Red Pepper Ranch Bites

Red Pepper Ranch Bites

1 cup oil
1 packet Ranch Dressing powder
1 box Saltine Crackers
1-3 tbl Red Pepper Flakes (to your taste)

Mix oil, Ranch and Red Pepper Flakes in a Ziploc bag. Add Saltine Crackers and toss until well coated. **I can't seem to fit all 4 cracker packages in my Ziploc... so I only use 3.

Once coated, spread onto foil until dry.

Enjoy!! Be careful... these are VERY addicting!!!

Crazy Crayons

Heat makes a crayon a little loopy; it may melt into a swirl or pool into a whirl. With this in mind, we chopped up crayons and baked them in shaped mini cake tins, making large blocks that are easy for toddlers to hold and will surely inspire older artists. Encourage kids to come up with combinations: A blue-and-white blend for drawing the sky, for example, and a mix of reds and oranges for sunsets.

Tools and Materials

Kitchen knife

Old crayons

Mini-cake tins (we used pans with heart- and circle-shaped pockets)

Crayon How-To

1. Parents can use the knife to chop crayons into pea-size pieces, taking care to keep colors separate so kids can combine them as they like.
2. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees while children fill the tin with crayon pieces, arranging them in interesting designs.
3. Bake just until the waxes have melted, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove the shapes after they have cooled. If they stick, place tray in the freezer for an hour, and the crayons will pop out.

Thank you Martha Stewart!!

Tag You're It!!

My friends Allie at Curves With Attitude and Courtney at Practicing Patience TAGGED me for a photo blog.
The rules are as follows:Go to your 6th picture folder & copy your 6th picture and put what it is here. Then tag 5 other people to do the same.

This is my grandparents during our October 2007 James family photo get together.

I don't have 5 followers to tag.... so I'm only tagging the two that haven't done this yet. Ha!!!

I tag:
Mike @ Murrow's Blog
Letty @ My Little Family

I don't get it...

So if you are going to make the commitment to go to school and pay for the classes and textbooks and go to the (some) classes... why would you not show up for the tri-terms?? There is a girl in my Econ class that did not show up to the first tri-term and last night was the second she was a no show for that as well. I texted her and asked her where she was... she said her brothers kids were sick. I'm like so?? And that means you miss your second tri-term in a row?? I don't get it. Either way. I took it. I thought I did good on the first one and I did NOT. So saying I did good on this one would be very premature. We will find out next Wednesday. I'm crossing my fingers for that dang B!!!

My Family

This is my family:
Okay more specifically:
My grandparents here with both of their sons, my father and my Uncle Terry, who lives in Georgia.

My parents. Dad is a genius (mad scientist really) and can make or fix anything. Mom loves doing Genealogy, and is a very good cook!!

My brother Chad (a painter and all around good and funny guy) and his wife Letty (ridiculously crafty, creative and fun) with their four adorable kids.

Aren't they so cute!!! Lett made the girls dresses!! Logan is the oldest, then Caitlyn, Jack and Catrinia.

Logan is an organizer. He loves to set things up and have a spot for everything. He is a nuzzler. He is the original pirate.

Caitlyn loves purple, pink, bugs, all things outdoors and to run on her tippy-toes (and she is fast!!).

Jack is a comedian. He has more facial expressions than Jim Carrey. Mr. Go-With-The-Flow. He is also a pirate... Capt'n Jack.

Catrina is a just a doll. She is so petite and lovey. She is like me in that she loves to just lay around in bed. Ha!! (she wanted me to pick her up in this pic... so cute!!)

Denae is my sister (by choice). She is random and indecisive. She keeps me entertained and laughing everyday.

Johnny is my future. He is my best friend. He is many wonderful things... of which I will save for another blog.

And that is the main players... for now. I have heard rumor that Chad and Lett may have more... and I'm hoping one day to have a few myself. Maybe Lett and Denae and I will all have one at the same time!! Wouldn't that be a hoot (as my mother would say)!!

I love my family!!

Old Pics

Talk about looking similar to my mother!!! We are too cute!!!This is my favorite picture from my childhood:

I'm sure we could get all psychological about why this is my favorite... but really now. It is just cute. Whenever my family would get to the beach, I would immediately start digging a hole in the sand. The deepest hole I could manage... until we left. Ahh good times!!

She has a way of telling you...

She looks innocent enough...However... this is how the toilet paper in my bathroom looks when I leave the house:
And this is how the toilet paper looks when I get home:

Hmmmm... Think she was upset that I left?? Don't let that sweet little face fool you!!!

Validation

I have now seen the test scores by the people that were done writing the 12 essays in 20 minutes, and I feel validated that I was there for an hour and 20 minutes. One person got a 71, the other a 45... out of 100. I received a 96!! And with my extra credit on top of that, I am over 100 for the class. Woot woot!! If I can do it again on this next tri-term then I don't have to take the final!! I will only have to go in that day to turn in my research paper... which I should probably start working on.

Economy on the other hand is not looking so good for me. I will just be happy when it is over and I get at least a B. Only the 3rd B of my life I might add. But whatever. I just want it over with!! Who knew you needed a calculus degree to take a stupid economy class!!! Oh well. Half way through!!!