Plain Prairie

Example of an Introduction Sheet

2011-09-01T04:23:00.000-07:00

This is to introduce my child _________________ to you.

1. All of the people who live with us are:

2. My child’s favorite subject in school is _____________________.

3. The subject that he/she am best at is _______________________.

4. The subject that he/she needs the most help with is _____________________.

5. The activity that he/she is best at outside of school is ___________________.

6. Struggles we’ve had during the past year:

7. Successes we’ve had in the past year:

8. What hurts his/her feelings the most:

9. What makes him/her the happiest:

10. His/her favorite book:

11. He/she is motivated by:

12. He/she shuts down when:

13. Here is more information concerning my child’s academic success.

14. The people you may speak to about my child are/and numbers to reach them:

15. The best ways and times to get ahold of me are:

Trisomy Thursday: Help Your Child Succeed

2011-09-01T04:22:00.000-07:00

This is not just for parents of children with Down syndrome but for parents of all children, especially those who struggle in school. This is also coming from the perspective of a teacher as well as a parent.
It's back-to-school time! Exciting for many, hated by some, and dreaded by those who struggle to grasp the concepts being thrown out by the teacher. As parents, we didn't ask for a child with a disability, but that's what we were blessed with. It is our job to make sure our child is as successful in life as possible, not to enable their disability to control their lives.
Here are some suggestions to help your child be successful:

1. Communicate with the teacher. Go to open house and meet your child's teachers (grade school through high school). Give the teachers a sheet introducing your child and explain how your child best learns, what motivates him/her, what sets him/her off, and information on the disability of your child and how it affects his/her learning. (I will include a second post today on an example introduction sheet).
2. Don't use the disability as an excuse. Children who are expected to do great things, do great things (sometimes with help and accommodations), but if they are never challenged to grow and experience working through frustration, they have a very difficult time handling situations later.
3. Communicate with the teacher often. Email, go in, or call once a month to see how things are going. What needs to be coming home, what skills can be worked on at home to enhance what is going on at school, are there any behavior problems, social problems? When teachers know that you are working as hard as you can at home, they are more willing to work with you.
4. Teachers are not psychic. If something is concerning you, please calmly discuss it with the teacher. Teachers have classrooms full of kids with all variety of problems; upper grade teachers have 80 plus kids a day for 40 minutes at a time (many of whom need extra help of some kind). Teachers have the best interest of your child at heart so work with them to achieve what's best for your child and listen to what the teacher is seeing in the classroom.
5. Work with your child every day at home. Children with special needs have to work with a concept close to 200 hundred times before they really know it. A teacher can not do it all for every kid. Parents are ultimately responsible for their child's success. Read to them, practice math facts, sight words, spelling words, test questions, and talk through appropriate ideas for social and behavior problems.
6. Let your child do things himself/herself. Don't do their work, let them organize themselves, and help them be responsible for themselves to the fullest extent they can be.

Your child is an amazing person. Help your child reach his/her fullest potential!
Don't forget to friend PlainPrairie on Facebook or become a fan on the blog so you know when something new is posted!

*These are strictly my opinions and beliefs and do not reflect my school district or other teachers.

Tips for Cloth Diapering

2011-08-31T04:32:00.000-07:00

As I was looking up cloth diapering, here are a few of the things I learned.

1. You can order everything from the old-fashioned cloth and diaper pin to one-size-fits-all plastic cover snap-in cloth pad-research what kind you want. (I ordered Best Bottom diapers from nickisdiapers.com)
2. You need a special detergent, or you will get major stink problems. Free-and-clear detergents aren't really free and clear. You need one that really has no dyes, enzymes, brighteners, or scents. There are cloth diaper detergent charts available on-line, and you can order the detergents on-line very easily.
3. They have diaper sprayers that hook to your toilet line so you can wash poo off into the toilet. (There is a video on youtube on how to make one much cheaper than buying the kits if you are a handy person)
4. You can not use traditional diaper rash cream or the diapers will start to repel water.

Those are the most important tips I've picked up so far, and as I do this longer, I'll keep you posted with how it is going! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Beef Stuffed Sopaipillas

2011-08-30T04:07:00.000-07:00

This recipe takes a little time but is very good. To cut down on time for all of my meals, I brown six pounds of hamburger one weekend a month and freeze it in quart sized bags (approx. 1 lb in each bag). I also dice onion in my dicer and freeze that once a month so that I have ready to use onion for recipes. It saves LOTs of time to have part of the meal already to go.

