Whatever you do

Don't buy these.

There are terrible!!!!!!!!!!!!!






Terribly addicting that is......

Did you know?

The Bâtiment des Forces Motrices (Swiss Opera House) is situated in the middle of the River Rhône. Constructed in the 19th Century, it was originally meant to be a water pumping and hydroelectric station. One can still spot two turbines in the lobby of the establishment.

Recipe: Pumpkin Cheesecake

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

2 (8oz) packages Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/2 t. Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1 (9inch) Prepared Graham Cracker Crust (I didn't have a graham cracker crust so I used a regular crust and it worked o.k. I think a graham cracker crust would be better)
1/2 cup Pumpking Puree
1/2 t. Ground Cinnamon
1 pinch Ground Cloves
1 pinch Ground Nutmeg
1/2 cup Whipped Topping

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.

Blend in eggs one at a time.

Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.
Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended.

Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until center is almost set.

(I doubled the recipe. It only makes one pie.)

Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours to overnight.  Cover with whipped topping before serving.

The Random Thoughts of a Tired But Wide Awake 24 year old

It's 12:40 and I am wide awake, and I have no idea why.  I had a cup of coffee at 5:00, so that's not the problem..... I have a headache so I went to bed early and just read for a while.   Finished my book (first book I've actually finished in months! YAY!!!!)  and proceeded to lay there for long enough that I finally just got out of bed.  And here I am, posting in my blog.... that's all...  I have a concert at 7:30 tomorrow, I guess it's today now... so I really should be getting some sleep... oh well....

I'm missing my friends.  My local friends.   The ones I never see and rarely talk too.... I miss them the most, because I know they are here and close and I  could see them more, but I don't.  I hate the concept of time and conflicting schedules.

Still haven't figured out exactly what I should do tomorrow.  I have to work from 9 - 2.  Pick up flowers at 3:30.  Teach from 3:45 - 4:45.  Rehearsal from 5 - 6:15.  Call time is 7.  Concert at 7:30.  So I have 45 minutes to eat, change, do my hair and makeup.   I keep trying to figure out what I can do between 2 and 3:30 that will help me later.  Maybe do my makeup, then I will only have to freshen it up later... *sigh*  the trials of looking nice.....  I want a new concert dress.  I tried one on a few years ago that looked awesome on me.  Except, it was $100, sleeveless, and the bodice was too low.   And it was probably a little too slinky for me.  But it I could fix those things I would have bought it.  It made me feel good.  Sleeveless isn't a big deal to me.  I wouldn't have a problem wearing it, if it wasn't a performance dress.  Sleeveless and performing don't make for a good professional appearance..... I like the dress I have now, it's just that sometimes I wonder if it makes me look a little blah...

What do you think?


I guess I'll go back to bed, hopefully I can sleep this time...

Chocolate Storm Dessert

Chocolate Storm Dessert 

(recipe courtesy of Krista )

42 Oreos (16oz.)
1 cup melted Butter
2 packages Instant Chocolate Pudding (3.9 oz. pckgs)
8 oz. package softened Cream Cheese
3 cups Milk
1 - 16 oz. package Cool Whip

Finely crush cookies.  Reserve 1 cup for topping.  Mix remaining cookies with butter and press on bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a 9x13 inch pan.

Mix cream cheese and half of the whipped topping.

Spread onto the cookie layer and chill 30 minutes.  Mix chocolate pudding with milk for 2 minutes.

  Chill for 30 minutes.  Spread pudding over cream cheese later.  Chill for 1 hour.  Spread remaining whipped topping on top.  Spring with reserved cookie crumbs and chill over night for best results.

The Mountain and the Valley

We have all experienced times of exaltation on the mountain, when we have seen things from God's perspective and have wanted to stay there.  But God will never allow us to stay there.  The true test of our spiritual life is in exhibiting the power to descend from the mountain.


The height of the mountaintop is measured by the dismal drudgery of the valley, but it is in the valley that we have to live for the glory of God.  It is in the place of humiliation that we find our true worth to God - that is where our faithfulness is revealed.

~Oswald Chambers

I miss sewing!!!!!

Name Analyzer

So, facebook has an application that will do a name analyzer.  I'm in a random mood so I decided why not!

What do you think?

Is it accurate?

Hello all!

Just wanted to mention that I am still alive, just haven't had anything to blog about recently.... I have picture for a chocolate recipe that I want to post, one of these days I will get them uploaded.  And I am going to make pumpkin cheesecake next week, so I'll try and post pictures and a recipe of that as well....

See you all around!

More Sarah-isms

Cashier at Wal-Mart "Well hello there! How are you?"

Sarah B. "Good."

Cashier "How old are you?"

Sarah B. "2 (holds up 3 fingers) but soon I am going to be 20!"

Fall is Here

I don't know what the weather is where you are, but here in the midwest Fall is definitely here.  The leaves are starting to turn those beautiful reds, yellows, and oranges.  AppleFest was a couple weekends ago and cider is starting to pop up for sale all over.

Fall is my favorite time of the year.  I love the cool crisp weather.  The smell of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and apples in the air.   I actually enjoy wearing sweatshirts and fall coats.  Every year my family takes a trip an hour north to a small town simply full of of apple orchards.

