Sick

I hate severely dislike my husband right now. Not really. But really. You know what I mean.

Thanks to him I am sick. Ugh! I hate being sick. Although, I doubt I dislike it as much as my husband when he is sick. Is it my husband or all men big babies when they are sick? I swear that he is never as whiny as when he doesn't feel well. Good lord, you would think he was dying! And then there is the snoring. Oh my gosh, the snoring! It's pretty bad when he's not sick, but when he is stopped up, it is unbearable! Friday night it was so bad, I couldn't even wake him up! So around 12:45, I got up, grabbed the extra blankets, and moved to the living room. Now, let me give you an idea of exactly how bad this snoring was. We have a fan in our room for him because he is like a furnace (that is another story for another time!). So, I get settled onto the couch with Rylie and some late night television. I could still hear him snoring over the fan, closed bedroom door, the television, and the heater when it came on! Seriously. I don't know when the snoring subsided, but after about two hours, I was still awake and didn't hear anything. I didn't think anything of it, but then started to wonder if he was still breathing at all! I go check on him, and thankfully he is sleeping soundly with no snoring. I go back to my "bed" and try to fall asleep. He gets up the next morning, comes in the living room, and asks me why I am on the couch. He didn't even know I had gotten up! Geez.

He hasn't been feeling well for almost a week now, and we thought it was allergies. Yeah. Guess again! I felt it coming on last night in the back of my throat, but I didn't think it would hit me too hard. At least not overnight. I was so wrong! I woke up in the middle of the night and could barely swallow. I was up at 7 because I couldn't take it anymore. I think the mornings are the worst. I immediately made up a batch of honey/apple cidar vinegar to gargle. That stuff is amazing! It burns like hell, but at least I don't have to pop as many pills for a sore throat.

I think I might try to take a nap now. The dogs have been pretty lazy today, so I might curl up with them. My sweet little space heaters!!

Work widow

You hear about those women that call themselves "hunting widows," "football widows," " 'any sport' widows," etc. Well, I think I am a work widow.

In addition to Josh working all week, usually til 6 or later, he is doing some lots of side work and is gone most Saturdays all day. Now, I'm not really complaining because he IS supporting my unemployed behind that no one wants to hire (It's been over three months already!!). So, I am very thankful for that and that he can get the extra work. But, when I sit at home all week by myself as it is, Saturdays without him are extra lonely. And it's really sad that the days all seem to just be rolling into one another. Thank goodness for the calendar and my favorite TV shows or I wouldn't know what day it was! How sad is it that my weeks revolve around television shows? This is how pathetic I have become!

I have some ideas in the works to start my own business, but I am trying to work out the logistics, and thankfully that is occupying my time quite well.

I really shouldn't complain about not seeing him much, because work-work will slow down, his side work will slow down, and then we'll have evenings and all weekend to be together and I'll be asking when he's going to get busy again! Ha! Just kidding Josh! Kinda. :)

Creme Brulee

My absolute favorite dessert of all time has got to be creme brulee. I love it! When we go out to eat and make sure to save room for dessert, I get this everytime. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I am dissappointed in it, but I usually always enjoy it no matter what.

I had found a recipe online for a creme brulee cupcake quite a while ago, but haven't gotten around to actually making it until this week. There were a few glitches, but oh my gosh...it is so good! And I get to use a mini-torch! Hello! Fire! (I'm a closet pyromaniac! Really, who isn't? Fire is so much fun! I remember well, as a little kid at my grandparents, setting leaves on fire with a magnifying glass. Always on the driveway though...we didn't want to catch the farm on fire!)

I don't even know how to describe the cake part, but it includes caramel syrup, and it was good by itself. I cut out a cone and filled it with swiss merigue buttercream. This was a glitch because it didn't turn out quite right, but it still was delicious. Now, I know what to do differently next time! The finale was a sprinkling of brown sugar that then gets torched!

I thought it tasted pretty good. Josh was disappointed because he thought it would be more custardy like actual creme brulee, but he thought it was good. My dad wants me to bring him some, so I froze a few to take home.

I'd say this recipe was a success!!!

I just don't know

This unemployment thing is so up and down it's not even funny.

I felt like I was doing pretty well this week, and then BAM I feel like I am knocked back down again. I figured it out that I have applied for over 60 jobs! 60 jobs!!! And I have only been called for one. Just one. And I'm pretty sure I didn't get it because I haven't heard anything since then. Ugh. I really just don't know what to think anymore. This is pretty depressing sometimes!

I keep reminding myself to say a prayer every time I think about it!

Finally...

These past few days, Bayla and Rylie and have been saying, 'Finally!!' Finally, it is warm and sunny outside and we can sit in our chairs and catch some rays!!

It was a long, cold, and wet winter. They didn't get out much, but we have been taking advantage of the gorgeous weather now!!

Mint Chocolate

** Edited to add pictures at the bottom **

I am sick. I made some delicious cupcakes this weekend and completely forgot to take any pictures whatsoever!

They were Mint Chocolate cupcakes. All homemade. Chocolate cupcake with Mint buttercream frosting. Mm mm mm. Josh said they were orgasmic! The neighbors loved them. The rest went to work with Josh and I haven't heard the verdict from there yet.

I plan on making some more next week, so I will try to make sure to get a picture. Ugh!

