Kelly!!!!!
claim your prize by e-mailing me your mailing address @
Congratulations on winning the
100th Post/1 Year Blogiversary Celebration contest!!
and to the losers: sorry, you'll just have to try again next year
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
A Double Celebration
Happy 1- year Blogiversary/100th Post!!!!!!
To celebrate I am giving you all a recipe and a chance to win a fabulous prize.
Sometimes I think there is nothing better than a chocolate chip cookie fresh out of the oven with a big glass of cold milk. That's why I wanted to share my best ever chocolate chip cookie recipe with you. Because truly they are the best ever. I have tried many a recipe trying to find the perfect choc-chip cookie. Then I married Jonathan. He won't settle for anything less than a soft, chewy cookie, and that's all that was made in his family. It took awhile for him to convince me, but I finally caught on- his family's recipe is the only way to go. So here it is- go make these and your family and friends will be begging for more.
Nelson's Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies.
1/2 cup margarine (has to be margarine, not butter)
1/2 cup shortening (once again, no substitutes here people)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
12 oz chocolate chips
I think you know the drill from here, but just to make sure- mix the dry ingredients together. blend the fats and sugars together in a separate bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture with the fat mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop onto cookie sheets and bake at 375 degrees for 8-9 minutes or until they are light brown around the edges. (don't overbake or you'll be sorry!) Word to the wise: you can beat the heck out of the fats and sugars, but for pete's sake after that, take it easy! Don't over-mix after you add the eggs and flour mixture. Just mix it until everything has been blended in.
Don't worry about all my naggy little instructions, I think you will be pleased no matter what.
Now for the fabulous prize. The prize is this brand new cookie scoop-
The reason it is fabulous is because it makes your cookie making experience so much more enjoyable. First of all it allows you to get perfectly shaped, rounded cookies that are all the same size easily and effortlessly. Secondly, if you want fresh out of the oven chocolate chip cookies every day just bake however many cookies you can eat or want, and then simply use your handy scoop to scoop the rest of the cookie dough into a tupperware. Separate the layers of balls of dough with wax paper so they doesn't stick together. Stick the tupperware in the freezer, and viola- A couple nights from now when the craving hits just pull out a couple of dough balls, stick them on a cookie sheet, and by the time the oven heats up your dough will be ready to bake. Isn't that great?
Thirdly, the scoop is handy for getting other sticky things out easily. Like sourcream, refried beans, muffin/cupcake batter, peanut butter, the list goes on and on people!
So either go buy a cookie scoop- or.... try your hand at winning this one. Simply leave a comment on this post by 8 o'clock central Tuesday night. Then I'll put every commenter's name in a hat and draw the winner. Good Luck!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Sage Says...
1. Happy Valentine's Day
2. Don't forget to check back tomorrow for a bloggin' fun time!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
I'm a scratcher, picker, puller, poker
I decided to blog because I drank so much coffee (six cups) that I'm too buzzed to do any more homework. The other alternative would be to sleep it off but I don't want to waste time and besides I haven't blogged in forever.
Some random thoughts-
I am compuslive. I can't let things be.
If I have a scab, I pick it.
If I have any sort of loose skin I pull it and pick at it until it comes off.
If I have a zit I pick it, squeeze it, or pop it until it is bloody.
If I have any type of sore in my mouth I poke it with my tongue so that it takes forever to heal.
The skin on my thumbs are constantly suffering attacks from my fingernails.
Mosquito bites are scratched until they scab over.
If I have dry skin on my scalp I scratch it until I am covered with dandruff.
Currently my compulsive picking/pulling/scratching behaviors are:
- a sore on my gums right in between two of my teeth which I can't stop poking with my tongue and my fingernails (it's driving me crazy)
- a scab on my right middle finger that I have had for three weeks because I have picked it off three times; even though I have been scratching at it I have resisted picking it all the way off again
- hanging skin on my left thumb that I am trying to leave be. My right thumb is in surprisingly good condition.
I don't know what it is about pain. The pain of any sore just makes me want to make it worse. It's weird, I know. Stress only makes it worse. I pick at my thumbs the most when I am nervous or uneasy or stressed or bored or irritated. Sometimes I just do it without thinking. So if you want to know how I am doing just look at the skin around my thumbnails. Normal thumbs mean I am pretty normal. Red, swollen and scabbed mean I'm not so good.
