top 10 games that are good for you....

Top 10 Games That Are Good for You

video games, that is....otherwise scrabble and upwords would be on this list.

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/top-10-games-that-are-good-for-you/top-10-games-that-are-good-for-you/1390036/11

wii Fit Plus check...got it....dont do it much....its no farmtown.

Bejeweled check....do it...a lot.

Brain Age gotta check it out...afraid of the answer

Food Network: Cook or Be Cooked how the heck have i missed a wii game about cooking!?!

Typing Maniac done it---am a maniac

EA Sports Active not yet---maybe not---have to leave something on the list

Wii Sports Resort have it---havent played it yet---but will have to now

My Stop Smoking Coach do you suppose i have to start smoking before i can play this?

Scribblenauts hmmmm---ace asked for this for christmas (but this was a no-video-game christmas)---maybe he's onto something...its a game of typing where nouns appear and you use the noun.

Just Dance TOTALLY just talked to jasmine about this one---even priced it---so now its on my short-short list...been all over tv advertising.

have you tried any of these? why isnt wii music with its handbell choir on this list?

i love my mother....

....my mother is there with me everyday.....



we chat.....we play games....we share information and gossip....we watch tv and movies together...we even travel together....we sit in the car on road trips and have a great time just passing time together.... i am sitting with her right now in my front room......


my mother is sick....



we thought it was just she was having trouble keeping charged up----but it may be more serious than that.





OKAY-----sorry---that all may have been in very bad taste.....

my motherBOARD is sick.....

now---go back and read all that and understand that i am talking about my LAPTOP! it still makes sense.

my mother is alive and fine up in northern illinois---freezing for her ##nd winter....learning to play farmtown on facebook----yes, my mother has a facebook (friend her---mary lou ensign---holla!)...and she's going to read this and call me a 'scribber' and then she will laugh---hopefully---yeah, she will....and if you read all that stuff up there---it holds true for my mom as well! (all except that whole sick part)

oh allright! OKAY---go ahead and blast me for my inconsideration and insensitivity.....

lighten up....gosh....i understand that Haiti had a massive earthquake....that the economy is in a bad way....that there is:

"gloom and misery in the air....people dying everywhere....but...."

but its not about my mom.

i thought my power cord was bad....but the geek squad says it may be my motherboard....so i may be without MY LAPTOP for 2-6 weeks-

OH MY STINKIN GOSH (yes---thats really how i talk)

i do have a desktop---so dont worry about me---its still under warranty---i'll be okay---but it wont be as comfortable---but i'll persevere....i'll be allright.....life is full of sacrifices.

ps----not all posts can be as deep as mrs beasley or over/under---superficial can be a nice change.

gosh---i hope karma doesnt read this.

mrs beasley

oH MY GOSH....OH MY STINKIN GOSH....

.....whoops---i've already done that post....let me start again....

the year:1967

the place: Freeport, Illinois, population 25,000...a ranch-style house filled with a family of 3 boys, 2 girls, 2 parents, 1 dog and 2 cats....me? i'm the younger daughter---the 4th child....

(insert picture of me as a 9 yr old little girl---maybe someday)

its Christmas time....time for letters to Santa...and wishes to be granted....


pop-culture: Family Affair---TV sitcom before there was such a thing---premise:3 children (6 yr old twins Buffy and Jody and teenage sister Cissy)are orphaned and are moved to a penthouse apartment in New York to live with their bachelor play-boy (younger readers---that means he is a 'player') Uncle Bill and his man-servant/butler/personal assistant/cook Mr French---a very straight-laced British also-bachelor. let the antics begin! it ran til 1971.

its not about the tv show---its about Buffy's doll....Mrs Beasley----she talks.....she has a grandma's voice and says how much she loves you....she tells you her name and asks you questions....she loved me.



