Missing Kids

Another CNN story :)

I have always looked at the website for missing kids. It was always interesting to me. I would wonder and wonder where they could be and if they are still alive or not. There is an overwhelming amount of kids on the site. In the last few weeks, they found one toddler Haylee, alive and healthy. But tragically found another toddler Jada dead. How anyone could do this to a child is beyond me. Especially when the killer is her 18 year old cousin/babysitter and her boyfriend. According to the cousin it was all over a potty training accident. The cousin got mad at Jada so she beat her to death. You like to think that nobody is cruel enough to do something like this, but unfortunately, there are people like this out there.

Here is a picture of Jada Justice....isn't she adorable?

Here is Haylee, her story was very public. Her mom and her boyfriend (a convicted sex offender) kidnapped her. They found her unharmed. What a blessing to have her brought home safely.

You have to wonder what she was thinking...

Recently, I have been really into reading CNN.com. Maybe that is because I have nothing else to do at work! But it is really interesting to hear of the crimes that go on the the world. Here is one that I first heard of last week. A baby was found in the lobby of an adpartment building in a shoe box. The baby was a day old and healthy as could be. The shoe box had a breathing hole cut on top. And the umbilical cord was tied with dental floss. On June 25th they found out who the mother was. She admitted that it was her baby, and that she was addicted to cocaine for the last year. This is a picture of her.

The woman already has 6 kids, all are in custody of their father. I don't know how people can be pregnant for 9 months and just 'dump' their baby somewhere. Atleast she had enough since not to end the baby's life. It is just a shame that people like her can have 7 kids and not care about any of them. I guess God works in mysterious ways...

Random

*Went shopping this weekend and got some new dress clothes. I was really needing some capris. I found 3 pairs of capris and 2 pairs of summer dress shoes. I did pretty good!!

*This past week we lost 4 people in the enertainment industry. Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and Billy Mays (the oxyclean guy). Its kinda crazy losing 4 people that are in the public eye in about a week. I never was a fan of Michael Jackson's music. But he sure could dance!

* I think I have finally found a background I can stick with!! Finally!

*Wednesday night I am going to a concert in St. Louis. I can't wait!! It is a Judas Preist and Whitesnake concert. I think it will be a good show!!

*Friday I am off work!! I do like holidays off! I'm not sure what I'm doing all day, but that night some friends are having a party at their house to watch fireworks. I am going to make a dirt cake. I am going to put it in a sand bucket and serve it with a small plastic shovel. I thought that might be creative.

*Saturday is already the 4th of July!! Summer is going by fast!! Not sure what I'm doing yet, but I'm sure it will involve the river!!

* I found a new blog. It is really neat! She writes her own recipes, and has been featured on Food Network. You should check it out!!

I hope everyone has a great week!!

Wonderful Weather!!

The weather yesterday and this morning is wonderful!! Defidently a good change from Saturday!!

Mom, Dad, Matt and I all went out on the river yesterday. We had a blast! I was the only one who swam, but I had fun in the water by myself! The water was perfect! For dinner we had BBQ chicken and baked potatoes. Overall it was a great weekend!!

Maybe I can get Malinda to swim some night this week with me!!

Weekend Plans!!

Tonight- I am going to finish any house cleaning I have left. And if it cools down later tonight I am going to come into walk, I'll just have to wait and see.

Saturday- Malinda and I are going to go to Jefferson City to get some dress clothes in the morning. It is going to be too hot to do too much else. I am going to make something for a pie auction at the Eagles Club for the youth group at Matt's church. I probably won't eat there. I kind of want to go to the river and swim a little.

Sunday- Going to church. They are collecting peanut butter for the food pantry...that means tonight I should set it out on my counter that way I don't forget :)

I don't have much planned for the afternoon.

I need to do some major week pulling in my garden, but I will probably wait until the sun starts to go down for that.

I hope everyone has a great (and safe) weekend!!!

