Day 13: Garth Brooks knows his stuff

Happy Friday Readers! Let's get right to it, shall we?

1.) And the Reader of the Week is.......Rebecca Chambers! Let's all give Becca a round of applause! She read my blog about being poor and so she brought me a plate of food to work one night! Becca, you have won world wide web recognition! I have 8 followers who all know your name now. You're welcome.

2.) I discovered today that Dora the Explorer is rude. At the end of the show she asks you what your favorite part was THEN she cuts you off while you are still telling her!

3.)  The Kroger in Lebanon is hosting a Child Safety Fair tomorrow from 10 am to 2 pm. Scruff from the Lebanon Police Department will be there at 11 am. There will also be crafts for the kids and safety information for the parents.

Today I am going to tell you about my hopes, dreams, goals, and all that good stuff. I already achieved my first goal of captivating an audience with my wit, humor, and charm! I am thankful to all 8 of you who read this for helping me achieve this!

This is probably more accurate

This is Day 13 by the way...I forgot to mention that.

Nobody sums up hopes, dreams, and goals better than my personal hero, Garth Brooks. Let's see what he has to say...

You know a dream is like a river
Ever changing as it flows
And a dreamer's just a vessel
That must follow where it goes
Trying to learn from what's behind you
And never knowing what's in store
Makes each day a constant battle
Just to stay between the shores...and

I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Like a bird upon the wind
These waters are my sky
I'll never reach my destination
If I never try
So I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry

Too many times we stand aside
And let the waters slip away
'Til what we put off 'til tomorrow
Has now become today
So don't you sit upon the shoreline
And say your satisfied
Choose to chance the rapids
And dare to dance the tide...yes

 And there's bound to be rough waters
And I know I'll take some falls
But with the good Lord as my captain
I can make it through them all

One of my biggest goals in life is to make an impact on the lives of others. I can't share my idea with you because I would be talking about my job, and I was told I can't really do that. So long story short, I want to make a difference in my community. I want to do something that matters. That's my dream, that's my goal, and that's my hope.

Sorry that was so short! I can't talk about what I want to talk about so I just had to end it there. I hope you have a great weekend!

And that's the way the cookie crumbles...

Day 12: Mouth guards...not sexy

You get to read two of my new blogs in one day! No, you didn't win the lottery. I just couldn't get yesterday's blog to post. So here is today's daily list of randomness:

1.) "Tiny Dancer" by Sir Elton John will dig its way into your brain and stay there for hours. Here is a picture of me at 3 a.m.

2.) I now have to sleep with a mouth guard to keep me from grinding my teeth at night. I am very distraught about this. What if my house catches on fire and a hot fireman has to save me? How embarrassing will it be when I have to pull out my mouth guard to say "thank you"??? I might as well purchase a flannel floor length night gown and adopt a bunch of cats.

3.) I AM GOING TO SEE GEORGE JONES ON SATURDAY! <----- Do you see how excited I am?? Epically excited!! Yes, I said epically.

Put on your floaties, Readers. It's about to get deep. 

Today's blog challenge is about something I believe in. I thought about going my normal sarcastic route by pulling out an R. Kelly song about believing I could fly.

But I think I am going to be semi serious today. So here we go....a list of things I believe (because I couldn't pick just one).

I believe that God is real and there is a Heaven.

I believe in giving second chances.

I believe that we were all created equal, regardless of the color of our skin.

I believe in the power of prayer, even when they go unanswered.

I believe in soul mates.

I believe a smile can make someone's day. 

 I believe that you really do catch more flies with honey.

I believe in forgiveness, but the forgetting part is hard.

And finally,

I believe Oreos are 100x better than any Girl Scout cookie.

Oh come on. You know I couldn't be totally serious! Well I hope you enjoyed reading what I believe in! I tried to keep it short since there were not any pictures! Have a fabulous day, or what's left of it. And remember...Reader of the Week is announced tomorrow. You still have time!

And that's the way the cookie crumbles....

Day 11: A day late and a few pictures short

**I wrote this yesterday but it wouldn't post**

Well, today is my Monday

 Do you sense my excitement?

I'm not very enthusiastic today so without further ado here is the daily list of randomness...

1.) Chief Bowen and Officer Dye rode with me on my Meals on Wheels route today! They were helping me promote March for Meals.

2.) Taking a nap 30 minutes before you are supposed to be at work is never a good idea.


3.) Cover Girl has millions of females to choose from and they picked Taylor Swift. Really? She puts her eye liner and mascara on so thick she looks Chinese!

你好我的名字是泰勒

For all of my non-Chinese speaking readers this says, "I am crazy and like to sing songs off key about boys who broke my heart and then I stalk them."

<>Now on to the blog challenge for today. Day 11 requires me to tell you about my favorite t.v. shows. Since I only get to watch t.v. between the hours of 8 a.m and 2 p.m I have a very strange mix of things I watch. Mostly all I get to see are re-runs of 90s and early 2000s sit-coms, but sometimes I can catch recent shows on Mondays and Tuesdays when I am off. Here are some of my favorite shows...

<>You might be surprised at my TLC and Lifetime "reality" show obsessions! (No pictures available due to blog.spot being dumb) 

What Not to Wear
Four Weddings
Say Yes to the Dress
Project Runway
America's Next Top Model (re-runs)

Weird choices for the girl who doesn't wear makeup, jewelry, or dresses huh? Moving on to my Lifetime sit-com re-runs....

How I Met Your Mother
Reba
New Adventures of Old Christine

And finally, here are my favorite, current t.v. shows.