I was 9 yrs old and wanted Mrs Beasley....my memory is that she was priced at like $25....WAY too much for a doll....but she talks, mom. i love her.


christmas morning---you guessed it....there she is.....i cried. I WAS THE HAPPIEST 9 YR OLD LITTLE GIRL EVER! mrs beasley never left my side...we were so annoying together that my parents limited me to pulling her string 3 times at bedtime---that was all--i would wait between pulls---treasuring each moment----she was my confidante, my best friend...my everything! i even gave her a first name....mathilda...... i took her to college with me...when i had my tonsils out at 19...she went with me (hospital even gave her a bracelet!)


david accepted my mrs beasley as part of the family (with about 20 other stuffed animals) when we married...she had her own christmas stocking....she had her own wicker chair....she married Butter Bear and they were very happy together.

but i digress.

mrs. beasley started to show her age. she was thread-bare----her voice-box had long since stopped working---the string would just whirl around....her glasses were gone...she'd been mended many many times...legs had ripped off and been replaced (modern medicine bah!--i been reattaching body parts for years)....her hair was thin....if you touched her she ripped....sad to see the wasting away of a dear friend.


my mom saw mrs beasley and decided she needed a trip to the doll hospital---so she took her....and a few months later, Mrs beasley re-appeared at my home---looking as good as new! YAY!


fast forward (i know, its already too long to say fast forward---but i've already got you enthralled---right?)....fast forward a year or so and I am, as an adult, pawing thru my mom's closet----looking for shoes or purses---something to beg my mom to give me.....AND OH MY STINKIN GOSH-------------

THERE IS MRS stinkin MATHILDA BEASLEY----THE FIRST ONE---THE ONE THAT WENT TO THE DOLL HOSPITAL AND GOT REFURBISHED----BUT APPARENTLY NOT!


i confront my mom---she admits that the doll hospital couldnt help my mrs beasley---so mom bought me A NEW MRS BEASLEY (folks---this was before e-bay or online shopping---she had to do some major research to find a new old mrs beasley)!!!!!!!!!! but didnt have the heart to throw away the old one. i love my mom....and we both cried.


BONUS! I NOW HAD TWO MRS BEASLEYS! one for show and one for blow----its an old saying.


and children.......they could touch the newer mrs beasley---but not the old one (are you following this?)...mrs beasley was a prized member of the family...and stayed in her wicker chair.

fast forward (i know! i know!) about 15 years...and both mrs. beasleys were nearly dead....the old mrs beasley had holes going all the way thru her---the newer mrs beasley showed the wear and tear of kids playing.....so.....i let them go to a happier place.....and i cried....and the wicker chair sat empty for many many years.


fast forward (STOP IT---WE ALREADY DISCUSSED THIS AND YOU ARE STILL HERE!)....

christmas 2009....family and grandbabies all around---gone thru umpteen million presents---all done...and dAVid, as my husband is prone to do....announces..."wAIT! THERE IS ONE MORE!"...the girls are all atwitter and video cameras are being set a-ready...out comes a gift bag....duh duh duh (say it with the impending important event style---you know what i mean--and you did it, didnt you! :))

watch the video.....





and i cried.


MY poor sons-in-laws----my reaction was quite the outburst! my sister, Eden....understanding my emotion (she was there for the original Mrs Beasley)----crying....david....crying....the girls....were they crying? hmmmmm?.....dont remember...but its not about them....

and she now sits in her wicker chair.....for another 40 years.

untitled

i dont want to be known as a whiner.....or a debbie-downer.....or as a sad-sack....you get the idea....and i realize a couple of my recent posts are a little....well...a lot cryptic....and quite abit glass half empty----

now, i have always considered myself a 'glass-is-twice-as-big-as-it-needs-to-be' kinda gal....
so i shall return to my regular channel of glib, big-wordedness....letting you into my world--the world according to merf.

p.s.
a coupla concerns:

• the majority of comments on my blog come not when i post GORGEOUS AND CUTE pictures of my ADORABLE grandsons---or when i am obviously in a bit of a snit or some sort of emotional upheaval---clearly needing support and encouragement.
• but..... when i talk about toilet paper i get ALL sorts of comments...or when i give suggestions about how to enhance my enjoyment of your blog...oh yes---ya'll are happy to jaw away on what you do or do not like! FOR SHAME!...okay---maybe shame is a little strong---
• i am EXHAUSTED trying to do what i posted----comment---add pictures---be clever---i cant keep it up----and, in interest of fair-play (okay---whose minds just went to the epitome of SURVIVOR bad-guys, johnny fairplay? holla!).....back to the subject...go back to what you were doing---post pictures if so inclined...be clever or not---

really? is that where our relationship is?

