What time is it where you are?

This is Palm Desert, Ca. time...

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Tackle-It Tuesdays!!! #11


Just dropping in quickly to show you our hall closet, being changed into a "game closet"...Dad and Cope are building this together, and I am documenting...

The gals over at 5MinutesFromMom.Com host these Tackle-it-Tuesdays....so what are you tackling?
(Big or small- it doesn't matter- this is time to toot your own horn about anything you tackled)





Dad, measuring from the coat rod, how many inches down will each shelf go? 3 shelves? 4 shelves? Hummm....





















Making it look official...notice his 'tan lines'? Can you tell he works outside everyday in the desert sun?

















Dad helping Cope steady the drill as he drills his first screw into the wall...and yes, he had to have his black Spider Man costume on while doing so.




















All shelves complete! Now please sweep up all the dust bunies and saw dust!















A proud Cope and Dad...we have yet to fill the shelves with games, but we will! The nights just go by so quickly! Ill post "after" pics when it is completed!
*See my little princess trying to snake her way into the pic behind daddy?

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Menu Plan Monday October 13th











Well! It is that time of the week to menu plan good, hearty, wholesome meals to feed our family.
I'm going on "You on a Diet" again, (been away and not practiced it for two weeks) and just love the meals because they are not only quick- but very delish!
OrgJunkie.com is hosting these Mondays and if you go to their website- you will find 300 other people who are menu planning too! It is a blast to sit down and see what others are planning for the week. Maybe it will inspire you, help you remember a forgotten recipe, pique your interest to try something new....go check them out!

Monday: Chicken Kabobs with fruit salad, corn and a crisp salad (version altered from p. 294)


Tuesday: Royal Pasta Primavera Provencale with Rock Asparagus, and yellow squash p. 290, and 301 respectively


Wednesday: Apricot Chicken with Green Beans and Almond Slivers, crescent rolls, and salad wedges p. 291


Thursday: Asian Salmon with Brown Rice Pilaf (substitute pilaf for Rice-a-Roni), crisp salad and bread p. 285


Friday: Turkey Tortilla Wraps and Red Baked Potatoes (with the works) p. 292

I have had all of these already- all very yummy and nutritious- as well as FAST!

Buy the book! It will save you time and give you great ideas for eating healthy!
Amazon has used copies for .99 cents! Can't beat that price! I got mine at Costco for around $12.00, hardback.

PS- anything in red is NIR= Not In Recipe I've added it because my family wants it :)

Keeping up with the Jones' is hard to do....

I cant believe it has been a little over a week since my last post!

I am having a very hard time finding time to keep up with my blogging friends, and it is bumming me out!
Maybe it is just me, maybe everyone is like this, but my days begin at 5:30am, and finally slows down around 8:30pm...by the time I sit for a second, I'm pooped, and don't have the energy to get on the computer!
I am apologizing for not keeping up this week!

I do have things happening around here, but not always good (like my son having a hard time at school). This week I start off with meetings on Monday, and Parent-Teacher Conferences on Wed-Friday....the school day goes by quickly, and before I know it- I'm picking up the kids, squeezing in homework, going to karate, coming home to dinner and baths, then its bedtime, and I can barely rest before my eyes start drooping! Did I mention my classes have started a recycling program at school and we have blue recycle bins in each classroom? We collect them all for the first time this coming Friday! (and it is a minimum day!)
My Yearbook class is also selling waters and flavors after school- so I am in charge of that too!
How does our life get so busy?
Is your life like this? Please send me a comment and let me know I'm not going crazy!

Beth Ann

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Vintage Thingies Thursdays #10


As much as I love these days....I'm afraid I'm running out of stuff! (giggle)

Lisa, the Apron Queen, over at Confessions of an Apron Queen, has created these wonderful Thursdays for us to show off our vintage items! Go see her and tell her Beth Ann said hi!

So here is my turn at something vintage....





My vintage Hankie Collection

courtesy of my Great Aunt Betty Welton


What you are looking at is my mom's lingerie sachet with the blue ribbon. She used to keep secret things in there, and I guess gave up because I kept getting in it. She finally let me have it and I have kept it ever since! I have kept the following in there because they are too special to have anywhere else.

