Actually, new books. I just love, love, love my Kindle. I have all the books that i want with me, all the time. Tired of reading the "serious" book? No problem. Tap a couple buttons and poof! i'm in the middle of a silly book about detectives and housewives and monkeys (no, really! the last book that i finished). Needing a new book? Curious about one that i heard or read about in a magazine? A couple taps and i can have the book, right here, right now. From anywhere. I can get a new biography at the orthodontist's office, a new murder mystery at the bus stop, a new French book at work, on my lunch break. I was all ready to not love the Kindle, to "miss" the turning of pages but wow. Who can deny the appeal?
I love my Kindle.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
summer's winding down.....
Where did the time go? What happened to the halcyon days of lying around in pjs all day, watching movies in the afternoon? The mornings where the biggest decision was which pool to go to? Shoot... we didn't even go to the "good pool" all summer! The last full day of summer that i'll be home (kids and joe home on Monday, i'm at work.....bad planning on my part)....and Alessandra's alarm clock just went off at 0625. I suppose that it's good to get back in the habit of getting out of bed before 0930...but she has all school year to get up at crack o' dawn....one more day to sleep in. Oh, wait, she just hit the snooze and stayed in bed. Good for her. :o) Christian, of course, is sleeping the sleep of the righteous. He'll be up at the crack o' noon. :o)
I had all kinds of options for today. The "good pool". A walk in the park (before it gets too hot). Putt-putt with (kids') friends. Thrift shopping. Back-to-school supply shopping to get those supplies for Christian's list that we don't yet have. Ice cream stop at Baskin-Robbins. Hang out in the house in pjs and watch movies, play Wii and eat trifle for lunch,. All good options, i thought. Alessandra instead plans to "spend the day catching up with Jadziah" (BFF) so i may just do the DOF (day of fun) with Christian. Or alone when he wants to go out with Robert or Nicole instead. Oh well. At least i'm not at work!
Off to snuggle with my sleeping teen and chat about the day/weekend/week to come. Precious little time for idle morning gossip once the school year starts on Tuesday!
I had all kinds of options for today. The "good pool". A walk in the park (before it gets too hot). Putt-putt with (kids') friends. Thrift shopping. Back-to-school supply shopping to get those supplies for Christian's list that we don't yet have. Ice cream stop at Baskin-Robbins. Hang out in the house in pjs and watch movies, play Wii and eat trifle for lunch,. All good options, i thought. Alessandra instead plans to "spend the day catching up with Jadziah" (BFF) so i may just do the DOF (day of fun) with Christian. Or alone when he wants to go out with Robert or Nicole instead. Oh well. At least i'm not at work!
Off to snuggle with my sleeping teen and chat about the day/weekend/week to come. Precious little time for idle morning gossip once the school year starts on Tuesday!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Blue Max Airflow 2000
Ok, so i bought a new vacuum and it's my new BFF. Ok, so i need to get a life. I've been cleaning like a demon for the past two days. The first day (ok, really only worked for 5 hours but still) was just our bedroom. I vacuumed both sides of the mattress and boxsprings. The carpet. The pillows. The walls/windows. Oodles of fluffy and sandy stuff.
The second day (today) was the first floor of the house. Except the computer/guest room where Alessandra was doing her homework (and i have far too much sewing stuff to move to make it quick).
Before the Blue Max, we used the central vac. It empties into a canister in the garage and i'd empty it about twice a year (big canister-bigger than on an Electrolux or the like).
Today, after the two days of the Blue Max (and not doing the guest room or the laundry room), i emptied the same amount that i used to get after six months of the central vac. Including all the floor sweepings that went to the central vac through the floor electric dustbins.
Ick.
Even after i "cleaned" with the central vac, the house wasn't really clean.
Gotta love the Blue Max 2000.....
What will i do for an encore tomorrow?
Christian's room?! Aaaaaaaack!
The second day (today) was the first floor of the house. Except the computer/guest room where Alessandra was doing her homework (and i have far too much sewing stuff to move to make it quick).
