K is for Kelly Green!!

I had a pretty hard time coming up with words that start with "K". But, this morning, I thought that maybe I'd talk about the color combo that was a staple in my wardrobe in the 1980's. Yep. Pink and kelly green. My favorite outfit was a kelly green "Izod" type shirt (with the collar flipped up, of course) that was worn underneath a pink oxford cloth shirt. Tied around my neck were the sleeves of a kelly green crewneck sweater. I think a pair of navy blue Chino's completed the ensemble. Oh, I was a vision in preppiness!

Somehow, I managed to look hip and cool (or so I believed) with my K-mart clothes and outfits lovingly sewn by my mom in a sea of doctor's and lawyer's children dressed in real Izod shirts and Calvin Klein jeans. Somehow, I was never really made fun of (unless you count the time when I tried out for cheerleading and the dress I changed out of and left in the locker room was stolen. But, I digress....) and actually had some really good friends, though not necessarily the most popular kids, despite my parents' back-to-school clothing budget.

My children don't wear K-mart clothes, but happily sport numerous garage-sale, eBay and consignment store finds. People are amazed when I tell them that's where I shop for their wardrobe each year. "They always look so cute", they gush. A happy, frugal-mom moment. I'm grateful for a mom who always taught me that I was beautiful no matter where my clothes came from. I hope I can do that for my daughter as well.

Where have I been all my life?

We interrupt this alphabet meme to bring you this fun little map of my cross-country travels...

Started out in Michigan, visited stuff to the east, finally crossed the Mississippi River when I was 18 and on my way to BYU in Utah to go to college. From there, I've branched out a bit to the surrounding states. I see that I've still got several left to go!

That's odd....I can't get the whole map to show up on my blog. Anyway...the states that you can't see on the map are...Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Washington DC, Maryland and Florida.

We now return to our regularly scheduled alphabet meme...



create your own visited states map
or check out these Google .

L is for...Licensing!!

As in "Alternative Routes to Teacher Licensing". Yes, I know I skipped "K". I'll get to that letter tomorrow because all I can think about is the fact that I was accepted into the Alternative Routes to Teacher Licensing program by the Board of Education. I can teach jr high or high school biology classes!! I've got 18 months to obtain a teaching job, take a few extra classes and after a year of teaching, I can apply for my teaching license!

Oh! I am so excited!! I can hardly believe they accepted me! I was worried that my grades might not be good enough, or the science classes I took as a Zoology major weren't the right ones. Yippee!!!!

J is for...J, JUMP, JOYFUL!!

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic, so when I thought of the letter J, the first...er...second thing I thought of (the first was actually my son J) was a song from my favorite childhood album, The Sesame Street Book and Record (original cast). Here are the lyrics (I think they are correct, to the best of my knowledge):

J, jump, joyful, jumble around
Juniper, Jan, Jane, John
J, jump, joyful, jumble around
Jack-in-the-box jumping all over town!
Jingle jangle junk summer day
Big J swingin', flyin' singin' --

J, jump, joyful, jumble around
On a just nice day with the jumpinest J's in town

Jingle jangle junk summer day
Big J swingin', flyin' singin' --

J, jump, joyful, jumble around
On a just nice day with the jumpinest J's in town

This blog entry has been brought to you by the letter J and by the number 3.

I is for ICE CREAM!!

Pretty cliche, but you know? I love ice cream. My favorites are Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip, Bear Claw from Mackinac Island in Michigan, Vernor's Ice Cream by Sander's (Oh...a total blast from the past. It has been over 20 years since I had that yummy gingerale-flavored ice cream! Do they even make that anymore? Sadly, I don't think that they do) and plain, old chocolate or plain old vanilla. Oh, and homemade ice cream? I adore peach or strawberry.

I also love sherbet. Especially in the summer. I love to make floats with Sprite or club soda and sherbet. My favorite flavors are raspberry, orange and lime--either seperately or together as Rainbow sherbet.

What are your favorite ice cream flavors?

H is for Happiness!!

