This weekend we surprised the kids and took them to see the Hanna Montana movie. Heather and Stephanie were thrilled! It's a cute movie with a positive message. After the movie I asked them about the main theme of the movie. Stephanie said it is to appreciate what you've got. That's my girl!
Anyway, last night Greg bought the soundtrack for the girls. As he was leaving this morning he told me that he was planning on playing the Ho Down, Throw Down in the topside music mix this morning. You see, every morning he plays music for the guys who are unloading the cans. The right music gets them moving just a little bit faster. And the mix is varied with all sorts of music genres.
I laughed and said it would be hilarious if when it came on all the guys stopped what they were doing to bust a move. Come on, can't you see it? Several guys on the deck ~ pop it, lock it, and polka dot it. Then everyone down on the floor would join in. Greg laughed at me and said that would never happen. He said that none of the guys have seen the movie. Well, it my little world, they'd be stopping all work to countrify then hip hop in their FedEx uniforms.
boom dee clap
boom dee clap clap
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
heather's turn
Today's joke is from Heather.
Q: How do you make a tissue dance?
A: Put a little boogie in it!
Heather told me this joke on Sunday. I told my students yesterday. They were equally grossed out and thrilled that I would utter such nonsense.
Q: How do you make a tissue dance?
A: Put a little boogie in it!
Heather told me this joke on Sunday. I told my students yesterday. They were equally grossed out and thrilled that I would utter such nonsense.
Monday, April 20, 2009
something quite strange
Saturday was the craft show sponsored by Grandma Smith's community arts & crafts club. It was not very busy, but I did surprisingly ok ~ better than last time, I think. I recognized a lot of the same shoppers as the last one in October. They need some new shoppers, I think.
One lady, whom Grandma only just recently met, stopped by and took a nice look at the crafty wares I was peddling. Then she looked at me. She told me I am pretty, to which I smiled and thanked her. Then she said I am really pretty. Um, thanks, again.
Then she leaned in and studied me. I resisted the urge to be rude and pull back. Thank goodness for the table in between us that guarded my personal space! She leaned in a little more and inquired about my nationality. I told her that I'm no specific nationality, just a mix of this, that, and the other thing.
She didn't want to accept this answer and prodded me again. Now, I was starting to get a little flustered and just about ready to recite the parts of the list I know ~ a little Irish, English, Cherokee ~ when she asked if I am Spanish. I started to shake my head when I suddenly remembered (how could I forget?) and told her Portuguese. My grandfather (who I never knew) was full Portuguese. That makes me a quarter. That's the biggest chunk of one thing or another as far as I know. Satisfied she went on her way. Hey wait! You forgot to buy something!
I was completely baffled. No one has ever inquired about my nationality. That was strange itself. But then, for her to be able to pinpoint the largest piece of the genealogical pie stunned me. Does that really show in me? Hmm.
What do these pictures have to do with the story?
Nothing.
They are photo cubes. Remember the old photo cubes from the 70s? Maybe 80s? You know the plastic ones you slipped several photos inside? Well, these are better. They are a scrapbook on a cube. Just apply glue to your favorite picture and slap it on. Or just leave them naked cuz they're so dang cute on their own. Don't home accessorize without them.
Pssst ~ you can get them at the shop ~ to the right.
One lady, whom Grandma only just recently met, stopped by and took a nice look at the crafty wares I was peddling. Then she looked at me. She told me I am pretty, to which I smiled and thanked her. Then she said I am really pretty. Um, thanks, again.
Then she leaned in and studied me. I resisted the urge to be rude and pull back. Thank goodness for the table in between us that guarded my personal space! She leaned in a little more and inquired about my nationality. I told her that I'm no specific nationality, just a mix of this, that, and the other thing.
She didn't want to accept this answer and prodded me again. Now, I was starting to get a little flustered and just about ready to recite the parts of the list I know ~ a little Irish, English, Cherokee ~ when she asked if I am Spanish. I started to shake my head when I suddenly remembered (how could I forget?) and told her Portuguese. My grandfather (who I never knew) was full Portuguese. That makes me a quarter. That's the biggest chunk of one thing or another as far as I know. Satisfied she went on her way. Hey wait! You forgot to buy something!
I was completely baffled. No one has ever inquired about my nationality. That was strange itself. But then, for her to be able to pinpoint the largest piece of the genealogical pie stunned me. Does that really show in me? Hmm.What do these pictures have to do with the story?
