Dennis the Menace Park

Dennis the Menace Park

(Also known as El Estero Park)

I told you there would be some musings...

Many years ago when visiting with my Oma (Mom) we would come to this park.

A lot of good childhood memories.

Road Trip

As we are preparing for a little roadtrip to visit our family & friends in Cali it dawned on me...

I can't believe its been 4 years since I've seen my Mom!!!

oh my word 

has it really been 10 years since I was last in Cali??!!!!

Me, In Review

"I have learned so many things, 

especially from my children, just by listening to them."

~ Carol Fernandez

Horseback riding BLORA, Texas 2003

  

Christmas in 48 hours or less!

Whats your fastest time to pull off Christmas?

Happy Birthday!

November 18th
Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse!

Yes ~ this is a truly awesome day,

10 years ago a baby boy entered this world 

and changed my life.

(Forget the 9 months in the Uterus,

I was going to ignore my changing body 

as a sign of things to come)

As he was my first - I didn't know how good I had it.

I thought it was rough!

I had to Learn the Art of Negotiation  (enjoy!)

From him I learned that even at a couple months old

he was watching and learning from me how to behave 

and how to act in the world around him.

As a single mother stationed in Okinawa,

I had no real idea what I was doing.

At the time I didn't understand Tough Love and Compassion.

In the beginning it was out of duty and inherent responsibility

to this life form,

and about the time he was 6 months old,

I felt this odd feeling ~ that I had never felt before!

I Loved him! 

I felt this overwhelming feeling of awe 

and tenderness

to My Son.

I always enjoyed my invitation's at other member's homes

for dinner,

because I saw and learned what family life was really like

AND what it could be like.

I felt the harmony (even when it was noisy & looked chaotic)

the Spirit of their home,

and I wanted the same for my home

You have to understand I didn't have anyone to tell me 

how to raise a child or what my role 

was in a family.

And unfortunately I also saw and learned there were

things that hurt the family

and I made a decision to avoid them.

Sometimes the truth is you just fall into it...

By applying yourself.

By failing and getting back up again.

*** 

I was often frustrated and angry with myself,

and because I didn't want to take it out on Nicko,

I would go to this certain wall in our living room,

and I would pound all my frustrations away...

When Nicko was about 5 or 6 months old,

he was frustrated with me over something,

(I think I wasn't giving him the attention he wanted)

he crawled to this wall and pounded his hands....

It was then that I knew ~

I knew without a doubt he was learning Everything from me

I knew I had to be a better mother.

I knew I had to change what I was doing 

IF I wanted a different future.

As he learned from me,

I learned from him...

about me...

I became a better person because of him.

He was counting on me to make better choices

to focus on that Future...

and I wasn't going to let him down.

He truly has been a source of Joy in my life,

and

I am honored to be his mother.

Happy Birthday Nickolaus!

You were meant for great things!

***
Because I like to think Of XS as a Child's energy in a bottle,
I'd like to share a NEW release by XS.

For everyone that post How old is Mickey Mouse this year....

 I will give a pack of XS Energy chewing gum 

Arctic Blast
(12 pieces)
Its better than No Doze... without the jitters
or the upset stomach!

No need to sign in to post a comment

Last Day to enter is Nov 30th

I will contact for address on Dec 2nd

and shipping will begin

Happy Halloween!

Some of our must see movies on Halloween is...

The Halloween Tree, Hocus Pocus, and after the Kiddos go to bed... Sleepy Hollow.

Young Eagles take flight

After what happened last week, I was looking for something to cheer up Nicko.

There was a local newspaper link thrown around Facebook.

Eureka!

I remembered that Nicko's First grade grade teacher,

at Ira Cross Elementary School, was a volunteer pilot.

She use to offer rides to her top 5 achievers

Daisy

*** Warning this is a Sad post ***

Here is a little Pre -Intro to the Real Blog

I have to confess,

that death doesn't affect me the way it might for others.  

Better than SEX cake

I couldn't help myself.  

I was talking about birthday cakes with a couple of friends and cakes that we could die for.

All of a sudden ~ I remembered how in Twentynine Palms I would wait in anticipation,

for one of my Marine Corps brothers to have his mom or his sister send him this cake! 

Squeal! 

(I most def did not squeal in the Corps...ahem)

With friends in high pursuit of this legendary cake, it became apparent that we all have our different taste in what we consider is Better than Sex... cake :)

When I asked my brother almost 12 years ago what his mom did that made it Better than Sex ~ he told me how she she used sweetened condensed milk, how she would make holes in the cake and put caramel and I want to say AND butterscotch (but I don't remember) over the top and then it would soak through out the cake.....

oooohhhhhhhhhhhh!

So I am THANKful for an awesomely resourceful friend that has an uncanny ability to find things like this
and I am thankFul for a Mom I never met!

