You said WHAT?!

The other day, C#1 came storming up the stairs clearly enraged at C#2. He blathered on about how unfair she is blah, blah, blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....  He then uttered, "I am bored." With an immediate shocked look in his eye. My jaw dropped and I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. He started sputtering and spewing excuses.  "But, but, but......" You see there is a strict rule in our house, that if you utter the vile word "bored" in any context, you are assigned a chore, to cure your ailment.  He tried to convince me that it had to do with C#2 and so on and so forth. After a few minutes of spewage I told him he would have to do said chore immediately or he would also end up with a "check" (which I will explain in another story, at another time.)  His extra chore only took about five minutes, so really nothing to get upset about. But, the punishment had the desired effect. I love being a "mean" Mommy. I am sure it will be a long, long time before I hear that word uttered, again.

Anyway, there's the bored story. It was quite amusing -- well it was for me. Andddddd I got an extra chore out of C#1 for the day! I call that a BIG win!

C#2 is now a chef!

This weekend we ventured over to new store called "Ollie's." It's like "Big Lots," but BIGGER... They had an awesome selection of cheap/quality cookbooks. C#2 found one by the "Semi-Homemade" author Sandra Lee.  It had a nice assortment of do-able recipes.   Me, being the cookbook lover that I am, couldn't help but ignite the flame of cookbook loving in C#2.  She then made a plan to make the "Pepperoni Chicken," which she did tonight.  I supervised and re-read the cookbook to her, letting her do most of the dirty work. Which it was, since raw chicken is kinda icky. Her favorite part was pounding the snot out of the chicken breasts. Rest assured there was no literal "snot." Ewwww... Now I'm grossed out. Anywhooooooooooooooooo she did an excellent job of seasoning the chicken and rolling them up.

She then made garlic/cheese bread. She went a little heavy on the garlic (it was the granulated stuff.) But, I went with it. She was determined to make it ALL.BY.HERSELF!

Thirty minutes later it was all done. And drum roll please ------------- It was delicious!!! The chicken was tender and flavorful and the excessive garlic on the bread was just right!! We inundated her with praise and she was proud of herself. (I did grill the veggies -- she's too short or young to be doing that.)

After everything was cleaned up (by me) she told me that she wrote "Super Yummy" on the recipe. I mark all of the recipes with similar "exclamations." Like Mother, like Daughter.  Here is what she wrote (click on the picture for a larger image.)

If you can't read it she wrote "Supper Yummy." I smiled and chuckled in my head, but, thought it was SUPER cute.  I didn't correct her, since I didn't want her scribbling it out, since it's written in pen. I am not sure when or if I will correct her. She might find it amusing --- well maybe some day.

That's it for today. A "bored" story coming soon! :)

Grrrrr... ARG!!

In doing my shipping labels, I found out that printing them out on ebay, instead of paypal, actually only uses HALF of the sticker paper. Whoohoo!! Normally it uses a whole sheet and produces a receipt that I have to store.  Anyway, yesterday I felt the need to print my labels, just in case there were any power outages on Sunday.  I recently purchased a wireless printer, so I can sit on my lazy butt and use my laptop. After printing out four labels, I finally got up, to check them and to flip it to the other side, to get full usage of the label paper. What I discovered is that whatever I was doing had caused it to use the WHOLE sheet of paper per label. GRRRRRRRR!!!! And the whole label wasn't even printed properly. UGHHHHH!! After changing some settings I tried it four more times, with the same annoying results. WTH!! This was sooooooooooooo not cool!!! I finally did minimal changes (set it to print only one page) and then hit print. VIOLA! It worked, but, it was using the full ink output. I have a thing about wasting printer ink. The stuff is WAY too expensive, to begin with. I didn't want to waste my labels, so with glue stick in hand, I put a blank piece of copy paper onto each sticker sheet. I figured I could put packaging tape over the address and all was good. I then, had to reprint the first four labels. After doing this successfully, I was highly irritated that it was still using the "normal" ink output. I had to rack my brain to figure out how to fix that. Then it dawned on me that I could set the printer, from the computer to print only draft quality copies. Again, VIOLA! I have done this before a few years back, when I was trying to figure out how to print photo quality and couldn't. Unbeknownst to me it had been set to black/white draft. So, I did figure it out. Yes, I am slow. But, now it's fixed permanently or until I have to change it back. Oh! The joys of shipping from home.....

On a brighter note, I made green bean chili for dinner. It might seem odd to fix a soup for dinner in August. But, it has been raining all day and is a little bit chilly. I added cabbage and kidney beans this time and it was absolutely delicious! AND everyone seemed to like it. WIN!