Before the Blue Max, we used the central vac. It empties into a canister in the garage and i'd empty it about twice a year (big canister-bigger than on an Electrolux or the like).
Today, after the two days of the Blue Max (and not doing the guest room or the laundry room), i emptied the same amount that i used to get after six months of the central vac. Including all the floor sweepings that went to the central vac through the floor electric dustbins.
Ick.
Even after i "cleaned" with the central vac, the house wasn't really clean.
Gotta love the Blue Max 2000.....
What will i do for an encore tomorrow?
Christian's room?! Aaaaaaaack!
Monday, July 18, 2011
5 things
Ok, so i was reading a book and the author said that every day, one should make a list of five things that are good in one's life. Anything from getting the first shower (read: hot water) to seeing a spring crocus breaking through the snow. Some days, it's so easy that it hardy makes sense to make a list. The blessings just flow. Other days, the list is a bit more of a struggle.
Don't get me wrong. I know that i'm a blessed, spoiled little brat. That i live in a big ole house without foreclosure hanging over my head. That my family is healthy. That i don't have the "sturm und drang" of so many. I guess i just look for the extra-super-special events daily without really appreciating the little daily bonuses.
Not to mention the "anti-blessings". As the country song says, "some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers". That when i prayed to be pregnant right after Alessandra was weaned and then wasn't (would have missed Christian). That i didn't get the first guy that i thought that i wanted to marry (i'll let you wonder on that one) as i would have missed on Joe. That we didn't stay forever in Gahanna (would have missed ABQ and i love it here).
So, really, despite my grumbling, my life is pretty easy and good. I just have the eyes of a five year old and am looking for the pony. The lollipop moment every day when i can clap my hands and smile over something instead of just appreciating the calm goodness of the everyday.
Off to make dinner (in a kitchen with electricity, where it's not raining in behind my cabinets and there are not vermin infestations). Have a good evening yourself.
Don't get me wrong. I know that i'm a blessed, spoiled little brat. That i live in a big ole house without foreclosure hanging over my head. That my family is healthy. That i don't have the "sturm und drang" of so many. I guess i just look for the extra-super-special events daily without really appreciating the little daily bonuses.
Not to mention the "anti-blessings". As the country song says, "some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers". That when i prayed to be pregnant right after Alessandra was weaned and then wasn't (would have missed Christian). That i didn't get the first guy that i thought that i wanted to marry (i'll let you wonder on that one) as i would have missed on Joe. That we didn't stay forever in Gahanna (would have missed ABQ and i love it here).
So, really, despite my grumbling, my life is pretty easy and good. I just have the eyes of a five year old and am looking for the pony. The lollipop moment every day when i can clap my hands and smile over something instead of just appreciating the calm goodness of the everyday.
Off to make dinner (in a kitchen with electricity, where it's not raining in behind my cabinets and there are not vermin infestations). Have a good evening yourself.
purgatory
So, Joe and i were talking about personal purgatories. Everyone has his or her own "private Hell", that special situation that would be the ideal, personalized purgatory for that person to be stuck with for all eternity in lieu of being greeted into paradise. What would be awful, horrible and nearly intolerable for one person would be easy-peasy for another.
Take Joe's private purgatory. To be stuck forever, driving a vehicle with no pick-up, behind a slow-moving car, driven by an old man in a hat, that Joe is unable to pass. To be stuck forever behind that slow driver who frequently puts on his brakes to slow for no apparent reason, then speeds up a bit, never passing the speed limit. Joe's idea of torture.
Meanwhile, i'm just as likely to be that horrid driver. Being stuck behind a horrid driver, while not a walk in the park mind you, isn't that bad for me. I'm already a slow driver and have never, no not even once, passed a driver on the left (crossing the middle line on a two-way road).
