don't fold in half again for a six sided snowflake.   i like making them 12 sided sometimes but they are harder to get as much detail that way.

 cut lots of squiggly lines.   they are fun with crazy scissors too.   unfold it and you have fun, but realistic snowflakes.

crafting a thankful thursday

here i am, another late thankful thursday post.   such i s life.   this is why i write for a blog and not a newspaper.   i don't feel like i wasted my yesterday though.   it was a long day and like the rest of the week, seemed to fly by.   but i did get a couple of things done.   aside from the usual kids to and from school, fed, clothed, prayed with and so on, i wrote my visiting teaching lesson, had my partner schedule the appointments and went to class.   in between there i made a card for someone who's having a rough week.   she's a nine hour drive away from home and her mother had a breast removed, her father goes into the hospital next week to undergo some treatment s and testing because they just discovered prostate cancer and she is spending her days in pre-school with her 4 year old to teach his teachers how to deal with his diabetes, while trying to learn the language and going to class 3 nights a week and taking care of all the other daily tasks that being mom of 2 and wife means.   while things are looking up  she did return to smoking after having stopped 8 years ago.   yep, that's what she needs.    i wanted to do something for her but seriously, i don't know her very well and what can i do?   i made her a card.   that was my most important thing i had to do yesterday.   what does this have to do with thankful thursday?   aside from i 'm glad to have my problems and not hers?   i am glad i could do something for her.   that's all.   i am grateful for crafts.   i may have to do this particular gratitude again because it comes in handy a lot in my life.   it is what i'm grateful for today, and yesterday.

in the states i had a huge arsenal of tools, stamps, punches, inks, papers, yada, yada, etc.   really, i had accumulated a massive amount of supplies over the 14 years i had been seriously crafting.   here, i have a paper cutter and scissors and a ream of multicolored paper.    while i do miss my fun tools, i enjoy making things just as much.   maybe more.   it stretches me a bit more but brings me closer to the work.   i can't just punch, stamp, glue, done.   i really have to think about it.   i have to cut and and draw and write by hand.   it doesn't look as professional or snazzy as all of the tools would make it, but it does look like someone cares enough to do something for you.   that's what matters.   i sat here for a couple of hours yesterday just covered in paper scraps, scissors in hand, gluing with my huge glue stick, paper cutter in my lap, totally and thoroughly at peace and full of joy.   isn't it funny how doing something for someone else can fill you so fully? she was completely surprised by it, and i know she appreciated it.   no matter what, i enjoyed doing it.   i am grateful that i can create something that not only lifts someone else but myself as well.   just paper and scissors and glue.   amazing.

now, dear reader, i wish you a great day.   go do something for someone and create joy for you and them out of seemingly nothing.

cheer me up card

this week, a friend of mine has been having a string of hard days with hard things piling up.   i decided to make her a card.   i don'T have all of my fun stamps or cutters anymore so i did it all by hand and my straight edge cutter.   i just made it up as i went along.

the poem is in german because although my friend is polish, we both speak german.   it says : 

(front)

without clouds

there is no rain

without rain

flowers cannot grow

(inside)

it's raining now 

so that flowers can follow

that's not a direct translation, but since i wrote it, i figure i can take artistic licence with the translation.

i pasted a blue background the front.   

cut a cloud and umbrella.   i folded the places where the umbrella would have the ribs to give it a little depth.

i drew in the rain drops and the umbrella handle.

inside the flowers were cut like snowflakes.   i posted that here.

just hand cut several of different sizes and colors.   

the butterflies were hand cut as well.   i just cut on the fold.   leave the same.   i also put some light folds in the leaves and petals to give them some body.   i just glued in the center so that it would stick up a bit.  

 i added some petals to the envelope to make it pretty.   just a pick me up for someone.

fat corn rows in a curly braid

these are some quick pics as we were leaving for school so not wonderful detail.

sectioned off and braid the front off center.   i continued with sections following the curve of the left side.   the last section was more of an oval.

the fun part was braiding the braids.   over under from outside to inside.   it ends up twisting itself up and made almost a bun all by itself.   it stayed that way all day.   just fun.

bacon waffles with BACON!

i saw a post with pancakes over bacon and thought it might work better with waffles for our family.

yum!

 bacon in germany is thin . . .like i can see you through it thin.   take what you can get i guess.   i f5ried the bacon a little to make sure it was done.   then i poured the waffle mix on and places a couple of strips of bacon on top.   easy.   and my waffle iron tends to stick on top so i put the bacon on toip.   one time i put the bacon on first and ended up with my waffle on the lid when i lifted it.   aside from being amusing, not the desired result.   they all turned out great.

i think you could fry, chop and put the bacon in the batter, but really, why go to all that work.   let's face it . . the longer the bacon remains free, the more chance it has of being eaten prematurely.

in case you need a waffle or pancake recipe - i stole this from another site but can't find it right now

if you don't have buttermilk on hand, (like me) - pour 1 1/4 cup milk in a separate cup and add 1 TB vinegar or lemon juice.   let that sit while you mix up the rest.   this is your buttermilk.

