Buon appetito!!! Gratzie!!!

I cooked tonight! Haven't really cooked in a long time. We are usually so busy that I don't have the time to actually cook something that is this time extensive. I found a Italian recipe that I had to try and oh my it is soooo delicious. The 11 year old loved it and ate about half of it I think.

It is called Chicken with roasted tomato's and olives and this will become one of my favorite recipes. You can see the wine I love to drink a really good Merlot that is also imported from Italy. As you can see I have a thing for Italy, one of these days I will get to travel there. We are actually looking at possibly going in 2008 with Gary's niece and her husband. I don't know if I could contain myself if that were to come true.

Well, it is late and I want to go knit some before I have to go pick up my son from the school. His football team played at Ole Miss today for the kick off to the football season here.

Ciao!

A Rose is a Rose

This is a rose off of my 'Blue Girl' rose bush. I thought that I had lost her when we moved the bush from the old house. She lost all her leaves and really looked dead but I couldn't have been more wrong. She is now covered in new leaves with buds coming out all over. I couldn't help but share.

New Toy

I got a new toy. I finally broke down and bought myself a decent digital camera. There was really nothing wrong with my old camera except that it had out lived its time and I wanted to be able to take it with me in my purse instead of carrying around a suitcase every time I wanted to take pictures. So, I splurged and bought myself a Nikon CoolPics P4. For me and what I do this is great. I also bought myself a Nikon N65 SLR also. Don't know what got in to me but I have always wanted a more professional camera. Here are a couple of pictures I took with the new digital of course they are of two of our dogs, Indigo and Dakota. I got on the floor with them to take pictures on their level. Dakota has a place under his eye where one of the cats smacked him and it has caused a skin tag of sorts. Weird!! The vet doesn't seem to think its anything worth worrying over. I can't wait to try out the SLR on the kids and see the cool things I can do with it. I love taking pictures and have always wanted to be better at it. I work with a girl who is really good at it and I wish she would use the talent. She says she is going to teach me!!!
WooHoo!!

On the knitting and crochet front, I'm working on 3 different projects. I'm knitting a pink and black purse for the daughter of a girl that works here. She saw the last one I made for my daughter and wanted on for herself. Her favorite colors were pink and black so that's what I picked out for her. I'm using Lamb's Pride worsted in RPM Pink and Black. On my hooks I have a shrug and a tank top I'm working on. When I finish I will post pictures of those later.

Mom Help!

Sunday after the truck was towed over to the house, Cody was out working on it. I say working because the poor boy doesn't know anything about cars and when I mean nothing I mean absolutely nothing. I took him to buy a manual for that model vehicle so he could get an idea on how it works. It won't take him long to figure it out. Anyway, the door handles on the inside wont open the truck so he has to roll the windows down to open the doors. I'm in the house cooking dinner, fried chicken, broccoli rice Au gratin, spinach, with biscuits with gravy, and my cell phone rings. Its Cody calling from the back yard. I say hello and he is yelling in the phone Mom help me! I'm thinking oh good grief the truck has fallen on him or hes got him hand caught. So I go out the back door quickly kinda of worried and what do I see:

















The dogs have climbed in the truck and he can't get them out. I am laughing so hard at this point that I can't get them out. They thought they were going to go for a ride. Poor babies. I finally got them out for him and made them come in the house but now they think the truck is theirs.

Well its Monday morning already, dang the weekends fly by. Things just start to get interesting and *poof* it's time to go to work again. Oh how I wish I didn't have to work, just imagine all the stuff I could do. I tell you, I really would like to hang out with my mom a lot more than I get to. I really enjoy being around her and talking, we still argue but that's never going to end. And I would love to be home with my kids. Boy could I get some knitting and crocheting done. It's all wishful thinking but I still day dream about it. I don't mind working and I love getting a paycheck but I would love to be able to work at home.

More Pictures of the House

OK as promised here are a few more.

