American Idol Extra....David Cook

Hi. I am sitting here watching American Idol extra. We recorded it last night but I didn't get a chance to watch it so that is what I am doing now. I am so glad that David Cook won, although I do feel that David Archalueta has a wonderful bright career ahead of him. Both were such talents. After watching David Cook on this show, it is such a nice person. I really like him.

The last several days I haven't done much except work. I still have to work tomorrow and then I am off for three days. I am so happy about a three day weekend. The weather is suppose to be simply awesome over the three day break. At the moment, I am planning some quiet time and maybe a cookout with my kids.

Thought about making something like this. Recipe follows:

Ingredients

Serves 24

• 2 recipes White Sheet Cake
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• 1 1/2 pints fresh blueberries
• 1 1/2 pints fresh raspberries

Directions

1. Trim any rough edges from cakes using a serrated knife. Place four strips of parchment paper around the perimeter of a serving platter. Place first layer, bottom side up, on serving platter. Using an offset spatula, spread cake with 2 1/2 cups frosting. Top with remaining layer, bottom side up. Spread entire cake with 5 1/2 cups frosting. Place remaining frosting in a large pastry bag fitted with a star tip (such as Ateco #35). Remove parchment paper strips.
2. Using the tip of a toothpick, outline the shape of a flag on the cake. Fill the upper left-hand corner with a single layer of blueberries. Place one row of raspberries across upper edge of cake to form first red stripe. Pipe one row of stars just below raspberries to form first white stripe. Repeat process with remaining raspberries and frosting until you have 7 red and 6 white stripes.

Do you guys have any plans this holiday weekend? Feel free to share. If your going to be out and about, please be careful. Drive safe.

Have a blessed weekend.

Hugs

!

Technorati Tags: David Cook,American Idol,Recipes,Memorial Day Recipe

Too many things

Happy Sunday everyone. I decided I needed to sit down and let you all know what is going on with me. I know it has been awhile since I posted but it just seems that I don't feel like I have anything to say. Nothing exciting going on but just regular everyday stuff. Days are full of going to work and nights filled with playing catch up or running errands, or simply resting.

Michael has been off the last several weeks as he is in between jobs. He is suppose to start his new one next week. He decided to take another week off so that he can take care of more things here at the house that he is wanting to get done before he starts back. Seems there is always a list of projects to take care of. He has made some great strides in the last couple of weeks. Woo hoo, that means there is less that I have to try to take care of when I get home. He is so thoughtful when it comes to helping me. I am so blessed that he is how he is. Each day when I get home, he tells me to go and lay down for a couple of hours and rest. I always feel so guilty for getting home and taking a nap instead of spending time with him, but it does make me feel so much better.

I am back at a very familiar place, looking for a balance in things. This is a place I know very well. My mind is racing with all kinds of things that I want to do... I am debating on what to get into today. Parts of me would like to do some cooking and baking, another part wants to spend time playing online, and another part just wants to watch old movies and cuddle with Michael, and another part wants to get out and go to a antique mall and reminisce the past and possibly find a trinket. Most likely will not do that, as yesterday Michael and I did get out and go to some yard sales. I found several finds. It was alot of fun. Yesterday the weather was a perfect day for it. Our little town had several community ones yesterday and I think we hit them all. We also went over to the high school to watch the girls softball game. My gf's daughter plays for the team and they are in the playoffs. Then we had to get home because Tori had to get ready for prom.

The prom theme for Tori's class was "Classic Hollywood". She and Matt looked so cute together.

We purchased Tori a pretty pink dress for prom, but she decided she wanted to wear the dress that she wore in our wedding. She got so many compliments on this dress. It really is lovely. The pictures don't do it justice. She has never wanted to wear a dress more than once, ugh! But she wanted to wear this one. She went to her dads last night after the prom so I haven't gotten to really talk to her, but she will home later today. She and Matt and his family are going to see the "Blue Angels" today. There is a air show, and Matt has never seen them perform before. Guess coming from the Navy backgroud that we do, we have had many opportunities to see them. Hopefully it will be a good day. At the moment it is raining here, and it suppose to the rest of the day. Quite a bit cooler than yesterday.

Well girls, I guess I should start on my day. Hope you have a blessed day.

Hugs!

Changing name is alot of work.

Hi ya'll! Dropping in to let you all know that I'm around. I don't have alot of time tonight as Michael and I have to get through some paperwork from work. I/We are changing some of my benefits around since getting married and we have to get that taken care of because time is running out to make the changes.. Changing my name is a big ordeal....you never think about all the places you have to change it....bank, MVA , social security, mail, work, and the list goes on. Mine is incredibly long. Ugh! And I am not a person who likes doing this type of work.

