Youth group big island "Go Nuts" retreat

thief

This is Brandon's old quilt
This is the new quilt my mom made Brandon for his birthday

The kid on the left is the quilt thief

Every time my mom makes someone in the house a new quilt Damian says "can I have it?" I asked him why he always wants the quilts and he said they feel cool and soft. Good reason. I guess he better take lessons, then he can make his own quilt.

Part 1-Such is life

Darrian in his rash guard. He can't wait until surfs up

I almost feel bad just posting these. Most people are waiting for summer to take a vacation, maybe even to a tropical island, and I live on one. I feel like a spoiled lady. For Spring Break I spent my time at the beach reading. I have read 2 complete books, part of a third, and at least 10 magazines. Oh poor me. Next week it will be back to business. I can't wait for summer break.

Part 2

Happy Birthday Brandon

My son Brandon turned 15 on March 21. We didn't have a big party, but his friend spent the night and they had a great time. Here he is having his cake and also going over the hurtle at his first track meet. This is late because the kids are keeping me very busy for Spring Break. Today I have to bring my van into the shop because the front end is making a weird vibration noise upon turning. Hopefully it will be fixed by Monday. Luckily church is in walking distance because I don't want to miss the Easter trilogy they put on every year starting this week. Next week is the last week of Spring Break so my life will return to normal sometime in April.

Spring Break

The schools are out once again for spring break and that means 2 weeks off for the kids. We will frequent the water park and that should keep them pretty busy. Today we have a good friend coming for a visit. We met Mr. Jack when they were stationed in Hawaii and we lived across the field from them. His sub will be coming in to Pearl Harb0r sometime today and then he will give us a call. It should be a fun visit.

My daughter leaves for a youth group convention on the Big Island on Monday. This should keep the teens busy. They are all very excited.

The bad news is my Jacuzzi pump broke and it will be about $400. to fix it so I have emptied it and winterized it until I can buy the new pump. We are concentrating all our money on sending my daughter to Bali for a mission. She belongs to a youth group called Surfing the Nations and every year this group takes the teen missionaries to Bali and they do an awesome work. The also have other mission trips, but this is the one she would like to go on. So for now I am putting our efforts into this. It's kind of funny though that these are missionaries who surf, and my daughter does not, although they are wanting to teach her. This group has evolved and become so big that you don't have to be a surfer to belong to it. Saturday night the Surfing the Nations van pulled up to drop my daughter off and there were 6 surf boards on a surf rack strapped on the top. I didn't even know they had surf racks for cars and vans. Anyway this group has many chapters and she belongs to the Honolulu one.

Tonight I am making a chili recipe that I got off allrecipes.com a few years ago and have loved it ever since. I will let you all know how it comes out.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Apr/20/il/il01a.html
Cool article on Surfing the Nations

going green and all that

I am basically trying to do what I can for the environment thanks to Julie and her suggestions it has been pretty easy. One thing I changed is I have basically given up meat. I am not a vegetarian because I would still eat meat, but mostly what I am now cooking for dinner is meatless. Since I love to cook this has been kind of fun. I have been finding all types of new recipes. For instance this week we will be having crab and swiss quiche, mushroom, green pepper and onion pizza, chili potato burritos and Barb's talapia recipe found here. I do still make meals with meat about once a week because who can give up Rocco's mama's meatballs (recipe as follows)? Last night I even made Barbs recipe for Italian style nachos, and I will tell you, these were so good they could make a vegetarian turn into a meat eater, but for the most part I am cooking meatless. I will keep you all posted on how it goes. Of course hubby has been great about this since he goes to the chow hall every day and piles on the meat for lunch and breakfast, so I am sure he will survive it, but in the event they all declare mutiny I will let you know. Unless, of course, I am tied up and locked in a closet.

