The Agony of ......?

I've been struggling with something for quite awhile now and even now as I begin this journey I'm scared out of my wits. I have the ability to do it. I want it. For me! How is it you can be so conscious of something and yet not have the power to overcome it? How can you want something more than anything, yet never take a step towards it? These are questions I ask myself on a daily basis. Over and over I fill my head with these questions.....

Am I afraid of success or failure? Isn't success something you create in your own mind? Don't we create our own reality? If that's true, why do I agonize myself.... Self sabotage is an awful thing. The dictionary definition of sabotage is "an act or process tending to hamper or hurt" or "deliberate subversion". Well I'm saying today.... I'm done with that. I'm going for it! It's going to hurt like hell - but I'm going for it. This is it!

"Too often we are scared. Scared of what we might not be able to do. Scared of what people might think if we tried. We let our fears stand in the way of our hopes. We say no when we want to say yes. We sit quietly when we want to scream. And we shout with the others, when we should keep our mouths shut. Why? After all,we do only go around once. There's really no time to be afraid. So stop. Try something you've never tried. Risk it. Enter a triathlon. Write a letter to the editor. Demand a raise. Call winners at the toughest court. Throw away your television. Bicycle across the United States. Try bobsledding. Try anything. Speak out against the designated hitter. Travel to a country where you don't speak the language. Patent something. You have nothing to lose and everything everything everything to gain. JUST DO IT." - 1992: Barry Sanders

A Poem

A Poem Of You Tell On Yourself...

You Tell On YOURSELF By Friends You Keep
By Simple Very Manner In Which You Speak
By How You Employ Your Leisure Time
By How You Spend Your Dollar And Dime

You Tell On Yourself By Things You Wear
By Spirit In Which Your Burdens Bear
By The Things At Which You Laugh
By Music You Play On Your Record Player

You Tell On Yourself By The Way You Walk
By Things In Which You Delight To Talk
By The Manner In Which You Bear Defeat
By So Simple A Thing As How You Eat
By Books You Choose From Well Filled Shelf
By Dumb Or Great Poem That You Write

In These Ways More You Tell On Yourself
So,There Is No Particle Of Sense In Effort To Keep Up False Pretense...
Make Peace With Your False Pretense!

Author Unknown

Put Your Hands Up!

You just can't help but laugh! The more I hear the funnier it gets!.... When the call came in on Tuesday of last week I was a little panicked. Knowing that my husband and son where traveling on the wintry roads I was prepared for anything. But when the gal on the phone explained that she was calling from Chico PD I knew I was okay as far as my family was concerned. Of course she did not have her facts straight and could not answer most of my questions. Huh?.... She was the one calling me, right?..... Short of it was - that during the course of a high speed chase (stolen vehicle) the vehicle driven by a 16 year old missed the corner and ran up on my neighbors yard, grazed the side of their house and ran into our fence. Of course they knocked out our irrigation system, thus the water had to be shut off. Unfortunately/Fortunately neither the neighbor nor us were home at the time! We ended up coming home 2 days early so we could take care of the repairs - that was our saving grace! It literally took Kevin 3 days to get it working again. I have the muddy clothes and boots to prove it!.....

So I was a little surprised yesterday afternoon when we were leaving the house and hearing someone say "Can I talk with you for a minute". I looked up and saw a Police car sitting across the street and an officer walking towards me. He introduced himself as the arresting officer. After a few minutes of story comparison..... He tells me that they arrested the driver hiding inside our boat at gunpoint. Apparently the older guy jumped the fence and hid behind someones air conditioning unit. I had heard from a neighbor that they thought they were hiding behind ours - which I found disturbing! But the younger driver had run through our yard and jumped into our old boat and hid under the carpeting and was using his cell phone to "phone a friend", guess he was looking for a ride....! From what the officer told me they nailed him by following his muddy footprints..... Now if that isn't funny I don't know what is! Dumb criminals!

And now this morning we woke up to a broken window in the front of the house. Apparently we have enemies! Or at least the dispatcher is obligated to ask me that question. It was the bedroom window on my side and either I'm a deep sleeper or it happened when we were gone but never noticed until this morning. Oh well - it's covered under our "lifetime guarantee" So no harm no foul!.... Starting the year off right!.....

You Should Try This!

