Bri's Tiki Bar

P90X Week 2 Day 3

2010-10-07T21:00:00.000-04:00

Well, it was later in the evening when I did yesterday's work out. I wanted Eddie to join me so I waited until later. I figured Eddie would enjoy it since the work out was shoulders, biceps and triceps. Oh and then we had to do the ab workout. The kids saw what we were doing so they joined us. It was a fun family evening. It was a good workout and I was so tired I went to bed right after it.

The End.

Week 2 Days 1&2 P90X

2010-10-05T17:16:00.001-04:00

After taking both Saturday and Sunday off (I was only supposed to take one day off) I got back on the P90X wagon. But I did do a couple of hours of walking each day. I had the job of walking my friends dogs around her farm over the weekend. I took my dog too. She loves running around on the farm.

Day 1 was chest & back which is ALOT of pull ups and push ups. I hate that workout with a capital H. But I powered through and was not as sore as I was last week. Cool. The pitfall was that I could not stop myself from eating this day. I mean I gorged myself. I was so uncomfortable. I don't get myself sometimes. Very frustrating.

Day 2 is Plyometrics. I whole lotta jumping around and squats. I have come to the conclusion that I don't like jumping. It takes too much to heave my largeness into the air. But I will get better... eventually

Overall, I am feeling better. I'm still tried. But I have lost 2lbs. Yippee! But that was yesterday before I ate like it was my last day on this earth.

This has nothing to do with P90X. Today when I was eating my lunch at the preschool, one of the kids asked me why I was drinking beer. It took me a second to understand him because he was chomping on his sandwich at the time. But I told him I wasn't drinking beer. It was a soda. Diet Mt Dew to be exact. But he said the can is silver and that is the beer his daddy drinks. Again I told him I was not drinking beer but he wasn't buying it. So, I felt obligated to tell his mom about the incident. Actually, I was going to blow it off but the other teacher said I needed to say something to the mom in case the boy goes home and tells her I was drinking beer. Although I think it would be understandable drinking on the job having to deal with preschoolers. I may be the exception in that case. Anyway I told the mom about it and showed her my can to verify I indeed was not drinking on the job. She got a good laugh.

Day 4 P90X

2010-10-01T08:33:00.003-04:00

Today was yoga. And it is just sinking in that the X in P90X us for extreme. I know...I'm slow. But in my defense I am getting up at 5am to do this. Anyway... I was looking forward to the yoga part. I really like the stretching. But I was sweating like a pig in the first 20 minutes and I couldn't do the poses quite right and some I just couldn't even do. Most of the static poses like standing on one foot with the other straight behind you and then moving you upper body around. That just wasn't happening for me. The most humbling part was when I was supposed to lie on my back then bring my body perpendicular to the floor resting on my shoulders, neck and head. Then you take your toes down to the floor behind your head. There was a time when I could do this, no problem. But today I couldn't even hoist my body up in the air. I tried but just couldn't do it. Oh, the shame.

Day 3 P90X

2010-09-30T15:15:00.003-04:00

Ok... today was shoulders, biceps and triceps. I only used 5lb weights but still got a good workout and I'm still able to lift my arms. Yay! I worked hard but was still able to function at preschool and lift kids. And I was able to participate in the ab workout. Now, I say participate because some of the exercises I really had to modify. I couldn't even do their 'easy' version of some of them. It was sad. But I did it.

I can tell I did alot of lunges and squats yesterday because it was difficult to sit and put on my shoes today. Ouch!

I didn't eat so well today. I had Kashi cereal for breakfast. It was 'pizza day' at the preschool and I had two pieces. Not so good. I just have a difficult time passing up pizza.

On another note... one of the kids in class today said there was a snake in his house and it was in his bed! Given this is from a 3yr old but, oh my word! I didn't get a chance to verify this with his mom, maybe next time. I would rather torture myself with P90X than have a snake in my house.

That's it for today.

P90X Days 1&2

2010-09-29T16:17:00.002-04:00

I have started the P90X workout program. And I am going to journal my progress here. Hopefully I will feel accountable and stick with this program.

I haven't blogged in over a year so nobody will be following this. I feel safe.

I started yesterday. The workout was Chest and Back. Most of the workout was pull-ups and push ups. I am still in pain today. My arms are killing me. It is a focused effort to fully extend them. So, I don't know if I did the stuff correctly because my chest and back feel fine. I completely forgot I was supposed to do an ab work out too. I think I was only able to do 1 of each ab exercise. And I am still feeling it.

Today (day 2) was Plyometrics. It is an aerobic workout with a ton of jumping around. I didn't feel totally wiped out after it. So, I will push myself harder next time.

Hijacked Blog Entry

2009-12-29T20:46:00.002-05:00

I am tired of my sister in law, Bri, not blogging. So, I got on her account and I am just going to make some stuff up, so here goes.

Top 10 Reasons She is Not Blogging

1. She broke all her fingers NOT
2. She was kidnapped by aliens NOT
3. She got stuck in a field taking a picture of pumpkins - this really happened but not an excuse not to blog.
4. She forgot how to type NOT
5. A horse bit her and she has been in therapy for 2 months NOT
6. She is not typing till the Raven's win a game - some excuse
7. She has been too busy getting ready for Christmas and was so excited to be spending time with me - I like this excuse but its really not accurate
8. The kids hogtied her and locked her in the closet - this could happen at any time!
9. She ran out of things to say - I've seen her family, this is a lie!
10. She wanted to blog about food but the most difficult directions were "remove food from box" doesn't exactly qualify her as a foodie!

Story about the first time I met Sabrina...We lived next door to the Jackson family and they adopted a little girl. She was 5 weeks old. I was so excited...Mom & I went over to visit and I sat in the rocking chair and rocked her to sleep. I was in heaven and very thankful the neighbors adopted a baby for me to play with. Who knew that 37 years later, this would be my sister in law! Love ya Sabrina!

Now get back to blogging!

posted by Donna

Ooh, now we know your passwords! Rico, go get the amazon catalog. We're going shopping! Are there 2 L's in LL Bean? Wouldn't you know that her password is the same as her age. 45 he he he.

2009-10-23T08:19:00.003-04:00

Friday Fill-ins

Another day, another Friday. Hope you have a great Friday!

1. The crickets sing, _____. means rains a comin' (sounded cool when I wrote it)

2. ___________ wherever you are. Come out, come out

3. ___________ better than nothing! Sleeping is

4. ___________; this was a dream. To become a mechanic

5. But as for me ___________. I like all music types

6. ___________ I come from. Life of hard knocks is where

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! Hangin with the family; Getting horse stuff and eatting at Moe's; Changing van brakes

I know it is going to rain on Saturday but enjoy your sunny Sunday!

McE

Halloween is almost here.

2009-09-22T05:06:00.005-04:00

Skye, our dog, has already gotten her halloween costume prepared.
Behold... FrankenDog:

She got into a little scrap with the new dogs at the farm. Remember them? McE took her out there and the sniffing turned ugly. And a little Micheal Vick action went down. But the Skye dog took it. She was the only one injured but she never yelped or cried. I don't think she knew she was hurt. Actually, neither did McE. He saw the wound when he got home. Skye was treated to stitches and 22 staples. She also had to wear the 'cone of shame' for a day. I think that was the worst part for her. She really was embarrassed.

Skye is recovering well and being a great patient.

Katie my oldest niece, had a franken foot this summer. I pray we don't have any more Frankens in our family.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

2009-09-18T07:12:00.003-04:00

Friday Fill-Ins

And...here we go!

1. My car _____. is still running at 188,000 miles!!

2. ___________ is coming up next. Work

3. Lately, things seem ___________. to make the day long

4. ___________ is one of my favorite 'hiding' places. The bathroom

5. What happened ___________. to the weather

6. ___________ is not impossible! Using photoshop

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! Watching shows that are DVR'ed with Sabrina, Sleeping in, finishing the garage.

You all have a great weekend!!!

McE

Blame it on the bacon.

2009-09-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

Well, this weekend was quite busy. Saturday was two kids in two different spots. Charlie had a football game and it was an exiting one. Sammy had a Pony club rating test. Fortunately, the parents can't be help or be involved. Much to my relief. So, I left her at the barn to fend for herself and went to watch the football game. The good news... Charlie's team won (in the last 20 seconds) and Sammy passed her ratings test. Yippee...

But let me share with you the highlight or low point of the weekend, depending on your point of view. I wore a new skirt to church on Sunday. It felt a little snug but it was a stretch material so I thought it would be alright. Besides I had on a long t-shirt. I accessorized with complimentary jewelry trying to take the focus off the tight skirt. Looking good. Even McE said I looked nice when I came downstairs. Well, as I was leaving the service this gal came running up to me and said .... 'Sabrina, your skirt is unzipped'. I quickly covered my backside with my Bible, thanked her and ran off in shame. Seriously? I had meant to ask McE to zip me up when I came downstairs but I was distracted by the smell of bacon. Ok... here is the kicker... We were seated towards the front, spent 1/2 the service standing and I was wearing a thong. Ha! No I wasn't wearing a thong. But the rest of this is a true story. Oh, the embarrassment of flashing folks in church.

Have a happy day and try not to flash anyone.
Sabrina

Recap and Friday Fill In

2009-09-11T07:00:00.001-04:00

This week was a great first week of school. Both kids enjoyed it. Sammy did her homework during her study hall and declared 'I love middle school'. We'll see how long it lasts. I hope all year.

Charlie already has a book report due in a couple of weeks. We are working on scheduling our time for this project. It's sad to say but this will be a good lesson for the both of us.

Here is our Friday Fill-Ins

1. I remember, I remember _____. 9/11/2001 and how it changed the world

2. Dear _________ I want you to know ______. Pam... I'm praying for you

3. Is that my ___________!!??? kid

4. I'm trying to resist the temptation of ___________. eating ice cream

5. I'm saving a ___________ just for you! kiss

6. If I made a birthday list ___________ would definitely be on it!!! landscaping the backyard

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! hanging out with my family...football and pony club...go to church
thanks Janet

Sabrina and the web

2009-09-09T07:00:00.001-04:00

The other night McE and I had a dinner alone. We couldn't decide what to have. Finally, we just went to the grocery and picked up something. We found T-bones on sale. So, that is what decided dinner. I picked up the stuff to make Pioneer Woman's onion blue cheese sauce.

I realize this shot looks like worms in mud. Appetizing thought, I know. But believe me when I say this it is delightful. You must try it. Go here at Pioneer Woman's site now and get the recipe. Yummm!

Have a happy and delicious day.
Sabrina

Goodbye summer...Hello school

2009-09-08T08:42:00.008-04:00

I realize that many areas have already gone back to school but my kids started today. Here is the new 4th grader...

I sent him in with this for his teacher.

Because I feel a the sucking up cannot start too early.

And here is the new 6th grader. Middle school is gonna be awesome.

It's gonna be great year. I just have to get used to waking up. I don't think one cup of coffee is gonna do it.
*****the dog just threw up beside me as I was uploading pictures. I hope that is not a sign of the school year ahead of me. I wonder if I need to check the lunch meat I packed.****
Have a happy day.
Sabrina

A week in review and Friday fill ins

2009-09-04T07:00:00.002-04:00

This week has been pretty uneventful. This is our last week of freedom. The kids are starting to fight. I think they are ready to go back to school. I don't mind them going back to school but I don't want to wake up early. It really cramps my style. We visited Sammy's new middle school. It is like a bad lab rat maze, all the hallways look the same. It brought back memories of starting high school where I got lost everyday the first two weeks of school. And was scared to death because my brother told me not to go where the smokers hang out. I was just sure I would end up there and they would make me smoke. But I'm sure she'll be fine.

Here are our Friday fill ins and for some reason I can't put my answers in another color.
1. I feel _____. really thirsty

2. ___________ is always fun. Hershey park

3. Right now, I can hear these things: ___________. my kids arguing

4. ___________ and I'm glad ___________. I jogged this evening....I didn't hyperventilate.

5. The last time I ___________ was ___________. farted... a couple of minutes ago

6. ___________ this Labor day weekend. Football starts

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!
today... going to Hershey park...tonight...sleep, tomorrow..football and taking sammy to a b-day party, Sunday...work around the house

Have a happy Labor Day weekend.
Sabrina

Friday Fill In

2009-08-28T09:27:00.002-04:00

And...here we go!

1. He was a _____. man of his word

2. ___________ is what I look forward to most this time of year.
Back to school

3. My best friend ___________. is my husband

4. ___________ to be honest with you. Sometimes it is hard

5. Appearances can be ___________. full of effort

6. The last person I gave a hug to was ___________. my son

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! hearing rain... either a football fest or a horse show.... do nothing.

courtesy of Friday Fill In

Have a great weekend
Sabrina

no pride, In the name of love.

2009-08-24T07:00:00.002-04:00

I've got a new gig... I'm a dog walker. I am walking a couple of new dogs at the barn where Sammy rides. They were bought to be breed with another Lab, Isaac, at the farm. So, now I get to say 'What up beeatches'. And be grammatically correct. Except that I try to sound like I have street cred when I say it. And I whisper it to them because I usually have my kids with me. That probably takes away from the street value of it, huh. Anyhoo... my payment besides getting to feel like Cesar Milan, dog whisperer, is a couple of free lessons for Sammy. I will do just about anything for free riding. Because it is not cheap my friend.

Well the other day after I had been out walking the pack when it was about 94* plus humidity that rivals a rain forest, McE asked me if I had mailed out our HOA forms. 'Uh, no.' Was my reply as they were sitting on the table right in front of us. He raised one eyebrow. So, I decided get them in the mail right then. We live about a quarter mile, if that, from the Post Office so I walked up there. I don't know why, I guess I figured I was already crusty from sweat so what difference would it make to go back into the jungle like atmosphere. When I was in line at the Post Office I saw HIM. The elusive hot guy at the Post Office. I had heard tell of him amongst the ladies of the neighborhood? Every time I go I get the old Indian dude. Or the gal with the perm all over except for the bangs. You say... Well maybe she just straightens her bangs.... To that I say nay nay. I know a perm when I see one. I have had many. Her bangs are stick straight and the rest is a flash back to the 80's of curl. Or for me, just about 2 years ago.