Beef Sopaipillas

Fry Bread

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 t. salt

1 t. baking powder

1/4 c. water

1/2 evaporated milk

oil for frying

Filling

1 lbs browned ground beef

3/4 c. onion

dash of salt

1/2 t. garlic

Sauce

1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup

1/2 c. chicken broth

1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilis

1/2 t. garlic

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Stir in water and milk with a fork until a ball forms. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently for around 2 minutes. Let stand for 10-15 minutes. Divide into four portions; pat each into a 6-1/2-in. circle.

In a large pan heat oil. Fry circles, one at a time, for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the salt and garlic.

In a large saucepan, combine the soup, broth, chilies and garlic; Add cheese and cook until warm through.

Top fry bread with meat and cheese mixture! You can also cut a slit in the fry bread and stuff the meat and cheese mixture inside, but we prefer to top it.

To save even more time, I sometimes double the cheese and meat mixtures. Then I freeze and label the leftovers so that all I have to do is make the bread on a night I'm needing something quickly.

Cloth Diapers

2011-08-29T04:27:00.000-07:00

After months of debate and straddling the fence, I've taken the leap and started cloth diapering. Before G was born, I had looked into cloth diapers but decided disposable diapers were worth the convenience. After several months of emptying the Diaper Genie and seeing how much money and non-biodegradable waste was going into the dump, I started exploring cloth diapers again.
We have several friends who cloth diaper and love it so I started there asking as many questions as I could, and then I studied the surprising number of online cloth diaper choices and how to go about it (the number of kinds of cloth diapers is REALLY amazing). I wavered back and forth for several months because disposable diapers are very convenient, and I work full time so I don't like wasting time on mundane tasks such as laundry.
Here are the things that finally made me take the leap:
-Our friends who cloth diaper LOVE it and would much rather use the cloth diapers than a disposable diaper.
-Once you pay for the cloth diapers, you can reuse them over and over for each kid.
-No more hauling diapers to town to the dumpster.
-Many people say it is easier to potty train with cloth diapers.
-Cloth diapers have made many improvements since the cloth diapers of our grandparents.

On Wednesday, I will post some of the tips I picked up from my research!

Diaper cover and insert

Back to Work

2011-08-28T04:57:00.000-07:00

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything to my blog, and I’m very sorry. I actually really miss writing almost everyday. It’s the time of year I go back to school, and those of you who are teachers or have been around teachers know that as soon as August hits, it’s time to hit the school.

The first part of August, I was just getting my room ready. Unpacking boxes (I had to move rooms), putting up posters, running copies, and organizing for the year. Then we had a week of inservice, and this past week was our first week with kiddos.

Nothing says chaos better than the first few days of school especially when it’s hotter than blue blazes (no air conditioning in our building) and school releases at 1:00. Each class is shortened so you barely have time to introduce a concept, kids are having trouble with lockers so they’re coming in at millions of different times, schedules are changing, everyone is learning the rules, and kids trying to figure out their schedules. Teachers can spend every moment of their lives working grading, lesson planning, finding activities, figuring out technology, and worrying about this kid or that problem.

Any way, that is why I haven't been blogging lately. I am going to try to do a little better in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for tomorrow's blog on our switch to cloth diapers!!!!

Trisomy Thursday-Great Baby Sitters

2011-08-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

Having a child with Down syndrome gives every decision a new level for consideration. Babysitting is one of those considerations. I've had many people tell me how much kids with Ds like and need social interactions of kids their age and how they pick up skills from watching older kids. On the other hand, kids get lost in the number kids in daycare and don't get as much attention and time.
G can take up to an hour eating a bottle, and I want her working on the skills physical therapy and speech show us so I decided against the normal daycare setting. We've been blessed with truly AMAZING sitters, and G is thriving (even the doctor's say so). Our minister's wife watches her several days a week, and this school year, we have a girl from our church coming into our home so G can be with her own things several days a week. Both ladies are patient, compassionate, God-loving women who work with G on her skills, read to her, sing to her, and play endlessly. One of the ladies will be taking her to story hour once a week so G can see other kids. I also plan on getting together with my friends who have kids so G can see what other kids are doing.

