Christmas Cookies Round I

Well, the time has come to start my annual Christmas baking! I'm going to attempt to add a variety of cookies this year, and not just my norm! I started tonight with my granny's Peanut Butter Blossoms! For the longest time I thought my granny had made up this recipe! Little did I know! :) This year I added a new twist to it -- I decided to use colored sugars instead of the plain ol white ones and I'm quite pleased with them! Here is the recipe and a picture if I can figure out how to post a picture in this silly wacky thing! So far so good!

Peanut Butter Blossoms

1/2 c granulated sugar

1/2 c packed brown sugar

1/2 c creamy peanut butter

1/2 c butter or margarine, softened (I just use the stick margarine)

1 egg

1 1/2 c flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

Granduated sugar (can use colored sugars too)

About 36 Hershey Kisses (or stars), unwrapped

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, beat 1/2 c sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and egg until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda, and baking powder (I use electric mixer) until dough forms.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls; roll in sugar. On ungreased cookie sheets, place about 2 inches apart.

Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until edges are light golded brown. Immediately press 1 kiss into center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Makes about 3 dozen. . . however, I always get more than this -- maybe I roll the balls smaller than 1 inch? They are always good! When storing them I place a piece of bread in the bottom of the container to keep them moist. :)

Enjoy

Give me a reason!

I know I had stated I was going to quit using this site and use another, but I decided I'd just keep with it. . . and then I had not posted forever and a day! Maybe it's because I took a break from life, got caught up with facebook, whatever! Life has been handing me lemons, and damn it I've been trying to make lemonade out of them. . . but I fear I need a buttload of daggone Splenda right now! Here, let me catch ya up on my life :)

I'm still working as a para-professional on a temp status. This means that ol Stacey-poo does not get any PTO, benefits, funeral pay, etc. I'm doing OK with this, even though it is not what I had expected to be doing at the good ol ripe age of 34! Student loans are on a deferrement status (can't squeeze blood from a turnip can ya?), and we are getting by -- by the hair on the chinny, chin, chin though! Most days I enjoy the job, but there are days that I just come home and want to cry! But, God is providing!

My ol Trusty Rusty scares me to death every day! I mean, it's like a walking heart attack for me to get in the darn thing on a daily basis! But, like I said, God provides! That thing is still running! OK, so I do get odd ball looks when I start 'er up and it squeeks and rumbles for the first 45 seconds. . . and the driver side window can no longer roll down (poor LJ about had a cow when the window came falling in at me one day in the ATM line. . . ), I have to use a straw or something to put in the heater thingie to make it go (and only on high), and that I have to pound on the dash board to get my lights inside to show up. . . . but it runs and THERE ARE NO BANK NOTES on it! I do pray that I make it to and from work w/o having to use my hazard lights and pull over on 73rd Avenue! (my husband just laughed when he read over my shoulder! That was so not funny Pagan!)

This year, due to lack of funds, my family is making a lot of Christmas gifts for adults! Of course, I have all these ideas and now I must find the time to actually implement the projects! But, since we have been eating at home more often, we are home more in the PM's and I've already started! Yeah, I know you are all wanting to know what we are doing, but I cannot say until after the holidays because I'd give out secrets! I'm only hoping they all turn out OK! Only time will tell!

We have not put up our tree yet, nor any other holiday decor. . . which is kind of depressing, because it should be up by now, but I just have not had time! As many of you know, my Granny had been battling end stage lung cancer. . . we were home the weekend before Thanksgiving, as she was admitted to the hospital and not doing well. TomTom and I were home Thanksgiving weekend and returned home on Sunday. On Sunday night Granny took her last breath and is now in the hands of the Lord. So, we've been home since Monday night for the funeral. . . and of course things are tense all around. . . although it's a sad time, it's also a happy time! No longer is she in pain and with her maker! How can one not be happy about this?

Of course, as with any funeral, you start talking to people you've not seen in forever. It's like they come out of the woodworks. . . And tonight my lil sister and I spent a few hours with our cousin JohnBoy. He is now living in Mississippi (all his life he lived in Lousiana until recently) and I'm pretty sure it has been over 10 years since I've met him, as tonight was the first night he ever met Eluides! We had a nice time sitting around the kitchen table talking, chatting, and of course, gossiping! You cannot live in the Thomas family without the gossip for cryin' out loud! So, it was a nice evening. I'm sure I'll catch up with some other folks this week, but only time will tell!

So, yes, I've been busy, but not THAT busy! Just rather lazy! Shhhh, don't tell my secrets!

I'm still looking for my career job! I still need to finish cleaning my house up from the daycare (yes, there are still daycare items in the 'play room' but what the heck, I don't have the $ to furnish it, so why rush right?), I have a ton of baking that I'll be doing starting next week, and lots of homemade gifts to start on! So, the holiday season is going to keep me hopping, counting my blessings, and taking trips down memory lane. . . .

So, if you have a memory of me/us you want to share, please, feel free to post it here! Give me a reason to blog more often wontcha?

I'm moving! Check out the new blog at : http://spaceystaceys.wordpress.com/

Favorite Christmas Traditions

Ever since I was a little girl with blonde pigtails there has been a Thomas tradition at Christmas time! From the time I was big enough to lick the beaters I've been involved in this tradition -- cookie making

When I was younger my mom and I would go down to Granny's on a Friday about two weeks before Christmas to start the yearly task. Generally it was Granny, Mom, (ex-Aunt) Kiki and I! We'd all bustle around the mid-size kitchen beating batter, rolling buckeyes, measuring ingredients, tasting cookies, boiling the mix-in's for fudge and removing cookies from the oven. . . it was like an assembly line! I was usually stuck smooshing the ingredients for buckeyes and then rolling them out. Yeah, it was a great job for a little kid; however, I've passed this task along to the boys, because my carpal tunnel just cannot handle it!

I have always enjoyed this tradition. I was with ones I loved and making cookies! C'mon, how could you NOT enjoy this task? Unless you make chocolate chip cookies on a regular basis, the smell of sugar, cocoa, butter, flour and vanilla all mixed together is heavenly mouth watering!

For the past 15 or so years, this tradition has not happened; however, the goodies are always still made, just sans Granny. We've all done it our own may, with me doing a majority of the baking (unless you count the totally awesome Chex mix my Daddy makes). I think Granny has enjoyed all the goodies without having to do the work (who wouldn't right). I've made more than the Thomas Tradition of chocolate chip cookies, fudge, potato candy, buckeyes and peanut butter blossoms! I've branched out into things like chocolate covered pretzels, sugar cookies, haystacks, Reindeer poop, Cheerio crunchies, etc. Ya know what? I LOVE it!

My boys have helped make cookies too! It's a great time for family! Yes, I have to be more cautious around them, but Granny and Mom did with me. Yes, there have been flops. . .but then, there have been things that haven't lasted long too!

I think my favorite memory thus far of any sort of kitchen makings was the first (and only time thus far) that we made a ginger bread house. It was a great family time, minus the baking! Thomas was 2.5 and LJ was 5.5. . . Every time I turned around Thomas was stealing a gum drop from the house and LJ was squirting icing all over the place, and there was laughter all around! We labeled the house "The Ghetto House". Sure, it was not a pretty house, but it was FUN!So, although I will continue the cookie tradition, with help, I think we'll start a new one for ginger bread houses. . .who knows, maybe we'll get really good and do a princess castle?

