Going Out on Friday Nite

College daughter 2 is home for the weekend to attend the wedding of one of her classmates. She accompanied us to Hubby's office holiday party, so dinner was his treat last night...a catered meal of chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes & gravy, corn and pumpkin bars with yummy cream cheese frosting...
It was Casino Night. We each got tickets to play. Our favorite game was the Wheel Spin. See the gentleman to the left speaking to my hubby? To me, he says, 'You still teaching? Remember me? You were my Home Ec teacher when I was in Junior High.' He didn't look like that in the 8th grade! He has a daughter in High School, so I'm sure I'll meet her someday soon!

The Wheel Spin game was a favorite of ours. We each won $5.00!

Thanks, honey,

We had lots of fun!!

Things in my House Thursday XIII

Yes, I have my spoon collection on display...just like any little old lady would do! I received my first spoon in 1970. It was a gift of appreciation for pouring punch in a wedding. Thus a hobby was born. In high school (1974) I bought several as souvenirs on a bus trip to the east coast with a 4-H exchange group.

My favorites, of course, are those purchased on vacations taken with my family. Our first big trip was to Yellowstone National Park. Our daughters were 8 and 4. We stayed in a lodge right inside the park. We ate in the cafeteria and hiked around to the major sites.

In 1999, the girls and I rode the Amtrak to the West Coast. We stayed with my cousin and her family. We had a fabulous time taking in the state of Washington . A highlight was the day we spent at Mount Rainer. We hiked up to the highest spectator point. We saw wild flowers along the path, and then snow... in August! The view was breath-taking.

Another favorite vacation...a dream vacation, that is...was when the girls and I went to Hawaii in 2002. We went with my cousin and her daughter. Again, we did all the things a good tourist would do, a luau, snorkeling, para-sailing, the Polynesian Cultural Center, the International Market Place, and the best...just laying on the beach.
As the girls got older, I thought we would never take another vacation, just the 4 of us, but in 2007, we had the opportunity to go to Oklahoma City for a week. My hubby went for work, and we tagged along to enjoy the city, and to celebrate being out of school for the summer!

Whatcha' Workin' On Wednesday was not exciting enough to merit its own post...so here it is...this is what I was doing last night.

Tuesday's Topics~some trivial, some not

Amy's Birthday
All parents remember the birth of their first child. It is the moment when you realize what is truely important in life...And you now are completely responsible for another life. This helpless little person is dependant on you for everything. Your own needs have jumped to the back seat...but it is so totally worth it. Here is the first picture taken of Amy & I together, when she is 45 minutes old...and the most recent picture taken of us this past holiday.

Taking the Bus for an Angiogram
So far, all is well...since it was 15 degrees below, the bus was cold. But, in the hospital, mom appreciated the blankets that came out of the warmer. Her Cardiologist called me after the procedure. He is difficult for me to understand, but I do know that "She is doing good for 88 years old". Her gentleman friend (yes, my mom has a 'boyfriend') drove to Grand Forks to bring her home. He is a 'gem' and does so well for nearly 90 years old.
FACS CLASSES AT CHS
I haven't posted about my classes for awhile so here is an update:
Indpendent Living: Today's guest speaker was the President of Wells Fargo. He spoke about establishing a relationship with your bank, and having financial responsibility when you are on your own.
Fitness for Life: The students created a display with their favorite snack foods and the amount of fat in each one. That is 'Crisco' on the blue plate...representing the fat grams. The first picture shows how much fat is in a frozen pizza. That is for the whole pizza. A serving size is 1/6th of a pizza and most people eat more than that!
The next picture show the fat in a serving of cheese...that's 1/4 of a cup...some of the kids added a handful of cheese to their frozen pizza...
While cheese is a dairy product and is good for you, one has to be careful not to overdo it.
And quite alarming...the amount of fat in one of those little snack size cans of chips. They sell these in the snack bar at school. There are 17 grams of fat or 4 1/4 tsp. of fat in one serving.
Child Development: We watched a video on the Stages of Labor and Delivery. This might be one of the most effective forms of birth control for teenagers!
My Perspective
In Friday's post, I ranked my week's events a 10 or a 2, but after my weekend blog reading I have changed my scores. While students' intentional damage to my lab is of concern, there is nothing in my life that ranks more than a 3. Some of my blog friends are facing health issues of their own; some are coping with serious health issues for their children; and another is grieving the accidental death of a granddaugher. My thoughts and prayers are with all of these families.

Several commented on the size of my knitting needles. Yes, they were a size 35. I used 4 strands of yarn and was able to create a scarf in the time it took the Steelers to win the Super Bowl.
My Give-Away
Here is my give-away gift bag on my dining room table. Remember, that anyone who comments this week will be entered into the drawing. Click here if you have forgotten what is in the give-away bag...

Happy Birthday, Dearest Amy

Sweet Memories of the day you were born,

24 years ago, today.

Love, Mom & Dad

Stitching & Stewing on Superbowl Sunday

Yes, We're Ready for Some Football...
As far as Stitching on Sunday, I have a knitting project ready to take with me...sz. 35 needles with 4 strands of yarn...spring colors...
As far as Stewing on Sunday, my food assignment was to bring the Beans. I am using my Aunty Vivian's Texas Beans Recipe.
Texas Beans
1 lg. can Bush Baked Beans
1 can Baby Butter Beans
1 can Green Lima Beans
1 can Red Beans
1 can Dark Red KidneyBeans, drained
Saute 1/2 lb. bacon, pour off the fat.
Saute 1 lb. ground beef.
Chop 1 lg. onion.
3/4 cup catsup
1 tbsp. mustard
3 tbsp. molasses
Combine beans, including juice with all other ingredients . Bake at 350, uncovered.

My hubby is stewing today also...he is brewing another batch of beer. This recipe is a Liberty Cream Ale.

Give-Aways Galore

I have been the lucky winner of several generous blog give-aways, so have decided to sponsor my own. For February, I will send you my Prim Country Heart from my Etsy shop. This can be displayed all year, but I want you to have it in time for Valentines Day.

I will also send you this 'Glamour Girl' gift bag that includes fuzzy slippers, Bath & Body Works Shower Gel & Lotion, a necklace, a candle & more. All comments left today Sunday 2/1 through Saturday 2/7 will be entered. One name will be drawn next Sunday morning and the package shipped out Monday, in hopes that it gets to you by Valentines Day.

Ms. Independent

No, I'm not referring to a 2 year old...it's my 88 year old mother. In early December, her doctor told her that because of the results of her stress test, she needs to have another angiogram. So I said, 'Mom, just let me know ahead of time and I'll make plans to come up and take you'...So...just got done visiting with her...we visited about her doctor's appointment that she had last week...and I asked her if he said anything more about the angiogram...Her reply...
'Oh, I'm having that Monday, the 2nd. I've made arrangements to take the Senior Bus.' What! You're taking the bus to get your angiogram??? You need to know that it is 90 miles from Devils Lake (where she lives) to Grand Forks (where her heart doctor performs this procedure)...
She sounded as casual as if she was taking the bus downtown for a haircut...
You see...she lives 200 miles from me...but, I could go there, and be with her throughout...she just needs to let me know a couple of days in advance. But as it stands...she is taking the bus to go have an angiogram...cause that's what she wants to do...