Talking to Girls

2011-08-10T06:54:00.000-07:00

I read a really interesting article this morning that made me really evaluate how I talk to girls. This is the link to the article, How to Talk to Little Girls.
I have a friend who has ten year old daughter, and when I recently saw her, what did I compliment her on? Her hair. She's a brilliant girl who is in the gifted program, loves to read, loves animals, and is very adventurous. I could have had a really interesting conversation with this little girl, but instead just gave her a compliment on something as passing as nice topknot. I know how our society pushes little girls to grow up to fast and just be pretty faces, but it took this article to really make me evaluate how I talk to girls.
As a teacher, I see little girls in full faces at make up at fourth and fifth grades, wearing padded bras as soon as they need a bra, being taken on dates in elementary school, worrying about how fatty lunch is, and by sixth and seventh grade making sure the boys do better than them so they can get a boyfriend. This really makes me sad to see these girls paint on a face and shut the door on their brains and dreams.
The article says we should be asking girls what they are reading, what they want to do when they grow up, current events, and other things that will really get a conversation going.
Every girl likes to be complimented on how she looks and wants to look pretty, but we can't just make it all about pretty. Let's take Lisa Bloom's challenge and find out something interesting about the girls we run across!

Here are a few questions:
"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?" "Why"
"What's your favorite subject in school?"
"If you could learn about anything what would it be?"
"Where all have your shoes taken you this week?"
"What's your favorite thing to eat?"
"How do you feel about....(some current event going on)?

Mommy's Day Out

2011-08-09T06:05:00.000-07:00

I LOVE being a mommy, and I have LOVED every minute of getting to spend the summer with G. BUT.....she does make it much more difficult to shop. Walking around a mall and spending hours trying on clothes doesn't have nearly the same appeal.
A friend suggested we leave our little ones in Daddy daycare and go to the outlet mall three hours away in Colorado. We loaded up with her oldest daughter early in the morning for a girls' day out. It was really nice to shop, chat, and relax. My friend is really good at making good conversation so the three hour trip didn't seem very long at all. We did both worry about how our little ones were faring with the daddies.
My friend calls to see how it was going at her house. Her husband informs her that he has taken the kids to the activities center, the library, the museum, and was having a water balloon fight.
I call my husband worried that G is giving him fits. He informs me that she had already taken two hour and a half long naps (for me she takes a couple of 20 minute naps and one longer nap). He'd also had no poopy diapers (the day before I'd gotten three, and I've already gotten one this morning). Other than that they'd played, sang, worked on standing, and were having a great day. He also called excitedly to ask if it was normal for her to be sitting in her crib after being laid down for a nap. No!!!! Not normal!!!! She had sat up all by herself for the first time for him, and he thinks he heard her say da. I may have to go shop more often!

A Case of the Mommies

2011-08-05T04:04:00.000-07:00

I'm lucky enough to have had a couple of months of being home with my daughter over summer break. For most of the break, it's been just us all day, every day. It's been incredibly wonderful to get to see all the changes and spend so much quality time together, but my daughter has caught a case of the mommies. She really wants me to snuggle her, feed her, play with her, and not pass her off to all the open arms of friends and family (unless I'm nearby so she can see or hear me). Secretly (or not so secretly anymore), I love having her want me around so much. I love being the one who can comfort her and make her feel safe.
With school getting ready to start, I've taken her to the babysitter's house a couple of times. This has resulted in fits of wailing, scrunched up faces, and super pouty bottom lips. She can screw her face into the saddest looking little face you've ever seen. It breaks my heart to leave her like that. I know she'll get over it and probably have more fun with the babysitter than at home, but to start with, it's going to be hard!

Blubbering at Speech

2011-08-04T05:39:00.000-07:00

With Down syndrome, there is a wide variance in how well the children communicate. I am no expert, but I've heard people with Down syndrome be able to barely get out a word or two to communicate a thought to the Glee star Lauren Potter who has Down syndrome. She stars in the show, and I've heard her do interview. It is a huge concern of mine that our daughter be able to communicate.
We have been very blessed that G doesn't have major motor development delays, but she is behind on beginning speech. She is not making baby babble or some of the vowel sounds that babies her age should be so I called the speech therapist I work with through the school system. She is an amazing lady and does great work with the little kiddos in our district. She had us come in so she could watch G and give me some pointers.
I've sat through oodles of IEP (individualized educations plan) meeting listening to how to help other children, but it's scary when it's your own child who's behind. We were all sitting on the floor of speech therapist's office playing, getting pointers for helping develop G's speech when I suddenly burst into waterworks. Most of the time I accept the fact that our daughter has Ds just fine, but sometimes it sneaks up on me. I can start up some tears like you've never seen, and once I get started, it's pretty hard to get the leaky faucet stopped. I'm sure the speech team was ready to have me evaluated....