Do you know what happiness is? I'll tell you. Happiness is walking through the skybridge between my building and the cancer hospital and seeing a group of 3 girls dancing--each of them singing into a single long-stemmed rose. They didn't notice me because their backs were to me as I walked through, but they stopped singing once I passed and said, "Hey! It's time to do Karate-Ballet!" They were probably 7-10 years old. Oh. My. Word. They were so very adorable and the thought of them still makes me smile.

I did have to wonder why they were there...was their mom or grandma getting treatment at the cancer hospital? Was dad or grandpa finally getting released from the cancer hospital? Maybe they were the children of someone who worked there and they needed to occupy themselves for a few minutes while Mom went to grab something from her office. I sure hope that it's the latter. The thought of those young girls being affected by someone in their lives who has cancer kinda makes me sad. But, at the same time, hopeful. They've got the kind of "wishing-on-a-star" hope that we as adults don't seem to have anymore. I hope that the people in their lives that they love will be able to live a long, happy life.

G is for Granny!!

We call my maternal grandmother "Granny". Everyone does--her kids, sons- and daughters-in-law, grandkids and great-grandkids.

She's an interesting woman who had a hard life as an adult. She's the 2nd youngest of (I think) 9 kids in a Polish-Catholic family. She has told stories of how she sang vaudeville when she was just 4 or 5 while her older sister played the piano.

As an adult, she married a man who was about 10 years older than she was. He died in his sleep of a heart ailment when my mom was just 5, my uncle was 2 and she was unknowingly pregnant with my aunt. She latter married a man whom she met in a bowling alley's bar and ended up divorcing him after several years. She worked as a bank teller and eventually got to work at the airport's international center doing currency exchange. She brought home lots of foreign coins for me.

She used to sing a song that I thought she made up...

I love you
A bushel and a peck,
A bushel and a peck,
A-a-a-a-a-and a hug around the neck!
Doo dee, doo dee, doo dee,
Doo dee, doo dee, doo dee,
Doo dee, doo dee, doo dee DOOOO!

Imagine my surpise when I went to see the musical Guys and Dolls with my husband and they started singing that song!!

She stayed with us for a little while and made her bedroom on the enclosed front porch (out of which my parents moved to sleep on a hide-a-bed in the living room). I have fond memories of sitting in her bed watching the Rockford Files and eating Rocky Road ice cream.

She had a problem with drinking when she was at family parties (she didn't drink in my parents' home) and she was pretty mean as a drunk and would say some hurtful things. When she moved to be closer to my parents, she no longer had the opportunity to drink and was pretty well-behaved (for the most part).

Within the last 8 years or so, she has started to decline. Alzheimer's disease. She's had her delusions and the memory-loss is pretty evident. But, for now, she still recognizes all of us. That's good. It's going to be hard to explain to my kids when Granny starts asking them who they are. I've been trying to prep them a little, though.

Even with all of her quirks, I still love my Granny. A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck.

F is for FLOWERS!!

What would the world be without flowers? They make the world beautiful, and they are what makes it possible to have delicious fruit to eat. Have you ever looked closely at the inside of a flower? So many delicate parts. I love watching the progress of an apple's growth from apple blossom to fruit. Absolutely amazing.

I guess that F can also be for FRUIT!!

E is for EGGS!!

This is so fun! My kids are learning how to cook! J made fried eggs with a few dashes of green tabasco sauce and a dash of red tabasco sauce (just like dad). He sprayed the pan, turned on the stove cracked the eggs. He only needed help flipping them, and to know when they were done. C made scrambled eggs with cheese. She also sprayed the pan, turned on the stove and she scrambled them and added the cheese all by herself. She also needed to know when they were done. They aren't even 8 years old yet. I'm such a proud mama!

D is for DUMB!!

"That 'D' word" is how my kids refer to one of the words they think of as a swear word. The other is the 'S' word (stupid) and one more is the 'H' word (hate). My mom taught my brother and I to never call each other by the 'D' word or the 'S' word, nor anyone else. And, to my knowledge, we never did. We also never used the 'H' word directed at anyone else. It really bothered me when I'd hear the siblings of a friend call each other those words. I vowed that I wanted to my children to grow up in a home, like mine, where those words are never used. I have to work on my husband a bit more. But as for my kids, I'm so glad that they are learning that love and respect exist in our home and that they can count on only loving words being directed at them and each other.

