Summer Re-runs

Now with cable TV where 'seasons' run year-round and there's always a new season of something on, there's a younger generation of ppl who have no idea what summer re-runs are. They are the same people who have no idea what it is to wait for Saturday morning for cartoons, don't know life with internet, cell phones and iPods. They are also the same ones who can usually fix my computer, cell phone and iPod (if I had one of my own).
I love my kids very much and they are the reason that I am busy ALL THE TIME. And probably why I don't blog as often as I would like to. But they are certainly 'inspiration' for many of my blogs. With that thought in mind and the fact that not everyone is on Facebook, although I think it might down to Mom and David by end of summer, I thought I would publish a few 'Facebook notes' here on my blog. Notes are sort of a Facebook version of a blog, but on there you invite ppl to read your note, by tagging them, hence the social networking underlying theme of Facebook. Here are a few:

"25 things" is a popular Note that ppl make. Right before Mothers Day this year I wrote:
Okay since Mother's Day is coming up soon and my good friend mentioned the other day how she missed all of us writing those '25 things' note, I decided to start one. I am gonna write 25 things about my kids, tag 25 other moms and challenge them to do the same thing! Here goes: 1. I love you, Cody Garrett, Samuel Earl, Jenna Claire and Seth William, with a love so fierce it sometimes scares even me, anyone ever tried to hurt my kids and I am pretty sure I can scare them as well! 2. The other day while Seth and Jenna were snuggling with me on my lap, I said I was sad that they were getting big and soon wouldn't both fit. Seth instantly promised to stay little forever! I love that kid! 3. I am amazed by Cody's hands, first those little newborn borny hands, before they get any fat on them and you can feel bones in the palms of their hands, now a mere 16 years later, his finger are each at least an inch longer than mine. 4. Sam's drive and determination is something that I find both frustrating and mindblowing. You can see it in the things that he does. I love to take a picture of him at the beginning of a wrestling match, just so I can remember the look. 4. I already know that Jenna will be a great mom. She's Seth's mother hen, she takes care of her calf so tenderly. Her attention to detail will take her far in this world. 5. Seth has surprised me from the beginning. He just keeps evolving everyday into the neatest little kid, I love his sense of humor and his sweetness. 6. My most favorite sound in the entire world bar none is that of my children laughing together. 7. We might live far out in the country without any close neighbors. But you know none of my kids are ever bored, there's always someone to play with, sure they fight and argue like all siblings but mostly they don't and I so glad that they are each others' friend. 8. I love that they have nicknames--Twig, Bubba, Sis, and Fred.......I love that they call each other those names, we do it, and those around us do. 9. I love that I can look in my kitchen sink and tell who ate what when I have been gone. They each have their own things they love. And I am also glad that they mostly pick up after themselves. 10. I love to ask Jenna the question, 'What did you think about (fill in the blank) I am always entertained by her take on things, the tidbits that she thinks to share are price-less. 11. I love the look of little boys who come in my house dirty from playing outside all day. 12. I love that Cody is a 'sponge' as Mrs W called him in Kindergarten, she is right. He can't learn enough, I love to watch him pouring over a book, sports statistcs or whatever he happens to be studying. 13. I love the pictures that are in my minds eye of my kids, like, when they were teeny tiny and had been asleep laying on my chest while we were both napping in the recliner and they would wake up and look up at me or now that they are bigger and we are at a cattle show and everyone is walking together to the show ring. 14. My heart just swells watching them get to new milestones, I might be crying like a baby, but you can bet they are happy tears. 15. I love how they look when they are asleep, that innocence that they had as babies that I hope never totally leaves them. 16. I love when they fall asleep in my lap, yeah there's only two who still do that, and mostly there's only one, but I love when it happens and pray it happens again. 17. They all four have their likes and dislikes and the variety that brings is the spice of my life. 18. I love Sam's nurturing spirit, examples that I love the most are things like watching him put on and tie Seth's shoes or when he helped Jenna learn to ride a 2 wheeled bike. 19. I love hugs. I love kisses. I love 'thank you mom' I love 'I love you mom' 20. I love being the mom of four kids. We women are a special group, some of you are ahead of me on this journey, some are behind me, but only moms of 4 kids get the true meaning of group mentality! Love you ladies! 21. I love the ball games that go on in my yard almost daily for about 8 months out of the year, the type of ball doesn't matter, the teams don't matter, everyone plays. 22. It makes me sad to think how empty my life would have been without kids. They have taught me so much. I am blessed. 23. I love that I can't always remember what happened last week, but the memory of my kids being born is as clear as it happened yesterday. 24. As a mom, while holidays like Christmas and Easter are still pretty great, for me the four greatest days of the year are Sept 5, Oct 6, Nov 1 and Nov 2. 25. Again I say I love you, Cody, Sam, Jenna and Seth, with a love that so deep that it has no end.

