Merry Christmas!

Hello Everyone!

I just want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.


Make sure to make time for family, enjoy this season, and, of course, eat lots (that's what New Year Resolutions are for)! :)

Halloween Costume--Part 1: The Teaser

I am still excited to show you our costume. I know it's taken some time, but the best things come when you wait...right??

Here's a sneak peak at our costume. More pictures will come later. I promise! :D

Apple Cider Pancakes

A couple of Saturday mornings ago I made some of the best pancakes I've ever made. I called them Apple Cider Pancakes.

*Disclaimer: I didn't use a recipe. I just made it up, but if you do know of an actual recipe called Apple Cider Pancakes, I'd love to take a look at it and try it. :) *

I didn't get a picture, because Derf and I ate them up pretty quick. Well, I did have left-overs just for me Sunday morning, but I still didn't even think of taking a picture, lol.

When we got up Saturday morning, I didn't know what to have for breakfast. At first I was going to make French Toast, but the bread was bad. So, I asked Andrew if he wanted pancakes instead. I didn't really want pancakes because when I've eaten pancakes more than 3 times over the course of a few months, I get tired of them--especially the pre-made mix. However, we are a little tight on money right now (having to pay for a roof...oh the joys of home-ownership) and I couldn't just go out and get something. So, I decided to make do with the pancakes.

I started mixing it up and realized that last time I used the mix, I added a little nutmeg and cinnamon to the mix and it perked it up some. So, I thought I'd take it a step further. You see, I've been in the mood for all kinds of fall-spiced foods--the apple cider, pumpkin/sweet potato pie, etc. I told Derf I wanted some pumpkin spice (if that even exists, I'm not sure...) and he told me to we had some cloves. YES! That was it. I took a whiff of that and thought of apple cider! From there I took some cinnamon and some vanilla and added it to the pancake mix. Then, I sliced up a honey crisp apple paper thin and placed it on top of each pancake as it was cooking.

Man! This stuff was great! As far a recipe of how I made it....I couldn't really tell you, lol. What I did was use my nose, really. Do you know the Disney Pixar movie Ratatouille? Well, if you don't it's about a rat who learns how to cook...yes, childish, but it's a great movie. Anyway, Remy, the rat, doesn't use measurements or a recipe, he uses his nose to see if it smells good. So, that's what I do. And yes, I am learning to cook my own recipes using Disney movie ideas that are probably slightly bogus anyway. :-/ Hey, whatever works right?

Well, if you want to try this out, here's a basic recipe. Just remember, I'm guessing at what I used. I basically used my nose to figure out how spicy I wanted it.

Apple Cider Pancakes

*Pancake Mix or Base Pancake Recipe

*Ground cloves (I probably used 2-3 tsps for a 8 or 9-batch base pancake recipe)

*Cinnamon (about 1 tsp)

*Vanilla (about 1 tsp)

*1 apple (a more tart apple than a honey crisp will probably work best) half thin, shaved slices and half cubed

*Powdered sugar (for topping)

*Warm syrup of choice (for topping)

Heat skillet or griddle to a medium heat. Make Base Pancake Recipe/Mix as directed. Add Ground Cloves, Cinnamon, and Vanilla, and wisk until well blended. (This is where I get close and smell the flavors blending.) Add more Cinnamon or Ground Cloves as desired. Spray the cooking surface with non-stick cooking spray. Spoon desired amount of batter onto cooking surface. Lay slices of apple on top. Cook for about 1 minute or so and then flip. (At this point, if you're not a seasoned cook with pancakes, follow the Mix or Recipe's guidelines for when to flip.) Top pancakes with powdered sugar, syrup, and some cubed apples.

*Note: You can use cubed apples inside the pancakes if you want. It takes a few more seconds or so to cook and it's a little harder to flip. (Well, that's what happened to me. You may find a better way to do it, though.)

*Also Note: The Mix tends to be a little dry. Next time, I'm going to use a basic pancake recipe and I hope they'll come out a little more moist.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

-Lee

Just be YOU!
2 Corinthians 10:12

Sorry I have been gone for so long. I have a lot of things to write about, but just haven't had the "umph" or time to do it. Excuses, excuses...I know.

