My Beef With Beef

I know nothing about buying meat. I'm pretty clueless, to say the least. Although, I can say that I know what ground beef is, but that's pretty much the extent of my meat knowledge. Pretty sad, isn't it?

This week I planned to cook a meal that called for 'kc steaks', so I asked my mom what that was. She's pretty knowledgeable but in this case was unable to shed any light. The recipe was for the crock pot and called for the kc steaks, a can of sliced mushrooms and a package of onion soup mix. That's it. I bought a round top round roast thinking it would suffice, and it did. But still, what the heck is a kc steak???

Can anyone educate me on meat? What is a kc steak? And any info on other meat basics (aside from ground beef) would be helpful too. I'm looking for information as to how different meats cook and what's best for certain dishes. Can you help me out friend?

Bloggy Giveaway Carnival!!!

Here it is, yet another fun and exciting bloggy giveaway!! I enjoyed participating in the giveaway carnival this past fall, and I look forward to visiting new blogs this time too (and maybe this time I'll actually win something?!).

Here's what I got goin' on......I am offering five of these handmade cards (yes, made by moi!):


Of the cards I have made, this is my current favorite and I want to share it with you! All you gotta do is leave a pretty little comment!

This giveaway is open to anyone and no blog is necessary, but I will need a way to contact the winner or I'll have to choose another winner. So leave me that pretty little comment and a way to contact you if you win! I will draw a completely random winner on Saturday morning and post the winner that morning.

Have fun, and if you're interested in joining the giveaway madness, click here! Enjoy!

Telephone Talk

When we lived in Michigan we bought a cordless phone that had an extra handset. We needed the extra handset and base for our bedroom that was upstairs that did not have a phone jack. It was the perfect solution to keep us from racing downstairs before the answering machine clicked on or the caller gave up. But that was a few years ago, and now the batteries in both phones are dying and its not worth it to replace them. So instead of buying a new phone set we are going totally cellular.

I'm not completely sold on this idea, but we will be saving money by going wireless. That's the theory anyway, and we all know what a money-saving fiend I can be! My concern is that I won't hear my phone ring if I'm at the other side of the house. And if that happens, then will I even know I missed a call without having the typical ansewering machine to notify me instantly? But at least I won't miss a call if I'm out and about.

Yesterday we went to the ATT&T store to look at phones. I picked out two that I liked, but to be honest I wasn't exactly sure what to look for as far as features went. I may have made a mistake when I was soley looking at its appearence (that, and making sure it fit in the cell phone spot in my fabulous purse....I've got my priorities you know). Well, I did look at the layout of the keypad and such, but I guess that falls into the 'appearence' category, doesn't it? Anyway, the kids were going crazy and making it difficult for Ryan and I to look like responsible parents, so we left. After we got home Ryan went online and ordered my new phone. He tells me it will arrive in a few days.

Ryan is already set with his phone. He has an i-phone! Since Ryan is a designer, his work paid for the phone (so he can experience new technology and such and stay fresh and up to date). To say that Ryan loves his phone may be an understatement. We joke and say that its changed his life. In reality it really has! It's no secret that Ryan travels a lot, and the i-phone gives him access to the web while waiting for his flights. It keeps him up to date on his stocks and trading as well as enabling him to watch movies and listen to music while in flight. For all these reasons, I refer to his phone as his i-candy. Then of course the Apple Store has aptly been renamed the Candy Store. It just seems appropriate. Don't you think? *big grin*

I suppose my impending cell phone delivery makes the decision to go totally cellualr a sure thing. I'm still not sure how I feel about this, but it's kinda too late now! If you need my new phone number then email me and I'll make sure you get the new info when we finalize our switch.

*end transmission*

One Tired Mama

I'm not sure what to write about today. Should I write about my sick children or the trip to the doctor's office? Or, how about how Ryan has not been sleeping well this week therefore I haven't slept well and am quite tired? Maybe I should tell you how Ryan has now been to the ER twice this month and has yet another strange ailment? Or, how I got my hair cut last night and now it's too short and how bummed I am that I ruined my fabulous new look? Oh, I know! I'll tell you how now I have a silly cold and with the combination of all the above-mentioned stuff I'm just beat tired. Yeah. That'll make for a riveting post, no doubt.