Nothing.
They are photo cubes. Remember the old photo cubes from the 70s? Maybe 80s? You know the plastic ones you slipped several photos inside? Well, these are better. They are a scrapbook on a cube. Just apply glue to your favorite picture and slap it on. Or just leave them naked cuz they're so dang cute on their own. Don't home accessorize without them.
Pssst ~ you can get them at the shop ~ to the right.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
the day we nearly starved
I don't eat breakfast right when I wake up. I don't even make time for breakfast at home in the morning beside a nice glass of Ovaltine. I take breakfast to school with me and eat it before school or on my prep period, before the students arrive. It works for me. For years I've taken yogurt to for breakfast. It calmed my twitchy stomach while student teaching 72 years ago and has been a workday breakfast staple since then. Lately I've added some yummy granola to it. Heaven!
So yesterday, I have about 5 minutes before I have to get the kids. I'm talking to Suzanne in my room when I reach in my lunch bag for my yogurt and granola only to find that there's no yogurt. I forgot to get the yogurt from the fridge! Dang! And it's too late to head to the lounge for one of the breakfast hot pockets I have stashed in the freezer. Dang, again! So it's Cheez-Its for breakfast for me. I suppose I'll live.
Lunch time rolls around. I've got a frozen meal. Not my favorite way to go for lunch (I prefer leftovers.), but it will do. It's a shrimp & pasta one. For some reason the shrimp was not getting done. I had two choices 1) eat it anyway and risk heaving my lunch all over some unsuspecting 2nd grader from uncooked shrimp or 2) keep nuking that bad boy. In opted in favor of no stomach cramps and kept putting it in for 30 more seconds at a time. By the time the shrimp was cooked, the noodles were a soggy mess. I ate all the shrimp out and about two bites of the noodles, gagged, and threw it away. So I had a breakfast hot pocket at the last minute of my lunch.
Greg called me after school and asked me how was my lunch. I told him that actually it sucked. Now this man has been known to completely read my mind on more than one occasion ~ completely freaky. But I couldn't figure out why he was asking me this. Then he said, "How was my lunch?" I don't know, how was it? I started mentally running through the morning when I was packing his lunch and yes, I did remember the fork. I've been known to forget his utensils before. It became such a problem for a short while that he has some spare spoons and forks in his truck should that occur again. And then I realized...he does not have spare salad dressing in his truck! His main lunch item lately is a chef salad. Yesterday I forgot to pack the dressing. And yesterday he didn't have any money in his pocket because he left it on the shelf at home. So the poor guy ate his salad dry!
We had spaghetti for dinner. It was fine.
After dinner Greg declared to the kids that it was an early bed time night for all of us because mommy was so deliriously tired that she forgot to pack lunches and breakfasts completely.
So yesterday, I have about 5 minutes before I have to get the kids. I'm talking to Suzanne in my room when I reach in my lunch bag for my yogurt and granola only to find that there's no yogurt. I forgot to get the yogurt from the fridge! Dang! And it's too late to head to the lounge for one of the breakfast hot pockets I have stashed in the freezer. Dang, again! So it's Cheez-Its for breakfast for me. I suppose I'll live.
Lunch time rolls around. I've got a frozen meal. Not my favorite way to go for lunch (I prefer leftovers.), but it will do. It's a shrimp & pasta one. For some reason the shrimp was not getting done. I had two choices 1) eat it anyway and risk heaving my lunch all over some unsuspecting 2nd grader from uncooked shrimp or 2) keep nuking that bad boy. In opted in favor of no stomach cramps and kept putting it in for 30 more seconds at a time. By the time the shrimp was cooked, the noodles were a soggy mess. I ate all the shrimp out and about two bites of the noodles, gagged, and threw it away. So I had a breakfast hot pocket at the last minute of my lunch.
Greg called me after school and asked me how was my lunch. I told him that actually it sucked. Now this man has been known to completely read my mind on more than one occasion ~ completely freaky. But I couldn't figure out why he was asking me this. Then he said, "How was my lunch?" I don't know, how was it? I started mentally running through the morning when I was packing his lunch and yes, I did remember the fork. I've been known to forget his utensils before. It became such a problem for a short while that he has some spare spoons and forks in his truck should that occur again. And then I realized...he does not have spare salad dressing in his truck! His main lunch item lately is a chef salad. Yesterday I forgot to pack the dressing. And yesterday he didn't have any money in his pocket because he left it on the shelf at home. So the poor guy ate his salad dry!