Just thought you all would like to know my disgustingly bad habits.
Some random thoughts-
I am compuslive. I can't let things be.
If I have a scab, I pick it.
If I have any sort of loose skin I pull it and pick at it until it comes off.
If I have a zit I pick it, squeeze it, or pop it until it is bloody.
If I have any type of sore in my mouth I poke it with my tongue so that it takes forever to heal.
The skin on my thumbs are constantly suffering attacks from my fingernails.
Mosquito bites are scratched until they scab over.
If I have dry skin on my scalp I scratch it until I am covered with dandruff.
Currently my compulsive picking/pulling/scratching behaviors are:
- a sore on my gums right in between two of my teeth which I can't stop poking with my tongue and my fingernails (it's driving me crazy)
- a scab on my right middle finger that I have had for three weeks because I have picked it off three times; even though I have been scratching at it I have resisted picking it all the way off again
- hanging skin on my left thumb that I am trying to leave be. My right thumb is in surprisingly good condition.
I don't know what it is about pain. The pain of any sore just makes me want to make it worse. It's weird, I know. Stress only makes it worse. I pick at my thumbs the most when I am nervous or uneasy or stressed or bored or irritated. Sometimes I just do it without thinking. So if you want to know how I am doing just look at the skin around my thumbnails. Normal thumbs mean I am pretty normal. Red, swollen and scabbed mean I'm not so good.
Just thought you all would like to know my disgustingly bad habits.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Why this is only the 4th post for all of January
I started school right after we got home from Christmas vacation. I am taking 8 classes which add up to 18 credits-
Science Methods
Social Studies Methods
Math Methods
Intro to Spanish
PE Methods
US History
Practicum
Testing and Measurement
I have been busy. I have missed sharing my life with all of you. We have no food. I need to go grocery shopping before it snows.
That is all.
Science Methods
Social Studies Methods
Math Methods
Intro to Spanish
PE Methods
US History
Practicum
Testing and Measurement
I have been busy. I have missed sharing my life with all of you. We have no food. I need to go grocery shopping before it snows.
That is all.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
American Gladiators
When Sage first told me that she had a blog and wanted me to look at it I got real worried and said, "Okay, honey, I guess I will but shouldn't you make an appointment and have your doctor look at it? I would have no idea what to look for. Where is it anyway?" Now that I figured out what a blog is she wants me to be a guest writer from time to time. I am not the kind of person that tries something again after failing the first time so this may be my first and last attempt. I guess I will share with the 6 billion people on this planet what has been on my mind for the last several weeks.
When my siblings and I were younger we watched American Gladiators, a television game show in which "ordinary Americans" compete against steroid abominations vaguely resembling humans - but lacking cognitive and communicative faculties - in grueling and violent events designed to test strength, stamina, and the will to survive. The show came on sometime after midnight on Thursday and since we had to be in bed by 8 on weeknights we would record it and watch it the next day. This show was great for my family because the six of us kids rarely did anything at all together but we all watched this show. Not only did we watch it, though, we also played it. Back then there were somewhere around 25 different events and some of them were pretty creative. For one event - called "Human Cannonball" - the contenders (the "normal Americans") would stand on the top of a thirty-foot tall pedestal towering over a small body of water. They would wear a helmet, some body armor and carry a shield. About 40 yards or so away, on an even higher pedestal, a Gladiator would start. He or she would swing on a rope towards the contender and try to knock the contender off the pedestal and into the water. If the Gladiator succeeded the contender would score no points; if the contender managed to stay on the pedestal, she would score ten points. That is a game that every kid wants to play and so we did. Dad had tied a few garden hoses to some of the higher tree branches in our elm out back and we would climb them and swing from them. He had also brought home a large wooden spool from work that must have been used for some sort of wire or hosing. We would use that for the contender's pedestal and a tall ladder for the Gladiator's. One of us kids would stand up on that spool holding an old couch cushion as a shield while another one of us would grab the hose and climb up to the top of the ladder that we set up twenty or so feet away, and then leap off of the ladder and plummet through the air towards the contender on the spool, trying to knock them off. Needless to say I was by far the best of us all at this game (even though I got hurt a lot I never cried or broke any bones, which is more than any of my siblings can say).