Leaf Blowing

It's finally fall time, as you couldn't tell with the drop in the temperatures, the leaves falling, the pumpkins and gourds out, and the wonderful colds being passed around! Yes, I'm suffering from a fall cold and it sucks! I ran a day care for 6 years and rarely had a cold, I go into the middle school and I'm sick the first week! Is this karma for making fun of my hubby each fall? Probably!

Anyhow, fall is one of my favorite seasons! In Indiana you go from 90 degrees of heat with humidity to 65 degrees! I LOVE it! I'm not sweating buckets and I can still (most of the time) wear shorts! You can sleep with the windows open and give the 'ol NIPSCO bill a well deserved break before you are sucker punched with a heating bill! The house airs out of the summer stink (and lets in the ol cooty bugs) and the outside world starts to change!

I absolutely LOVE the environmental changes! Your summer flowers start wilting and you replace them with fall mums in yellow, mauves and oranges! The maple trees turn from green to a pink, orange, red and yellow - some of these trees are powerful in colors! You witness the beauty God has blessed us with! I love planning our trips home in the fall because the foliage that you get to take in! The drive through the Peru Salomonie area is just breathtaking (and especially so when you avoid that ginormous doe that just moseyed out of the yellow, dried up corn field)! The forest area is an array of colors that mix together is my all time favorite!

As I rattle on and on I cannot help but explain my all time favorite place to drive by in the fall! As you pull off the highway to go to my Granny's house you will come to the corner of Cherry street and there are two or three massive maple trees on the corner, and they are such a glorious sight! The trees produce such a beautiful rainbow of colors, and if you are lucky enough to catch it at sunset -- WOW!

Of course, fall isn't always great. There is a lot of death in the air. The tree leaves are dying, the flowers and gone and the corn and beans are dried up and waiting for their takers to plow them over. When driving, you must worry about the deer running into the roads, and lastly, you know that the white stuff is going to fall sooner or later. . .

This year I'm still enjoying the colors, but there is a sadness to it. This year it's unlikely that my Ma'amaw will get to see another fall. . . and it makes me very sad to think about. Yet, I realize she's taken in 80 falls! She has been lucky enough to take in a lot of Tennessee falls to boot! I'm pretty sure TN falls have some amazing colors, so she's been very fortunate. I can only hope that I'll get to see 80 falls and take delight in seeing all the little ghouls and goblins at the end of October, running through the rustling leaves as they wait their treats from each house! Yes, fall is sad this year, but I can only imagine what it'll be like for Ma'amaw in heaven! Fall all the time, minus the leaf blowing!

My Hometown

This weekend we headed back home -- and get this, I even have the boys calling it 'back home' :) It was nice being home again! Yeah, it's a lil tiny po-dunk town with a population of 7,000, but it's MY hometown! I lived there until I was 22 (Ok, I was like 6 days shy of my 22nd birthday), so when people make fun of being from a small country town I do take offense. How often are you lucky enough to live within a five minute drive of all three uncles and grandma? And 10 minutes from your aunt? Not a lot of people can say that, can they? Yeah, so what that there isn't a movie theater or a mall in the town? And honestly, it's not a town where everyone can smell each others farts either (naw, you smell pig poo instead!), but a small enough town that you feel 'homey' (which I love).

There are a few things that I don't like though - like the amount of racism that roars its ugly head every now and then, or the fact that a lot of the houses are run down and need some mega repairs. . . or that you have to drive 30 minutes to a Wally World. . . It's home! My brother now lives three blocks from my parents, my uncle lives the same amount of blocks. My other uncles lives within a 10 to 15 minute walk! Yeah, there is not a bus line, nor a taxi line but there isn't one right here in NWI either! At least you can feel a little more comfortable to let your kids play in the yard without having to be out watching them the entire time. I duno. . .it's just HOME!

What else can I say, home is home :)

Homemade Pizza

Well, as you can see, I have not stuck to my challenge! But, I do have a good reason as to why :) Last week was a crazy week! Returning to work after 7 years of being a SAHM. . . having an exchange student trying to adjust and then having to get her packed up again (her grandfather had a massive stroke and they did not think he was going to live, so she was back on a plane, not even 5 days after being in the states!). . . . So I had vowed to start THIS week! And I had all intentions of starting Monday -- however, I must have jinxed myself!

Monday AM as I'm preparing to put the crock pot on for veggie soup that night I realized that the items in the pot were probably no longer any good, so I unplugged the pot, and when I did we had a massive white flash come from the plug! Seriously, I'm just glad I have eyebrows still! Yes, it scared the holy tar out of me! In the process of this mega flash, I melted the plug to the crock pot (*sniff*sniff* Crockpot, you served your time well, enjoy your new vacation), the pan that was on top of the toaster oven has a scar now from the plug landing no it (freaky), and the darn stove and entire wall of items were kicked off! UGH! I was not a happy camper!

So, I called NIPSCO since we have a wire plan with them (note to self: thanks for being so smart to purchase that plan -- we've used it twice now this summer alone). They sent someone out yesterday who replaced the GFS (it was toasted), and reset everything. He was a nice guy who even fixed the light switch to our porch light :) Well, after he replaced the GFS, the stove started working again (THANK GOODNESS). So, yesterday *I* made my first challenge.

Although this did not come from a cookbook, it was a nice challenge! I had purchased a pizza dough ball at Meijers a few weeks ago (frozen, of course). So I defrosted it out and used the rolling pin on it! It was much easier than using a couple boxes of Jiffy Pizza mixes! Just roll, smoosh and PRESTO :) So, Thomas and I rolled out the pizza dough (OK, so *I* rolled out the dough while Thomas played in a flour pile), slopped on some generic pizza sauce, mini pepperonis (I think TomTom ate more than we put on the pizza - ha), and then we sprinkled the cheese on the pizza.

Not only was it a cooking challenge, it was a patience challenge as Thomas was helping me. Now, had we had guests and I was cooking this pizza for them I would not have let him munch on the peperoni's while we were compiling our pizza, but it was just the four of us, so I was not too concerned (OK, for you germ-o-phobs, just disregard that). . . and we had a nice time bonding during the process! So, it was cook-a-peutic (therapeutic) :)

So, there we have it, my first challenge! I do wonder what tomorrow will bring. . . since Eluides has meetings tonight and tomorrow, WHO KNOWS! :) Stayed tuned :)

Susie Homemaker

So, after seeing the movie Julie and Julia and a comment a friend made about cooking her way thru the Betty Crocker cookbook, I came up the perfect blog topic for me, instead of random rambling! :) I have decided to take it upon myself to CHALLENGE myself! I am not one that really likes to cook! Well, I should not say I dislike cooking itself, but rather the prep and clean up times! It can become time consuming when you prep it all, slop it onto the table, and then have to clean it all up! Actually, it gets kind of old having to load the dishwasher alone, wash the dishes I don't trust in the dish washer, run the dishwasher and then put the dishes up! So, cooking takes a lot of time, and I would rather just let someone else cook FOR me! But, with having a budget cut back, I'm going to challenge myself! Are you ready folks -- Naw, I'm not going to cook my way through Betty Crocker nor Taste of Homes (one of my favorite cook books mind you). . .I, Stacey Lynn, am going to pull out all of the cook books I have (and lemme tell ya folks, there are a LOT of them), get the Swiffer duster out and dust those bad boys off, and them I'm going to cook a new meal TWO times a week! I'm challenging myself to serve my family dinners more often at our table. Yeah, so it might be a wee bit cheaper to hook the boys up with Happy Meals, or grab subs on my way home from the gym, but I need to show them that I do know how to cook more than tuna casserole, tacos, spaghetti and hotdogs (Ok, I do make more than that, but it's late and my brain isn't cooperating!)

