Fun Friday: Camp Rah-Rah Edition

They're all here!! We are so excited, especially the kids. They ran through the house screaming for the first hour after they got here. Uh-huh. Long road trips make for lots of pent-up energy. It's so great for the cousins to all be together, I think they've all three been counting down the days. Which is no easy task for two pre-schoolers and a Kindergartener.

So, Camp Rah-Rah is in full swing. Right now they're watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" under a fort in the living room. Allergy meds have been administered.

Tomorrow's agenda includes washing Rah-Rah's car, water balloons, running, bubbles, making cookies, more running, then meeting PaPa at Chick-File-A. Whew, I'm already tired.

Seriously, it's so great to have them all here, including our wonderful daughter. Such a treat, she's such an azmaing young woman, I always look forward to her coming. AND, she celebrates her 30th birthday tomorrow, so we're having a party for her on Sunday. Yeah, big weekend.

My take: I'm so thankful for my family! We all have our ups and downs, hang-ups and melt-downs, but we still come together, are there for each other, and live life together. I hope you guys are all as lucky as I am.

Have a great weekend, and don't forget to check out this week's recipe - a kid favorite!


Crazy Dogs

Ingredients:
crescent rolls
sliced cheese
hot dogs
chili, optional

Directions:

1. Unroll crescent rolls. Leave 2 triangles together, forming a rectangle.
2. Lay a slice of cheese on top of the crescent roll pieces
3. Lay the hot dog on top of the cheese
4. Roll up the crescent roll and close ends
5. Bake according to crescent roll instructions
6. Serve with chili and/or grated cheese, if desired

Random Stuff

It's Thursday, the last quiet time I'll have for a while.

My 2 other grandkids are coming in tonight...with their mom, they don't drive or anything. I'm so excited! They live near Fort Worth, so we don't get to see them as often as we'd like to. So, in light of this fact, we are also having our other granddaughter, who happens to share the exact same birthday as my granddaughter who lives near Fort Worth, over as well. You know, cousin time.

Now, of course, when I say "we're" having them over, I hope everyone understands that it's pretty much ME having them over. Enough said there.

Anyway, tomorrow I'M having "Camp Rah-Rah." Rah-Rah is my grandmother name, in case you're wondering, and no, it has nothing to do with cheerleading, as I was never a cheerleader.

Where did you get Rah-Rah, you may ask? Well, my best friend's daughter has called me Rah-Rah since she was able to talk. When I married Hubby, who already had one grandchild, I needed a name and decided I liked Rah-Rah. It's different and somehow it works. The funny thing is my friend's daughter is now 7 and I picked her up from school the other day and so her mom called to tell the school and her that Sherra Edgar was picking her up. The school called back in a few minutes saying that J didn't know anyone named "Sherra Edgar." Her mom replied, "OK, tell her Rah-Rah is picking her up." Funny, huh?

So, tune in tomorrow and I'll tell you all about what's planned for Camp Rah-Rah...mainly, because I haven't figured that out yet.

I thought it'd be good to give you an update on my working out process. I'm doing pretty well so far. I'm up to about 2.5 miles on the treadmill, running about 2/3 of the time. When I first start out, it's still really hard, I'm just not a natural runner, but I do feel like I'm making progress. I'm also following a weight routine that's supposed to be good for my body type. Yay, me, yes?

Funny thing happened yesterday at the gym. I was running and it seems that I have like 0 pairs of running shorts with pockets. So I put my iPhone on the little shelf that's made for it or for a water bottle. So, I'm running and I have no idea what I did, typical for me, but all of the sudden my phone goes flying off the shelf, onto the treadmill, then off the back onto the floor. And, I'm running, remember? So, there were a couple of minutes of trying to decide what to do. I mean, how long could I actually run with no music? 1 minute? 2 minutes? Finally, this girl got off the elyptical and she picked it up for me. Thank God, you know? Anyway, I feel pretty good about my progress. Still thinking I need to be professionally fitted for shoes, though. Or maybe I just need to eat less...

A really crazy thing I wanted to tell you about is the Kroger birds. I love Kroger, it's definitely my grocery store of choice. Unfortunately, we don't have a Kroger where I live, but there's one about 20 minutes away. When I can plan it, I try to go there. I just feel like the quality is good, and their bonus buys and brands help you save money...and this makes Hubby happy...

Anyway, last fall one evening I went to Kroger. I pulled into a parking spot and see all these people either walking to or from their cars DUCKING. I thought, what in the world? I'd had my radio on and when I turned it off, I figured out why they were ducking: BIRDS. Birds everywhere, man! There must have been 500, no kidding! They were all in the few tress that were in those little grassy areas of the parking lot, all over the parking lot, on top of people's cars, on the roof of Kroger, EVERYWHERE!!! Plus, they were all chirping or whatever you'd call it and it was deafening. OK, maybe not deafening, but really loud. And, guess what? They're coming back!!

