Man, I've been slacking!

Goodness, I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted, I feel like a loser, LOL. Admittedly, I fell deeply into the land of Facebook and the little games on there. I tell y'all, if you get hooked on those games, it's HARD to get away! All those cute little farm games just call my name and I keep going back like a junkie for their next hit, UGH!

Since my last post, my oldest daughter has turned 13 and my husband turned 40. Both HUGE milestones. Hubby's still driving and he's currently in Laredo, TX. I've had C home for the last 3 days with the flu. Her fever finally broke this morning so, praise God, she can finally go back to school tomorrow!

Really, not much has been happening. We've been living life in the best way that we know how. Now that my daughter is 13, going on 21, and thinks she's an adult, I wish she was a baby again. I miss those pudgy little arms reaching up for me to carry her. Sometimes I long to hear the words "Mommy I need you". I'd come running, for sure. Life pretty much isn't the same now that she doesn't want me around anymore, and it's heartbreaking. I dread the time when H does the same thing. Parenting is so HARD! We work our tails off and put our heart and soul into the children, only to be laid off in about 18 years and told that we're not needed anymore. I don't think we can get unemployment for a job that we never got paid for to begin with....

Oh, on a lighter note, we got a new dog about a month or so ago. Her name's Lolli Pop and she was wondering around my mom's neighborhood.

She's a full blood cocker spaniel and just as sweet as can be. She's nearly totally blind with cataracts and her back feet give her trouble. She was someone's breeder dog until they decided that they didn't need her anymore. I couldn't just walk away from her so she's part of our family now.

I guess I'd better step away from the computer for now. C and I have to run to the library and take a movie back. I pray that you're all blessed. Nicole, if you read this, send me an email at minidrivers2000@yahoo.com. I'd love to be able to talk to you a bit! TW

This is the life I've chosen

Let me tell ya', it's not easy being a trucker's wife. With Hubby gone, I have to do EVERYTHING, including attend the "Donuts for Dads" thing at the school next week. It's really not a big deal and I've become independent over the last few years. Today is yard work. Spring is here and that means mowing, trimming, planting the garden, and spraying weeds. I really enjoy doing this stuff but it takes away from other stuff that I could be doing.

I've done a lot of "man" things over the last few years including replacing sink faucets, putting up a wall kit around our bath tub (that was fun!), building steps for the porch, and disposing of snakes. I've fixed the refrigerator when it started messing up. When the heater quit, I finally broke down and called someone. We're on natural gas and I don't mess with that stuff. Oh that made me MAD, too, LOL. I've picked up starved horses (had to call for a trailer for that one), caught them when they got out of the fence, fixed the fence (LOL), and built things. There's not much that I can't do anymore. I'm also available at all times for field trips and other school functions. I stay home most of the time to be available to the school, kids, or hubby if I'm needed.

I don't say all this to brag on myself. A lady at the school always gives me funny looks when I say that I've been doing "man" things. She's one of those moms that only cooks, cleans, and shops. If that was my "life" I'd go crazy. I can't wait for a man. If I waited on Hubby to get home to mow, the grass would be a foot tall when he did it. The same with most other things. And why should he have to work on his few days off? Sometimes I'll ask him to help me with hay and dog food but that don't take long.

I know that I've had a few lurkers and I just want to say that being a trucker's wife isn't all fun and games. Aside from having your husband gone 90% of the time, you have to take care of everything while he's gone. I know a lot of women that just couldn't handle that.

An introduction to some of our "residents"

I'm a tad bit bored so I thought I'd introduce some of the residents here. I am a huge believer that God brings people, and animals, into our lives for a certain amount of time. Sometimes that time is shorter than others. I believe most of what is here now are "lifers" unless something drastic changes.

This is Maxi. At 10 years old, she's currently our oldest. Most of the time she's too cool to play with the younger kitties. She's the picture of a lazy cat and sleeps most of the day.

