Slope y-intercept and other things I don't understand

Big trouble at the Holmes' house tonight...Abigail needed math homework help and Jeff is sick. Seriously, have I ever used slope y-intercept EVER since I learned it in middle school? Uh...NO. I'm sure there are many people who find this a necessary part of their daily lives, but I don't happen to be one of them. Thank goodness. For some reason this got me thinking about all the other things in life that I just don't understand.

1. People who audition for American Idol who clearly can't sing and say, "But my friends all say I have a great voice!" Stop lying to your friends, people.

2. Why some people think burnt orange is an attractive color.

3. Referees who don't call fouls on basketball players who trip your child, resulting in their body being slammed to the floor.

4. the fascination people have in watching "The Bachelor"

5. Lady Gaga

6. People who don't proofread

7. Leather pants over a size 6

8. Obama, Reed and Pelosi

9. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream

10. E-sharp on the piano

Now, let's see...if y = 1/2x + 3...oh, dear.........

Rodeo, Rodeo Wherefore Art Thou Rodeo?

Just a little humor there before I contact Blogger and tell them how much I despise everything about them. I had many lovely pictures to share of our day at the rodeo, and maybe one day I will be able to upload them. Today, however, is not that day. I have spent four days trying to upload pictures. And, no advice, please. I have changed browsers, turned off the computer, hit the buttons on my keyboard really hard, etc., etc., etc. The only thing I haven't tried is Picasa, (sp?) which Barb recommended and that's because I just haven't had time. So, enjoy these five pictures for they may be the last to be posted. EVER.

Amazing trick roper

Chuck wagon races

I love the patriotism of the show.

How about a little bull riding?

Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.

We Interrupt Basketball Season For This Important Announcement

Katherine has just been accepted to Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE NOW A LUMBERJACK!

Junior Varsity Basketball

Rebecca plays on the Grace Prep Lady Lions JV basketball team. As a freshman she doesn't get as much playing time as she likes, but she has seen some action, especially if we are beating another team by a large margin. She is a really good player and it's fun to watch her handle the ball. Many of the parents have commented that they love watching her because she always looks like she is having a really good time.

#14 - waiting...

Defense

Offense

Getting further instructions from the coach

Stay tuned for Varsity basketball, Katherine and next week's edition of "Blurry Basketball."

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

And sometimes that saying is actually true! I found that out over the Christmas holidays. I had planned to make a recipe from my favorite cookbook, The 5:30 Challenge, where each recipe only has five ingredients. This is essential to any busy life. I thought I had all the ingredients I needed for "Midweek Madness Chili." After all, there are only five of them! Turns out, all I had was the ground beef and the salsa. Not being an adventurous soul when it comes to recipes, I headed for the taco seasoning to make tacos.

Someone, I think it was Abigail, said she REALLY wanted chili. Couldn't I just make another kind of chili? After a little digging through the pantry I located a different kind of beans than the recipe required and a different kind of tomatoes. OK...but if it tastes bad, I'm not to blame.

Time passes...chili ready...family sits down to dinner...Jeff says, "What did you do to the chili?" I knew this would happen, I thought silently to myself. "This is the best chili you've ever made," he says. What? "Oh, I didn't have all the ingredients, so I just made something up," I reply.

Since it was Christmas Eve, Abigail renamed it "Genny's Christmas Chili." And the reason I'm writing this post is because we had chili tonight -- the new kind, not the old kind. If you need a really simple, delicious recipe for your midweek madness, here it is.

Genny's Christmas Chili

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup salsa (I use Pace picante sauce)
1 can Hunt's Roasted Garlic Diced Tomatoes
1 can Ranch Style Beans
1-2 T. chili seasoning mix

Cook the ground beef and drain. I usually season mine with onion powder, garlic salt and pepper. Here's the best part. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes. Done! I serve mine with sour cream and cheese. Sometimes over rice. Always with crackers. Enjoy!

Volleyball Banquet

We were finally able to put volleyball season to rest this week with the awards banquet. Not one of our favorite things to do, although we do attend lots of them. Abigail had a game, and Jeff endured last year, so I was chosen to go with Rebecca. The food was very good (Italian) and I sat at a table of single moms, most of us single because the dads were all at the other children's basketball games. Wonder why those dads picked the games over a banquet?

