Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Happy Little Hodgepodge



1. Share a favorite song lyric.

~ I'm going to do one serious, and one funny. My serious one is the song, "My Own Little World" by Matthew West. Here are my favorite parts of it:

In my own little world it hardly ever rains
I’ve never gone hungry, always felt safe
I got some money in my pocket, shoes on my feet
In my own little world
Population me

Father break my heart for what breaks Yours
Give me open hands and open doors
Put Your Light in my eyes and let me see
That my own little world is not about me

What if there’s a bigger picture?
What if I’m missing out?
What if there’s a greater purpose
That I could be living right now
I don't want to miss what matters
I wanna be reaching out
Show me the greater purpose
So I can start livin right now
Outside my own little world





My funny one is this song from "Enchanted" because I tend to hum or sing when I am working. My youngest daughter does the same thing :) If only the woodland creatures would help ME clean!



2. When was the last time someone yelled at you?

~ Today. I was yelled at by my daughters because I was making them work too hard and going through their "stuff" for "The Great Purge" (see my previous blog post for details).


3. Money, fame, happiness...are they mutually exclusive?

~ It seems like sometimes they are, but most of the time they aren't. You can have all the money in the world, and still not be happy.


4. What is your favorite dish to prepare for family and friends that doesn't require turning on the stove, oven or an outdoor grill?

~ It has to be Grape Salad. I had this at my friend's house, and couldn't stop eating it, it was THAT good. Here is the recipe:

2 lbs green seedless grapes
2 lbs red seedless grapes
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Topping Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar, packed,
1 cup crushed pecans,(I toast the pecans because that is the way I had it, and it really brings out the flavor)

Directions:

1 Wash and stem grapes.
2 Set aside.
3 Mix sour cream, cream cheese, white sugar and vanilla until blended.
4 Stir grapes into mixture, and pour in large serving bowl.
5 Chill overnight.
6 For topping, mix together brown sugar and crushed pecans.
7 Sprinkle over top of grapes, making sure to cover the top.

Enjoy!

5. The first week of August is National Simplify Your Life Week. What is one thing you could do this week to simplify your life? Will you do it?

~ Trying to get all of my homeschool stuff sorted and organized, so I know exactly what I have, and what I don't have and need to buy. Yes, I am doing it!

6. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being 100% and 1 being not at all) how tuned in are you to your country's national political scene?

~ Maybe a 2? Sorry, my life is just too busy right now to worry too much about "debt ceilings". Unless it is my own.


7. What are your final parting words to the month of July?

~ I can't believe you are gone already! And, why did you have to be so incredibly hot?!


8. Insert your own random thought here.

~ My youngest daughter's birthday is this Thursday. She will be 9 years old. I usually make the girls' birthday cakes because I am cheap, er....umm...frugal. She has requested a Barbie cake. So, I will be attempting to make one with my handy-dandy Pampered Chef Classic Batter Bowl. You all can say a prayer that it turns out :)If it does, I will post pictures. If it doesn't, I will be crying into the Batter Bowl. Either way, she will still turn 9 years old. *Sob* I have a hard time with my babies growing up :(


14 comments:

  1. Well, sour cream and cream cheese...how can it not be good? : ) Good luck with the cake. I'm sure she will love your efforts, however they turn out. Love goes a long way with little girls. Big girls too. My baby is turning 21 in a few weeks and I've already made plans for her cake. I'm going to see her the weekend before her birthday and am so excited. The growing up thing doesn't really get any easier but you do make peace with it : )

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  2. I make my kids cakes and they love them even when there not perfect. It's the thought behind it, and you will do fine. I just read the recipe to my MIL and she was like oh my. But she could eat cream cheese right out of the package. My baby turned 11 this year and just started Middle school. Seems to bother me more with her than any of the others. I guess knowing she's the baby.

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  3. I enjoyed the movie "Enchanted" I have to try that grape recipe, it sounds so refreshing. I said 1 on #6, it's all to depressing. Good luck with the cake!

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  4. It's me again. My friend who has a recipe in one of her cookbooks introduced me to A Year of Slow Cooking. I own both of her books. Maybe you just want to follow her, I believe you can find all the recipes online.

    http://stephanieodea.com/

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  5. Aww, I have a 9 year old. To me it sounds so much older than 8. Waaa. Let me know how that Barbie cake turns out. My boy was MERCILESSLY teased by his 22 year old sister when she asked what kind of cake he wanted. She kept saying, "Barbie? Is that what you said?" Oh he got so mad , I had to tell her to quit!!!

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  6. The grape salad sounds divine...I put the ingredients on my grocery list...I am making a game of trying NOT to turn on the oven...it's unbelievable hot down here in S. Georgia! Good luck with the B-day cake...my college daughter still wants a "momma-made" cake!!

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  7. I made a Barbie cake once with the barbie doll in the center. It was so much fun. Your daughter is just a couple of months older than mine. They grow up so fast!

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  8. I made a Barbie cake for my daughter, too, a long, long time ago...She's 32 now. Time passes quickly!

    I remember the days of purging, too. In fact, I need to do some more of that!

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  9. I love Matthew West and that song! I am sure your cake will be great & she will love it !!

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  10. I like the songs you picked.
    The serious one gets me every time I hear it.
    I think I tend to get stuck in my own little world sometimes.

    I've never had a Grape Salad.
    It sounds yummy.

    Happy Birthday to your youngest daughter.
    They grow up fast.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  11. Ah, getting organized, that sounds like a plan!
    My baby will turn 17 in 3 weeks, I am sorry to tell you it doesn't get easier.

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  12. My girls and I dance around to that Enchanted song all the time. They would also probably yell at me over a great purge. And, your grape salad sounds fabulous!

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  13. Happy Birthday to your baby. I hope your cake turns out nice!

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  14. Thanks, everyone! The cake was a HUGE success! I will be posting pics soon :)

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