Ummmmm...Yuck!

So it’s all about getting “retrained” these days.  I am no exception to the rule.  I took a QuickBooks class online first and then that lead to an Electronic Medical Records course.  I am now working on Advanced Medical Terminology and I am not the least bit thrilled with it.

I have had a lot of memory issues over the last couple years and this class just frustrates the crap out of me!  Not only do I feel like I am a little “slow” but it ticks me off that I am not pulling the “A” grade that I have become accustom to in the past.  Grrrr!  I need to work harder on this so I can get past it and stop looking at these books!

I don’t know if the next section will be any better since it is Medical Coding.  Hopefully I am onto a memory fix that will get me back on track.  I will post more about this later.  In the meantime, I will just continue to hope that I don’t truly have a “learning disability” .

And Now for Something Yummy…

Do you have a craving for something really yummy and really easy?

This is so easy that I took all the ingredients and make this out camping!

I am not big on cooking so this was right up my alley.  I have eaten this at one of those “big name” restaurants several times and I finally decided to make it myself.

How about Chicken Caesar Wraps?  Or you can also make them Ranch Wraps!

Here is a picture of the ingredients you can use for this really simple recipe.

Take the cooked chicken (ground, cubed or strips and BBQ, baked or fried) and put it in one bowl or two.

My chicken is BBQ and it was shredded in a “Ninja” blender.  In this case I used two bowls since my husband prefers ranch dressing instead of Caesar. 

Squeeze in enough dressing to taste that you prefer and mix.  I just made it like I make tuna for sandwiches.

Now the hard part is over!  Take your tortilla and line with a couple pieces of lettuce.  Spread the chicken mixture on the lettuce, top with tomatoes slices and sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.  Wrap, add a soup, chips or just eat alone.

Enjoy!

Bloggin’, bloggin’, bloggin’–keep those babies blogging…

Just popped into my pointy little head that “Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’….keep those babies rollin’ – rawhide!” would easily work for my title if I just adjusted a bit.  If you don’t remember the song then just carry on.  For those of you who do…..I hope it isn’t stuck in your head all day .

I have actually been thinking about blogging but I have not found the time until now.  There are so many things to get completed before school starts and one of them is to get back to blogging.  Even though I think that daily blogging is a little beyond me b\c I am just not that witty or interesting, I do want to blog more often.  Keeping up with my incessant picture taking would be a small feat for me but it would be awesome.

Nonetheless….We are on the road to Silver Lake, Oregon to visit with my in-laws.  Warren is looking forward to seeing his dad, Hunter is excited about seeing Grandma Kim and Papa Al and of course some exciting sage rat hunting.  Myself – I brought some stuff to make cards with Kim and I looking forward to visiting and getting some cards made while we visit.  We are all looking forward to going out to dinner at the Cowboy Dinner Tree tonight.

Hopefully I can process some blog content when things get quiet and while we are on the road.  If nothing else I will be taking pictures and creating lots more items to blog about .  Until next time….

A little bit of the past…

I HAVE STARTED BECOMING NASTOLGIC FOR ITEMS FROM MY PAST.  I THINK PART OF IT IS READING ALL OF THE POSTS ON THE FACEBOOK PAGE ABOUT BEING FROM PRINEVILLE.  PEOPLE OF ALL AGES ARE POSTING THEIR MEMORIES OF THINGS THAT USED TO BE IN PRINEVILLE OR OLD HAUNTS THAT WE ALL HAVE GONE TO OVER THE YEARS.

I HAVE A PILE OF REALLY GOOD MEMORIES FROM ALL MY YEARS SPENT IN PRINEVILLE.  THE MEMORIES ARE OF PLACES, PEOPLE AND WELL CALL THEM PERCEPTIONS THAT ONLY SOMEONE WHO LIVES IN PRINEVILLE COULD UNDERSTAND.  I LAUGHED MY ASS OFF WHEN I READ THE POST ABOUT ….YOU KNOW YOU ARE FROM PRINEVILLE IF… YOU KNOW WHAT “IT MEANS TO BE A STANG”.  YEPPERS – THAT IS DEFINITELY A PRINEVILLE THING!

