Chicago: Buckingham Fountain

After lunch in the Sears Tower, we walked over to the Buckingham Fountain. It's a gorgeous fountain, I believe I read that it's the largest fountain in America. If not, well, it's still pretty big! =)

On the steps to the fountain. Yes, Chicago is very windy!

Chicago: Interesting "Thing"

LOL I have no idea what this sculpture is called, but it was very fascinating, and many people were crowded around having a "jolly good time".

Chicago: towards the end of the day

We walked, walked, and walked some more. Upon seeing this marvelous bench, I promptly sat down and handed my camera to Kevin. I was being goofy--I could have cared less about the picture--I just wanted to sit down! LOL

So many blogs, so little time!

Blog hopping is one of my favorite things to do online! I have accidentally hit on a few blogs that were absolutely wicked (from what I could tell in the few seconds that I saw them), so I try to do my blog hopping in a safe manner. One way I find interesting blogs is to click on the blog links of blogs that I already read. If I find some of interest, I add them to my list at Bloglines.com. Currently, I am subscribed to 57 blogs. Several of those are people who do not post regularly...but I still want to read what they post. Bloglines is wonderful for this type of blogger--I don't have to keep checking on these blogs to see when they have been updated.

Bloglines also allows me to control my online time. If I only have a few minutes online, I can quickly open a few blogs that have been updated. If I want to come back to them, maybe to comment, or to follow some links that they have posted, I click a little check box at the bottom of the post (on the Bloglines screen), and it keeps it as new.

And finally, a lot of my subscribed blogs are on "test". I'm testing them out to see if I really want to be subscribed to them. After a week or so, if I'm not enjoying a blog like I thought I would, I unsubscribe them from my list.

I do a fair amount of "lurking", especially on a few larger blogs. However, I do try to make comments now and then to be polite to the bloggers. After all, it's nice to know who your readers are!

I highly recommend Bloglines for blog-reading ease!

I'm back...

Kevin and I went away Thursday for our anniversary, and got back yesterday evening. We had a lovely time together, site-seeing in Chicago. I took a lot of pictures, and I'll be posting some of those over the next few days. Thursday evening I realized I hadn't packed my spare batteries for my camera, so we bought some cheap batteries. We didn't realize how cheap they were until we got up in the Sears Tower. Every four or five pictures I had to change the batteries! We fixed that problem when we left the Tower, by buying some decent batteries! =)

Big cities are always enjoyable to visit, but we're so glad that we don't live in a large city!

Don't look at the time...

I'm posting rather late, or early, depending on how you look at it!

Hopping around the Blogging Trail, I've read these lovely posts:

Deb shares about finding a new friend. (Also, a hearty congratulations to the new mother-in-law! Check out the beautiful wedding pictures while you are there.)

Mrs. Wilt is making a Homekeeping Journal. Such a good idea!

Mrs. Blythe's daughter is all set to get married. I hope that when she gets old enough to marry, that she'll find someone closer in size. *Wink* By the way, Mrs. Blythe's blog is delightful! I love how "English" her writing is. I learned a lot about the customs of English tea from her blog!

Check out this blog: Bagaholics Anonymous! Wow, such a source of temptation to make a "gazillion" bags! After the two bags I've made, I've been itching to make some more, especially after finding this blog.

Another blog that I've been enjoying as of late is Dawn's blog (4:53 am) Very delightful! I found her blog by doing my favorite thing to do online: blog hopping! *Smiles* Dawn posts about gardening and crafting and smocking (OH MY, smocking! I have to learn how to smock! Such gorgeous creations I've never seen before!) Dawn has also accomplished something that I have not: how to say a lot in very few words!

Still with me? One more blog to look at? Ruth and Jessica from SewChic have started a new blog with a few more ladies: The Little Red Hens, a cooking blog. Cooking blogs are not my "thing" but this blog just looks too cute to not read!

Enjoy! (And yes, I KNOW you ALL looked at the time! Shocking, isn't it? *Yawn*)

Follow the Recipe!

Have you ever done this?

I didn't have potatoes, so I substituted rice.
Didn't have paprika, so I used another spice.
I didn't have tomato sauce, so I used tomato paste.
A whole can not a half can -I don't believe in waste.
My friend gave me the recipe
She said you couldn't beat it.
There must be something wrong with her,
I couldn't even eat it.
-source unknown

Well, I have! It turns out to be Bad Food!

My dad's mom, on the other hand, never follows a recipe, and she's a wonderful cook. It's all in knowing what NOT to substitute!

Hat tip to Rachel

Found floating around the blogosphere...

