MomVader saves the day!

Gravy

2010-03-24T22:57:00.002-04:00

There is something about Wednesdays that turn me into a food-hound. It could be that Wednesday is pot roast on a roll day at the deli downstairs.
Or it could be that Wednesdays is Schwan's day.

Whatever. . . it's Wednesday. Wednesday = food day. So I'm going to offer a nice little food tip for the day.

I'm not going to talk about the amazing moster cookies I made today, or even the caesar parmesan shrimp.

Today it's all about the gravy.

Libby's country sausage gravy in a can. No, not a jar. A can. Best. . . gravy. . . EVER! I get it at WalMart, but I've seen it at other stores, too. It's so good I could eat it as soup, but that just wouldn't be fair to everyone else in the house, so I actually have to share!

Here is a little ol' recipe to get you started on your next gravt binge.

Kick-Ass Breakfast Casserole

you will need:
1 dozen eggs
1 lb. breakfast sausage, chopped and browned
1 bag frozen hashbrowns, thawed
1 delicious can of Libby's gravy
If you are cool like me, 1 T. Goya Adobo with the blue lid

Preheat oven to 350
In a 9X13 pan, stir in hashbrowns and sausage
Mix up the eggs just as if you were making scrambled. This is where I add the Adobo
Pour egg mixture in pan with hashbrowns and sausage
Poke it around a little bit (that's what she said. ha!) to make sure hashbrowns and sausage mixture is coated

Bake for 55 minutes, or until you can poke it (that's what she said) and no runny egg mixture gushes to the surface.
Spread gravy over the top of the casserole.
Bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Enjoy.

Boiled geeeooose

2010-03-17T09:52:00.004-04:00

Geese are migrating back up north and are currently using my back yard as a rest area. This probably means that old people will be having sex in my backyard soon. While this makes perfect sense to some, for all of you confused people out there, I will explain.

It is a process.

1. The geese are loud and it's starting to piss me off.
2. I'm about to go out there and wring some goosey necks.
3. I'm getting hungry.
4. Dead goose + hungry = Hey, I could cook this goose!
5. Now we have boiled goose.

Now, those of us "in the know" understand that it is only a matter of time before someone wearing fingerless gloves shows up with a boombox.

Aw, crap. Old people sex.

Poor little bloggy-blog

2010-03-17T09:51:00.001-04:00

I know I've been neglecting you, but really it's your fault. If you weren't such a naughty little blog, I'd spend more time on here with you instead of facebook.

My First Article

2009-07-23T23:11:00.003-04:00

I did it! I wrote my first article.

How to Be a Better Reader

It's awesome. I'm so excited!

Gratuitous book photo.

A great big thank you to the teenage boy at the movies.

2009-07-21T21:58:00.002-04:00

Dear Teenage Boy,

Yes, you, the one sitting next to us at the movies Sunday night. Oh, wait. You probably don't remember that there were people sitting next to you.

That's right. You were distracted by your phone. I have to say I really enjoyed being distracted by the bright screen on your phone when you were sending text messages. Thank you.

I also loved the way you just had to rub your legs rhythmically during the movie. It made my day to hear that "sweoosh sweoosh" sound you were making. Thank you.

Your running dialogue was especially pleasing. Each and every "oh, man." and "What's happening?" and "Did he kill him?" really made my theater experience exciting. Thank You.

Thank goodness I read the book because there were so many parts of the movie I missed.

Thanks to you.

Sincerely,

A woman who wishes you would have stayed home and waited for DVD

Omelette Books

2009-07-12T20:53:00.002-04:00

and I am not talking about recipes!

I am so sick of reading books with poor little rich people as characters. They are always out sooooooo late, and then they get home and decide they are hungry.

Oh, but they are always just too busy to shop for food. Oh no! What does one do?

Oh, I know! It's the middle of the night and we're both too rich and busy to really know how to cook, but the man can. . .

wait for it. . .

make omelettes!

The rich people only have eggs, a bit of butter, some gnarly French cheese, and fresh chives.

Why would a house with no groceries (too busy, remember?) have FRESH chives? Never mind the fact that omelettes can be really, really hard for an inexperienced cook to make!

What is wrong with these authors? Why is it so bloody cool to eat omelettes at midnight when you are rich?

Gratuitous omelette photo goes here:

Wanna know what's frustrating?

2009-07-08T22:18:00.003-04:00

It's frustrating when you remember a post on a blog, but when you go to look, you can't find it. I have been all over llynm's blog site, but the post I'm looking for. . . gone. Vanished. Right into thin air!
So, here is a question to your question, llynm:

Tim Horton's almost lost my kid!

2009-07-02T15:40:00.004-04:00

Okaaaaay, they didn't almost lose my kid. Here is the story.
Riley was chosen to go to The Tim Horton Children's Foundation camp in Kentucky.
Girlfriend was chosen because she is the most awesome kid ever. Today is her birthday, by the way.

So the kids get to the airport at 8:30 AM on the 20th to leave for camp. Their flight gets delayed. . .
and delayed. . .
and delayed. . .
and delayed. . .
So they charter a bus. Arrive at camp at 1:30 AM.

The 21st = have fun.
The 22nd = have fun.
The 23rd = have fun.
The 24th = have fun.
The 25th = have fun.
The 26th = have fun.
The 27th = come down with a raging fever, have to move into the Wellness Center for the duration of camp, but it's fun. They have cable and the girls got to wear sassy surgical masks if they went outside.
The 28th = Camp calls Mom and Dad, "We're sorry, but your daughter will not be flying home with the rest of the campers. Due to her fever, the CDC regulations will not allow air travel (because anyone with a fever has swine flu). We'll let you know when she will be coming home."
The 29th = Camp calls, "Riley will be flying in at 10 AM tomorrow."