As we all know Mothers Day is coming up this weekend. What plans do you girls have? Unfortunately I will not be with my kids this year, but I am sure we share the time as soon as we can. Maybe the following weekend or one night throughout the next week. Anyhow, I have been doing alot of reading on mothers and by mothers, and that leads me to one of my favorite comedian moms Anita Renfroe. Have you ever heard of her. She is simply wonderful. Adding a little mothers humor her if you haven't heard this before take a listen.

I know most women that are mothers can relate, and my kids love this.

Gotta get to work....hope you all have a blessed evening. Hugs for now!

Getting Organized

Welcome everybody. Hope this finds you having a good weekend. Mine has been busy with errands but I have been getting things done around this house...which was in a big need. Since early spring, I have been letting things slide because of getting things ready for the wedding....now that that is over, he and I are settling into our lives as man and wife. Woo Hoo! So much is going on around here it hasn't been boring.

Well guys, I have been fighting something. Not sure what. It all started on Friday. I woke up with a sore throat and it continued into the morning getting worse. By the time I had been at work about a hour, my ear was ringing and my jaw was aching. I got the fear that I was coming down with the flu as everyone in my office has had it this year. Which wouldn't have been a good thing because Michael and I are heading to Houston this weekend for Mothers Day to spend with his mom (and they have basically confined her to the house, because they don't want her around people because of her immune system). Anyhow, I left work after being there 2 1/2 hours. When I got home, I came in and took some pain meds for my aching jaw and arm (another story) and took some thera-flu and grabbed the heating pad for my ear and went to bed, I spent the entire day in bed. All I can say, is that while I am taking meds, I feel okay but definitely can tell when it is wearing off, because the sore throat comes back as well as the ear ache. So not sure what it is. Sinus', Ear Infection, ? What? Needless to say, I am living off of medication this weekend...but I have so much that I want to do in this house, and I know with the upcoming work week and then being away over the upcoming weekend, I have to get these things accomplished.

Now about my arm....several weeks back, not sure when...I must have hit my left elbow or pulled a muscle or something, since then I haven't had much use in my left arm. Sometimes it pains me just to lift a glass, or my little tiny purse. Not sure what I did to it, if I chipped a bone, or pulled a musle or what. In order to sleep most nights, I have to take motrin or something to sleep. So basically what I am saying....I got married and now I am falling apart. Michael has been teasing me about it. He tells me how I am younger than he is and shouldn't be having these problems.

Rememeber several months back, I wanted my computer moved upstairs so that I would have it more accessible to me, Michael is finally moving it for me today. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. I will now have my computer with all my information at my fingertips. Hoping over time to get my recipes and homemaking tips all in one place and organized as well.

In the meantime, Michael has quit his job and will be starting another one in a week or so. So he is trying to get things caught up at home for me. He has been spending lots of time in the yard and he has it looking so good. He finally got in the garage and did some sorting and cleaning....it's not done yet, because we have things to take to goodwill and the dump . Plus he has the furniture from his old office in the garage, but it will go back to his new office when he moves. It's amazing how better you feel when you feel like you are making some headway. Granted we still have a list but we are working on getting it down. Over the last several weeks we have bought quite a few annuals that need to be planted...so I might try to work on that this afternoon. If not, then hopefully we can get that done tomorrow. We didn't want to do it before now, because we got down into the thirties several nights last week. We just want to be out of danger of frost.

Our weather has been so crazy here. Friday it was simply a gorgeous day....wish I could have enjoyed it, but like I said, I was in bed...but Michael did...he mowed the lawn twice. Had too because of the rain over the past week and the grass has grown so fast. Since we got back from Cancun he has mowed the lawn 6 times. Twice each time he has mowed. Not sure what the weather is suppose to be this week, but I know it will be hot in Houston, and I am looking forward to some constant warm weather. Maybe I will actually get more of a tan. Although when we were in Cancun, we didn't get alot of time at the beach, because we did alot of touring.

Well guys, I guess I should get at it. I have things to do and I am wanting to get some reading and bible study in today. Hope your having a blessed week and if you think about it, please pray for my ailments. Thanks!

Our Wedding

Hi Everybody...

Just wanted to spend a little time today telling you about the wedding. As most of you know, Michael and I were married on the 12th of April. It was a small intimate affair in a little country church in my hometown of Russellville, Ky. It was simply beautiful, and the pictures don't do it justice. (I still don't have the photos back from the photographer)

We arrived in Russellville on Wednesday and from the time we arrived until Saturday at show time, there were lots of things to do. We took care of all those little last minute things, we had to go get our marriage license and check on tuxes, flowers, food, etc. On Thursday my mom and I went to the salon and had manicures and pedicures and we had a wonderful time of just relaxing and getting pampered. All the way down to the latte they served. Ummmmm Yummy!

