Tomorrow night is my son's senior prom, wow, time sure flies I can't believe that it's already here and graduation is in a month. He's picked up his tux, ordered the flowers, made reservations for dinner, I think he's growing up!
Of course, there is the question of the party after the prom. Apparently the plan is to go back to one of his friend's house and have a little celebration, I'm told the parents will be there. He's never given me reason to not trust him, so I believe that is will be all OK. I've given all the usual intructions...no drinking...no drugs...no sex, and make sure your date gets home on time. I think I'll be glad when it's over, I know that sounds bad but I still worry. After he leaves tomorrow evening I am going out for margaritas with some friends, several margaritas!!
I feel like this is a turning point. A turning point for my son, who is technically an adult, but still has some growing up to do. I've told him I won't consider him an adult until he can wake up with his alarm, instead of sleeping through it or turning it off in his sleep and never waking up, making me have to wake him up. Generally he is becoming more responsible, making his own decisions (with some advice from me), and when he has a problem, telling me "I'll figure it out".
It's also a turning point for me, going from "raising" him to more of offering guidance and/or advice and letting him figure it out. So my margaritas tomorrow night will be start out being a little sad at the realization that my role is changing but also excitement at the possibilites of it all.
My senior prom was quite the adventure. There were four of us couples going together, two couples in each car. I rode with my friend Sara, she drove her yellow falcon because her date didn't have his license yet. We all met at Julie's house and she was the one who was supposed to sneak a pint of whiskey in so we could spike our drinks. Well, when we got to her house she had already drank all the whiskey and was feeling no pain. We were all so mad at her, but there was nothing we could do about it so off to the prom we went. Things went downhill from there. Julie and her boyfriend were pretty good dancers, but poor Julie kept falling all over the dance floor because she was drunk, so her boyfriend was getting mad at her. Sara and I had to keep watching out for her and at one point she went to the restroom, sat down on the floor in the stall with her back up against the door. Sara and I kept trying to get her to stand up so we could get her back to the table, all the while the security guard kept coming in to see what the problem was. We were able to convince her that everything was fine.
We finally got her out and back to the table, but we had to follow her around the rest on the evening, to keep her out of trouble and from saying inappropriate things, loudly. Needless to say, the next day her boyfriend broke up with her and she was devasted.....and really, really hungover. That was my senior prom experience. Of course, my son doesn't need to know anything about this story....until he is like 30yrs. old.
The moral of that story is that your senior prom is not the be all/end all of your life, life does go on, but have fun and be safe.
Kathy
Friday, April 27, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
I've Got On My Tin Foil Hat (Part 1)
I've been MIA for the last seven days. It's been a busy week, graduation and prom to prepare for, allergies going crazy, and I've been really, really tired. Hopefully next week will be better or at least less stressful. And now I think I am catching a cold.
There are lots of things in this world that cannot be explained...crop circles, Area 51, shadow people, loch ness monster, Lindsay Lohan, ahem, and so on. I truly believe that there are "things" out there that are unexplained, but I also think that "someone" knows the truth about some of them. I am always up for a good conspiracy theory, afterall, you never really know the whole truth about anything, and I have no doubt that there are government agencies that cover up quite a bit, no matter which side is in office and no matter which country they are in.
I have a facebook friend that is really concerned about "chemtrails". Chemtrails, if you don't know.....
"The term chemtrail is derived from "chemical trail", in the similar fashion that contrail is a portmanteau of condensation trail. It does not refer to other forms of aerial spraying such as crop dusting, cloud seeding, skywriting, or aerial firefighting.[7] The term specifically refers to aerial trails allegedly caused by the systematic high-altitude release of chemical substances not found in ordinary contrails, resulting in the appearance of characteristic sky tracks. Supporters of this conspiracy theory speculate that the purpose of the chemical release may be for solar radiation management, population control,[1] weather control,[2] or biological warfare/chemical warfare and claim that these trails are causing respiratory illnesses and other health problems.[8][9"
The above explanation was taken from Wikipedia, sounds very ominoius doesn't it. Of course it is denied by any and all government agencies and scientists. Contrails, on the contrary, are the normal exhaust emissions from aircraft, which dissapates, dependent on the weather conditions, fairly quickly, while chemtrails supposedly linger much, much longer and sometimes are seen in different patterns in the sky.
