Yesterday Was My Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday. I don’t normally toot my own horn about my birthday. But, this year, when I woke up and started to get ready to go to work, I looked outside and it was snowing! I have never lived in a place where there was much snow, ever. I grew up and lived in Georgia for the first 48 years of my life. So to look outside and see snow on May 24^th, well, that is just different for me.

When I got to the office, my first task for the day was to drive down to Jacob Lake to take some stuff down there. So, I went home and got my camera.

Here is a picture I took out the front windshield of the truck I was driving:

Hooooo Wheeeeee! Now that is some snow!

Here are a couple more pics:

I love the little patch of blue sky showing through the snow clouds in this pic.

The reflection on this meadow lake sure does make it look more like mid-winter than soon to be summer.

This is the entrance station to the Grand Canyon, on May 24th, the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, 2008. It is where I work. Even with the snow, I still love it here.

Today Was A Pretty Cool Day

When FabGrandpa and I left the house early this morning, I told him "I am not taking my camera with me today." It has been a "thing" for him to tease me about taking that camera everywhere. I take pictures of everything, because you never know what you may need to illustrate something with. So, I left without it.

We were on our way to a routine day of shopping, but the routine since we got to Arizona is that we drive 125 miles to go grocery shopping, so we better have a real good list. We stopped at the cafe at Jacob Lake, 43 miles north of the Grand Canyon, to have breakfast.

At the cafe we sat at the counter because the place was pretty full. I struck up a conversation with the lady sitting beside me. She asked me where I was from, and when I said "Georgia", she asked me where in Georgia. I told her "Douglasville." She said her great aunt was a school teacher in Douglasville, and it turns out that her great aunt was Margaret Warren, one of my teachers when I was in high school. What a neat coincidence.

After breakfast, we drove to St. George, Utah to do our shopping. We went to Best Buy, a health food store called Dixie Nutrition (where I found my Pamela's Baking Mix and a jackpot of other gluten free foods); on to Wal-Mart for groceries and a hair cut for me. We bought a new cooler to put our groceries in so they wouldn't rot on the trip home. A stop at the Paiute Reservation for beer, wine and cigarettes completed the shopping day.

As we entered the Kaibab National Forest at Jacob Lake on the last leg of our trip home, we started counting the deer we saw, just for the heck of it. There were a total of 105 mule deer on that 43 miles road. But the coolest thing we saw, after we entered the Grand Canyon National Park, was the biggest beast of a bison, standing in the middle of the road. We stopped the truck, and it looked for a moment like he was going to charge us, but he turned at the last second and ran off into the woods. FabGrandpa and I just sat there, stunned, looking at each other. What a Fabulous day! But wouldn't you know it, I didn't have my camera!!!

My Work Group

The other day we walked over to the edge of the canyon for a group photo. This is the crew I work with. I love them all. I really enjoy my job so far. Don't we all look good?

Snow In May

Yes, it snowed overnight here at the North Rim. A lot of it. And it does not look like it is going to go away today.

Here is what I see out my front door this morning:Yep, it's snow alright!

I Am Finally Back Online!

We arrived here at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon on about April 26th, forgive me if I can't remember the exact date, it has been such a blur! I started training for my job two days later, and man, is it ever a lot to learn! We finally got our telephone and internet installed yesterday, so I have a connection to the world again.

I have AT&T for my cellphone service, but it only gets a signal at very specific spots, all of which are not in my trailer. One is at the helicopter pad at the edge of the canyon, another is in the campground at one certain picnic table, and the other is in the employee restroom. I found out about that one because I had my cellphone in my pocket, and while I was in there, uh, doing my stuff, the phone rang!! It was my Mom, so I answered it, but I doubt very seriously I would have invited anyone else in there with me.

Here is a peek at my morning commute. This is along the Transept Trail. You actually see a side canyon called Transept Canyon here.
I have run into these deer several times. They don't run away, just kind of look at me as if to say, "Oh, it's just you." Some mornings there are about 10 of them. I walk about 9/1o's of a mile each way to the office. Later, when the park opens, I'll drive about 12 miles from the office to the entrance station.

