Monday, March 31, 2008

Walking on a cool spring afternoon..



I went walking with girlfriends tonight. It felt so good to be out in the fresh air. I walked 3.52 miles @ a brisk pace! Walking is such a weight loss stimulator! I am ready to start losing again. I also did something I have never done before! I went tanning! I am so pale, I wanted to get an early start for shorts season. I went soon after the walk..and mmmmm that felt really good too! Tommorow Joe and I are going to check out some coffee houses and then Brenda and I are meeting for our weekly get together at Steamers! I hope all is well in your world!
Susan

Monday's recipe-Chicken Wing Dip!


This is my most requested recipe! When I go to a party this is what I usually take! I serve it with tortilla chips or really any kind of cracker! ENJOY!!
INGREDIENTS
2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing
1 cup Hot sauce, such as Franks® Red Hot®
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese (I usually use both!)

1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces
1 (8 ounce) box chicken-flavored crackers
or tortilla chips



DIRECTIONS
Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker or casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly in the crock pot, or 1/2 hour in a 350 degree oven. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.

Elephant painting his self portrait

Check this video out! How amazing!

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Does anyone do Netflix?


We are thinking about joining netflix. Let me know if you have any experience with them. They do have a list of great movies that our local video store doesn't carry.

Grace Chapel Community Church-Brunch-Shoe shopping-and a coffee house chat!

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a new church that we were going to try. It is a church in Sharon Pa, who is thriving! They are in the process of building a new facility in Hermitage, which is a little bit closer to New Castle. We liked it. : )

There's hope....

Afterwards we went to Eat-n-park for brunch. We all had the breakfast buffet..42 dollars plus six dollar tip!That's almost 50 dollars for brunch at Eat-N-Park. I usually don't complain about prices, but I will never do that again. That was way too expensive for us! The cost of living is rising so dramatically. It is getting harder to live.

After that..Joe visited his dad..and the girls and I went shopping for some new spring shoes. We had fun together. I love being with my girls so much. We truly enjoy each other. I am blessed. While we were at the mall we stopped at the coffee house called something's brewing! I ended up talking to the owner and asking him lots of questions about coffee's, lattes, etc... He was very helpful! He gave us lots of good information for our new business!

Encouragement!


"The finest gift you can give anyone is encouragement. Yet, almost no one gets the encouragement they need to grow to their full potential. If everyone received the encouragement they need to grow, the genius in most everyone would blossom and the world would produce abundance beyond the wildest dreams. We would have more than one Einstein, Edison, Schweitzer, Mother Theresa, Dr. Salk and other great minds in a century."

Sidney Madwed


I absolutely LOVE this quote! I have been working on a new blog. It is a blog that hopefully will become my business. It's a blog that is full of encouragement! I believe that God has given me the desire to change the world! I have a gift and I desperately feel that need to use it! I love people! I love to make people feel good about themselves. I definitely love to encourage others! I believe this quote is true! With a little encouragement, you can do so much! For some reason, people in general are negative, and have such a low self esteem? WHY? Just think about how much energy and good feeling you have, when you receive a compliment, or you look in the mirror and feel good, or get a good grade on a test..etc... Doesn't it make a difference in your life? Gosh..when someone smiles at me, it makes me have a little bit brighter of a day! So let's go.... do something different today! Make a difference! Smile at someone! Encourage them! Stop and buy some cookies to take to work for your co-workers..give someone a hug..say something nice...it's contagious! It will make YOU feel as good if not more than the person you are giving the encouragement too!!

Lauren!


My Beautiful Daughter Lauren was voted "most artistic" by her eighth grade class. She is very creative and spends just about all of her free time drawing! I love the way that God created Lauren! She, herself is a living work of art! She is so unique and very talented! She is sweet and funny and ooooh so loving! She is confidant in who she is! She is COOL! She is a Leader! I am blessed beyond words to have Lauren as my daughter! Check out some of her works of art!



The Bridge



Jesus loves us so much. I feel His love right now. It's like a warm blanket enveloping me, comforting me and making me feel secure.
Take a moment..close your eyes and breath Him in. If you don't know Him, invite Him into your heart, and you will know a love like no other you have ever felt before. Don't know how? It's easy. Just say, "Jesus, come into my heart. I want to get to know you better." Have you ever seen that picture of Him standing at a door and knocking..well He's doing that right now to your heart...you've just got to open the door! I love you too. Susan

Saturday, March 29, 2008

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND CONCERT!

