Furloughiday and more!

Ah, today is Tuesday, although it feels like Monday.  The kids at school had a four day weekend, as Friday was Parent Teacher Conference day and Monday was a furlough day, or as I call it a "furloughiday".  Parent Teacher Conference Day is someone's brilliant idea to allow time for the teacher to chat with every student's parental units.  What someone didn't take into account, is the fact that I have currently 37 students in my class and am expected to conference with all of them in one day.  My day is technically from 8:00 a.m. to 2:55 p.m. So approximately 7 hours (minus an hour for lunch) to talk to all these people.  Let's do the math.  Seven hours translates to 420 minutes.  Divide that by 37 students (barring any bathroom time, providing all parents show up on time, and have no questions or concerns), that leaves us with 11.35 minutes for each parent.  Huh.  Then factor in the crazy idea that many of these people work for a living and cannot leave their job for a 11.35 minute conference.  Yeah, Friday was not a very conference friendly day at all.  I did most of mine before school during the week (6:45 a.m. to 7:45 a.m.) and after school.  One day staying until nearly 5 p.m.  I have more today and tomorrow as well.  Bleah!

Saturday was a day spent doing chores around the house and starting some projects.  I had lofty ideas of doing four Pinterest projects, but got as far as two.  Here is what I did manage to do:

Chicken wire earring or photo holder

The other project didn't turn out the same as the original pin, but I still like it.  I might try other finishes later.

Putting the glue on the letter...

Glue dried and painted...I might try another coat
of paint in another color to give it some depth.

Saturday afternoon, I went with the Fish and two of her friends to the Civil War Reenactment at Kearney Park.  Husband was out hunting and the boy was home visiting with friends.  I had only been to the Camp Dinner in the past, so I wasn't sure what to expect from the actual events.  Fish and her friends had to go for extra credit for their AP US History class.  Their mission was to write about their experience there (including how they got there-hope they leave out some of the colorful language uttered by me on the freeway there) and take some photos with one or more of the actors.  Turns out one of the actors was one of the girls' science teachers their freshman year.  Some of the photos are below:

Very realistic cannon fire!

Battle!

These soldiers were very happy to pose with the girls.

Representing Union & Confederate

Honest Abe.  Number 16!!!!!

The girls had a really good time and so did I.  Definitely going back next year with Husband in tow.  I want up close seats though.  They have an announcer so you know exactly what is going on.

Sunday, after the boys went hunting in Mendota, we drove up to the Delta.  It was a loooooong slow trip to get there.  Apparently a tractor trailer overturned at 7:30 a.m. and blocked all four lanes of the highway for the entire day.  We didn't foresee this, so we ended up trapped on the highway, going 6 miles in one hour.  Saw the boy as he was on his way back to Santa Rosa.  We had told him to take the scenic route home along Highway 12.  There are so many ducks and geese along that highway.  Husband loves going that way.  I drive of course, or we would end up in one of those ponds.  Unfortunately, the accident ended up lengthening his trip by a few hours and he reached the scenic part when it was already dark.  After being taken off of the highway, being put back on and finally getting to just drive, we finally got to the Delta around 7 p.m.  Father-in-law arrived shortly after.

Monday was a glorious day spent at the Delta.  Husband hunted ducks with his dad and I worked on headbands.  Many, many, many headbands.  I am selling them at one of those holiday boutique things.  Hopefully there will be a mad rush on the things and I'll make millions of dollars.  Oh, I may have gotten a little ahead of things there.  Hopefully I sell a lot and get a lot of orders.  Kids are expensive!  Ha ha!!

Headband central-assembly area

So, back to it being Tuesday.  It feels like a Monday and a Tuesday all rolled into one.  Too much!  Fish has a game tonight and I plan on finishing up more headbands.  Sleeping hard tonight I hope and then start all over again tomorrow!  Crocking something delicious tomorrow, so stay tuned for a recipe and pictures.

Pinterest Part 2...projects for the weekend...

This weekend I am going to go on another Pinterest Test run.  I have a few more pins that I would like to try out.  Some of them already look a little sketchy, but we'll see.  Here's what's going to be on the agenda:

Chicken wire picture frame to either hold jewelry or photos.  http://www.thewilsonfamilyblog.com/2011/06/dorm-ideas.html




Letter art.  http://little-inspirations.blogspot.com/2012/04/letter-art.html

. 

Another kind of letter art...this one uses scrap book paper.