We had spaghetti for dinner. It was fine.
After dinner Greg declared to the kids that it was an early bed time night for all of us because mommy was so deliriously tired that she forgot to pack lunches and breakfasts completely.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
the way we do it
The night before Easter is always egg coloring time at our house. The night before that, the kids spent the night at Grandma & Papa's. They came home a little earlier than usual for a weekend sleepover. I'm thinking they were afraid they were going to miss out on the egg coloring!
We told them we'd do it after dinner. They hounded us about when we were having dinner. We kept telling them we were having dinner very late. We even told them we didn't think we'd be having dinner at all. Hee hee.
The moment finally arrived! I didn't think they were going to last a minute longer. The kids were fed, showered, and jammied up ~ ready to go.
First, you have to read the directions because mommy can never remember how much vinegar to put in. Of course, since they are reading ages, I made them read the directions.
You need some coloring tablets.
Mix it all up. Get pretty close so you can get a good whiff of that vinegar too!
Grab a couple dozen boiled eggs. Just a little while earlier in the evening Heather asked me if I needed to boil the eggs and how long that would take. I told her it took a little while to boil the eggs, then they needed to cool all the way. It might take a long time. In all seriousness and fear we'd never get to coloring, she told me I'd better get them started! Lucky her I boiled the eggs in the morning.
Rummage through the drawer to find last year's dipper. Luckily someone finally had the foresight to save a dipper from the last year since we have two children and the box only has one dipper. Eventually, we do learn our lessons.
Have at it! The kids are pros at this now. They know what to do. No more hand-holding-egg-coloring here. They make their own creations at their own pace.
They love the crayon resist technique. I always color some eggs with special messages to them. Heather's didn't turn out quite as vivid this year.
All done! Heather wrote a note to the Bunny asking him to hide the eggs in the backyard this year. She left an invitation for him to eat some of the jelly beans that were on the counter.
We told them we'd do it after dinner. They hounded us about when we were having dinner. We kept telling them we were having dinner very late. We even told them we didn't think we'd be having dinner at all. Hee hee.
The moment finally arrived! I didn't think they were going to last a minute longer. The kids were fed, showered, and jammied up ~ ready to go.
First, you have to read the directions because mommy can never remember how much vinegar to put in. Of course, since they are reading ages, I made them read the directions.
You need some coloring tablets.
Mix it all up. Get pretty close so you can get a good whiff of that vinegar too!
Grab a couple dozen boiled eggs. Just a little while earlier in the evening Heather asked me if I needed to boil the eggs and how long that would take. I told her it took a little while to boil the eggs, then they needed to cool all the way. It might take a long time. In all seriousness and fear we'd never get to coloring, she told me I'd better get them started! Lucky her I boiled the eggs in the morning.
Rummage through the drawer to find last year's dipper. Luckily someone finally had the foresight to save a dipper from the last year since we have two children and the box only has one dipper. Eventually, we do learn our lessons.
Have at it! The kids are pros at this now. They know what to do. No more hand-holding-egg-coloring here. They make their own creations at their own pace.
They love the crayon resist technique. I always color some eggs with special messages to them. Heather's didn't turn out quite as vivid this year.
All done! Heather wrote a note to the Bunny asking him to hide the eggs in the backyard this year. She left an invitation for him to eat some of the jelly beans that were on the counter.
Monday, April 13, 2009
what's for dinner this week?
Here's this week's menu:- tacos
- chicken pot pie
- crockpot beef stew
- chicken alfredo (We didn't have this last week afterall.)
- spaghetti
We had ham for Easter, so those leftovers may show up somewhere this week. We'll see.
The sweet potato fries from last week turned out to be pretty delicious. Greg even liked them. We all agreed that they were not crisp enough, though. Let me try them once more, then I'll tell you how I made them.
Hop on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for more Menu Planning Monday ideas.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
dinner and the theater
Earlier this week, Greg and I were treated to the theater after dinner. We were given complimentary tickets to two exclusive performances. Both Stephanie and Heather put on their own play. Both plays were similar in that they involved a villain stealing something precious, while a morally driven audience member (the other kid) jumped in the play and tried to stop them. Of course, then some evil wrestling ensued. In the end, the villain was escorted to jail by the imaginary officials. The good guys really do win in the end, don't they?