I'm going to see Dave Matthews!!! May 30th at Starlake!! I scored AWESOME seats!!
SEC 6 W 17 - 16
I can't wait!! I saw DMB in concert twice before. Once I was on the lawn, and the other time I had THIRD ROW TICKETS!! It was one of my greatest experiences! Here's a video of the band singing my all time favorite song. *sigh*

Friday, March 28, 2008

Personality Test


Have you ever taken a personality test? They are very revealing! I took one a few years ago when I was on a leadership team. I thought mine was very acurate. Here is the site to take the test, if you are interested! Drop me a line and let me know your personality type! I'd love to hear what type you are! : )
www.personalitypage.com
I am an INFJ

Portrait of an INFJ - Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging
(Introverted Intuition with Extraverted Feeling)

The INFJ's perfectionism and idealism, when combined with their empathy and genuine concern for others, can cause them to be true servants for people in some fashion. They may be great doctors or ministers or counselors. If they have also achieved a good amount of life wisdom, they can become powerful forces, such as Jesus (INFJ) and Mahatma Ghandi (INFJ).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Protector

As an INFJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in primarily via intuition. Your secondary mode is external, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit with your personal value system.

INFJs are gentle, caring, complex and highly intuitive individuals. Artistic and creative, they live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities. Only one percent of the population has an INFJ Personality Type, making it the most rare of all the types.

INFJs place great importance on havings things orderly and systematic in their outer world. They put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for getting things done, and constantly define and re-define the priorities in their lives. On the other hand, INFJs operate within themselves on an intuitive basis which is entirely spontaneous. They know things intuitively, without being able to pinpoint why, and without detailed knowledge of the subject at hand. They are usually right, and they usually know it. Consequently, INFJs put a tremendous amount of faith into their instincts and intuitions. This is something of a conflict between the inner and outer worlds, and may result in the INFJ not being as organized as other Judging types tend to be. Or we may see some signs of disarray in an otherwise orderly tendency, such as a consistently messy desk.

INFJs have uncanny insight into people and situations. They get "feelings" about things and intuitively understand them. As an extreme example, some INFJs report experiences of a psychic nature, such as getting strong feelings about there being a problem with a loved one, and discovering later that they were in a car accident. This is the sort of thing that other types may scorn and scoff at, and the INFJ themself does not really understand their intuition at a level which can be verbalized. Consequently, most INFJs are protective of their inner selves, sharing only what they choose to share when they choose to share it. They are deep, complex individuals, who are quite private and typically difficult to understand. INFJs hold back part of themselves, and can be secretive.

But the INFJ is as genuinely warm as they are complex. INFJs hold a special place in the heart of people who they are close to, who are able to see their special gifts and depth of caring. INFJs are concerned for people's feelings, and try to be gentle to avoid hurting anyone. They are very sensitive to conflict, and cannot tolerate it very well. Situations which are charged with conflict may drive the normally peaceful INFJ into a state of agitation or charged anger. They may tend to internalize conflict into their bodies, and experience health problems when under a lot of stress.

Because the INFJ has such strong intuitive capabilities, they trust their own instincts above all else. This may result in an INFJ stubborness and tendency to ignore other people's opinions. They believe that they're right. On the other hand, INFJ is a perfectionist who doubts that they are living up to their full potential. INFJs are rarely at complete peace with themselves - there's always something else they should be doing to improve themselves and the world around them. They believe in constant growth, and don't often take time to revel in their accomplishments. They have strong value systems, and need to live their lives in accordance with what they feel is right. In deference to the Feeling aspect of their personalities, INFJs are in some ways gentle and easy going. Conversely, they have very high expectations of themselves, and frequently of their families. They don't believe in compromising their ideals.

INFJ is a natural nurturer; patient, devoted and protective. They make loving parents and usually have strong bonds with their offspring. They have high expectations of their children, and push them to be the best that they can be. This can sometimes manifest itself in the INFJ being hard-nosed and stubborn. But generally, children of an INFJ get devoted and sincere parental guidance, combined with deep caring.