Dinner Tonight

I have been craving fried chicken the last few days. Which is odd, because I usually don't like fried chicken! I have found this recipe online and I am going to try it tonight. I'm going to lower the portions for just me and Matt. It sounds really good!!

Spicy Southern Fried Chicken

Yields: 8 servings

Ingredients

Buttermilk Marinade:
2 cup(s) buttermilk
1 tablespoon(s) Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon(s) salt
1 teaspoon(s) dry mustard
1 teaspoon(s) cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon(s) cracked black pepper
Fried Chicken:
1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon(s) baking powder
1 tablespoon(s) garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
5 cup(s) vegetable shortening

Directions

Buttermilk Marinade: In a gallon-sized sealable plastic bag or a large bowl with a tight-fitting lid, combine the buttermilk, mustard, salt, dry mustard, cayenne, and black pepper. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat. Seal and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Frying the chicken: Preheat oven to 150 degrees F. In a 13-inch by 9-inch by 2-inch pan, whisk together flour, baking powder, dry garlic, and salt. Add chicken pieces and turn to coat thickly. Let the chicken stand 10 minutes, turning occasionally to recoat with flour. Shake off excess flour before frying.

In a 10-inch by 12-inch heavy-gauge skillet with a deep-fry thermometer attached, heat the vegetable shortening over medium-high heat, bringing it to 375 degrees F. In batches of four, fry the chicken pieces, turning once when the coating is sealed and begins to brown -- 3 to 4 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium to lower the temperature to 325 degrees F. Maintain temperature and continue to fry, turning the pieces halfway through cooking time until chicken is golden brown and cooked through -- about 20 more minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack on a baking sheet and place in oven to keep warm. Repeat the procedure for the remaining batches. Serve warm or at room temperature.

New Background

I have been trying to find a new background and I found this one. But I can't figure out how to get rid of the orange head line up top and I need to figure out a way that you can't see right through the pictures. This is more confusing than it seems!!

New Recipe

I am thinking of trying this recipe some night this week.

Spicy Sesame Buffalo Chicken Wings

Prep Time:
10 min
Total Time:
1 hr
Makes:
6 servings

What You Need

1/4 cup sesame oil
1 Tbsp. garlic salt
1 Tbsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)
2 tsp. ground ginger
2 lb. chicken wings, separated at joints, tips removed
3/4 cup BULL'S-EYE Raging Buffalo Barbecue Sauce
2 Tbsp. sliced green onions

Make It
COMBINE oil, garlic salt, pepper and ginger in large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with the oil mixture. Refrigerate 30 min. to marinate.
PREHEAT grill to medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Grill chicken 15 min., turning occasionally. Brush lightly with some of the barbecue sauce. Continue grilling 4 to 5 min. or until chicken is cooked through, turning and brushing frequently with the remaining barbecue sauce.
PLACE chicken on serving platter; sprinkle with the onions.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Serve as dippers with KRAFT Blue Cheese Dressing or KRAFT Ranch Dressing.

Jazz It Up
Sprinkle with 1/2 cup toasted sesame seed just before serving.

Size-Wise
Enjoy your favorite foods on occasion, but keep portion size in mind. This recipe makes 6 servings.

Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

Grateful for Air Conditioning

From Friday afternoon to Monday morning we lived without air conditioning. I had no idea how much I liked it until I was living without it. Even though it was only for a few days, it was horrible!! I have a lot of respect for people who live without it every summer. But it kinda makes me wonder...people lived without air conditioning for years and years and they survived. And now only a select few don't have air around here. It makes me wonder how 'weak' I am!! :)

New Hiding Spots

It was hard to get him down from this spot...
This one is way too cute!! Unfortunately, the dishes were clean...

Father's Day

We celebrated father's day on Saturday night. We all went to Malinda and Mat's for a fish fry. The food was really good, and so was the company! I made a garden salad, and corn bread. The corn bread was a new recipe that my Grandma gave me. I will post it later. It turned put really good.