This WAS Highway on the day that we brought her home. My youngest daughter and I were going to the store and almost hit her. We brought her home, she ate half a can of cat food, then her body started shutting down. I had to force feed her for a week to keep her alive. I don't know why this tiny kitty caught my heart like she did but she was well worth the effort.

This is Highway NOW. Isn't she beautiful! She amazed everyone, including the vets. After her first week with us, and just when she started eating on her own, she got sick. I went to the vet's office and got some medicine for her and their words were "IF she makes it through the night, bring her in tomorrow morning". They didn't even think she'd live. Highway is, without a doubt, my favorite kitty. The bad thing is that she HATES being cuddled and I want to cuddle her so bad!

Ahhh Henry. We've had Henry for almost a year now. In the middle of July last summer, Henry somehow found his way to our church bus's engine. It took 2 days to get him out and we ended up with him. He is the picture of a crazy kitty, no joke. One minute he's a sweet as can be, the next minute he's biting a clawing.

Most of the time Henry wants to be right in your face. He's such a love bug that pictures like this one of his nose are most of the pictures that I have of him.

There he is! He loves lounging on the bed. He's one cat that you don't want to turn your back on. If you make him angry, he WILL chase you down and snag your leg. But we love him anyway.

Next time, the doggies!

It's Been a While

Hello! It's been a while since my last entry. I guess sometimes "life" just happens and eventually you realize that it's been almost a month since you've last posted on your blog. (BTW, please pardon any type-o's that may appear. I am in bad need of a new keyboard but Dr. Pepper comes first. I have my priorities.)

Anywho, we went to the store the other day and came home to find the cute little guy that you see pictured. He was heading up our driveway so it's amazing that I didn't smash him. Sure is a cute little red-eared slider turtle. Ok, so he wasn't that little. I'd guess he was a little bit smaller than your average dinner plate. I'm sure he was heading to my neighbor's cow pond but he wouldn't of made it.

You see, in between our driveway and my neighbor's pond is my fence and he was too big to fit through the squares in the fence. Hey, we've had bigger turtles here. Last year we had a snapper turtle. My horses were saying hi to him. Good thing no one got snapped because that dude was MAD!

Most of the turtles that I find get a free ride down to the creek. It's not far, and it gets them out of my hair. Of course, they have to take time out for a photo shoot before they're allowed to leave.

I don't think I'd want to live anywhere else :o) God sure has blessed us!

Gotta love semi-country life

This reminds me of those pictures that we used to see when we were kids. There'd be a super close-up of the picture and we'd try to guess what it was. Ok so what's black and white and sitting on my carport? (*Note* Skunks still smell when they haven't sprayed, it's just not NEAR as bad) I have to admit, this guy was pretty cute but there's no way I was gonna let him stay. After all, I have dogs, cats, horses, and KIDS. In fact, my kids and one of my house dogs was outside when this guy showed up. I can't imagine what would've happened if someone would've gotten sprayed.

Come to find out, skunks don't like water much. After several glasses of water throwed at him, he decided to find a drier place to sleep and went on his way. It's never dull around here. We've had raccoons, opossums, snakes and skunks. That's not counting the stray dogs, cats, horses, and CHICKENS that we get. Life is definately fun.

Here's a better picture of Mr. Stinky. I could've gotten even better pics but I was busy watching which end was pointing at me :o) Thank God I'm not here begging for air freshener!

A New Love, Crescent Rolls

I must admit that I have a soft spot in my tummy for bread. I don't really like the fancy breads but give me home baked hot rolls any day. This new recipe is no exception. I found this online and I'm in love! Here's the original recipe, how I found it.


Ingredients
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup shortening
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, softened

DIRECTIONS
Dissolve yeast in warm water.
Stir in sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in remaining flour until smooth. Scrape dough from side of bowl. Knead dough, then cover it and let rise in a warm place until double (about 1-1/2 hours).
Punch down dough. Divide in half. Roll each half into a 12-inch circle. Spread with butter. Cut into 10 to 15 wedge. Roll up the wedges starting with the wide end. Place rolls with point under on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until double (about 1 hour).
Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 12-15 minute or until golden brown. Brush tops with butter when they come out.