In the workplace, the INFJ usually shows up in areas where they can be creative and somewhat independent. They have a natural affinity for art, and many excel in the sciences, where they make use of their intuition. INFJs can also be found in service-oriented professions. They are not good at dealing with minutia or very detailed tasks. The INFJ will either avoid such things, or else go to the other extreme and become enveloped in the details to the extent that they can no longer see the big picture. An INFJ who has gone the route of becoming meticulous about details may be highly critical of other individuals who are not.

The INFJ individual is gifted in ways that other types are not. Life is not necessarily easy for the INFJ, but they are capable of great depth of feeling and personal achievement.
These are the negatives about an INFJ! As I read over these...THESE DESCRIBE ME TO A TEE!!!! I am sitting here in awe...
May be unaware (and sometimes uncaring) of how they come across to others
May quickly dismiss input from others without really considering it
May apply their judgment more often towards others, rather than towards themselves
With their ability to see an issue from many sides, they may always find others at fault for any problems in their lives
May have unrealistic and/or unreasonable expectations of others
May be intolerant of weaknesses in others
May believe that they're always right
May be obsessive and passionate about details that may be unimportant to the big picture
May be cuttingly derisive and sarcastic towards others
May have an intense and quick temper
May be tense, wound up, have high blood pressure and find it difficult to relax
May hold grudges, and have difficulty forgiving people
May be wishy-washy and unsure how to act in situations that require quick decision making
May have difficulty communicating their thoughts and feelings to others
May see so many tangents everywhere that they can't stay focused on the bottom line or the big picture
Jungian functional preference ordering:

Dominant: Introverted Intuition
Auxilliary: Extraverted Feeling
Tertiary: Introverted Thinking
Inferior: Extraverted Sensing

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Friends


I have two get togethers with two different friends tommorow! In the morning I am meeting my friend Fred, whom I met while on jury duty a few months ago! We are meeting @ Steamers coffee house for a cup of Java and some chatting. Fred is a financial advisor, and I am going to pick his brain for some $ advice!!

Tommorow night, my beautiful friend Karen Lee Jameson and I are having dinner together and we will most likely close the restaurant and still continue talking...

I have a few favors to ask you, dear reader.

Please add a few prayers to your talks with God. Joe's dad is in the hospital again. He just progressively gets worse, and soon he will just run out of breath, even with oxygen. Please pray for Joe, since he is his dad's main caregiver. He has a lot on his plate, and needs your support.

I have been talking about it for so long, but I am feeling very strongly, that now is the time to stop working at the restaurant and begin concentrating on this business venture that I've been working on. Please pray that we find someone to replace me, and also that I receive God's wisdom and guidance and discipline in this new venture of mine. I will need His strength to go through with this.
Thanks friends! I hope you have an amazing day or evening or night, depending on when you are reading this!!
With Christs AMAZING and NEVERENDING LOVE, SUSAN

A letter...


I'd like to share with you a letter that I received in the mail today. It was a gift of sunshine that brightened my morning! It is a rarity for someone to take the time to handwrite a note such as this. I am so impressed and I'm telling you friends, God is AMAZING! He brings such incredible people into my life! I am blessed beyond words!!
Dear Susan,
I am not in the habit of writing notes like this to the vendors I meet who come to the expo. (This was the first year that we participated in the New Wilmington Business Expo at Westminster College!) But you have been in my thoughts since I got home yesterday when all the work was done. It was truly a great pleasure to meet you. Your enthusiasm and spirt of love are contagious. Your life speaks volumes of your love for God and thats from an observer who barely knows you. What joy you spread!
I am convinced that living, moving, breathing in all that God has to give us is what makes our lives a positive witness to others. But sometimes this is difficult to do. They say you should surround yourself with positive people and positive surroundings. I have to say, you were a wonderful pick-me-up for me. I have tried to maintain a positve outlook-but there are times when I'm surrounded by everything but (Oh..I can relate so much to this!!!). And then God places someone like you in my life-if even for just a moment-and my spirit is uplifted once again. It is the best feeling! (I know this feeling as well!!!)
It was a pleasure to have you at the Expo! And for me it was a great pleasure to meet you. I sense we'll be seeing more of each other as time goes on. God bless, Anne (I'll keep her last name to myself)

NFL may be forcing players to get hair cuts


NEW YORK (AP)—Troy Polamalu might not have to worry about getting tackled again by his hair.

At their meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., next week, NFL owners will consider a proposal to ban players from having hair flow from their helmets below their names on the back of their jerseys.