This is the salad I made

Mom and Malinda

Dad and Mom eating dessert

Dad opening his gifts

I hope everyone had a great Father's Day!!

Weekend Plans!!

Tonight- I am going to come into town and later later tonight. Not sure what movies we got from Netflix this weekend. Maybe watch a movie when I get back from walking.

Saturday- I will probably mow some. Then I am going to help Malinda move all of her stuff from mom and dads house and from Mae's house. For those of you who don't know who Mae is, she was our old neighbor. And when she died mom and dad bought her house and land. And we still call it 'Mae's house'. And it is very useful for storage. I recently informed mom that it is way too full. I made up my own rule, but I know nobody will follow it. That when we put something in the house, we have to get rid of something. It would be a good idea, since there is a lot of stuff in there! :)

For dinner Saturday, we are all going to Malinda's house. They are frying fish and we are bringing sides. I'm not sure on what I am bringing yet. Maybe a fresh garden salad, that sounds really good.

Sunday- After church I am going to do some yard work. Other than that it should be a quiet evening!!

I hope everyone has a great Father's Day weekend!!

All of this week my left hand has been partically numb. Basically only 3 of my fingers and part of my arm. I had no clue why this could be happening. So I 'googled it' and I found that it is from putting my elbow on the computer table at work and resting my head in my hand. I guess it was pinching a nerve. So today I am trying to keep my elbows off the table. It is harder than it seems, since I spend all day on the computer. It is defidently going to take some getting used to!!

I haven't been able to find any boardshorts in the stores yet. So I decided to order a pair off of Fox Racing online. Here is what they look like. They were on sale, so that makes it even better! I think I will feel more comfortable wearing these on the river with my swimming suit!!

Good Morning!

The dentist went good yesterday!! No cavities!! I think I am just lucky!!

We had a good time shopping to. I bought a few shirts and gym shorts at TjMaxx, I love that store!! And Walmart I bought a lot of stuff, groceries, cosmetics, basically a mix of everything!

We ate at El Jimadors. I love the salsa there...probably the best part of the whole meal!

This morning I vacuumed before work. After work I am going to finish my house cleaning. That way I can have it out of the way.

I am looking forward to this weekend to get my picnic table!! One of the kids from the boy scouts is making new ones for the church. So they are getting rid of the old ones. I was just saying how I wanted a picnic table, so this works out perfect!! :)

Malinda and I went in on a fathers day gift. I will tell you all about it later!! :)

Tonight for dinner we are having BLTs I have been having a craving for one for a while now! I might come in and walk tonight, if its not too hot!! And probably will go to the store to get the weekly sale items, and I need to get gas to. I like to get all my errands done in one evening!!

It is already Wednesday!

Yesterday after work I went home and made my dishes for the funeral dinner. I made twice baked potato bake and brownies.

Malinda and I went to the visitation last night. Here is the link to John's obituary.

And then we went to eat at the Dairy Park. I haven't been out there since I worked there a while ago. It is a lot different now. I enjoyed working there a lot. And have a lot of good memories...remember the syrup April? lol

After that, we walked 2 miles around town, and mom joined us for one.

Today I am leaving work at 2:30 to go to the dentist.
Mom is going w/ me and we are picking Malinda up after she gets off work. I am looking forward to going to the new Walmart...what can I say, I live a simple life!

This week...

I am going to try to walk at least two miles every night..plus the P90X tape. Hopefully I can stick to it!!

Tuesday I am going to a Vistitation for a family friends son. I am also making a dish for the funeral dinner on Wednesday. I am undecided on what to bring yet. I might try a new recipe.

It is also my in-laws anniv. Matt and I got them salt and pepper shakers that look like a cheeseburger. I got them from Pier 1. I love that store! They have so many nice things!!

Wednesday I have a dentist apt. in Jefferson City. Mom is going with me. We are planning on going to the grand opening of the new Wal Mart. They are already open, but the grand opening is Wednesday. Hopefully we can find some good deals!!

