Can you believe it? This is my second post of the night. Remember when I did this regularly? Remember how excited you got?
I think I'm back! And it feels dang good!
Dinner tonight...
Randy and I have a very laid back relationship. He's laid back, and I fuss at him for not being more concerned about the things I worry about. He has a laid back relationship, and I'm the stress ball. He loves me the same.
Our prayer time is something I take more seriously than Randy. Granted, his time with God is serious, but his prayers definitely have more jokes and smirks in them. God loves humor, so I'm okay with it as long as it's not at my expense or my cooking (I don't think God appreciates this;).)
We rotate prayer time before dinner. My prayers are umm...verbose. I tend to be wordy. I know, I know, it's like saying "Mopac is cute!" Everyone knows it, but people tend not to say it. I get it. I talk a lot.
When Randy prays he usually asks that the food taste decent. Decent? Anyone want a permanent dinner guest?
Tonight his prayer went something like this...
"Dear Lord thank you for this meal. Please bless this food for the nourishment of our body, and thank you for me."
Me as in Randy. Not as in me, Penny.
Penny: "Randy, did you just thank God for yourself?"
Randy: "You never thank God for your life and all the blessings? You really should consider doing that?"
Wait...what just happened here?
How did it go from Randy being cocky to me being ungrateful?
Monday, January 31, 2011
I love me some...
Longhorn Basketball...
We are fun to watch this year.
And so are Dogus Balbay's arms.
Not interested, just encouraging Randy's push up routine.
Superbowl Party Fun...
We are going to College Station to watch the commercials.
And I guess the game.
Not interested in getting home super late on a school night.
The prospect of a new car...
We are going to the credit union tomorrow to chat about interest rates.
And figure out when I'll be crusin' (40 mph is crusin' these days).
Not interested in making car payments.
Summer Vacation Planning...
We are going to Vegas.
And seeing shows like magic ones (please let David Copperfield tickets be available), sight seeing, not having any responsibilities, massages at the casino spa, watching "The Hangover" and "National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation" multiple times prior, during, and after trip.
Not interested in the car ride out to Hooover Dam. (I love my nerdy engineer!)
We are fun to watch this year.
And so are Dogus Balbay's arms.
Not interested, just encouraging Randy's push up routine.
Superbowl Party Fun...
We are going to College Station to watch the commercials.
And I guess the game.
Not interested in getting home super late on a school night.
The prospect of a new car...
We are going to the credit union tomorrow to chat about interest rates.
And figure out when I'll be crusin' (40 mph is crusin' these days).
Not interested in making car payments.
Summer Vacation Planning...
We are going to Vegas.
And seeing shows like magic ones (please let David Copperfield tickets be available), sight seeing, not having any responsibilities, massages at the casino spa, watching "The Hangover" and "National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation" multiple times prior, during, and after trip.
Not interested in the car ride out to Hooover Dam. (I love my nerdy engineer!)
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Test Driving!
My 4 runner is dead! My faithful and loyal car of 9 years is no more. Why?
Because I'm idiot!
I'm very thankful Mopac and I are alive and not hurt! My car, that's a different story.
On Sunday, Mopac and I were travelling to Pet Smart to get her nails grinded. She's like a tiger with those claws. Well, it was misty and the roads were nice and slick. I was coming around a corner, and my back tires hit some wet mud on the road. I started to fishtail. Like a goober, I reacted by hitting the brakes.
Bad idea...
I went into a skid. My back end flipped around and my car is completely out of control. Terrifying experience I don't want to go through again. Well my front end hits the curb on the side of the road, blows out my front driver side tire and then teeter totters like a see saw. In slow motion, my car flipped on its side.
Yah, I'm really lucky it wasn't a multiple flip, or I wasn't going any faster. I remember thinking when my car was in mid flip, "Man this sucks!" We landed with a thud, and I immediately started panicking. I saw Mopac fly across the car out of the corner of my eye. I started yelling her name. She hit the window in the backseat, but thankfully is a light weight and didn't fly through.
I'm pretty sure I would have to be admitted to Shoal Creek if something happened to her. I love her so much, and I couldn't have taken the guilt if I did something to her. It has been such a tough last couple of months, I couldn't have taken that. I'm so thankful the Lord kept us both safe.
Immediately I had about 6 people surround my car, banging on windows, talking to me, etc. I crawled out of the back hutch and handed Mopac over to a very kind lady until I gathered my thoughts.