Rocco's mama's meatballs
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, halved
8 oz ground beef8 oz ground pork
8 oz ground veal, or another 8 oz ground beef
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/8 cup soft bread crumbs
1/4 cup fresh italian flat leaf parsley finely chopped
1/4 cup grated parmigiana reggiano cheese
1/2 to 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 cups marinara sauce
12 oz desired shaped pasta
grated parmigiana reggiano cheese

1. In food processor combine chicken broth, onion and garlic. Process until pureed. In a large bowl combine onion mixture, ground beef, ground pork, ground veal, eggs, bread crumbs, parsley, 1/4 cup parmigiana reggiano cheese crushed pepper, and 1 tsp salt. I skipped the veal and did the extra 8 oz of ground beef. Using about 1/4 cup mixture per meatball, form 12 meatballs. I made mine orange sized, but you can do any size you like.

2. In large skillet cook meatballs in oil over medium heat about 10 minutes or until browned turning occasionally. I baked mine on a cookie sheet in the over and 400 for about 25 minutes. I am too lazy to stand there and turn the meatballs.

3. In a 4 to 6 quart dutch oven bring marinara sauce to a boil. Drop meatballs in sauce one at a time. Stir gently. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Cook pasta according to package directions. Serve meatballs and sauce over hot pasta and serve with cheese. Enjoy. And don't forget to think about Rocco when cooking mama's meatballs.

Who says it doesn't snow in Hawaii?

Yum, Yum Yumm-o or shall I say Rocco!

Does anyone remember the reality show The Restaurant featuring Rocco DiSpirito? I do. I especially remember Rocco and how yumm-o he is. While looking through the magazine section of my PX, military lingo for Post Exchange, I saw a magazine called Simply Perfect Italian and in it was an article about Rocco. Of course I had to have it and upon reading it I discovered the recipe for Rocco's Mama's Marinara and Meatballs. If you ever saw Rocco's mama's meatballs she made on the show, you'd know why I had to have this recipe. Apparently these meatballs are a restaurant favorite, so thanks to Rocco and Mama we are going to have this for supper tonight. I will let you know how it turns out. I can say that from just mixing the ingredients for the meatballs I can already tell they will be a hit. Bon Appetit!

Winter in Honolulu

Jr. on the cliffhanger
Damian on the cliffhanger
Me and Jr. coming out of the Lava tube
Damian pushing me and Darrian
in the wave pool.

How many states have you visited?

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

My sister had this on her blog and I thought it was cool.

Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

I watched this game show last night and I have come to the conclusion that I am indeed not smarter than a 5th grader. Did anyone else watch this? I did answer the question "What was the boat the pilgrims sailed over on from England named," and after shouting out "It's either the Pinto, the Nina, or the Santa Maria," I realized that was Columbus, duh? So I yelled "Mayflower." My 16 year old daughter is still hysterical over the fact that I even thought of the Columbus boats. Need I remind her that while playing Mad Gab I guessed "William Jefferson Clinton," and she replied "Who's that?" When I told her it was our former President, she said "Oh you mean Bill?"

The braces appointment went well yesterday. It will only be about $17oo. on my part and believe me this is pretty good. When I had braces there were one kind. Now you can pick from gold, silver or plastic, plastic being $400. more, or you can get any color brackets you want or even invisible one's know as invisalign. I am not sure a mouth full of lime green brackets would appeal to me though. He is getting them put on next Tuesday and so far he says he will get gold, but I think silver would be nicer. Of course it's not my mouth so who really cares anyway.

My daughter leaves at 4:00 tomorrow morning to go to the big island for a paddling competition. In March she goes to the Big island for a week for a church youth group retreat. My son went with my friends family on the USS Russell to Maui last year, and then he went again to Maui with JROTC for a competition. Where have I gone after 6 years of living on Oahu? You guessed it, Honolulu!!! Lucky me. I am waiting for the Super Ferry which should start running in about a year, but I am not holding my breath. The thought of bringing a bunch of kids on a 3 hour ferry ride doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun, but you never know. Maybe next year I will actually get to visit another island. See above comment, I wouldn't hold my breath.

First day on the little bus

Yesterday Darrian got on the little bus and I know he really liked it because when he got home he got off the little bus singing the wheels on the bus, then he said "it's Tuesday," and went off to play. This is a lot more information you get than you might get from a teenager, who when asked what they did today, will most likely reply "nothing." At least we now know that in preschool you can learn two things in a given day unlike high school, where you apparently learn nothing.