that shallow......wow....i am hurt.

but maybe my blog is just twice as long as it needs to be!

have a nice day! i'll keep on reading---promise!

pick your team

i can be offended

i can be humbled and learn

i can be right

i can be happy

lets hear from the teams----team MEMEMEME!...you start

you dont know me....you dont know the situation....youve only heard the one side....you always judge me wrong....i'm always the bad guy....our whole life has been based on shallow superficial interactions...you are a child and have no idea what its like to be out in the real world...talk to me in 30 years....then we'll have a real conversation

thanks team MEMEMEMEMEME! you made a good argument to stay wallowing in the misery that is you.....hope it works for you.

ah....now comes team US&YOU&YOU, TOO& ALL OF YALL!

lets hear from their spokesman:

WE LOVE TEAM MEMEMEMEMEMEME! THEY ARE A PART OF US. But to be a part of us, they must control their desire to be immovable. Sometimes we say things wrong....dont always choose the right word....come across as harsh....but you know the desire of our heart is a righteous one......we love you. We want you to be on our team---come on over---we just ask that you be happy----and curtail your anger.....learn to use it for good....maybe to power our rv or a boat! come! join us!be a part of us!

okay---now is the time for the decision.....is she going to be offended and be right...alone and right....or is she going to be happy and compromise and learn to let it go? waiting......waiting.....

I CHOOSE TO BE OFFENDED....I CHOOSE TO DEMAND THAT YOU UNDERSTAND MY REASONS----AND AGREE WITH ME---ONLY THEN CAN I TRULY BE HAPPY.

whew....i feel much better...how bout you?

does anyone else have these conversations---or is it just mememememememememe?

the blue army

so my ipod touch, my friend...my compadre...my partner in crime--- froze earlier this week....icecube....totally....unresponsive.
so i....

1. gasped
2. turned it off and on 2-3 (hundred) times
3. turned it off and on just once more...in case that would be the one that worked.
4. plugged it in
5. synced it....okay---like 20 times.
6. googled "my itouch is frozen" and checked EVERY suggestion
7. turned it on and off...in case that mattered.
8. googled it again...in case someone put on the magic fix TODAY
9. asked ace...my go-to guy.
10. synced/turned on/googled one more time for good measure
11. asked my apple-guru, terry a...(holla for all you initial/privacy-types)...well...ace asked him...and terry was nice enough to call me and see if it worked...and walk me thru factory restore on itunes....NUTHIN.
12. checked the apple website and did ALL (multiple times) the trouble shooting stuff (even tho terry had ALREADY had me do all that.....
13. then.......i made an appointment to have my itouch diagnosed/fixed/buried at the apple store

i walked in to the store....and was immediately OVERWHELMED/OVERSTIMULATED/OVEROVERRED!

there were people EVERYWHERE...milling around...looking at computers... i knew i was out of my element. now---i LOVE shopping....but this is not the normal store...there are no cash registers...there are no grocery carts...no shelves for me to peruse....people were wandering around looking lost...zombie-ish....hoping someone would take pity on them...either by helping them or showing them the door to the real world outside.

My eyes glaze over as i stand there....holding my dark itouch in my hand...my eyes glancing from person to person....would anyone notice me and see my lost look? should i ask someone---is there anyone who isnt as zombied as i? am i doomed to roam this room of cords and wires and.....

wait....who are these that i see? who are all these people in blue shirts...with nametags and ipod touches in their hands....THEY ARE THE APPLE CAVALRY! THEY ARE HERE TO SAVE ALL OF US! THEY ARE EVERYWHERE....even standing waving at us from the front window (altho this did creep me out a bit)...there must be 40 of them! its an army of people who look TOTALLY COMFORTABLE in this atmosphere of nanos/shuffles/macs/pods 3G/4G/pads..... words so foreign in my vocabulary that my lips stumble just trying to say them....yes, my lips stumble...not stutter....so there.

