Wordless Wednesday: Pick One!

He's Back! For One Day Only

When Little Pup, my 5 year old son, started Kindergarten this year, I wasn't sure how I was going to cope. He's my little helper. My right hand man. How was I going to make it through the day? He drove me to the grocery store, did all the dishes and took care of all the laundry for me...

He was the head of the kitchen rolling out dough, mixing sangria and quality checking cake batters...

This past month I've learned to do without him for those 7 hours during the day. But now he has a cold and gets to stay home with mommy for today. It's just too bad that he's all achey and stuffy. But as soon as his fever breaks I'm putting him to work unloading the dishwasher. Just like old times.

Go Hogs! Or Not. Either Way, I Win.

When Arkansas lost to Georgia last Saturday, I immediately went out and bought this ice cream to drown my sorrows. It made me feel much better. OHEMGEE, this is good ice cream! It has lots of cookie dough and chunks of chocolate running throughout the vanilla ice cream. The best part, though, is the ooey, gooey swirls of batter. Yum. I have a feeling that after Arkansas plays Alabama today, I'm going to need another pick me up. And I'm looking forward to it.

And while this ice cream is awesome, it's not my all-time favorite. That honor goes to Blue Bunny's White Fudge Almond Divinity. Yes, it's as good as it sounds. It was only a limited time kind of thing back in 2002 and I'm still mourning the loss.

I've never written my local government to lobby for pay raises for police, I've never written my congressman to complain about high gas prices, and I've never written the President to complain about the healthcare situation. I have written to Blue Bunny and begged them to bring back my beloved White Fudge Almond Divinity.

Priorities, people.

Wordless Wednesday: He’s No Good Until He Has That First Cup

Currently Sunny But...

Enough with the rain already! I've got things to do, you know. Outside kind of things.

I need to shock treat the pool, filter out all the algae, skim out the leaves, and drain out the water. And then I need for it to dry out so I can roll it up and put it away for the winter.

I need to take the roof off the dog house and clean the inside--rearranging the carpet pad and sweeping out the dog hair. Maybe I'll even look into insulating it just in case we have a really bad winter this year.

I need to clean the back porch from top to bottom. There are spider webs and dirt dobber nests everywhere. I probably need to wash the windows while I'm at it.

I also need to get to work sanding a dresser and repainting it for my oldest son's room.

Okay, maybe it can rain here a little longer. Just writing that list wore me out.

The Winner Is...

...Mary Lynn, aka #5! Congratulations!

Thanks to everyone who entered my first giveaway!

This Stuff Is Good

Usually on Thursdays I post a recipe from cookbooks or my own personal collection, but today I want to share some recipes I've tried from some fabulous food bloggers. This stuff's good, people.

Mama Loves Food: Roasted Garlic. I had never roasted garlic before because for some reason I thought it was a long and complicated process. April's recipe shows how quick and simple it can be. I had it on toasted french bread and it was so good!

Simple Daily Recipes: Sloppy Joes. Jill's recipe has become a frequent meal for us. I use ground turkey and fix it in the crock pot for those days when work, school and soccer practice doesn't leave a lot of time to prepare dinner. Sweet potato chips make a perfect pairing and it's so inexpensive.

Keeper of the Cheerios: Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce. Miranda has the best knock-off recipe there is for OG's alfredo sauce. It tastes just like the real thing.

Keeper of the Cheerios: Cream of Potato Soup. Do I have to wait for fall to have soup? Just looking at this recipe again is making me crave it, big time. Another winner from Miranda!

Pioneer Woman: Apple Dumplings. I've never actually made these but (follow along) my husband's step-sister's husband has made them a few times for family get-togethers and OH MY. They're wonderful.

Wordless Wednesday: Word

Hanging On

I leave my dirty clothes on the floor.

I like to wear black nail polish every once in awhile.

I can't function without my iPod.

I love when school cancels classes because of bad weather.

I like just about anything by Katy Perry.

I have a crush on a vampire. AND a werewolf.

I like pizza, chocolate and watching tv.


Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm 36 not as young as I think I am.

A Gift For You And A Milestone For Me

Today is my 500th post! And to thank everyone for reading I'm hosting a little ol' giveaway. Emphasis on the word "little." No KitchenAid mixers here. Not a $500 Amazon gift card to be found. Just a little gift representing a few of my favorite things:

A mug, hot chocolate, a good book (my review here), and a couple of Paula Deen's wooden spoons. See? Nothing extravagant. Just a little something to show my appreciation for all of you who take the time to read my blog. And all you have to do to win is...

...leave a comment!

That's it! No stumbling, no tweeting, no following or subscribing, no visiting Paula Deen's website to tell me which sauce pan you like best, no nothing. Just leave a comment and make sure I have a way to contact you. Contest will run throughout this week (until midnight Friday the 18th) and I'll announce the winner (chosen by a random number generator) on Saturday. Good luck and thanks again for reading!

