Jan 31 2008
Huckabee for President
Click here for the reasons I won’t support John McCain.
Archive for January, 2008
Jan 27 2008
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella
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When I was little I watched a version of Cinderella that had “real people” as characters. For YEARS I have tried to remember something about it that would give me enough information to be able to find a copy of it. I could remember scenes from the movie and even the appearances of the characters, but that wasn’t enough to be able to distinguish that Cinderella from any of the others. Last week when I was in the knitting shop, one of the ladies there was singing a song and I recognized it from the version of Cinderella I watched as a child. I asked her what the song was from and she replied, “Oh the Rodgers and Hammerstein Cinderella with Ginger Rogers.” OH MY WORD. She had no idea the years of searching she had just put to an end. I could have hugged her neck! I am so excited to have finally found the Cinderella movie I have been wondering about. I bought it on DVD on amazon.com Do you remember this version of Cinderella? |
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On a sidenote here is an updated picture of the vest I am knitting.
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Jan 26 2008
Knitting Projects
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I am happy to report that I completed the “Fabulous Felt Tote” I have been working on. I am pleased with it–especially since this was my first felting experience. It was fun and easy to make. The only tedious part was putting the bag together before felting. It was only tedious for me because I was a first-timer. It would be a piece of cake for others. On my next felted project, I think I’ll have Richard turn the hot water up a few hours before I am ready to felt. I thought we had the hottest water in the city and I even added a huge pot of boiling water, but it didn’t felt as completely as I wanted. I went through the process 3-4 times, but I think turning up the hot water would have helped. I’ll quit analyzing the felting job. |
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Now I am on to another project. I am making this vest from Plymouth Yarn Design Studio (pattern NO 26). |
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Here are the beginnings of my version of this vest. Rather than knitting it in Baby Alpaca, I am knitting it in wool. I wanted to go with a less expensive yarn for my first go around so I could get the kinks worked out first. So far there haven’t been any kinks since the pattern is very simple. I keep thinking “There has to be something more to this” but I don’t think there is! P.S. I am loving the Denise needles Richard got me for Christmas! |
Jan 22 2008
Ask and ye shall receive…
I have had several readers ask me to post some easy recipes…. so…. drum roll please…
Here they are. 
Montreal Chicken Bake
The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the oven to preheat.
chicken breasts
olive oil
McCormick’s Montreal Grill Mates seasoning
Preheat oven to 375. Coat chicken breasts in olive oil. Sprinkle top and bottom of chicken breasts with Montreal seasoning. Place chicken breasts in baking dish. Cover baking dish with foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes.
BBQ Chicken
chicken tenders
Coke
BBQ sauce
Place chicken in skillet. Add enough Coke and BBQ sauce to cover chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat too simmer and cover. Cook until done—20-30 minutes probably.
Oven-Fried Chicken
Click here for a yummy Oven-Fried Chicken recipe.
Beef with Cucumber Raita
This recipe for Beef with Cucumber Raita is de-lish—- it’s a man pleaser at my house!
Spaghetti Sauce
1 lb. ground chuck
1 can tomato sauce
1 package McCormick’s Thick and Zesty spaghetti seasoning
Brown ground chuck and drain. Return meat to skillet. Add 1 can tomato sauce, about 1/2 can of water, and package of seasoning. Mix and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Asian Chicken Salad
lettuce
purple onion
mandarin oranges
Chow-Mein noodles
chicken
Teryaki marinade
Ginger-Sesame Asian Dressing
Poke holes in the chicken breasts using a sharp knife. Marinate the chicken in the Teryaki marinade for about 30 minutes. Bake chicken at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, dice onion. When chicken is finished baking, cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Mix or layer lettuce, chicken,onions, mandarin oranges and Chow-Mein noodles.
Salmon
Salmon fillet
yellow mustard
lime or lemon juice
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread mustard over fillet and lemon/lime juice. Bake until easily the salmon easily flakes with a fork (about 10 minutes or so).
Fish Tacos
These Fish Tacos are another man-pleasing recipe at my house! The most “difficult” part is all of the slicing and dicing, but the colors of the veggies are so pretty, I don’t think you’ll mind!
