Tuesday has become a busy day

Since when are Tuesdays a busy day? Tuesday is always the downer day. Sure, Monday is out of the way and we all just try to get through a Monday. Then Tuesday hits and it's like, Crimminey, it's ONLY Tuesday?! But here Tuesday has become another busy day of the week. It used to be that Tuesday was a slower day because DD didn't go to preschool and we didn't have any activities. Now we get up and moving. DS has his OT in the morning. DD has to go with us because I have nowhere else for her to go. That leaves us an hour to kill while DS is in OT. Then we have to get him over to his school. We either run errands or come home but I don't have enough time to do a whole lot. I certainly don't feel like changing out of my decent clothes and into grungy ones to clean the bathrooms! Then lunchtime and DD has gymnastics/dance class. She's done with that 1/2 hour before DS gets out of school so we go over to his school to pick him up. We drive right past it so it makes sense. Plus it gives me the opportunity to chat with his teacher about his day, especially now that he's started OT and I want to know how it's affecting him in class. By the time we get home, the kids have a snack, I check email/computer and sit down for a 1/2 hour or so and then it's time to get dinner going! So Tuesday is productive for the kids but not so productive for me. Unless you count being a mom and devoting an entire day to the kids activities. When they are bratty teenagers complaing that I never do anything for them I'll surely scream back, "You just remember Tuesdays Young Man/Lady! All those Tuesdays I gave up solely for YOU!"

Now, I did plan our menu for the week and it got all messed up. But here's how it's turning out...

Sunday - FG got home 2 1/2 hours later than we expected him from his golf tournament. Then he had to run to the office so he picked up In & Out Burger for the fam.
Monday - Stir fry chicken & veggies over rice *
Tuesday - Leftover Buffet! We have one serving of about 5 different things so time to eat it up!
Wednesday - Meatloaf (never made it, I hope it's not gross. I have to choose a recipe though), potatoes, veggies
Thursday - FG works but the kids have requested homemade pizza
Friday - possibly a fundraising dinner but I still need to confirm that and get a sitter
Saturday - It's supposed to be beautiful so I'm hoping we can grill steaks or chicken
Sunday - SMA's favorite baked ziti made w/ sausage, bread, salad

* Exported from MasterCook *
Quick Stir Fry Chicken & Broccoli

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
3 boned and skinned chicken breasts
1 bunch broccoli -- cut into pieces
1/4 pound bean sprouts -- rinsed and drained
1/4 pound pea pods
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 small can waterchestnuts, canned -- sliced and drained
2 small carrots -- peeled and sliced
Cut chicken into strips or cubes. Rinse pea pods, bean sprouts and broccoli pieces. In wok or large skillet, heat 1 - 2 tablespoons of oil to hot. Stir fry red peppers for one minute then add chicken and stir fry until no longer pink in the middle. In small bowl, mix soy sauce and cornstarch - set aside. Add all vegetables except water chestnuts to wok. Stir fry until broccoli is crisp tender. Add water chestnuts Stir fry for i minute longer. Add soy sauce mixture. Stir until sauce thickens and coats chicken and vegetables. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes longer.
* Last night I added red pepper strips too. I've also been adding a touch of ground ginger and some granulated garlic to the sauce. Now the big news, DS ate a ton of the chicken AND he ate RICE! He has gagged on rice since he was a baby but last night he ate it, didn't gag and ate more than one tiny bite (the usual that I get him to try). I told his OT this morning and she was pleased! I think some of the therapies he's doing are helping his oral issues and his appetite. He is eating up what I put on his plate and asking for more before I can sit down to eat. I've started giving him an adult sized plate instead of the smaller salad plates that the kids normally eat with. That is HUGE for my kid. HUGE!

* Exported from MasterCook *
BAKED ZITI
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
1 pound ziti pasta -- cooked and drained
52 ounces spaghetti sauce
4 ounces provolone cheese -- sliced
6 ounces mozzarella cheese -- shredded
3/4 cup sour cream
1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion -- chopped
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese -- grated
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
Brown onion and ground beef. Drain grease. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 15 min.
Layer as follows in a greased 8 x 12 (or similar size) baking dish:1/2 the ziti, provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 the spaghetti sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce.Top with parmesean cheese.
Bake 30 min. or until bubbly

NOTES : This can be made ahead and frozen or made a day ahead and kept in the fridge before baking. I make it with my lefotover spaghetti sauce. I have made it with ground sausage and it is just as good.

And the bread recipe I make with spaghetti and ziti. We also make this for sandwiches a lot.

* Exported from MasterCook *
Avanti's Bread for Bread Machine
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup warm water
Use manual setting on machine. Divide dough into 3 long loaves or six small loaves. Place on greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise. Bake 14 - 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Mine gets WAY puffier than the restaurant it was inpired by. It still has the same sort of flavor and if I add the same sandwich meats & cheese, it tastes just like a gondola from Avanti's in Peoria, IL YUMMMMM

Happy Birthday FG!

Today is FG's 36th Birthday. I sit and marvel at the fact he was a couple of weeks away from 20 when I met him. Dang. We really don't feel that old. How is this possible??? Anyway, I hope he has a happy birthday. He's playing golf and then going to a concert tonight with SMA. I'll put out for him when he gets home (like that's ever hard for me :o) and his day should be a good one. For his present I struggle EVERY YEAR with what to get him. There are only a few presents in our time together that have been huge winners. I have a feeling this one, if it works properly, will be added to that short list right up there with the lable maker. Besides a humongous Costco bag of peanut M&M's I got him this:

It's the Simple Human Sensor Soap Dispenser. It's just right up his alley, let me tell ya!

Now FG doesn't like cake. When DS first learned of this he was in awe that someone he knew didn't like cake. We could have told him Daddy was born with 4 arms and he couldn't have been more surprised. So I whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies for him. I had actually made these on Tuesday as well but when we went to the party we attended Tuesday night, our friends were excited that I had made cookies so I left them the whole batch. FG was a bit annoyed that I did that so I made him some more.

* Exported from MasterCook *
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe By :Serving Size : 15 Preparation Time :0:00Categories :
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup margarine or butter -- room temp

2 large eggs -- room temp

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups chocolate chips
Mix dry ingredients together in separate bowl.
Cream together butter and sugars, add vanilla and eggs.
Add in dry ingredients.
Add in chocolate chips
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 11 minutes.
Description: "soft cookie"

The cookies are softer than a Toll House cookie. And they stay rounded. The original recipe called for 2 1/2 cups of chocolate chips but man, there is hardly any cookie there holding the chips together. I'm one who likes a lot of chips in her cookie but that's just too many. I may even start cutting it down to under 2 cups because it still seems like a lot!

I'm Baaaacckkkkk!!!! Lemon cake recipe

I'm actually cooking and baking again! I'm starting to feel human. Though DD has now caught my cough. Poor girl. I'm keeping her home from gymnastics today because I don't want to be one of "those mothers" (again). :D

Even though it's Tuesday here's my menu plan for the week:

Sunday I made PW's Penne a la Betsy, salad and a yummy lemon cake that I will share the recipe for.
Monday I made a smoked sausage because DS has been asking for it, au gratin potatoes (from a box) , sweet corn and sliced apples. Basic, easy but everyone ate really well.
Tuesday we are headed to a friend's house for dinner. I'm bringing cookies. They wanted me to bring a vegetable dish and FG laughed and them and told them it may end up being chocolate covered broccoli because I don't know how to bring anything to a party except dessert.
Wednesday Spaghetti, salad, bread - basic. But I'm going to try to fool my family and add some ground flax seed to my bread. hee hee hee Don't tell on me!
Thursday is FG's 36th (ha ha! but damn, he still won't catch up to me) Birthday and he's going to a Van Halen concert with SMA. Yeah, just like it was 15 years ago - bahahahahaha! The kids and I will scrape something together.
Friday FG gets to pick since it's his birthday dinner. He said he doesn't want to go out (damn) but wants to be home since he hasn't been home all that much lately. Oh well. I guess I'll survive and make whatever is requested.
Saturday I am hoping the weather holds ok so I can make ribs. If not, I'll have to come up with a Plan B.

Now, the cake recipe:

Lemon Chiffon Cake from WS Essentials of Baking book
3 or 4 lemons
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
6 large eggs, separated and at room temp.
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Grate the zest from the lemons and squeeze and strain the juice to get to 1/2 cup. Have ready an ungreased 10" tube pan with removable bottom.
Sift together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt.
In a bowl combine oil, water, egg yolks, lemon juice and zest. Beat until well mixed.
Gently fold in the dry ingredients until batter is smooth.

