Wordless Wednesday

I love this post- and do you know why? Because its sweet and full of warm gooey feelings.

Feelings you can't take part in unless you head over to my new site and check it out!
http://www.confessionsfromboystown.com/

Wordless Wednesday: Good Morning

This post- hilarious. Want to see it? Head over to my new home at
http://www.confessionsfromboystown.com/
And, if you decided to shower me with follows, email/RSS Feed subscriptions, and/or chocolates, well, I wouldn't be opposed...

Wordless Wednesday

Oh- you'd love this Wordless Wednesday post. Trust me. Want to see it? Go to me new home @ http://confessionsfromboystown.wordpress.com/

Wordless Wednesday

This W.W. post is great. Seriously. Want to see it? Head to my new home:
http://confessionsfromboystown.wordpress.com/

Wordless Wednesday: Silly

You want to see a great W.W. post? Head over to my new home
http://confessionsfromboystown.wordpress.com/

Wordless Wednesday: Brotherly Love

I'd love for you to see this week's W.W.- so head over to my new home at
http://confessionsfromboystown.wordpress.com/

Wordless Wednesday: Tasty

I'd love for you to check out my Wordless Wednesday, so hop on over to my new site at
http://confessionsfromboystown.wordpress.com/

New Boystown Post!!

So, as I've said before, my new home can be found on Wordpress now.

If, for whatever reason you've yet to visit, run- don't walk- to there now.

Its in your best interest- really.  I mean it. 

Need an incentive?  I've got a bright, shiny, new Boystown post up on there.

Birthday Parties and you Part 1: Keeping up with the Jones'

Following me there is easy:

• You can follow via Wordpress' 'follow' button at the top of my page.
• You can subscribe to my emails.
• And you can even subscribe via RSS feed.

See?  No reason to worry. :-D  Our love can continue.

Oh, and someone asked me if you can leave me comments even if you're still here on Blogger... yes.  Yes, you can.  I love comments.  I am a comment hog.  I devour them like bacon.  Like coffee.  Like bacon flavored coffee...

Ok, so that was a tad gross.

Anyways, to sum up:

• Go check out my awesome new post on Wordpress.
• Follow me in some way shape or form.
• Give me lots of comments telling me how fantabulous you think I am.

Kahpeesh?  Good.

Saturday Shout-Out: Changing Diapers and Taking Names

This week I'm featuring:

Name:  Brittany Bullington

If you'd like to read the feature, please join me on my new site:
http://confessionsfromboystown.wordpress.com/

And, just so you know, I wouldn't mind it if you decided to follow me, subscribe to my email or RSS feed, or sent me chocolates and flowers.

A bit much?

I'm moving...

Ok, so the time has come to say goodbye to Blogger, can't you see?

M...I...C...K...

Oh, wait.  Wrong song.

Ok, well, I'm sure you got the point.  I'm moving my blog to Wordpress to get ready for an even bigger move in the future.  I REALLY hope that - since I can't actually MOVE you all with me, that you'll stop on by my new page and follow me there.  Right now, it just looks like a sad, little start up blog that really needs some love.

A start up blog with all my previous entries from here; all my comments from here; but no followers.  So, to sum it up, I look like I have a blog that people might have thought was cool in the past, but now stopped following me because they've lost that lovin' feelin'.  And, we all know that's not true.  I'm awesome.

Right?

Please say you're nodding your head.

So, if you're a follower already, just PLEASE- quickly click this link and follow my new location.  I'm actually begging you right now- I know I'm cool, and YOU know I'm cool, but to all of Wordpress World, I'm a tad on the pathetic "here's a quarter- buy some followers" side.

And, if you aren't a follower already, well, I'm going to assume that you're now wondering what life was like before you stumbled upon my blog and you're hop, skip, jumping over to Wordpress to be a new follower.

And, yes, my mom always told me what it means to assume.  I just fail to care.

