9-11 Anniversary

It's the 7th anniversary of 9-11.

Where were you when you heard the devastating news?

We were home. It was early when we heard the news, before 6:30 am. My mom called to tell us to turn the news on. And from that point on, we were glued to the television for days....

A Great, Great Day

Picture taken on Autopia.

Rachel and I went to Disneyland today. We had a great, great time.

For months, we've met family or have gone with friends. Every time we've gone has been go, go, go. Hitting this ride, on to the next, etc, etc. There's nothing wrong with that, it's been a long time since I've just gone and strolled. Taken it easy. Took in the sights, the smells, and 'magic'.

Today was a great day. The weather was in the mid 80s, the crowds were few, and Rachel and I did what we wanted, including sitting on a bench! And soon, we will officially enter what is my most favorite time of the year at Disneyland...the holidays!!

Mom's Taxi - Back in Service!

Preschool started today. Therefore my Tuesdays and Thursdays are crazy with running back and forth to the girls schools.

Hannah gets dropped off at 8:00. Take Rachel to school at 9:00. Pick Rachel up from school at 12:00. Pick Hannah up from school at 2:15.

Yeah, that's a lot of running on these two days. I'm considering painting the van yellow....

Skimping

When we first got married, it was agreed upon that there are two things you just don't skimp on:

Toliet Paper
and
Macaroni & Cheese

I discovered something else to be added to that list:

Tampons

Enough Said. LOL. Do you have a list of items you absolutely won't skimp on by buying generic, or an off brand??

YUMMY Cheese Muffins

Last week on Pioneer Woman's website, she had a recipe for cheese muffins. I thought they looked yummy and would be the perfect compliment to last nights dinner, lasagna casserole. I made these muffins and WOW! These were awesome!

They almost resemble the yummy biscuits/muffins you get when you go to Red Lobster. I highly endorse this recipe!! This recipe most definitely gets printed on a recipe card and put in the box to keep!

Picture taken from Pioneer Women's website.

Fig’s Cheese Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded colby-jack cheese
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter (I used salted)

Whisk together dry ingredients, then stir in cheese.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg, milk, and butter together.
Pour milk mixture into dry ingredients and stir with a spoon to combine.

Bake in greased muffin tins at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Makes 12

Prayers for My Friend

Two months ago, as some of you are aware, my friend Diana was admitted to the hospital. I wrote a post about it then. Her lung was filled with fluid, they placed a drain, and after a week and a half in the hospital, she was released.

Long story short, her lung filled up again. And last week, I got the call from her as she was literally heading back to the hospital to be admitted because a lung biopsy had diagnosed her with lung cancer.

I finally was able to get ahold of one of Diana's long time friends this morning. And Diana's condition is VERY grave.

Diana has stage 4 cancer. The cancer is not only in her lungs, but it has spread throughout her entire body - her bones, her liver, her kidney, her pelvis. Her cancer is so bad that chemo isn't even an option, chemo would literally kill her. They've given her anywhere from days to months to live.

They are working on getting her released to go home on Hospice. There are complications and things that need to be in place before that is done. Diana's family is not being supportive, nor are they being helpful in making decisions, etc. They are basically leaving her alone, not wanting to deal with her, etc.

Please keep Diana in your prayers.

For peace.

For strength.

For her family to 'get a grip'.

Middle of the Week Ramblings

It's Wednesday evening and I can't believe we're in the middle of another week. We are three days into September and soon, the holidays will be upon us. Soon we'll be on the brink of a new year.

Our weekend was busy.

Hannah's karate tournament on Saturday went well, and if you follow her blog, you know that she did well and even placed in her sparring competition.

Rachel's birthday has now come and gone. Her party was a huge success and it was nice to have friends and family join us for the occasion. It's hard to believe she's four years old.

On Monday, we lazed about the better part of the morning and then headed to my brother and sister-in-law's house for a Labor Day gathering. Sitting pool side, and then later relaxing in the comforts of the air conditioning, it was a nice way to end the busy, busy weekend.

Things around here are about to change again. Next Tuesday, Rachel starts preschool two days a week. And that means my Tuesdays and Thursdays will be busy ones with a lot running the girls to and from school. I'm looking forward to having a few hours a week to myself. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it, but at the end of the school year last Spring, I was asked to be on the preschool board. I'm excited about participating in that this year. More than likely, this will be our last year in the preschool setting and it'll be fun to participate in a little bit of the decision making.

I'm looking forward to Fall. Despite not really having a change in seasons here in Southern California, it's my favorite season. There are some days when it's so hot, and it's dry, that it feels like a Fall day and I look forward to bringing out my fall decor, and making a trip to Oak Glen, and to our pumpkin patch, and other activities I associate with the season. And once Fall is here, it'll be official, the holidays will practically be upon us. Again, where does the time go?

I think I've rambled enough this fine Wednesday evening. It is now time to go listen to Governor Sarah Palin make her speech at the Republican National Convention. Have a great rest of the week!