on this friggin' cold!

Every emergency supply kit should contain these two items.  And something to heat water in and with, so now we're at four items.  Oh, and something to mix it in.  Hmmmm, getting a little crowded.  I guess ALL those twinkies aren't necessary.  HA Bumhug.  If you drink enough of 'em to keep warm I don't think the rest matters.

On a more serious note, I'm fairly certain I am not descended from Eskimos, or Vikings, or penguins.  I will never pick a fight with a girl that grew up in Montana, or Iowa, or any of those states they show where all you see is the antenna of the car poking out of the snow.  I will forever be thankful for central heating.  I will not complain about how frockingly ridiculously cold it is when I am starting my car (at least it started).  At stop signs, I will always come to a complete stop...eventually.  Aaaaannnnd so on and so forth.

So it snowed!  Much to hubby's observation of this I felt it absolutely necessary to run around the house first peeking out the front door then checking out the back door and squealing at a very unreasonable pitch "SNNNEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHW!"  As the temperature failed to rise I was the only one maintaining the level of enthusiasm required for these situations.  I think the poor dog thought she was being punished since the high pitched noises were similar to the sound her bark collar would make.

After about 4 hours my hopes were rolling downhill since there was nothing visible in the yard.  Mom sent me a picture from her house and it had already started to gather around the edges of everything.  I went on the internet and proceeded to check every webcam available within a 2 hour drive to see which looked to be the most promising direction to head.

Mom-in-law's house seemed to be the most promising but it required us to drive "over a mountain".  Hubby assured me this would mean utter and certain death for us.  After that didn't sway me he reminded me who would feed the animals if we got stuck.  So back to mope I went.

FINALLY!

But of coarse...now I have to go to bed so I can get up extra early to fight through the treacherous conditions to get to work on time.  Also that way I can ask dear-darling-love-o-mine to start my car for me.  Then I heard hubby on the phone with someone.  I heard the trailings of "...ok sure.  See you about 9 then."

ME:  "So...when are you leaving for work?"

HUBBY: "I guess around 8:30ish or so.  Give the sun time to melt some of this off."

ME:  "Ah...that sounds good.  I'll just leave with you."  plot rolling around thickening as I plan to run from the warm inner sanctum of our living room out to my nice toasty car swept clean of snow.

HUBBY: "Hey, don't forget to turn your alarm off."

ME: "Hokey pokey!"  YAY!!!!  Sleeping in, getting my car started for me, I'll have an extra ten minutes at least to just...MAKE COFFEE!!!  I'll have time to make myself coffee, BEFORE work! then maybe I won't be so mean and cranky...

HUBBY: "You coming to bed?"

ME: "Yeah, in a little bit.  Just wanna read Mom's blog."

..........approximately 1.5 hours later I finished watching James and the Giant Peach.  Then took the dog out.  Then came back in and flipped through Netflix (AAAWWWWWHHHHHHH! or whatever that sound is when the light flashes on and the choir does that thing).  Then sometime after 1:30 am-ish I crawl in to bed.  Happy with the thought of the warm toastyness that awaited me after the sun rose.

"message...message..Message..MESSAGE.MESSAGEMESSAGEMESSAGEMESSAGE! AHHHHHHH! message."  Hubby has a really annoying message alert.  WTF!  I grab for my phone - 6:33 AM!!!  I reach again for something sharp and pokey.  Someone needs to be stabbed.  Hubby grunts and rolls out of bed.  Which apparently causes a Pavlovian type response in me to yell several obscenities then immediately roll over, pull the covers up and go right back to sleep.  Having recently been made aware this is why I no longer get my good morning kiss I bit my tongue and buried my hands under my pillow.  I have also been known to throw things.  That is why I'm no longer allowed to keep stuffed animals on the bed.  Especially ones with large, hard plastic eyes...not that it's creepy for a married, 33 year old woman to keep stuffed animals on the bed.  Ok that time I was home alone after my gall bladder surgery and I rolled over on the hug and talk Eeyore my friend got me and this Sam Elliot like voice says, "Thanks for the hug."  This causes me to yelp slightly because A. there should be no man in my house.  About 2 minutes later I hear, "I could sure use another one of those."  B. I might have been under the influence of the pain medication they sent me home on. So I screamed some.  To my surprise and later fear, no one called the cops.  Ah, but I digress.

Back to this morning.  So I roll over and see hubby had not come back to bed.  I got up and plodded my way to the living room.  Hmmm..no hubby.  I peek out the window.  GAH!!! No hubby!  His work van was gone!  So needless to say, all that careful plotting and planning went to waste.  And I was late for work.  Instead of making coffee this morning i cleaned up a nice little surprise that I'm pretty sure wasn't from Santa.  Oh well.  There's always tomorrow.

on a walk...