Afterwards, we did more errands. One thing Michael and I wanted to do was go and get a new digital and video camera for our trip to Cancun...so we went out and did that on Thursday evening. My kids flew into Nashville that night and my sister kept them overnight and brought them up to moms on Friday morning. Wesley and Stephanie drove all night Thursday night and got into my folk's early Friday AM. It was great having all my kids at the folk's on Friday and we got to have a little down time between having to be at the church for deliveries, etc. The florist came to the church on Friday afternoon and set up for the ceremony and that gave us some time to play around with the flowers and get things set up the way we wanted it. Also, we had the rehearsal dinner catered to the fellowship hall of the church so after the 'run through' we sat down and ate and fellowshipped with out friends and family. Two of Michael's children got to be there, but one was in a wedding in Texas and couldn't make the trip. Friday night, after we left the church I went back to moms and crashed, but before I did that Michael presented me with 1 carat heart shaped diamond earrings to wear in the next day. Wasn't that sweet of him! Then it was off to bed so that I could get plenty of rest. And Michael was off to the hotel.

Saturday morning began with lots of hustle and bustle around moms house, kids were crashed everyplace but no one seemed to mind. We sat around leisurely everyone taking showers and pressing clothes, and just visiting. Tori decided to give everyone a facial that day. So I was first in line. I got a nice facial and massage. That felt wonderful. Thank you Tori! While the girls were getting pampered, Dad drove to the florist to pick up our bouquets and boutonnières. Finally we headed over to the church around 12:45 as the photographer was going to be there by 1:00 to get as many before group shots as he could and then some of me getting ready. The entire wedding party was there by 1:00 and got in place for pictures, plus there were several people in the back of the church setting up for the reception. Busy time, all the while I was hidden away in a little nursery room of the church, with my daughter and Stephanie (Wesley's girlfriend) helping me out with bridal apparel. I had originally made an appointment to have my hair done, but Michael didn't want me to do that, he said he wanted me to do my own hair as he likes the way I wear it. So I canceled the appointment. However, after I did my hair, the photographer took me outside for some shots and my hair was a mess. So needless to say, I wish my hair would have been the way I originally fixed it, but it wasn't. But I wasn't going to let that stand in my way. I just said, "it's not about your hair", go and enjoy your day. So I did. :)

My sons were the ushers as well as giving me away, so they had a busy time.

Anyway, prior to three the music started and I knew it was time. From the time my boys came to get me, I was all smiles. The moment I had been waiting for was finally here. Each son, on each side walked me to the alter and with a kiss gave me away, it was perfect and the way I had wanted it. Tori was my maid of honor, and she looked so pretty. She was such a comfort to have up there with me. Once the ceremony actually started, it was a traditional Christian wedding, with the exception Michael shared what I was to him. Not a dry eye in the room. Everyone commented how wonderful it was, but honestly, I can't remember half of what he said. Guess I was nervous, but didn't feel it at the time. Other than that, it was a typical wedding ceremony.
Like I stated, it was small and intimate, although the church was full. It was just what I wanted. Not alot of flair and extravagance but simple and elegant. I have my mom and dad and Michael's folk to thank for that, because they paid for practically everything. It didn't start out that way, but they wanted to do it, and that was all there was to it. We felt truly blessed that they wanted to share that with us. And that they gave their approvals.

After the wedding, we congregated to the back of the church for the reception, where all our friends and family waiting. The cake table was so pretty and full of all kinds of goodies. My sister and her friend did my cake, and it was so pretty, they arranged live flowers on it, and it was perfect. (You'll notice in the pictures the cake looks tan, it was actually ivory color) Which is what I requested since everything in the wedding was ivory. I set my reception up to be springy with spring pastels and tulips and hyacinths. We also set up another table, that had a money tree on it (not something I wanted but folks wanted to give us something) and we incorporated photos of our grandparents and Michael's parents as those that couldn't be there in person, but were with us in spirit. I am so glad I did this.

After the reception and everyone left, we, along with all the kids and my folks and the pastor and his wife, all went to dinner. It had been a perfect day.

I posted a few pictures that were made by our camera. Click to view!

The next day we were off to Cancun. And what a great time we had there. More on that later.

Last full day in Cancun

Hi everybody. Have a minute and wanted to say hi. This is our last full day in Cancun and we are heading back home tomorrow. It is a bittersweet feeling, as it is so lovely here and we have had a fantastic time, but I am wanting to see my kiddos, so have to go back.
Hopefully on Sunday or first part of next week, I can write about the trip and post some pictures and tell you about the wedding.

Plus hopefully I can get some blog visits in. :)

Sending hugs and hope you have a blessed weekend.

Cindy

I'm a Mrs. again.

Hi everybody.

thanks for all the well wishes. The wedding was simply beautiful. I will post more later. Michael and I are heading to Cancun this morning,so I don't have alot of time, but will be posting pictures and I will write all about it when I get home.

Hoping all is doing well and that you all have a blessed week.

Love and hugs,
Me