So, in case you missed it, here's the link-

"I LOVE CONFESSIONS FROM BOYSTOWN AND I'M CLICKING THIS RIGHT NOW"

That's not TOO presumptuous, is it? ;-D

Wordless Wednesday: Firsts

First look at dinosaurs.

Tasty Tuesday #2

I've said it before- its kind of the motto of my life- but I'm always on the go.  Sometimes -by the time we get home and get dinner started- its well past when we should be eating, and if its TOO late, we end up spending money on yet another meal of take out.  Meals like this week's featured meal are my go-to meals when I know that we're likely to be gone for any length of time.

There's really nothing about this meal that is really difficult, and in the end, it comes out great.  It just takes a few minutes to prep, and by the time you're ready for dinner, its ready for you.

Smothered Steak

2 lbs cube steak

1 can cream of mushroom soup 

1 can (4 oz) sliced mushrooms

2 med. onions cut into half moon slices

1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix

1 tbsp dried parsley

salt (about a tsp spoon) 

pepper (about the same)

a couple tbsp flour for dusting

Combine pepper, parsley, salt, and flour.  Lightly dredge the cube steak in the flour mixture.  It doesn't need to be caked on- you aren't doing this to make some sort of crust.  If you put too much on, it will just make it gummy once its cooked.

Add the half moon slices from one of the onions on the bottom of the slow cooker.  Place steak in slow cooker on top of the onion.  Place the rest of the onion on top of the cube steak.

Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the steak and onions.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 or so hours- until it becomes super tender.  If you try to pull a piece off and it doesn't tear easily, leave it in til its ready.  You can do it on HI in a pinch, but I recommend you try to plan ahead enough so you can always put it on LOW.

We've served it with rice when mashed potatoes would take too long, but -let's face it- mashed tators are AMAZING with anything that has a gravy.

Enjoy!

Friday's Writing Prompt: A Memorable Recipe

Mama's Losing It: 3.) Share a family favorite childhood recipe.

I remember, when I was younger, one of the meals my mom liked to make for us was Chicken and Dumplings- and she was good at it.

And I remember there was a moment during my childhood that my mom made Chicken and Dumplings EVERY day for about a week.  We- my siblings and I- recounted this memory many years later and my mom denied it, but we remembered.

The thing about the Chicken and Dumplings, though, is out of all the meals I had growing up, that's the meal that sticks out- and not because we nearly demanded a new dish after repeated servings of it.  Its not flashy; its not exotic; but if you were to ask me to define my childhood in a meal, that would be it:

• warm
• satisfying
• comforting
• seemingly ordinary, yet profoundly extraordinary
• simple
• homey
• and, at times, repetitive

The amazing thing about the "simple" dishes, though, is the fewer the ingredients, the bigger the chance of screwing it up.  Remembering my tasty childhood memories, I wanted so badly to share this meal with my in-laws once I was married and -let's just say- while it wasn't a "crash and burn", it WAS a lesson learned.

I'm proud to say that the years have been good to my cooking chops, so the recipe that follows is now only in my recipe book purely for the memories.  The real recipe I hold in my heart.

Chicken and Dumplings
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups diced onion
2 cloves garlic
1 3-4lb roaster chicken
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
2 bay leaves
salt
pepper
1 cup milk+2 tbsp cornstarch (for thickening power)

Put chicken in a large pot.  Cover COMPLETELY with water.  Add bay leaves and allow it to come to a boil.  Add a couple of LARGE dashes of salt (remember- the chicken and veggies don't come packed with their own flavoring, so salt now and then re-taste later to see if it needs more!), pepper (to YOUR taste preference), thyme and rosemary.  Set to med. heat for 45-60 minutes or until the chicken is falling off the bone.

Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool.  Remove any pieces of skin that might be floating in the pot by itself- boiled skin isn't really tasty.  If you're particularly "choosy" (such a better word than picky, don'tcha think?), you can strain all the stock to get out any "floaties".  If you want thicker soup, now is the time to add the milk/cornstarch slurry.  If I were you, I'd add a little at a time.  You won't see the full thickening power until the soup comes to a boil, so do this part SLOWLY.