Yep, I was at Kroger last night and they were all coming in. There were probably 100 there already. Now, my question is: WHY??? What the heck, Birds? Can't you see we're trying to shop here and you guys are freaking everybody out. I told my mom about it, who hates birds because of an unfortunate incident from her childhood, and her eyes got all big and she was like, "I'm not going there!"

I understand, Mom, it's creepy.

And with that, I'll close for today.

My Take: gotta plan Camp Rah-Rah! See you tomorrow for Fun Friday: Camp Rah-Rah Edition.

Here's Cassie!

Son went back to school this morning, fever-free.

For those of you who were concerned, I did manage to talk him out of going to marching practice yesterday, as he still had a low grade fever at 3:00pm. Mothers: we ARE miracle workers, are we not?

Anyway, the house is quiet again this morning, and I was wondering what to write about when I realized that I've never written about our 4th family member: Cassie.

Now, looking at Cassie's picture above, you more than likely immediately see that she is...well, not human. No, she's a dog. Son and I have had her since she was a pup. We rescued her from the Humane Society.

It was between Christmas and New Year's holidays. Son was 8 years old. We were looking at the newspaper, Thrifty Nickel, or some similar publication and came across a picture of an adorable puppy wearing a bandana around its neck. We read the blurb underneath the picture and were introduced to Cassie. The most important bit of info in that blurb was that Cassie had a lame leg - she was either beaten or hit with a glancing blow, not run-over, by a car. Well, Son looked up at me with "those" eyes full of tears, and said, "Mom, no one's going to want Cassie with something wrong with her, huh?" To which I immediately replied, "Yes, someone will." And, of course, that "someone" was us.

We already had one dog, Molly, who we'd also had since puppyhood. But, Molly was 10 at the time, and Riley had never been without a dog, so I decided maybe getting a second dog wasn't such a bad idea. So, as soon as the Humane Society reopened after the holidays, we were there adopting Cassie. As it turns out, Cassie had been at the shelter for 4 months already and should've already been "out," if you know what I mean, but the workers loved her so much they just kept her. But, her time was definitely "at hand." So, when I say we "rescued" her, we really did.

Cassie and Molly were the best of friends and had 5 years together. Molly died of old age almost 3 years ago. It was tough for all of us, especially Cassie. But now, Cassie is living "La Vida De Loca" with us. She's one lucky pooch.

When I married Hubby, he wasn't too sure about indoor pets. He was very compassionate about Molly's death - buried her in the backyard for us one freezing cold night, and even suggested we have a little service for her. It was sweet. But, let's just say he'd never had animals indoors as a kid, and is not the animal lover Son and I are. Well, he WASN'T the animal lover...but, how things change!

It's so funny to me how animals can sense the person in the family that they need to "work on," you know? It's like they think, "OK, these two, yeah, the love me, so no worries there. But this guy, hmm, he's still on the fence about me. Better turn on the charm!" And, that's just what Cassie did.

I've mentioned before that Hubby is a runner. He's built to be the perfect long distance runner and could probably run a marathon if he set his mind to it. Also, running each day is his "transition" time, from work to home. Son and I are very thankful for this time. Enough said.

At some point, Hubby took Cassie running with him, and she was immediately hooked. Now, some of you might be worrying about her lame leg at this point in the post, but don't. She definitely has the lame leg - our vet said her femur was broken at some point - but, it doesn't stop her from doing ANYTHING she wants to do, including running with Hubby. As she's getting older, it's a little stiffer and we treat her for that, but this dog is FAST!!! She's killed rabbits, squirrels, and here recently, took on a raccoon and WON!!! The weird thing is, when she walks, she doesn't put much weight on that leg, yet she runs like the wind. Go figure.

So, now, 5 years into Hubby and Cassie's relationship, Cassie is the happiest person to see Hubby when he comes home every night. And she knows when it's about time for him to be home, too. She'll position herself right next to the breakfast table, where he puts his work stuff down when he comes in. That way he'll be sure to see her, no matter which door he comes in.

When he changes into his running clothes, she goes crazy!! She cries, barks, runs through the house. It's hilarious! And, she'll run over to me as if to say, "Did you see? We're going running!" Hubby might never admit it, but he loves her. He's actually started taking her to Warren with him on the weekends - just the two of them. Isn't that sweet?

Cassie is my constant companion. She has this huge pillow that she sleeps on in the laundry room, where she naps on and off all day. When she's not napping on her pillow, she's find me and will lie down in close proximity. Like me, her favorite snack is crackers and cheese and she can hear the cracker package rattle and will come sauntering in. She's a licker and loves to hang out with other dogs - again, like me, she's very social.