With whip attachement, whip egg whites to soft peaks. Do not overbeat.
Gently fold in 1/2 of the egg whites into the batter until almost fully incorporated. Add remaining egg whites and fold until combined. Batter should be smooth but foamy. Pour evenly into the tube pan.
Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 45 - 50 minutes. Remove from oven and invert pan onto wire rack. Make sure air can circulate around the cake. Let cool completely upside down in the pan, about 45 minutes.
Loosen the edges by tapping the sides of the pan on the counter. Using the center tube, pull the cake out of the pan. Invert onto the rack and then disengage it from the pan bottom, pull pan bottom and tube from the cake.
Make the citrus glaze of 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Whisk until smooth and pour over top and down sides of cake.
Cake is best served the day it is baked.
I'm going to go have another piece and I'll let you know if it's really badddd after a couple of days.

Enjoy! It was a perfect light cake for a warm spring day. We had highs in the low 80's and spent a ton of time outside. Now today, snow this morning. Thankfully it didn't stick. But we did have some crazy-ass winds yesterday that blew down part of our fence and our giant umbrella, which thankfully was closed up.

Home Sweet Home

Here's a rundown.... next week, I promise to get back to menu planning and trying some yummy new recipes or some old tried and trues and share them. Until then:

• FG got home. Barely. He was supposed to be home on Wednesday night but after a crazy fiasco with his flight (no, not one that was cancelled - it's a very long, silly story) he actually got home on Thursday morning.
• Wednesday as I was getting a ride from a friend after depositing FG's car at the airport parking lot, my cell phone rang. My dad informed me my mom was in the ER after having chest pains but "don't worry, she's fine. You don't need to come down." Suuuuuurrrrreee. So my father, who himself had pneumonia, was going to meet my mom at the ER.
• Meanwhile, I still feel horrible and have an elephant standing on my chest. I call the Dr. and get an appt. I go find out I have bronchitis.
• I go downstairs and find my parents in the ER. Turns out my mom IS fine and all tests are coming back normal. But they are going to be safe and keep her overnight. She is mad and wants to go home because "I feel fine!" Nurses (and mothers!) are the worst at accepting that THEY may be the ones needing the care! But I felt better seeing her and she really did look fine.
• I rush to the pharmacy and they tell me they need 20 minutes. I have to be out of there in 15 in order to meet DS's bus. We've talked about if I'm not home when he gets home what he is to do. BUT the front door was locked and he can't reach the garage door number pad to open that. Drat! So I call my babysitter who I know is down the street and she goes down to meet him. I got home 3 minutes before the bus arrived. I would have made it but thank goodness she was around and willing to help so I didn't have to stress and freak out.
• I decide at that point that I am not cooking dinner - nothing, not even fish sticks or chicken nuggets or mac & cheese. I drop the sitter back at her aunt's house and the kids and I go to the store to get some fresh fruit. $65 later and way too much junk we are on our way to In & Out Burger - YUM.

Now I'm starting to feel better but I think my cough meds with codene gave me a headache. That and I generally get one when AF is out the door, which is now. I am going to a concert tonight and I get to meet the band. What's funny is I'm going to get a picture signed to the babysitter because she is jealous and wants to go. Yes, I like music that a pre-teen likes. Maybe it's just my mental age. 'Cuz it isn't my actual age. I was excited that FG brought me a big tube of Retin-A from Mexico! DD asked me what I got that made me so exited and I told her "Wrinkle cream!!" Maybe I can pass for being in my early 30's???

Meanwhile....

THIS is what FG got to do! I'm GREEN with envy!

I feel like crud

and FG is sending me pictures of the beautiful spot he's at right now. Um, yeah, thanks! *hack hack, cough up a lung, sniffle, shiver*
So yeah, AF is here, I have a virus from hell that I'm praying the kids don't catch (because for once, I caught something that they didn't generously share with me), FG is out of town working. The joys, lemme tell ya.
My poor kids. Well, let me rephrase that... my kids are neglecting in quality "mommy time" at the moment. They've been eating like crud because I do not want to look at food, let alone cook a decent meal. So they've been getting fed, just not the best most nutritious in their young lives. I'm sure they'll be fine but pile Mommy Guilt onto the top of the rest of my issues and yeah, more of that joy!
DS did get an awesome report card on Friday and made many improvements. I owe it all to his wonderful, amazing, fabulous, caring, talented, blessed teacher. I truly do and feel amazingly blessed that he is in her class this year. The patience this woman has and the depth of caring she has for my son is truly a wonder to me daily.
As a reward, FG picked up the requested golden arches Happy Meals on Friday. I didn't care a bit because I felt more like dying than eating. It was better than letting the kids starve, which is what would have happened if I had been responsible for dinner.
As another reward, I dragged my sorry butt to TRU yesterday afternoon and let the kids pick out bikes. Great use of the gift cards they got for Christmas since they clearly do not need one more toy with any small parts! They have been wheeling away for two days now. Ahhhhhhh! If you can believe it, I got my 7 year old with coordination problems and my 3 year old with more athletic ability than her mother the SAME SIZE BIKES. My amazonian daughter at the age of 3 is riding a 16" bike! With training wheels, of course. I didn't want to go too big for DS given his lack of coordination and have him get frustrated. He actually fits nicely on his 16" bike.
I think my biggest bummer of the weekend, next to having FG kiss my forehead at 4:30am and say goodbye was that I missed going to this women's expo that I love to attend every year. I had to cancel on friends and was so bummed. I figured it wouldn't be nice of me to go infect the whole convention with my hacking and sniffling. Still, I'm sad about missing it!
Now I just pray that I am better in the next couple of days!

Um, hello...

Yeah, I don't even have a decent title for a post today. I just re-read my post from last night. I wanted to fix my misspellings and typos but I'll just leave them because I think they added effect, for me at least.
I am one big hormonal mess! I so hate this. I am 37 years old and I know that hormones change and shift as we women get older. I know that as we approach 40 they get worse and worse. What kills me the most is I am so freaking regular NOW. Why now? Why not when I was temping and stressing and trying to get pregnant and had no freaking clue when I was going to ovulate and had to take all sorts of medicine to get my stupid body to work right? I'm done with the baby thing so really, the inn is closed for business I don't need this anymore. But nope, two kids later and my body decides to do what it's supposed to do. Grrreat.
I have an IUD, the 10 year copper kind. I LOVE it. FG loves it. The only teeny problem is this, I was an idiot and told my Dr. after having my DD that I wanted my body to just do it's thing with no hormonal interventions. Even though he tried to talk me into the 5 year IUD that reduces and even sometimes eliminates your period, nope, I was adamant that it be free and not have any interventions (besides making it a hostile environment for FG's little swimmers so I didn't have any more kids). Well now I'm due for my annual appt and I am going to ask him about changing it out. I am sooo tired of this. I get such bad PMS. I'm so cranky and weepy and as you can tell from my last post, really really down on myself. I go through it once a month at the beginning of each month. My children fear me. FG fears me. My friends don't have any idea because I either stay away from them or I put on my nice face when I am around them. None of the people around me deserve this and honestly, neither do I! Maybe I would be more centered and grounded and find out what is going to get me there if I didn't go through this horrid roller coaster every few weeks!
What I am not looking forward to is the actual changing out of the IUD. It wasn't horrible to get this one put in, I don't feel it at all but damn I had terrible terrible periods for months afterwards. My poor body went from being pregnant to birth, getting that thing put in a few months later, still nursing, to weaning and getting used to still having that little thing in there. It was not a fun time. So I am dreading that. I'm dreading the cost too. I'm not sure insurance will cover it if it's not necessary. We have horrid insurance anyway because we are self-employed and FG & my policy is a super duper high deductible. So I'm going to have to pay for it. At this very moment though, I'm sure FG would say do whatever it takes to get his "nice" wife back. This one's a bitch to live with!

Waiting....