I kept saying, "Is Mopac okay? I need to know Mopac is alright." The man helping me was very concerned about my health at this point. He kept telling me to please sit down. I vehemently was still inquiring if Mopac was alright. Nice lady, bring me my dog back! He said firmly, "M'am, EMS wants you to stay seated. I think you hit your head."
P: I didn't hit my head. I'm fine. I'd feel better if I knew Mopac was alright.
Man: M'am We are not on Mopac. We are on 620. And I'm not sure why you care how the road is doing.
Classic mix-up!
P: Sir my dog is named Mopac. I know where I'm at.
I'm doing fine. My hip was a little sore at first from where my seat belt held me in the car. Mopac is great! I was mainly concerned about her (unbelievable according to the man who thought I was nuts!)
I'm very scared to drive right now. I don't think I want a SUV for awhile. For the first time I felt unsafe in my car. The police officer (who loved Mopac by the way) said if I would have been in a car, I wouldn't have flipped. I was top heavy! Not me, my car. Never had that problem.
I think I'm good with the excitement in my life for awhile. I wish I could walk around in bubble wrap. I drive my rental car at an average of 35 mph. Do I care there are usually a minimum of 5 cars behind me probably swearing and thinking I'm 90 years old? NOT.AT.ALL! Suck it fast drivers!
Were they cussing the day I accidentally hit a button on the steering wheel (who knew they had buttons on those things? My 2000 4 runner had no such luxuries)that changed my mph feature to km per hour. Whoa! Was that scary! It was saying 70! I thought I was crawling. So I slowed down to 50 km per hour. A snail passed me, and I had a line of about 20 cars behind me through a series of winding roads. I was panicking and about to burst into tears thinking this rental car was possessed. I'm pretty sure I could have power walked faster than this 50 that showed up on my dash. I finally figured it out that I was in kilometers and not miles much to the relief of now about 30 cars behind me.
Do I care they were cussing at me?
NOT.AT.ALL! Suck it fast drivers!
So to sum it all up, I'm test driving cars. Cars that are low to the ground. Cars that aren't top heavy. Cars that won't flip as easily. Cars that will probably hydroplane when it rains. Cars that will have dents and dings on my bumper when I hit curbs. Cars...I love those things! I will be getting a new vehicle in a week!
And Mopac still has claws that are probably curling at this point. Pick her up at your own discretion. You should probably have a back belt to avoid back leg scratches.
Because I'm idiot!
I'm very thankful Mopac and I are alive and not hurt! My car, that's a different story.
On Sunday, Mopac and I were travelling to Pet Smart to get her nails grinded. She's like a tiger with those claws. Well, it was misty and the roads were nice and slick. I was coming around a corner, and my back tires hit some wet mud on the road. I started to fishtail. Like a goober, I reacted by hitting the brakes.
Bad idea...
I went into a skid. My back end flipped around and my car is completely out of control. Terrifying experience I don't want to go through again. Well my front end hits the curb on the side of the road, blows out my front driver side tire and then teeter totters like a see saw. In slow motion, my car flipped on its side.
Yah, I'm really lucky it wasn't a multiple flip, or I wasn't going any faster. I remember thinking when my car was in mid flip, "Man this sucks!" We landed with a thud, and I immediately started panicking. I saw Mopac fly across the car out of the corner of my eye. I started yelling her name. She hit the window in the backseat, but thankfully is a light weight and didn't fly through.
I'm pretty sure I would have to be admitted to Shoal Creek if something happened to her. I love her so much, and I couldn't have taken the guilt if I did something to her. It has been such a tough last couple of months, I couldn't have taken that. I'm so thankful the Lord kept us both safe.
Immediately I had about 6 people surround my car, banging on windows, talking to me, etc. I crawled out of the back hutch and handed Mopac over to a very kind lady until I gathered my thoughts.
I kept saying, "Is Mopac okay? I need to know Mopac is alright." The man helping me was very concerned about my health at this point. He kept telling me to please sit down. I vehemently was still inquiring if Mopac was alright. Nice lady, bring me my dog back! He said firmly, "M'am, EMS wants you to stay seated. I think you hit your head."
P: I didn't hit my head. I'm fine. I'd feel better if I knew Mopac was alright.
Man: M'am We are not on Mopac. We are on 620. And I'm not sure why you care how the road is doing.
Classic mix-up!
P: Sir my dog is named Mopac. I know where I'm at.
I'm doing fine. My hip was a little sore at first from where my seat belt held me in the car. Mopac is great! I was mainly concerned about her (unbelievable according to the man who thought I was nuts!)