It looked so pretty outside today.  With the hard freeze last night I was sure it had to have killed off any mosquito or other nasty little blood sucking terrors the rain had woken.  After some  coaxing I convinced hubby to go for a walk.  We harnessed up our dog and headed outside.  He stared bewildered as I proceeded to get in to the car.

"I thought we were going for a walk, not a ride." he says.
"We are," I replied, "in the park!"

I'm sure there were some grumbles under his breath as he reluctantly got in to the car and rolled the window down.  Something about missing the end of the football game.  Fortunately for him I'm not up to very long walks.  We drive about 3 blocks and pull off at one of the many trails.  He proceeds to start walking with our little dog in tow.  She easily keeps pace with him as I fiddle with my camera.  He stops and looks back, sees what I am doing and hangs his head with a sigh.  I could see the thought bubble pop up above his head, "This is going to take forever..."  HA!  Little did he know of my ulterior motive of wanting to get some pictures of the last remains of fall before it turned into fell.

We trekked along in that comfortable silence of relationships that don't require words to fill every moment.  Hand in hand, on we went.  I looked at the various plaques and monuments to either side of the trail.  Morbidly I thought out load, "All those signs are pretty much markers that say 'A lot of people died here.'"  He chuckles.  Ok, so I don't care for too much silence.  Even the birds have taken the hint from last night's hard freeze that it's time to get-on-outta-here.  The soft crunching of the leaves beneath our feet was the only sounds of nature.  "Looks like we missed the leaves changing," I sighed.  "I didn't miss it at all." he grins.  Hubby may look like a mountain man but seems to lack the love of nature and all the wonders it holds.  Well aside from those he can shoot when the appropriate season opens.  It's kind of like being married to a sexy version of Elmer Fudd.

So we reach the end of the trail and start going back to car.  I notice now that our shadows have stretched out before us and start giggling to myself at how funny they look.  To help with the visual hubby is about 6' 6" tall and I'm 5' 4" at best.  Our dog is a mere 8 lbs and resembles an angry fuzzy slipper.  I start snapping more pictures.  Each time I stop he stops with me so he doesn't walk in to the line of fire.  He had already barked he didn't want his picture taken because he didn't have his hat on.  Of coarse I proceeded to take one as soon as he got a couple of steps ahead of me.  So finally he stops and asks, "What are you trying to do?"

"I'm taking pictures of our shadows."

After a moment of thought he holds his hand out to me and I take it.  He then starts holding it at funny angles and I'm thinking oh goody, a shadow puppet show.  "Here, hold your hand like this," he says.  At first it took me a couple of seconds to realize what he was doing.  Once it sunk in what he was trying to do I almost dropped the camera I was so shocked.  I couldn't believe he had thought of it.  I soooo take back the Elmer Fudd thought from earlier.

This picture I snapped just a few yards from the car.  It's funny sometimes how you don't notice a thing until something else opens your eyes.  Perhaps romance, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

random post of cuteness

So I'm posting for posting's sake.  I've been MIA lately.  Too much to go in to at the moment so I'll just share some of my pics :)  There is a constant struggle in our house for the perfect napping place.  I'm sure I'll never truly understand it but hey, it's made for some entertaining picture moments.  Enjoy!

on my head...

As the wisps of breath escape my mouth I can see them.  What happened to autumn?!?  Just last week it was in the 90's and now it feels like it's time to break out the thermals and hunting socks.  One good thing though, it's cool enough to start wearing hats.  And thanks to having such a small head I'm able to wear most anything...even kids sizes :)

Charlotte graciously poses

I was so torn between this one and the penguin.  My rationale was the penguin would go with more since it was black and white.  Then again, if I were truly worried about coordinating my outfits I wouldn't have been looking at this to start with.  So in the end purple won out.  I like hat.

on an adventure...Stone Bowl House

Today has been a great day.  I was able to shake off that cabin fever feeling by taking a little road trip.  The purpose of the trip-acquire and consume some good Korean food.  I had looked up some places online last night (in hopes hubby would feel up to a 2+ hour drive after a long, hard day's work) but that was a no go.  So by 10:00 am this morning his boss still hadn't called him in to work so off we went!  YAY!!!  ROAD TRIP!!!

Two hours later and after a couple of miss-stops (I had forgotten which restaurant we were going to) Carmen (hubby's GPS) informs us we have arrived at our destination.  Yes, I drove two hours for Korean food.  The other option was eight hours away and hubby is not quite up for that yet.

Woo Nam Jeong Stone Bowl House

My mouth is excited.  My stomach is growling in anticipation.  On the way in hubby noticed the sign on the door and actually stopped to read it.

It says "Beginning April 2010 we will be closed every Wednesday.  Grandma needs a break.  Sorry, for the inconvenience."  For those of you that have not been to a Korean restaurant, the really good ones ALWAYS have a little old woman that stands about 4'2" and is know as "Hal-mo-nee" Grandmother.

