The Last Few Days

~God's promise~

 ~a couple of old canning jars that a friend found

and passed along to me,

and, of course, I had to fill them~

But, my favorite picture is this one...

~Hubbie stopped by the grocery store for some hamburger buns

and brought home these beauties~

Have a great Wednesday!   ;)

It's a Beautiful Mornin'

~For today, Tuesday, June 29, 2010~

Outside my window~

the sun is shining

I am thinking~

about crochet class this morning

I am hearing~

the fan on the computer

I am thankful~

for a great marriage (I love you, Hubbie!)

I am remembering~

the time (I was very young) we went to Cass Mountain in WV

and rode the huge steam locomotive up the mountain :)

I am reading~

Colossians (with "R" for the Bible Bee)

cooking magazines

Do You Mind if Your Kids Don't? by Dr. Bill Rice, III

I am hoping~

to get a lot of items crossed off my to-do list

On my mind~

are my grandparents who are all enjoying Heaven this morning

From the learning rooms~

"R" and "D" are keeping up with their summer workbooks very good...

I am proud of them!

Noticing that~

the numbers on the scale are headed down  :)

I am creating~

the grocery list

Pondering these words~

"God grants liberty only to those who love it

and are always ready to defend it."

Daniel Webster

From the kitchen~

is a delicious gallon of iced tea!

Around the house~

some dusting needs to be done...

One of my favorite things~

is seeing a beautiful rainbow, and I saw one last evening

A few plans for the rest of the week~

crochet class, church, family time,

my parents will celebrate their 45th anniversary on Sunday...

I am so glad they get to take a little trip by themselves!

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope your Tuesday is terrific! :)

Father's Day, 2010

I am so thankful for my sweet Hubbie! We celebrated his Father's Day by cooking some of his favorite food! Here's a little picture recap of our day. I love you, Hubbie!  :)

~homemade chicken tenders~

~twice baked potatoes~

~LeSeur peas, marinated steak~

~fluffy biscuits~

~dipping sauces, extra cheese  ;)   for the potatoes~

~angel food cake topped with strawberry sauce,

fresh strawberries, and whipped cream~

What do you make/purchase for a man who means so much to you and your family? I thought and thought, there's not much, if anything, that he really needs...then we decided to make the following little project. We were very pleased with the results. More importantly, Hubbie likes them! :)

He kept saying, "I like these. I like these a lot!"

Thanks for stopping by today...I hope you have a great weekend!

Deliciousness!

This is a little dip of deliciousness!

Trust me, I know...

; )

~I'm Thankful~

Thankful Thursday is one of my favorite days of the bloggy week! I think it is healthy for me to write down some of the things I'm thankful for. It helps me focus on my blessings...

Today, I just wanted to thank God for such a wonderful country. There's no place in the world like the good old USA! I am blessed to live here! Just recently, Hubbie and I watched the History Channel series called, America~The Story of Us. While there was no mention of how God played a part in our history, I enjoyed watching how the Pilgrims and the Jamestown, VA, colonists began to settle our great land.

As I watched, I was reminded of what a privilege it is to live here...millions (including my ancestors) have flocked to these shores in search of a better life. I want to do my part to make this country a better place...for my kids and for my grandkids...

I love America! A few months ago, I shared a link for some beautiful photography from around our nation, and I thought it would be nice to share it again...especially with America's 234th birthday right around the corner...

Go here for the video. Beautiful and patriotic! Enjoy!

~From the Past~

Upon doing some clean-up and organization around the house, I found some old reading books. In one of the books is the following:

JEFFERSON'S TEN RULES

President Thomas Jefferson

Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.

Never spend your money before you have earned it.

Never buy what you don't want because it is cheap.

Pride costs more than hunger, thirst, and cold.

We seldom repent of having eaten too little.

Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.

How much pain the evils have cost us that have never happened.

Take things always by the smooth handle.

When angry, count ten before you speak; if very angry, count a hundred.

Here are a few pictures from President Jefferson's home, Monticello.

~Welcome!~

~Beautiful view of the home~

~Pretty cool~

~The kitchen~

~A working garden, similar to what

President Jefferson had when he lived at Monticello~

Thanks for stopping by today! :)

An Easy Breakfast recipe

Good morning! I have always been a little intimidated by the word souffle` ~ that is, until last week when...

I started searching for an individual souffle' recipe. I found the following one on cooks.com and it is easy and delicious!

Little Egg Souffles


2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. water
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Dash of fine herbes~I actually omitted this ingredient because I did not have it
1/2 c. (2 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese

• Combine all ingredients except cheese; mix well. Stir in cheese.
• Pour into 2 greased 6 oz. custard cups or individual souffle` dishes.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes or until set.
• Yield: 2 servings.
• We ate these with some sausage...yummy!