So, where did October go?? I can't believe it's a few days before Halloween, already. Derf and I have a really neat costume. Well, all of about 4 people are going to get it this weekend, but we're excited about it nonetheless. I don't want to spoil the surprise for those who are from my area. I'll post about it after Halloween....or on...depends on how antsy I am to tell ya. :D

Do you know what else the end of October means? HOCKEY!

Yes, I am a hockey fan. Just for UAH's hockey team, though. However, this is the last year the conference we are in, the CHA, will exist.

Next year we won't have a conference to be in, but there are plans in the works for the next year. Even if we do get into another conference, we most likely won't get to play the same teams we have been playing for....as long as I've been in Huntsville. If you'd like more information, that is, before I make a whole post about it soon, google Save UAH Hockey.

Anyway, this weekend's series is against our arch rivals, the Bemidji Beavers! I've got to find a stuffed animal beaver to hang on a hockey stick so people can come by and beat it up throughout the game. Anybody know where I can find one for cheap before Saturday night?

Well, I need to get to finishing up our costumes. I'm so stoked!

Have a great weekend and be safe!

Is It Really October??

Update: I apologize for the... not-pictures at the bottom. I guess they got deleted from their sources.

I guess it is. The calendar, my cell phone, the interwebs, they all say October 1. I just can't believe the year is almost over.

Well, I just wanted to post a little something short and show ya'll why fall is one of my favorite times of the year.

Fried Pies


Image from How to Eat a Cupcake blog.

Here's a post from the fried pies I made earlier this year with my mom's recipe. And here's the pies I'm going to make soon--hopefully by the end of this month. Oh my goodness! I love me some fried pies!

The Colors


Image from Pioneer Woman's Fall Bokeh Post

Oh the reds, greens, yellows, oranges! So beautiful! And the crunchy leaves are a blast. I'm like a kid when I walk outside this time of year. I have to step on all the leaves that look extra crunchy! :D

The Pumpkins


Image from Olive Rue's Sweet Pumpkin Goodness post

Oh the pumpkins... My favorite fall time gourd. Just because it is my favorite, here are some more to finish off this post.


Image from Olive Rue's Sweet Pumpkin Goodness post. I think it's a Martha Stewart creation.


Image from Olive Rue's Sweet Pumpkin Goodness post

Don't forget about the candied apples!


-Lee

What is this round, bright ball in the sky? Is that the sun? Could that be the sun? I think it is. Thank you God for a bright sunny day. :)

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Awesome snacks...Part 2

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Sick Chillas

I had to take Mocha and Pinball to the v-e-t this morning. Mocha’s teeth are a little out of align and Pinball is having some sinus/respiratory issues.

Pinball has always had a wheezing sort of noise in his nose and he’s always sneezed a lot more than Mocha, but I don’t want to let it go on anymore. It’ll just be better to get it checked out.



Andrew started noticing Mocha drooling a while back. I didn’t know about it until I had held him a few weeks ago and accidentally brushed my thumb against his mouth. So, I googled it and find out it could be malocclusion. This isn’t the best fate for a chinchilla. Basically his teeth aren’t growing in the right direction and could need filing. I did some more research to find out that this doesn’t always mean a death sentence and could be caused by a slight calcium and Vitamin C deficiency.

So, the vet called this afternoon to give me an update. Mocha's front teeth are out of align, but the molars are good. Usually when the front are out of align, the molars are bad, too. This could be good or bad. Good that the rest of his teeth are fine, but bad because she wants to x-ray to make sure there aren't any fractures causing this abnormality. She said Pinball may have an allergy to the pine bedding or to the dust we give them, but she's going to do some tests to find out for sure.

I'm glad they are getting checked up on and fixed, but I'm not glad for the cost it's going to be. :( But, the hardest part of it all is the fact that I'll have to leave them overnight.... How can I make it??

New Outdoor Cushion Covers

Does it ever bother you how much outdoor chair cushions are? Am I the only one? I mean, it costs almost as much as a new chair set just to buy some not-so-tacky cushions. I priced Wal-Mart’s on-sale cushions and it would cost nearly $100 to replace the old cushions on our four chairs.

These are our old chair cushions:





*Stepping off my soap box* I had a better idea anyway. It only cost me around $65 and they look pretty good.




I just made some covers for them. It was my first major project for my new sewing machine.



