Prayers for Gerald

Per Fran via Facebook


Just brought Gerald home from the hosp...yesterday morn had tightness in chest...ER we go...Ambulance to Round Rock Med Heart Hosp...Tests and more Tests - Heart Great! Lungs Great! Liver Great! Maybe Gallbladder? Nope okay. Sent home with 2 wks... of Nexium....thinks maybe Acid Reflux....if meds do not fix problem....scope to determine if an Ulcer! That's our news for today.

Britanie Update

Britanie was having contractions last night that were two minutes apart. They went to the hospital and they got the contractions stopped. She is dilated to a 2 and they are hoping to hold on for two more weeks! They also found out that Casey is no longer breech, so that is great news! Please pray for Britanie and Baby Casey to make it at least two more weeks.



~Amanda

FYI

You may all know this, but just in case you do not - you can double click on any picture and it will be shown larger. Took me a while to figure this out.... diane

BABY SHOWER for Britanie & Chris

AMY IS MOVING

Rob and I have been renting our house for almost two years.  This week, we are buying a house on 5 acres southwest of town. We are very excited and can't wait to be settled in our new home. The kids are already loving the frogs, grasshoppers, snails, etc. not to mention the deer we saw yesterday. Kyndal was very excited because "we can shoot deer right from our house." Her grandpa was proud.

Please pray for a stress-free move. I hope this is our last one for a while.

We are closing Friday and will be moving that night and Saturday. - amy

L is for Leaf

Every week Kyndal has a letter for the week and she is supposed to bring or make something for show and tell that begins with that letter. Her teacher doesn't allow bought things. She wanted to bring a leaf for her show and tell so we jazzed it up a bit. In case you can't tell, those are small leaves on her head. - amy

October 2009 Birthdays and Anniversaries

Happy #7 Birthday Shelby - October 1

Happy Birthday Amanda - October 4

Happy #11 Birthday

Sterling - October 5

Happy Anniversary
Gerald and Fran - October 13, 2000

Happy Birthday Michael - October 16

Happy Anniversary

Jeff and Leslie - October 22, 2006

Happy (the Big 40) Birthday - Tina
October 24

Happy Birthday - Chris - October 26
Happy Birthday - Larry - October 27

Happy Birthday - Chase - October 28

When life hands you lemons....

.................make Lemon/Strawberry Trifle!

Ricotta Cake Recipe

One 18-1/4 ounce package yellow cake mix

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs

2 pounds ricotta

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease oblong 13X9 baking pan.

Mix ricotta, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl. Add yellow cake mix. Mix well Bake 55 minutes to an hour. Cool and invert....

At the bottom of the recipe that I found on the Internet someone

had written:

"This cake is like a pound cake, very dense.

The ricotta cake that I make has you make the cake with the cake

ingredients, and put it in a 9X13 pan, then mix the ricotta, eggs, vanilla, and 1/2 cup sugar. add it to the cake mix without stirring. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and then let it cool.

1 pkg instant vanilla pudding, 1 cup milk and 1 container cool whip. Mix all together and frost cake. The ricotta mixture goes to the bottom of the pan and the cake goes to the top.

It is more like a cheesecake and everyone raves about it."

"Piece of Cake" Right???????

I made the cake (according to the second directions because "cheesecake and raves" sounds like what I am looking for) and I put it in a round pan which was NOT large enough, so I put it in 2 round pans and 2 small glass bowls for Danny and me - this is a new recipe and it has to be tasted!!!! I also added peaches on the top... He liked it, I didn't.... I thought it needed something like CHOCOLATE!!! I sent the cake to work with Danny to get their opinion (and points for "wife of the year" - just kidding...) and it did get rave reviews and one co-worker sent instructions to NEVER make it or send it up there again, because she could not leave it alone. (Wish I had taken a picture - it did look nice. - just imagine 2 layers, icing in between and the top covered with peaches!) Sooooooooooo, I decided to make the cake for tonight, but this time I decided to make it according to the first directions except I added 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup oil, so it would not be so "dense" AND I put it in an Angel Food Cake pan.... Again, I made a small "test" cake. Danny liked the first cake better and I liked the second one, but both are good. I took the big cake out and it is cooked perfectly and I let it cool and turn it over and my friends - the first picture is what I got - one very broken up cake.....