I'm very scared to drive right now. I don't think I want a SUV for awhile. For the first time I felt unsafe in my car. The police officer (who loved Mopac by the way) said if I would have been in a car, I wouldn't have flipped. I was top heavy! Not me, my car. Never had that problem.
I think I'm good with the excitement in my life for awhile. I wish I could walk around in bubble wrap. I drive my rental car at an average of 35 mph. Do I care there are usually a minimum of 5 cars behind me probably swearing and thinking I'm 90 years old? NOT.AT.ALL! Suck it fast drivers!
Were they cussing the day I accidentally hit a button on the steering wheel (who knew they had buttons on those things? My 2000 4 runner had no such luxuries)that changed my mph feature to km per hour. Whoa! Was that scary! It was saying 70! I thought I was crawling. So I slowed down to 50 km per hour. A snail passed me, and I had a line of about 20 cars behind me through a series of winding roads. I was panicking and about to burst into tears thinking this rental car was possessed. I'm pretty sure I could have power walked faster than this 50 that showed up on my dash. I finally figured it out that I was in kilometers and not miles much to the relief of now about 30 cars behind me.
Do I care they were cussing at me?
NOT.AT.ALL! Suck it fast drivers!
So to sum it all up, I'm test driving cars. Cars that are low to the ground. Cars that aren't top heavy. Cars that won't flip as easily. Cars that will probably hydroplane when it rains. Cars that will have dents and dings on my bumper when I hit curbs. Cars...I love those things! I will be getting a new vehicle in a week!
And Mopac still has claws that are probably curling at this point. Pick her up at your own discretion. You should probably have a back belt to avoid back leg scratches.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Graduation Post...Finally
Well it's done! Grad school is finished! My degree will end up probably folded, crushed, or rolled up in our little mail box soon. Am I completely bummed about this? Nah, if so I'd make the trip down to San Marcos to personally pick it up.
I am excited about adding it to my shelf in my office though.
Some pictures of my amazing loved ones who have encouraged me! I love my family!
Do I use my degree each and every day?
Heck no! I'm the TAKS coordinator, duh! Between TAKS, scheduling, 504 reviews, and meetings, I don't really do much counseling...sigh... I'm okay with this for now. It's hard for me to counsel, comfort, listen, reflect, and all those things when I want that for me. So give me an Excel spread sheet, and I can sort it for you! Or I'll keep perusing those interesting TAKS manuals.
Minor Mopac update: She's still precious! I'm entering her in the "Who's the Teacher's Pet?" contest at school. Her picture will be posted and the kids will have to match the pet to the teacher/staff member. I told Randy that I'm going to have to start practicing my modest "thank you" speech for when co-workers tell me how she's the cutest animal ever! I know, I know...she's gifted with good looks! It's a shame she's so pretty!
Photo courtesy of Magan's Lens
I am excited about adding it to my shelf in my office though.
Some pictures of my amazing loved ones who have encouraged me! I love my family!
Do I use my degree each and every day?
Heck no! I'm the TAKS coordinator, duh! Between TAKS, scheduling, 504 reviews, and meetings, I don't really do much counseling...sigh... I'm okay with this for now. It's hard for me to counsel, comfort, listen, reflect, and all those things when I want that for me. So give me an Excel spread sheet, and I can sort it for you! Or I'll keep perusing those interesting TAKS manuals.
Minor Mopac update: She's still precious! I'm entering her in the "Who's the Teacher's Pet?" contest at school. Her picture will be posted and the kids will have to match the pet to the teacher/staff member. I told Randy that I'm going to have to start practicing my modest "thank you" speech for when co-workers tell me how she's the cutest animal ever! I know, I know...she's gifted with good looks! It's a shame she's so pretty!
Photo courtesy of Magan's Lens
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The girl who is...
Before Christmas break, I did a mini guidance lesson with my kiddos. I was trying to curtail a little drama. Drama in middle school? Is the Pope Catholic?
The lesson was focused on self-empowerment and building self esteem. The message was simple, "How do you want to leave this school? What do you want people, teachers, friends, to remember about you after you move on to high school?"
The task even simpler. I presented a list of positive and negative character traits. The girls had to fill in the blank... "I'm the girl who is/was (BLANK)!"
Well now that we're back, I'm trying to incorporate all of their answers into a wordle picture. I'm going to print a banner and hang it in the hallway as a reminder to the girls that each day they get a new start to be the girl who is _________.