Not only did American Gladiators get us kids watching tv and playing together, it was also educational. If it weren't for American Gladiators I would have no idea how to program a VCR such that it records a show even when I am not in the room (I don't even have to be home--maybe sometime I will post instructions so you can do the same thing). I still put that skill to use every Thursday and it's a good thing I can do it because Sage cannot. The other invaluable tidbit I picked up from American Gladiators was the meaning of the term "cruisin' for a bruisin'". When I read a TVGuide article about the show and the caption underneath the picture of the gladiators used that phrase I went directly to my older brother to ask him what it meant. His answer was less than satisfactory so I asked my mom, whose answer was a little better but only because she didn't call me stupid. Then I had to ask Dad but I still could not quite get it. Actually, I am still thinking about it. Education is more about asking questions than answering them anyway, right?
The real point is that NBC recently brought back American Gladiators. Here is the link: http://www.nbc.com/American_Gladiators/
I was ecstatic when I first saw the preview for the glorious return of my favorite reality show of all time so I bought a new pack of VHS tapes and set the VCR to record Thursday at midnight. Much to my surprise, however, it's new time slot is in prime time! Every time I saw that preview come on for the next two weeks I jumped up and growled like a Gladiator, overwhelmed with excitement and emotion. But when I watched the premier I just could not get into it the way I used to. For one thing there are only 10 events now, and only one of those was a favorite from back when. That event is Gauntlet. If I can figure this blog thing out, you can watch a video right here.
You have to admit that that looks like fun. At least, that's what I kept telling Sage when she refused to play it with me in the hallway. Finally I convinced her. She was the contender and I was the Gladiator. I gave her 30 seconds to get from one end of the hall to other, with me doing absolutely everything in my power to keep her from making it. She never stood a chance. Even though she lost the event I decided I would let her become a Gladiator. Perhaps you all could help her choose a Gladiator name. Here are the names of the current female Gladiators: Venom, Crush, Siren, Stealth, Hellga, and Fury. I am thinking that either Tantrum or Banshee would fit Sage well but she is also open to your suggestions. By the way, the male Gladiator names are: Justice, Mayhem, Titan, Wolf, Toa, and Militia; mine is Professor Pain.
When my siblings and I were younger we watched American Gladiators, a television game show in which "ordinary Americans" compete against steroid abominations vaguely resembling humans - but lacking cognitive and communicative faculties - in grueling and violent events designed to test strength, stamina, and the will to survive. The show came on sometime after midnight on Thursday and since we had to be in bed by 8 on weeknights we would record it and watch it the next day. This show was great for my family because the six of us kids rarely did anything at all together but we all watched this show. Not only did we watch it, though, we also played it. Back then there were somewhere around 25 different events and some of them were pretty creative. For one event - called "Human Cannonball" - the contenders (the "normal Americans") would stand on the top of a thirty-foot tall pedestal towering over a small body of water. They would wear a helmet, some body armor and carry a shield. About 40 yards or so away, on an even higher pedestal, a Gladiator would start. He or she would swing on a rope towards the contender and try to knock the contender off the pedestal and into the water. If the Gladiator succeeded the contender would score no points; if the contender managed to stay on the pedestal, she would score ten points. That is a game that every kid wants to play and so we did. Dad had tied a few garden hoses to some of the higher tree branches in our elm out back and we would climb them and swing from them. He had also brought home a large wooden spool from work that must have been used for some sort of wire or hosing. We would use that for the contender's pedestal and a tall ladder for the Gladiator's. One of us kids would stand up on that spool holding an old couch cushion as a shield while another one of us would grab the hose and climb up to the top of the ladder that we set up twenty or so feet away, and then leap off of the ladder and plummet through the air towards the contender on the spool, trying to knock them off. Needless to say I was by far the best of us all at this game (even though I got hurt a lot I never cried or broke any bones, which is more than any of my siblings can say).