then...o happy day....one of these blue-shirted warriors notices my distant stare...he approaches me and reassures me that he can, indeed, help me...he checks me in! VOILA! MY NAME IS ON HIS TOUCH SCREEN! he reassures me that i will be helped in just a moment... and....i look up to the massive screen across the back GENIUS wall...and my name is .....5th! WOW! ITS LIKE I ALMOST MEDALLED IN THE OLYMPICS OF WAITING!....so i roam...looking to see small groups being instructed in the world that is apple...children at a play area of computer screens....nanos hooked up to macs.... walls of cases and games and software all to make my life easier....WHERE HAVE I BEEN? WHERE HAS THIS BEEN? (oh yeah---i'm an hp---nvrmnd)

then he approaches....says my name... i show him my dead friend...he says "good news/bad news"... cant fix it (dont carry the part)...but he has 9 replacement itouches and can take care of me today!

"but sir!" I exclaim...."i dont have the extended warranty!"

"not to worry, fair maiden" and he brings out his itouch....types in the serial number from the back of my fallen techie....and

OH MY STINKIN GOSH!

i am 61 DAYS pre-warranty ending! (the included 1 yr warranty!) ...... THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH BUT THERE IS FREE ITOUCH!

the heavens open....i hear "the HALLELUJAH CHORUS"..... all is right with the world. He brings me an IDENTICAL itouch....i wont even know the difference.... A NEW friend...a new compadre....new---and yet...exactly like the old....apple has mastered cloning!

• i treat myself to a new package of covers for the face of my

BRAND STINKIN NEW free ITOUCH

REALLY? REALLY? WHAT WORLD HAVE I BEEN TRANsPORTED TO?

the guy (okay-----if you all werent so 'pc' i would totally refer to him as a nerd or geek...but someone might be offended...so i'll stick with 'guy')....

THE GUY TAKES MY CREDIT CARD (dont judge me) AND SWIPES IT ACROSS THE BACK OF HIS ITOUCH...AND EMAILS ME MY STINKIN RECEIPT.

almost you persuade me to be an apple.......

crypticousity

...its a word....i said it...



if you hate cryptic posts....then stop here....this is going to be so cryptic that even I wont understand it!....but it has to be said...or taken out of the internal and put away so WHOEVER needs to can let it go.....wow---who even knows if that sentence makes sense?

rocks.....always used to denote sure foundations ....tough ....solid ....unmoving .....wise man built his house and all that.... (sorry---yes, i know----now you are singing it....and doing the hand gestures)...

but rocks can be chipped away and turn to gravel....which is dangerous....you will wipe out on gravel...and get the little stones imbedded in your knee...and that hurts....and it takes time to pick out each little piece of gravel (wait---that totally just changed my analogy---scrap that part)

so...when your rock foundation turns out to be gravel---or you have turned it into gravel....then you are left with unsure footing and precarious situations....and you feel unsafe.

relationships that appear good and healthy and mutually beneficial turn out to be tenuous....you thought they were rock solid----and maybe YOU were wrong....maybe the rocks were gravel all along! maybe the gravels were huddling together ---APPEARING TO BE A ROCK---but were afraid to tell you the truth---afraid you would LET LOOSE....AND we all know how scary that is!

wow---i feel better---how 'bout you? venting is always so cathartic.....whew.

and I quote Helaman 5:12

12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

sometimes.....

• i'm glib
• i'm cryptic
• i'm sarcastic
• i'm verbose
• i'm witty

and then things happen that remind me i should be serious.

shaun white makes me seriously want to snowboard and wear plaid...or just wear plaid.....yeah...seriously...i should just wear plaid...and baggy jeans

johnny weir makes me seriously want to wear FABULOUS spandex with fur and gloves and tassles....seriously....and he can totally skate....seriously....but then along comes

stephane lambier is seriously the most amazing spinner ever...watch it (especially right around minute...2:15-3:15)

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/assetid=fcac3d2e-91e7-4787-a4d4-5f2e196b9386.html#mens+short+stephane+lambiel

we are the world 25 for haiti

okay---first of all---i was a HUGE fan of the first "We are the World"---this one has MORE stars (and includes MJ's singing from the original)NOT meredith jeppson mj---michael jackson mj---but thanks for thinking of me!)and lots more diversity in the singers...always up for that....