Now here's how I tweaked it. I added all of the ingredients to my breadmaker in this order: all flour, sugar, salt, eggs, butter, shortening, and yeast dissolved in warm water. I then turned the breadmaker to the "dough" setting and did my own thing for an hour and a half. When it was done, I dumped the dough onto a floured counter and kneaded then cut it in half and rolled it to about 1/4 inch thick. Then I cut the dough into triangles (which I'm obviously not good at doing) and rolled them up, fat end first. I placed them in the pan and let them rise another hour or so, until doubled in size. Then I slapped them into my oven, preheated to 350* instead of 400*. I'm not sure how long I cooked them for, but it was until they were done :o) I brushed them with butter and burned my fingers trying to eat the first one, oops! Anyhow, these are AWESOME! I'll never buy the canned ones again! TW

More Scenes From a Truck

I adore the pictures that Hubby sends me. He has an old 2 mp Kodak EasyShare camera that he takes with him and after years of being banged around in that truck, it still works like a charm! I loved it so much that I bought a newer and better model.

Anyhow, here's some more pictures from the last few years that Hubby's sent me. He gets to see a LOT of beautiful scenery!

I hope you enjoyed this installment of "Scenes from a Truck". Have a great evening and God Bless you all! TW

Morning Visitors

It's been a bad couple of days around here. Hubby's trips have been short and this last one just gave him a ton of trouble. I'm so glad he's getting rid of it today and he's done with that one.

Today's a new day and God is smiling down on us, aren't you excited? I sure am!

I went out to feed the horses this morning and they were in the upper part of our little field looking at something. My neighbor's cow field is right next to ours so I figured they were visiting with the baby cows. Nope. I looked and saw these two guys on the edge of my neighbor's pond.

Aren't they beautiful? Some people hate them but I just think they're gorgeous. He also gets bald eagles on his property quite a bit. I wish I had a longer lens for my camera so I could get a better picture of them because they are a beautiful sight!

As a side note, I'm making hot rolls today, YUMMY! I'll get the recipe up as soon as I'm done.

Some people just can't be happy.

I really have no life. While most people make their kids ride the bus home from school, I go and pick mine up every day. The school is gracious enough to allow us parents access to the cafeteria area to wait on our children. To me, this is a wonderful way to stay connected with other parents and just let the school know that you're there if and when they need you.


Anyhow, there's this ONE mom. She's never happy about anything in her life. I think she thrives on being cranky and disappointed. She has 2 sons who are both special needs. The older son, she's counting the days until he can move out when he's 18. The youngest is in 3rd grade and just starting to give her tons of trouble. She gripes when the school tries to help them but she gripes when they don't do enough. She complained to me when her oldest son got good notes mailed home to her. The teacher was complimenting him and that made her mad. You can't understand a word that her youngest son says but she complains that speech takes away from his normal class time. I don't think anything will make this woman happy. (By now, some of you teachers that have been at our school for a while may know who she is.)


Her latest pet peeve, aside from her family that are the most worthless deadbeats she's ever met, is the cleanliness of the playground. While I agree that it is a mess, she doesn't want to do anything about it but complain. And she tries to recruit other people to complain about it as well. I was sitting right there when she told the assistant principal that the Conservation Club needed to clean it up (the teacher that sponsors that club was out for over a month because of a surgery). The assistant principal said the mom needed to go out there and clean it up herself, LOL. Today she called the superintendent's office. UGH!


It's not just the school that gets her wrath. The local police probably want to have her number blocked by now. She gripes about everything to them, as well. She called one day about someone who had passed her driving down the road. She said the officer answered the phone saying "What is it now, Mrs. T". That should say enough.


She takes everything so personal. She had a job but her family wasn't doing well with her being gone so she quit to stay home again. During small talk, people ask if she's working or if she's found another job or whatever. That makes her MAD because they're all in her business. I told her that it's just small talk but it don't seem to help.