Not only did American Gladiators get us kids watching tv and playing together, it was also educational. If it weren't for American Gladiators I would have no idea how to program a VCR such that it records a show even when I am not in the room (I don't even have to be home--maybe sometime I will post instructions so you can do the same thing). I still put that skill to use every Thursday and it's a good thing I can do it because Sage cannot. The other invaluable tidbit I picked up from American Gladiators was the meaning of the term "cruisin' for a bruisin'". When I read a TVGuide article about the show and the caption underneath the picture of the gladiators used that phrase I went directly to my older brother to ask him what it meant. His answer was less than satisfactory so I asked my mom, whose answer was a little better but only because she didn't call me stupid. Then I had to ask Dad but I still could not quite get it. Actually, I am still thinking about it. Education is more about asking questions than answering them anyway, right?
The real point is that NBC recently brought back American Gladiators. Here is the link: http://www.nbc.com/American_Gladiators/
I was ecstatic when I first saw the preview for the glorious return of my favorite reality show of all time so I bought a new pack of VHS tapes and set the VCR to record Thursday at midnight. Much to my surprise, however, it's new time slot is in prime time! Every time I saw that preview come on for the next two weeks I jumped up and growled like a Gladiator, overwhelmed with excitement and emotion. But when I watched the premier I just could not get into it the way I used to. For one thing there are only 10 events now, and only one of those was a favorite from back when. That event is Gauntlet. If I can figure this blog thing out, you can watch a video right here.
You have to admit that that looks like fun. At least, that's what I kept telling Sage when she refused to play it with me in the hallway. Finally I convinced her. She was the contender and I was the Gladiator. I gave her 30 seconds to get from one end of the hall to other, with me doing absolutely everything in my power to keep her from making it. She never stood a chance. Even though she lost the event I decided I would let her become a Gladiator. Perhaps you all could help her choose a Gladiator name. Here are the names of the current female Gladiators: Venom, Crush, Siren, Stealth, Hellga, and Fury. I am thinking that either Tantrum or Banshee would fit Sage well but she is also open to your suggestions. By the way, the male Gladiator names are: Justice, Mayhem, Titan, Wolf, Toa, and Militia; mine is Professor Pain.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Tid-Bits
These are the kids I tutored this past semester at the Christmas tutoring party we had. I tried to take a picture of them together, but this is what happened-
So instead I had Alex take a picture of Zavier and me-
And Zavier take a picture of Alex and me-
See what happens when you let kids use the camera?
I really enjoyed working with these two. Zavier is a feisty little fellow but he always made me laugh. Alex is a sweet girl but she's got some feistiness in her as well. Unfortunately my school schedule won't allow me to tutor this semester. I am really bummed about that. I think it is such a wonderful and important ministry that I am hoping I can still be apart of it somehow.
Here are some more Christmas pictures, as promised. We really did a poor job this year. We hardly took any pictures, and the ones we have aren't that great. Quite pathetic really.
My dad trying to stop David from doing something crazy- a typical position for them, believe it or not-
Trying to beat my cousin Becca at Pick up Sticks
Taboo!!! We played this for a very long time.
Sister-in-law Jennie and me
My mother-in- law opening presents at one of the many Christmases we had.
A long standing tradition is Christmas Eve up in the mountains at Jonathan's grandparents' cabin. They had lots of snow and it was also snowing while we were there. It was so pretty that I made Jonathan go out and capture some of the beauty.
Granddad preparing the fire for the hotdogs. Yep that's right, no ham or turkey for Christmas dinner, it's hotdogs, potato salad, beans, and chips and dip at this cabin.
We left on New Year's Eve, but we still wanted to celebrate together, so we had a one-day early New Year's Eve party at my parent's house. It was a lot of fun- we had family come from all different sides- Nelsons, Burkharts, Wilsons, etc...
Partying heartily-
My sister graduated with a Master of Fine Arts while we were there. We went to her graduation and then out to eat. Her reward was this big mountain of ice cream. Of course I had to come get a bite.
Did I mention we love Christmas lights? We have some around each our living room windows, in our kitchen, in Jonathan's office, and a strand on each of the windows in our bedroom. Jonathan won't turn them off at night either so I wake up with sore eyes.
That's about all I can take right now folks, and I am sure you are thinking the same thing. So I will sign off for now.
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