and because you should see the original, but APPARENTLY my skills are not up to embedding an OLD video (tried and tried and tried and tried...well,,, you get the picture....anyway...here is the link...copy and paste it...old school.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2W4-0qUdHY

(oh snap! did you notice that NOT ONLY DID I POST the URL....so you could copy and paste it...BUT I ALSO LINKED IT (OH MY GOSH----we need a moment of silence for the sweet skills i have developed!) OR you can doubleclick on that blue URL and IT WILL TAKE YOU TO THE YOUTUBE VIDEO! (now---be aware---the original video didnt have the names of the singers plastered across their faces---but this version will let you know how impressed you should be since Ace was not impressed when i made him sit and watch the original--- he didnt recognize most of the names except CYNDI STINKIN LAUPER! (i'm a big fan!)...and mj, of course.

secondly...dont let my posting twice in one day cause you to not notice the post just before this one---you dont want to miss it! nummers. (nummers is my word for yummy...okay---?)

second and a half...since i am into giving credit where credit is due (see the PREVIOUS post) HAHAHAHA! LINKED IT! I saw this posted on one of lyric's friends-who-i-have-met-once-and-wouldnt-know-me-from-adam-but-i-stalk-her post....ALSO LINKED! I AM ON!(next goal---how to do that cute strike out font so you can say two things and be clever)

third of all....OH MY GOSH! I STINKIN EMBEDDED A VIDEO! can i get a woot-hoot!

nummers...(AND crock-potted!) HEAVEN!

• ....you may be tired of hearing about my GORGEOUS triple crock pot---seen here and here...(can I get a YAY for me learning to do the little linky things!) and here:
  

but i tried this recipe this weekend---so did Lyric (i am a link maniac! wow!)---and it turned out AMAZING!


saw it on cjane....so i wont take credit (this time---as time passes, we will all call it

MERF'S MOIST CROCK-POT (DUH) CAKE.

Say that 3 times so you get used to it....do it....i'm serious...and i'm waiting til you do....waiting....okay...whatever...anyway....
I didnt get a picture....mine got eaten too fast...so the picture above is cjane's (check out her blog---she is nienie's sister---as if you didnt already know that)

here is the recipe:

1 package chocolate cake mix
1 container of sour cream (8 oz)
1 cup chocolate morsels
1 cup water
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 package instant chocolate pudding mix
spray crock pot with nonstick cooking spray.
mix cake mix, sour cream, chocolate morsels, water, eggs, oil and pudding mix in a bowl by hand. pour into crock pot.
cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.

serve it with WHIPPED CREAM (or not, Gnome! holla!) or vanilla ice cream---blue bell homemade vanilla ice cream...yeah---that would be about heaven.

apologies to ingleside (who started her diet this week---holla!)

cuter than words......

jonas david nelson....8 weeks

BAck tO tHE fuTUre

so...a minute to breathe...2009 was an ENORMOUS year...shows, trips, weddings, babies, babies...more babies....marching band season....more shows.....GLorIOUS! and i did take pictures---so here is some catch up--- meet JONAS DAVID NELSON born December 15, 2009....the 2nd son of Joe & Leah Nelson....yes....this makes Cannon a Jonas Brother! (I am SO cleverly thrilled to be able to say that joke!)

I scurried up to Utah after my last show of the year...and THANK YOU JONAS!---he waited for me! I arrived the day before, during and after a HUGE snowstorm....it was darn cold....DARN STINKIN cold!

Cannon, Joe, Leah & I went to their ward Christmas party the night I arrived---Cannon wore his Santa suit and was the HIT of the party. He had just learned to walk---and learned to DUCK! he figured out how to NOT get his head bumped on the tables that he could just barely skim under.

cannon loves to be chased! and then he loves to chase you!
dontcha think he looks like one of the elves from "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer"!?

gave Cannon a candy cane....here is the result....this is a family tradition (one that none of my

kids want to continue.....go figure!! (turn down your volume or you'll hear WAY too much of my alto singing christmas carols!)

wow...that almost deserves a whole post unto itself! anyone else cat-clean their babies?