** I had sent some to work with Josh and three came back. He said his coworkers were on diets and didn't want to try them. What the heck is that? It's a cupcake for crying out loud, not a whole cake! Anyhoo, I got to take a picture! I'm going to be making these again to take home next weekend. We'll see what the family has to say! **

Still here

Well, I'm still here and still alive.

I went to Nacogdoches last weekend for a visit, so it has kind of thrown my schedule off a little. I left last Thursday morning and got to Nac early afternoon. I immediately went to campus to visit with my aunt and and check in with Ms. Meads, my old boss at the AARC. It was so good to stay with my aunt and get to hang out with her. I haven't really spent any time with her since I left SFA.

Friday morning I drove around and looked at all the old apartments that I have lived in when I was there. Everything is still the same. Nacogdoches is still the same. The campus is still pretty much the same, but there are new buildings popping up everywhere!! Friday afternoon, I went back to the AARC to visit and Ms. Meads asked me to come along to their happy hour that afternoon and I was going to be the surprise guest. She told me that everyone was trying to guess who it could be! The looks on their faces when they walked in and saw me sitting at the table! It was priceless!! And so much fun! I had a really great time catching up with all of them! Laura came by with her daughter near the end. It was so good to see her and get to meet Madeline, who loved me! Josh says that I am the "baby whisperer." I am beginning to think he might be right! :)

Saturday morning my aunt and I got up and went to the Nac Farmers Market. We got some really great stuff and they had so much more that I wanted to get, but I didn't have the money or the space to bring it home! We then went to a photography exihibit at the SFA gallery that was awesome! Jennifer came into Nac and went to lunch with us and then to my aunt's house to visit some more. It was so good to see her and talk to her in person! Then that evening I went over to Laura's to visit some more, which was really nice because I rarely get to talk to her.

Sunday morning we got up, went to eat breakfast, and then I packed and headed back home. I was sad to leave because I had such a great time! It's a shame that it's so far away. It only took me about 4 1/2 hours, but that's not somewhere where you can just jump in the truck and go. Hopefully it won't take me another three years to make it back!!

This week has been lazy and crazy all at the same time. I have been more tired than usual, so I did take a few naps, and not get out of my pajamas all day! I am wanting to get my garden going in a few weeks, so I have been thinking about plants and what I want to do this year. We are expanding it, so I have been getting measurements for my dad and hoping we can get it done shortly! I can't wait for fresh veggies!!!

I haven't taken a picture in weeks! I hope to do a little better in the coming weeks!

Sausage

A whole lotta sausage! The weekend before Christmas Josh shot a couple deer and took the meat to a place in Schulenburg to get it processed. We got the call on Monday that it was ready. The question is were we ready for all the meat?

I went to pick it up yesterday. There were 110 links of sausage and 50 something pounds of pan sausage. I packed it all into the freezer when I got home!

I think we'll be set for meat for awhile!!

Cold.

When I got up at 7 this morning, it was 16 degrees outside! 16 degrees! Brrr.

This is what Rylie thinks about the cold. I couldn't agree more!

65 Years

On December 27, my grandparents, my dad's parents, celebrated their 65th Wedding Anniversary!

They are both still with us at 91 years old, but they are starting to slow down some and are now in the nursing home. So, my dad and I made a lunch of ham and sweet potatoes and took it up there for the whole family to celebrate.

5 of their 6 kids - Monica, dad, Ralph, Doreen, & Annette

Kids and spouses

6 of 14 grandkids - Joel, Summer, Sarah, Ross, me, Ryan

Grandkids & spouses

Grandma's brother and his wife

2 of 12 or so [with one on the way (not me!)] great-grandkids

There is also one great-great-grandchild!

Sarah & Cindy

Monica and her husband Don also celebrate their anniversary on the 27th. They are a little behind though, only 6 years! :)

My dad stuck his hand right into the side of the cake!

Cutting the cake

Things are looking up!

2010 is slowly starting out very, very well!

On Monday, we paid off my truck and found out that Josh was getting 5% of his salary back!!

On Tuesday, Josh found out that he was getting the remaining 5% of his salary back!!!!

Today, I got a call from UTSA about one of my applications that I had submitted. They want to interview me tomorrow!!! Yeah!!!


Now, I hope that I didn't just jinx us!

Now back to our regularly scheduled Christmas 2009 recap...

I'm a horrible procrastinator. I know this. I embrace it. But it's over a week after Christmas and I'm still posting about it. Yeah, that's a little sad. But this Christmas was pretty good. And I took a ton of pictures.



This is going to be all about the tons of food we ate during the Christmas weekend. It's a little sickening. You've been warned! :)

My dad's sister from Vegas was down and she was in a food/candy making mood! Most of this stuff is courtesy of her ideas!

Of course, I made red velvet cake balls!

And I made cinnamon sugar pecans which are always a huge hit!

These pralines were courtesy of my aunt!

My dad decided that he wanted to make homemade poppyseed kolaches for the weekend. It was a huge undertaking, but they were soooo good! My grandpa even said they were really good!

Kneading the dough

You wouldn't believe how many kolaches come out of a ball of dough this size!

Almost ready to go in the oven

Fresh out of the oven!

All of our baked goods ready to go!

Christmas Eve buffet!

Pretty cake balls!

My dad also decided he wanted to make a Lemon Meringue Pie with fresh lemons. It turned out really good!!

And this is just the dessert table for Christmas Day. I completely forgot to take a picture of the rest of the food!

We were all so full every day! It took me a few days to get my system back on track and to even get hunger pains again! And I also have a few extra pounds to get rid of!! :)