Mine private Hell? That's easy. I get a taste of it so very frequently that calling it to mind is, well,a no-brainer. Not being good enough. An eternity of "not achieving at potential", of being "not quite there yet...not good enough". Over and over being a C- in an A+ world. I was forever "not working up to potential" as a teen and a disappointment so frequently to my dad. I wasn't good enough in college and took six years to finish (took two quarters off....went part-time while working full-time...etc). I was fired from my college waitressing job. I wasn't good enough in my first nursing job and was nearly fired there too. I found my "niche" in PACU nursing but cannot do that anymore as i'm not willing to work the shifts available and am not deserving of "special consideration" given to some others. I repeatedly disappoint and frustrate my husband with my lackadaisical housekeeping and body habitus. And my kids are overly-indulged, incompetent and lazy. I should have done a better job when they were younger. At 14 and 16, they are already pretty set in their ways and difficult to "retrain". I can only hope that she marries well and has someone that can provide her with servants. He will marry someone that will take care of him or at least hire it out. He can at least cook a bit. She cannot even open a container of hummus.
Too late to start over now. My private purgatory is waiting for me every day. As many say that they get "a taste of paradise" when they come home and see their kids, kiss the spouse, catch the big fish or land that coveted promotion/job/college admission, i get a taste of my purgatory daily when i'm shown how i am a disappointment to those around me. You'd think that being in the middle of the bell curve (not fantastically great or horridly awful), there would be a lot of company in mediocrity. But no. It's kinda lonely being a disappointment. You'd think that after 45 years, i'd start to get it right (or at least get used to the short-comings).
Take Joe's private purgatory. To be stuck forever, driving a vehicle with no pick-up, behind a slow-moving car, driven by an old man in a hat, that Joe is unable to pass. To be stuck forever behind that slow driver who frequently puts on his brakes to slow for no apparent reason, then speeds up a bit, never passing the speed limit. Joe's idea of torture.
Meanwhile, i'm just as likely to be that horrid driver. Being stuck behind a horrid driver, while not a walk in the park mind you, isn't that bad for me. I'm already a slow driver and have never, no not even once, passed a driver on the left (crossing the middle line on a two-way road).
Mine private Hell? That's easy. I get a taste of it so very frequently that calling it to mind is, well,a no-brainer. Not being good enough. An eternity of "not achieving at potential", of being "not quite there yet...not good enough". Over and over being a C- in an A+ world. I was forever "not working up to potential" as a teen and a disappointment so frequently to my dad. I wasn't good enough in college and took six years to finish (took two quarters off....went part-time while working full-time...etc). I was fired from my college waitressing job. I wasn't good enough in my first nursing job and was nearly fired there too. I found my "niche" in PACU nursing but cannot do that anymore as i'm not willing to work the shifts available and am not deserving of "special consideration" given to some others. I repeatedly disappoint and frustrate my husband with my lackadaisical housekeeping and body habitus. And my kids are overly-indulged, incompetent and lazy. I should have done a better job when they were younger. At 14 and 16, they are already pretty set in their ways and difficult to "retrain". I can only hope that she marries well and has someone that can provide her with servants. He will marry someone that will take care of him or at least hire it out. He can at least cook a bit. She cannot even open a container of hummus.
Too late to start over now. My private purgatory is waiting for me every day. As many say that they get "a taste of paradise" when they come home and see their kids, kiss the spouse, catch the big fish or land that coveted promotion/job/college admission, i get a taste of my purgatory daily when i'm shown how i am a disappointment to those around me. You'd think that being in the middle of the bell curve (not fantastically great or horridly awful), there would be a lot of company in mediocrity. But no. It's kinda lonely being a disappointment. You'd think that after 45 years, i'd start to get it right (or at least get used to the short-comings).
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Pineapple Rosemary Upside Down Cake
Yum, yummy yum! and only 4 pts if you do Weight Watchers!