Back to the hottie... I had never seen him there even when I had to make several trips up there for our passports. Well, I saw him just a few days ago. He is young and cute. For me that is a rare site as I work with preschoolers (too young) and animals (cute but not human).

I came home to McE and I let him know that in order to downplay my animal magnetism I went to the Post Office with muddy paw prints on the front of my shirt and the scent of eau de wet dog and sweat. I did this in the name of love so that he would not be jealous of anyone talking to me. Even if it is to say..."Do you want this certified?" And how did McE show his gratitude. He laughed and said good luck with that. Yes, it is the little and big things we do all for the glory of love, as Chicago would say.

Friday Fill In

2009-08-21T09:19:00.000-04:00

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n120/dragonfly101201/friday-fill-in.png

1. _____ is my favorite summertime _____. BLT sandwich.... eat

2. My favorite John Hughes movies is _____. Breakfast club

3. _____ is something I love to touch. Fur

4. The full moon _____. is so pretty

5. _____ right now. I am rushing to get this posted

6. When daylight fades _____. I like that it starts to cool off, finally.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! going to sleep...hopefully completing some projects with my man... going out for lunch.

Sabrina and the web.... King Ranch Chicken

2009-08-18T12:58:00.007-04:00

I have decided to start a new segment in my blog, Sabrina and the Web. It will highlight recipes I try. I can not come up with a recipe. I am so not creative like that. Switch ingredients because I am out of something, often times not for the better, is the extent of my creativity in cooking. So, I'll show here what I have tried....
I recently have tried a recipe for King Ranch Chicken or Mexican chicken from Kelly's Korner. It was pretty good. But even though I used mild Rotel my kids thought it was too spicy. So, next I will just use diced tomatoes and taco seasoning. And I will make this again because it is soooo easy. Let me repeat sooo easy. So, go here for the recipe. Kelly's blog is cute and you always get to see pictures of her precious daughter Harper. To get to the recipes, she has a button on the left side of her blog.

Here is what mine looked like. I served corn with it. Again this is easy, even for me.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

On the blog again

2009-08-04T22:55:00.006-04:00

We'll, I'm back. Actually I didn't go anywhere. Just a bit of a sabatical. I was in a bit of a funk as to what to post about. It just seemed as though our days were running together with nothing outstanding. Like in the movie Groundhog Day. Then my brother told me to bake something. So, I did. I made some banana bread. This brought a laugh out of my man. Or McE as he calls himself now. You see, I am always saying 'Don't throw those old bananas out. I'm gonna make banana bread.' And I never do. So, this week when I said I was going to make banana bread McE gave me the look that said 'Seriously'. But I really did make it this time....seriously.
See....
It is ok. I am the only one eating it. Next time I will make it into muffins. The kids may like that better.

And last but not least here are the Friday 5 questions.

Where can you go for a really good bagel, and how do you like yours? Shopper's Food Warehouse... I like blueberry with butter
What is your favorite style of doughnut? Chocolate iced
What’s your favorite flavor of Lifesavers? Pineapple, at least that is what I am remembering from childhood.
What O-shaped breakfast cereals do you like? honey nut Cheerios
How do you feel about onion rings, and where can you get some good ones? I like them. The best ones are at Red Robin, the tower or onion rings.

Well, it is good to be back.
Have a happy weekend.
Sabrina

2009-07-31T07:47:00.003-04:00

Friday Fill-Ins

Its quiet now while Sabrina and the kids are gone but I sure do miss them. They went down to the lake for the week and is having fun.

1. It's time for _____.
a party!! My family is coming home.

2. _____; it's not a bad place for _____.
My Deck; having lunch or dinner.

3. I must be _____
Crazy!

4. _____ is the best thing I have ever known.
My wife

5. My _____ is simply _____.
life, wonderful

6. The last time I laughed really loudly was _____.
hangin' with the wife and talking about my next "Doctor" visit.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!
Working on the front door glass, Football stuff, relax and enjoy the family.

Have a great weekend!

Mc E

Friday Fill Ins

2009-07-10T07:23:00.002-04:00

Yeah! the week is almost over.

Here we go...

1. The last thing I ate was _____ and _____. spaghetti and garlic, cheese bread

2. _____ is something I recently bought. groceries (exciting, I know)

3. When it rains, it _____ sometimes it's not heavy... more like the angels spitting on us.

4. _____ was the first person I talked to today. Eddie

5. Hugs are _____. a great bonus

6. _____ extra comfort. Southern

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! a glass of wine... seeing Eddie off on his mission trip... see if Sammy likes being in the youth group.
thanks Janet

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Favorite Pic

2009-07-07T10:05:00.005-04:00

This is my favorite picture of my kids. We were at the beach and they were watching the waves together from the balcony. It reminds me of a sweet time. The sad thing is it was the weekend before September 11, 2001. (the date on the photo has the day before the month... I never could figure that out on the camera) I am sure that is why the memories are that much sweeter.

Enjoy your blog hopping.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Add your favorite photo to the blog hopping party.

Yard Sale find

2009-07-05T21:44:00.006-04:00

Today I am participating in Southern Hopitality's Thrify Treasures

I want to show you a gorgeous lamp (at least I think so) I got at our Firehouse's yard sale. The town fire dept is moving into a new safety center and held a yard sale to de-clutter. I found this lamp for $15. I didn't even try to haggle because I thought it was a great deal at that. The shade is a silk type material. The lamp itself is quite heavy and it even came with a florescent light bulb. So, it is an Earth friendly find too.

Here is the rider up close.

The best thing is that I had wanted something like this. As, my daughter and I both like horses. She rides and I attempt to stay on But have never found anything in my price range.... cheap. This totally fits the bill.

As I was leaving the sale proudly carrying my buy a gentleman stopped me to ask about it. He told me he owns a store and the lamp would sale for much more in his store. If I hadn't been so enamored by the lamp I probably could have sold it to him for a profit. But it just made me more proud of my find.

Hop on over to Rhoda's at Southern Hospitality and check out the other treasures.

Thanks for visiting and have a happy day.
Sabrina

2009-07-03T07:03:00.005-04:00

Friday Fill-ins

Yet another crazy week for Sabrina and the kids. It was funny to see everyone passed out by 10PM in there beds. Hopefully it will get better next week. Charlie starts his basketball camp next week too. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

1. When I heard _____ I _____. Michael Jackson died;was sad

2. _____ best medicine. Laughter is the

3. It's late, but _____ not that late

4. _____ always. I love my family,

5. My eyes have seen _____. some of Gods greatest work, just look at my family!

6. _____ strongly. Stink

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! playing domino's; Catching up on sleep; finish painting

Summertime... when is it time to sit back and unwind?

2009-06-30T04:24:00.004-04:00

You know there just hasn't been much to post about lately.

Last week was our first week off from school. The kids had VBS. I helped out with a beginner horse riding camp at the barn where Sammy rides. We were all exhausted by the end of the week. I was so tired I didn't take any pictures.

Charlie had been such a good sport about having to spend the afternoon at the farm instead of playing with friends, I said we could go see Transformers. Of course he wanted to go Friday night.

We did the last feeding at the farm and didn't get home until almost 7. Then we showered and changed. We were all starving so we went to California Tortilla and then the movie. The night cost us just under $60. Which isn't too bad for a family date night. The movie has some suggestive parts (disappointing) but it was still exciting to watch. We arrived home around midnight and we all fell into our beds.

We help with horse camp again this week. But we don't have to stay until 6pm. Good thing because I am waaayyy behind on laundry and cleaning.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

2009-06-26T08:37:00.005-04:00

Friday Fill-In

Crazy busy week for Sabrina. So I thought I would do here Friday Fill-ins for her.

1. She had a great _____. (I wont touch that with a ten foot poll)

2. _____ is by my side, always. Sabrina and the kids

3. I know this: _____ Love unconditionally

4. _____ still. Stand

5. These words apply to me: _____. I love to make people laugh

6. _____ the sun was shining. The beach empty, the sand hot, the water cool and

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! Going to Transformers; Birthday party and painting, finish tasks

Hope you have a great day!!!

Love ya babe,
Your Man

Friday Fill In

2009-06-19T08:29:00.002-04:00

Sorry I'm running a little late today. Last day of school! Yippee!

Here they are...
My favorite subject in school was_________. diagramming sentences... english

___________ was my favorite teacher because__________. Ms Hall (kindergarten) I thought she was the most wonderful person in the world.

My worst memory of school is _____________. changing schools during high school and when the kids at my new school heard my accent they asked if I had in-door plumbing.

My best memory of school is _____________. making the school basketball team in 8th grade.

Tonight I am looking forward to _____________. Tomorrow I am _____________. And Sunday I want to ____________. relaxing... working on something around the house...

Have a happy weekend.
Sabrina

Front Porch Haven

2009-06-16T21:09:00.005-04:00

Today I am linking up to Kimba's garden party.
This is our front porch. My husband and I hang out here some evenings we look out onto our front yard and can chat with neighbors as they walk by.

I love sitting out here in the morning with my coffee when I let the dog out.

This wicker furniture is old as the hills. All the white pieces came from my grandmother's house. It is in great shape and we love it. The chaise came off of freecycle. (freecycle is an online community where people post stuff they want to get rid of but not trash. It is all free and is a way to keep things out of the landfills)

Here is the other side of the porch by the front door. The kids will sit here and and kick their shoes off. I caught my son napping here this past weekend.

Finally, this is our front door. It is a bit plain. I'm wondering if I should paint the kick plate black to match the porch lights. And what I should hang on the door or just leave it? Do you have any ideas?

Go on over to Kimba's site and check out some of the other gardens. There are some great ideas to be seen.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Fun with chalkboard paint.

2009-06-15T07:00:00.001-04:00

Here are some projects I worked on over the weekend. I have seen people using chalkboard paint all over blogland and I wanted to join in the fun. I am so easily swayed by peer pressure and these peers have no idea I exist. Oh, the memories of high school are coming to haunt me. I digress...on to crafts.

Here is an old syrup bottle. This is one of the best gifts I have ever received. You see, this came from love. A little girl in my preschool class wanted to get me a gift. She went through their recycle bin and found this. Then she wrapped it herself in newspaper. She was so proud to give it to me and my heart melted. I slapped on some chalkboard paint and now I love it even more.

Here is a plastic cup that came from the 'drink of the day' on the cruise ship. I brought the cups home for my kids. The novelty has worn off for them but I thought the bright colors would be great for our tiki themed porch. This was my first attempt at covering up the cruise line name. On the next one I will try taping off the area first. And I learned to go with several light coats. The paint ran on this one because I was heavy handed with the paint.

Finally, this is my pride and joy. I saw this somewhere in blogland and had to give it a try. I found the tray at a yard sale for $2. So, if I messed it up, I wasn't out much. But I loved how it turned out after I put the paint on it. Next I think I might put a Bible verse on it.

That's it for today.
Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Week in review and Friday Fill Ins

2009-06-12T05:44:00.005-04:00

I have told you before that I work in a preschool. Which sometimes borders on the brink of insanity. For the past two weeks I have worked in a camp, which is just all the fun and crafts of preschool. I worked with my friend Karen and she always refers to her self as Boss. We let it slide she needs all the confidence she can get. Just kidding. Anyhow... below is an email of the highlights of this week. They are all true. Since our theme was space, we called our class the space monkeys. ***names were changed***

Below are true stories encountered in the Space Monkeys class.

Adam was really sad today because GEE told him he was not invited to his party. (Gee's bday is in February) My reply was --Adam my bday is next week and you're invited to my party. He stopped crying and was laughing. (true story)

Lillith could not keep her lips of J and I mean really she was kissing him.

Beatrice turned nasty when someone cut her in line she got the nastiest look on her face and moved them out. She really has the 'if looks could kill' thing down.

Hellen and Cassidy can work the playground in heels.

A boy named Jr was freaked the last 2 days of camp because he saw the boy with the missing arm in the oranges class and wouldn't move on the playground. Sabrina got the close encounter with Jr's Mom... she is a close talker.

Allison has been talking crazy about her horseback riding lessons and her mom came in chatting how she bought her girls a pony 2 years ago and they never cared a hoot about it. SO she sold it. Now the girls are into horses. Sabrina's reply or remorse was-- who in the heck can just go out and buy their kids ponies.. Where does the money come from?

Harold and Adam both have golf carts that they ride around on all along their property. I might get a golf cart and ride it to Sabrina's house.

Jack spilled EVERYDAY!! And when he ate the fruit chews he drooled a rainbow.

Boss

Yep, all of it is true. Exciting stuff for 4 and 5 year olds. I just want to keep you in touch with what's going on out there.

Now onto what you came here for....Friday Fill Ins... yippee.

1. I grew up thinking _____. there was no greater place than McDonalds

2. _____ was the last website I was at before coming here. gmail

3. Why don't you _____? come on over for a drink on the porch.

4. _____ helps me relax. Prozac... just kidding. Music

5. Thanks for the _____. Laughs

6. _____ very off-putting. Knowing it all..

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!
Hanging out with girlfriends, cleaning the house, paint.

Have a great weekend...
Sabrina

The thrill of the hunt

2009-06-10T05:30:00.010-04:00

I went hunting this past weekend. Not hunting like Ted Nugget, but bargin hunting. I went yard salin'. I know uncle Ted would scoff at me but there is a thrill in this hunt as well. Here are a few things I found.

I just loved this little red tin as soon as I saw it. It was only $3. It goes well in my kitchen.

Here is how I used it. I should not have these nuts out because I eat to many of them. Naughty.

This candle was brand new and smelled so good I had to have it for $2.