Oven Chicken Fried Steak

2011-08-02T04:57:00.000-07:00

This recipe isn't quite as quick and easy as some, but we really like it.

Oven Chicken Fried Steak

4 round steaks, pounded with meat mallet
Combine
1 sleeve saltine crackers
1/4 c. flour
1/2 t. garlic powder

Combine
2 eggs
some milk

Melt 1/2 cup butter in a 9x13 pan. Dip meat in cracker then egg then cracker. Bake 1 hour at 375 degrees on lower rack. Turn half way through.

School's Almost Here

2011-08-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

If I haven't mentioned how much I love summer already, I should have. I LOVE summer! LOVE it! I love piddling in my garden, staying inside in my air conditioning, doing what I want all day, and most importantly and my absolute favorite part, being at home with my baby. We pretty much lay on the floor playing silly baby games all day long.
Today I had to go up to my classroom and start unpacking boxes (this is the second year in a row that I've moved rooms). Our buildings have no air conditioning which makes me want to go back less (as much as I love summer, I hate being hot).
Plus it was the worst morning ever for me this morning. I had to take one dog to the vet for shots. I got home and decided I better get stuff unpacked in my room since I only have two weeks left of summer. I went to back out of the drive, and our dog who always lays under the vehicle didn't get out like she normally does when I turn the engine over so I hit her. I don't think it is serious because she is walking around and lets me touch the leg. Then I went to drop the baby off at the babysitters, and she screamed bloody murder because she's had me home 24/7 all summer long.
Perhaps the district could just extend summer a little longer.....

Coming to See the Baby

2011-07-31T07:01:00.000-07:00

You definitely know where you rank after having a baby! It's been pretty funny to watch both of our families as G has come into our lives, and it's pretty funny to watch all the relatives and friends try to act like they want to see us when they really want to see the baby. Please don't think I'm upset by this baby phenomenon because I'm not, just amused. I'm very glad we have such loving, supportive families and friends. I want our daughter to have as much love and support as she can get so if you've been coming by to see "us" (the baby), please don't stop!
People call to come out to see us, but as soon as they get here they scoop up G. We barely get a hello as they beat a path to get her. My parents came out a few times before their first grandchild entered the world, and now they find as many excuses as they can to come see "us". Brian's parents used to be fine seeing me for a meal once in a while. Now they call to make sure "I" can come over for a meal about once a week.
I now laugh when someone calls and asks if they can come out to see "us". The truth has been unveiled!

Our Trip

2011-07-30T05:11:00.000-07:00

This is probably the last post I'll do on our vacation, but I wanted to share a few more details.
We left Monday morning very early so that the baby could be asleep for a good portion of it. About half way, we stopped for a late breakfast and to let G roll around on a blanket in a park at Manitou Springs. It was a really nice break (other than the fact Brian and I decided to get breakfast burritos with jalapeno sausage-not sure what led us to think that was a good idea). G had a great time rolling around and watching the squirrels before getting back in her car seat.
After getting there, the boys took off to pick some of the wild rhubarb (which grows way bigger out there in the cool temperatures than it does in my garden) so we could have rhubarb pie. Shelby made excellent food the entire time we were out there, but her rhubarb pie was outstanding.
On Tuesday, we drove over the Continental Divide to Taylor Park which has several lakes and streams for fishing. The boys fished while Shelby and I took the kids hiking around to look at wildflowers and take pictures.
On Wednesday, we took the four-wheel drive vehicle up to Alpine Tunnel which is the old tunnel blown through the mountain 130 years ago by the immigrant railroad works. The road up follows where the old railroad tracks were. Scary!!! I wouldn't have wanted to be up there on a train. The road is VERY narrow with sheer drops as sides, but it is amazingly beautiful. There is part of road called the Palisades that is rocks notched together 130 years ago by Irish immigrants to build back up a ledge wide enough for the train. Not one of the rocks has fallen out in all of those years, and the road goes over the today. A really neat bit of history.
It was really a nice time in the cool temperatures!

Fishing in one of the lakes at Taylor Park.

Stream running through the Taylor Park area.

Fishing in a stream at Taylor park.

The Palisades from below.

Some of the gorgeous columbine flowers we saw.