We pick up a supply of apples. 

 Eat apple cider doughtnuts *yummy!* 

 visit Dudley

attempt a corn/sunflower maze

and all around have a glorious time!

Right now

I'm sitting at my computer doing magazine work and watching Road to Avonlea,
I'm wearing a long skirt and a sweater. 
My chilly feet are now tucked inside fuzzy socks. 
Next to me on the desk the lamp is giving off a warm homely glow and steam is rising from a fall green tea cup perched next to an appetizing piece of shortbread. 

I love cool weather.

So, here's the deal

I have an itch. 

I've never had it before.

It's a writer's itch.  The itching in my fingers to write, to type something worthwhile and enjoyable.  Even just blogging would do the trick, the only thing is, I have nothing to write about....

I don't care what people think, homeschoolers are smart!

Every Tuesday and Thursday mornings Joe comes down to DQ and cleans the ice cream machines for me.  And he usually talks my ear off the whole time.  This morning he said, "Without Googling it, can you name all of the 7 Dwarfs?" 
I got all 7 after a hint on the last one.  Which got me thinking, why are we quizzing each other on the Seven Dwarfs?  So, I asked can you name the 13 Canadian Provicences? 
He can now :-) 
So, we started into the 50 States, 43 Presidents, he can also quote most of the Gettysburg Address and the Preamble to the Constitution (which half-way through turned into the Declaration :)) But he knows most of it :-) And that's just the beginning, we could have gone on for hours!

And who says homeschoolers aren't smart!

Sarah B isms

I just came home from M&D's.  Sarah B was walking around singing "Battle Axe is fallen, that great city is fallen"...  Took me a few minutes to figure out where she came up with Battle Axe...  It gave me a good laugh!


You probably have to know the two songs to entirely get it.... The song she was trying to sing was "Babylon is fallen..."  but instead of Babylon, she was inserting Battle Axe from the song Ye Are God's Battle Axe.

License Plate Fee

Wisconsin raised the price on their license plate renewal... I believe they raised it $25.  Anyway, it now costs $75. I hate money.

I love it!

 

Courtesy of http://www.mccainblogette.com

What about Katie?

This is being posted on the IDD Blog so I might as well post it here too :)

Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.
~Victor Hugo

Sadly, I don't know a piece of music that will aptly describe my life.  So, I will attempt to do it with words instead....


I was born, to my parents delight, not on Halloween but on November 1st, 1984.  I was born the 3rd of what would eventually be 9 children.  (Rebecca "Dr. Jak" is my oldest sister, she gave a good family overview earlier so check it for more info).  Ever since I was little I've been one of those people who throws themselves 110% in everything.  By the time I was 8, my parents were asking God what they needed to do for me.  Asking Him to show them how He needed my to funnel my intense nature.  And God spoke that they were to get me a violin.  Now, we weren't rich, so it was a big deal that I got a violin and lessons and all.   And just like any normal child, I didn't appreciate it then, I didn't want to practice, take time out of play for work.  So, my mom informed me that if I didn't start practicing and earn the privilege of lessons that I would lose the privilege.  Well, I didn't want to lose that privilege, mostly I didn't want to lose the one thing I had that my sisters didn't so I went to work and faithfully practiced.  And I have never regretted it.

The winter of 97 we moved from Colorado to Dad's hometown in Iowa. It was strange in the beginning moving to a smaller town.  Driving to the grocery story in less that 10 minutes was a novelty and I soon realized that I was a country girl at heart.  The move brought about what is one of the best things to ever happen to me music-wise.  I started taking lessons from a woman in town who really helped me develop a love for music.Since that time there were 2 things that I knew I wanted to do.  I wanted to be a violin teacher and I wanted to play in a symphony.  Be able to impart the beauty of music to others.  I tell my students that music is like a story book, and the musician is the one telling the story.  For the past 4 years I have been teaching violin lessons.  I started with one student and now have a grand total of 10.

You might remember Rebecca (my sister) mentioning that our parents own the local DQ.  Well... that has been my one and only job.  I started there the week after we bought it and here I am eight and a half years later I'm still plugging along.  I started out as an employee and am now a shift leader and cake decorator. 

I took one year of college at the local state university.  I was going for a degree in music performance. God told me to stop going full time a couple of years ago and since then I have only taken a few classes.  My work schedule and time conflicts with the classes I need to take have inhibited my from finishing my degree.  I'm hoping to some day be able to finish it over the internet or by correspondence.

Besides work and teaching, I keep my schedule full with work for a children's magazine, doing odd tech support job for my family and volunteering for more than I have time to do.

In my occasional spare time I enjoy:
Sewing
Quilting
eating chocolate
doing nothing
playing with my baby brother and sister
hanging with the rest of my family
and enjoying meaningful and hilarious conversations with my sister

And if I really have spare time!
reading
cross-stitching
history
photography

Hope I didn't bore you all too much ;-)

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Did you know?

Luke can mimic the batting stance of approx 15 major league baseball players.  He showed them all to us during the boring half of football game on Saturday.  It's quite entertaining!

Sarah Beth and Me in the Dells