Carol's random babble

  My family calls this Aunt Nancy's Green Cake (it came from my Aunt Nancy, but I don't know where she got it). 1 yellow or white cake mix (for 13-by-9-inch pan) five eggs 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup oil 1/2 cup water 1 box instant pistachio pudding I mix the wet ingredients first, then add the cake mix and pudding mix. You'll need to use a mixer because the pudding makes it harder to stir. We use a bundt pan (well greased) and bake slightly longer than the instructions on the box. (I just checked the cake mix in my pantry - it says 33-36 minutes at 350F for bundt pan, so I would go 40 minutes and test for doneness.) We don't usually frost it. Maybe sprinkle powdered sugar over it. But do what makes you happy. The cake is very moist (five eggs!).

I use MyMemories digital scrapbooking software . There is a free downloads section on the website, and here's the May blog train , with more free stuff. The downloads have two options: formatted for MyMemories, or a general download that you can use in other programs. It would be great if people used the software, but you can still have the downloads (you just have to sign up for a free account). And you can download a trial version to try it out. If you decide to buy MyMemories, I have a discount code: STMMMS22597. The buyer gets a $10 discount and yes, I would get paid. But still, try it out for free and download the free stuff you can from the website and the blog train. *May's Blog Train ends May 31st* The color palette Each link below takes you directly to the exact page for each designer's Blog Train entry and opens in a new tab. Kathryn Estry Designs ADB Designs Designs by Lisa Minor AngelWingScraps FranB Designs Hap...

My paternal grandparents: Alfred Snyder and Gladys Wartburg Snyder    I used to blog regularly but like many of my favorite activities, it became less and less important.  But I got an email about a sale on the digital scrapbooking software I use and decided to dust off my old blog. To celebrate the software's 10th anniversary, My Memories scrapbooking software Suite 9 (latest version) is $10 through May 14. That's 75% off. That's hard to beat. You can try it for free (export is disabled). But honestly, it's worth getting. The website also has a free section where you can download a variety of images. Beginning the 16th of each month through the end of the month, there's a blog train with a couple of dozen designers who have created free items from a common color palette. Each week they offer two freebies. This week's options: So, at the very least, check out the website and all the free stuff. And maybe I'll start blogging again, now that I've rediscov...

Or, it's time to buy a new bra (or two). So we're having a little heat wave here in Iowa. And of course, I choose Friday afternoon for my time to go running errands around town. Which meant that when I got home, I was sweating up a storm. I changed into what I like to call pajamas (on Friday, that was a T-shirt and shorts) and hung my bra up on the hook on the back of the bathroom door, like I always do. Saturday night I went grocery shopping after work (which was around 1 a.m.) because I hadn't taken the time to do it before and my choices were looking kind of slim. So I did my grocery shopping, kicking myself for not doing it during the day when there are actual cashiers available and I don't have to do the whole thing myself. Side note - when there are cashiers available, it goes something like this: I do my grocery shopping, picking up each item and putting it in the cart. I go to the cash register and unload the cart. The cashier rings up the items and ...

Wow. My last post was in November 2017. I'm not even going to try to recap the past 14 months in this post. A quick update, though. I won a free pass to Rootstech Feb. 27-March2 in Salt Lake City. I have family in the area who offered to let me stay with them, and a very kind person has offered to pay for my plane tickets. My next dilemma - and it's a big one - is which sessions to attend. I'm getting overwhelmed with choices. There are more than 300 sessions from Wednesday through Saturday, and I can't decide. So I'm going to throw this out there (if anybody's reading this) and say I will attend two sessions picked by someone else. The schedule is posted here . The two sessions must be on Thursday, Feb. 28. One morning session and one afternoon session. If there are multiple submissions, I will go with the most popular. If there's only one, I'll go to that one. Each person who comments can pick one morning session and one afternoon session. ...

Some news here! First, My Memories has upgraded to version 9. There are a whole bunch of new features: New Project Types Social Media - Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Google Plus Print Products - Canvas, Metal, Posters, Mug, Mousepad, Water Bottle Photo Enhancements Color Pop - Make a photo Black and White except for an area you select in Color HSB - Hue Saturation Brightness Adjustments Right-Click photos in the Photo Gallery to see details (width, height, dpi, path, etc) Right-Click to sort photos in Photo Gallery by Date vs Name Text Enhancements Copy & Paste Text Styles from one Text Box to another Copy & Paste Text without Style or Paste Special with Style Text on a Shape or Line can now have Text Styles Adjust Text Style while Text is Attached to Shape or Line Set any Text Box Style to Default Text Style Background Enhancements Set Background to Gradient Colors Zoom Background In or Out Nudge Background in Eight Directions for Precise...

