A blessed day

Today is graduation practice for Mr. Chef. I will breathe easier when he makes it through this stage of the events without a hitch. I am leaving in a bit to pick up my niece, who is also graduating, to give her a ride to practice.

Then I get to figure out how to make my mother's car window roll up! The repair shop doesn't have ANYTHING available. So, looks like I am tearing apart a car door. Hey, if I can change radiator hoses successfully and not know what I am doing to begin with, I am willing to give a window a try.

An end and a beginning...

If all goes well, on Thursday my 18 y/o will graduate. I will take a deep breath when he walks OFF the stage. It's been a rough few months but we are almost finished. Then, he moves. He's going to be in one direction, his older brother in another. They do like to make my life interesting.

When the 18 y/o moves off to college at the end of June (more on that later) my younger two will be moving into the bigger bedroom. Any remaining items (there will be quite a few) from the older two will be moved into the smaller bedroom as they will only be home for visits. Of course, the bunk beds will stay in the rooms they are already in. Since they are identical, I am only swapping mattresses! When someone wants to have their bed to move out completely, THEN I will dismantle a bunk bed set but not before! Heavy metal beds that were difficult to put together are even more difficult to take apart without destroying them!

So, the 18 y/o, Mr. Chef, will be moving out at the end of June to go to college. He will be attending culinary school. Classes start July 7 and he will be there for just over one year (year round). He will then have a 3-month externship that he needs to organize early if he plans on going over seas. Luckily, he still has a passport from when his father was in the Marine Corps and stationed in Japan. All it needs is some updating but half the battle is won by just having it. The school handles all the work visas for overseas externships, he just has to find a place to live! He's already talking about where to apply! Ye gads! I just want him to graduate high school this week! I'll deal with the rest later!

So, anyway, I am still saying prayers of thanks for the Lord's work in my life. Especially my van. Sometimes I get so caught up in all the big stuff that happens that I forget the little things that make life so wonderful. Like playing checkers with my kids.

So many times we try and do God's job of taking care of our lives. So many times we feel we are capable of handling every problem that comes our way. You can bet that every time we approach things like that, God is looking at us, shaking His head, sighing and thinking "You're screwing it up. Just let Me have five minutes. Just trust Me." And every time we still think we can do it without help, like a child learning to tie shoes or a teenager learning to cook without the smoke alarm going off. We think we know it all.

And then there are the moments where we finally just let go. We let go and let God.

I finally let go of something. I let go and God did what He had been trying to do. He took care of me and my family in such a miraculous way. Through someone dear to me, He took care of me. He helped me realize that my pride was getting in the way. I needed to be more humble. Two of the things I need to work on most got in the way of God working in my life. God's patience is unending with me.

I am so very thankful for the miracle he has helped me find. His work is subtle, at times, and at others He waits for us to finish banging our head against a brick wall before He pulls out the bullhorn and shouts at us that He fixed it before it happened, we were just too busy ignoring Him to listen.

So, let go. He just needs five minutes...

Quick update

Mom's home. My brother and his oldest son spent the night at my house. My two youngest sons had a blast with their cousin! It only took them 1 hour beyond bedtime and about a dozen reminders to go to sleep for them to quit whispering. A new record for my kids during sleepovers, actually! When my older brother's two boys spent the night it was closer to 3 hours and me feeling like a broken record. Of course, the road trip had my nephew tired to begin with.

I am still sick. Dana, I am sorry if I gave it to your husband and son! Really! We had a great visit despite my less than stellar health.

Mom gave me beautiful hair sticks from an artisan that my SIL found near their home. Even though I can't quite get the hang of ONLY using hair sticks, I can still use them as decoration after I anchor my hair with a band. My SIL made me a beautiful necklace and bracelet set! I will take pictures and show you later. I plan on wearing them with a black dress for my 18 y/o's high school graduation (Yes! Thank you, God, for the miracle of him fixing his flubs in time!). She (SIL) also made a great birthday card! I will take a picture of that, too. The great thing about Dana is just getting a card from her is more "gift" than anything! Her work is fabulous and amazing! Her oldest son is talented in that area, too, so I can't wait to see what he comes up with as he gets older and more confident.