As an adventuress I am quite happy to jump in the car and head off to parts unknown without so much as consulting Dr. Google for directions.  Sometimes I even remember to check how much gas I have in the tank before getting on the interstate.  When it comes to Korean food though I tend to stick with what I know.  This pales in comparison to hubby's selections which even I have a hard time figuring out what they are let alone how to pronounce them to order it.  On that he definitely has me beat.

Appetizer choices are either mandu ("maan-doo" = Korean dumpling, similar to gyoza but not to be confused with wontons) or kimbap ("keem-baap" = the Korean version of a sushi roll but with nothing raw and usually has cooked beef in it).  Torn as always I went with the one I haven't been brave enough to make at home.

"Kimbap" = happiness in roll form

My normal order is daeji bulgogi ("deh-gee bool-go-gee" = pork marinated in a spicy sauce then grilled).  This has never failed to please me.  Being in a extremely good mood and wanting to turn over a new leaf in my life I go with something a little different but still a fond part of my childhood.  I boldly order the Godenguh Gui (you're on your own on that one for pronouncing = salted broiled mackerel).  The waitress looks at me and asks, "You know what that is?"  and I nod and respond "Oh yes!"  Hubby does his usual point at the menu "I want that please" (and oddly enough the waitress doesn't question his choice).

For those that have never experienced Korean food let me elaborate for it truly is an experience of all the senses.  It is as much about color and texture as it is flavor.  There really is no comparison to any other oriental cuisine.  My personal feelings are Korean food is bolder than Japanese and deeper than Chinese food.  I don't know any other way to explain it.  You either love it or would rather pass a kidney stone than eat it.

So to start they always bring out any number of banchan ("ban-jan" = side dishes).  Of these at least one will be a kimchee ("keem-chee" = often made of napa cabbage but can also be cucumber or radish, pickled in hot pepper, garlic and other oh so good seasonings).

"Banchan" = happiness in little bowls

Starting at the top left going right

• cucumbers and apples in a mayonnaise sauce (I question this as a "southern" Korean side dish)
• watercress salad
• fish cakes with hot pepper

Middle row left to right

• sangche (shredded radish kimchee)
• marinated potatoes
• mung bean sprouts 

Bottom row left to right

• kimchee (napa cabage)
• marinated cucumber
• oi kimchee (cucumber, this one was sliced)

These can be munched on alone or with a dab of rice or with your meal.  It doesn't seem like much but they are always happy to bring you more of anything you really enjoy.  The waitress stops and asks if I was Korean.  I explained I was half.  She then begins to chatter away at me and I respond in Korean "I only speak a little Korean."  She smiles and pats me on the shoulder.  I then proceed to express my grasp of the language by listing off all the foods I love and we both laugh.  "I'll never starve to death in Korea at least." Which got another good laugh.  Shortly after that another waitress bring out this:

Hubby's un-pronounceable dish = happiness in a boiling hot bowl

I tried to get a picture of it when she first brought it out.  It is a stone bowl that is heated before the contents are added.  It is literally boiling hot upon arrival.  She instructs him to stir it up before eating it to get everything mixed.  I was able to identify most everything in it.  It smelled delicious and I was looking forward to trying it. Then came mine.

Godenguh Gui = happiness with eyes

They say that smells are one of the strongest triggers of memories.  Seeing this plate instantly brought back a moment from my childhood when I, my younger brother and sister sat eagerly around the table waiting for mother to pick pieces off and put them in our bowls of rice.  I can remember how she made sure each piece was free of any speck of bone before giving it to us.  If we tried to get some for ourselves she would slap our hand away and take the piece back and again, carefully check it for bones before dishing it out.  That to me was affirmation enough to feel that she did love us as best she could.  So that being said Korean food is more than just getting my tummy full.  It's a tie back to my ethnic roots and the happiest memories of my mother.

Phew!  This has taken a while.  It's 12:34 am!  I'm still riding on the waves of joy from our trip.  I am ever so thankful to my in-laws for raising hubby to have such an expansive culinary palette.  Having a partner in crime makes it that much more special.  So to quote a rather wise old bear, "It's always more friendly with two."

P.S.  Tigger, I miss you sis.  I know it's not Mona's but it's as closes as I can get without drugging Baloo after we get in the car.

P.S.S.  The food was AMAZING!!!

on the advantages of being an adult...part 1

Some time ago Mom and I had gone out to dinner, I don't recall where, and I sat staring blankly at the menu.  After watching several trays of food go by I still couldn't decide what I wanted.  Then I saw a dessert tray go by.  I got excited.  I quickly flipped to the section of the menu that listed the desserts.  I know the drool had to be obvious.  I picked what I wanted then flipped back to the regular menu to find something small to have before my dessert.  I still couldn't find anything that appealed to me.  After flipping back and forth and having the server come back twice Mom asked me what I was trying to decide from.  I told her all I really wanted was the dessert and nothing else looked real good.  She then said three words that I will never forget, "So order dessert."

