Color Carnival

Jelly Beans in a chocolate bundt cake....
To Play Visit Martha...
Happy Journaling....

April Third

Last night the Chinese food was so good... and son2 fixed us ice cream... the one above was his and the one below was mine... son3 had just chocolate syrup on his... hubby was going to have mint chocolate chip but he forgot and then it was too late... I missed the end of Men Who Stare at Goats and went to bed early with my headache...
Today I am good though... Hubby made breakfast of scrambled eggs, spam and waffles... I ran the dishwasher twice and just have a few pans to finish washing... I washed all the rugs and towels and did three loads of clothes... I am hanging up the pants and shirts as I am tired of hearing the squeaking dryer... I used to hang up the clothes anyway so good way to save some electricity... I made brownies and a chocolate bundt cake... Cleaned the boys bathroom... and the ham has been in the oven all afternoon and smells so good.... I filled the hummingbird feeder... and hubby mowed the lawn, scooped the poop, raked the leaves and hosed off the patio... We picked up the van... major tune up, brakes, rotors, radiator, water pump and free oil change and 10% discount... $1345.00... Now we are coloring Easter eggs and eating jelly beans... leftover Chinese food for dinner... Smallville was a fun one last night... still have Ghost Whisperer to watch... Don't know what we will watch tonight... It is very windy here today... supposed to rain by tomorrow night... I had apple vinegar this morning and no stuffy or runny nose all day... I also have not had any urge to snack... just had some pizza rolls that hubby heated up and that's all I've had since breakfast... well and the jelly beans... but usually I'm munching through a bag of tortilla chips... son1 is at work today and then probably off to girlfriend's... I'm off to supervise the coloring of the eggs and finish washing the pans....

Happy Journaling...

April Second

Well I didn't get my vacation... I'm not really mad though... maybe disappointed... for some reason I wasn't really looking forward to it... maybe cause I kinda had a feeling something was up each time I asked the supervisor if she approved my vacation and she didn't answer me... I checked the computer at work this morning and I was on the schedule... so when supervisor came in I said 'so you couldn't approve my vacation'... she said 'no and it's been eating at me all week'... I said 'so the three times I asked you, you couldn't have told me then'.... seems we may have an audit next week, the same auditor that was supposed to come the last three weeks... so we have to relabel the stockroom and relocate the shoes... and we had a lot of shoes come in this week... I can understand that... plus they have never really declined any of my past vacations... I'm just wondering if the supervisor was going to say anything before I left work today if I hadn't have asked... although when I was leaving work she was saying that the auditor probably wouldn't come next week and there weren't too many shoes in receiving... I wonder if she was waiting for me to ask about my vacation, but I didn't say anything... just that I have five weeks of vacation and four personal days to take in the next seven months before the Christmas season hits... I just feel bad for son2 and son3 cause we weren't able to do anything on their Spring break...


So I've been off work since 11:30 this morning and I have got nothing done... except eat lunch and snack on chips... and take some pictures in the backyard and hang out on the computer... son1 came home from work and left again with friend A to buy horse feed and chicken feed... girlfriend is supposed to come over after she gets off work... I have talked to hubby as today is his day off... The van is still at the car place... hopefully it will be done tomorrow as they are closed Sunday and we need both cars for Monday... they had to replace all four breaks and rotor... they did a tune up... they used the parts we had bought to fix the oil leak... and they have to replace the radiator and water pump... eventually we need shocks in the back too but not now.... $1450.00!!! but we are getting a 10% discount and top priority to get done by tomorrow since we have gone there for many years and they know hubby by name... I tell hubby it's good he has a car guy... and then the Saturn still needs it's brakes checked too... and I need a dishwasher... and the dryer is squeaking away at the moment... I have spent my tax return like three times already and I haven't even got it yet...



