GREEN APPLE-SAUCE

Bless us all!

2009-11-25T17:21:00.000-08:00

This is the best song ever! I know that the muppets can be distracting but the message is beautiful. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving all my loved ones near and far. I am so blessed and very grateful....God is good.

Put on the whole armor of God.....

2009-11-01T17:09:00.000-08:00

A new chapter in my life is beginning tomorrow morning at approximately 6:15am.

My conversion story not unlike many told before. To me it is special, intimate, and private. There was a seminary teacher and a student. The teacher consistently came to class prepared and armed with love, not only for the Lord and the book of Mormon but for me. I knew this teacher loved me....even thought I came in late, sleepy, uninterested, and surly. This teacher knew that through her commitment to teach seminary lives could be changed. If she was not confident she faked it, if she doubted us...she faked it.

The weight of this calling causes me pause, to say I am feeling totally inadequate is an understatement. I know the Lord expects my best. These students are special, they were saved for this time. I love the Lord, these students, and the Book of Mormon.

Pray for me....thanks

argh...

2009-10-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

Help I've jacked up my blog and I can't figure out how to fix it!!!!

Urban Fruit Gleaning....

2009-10-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

OK..this will be my final post promoting the wonderfully smart town of Portland Oregon. This is a smart idea, I wonder if there is some type of program like this here in the Eastern panhandle? I stand impressed, so simple and provident.

I love you Chef STU....

2009-10-20T16:01:00.000-07:00

Only Oregonians eat "man-aise"..

My Merrie Maid....

2009-10-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

Today the maid came...she is four-legged and has a crazy-overactive tail. She especially loves making sure the tub is glistening clean! Aren't you excited to come for a visit and bath in our sparkly, clean tubs!

After I snapped this shot Daisy quickly ran off with her tail between her legs like I had "Busted" her eating undies! She really loves to get at the last inch of soapy water before it runs down the drain. Do all dogs enjoy eating bars of soap and licking up soapy water/tub residue? Oh well...simple pleasures.

Road side funny...

2009-10-18T06:38:00.000-07:00

"Mom and Dad have been kidnapped by NINJAS..
Please help....
Must have money for KUNG FOO lessons... "

and I quote... please exit ramp poet, guy with the sign, odor challenged person, don't be offended that I have shared your roadside whit with my one or two blog readers.

Portland Oregon must in my estimation have the most creative pan handlers in the world. If this is not the case then they have parent kidnapping Ninjas.

A couple of weeks ago I was in Portland and enjoyed the time I was able to spend with my Mom and family. I also must admit that "Portland" did not disappoint either. Strange, unique, kooky, like no other place, these can all be used to describe my hometown. Where else would you actually feel like tipping the exit-ramp fellows just for their creativity and whit? In addition to colorfully witted pan-handlers Portland also grows all things green in abundance. Here are some pics I took of my Mom's yard.

Here are a few other of my most fav. spots in Portland:

A tree lined street just down from my Fathers old dental office

The house on the top of Alameda ridge that would host a Christmas Bazaar

Mt. Hood

The corner of 24th and Fremont

Perrys on the corner of 25th and Fremont

spray tans and wobbly steps

2009-09-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

Here is my darling Veggie girl in her very cute homecoming gear. You will notice her sun kissed complexion compliments of our local tanning outfit. I think she had fun and boogied down righteously!

Let me first establish....

2009-09-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

...that, I am a dog lover or one who enjoys dogs; feels the need to pick up their poops, feeds them, loves them, sweeps up massive amounts of blond hair which they have conveniently "ditched" on the wood floor, throws tennis balls in a very redundant manor for a good half hour each day so that they might have a game of "fetch", oh wait I already mentioned picks up their poopy well...let me mention it again because it really is an act of love and, last but not least replaces the articles of clothing that they devour when they are mistaken for a delicious taste treat.
This smiling canine is not my dear Daisy-Tallulah. I just thought is was cute how the dog was smiling.
What I wish to discuss is the anger that I feeling towards my neighbors for leaving their cute doggy outside in a kennel ALL DAY barking, and I mean ALL DAY. My neighbors along with their cute little boys leave for school early in the day around 6am from that time until around 6pm when everyone returns the dog is left outside BARKING! What to do/not the dogs fault???

Here is my sweet Doggy waiting for her girls after school....wow she's such a joyful little pain.

What would you say....

2009-08-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

My dear sweet husband is "off the hillbilly hook"!!
He loves this group called "the trailer choir" I reluctantly opened my mind to considering the possibility that they might be...OK. I love this song and it's meaning is thought provoking. (I also love their song "rockin the beer gut"...I degress)

I hope I would say that I honestly have loved so many people in my life and really there has been very little true sorrow. My faith and beliefs have saved me from the heart aches that often accompany us through out this life. I have been blessed with glimpses of true peace. I would say I know that we are eternal and that the love we share is endless and really nothing is more important.... not pride, respect, wealth, power, or reputation.....LOVE.