1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1/4 cup sugar

your buttermilk should be showing signs of separation now so add
an egg and beat them together.

add 2 TB melted butter

mix it all together and pour it over apples for apple pancakes or bacon or bananas, whatever

come listen to a prophet's voice.

this sunday we had the opportunity to go listen to president monson.   he is the president of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints.   he is a living prophet of God on the earth today.   i am not quoting bro. monson directly.   but i took a lot of notes, with help from little blonde curls, and will recount it as best as i can.   this is obviously the short version as told by me..

pres. monson spoke first about his first visit to germany was in 1968, 44 years ago.    then he was able to come to break ground for the frankfurt temple in 1985 and dedicate it in 1987.

he then quoted a the poet, james barrie, "God gave us memories, that we might have june roses in the december of our lives."   he said he enjoys many roses from germany, austria and switzerland.

Jesus was always being asked questions.   he refers to matthew chapter 22 where the sadducees and pharisees are harassing Jesus again with questions    then, in verse 35,  a lawyer asks which is the greatest commandment in the law.   of course, the lawyer is trying to confound Jesus with this question.   we might be critical of the lawyer.    bro. monson is glad that he asked Jesus this so that we can have the answer that Jesus gave.  

matt 22 : 37 - 40
Jesus said unto him, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.   This is the first and great commandment    And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.   on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

no man could find fault with this answer.   this covered every one and every law.   never was Jesus anything but perfect.  

in luke 4, it is recounted that Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted.   the devil promised him with everything and anything he could think of.   Jesus gave the divine example by refusing to deviate from what was right.

Jesus blessed the sick, caused the blind to see, the lame to walk    He taught forgiveness by being forgiving.   He taught compassion by being compassionate.   He taught service by serving.   (i have been thinking a lot lately about how to be a better parent and i think this is the answer.   it's what i have been trying to do but
it does answer my question    the best way to teach is by example.   what i do, my children will do.   i ask my kids, "is that how i treat you?" when they are mean to each other.   i have to be sure that it isn't.)

Jesus called his apostles.   he aid to peter, "come follow me", he said the same to each of the apostles, he said the same to a scribe and a wealthy young man.   come follow me.   the same voice calls out to us.   the same Jesus beckons to you, to me, to bro. monson, "come follow me"   how do we do that?   emulate his example when faced with choices.   bro. monson asks himself, "what would the Savior do?" and then he tries to do it.

bro. monson says he is sad when he hears of people forgotten, alone.   people that want the love and attention of others but do not get it.   he told a story of a man who lived in a nursing home.   on his 91st birthday, the man got up early, he bathed and got dressed in his best clothes.   surely, they would come today.   he didn't take his usual walk to the corner store to talk with his friends so that he would be there when they came.   he sat on the stairs of the home where he could see the road so that he could see them coming.   he didn't take his usual nap so he could be up when they came.   he wouldn't cut the cake made for him by the home where he lived and wouldn't eat the ice cream.   he waited for them.   he had several children, two of his daughters and their families lived within 4 miles of him.   when he went to bed, he asked the nurse to make sure and wake him when they came.   bro. monson goes on to tell of a time that he was driving somewhere and felt he should take a different route.   he found himself in front of a member's house and felt that he should stop.   he knocked on the door and the woman opened the door and asked him how he knew that it was her birthday.   she had waited all day for a card or a phone call from her family or friends.   (bro. monson was taken back by this but told her the truth)    bro monson replied that Heavenly Father knew and He had lead him there.     she invited bro. monson in.   he came in and told her that he felt that he was there for another reason as well but he wasn't quite sure what.   he asked if they could pray about it together.   she and husband had been inactive for some time but agreed that they could pray about it.      after their prayer, bro monson, then their bishop, asked the husband if he would consent to come to church in two weeks an dtell the young men a story that he had once told bro monson.   when the man was in his teens, he and some frinds discussed going swimming on the at sunday instead of going to church.   this man was the one at the time who said no.   he a had told them they needed to go to church instead.   they needed to do the right thing.   all the boys but one went to church that sunday.   the boy that chose to go swimming instead, drowned that day.   he then asked the sister if she would come and be part of the choir.   bro monson's mother had said that this woman had a beautiful voice and bro monson would like to hear it.   perhaps this woman could sing a solo.   both did start coming and became very active and productive parts of the ward.