I also "made" C#1 do a mini book report sheet for a book he read. Apparently they have to read 25 books this year for school and the teacher gives them a head start. Unfortunately I lost the book report sheet and had to go on the internet to find a replacement. What I printed wasn't the same, but, it was close. I figure his teacher won't mind that much and if she does, he can use the information on that sheet and fill out her sheet. He was actually a good sport about it. I don't know if I would have been. I mean, who does homework during summer vacation?!?! I know I never did.

That's it for now... Catcha later!

Irene

I should also mention it is currently raining outside. It is Sunday, August 28, 2011, 3:47 a.m. and Irene has arrived. We were under a severe weather advisory (wind,) but, that has been removed. The warning is still for surrounding areas. There is still supposed to be rain, all day, today. And I should mention the lawn will NOT stop growing and it's almost September.  Good times.

Okay bye, bye. For realzzz this time!

Why yes.... I do watch too much TV.

It's a fact.  Of late, it has been random movies and tv series-ses (how do you plural that?!?!), that I have bought online. I do check the reviews on rottentomatoes.com. But, that doesn't always mean you don't end up with a rotten one.

 I have been making a point of staying up way tooooooo late, these last days of summer vacation. I pack the hubby's lunch the night before and leave a note telling him where the ice pack is located. Which means: 1.) Yes, I stayed up too late, 2.) Please don't ask me where anything is, and finally and most importantly 3.) DON'T WAKE ME UP!!!! My methods have proven to be successful. YAY ME!!

Anyway, here is the list of good tomatoes and slightly rotten ones, I have encountered in my mega movie watch...

1.) Insidious. Haunted house/child movie. Major creepy factor. Not a rotten tomato.

2.) The Other Woman. Not what I was expecting (I didn't read the back of the box.) But, I did find it to be a good chick flick drama. Sad, though. Not a rotten tomato.

3.) Drive Angry. Crazy, action flick. The "F" word is the word of choice. Strange, but intriguing. Not a rotten tomato.

4.) Love Letters. Another one I didn't know much about and I was less than impressed. It was okay, very "Lifetime" movie. An overripe tomato.

5.) Dear Me: A Blogger's Tale. I wanted to like this one. Felicia Day is in this flick and I do love her (she's awesome in "The Guild.") But, alas, it was just okay. Funny in spots, but, it left much to be desired. A slightly overripe tomato.

6.) Gilmore Girls: This is a series and yes, I did watch it all. It took me a while (not just the summer), but, it definitely grew on me. A ripe tomato.

and lastly...

6.) Roots. This is a mini series, so this took up a bunch of nights. The show is old-ish. It was interesting, but, I didn't love it. I read the book many moons ago and I remember it being very good. I will have to search through the muck and mire in my craft/library/stock/junk/pig sty room and find it to read, again. But, I probably won't since I have a stack of books to read, a mile high. An overripe tomato.

And since, I can't think of anything interesting to watch, I will throw in "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer" Season 1 -- NOT the movie. Yes, I'm a dork and like that show, too. And yes, I've already seen it ALL twice. Any brilliant suggestions are appreciated. Jesting comments not so much............

Till next time.

The last HURRAH!

We (me, C#1, C#2 and my Mom) took a mini vacation trip to visit the grandparents. We had a great time and thankfully the weather cooperated.... Except for the last night when it started thundering and lightning so hard that it woke everyone up at 2 in the morning!

We firstly visited my Mom's Mom and my Great Aunt. We had a great picnic lunch of taco & bruschetta pizza. I never would have thought of making a taco pizza. It was the meat and the cheese baked on a crust. After it's done you add the lettuce, tomato, onion, sour cream and salsa. It was AMAZING! I can't wait to try it at home.  Who would have thought the simple ingredients on a taco would taste so great on a pizza crust?! Well, I never did....

The kids swam in the public pool for a couple hours and once they emerged from the water they had turned into raisins.  We packed up and headed to our next stop.

We then ventured to my other grandparents house which was about an hour away.  We had a great time visiting and the kids had fun making s'mores in the wheelbarrow fire pit.  The wheelbarrow fire pit is a GREAT idea. When you're finished you can move it to wherever you want to store it! I might do this with an old rusty wagon, that my kids are done with.

We also went out to lunch at a local diner. I ordered a reuben sandwich and I must say it was the best I've ever had at a restaurant.

And then the children got free ice cream cones. They were on the smallest cones, I have ever seen! That was highly entertaining...