Criminal Minds
NCIS
Grey's Anatomy
Private Practice

That's all for today! Sorry abou the lack of pictures. I have no idea why it just stopped loading pictures. I guess my blog is mad at me for even mentioning Taylor Swift.

And that's the way the cookie crumbles...

Survey thingy!

 I don't know why I can type on this blog but it won't let me type on the other one?? Frustration! Anyways, I was tagged by my sister so I decided to participate....



1. What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you?

I'd have to say that  my entire freshman year of high school is the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to me. I tripped up the steps in front of the most attractive guy in school. I tripped while running in gym. I stuttered in class. So pretty much all of 2003 was one giant awkward moment.

2. Favorite holiday and why?


I gotta go with Fourth of July (when I actually get to enjoy it). I love fireworks! I also love the food that comes along with the 4th. Hot dogs, chips, baked beans! I like that food more than Christmas dinner!
 
3.What's the weirdest thing you think you eat?

I like to put peanut butter on pretzels. Now I was not under the impression that was weird until two people at work told me it was. I was also told it's weird to put cheese on hotdogs?? Any thoughts on this?

4. Favorite brand of makeup?

I don't wear makeup. That was easy.


5. If you had to choose a color of a crayon to be out of the color box, which would be you...and why?


Indigo! I love that color. It is a mix of purple and blue which are two of my favorite colors.

6. Favorite hobby?

You mean besides being awesome? I'd have to say fishing. I wish I could do that all year long.

7. Biggest Fear?

Tall bridges. I can handle smaller ones but i can't stand to cross over the long, tall ones. *shiver*


8. Best present you have ever received?

I have absolutely no idea. I love my new running shoes I got for Christmas this year. I still wear my watch I got for Christmas when I was 16. I cherish the Bible my grandmother gave me in 2003. It's too hard to pick just one!! Don't make me!


Well that killed 10 minutes.

Day 10: President Roosevelt was WRONG!

Hello readers! Here is the daily list of randomness...

1. While I was pumping liquid gold into the Jeep, this older lady approached me and asked me where my coat was! Really?! How old do I seriously look? Is that what she saw?

2. As I was reaching for the pump today at the gas station something caught my eye. Could it really be? I though that surely my eyes were deceiving me!

Yes, it says gas is $1.098 per gallon. Now I am a big believer that if something says it is one price you should get it for that price. The little foreign man behind the counter did not seem to agree with me! So I proceeded to knock over his gum stand in a fit of rage!

Okay...I never actually went inside. BUT, I thought about it!

3. Oatmeal cream pies might have just surpassed Oreos this week. I know...shock and awe!

It is now time for Day 10. Today's challenge requires me to tell you something that scares me. President Franklin D, Roosevelt told everyone that the only thing to fear was fear itself. Well he lied. If he had feared polio and avoided it he would have been in much better shape! And that is why I fear bridges. If I avoid them, I also avoid this...  

 

And this...

I'll admit I am being dramatic but I really really really don't like bridges. I get physically ill driving over a bridge. I can't explain it. I wish I could because then I could tell the little child curled up in the fetal position inside my brain to shut up and get over it. Until I figure out why I'm scared of bridges I will just continue to avoid them. But when I can't avoid them I just drive very quickly while holding my breath and thinking of bunnies and kitties instead of death and destruction.

 

Yes



No



That is all for today. I kept it pretty short and sweet since I rambled yesterday! Until tomorrow....

That's the way the cookie crumbles.

Cookbook Mondays: Butter cake with caramel sauce

Welcome to Cookbook Mondays! Last Monday I baked Cowboy Cookies. Today is Butter Cake with a caramel sauce. Here is how my adventure went...

Well, I definitely understand why my great-grandmother named this Butter Cake. This recipe called for 2 whole sticks of butter! Like most cakes it called for flour and eggs as well. Most people could probably add all these ingredients with no problem, but I am clearly not most people...

The whole counter was covered with a while film where the blender kicked everything back out that I had just put in. Then I had a massive overflow of flour which resulted in the above picture. You can see where I made a feeble attempt to clean it up.

The cake was fairly easy to make once I finally got it all mixed together. The batter was not as thick as I was expecting, but I think the cake turned out okay.

The hard part of today was definitely the caramel sauce. The recipe was extremely vague. Plus my lack of knowledge of how a double boiler works did not help either. I thought something was terribly wrong when I smelled smoke. That, thankfully, was just a cheerio I had dropped in the burner.

The recipe said to cook it in the double boiler until it was thick. Well....I think I did indeed end up burning it. I'm not really sure! I poured it on the cake anyway. I thnk it is supposed to thicken up once it cools.

Today's experiment did not exactly turn out like I wanted it! I'm not sure how it tastes, but it doesn't look too tasty. I was fully expecting a beautifully baked cake with a creamy caramel topping. But, I knew when I started, that I was not going to be able to make everything perfectly just like my great-grandmother did. I am hoping next Monday will turn out a little better!

Butter Cake

1 cup        butter

2 cup        sugar

1 tsp          vanilla

4                eggs

2 1/2 cup    self rising flour

3/4 cup       milk

Cream butter and add sugar. Gradually beat until fluffy. Add vanilla. Add one egg at a time and beat well after adding each one. Add flour and milk alternately. Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes in a 13x9 inch pan.

Caramel Sauce

2                eggs

1/2 pt         cream

1/2 tsp        salt

1 cup          brown sugar

Beat eggs well. Stir in salt and cream. Add brown sugar and butter. Cook in double boiler until thick.