9 on the 9th, on time this time.....

My nine favorite things to do..... not in any specific order of importance...

1. Read to Noah
2. Talk with Gene
3. Read
4. Spend time with ALL my family/Friends
5. Play games....just about any kind
6. Cook/Bake/Decorate Cakes
7. Scrapbook/Cross Stitch
8. Go to the movies (wish it wasn't so darn expensive!)
9. Worship @ Riverbluff

hmmmmm.
Notice that "clean house" and "yard work" aren't listed.....
guess that explains why my house needs cleaning and the yard needs work.....
go figure.

Variety is the Spice of Life.....

Or in this post....spice is the variety of life. I love different spices. I am especially fond of garlic, oregano, parsley, basil, cinnamon, ginger, paprika, cumin and certainly salt and pepper.

There seems to be certain spices that are relatively unknown until someone starts promoting them and then POW, it's everywhere. It's almost like a designer handbag. All of a sudden, everyone HAS to have it...or put it in their food. The spice I am referring to is cilantro.

And I can't stand it.

Everyone I know seems to love it. I think it is harsh and bitter. I can take one bite of a dish and tell that it has cilantro in it. It literally makes my stomach turn.

Isn't that strange that one person can love the taste of something and another despise it.

Woooo. Such deep thoughts.

yawn.

Sorry if I bored you. I almost fell asleep typing......zzzzzzzzzzz.

Anyway, this week's menu, sans cilantro is as follows:

Monday - Baked chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn

Tuesday - Spaghetti with meat sauce

Wednesday - Scalloped potatoes with ham, peas, beets

Thursday - Pot roast, rice and gravy, carrots, spinach, apple salad

Friday - Fried Pork chops, mac and cheese, cabbage, green beans

While I'm thinking about it, I'm gonna do next week's menu too. My, how ambitious of me.....

Monday - Marinated chicken tenders, sesame rice, zucchini and onions, mandarin orange salad

Tuesday - Country fried steak, rice and gravy, green beans, corn

Wednesday - Fish Cakes, tater tots, peas, beets, fruit salad

Thursday - Pork roast, hash brown casserole, collards, candied carrots

Friday - Chicken enchiladas, re fried beans, salad

Also, I am going to try to make more homemade deserts instead of "store bought".

I will make 2 or 3 a week and if we run out before the end of the week.....so be it. With 4 fellas in the house, cookies disappear VERY fast. If I want any, I hide them. I'm just sayin.....

This week I am going to make brownies. When they are gone, I will make a peach cobbler. (the way brownies evaporate in this house, I will probably be making the cobbler about an hour after the brownies come out of the oven) After the cobbler will be chocolate chip cookies. When those are gone......no more til next Monday.

The next week's deserts will be.......

Chocolate cupcakes w/ peanut butter frosting

Angel food cake with sliced strawberries

Rice Krispie Treats

Well, that's it. I hope I have given the six of you some good meal/desert ideas and maybe made your mouth water just a bit.........slurp.

Pretty Darn Close..........

Well. The Smith's bit the bullet and went shopping at the W-mart place for school supplies. For those not privy, this weekend is "tax free" for school related items. Mr. Smith practiced his shoving and pushing abilities on an old football training dummy we have stored in the back yard.....just kidding. We don't have one of those things.....football training dummy. We do have a back yard. Anyway, off we went.
We got clothes and supplies for Kevin and sniff sniff....Noah. **insert uncontrollable sobbing here**
When we got to the register, I said to Mr. Smith....."this is going to be $300.00".

It wasn't.

It was $299.71. Only .29 off!

AM I GOOD OR WHAT!!
I have super hero powers!
You can just call me the "Human Calculator" from now on.

ok.
nevermind.
It was just a lucky guess. It did feel kinda good to look like I was really smart for a change.

What a Brave Little Man.....

Thank you all for your many prayers. They were most certainly felt and appreciated.

I just want you to know that we have the bravest little boy ever! It was obvious that during the biopsy, he felt some discomfort. He did ask a few times if the "pinching" was done. Or, how many more times am I gonna have pinches? So, even though he felt something he DID. NOT. CRY. NOT ONE TEAR!! We are all very proud of our brave little man!

He has only one stitch that will be removed in a couple of weeks. We should get the results around that same time and we will let you know when we find out.

Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers. Ya'll are the very best.

Could I ask for some prayers?

I am sorry I have been absent for a while. Seems it is either feast or famine. I either have a lot to say but no time to say it or nothing to say and all the time in the world. Go figure. It seems it has been a little of both the last week or so.



One thing on my mind is this..... Little man went back to the dermatologist yesterday. (I was with him, I had to drive) Anyway, for those that may not know, he has some skin issues.



The original diagnosis was Childhood Psoriasis. When he was first diagnosed, he had just turned 4 and the Doctor was pretty sure his diagnosis was accurate. He said he could not be 100% positive without doing a biopsy and since Noah was so young, he didn't want to do one as it would be painful and the treatment would most likely be the same no matter what the diagnosis.