I would like to buy one of THESE, instead my kid is getting THESE. And so as the saying goes, "c'est La vie."

This is Darrian my 3 year old on his first day of school. He wouldn't turn around because he wanted me to take a picture of his backpack. I am going to take a picture of his first day on the little bus as soon as his bus service kicks in. He goes to school from 7:30 to 1:30. He gets breakfast and lunch. So far he loves it. He didn't seem to have much of an adjustment problem. I figure it's because he has been in Head Start for the last 7 months. It is a little unusual having no kids in the house all day, but I will get used to it. Today I am making a trip to Walmart alone. That should be interesting. I am used to having at least one kid with me.
we'll see how it goes.

How stupid am I?

Today we are going to watch the Pro Bowl. The Pro Bowl is huge in Hawaii. The players come in, the players spend money, and the players go out. Everyone and their brother watches or goes to the Pro Bowl. I have never gone even though I can see the stadium from my house. I am too cheap to buy tickets that are not in the nose bleed section, so I'd rather be able to see the game than not. Yesterday my son came in from the Teen Center and said "are you going to watch the Pro Bowl tomorrow?" I said I am not going to watch it tomorrow because it is not on until Sunday. He then informed me that the Pro Bowl is going to be played on Saturday instead of Sunday. So I ran to my computer insisting this was not true and lo and behold the Pro Bowl was listed for Saturday. Now how you can live in Hawaii, down the block from the stadium, and not know what day the Pro Bowl is being played on is beyond me. Well I'm not the only dummy. Last night my friend Tracey knocked at my door and when I opened it she stormed in and said "I am so mad.....Did you know the Pro Bowl is on tomorrow." I told her I just found this out myself. She said that Saturday she had planned on going to the movies and that her husband had to work until she heard the Pro Bowl is being played. From what she found out people complained about it because they didn't like the idea they had to go to work the next day, so the day was changed from Sunday to Saturday. So today I am watching the Pro Bowl. If not for my son telling me I would of tuned in tomorrow after church, so thanks Brandon.

Hillsong - Mighty To Save

I am lucky that my church has a youth group that forms the main part of our band and that the kids are not only on fire for the Lord, but they have modeled their group after Hillsong and not only do they do it just as awesome, but the main singer has an identical voice to Hillsong's main singer.

A prayer for Christopher

One of my very best friends Monica, more like part of the family then friend, has a son Christopher who will be having surgery on his ear next Wednesday so that he can hear better. He will be out of it for quite a few days and then it will be quite a while before he is totally healed. I met Monica here in Hawaii years ago and her son Christopher is my son Dominic Jr.'s best friend. Please keep him in your prayers so that he has a succesful surgery and that he heals quickly with little pain.

Souvenir's....I think?

We collect shot glasses. My idea of a souvenir is you go somewhere on vacation and you buy a shot glass to add to your collection so you can remember the place you visited and had such a good time at. My husband's idea of souvenir is you go anywhere you can and buy a shot glass just because. So now we are the proud owner's of 2 shiny new shot glasses from, drum roll please, Iraq!!!!!!Tada!!!!!Oh how exciting, don't you think? Well hubby thinks they are cool so I guess their keepers.

Another pretty picture

Just another picture of paddling. Paddling is a very popular sport here on Oahu. My daughter just joined this year and really loves it. It is very relaxing watching the paddlers. I don't think it is very relaxing being one of the paddlers. This is a very tiring sport. It requires a lot of physical effort, but the payoff is winning. Her boat does pretty well usually coming in 3rd out of 10, so she is happy with this. Hopefully my hubby will not have to work his first weekend home and he can enjoy Saturday's meet. This is something he would of missed had his tour not been cut short, but by the Grace of God he will get to see the last few meets. What a nice surprise.

Monday

The hubby should be arriving from Kuwait late Monday night if all goes well and they get the flight they are supposed to. The kids are excited and hubby is excited to get to eat real food instead of chow hall food. He is very lucky this tour was cut short. This same thing happened to him years ago when he went to Albania. He was supposed to be gone for 6 months and he was only gone 1 month. I guess he just gets lucky when it comes to these tours. I hope it stays that way, but what are the odds. You all know I hate the number 3 and the next tour would be the dreaded 3. Apparently whomever he ends up with will be deploying sometime in the next year. I just hope it isn't too soon. It will suck to have to start the year over again within the next few months. So that's the news for today. Thanks for all of your well wishes.