The above pictures are suspected chemtrails left in the sky from various aircraft. I have been watching the skies a little more closely lately and I have watched an aircraft really high up fly over and the contrail behind it stretches out a bit but does dissapate in a reasonable amount of time. I also have noticed a few that have looked like the above pictures. Is it contrails or chemtrails, I don't know the answer to that.
Have you ever listened to the late night radio show Coast To Coast? It is a very interesting talk show, featuring all kinds of conspiracy theories, ghost stories, government coverups, and much, much more. It usually comes on at midnight so I don't get to listen very often and then I fall asleep, but I do like listening to it. They have had some shows on this very subject and callers have called in with all kinds of theories and so-called proof. It is fascinating.
I will leave the answer and debate up to you, is it really a government program spraying us with who knows what, or is it just normal emissions affected by various weather conditions? All I know is that it seems very suspicious at times and I am keeping an open mind. After all, this is the government we are talking about :-)
RECIPE OF THE DAY ONION STRINGS (Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman)
Slice one large onion if it is for the whole family, but for a serving of one 1/2 will do, slice it very thin.
Separate the rings into a bowl and cover with buttermilk and let set for at least an hour.
Take the rings out of the buttermilk and put into all purpose flour that has been seasoned with salt, pepper and cayene pepper or paprika. Shake off excess flour and put into a deep fryer or dutch oven with the oil heated to 375. Stir with fork to make sure they are not sticking together. It only takes a minute or 2 to get them a golden brown. Remove from oil and drain. Eat as a side dish or put on top of a hamburger.
I fixed these the other day, solely for the purpose of testing the recipe, and I have to say they were outstanding.
Kathy
There are lots of things in this world that cannot be explained...crop circles, Area 51, shadow people, loch ness monster, Lindsay Lohan, ahem, and so on. I truly believe that there are "things" out there that are unexplained, but I also think that "someone" knows the truth about some of them. I am always up for a good conspiracy theory, afterall, you never really know the whole truth about anything, and I have no doubt that there are government agencies that cover up quite a bit, no matter which side is in office and no matter which country they are in.
I have a facebook friend that is really concerned about "chemtrails". Chemtrails, if you don't know.....
"The term chemtrail is derived from "chemical trail", in the similar fashion that contrail is a portmanteau of condensation trail. It does not refer to other forms of aerial spraying such as crop dusting, cloud seeding, skywriting, or aerial firefighting.[7] The term specifically refers to aerial trails allegedly caused by the systematic high-altitude release of chemical substances not found in ordinary contrails, resulting in the appearance of characteristic sky tracks. Supporters of this conspiracy theory speculate that the purpose of the chemical release may be for solar radiation management, population control,[1] weather control,[2] or biological warfare/chemical warfare and claim that these trails are causing respiratory illnesses and other health problems.[8][9"
The above explanation was taken from Wikipedia, sounds very ominoius doesn't it. Of course it is denied by any and all government agencies and scientists. Contrails, on the contrary, are the normal exhaust emissions from aircraft, which dissapates, dependent on the weather conditions, fairly quickly, while chemtrails supposedly linger much, much longer and sometimes are seen in different patterns in the sky.
The above pictures are suspected chemtrails left in the sky from various aircraft. I have been watching the skies a little more closely lately and I have watched an aircraft really high up fly over and the contrail behind it stretches out a bit but does dissapate in a reasonable amount of time. I also have noticed a few that have looked like the above pictures. Is it contrails or chemtrails, I don't know the answer to that.