I have a headache... I am off the weekend though including Easter... son1 has Easter off too... don't know what his plans are yet though... he was invited to his Dad's family out of town... don't know what girlfriend is doing... Hubby boiled the eggs today to color tomorrow... Tomorrow I'll make a cake and get the baskets all ready... Hubby wants to do some yard work in the backyard... I want to get a few things done on my list that I was saving for vacation... And then on Easter if it doesn't rain we may go to the zoo...
Hubby has gone to pick up Chinese food... We have Supernatural from last night to watch and Men Who Stare at Goats with George Clooney and Ewan McGregor... and we have ice cream and strawberries....
Tomorrow is Show and Tell at The Motivation Station so be sure to stop by and leave your links of what you have been up to...
Hubby is back with the Chinese Food!!
Happy Good Friday Everyone!!
Happy Journaling...

March Thirty First...

I was off today... Hubby was at work... the boys were all home... son3 is watching movies and playing computer games... son2 has gone off to hang with friends... son1 is off at the zoo with girlfriend... hubby is home from work and off to the grocery store again... it is almost time for dinner and I have gotten nothing done today... well the washer, dryer and dishwasher are running, but that's about it... it rained this morning but now just puffy white clouds and blue skies...


Tomorrow is April already... I hardly got anything done in March... with the time change and now this cold I have had for over a week, I have just not had the energy... and me a host of The Motivation Station with no motivation, the shame of it... I have big plans! I have no oomph.... I go to work, eat, hang on the computer, watch TV, go to bed... I think I am in a rut... I am on vacation next week... I will recharge... Sunday is Easter... We have the ham, the Easter Bunny goodies, hubby doesn't have to work after all, although they haven't told the person who is working that they are working so hubby isn't out of the loop yet... Our store is open so don't know if son1 has to work... I'll be on vacation although supervisor hasn't actually said I got vacation but she doesn't say no when I ask her, just to make sure the new guy knows what to do, so I think that means I am on vacation... The thing is I don't see the new guy this week....


Last week I was out three days with this head cold... actually it started with the Saturn acting funny on the way to work so I came back home and called out but then got sick as the day went on... By Monday night I had a fever so called out Tuesday, son2 missed school too due to an upset tummy, son1 was off... which was all good cause son3 had early day and we didn't even know til he walked in the door and we all wanted to know why and how he got home, lol... Wednesday was my regular day off to recover and Thursday I was back to work... Hubby had to leave work to pick up son3 for early day again but went back later for a training class... Now here it is a whole week later and I am still sick with a stuffy nose... son2 has it now too and son3 started it...


Hubby took the Saturn in last Friday to get smogged and it passed so guess it was just a fluke cause it knew I was gonna be sick that day... Meanwhile we still have to take it in to get the brakes checked as they are squealing... The van is going in this Friday for the water leak, oil leak, intake valve hissing and it has squealing brakes too... As soon as the cars are running good again I want to start going on some day trips on Saturdays... I'm thinking depending on what we end up doing for Easter maybe we will go to the zoo and see what the animals got from the Easter Bunny... We need to color eggs on Saturday and hubby always plans a big plastic Easter egg hunt but forgets to think of a treat to put in the eggs so that is one reason he is off at stores right now...



Son1 is still trying to sell his Mustang, has lots of interested parties but no one wants to agree on anything close to his asking price... and he is working on getting a job in addition to the one he has as he is still getting little hours, although it is part time... he is used to working full time... he was off Sunday through Wednesday this week... He is always busy though going here or there with friends and girlfriend or hanging with his brothers...

The above graphics were colored by hubby and the boys and scanned into the computer... I also used the templates to make Easter cards and colored those myself...

Tomorrow is back to work to finish stocking the men's shoes and then Friday is a short day just to set the ad... Then I should be off for eight days! with the boys of course so no quiet time... hubby is back from the store... I did watch Castle the other night but I fell asleep, lol... but I taped it so finished it Tuesday night... son2 is now reading the book Heat Wave by Richard Castle... I washed all his bedding today and have his bedroom window open airing out his room... hubby found some Easter grass for the baskets... 78cents each... Walmart wanted $1.50 each... I remember when they were a quarter... I was going to just shred colored paper in the shredder...

OK off to put the groceries away... leftover deli chicken for dinner... I think if I just get back in the habit of blogging, then I'll find my oomph again... Be sure to visit me tomorrow at The Motivation Station, it's my day to host...

