Animal Cookies/Crackers!

I bought this kit at William Sonoma. The cookie presses and dough mix came separate. However, on the back of the cookie cutter box was the dough recipe. We had so much fun and they really tasted like the ones you would buy!!

Ups and Downs... & Pudding

...of the World Yo-Yo contest, that is. We all leave early Thursday morning for Orlando, FL (only about 1 1/2 hours away!) for the World Yo-Yo contest. More than likely, someone from your country will be in Orlando this week representing your country in Yo-Yoing! Chances are I will talk with them too! I usually get them in line and ready for the stage performances. I will definitely have photos next week and maybe video of Will competing if I can get it uploaded!!


Randomly, this is banana pudding in a dish that is my mom's. I grew up eating banana pudding from this bowl. My mom has "entrusted" this bowl to me and I am terrified that I will drop it on the tile floor one day! Anyway, I truly believe it tastes much better because there has been a lot of love placed in that bowl!!!

Moonpie Song...

I like this song, but the video is of an old Mardi Gras parade! Hope everyone is having a day that is blessed. Even if the blessing is just being here for the others that love us and being able to reach out and love them.
Feeling a little tired this week. I am weaning from the steroid I have been taking and therefore weaning from all the energy it has given me!! That was good while it lasted, let me tell you! On the vain side of things...my hair--once thick and shiny--continues to fall out and has become dry and dull. I am beginning to become puffy as well. Partly due to the screeching halt in a daily exercise regime, taking the steroid and partly due to EATING!! Whew! Do you know how good moonpies, banana pudding and mangoes can be? Not together. Although, now that I think about it, banana pudding with moonpies instead of the vanilla wafers would be GREAT!
As my sweet friend Dani said...Life goes on. It does, in spite of our personal struggles, however significant or insignificant to others. Some days we just hang on. Some days we turn loose. God never said it would be easy, but He did promise that when we call on Him, He would be with us. Now I can hang on to that. How about you?
L, Dana

It's a "Maybe...." Day

Maybe...

* Maybe . . .when the door of happiness closes, another opens; but, often times, we look so long at the closed door that we don't even see the new one which has been opened for us.

*Maybe . . . it is true that we don't know what we have until we lose it, but it is also true that we don't know what we have been missing until it arrives.

*Maybe we need to concentrate on the love around us; not allow the pettiness and rudeness crowd out all the good in our lives--because there is always more love....Happy 18 married years of Love, Tim & Cindy...
*Maybe . . . you should dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go, be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you dream of, and want to do.

Love, Dana

Mango-licous Addiction

I guess if I were to be addicted to something, mangoes are not a bad thing. You see, it all started with my friend, Cindy. She was looking out my sliders and saw my neighbors mango tree. It hangs over our back fence and was LADEN with ripe mangoes. She asked if we ever picked them and I said "no, I never really thought about it." When I had tried to peel them, it was a mess and I didn't see the point. After a short discussion as to "ownership" of the mangoes that hung over onto our property, we proceeded to knock them off the tree with our long handled pool brush and into our yard. I bet there were over a dozen! She went home with a bag full and I placed mine in the kitchen window to ripen a little, but not until I peeled one and that's when it all started. I ate that one and one more! I would have finished off another, but felt that my GI tract would surely rebel at a most inopportune time the next day. The following day, my neighbor across the street brought me 2 mangoes from her tree in her front yard! I was in Mango Heaven!! Why didn't I have a mango tree??? Well, a few days ago, my mango stash ran out. The ones in the back yard neighbor tree are well out of reach, but taunting me. The ones across the street are low hanging and ripe---WHY DON'T THEY PICK THEM??????!!! Mango Neglectors!!!! My addiction apparently got the best of me. I sheepishly crossed the street and told my neighbor thank you for the mangoes and that they were delicious. If she needed my boys to climb her tree and retrieve mangoes, they would gladly do that free of charge (BIG SMILE). Shameless, I know. My husband couldn't believe it. The next day, there was a bag of 4 ripe mangoes by our front door when we came home from church. Then I felt badly. Did she see through my thinly veiled 'thank you'? I had to get a grip and go to the store and pay $3.00 for organic mangoes and save my family's name. Couldn't do it. With Sam in tow, I walked around and over to my back yard neighbor's home. She is a widow and had one of our friend's son's pick her mangoes one year because there were so many. Plus, she is very allergic to mangoes. I figured....well you know. She was thrilled and even let us use her mango picker pole. 17 Mangoes!!! It was fun and the tree was so full you couldn't even tell we had been there. I came home and cut them up and froze them. Today, my friend, Jennifer called and asked if I had "scored" any more mangoes. She brought down a few ripe bananas and we proceeded to make Mango-banana-blueberry-strawberry yogurt smoothies!!! If that weren't enough, I made Pan Seared Tilapia with Mangolicious Salsa for dinner. Surely I will get tired of them soon. Please. I may need an intervention---and something for my GI tract...:)

Red Meat and Independence Day

Last night we were invited to eat at a restaurant in Orlando--Texas de Brazil. Well, let me tell you, that was the BEST red meat I have ever put in m mouth! Actually, I almost felt guilty for eating it. There was so much and it was so good. The salad bar was amazing as well. It had all kinds of vegetables on it with sushi, breads, cheese and pastas. I really tried to eat my veggies so I wouldn't crank my cholesterol higher than it already is with the red meat! I did have some roasted chicken as well! They also offered lamb (couldn't go there) and pork.Each person had a round paper coaster at their plate. One side was Green--"I am ready for all the meat you can give me" the other side Red--"Give me a minute to digest". You flipped it over accordingly. The sides at the table were garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed bananas. Being the HUGE mashed potato fan, I did show mild restraint and the bananas were just the right "sweet" instead of dessert! Do they have restaurants like this in the rest of the world? Are people in France gagging at the thought of dining like this? Believe me, once they tasted this food, any gagging would halt. Or maybe not. I don't even know anyone from France. Does Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp count? For my family in Arkansas---there is a Texas de Brazil in Memphis---make a reservation and GO!
At any rate... It was nice to go out to dinner with friends from Curt's work. We had a great visit with the Maleski's on the ride over and back!

One of the many gauchos with a skewer of flank steak

That's Mike "flanked" by Filet mignons

The group of us!

Happy 4th of July, America. Here's to those who didn't want to live by another's rule and set out to find their own freedom. Here's to those who fight for other's to have the same freedom. Here's to those who have lost their lives in the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness and freedom for themselves from other's tyranny. I do not take lightly the freedoms I enjoy as an American. I also do not take lightly the responsibility. All around the world, people have lost family in war and nameless people have been set free because of their sacrifice. Happy Independence Day to them and to the USA!!