Ode to Pioneer Woman

Lest you read this post and think, Oh, that clever Annette...this is not an original post. The idea was completely taken from Pioneer Woman, from the recipe to the pictures. If you don't read her blog, then forget what you've just read and feel free to think I am just this clever.

So I stumbled upon this recipe and thought it looked good and like something I could handle. I found the recipe on my new fangled cook book.















Then I assembled the ingredients. I may have mentioned that we live in a very small town. We have 3 grocery stores, but Wal-Mart is the closest. Hence the Wal-Mart brand products. Hey, I'm not proud.














So, the first thing to do is peel, core and slice 2 Granny Smith apples. For my wedding, I was given one of these handy little tools. We moved a lot when we were first married, and it made every move with us. However, I did not know what it was. I just kept moving it with everything else in the drawer. When I finally figured it out, I used it like crazy. So this is number 2.


















Then use 2 containers of crescent rolls. Easier said than done. With a little math, I knew that I needed 16 rolls. Well, the rolls were sold in packages of six, not eight. So I grabbed these...Recipe Creations. They are just solid sheets of dough, so I cut them into eighths and they worked just fine. (See how I made it sound like I planned it, when in fact, I just grabbed 3 packages thinking I would have to waste some, not even realizing I had grabbed the whole sheets.)














Then roll each apple slice in a piece of the dough and place them in a buttered 13 x 9 pan.
















The pan looks a little awkward as I am holding it above. I was trying to get a picture of my new bracelet.
Chel sent it to me with a matching necklace. She also sent MK a necklace and some really fun toys to T. Willy. Thank you so much, Chellie!!! It didn't turn out well in this picture, but keep reading!



It is now time to melt 2 sticks of butter in a saucepan. Yes, 2 whole sticks of real butter!















Then add 1 1/2 cups of sugar, and stir gently, but do not allow the sugar to dissolve.















Add a teaspoon of vanilla. (I am not left handed, just trying to get a good shot of my bracelet.)














Then pour the butter/sugar mixture over the apples, and pour 12 ounces of Mountain Dew around the edges (like PW, I poured it down the center as well.) Sprinkle cinnamon on top and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 - 45 minutes. It took about 40 for me.
















And here is the finished product.















They were delicious. I hope you'll try them and let me know about it. They are very sweet, but it is dessert. The Big Man liked them, and he generally does not care for "hot fruit."

So, thank you, Chellie, for the gifts, thank you, Pioneer Woman, for the ideas, and the rest of you, have a sweet day!!!

Keep reading...it will start out much more sentimental than it ends.

For as long as I could remember, I wanted to be a mother. Motherhood did not come too easily to me, but it has been as wonderful as I'd hoped. MK was my firstborn, and it seemed that she would be an only child. Then T. Willy came along and we were complete. (Just didn't want to leave him out, because this is about MK.)

MK and I have always been close. This isn't to say that she and the Big Man aren't close, or that T. Willy and I aren't, but he is his daddy's boy, and MK has always been my girl. She and I butt heads, it isn't all perfect, but we also get along well, and laugh and share and have a great time.

So, last week I had a follow up doctor's appointment in Pensacola. I took her with me so that we could do some school shopping. I was prepared to spend money and was really looking forward to some "girl time." Ugh. She was not agreeable to anything. She is 13, I blamed that...surely not my mothering skills. So we left, and drove home quietly. I believe the words, "Your father can take you next time," were spoken. But he is a busy man, and didn't get the chance, and school starts Monday. So we tried again today, with T. Willy in tow.

Please understand that MK's "style" is unique. She is vehemently "anti-prep," so I still have never set foot in American Eagle, and she would be mortified for anyone to know that she actually does own a pair of jeans from Aeropostale...her nicest pair, by the way. And this is where the disagreements start. I want very much to respect her style, but am completely tired of jeans and t-shirts...every....day. So I was just trying to get her to be open minded, which she wasn't last week...but was today.