That might affect Polamalu’s image, but help him on the field. Two seasons ago, the Pittsburgh safety with the long ponytail had his hair grabbed by Kansas City’s Larry Johnson and was thrown to the turf after an interception against the Chiefs.

The rule banning long hair on the field was proposed by Kansas City. It does not require players to get haircuts, but does “require them to tuck it up inside their helmets,” said Atlanta president Rich McKay, chairman of the league’s competition committee.

Polamalu is the best known of the players, most of them defensive backs, with hair flowing outside their helmets. Others include cornerbacks Al Harris of Green Bay and Mike McKenzie of New Orleans.

Because the rule was proposed by a team, the competition committee did not take a position on it. It will be discussed Monday with a package of other rules.


What do you think? Should NFL players have to keep their hair short?

www.changeyourlife2008.com

David Cook doin' Billie Jean on American Idol



Mmmmm.... Good. : )

Cluttered Minds



Cluttered People
Feeling way to busy? Is your mind, body and soul tired? Here are some good thoughts I came across from Charles Swindoll:

Uncluttering Our Minds. 5 sources of mind-clutter common to the 21st century. (1). Most of us say yes to far too many things. (2). Most of us do not plan time for leisure and rejuvenation. (3). Most of us rarely experience the joy of accomplishment. (4). Most people living in wealthy countries owe more than they can hope to repay. (5). Most of us fool ourselves into thinking that with our modern technology, we have simplified our lives.

Clutter as the enemy of simplicity. Too much clutter in your minds leaves insufficient room for devotion to Christ.

Maintaining an uncluttered private life. (1). Do you spend adequate time with God. In order to do this you have to make one tiny yet powerful word as a regular part of your vocabulary. The word is no. (2). Have you become a cluttered person within?

Maintaining an uncluttered public life. (1). Are good things keeping you about God's best? (2). Are too many material possessions draining your energy and leaving you exhausted? (3). Are activities outside your home stealing time from those within the home?

Silence and Solitude: Slowing our pace. May not the inadequacy of much of our spiritual experience be traced back to our habit of skipping through the corridors of the Kingdom like children in a market place, chattering about everything, but pausing to learn the value of nothing (A.W. Tozer).

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Cappuccinno, Latte, Espresso.. anyone?

The 4000K machine!!

Mike, was our Barista Teacher! He did a great job showing us the fine art of coffee making! Mike hated getting his picture taken so thanks Mike for being a good sport!

Joe listening to instructions on cleaning the machine
Our first Creek Inn Cappuccinno!!

MMMMM!

New Cappuccinno Machine!

It's here! Well actually it's there..at work..and I am going ..now..to work! I am taking pictures so you can see our new addition to the Neshannock Creek Inn Restaurant Family... Have an AMAZING, FANTASTIC, SUPER WONDERFUL day! : ) Bye..FOR NOW! *Wink*

Word of the Day

PERVASAUR
An eldery pervert. Most likely impotent but often seen flirting with baristas and waitresses
AS A WAITRESS I HAVE COME IN CONTACT WITH MANY PERVASAURS!!! lol

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

What the world Eats!


www.time.com

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio is a photo book showing families around the world in their homes surrounded by the food they consume in a week, the cost of their food expenditure for one week, and their favorite foods. You can see the slideshow at Time.com. It’s an astonishing comparison of our food habits, economies and cultural differences and similarities.

Tuesday!


I am working on a little logo for the Neshannock Creek Inn's new coffee bar to be opened next week! Tommorow, our new machine is arriving and we are getting schooled in the art of making specialty coffee's! We are both so excited! We are going to make a new menu of desserts and specialty coffees that will sit on each table!

Being like Jesus..

There are a few blogs that I read daily..most of them are listed on my blog links at the bottom of my page. One of my favorites is
wwww.ragamuffinsoul.com. Carlos was a worship leader at Sandals church in California and now works for BuckHead Church in Atlanta. He puts together a great blog. He was leading worship this Easter and ..well I'll let you see what he wrote..