Wait, there is no flight arriving at 10 AM from anywhere. Oh, must be that flight from Detroit arriving at 9:41. Kind of funny, all of the other parents are there (which is quite amazing. more on that later). Weren't the rest of the kids supposed to arrive yesterday? Plane lands, no Riley. "Yes, camp people, I understand. You accidentally called me because my kid was originally scheduled to fly home with the others (who had a cancelled flight due to weather, hence the morning airport scene). So, where is my kid? Oh, she's flying in at 11:15? Thanks for letting me know!"

Apparently they called me, did not get hold of me, and didn't try again. My cell phone was good enough to tell me she went to see the nurse, but not good enough to use to let me know of the travel arrangements.

Anyway, the Tim Horton's camps are amazing. This company sends these kids to camp for 10 days at no cost to the families. There may have been some travel mix-ups, but Riley was safe and sound the whole time. She says she'd go back in a heartbeat!

Super busy lately

2009-04-15T21:09:00.002-04:00

Super, super busy, but I have two things to say.

#1 My oven broke. Easter Sunday morning! Couldn't have picked a better day????

#2 I think I may have had the worst education in High School. Guess what I found out today? The United States did not become a country in 1776. We only declared it then.
We did not officially become a country until the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Who knew?

Unfortunately, a meme

2009-02-21T08:24:00.003-05:00

A new meme. Pull up Google, type in unfotunately ________. The space would be for your name. It's really quite fun! Here are mine:

Unfortunately, Elizabeth had to leave Boston because she did not have enough students signed up for the new school year.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth has no artistic talent at all when it comes to painting or drawing.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth usually comes off as a raving, sniveling, hypocritical idiot.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth's perfect image is threatened by the secrets she holds.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth died shortly after her Dec. 1, 1994, surgery.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth's impressive performance in front of the large crowd was not enough to push her into the later rounds.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth, good as she is, is unable to spell it and even less able to say it.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth, you forgot to put your return address in the letter so I decided to put the picture in this newsletter.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth woke up with a stomach problem.

Unfortunately Elizabeth would never see her father again as he died a few months later of a stroke.

Pig's Tale

2009-02-10T23:57:00.002-05:00

A farmer had 5 female pigs and times were getting tough, so he went to the country fair to sell his pigs. At the fair, he came across a farmer who had 5 male pigs. After talking a bit, they decided to mate the pigs and split everything 50/50. The two farmers lived 60 miles away from each other so they agreed to each drive 30 miles, and find a field to mate their pigs. The first morning, the farmer with the female pigs got up at 5:00 am, loaded the pigs into the family station wagon, which was the only vehicle he had left, and drove the 30 miles.

While the pigs were going at it, he asked the other farmer, "How will I know if they're pregnant?"

The other farmer replied, "If they're in the grass grazing in the morning, then they're pregnant, if they're in the mud, then they're not.

The next morning they were rolling in the mud so he hosed them down, loaded them again into the family station wagon and proceeded to try again. The following morning, MUD again!

This continued all week until one morning the farmer was so tired that he couldn't get out of bed. He called to his wife and and said, "Honey, look outside the and tell me if the pigs are in the mud or in the field."

Neither one," yelled his wife, "They're in the station wagon and one of them is beeping the horn."

Pay It Forward (Gifties! Woo-Hoo!!)

2009-02-10T22:22:00.003-05:00

Llyn M is participating in a PAY IT FORWARD, so I am making her send me a handmade giftie by leaving her a comment. She will be sending them to the first three comments on her post! Then those three will do the same for three more and the world gets wonderful gifties!

Would you like to play??? I will send a little handmade giftie to the first three people who leave a comment here. Participation means you then agree to Pay It Forward to the first three commenters on YOUR post. The only rule is that the giftie handmade by you and must be sent out within the next year.

White Knot

2009-02-08T09:46:00.002-05:00

I believe that everyone should be able to marry the one they love, no matter the gender. I think constitutional bans on gay marriage are disgusting.

Show your support of marriage equality!

The White Knot is an organization that believes everyone should have the right to tie the knot. The white knot symbol is a combination of two symbols of marriage (white and tying the knot).

Order a free white knot.

Donate.

Join the cause.

My name's hidden meaning

2009-02-07T11:40:00.002-05:00

I took this fun little quiz. It was great! I only had to enter one word.

You have to try this.

Your Name's Hidden Meaning

Here are my results.

You Are Gracious and Amicable

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.
You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.
Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are incredibly wise and perceptive. You have a lot of life experience.
You are a natural peacemaker, and you are especially good at helping others get along.
But keeping the peace in your own life is not easy. You see things very differently, and it's hard to get you to budge.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are full of energy. You are spirited and boisterous.
You are bold and daring. You are willing to do some pretty outrageous things.
Your high energy sometimes gets you in trouble. You can have a pretty bad temper at times.

You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life.
You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home.
You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble.

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out.
Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia.
Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

Holy Wow! This describes me perfectly.

If your name is Elizabeth, you don't need to worry about doing your own. Just copy mine! Lol.

Cracking up.

2009-01-28T20:38:00.000-05:00

This is one of the funniest things I have seen. Ever.

Lovely weather here she says sarcastically

2009-01-28T19:27:00.004-05:00

This was the beautiful (not) scene in Erie, PA today. We got 9 inches of snow today! So many cars got stuck, including me. Not fun at all.

I'll leave you with this lovely picture.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha hee hee hee hee hee ho ho ho ho
he he he
he he
he
Oh my god. That it so funny.

A Tag. Yay!

2009-01-12T20:24:00.005-05:00

LlynM sent me this fun tag!

The rules of this tag are quick & easy:
1. Go to the the 4th folder where you keep your pictures on your computer.
2. Post the 4th picture in the folder.
3. Explain the photo.
4. Tag 4 fellow bloggers to join in the fun!