Tears filled my eyes as I read some of their answers. Each tally mark I made was uplifting.
It got me thinking.
(You know it's a good guidance lesson when the presenter even stops to reflect. Insert toot, toot here:))
What character trait do I want people to remember me by?
I thought long and hard.
I wanted it to apply to all aspects of my life. I wanted it to mean as much to me in 10 years as it does now. I chose a great word!
The girl who is... Hopeful.
Yep, I like hopeful. No, check that, I love the word hopeful.
I am the girl who is hopeful. Hopeful for God's plan. Hopeful for His timing. Hopeful that my troubles will be a testimony to someone else. Hopeful that in this life I glorify Him. Hopeful that great things are to come. Hopeful that I will feel His presence no matter what. Hopeful that people see me as someone who is tackling life with enthusiasm. Etc, etc, etc!
What would your word be?
The lesson was focused on self-empowerment and building self esteem. The message was simple, "How do you want to leave this school? What do you want people, teachers, friends, to remember about you after you move on to high school?"
The task even simpler. I presented a list of positive and negative character traits. The girls had to fill in the blank... "I'm the girl who is/was (BLANK)!"
Well now that we're back, I'm trying to incorporate all of their answers into a wordle picture. I'm going to print a banner and hang it in the hallway as a reminder to the girls that each day they get a new start to be the girl who is _________.
Tears filled my eyes as I read some of their answers. Each tally mark I made was uplifting.
It got me thinking.
(You know it's a good guidance lesson when the presenter even stops to reflect. Insert toot, toot here:))
What character trait do I want people to remember me by?
I thought long and hard.
I wanted it to apply to all aspects of my life. I wanted it to mean as much to me in 10 years as it does now. I chose a great word!
The girl who is... Hopeful.
Yep, I like hopeful. No, check that, I love the word hopeful.
I am the girl who is hopeful. Hopeful for God's plan. Hopeful for His timing. Hopeful that my troubles will be a testimony to someone else. Hopeful that in this life I glorify Him. Hopeful that great things are to come. Hopeful that I will feel His presence no matter what. Hopeful that people see me as someone who is tackling life with enthusiasm. Etc, etc, etc!
What would your word be?
Monday, January 10, 2011
BLD
I'm blogging! Go me! I am sitting in front of the fire while the BCS National Championship game is on. It's about freezing outside. Cold weather makes me want to cuss. When you walk outside, the wind just goes straight to your bones. I hate, hate, hate it! Which is why I'm the perfect Texan. Only 3 or so miserable days, and then back to normal.
Speaking of normal, I am back in the kitchen. Oh how I've missed cooking. My energy is returning, and I'm starting 2011 by incorporating some new and delicious recipes in my weekly menus. I'm being creative over here. In fact Randy's dinner prayer last night went something like this...
"Lord thank you for this (pause, pause, pause) interesting dinner Penny prepared. Bless it to our bodies, and let it please taste okay."
Creative is a good thing. Well except for tonight, but the beef stroganoff hit the spot.
Here's my weekly menu in a nutshell.
Sunday: Breakfast pockets (recipe below)
Monday: Beef Stroganoff, green beans
Tuesday: Chicken Divan Casserole
Wednesday: Chili and Mexican Jalapeno Monkey Bread
Thursday: YOYO (Your On Your Own) Hey 4 nights in a row is pretty dang good!
Friday: kitchen closed!
Breakfast Pockets (Yumm-O!!!!)
I'm always looking for new recipes involving breakfast foods. As Rachel Ray calls these, BLD's. You could make it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Randy and I give it two thumbs up! If I had three thumbs, I'd stick that one up too. Speaking of R Ray, it's one of her recipes that I basically rewrote. I like zucchini, but even I thought it sounded weird to shred them and scramble with the eggs.
We like bacon over here.
Serves 4
8 crisp slices of bacon (2 per each pocket)
6 eggs
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed and halved lengthwise
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cook bacon until crisp. In a medium bowl, beat together 5 eggs, oregano, and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. In a small bowl, beat together the remaining egg w/1 tbsp water.
2) In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat Pour in oregano-egg mixture and scramble. Transfer to a plate. (I made mine in the microwave.)
3) On a work surface, brush the edges of the puff pastry with some egg wash. Working with 1 piece at a time, arrange one-quarter of the scrambled eggs on one side of the pastry and top with 2 strips of crumbled bacon, cheese, and tomatoes. Fold over the pastry and press the edges to seal (crimp with fork). Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with more egg wash. Repeat with ingredients to make 3 more pockets.