PINEAPPLE ROSEMARY UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
1T butter (melted)
1/3C brown sugar
1t rosemary, chopped
6 pineapple rounds (or pineapple nibblets to cover)
spread/sprinkle over bottom of 9" baking pan
heat oven to 350
mix:
1 1/4C flour
2/3C sugar
1 1/2t baking powder
1t vanilla
1 egg
1/2C fat free milk
1/3 C softened butter or margarine
spoon over the pineapple-sugar-rosemary level and pop pan in oven
bake 35 minutes
cool 5 minutes then decant (flip!)
serve within 2 hours
yummy with a bit of cool whip or just plain
great the next morning, heated with a little bit of butter on top :o)
PINEAPPLE ROSEMARY UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
1T butter (melted)
1/3C brown sugar
1t rosemary, chopped
6 pineapple rounds (or pineapple nibblets to cover)
spread/sprinkle over bottom of 9" baking pan
heat oven to 350
mix:
1 1/4C flour
2/3C sugar
1 1/2t baking powder
1t vanilla
1 egg
1/2C fat free milk
1/3 C softened butter or margarine
spoon over the pineapple-sugar-rosemary level and pop pan in oven
bake 35 minutes
cool 5 minutes then decant (flip!)
serve within 2 hours
yummy with a bit of cool whip or just plain
great the next morning, heated with a little bit of butter on top :o)
i want......
to be my kids.
Some days, it would be great to be Christian. School with friends. Home to play on the internet or dig in the back yard. No bad-hair days. No worries of what to wear in the morning (camo or camo?). Breakfast and lunch made for me when i come downstairs. Chauffeured to school most every day. No worries of being to fat/thin, tall/short, ugly/pretty. Easy.
Lately, though, i've come to appreciate that being Alessandra is the way to go.
Time in the morning to do hair/make-up to be the gorgeous girl. Breakfast/lunch made for me when i come downstairs. Chauffeured to school nearly every day (and can whine if running a bit close to time). My own truck at age 16 to drive myself and my friends (and occasionally my brother) here, there and everywhere. Great classes at school in which i can get college credit without having to leave my high school and my friends. Freedom to go out with friends just about any time that i want. No need to work for $$-- paid to go to school over the summer. Laundry that arrives folded in my room so that i don't even have to take the clothes out of the basket (actually, both kids have this benefit).
But, the best of all, someone else to blame when things do not go exactly as i want.
For example, this morning, after waking at 0545 to do her hair and make-up, get dressed and get cute, Alessandra descended to the kitchen to say that she was going to wake Christian so that i could then drive them to school. I reminded her that i was NOT driving today but instead cleaning and.......it's my fault that she doesn't have time to eat breakfast because she has to catch the bus. My fault that she has time to do her hair/make-up/clothes and listen to music but not enough time to eat breakfast. My fault.
She barely had time to grab the hummus roll-up/Hershey bar/sliced carrot-and-dip and animal crax lunch that i'd already prepared and a chocolate granola bar (her favorite) for breakfast.
The pain! The agony! The grumpy slamming of the door on the way out! The drama!!
Off to do that cleaning. Woo hoo.
Some days, it would be great to be Christian. School with friends. Home to play on the internet or dig in the back yard. No bad-hair days. No worries of what to wear in the morning (camo or camo?). Breakfast and lunch made for me when i come downstairs. Chauffeured to school most every day. No worries of being to fat/thin, tall/short, ugly/pretty. Easy.
Lately, though, i've come to appreciate that being Alessandra is the way to go.
Time in the morning to do hair/make-up to be the gorgeous girl. Breakfast/lunch made for me when i come downstairs. Chauffeured to school nearly every day (and can whine if running a bit close to time). My own truck at age 16 to drive myself and my friends (and occasionally my brother) here, there and everywhere. Great classes at school in which i can get college credit without having to leave my high school and my friends. Freedom to go out with friends just about any time that i want. No need to work for $$-- paid to go to school over the summer. Laundry that arrives folded in my room so that i don't even have to take the clothes out of the basket (actually, both kids have this benefit).
But, the best of all, someone else to blame when things do not go exactly as i want.
