International Space Station, August, 2010

Seen it! Very Cool. One of the coolest things I have ever seen. We didn't think we would really be able to see it, but did a bit of homework trying to make sure where and when, and there she was. Saw it at exactly 8:49 and again at 10:24 pm. Not exactly something that was on my bucket list...but it should have been. Now I want to see more.

What's For Dinner?

I think I tried this once on my blog to post what we eat for dinner each nite, but I either get sidetracked, or...Hmmf, I'll go with sidetracked. Anyhow, tonite I will try once again, as what we had was really delicious!

Now I really love Taco Salads. Homie not so much...I don't think he likes the salad part. :) So we don't have them as often as I would like. He likes something we fix that my sister would always make for him when he went to see her in Sunny Florida. I think she calls it Taco Casserole.

So in Our Taco Salad, we usually make a nice big salad with the usual stuff, lettuce (usually 2 different kinds), carrots, radishes, cabbage, and tomatoes. We use Ground Beef and spice it up with a bit of Ortega seasoning. We like any kind of shredded cheese and usually always have some Re fried Beans with it. Our choice for the Re fried Beans/seasoning & sauce is all Ortega. We use just about any Tortilla chips, as I think most are gluten free, but we also look for the ones with the lowest sodium. Yes I can spend an awful amount of time in the isles reading/comparing ingredients.

OK, now in the Taco Casserole, we use Ground Beef sometimes with the seasoning and sometimes without, if you don't have it on hand I don't think its all that big a deal as you can't taste it missing. Then we add Garlic & Onion or Garlic & Herb Diced Tomatoes. Now I think here you can fudge on the original recipe my sister uses. I think she used the Garlic/Basil & Oregano diced tomatoes. And I have seen several different additives and even none at all only the diced tomatoes. So I think this is a choice. Then add Brooks Mild Chili Beans. Now this is all served over Tortilla chips with Shredded cheese. Yummy. Also use sour cream & olives with it. (Homie or Shankster neither one go for those) That's ok more for me.

Ok in an effort to not eat as much red meat as we would normally do without thinking (see recent Turkey week) we decided to eat Chicken this week. But wanted to kick it up a notch. The Shankster decided he was going to make the decision tonite and he decided he was going to combine the above 2 recipes. Taco Casserole/Taco Salad.....but with Chicken and his own twist.

We don't have a name for it yet, I am going for Shankster Surprise...but don't think it will take off. But here are the ingredients as it was very good. I worried as he kept adding things, but it turned out great.

Boil Chicken. (we used 3 boneless Chicken Breasts)
Tear apart Chicken put in skillet, add 2 cans of Garlic/Onion Petite Diced Tomatoes, 1 large can of Brooks Mild Chili Beans, (and this was what I thought the odd part), half of a small cabbage pulled apart. Let simmer. He used some Shredded Cheese in the mix for thickening. But we also used it at table. We used Tortilla Chips and made a salad out of nothing but shredded Cabbage and Radishes. We poured the Chicken mixture over our Salad with crunched up tortillas, the Shankster used Ortega sauce, and I used Ken's Country French Dressing with Vermont Honey. Homie ate it plain....one plate with the salad and one plate with just the mix and chips. He actually even said he loved it. I guess... he had 2 servings! It was great and the Cabbage in it was really tender and good with the tomatoes and cheese.

So a kind of a Taco Salad Chicken Casserole or a Chicken Salad Taco Casserole? I dunno.

Bon Appetit!

One Project Done....Finally

I usually always seem to have something to do. I always seem to have a list of things I want to do. Lists have helped me keep myself organized and to remember. I have always tried to keep my home in a somewhat clean and organized state. So in keeping with that busy most every day doing what I can when I feel like it to make that happen. For years I liked to sew, this was back when "B" was a toddler. I also went into making clocks and then Macrame. However after the accident, I seemed to have trouble with the clock making, and even though the Shankster tried to help me make them, it just didn't seem the same. It was the same with trying to Macrame.

Since being here I have lacked anything to do for the most part as there is no room to keep a hobby. I try still to keep a somewhat organized and clean place, but it sometimes is a challenge this not being my home. But in 2008, when K.B. was born, I had the desire to sew again. I went to the barn and found all the things I had kept of "B's" when he was a baby and when I was pregnant with him. I made this quilt for K.B. out of Maternity Jeans I wore, Jeans of B's, and Jeans of Grandpa Shrum's (Homie), and the back is of Flannel blankets that were B's when he was a baby. (Yellow was his color, evidently as I found so many things of yellow.) So K.B. has a nice memory Rag Quilt.



This was the first time I had ever made a quilt. I also went on to make K.B. some hats/shoes/blankets. It took a while to get back into the sewing and there was a lot of trial and error, & one day I may sew only to be in misery from the pain for 3 days, but I was glad some things stayed with me enough to make, especially, the quilt for K.B. Besides, since I took the time to save all those things, it was worth it to me.

Which leaves me to my most recent sewing project. "M" asked one day about 6 months back if I would make Corey a Rag quilt like I made for K.B. out of some of his Uncles shirts and his shirts that were special. There were all kinds of shirts with things printed on them that she wanted to make sure was incorporated into the quilt. Places he had been or done or just silly graphics he would remember from his Uncles shirts.

Now, anyone who knows me, knows the challenges I face each day, not just living with pain and dizziness, but living in a small space where there not only is no room for my belongings, but really no room for a project.....especially the size of the project I was just about to start. I had no idea of what I was getting myself into. I jumped into it thinking I can do anything. Yes I honestly still think that. I am not a pro. (except for in my mind) But the Rag Quilt I made for K.B. was not too hard so I was sure I could do it. Little did I know about fabric and how different fabrics stretch/rip/pull and NOT fray. Which Fraying is the most important part of a Rag Quilt. I read up on it. For a couple months I researched all the fabric for which I was working with. I was sure I could do this. Cut everything to spec. Decided to then (after cutting everything for a RAG QUILT) test a piece for ragging/fraying. Dumb move on my part. It didn't Fray. Turns out Tee Shirts don't fray. Who knew? Turns out everyone in the true world but me. Ok no big deal I can figure this out. Seeing how I already cut all these shirts with all the memories for this child into small pieces that will only work for a RAG QUILT, what am I to do?

Without going into too much more detail, I figured it out. I won't say I didn't have to sew/take apart and re sew/take apart and re sew about a billion times, cause I did. I won't say I got to where I would just walk by the sewing machine every day and grumble as I was not looking forward to getting my butt in gear to finish this job, cause I wasn't. I won't say I didn't have to research the whole thing again, cause I did. I won't say I didn't have to go back to the fabric store a billion times cause I did...I won't say....well, you get the picture.

But after the Shankster making sure I took a couple days this past week to get this job finished as it needed to be finished by the 19th (C's Birthday), I think it turned out ok.
Backside is made in flannel, army colors, C is big into Army, and camouflage. I am hoping he will love it.




And Please if you see the flaws/defects, don't judge me, besides, the Shankster already said to me, "Those are not flaws...... that's Character you see in that Quilt." (my biggest fan)