Crackpot Tuesdays and Reflections

Photo by Taste of Home


This week was my baby girls turn to choose the crackpot meal and she chose, "Zippy Steak Chili".

From the moment I gave birth to The Natives I was shoving Tabasco sauce down their throats. If you haven't done the same or something similar this may be a bit zippy for you, your kids, your grandma, your grandma's cat....

Easily remedied.....cut back on the spicy ingredients. As for chili starter......what in tarnation is that? I just added two cans of chili.......

The family gave this 4 stars. For chili they thought it was pretty darn good and I had to agree with them.



I don't know about you but chili goes with cornbread like pizza goes with root beer......can't have one with out the other. I mean you can.....but you're missing out on the full experience. I'm not a fan of dry crumbly cornbread so I like The SM's aunts recipe that we tweaked a bit.

Aunt Gail's Cornbread

1 C. butter (trust me, it's worth it)
1 2/3 C. sugar (trust me, this too is worth it)
4 eggs (See? It gets healthy)
2 C. buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 C. cornmeal
3 C. flour
1 tsp. salt

Melt butter, add and stir in rest of ingred. stirring well. Bake in greased 9x13 for 30-40 min. at 375 in a metal pan, 350 in a glass pan. (We add a can of creamed corn and a can of diced gr. chili's.) (I didn't add the gr. chili's yesterday cuz I didn't want to. I'm allowed to do that every once in awhile...leave out an ingredient just cuz.)



Last week it was Reflections and Mr. M and Miss K wanted to participate. Miss K entered a painting and a musical piece on the piano. She won a ribbon for her painting and a trophy for her musical piece. The theme for this year was, "Beauty is..." Miss K painted a horse because she feels that beauty is the life of a horse and being a part of that life. Watching a horse being born, watching the horse grow, training the horse, and spending your life with your horse. Her musical piece had to do with the sound of horses hooves when they are galloping. Miss K said she loves the sound of horses galloping.



Mr. M entered photography. Mr. M chose "Beauty is.......in the eye of the beholder". He went around taking photos of eyes. The smart little stinker then uploaded his photos, cut and pasted them, and then printed them. I still can't do that! Photo editing......pfffft. What's that?

We pretty much think these two rock for doing so well in Reflections.

No more spoons today.

Ive used up all of my spoons today.....nothing more to give.......too tired to write.......maybe tomorrow........

Some photos speak for themselves.

I have nothing to say......

The Sense of Sound

Last night as I turned out the light, snuggled under my down comforter, and prepared to slide into a land of peaceful slumber I was jolted by the sound of sirens. Lots of sirens and it reminded me of something I'd written in my journal awhile ago on an evening much like last night. A night full of sirens.

The five senses are amazing. Each one can trigger a memory and transport you back to a moment you'd thought you'd forgotten. A taste, a touch, a sound, a smell.....All can bring back a vivid recollection and it is as if you were transported back in time reliving that experience again.

The other night I was driving my oldest son to spend the evening at a friends house. We had the windows down and were belting out the words to the song playing on the radio. I am grateful that my son has great taste in music and likes the same songs that I do. Everyday as I drive him to and from school we belt out the words to whatever song is on the radio. A time I cherish.

Last Friday evening was no different and as we were driving along the back roads of town another sound started to press its way into our senses. A sound that made us immediately tun off the radio so we could see where it was coming from and if we needed to get out of the way, a siren. A screaming message that help was on the way to who ever was in trauma waiting, listening for that sound that never gets there fast enough even if the ambulance is just around the corner from where you live. A sound that means hope.

Every time I hear a siren, and I do often since we live a block away from the fire station, I say a prayer. A prayer for those who are in trauma waiting for the piercing sound that means help is on the way.

I know what it is like feeling helpless watching your baby or loved one struggling. There is nothing you can do. So you wait. You wait for the sound of a miracle.

I hate sirens. I hate what they mean and yet it is the very sound you want to hear desperately and every fiber of you strains to hear when there is trauma.

I am grateful to the people behind the sirens. I'm grateful for their willingness to drop everything and come to all of our aid and when they come in..it isn't like in the movies. They come in quietly and there is a sense of reassuring calm as they assess the situation.

So next time you hear a siren, take a moment and offer up a quick prayer of comfort to those who are waiting and to those who are coming to offer aid.

Catalog Boy.

You know the holidays are upon us when every day your mailbox is filled with these. Don't get me wrong. I love catalogs and being a stay at home mom that doesn't particularly like to drag The Natives all over town shopping, catalogs are fabulous!

At least I thought they were...... until this holiday season. My baby has been hoarding them all, following me around non stop, showing me each and every item that he wants.