The good and the bad

The good news is hubby may be coming home soon. As early as next week. The bad news is he will be back in another unit that will possibly be deploying as soon as this summer. It seems the Army is up to some more restructuring and that messes up a lot of things. If and when he gets back these 2 months will not count toward another tour which will be another 12 months started all over again. With luck things will change for the best, but who can predict the future, especially the future of a soldier. The kids are excited though. I kind of downplayed the leaving part and told them their dad just might be home very soon. I didn't want to get them too excited, but they are anyway. I will keep you all posted.

Everything else in Hawaii is going great. We still have nice weather. A little rain here and there and of course I saw another rainbow this morning. A huge one. I feel sorry for all of you out there who are affected by the snow and ice storms and hope that the winter comes to an end very soon. We don't get many changes here so that is something you can kind of count on, except for the 40 days of rain last March and April, everything usually stays sunny and bright.

I should be able to do a little blog surfing tonight after American Idol so I don't miss anything going on out there.

God's promise to Noah

Here in Hawaii not a day goes by that we don't see at least one rainbow, even when it's sunny. Somehow the mist causes the reflection of the rainbow off the mountains. Whenever we see a rainbow I say to the kids "oh look a rainbow, God's promise to Noah." The kids love the fact that there is an actual meaning behind the rainbow. Matthew refers to the story of Noah and the flood. God made his promise to Noah, his sons, and all the birds and animals that came out of the ark. God promised that the earth and everything living on it would never again be destroyed by a flood. The sign that God gives to remind us of his solemn promise is the rainbow. I hope all of your days are filled with rainbows and that you all get to witness the promise God gave to all of us.

Happy Birthday Julian

Julian is 2 years old today. Here he is at Chuckie Cheese. Looks like his cake was yummy. Happy Birthday from Grandma, Grandpa and all your aunts and uncles here in Hawaii. We love you.

Please pray for Kelli

Kelli is one of the bloggers out there who is in serious need of prayer. She needs a kidney transplant but her insurance is running out, and in order to even get approval for the transplant she needs to prove she has insurance and that she will be able to have the $1200. a month to pay for the medication she will need.

Please go over to Barb's blog and read her post because she has explained it in all in the best way possible.

Oh fiddlesticks

Last night I went to turn on my tv, I have the DISH, and nothing. No signal, no menu, nada. I called the company and they couldn't get it going so I will have to call today for a technician. The kids here do not get to watch a lot of tv, but there are 5 of them and it is the weekend. I said "Oh well," to the kids, "I guess we are celebrating National turn off the tv week a little early this year." In the back of my mind I was thinking various four letter words that I probably couldn't even legally put on this blog. Not that I'm an addict, but I do have my shows I can't miss. You know, The Apprentice, Extreme Home Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and I'm sure I could think of more if put to the wall. I am going to resort to putting out my little back up tv with the antenna. Seems like I'm moving back in time. Let's hope the tech can get out here ASAP, before I go totally nuts.

Sit and spin

Remember this toy? Now it actually plays Simon Says. Simon Says spin, Simon says spin the other way, Simon says stop, stop. This is fun for about 5 minutes, then its kind of annoying. Not so annoying for a 3 year old though.

Today i am finally going to the grocery store. Not that I want to, but one must eat. I am going to get the ingredients for All Day Meatballs from Sandras food blog. They look so good I've got to try them. All of the recipes I have tried from her are yumm-o. If you get the chance go on over and have a look.

Lazy day

What do you do when you are almost out of everything but too lazy to actually get your butt up and go to the store? You make homemade pizza and the kids eat this day and night, and think they are in Heaven. Oh, and you add shredded carrots and onions to the sauce so you can make sure they meet their veggie quota.

progress

Everyone who has been reading this blog knows that since I broke my wrist I really hadn't done anything to my new military quarters. Now that I'm almost 100%, I have started to do a bit here and there. The first picture just shows the curtain I finally hung. I was getting sick of staring at this bare window while I blogged. I like when a window is pretty enough not to need a curtain, but this one certainly is not.

