Sunday, June 28, 2009

Help me win a scholarship

I've been on the scholarship hunt and here's one that will take all the help I can get! I entered a photo and need everyone to vote as often as possible over the next 46 days for me to win. Evidently, you can vote every 8 hours - so get busy!! And please, please pass this along to everyone you know.

Thanks so so much!

Click here to vote!

Pass the url along! http://tinyurl.com/VoteForSharon

$500 from FastWeb

I just signed up to go back to school. For quite a while, I've been thinking about going back to school to finish my degree. And since my husband just graduated, it seemed like the right time. Since we're dirt poor right now, I've been scouring the internet for scholarships and grants.

I signed up with FastWeb and I like the site a lot. Basically, you check off every single bit of bizarre info about you and your parents and they match you up with scholarships.

I just got an email from them about a new scholarship on July 4th only.

Here's the text of the email they sent to me:

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FastWeb Shout for Cash
Award Amount: $500

In celebration of Freedom of Speech, and the launch of the new FastWeb Discussions Channel, we're giving away $500 to any FastWeb user who visits FastWeb.com on July 4, 2009. We hope you'll also feel free to visit our new Discussions Channel and join the conversation with students, educators, parents and alums on how to get the most money for your education.

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"to any FastWeb user who vists FastWeb.com on July 4, 2009." Which sound like everyone gets the $500. But I also found this in a discussion group "FastWeb Shout for Cash! contest where anyone who visits fastweb on July 4th is automatically entered in a random drawing to win $500. In celebration of Freedom of Speech, and FastWeb's dedication to listening to students."

Whether it's a drawing or every user, I'll definitely be logging in on the 4th!!

Click to sign up with FastWeb

Sunday, June 21, 2009

I made cheeseburgers

A friend of mine pointed me to Bakerella's blog and these adorable "cheeseburgers and fries". I don't know how I got high and what made me think I was up to this... but I did it! Big Daddy was ticked by his Father's Day surprise.




The two fathers in my life

Big Daddy
I adore my husband. Just plain old ADORE him. Sure, there are times when we get on each others' nerves but, all in all, he's a super duper husband and father. When I was pregnant, he read Dr. Seuss to my belly for each baby. He did middle of the night breast pump cleaning so I could fall back to sleep. He has rocked our children to sleep, changed exploding diapers, washed sippy cups, braved the stores with cranky kids, snuggled with them in the mornings, played with them in the afternoons, bathed them at night. He makes them breakfast every morning so I can sleep in a little. He takes our son to school every morning. He blow dries our daughter's hair and tells her how pretty she is. He's not too macho to do girly things with our daughter and he acknowledges and nurtures our son's analytic play.

As a husband, he takes care of my heart and my tissue paper feelings. He love me exactly how I need to be loved. I think he really likes it when I'm feeling needy and need extra hugs, kisses and snuggles. He supports me even when he doesn't agree with me. He boosts my ego and makes me feel special.

I am very fortunate that he is my husband. I adore him.

My Daddy
What did I inherit from my father? Nordic skin that turns lobster red in the sun, a love for music, a unique sense of humor, computer talent and a sense of family. There's plenty more, but these things are very much the core of who I am and they came from my daddy.

My father taught me the value of hugs and kisses - especially at the First National Bank of Dad.

I wish he could teach me how to grill as wonderfully as he does, but I don't know that I have the aptitude for it. Man can he grill!! Two words... Flank. Steak.

Music was a huge part of life growing up. My father can play just about any instrument he picks up and encouraged me and my siblings to try music as well. He financed our violins, lessons and contest fees. He never missed a concert, contest or recital. And as much as I tease him about his Bluegrass love, it was his constant need to play music that reinforced music in my life.

When you're raised on a comedic diet of Tom & Jerry, Abbott & Costello, Roadrunner, Bugs Bunny and the like, you can't help but have a unique sense of humor. Another two words for you, Dad: Gadoosh, Gadoosh. I bet you're laughing! I am!

I love you, Daddy. Thanks for being a great dad to me and a wonderful grandfather to my children.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Menu Plan Monday 6/22

When it comes to cooking meals for my family I'm great at making the main dish. Side dishes are another story. Growing up, my mother always served us two side dishes and one of those was always a green veggie of some kind. But when I try to make side dishes, the veggies end up soggy, limp and lacking in that certain zing. Can you help me? I really want at least one side dish to go with each meal. Please leave a comment with tips and ideas. I'd really appreciate it!

Monday
Italian salad dressing chicken and pasta

Tuesday
Chicken quesadillas

Wednesday
Chicken - and - rice - and - beans

Thursday
Provolone wrapped chicken
Beer baked scalloped potatoes

Friday
Bourbon chicken with rice

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Strawberry Memories

I love strawberries. I mean, I LOVE strawberries. LOVE LOVE LOVE fresh, plump, super ripe, sweet strawberries.

My grandparents used to have a big farm in southern Illinois and they always had a good sized field of strawberries. Our summer vacations were never early enough in the year for us to be there at strawberry pickin' time, but Grandma always put strawberries up for us in the freezer so we could have "fresh" strawberries, strawberry shortcake and the like. So much of my love of strawberries is tied to my grandparents, their farm and their strawberry field.

My grandmother's strawberry shortcake can be beaten by none. It's amazing. Most people have never had strawberry shortcake with shortbread but once they try my grandmother's they *never* go back. For the past 5 or more years, every spring my aunt would go to a local strawberry patch and pick strawberries for us all. She and Grandpa would clean, hull and macerate them. Grandma made the shortcake. And we'd eat strawberry shortcake nonstop until we pooped pink. Grandma always made extra shortcake for me to take home. It was like her special treat just for me. I loved standing in her kitchen watching her make it and talking to her.

On the farm when we visited, strawberry season was well over so we'd ride on the fenders of Grandpa's tractor while he turned the field. Once it was just him and me, an unusual occurrence because my younger brother was almost always velcroed to my grandfather's hip growing up. We were going down the incline and hit a nest of fireflies. We were swarmed and it was so amazing! Later on, we hit a nest of mosquitoes and were swarmed. That wasn't as amazing.

I remember getting up at 8 am on the farm, all the windows open all night because of no air conditioning so the house felt like morning dew, and eating cereal with Grandma. She always had her Grape Nuts with strawberries on top. It was the only time the house was cool during the day and it was soothing and comforting to sit and eat breakfast together.

Homemade strawberry ice cream. My grandparents always had a Pig Pickin' for 4th of July and made homemade ice cream. Grandma always made sure there was strawberry ice cream.

My birthdays... If we were at Grandma's house on my birthday, my cake was always angel food cake with strawberries or some kind of cake with strawberry icing that she made from scratch with real strawberries.

Strawberries are very emotional for me now. I guess I need to have my aunt teach me how to make the shortcake now. I almost don't want to learn because it makes it very final that the torch has been passed on.

Monday, March 9, 2009

The significance of a freckle

How insignificant a freckle can be.

I have a very dark one on my right shoulder. It's in just the right spot so that if I'm wearing a tank top, I usually catch a glimpse of it out of the corner of my eye and have to do a double take thinking it's a bug.

Growing up, we spent every summer on my grandparent's farm in southern Illinois. It was always hot, always humid and they didn't have AC so we dressed appropriately. I cannot even estimate the number of times I walked past my grandmother only to have her smack me. "OW! What was that for??" "You've got a tick on your shoulder." "No, I don't. That's my freckle." "Oh. I forget." LOL

As I was drying off from my shower earlier, I caught a glimpse of my freckle and thought of my grandmother and smiled. That's the significance of my freckle.