I have had many moments of feeling unsettled the past several years than I have felt truly settled. There are so many aspects of my life that are just simply not clear in my head. I question everything about myself. Becoming a Stay At Home Mom I lost the career to identify myself with. I became "just a mom". And many many times I truly feel that way. I am so boring and so not "wow!" and really who wants to talk to me? Then other days I feel like a great mom and know I was meant to do this. But honestly, I have many many more days of wondering what the hell I'm actually doing and if it truly is for the best.
I do not consider myself a religious person. I grew up going to church but I don't really know squat about the church and the teachings that I grew up around. Episcopalians are like that I guess. And living the nomadic childhood I did, I was never in the same place long enough to really get any decent religion classes. Every three years I was uprooted and moved somewhere else. I've had my feet firmly planted in the soil here for over 20 years now. I attended the church, also Episcopalian, that FG grew up attending. He could care less. A year ago, Easter to be exact, we as a family pretty much decided to stop going. We all hated it because of so many of the changes that took place in our congregation. And quite frankly, I got really sick of people introducing themselves to me even though I regularly attended services, was married there to a person who went there his entire life and had both children baptized there. Yeah, THAT'S a realy warm and welcoming feeling like you just blend in with the pews! But I marvel at those who are so rightgeously religious. I marvel at those who "found Jesus". I marvel at HOW that happened to them mostly. Not that they can fiercly belive in something because that's possible but that they can go from being in the state I am to suddenly having such conviction! So I wait for a sign, a lightening bolt or something to whack me upside the head and say "Hey Woman! I'm Jesus. Believe in me unconditionally!" It ain't happening. I've tried to be open to the concept but you know, for me, it really does have to be profound and I figure if God really wants me to believe, then "He" will show me something profound. I do believe in a higher power but the whole church thing? Yeah, I'm not feeling it lately. So I wait for that.

I also wait for something to "strike" me as to what I really want to be when I grow up. Sure, I like being a mom and I like staying home but is it OK to like laundry and baking without it really benefitting anyone outside of our home? And many days I am not sure I'm the best mom. I yell. I get annoyed. I even give my kids a good spanking sometimes when nothing seems to get through to them. And I don't like to play. I really don't like to most of the time. What fun is that? I get bored pushing them on the swings, I don't want to make the Little People talk and I don't want to play dress up or take care of a damn baby doll all day. So sometimes I wonder if they will have good memories of being a kid. I try to do fun things and we arts and crafts and I do my very best to not less messes get to me. But sometimes they do. I try to take them to fun places and tell them I love them all the time. I give lots of hugs and kisses and routines. I explain why certain things are bad for them and other things are good. I feed them, bathe them, help with homework, help in the classrooms, try to give them good self esteem and provide a good environment for them. But many times I feel like I just simply don't do enough. But I'm weary and don't WANT to do any more. So I wait until one day I will be that fun mom.
I wait until I will be interesting to talk to. I wait to find something I am deeply passionate about. I wait to find that center that will leave me feeling whole and complete. Maybe I simply don't have it in me. Maybe I was meant to be mediocore?
Maybe it's freaking hormones and I need to wait a few days and delete this post so I don't feel so down and bring any of you with me.
But honestly, what am I missing and can anyone help me find any of these things? If you are centered and complete feeling, how did you get there, if you even NEEDED to get there? Were you always that way? I can't even put my finger on what I'm looking for and that's why I say I just wait until it strikes me.

My husband's coming home!

Not a very catchy title huh? Well, I've been brainwashed by children and the wallet sucking circus AND a birthday party all weekend ON MY OWN. FG was in Mexico on business and he'll be home in about 1/2 hour or so. Thankfully SMA offered to pick him up from the airport - when I called him in a panic because I lost my ride home from the airport. I was supposed to go drop his car off for him today but the ride I had arranged to get ME home had something come up (as in her DH took the carseats with him to work - IN TAHOE). So SMA said he would be glad to help out and then offered to save the parking fee and just pick up FG tonight. Whew! He really was good to me this weekend. He brought me dinner yesterday knowing I was on my own with the kiddos and would be at a birthday party until 4:30 that afternoon and not really having time to prepare one of my "fabulous dinners" for him. Actually, I think he was just hungry for Pick Up Stix and wanted to get his kid fix as well. Whatever, I got dinner and didn't have to cook and he still loaded the dishwasher.

I don't like it when FG goes out of town. You would think I am used to it because it happens several times a year. But the worst part? He was out of the country and our cell plan doesn't cover Mexico so I couldn't TALK to him. WAHHHHHHH!!!! We sent a LOT of texts though. When he called me from Phoenix tonight I was incredibly happy to hear his voice. This won't be his last trip either. I am bound and determined to find a way to go with him soon too. Damn, the places he is staying are incredible looking. He did send me a message to tell me he had a dragonfly the size of a 747 in his room and a giant iguana outside of his room - no doubt after the dragonfly. I replied asking if he was trying to make me feel better that I was home, scrubbing toilets and floors?

Alrighty, I guess I'd better do a power pick up of the house before he walks through the door. Then again, why make it look like it was an easy weekend?

Me brain is all amush...

Playgroup on Thursdays just wipes me out, I tell ya! Today we went to an indoor bounce house place THEN to McDonalds with a Playplace (the ONLY one my kids have ever gone to because it's new and clean and in a very nice neighborhood. Yes, I can be a snob sometimes!). So I'm trying to recover from all the screaming and what the hell is with other parents??? ARGH! I have a great group of playgroup Mommy friends and our kids are now comfortable enough with all the parents that WE are comfortable enough with picking up a stray toddler or helping another child with their socks, you get the idea. But other parents? Pahleeeeze, take a parenting class and for pete's sake, do you really need hula hoop sized earrings to go to a bounce house place? And hey, fat-ass dad, get the hell out of the bounce house because I need to wear out my 3 year old and I'd rather her not fear for her life with you jumping around like a spasmatic frog in there. Anyway, I just wanted to share a funny sibling story while I could still form sentences.

A couple of days ago I hear DS telling DD to leave him alone and go somewhere else. She loves to be the annoying little sister and bug the crap out of him until he's near tears. She gets some secret evil pleasure from it as I think ALL younger siblings do at one time or another. Then I hear him say, "Fine, I'll give you money to leave my room." Not long after, DD proudly comes downstairs with a fistfull of dollars. Like a good girl, she gave one to me and one to Daddy and then went to try to give the last one to her brother (ok, so she's not so good at the value of money thing yet, she's just generous). He said he didn't want it and told her she was dumb because he gave it to her to get away from him. On the inside I'm saying "Yep, I agree with you. That is dumb." on the outside I said, "Don't call your sister dumb."
Fast forward to last night and she's bugging him again. I told him to go to his room and shut his door and asked her to leave him alone. He had on his headphones and just wanted to listen to his music in peace. I can give him that, I feel the same way sometimes. But there she went again, back to his room bugging him. He asked her to leave and I hear her say, "Ok, just give me some money." Bahahahahahahaha! Ok, so she's NOT dumb.
Then because she is only 3 and hasn't a clue of the true VALUE of money, she was satisfied with the pennies he gave her. But again, she passed them on to me and to Daddy.
However, she had wised up in the past few days and maybe she really was catching onto the value of money. She put her hands on her little hips after she so generously handed her precious, hard earned penny to her Daddy and said, "Ok, now give me a DOLLAR Daddy. The GREEN kind that's a rectangle!" FG just couldn't help himself and gave her a dollar. I was spliting my side trying not to let her see me laughing. Like a good generous girl she is, she came over to me and said, "Here Mommy. Here's a dollar for you."
I'm working on her numbers with her now, specifically 20, 50 and 100.

It's ok honey, just let it all out

Warning: This post is purely for my own mental health benefit. It's a bitching, whining, complaining, venting post that will hopefully make my week much better if I just get this all out now.

There's a person in my life that is just such a pain. She is unfortunately someone I have to see (i.e. "family" by marriage). She proves herself over & over to be a selfish bitch that would never do a thing to actually help us out. In the 10 or so years that she has been around she makes it clear that we are nothing but a nuisance to her and she wishes we were not around at all, unless of course she NEEDS something from us. She's a horrid mother too. Sure, surface wise it looks all fine and dandy but her young adult kids are as selfish and mean as she is. She has taught them zero respect for anyone, unless of course, they are getting some personal gain from them. I'm so tired of watching this family walk all over my FIL too. The only place in his entire house he had any pictures of his family - his oldest son and his youngest son with me in them as well - was his "office" at home. As soon as this coniving person didn't have an office away from home, our pictures were immediately covered up by hers. I swear there's not a place in that entire house that is "his" that she hasn't controlled and taken over.
Back to the matter at hand that is really bothering me. I am now starting to work with the family business more. That has always been the plan anyway as the kids got older. Well, she quit her job and is doing the same but out of town. It's a long confusing story but there's a certain trade account that I told her I would like to start dividing up evenly and let us get some benefit from it now too. Now that my husband has to go out of town to help out their portion of the business and I have to pick up more slack here while he's gone. It's a house cleaning trade - they advertise with us and in turn the company cleans their house. It seemed only fair to me that instead of the company going to their house every week that we divide it up and they come here every other week and there every other week. Her response: "No, I really enjoy having them every week so no, I'm not willing to change that."
Well first of all bitch, it's not really YOUR decision! It's my husband's and his father's decision because THEY built the company. Second of all FG and I have taken over the portion of the business that the trade is through so again, not really your call here. Third, you have two grown people living in your house and we have two grown people and two little people who do nothing but make a mess and certainly don't scrub the bathrooms (though she once did have my FIVE year old scrubbing her toilet. Ohhhhhh that one pissed me off! He's a lot closer to that toilet than her with the fumes of all those chemicals! Not to mention, it wasn't even HIS toilet - he was cleaning THEIR germs. I digress.) How damn hard is it to divide things up fairly?! I wasn't saying "Well, we've taken that over now so that trade becomes completely ours." No, I was trying to be fair and logical and thinking dang, I'm working more I don't want to be spending the time cleaning the house when I should be spending it with the kids. Now that I'm working when they are in school and that was when I used to clean!
I must run DD to preschool and get to the office. I just had to get that out. I'm really tempted to cancel the entire sponsor and trade and find a new one or leave that spot open for an actual paying advertiser. Screw her. She is just such a bitch and naturally, FG thinks so as well but it tired of listening to me complain about her. He feels the same way, he just chooses to not rehash it over & over like I do when it's really bugging me. Thank you for your time.