Colorado

2011-07-29T04:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't been posting as often the last several days. I FINALLY convinced my husband to leave the farm for a few days (you have no idea how hard that is-it's almost an act of congress). His college roommate and his family have a family cabin in a town outside of Gunnison and were up there for several weeks. They had kindly invited us, and after much begging on my part, I convinced Brian to go. It was amazing. The temperatures were never above 80 degrees, and in the morning, were right around 40 degrees. Ahhhhh!!!! There were oodles of mountain trails to drive up that overlooked more mountains, streams, lakes, and forests. The fields of wildflowers were absolutely gorgeous; I wanted to pick armfuls of them. I also love that in those little mountain towns you don't have to mow your lawn; you can let it grow wild with flowers.
Over the next couple of days, I will post more about our trip and more pictures. Here are a few pictures for today!

Monster Cookies

2011-07-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

I LOVE peanut butter and chocolate so these are some of my favorite cookies!!!

Monster Cookies
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 tbls vanilla
1 tbls corn syrup
2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 c. peanut butter
4 1/2 c. quick oats
1 c. m&ms
1/2 chocolate chips
Mix wet ingredients first, then add baking soda. Add oats one cup at a time, mixing between cups. Add m&ms and choco chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 min.
I always bake one dozen or so then ball up the rest and freeze them (put them in baggies after they're frozen) so that I have cookies when I want to have fresh ones around.

Worst Forecaster Ever

2011-07-25T03:30:00.000-07:00

I am the worst weather woman EVER. My unofficial job is to watch radar and text the men when they need to tarp grain carts, get off tractors, etc. The weather out here in western Kansas is very unpredictable, and I have decided to just quit watching radar and get a weather rock.
I can watch a storm on radar follow a path that looks like it is going to pound us, and then disappear at the county line. I've watched storms make V around us. I've seen storm after storm disappear around us only to reform just to the east of us. It's crazy, and it makes predicting when others should quit field work very exasperating. After watching a storm build at the county line, texting the men to get out the tarps, and then watching it dissipate before getting to us, I told my husband to hook the rock weather station to the front of his equipment. It will be more accurate than I am.

Country Church

2011-07-24T06:03:00.000-07:00

You know the picturesque country churches you see on postcards? That's the type of church we attend. It's a little white church in the middle of nowhere at the crossroads of some country roads. It's a simple place with simple, country people who radiate the love of the Lord.
When we first visited the church, we giggled at the minister's Mickey Mouse tie and the speaker's overalls, but we could see in the people and message that this was the church for us. The tie and overalls are now a small part of why we love the church. There's nothing fancy, no projectors, screens, or booming sound system just the Bible and the word of the Lord through our pastor. I know we are not mainstream to like our church so simple, but it's what works for us. There's always something in the sermon I find speaks just to me.
The people of the church have welcomed us with open hearts and supported us through the trials of finding out our daughter has Down Syndrome.
Every time I leave, I feel challenged to grow, and I hope that everyone can find a church that makes them feel the same way.

Weighing his Options

2011-07-22T15:26:00.000-07:00

We are STILLLLLLLLL harvesting so Brian is out in the field until late. Grandma makes them sandwiches every night and takes them to the field along with a jug of tea, chips, and some sweets. After the ridiculously long harvest we have had, the men are getting to the point of never wanting to see a ham sandwich again. EVER. It will take him until next harvest before he can call a ham sandwich palatable.
The other night he called me at 8:30 and said due to breakdowns they were calling it a night; did I want to feed him or should he go to Grandma's? I wanted to see him, but I had no meat thawed and had planned on fixing myself an egg salad sandwich (keep in mind-no meat, no meal is his theory). He wasn't thrilled so he said he'd see what Grandma was cooking when he switched pick-ups at her house. About fifteen minutes later, I got a call from Grandma. "Your husband is heading home as fast as he can. He left a few minutes ago."
Me: "What are you fixing for supper?"
Grandma: "Fried ham"