We are having 7 people and the 2 of us for dinner Tuesday night.... Hummmmmmmmm, do I start over? (I have spent way too much $$$$ on the cake alone, never mind the menu that I kept changing.... I got up very early and headed to Wal Mart (you know the place where American's spent most of their paycheck!) and I looked for a Trifle bowl because I gave mine to Amanda who did not have one and then it got broken during one of her moves.... Anyway, I wanted the individual Trifle dishes, but they only had six, so I bought the one big one. Then I NEEDED some pretty bowls to serve this stuff in - found some clear bowls for 75 cents each.... Bought all the pudding, fruit, cool whip, etc. etc. to make the Trifle, which brought the cost of this dessert to way too much. I changed my menu, so had to buy more stuff to take care of that - I think this dinner ended up costing me $200.00, but hey I have a new Trifle dish and 12 pretty new glass bowls. (Only needed 8, but everyone knows you need 12 of everything - 12 plates, bowls, glasses.....) I came home and spent all morning cooking Manicotti, Chicken Picatta, Salad, bread sticks, and of course the TRIFLE... Anddddddddddd HERE is the ending to this story (I know you are glad) - drum roll please...... The people we were having this dinner for cancelled at 4:00 p.m. and the dinner was at 5:30 p.m. So more of the "life handing you lemons thing" - Danny called the preacher, whose wife is out of town, and the other 4 people and told them to come anyway because there is food to eat and they brought one more.... total of 8. We had a great visit and enjoyed our dinner and Trifle and I WISH YOU COULD HAVE BEEN HERE.... Life goes on (and on and on)................... diane (wow what a long post!!!)

PS Tina, we all have those "bad" cooking days.... Right now I am thinking I can't cook either!

Britanie news....

Um almost 34 weeks i think -

(Casey is due to make his arrival at the end of October).

GO DALLAS COWBOYS!

Cute little cheerleader, Hayden!
Daddy and Baby girl

Chris & Hayden

MY....

As long as Bethany could talk (or so it seems), she has said MY instead of I.... It is still cute to us and I know the day will come when she no longer says MY.... Makes me sad to think of that day because she is already growing up way too fast. I just wanted to share one of her My's.

Saturday morning she was talking to her Mom....

"My hungry, please".

(Amanda is talking to me on the phone) "Well, how can you refuse that"?

Amanda gets Bethany an orange.

"My different hungry".....

Big sister ate the orange and to be honest, I don't know what "different" Bethany got....

(Mom says it was cereal)
diane

Ninja Hayden

I do believe little Miss Hayden has the stance down perfectly!!!!

Watch out Baby Brother!!!!

Super Kids!

IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THEY CALL YOU.......

STAR OF THE WEEK or......................
OUTSTANDING STUDENT

We know you are terrific,

and we are proud of you!

Good Job - Megan and Rylan

Did you know continued.......

Diane you are the best! Okay trying to help Diane out here! So let me see what news do I have about the Chapman Clan in faraway North Carolina. Hmmm....Justin is graduating this year. Justin is trying to be selected for the Air Force Academy. The academy is very selective and only a few make it in so we will see. Keep your fingers crossed. We are meeting with someone from Westpoint. Don't know the exact date yet but should be interesting. Westpoint is very selective also so don't know what will happen. Don't know about all this military stuff but learning as we go. Ryan is doing very well with his driving. He wants to join the Army or the Marines. He keeps flip flopping between the two. Ryan is in JROTC and he loves it. Ryan came home from school the other day and told me he would be joining the "chain gang" for JROTC. Not exactly the words a mother wants to hear from her 15 year old son. I asked what is the "chain gang". Ryan informs me it is the person who holds the 10 yard marker thing on the sideline of a football game. Oh I said okay I guess you can join that "chain gang". So there you have it The Chapman Clan News. Love ya, Tina

Meet BUSTER

Rylan's Hamster

Gymnastics Kyndal-style

Kyndal started gymnastics last week. She loves it. Olympics 2020, here we come.

DID YOU KNOW????

Did you know you can post your "OWN" post???? Did you know you can comment on any of the posts???? Did you know if you don't want to do the post, you can send info to Diane and she will post it for you???? Did you know I can see who is checking on this blog, well not who, but where the person is from???? Did you know Diane is running out of ideas???? Did you know I need help with this blog - ideas, feedback, etc. etc???? Did you know if I don't get something new to put on here OR you don't put something new on here, I will have to resort to news about my 6 most wonderful, adoring, sweet, darling precious grandkids???? ...and then I would have to call it Grandmom's Blog....Did you know that with this many people (possible 65 of us) there HAS to be NEWS....