Have you ever listened to the late night radio show Coast To Coast? It is a very interesting talk show, featuring all kinds of conspiracy theories, ghost stories, government coverups, and much, much more. It usually comes on at midnight so I don't get to listen very often and then I fall asleep, but I do like listening to it. They have had some shows on this very subject and callers have called in with all kinds of theories and so-called proof. It is fascinating.
I will leave the answer and debate up to you, is it really a government program spraying us with who knows what, or is it just normal emissions affected by various weather conditions? All I know is that it seems very suspicious at times and I am keeping an open mind. After all, this is the government we are talking about :-)
RECIPE OF THE DAY ONION STRINGS (Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman)
Slice one large onion if it is for the whole family, but for a serving of one 1/2 will do, slice it very thin.
Separate the rings into a bowl and cover with buttermilk and let set for at least an hour.
Take the rings out of the buttermilk and put into all purpose flour that has been seasoned with salt, pepper and cayene pepper or paprika. Shake off excess flour and put into a deep fryer or dutch oven with the oil heated to 375. Stir with fork to make sure they are not sticking together. It only takes a minute or 2 to get them a golden brown. Remove from oil and drain. Eat as a side dish or put on top of a hamburger.
I fixed these the other day, solely for the purpose of testing the recipe, and I have to say they were outstanding.
Kathy
Sunday, April 15, 2012
5 things.......To Be Thankful For.....
Of course, there are so many things to be thankful for and many obvious things to give thanks for. But I'd like to go down a different road to name some the less obvious.
1. Although I am starting off with an obvious thanks for bringing my son home from his spring break trip. He had a great time and came back tanned and rested and full of new experiences. I was just grateful he didn't drown or starve to death. I was surprised that he actually tried a new food, and trust me that is a REAL big deal, being he is the pickiest eater on earth. He said he tried crocodile bites, similiar to chicken nuggets, and he liked them. When I asked him why he tried them, his reply was "why not". Now this is the same child I have been begging for 18 yrs. to try different foods, but he wouldn't because he didn't like it without even trying it. And now with CROCODILE he says why not!!! Trust me, I will be using this information in the future.
2. I am thankful for BravoTV. Yes, yes, yes, I do watch some reality TV, not all of it, but I do like some and I make no apologies for it. I'm a big Real Housewives fan, Top Chef, Million Dollar Listing NY, and a few others. Now I don't spend all my time watching these shows, but they are harmless entertainment when I don't want to have to think about what I am watching. Plus, when there is nothing else on, you can always count of BravoTV for some drama!!!
3. I am thankful for chocolate chip ice cream. I love me some ice cream, but I will definitely say that chocolate chip is my absolute favorite. Rich creamy vanilla ice cream with big chips, chunks or shavings, it doesn't matter, I love it!! When I was a kid, my grandmother would give me maple nut ice cream when I was at her house and I sure did love that ice cream. And if I could find that flavor of ice cream again, I would probably change my mind and make chocolate chip my second favorite. I use to be able to find maple nut ice cream way back when Ehrlers Dairy was still in business. When we were growing up, we use to eat ice cream every evening as a snack before bedtime, and I still do that to this day. Ice cream is a glorious thing.
4. I am thankful for flannel sheets. They are the best thing since sliced bread. It is like sleeping in a big ol flannel shirt. I put my flannel sheets on the bed at the first hint of cooler weather in the fall, and don't take them off (of course I wash them throughout the winter) for good until there is not a hint of frosty weather anymore. I still have them on the bed now because there have been some pretty cool nights and I think there are still some more to come. Maybe I will be able to take them off in May. Just thinking about them makes me feel cozy.
5. I am thankful for Mississippi. I heard someone talk about this on the radio the other day and I have to say that I agree. I mean no disrespect to Mississippians, I am sure they are a lovely people and live in some lovely areas. But whenever there is a list of the worse schools, obesity, bad teeth, unhealthly habits, etc., etc., etc., we are always pretty high up on the list.....except Mississippi usually beats us out of being the worse in any catagory. I don't mean to say that this applies to everyone in either state, but it seems to be the majority. I do think that us and Mississippi definitely need to work on our problems and get ourselves together, but in the meantime, thank god for Mississippi.