So, I'm starting this week. :) Wednesday will be the first day. :) I'm not setting a time limit for myself like Julie did. HOWEVER, I'm opening up my challenge to YOU! My faithful readers! All 10 of you -- and I think my Dad is trying to get counted twice!

If you want to submit a recipe to me to try, send it to me! (StaceyPagan@verizon.net) But I do have to warn you -- it cannot be loaded down in carbs because the ol diabetes will not appreciate that, and remember I'm gong to be serving the meal to a 4 and 7 year old, so they have to be a wee bit kid friendly. Now, it doesn't have to be octopus in noodles (hot dogs on top of green ramen noodles), but it cannot be something like Steak A La Mode (HA HA) or something like that!

So, be on the lookout, b/c I'm going to post the recipe I try (if you submit it, your name will be in the blog as a thank you) as well as my thoughts prepping it and what my family thought of eating it :)

My next door neighbor when growing up with could me Susie Homemaker because I liked to cook (well and I had to do things like hang clothes on the line to dry so the entire world could see my bloomers and over the shoulder boulder holders when I was a kid). . . so, now I'm going to put it to the test. . . . beware world, here comes Stacey Homemaker

Apartments

Do you remember your first apartment? Not a dorm room, but an actual apartment? Single, roommate, married. . .whatever it be? Do you remember the freedom of being able to state "This is my apartment?" I know I will never forget my first apartment! I had decided during the spring/summer before my 5th year at Ball State that I needed OUT of my parents place! I was tired of driving back and forth every day. . . I wanted a smidgen of freedom -- that I did not have to carry a calling card (as cell phones were not that popular yet) with me and let my mother know I was going to be late that night. . . I wanted to live like a majority of the other students either in apartments or in dorms. . . I wanted to see what it was like, know that it was MY place and I could jam the music however loud I wanted! I didn't have to wash the dishes as soon as dinner was over, my laundry would be done when I needed clean underwear, etc. . .

So, in the summer of 1997 I set off to find myself an apartment! If I had to have a roommate, best be a stranger to get to know I guess! I thought of that darn Single White Female movie a lot while looking for my apartment. I looked at four or five and the last was it. . .

705 West Charles Street, Apartment 3 in Muncie. Oh, should I mention now it was in the historical area of Muncie? The downtown area? The area that isn't always the best? The apartment that was located to the east of my apartment had a murder happen in it right after I moved out. . . Yeah, it was affordable because of the area, but I felt safe, so who cared right?

The apartment was $210 a month! That was darn cheap rent for a 1 bedroom apartment with HUGE rooms, all wood floor (minus the kitchen), heat, water and garbage included! I had figured my bills over and over and I knew I could do it! My electricity bill was on budget for a whopping $17 a month (man, I wish I could do that again), my cable bill was $35 and my phone bill. . . .who knows :) I loved the freedom right away, just saying "I'm moving into MY apartment on August 2nd. . . "

So, on August 2nd my lil sister and her friend Yolanda helped me move my stuff from my parents house to my first apartment! Oh, I probably forgot to mention it was on the second floor of a revamped house :) However, Amber and YoYo didn't complain one bit about having to help me! Bless their lil ol hearts! :) I think I bought 'em pizza or something for dinner that night! They scoped out the guy that lived downstairs (ha ha -- no idea what his name is now, but his loozy tune ol lady was Melissa), and of course Amber flirted with him right away. . . Yo, she was Yo and was more into the Ablert Einstien poster on my neighbors door than flirting!

Ahhhh, yes ol Albert! The guy that was renting the apartment beside me, I never saw! I was glad when he moved out and the other guy moved in though! I asked the other guy to leave up Albert though -- let me explain Albert! It was a full poster the size of the window for the front door (it was a door that was 1/2 glass and 1/2 wood) -- HOWEVER, his eyes were cut out so they were peepholes! It was totally awesome! So, Albert stayed up the entire time I rented! And EVERYONE always commented on Albert! :)

The only real downfall to the apartment was the bathroom! Now, before anyone makes a comment about "Oh was it just so small you didn't have any room?" No! It was a nice size -- and it was heated! It is not the fact that it had that harvest gold and poop green horizontal striped wallpaper from the 70's (heck, it might have been before the 70's) that made ya wanna heave your guts up as you walked up the stair ( it was at the top of the stairs-- WORSE!!!! It did NOT have a shower! Yes, folks, you read that correctly -- no shower! It had this super old, claw foot tub! Yes, a TUB for crying out loud! I tried to rig a shower up, but to no avail! I was stuck with a darn bathtub! It was just lovely!

Of course, Eluides wasn't worried about the bathtub, nooooo. . .he was more worried about people trying to peak in at me in the bathroom that was facing a window! Sheeze! Freak show galore if that had happened!

So, I dealt with the darn bathtub. My kitchen was big enough to have a table. . . .but I was too poor paying rent to buy a table! LOL I think I had MORE counter space in that apartment than I have in this house! Now that's bad!!

My livingroom -- I ended up getting furniture from a family I babysat for. Ahhh the country blue sofa and a coffee table, along with the TV my mom gave me. . . and a cordless phone. It was a cute living room. Once again, nice sized for an apartment! Oh and the walk in closet in the living room was great! Held all my crap I didn't set out! HAHA!

The bedroom was a wonderful size! Full size bed, dresser, junky TV that at least had cable hookup, desk, and still a buttload of more space! I wish I had that size of a bedroom now! And another walk in closet! Totally awesome!

I had a little deck space outside my kitchen, but I didn't use it. It faced the ally. WHoopie!

The laundry facility was next-door in the other house/apartment. I just ended up taking most of my laundry to the laundromat. . . Same price and more than one washer and one dryer! LOL

Yes, folks, I loved the independence! It was totally great! I wouldn't trade it for anything. Yeah, I worked full-time and went to school full-time, but it was totally awesome!

Drift Off To Deam

Well, I took a mini break from blogging because I had to think of what to blog about and if I wanted to continue blogging, as no one ever comments on them (maybe that is because I have it set -- Liz LMK if you can comment on this one OK). . . . but I thought, What the heck, it's just words, and if people don't want to comment, OH WELL! So, I started a list of things I want to yack about :) So, today it's Drift Off To Dream.

For those that know me, you know I'm a book worm! I used to read ONLY romance novels! Trashy romance! Ya know, the ones where sex is usually involved within the first 50 pages! I remember Frau Lightle turning my books over every day in class because she didn't like the covers! "Does your father know you read those books?" (her husband works with my Daddy-o). Does he know! C'mon! I'm READING a book for crying out loud! Be glad, as I'm certain 80% of the class did not read novels for the enjoyment! YES! My father knew, and yes he had his opinion. . . .and this particular blog has a little about that opinion! You know when you hear something and you just don't want to believe it, because you KNOW it's not true, but you would rather stay in your own little dream world? Well, that was me! I remember my dad telling me over and over "Stacey, it's a fairy tale world! It's make believe. People don't fall in love that easily in real life Stacey! It just doesn't happen! Don't expect some man to do all the stuff that you read about!" Well, guess what? He's right! It is a fairy tale world, but one I enjoyed living in because I just could not face the real world then!