Did you know I love all of you????? - diane

May 1973

A sibling may be the keeper of one's identity, the only

person with the keys to one's unfettered, more

fundamental self.......marian sandmaier

Okay, that being said, WHICH ONE of you has the keys to my unchained basic self. (I looked up the big words, :o) I would like the keys please, I need to unlock me. All this time I was trying to unlock my identity with my own keys , but now I find out that one of you has them!

Give them to me NOW!!!!

hugs until you do, diane

Puppet Megan and her Master Megan

Megan is in second grade.

The project was to make a puppet that "looked just like YOU"!

Great Job, Megan (with a little help from Mom, Amanda).

by gmom/diane

Thank You, Mike !

Ahhhh, to know then what I know now....

1963

lovnhugs, diane

Update on Britanie

Britanie is doing better. They stopped the labor. Said the baby is breech and she will probably have to have a c-section in 4 to 5 weeks. Please continue to remember them in your prayers.

Prayers for Britanie

Britanie is expecting a baby boy, Casey, at the end of October. She has been in pre-term labor today. She told me it would be okay because they caught it early, but she is in the hospital tonight. Please pray for her and the little one. You can send her happy thoughts through face book... diane

OLD DOGS and Marvin.....

or is it Old Dogs and Children and Watermelon wine????? Opps, that is a song and not really what this post is about.... Although the song will probably be known to only those like Marvin (WHO HAVE TURNED 60), and to Danny's kids, who have a Dad who is 62, and loves the song..... again I digress.... On to the POST!
As you know, Marvin turned 60 on September 5th. I could not help myself - I had to make this a very special birthday for him!!!! I wanted to share with the rest of you my sisterly love to him. The card - I was gracious enough to include Eddie, Wanda, Gerald, and Larry (just look at it as being invited to THE PARTY!) The card also barked Happy Birthday - just too cool (and ridicules what I spent on it!!!!) The mini quilt - Old dogs need something soft to lay on (you know all those weary bones) and all the extra was to let Marvin know he is 60 (as IF he could forget).... THE OLD DOG - well, I do believe it speaks for itself!!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARVIN and may you have many many more ... and like I told you on the phone, "This puppy isn't far behind" - 28 months is a very short time (in dog years or human years).... diane

Did you know???? - MARVIN IS 60!

GOD BLESS AMERICA . . .

and Michael and Zachary who are on their way to Iraq.

Please add them to your prayers and pray for their safety.

Look OUT! Ryan is driving. . . . .

... and I quote his Mother, (Tina) from Face Book ....

"My baby boy passed his written test to get his learner's permit!

I am so happy. I let him drive home from school.

All the whiplash should be gone tomorrow!!!!!!!" :)"

Amy

On September 2, 1975, God gave me a beautiful baby girl. She was (and still is) a wonderful gift and has always been "sunshine" in my life. I am thankful. Happy Birthday, Amy!!! I Love You, mom (diane)

....tired girl, Kyndal

Sorry it is the Grandmom in me. I could not resist showing this sweet picture....

Amy put this on Facebook today and I had to share. - diane

A New Baby Nephew For Mel

AUNTIE MEL

Instead of trying to tell you about the joy Mel experienced at the birth of her nephew, Maddox,

I will copy some of her words that she wrote on her web site - http://www.iheartphotos.com/. diane

"I got to experience one of the most beautiful things in my life this weekend. I had asked my sister only a few weeks into the pregnancy with Maddox if I could photograph the birth, well the part that the hospital will allow anyways.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful...Beautiful boy!

............I took a deep breath and witnessed the MOST beautiful part of life. Watching Maccox take his first breath, made tears pour out of my eyes.

He was finally here, and he was so beautiful.

Maddox Alexander Braxdale weighed 7 lbs. and 13 oz, and his final arrival time was

12:38 p.m.on August 29th.

I couldn't be more happy for my sisiter and brother in law and my sweet nephew Aidan, they are truly blessed to have another addition to their family."

Mom, Andrea and Dad, Allan
Big Brother, Aidan

Baby Maddox