I did try some new recipes for the Thanksgiving Day feast..... And I have to say the Sweet Potato Casserole that I tried from Pioneer Woman Cooks website was the best thing. Ever. And then I made this delicious Apple Pie. Whoa Nellie! I've been reading this blog for a couple years. I have tried many of the recipes. And to be quite honest - there isn't anything I wouldn't make again. They have all been great recipes. I love her stories. She has a way of writing that makes you feel like you are best friends. She is an amazing photographer. She's my hero! Now if only I could win one of her many prize give-aways!....

Whew!

It's only going to keep feeling like a race until the first of January, right?.... We had a perfect Thanksgiving break. I really would have enjoyed a few more days off with the kids. They only have 13 more days of school before the next holiday break. I'm looking forward to that. We spent our Thanksgiving up at the cabin - the weather was just amazing. Unusual for sure. We ended up not leaving to go up until Monday - but I opened the cabin by myself for the first time. Inside was only about 38 degrees when we got there at 5 PM. But was already up to 60 degrees by 9 PM. We just piled the blankets on and wore stocking caps to bed.... I was a bit worried when we woke up at 6:30 AM and it was still only 65 degrees - but alas we reached a warm 70 degrees at some point that day!

So of course we ate too much, relaxed, played hours of Wii and had some fun! We ended up going to Hauns Meadow (or Van's pond) for some fishing and shooting practice!.... A Thanksgiving tradition with Kevin's family. On Friday we did the tradition of going into town and viewing the 2nd Annual Parade of Lights and than the Merchant Walk (Chester's take on Christmas Preview). Really brings in the Holiday spirit. I've never gone out on Black Friday to shop - so I didn't feel left out of that at all! And than of course it was all over and time to head home. I was talking with the kids about that on the drive home - we are all on the same page - we all love going up there - but we love coming home too! It was weird for me this time...... When we got back into town I was looking around and thinking how different everything looked - after only a week. Happy to be here - thankful, grateful and relaxed! Hope I'm still feeling it in a few weeks!.....

4 More Days!

I'm so ready for this election to be over I can hardly stand it..... It's the first time in my 23 years of voting that I can actually remember so much debate amongst the parties. Very well could have been there before - maybe I was better at ignoring it. Maybe I disagree more with what I'm hearing? I'm a little offended by the email forwards - like this one I received last night. (I'm not correcting their spelling or grammar errors!)

Many of you know I'm not an Obama supporter. In the beginning, I kept an open mind but their ARE too many unanswered questions. I researched some of this on the net and it's true, I could not find one of these inquires. Something to think about especially if you are leaning toward the Obama side. I'm not saying McCain is great either but at least hes not hiding information. Look it up and see for yourself. -(name removed for privacy) ps. if you find anything, let me know. I would be very intrested.

She was responding to this email she received.


As we come to the last week of this very long Presidential Race, I dreamed I was "Joe The Plumber" .Here are my questions for Mr Obama:

Sorry to bother you Mr. Obama, Sir Excuse me Mr. Obama, Imean Senator Obama, sir. Um . . know you are busy and importantand stuff. I mean running for president is very important and .. . ah . . . I hate to bother you. I will only take a minute ok,sir? See, I have these missing pieces that are holding meup, and I was wondering sir, if you could take time out of yourbusy schedule and help me out. You know, no big deal, just someloose ends and things. I can't seem to get someinformation I need to wrap this up. These things seem to eitherbe 'locked' or 'not available'. I'm sure it's just someoversight or glitch or something, so if you could you tell mewhere these things are . . . I . . I . . . have them writtendown here somewhere . . . oh wait. Sorry about the smears. Itwas raining out. I'll just read it to you. Could you helpme please find these things, sir? 1. Occidental Collegerecords -- Not released 2. Columbia College records -- Notreleased 3. Columbia Thesis paper -- not available, locked downby faculty 4. Harvard College records -- Not released, lockeddown by faculty 5. Selective Service Registration -- Notreleased 6. Medical records -- Not released 7. Illinois StateSenate schedule -- 'not available' 8. Law practice client list-- Not released 9. Certified Copy of original Birth certificate- - Not released 10. Embossed, signed paper Certification ofLive Birth -- Not released 11. Harvard Law Review articlespublished -- None 12. University of Chicago scholarly articles-- None 13. Your Record of baptism-- Not released or 'notavailable' 14. Your Illinois State Senate records--'notavailable' You couldn't get a job at McDonalds and becomedistrict manager after 143 days of experience. You couldn'tbecome chief of surgery after 143 days of experience of being asurgeon. You couldn't get a job as a teacher and be thesuperintendent after 143 days of experience. You couldn't jointhe military and become a colonel after 143 days of experience. You couldn't get a job as a reporter and become the nightlynews anchor after 143 days of experience. BUT.... 'From thetime Barack Obama was sworn in as a United State Senator, to thetime he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratorycommittee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate.That's how many days the Senate was actually in session andworking. After 143 days of work experience, Obama believed hewas ready to be Commander In Chief, Leader of the Free World.... 143 days. We all have to start somewhere. The senate is agood start, but after 143 days, that's all it is - a start. AND, strangely, a large sector of the American public is okaywith this and campaigning for him. We wouldn't accept this inour own line of work, yet some are okay with this for thePresident of the United States of America ? Come on folks, weare not voting for the next American Idol! Please, pleaseforward this before it's too late!!!! Until he answers these questions,
I would NEVER vote for him.....Would You???