Recognize the table? Yeah, it’s the one I refinished. It’s moved around the house several times now and I think it has its permanent, yet original, purpose and home. :D

Basically all I did was measure out the biggest of our two sets of cushions, cut it out, hem, and sew on some ties of the same fabric. I became lazy and only sewed on two at the top, but the covers don’t look so back tucked up under the existing cushions.



I ended up only using about half of the material I bought. I’m VERY tempted to make a back to these and fill it in with cushion…filler….pad…stuff….whatever it’s called. Lol! Don’t you love my very specific nomenclature for all this sewing stuff? I should do better since I did graduate with a technical writing degree. Lol.

Oh, and here's a project Andrew is working on tonight:



It's a pancake costume for a kid in the youth group. They're doing a skit to promote the adult leader's pancake breakfast next week. It's going to be hilarious! I'll post a video of it later.

Have a great week!

Now, I'm Back

Ok. So part of me wants to explain why I've been gone so long, and part of me doesn't because I don't want to seem like I'm forcing sympathy from anybody.

Well, I guess I should explain, since I'm the kind of person who tends to be brutally honest. Not only was I getting ready for a house warming party, like I had explained in my last real post, I was battling something I wasn't sure what it was. Well, I think the doctors have finally ruled it's acid reflux disease/GERD. It seems so simple of a diagnosis for such pain and not-feel-good-ness I had been going through for so long. Anyway, I'm being treated for that now and I'm starting to feel a lot better. I'm still taking it one step at a time before I do any major confirming.

Ok, enough of that. Let's get to the good stuff...the stuff I promised ya'll.

For this post I'm linking to Shabby Nest's Frugal Friday and A Soft Place to Land's DIY Day.

First off my birthday presents from my dear Derf. :) I had been wanting some solar lights to go out in the front of our house, and that's what I got...sort of.


He made me some sun jars. He is so clever when it comes to these things. I need to show you the blender and toaster lamp he made, too. Anyway, I love them! Well, except when I come home at night and I'm startled by two of them that are on our back porch. It looks kind of like a person is walking out there when I'm not paying much attention.

Basically, he took the solar light off a $3 solar light that stakes into the ground and glued it to the top of a latched canister. Then, he frosted the glass with a can of spray frost. It was quite ingenious, if I say so. :)

The second thing was new porch furniture.


We got a steal from Big Lots. It was their last table and chair set and it was the floor model. So, we were able to get a total of 50% off. It was great. :) Oh, and I love the candle holder. That came from Sam's. It does great for citronella tea lights.

And, the last are the shelves I had mentioned above our desk. They didn't last. No, they didn't fall, but we took them down and now have ugly unmatched patched holes in the wall above the computer. I have to get on that and fix it. I'm thinking those shelves are going to go above the work table in the kitchen.

Well, that's the first of the updates. Stay tuned for more!

Mouse

I'm BACK! ....... sort of

Ok, Ok. So, I fail...When was the last time I updated this blog? That's bad when I can't even remember. Well, I'm going to skip the excuses and let you know more entries are coming! I promise this time. :) So, tomorrow I will be linking to one of my favorite blog's parties. I can't tell you yet because I'm not even sure. lol! I have a lot to choose from and maybe I'll just pick them all. Anyway, we'll both find out tomorrow. Hopefully you haven't given up on me and I'm not just speaking to myself. ;) See you tomorrow!

Happy Birthday to Me! :)

I'm a little late posting about this, but my birthday was Monday! Hooray! I had the first birthday party that I've had since....really middle school. And....I didn't take any pictures the whole night. Ugh. lol. We had 12 people plus Derf and I over Monday night. It was a lot of fun to get together with friends and just hang out. I was also toasted to. I felt so special. :D Really, I did. I ended up playing it off, because I'm not too good with things like that, especially in public. I tend to be more toward the modest side. And, now that I think back on it. I hope that everybody didn't feel slighted that I did play it off some.... :-/

I ended up making my own cake. It's ok. Derf was going to the night before, but we didn't have any eggs. Everybody was so surprised that I was making my own cake and then that I was cleaning up. lol. It's just what I do and how things were done while I was growing up, which is kinda sad now that I think about it.

Well, I don't want to make this a long post without pictures, so here's what to come later:

*birthday presents
*new porch furniture
*new shelves above computer....I hope they don't fall.