It was glorious. She tried things on, liked them, and smiled!!! She even gave us a fashion show tonight, because she was so excited. She still bought jeans and a t-shirt, but even the t-shirt has a scarf with it. She also saw at least a dozen kids from school, which helped her to get even more excited about Monday. T. Willy also had a good day, because he got a snowball at the end of it. It was a good day.

Something she keeps reminding me...this time next year she will be starting HIGH SCHOOL!!!! And T. Willy will start kindergarten.

So that's it. Have a great night!!

I'm up late...may as well post.

I am planning to get up early, but could not sleep, so I came out to the computer to job search. There is nothing on the horizon, so right now it looks like I will be subbing. I am very hopeful that it takes off and I get plenty to do, because it would really be ideal.

School starts Monday. MK has been looking so forward to it, but has few classes with any close friends, so she is a little bit discouraged. I'm sure it won't last. She really likes school, and has been kind of bored this summer, so she is very eager to go. T. Willy is less eager. He has developed a shyness that he did not have last year. I am hoping it is only because he has not been around many kids his age since school ended. He even saw his buddy, Dylan, today and wouldn't talk to him.

A sudden burst of needing change hit me this week. I have rearranged furniture in Ty's room and the living room, changed curtains, bought curtains (which aren't hung yet,) and done some decorating changes. When everything is hung and cleaned up, I will try to post pictures. MK's room is my biggest challenge. It is the last room that needs to be painted, but has high ceilings and many angles, so I have put it off, although I bought the paint long ago. Perhaps posting about it will spur me on, because now I may have to be accountable for it. With the kids in school, I really have no excuse of a four year old running around wanting to "help."

We have also been watching the Olympics...a lot.

T. Willy and I went to the snowball stand recently, and he took pictures, so I thought I would post them. He had so much fun doing it, and we had fun just hanging in the heat and cooling off with icy treats. The first is me and my snowball. The second is a picture of a truck that he found fascinating. Go figure.



















Then, for the grandparents, here are pictures of the ill-fated soccer camp adventure.

T. Willy and our neighbor...shouldn't the look on his face have told me something?





















I think this pose says, nope, not gonna do it.



















And if you look where the 40 yard line should be, you can see me in a green shirt trying to tell him that if he would just try it, he might have fun. But he had already made up his mind.


So that's what we've been doing. Have a great day!!

Olympic Night

Tonight we celebrated the opening ceremony of the Olympics by having an "international" dinner. We drove around our small town and bought samplers of several different cuisines. We tried Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Italian, and American food, drank Mexican soda, ate Scottish shortbread and German and Swiss chocolate. We had too much food and so much fun. We watched the operning ceremony and had a blast. Now everyone else is in bed, but I wanted to post this before I forgot.

08 08 08

What a cool date! MK was born on 05 05 95 and celebrated her tenth birthday on 05 05 05. I have always thought that was neat. Now Chel is celebrating her birthday today. Happy birthday, Chel!

As if I haven't posted enough pictures lately

We had some family pictures taken while we were in Delaware. We went to "Old" New Castle which is an historic area of town. The history is from Colonial days and it still has some original cobblestone streets. You can also see some headstones from a very old graveyard at a church.























My parents...don't they look amazing?!?!?!?!

A mixed bag

Our anniversary was a lot of fun. The Big Man would not tell me where we were going, even driving very out of the way to throw me off. None of my guesses were close. We went to a fairly new restaurant in town called "The Wild Olive." It was really nice. We live in a small town, so there are few non-chain restaurants, and it was really lovely.

My brother and his wife celebrated their 20th anniversary yesterday. So Congratulations to them!!!

However, it isn't all good. My cousin and his wife found out that their 3 year old daughter had a tumor on her kidney. She had surgery yesterday and they removed one kidney and are going to test it. If her lymph nodes are clear, they will consider it a success, but she is still going to have to endure chemotherapy. This weekend is our big family reunion at my uncle's farm in West Virginia, but I imagine the tone will be a bit subdued. Her older siblings may go with their grandparents, and it should be good for them to get to be around the family.

