Hubs Goes To Sally's

Most women would be pretty ticked if their hubs came home and said "I just got back from Sally's" but we ladies know what that means. If there is any concern it is for other reasons that he may be hanging at Sally's... Beauty Supply. Tonight I knew he would enter into a world unknown to most men and I couldn't wait to hear any news of his experience. My hubs starts sweating the minute I might ask him to hold my purse and then comes the uncomfortable way he holds it away from his body, as if to scream "This purse is not in any way in close proximity to my manly body!"

Due to schedule conflicts he needed to take our daughter to get a Birthday gift for her friend at Sally Beauty Supply. This is a store that women, and I'm sure some men not to leave you out, go for their beauty needs and accessories. One quickly realizes that their hairdressers and manicurists have got it going on! Here the same products and secrets used by everyday salons are revealed and sold at affordable prices! A place Hubs would never even know existed, which he didn't.

Now a guy like Hubs, standing alone in the isle, is bait for the helpful 24 year old beauty school dropout...
(click here to finish store)

Some Say We Look Alike

While sending off a school picture of my son  to my older sister the other day, she immediately wrote back saying "OH MY GOSH, that TOTALLY reminds me of YOU when you were in 5th grade!  I guess I always thought our middle son looked more like my husband so I took a double take.

I remember the day I realized I looked more like my dad than my mom.  My mom, the petite 5'3 frame and Miss Merry Christmas 1958 APPARENTLY gave her genes to my older sisters who by age 13 was towering over and nearly approaching my Dad's height and thus was the go to girl for reaching high things in the kitchen!  In fact just the other day a random person used my height to check a price for her which I gladly did, but brought back a flood of memories as mom would yell kindly "Tall one.. can you get..."
For some reason when people say to a young girl (or even an older girl in college) "Wow you look just like your Dad!"  it just doesn't sit in a perfect place internally, as I gazed into the lighted make-up mirror and applied yet another shade of lipstick and caked on eyeshadow.  One day at about age 16 the unthinkable happened as I was browsing through pictures of my dad from his high school year book.  There in the back row of the black and white football picture stood my dad wearing number 10 on his jersey, squinting in the sun, about my age, and an EXACT copy of my face only without makeup! Oh I see what's going on... the truth was right there.  I realized in fact without my makeup and hair, I looked like a man.. or maybe HE looked like a woman with a buzz cut and no make-up in a football uniform?  Thank heavens the days were gone when they pinned a woman as handsome! Good grief did I dodge an era or what!
My curiosity was hot with finding my 5th grade picture to set it side by side with my son's photo.  I had to laugh at the resemblance, and my feathered hair.  I called him in the room and said "hey look that's me in fifth grade!"  His brother started to laugh as he saw the resemblance.  My look a like son played it cool, but I could tell he was just a bit mortified to be compared to a girl. 

Took One For The Team-Crunchy Beefy Burritto

Today I decided the boys might like it if I picked them up from school, and brought them each a Crunchy Taco.  How convenient for me to think that because I was kind of hungry myself, and driving past the "border".  Lucky for me my car turned right in!  What I didn't know at the time was how I was going to fall right into the trap of good advertising and order the $.99 Crunchy Beeffy Burrito! I am one of those people who like to get the same thing each time I go to Taco Bell and is tried and true.  The picture showed rice, meat, melty cheese and spicy hot FRITOS!! what the heck?  This was totally invented by that person who puts potato chips in their burger.  I imagine my female readers are saying.. "NO YOU DIDN'T.. remember your resolution, remember pinky swearing that we would not do this again in 2012, remember back in college when all you ate were Chillitos and you rolled home.. "PLEASE STOP!"  Well sorry dears.. blame the snow today or me feeling crazy I just had to try.  I never rarely sometimes get in the mood for a good fast food snack,  but I  try very hard to not to frequent them too often. But sometimes that occasional Meximelt just screams "let me out of here" as I pass by Taco Bell on my route home, anyone one out there hear similar callings.  This is why it is not safe for me to carry loose dollar bills in my purse.  Actually, the Meximelt is really the biggest rip-off on the menu next to the Mexipizza as you get this tiny little soft shell with a little bit of meet and cheese.  I even have them leave the salsa off, and for some reason the Meximelt soft tortilla they use is $.69 more than the Soft taco's tortilla and $.30 cents more than the soft taco supreme! You can't tell me that salsa is more expensive than sour cream, and besides the Soft Taco Supreme also comes with lettuce and the Meximelt does NOT!  So I'm thinking that special seasoning in the cheese that makes the Meximelt so delicious is worth that extra $.69, who knows and now we are just splitting hairs or even more appropriate splitting pan...never mind I won't say it.