However, it fell out of the van and broke when I got home. (go figure) But that is ok because I will finish breaking off the glass and put candle pieces in jars. I use a cup warmer underneath jar candles. It heats the up and they smell nice but I don't have any open flames.

This little ditty just spoke to me. Had no idea what I would do with it but I had to have it. It was only a $1 anyway so I couldn't go wrong.
I put a little nest and eggs in it. It's in the kitchen now but eventually I'll have a desk for the canisters behind it and the stand.

The last thing I found was a basil plant. I picked it up for $1 as well. I have already taken a few leaves off of it to use in lasagna.

Oh, and Charlie found 3 pairs of under armour shorts for $3 a pair. A steal! He was so excited. His grandma and grandpa would be proud. Because they are the ones that used to take him to yard sales.

We found some great stuff and had fun all for under $20. Not bad.

Do you like yard sales?

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

You say it's your birthday...

2009-06-08T08:50:00.014-04:00

Today is this guy's birthday. He awoke to a serenade by me. In this soulful serenade I told him how at that time I was in labor and of the great pain I went through to have him. I am all about being truthful with the kids. The song just makes it easier to take. However, I was asked to stop singing. Kids... they just don't appreciate the finer things in life.

Charlie had mentioned how much he liked the scavenger hunt we set up for Easter. Then last night he reminded me to hide his presents. Persistence is his specialty. When Charlie came down for breakfast this is what he found....
And the game is on...

Ewwww

He had a blast going through the clues.

Leading him to the 'big' present...

an ipod!

Happy birthday Bobo. You add such joy to our lives. You make us laugh and smile every day. We are so proud of you.

Have a happy day...
Sabrina

Friday Fill In

2009-06-05T06:07:00.001-04:00

Here we go....

1. _____ home. I love being at

2. My favorite thing for dinner lately has been _____. something from the grill

3. _____ bark! bark! bark! Skye (our dog) stop it!......

4. A nice long walk _____. on the beach would be nice

5. _____ some good news. Gimme

6. When all is said and done, _____. it's all good.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! renting a movie...doing projects... go to church and relax
thanks Janet

Have a great weekend.
Sabrina

Plasticville... here I come

2009-06-01T23:00:00.000-04:00

I have been doin' Jillian Michael's 30 day shred. However, for me it will be more like the 60 day shred.

But after watching this skit on SNL, I think I'll take it on down to plasticville. Unfortunately, you have to click over to the link. I couldn't get it to pop up here. But it is hilarious.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkooAdcjDeI
Hop on over and watch. Justin Timberlake is so funny. What do you think?

Since today is June 1st, I am trying yet again to start an exercise and diet program. Do I get any points for trying over and over again? I keep hearing Dory from Finding Nemo saying just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.

Actually, I don't want points for trying I want pounds off the scale or inches off my back side. But it just doesn't work that way. I don't understand why.

Well, today I vowed to stay away from whites... bread, rice, potatoes, sugar. That is difficult when you go to pack yourself a lunch to eat at your kid's school for field day. Hmmm, this is a whole new way of thinking. I ended up with rolled up ham, dried fruit and some nuts. I was completely flustered. I did alright at dinner, I ate a baked sweet potato instead of a regular potato. It wasn't until I was sticking the second roasted marshmallow into my mouth that I realized that underneath that caramelized outer shell it was white and sugary. Oh the shame I felt within as I swallowed. (But it was so good) I chastised myself, then said 'over all you did pretty good today'. Then I remembered the kettle corn I had as a snack this afternoon. Bad dieter. Bad, bad dieter. As I said it is a whole new way of thinking and eating. Who knew I ate so much refined stuff without thinking?

I did walk/jog today. It felt awful. I really want to go to 'Plasticville' but we can't afford it. Bummer.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Friday Fill In

2009-05-22T07:49:00.003-04:00

Boy oh boy am I running late today. No excuses just forgot. Here ya go....

1. Moving _____. and shakin'

2. _____ free. Footloose and fancy

3. My best quality is _____. I can encourage others.

4. _____ details. I am REALLY bad at

5. In nearly 10 years, _____. My oldest will be graduating high school.... oh heaven help me

6. _____ is what I need right now! To take my mind off the last question

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! go eat crabs with the neighbors....cleaning and taking Sammy to pony club.... stay on the horse (I'm going on a trial ride.)
***Thanks Janet

Greggie, Donna and the youngest 3 are comin' up on Sunday. We are so excited to see them. However, I really need to plan some meals. Remember how I said I'm bad at details. This is one of those times that it bites me in the butt. This and supper club.
Anyhoo.... have a fabulous weekend.
Sabrina

Date with the Peanut

2009-05-20T06:07:00.000-04:00

Peanut and I were able to spend time together on Friday while Bo was at a birthday party. I asked her where she wanted to go and she said "The Creek". Sabrina opted out of going due to bugs and poison ivy. I told her I could check her for ticks later. ;)

Just some background of the creek. When we picked the location of our house, we wanted trees in the back yard. We now have the trees in the back of our house and the bonus is a creek. It is fairly shallow but so much fun to play in. We are blessed that this area is protected by the town.

Here are some shots of us spending quality time together.

Here we are walking to the creek through stink cabbage.

I think we took the stinky path so we could play in the water.

Once we got there, I was told to take good pictures for Mommy's Blog - here are some flowers

A super thorny tree

I was told this was a "Snake Stick"

Another Flower

A beautiful butterfly

A nice shot of the creek while we cross and play in the water

I do love my peanut!!

We ran into a mud man and he created this

Here is a pole bridge

I must say she is so much fun and we will do it again. I hope it is not too long. Time does pass by so fast. Last time I looked, she was just 4 years old.

You can dance. You can jive or you can eat... alot

2009-05-18T06:07:00.000-04:00

Did you know blogs were around in the 70s? Well we are traveling back to the days of ABBA and Mama Mia...

Robin Sue at the Big Red Kitchen hosted our supper club this time. And our theme was Mama Mia. How cool is that?

Here are the girls.

And here are the guys. Do you dig the 70s tint?

Robin got her recipes for the night from Peter Minakis. Go on and visit his site... beautiful pics and after having several recipes, yummy food.

This is what I made shrimp with capers and dill.
This was so good and it wasn't hard to make.
Do you see this...
This is baked feta and it is pure heaven. Rindy at Kitchen Klique made this.

I could have just eaten this, all night long. And I almost did until Robin called us into the dining room for dinner.

Then during dinner, I had these...

This is green bean & cherry tomato salad. It made me wish no one else was at the table so I could eat them all. But I tried to show some self control and only eat what was put on my plate.
It was really hard. Thank goodness no one noticed how much baked feta I ate.

You can dance.
You can jive.
Having the time of your life.
See that girl
Watch that scene
Dig in the dancing queen.
****or in my case the eating queen****

Thanks Robin for a great meal and a groovy time.

Have a happy and groovin' day.
Sabrina

Friday Fill In

2009-05-15T07:07:00.003-04:00

Here you go...
1. If we had no winter _____. I wouldn't get to wear sweaters.

2. _____ a perpetual astonishment. My kids...

3. If I had my life to live over _____. I would change very little....because I like where I have ended up.

4. _____ inside of four and twenty hours. Huh... I could sleep

5. If you've never been thrilled _____. You haven't fallen in love

6. To be interested in the changing seasons _____. you have to look forward to what each one brings... another huh

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! relaxing and having a margarita... supper club... finish the book I am reading.
****thanks Janet****

And here is another.... If you could make a playlist of songs for your family vacation what are two that you would include..
mine are Kenney Chesney's version of Beautiful girl and Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl.

I had a great birthday. Thanks everyone. Eddie is giving me the best present today. Peace of mind.... he's getting neutered. He is a good man indeed.

Have a great weekend.
Sabrina

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-13T06:30:00.001-04:00

I really don't have anything to say...
So, here is some of God's beautiful handiwork.
Enjoy...

Do you have a favorite spring flower?
Mine is the iris. I'll post more once they bloom.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

weekend in review

2009-05-11T08:17:00.004-04:00

What a great weekend. Charlie played lacrosse, finally after all the rain. His team didin't win but he scored a goal. Sammy got to ride. Her barn was holding an 'open barn' for folks to come check the place out and Sammy was asked to do some freestyle riding just to show what she has learned. I made up a routine for her and she picked out some celtic music to play as she rode. So, she looked at my routine then made it up as she was out there. I guess that is the true definition of freestyle. What do I know.

Mother's day was fab. I had bought everything for the perfect breakfast beforehand and had a recipe set aside. I was up before everyone and starving so I made my own feast. I made the cinnamon bites from 4 Reluctant Entertainers site. Tastey is all I have to say. I didn't even take pictures because they were gone too quickly. These will definitely be made again in this household. My kids had made cute cards at school telling what they like most about me. Very nice. All the ranting and raving about all I do has paid off. They were able to write what I have done for them. Almost verbatim from my rants... oh the shame. And they both mentioned cooking. Namely pot pies and pork chops and rice. However, the pork chops and rice is a dish my mom makes. Mom... Grandmother... it's all the same right. I was also given a box of questions. We went through some of them at dinner. Love it! You will probably see some pop up on the Friday 5. Here is an example..... Where is the coziest spot in your home? Our bed was voted #1. The kids will come snuggle with us every now and then.

Finally, I want to leave you with the gift that keeps on giving in our home. Or rather, keeps haunting me. As I was taking pictures of the living room last week here is what snuck up on me....

It was peeking out of the pellet stove hopper. You probably can't see past the dust so I will tell you what it is, a plastic snake. But when you come upon it unexpectedly or out of the corner of your eye. It seems very real. This is my 'Kato'. Do you remember the inspector Kluso? His assistant, Kato, would always hide and jump out at the inspector to test him. That is this snake to me... popping up and raising my blood pressure to alarming levels.

Uh oh, just got a call from the school.... gotta go pick up a sick boy.
Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Our enhanced living room

2009-05-08T10:04:00.014-04:00

Well, I was blog hopping and saw on Kelly's Korner that she is having a Linky party of show us where you live. So, I figured I would post this update of our living room.
Here is the room straight on before... It was suggested to raise the curtains or add something above to add height to that area. I am so thankful for that suggestion. Wait til you see the after.

Here is to the left before...
And finally to the right before...
All of it was pretty plain. I love the blues, grays and browns but the room just wasn't coming together.

And now for the afters... The living room slightly to the right. I made some window mistreatments, thanks to Nester's site. I found the fabric in the remnants section and JoAnn's for $6 a yard. I do not sew... so this is perfect for me and I think they look fab.
We also hung up some photos. I still think this wall is missing something. But I'm not sure what. Someday, it come to me.
Here are the mistreatments up close.
Another Nester thing is tassles. So, I bought a couple and added pompoms then hung them from the lamps.

And finally the after to the slight left.

We put mirror panels behind the shelves in the entertainment center. This helps bounce light around the room. I forgot to turn on the lights in there for the pictures. Sorry.
I put a little chair, table and lamp in the corner to help with the darkness of the room. My man asked if it was a time out chair. I guess that would work. My son has been sitting over there to do some studying. The table was a standard garden table that I covered with scrap fabric from my curtains.

I also used scraps to make the topper for this table.

Thanks for visiting.
Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Friday Fill In/Friday 5

2009-05-08T07:04:00.002-04:00

Hey there. I am finishing up my living room for the big 'after' next week. You can read into that 'I am cleaning'.
Here are your questions this week. I found a different site to pull from and these are slightly different.

What’s your favorite card game? uno
What’s your favorite roll-the-dice-and-move game? I don't know
What’s your favorite playground game? kickball
What’s your favorite party game? quarters...did I say that out loud? just kidding..karaoke
What’s your favorite computer game? solitare

friday5.org

Do you like these?

Happy Mother's Day moms.

Robin hang in there. You just have to make it through tonight.

Have a happy weekend.

Sabrina

Crafty copycat

2009-05-06T07:42:00.008-04:00

I am late getting this post up today. And I know I will hear from you because y'all hop on my site and just keep hitting refresh until something new pops up. Really, you can get a life. I am not the beat all to end all. Just kidding. Just because I do that doesn't mean everyone else does that.

As I said Monday... What?! I can't believe it is Wednesday. I was supposed to write yesterday. Oh yeah... I was too busy blog surfing myself to write. Sorry.

Anyhoo... I am sharing with you my copycats of everything I have seen in blog land. At some point I will reference the original but that takes effort on my part. And I just don't have it right now. Plus if you see how the other folks did theirs and how nice they are... let's just say that mine come up a little short.

This first craft is a picture put on a 4x4 tile with modge podge. I saw this and loved it. You could use different style and size tiles for different looks. I went with the 16cent tile from Home Depot. Do you see the swirls on the picture. That is from too much Modge Podge. This was my first time using the stuff and I didn't know how much to use. I ended up making thes tiles of my preschool kids for their Mother's Day gifts.

These are glass bead things you find in the floral section and I put scrapbook paper on the back and added a magnet. These are fun.

Next is another modge podge craft. It is scrapbook paper on a clipboard. First I spray painted the metal part with glitter paint because I thought it would look better. Then the paper. Which is wrinkly because I thought I could seal it up while it was wet. Wrong. Finally I stenciled and added ribbon.

This is the back. It looks better because I let the first application of the modge podge dry before topping it off.

Overall, I am pleased and will doing each of these again. Heads up to you... don't be surprised if you see them as gifts

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Come on everybody's doin' it

2009-05-04T06:07:00.003-04:00

This blogging thing has added a whole new relm to peer presssure for me. And therefore my family... From crafting to exercise. And all because I see someone else's post and feel the need to give it a try.

This weekend I bought Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred because I had seen a post about it on someone's blog and they referenced another blog, which I had to read, and all the positive comments on it. So, the man and I did the shred. I'll just say this... I was sore within hours of doing it. Jillian Michaels should be an agent for the government. I think she could break down any terrorist suspect. Jack Bauer has nothing on her.