This next one might be a bit trickier and more labor intensive.  I would like to try this with either a wine bottle or smaller sauce jars.  http://www.designmom.com/2010/11/diy-bottles-full-of-light/

Not sure if I will get to all of these, but that's the plan.  I also need to get all of my boutique bound headbands done and tagged for purchase.  Nothing like leaving things to the last minute, but yes, that is how I roll.  Stay tuned for my version of these projects.  

And something to do with waffles.  I have been craving waffles for about a week now.  Maybe for dinner...

After the rain....

One of the best things about rain, is the wonderful smell that comes after.  I told Husband that I liked the smell of the wet earth and he immediately came back with, "You like the smell of mud?"  He is a funny one and I think I will keep him.  However, that wasn't quite what I was thinking about.  Maybe I should have said damp earth, but I'm sure he would have had something to say about that too.  The air always seems to be a lot cleaner and clearer too.  The sky looks bluer and the magical time right before sunrise just looks more spectacular than ever.

After the rain

Today, I tried another crock pot recipe that I saw online.  I'm hoping that it tastes as good as it looked when I left the house.  I made a Crock Pot Meatloaf.

2 pounds of ground beef (not too lean)
1/2 envelope of au jus mix
1/2 envelope of Italian Seasoning salad dressing mix
1 envelope of onion soup mix

Mash all this together and form a loaf in the crock pot.  Cut potatoes (I used baby reds) and place them around the loaf.  Cook on low for 6-7 hours.

**Next time I will add bread crumbs or cracker crumbs, a little milk or egg, and some bbq sauce into the meat.

Here is the before picture:

Pre-ketchup

I wasn't going to put the ketchup on the top of the meatloaf, but then decided that it would add a nice flavor to it.  I meant to drizzle it in an artistic way, but this is how it ended up...

with ketchup!

Husband and I will taste test this when we get home before we go see the Fish play volleyball.  Not sure if there will be any left over for her.  Maybe she didn't notice that there was something in the crock pot when she left this morning.  Wait a minute...Fish not notice food?  Ha ha ha!!!  She is so much like her mother.  He he he.

Meatloaf update:  It was delicious.  Next time, I would mix some bread or cracker crumbs and bbq sauce into the meat before cooking.  The meat tasted good, but it was a little dry and had a crumbly texture.  I think that the crumbs paired with the sauce might hold more moisture in.  We'll try an updated version next week.  The potatoes were really good, but I think they absorbed most of the liquid, therefore drying out the meat a bit.  Tomorrow night, I might try a cream of broccoli soup.  Depends on how adventurous I get.

Raining and Running! The Weekend Update!

Despite what the title might suggest, I am not running in the rain.  I would love to be though.  I woke up this morning to the most delightful sound I've heard in a long time.  The sound of raindrops, actual drops, hitting the deck!  Music to my ears.  I went so far as to post on Facebook that if I heard anyone complain about the rain, I would punch them in the neck.  I would too.  I guess when you a) live in the country and your water supply depends on rainfall, you learn that rain is not something to complain about, as it rarely happens here in the "desert" and b) I'm tired of all the brown plants in my yard and running water nearly non-stop when I'm hone to try to revive them for the 150th time!  So, anyway, just try to complain to me about the fact that it is raining.  Granted, I would much rather be at home, on the couch, crocheting headbands and watching crime!  Later, I guess.  On to the part about running...

Running.  Well, I did it!!  I ran the Susan G. Komen 5K Race for the Cure this weekend with my sister-in-law Holly (who is 5+ months preggers) and Fishie.  Scored myself a super nice little sports backpack, some pink eye black stickers, a t-shirt that is actually pretty cute, the annual Ford Warriors in Pink scarf,  some fruit, some cinnamon apple almonds (bleah!), a coupon for yogurt, and the satisfaction knowing that I ran 3.3 (the course was wrong) miles and didn't pass away.  I confess I walked for about 1/8 of a mile, but then the lady running in front of me couldn't seem to pick up her feet while running, so I passed her and kept going.  Boom!

Pre race smiles!

Here we are after the race, rocking the scarves from the Ford booth:

A little red, a little sweaty, but done!

The best part about running Saturday, Could be the fact that we went out to breakfast afterwards and gorged ourselves on delicious Red Caboose breakfast food.  Biscuits and gravy are always good motivators!  I'm pretty sure I would have to run at least a full marathon to cancel out the calories that are shown on the plate below.  The glass of chocolate milk with whipped cream on top isn't shown.  Does that mean it has no calories?  Ha ha!!

There was a to-go box involved here.

