Thursday, November 30, 2006

A Whole Lot of Beef

 


If you've read the below Meme, you see that I referred to my husband as Beefcake. Well, that is his nickname. Sometimes, I just shorten it to Beef. At the request of Stacy, I will only be referring to my husband as Beefcake (instead of Matt). So, honey (or Beef), I love you. You are a whole lot of beef (and only a little bit cake)! You can see the cake part in the picture with Scamp -- both are doing their Zoolander impressions! Posted by Picasa

The A-Z of Meme

Stacy tagged me tagged me, so I'll play along.

A - Available/Single? Married
B - Best Friend?
C- Cake or Pie? cake
D - Drink Of Choice? raspberry lemonade
E - Essential Item You Use Everyday? my car
F - Favorite Color? Purple and blue
G - Gummy Bears Or Worms? Gummy Worms - sour please
H - Hometown? Manchester, TN
I - Indulgence? sugar of any kind
J - January Or February? Does it really matter?
K - Kids & Their Names? Scamp
L - Life Is Incomplete Without? My beefcake husband and adorable daughter Scamp
M - Marriage Date? Dec. 1
N- Number Of Siblings? one
O - Oranges Or Apples? oranges but I like apples, too
P - Phobias/Fears? dying young, spiders
Q - Favorite Quote? You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free
R - Reason to Smile- I have hope in God and for my miracle, Scamp
S - Season? Fall
T - Tag Three People? the people I would have tagged have already been tagged
U - Unknown Fact About Me? I love Monster Truck shows
V - Vegetable you don’t like? brussel sprouts, raw celery
W - Worst Habit? letting people run me over
X - X-rays You’ve Had? teeth, feet, abdomen (don't swallow coins!)
Y - Your Favorite Food? chocolate and chicken
Z - Zodiac Sign? Virgo

Why does it seem like miles away?

 

We moved Scamp's bed upstairs to her bedroom. She was sleeping in our room downstairs. Even though we could no longer watch TV in the bed at night or even turn my side table lamp on to see, we loved her sleeping close to us. She would wake up in the morning and talk to us to wake us up. We figured we should go ahead and move her so that it would be easier on her. She's right at 14 months old. Now, we have to climb the steps to peek in on her while she sleeps. Why does it seem so far away? She's getting bigger. She will continue to need more independence, and Matt and I will have to learn to adjust along the way. I could never imagine the emotional toll parenthood would have and how much my heart would break as Scamp grows away from us. And she's only moved to her bedroom!!! Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Who I Am

Do you ever feel like you're two different people? Like one person on your blog and one in "real" life? I feel like I'm in the process of becoming one person. In real life, I'm so extremely shy sometimes that it's for hard for people to get to know me. I can express myself much better in writing than I can with speaking. I'm afraid to talk about certain things with certain people. Sometimes, I'm afraid to try new things because I'm afraid I would be bad at them. I let the opinions of others rule what I say and do. I try to make everyone happy so much so that I let others hurt my feelings and never tell them. I worry continuously that I've said something wrong to someone. I worry that I've hurt someone without knowing it

I don't want those fears to rule my life. I'm the person in my blog. But, if you ever met me in person, I would be introverted unless the person I'm meeting is more introverted than me. I've learned that I have to talk about my feelings, and I have to let others know me because I'm here for a reason (and so is everyone else). If we don't have close relationships than what do we have? I can use my blog to let others who normally wouldn't know me as well, know me for who I really am. This is important to me at this point in my life.

I want to be real with others and want them to be real with me. Life is too short. If I hurt your feelings tell me so that I can fix it. I hope to be the person who can always say I'm sorry and mean it when others need me to do so. I hope to always be forgiving. I hope to be the person God has intended me to be. I hope to never hide myself from my daughter or my husband. I hope to speak up when I need to defend myself or others. I hope you can see my love for you.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Heart Healthy Zucchini Bread

3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cup grated zucchini
3/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
3 egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1.Mix the first 8 ingredients in a bowl. Stir in the zucchini, applesauce, oil, egg whites and vanilla. Spoon into two 5x9-inch loaf pans sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes. For smaller loafs, bake for 30 minutes.