Here is a recipe I shared on Facebook for Blueberry Cobbler, which reminds me once again that I need to get over to our friends' and pick blueberries! The kids love them and I never seem to get there, maybe once each year. (Hope to see you soon Cindy!)
The recipe:
I found this recipe the other day on my search to find a diabetic recipe. David is on board that meets monthly and one of the members is diabetic, so if I send something, I always try to send something that he can eat as well. I didn't name the recipe, the submitter did, but they are right it's really good. Here goes: 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries 1 1/2 tsp vanilla Juice of one lemon 1 c Splenda or to taste (I bet with fresh berries, you wouldn't need that much) 1 tsp flour 1 tsp butter, melted 1 3/4 c flour 4 tsp baking powder 6 Tbsp splenda 5 Tbsp butter (softened works best) 1 c milk 2 tsp splenda 1 pinch of cinnamon Lightly grease baking dish I used the Pampered Chef oval one that is probably 8 inches wide and maybe 12 inches long, I think that a 8x8 would be too small and a 9x13 would be too big. Place berries in dish, mix with vanilla and lemon juice. Sprinkle with 1 c splenda and 1 tsp flour, t hen stir in 1 Tbsp melted butter. Set aside. In a medium bowl stir together 1 3/4 c flour, baking powder, and 6 Tbsp of Splenda. Rub in butter using your fingers (which is what I did) or cut in with a pastry blender, until it is in small pieces. Make a well in the center and quickly stir in the milk. Mix until just moistened. You should have a thick batter or very wwet dough. Cover and let better rest for 10 minutes. Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Spoon batter over the berries, leaving only a few small holes for the batter to peek through. Mix together the last splenda and cinnamon and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days, but it didn't last that long at my house. Enjoy!