Like I said there is a lot to be done but you know we have the rest of our lives to do it. I have a couple of pieces of furniture that I plan to re finish in the fall and spring to match the rest of what I have, the stuff I'm going to keep that is. I have several antique pieces that need to find the right place in the house. For instance, I have a very old china cabinet but I do not have a space in the eat in kitchen to put it so it is going to have to go in the living area. So, I'm looking for the right place to put it. The Gary has a 100 year old trunk that was his grandfathers, we are not real sure where to put it. We used to use it as a coffee table but now we are using for the t.v. stand. Anyway you guys get the point. Anyway I'm looking forward to getting it all together I'm just not going to kill myself doing it. Besides I'm really looking forward to cooler weather so I can work in my flower beds and start my gardens in the back.

New House Pictures

Here are a few pictures of our new house. From the inside out its a nice house. Please excuse the pictures and such sitting in boxes and on the floor I haven't been able to buy a new entertainment center yet so I'm not sure this is where everything is staying and we are going to get new furniture in the next few months because what we have is about ugly and I think I would rather sit on the floor but the rest of the family won't let me get rid of it yet until we have something new. It will happen but probably not till after Christmas. We have other priorities to pay before we can add on another bill somewhere. Anyway here it is:































This is the outside and the living room I will post more of the rest of the house in a few.

Oh No!!!!!

Oh no....... it can not be time already for the eldest to be able to drive!! Cody is 15 and has bought and paid for his own truck. He actually bought it from a neighbor about 3 months ago but we couldn't get it moved because the fuel pump needs to be replaced. Finally today Cody and some of his friends got the truck moved to our house. He has to get some stuff fixed on it and get the tags and finally get his insurance before he starts to drive. I'm so proud of him he worked and paid for this truck all on his own. He is so giddy right now I don't know if any of us can bring him down of his cloud. I remember my first car, a 1977 Camero. Of course I didn't work to pay for it my parents bought it for me. I loved that car and was always working on it. I had friends that were mechanics and we always were doing something to my car or someone Else's car. It was cheaper that way. I couldn't work on a car now for nothing, however I do still know some of the basic stuff and am trying to teach Cody some stuff. Hehe like hes going to listen to me, mom doesn't know anything right now, LOL.

On the crochet and knit front, I have started my first graph gahn and its going ok for the first one but I'm not sure it is right but its the first. The back is looking a bit like when I do cross stitch but I'm not sure how else it could look. I suppose I will figure it out. I think it looks rather cool except for the back of it.

It's longer than what I took the picture of. I hope it turns out because it is for my youngest child, he has a thing for Elvis.

Very Interesting..

Today was an interesting day. I didn't go to court today my co-worker did because she needs to learn the ropes in the court room. Besides I needed a break from it for a change. It was nice to be in the office alone without all the lies. I do not want to stay in the office and will always go on Tuesdays to court, I love Tuesday court. I was suppose to go to the doctor tomorrow for a nerve conductor test but they called and canceled it till next Wednesday. Probably for the better because my co-worker will be out and there is a lot of work to do.

Soccer practice went well. The girls are getting much better and we were told tonight that colleges will begin looking at these girls soon. Yes I know they are still only like 13 - 15 I think but now is the time for the coachs from the colleges start letting them know what they are looking for in players.

The booga bag I'm working on is coming along well. Probably wont be finished for a couple of weeks simply because I don't have a lot of time to work on it. Maybe this weekend it will rain and I can sit in the house and knit.

The Joys of .......

I am back to knitting. I have begun another booga bag for my daughter and it is looking rather good if you ask me. I am enjoying being back at my craft and relieving some of that pent up stress I have going on. I'm dying to buy more yarn, not that I don't have an entire closet devoted to storing all my wonderful yarn. I have several of those extra large ziploc bags full of yarn then I have a plastic storage thing that has 3 drawers and on wheels that is full of yarn. That is for my cotton and wool yarns the bags are all the acrylic that I have accumulated over the years. Anyway back to the dying to buy more wool thing I'm going thru. I can't right now buy anything. All the bills are coming in that are the transferred amounts from the old house (utility and cable that is) and the new bills for the new house. Let me tell you, two of these are astronomical so I am unable to spend anything at the moment. I have been perusing KnitPicks for the last two days dreaming of new yarn and what I could be doing with new yarn. I want to make socks. I have sock yarn but I want MORE sock yarn. Sad but true!!! I know that in a few years I will be able to buy yarn again ( that was a joke only a few months but seems like years).