The rest of the week should be pretty quiet!!

Projects

I have a few projects that I came up with to kept me busy!! Here they are...

• I want to decorate my bathroom and bedroom a little more. They already look pretty good, but I just want to add a few more wall decorations.
• This one is an easy one: wax my car! It really needs done!!
• Make a recycling bin. We burn our trash, but I am a fan of recycling. And you can recycle almost everything you use!
• Work on the landscaping at our house. We added a lot of trees and bushes already. But I would like to add some more things. And I would also like a picnic table.
• Get back into my sewing and cross stitch. I kinda got out of the habit.
• I am going to attempt to build a doll house for my niece's birthday. Her birthday isn't until December, but I will need that long to get it finished!! I have been looking at plans online recently. I think I can do it!
• Touch up paint in my bathroom.
• And do some more tye dye stuff.

I love having a list of stuff to do! Everything on this list is something to look forward to..which is something to be happy about :)

The weekend went by fast!

We kept pretty busy. Saturday morning, I did three loads of laundry and hung them out to dry. I love hanging clothes on the line, there is such a big difference than using the dryer I think! Our trip to Columbia went well. I didn't buy much at all. Just two bags of stuff. But it was still fun! We ate dinner at chilis. Overall it was a great evening!!

Today I went to church. I made low fat brownies for the church dinner. Everything was really good. And the best part..all of my brownies were gone except for 1!! Thats one thing I don't like about church dinners..you get stuck bringing home your leftovers!! I ecspecially don't want to have sweets sitting around the house!!

After that, I went to mom and dads and mowed their lawn and then the old jail. Then I went home to work in the garden. I also planted my redbud tree. It looks good so far. Hopefully it will survive!! Mom, Malinda and I all walked around town tonight. We had a good time visting together!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Weekend Plans!!

This weekend I don't have much planned!!

Last night I got ALL of my house cleaning done. So I am free from that this weekend!! I do have some laundry that I need to do tomorrow, but thats not really like a chore to me.

Saturday however, I do have some projects that I want to get done in the morning. I have a few spots in the bathroom that I need to touch up with paint. I am going to transpalnt a volunteer redbud tree from mom's flower bed to my yard. I also need to weed my flower bed and garden. That evening, I am going to run to Columbia with Mat and Malinda to go to Sams. I don't need anything, but its fun to just go along sometimes. I do need to get some boardshorts for the river. Maybe I'll get Malinda to run to the mall so I can go to Pacsun. Or just run by TjMaxx. Other than that my shopping list is short!!

Sunday- Not much at all!! After church, I will probably mow mom and dads and old jail. The grass grew alot this week with all of the rain!! You could almost watch it grow!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

My P90X workout went really well--hard--but good!! You can tell that it is a good workout and defidently gets your heart pumping!! I am going to try to do it every night after work. That is the perfect time for me because I have the house to myself..and I'm pretty sure I look pretty funny doing the exercises!!

I don't have a lot on my schedule this week. Just my weekly chores, and I would like to weed my garden. I finally had a chance to vacuum and clean my car out last night. Maybe I can make time to hand wash it sometime this week. You can't tell the front is white anymore because of all of the bugs!! I think tomorrow I am going to do to the river to give Molly a bath. It is just so much easier than trying to do it at home. That is if its not raining!!

New Workout

Tonight after work I am going to try a new workout video. I think its called the P90X. I am borrowing it from Malinda. I heard that it is a really good workout. So I decided to give it a try. I will fill you in tomorrow on how it goes!

Saturday-went w/ Malinda to Jeff to do a little shopping. I didn't need anything, but she wanted to check out the sale at Bath and Body Works. It was a good sale if you use there stuff. Me, I'm more of a Walmart cosmetic aisle girl. but it was watching her shop. We also went down to Joann's and we found John Deere beach towels marked down from 24.99 to 12.49!! I bought two and Malinda bought one. So I did end of finding a few good buys! We also went to Walmart, Hastings, Aldis, and Hyvee. I love Hyvee! They have such a big selection and a nice produce, meat and deli department. I bought twice baked potatoes from the meat case. They were really good!! Defidently easier than making them for 2 people!

