30 July 2009

Church Clothes

“Frank-o, you really should come inside and change from your church clothes before you begin helping Daddy with the yardwork”

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“HUH…what’s that Mom?”

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“I busy right now!”

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{alrighty then, okey-dokey, A-OK, 10-4, don't mind me..... looks as though you're not paying me one's single moments notice}

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28 July 2009

VFC Pizzaria

Sunday evening, just before our weekly Family Movie Night, we transformed out kitchen into the VFC Pizzaria.

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Step 1:  Pizza Sauce

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Step 2:  CheeseIMG_2863

Step 3:  Pepperoni

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Step 4:  BakeIMG_2867

Step 5:  Enjoy!

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Now, for those of you out there who share my coupon-clipping, money-saavy ideals and you’re thinking to yourself….gees!  what a terrific way to save money on all those overpriced, home-delivered pizzas!  I say….THINK AGAIN!!  It IS NOT thrifty to make your pizzas at home, it is FUN!!!!

27 July 2009

Orange for Stellan

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Only for you, Stellan, would I post a picture of myself on my blog, half-made for the day with a wet head of hair.

I am wearing orange today from head

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to toe in honor of Stellan.

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Being an pediatric ICU nurse, I understand the fragile state and the impending grave danger that Stellan is facing at this time. I also have recently been in correspondence with MckMama, via email, since our son was recently diagnosed his heart condition . Though, thousands of miles seperate us, I feel a closeness to this family and I am asking that you, please, join me in keeping Stellan in your prayers.

If you too are wearing orange of Stellan’s behalf today, are in constant prayer for Stellan, creating new “Stellan” pictures or memorabilia….please link us to your blog using the MckLinky below.



23 July 2009

~this boy and his heart~

~this boy is growing up right before our eyes

~this boy, on Monday, was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect

~this boy was smiling from ear to ear this week when he and his dad purchased his new “Airbow”, aka bow & arrow

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~this boy will soon start PreK4

~this boy will undergo heart surgery in a few weeks

~this boy is eager as can be to {maybe} hunt with his dad this fall

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~this boy is the ultimate picky-eater and a people pleaser in every way

~this boy has a heart of gold with a {1mmx1mm} pinhole in it

~this boy, following his surgery, will be back to his sweet-smiling self in no time

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20 July 2009

Blog Hop : Favorite Recipe/Dish

This is a regular staple in our home....hope you enjoy it as well.

Mexican Casserole
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef/chuck (hamburger meat)
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 lg bag of Tortilla Chips (I prefer to use nacho cheese Doritos)
1 can Rotel
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 tbsps sour cream
8oz shredded cheese (I prefer to use extra sharp Cheddar cheese)

Brown the ground meat (if available, I saute onions and bell pepper with my browned hamburger meat) and add taco seasoning according to the directions on the package. Crush, smash, crumble, into bite-size pieces, the entire bag of chips. In a mixing bowl, combine the can of Rotel, can of cream of mushroom soup, can of cream of chicken soup and cream together with the 2tbsps of sour cream. In a 9x13 ungreased baking dish begin to layer the casserole.....[1)layer of chips (1/2 of the bag), 2) layer of {ALL} browned ground meat, 3) layer of {ALL} of the soup mixture, 4)layer of shredded cheese (1/2 of the 8oz), 5) the remaining 1/2 of the bag of chips]. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees until hot bubbly hot throughout (remember, all of the ingredients are pre-cooked at this point). Top with the remainder of the shredded cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted. Enjoy!!!!


MckLinky Blog Hop




16 July 2009

sweet memories

Put your game faces on……it’s time for Vaughn Family Game Night!!

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64 (Daddy Buck’s age + my age) VFC bonus points if you can guess what game we were playing just two nights ago, because once again we turned indoors early seeing as it’s just too hot to play outdoors around these parts. 

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I gave you a hint in the title of the post…….surely you’ve all played this one when you were youngsters and most certainly you’ve got it after glancing at the next picture.

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You guessed it…..

sweet memories…..

CandyLand

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synopsis:  Family Game Night declared…..ottoman prepped as the official game table…..4 chairs gathered ‘round…..Daddy’s Buck’s list.of.rules.discussed…..turns taken…..Daddy Buck’s in the lead….Buck-a-roo follows in a close race for second place…..Mommy bringing up the rear (I think my turn was skipped on several occasions because I was taking pictures)…..several of Daddy’s Buck’s list.of.rules. get broken…..game pieces get scattered by Frank-o’s 3 year old carelessness…..Daddy Buck threatens to quit…..Mommy takes great pictures so the night will forever be remembered…..game progresses toward finale’…..celebration ceremonies ensue…..

1st Place

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2nd Place

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3rd Place

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sweet memories of yesterday and today live on…..

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14 July 2009

Bathtub Watercolor Artwork

rain is threatening outside and it’s been too hot to play outdoors for weeks now…..

it’s bathtime and Mom bought $1 packages of watercolor paints today…..

the fiberglass is your canvas and the possiblities are endless…..

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….. an hour+ of enjoyable giggling brotherly fun in the bathtub.

…..  creativity, imagination, and pretend play hard at work

…..  peace and quiet for Mom to clean the kitchen and Dad to be productive and do whatever it is that he does when he is productive watch television

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Years past…..this week…..mid July…..

2005

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2006

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2007

July 2007

 

2008 

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just playing around…..

I am testing out a new blog publishing program, so please excuse me as I am playing around with this photo of Buck-a-roo taken by Frank-o as he was playing around with my camera recently

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11 July 2009

A year ago, today

A year ago, today..... John McCain and Barrack Obama were in a near dead heat race for the presidency, according to the 42%-48% ratings respectively in the polls.





A year ago, today..... Dog meat was officially banned from the menus of all designated Olympic restaurants in London for the 2008 Olympics. A year ago, today.... Apple's 3G iPhone hit the market.









A year ago, today.....these boys played in the dirt










And,

A year ago, today.... this blog was created for them, as a place to record, track, commemorate, acknowledge, and praise all the funny, good, not-so-good, developmental, and exciting happenings that go about in their lives on a daily (or every day or so) (or as often as their Mother has time to document) basis.







And,

Here we are today.....exactly ONE year later




same two boys, cute as can be, a smidgen taller and wiser, Buck-a-roo wearing his favorite clothes and Frank-o still sporting a mohawk and not caring what, if any, clothing he's wearing, improved manners, much more talkative, just completed swimming lessons, now aspiring to tackle tennis and karate.






still hugging and kissing on each other, laughing aloud daily, getting in timeout occasionally, and providing me with plenty writing material, all the while filling my writing time with new fun extracurricular activities, which is just fine by me.