Boy its hot!!

Good grief its hot!! It is 99 degrees here right now with a heat index of 101. Tomorrow the temp is suppose to be 101 who knows what the heat index is going to be. I hate the heat, it is to hot to do anything. I will be so glad when some cooler temps come around.

I haven't written in so long, well since we bought the house and got moved in to it. But outside of moving into the new house and cleaning the old house and going to work, nothing really has gone on. I hadn't been able to do much knitting or crocheting because of my hands. They are getting worse all the time. I'm going to have a nerve conductor test done on Friday for my hands to see if it is the carpal tunnel then I get to make the decision to have the surgery or not. Also, because I have rheumatoid arthritis and it is starting to flair and really hurt my hands I have to go to a rheumatologist (I know I spelled it wrong) in September. I don't really know what a rheu.... whatever it is, does or what he is going to do to me but I sure hope it helps my hands. I would really like to be able to crochet and knit again like I did. I miss it. This all started with me going to the doctor about my huge swollen feet. My co workers ganged up on me and made me go to the doctor. I told them that it wasn't nothing that loosing some weight wouldn't take care of but no they thought it was something else. Ok so I went. I do not have diabetes, my heart is fine, my kidneys are fuctioning just the way they should, my liver is fine and all my blood work is fine except for I have rheumatoid arthritis and the conective tissues and joints are inflammed and hurt like hell. After I quit smoking I gained about 50 lbs give or take some. I hate it and I have been trying to get it off but nothing is working because I'm not exercising. I am running up and down the stairs but outside of that not much else. I'm not lazy I'm tired and its to dang hot to do anything outside. Gary and I are going to start walking in the evenings when it starts to cool off some. And I will be going back to working in my flower beds when it cools off. Whatever it takes. I wish we had access to a pool I would swim laps. I love to swim I think thats my favorite form of exercise.

Its up to 100 degrees again with a heat index of 105. Geez its hot.


Carol L.
The Mississippi Hooker

Hmmmm....Just say the word....

Deneen had this great idea to use one word to describe her then ask us copy and paste her request to our blogs.

Friday, June 16, 2006

One Word is All I Ask
Please leave a one-word comment that you think best describes me--it can only be one word long. Then copy and paste this into your blog so I may leave a comment about you.This is not so much about fishing for compliments as it is an exercise showing how hard it is to use just one word to describe someone! When I try, I keep thinking up phrases or at the least, two words. Give it a try & I'll do the same for you if you're so inclined. :)

It's to hot outside for a Husky

As opposed to it being "To Hard out there for a Pimp", LOL. Ok well it was suppose to be funny. Drum roll please................We bought a house!! We closed last Thursday and I began moving us in last weekend. We love our new house and we have more room than we have ever had in our lives. I still haven't unpacked everything and am really sick of seeing all the stuff to be honest. I am really weeding a lot out because I don't want all the junk around and I know in a couple of years I will have more junk. As I said this house is huge compared to what we are use to. The house we were renting was about 1100 sq ft and this one is about 1740 sq feet. It is two stories. The kids rooms are upstairs, they have a full bath and there are three huge cloests in my oldest sons room 2 I use for storage. The linen closet is upstairs also. Down stairs is the large living room with a gas fireplace, behind the living room is the eat in kitchen. There is a large bay window where the table is. The kitchen has one large pantry and one large coat closet. Between the closets is a hallway that has a half bath then further down the hall is the masterbedroom. The master bed room is HUGE. The bath "suite" has a double vanity, a toliet closet and a jacuzzi bath. Also the massive walk in closet is in there also. Back to the kitchen if you go to your left after leaving the master bedroom there is a mud room then out the door to the garage with automatic door. The back yard is fully fenced and it boast a very large storage building. The dogs love being able to go out without the lead. They are so funny to watch playing in the morning, jumping and running all over the back yard. They have never been able to do with before. However, they do not like the heat. Husky's and heat do not mix. Dakota who is the largest and the oldest just wants to go potty and come back in. He could care less about staying out there any longer than he has too. London and Indigo love it. The romp and run and have the best time. They really surprized me they come back in when I call them to come in. I'm just so proud!!! I am so proud of our new home and the eldest finally has his own room!! Whoo hoo!!