When I started college I was hooked on one particular song - Drift Off To Dream by Travis Tritt. The lyrics are as follows (and there will be more written after it:)

I sit here surrounded by people and lights
Alone with my drink at the bar
You've been here forever, so clear in my mind
I just don't know where you are
I know I'll find you but girl 'til I do
This is my love song for you

Let's hold hands on the porch swing, under the moon
While the wind through the willows plays us a tune
We can lie on a blanket, out back in the yard
And wish for our future on a faraway star
You'll feel the passion as time after time
I press your sweet lips to mine
Then we'll dance to the radio, right up 'til dawn
'Til you drift off to dream in my arms

You might be hundreds or more miles away
Or you might be just down the street
But there'll be a hunger deep in your eyes
That I'll recognize when we meet
It might take hours or it might take years
But this is the song you will hear

Let's hold hands on the porch swing, under the moon
While the wind through the willows plays us a tune
We can lie on a blanket, out back in the yard
And wish for our future on a faraway star
You'll feel the passion as time after time
I press your sweet lips to mine
Then we'll dance to the radio, right up 'til dawn
'Til you drift off to dream in my arms

I would play this song over and over and over as I was CERTAIN that the love of my life would find me and we would do these romantic things! What girl has not dreamed of being whisked off her feet by the love of her life? C'mon, I really believe it is only natural for a female to feel this way. Look at how we are raised on Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel. . . .They ALL found their one true love in the end, so why was it so cotton-pickin' hard for ME to? I was so anxious to find the one that was going to sit on my porch at home and 'snog' with me! All I wanted to lay on the blanket with him and wish on those stars! I wanted to feel his lips upon mine! And darn it, I wanted to drift off to dream in those arms! I wanted it so badly that I jumped into a relationships, just to see if I could find that!

After a few failed relationships in which those romantic things did NOT happen, I started to realize that my Daddy-o was right! Those romance books were a load of crap and that I had been living in a damn fairy tale world! It's not true that one falls head over heels in love, that love at first site exist, that the one you love is going to be a total romantic in all the ways you have dreamed about! How's come teenagers and young adults do not listen to their parents? Geeze, most of the time they are right!

Yeah, I'll admit I wish my husband was a bit more romantic -- OK maybe a lot more romantic (and I know he's reading this :), but I am glad that he has a small romantic side to him. Men and women are so very different when it comes to romance, or maybe it is just me in my make believe world that I need to leave behind. . . but sometimes, when life is treating me like crap (and ladies, let's admit it, we all go thru it once a month when PMS hits us in the stomach like Mike Tyson punching a punching bag) I like to read about women who are being swept off their feet by the love of their life. . . because make believe is not just for kids ya know!

I'm still looking for a job.

Last week I put in my application with Lake Station schools for subbing. I guess if the mother does not return her children today at least I have that to fall back on, as it pays $50 per day, and Eluides is under the assumption that I will probably be able to work almost every day within the school corp. . . which depresses the hell out of me! Not that I would be working, but rather that I would be subbing! I went to school from 93 - 00 to become a teacher, get the degree and cannot pass the stupid state test to obtain my license! I mean, seriously, how pathetic is that? I took the test five times. The first time I obtained a 149. One must have a 153 to pass. The next FOUR times I get a 151! Yes, folks, two peasly points away -- and FOUR times! It was hard at first when people would say "Why not just get a teaching job? That is what you want to school for, right?" I would hmmm-hawl around and avoid telling them that I was a failure when it comes to bubble tests! Now, I just state, "I do not have a license." It's much easier than saying "Yes World! I, Stacey Lynn Modricker-Pagan, am a failure!"

So, going into the schools again is going to be really hard! I had such dreams of being able to run my own classroom, change so many young kids' minds, help them prepare for the big, bad, scary world! It's not bad enough that I help Eluides a lot with his homework grading and cleaning his ungodly cluttered classroom. . . . (It never fails, I always leave in a pissy mood because I realize how much I want to be in the classroom), but I may be going back. . . I mean, seriously, do I love to torture myself? I guess so. . .

I'm seriously becoming lower and lower in regards to this job routine! I've never in my life had such difficulty finding a job! The first time I lived up here in NWI it was a wee bit difficult, but the Radisson pulled through and gave me two years of experience. Right now, yeah, I know the economy is sucking the life out of people, but geeze! I've had a couple good interviews that I had hoped I'd get a job with them, yet they fell through. . . and it's been a while since I've had an interview. How else am I to market myself? I'm extremely dependable, loyal, hard working, a team player, a solo player, truthful, I don't miss a lot of work (c'mon, I took ONE week off after having a 10 pound baby and returned to work!) What else can I tell these people that are interviewing me? I so love a challenge and I am not going to stop until I find the answer (hmmm, maybe I should reflect upon that in regards to this darn job hunting!)

I have had a few people ask me "Stacey, WHY do you want to return to the job market? You have a great job at home!" Firstly, I was NOT made to stay at home. Yes, I have been so blessed to be able to stay at home with my two boys, raise them, and not have to shell out bucks for child care. . .however, they are both in school full-time now and Stacey needs something to do! There is only so much cleaning (OK, shut up) one can do. And, let's face it, my student loan companies are barking at the door. . . . there's only so much time I can put 'em off! I've worked on one year, so now I only have two more to keep them at bay! I wish I could find a way to forgive those loans! UGH! Two degrees, a LOT of moola later, and I"m unemployed! They keep stating how education will take you everywhere! EVERYWHERE? Oh that must be my house, because clearly it is not taken me anywhere!

OK, enough complaining. . . . I need to go scour the job boards!

The Smell of Money

So, Thomas was to stay with my parents for 2 weeks! He was all super-excited to see them last Friday! He woke up one day last week and told me "Mommy, is today the day LJ comes home?" I thought it was because he was missing his big brother and replied with "Not today, TomTom, but tomorrow. Why, do you miss him?" I laughed at his reply, "Naw, I just wanna go home with Nanny and Papaw for two months!" Two months is the same as two weeks, two days, two years, two minutes and two seconds to a four year old! So, I chuckled, gave him a smooch and told him "Soon, TomTom, soon."

Well, Nanny and Papaw arrived on Friday evening and he was all "I'm staying at your house for TWO YEARS" Of course, Dad played that one up "Two years! WOW! We can do a lot in TWO years" I, of course, just shook my head!

So, off they go on Saturday afternoon for his TWO YEARS with Nanny and Papaw and his 'friends (aka cousins). . . LJ was home from his 2 WEEKS with them, and we were enjoying our time together with just him, as we had enjoyed our time together with just Thomas (sometimes it is good to spoil 'em that way:)

Well, Tom called on Tuesday evening, all sad and almost in tears, "Mommy, I want you to come get me right now! I wanna go home now!" Now, he has stayed with my parents before, for up to 6 days at at time, and he'd only been there for 3 nights! I was kind of shocked! Well, ok I was actually floored. So I tried reasoning with him that we'd come get him this weekend and he just was not having anything to do with it! So, I'm glad I was off this week, as well as Eluides. We packed up the backpack and headed down to ol Hartford City. . . .