This pic is looking north from the entrance station down Hwy 67, towards the "town" of Jacob Lake, which is really only a gas station and a restaurant/lodge. It is 43 miles to Jacob Lake.

This one is looking south from the same spot, towards the canyon. It is another 13 miles or so to the edge of the North Rim from this spot. This is where I will be working this season. Boy, if ya have to work, this is the place to be! (Oh, did you notice the snow still on the ground? I took these photos on May 8, 2008. )

A Little Peak For Now

I have no internet service at the trailer yet, so I have to go to the employee dining room to get online right now. It is hard to write in a public space like that, so for now, here is a peak at my new hometown:

We're Not In Kansas Anymore

We left Wichita on our way to the Grand Canyon this morning. We had planned on going about 330 miles, and stopping early to rest up. We were making good time, so we stopped in Liberal, Kansas to visit the museum there that is dedicated to the movie, The Wizard of Oz. After taking the tour there, and getting our picture taken on the Yellow Brick Road, we stopped at a restaurant west of town to get a late lunch.

The two stops took about two hours, but we were still making good time. A few miles out of Liberal, a man passed us in a pick up truck, and honked his horn and motioned for us to pull over. We had had a flat tire on the trailer, and didn’t even know it!

Our Good Samaritan, Dave Christopher, said he was an insurance adjuster, and just happened to have a telephone book in his truck! How many times will that ever happen? Here is a picture of Dave and Jim:

When my cellphone wouldn’t work because it had no signal, he let us use his phone to call Guymon Tire Service. They sent out a service truck to change the tire.

Raul arrived in about 20 minutes and got right to work. He got us back on the road really fast, and only charged $50.

We stopped in Guymon, Oklahoma at Guymon Tire and bought a new tire for the spare.The whole episode only set us back $167. Not so bad, it could have been worse.

We finally made it to our destination for tonight, Dalhart, Texas. We pulled into the Corral RV Park about 6:30 p.m. The park is level and quiet, and only cost us $19 for a pull through site big enough to park a semi truck and trailer, and it even has cable TV. We hope to be in Albequerque, New Mexico tomorrow night.

Where I Have Been

The last time I wrote anything here was when we had just crossed over the Mississippi River and were stopped for the night in Little Rock, Arkansas. Here is a picture of our trailer home following us down the road: We traveled more than 1000 miles in three days, pulling our home behind us. We usually don't like to go that far so quickly. The main reason why is we get so tired doing it. But, we had to get to USI RV Park in Wichita for a temporary job, so we did.

Here is a picture of the flooding in Arkansas along I-40. I am sure the water is up even more than this because it has rained some more since we went through there.

I like to stop at all the welcome centers for the states we go through. The one in Oklahoma was nice. They gave us free coffee, and Jim took my picture with the Indian guy there:

The Oklahoma countryside is mostly flat. They have a lot of cows there. We even saw a herd of buffalo but I was not quick enough with my camera to get a picture of them.


We went out I-40 west to I-35 north, to Wichita.

The Kansas welcome center is more than 20 miles inside the state line. I told Jim they want to be sure you're really coming to Kansas before they welcome you to their state. There was a McDonald's restaurant there, but they didn't give us anything free to eat or drink, just a map of Kansas so we could find our way out of there when we got ready to leave.

The Kansas countryside in early spring is much like that in Oklahoma, only a little greener.

We have enjoyed our stay in Kansas, but we are leaving tomorrow, because we got the telephone call we have been waiting for from the National Park Service at the Grand Canyon. We will get there sometime Saturday, and start working a day or two later. We are really excited about our new jobs.

We're Traveling Again

Jim and I left Unicoi State Park on Sunday, headed for Wichita, Kansas. Yes, we are still waiting to hear the final word about our jobs at the Grand Canyon, but we can't sit around waiting until we run out of money, so we arranged to work as temporaries at a campground in Kansas while we wait. Doing this is a win-win situation for everyone involved--the campground needed someone ASAP, we needed to be working, it will put us half-way to Arizona when we do finally get hired, and we will be making a little money while we wait. What a great deal. Oh, yeah, it also gets us halfway there before the price of diesel fuel goes up any more.