Other than the running, the weekend was pretty low key.  The boys all went hunting both mornings and returned each afternoon with an assortment of ducks.  Of course, no hunting trip is without its share of drama and/or humor.  This trip was apparently no different.  The boy got a ride into the refuge where they hunt with a friend of ours, as Husband's pass was full.  Husband and brother-in-law took the boat in and were going to pick up the boy at parking lot 5.  As soon as they got a few feet from the boat launch, the boat started filling up with smoke.  In the pitch blackness, the following could be heard, "What's on fire?!"  Followed by several other comments and I'm sure a bit of profanity.  It seems the new headlight wiring got too hot and melted.  I wish I could have witnessed this little scene.  I guess both of them moved with haste not usually exhibited by either.  Once they got the melted wires under control, they got to parking lot 5 to get the boy.  All he had to do was step into the boat, which Husband had pulled up onto the shore.  Instead, the boy decided to wade out into the slough, get his foot caught under a log, trip, and submerge his body up to his neck in the nasty slough water.  For the remainder of the hunting trip, he got to hunt in his underwear and a jacket.  Bahahahahaha!  That must've been a sight!  It was and I have photographic evidence, but being the kind mother that I am, I promised him I would not share it.  Okay, he threatened to unfriend me on Facebook and never speak to me again if I made the photo public.  Aside form those two inicdents, the hunting trip was a success, as was Sunday's outing.

Husband with his haul for Saturday morning!

While the boys were away and later napping, the girls hung out, shopped, and ate.  Fishie wanted to find some clothes at work and put them on lay-away, so we did that, along with several other errands.  Found some fabulous shoes for myself.  Now I just have to find a fabulous outfit to go with them.  That's not wrong, is it?  Ha ha!!

Tomorrow I will address another fabulous Pinterest find and be crockin' something tasty!

Pins that work!!!

I am a Pinterest-aholic.  There, I said it.  Ha ha...as if those of you who know me don't already know that.  It's a fun way to relax and get ideas.  I hesitate to say "good" ideas.  Nothing is more annoying or frustrating than finding a great idea on Pinterest and then when you click on it, it doesn't go to an actual website or have instructions that you can actually follow.  Some stuff is just visual and I can figure it out or get inspiration all on my own.  Well, there is one thing more annoying.  The pins that proclaim, "BEST RECIPE EVER!" and then when you make it, it tastes like death.  I recall a certain breakfast in a mug recipe that was supposed to yield delicious fluffy oatmeal and eggs.  I followed the directions to a "T" and the stuff was like a tasteless brick.  Had to throw the mug away too.  Egh!  So, in light of that, this post is dedicated to pins that actually work!

Yesterday, I got into a cleaning frenzy.  At one point, Husband, who was getting himself ready to go duck hunting Saturday, and who usually asks me to help him find various things, came into the kitchen and said, "I don't know what's wrong with you, but I'm going to leave you alone."  Ha!!

So, I started with the kitchen.  My initial thought was to wash the dishes and wipe down the counters and be done with it.  What ended up happening was far more involved.  I had pinned the name of a product that claimed to have miraculous cleaning benefits.  being a somewhat skeptical person, I went to the hardware store and bought this miracle product in both forms available.  Oh, what is it?  The most amazing cleaner on the planet.

My kitchen sink is old.  It has seen many pots and pans and because we have well water, the mineral stains get pretty bad.  I have tried Comet and Clorox Clean Up with Bleach.  I have tried ridiculous amounts of product and elbow grease with no luck.  Here is my sink, pre-Bar Keeper's Friend:

Here is after:

Amazing difference!  Even the drain area got super clean.  I am a fan.  I also attacked the bathroom sink, which also looks new-ish!  Fifty year old sink and it looks like we just put it in.  No photos though......I was on a roll!  So, what else did Bar Keeper's Friend take care of?  

Gross grease stains and baked on stuff!

Soaking with Bar Keeper's Friend

After a little scrubbing and a new set of burner rings:

Like new!!

And my last project is without photos, but I took a bowl of vinegar and put it in the microwave.  I microwaved it on high for 4 minutes (beware the smell is ferocious) and then let it sit for 2 or 3 minutes.  Then I took a paper towel and wiped (!!!!!) the inside of the microwave clean!!  It has never been so clean!  Oh I'm such a happy camper!  After all this cleaning and several glasses of wine and I was done for the evening.  Well, at least with cleaning.  I did manage to do another load of laundry and cut out Husband's laminated test answer sheets, all 78 of them, (that was unpleasant).  I have another sink tonight and a smelly garbage can to clean.  Laundry...egh.