I'm it!

I've been tagged! My East Coast Twin at Domestic Accident has tagged me! Fun fun!

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here goes:

• 1. I always have to be able to see a clock. I'm slightly annoyed at my living room right now because I don't have a decent clock that I can easily see from the couch or chair.
• 2. I read cookbooks. I started when I was a kid and would read this ancient children's cookbook that was my mothers when she was a kid. Now on a weekend morning I like to get up before everyone, make my tea and sit with a stack of cookbooks.
• 3. I have the exact same routine every morning. This only varies if I don't shower right away. Otherwise I can just stay asleep until my tea is ready.
• 4. I don't drink coffee but have loved tea my entire life. I drink it all day long - hot or cold.
• 5. I also don't drink plain/white/regular milk. I have had a bottle of chocolate syrup handy since I was 5 when my parents finally figured out that was the only way to get me to drink any milk.
• 6. I recently went to a rock concert with FG and SMA and the guy next to me just could not fathom that *I* liked the music. I guess my pink t-shirt didn't quite fit in with the rest of the crowd but I really did love the concert and the hard grinding music! He just kept asking me if I really did like it.
• 7. I worked for my high school and college football teams doing their team "films" (even though it was actually video). I LOVED that job in college and had a ton of "big brothers". Who all, if you read my previous post, hated my ex boyfriend and made sure FG knew he would be seriously injured if he broke my heart.

Now I have to pick some people to tag so I'm not it any more.

I would love to read the 7 things about Madre Adoptiva, Domestic Sketchbook, Wiping Up Snot, KatieKipKyraJack and to de-lurk to Rockin the Suburbs I'll tag her too!

Feelin' the love...

16 years later and we are still in luuuuuvvvv, lust and all that other good stuff that gives me the warm tingly feelings deep in my belly (and, ah hem, other regions).

That first picture was one of our first dates. Yes, that would be Van Halen and yes, Sammy Hagar was hanging on my 21 year old cuteness and poor FG was pushed aside. That picture was taken on May 9, 1992 - a couple of weeks after we officially started dating. The recent picture was taken last month. But because I'm feeling so sentimental, let me share my little story from the beginning....

I was a broadcasting student and had to do an internship at a radio station for class. My friend and I always partnered up and as we sat looking through the sheet of business cards of local station contacts I will never forget when she said, "Let's go to this station. That's Jessica's uncle." I said, "Um, ok, cool, my boyfriend listens to that station maybe I can get him a shirt or a sticker or something."

The day we show up for our internship we were directed to "Jessica's Uncle's" office (of course that's not how they referred to him). He directs us to the morning DJ (the blond girl in the Van Halen pic actually). My friend and I are shown around the studio, various rooms with equipment that looked similar to what we worked with at school but on a much grander scale. As we are standing in the production studio where "stuff" is recorded to go on the air but not the studio where the DJ's speak on the air, I see a light-brown/blond head clad in a baseball hat go bobbing past the window. I do not remember anything else that was shown to me for the next 15 minutes. I got this very strange feeling in my stomach, I felt something was going to happen between that guy and me.

After our tour, my partner and I got split up - she went off with a salesperson named Todd and I got to stay in the studio and see how the whole thing worked with getting actual sound over the air. Who did I get to work with? Yep, that same bobbing head under a baseball hat that gave me an odd feeling. He was not supposed to be there that day. He was covering for the normal afternoon guy (who happened to be SMA). I had a boyfriend of 5 years so WHY was I feeling like a nervous schoolgirl around this dude? Why was I so happy that the normal afternoon guy SMA wasn't there and this guy got to fill in?

Fast forward a bit. I left that day feeling really giddy and silly. I just knew something was going to happen between this guy and myself. I knew what parts of me were hoping would happen and I actually had the thought that I would either 1) have an affair with this guy or 2) he and I would become really good friends.

I didn't go back for a few weeks because it was spring break for college. But that didn't get my thoughts off Radio Guy. And oddly enough I ran into him during that time too. I was at Taco Bell with my mom & aunt who was in town visiting. We were on our way back from San Francisco and stopped on that side of town for something quick to eat. Standing in line he showed up in line behind me with a friend (oddly enough, not SMA this time but a guy who eventually would be his roommate). I got all those wonderful flutters again. THIS was fate and it was just sealing up my predictions of what was going to happen with him.

I went back a week or so later for my next internship session. I walk in and sadly saw SMA sitting in the studio. I was crushed. Radio Guy wasn't normally there in the afternoons. But, since he didn't have too much of a life, he DID show up. Yay! At that time, we chatted more and I learned he was 19. My 21 year old college sorority girl brain screamed, "OMG, he's a BABY!!! He can't even go to the bar with me! What the hell am I thinking. Oh yeah, I want to jump him and take him right here and now! Damn. "

Now, mind you, I did still have that pesky boyfriend of mine. He was a real peach too, abusive in so many ways mentally and sometimes physically. I was really terrified to break it off with him. I had tried in the 5 years we had been together and always ended right back there with him.

But I found ways to talk to and see Radio Guy. We became friends and talked on the phone a lot. I went to meet him at a bar once (fake ID, don't tell the kids!) and went back to the radio station even after my short term internship was done. I was simply smitten! Ok, I'll admit, it was way more than that. I WANTED him. Yet I still didn't see myself leaving my boyfriend. I saw myself having wild, passionate, great sex with this guy and that was that. BTW, he turned 20 during that time. When I met him it was only a few weeks away from his birthday.

Finally around 2 or 3 am one evening after talking on the phone for hours and being very thankful my sorority house room mate was staying at her boyfriend's, he asked me to go out. *Insert college sorority girl squeal*

I was so excited! I spent a lot of time getting ready and primping. I said goodbye to my sorority sisters as they went out to a party and I waited for him to pick me up. ONE girl was still at the house when he did. It also happened to be the ONE damn girl who had kissed my boyfriend behind my back. grrrr. Yeah, so I hadn't exactly broken up with him yet, still. So the dumb bitch TOLD HIM what I was doing when he called looking for me that night. I hate her to this day for making my life hard, oh yeah, and for kissing my boyfriend behind my back because really, that's just not cool.

We had a perfect first date. Thank God SMA wasn't included. He held doors for me, he bought me dinner and a movie. He kissed me goodnight, sweetly, on the doorstep of the sorority house when he dropped me off and walked me to the door. It was heaven! Then I got the nasty messages on my answering machine from my boyfriend.

The Boyfriend came to the house the next day and I felt no sorror or fear when I told him it was definitely over and it had been over for awhile and he was insane if he thought it wasn't. He stalked us for awhile and then, mercifully, faded out of my life. But he would show up at places that Radio Guy, now nicknamed FG, and I would go. Because of the radio station we went to LOTS Of shows and concerts and since that was what The Boyfriend listened to he knew all about it. Oh, I never did get him a sticker or a t-shirt.

One night The (ex) Boyfriend grabbed me out of a crowd as I was walking behind FG but not holding onto him. He took me outside and tried to get me to tell him I still loved him blah blah blah. Thankfully, SMA was there and got FG to rescue me.

FG and I finally had sex. Whew! Gosh it felt like that took forever. I will never forget it. Oh yeah, here I am admitting that I had premarital sex. Whoops!