This is one of my favorite screen-shots from my all-time favorite video game. She is Yuna, a summoner, using her summon, Valefor, to escape a forced marriage to Maester Seymour. This picture is a leftover from the days when I liked making MySpace layouts.
Unfortunately, I don't know 4 other bloggers, so I am going to send this to 4 random strangers.

1. Make Way for Cupcakes
2. So anyway...
3. Fullmetalgerbil
4. I Wish I was Canadian

Perfect strangers! Ooh, are they gonna love me!

A sandwich walks into a bar. . .

2009-01-11T13:03:00.003-05:00

and the bartender says, "I'm sorry. We don't serve food here."

Our backyard.

The creek behind our house.

And I emerged from the bat-cave. . .

2009-01-05T20:57:00.004-05:00

Today was the first day I left the house since last Monday. Oh, the sunlight! It burns my eyes!

The kiddos were back to school today, which meant I was back to picking them up from school today. I decided to venture forth with half my hair pulled up and not a speck of makeup on my face. I got to the school and realized

I HAD TO GO IN!

Yikes!

My absolute favorite teacher in the world, Mr. Fisher, told me I look like an exhausted college student. I didn't want to say anything, but I have been on vacation for two weeks. Why do I look exhausted??? Argh. I guess the natural look is not for me. The makeup is going on the face tomorrow! Lots of it!

I'm already sick of blogging about not smoking. Still not smoking. There we go.
I had to give Rose her first haircut last night. Taking care of her hair was becoming too difficult. Here is the finished product.

It's a bit crooked, but she is wiggly. I hated seeing all those curls go. Why can't my hair look like that?

Friday List: Tom Cruise

2009-01-02T10:26:00.002-05:00

I do not like Tom Cruise. In my opinion, he is just a bit freakish. Actually, the man scares me half to death.
See what I mean? Scary. *shudders*

As much as I love to loathe that man, I love most his movies. He is such a good actor that I am capable of completely forgetting how much I dislike him when I am watching him act.

Tom Cruise, this post is dedicated to you. Here is a list of the top 5 Tom Cruise movies. Well, my opinion of the top 5 anyway.

5. Vanilla Sky. . . David Aames

4. Top Gun. . . Lt. Pete Mitchell

3. Mission Impossible. . . Ethan Hunt

2. Interview with the Vampire. . . Lestat de Lioncourt
(bite me please!)

1. Jerry Maguire. . . Jerry Maguire

Now, let's see yours.

Captain's Log: Stardate 4-10:24

2009-01-02T10:17:00.002-05:00

Morning, day 4. Still smoke-free, but suspicious. Why is this so easy? Is it going to sneak up on me and kick my butt soon? I'm frightened, Johnny. Name that movie and I'll send you a cookie.

48 hours 21 minutes A.K.A. Day 2

2008-12-31T23:15:00.002-05:00

I'm getting ready for bed and thought I'd update my non-smoking progress for everybody.

Yay! I made it through Day 2 with no problem.

That's me, clapping for myself.

He he. I feel like I have a jump on everybody who is trying to quit tomorrow.

21 hours, 27 minutes. . . Day 1

2008-12-30T19:32:00.005-05:00

I quit smoking. Again.
This is the longest I have ever gone without a cigarette. Unless you count the first 17 years of my life, of course.

I have this sweet little guy on one shoulder, saying, "You don't need to smoke. You'll smell better. You'll breathe easier. You'll get less wrinkles. Zac Efron doesn't smoke. C'mon, be one of the cool kids."

Then I have this little devil camel on my other shoulder, telling me, "Smoke. . . smoke. . . you know you want one. . . c'mon, one won't hurt.".

I've decided that the best way to quit smoking is to be stranded in a cabin in the middle of nowhere (with a McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts ((and maybe a stylist)) ). You can't pop to the store to buy smokes, you can't hurt anyone.

I'm feeling very hopeful this time. We'll see.

Coffee Break

2008-12-28T16:01:00.003-05:00

I have some news for all you Starbuck's fans. You know how McDonald's is now serving lattes and cappucinos? Try one. You won't regret it. They're about half the price of Starbuck's and taste better.

Christmas Greetings

2008-12-24T10:49:00.001-05:00

Send this eCard !

Fall pictures!

2008-11-09T14:39:00.003-05:00

I took these pictures in our yard on Halloween.

Don't you love her madly?

2008-10-27T10:25:00.002-04:00

Some of the things I am thinking today:

I need a new blogger layout. The little chickie is not doing it for me anymore. I am a whiz with MySpace layouts, but these are beyond my expertise. Anybody out there want to make me one???????

I went to see High School Musical 3 this weekend. I really, really liked it. This is one of the reasons why. I know I'm old enough to be his mother, but he is just so darn cute!

It is snowing. This is my 4th winter here and this is the first time it has snowed before Thanksgiving. Brrr. Trick or treating Friday just may be miserable. Good news though. I get to take pictures!!!!

Happy Monday to everyone!

Classic Dames Test

2008-10-27T10:23:00.001-04:00

Your result for The Classic Dames Test ...

Katharine Hepburn
You scored 5% grit, 38% wit, 38% flair, and 24% class!

You are the fabulously quirky and independent woman of character. You go your own way, follow your own drummer, take your own lead. You stand head and shoulders next to your partner, but you are perfectly willing and able to stand alone. Others might be more classically beautiful or conventionally woman-like, but you possess a more fundamental common sense and off-kilter charm, making interesting men fall at your feet. You can pick them up or leave them there as you see fit. You share the screen with the likes of Spencer Tracy and Cary Grant, thinking men who like strong women.

LOL Polar Bear

2008-10-26T16:43:00.000-04:00

meme

2008-10-23T22:18:00.004-04:00

Instructions:
Take a picture of yourself right now.
Don’t change your clothes, don’t fix your hair - just take a picture.
Post that picture with NO editing.
Post these instructions with the picture.

Luckily I had a meeting tonight, so I don't look toooooo bad. Check out Llynm. She's also the one who inspired the meme!