So there you go! Have a great day!

I still don't know where we're going.

19

So today is our 19th wedding anniversary...a day to ask the question I ask every year at this time...what were our parents thinking? This year I am asking the question more, because I have a teenager now, and I was a teenager when we were married. Here is a picture of 19 year old me, and the 20 year old Big Man. Bear with the picture, because we were married in the long ago dark ages known as "pre digital."



If you could see the rest of my dress, you would be certain that we were married in the 80's, although I think my sky high bangs prove it. And it wasn't taken so long ago that the picture was actually sepia, that was just an effect for the frame it was in. I found more that I wanted to post, because apparently little embarrasses me, but they are in an album and I couldn't get any of the pictures to come out clearly.

We don't usually go all out for events like this, but I have been told to dress up tonight. I have no idea what that means, but I can't wait to find out. I have also been told that there are "reservations" involved, and MK is babysitting, so I am quite curious. Maybe she will take a picture before we leave.

Have a great day and please post some old pictures of yourself so I won't feel all alone!

Life is full of disappointments

So the day did not turn out quite as I thought it was going to. We made it to the hospital and checked in easily. One of the nurses even commented on how smoothly it was going. I went into the operating room and remember talking to the nurses and doctor. The next thing I remembered was a nurse at the foot of my bed asking how I was feeling. Then the Big Man appeared by my bed and asked if I would remember the conversation. And I do. It went like this, "They couldn't do it." I actually thought he was kidding, but he wasn't. They were able to do a small procedure that may give me some temporary relief. But the other results were likely to have been PERMANENT. Oh well. Due to a condition they couldn't foresee, that is the way it turned out. I have an appointment with the doctor next week to discuss further options.

However, the bright sides are many. It isn't as though they found something serious. I was pampered all day and received many well wishes from family and friends. MK took excellent care of T. Willy and he brought me a cup of water by himself to make me feel better. The Big Man was very attentive. What more could I ask for?

So that's it. I hope you had a wonderful day with no disappointments!

Procedure Day

So the Big Man and I are on the interstate at 4 48 am and I am blogging! I love technology! All is well and we are headed to my outpatient procedure. I am not nervous but eager for it to be over. Not much else going on. Just wanted to check in.

Soccer camp did not go well. He just wasn't ready. But we had a fun time talking to neighbors and friends we haven't seen in a long time.

Have a great day!

Vacation wrap up

We came home Tuesday and are back in the swing of things here. MK has gone to band camp, and T. Willy is going to start soccer camp on Monday. I have no idea how he is going to do. He is very excited about it and wore his cleats around the house all day. So if it goes well, I'll post pictures next week.

Here are a few more pictures of our trip. Have a good night!

Oh, those Wildwood days!

We have had a fantastic time in Delaware. This morning T. Willy woke up crying. When asked what was wrong he said he'd had a bad dream. "I dreamed the trip was over." That about sums it up. There is never enough time to do everything and see everyone. We had lunch with my dear friend, Shannon, and her husband, Keith, today, and we have already made plans to get together next summer.

Yesterday we went to Wildwood, New Jersey, to walk the boardwalk. It was my first time there. We rode rides and ate all of the beach specialties we could. We walked the whole thing, but took the tram back. It was a wonderful time with my brother and niece. We were also able to see why they sell so many sweatshirts on the boardwalk. By the end of it, we were chilly!! We are definitely not in Florida. Anyway, here are some pictures. Note the one of the three of us texting...my brother caught us in our natural states. In my defense, I was texting Noelle. She was sick so I was checking up on her, and she is feeling better! MK took the go-kart pictures and my niece took the one of me on the ferris wheel...also a very natural pose, because it was HIGH!!!!














































Have a great day and watch out for the tram!!! (If you've been to Wildwood, you will get it!)

My new shirt...don't you want one?

Two malts and a chocolate cone...this is day 3 of the trip...I will just have to roll onto the plane Tuesday.

We're here!