We got married a couple of years later, had kids 6 years after that. I'll save the engagement story for another day and the stories of how integrated SMA is in our lives. As you read, if he hadn't needed the day off I may have never seen FG's head go bobbing past the window and fallen instantly in love. I say bobbing because he walks with a bit of a bounce. It was worse back then. But it's just like his father - Jessica's uncle.

Cheetos need to come with a Parental Guidance Rating

I found THIS on my lunch plate a few days ago. Some of the wonderful orange chemicals have rubbed off because I've been keeping it in my kitchen and showing everyone. FG told me I should list it on Ebay.

An organized kitchen

I'm getting there! I've been on a purge & organize kick lately. Maybe it's the springtime approaching that's getting to me. Whatever it is, I have been going through drawers and cabinets and trying to get a semblance of order to them all. It feels gooooood too!


Here's some before and after pictures. I won't bore you with how I did it because it seems fairly self-explanatory. I tossed what I haven't touched in years, items I upgraded and will never need the old ones and tried to keep like items together and in an order of ease of use. The things I use often are accessible, the things I don't use often but want to keep are tucked out of the way. Simple. Now if I could just muster up the energy to tackle the junk drawers.....

I do not have before pictures of these two cabinets. They are much better than they were before though, just trust me on that!

Here are my utensil drawers. I knew where everything was but as you can see, messy messy!
Before:

After:Before:

After:

Ok, I'm not sure how the cat picture got in here but she's awfully cute and comfy so I'll leave it in.

Here ya go Liz, my spices before:And after. I'm not a HUGE fan of the corner shelf thing but it's working for now. I can at least get at my spices without them all tumbling down on me or having to take out every jar to find what I need. I did organize them into groups on the shelves so I know which shelf to go to for baking, seasoning and mixes. As you can tell, I love Penzey's. I've loved them since before they sent out a catalog and expanded. We used to shop in their store in WI and I found a way to order from them 18 or so years ago. Now they are EVERYWHERE, but here. :( I also moved the measuring cups out of the cabinet. It's a force of habit for me to have them there and I am slowly adjusting to the fact I put them in the lower cabinet with the other glass dishes.

And now, I must end this ever so exciting installment with something fun because it's just the cutest thing to see little kids in a big chair.....

You can blame FG on the poor picture. His one job and he didn't do so good. There are others of them actually looking at the camera but as usual, one or the other has a totally dorky look on their face.

Or how about this fine picture? DD loved this thing by the way!

Hey look Ma! No hangover!

You'll just have to excuse my giddy post last night. The wine was guuuuuudddd! I joined a wine club a year ago with a winery in the Eldorado County area of California called CG DiArie. The wine maker invented Captain Crunch cereal and Powerbars among several other recognizable food items. He's a food & taste genius and this is his "retirement". He and his wife were just the sweetest people and they send me 2 bottles every other month. I haven't been sent anything I haven't been able to drink. Sure, some I like more than others but it's all palatable, if that's the correct spelling.

Yesterday morning FG went to golf and the kids and I were home. I scrubbed down the house while the kiddos were playing so well and being so good. I didn't break up nearly the usual amount of fights. They didn't beg me to play anything with them and were happy having their toys and each other. I took advantage! At some point I talked to my parents who wanted the kids to come spend the night. My dad came by to pick them up, I finished up cleaning and hit the shower. Shortly after I got dressed I located the recipe for the dessert I wanted to make. I knew I had read it several times but couldn't remember WHERE. FG came home to a clean and quiet house and a happy wife. To top off his day, he won his golf tournament. (see, he's kind of a really good golfer and hasn't been playing well, with the 3 feet of snow on his course and all, so when he plays poorly he's in a crappy mood but when he plays his usual game he is the giddy one and I could almost ask for anything in the world and expect to get it. Ha!) I informed him we had no kids for the night and he asked where I wanted to go. THAT is when I told him we were staying in and he was to go dig deep in the "good and save" stash for a bottle of wine that will go with the lobster tails I was making for dinner. Could his day get ANY better?

So I baked us up a couple of huge lobster tails, made my parmesean cous cous, a tossed salad and then these little heavenly babies.....


Dinner was excellent even with the cat mewing at us the entire time. We had a nice time to reconnect and we didn't have to fight a crowd, worry about not drinking too much of the wine because of driving or pay an arm and a leg for the lovely meal. Clean up was a breeze too. The best part? Even though I drank too much wine, NO HANGOVER! That's my favorite part about a good bottle of wine, I don't feel like crap the next day and regret my entire evening.
Here's the molten chocolate cake recipe:

* Exported from MasterCook *
Molten Chocolate Cakes
Recipe By :Serving Size : 4
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
4 ounces semisweet chocolate squares
1/2 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 large egg
2 egg yolk
6 tablespoons flour
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter four (3/4 cup) custard cups or souffle dishes. Place on baking sheet.
Melt chocolate and butter in microwaveable bowl on high 1 min or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Blend in eggs and egg yolks. Stir in flour. Divide between prepared cups.
Bake 13 - 14 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 minute. Carefully run small knife around cakes to loosen and invert onto dessert plates. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
Source: "Winter 2007 Kraft Food & Family"Yield: "4 "
NOTES : Can be made ahead and cups covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated. Bake as directed when ready to serve.


Soon I will share my organizing efforts over the past few days. My spices and my utensil drawers have had a makeover and are now presentable for the public eye. Liz, I know you are just waitng for pictures of my spices! Happy Sunday everyone!

Ha ha ha! I'm a lightweight!

I'll tell ya all about my evening tomorrow but one glass of good wine and I'm already buzzed!

No kids tonight! I'm making lobster tails, salad, parmesean cous cous and individual molten chocolate cakes for FG and I. We opened a good bottle of wine. Hmmm, maybe I should dig into some crackers because literally ONE glass and whoohooo!!!!

I hope everyone else is enjoying their Saturday night! Hopefully I don't regret it in the morning. :P

Home, Sweet Home

Well, whatever!
We had a great trip. The kids were SO surprised. I failed and did not get a picture. There wasn't much of a physical reaction anyway. Plus, if I may divert from the topic and vent about FG for a moment, *I* am the one who worries about all the little necessities - does each child have enough underwear for the trip? Did I pack enough and the right snacks? Are these jackets going to be too warm or not warm enough? Do I have sufficient toys/books/entertainment so they don't get bored when we inevitably make them wait or ride in the car for a few hours? Where are each of them at all times when out in public? I can't let them get too far from my reach? Did they just talk to a stranger? Are they both on the sidewalk? Are they going to step in someone's gross spit?..... you get the idea. So why oh why can't FG just take some fucking pictures? I'm too busy worrying about every other little thing to be snapping away with the camera. So lately we have soooo few pictures of anything. I'm getting annoyed. I really have started to not like our little digital too. I still love my film camera but it's big & bulky and with all the other crap I have to worry about, I don't want to carry that around too. But I ask FG to deal with the camera and because he takes pictures for work so much I guess he doesn't feel like taking pictures of his family. Thus I think I ended up with about 4 pictures of the whole trip. grrrrr

Regardless, we had a good time. I was amazed at the difference 9 months makes in DD's level of interest with the exhibits. She really seemed to "get" them this time and not just push buttons or move things around. She worked hard to figure out how things worked, cause and effect and desired outcome.
They were really very good children on the trip too. We live in such suburbia that I feel it's important that they are exposed to city life too. So tooling around San Francisco for a few days is good for all of us.
Now it's back to suburban life and I am hoping to get my kitchen utensil drawers organized and some laundry done. whoohooo. Big time!

Surprise Surprise!!!

I am not good at surprises. I don't like them for myself and when I attempt to surprise someone else, I usually give it away. But so far, we have been successful with this surprise for the kids. Mostly for DS. FG and I have gone to this place several times and couldn't wait until our kids were old enough to appreciate it as well. This past June, we took a nice little family trip and took the kiddos to The Exploratorium
DS has a bit of a science brain anyway and now realizing that he's got some Sensory Processing issues, this place is heaven for him. He's been talking about it since we left, wearing the t-shirt that we bought him as much as possible and asking to go back. It's all he wanted for his birthday. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for many reasons this past January. So now we are on Spring Break this week and I asked FG if we could go anywhere. I figured the answer would be no, but it turns out this is a good week work-wise for him to get away for a few days. Yahoo!!!!! So we decided to just not tell the kids our plan. They are going to spend the night with Grandpa tonight. That gives me time to pack up everything and have it in the car when they get home tomorrow. They won't even know where we are going when we head out. I plan to tell them that we just have to go to a nearby city for Daddy's work and since there's no school we thought we would all go. Since we are staying outside of the city, they still won't have a clue until we drive in the next day. I plan to have my camera ready to take a picture of DS's face once he realizes where we are going. As long as I don't burst and spill the beans first!