When I started planning the trip to Arizona, I figured our travel budget as if we were paying $4.89 per gallon of fuel. It is not that high, yet, so we are way ahead in the budget.

On Saturday, the price of diesel fuel in Helen, Georgia was $4.05 per gallon. When we passed by the same gas station on Sunday when we left there, it was $4.10 per gallon. At the Ingle's Grocery Store in Cleveland, Georgia, it was $3.96 per gallon if you paid with an Ingle's gift card (which saves you 3 cents per gallon).

On Sunday, in Douglasville, Georgia, at the station near my mother's house, diesel was $4.27 per gallon!!! We drove right on by. In Bremen, near the Alabama border, it was $3.99 per gallon. We filled up there.

Today, in Jasper, Alabama, fuel was $3.93 per gallon, and in Olive Branch, Mississippi, it was $3.92 per gallon. While these prices are insane, they are nowhere near the price I figured our budget on. We may just have some money left when we arrive in Wichita.

Sunday was a frantically busy day. We woke up in north Georgia, packed up the trailer, and drove 130 miles to Carrollton to spend the night at a campground there. We took the trailer off the hitch, then drove 35 miles back to Douglasville, where we had to go and check our post office box, go to the bank, get our hair cut at Becky's shop. Then Jim, Becky and I met Emily, Tommy, and Spencer at Longhorn Steaks for a yummy scrummy dinner. Spencer's birthday was on April 10th, he turned 6 this year. He has now decided he likes steak, which is a good thing. He posed for me to take some pictures. When he saw this one, he said, "I look like an ice cream cone!" (that's his Mommy, Emily, my youngest daughter with him). After dinner, we ran by my mother's to say good bye to her before we left town. We finally got back to the trailer around 10:30 p.m. What a day!

I checked the Weather Channel online before we left to see if the route we planned to take had any flooding, and found that the Mississippi River at Memphis was at 37 feet this morning, and will continue to rise until at least Saturday, if there is no more rain. Flood stage at Memphis is 34 feet. I took a couple of pictures when we crossed over the Mighty Mississippi this afternoon, the water was high, but I-40 is a high road so it was not flooded.

We got as far as Little Rock today, which is a long way for us to go in one day. We'll arrive in Wichita tomorrow afternoon. I have never been to Kansas, so I can't wait to see it. Don't have a clue what to expect, but I will post some pictures tomorrow. See ya later!

A Campfire Party

We had our first, and last, campfire party with our co-hosts here at Unicoi tonight. The first one, because it is the first time everyone was here and available to get together, and the last because Jim and I are leaving on Sunday.

It was just an informal get together. We didn't even sit around the fire, exactly, because there was food. And to eat it, we had to sit at the picnic table. Joan and Frank brought a yummy 7 layer Mexican salad, and Debbie and Jim brought a hot spinach cheese dip. I made sausage balls, using my Pamela's Baking Mix. It just turned out that everything everyone brought was gluten free, but it wasn't planned that way. I even tried some Redbridge Beer. I though it was pretty good, and even drank two of them. Those of you who know me know I have never drunk two beers in one day, ever. But, Redbridge was that good. Really.

Here is the recipe I used for the Sausage Balls

1 lb pork sausage
2 cups Pamela's Baking Mix
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients together well in a bowl. You'll have to use your hands to squeeze it all together. Roll in small balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

I put them in a bowl that I had lined with a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm. Everyone loved them. Yum!

Spring In Georgia

Jim and I have been volunteering here at Unicoi for three winters. We are usually gone by the 1st of March, as we really do need to work and make some money. But, this year, we are still sitting here, waiting to hear the final word on the job at the Grand Canyon. Because we have always left so early, we have never been here in the springtime.

In the last two weeks, the campground came alive with campers. The whole place has been full, including the tents camping area, and today all of the platforms at the Squirrel's Nest were also occupied. The place is simply buzzing with people. I sold all the firewood we had today. And the excited fishermen bought nearly all of the red wigglers I had, too.

Little children were wading in the creek, which surely must still be ice cold. It is such a change from the gloomy winter days, when we hardly see other people all week.

I'm going to try to get some pictures tomorrow, just so you can see the difference just a couple of weeks make.

