So how's your day? (includes BFF84)

Birthday celebrations don't always happen the way you want them to.  I always hope to have a party for everyone but it seems the older everyone gets the harder that becomes.  Friday the 28th was actually Cliff's birthday.  The day was just too jam packed and too many people, including him, were working.  So, instead, he and I went to lunch at Rockne's.  I got their gyro salad and boy howdy are their salads HUGE!  His meal there is usually their Mack the Knife burger, but he changed it up and decided on a rueben.  It looked so darn good when he got it.  Kinda wish I'd gotten that. 

 

We made a quick trip to BJ's and then headed over to pick up Missy.  She was going with us up to get Kennedy.  Quick up, quick back and then to dinner.  Cliff had to work so we had to get him home in time to catch a few zzz's.  I took Kennedy and Missy back to Missy's.  And it was a good day.  I got to talk at least a few minutes to all my kids.  That always makes it a good day.  :-)

 

By the time I got back home, my feet were hugely swollen and HOT!  I hate that.  I don't have a clue why they do it.  I'm hoping if I drop a bunch of wait it will stop.

 

I found THE ornament idea for the baby ornaments and decided I would makethemt before bed.  And then I went upstairs and promptly changed my mind.  I looked at what I'd already started and THAT was what they should be.  My tree wasn't coming down until I got them finished and hung for at least a day or two so I stay upstairs in my craft room until they were done.  I took pictures, but they won't upload darn it. Sad.  I'd love to share.

 

And then...I caught up on my soaps.  I watch all the ABC soaps.  Have since I was a kid.  Used to watch them with my Gramma.

 

~~~~~

 

hahahahahaha!!  Gee, was it spam?  Ya THINK?  It said it was "re: presidential compensation fund."  hahahahahahaha

 

~~~~~

 

Love is...BFF 84

 

L O V E

 

love is sharing

love is caring

love is bearing

love is pairing

 

love is not scaring

love is not glaring

love is not tearing

 

love is rare

love is fair

love's in the air

and always there

 

~~~~~

 

On Monday we were finally able to actually celebrate Cliff's birthday with family.  Sadly, significant others couldn't be there and of course our youngest lives out of state, but we did have a super lunch at Applebees with the four that live here and three of the grandgirls. 

 

I started a program I'm finding to work super for me.  It's called MY FITNESS PAL.  I found the app on my phone and then followed it to the online site too.  And best of all it's free.  You set up a profile of where you are now and where you want to be.  You tell it how much you intend to exercise and it calculates how many calories, etc. you can have to achieve your own goal.  No one tells you what you should be.  No one tells you what you have to do.  YOU are in complete control.  It's just between you and the keyboard. 

 

When you eat something, you enter it in and it automatically calculates all the info on it and let's you know where you are after with calories and nutrients.  I'm finding that some things I thought would be horrible aren't nearly as bad as some I thought would surely be good for me.  And I'm also finding out I don't consume nearly as many calories, etc. as I thought.  If I could just get my knee and back let me be more active I could probably drop weight a lot easier.  Wish I had time for the pool.  I could cheaply join the fitness center at Cliff's work.

 

~~~~~

 

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.

~~Robert Kennedy

 

~~~~~

 

Anyone else watch the Nate show?  I record it and watch it in the evening because it's on the same time as my soaps.  The other day, he had on some super couponing chicks.  These ladies were awesome!  Hundreds in groceries for pennies on the dollar.  Amazing.  They save ALL coupons.  They work them with the store ads.  They gather as many copies of the paper as they are able to find.  One dumpster dives.  One gets them from neighbors and things. 

 

I like the one girl's coupon system.  I have mine in a file.  Okay but not the most convenient.  She uses clear enveloped pages, like the ones the kids save baseball cards in, and she has them in a loose leaf notebook arranged the way her most shopped store is arranged. 

 

They reminded me of several things I already know.  Yes.  You can combine a store coupon and a manufacturers coupon.  An advertised sale price can also be combined with a coupon.  Keeping that in mind, if you have a bogo coupon and the store is running a bogo, according to them, you bog2 free.  Never tried that.  Have you?

 

~~~~~

 

Don't let what you can't do interfere with what you can do.

~~unknown

 

~~~~~

 

Speaking of savings and free, on the news Monday night, they said one local police station offering free super bowl party hosting kits.  In the kit there is a $5 Discount Drug Mart card and two $5 taxi cards.  Now it's F R E E so why aren't people RUNNING to pick one up?  How could they make you prove you are for sure hosting a party and if you are watching and having fun, can't that be considered a party in itself?

 

~~~~~

 

Now that was one good meatloaf!  Never make it the same, and tonight, it was good!

 

• 3 # ground meat
• 1 stalk celery, chopped fine
• 2 carrots, chopped fine
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. rolled oats
• season salt and garlic pepper to taste
• 1/4 # swiss cheese, chunked small
• 1/4# cheddar cheese, chunked small

    Mix it up and plop it in a baking pan.  Bake at 350 forever.  No really about an hour and fifteen minutes.  I served this with parsley new potatoes and steamed green beans.  Yummy!

 

~~~~~ 

 

Oh come now.  A bumpit on a sixty year old with thinning hair?  Looks like a big old hairy wart!

 

~~~~~ 

 

And today.  First the news.  A little 12 year old girl got an unwanted surprise message on a conversation heart.  They said they couldn't say the word on the news but it was slang for a woman's chest.  They showed it and fuzzed the second word.  It said, "nice t_____"  And then came a commercial.  A Kay Jewelers commercial.  And it was a Valentines commercial.  You've seen it.  Where one of them says that those conversation hearts always tell the truth.  What an unfortunate combination of events!