Vern Wigley - I don't know Vern - so I'm leaving him in there.

So than this morning I get this awful "reply to all" email.

Here is how I feel...
McCain scares the hell outta me.. plus what kind of foreign policy experience does Plain have???? ZERO.....do we really want someone with NO experience dealing our foreign commanders???? I don't... Biden at least is brilliant and very experienced in foreign policies...
I watched the special last night on Obama... and he does answer alot of questions I had in my mind.......I have been a sceptic since the beginning... saying very closeminded comments about Obama and why he should not even be allowed to run for president.. so I was on your side... but ...... I have been doing my research and trying to be fair.. and in the process.... I have really learned alot... and NOT from the internet...... all that information you describe below is available to see... its just not so easy to acquire...especially when you are running for president.... it's not being hidden..don't you think if all that information was unaccessablie to anyone of authority in this country.. it would be all over the news??.do you really believe half the crap that is out there on the internet??? the majority of it is posted by McCain/Palin supporters to deter anyone away from learning any truth about Obama.. What I have seen and heard myself from watching the actual candidates speak is that the Mcain/Palin side sure spends alot of time trying to slander their opponents and less time explaining who they are and what they offer...... while Obama/Biden spend alot of time really trying to explain who they are and what they are about. What they believe in and why... How things can change and when....
Bottom line is...... Is anyone ever going to be 100% truthful in politics... probably not.... but.... I gotta tell you.. I believe in Obama and what he stands for.... and this comes from many hours of really listening to Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin...
I'm sure some of you will not agree with me... but be honest.... those of you who dont agree.. how much true research have you done? Or have you just been listening to "internet rumors" or "half truths" or being swayed by others around you and their opinions.... Cause I know I would be right where I was in the beginning of all this had I not really taken the time to find out for myself....

I say OBAMA 08

Lynda (again don't know Lynda - so I'm leaving her in there)


Do these people have no shame? Do they honestly think I want to hear what they are saying. How dare they "reply to all" - tacky! You know I can put up with a friend feeling the need to reach out to people. But when your friends friends turn around and "reply to all" that is when I lose it. Kind of like last night - when the phone rang at 8:45 PM and I looked at the caller ID and it said "protect marriage". Are you kidding me? Now these people are whacked. It's a good thing I couldn't get the phone to answer - I may have unleashed on the person! I have been so offended by there tactics it makes me not want to vote at all. These people have come to my door and spewed their garbage in front of daughter - to which I than had to have a conversation with her because of what she heard - one I was not ready to have. I than received some unpleasant mail from them as well. They will no doubt keep trying - I may get my chance..... Where do these people come from. Enough. I'm done. I voted weeks ago and I have to be subjected to this. I want a button to push - Yeah sorry I've already voted - go away!

Oh Yeah!

Baked Brie "Special"

This is my new favorite appetizer...... Again a friend shared the recipe with me. My kind of cooking - Easy! You just take one of the big Brie rounds from Costco. You than get a Pillsbury French Loaf in the dairy case of any grocery store - except of course the market in Greenville. I've tried that and it didn't work out for me. We had a party to go to in Taylorsville and stopped in at the market on the way home and the selection was a bit slim! So I had to run into Chester to get that one thing before the next party of the day - two parties in one day = too much! The Greenville Market is a nice quaint store if you only need the basics. We actually shopped there a few times this summer to try something different. It's about the same distance for us on our side of the lake to go to Greenville or Chester. Oops! Off subject....