We made it to Delaware this afternoon and have already had fun! We have played with the niece and nephews, hung around with the grown ups, eaten good food, visited friends, and gone to Dairy Palace. What, you may ask, is a Dairy Palace? Thinking about that made me think about some other things that are MUSTS and unique about our visits. So here is a short list.

Dairy Palace - our hometown ice cream stand. It has been around for years and is a local tradition. From the time it opens in late spring until it closes in early fall, it is a must for anyone with a sweet tooth. My personal favorite is a chocolate malt, but tonight I had a chocolate cone with "jimmies," or sprinkles to those of you from other geographical areas. Shannon, my very dear friend, and I used to come here as teenagers, and we still can't resist it. It is still as I remember...Little League teams still line up for cones after games and teenaged boys still take their girlfriends there. Ahhh...the memories.

Capriotti's - If you think you've had a good sub at Subway...think again. Every trip home requires at least one visit. The subs are enormous...so I always get one and eat half, then save the second half for another meal. I am never disappointed. The only downside is that I have to choose between Italian and roast beef...they are both so good!!!

Tax Free Shopping - There is no sales tax in Delaware! So shop your heart out and pay what you see on the price tag. This took some getting used to when I left, but now takes getting used to when I'm back. I find myself adding up the 6% we pay at home and then realize I don't have to pay it.

There are others, but these were some that stand out for me. It is nice to be here and we are ready for some more fun! Have a great night!

Smiles and Berries and Phones...oh my

MK got her braces yesterday. She is still uncomfortable but says today is better than yesterday. I will try to post a picture soon. The braces aren't so bad, but she also has a palatal expander and it is really causing her some trouble. She can't eat and is very hungry. It should keep getting better; she just has to give it time. She is also having trouble playing her clarinet, and even though we are heading north on Tuesday, is going to band camp on Monday.

T. Willy and I went blueberry picking on Wednesday. He had a really good time and was a joy to have with me. He picked his little heart out, and never complained. It was really hot, and just one time said he would feel better if he could just have a "little taste of water." Fortunately we had water with us, and he was energized after a drink. All he could talk about was taking the berries home to bake a pie. He talked and talked about how much he wanted a blueberry pie. So, Thursday morning, he and I baked a blueberry pie. Once again, he was an amazing helper. He couldn't wait for it to be ready to eat. Then...he took a look at the finished product and realized it was a circle. Oh dear. He was expecting a triangle. Fortunately the Big Man overheard this and explained that it would be a triangle when it was cut. Then he used our family communication method (a dry erase marker on the bathroom mirror) to draw a diagram. T. Willy seemed satisfied and kept talking about the pie. We had the spray whipped cream that he loves, cut him a piece of pie, poured some whipped cream on top and.....he would not take one bite!!!!! What???? The only reason I made the pie, from scratch...crust and all, was because he wanted it. And nothing...not one bite! Oh well...four year olds, I guess.

And today...for the Big Man...I woke up at five and drove to Fort Walton Beach to get in line for the new Iphone...which he is playing with right now. The wait was kind of long, but a lot of fun. Everyone was excited and I was number 11 in what would become a very long line. We were hoping to get 2, but they only allowed us to buy one, so I hope to get one for myself very soon. It is so fun!

So there are some highlights from our week! I hope yours was great!

Happy 5th

I hope you had a great holiday. Ours was fine. We didn't do anything out of the ordinary. The Big Man worked, but we cooked out when he got home. We watched some neighborhood fireworks and that was about it.

We had a busy week of appointments. MK is getting braces on her teeth on Thursday, so we went to get her separators this week. I will be having a little outpatient procedure at the end of the month, so I went to the doctor too. We are living large, aren't we?

Other than that, we are doing well and getting ready to visit my family on the 15th. The kids are a little bored, I think. It seems that anything fun requires money and/or a long drive. Our town is sweet and small, but the fun stuff seems to be at the beach, about 30 minutes away. No job news...but I'm not losing hope!

Have a great day!