Let's start with the gloves... those are actually from my Grandma Wynne, and I used to watch her get ready for our get-togethers. She would take curlers out, brush through her hair, put on Oil of Olay, and then put on her high-heeled shoes. She used to have so many neat things in her drawers...she saw me admiring these one day and gave them to me. They used to fit, but I never wanted to get them dirty. I kept them in the plastic sleeve they came in. The have beautiful dainty flowers hand sewn into the fronts.
The tan and red scarves are from my Grandma McDonough...she always wore a hair bonnet when we went out. She would get her hair done each week, and took great lengths to keep it looking good. She had plain ones and fancy ones, then the plastic see-through one for when it rained.
These hankies are from my Great Aunt Betty....she became my "Grandma Betty" because I already had an Aunt Bette, and it was very confusing for me as to which was which...so she came up with the idea of Grandma Betty. How she loved to set the proper table with centerpieces every time we all got together.
We usually got together at Aunt Bette's house, so walking out into the woods to find nature items was easy, and her tables always looked so beautiful!
She was the first person to let me light a candle with stick matches. I was so nervous I couldn't do it!
Each one of these has a completely different look:
First white one on top has delicate yellow flowers sewn into each corner,
Second one is pale blue with white flowers sewn into the corners,
Third white one has white flowers with green stems sewn in

These top two are really neat because the pattern is in them already, and they are each scalloped in a different way on the corners.... click on the pics to enlarge them.
Blue with big pink flowers,
White with a garland of colored flowers,
White with a dainty garland all around

Here is a silky feeling hankie of Ireland, which it wouldn't surprise me if Grandma Betty had gone there....my mom's side is Irish, so this was really neat to get... and each time I got one, I just stuck it in my secret sachet.... so they are terribly wrinkled!

Tierney was watching me lay them out to snap pictures of them, (she is 7, going on 13) and Oh'd and Ah'd over them... and just had to try the gloves on...and the anal part of me wanted to say no...she had dirty hands, she would rip them, she would do something to ruin them....but I bit my lip and allowed her to slip her hands inside...she put them on backwards (which was funny) and she still talks about it..."Hey mom, member when you let me try those pretty gloves on?"....
So it was so worth it! One day they will be hers, and she cant wait!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Wacky Wednesday

I'm ready for a contest- and what a contest it is!

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting this incredible contest for a girls bedroom set!

I'm going to enter my "sleeping angel" in this contest, as this contest is for a wonderfully beautiful bedroom set!
Jeff and I have been tossing around the idea that soon it will be time for the twins to have separate rooms, and Tierney will need her own room and also new furniture! So this could work out to be perfect!

There are actually two designs for the bedroom set:

Either the Lily Rose Youth Bookcase Bedroom Set









or the Summer Breeze Youth Bookcase Bedroom Set










Both are made by the South Shore Furniture Company....“South Shore Furniture has been making Bedroom Furniture that is beautiful and reasonably priced for more than 65 years. Offering many well priced Platform Beds, Childrens Beds and Bookcase Headboards they offer a wide variety of styles. Their Products have a five year warranty and their innovative Smart Glide Drawer Slide comes with a lifetime warranty.” How can you go wrong with that?

Check it out here if you want to enter it too!

So here is my "Sleeping Angel"....
Don't you want to pinch her chubby little cheeks?? (giggle)

If I had to choose for Tierney, I would choose the, the... the Lily Rose Bedroom Set in Pine! Oh that was so hard to pick one! They are both incredible for girls!!!!

So now hurry- if you want to enter- you have until Oct 13th at 3:00pm EST before the contest ends. Then they will choose finalists on Wednesday, Oct 15th! Final winner will be announced Wednesday, Oct 29th at 3:00pm EST! I'll be asking you to vote for me if I am a finalist!
Wish me luck!!! (as well as everyone else!)

Monday, September 29, 2008

Tackle-It Tuesdays!!! #10


Yes- Inspiration Day is here!

Again, this is actually a day I look forward to so I can try and top what I did last week!
(Silly, yes I know)


This week I tackled the Roll-Top Desk...
She is a beauty, given to me by my brother and sister-in-law...and I just adore her.
The greatest thing about her is she has the ability to hide a HUMONGOUS clutter mess! You simply roll the top down. You can even lock your mess up inside, so looky-loo's wont be tempted to peek!

Let's call her Rachel....