Anyhow, I'm sure you all know someone like this woman. People who can't find the good in anything that goes on. The world is a big tar pit and we're all just waiting to fall in, right? Well some of us aren't like that. I try to find something good in everything. Many of you may not know this but Hubby is a cancer survivor. Six years ago, he looked like this.

After I shaved his head, I used duck tape to get the rest of the hair out. We sent that story to a duck tape web site and he won a hat and a roll of duck tape! Even during the worst of times (and believe me, chemotherapy is one of the WORST times!), we found something to make us laugh. I thank God every day that he's still with us and able to get his butt kicked by his daughter at boxing!

TW

We got a Wii

Ok, say the words "I need a Wii" really fast and see what it sounds like. That's why, in the store, my smarty pants husband responds with "The bathroom's right over there". UGH! What I have to put up with. My daughter's teachers will now understand why they're such smart alecks, LOL.

Yeah, we got a Wii. We hadn't bought a new gaming system since the Nintendo 64 came out, so we're just a little behind. Hey, my mom did get the girls a Game Cube at a yard sale for $25, does that count?

Didn't think so.

Anyhow, we got this thing home (while the kids are in school, the parents will play, LOL) and got it all hooked up. OH MY GOSH!!! My body hasn't moved around this much since I waited tables in high school. I was sweating! Game systems aren't supposed to be like this. This thing takes more than just thumbs to play. Hubby loves the bowling and boxing. The girls really kick his tail at boxing, plus they have fun doing it. We'd gotten them a Zone gaming system for Christmas, what a WASTE of money. Ours was on sale for $35 and I wouldn't have paid the original price of $50 for that thing.

Anyhow, here's a few pics of Hubby and C boxing.

She won!!!

Oh, notice the cat on the fish tank in the background? She gets up there to sleep then goes comatose (we call it Coma Kitty). Eventually she falls off the fish tank and hits the floor. Then she gets up and wants to kill whatever's close because she's embarrassed. Goofy cat! TW

Puppy Love

Look at this baby. Isn't she just the cutest thing you've ever seen?

Not a mean bone in her body. Everything about her just screams sweetness and love.

Henry doesn't seem to think so. Her favorite pass time is chasing him around the house and he loves it. TW

Coming Home

My trucker is coming home for the weekend. He only gets a few days and there's always LOTS to do in those few days. While the kids are in school, we get quiet time to watch movies or go to the flea market. When the kids are home, it's definately not dull. And now he has a new puppy to deal with as well. I'm sure she'll be just a tad more spoiled after he leaves.

He's also coming home just in time for my birthday, which is Sunday. I turn 29....again. Umm, yeah...29.....that's right.........sure. My birthday never ends up being a real big deal and I suppose that's fine with me.

Anywho, I'm sure I won't be around much before he leaves so y'all have a great weekend and God Bless! TW

A new puppy

My cousin's boyfriend is in the hospital. He had open heart surgery and he's got at least 2 more surgeries to come. So when her oldest daughter gave her a puppy, it was at the worst possible time imaginable. I went over there last night and fell in love, and I can't stand puppies. She's only about 8 weeks old, almost totally black, and a pure bred shih tzu. She's just about the most adorable thing you can think of and totally sweet and loving. She follows us everywhere and potty training has been fairly easy so far (I spent 3 years potty training Runt).

Here's a couple shots of the little thing. She's just adorable, right?

I am a firm believer in crate training. It's a wonderful tool to keep a dog owner sane. I crate trained Runt because she was destroying my house when I went to work (once upon a time, I had a job). This new baby is no different, but she sure thinks so. She's currently in her crate screaming like a little fool. Even Runt's tired of it and complaining about the noise.