As you can imagine, the plays were funny ~ even intended to be so. The audience members were given special star shaped glasses to wear during the performance, as well as assigned seating. The children forgot to take the actual size of an adult hiney when placing the seating cards on the floor. We nearly had to sit on top of each other!
The girls spent the day practicing and creating their outfits. I got a sneak preview of the outfits.
Every time the kids get these masks out, it's hilarious. With interchangeable pieces, there's no end to what they will come up with.
Oh, I am confused now. I thought this was a super hero costume, not an evil villain costume. She's got dress-up heels on underneath those boot covers.
She's trying to give me the evil stink eye. Too bad I just kept giggling at her.
Stephanie is waiting patiently for Heather to be done with her costume preview. She didn't want Heather to see her costume choice just yet.
Ooo, she's the pretty kind of evil villain.
There we go with the evil laugh!
Greg and I enjoyed our evening at the theater. It's nice to see them cooperate to accomplish their goals. It's nice to see their creativity. It's nice to see these old Halloween and dance recital costumes are being put to good use cuz they cost us a fortune in the first place!
As you can imagine, the plays were funny ~ even intended to be so. The audience members were given special star shaped glasses to wear during the performance, as well as assigned seating. The children forgot to take the actual size of an adult hiney when placing the seating cards on the floor. We nearly had to sit on top of each other!
The girls spent the day practicing and creating their outfits. I got a sneak preview of the outfits.
Every time the kids get these masks out, it's hilarious. With interchangeable pieces, there's no end to what they will come up with.
Oh, I am confused now. I thought this was a super hero costume, not an evil villain costume. She's got dress-up heels on underneath those boot covers.
She's trying to give me the evil stink eye. Too bad I just kept giggling at her.
Stephanie is waiting patiently for Heather to be done with her costume preview. She didn't want Heather to see her costume choice just yet.
Ooo, she's the pretty kind of evil villain.
There we go with the evil laugh!
Greg and I enjoyed our evening at the theater. It's nice to see them cooperate to accomplish their goals. It's nice to see their creativity. It's nice to see these old Halloween and dance recital costumes are being put to good use cuz they cost us a fortune in the first place!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
a project that took far too long
My house is often a mess ~ I'll admit it. People ask me how I have time to do so many crafts. I laugh and tell them I don't clean house. Now that my slaves children are getting older, I'm enlisting their help & the house stays cleaner.
I have a thing about closets, cupboards, and drawers, though. They need to be neat. I like neat stacks, rows, baskets, etc. But even these can sometimes get out of control ~ especially when little people are in charge of putting things away.
Case in point ~ the pantry. Oh my word! It has really gotten out of control. We went to Costco this weekend for the first time since before Christmas. The grocery store was also having a case sale. Time to stock up. Time to make more room. Time for a little reorganization.
Before:
See? They just shove their cereal, Valentine's bags full of candy, and whatever else in the pantry.
I like everything ordered by type, sorta like a grocery store. Who put the beans with the diced tomatoes? Maybe that was me.
Just awful. I'm feeling a little embarrassed to be showing these pictures.
But what good is an after picture, if you don't have those hideous before pictures?
So, Sunday after church I pulled everything out of the pantry. E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G! I scrubbed the shelves and floor. Then I started thinking. Our pantry has these wings that make it difficult to reach the left and right sides. So I thought about how I wanted it reorganized. Now that we've lived here for so long, what will make the most sense?
I had to walk away a few times because I got overwhelmed. Plus, I needed to watch an episode of TiVo'd Grey's Anatomy. I'm pretty certain I have adult-onset ADHD. I swear!
I dawdled so much on Sunday, that I was going to have to finish on Monday. I was moderately raring to go on this project at about 10 a.m. I got distracted here and there, and here again. Then Suzanne came over for a little bit. But other than that I was totally focused. That is, until I dropped a tiny 4 ounce can of tomato sauce on my middle toe from a height of only about 6 inches. Icalmly said hollered some creative words. I think I broke my toe.
Seriously.
It's bruised, a little swollen, and I can't move the first joint when I curl my toes. Nice.
I was pretty much done with this stupid project for Monday. At this point I began wishing I hadn't started in the first place. Greg asked if this project was going to take all of spring break. Shut up!
Today, I soldiered through the sore toe and finished the project.
After:
Look at that! Nice straight rows of like items.
I used more baskets than I had in the past. Bags of pasta don't stack so well. Put it in a big basket! I'd like to get another basket for the chips.
