I came across this recipe for banana bread a few weeks ago and tried it. It is super easy and the bread turns out wonderful. I don't add nuts but I'm sure you can add walnuts or almonds. I did try adding whole flax seed and it didn't turn out too bad.
Easy Banana Bread
2 medium bananas, mashed
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted margarine
1 1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
Mix all together. Put in greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Makes 1 loaf.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Congratulations sweetie, I'm so (sob) happy for you.
Well this past Friday was our chance to re-test and earn our black belt. As I mentioned in my previous post about our testing we are allowed to re-try those board breaks we missed during the test and if we make the break we get the belt.
Our former instructor was going to be teaching a class in Brookings and wanted us to do our board breaks that night. This is a class that all adult and Jr. black belts are invited to attend. A select few colored belts are also invited. Because myself and hubby are still red belts but tested for the black we were eligible to attend. I had actually gone up to Brookings two weeks earlier for class and the loving husband volunteered to watch the kids since we got too short of a notice to find child care. Thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law we were both able to attend this time.
Also attending class that night was our current instructor and her husband, along with another black belt from our class. Unlike the last class where I was the only Sioux Falls student (and oldest participant) there were 5 of us and hubby was now the oldest participant. It was nice to have familiar faces.
The class was 2 hours and we practiced techniques that I knew and learned some new ones. Although not as intense as testing, we still had a workout. It was fun and there was much laughter. At the end of class we were allowed our re-tries.
Hubby had one break to do..the twin kick. That is the one where you have to break 2 boards without letting your feet touch the ground between kicks. Hubby's first try broke the right board but not the left and his second try broke the left but not the right. I could see the frustration on his face and I was worried that he might not get it on his last try. With a lot of effort and determination he broke on the third attempt. Oh, I was so happy for him. I jumped up and hugged him.
My turn was next and I had to do that same break. Unlike the loving husband who hates this break and struggles to do it, I don't mind it. The only reason I couldn't get this one during testing was my legs were too tired and my uniform was sticking to me which made it difficult to get the strength and speed to do the break. I also was too brain dead to remember how I did the break during my red belt test. Anyway, I lined the boards up, took position, and nailed it on my first try. One down, two to go. My next break was the evil sadistic self-hold knife. I hold the board with one hand and strike it with my other hand. My first attempt did not go very well and my nerves started to get the best of me. My former instructor was oh so supportive and was giving me encouragement but I kept telling her I could not do the break. I was telling her that because my my body was shaking so bad I could not hold the board. Even the loving husband could see my hands shaking and he was several feet away. Thankfully Miss Jen decided to let me do the other break and come back to this one. My third break was the palm strike through the board. This was the break I missed at testing but then when I was told what I did wrong I corrected it and broke the board but did not yell so it did not count. After a few minutes of instruction on how best to do this break I made my first attempt. It would have worked great except for the fact my belt somehow got in the way and the end of it was on the board so when I smacked it my hand hit soft cotton instead of hard wood...oops. My second try was much more successful. Two down one left.
Officially we get 3 tries to break the board. Since out Master Instructor was not present the rules could be bent a little. I was having a very difficult time getting the mechanics of this break down. I made several attempts with no luck and then in an attempt to bolster my confidence, Miss Jen gave me a smaller practice board to try to break. She was hoping that if I broke the little board I would break the big board. Several tries at that was still not very productive. She then decided to show me how to do the break by doing it herself. She tried but could not get her board to go either...so much for the "I'll show you how" technique. Finally she said that I got one more try. If I didn't get it then I had to wait until the next time she was in town to teach class. I grabbed my board, took position, shut my eyes, and smacked the thing with all I had in me. The sound echoed all though out the room.
IT
WAS
STILL
UNBROKEN
Miss Jen did check for cracks but there were none. The only thing broken was my heart. I wanted so much to make this break. I wanted so much to stand there amongst my husband, friends, and peers as an equal, a Black Belt. I wanted so much to finish what I had started, to finally achieve what I had worked so hard these past two years for. I wanted that same rush of adrenaline and excitement that Jim had felt earlier. I wanted to be done with that break.
Instead, I watched as my loving husband stood and got his belt. I tried to smile. tried to be happy for him. I clapped and hugged him and told him I loved him and that I was so proud of him. I meant every word I said. Inside I was dying, all I wanted to do was be alone and let the tears fall. The pain was so much more than the obvious physical pain of repeatedly hitting a solid wooden object. It was the internal emotional type. The kind that teams feel when their opponent scores the winning point(s) in the final second or a candidate feels after losing a very close election. I felt like the worlds biggest loser.
Afterwards, the other members of my class came over to console me and to remind me that they too had problems with this same break. My current instructor in a wonderful attempt to cheer me up informed me that none of the other ladies present made their breaks and got their belt on the first re-try so if I had gotten my belt "then we'd have had to kill you" ( cheerfully said of course) My former instructor told me that next time I do the break I get my 3 tries and if I don't make the break then she tries and if she fails I get as many re-tries that evening as it takes for her to break her board.