Happy Journaling...

March Twenty Ninth...

It is 8:30pm and I am still waiting for Castle to start... still another ninety minutes...
The boys are on Spring Break for two weeks!!
Easter Bunny is coming soon....
Rules of Engagement is on...
and then I'll load the dishwasher...
and then just a half hour til Castle comes on...


Happy Journaling...

Color Carnival

Happy Journaling...

Happy Spring

Miss Holly...


Morning Doves eating seeds out of the bird bath...


Morning Doves enjoying the new bigger bird feeder...


Rose are blooming...




Sunrise...




Enjoying the neighbors vines that have crawled onto our side amongst our vines...


Sunflowers are still growing... the poppy and cosmo seeds did not get enough water and I have had to plant new seeds, so they are a do over...


The Indian Blankets came back this year!!






Big Wispy Tree turning green...

Happy Journaling...

Color Carnival

The First Rose of Spring...

Happy Journaling...

St. Patrick's Day

Corned Beef with potatoes, carrots and green beans...




My Favorite: corned beef on sour dough bread with mayo and Swiss cheese, heated in the microwave for thirty seconds...

Happy Journaling...

TMS Show and Tell

You can link up your menu plans, a food photo with or without a recipe, your table scape, a new restaurant you've discovered, your great kitchen yard sale find, or how about your nice clean kitchen? Anything goes as long as it's food/kitchen related, and no limit to how many posts you'd like to link up to share. How fun is that?!

To Play Visit The Motivation Station Show and Tell...


It is so hard to find baking dishes with handles now a days... So I was very happy when hubby found this one at Walmart... and it's a deep dish...


So I made oven fried chicken...

Betty Crocker Oven-Fried Chicken:

1/4 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 to 3 pound broiler-fryer chicken, cut up

Heat margarine in rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches, in 425 degree oven until melted. Mix flour, salt, paprika and pepper. Coat chicken with flour mixture. Place skin sides down in pan. Bake uncovered 30 minutes. Turn chicken; bake until thickest pieces are done, about 30 minutes longer.

I use my own salt mixture of Lawry's seasoned salt, lemon pepper, herb and garlic salt, paprika, rosemary and poultry seasoning... And I just use a package of chicken legs with or without the skin, I've made it both ways... So easy!!



With the leftover pork roast from the week before we made sandwiches with the sliced pork, cheese and toasted on french bread in the toaster oven...

Happy Journaling...

Color Carnival

To Play Visit Martha...








Lillies from Walmart...

Happy Journaling...

March Eleventh...

It's Thursday! My day to host The Motivation Station... Our theme this month is Spring Cleaning... Stop by and get motivated...

Happy Journaling...

March Seventh...

Watching The Academy Awards... My favorite part is the beginning, this year with Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin and Neil Patrick Harris... Watching with son2 and son3... I'm having chicken soup and pork chop with cheese on toast, son2 is having pancakes... and son3 isn't hungry... he was asleep when I got home from work and just woke up when we turned on the awards... hope he is not getting sick, we have inventory in the morning... although by time I get there they will be pretty much done...he's playing with legos now so maybe he's just tired this weekend... hubby's still at work and son1 hasn't come home from work yet... OK I keep watching the awards, let me get this entry done, I've got things to do....


We were ready for inventory on Friday and then the weekend hit... Plus they had an event in the mall so even more people shopping than usual... Hopefully the closers will be able to get it back together so they can count at 6am.... I'll just be glad when it's over so we can get back to normal... tomorrow will be the longest day as we can't stock or move anything til all the counts are cleared...
Son3 has gone off to play a video game... son2 is working on his laundry...
I have lots of laundry to put away... pots and pans to wash... bills to get ready for the mail... and cards to sign and get in the mail... and see if we want to order any books from son3's scholastic book order...
this weekend we watched Cirque de Freak: The Vampire's Assistant... pretty good! funny! lots going on.... Four Christmas with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon: Funny!!... I also watched The Private Lives of Pippa Lee... not very good... even with Keneau Reeves in it... not much story to it... I still have My Sister's Keeper to watch... and go do my chores and get the boys ready for school tomorrow... and decide on which room I'm going to clean from top to bottom for our TMS challenge this week... plus you still have til tomorrow night to link your pictures for favorite food dishes or just dishes... even if you just try out the link widget... it's so cool, leaves a picture you choose right in the entry at TMS....