That evening the gals received facials from my Aunt, who sells Mary Kay. C#2 did an amazing job and she has NEVER applied the make-up before. I told her that she wasn't allowed to use make-up until she was 16 and not to get any ideas... Yes, I let my little girl play with "big" girl make-up.

All in all, it was a great trip and I am looking forward to the next adventure...

The Breakfast of Champions!!!

I was perusing the cereal aisle at Walmart and came across a NEW cereal --  "Cocoa Puffs Brownie Crunch."  Now doesn't that sound like the healthiest breakfast ever?! The hubby didn't think it sounded all that great. I decided that my lovely children might like it for the upcoming trip. Yes, I know, it's loaded with sugar, sugar, sugar. But, I also know that my kids would be highly impressed with the purchase. Once we arrived home and they saw the cereal, they wanted to immediately have some. I informed them that it was for our trip and they would have to wait. They didn't like that idea, but, had to go along with it.

Now the challenge for today is getting C#1 and C#2 to do their chores and pack their bags for our short excursion.  I am sure I will have to remind them and remind them and nag them and nag them and then threaten. The joys of being a Mom!

Is it poison ivy?!?

C#2 came running into the house this afternoon. "Mom you have to look at this!!!!!" I'm like, "Whattttttttt....."  Please notice it's not a question, more of an annoyed "what." I really should have my attitude checked. Anyway, after pulling myself away from a really interesting book, I look at the top of her foot and she has a large red spot with little bumps all over it. My next statement was, "What were you doing?" She tells me she was following the cat through the woods. Ohhhh..... Enough said. I tell her to NOT touch it and go get in the shower and scrub.

As my darling C#2 is showering, I race to my computer and google "poison ivy." All of the pictures I could find were way more horrible looking than what appeared on her foot. And me, being the not very well prepared parent, doesn't have any cortisone cream to apply to said wound (or any of the other suggested treatments.) So, I defaulted to home remedies and decided on the baking soda treatment.  That apparently cures EVERYthing!  I will have to let you know if it really worked.

After C#2 showered and clothed herself, I went to applying this thick, white pasty stuff all over the top of her foot, on the toes of her other foot and to a small patch on her knee. Now my dilemma was how to make it stay. Hmmmmmmmmmm... And this is what I came up with:

You might wonder what those are.... They are Purple Nitrile Gloves. They worked perfectly!!! She however was  very embarrassed and proceeded to cover her feet with socks. And yes, it is 80 degrees out. She's a nut!

Today I also made Pesto Pizza. I had made homemade pesto from my various basil plants and needed to use it up. It made the house smell absolutely scrumptious and tasted really great, too.

And I forgot to mention, that for lunch yesterday I had swiss chard. My BFF was kind enough to share and it was AMAZING!  I need to figure out how to plant me some of that!! And, yes, I took a picture (you know, me being a picture freak and all.)

Anyway, there you have it. My excitement for today (and yesterday.)

BEEF!

It's what's for dinner... Now I have that lovely little jingle playing on a loop in my head.

Anywayyyyyyyyyy...  Tomorrow I pick up 1/4 of a cow.  Not an actual cow quarter. You know in the steaks, roasts and hamburger format -- but, you knew, what I meant.

The first last minute plan was to pick it up today. And I would not have any time to clear out the freezer, clean out the freezer, try to make room for lots of meat. Thankfully, my BFF, with the beef, was able to squash it all into her freezer/freezers. That in effect gave me the evening to do that lovely task.

I have done this before and (another) thankfully I didn't make a ginormous mess of it, since the last time there was a freezer clean. I did throw away some very icy looking veggies and fruit. Note to self: wrap items more securely. I did also find some very old stuff, that needed to take a trip, to the trash, too.

It still took me almost two hours. Hauling stuff out and chipping away at the big ice chunks, can be time consuming.

I was able to put back two of the 20lb bags of ice, that have been residing there since our last power outage. But, then they will be taking a melty vacation, into the front yard, after tomorrow.  I'm just happy that the chore is done and it wasn't a huge endeavor.

Hmmmmmmm.... I wonder what's for dinner tomorrow?!

(hahahahahahhahahahaah I know that was a duh thing to say. I couldn't help myself.)

They're backkkkkk....

C#1 and C#2 are back home. YES!!! My dishwasher empty-er, laundry fold-er, general chore people have returned!!!!  Just kidding, of course. I mean they do those tasks, but, I didn't assign them too many chores, today. Well only one of them had the chore of emptying the dishwasher.  In my defense, it was their turn.  I will roll out the "to-do" list in the morning..... They WILL be thrilled -- hahahahhaha!!