RECIPE OF THE DAY
Take one wine glass, fill it about 3/4 full with chilled red or white wine. Take the glass out to the deck, bring a book, put your feet up and enjoy yourself.
Kathy
RECIPE OF THE DAY
1. Although I am starting off with an obvious thanks for bringing my son home from his spring break trip. He had a great time and came back tanned and rested and full of new experiences. I was just grateful he didn't drown or starve to death. I was surprised that he actually tried a new food, and trust me that is a REAL big deal, being he is the pickiest eater on earth. He said he tried crocodile bites, similiar to chicken nuggets, and he liked them. When I asked him why he tried them, his reply was "why not". Now this is the same child I have been begging for 18 yrs. to try different foods, but he wouldn't because he didn't like it without even trying it. And now with CROCODILE he says why not!!! Trust me, I will be using this information in the future.
2. I am thankful for BravoTV. Yes, yes, yes, I do watch some reality TV, not all of it, but I do like some and I make no apologies for it. I'm a big Real Housewives fan, Top Chef, Million Dollar Listing NY, and a few others. Now I don't spend all my time watching these shows, but they are harmless entertainment when I don't want to have to think about what I am watching. Plus, when there is nothing else on, you can always count of BravoTV for some drama!!!
3. I am thankful for chocolate chip ice cream. I love me some ice cream, but I will definitely say that chocolate chip is my absolute favorite. Rich creamy vanilla ice cream with big chips, chunks or shavings, it doesn't matter, I love it!! When I was a kid, my grandmother would give me maple nut ice cream when I was at her house and I sure did love that ice cream. And if I could find that flavor of ice cream again, I would probably change my mind and make chocolate chip my second favorite. I use to be able to find maple nut ice cream way back when Ehrlers Dairy was still in business. When we were growing up, we use to eat ice cream every evening as a snack before bedtime, and I still do that to this day. Ice cream is a glorious thing.
4. I am thankful for flannel sheets. They are the best thing since sliced bread. It is like sleeping in a big ol flannel shirt. I put my flannel sheets on the bed at the first hint of cooler weather in the fall, and don't take them off (of course I wash them throughout the winter) for good until there is not a hint of frosty weather anymore. I still have them on the bed now because there have been some pretty cool nights and I think there are still some more to come. Maybe I will be able to take them off in May. Just thinking about them makes me feel cozy.
5. I am thankful for Mississippi. I heard someone talk about this on the radio the other day and I have to say that I agree. I mean no disrespect to Mississippians, I am sure they are a lovely people and live in some lovely areas. But whenever there is a list of the worse schools, obesity, bad teeth, unhealthly habits, etc., etc., etc., we are always pretty high up on the list.....except Mississippi usually beats us out of being the worse in any catagory. I don't mean to say that this applies to everyone in either state, but it seems to be the majority. I do think that us and Mississippi definitely need to work on our problems and get ourselves together, but in the meantime, thank god for Mississippi.
RECIPE OF THE DAY
Take one wine glass, fill it about 3/4 full with chilled red or white wine. Take the glass out to the deck, bring a book, put your feet up and enjoy yourself.
Kathy
RECIPE OF THE DAY
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
inFLECtion
As you may remember, my 18yr. old son is in Florida for springbreak and we had a "discussion" before he left about how often he should text me, let me know everything's ok, he's having fun, yada..yada..yada. I felt he should check in at the very least every other day, he thought he shouldn't have to at all because he isn't 7 yrs. old. Next I reminded him that he couldn't swim.
...."yes I can"...
...."no you can't"...
...."yes I can"...
...."just because you can swim in a backyard pool doesn't mean you can swim"...
...."I can swim"...
...."the ocean is different, there are currents that can sweep you out to sea"...
...."I could swim to save my life"...
...."you can't swim"...
