Wednesday, December 31, 2008
New Year
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Christmas
I did.
The reason we celebrate?
Jesus...His birth and the choice God made to let His precious Son come to Earth as a defenseless baby and then die for our sins.
Thank you God for such an AMAZING Gift!
New SITS giveaway
This month (well, ok for the month of January) the lovely SITS girls are giving away a KEURIG PLATINUM BREWER!! This would be fantastic for anyone of you, and especially for me! :) Every day you leave on a comment on the daily blog roll gains you one entry into the contest. You have the whole month of January to enter and try to win! Good luck!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Look What Betty Made
I totally stole this recipe from someone online...and don't know who...so sorry I can't give you credit...but here it is!
Meatloaf:
1 lb. Hamburger
1 tsp. Salt1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup instant oats
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup shredded cheese
Topping:
1 1/2 Tbsp mustard
2/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Mix together all main ingredients and make into small loaves should make about 6 then pour topping mixture over loaves and bake for 1 hour at 350.
It was so good that my sister Shannon who professes she HATES meatloaf ate some and claimed it good! High praise indeed.
I have...
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung Karaoke (only with the kids!)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a Soup Kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Seen the Lincoln Memorial in person
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt (made a strip quilt, not a pieced one, but I'm counting it!)
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (school paper count?)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (just the outside)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own (this one...stolen from Jenny over at Jenny and the Princess Peonies...Thanks...I love these.)
If you didn't figure it out..the blue ones are things I HAVE DONE!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Sorry
My small town finally got hit with all this snow crap that the rest of WA State saw last week. Starting Saturday night it snowed non-stop till yesterday night sometime dumping at least 6 inches...if you don't know me then let me tell you how much I LOVE snow (um, I know you can't hear sarcasm in writing, but it is there!).
With this snow stuff the internet that "I borrow" isn't coming in too well, so no internet at my house. And we are only working till Noon this week so not much time on the net at work either.
Work Christmas party on Friday night pretty much was a drag....I'm going to be a bigger person and not tell you all the reasons why it sucked!
I got stuck in said snow this morning on my way to work...in the parking lot of the drive thru coffee place...I made a little turn around and it cost me! LOL...it really wasn't that much snow either...my brother-in-law came and said, "You got stuck in this?" Really, I did! The trooper that he is, he dug me out and on my merry way I went!
Christmas is coming for those of you who haven't figured it out yet!
For those of you who I haven't returned bloggy love to yet, my apologies see the note above about internet!
Ta Ta friends and family...I'll check in later this week
Friday, December 19, 2008
Goofing Around....
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Secret Santa Revealed
Here is what I found when I opened my box...a fun Christmas sign....a few wrapped presents and a stocking full of goodies!This was one of the wrapped gifts...a great book for a Scrapbooker like me...a book full of quotes for scrapbooking!This was the other wrapped gifts...YUM...Junior Mints are one of my favorite candies!Here are the goodies from my stocking...new socks, a cute hand towel, a PEACE star ornament, a candle, a Gingerbread recipe ornament and LICORICE (really yummy black licorice...oh yum!).
Secret Santa...thank you so much for all the goodies!Here is the PEACE star on my tree...and that is what I wish all of you this holiday season...the PEACE of Jesus Christ!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Normal and Not So Normal Gingerbread Houses....
Does this picture help at all?
Could it be Starbucks? Yep!!! Yet, not just any Starbucks but a Starbucks in Narnia as those are talking bears going through the Drive Thru...and those bears in the corner? They are skipping school and making out behind Starbucks!
We won the title: "Best Corporate Gingerbread House!"
Does the green roof of this house give it away? This house was built by husband and wife team...Justin and Kristy.
Well, this picture should give it away! Justin decided that he doesnt' spend enough time Monday thru Friday at work (yes, he works for John Deere) so he needed to make a matching gingerbread house.
This team won the title: "Best Retail Gingerbread House!"
Here is the front view of the next house made by husband and wife team Ty and LeeAnn...any guesses? Who might that be looking out the window...maybe the next picture will help you!
Does the front/side view of this house help?
If I told you it was built in a swamp, would that help?
Yep, you got it...this is Shrek and Fiona's house....all those small green marshmellows (they look white here) are baby ogres (they've had a few more since the last movie)...Shrek is taking a bath...Fiona was peeking out the window and those lights you see actually lit up!
This team won the title: "Best Disney Adaption to a Gingerbread House!"
This picture is just a tiny bit of the overall gingerbread house...got any ideas?
It is Bob's Texaco gas station made by the team of Cecelia and Levi. Cecelia handcrafted the car and the Texaco sign out of rice krispy treats and fruit roll ups. There are spare tires, gas pumps, a garage (with moveable doors) and a truck. They spent a LOT of time on this masterpiece and didn't feel as if they were complete even when they said they were finished! I guess perfection is never finished!