Here Rachel is completely open and showing you my huge messy clutter that I keep secretly hidden. I can safely walk past Rachel and not even flinch, knowing my secret is safe inside.
In fact, even the burglars didn't open up Rachel and I didn't have it locked! Maybe it was all the dust all over her...looked like it hadn't be opened in years! (giggle)
Now what is a laundry basket filled with toys doing under Rachel? Well, when we "tackled" the toy/craft room, we made a basket of toys to donate...and there they patiently sit...how long has it been?...a month of two? Yikes!
Rachel holds our old cassette tapes (that we just cant throw out), wrapping paper, party bags, drink coaster collection, matchbook collection, misc. papers from who knows what...and our stereo, that I got when I turned 21~ Yikes!
That means it is officially 20 years old as of last Wednesday! OUCH!!!





Up close and personal











All our CD's and our dust collection



















Whew! Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning up the mess...
















This is the famous birthday ribbon drawer. My daughter is fascinated by the big spools of colored ribbon.

















Yes, I thought it was time to clean Rachel up...















Ahhh....Looking good!.....















Rachel all clean and organized!

















Bonus: I LOVE LOVE LOVE magazines, and I found these in Rachel's last drawer. When I was all done, I treated myself to an ice tea, and sat down and poured back over these magazines!
(Then I recycled them)

Taaaahhhhh Dahhhhhhh!

Menu Plan Monday Sept. 29th


A little late, but better than never....








I hab ben sick sins Friday....a bad hed code an a fevr....so my wurds mite nut come out rite....
I will twi to make it through dis week... stay wid me...... I will git in a bedder mood sune....


(And it is my week to cook....grumble grumble...)

I have a goal....Christmas time....to be able to fit into a swim suit and look descent. My family will be going to Florida again, and we swim all week long in the warm sands of West palm Beach!
So....this weeks recipes come from The "YOU on a DIET"...by Dr. Roizen and Dr. Oz.

Monday: Asian Salmon and Brown Rice Pilaf (it was OH SO YUMMY!) p. 285

Tuesday: Spicy Chili p.286

Wednesday: Stuffed Whole Wheat Pizza p.287

Thursday: Mediterranean Chicken with Tomato, Olives and Herbed White Beans p. 289

Friday: Royal Pasta Primavera Provencale p. 290

Saturday: Turkey Tortilla Wraps with Red Baked Potato p. 292

All extremely easy, quick and yummy. No weird ingredients so far! LOL Includes snacks, fruit, milk, oj, and desserts...I cant go wrong with that! It is more about listening to your body, than portions... try it- you might like it!


Check it out here, if you would like....



and since I cant see to clearly...and stuffy, it has taken me over 10 minutes to look for the recipes....HERE....check them all out for yourself! There are hundreds!!!!! :)

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Vintage Thingies Thursdays #9

Thanks to Lisa, over at Confessions of an Apron Queen...we have another awesome show of great items! Go check out her blog, and read all the cool stuff people have showcased for this awesome day!

I wanted to show you my Grandmother's jewelry box...



Cute light pink box with a simple beige edging around it. Pink velvet lined inside.
I don't have a key to it, but you click the lever over and up pops the latch.











Ahhhhh....the treasures inside...
Some are mine, some are from my Grandma, some are from Jeff's Grandma....











Take these beauties....from Jeff's Grandma Julia...LOVE these chunky pink wrap-around bracelets and matching earrings! Two styles of bracelets, if you look closely, and same goes for the earrings. Are these from the 50's?














Top shelf and pouch...close-up.
See the locket necklace? That was my Grandma's, ...I wanted her at my wedding, even though I knew she was watching from above, so I crafted the chain for it just in time! Made matching earrings too-see bottom right corner.
I remember her wearing it and she kept two very special people in it...I will show you in a moment...








See the hot air balloon necklace? That is my Aunt Bette's; my favorite Aunt (and Uncle) who gave us their balloon, so we could become pilots!
They are the ones that live in Indiana and I showcased their house for VTT.













Close-up of bottom drawer...odds and ends, and lots of funky, happy jewelry my best friends' sister-in-law made...I snatch it up whenever I can!









Here is the locket open...
The top picture is my cousin Thee, who passed from cancer not too long ago. He was an accomplished artist and drew the picture of fruit that hangs so prominently in my front foyer.
The bottom picture is me! I was her favorite. (But don't tell my sister or brother)

And there you have it! Luckily none of this was taken- not worth much, but oh so sentimental!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Weird Stuff Wednesday!