Sunday night WE FOUND A MOUSE- EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! Never have i seen a 40 week HUGELY pregnant woman climb up on a chair and bring her feet up underneath her so fast! ew ew ew ew! thank HEAVENS! Joe was the man---he opened up the dishwasher (where he had seen the mouse scurry under ....hmmm...used that word already...note to self---check up thesaraus alternative for 'scurry')....he poked around...THEN the little vermin (mouse, not Joe) scurried (rats---there is that word again) from the dishwasher to the oven! ---we pulled an ox out of the mire (biblical reference---look it up) and went to wal-mart to get humane sticky traps (i'm more a fan of smash-the-rodent-vermin-to smithereens...but its their house)...and LINED THE KITCHEN FLOOR WITH STICKY TRAPS!

!

sidenote----never seen a walmart as empty as this one....hmmmmm...i guess thats good! Sunday night in Springville, Utah!

This is Leah the night before she delivers Jonas----she was HUGE! this pregnancy was a good one---easy to forget you are GREAT with child when you are chasing after another baby!
this was the view from leah's hospital room---magnificent---looked like a painting! Made for a beautiful backdrop to the birth of baby Jonas! Monday morning saw Cannon & I dropping off Mommy & Daddy at the hospital....by noon I got the phone call that it was time to come up...so I dropped off Cannon at a friend's house and made it in time to watch Leah go from 7 cm to 10 cm in like 10 MINUTES----SERIOUSLY----not even 3 pushes later---sorry if this is getting graphic----VOILA! JONAS DAVID NELSON!

This was my first birth to watch---not on tv or in a movie---ACTUAL RIGHT THERE IN THE ROOM! didnt watch jasmine's birth...(it was a c-section---and i'm talking about ME giving birth TO jasmine---not her to ben---are you following all this??---wasnt even in the room with the others.....duh!)....so this was AMAZING! I'm so grateful to leah & Joe for letting me stay and watch....what a miracle...it was so totally cool.

3/4 of the happy family.....

Cannon came up to the hospital later to meet his little brother...and promptly did what any 13 month old does with a new toy---hit it to see what it does! jonas didnt light up or make noise---so cannon walked away...more interested in the hospital room than a new lump of clay! he was thrilled to see mommy and daddy!

how do you teach a 13 month old to be "soft"....Joe's hand isnt guiding Cannon---this is the grab to keep Cannon from clobbering Jonas!

Jonas is a doll----so calm...at least when he was newborn----he doesnt look like Cannon at this point....darker hair and a different face...still a big head (its in the genes) but he's bigger than cannon at the same age so his head looks more proportional than our wonderful melon-headed Cannon. be interesting to see how they grow to look like brothers.

While I was there I got to meet up with lots of good friends----a group of us met at Brick Oven----yummy pizza....got to see my cute nephew Brian (and a friend of his)

one of the cutest girls EVER, Jessica Hill Lydia Speirs---a doll of a baby
and her parents Spencer & Corinne Speirs

Got to visit with Michelle & Eric Moulton (they drove down to see me! yay for good friends) and Katie Winn---it was lovely....then we all flew back to Texas for the holidays and Jonas & Milo's blessings....a lovely enhancement to a lovely season....and a GREAT way to end a year that began with babies!

Charmin---over or under?

UNDER?

OVER?

C'MON PEOPLE!
we ALL know the real question is:

OVER OVER?

or

under UNDER?

a little ditty

okay----whew---WELL.....all of you....and by that i mean the 4-5 of you that COMMENTED (and the two with private blogs that invited me (thanks!)) took the chewing out you got yesterday pretty well. So I thought I should write (and in honor of all you babymama's, i wrote this with a dog on my lap)---and include a picture (holla, olivia!)---something a little lighter....

i ALWAYS have a song going on in my mind (hence the reason i have to mute blogmusic)....anyway...back to the topic at hand...---give me a word---i can almost ALWAYS figure out a song that goes with that word....i am known to burst into song most anywhere---much to the chagrin of ONE of my kids---guess which---anyway---this is the little ditty that is floating thru my mind today.

I am happy today for the sunshine,

for the skys of gray or blue.

For within my heart is a song of love.

I'll live, I'll work, I'll do.

No cloud can cast a shadow

over courage such as mine.

For I'll sing this song as I go along.