O.o  "I CAN DO THAT!?!?!"  And in the most matter-of-fact, non-mocking tone she replies, "Of coarse!  It's one of the advantages of being an adult."

Those three little words have stayed with me and served me well over the years.  I feel it's an homage to the many years of not listening the the advice of those more experienced and wiser than myself.  It's a declaration to the world that I am an adult and I will not bow down to the constraints of social norms.  It's an exercise of free will.  As a matter of fact I'm pretty sure it's in the constitution, in the very small print, on the back side, just off to the edge.

So, after a more grueling than normal week hubby takes me out to dinner to Carrabba's.  We do our usual look over the menu and do our version of Abbott and Costello "Do you want an appetizer?"  "Well, do YOU want an appetizer?"  "How hungry are you?"  etc.  So as always, I'm debating over which dessert to enjoy.  I tend to worry the tiramsu is from a large sheet that is thawing in the refrigerator next to the peeled garlic and sliced onions so I decide to go with the limoncello bread pudding.  Just below the description it says "Be sure to order early since this takes 20 minutes to make!"  Ooo promising.  Enter waiter, stage left.

ME: I'd like the limoncello bread pudding.

WAITER: Ah, good choice ma'am.  And for-

ME: I'd like that for my dinner please.

WAITER: (slightly nervous laugh)  Um...ok then!  Excellent choice!  I'll be sure to put that in to come out with the entrée.  (slightly less nervous laugh but a rather obvious "she's either crazy or pregnant" smile)

Hubby had the lobster ravioli.  He did enjoy that.  Between the 2 orders of bread, side salad and calamari appetizer it was just enough to leave room for him to try a few bites of my "dinner".  Sadly mine was a little disappointing. I had hoped for a little more lemony flavor.  It will NOT be making my list of "things I would gladly cause bodily harm to another in order to have/do" list.  I won't even begin to compare it to the decadent, slap yo' mama, make a puppy pull a freight train backwards, zabaglione at Mom and my's favorite Italian restaurant (pictures to come soon).

So, the moral of the story?  Know what it is you really, truly want, then go for it.

on labels...

Labels are inherently useful things.  They clearly identify something as what it is, or contains, or what you should or should not do with it.  I find warning labels to be extremely helpful.  Sitting here thinking on what I wanted to do with this topic I came up with this:


Actual warning labels that could apply to me.

• Contents under pressure.  Do not agitate!  Do not puncture or incinerate!
• Do not leave unattended when lit.
• Due to it's nature, contents can vary in color, texture and over all appearance.
• Use by more than one person can greatly raise the risk of spreading infection.
• Prolonged exposure can cause irritation.

on indecision...

So begins a new chapter in the story that is me.  I've been doing a lot of thinking lately.  Mostly because I've been too tired to be doing other things.  So very, very, very tired.  Not sure if it's the meds or just plain boredom.  Probably a combination of both.

I began this blog with a clear cut direction, unhindered by the weeds of doubt and obstacles of indecision.  I knew where I was going with this.  It was my horse dammit and I'm leading it to water.  Now as I look about I see the horse is actually a donkey and there is no stream in sight.  So where do I go now?

Oh look...something shiny...just over there...beyond that hill, under the bushes...sort of to the right of...what the heck is that?!?!?!

When in doubt, return to where you started.  If you lose something, stop, think, retrace your steps.  The problem is I have no idea where I started.  Perhaps I could send out a smoke signal, call in the Marines.  At this point I think being air lifted out and simply starting fresh somewhere new would be the right answer.  That would be like giving up, admitting I failed.  Taking a harder look I see that donkey is just a reflection in the pond I've been sitting at for quite some time.  Time to get my ass in gear!  As my nanny said, "Do something, even if it's wrong."

I still don't know where I want to go.  Perhaps retracing my steps at this point might not be a bad idea, go down some of those old paths that lay long forgotten.  Step back, take a look, evaluate the situation, pick a direction and GO!

on inspiration...

as i sit here, unable to sleep, my mind begins to wander.  i think about my life, love, and chocolate cake.  between the bouts of senseless crying i wonder...how would things be different if...