For example, this morning, after waking at 0545 to do her hair and make-up, get dressed and get cute, Alessandra descended to the kitchen to say that she was going to wake Christian so that i could then drive them to school. I reminded her that i was NOT driving today but instead cleaning and.......it's my fault that she doesn't have time to eat breakfast because she has to catch the bus. My fault that she has time to do her hair/make-up/clothes and listen to music but not enough time to eat breakfast. My fault.
She barely had time to grab the hummus roll-up/Hershey bar/sliced carrot-and-dip and animal crax lunch that i'd already prepared and a chocolate granola bar (her favorite) for breakfast.
The pain! The agony! The grumpy slamming of the door on the way out! The drama!!
Off to do that cleaning. Woo hoo.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
cowboy cheeseburger pie
A "real recipe" (ie with ingredients, although one _is_ pre-packaged...) that my family love, love, loves! They fight over the left-overs, hiding them behind the milk and a big bunch of lettuce so that they can keep them all for themselves. :o) I made two this time to make sure that the bloodshed over the left-overs would be minimal.
COWBOY CHEESEBURGER PIE
1pkg crescent rolls
unroll in pie pan, push together seams to make crust, bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes
meanwhile, saute:
1# ground beef
1/2C (i use more...) diced/sliced onion
drain off fat, add:
2T ketchup and milk and flour
1/3C diced dill pickles
2T pickle juice
1t mustard
mix all and dump in cooked (not completely) crust, top with:
1C shredded cheese
bake at 350 for 14 more minutes
serve to your soon-to-be happy, happy family!
serves 4 normal servings (fewer if one is for Christian, more if one is for lisa...)
so good that Alessandra forgets that she's a vegetarian!
COWBOY CHEESEBURGER PIE
1pkg crescent rolls
unroll in pie pan, push together seams to make crust, bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes
meanwhile, saute:
1# ground beef
1/2C (i use more...) diced/sliced onion
drain off fat, add:
2T ketchup and milk and flour
1/3C diced dill pickles
2T pickle juice
1t mustard
mix all and dump in cooked (not completely) crust, top with:
1C shredded cheese
bake at 350 for 14 more minutes
serve to your soon-to-be happy, happy family!
serves 4 normal servings (fewer if one is for Christian, more if one is for lisa...)
so good that Alessandra forgets that she's a vegetarian!
Yummy SD Cake
1 box white/yellow cake mix (white is better, yellow works)
1C water
2 eggs
1/2C banana (use instead of oil, can use sour cream. yogurt or baby food)
(secret ingredient)
mix well for 4 minutes with KitchenAid.
pour into pammed 13x9 pan and bake 350 for 35 minutes
let cool
drizzle melted prepared frosting(put in coffee cup, nuke for ~30 seconds, stir well) over the top
let cool and serve to much acclaim
(secret ingredient? unsweetened kool aid mix-- any flavor. blue raspberry ice makes a pretty light blue cake, kiwi-strawberry is a very light pink and really good, grape is too weird)
enjoy!!
also good with cool whip frosting or just dusted with confectioner's sugar.
1C water
2 eggs
1/2C banana (use instead of oil, can use sour cream. yogurt or baby food)
(secret ingredient)
mix well for 4 minutes with KitchenAid.
pour into pammed 13x9 pan and bake 350 for 35 minutes
let cool
drizzle melted prepared frosting(put in coffee cup, nuke for ~30 seconds, stir well) over the top
let cool and serve to much acclaim
(secret ingredient? unsweetened kool aid mix-- any flavor. blue raspberry ice makes a pretty light blue cake, kiwi-strawberry is a very light pink and really good, grape is too weird)
enjoy!!
also good with cool whip frosting or just dusted with confectioner's sugar.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
recipe dearth
i would post more recipes but my family seems to prefer the "kits" lately.
not the "homemade with ingredients" cornbread but the Jiffy mix.
not the "homemade with ingredients" cake/cupcakes but the Betty Crocker mix (with substitutions, of course)
not the "homemade with ingredients" macaroni and cheese but the powdered cheese-like substance box stuff
i'll post a recipe tonight that i make tonight, Girl Scout promise
in the meantime, for lunch we're having "cheater's baba ghanoush"-- i roasted an eggplant, pureed it in the food processor with an 8oz tub of hummus and
voila-- baba :o)
not the "homemade with ingredients" cornbread but the Jiffy mix.