I ordered the boys tacos and then excitedly hollard over my rattling '01 Dodge moter "AND ONE CRUNCHY BEEFY BURRITTO" and right then I was committed.   On first glace, all looks pretty similar to a regular burrito but one bite into the shameful burrito I realize how ridiculous and distracting the Fritos were, not to mention they are hotter than putting 25 Hot Tamales in my mouth at once, and the last time I did that I had wounds in my cheeks for days  Holy COW!!!  With great pride I did finish it,  and made the special delivery surprise to the boys which they were over joyed and one of them even said.. "Hey I was telling someone at school I really want a taco after school!" (wonder where he gets those crazy ideas) again must be the snow.  My final star rating for the Crunchy Beefy Burrito is 1 star because an hour later my ribs and stomach are in pain and the inside of my cheeks are just now cooling off.

Hubs goes Hunting!

So Hubs went on his first hunting trip this last weekend!!! I thought for sure he was going to die either on the road there or by another hunter's shot, so I made sure he contacted our Life insurance agent so things were dialed in before he left. I hate when Hubs is gone, although the kids and I get to stay up really late and eat random meals all weekend which is fun. Hubs got a new bright orange hat and pulled out the old shotgun he inherited from his Dad that has remained in its case and under our bed for 17 years. Not knowing if the shotgun could still shoot a bullet, just knowing its existence in our house was comforting. Truth is, Hubs sleeps through most scary sounds. I am the ears and eyes of the family at night and when there is something to freak out about I whisper in that LOUD whisper "HUBS GET UP, GO CHECK OUT THE SOUND" well for pete's sake when he finally gets up and fumbles around for his glasses the sound is gone. (Whenever he is searching for his glasses in the dark it reminds me of the Scooby Doo episodes where Velma drops her glasses right near the ghost and she is searching frantically for them and FINDS them just in time!! ) To his credit he always finds them and does check out the the things that I hear at night without too

much grumbling.  I got a text and picture that Hubs Shot a (click here to read the rest)

CD Now Available using PayPal

Since switching over my website,  I have had to re-think orders, streaming music, and other logistics of running everything through blogger.  I solved one issue though:
I added a new friend today "Pay Pal" to my site so that you can now easily order "Between Chapters" online.  Still waiting to get things set up on I-Tunes for this Album but it is coming soon too.
Check out the Right Side Bar for the PayPal window.  OR if you are in the Portland area you can pick one up Friday February 10th at The Place To Be Cafe' in Canby, show is from 7-9p. 

The Shake Face Championships 2011



 The Shake Face Championships 2011 

Meet the Contestants

Contestant #1 has a lack of cheek disadvantage

Contestant #2 seems to have natural abilities right out of the chute!

Contestant #3 with the "someone give me my
meds or else" trick

Contestant #4 appears to be bringing the 
"fresh from the dentist" trick

Contestant #2 working the
 "give me a bucket"

     

Honerable Mention goes to contestant #1

                
        3rd Place                                                                2nd Place

And the Grand Prize Winner!!

Bertha Takes Me Thrifting!!

My $12 Down Coat!

Sometimes I never know where exactly my car "Bertha" will take me.  She's old, tired, abused, but very loyal and knows the places I like to go.  She surprised me today when she pulled in to my FAVORITE thrift, store, The Red White Blue store.   I love searching for treasures and a unique piece of clothing or two and getting a great deal!  The only thing I dont' like about the RWB thrift store is that they only accept cash and I am not a "cash girl", I'm a debit card user to the core!   They do have an ATM on sight but having to pay $1.50 for the fee kind of  zaps the joy out of it.  After all that $1.50 could go a long way in a store like The Red White and Blue, and since I didn't know Bertha was taking me there I didn't come prepared with cash at all so had to cough up the $1.50 extra.  I noticed the parking lot was rather full which was odd to me until I realized it was 1/2 price day which was very exciting until I realized it was for 55 and OLDER! Which is when I realized how thankful I was that I brought my cane and wig with me...no just kidding.  I was however tempted to stick a finger in the back of slow walking 90 year old tell her I was loaded and threaten her to be my "Grandma" for the day or else.. but I contained myself.  Apparently, Saturday is the day everyone else under 55 get to come and fight for 1/2 priced goods.   I found a few great finds like an amazing coat for $12 which if I had that Grandma would have gotten for $6!!  After my cart was full of treasures, I pull up to the counter and the checker asks me if I'm here with anyone over 55 which I then turned my head and yelled "GRANDMA HURRY UP"!!  When no one came forward that was the end of that charade as I again coughed up the big change.  The awkward find of the day was the new, never been burned, Apple Cinnamon candle for $3.00 (really 1.50 if Grandma would have..yah well you know)  that still had the Christmas gift tag taped to the bottom, that said: 

Merry Christmas
To: Jean

From:  The Jones's

Apparently Jean was either not a candle lover, Jewish, afraid of fire, allergic to wax, or really couldn't stand the Jones family to have that kind of return time on a Christmas present.  I mean who opens a nice scented candle and takes it right to the thrift store? I could understand if the scent was boiled egg or even cat litter but it was Apple Spice? So odd...   I Picked up a few beautiful planters that I may sell on ebay and thanks to Pinterest idea a new wire frame I'm going to turn into a jewelry holder.   Here's a few other awesome finds that I passed on  purchasing, but couldn't help but document.