 

~~~~~

 

I'm done.  My blog is done.  I did the bills and checkbooks.  The kitchen is done.  The laundry is done.  Man, I'm all fulla victory tonight!!!

 

~~~~~

 

We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.

~~Vince Lombardi

 

~~~~~

 

Hugs, y'all.

~~Mama Sage

Just a-bloggin' along (includes BFF 83 I got to be me)

Oh ya.  Got to be me. 

That's pretty much been me for all my life.  I never figured I COULD measure up to what all the popular kids were up to so I didn't even try.  When I was a kid I was never expected to be anything but me.  Just me.  I had a very successful older brother and sister and I never was held up to them and told I should be like them.  I was always encouraged instead to be the best me I could.  That's how I tried to raise my own kids.  And that's the kind of encouragement and guidance I try to pass on to my grandchildren.  It's hard to walk in another's footsteps.  Even if the size is the same, the gait probably isn't.

~~~~~

My beautiful granddaughter Brandi got her braces off just in time for her 18th birthday!!  Beauty has become even more beautiful.

~~~~~

For my prayer partners out there, please pray for a couple of my friends.  Both have just had some heart surgery.  Both...are young.  One is now suffering another problem that they are trying to find the cause for.  Neither would want their name thrown out to the general public.  So, my faith filled friends, please pray that all encompassing prayer for my friends.  Thanks.

And my li'l girls and their moms have been sick too.  Three out of four are still trying to get fully well.  Nasty virus. 

~~~~~

We have to pray with our eyes on God,

not on the difficulties. 

~~Oswald Chambers

~~~~~

I'm having such a hard time keeping with the program.  I didn't do what I NEEDED to do last year and I have to continue doing this year.  We NEED to get this house in order.  And while I'm at it, I'll handle bags and bags of things that have been cast off and not really sorted.  When you toss, you should really take advantage and get something back for what you had.  I've got bills to pay...T A X E S.  Ohhhh woeeeee is me. 

We've taken several bags down to the rec room and my job is to decide what goes to charity and what we shall try to sell.  Things given to charity then must be inventoried and bagged or boxed then taken.  Things to sell must be photographed and listed.  That's where I'm stuck.  Once I get started I know I'll just bust butt to get through it all.  And once we get through the first mountain, if, IF I keep up with things it can run smoothly and sanely.  I've done it before.  I can and WILL do it again.

I actually got started sort of tonight.  Check out my Etsy page!! 

 http://www.etsy.com/shop/MadebyMamaSage

I've begun listing my scarves.  I'm crossing my fingers I'll get some traffic there and things will sell.  This has got to become my income.

~~~~~

I did a baby clothes drawer sort and came up....empty!  Our little girls are growing up so fast!  Amazing.  When our kids were growing up, it seemed like time passed a lot slower.  I still feel like they are new and just born and Emmi, the oldest of our new babies is going to be a year old in less than two months!  Where oh where does time go?

I made myself go upstairs and drag out some of the older yarn I have.  I got so excited and involved in doing those fancy dancy yarns into scarves that I was kind of neglecting the older stuff.  You know, with big ol' needles, even the older yarn becomes beautifully soft and huggy.

~~~~~

I'm still in the use it up mode around here.  At least I'm trying.  I made scalloped potatoes and carrots with ham chunks for dinner the other night.  Mmmm I love it.  Even when it doesn't turn out right.  lol  There are two ways of doing it.  One takes just a little longer and dirties a pan.  I try to avoid that way.  But.  That is the way I should always do it.  When I do it the speedy way, it works about half the time.  The longer way is where you make the white sauce and pour it over everything then bake.  The other way, you layer, dot with butter, sprinkle salt and pepper and flour the repeat repeat, cover, bake and ta daaaa.  It's something that could be good or could change the menu to Potato Soup.  lol

~~~~~

I decided to make the Mama version of gorp.  That's another way to say trail mix.  I wanted it to be healthy and to have antioxidants.  I did my best.  And I put in the things MAMA likes.  When you make it yourself, what you put in and how much are all up to you.

Mama's gorp

•     almonds
•     cashews
•     dried blueberries
•     raisins
•     dried cranberries
•     chocolate covered raisins (less chocolate than M&M's but gives it that li'l chocolate bite)

~~~~~

A baby changes your dinner party conversation

from politics to poops.
~~Maurice Johnstone

~~~~~

Okay tell me.  What is the reasoning here?  They are changing the names of all the schools that are being rebuilt.  They are no longer jr high, middle school, elementary, etc.  They are Community Learning Centers.  So what's up with that?  Anyone in on what the thinking is?

~~~~~

Oh my goodness!  That was the nastiest, ickiest, goopy uck.  It was a micro-mess.  Y U C K !!  I had a couple of packages in the pantry of this warm it up ... stuff.  The tuna is good.  Tuna steaks of various seasonings.  The chicken...was it???  I couldn't be sure!  The BBQ sauce on it was good.  But the pasta!  OH MY GOSH was it awful!  Even the dog didn't want it!

~~~~~

Always out for a bargain, I spied this and wondered how many of you truly take advantage.

If a store is going to offer it free and their deal is the best deal, you double dern betcha I'm going to take advantage of the freebie they are offering.  Eyes open wide so the deals can't hide.

~~~~~

Did I tell you about when we took the babies to Cracker Barrel?  Oh what a fun time!  And Emmi had her first lemon...at least with us...

Don't ask me.  I don't have a clue.  Two of the pictures I uploaded came up sideways.  The rest are fine.  lol  Wish I could post the Melanie pictures too but I can't.  :-(  Not allowed.