Michael and Owen

Just thought you all would like to see my newest picture of my two grandsons, Michael and Owen. They are the ones who live in Maryland, Seth's sons.

Nueva Cocina Taco Fresco

Last week I got this yum package of Taco Fresco Ground Beef Seasoning in the mail from Nueva Cocina. It is all natural and gluten free, and tastes really good. We don’t care much for tacos so I was thinking today I would use it to make some home made enchiladas. The sauce took only about 10 minutes to make, and it was delish!

Home Made Gluten Free Enchiladas

Sauce

1 6 oz can tomato paste

1 16 oz can chicken broth

1 pkg Nueva Cocina Taco Fresco Ground Beef Seasoning

1 Knorr Chipotle Mini Cube

Add all ingredients in a small saucepan, stirring well to mix tomato paste and the mini chipotle cube into the liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes until thickened a bit. Remove from heat.

Filling

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ lb ground meat (I use 1/3 turkey, 1/3 pork, and 1/3 beef)

1 small onion, chopped

4-5 garlic cloves, chopped

1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp basil

1 tsp ground red pepper

Add olive oil to a skillet. When heated through, add onion, garlic and pepper, sautee until onion is clear. Add ground meat, crumbling and stiring, cook until meat is browned. Add cumin, basil, and red pepper, stir to mix well.

To assemble:

Pour about 1/3 cup of sauce in casserole dish, spread around to cover the bottom of the dish. For each enchilada, put a couple tablespoons of meat in the center of a corn tortilla. Roll the tortilla, and place seam side down in the casserole dish. Repeat until the filling is used up. Pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas. Bake in 400 degree oven 25 minutes. Take the casserole dish out of the oven, cover with 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese. Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes

We made a salad with a bag of Fresh Express pre-cut lettuce, some canned tomatoes, some pickled garlic, and sliced onions. I also cut up an avacado to put on top of the enchiladas. I thought I would have some left over for lunch tomorrow, but Jim ate a second helping for dessert!

Nana's Birthday Dinner

On one of the yahoo groups I am on, one of the ladies there calls her husband's mother her mother-in-love. I like that designation , so I am officially stealing it for my own husband's mother. My mother -in-love, Virginia, had her birthday last week. To help her celebrate, Jim and I cooked dinner and took it over to her house. Well, Ingle's Supermarket made the rotisserie chicken, but I made the rest.


In addition to the chicken, we had gluten free macaroni and cheese, cole slaw, and a pretty good gluten free carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I don't have any pictures of the food, but here are the recipes I used:


Gluten Free Mac and Cheese

2 cups cooked gluten free pasta (I used quinoa elbow macaroni)
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 small can evaporated milk
1 small can water
1 1/4 cups 2% milk
1 egg
2 cups grated cheese


Spray an 8" X 8" pan with olive oil. Spread the cooked pasta in the pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over the noodles, and toss to mix together. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add salt and tapioca flour, stirring to cook so it does not burn. Slowly add the milk and water, stirring with a whisk so it won't be lumpy. When it thickens slightly, add the egg that has been beaten, whisking to stir it in completely. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Pour sauce over the noodles in the pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over the top. Place the pan on a cookie sheet, and put into the oven, and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, stir the mixture towards the center, making sure the cooked part in the corners is stirred to the middle. Put back in the oven and bake for another 35 minutes. Remove from oven again, stir again. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Put back in the oven and bake for 15 more minutes.


For the carrot cake, I used the recipe on the back of the package of Pamela's Baking Mix.

1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup Splenda and 1/4 cup sugar)
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
2 1/4 cups Pamela's Baking Mix
1 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

Beat oil, eggs, and sugar together, then mix in remaining ingredients. Batter will be very thick. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans or one 8" X 8" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups confectioners sugar

Beat cheese and butter together until fluffy. Beat in sugar until well blended. Spread on cooled cake.

I baked this cake a day ahead of time and put it in the refrigerator, covered with aluminum foil. It was a bit dry the next day, but it still tasted good. I would make it again, but serve it the same day.

Oh, and when we went outside to get in the truck to leave, there was the most beautiful moonrise ever. This picture does not do it justice, but here is the best picture I could get of it, so enjoy: (Can you believe that moon?!)