I always find it funny what people give away and think others will want to buy. Like the picture of a silhouette of some random kids profile? Who would actually pick that up and say "oh my stars that looks just like Billy's profile..Perfect!"

Looks JUST like Billy tail and all!

I hate reptiles so when I went around the corner and saw this horrific box that stated REPTILE.. I gasped.  Thankfully it was empty, of course it was, but my mind wandered for a bit thinking of all the "What IF" scenarios. 

And of course this is classic find!!! I found this gem last year in a bin at the Goodwill. I really hope someone doesn't ever hate me or my picture this much to just toss it to the thrift store! Maybe it's the Jones's daughter Kim and Jean tossed it last year just like she did the Apple Spiced candle this year.

Tops of 2011

Top Mobile Pictures and Fun Things of 2011

(In no particular order)

Best Picture Enjoying a Warm Summer Day!

Not sure how to read this.. Sexy Sinner? Sexy Senior?
Either way they like the 4th meal @ Taco Bell too.

Best Week At The Beach!

Saw Amy in Arizona!!

Doing several Coffee House Shows

Watching daughter's photo shoot

Saw interesting but fun choice of business attire!

Found a wall full of "c's"



OSU Beaver Game!



Celebrated 17 years of Marriage

Got to work at the Amy Grant Show in Portland!

Best Tom Kha Soup!

Spotted the Cutest Waiter at our Favorite Restaurant...
Ladies?

Best Dessert- Bananas Foster at Isabelle Pearl
(That is where the cute Waiter is too!)

Best Tee Off Shot of my entire life!!

The WORST find ever! This was a picture for sale on the wall.
It was sold the next time I went to the store.




I Found My Y2K Preparation List!

Y2K Awareness!!

As I say goodbye to 2011 this weekend I ran across a list I created to be prepared for Y2K! It's funny because I did nothing on this list post Y2K or there after.  Twelve years later I'm still not prepared for a major disaster and I'm still here!  I remember the biggest scare was all the computers were going to shut down and we could see our money disappear, planes crash and cars stop right in the middle of the road which is pretty scary.  So here's my list as written.  These ideas are good for general living for any emergency, but my notes sure are a little vague... Dutch ovens? 

ARE WE PREPARED!

First Aide
Make a cubbard (my husband reads this and asked "why on earth would you need to make a cubbard?") I think of course he knows it meant prepare a cubbard full of first aide supplies.. OH!! ha ha "make a cubbard"  "Honey get me the skill saw!"
Have 2 of Everything!!

Cars:
Costco- Car Kit
Emergency Numbers

House:
Kerosene Heaters $122
Kerosene Lamps 5.50
cooking sources!!
stove, Dutch ovens..

Evacuation Needs
Clothes
I.D.
Bedding

Water
1 gal per person per day
Pop Bottles
Juice Containers

know how to turn H2O and Gas Off

Video: The Birthday Card

Just Being Owen

I Tried To Make Cake Pops and they Flopped

Cake Pop Flop

By now most of us have heard about the little cake pops.  Over the years I have tried to make unique character cakes for my children that have NEVER worked out! My daughter still remembers my attempt to make a Barbie Cake where the dress is the cake and the Barbie head sticks out the top.  She was horrified at age 5 when she realized her Barbie was amputated at the hip and stuck in the top of the cake. To make matters worse, the all afternoon project was proven a failure as the Barbie's pink skirt started dripping and sagging.. thanks to using too thin of frosting!! 

  I have reverted back to buying a store bought cake for most of the recent

Birthdays, or have made boring box cakes in a 9x18 pan with ready made frosting and sprinkles.  Not exactly fancy, but at least they work and are edible without the snickering behind my back!    In fact my son actually asked for one of my special box cakes with sprinkles on it, but I got another wild hair to do something creative.  Instead of buying the $20 cake, I bought a $19 cake pop maker.  Making the round cake balls was the easy part, frosting them was simply annoying!  If I made the frosting to thin it would be a glazed look which I was not going after. Too thick was pulling the cake right off the stick, so again I resorted to ready made frosting and at least got them around the ball and on the stick.  They seemed to be likeable, although comparing them to the real cake pops is quite sad.  I found a great website that actually does cake pops right http://www.bakerella.com/ and so cute! 

