I Thought You Understood...

Dear Steve, I thought you understood, I told whomever would listen about how you totally understood, and I was so proud of you, because YOU got Me!...

"My Husband knows what I love" I would boast, fully confident that you knew and understood my feelings and passions...

We talking about my love of a nice purse...

I was so excited when you got a bonus and said, "go get yourself a purse" starting my Brighton Purse collection.

You were excited and told everyone last Christmas that you bought this lovely number for me... Oh, how I loved that Man O' Mine.



So, I thought nothing of it today when I decided to do my birthday shopping for you and came home with this baby...





A bag I have been admiring and researching for quite awhile. I thought you would be happy that I was happy AND that you didn't have to go shopping for me, But you said the most shocking, heart breaking words a purse loving woman could hear...

"Didn't I just buy you a purse a year ago?"

Oh No!!!! What A World, What A World...

Something different

Last night we had a Potluck Thanksgiving at our Family Game night Ministry.

It felt SOOO strange to cook the Turkey and Gravy and that's it. It was so fun though and of course our meal was simply delicious.

One of the gals made seriously,the best Green Bean Casserole, it was Paula Deen's recipe so I say look it up and go for it... I will.

My other friend made some Crock Pot stuffing that was so good, I could have eaten the entire bowl... A Recipe I had to have... Give it a try

Slow Cooker Stuffing

1 - 8" square pan of cornbread (I like Marie Callender's) or you can use 2 boxes of Jiffy corn bread mix.)
8-10 slices of some other bread
4 eggs
1 onion, chopped
1/2 c, celery (you can get a pre-chopped mix of chopped onions and celery
at Stater Bros.)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth (15-16 ounces)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons sage or poultry seasoning ( I use poultry seasoning)
1 stick butter

Prepare cornbread according to package directions. Crumble cornbread and other bread together. (I like to crumble it and put it in a large pan, and let it dry over night).
In large bowl, combine all ingredients except butter and mix well. Put into a greased slow cooker and dot top with butter. Cover and cook on high for 2-4 hours or on low for 3-8 hours. Makes 16 servings

Have a Blessed Day

Love, Troysie

Memoirs of a Kitchen Lady- Sadness and Gladness

This week was one of Sadness and Gladness in the life of this Kitchen Lady.

In my morning school I am there for breakfast and since the kids eat in a Self Serve manner I do not have much inter-action with them. I see them every day and wave to them, but that's about it.

Today I walked by and a little girl who was just leaving the line looked at me, waved and shyly said...

" Hi Troy!!"

Melt, Melt, Melt went my heart... I don't know if she overheard or asked my name, but wow, she new my name... I went home with a giant smile on my face...

At my lunch school, I knew the day would come, I have seen it many times before... A game I play with a little first grader ends because they outgrow me. Indiana Jones and Darth Vader don't want me to sing their theme songs anymore as they go by which is actually good cause I cant really remember who was Indiana and who was Darth. At least the Ninja Turtle still wants to be called Leo or Mikey.

But this week I noticed it, I thought he was distracted but it went on for the whole week. My little spy guy no longer holds his hand up like a phone and plays spies with me. No more "Over and Out" but the worst thing is that he is no longer calling me Tawnie... Wahhhhh He is growing up.

And I am not.

The Difference Between Women and Girls...

Just like Men and Boys, the Difference between Women and Girls is the price of their toys...

Take Tupperware for instance...

A gal at my gym is having a Tupperware party with "Amazing Discounts" Lasts forever, lifetime guarantee, won't stain or melt...

Sounds great right? "Unbeatable, lowest prices of the season" I begin to drool...

Over the years I have purchased several pieces,some good, some not so good. Some I look at and wonder Why??? like my $15.00 plastic container to hold my seasoning packets. What was I thinking??? and I worked and worked for an eternity to get my spinning spice rack that cost more than I want to mention and heartbreakingly never quite worked in my pantry. Then there are my things I can't do without like my batter mixing bowl, measuring cups and small storage containers, not to mention my giant thirst quencher cup that is NOT to be touched by any male in my household...