I have started to paint furniture. I did some window treatments. Oh, the recipes I have tried. The camera purchase..."honey, we need a new camera so I can have better pics for the blog". Poor guy, never saw it comin'. Well really, I started the whole blog because my friends were doing theirs and I couldn't be left out.

So, this week I'll be posting about some of the things I have done because...'everybody is doing it'. And the saddest thing is that I very few peronsally.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Friday Fill In

2009-05-01T06:30:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday everyone! I am so happy for it to be Friday. Here are your Friday fill ins. Greg, I hope you did not have to be admitted to the rehab hospital for your fill in withdrawls. You have had a week off so I hope you have some good answers in you.

1. The first rule of working in an office and getting along is _____. don't put mayo on the ear piece of anyone's phone

2. _____ clams. Ewww stinky

3. When I think of carnivals I think of _____. funnel cake

4. _____ my favorite spring flower. Irises or Irisi

5. Things on my desk include _____. piles of papers to go through

6. _____ makes me wanna _____. rain sticks ... pee

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! hanging out with my man... a girl's night out.... take a nap

*** on a side note... did anyone see the first part of Parks and Rec, when they were having the dog poop fight? I laughed so hard I about peed myself but yet threw up a little in my mouth.

Enjoy and have a happy weekend
Sabrina

another year older but better

2009-04-29T06:16:00.004-04:00

Well, yesterday was my man's birthday. He is a godly man, an awesome dad and the best husband ever, for me least. And he still has it 'goin' on'. Last weekend he was taking pictures at Sammy's horse show and he got the digits from a few ladies. The wanted him to take pictures of their kids too. However, one hung around awhile asking questions about the camera and lens. To that lady, I say, 'I'm on to you' and I am not arfraid to break bad like Beyonce does in the movie Obsessed. Just kidding... a little.

Anyway... happy birthday man... I love you. You're the best! And I don't tell you that enough.

Here's a shout out to my girl Rindy. Her birthday was yesterday too. Below is a picture from a couple of years ago. She has long hair here. She is the only person I know that can rock so many different hairstyles long, short and none. Happy birthday to a faith-filled, strong and beautiful woman.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

What 11???? Where did the time go?

2009-04-27T05:33:00.011-04:00

I can't believe my baby girl is 11.

Didn't she just turn 5?

But it was her weekend. Friday, I pulled her out of school early and we went on a long trail ride. Her Grand-daddy had promised to ride with her and that was her gift. It was a beautiful day. She had a great time and even got to do a couple of jumps out in the woods.

When we got home she had a gift waiting for her from her aunt, uncle and cousins in Missisippi. A pack of cool girly stuff. She loved it.

Saturday was more horses. She was in a horse show and won 3 first place and grand champion of her set of classes. What a great birthday surprise.

And on Sunday, her actual birthday she requested lunch at the Golden Colon, I mean Golden Corral. They said happy birthday to her over the speaker system. We finished off the birthday weekend with some ice cream birthday cake.

I am very proud of my baby girl. She is growing up into a beautiful person. She has a heart of gold and makes everyone smile. Happy Birthday Peanut. I love you.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Dog Tired

2009-04-20T06:30:00.003-04:00

We had a busy weekend. Had the 5th grade science fair on Friday. (I am so over book reports and projects. Do you have to do book reports and science fair projects if you homeschool?) Sammy's project was 'can you get gas from garbage'. So we had beans in sandwich bags in varying stages of decay all around the house. Although beans produce gas in the human body they did not produce gas in the sandwich bags.

The dog was very helpful in assembling this project. As you can see she was the one cutting paper with the paper cutter. I homeschooled my dog. But not the kids. I'm too lazy to homeschool. Oh, and unorganized. But I wish I could so I wouldn't have to wake up and make lunches. That's how lazy I am.

Charlie had 2 lacrosse games this weekend. He scored 5 goals in one game. Way to go dude! He is the one in blue jumping up the catch the ball. His coach started calling him 'Take charge Charlie'. Kind of like Charles in Charge... remember that show with Chachi or Scott Baio?

Sammy and I painted the front door. We got our second notice from the HOA, so we had to get off our butts and do something. Another fine example of my laziness. It really wasn't that bad in my opinion, just some scratches from wreaths and the dog. But it looks better now.

Oh and I made pinto beans and corn bread from Pioneer Woman's site and they were awesome. I had made the steak sandwich earlier in the week and that was a huge hit for everyone too. I would have taken pictures but you can go to her site and get the recipes and there is no competing with her pictures.

Well now that I typed it out it doesn't seem like much but I did do laundry and clean the house too. I'm tired and will try to come up with more interesting stuff.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Friday Fill Ins

2009-04-17T06:30:00.000-04:00

Friday Fill Ins...thanks Janet
1. Join me in _____. Friday fill ins

2. Put a little _____ in your day! laughter

3. Happiness is _____. a hug from my man

4. _____ and confused. Tired

5. I'm waiting for _____. Summer

6. _____ is hard to resist. Chocolate

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! sleep, shuttling kids here and there, go out for lunch

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Rainy day blahs

2009-04-15T07:55:00.004-04:00

Well, first a shout out to my man for the new header picture. How cool is that? He surprised me. A good one, though. However, take this as a warning when you give your husband access to your blog, your in for surprises. Oh on that note... Miz Booshay (Quiet Life) commented on the man's post! She also writes for Pioneer Woman in the photograph section. Again... how cool is that!

Today is a cold rainy day and all I want to do is... skip work, sit in side with a blanket and read. But I won't.

Not the best picture but I hope you get the idea.

Well, I have to scurry off to work now. Pre-schoolers need to be corralled. It is like herding cats.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

My turn! – The new camera

2009-04-14T08:59:00.000-04:00

Sabrina and I have always liked our old camera (Canon A95) until we started seeing the type of quality our friend’s pictures were. He has a Canon D40 and all his photos were so good. Almost his entire collection of photos look like a professional took them. His camera is a previous version of ours and he has larger lenses (lens envy is not a good thing). I really like our new camera.

The new camera: Canon EOS Rebel XS

Note: I have to give a shout out to Pioneer Woman for her great picture taking too. Sabrina and I are very envious of her skills. She makes everything on her blog seems so nice and crisp. She also gives advice for the novice... yeay!

So we started shooting photos right after we got the camera. But to my dismay, it’s not the camera that takes good pictures but the person taking them. We have tried to take a couple of pictures on our own and figured out that within time, our pictures will get better. I have read about a ¼ of the manual so far and it does help (See, guys do read the manual!!). I just wanted to show you some of our work.

Here the kids ham it up before getting on the bus for Sabrina as she plays with the camera.

I think they look great.

Here I tried to capture color and texture. I am going to get this printed out and made into a poster for our office.

Here is a close up picture of a close up portrait.

Here is a close up with a dulled out back ground.

We have our own cherry blossoms in the front yard.

And of course the typical portrait

I tried some action shots with little success. It probably some crazy setting I need to do.
Back to the manual. (Yuck)

I know, I know. With some time our photos will get better. Hopefully you will see some improvement in later blogs. Maybe next year they will bring out one that does all to work for me. Ah the future…

The Man

Arts & Crafts

2009-04-14T06:30:00.000-04:00

During our week of recuperating I thought crafting would be fun. I love monograms, so I thought we would try stencils. Here is some of our work. Not bad considering we started these at 3 in the morning. The medications got our sleep all jacked up.

Each kid had their choice of paper. I just spray painted some old frames to match. In the case of Sammy's I also spray painted an old mat to match.

I also arranged some flowers for my man to take to some friends when we were invited to dessert however, I couldn't go because the kids were not up to it. Here they are.

He forgot to take them. Oh well, I tried. So it became our Easter bouquet. Yippee for us.
Hope y'all had a great Easter.

Have a happy day
Sabrina

Road Trip! ... well almost.

2009-04-08T06:06:00.003-04:00

I thought the kids had improved enough to go see Grandmother and Grand-daddy. I even asked them if they wanted to go. I got the thumbs up. I spent all morning packing for me and the kids. Got the car packed. Snacks and drinks loaded up. Everybody have their pillow and blanket? Yep. Off we go. Yippee... spring break road trippin'.

We got 20 minutes down the road...

Sammy felt ill and when I rolled down the windows, she said the outside smelled. Why yes sweet child, that would be the smell of fresh air. Then she started crying. "I want to go home", she said. All while watching 'Happy Feet'. Her feet were not so happy.

Charlie said, "I don't think this is such a good idea". You're right buddy. We turned around and came back home. So, we didn't take so much of a road trip, more like a field trip.

Home is good. We are more happy being miserable at home.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Spring Break '09.... medical spa style

2009-04-06T06:30:00.000-04:00

We kicked off Spring Break '09 a little early. I took the kids out of school a couple of days early to go on a medical retreat. I figure all the Hollywood types check into rehab spas, so my kids should be livin' large too. Here they are ready to check in.

Don't they look happy? A little excited and a little nervous at the same time. Like most kids about to go away for camp. This is how celebrities look before going onto Celebrity Rehab. I'm just kidding they were about to get their tonsils and adenoids removed and Charlie was also having some procedure done to his sinuses.

They both had a stuffed animal waiting for them on their beds. That was The High Point of the day. Oh, and the warmed blankets. The kids were even happy with the socks. Charlie asked if they got to keep them. That's my kids always lookin' for what's included in the package deal.

First Charlie was wheeled off to surgery and Samantha was able to watch 101 Dalmatians while she waited. Charlie was back out in under an hour. Wow, that was quick...

Here he is in recovery. When he first came out of the anesthesia, he was not himself. He was crazy escape boy. They called me over to help get him calmed down. When I got there his gown was half off, he had torn off his socks and the monitor on his foot and was using the sides of the bed to claw his way out. It was like a wild animal being captured. I loved on him and got him to lay back down. But as soon as I let go he tried to get away again. I really don't think he knew exactly who I was. Maybe somewhere deep inside his brain he knew but not at the moment. It reminded me of Alzheimer's patients. Regardless, we got him half awake and then they medicated him again so he could sleep. The second time he woke up he was much better. The nurses had said this happens sometimes. Weird.

Samantha, on the other hand, came out of her stupor mellow as can be. She half opened her eyes and asked if they were done. I said yes then she closed her eyes again. She half woke up again and asked if the procedure was done. When I told her it was she asked for five more minutes of sleep. She asked for five more minutes about 5 times. The nurse laughed and said she was a true pre-teen. Sammy went through a cup of ice chips, water and two popsicles in record time.

At home we watched Twilight, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, and Marley and Me. And alot of Nickelodeon. Charlie actually sat through all of Nick's original movie Spectacular with me. Who am I kidding? He was in a altered state, I have no excuse why I sat thru it. Except maybe I was reliving my After School Special days. Using my ailing son as an excuse... how pathetic. Anyhow, now when I ask Charlie how he feels, he'll say "spectacular" and use is 'jazz hands'. I need to get a picture of that.

Sammy recovered pretty quickly and we took her off the prescribed pain medication after 2 days. Charlie did not bounce back so quickly. Not until day 4 did he move to plain Tylenol. Only then was he able to get a substantial amount food and water down. And by that, I mean a full 8ounces of water and some chicken mashed up. Poor guy. Here they are the day after the procedure. You can see that Sammy is feeling better than Charlie.

I

I was about to write that they have rounded the proverbial corner and will be getting back to normal soon but.... they both just woke up crying. Maybe I'll slip 'em the Tylenol with codeine to get them through the night. It breaks my heart when they wake up crying.

I'll keep you posted.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Now that's entertainment

2009-03-31T04:35:00.004-04:00

Yesterday the kids finished their homework and chores in record time. So, I decided to take them to the mall for dinner and run some errands. There was an arcade just inside the food court entrance, and Charlie just about had a stroke when he saw it. I was not about to indulge that pinball wizard fantasy so we moved on. I know, I'm mean but I was hungry.

Despite all of the culinary choices, we dined at Chic-fil-a. As we were sitting in the eating area Samantha spied a mall cop. But she calls him a mall police. I don't know why but I think that is funny. The mall 'police' is fascinating to her because, hello, a movie was just made about one and he saved the day. Who knows what may unfold before our eyes. As she watches him intently, he stops his patrol and stands near our table. Oh, the excitement of it all. To see a mall cop up close. This began the whole discussion of whether or not he carries a gun. All the while he is talking into his walkie talkie.

"I don't see a gun.." "Do you think he has a taser gun?" ... "Is he getting ready to taser someone?" I am getting annoyed because they cannot eat while watching the mall cop. He just might taser someone when they take a bite of a chicken nugget. And then they would miss the action.

Finally, another mall employee walks up with a towel. He wipes up a spill the mall police has been guarding. No taser action needed. And my kids were able to resume their dinner.

After our dinner and a show, we walked around a bit, Charlie and Sam were amazed at the amount of stores and kiosks that are in the mall. "Look mom a... ". " Look over here." "Can we go in here?" It was a case of mall sensory overload. I didn't realize how rarely we go to the mall until I saw how they were enchanted by it. Charlie ended the outing by saying..."I wish we could move out here because I would be at this mall all the time."
And I'm sure he would.

Now you see why there are days in between my posts. And you probably wish I would skip some more.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Friday Fill Ins

2009-03-27T06:44:00.003-04:00

Here we go....
(thanks Janet)

1. "In a hole in the ground there lived _____." a groundhog

2. "_____ but that ain't no matter." .....

3. "After dark the rain began to fall again, _____." and I slept well

4. "_____ from the hold of the Spanish galleon." Mice ran

5. "There was a hand in the darkness, and _____." it stole my cookie

6. "Accidents ambush the unsuspecting, _____." and the unprepared

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! hanging out with my family, lunch with the in-laws (it was postponed from last week), go for a long walk with my family.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Nothin' says summer like a fish and crisco

2009-03-23T06:30:00.002-04:00

This past summer while we were at my parents house on the lake, my brother caught a big fish. This is him with my cute nephew Will. Not that my other nephews aren't cute but this is just one of them. He just had a birthday and you can read about that here.