~~~~~

When we went for gas the other day we got quite a chuckle.  I was taking winter pictures...and then I got the best winter picture of the day.

Yes seriously this guy was dressed for winter from his waist up and summer from his waist down.  Didn't seem to shiver.  But I did!!

~~~~~

On that note, Blue Eyes Emerson and Mimi Sage are signing off.  But before we do, we need to say

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to my wonderful hubby, Cliff. 


Hugs to all.

~~Mama Sage



Another day in the life...

Okay.  So we took Papa's free birthday meal coupon to a nationally know restaurant.  And they handed us menus.  And along with the menu was an "on special" card.  I could NOT believe my eyes!  They actually TOLD you that the first helping of their all you can eat special contained 1210 calories.  If you ask for more, the extra portion they bring will add another 350 calories.  And, if you choose to have extra sauce too, that will be another 60.  Wow!  All that death on a plate for a mere 9.99.  I think I'll jump right on it.

 

~~~~~

 

I have such fun seeing both my little granddaughters!  When we're all shopping together you'll find me going from cart to cart to play huggies with my girls.  Such sweet, sweet dolls.  They are both at such a great stage.  They like giving and getting hugs and Mimi Sage just eats it up.  I can't wait for the day the actually call me by name. 

 

~~~~~

 

Mama's Crazy Mix Up Salad

 

Had to do spring mix lettuce.  My one home ec teacher said that if you are served only ice berg, the person serving the salad isn't too concerned about your health and well being.  I care.  Honest.  So we had spring mix.  Other veggies made it colorful.  Chopped broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and celery.  Then I chunked up some ham and some herb roasted turkey.  The colby cheese didn't make it pretty enough, so I also added feta.  Dressing today was fat free ranch.

 

~~~~~

 

I keep working on scarves even though I haven't listed them on Etsy yet.  If you're curious or in the market for scarves, visit my facebook page and look at the album.  It's a public album so even if you aren't a friend of mine there, you can look through them.  Don't know about claiming them.  If you want one, try messaging me there or here or email me at sagekidsmom@aol.com 

 

~~~~~

 

Use what you've got rigatoni

    mozzarella balls in herb oil

    jar of Prego spaghetti sauce sauce

    sliced black olives with garlic

    sliced mushrooms

    healthy penne noodles

 

~~~~~

 

Ever done copy cat recipes?  We got in the mood for a bowl of that yummy creamy veggie soup they have at Dixie Stampede one day and I found a great copy cat of it.  I've done that with a few things we've had at restaurants and got a hankerin' for later.  Just type what it is and "copy cat" into your search.  See what all you can come up with and share it with us all.

 

~~~~~

 

We went to see Little Fockers with the family this month.  Sadly we didn't do the movie thing on Christmas like has always been our tradition.  And this outting didn't have nearly as many as we usually have when we go.  Still quite a crew.  Kris and Darlene, Dusty and Lee, Brandi and Dakota, Brian, Kennedy, me and Papa.  We got to use coupons since it wasn't the first weeks of the movie.  Always good.  Also had a free popcorn coupon that we gave to the kids to use. 

 

Yes.  I loved the movie.  It's definitely not appropriate for little ones, but we all loved it.  I don't have a clue what the guy outside the theater was thinking.  He felt it his duty to tell us it was terrible.  

 

~~~~~

 

My attic / craft room is completed.  At least for now.  It is at the organized chaos point and it is a very useable area once again.  I'm pleased.  It's all ready to begin crafting and scrapbooking again.  First the baby ornaments and then I'll work on finishing up my Disney album.  Sort of got sidetracked.  And I want to do first year albums for both babies.

 

I still have some goals to achieve.  Scarves to Etsy and bunches and bunches to ebay and goodwill.  The purge goes on.  The purge goes on.

 

~~~~~

 

Martin Luther King Day was a bonus day for me.  We had Kennedy the weekend and she chose to stay the extra day.  She had exams coming up and used the time to have quiet study times.  She also earned some money to stuff into "Bunny Sage" to start saving towards her trip to France with her French class or club or whatever. 

Kennedy helped with the sweeping and we got the second and third floor done plus the stairs.  The  first floor ended up being done too.  Lots of floors is lots of sweeping.  Thank the Lord for such a great kid to help.  When we were done, we sat on my bed and watched a Christmas show together.  It's the only place I still have some I haven't watched.  Great day. 

 

~~~~~

 

Got the attic all ready to begin crafting and scrapbooking again.  First the baby ornaments and then I'll work on finishing up my Disney album.  Sort of got sidetracked.

 

~~~~~

 

So what else have I done?  Little of this.  Little of that.  And every little is working towards a goal.  One big was the filing.  I'd dreaded it and dreaded it.  I was able to get it all done in a weekend.  Now that monkey is completely off my back.  YES!  Well almost.  Still have to shred a basket full.

 

~~~~~

 

People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas.

 ~~Author Unknown

 

~~~~~

 

wow.  I can't believe it.  My granddaughter will be 18 this next Saturday.  Wasn't it just the other day....

 

And she got her braces off.  Beautiful!  I'll post pictures for her birthday. 

 

~~~~~

 

Well, my friends, I'll say good night for now.  I heard something on one of those TV criminal shows I watch that made my mind wander.  Need to do some research.  When something catches my ear and sticks, I believe there is probably a reason.

 

Hugs to you all...

~~Mama Sage

BFF #82 Well good. No one else won either.