Starting the Alphabet Meme....

A is for.....ANNE!! I love my name. I always have. I love the "e" on then end, like Anne of Green Gables. My paternal grandmother said it sounded like royalty and it went well with my very English surname. It was she who suggested my parents put the "e" on the end. But, please don't call me "Annie".

B is for......BANANA BREAD!! I love banana bread. My husband never liked banana bread, until he had mine! His mom would always put walnuts in it. He has never liked walnuts. Ever. But, she always had a hard time putting any other nut in her banana bread or brownies, even though he told her that if she'd just use pecans, or even almonds he'd love it. But, after we got married and MIL would make brownies for a family party, she started leaving a corner without nuts for him. I guess I had an influence on her! I make my banana bread with a bit of cinnamon and pecans, if I have some on hand. But, no walnuts!

C is for CHICKEN!! Chicken is wonderful. It great for every season. Chicken pot pie and casserole in the winter; chicken fettuccine in the spring; chicken grape salad in the summer; herb roasted chicken in the fall. YUM!!!!

Chicken Grape Salad

Chicken, cooked and cubed (boiled, steamed, leftover, grilled--whatever you have)
Seedless grapes (green, red, purple or a combination)
3-4 ribs of celery, chopped or sliced
Green onion, if you like (my hubby doesn't like onions in salad, so I never put them in)
Mayonnaise

Add an amount of grapes equal to the amount of chicken chunks you have prepared. Add the celery. Combine with an amount mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip, if you prefer) that completely coats the chicken and grapes. Serve plain or in a roll or croissant as a sandwich.

Now I know my ABCs.....

This sounds like fun. My friend, Carpoolmom, came across Bella Dia's blog and found a very fun meme (and some very beautiful embroidery and other crafts, btw). She's calling it The Encyclopedia of Me Meme. I think I'm going to participate. I've got a few letters to make up, so I think I'll do A, B and C in my next entry.

Let me know....

I'm wondering who visits, and if you'd like me to add you to my blogroll (My Favorite Blogs).

So...

...if you'd like me to put you on my blogroll, leave a comment and let me know!

...if you're on my blogroll, but would rather not be on, that's ok---leave a comment and let me know!

...if you read my blog, but prefer to remain off my blogroll, leave a comment and let me know.

Thanks!!

Four....

I've been tagged by my friend Ali.

Enjoy!!

Four jobs I've had:
1. Stockgirl for a home improvement store
2. Hosting Staff at BYU
3. Dessert Line worker at my dorm at BYU
4. Fine Jewelry salesperson at JCPenney

Four places I've lived:
1. Detroit, MI
2. Grosse Ile, MI
3. Provo, UT
4. The city I live in now. :o)

Four Favorite T.V. Shows
1. 24
2. Heroes
3. Lost
4. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Four Favorite T.V. Shows of All Time
1. Crossing Jordan
2. Alias
3. Emergency!
4. Little House on the Prarie

Four Favorite Foods
1. Ribeye
2. Cheesecake
3. Lobster
4. Chocolate

Four Websites I Frequent
1. The local news station's websites
2. Mothers of Twins
3. Miscellaneous blogs
4. LDS.org

Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. Swimming with my kids
2. At home
3. Camping in the mountains by a stream or lake
4. At a lake in Michigan

Four Movies I love:
1. Raising Arizona
2. South Pacific
3. Somewhere in Time
4. A tie between Steel Magnolias and Fried Green Tomatoes

Four Bloggers I Tag Next

I'll let you decide who you are!

Mid-life Crisis?