Thanks for stopping by...I hope you have a great day! :)

A Slow(er) Week :)

Simple Woman's Daybook

~For today, Monday, June 21, 2010~

Outside my window~

mostly sunny; nice and hot for the first day of summer

I am hearing~

Oldest Daughter sweep the kitchen floor

I am thinking~

about my sweet Mom who had her gallbladder removed on Friday

I am thankful~

that she is feeling a lot better!

I am remembering~

a beautiful song that spoke to my heart during church last night

I am reading~

my Bible, Simple and Delicious magazine, and The Aristocats to "D"

I am hoping~

to lose some weight before our summer vacation

On my mind~

 is how to accomplish what I am hoping for  :)

From the learning rooms~

summer books are being worked on

Bible Bee verses are being memorized

Noticing that~

the chore charts we created for "R" and "D" are working! :)

I am creating~I created~

silhouettes of the children for Hubbie for Father's Day

Pondering these words~

"If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it."

From the kitchen~

bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich this morning (Hubbie said it was yummy!)

Around the house~

the laundry is getting done

"big kids" have done their chores for today

One of my favorite things~

is spending time with my sweet Hubbie

and our children

A few plans for the rest of the week~

library

church

bridal shower

Thanks for stopping by today. I am having a little difficulty getting to my pictures right now,

but hopefully that will get fixed soon. :) I hope you have a wonderful week!

Happy Birthday

Grandma (Hubbie's Mom) has a birthday today...

Happy Birthday, Grandma!
We love you!

We're looking forward to spending the day with you on Saturday!

Love,

M, D, R, D, and S

The "Gallagher Family Trio" sings again!!!!

Summertime

Here are some of my favorite summertime things:

~Hubbie's time off from work
~fresh green beans from the garden (not my garden, though)
~family vacations
~a tall glass of sweet tea
~black-eyed susans
~air conditioning
~freshly mowed grass
~rose bush in full bloom by the mailbox
~summer schedule
~the slip'n'slide
~youth camp
~late nights which turns into late mornings...
~4th of July celebrations
~planning for the upcoming school year
~impromptu picnics with friends at a park
~fresh corn on the cob
~more reading time than normal :)

These are just a few things I'm thankful for this summer...

Daybook

~For today, Tuesday, June 15, 2010~

Outside my window~

the sun is starting to just come over the roof of the house across the street;

showers in the forecast for this afternoon

I am hearing~

silence

I am thinking~

about exercising

I am thankful~

for a good family

I am remembering~

opportunities given to me as a child~

a Christian home, a good church, a quality education

I am still reading~

the latest issue of Simple and Delicious

I am hoping~

that Oldest Daughter does well today at Volleyball Camp

On my mind~

are the folks in Oklahoma City who got ten inches of rain yesterday

Go here to read about Stephani's experience

From the learning rooms~

the school year is finished, but the learning doesn't stop! :)

Kids are working on time management and getting their "chore list" done correctly and efficiently

Noticing that~

I have been blessed with a wonderful Hubbie!

I am creating~

my summer reading "wish list"

Pondering these words~

"A life lived for Christ has no regrets."

From the kitchen~

for breakfast yesterday, I made some yummy cheese souffles for Hubbie and I :)

Tuesday~taco bowls

Wednesday~mozzarella chicken

Thursday~tba

Friday~tba

Saturday~out for BBQ at one of our favorite spots

Around the house~

is a little project that needs to be finished before Sunday

One of my favorite things~

is spending time with my Hubbie and family...they are my joy!

A few plans for the rest of the week~

volleyball camp, swim lessons, cleaning, laundry, church, yard work, exercising, eye appointments

From my picture journal~

Some of my summer reading "wish list"

A few weeks ago, I won a new cookbook from Mrs. H.! I have enjoyed looking through it...and maybe some of those empty spots in my menu will get filled soon! :)

Go here to see a picture of the cookbook.

Thank you, Mrs. H! :)

Thanks for joining me today...I hope you have a wonderful day! :)

Vacation Memories...

Friday with Friends is hosted by Jennifer over at Trading Ashes for Beauty. Today's topic is vacation memories.

Of all the family vacations we took when I was a child, the one that stands out in my memory is the trip "out West" when I was 8 years old. My brother, William, was 15 and my sister, Jeanne, was 13. Our cousin, Lori, and a friend of my brother, Jamie, went along with us. Our trusty Dodge van had seats for five, but there were seven of us...so two people had to sit in the back (with all our stuff) at all times...way before seat belts were required! :) The packing and planning took weeks. Mom would take boxes of food, pots, pans, but nothing unnecessary.