next bro monson says that actions speak louder than words.   our actions tell God that we love Him and will follow Him.   there was a seminary group that decided to raise money to send a family to the temple that would not otherwise be able to go.   they donated some of their own money and had several fund raisers to reach their goal.   they then sent to money to the samoan mission president asking him to choose a family in his area that needed it .   the kids didn't miss the money.   none of them was hurt by working to raise the money they needed.   instead, they were blessed.   the seminary group never met the family that they sent from samoa to new zeland to be sealed in the temple, but bro monson did.   he met one of the daughters that was 10 at the time they went.   she and her family were eternally grateful for the blessings of being sealed together.   her eyes welled up when telling bro monson about the experience.   the family sailed across the ocean, sleeping on the open deck of the ship.   the family didn't care about the comfort of the trip.   they only cared about the great blessings that awaited them in the temple.

the prophet joseph smith told us to go and be perfect.   it is folly in the extreme to say you love God when you don't love your fellow man.   a disciple of God does not just love his family.   he does not just love his neighbors.  he loves the whole world.   missionaries show this great love when they go and give of their time and resources to share the gospel.   we shouldn't think this is the only way to serve or that we must do grand things in far away places.   we can always find ways  to serve in our own back yards.   sometimes those who need it most are the hardest to serve.   sometimes the ones that need our love the most are hardest to show it to.   we must express our love to our families.    the Saviour showed how to express love.    He is love.   Jesus showed love in gethsemane  in the wilderness, when he raised lazarus, in the sacred grove when He appeared to Joseph smith, and in everything He did or does.

bro. monson is grateful to God for sending His Son to live for us, to die for us, and to break the bands of death for us.   he is thankful for the great love of God .   he is grateful for Jesus our Savior and Redeemer.   Jesus is the Son of God.   He did not live to be served but to serve.   He did not be loved but just to love.   love is more beautiful than lust.   live a poverty better than riches.   Bro monson points out that Jesus did not write anything down.   others recorded his deeds.   the only thing He wrote, was in the sand, and the wind destroyed it forever.   Jesus wrote his gospel instead in the hearts of men.   Jesus filled His life with service and His heart with love.   if we will do the same, we may some day hear the Lord say the most beautiful words evre spoken will be spoken to us.    "well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."  matt 25:21.

bro monson prays that we may all qualify for that eternal glory.   he bears testimony that this is the work of the Lord.   he is grateful for the blessings people in this land.   he admonishes that as we return to our lives, we must love as the Savior did.   husbands honor your wives, wives, honor your husbands, parents love your children, children honor your parents.  love God, love your fellow men.   the prophet of these later days, the living prophet of God today, loves us, each of us, and leaves a blessing of peace to our hearts and contentment in our lives.   he does this and i say it in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.


last night, our home teachers came over.   one of them happens to be the man who interpreted for bro. monson.   he gave me a couple of insights that i missed.   like i said, i was taking notes over the top of my 3 year old who, after over an hour in the car and an hour wait was having a melt down.   my husband took him outside so i could take notes (thank you hunny), but i did miss a few things.   the key point that our home teacher got out of the conference, was that in order to get these impressions, you must be praying for others.   this must be your mind set.   it reminds me of last months visiting teaching lesson.   pray for your sisters by name, in your personal prayers, every day.   i admit, this is not my strong suit.   it is something that i am moving up on my list now though.   pray for other people that you might know need special blessings but pray for those that are around you in general.   pray for the opportunity and the conscience to help others, to share God's love with them, to serve.