I cant even imagine how much my favorite giant red "Enormo-Bowl" set my brother back.

I know the stuff is expensive, but that is one of the rites of passage to become a woman... Give the "Serve and Store" stuff from the 99Cent store to the girls. I am a Woman and I Love Tupperware...

The Day After...

The Election was yesterday, So, it didn't turn out as Steveie and I voted... Oh Well...

If you don't Vote...

You don't get to complain...

November 2nd.

I have never been a Democrat...

I guess I should take that back, I was born into a Democratic family so I guess I was a Democrat up until the age of consent that is...

I remember when it became time for me to register to vote, my dad showed me the pamphlet and where to check the boxes I needed to become a legal voter. When it came time to choose my party, I had to admit to my father that I was not going to register as a Democrat... He was surprised, disappointed, but not too angry,BUT I still did live in his house and ours was not a republican house so he let me register as independent.

I didn't vote for Jimmy Carter...

When I met my hubby Steve he came from a Republican household so I began to vote like he did. Oh how Steve and dad loved to debate the issues, Dad loved Steve and Steve loved dad and I think they enjoyed having political differences, it was fun and exciting to them.

I just was glad I finally got to come out of the political closet and be what I truly am...

A Conservative Christian Female Republican...

Today I wear my "I voted" sticker proudly.

God Bless America

Halloween Jobs...

For the past several years I have not been home for Trick Or Treaters. Either I was working at a Harvest Festival or taking kids around town... Whatever...

We have decided that no matter what we are doing, our house will always remain open for Trick Or Treaters and it was Steve's job to "Man The Fort"... I do admit I was a little jealous when he would tell me about the cutest little princess', kids that cracked him up, or scary costumes, so this year I was super excited when our church decided to have a daytime Harvest Festival which freed me up for the evenings festivities... Woo Hoo!!!!

I was really excited!!! Got the Candy Ready, Pumpkins Carved, Spider Webs set, Eric dropped off with his friends, Let the evening begin...

tick tock, tick tock, tick tock...

I don't know if it was because of the Sunday Holiday but we didn't get our first Trick or Treater until after 6:30, well after dark... Steve and I thought the night was going to be a bust... I was bummed.

Finally, the kids starting coming... And Coming... And Coming...

It was just natural for Steve to get up to hand out the candy, but I really wanted to do it too, we started taking turns, but that didn't work out well either cause he still got up every time I did "To see the kids".

We were giving out three different candies so I would have the candy organized just right and he would mess it all up. humph!!!

Come on Troy, Take a Chill Pill, This is supposed to be fun...

Finally, I gave up, I had to face the fact, Candy giving out is Steve's thing and I was just cramping his style...

Guess we all have our Halloween jobs...

Titus 2 Woman... That's Me!!!

When you hear the news and watch television it's like you are watching society deteriorate. You see young girls and women who have completely lost sight of the fact that they are treasure...
The quote from a mother to her five daughters on a reality show once made me genuinely ill. With one thoughtless comment, that mother removed some of her daughters value. "EVERY GIRL sleeps with her High School boyfriend".

I was sad and losing a little hope until I entered the cyber-world and met so many wonderful young women and mothers who honor family and marriage, I love that they have come to me for advise from an older women's perspective, it helps me to keep my wife/mom mind still a-goin'

One day a myspace friend wrote me a thank you note and told me I was her Titus2 woman. I had always thought I was trying to be a Proverbs 31 woman but when I read the scripture my friend had sent I cried because I am indeed, a Titus 2 woman. My heart is to do what I call "Lovey-ing(Troy word) on women" It took me many years to learn to love my simple blessed life, and I want to do all I can to help others learn this lesson way earlier than I did.

I was reading an article today and I was reminded to reach out to others just to let them know, this older woman is here for you...

Love, Troysie

Titus 2:3-5"Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
Titus 2:3-5

Got this from the "Raising Homemakers" site...