I'm still trying to get the hang of the Pathway experience. Of my two classes, I'm doing better in the religion course. I've got a lot of the general studies assignments that I haven't completed. The best I can hope for is 50 percent of the grade when I do turn them in, so I'm not sure I can even pass at this point. But I'm still going to try. Let's take Lesson 2 for example. This is a beginning lesson on The Learning Model & The Honor Code. The Learning Model embraces five principles: Principle One: Learners and teachers at BYU-Idaho exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as a principle of action and power. Principle Two: Learners and teachers at BYU-Idaho understand that true teaching  is done by and with the Holy Ghost. Principle Three: Learners and teachers at BYU-Idaho lay hold upon the word of God - as found in the holy scriptures and in the words of the prophets - in all disciplines. Principle Four: Learners and teachers at BYU-Idaho act ...

One of my Pathway Connect assignments is to share an insight from our Book of Mormon study. I have read through the Book of Mormon once or twice in my lifetime, but never really studied it with appreciation. So now as I read, I'm noticing things I never noticed before. One of the common verses that people like is in 1 Nephi 3:7. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. I started seeing this phrase in other verses. 1 Nephi 17:13 And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led. 1 Nephi 17:41 An...

In our Pathway gathering tonight, we talked about cause and effect - or studying cause and effect when studying the scriptures. But I'm going to talk about a different cause and effect. The person I ride with, Melba, listens to country music. It's not usually my thing, but I listen. One week, on the way home, the songs "It Ain't My Fault" and "Nobody to Blame But Me" played back to back. It was almost as good as "We Will Rock You and "We Are The Champions." ;-) Tonight, however, one of the songs that played had some chords that reminded me of "Ghost Riders in the Sky." This is one of my favorite songs that my dad would sing when I was a girl. I don't think he sings it any more because his voice can't handle it. But I loved it. So I went on YouTube and listened to about a dozen versions of the song, trying to decide which one was closest to my dad's version. Some of the singers sounded okay, but sang different ...

Desktop Publishers This is what I already do. Which is not a bad thing. I enjoy my job. This is also what I do: Proofreaders & Copy Markers So the interest quiz I took offered me (as two of many options) things I already do and enjoy doing. Not bad.  Note: This is part of a Pathway Connect assignment.

So, I go through waves of being active in one thing or another, then not being active. Church, my blog, playing particular games. Well, I'm enrolled in Pathway Connect now and part of the assignments require "sharing with a friend." This blog will be my platform for that. Also, I can do a giveaway of a copy of My Memories digital scrapbooking software every quarter. I'll set one up in the next few days. I'm not as interested in gaining likes and followers as I once was, so I have to figure out what methods people can use to enter. In other news, Cayla is off to college, living in an apartment with two roommates. Amanda is still with me (since March) and we have three cats: Olive, Jock and Lena (Amanda's cat). Right this minute, Lena is trying to catch a bug through a window, Jock is lying on a box and Olive is lying in a box.

This is what the radar looked like last night some time after we lost power. I took the shot of my tablet with my phone. Here's some of the damage this morning: Tree in front of my place. Tree in front of the neighbor's place. At left, you might be able to see a taillight of their vehicle. Tree by my place again, out into the street. I was at work when the power went out, with five pages left to send. Two of the pages were done, but just needed to be PDF'd and sent. Three of the pages needed two articles that hadn't been written yet, but the computers were unavailable. So I went home for my laptop. I parked in back, in the lake that forms whenever it rains hard. Stepped right into about 4 inches of water. My shoes are probably still wet. Took laptop back to work, and let Hans use it. Chad was writing his story on  his Chromebook, but he had to retype it later on my laptop because we had no internet access. Our publisher contacted a company in to...

No update since last October? Shame on me. I guess this is one of those things that I can check off under "Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports" (signs of depression). I spend too much time playing games, and yet have lost interest in some of them. I hardly do genealogy. For awhile I wasn't reading much, but I'm doing that again. I was seeing a physician's assistant (Alicia) until she moved out of state. My last appointment with her was in December. I was allowed three months of medications, but had to see a new person before getting refills. My meds ran out in March and I didn't see my new person (Jordan) until last Tuesday. Now I've got medical tests coming up on Thursday, plus a mammogram on Friday. Joy. I need to sort through stuff and get rid of a lot. I've got boxes I haven't unpacked since we moved into this apartment in July 2012. Plus Mom's stuff and still some of Don...

So my last post was on the second to last day of last year. I had a good Christmas. I expect I'll be working again this year, even though I'm working Thanksgiving. We'll see. Donna wants Christmas at her apartment, although it's small (I haven't seen it yet). I'm willing to have it here again, especially if I do have to work. I checked last year's Christmas list. I got the pots and pans I wanted. I finally got a haircut last month. The cats have their Drinkwell fountain, but still prefer the bathtub. I bought a "fleece" steering wheel cover, but it's getting raggedy. The raggedy black sweater I was still wearing to work last year has disappeared. Somebody bought the Sims 4 Get Together (I can't remember if it was me or Kevin, but either way, Amanda and I both get to use it). I have been president of the Webster County Genealogical Society for several years. This year I'm secretary/treasurer and the former secretary/treasurer is ...