Yes, no one else won either.  And it's really my turn.  I guess we will have to wait until the next drawing though.  My numbers didn't come up tonight.  Ah well.  If they had, I'd have been way too excited to sit and do any blogging.  But I still have hope.  Miracles DO happen.  They've happened in my life.  I'm pretty sure they've happened in yours too.  Did you recognize them?

We would have missed a few had our hearts been closed to faith and hope.  We were in the best period of our Christian walk.  That part where you are so hungry to see God that you recognize him and his angels when they're surrounding you.  When you realize that the ol' guy who stopped by to help you with your car didn't just happen by.  It wasn't just a coincidence.  God showed him the way and he listened. 

When you hear that little tiny voice and you listen and do, you'll see that miracles happen.  You can drive 60 miles after sharing a chicken leg with your car full of kids and know that somehow you will be able to also make it back home despite the nearly empty gas tank and the fact your last dollar was spent on that lonely chicken leg.  And when someone tells you "God said I should..." your heart is open enough to understand that THIS is a miracle.  You will not only have a full tank of gas to go home on, you will have the money replaced that bought you the gas to make the trip up AND the chicken leg you and your children had shared.  God is good.

When the doctor tells you your beautiful little girl has a problem and will need to wear leg braces, you are full of faith, you go home, share with family and friends who you know will pray.  You, and they, pray.  Expecting a miracle.  And it happens.  And she never had to wear those braces.

When God brings someone into your life that you would never have met any other way, it is a miracle.  When she first is your friend, then you find out your related?  That's a special miracle. 

You pray for answers for someone you love.  And as soon as "amen" has left your lips, you know it's a miracle when that person calls you and tells you things are progressing and the answer is on the way.

And so miracles will happen.  They do happen.  They are happening.  I just need to remember to open my eyes and see.  And so tonight I'll be praying and expecting miracles.  I have a list.  I'll keep expecting wonderful miracles to happen.  And they will.  I should just open my heart and my eyes and see.

~~Mama Sage

How long can I go?

I'm just wonderin'.  I have two full freezers plus two refrigerator freezers totally full.  Couldn't slip in another thing.  It's crazy!  I have a small food pantry in the kitchen.  I have a huge and a smaller food pantry downstairs.  I'm wondering.  How long can I really go without doing a big food shop?  I like to shop.  I like bargains.  I like to always have plenty.  Of EVerything.  But I have too much. 

I guess it's good timing.  Everything happens for a reason.  Our income went down down down when Papa switched jobs from Chrysler back to a hospital lab.  Down!  And for a while we were supplemented.  But that is about to end.  I will be tightening the belts even tighter very soon.  I've always been good at kitchen economy and I think now it's time to really show my skills.

In the next months, my blog should be including what I'm doing to use it up and not buy.  One of the blogs/newsletters I'm subscribed to continually asks "how low can you go?"  I think it will be pretty low...out of necessity.  It also has another message continually drilled in that does ripple in my mind all the time..."shop at home first."  I have sooo much here, of everything, that I must do exactly that.  It's been paid for with hard earned cash so it must be used.

When I do shop, I will be doing only what I call good shops.  That's the free or nearly free shopping trips.  It includes times when I come home with my steal of a deal happy bags.  I will continue to keep the savings antennae up and pass on any info I think you might want to hear.  I think this all means, Mama Sage is back to blog!  The real Mama Sage has stood up!

~~~~~

Our New Year's plans aren't.  It all started out that the kids told me that we were having a kids New Year's Eve party here.  My immediate reaction was a loud, resounding NO!  Papa has to work tonight.  He has to sleep until 10PM.  Now how nice would it have been to have a house full of kids here while he's trying to get his zzz's?  Nuh-uh.  Nope.  No way.  Well then I talked to Papa about it and he said as long as they were outside with the firepit, in the family room in the basement, or in the livingroom and diningroom area it shouldn't bother him.  Okay.  I let the boys know and the plans were started.

And then one kid decided to go skating.  And then another was having her friends over.  And then another....  And on it went until the only party crowd we'd be having was going to see the 9PM fireworks downtown (from my yard) and call it a New Year's night.  Oh and the parents who were going to be here for the bash ended up with plans too.  Soooo the food is...in the freezer.

But I'll still stick with tradition.  I got the lasagna made.  I've got the pork loin thawing to cook with the sauerkraut tomorrow.  I've got blackeyed peas in the waiting.  I think we have our bases covered.  Well I thought.  Then I did a tradition hunt and was amazed at the weird "good luck" traditions there are for New Years.

Did you know that anything in the shape of a coin is a tradition?  Did you know greens were traditional?  And did you ever hear that you should quickly eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight?  The one that makes me sort of cock my neck in wonder though is lentils.  Never heard of that.  But okay.  To each his own.

Whatever your plans; whatever your traditions, may health, wealth and happiness ride your tail and chase you clean through the whole new year.

~~~~~

Mama's Lasagna (today's version)

• 15 lasagna noodles and a dog to pick up the pieces that fall on the floor when you break off the ends of a couple
• parsley
• any kind of shredded cheese you'd like
• giant jar of spaghetti sauce - home made or store version, depends on your time and energy
• 6 already cooked breakfast sausage patties left from Christmas brunch (yes, freeze 'em after the meal and use 'em later...all good) ,chunked and mixed into sauce

Then you'll want to grab a bowl and mix the following together...