Harper Valley PTA

2008-10-03T22:07:00.002-04:00

I'm in the middle of a 2,000 word final essay for class, so I must blog quickly.

You are reading the post of the Secretary of the Glenwood Elementary PTO. That's our cool way of saying PTA.

Yay. I'm a PTA mom. And I have a mini-van.

How cool am I?

Humph!

2008-09-30T21:06:00.001-04:00

Could it be any harder to find Simonsomething's first CD for my kid's birthday???????

Bangs. What a funny word. Bangs...

2008-09-24T09:38:00.008-04:00

Once in a while I take my mother's advice and cut bangs. I have a high forehead which usually doesn't bother me too much (unless I look in the mirror). The problem is I don't like bangs. Bangs require maintenence. Bangs make my forehead break out. Bangs on a windy day are a really bad thing. Lately I've had long bangs that I could sweep to the side when I'm having a bad forehead day. Like these:

Only my hair is long and not blonde. To make them look decent requires a flat iron and styling product. I don't want to style my hair. I want to brush it and go.
So a week or so ago I asked Kaellyn to cut my bangs. I know, she's only 14, but really, she is a whiz with scissors. This is what I ended up with:

What is really cool about that picture is it is EXACTLY what my hair looked like. Except the color. Mine is sort of a golden blonde-brown (not natural). Now, the hairstyle is very pretty, but did you see those bangs? No way do they look like that in the morning or after a shower. They still take work!
I have always wondered how I would look with heavy, straight across bangs. So that's what I did yesterday. By myself. Over the bathroom sink. It now looks like this:

Except I look nothing like her. And my hair is layered at the bottom...
The best part (besides the fact that I look SO cute)? I slept on my face last night and my bangs still looked good this morning!

WHAT?????????????????

2008-09-16T21:47:00.004-04:00

the hell??????????????????????????

WHY?

Snappers and the Golden Rule pertaining to kids

2008-09-16T18:39:00.003-04:00

In the past week, a few issues have been literally thrust in my face. or you could say ears...eyes...whatever.

Issue #1 a.k.a. Snappers!
I was at Ghetto-Mart today buying groceries. That would be the Wal-Mart Supercenter in the bad part of town. Yes. A great deal on hot dogs IS worth a bullet in the arm. I guess the lady behind me thought so too.
You know who you are, you size negative zero, 5'10", beauty shop hair, $900 jeans, jillion-dollar shoes, never washed a dish in your life manicure, GUM CHEWER!!!!!!!!
I have decided that public gum-chewing should be outlawed. I don't want to hear it! I absolutely cannot stand to hear someone else's saliva mushing around and teeth chomping on a piece of rubbery ick. I guess you really need to smack that gum around all over your mouth to get it absolutely full of air bubbles. Because annoying the person in front of you will not be complete until you make it pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop. Then you can start the smack-smack-smack-squish-smack-smack-smack-squish all over again.
My question is this: Who decided it was polite to chew gum in public in the first place? Usually when a person is in public, they speak to other people. If you're eating, is it polite to talk with your mouth full? So tell me why it's polite to talk with your mouth full of gum.

Issue #2 a.k.a. Bad Parents
Scene: open house at the elementary school
characters: mom, dad, small boy in Kindergarten
Let me start by saying that I do, on occasion, raise my voice at my children. I do not grab at them or hit them.
Here is what happened. This cute little boy was excited to be at the school, showing off his classroom and his teacher. In the hallway, he slowed down a little to wave at a little friend. His dad grabbed his upper arm and yanked him up off his feet while his mom yelled at him. I'm not talking a little voice raising. She was YELLING that if he didn't watch it, he was going to get his ass beat. What a mom! Yes. His parents were disgusting, but what broke my heart was the little boy. He did not deserve that kind of abuse. I'm sure he was hurt and that is sad, but what gets me the most is the humiliation he was probably feeling at that moment. Yes, kids can get rowdy, especially in public, but that is absolutely NO excuse to treat a child that way. The golden rule should apply to kids as well. Hey mom and dad, how would you like to be manhandled and verbally abused and threatened in public? I bet you'd be calling the police real quick.

Boobies!

2008-09-06T18:28:00.001-04:00

My Bucket List

2008-09-05T20:28:00.007-04:00

My sister in law posted her bucket list on her blog the other day and I was inspired to create my own. Here goes.

1. Write a story.
I don't care if it is a novel or a short story. I've had this idea floating
around in my head for years and just can't seem to get it down on paper.

2. Do something outrageously generous for someone less fortunate... anonymously.

3. Own and fix up a beach cottage.

4. Actually beat a video game with a real-time battle system without asking Mr.
McFadden for help.

5. Buy a piano and learn how to play it.

6. Actually go to one of my high school reunions (maybe the 20th!) Go PHS!

7. Get over my fear of flying over water and go overseas somewhere.

8. Live somewhere warm for a change (someday, someday)

9. Have a couple tattoos removed.

10. Meet Steve Buscemi. He's a god.

That's all I have for now. I'm sure I'll add more as I think of them.

It just... happened....

2008-07-27T11:42:00.001-04:00

It looks like I have a new collection. I bought the first one on a whim. Then I bought the second one because I already had one. Now I want more!

Worst day EVER!

2008-07-24T18:06:00.002-04:00

Here is a bit of advice. If you are a chubby mother of five, do not, I repeat DO NOT go to town wearing a sundress with an empire waist. If you still have a bit of a belly, from oh, I don't know... birthing 5 children!??!!! DO NOT go to town wearing a sundress with an empire waist.

Why?

People will want to know when you are due.

I'm not even pregnant! At least, I don't think I am.

Three Words

2008-07-13T22:22:00.002-04:00

Orange
Zygote
Delicious

These are three words I just don't like the sound of.