i truly am inspired by Mom's blog.  i love her writing style.  i am also truly inspired by my dear friend Tigger's blog.  honest and committed.  they help me remember how things have been, of how i used to be.  i miss that me.  the one that would fearlessly wear whatever i felt like, dye my hair 3 shades of purple, get my tongue pierced for no other reason than i wanted to.  where is that me?  i know she's somewhere out there, i mean really, she's way out there.  i'm pretty sure she's crazy.  she'd have to be to do some of the things she did.  i guess i should check up on her, see if she's doing alright.  maybe invite her back for a visit.  who knows, if things work out she might decide to stay a while.  wouldn't that be...interesting.  i hope she remembers me.  who knows, she might not even like me now.  i know i'd be pissed if i was her.  never writes, never calls.  time to suck it up and just go.  can't be any worse than riding a roller coaster...can it?

ok me, get ready, because here i come!

on misery...

so here i am.  i need to stay up for at least another hour to take my meds.  just read the letter from the GI specialist and turns out with all the other issues i also have a fatty liver, common in the southeast (wonder if that's a racial thing).  she recommends losing weight, low fat diet and vitamin e to prevent liver scaring.  yay.  well, it won't hurt eating healthier.  right now the losing weight is easy enough since nothing tastes good and i've lost my appetite.  seems like a perfect excuse for trying something new.  since i've been stuck at home i've been taking advantage of the netflix subscription.  i'm a nut for david attenborough nature documentaries.  i love the bbc release of the planet earth series that he narrates.  argh, his cat is demanding attention as i'm trying to type.  having to backspace every other word after she walks across the keyboard.  i'm horrible company when i don't feel well.  i whine and moan and play poor-pitiful me.  when i'm really sick i'm the total opposite of my usual chattery self.  hubby gets worried when i don't feel like talking.  so i guess i'm just posting for the sake of posting.  i haven't really felt well enough to work on anything much.  i miss me.  i've been trying to keep myself occupied and in a better state of mind by crocheting.  i got a couple of hats done that i'll post pics of.  i keep playing some of my "feel good" movies.  i don't know why but sister act is one of those that makes me happy.  that and legally blonde.  which i would have never watched had it not been for hubby getting it a few years back.  so here i am still.  applying the force of positive thinking is harder to do when you're feeling so lousy.  i am going to feel better.  i will feel better.  i am going to feel better.  i will feel better.  wet, lather, rinse, repeat.  wonder if those people that are afflicted with severe short term memory loss go through more shampoo than normal...

on left overs...

so a little bit of this and a little bit of that and viola!  homemade ham mac 'n cheese casserole.  had the penne leftover from a couple of nights ago (thank goodness because there was no other pasta like substance in the house) and the ham from the night before.  the recipe went kinda like this:

Melt a pat and a half of butter in a saucepan on medium heat then add about a tablespoon and a half of flour.  Whisk well and cook for about a minute (which i then started cutting up the ham and lost track of time...).  Wash out the pot and put what's left of the stick of butter, about a pat and a half in the sauce pan, melt it then add about one and half tablespoons of flour.  Whisk well and this time keep an eye on it for a minute so it doesn't burn.  Add about a cup and a half of milk.  Whisk some more.  Chunk up some left over ham, make sure to keep all the tough parts out.  Hurry back to the sauce pan, and add a splash more milk because the beshamel is a little to thick.  Add about 6 handfuls of whatever shredded cheese was in the fridge (mmm Mexi-mix).  Stir some more.  Add another splash of milk because it's looking a little too thick.  Add in the ham and stir it up good.  Pour what little of the milk is left and add a couple of palm fulls of the cheddar cheese you just found under a bag of salad greens.  Now you should have been tasting it every now and then along the way.  If it still needs a little salt after the ham sprinkle a little Tony's on it (the green can with the funny looking cartoon guy on it).  Mix it all up.  Add the left over penne and hope you can still stir it without dumping everything out of the saucepan.  Get out one of the square casserole dishes.  I think this one was the 9x9.  Spray it down with cooking spray.  Pour out all the goodies in to the casserole dish then sprinkle two or four handfuls of cheddar cheese on the top.  Then sprinkle three to four handfuls of Panko bread crumbs (make sure to check that they aren't stale first since i have no idea when i would have bought Panko bread crumbs).  Very lightly sprinkle a little more Tony's on top.  Then carry it over to the sink and spray the top lightly with the cooking spray (this will help it brown and get good and crispy).  Pop it in the oven that you had preheated (or forgot to turn off from earlier) to 350 degrees F.  Let it be for about 10 minutes then check on it.  If the top isn't browning yet close the door and go back to the computer.  Wait for hubby (or someone else) to ask you "Didn't the timer go off already?" and go running back in to the kitchen and check it again.  If the top is nice and golden brown and you can see the cheese bubbling around the edges take it out and let it set a few minutes before serving.  Scoop it out in to or on to your receptacle of choice and enjoy.

on unwanted guests...

so the days are all kind of melding together now. with hubby working so much it's hard for me to tell when the weekend is really here.  i went out yesterday to check on the maters and GAH!  this is what greeted me:

THE HORROR!!! THE HORROR!!!

on the road to recovery...

as i've mentioned in the last couple of posts i haven't been feeling all that well.  what started as a simple diagnostic colonoscopy landed me in the hospital for four days.  during which time all i was allowed to eat was clear liquids.  that means jello, chicken broth, apple juice and unsweetened tea (which i'm pretty sure was from a powder-sacrilege i tell ya).

so they had the GI doc consult and a surgeon.  the surgeon informed me he's been in this business for 33 years now.  i commented "so you've finished practicing then?"  he chuckled in that not so condescending way of a person who's sure their of a higher plain of intelligence than you are.  he then followed with "i've never seen this happen before.  i always wondered if it could happen.  now i know it can."  it's never reassuring to hear that from a doctor.  final diagnosis: clots formed at the biopsy sites and my body treated them as infectious invaders.

so by day four (and several bags of IV antibiotics) my counts were within normal limits and my biopsies had come back clean.  no idea why it happened.  nothing is ever simple with me.  where is dr. house when you need him???

a couple of days later while sitting on the back porch hubby looked at me and said, "next time you want to lose weight lets try something different."  so after some arguing we went and bought a battery for the scale and low and behold, i had lost 10 lbs.  i guess i'm just lucky like that.  so after finishing up ever more antibiotics  i'm back off to the land of the working.  and there was much rejoicing, yay.  we'll see how tomorrow goes.

'maters...week 9

 

 

They're alive!!!  and for the most part, in better shape than i am.  I'll get more in to that in another post.  For now, I'll let you sit back and bask in the wonder of my 'mater growing abilities.

'maters...week 8 and 1/7ths

 

a little behind this week.  due to an unexpected hospital stay i've been somewhat neglectful of my updates.  so here are some pics of the current horde.

'maters...week 7 and 1/7ths

ahhhhh...the true test of patience begins.  i so do love fried green tomatoes.  to pick or not to pick...i can't believe i even have the option!  hubby teases quite brutally by coming in to the house and acting like he's wiping his fingers and then smacks his lips.  "mmm that was good." ooooo i guess just one won't hurt.  there's plenty more...  maybe just to taste it...  after all it would be a tragedy indeed if they were carried off by a bad storm, or an albatross, or a herd of lost armadillos.  i hear they just love tomatoes.  just one...then i'll stop and let them turn red...yeah, that's the ticket.  then we shall wait, patiently, unless i hear the pitter patter of little armadillo paws.  we can never be too careful.  especially not with my precious....

more on the weather...

ok this is just ridiculous.  keep in mind the external sensor is on the porch...in the shade.  my poor 'maters are wilting like crazy.  what little rain we did get just made it muggier.  the dehumidifier is on overdrive.  the cats don't even want to sit n the window.  worst of all it's too dang hot to go fishing!!!  it seems like the summer went from brrrr to melting the ice caps.  before ya know it the month will be gone.  feels like forever since we've had a nice day.  ugh, it even feels like it's getting too hot inside.  the only relief if when we go outside for more than 2 minutes and come back in.  well...i think i'm going to so take an ice bath.  no telling what the temp is now out there.  i bet they're all sold out of those little kiddy pools too.  darn it.

on conversations...

sometimes i don't give hubby enough credit for his ability to truly understand me.  this evening was a perfect example.  there we were at home depot, me being me of coarse had forgotten why we were there.
ME: what are we getting?  why are we looking at wood?
HUBBY: i need some 8' 2x4s
ME: what for?
HUBBY: /slight sigh from him, because i'm going to make saw horses.
ME: well how many boards do you need?
HUBBY: 9
ME: 9?!?! are you going to make a herd of saw horses? (my eyes must have lit up like the las vegas strip because he quickly followed with)
HUBBY: and no, i will NOT make you a saw pony!"
ME: WHAAAAAA!!!!  that's not fair!  you get TWO saw horses and i can't have just ONE little saw pony?!?!?!
HUBBY: /bigger sigh on his part as we proceed to pick out some boards.
ME: don't get that one, it's got a bad spot.  you don't want a lame saw horse.  i mean jeez look at it, it's already injured.

so, to call in moral support, out comes the cell phone.  the texting goes as follows:
ME: hubby is making himself a couple of saw horses.  he won't make me just 1 saw pony! (little crying man animation)
MOM: Maybe they will eventually have a baby.
ME: i peed a little on that one
MOM: Bad girl, Bad girl...
ME: Home depot is mine now

so that got me to thinking about a conversation me and Mom had over the weekend.  i was rattling on about my tomato plants and how excited i am.
ME: i think i 'm going to name them.
MOM: name what?
ME: my two tomato plants.
MOM: /short pause, that's kind of morbid.
ME: oh really...how's that?
MOM: well, you raise them and take care of them, then eventually you take away their children and eat them.
ME: ...I LOVE YOU!

intelligent people have some of the most interesting conversations.  maybe i'm bias since i'm usually one of the guilty parties...