It's taken a few days but I'm OK with myself. I did skip my Weight Watchers meeting though. I decided that I could not handle any more disappointment this weekend. I don't know if I lost or gained any weight but I really did not want to sit through a meeting if I either did not lose anything or gained and have to clap for those members who met weight loss goals. As for my hand...well it's pretty sore. The whole side of my right hand from pinkie to wrist is swollen and blueish. I don't think I broke anything but I bruised quite a few things. I'm hoping that in a few weeks I can re-try my break. And this time
I WANNA BREAK THAT %^#!*$@ BOARD!!!!!!!
Our former instructor was going to be teaching a class in Brookings and wanted us to do our board breaks that night. This is a class that all adult and Jr. black belts are invited to attend. A select few colored belts are also invited. Because myself and hubby are still red belts but tested for the black we were eligible to attend. I had actually gone up to Brookings two weeks earlier for class and the loving husband volunteered to watch the kids since we got too short of a notice to find child care. Thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law we were both able to attend this time.
Also attending class that night was our current instructor and her husband, along with another black belt from our class. Unlike the last class where I was the only Sioux Falls student (and oldest participant) there were 5 of us and hubby was now the oldest participant. It was nice to have familiar faces.
The class was 2 hours and we practiced techniques that I knew and learned some new ones. Although not as intense as testing, we still had a workout. It was fun and there was much laughter. At the end of class we were allowed our re-tries.
Hubby had one break to do..the twin kick. That is the one where you have to break 2 boards without letting your feet touch the ground between kicks. Hubby's first try broke the right board but not the left and his second try broke the left but not the right. I could see the frustration on his face and I was worried that he might not get it on his last try. With a lot of effort and determination he broke on the third attempt. Oh, I was so happy for him. I jumped up and hugged him.
My turn was next and I had to do that same break. Unlike the loving husband who hates this break and struggles to do it, I don't mind it. The only reason I couldn't get this one during testing was my legs were too tired and my uniform was sticking to me which made it difficult to get the strength and speed to do the break. I also was too brain dead to remember how I did the break during my red belt test. Anyway, I lined the boards up, took position, and nailed it on my first try. One down, two to go. My next break was the evil sadistic self-hold knife. I hold the board with one hand and strike it with my other hand. My first attempt did not go very well and my nerves started to get the best of me. My former instructor was oh so supportive and was giving me encouragement but I kept telling her I could not do the break. I was telling her that because my my body was shaking so bad I could not hold the board. Even the loving husband could see my hands shaking and he was several feet away. Thankfully Miss Jen decided to let me do the other break and come back to this one. My third break was the palm strike through the board. This was the break I missed at testing but then when I was told what I did wrong I corrected it and broke the board but did not yell so it did not count. After a few minutes of instruction on how best to do this break I made my first attempt. It would have worked great except for the fact my belt somehow got in the way and the end of it was on the board so when I smacked it my hand hit soft cotton instead of hard wood...oops. My second try was much more successful. Two down one left.
Officially we get 3 tries to break the board. Since out Master Instructor was not present the rules could be bent a little. I was having a very difficult time getting the mechanics of this break down. I made several attempts with no luck and then in an attempt to bolster my confidence, Miss Jen gave me a smaller practice board to try to break. She was hoping that if I broke the little board I would break the big board. Several tries at that was still not very productive. She then decided to show me how to do the break by doing it herself. She tried but could not get her board to go either...so much for the "I'll show you how" technique. Finally she said that I got one more try. If I didn't get it then I had to wait until the next time she was in town to teach class. I grabbed my board, took position, shut my eyes, and smacked the thing with all I had in me. The sound echoed all though out the room.
IT
WAS
STILL
UNBROKEN
Miss Jen did check for cracks but there were none. The only thing broken was my heart. I wanted so much to make this break. I wanted so much to stand there amongst my husband, friends, and peers as an equal, a Black Belt. I wanted so much to finish what I had started, to finally achieve what I had worked so hard these past two years for. I wanted that same rush of adrenaline and excitement that Jim had felt earlier. I wanted to be done with that break.
Instead, I watched as my loving husband stood and got his belt. I tried to smile. tried to be happy for him. I clapped and hugged him and told him I loved him and that I was so proud of him. I meant every word I said. Inside I was dying, all I wanted to do was be alone and let the tears fall. The pain was so much more than the obvious physical pain of repeatedly hitting a solid wooden object. It was the internal emotional type. The kind that teams feel when their opponent scores the winning point(s) in the final second or a candidate feels after losing a very close election. I felt like the worlds biggest loser.
Afterwards, the other members of my class came over to console me and to remind me that they too had problems with this same break. My current instructor in a wonderful attempt to cheer me up informed me that none of the other ladies present made their breaks and got their belt on the first re-try so if I had gotten my belt "then we'd have had to kill you" ( cheerfully said of course) My former instructor told me that next time I do the break I get my 3 tries and if I don't make the break then she tries and if she fails I get as many re-tries that evening as it takes for her to break her board.