Zenko

2008-07-13T12:30:00.004-04:00

We lost Zingo somewhere in the house. Rhys was so upset that we had to go outside and look for a new one. We found one and put him in a bottle. His name is Zenko. Actually, all moths are now called zenkos.

In the spirit of Frindle, we are spreading the word about the change in name.

Our new pet

2008-07-12T19:13:00.002-04:00

A moth got in our house this morning. Rhys decided it was his new pet and named him Zingo. Ah, you gotta love 5 year-old boys. He really believes Zingo wants to play with him. He's making plans to run around and Zingo can fly around him and chase him. We had to go online to see what moths eat in case Zingo got hungry. Turns out, most adult moths do not eat. The ones that do eat, like dirty water and rotten fruit. Mmmm.

Oh, this was fun!

2008-06-30T12:18:00.003-04:00

Kaellyn and I went to Waldameer the other day. It is really cheap since she works there.
We were having a great time, but we started to think they may close the park early because there was thunder and lightning.
We popped into the gift shop to look at hats and it started pouring. When I say pouring, I mean the kind of rain where you pull your car over because you can't see. The kind of rain that hurts. The kind of rain that soaks you to the skin in 20 seconds flat. Anyone who has been in an Arizona monsoon season or lived in the South knows what kind of rain I'm talking about.
The rain let up a little so we decided hey, why not walk around in it? We figured they would close and we had to walk to the car anyway.
We looked over to the Wipeout, and it was running. In the rain! Luckily the park's coolest ride operator was running the ride. At that point, it wasn't raining that bad, so we decided to hop on. Once we were on, the floodgates opened again. I mean, it was POURING! We all just stayed on the ride. Five times.
Aside from the raindrops feeling like rocks hitting us in the face, it was the best experience I have ever had on a ride. We ended up riding it 17 times that night.

Bummer of a day

2008-06-26T16:33:00.003-04:00

Well, we didn't get the house.
We need to find a rental now, pronto!
You'd think it wouldn't be hard trying to find a 4 bedroom to rent here, but we haven't had much luck looking around.

I'm bored. I wish I could go to the beach or something. Anywhere but this apartment. We are so miserable here.

My evening

2008-06-25T20:52:00.003-04:00

Well, we were at the hospital for a while tonight. This is why.

Rose + Coffe Cup + Ceramic Tile = 3 Stitches

Llyn M's fault

2008-06-16T10:58:00.002-04:00

This is her fault. She got me started on LOL dogs yesterday. But seriously, could they be any cuter?

I read this today.

2008-06-14T09:43:00.000-04:00

Infatuation is when you think he's as sexy as Robert Redford, as smart as Henry Kissinger, as noble as Ralph Nader, as funny as Woody Allen, and as athletic as Jimmy Conners. Love is when you realize that he's as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as Jimmy Connors, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic as Henry Kissinger and nothing like Robert Redford - but you'll take him anyway.

Birthdays...Hmmmm

2008-06-13T13:53:00.002-04:00

Riley turns 10 on July 2nd and Belle turns 1 on July 6th.
Kaellyn and I are going birthday shopping today.

Should be fun.

It's a hot, humid, all-around miserable day here in Erie.
I see frapuccinos in our immediate future. It is the only way to try and stay cool.
It is so hot and nasty that the little ones, Rose and Belle, have not worn real clothes in at least a week.
One thing I like about the hot days is that you can run around town half-dressed. People just assume you are going to the beach.

House update: The loan is now at the underwriters. That should take about 3 weeks. I hate this hurry up and wait stuff.

The House!

2008-06-11T22:29:00.013-04:00

These pictures: stairs, kitchen, kitchen, yellow bedroom, front bedroom, front of the house, living room, dining room.

Not pictured: playroom, mudroom, 3 other bedrooms.

A nice summer day

2008-06-09T22:08:00.007-04:00

Mmmmmmm......

2008-06-09T22:04:00.005-04:00

Here is dinner...

Yummy gyros.

Here is dessert...

Pear-honey shortcake

My weekend so far...

2008-06-08T15:31:00.004-04:00

See. We do get sun in Erie, PA. This is from yesterday. What you can't see are the little tiny blisters that go along with it.

This is a trilogy of books from my Mommy. I started the first one yesterday and LOVE IT! I'm about halfway through book #1 now.

The wonderful Abood women!

2008-06-07T00:37:00.005-04:00

Let me tell you about Mrs. Abood and her sweet daughter, Rosol.

Rosol and her family are refugees, forced to move from Iraq when Rosol's father was executed. They went to Syria first, then Paris. Finally, they were sent to Erie.

They came here a few months ago. Rosol spoke no English at all. She does so much better now.

Yesterday, Rosol and her mother came into school to teach the kids about Iraq.

It was so nice. Mrs. Abood brought flatbread that she makes for the family. The bread is the staple of their diet. It also serves as their utensils. They cook the bread on a round metal griddle that has a shallow basin. The griddle is called a sajj, or selle in Kurdish.

The plain flatbread from Iraq is called hobas. It reminded me of a cross betwwen tortilla and pita. It is made from whole-wheat flour, so it was quite tasty.

Mrs. Abood also brought a bread that I believe was called khaplla. She's a Kurd and this is Kurdish bread. It was sort of sweet with sesame seeds on it. It was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten!

Khaplla

It was very interesting learning about them. I wish I could spend more time getting to know them.

Here is a great link if you'd like to learn more about flatbread: www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199505/on.the.flatbread.trail.htm

Really scary!

2008-06-07T00:34:00.002-04:00

How would you like this bad boy in your house?

Me either.

They go about a million miles an hour!

The best kind of weather...or the worst kind of weather

2008-06-06T11:14:00.006-04:00

Right now it is 91 degrees outside. And it's humid. It's only tolerable because of our window AC.

This is the worst kind of weather because I do not like humidity. It makes you sticky.