Finally Got The Taxes Done

I finally bit the bullet and went to get my taxes done. I usually do them myself. I have done them for years. But in 2006, we worked in Virginia part of the year and in Georgia part of the year. I could not figure out how to do the part year resident thing, so I put the papers away and let them sit around until it was way after April 15^th, and then I thought, well, it’s already late, so I let them sit around some more. The more they sat there, undone, the more sick at my stomach I felt each time I looked at them. It wasn't that I didn't want to do them, I just couldn't figure them out. And I am not the kind of girl who likes to admit that something has whipped my butt!

So, when I got the W-2’s in for 2007 from Pennsylvania, and saw that I would have to not only file a part year resident form for for Pennsylvania, and one for Georgia, but also one for Adams County, damn, I was getting in way over my head again. So, I started looking for someone to do them all for me.

First I asked my father-in-law who he uses, but he said I wouldn’t be able to get an appointment with his tax person. Then, I asked the cashier in the restaurant at the lodge, and she said she didn’t know anyone, she just does her own. This went on for about a week, and I soon found out there is no one in Helen who does taxes. The next thing I did was look at Yahoo Yellow Pages. I found a place called One On One Tax Service in Cleveland, and made an appointment with Angelo to get all this tax crap done.

Angelo is a great guy, but when he got through, he asked his wife, Paula to come in and make sure he was getting me the biggest possible refund. Paula came in and sat down, and her fingers just flew over those keys! I have never seen anyone use a 10-key adding machine so fast!

When it was all over, in just a couple of hours (hell, I have poured over the instructions online for days!), I had two big fat envelopes full of papers, and six smaller envelopes of completed returns to mail out. It wasn’t too painful dollar wise, either. I wish I could tell you I was gettting a pile of money back, but it just ain’t so. I am still on a payment plan for 2004 and 2005, so the money we should have gotten back will be applied to the taxes I still owe, but this will make it almost paid in full. And next year I will be going back to see Angelo and Paula at One on One.

In Today's Mail

Last week, among other things, I sent the FabGrandaughter some blank note cards and some stamps for her birthday. This is what I got in the mail today:

Be still, my heart!

When Dreams Come True

You know that sound you hear sometimes in movies, that sounds sort of like a needle being dragged abruptly across an old vinyl record? The one they use just before they suddenly stop the action and back up to an earlier point in time? Well, imagine that you are hearing that sound right about now! And then back up to here.

On February 6t^h, when I wrote that we had decided to go to work at a campground in Missouri, and told you all about how beautiful the place was, and we were really looking forward to going there, and yayaya, inside my little brain I was really thinking, Missouri, eh. Blah. Not blah to that campground, just blah to Missouri. Then last week I wrote about how I was just not getting the things done I needed to get done before we leave. I am just not that enthusiastic about going there because I want to be somewhere else.

Since I was 12 years old, I have dreamed about working and living at the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Even before I knew that jobs could be had that would actually let you live inside of the national park, even before I knew how to go about applying for one of those jobs, I have longed to go there. Back then, when I was a kid, and had never seen a travel trailer, I used to daydream about going out there in a pick-up truck with a camper shell on it, because that was all I knew existed.

After Jim and I started living our full-time RV lifestyle eight years ago, and I had to start looking for a job for us every six months or so, I stumbled across a website called USAJobs.com. At first, I only searched for jobs, just to see what was available, because I did not think they had temporary seasonal jobs. I thought if we went to work for a national park, we would be tied to it for the long-term, and I could not ever get Jim to agree to that sort of job.

Well, about five years ago, when I was searching for jobs yet again, I came across a full-time RV’ers forum where someone mentioned that they had worked a seasonal job at a national park. So, off I went to the USAJobs site to look again. Oh. My. God! They did have temporary seasonal jobs, and lots of them, at all of the national parks out west. And so I started applying for any of the jobs I thought I could do.

One thing about our government, they do not make it easy to search. The job titles usually don’t have anything at all to do with what you think they might actually be. So, it was very time consuming, because I had to read all of the job descriptions and decide if the encrypted jargon equaled something I could do, or that I could convince them I could do.

