Around Town

Our local gas station/convenience store/Diner/bait shop!

Where I've been.

I finally have another site up, alyssaswish.com. It took a lot of deleting and starting over before I had what I was looking for. I still need to do some small clean up. Particularly the photos. Feel free to stop by and let me know what you think and what can be improved.

So that's what I have been working on. I now have to decide what to do with all my hair care accessories. I also was interested in webstore.com. I found that after reading auction byte's newsletter.

The wheels are always rolling but sometimes I don't go anywhere because too many thoughts pop in.
I have also started a baby afghan to put in my Bonanza store.

Brian has no opinion. Actually his first question was what is it? So I could really use opinions on this too!  Feel free to chime in.

Kicking And Screaming Into This Century

Today I was talking to my mom. She said she would be calling me later to look up something up for her on the internet. I told her no problem but we really needed to get her and my dad a computer. She laughed and said they talk about it but my dad says "what do we need that for?"
I told her it would be nice if they joined the rest of the world in this century. Honestly, I might be pushing them too far. Just 4 years ago they bought their first ever answering machine. Last summer they up graded to voice-mail that they can't figure out and keep wondering why the dial tone is stuttering.
This past year they broke down and bought a cell phone.  They brought it up at Christmas time to have us put phone numbers in their phone book.
I suppose I shouldn't encourage the computer it would probably mean I would have to drive 3 hours once a week to figure out something or another that they needed help with.

Is There A Pill For Teenager?

found this here: Image shack

Taco Salad

1 lb ground beef 80/20
1 envelope taco seasoning
15 oz can Kidney beans, drained
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1 cup onions, diced
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
6 oz Black Olives
8 oz Green Goddess
8 oz Cucumber Ranch
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Brown the ground beef and mix in taco seasoning according to the envelope.
Mix all into a large bowl and refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Serve with lettuce. I don't mix the lettuce in because it wilts unless you eat it all in one sitting. Since no one in my house will eat this and I don't eat the whole bowl at once. I add the lettuce when I have lunch!


1 cup is 1 serving
makes 10 servings
11 Points Plus per serving



You could make this even less points by using Kraft Done Right Ranch and low fat cheese.

Lighter Taco Salad
1 lb ground beef
15 oz can of kidney beans
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 cup tomato
1 small onion
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
 6 oz black olives
6 oz green goddess
6 oz Kraft Light Done Right Cucumber Ranch
1 Cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese

Serving is 1 Cup
Make 10 servings
8 Points Plus per serving

I add a lot more lettuce to mine and mix it all together.

I f you want to add points you could add a serving of Doritos for 4 points for 12 chips
Baked Doritos 3 points for 15 chips.

Until We Meet Again

I was going to post my recipe for Taco salad today. However, I started my day this morning the way I do every morning, watching HLN news. I saw a report on Southwest airlines holding a plane for a grandpa who was trying to get to his 3 year old grandson's hospital bed. They were going to take him off life support and grandpa wanted to say good bye. I can not say thank you enough to that pilot.
I lost my daughter to a car accident 3 years ago. It was her 15th birthday. I never got to say good-bye. This story makes me cry for the heartache of this family loss because I know the pain only too well. However I am so glad that grandpa will never have the regret of not saying "until we met again"

Alyssa's Memorial Site

I've Finally Finished

Design by Chella Crochet http://www.bonanza.com/booths/ChellaCrochet

I finally finished the blanket I started way back when. I'm putting it up for sale in my Bonanza store (Alyssa's Wish). I set it  aside for awhile and then picked it back up and realized I'd forgotten how to do the border. It's been a year since I did a blanket with a ruffle on it so my memory was a little hazy. Of course, we don't need to talk about how the memory seems to be slow these days.
I think I'm going to start working on baby blankets rather than the twin size. After I do the blanket for my SIL. This is the design she picked.

Wednesday Wildlife

Nuthatch

 I put the hanger with the bird house and suet cage outside our front window so I could enjoy the birds coming and going. What I didn't consider is the fact that the birds drop a lot of the seed on the ground. This hasn't been a problem yet. However, my son called me to the window the other day and said look. I look down and see mice and/or vole's eating the seed on the ground. There are little tunnels in the snow for them to get their food. So far there have been no rodents in the house. ( I am furiously knocking on wood.)

Woodpecker

Blah, Blah, Blah or Internet Promoting

I have been reading for the last month about SEO and online marketing and you guessed it, it comes across to me as Blah, Blah, Blah. (The same sound my kids hear when I talk to them. I can tell by look on their faces.)
It shouldn't be hard, but it should be in English and not cost $100.00 a month to learn.
I don't consider myself slow (usually) so why I can't seem to grasp it is puzzling. (great something else to figure out).
I ordered Web Marketing All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies. I hope it sinks in or it will be sold on my Bonanza store (Alyssa's Wish)  right along side my Quilting for dummies book. I know why quilting didn't work for me.. I can't draw a straight line, never mind cut one.

I Am Not Ignoring My Blog

My husband and son were kind enough to pass their cold on to me.  I am so grateful for the sore throat, cough, stuffy head, and achy body. The thoughtfulness they continue to show with their joy (laughter) at my gratefulness for all the symptoms I am experiencing. 
I should probably sign off before the sarcasm drips all over the floor.

Pork Chop Dinner

2 Cans Cream of Mushroom Soup 98% Fat Free
1 1/2 Cups Carrots
1 Small Onion
1 Pound Lean Boneless Pork Chops
Hungry Jack Potatoes

Spray a cake pan with Pam. Mix mushroom soup, sliced or diced carrots, and chopped onions together in the pan. Pan sear the pork chops. Then place on top of the mushroom soup mixture.

Place in oven at 350 for 2 hours. It take this long to soften the carrots. Although my mom says it's my stove.So it may not take that long in yours.
I make hungry jack potatoes about 15 minutes or so before it's done baking.
When it's done I strain the gravy into a bowl.

3 oz of pork chops
1/2 cup of carrots and onions
1/2 cup of mash patatoes
1/2 cup of gravy


11 Pointsplus

Circles

I seem to be going in circles the last couple of weeks. I mean to get things done but for some reason I just skip around from one thing to the next not finishing what I started to begin with. I call it scattered. I need to pull out my large calendar and start making notes of things to do and just stick with it until the job is done. If something new pops into my head I just need to add it to the list instead of starting a new project.

This seems to be a theme in my life. I have 3 crocheted blankets I've started and have still sitting around. One from a year and 1/2 ago.

Decision

Trying to decide if I like this blog template. Hmm.