New Activity

2011-07-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

As a teacher, I know how important learning activities are for kids, and as a mother of a child with Down syndrome, I want to provide as many learning opportunities as I can so I've been working on an activity for my daughter that helps her explore her world through tactile experiences.
G LOVES feeling things; she rolls across the floor to scratch the linoleum, finger strings endlessly, and pets Daddy's chin stubble. The other day while feeding her, a big blob of oatmeal/mixed vegetable goo fell on her tray, and she had more fun playing in it. I decided that I need to make sure I gave her plenty of "feeling" experiences since she seems to be a tactile learner. I let her play in her food (yes, I know it was a bit of a waste of food, but it was only a spoonful) and talked to her about how it felt. Then I wiped her hands off and gave her some dry baby oatmeal and let her play with that and talked to her about the differences (if you try this, make sure you are supervising so your child doesn't put a handful of dry oatmeal in his/her mouth). I know she can't understand what I'm telling her yet, but it is a start in her being able to compare and contrast and tell similarities and differences which are skills tested all throughout the school years. Besides, talking to your child is very beneficial to brain, social, and communication development.
I am also working on a bag of "feelies" for her to continue her exploration. I am putting in velcro strips (both sides), fine grain sand paper, strings tied together, silky ribbon, bumpy ribbon, different fabrics, some plastic spoons, and some metal spoons (this is only an activity I'd do when an adult is beside the child so they stick something in their mouth and choke). As she gets older, I'll stick in smaller items like marbles, rocks, grass, etc, and have her tell me how the item feels, how it feels like or different from the next item she pulls out.

GQ's Response

2011-07-20T07:13:00.000-07:00

I was very pleased to have gotten a response from GQ magazine yesterday, and since so many of you ask me to share if I got a reply, here it is.

We received your letter and absolutely understand that we have caused many of our readers and their loved ones pain. Hurting anyone’s feelings or being disrespectful or cruel was certainly never our intent, but your letter helped us understand how poorly chosen our words were. What we initially posted was insensitive and ill-informed, and we’ve removed the offensive language from the website. We deeply regret our error in judgment. There is no excuse. We are both very sorry.
Sincerely,
Sean Fennessey, editor, GQ.com
John B. Thompson, writer, GQ.com

Thank you to all you emailed GQ in response to their article and to all those you read the blog yesterday. I also wanted to let everyone know PlainPrairie is now on Facebook. Please look us up and become a friend!!!!

Ignorance is Not Bliss

2011-07-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

Writer John Q Thompson takes aim at people with Down syndrome with his comment "Boston suffers from a kind of Style Down Syndrome, where a little extra ends up ruining everything." This line appeared in an article from GQ magazine. I realize it was meant to be cute and cheeky, but ignorance is not bliss. The writer would be in huge trouble if he said this about gays, people of color or other nationalities, or people in wheel chairs.
Yes, my daughter has Down syndrome. Yes, her life will be different, but it's not ruined. There are around 400,000 people in the United States with Down syndrome. Most of these people are working, some are going to college, and all are loved by their family and friends. This article demeans them and promotes that it is ok to make fun of them.
Please take a moment to send comments about this article to: letters@gq.com.

Super Yummy Breakfast Casserole

2011-07-19T08:56:00.000-07:00

It's recipe day again! This is my very favorite breakfast casserole. During the school year, I make this on Sunday morning, and then we reheat it for several days during the week. It also freezes well if you wanted to freeze individual portions to reheat on crazy mornings.

7 eggs
1/2 c. milk or cream
1 tsp. salt
1 lbs. cooked and crumbled sausage
1/4 of an onion
1/2 c. chedder cheese
1 tsp. cumin
2 tbls minced garlic
4 slices bread
If you have it, some jalapeno pepper diced up.

Tear bread into small pieces and put into a 9x13 baking dish. Cook sausage; add onion, garlic, and jalapeno (if using) towards the end. Mix eggs, milk, salt, and cumin. Add sausage mixture over bread. Sprinkle with some cheese over the bread and sausage mixture. Then pour egg mixture over all this. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 min. I usually melt a little more cheese over the top towards the end of cooking.

Where's the Hairspray

2011-07-18T07:14:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty low maintenance in terms of amount of time it takes me to get ready these days. I throw my hair in a ponytail EVERY day; on the very rare occasion I decide to do something else with it, everyone about falls over in disbelief. Make-up makes my face itch so if I wear any at all, it's just mascara. I never paint my fingernails, and I wear the same color on my toes until the bottle runs out. I'm definitely not fashion model material.
This is all fine and dandy to my husband most of the time, but recently after walking through chigger filled grass, he wanted some hairspray or some clear nail polish. Hairspray and nail polish cut off the oxygen to the little boogers, and he was looking desperately for some to coat his red, bumpy legs. Unfortunately, I have neither item. I guess beauty products have their place, and I should purchase a few (for the the chiggers).

What's your remedy for chigger bites?