So, it's late. As stated earlier, I am still sick. I am going to drag this tired, sore, stiff body to bed. A return post could take a few days...I hate being sick...

So, yesterday...

...was obviously my birthday. It also reminded me that I have posted about my birthday every year since I started this blog. This will be the third year.

Just like the last few years, this is a progressive birthday. I had all these great plans on having dinner AND dessert ON my birthday. Nope. Didn't happen. Why? For the first time I can ever remember, I have a summer cold. It started yesterday afternoon just before the kids got home from school. Joy. So, my DH took pity on me and sprung for takeout even though he was perfectly willing to cook dinner for me like he had planned. It was just too hot and I was just too cranky to put up with the oven being on.

Today, I am still sick but moving better (it's amazing what a few doses of medicine can do for a person!). My mom called this morning and told me she is coming home today and will be back around dinner time. My brother (yes, the one with the broken knee and bionic parts) is bringing her home and my nephew gets to tag along! Yay! Well, those two are camping out at my house tonight (yeah, not even worried about the clean laundry that still needs folded or the boys' room that still needs to be finished...that's what being sick does to me).

I have, however, made my dessert for my birthday. When DH and I were on our mini-vacation he took me to Applebee's and I loved it. I was so stuffed that I couldn't even eat dessert! And what a dessert I found! So, I decided to make my own version for my birthday. And here it is:

I don't know what Applebee's calls it but this is my Strawberry Chocolate Mousse. Underneath the mousse is a layer of crumbled Oreo-type cookies. This is such a simple dessert! Start to finish (if you don't wait to plate it until later) would be about 30 minutes.

Ingredients are simple:

• Dreamwhip packets - I used two packets
  
• Instant Chocolate Pudding - 2 4-oz. packages
• Oreo-type cookies - I will leave the number of packages up to you! Lol!
• Milk
• Vanilla Extract
  

Just follow the instructions for Mousse on the back of the Dreamwhip Box (double the recipe if you want a lot...that's what I did). I crushed the cookies in a gallon-size storage bag - and freaked my boys out at the same time! The ramekins actually belong to my 18 y/o from when he made Creme Brulee a few weeks ago. I put about a serving spoon of cookie crumbs in the bottom. Two serving spoons of mousse on top of that and then a fanned strawberry on top of the whole thing. Assembly took about 5 minutes for 5 ramekins. I have enough to do about 5 or 6 more.

I may not get overly excited about my birthday, like I use to do, but I certainly enjoy experimenting with desserts..

Well, DH is almost done with the steaks and the redskinned parsley potatoes are about ready to come out of the over (geez, it's hot in this house!!!), so that's it. Give the dessert a try! You'll love it!

Tomorrow doesn't exist...

...but I wanted to show you what I got from my DH, anyway!

Hehehehe! I LOVE IT! I can hardly wait to get into the yard tomorrow even though tomorrow doesn't exist. See, we are just going to skip it and move on to Saturday.

Anyway, I have this power tool problem. Most women don't like getting appliances or power tools for any holiday or celebration. Me? Yeah, the drooling can get pretty bad. I have my own Craftsman Membership at Sears!!

My BIL dropped of mail a few years ago that had mistakenly been put in his box (that's the problem with having more than two people with the same first initial and last name...). He was playfully tossing it at my DH a piece at a time, came to the Craftsman catalog - YAY! - and told my husband that his magazine had come in. Well, DH looked at it, looked at my BIL, said "It's not for me" and then tossed it onto my lap. Oh! Happiness! I immediately started scouring through to see what new things were added.

BIL had the most surprised look on his face! DH told him that I am the power tool junkie in the house but that's what happens when "her grandfather is a mechanic and woodworker". Lol!