There is always something about the drive into town that I enjoy. . . My roots callin' me home or something. . . as we were getting closer, someone was burning wood of some sort (maybe it was leaves) and, of course, like any insane person, I enjoy the smell of a wood fire burning. Maybe it reminds me of roasting marshmallows or something, but I like it. . . So, we were in the car with my husband and oldest asleep, and I was belting out some country tunes, and I was sniffing the air remembering childhood days . . . and I guess I sniffed TOO hard because the next thing I know, I am no longer sniffing a fire, but good ol country air! Also know in this family as "the smell of money" Yeah, yeah, it was the smell of manure! So, I stopped sniffing so hard and smiled. . . Oh yeah, I was going home! Just like the smell of wood fire, the smell of pig pooppoop brings back memories from childhood. It's not that I LIKE the smell of manure, but growing up in a country area, well, you get used to it! I'll never forget the time that my husband was teaching at my old high school -- a few miles away is a large pig farm! LOL He, being a city boy, was not used to the smell on a good, warm, humid day! It was rather funny :)

It's odd how scents can just slam me back into time. . . And generally, I love those trips back!

Family

Well, my LJ came home yesterday! It was so good to get a big ol hug from him! His hair has gotten shaggy, and is in need of a haircut, but he did well for the two weeks he was gone! This was the first time he has been gone for this long (normally it is only one week at a time); I was told he did not want to return! What can I say, the little stinker loves my parents!

I packed Thomas off in their SUV this evening for his two weeks. It's like I've only had one child for the past 2 weeks, and then again for the next. I love the fact that my two boys enjoy their one on one time with my parents, and it makes my heart full to know my parents enjoy their time with my boys. Because we live those three hours away, they only get to see my family (typically) once a month and that is only for really one full 24 hours. During that short time we have to shovel all our family time into it! So normally we don't go to bed until after 2am on Friday's and the same for Saturday's! It is hard, but I love visiting with family and friends when I go home, so I don't mind. I do hate the return trip though!!

So, today my dad redid my 'sidewalk' to the front of the house. Eluides had originally laid down some patio blocks, but did not have enough the first time around. So, my dad had told me he'd come up and help re-do it. This weekend he finally made it up to help me! And I should NOT say help me, because he mainly did it by himself! And it looks SOOOOO nice now! Eluides and I have to fill the sides with some sand, but the walk way looks great now! Thanks Daddy-o!

So, one must realize how lucky we are when our family is willing to help us so much! Although we are not always lucky enough to see our family and friends as often as we would like, those times that we do get to visit with them are cherished!

So, I hope Thomas enjoys his time with Nanny and Papaw this weekend as much as LJ did!

Burning

Is anyone really reading this? I have a feeling no one is.

Cookie Cutters & Egg Drop Soup

Ok, so it is Sunday and I'm needing to figure something out for dinner for my family, but I have no motivation to cook. I've cleaned the lower level (or maybe I should say ATTEMPTED). I'm trying to gather all my crap and make sure it is in one place, and not letting it creep into my husbands comic area. Seriously, I try hard. Maybe I just have too much crap?! Wait! Is it possible for a scrapbooker and rubber stamper to have TOO much stuff? NEVER! :) Anyhow, I bought a plastic shelf in hopes of being able to gather it in a tidier fashion and maybe declutter some other areas (trust me, the Lord knows I could use a mega decluttering session or two). So, I've been a busy worker bee! :)

So, today's topic is cookie cutters and egg drop soup. We love egg drop soup here, so I'm going going to try the recipe later this week, since it looks super easy :)

Keep various cookie cutters or clean scissors handy to make food fun! Cut designs out of cheese slices, cold cuts, sandwiches & Jell-o!

I LOVE cookie cutting the boys' sandwiches. They get such a kick out of it. During Halloween they get ghost, pumpkins, witches, etc. During Easter they get Easter eggs and jelly beans (don't ask), Christmas time they get all sorts of things like presents, angels, trees, bells, etc. Valentines they get hearts. They love the shaped sandwiches, as not only do they get a shape there is NO CRUST on the sandwiches! Oh how a 4 and 7 year old love crustless bread! :) If you have not tried using cookie cutters to spruce up some of your kiddies foods, you should really try it! I'm certain you will one of those 'priceless' moments when they see it! Oh and you can use others during non-holidays like the Wilton flower that is out there, as well as others. I use the Wilton cutters b/c they are large and use up almost an entire slice of bread :0)

Here is your Ramen Noodle recipe for today.

Egg Drop Soup
2 c water
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c diced onion
1/4 c diced celery
12/4 c diced green pepper
1 pkg chicken ramen noodles, with seasoning packet

In a sauce pan, bring water to boiling and add season packet, eggs and veggies. Stir constantly until eggs look done. Simmer 5 minutes. Add noodles and cook 3 - 5 minutes, or until noodles are tender. Serves 2.

Oh and just a reminder, Ramen Noodles will soon be dirt cheap (yes, cheaper than they normally are) because the stores will stare prepping for the return of college students, so if you see them on sale, STOCK UP!


PS: Ice Age 3 is awesome :)

T-Shirts & Minestrone

OK, today for Mommyhood & Ramen Noodles we have:

Wear a T-shirt with your child's name on it.

This is something I have NEVER done! However, maybe this fall I'll do it when the boys are in Fall soccer. I'll make me a shirt that states Super Soccer Mom of LJ and Tom. Kind of nice tone to it. Kind of dorky too! HAHA! Maybe I could do one that states Pagan's Mom HA HA! I wonder how many people would look at me like I'm the spawn of the devil? Hmmm. . . Maybe better scratch that one (and for all of you out there reading this -- there is an accent mark over the second a to make it sound like this pa-gone). So, who knows, maybe I'll get one of those shirts this year. . . or maybe I'll wait a few years :o)

And now, for your special Ramen Noodle recipe :)

Minestrone

1 pkg rame noodles, any flavor
1 can (10.75 oz) tomato soup, condensed
8 oz. spicey smoked sausage, thinly sliced
1/4 c cooked sliced celery
1/4 c cooked slicd carrots
1/4 c peas
1/2 c green beans
1/2 c canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook noodles in water according to directions. Do not drain. Add soup, sausage, and veggies. Simmer 5 - 10 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add more water by tablespoons in soup is too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Make 2 servings.

There you have it, an easy soup to make! YUM! :)

Be A Special Mom & Ramen Noodles

So, I've been sitting here thinking about WHAT exactly I should blog about. It's been suggested to blog about my unemployment status -- but let's face it, it gets boring reading the same thing every day. I applied for X job, didn't get an interview; had an interview today, two days later I didn't get the job, etc. So I scratched that idea. Then it was suggested to blog on Mommy-hood -- so I am going to give it a shot at that! :) I have this book here that I probably bought for myself (my husband has never ever bought me anything that states things like World's Greatest Mom photo frames, etc outside of the regular Mother's Day and Birthday cards, so I know this book never came from him - sorry EP) - it is called 101 Ways to Be a Special Mom, written by Vicki Lansky (OK, English degree comin' out there).

Anyhow, here is the first one and I'll insert a little info about it in regards to MY Mommyhood now :) AND, to go along with it, we all know that raising kids is not exactly the CHEAPEST thing in the world to do! So, I'll include a recipe every day for RAMEN noodles! YES! Who hasn't lived off of those things at least once? This one is a written by Toni Patrick. SO enjoy :)

#1 Kiss all owies
After seven years of kissing owies, it's gotten to the point that 'shake it off' doesn't work! I mean, c'mon, if YOU were to fall of the swing set and had a ginormous gooseeggg on the noggin, do you really think "shake it off' would work for YOU! Heck no! You'd probably curse and apply some ice bag or something! If Eluides were to kiss my ankles every time I twisted them he'd be doing pretty often! So, I have twisted the kissing owies into more! If it is something minor like a small scratch, yeah, mommy will kiss it and make it all better. HOWEVER, if it is more than a small scratch and my boys are carrying on like they are gonna die over it, I play it up!