not the "homemade with ingredients" cake/cupcakes but the Betty Crocker mix (with substitutions, of course)
not the "homemade with ingredients" macaroni and cheese but the powdered cheese-like substance box stuff
i'll post a recipe tonight that i make tonight, Girl Scout promise
in the meantime, for lunch we're having "cheater's baba ghanoush"-- i roasted an eggplant, pureed it in the food processor with an 8oz tub of hummus and
voila-- baba :o)
the good, the bad and the ugly
Off work all the live-long day! Woo hoo!! But have oodles of things to do that are time-sensitive. I love the days where i get lots done because i can go from one to another (bank-post office-library-grocery-fruit/veggie market-school) but time-sensitive errands (have Christian to CopperPointe at 1000, go to service at 445) put a crimp in that. Even meeting my friend for coffee-and-chat at 0745 is a crimp in my "flow" (although i can still do the grocery on the way back).So i can get my "gold star" for the day (i'm such a 5 year old!) for my good work.
The boy is still on my last nerve. I find interacting with him so frustrating. I feel it in my gut. I just want to vomit (and/or cry, but i do that a lot). The work that i do with him is my "bad". Whatever i do is wrong, every time. It is frustratingly new territory for this former-A student to find something that no matter how hard i try, no matter what angle i come from, i cannot succeed. Yes, i know that it's not all about me. But i want to help him to have an easier life than the one that he is making for himself with his choices. I can only hope that his stubborn streak will serve him well after he leaves our home (in just five years" for those of us keeping score in the stands", as they say in baseball).
Off to hop in the shower before throwing in the laundry. Gotta avoid the "ugly"!
The boy is still on my last nerve. I find interacting with him so frustrating. I feel it in my gut. I just want to vomit (and/or cry, but i do that a lot). The work that i do with him is my "bad". Whatever i do is wrong, every time. It is frustratingly new territory for this former-A student to find something that no matter how hard i try, no matter what angle i come from, i cannot succeed. Yes, i know that it's not all about me. But i want to help him to have an easier life than the one that he is making for himself with his choices. I can only hope that his stubborn streak will serve him well after he leaves our home (in just five years" for those of us keeping score in the stands", as they say in baseball).
Off to hop in the shower before throwing in the laundry. Gotta avoid the "ugly"!
Friday, April 29, 2011
the opposite of love
It is said that the opposite of love is hate. One can see this splashed all over the front page of any newspaper, any day of the year. Horrid things done by angry people to hurt other people. Awful.
While this is truly terrible, i don't know that this comparison transfers to smaller, more focused emotional connections.
When one is very angry with a friend or family member, there is still a lot of emotional connection there. It is because of this deep emotional bond that the offended party is so hurt. I would contend that in this situation, the opposite of love is not hate. The emotional tie is still there.
The opposite of love in a relationship......is indifference. At this point, one has given up on the other(s) being what they should/could be. Has given up on the relationship being what it once was or might have been. Has given up on the offending party and has accepted that the relationship will never be repaired. And has let the relationship and the offending party lapse.
So, the end of the nagging and checking in. The end of the curfews and homework checks and internet locks. The end of the yelling and fussing.
Quieter. Calmer. Easier.
While this is truly terrible, i don't know that this comparison transfers to smaller, more focused emotional connections.
When one is very angry with a friend or family member, there is still a lot of emotional connection there. It is because of this deep emotional bond that the offended party is so hurt. I would contend that in this situation, the opposite of love is not hate. The emotional tie is still there.
The opposite of love in a relationship......is indifference. At this point, one has given up on the other(s) being what they should/could be. Has given up on the relationship being what it once was or might have been. Has given up on the offending party and has accepted that the relationship will never be repaired. And has let the relationship and the offending party lapse.