Rocks in the head...Water on the brain

So, my adventure with my van continues as I have YET to hear back from the garage about an estimate. Thankfully, my mom, who is still in NY with my brother (who is healing nicely from trying to rearrange his knee!), told me to get her spare key from Grandpap and use her car. Yay!

On Monday, Pap picked me up from the house so I could get Mom's car. He moved it into the front driveway so I could get it cleaned out a bit. Mom, I love you but your car does not look like it use to! Lol! I completely EMPTIED her car! No more cows or lions! Well, I did leave the cow license plate.

Anyway, while I was cleaning the car out and detailing a little bit, Aunt Martha came over. She hasn't been feeling well. The doctor told her that she had an inner ear infection but it was getting worse and the pain around her right ear was increasing. So, they were going back to the doctor's office. A few hours later, she returned. Now, understand, I love my aunt to no end. She has been the aunt that spoils you, teaches you, tells you crazy stories that you make her tell YOUR kids, and you are terrified of disappointing her. I have so many wonderful memories of my childhood that revolve around my aunt and her two sisters (my mom and her youngest sister). So, when I tell you that I laughed at my aunt when she told us how sick she was, please, understand I am not being mean! My laughter was based on genetics!

A bit of history; my mom has vertigo, my Aunt Nancy (the youngest sister) has vertigo, my grandmother has vertigo...for years, Aunt Martha has explained all this to people and ended with the statement that she "has curly hair". Well, that curly hair didn't protect her this time! She has vertigo!!! Lol! As bad as she feels with an ear infection and a diagnosis of vertigo, she finds it all very funny! She has an appointment with an ear specialist next week, I believe, just to make sure that she is okay with her hearing, as it has been effected, of course.

This was the view across from our hotel this morning. A beautiful morning mist resting in the valley. What a wonderful thing to see first thing in the morning; a great way to start the day before leaving for home.

Then things went downhill. Fifteen minutes after we got on the interstate, we were sitting on the side of the road, almost 200 miles away from home. The transmission died. Walking just over 2 miles north, we reached a gas station where we called for a tow truck. Upon its arrival, my husband discussed local garages with the mechanic and it was decided that a small garage just across the street from the gas station was the best place. The gentleman that owns it works on engines and transmission only and, according to the mechanic and the staff at the gas station, he is the best choice in a large area and is a very honest man and hard worker. People are willing to wait the week for the work to be done rather than travel 30 minutes away to a dealership that gets it done faster. Funnily enough, he gets his transmission parts from a parts dealer that is located just 30 minutes from where we live!

So, my BIL drove down to pick us up (he made great time!). We loaded everything into the back of his pickup truck and all three of us loaded into the front seat. Needless to say, I am home. Without a vehicle but home. Tomorrow my grandpap is lending me his Tahoe to allow me to transport my family to my 18 y/o son's last Band Banquet. Hopefully, I can get it early enough to finish up the last little bit of work I need to do on Pap's and Grandma's anniversary present. Tomorrow is their 58th wedding anniversary and I have had the pieces of their gift for a few weeks. Up until this morning, I thought I was going to have more than enough time to get everything done. Hahaha! It'll all work out. One way or another, God will help me get it done.

Overall, it has been a grand adventure. Now, paying for the grand adventure will be another journey.

New Name

For a while now, I have been reconsidering my blog title. After much consideration, I have changed it.

Dreams, Gems, and Family is now My Inspirations.

I feel this covers everything I share online.

OOT Post

I am currently on a mini-vacation with my hubby. He has a convention he has to attend for work and they encourage the spouses to tag along. We have been coming to these for 6 years and I love them. Not only do I get to explore my home state but DH and I also use this time as an extended Honeymoon. We didn't have a traditional honeymoon, as he had to work a few days after the wedding and I became an instant mom to two wonderful boys that quickly learned how to push every single INVISIBLE button I didn't know I had! Lol!

So, the trip to the convention was wonderful. Although we got a late start, we enjoyed the drive quite well. I will post pictures when I return and hopefully you will be just as awed as I am to live in such a beautiful place. It isn't any wonder why it is called, "Almost Heaven..."