About me:

1) FIRST NAME? Tammy

2) WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No.

3) WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? I can't remember, it's been a while.

4) DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Most of the time.

5) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Plain turkey.

6) KIDS? None.

7) WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Oh yes, then I'd have someone to do crafts with. LOL

8) DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Right here!

9) DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Hmmm, not too much!

10) DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.

11) WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No. Never. Period. The end.

12) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cheerios or Grape Nuts.

13) DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Sometimes. But when I don't (most of the time) I can hear my dad telling me to untie my shoes before I take them off! LOL.

14) DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Nothing remarkable.

15) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

16) SHOE SIZE? 7 1/2

17) RED OR PINK? Pink

18) WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black skirt, black shoes.

19) LAST THING YOU ATE? A Jr. Whopper...my packed lunch is sitting in my refrigerator at home!

20) WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The hum of the air conditioner.

21) IF YOU WERE A CRAYON WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Burgundy.

22) FAVORITE SMELL? Yankee Candles!

23) WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? At home, my sister Holly. Here at the office...a guy named Darryl. LOL

24) THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? For my husband, the first thing I liked that attracted me to him was his aftershave/cologne. :D

25) FAVORITE DRINK? Water and herb teas.

26) FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? I'm not a sports fan!

27) HAIR COLOR? Brown

28) EYE COLOR? Blue

29) DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No

30) FAVORITE FOOD? Mashed potatoes. Mmmmm

31) SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings

32) WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Coral

33) HUGS OR KISSES? Both...from my husband!

34) WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Hidden Art

35) WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? No mouse pad.

36) WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Nothing.

37) WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? November 2, in Greenville, South Carolina.

I have a question for you...

I have had so many lovely comments recently, many of you whom I haven't been "introduced" to yet. I'm guilty of doing the same thing on other people's blogs. You know, leaving a post that says, "Oh how cute!", which in turn leaves the blog owner saying to themselves, "WHO is Tammy?" *Grin*

So my question for you is: if you read my blog, and haven't introduced yourself, will you do so? I have gained some new blog friends even recently, and I'd love to get to know my readers better!

Thank you!

Lasagna recipe

Tonight I made lasagna for a couple across our street who just had a baby. When I took the casserole over, I only got to speak to the husband. I was really hoping to get to see the wife, but I'm sure I'll meet her one of these days!

Here is the recipe I used, which I got from my sister-in-law, Rebecca:

Four-Cheese Lasagna
Lasagna takes time to assemble. To avoid last-minute preparation, make this casserole early in the day or the night before and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 cans (4 oz each) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon fennel seed
1 carton (16 oz) cottage cheese
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 eggs, beaten
1 package (12 oz) lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

In a skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic until beef is browned and onion is tender; drain. In a blender, cover and process the tomatoes until smooth. Stir into beef mixture along with mushrooms, tomato paste and seasonings; simmer for 15 minutes. In a bowl, combine cottage cheese, Parmesan, cheddar, ½ cup of mozzarella and eggs. Spread 2 cups meat sauce in the bottom of an ungreased 13-in x 9-in x 2-in baking dish. Arrange half the noodles over sauce. Spread cheese mixture over noodles. Top with remaining noodles and meat sauce. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake 15 minutes longer or until cheese melts. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings

I've made it several times for us, and several times when we had company. It turns out so good every time! I don't put the tomatoes in the blender. I like the consistency of the crushed tomatoes just fine. Tonight I left out the mushrooms, since that is a food that many people dislike.

Contest Results

I am pleased to announce the winners of Contest #2:

Nikki
MJM
Mrs. Blythe

Please send your mailing address to: mrstammys AT hotmail DOT com. I will be sending your bookmarks out as soon as I get your address. If one of the bookmarks caught your eye, and you really, really want it, let me know when you send me your address, and I'll do my best to see that you get the one you want! =)

Encouragement, part 2

My mom commented in the Contest post, and I have copied her comments here, so that everyone would get a chance to read them:

As a child, my mom taught me to do things for others when I was down in the dumps. It worked then, and it still works today! Doing something to encouage someone else always encourages you, too!

I love to do things for others, but I want to share some ways I have been blessed by other people's encouragement to me. When my husband was teaching in a Christian school we didn't have money for extras, so it was a special treat for one of the ladies to take me out for pizza or to have me come to her beauty salon for a complimentary haircut.