I WAS TRANSPLANTED TO PRINEVILLE IN SEPTEMBER OF 1972 ALONG WITH THE REST OF MY FAMILY.  MY PARENTS USED TO COME TO THE AREA TO VISIT MY AUNT & UNCLE AND GO HUNTING AND LOVED THE AREA.  ONE DAY THEY DECIDED TO QUIT THEIR JOBS AND MOVE TO OREGON TO HAVE A BETTER PLACE TO RAISE THEIR KIDS.  THEY ENDED UP BUYING A HOUSE IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN AND THEY ARE STILL IN THE SAME PLACE ALL THESE MANY YEARS LATER.  AND, THEY ENDED UP BUYING A SPORTING GOODS STORE.  HERE IS A CLIP FROM THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER.

I WASN’T EXACTLY 3 YET BUT OTHERWISE I THINK THE ARTICLE IS PRETTY ACCURATE AND THIS PICTURE IS OF MY DAD WORKING ON SOMETHING AT THE STORE.  NOTICE THAT THERE ARE NO CABLES THROUGH THE GUNS, THE MANTLE BOX HANGING ON THE GUN RACK AND THE CROSS BOW HANGING OFF THE SET OF HORNS ABOVE?

   I REMEMBER MOM WRITING UP HUNTING LICENCES AND TAGS LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY.  I ALSO REMEMBER THE BIG FLOOR SWEEPER THAT WAS AS WIDE AS THE ISLES AND ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT USED TO COME IN AND TELL THEIR HUNTING AND FISHING STORIES.  ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS I REMEMBER IS GETTING TO GO A BLOCK DOWN TO BANK DRUG TO BUY PENNY CANDY AND MAYBE A SODA FROM THE OLD SODA FOUNTAIN.  BANK DRUG WAS ALWAYS FULL OF SO MANY THINGS TO LOOK AT AND IT WAS SUCH A TREAT TO GO IN THERE.

HERE IS ONE OF MY OTHER FAVORITE HAUNTS – THE A&W!  IT USED TO BE WHERE MCDONALDS IS NOW.  AND YOU CAN SEE THE OLD BLUE STAR MOTEL IN THE BACKGROUND…

THIS IS ME WITH THE A&W BEAR & OLAN FORD.  OLAN OWNED THE A&W AND THAT COOL CAR.  I HAD A DEEP LOVE FOR BABY BURGERS, COLE SLAW AND THE LITTLE TINY BABY ROOTBEER FLOATS.  WE WOULD PULL INTO THE DRIVE IN AND I WOULD PLOP DOWN THE JOCKEY BOX DOOR BECAUSE IT ALSO SERVED AS A LITTLE TABLE AND I WAS ALWAYS READY FOR THE CAR HOP TO BRING ON THE YUMMY FOOD.  OH LOOK – I ALSO HAVE MY SALT WATER SANDALS ON.  I LOVED THOSE SHOES AND I GOT A NEW PAIR EVERY YEAR.  I CAN’T REMEMBER IF WE BOUGHT THEM AT ERICKSON’S DEPARTMENT STORE OR AT THE TOWN & COUNTRY STORE THOUGH.  I ALSO REMEMBER GOING TO THE EMPIRE ROOM FOR MEALS AND HARRIS GEE ALWAYS BEING SO FUNNY AND GIL SCHNIDER COMING IN FROM RUNNING THE PAST TIME TO SAY HEY TO EVERYONE.  FUNNY HOW THINGS COME BACK TO YOU WHEN YOU START THINKING ABOUT ONE THING AND IT JUST LEADS TO SEVERAL OTHERS.

AND WHO COULD FORGET THE GRIZZLY BEAR?  CERTAINLY NOT ME!  WE USED TO GO DOWN AND HAVE BIRTHDAYS FOR ME AND MY TWO COUSINS.  WE ALWAYS GOT A MARISHINO CHERRY ON TOP OF THE PIZZA TO HOLD THE CANDLE.  I ALWAYS LOVED GOING IN THERE, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE GAS FIRE PIT WAS RUNNING.  TOTALLY YUMMY PIZZA TOO!