'maters...week 6

ahhhhhh...they live!!!  there has to be at least a dozen right now between the two plants.  i am sooo excites.  hopefully they'll all make it to harvest.  i'm still shocked they've made it this long.  i'm having to water at least twice a day.  oh and on a side note, the earlier picture where the one is sliced up on a plate, that was a saucer.  it's amazing how you can make things look bigger with the macro setting lol.  right now the biggest one is a little smaller than your average apricot.  with my confidence building i think i really might try to for heirlooms next year.  i've seen these ones that have a purplish tint to them and ooooo i do love me some purple.  i'll have to get some pics of the boat too.  poor hubby got poison ivy or sumac or oak while he was cleaning it out.  i am still excited though.  can't wait till we get it in shape to put in the water.  won't take much and he got a super good deal on it.  well, it's getting dark and i'm still not caught up on my sleep.  so night night for now :)

on distractions...

so the boys are outside working on the boat.  i'll have to write more about that later.  all i know is that they've been out there since before i got home and needless to say after the first few minutes i was bored.  i was looking at the shed and happened to notice this.  looks like no one's home, thank goodness.  so i proceeded to take more random pictures while the neighbor kids were yelling at the dog to come over to them and them randomly yelling "HEY HEY HEY are you grilling?"  if it had not been 94 degrees outside i would have considered squirting them with the hose.  well, it's gotten awfully quiet outside.  i better make sure no one has been injured, or worse...

Mom's runner

DAH TAH!  Went to go see Mom this weekend and worked on her runner.  Got the top pieced and pressed.  I can't wait to get it pinned and start quilting it.  Still have to decide on what kind of patter we'll go with.  This is my first french braid piece.  Actually it's only my second quilt top.  I figure if I stay with smaller pieces I'm more apt to get them finished.  I'll have to write some more on it later when I'm not so tired.  Makes for a long drive when you get stuck in 20 miles of stop and go traffic on the interstate.  Night night.

on the weather...

It is hot.  It's like crazy hot.  You know, the kind of hot where it's too hot to go fishing because all the fish are trying to find the cool spot in the lake because even they are saying "IT'S TOO DAMN HOT!"  Poor little monster has been stuck at the house because the only time it's cool enough to go outside is about 4 hours after we go to bed.  She seems content though to go out with us on our smoke breaks and does her little lap around the yard.  Sometimes she doesn't quite make it all the way around before plopping down in a spot of shade and stretching out.  We can't wait for the weather to get decent enough to go out wandering again.  I'm glad pets have short term memories.  If she didn't she would hate going out because of the hour or more after we get home she gets picked at to make sure she's not got ticks or other creepy crawlies.  Ah well, the things we do for love.  C'est la vi or something like that.

on my cat...

I love my cat.  He is the cutest kitty in the whole wide world.  I also love playing with photos, and since he doesn't run at the sight of the little black flashy box in my hands he gets photographed the most.  I don't think it's necessarily because he likes his picture made.  I think it's mostly that he just doesn't want to expend the energy getting away.  This particular pic I took on my phone.  It seems to do well when I've got plenty of natural light.  Since he is mommy's little boy and the only one that will stay still long enough for me to get a good series of pics you'll be seeing a lot of him.  I like to think he's a little too sophisticated to be a lol cat.  I guess I'll have to dig through some of his old pictures and see what I can find.  In the mean time though he will just have to be the cutest kitty in the whole wide world.  Even when he's trying to look mean.

'maters...week 5

more 'maters more 'maters more 'maters!
So far we've spot 7 new ones, YAY!!!  There are still some flowers left on the plants so hopefully there will be more.  I've been playing with the collage feater in Picasa lately to try to condense some of the pictures down.  We'll see how it goes from here.  This other one though i just thought was too pretty to edit.  Just shrank it down some.  I took this shortly after hubby had watered for the evening.  So far so good!  Who woulda thunk it, little ol' black thumb me actually growing something.  Shun the non-believers! Shun!