Ladies, do you long to find a Titus 2 woman to mentor you? Do you wish that you had someone to ask advice from? Or perhaps you are an older godly woman and you wonder who would be interested in what you could share.It can seem rather frustrating and lonely, but I want to encourage you to take heart. You may not have a line of older godly women standing at your front door ready to assist you, and you may not have a large group of younger ladies hanging on your every word, but you do have God’s word and the opportunity to live out these beautiful passages.There may be women in your church that may be hesitant to just offer advice, they may feel like they would be “intruding.” I want to encourage you younger women to ask questions and start conversations with the “older” godly ladies in your churches and in your communities. I also want to encourage the older ladies to be aware and look for ways to bless these younger women.I think there has been such a disconnect between the generations due to so many programs at church where everyone is separated by age that we have forgotten how to integrate the ages and learn from each other. So instead of just letting it continue on this way, let us be the ones to approach the women of different ages and live this scripture out.The beauty of Titus 2 is that it give us clear instructions on what we are to be teaching and what we are to be learning. Let these scriptures guide us in our conversations. It may be a little awkward at first, but pray and ask the Lord to open up opportunities and help you to persevere.Perhaps you are in a situation where you just are not aware of anyone yet who you can mentor or be mentored by, there are so many other ways to learn from godly women from reading their books, listening to online mentoring sessions and reading their blogs.Of course, you can live out these scriptures right now by teaching and training your daughters to love and cherish family and home. Let the beauty of Titus 2 come alive and be blessed

Praying for our Nation

We are news watchers in our home and lately, the state of our Nation has left us with very heavy hearts. We are sad for the economy, unemployment, and the Gulf oil spill disaster. Sooooo

We have started a prayer vigil for our nation. We have lit a candle and placed it in a central area in our home so it can be a constant reminder.

Our Nation is Blessed, We just have to remember that...

GOD BLESS AMERICA
LAND THAT WE LOVE

Dear Miss Brown Sugar Baby

Dear Miss Brown Sugar Baby,

It sure has been a fun year!

At first I was a little nervous to give you a try, I was concerned that my "Maxi Hiney" would fit in a Mini Cooper. But not only were you a surprisingly good fit, but you were very fun to drive (even if you dont have a stick shift)

Never have I received so much attention as I have driving you. I will never forget when the guy frantically pulled me over in the El Torito parking lot just to tell me that you were the prettiest car he has ever seen! (why of course)Or how many times I have caught people looking in your windows. Brown Sugar,You are something special and you have made me feel special as well.

But what makes you so special?

Maybe what makes you special is your giant speedometer which is perfect for an old lady like me cause I can read you without my glasses...

But, My friends say that even the police could read it so maybe that isn't it...


It must be your handy "Barn Doors" and extra trunk space which kind of qualifies you as a mom-friendly car. (Enough room for a stroller, or baseball gear,but not enough for camping gear)

But, fitting a full two weeks groceries or a Costco buying spree can be a challenge,which I just chalk it up to a sacrifice for beauty so that's not it...


Or, possibly it's your super cool third door which makes it so easy for fully grown Eric to easily get in and out of the back seat.

But... They call these "Suicide Doors" so that's not it either...


Brown Sugar Baby, I know what makes you so special, you just like the cars before you are an Opportunity and a Testimony. Because of you, I get to explain to people what a blessing it is for my husband to work for such a wonderful company that allows us to drive their cars. But not only that... Another car is going to be released into the world that has been annointed and prayed over... God is so Good!!!

I KNOW your new owner will be so happy with you... Happy Trails to you!!!

Can't wait to see who replaces you tomorrow!!!

Dear Miss Brown Sugar Baby

Dear Miss Brown Sugar Baby,

It sure has been a fun year!

At first I was a little nervous to give you a try, I was concerned that my "Maxi" hiney would fit in my cool new Mini Cooper. Not only was this car a surprisingly good fit, but it has been very fun to drive.
Never have I received so much attention as I have driving you and I will never forget when the guy frantically pulled me over in the El Torito parking lot just to tell me that you were the prettiest car he has ever seen! (why of course)Or how many times I have caught people looking in your windows. Brown Sugar,You are something special and you have made me feel special as well.