Well, I did it. I took the first step to changing careers and becoming a teacher: I turned in my application for Alternative Routes to Licensing to the state office of education. I found out that with my bachelor degree in zoology, I can apply to get my teaching license after substitute-teaching for a couple of years. The first step is for them to review my transcript to see if I have sufficient classes and grades to pursue this route. That's the scary part. But, it's done. It's been turned in and we'll see what comes of it. If I could do this, it would be the first time I'd be actually doing something close to using my degree in about 13 years. When I first graduated, I taught biology and microbiogy labs at the local community colleges. I loved it. But, because it wasn't a benefitted position, I had to find something else.

The next step is to turn in my application for substitute teaching to the local school district. Then, start subbing. I would love to teach jr. high or high school science classes.

I've felt an urgency to get this done since about March of this year--especially starting getting in my substitute teaching application in.

If you're reading this blog, and you're the praying type, would you mind saying one for me? Thanks :o)

Here's a fun guessing game....do you wanna play?

I thought that the fun of trying to figure out cute words our little ones say or said was over. Silly me! My 7 1/2 year-old daughter came up with one a couple of weeks ago that I have to share. I'll give you the word and use it in a sentence and you can guess what it means. I'll post the answer on Monday.

Here it is: Urch. "Look at all those urch marks, Mom!"

Have fun!!

Two dental procedures, 1 week.....

Poor J!! My son, age 7 1/2 has had the pleasure of going to both the orthodontist and the dentist this week. He has been blessed with a small palate that needs to be expanded soon. So, this week he had impressions taken of his upper and lower jaw and had spacers put in so that he can be fitted for his appliance in a few weeks. Then, the very next day, he had his first 3 cavities filled! I feel really bad about that one, though. Like it's my fault. I know it's probably not, because if it was, C would have cavities too. But, I guess J just inherited somebody's soft teeth.

He was a real trooper, though! He said the only part he didn't like was the "stuff he had to breathe". I guess the laughing gas made it a bit hard to breathe, or gave him a weird feeling. I told him that it was so that he wouldn't feel the shot. "What shot?" "The shot they gave you so your mouth would feel funny," I said. "Didn't you feel a little pinch?" "Nope," he said. Wow. All my worry that he would come out of the appointment in tears and hating me were for naught.

Cousins....

Who'da thunk it? There is a 4 year, 6 year, 7 year gap between me and my cousins. There's a 7 year gap between my brother and I and a 9 year gap between his wife and I. But, guess what? Age totally doesn't matter. We are all basically in the same place. We all have at least a spouse or fiance, and all but 2 couples have children. Those of us that have children, have children who are close in age to each other.

I never dreamed back when I was in high school that my cousins who were 12-14 at the time would ever have anything in common with me. Never mind their younger brothers, or heaven forbid--my own brother. But, whenever those cousins come out this way, we have the BEST time! Talking for hours, playing dominoes.... It's so much fun. I love them all so much.

I have to thank my parents, though, for initiating contact. Sometimes it's easier to "visit" the aunt/uncle rather than the cousins. I know I have a hard time initiating contact with cousins for some silly reason. But, because of the get-togethers my parents have planned when they are here, my cousins and I (and my family) are forging a bond that will last long after our parents are gone.

Walkin' on Sunshine....

I have finally been able to start walking and commit to it. It took me a good month to "gear up" for it, lol. But, I started on Thursday and only missed Saturday (I took the kids swimming and spend 2 hours in the pool in near constant motion) and Monday (didn't get much sleep, so I was too tired). But, last night I got to bed really late, but managed to get up and walk this morning. Yay for me!!

I'm walking about 3/4 of a mile so far. Next week, I'll add my Nordic Walking Poles to the mix. Here's a website about Nordic Walking. Here's another. I can really tell how it ramps up the walking when I use them.

So, it's been one week and one day that I started daily excercise. I really needed to do this. It has helped get me off of my plateau. I can't wait to find my new and improved self!!

What kind of sandwich?

You Are a Grilled Cheese Sandwich

You are a traditional person with very simple tastes. In your opinion, the best things in life are free, easy, and fun. You totally go with the flow. And you enjoy every minute of it! Your best friend: The Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Your mortal enemy: The Ham Sandwich

What Kind of Sandwich Are You?