Zucchini
Preheat oven to 425 degree. Slice zucchini into 1/4” slices. Coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until zucchini is tender (about 10-15 minutes)
Symphony Brownies (Paula Deen)
1 pkg. brownie mix
3 Symphony bars
Mix brownie mix according to instructions. Line a 13×9 pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Pour in 1/2 of prepared brownie mix. Place the candy bars side by side on top of the brownie batter. Pour the remaining batter on top of bars. Bake according to mix directions.
I know this has most likely not been earth-shattering, but I hope you’ve found at least one new recipe to add to your collection! If you have a favorite and/or easy recipe you’d like to share, please do so in the comments!
Jan 21 2008
Reasons for Running
Seasons of my life have brought new or different reasons for running. In some seasons of my life I have run because it was part of my schedule and just what I did–I never thought about, I just did it. In other seasons of my life, I have run out of necessity because my pants were tight. There have also been times when I have run out of hurt. On those early mornings there was often no distinction between the sweat and silent tears streaming down my face (sounds really pathetic, but it’s true). I will also confess there was even one point when I ran so that I could be next to a cute boy on the treadmill so we could huff and puff and have basically meaningless conversation. (I out ran him by the way.) In some seasons I have run in order to manage stress. I have also run in an attempt to make myself attractive to others. This season brings new purpose for my running–I am running for personal enjoyment (what a concept, huh?)–I like the way my footsteps feel on the treadmill and I like being able to challenge myself and meet a goal. I’ve got my mp3 player ready. Here’s to running for enjoyment!
Jan 18 2008
Ashley Stockingdale.
I love her so much I have been trying to think of a way I could name a pet or a daughter after her. BUT I am thinking that just wouldn’t work.
Ashley Stockingdale is the main character in Kristen Billerbeck’s A.S. series. The series includes 3 books (What a Girl Wants, She’s Out of Control, and With This Ring I’m Confused). The books are about Ashley, a 31 year old, single, patent lawyer in Palo Alto, California whose weaknesses include tall nonfat Vanilla Lattes and Jimmy Choos. Any urban woman in her twenty-somethings+ will be able to relate to Ashley and appreciate her misgivings and her perspective on life. I laughed until I cried and when I read these books while I was single, I sympathized much with Ashley’s single status and all that comes with it (not that being single is a bad thing, but we all know it’s at times not easy!) and was green with envy when … well READ THE BOOKS! I could not put these down and have even reread the first one. Several of my friends and I were reading these books at the same time. All of our conversations were about these books and when we weren’t talking directly about them, we were making reference to them in conversation! It was a fun time for us! I hope you enjoy these as much as I did! Those of you who have read these books, please comment to encourage others to read them, too!
Jan 14 2008
Bulletin Board Ideas
This post is for all of the teachers who still have their Christmas bulletin boards up and need a quick idea!
Are those penguins not just the cutest little things? I also love the little birdie on the w.
This board would really look better with different paper and border, but I was in a hurry. Also, I want to add ’snow’ to the bottom by crunching white paper. Kiddo-made snowflakes would be cute, too. Can you tell I’m wanting to over-haul this bulletin board—yeah, in all that free time I have at school.
This board is from last year, but it is one of my favorite bulletin boards. I had my students make the snowflakes. The words say “Everyone is different. Everyone is special.” (I took the picture on my cell phone–sorry for the grainy look)
Jan 09 2008
My kiddos make me laugh.
This bag has been so much fun. I have also gotten a small start on the handles. Hopefully I’ll get to felt it this weekend!
I have a funny story from school to share with y’all. I have a student who tells me something about one of his cousins at least once a day. Monday he was telling a Cousin Story and said, “Yeah, he’s 8. He’s like your age, Mrs.Hughes.” I asked him to repeat himself just to make sure I heard him correctly and he said, “I said he’s your age–he’s 8 like you!”
Jan 07 2008
Menu Plan Monday
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I am back to work today, which means I am also back in the kitchen! Mon.- spaghetti, salad Tues.-salmon, zuchinni, Garlic-Basil mashed potatoes Wed.-hot wings, salad Thurs.-tomato soup, grilled cheese, salad Fri.- sausage, biscuits, gravy Sat.- lasagna , salad Sun.- chicken spaghetti Click here to see others’ menus for this week. |