FIVE YEAR CANCER FREE

I just happened to go to read my daughter Tricia's blog. She had posted about my other daughter Kris who is a Five year cancer survivor today. Kris has posted about it today. If you have time it is worth your time to go see.

How to save the governmnet $5,000,000.00

A president's pension currently is $191,300 per year, until he is 80 years old. Assuming the next president lives to age 80. Sen. McCain would receive ZERO pension as he would reach 80 at the end of two terms as president. Sen. Obama would be retired for 26 years after two terms and would receive $4,973,800 in pension. Therefore it would certainly make economic sense to elect McCain in November.

Wordless Wednesday. Chinese Fast Food

What a fun day I had

yesterday. Did not get much done as far as housework was concerned, but I sure met a lot of wonderful people. Thanks to all of you for stopping in. I actually went through more coke and mikes than I would have if all of my children and grands were here. I will make it a point to visit each of you and thank you personally, but until I do I just want to give you all a group thanks. You made my day!!
Thanks to Deb also for her wonderful idea. It is really catching on.

Blog Around The world

Welcome all of you wonderful bloggers who are visiting me today. I am so happy you are here visiting with me.
I so enjoy the concept of blogging. I have made new friends and I get to peek into the lives of many I will most likely never meet. I get to see the world through so many eyes. In that respect, I hope you enjoy seeing my corner of the U.S. through my eyes. I will let Tricia and Gina regale you with their witty stories while I show you a bit of the Pacific Northwest. So pull up a chair and lets get going.
Deb, I am sorry I do not have any Diet Coke with lemon. Will Coke Zero do? If so I will run down to the store and get us a couple of lemons. Have been wanting to try it. For those who do not do coke, I do have a few Mikes hard lemonades, but if you are driving you can't have those. If you do coffee, I am afraid you will need to stop at one of our many famous espresso stands. You know we are the home of Starbucks and Tully's so there are some serious coffee folk around. I do not drink it, therefore, I do not know how to make it. Sorry. I also have the delicious rolled dessert I featured on my blog of June 28th, I know you will all enjoy it.
As you probably read, we Washington gals are family. There is Gina, the youngest of my five daughters and Tricia, the fourth of my five daughters . But wait there's more!! Not featured, but still a good read is Kris, the third of my five daughters. She does not post often, but when she does it is always fun and interesting. By doing the math you will see there are two more daughters. Karyn, my eldest daughter and Angela, my second daughter. Preceding all of them is Bryan, my son.
I have been married to my best friend, Stan, for 43 years. We met when we were 15 years old and married two weeks after he turned 19 and two weeks before I turned 19.
As my name indicates, I am Gramma to many. Nineteen at the last count. Ranging in age from 18 years old to 10 months old. They are all the delight of my heart and my reason for being. We are a family who generally enjoys one another's company and have fun when we are together. We just spent a week at the beach at Seaside Oregon. Everyone was not there all of the time, but at any given time, at least 13 of us were.
Washington State is a very diverse state. There is so much to see and do here. We are minutes from the beaches, lakes and rivers. We can go white water rafting, hiking and sometimes skiing all in the same day. Washington is the home of Mt. Rainier. The tallest peak in the continental U.S. A beautiful majestic mountain. We also have the Space Needle
and the Monorail. I saw an the news last night it broke down again and the people had to be rescued by ladder trucks. A common occurrence. Both were built for the 1962 Worlds Fair in Seattle.
We were, until just recently, home to the Super Sonics. We are home of the Mariners and Seahawks. I do not pay much attention to sports so I cannot tell you who is on first.
It is just beginning our Fair Season. First we can go to Monroe for the Evergreen State Fair which is celebrating its 100th year. South of Seattle we can attend the Puyallup Fair. Much larger than the Monroe, but too far for me to drive.
Over Labor Day, you can also travel east of the Mountains to Ellensburg and attend a real Rodeo. Much fun. If you are already east of the Mountains, then you are welcome to cross over and attend our fairs.
During the summer you can also attend SeaFair. A fun time paying homage to all of our water and our lively hood derived from it. It culminates with the Hydro plane races and a spectacular air show by the Blue Angels.
I think, sometimes, living in such a beautiful state, we tend to take it for granted. There is so much more to see and do here than you have time to read, or I have time to tell you about.
Thanks for stopping by and I so hope you visit again. Looking forward to seeing you again. Please be sure to comment so I know you were here.
Gramma

Just got an e-mail

from Msoshi. They have heard from the Department of Homeland Security!! We will have a definite answer within 60 days. I am beginning to look at November seriously. Have told my two daughters that they should be looking for a babysitter for that month. Am having a few reservations, but I know that the Lord told me to go and I have to act in obedience to him. I can hear him say to me something along the lines of "I gave you a job to do and you did not do it."
With that alone, I have to make this trip. I just need a big boost of courage. You know like the lion in The Wizard of Oz. Or maybe, like the scarecrow, I could use a brain. Oh well, we will be off in a couple of months, and now I must make serious preperations.