This recipe (and picture) is brought to you by Megan's Cookin!

What a wonderful way to end the hot month of August ,

Then to make this our monthly cooking project with the kids :)

I mean is that wrong? Am I corrupting them too early?

Should I eat it all by myself because of its sinfully delicious nature?

or should I, for the sake of their innocence, when they ask me for the name of this cake - and oh they will, bat my eyes and say "I don't remember?"

Whats Your Deal?

So My Super Hero is off and I've recuperated some what ~ I think

Mostly its accomplished by keeping busy.

I'm almost done with unpacking at our new place.  Its smaller than our last house, but def more manageable and way cheaper ~ although with the killer summer heat the electric bill could def make a run with my money.

Next project, tackling the "wall of memories" ~ all 12 boxes and making some sense of it.

On 2nd thought I really should put this gusto towards my homework.... maybe...

I was doing good pretty good until Yesterday.

Yesterday was our 2nd year Anniversary.  I thought I was gonna take myself out for dinner may Shoguns or the Edelweiss restaurant in Harker Heights.  

Maybe see Cowboys and Aliens or the Planet of Apes prequel(?). 

It didn't happened.

I didn't cry.

I just didn't want to pull myself together to go anywhere.

And

I didn't want to talk to anyone, well maybe just one person...

So I got on the computer & played until I was exhausted.

Ever had days like that?

On the other hand, Today is a whole new day!

Samples:

If you had responded about the Perfect Water samples - I have bad news.  I am having a hard time shipping individual bottles through the post office; finding the right size packaging and then considering the shipping being expensive because of the weight and size.  Sooo for the time being I will offer $5 credit to any beverage order this month reimbursed to you via paypal or check( your choice).
If your order is $100 or more than I'll give a $10 credit.

Catching up on other business...

June's Customer of the Month is Trish B.!

July's Customer of the Month Drawing is Beverly P!

Congratulations!

August deal of the month; 

 The Brain Wash

How to gt this free?

** Any $100 order, containing at least 1 Nutrilite product ~ including weightloss products, sports nutrition, children's vitamins, & other vitamins/ minerals 
(which should ALSO give you a free shipping if you sign in & place order at www.winkeysolutions.com 
or go directly to www.amway.com/winkeysolutions) and this book is yours. 

(Example; Purchase The Perfect Pack or a Weight Management bundle get Free shipping + Free book.)

If you are not a book reader, 

Let me know and you can get a free case of beverages, snacks, OR gift card instead.

Last but not Least...
 What's your deal? 
Let me know what your ideal deal would be. You pick the products and tell me the sale - 2 for 1 etc...  
If I choose your deal in Sept, October, November, or December, You get $25 in store credit, $25 Best Buy, or a Variety Ribbon Gift Collection.  
***If 5 or more customers take advantage of the deal during that month, your prize is upgraded to $50 store credit or a $50 range Ribbon Gift Collection card, or $50 Best Buy gift card. Gift will be awarded at the end of the month. Only Comments below will be accepted as entries.  
Good Luck - Be Honest - Have fun!

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” ~Leo Tolstoy.

Whew!

What a crazy month - and its still not over yet!  With a family camping trip, my brothers wedding... sniff sniff (they all grow up sooo fast - 2 brothers down one left to go, anybody want to play match maker?), with my Grams & Gramps and of course my favorite Aunt in town, life has been in the fast lane! 

I forgot to mention we have found a home to rent in a nearby ranch! WE were originally looking to buy but as time pushed on and nothing came back, we prayed to find a place that was best for us ~ and tada! Would you believe it, right after we paid the deposit and the first month rent we received a call that we were approved on the loan? What were we thinking? WE decided to save up and pay cash on our first home.  In the meantime, our kids are about to get an experience of a lifetime! 

How was your Easter holiday?  I know I am going to rub elbows when I say this, but I don't believe in the Easter bunny.  Really, what has the Easter Bunny ever done for anyone?  So what exactly does the Easter Bunny spirit entail?  I told this to my sister in law and she threatened to buy a bunny and put in my yard just as the kids were waking up.  I told her it better poop chocolate or else it will end up as dinner.  Its safe to say, and to my disappointment, on Sunday morning ~ there was no bunny.

This year we kept Easter simple. We hard boiled eggs and made a mustard, honey & yogurt devil eggs.  We talked about what was so special about this day.  I was at the Alamo last thursday and saw $6 bonnets in the gift shop and pop guns for $5.  I brought them home as gifts for my kids.  Then it hit me - my church celebrates once a year a "Pioneer Day" to honor those who traveled in covered wagons across the prairies in pursuit of freedom from religious persecution. I could make a new (or return to an old?) tradition of Easter Bonnets or Pioneer toys on Easter, and then later in the summer on Pioneer day they would bring these gifts out again ~ they might remember the Easter story we talked about.  For me Christmas and Easter are not once a year and I want my kids to believe that too.  I hear that Easter is really the time frame Jesus was born.  Maybe that's why we are into a little gift giving, a mini Christmas soo to speak.  For me Easter is a time to celebrate the son of God who atoned for all the sins, pain, & suffering in the world, and who overcame death to fulfill the plan of salvation that we may have Hope in an Eternal Life ~ a purposeful life after death.