Happy Journaling...

Color Carnival

To Play Visit Martha...



Happy Journaling...

March Sixth...

On Tuesday I was the grumpiest I have been in a very long time... I had my St. John's Wort while I was at work and held my tongue all day with the customers... even when they literally stepped over me to get through an aisle where I was working on stocking the men's shoes... five times... However when I got home and the boys were sitting around playing video games and hubby was watching TV but no dinner was ready, he had finished homework with son3, but then he asked me 'how my day was' when I have asked him several times not to ask me that when I get home unless he really wants to hear the answer... I couldn't hold it in any longer... And the wrath of Mom was let loose... Recyclables and garbage bags started flying from the kitchen out the garage door... the dishwasher was emptied and loaded... dinner was pulled out of the fridge and heated up... all by me in less than fifteen minutes... son1 and son2 had jumped up but didn't know which way to go... son3 was in trouble for forgetting his spelling words both Monday and Tuesday, amazing he brought them home on Wednesday... On Wednesday I had a day off, son1 had to work and I had a couple of hours to adjust my attitude for the week... On Thursday son1 mowed the lawn, edged, cleaned the garage, and something else I can't remember now... I am doing better now...


These pictures are from this week...












Daffodil...


Non fruit bearing pear tree blooming in front yard...


A weed but still pretty...


Allysium...


A rainbow in the middle of all the rain on Wednesday...







Son2 got his progress report... You might want to look away... It's not pretty... We've had several conversations, lectures, plans of attack for getting better grades not against son2...
Geometry: F, PE: A, Spanish 1: D, Sociology: A, Computers 2: A, History: D, Accelerated English: F, Biology: D+... He is honestly having trouble understanding geometry... He doesn't like Spanish... He likes History and Biology... He just finished arguing with me the other day about wanting to take a college English class next year which I told him wouldn't it be better to take a regular English class and get better grades instead of trying to do more than he's obviously capable of... He now agrees with me... He does well on the tests... His problem as much as I can figure is organization and desire... we tell him to have his backpack ready for school the night before and he is getting it ready in the morning when he should already be out the door for the bus... he doesn't like to be bothered with easy every day homework so doesn't do it or does it but doesn't bother to turn it in... and bigger projects is the same thing... he skips the things that are easy points which then lowers his grade... part of it too is that when he's at school it's all about school but then when he gets home, school's over so he doesn't think about it again til the morning... I don't get it... so our first strategy is to have him go through his backpack and have it ready by the door with any dates written on the calendar of upcoming projects, tests, assignments... only twelve more weeks of school left... plus a two week break for Easter...


Today we all had the day off except for son1 but he is off already off and out and about... He wants to sell his Mustang now... this will by like his sixth car if he gets another one... he wants a Jeep now... plus since he has rebuilt the Mustang it is a gas guzzler... so he has posted his Mustang on Craig's List... I am just having faith that some day he will learn this car lesson he is supposed to learn... Hubby made eggs, hashbrowns and muffins for breakfast... Hubby and I went to Walmart for pet supplies and soaps and shampoos and such... Hubby cleaned up the front yard a bit... I moved some pots around and fed the birds... they are out there working their way through 8lbs of bird seed as I type... I've washed the dishes and loaded the dishwasher... son2 and son3 are playing video games... son3 did his homework first thing when he got home yesterday so he would have the whole weekend free... son2 stills has homework... We have inventory Sunday and Monday at work... is it Tuesday yet... I'll be glad when we can get back to normal... Hubby has to go to a meeting tonight at work... only two day notice for mandatory meeting... everyone's not happy about it... Time to work on some paper piles and heat up a pizza for dinner...
And be sure to stop by The Motivation Station and see what we have been up to... This month is Spring Cleaning... and today we are having a share your recipes day with a place to link your pictures of your delicious dishes...

Happy Journaling...