I haven't done much in the way of crocheting and knitting latley. I have tried but I have been so dang tired from all the moving and such. It's been rather hectic and soccer will be starting again soon. Tori is trying out for the competitive team this evening and hopefully she will make it. That could lead to a scholarship to college for her. She loves soccer and I hope for her that she will make it. Speaking of soccer Saturday the USA team is playing Italy in one of the World Cup matches. I intend on parking my large rear end on the carpet with my daughter and the dogs to watch the match. After that I'm going outside and pull up bushes and work on a flower beds. I can't wait. One of the only things I miss about my old house is my beautiful flower beds. I really miss them. I am going to be digging up some of my plants and flowers and moving them to the new house. I hope they will live and not go into to complete shock and die. I have to go and buy dirt because the dirt that is at this house sucks. It's going to be so much fun!!

Three words I longed to hear

Whoo Hoo Yipee!!! I finally heard the words that I have always wanted to hear!!! You are approved!!!! Not only approved but preapproved!! WhooHoo!!! We are going to buy a house. The very first time for both of us!! We have started looking and think we have found what we want, and we are going to look at it Thursday. We live in an 1100 sq ft house and the one we are looking to move into is 1592 sq foot. Plus lots of floored attic space and a storage building in the back yard. The yard is landscaped and has a garden swing and the most important thing is the back yard is fenced in and the dogs can go out back during the day. Whoo Hoo Yipee!!! We have worked so hard to get to this point were we can own and not rent any more. It's taken 6 years to get our credit cleaned up and get things back in order since all the loss of jobs and what not. Did I mention WhooHoo Yipee!!!! Oh yea I suppose that I did. I am trying very hard to keep it real and know that we should look at more than one. But, well here look for yourself

*The link that I had put in here before won't work because I got word today that someone put a contract on the house. We are still going to put a back up offer on it just in case that the first one falls thru**

Wish us luck and those that pray, pray that all will go smoothly.

Thanks,
Carol L.
Mississippi Hooker

As the time flies on by

As I watched my daughter last night riding Tara, the horse, at her horseback riding lessons, I noticed that she is becoming a young woman. Yes I'm aware that she is only 13, but she was only 3 yesterday, right? Or so it seems. She has picked up riding the horses so well and it just surprises me to no end. She loves to lope and canter with the horses and Tara is just right for that. Tara is a 20 year old Arabian. She is a beautiful horse who even at 20 is still just as full of spirit. Tori was afraid of her the first few times because she is so full of herself but now she is the only one she wants to ride. The had a English saddle on Tara and was teaching Tori how to post. For the first time posting, Tori just about nailed it. But today she is sooo sore. Now she has ridden western and English. I can see her riding in shows before long. I guess we are going to have to look into investing in a horse for that. After her riding lesson, she had to go for practice with her band at church. She sings in a band on Sunday mornings for kids service. But this Wednesday she is singing as the lead singer in the big church. I can not get over how well she sings. Again, holy cow she is growing up. I have forgotten my camera everytime she has a lesson. I am going to make a concerted effort to remember the camera on Monday for her next lesson. My luck it will be raining and she won't be riding.