It's taken a few days but I'm OK with myself. I did skip my Weight Watchers meeting though. I decided that I could not handle any more disappointment this weekend. I don't know if I lost or gained any weight but I really did not want to sit through a meeting if I either did not lose anything or gained and have to clap for those members who met weight loss goals. As for my hand...well it's pretty sore. The whole side of my right hand from pinkie to wrist is swollen and blueish. I don't think I broke anything but I bruised quite a few things. I'm hoping that in a few weeks I can re-try my break. And this time
I WANNA BREAK THAT %^#!*$@ BOARD!!!!!!!
Monday, September 21, 2009
7 Wonderful Kitchen gadgets
My friend Jackie did a blog post about the 7 kitchen gadgets/items she could not live without. She then challenged fellow bloggers to name their 7 items and either leave them in the comment section or do a post about them. I chose the post so here goes:
1. My Kitchen Aid stand mixer--I got it as a wedding gift and have used it, used it, and used it even more. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need a new one soon. I've lost count of the hundreds of cookies, cakes, meringues, and frostings I've made during the years. I've never tried making bread but maybe someday I'll use the bread hook attachment.
2. My silicon baking mats-- These things are AWESOME!!! I have one 9 inch and two 11 inch and they are a baker's dream. I use the smaller one when I make biscuits, rolls, french fries, or chicken sticks. No messy greasy clean-up and the food always comes right off. The two larger sizes are perfect for cookies. I never have to worry about spraying the pans or burnt cookies. When I'm done baking I let the pans cool off and put them away and a quick wash of the mats and that's it.
3. My commercial grade baking sheets-- I got these as a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law. These are the type of pans that kitchens in restaurants and hospitals use for baking. They are heavy and sturdy so they'll never warp or rust.
4. My Pampered Chef rolling pin combo-- I finally broke down and recently purchased this. It is a small double ended rolling pin. The purpose is to roll dough out in pie pans, baking dishes, or onto pizza pans. It's easily held in one hand and non-stick so there is no stopping and "readjusting" or spending 20 minutes trying to press sticky dough out evenly. I don't know why I waited so long.
5. My Melamie mixing bowls-- These are so much lighter than my other sets of glass bowls. I can't microwave them but I don't need to. I can grab one for those quick mix-it-ups like pizza or pie crusts or brownies ( can't use the mixer) or dry ingredients for cookies and cakes. It is a lot easier to dump the dry part in when the bowl doesn't weigh so much. They are also a cute shade of red so I can put food in them and use them as serving dishes too.
6. My meat fork thermometer-- I actually bought this as a gift for the loving husband but I think I use it much more than he does. After all how else am I supposed to know if the chicken breasts or pork chops are done? It has settings for beef, burgers, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, veal, lamb, and potatoes.
7. My "cake" carrier-- This is supposed to be used to transport a 11x13 size cake or at least pan of that size. I bought it this past summer to carry a cake out to Minnesota for a baby shower. I was able to put two unfrosted layers along with the ingredients for the frosting and my icing spatulas in this. It also works great as a cookie holder. I can fit at least 4 dozen in with no problem. I don't have to worry about the cookies getting smashed up during transport. Later this year it will be used for puppy chow.
Well that's my list. Let me know if you like it or not. What's on your fave list??
1. My Kitchen Aid stand mixer--I got it as a wedding gift and have used it, used it, and used it even more. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need a new one soon. I've lost count of the hundreds of cookies, cakes, meringues, and frostings I've made during the years. I've never tried making bread but maybe someday I'll use the bread hook attachment.
2. My silicon baking mats-- These things are AWESOME!!! I have one 9 inch and two 11 inch and they are a baker's dream. I use the smaller one when I make biscuits, rolls, french fries, or chicken sticks. No messy greasy clean-up and the food always comes right off. The two larger sizes are perfect for cookies. I never have to worry about spraying the pans or burnt cookies. When I'm done baking I let the pans cool off and put them away and a quick wash of the mats and that's it.
3. My commercial grade baking sheets-- I got these as a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law. These are the type of pans that kitchens in restaurants and hospitals use for baking. They are heavy and sturdy so they'll never warp or rust.
4. My Pampered Chef rolling pin combo-- I finally broke down and recently purchased this. It is a small double ended rolling pin. The purpose is to roll dough out in pie pans, baking dishes, or onto pizza pans. It's easily held in one hand and non-stick so there is no stopping and "readjusting" or spending 20 minutes trying to press sticky dough out evenly. I don't know why I waited so long.
5. My Melamie mixing bowls-- These are so much lighter than my other sets of glass bowls. I can't microwave them but I don't need to. I can grab one for those quick mix-it-ups like pizza or pie crusts or brownies ( can't use the mixer) or dry ingredients for cookies and cakes. It is a lot easier to dump the dry part in when the bowl doesn't weigh so much. They are also a cute shade of red so I can put food in them and use them as serving dishes too.
6. My meat fork thermometer-- I actually bought this as a gift for the loving husband but I think I use it much more than he does. After all how else am I supposed to know if the chicken breasts or pork chops are done? It has settings for beef, burgers, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, veal, lamb, and potatoes.