Once we got home I ran my stuff to the house and came to mom and dads to mow the lawn. I also weedeated most of the yard. Then mowed the Old Jail. We were going to go to the cabin to eat, but it would of been around 8:00 by the time we would of got everything rounded up to go. I walked 1 mile around town and went home to watch Mall Cop. It was a really good movie! Kind of unrealistic, but it was a funny movie!

Sunday-I skipped church so that I could get an early start on my chores for the day. I woke up around 8:30, made breakfast and then headed to town. I weedeated most of the Old Jail until I ran out of gas. I used Matts weedeater. He bought an extra tall one, so it was kind of akward for me. I might have to go to the local small engine shop in town to get one thats not so tall. I then went down to mom and dads to clean their house. Once I got done there I decided to go swimming at the cabin. Malinda and I swam for a hour or so. It was a lot of fun! Matt and I went back to the cabin to eat dinner. It was a nice day to be on the river, water was a little cold, but we got used to it once we were in there a while!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Random Acts of Kindness

Malinda and I went to Jefferson City Saturday morning. I think we were at the 3rd intersection, and there was a homeless man sitting on the corner with his dog and a cardboard sign. A St. Mary's worker was walking towards him, she petted his dog and handed him money. That was the first time I have ever seen anybody give money to a homeless person. I'm not a very emotional person, but it almost brought tears to my eyes. Here I am with my Nike shoes on and foundation that costs around $7 a bottle, and I can still think of things that I don't have. Not that I am not grateful for what I have, but sometimes I complain about what I don't. When really I have more than some people. A loving family and husband, nice house, a job, nice car and good health. Thats all a person could really ask for.

Already Friday!!

This week went by fast!

*I lined my cabinets earlier this week. It wasn't as stressful as I thought it would be. And they look really nice. The liner that I used is a barnwood pattern. It feels glad to have a project out of the way!

* I got my swimming suit in the mail on Tuesday!! I was so excited to get it! I love it and it looks okay, but I don't have a lot of confidence about my body so you won't see me walking on a gravel bar with out a shirt or pair of shorts on quite yet!

*My garden is coming up!! My tomato and pepper plants are getting bigger and some of my seeds are coming up. When I planted my seeds, I didn't mark the rows. But I have a general idea where everthing is. I will have to post pictures later!!

*Mose has spent the whole week outside with the other animals. The weather is just too nice for him to be stuck inside all of the time. And he doesn't seem to mind. Ohh...and I haven't missed cleaning up the cat hair!! In other words, my lint roller has had the week off!! :)

*I have stayed in my walking routine all week!! I am keeping a calendar on Google to keep track of how many miles I walk. Mon-Thurs I walked 10 miles!! It sure does feel good to get out and take a walk in the fresh air!!

This weekend....

*Tonight I don't have any plans. Which isn't a bad thing!! I am going to get my cleaning done tonight, so that I won't have to worry about it this weekend. And we have 2 movies from Netflix. I know one of them is Mall Cop. It looks really good. I can't remember the other one, that means its prob. a boring one!!

*Tomorrow-not sure what I'm doing in the morning. There is a float trip on the river tomorrow, but I'm not comfortable in my swimming suit yet. I know for dinner Matt and I will prob. be having dinner at the cabin.

*Sunday-going to church, and then the rest of the day is free.

I hope everyone has a great and safe weekend!!

National Donut Day?

I was surfing the net and noticed on MSN that it is National Donut Day. And we wonder why some many people are over weight these days! Lucky for me, donuts is one treat that I can live without. Which is a good thing considering they are basically just fat. Now if I could only feel the same way towards ice cream and cookies...