He is now 5 1/2 and still having flare ups. In fact, this last one is really bad. The treatment has been topical steroids. The worse the flare ups get, the stronger the meds need to be.

Everything you hear about steroid use is true, even with topical. It messes with his sleep pattern, makes him puffy, he is hungry all the time, and has emotional issues. Anyway, the doctor now wants to do the biopsy mainly to make a definite diagnosis and make sure we are on the right track in treatment.



I understand that.



I "get" that at this point it is necessary.

I am confident in the Doctor and I know he is going to do everything to make sure this procedure is as pain free as possible. But my heart just hurts for my little guy. I wish I could just offer up my body, tell the Doc to cut off whatever he needs just DON'T get near my guy with anything sharp! I know this isn't possible. I just don't want Noah to hurt.....at all.....ever.



A biopsy may not seem like a big deal to some of you. I guess when looking at the big picture, it really isn't a big deal, especially to those kids/parents suffering with cancer and other life threatening illnesses. I have always said that if Noah had to be afflicted with something that I am grateful that it is a minor skin issue. We are blessed. I know that.

Being this concerned/upset/anxious/unsettled and yes, worried about the unknown seems so silly when you think about what God did for us........How could he stand seeing His Son in such pain.



How did he bare it.

I am so grateful.

I am so blessed.

No more leaks and I have a squirty thingy.......

No, I am not talking about potty training boys......although the title fits. I am talking about my kitchen faucet. With my old faucet, you had to hold your tongue right, stand on your head and cluck like a chicken to get it to completely turn off. If you didn't get it in the right position, drip, drip, drip......

AND, my squirty spray thingy didn't work. In fact that was the first thing to go (about 6 or 7 years ago) and I just learned to get along without it. Never even gave it another thought until........my WONDERFUL hubby purchased us a new faucet and installed it.

Had you been peeping in my window, you may have seen me go in the kitchen, turn on the water for no apparent reason just to turn it off again and watch it ....not drip. I may have also been seen using the spray thingy for things that didn't necessarily need spraying. I am a happy girl. It doesn't take much folks. Not much at all.

This is a picture of the old faucet. Please note the corrosion around the center and base. Also please note that the round middle piece kept popping off and the base leaked as well. Notice the small puddle dripping down into the sink. I left the dirty dishes where they were for dramatic effect......

This is hubby patiently explaining to me that this is most certainly NOT blog fodder and under no circumstances should it appear on my blog.

I ignored that.

Please note his furry helper behind him.....

TAAA DAAAA!! A pretty shiny new kitchen faucet that does not leak and has a functional squirty thingy.

Happy girl.....

Monday Menus and New England in Autumn.......

I have noticed that I do a lot better if I post a weekly menu. I don't always follow it perfectly, but I'm usually close. It really does help keep me on track so, Monday Menus are back. They also keep my husband from harassing....er, asking me "What's for dinner?" (just kidding honey, you really don't harass me...much)

Monday: Marinated pork chops, rice pilaf, green beans, beets (beets are for me as no one else in this house will touch them)

Tuesday: Chicken New England***, egg noodles, peas, carrots

Wednesday: Spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, garlic bread

Thursday: Pork roast, rice and gravy, corn, green beans

Friday: BBQ smoked sausage, mashed potatoes, spinach

***Chicken New England is my version of a chicken dish I had in Vermont (I think) during a New England vacation. My folks took me on this vacation when I was in my early 20's. We went during Autumn. It was beautiful, it was fun, and it was filled with good memories. If you have never seen the New England states in Autumn, GO!! There really are places that are breath-taking.

Basically the chicken dish is boneless chicken breast, wrapped in dried beef then baked in a very yummy sauce and served over egg noodles. If anyone just HAS to have the recipe, let me know and I will get it to you.

Ya'll have a good week and Happy Cooking!

I totally forgot......

I forgot about the 9 on the 9th that my friend Mrs N. started last month! I KNEW I would loose track of time.....I just KNEW it! Since some things are better late than never, here I go:

9 of my very favorite movies not in any specific order:

1. Steel Magnolia's - I can quote most lines in this movie. I have seen it more than 20 times and if I watched it again tonight, I would laugh and cry....again.
2. Terms of Endearment - I can quote most lines in this movie. I have seen it more than 20 times and if I watched it again tonight, I would laugh and cry.....again.
3. Tombstone - LOVE Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday!
4. Practical Magic - a weird twist on a love story.
5. Jungle Book - come on......who doesn't like singin "bear necessities" at the top of their lungs?
6. Men in Black - I laughed until soda came out of my nose.
7. Independence Day - Call me weird but I really like Jeff Goldblum
8. Platoon - Broke my heart.
9. Pretty Woman - I just like it ok!

Next month I will try to be on time!!