The second picture is of my window with the same curtain as the other window and of my sliding glass doors with my accidental curtains. By accidental I mean I bought 2 panels of burgundy curtains to hang there and when I got home I realized I was short by about 6 inches. That's what I get for not measuring. Anyway I went out and bought 2 white shears and put them up just to make sure I had the entire window covered. I ended up with an effect I really like.

The third is my bathroom, thanks to K Mart. I had originally planned on doing it in ducks, but when I saw this pink set, I knew I wanted it for my downstairs bathroom. I also got a toilet seat, toothbrush holder, soap holder, cup, cotton ball container, and rug in the same pattern.

Well this is the extent of my work so far. I am glad I am finally able to get something accomplished.

Success

There is a little boy in our neighborhood who is neglected. His mom is a single mom in the Army with 6 kids. When she is home she let's her kids run around outside all day without ever checking up on them. When she is at work her 12 year old daughter watches the others. Apparently the military doesn't find this too neglectful. The other day after playing outside all day the boy went into his house around 2 in the afternoon and came out with a jar of peanut butter and a spoon. My son Brandon said "why didn't you make him a sandwich?" Of course I already fed him, but I realized once again SUCCESS. This is how I judge success. By the statement Brandon made I realized he cared for what happened to the kid that drives him and the rest of the neighborhood crazy. I have always prayed only 1 prayer for my children and that is that they become Christians. I could care less whether they are lawyers or work at Burger King, I could care less whether they have a lot of money or a little, I could care less whether they go to college or not. I only care that they are happy and that they are Christians. To me this is the only success that matters. All I have ever wanted to be is a wife and a mother. I really don't care about
having a career or a great job or any other thing like that. This has
made me happy. I think if being happy means you love the Lord with all
of your heart, than this is all I want. I used to think that I would
get a job as I got older, but now I am thinking more on the lines of
volunteer work. Me and my son Jr. belong to Kid's Care and we get to do
a lot of volunteer work with the orphaned kids here in Hawaii and other
charity groups. This has been the most fun I have ever had. I even like
certain famous people based on how much charity work they do and how
much money they give. Two of my favorites being Angelina Jolie and
Madonna. Not because I like Angelina's acting or Madonna's singing,
which I do, but because both stars seem to understand success
may actually lie in the giving part, not the living part. Maybe I'm
odd, but to me success has nothing to do with money and everything to
do with being a Christian who loves the Lord. That's my story and I
wouldn't change a thing.

Footnote: I was talking with my dad who was asking isn't this neglect? In the eyes of the law, not really because Nate is fed, clothed, and has a place to sleep, but I was also thinking something even more profound. Isn't it better that we the neighbors have taken Nate under our wing and make sure that him and his siblings are played with, cared for, and fed? Isn't this what helping each other is all about? Maybe Nate's mom can't afford a sitter. There are 6 kids and no father. Maybe she is just too tired when she get's home to pay much attention to him. She does look quite young, so maybe she just didn't get a chance to be a kid herself. Or maybe she just doesn't know how to be a mom. I really think Nate and the others have a better chance of us as a neighborhood pulling together for them then him just being dumped in the system. Maybe someday Nate will do the same for someone else, just because it was done for him. Reading "It takes a Village," by Hillary Clinton is one of the best books on this subject you can read. Even if her politics are not to your liking the message of this book show's how working together can change the face of a nation.

working with your tube

The clip below is my first uploaded clip to your tube. I finally got it onto my blog. Jr. is in between the two angels. Please excuse the shakiness due to the fact that my
hyperactive 7 year old was dancing in his seat and repeatedly hitting
my arm while filming. Accidentally of course.