Another year....

2009-08-30T18:31:00.001-07:00

Here are my beautiful girls on the first day of school this year...arn't they cute!!

Here is someone hiding at the bait shop...hmmm wonder who this is?

Oh Man...this is awesome, wish I had seen this 17 yrs. ago!

2009-07-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

Weighty matters....

2009-07-24T08:47:00.000-07:00

This morning after weighing myself I was entering my weight in my "TOP SECRET" notebook that no one BUT no one reads except me, and noticed that my weight is the same as it was last year at this time. I really need to step my exercising up I will share my endeavours. There are many beautiful places here to walk, I will start there and next week I will add some weight training....Here's to a healthier me.

Somebody call 911.....

2009-07-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

As previously stated I am a child of the 80's and being such I have a need to get down and funky sometimes. Please excuse the "hoochieness" of this video. I LOVE this song and actually there is some incredible dancing in this video...ignore the first minute and 50 seconds then check it out! I dare you to blast this song and not feel the urge to get up and dance or at least tap your toe, it's impossible.

Mitchelley's room...kinda

2009-07-22T10:14:00.001-07:00

Here are the walls hopefully I can get some better pictures up soon.

West Virginia Mountain Momma....

2009-07-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

I live in West Virginia, please don't let anyone know just how beautiful it is here. If everyone else knew they would move here and we don't want that! Really, this is not a postcard, I walked down a sweet little path in the middle of a beautiful meadow and there it was this incredible view of the Shenandoah river.

Of coarse there is some historical significance to this spot which is actually a farm that was the site of a skirmsh between confederate troops led by "Stonewall" Jackson and union troops who were incredibly outnumbered. The Murphy farm has been preserved by the national park service and is one of the most beautiful, reverent places I have ever been.

You can see the cannons over to the right in this photo. The photo below shows the farm house.

WHAT????!!!!!

2009-07-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

Does anyone out there in blog land know where one might-could find a Microwave handle for less then $130clams!!! Seriously? So much has been going on lately and I have been remiss with my blogging. I have pictures to post, fun adventures to elaborate on and the only thing I can think of writing about is how dangit-all irritated i am that a microwave handle should cost over $100. It's a piece of plastic for cryin out bananas!
WHEW...there i've said it, it's over and now I can move on...only after publicly stating that the Mayfields have a broken handled microwave and will continue to have thus so please don't be alarmed when you come over to pop popcorn!

Miriam's room..
Here is a photo of our newest family project, a slightly blurry photo at that. Miriam is very happy with how it turned out. We were on a tight budget so the biggest bang came from the "custom" paint job which I will state was a ROYAL PAIN! It's amazing how far $100 goes at IKEA. anywhooo I think it turned out REAL NICE (said with a West Virginia accent emphasis on REAL)

My Birthday Outing

For my birthday I requested a trip to Mt. Vernon. I love old houses, buildings, history, etc. Here are my sweet girls who waited in line with me for over an hour to enter the house where the father of our nation lived and died. I got the biggest kick out of President Washington's dentures...wow..some of those are animal teeth...really?? Those dentures must have weighed 10 lbs. they were super gross, he must have whistled through them alot! I mean absolutely zero dis respect, the man was a genius way ahead of his time and from all accounts very generous and giving. It was a moving experience for me. I am very blessed
Opps..Almost forgot my sweetie-pooch showing off Miriam's new rug..heehee

Time Fly's

2009-05-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

Let me see...what have I been doing lately? Since I last posted I have; been to NYC, celebrated Easter, Mothers day, and my daughters birthday, helped Mom after hip replacement surgery, partied at King' dominion, planted flowers, taught my doggie a few new tricks, and had my first positive experience with a sewing machine! Whew, there have been a few other events but those are the highlights. Today the sun is shining in through the windows which makes me happy...the leaves back on the trees is joyful as well. I am enjoying the last bit of cool weather before what promises to be a hot and humid season, the windows are open and I can hear birds chirping and since you don't think me too "Pollyanna" I will include the fact that I can also hear a siren (most likely one of Charles Town's finest pulling over a dangerous jay-walker).
Here are some pictures of recent projects and events, I am very grateful today for my family, my many opportunities and blessings...God is Good.

one Virtuous girl can change the world...

2009-03-22T14:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my girlz....

Here they are again....