This fish inspired our dinner... a fish fry. Yummm. I will let you experience this through pictures. And not very good ones at that. But believe me it was much better than I make it look.

First, my dad cleaned and filleted the fish.

Next, it is off to the frying station... this is outside because we don't want the house smelling like the fry station I worked at during high school. Uhgg. I hated smelling like a fry pit. That and the oily skin it produced was the bane of my high school experience.

Next he put the fish in a plastic trash bag with some corn meal, salt and pepper. And shook it to coat the fish. Which is why this picture is blurry. This is my dad trying to humor me while I took endless pictures and got in his way. He really was very patient.

Then when the grease was hot (about 325*), he had to quickly put the fish in. Watch it intensely. Then remove it at just the right time. This picture is really blurry because I was getting in the way while dad was trying to get the fish out quickly.

You have to do the fish in batches. So, the shaking, frying and intense watching went on for awhile. I would run the plates of cooked fish inside to be kept warm in the oven. But this meant I got to 'test' each batch without being caught. I always volunteer for the 'runner' job.

ok... that picture is blurry because I am a lousy photographer. And I am sad to say that I had to think about that word photographer, 'picture taker' is what actually popped in my head first. So sad.. but true. This is why I am not allowed to be the fryer in the fish fry.

My 'runner' job had another perk. When I brought the fish inside, my sis-in-law, Donna (oh, hi donna. how are you)

was making

these.

And I had to 'test' them too. How could I possibly resist? Delightful, they were.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Friday Fill Ins

2009-03-20T06:30:00.000-04:00

Thanks for your suggestions to my decorating dilemma. Please keep 'em coming. I will post pics when I get something done.

Friday Fill Ins is something I found over at Quiet Life with Miz Booshay. I wanted to start putting them on my site, so I emailed her. That is the first time I have emailed a blogger I don't know personally. Would you believe it... she emailed me back. And directed me to where to get them. I find these fun to do. And hope you do too. Put your answers in the comments. Enjoy

Friday Fill Ins...
thanks to Janet at Friday Fill Ins

1. When I look to the left, I see_____. (an empty plate)

2. _____ is the room that has the best view in my home. (master bathroom)

3. Let it work _____. (itself out)

4. _____ done dirt cheap! (Dirty deeds)

5. _____ is a responsibility that all qualified citizens must share. (reducing comsumption of the Earth's limited resources)

6. If you have any _____ feel free _____. (humor... share it)

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! (relaxing... lunch with the in-laws...take a nap with my hubby)

Post your answers in the comments.

Have a happy day!
Sabrina

Decorating Dilemma

2009-03-19T06:30:00.001-04:00

Not alot going on over here at Bri's Tiki Bar these days. Who am I kidding, there never really is. Lacrosse is just starting up for Charlie and we go to the barn every week for Sammy. Their school is starting a track team so, I think I will sign them up for that.

So, since I don't have alot to chat about I am going to ask for help with a problem that has been haunting me for a couple of months. This....

We repainted this room and I don't know what to put on the walls now. At first, I didn't want to put anything up because I enjoyed the new color so much. Now it just bugs me because the room looks ... well, it just looks unfinished. But do I put up art? We did have 3 light house pictures up. But I'm just not feeling that anymore. Do I put up photos of family in some sort of display like this?

Or do I save family photos for the halls and out of the way places?

Then what do I do with this entertainment center? See where the candles are? That looks kind of sparse. I used to have family photos there but now I don't know what to do with it. The boat we just didn't know what else to do with it either.

I like this lighthouse picture because it has scripture with it. But I am not sure about the cut glass candle things on the sides. I was thinking of putting a taper candles with coffee beans around them inside the hurricane part. What do you think? Please be my Candace Olson of Divine Design.

Oh, the wall color is a light gray. And the window treatments and pillows are blue, tan, brown and gray. I like the mix of warm and cool colors.
Thanks for any and all suggestions

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

For better and for worse

2009-03-16T21:01:00.005-04:00

As I laid my head down to sleep on Sunday night, I thanked the Lord that I didn't have any aches and pains, nor the feeling that I was going to throw up, and not the slightest rumblings in my bowels. I felt as though I was going to get a good night's sleep after having to fight for my life with the stomach virus (or at least that's what it felt like). But a good night's sleep was not in store for me that night. You see my little Peanut got the stomach virus and was up on and off all night. First, she would run to my bed. I would be jarred from my sweet dreams with..."Mom, I think I'm gonna be sick". I would in turn say "Quick, run to the bathroom". Then the mom routine of damp cloth on the forehead, water to rinse her mouth and tucking her back in. This would happen about every two hours. Finally, about 20 minutes before my alarm went off I was awakened by my Charlie who came in to say... "Mom, I've got a leg cramp. Will you rub it?". Sure climb on in. Here's the $20,000 question. Did my man wake up once during all this commotion? NO! Crazy! How can he sleep through all that running around??
I just don't get it.
But then again, I sleep through the smoke alarm and he gets up for that.

I remember when the kids were babies and I would be dying for sleep. I would hear them cry in the night and tell my man... "Honey, they're crying for you. They're saying 'daddy'." He fell for it in his sleep deprived state and would get up to take care of them.

Anyway, back to the Stomach Flu '09. My man had the stomach flu a couple of days before me. We had it about the same amount of time. He lost 10lbs! I only lost 4! Seriously, even when sick he can loose more weight than me. So not fair! Not that it is a competition or anything. But if it was... not fair!

Have a happy and stomach flu-less day.
Sabrina

Because sharing is what friends do

2009-03-13T10:20:00.004-04:00

I just want to share some sites that humor me. Check them out

Cake wrecks... is where professional cakes go wrong. Sometimes it is misspelled words other time just all out bad decorating. Either way it is funny.

Passive Aggressive notes... Oh how this site is write (ha ha get my pun?) up my alley. Some can get naughty but for the most part very humorous.

Post Secret... this is where people write/draw their secrets and send them to this fella. There are actual books of these too. Some are cute. Some funny. Some sad and some that make you go hmmm. Some people get real creative with their presentation. I always think what would I send in? I haven't come up with one yet. Oh, the guy updates every Sunday.

Just a few I wanted to share.

Have a happy weekend
Sabrina

It's in the genes.... ain't nothing I can do.

2009-03-12T06:30:00.002-04:00

The other day my boy wanted a potato as a snack. Being as lazy as I am, I told him we will be eating dinner soon so if he could just hold out that would be great. I thought he was asking for a baked potato. About 15 minutes later he asked again for a potato. I said I don't want to bake a potato just wait for dinner. He said Noooo, just peel it and cut it up.

I can eat it with salt on it.

Ok.. that is simple enough and I didn't think he knew what he was talking about. Sure enough, he ate it as soon as I set it down in front of him.

'Where did you learn that?',I asked.
'From daddy and he learned to eat potatoes this way from Grandpa.'

Do you remember Grandpa?

Need I say more?

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Luck 'O the Irish Supper Club

2009-03-11T05:58:00.009-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, as I was going through all the mail that came while we were on our cruise, I came across a little bag with a lovely green ribbon on it. I was totally (how 80's) thrilled when I realized it was the menu for our supper club. I saw the theme was Irish Saloon. Then I immediately looked for the recipe I was to make. Sweet Rindy assigned me a salad to make. Whew, relief rushed over me. I can handle a salad. Let me just say, this girl knows me. She knows I am no foodie. I have a tough time putting together a can of soup.

But the salad was no ordinary salad.... no, it is some fancy pants salad with beets and fancy lettuce. I as I looked over the recipe to my dismay the beets were not of the canned variety. I had to roast them myself. Never in my lifetime have I had a one on one encounter with beets. Sure, I have seen them at the salad bar. I have even seen them in my sister in law's pantry, but purchase them, handle them... No.

Let's go back a moment in time... here is the recipe
Shamrock Salad
Beets with Watercress and Bibb lettuce
1 bunch of medium red beets, trimmed and scrubbed
3 Tblsp white-wine vinegar
2 tsp whole grain mustard
1 Tblsp finely chopped shallot
3/4 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch watercress, tough stems removed
1 medium head Bibb lettuce, leaves torin into 1 inch pieces
freshly ground black pepper

First off, I never knew that beets were really red. I thought they had to sit in dye. I have no clue what watercress is. And is bibb lettuce different than romaine or iceburg? Imagine my dismay when I was at the Food Beast (grocery) and I did not see Bibb lettuce on any of their little signs in script font. I must have stood there at least 3 minutes silently reading over the signs and looking at all the lettuces. Finally, I picked the one with the most ruffly leaves, because nothing says bibb like ruffles.
To my delight, they did have a sign for watercress. Which let me clue you in, this is just one leaf clovers. That's what it looks like. And the beets were close by. The shallots, yes, I know what they are, thank you very much, were a bit harder to find. I figured they would be next to the scallions. But they were hanging out with the onions.
So, off I went to the condiment section to find whole grain mustard, which my man says is not the same as deli mustard. Well, NONE of the jars said 'whole grain'. So, I bought the fancy little jar that looks like upscale deli mustard... it said it was stone ground as opposed to a machine doing it.
Back to the beets, I had to trim the ends of off. As soon as I did this... red was everywhere. Beets literally drip red. Just carrying the stems to the trash I dripped red on the floor. It was like something out of CSI.
I wrapped them in parchment and foil and baked for an hour and half. I assembled the dressing, tore up the ruffly lettuce and picked one leaf clovers. I did forget to peel and slice the beets after they finished cooking. I made my man do that since I was already dressed. I didn't want to look like Lady Macbeth going to supper club.

All that to say that the salad was delicious. I will definitely put beets on my salad again. I made the vinaigrette dressing again last night for my salad.

Thank you Rindy for having pity me and assigning me the salad. I did get to experience something new and enjoyed it. And that my friend is what supper club is all about.

Go check out Rindy and Robin Sue's (there is a link there but for some reason it isn't changing colors) sites for more on the night. Isn't Rindy's house lovely? I think she should do posts on decorating. You only see her dining room but the whole house is gorgeous.

On second thought, I should have taken home ec.

2009-03-04T22:01:00.013-05:00

I have been posting about the cruise this week. Let me give you a glimpse of my welcome home. Our flight got in close to 11pm. My folks and the kids came to pick us up. Charlie was asleep but Samantha stayed awake to greet us. After telling me how happy she was to see me, she launched right into how Grandmother made "the best' mashed potatoes for her. With a sparkle in her eye, my first born told me I had a lot of practice to do to come close to the mashed potatoes my mom made for her. Gee thanks and I missed you too.

Then she went on to tell me of the fabulous salads Grandmother made. I looked at my mom, who was beaming, and said what kind of salad did you make. "Oh, I just chopped up romaine and added some bacon bits, shredded cheese and sliced hard boiled eggs." I turned to my daughter and told her the only thing different than my salads is the hard boiled egg. Sammy then enlightened me... "Yeah, but Grandmother put it together for me". Clearly, it is all in the presentation here. Chopping the lettuce and putting the bags of bacon bits and shredded cheese on the table are no longer going to cut it. Lessons in motherhood.

When Charlie woke me up the next day, he told me of the sausage balls that Grandmother had made him for breakfast, on a school day no less. He informed me that he had not had these since the last time he saw Grandmother at Christmas time. Again, slacking at the mom job.

Here is a compilation of photos of various times my mom has made these with the kids. I keep meaning to post this... now is the time.

Let me give you a little tutorial on the elusive sausage ball. You will need 3 cups of Bisquick, 3 cups of shredded cheese, and a pound of your favorite sausage.

Throw it all together in a large bowl... My man said this picture looks like a turd in sand. Our cup of tact and class runneth over.

And mix it all together. This is best done by hand. If you find another way, have at it and then let me know... cause I don't like this part.
This is where my mom said... "Bob, she's taking pictures for her bog again."
Yes mom, this site is mired down in muck but it's correct pronunciation is blog, with an 'L'.

Anyhow... your mom and her assistant incorporate the ingredients while you document the process.

And if her lovely assistant drops any on the floor you have your furry vacuum around to clean up. I know it's blurry but I think the dog is wearing Mardi Gras beads. What can I say she is a party animal. Ba dum dump.

Then you bake them at 375* for 15 to 18 minutes according to your desired doneness. My dad likes them very done, where they are on the verge of being briquettes. But to each is own. We serve them up with mustard. Delightful.

As you can see you can shape these anyway you like. My daughter likes to make them into snakes. What can I say, she is a little off. I like to make initials. Again, whatever floats you boat.

You can make these in advance. Keep them refrigerated and bake later. I should probably do that since I am falling in my mom ranking.

On another note Charlie said he liked my dad's car better than the van. Because his car is so smoooooth.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Cruisin' highlights

2009-03-04T20:45:00.011-05:00

Here are some highlights of the cruise I must relive at your expense. This is like therapy... talk through it because it was real even though it seems like a fading dream. Oh, how reality has crashed my party. These highlights are in addition to the food, which was delicious as well as endless during our vacation.

My first favorite was bioluminesce bay in Puerto Rico. We kayaked out to the bay through the mangrove trees.It was a moonless night and all we had to see where we were going was the guide and the glow bracelets attached to the kayak in front of you. After a little bit of kayaking I began to see something in the water. At first I thought it was the reflection of some lights. But then I realized that there was no light around. As the oars stroked through the water it stirred up the plankton in the water and they emit something that glows. Kind of like fireflies. Once we got to the bay it was just us the glow of stars above and then the glow of the plankton beneath us. I would scoop up the water and let it run through my fingers. It was like watching glitter or pixie dust fall from my fingertips. Beautiful. Like something out of Disney's Fantasia. We couldn't capture it on film because the flash canceled it out.

Being with our friends (there were 18 of us in all) and getting to know them better was awesome. We all took a catamaran to a beach in St. Martaan. The man and I had been to St. Martaan before and we loved it just as much this time. Below is a picture of a few of us on the catamaran.