A rare adventure did occur for us this evening. Around 5:30, just before DH and I were to get ready for dinner and the convention Meet-and-Greet, the filament line (fishing line...) running under the left lens of my glasses SNAPPED! I am over 4 HOURS away from my eye doctor! In the geographical CENTER of this state and my glasses just broke! I am LEGALLY BLIND without them!!! Small freak out moment, then common sense kicks in! I head to the hotel gift shop to talk with the proprietor (people are STILL better than computers in emergencies!). YES! There is a Wal-Mart Vision Center 40 minutes away - not a big deal to people who drive 45 minutes just to get to a Michael's Craft Store and a Books-A-Million! (Sorry about the big, bad store, Dana but I was desperate!!!)

DH and I get ready for dinner like we planned, I just did it blind and working with a 300+ degree flat iron, to boot. Into the van and away we go. We drove over Powell Mountain and, although it was a great big blur, it was so beautiful! The greens of spring were everywhere! And we came across the greatest village name: Muddlety! I love it! Muddlety, Muddlety, Muddlety...it's just fun to say!

We finally reach our destination and wait patiently for the repair work to be completed. Dh told me that he watched her work through the glass and she was really putting muscle into pulling that filament through my frames! Oh, I hope this lasts for a while! Afterward, I suffered the normal bouncy/shakey feeling after not wearing glasses for an extended length of time. It wore off before we got to Applebee's (loved it!). A great storm rolled in while we were eating and continued on our drive back to the hotel. Due to the rain, it took longer to get back but that was okay. The Meet-and-greet was still going on and the gentlemen thought it was cute that DH had to run me all over the mountains to get them fixed.

On high note! As we were leaving the restaurant, I received a call from my 18 y/o. Several months back a dear friend of the family (and substitute music/band teacher that taught me AND my older two sons) suffered a severe stroke that left a once-vibrant man a shadow of himself. Well, my son called me this evening to tell me he saw Mr. P today! He is walking almost perfectly! He is eating without trouble! He looks FABULOUS! He said Mr. P told him his next job is getting his speech back to normal. Oh, thank you, God, for such wonderful work! This man is a blessing to so many! So, I told my son to call Grandpap, as they were great friends and it broke Pap's heart to hear what happened to Mr. P but this will give him such joy. So, Mom, smile. He's going to be okay!

A thought...

If you have any extra prayers, I could use some right now.

Good morning, All!

It has been raining here off and on for the last few days. We will get moments of pristine skies and beautiful sunshine only to have it quickly fade into storm clouds and pouring rain. This is good, though! We are behind on our needed precipitation for the last few months. This is needed.

Well, my grandfather has been doing so well after his pacemaker surgery. He isn't allowed to drive, yet, so I get to have fun running him and Grandma around on errands they want to get done. We went to Wal-Mart, yesterday. They needed to buy groceries for the house since the last time he stocked up was before his stay in the hospital. It worked out well since I had to pickup milk ($1.99 a gallon!!! Whoohooo!! got three) and peirogies, dry cereal and all the fixin's for Ham and Broccoli Bake. I will post my recipe at the end.

While we were walking around the store we noticed a great many men who walked and held themselves in a similar fashion. After watching them for a few moments, I realized they held themselves like my husband, our boys' friend Tom, my grandfather, my cousin...hmmm...all are some form of military. Why are they--AH! MOCK RIOT at the old Penitentiary!

The Penitentiary hosts international mock riots that bring military and police personnel from all over the world.

So, Mr. Chef's last day of school is coming in a few weeks. He reminds his dad and I every weekday how many he has left. All I think about is how many days I have left until I have to leave him in Pittsburgh...

Mom is still in NY with my brother and his family. His knee is healing nicely from what I learned during a quick phone call to Mom, yesterday. She is losing so much weight and sounds so happy! Being up there has not only been good for them, since she is able to help with the boys, but it has been fabulous for Mom. I wonder if my brother knows how wonderful it is to hear her so happy and relaxed.