I’m in verse 2 and I look to my left and am hit like a blind side pick and roll.
Swaying on the front row was a guy I later learned was named Matt.
Standing in front of him was another guy named Jefferson.
It was a moment that stands out above all else in my 11 years of leading worship.
You see Matt and Jefferson were worshipping God, together.
Literally.
Jefferson has severe cerebral palsy. He has little, if any control over his body.
Matt was standing behind Jefferson.
Holding Jefferson.
20 minutes.
Dancing with Jefferson and singing at the top of his lungs.
Jefferson was singing too. I think could hear him.
And it was the most beautiful song I have ever heard.



There are hundreds of thoughts, emotions, and lessons that could go along with Matt and Jefferson.
To watch them sing out and dance was a thing of beauty. Obedience. Unbridled Joy.
Thank you Matt and Jefferson for a shifting moment in my life.

Thank you Carlos for sharing that moment with us!

Human Tetris

Have you ever played Tetris? This video cracks me up!

Nikki & Sarah




Monday, March 24, 2008

Easter 2008



Hello friends! Happy Monday! I hope you had a fantastic Easter! If there was just one word I could use to describe our Easter this year it would be BEAUTIFUL. Let me tell you about our day and then I will post pictures. We were going to go to Maryland to spend Easter with my sisters, but because I had not enough waitresses to work at my restaurant, I had to work a full day on Saturday. By the time we finished working it would have been too late to travel.
We were all disappointed, because my girls LOVE seeing their cousins and I always love visiting with my sisters. I miss them so much. But ..what is the saying..when life gives you lemons..make lemonade!!?? Something like that... So that is what we did! I knew it would be just my immediate family, and this would be the first time that we ever stayed home for Easter, so I wanted to make it special.
Since we don't have a church home, we decided to make our own church service and have communion. So I woke up early Easter Morning, turned on my favorite Christian radio station, and began to make a HUGE breakfast! I received the BEST Easter gift that morning! My oldest daughter Ally woke up, and came downstairs and began to make breakfast with me. She set the table and in her Ally way..she made it the most beautiful, fanciest table! She helped me cut peppers and onions for the potatoes, she helped me scramble the eggs, she helped me make homemade blueberry muffins...She stood right along side of me, the entire morning, listening to music, celebrating God's love, learning how to be a wife and mother, loving me, and loving her family. I can't even explain it in words, the way it felt to have her beside me. It was one of those "moments". Do you know what I mean? While it was happening, I knew that I would remember this time forever. As I said in the beginning of this post, it was "BEAUTIFUL".
You see, We've always spent holidays with my family, and I've always been spoiled to have my mom and mother in law do most of the cooking for us, so It hasn't been until recently that I've been responsible for cooking a Holiday Family meal. I think this was the first Easter that I've ever "Made" for my family!! I LOVED IT!! I love cooking for other people! I can't believe that I'm saying it, but it's true! I love hostessing and I love serving, and making everything special for others. I get this from my mom! She always made our holidays so special! She made our Christmas's and Easter's. She always set the most beautiful tables, and had the most delicious foods...and guess what? I take after her! I LOVE doing this for my family also! It's a LOVE thing, isn't it? I never knew...I never realized until this year..how BEAUTIFUL it was.
So Ally and I spent the morning being "women" together..loving our family and each other. Oh mom..if you're reading this..Thank-you..Thank you for teaching me how to be a wonderful mother this way!!! I appreciate all you've done for us to make our holiday's so wonderful, and for teaching us how to do this! (I know ..after 42 years of life..it's about time!!!)
We made blueberry muffins, bagels, fried potatoes, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, fresh orange juice, coffee, and sassafrass tea! Here are some pictures!