"OH MY GOD! C'mon, Daddy, grab the keys! We gotta take LJ to the emergency room! He's bleeding!" and I'll rush around like I've lost my mind (Ok, let's face it -- one must HAVE a mind to loose a mind). The silliness will lead to "Noooooo. . . I'm not going to the hospital" and big smiles in between tears! To me, it takes away from the smarting that they must be feeling in the knees or palms, bloody noses, etc. and makes them smile and laugh - and isn't that what it's all about.

So, bring on the scrapes and bruises! We'll pretend whenever necessary and seriously, I don't look forward to the time I REALLY have to go to the ER! However, as long as I don't pass out like my Daddy-o did when I was five I think I'll be OK! :)

Here is your Ramen Noodle recipe! I have not tried this, but it looks different! Enjoy - and if you try it out, please post a comment and let me know how it taste!!!

Tomato Noodle Soup
1 pkg ramen noodle soup, any flavor
1 can (10.75 oz) tomato soup, condensed

Cook your noodles according to package (that would be 2 cups of water and 3 minutes boiling -- you should know that by now I would hope) DO NOT DRAIN! Add soup. Simmer for 5 minutes and stir it every once in a while. This will make enough to serve 2.

Anniversary Party

Eluides & Stacey ~ June 26, 2009 ~ 10 Years


Me, in front of Lucrezia's, where we had dinner on Friday night.











OK, because I was floating around at the party, I didn't get a slew of photos like I typically would have. So, if you took some, burn me a CD :) Here is what I did get :) Oh and the menu was the following:

Fried chicken
Pork
Red Rice
Salad w/ choice of dressing
Potato Salad
Bread
Pasta Salad
Veggie Pizza
Mexican Dip
Meatballs
Veggie Tray
Fruit Tray
Relish Tray

And yes, I prepared it all (minus the rice, chicken & pork).


Zebbers & Aunt Stacey after cleaning up :)

Ben Martinez and my Daddy-0










We had a great time! We had a lot of friends and family come and we were happy to see everyone! Yes, we had lots of food left too! I even sent stuff home with friends and my fridge is still stuffed full :)

So, 10 years down, many, many more to go! :)

The Start of My Week

So, I have started out this week in an OK fashion -- if you don't mind a toothpick being jabbed into the fleshy part of your foot, red KoolAid being poured all over your cream colored carpet, messing up your ankle again, floors that need mopped and swept, and jobs to apply for! :-)

Yeah, OK, so I started my day off kinda crappy. I guess someone had dropped a red colored toothpick on the mauve colored rug in the kitchen sometime this weekend and *I* was the lucky one! OK, so a few choice words came from my lips, but good golly Miss Molly it hurt like the dickens! I think I might have gotten a splinter in the entire process too! No fears, I'll have Eluides dig it out with the tweezers later tonight!

Yes, Thomas spilled RED Kool-aid all over the floor! (I wonder if this is a sign -- red toothpick, red Kool-Aid, my foot is kinda red. . .hmmm) I had told him no, but the little booger had it anyhow! It was an accident, yes, but now I have a BIG RED BLOB stain to add to the other stains! What the heck, let's have a rainbow carpet! It's OK, one of these decades that carpet will be replaced, along with a bazillion other things that need fixed in this house! HAHA!

Don't ask about the weak ol ankles. WHO KNOWS what I did this time! It's the top of my foot that is hurting now! I'm so glad I never had to use crutches in high school! And yes, I am still refusing the surgery! I just don't have time to be laid up for over 6 months PER foot! Just not my cup of tea @ the moment!

My hubby did sweep the living room, daycare room, and the stairs! THANKS ELUIDES! Now, I just need to get the kitchen mopped! UGH! No rest for the wicked lemme tell ya!

Tomorrow I have an interview for a 1,3 and 5 year old. It's only part time, and the lady is waiting for the voucher program to kick in, so I am giving her a deal. . . She pays me and I'll still be able to keep our budget afloat! UGH! I am so ready to have a REAL job! I also applied for a position with Indiana Wesleyan for the Merrillville campus! Maybe, just maybe, they will give an alumn a chance -- an alumn with no experience. Maybe, just maybe IWU will let me put this MBA that I obtained from their school to use!!! Oh I do hope so!!!

Yeah, so I have not really listed the icky part of my day! My mom called. My Granny's cancer HAS spread :( I have not gotten ALL the details, but I know it has moved to other parts of her lungs and maybe even other parts of the body. I'm so not happy with her family doc, because last week they told her it had not spread nor grown. Today she goes to her oncologist and she gets the news! If I were a patient of this other family doc that Granny goes to, I would "eat her up and spit her out for dinner" (those are my sisters words mind you). This lady doc *shakes head* I'm not sure WHERE on earth she got her M.D., but she needs to go back to school! AND she needs a crash course in bedside manners! Maybe that is what I am meant to do! Run bedside manner courses? I could whip some of these docs into shape really fast! UGH!

So, there is my Monday in a walnut shell! Or maybe a clam shell!

I'm going to find my purse around here somewhere and upload some photos from our anniversary party from this weekend. . . .It was a wonderful party, and for those that attended - THANK YOU! Those that missed it - you missed a great party! *I* was wearing a dress!!! GASP!

Stacey

Anniversary Party

Wondering if anyone out there wants to see some pics from the party? Give me a holler back :)

Kool-Aid & Granny's

I was just making some sugar-free Kool-Aid with Thomas and I told him "My Granny taught me how to make Kool-Aid." He said "Granny?" I nodded and said mmm-hmm. My granny's favorite story to tell about me is the one when I was three (no I don't remember this either). She must have set me loose and I pushed a chair up to the counter and "attempted" to make my own Kool-Aid! I guess it was red and it was EVERYWHERE! What do you expect from a curious 3 year old? She will tell anyone that listens that that was the one and only time she has ever spanked me too! Yeah, OK, so I was a perfect angel for her after that! HAHA! So, I guess when Thomas attempts to make his own red Kool-Aid he had best be better than me at it! :)

First Trip Alone

There is no way I will ever forget my first trip alone, without my parents or siblings! I left Indianapolis at midnight on an AMTRACK train. My train was late (for some reason this just does not surprise me any more), and I was headed for NYC! Yes, folks, New York City! I was in between my junior and senior year of high school. Lemme tell you, when McCreery asked us to write the typical "What did you do over summer" paper in my Creative Writing class my paper was pretty full :)

The train ride was 23 hours long! I had taken only about $90 for a 3 week stay (I was a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding). Nope, my parents did not shell out any money, that was all my babysitting money! I had two soda's, a PB & J sandwich and a bag of chips in my bag. That was all I had in my 23 hour trip! I was STARVING when I arrived at Penn Station! :)

I only got up ONE time from my train seat, and that was to use the bathroom! I was scared to leave my stuff in my chair alone. Have you ever tried to sleep in a train seat? UGH! Not comfy! I did not have a CD player, could not read while the train was moving, no seat partner (as if I would talk to a stranger). . . Yeah, I was BORED :)

I saw a man sitting on a train toilet (not a pleasant sight)

I saw parts of OH, PA, WV, and NJ for the first time ever. . . I rode up in one of the Twin Towers. I rode the subway. I rode a city bus! I saw parts of Queens and Manhatten. I went to a college for the day. . . I saw the first Batman movie . . . I saw plenty of homeless people.