Maybe what makes you special is your super cool speedometer which is perfect for an old lady like me cause I can read you without my glasses...My friends say that even the police could read it so maybe that isn't it...


Or maybe it is your cool "Barn Doors" and extra trunk space which kind of qualifies you as a mom-friendly car. (Enough room for a stroller, or baseball gear,but not enough for camping gear)Fitting a full two weeks groceries or a Costco buying spree can be a challenge, but one I am definitely up for.

Nothing

Today we aren't doing anything...

Got up early, Steve already at the dog park. Took Eric to his performance workshop, went to Tai Pan for some retail therapy armed with a 25% off coupon, picked up Eric, got some take out,went to help a girlfriend color her hair, cleaned, did dishes, made dinner and studied for hours...

So what do I do on a day when I am doing Something?...

GTM
(Giggling to myself...)

A moment in the life of a Miller...

Troy in the bathroom...

Steve leaving for the dog park with Eric and Yogi in the car...

Steve comes back in the house...

Steve- (excited) "Hey Troy come here! I forgot to show you what I made in Sunday School today!" (Steve's one of the teachers)

(Troy hurries up with her business and comes out...)


(It's a sheep in case you are wondering)

Troy- "Niceeeee, but where are the eyes?"

Steve- "Oh they had eyes but I decided to use cotton balls for the eyes see?"

Troy= "Niceeeee..."

Eric in the car HONK HONK

Steve- "Notice the beard and moustache I made?" (Laughing with pride)
"The kids really loved it!"

Troy- "LOVE IT! I'll put it on the fridge!!!"(fake smile with no teeth)

HONK HONK

Steve-"Gotta run..."

In case you are wondering...Yes, I put it on the fridge...

Memoirs of a Kitchen Lady Over and Out

I Love playing games with the kids while I am serving them their lunch, I will always be in awe of how much conversation we have in the under a minute they are in the line...

1st grader boy making a phone with his hand, thumb to his ear, pinky to his mouth..."Tawni, What's for Lunch Tawni? Over"

Troy (alias Tawni also making a hand phone) "We have Chili, Chicken Nuggets, Pizza...Etc... Over"

Boy "Tawni, I will take the Nuggets Over and Out"

Troy/Tawni " Over and out you have a great day"

Little girl next to him..."You guys are talking funny"

Troy "I know, we play a game like we are talking like Army men". Then I ask the boy "We are being army men right?"

Boy (Matter of Factly answers...)"No, We are Secret Agents"

Silly me... Confusing Army Men with Secret Agents

Funny thing happened...

I am always on the lookout for a good cheapie movie theater and have been known to drive 40plus miles to Temecula to save $4.00 I justify it by saying my car is good on gas.

Imagine my excitement when I heard of a discount movie house just 20 miles away in nearby Chino (I am being sarcastic). I decided to surprise Eric with a "date" to celebrate his spring break so we made the trek to the movies.

When we were driving home we hit a detour (we were LOST) that took us through the back streets of Pomona into the old downtown area of the city. It is kind of cool cause new life is being put into the stores and it is rebuilding as an "Artsy" district, just what Eric loves. We came to a stop and Eric said "hey Mom a NOTW store! let's go in" Our family are giant fans of that brand of Christian themed clothing so of course since were on a "date" and enjoying ourselves I pulled right over.

We entered and found the store to be a brand new soon to be one stop Christian bookstore, music store, coffee shop, art gallery, teen hang out, etc kind of place. We had a really fun time exploring the place and chatting with the clerks. Eric chose a limited edition shirt by a local artist and we were on our way... So we thought.

Since the store was so brand new, ours was the first ATM purchase and after several minutes of trying and failing to get the ATM machine to work, we reluctantly had to leave without the shirt cause of course Momma don't do cash and I had no other way to pay for the shirt.

On the way home Eric said "man, I loved that shirt, I wish they had just given it to me." Yeah, in a perfect world but this was downtown Pomona honey, not Mayberry. Anyways, he was excited at the thought of going back some day.