...."yes I can"...
And so it went, as I reminded him to put on his sunscreen, no drugs, no alcohol, don't leave you stuff laying around unattended, or your drink, watch your money and be respectful of the one set of parents that went along to chaperone.
They left Friday evening and stopped in Atlanta for the night and got there about 3pm on Saturday. He did let me know that they had made it ok. By Sunday evening I had not heard anything so at 11pm I texted him to make sure everything was going ok, he texted back "I'm fine".
But what I heard was "I'M.......you think I am a little kid, I can take care of myself, nothing can possibly happen to me, after all, I'm 18yrs. old and indestructible, nobody else has to check in, I can't help that I can't remember to text you.....FI--INE *sight* *eyerolld*.
When that car commercial comes on where the dad is handing the car keys to his daughter and she is about 5yrs. old and he is giving her all kinds of warnings and advice about driving and then it shows that she is really 16yrs. old, I made my son watch it. I told him that is how a parent still thinks of their child when they start doing things on their own. "Whatever" he replied. "When I have a kid I'm letting them do whatever they want". Sure, I thought to myself, I hope he has a daughter. Maybe I deserve that response because I remember when my Mom used to want me to check in when I was a teen, (and that was without the added ease of cell phones) my reply to her was always "don't worry, the police will notify you if something happens". That was soooo bad.
Of course, I haven't heard anything since the Sunday night text.."I'm fi-ine", so, guess what, before I go to bed tonight I will be texting him to make sure he hasn't drowned or starved to death. You see, he is a very picky eater....very..very..very picky eater, so I have visions of him no eating and wasting away. But on the bright side, maybe he will be forced to try some new foods out of necessity....that would be wonderful.
I also told him to take lots of picture to remember his trip by and I would like to see some of the stuff they did.
...."if I can remember"...
...."you have a phone that takes pictures, how hard can it be to remember"...
...."I don't know"...
...."try to remember"...
...."o---kay"...
Me..*sigh* *eyeroll*
RECIPE OF THE DAY UNBAKED COOKIES (me)
2 cups of sugar
1/2cup cocoa
1 stick of real butter
1/2cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 heaping tbls. crunchy peanut butter
3 cups of whole oats (old fashioned NOT quick)
Heat butter, milk, add sugar, cocoa and vanilla. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute. Add peanut butter and let dissolve. Turn off heat and stir in oats. Use a small ice scoop and scoop cookies onto parchment paper, put in fridge to set. Sometimes I line a 9X13 pan with parchment paper and spread the cookies in that and when they are set I cut them into bars. These cookies freeze well.
...."yes I can"...
...."no you can't"...
...."yes I can"...
...."just because you can swim in a backyard pool doesn't mean you can swim"...
...."I can swim"...
...."the ocean is different, there are currents that can sweep you out to sea"...
...."I could swim to save my life"...
...."you can't swim"...
...."yes I can"...
And so it went, as I reminded him to put on his sunscreen, no drugs, no alcohol, don't leave you stuff laying around unattended, or your drink, watch your money and be respectful of the one set of parents that went along to chaperone.
They left Friday evening and stopped in Atlanta for the night and got there about 3pm on Saturday. He did let me know that they had made it ok. By Sunday evening I had not heard anything so at 11pm I texted him to make sure everything was going ok, he texted back "I'm fine".
But what I heard was "I'M.......you think I am a little kid, I can take care of myself, nothing can possibly happen to me, after all, I'm 18yrs. old and indestructible, nobody else has to check in, I can't help that I can't remember to text you.....FI--INE *sight* *eyerolld*.
When that car commercial comes on where the dad is handing the car keys to his daughter and she is about 5yrs. old and he is giving her all kinds of warnings and advice about driving and then it shows that she is really 16yrs. old, I made my son watch it. I told him that is how a parent still thinks of their child when they start doing things on their own. "Whatever" he replied. "When I have a kid I'm letting them do whatever they want". Sure, I thought to myself, I hope he has a daughter. Maybe I deserve that response because I remember when my Mom used to want me to check in when I was a teen, (and that was without the added ease of cell phones) my reply to her was always "don't worry, the police will notify you if something happens". That was soooo bad.