Add diced veggies to the pot.  While veggies are cooking, shred the chicken (it should be cool enough to touch without burning yourself).  Once the veggies are tender, add the chicken and remove the bay leaves.  Taste it now, because it becomes MUCHO difficult once the dumplings are crowding the pot.

And NOW- its time to make the dumplings.

Dumplings
2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cups milk

Stir until a soft dough forms.  Drop spoonfuls into the boiling stew; reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook uncovered for 10 minutes; cook covered for 10 minutes.

Now EAT.

Saturday Shout-Out: Mommy LaDy Duke

I wanted to use my Saturday posts to highlight some great bloggers out there. This week's feature blogger is wonderful and I hope you love her as much as I do. If you'd like me to highlight you, just send me an email:

Saturday Shout-Out

Check them out for their Battle of the leading men every weekend!

~Your name:  Courtney & Betina(sisters)

~Your blog's name w/ link:  Mommy LaDy Club http://www.mommyladyclub.com

~Type of blog it is...  Entertainment/Mommy Blog

~Tell us a little something about yourself:  Betina and I live in different cities, but whenever we meet, we have the same pair of shoes and sunglasses.

~If you had only 1 wish, what would it be and why? To live forever. I love my life, and fear death.

~What's your favorite thing about where you live and why? I love the heat of the desert. When everyone else is complaining about it, I relish it!

~What's #1 on your 'Bucket List'? Living part time on the Rhine River

~3 words to describe yourself would be...? Tall, thoughtful, loyal

~1 little known fact about you is...? I am called the "rock lady" in my neighborhood, because I build giant dry slab rock walls.

~1 vice of yours is...? chocolate

~Why did you start blogging? I enjoy challenges, and I knew that I would be learning a lot from it, and I am!

~What's your favorite thing about blogging? Meeting all of the other fabulous women and bloggers out there!

~What do you think makes for a successful blog? Being honest, and offering quality information and originality.

~3 words to describe your blog would be...? Unique, entertaining, informative

~What's 1 blog (besides yours) that you think everyone should check out? www.nicegirlnotes.com

"Getting to Know You" Post

Question of the week: What is one of your favorite quotes and why?


Oh, so many, lol. My favorite quotes -I'm going to use a couple in this post- are all by Mark Twain.  He was a pretty wise and funny guy.


My first quote I'd like to share is this one: 

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
- Mark Twain 

The blush will fade from your cheeks; the tattoo will fade with time; those that witnessed your act will either forget or die from old age- but what if you succeed and your attempt is life changing in a good way?  America wasn't borne of "safety".  People took leaps of faith that there was something better to be had, so they sailed away into the unknown.

Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.
- Mark Twain 


You can say whatever you like, but people will always look to see if your living reflects your claims.  I tell this to my boys CONSTANTLY.


It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
- Mark Twain


Oh, how I wish that so many people in this world would learn from this quote.


And these last two just make me laugh and I wanted to share:


When I was younger I could remember anything, whether it happened or not.
- Mark Twain


When a boy turns 13, seal him in a barrel and feed him through a knot hole.
When he turns 16, plug up the hole.
- Mark Twain 


(the last one might as well be my motto for this blog.  I wholeheartedly agree!) 

Getting to Know You Friday Blog Hop #3

Hey everybody!  Welcome to the Getting to Know you Blog Hop week 3!  I'm so glad you decided to stop by- as are the rest of the Getting to Know You crew!  So, without further ado



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Question of the week: What is one of your favorite quotes and why? 
(If you’d like to get a heads up on the Getting to Know You Friday Question of the Week, contact one of the co-hosts and give them your email. You will be added to the list!)
Welcome to the Getting to Know You Friday Blog Hop hosted by: Amber from Confessions from Boystown, Jennifer from mamawolfe, Christina from Spilled Milkshake, & Lisa from insignificant at best.
The idea behind the Getting to Know You Blog Hop, is just that...getting to know you. We also thought it would be a good chance to share thoughts, experiences & lessons learned from life.  All 4 of us met through a great little site (Voiceboks) which is founded on -not just promoting blogs- but actually caring about other bloggers, getting to know them, and making friends along the way.  That's why I think this blog hop is a great idea- cuz it goes along with that same general ideaology.