This year we are focusing on unity within our Young womens family at church. The girls in our ward come from different situations at home; they have different likes, strengths, taste in clothes, preferences in music, they each are at a different level spiritually, some have more faith then others, some have tough times at home, some of them have come from situations that no one would wish for a child, some have plenty, some have barely enough, some are musicians, Thespians, writers, readers, bloggers, athletes, comedians, animal lovers, master chiefs, seamstresses, artists, and deep thinkers. One thing that all of these girls are is loved; by the Lord, by each other, by me. I get so bored with hearing about "today's youth" and all of their weaknesses. Let me be the one to shed some light on just how strong these girls are. Firstly may I mention that each of these girls face situations everyday in school that I never in my wildest dreams (please realise some of my dreams were very WILD) faced. There is constant pressure to do things that seem simple and harmless to most but will take these girls away from the path of happiness. I'm sure it is confusing at times. Even sometimes at home these girls are introduced to ideas that could distract them from their goals. Now let me tell you how strong these girls are they each have a desire to by happy. They are trying to figure out how they get there, to happiness, to find themselves. Some of them understand that happiness and peace come from only one source. They all have a desire to be good, I know this. I see how they serve each other and are concerned for one another. I am very blessed to have the opportunity to serve these girls....God is GOOD

Pizza and my little leprechauns!!

2009-03-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

Here is the photo of my beautiful little leprechauns and my tasty pizza.
Thanks for the green goods Granny!! We love you tons....

That's right folks...just as I feared!

2009-03-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

I have come to the conclusion that you can not eat food like this and maintain a healthy body. I realise that this is quit obvious for most people but for some reason I have always thought moderation in all things, this would include; deep fried, bacon-wrapped, macaroni and cheese fritters. Seriously Paula, you seem like a gracious, lovely women why would anyone serve this to their loved ones? I am taking license here to publicly criticize Ms. Paula, but hey this is my blog and it's definitely not personal. I am currently in the throws of trying to return my body to a healthy state. Over the past 12 years it has been "eat now, pay later" well... the piper has come to collect. I enjoy cooking (and eating) but an interesting thing has occurred to me over the past month. I enjoy feeling good, like really good...tie my shoes, cross my legs, not have to pin my zipper up good (some of you know what I speak of, if you don't... good for you)
I have found some sneaky ways over the past 6 weeks to satisfy some of my culinary desires with out feeling guilt or bloat. I will share the most exciting... Whole wheat pizza dough, I made this in my bread machine last week and it turned out great. I will up load some pics I took of my beautiful pizza, I don't know about anyone else but I want food to be pretty. This point my seem obvious to most but this is something I have just figured out about myself. In fact I would venture to say that how food looks is just as important to me as how it tastes. I have always been a very visual person so I'm not sure why this was such an epiphany.
I also love beautiful produce, I almost want it in my house as a decoration. I have been juicing and I can feel an immediate physical response to the juice in the morning. My favorite juice is apple-carrot (equal parts) with 1 lemon. Try it you'll like it!!

I am a child of the 80's...

2009-02-03T19:54:00.001-08:00

Families are forever and always....

2009-02-01T18:09:00.000-08:00

This is my Father Dr./Col. Robert Wettlaufer and his grandson Joshua Dickens. Today I am feeling especially grateful for my wonderful family. My father was a family man firstly. My father was and did many things through out his life but a family man he was supremely first. How thankful I am that my father was so devoted to his wife and to his children, absolutely generous. I will never forget a time when he paused at a free way on ramp to hand the man there holding a sign a $20. He said that regardless of how that man was to spend the money he had been blessed and the Lord required him to share, He left the details to the Lord and gave freely.

My Father was not born into a wealthy family, it took sacrifice on the part of his father to send my father to Dental school. My father loved my Mother that was a constant that I never questioned. What a blessing it was to be raised in a home where I was not to question the longevity of our circumstances or family unity. There were some stressful times, some tears, some struggles, some battles of will, some heart aches, and some disappointments, but there was always love, devotion, and loyalty.

I realise now that I'm older that love is shown in many different ways. To some it is service, to others it is verbal, to others yet it is support materially and emotionally.

I know that my father is still loving his family, still serving and giving. I am so blessed and needed to express it...God is good...I am thankful.

2009-01-27T15:05:00.000-08:00

Special-Sauce/Kool-Whip/Home-Skillet
(cute hubby in background)
We spent the day at Bolivar Heights sledding, and goofing off. I am so greatful to live close to such a beautiful place. I think we all got snow up our noses and down the back of our pants..good fun!

Most wonderful new magazine...I love it. Guess those ancient air miles are good for something after all! check out the blog too http://www.dwell.com/daily/blog

Maybe you didn't know?