Oh, I'm having a house warming party on Saturday. So, I may be MIA for a while. And if you're wondering, yes, there will be pictures....lots of pictures. :D

Cork Board Jewelry Displays

Here's one of my latest projects. I've seen this on several blogs and knew it was a great idea for my jewelry. I like the way it gets to be displayed and not tangled in a box or something. These are just 4 cork boards wrapped with burlap cloth and a leather fabric I found in a clearance bin at (evil) walmart. I stapled it all with staples for paper. *Word of the wise: don't use a staple gun. The staples will go all the way through and puncture your hand when you try to put something on the board, and it slips and you try to catch it by slapping the board with your hand to find said staple. It's not fun.* Anyway, I hung them with some small picture nails on each corner. It's pretty neat if i say so myself. :)

Three Word Thursday

It's too hot.

A Book Review: Love is an Orientation by Andrew Marin

Here in the last few months or so, I’ve been reading a lot more than I usually do. I’m not a big reader and tend to be a slow reader, but there are a lot of books that I’ve been wanting to read and never got the motivation to do it. As a preview of book reviews to come, here are my latest reads: Velvet Elvis, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Lord, Save Us from Your Followers, (read most of) Essential Church?: Reclaiming a Generation of Dropouts, (started on) Jesus Wants to Save Christians, (started on) The Fellowship of the Ring (I haven’t gotten past Tom Bombadil, which I hear is the hardest part of the book), Love is an Orientation, and (started on) Crazy Love. Wow. Now that I’ve actually named them all, I’ve read a lot of books since October/November of last year. This is compared to my having read barely one or two books a year since fifth grade. lol.

I wanted to do my first review on Love is an Orientation mostly because it’s the freshest on my mind. The author is Andrew Marin of the Marin Foundation in Chicago. I first heard of Andrew at the Youth Specialties Conference in Nashville, TN last year. (As a youth worker, I STRONGLY urge any of you who work with youth at any organization, religious or otherwise, to attend this conference this year in Atlanta, GA. Go here http://www.youthspecialties.com/ for more info.) Derf and I had arrived just in time to hear him speak during the big worship session. After that we realized we wanted to go to his small break-out session. It was worth it. I was told that during the big worship session, people were walking out during his speech/”mini-sermon.” I really don’t remember because I was too captivated in what he was saying. I could go on about that, but I won’t this time. :)

Anyway, let’s get back to about the book. First of all, the guy who wrote the forward made an excellent point: you will either finish the book hating it or loving it. I finished it loving it. I love it because it hit so close to home for me. Not only by having gay family members, but with how church and culture had brought me up to think about, not only gay people, but those who didn’t “follow” my/our way of thinking.

The book is about raising the bar on a conversation (as a communication major, I LOVE this. :) ) and to not just assume, not just judge right off, not just act like you know it all, not just act “holier than thou,” but to actually sit down, shut up, and listen to people’s stories and give a crap about what’s going on in their lives and not what they are doing or how much they are sinning. The book addresses many questions that conservative Christians and the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender) group will throw out. Many people will throw out close-ended questions and through this book with some simple rewording Andrew Marin helps you figure out how to respond to those close-ended questions with open-ended answers.

I would and could go on about specific details of this book, but I don’t want to give away some of the major points that Andrew Marin has made. It’s his book after all. lol. The book itself is well laid out. It is a factual book, but doesn’t overwhelm you with many statistics. There are lots of stories and personal accounts of Andrew’s work and how God has worked in his life through the Marin Foundation to balance the factual side. I will say, though, there are some things (like with any book, movie, or any medium) you will find that will not mesh with your way of thinking. I did find some in this book. However, I do ask this: please do not let those few insignificant things turn you off from a book that is so sincerely written to the church to change their way of thinking. He is not asking you to agree with the GLBT community. He is only asking that you drop your judgmental/hateful thinking to accept people into your life who are genuinely trying to find a place in this world the same way you are. Most are looking for love, some are looking for Christ, and some are looking for ways around the pain of rejection and humiliation.

This is a must read for the church today. I believe with all my heart, we are not getting something that was taught by Jesus. Yes, we are not perfect and never will be anything close to what Jesus was and is, but I feel wholeheartedly we are straying further and further away from His original intentions—to love God and to love our neighbor as ourself. He didn’t mean to pick and choose who that neighbor is. If He did, it would be worded “love your neighbors, who are similar to you, like yourself.”