Back to growing up to fast. My eldest is going to be driving soon. He is 15 and I have purposely held off on him getting his permit because I didn't feel like he was mature enough to even learn to drive. I believe now that he is about ready, so I think next week on my birthday I'm going to take him to get the permit. He is working on the weekends and paying for a truck that my neighbor is selling. Granted it is not much but he is buying it and will be working when he turns 16 to pay for his insurance. Cody has come such a long way. Just 3 years ago I thought I was going to loose him. I'm so glad that I have him safe and happy.

Shelby is 10, soon to be 11. He is driving me nuts acting like a nut at school. He has been in trouble so many times at school that I'm ready to skin him alive. Friday he got wrote up and put in ALC plus lost his field trip and then got suspended off the bus for 3 days. I swear he's going to drive me to drinking. I had been telling him I was going to take him to get his hair cut. His hair grows like crazy and had become to long to deal with. However, he told me no he wasn't getting it cut (BIG mistake on his part) so on Friday when he came home with all these problems I sent him to the back yard told the oldest to go and get my clippers and shaved that boys head. I thought he was going to cry but instead he looked at me and said,"Wow this feels better". Ugggggg!! He is the sweetest boy ever, big heart, loves to be held and kissed on but dang if he don't drive me nuts. I'm really hoping that he is going to mature some over the summer.

They are just growing up to fast. It seems like yesterday that they were just little guys and I'm just getting older. My birthday is next week and I will be 41. I remember when Cody was born and I was only 25, gosh doesn't seem like that much time has passed.

Carol L
Mississippi Hooker

Oh Happy Day!!!

The day has finally come that I will be free of the person I work with forever. She has found another job and is moving on. I wish her well and hope that she will do well in her new job, so well in fact that she never looks back and wants to come back to this office ever again.
My boss has surprised me and is looking at my feelings as well as what is best for the office when hiring someone. We, all three of us, want someone in here that we all get along with and will actually do some work as opposed to playing or doing someone elses work. This office has not been the same since this woman got here but that is all going to change come tomorrow morning. It will be mine for the next two weeks at least. Yes it will be very busy and I will not have much time to do anything but answer the phone and work on dockets and such plus I'm fixing the office back the way I want it. I am senior clerk hear me roar!!!! The title doesn't mean much at all except that I get the priviledge of training the new girl on day to day operations. Oh Happy Day!! I never thought this day would come!!!

On to some knitting or crocheting, I haven't done to much in the way of either. I did finish the scarf for the swap but I haven't shipped it primarly because its been rainy and I didn't want to go to the Post Office. I want to knit a bowl. A bowl to hold more yarn. Oh and speaking of yarn I am dying do you hear me o' husband of mine, I'm dying to buy some yarn. I haven't been able to buy yarn for awhile now and I'm suffering from withdrawels. If you love me you will help me out with this one. Your proceeds this weekend from your guns should really be turned over to me so that I can feed my need. You know my dear one that I have a yarn monkey on my back and there is no cure for the disease I have. Only to buy more yarn will give me my fix. That was a bit corny started sounding like a song for a second there. Hehe a song about being a yarn junkie!! Really I'm a yarn whore, Hey baby want a sock for that foot?? LOL. I think thats what I will be doing this evening I think I will knit. It's a thunderus night some good ole knitting just might do the trick.

See ya'll later
Carol L.
Mississippi Hooker

Foodie Friday

Carol's Chilli

2lbs ground beef
2 large green peppers, diced
2 large yellow onions, diced

1 can diced tomatos, drained

2 cans tomato paste

2 cans tomato sauce (if needed)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 large pkg of red kidney beans, soaked and cooked
or you can use Bush's Chillie Hot Beans (for my family I use about 4 large cans)
chilli powder
cumin
pinch cayenne pepper


Brown ground beef, drain. Put ground beef back on heat and add the chilli pepper, cumin, and cayenne mix well. (I do not know how much of these I use and I think there is one other spice but I'm at work and will have to look when I get home, but I will add it.) In small saute pan, heat olive oil saute peppers, onions and garlic until soft. Add vegetables to the meat and mix together. Add the cans or cooked beans and mix together. I usually add more spices until I get it the way my family likes it. I also usually fix a pan of cornbread to go with the chilli. Think I might make chilli this evening its a damp rainy day that might be good for a change.