2009-01-24T16:30:00.000-08:00

"Every body wants to party with Aretha"! (accompanied by a fist pump)

jack black, school of rock

Aretha rocked that hat, and true can you even imagine a hat Aretha would not rock?...not likely. Back to the title of this post, "Maybe you didn't know"...I love hats. Not a very exciting post but I want to do my part to encouraged the continued reappearance of hats. While working at Nordstrom I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with some beautiful hats. It would seem that only the women of utmost confidence are willing to wear anything other then a ball cap out in public. To all the women out there sporting "Sunday go to meeting hats" you are some of my heroes. Here are some of my favorite hats

Sorry if you were thinking this would be a thrifty blog where you could find great coupon announcements or how to knit, although both of those topics are noteworthy. I think that we should all have the confidence to wear a hat and not the type you wear when you want to be invisible. Someday I will do this, mark this down as one of my goals for 2009 to wear a hat somewhere. I wanted to post a photo of beautiful Stephanie Neilson (nieniedialogs) wearing a beautiful hat. This is the type of women that I want my daughters to emulate.

Fiesta Friday

2009-01-23T11:27:00.000-08:00

Well...I cooked today here are my offerings:

tex-mex rice

saute fresh tomato and cilantro in olive oil that has been salted

to the saute add 1 heaping tablespoon of chicken bullion and 1 packet of sazon

next add 2 cups of medium grain rice (i use goya), add another Tbs of olive oil and cook till rice is slightly brown. Add 3 and 1/3 cups hot tap water to rice, simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed into the rice at which time reduce heat to low and cover for 20 mins.

This is my end result..yummy and good for you. I like to garnish with avocado and cheese. This rice is good in tacos and burritos as well as by itself.

I also made Peco and Chicken enchiladas...message me if you want the recipe.

happy fiesta friday.. i hope the sun hits your face atleast once today. i am very grateful...God is good.

Texting highlights from the month of January

2009-01-23T10:25:00.000-08:00

***mom mr fonder is staring at me and its creep-n me out...pls come get me **(from school she means, oh and the name has been changed for privacy)

***i luv u momma***

***i look like poo**

***momma i feel like poo**

***OMG some-thg stinks***

Some days..

2009-01-22T18:27:00.000-08:00

(Just in case you don't know this is Lazy Women lasagna)

Some days just are....not very productive. Well some days I am not very productive. How many times is it reasonable to check your facebook? I had great intentions today, just got off to a slow start that led to a snails end..

Anyway...Today, My darling Ms. Vegg girl received ISS for having her camera out in the cafeteria at lunch. Did you realize that camera use is "ILLEGAL" at school lunch? Yeah, me neither, in addition to getting an "IN SCHOOL SUSPENSION" her camera was confiscated and I need to pick it up at the principals office which I really don't want to do. (so maybe I won't)?

I have not cooked in sooo long, last night we dined on Stouffers frozen lasagna. No one liked it sooo tomorrow I must cook. I will post with the results of my efforts.

I would be remiss to not mention my thoughts of gratitude today...today I am very grateful for my opportunities to serve. I have not always been able to spend my days planning YW activities, visiting teaching, and calling friends. I'm grateful for a husband who works so hard to provide for us and does it very well. The Lord is good, and I am thankful....

First Day Back

2008-08-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

Miriam and Wayne

Well... Were back in the saddle again! School started today for Miriam (aka Vegg girl) and Mitchelley (aka Moo Smella). I was able to snap one picture before we were off to school. Miriam is a freshman at Washington, go Patriots! Washington is a brand new school, the doors opened for the very first time on a school day today. The momentus occasion was marked by one of Charles Town's finest pulling everyone over that was doing 2 miles over the speed limit on the long road that leads to the parking lot. After dropping Miriam off I rushed to Harpers Ferry to get Mitchelle to the middle school. All and all everything went off with out a hitch, the kids were excited when they got home.

Where's my Veggie GIRL???

2008-08-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

My sweet little Veggie girl is Utah visiting her aunties and cousins I miss her sooo!!!!

breakin yo!!

2008-08-08T20:09:00.001-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Where to begin??

2008-08-07T22:08:00.000-07:00

OK... Here's the thing, I love this silly mutt! I decided to start this blog to keep a record of my day to day occurrences. (I apologise in advance to anyone who may stumble upon this blog spot inadvertently.) Back to what I was saying....

I love this silly mutt! We have been out of town visiting Grandparents for the past 3 weeks. Daisy (silly mutt) was not invited to stay at Granny or Grandmas house so she was left behind. Since our return home last night Daisy will not leave my side. She is BUGGIN! The very LAST straw was tonight at approx. 10:00 pm. I was scrubbing a stain on the carpet with a brand new bar of soap (phelsnaptha), (a stain I might add that was caused by Daisy eating something creative then barfing it up) when the phone rang. I turned my head to pick up the phone a foot away from me and when I turned my head back around the dumb dog was polishing off the last morsel of soap!! (which I know will case trouble in both the attic and the basement, if you catch my drift.) My question is WHY?? Why do I love her so much, she's a total pain. She's way to much work and expensive I might add. I must admit she does look cute in her black sweater!