This year I posted on Facebook this General Conference message about Easter.

How did you celebrate?

Korean Soup for your cold

I think everyone has a comfort food they like when they are little under the weather.  For me its my mother's Chicken & Ginger soup.  Whether your going through a cold or have inflamed sinuses, this soup is the fall to. Before we go any further, you need to know I am a very hands on person, so the best way I can explain to you what reading a recipe is like for me... is to say its a form of dyslexia.

My earliest memory of this is at Young Women church activity at a leaders home.  We were all pairing into groups to make cookies.  I jumped in to to help make the Peanut Butter cookies, one of my all time favorite.  I was given the wonderful task of reading and carry out the task of some of the ingredients.... which we were all eager to pat each other on the back for our wonderful teamwork.  The moment came to taste the batter - which is ALWAYS the Best part - and it was not so wonderful ... it turned out the recipe did not call for 2 cups of salt. (The next time I made it I had mistakenly read 2 Tablespoons instead of teaspoon, (I learn something or in some cases relearn every time I cook).  So what does this have to do with sharing a recipe? None of them are mine.  I am also fondly known for "burning water" and generally burning most things has earned me the title as the "Burn Queen." I am Thankful to have a Honey who Loves me and eats my cooking regardless.

 (I like to make a small incision in the shell then boil them until they float to the top)

So the Chicken & Ginger Soup or Samgaetang is really easy.  Its a traditional Korean dish for newly weds who are looking to be empowered with the essentials in baby making, so be careful eating this many days in a row ;)  This a traditional healthy dish for more than just newly weds so don't be to scared to try it. In general it is made to give strength and energy when people are sick, depressed, or give people an extra boost during intense humid/hot weather especially during Monsoon season in Korea. It is especially good for people who have stomach aches or weak stomachs. My Korean Sister gave me this;

1 young chicken

1 ginseng

1 ginger roots (or 2 small ones)

3 or 4 cloves garlic

1 date (dried)

1/4 cup of soaked rice (soaked 1 hour)

Chopped green onion

Salt and Pepper to taste

Wash chicken and insert the ginseng, ginger roots, garlic, soaked rice, date, and rice. In boiling water, place the chicken and cook until chicken is tender and meat is easy to pull off the bone (1 hour or slightly longer). Add chopped green onion and salt/pepper (as needed) in large bowl filled with broth and chicken.

Messing around, I have Americanize it a little.
Basically make your chicken soup the way you like it & throw in some garlic (about 4 cloves), ginger (an inch of the root), and ginseng (2 root?).  I also like to throw in freeze dried carrots, celery, and onions/ green onions.  If you have certain vegetables you come to expect in a soup throw it in. If you don't have time to crockpot your chicken or cook all day on the stove, then pull a "Christine" and cheat ~ throw in cans of chicken (chicken & salt only) and freeze dried veggies. If your not a big ginseng eater you might consider getting a ginseng tea to steep in the soup instead - This is one of those dishes I really do prefer the roots and vegetables to be fresh and chunky.  All of this is to your own liking, more or less.

I also found an actual Samgaetang recipe for you - because I know there is gonna be someone who needs to see exact measurements :)  As I am looking at other recipes, I realize that some of the popular recipes have the Korean Chestnut and Chinese date. I have to point out that I am one of those peoples who do not enjoy the date so I don't normally include it.  You can also add kimchi or red pepper/ chili paste ~ about a teaspoon for broth flavoring.  WE have found that some members of our family find the ginger a little too spicy when they bite into a piece of the root.  All of these ingredients add great flavor to the broth and have a healing affect for us, so we are looking at a cheese cloth or tea strainer to help the roots simmer and then remove them after wards OR make them a bigger chunk - maybe 2 or 3 inches of the root cut into threes?  

        The chestnut is one of those favorite childhood memories. I enjoy the sweetness of this nut roasted or boiled by itself.  In our last soup we used the chestnut in the soup (the same one I forgot what the ginseng was for) and it tasted like a chunk of potato.  For me this robbed the special flavor this nut has.  However, I though it worthy to mention because the nutritional quality is like brown rice, with trace minerals and it is naturally low in fat.  There is a natural surplus in Korean/Asian markets in the winter time. So keep your eyes open through Feb!  Apparently its popular to cook with the rice and makes a wonderful cereal.

  All said and done ~ Spoon the rice in your bowl and pour on the soup!