I HAVE A QUESTION

To some this may seem so random but I am going to ask it anyway; 

When someone you know, it may be an acquaintance, close friend, family member, co worker or even a neighbor has hurt feelings or is upset do you automatically start racing through your memory to see if you have said or done something to cause it?

That is usually how my mind works, I assume that I have something to do with others' problems.  Let me give you a for instance.

     Some time ago a lady that I attend church with was going through some very difficult times emotionally,  almost to the point of suicide.  I racked my brain to see if I had said something that offended her in some way and contributed to her depression.  I realize now that it had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with me but I somehow convinced myself that it was my fault.

That got me to thinking about someone I had served in a calling with (a calling is an area of service given within the LDS church).  We were discussing this very subject and she asked me how I personally reacted to other peoples problems.  I related to her how I always assume that it was somehow my fault.  She then told me how she reacts in the same situation, she would just assume that it had nothing to do with her and until someone told her different that is how she treated the situation.  The complete opposite of me.

So, how about you.  Do you react like me or do you react like my friend Cathy?

BAKERY SIGN

I guess this means I have to make cookies everyday.

At least that's what my family will claim.

Linking up at CraftOManiac Monday.

RANDOM RAMBLINGS

OK, here is a post of me just rambling about what's floating around in my brain today.

Why can't steamed broccoli and spinach taste as good as chocolate chip cookies and apple pie? Come on, really I wouldn't have a weight problem if they did.  Can someone somewhere figure out how to do that?

Was Lady Gaga's performance really necessary last night on American Idol?   My daughter had it right, she must be Satan's mistress.  Very tasteless!!!  The show is scheduled at prime time, do they not think that children watch?   American Idol, you blew it big time, shame on you.

Speaking of American Idol, I am happy for Scotty winning but I think almost any of the top thirteen could have won,  there was so much talent this year.

I know why I haven't done much sewing the last 10-15 years.  It drives me crazy.  I made a skirt for myself today, did a trial fit before I put in the waistband and it DID NOT FIT.  Grrrrrrrrr.

Why do they schedule all of the finales of my favorite shows on the same night or the same week?  The Biggest Loser finale, Dancing With the Stars, American Idol, Glee, Oprah and others are all crammed into this week.  Both of my televisions were recording shows so I wouldn't miss anything. I am sure my DVR is due to explode any minute. Boy was hubby frustrated, he didn't get to watch his hunting shows.  Sorry!

The forecast is for showers, rain, a few showers, cloudy, more rain and still more showers.  Is it really the end of May?   It would be nice to have more than two days in a row of sunshine.  Whoever can figure out how to make veggies taste like desserts might want to check into making better weather for us here in the Northwest.  OK?????  These are just simple requests.

BLOGGER IS GIVING ME FITS

Every time I try to leave comments on other people's blogs I am sent to input my email address and password only to be sent back to comments with my comments either deleted or set to post anonymously which then sends me back input my information and NEVER lets my comments go through. 
Can we say frustrating???
Is anyone else experiencing this problem?

I want to apologize to the ladies that I frequently leave comment for, I really have been trying to comment.

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE

After scanning through my church cookbook I came across the best chocolate cake recipe.

This is by far one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever baked.

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE

1 pkg. devil's food cake mix

1-3oz. package instant chocolate pudding mix

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup canola oil

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine cake mix, instant pudding, water, oil, eggs and sour cream.  Beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Gently stir in chocolate chips.  Pour into greased bundt cake pan.  Bake for 55-60 minutes.  Cool in pan 10 minutes then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting.

2 tbsp. cocoa

3 tbsp. milk

1/4 cup butter

1 lb. powdered sugar

Combine the cocoa, milk and butter in small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil over med-high heat.  Remove from heat and add powdered sugar, stirring until all lumps are out.  Pour over top of cake and let it roll down the sides.

Note:  I didn't let the cake cool completely before putting on the frosting and it was DELICIOUS-WARM-AND YUMMY!

TELL IT LIKE IT IS TUESDAY

It's another TELL IT LIKE IT IS Tuesday.  I have been a slacker the last couple of weeks and forgot to do this Tuesday feature.

This is the place where you can get something off your chest that is bothering you but you just can't publish it on your own blog or say it to the person you would like to.

Post anonymously if you like.

So what's ya got?

SUMMERTIME CANVAS

I was inspired by a post that Amy did over at Keepn' The Sunny Side the other day.   She asked people to leave comments about what reminds them that it is summer time.  She always associates sweet tea with summertime. 

I was inspired to make a canvas indicating the things that remind me of summer.

Now if we could just get some warm weather with temperatures at least in the 80's for a few days we could actually do some of the things I have listed.

WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT REMIND YOU OF SUMMER?

SPRING FLOWERS CRAFT

My May craft project for our crafty ladies group was spring flowers in gussied up container.

If you would like to see some more detailed pictures of these projects
go to my vinyl lettering blog for set by step pictures.

  

GREAT IDEA FOR COUPON SHOPPERS

I just came across a really fabulous idea at Creative Homemakers blog to help with the shopping while using coupons.  Although I haven't jumped on board with the whole super coupon shopping, this project just might get me motivated to start.  These girls are geniuses.  Go check it out.

REMODEL PROJECT/NEW KITCHEN AND FAMILY ROOM

WARNING: LONG POST WITH LOTS OF PHOTO'S

Almost four years ago we embarked on a rather large home project.  I never did post about the process and being as I am at a loss for ideas for posts I thought I would share our remodeling journey. (And yes, our marriage survived, although a little battered.)