7. My "cake" carrier-- This is supposed to be used to transport a 11x13 size cake or at least pan of that size. I bought it this past summer to carry a cake out to Minnesota for a baby shower. I was able to put two unfrosted layers along with the ingredients for the frosting and my icing spatulas in this. It also works great as a cookie holder. I can fit at least 4 dozen in with no problem. I don't have to worry about the cookies getting smashed up during transport. Later this year it will be used for puppy chow.
Well that's my list. Let me know if you like it or not. What's on your fave list??
Monday, September 14, 2009
Nice shootin Tex
I'd like to start this post out by saying that when it comes to things guns and shooting...I don't do them. It's not that I don't like shooting or anything, I never grew up shooting guns or hunting and as a result can't hit a target (moving or still) with any degree of accuracy to save my life. If I had to hunt to feed my family...well we'd either starve to death or become vegetarians. That being said I married into a family that is not only into to all things gun they are very good at shooting too. My father in law was a lover of not only shooting but of guns as well. He had the most extensive knowledge of the type and history of just about any pistol, rifle, or muzzle loader ever made in the last 200 years. He was an excellent shot and instilled his love of shooting and marksmanship skills into his children. My loving husband grew up shooting and over the years became very good at the sport and still competes at a very high level of target shooting. He has won state championships in several states over the years including South Dakota where he has been the state champion these past 6 years. He prefers to compete in prone position which is where you are laying on your stomach and shooting at the target but he can still do pretty well if he has to shoot standing up or in the kneeling position.
My father in law passed away unexpectedly in 2002. For the past 7 years the family has held a shooting match in his honor. It is a day where friends and family come out to the local gun range he helped create and shoot the guns he loved to shoot and have a fun and relaxing time. This year due to time and budget constraints the match part was dropped in favor of a "just come out and shoot" format. On Saturday the family and friends gathered on a picture perfect day for some fun and guns. There were quite a few people out there and all had a good time. Not wanting to spend hours chasing small children (mainly Andrew) off the firing line I opted to come down to Yankton later in the day towards the end of the shoot. The weather was perfect. Sunny and clear with virtually no wind (most unusual for SE South Dakota). I got there around 5 pm just as things were winding down. Matthew and Carolyn did great. Matthew played with one of his second cousins who as about the same age and Carolyn wandered around with her pink earmuffs on. Andrew was a little more tricky but he discovered the gravel and spent time putting it in his hair. After visiting with people I decided that I wanted to shoot some targets. Hubby has this really awesome gun that he bought a few years back. It is a .22 caliber rifle but it is the type of gun used specifically for target shooting and does not look like a hunting rifle but more like the gun you see during the Olympic competitions. It is called a single action bolt because you can only load 1 bullet in at a time and must manually close the action before shooting and open the action after shooting to release the spent cartridge. This is different from the typical .22's hunter's use which are semiautomatic because you can shoot more than one shot with out having to stop and reload. For those who don't know what a .22 caliber is..it's the size of the bullet used in the gun.
There were other guns available but I really wanted to shoot the gun owned by the loving husband so I made sure to let him know I wanted to shoot the last round of targets of the day and on his gun. The gun range is equipped with benches that look very much like school desks. There is a type of shooting called bench rest. This sport has the shooters putting the gun on the table part and shooting from a sitting in a seat position. This is the type of shooting we were doing so I did not have to try and lift up and hold and balance 16 pounds of rifle with mounted scope. That gun is really heavy and it has a really touchy trigger--as in touch it and the gun shoots. Once the match started, hubby came over and helped me get the gun set up. He pointed it at the correct target and showed me how to dial the scope up or down so the little cross hairs of the scope were right on the x spot in the middle. Remember I have no clue what I'm doing. The targets I was shooting at were 100 yards away. To put that into perspective..on a football field I would be standing on the goal line at one end and my target would be on the goal line at the other end of the field. Up close these targets look huge but from 100 yards away they are really small and you do need a spotting scope (think telescope) to see what you are shooting at. The sheet has 3 targets on it. The target itself is a little larger than a dinner plate. There are 10 rings each worth 1 to 10 points depending on where you hit them. The first target is for sighting in or practicing. You can shoot as many shots as you want. These are not counted for score. You are allowed to shoot 10 shots on the other 2 and those count. The maximum score on the target is 200. There is a spot in the middle the size of a quarter that is known as the x spot. Shots in this area are worth 10 points plus an x. In the event 2 shooters shoot the same score, the x count is used to determine who the winner is.
Having shot at these targets in years past both on hubby's gun and other guns I knew that I had to take things slowly and concentrate on keeping the gun pointed straight and not make sudden moves or touch the trigger too soon. All it takes is a small move while firing the gun to make the shot hit the wrong part of the target. More times than I care to remember I have put my finger on the trigger and the gun went off before I had a chance to aim it. If I was lucky the shot hit the 6,7, or 8 ring and I got points but usually those were the shots that ended up on the top or side of the target well out of scoring range. Weather plays a big part and a little wind blowing at the wrong time can push the bullet off track and you don't get what you aimed for. I took my time and concentrated and tried to make each shot count. I shot at total of 25 bullets. 5 on the practice target and 10 each on the other 2 targets. I had no idea how well or poorly I was doing. I only hoped that I wouldn't embarrass myself or the spouse.