So, I'm glad you took the time to meet Cassie.

My take: pets add so much to our lives. They truly are like family...just with a little extra hair.

What's your take?

PS Did you see the football survey at the top? Don't forget to vote!

The Sickies

Everyone I know is sick...well, OK, that may be a slight exaggeration. One person in most families I know is sick. That may not be everyone, but that's still a lot of people.

As you probably remember, I was sick most of last week with a nasty head/chest cold. Hubby picked up a little bit of it last week, too. Not much with his bullet-proof immune system and all, but I did hear him sniffing a lot. He's sniffing, and I'm gasping for air. Yeah, that sounds about right.

One of my good friends had this about 2 weeks ago and was sick for about a week. Then, another good friend's kids and husband were sick all last weekend, but she managed to steer clear of it...until this past Sunday night, which meant she had to miss our first Bible study yesterday. Big bummer.

Then at church on Sunday, Father scared me to death. It seems that he had some sort of stomach virus, which started on Saturday, then got to church on Sunday, nearly passed out, was all clammy and colorless. That's OK, we were at church and you pray at church a lot anyway.

Then my other good friend's college freshman daughter is away at school, sick and alone for the first time with the same stupid cold thing. Super big bummer.

And now, after a couple of days of being puny, Son has officially succombed to this illness, has a low-grade temperature, and so we can now call him, yes, you guessed it, sick.

Now, Son has bargaining power.

Me: "Do you want to stay home from school? You have a fever."
Son: (Long pause) "I want to stay home from school, but I want to go to marching practice."
Me: "You can't do that."
Son: "Why not?"
Me: "It's against the UIL rules."
Son: "People do it all the time."
Me: "These are not people, these are rule breakers."
Son: (Look of disgust)
Me: "Besides, the last thing you need to do is march in the heat with a fever. If you want to go to marching practice, why don't you just go to school and try to make it. You are under the 'fever cut-off' temperature."
Son: "But, I'm miserable."
Me: "But you said you want to go to marching practice."
Son: "Yes."
Me: (Look of bewilderment) "Let's just see how you feel this afternoon."

Classic teenager, right? I've learned that after a while, I just semi-agree to whatever so the discussion can stop. Usually I'm so confused that I run out of arguing ammunition. So, that's just what we're going to do: just see.

Ever notice how "we'll see" or "let's just see" can solve all kinds of problems? These are truly brilliant and strategic phrases.

On a happier note, Son tried out for the All-Region Jazz Band last Saturday and made it! This is a big deal because they only have 1 All-Region jazz band, which means they only take 4 trombones. Son was 3rd, which means he also qualified for Area and even got to record a try-out for the All-State Jazz Band! I'm so proud of him! He's really worked hard. He's been going to school an hour early to practice and it's really paid off.

So, I guess my take today is this: Really tired of all the sickness! Ready for the ragweed to do its thing and be done so we can all get back to our health.

Hope you're doing alright in your neck of the woods!

It's Making a Difference

A great thing happened yesterday at church.

Well, really a lot of great things happened at church yesterday. The church we attend is a brand new church, with one of my best friends and her husband as pastors. My friends, we'll call them the the Flames, are just the best people. They are so down to earth, so easy to be around, and love God and people with all of their hearts. Being a part of their church is a true joy.

Anyway, besides the music, people, sermon, and lunch after church, another great thing happened: one of my friends mentioned that it looked like I've lost some weight. After I turned around a couple of times to see who she was talking to, and realized she meant me, a huge grin crossed my face and I felt so....relieved.

You might think that relieved is a weird emotion to feel following the compliment of "You're losing weight." But, if you've been following my blog from the beginning, you know that I'm trying to get BACK ON the losing weight wagon. And, honey, it ain't easy.

See, I have a lot working against me on the "losing weight" chart. I'm short. No, seriously, I'm pretty short. Another thing working against me is my seemingly negative metabolism. While others, without naming names, like my HUSBAND, can eat 3 bowls of peach cobbler and probably lose weight because he didn't eat a 4th bowl, I can just think about eating a miniature Hershey's chocolate bar, and I need to skip the next meal. OK, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but only slight. Lastly, I'm over 40. Apparently after 40, our bodies start turning into pumpkins...rotting pumpkins, at that. I'm even shaped like a pumpkin...how did we get on pumpkins again?

So, the losing weight thing is hard for me. I have to work really hard at counting my calories, doing lots of cardio, and I've even started a weight routine. Most people my age don't even do one of those. But, hey, maybe it's making a difference.

