Pigs

This was a birthday card I got last year from Ruthie. Very appropriate for this post.

Tuesday's are Staff Lunch around these workin' parts. Its a fun time for all us staff members to take time out of busy week and just be together. We recap the weekend and talk about what is coming up in the near future, pray for each other, hear how visiting missionaries are doing, and just have an all around refreshing, good time.

This last Tuesday, we were talking about various things and Stu made a rather random and funny comment. He asked Steve O. (who sort of emcee's our little lunches) if he could nominate the best hair for Monday. We do not do this on any sort of regular basis if that is what you are beginning to wonder. After Steve O. said sure why not, the next word Stu said was "pigtails." I don't know if everyone else knew quite as fast as I did, but he was definitely referring to my complete laziness on Monday morning when I decided I didn't feel like drying and flattening my hair and just threw up two very spunky pigtails.

That's how I roll, folks. Can't help it when I have short hair, not too many options. There's just not much else you can do when you feel like being lazy and don't even want to spend the few minutes drying it. Once you commit to drying it then you have style it and if you already don't have enough ambition to even dry it how the heck are you going to make yourself stand there for the ever so long 5 minutes it takes to straighten? Suffice it to say, it made for a nice ending to our staff lunch and a nice boost to my pigtail wearing confidence. Thanks Stu! :)

Well, I wore them again today, a bit more conservatively (Oh yes, pigtails are a very versital hair option if you didn't know), and have been getting all sorts of comments. Stu happened to come by my office for something and when he walked in said "Hey pigs." I know I have said it before, but I will most satisfacorily say it again, I LOVE WORKING HERE!!

the more fun and spunky "pigs": high and closer to the face. Not quite the same as they were on Monday, but you get the idea.
The back...nice and straight. :)
The conservative "pigs": lower and further back, more behind the ears.

Today, March 8th, is National Peanut Cluster Day. Get out there and celeberate!

Here are a few recipe's for ya to try out today. :)

Easy Peanut Clusters (even the kids can help)

Chocolate Peanut Clusters

Interesting Peanut Clusters

Peanut, raisin and chocolate clusters (I bet dried cranberries or blueberries would be fun to try too)

Not necessarily a peanut cluster but a close cousin and it sounded so delish I had to put it on here, Heavenly Hash. It combines the usual chocolate, peanuts and peanut butter, but also throws in some marshmellows and graham crackers for a nice combo of smooshyness and crunch. :)

March 7th, 2007

Today is National Cereal Day. My favorites are Kashi Go Lean and Fiber One. Both very tasty on their own, but add some berries or a banana and your in cereal heaven.
What other information that needs to go along with this little tid-bit is that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. There have been lots of studies done and articles written to help show this to be quite true.

I personally love eating breakfast...who am I kidding? I just love to eat...whenever. Check out this website for lots of fun things about breakfast.

Word of the Day: Devise
Definition: (Verb) To invent.
Synonym: Create
Usage: With Trina off to Africa, Tabitha devised a plan to take over the Student Ministries office.

(totally kidding!!)

A fun weekend

This weekend was pretty darn fun, if I do say so myself.

First, I had the priviledge of attending a birthday party for Lucy, who turned 90 years old this weekend. Lucy is the mother of Phylis, one in a group of 5 bestfriends (my mom of course being one of them) whom have been friends with since they were 12 years old (that translates into about 48 years of friendship, wow). I have fond memories of visiting Lucy at the lake where she lives (and has lived FOREVER) and making apple butter with her. Isn't she adorable? Doesn't look 90, does she? Oh, and I should add that her sister was at the party and she had just turned 95. They have some very good gene's in that family.

(Lucy and Tabs)

(My mom, Lucy and Connie sneakin' into the picture)

Here is the whole crew (L to R: My mom (Katy), Phylis, Joanne, Lucy, Connie and Linda). I am in a group of 5 friends from high school, I sure hope we can make it a party like this some day. :)

Second, I got to hang out with some good friends and make a new one. We played darts, had a traditional English dish called Bangers and Mash, and played some pool. A very fun night!

(Andy, Wes, Tabs and Beks)

I know, it looks gross but it was OH SO GOOD!!!

Beks and I, before I kicked her butt at darts. ;)

Well, there ya go, my fun-filled weekend. I didn't bore ya, did I? (not that I really care). Anyway, hope your weekend was fun, too! And I hope you have a great day and enjoy the wonderful sunshine (well, that is, if you live here in the wonderful and beautiful Northwest)!

Oh, and by the way, today, March 6th, is National Frozen Food Day. Heat up and eat up, everybody. :)

Little tasty factoid for you

This is Chocolate Chip Cookie Week....

So get to celebratin'! Here is a fun article with great tips on making the best chocolate chip cookies and offers up variations on the original.

Here is a little history for you: The original chocolate chip cookie, the Toll House Cookie, was invented by Ruth Graves Wakefield in the 1930s. Ruth and her husband Kenneth owned the Toll House Inn, near Whitman, Massachusetts. Ruth cooked for her guests, and one day had to substitute semi-sweet chocolate for baker's chocolate in a cookie recipe. She chopped the chocolate in bits, but when she took the cookies from the oven, the semi-sweet chocolate had not melted into the dough as the baker's chocolate had. These cookies with chocolate 'chips' became an immediate hit with her guests. The official state cookie of Massachusetts is the chocolate chip cookie, invented in 1930 at the Toll House Restaurant. On February 7, 2001, the Chocolate Chip Cookie was declared the official cookie of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

There is also a lot more very intersting (and possibly scandaleous) cookie history that you should check out at wikipedia, if you find this at all interesting (which I do, actually). :)

Today, half the cookies baked in American homes are chocolate-chip, with an estimated seven billion consumed annually. Wow, that is a lot of cookies! To help out this statistic, here is another page filled with yummy sounding cookie recipe's. Give 'em a try and let me know how they turn out.

And who doesn't love to take a nice warm, fresh out of the oven, ooey-gooey chocolate chip-melting cookie and dip it into some ice cold milk...YUM!!! Okay, my mouth is watering now. Time to go.

Have a great chocolate chip cookie week everyone!

Did you know...

Monday, February 26th was National Pistachio Day. Pistachios are a good source of fiber, vitamin B6, thiamin, magnesium, phosphorus and copper. Not too bad with chocolate either.

Tuesday, February 27th, is National Strawberry Day. Northwest strawberries are world-renowned as extremely flavorful and juicy, more so than strawberries from California and other regions. They have lots of vitamin C in them and they are also the state fruit of Luouisiana. Very, very good with chocholate!

Wednesday, February 28th, is International Pancake Day. I don't have much to say about pancakes except...YUM! Especially when they are of the blueberry variety. Also, can be good with chocolate.

Thursday, March 1st, is National Peanut Butter Lover's Day. What a great day, my favorite so far this week! OH SO GOOD WITH CHOCOLATE!!

Friday, March 2nd, is National Banana Cream Pie Day. It actually originated in China. I bet it would be good with chocolate, infact here is a recipe for you to try.

March is National Noodle Month AND National Peanut Month. Noodles are probably not so good with chocolate and I'm sure you already know where I stand on peanuts and chocolate. :)

And lastly, I love my job! I work with some amazing people! We're are sure going to miss Trina around these parts. Here is one final shot of our little gang. :) Oh, and all these people like (if not love) chocolate. :)

Did you find the underlying theme in this post?