So I got my list out today and started thinking about what I want to give everyone for Christmas, and when I came up blank, I started to think about gifts I’d liked that had been given to me. Then I started to laugh.
A few years ago I called my brother Alan and asked if he remembered that really, really, really scary movie we’d watched when we were kids. An ape in a cave–that’s all I had. Trog? he asked. And that was it! Trog! How could I have forgotten something that frightening was beyond me. I’d probably blocked it from my memory.
Anyway, later that year for Christmas my sister gave me Trog and I was amazed! How did you know this movie had been on my mind? Haha. Alan told her to get it for me.
So we watched it after Christmas, and when we put in the DVD I warned my family, (there were a lot of us there) that it was very, very scary. Yes, it said it was rated PG, but I remembered the fear.
And...FUNNIEST MOVIE EVER! Oh, my gosh. We never laughed so hard in our lives. I still giggle when I think of it. My husband still laughs when anyone says Trog. Scary? Well, not so much. Comedy? Not really. But because I had warned everyone so vehemently about what a scary movie it was, it became hilarious! Every scene with Trog had people rolling on the floor! Anyway, we still watch It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, Elf, The Santa Clause, Rudolph and others, but somehow Trog is now a Christmas movie that has to be watched at our house.
Anyone else have any must watch movies at Christmas time? Traditional or otherwise?
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
No Bake Confetti Brownies
This is one of my family's favorite Christmas recipes. I got it from my Grandma and I make it every Christmas season. It tastes better than fudge, and is pretty too because of the colored marshmallows. It makes great neighbor treats at Christmas time.
No Bake Confetti Brownies:
Butter a 9 x 13 Pan (I actually use a bigger pan)
2 cups chopped walnuts
1 bag COLORED miniature marshmallows (the recipe actually calls for 4 cups and there are about 6 cups in a bag, but I like more marshmellows, hence the bigger pan)
6 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups powder sugar
2-- 12 oz. packages semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups evaporated milk
In a large bowl, mix together nuts, marshmallows, crumbs and powder sugar. In a saucepan melt chocolate in evaporated milk over low heat, stirring until thick and smooth. Remove from heat. Reserve 1 cup chocolate mixture for frosting. Add remainder to crumb mixture. Stir until all crumbs are moistened. Turn into pan, press down into pan. Drizzle or spread the reserved chocolate mixture over top. Chill until ready to serve. Cut into pieces. If desired, garnish each piece with a walnut. (I never do)
No Bake Confetti Brownies:
Butter a 9 x 13 Pan (I actually use a bigger pan)
2 cups chopped walnuts
1 bag COLORED miniature marshmallows (the recipe actually calls for 4 cups and there are about 6 cups in a bag, but I like more marshmellows, hence the bigger pan)
6 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups powder sugar
2-- 12 oz. packages semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups evaporated milk
In a large bowl, mix together nuts, marshmallows, crumbs and powder sugar. In a saucepan melt chocolate in evaporated milk over low heat, stirring until thick and smooth. Remove from heat. Reserve 1 cup chocolate mixture for frosting. Add remainder to crumb mixture. Stir until all crumbs are moistened. Turn into pan, press down into pan. Drizzle or spread the reserved chocolate mixture over top. Chill until ready to serve. Cut into pieces. If desired, garnish each piece with a walnut. (I never do)
Friday, December 2, 2011
New Cover!
I love it. Here's the book description:
What if you could pick coins out of the local wishing well and feel the wishes already on them?
When heiress Nicole Madison crashes into the town wishing well, she finds she can feel the wishes already on the coins and see the ghost on the third floor of the old Miners Hospital. Aggravated by her newfound abilities, she tries to make a few wishes come true and when confronted with the overwhelming emotion of a particularly desperate wish, she is determined to help and rid herself of the coin that won’t go away.
If that isn’t enough, small-town cop, Jake Saunders, can’t decide if he’s still carrying a torch for her, or wants her out of his town as soon as possible. Throw in a confused and vengeful ghost, a search-and-rescue guy trying to find himself, Mad Dan The Radio Man hot on her tail for an interview, and the sculptor determined to turn nude artist, and Nicole can’t decide if her newfound ability is a curse she brought upon herself, or a wish come true.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Cute jokes--
Alas, where has all our innocence gone?
While I sat in the reception area
of my doctor's office, a woman rolled an elderly man
in a wheelchair into the room. As she went
to the receptionist's desk, the man sat there, alone
and silent. Just as I was thinking I should make
small talk with him, a little boy slipped off
his mother's lap and walked over to
the wheelchair. Placing his hand on the
man's, he said, I know how you feel. My
mom makes me ride in the stroller too..'