I'll live, I'll work, I'll do.

hmmmm...methinks the january blues are OVER!

blogging do's and dont's

I read blogs---lots & lots of blogs----I read my friends---my family's---I read MINE!---and then i read yours---and then your friends---and then your friends' friends---and then....I'm reading a blog of someone i dont know's friend who i REALLY dont know----more than that i am investing my time into their life----and if it was interesting i come back---stalk stalk stalk---bookmark bookmark bookmark....read read read......

so here are the things i do/dont like about blogs----if you see yourself---then i apologize (but it probably WAS directed at you---if you dont see yourself---then you should apologize---because you arent being honest!

1.i dont like music on blogs----it interferes with the voices and music already going on inside my head---and so i have to mute you to be able to concentrate---which means that when i want to watch one of my cute grandsons' videos i have to UNmute---and that requires way to much effort...there is one blog that has music that i like---robin petty's---hmmm---should i use real names? okay---so i like RP's music----its very melancholy and i like that.

2. i dont like private blogs---i UNDERSTAND private blogs---but dont advertise private blogs on your blog list---because i cant see that blog---and i want to----so it prevents me from trolling....thats not right. I am tempted to put in peoples names or cute initials standing for someone's name of blogs who do this---but i wont---because i nice.

3. i like recipe blogs....i like knowing what you made for dinner and how to make it....and how did it turn out? who spit it out? who liked it? how would you have made it different? you inspire me to cook better for my family---or to think about cooking better while tossing Stouffer's lasagna (family joke) into the oven. but dont tell me about what you cooked and NOT INCLUDE THE RECIPE...wait...rats...i do that....oh well...ask me for it in the comments.
3 1/2. if you ate out at a restaurant...tell me what you ordered...take a picture of it (thanks mv---THATS YOU MARCIA!)...oh...errrrrr....rats...anyway....we like to eat out at restaurants...but not to get surprised by yuck....AND, while i'm at it....if you go somewhere weird...nevermind...i'm an olive garden-red lobster-red robin kinda eater (thats for you KATIE OF INGLESIDE!)....dagnabit...get it right merf....sigh.

4.i like pictures...doesnt matter if they are downloaded or off your camera or off your phone....entertain me...but dont judge me if i dont include a picture---i dont have that kind of time....and i dont always remember to download or upload from my phone or my flip...and dont judge me if i put up the same picture you saw on facebook and on my kids' blogs....if its good it should be seen. (insert random picture of northeast mall in hurst, tx here---thats for you olivia!) AND IF its a cute picture of your child crying or tantruming----I TOTALLY WANT TO SEE IT...those are my favorite pictures---thats for you Liz (2nd generation from lyric)..your daughter crying is a doll!

5. PLEASE COMMENT...let me know you were here...yes---this is a blatant cry for attention....thats okay--- now---i wont comment on yours---because it makes me look like a stalker---especially if you are two or more generations (link-step-things) away from someone i know relatively well---because thats just creepy. and i try not to creep. and i always assume you dont know who i am. but you should want to. but thats prideful. and i try not to pride.

6.content is not as important as style---hmmm---there must be a better way to say that---but---its like a documentary----it doesnt matter what you are writing about if you write about it cleverly then i want to read it.

7. use good grammar....obviously i dont mind if you dont capitalize...and use way too many "..." or "---"....but PLEASE---know the difference between than and then, know and now and, my personal favorite, your and youre! this comes from the proud child of teachers and grammatically-strict parents.

8. blog...JASMINE. your cute son has a following...we need more baby ben hall videos.

9. giveaways are fun...but only if i win. the world loves a winner. THANKS OLIVIA!

10. it doesnt count as a post if you write "I dont have time to blog---but i havent died---I'll get around to it"....that doesnt count...thats just teasing...and thats not nice.

11. and on facebook---since there is nowhere to post something like this without appearing petty and i dont want to be cryptic---altho if this makes me appear petty it may get crypticized:

nevermind.....no way to say it without saying it the way I want to and i'm not ready to do that---so you'll have to wait.