Oh, that means no MPM this week! Mama's not cooking most of the week. The only thing I know we are having is bbq ribs probably on Friday or Sunday - weather depending. Hey, it's my Spring Break too!

What to do when you are stuck home with a sick kid?

Why, reorganize your kitchen cabinets, of course!
While browsing around yesterday, killing a bit of time in between my house cleaning and I looked at Laura's stuff over at Organizing Junkie. I was reading the posts about the kitchen organizing, checking out what great jobs everyone did. So when I found myself with some time on my hands today, a clean house, clean/folded/put away laundry and no ability to finish my planned errands I attacked a couple of kitchen cabinets that have been really bugging me lately. I didn't take pictures, sorry! But oh it feels good to have them done!
I purged some stuff, put some other things where they belong with like items and tossed a few items that I don't even remember the last time I used! I have much more organized small appliance cabinets and baking dish cabinets. My mixing bowls, roasting pans, mixer, sifters etc. were getting so out of control that I was dreading getting into the cabinet. Then with the addition of the new (and bigger!) bread machine, I was shaking my head trying to get it in the cabinet. I tossed the electric knife that we got as a wedding present 13 years ago. I only did so AFTER looking for the blades without success and plugging it in to see if it works - it didn't. Same with a few other things that were useless but taking up space.
Now I'm going to treat myself to a Vitamin C dose and a bit of relaxation before DD calls me from her sick bed. One of these days I'll tackle my utensil drawers. *I* know exactly where everything is but don't ask anyone else to find it!

Now, I have a small request. Will you guys please de-lurk???!!! I feel like a little kid here and want some comments! I know several of you that come check on me - I talk to you in other ways as well but there's a few of you I'm totally curious about!!

Sorry, no time for foreplay again

I made the Chicken Spaghetti tonight. I used leftovoer shredded chicken from the roasted chicken pieces I made on Monday. I added some chicken broth to the noodle water and used that to add to the final mixture. I only used 2 oz of pimentos and about 1/3 of a green pepper. It was good. DS tasted a few bites and in his quirky way of rating things he said it was 70% good (which he informed me is slightly better than 69% - no, I don't know where he came from). FG didn't like it with the first bite and told me the chicken tasted like jerky. Then he ate some more and admitted he must have just gotten a drier piece of chicken. dork. I should take a picture of my seeminly 5 mo. pg belly to let you know how much I liked it. DD didn't taste it but she didn't eat anything but bread.
Oh, and the new bread machine fit right into the family with it's first dinner. I think we'll be a very happy little kitchen with the new arrival.
Keep 'em coming Pioneer Woman, we may just be inspired to cut the cords of our city life and move to a cattle ranch! I am going to need to do something more than walk to my garage or mailbox to work off the hearty meals I've been making.

Ready for a quicky?

I have to tell you how well the Penne a la Betsy went over here. Even my 7 year old DS liked it, the shrimp part at least.

I made it with my guests in my kitchen. It was easy to make and easy to be social while I made it. I had everything prepped earlier so it was just dump and cook in the right steps. Drink a little wine, add a little to the sauce...

It was a wonderful recipe to entertain with not only because I could prepare it while visiting but because it was easy to serve too. I put a dish of shredded parmesan on the table and some of us added that as well. YUM. I had only a small bit leftover and I ate that for lunch.

This is also a good recipe to increase or decrease depending on how many you are serving. I could have easily made quite a bit more or less just by eyeballing the amounts.

So, two big thumbs up for The Pioneer Woman's Penne a la Betsy from this house! (Though I do need to rename it for us because I don't feel right calling it that when I don't know Betsy).

Yay! This week I tried something new. I wanted to see how much I actually spend per week on food. So I went to the stores I normally go to (Trader Joe's and a local cheap-o, bag-it-yourself place that has an AMAZING bulk foods section). Then I looked at the ads that come in the mail and looked at the two stores I sometimes go to for meat specials or fresh fruits and veggies. I found that one of them had shrimp on sale and wanted to make a certain recipe so I got some of that. They also have a great produce section and I got a few things that were on sale there. Combined with my other two grocery store trips I spend $102. That actually may last me closer to two weeks. Of course, I'll have to go back for milk and some fresh veggies and fruits but that won't be anywhere in the same time zone as $102. We are having several people over on this Sunday and next Sunday too. So here's this week's menu:

• Sunday - Penne a la Betsy from the Pioneer Woman Cooks site, roasted asparagus, tossed salad, sweet French bread from the bread machine, avocado salsa. We have several little kids that will get mac & cheese, baked chicken nuggets and green beans for dinner. None of which are from scratch. For dessert I'm making brownies for FG and the kids and lemon meringue pie.
• Monday - Baked Chicken pieces, Parmesan cous cous, steamed cauliflower
• Tuesday - Beef fajitas, tossed salad
• Wednesday - Chicken Spaghetti also from The Pioneer Woman Cooks site (I will make 1/2 the recipe for us and freeze the other 1/2 for later), steamed broccoli
• Thursday - FG works but the kids like Parmesan Crusted fish fillets, buttered noodles and a veggie
• Friday - Take Out!
• Saturday - leftovers or possibly grilled steak for FG and I, burgers for the kids (all of which are in the freezer waiting to warm up like the rest of us)
• Sunday - family over to dinner and I am hoping to find a good tri-tip or london broil, roasted sweet potato wedges, tossed salad, steamed veggies and whatever yummy dessert I feel like making that weekend!

Recipes:

* Exported from MasterCook *
Lemon Meringue Pie

1 9" pastry shell -- baked

1 2/3 cups sugar

6 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup Lemon Juice

4 eggs -- separated

1 1/2 cups boiling water

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In heavy saucepan, combine 1 1/3 cups sugar and cornstarch. Add lemon juice. In small bowl, beat egg yolks. Add to lemon mixture. Gradually add water, stirring constantly. Over medium heat, cook and stir until mixture boils and thickens (about 8 to 10 minutes). Remove from heat. Add margarine, stir until melted. Pour into prepared pastry shell.In small mixer bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar to soft peaks, gradually add remaining 1/3 cup sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Spread on top of pie, sealing carefully to edge of shell.Bake 12 - 15 minutes or until golden. Cool, chill before serving.

* Exported from MasterCook *
Avocado Salsa
2 medium avocado

2 medium Roma tomato

1/4 red onion

2 tablespoons cilantro -- chopped

1 lime

2 cloves garlic

salt to taste

Peel and seed avocado, cut into chunks.Chop tomato into similar size chunks.Finely chop red onion.Chop fresh cilantro.Juice the lime.Press garlic through garlic press.Add salt to taste.
Mix all ingredients in med. size bowl and let rest for 1/2 hour.
Serve with tortilla chips.

* Exported from MasterCook *
Parmesan Couscous
1 can chicken broth

3/4 cup couscous

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Bring chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan; stir in couscous. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Stir in cheese and parsley.

* Exported from MasterCook *
Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup butter -- softened

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon celery salt

2 pounds tilapia fillets
1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Absence

Hiya! Sorry I haven't been around nor have I shared any menu plans for this week nor any recipe. My aunt & uncle are here from IL and she is DS's favorite person on earth. So we've been spending a lot of time with them and menu plans are for the birds when you have company in town! And shhhhhh! Don't tell on me but I let DS stay home from school today. They fly back home tomorrow and I figured one missed day of school wouldn't be the end of the world if he got to spend the whole day with his favorite person.

Sunday I did make a yummy meal of marinated pork loin, roasted asparagus and mashed potatoes. It was the DESSERTS I spent all day on though and I will share those recipes with you now. I've been using a lot from the Williams Sonoma Essentials of Baking cookbook and attempting to bring my baking to the next level. So far, I am pleased with my progress! I've been making baking powder biscuts quite a bit and they are so easy and yummy. Then the other two desserts I made on Sunday were not exactly difficult but required me being careful and taking the time needed for each step.

Baking Powder Biscuts
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup whole milk

In bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the butter. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter just until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs the size of small peas. Pour in the milk and mix with a fork or rubber spatula just until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently a few times until it clings together. Roll or pat out the dough into a round about 3/4" thick (I make a rectangle and then just cut the dough into squares so I don't waste any bits).
Using a 3" round biscut cutter, cut out biscuts and place on prepared pan, spacing them 1" apart (prepared pan = 1/2 sheet pan lined with parchment paper). Then you can gather and roll out the scraps but by making a rectangle and square biscuts I eliminate this step and therefore do not have any tough biscuts from working the dough too much.
Bake in 425 degree pre-heated oven for 15 - 18 minutes until lightly browned.