Frost

These gorgeous pictures were taken by my mother-in-law on a frosty morning.  This last week in Oregon we have had such cold mornings that have painted the land with a dust of frost almost as if hand sprayed in the perfect artistic pattern.  God's beauty and reflection of season's change.

Big 10

We celebrated a milestone birthday for our youngest who turned 10!! He's a great kid and very funny.  His favorite gift was the Big Lego Kit, which by the way.. why on earth do those kits cost SO MUCH!! They take a solid afternoon to assemble but seriously it is ridiculous the amount they charge and the amount we will pay! The other smaller gifts were not expensive, a book, a movie, and a bag of pumpkin seeds, which he was very excited about since I didn't make seeds out of our pumpkins this year. Actually, we didn't even carve pumpkins this year and it was GREAT!! That is the one thing I really don't like to do in the fall, unlike our neighbor down the street who does 30!!! (seems to be overkill.. but to each is own).
Back to the Birthday Boy:  Lunch at Swagat Beaverton was his choice.  He loves interesting spices and foods so the Swagat Buffet was his first choice.  Great Indian food, all you can eat for $5.75 for kids.. great choice.  The choice to bowl didn't go too well for him as the gutters were winning, but a quick trip to the Baskin Robbins for orange sherbert made the night end well.. thankfully.

Push-Ups

The boys have started to do push-ups nightly before bed in hopes for some amazing results to come.  If they keep this up it will be intersting to see their form after the long winter. 

Was Grandma Peeking Over My Shoulder..? I hope

Grandma Lydia

I’m not a natural cook and really don’t love to cook but can tolerate it if I have all the ingredients and it actually turns out.  My Grandma Lydia, she was a natural cook and it was rare that I ever found Grandma outside the kitchen.  A wonderful German cook her favorite things to make were German Chocolate cake, Bratwursts, German noodles and her claim to fame, the Kraut Kugen.   The Kraut Kugan was so delicious that people from outside the family would place special orders.    With a freezer packed it was rare that we would go away from Grandmas house with out a freezer bag full of Kraut Kugans, 4 fit in a bag and we’d see them stacked up tightly in the freezer wishing we’d hear the words “take theme all”, but knowing how selfish that would be considering the size of the families in the Hergert clan. 

We were just greatful for ANY we could have, and normally would come home with 2 bags.  It wasn’t until I decided to make the Kraut Kugans omy own that I understood the task at hand.  Yes, I’m sure she had it down to a science, she had to after making hundreds upon hundreds in her lifetime, but never the less my appreciation for our 2 bags of Kraut Kugans tripled after making my first batch.   That was at least 3 years ago and I haven’t made them since!   It wasn’t because they didn’t turn out, although they weren’t’ quite like my Grandma’s mastered recipe, but it just took a long time!  My own family loved them, and as I put 4 each in a freezer bag and stacked them up in the freezer I couldn’t help but be a little proud and excited about my own stockpile of Kraut Kugans and wonder if Grandma was peeking over my shoulder!  
After numerous requests from my youngest,  saying “when are you going to make Kraut Kugans again?” I decided to take some time and go for it again.  The major task is the chopping of the cabbage into bite size pieces, but this was easily solved by my quiesenart.  After getting the mix done the other challenge is always making the dough!  But this time with ease the dough came out wonderful and it was fun to follow the instructions allowing it to rise and then getting to punch it down a few rounds.  The next challenge is to get just the right thickness of the each square of dough, in order to create the Kraut Kugans just right and keep the filling tucked inside.   The joy was getting them made and eating them and having so many of our own in the refrigerator!    I still don’t get out my Grandma made these so often and nearly every weekend and go to our games, host us for dinner, bowling club, Bunco, AND keep the house spotless! Perhaps because one of her only other guilty pleasures in that era was the Lawrence Welk Show which came on only Sunday nights.  I do remember something still cooking in the oven as she sat on the couch watching.  There wasn't blogging and facebook to steal time either.  Love you and Miss You Grandma.

 A Little Thin on the Filling But Not Bad

Opening Night! Woo Hoo!!

"Victoria & Christopher"

I just have to scream through a blog that I'M SO EXCITED!!! The Rolling Hills Christmas Drama opens tonight and I play a very fun role but a snobby role as Victoria.  It is amazing what goes into these productions as we started rehearsing in September! Rick Tillman the writer and director is amazing and so talented and has brought us all to the place tonight that we get to do what we love perform! I've never been in a leading role before so this is a first for me.  Normally in these productions I have had a few lines and would sing songs but tonight that all changes.  I'll post pictures later.  If you want to come and are in the Portland area here is the information.
http://christmasdrama2011.eventbrite.com/