• giant industrial size container of ricotta (you can use cottage cheese but drain it really good)
• about 2 cups mozarella cheese (I buy the huge bags and freeze in 2 cup amounts in zippies)
• at least 1/2 cup parmesan and/or romano 
• 2 eggs

This is a no cook noodle lasagna.  Pour sauce on bottom of pan.  Make one layer of noodles.  If you have to break them, do so that all parts of the pan are covered.  Next glob around and smooth a layer of the cheeses.  Pour another layer of sauce.  Your next layer is noodles, then cheese, then sauce, then noodles then sauce.  Cover tight with foil and bake at 350 for about an hour.  Remove foil, sprinkle with the shredded cheese then sprinkle with parsley.  Return to oven about 5 minutes to melt and brown the cheese.

~~~~~

Tuesday 28th...

We had our little Emmi on Tuesday.  She's getting so big!  When we don't see her for even a day or two it feels like we've missed so much.  We found she had a new little tooth today.  Yep.  #3.  Another on the bottom.  I was so sure she'd cut the top teeth next.  This little one is already showing us she is her own person.  :-)

Adam went back to his home in Raleigh on Tuesday.  He was here for a week and it just seemed so short.  We were a little concerned his flight would be held up, canceled or changed, but nope.  Cleveland was open and evidently they had Raleigh's up and running.  When they showed all the cars in his area slippin' and slidin' on the news it looked like there could have been problems. 

MAN what's up with this gas??  This is nuts!  And now they're saying $4 soon and $5 by summer??  Are they out of their minds?  And wow.  They raised minimum wage what, 12 cents?  Gee thanks.  

It took me forever, but I finally finished the photo files.  I think those are my most important files.  To me personally anyhow.  I have them all filed by month, day and year and they are backed up in two places.  Two external hard drives.  Once they were all backed up for sure, I cleared my memory cards to start the new year.  And now...the paper files.  UGH!

While I was doing all that, I watched some of the cute Hallmark movies I'd recorded throughout the month.  I think one of the cutest was The Night Before the Night Before Christmas.  I wonder if they'll put any of these on video so we can have them to watch year after year?

~~~~~

Wednesday 29th...

I was surprised today with a text message video of little Miss Emerson walking with the new walker activity center we got her for Christmas.  Awe.  I don't know how to do videos on here or I'd add it.  So cute!  It won't be long until she's off and runnin'.  Nine months old.  wow  Where does time go?

Dusty is doing doggie clips and wanted to have her boss help her learn a proper cocker cut.  Oh my our sweet Nelly looks so good!!

I love surprises.  I got a cool surprise today when my granddaughter
Brandi and her friend came by.  It was so NICE having someone drop in!  Brandi is an amazing kid.  I can see her doing something really special in her future.  Graduation is just a couple months away and then on to college.  sigh  
 

~~~~~

Thursday 30th...

Okay.  Laundry done.  Kitchen cleaned.  Time to move on to the next job.  I AM PROCRASTING!  I admit it.  I don't wanna do it.  When I do, it will get done.  And I do know it's one of those things that looking back I will figure out it too barely any time and wasn't nearly as bad as dreading it was.  Dread.  What wasted energy!  lol

And I made "I DUNNO" for supper 

• I took a huge package of stew meat, a big ol' onion sliced in "petals", a bunch of celery chopped and a bunch of mini carrots and crocked them for about 6 hours on high.  Then it went into the frig to settle out the fat. 
•  
• For the "I DUNNO" I took about half of it and put it in my wok-ish fry pan.  Love that thing.  Farberware.  Gift from my mother-in-law years ago.  Without that and my pasta pot I wouldn't know how to act in the kitchen.  I swear.
•  
• I mixed 3/4 c. brown gravy mix with 2 c. water, 1 c. red wine and 1 c. beef broth (I used from the crockpot juices minus the fat) and poured it along with a big, big can of mushroom pieces and stems and a shake of sugar.  We served it over noodles and it was great!!

I told you Brandi was a sweetheart!  She proved it again by bringing me and Papa some ice cream from her work.  Yummy!!  Can't wait
to try it.  I think we have grape, toffee bits and chocolate chip cookie dough.  Mmmmm.

~~~~~

Friday the 31st, New Year's Eve...

It was the day that ... changed

I hate the change so much that I didn't even go out and watch the first fireworks at 9 tonight.  I just don't like it.  I thought I'd have a bunch of kiddos here to enjoy the evening with and now I don't.  Oh well.  I just hope everyone is out there having safe fun.  I love 'em all and want everyone safe. 

Kennedy got here a little after 4 and it wasn't long before Brandi, her friend Alisa and Casey came by.  They picked her up after visiting Emmi a little while.

Well, with plans changed, there won't be the meatballs, wings, soft pretzels, make your own pizza, and so on and so on....not happenin'.  Oh well.  I think I won't plan any more anythings.  If they happen, okay, but I don't want to plan again.  I get to sad when it goes down the drain.  Yep.  Not one single event here this whole month.    Not because I didn't want it; because life changes.  The circle goes round.  And one day, this younger generation will sit and wonder where time went.  Just like we are.

~~Mama Sage

BFF 79 Reflecting with a smile a night or two after Christmas...

Mama Sage.  Checking in.

Oh what a weekend it was. We kept busy from the time we got up Friday, Christmas Eve, until the time we hit the sack on Saturday, Christmas night.  I've got a TON of pictures to wade through.  You know me.  Can't let an event go by without recording it through pictures.  I wish I was as good about the blogging of it all.  I was.  I can be again.  And I should be.  Blogs are my journal.  Right now, it's not that important to people that I do it, but I know in years to come it will be.  They will look back and all those who have tisk tisked me, made fun of me, or dreaded my presence, will be thankful that I marked the memories for them.  Yes, I know for sure.  I've already experienced that in other things I've put into actual print for my family. 