And yes, folks, I was a scared teenager :)

But I think this trip opened up so many windows for me. It allowed for me to realize that not all strangers are going to hurt me. That I could go three weeks without being around my folks (OK, by the end of those 3 weeks I was ready to sleep in my OWN bed though). That I would eventually move out of ol HC and into my own life at some point. It was the start of my freedom, and I enjoyed it a great deal.

New Title

OK, so I have a new title to the blog. I guess no one liked the original one -- so what do you think of this one then?

The Fat Girl Goes Shopping

OK, normally I have no problem going shopping. As a matter of fact, I LOVE shopping! However, when it comes to shopping for fancy clothes (aka a dress) I HATE IT! Today my MIL took me shopping for a new dress for next weekend. We went to what seemed like a bazillion stores trying dresses! I am not a dress person, but I am going to appease my husband and wear one! My poor legs will be regretting it next weekend when the fat between my legs has rubbed together for four hours and I'm totally chaffed, but, I love him, so I'll do it! What a wife does for her husband lemme tell you. . . .



Anyhow, so, Juana and I start out at Macy's (where I have NEVER EVER bought clothes before, and still have yet to do). Then we headed over to Layne Bryant , Ashley Stewarts, CJ Banks, JCPenny's. . . . who knows there might have been another in there somewhere. . .I probably tried on 2 dozen dresses. . . . and let's face it -- unless a fat girl wears a heavy duty girdle with a truck load of spandex her rolls are gonna show through on a dress. And trust me, I have some heavy duty fat rolls! Well, OK, let's face it, I have one GINORMOUS fatroll -- my body! Every dress I tried on made me looked like a damn stuffed sausage. Did I mention I hate dresses? I like my clothes baggy b/c it can hide the fat rolls. . . but today, I was not going to get away with something baggy -- but guess what? Most fat girls have the boobs to fill out the shirts; however, this fat girl does not! It is ungodly hard to find bras that fit me! Trust me, next time you are at Wally World, take a peak in the over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder section and see if you can find a 48C! You might be able to find a bright white one, but I guarantee that you are not going to find a pretty lacy pink one, or a bright red one. They just don't make a 48C! 48DD, sure no problem. 48D period. SURE! 48C -- sorry ol girl, the boobies are just gonna flop!



So, after about 5 billion dresses and my MIL telling me I'm just petite and that is why my boobs don't fill out the dress (ha ha - let's face it, I got small boobies for being a fat girl), we finally decided upon two -- but they will both need altered in the shoulder area, to pull it up and attempt to fill the boobie spots! And of course, not only did my MIL buy the two dresses for me, she also bought me some boobie inserts! LOL Maybe I'll have cleavage on Saturday? HA HA! I guess if I could find a decent bra and use the silicone babies I'd really be set and Eluides would be drooling. . . .*snicker* However, I doubt I'll find a decent bra before Saturday. . .



Anyhow, I hate how I look in a dress. Gimme a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. . .a skirt and a pretty shirt. . . a pair of Capri's and a nice shirt. . . . anything that can hide the fat roll. . . .So, although I was very appreciative of Juana taking me shopping and getting me the goodies, I hated the experience! Having full-size mirrors to look at myself is depressing! And before anyone in the peanut gallery states "Well, only you can change that!" don't' think I do not realize it! I KNOW IT!



So, that was the mega event for today -- shopping for a dress! Now, i have to find me some ultra good panty hose that will 'hold it in', along with some Gold Bond lotion for my thighs next weekend -- and a pair of sandals!



Until next time folks. . . .

3 Wishes. . .

If I had three wishes I would...

If I had three wishes I would use them wisely! The first thing I would do is have all my debt permanently removed with a decent credit score! Yeah, I was one of those stupid college kids that had a couple credit cards and got into trouble with them. HOWEVER, by the end of July all my credit cards will have been paid off! No credit cards for me! It's so totally awesome to know that all I have left is my bazillion bucks in student loans! Now, to raise the credit score.

The second wish I would use would be good health and well being for all! This would mean no more cancer, no more diabetes (ohhh I could drink a real Coke!), NOTHING! I think the world would be a happier place, to a degree.

The third one would be to have a money tree that never stops growing or producing! I'd have a GOOD credit score then! HAHA!

So, there are my three wishes! Or at least my three wishes at this moment.

What is your favorite time of year?

So, Eluides and I are down in Bloomington this weekend. I've been once before, in the heat of the summer (UGH). Last night we walked around their downtown area and I can see why Eluides has always liked this area. It's busy, even in the summer time. If one were to go into the Village at BSU during the summer there might be a couple handfulls of people around, here -- sheeze, it was Sunday night and the area was still rocking! I'm not sure if it is because of the area, because it was a beatiful night or what -- but it was B-U-S-Y!

Personally - I think the weather had a lot of influence on everyone! Which leads me to the question - what is your favorite time of the year? Personally, I LOVE spring and fall. I love the fact in the spring one never knows what they will get in this great state of IN! Here it is the middle of June and we have yet to go swimming because it's not been warm enough! Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy warm weather, so long as I have a room that is about 68 degrees that I can retreat to after sweating a few pounds off out in the heat, and I know you need to the heat to enjoy a nice day at the waterpark, but I could do without the 85 degrees of heat with a humidity of 10 bazillion! If I'm gonna have 85 degrees, give me NO humidity (or something really really low) and a nice gusty breeze blowing through!

In the spring you also have the fact that you have all kinds of colors popping forth after a nasty brown and white winter! The poor brown crusty grass is coming up and you get some luscious green stuff to walk on barefoot! Isn't the feel of grass beneath bare feet just totally awesome! You will have purple petunias, red impatients and green and pink begonias all over the place! The daffs come come in full force, tulips will soon need thinned out, those damn pesky helicoptors will need cleaned out of the gutters -- and you can turn off the heat and leve the windows open at night! God cannot be more colorful!

And fall! WOW! Not wanting to let go of the warmth, knowing what an Indiana winter will bring, but wanting to see the mums in full glory (one of these days I'll actually HAVE some mums in the fall), the dried up corn waiting to be harvested, the kids so anxious to show off their Halloween costumes. . . How can someone NOT enjoy these two seasons? Personally, I could do without summer and winter (OK, so I would need snow at least once so the boys could play in it, but that is it!UGH!). . . cool nights, warmer days. . .what more could a girl ask for?

Is chivalry dead?

Thinking back to when I was young, I realized something that is kind of pathetic. During my dating time, I was only picked up from my parents place THREE times in my entire dating history! EVER! Is this something that is normal? Probably not, but then again, I am not normal :)- I can still remember those three times too! The first time was with my first boyfriend, Pete. He drove into town, and picked me up for our first official date. The second date was with a guy named Jacob. He picked me up and we went to Kings Island with his little sister and cousin. And the third time, it wasn't at my parents place, but actually I was picked up from work by my now husband :) Does this tell you anything? Yeah, either I didn't date much or my boyfriends/dates were too damn cheap to drive to HC! HA HA! Oh wait, it was a combo of both! I also dated a couple guys that were mooches! What the heck, I knew how to pick 'em at one point of time! Now, don't get me wrong, had I dated in high school, I'm sure I would have been picked up more often from home; however, I did not really start dating until I was in college. Why would someone want to drive to HC, and then back to campus and then back to HC to drop me off and then back to campus? It was much easier to just meet up on campus!