*****
As I was nursing
my baby, my cousin's six-year-old
daughter, Krissy, came into the room.
Never having seen anyone breast feed
before, she was intrigued and full of all
kinds of questions about what I was doing.
After mulling over my answers, she remarked,
'My mom has some of those, but I don't think she knows how to use them..'
*****
Out bicycling
one day with my eight-year-old
granddaughter, Carolyn, I got a little
wistful. 'In ten years,' I said, 'you'll want
to be with your friends and you won't go
walking, biking, and swimming with me like you do
now. Carolyn shrugged. 'In ten years you'll be
too old to do all those things anyway.'
******
Working as a pediatric
nurse, I had the difficult assignment
of giving immunization shots to children..
One day, I entered the examining room to give
four-year-old Lizzie her needle. 'No, no, no!' she
screamed. 'Lizzie,' scolded her mother, 'that's
not polite behavior.' With that, the girl
yelled even louder, 'No, thank you! No, thank
you!
******
On the way back from a Cub
Scout meeting, my grandson innocently said to my son,
'Dad, I know babies come from mommies' tummies, but
how do they get there in the first place?' After my
son hemmed and hawed awhile, my grandson finally
spoke up in disgust, 'You don't have to make
up something, Dad. It's okay if you don't
know the answer.'
*****
Just before I
was deployed to Iraq , I sat my eight-year-old
son down and broke the news to him. 'I'm
going to be away for a long time,' I told
him. 'I'm going to Iraq ..' 'Why?' he
asked. 'Don't you know there's a war going
on over there?'
*****
Paul Newman
founded the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for
children stricken with cancer, AIDS, and blood
diseases. One afternoon, he and is wife,
Joanne Woodward, stopped by to have lunch with
the kids. A counselor at a nearby
table, suspecting the young patients
wouldn't know Newman was a famous movie star,
explained, That's the man who made this camp
possible. Maybe you've seen his picture on
his salad dressing bottle?' Blank
stares. 'Well, you've probably seen his face on
his lemonade carton.' An eight-year-old girl
perked up. 'How long was he missing?'
*****
and my personal favorite
God's Problem Now:
His wife's graveside service was just barely finished, when there was a
massive clap of thunder, followed by a tremendous bolt of lightning, accompanied
by even more thunder rumbling in the distance. The little, old man looked at
the pastor and calmly said, "Well, she's there."
While I sat in the reception area
of my doctor's office, a woman rolled an elderly man
in a wheelchair into the room. As she went
to the receptionist's desk, the man sat there, alone
and silent. Just as I was thinking I should make
small talk with him, a little boy slipped off
his mother's lap and walked over to
the wheelchair. Placing his hand on the
man's, he said, I know how you feel. My
mom makes me ride in the stroller too..'
*****
As I was nursing
my baby, my cousin's six-year-old
daughter, Krissy, came into the room.
Never having seen anyone breast feed
before, she was intrigued and full of all
kinds of questions about what I was doing.
After mulling over my answers, she remarked,
'My mom has some of those, but I don't think she knows how to use them..'
*****
Out bicycling
one day with my eight-year-old
granddaughter, Carolyn, I got a little
wistful. 'In ten years,' I said, 'you'll want
to be with your friends and you won't go
walking, biking, and swimming with me like you do
now. Carolyn shrugged. 'In ten years you'll be
too old to do all those things anyway.'
******
Working as a pediatric
nurse, I had the difficult assignment
of giving immunization shots to children..
One day, I entered the examining room to give
four-year-old Lizzie her needle. 'No, no, no!' she
screamed. 'Lizzie,' scolded her mother, 'that's
not polite behavior.' With that, the girl
yelled even louder, 'No, thank you! No, thank
you!
******
On the way back from a Cub
Scout meeting, my grandson innocently said to my son,
'Dad, I know babies come from mommies' tummies, but
how do they get there in the first place?' After my
son hemmed and hawed awhile, my grandson finally
spoke up in disgust, 'You don't have to make
up something, Dad. It's okay if you don't
know the answer.'
*****
Just before I
was deployed to Iraq , I sat my eight-year-old
son down and broke the news to him. 'I'm
going to be away for a long time,' I told
him. 'I'm going to Iraq ..' 'Why?' he
asked. 'Don't you know there's a war going
on over there?'