When the time limit was up and the line was safe we all headed down to pick up our targets. Hubby wandered over to mine first and was standing there looking at it when I walked up. He had a kind of strange look on his face..a cross between shocked and amused. I asked him if I did OK and "did I hit the black part". The black part is where the higher scoring numbers are. Jim turned to me and said "you shot a 200" He was quite impressed..and I was completely blown away. I looked at the targets in disbelief. As I looked closer and as people around me started to count the holes it became apparent that not only did I clean the targets but the second target was as close to a perfect target as a person could shoot. 9 out of the 10 shots were either inside the x ring or touching the line. The first target was also clean but I only had 6 shots in the x ring. What I thought was amazing though was the 5 shots on my sighter target were also in the 10 area with 3 of them being X's. Out of a total of 25 shots fired all 25 hit the center of the targets and 19 of them were in the x range. There are very few experienced shooters who could create a target like that and even fewer total amateurs like me. This was the once in a lifetime event.
So I ended up with the best target of the day and the highest score of the day and the most impressive shooting of the day and probably the proudest spouse of the day. If this had been one of the previous matches where plaques were awarded for the best Mens, Ladies, and Juniors scores or for a host of other things I would have had my very own plaque to put on the wall but this year we decided not to go through the hassle of timing the matches and scoring the targets and posting the scores or buying awards. Also hubby decided not to shoot as he was busy helping everyone else with their shooting so I didn't even have the satisfaction of beating him at his own game. I'm pretty sure there is a 98% chance that I would have beat him if he would have shot a target but I guess I'll never know. What I do know is that this was a one time fluke and due more to the performance of the gun and ammo than the skill of the shooter. I'm not gonna delude myself into thinking that I could do this competitively or that next year I'll do as good or better. All I know is that I kicked butt and made the hubby proud of me.
My father in law passed away unexpectedly in 2002. For the past 7 years the family has held a shooting match in his honor. It is a day where friends and family come out to the local gun range he helped create and shoot the guns he loved to shoot and have a fun and relaxing time. This year due to time and budget constraints the match part was dropped in favor of a "just come out and shoot" format. On Saturday the family and friends gathered on a picture perfect day for some fun and guns. There were quite a few people out there and all had a good time. Not wanting to spend hours chasing small children (mainly Andrew) off the firing line I opted to come down to Yankton later in the day towards the end of the shoot. The weather was perfect. Sunny and clear with virtually no wind (most unusual for SE South Dakota). I got there around 5 pm just as things were winding down. Matthew and Carolyn did great. Matthew played with one of his second cousins who as about the same age and Carolyn wandered around with her pink earmuffs on. Andrew was a little more tricky but he discovered the gravel and spent time putting it in his hair. After visiting with people I decided that I wanted to shoot some targets. Hubby has this really awesome gun that he bought a few years back. It is a .22 caliber rifle but it is the type of gun used specifically for target shooting and does not look like a hunting rifle but more like the gun you see during the Olympic competitions. It is called a single action bolt because you can only load 1 bullet in at a time and must manually close the action before shooting and open the action after shooting to release the spent cartridge. This is different from the typical .22's hunter's use which are semiautomatic because you can shoot more than one shot with out having to stop and reload. For those who don't know what a .22 caliber is..it's the size of the bullet used in the gun.
There were other guns available but I really wanted to shoot the gun owned by the loving husband so I made sure to let him know I wanted to shoot the last round of targets of the day and on his gun. The gun range is equipped with benches that look very much like school desks. There is a type of shooting called bench rest. This sport has the shooters putting the gun on the table part and shooting from a sitting in a seat position. This is the type of shooting we were doing so I did not have to try and lift up and hold and balance 16 pounds of rifle with mounted scope. That gun is really heavy and it has a really touchy trigger--as in touch it and the gun shoots. Once the match started, hubby came over and helped me get the gun set up. He pointed it at the correct target and showed me how to dial the scope up or down so the little cross hairs of the scope were right on the x spot in the middle. Remember I have no clue what I'm doing. The targets I was shooting at were 100 yards away. To put that into perspective..on a football field I would be standing on the goal line at one end and my target would be on the goal line at the other end of the field. Up close these targets look huge but from 100 yards away they are really small and you do need a spotting scope (think telescope) to see what you are shooting at. The sheet has 3 targets on it. The target itself is a little larger than a dinner plate. There are 10 rings each worth 1 to 10 points depending on where you hit them. The first target is for sighting in or practicing. You can shoot as many shots as you want. These are not counted for score. You are allowed to shoot 10 shots on the other 2 and those count. The maximum score on the target is 200. There is a spot in the middle the size of a quarter that is known as the x spot. Shots in this area are worth 10 points plus an x. In the event 2 shooters shoot the same score, the x count is used to determine who the winner is.