12. and TOBECONTINUEDs totally make me come back to your blog! i love countdowns---if you tell me you are pregnant in one post---guaranteed i'm coming back in a few months to see pics of the baby....or to hear how miserable you are at 8 months pregnant....and, while we are on the topic...include belly pictures---from beginning to end....truly---they dont have to be BARE belly pics---but growing belly pics are fun.

culinarily speaking...not a fluke

.....just so you dont think it was all a fluke....

we are celebrating my husband's birthday today---and what are we having?

shake & bake chicken (really---his request)

kinda homemade rolls

yellow bundt cake w/chocolate frosting

tossed green salad

shrimp cocktail (ended up not serving it---didnt need the extra protein---save it for later)

AND THE TRIPLE CROCKPOTTED SIDEDISHES:

CORN on the COB with garlic butter

real MASHED potatoes (as opposed to INSTANT mashed potatoes)

Green BEANS in a Cheesy Bacon Sauce (sidebar folks---post dinner comment----WHO KNEW!?---after 30 years of marriage----he DOESNT like green beans with stuff! i knew he didnt like jello with stuff---but he likes green beans with JUST GREEN BEANS....and bacon.

happy birthday brother jeppson...thanks for not being a fluke

*PARENTAL WARNING* dangling participles

***************IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY BABY PARTS********
then stop right here and read any of the myriad of clean, non-offensive blogs listed on the right...each will entertain, educate or encourage you to cook with crockpots.

that said......
one of the funniest things to see at our home during Christmas was the grandbabyboys take a bath....together. Jonas, of course, was not even considered for the camp....he was still too fond of that dried up umbilical cord to be deemed ready for this manly experience. The first time we tried it, poor milo (who at that point was flat on his back still...he has since recovered and is sitting nicely) would never have survived the Cannon Nelson baby bath boot camp. Ben Hall gave it a try---didnt last long---but he was not down for the count....oh no! never give up, that one. At the next opportunity, Ben dug in there and was successful in learning the fine-art of splashing. Cannon, you see, takes his splashing responsibilities VERY seriously. Every area of the tub MUST be splashed. Ben had been a long-time recreational splasher....Cannon took him to a whole new level....because that is what older cousins (by 3 1/2 months) will do for you.

Parental Warning----there are little baby boy dangling parts all over this video---SORRY!

and we will NOT discuss Joe wearing the hairclampy thing...nope---not even going to discuss it.

No Virginia---there is no Santa

some of you may remember my previous post ( i dont know how to put the cute little link here---scroll down a little ways and you'll see it---it looks just like this:

(oh wait---there was only ONE comment left on that post---so apparently MOST of you WONT remember that post)

anyways---i asked santa for this most amazing crockpot---I was good----2009 was a good year for me---and this is perfection.....

i didnt get it....

now dont get me wrong---i had a MOST wonderful christmas---grandbabyboys---family everywhere---mrs beasley---she'll be getting her own post---soon---i promise

anyway----sigh---no triple crockpot

one of the neat things about having a birthday right after christmas---is people remember what you DIDNT get!

so i didnt have to wait for some ashy-overdressed-desperately-in-need-of-a-shave-old-man to creep down my chimney next year ----my own personal Santa, my sister Eden, my WONDERFUL sister Eden, whom i ADORE! surprised me with the arrival of a HUGE box on my birthday!

GUESS STINKIN WHAT!?!

THE MOST AMAZING PERFECTION OF A CROCKPOT---A TRIPLE CROCKPOT

whoever created this should be sainted...seriously.

so...this was the meal that i cuisined---yes---its a word---as the first triple-crock-potted meal

crockpot #1------garlic & herb buttered corn on the cob----turned out perfecto! i may never do corn on the cob any other way again!crockpot #2---------creamy chicken & rice casserole---pure comfort food heaven. Turned out a lot better than it looks---this picture makes it look a little watery---but its not at all...creamy and good. most recipes have you add the rice later---not this---all goes in together!

crockpot #3-------------peach cobbler (more of a cake than a cobbler)---perfect for a chilly day.

so thank you Santa---fer nuthin! i will now be addressing all my correspondence to:

Eden

Lago Vista, Texas

btw---this was divine----the VERY day that I posted this, i found this blog...perfect!

and btw p.s....apparently i DO know how to do the little linky thing!