This project was started in July of 2007 and we were able to host Christmas.  The window trim wasn't up and there were lots of little things that we finished later. 

Here is my husband Jim beginning the task of tearing down the patio cover.

The foundation is going in. Hubby Jim, son Dustin {the job foreman} and son-in-law Jason hard at work.

If it were not for family we would probably still be sitting in the middle of this babbling to ourselves incoherently.

Another view of the foundation.

Ah, progress!  A wall finally went up.  It gave us new enthusiasm for the process.

Here is the pile of debris from the patio tear out.

                                                                                                                                                                           

  This is a shot of the family room just after most of the sheet rock was installed.

You can see in the foreground the table that served as the kitchen.  We had lots of microwave meals and cold cereal during this process.  It think we were without a kitchen for about three weeks.  Living with very few dishes and washing dishes in the bathroom sink was not very fun but the end result was worth it.

Here is a shot of the kitchen just after the tile was installed.

I was really getting excited at this point.  The cabinets were in the garage and I would go out and just gaze at them imagining how they were going to look.

Here is the cabinet installer hard at work.  He is a  high school shop teacher that started his own cabinet business.  The cabinets are made out of sugar maple.

Can I just say I was elated with how they turned out.

And now here is what it looks like today.

Here are the AFTER pictures.

One of the next projects we would like to do is put up a deck across the back.  I am anxious to get my patio furniture out and be able to use the barbecue more.

 This area (below) is where I would love to have a cobblestone patio with an outdoor fireplace.  Unfortunately it is a little lower one the priority list.

This is the view from the front door looking in.  My craft room is just to the left behind french doors.

You can read about the craft room here.

 This is a view from the dining area into the kitchen and family room.

 This is where I have fun cooking.

I must say that I have a very wonderful husband  This poor man would come home every night after work and put in at least another four or five hours working on the remodel.  He deserves a medal or something for sure.

And there you have it.  I guess I did have something to blog about after all.

HMMMMMM, I GOT NOTHIN'

Yep, that's right, nothin' to blog about that is.  Blank, zilch, nada, empty, dried up brain, hit the wall empty.  I think I will just take a blogging break and enjoy everything you creative people are blogging about.

P.S.  Thanks for the free entertainment.

IT SEEMS WE HAVE A WINNER...

After a very scientific procedure (names placed in a bowl with my grandson Spencer picking the winning name) a winner of the tray giveaway have been revealed------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------and she is---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------are you ready?-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Congratulations BEVERLY from The Beverly Buzz!!!!

Thanks to everyone who left comments, posted about the giveaway on their blogs and became a new follower.

AN INTERESTING TAKE ON WORDS

Have you ever wondered about what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints talks about at their General Conferences they hold twice a year?  I found this article quite interesting. 

Please read article below.

General Conference Wordles Reflect the Centrality of Christ, Family for Latter-day Saints
PRINT |13 April 2011 — POSTED by Newsroom Staff


For those wondering what is most important to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), the Church’s general conference is a good starting point.


The following Wordles (word clouds) show which words were most frequently used by speakers during the Church’s 181st annual general conference, held 2-3 April 2011. The prominence of such words as Christ, Lord, Jesus, children and family reflects the reality of the centrality of Jesus Christ and family in Church members’ lives.


Feel free to share the word clouds below with friends and family. You can create your own word cloud by copying and pasting text from general conference talks into Wordle.net.

DON'T FORGET THE TRAY GIVEAWAY TOMORROW

So far there are only 10 entries for this tray, your odds are really good to win this.  It's not too late to enter, I will be drawing the winner tomorrow.



IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME

You know what?  I haven't given away anything in a long time and thought maybe it's about time to do that.

Here is all you have to do to be entered to win this metal tray:
(It is a soft teal color with dark brown lettering and measures 10x16)

1. Leave a comment and a way to contact you.

And/Or

2. Become a new follower.

And/Or

3. Mention this giveaway on your blog.

IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT.  I WILL BE DRAWING THE WINNING NAME ON THURSDAY, MAY 12.

EDUCATION: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

(image credit)

  

Ok, so I will be hitting the books again in the fall. 

The GOOD thing is I finally got into the Pharmacy Tech program, which I have been on a waiting list for the last three years.

The BAD part is I had to take a math placement test and I am pretty sure I will be taking a refresher class on mathematics this summer.  Ya, I am sure a 33% on the test seals the deal.  (In my defense though, the test was NOTHING like the practice test.)  I spent two solid days reviewing fractions, percentages, and decimals and the majority of the test was on multiplying, dividing and adding negative numbers and formulas that didn't even ring a bell.

The UGLY part is it will be full time studying for the next year.  You have to understand, I am OLD and my brain doesn't  retain like it used to.  I am pretty sure my brain resembles Swiss cheese, lots of holes for things to slip through.  It should be fun.

(P.S. Please keep me in your prayers.)

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE...

...To the flag

I love how this canvas turned out. 

 I am thinking I need to display it year 'round, I am in just that kind of mood.

TELL IT LIKE IT IS TUESDAY

It's time once again for Tell I Like It Is Tuesday.

What's on your mind?

Something bothering you that you just can't say to someone because it would cause more problems?

Here is the place to let it rip.  Just let it go in the comments section.   I promise that you will feel better to just let it go.  You can post anonymously if you like.