Okay - so where was I? Brie from Costco - check, Pillsbury French Loaf - check. Apricot Jam, now I choose the Low Sugar version because you also sprinkle brown sugar on the top before baking. You can choose any kind or flavor. Of course you'll want to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. First you place the brie in a pie dish (or round baking dish), take the French Loaf and stretch it around the brie. You can roll it between your hands to lengthen it. You then spread the Apricot Jam over the top, even spreading on the French Loaf. Next step is to sprinkle the top with brown sugar. Now just pop it into the oven and bake 30 to 40 minutes. In the last 5 minutes of baking you toss slivered almonds over the top too! Enjoy!

It's What's For Dinner

This has become a family favorite over the last year or so. My friend Mary shared it with me. It's so perfect for so many different settings. Like last night when I didn't get home until 5:40 from dragging my kids all over the place. Oops! Did I say dragging - I really meant driving. Kevin had a meeting to go to at 6:30 so I was trying to get him fed as well - but since it takes 30 minutes to cook and I didn't get it into the oven until 6:00 - I struck out on that one. Which really was okay - because then the kids were able to take the leftovers for lunch! Which if you ask me, that's a grand slam for mom! I packed their lunches last night and avoided the great debate this morning! Yeah for me! It's really feeling extra special this morning since Kevin took the kids to school!

I've made this dish for larger groups as well. We had a couples Bunko a few weeks ago and I made enough for 18. It's perfect with a nice salad, some pasta or just a loaf of french bread! It's super easy - I made it last night while on the phone, I had it in the oven in less than 15 minutes.... So give it a try!

"Easy" Chicken Parmigiana

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 1/2 cups Marinara Sauce (I like the one from Trader Joe's)

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Halves

2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

• Pour Marinara sauce evenly in bottom of ungreased 12x8 baking dish. Place chicken breasts over sauce.


• In small bowl combine cheeses, bread crumbs and oil. Mix well. Sprinkle evenly over chicken.


• Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender & juices run clear

Enjoy!

Bringing Down the House

Fall has Arrived

I toured the backyard yesterday picking up remnants of summer. All the patio cushions and umbrellas have been stowed for the winter. All the various balls that seem to litter the yard are now back in the basket - for how long is any ones guess. I noticed when I went out yesterday morning (before daylight) that it had rained during the night or very early morning. And now they are predicting a big storm to start off our fall/winter season. I did hear it raining again this morning too. I'm a bit happy/sad for it. While we really need the rain and snow - we have our annual Harvest Fair at school on Friday afternoon when the heaviest rain is scheduled to fall. I can't help but think of all the time and effort that goes into planning and putting on an event like that. To have it spoiled by rain would just be such a bummer.....

Anyway, while out again this morning I noticed the darn squirrels have been eating my Fuyu Persimmons already. I think I need to take up target practice. My cats seem to take care of the rat population, but they can't fly from tree to tree like those squirrels. I love watching them up in the trees trying though!

A Week Old and Still Funny!

I laughed at my timidness this morning. I realized as I jumped into the car to run the kids to school that I had my hair up like Sarah Palin and I had on my Tina Fey glasses. All I needed was my beauty pageant sash! I was a little worried about getting out of the car for fear someone might notice. Don't get me wrong - I look nothing like Sarah Palin. My husband recently commented to me on how pretty he thought she was. I was just worried for a brief moment that someone could think I might be trying to copy her. Not. I'm not going to get into a political debate - there is no need for me to tell you that I am a voting republican - much to my families dismay. Honestly, I've never felt that my vote matters much - does the State of California count at all? So there you go - just a Monday morning funny!

Just For Fun

Found this in my draft folder.....

The idea is to make a copy of this list and highlight via boldface or underlining all the things you have done.


01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children (in the process)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Para sailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Well fall is certainly in the air these days and I've started working on the Omega Nu Fall Project at what seems to be the perfect time. I've got posters to get up around town. I've got food to price and tickets to sell..... Somehow I've ended up as the Food Chair....? How did that happen? Thankfully I've got great people on my committee to help - and Kevin is heading up the BBQ! We are hoping to sell around 600 tickets. It should be lots of fun - many people have been asking to have the barn dance brought back and here we go! The last time we did it was 2003 and only had about 450 people in attendance. This time we are at the Patrick Ranch in a real barn - so we'll see! Our biggest hurdle is selling tickets! So let me know if you need one!

