Our Weekend Fun at Disneyland

We didn't take very many pictures, only because it was our 4th trip to Disneyland since December... but there were still some 'Kodak moments'....

There are well over 40 rides, 10 shows, and many other attractions at both Disneyland and California Adventure, and what does Kaitlynn choose to play with??

any guesses?



come on, just one guess?


no.... try again....


ok


ok


I will just tell you....... drum roll


a pay phone! Every time we came anywhere near one, she was fiddling with it! Geezo, ya'd think this kid had never seen a phone. Oh, wait... she has probably never talked on a pay phone...

Buzz Lightyear!

Shianne said she was going to make a face every time I tried to take a picture. Didn't anyone ever tell her that if you do that too much, your face will stick that way?

One of the rare moments when Noah actually let me take a few pictures of him.

And another.....

One with Mommy..

HA! Caught her before she could make a goofy face..

Kate looks so precious, then you have 'Oops, I let one slip' next to her...

Got... something.... on... the.... corner... of... my mouth. Got it! Yum... I was saving that! (make a goofy face, get a goofy caption)

Oh, now I smell it! And yes, my children were discussing bodily functions, with STRANGERS!

Ok, this is what Noah's pictures usually look like...

"Not me!" Monday....

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I am not a mom that does not value a good education, so I did not let my oldest child miss the last day of school to go to Disneyland. Nope, not me...

And since I am always caught up with my laundry, and so well organized, I would never go to Wal-mart the night before a trip, and buy everyone new outfits, socks, and undies, just so I don't have to stay up late into the night doing the laundry, that I never let get behind. Nope, Not ME!

If I were crazy enough to stay up until midnight, the night before leaving for Disneyland (at 5 AM), I surely wouldn't poop out halfway through the day. And I certainly wouldn't send my kids off on their own to ride more rides. I would never risk embarrassment by sitting down propped up against a fence, and proceed to fall asleep. And then just throw all inhibitions out the window, and actually LAY ON THE GROUND... no no that was NOT ME!

I would not then pretend I was 'just resting my eyes' by reaching for my camera and begin taking pics from my vantage point.
And this most certainly is NOT proof! And I did NOT snap another photo with my cell phone (while not laying on the ground), that I will not post (really I won't), because it is not for little eyes. I also did NOT send said photo to a few of my friends, with the caption, "It is really sad when you can find crack at Disneyland". Nope.... Not Me!

Last but not least... cover the kids eyes, and put down what you are eating... Because I did NOT find a 'gift' in the kids bathroom that refused to be flushed away! And there was NO way I was going to dislodge it with my toilet brush, because then I would be so grossed out I would have to throw it away. Soooo I would never have grabbed the first thing I saw, a Q-tip, or two, and use them to.... ahem... send the 'gift' to a more appreciative recipient. Noooo NOT ME!! That is just gross.... pardon while I hurl!

*Update* I did not just find one of our rabbits having her babies on the cage wire instead of her nest box! And the two live newborns are not, I repeat not now residing in the bra area of the workout top I am currently wearing so they can warm up. But, if they were, they wouldn't be wiggling all over looking for something to eat... sorry guys! I'm not the mama, Nope Not me!

Uncle Kenny's Portuguese Coleslaw...

What's with the name, you ask? Well, it was my uncle Kenny's (my dad's brother) recipe and that's what he called it, and we remember and miss him every time we make it. And as with anything our family makes, and enjoys, it is spicy HOT! YUM! And packed full of calories, just below the Yummy bread in total count. So this and the Yummy bread are our guilty pleasures, and only made a couple times a year.

Grocery List~
1 head purple cabbage
1 jar of yellow peppers (can substitute peperoncini peppers for the sensitive mouth)
1 jar dill pickles
1 bottle of ranch dressing (we use Hidden Valley)
Ingredients on hand~
black pepper
garlic salt
oregano
mayonnaise

In a large salad bowl, dice in very small pieces, 6 yellow peppers, and 2 whole dill pickles. Slice thinly a small head of cabbage (or half a large), add to bowl. (the rest is just estimates, because I never measure) Pour in 1 1/2 cups of ranch dressing, 1/4 cup mayo (for thickening), 2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp garlic salt, 1 tbs dry oregano. Also, add just a little juice from the pickle and yellow pepper jars. Mix together, cover, and let sit for about 1/2 an hour in the fridge.
If your guests can stand the heat, it will be a hit! There was NONE left at our BBQ...

