A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2005 COFFEEHOUSE XXXth OLYMPIAD

Oh Merme.... You are so good for me! I am laughing so hard my hubby came in to find out what I was doing.....

And the secret to all the diff muffins is baking ahead and freezing in foodsaver bags- have even been known to freeze them unbaked and then thaw and bake for that warm out of the oven taste-

Turned out my ears problem was the trip up the mountains last month- not water in them as I thought- teach me to think...LOL- even though I haven't had any allergy symptons when we came back down from 10,000 ft my ears didn't equalize right cause my estuchian tubes swelled- fluid was caught behind the swelling and they just got worse when I helped dd clean out her dusty basement- never felt like I needed to take any allergy stuff - so that didn't occur to me- just affected my ears and boy has it been fun getting rid of it-- meds to weird things to me so have to watch what I take - Dr knows this so gave me samples and said it nothing else works time will- just dont' go back up till it clears up... or it won't get better.... does feel some better today though - not as much pressure for sure... just the feeling I need to jump out of my skin for the Allegra D.... hate that feeling.

I'm on JV's team. Love to shoot at things lol.

You know nana that sounds like fun. An olympics for household CEO's. I mean why should the atheletes have all the fun. I think a grandma's catagory would be loads of fun. With cooking, and crochet, and gardening, and canning/perserving/drying, and planning family reunions and holiday events that make the memories that last a life time. All the really good stuff.

Allergy med wired is no fun at all. At least some of your pressure is relieved, that is a good thing! Hope it is 100% better soon!

So when you freeze unbaked muffins, do you use the muffin cups? or freeze directly in the pan and then flip them out into a freezer bag?

I'm with you TK.... Grandma/Nana olympics
can just see the games now--- just planning Christmas is an event all to itself around here...
Nana

Hi Triss,
Yes freeze in the muffin cups then dump out into a bag - usually make at least 2 different kinds up and make a variety bag up- that way everyone gets what they like- a friend uses the silicone pans and freezes in those and no cups but my kids like the cups- and I am to cheap to invest in new pans- have 4 big ones I use - had forever- like over 30 yrs.......
I can ususally get away with adding some shredded zuchinni-wheat germ - apples or carrots shredded to most of them and no one is the wiser- good for my veggie hating grandsons..LOL!

Going to have to try that next time I bake. I do most of my baking on cold winter days and have frozen bread but never unbaked muffins. Would be great for those summer days when I want fresh baked goods but dont want to do all the prep in the heat.

"The crowd goes silent as the swimmers approach the pool. In the third lane is Triss, the undaunted mother of six hailing from Nebraska...

...she seems calm at her first Olympic appearance...

and they're in the water! Triss, in lane 3! Look at her go! Running after all them babies has made her incredibly strong! And she's ahead by a half length, by a length, by two lengths! Nobody will catch her now!! And it's the GOLD! Triss has won the GOLD!

...as she climbs out of the pool, hugs from what looks like a fan club of Munchkins. It's her children, surrounding Gold-Winning Mom!"

Merme

Definitely Christmas event would be a big one. But it is so much fun. I love decorating for christmas. It's crazy I know when it is just me but I can't help it.

Thank you, thank you to all my wonderful fans and friends. Without your love and support I would have never become an Olympian. I dedicate this Gold medal to all of you!

Dang...I finally made it back.
My computer is acting up for some reason...super slow, and will NOT change pages!

I think maybe someone added a spy program to it while I was gone yesterday...

...well, I hope he gets his eyes full if he did!
I've got some emails I'm sure he'd be quite interested in!

I wonder if you can still find those chocolates that were wrapped like gold coins around anywhere? I think they would be great christmas gifts this year for all the Gold Medal Winners.

TK,
I buy them every Christmas for the stockings... so yes you can- I find them near the Kosher stuff... in the grocery stores... but sometimes on the candy aisles too- you can freeze choc candy too-- just wrap it really well!

Hey...I saw something back there about grated-up zuchinni.
Man, I put that in everything...
...chili, spaghetti sauce, lasagna, potato soup, meat loaf...
...EVERYTHING!

...and grated carrots, too.

Thanks Nana I'm going to be looking for that. I can have so much fun with little things like that.

potato soup yummy that sounds good. Mashed potato soup with cheddar cheese and a sprig of mint sitting on top as a garnish. I think it must be time to eat lol.

Yum,

potato soup sounds good. So does Broccoli cheese, Allrighty ladies and gents, I need good recipes for both of these ones.

And now JV from Texas steps to the line. JV has already taken three Golds in this XXXth Olympiad and is trying for his 4th in Archery. It has been amazing watching this desert coyote hunt down his rewards at these games with one Gold after another. They say his performance is so spectacular from all his years tracking rattlers down the Rio Grande into Mexico to catch his supper. They say...

...wait, he is testing the string on his bow. They say he pulls a powerful amount of weight for bow tension. The crowd is holding its breath hoping for the favorable hint of a breeze to nudge that arrow home.

And he shoots! And he scores! And it's A BULLSEYE! The crowd is insane! They are jumping! They are hugging! They are crying! Bea-u-ti-ful shot, JV! Let's watch it again in instant replay....