So, after the compliment yesterday I started thinking about this making a difference thing. I started to wonder whether I am making a difference in other areas of my life. It's one of those questions that once you ask yourself, you're scared to answer yourself. Am I making a difference?

Am I there for others who need my help, even when I feel like they could help themselves? Am I working on my relationships with friends and family? Even those hard relationships where it's true work, kind of like my physical exercise? Am I involved in meaningful causes, even when I'd like to be called to the life of the couch potato? These are hard questions.

Plus, like losing weight, there's a lot that can work against us when we try to make a difference in people's lives. Schedules, family committments, jobs, and other people's wills can all bog us down on this road to serving others. Still, most of us, on a good day, keep going, keep trying, keep believing we can make a difference somewhere, somehow, for someone. And, sometimes even when you're doing all you know to do you still aren't sure if it means anything at all. Has anything for anybody really changed?

And then the day comes when a friend says, "Hey, you look like you've lost weight," and you think, "Thank God. It's made a difference."

Here's my take: that's the person I want to be. I wish I could say it's going to be a piece of cake, but I've lived long enough to know that it's not going to be. But, that's OK. At the end of my life, or if I'm lucky, BEFORE the end of my life, I hope someone will say, "Hey, Susie Q's decided to stay with her husband after she joined the Bible Study" or "Son is such a great kid, I bet you're a good mom."

And I'll think, "Thank God. It's made a difference."

What's your take?

Fun Friday: Pumpkin Edition

So, it's Friday.

The best thing about this Friday is that it's here. It's been quite a long week for me. Plus, my house is all decorated for fall, which I love!! It's one of the reasons that I love the holidays...remember, I warned you...

Plus, the weather is amazing!!! It was in the 50's when I drove Son to school this morning. Love it!! I've even considered bringing out my boots and a sweater to wear today...not really, I can't get too carried away yet.

As I mentioned, my house looks great and smells like...pumpkin, of course! I took some pictures of my decor, hope you like them!

Here's my dining room table.

And, my front door.

Our game table.

And, my front porch.

So, what do you think? Leave me lots of comments telling me how wonderful everything looks, OK? Remember, I did all this decorating while taking lots of medication, so I feel I should be celebrated.

As far as Fun Friday and the weekend go, we actually don't have much planned at all. We don't even have a football game tonight, it's our bye week. And, I'm really kind of bummed because we could actually sit out there and not sweat to death this week. Like I said, bummer.

So, if I were you, I would try to do as much outside this weekend as possible, if the weather where you live is as great as it is here. I read about some bulbs I can plant now and have them bloom in the spring, guaranteed. And, a guarantee is what I must have before planting anything. My "green thumb" has always been more of a yellowish shade of green.

I'm also having a critique lunch today. As I mentioned, I'm a writer. I am. My only problem, as a writer, is trying to convince a publisher, any publisher, of my writing status. But, I'm trying hard. I have a friend who's been writing for about 10 years with some pretty good success. She's acting as my mentor and we meet with a third lady, another writer, about every other week and talk about what we're writing at the moment, get some ideas, etc. I enjoy it.

So, again, whatever you do this weekend, try to get out and enjoy this fall weather. To put you in the mood, I've chosen a fall recipe to share. I actually made this yesterday for my Young Life event, and it's a great one. And, yes, it's a pumpkin recipe. I am nothing if not predictable.

My take is this: I love fall! How about you?

Pumpkin Cookies


Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract




Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

If You're Happy and You Know It...

Today, I am officially back among the living, and when I tell you I've hit the ground running, you have no idea.

I've been planning this Young Life event at my house for weeks, and well, it's tonight. So, on my first day back to feeling like a human being, I've decorated for fall, shopped for the desserts I'll be making this afternoon, cleaned house...you get the picture...

In other words, this post is going to be fast...just like the rest of my day...so here goes:

5 Things I'm Super Happy About

#1 It was EVEN COOLER this morning when I took Son to school - which means, fall is here...hopefully

#2 The little pumpkin candy, that tastes just a notch better than regular candy corn, was out at the grocery store...a favorite

#3 The 90-calorie Fiber One brownies I've watched commercials for from my post on the couch all week are actually pretty tasty

#4 Green Mountain Coffee has released their seasonal flavor "Pumpkin Spice" Keurig pods, of which I am currently enjoying, along with my 90-calorie Fiber One brownie

#5 I felt so much better today that I decorated my house for fall, including changing my Scentsy warmers to fall warmers AND the fragrance to, yep, you guessed it, Pumpkin Roll...I like pumpkin, OK?

So, nothing earth shattering today for you guys, but a rather "happy" day for me.

My take: It's amazing how little things can make you "happy" after being sick all week. Am I right?

Come back tomorrow for Fun Friday...and, yes, it could include pumpkin...

What's your take?