Ok... I was thrilled to death when we walked into the room one night and there was a towel animal on the bed. That sealed deal on my cruise experience. I am easily entertained and that entertained me for awhile taking it apart and trying to recreate. However, just a few days later a class on making towel creations was offered. I was there before they unlocked the doors. Here is what I learned....

You know the slide they show on the Carnival commercial. This is me on it. Obviously, I have no pride or shame since I am showing pictures of myself, in a bathing suit no less, on this site. It will be shut down for sure now.
Finally, we had several hours between the ship docking in Miami until our flight home (about 12 actually). So the man and I took an excursion to the Everglades. When the alligator show was over we had the opportunity to hold a baby alligator. I almost came out of my skin with excitement. (Picture the ladies when Oprah mentions her favorite things) After all, I was a huge fan of the crocodile hunter, God rest his soul. I hate snakes but I am willing to hold an alligator. And let me just say this, I almost sent some kids to the hospital getting to the front of the line. My man was embarrassed but stood by his girl. And apologized to all the kids and their parents that I had to 'smack down' to get to that gator. Since he got my back in the smack down I will post his pic with the gator.

Finally, I just want to say how much I miss Carlos the cabin steward. Oh sweet Carlos please come make my bed. And tell me ... Have nice evening Ms Sabrina....

The dream fades like the twinkling of the plankton in bioluminesce bay and back to reality I am.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Cruisin'

2009-03-02T16:14:00.011-05:00

My man and I just got back from a week long cruise to the Carribiean islands. Oh, what a wonderful time we had. Sunny days, beautiful beaches, food, food, and more food. And laziness to a degree I have not experienced in awhile.

I was really hesitant to go. We went with nine other couples from our neighborhood. We had the best time. Laughing and joking around. We all came back friends. Thank goodness.

My parents came to watch the kids. And they had a wonderful time together as well.

I had hoped to blog before I left but I was so stressed trying to get everything ready it just didn't happen. Because this is what my house looked like just hours before my parents came.
Have I mentioned how neat my folks are? Well, they are very tidy people.

But we had a wonderful time. We left this...

And came home to this...

We are happy to be home with the kids but oh how we miss the beach.
Have a happy day...
Sabrina

Father/Daugher Dance

2009-02-18T06:24:00.003-05:00

Our church had the annual Father/Daughter Valentine Dance this past Sunday night. This lovely couple represented our family. I made Rindy's brownies with peanut butter frosting for them to take. And they were a huge hit from what I understand. Sammy said they were gone as soon as she put the plate down. I will be making those again.

Have a happy day
Sabrina

Sick Days

2009-02-10T06:30:00.001-05:00

This past week has been a series of sick days for our family. Monday the Bobo was not feeling well. He stayed home from school. By Thursday the Peanut had the cold and stayed home from school. It hit me Saturday night. I was so wiped out by this cold. It really stunk. Y'know I probably could have written several posts. But I didn't... I read. I read 19 Minutes by Jody Picoult.

It was unsettling and thought provoking. It's basically about a school shooting and the effects it has on everyone. The parents in this book thought they knew their kids and were doing a good job raising them. What they didn't know was that there were bullies, abusers and victims. It all seemed pretty hopeless. I was so bothered by it. My man and I are doing our best to raise our kids but they may make some very bad choices despite our best efforts. How scarey. But you see it isn't. We have a relationship with the maker of the universe. He can cover a multitude of our mistakes with His love and grace. I know that even christian kids can make mistakes but the Lord can work it all to glorifiy Him. In that, we have a peace that passes all understanding. And the love we have as parents goes on despite what our kids do.
Thanks God for loving us despite our weakness. Because it is our weakness that shows how great You are.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Apricot Chicken

2009-02-04T06:30:00.001-05:00

Writing this blog is sometimes like coming up with dinner. What can I write about today? Hmm, don't know. Haven't really thought about it and nothing sounds interesting.

What's for dinner tonight? Hmm, don't know. Haven't really thought about it and nothing sounds interesting.

See the similarity.

Well, this evening at 5:30 I had not made dinner yet. I had, however, bought a pack of chicken that was on sale at the grocery store. I couldn't come up with anything! Gracious, chicken, the most versatile meat and I can't come up with anything sounding good. What's wrong with me? Alot, but we won't go into detail here. Onward... I was flipping through the church cookbook. Always something good in there. I came across Apricot chicken and I remembered I had wanted to try that. Well, at some point I had actually planned on making it because I had apricot preserves in the pantry. That is a small blessing from God because apricot preserves are not a staple in our house.

Here are the ingredients....

Here is what it looked like on the plate.
Ok... sorry I didn't clean it up a little but we had already sat down to eat and I had not taken a picture of the finished product. And I yelled 'Wait' to my man so I could snap a photo of his plate before he took a bite.

Here are the reviews.
My man... it's different... All I can taste is the Italian dressing. You used the fat free didn't you. It has a different taste than regular.
The Bobo... it's really sweet.
The Peanut... I like it.
Me... it is sweet. I taste more of the onion soup. It is kind of like General Tso's but without any hotness.
*****So I added red pepper to mine and got the hotness I was looking for. Sweet and spicy.
My man... this is a 'do over' (in our home that means this can be made again) but you need to use the regular Italian dressing. The fat free doesn't taste the same. It has a fat free taste. They do something to it.
***** I'm not kidding. He said all that. Actually, I edited it down. He had much to say about the tastiness of Italian dressing vs fat free Italian dressing.

Needless to say everyone cleaned their plate. It was after all 6:30 before we ate.
Here is the recipe. We will be trying it again in our house but with a little bit of tweaking. It is easy and it is good.

Apricot Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1pkt dry onion soup mix
1 jar 100% apricot fruit spread... I used preserves.
1/2 a bottle Italian dressing

Pre-heat oven to 350*. Cut each chicken breast into about 3-4 slices and place in a baking dish. Mix together soup mix, apricot spread and dressing. Pour mixture over the chicken. Cook uncovered 30-40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. I served it with rice.

Oh and this recipe came from Melissa May. I don't know her so I hope she doesn't mind her name being tossed around.

By the way... this is what happens when you leave the camera out unattended. Delightful, huh.

No Greg, this isn't my belly! I know you what your thinking!

On that note, have a happy day.
Sabrina

Highs and Lows

2009-02-02T06:30:00.002-05:00

Last week we had two snow days and one day with a delay. Yippee! I love snow days. We had just enough snow for the kids to play in it. I got paid for both snow days. I love getting paid and not having to work. I wish I could do that all the time.

On the down side, my man's employer decided to cut everyone's pay and no longer contribute to 401K. Bummer. To compensate for this reduction in income, the luxury of horse back riding will be put on hold for me.

High... y'know we are thankful that the man has a job. And if all I have to do is give up a luxury... hey, so be it. Life is good. This makes us more thankful and aware of all our blessings.

Low... I really wanted the Cardinals to win the Super Bowl. But the Steelers are an amazing team. Roethlisberger could thread a needle with a football. What a great game.

High... The Boss did an awesome job with the half time show. However, I was disappointed he didn't sing Born in the USA. Jennifer Hudson, gave me chills with the singing of the Star Spangled Banner.

Getting to see The Office after the Super Bowl was a great bonus. " I guess the pigeons flew west for the winter". Oh Michael Scott you make me laugh and cringe at the same time.

Count your blessings and have a happy day.
Sabrina

A 10 year old and her muse

2009-01-30T06:30:00.003-05:00

I recently uploaded some pictures from our old camera. It is now the 'kids' camera'. They both love taking pictures. And my girl just loves taking pictures of her dog. Below is a combination of a couple photo shoots the Peanut did with the dog. Not sure if the dog is ready to be in America's Next Top Dog Model yet. I don't think she would even make into a Bad Dog calendar.

Hi! my name is Skye. I'm a SBD (single, black dog). I like treats and chasing squirrels. I was promised treats and lots of them. Where is the food services area?

Umm, I'm not sure I am comfortable doing this scene in the closet. It seems to be an 'I Dream of Jeannie' theme. And Barbara Eden was given more to wear

What do you mean by full frontal? Isn't this a family friendly photo shoot? And where is the snack cart?

Yeh, yeh, I'm workin' it. Will this day ever end?

I feel pretty. Oh so, pretty. Pretty and bright.

How sweet it is to be loved by you... Or Just the two of us. Oh wait,.. Love will keep us together.... Can you name the artists? I gotta quit listen' to my ipod when I post.

Stop all the jive talkin' and give me some treats. Now!

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Snow Days

2009-01-29T06:30:00.002-05:00

The past couple of days here have been snowy and then icy. The kids have played outside most of the time the past two days. Bobo played football and the girl built a fort with her friends. We didn't get but a few inches of snow so they were not able to build their fort very high. As you can see.

The dog and I went walking in a winter wonderland.

I should have gotten much more done than I did around the house. But I spent too much time with this friend.

and wishing I was doing this.

Happy Birthday Greggie

2009-01-27T21:28:00.005-05:00

Today is my brother's birthday. What are you Greg? 50? Naw, I'm just kiddin' he's 46. Old man. Let me tell you about my bro. He is why I wanted to take piano lessons. He has a natural talent in music. (I do not, but this is about him) He took lessons and eventually the instructor told my folks that she couldn't teach him anymore. Wow.

When I wanted to run away from home, he stopped me and told me I needed figure out where I was going to stay before I ran away.

When I started high school he warned me where to stay away from and not to buy a subscription to the school newspaper. They didn't have one but the seniors would prank incoming freshmen.

When I was upset about being short. He comforted me by telling me I would not have a hard time getting a date.

He picked me up from taking SATs and took me to McDonalds.

My brother married me. Not became my husband but performed the ceremony. He is ordained but had only done funerals up to that point. And he said cleavage during the ceremony which made me get the giggles.

He is a great dad and husband to his family. Even in the midst of tragedy, he stayed strong. I admire him a great deal.

Happy Birthday Greg. Hope today is a great day.
Love you.
Sabrina

He had a note sent home

2009-01-27T06:30:00.000-05:00

This sweet child had a note from his teacher sent home last week. Evidently, this angel has been talking in class instead of listening to his teacher. Naughty. She said she even went so far as to move his desk to the hall to get work done. All to no avail. I can't believe this innocent babe would do such a thing. Unless, such naughtiness comes from his father. Of course that is it! All the not so great things come from their father. This baby's father, my man, is the one that taught his fellow kindergartners cuss words. Naughty behavior must come from him.

As my man and I discussed our course of action with the babe. All these things came up...
What is going on with the child?
Is he having issues with a classmate?
Is he being bullied?
Is he the bully?
What kind of consequences are in order?

Well, I went on to tell my man that when I was in 2nd grade my teacher, Ms McPeak, would make us do the 'captain's chair' against the wall. The 'captain's chair' was where you would be in sitting position with your back against the wall but no chair underneath you. That is probably where my big thighs came from. Thanks Ms McPeak. I often had to do the 'captain's chair' because I would talk with this boy that sat in the row next to mine. And I talked with Tony, the girl who sat behind me. Actually, Tony would call me honky and I would turn around and shhhh her. This would go on and on. Then Ms McPeak would make both of us do the cpt. chair.

In 3rd grade I had my desk right in front of my teacher's desk. And I often had to write out my multiplication tables due to talking. At that point in the conversation, it hit me. I am the culprit. He got it from me! The naughty chattiness came from me.

Oh sweet child of mine, I am so sorry that you inherited my chattiness. But you are still grounded and have extra chores.

And my amazingly forgiving man... I apologize for blaming you for everything. You are a good man.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Sabrina where have you been?

2009-01-26T06:30:00.001-05:00

Well, to be quite honest with you, I have been in a funk. Can't place it... just a funk. Oh well, no worries. It is over now. Plus nothing much has been going on anyway.

The missions weekend at church went well. The ladies loved the brunch. The only faux pas (fox pause) is I ran out of chicken salad. I had a cool apron to wear that my friend Rindy had given me. It says Chef Sabrina. Part of being a success is appearing like you know what you are doing. At least I told myself that.
One gal came up to me and said "I didn't know you did catering". In my insecurity I had no idea how to take that, so I said, "I didn't know I was one either". I really didn't follow my own rule, of appearing like I know what I am doing, in that situation. The one dish that was a huge success was the French Toast Casserole. I will post on that sometime. It is a total indulgance. Oh and the Hot Fruit Salad from Big Red Kitchen was a winner too.

You know how I wailed and moaned about doing that brunch? Well, then I got to spend some time with the various missionaries. Um, talk about humiliating... I got to hear about real "suffering for Jesus". Ouch a painful reality check. What a great act of faith to follow that calling into the mission field. I know we are all called but I am talkin' about the far far away ones and the persecuted ones. It really made me appreciate my sheltered and spoiled existance.

My Ravens lost to the Steelers. I was so bummed. Even one of the kids in the neighborhood came by and said he felt bad for me. He actually came over to play with my boy but he did say sorry.

Hmmm... I've worked at the preschool. One of the kids told her mom that Jules and I hit her. It was cool though, I know her mom. She laughed about it. This little angel has also threatened her parents that she will tell Ms Sabrina that they were bad and I would spank them. By the way, we really don't hit the kids, at least not that hard.
I'm just kidding. Don't get your knickers in a bunch.

I got to go riding last Friday. I had not ridden in over a month. Although it was a short ride I have been sore for two days. I am so old.

I went for a check up recently. I have to get a mammogram now that I am 40. Lord, help me I am so old.

We finished painting the family room. Picture coming soon.

Oh, on a good note. I have lost 4 pounds.