Mississipi Hooker
Carol L.

Last night was my daughters very first horse back riding lesson. She loved it. She had never been on a horse by herself before and she shocked me and the instructor, she handled the horse very well. The horse is very easy to work with and the lady couldn't have picked a better horse to start her on. Now Tori is hooked. So now that soccer is about over with she has something else to keep her out of trouble. I am so very glad we found this it just seems right for her. I sure wish I would loose some of this weight I sure would like to ride myself. I haven't ridden in many years, good grief its been 20 years ago I guess. I love riding. Maybe that will be my motivation so I can ride with my daughter. I want to ride this Arabian horse she has, this horse is beautiful and so gentle. I wish I had of had my camera last night but somehow my memory stick got lost and I had no way to store the pictures. I bought one after we left her house so I will take pictures next Monday of her riding the Arabian.

Foodie Friday

Gary's Crab Burgers1 bell pepper diced, 2 eggs

1 sm onion diced, 2 cup bread crumbs

3 stalks celery diced, 2 tbsp olive oil

1 lb package crab meat, 2 tsp cajun seasoning

1 clove garlc

Saute vegables except garlic until translucent about 5 minutes over medium high heat. Add garlic, saute one minute. Transfer to mixing bowl allow to cool. Add shredded crab, 2 eggs beaten, and 1 cup bread crumbs, 1 tsp cajun seasoning. Mix to burger texture. Adjust bread crumbs if needed. Mix remaining bread crumbs and remaining tsp of cajun seasoning. Form into hand sized patties, dredge in bread crumbs. Cook over medium high heat until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Serve on toasted onion rolls with remoulade with lettace and tomatos.

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I hope you guys enjoy this recipie it is one of our family favorites. It's pretty easy to make and is very filling.

Carol L.

A month..

It has been almost a month since I last wrote anything. I just haven't had time and really nothing to write about, or maybe I just didn't want to engage my brain into thinking that hard. Yea that's it!!! Hehe. Actually, I have been so busy and so much going on that I didn't know where to start. Soccer is about over but we are leaving Friday for Starkville for tournament for 3 days. We haven't gotten the schedule yet but hopefully they will not be playing 8 am games. Those are tough. And we found out on Friday that the girls team will be playing in the Regional tournament in May. So I have to get another hotel room for then. I hope to find a good one with a indoor pool for the kids to play after their games. After that soccer should be over till Fall season. That in itself will cut down a lot on our runnings. Explorers will be the only other thing going on.

I have got to get out with Cody this spring and teach him how to drive. He needs to be able to get his permit soon. He just doesn't listen to well and I'm nervous about teaching him. I have tried to let him drive before just down the street to the house but he doesn't hold it straight. Then will not listen to me about the turn signals he wants to talk over me. Now to be fair to him that's been months ago, so I guess its time to try again. I also worry about teaching him in my V8 SUV. He gives it to much gas and he will panic then I will have a wrecked V8 SUV. I guess I am just not prepared for one of my kids to be old enough to drive.

Easter was a great day!! I drove my mom and my niece with my kids to Hayti, MO to visit some of her family. We had a fantastic lunch and sat around talking about this and that. We saw a lot of the devistation that the tornados that hit the area a couple of weeks ago, did. Lots of metal silo's just crushed like someone just balled up a piece of aluminum foil, twisted metal of all sorts, splintered wood, etc. Scary!!! After we got home, the boys (and girls) all got dressed up to play Airsoft. It was wonderful!!! I got to spend about 2 hours alone, just me and the dogs. It was wonderful to just be alone.

Carol

www.stitchandprayer.com