Yield: 30 (1-slice) servings.

Nutrients per Serving (1 slice):
Calories: 110
Fiber: trace
Protein: 1.8 g
% Calories from fat: 16%
Fat: 2.0 g
Carbohydrates: 21.3 gm
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 87 mg

Turkey Day

Well, our Thanksgiving is going to be a little bit different this year. We won't be going to my family's side today. We have two Thanksgiving dinners at the same time, so we decided to choose one this year. One year we had three on the same day, and we made all three - not sure if it was worth it. We have Scamp this year, so we're going to stay put in one place. We're going to Matt's aunt's house for dinner. We plan to play games after dinner - maybe Cranium. I'm going to make roasted red potatoes. I just buy the seasoning packet at Wal Mart - very easy. I've also made Zucchini bread. It's very good with cream cheese icing.
I do plan to shop tomorrow. I might send Matt to Wal Mart at 5:00am. He seems to like it:) He normally goes if we see something (or anyone in our family's sees something) to buy. We don't need any electronics this year though.
Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Through the Midst of Despair

I have created a new blog. This one will be devoted to my poetry and my feelings toward God. Please visit me at Through the Midst of Despair. I got the idea to create a second blog from Judy at Mommy-to-two. Please visit her Bible Study Blog.

Weekend Reflection



Scamp has been doing so much better with the separation anxiety with her daddy. She would scream and cry and was very hard to console after I would take her from him, but now she's pretty happy with both of us again.

We were able to go to Sunday School and the church service this week. We had missed two weeks in a row with sickness.

We spent time with my cousin LeChelle amd her family and my cousin Chad and his wife last night. I miss hanging out with them. LeChelle made the best supper.

We went to see Matt's grandmother, Bea on Monday. She recently lost her husband. We had a good visit and were able to help her get started on Christmas decorations.

Visit Judi's! blog to play along.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Pay It Forward

Stolen Idea from Stacy:

Here's how it works:

The first five people to leave a comment will receive, within the next 6 months, a personally hand crafted gift made by me. Please leave your e-mail address or email me from my profile page so that I can contact you. There is a catch however, your obligation is to post a similar type of offer on your blog.

Scamp's Go Cart

 

Matt bought Scamp this go cart last week for cheap! It's been too cold to ride outside, so Matt decided first to attach a belt to the front. One of us could then stand in the middle of the room, holding the belt, and pulling Scamp in a circle while she rode. We got way too dizzy to keep doing that, so Matt decided to fix the wheels from underneath. He got them to lock in the turned position, and now she can ride in a circle as long as she wants, which is usually until the battery dies! Posted by Picasa

Singing Scamp Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcemcbOU6nE
Click the link to watch.

We use the microphone when we sing on Karaoke Revolution, so Scamp picked up on the idea. The singing is short, but she gives kisses at the end. So cute!!

Monday, November 13, 2006

Taco Soup

I tried this new recipe my sister, Julie, made for us. It was great and SOOO easy. Here's the recipe:

1 lb. beef (I used ground turkey)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet Ranch dressing seasoning
2 cups water
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can rotel (or diced tomatoes for less spicy)
1 can corn, undrained
1 can black beans, undrained
1 can pinto beans, undrained
1 can kidney beans, undrained

Brown the beef. Mix taco and Ranch seasonings with water. Add all other ingredients and cook on medium for 30 minutes.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Get to Know Your Friends

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Hot Chocolate.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Wrapped presents please!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Single colored lights like white or blue. No multi-color.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Where do you get mistletoe? I've never seen real mistletoe!

5. When do you put your decorations up?
Maybe a week or two before Christmas.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Dressing. I could live on dressing alone!