Having shot at these targets in years past both on hubby's gun and other guns I knew that I had to take things slowly and concentrate on keeping the gun pointed straight and not make sudden moves or touch the trigger too soon. All it takes is a small move while firing the gun to make the shot hit the wrong part of the target. More times than I care to remember I have put my finger on the trigger and the gun went off before I had a chance to aim it. If I was lucky the shot hit the 6,7, or 8 ring and I got points but usually those were the shots that ended up on the top or side of the target well out of scoring range. Weather plays a big part and a little wind blowing at the wrong time can push the bullet off track and you don't get what you aimed for. I took my time and concentrated and tried to make each shot count. I shot at total of 25 bullets. 5 on the practice target and 10 each on the other 2 targets. I had no idea how well or poorly I was doing. I only hoped that I wouldn't embarrass myself or the spouse.
When the time limit was up and the line was safe we all headed down to pick up our targets. Hubby wandered over to mine first and was standing there looking at it when I walked up. He had a kind of strange look on his face..a cross between shocked and amused. I asked him if I did OK and "did I hit the black part". The black part is where the higher scoring numbers are. Jim turned to me and said "you shot a 200" He was quite impressed..and I was completely blown away. I looked at the targets in disbelief. As I looked closer and as people around me started to count the holes it became apparent that not only did I clean the targets but the second target was as close to a perfect target as a person could shoot. 9 out of the 10 shots were either inside the x ring or touching the line. The first target was also clean but I only had 6 shots in the x ring. What I thought was amazing though was the 5 shots on my sighter target were also in the 10 area with 3 of them being X's. Out of a total of 25 shots fired all 25 hit the center of the targets and 19 of them were in the x range. There are very few experienced shooters who could create a target like that and even fewer total amateurs like me. This was the once in a lifetime event.
So I ended up with the best target of the day and the highest score of the day and the most impressive shooting of the day and probably the proudest spouse of the day. If this had been one of the previous matches where plaques were awarded for the best Mens, Ladies, and Juniors scores or for a host of other things I would have had my very own plaque to put on the wall but this year we decided not to go through the hassle of timing the matches and scoring the targets and posting the scores or buying awards. Also hubby decided not to shoot as he was busy helping everyone else with their shooting so I didn't even have the satisfaction of beating him at his own game. I'm pretty sure there is a 98% chance that I would have beat him if he would have shot a target but I guess I'll never know. What I do know is that this was a one time fluke and due more to the performance of the gun and ammo than the skill of the shooter. I'm not gonna delude myself into thinking that I could do this competitively or that next year I'll do as good or better. All I know is that I kicked butt and made the hubby proud of me.
Target photos
Target #2 score 100-9x
Target #1 score 100-6x
Sighter target 5 shots (I think)
Total score for the targets is 200-15x. The five practice shots don't count.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Summer's over
Wow, I can't believe Labor Day is over. I guess this marks the unofficial end of summer. Of course there really wasn't much "summer" around here anyway. I think this was one of the coldest summers on record. Not too many steamy 95 plus days to write about. I'm hoping next summer is nice and hot. Yes. I know be careful what you wish for. Last time I made a weather wish was when we moved from Missouri to Michigan and I openly wished for 5 feet of snow....that Jan we got 4 feet. Don't worry all of you who live in or near the state of SD...I only want a few 95 plus days with lots of sunny and 85's thrown in for good measure.
So what did I do with my 3 day weekend?? Well we cleaned carpets. Yes, it was that time of the year again. We usually rent a steam cleaner a few times a year and make our carpet change colors. OK, it's not that dirty but you get the meaning. We rented the cleaner Sat afternoon and spent that evening and the next morning shampooing. Well the loving husband did the actual shampooing and I vacuumed and picked things up and washed walls and windows. It is amazing how much time we have now that we are not dedicating every spare minute practicing Tae Kwan Do. We still found time to take the kids to the pool and swim and on Monday my friend Tobi stopped over with her family. They were geocaching and wanted to know if we were interested. What is geocaching? It's kinda like hide and seek meets hiking. You download locations of caches along with GPS coordinates and then you try to locate them. One of the caches they were looking for was less than a mile from my house. Hubby stayed behind but I took the kids and off we went. I happen to live near a state park and the bike path connects with a hiking trail a few blocks away so we set off to enter the park and look. Now the funny thing about GPS...it will tell you coordinates but won't let you know if there is a direct route to them. The cache we were looking for was quite near my house but because rules dictate that they be on public property or public access places, we ended up walking a lot further than the coordinates said we would. If we could have cut through a yard and gone directly into the park it would have been much shorter. The kids had lots of fun tramping though some really long tall grass and looking all over the place for a very tiny object. I finally found it, on top of a pine cone hanging in a tree.