Have you ever tried to be like a supermodel and flip your hair just so...so it looks sexy?
Well- attempt #1 Jeff taking pics while I try


Attempt #2....


Attempt #3


Attempt #4


Ahhh...attempt #5 Successful.
However, it is not quite the glam look I was going for....

I TRIPLE, DOUBLE-DOG DARE you to try this and blog it!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Tackle-It Tuesdays!!! #9


Ahhhhhh...one of my favorite days because it inspires me...You know, I actually think to myself, "Now what can I do to really give the gals watching the WOW factor?" Silly, I know. But hey- if it gets me motivated and going, why not? Right? :)
5Minutesformom.org has this great idea every Tuesday to help inspire you to do greatness, no matter how big or small, whether it is in your home, at work, or in your car... show us what you did and link up to the gals, so everyone can see what a great job you did!

My never-ending tackle this week is laundry...since our break-in last Friday, and they dumped clothes, sheets, socks, underwear...(you get the idea) all over the floors, I'm washing everything.
For some reason, I get a load washed, then it sits in the washing machine for a day until I remember it is there and have to rewash it. I kid you not I re-did one load 4 times yesterday.
I think it is all mental- like I want to forget about what happened so I forget about the laundry...whatever the reason. I have a TON of it to do.
See?
At least four loads, one is in the washer now...and I washed one yesterday. (4 times)


Goal is: I collect and wash, transfer to dryer.
Jeff folds and puts away.
Usually done on Thursday night, so we have fresh clothes for the weekend.







Besides just buying our water and beer supply, the counters are clean! We did it!
Washed, dried, folded, and put away! Whew!

Feels good though!

Menu Plan Monday Sept. 22

Well! Another week of cooking, which I LOVE!
However, as in my last bulletin, I stated I would be doing this every two weeks instead, since my hubby takes a week of cooking. (Simple meals but hey- I love it!)

So with the burglary in our home last Friday, this past week was a total wash. Jeff was supposed to cook, but I think we ate fast food every night. We didn't want to be away from home for a long time, so we just didn't grocery shop. It was an easy fix and made us feel better...and now that we have a safe week behind us, Jeff will re-do this week..so I don't have to cook! :)

I'm sure it will look like this:

Monday: Taco Bell or chicken and corn

Tuesday: McDonalds or steak and corn

Wednesday: Dominoes or Pork Chops and peas

Thursday: Burger King or Chicken and peas

Friday: Nachos, snacks and waters...(The twins have a "movie night" tonight where they will be selling the aforementioned items...)

Go right now to check out Orgjunkie.com!

Hope this week goes fast...(haha) and Ill be back on Monday, Sept 29th with my recipes!
See you then!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Vintage Thingies Thursdays #8

It's my favorite day of the week, Vintage Thingies Thursday!
This fun day is hosted by none other than our own Lisa over at Confessions of an Apron Queen!
Go check her out and all the gals who display their favorite vintage items! Quite often I'm blown away by what these gals come up with!

I'm continuing my last week's episode of lamps....after I did last week, I realized I had yet another lamp to showcase...isn't it weird how people can have alot of a certain thing? I just love lamps, and coffee tables....but never thought of myself as a collector of them.
I suppose in a way, I am though!


This is an old brass lamp, dating back to either my Grandma (the soft, romantic glass lamp my children broke) or my Great Aunt Betty Welton (crackled glass and amber hued lamp)
It is extremely heavy, and has aged to a nice patina. There are some pretty details on it, and we currently use it in our bedroom, where it gives off a nice glow.

















If you enlarge this, please don't notice the dust levels on that lip...I think they come from the Mesozoic Era.

















The details on this are quite nice, again with the pineapple which is a sign of welcome.
















And this rotunda table has been a favorite of mine since I was little. It has the best smell inside, just like fresh wood, as if it was made a week ago. You can smell the stain they put on it. Of course I remember this since I was little, but I don't think my Aunt ever opened it up much. I know she used to keep her knitting in there!
When they shipped it from Indiana a few years back, the lip that goes around it cracked. We think at one time it had a glass top that fit snug in that lip. Someday I would like to have that fixed.












Okay- VOTE TIME....

I got the nerve up and bought a lamp shade at Target (I know! It only took me two years!)...what do you think?
Too small? Not right color? (standard beige with a neat light pattern on the four corners) I left the plastic on in case I had to take it back.
Tell me honestly....