IN CLOSING I HAVE ATTACHED A PICTURE OF MY SISTER & I.  CHECK OUT THE DRESS AND THAT LONG LOVELY HAIR!  I REMEMBER THAT JUMP SUIT I WAS WEARING TOO; I THINK MOM MADE THAT AND I REMEMBER THAT BEING ONE OF MY FAVORITES.  BEHIND US YOU CAN SEE THE OLD FIREPLACE AND THE MANTLE WITH THE GINORMOUS MIRROR.  THAT LOOKS LIKE SPOCK ON THE TV AND I USED TO LOVE STAR TREK AND DISNEY MOVIES ON SUNDAY NIGHT.  I AM ALSO WILLING TO BET THAT MOM STILL HAS THAT VASE YOU SEE ON THE TV; I WONDER IF IT IS STILL FULL OF PHEASANT FEATHERS FROM ALL MY DAD’S HUNTING TRIPS WITH BUFFY?

SIMPLIER TIMES AND VERY GOOD TIMES!  PRINEVILLE WILL ALWAYS BE HOME AS LONG AS MOM & DAD ARE THERE.

A Chuckle for Me This Morning

We were off to get another rather large load of wood again this morning so I decided to take my laptop along.  It is high time I get back to blogging since it is something I really love to do.  I also need to get back in the saddle because my pictures are piling up and time is passing so quickly.  On that note, there are a lot of things I need to get back to that I love to do.  I saw a sign yesterday that said something to the effect of “You make time for the things you love to do.”  I have definitely been slacking on that part of my life lately.

I think I finally have a new lease on life and I hope to get back to the person I used to know.  I remember she was very organized, could remember not only the right words to describe something but she could also recall dates, times and names of people.

My new lease on life?  I call it my “snorkel” .  I think it helps Warren out a bit also since he does not have to listen to the persistent freight train coming through the station all night long.  I apparently have pretty severe sleep apnea.  It has been an exceptionally long time between diagnosis and treatment but I think I am starting to feel the effects from snorkeling every night.  I can testify that it is wonderful not to have a headache greeting me each morning when I drag my self out of bed – there is also a little less “dragging” myself out of bed which is kind of nice because I used to love my mornings.

And back to my title about the chuckle….

We have  huge black cat by the name if Pipper and he thinks he is one of the dogs.  I really enjoy him but Hunter, well, we will just say “not so much”!  Pipper jumps up on the back of the couch to take his nap and Hunter will move a seat down from the cat because he looks at him this way.  It is totally funny and so predictable almost every night.  I get a chuckle out of it and this picture reminded me and gave me a chuckle.

Bow Hunting Season 2010

Bow season came pretty quickly this year.  Warren & Hunter set up the tent on Labor Day weekend and we were very comfy.  Here  is the tent going up…

I think the best part of the tent accommodations was the wood stove.  We are usually boiling during bow season but this year it was pretty cold up in the mountains.  The wood stove was pretty much going all the time.  It was nice to get out of bed and be warm instead of icy.

Warren and Keith were after the elk pretty hard this season and part of that was dragging out the tree stands and refreshing the memory on how those darn contraptions work.  It was kind of fun to watch them use the stands out behind camp.  Here they are getting Warren’s stand attached to the tree.

and Warren going up…

And then we have Keith and his tree stand

Keith just jumped right up there and it was obvious that he had done this a few times.  It seemed that he had a tree stand that was a little more flexible that Warren’s and it was interesting to learn the differences.  If there ever is a next time we will know what to look for when we purchase another stand.

We usually just go back & forth on weekends until the last week of September and Warren takes his week off to bow hunt,  Once their week off comes Hunter and I go back & forth to camp on the weekends so we could see Warren and Hunter doesn’t miss school. 

On the last weekend of season we were fortunate to take Zach with us.  He is one of our great nephews and Hunter’s second cousin even though they are only 11 months apart,  When we arrived in camp that evening the guys were still out hunting.  Darkness came and we were still waiting so I took the opportunity to take a couple picture of the moon shining through the ponderosa pines.  Look Ma-No Tripod! 

Here is a picture of the kids wandering around in the moonlight.  I took a picture and the flash got them; I think it startled them a bit too.  At least they could see the horseshoe pits before they walked into them.