After we got back home Andrew passed out. Poor kid was pretty tired. After he woke up we went out to visit a co-worker of Jim's who had a baby a few weeks ago. I forget how tiny newborns are. Rachael picked little Jennifer up and all I could think was "my gosh she's little". I just love holding newborns. They are so cute and snuggley and they make those adorable baby sounds. Holding the little one I had a bout of "baby craving" but it quickly passed. The kids had fun playing with Samantha. Jennifer's big sister. I had to laugh at hubby....he's just so a dad. He was holding the little one and she was completely passed out and the picture of contentment. I actually had to remind him that we needed to be going and give the baby back. He even commented that he would have considered/had a 4th if I wouldn't have done the surgery after Andrew. He did however say that the whole 2 am waking up thing was not something he wanted to repeat. And no, there will be no new additions to our family unless they have 4 legs and fur.
We had a very fun and relaxing weekend. The only things we did not get done was the lawn (it really didn't need to be moved) and the salsa. We have the stuff but did not get around to making it. I'm thinking tomorrow.
So what did I do with my 3 day weekend?? Well we cleaned carpets. Yes, it was that time of the year again. We usually rent a steam cleaner a few times a year and make our carpet change colors. OK, it's not that dirty but you get the meaning. We rented the cleaner Sat afternoon and spent that evening and the next morning shampooing. Well the loving husband did the actual shampooing and I vacuumed and picked things up and washed walls and windows. It is amazing how much time we have now that we are not dedicating every spare minute practicing Tae Kwan Do. We still found time to take the kids to the pool and swim and on Monday my friend Tobi stopped over with her family. They were geocaching and wanted to know if we were interested. What is geocaching? It's kinda like hide and seek meets hiking. You download locations of caches along with GPS coordinates and then you try to locate them. One of the caches they were looking for was less than a mile from my house. Hubby stayed behind but I took the kids and off we went. I happen to live near a state park and the bike path connects with a hiking trail a few blocks away so we set off to enter the park and look. Now the funny thing about GPS...it will tell you coordinates but won't let you know if there is a direct route to them. The cache we were looking for was quite near my house but because rules dictate that they be on public property or public access places, we ended up walking a lot further than the coordinates said we would. If we could have cut through a yard and gone directly into the park it would have been much shorter. The kids had lots of fun tramping though some really long tall grass and looking all over the place for a very tiny object. I finally found it, on top of a pine cone hanging in a tree.
After we got back home Andrew passed out. Poor kid was pretty tired. After he woke up we went out to visit a co-worker of Jim's who had a baby a few weeks ago. I forget how tiny newborns are. Rachael picked little Jennifer up and all I could think was "my gosh she's little". I just love holding newborns. They are so cute and snuggley and they make those adorable baby sounds. Holding the little one I had a bout of "baby craving" but it quickly passed. The kids had fun playing with Samantha. Jennifer's big sister. I had to laugh at hubby....he's just so a dad. He was holding the little one and she was completely passed out and the picture of contentment. I actually had to remind him that we needed to be going and give the baby back. He even commented that he would have considered/had a 4th if I wouldn't have done the surgery after Andrew. He did however say that the whole 2 am waking up thing was not something he wanted to repeat. And no, there will be no new additions to our family unless they have 4 legs and fur.
We had a very fun and relaxing weekend. The only things we did not get done was the lawn (it really didn't need to be moved) and the salsa. We have the stuff but did not get around to making it. I'm thinking tomorrow.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Wal-Mart scavenger hunt
Yesterday I felt the need for a Wal-Mart run. I try and avoid going on a weekly basis and wait until I have several items of need before venturing forth into the "money sucking" store. After all, one can not go into Wally World and get 1 or 2 items without "needing" 25 0r 30 more. I figure if I have 10 or so things that I'm out of I'm much less likely to go on a spending bender. I will be sooo happy when the new Target opens up next month. It is just up the road from this Wal-Mart so now I won't have to drive all the way to the southern end of Sioux Falls when I need to get something Circo. I'd like to point out that I do 98% of my food shopping at a grocery store, usually Hy-Vee so it's not like I'm forced to go shopping at Wal-Mart or Target, I just like paying a little less for the non-food items like soap and cleaning supplies.
Anyway, the reason for my trip was to find a container of some sort for Carolyn to take juice to school. Wal-Mart does sell really cheap boxes of juice that I do buy on a regular basis but they always seem to be out of them when I do stop there and now I have to provide snacks for both Carolyn and Matthew on a daily basis so it is getting a little expensive to do pre-packaged snacks and juice. I figured if I bought a big container of juice and filled a small bottle and then bought a big box of crackers and filled little bags I could save money and the environment. Little did I know that later in the day Carolyn would come home with a wet backpack. Why was it wet? She decided to save her box of juice for later and put it back in the backpack (after she had opened it of course) along with the animal cookies she didn't want to eat. It didn't take very long to hose out the mess inside the backpack but the binder full of papers was another story. Now I know why I had the urge to find a spill proof container.