Well, you are all caught up. That didn't take long.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Under pressure

2009-01-06T21:48:00.006-05:00

This week has/is a long one. I had to go back to work. I just work at a pre-school. I work with two year olds. I have been doing this for 3 years now. I am a little jaded at this point. I teach with my friend Jules. I seriously couldn't make it without her. Let me give you a glimpse into the elusive pre-school world. We have a kid in our class that his parents describe him as 'exceptional'. Well, exceptional he is...
Today we were working on a color sheet and this is the dialogue I had.
'Exceptional' says... "I need more sex."
Me... "huh"
'Exceptional'... " I need more sex"
Jules... "yeh, we all do". She never misses a beat.
me... "What is it?"... "did I hear him right?"
'Exceptional'... "I need more sex"
me... "one more time sweetie..you want more crayons?
'Exceptional'... "No, I need more sex"
This went on for a little more. I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. Ok... I am sure I just couldn't decipher what he was trying to get across. But it was amusing nonetheless.

Later on... I was reading a book about a puppy. The puppy was trying to get out of the gate in the fence. I asked the class...
me... "what would happen if the puppy ran out the fence?"
'Exceptional'..."that would suck"
me... yes, yes it would. Or, he might get lost.

This is our future.
*******************

On to the home front....

And this is my mess at home. My man received paint from my folks for Christmas. Lucky guy.

So, we were going to begin painting the family room. Step One... take everything off the walls, patch holes, and move the furniture away from the walls. And Step One is as far as we have gotten. Some how this disaray effects me emotionally. I am in disaray.

Finally... I am in charge of the food for a women's brunch at church on Friday. I thought I was just volunteering to to help with food. In my mind this meant bring a dish. But since no one else offered help, I am now in charge of food. so, I am getting a bit stressed. But is isn't stopping at Friday morning. My man told me yesterday that we have to make chili for a missions dinner Friday night. Then, for the Saturday night Missions dinner, I am in charge of appetizers. All that keeps going through my head is the Queen song, Under Pressure. I understand for most this isn't a big deal. But I am easily overwhelmed.

These are my character flaws... easily amused by helpless two year olds and easily overwhelmed by how much and what stuff to buy for a crowd.

I know this post is all over the place... I am watching House Hunters International as I write. I would love to be shoping for a flat in Paris right about now.

***This was written Tuesday but I had trouble uploading the picture.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Some more scenes of Christmas

2009-01-02T13:54:00.013-05:00

Happy New Years everyone.
I missed my one New Year's special thing... I missed the Rose Parade. Can you believe it? One of my favorite things and I missed it. We were taking down all the Christmas stuff. And I didn't even realize I missed it until today. My man said my goal of being productive got in the way of one of the highlights of my year. Gee thanks I feel better about it already.

Here are some more scenes of Christmas. These are with my man's family. They are big givers. I don't even bother trying to keep up with pictures.

****Caution PG-13 stuff****
Below is my father in law. He is wearing his new Christmas shirt, which makes me laugh every time I see it. He is full of Christmas spirit.

This is my niece Miss K. She is two.

She got a new camera for Christmas. A blogger in the making.

Here is another neice, Baby C. I could eat her up with a spoon she is so cute.

Ok, just a couple more..... my boy asked for a pocket knife for Christmas. Tell me what you think...
Does anyone else see a problem with an 8yr old walking around with a dagger? Or is it just me? This put a whole new meaning to the line from A Christmas Story..."You'll put your eye out".

Finally, speaking of A Christmas Story... my man got this...
Have a happy day!
Sabrina

I think I can

2008-12-31T07:30:00.003-05:00

The man and I are going on a cruise in February. We are both fat and the cruise is 8 weeks away.

I am a last minute person. Normally eight weeks is not last minute. But, quite frankly, in the weight loss game it is. This week we embarked on a crunch time weight loss plan. We are getting 'serious'. At least that's what we say we are doing. My man has a better work ethic than me. He will put his mind to something and it will get done. I however am like a kitten. I stay focused for about...... ummm what was I talking about? You get the point.

So, what does this mean to you. Well, pretty much nothing. But I thought that if I occasionally blog about it then I will be more accountable. So, reader (all 3 of you) beware.

Yesterday I wrote down what I ate. Looked up fast weight loss on WebMD. Bought some fruits and vegetables. Then we went to Outback for dinner. And ordered cheese fries. Do you see any humor in this? I hang my head in shame.

But wait.... there is a glimmer of hope. For the record... I think the amount of cheese fries on the platter have decreased. I only had a small slice of cheese fries. Lord have mercy, do you know the amount of will power and restraint that took? I practically broke a sweat. For dinner I had chicken on the barbie (BBQ sauce on the side) AND I cut it in half! I only had the vegetables for a side.

When we got home my man said he wanted to work out. I just wanted to put on sweats and watch TV. In my opinion, I had worked out the equivalent of an hour by not eating all the cheese fries. He said 'Nay, nay'. Again the work ethic of that man. So, I got on the treadmill for 10 minutes and the eliptical for 10minutes. Not alot but something. Oh, and I did some weight training. Key word being some.

When I woke up this morning I felt it. Surely, I have lost 5-7lbs. Not so. Oh the injustices of this sin filled world.

***I made it 25min. today. Yippee****
Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Scenes of Christmas

2008-12-30T08:52:00.010-05:00

We spent Christmas at my parents house this year. We all ejoyed it very much.

My girl learned to cross-stitch. Grandmother showed her and she just took off. She did about 1 a day.

She tried to teach her brother. She told him it is something he can do down at Grandmother and Grand-daddy's house and his friends won't have to know. I thought that was very considerate.

He did not take to cross-stitching. And went back to his computer games.

Both learned to play Dominoes. I think we played this every day we were there. It was nice something all three generations could play. However, I was a bit ashamed to be beat by 8 and 1 year olds.

It was the season of games. We as a family got lots of games.

This picture makes me laugh. Bobo got his rip-stick. He had to wait til we got home to ride it because Grand-daddy lives on a gravely road.

Peanut is into Aeropostle clothing now. Fortunately they have great sales. I was able to hit up the clearance rack and get load up on t-shirts for $2.99 a piece. Love it!

Even Skye received some special Christmas treats.

It was wonderful to celebrate the Saviour's birth and the blessings He has given us with family.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

I love this man.

2008-12-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Do you see that guy? He is the most wonderful man ever. The other day we took the dog for a walk together. It was great us just walking and talking. Then we rounded the corner and he saw a car backing out a parking space and noticed they had a flat tire. My man jogged on over and waved them down to tell them they had a flat. They said thanks and started to park their car again. We were about to continue our walk when he said, 'I should go help that guy out'. Ok.. it was in the 20's that day. My man and this older gentleman changed the tire fairly quickly. And in no time we were continuing our walk. I was so proud of my man. He is like this all the time. And I say that completely honestly. He is the nicest guy ever and I love him so much. I am so happy God made him for me. I will stop gushing now.
Have a happy day.
Sabrina

SANTA.... I know him!

2008-12-21T07:00:00.007-05:00

My man and I were sittin' around watching TV with the Bobo and we heard a weird noise. We both looked at each other with the look of 'What was that weird noise?'. Then a slight pause from me of... oh I hope he hops up first to check it out. It really is survival island at our home.

But just then I realized what is was.... Firetrucks.... I yelled 'SANTA'. And ran to the front door. Honest to goodness it was like this scene in Elf.

So the 3 of us ran outside and saw all the various trucks and golf carts drive by decorated and music blaring. No joke the music is LOUD. I feel sorry for those with babies. But then I don't care because, hello, it's SANTA driving through the neighborhood.

Can you see is glove? It has 3 fingers and a thumb like Mickey Mouse.

I kept nudging my little guy saying 'look, wave, say Merry Christmas'. He did do a little wave. But he wasn't near as excited as me. You see, he still believes in Santa. But he has been asking all of us if we do. I think the word is getting out at school about the fat man. This is the one area of learning the cold hard truth of life I leave to my kid's peers. They will get the 'sex ed' talk at home. (I'll make my man do that job too) but I will not be the one to tarnish the Christmas spirit.

Oh, before you get all bent out of shape about keeping Christ in Christmas. Yes, we do that. We have been doing family devotions and celebrating Advent. Christ has had more 'air time' than Santa in our home. But santa is still fun to do. Afterall, this might be our last year.

Where was the Peanut you ask??? Across the street at a sleep over. We asked the next morning 'Did you see santa?' Oh yeah, she replied and 'he brought us presents' she said with with glee. Although she no longer believes, she will rake in the goodies for the benefit of others. She is so selfless that one.

The Cookie Exchange

2008-12-17T16:18:00.004-05:00

Last weekend I went to a cookie exchange at my friend Rindy's house. Go over to her site, KitchenKlique, to get a look at her gorgeous house and all the awesome food we had. Rindy's friend Sarah coordinates the exchange with her. Both ladies are wonderful hostesses and amazingly creative. I made chocolate peanut clusters which I will post later. Oh, and check out BigRedKitchen's post on Rindy & Sarah's cookie exchange.

Have a happy day!
Sabrina

Christmas Parade

2008-12-16T16:14:00.011-05:00

This past weekend I was in charge of organizing riders from our barn to be in the local Christmas parade. I had never done this before. Let me fill you in on what I learned.
* First, find out how many horses the owner of the barn wants to take. You see, I put an open sign up sheet out. We ended up having to do three loads of horses.
*Don't put ribbons in the ponies braided hair the night before. The ponies shake them out and they end up in the poo.
*Don't worry about everyone matching because it will be so cold the children will need their coats on anyway.
*Have someone to pick up poop during the parade. I did not have this arranged. It turns out there is a poo crew. There was a small group that came around after all the horses and picked up poo. Ewww. But somebody's got to do it. I wonder if 'Got Poo?' is their slogan. Here are some photos of the parade.

pacing the ponies waiting for another load to arrive.

going down the path to get to the parade route, we had to stop traffic twice

you see that poor boy in the black coat? This was not his idea of fun on a Saturday morning. But he was a team player and made it through the whole parade and tossed out candy.

waiting for the parade to begin. Brrr it was so cold.

finally the parade begins. That is my man and my girl.

A Weekend to Remember

2008-12-12T06:30:00.000-05:00

A couple of months ago I went away for the weekend with a friend, P, and her daughter, Chicken Fried (cause that's the song she likes). We went to Bull Pasture Mountain Ranch. There we had a weekend in the autumn mountains and all the trail riding we could handle.

We arrived Friday afternoon and had time to do a short trail ride before dinner. All the food was prepared for us on an open campfire. We stayed in a lovely cabin with private outhouse. It is the one in the title picture.

sunrise from our cabin

Saturday we got up early for breakfast. The two things I remember about breakfast are the cooked apples (AMAZING) and the cowboy coffee.

can you see the peculator on top of the rock on the fire?

Hmmm Cowboy coffee this is a brew that isn't offered at Starbucks. They just told me it was a little stronger than regular coffee and it is cooked on the open fire. Fine by me as I am not a morning person. You know, it was pretty good. And yes it was stronger than I normally have. Then they dropped the bomb.... they put a horseshoe in during the brew. I threw up a little in my mouth. And I didn't have the hustpa to ask if it was a new or dirty old horseshoe. 'Cause you see we were surrounded by cowboys. In full cowboy regalia... the hats, the chaps, vests, bandannas and even a bolo tie or two. We on the other hand were in our tasteful english riding attire with riding helmets. Needless to say the three of us stood out. Not to mention that P and Chicken Fried have accents of the UK persuasion.

Chicken Fried and P

Onto the riding. We rode a total of about 8 hours on Saturday. The trails were well marked and we could ride at our leisure. The scenery was gorgeous. The fall colors were breath-taking. And I mean in a good way not a bad way like Elaine on Seinfeld. See...

Sunday was our last day. And we went off the ranch for a trail ride sponsored by the local volunteer fire department. Again surrounded by cowboys. This ride was a little different, we had to stick together as a group. And I ain't talkin' about a wee little group. I'm talkin about a big group of 50+. And we would stop VERY OFTEN to let everyone gather around. Our first stop was about 10 minutes into the ride. I'm thinking oh perhaps some others are joining us. Oh, no. It was the first of many stops for everyone to drink. first stop

Seriously?!?! Yep, little groups would cluster and pass around a bottle. I didn't ask. Probably moonshine. Who knows. Then we would ride a bit and stop to chat and drink.

Ride, stop, chat, drink, ride, stop, chat, drink, ride, stop, chat, drink.

I think you get the picture. P, Chicken Fried and I did not participate in the drink part. I'm a crappy horse rider on my own, I don't need to add alcohol. P is too civilized (I could learn a thing or two) and Chicken Fried is underage. At one point I think our guide was a little lost in the woods, literally. But we finally found our way back to where lunch was served. All in all the ride was nice.

Again the views were amazing. But a ride that could have/ should have taken an hour, took 3 1/2!

After lunch, which was good even for meatloaf, we loaded up our horses and drove home. It was a great weekend away the accommodations and food at Bull Pasture Mountain Ranch were awesome. And the trails were fun. I would definitely do it again if P and Chicken Fried invited me. 'Cause I can only go with them since they own the horses.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Thanksgiving

2008-12-09T18:30:00.002-05:00

Here are a couple of things that came home from school last week. They are a couple of projects from Thanksgiving they had to do in class. This is the Bobo's, he is in 3rd grade.

Here is what it says since handwriting is not a strong point. And neither are my photography skills for that matter.

I'm too fat please don't eat me. I have three children. please don't eat me. Please fine we want (spelled won't) to eat with you. Ok! I'll go. I am on a diet but who cares. We have diet coke and Diet Mountain Dew. Yummmm.

Oh, it only gets better. Here is the Peanut's Thanksgiving project. Her class (5th grade) was divided up into groups. They were given the sales papers for local grocery stores. They had to come up with a Thanksgiving menu from the fliers and stay under $75. Here is the menu her group came up with.

I know my photography leaves alot to be desired. Actually, it is just flat out bad. But the kids planned a great meal. Just look at the dessert selection 2 pumpkin pies, an apple pie, ice cream, Klondike bars and Redi-whip. How great is that? And the drink selections...Yellow tail wine and Michelob beer. All I can say is that at least it wasn't just my kid there planning this meal. On the plus side they came in under budget. And I would eat with this group anytime.