"Unconquerable Souls"

What a day. I'm finally getting around to putting up a Poetry Friday post. I've been watching the memorials and ceremonies and videos all day of 9/11. Eight years later and it's still unbelievable. And the footage from that day is still so hard to watch. I wanted to pass along the poem that was read this morning during the memorial at the Pentagon. It's called Invictus by William Ernest Henley.

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

In the movie Julie & Julia, a blogger decides to fix all the recipes in Julia Child's first cookbook. That's an interesting challenge. I'd love to do that with a Paula Deen cookbook but not without a new treadmill. Or a hundred of her wooden slotted spoons.--I just love those things.

Our Labor Day menu consisted of the usual summer fare--burgers, potato salad, baked beans and corn on the cob. And for dessert I decided to give Paula Deen's Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding a try. It was fantastic! I loved the cream cheese flavor and the buttery Chessman cookies. I fixed mine in a 10 x 14 baking dish and it probably weighed a good 20 lbs--plenty enough to make everyone as happy as a dead pig in the sunshine. Y'all.

Paula Deen's Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding (from food network)

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies (for a 10x14 dish go for 3 bags)
6 to 8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (5-ounce) box instant French vanilla pudding
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream

Line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.
In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Wordless Wednesday: Peek-A-Boo

Not A Barbie In Sight

It's about reading Walter the Farting Dog a hundred times...

It's about having tires scattered on the front lawn...

It's about negotiating your way around the house without stepping on cars...

It's about finding footballs in the freezer...
It's about...

...having BOYS!

Kind Of About Labor, But No, It's Not Imminent

Every Labor Day weekend I'm reminded of how my youngest came to be.

It was 2003 and we were returning home from a Labor Day weekend dinner at WD's parents' house. During the car ride I starting feeling sick. Actually, not really sick but just, I don't know, unwell. Nauseous, but not gagging, just kind of hollow. I had only felt that way once before when I was pregnant with Big pup so while I tried to get our 1 1/2 year old settled down for the night, WD (God bless 'im) went back out to pick up a pregnancy test. And probably a pack of gum and some paper towels so he wouldn't look all conspicuous.

And then I took the test. And there were 2 lines. Definitely 2 lines.

And then I rejoiced. Okay, first I pointed fingers and asked how could this have happened!!! but then I rejoiced. And then I rejoiced some more. And I'm still rejoicing--I couldn't ask for better little boys!

P.S. Yes, that is THE pregnancy stick. Did anyone else keep theirs?

To All You Nuts Out There

It's Friday evening--the official start of Labor Day weekend. I will be kicking it off with a rum and Coke in just a minute--er, a rum and diet caffeine free Dr. Pepper, that is. But first here's a short little poem for Poetry Friday. And while "Anonymous" never leaves good blog comments, he sure does know how to write a cute poem.

Don't Worry If Your Job Is Small by Anonymous

Don't worry if your job is small,
And your rewards are few.
Remember that the mighty oak,
Was once a nut like you.

Have a great weekend!

Sweet Potato Chips

Whenever we visit my grandma on Sundays, my boys will share a can of Pringles for an afternoon snack. And just about everytime, my grandma will share the story of when my mom was a girl and was craving some potato chips. Since there weren't any chips in the house, my mom and her brother grabbed a potato, sliced it up really thin and fried it in some fat in a skillet.

It's funny the memories of food that stay with us--even after 50 years. For instance, my dad can't look at a platter of deviled eggs without talking about the time my sister made them in Home Ec class in high school. She used to hate that story but I think she has resigned herself to the fact that she'll be hearing that story for at least another 20 years.

And although I've never made regular potato chips, I love to snack on sweet potato chips. I use a mandoline to get the slices super thin and then I put them in the fry daddy for a few minutes until they're a little brown and crispy. Then let them drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.

Wordless Wednesday: How I Spent My Weekend

Howard's Turn

Okay, so you know that picture I posted a couple of weeks ago of Lexie the Husky pooping in the yard? Don't worry, I'm not going to link to it. Well, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. That was a new low for this blog and I'm sorry. Very tasteless. It won't happen again. Promise. Now that I got that off my chest and my conscience is clear, I have good news...I got an award from a couple of fantastic bloggers!

Why--I'll never know, but I'm extremely grateful to Beth, The Confused Homemaker. She has 4 kids which means she's twice as confused as I am. Poor Beth:) And many thanks to R. Wallis at True Beauty Inside and Out. Check out her blog--I don't think she has ever posted a picture of her dog relieving herself in the yard but she does put ketchup on tacos, ewwww!

Speaking of ewwww...

Ooops, that one kind of just slipped in here. Sorry about that one, too:)