Rich Tart Pastry
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter cut into 3/4" pieces
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon heavy cream
(and I added 1 teaspoon almond extract with the liquids)

In food processor combine the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse to mix. Add the butter pieces and pulse until mixture forms large coarse crumbs the size of peas. In a small bowl lightly beat the egg yolks then stir in the cream and extract until blended. Turn on the food processor and add the egg mixture in a steady stream. Process just until the dough begins to come together but does not form a ball.
On work surface, shape the dough into a 6" disk. Wrap in plastic and refridgerate until firm (45 min. to overnight).

Plum and Almond Frangipane Tart
Rich tart pastry
1 cup blanched almonds
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 large egg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temp
8 prune plums, pitted and quartered

Roll out tart dough and prebake partially (400 degree oven. Line tart crust with foil and weights. Bake about 15 minutes until foil will pull back from crust easily. If foil sticks to the crust, it is not done baking yet. Reduce heat to 350 degrees)
In food processor, process almonds and sugar until the almonds are finely ground. Add the salt, vanilla and almond extracts and egg and process until blended. Add the butter and process until it is smoothl blended into the mixture.
Scrape the mixture into the prebaked tart crust, spreading evenly. Arrange the plums quarters, cut side up, in a circular row on top of the frangipane. Sprinkle with 1 tablepoon of sugar (I used tourbinado (raw) sugar).
Bake the tart until the frangipane is goldend and set when you give the pan a gentle shake. 30-35 mintues. Cool on wire rack completely. Unmold tart and serve at room temp or cold.


Ok, my fingers are tired and that should keep you busy for awhile. I'll save the Quick Puff Pastry and Palmiers (Elephant Ears is what I always knew them as!) recipes for another day. Suffice it to say, they were EXCELLENT!

Menu Plan Monday

This week is yet again not too exciting but I do have a YUMMY recipe to share! For more ideas check out the menu plans at Organizing Junkie!

• Sunday - Fried Chicken, roasted rosemary & garlic red potatoes, corn, pecan pie bars
• Monday - Grilled burgers (yay! It's warm enough today for the grill!), asparagus, roasted potato wedges
• Tuesday - Balsamic pork chops, pasta, steamed broccoli, rolls
• Wednesday - Cubed steaks with grilled onions, mashed potatoes, veggies (didn't get to this last week)
• Thursday thru Sunday - my aunt and uncle are coming to visit from out of town so the rest of the week is up in the air. I'm sure we'll be at my parents house and out to dinner a few times. If they come over here I'll most likely make a baked ziti and some homemade bread and salad.

The pecan pie bars were a hit with FG and SMA. They both love pecan pie so I tried the recipe I got from my friend Shannon. Easy and YUMMY!! Here's the recipe - enjoy!

* Exported from MasterCook *
Pecan Pie Cookie Bars

2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt 1

1/2 sticks butter (cold -- cut in pieces)

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 stick butter

3 large eggs -- lightly beaten 2

1/2 cups finely chopped pecans

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine flour, sugar & salt in large bowl; cut in 1 1/2 stick butter thoroughly with a pastry blender until mixture resembles very fine crumbs. Level and gently press mixture into a greased 13" x 9" pan. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 20 minutes ( or 325 for glass) or until lightly browned. Set aside
Meanwhile, combine brown sugar, corn syrup and butter in saucepan; bring to boil over medium heat, stirring gently. Remove from heat. Stir 1/4 of the mixture into the beaten eggs; then add back to the remaining hot mixture (so as not to scramble the eggs). Stir in the pecans and vanilla. Pour this stirred filling over the above-made crust. Level and bake again uncovered at 350 (or 325 for glass) for 25-35 minutes, until appears set and brown at the edges. Cool completely in pan and then refrigerate.
Prior to cutting & serving, remove from refrigerator for 20 minutes. Cut into desired size servings.
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All I seem to have time for are Random Thoughts

First off, my heart is aching for the family of this girl. They confirmed the body found was her. So very sad and I hope to God they catch the sicko and string him up by his shaven balls!

FG is out of town and you can bet I'll have some trouble sleeping tonight. They found her body waaaayyyy too close for comfort!

We had a good time last night. Once in awhile it's nice to get all gussied up and feel good about myself and how I look. I cut my hair yesterday - well *I* didn't do it, I had it done. Got my who-ha waxed. Visited my friend's wine shop and bought some wine and got an invitation to brunch for me & the kiddos to her house tomorrow (I have great friends).
Me and SMA last night with my new 'do. Don't ask me why FG took the picture all sideways but at least my double chin is hidden well. SMA needs to cut his hair - ugh.

You know, people who aren't familiar with him or FG think "THEYare friends?" Yep. Spend 10 minutes with them and you forget they look completely different when they start finishing each other's sentences and laughing at the same dumb shit. Anyway, it's all I got at the moment to show off my new 'do and it's not even a very good view of it!

I had to force my MIL to talk to me last night. She's still peeved from the other day when I told her off about stressing out FG and being pretty inconsiderate of his feelings. So I made her talk to me because I could tell she wasn't going to last night. Hee hee hee. FG noticed too and thought it was funny. I think he felt a bit embarassed that he was the "damsel in distress" with me coming to his rescue the other day. But at least he found it funny last night that I could be the bigger and better person than his mom who was going to hold a really silly grudge.

I need a nap.

What to blog, what to blog? Ok Random thoughts again!

Today is cold and rainy. After an amazing day yesterday of bright sun and warm temps, this is soooo depressing. I know, it could be worse. At least our snow is melting!

We have a missing girl in our community. This makes the mother of my babysitter VERY scared. See, she's a single mother doing the best she can. Thankfully she has lots of family around - blood related or otherwise. Since I am home she has asked me to collect her daughter from the bus stop and get her to her aunt's house safely. The Girl is not so pleased with that at all. I see both sides. Sure, The Girl only needs to walk about 1 block total in a very safe neighborhood full of kids and parents that stay home, work from home etc. But I also see Mom's side of thinking that her beautiful daughter could easily be a target for some psycho that sees her get off the bus and walk that block alone every day. So for the next few months, I'll collect her from the bus stop and get her home. Scary scary.

My son never ceases to amaze me. While he can drive us, his parents, absolutely INSANE, I hear daily from other parents how their kids adore him and they "just have to meet him, Mom. He's so funny and great!" Even the Angry Girl in his class is sweet to him. She's a little bitch to everyone else! Last night at a school function I heard it again a few times. They finally get to meet the Infamous ______. How the heck did it happen that *I* got this one? It does help me to hear those things because then when I want to wring his neck (like this morning) I remind myself that people would actually miss him if he was gone. I just can't do that to society.

Friday should be interesting. FG and his brother are SO different it's amazing they came from the same gene pool. FG is an independent businessman who doesn't do so well in the corporate world or having a boss at all. BIL drives a forklift in a warehouse and is one of the lowest on a large totem pole. FG thinks about other people. BIL hasn't a clue that other people exist. I could go on & on but suffice it to say that BIL's girlfriend and I are polar opposites as well. Size being the most noticable factor. So Friday will be very interesting when BIL's friends get to meet FG and I at his birthday party. We have in the past had to ban some of BIL's friends from coming to our home. BIl used to stop by with his friends and they frankly made me nervous with "FUCK YOU" tattooed on their knuckles and the long prison records to go with it. I guess that particular one isn't around again (back in prison I figure) so I'm hoping that his choice of friends has improved a bit over the years. Can ya tell I'm a bit nervous?

Alrighty, I must get off my blogger butt and go buy supplies for DS's Valentine party tomorrow. I somehow signed up to be in charge of it without anyone else signing up to help! Oh, I'm a lucky girl, yes I am.

Grocery Shopping made Easy

Big Brother is watching! Of course, "he" always is anyway but this takes it to a higher level. At least one that makes everyone aware that we are being watched 24/7. :)

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-05-03-smart-carts_x.htm

Karly's post over at Wiping Up Snot reminded me of this article. It also made me think of the monotony of grocery shopping. I usually like it but yeah, that is a lot of in & out, in & out. And I bag my own groceries!!! I take my own bags to the store too so I have to take the bags into the store and put the bags back into the car after I empty them. More in & out, in & out. This cart would at least eliminate the need to take it back out of the cart and onto the belt to be scanned. I could just pack it as I scan it. Cool. Too bad the article is from 2005 and I haven't seen one of these carts in my area nearly 3 years later!