My Monday Maxine

We are back

from our week at the beach. It was very relaxing for me. Mostly I stayed around the resort and took it easy, but that is what I wanted. I want to post some very cute pictures, but will do that later.
Instead today I have to get something off my chest that is really bothering me.
I have a nephew who just returned from Iraq. I personally am a very strong supporter of what is happening, seeing that we have not been attacked since our President took a very pro-active stance with the terrorist. However, Thomas, having just returned and being discharged on the East coast made the decision to travel home very leisurely, crossing the States and going and enjoying whatever he desired. In New Mexico, his back went out on him. He went to the Veterans Hospital for treatment. They prescribed some potent drugs and tried to send him on his way. He was reluctant to take any drugs, because as a teen he had had some trouble with them. This week Veterans did surgery on his back, scraping out the disc between L4 & L5. (Being the wife of a Chiropractor, we will not go into what we think about that.) My beef? The day after surgery the hospital was set to release Thomas to a homeless shelter to recuperate!!! His mother was not available to go down to care for him so my sister is down there. She contacted one of our legislatures who contacted the hospital and made arrangements for them to keep him until she was able to fly down. They are now staying in a motel while she nurses him back to health. Is this truly how we treat our brave men and women who put their lives on the line for us? I hope it is the exception, but I am afraid it is not.
THANK YOU THOMAS GLEN HIGGINS for your service to our country.

I checked

my e-mails tonight and found that Msoshi received his passport yesterday. Each day brings us one day closer to our goal. This has been a journey of complete trust. I am continuously reminded by my dear friends that it is all through Him. I have learned so much from them. They have the most pure love and trust in the Lord that I have ever witnessed. Only to be a bit like them would be such a blessing for me. Each day brings me closer to the realization that we will be going soon. How exciting this is for us.

In earlier posts

I have mentioned that my friends Msoshi, Rebeka and I are trying to go to Africa. Because of their refugee status, we have not been able to make the trip as of yet. In November of 07 they applied for permission to leave the US and be able to return. We have been waiting for that permission to arrive. This week they receive a letter from the Department of Homeland Security to send their passport photos in. They have to arrive to the Department before Monday. I was not home to help them so Msoshi did it on his own. Yeah for Msoshi!!! I do hope, however, that he sent them registered, two day delivery, with return receipt. I know he did not, but I can dream. Anyhow, we are one step closer to our trip. I am hoping that we will be leaving by late October or early November. We plan to be gone for one month. This time frame still gives us good weather as the rainy season does not start until February or March. Each hurdle we cross puts us that much closer to our goal, and more butterflies in my tummy. I love the thought of travel and know the Lord directed us to make this trip, but the unknown is so hard for me to face. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Saturday

begins a family week at Seaside Oregon. We have rented two three bedroom Condos which will accommodate a total of 16 people. We have them from Saturday, August 8 to Saturday August 16. During that week all 33 of our family members will visit at some time. We will not all be there at the same time, but we will all be able to spend a few nights there. It will be fun to see how the four of us Kris, Tricia, Gina and I report on our week. The perspective from each of us should make for an interesting read.

Seaside is where Lewis and Clark completed their trip to the West Coast. There is much history in the area and I am excited to see it all.

This weekend they are hosting a volleyball tournament. There will be thousands of people there. I will enjoy seeing all of the people. My husband does not do well with crowds, so we will see how he manages.

Will tell you all about it next Saturday or Sunday.