The weekend actually started on Thursday night when Kennedy and I spent hours upstairs wrapping and wrapping and wrapping the gifts.  Even with just a couple per person, it was a lot to handle!  Five kids...twelve grandkids...a mother-in-law and hubby.  That's a lotta wrap!  And I enjoyed it.  I enjoyed cutting and taping and putting on a bow.  I have skipped the bow some years and have felt the packages were naked.  This year, we did bows.  I got lucky and was able to enlist the three oldest grandkids and youngest son and hubby to carry it all from the third floor down to the first.  Then once I drug myself down those stairs and I organized them by delivery schedule. 


Once the packages were handled, it was time to ready the stocking candy. I wish I was able to say "fill the stockings."  Sometimes plans change.  I did get the names cross stitched on the new stockings but didn't get the tops edged and stitched to the sock part.  sigh  Oh well.  When that happens, we made do.  We made candy bags up for everyone that was going to be with us for the holidays.  Huge bags!  (Missy, Papa and I shopped together and we sort of over did things)  I had to have the kids bring that down too.  Two HUGE boxes full of pounds and pounds of candy.  And it took even longer to fill those bags than it did to do the wrapping!  I try to evenly distribute the candy.  In the end, I had thirty gallon zip bags half full. 

To bed, to bed, to bed.  SANTA WAS COMING!!!!  He was loading his sleigh for the big day.  I know.  I saw it on the news!

Friday we slept in a while.  We didn't have the baby all weekend so we did definitely take advantage of the extra hours of sleep.  When we finally did get up, Papa loaded the car.  Yep, broken leg and all, it was Papa who took the boxes and crates of things and loaded them in.  We kept things separated so we could unload quickly as we made our stops.  Such a cold Christmas we had this year!!  But I had toasty hands.  Papa got me these awesome gloves, Agloves, that are thin like the stretchy gloves but they have something in them that makes you able to use the touch screen on the phone or car or computer with them on.  Cool!

We donned our special holiday hats and off we went.  The plan was that I would push the button on my hat when we arrived somewhere and Papa would push his on the way out.  Mine played "we are Santa's elves, filling Santa's shelves..."  and his played "have a holly jolly Christmas," pointy part flip floppin' back and forth a-ringin' our bells.  lol


First stop was to see little Melanie and give her and her mommy and daddy their gifts.  Daddy opened his jammy bottoms and Mommy her jammies and little Melanie opened up her shape sorter and clothes with a little help from Mommy.  Soft jammies, lots of socks and some super girl onsies in a pretty pink will look so cute on her.  Missy's family, in fact for all the kids' families, also got a zoo pass but we gave it to them in October so they could go to Boo at the Zoo.  After we visited a little bit and then got back in the van for stop number two. 

When we got to Mom Sage's, we called to tell her we were there.  We don't like to scare her when we come to the door.  She was excited to see we'd brought her gift and was as excited as the little ones are about opening it. 

She loved the soft sweater and tried it on right after opening it.  I was very glad it fit.  I hate returns!  lol  She got me an awesome bag!  A new purse!!  I think it must be the biggest bag LL Bean makes!  lol  Papa got one of those cool flappy ear hats with fur. 

Then on to Kris and Darlene's to deliver their gifts and have a bite to eat.  They had cooked up a ham dinner with corn and taters.  Mmmm good. 

Everyone got their jammies there except Kris who got an Ohio State shirt and hoodie combo, Casey got her DVD and we gave them the gifts for Dusty and Leon.  We got Kris' family a zoo pass too.  We got Brandi a part for her car and Dusty and Lee got a rice cooker.  Sadly we didn't get to see the two older girls.  Everyone was busy this year and it was really difficult to get everyone together at any one time. 

Next on our route was Rusty and Caitlin's.  Rusty was fixing a prime rib dinner and we were invited.  Just us four, the baby and Adam.  We took them their gifts and everyone opened things.  I LOVE my soft sockies.  VERY much!  They have shea in them and feel so good!  Papa got socks and coffee for the Keurig I got him.  He got me a totally gorgeous necklace!  We both got some cool DVD's too.  DESPICABLE ME!!  Yay!  I've wanted it a while!  And candy.  Yummy candy from Harry London's and little boxes of Whitman and Russell Stover.  The boys opened up their Ohio State shirts and hoodies, Cait opened her jammies and Emmi opened up her bag of clothes and her activity walker toy.  She'll be walking soon!!

Then on to Corry and Angel's.  All the kids were there, Kennedy, Mark, Natalie, Zach, Morgan, Haydn and Madison, and so were her parents.  I love the zoo of it all.  Brings back memories of our own house full. 

Kris and Darlene and Casey came too.  All the kids and big folks opened up their jams and then kids their toy/non-clothing gift.  Mark got playstation stuff, Natalie got a curling iron, Kennedy had already opened her DVD, Morgan got her crayon maker, Zach the operation game, Haydn the race track and Madison had a couple little toys. 

When we were done at their place, we came home and relaxed a little then hit the sack. Had to rest up for Christmas Day.

We got up early on Christmas day.  I had to make the strata and get a cookie tray ready.  Rusty's house was first on our list to watch Emmi open her gifts. 

When she was done, we had a very nice brunch.  Adam was there.  Lia and Dale were also there.  A little after we'd gotten there, Missy and Mike and Meli came, Kris and Darlene and Shirley came. Brian came late. The food was awesome and plentiful.  The kids did a great setup.  Pretty. 