Better yet, I think I'll just take a nap.

It Simply Makes Me Smile

I went to Target the other day to spend a little Christmas money I received. I'm all for the clearance racks and bargain prices. I'm cheap, what can I say? But every once in a while I will actually pay full price for something. *gasp!* Shocker, isn't it?!

Lately I've noticed that my beloved store, Target, has holiday shirts for around five bucks! I consider that a good price for something that would typically be worn only a few weeks a year. But still, the price still doesn't scream 'grab me and run' (to the nearest cashier. I don't want you thinking I have sticky fingers!). However, the other day I came across some Valentine shirts for seven dollars. I thought some were cute and another actually pretty, but still not fabulous. But then I saw this shirt! I liked it and it was only seven dollars! The thing I liked, aside from the price, is that it doesn't necessarily say 'hello, I'm a Valentine shirt', so I can wear this long after the day has passed.

So I nabbed it, and ran (ok, I casually walked to the checkout lines). And yes, I know, it'll most likely be seen on the clearance racks on February 15th for 2 bucks, but I'm still pleased with my shirt and the price I paid. It's the simple things in life that make me smile.

January's Goals

I've always disliked New Year's resolutions. They just seem silly to me. I hear people make them then never achieve their goal. So I've never really officially made any. Oh, wait, I take that back....once, when I was a kid, I did. I said I'd never step on ants again. Well, that didn't last too long since I don't like bugs. Then, last year I thought I'd try to get the house more organized. It wasn't so much a resolution as a well-intentioned goal. Well, that one didn't really kick in until August, then Ryan and I jump started it again a couple weeks ago.

This year I'd like to take a different approach. Maybe setting monthly goals would be easier than putting things off for a year then adding them to the next new year? I think I'd like to continue the organizing trend we've got going on. I dislike clutter anyway. Since this month is almost over I'll only put a few things on the list. I don't want to overwhelm myself and become so discouraged that I never even start! That, too, would just be silly.

So, here is my list for the remainder of January 2008:

* put away fish tank that has been sitting on the kitchen counter for months!
* sell my china place settings to e-dish (then buy new ones, but that can be for another month!)
* list more items on Craigslist (and get this crap junk stuff outta here!

TTLIF - (Thank the Lord It's Friday!)

Wow, is it the end of the week already??? I was looking at my previous post and it seemed like more than just 4 days have past. Really? Is it truly Friday already?

This should say something of the week I've had. Although, considering the circumstances, it has not been that bad - it's just been a full week, or 4 days as of yet. Ryan has been gone. Need I say more? I have another day or so until his return, and I can not wait.

The kids have been pretty good (and so have I, I must say). Thanks be to the grace of God (and many prayers) that I am not a frazzled, tired, insane mama- yet! I do have another day until this ride comes to a full and complete stop so I shouldn't take my seat belt off at this point. Who knows, there could be another free fall or hidden loop!

Whoa, look at the time! I gotta wrap this post up so I can be fresh for the too-early morning bus stop. All I gotta say is that these times make me grateful for two things. 1) the Lord is so good in his provision of grace and safety during these times. 2) I love my husband!

That's all I have to say 'bout that. Ni-night.

Purse Love

This past summer we were at Rei shopping for a backpack for Ryan to use as a computer bag since he was getting into the groove of riding his bike to work. While we were there I was purusing the purses and bags and came across this little number. I looked it over and tried it on. Then I asked Ryan what he thought of it. He said it looked 'cute'.

Hmmm. This got me to thinking more seriously about it. Come on, who doesn't want their husband thinking they are cute?! So I got it. And you know what? I. Love. It!!!

I was hesitant about getting it since, for me, it was more than I had ever spent on a purse in all my life. Truth be told, I don't care for purses. They bug me. I don't like having to haul one around, and frankly I don't have that much stuff anyway. Men have it so easy, all they do it stuff their pockets with their wallet, keys and coins and they're off! I've often been jealous of that. For that reason, I've been known to have the smallest purse I could possibly get away with. Until this one.