The kids have three more weeks of summer vacation.  What to do?! They have had a very busy summer so far.  This week is going to be tremendously boring, compared to the last week --- swimming every waking minute, play, play, play....  We will be visiting my grands next week, their great-grands.

First exciting thing on the agenda for this week will be a trip to the orthodontist. C#2 broke a wire on her retainer. This will work out okay, since I would have to reschedule next week's appointment anyway...

This weekend, the hubby and I watched a few movies..... 1. Battle Los Angeles -- this one was okay - far fetched. C#1 will love it, 2. Dinner with Schmucks -- strangely amusing, in a crass, funky way, 3. The Adjustment Bureau -- this one was good -- interesting concept and 4. Gnomeo and Juliet -- a kid movie with some funny parts (kids choice, too) -- I don't need to see it, again.

And that is all for now.  Catcha later!

Blackberries!

I have blackberries galore! My MIL has some very fruitful (quite literally) blackberry bushes this year. Her last count was 84 quarts or some ridiculous amount.  I froze a bunch and made some "Blackberry Buckle", today. The recipe was for blueberries, but, since I have used and frozen those berries already, I made blackberry.  I had to google the buckle part of the name. I had a strange curiosity of the exact meaning -- not sure why.  It just sounds goofy to me, but, it tastes great!

I've also had this recent need to eat mint chip ice cream. I forget how stinkin' good it is. I was informed by the hubby that it would taste great with brownies. I definitely concur, but, I just made the blackberry stuff, so that's gonna have to wait. Too much junk food in this house is NOT good for me. The temptation is toooooo much!!

I made my trusty pot of coffee and am hoping it will help me withstand any future night cravings. I'm going to watch a movie later (not sure what) and need something to stifle my need for food!!!!

I have approximately 1.5 days until C#1 and C#2 return. I am still trying to make every minute count.

Soooooo ta-ta for now!

Oh my!

Two days of Panera and an extra special trip to Coldstone, today... MUST.STOP.EATING.

I will have to fast for the rest of the day. That is going to be incredibly hard, since I just bought some fresh corn on the cob, "real" RED tomatoes from same corn place and cucs!! I love this time of year!!!

T minus 3 days till the chilluns are officially home...  I gotta do what I can to make each day count!! I better get the coffee going, if I'm going to stay up all night --- or rather, really, REALLY late or should I say early (I've always been confused about that --- Hmmmmmm....)

Later Gator!

"The Help"

Is a fantastic movie.

Go see it!
(Make sure you bring tissues.)

And if you haven't read the book --- DO!!

That is all....

The Reunion....

My BFF asked me to be her "date" for her HS class reunion. Her hubby and children were otherwise occupied and she wanted someone to go with her.  You might think, "Big deal!" And I would say you are right. But, there are other factors to this tale.  Two of my BFFs were in the same class as my (dearly missed) best friend, who died 21 years ago.  That said, it was known that he and I were an item, many years ago, amongst said classmates. There's more to this story, but, I won't go into that here.  Some of it is described in blog form, that you can find, if you care.  I hadn't formally met more than two or three of them (we went to different schools), but, I did "know" of them.

That said, upon arrival, I was good with it - not nervous or feeling to weird about it.... Until we got into the meeting area.  There weren't any butterflies, but, a very distinct feeling of awkwardness. Thankfully both BFFs were there and my other BFF had brought her children -- of whom I am well acquainted.  Thankfully I had a few "friends" from Facebook, who I had never met personally, but, knew who I was from my profile picture.

There was only one really awkward moment and it was only for a moment. Introductions were made. A second of awkward gawking. Me saying, "Yes, that would be me..." And an "Oh....." Thankfully it passed quickly and a new topic was started.

There was a nice spread of food and drinks. I grabbed a plate and filled it and sat down, at the table we had "saved."  Eventually both BFFs got their food and sat down, too. After that there was class picture time.  Then the fun of rounding up all the children, from all over the building and outside (in the pouring rain,) for their picture.

Old yearbooks were brought out and the picking on hairstyles and clothing commenced. It was highly entertaining.  There was clearly some muddled thinking back in the day.

One of the classmates owns a cake making business. She made two very awesome looking and tasting cakes. I admit I got a super delicious corner piece AND a side piece. It was a cake-happy day.

I must say they were a very nice group of people. I fit right in with the joking and conversation. I also received way more heartfelt hugs than I ever expected. (I actually wasn't "expecting" anything.) I was a little bit overwhelmed by the kindness and sincerity that was shown by everyone.  So in conclusion, I had a lot of fun and got to know some really great people. AND I now have six more friends on FB!  :)

Downright Disturbing....