here's another side note that struck me.   our home teacher told us that the stake pres called the night before and asked if he had received the talk in his e-mail so he could go over it to prepare for translating.   nope!   usually he would have heard something long before this and there was a moment of slight panic in the stake pres. who prepared to resend it.   our home teacher's first thought was to go look in his spam file even though he gets things from the same address often and never has a problem..   he feels he had this was divine inspiration.   this struck me as not only humorous but poignant at the same time.   how often do we set our spiritual filters on auto and just don't re-check them after that?   what are we missing in our spam files and what might we be letting in that we really don't want?  i know sometimes my kids alert me to things.   when we were watching the summer olympics a few years ago, my kids immediately noticed that the women in several events were not dressed appropriately.   i hadn't really thought about it, my filter was on auto.   there were several events that we didn't watch because of it.   we discussed the difference in outfits with each sport and what might be appropriate every olympics now.   gymnastics is like a modest swimsuit, so those were ok.   ice skaters are usually ok, they wear a body suit even though some of them are skin colored.   if it bothers the kids, or just looks to much like they are not dressed appropriately, we don't watch that skater.   i have had to re-set my filters with this one because i like to watch that sport.   beach volley ball is pretty much out totally.   running is accepted because it's covering like a swim suit.   my kids always notice the runners that have the longer suits though, and we cheer for them.   my tomboy princess is the watch dog for my towering teen's games.   he finds a game on the internet and she watches to see if there is blood.   drives him crazy, but mom is called in for the last word on it and the no blood rule is enforced.   point is, re-check your filters.   societies filters are being set broader and broader each day.   people are quick to point out that these things are easily seen on the street every day so why not watch it on tv or movies.   just becasue it is outside, doesn't mean i have to bring it into my house.  i'd like a refuge from it.   i'd like to teach my kids that it isn't ok.     don't let society and what's going on around you affect your filters and the filters you are placing and teaching your children to place in your family.   make sure your not going to fast and missin gthe good stuff, but let's face it there is a whole lot of spam out there.

thankful for caterpillars thursday

the other day, my son found a caterpillar in the parking lot after school.   of course, we brought it home.   after a few pictures and everyone having a turn letting the little guy explore, we made him a nice new home.   some pear leaves and small branch in a clear container.   he immediately cocooned up in webbing and leaves.   now, we are just watching him to see when he will hatch and what he will look like.

what does this have to do with thankful thursday?   today i am grateful for caterpillars.    they are amazing little creatures that turn into another amazing creature.   gotta love that!

ok, they eat the leaves off of things, but everyone has to eat.   something has to feed the birds.   something has to grow into butterflies that pollinate the flowers.   ok, it'as a moth not a butterfly since it is in a web like cocoon and not a chrysalis, still cool, needed, and pretty. 

we looked it up and found that it is a pale tussock moth.   it isn't supposed to hatch until may.   hmmm. . . we'll have to keep him safe until then.   can't wait to see him and let him go.   i love the opportunity to let my kids watch the metamorphosis.   caterpillars are so much fun to watch and study.   they are also fun to make into crafts.   not the live ones but ya know, make models, pictures of them.   

if your not a nature lover like i am, you might appreciate a few other things that caterpillars do.   

obviously, caterpillars make silk.   well, not all do but you get what i'm saying.   turns out that silk isn't just for the fashionable.   it is used in medical sutures, implants and such, but now it's being experimented with to keep vaccines cold in hot places.   important if you live in a hot third world country.   how awesome is that ?

there is a robot that moves like a caterpillar.   that's worth something.

there is the very hungry caterpillar, that's a classic!

scientists are studying a caterpillar virus that actually controls the caterpillar into spreading the virus farther.   sounds creepy, but scientists are unraveling the dna in the virus.   crazy stuff.   discover magazine

this is a cool story about self medicating caterpillars.   why do you care?   the ways that animals treat themselves becomes the way we treat our conditions in the future.   and knowledge is power.

there are other scientists doing science-y things with caterpillars as well.   caterpillars have pretty short lives, are in abundance and are simple enough to mess with their genes.   that makes them easy to study in a life time and simple enough creatures that they can show the effects easily.  

now, if you live in certain parts of africa, japan or new guinea, (just to name a few), you might enjoy eating caterpillars.   i actually found some recipes on line . . .i don't think i'll try them though.

caterpillars are neat-o frito.   i'm grateful for them.   that's enough. . .wait, one more . .without caterpillars we wouldn't have the inchworm song.   hello, love the inchworm song!

danny kay sings the inchworm song

ok, now i'm done.   enjoy caterpillars today!

life of a caterpillar

it doesn't matter where i go

it doesn't matter where i climb

i enjoy the place i am

i revel in the day

i find my joy along the way

knowing i will gain my wings someday

bouncing into thankful thursday

here we are at another late version of thankful thursday.   i am grateful that i'm not on a deadline.