I decided to do Wal-Mart after Carolyn went to school so I would only have to deal with 1 kid. The upside was it is easier to keep track of 1 vs 2 but the downside is afternoon is nap time and I needed to get in and out before the fatigue meltdown occurred. Andrew decided that he wanted to look at the pretty flowers they had over in the lawn and garden area so we looked and went in that door instead of the main entrance. Normally this would not be a big deal except this Wal-Mart is in the process of remodeling. I found out as we were leaving that the very nice greeter hands you a map of the store so you can find your way around. There is no greeter when you go in through the lawn and garden entrance. I have not been in the Wal-Mart since the end of July when I bought school supplies so I was totally and completely lost. Andrew was following me and soon discovered a Hannah Montana guitar toy that he liked playing with so I gambled and gave him the toy and put him in the cart. Thank you Hannah Montana, he stayed put and didn't complain the whole time. I looked at my list and off I wandered. Everything was in different places and in the process of being moved so the diapers were in one location but the diaper wipes were in a completely different area. It took FOREVER to get around. I had to walk up and down different aisles hoping I was in the right area and could find the item I was looking for. I'm very glad I made a list or I would have walked out and gotten home and then realized that I had not purchased item "X" and now I need item "X" so I have to go back and get item "X". I'm sure that when everything is finally done the store will be a better place to shop but right now I'd rather sit in traffic and get stuck behind a stinky truck than go back and shop there. As for the Hannah Montana guitar toy, I distracted Andrew and lovingly placed it on a shelf for another lucky person to find. Oddly enough the one item I came for, the container for juice they did not have. They had a few leftover lunch boxes but now days lunchboxes or lunch packs do not come with thermoses so all you get is an overpriced insulated bag or backpack or whatever shape they are in. They did have some crayon shaped containers but they were bulky and I don't think Carolyn could have unscrewed the lid and poured the juice out without making a huge mess. I tried a few other places today with no luck. I'm hoping to find something before the end of the week. Wal-Mart was out of the juice boxes and I only have a few left in my pantry. I guess the worst case senerio is I send Capri Sun and hope Carolyn figures out how to get the straw in the pouch. I hope Wal-Mart gets things figured out by next month.
Anyway, the reason for my trip was to find a container of some sort for Carolyn to take juice to school. Wal-Mart does sell really cheap boxes of juice that I do buy on a regular basis but they always seem to be out of them when I do stop there and now I have to provide snacks for both Carolyn and Matthew on a daily basis so it is getting a little expensive to do pre-packaged snacks and juice. I figured if I bought a big container of juice and filled a small bottle and then bought a big box of crackers and filled little bags I could save money and the environment. Little did I know that later in the day Carolyn would come home with a wet backpack. Why was it wet? She decided to save her box of juice for later and put it back in the backpack (after she had opened it of course) along with the animal cookies she didn't want to eat. It didn't take very long to hose out the mess inside the backpack but the binder full of papers was another story. Now I know why I had the urge to find a spill proof container.
I decided to do Wal-Mart after Carolyn went to school so I would only have to deal with 1 kid. The upside was it is easier to keep track of 1 vs 2 but the downside is afternoon is nap time and I needed to get in and out before the fatigue meltdown occurred. Andrew decided that he wanted to look at the pretty flowers they had over in the lawn and garden area so we looked and went in that door instead of the main entrance. Normally this would not be a big deal except this Wal-Mart is in the process of remodeling. I found out as we were leaving that the very nice greeter hands you a map of the store so you can find your way around. There is no greeter when you go in through the lawn and garden entrance. I have not been in the Wal-Mart since the end of July when I bought school supplies so I was totally and completely lost. Andrew was following me and soon discovered a Hannah Montana guitar toy that he liked playing with so I gambled and gave him the toy and put him in the cart. Thank you Hannah Montana, he stayed put and didn't complain the whole time. I looked at my list and off I wandered. Everything was in different places and in the process of being moved so the diapers were in one location but the diaper wipes were in a completely different area. It took FOREVER to get around. I had to walk up and down different aisles hoping I was in the right area and could find the item I was looking for. I'm very glad I made a list or I would have walked out and gotten home and then realized that I had not purchased item "X" and now I need item "X" so I have to go back and get item "X". I'm sure that when everything is finally done the store will be a better place to shop but right now I'd rather sit in traffic and get stuck behind a stinky truck than go back and shop there. As for the Hannah Montana guitar toy, I distracted Andrew and lovingly placed it on a shelf for another lucky person to find. Oddly enough the one item I came for, the container for juice they did not have. They had a few leftover lunch boxes but now days lunchboxes or lunch packs do not come with thermoses so all you get is an overpriced insulated bag or backpack or whatever shape they are in. They did have some crayon shaped containers but they were bulky and I don't think Carolyn could have unscrewed the lid and poured the juice out without making a huge mess. I tried a few other places today with no luck. I'm hoping to find something before the end of the week. Wal-Mart was out of the juice boxes and I only have a few left in my pantry. I guess the worst case senerio is I send Capri Sun and hope Carolyn figures out how to get the straw in the pouch. I hope Wal-Mart gets things figured out by next month.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