Four years ago, I started filling out applications. Office Automation Assistant, Information Receptionist, Visitor Use Assistant, Volunteer Coordinator, even Laborer and Assistant Recreation Assistant (??). For four long years, I have dutifully filled in all the blanks, answered the questions written in secret code, and pushed the send button, to never hear from them again. Until last week.

On Monday of last week, a guy named Bob called me to offer me a job as a temporary seasonal Visitor Use Assistant at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The job has a very good rate of pay, it is for six months, it includes a full hook up campsite in the employee housing section, and it accrues annual leave. But, I had to decline the offer. I told Bob I really hated to turn this down, but that we also needed a job for my husband and he had not heard a word about his application.

I ended up talking to Bob for about half an hour, getting tips and information about how to apply so that both of our applications would get noticed. I ended the conversation with him by saying, “I am going to think really positive and say that I will see you out there next year.”

After I hung up the phone, I was depressed for a couple of days. I could not believe that after all that hard work, I had to turn down the job I had dreamed of all my life. So, I was sitting there minding my own pity-party business on Friday, when the phone rang again, and it was a different guy, Alan, asking for Jim. Alan offered him a temporary seasonal job in maintenance at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Jim said, “I really hate to say no, but my wife just turned down a job a couple of days ago. To which the caller replied, “What job was it? Who did she talk to? What is her name? I’m going to call Bob and see if the job is still available.”

So, Jim hung up, and a short time later, Bob called me back, and asked if I was still interested in that job. “Heck, Yeah!” was my reply. So, I interviewed with him over the phone, and he said he would call my references, and get back in touch with me.

Today, Bob called and told me my references checked out, and gave me a tentative job offer. Shortly after we hung up, Al called Jim and also gave him a tentative job offer. Now we are waiting for the package to arrive in the mail to fill out for a background check. But I truly believe, in my heart, in my little girl dreams, that I will be wearing that Smokey The Bear uniform in just a few weeks.

Sometimes the stars do line up just right.

Black Bean Nachos

Ack! When I got up and looked at the calendar this morning, I realized that we only have 19 days before we leave here for our job in Missouri. Less than 3 weeks!!! I have so much still to do before we go that I don’t know how I am going to get it all done.

Every spring before we leave I usually clean out all of the closets and storage bins. I go through all of our clothing and discard stuff we haven’t worn in the last year. I get rid of any extra things we have accumulated in the last 12 months that may be weighing us down.

As I go through everything, I make a pile of stuff to put on ebay, another pile for donations to the local library, a pile for donating to a thrift shop, and one for the trash bin. I need to get busy, but it is cold and raining today and I just don’t feel like doing it.

Before we leave town, we have a plan to go visit with friends who live 130 miles away in south Georgia. We have been talking about going out to that Chinese place in town with the FabGrandpa’s parents but have not done that yet. We need to get the truck serviced. I’m telling ya, there is just so much to do!

So what am I doing today? Just sitting here, doing nothing. Drinking a third cup of coffee. Putting off until tomorrow every little thing that I can. And thinking about what I can cook for dinner, because I try to use up as many of the groceries as I can before we travel down the road.

Last night I made us some yummy Black Bean and Shrimp Nachos. I stole the idea for this dish from a restaurant I used to go to when I worked in downtown Atlanta for the telephone company. I can’t remember the name of the place, and it is no longer there, but my friends and I used to go there once a week, and I always ordered these nachos every time.

Black Bean and Shrimp Nachos

Corn tortilla chips

1 can black beans, drained

1 jar salsa or 1 can diced tomatoes

4-5 green onions, sliced

1 can black olives, drained and sliced

1 cup shredded colby, cheddar, or jack cheese

½ lb cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

Optional: sour cream, sliced avocado, jalapeno peppers

Place a couple of handfuls of corn tortilla chips on each plate. Sprinkle a half can of black beans on top of the chips. Add some of the salsa or tomatoes, spreading it around on top of beans and chips. Add half of the onions to each plate, then black olives, as much as you like. Cut the shrimp into bite size pieces, and add half of it to each plate. Sprinkle a half-cup of shredded cheese on top of each plate. Place the plates, one at a time, into the microwave and cook for one minute to melt the cheese. Serve with sour cream, avocado slices, and jalapeno pepper slices. Makes two dinner size servings.