Cecelia and Levi won the titles: "Best Detail Orientated Gingerbread House and Best Overall Gingerbread House."
These next two house are when we get to the "Not so Normal" gingerbread houses....you'll understand once you see the pictures....
Exhibit A is a gingerbread house (and I use that term loosely) rendition from Lord of the Rings. You have a tower, and someone up there on top of the tower...then you have a forest and some type of creature that works in or around the forest and tower (they told us, but not being a LOTR fanatic it was all jibberish to me!)
I think they would have won more accolades if the smell of the acidic ragu wasn't so bad and if it wasn't melting the marshmellow/caramel mountain!
Question for you: Do you and your family make gingerbread houses? Do you participat in a Gingerbread house making contest? If so, tell me about it!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Maddy's Christmas Concert
Hmmmm.....
I think she looks like she's been beaten or something...just my thought. I'm not terribly fond of her after the whole Toby Keith and President Bush fiasco!
Mason's Christmas Concert
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Decorating
Here is my Christmas Village (I might have posted this already...but oh well) and there is some strange guy on my TV!!
I have a Church, a Victorian House, Hotel, Kris Kringle's Coffee House, Downtown Businesses, a sleigh full of people, a Christmas Tree and Carolers and a gazebo with Santa Pictures on the top.
The one just below is a CASINO...with flashing lights and everything...
Below that, on the bottom, is a ski chalet, trees and water tower.
Not a bad town to live in if you are an inch high and made out of ceramic!
This is my 14 year old niece Brittany who thinks that picture taking is a crime. She won't let me take her picture so she hides her face...YET I think it worse that I post her picture on the internet hiding..when will this girl learn?
I know, I know I need better stockings...but the one in the middle is my stocking from when I was a baby!
This is my fav!!
I found this 4 foot rustic star on sale for half price at Craft Warehouse. The wall still looks a little bare; however, I really bought it for the day that I live in a 'real' house (because obviously my house now is fake!) and have either high ceilings or a cool staircase.
I bought these decorative plates in Spain when I was there four years ago, and have never really had a place to display them. Now I do!
The top plate is from Segovia...it is one of the castles Disney uses for the princesses!
The second plate is of Madrid.
The third plate is from a little town named Covarrubias...it is a very small town, and is the birthplace/hometown of my BFF Susana's Grandmother. While we were there we think we found the house that she lived in...very cool to see personal history like that!
The pictures on the left are all from Spain and the pictures on the right are all from SE Asia. My plan is to either do vinyl lettering or wood letters above the whole thing saying..."EXPLORE"!
There you have it! Thanks for taking a little walk around my living room.
Happy Decorating to you all!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
I Won Again...
Oh yeah...I sure did! Thank you Debilyn....now all of you good bloggers head over to her blog and show her some bloggy love!
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Tagged
Seven Random Facts:
1. I am only 8 months and 7 days older than my middle sister Shannon. No, we aren't delayed twins (and yes, I have been asked that before). No, my mom did not have me, get pregnant a week after my birth and then have my sister prematurely (and yes, again, I have been asked that!). I am adopted! I was adopted at three days old and my mom was pregnant at the time and did not realize it!
2. I have at least 75 cousins...that's right, at least 75! Well over 50 of those are cousins on my paternal side and they are mostly first cousins! My dad is the oldest of 10!
3. I'm not handy...meaning I don't do well hanging stuff and such so my brother-in-law comes to my rescue quite a bit (in fact he is supposed to come over tonight and hang a bunch of stuff for me and help me put up my Christmas Tree!). He is excited for the day that I get married so that he doesn't feel as if he has two wives!
4. My favorite bike growing up was this fantastic Black and White boy's BMX racing bike! Ahhh...memories. I used to zip down the hill that we lived on with no hands until one day I biffed it at the bottom of the hill and skinned my arm from the shoulder to my wrist...had to go get x-rays to make sure nothing was broken and I think everyone in my neighborhood (and the surrounding neighborhoods) heard me screaming bloody murder...it hurt like HELL!!!
5. I am a Halloween fanatic. I am a born-again Christian. I believe in Jesus. But I LOVE Halloween. I'm sure it comes from all the years of trick-or-treating as a kid!
6. I have been to a water amusement park in Malaysia. Yes, it is strange to go to amusement parks in other countries. They look at you funny and no one speaks English. The day we went there was about 20 of us taking a fun day in the middle of a mission's trip. We have a good friend who is Malaysian take us, and they actually PAID HIM because they were so excited to have American tourists at their park. Our group had a difficult time playing by the rules....meaning the boys would jump off the river ride about half way down and then jump into the next raft coming down...and on one of the slides they decided to do a logjamb with everyone...I bowed out of that one due to the stupidity of the idea...I remained safe....some made it out with injuries!