We had Belgian waffles, my strata burned (forgotten in the oven sadly), turkey and cheese sandwiches, mini corn dogs, pigs in a blanket, sausage balls, sausage, bacon, breakfast tacos, candies, and cookies, cheese and crackers, tarts, veggie tray, drinks...  Can't remember it all!!  But people, this Mama thinks a mimosa is a waste of perfectly good orange juice!  lol

After we were done at Rusty's we went home to refuel.  Had to let the motor rest a bit before heading to Corry and Angel's for Christmas dinner. 

The house wasn't as full today as it was the night before.  Some of the kids weren't there.  We had ham, corn, potatoes, salad, and a huge dessert table.  Papa went home early to sleep for work.  Rusty took him.  Angel's mom and dad, sister and brother-in-law and niece and nephew came and so did Brian, Cait, Rusty, Em and Adam. 

So now it's Monday night.  We've had many calls from family and to family and we've still got more calls to make.  I'm shaking my head at how things have changed.  Shaking it feeling content yet still missing the way it was.  A lot. And just like we miss what was when we were growing up, the next generation will too.  And they will wonder when it changed.  And how.  And they too will hunger for what was still content with what is. 

Waiting for the day when it changes again.  Waiting for nostalgia to strike hearts.  And it will.  And I will smile remembering.  Oh remembering.

Hope you had as great a weekend as we did.  Be safe and God bless you in the New Year.

~~Mama Sage

To those wondering why I don't have full pictures of Missy and her family.  Mike doesn't want pictures of himself or of their baby on the internet.  If you want me to, I am allowed to email them to you personally.  Message me.  Holiday hugs...  ~~Mama Sage

And so it's happened and it won't again for centuries

The lunar eclipse tonight happened at the exact time of winter solstice.  Hasn't happened for centuries and won't happen again for centuries.  Just thought I'd share.

And then I started getting VERY cold and was shivering.  It's only 19 degrees out there.

Where'd it go?

The snow has stopped in our little part of town for now.  Not to say it's done.  Probably not.  But for now, it's quit.  darn

Oh what a long, long day.  And isn't it always a long day of doing that one day of the year you just feel like a pile of poop?  Yep.  I woke up today with a headache that came and went all day.  The baby was good for us today.  She always is.  But she just didn't understand why Mimi wasn't quite as much fun.  lol  I still got on the floor to play with her.  I still played hide and seek and we still sang songs and read and played with the shape sorter.  We ate and we napped but I was sort of out of it in pain parts of the day.

We got to see a few of the grandkids today as a matter of fact.  Of course we had Emmi.  She's our daily doll baby.  And we had Madison for just a few minutes until her dad came.  Mommy's step-dad had a heart attack and it got pretty hairy for a while.  He's doing okay now thankfully.  Natalie and Mark came by to earn some skating money and they shoveled our big driveway and salted.  The later on, Brandi came by to pick up a holiday hat from our hat box to wear to school.  Mimi's cookie supply is a bit low now so we shall be baking this weekend.  :-)

I got all the scarves downstairs and will set up with my good light for pictures.  I did find my camera.  SHEW!  I was upset about not having it!  I mean I do have others, but this little bugger does such a great job!  I thought I'd have tomorrow evening to get them all listed but I think it might just be a tad longer.  I know, I know.  I really need to post them!  Weather is quite cold, isn't it?  All over the country!  Well except California I guess.  You folks probably aren't thinking winter scarves with your record breaking highs.

Tomorrow might not be the day since Brandi's school choir program was rescheduled to tomorrow night.  It's a dinner and show and we've bought tickets.  Plus I wouldn't miss it unless I had to.   I'm always so excited to be involved with the kids' school things.  I think they need to have parents and grandparents involved at least.  And if aunts and uncles can participate, all the better.

Oh dear me.  I have to go!  I just glanced at my mail folders.  40 new and 60 in spam!!  Whoa boy do I have my work cut out for me!

Hugs till tomorrow.

~~Mama Sage

It's bloggin' time again!!

And isn't it just about time?  I've been away from this for way too long.  I need to get back into the swing of things.  Really back.  To stay.

Have you looked outside?  Oh WOW is it white!  The snow has been falling for days.  For me, this is a perfect time of year.  I love winter and snow and all things cold.  I wish I had pictures to post but somewhere, my camera has hidden itself.  I know it's here somewhere.  I had it when I went to the cookie party on Sunday.  It will show up.  Has to.  What would I do without a camera??

I think I'll begin that daily blog thing again.  That makes me happiest.  If I can't post daily, that will have to be fine, but I can do a running blog to myself in email and then post when I can.  You don't mind sitting and being a part of my planning, do you?

This morning when I got up and got downstairs, Papa already had li'l Miss Emmi and was doing fine with her.  I had meant to get up bright and early and be here when she came but my phone won't keep a charge.  It was dead and the alarm couldn't ring.  Under normal circumstances, Papa does keep her until I get up.  In fact, he picks her up in the morning and brings her home.  The problem is, Papa lost his balance and fell getting off a flatbed trailer on Friday and broke his right leg right above his ankle.  He can't put weight on that leg at all and I was concerned about him babysitting.  He did fine though now.  They put him in a walking cast on Monday.  Well a boot.  One of those air cast boot deals.

For all of you who are asking, yes.  I will be listing the scarves.  My intentions were to have them all up and going by last night.  Didn't happen.  I guess that means I should make another goal.  Okay.  Let's shoot for Thursday night.  How does that sound?  My plan is to put a link here and one on facebook and one on myspace.  Once they are online and listed, I promise to let y'all know.

I don't know whether I did myself a favor or if I've jinxed myself, but I put all my cookie baking and candy making supplies out on the counter.  I want to get some things done by Christmas so that I can share with the kids.  Since we aren't hosting things this year, I will concentrate on sharing. 