So We woke Joe and Lauren up and had communion together and talked about the Easter story and then ate breafast together. After breakfast, the girls asked me to hide an easter egg, to find, before they could open their baskets, so Joe and I each hid a little chocolate bunny. It took less than a minute for the girls to find them (MOM..we're 14 & 16!!!) heheeh (That's what Lauren said..but she's the one that asked me to hide them!) And they got their Easter Baskets from Joe and I, and from Emily! Every Holiday, Emily treats my girls as if she were her grandchildren and makes them the most wonderful holiday surprises! She makes us a beautiful lamb cake (You can see it on the pictures of the table and her 91 year old mom makes the most Incredible Easter Bread and gives the girls an Easter Basket that is not only beautiful but FILLED with candy and gifts!! My girls always look forward to Emily's special treats! I love it because, it's someone else to love my girls. Emily, if you're reading this I appreciate YOU so much..for all the love you give to us!! We are unworthy of all the love you show us! Your kindness will always, ALWAYS be remembered by my family!!
After breakfast Lauren and Joe cleaned up, and then we had a game tournament. Joe bought 10 lottery cards and whoever won the game, got to scratch off a ticket. We played so many different games. We laughed til I wet my pants..and yes, I really did during one of the competitions..and had sooo much fun!! We truly spent the WHOLE day together laughing and having fun. Then we all took a nap, and it was time to make our Easter dinner!
We made Ham, Scallopped potatoes, sweet potato casserole, fresh green beans, carrots, rolls and butter, and for dessert we had lamb cake and blackberry cobbler with ice cream!! YUMMMMMMM!!! It was perfect! We all cleaned up and came and snuggled in our bed and watched a movie together! *Sigh* It couldn't have been a better Day. I am grateful! I am so grateful for my family and for Jesus Christ, who has made life possible for us. Jesus, the love you pour into my heart is so immense that it spills right out of me and overflows onto my family! We love you so much and are thankful! I hope you know Jesus's love too. Susan

Monday's Recipe .. Cobb Salad!


What to do with those leftover Hard Boiled Eggs? We're making Cobb Salad for Dinner tonight! Here is the Recipe! YUM!!

INGREDIENTS
8 slices bacon
3 hard boiled eggs
1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
3 cups chopped, cooked chicken meat
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
3 green onions, chopped
1 (8 ounce) bottle Ranch dressing



Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
Divide shredded lettuce among individual plates.
Evenly divide and arrange chicken, eggs, tomatoes, blue cheese, bacon, avocado and green onions in a row on top of the lettuce.
Drizzle with your favorite dressing and enjoy.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Nikki & the Easter Bunny!

>

Five great Easter egg dyeing sites!



For those of you who wish to take Easter egg dyeing to a new level, there are some great Web sites that provide creative ideas and step-by-step instructions. Here are five of my favorites, sure to inspire and get the creative juices flowing: Just click on the links!



www.familyfun.com

www.allrecipes.com

www.whitehouse.gov

pysanky

nanaellen

Easter Funnies...

I hope these make you smile!


Friday, March 21, 2008

Thank you Jesus



I'm so sorry you had to go through such pain and suffering for us. There are times I feel so filthy dirty..yet you keep on loving me. I mess up so much..but you keep on loving me. THank you Lord! How you and your Father love us..is hard to fathom. You are my savior Lord, my rock, my hope, my love, my life...my everything. I need that unconditional love..no matter how filthy..no matter how many times I mess up..I know you will keep on loving me! Thank you for everything you've done and all you continue to do.. your daughter who loves you so much, Susan

A beautiful video and song for Easter



If you've never been to the sitewww.godtube.com, Go check it out..go on...now!! It's an awesome site!!

Take the awareness test!

Lovin' this commercial


p.s. If you need to stop the music for my blog..scroll down all the way to the bottom and click the stop button on the music player. : )

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Easter Egg Dying Contest..

Okay..so when you have teenagers you've got to be creative to get them to want to dye Easter Eggs. So what do I do? I make a competition.. (Notice Joe at the head of the table? They weren't allowed to start until he got home from work!) A golden dollar for the best egg & one for the ugliest egg(A hougelman tradition). They really got into it... Gary tried to win by creating some pornography on his Egg...Lauren got smart and wrote my favorite Bible Verse on one...and Ally's all were beautiful..

BUT THE WINNERS WERE:
Best Overall: Lauren with her watermelon man..


And Ugliest..Joe Hougelman With his Picasso self-portrait

Family night!

Makin' Bakin' and Dekoratin' Easter cookies!
Dying Eggs..
While I made Raspberry filled shortbread cookies..

A Thursday in the life..