I wish I had thought to take a picture of this last night because ti is really a nice looking dish on the plate.

The FabGrandaughter's Birthday

Sarah's birthday was yesterday. She was nine years old. It is really hard to believe she is that old! She was born in Guam, while her dad was stationed there with the Air Force. She has traveled to more places than I have in her short little life. She now lives in Tacoma, Washington, and I rarely get to see her. The picture below was taken last July when she flew from Washington State to Washington, D.C. to visit with her father, brother, and step-mother. She is holding a picture of Seth, my son, when he was about the same age as she is now.
When I talked to her on the phone last night, she sounded so grown up! She's all into Hannah Montana and Bratz. She's making all A's in school, and says her favorite subject is reading. She has a new baby sister who just turned one year old in November, and her mother is expecting another baby in May. I asked if she got a lot of gifts for her birthday, and she said her "real Dad" sent her a bunch of presents, but she was only opening one a day until they are all opened up. She said the fun lasts longer that way.

The picture below was taken last summer, too, at her Dad's house. That is him and FabGrandpa there with her. They all look so happy together!

I asked her if she knows I love her and miss her. She said, "Yes, because you write that on every card you send me."

A Piece Of Heaven Arrived In The Mail

When the FabGrandpa picked up our mail at the lodge on Friday, there was the box we had been waiting for. It contained a package of lasagna from Food Matters. I had read about Food Matters over at Celiac Chicks, and again in a Celiac Disease group on Facebook, and was debating on whether or not to order some, when Vanessa emailed me and asked if it would be okay for her to send me one. Honey, y'all have got to get some of this stuff!

It arrived in a styrofoam cooler inside the cardboard mailing carton, and was still cold when I got it. It's not frozen, but fresh and ready to heat up in your oven. As I am a curious old lady, I put it on my digital scales (Yes, I do just happen to have a digital postal scale just sitting around the house, thank you very much. I use it to measure my ingredients for my home made soaps). It weighed in at a hefty 2.o8 lbs, more than enough for two people to have a very filling dinner, or for one person to eat four servings.

The version Vanessa sent me was the meat and vegetable lasagna. It does have cows milk in it, but I do not have a problem with milk products, so it was good for me. If you can't do dairy, she makes a version that is casein free. To see the ingredients better, just click on the picture below to make it bigger.


This is what the lasagna looked like out of the box. All I had to do was turn on the oven, put the package on a baking sheet, and set the timer for 40 minutes. (I always start with the least time the first time I cook something because my tiny little oven has strange temps sometimes.) I made some of those yummy garlic cheese biscuits to go with, and if I had had some salad fixings I would have had that too, but I am out in the country miles from a store...

Which brings me to another thing I want to point out: If Vanessa can deliver this stuff to ME, out here in a travel trailer at a state park on top of a mountain in Georgia, she can deliver it anywhere.Ok, so about an hour later, I took it out of the oven, and served. See how delish this looks? I was very good, and the only clean-up I had to do was toss the pan in the trash.
FabGrandpa, who has no dietary restrictions other than the ones I impose on him because I am the cook and I only cook gluten free, enjoyed this dinner very much. He told me to e-mail Vanessa and tell her she didn't send enough!

Oh, and (hint, hint) all you FabChildren out there: This would make a great birthday present or Mother's Day Gift for your FabMother. Just click here to order.

Another Project Completed!

I did not know how freeing it would be to get Becky's quilt on the road to being finished! Just the very idea that it is on the long arm machine has let me tackle other projects that have gone undone.

This week I completed Becca's quilt. I did the quilting on my sewing machine, just making wavy lines diagonally across it with a lovely varigated thread. I put the last stitch in the binding today, and since the sun was shining I spent the afternoon on a photo shoot with the quilt as the star:

This was photographed on a log at the creek behind our travel trailer.

I love to see my quilts hanging on the clothesline. That brown one is the one I made for Jim, the FabGrandpa.
Close-up detail of the wavy line quilting. Can you see the colors in the thread?
Another close-up of the quilting stitches.
Another view of the creek behind our campsite.