  So, to keep things orderly and with minimal confusion (we hope), here are the rules:

1. Since there are 4 hosts we thought it was fair to only require you to follow 2 of us. Each host has been partnered with another host. We ask that you follow the host who's blog you submit your link to & their partner, the other 2 hosts are optional. The partnerships are:

Confessions from Boystown with mamawolfe
Spilled Milkshake with insignificant at best

(ex: If submit your link on Confessions from Boystown. You are required to follow Confessions from Boystown & mamawolfe. It is up to you whether or not you'd also like to follow Spilled Milkshake & insignificant at best.)

2. Each week we'll have a new question for you to answer. Write a blog post answering that question & link directly to it in the linky below!

3. Include our blog hop button in the post.

4. Visit a minimum of 3 other blogs & leave a MEANINGFUL comment on their Getting to Know You post. Please do not just go to 3 blogs & ask them to follow you. Everyone is taking time to their thoughts, so please be respectful of that.

5. Have fun getting to know one another! :)

The linky will be open until Sunday evening to make sure everyone has time to write their posts & link up!

If you have any questions or would like to suggest a question for the blog hop please contact one of the hosts! If your question gets picked we will feature your blog & question in that week's hop!

Banking on Potential

"And they blessed Rebekah and said unto her,"Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them."  Genesis 24:60

On a day like today, I read a statement like that and- if I didn't know better- I'd think Rebekah's family were actually cursing her.  Thousands of millions?  Really?  How mean ARE they?  Forget the pain of childbirth- let's just talk about the aftermath: childHOOD.

I can't help thinking this as I'm listening to the regular soundtrack here at Boystown: crying, fighting, shouting, whining, and something that sounds slightly like grunting.  I'm having a hard enough time today with just 3- if someone in my family "blessed" me with "thousands of millions", well, that might cause me to disown them.  At the very least, they'd stop receiving a Christmas card from us.

Then again, our "little" family probably wouldn't fit on a Christmas card at that point, so...

The logical side of my brain, though, tells me that #1- they weren't cursing Rebekah and #2- they didn't mean for her to literally give birth to all those kids.

Children- despite their tendency to make you want to scream and hide- ARE a blessing from God.  They have a whole lifetime of potential and -if we do OUR jobs right- that potential could lead to anything from great jobs (to support us in the lifestyle we'd like to become accustomed to, of course) to helping "thousands of millions" come to know Christ.

Right now, as I'm writing this, I can't help but wonder to myself if Rebekah ever thought back on that day when they blessed her and mumbled a silent curse under her breath for the well-wishers.  The thought, honestly, makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.  It makes me smile that maybe she, too, pulled her hair out in frustration at her boys' antics.  Could HER neighbors hear HER getting on her sons' cases?

But I think that what makes me smile and gives me hope the most is that potential our kids have.  If I can somehow survive their childhood and "bring them up in the way they should go", who knows what could happen?  I mean, one of Rebekah's sons -Jacob- was the father of Christ's bloodline.  If that kind of potential doesn't give a mom hope that her kids will turn out ok, I don't know WHAT will.

***If you liked my post, then please post my button!***

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Saturday Shout-Out: BabyBound!

I wanted to use my Saturday posts to highlight some great bloggers out there. This week's feature blogger is wonderful and I hope you love her as much as I do. If you'd like me to highlight you, just send me an email:

Saturday Shout-Out

Name: Mia Eliza

Blog's Name: BabyBound http://babycravings.blogspot.com/

Type of blog: Mommy/Baby Blog

~Tell us a little something about yourself: Ever since I was a little girl I dreamt of having a family. My dream is coming true because I'm pregnant with our first child due March 4th 2012.