'maters...week 4 and 5/7ths

I'm so excited, that I just can't hide it.  I'm about to lose control and I think I like it, I like it.  WE HAVE-what do you call these things anyways?  Baby 'maters?  'Mater buds?  Well, whatever they are they are mine, all mine!  I will love them, and feed them, and pet them and call them George.  Muwahahahaha!  Oh I can't wait to see how these turn out.  So far I spot 5 of these little thing-a-ma-jiggers and there are still a few more flowers on the plant.  I'm going to have to figure out though how to better rig them up as their current support structure is a piece of cotton yarn wrapped around them and tied to the rail of the porch.  Stay tuned for more on this monumental event of incomprehensible proportions.

on beans...

we seem to have inadvertently gotten on to a bean kick lately.  on the menu tonight, pinto beans and rice.  i have to admit, had it not been for my dear husband i would have never been introduced to this simple southern staple.  i will have to tell you the story of the first time he made this for me.  alas, tonight i am a bit tired so we'll get back to it.  today's dinner though was a tad salty for my taste.  i think next time i will go with my instincts and only use half of the chunk of streak-o-lean instead of the whole thing.  had it not been for the rice i wouldn't have been able to eat it at all.  still playing with my camera (and my food according to hubby).  now he just shakes his head and goes about fixing his meal while i hurry to get outside to get my pictures.  i think i need to find a more interesting background.  being where i am it makes it hard to wander around with your dinner and a camera in hand and not get funny looks.

on chili...

so today has been one of those days.  i'm bounce between manic and wore slap out.  so finished the roman shade for the guest room.  hubby made his chili, mmmmm mmm good.  been playing with the macro feature on the camera and think i'm getting the hang of it.  also playing wit the "rule of thirds".  i'm getting a better idea on what i want to do with this blog so things may change some.  i need to get my graphics programs installed on this computer so i can get back in to that.  i'm kind of suffering from inspiration overload.  i've got several hundred great ideas in my head.  the problem though is trying to get them out and actually doing one of them.  i think i'm going to play with my camera some more.  i enjoyed photography when i was in high school.  actually went through the whole learning to develop film and everything.  so lets see where this takes us.  right now i've got a full belly and am listening to south park that hubby is watching.  i really don't want to go to work /sigh.  gotta pay the mortgage, and the rent, and the car payment, and the utility bills and my yarn habit, and fabric habit, and pet habit, and eating habit, and...

'maters...week 4 and 3/7ths

joy joy joy. the first tomato. to pick, not to pick, should i leave it just one more day? the suspense was killing me. finally as hubby was helping me right the plants back up (they had taken a little tumble after the rain) he said "might want to pick that one now". so here it is. a little salt, a little fresh cracked pepper and viola! quite tasty.  i think they are big toms. we then had one of the neighbor's tomatoes that she had so graciously shared with us. it was sweeter than ours.  i rather enjoyed it as well. so now that i have some confidence, perhaps next year we shall try our hand at some heirlooms! it will probably take me now until planting time to decide which ones to go with.  who knows, maybe we'll have our own yard by then too.  ah, to dream a little dream.

on simple pleasures...

some women like shoes, others might like jewelry, then some might like fancy cars.  me, there is nothing so simple as the joy a new pair of socks can bring.  not just any socks though.  these are just one example.  having been blessed with well define and muscular calves ("cowboys like fat calves") it poses the inherent problem of finding knee socks that i can actually wear, well, to the knees.  so, finding a pair that will actually, (1) make me happy when i wear them and (b) not cut the circulation off below the knees, poses a a distinct problem.  out of a pack of 3 these were the only ones i could get to fit :(  ah but not to let the others go to waste i simple scrunch them down '80s style.  i so do enjoy my new socks.  i hope you do too.  even if some others aren't impressed.

on projects...

if you love someone, now i mean really really really love someone, never, ever ask them to help you with a craft project you really aren't sure about. i imagine it is like trying to build a house from bottom up but on a slightly smaller scale. i am sure people have been stabbed over such projects. i know this because i was tempted more than once to stab hubby as he held the shade up while i tried to sew the rings on. poking him with a needle seemed like the correct response to his "i can't hold this forever you know." so after who knows how many hours it is finished. not only did i learn several things about measuring and measuring again, then having someone else measure because your arms aren't quite long enough to span the entire window. there is no such thing as a standard size window. the width at the bottom is not always the same width at the top. this goes the same for lengths. read ALL directions start to finish. after reading them once, read them again before you start cutting things. once something is cut it's pretty well go with it or trash it and start all over. it's a tad smaller than i wanted. i really need another 1/4" all around to completely cover the window. i wanted that because this is the window that faces the road as well as 2 street lights. so it's a start. now after trying it once i think i might brave another one. i think i know where my rough parts were and can try to avoid them in the future. i will post the credits a little later once i get the hang of getting external links in the way i like it. so yay me! i finished something. crap lighting, i better get this thing shut down. see ya later!

ok here's the link to the site i used : Terrell Designs

'maters...week 4

it's amazing what can happen in a week. not only has the darn thing turned red but there are a ton of flowers opening up. i guess i'll have tomatoes in september :) starting to get some leaf curl. guess just need to keep them better fed since the shade is good and they're getting watered. had a nice little bit of rain couple of days ago. we'll keep our fingers crossed. and soon , yes, very soon, i will dine on the fruit of my labor muwahahahaha...