*****
Paul Newman
founded the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for
children stricken with cancer, AIDS, and blood
diseases. One afternoon, he and is wife,
Joanne Woodward, stopped by to have lunch with
the kids. A counselor at a nearby
table, suspecting the young patients
wouldn't know Newman was a famous movie star,
explained, That's the man who made this camp
possible. Maybe you've seen his picture on
his salad dressing bottle?' Blank
stares. 'Well, you've probably seen his face on
his lemonade carton.' An eight-year-old girl
perked up. 'How long was he missing?'
*****
and my personal favorite
God's Problem Now:
His wife's graveside service was just barely finished, when there was a
massive clap of thunder, followed by a tremendous bolt of lightning, accompanied
by even more thunder rumbling in the distance. The little, old man looked at
the pastor and calmly said, "Well, she's there."
Monday, October 24, 2011
Taco Soup
One of my favorite dinners to make this time of year is Taco Soup. Love this recipe!
1 lb. ground beef.
1 small onion, chopped.
16 oz. can tomatoes with liquid.
1 16 oz. can of kidney beans, rinsed.
1 16 oz can of corn with liquid
8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 envelope of taco seasoning
1 bag of original Fritos
shredded cheese
sour cream
sliced olives
I like to make this in the crock pot, but you can bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes if you'd rather. Brown beef and saute onion. Place beef, onion, tomatoes, beans, corn, tomato sauce, and seasoning mix in the crockpot on high for 3 hours. Stir and scoop into bowls. Add chips, cheese, sour cream and olives to individual bowls of soup as a garnish.
Enjoy!!
(Glazed doughnuts or brown sugar muffins go well with this. Recipe for muffins to follow!)
1 lb. ground beef.
1 small onion, chopped.
16 oz. can tomatoes with liquid.
1 16 oz. can of kidney beans, rinsed.
1 16 oz can of corn with liquid
8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 envelope of taco seasoning
1 bag of original Fritos
shredded cheese
sour cream
sliced olives
I like to make this in the crock pot, but you can bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes if you'd rather. Brown beef and saute onion. Place beef, onion, tomatoes, beans, corn, tomato sauce, and seasoning mix in the crockpot on high for 3 hours. Stir and scoop into bowls. Add chips, cheese, sour cream and olives to individual bowls of soup as a garnish.
Enjoy!!
(Glazed doughnuts or brown sugar muffins go well with this. Recipe for muffins to follow!)
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Made me laugh...
HIS AND HER DIARY FOR THE SAME DAY:
Her Diary:
Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a nice restaurant for dinner. I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it. Conversation wasn't flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed, but he didn't say much. I asked him what was wrong; He said, 'Nothing.' I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said he wasn't upset, that it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it. On the way home, I told him that I loved him. He smiled slightly, and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior I don't know why he didn't say, 'I love you, too.' When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there quietly, and watched TV. He continued to seem distant and absent. Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed. About 15 minutes later, he came to bed. But I still felt that he was distracted, and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep - I cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else. My life is a disaster.
His Diary:
Boat wouldn't start, can't figure out why.
Her Diary:
Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a nice restaurant for dinner. I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it. Conversation wasn't flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed, but he didn't say much. I asked him what was wrong; He said, 'Nothing.' I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said he wasn't upset, that it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it. On the way home, I told him that I loved him. He smiled slightly, and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior I don't know why he didn't say, 'I love you, too.' When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there quietly, and watched TV. He continued to seem distant and absent. Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed. About 15 minutes later, he came to bed. But I still felt that he was distracted, and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep - I cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else. My life is a disaster.
His Diary:
Boat wouldn't start, can't figure out why.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
She's Just Right is now available for sale! I'm so excited! I absolutely love the cover and I loved writing this book. It ended up finaling in the Golden Heart Contest which was a huge thrill for me. I've recieved a lot of really good feedback on the story and the fairy tale element seems to have a lot of people excited to read it. Happy reading!
She's Just Right on Kindle
She's Just Right on Nook
She's Just Right on Kindle
She's Just Right on Nook
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Holes
Yesterday my husband was digging in the front yard-- a sprinkler leak-- and for some reason I suddenly had the overwhelming desire to reread Holes by Louis Sachar. =)
JK Wedding Entrance Dance
It's springtime and we're already getting a few wedding invites in the mail. =) The latest one was so cute and it reminded me of this video, one of my all time faves. This couple looks like they're having a ton of fun at their wedding! I love that. =)
Friday, April 8, 2011
Volkswagen Commercial: The Force
I love this ad! Seriously, thumbs up to Volkswagen. Not a line of dialogue, no facial expression from the kid, just a simple concept with perfect timing.
Validation
Aw... I love this short film. So beautiful. It made me smile. TJ Thyne is a favorite actor of mine and he and Vicki were awesome!
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