~If you had only 1 wish, what would it be and why?
If I had just one wish, it would be to make and keep everyone is my life healthy. Money, beauty and success may add a little fun to your life, but good health is something to be treasured and cannot be bought.

~What's your favorite thing about where you live and why?
Hmmm. I'm not crazy about where I live but if I had to pick one thing it would be that this is where I moved after I got married. This is where my hubby lived and where his job is. I love that we started our life here together.

~What's #1 on your 'Bucket List'?
Have a baby!

~3 words to describe yourself would be...?
Loyal, Loving, Passionate ( my husband picked those. I agree)

~1 little known fact about you is...?
I can beat ANYONE at connect four. Don't believe me? It's true!

~1 vice of yours is...?
Nail biting ( does that count? )

~Why did you start blogging?
March 2011

~What's your favorite thing about blogging?
Connecting with other people who know where I'm coming from.

~What do you think makes for a successful blog?
Honesty. The blogs I'm "addicted" to all have something in common. They have their own voice and they stay true to who they are.

~3 words to describe your blog would be...?
Clean, Honest, Mommylicious ( haha I made that last one up)

~What's 1 blog (besides yours) that you think everyone should check out?
AltogetherBeautiful.Blogspot.com

Getting to Know You Friday Blog Hop Week 2!

Hey everybody!  Welcome to the Getting to Know you Blog Hop week numero dos!  I'm so glad you decided to stop by- as are the rest of the Getting to Know You crew!  So, without further ado





<a href="http://confessionsfromboystown.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt333/asoto0703/gettin2knowu2-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0"></a>
Question of the week: If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
If you’d like to get a heads up on the Getting to Know You Friday Question of the Week, contact one of the co-hosts and give them your email. You will be added to the list!
Welcome to the Getting to Know You Friday Blog Hop hosted by: Amber from Confessions from Boystown, Jennifer from mamawolfe, Christina from Spilled Milkshake, & Lisa from insignificant at best.
The idea behind the Getting to Know You Blog Hop, is just that...getting to know you. We also thought it would be a good chance to share thoughts, experiences & lessons learned from life.  All 4 of us met through a great little site (Voiceboks) which is founded on -not just promoting blogs- but actually caring about other bloggers, getting to know them, and making friends along the way.  That's why I think this blog hop is a great idea- cuz it goes along with that same general ideaology.

  So, to keep things orderly and with minimal confusion (we hope), here are the rules:

1. Since there are 4 hosts we thought it was fair to only require you to follow 2 of us. Each host has been partnered with another host. We ask that you follow the host who's blog you submit your link to & their partner, the other 2 hosts are optional. The partnerships are:

Confessions from Boystown with mamawolfe
Spilled Milkshake with insignificant at best

(ex: If submit your link on Confessions from Boystown. You are required to follow Confessions from Boystown & mamawolfe. It is up to you whether or not you'd also like to follow Spilled Milkshake & insignificant at best.)

2. Each week we'll have a new question for you to answer. Write a blog post answering that question & link directly to it in the linky below!

3. Include our blog hop button in the post.

4. Visit a minimum of 3 other blogs & leave a MEANINGFUL comment on their Getting to Know You post. Please do not just go to 3 blogs & ask them to follow you. Everyone is taking time to their thoughts, so please be respectful of that.

5. Have fun getting to know one another! :)

The linky will be open until Sunday evening to make sure everyone has time to write their posts & link up!

If you have any questions or would like to suggest a question for the blog hop please contact one of the hosts! If your question gets picked we will feature your blog & question in that week's hop!

The ABC's of Me

I'm a part of an online community called Voiceboks.  I know I've mentioned it before, and I'll probably mention it again.  Its a great place to "hang out" because its not just about growing your blog- its about friendship, so I'm thankful that the creator of the group - Lexie Lane- happened upon my blog and invited me when she first created it.  