Ouch!

I'm getting more sore by the minute..... It's never fun doing something you haven't in a really long time. All those muscles you've neglected come roaring back at you..... I find it a bit discouraging. So we did ride our bikes to the school yesterday - it took us 30 minutes to get there. Not bad. We then rode around downtown because it was "Taste of Chico" - we had a little lunch and then headed over to Bidwell Park for the kids to take a dip at one mile. We got home a little before 3:00 and headed straight for our own pool. It felt pretty good. That was until this morning when the kids jumped out of bed at 6:00 AM - because they wanted to ride their bikes to school this morning. So I of course did not discourage their excitement. That's when I started feeling the pain of the day before - now I've done a little whining lately about the bike situation. I clearly stated I wanted a new bike seat at the least. Oh my goodness. Yikes! Hoping up on that seat was painful..... Sure I'd like a new bike that I don't have to bend over the handlebars to ride. I'm pretty sure from the pain in my neck and back that that is almost a necessity at this point. Now this morning we took about 27 minutes to get there. Again that was all well and good. Now the ride home after dropping off the kids - not so much. Because I of course had no slow poke that I needed to wait for - I peddled the whole entire way - with the exception of a few lights. Oh and the guy who almost took me out at the intersection of Palmetto and Neal Dow! I had a few choice words for him - him covering his eyes when he realized he was about to hit me did nothing for my disposition. So I made it home and now time is flying by and I'm going to have to get back on that @#$% bike and ride back to school so I can turn around and ride home...... And it's gonna be hot. And I'm gonna be more sore. And. And. I think I might cry. Maybe I should take the car and put the bikes on the rack!.... Yeah! That's the ticket! But my kids would probably be disappointed.... So I'll be riding that bike back down there.........sigh......

Six Things

Oh No! I've been tagged by Tricia. It's my first time..... Can I do it?

Six Things about me that I haven't shared before?

1. That I use to run 7 miles a day without even thinking about it....

2. I now wish I had never stopped...

3. I have obsessive compulsive tendency. (I have to buy 3 tomatoes, 3 avocados, 3 cans of chili and so on)...

4. I love to watch and follow NASCAR.

5. I love to sing and secretly want to be a rock star.

6. In 1986 as the talent portion of the Miss Lassen County Contest I did the uneven parallel bars....

Whew..... I'll tag, Dad, Shan, Sistah, Michelle and?..... Okay we are off on our bikes to see how long it takes us to ride to school. We have to calculate what time we'll need to leave in the morning..... Not sure how this will work out since the traffic is totally different in the mornings! And a friend and I just set up a carpool for 4 of the days in the week!.....

Things are a Wee Bit......

Well nothing like throwing me some curve balls lately. I would like to remind you all to back up your computers today, tomorrow and everyday after that. You can see how my dad reacted to my loss - here. Because guess what?.....Your hard drive can crash with NO warning at all. I have unfortunately lost everything except some web pages I bookmarked?...... That was a wee bit strange. Yep - not a single photo back to Nov. 2004. I honestly have felt like a member of our family has died. Not a single word document that I typed up. Gone - all of it...... After a day of many tears I'm moving forward. Or I was until I realized that all the music I'd uploaded to iTunes (2004 songs) were gone as well. The thought of sitting there and adding all those CD's again - was not appealing. I guess I didn't realize that my iTunes library was on my hard drive - I thought it was on the web. And on top of that - Apple would only help me transfer the songs I purchased from them. So just be warned. And copy your library often...... There was some good news there - I found this website. And it's all back! Yeah! So it's true - when you hit bottom - things start to look up!

Ps. That would also mean I've lost everyone's email address - so if it's not too much trouble - drop me a line so that I can add you back into my address book:)

You Don't Say.....

What is it with our society that we always have to have new and better all the time. Now articles like this frustrate me - me the consumer. I thought I had the best camera available. I don't like reading a few years later that it's no longer the best..... What do I do now? Actually I know the answer to that one. Nothing - I love my camera. But I do feel a wee bit slighted now. Will I be embarrassed each time I pull it out of my bag. Will people point and stare?