So, Christmas. It was pretty good. I had to work, but when I came home for supper, there were 10 other people in my apartment, eating enchiladas and watching "Elf." The enchiladas are a family tradition for special occasions. The last time I had them was when Cayla graduated from high school in May 2014. The 10 other people were Cayla, my sister Donna, Donna's four kids: Alex, Jessica, Suzanna and Richard, Jessica's husband Eric and their sons Noah and Eli, and Suzanna's boyfriend Chad. We ate, opened a few presents, had some laughs and I went back to work. When I got home, everybody had left except Cayla, who was in bed because she had to work the next morning. So, my big Christmas gift. There was a box, and it was big. I unwrapped it and the box said Pioneer Woman cookware, which was one of the big items on my Christmas list. But Cayla said, "open it," and when I did, I discovered a bunch of newspapers inside, and a banana. On the back ...

I have been making a Christmas list, just a variety of things I would like to have at some point. The prices of items vary, and to be honest, I'm expecting that whatever my family chooses to give me will be at the lower end of the price range. That's fine with me. So, here's my list: Sweet Stripes (a tub of these candies is about $5.88 at Walmart) Gel pens (I just won a set of 24 and I'm having fun coloring with them. They are cheaper at Walmart.) Right now I don't need any more coloring books, as I've got enough coloring pages downloaded to last for months. New pots and pans (I like the Pioneer Woman set, preferably turquoise, but red is good, too. $99 at Walmart) A Flip-Pal scanner (around $150, online. Totally not expecting this, but I keep it on my list because someday I will have one.) A gift certificate to Cato (maybe $20-25, enough for one top) A black sweater (mine is getting pretty raggedy) A fleece steering wheel cover (I had one of these awh...

So, yeah. It's been a very long time since I blogged. And the irony is that the microwave I bought last December to replace the one that quit working ... has quit working. Cayla was using it and it made a weird noise or something, and quit (I wasn't home at the time, so my description is vague). The whole apartment smells like burnt metal. I'm not sure at this point if I want to get a new one, as I have my eye on an apartment that comes with a microwave. I just have to enter my life story in triplicate to apply for it. Cayla is attending Iowa Central this year. Amanda is living in Ames. We have two rescued cats: Olive and Wee Jock. Wee Jock is short for No'-as-big-as-Medium-Sized-Jock-but-bigger-than-Wee-Jock-Jock , a character in "The Wee Free Men" by Terry Pratchett. Both of the cats have slightly dramatic rescue stories, which I may expand upon later. For now, enjoy this video of the cats:

My interest in certain things ebbs and flows. I get caught up in a particular activity and ignore other things. I've had blog posts in mind but haven't been sufficiently interested to actually post them. Maybe later. In the meantime, a little catching up. I had my first colonoscopy in November. Everything was fine, so I don't have to do it again for 10 years. The prep solution you have to drink was the worst. It tasted a little like salty pineapple, which normally wouldn't be a problem, but when you have to drink 1/2 gallon in the evening and another 1/2 gallon the next morning, the effect adds up. I had to measure out each cup and mark them off as I drank them. I played a level of Plants vs Zombies or a game of Solitaire each time I drank one, as a reward system. In the morning, though, I just couldn't drink the whole thing. I got to a point where if I had taken one more sip, it would have all come back up. :-( So I stopped. But, I feel that as long as the re...

I watched this video this morning before getting ready for church, and lapsed into full-on sobbing. Even now my eyes are welling up and I have a lump in my chest. I miss my mom so much. All the distracting I did today to get my mind calmer is just not working now. This morning, I learned that it's difficult to eat and shower while sobbing. I barely made it through sacrament meeting - I had to walk out during the intermediate hymn to compose myself. I had a headache from the crying earlier, and it's coming back now. After church, I learned that it's also difficult to drive in that condition. It's been a year and a half since she died. I've been pretty good throughout it all, but a couple of days ago my train of thought went from me getting some cash at the bank, which used to be her account but she added me to it, then when she died, I took her off of it. I was thinking how handy it is to have an account so close to work, but I would give it up in a s...

Cayla has been staying with my dad and stepmom in Illinois, and working to save money for college. She has not been emailing or Facebooking me every day (like she's supposed to!), so it's been kind of weird not knowing what's going on with her. Some things I had to find out second-hand, like she dated a guy while she was there. But she comes home tomorrow. Also, my laptop should be back tomorrow. I sent it away to get fixed, but wasn't sure if I would get it back in time for a family history workshop on Saturday at church. UPS says it's in Des Moines right now. The problem was that it's been really sluggish lately, and when I play Flash games, they crash - a lot. I checked to see if it would be able to play The Sims 4, and the site I used to check it said it didn't have enough RAM. That confused me, as it's supposed to have 6 G of RAM, which should be plenty. But when I looked at the specs, it was only registering 1.46 G of RAM. That's no...