4) Bake until the pastries are puffed and golden brown, 20-25 minutes. My oven is super hot. I took them out at 15 minutes. Check so they are golden and not blackened!
Enjoy your BLD!
Speaking of normal, I am back in the kitchen. Oh how I've missed cooking. My energy is returning, and I'm starting 2011 by incorporating some new and delicious recipes in my weekly menus. I'm being creative over here. In fact Randy's dinner prayer last night went something like this...
"Lord thank you for this (pause, pause, pause) interesting dinner Penny prepared. Bless it to our bodies, and let it please taste okay."
Creative is a good thing. Well except for tonight, but the beef stroganoff hit the spot.
Here's my weekly menu in a nutshell.
Sunday: Breakfast pockets (recipe below)
Monday: Beef Stroganoff, green beans
Tuesday: Chicken Divan Casserole
Wednesday: Chili and Mexican Jalapeno Monkey Bread
Thursday: YOYO (Your On Your Own) Hey 4 nights in a row is pretty dang good!
Friday: kitchen closed!
Breakfast Pockets (Yumm-O!!!!)
I'm always looking for new recipes involving breakfast foods. As Rachel Ray calls these, BLD's. You could make it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Randy and I give it two thumbs up! If I had three thumbs, I'd stick that one up too. Speaking of R Ray, it's one of her recipes that I basically rewrote. I like zucchini, but even I thought it sounded weird to shred them and scramble with the eggs.
We like bacon over here.
Serves 4
8 crisp slices of bacon (2 per each pocket)
6 eggs
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed and halved lengthwise
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cook bacon until crisp. In a medium bowl, beat together 5 eggs, oregano, and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. In a small bowl, beat together the remaining egg w/1 tbsp water.
2) In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat Pour in oregano-egg mixture and scramble. Transfer to a plate. (I made mine in the microwave.)
3) On a work surface, brush the edges of the puff pastry with some egg wash. Working with 1 piece at a time, arrange one-quarter of the scrambled eggs on one side of the pastry and top with 2 strips of crumbled bacon, cheese, and tomatoes. Fold over the pastry and press the edges to seal (crimp with fork). Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with more egg wash. Repeat with ingredients to make 3 more pockets.
4) Bake until the pastries are puffed and golden brown, 20-25 minutes. My oven is super hot. I took them out at 15 minutes. Check so they are golden and not blackened!
Enjoy your BLD!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Fingers Crossed
I came home tonight and was perusing facebook. Lo and behold, the next thing you know, I'm in my car driving to the convenience store.
I'm on a mission...buy lottery ticket.
After reading all of those status updates, I felt left out. I kept thinking, "I could have the winning ticket." Mega Millions could be in my future. (insert snicker here)
Let me just say there's no way in heck I'm going to win. But by driving to the store and wasting five bucks, I feel like I'm in control. Being in control is a good thing. I needed this. I needed to stand in line with my pajamas on with all the other poor suckers. I needed to waste, excuse me, fund public education with my what could have been Chick Fil A spicy sandwich money.
Randy told me I could quit my job if we win.
Cross your fingers!
P.S. If you didn't buy a ticket, you might be feeling like you could have been a winner post number announcement. I won't say "I told you so." I'll be too busy spending my winnings;)
snicker, snicker, snicker
I'm on a mission...buy lottery ticket.
After reading all of those status updates, I felt left out. I kept thinking, "I could have the winning ticket." Mega Millions could be in my future. (insert snicker here)
Let me just say there's no way in heck I'm going to win. But by driving to the store and wasting five bucks, I feel like I'm in control. Being in control is a good thing. I needed this. I needed to stand in line with my pajamas on with all the other poor suckers. I needed to waste, excuse me, fund public education with my what could have been Chick Fil A spicy sandwich money.
Randy told me I could quit my job if we win.
Cross your fingers!
P.S. If you didn't buy a ticket, you might be feeling like you could have been a winner post number announcement. I won't say "I told you so." I'll be too busy spending my winnings;)
snicker, snicker, snicker
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Ipod Repeat
I was sure by now, God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.
Chorus:
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away
Chorus
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
Chorus
"Praise You in This Storm" by Casting Crowns
Hopeful for 2011...
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.
Chorus:
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away
Chorus
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
Chorus
"Praise You in This Storm" by Casting Crowns
Hopeful for 2011...
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