We've become such a disposable society. I really hope that changes with our faltering economy. I know I have a new job around here and that is taking in the recycling for cash - we'll no longer use the curbside can except for newspapers and things they won't take at the recycling plant. We also a few months ago stopped using the plastic bags for groceries. I have my Chico bags that I use for everything. It seems lately I keep hearing about another city banning the plastic bags and charging people for using them. I love it! If I'm not mistaken - the city of San Francisco tried that a few years ago - here's an interesting article on it. But recently Seattle proposed a ban and a 20 cent tax. And a few days later Los Angeles county is trying the same thing. All I can say - is you go!

Such a Peach

(We) made this last night for dessert. It of course was delicious. We have peaches galore on our tree. I prefer to make a crisp vs. a cobbler. I think the oatmeal makes it feel more wholesome for me. So stop by if you want some peaches - nectarines are next!

edited later to include the recipe!:

Lots of Peaches to fill a 9x13 in. dish

2 cups Quick Oats

1 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Flour

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 Stick Butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Bring pot of water to a low boil, drop in peach for approximately 1 minute, drop into cold water and skin will peel right off. Repeat until you have enough peaches to fill pan. In a separate bowl, cut butter into oats, sugar, flour, salt and spices until crumbly. Spread peaches into 9x13 in dish. Sprinkle crisp topping over top and bake in 350 degree oven for approx. 35 to 40 minutes. Serve topped with Vanilla Ice Cream. Enjoy!

We didn't even get a chance to take a picture of it after it came out of the oven - too delicious! It.Must.Be.Eaten.Now!

Stranger Amongst Us?

This is really freaking me out

I have never (or until today) seen my husband without his mustache. I seriously think he would have left this morning without me seeing him if he could have. I am so freaked out by it. He has shaved a few years off his look if you ask me. He would not cooperate for a picture this morning. I'll have to keep trying. Who knows how long this might last - considering my reaction this morning. He's probably already started growing it back - just to shut me up. I've asked many times over the years for him to shave it off so that I could see him without to no avail. I think I mentioned last week that the goatee needed to go as it had so much gray in it that it was making him look older than he is. But oh my goodness - this is not what I expected! It will take some getting use too! I think I love it?!.....

Humboldt Fire

I'm not sure what I was doing yesterday to have not noticed the huge looming black smoke cloud. I was getting ready to take Karlee to reading at 4 PM and looked out the window for the first time and saw what looked to be the south end of Chico burning. It was a bit strange driving to the California Park area with that huge gathering of smoke right there. As I got closer I could tell it was actually on the other side of Hwy 32 and the wind was definitely blowing southeast. The smoke was certainly deceiving - from my house it looked so much closer. We dropped Karlee off and went to the Galley over off Park Avenue. From that viewpoint you could tell the fire was burning in the canyon going towards the Skyway. After stopping by the Plant Barn to check up on things with my sister (who wasn't there) we decided to go up the Skyway to turn onto Bruce Road and see the fire from there. They had actually closed the Skyway at Bruce Road at that point. So we drove along Bruce and you could see the helicopters dropping the water. You could tell that the Doe Mill area appeared to be out of danger. We came out at Hwy 32 to head back to California Park to pick Karlee up. Kyle and I noticed that the helicopters were dipping into Sierra Lake . We had about 15 minutes until it was time to pick up Karlee so Kyle and I decided to head over and see if we could catch the helicopters coming in for the water. When we got there is was mildly crowded. Kyle and I crossed the street, and this was the moment I regretted. As I was stepping up onto the bridge I misjudged the height and fell flat on my face. Not a good moment for me..... So I now have a skinned knee and bruised wrist. And of course my ego was hurt a little. Good thing I have such a sweet boy! He of course ran back over to help me up and kept asking if I was okay. Fortunately we were quickly distracted by the helicopters coming in. At one point there were 4 helicopters hovering and taking turns getting the water and heading back to the fire. It was pretty awesome to see up close like that. I soon realized the crowd that had gathered was now triple the size. Some had even brought lounge chairs.....? We ended up bringing Karlee back to hopefully get a glimpse as well. But that wasn't the case - after waiting about 10 minutes we realized they had obviously moved on to another water source. On the 11 PM news reports they stated that no structures we involved but the fire had quickly grown to 6000 acres. I hope they get a handle soon. The winds don't seem to be as gusty as yesterday but they are still blowing and that is never good for fire. I'll be looking for updates here.