I'm beginning to not just tolerate doing the laundry but to enjoy the hours spent too.  I still hate doing laundry, which I know doesn't make sense, but even hating it, the hours spent are now spent in my family room/ rec room.  It's so great having that coca cola room back again.  I've missed it.  And having the fireplace down there is fantastic.  Especially these frigid days we are having.

I'll be hanging it up here soon.  I put a meatloaf in the oven and need to make the to-go-withs.  The meatloaf is one of Mama's specials.  It is always a use-it-up meal.  Tonight, I had a few frozen burgers, one 1 pound roll of ground turkey and some leftover sloppy joes.  To that, I added pepper, season salt and cheese.  Mmmm.  Yep.  All set and in the over now.

To go with it, I took a box of chocolate pudding that needed using, mixed it up and added some cool whip that wasn't getting used.  Probably about a third of a bowl.  Then, since I'm trying to use up things in canisters on the counter, I used up the vanilla wafers and stirred them in.  I know.  I'm a weird-o.

Now the veggies.  We will be having a mix of peas and carrots and cauliflower, leftovers.  I was going to put them IN the meatloaf, but decided serving them with it instead would make it feel more like a meal.  lol

And now I'm hearing noises outside.  Someone must be here.  I will have to chat later.

Until next time....

~~Mama Sage

trying to get back with the program

I've taken a bit of time to just browse my way through some blogs here and it's beginning to feel a little more comfy.  My hopes are that soon I'll be feeling downright "ta home" and get some blogging done myself.  I've felt so out of it.  When you blog daily for a long, long time, years, and suddenly you stop, it's a strange, strange feeling.  I feel kind of shy at this again.  But not to worry.  I'll be back in the swing in no time.  I'm finding some of my Blogging For Fun friends here who have also switched from myspace blogs or who are perhaps testing the waters.  Welcome!  And if you are wondering if there is any other gathering place, yes there is.  Some of my BFF friends are a part of a myspace bloggers group on facebook. 
~~~~~
I guess I'll just do a random fill you in type blog tonight.  Something.  Anything.  Just have to make myself begin so I can regain that confidence.  I know I won't have near the numbers reading, at least for a while.  That's okay with me.  I'll be back to totally doing this for me. 
When I began my blogging several years ago, I did it as a way to stay accountable to myself and keep a type of diary of my journey into weight loss.  Well that train sort of left the track.  Life happened and I got away from paying the attention to me that I should.  I've got a lot of areas that need some attention and I'm hoping that I can work my way back to where I belong.
~~~~~
This evening we attended a cancer benefit for one of the kids' friends.  This beautiful young 27 year old woman has been diagnosed with breast cancer.  Friends and family organized the first of hopefully many fund raisers to help her with medical needs.  She has no insurance.  We had a nice pasta dinner that I'm sure will likely be repeated. 
It was at a church that I found interesting.  I've got the itch to find a church home again.  This one was a huge non-denominational.  Huge as in close to the size of the church we belonged to in San Antonio.  That's big!  We are considering it for Christmas Eve services.  Got a couple others we want to check but this one has risen to the top of the list.
~~~~~

I'm slowly getting the trees put up.  The one in the rec room went up first.  Corry and Brian helped Papa take the fireplace down to the basement/rec room.  It looks wonderful down there. It was a lot of sweeping, cleaning and moving to get the room back to being a rec room.  It had played the part of a bedroom for several years.  But now it's our room to stretch out and just be again.  The bigger grandkids came by and carried 38 years of photo albums from the 3rd floor attic, my craft area, all the way to the basement.  The kids had been wanting to look at old pictures several times recently and I wanted them accessible again.  We had them in the livingroom for years before they got taken up to the attic when I had hopes of reworking them into more modern scrapbooks.  My scrapbooks that I have gotten done have also made their way down from the first floor.  I plan to keep a little square trunk of extra pictures there too that the kids can grab from.  All duplicates will go there as will all the ones I choose not to use in an album.

The livingroom tree is up and lights are on.  Only because it's a pre-lit though.  And let me tell you.  When you have a strand on a pre-lit tree go bad, it's a pain!!  Those suckers are wrapped and twisted and tied on a branch.  Several feet of wires on each branch.  Amazing.  And did I say it was a P A I N ?? 

 

Ornaments were carried up from storage today.  I'm hoping to decorate the big tree by the weekend.  Got some other things that might get in the way though.  We want to help shop for a family in need, we have to take the van in, retrieve part of a toy from someone I bought a group of second hand toys from, we need to take some things to Missy... 

 

Plus we'll be babysitting and I have to bake.  I've got a cookie party I'm excited to attend on Sunday and I need to make lots and lots of cookies to share.  I still haven't decided on a recipe.  I've got some I'm thinking about.  I'll have to let you in on my decision if I ever makeonet.

 

The stockings are coming along.  I have a few more names to cross stitch and then I'll begin to assemble them all.  The biggest job is always filling them though.  I think I counted 24 to fill this year. 

 

I still haven't listed scarves yet.  I really do need good light then will put on another blog page.  I think I"ll be posting here and on facebook.  Maybe not.  Might just do it here. 

 

Well I'm off.  We are buried under about a foot of snow so far.  I love snow!  snow! snow! snow!  Soon as I get with the program, I'll figure out pictures I'll have to post some.

 

Mama will be back just as soon as I can.  I will eventually be back on here daily.  It's just going to take me some time.  Thanks for being loyal friends.

 

Hugs.

~~Mama Sage