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Getting up early - like 6:00am and waking my parents up to ask them if Santa came.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I found a bag full of toys that I had asked Santa for in my parents closet.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Yes -- lots. When my sister and I stopped believing in Santa, my parents decided to let us open our gifts on Christmas Eve since we had to go to my great grandmothers house at lunch on Christmas Day. We had more time the night before. My husband was a little appalled at the idea when we first got married until he realized we didn't have to take turns on Christmas Day with both our families. My family Christmas Eve and his Christmas Day morning.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? All kinds of ornaments - hardly anything matches, definitely no garland!

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Love it as long as I can still get to the store.

12. Can you ice skate?
NO!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
A red non-motorized scooter and NKOTB concert tickets!

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Remembering the birth of Jesus and lots of time with family.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Chocolate chip cheeseball -- Thanks for the recipe Stacy!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Opening presents on Christmas Eve.

17. What tops your tree? a fiber optic angel

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Giving the perfect gift!

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
I hate Christmas music -- too festive I suppose.

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum??
I live non-mint flavored canes. Do they count?

I stole this from Stacy. Thanks girl!!

Weekend Reflection



I'm a day late but am thankful to be able to participate and write some positive thoughts about my family.

Praise God, my husband, Matt, and I were able to have a "re-connect" night and enjoy some time alone.

Scamp is over her virus, and the rest of us haven't gotten sick.

Matt took the day off on Friday, and we all went to the park for a picnic. The weather was beautiful, almost 80 degrees.


Visit Judi to sign up for Weekend Reflection
Link

Friday, November 10, 2006

"Who Stole the Cookies?"

My friend Greyson and I hosted a Mystery Dinner Party back in April. What fun. We performed the mystery, "Who Stole the Cookies," where storybook characters come to life in a library. Greyson played Mrs. Bookworm, the librarian. We had a four course meal and everyone pitched in and brought a dish related to their character ie. The Queen from Snow White brought an apple dessert, Alice in Wonderland made Mushroom Soup.

Greyson and I made the invitations using our scrapbook crafts. I submitted the picture of them in the Merri Mysteries' (where we got the mystery) decor contest, and we won a free mystery!

We all voted at the party for best costume and Julie, Greyson's sister-in-law won. We gave prizes to the costume winner and everyone who guessed who stole the cookies. We will do the next party after the holidays. I'll be sure to post pictures.

My Mystery Dinner Party

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Scamp and Bubby


My nephew Blaine just loves tractors! He hauls everything in that wagon, so we decided to see how Scamp would fair back there. She was in complete heaven. Blaine was so worried she was going to fall out that he kept turning around watching her every few seconds. He is so protective of her. He won't let her get in to anything she's not supposed to! She may not appreciate that a little later on! Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

She's Her Daddy's Girl

Scamp has increasingly become "addicted" to her Daddy. This is my husband, Matt. Check his blog at www.gzsfrk.blogspot.com. She used to be her mama's girl, but now whenever he is in the vicinty, she is all about him. She won't even come to me. This morning I said, Come to mama," while she was sitting in his lap, and she shook her head no!! She then proceeded to cry and scream while I tried to take her out of his lap. She loves her daddy SOOO much.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my husband for being such a good father. He gets up in the middle of the night with her when she's sick. He even takes his turn waking up early with her even though he has to go to work. He watches her without one little complaint anytime I ask him. He had the day off from work today and watched her most the day while I went out with the girls. What a great dad and husband. I love you, Honey! Posted by Picasa

Friday, November 03, 2006

How Can God Love Me More Than I Love Scamp?

Have you ever sat back and wandered about who God really was? What type of character God has? I know that for a while I believed that God was a big, mean, powerful being that reigned over me with an iron fist, ready to punish me at a moments notice. I have to work on not believing that lie. For me to feel ok about myself, have self-worth, I have to believe that God loves me unconditionally.