Here is Hunter out tending to the outside fire with camo jammies and all

And we had a little excitement in camp because we didn’t want to get bored or anything.  The boys were in and out of the Suburban getting their airsoft pistols and this and that.  Well, Mr. Hunter decided to lay my keys down in the back and put the tailgate up and then proceeded to close the hatch while the truck was locked!!!  I don’t know how long it took him to tell me but it was before the guys came back from their morning hunt. 

I had cell phone service and I was calling everybody to see if they could bring me keys or try the key fob over the cell phone.  The major glitch with that was Mom & Dad didn’t have keys to the current house!  I had somehow switched out the keys with some old ones the last time they were used.  I have wonderful family who tried to help me but to no avail – they couldn’t since I had not given someone the correct key to my house.  Thank you to Jeff & Jenn and my poor mom who tried to get into the house with the wrong keys.

The guys came back from the morning hunt and we told them that I would have to take the pick up in to get my keys.  I totally dreaded driving 2 hours to get my keys and 2 hours back to camp – Grrrrr!  Warren turned the pick up inside out because he thought he may have an extra Suburban key – NADA!  So they they were looking at ways to get into the Suburban without damaging it – not a lot of options short of breaking my window.  And then Keith came up with an option and the two strong men were able to get in with the help of two screwdrivers and a hotdog skewer!  My heroes!  I am so thrilled that we had a resident expert there on how to break into a car when you lock your keys inside – Keith’s idea saved my day!  Thank you Keith!!!!

After all of the excitement we came to the last day of season and it became time to pack up camp.  Must start dragging everything out of the tent and empty the woodstove…

  The guys had been complaining that there was a chipmunk under the floor that was digging at the floor all the time.  When you went into the tent it was hard to walk because of all the lumps and holes under the floor.  Here is a couple pictures of the ground after we pulled the floor up.

Brandy was really excited about the rat so she looked everywhere and dug in the fresh holes.  She finally decided to stand on the edge and wait while she surveyed the ground.  Of course she was underfoot the whole time they were rolling up the tent also…

Unfortunately the men did not get and elk but they were in them all the time.  Shots don’t always represent themselves when you are a bow hunter.  They did get to see plenty of black bear this year though so that made hunting a little bit more interesting.

In closing I will leave you with this parting shot.  This is my favorite picture for the camping trip.  It is of the sun coming up on the back of the tent and it was my “view” as I laid on the airbed reading my book in the morning. 

Very peaceful…

Here’s to hoping next year the guys get the pleasure of filling all of the tags!

Baby Dog Fell Down and Went BOOM!

On August 5th we had a big wreck at the house.  Hunter had gone out to get something from the Suburban and I think Peaches thought we were leaving without her.  She went to jump in the front trying to get around Hunter and she ended up hitting the seat instead of the floorboard.  She flopped right out of there onto the cement and the next thing I know she is screaming bloody murder and Hunter is yelling for me.

She was holding her leg up and it was just floppin’ around at a weird angle.  I knew it was broken…  Off to the Prineville Vet Clinic we went and Rhett was able to see her right away.

Sure enough, she broke both the bones and they were a pretty clean break so they would not just seat together to easily.  We opted for the cast and left since he had to put her out to set it and we could come back later.  While she was out he gave her the rabies shot and put in a microchip for me.  We were able to get her before they closed for the evening and she was in a lot of pain.  She just kind of laid around for several days and then she began to move.  Poor baby…

She was due for a grooming just a few days after she broke her leg so she started getting really shaggy.  Here is a picture of her enjoying a nap in the infant sack she rides in.

And here she is just stylin’ with her matching cast cover and coat up camping during bow season.

And here she is sitting in the truck while we picked up hay on October 16th – just 10 days before she finally got her cast off.  Just a little scruffy!

10/26 finally came and she could barely see…

The cast came off and she was pretty sore.  The muscles were almost none existent and the doc said it would be awhile before she walked on it full time.  The next stop would be Doggy Stylin’ Grooming Salon two days later and Angie made here a poodle again!  Angie does wonderful work and we are very blessed to have her as our groomer!

Here is what Miss Peaches looks like today.  We made a little stop at Wal-Mart and got her some new sweaters and she is stylin’!

 

She seems to be doing better with each passing day.  Her leg looks a little crooked but Dr. Schultz says that the bone should totally fill in 7-9 months from now and it will be a lot better  I just hope we don’t have any more problems with her tiny little bones braking in the future.