7:00 am- my sister called..so bubbly..so early in the morning...I want to sleep more!
7:15 am- Nikki in my bed licking my face.. (Go to sleep Nikki!!!)I want more sleep!
7:45 am- fully awake..shower..dressed
8:30 am- Dentist appt. I HATE GETTING MY TEETH CLEANED!! Does anyone else? I hate it..I hate when they scrape the tartar off of my teeth..it makes them so sensitive, and I hate the polishing because it tickles and is so uncomfortable and I hate the taste of the polish... and it cost one hundred dollars. One hundred dollars for tickling and torturing my mouth..it just doesn't seem right!
9:30 am-stopped at Dunkin' Donuts and got the kids breakfast
9:45 am-ran and got the girls some movies to watch for tonight
10:15 am-off to work
10:30 am-work..
kind of a boring day..
4:30 pm-home again..Ally cleaned the house for me!! YEAH!! Ally is a mini Martha Stewart! She does a better job cleaning then I do!
5:00 Made sugar cookies (pictures to follow)-decorated cookies with Lauren (my artist)
7:00 pm getting ready to dye easter eggs (pictures to follow)
Watching a movie tonight with Ally, Gary, Lauren and Joe....
Makin popcorn and eating some of our sugar cookies...
That's my thursday : )
Oh....The best part! I forgot to tell you..
I came home and Lauren said, "How was your day mom?" I said, "Actually Lauren, my day was fantastic!" She said, "mom, all your days are fantastic!" She's right.
IT'S ALL IN YOUR ATTITUDE!! She notices...

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Easter Basket Shopping


Hey everyone!
I hope your week is going well. I've been having a fantastic week so far. Today I had to work until 2:30, picked the girls up from school and now I'm on my way to get some Easter supplies! Joe and I didn't get to do our "date" night yet, so tonight is our date night! We're going shopping in boardman and I'm sure he'll pick a nice place for us to eat. hmmmmm where will it be?? Maybe Panera bread..we've got lots of talking to do! We made a HUGE purchase this week for our restaurant, so we've got to talk about that! (I'll let you know later what it is...) hehehe, do you like surprises??
My girls still like getting Easter Baskets, so I've got to go find things to fill them with. See ya later! Be kind to each other : ) Susan

Monday, March 17, 2008

Working from Steamers Coffee House Today!

Working on my business blog..and meeting Brenda @ noon.

Monday's Recipe! IRISH COLCANNON


A St. Patrick's day recipe for you to try!
found on my favorite recipe site www.allrecipes.com
While Colcannon seems to be associated with St. Patrick's Day, I love the combination of potatoes, cabbage, onion and bacon all through the cooler months of Fall and Winter! I attend an annual St. Patty's Day party and this is the dish I'm always asked to bring... and I'm happy to say that the bowl comes home empty every time!"

PREP TIME 20 Min
COOK TIME 20 Min
READY IN 40 Min
SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: 8 servings

IRISH COLCANNON
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 slices bacon
1/2 small head cabbage, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup butter, melted

DIRECTIONS
Place potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender.
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, reserving drippings, crumble and set aside. In the reserved drippings, saute the cabbage and onion until soft and translucent. Putting a lid on the pan helps the vegetables cook faster.
Drain the cooked potatoes, mash with milk and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the bacon, cabbage, and onions, then transfer the mixture to a large serving bowl. Make a well in the center, and pour in the melted butter. Serve immediately.

In honor of the Day of the Green!



If you celebrate this Day..make it a great one! Enjoy yourself! Love each other!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Make Today Great!


Smile
Sit up straight. Lift your head up. Lift your eyes. Take a long, deep breath, and smile. Though things may be far from perfect for you, act like it's a great day to be alive.
Because it is.
Keep a smile on your face and in your voice. Put a spring in your step. Act like you would act if you were the most confident, successful, joyful person in your town. Speak to others in kind and positive terms. Think and speak to yourself the same way.
Embrace the challenges and see their positive possibilities.
There is no need to delay, even for another moment, the fulfillment that life can bring. See the world around you for what it is, and know that it cannot bring you down. Live
today as if it is the best day you could possibly imagine. And in doing that you make it so.
Ralph Marston

On Finding Opportunities...

Opportunity of a lifetime
So, there's plenty of bad economic news floating around. From the price of oil to Wall Street to bailouts to the death of traditional advertising.

Which is great news for anyone hoping to grow or to make an impact.

Change (and the fortunes that go with it) is almost always made during the down part of the cycle. It might not be fun, but it's exciting. (Where do you think Google came from?) The opportunity is to find substantial opportunities (in any field) that deliver real value and have a future. Those jobs/investments/companies/ideas are undervalued right now, but not for long.

This was on seth godin's blog today. I have a few ideas for internet business's that I'm pretty sure could become very successful. I've got to step beyond the idea stage. I've been trying...

Eating Pistachio Nuts



YUM!

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