Bad news?  I'm hungry and lunch is over an hour away.  Good news?  I have delicious leftover chicken noodle soup for lunch!  That was probably one of the best meals me and my crock pot have made thus far. (I know, I know, grammar!!)  Here is the recipe:

8 cups chicken broth (I used bullion cubes to make it)

4 stalks of celery, sliced

1/4 of a large onion, diced

4 medium carrots, sliced

the meat off of a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, shredded

a shake or two of dried oregano

a few shakes of Italian seasoning

I dumped all of this in the crock pot yesterday morning and let it cook on low for 7 hours.  When we got home, I cooked some noodles and added those in.  Deeeee-licious!!  

Husband was a little annoyed that it was so hot and he had to wait a few minutes to eat it.  He has a small vat of it for lunch today too.  I forgot (again!!!!!!!!) to take a picture of it while it was still in either the crock pot or a nice looking dish, but here it is in a Tupperware bowl.  

Better than Chunky!

For today's dinner, I did the following:

one 3 pound bottom round roast

1 can beef broth

1 can cream of mushroon soup

1/2 packet of ranch seasoning mix

1/2 packet of au jus mix

1/2 pound of sliced mushrooms (they shrink when crocked, so I use a lot)

Again, I dumped all of this into the crock pot, set it on low and left for work.  Seven hours later, I should have a delicious dinner waiting for me.  I think I will just serve with bread or pasta tonight.  

Ugh!  Hungry still!!!

This is pre-cooking!

I guess I could have done a 31 days of crock pottery!  Ha!!  Well, I am only on day 2 of this journey and if my past cooking history is any indication, I won't be cooking for 31 days in a row.  I did, however, Pin and save a bunch of yummy looking crock pot recipes.  All of them look amazing.  I tried to stay away from ones that seemed like a bad idea.  Fish, pasta, most eggy things don't seem to fare well in the crock pot, although there are some that say you can crock almost anything.  I have my doubts.  I even found a site where someone did a pedicure in their crock pot.  That to me, is going too far.  Feet in a crock pot???  Gross.

I will post pictures of the latest creation later!

Horrible picture, but soooo good!

 I feel good...na na na na na na na...

That was silly, but I do feel good today.  I ran/walked two miles at lunch yesterday and ate ridiculously healthy.  My calorie intake was somewhere between 500 and 1,000 calories, which may seem like starvation to some.  It really isn't.  I had deli ham, pretzels, and assorted veggies for lunch.  Then I went home and made the most amazing egg white omelet ever!!  Three egg whites, one egg yolk, chopped ham, onion, cilantro, shredded cheese, salsa, and peppers.  Yummo!!  Then I had a smidge of leftover Velveeta Shells & Cheese, because one can never walk by an unattended pot of those and not take a bite or two.  I had a little cottage cheese and salsa and more water!

Last night I also prepped the ingredients for homemade chicken noodle soup.  I looked like quite the sous chef, chopping onion, celery, and carrots ( I used my fancy crinkle cutter for that!).  I made some chicken stock from bullion cubes I had.  This morning I literally tossed all the ingredients in the crock pot with a package of pre-cooked chicken that was in the freezer, turned it on low and left to go to work.  Looking forward to getting home to delicious smells wafting from the house.  I just need to cook some noodles and boom...dinner!!  I'll post after photos when I get home.

Duck season starts this Saturday and Husband is like a little kid anxiously waiting for Christmas.  Brother-in-law, Ken, and pregnant Holly are coming down.   Holly and I are going to run/walk the Komen Race for the Cure (although "Sleeping in for the Cure" is a viable option too) and then gorge ourselves on biscuits and gravy!  I'm looking forward to food adventures with Holly!  We have Chipotle and Freebirds on the menu as well.  He he he...not so healthy eating is on my weekend horizon.  Glad I didn't sign up for the sleeping in option.

Projects this week have been put on the back burner, except for the headbands.  It is headband time at my house.  My little way of raising money for Fish's volleyball endeavors!  I've branched out into beanies as well, although those are more labor intensive.  I actually have to count stitches and remember what row I'm on, which is hard!!!!  This is the first one I made:

My Giants' version!

Below are a few samples of the headbands I make.  I have an Etsy store under mrsholc4x4, but haven't put any on there yet.  That will be up and running by the end of the week.  I've been a crazy crocheting woman getting ready for a holiday boutique and some for our school carnival, which is Friday.  I'm going to most likely have carpal tunnel by Christmas.

camo...my fave

school colors

cafe latter

with bling!

So these and more can be found on my Facebook Page Headbands & More!  The link to it is below:

Headbands & More!