7. I was the only graduate the year I graduated from college! I attended a very, very small private Christian college in Columbus, GA and at that time they didn't have many people graduate each year. Needless to say, we had no graduation ceremony that year, but I did go back down the following year and participate in their graduation...even then I think there was only 6 or 7 of us!
Who am I going to tag?
I am actually not going to tag anyone, because I don't have the best of luck having people respond. So if you are a visitor (HEY SITSa's!) then feel free to grap the tag picture and blog away! If you do, will you please link back to me or tell my that you did it so I can read your responses?
Nice Surprise
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi Rachel,
Congratulations! You are the winner of my give-a-way. (I was the one giving away the Glenn Beck book and the Barlow Girl CD).
If you will give me your shipping information, I will order it from Amazon and have them ship it to you.
Thanks.
Spring Fricks
Freelance Writer
www.princessandtheking.blogspot.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you so much! I love books and music, and I'm sure I will enjoy both of these!
Monday, December 08, 2008
Rachel Ann's Weekend Update...
I love SNL and the weekend updates...I really loved it with Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon...they were the best!
I had a busy weekend...so I thought I'd just give you Rachel Ann's Weekend Update:
Thursday night I drove over Snoqualmie Pass as I made my way from Moses Lake, WA to Puyallup...yeah me, I got to go home for the weekend!!! Got in about 7:30 pm and spent a bit on the computer waiting for Holly and Rodney to get home!
Friday morning I went to the dentist for my six-month cleaning! All nice, clean and sparkly...and Dr. McNally said no cavities for now!
Friday afternoon I went to the Dr. for a follow up appointment. So here's the deal...I haven't had a period for seven months and I'm not old enough for menopause! UGH!!! And no, I'm not pregnant (you kind of need to have sex for that to happen...and well, since I am a VIRGIN...**GASP** Did she say that out loud!??....I don't think pregnancy is the answer). After much discussion she decided birth control pills were needed to jump start my system again! oh yeah...can you hear the enthusiasm for this in my voice?! Good news though...I've lost 15 pounds in the last three months and my blood pressure has dropped drastically...so halleluljah for Jazzercise and eating better!
Friday night I went out to dinner with Barb and Charlie to TGIF...it was nice visiting with them.
Saturday I got up and had coffee with my friend Breanna and her precious baby boy Bradyn! I lived with Bree and her family when she was a small tot...now she is married and has a baby..my how times flies!
Went and did a little shopping and then went to see "Fear Not" at Puyallup Foursquare Church. It was fantastic! Their special guest was Trevor Davis who sang You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch, he was AWESOME!!!
Saturday night Holly, Rodney and I went out to Applebee's for a drink and Apple Chimi Cheesecake...however, I was saddened to learn that it hadn't been on the menu for over a year! Why do restaurants get rid of their best selling items? I just don't get it....
Sunday we watched TV and I left my presents for Holly and the family...she bugged and bugged asking what it was...touching it and feeling it with her feet. Do you think she'll figure out what it is?I then drove to my Dad's house, visited with him for a little while and then headed back home. And ICK the pass had snow falling down, down, down...have I told you I don't like snow too much?!! Nope, no way, no how...NO SNOW!
Then today was Monday which means back to work! The plumber came today and unclogged my bathroom tub...and I stopped procrastinating and actually cleaned my bathroom. I really, really dislike cleaning my house and since it is just me I tend to put it off for as long as possible! Then I cooked dinner and talked on the phone with some friends...
All in all....a busy weekend! I hope you had a great weekend!
And I promise I am making my way through all those who visit!
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Blogger
Really it is the fact that there is no spacing between my paragraphs. Some days it does fine, but most? It fails miserably....why oh why do they do this to me? I'm sure it is all a conspiracy to keep me frustrated and overwhelmed! They are out to get me.
Hmmm...
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Me and My Man...
These are the roses he gave me when we went out dancing!
This is me and my MAN together...dancing and hanging out on my computer!
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Merry SITSmas!
The ladies over The Secret is in The Sauce (SITS) are doing a Merry SITSmas give away day...TODAY! They are giving away all sorts of fantastic prizes. I've already seen prizes for a cute necklace, totally fabulous aprons and a painting made from your personal photo (don't be sad...but you can't enter those contests...but you can go join up and enter the rest from here on out!!!).
We have been asked to make a Christmas Card; however, I'm just not going to make it today.
Merry Christmas
Monday, December 01, 2008
$200 Target Gift Card
I know I would!!!
Here's how...go to my favorite site that is all about bloggy love The Secret is in The Sauce (or SITS)! They are doing a Merry Sitsmas day tomorrow and there are prizes ALL DAY long...and the GRAND PRIZE is a $200 Target Gift Card...way awesome! I'm all signed up and ready to go...come on join me...hey you know it works..you've seen me win prizes from all these contests I enter online!
Remember...Merry SITSmas...TOMORROW!