Last Sunday Eluides was an usher, so I went to communion alone. There was an older gent, Kevin, sitting at the end of our pew. He got up and out and waited until I was out and in front of him before he followed. I find this very charming (not that Kevin was trying to charm me - he was just raised properly). I was talking to Eluides the other day and was telling him I hope that our boys are 'charming' in such a manner as well. Trust me, chivalry is NOT dead! It just isn't taught! I want my boys to know that it's OK to open a door for a lady, even if it is not their date, mother or granny, but a lady stranger! I want them to know that just because you have a key fob that will automatically unlock the car door that it's still OK to open the car door for your lady! I want them to know that yeah, so a woman wants to pay for a meal, they should always be prepared to pay first (but don't argue with the woman, she'll win anyhow:) One does not have to be a knight in shinning armor (plus, I don't think one could afford that darn armor these days).

Women (OK, or at least I do) still like to have doors opened for them, picked up for their dates, chairs pulled out (I'll put the napkin in my own lap thank you very much), the bill paid for (no dutch here any more), flowers to be delivered, etc. . . So, maybe we need to offer a class on chivalry? Or just teach our children better. . . I only hope my boys are respectful and courtesy. . . I think everything will fall into place if so. . .

Little Pig, Little Pig

WOW! I let the boys go hog wild outside and they look like PIGGIES! They SAT in the sandbox instead of sitting on the edge or AROUND it! Go figure ya know! So they are covered from head to toe in dirt and grime! Ahhhh what would a little girl be like? Afraid to get dirty? Or would she dive right in? I have a feeling she would dig right in!

Mommy! You flung it!

Well, it's nap time and my two boys have rung me dry already today! Add the other three DC kids and I'm exhausted and it's only noon!

So, I'm making grilled cheese for lunch today and Thomas said something to me as I was Country Crockin' one of the slices of bread. I turned around to look at him and he starts laughing and says "Mommy! You flung it!" At first I had NO idea what he was talking about until I looked down at my butter knife and lo and behold there is NO butter there! I looked around and asked Thomas to look around and we could not find the missing flung butter (the joys of having a cream colored kitchen UGH). So, I figured I'd eventually step in it with my bare toes and find it. . . and continued making lunch. As the stove top is heating up I'm slapping the Kraft singles on the bread and I see something fall from the side of the range hood. Yup, the butter blob! I guess my feet were saved from not having to feel the butter squish between my toes, and it wasn't that big of a mess (it melted off the hood). . . NOTHING compared to my Lemon Cake mess a few years ago. . .

I was preparing my dessert for the soup/salad night for Lenten service a few years ago. I was making this Hot Lemon Cake dessert. For those that know me and have been in my house I have a DENKY kitchen with hardly any counter space! (It wasn't the kitchen that drew me to this house, that is for dog-gone sure!) So I'm using my handmixer to mix up the pudding and cake mix. I placed the mixer to the side of the bowl, with the beaters dripping into the bowl. . . I turned around and did not know I had the cord wrapped around me! Yes, imagine it -- yellow cake batter/pudding mix in a great big green bowl. . . the mixer pulling away from the bowl. . . . OMG! YES It hit the floor!

It went KERPLUNK! I was a wee bit lucky. I say wee, because I had a mega mess on my hands. HOWEVER, the way the bowl landed, it landed the right way up! So, I didn't have lemon cake all over the floor -- but rather the CEILING! It was like a volcano when it hit the floor! I saw it in slow motion! The bowl hit the floor and the mix went flying UP, UP and AWAY! It was all over the ceiling, curtains, cabinets, window, stove -- everywhere BUT the floor! It was a MEGA mess! OK, so I still have some stuck to the ceiling! I got most of it when it happened and said screw it to the rest probably. . . . I was mad!

So, today's episode of flingin' the butter was nothing compared to Stacey's Hot Lemon Cake episode! I do wonder what will happen tonight when I cook dinner. . . .

Yes, there is NEVER a dull moment in this house!

Memories -- can they do you harm?

So, every once in a while a song will come on the radio, or a scent will blow through the windows, and I feel like I've been wooshed back to a certain period of time. . . and sometimes the memories are great, and sometimes. . . well not so great! For example, the song Roll On by Alabama always reminds me of when we had left for TN one summer and my Dad got us lost before we had even left the New Castle area! And we had driven that route many of times before! Or when I heard birds chirping on a fine summer morning, I cannot help but think of all the summers that Amber, Joshua and I shacked up in my Aunt Sissy's laundry room, on the cool, concert floor, with many blankets to soften our night of rest and waking to the sound of birds! I love it! And then there are the times when I hear a song and it makes me think about my high school and some college days when I was a bitter fat girl on an emotional roller coaster (OK, maybe I should admit that I still ride that coaster ever now and again. . . and damn what a ride it can be -- oh and I'm still fat). . .

So, I wonder if I should write about those memories I get every now and again. . . What do you all think? Would you actually WANT to read about my pissy teenage/college years? LOL Like, would you wanna hear about My Sherona and how it always reminds me of my lil sister and getting lost in Detroit? Or what the meaning is behind Wind Beneath My Wings? What about every time I see the junked up hole on Jefferson Street and how it always brings back park memories? Or when my Dad would take us walking on the tracks in the summer? I have so many memories. . . . UGH!

What is your opinion folks?

Why oh why?

HA! If you think this blog-blurb is gonna be about my life -- WRONG! I just have to ask this question to all the fems out there! This is a very serious question!

If you are gonna squat to use the public can, why can't you clean up after you pee all over the seat? I mean, c'mon, don't you remember seeing that old needlepoint in your aunt's bathroom when you were a kid "If you sprinkle when you tinkle, be a sweetie and wipe the seatie"? I know I remember it in my Aunt Shirley's bathroom! I always equated it to the men that used her bathrooms, but now I'm beginning to wonder if Aunt Shirley might have had an insight!

Yeah, OK, so I'm going to admit I don't 'nest' my seat with toilet paper! I make sure it is clean and sometimes will even swipe the TP around it just to make sure, but I am a plopper! Now, I've done my research, so don't get your panties in a bunch! Did you know that cell phones carry more germs than a public toilet? Yes, a freaking cell phone for cryin' out loud! Oh and research also shows that your keyboard at the office -- dirtier than where you tinkle! Can ya believe that! And you just put your fingers in the 'tater chip bag didn't ya? (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3505414.stm) Pretty nasty stuff to think about!

So, if you still insist on squatting (don't worry, Momma, you raised me right, but I just cannot do the squatting routine), and you pee all over the seat, be a WOMAN and wipe it up! Sheeze-oh-lou! And men wonder why it takes so long for women to use the bathroom and why there is always a line! Squatters pee all over the seats and no one wants to use that can (and for the record, if someone has peed all over the seat I'm moving on down to the next empty stall!)

New Blog

OK, I think I am going to like this blog better! I'll disable my Ramblings of a Fat Unemployed Girl later. I wanted to try this site out and see what happens! :) I like that it has more options (including adding photos:)

So, I'm trying it out. Post a comment so I can see what happens OK :)