this week i'm just grateful for rubber.

 we have ribber tracks on our skid steer.

there is rubber under thr keys i'm typing on.   that makes them pop back up so much better than the little spring system that they uses to use under keys.   plus the rubber protects the board underneath better.  just in case something random like a 3 year old spills orange juice on it.   ok, this last time that happened, it fried my space bar.   spaces are a minor detail when typing things up, but i kind of like them.   yeah for a new keyboard!

rubber is great for the bottoms of shoes. . .or socks for that matter.   my son has a little pair of socks with rubber on the bottom that he uses for slippers.

love rubber on gloves so i can grip things and keep my hands warm at the same time.   i'm not a big rubber glove user but a friend of mine is.   he did give us a few that did come in handy.   he gave them to us for cleaning but i used them for pulling stinging nettle out of my yard.   either way, handy.

rubber on the end of a pair of pliers kept my husband from flying across the room a few months ago.   he was taking nails out of our wall and found what he thought was the end of a nail embedded in the wall.   he figured he would just cut it off so we could paint.   not a nail!   it was the remains of a wire . . .that still had power to it.   fortunately, it just made a loud crack and a flash, no flying or frying thanks to the rubber on the handles.

i think the recycles rubber from tires is pretty cool.   they cut it up and make new roads out of it.   better for tire wear on cars and recycling tires plus no oil or asphalt.

who doesn't love a rubber ball?  come on, you know you do.   golfers, bowlers, tennis players, and dogs like their rubber for playing ball as well.

rubber bands!   not just good for holding things together or closed.   awesome for shooting little paper rockets across the room.   not that i would ever do such a thing .  i would never roll a little strip of paper really tight and then fold it in half and launch it at the kid that just shot me in the head.   and i would never shoot them so hard that they would leave a welt.   sure kept everyone from shooting me again though . . .not that i would ever do that.

we all need erasers at some point, yah for erasers!

bungee cords, i seem to need them quite a bit to hold something in place.   i've never had to opportunity to jump off of something high tied to one though.   maybe another day.

divers, water skiers, and all of the other water sports that use wet suits need rubber.   elastics and all things stretchy generally have rubber or latex in them.   more now you get neoprene but it started with rubber.

balloons!   love me some balloons.   now they are mostly latex, but rubber led the way.

rubber was the first gum, and i like gum.

all kinds of seals are made of rubber.

 floor mats, rug no slip mats, glues, shock absorbers and anti vibration mounts,  synthetic skins for medical uses, coating for all kinds of things.

ok, rubber is fun.
rubber is good.
rubber makes life better.
rubber makes life springy.
rubber makes life bouncy.
rubber makes life safer.
rubber makes life more lively.

let's not forget rubber baby buggy bumpers and rubber duckies!   where would we be without those?!

enjoy all things rubber this week!

throw it in roast *updated*

since i have started school 3 days a week, dinner has taken a new form.   too often, the form of a box.   i don't a have a crock pot yet, so my slow cooking is done in the oven.   fortunately, i have a nice clay roaster with a lid.
***update - i now have a slow cooker and i still love this***
a couple  days ago, my husband brought home a nice roast.   i'm not always pleased with my roasts.   they often lack flavor or are tough.   i think i'm getting the hang of it now though.

this time i totally rocked it!   i was so pleased when i came home from school and smelled the heavenly scent of my roast.  for a second, i thought someone else had cooked.

here's what i did.
fresh roast
chopped onions, peppers and carrots and parsley
curry ketchup
worcestershire sauce
brown gravy mix
salt pepper, grill seasoning and  hamburger seasoning

i cut some deep slices in my roast on both sides.
i stuffed one side with onions and seasoned it.   left the rest of my first small onion in the pan and put my roast in onion side down
then i shook worcestershire over the top,  added some parsley from my window, seasonings, and the packet of brown gravy mix covering the top.   then i squeezed some curry ketchup over the top.   just a thin layer.  i added 2 more small onions, because i like onions.   i put about a cup of water in just to start the juices flowing.  ***update - water can often lead to a drier roast, especially in the slow cooker.   replace the water with applesauce.  no kidding!   that is some wonderful juicy, tender roast !***
then i just put the lid on and set it to  200*c, that's close to 400*f.
i did all of that around 3:30ish.   at 5, i dumped in my chopped peppers and carrots.   i didn't want them to be too done.   by the time i went to school at 5:30, it smelled wonderful.   i sliced it through to check it before i left and it was done.  i flipped it then so the rest of the gravy mix would get into the juice.

 i had my teens make noodles to go with it but they over cooked them and didn't eat them.   i ate mine with a roll and butter when i got home.   the bread and butter with it was perfect!

 this is actually a picture of the next time i made it.   so this time, the noodles were fine, and it tasted wonderful again.   repeatably good dinner is always a plus.