Today, I was thinking about how I love Scamp. It gives me joy to watch her playing and having fun. I'm excited to see her when she wakes up from her nap. I clap and pick her up and squeeze her. I can't give her enough hugs and kisses even when she's pulling away from me. I love her just the way she is, no strings attached.

What if God felt that way about me? I let myself feel that today. I imagined what it would be like if God was standing in the room with me. God clapped when I woke up this morning, and He couldn't wait to tell everyone that I was awake. He followed me around the house hugging me and kissing me. He was so excited to talk to me. He listened intently to every word I said. He told me that nothing about me was a mistake. He planned for me to be just the way I am even though I tried to argue.

You wouldn't believe the weight that was lifted off my chest. I don't have to prove anything to God. I don't have to work and work to show Him how good I am. He loves me so much that He even has the hairs on my head numbered (Matthew 10:30) and knows when one falls off.

I needed a little bit of healing today. God loves me and every believer in Him much more than I could ever imagine. I have to even relate His love to my own love that is far from perfect to be able to understand even a little. I don't know how many hairs are on Scamp's head:) I may not even know how to love her the way she needs me to, but I do know that God can if I believe (and she believes for herself).

I believe that God's love for me is perfect for today. That even when I make huge mistakes I can always come to Him. That I am loveable and acceptable. And that I need Him far more than I can realize. I need to be loved unconditionally. I think everyone does.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Back to the 80s Scamp-Style

I love the 80s. Here's Scamp with her 80s oversized sweatshirt dress complete with pink tool, black tights and side ponytail (which you can't see!!). Thanks Stacy (aka Vader's Mom) for the adorable outfit.

This brings back memories of when my sister and I were in elementary school. We used to get dressed up in our "dance clothes," usually a tutu or oversized sweatshirt and tights with blue and white striped leg warmers and red and white sweatbands! We would turn off all the lights in the house and put on the Michael Jackson Thriller album. We loved the album cover with pre-plastic surgery Michael and his black leopard looking quite hot!! Those were the days!!!!

Reminensce with me! Thank you to my cousin LeChelle for sending me this forward: You Know You Grew Up in the 80s/early 90s if: (NOTE: I only posted my favorites. It was WAY too long.)

4. Girls wore biker shorts under their skirts and felt stylishly sexy.
7. You know that "WOAH " comes from Joey on Blossom
8. Two words: Hammer Pants
12. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
13. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
15. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.
16. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.
17. You played the game "MASH " (Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House)
18. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
19. L.A. Gear....need I say more?
23. You wanted to be a Goonie.
24. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (some of us... head-to-toe)
25. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off and his cheeks shifted.
29. You still get the urge to say "NOT " after every sentence.
33. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.
34. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes. (and like #24, probably in neon colors, too)
35. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know you are, but what am I?"
38. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and Slide.
40. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds.
44. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights with high top Reeboks.
45. You wore socks scrunched down (and sometimes still do... getting yelled at by "younger hip" members of the family)
47. You remember watching both "Gremlins " movies.
50. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha Micelli was hot.
52. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool... and don't even flinch when people refer to them as "NKOTB".
58. You remember when mullets were cool!
59. You had a mullet!
61. You tight rolled your jeans.
62. You owned a bannana clip
65. You had big hair and you knew how to use it. Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Me and Scamp

This is me with Scamp. We had this taken during her 12 month photo session. Scamp's aunts are photograpers and do very impressive work. I haven't figured out how to post my photo on my profile yet. This is the one I'll probably use. I can add pictures with my post because I'm using Picasa, which I LOVE. It makes things so much easier. All I do is choose a picture and hit Blog This! I wish everything was that simple.
We had a great day during these pictures. We went to the park with Aunt Boppy and Milly (Aunt Shannie couldn't make it). Scamp had her pictures taken with the ducks. She loved watching them and calling them. I had to hold onto to her because she wanted to get into the water with the ducks. I loved her outfit, too. She was in her knickers! How great is that?! Posted by Picasa