Jr's Christmas clip

Rocky Balboa

I Have been a fan of all the Rocky movies, so when I saw that this one was out I knew I had to see it. I haven't went to the movie theater in over a year, but boy am I glad I went to see this one. When my 16 year old turned to me at the end and said, "that was really good," I knew exactly what she meant. This truly was one of the best movies I have ever seen, and I absolutely hate boxing. There is only about 25 minutes of boxing at the end of the movie. The first hour and a half I don't think there was a dry eye in the theater. The movie is about Rocky trying to deal with loosing the love of his life, finding meaning as he is getting older, and trying to become close with his adult son oncer again. I know why the critics are giving this movie great reviews. The ending is not at all what I expected, nor is it unrealistic. I will tell you this movie really has almost nothing to do with boxing and everything to do with living. The movie is extremely emotional, and Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa) is an amazing man. It's obvious that Stallone has taken the emotions of growing old in his own life and used them to create a character with a lot of depth. Go see Rocky if you can, and don't forget the tissues.

check out more great reviews HERE

Happy New Year 2007

Here's wishing all my new friends out there a very jappy New Year. If you all read the six weird things about me you would know that I am expecting a very good 2007, just because the year ends in a 7. No offense to the number 6, but I'd much rather be in 2007. I hope all of you have a very happy and healthy year. God Bless.

Resolutions

I don't do resolutions. Never have, never will. I do make up funny stuff just to mark the new year. Last year my resolution was to never run out of french vanilla creamer. I actually did it. Not really a resolution, but a goal. This year I am not sure what it will be. Maybe never to run out of Gevalia, my favorite coffee in the whole world.

I wish all of you a Happy New Year and I hope your resolutions are a success.

Moon Sand

Has anyone seen this product? It's like an indoor sandbox. Of course my neighbors want to know why I would buy a 3 year old and indoor sandbox? Can't answer that. I did buy him play dough also. Thank God I own a $1200. Rainbow vacuum. I have had to use it at least 7 times a day since Christmas. The kids seem to like this stuff. It molds real well. You can make sandcastles and things and it is definitely easy to clean up. It vacuums right up and doesn't seem to stick to the carpet. It does harden when left out but stays soft when kept in it's closed case. I will let you know if cleaning up after this stuff starts to drive me crazy in a few weeks.

My present

Hubby sent me this for Christmas. Click here. Isn't he a great guy? Now I can blog while watching tv at the couch.

This was the best present the kids got this year. We all love air hockey and I am still the champ. So far I beat everyone in the house at least twice. Hubby thinks he will usurp me when he gets
home, but I told him he had better find an air hockey table to practice
on while he's over there or else. He must be crazy if he thinks I will
let him beat me. No, no, no way!! Can you hear me now? Air Hockey
champion.

Merry Christmas

Baby Jesus born in Bethlehem
Baby Jesus born to save all men
I have come to crown you king
I give my all my everything
How foolish I would be to turn away
for wise men still follow you today

Twins

Here I am as twins, Most of you don't know that my mom actually gave birth to twins when she had me but one didn't survive. My twin only made it a few months, who knows how many in utero. Now that my new IMAC, that hubby sent me for Christmas, has an ICam, I can take photos in mirror image so I can see what it would be like to have two of me. I was told we were identical so this is very interesting to see for me. What do you think? Very strange indeed.

Piccolo practice

Vanessa practices piccolo while Darrian looks on. I hope he can offer some good critique.

6 weird things about me

Oh how will I ever think of 6? Just kidding. Linda (another of my favorite bloggers) from Middle Years tagged me for this one. So here goes.

I hate odd numbers. Whenever I go to the mall, or out to eat, or wherever, I drive my husband crazy by not letting him park in odd numbered spaces. He always asks "is this one Ok?" Duh, how long has he known me? Is it odd numbered? Not to hard to figure out. I think he gets confused with the double digit numbers like 17, because although 17 is odd, I love 17. I love it because my lucky number it 7. Anyway 37 and 87 are out because I don't like 3 or 8.

I don't like heights. I get dizzy just thinking about heights. In fact I only go up into big building no higher then where the ladder on the fire truck can reach. I usually avoid high buildings. This fear does not pertain to flying. I don't know why but flying doesn't bother me.

Like Linda I talk to myself and to my cat Emma. But truly the weirdest thing is I talk to our goldfish (three fin spike tamayo).

I don't step on sidewalk cracks even today. Who knows why. I'm sure it won't break my mother's back, but I avoid them anyway. I am not paranoid, if I step on one I don't freak out, but I try to look down and not step on them anyway.

