Gram's Place

Lindsey, Linjitzu, Jitz.... 18 years ago today... its amazing how quickly time seems to fly when you're trapped in a family of four girls... :) I remember you as a baby... long fingers,... and that vein in the middle of your head that you still have... :) you were so fair skinned, and so tiny. I remember how you slept through the night at two weeks old (for 12 hours!) and you kept sleeping that well. You were such a content and sweet baby. You loved your blankie (even when it got all ratty and worn out) and your thumb. At 18, I'm pretty sure you could still sleep for 12 hours... easily. You were born on a day much like today... we had just had a really bad snowstorm and everyone was concerned about the roads, but we were registered guests in the hospital room...two days of room and board, oblivious to the outside world, amazed at the beautiful wonder God had just delivered into our lives. I remember the perfect outfit we took you home from the hospital in. It was angelic... whi...

I am in the "make ahead" meal mode.... So, thought I'd share tomorrow's supper (that I'm making today)... :) Make-Ahead Turkey Tetrazzini 8 oz cooked spaghetti 1/4 cup margerine or butter 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms 3 T. flour 2 cups chicken broth 3/4 cups half and half 1-3 T dry sherry 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 tsp salt 1/8 tsp nutmeg dash pepper 3 cups cooked turkey 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 1. cook spaghetti as directed on package 2. melt margerine in dutch oven over med heat. Add mushrooms. cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to med-low. Add flour; cook and stir until bubbly. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat; stir in half and half, sherry, 1/4 cup parsley, salt, nutmeg, and pepper. 3. add cooked spaghetti and turkey to mushroom mixture; stir gently to mix. Spoon mixture into ungreased 13x9 inch glass baking dish. Cover with foil; refrigerate at least 8 hours o...

Tonight I was so excited... I tried a new recipe... and it's fun to say! Taco Fiesta Chicken Bake. Say it. Really. Okay... Taco Fiesta Chicken Bake. Now, say it with a Mexican accent... out loud... again... Taco Fiesta Chicken Bake.... ole! It was easy.... good... and did I mention easy? The best part... you can make it the night before and put it in the refrigerator so all you have to do is pop it in the oven and bake it! Here's the recipe... try it... you'll like it. 2 cans diced tomatoes with zesty mild green chilis, undrained ( I used 2 cans of tomatoes and 1 can of green chilis) 1/4 cup taco sauce - I forgot this but it needed it so I don't recommend skipping 3 cups cubed cooked chicken 1 16oz can refried beans 1/2 cup sour cream 12 uncooked lasagna noodles 3 cups shredded cheese 1/2 cup chopped green onions 1/4 cup sliced ripe olives 1. spray 13x9 glass baking dish with spray. In large bowl, combine tomatoes and taco sauce, mix well. stir in chicken. In med bowl,...

For a mom, each of your child's birthday's bring a whole host of memories along with it. You seem to remember strange things though.... and each child is different. This morning, Shawn and I were reminiscing about 8 years ago today, when Emily was born. He remembers watching the Howie Mandell Show in the hospital room. The first and only time he had seen the show.... and I remember having small, irritating, sometimes strong, contractions while he was watching television. Emily was induced. I had pneumonia for two weeks prior and I had to have weighed about a million pounds and I was sooooo ready to have her. I was excited to be induced, but nervous about the pain! I remember having had a conversation with my doctor a few weeks prior. I told him that I didn't have any drugs with the other kids, did it all natural. But, that was years ago, I was older now, it had been 7 years since I had a child, and didn't care about being tough, I wanted all the drugs possible! We also ...

Shawn's bro Shelly was in the hospital. He has pneumonia. But, he's home now (and I hear he has a bunch of "STUFF") and doin much better. Say a little prayer for him as he continues to get better. Here's a photo of him and the dog we got him...hey! every guy needs a dog in the hospital!

I found this I AM at another blog and thought I'd do it. Everyone does the "I AM FROM" one and I really liked this one a lot... so here you go. I Am I am the baby born in San Jose to Jim Senior with a love for cool stereos, good music, and fast cars and Charlotte who drinks black coffee and has roses in the backyard where lizards climb the wall, who had three other children together and one other already and plenty of room for more love. I was born with my two front teeth popping out already. The baby of the family, and the spoiled one, says my siblings. I am the child who played Barbies and hopscotch and neighborhood hide and seek yelling “Olly Olly Oxen Free” Who loved Cinderella and daydreaming and riding bike and chasing the ice cream truck every Saturday afternoon while dad washed the car. Who stored mom’s leftover makeup in my treasure box and pretended to be a teenager in the old abandoned car in the backyard. Who dreamed of being the princess in a fairy tale and b...

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God ...