Our ultimate destination was the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Along the way, we saw the Arch in St. Louis and I'm pretty sure we got to travel up inside it. We saw many campgrounds, and traveled many a mile in that old Dodge van! We absolutely loved it when Dad would buy pastries for our breakfast! We thought we were hot stuff!

Once we got to Arizona, we set up camp and the next day, Dad and the boys hiked down to the Colorado River that flows through the Grand Canyon. Mom and the girls stayed "up top" and did laundry, played, etc. While I am sure that the hike went well, what I remember is that while we were doing laundry, (remember, I was 8) :)  there was a teenage girl sitting on one of the washing machines singing at the top of her lungs. What struck me as odd was the song..."Angels We Have Heard on High"...in the middle of the summer?!?!

Anyway, we also visited Sand Dunes National Park. Dad and the older kids went hiking up in the dunes and then jumped off the edge of the dunes...over and over...Mom and I stayed down at the bottom. I can remember her sitting on a lawn chair watching me. I was busy playing in the sand and a little stream. I pretended that I was a worker in a Safeway grocery store. :)

One other memory, and then I'll stop reminiscing. While we were traveling through Kansas, we had to stop over. So Dad found a great campground and we set up our tents. However, in the middle of the night, Dad abruptly woke us up and told us to quickly gather everything and just throw it in the van...I remember being frightened...and then watched my mom go in the men's room with my dad, brother, and his friend. They got busy folding up all the camping gear, put it back in the van. We found a hotel for the remainder of the night. I found out later that there were tornadoes in the area. Tornadoes + tents = disaster!

I don't have any photos to share with you, but I hope you've gotten a picture of what that trip was like for a little 8 year old girl!

Weekend Fun

~For today, Tuesday, June 8, 2010~

Outside my window~

the sun is shining brightly and it is only 57 degrees right now!

I am hearing~

the box fan

I am thinking~

about my sweet "Hubbie"

I am thankful~

that I have a great relationship with "Hubbie"

I am remembering~

our first vacation together after we were married. We lived in Pensacola, Florida, and we drove to Texas to visit my brother and his family. After our visit was finished, we drove to Houston and had fun at 

Six Flags. We purchased some sunglasses at the park and used them for the next 13 years! (We just bought new sunglasses this past weekend!)

I am reading~

a new Simple & Delicious magazine that arrived yesterday :)

I am hoping~

that Oldest Daughter's standardized testing goes well today

On my mind~

is my Pastor and his wife who are in Tennessee. He will be preaching tonight.

From the learning rooms~

the school rooms don't close for the summer, so we have some summer work to accomplish (just some reviewing and "keeping up" on arithmetic and grammar facts

Noticing that~

we have eaten out a lot in the last few days

(part of that was b/c "Hubbie" and I were out of town)

I am creating~

the grocery list so that we don't eat out any more this week! :)

From the kitchen~

Hubbie is glad to see this! :)

Tuesday~bacon cheeseburgers, salad

Wednesday~lasagna, salad

Thursday~BBQ pork sandwiches, coleslaw

Friday~homemade chicken tenders, mac/cheese, lima beans

Saturday~lunch~ burgers

supper~grilled steak (YUM!), twice baked potatoes

Sunday~pot roast with veggies, green bean casserole, rotini

Around the house~

are some chores that I have been putting off...

One of my favorite things~

is being able to stay home!

A few plans for the rest of the week~

today is our primary election so I will be voting, swim lessons, church,

giving standardized testing to Oldest Daughter, kids activity at church on Saturday,

cleaning, yard work, and probably some other things that I have forgotten...

From my picture journal~

Have you ever been here before?

"Hubbie" and I saw the new musical this past weekend...

~Outside the theatre~

~Another picture outside the theatre~

~Front lobby~

~Decoration hanging from the ceiling~

~I like this one!~

I'll be linking up to The Simple Woman's Daybook if you want to join in the fun!

I hope you have a great day!

"Celebrating my 100th post" Winner

A few weeks ago, I reached a milestone in blogging...my 100th post. I was so excited to reach that number! As you know, I offered a free one-year subscription to one of the Taste of Home magazines. Thank you to all who entered the giveaway. To pick the winner, I used random.org. So, without further ado, the winning comment is number 11~

Miss Debbie from Life in the Sandwich Years .

She said:

Congrats on your 100th post! I just started in March, so I have a ways to go to reach that goal. Jennifer at Trading Ashes for Beauty mentioned your give away,so I thought I would drop by. I would like the Simple and Delicious. I've been married for 37 years, so I've been cooking for a long time. I'm all for simple and delicious!

Congratulations, Miss Debbie!