My new purse is a backpack of sorts. I guess it's more of a sling bag (if you want to get technical about it). I love that it is worn like a backpack and that it does not slip off my shoulder as I haul kids and things around. It makes me totally hands-free! And I love that feature the most. It also has a neat little spot for my cell phone on the shoulder strap. But I admit that I also put my most used credit card, Costco card and grocery store coupon card in their too for easier access.

So, why, you ask, am I sharing my purse love with you? Well, last month I was showing it to a friend and she loved it and wanted to get one of her own. Later, when I was looking online to see if she could order one, I saw that it is on sale! So if this post is tantalizing at all to you then good news.....you can get one for a super-great deal! Plus, as my husband says...it's cute!

My Favorite New Thing

Caleb's latest thing to say to me is 'I love you more than a 'noserous!' And you know what? Me too buddy, me too!

I Love Technology!

Yesterday Mae had a dental appointment, and as the rest of the kids and I waited for her Caleb made a new little friend. They were watching a movie, Over the Hedge. Here is a snipet of their conversation:

Caleb: Have you seen this movie before?

Boy: yes

Caleb: Did you see it at a movie night? (we have 'movie nights' at our house on occasion)

Boy: No, I saw it in my car!

Technology, gotta love it! Now, we have a portable dvd player that we use when we do any road trip, but that is pretty much the only time we use it. I see vehicles around town using them and it makes me wonder if they are on a road trip too. I love this new use of technology and entertaining children while on the road for long stretches. And the beauty of it is that it works! How do I know that it works? Because I can unwrap and eat anything that comes in a wrapper without being asked to hand any over. Oh yes, I love technology!

This of course reminds me of another movie, Napolean Dynamite (not seen in our vehicle), and I just can't pass up the opportunity to slip in this movie clip!

Purging and Organization....Hallelujah!

Since we've been home from our Christmas trek up north, we have been going through boxes, throwing stuff away and reorganizing. And as tiring and loathsome as it is, it also feels great! Today the recycling bin was picked up and emptied and now we have the huge container to fill yet again. Ahhhh, bliss!

Since I took down our new artificial tree it has been sitting in its ginormous box in our entry way. Frankly I'm tired of looking at it and keeping the kids from climbing all over it. There were two reasons as to why it has been sitting in the entry way for about a week. Number one; I needed to buy packing tape to close up the box (I don't like icky spiders climbing inside and nesting for a year while the box sits in the garage...ewe!). Number two; it takes two people to haul that big 0' box to the garage and manipulate it into its new home in the garage. Well, today I bought that tape and sealed it good! Now, Ryan is out of town and can't help me. Too bad. I did it by myself anyway. It scooted pretty good down the hall and across the garage floor just fine.

While I was rearranging things in the garage to make room for the Christmas tree I went ahead and broke down more empty boxes that were waiting for the recycling bin to be emptied. Then I hung Ryan's bike on the wall (he's too busy with work, and the weather is cold(er), and it gets dark too early for him to ride it to/from work right now - so up on the wall it goes!). I also made a trip to a recycling center and dropped off a bunch of boxes that were too big for our bin. After that I was able to rearrange the other miscellaneous crap stuff in the garage too. Now there is much more space around the truck for the kids and I to get in, out and around without skirting junk. Whoo-hoo!!!

There are more boxes and things to go through, but for now, today, I think I'm done. I think this year is going to be a great one for purging and getting our home organized! Then....we can go out and buy more stuff!!! just kidding (sort of!)

A-Ok!

Thank you to all who prayed for my sick man last week! Ryan is recovered from his ailment (although the jury is still out on what exactly he had, but at this point it matters not). I appreciate your kind words and many prayers.

I am grateful.

Sick-o Weirdness

The saga continues.......

So Ryan was down with the yucky fever/flu yesterday but then it made an odd turn. After his fever broke his forehead got all red and puffy. We both thought this was too weird to leave alone so he took himself to the walk-in clinic.