Sometime later we received a call from the shop,(we had put our names on a mailing list) apparently our charge did indeed go through and the problem was the register tape was not loaded correctly. The guy Mike from the store offered to bring the shirt to our house, all the way to Fontana cause he felt so bad, I just told him to put it in the mail and gave him our address and thought the matter closed.

11:00pm our doorbell rang, Steve and I were watching a movie so we were up. We nervously answered the door and there was Mike from the store with the shirt. He made his delivery, a little unorthodox to say the least, but the service was appreciated and Eric got his shirt. Or should I say our kitty Teddy got his shirt.

I love when God gives you little gifts, he is awesome.

Little Cuts

This morning I woke up and noticed I a little cut on my thumb, no big deal... I soon discovered another small cut on my thumb and TWO more cuts on my hand. I had FOUR CUTS!!! WAHHHHH!!!

I had no idea how I got the cuts and I totally feel like a baby for even mentioning them (or blogging about them) but everything I did today aggravated them and I kept noticing and getting annoyed by them throughout my day.

I know, I know... Get over it!

It kind of made me a little more sympathetic to my son who still comes to me with complaints of small "Owies" and lord knows he is plenty big enough to put on his own band aids, but when you get a cut you just want a little sympathy.

I flash-backed (Troy word) to when I was about 7 or 8 where cuts and scrapes were a daily event and I wondered (I actually wondered this) " I wonder if there is a person in the world who does not have a cut?" I checked my entire family and they all had cuts, so at the time, the thought of a cutless (another Troy word) seemed impossible. We went to visit our San Jose relatives and I don't know how the subject came up but I discovered that my Aunt Bertha was that amazing person in the world I never thought would be possible She didn't have any cuts!!! I was in complete awe of her and stuck to her like glue the rest of our visit.

I still think of her as an amazing wonder woman, now for other reasons but a little bit of me marvels that she was once "the woman with no cuts"

Cuts are a big deal no matter how small, they deserve our kisses and moo moo mooing over.

Of course a Hello Kitty band aid sure helps, but I am fresh out.

Heaven Scent

John 12:3 "Then Mary took about a pint[a] of pure Nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume."

I recently lost a lot of my cherished mementos and as I was sweeping up the broken curios I noticed a strong but beautiful aroma and I knew exactly what it was and my heart sank. I looked down and there shattered was the beautiful perfume bottle my brother and sister in law brought me from Egypt. It was pure perfume, a real treasure, when you smelled it you could tell the difference, this perfume was more of an experience,it took me to a far off land where perfume making was an art form and one of this super girlie girls favorite things.

I was reminded of the story of Mary breaking the alabaster box of pure and expensive perfume over Jesus' feet and how the aroma filled the room.

When I opened the cabinet doors today the scent was still very strong because the perfume has absorbed into the wood and I remembered how my mom used to put Maja soap in her drawers so her things would smell nice and I decided to be blessed with the breaking of this treasure, I decided to be grateful that Sterling and Cyndi thought enough of me to buy me such a beautiful gift and if Jesus were here I would have gladly broken the bottle of my most expensive perfume over his feet because I love him so. Now I hope the scent will never go away because it will remind me of how...

I am loved.

Surprisingly Calm...

We are in the final stages of our kitchen make over so I decided to shake things up and do some furniture moving, or should I say have Steve help me move furniture.

First off, lets move my extremely delicate antique wedding present china cabinet to the corner, Sounds simple enough, it is only going over three feet. I know it is on its last leg and very wobbly but I knew moving it could be done carefully...

One thing I did not even consider was emptying the cabinet of all of our family treasures before moving it...Lesson Learned...

I now know what the shattered pieces of my treasures look like... Gone is the Lladro I got for my 30th birthday, my only two precious moments figurines which marked my wedding and 5th anniversary, a milkglass vase and bowl, an entire German vintage tea set and various other treasures including the Lennox Dove Dish that was one of my favorite wedding gifts, my first one broke and my sister Penny surprised me with a replacement she found on Ebay, seriously,seconds after I displayed that one it was broken and my dear Penny replaced it again...Do I want another? Of course...