However, if you have the money for gas, it is a great day for the beach. I don't know if the water temp is even above 60 degrees yet, but it would still be nice.

I'm not going to complain about gas prices. I'll leave all of that to someone else. They dropped below $4 recently. Hooray!

The only thing that REALLY pisses me off is the idiots who yell at the cashiers. I can't count how many times I hear, "Oh, they're only venting because it's so frustrating paying so much for gas." Well, if you really need to vent about it, vent to the right person. That little 16 year-old student taking your money does NOT control the gas prices.

I'll leave you with some great pictures of Presque Isle...

Could we BE MORE irresponsible?

2008-06-03T14:09:00.002-04:00

We got that stimulus check last week and I was like, "Yay! Let's pay some bills!"

Problem was, the bills were actually more than the check. And I paid all of the bills. Oooopsie! Yes, it is nice to be completely caught up on our bills, but it won't be so nice when we don't get our loan because we have no money.

Because, of course, we're overdrawn. AGAIN. It wouldn't be such a big deal, but the loan company is looking at our account these days.

I had to put the Wii on craigslist. Anyone out there need a Wii? It's the whole system, 2 wii-motes, summer sports, guitar hero 3 and 2 guitar controllers. $400. Yep. I'd take less. I need the money!

I also put Rock Band for the PS3 on there. $100. The only problem with it is that the whammy bar on the guitar doesn't work.

AND....

I'm having a garage sale this weekend. Tons of stuff!!!!! I guess it's more like a moving sale. We need to get rid of so much stuff before we move.

ANYONE WHO READS THIS: come buy stuff from me!!!!!!!!!!!!

Coupons!

2008-06-03T11:45:00.002-04:00

OK, so I NEVER shop with coupons. We live near a Wal*Mart supercenter and their off-brand is usually better than name-brand. Seriously, not only is Great Value food much cheaper, it is usually yummier.

I was checking my email this morning and saw an ad for www.coupons.com and clicked it out of curiosity. These aren't your typical "Save $.25" on something expensive. These are more like "Save $1.50 on a 4-pack of Tava" Have you ever had Tava? It is the bomb-diggity.

These coupons actually ARE free. No stupid monthly charge for using the service. No shipping charges. You just print out these bad boys on your printer. I printed out a $1 off coupon for DarthDad's favorite cereal. That's great because it usually costs $5 per box.

I also got a "buy one, get one free" pretzel at the mall. Oh yeah, a free Fruitista Freeze at Taco Bell, too. YUM!

The new house...

2008-06-03T11:39:00.003-04:00

Look at my beautiful new house! OK. Well, it will be my new house. Probably around mid-July. Our agent called yesterday and the loan process is going swimmingly. FHA loans just take forever to go through.

He is going to call me next week so we can set up a time for me to take my girlies to go see it. I'm going to take pictures of the inside.

I'm not packing yet because I don't want to jinx it.

Damn kids! AKA Pity Party Time!!

2008-05-28T17:26:00.003-04:00

Bringing home sickness...

mmm hmm...

I'm sick now. Freakin' bronchitis, AGAIN!!!!

Just teriffic. Why couldn't it have been a week ago? Why today do I become afflicted?

I'll tell you why.

Because I had a conference at Riley's school this afternoon, Kaellyn's Spring Concert for band tonight, and craft day at Riley's school tomorrow! Of course tomorrow will be great anyway. Mr. Fisher (totally not his real name) said we get to play with glitter. YES!!!! I just love seeing the looks of panic-ed, anal-ness on his face when the kiddos get glitter all over the floor.

Wait. Are panic-ed and anal-ness even real words? Probably not.

One of my symptoms is this great sensitivity to sound. Especially DarthDad and Rhys yelling 'Oh yeah!' and 'In your face!' and 'Suckaaaaaaaa!' when they beat each other on the Wii.
Fast Forward 45 minutes from now.....

...

...

...

...

Middle School Band Playing Rock Music?

I see Exedrin in my near future. I'm not saying they're bad at all. It's just the noise level, I swear!

Welcome to Erie, PA

2008-05-27T09:47:00.002-04:00

I am going to take you on a tour of Erie.

Fun Stuff:

Waldameer is the local amusement park. They opened a new roller coaster this year, called the Ravine Flyer II. I've been on it once already and it is very intense. It's a wooden beast that goes over Penninsula Drive and back. At the top of the lift hill, you can see the lake and the bay. This park is very old, so there is still the old wooden coaster as well. Old=kind of boring. Here is the link for Waldameer: http://www.waldameer.com/

The Erie Zoo. It's free on Sundays from 3-5 or 4-6, depending on what time of year. My big beef with the zoo is that there aren't any elephants. It's not a huge zoo. You can see everything in 2 hours. We have giraffes. I love giraffes. Here is the link: http://www.eriezoo.org/

Presque Isle State Park. Now, this is the penninsula on Lake Erie. There are lots of nice sandy beaches, paved trails, and lots of historical sights. The problem with the beaches is that you can only swim in designated areas and the water is kind of shallow. The good part is that the water gets really warm dring the summer and there are snack bars and music. The paved trails are great for roller skating too. Here's the link: http://www.presqueisle.org/

Houses are CHEAP! Example: our 6 bedroom house for $52K. A 4 bedroom house around the corner for $35K. You can check these out at www.homes.com Just type in Erie, PA and have a look-see.

Bad Stuff:

Sports (UGH)... I'm not a huge fan, but here goes... We have the Sea Wolves, a minor league baseball team. I would only go for the food and beer. Then, there are the Otters, hockey...yuck! I hate hockey. But living here, you get bombarded with it. The Stanley Cup finals are even televised. Yuck. I think we have an arena football team, but I'm not sure. Rumor has it that we're getting an actual NBA team. As far as the NFL goes, everyone here is usually a Browns, Steelers, or Bills fan. Go Steelers!!!!!!