***the full blown veggies etc isn't really a must every time.   generally, i just use the worcestershire, gravy mix and onions.   still fab!   the addition of the applesauce made a huge difference.  
today's roast got even less attention than normal.   from the freezer into the fridge with the onions, sauce, etc the night before.     early morning before church dumped the whole thing in the crock pot on low.   done, finished, end of story until dinner time.   i love easy dinner***

hope it works as well for you.   i know it's pretty basic but it might spark your imagination.   enjoy!

thankful for chocolate coated thursday

i've been totally slacking this week.   everyone taking turns at being sick, chaos erupting, and trying to settle it back down.   behind on homework, house work and blog work.   so here's my short but completely relevant  late but still very grateful for thankful thursday.

chocolate!

chocolate the professor's prescription for dementor recovery.   always good to know.   seriously, dementors feed on all things happy and leave you totally depressed.   chocolate picks you back up, it's a stimulant.   great for a boost, but you still have to concentrate on your happy thought yourself to conjure your patronus on your own.   non-harry potter translation - chocolate can give you a boost when your feeling down but you still have to bring yourself to your happy place, your happy thoughts, your gratitude to do the job.   let's not just rely on outside influences.  

one of my other favorite uses for chocolate - chocolate milk is the best drink for anything made with spaghetti sauce, pizza, spaghetti, lasagna, tortellini, you get it.   forget which wine is going with dinner, figure out which flavor milk is going with dinner instead.

there are lots of other studies on chocolate helping with blood pressure, being a good source for antioxidants, and a variety of other healthful side effects . . .but really, do you need an excuse?

yeah, me neither    i'm just grateful for it because i like it in my milk, in my ice cream, in my brownies, and in my mouth.

lasagna casserole

i attemted lasagna with noddles last week.    totally did not do what i wanted but it turned out great anyway so i thought i'd share

i boiled the noodles until they were "not done but not hard".   they are going to cook a little more in the oven so if they are done, they will get squishy in the oven.   i like noodles that are a little bit more solid.   i made waaaay too many noodles.   i made 2 - 500g packages.   oh, well, lots of left overs.   i think left over spaghetti sauce dishes are better then the original serving anyway.

1 package of noodles should suffice.
1 can of spaghetti sauce.   i used 2 small ones because that's how it is sold here
3-4 sausages fried and chopped.   these are large sausages.   we've used a package of breakfast sausage, italian, german, brats.   whatever you have or feel like, or none at all.
1 small or half a large zucchini, peeled and sliced
2 carrots chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
cottage cheese
shredded cheese

boil your noddles
cut up your veggies

i started with a layered theory but realized i had too much  for my small pan and just dumped it in a larger pan.   after that i just threw some of each in a little at a time trying to spread it out over the pan, then i just used a big spoon to mix it all up.  noodles, sauce, veggies, cottage cheese, shredded whatever cheese you want,  sausage - mix them all together in a baking dish.   plus, i put a layer of cheese across the top and put a lid on it to keep it from burning the cheese.   i  baked it for about 30-40 minutes.    i wanted it hot all the way through and cheese melted but i like the veggies to still have some body to them.

it turned out great!

i hope you can find some inspiration in this, because it's certainly not an actual recipe.   enjoy!

more fat corn rows

here we are in the early morning.  off to school before light of day.   yah for early mornings!

it'S a sport day so we did some corn rows.   

i split off the front one and braided then the next one back and braided.

i didn't want them all to end up on the one side so i just split the bottom section straight down and braided.

days like these i think maybe i should leave them in for a couple days, but i just never do.   the tomboy princess want two things, a different hair do and to scratch her head.   it always itches after having in tight braids all day.   i know mine does too when it's all braided up tight.

that's another set of fat corn rows.

tribal pony

simple split into four on the top.   braid back to center where pony will be.   

band braids and the loose stuff from the bottom into a pony.   braid the loose stuff into a braid

i like the loose hair coming up over the braids.   it was a cute look that lasted just fine.   that's always important to my tomboy princess