I just keep telling myself, just a day or two and she'll be used to it. Oh Lord, help me to make it that far! TW

Cell phone troubles

For the last few days, Hubby's phone has been giving him fits. It started in Laredo, TX, when I tried to call and tell him that one of our friends might've been laid off from her job (she wasn't, thank God). Since then, it's been getting steadily worse. Now it's to the point to where he can only call for about 5 minutes every hour or so. It's rediculous. Now I'm going to have to order him a new phone and go through all the trouble of getting it going. Pray for him, for patience until he gets home to his new phone. I hope you're all having a great weekend. TW

Just thought I'd update here. I ordered Hubby a new phone yesterday morning. He's going to have to get a whole new number (it was half the price to do it that way) but at least he'll be able to call home again. I'll be glad when he gets it. TW

Knick Knack Paddy Whack

I gave this dog a bone

And the goof ball buried it in my couch!

Whatever happened to the old man that came rolling home? Oh yeah, he's in HOUSTON!!! TW.

Scenes from a truck

I'm so proud of my husband for what he does and who he has become in the 13 years that we've been married. He's changed so much and I don't know if I'd even like the man I married anymore. I prefer the man I have now :o)


Anyhow, here's some of the pictures that he's taken on his travels the last few years. I don't know where most of these are taken but it doesn't really matter.


These were taken 2 years ago when he took C, our oldest, on a trip with him. They were gone for a LONG 3 weeks!

Shrek is his co-driver now, though he doesn't do any of the driving. Hubby says when Shrek starts to talk back to him, he's probably been on the road too long, LOL.

That sign was at a place where he was getting unloaded. He didn't see any, but the guard said they ARE there, YIKES!

I hope you enjoyed my scenes from a truck. I'll post more as I get them collected. Have a blessed day! TW.

Thankful to be bored

I was just sitting here thinking about how bored I was. Sure, I could be washing dishes or sitting in front of the TV, but here I sit bored.

Then I go to message boards and read about a lady's stepdaughter and her boyfriend needing prayer because they were life-flighted from an auto accident. I read about those still without power in Arkansas and Kentucky because of the ice storm and all that they have to clean up. I think of all of the people with health problems or financial problems. I think of the people who have to move because they lost their job or home.

I'm very thankful to be bored and I don't think I'll complain anymore. TW

Kind of a "blah" day

My mom's sick. We're not really sure what's going on but she keeps having these "spells" and we're pretty sure she's having seizures with these. Of course, she doesn't want to go to the doctor for tests. She's scared, and she has every right to be scared. She's 72 years old. If anyone reads this, could you say a prayer for her? Her name is Ruth. I'm going to try to talk her into going to the doctor this week. She's afraid to drive because she's afraid she'll "spazz out" while she's driving :o(

I made a peach cobbler yesterday. It was my first attempt but I think it turned out really well and it was super easy. I didn't get any pictures, sorry.

2 cans sliced peaches, 29 ounces each

1 white cake mix (supposed to use yellow cake, I had white)

cinnamon

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

I lined the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with peaches (retaining the peach syrup in case I needed it later), put the cake mix on top and sprinkled cinnamon on top of that. I mixed it all up until moist (might need some of the peach syrup for more moisture) and sliced the stick of butter on top. I baked at 350* for about 40 minutes, until the top was brown. I admit it turned out really yummy and I intend to make a LOT more.

Here's a picture, though it has nothing to do with this post. It makes me smile every time I look at it, though. Hubby saw this truck a year or so ago and got the picture for me. Until next time, TW.

Baking Oatmeal Cookies

I have a love/hate relationship with baking. I LOVE to do it, but my body hates the weight. I also really don't like to eat super sweet stuff. The plus side is that I'm making great friends with the local tire shop guy (my cousin's husband, she rarely cooks) and the pregnant gal down the road. The last time I made this oatmeal cookie recipe, it made a TON of cookies. This time I cut it in half and it made right at 2 dozen. I don't like huge cookies, either, so that might make a difference. Anywho, if you want more or bigger, double what I'm typing out here.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in egg, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a large fork dipped in sugar.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

And here's some pictures :o) I love pictures!