PS... you guessed it.. not my pic

*Feel free to use my recipes to get yourself invited to parties! Or just to enjoy on your own. I only ask that if you do, please post a comment and let me know how you liked/or didn't like it...

Yummy Bread...

Growing up, we never had a name for this bread, but after bringing it to a BBQ at our friend Rachel's house, it became know as Yummy Bread..... My mom got the recipe from a friend, when she brought it to a BBQ when I was about 10 years old. And I remembered the recipe many years later as an adult. THAT'S HOW GOOD IT IS!
Now, I could be shooting myself in the foot for disclosing this recipe, because for many a year, I have been using it as a way to get invited, and re-invited to parties.
Grocery List~
1 loaf long of bread (we prefer sourdough, but french or wheat is just fine)
1 can of dry parmesan cheese
1 bunch of green onions
On hand at home~ (or add to your grocery list)
dry mustard
mayonnaise

In a bowl, mix 1 cup of mayo, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, and 1 tsp of dry mustard. Finely chop 3 green onions half way into the green, and add to mixture. Stir until well blended. Cut the loaf of bread in half, long ways. Spread mixture evenly over both sides. Cook under broiler, until golden brown. *Be very careful, can burn quickly*
Let sit for a minute or two, then cut into slices. Serve with salsa from my last post, or eat by itself.. it's Yummy either way!

again PS... not my pic.. my yummy bread looks WAY yummier (my word, though). I just have this thing about pic-less (again my word) posts.

*Feel free to use my recipes to get yourself invited to parties! Or just to enjoy on your own. I only ask that if you do, please post a comment and let me know how you liked/or didn't like it...

Salsa 101

Homemade salsa is really a lot easier than some people think. There is no set-in-stone recipe that you must follow. And the ingredients can range from tomatoes (can be green, orange, red..) and chilies (SO many to choose from), to fruit and herbs. This is my way of making it, and no I don't really have measurements. (sorry) It is always made 'to taste', because you never know how bland or juicy a tomato is going to be, or how spicy a chili pepper is going to seem. So, this is where you start......
Of course, growing your own is always best, but when you can't, store bought is just fine.
Grocery list~
10 red ripe tomatoes (I like romas)
2 serrano chilies
1 jalapeno
1 bunch cilantro
1 white onion
1 garlic bulb
1 lime
additional ingredients at home:
salt and pepper

Dice tomatoes, onion, and 2-3 cloves of garlic into bowl. Deseed and rinse serrano and jalapeno peppers, dice into very small pieces, and add to bowl. (for mild salsa, omit jalapeno, or add just one serrano, and half jalapeno if you like the flavor) Rinse cilantro very well (it can have a lot of dirt in it), and chop the leaves of about 4 stems, into small pieces, and add to mixture. Stir mixture, and salt and pepper to taste. Add a squeeze of lime juice and enjoy!

ps... pics are not of my salsa, I am at work, doing late night posts ;-)
*Feel free to use my recipes to get yourself invited to parties! Or just to enjoy on your own. I only ask that if you do, please post a comment and let me know how you liked/or didn't like it...

Hell Heck of a Week....

I worked Monday and Tuesday night.

Wednesday was Kaitlynn's last day of school, and Noah's what-to-do-with-these-kids-at-the-end-of-the-year hike fun filled class trip up the really big hill (can't quite call it a mountain) near our house and the school. (the base of the hill can be seen in this post) Kaitlynn had her 1st orthodontist appointment. Good news was we got a 10% discount for being returning patients! Bad news.... Kaitlynn might have to wear face gear reminiscent of little Willy Wonka (of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)Or this new model