Again another odd number thing but only pertaining to the number 3. I brush my hair in 4 strokes, never 3. I take sips of my drink 1, 2 or 4 at a time. If I am on number 3 sip I will take an extra just to be sure.

I line up the cans in my cabinets so labels are facing me and If one is off, even at someones house I will face it correctly. Like if their salt shaker is not facing forward I will reach out and grab it and turn it, and I will do all this non chalantly so that no one notices. They probably notice, but are too nice to say anything

I read several books and magazines at once. I think it's the ADHD, but I can't sit down and read one thing for a long time, like an hour. I read a little of one book, then a little of another, and then a magazine, then maybe something off the computer. It's just the way I like to do it.

Now I have to tag 6 people so I tag Barb, Jen, Sandra, Julie, Liz, and Janice.

This is a hard day's work.

Darrian

After a hard day's work.

I make homemade pizza all the time and this time I decided to try calzone. It came out pretty good and was yumm-o too. As Rachael Ray would say.

Finished product.

I thought I would share these pictures with you all of Honolulu at dusk. My daughter is on the paddling team and when I go to pick her up this is the view I get to see. I don't mind picking her up at all. This is very relaxing.
Here is one of their canoes coming in as we sit on the hillside enjoying the paddlers. Isn't it strange that it looks just like summer here. Not a hint of winter. How weird it must be to everyone.

My decorated house..pictures in post below

I posted a glimpse of my decorations so I could join Boomamas Christmas
tour of homes. This is my tree and then the area where I blog. I also
showed my favorite Christmas blanket and my decorations by the front
window. I didn't go all out this year because I have barely gotten my
regular decorating done due to my broken wrist. I only started using a
hammer a few weeks ago. Anyway I hope to be done soon and then be able
to go all out for next years tour. Wish me luck.

PS Notice the bottom half of my tree lacks decorations. This is because my kids hang all of them up high so their baby brother doesn't ruin them.

My decorated house

Christmas meme

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate? Both, but I like egg nog a little better.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Wraps them, but Santa may do something different this year like set them under the tree.

3. Colored lights on tree or white? White

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Not all the time.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually the day after Thanksgiving. I can't wait because I love Christmas.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Stuffing.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child. I have a few. One is going to my grandmothers house (me me) on Christmas eve to spend with my cousin Gale and her family and the other is Sharing Christmas with my grandparents on my mom's side especially when my grandpa stopped at the backery for cupcakes.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I think I heard it at school in about 3rd grade.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes the gifts that come from relatives and not from Santa. Otherwise it would be too confusing to know who bought what.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? This year white lights and decorations collected from over the years.

11. Snow! I love snow, but I don't miss it. I like the hot weather better, but it would be nice to see a white Christmas once again.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes...I think...Although that is how I broke my wrist this year. So I guess the answer is still I think.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I think it was roller skates one year.

14. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Pumpkin pie!

15. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Christmas eve when we get to midnight service although our church does it at 7:00pm. Then we come home and have hot coccoa, yes even in Hawaii, and we read Christmas books usually from the Christian book store. This year we may ice skate. Hopefully I won't break my wrist which then would be a tradition.

16. What tops your tree? Usually an angel although the boys want me to buy a star this year.

17. Which do you prefer Giving or Receiving? Giving, but only if it's something I really thought about not just a gift because you have to give one, but something that you know the other person will enjoy.

18. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Felice Navidad

19. Candy Canes yuck or yum? I don't love them, but once in a while I will eat one.

20. Fruitcake? I don't like it, but my southern friends swears they make the best fruitcake in the south and that everyone likes it. So I guess I don't really know.

My friend Jen over at "A good cup of coffee" got this one going for me so go check her out if you want to join in. Also say a prayer for her little one Miller who needs surgery on Dec. 22. Poor little guy. Hopefully this will make him all better.

Awesome Christmas tradition

I wanted to let you all know that my friend Linda over at her blog middle years has posted one really neat Christmas tradition that she shares with her friends. This tradition includes bingo, presents, great food and, well, I will let you all read the rest for yourself. I love Linda's blog because she always has something fun to write about and a lot of other stuff. So go on over and read all about this one because it is a tradition I think a lot of people would enjoy. I know I will.