So pretty!
I "merchandized" my shelves quite well, if I do say so myself.
There's even some room on the floor for extra items should we need the space.
While I was at it, I reorganized the spice/baking cabinet. I know, I totally rock...today.
Before:
Not quite as bad as the pantry, but there's still a fair amount of shoving and lost items in there.
Again, I pulled everything out. That's when I realized I have eight bags of chocolate/peanut butter/butterscotch/chocolate mint chips. Uh, that doesn't include the other four I bought this weekend because they were on sale. Look in the before picture. Can you even see a single bag of baking chips? Me either. No wonder I keep buying more. I better get baking.
After:
Ahhh, that's better! Now I can see those baking chips.
What other cabinets can I reorganize?
I have a thing about closets, cupboards, and drawers, though. They need to be neat. I like neat stacks, rows, baskets, etc. But even these can sometimes get out of control ~ especially when little people are in charge of putting things away.
Case in point ~ the pantry. Oh my word! It has really gotten out of control. We went to Costco this weekend for the first time since before Christmas. The grocery store was also having a case sale. Time to stock up. Time to make more room. Time for a little reorganization.
Before:
See? They just shove their cereal, Valentine's bags full of candy, and whatever else in the pantry.
I like everything ordered by type, sorta like a grocery store. Who put the beans with the diced tomatoes? Maybe that was me.
Just awful. I'm feeling a little embarrassed to be showing these pictures.
But what good is an after picture, if you don't have those hideous before pictures?So, Sunday after church I pulled everything out of the pantry. E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G! I scrubbed the shelves and floor. Then I started thinking. Our pantry has these wings that make it difficult to reach the left and right sides. So I thought about how I wanted it reorganized. Now that we've lived here for so long, what will make the most sense?
I had to walk away a few times because I got overwhelmed. Plus, I needed to watch an episode of TiVo'd Grey's Anatomy. I'm pretty certain I have adult-onset ADHD. I swear!
I dawdled so much on Sunday, that I was going to have to finish on Monday. I was moderately raring to go on this project at about 10 a.m. I got distracted here and there, and here again. Then Suzanne came over for a little bit. But other than that I was totally focused. That is, until I dropped a tiny 4 ounce can of tomato sauce on my middle toe from a height of only about 6 inches. I
Seriously.
It's bruised, a little swollen, and I can't move the first joint when I curl my toes. Nice.
I was pretty much done with this stupid project for Monday. At this point I began wishing I hadn't started in the first place. Greg asked if this project was going to take all of spring break. Shut up!
Today, I soldiered through the sore toe and finished the project.
After:
Look at that! Nice straight rows of like items.
I used more baskets than I had in the past. Bags of pasta don't stack so well. Put it in a big basket! I'd like to get another basket for the chips.
So pretty!
I "merchandized" my shelves quite well, if I do say so myself.
There's even some room on the floor for extra items should we need the space.While I was at it, I reorganized the spice/baking cabinet. I know, I totally rock...today.
Before:
Not quite as bad as the pantry, but there's still a fair amount of shoving and lost items in there.
Again, I pulled everything out. That's when I realized I have eight bags of chocolate/peanut butter/butterscotch/chocolate mint chips. Uh, that doesn't include the other four I bought this weekend because they were on sale. Look in the before picture. Can you even see a single bag of baking chips? Me either. No wonder I keep buying more. I better get baking.After:
Ahhh, that's better! Now I can see those baking chips.What other cabinets can I reorganize?
Monday, April 6, 2009
menu plan monday
Time to get it together and see what's for dinner this week! For the past few weeks I've been menu planning again. I know, I've been holding out on you and not posting my menus. You're really upset about that, aren't you? (Just nod your head and make me happy.) It really works so much better than winging it ~ just takes a little extra planning before I go shopping. A couple of times, I tried to plan two weeks at a time, but this time it's only one week.
So in no particular order, here's what's for dinner this week:
- tacos
- chicken alfredo
- hamburgers & sweet potato fries (never tried these before)
- tostadas
- breakfast for dinner ~ sausage links & omelettes
- pork chops, rice, broccoli
- homemade pepperoni & pineapple pizza
It's a pretty unimaginative list considering we are on spring break this week. But I was in a hurry to plan the menu before I lost the opportunity to have Greg go shopping with me. Maybe this week I'll take some time to look up some new recipes for next week.
For more menu ideas, check out Menu Planning Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)