And this now segues me to Crazy Love…… :)

Our "Chillas"

I would like you to meet our “children.” Well, they are not human children, but both our parents call them their “grand-chillas.”

This is Mocha (the ebony/black one).

And this is Pinball (the standard/grey one).

They are our chinchillas. And aren’t they adorable?!? Mocha just turned one on May 3^rd, which is also our anniversary. Yeah, he was born the day we got married, and when I found that out about him I just had to have him. Pinball will also be one this month. We got them from a breeder who lives in Tennessee back in July last year. By the way, if you ever think of getting a chinchilla, I recommend finding a breeder close to you; even a hobby breeder would be great. They know all about the ones you are trying to purchase and can set you up with a pet that will best compliment you. They can also tell if you’re not ready for one and can give great advice. And best of all, most breeders will meet you and work with you if they live further than you’d like to travel.

When we got them, we still lived in an apartment. The pet fees for a cat or dog were too expensive and the land lady let us have small caged pets without any fees. We really wanted to get a rabbit because I had fostered a rabbit from a society that is now called Huntsville Friends of Rabbits and I just love rabbits. However, with the loose hay, the dander, and other allergens, I was not able to keep the rabbit. Andrew and I weren’t married yet, but every time he came over he had a severe allergy attack soon after, and I noticed I wasn’t sleeping well and had headaches a lot. We had to give him back. That was a very sad day.

Well, after we got married we wanted a pet and I started researching rabbits, how to live with allergies to rabbits, and other things. Andrew made the suggestion of getting a chinchilla. I thought it was a little strange because they had always been in the “too exotic animal for me” range. So, I researched all I could about chinchillas and found out they are, in a sense, hypo-allergenic. They do not have dander, LOVE condensed hay cubes, and, most importantly, don’t get flees or other pests most pets get. The only draw back was the dust baths they have to have.

Most everybody said they loved their chinchilla and had next to no allergy problems with them. We were sold.

So then we traveled to Chattenooga, TN to meet the breeder to get them.

They are so cute, and yet so spoiled. Keep checking back here for chinchilla adventures and stories. We’ve got plenty. :)

Have a great day!

Lee

Welcome greetings and first project

Hi!
This is my new blog. I've been bitten by the blog bug and now I have two blogs! I can barely keep up with my first one: www.rocketcitycakes.blogspot.com. So, I hope to post at least once a week on either or both these blogs.

Well, since the other blog is dedicated to just the cakes my husband and I make, I'm dedicating this one to our house and other goings on that I would just like to put out here on the interwebs.

I guess I should welcome you to our humble abode. Welcome! :)


Yes, that is the MLS listings picture. I was so excited about this house that I saved all of the pictures from the MLS listing.

So, on to more exciting stuff! This is my greatest creation (that isn't a cake) yet. I bought a sewing machine and the cabinet/table for $20. Turned out the sewing machine (the thing that I wanted the most) had broken gears and the feed wouldn't work. But, I soon realized I could use the table as an entry way table. I've been looking for one that my husband and I could agree on. The entry way is a little narrow so we had to find something kinda small. Anyway, here is the before.

That's a piece of art we got from my husband's grandmother. It's a modern type piece and thought it was kinda cool to go right there. And now, here's the after:

Oh, no. Sorry it's so dark. I'm not that great at taking indoor photos at night. Here's a close up:

I love this so much!!! Here's a photo montage of the process:

There were some scratches and water stains in the finish of the wood and it needed sanding badly.

Here is my new toy. I really like this thing! :)

I meant to take a picture of it after I sanded and before I started spray painting, but I forgot.

Here's a leg that I haven't painted and that's what most of it looked like.

Yea! And please excuse the head in the corner I wasn't paying much attention what was in the shot because I was so excited.

If you want to know of any advice that I could give when doing a project like this, it would be: take your time. I'm very impatient when it comes to projects and tend to skip steps, like priming before painting. The wood totally soaked up a lot of the paint on the first coat. What I should have done was sand, prime, paint, sand, paint, and protect (with a coat of protective sealer). Well, the sealer is on my to do list, but I will have to do it later because I just wanted it in the house by this weekend. I'm so excited for the possibilities of this little piece of furniture.

Have a great day!

Lee