The east side. Oh wait. I don't want to get shot. I'm not going there.

Look at the pretty flowers!

2008-05-21T13:47:00.009-04:00

Buying a house

2008-05-21T12:50:00.002-04:00

We are trying to buy a house.

This is how it happened:

We were preapproved for a loan a few moths ago, and were going to maybe look for a house to buy this summer. We are always looking at homes for sale in the area 'just in case.'

We found this 6 bedroom house for $50K. We thought it would be fun just to go look at it since we really have no intention of buying a house right now. Not to mention, it's out of our price range.

So, we call to schedule a look-see. Now, I'm not sure if you understand the housing market right now, but it is very hard to get a loan, so brokers won't show you anything without a preapproval.
Our preapproval was expired, so Kirk (our broker) referred us to Sheila (a mortgage specialist).

Wow. We found out we are preapproved for an FHA loan. Double wow. This 6 bedroom house falls neatly into the price range we were approved for. Triple wow. We looked at the house and it is awesome!

It's a bit scary because everything is moving SO fast.

We called last Tuesday, were preapproved Thursday, looked at the house Friday, signed the contract and wrote a check as a good faith deposit on Saturday, the seller accepted out offer Sunday. Today is Wednesday and we are going to go apply for the loan itself (and write another big check). Whew!

Underwriting should take about 3 weeks, the government looking at the loan should take another 2 weeks, then a week for everything to come together, then closing. Closing is scheduled for June 30th, but our broker said it will probably be a week after that.

The thing I am most afraid of is our bank statements. I needed to supply 2 moths worth, and both of them have NSF charges. Figures. The only ones in 2 years with overdrafts!

Other than that, as long as nothing changes, we should get it.

I'm trying not to get too excited in case the loan falls through, but 6 bedrooms!!!!!!!!!!!! Wowie-wow-wow.

Psst* I've laready been to Lowe's to look at paint and carpet colors. Ssssssh.*

Remember when I said I needed to lose weight?

2008-04-24T14:03:00.006-04:00

Yep. I stuck with that for a whole 3 days.

So, here goes Round 2!

This is actually Round 2, Day 4 to be exact.

Here are some facts I figured out.
My BMI is 32. Wow. OBESE!
I am 5'2" and weigh 173, but that is completely unimportant. I can't change how tall I am and I don't care how much I weigh. It's how I look and feel that counts. Or maybe I really do care about how much I weigh.

I found out that if I eat 1833 calories per day and keep my current activity level, I will maintain this weight. If I just lay in bed and eat 1534 calories per day, I will maintain my current weight. I also found out that if I make sure to get certain amounts of everything, that I will become healthier. These are averages of course. I should have around 30 grams of fat per day, 25 grams of fiber per day, 60 grams of protein per day, and 150 grams of carbs per day.

I also wrote down everything I ate for a couple days. I mean EVERYTHING! I found that I was eating around 2500 calories per day. No wonder I've been gaining.

It is WAY too discouraging to count calories and figure out how many calories are being burned, but I realized that until I am used to being active and understand how much of the right kinds of food I need to eat, I HAVE to keep track of everything.

I made a goal. I have to count and keep track of everything for the next 4 weeks. I should have enough recipes in my repetoire by then to maintain the right foods.

Here is my big question. Should I:
a) Set a realistic weight goal, like 140, then see if I can maintain it, then go for more loss?
b) Work really hard to get to the size and shape I want, then try to maintain it?

As far as exercise goes, I can't afford to go to the gym, so I'm on my own. I would like to try jogging, but I definitely don't want people seeing my big ol' butt going boom-ba-ba-boom-ba-ba as I try to run down the street. So... I am walking instead. I'm only averaging 6 miles per week, but hey, it's a start.

Well, this should be fun!

2008-04-15T18:34:00.003-04:00

My quest to make High School Musical costumes.

Riley's 10th birthday is in 2 months. I know, 2 months seems kind of far away. It doesn't seem very far away when I've been commissioned by the kids to make High School Musical costumes for the party. If you've seen the movies, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Here is a run-down of who wants what:
Riley, the birthday girl, wants a Sharpay outfit from the Bop to the Top performance. I bought the fabric today, but here's the thing: I DO NOT SEW. Should be interesting...
Kaellyn wants a Sharpay outfit from the beginning of the second movie. Ya know, the tacky red and gold one. Wal*Mart, here we come!
Rhys wants a Troy outfit. OK, so that one is easy.
The little ones don't count. They don't need HSM outfits.
But...

It would be so cute! I wish I had little Wildcat cheerleader outfits for them!

The girls decided I have to dress up as Ms. Darbus and DarthDad has to be Coach Bolton or Mr. Fulton. I might rebel against that idea and dress as Sharpay in the What I've Been Looking For performance.

Funny, no one wants to be Gabriella. I wouldn't either.

The best dessert ever????????

2008-04-08T10:12:00.003-04:00

So, yesterday was grocery shopping day. Boo! Not my favorite sport, but I love the results. A cart full of yummy food. I'm going to get some steaks, some really good cheese, some brownies, some really good cheese, some bagels, some really good cheese, some fresh bread and butter, some really good cheese...

Did I mention I REALLY love cheese?

Yeah, so I started out the day with high hopes for yummies in my tummy.

Then...

I got dressed...

My favorite jeans. Usually comfy. A size bigger than I'm used to, but I don't care. I'm one of those girls who doesn't really understand exactly how fat I am anyway. Yeah, I know I wear a 16, but I have myself brainwashed to the point where I am convinced I "look" like I wear an 8.

I put those jeans on and... wait!

What's this?? I can't bend over very well? I have to suck in to zip? What the H###??????????????????????

OK. Fine! I guess it's time to do something about this.

I know! I know!

I'm going to start to eat healthy stuff. As I make this decision for the 97th time in my life, I realize I have no idea what to buy.

I make it to the store after 4 hours of research on the internet. I actually buy only healthy food.