Aunt Martha still hasn't completely backed up her computer files and reinstalled her system programs. She told me that she and Uncle have been enjoying the lack of Internet access (thank you, Mr. Virus!) and have been spending a great bit of time just sitting in the living room with the many new kittens (yes, THERE'S MORE!). She, Mom, and myself are trying to build up our handcrafts to take to a craft show at Uncle Sonny's nursing home this fall. So, she has been working on that as well. I have become quite competent at crocheting shopping bags! I have a pattern for a beautiful delicate reticule with a satin lining and seed pearls. Hopefully, I will be able to work on it soon. It's still a bit intimidating when i read the pattern, as I have never really worked from one. It's all been by sight and feel. One day, though, I will get it done.

So, it's time for the recipe!!! This is by no means a secret family recipe. I personally feel that food is food and everyone should be able to cook a basic meal, so NO SECRETS! This is my maternal grandmother's recipe. My mom wrote it in a family cookbook and gave one to me and my two SILs. Mine has stains and creases all over! It has been well-loved! Oh, and this recipe has been doubled for my family, so you are getting those measurements. If, after you make it the first time, just divide everything in half. Although, this does reheat quite well and tastes even better the next day! I am going to try and give conversion temps and measures, too, so Miss Linda!- it should work for you, too!

Ham and Broccoli Bake

Preheat oven: 350 degrees F/180 degrees C

Baking Time: Cast Iron - 50 minutes; Glass - 40 minutes; Metal - 35 minutes. These are all estimations so watch your food!

********************

16 oz/500 g - cooked chopped or diced ham (size of ham pieces is your choice)

2 cups/500 ml - Instant Rice

1 cup/250 g - Shredded Cheese (I've used cheddar, mozzarella/provolone combo, etc.)

1 cup/250 ml (liquid measure) - Milk

26oz/Family Size can - Cream of Chicken/Cream of Mushroom

1 small to medium - Onion, puree'd

12 oz-16oz/375-500 g - Frozen, chopped Broccoli

1 cup / 250 g - Corn Flake crumbs

3-6 tbsp/60-120 ml - Butter, melted (this all depends on how many crunchies you want on top!)

1/2 cup/125ml - water

3-quart/3 liter baking dish (the one above is a 3-quart cast iron braiser), Buttered and set aside. Medium sauce pan

Large Mixing bowl

Salt and Pepper

********************

Cook Broccoli, Cream of Chicken/Mushroom soup and water in medium sauce pan until hot and slightly done. In large mixing bowl, combine ham, instant rice, cheese, milk, and onion puree. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add broccoli and soup mixture to large bowl and mix together. Put mixture in baking dish. Combine corn flake crumbs and melted butter; spoon or sprinkle over top of dish.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake. For final FIVE MINUTES (5 min), remove foil and place back in oven. When done, let rest on counter or stove top for at least 5 minutes.

Hope you like it. I have made my own changes to Grandma's recipe over the years. My husband has to be told every - single - time, NO, you cannot have the whole thing! Anyway, I hope I got the measurements right. I grew up learning to cook by just looking at it and I still eye-ball recipes, so don't be afraid to adjust this one!

Girl Beats Would-be Muggers with Marching Band Baton (Band Geeks of the world UNITE!!! Hooray!)

Girl Beats Would-Be Muggers With Baton

AP

posted: 1 HOUR 27 MINUTES AGO

comments: 15

filed under: Crime News, National News

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QUARTZ HILL, Calif. (April 30) - Don't mess with the marching band. That's what California authorities are saying after a 17-year-old girl used her marching band baton to beat back two would-be muggers.

Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Michael Rust says the Quartz Hill girl was walking to school April 24 when two men approached her from behind, tried to grab her coat and demanded money.

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Instead, one got a punch in the nose and the other a kick to the groin. Rust says the girl then beat both of them with her band baton before she ran away.

The men had not been caught. But Rust says there's a clear message to take from the encounter:

"The moral to this story is don't mess with the marching band girls, or you just might get what you deserve. Final score: marching band 2, thugs 0."