The ingredients!

The process!

My favorite pan spray in the world for baked goods. Someday I wish to have some of those fancy baking mats, sigh. (Baker's Joy folks, if y'all read this, free samples are nice)

And the final product! I'm not a huge oatmeal cookie fan but I love these. But the big thing was my oldest daughter's friend was over and she said she hates oatmeal cookies but she loved mine. I guess I did good :o)

I like to cook

I'll admit, up until about a year or so ago, I didn't really enjoy cooking. I considered it another chore ranking right up there with laundry or clipping the dog's toenails (which reminds me...). I especially didn't like to bake.

This is my "oven". It hasn't worked since we moved in here 9 years ago, and it didn't work before then. I didn't care at the time because I didn't bake that much anyway. Now I'm starting to window shop for ovens and the prices are insane.

Up until last year, my main baking was done with a toaster oven. Don't ever discount those little dudes. If you get the right one, you can cook almost anything in them. I was baking chickens, small cakes and other small stuff. I couldn't make anything big, though. We always had to have Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners somewhere else :o(

Still, our main meals were Hamburger Helper and the like. Don't get me wrong. Hamburger Helper is good stuff. Eventually, our family got too big for just 1 box. That became a pain in the hiney, until Hubby went back on the road. With him gone, Hamburger helper could stay. One thing I like to do is make their stroganoff version but add green chili's and extra sour cream. Put that mixture in a tortilla and add cheese to make a burrito. YUMMY!

Last year, for my birthday, Hubby bought me one of those fancy microwave/convection ovens. Man, could that dude COOK! It microwaves stuff in no time flat. The problem is that the turntable still turns when it's baking. That makes the stuff that you're baking take even LONGER than they would in a toaster oven because it doesn't get done in the middle. It's great for a microwave and it would work in a pinch as an oven, but I haven't baked in it in ages.

This is my pride and joy. This is one of those $30 roaster ovens from Wal Mart. I LOVE this thing!!! I do every last bit of my baking right in this little baby. I've made everything from muffins (I can do more than 6 at a time, glory be!!) to a 17 pound turkey in this thing. It takes a little bit longer and if you get your stuff too close to the edge it'll burn. But once you figure out their quirks, they're great! Oh, you have to be very careful to not burn your knuckles, I've done it before. It don't feel good.

With these guys around, the words "What's for dinner?" don't sound so bad anymore. Y'all have a great day!! TW

Hmmm, This is new.

I've never blogged before. I guess I'm a blogging virgin, LOL. Since this is my first time, go easy on me :o)

I'm a simple woman from Missouri. I married in 1995 and in 1996, my husband went to truck driving school. He quit driving after a couple of years. Back then we couldn't handle being apart but, with the invention of cell phones and what-not, it's better this time. He's been driving OTR (Over The Road) since 2004 and I've learned to do a LOT for myself. I've had to fix refrigerators, cars, and leaky faucets. We live on a small farmette, on the highway, across from a bar, so that can get exciting. We've had semi-trucks turn over in front of the house, drunks walk up the driveway with giant horses, old men lay in the deep ditch across the road for over 36 hours (he lived, thank God), and a number of other things. The more I live here and witness, the more I never want to leave my house, LOL.

We have 2 daughters. The oldest is 12 and the "little" one is 10. I just went today for an honor roll assembly. I'm so proud of my girls, they both made the honor roll.

My youngest, H, is on the left and C is on the right.

Yeah, I blotted out their names. A couple of years ago, my family was bashed by a nasty blogger and I'm pretty anal about stuff like that now. I'm sure y'all will understand.

Anyhow, you'll see lots of pictures of my kids and animals here. You probably won't see many pictures of me. I'm usually behind the camera, which is a good thing. I thought about taking a picture of myself earlier, for my facebook friends that wanted to see what I looked like now. My cat coughed up a hairball........I took that as a sign and put the camera up.

Y'all have a blessed day. I'm sure I'll write more tomorrow. TW