At another church, the ladies got together and came to my house every day during a difficult pregnancy. They would clean and do anything I needed done. Some of them would bring a meal. One lady took my laundry home with her each week, the whole time I was sick. She would bring it back clean, ironed and mended. There was another lady that would pick me up and take me to yard sales. We would search for nice clothing for my little girls. When we found good things, she would buy them for me. At other times she would stop by the house with a roasted chicken, a bag of Pampers, or some storybooks to read to the little ones, so I could have some time to myself. The encouragement these ladies gave me was priceless.

Someone once gave me this idea for the pastor's wife. On a given day, each of the ladies in the church sent her a card of thanks and appreciation. Enclosed in the card was a one dollar bill, with the words to "spend it on something for yourself." Imagine the fun she had when she went out to check her mailbox, and it was packed with notes of encouagement, and a whole stack of one dollar bills!

There was an older man in our church who would bring us huge bags of produce. The girls and I would put it all up and it was a blessing. The most touching part of it was that this man was partly crippled, and he would have to crawl on his hands and knees to harvest the fruit and vegetables he brought us. It really meant a lot to me.

Once the Lord impressed me to "go shopping" for my pastor's wife. So, I went to Wal-mart, and went through the store and picked up all the little things that I routinely buy for our home and family. I stuffed them al in a huge gift bag and took them to her. She took each item out and said, "How did you know? How did you know?" What type of things did I buy her? Shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toilet paper, dish soap, hand soap, bandaids, Pampers, Q-tips, tape, paper towels, napkins, stuff like that. I had wondered how my gift would be received. Might she be insulted? She wasn't. She was very grateful, and it was because God had led me to do it that I bought just the things she needed at just the time she needed them.

Thank you, Mom, for the great ideas. I remember most of the things you've mentioned, with the exception of the pizza. DID I GET LEFT OUT OF THE PIZZA TRIPS??? *Grin*

Encouragement

I have to say that all of the contest entries truly inspired and encouraged me! Not only did they encourage me to be an encourager, it also encouraged me that others are being an encouragement to their friends and family!

Here is a summary of the wonderful ideas:

• Plate of goodies out of the blue.
• Homemade card.
• Send a card, praying that the Lord will speak through you.
• A card, phone call, e-mail when the Lord lays someone on your heart.
• Blogging about something that is on your heart.
• Care packages.
• An invitation to your home for a DEstressing time of fellowship (not distressing, as I originally read it! LOL)
• Thinking of and thanking your child's Sunday school teachers.
• Books that have blessed you.
• Bake extra when you bake, as a chance to give to a friend, or freeze for those times someone stops by.
• Take pictures of your church family, and frame, put in albums, for friends.
• Take time for people.
• Make sure people really know how you feel about them. (LOL good feelings only, right, Mrs. B?)
• Note dates on your calendar of death anniversaries so that you can encourage the one who is grieving.
• Pick up something for someone as a little surprise.
• Hand made gifts for newborns.
• Add a packet of tea to your notecards.
• Give people your full attention.

Wow, such great advice, and wonderful ideas for the next time the Lord lays someone on my heart! Actually, the Lord has laid someone on my heart, and I need to act on it!

Saturday evening when Kevin and I came home, we were up front looking at these incredibly long disgusting earthworms (LOL). Suddenly, a German Shepherd came running up onto our porch. I am so fearful of dogs, especially big dogs, but after the initial routine of clinging to my husband, the dog proved to be friendly. *Grin* Soon, the dog's owner came up, apologizing that his dog had gotten away from him. He said that his wife had just had their first baby, and that he was home from the hospital to let the dog out.

We haven't met this couple yet, so it was nice to get the contact. What I'm planning on doing is making up lasagna tomorrow evening, and taking it over to them (after dinner). I won't bake it--that way they can freeze it for later (if they have friends/family giving them meals), or they can bake it the next night for dinner.

When God lays someone on your heart, follow through! I can't begin to tell you what a blessing it is to know that God is working through you to touch someone else's life!

I think I'm addicted!

Would this give you a hint of my addiction?

Last night Kevin grilled steaks for dinner. Mine grew cold while I worked on my knitting!

A girl has to have her priorities! *Smiles*

Six years ago today...

I married the most wonderful man in the world. *Smiles*

Gardening!

Today was primarily a gardening day! I worked outside from 10 a.m. till about 2 p.m., getting my flowers planted in the second flower bed, and planting a little vegetable garden.

I came inside, and was so exhausted from all my work, that I took a shower and then laid down for a nap. I was awakened by a rain storm! We got quite a gullywasher!

Before:


After:


There used to be a barrel on the corner of the house, but it fell apart when I tried to move it. Oh well...