So, the end of the nagging and checking in. The end of the curfews and homework checks and internet locks. The end of the yelling and fussing.
Quieter. Calmer. Easier.
Come on, get happy!
Our family is healthy. I'm not divorced, separated or widowed (but have friends that are all of the above). It's not raining in my kitchen from leaking pipes. My daughter isn't pregnant (nor my son's girlfriend). My son hasn't been arrested for dealing drugs or theft to pay for said illegal substances. My coffee is sweet and hot beside me.
Why, with all that i have going for me, do i still wake with a dread of the little things that make me crazy? Why do i allow my son's "not working up to potential" get on my last nerve and rob me of the happiness that should be mine? Why does my daughter's inability to manage her life without my picking up the slack (pack my lunch, drive me to school, wake me at 5:00 so that i can do the homework that i didn't do last night while i was out with my friends) drag me in? I won't even start on being two close flying planes with Joe. I can see him out the window but we seem to pass in different flight patterns (thank goodness for non-sleeping air traffic controllers!).
Off to wake my son, drive my daughter to school and come home to clean. Yes, it's a blessing to have the flexibility to be able to drive them hither and yon and to be cleaning my beautiful house on a friday morning instead of slaving away at a job that i hate. I just need to restart my mood and, like the Partridges used to sing, "come on, get happy!"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GgIWuBeDrE
Why, with all that i have going for me, do i still wake with a dread of the little things that make me crazy? Why do i allow my son's "not working up to potential" get on my last nerve and rob me of the happiness that should be mine? Why does my daughter's inability to manage her life without my picking up the slack (pack my lunch, drive me to school, wake me at 5:00 so that i can do the homework that i didn't do last night while i was out with my friends) drag me in? I won't even start on being two close flying planes with Joe. I can see him out the window but we seem to pass in different flight patterns (thank goodness for non-sleeping air traffic controllers!).
Off to wake my son, drive my daughter to school and come home to clean. Yes, it's a blessing to have the flexibility to be able to drive them hither and yon and to be cleaning my beautiful house on a friday morning instead of slaving away at a job that i hate. I just need to restart my mood and, like the Partridges used to sing, "come on, get happy!"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GgIWuBeDrE
Monday, April 11, 2011
spring has sprung
with a brief spat of winter last night... that froze all the potted plants that i'd installed last week...aaaargh! i should have used ama's rule of waiting until Mother's Day to plant....this is what i get for my over-enthusiasm! :-S
being a big person, being a little person
There are advantages to being a "big person", an adult if you will. Reaching the grocery items on the top shelf. Never having to do long division by hand. Being able to watch the "good movies" (that have bad words). Being able to buy the newest techno-gadget... just because you want it.... without having to ask a parent. No more snarky high/middle-school evaluations of your outfit/hairstyle/body habitus/make-up.
All good.
There are, however, some serious drawbacks, as well. No one will else will pay for the newest techno-gadget that you crave. You have to actually do the grocery shopping. And the social outlets are...well...limited.
It's way easier to make friends (casual and more BFF) when one is in contact with others day in and day out. The friendly girl next to you in Spanish class, the co-worker on a Key club project, the project lead in the AP world presentation. Once one is an adult, the social outlets are limited. Where does one really make friends? Not in the grocery aisle. Not driving the kids to and from school/activities/sports. Not cleaning or sewing or running errands. While the criticisms of the "mean girls" at school may be a drag, at least it's attention and notice of one's existence. Being a big person-- kinda lonely.
Off to drive the kids to school and run errands. Quiet day off but, then again, they usually are. I think that my sister and sister-in-laws had the right idea in staying in the same neighborhood. At least they have family nearby and, for my sis-in-law, all of the high school friends. Company for scrapbooking nights and child-care exchange. I cannot even get someone to be an emergency contact for my kids' school papers. d
All good.
There are, however, some serious drawbacks, as well. No one will else will pay for the newest techno-gadget that you crave. You have to actually do the grocery shopping. And the social outlets are...well...limited.