I have this habit of buying a bunch of dvds without knowing if they are good or not.  I have found reading reviews doesn't always mean anything. Anywayyyyyy, I finally watched "The Stoning of Soraya M." Yes, it is about a stoning and is a true story. This woman/wife/mother is falsely accused of infidelity. Her sh***y husband decides he wants a new wife and decides that having her stoned is the best way to get rid of her, literally.  This movie was produced by the same guy who did "The Passion of the Christ." Need I say more. Probably not. It isn't THAT graphic, but, close. This incident apparently happened in the 1980's.

What I don't get is the Muslims who claim their beliefs are all peace loving. I see and read stuff like this and there is just NO way that makes any sense. That said, they better not be bringing any Sharia Law into my country. I might have to hurt someone!!!

It seems of late there are lots of news stories about human rights atrocities all over the world. I know it's nothing new, but, with each upsetting article it strengthens my faith.  How can anyone rationalize their beliefs when they stone people, kill baby girls, etc.... Yes, I know, there is extremism on both sides of the fence. But, crap like that makes my blood boil.  I am all about grace -- showing grace, treating people with grace, trying to think gracefully (does that even make sense?! Definitely an easier said than done.)  Maybe I should just not read anymore news articles and stay away from cable/satellite news channels. It might be for the best......

 Now I'm just rambling. Oh well. I haven't posted a blog in a few days and that's what you get. :)

It's already been a busy week...

And it's only Wednesday.

On Sunday the hubby and I went to see the bands "Poison" and "Motley Crue" play at a nearby (ish) resort.  It was totally and completely AWESOME!!!! I felt like I was time travelling!! The shows were spectacular and these guys sounded and basically looked the same as they did back in the day. All "Big Hair" band and everything. AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME!!!

What I wasn't expecting was the hike to and from the venue. I should state that I was wearing flip flops. Definitely not appropriate footwear for hiking up and down a very rocky hill. But, I survived, obviously. I also did a very old lady thing and wore earplugs for most of the show. The music was sooooooooooo loud, which was to be expected. I just muted it and it didn't change the quality at all! And not to mention the fact that I could hear AFTER the show, unlike the significant other -- haha! I should say he did have some, but, didn't think about it until it was too late. So he was SOL!

Another interesting thing at this event was when we were leaving, we decided to wait at least thirty minutes, so that the lines of traffic wouldn't be so bad.  We were parked near a corner and a wooded area and I witnessed five people taking a leak around the Ford SUV parked next to us. I didn't see anything, but, I knew what they were doing. I actually thought I might warn the owner of the vehicle, if they showed up before we left. BUT, when said owner showed up to the car with his wife/girlfriend or whatever, he proceeded to take a very obvious piss on his side and my side of the car. Again, I didn't see anything, but, I do know the motions. His woman did the same on the other side.  I'm thinking they had too much to drink, because they pitched beer cans into the woods (I wouldn't want to be on the staff that had to find all of the extraneous garbage, people had left behind.)  AND to top it off these same Ford SUV people hopped into their car and proceeded to, Ummmmmmmmmmmmm. Well you know.... You know the whole rocking car thing?! Well it was doing that. I was averting my eyes, even though it was very dark outside and the windows were darkly tinted and I couldn't see a thing -- THANK.THE.LORD! These people couldn't wait until they got home?!?! Sheeeeeeeeeshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!  Thankfully the traffic had cleared out quite a bit, so we were able to leave before the sex-crazed Ford SUV people reappeared.  We made it home by 2:30.

Monday we vegetated a little bit, in preparation for Tuesday.On Tuesday we went to a theme park for almost the entire day. We had to leave for the park by 7:00 am.  We got there at 10:00, as planned and stayed till almost 9:30 pm.  The weather was perfect and it wasn't that busy! Whooohooo!! We went to a different theme park last summer and it was just miserable. 5,000 degrees out, busier than busy, lines, lines and more lines, so this was a great relief!!  We had ridden on more rides in the first 2 hours than we rode the entire time we were at the other park last year. AND it was cheaper and closer!!

That brings me to Wednesday, today. We have been doing some major vegging.  C#2 didn't fall out of bed until after 10:00 am. Lucky duck! Now, I have to get C#1 and C#2 ready for a trip with the grandparents at the end of this week. This means I will have to house (mostly) to myself for another week! Freedom! What to do, what to do?!?!?  Good things for sure!