Turns out, after doing many tests and hours of waiting and sitting, he has strep in his skin. How weird is that?? Ryan says that the medical staff were baffled by his symptoms and conditions. They gave him the diagnosis but were still unsure if that is what it really was. So they gave him a shot of antibiotics last night and told him to come back this morning for another round. If his symptoms and condition did not improve then they'd have to refer him to an infectious disease specialist. Doesn't all that sound like Ryan's case could be an episode on House?

When Ryan got home (over six hours at the clinic!) he googled the information and came across pictures and information that were the same as what he was experiencing. It was comforting to find information that was conclusive to his diagnosis.

Ryan feels better today but still has a slight on/off fever. He will stay home one more day from work and will most likely return tomorrow. I am thankful for quickly answered prayers (as we prayed many yesterday). God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good!

Sick-o-

My man is home sick today. Ryan has the flu. The kind that makes you hot and chilly with a temp of 103. Poor guy, he's too busy at work to be home sick. But right now I don't think he's thinking of work, I think he's just wishing I'd turn on the a/c or crank up the heater.

I had heard that if you put onion slices in your socks then it draws out the fever. Does anyone know if this is true??? Also, is it starve a cold and feed a fever or is the other way around? I don't remember!!!

He's got his jug of water by the bed and I'm making sure he's taking Tylenol and Ibuprofen. My mother suggested chicken broth too. I think that's what the lunch menu will be for today.

Any other thoughts or suggestions???

Decembers Movie Review

Happy New Year ! ! !

Here's what we watched last month:

1. Lost (season 2 and 3) - we finished up season 2 and blew through season 3 when we got our hands on it! Whew, season 3 was probably the most captivating and intriguing yet! There were a few fluff episodes I could have done without however. A friend who recently finished watching season 3 as well told me that she thinks the title (Lost) refers more about the viewer than the survivors of Oceanic filght 815. I totally agree. What is going on????!!! Oh man, only one more month before season 4 begins....can't wait!

2. The Namesake - great family drama that takes place over a period of time. It deals with an Indian couple who move to America and raises their family. Although I didn't like how it ended, mostly because it wasn't neatly wrapped up, it was true to life. The characters are well developed and I enjoyed a glimpse into the Indian culture. I would recommend this one.

3. The Polar Express - our latest family movie night flick. I had heard this was a good movie and I must agree. I'm not a big fan of Santa but the movie was enjoyable for the kids as well as us adults.

Our queue is getting quite low with Blockbuster, does anyone have any suggestions???

Oh Fuuudge!

I was having a hard time figuring out what to get Ryan for Christmas. He gave me a few not-so-great ideas, one of which was a router table (whatever that is!). I could get him a shirt or two for work but other than that I couldn't think of anything on my own or anything that was exciting. So I went out and got him the router table. He needs it to put in a sliding shelf in my armoire so he'd be buying one sooner or later regardless. Besides, I'm cheap. I'm saving us money in the long run by buying it as a Christmas gift. I wasn't excited about it but I got it anyway.

When I got it home I stashed it in the garage after taking a picture of it. I printed out the picture so I could wrap it up and give it to him for the present (there's no way I'm hauling the big ol' box to and from Modesto!). As soon as I printed out the picture I quickly forgot about it and left it sitting on the desk. When Ryan came home we were sitting around talking and I spotted it! I had a knee-jerk reaction and quickly swiped it away. By doing this I got Ryan's attention and he saw the picture.

Yep, that's right, he now knows what I got for him. Had I quietly taken the picture and not drawn attention to what I was doing then I could have gotten away with the deed. Alas, I did not. And I am not returning it either (remember, I'm saving money here!). So I got him a i-tunes gift card to go with it.

As I am not excited about his gift in the least, at least the task has been accomplished! Now all I gotta do is wrap it.

Did You Hear That?

I couldn't find Isabel's shoes today. I looked all over the house. Well, just about everywhere. Who knows where they are, they could be anywhere! So we went to Target after picking Caleb up from school.