It's way easier to make friends (casual and more BFF) when one is in contact with others day in and day out. The friendly girl next to you in Spanish class, the co-worker on a Key club project, the project lead in the AP world presentation. Once one is an adult, the social outlets are limited. Where does one really make friends? Not in the grocery aisle. Not driving the kids to and from school/activities/sports. Not cleaning or sewing or running errands. While the criticisms of the "mean girls" at school may be a drag, at least it's attention and notice of one's existence. Being a big person-- kinda lonely.
Off to drive the kids to school and run errands. Quiet day off but, then again, they usually are. I think that my sister and sister-in-laws had the right idea in staying in the same neighborhood. At least they have family nearby and, for my sis-in-law, all of the high school friends. Company for scrapbooking nights and child-care exchange. I cannot even get someone to be an emergency contact for my kids' school papers. d
Saturday, January 1, 2011
mushroom stroganoff 1/1/11
Leave it to simmer all day. Come home to a house that smells great and dinner that's waiting for you. How cool is that?!
MUSHROOM STROGANOFF
8-16oz mushrooms, quartered
1T oil (or not)
saute and set aside
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
8oz green beans, sliced
1T oil
saute to soft, add:
2T flour
cook until "raw taste" is gone, about 3 minutes
dump in crock pot with :
8oz tomato sauce
2C water
(bouillon packet)
1 1/2T Sweet Hungarian Paprika
cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, covered
add reserved, sauteed mushrooms and 1/3-1/2 C sour cream (and salt/pepper to taste), turn crock pot to HIGH and cook for 15-30 minutes, uncovered
serve over fluffy noodles or rice or angel hair
yum! yummy! yum!
MUSHROOM STROGANOFF
8-16oz mushrooms, quartered
1T oil (or not)
saute and set aside
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
8oz green beans, sliced
1T oil
saute to soft, add:
2T flour
cook until "raw taste" is gone, about 3 minutes
dump in crock pot with :
8oz tomato sauce
2C water
(bouillon packet)
1 1/2T Sweet Hungarian Paprika
cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, covered
add reserved, sauteed mushrooms and 1/3-1/2 C sour cream (and salt/pepper to taste), turn crock pot to HIGH and cook for 15-30 minutes, uncovered
serve over fluffy noodles or rice or angel hair
yum! yummy! yum!
five things in 2011
Ok, so other than my son, my life is essentially all blessed. Alessandra is great. Having fun playing Donkey Kong and giggling at the baby monkey. My husband is holding down the fort in the kitchen with the boy. I"m hiding in our room with the computer because i just cannot take being in his presence (the boy, not the husband). It's still not raining in my kitchen and i'm off to soak in the hot tub and look at the stars. So, if i can just time my passage through the kitchen for after the dishes have been done/broken by the boy, i'm golden. :o)
I"m to be skipping church tomorrow as my buddy from work called and invited me to go snow shoeing. I had intended to go today but it was too cold and windy earlier (coldest day this winter) and the sun sets at 1630. So......tomorrow morning, 1015, up to Cedar Crest with my snow shoes and lots of layers to hike across the snow with Kim, Michael and their puppies.
Wish me luck! She is a Senior Olympian (volleyball) and in fantastic shape. I've only ever snow shoed once. She's going to kick my butt. Have me for breakfast. Leave me in the dust (err...snow). I'll let you know the damage tomorrow night...
This will be fun!
I"m to be skipping church tomorrow as my buddy from work called and invited me to go snow shoeing. I had intended to go today but it was too cold and windy earlier (coldest day this winter) and the sun sets at 1630. So......tomorrow morning, 1015, up to Cedar Crest with my snow shoes and lots of layers to hike across the snow with Kim, Michael and their puppies.
Wish me luck! She is a Senior Olympian (volleyball) and in fantastic shape. I've only ever snow shoed once. She's going to kick my butt. Have me for breakfast. Leave me in the dust (err...snow). I'll let you know the damage tomorrow night...
This will be fun!
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