Also, an update. I am now going to attend BIL's party this weekend as my sitter is just going to stay at our house for the evening. I told her mom that I appreciate that she wanted to take the kids and have the whole family help out but I would rather the kiddos just stay home for the evening. So if her daughter/our sitter wanted to go where the rest of the family was going, that was perfectly fine and ok with me, but I would just stay home with my kiddos. I guess my sitter decided she would rather have the $$ than go to yet another high school basketball game to watch her cousin (again) and will hang out at my house with my kids. :D Heck, if I was a kid who wanted to make some spending money and was sick of basketball games, I would too!!

~Menu Plan Monday~

This week I'm hoping to cook lots! I need to be creative and use up what is in the freezer too. We went out to eat a bit too much the past week and dang is it expensive! $100 for BAR FOOD for 4 adult meals and 2 kids who split a pizza??? Yikes!

• Sunday: BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, salad, scalloped corn, brownies
• Monday: Chicken & broccoli alfredo over whole wheat egg noodles
• Tuesday: Kielbasa sausage w/ saurkraut, mashed potatoes, veggies
• Wednesday: Cubed steaks w/ fried onions, spiral noodles w/ cheese sauce, veggies
• Thursday: the kiddos and I will have a baked wild salmon filet, roasted potato wedges and corn.
• Friday: BIL's birthday party dinner
• Saturday: I'm hoping it stays nice enough to grill steaks! roasted red potatoes, salad

A little of this 'n' that

Now onto the this 'n' that. I'm "homesick". Even though this is my home and I've lived here for 20 something years, I still get "homesick" for where I was born and where so much of my family still lives. Thankfully, my aunt is coming to visit next week! And we have plans to go back to the midwest at the end of June, beginning of July for my cousin's wedding. I'm dragging FG along this time. He doesn't really care for going back there the way I do and doesn't get any longing for the area like me. He says it smells there. I guess he just doesn't appreciate a good corn processing plant and the fermentation smell! He laughs because we always go to this dumpy place where they sell "unclaimed freight" and because I can wolf down a few chili dogs and ice cream treats at this awesome little independent ice cream place I've been going to since I was born. He rolls his eyes as I say I HAVE to get a gondola and a fried catfish, drive by my great grandma's house and take the back roads because the freeway wasn't there when I was 5 and could tell my parents how to get from one grandma's house to the others. But he'll go because he loves me. The kids love to go visit the family. DS wants to move in with my aunt (the one coming to visit - I have lots of aunts back there!). He's spent a lot of happy times with my family there so he has nothing but positive thoughts for the area and people. DD was a baby when we last went to visit so she doesn't remember anything.

I'm torn as to what to do about the end of this week. I am supposed to go to BIL's birthday party but my parents can't take the kids, MIL will be at BIL's party so she isn't an option and my sitter is going to watch them along with her whole family. But if she does that, that involves them going all over the place with our friends (sitter's family) for the evening. They all want to take them but I'm thinking they are nuts and it's really not that important I go to the party. My sitter's mom just emailed me back saying that she doesn't mind picking up the kids and taking them..... but still I'm thinking it would just be better if I stayed home with them. FG can go to his brother's party alone. So I'm not sure. It's not that I don't trust my friends with my kids I just think it all sounds like a huge PITA!

I'm feeling awfully spoiled right now! I'm getting my house cleaned once a week for the next month. And I'm not paying for it! It's a business deal-io that is just a great benefit. So I'm feeling so spoiled that I walked in after taking DS to school and running some errands and my house is sparkly clean. And I didn't have to do any of it! Ahhhhhhhh.

Save me, save my kids

Can anyone help me NOT freak out when DD has an accident? OMG, I was doing so well not losing it with the kids. I have actually found some patience with them lately. Until last night, I was upstairs doing the usual girl thing before we head out to dinner. I was thinking, "I should go downstairs and make DD go potty. It's been awhile. Ok, right after I put on my lipstick I'll go take care of her." I guess my own vanity could be what got me upset but next thing I hear is a sad "Mooooommmmmmyyyyy!!!!! Ohhhhhh I had an accident"
A few select words came flying out of my mouth before I raced down the stairs and said, "Where?!" "On the couch again." A few more choice words. In the playroom we have a great futon cusion on the platform that has hinges and serves as the couch and bed. Thankfully the fairly waterproof cover comes off. Thankfully I have a good carpet cleaner with upholstery attachments. Regrettably, it's a big PITA to deal with it all.
And DD got in major trouble. She had an accident because she didn't want to stop watching the SpongeBob cartoon she was engrossed in. So she lost cartoons today for it.

When I am calm and not cleaning up pee, I KNOW that she doesn't do this on purpose. I know that she's not sitting there thinking, "hmmm, Mom's had it a bit easy this week, I think I'll pee on the couch so she's got something to do. I know how much she loves to clean this couch." I know she doesn't want to get in trouble and feel all icky.
But when she does it I just completely LOSE IT. I mean, screaming and cursing and furious. I scare her, I scare DS, heck I scare me! I have got to find a way to calm down when this happens. Rationally, I know it's not good for her, for me or anyone. I know all of the psychobabble stuff about it. In the heat of the moment though, my brain goes down the drain.
I do think I will pick up a waterproof mattress cover for it though. The waterproofing is sure to wash off the decorative cover if I keep tossing it in the washer once a month!

Slacker Mom gets an A

"Mom, what are we having for dinner?"
"I don't know yet."
"Please Mom, NO MORE CHICKEN! We eat chicken chicken chicken. I don't want any more chicken!"
"Well, I was thinking of making us burgers."
"Yeah! In-N-Out!!!"
"No, I was going to make them, you know, AT HOME."
"In-N-Out! In-N-Out! In-N-Out!"
"Ok fine, give me your birthday money. I don't have any."

We hopped in the car and drove to In-N-Out with DS's cash in hand. I guess being a big sucker runs in the family.

"Ok, how about we watch a TV show tonight instead of reading stories before bed?"
"Yeah!!!"
"We've still got some Kid Nation to watch ok?" (we are soooo behind but my hairdresser's kid is on it so we had to record them and watch them. I DO use it for teachable moments with my kids - "see, no one likes her because she's acting like a brat and won't do her work. Everyone has to work together to get things done ya know. There's no mom there that will follow them around picking up the trash and doing their dirty laundry! You have it sooo easy kid.")
"Yay! Let's watch Kid Nation!"

Then after it was done, I made FG put the kids in bed. Yep, S-L-A-C-K-E-R M-O-M, that's me!

(In my own defense, I have a scratchy throat and voice and am so worn out from this cold. FG was gone for a meeting in the evening and came home at bedtime so it was also a way for him to get to see his kids for the 5 minutes it took to put them to bed. Am I redeemed?)

Eh, not feeling so well

I caught a Mommy cold. DD has a green snot nose too which preschool ever so politely told me if it is green on Wednesday I should keep her the hell away from there. Great. DS has a Dr's appt that morning for his 7 year check up and I have some heavy duty things to go over with the Dr. about him. I don't need the tiny tornado interruption! I've got my dried snot covered fingers crossed that FG can keep her with him. I also am hoping my head is cleared enough to rationally talk to the Dr.
So I have no menu plan this week. I know you are all terribly disappointed because they've been such winners lately! I did make a super easy dinner yesterday, knowing my poor body was not going to be up to cooking much and my family still expects food. I threw 3 frozen chicken leg quarters in the crock pot and dumped some BBQ sauce on them. By 6 pm, they were tender and juicy and everyone was happy. FG did all the dishes :D
This week is a bit crazy as far as FG's schedule so the kiddos and I are on our own for dinners a lot. I'm hoping to muster up the energy to cook some burgers for them tonight. DS has stated that he has never had meatloaf and would like to try it. I was going to attempt some mini ones in a muffin tin but no energy for that either. Frozen burgers will have to be a decent substitute. As long as there are pickles, the kids will eat them. I haven't had meatloaf since I was about 5 I guess. I can't say it sounds particularly appealing either! A loaf of meat? I love the cow and all but ewwwww. The things we do for a kid who doesn't usually branch out and try new foods!
I have to go over-exert myself and open a can of soup for DD for lunch now. Thank goodness she's being fairly easy on me and only made me play 12 rounds of her teapot game this morning. She patiently waited while I vacuumed the upstairs and sucked up the 3 inch layer of dust from everyone's dressers and nightstands and bookshelves. Amazingly enough, she didn't even ask for the TV on! That's a big struggle here as she is completely and utterly addicted and I feel terribly guilty about it 1/2 the time. I'm always a happy mama when she plays without her face glued to the TV!
She's back!!!! "Mom, make it right now. My soup. I'm waiting for it."