And he shoots! And he scores! JV has taken his 4th GOLD medal of these games! He will be going back to the desert draped in pure Olympic Gold...

Merme

Sneaky, good one!!! I make my own muffins because the ones in the store are so huge. Nobody should eat a muffin that big. Otherwise I would buy them. I am not really fond of baking. But I still keep the cookie jar full for the grandkidlets. I get the bakery cookies not the packaged kind.

I love the swimming events. I used to be on a swim team many moons ago. Many many many many moons!!! Wonder if they have body surfing events??? Sort of like the winter luge but down a chute of water instead and no sled of course. Yeeeeehaaaaaaa.....

Hey triss.. I was just playing catch up on the other 2 coffeehouses, and saw what you said about just throwin the kids in, and practicing strokes, etc..

WELL.. I have a certian 105lb. 10year old who is petrified of the water, and if you get her in there, she will have a death grip on you that you can't get her loose. So, I'm hoping she gets more comfortable in the water this next 2 weeks, and is able to relax, and maybe learn to float. Marissa is doing ok. She thinks she can swim, but she's mostly treading water. But hey, that's a start. She treads a few seconds, goes down, comes back up, treads, down, up, repeat..

Aww--I'm sure the 2 of them will be swimming in no time!!! Although when I was 10 I got sent by the school to swimming lessons(everyone did), and I was TERRIFIED.....LOL

And yep Cindy and Merme...I'm sure I'd get the Gold Medal for shopping, now that's my kind of sport!!!!!

Haven't done too much yet today...still digging more stuff out for the yard sale at moms on Saturday...making signs.....I can't seem to wake up today.....

Great pics of the girls Meg. My friends kids were like that as well thanks to their momma. She left them with mom and I one day and I took them both and jumped in the deep end with them. Once they realized that they werent going to drown, they got used to being in the water. By the time their momma came home they were both playing in the shallow end. Of course she about flipped when I told her what I did.

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Outdoor Track of this XXXth Olympic Games. Today we are featuring a new event for 2005 -- The Quad!

Representing West Viriginia is Meg, housewife and mother extraordinaire. Seated on her Polaris Phoenix Meg seems diminished by the size and power of that beautiful blue machine with the metalic flecks sparkling in the sunlight. She takes a pull of water from the jug, adjusts her helmet and kisses her family bye bye...

Caution, Meg uses Caution driving up to the starting line. Listen to those engines as all the drivers rev to go, waiting nervously for the starting round....

And they're off! The first stretch of track is dry dirt and see those clouds of dust! Running down the hill they hit the water hole with a mighty splash! And Meg comes UP out of the hole and goes roaring up the next hill and over the logs and around the bend!

She's not holding back on the accelerator now, folks, she is running wide open all sheets to the wind.

And she crosses the finish in a wave of dirt flying out to either side and it's GOLD! Meg has won the Gold!

Merme

And now, a solemn moment here in the XXXth Olympiad Arena as the athletes prepare themselves for first ever competition in the new Christmas Event.

tkhooper is approaching the start-up. Each athlete will compete in three rounds...The Christmas tree Event, The Wreath Making Event, and The Christmas Baking Event. Points are awarded by....

Let's listen in

tk is moving quickly now to her bare tree. Folks, she has five minutes to string those lights, 4 minutes to hang the balls and 3 minutes to add her own personal touches, demonstrating the creativity of the true athlete.

And the lights are on! Look at them glow!

And the balls are on! Oops! One just fell to the floor smasshing into a million bits! How much of a penalty will she take in points for that? Oh, wait! Out of her pocket she pulls a spare ball and hangs it in place! NO PENALTY FOR TK!

And as her special touches go up, the crowd can't hold it's silence any longer. They are on their feet! They are cheering! They are chanting! Go TK, GO TK, Go TK!

And she sits down, her tree completed. The other athletes finish their tasks as the Judges take a careful stroll around the trees.

Holding up signs now....and tk gets a perfect 10! She's on her feet again! A 10! A 10!

Stay tuned during this commercial break, after which we will bring you back to the arena for the last of the Christmas Events for this evening.

Tk looks like one happy competitor.

Merme

gee...I wonder if I'll get a gold medal in skating. Given the added degree of difficulty...trying to keep a parrot attached to my shoulder while guzzling a bottle of Beam...might be pretty interesting.

Meg...
When Rachel opened her pool after getting moved into her new house, Brennan was absolutely TERRIFIED of the water. Jeremy took him out into the 4 feet, and he went balistic...screaming and clinging to Jeremy.

One week later...

He dives off the diving board now.

By the time her lessons are finished, she'll be swimming like a fish!

Cindy

Oh merme, you sure got a way with words! LOL. Me, a quad racin mama!

Cindy, that's so cool about Brennan! I sure do hope they will be swimming like that in the 2 weeks of lessons. (I paid $160 for them for 10- 30 minute sessions each! $40 each kid, each week.) UGH. Of course, I'd be happy if Alex would just loosen up & learn to enjoy it more. She is just so scared! But, she did LOVE it when they put the lifejackets on all of them today, to go the length of the pool.. she did it all by herself that time! When they were just using the noodles, she clung to the wall & the instructor all the way down. :rolleyes:

Meg