Okay here's another '25 Random Things' note:
1. I love baseball, everything about it, growing up listening to Jack Buck with my Grandma Angle, the smell of the leather of gloves and balls, to pitching to my kids in the yard, to it's "evil twin" softball, a cold beer at the game and the sound of cleats on a hard floor. 2. I love to do all things with reckless abandon, sew till I am out of thread, read a good book till dawn, cook till I have till go to the grocery store for more food and enjoy every opportunity that life has to offer, we only get one chance, gotta make it count. 3. I love that all four of my kids think they are my favorite and they are for different reasons. Cody for his budding dry sarcastic humor, Sam for his sense of fun and competitiveness, Jenna for her deep compassion, and Seth for his innocent sweetness and affection for everyone. 4. I wish I had realized when I was younger how precious time is, to be spent with those you love, to make a few better choices, and to use my time wiser. 5. I like nothing better than to have an absolute blast with my friends. I am thankful that I have several and wish that I spent more time with them. 6. Laughing till you cry or till something comes out your nose has got to be one of lifes greatest pleasures. 7. I have recently started walking, and can't walk enough, I did three times yesterday ( probably back to the comment on doing things with reckless abandon, 7miles total) and already have this morning, hope to get in shape, and kick it up a notch, maybe I will jog or run. 8. I smile when I see, my kids laughing together, baby calves, buckets of veggies from the garden, Christmas TV shows advertised, notes in my inbox on here, family chowing down on a gob of food I cooked, my nephews, my niece. 9. I am so unorganized, I wish I was better at it, another one of those things that the whole reckless abandon has affect on, wish I could organize with reckless abandon, guess you can't have everything. 10. There are four things that I could drink till it ran out my ears--Sweet Tea, Mt Dew, Bud Light and Smirnoff Ice, and I am not worried in the least that two are alcoholic and the other two are full of caffeine. 11. I want to get my kids a puppy, not that we don't have plenty (probably too many) dogs as it is, I just think that every kid should have a puppy once in their life and living on the farm, we get everyone else's cast-off that already grown. 12. I could probably take a vacation every three or four months if we could afford it, there are so many places I want to see, places I have been I want my kids to see. 13. As much as I enjoy being at home with my kids, I sometimes long for the days when I worked, I miss being around alot of people, I loved decorating the furniture store, setting up displays, selling, man I liked selling stuff, maybe I will go back next year when Seth starts school, not sure yet. 14. I love that I can go for months (and sadly it's been that long a few times) without talking to my best friend and within seconds we are right back to giggling and bs-ing like we have since we were kids. 15. I envy people who look put together all the time, like it is so effortless, maybe it is for them, it sure isn't for me, I hate that I sometimes go places looking like a bum, I don't think about it till I am somewhere, then I just get frustrated, I have been trying in the last few years to be better about that. 16. I wish I could play the piano, was more musical in general, maybe even have a singing voice that I was willing to use, other than drunk kareoke with the Angle cousins, you know who you are and what we always have to sing...... 17. I am thankful to live in a country where I am free to do what I want, when I want, with whomever I wish and I am thankful to my family who have served and are serving in the world's greatest military to give me that right. I don't think we are as grateful as we should be. 18. Nothing makes my blood boil worse than irresponsible adults, think about mostof the pet peeves you have with ppl, most of those go back to being irresponsible about some thing, how tough is it folks, suck it up and do the right thing. 19. Saying that someone is closed minded because they have different views that you do is about the most lame thing that I have ever heard of, and is particularly pitiful when it comes out of the mouth of a so called education person. I am not closed minded because I don't agree with you, I just have a different opinion based a different perspective and different life experiences, just sayin'. 20. While I am on the subject of views, shoving yours down my throat makes me only disagree even more, I hope I never push my views on others, and nothing is more irritating in my opinion. you believe this or that good for you, noted, now move on. 21. I wish there were enough hours in the day to read all the books that I would like to read. 22. Every person on my Christmas list is getting something handmade, not saying what since a few of them are on facebook. :) Mostly because I have gotten to the point in my life where 'it's the thought that counts' is the ONLY thing that counts to me anymore, so sick of commercialized see what all you can buy Christmases, so not what it's about. 23. This is the happiest time of year to me, I love fall, I probably almost decorate more for it than Christmas, all of my babies have their birthdays now, I love harvest, football, craft shows, bonfires, raking leaves..........love love love FALL! 24. I love about anything baked, but only while it's fresh out of the oven, I will practically burn my mouth on a cookie, after it's cooled, eh, could take it or leave it. 25. I say that I procrastinate because I work well under pressure, that is just bullshit, because if it's something that I really want to do, it's the first thing that I do and I think that is true about all people. (okay I had a hard time coming up with 25 things and everyone knows how I like to talk/blog/whatever)

Okay maybe I will get a chance to write a 'real/new' blog soon. But fair season is upon us and since I don't have a laptop and wireless internet, it is liable to be awhile. Those who are my facebook friend and have already read those, sorry. Those who haven't hope you don't get mind already been written notes/blogs.

On the 'Eve' of Independence Day weekend (and three days till MY birthday~
From Tulip~
KH
:)