Isabel it two. Remember? She shouldn't care what shoes she gets, right? I tried to put two different pairs of shoes on her and she SCREAMED and writhed in the cart until I either stopped trying or she got them off as soon as I put them on. I don't think there was a soul in the store who didn't hear her. Part of me was laughing and the other, well, was not. (oh, and another part was saying 'I'm so blogging this!')

I finally started showing her the shoes and she'd say 'no', 'no'. Then she finally said 'yes' to a pair I held up, and she let me try them on her. No screaming or writhing in agony. Huh. Well how 'bout that, she's got a mind of her own (phooey!). At this point I didn't care too much how they fit, they were close enough, so we got them. Sheesh! It shouldn't have to be this hard! She's two, remember?

Dental Appointment - DONE!!!

I survived yet another visit to The Chair and all went well. I thought I was going to have a deep cleaning, I was wrong. I had a medicated cleaning, which is a much easier procedure (no whole-mouth numbing required) Whew! I felt better right then when the dentist corrected me! Praise the Lord!!!!

Speaking of The Lord.....we had some good quality time together this morning. It would have been nice to spend that time praying for other people, but to be honest I was selfish and prayed mostly for myself. Also, I took my new pocket bible with me (I read a little while in the waiting room....Philippians 4:4-7 was a good one for me this morning!). I didn't intend to hold onto it the whole time, but I did. It's the perfect size to clutch in situations like these. I love my new bible!

Of course no dental visit is complete without leaving with another appointment to return. The service was good, but not that good as to go back again! But return I must (or so they say). I go back in four months for a check up to see if my 'pockets' are better. If so, then I can go to a regular six month schedule (and empty my pockets only twice a year).

A great big Thank you to those who prayed for me this morning! I appreciate it more than I can say. And I know that the Lord honored those prayers, for I didn't make a spectacle of myself and was in a relative peaceful state of being while in the chair.

Dental Woes

I am not looking forward to tomorrow. I'm just not. Why, you ask? I have a dental appointment, that's why! It's no secret that I am not thrilled to go to the dentist. And when I am there I am not a model client. It's just not pretty when I am sitting in the chair. I've had my share of dental work, more than I care to ever experience again and I do not desire to return. Ever! But return I must.

Tomorrow I will be going in for a deep cleaning, a fix on an existing filling, and a bonding on one tooth. This will require my entire mouth to be numb (which I am thankful, but really why can't they just knock me out completely? I would be more thankful for that!). The good thing (really, there is a good part to this....at least this is what I keep telling myself) is that I am told that my appointment will only take an hour. Oh please let this be true!!!

I will be doing a lot of praying tomorrow. A lot. Feel free to join me.

In the mean time, here's a fun video of Bill Cosby and his take on dentists.

November Movie Review

Whoops, forgive my tardiness! I usually write my reviews and post them at the first of the month, but I forgot. Let me do that now.

Here is what we watched last month:

1. Lost (season 1) - We had started watching this back in October and were able to finish it. Of course, I've seen it already but Ryan has not. I can't tell you how much I enjoy watching it a second time. It's fun to watch it with someone who is is new to it and doesn't know what is going on! I love it when Ryan says "What?! What was that?" or "What is he DOING?!" hee hee Well, I know, but I'm not gonna tell! nee-ner nee-ner nee-ner!

2. Lost (season 2, well part of it) - Again, we only got about half way through. It's good man and I can't wait for Ryan to see how this season ends! Can't wait!

3. Amazing Grace - This was a recounting of the life of William Wilberforce during his time in Parliment and his actions that resulted in the end of the slave trade in England. I enjoyed it very much and thought it was well done. I like watching these kinds of movies, the kind that recount factual events. I highly recommend this one!

4. Spiderman 3 - Well, can't get much different from Amazing Grace now can we? What can I say about Spidey other than he was a big blockbuster film, was the third in the series, and I needed closure. The movie was fine. It was dark, as I had heard, but not bad. It still feels open ended, leaving room for yet another sequel. Phooey!

My favorite, by far, was Amazing Grace (not that didn't enjoy Lost, I did, but hey I can only have one favorite!). I would like to see more films like this. Anyone have any suggestions?