All I could think was that it was MY idea to move the cabinet that's all there is to it and all I could hear was my Mother's voice saying "They are only things" My Grandma used to always tell her "Never get too attached to Things"

But, I am grateful... Saved were the Teapot I made in 7th grade, the Rosenthal China teapot (lost one cup) that my mother in law gave me the Christmas before she died, and the family heirloom Rosenthal China service. I KNOW my sister in law Karin would have visited from her grave in a nightmare that would rival Elm Street if that had been broken too...

Surprisingly, I am calm, I didn't shed a tear while I swept up the beautiful china shards, Steve and Eric were very sympathetic and ultra gingerly moved my other china cabinet without the movement of a single item...

Thank God I really like the new furniture arrangement, I can't imagine what the guys would have said if I didn't like it...

Alas...Tomorrow is a new day...

Layers of Love

Steve and I have lived in our little house for 25 years this August and although I love my sunny yellow kitchen and my birdhouse border... It is time for a change.


So I began stripping and found the layers of borders of the past. First I found the most recent layer, blue and yellow birdhouses that I loved because there was a birdhouse church. Next was the pretty pink and yellow rose border that prompted the original yellow sponge painted walls. Next was a blue flower and bird house border and when the wall was finally stripped I smiled when I saw the blue stripe from my original Geese kitchen which was so popular in the 80's.


The final product was a nice gold and wine paint job with a new border that I love and should hold up another 10 or so years.



Goose kitchen... Ha!!!

Memoirs of a Kitchen lady...Just last week...

-Just last week you called a really long game of Bingo at our Schools Family Fun Nite, it was a fun night.

-Just last week I watched you listen intently as one of the kids explained to you all about Zombies, I have always marveled at how you truly listen to the kids you teach, no wonder why they beg you to sit next to them every day at lunch.

-Just last week we began our ritual of counting down the days til vacation and doing our "Vacation dance".

-Just last week you shared my joy over my son's good grades.

-Just last week we talked about our upcoming vacation plans and how we need to go on the gambling bus with our husbands.

-Just Thursday you told me your grand daughter was starting to wave.

And Friday you were gone...

I served the babies their lunch with a stiff upper lip and a smile but I had to turn my back and cry when I heard them ask for you.

I have learned so much from you my dear friend June, Patience, Love, Friendship,Humor, Devotion, Dedication, but this week you taught me the greatest lesson of all...

CHERISH EVERY DAY

Love you June and I will always miss you.

Your friend, Troy

I have guilt

It is crazy how time flies...

Dear Blog, it has been three months since my last posting, I know you are a forgiving blog and we can pick up where we left off with no hard feelings...
But still... I have guilt.

So I will begin again... Simply

Ten on Tuesday

Thankfulness edition... Letter "A"

In no particular order...

1. Animals- Ours is an animal loving family in addition to our numerous cats and dog, our dream animals would be a Koala and Panda bear and of course our own Dolphin swimming in the pool, but the frosted Mother cookie variety is wonderful as well...

2.Avocados- I was raised on them, I have picked hundreds with Dads long handled basket thingey and almost received a bonk or two from the falling "Avocado bombs". Used to have them all around me now I have to pay $1.00 each.

3. Affection- Something I have lots of and get lots of, I am blessed.

4. Aromas- Love the great ones like my wonderful Yankee Candles or my sisters cooking. Hate the bad ones like those resulting from man VS bathroom.

5.Acupuncture- Just kidding

6. Air Planes- All varieties from Paper to real, my favorite is the Air Force One at the Ronald Regan Museum because it is vintage state of the art complete with Fax machine. Go see it if you get a chance

7. Al Dente'- Perfect for Pasta and an excellent description of me, not quite done...

8. Aerosol Spray Cans- Love that fine mist... Sorry Mr. Ozone Layer.

9. Amazing Race- My Favorite show, I wonder if they get to spend enough time to take some pictures of their adventures... I also now love another "A" show American Idol but only because I now have a DVR.

And 10!!!

10. Agape- The Amazing, Awesome, All consuming, never ending love I have for my dear Lord.
Abba Father...

Have a great week!