Anyways, one of the "events" I'm participating in right now is this- a bit about me in ABC form.  Hope you enjoy!

 

The ABCs of Moi

A-  Ale.  that’s what I was named after: Amber Bock Ale.  Never underestimate the emotional whims of a pregnant woman.  Mom saw a billboard with the name- thus, it became me.  Guess I should be happy she hadn’t fancied the name ‘Michelob’.

B-  Boystown.  The first one was my husband’s family, and since we’re now the only ones of all his brothers to have boys, its now us.

C-  Christopher.  My heavenly baby.

D-  Dr. Who.  I’m a geek.  I like Sci-Fi and I LOVE this show.

E-  East.  Coast, that is.  I wouldn’t mind living some place where there were actual SEASONS.  I've heard there are places in the US where the trees change color with what time of year it is.  Right now, I'm living in a place where the only thing that changes color is the air- dusty, smoggy, cloudy, etc.

F-  Fireflies.  They have those back East, too.

G-  Gouda.  Well, any type of cheese, really.  I love cheese.  Does that make me mousy?

H-  Humor.  If you’re my friend, you need to have a sense of one.  If you don't have one, it'll just mean that I'll annoy you sooner than usual and you won't want to be near me.

I-  Insane asylum.  Its only a matter of time til I end up in one.

J-  Jesus.  My savior.

K-  Kids.  3.  No more.  At least, no more on Earth.  (See’C’)

L-  Liar.  I’m a bad one so I don’t even try.  I mean, seriously- I suck at lying.  Ask my best bud, Alli.  She was around when I'd try and call out sick from work to hang out with her when I was younger.  I might as well have just said,"I'm not coming in because I'd rather hang out with friends today."

M-  My coffee.  Yes, I know coffee starts with ‘c’, but that was already taken.

N-  ‘Numb’.  The default ringtone on my phone.

O-  Opal.  I think they’re pretty but my hubs will never buy me any jewelry with them in it because they remind him of stones from the old ‘Land of the Lost’ TV show.

P-  Pick up.  Nissan.  My second automobile I owned.  I learned to drive stick shift in it.

Q-  Quiet.  Never get to really experience it here at Boystown.

R-  Rain.  We need a good storm here.  With hail.  And thunder.  And lightning.

S-  Simple.  I like things that aren’t extravagant but have a lot of heart behind them.

T-  Talkative.  Very.  And Camo takes after me in that way.

U-  Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disorder.  My disorder.  I named it Bob because you can’t be scared of a disorder named ‘Bob’.  And Bob takes a lot less work to say.

V-  Valentine’s Day.  Call me a hopeless romantic, but I think its a nice holiday.  I think it says more about those people who are gung-ho to celebrate April Fool's Day, but claim that Valentine’s Day was created just to sell Hallmark cards.

W-  Winter.  Its my favorite time of year.  In the summer (what seems to be the longest season of the year in my neck of the woods), you can only take off so much clothing to try and get cool.  In the Winter, though, you can pile on the sweaters, beanies, gloves, scarfs; huddle under a thousand blankets- tons of ways to get toasty.

X-  X-ray.  I had quite a few while they worked to discover what was wrong with me (physically, people.  Mentally, that’s a whole ‘nother issue.).  On the bright side, I can say with no reservations and lots of proof that I have both -a heart AND a brain.  The down side?  X-rays are expensive and I’m pretty sure I signed over my kids on one of the forms.  I’m surprised I don’t glow in the dark.

Y-  Yellow.  I’ve heard the spelling of this word at least 50 times today alone.  Its the color of the week at Jacob’s kindergarten and he won’t let me forget it.

Z-  Zzzzzz....  What I’d really love to be doing right now since I have an 8 month old that is either a nocturnal creature of sorts or is solar powered and insists on keeping me up til all hours.  I know that one day I’ll look back on these days and long for simpler times, but for now, I’d give my left pinkie for a few quite moments of shut eye.  Who needs a pinkie, anyways?