Our Little Town

has had a pretty rough week. To begin with a lady who was out hiking in the mountains near here was mistook for a bear and shot and killed. Apparently she was stooped over tying her shoe when a young (14 year old) hunter shot her.
I do not personally know her, but she is a part of a family that has lived in our town for many years. Not only do I feel so bad for her family, but for the boy who has to live the rest of his life with the burden of what happened.
Both families definitely need lifted up in prayer.
Yesterday on the news it was reported that a woman who worked in our City Hall for 30 years has embezzled over $800,000.00 from the city. What a shock when something like that happens. In any town it would be hard to recover. That is my tax dollar as well as all of my neighbors. What was she thinking? Did she really think she could get away with it? The discrepancy was discovered after she retired in May. She has not been arrested yet. I do not know if she is in the country or if she has fled. I just hope they do catch up with her. Again I think of the shock for her family. Doesn't she know how many people she affects with her selfish act?
After I posted this, Tricia reminded me that the principle of my granddaughter's Christian school has also been arrested for sexual conduct with a minor. Which, incidentally, got more media attention than John Edwards sexual conduct. All of this in Mayberry USA. What is happening to our world?

With a family the size of

ours, we are bound to have birthdays quite often. Today my daughter Karyn Michelle turns one year older. She is officially 11 months and three weeks older than Angie whose birthday was last week. That makes her the eldest of my Irish twins. Karyn is a Massage Therapist and works in her dads office. She is the mother of three boys. Darian, whom you have already met. #2105. Cannyn whom I wrote about playing cribbage with Pops. # 2208. And Brystan, whom you have not yet met. #2309. If you remember our numbering system, you will also note that she is our second child.

Even though her name is Karyn, we have called her Chelle all of her life. Her adult and professional acquaintances know her as Karyn

So to you Michelle my Belle, Happy Birthday!!

Yesterday,

while we were eating breakfast, I asked my husband if we were going to work on the yard. We have a corner of the yard that we wanted to change. He told me he had decided to build a wooden deck over there. The only problem is that our yard is tiny. We have only 14 feet from the house to our property line, so we do not have much room to work.



Getting started. Note the old cement patio. We used it as a foundation.
Waiting for stain.

Where it meets the existing upper deck.

The upper deck.

My tiny yard

Happy Birthday

JESSE #6111. Who is Jesse? He is my daughter Gina's first born. He is affectionately called a nerd, because he is and it is a good thing. We like nerds.

His favorite saying, he heard Bill Gates said something similar, is that someday all of the kids who make fun of him will be working for him. When he was seven years old he was doing algebra and square roots. We were flying to Disneyland for his birthday and I was giving him problems to work to keep him quiet, because he also tends to be a bit hyper, the lady beside us keep sneaking peaks at what he was doing. I asked her if she wanted to see what he was doing and she did. She could not believe the level of math he was working on. He also has a very scientific mind. He loves to experiment. His favorite TV channel is the food network. He wants to be a chef. I think that is fine. Alton Brown seems to have done OK for himself.
Jesse promises me that when he is 18 he will take me to Washington DC and walk all over with me. We will visit all of the historic sites there and in the surrounding vicinity. I only have to wait seven more years.
So Happy Birthday Jesse. I love you the Most!!!

I am not a real creative

cook, but I like to try new recipes. One of my favorite sources is Taste of Home. I have most of their cook books and magazines.

Because I am always trying recipes, I have devised a system to tell me what I have tried and if I like what I tried. If it is really good, I place a gold star beside the recipe. I call that one Best of the Best. A green star places it in second. We enjoyed the recipe. Blue star is better than average, red star is good, silver star is fair and a Mr. Yuk sticker is self explanatory.

This recipe earned a gold star. I made it and because there is just two of us, it has lasted two days, with enough for lunch today. It is still as fresh as when I made it.

This recipe is from Taste of Home Winning Recipes.

Chili Corn Bread Salad

1 pkg (8 1/2 oz) corn bread/muffin mix

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies, undrained

1/8 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp dried oregano

Pinch rubbed sage

1 C. mayonnaise

1 C. sour cream I used light for both the mayo and s. cream

1 env. ranch salad dressing mix

2 cans (15 oz each) pinto beans rinsed and drained

2 cans (15 1/4 oz each) whole kernel corn drained

3 med. tomatoes chopped

1 C. chopped green pepper

1 C. chopped green onion

10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

I cut my bacon into little pieces before cooking it. It is ready to use then and I find it cooks more uniformly this way.

2 C. (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese. I used sharp.

Prepare corn bread batter according to package directions. Stir in the chilies, cumin, oregano and sage. Spread in a greased 8 inch square baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or intil a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

In a small bowl, combine the mayo, s. cream and dressing mix; set aside. Crumble half of the corn bread into a 13x9x2 inch pan. Layer with half of the beans, mayo mixture, corn, tomatoes, green pepper, onions, bacon and cheese. Repeat layers (dish will be very full). Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Note the gold star.

We used this as a complete meal and really enjoyed it.