Sunday, April 19, 2009

Chilly Chili Cook Off

Saturday was the 25th annual Chili Cook Off in Muskogee.
UJ went and sampled a boat load of chili and came away thinking maybe our (ok his) chili might be our favorite. :o) The weather was overcast and we left minutes before a downpour came and washed all the chili eaters away.
A classmate of Joe's had a booth and gave away Dinky Links. DL's are a hotlink made with a secret recipe that is guarded by a security system that would rival Fort Knox. :o) I tried one bite of one and my stomach was on fire the rest of the day. He won 3rd place in hotlinks. He was robbed!
I got to meet my future SIL and had lunch with her, her 6 yr old daughter, my mom and Cassidy. We went to Flair and had a nice visit. Cassi isn't quite sure she is ready to relinquish her spot as "Baby Grand-daughter". I could tell by the look on her face.......
Aside from the rain.....buckets of rain, we had a nice weekend. Friends, Family and Food!
Have a good week where ever you are Blogger Friends!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Toasty Goodness

Next time you eat Angel Food Cake put it in the toaster for a bit and get it nice and toasty warm and crunchy.

WOWIE! It was good!!

Fresh berries and whipped cream and you have sweet delights!


Monday, April 13, 2009

Land of......

Yesterday as we drove through town Uncle Joe said
"Josefina I think we should rename JoeTown....Land of a Thousand Speed Bumps."

Maybe it is a coincidence, but it seems there ARE a lot of speed bumps and dips in our town. There are two speed dips on our way to Nana's house and I hate them so much (after driving on them over 20 years) I will drive out of my way to avoid them. There are several speed bumps in and around the school and we are driving those roads constantly!

When I was in High School my friend, Carol used to pick me up for early band practice at 7:00. Let's just say we are not known for our punctuality....so it was usually 6:59 and we would go FLYING down Walnut street and FLY over the speed dips. BAH DUMP!! BAH DUMP!! (SPEED UP!) BAH DUMP!! BAH DUMP!!

We loved the speed dips when we were in Elementary school on the school bus ride home. If you sat in the last seat, when the driver went over the dip we would fly up and plunk back down in our seats screaming with delight.

Bah-dump!



Sunday, April 12, 2009

Sing Praises

There is a sweet song bird on my porch singing praises to Jesus....He is risen!!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

9 Ways to Get Happy in the Next 30 Minutes

I found this article on Yahoo! today and thought it had some great mood-lifters. We have not had enough sunshine in Oklahoma this month- We have had unseasonably cold weather the past few weeks and it has definitely dampened the mood in the Joe house.

We already do a couple of these suggestions and I am glad to say UJ has engaged in cleansing and purging the garage of useless stuff we brought with us in our move and have accumulated since we arrived. Garage sale next week! Yay Joe!!

from: Real Simple Magazine
byJay Gosney


In the next half hour, tackle as many of the following suggestions as possible. Not only will these tasks themselves increase your happiness, but the mere fact that you've achieved some concrete goals will boost your mood.

1. Raise your activity level to pump up your energy. If you are on the phone stand up and pace. Walkt to a co-workers office instead of sending an email. Take a 10 minute brisk walk or, even better...


2. Take a walk outside. Research shows that light stimulates brain chemicals that improve mood. For an extra boost, get your sunlight first thing in the morning.

3. Reach out. Send an e-mail to a friendyou haven't seen in a while or reach out to someone new. Having close bonds with other people is one of the most important keys to happiness. When you act in a friendly way, not only will others feel more friendly toward you, but you'll also strengthen feelings of friendliness for others.

4. Rid yourself of a nagging task. Deal with that insurance problem, purchase something you need or make that long-postponed appointment with the dentist. Crosing an irksome chore off your to-do list will give you a rush of elation.

5. Create a more serene environment. Outer order contribtes to inner peace, so spend some time organizing bills and tackling the piles in the kitchen. A large stack of small tasks can feel overwhelming but often just a few minutes of work can make a sizable dent. Set the timer for 10 minutes and see what you can do in that time.


6. Do a good deed. Introduce two people by e-mail, take a minute to pass along useful information or deliver some gratifying praise. In fact you can also....


7. Save someone's life. Sign up to be an organ donor, and remember to tell your family about your decision. Do good, feel good. It really works!


8. Act Happy. Fake it til you feel it. Research shows that even an artifically induced smile boosts your mood. And if you're smiling, other people will perceive you as being friendlier and more approachable. There is not need to walk around in a constant state of worry. After all, what's the worst that can happen if you bounce a check or leave wet clothes in the dryer?

9. Learn something new. Think of a subject that you wish you knew more about and spend 15 minutes on the internet reading about it, or go to a book store and buy a book about it. Be honest and choose something that really interests you and not something you think you should know.

~OK Bloggie Buddies, hop to it!

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Chicken Enchiladas


We found a really EZ recipe for Chicken Enchiladas

3 boneless chicken breasts boiled and shredded
1 pkg cream cheese cut into cubes
1 small can green chilies (do not drain)
2 cans green enchilada sauce
tortillas (we used flour)
shredded cheez (we used colby jack)

preheat oven to 400 degrees
spray a 13x9 pan with cooking spray

mix shredded chicken, cream cheez and green chilies in a skillet and cook over medium heat until cheez melts.

place a large spoonful of chicken mixture in tortilla and roll up. Place seam side down in pan.

cover enchiladas with green sauce then sprinkle cheez over the top.

bake 20 minutes

I got lots of praises from the Family Unit on this one and I believe it will be added to the supper rotation. :o)

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

February Throw Back


My photo for work has just been posted on the work website today.
I started 2-2-09. :o)
I had a good hair day...

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

I Betcha: You're Crazy!

Lately I have taken on an annoying habit. When Uncle Joe does something silly or outlandish (which is often) I say, "You're crazy!"

While that in itself is not annoying, the accent I take on is. I say it like Jack Black's character in Nacho Libre.

You can imagine how annoying that is after about 18 times.

He proposed to me, while we sat at the Sunday dinner table that he would pay me $1 per day if I would not say that phrase to him for 1 month.

"Deal!" I said, thinking it was going to be the easiest $30 I had made in a long time.

"But if you mess up even once, you lose it all....." he added.

Thirty minutes later as we cleaned up the kitchen he said something, well, crazy and I slipped.

I didn't even make it one hour.

Oh well.......I'm crazy!! Now I can say it all I want since I already lost for the month. haha Uncle Joe!! I win!!