This morning it was this lovely car. He says both he and Levi want it but that only "he" can drive. Not Levi.......and they don't want the girl ones. "It hasta be dis one". The boy one. When I asked him why Levi couldn't drive and only he could he said because he needs to drive. End of discussion!

When the catalogs first started coming in my baby wanted me to magically make all of the items he wanted to just appear. I fall back on the only weapon I can at this time.........Santa Claus. "We'll have to ask Santa Claus" so now when my baby shows me all of the stuff he wants, he wants me to make sure and let Santa know. I'm afraid he is going to be one disappointed boy when Christmas comes and the tree isn't loaded with all of his catalog picks. It'll serve him right. He's on my naughty list right now. The other day I was in the bathroom putting my face on. He walked in and said:

Baby: What is that?
Me: Make up.
Baby: What you doing?
Me: Trying to make myself look presentable. Is it working?
Baby: No

I don't care if he is the baby......he's getting coal in his stocking!

Crackpot Tuesdays

Mr. M has been trying to decide what to pick that is a crackpot dinner for WEEKS! He is by far my pickiest eater. That boy would come to me over and over telling me he'd finally found something that looked edible to him only to have me start laughing and tell him to try again.......99.9% of his selections were desserts.

Now, you know me. I'm cool with dessert for dinner but if all I posted were crackpot desserts then you'd all be turning me into the children's protective services so I have to make it appear that I am making The Natives well rounded wholesome meals.


Photo by Taste of Home


Mr. M was beginning to think he'd never find a main dish that didn't look completely disgusting. After the desserts he wandered into the side dishes. That is when we compromised. He found Funeral Potatoes and I didn't have the heart to turn him down yet again so I told him we'd do the funeral potatoes if he'd try one more time to find a main dish. Side note, funeral potatoes. Are LDS the only ones to serve these at a funeral? If this is the case would y'all do me a huge favor? I like cheesy potatoes and all.....but when I die forgo the ham and cheesy potatoes. I want a huge dessert bar full of chocolate! Thank you. Now.......moving on....Well not moving on as in moving "on"....just moving onto the next paragraph......


Photo by Taste of Home

Mr. M looked through all of the photos and found a meat entree that looked to be about the plainest he could possibly find. No green stuff! He chose: Cranberry Pork Roast When I served it for dinner with gravy, Mr. M wanted to know where that came from because he didn't see it in the photo! He was a good sport and tried it and here is our review:

I blew it. The jury is still out and we have to try it again to give it a fair trial. At this point the highest was three stars. The gravy tasted like syrup. Syrup on meat......not our favorite.

When I was making the roast which by the way.......the meat was fabulous. Very tender, it didn't cross my mind when the recipe called for cranberry juice that cranberry juice mixed with other juices would be sickeningly sweet! Ever since my kidneys decided to throw a tantrum a few weeks ago I've been getting acquainted with cranberry juice. One problem. Cranberry juice by itself is enough to turn your mouth inside out so I get the mixed stuff. Cran-grape, cran-apple, cran-chocolate......kidding on the last.....do they make that mix? Because I'd buy it!

So, the recipe calls for cranberry juice and I pour in my sickeningly sweet cran-mix and don't think twice about it......until later when we're all having syrup on our meat.

Another side note. The recipe calls for corn starch to thicken the gravy. I'm not a corn starch fan and I remembered why last night. I prefer flour for thickening gravies. Last night I used corn starch and BLECK! I can taste it and I can feel a grainy cornstarch texture on my tongue as I'm eating.

There you have it. Our not fair trial on the poor cran. pork roast. I dare say with the reviews it got on Taste of Home all being 5 stars that we need to try it again.......this time with naked cranberry juice and flour for a thickener.....

A very positive note for this recipe. It was easy peasy and FAST. I like that. A lot!

If at first you don't succeed........throw up your hands and get help!

Remember this project?



It's a sweater remember? Ya well. I've been knitting along in quite a frenzy and would you believe? It is actually starting to look like a sweater!



Thanks to the help from the ladies at Heindselman's. They seriously have the patience of Job. They have to because they keep helping me on my projects! Like this sweater....

The other day I went into the shop. I'd gotten to the place where I was supposed to attach the sleeves to my sweater and I just knew I was going to make a huge mess of things so I got off my lazy bahootie and went and asked for help. I knew if I didn't...I wouldn't be able to put my sweater on because I'd have attached a sleeve to the neck and one to the bottom.....or there abouts.



Actually, I'm an expert knitter but I really don't like to brag and I feel real sorry for the ladies at Heindselman's so I go in every once in awhile and give them something to laugh at. I pretend to be inept.....ya. That's it. I pretend cuz I want them to feel good about what they do.......I'm nice that way. I figure I'll go in about twenty more times before I finish this sweater...just to be nice.

This blogger describes the experience well when you go to Heinselman's.