Kevin worked hard too--one thing he did was put the border down the side of the house. Because of our basement windows and the air conditioner, we're not able to put the stones two high, like the front border. I like it just the way it is. Now I need to clear out all the weeds, and get a few more flowers planted. I'm not going to do anything major on this side of the house this year. Perhaps next year, I'll plant a few low-maintenance shrubs.

My Little Garden

This is my first vegetable garden since I've been married. The first four years that we were married, we lived in apartments. The past two years, the timing of our moves didn't work for planting vegetables, even though we had the room to plant vegetables.

Here's my sweet little garden (after the rain storm):


I planted:

• Two varieties of tomatoes (one is an early producer)
• Red and yellow bell peppers
• Red and yellow onions
• Green beans
• Mint
• Lemon Balm

We'll see how they grow! The soil isn't the greatest, and the bed doesn't get full sun all day. I can't wait for my veggies!

Encouraging Others: Contest #2

Edit on Monday, 9 p.m.: The Contest is now closed, but feel free to add your ideas! Many wonderful ideas have already been shared!

My little contest last month was so much fun, that I decided to have one each month. Guess what? It's time to have another contest!

This month's theme is "encouragement".

Just recently, I got a card in the mail from a lady in my church. It was a very sweet note, and it was such a tremedous encouragement to me. I have it on my kitchen counter, and have read it through several times, and been encouraged all over again!

What are some small things you do to encourage others? These "others" can be members of your family, church family, friends, neighbors, etc. For this month's entry, just give us some ideas that you use. It doesn't have to be BIG, and it can be something LITTLE, but let's gather some ideas, so that when God lays someone on our heart we have some different ways to encourage them!

Oh, did you want to know the prize? I thought you might! This past week I've been working on the prize in the evenings. This month I am pulling three names out of a hat (and yes, last month, I really did use a hat to draw the name out of! *Smiles*). This contest is for all to particpate in, no matter what country you live in! Each prize will be two cross bookmarks. One will be for you to keep, and the other one will be for you to give away as an encouragement to someone else!

Last month, I got so excited about finding out who was going to win, that I didn't give much time for entries. This time around, I'll restrain myself. *Giggle* The contest will close this coming Monday evening, at 8 p.m. EST. I'll announce the contest winners on Monday evening.

Finished at last!

Tonight I finished my Jaywalker Socks! It seems as though every blogging knitter has made this pattern! It wasn't terribly hard, but it did present it's challenges! The first challenge was the thin sock yarn. Since I'm used to crocheting and tatting with thin thread, it wasn't too difficult. I started the first sock at least four or five times, and finally got it underway. I didn't have any problems with my second sock until I got to the toe. I finished it, tried it on, and found out it was about 1/2 inch to short!

As you can see in the picture, they are not identically striped. The yarn that I used did not lend itself to making two identical socks. However, I've seen many, many stripey socks online, and quite a few of them do not match perfectly! I'm just glad that the striping is very subtle. (The flash brings out the lighter colors.)

It's a good thing I finished them, now that we're having such freezing weather. *Grin* It feels good to get projects finished, no matter if I'll be wearing them right away or not!

Aprons: Show and Tell

Thank you, ladies, for the wonderful participation in this show and tell! I've enjoyed seeing everyone's aprons this week!

Here you go:
Rhonda posted her apron picture, noting that the stains are on the apron, not on her clothes!
Kelleigh poses as the modern June Cleaver, showing that housework can be accomplished in pretty clothes, when you wear an apron, of course!
Courtney found a darling apron at Goodwill, and her blog readers got a sneak peak of it here.
Mrs. Wilt showcases her "serendipitous thrift store find", and in an earlier post, her readers were treated to an Ode to Aprons.
Awww, look at this "Berry" special apron worn by a "Berry" special mother, Kristi! Kristi and her daughter show us her grandmother's two aprons (what a treasure!)
Jennifer recently purchased a vintage serving apron. What a great find!
Dawn's friend gave her a gorgeous vintage apron. What a sweet gift!
Inspired by this show and tell, Cindi sewed a vintage looking apron, using some lace that she made herself. (Wow, now I want a fancy sewing machine! Hehe)
Lori has quite a collection of aprons, from her grandmother and great-grandmother. What a collection to treasure!
Deb (in her brand-spankin' new apron) and her daughters share their lovely aprons.
Edit to add: Lora's daughter is busy making her an apron, using overalls and bandana fabric. Cute! Once you're there, click on the picture to get a better look at it!

In previous posts, I've shown my aprons: here and here.

*Sigh* There's nothing that says "homemaker" more than an apron!