I just love when I get a glimpse into the minds of my kids.
Have a happy day.
Sabrina

What we have been up to...Pt 5. Did I mention football

2008-12-08T06:30:00.000-05:00

Here are some more football pictures. My boy, Bobo, looks over this blog more than anyone I know. He is very conscience of the number of his pictures And for the autumn season football took up most of his time. Here is what we experienced.

We watched him sit and sit and sit.

Then we would get to see him in action for 10 minutes.

Go Bobo go!

We are very proud of him. He improved throughout the season. I didn't take many pictures because we had a family friend who is an amazing photographer at the games taking pictures. We have a DVD of the season. It is awesome. So, for this blog you get to experience my low quality photos. Oh, and I didn't take any pictures during practices. I should have. Hindsite is 20/20, as the saying goes.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Yikes! Dingleberries

2008-12-06T06:30:00.004-05:00

At least I'm not alone in my toilet paper caught in my butt fur peril. Obviously, others have this problem if they make a commercial about it.

I'm just kidding. But I did laugh out loud when I first saw this on TV. Ironically, my man was in the bathroom at the time so I had to pause until he came out. So he could appreciate the craziness. Seriously, I can't believe they are trying to appeal to folks with TP stuck to their hineys. I am laughing now just thinking about it.

What we have been up to.... part 4 ... The pony show

2008-12-05T06:30:00.004-05:00

The Peanut did one horse show this fall. It was at a more fancy place then we normally go. And the riders were more experienced. But she held her own. Here she is in the practice arena. I'm sure there is a fair amount of etiquette to be observed here but I have no idea about it so I just sent her in to join the other riders and do whatever they were practicing.

It was rainy and foggy that day so the outside ring was pretty muddy. I had to wipe the pony and Peanut down before they went to the indoor arena to event. FYI... baby wipes are helpful at horse shows. Some of the other fancy trainers did not know this and I had to 'skool' them in the way of Hillbilly mom. Evidently, there are horse leg warmer type things you can put on the pony to keep them clean. Who knew?

I would show you some of the pictures of the event but I couldn't get any good shots. I will tell you this... Cocoa, the pony that Peanut rode, did very well. However, in the middle of going through the circuit of jumps he decided to stop. Everyone gasped. Peanut kicked and kicked, told him to 'move on' but he would not. You see, Cocoa had to poop. And Cocoa doesn't poop on the move. He lifted his tail proudly and pooped in front of all the fancy horse show people. Once he was done he went on and they made it over all the jumps with ease. He had to get the lead out.

Did Peanut place or win any ribbons? No. But we were remembered. Afterward, as were walking around and packing up, folks would ask us "Is that the pony that pooped in the ring?".

"Yes" we would say with pride. "This is Cocoa the pooper."

Do you like his 'feathered' bangs? He is so 80's.
Oops, I was just corrected it is his forelock. My bad.

Yeh, I think we came out the real winners here. We are known.
***Just keepin' it real.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

FOOTBALL What we have been up to...pt 3

2008-12-03T06:30:00.002-05:00

This is Bobo after the Mud Bowl. It rained throughout the game and he only played for one (1) quarter. Let me tell you about football. It is the never ending season. It starts in the heat of August with training. We lucked out and were on vacation for a week. However, the season lasts until the end of October or into November, depending how long you last in playoffs. The practices are intense and the games are intens-er (I know it isn't a real word). And since the boy is new to the team he only plays for the second quarter (10 min.s) A whole lot of waiting for 10 minutes of glory.

Bobo started out hating football, well at least all the running they did in August. I was asked not to sit and watch the practices because he would run to me. At one point he would not get out of the van and I had to literally crawl in the back and push him out the side door, him trying to stay in with all four limbs stretched out holding on (imagine a cat not wanting to go in a cat carrier, all four legs stretched out). I shoved him out and slammed the door, shimmied up to the front to lock him out and then tried to drive off without running over my son while he ran along the side of the van. That was a low point in my mothering.

Once the tackle practices began he loved it and can't wait for next season. And he is always playing football with the neighborhood boys. So we all stuck it out and came out better for it.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Life Lessons

2008-12-02T22:25:00.004-05:00

Around here we are all about teachable moments with our children. Those little times when so much knowledge can be give to the precious open minds of the young. Here are a couple.

Last Friday the peanut and I were driving down the road and the song Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven by Kenney Chesney was on the radio. I thought what an opportune time to talk about seeing our Heavenly Father. Here's how it went...

Me... I like this song but I think if people really knew what heaven was like they would want to go right away.

Peanut... yeh, especially with the gold and mansions.

Me... that will be cool, but I was thinking more about there won't be any worries or pain. We will be so happy praising God.

Peanut.... is that all we are going to do?

Me... Y'know I have wondered about that too but I think we will all be so happy to be with Jesus praising Him won't be a chore.

Peanut.... I think we can praise Him by doing stuff in heaven.

Me... you're right we can praise God by doing well at our jobs. I wonder what they will be. I'm sure it will be something we love.

Peanut... I am going to take care of cats.

Me.... I think I will take care of dogs and play with the tigers and horses.

Yes, I know we are both over achievers. I think I got the most out of that 'teachable moment'. We did go on to talk about how our human minds can't understand how great heaven will be. Regardless, we will still both be in the animal section.

Another moment... again we were driving around in the van. It was just before the election and she asked who I was going to vote for. I said I was going to vote for McCain because he was most in line with my opinions. She told me she would vote for Obama because he is African American. And if he was in office then rest of the world would see that America really was equal for everyone. I started to tell her how wonderful that would be but we need to pick a president for what they stand for not their skin color or gender. Just as I was about to talk more, she said... yeh mom, but can you turn the radio up I love Taylor Swift.

That my friends is our future. Cat caregiver and Taylor Swift fan. Aren't you glad that I am taking advantage of these teachable moments?

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

My girl got a pony!..What we have been doing pt2

2008-11-26T06:30:00.001-05:00

Well, not really. Where Peanut rides, they got a new pony and his name is Nico. The owner asked if Peanut could come out and ride to get Nico ready for lessons. So, she gets to ride Nico whenever we can get out there. What fun. It is really like having her own pony. He is a stubborn little fellow. Sometimes he will just stop. Other times he tries bucking. We call him Naughty Nico. But she loves him. Can you tell?

I will have to get a picture of her riding him. It is so cute because he is so little. Needless to say we are driving out to the barn every chance we get. It is a good motivator to finish homework.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

What we have been up to...Part 1

2008-11-25T06:30:00.004-05:00

This is going to be a many part series, since I have slacked off for so long. But I want to get y'all caught up. Most recently, My man and I had our 13th wedding anniversary last week. Ahhhh, how sweet. We didn't do anything but enjoy a evening at home with the kids. A few days later we went to lunch at Red Robin just the two of us. I love their tower of onion rings. We have yet to give our gifts to each other. I want to dance with him and he wants to take a hike (with me). So, hopefully this weekend when my MiL has the kids we can do that. I'll keep you posted. But in the mean time. Here are a few Halloween pictures.

This is Peanut's pumpkin. She carved it herself. It is her puking pumpkin. Gross.

This is the Peanut (on the right) and her neighborhood friend.

Here is the Bobo. He was a Ninja.

I found both costumes at Rite Aid the day before for just about $7 bucks a piece. There is something to be said for waiting to the last minute.

More later
Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Don't call it a come back!...but it is.

2008-11-24T08:40:00.004-05:00

I'm back. My sweet SIL emailed me and asked 'what's up with the blog?'. I have been running around so much I haven't had time... no that's not right. I haven't made time. Nonetheless... i'm back. This commercial makes me laugh. I remember LL Cool J video and he is so tough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSBpJIzvp0o

I don't know how to put videos on this thing yet. Please bear with me.

Have a happy day!
Sabrina

Supper Club at the Ranch

2008-09-24T06:00:00.010-04:00

This past Saturday my man and I went to the Big Red Kitchen for a hootin' and hollarin' good time. You see about 4 years ago Robin, Rindy and I started a supper club. Each couple takes a turn to host the club. The host chooses the theme, menu and sometimes a guest couple. The host sends out the menu and assigns the other couples a dish or two to make. This time Robin hosted and chose a cowboy ranch theme. Oh my goodness, was it fun. My sister-in-law, Christy, loaned me some chaps and I already had a cowboy hat and boots.

Robin, Rindy and me

My man wore his cowboy hat too.

my man, Big Red Kitchen man, and KitchenKlique man

We had Cowboy caviar and armadillo knuckles for appetizers.
The main meal was T-bone steaks, baked potatoes, Texas toast and salad. For dessert we had peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream.

Check out how cute the place setting is. Robin cut the pockets off of her kids worn out jeans. She is so clever.

We also tried axe throwing. That is harder than it looks, I'll just say that. I am going to share some pictures with you. You can read more and see more pictures at Robin and Rindy's sites.

Robin from BigRedKitchen and Rindy from KitchenKlique blog talkin'

At the end of the night we were all sooo full. Just ready to explode. We really enjoy every moment we have with these other couples. True friends are the ones you can share poop jokes and high school year books with. And they are true friends.

Robin sent us home with leftover steak and potatoes. Sunday morning my man made breakfast of steak, eggs and pan fried potatoes. That steak was still tender and yummy.

I want to share with you the recipe we were assigned...Cowboy Caviar. When I was making this I thought I wouldn't like it. It has red peppers and red onions. I am not a fan of either. However, I try to be polite and try things, plus I had to see if it tasted ok before I served it. Heavens to Betsy, it was so good. Even my man liked it and he can't stand peppers. There was just a little left and I brought it on home. My lunch Sunday was cowboy caviar and chips. So, give it a try.

Cowboy Caviar

1/2 cup prepared Italian Dressing

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. chili powder

2 T. chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp tabasco sauce

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can shoepeg corn, drained

1 med red onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 tomato chopped fine

juice of one lime

1 tsp. kosher salt

Mix all together and serve with Tostito chips.

the ingredients

chopping peppers and onions... baby girl took this photo while I chopped.

my baby girl adding the spices.

Here is Sky begging. She'll beg for anything. She even ate a piece of red pepper that fell on the floor. Crazy mutt.

Have a happy day.
Sabrina

Guess what I got a couple of weeks ago?

2008-09-22T16:24:00.006-04:00

I was out picking up poop in the yard. Poop deposited in the yard from this pretty girl.

Her name is Sky. I love my dog but I don't like her smelly poop. Anyhow, I was picking up poop with a grocery bag on my hand when I saw some weeds in my flower bed. So I decided to pick those too. Nothing like being productive. Well, this one weed looked to me like poison ivy but I thought, "no problem, I have a bag over my hand". Within a week my arm looked like this

and this.
Delightful, huh. It has itched like crazy. If I don't wear long sleeve shirts when I am around people, they say "Eww, what's that?". I think of saying, "It's a flesh eating disease" and then rub them with my arm. But I tell them the story and feel like a dork. Finally, this week it is starting to go away. So much for being productive and thinking plastic bags are protection. Along with the warning that the bag is not a toy it should say will protect against poop but not poison ivy. This, along with the snake I've seen, is why I limit my yard work.
Have a happy day!
Sabrina

Sharing my blog addiction

2008-09-15T09:13:00.003-04:00

Well, I've decided to stick with Bri's Tiki Bar mostly because I can't come up with anything better. This is a quick post but I will get better. My friends Robin and Rindy got me hooked on blogs. And I have turned back. I want to share this post with you from another blogger. She has a beautiful, God honoring story. She is real. This post just spoke to me. It was like a devotional. Read this one and when you have time read her entire story of Audrey Caroline. All I can say is beautiful. Have a great day.

Things that keep me up at night

2008-08-18T09:11:00.006-04:00

Well, we are finally back home. Oh, how sweet it is. Even though we had a wonderful time with all our family, there is nothing like your own bed. However, I did have some trouble getting to sleep a few nights. I was contemplating this blog. Is the name ok??? I was concerned about my Southern Baptists roots. Is it offensive to have 'bar' in the title? Will this be a poor reflection on my family? Can I still talk about what God may be working on in my life with the word bar in the title? You see, I think only So. Baptists can rival the Catholics with guilt. So, I thought should I make it Bri's Tiki Hut? Yeh, hut. A hut is not somewhere I want to hang out. It sounds like an out-house. It just doesn't have the same feel. I don't think cool breezes and listening to the surf in a hut. When I think of a tiki bar. I think of the times I have been at the beach completely relaxed, sitting around joking around and talking with my friends. That's the feel I'm going far relaxing good times shared with friends and family. I think those last three sentences were pretty much stated in the first post. Sorry. So, after laying awake for literally hours... I am going to stick with Bri's Tiki Bar. What do you think?

Opening Statement

2008-08-14T12:00:00.003-04:00

Well, I'm on vacation in Mississippi visiting my brother and his family. And it is the only time I have had my man without something to do in a long while. So, I had him help set this up. Actually, I got stuck on the first question of how to sign my name. He took over from there. Yep, I'm that challenged.

Why did I start this blog??? Well, because I have a couple of friends with blogs and I can't be left out. Rindy is at Kitchen Klique and Robin is at The Big Red Kitchen. Their blogs are so cool. Awesome recipes. Don't expect that of me. I don't cook so well. Sometimes I might post a recipe but I don't invent them. I swipper (like the fox on Dora) them.

How did I get the name???? Well, yet again not on my own accord. I was just going to do Bri's Blog. Bri is a nickname I had growing up, short for SaBRIna. Genius, I know. But my amazing sis-in-law came up with Bri's Tiki Bar. Thanks Donna! And I thought why not. A tiki bar is a relaxing place where you can just sit and talk with your friends. You can have a yummy margarita, a cold coke, or whatever you like. The conversation flows easy and you just have a good time. That's what this is all about.

What's this blog about??? Absolutely nothing. Kind of like a Seinfeld episode but not near as funny.