PS Linda is a very sweet gal with lots of kind things to say. Just another reason I love her blog.

Happiness is?

No I am not happy about the Cowboys loss to the Saints, but I am very
happy about the return of my all time favorite Amazing Race all stars,
Rob and Amber. Team Romber will appear in the next race, the all star
version. I know you all probably think I'm crazy, and that many people
didn't really like them, but I have loved them since they fell for each
other on Survivor. Who doesn't love a good love story. I just think
it's cool that they fell in love on Survivor, made it to the end of the
Amazing Race, and then got married, and well, so far, have lived
happily ever after. I guess we will find out if the magic is still
there. Yes I am one of those nutty people that even viewed their
wedding and what a wedding it was, just like a fairy tale. Well that's
my news for now. It takes so little to make me happy. Wait until hubby
reads this. He already thinks I'm nuts and he will probably be glad he
doesn't have to sit through another episode of Romber. Allthough in the
end he ended up liking them. Even hubby can't resist a good love story.
Of course he always says "It'll never last." So far it has.

A little clip for babe

and anyone else who might like it...

Here

We love you babe!

PLEASE CLICK ON PICTURE AND WATCH IF YOU KNOW ANYONE SERVING IN THE US MILITARY OR EVEN IF YOU JUST WANT TO SUPPORT OUR TROOPS.

My little elf

This isn't the greatest picture but I didn't take it so bear with me. Brandon my 14 year old is dressed as an elf. He is a teen center volunteer for the fun fair and that is what he has to wear. We took the kids over to the fair on Dec. 2 and boy what a great day it was. I filled out a few raffle tickets and then went home toward the end. I was home about an hour and Brandon called me to tell me I won a survival bag. A backpack filled with survival stuff. Then when I got home I got a call from the guy in the booth next to the survival bag guy and he told me I won a $50.00 gift certificate. Once I got home from picking this up my son Brandon called me again to say my son Jr. won a cake in the cake walk, but this was not the biggest news. The biggest news was Jr. also won the XBox 360. Brandon gave Jr. his ticket and when the winner was called Brandon thought it was this other guy who was walking toward the stage, but then he saw Jr. jumping up and down and coming toward the stage. Miss. Angie was handing Jr. the XBox 360 when Brandon came up to say his ticket won. Miss Angie said sorry Brandon it's the person holding the ticket who gets the prize. Anyway she was just messing with them. Jr. and Brandon decided they both won and that's great for them. They share this with my other kids so that makes it a gift for all. My hubby was glad since the next day he was leaving for Iraq and this took some of the focus off that.

Oh and how can I forget. The Dallas Cowboys beat the NY Giants. WooHoo!

Ramblings

My oldest daughter who lives in Washington with her family was complaining I don't put pictures on my blog anymore so here are some.

The first is my daughter Vanessa fooling around with the camera. Her friend Jennifer and her like to take wacky pictures. This is one of them.

Next my son Darrian, who is sick with a cold, is taking a swim in the Jacuzzi. The jacuzzi clears him right up so he can feel better for school.

My little village comes next. Since Darrian thinks they are toys there is no way to set them up except put them out and let him mess with them.

Last but not least is my tree. It's a real tree, bought here in Hawaii, for only $32.00. Can you believe this deal. I love it. You can smell it the moment you walk into the house. Boy am I going to miss this smell when Christmas is over.

Eve

Here is something interesting I read that I thought I would share with you all. Something to ponder:

Biochemists have shown that every man and woman on earth-past, present, and future-can be traced genetically to one human woman via mitochondrial DNA. To that one woman they gave the name "Eve," which means "mother of all the living."

The following post

I want to thank Barb for pointing me in the direction for the post below and to Susanne for e-mailing me instructions on how to paste it in my template. Also thanks to my son Brandon for helping me put Susanne's instructions into action. Thanks to these people you know what time of day I am.

By the way this one had me pegged. I can't believe how it was so much like me. Try it if you like.

Midnight-that's me

You Are Midnight

You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits. Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle. Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it. You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.

What Time Of Day Are You?