Rebecca, Alexa

Rebecca's coach speaking to the team

She received the "Fighting Heart" Award.
That's her -- a fighter!

7th Grade Basketball

Basketball is our life. Oh, the hours...I cannot even say... And the bad thing is that I don't have many pictures of the girls playing because they are always blurry. They move a lot in basketball games, you know? Here's a great shot of Abigail's team after their 2nd place finish in the Pantego Tournament last weekend.

Yea, #31!

Abigail's so fast you can barely see her! She's the one with the blurry basketball.

Salado Scrapbook Retreat

I did say that I've been scrapbooking for almost four days this year and I highly recommend it as a way to begin a new year. Something you enjoy, with friends or family, putting together albums of your heritage/memories....I can rationalize anything!

I traveled south to Salado last week to meet my mother and aunt. We have talked about this trip so much over the last months but I don't think any of us believed it would happen. (Don't tell any of our husbands, but we are already planning one for later this summer.)

We stayed in a condo located on the Mill Creek Golf Course. Once we found it, it was the perfect setup, with the exception of the combo golf-southwest decorating scheme in mauve, forest green and khaki. ("I bet only men usually stay here," my mother said.) No doubt.

After unpacking our things (enough paper and supplies to start up a small scrapbook store), we got right to it. First thing on the agenda was a lesson in how to use the Cricut cutting machine. Boy, did we ever have fun with that. My mother's machine is an updated version of mine and I enjoyed trying out the new features.

(Didn't know I was an elf, did you?)

Xyron Sticker Makers
My little goodies I brought for Sylvia and Mother.
They are a must have for anyone who owns a Cricut.
Go, now, to your nearest Walmart and buy one for yourself.
You will not regret it!

The Cautious Scrapbooker

The Messy Talks Too Much Scrapbooker

The Vertical Scrapbooker (never sits down!)


Dinner at the historic Stagecoach Inn

Sisters at The Stagecoach Inn

This picture makes me laugh! I don't think we were talking
as much as pretending to talk while Mother took the picture.

Dinner at El Tapatio
Muy Delicioso!

My messy table and one of 12 pages I completed.
(Or was it 11? I forget.)

One of Mother's masterpieces

One of Sylvia's masterpieces

This was such a memorable, wonderful few days. We all wanted to stay at least two more days, but real life intruded. I had to get home for choir rehearsal, Sylvia had to make sure Ron was okay, and Mother had to rescue Buddy from eating Sonic for every meal.

And, if you think about it, summer's not really that far away. Is it?

Scrappy New Year - 2010

Scrappy New Year Everyone! I feel like that's what I've been doing in this new year of 2010. I have been scrapbooking four of the nine days so far. What a way to start the year, huh? My first day was spent on January 1 at church, crafting with some of my favorite people. I don't have a picture of myself, and must remind myself to hand someone my camera (as Barb says) and have them take my picture, too.

Yea! Melissa joined us this year. She worked
on pictures of her Galveston trip. Some of the
best pictures to scrapbook are beach vacations.

This is Anne, whom I like to call
"Goddess Divine of Scrapbooking."
She always has the latest fads and products
to share. She introduced us to the Xyron machine,
which may have just changed my life forever.

Barb, one of the best scrapbookers ever!
So creative and excellent at getting the
most pictures on any two-page layout.

Rhonda, my digital scrapbook friend.
She is a genius at creating pages on the computer.
I cannot imagine myself doing it, but she does it
amazingly well, and her table is always the cleanest!

A great time had by all. Even though I only stayed about 7 1/2 hours of the 12 hour day, I got quite a few pages done. Most importantly, I spent time with some of my favorite people doing my favorite activity.

San Antonio, How I Love You!

Especially in December, when everything is sparkling and festive. We spent a couple days in San Antonio because Katherine's basketball team was in a tournament there. The games were great, and the girls ended up with the Silver Bracket trophy. But, most fun of all was our evening spent on the Riverwalk and meeting our friends, The Hall's, for dinner at Casa Rio. What a beautiful city!