Uh oh. Dessert time! We are all accustomed to the gooey, fattening, clog your arteries in one sitting desserts. So, I figured out this dessert. It was surprisingly good.

Banana Split Cake

Smash a banana, some strawberries, and pineapple in a bowl.
Mix in some light whipped topping.
Frost an Angel food cake with the mess you now have in the bowl.
Drizzle some sugar-free chocolate syrup on the top.

So now you have a cake that looks like someone already ate it. It is so good though!

Advice for guys

2008-04-01T11:11:00.002-04:00

Advice #1
You say we look beautiful with no makeup and our hair pulled back into a ponytail. And you say you love when we wear jeans and a t-shirt. Maybe you do. Who knows? But we don't believe you. Why, you ask?

When we catch you looking at other girls, are you checking out:

Girl A? She is wearing perfect makeup and has perfect hair, not to mention that outfit that shows either cleavage or legs.

Or...

Girl B? the one with no makeup, a ponytail, jeans, and a t-shirt.

Yep, you check out the A's. Oh, those B's you say you're looking at?
Perfectly applied makeup that looks natural, perfectly styled ponytail (that can take some work), tight low-cut jeans, a baby tee.

I'll believe you prefer the natural look when I catch you checking out the real thing.

Advice #2
If the word "fat" comes out of our mouth in the form of a question, RUN! There really is no right answer. You cannot win. Better yet, just cover your ears and say, "La. La. La." as loud as you can...

then run.

Advice #3
If you're a guy, you know this already. If you ask us what's wrong, we will say nothing. I don't know why.

Unless you want hours of silence, here is what you do:

Talk about something else. Anything that cannot possibly start a fight. I don't know, talk about the idiot you saw swerving all over the road because they were on their cell phone. Talk about the amazing sandwich you had at lunch.

If you get her talking about trivial things, she will end up telling you what's wrong.

Advice #4
When she finally tells you what's wrong, sympathize.
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT give advice unless she asks for advice. We do not want you to fix it. We just want you to understand and agree with us.

My Birthday

2008-03-29T19:24:00.004-04:00

I didn't go get my free video today. I just now remembered and frankly, I'm just too lazy to go get it.
I didn't eat tons of cake either. Probably because I don't have any cake. Believe me, if it was here, I would definitely eat it.
I have 2 assignments that are overdue and I really should do them, but it's my birthday so I'm not going to. That's my present to myself. No homework. It was my present to myself yesterday and the day before as well. I'm usually pretty good at making sure my school work gets done. That's why I have a 3.8 GPA. I'm not sure why I don't feel like doing it lately.

Now that I have reached middle age, I think it's about time I get answers to my burning questions:

1. "They" say if you starve yourself, you'll store fat. Well, where the hell are anorexics storing it then?

2. Are people on yahoo answers really THAT stupid? Just take a test already! It would save us all so much time not reading your, "Am I pregnant?" posts.

3. Why can't I get replacement microphones for SingStar? And why isn't SingStar 90's PS3 compatible? The other ones are.

4. Why do people say they wouldn't change anything if they could go back in time? I would! I think people are lying.

5. Why are power ballads so incredibly awesome?

Those are my questions for today. On my birthday. My 35th birthday. Ew.

Naked bum-bum in my house!

2008-03-28T12:18:00.003-04:00

Why is it that my 2 year-old loves to be naked?

Now, I don't mean running around in a diaper or panties. I mean completely, absolutely buck-naked. Little toddler buns bouncing here and there...

I thought that it was her way of showing that she's ready to be potty-trained. And it probably is. So, why won't she tinkle in the toilet???
This is how it works:
*stripper music starts to play*
Clothes come off.
Tear away one side of the diaper.
Tear away the other.
Run like hell.
MomVader yelling, "Rose! Leave it on! Get back here! We do not take our diaper off!"
Giggles coming from some remote location in the house.
Find the little moster.
Put her on the toilet.
Little 2 year-old voice saying, "Paw-ey, paw-ey, paw-ey."
MomVader saying, "Yes. Potty." in a very encouraging mommy voice.
97 hours later...

No potty.

Set her down, go get diaper.
Meanwhile....
pee everywhere one the floor!

I have decided that she really doesn't need any summer clothes. One outfit should be plenty in case we go somewhere. I can just buy the other kids some more clothes. You know, the kids who stay clothed!

OR... I could make her wear a really spiffy jumpsuit that zips up the back. That will look great! Or maybe a little pink gas station coveralls number.

My 6th annual 29th birthday

2008-03-26T12:18:00.004-04:00

Well, I turn 20-15 on Saturday. I am not sure how I feel about that. I think I will wear a feather boa and a tiara that says 'birthday girl' all day.
... And I will eat cake. Lots of cake. Great big heaps of cake!
And this is what I will look like:

And this is what I will look like after I eat all that cake:

Happy Birthday to me!!

update: Oooooh. The video store just called and said I get one free rental tomorrow. Yipee!!

Old post being posted now

2008-03-25T14:05:00.000-04:00

March 11, 2008 - Tuesday

My Big Fat Lie or quite possibly an exaggeration.

You know how sometimes your emotions can go into overdrive, especially when you are scared or angry? Then, when you are recalling the event that made you emotional, sometimes it seems a lot worse than it really was?

Here is an example: Let's just say you do not really like to fly. You find it a bit frightening. Let's pretend that when you landed, the plane fishtailed a bit. Pretty scary, huh? What are the chances you'll remember exactly what happened? When your body and brain are full of fear-induced adrenaline, are you going to say:
a) Wow. The plane just fishtailed a little bit, but I am safe.
or are you going to say:
b) Oh my God! The plane just slid sideways. I almost died!

Well, I think we all know what I said...
I went with answer b, when I really should have stuck with a.
So, this is for everyone who heard about my flying home near-death experience...

Sorry.