I'm a horrible mother! I couldn't stop laughing.... But, they gave us a little hope, saying that she *might* not have to wear it. From her appointment we went across the street to the grocery store, and bought all the necessities for the BBQ on Thursday. Oh, and snacks for our mini vacation to Disneyland and Universal Studios. We then were on our way to get the car washed, and oil changed. We pulled into the gas station, and the bay doors were closed, so no oil change. Darn! At least we could get the car washed. I rolled my window down, paid the attendant, and drove forward to the car wash entrance. As I was entering, I attempted to roll up my window, and CLUNK! (the rest of that can be read here)
Thursday, much to his displeasure, was Noah's last day at school. (and by this I mean, he was mad he still had to go to school, unlike Kate) So off he went, and off Kate and I went to get the car fixed... again refer to the "Ghetto" post. Then we took Mrs. Keefe on her weekly shopping trip. Back home to make the Salsa, Yummy bread, and coleslaw for the BBQ. Back to the shop get the car finished. And then back home to finish the above food. Then Ashlee came to take us to the BBQ... phew, I'm already tired! The BBQ went absolutely great though. And I will be posting the recipes for the food we made. We then picked up the car and went shopping for our trip. (I did or didn't do something, that I may post for "Not Me Monday") Then we picked up Shianne, fed the lamb, stopped for gas, (I'm tired) went home fed all the animals, packed for the trip, (did I mention I was already tired), and set the alarm for 4:15. Oh by the way... it was already 11:50 at this point.
Friday bright and early we were headed to LA. I won't say too much about that, because I will post about the days individually (with some pics to boot!) What I do want to post here, kind of going along the same lines as the title of this post, is what happened while I was sitting waiting for the fireworks show at Disneyland. I got this call from Kate's friend Jessica (she was kind enough to take care of our Farm while we were gone) our kitchen floor was covered with 1" of water! I immediately knew the culprit. And there was NO way little Jess could pull that fridge out herself. So my mom came over, and her and Jess shut off the water and cleaned the disaster area. The dogs even helped out by tracking more water into the living room. (they are so very helpful) Tragedy averted, we continued on our vacation! (just FYI, we were prepared to bring Noah home to help with the flood)

Weekend Mini VaCay....

We will be going on a two day vacation to southern California! Woo Hoo.. good times! Soooo I won't be posting until I get back. I, unlike many of you out there, have not made the jump into the 21st century... (I do not own a laptop)

If you follow me on twitter, you can get some tidbits that way! Here's some little big hints of where we are going....

My Ghetto Ride...

Ok, don't be hatin' on a sista' just because you are jealous of my ride....

For those that follow me on twitter, and DYING to see my ride... I am happy to oblige...


Background: yesterday, just after handing my money to the attendant to get my car washed... my window 'clunked' and then wouldn't roll up! So this am I took it in to see what was wrong. All the while hoping and praying it wasn't 'broke'. Well, it was. The regulator went out. So I am now waiting on the part to be couriered to the shop. Until then, I have a few appointments/errands to run... so this is how I roll... or not roll... that IS the question...

3rd Go 'round ...

Honestly, I have to tell you, I didn't go to Sunday's performance of the rodeo. For two reasons; one being I had to work that night, and on my work days A LOT has to get done, in a very short amount of time. Second, there was a guy, well, guyS there on Saturday that were kind of rude, and wouldn't let me be where Shianne wanted me to stand and watch her.
So I was home when I got the call from Kaitlynn that Shianne had fallen off of Cali, in the arena. She was SO freaked out and this same (guy) wouldn't let Kaitlynn go see if Shianne was ok, or just freaked out! OOOOOOO.. I'm thinking, me...dark alley.... this guy... just happens to walk in.......
Back to story... I tried to get them to hold off on transport, until I could get there (we only live a couple miles away). But it seemed like they were in a rush to get her in the ambulance and to the hospital, before I could make my own assessment. They told Kate that her BP was low and they needed to go. That was a load of crap! They were just covering their own butts looking out for Shianne. I can assure you, by the time I got to the ER...just minutes after them, her BP was actually on the high side of normal.
A few x-rays and hours later, we were released to go. Nothing broke! YEA!

So these pictures below are the leftovers from Saturday.... Sorry guys, I was just so drained from rushing to the rodeo, then to the ER.

This was after the rodeo, and time for us to go home. We were so pooped, everyone went home and passed out! I wanted to go to the drive-in, but no one was up for it. So I was one of the 'everyone'.

Second Go 'Round at the Rodeo

After the parade we had a quick lunch and a wardrobe change and it was off to the rodeo...

~Lined up and ready to start the show~

~Elks Officers~

~Sky Jump to Proud to be an American~

Just in case you were wondering... it was 'tough enough to wear pink' day...

More Parade

Here are more parade photos, and videos from this morning...

Elks Parade

~Preparing for the Parade~

~Here Comes the Parade~

I will add more photos and video later, but for now.... I'm pooped!