Of course, I haven't heard anything since the Sunday night text.."I'm fi-ine", so, guess what, before I go to bed tonight I will be texting him to make sure he hasn't drowned or starved to death. You see, he is a very picky eater....very..very..very picky eater, so I have visions of him no eating and wasting away. But on the bright side, maybe he will be forced to try some new foods out of necessity....that would be wonderful.
I also told him to take lots of picture to remember his trip by and I would like to see some of the stuff they did.
...."if I can remember"...
...."you have a phone that takes pictures, how hard can it be to remember"...
...."I don't know"...
...."try to remember"...
...."o---kay"...
Me..*sigh* *eyeroll*
RECIPE OF THE DAY UNBAKED COOKIES (me)
2 cups of sugar
1/2cup cocoa
1 stick of real butter
1/2cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 heaping tbls. crunchy peanut butter
3 cups of whole oats (old fashioned NOT quick)
Heat butter, milk, add sugar, cocoa and vanilla. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute. Add peanut butter and let dissolve. Turn off heat and stir in oats. Use a small ice scoop and scoop cookies onto parchment paper, put in fridge to set. Sometimes I line a 9X13 pan with parchment paper and spread the cookies in that and when they are set I cut them into bars. These cookies freeze well.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Odds and Ends.....
The house seems awfully empty today. My son left for Florida yesterday to spend spring break. When he's home he is always running in and out, busy with his friends, so I am used to him being gone, but this feels different somehow. I did some chores around the house and actually spent a couple of hours sitting on the deck reading a book....yes, a book. It was very relaxing. Tomorrow I shovel the crud out of his room!!
The teenager down the street is into motorcross, and from what I understand he is pretty good at it. Riding in quite a few events. But for some reason, he feels the need to work on his bike in the front yard, which is no problem, except he revs up the engine over and over and over again while he is doing whatever he is doing to it. And he likes to ride them up and down the street over and over and over again. It doesn't make it very pleasant to sit on the front porch and listen to that and smell the fumes. Remember those old World War II movies when the Allies would string a really thin wire across the road and when the Nazis would ride through on their motorcycles......pppffffttttt.
I HATE yard work. I like my yard to look nice, but I don't want to do it. My son has helped in the past, but I wanted it done a certain way, so I would end up doing it all myself. Last year I hired someone to cut it for me. It was like Christmas when I would come home and it was all done! But, he really could have cut it shorter. I like it to be cut as short as possible, where you can almost see dirt. This year I have decided it will be my son's job to do the grass, and I am going let go of being in control of how every little aspect of it is done. He is more than capable of handling it. Maybe I can just have it all concreted over!!!
I have been reading "The Girl Who Played With Fire" by Stieg Larsson. It is about murder, mayhem, intrigue, set in Sweden. It is by the same author who wrote "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", which is now a movie. I've read that one also. I am a voracious reader. I have always got a book, sometimes, two that I am in the middle of reading along with assorted magazines. I have always loved reading, even as a child. As a teenager I read almost all of the Agatha Christie mysteries. I love mysteries and biographies the best. NO romance novels here. I tried to instill a love of reading in my son, I use to read to him everynight at bedtime, bought him books for Christmas and he saw me read quite often. But that whole theory didn't work out. He couldn't care less about reading. When he says he is bored I tell him to read a book. He answers that reading is for nerds. And when I tell him that I like to read, he says that's because I am a nerd.
RECIPE OF THE DAY EATON MESS (unknown)
4 cups of mixed berries
1/2cup sugar
1 Tbl lemon juice
1 1/2cup heavy cream
2 tsps vanilla
2cups crushed store-bought meringue cookes
Rinse berries and leave them whole if they are blackberries, raspberries and/or blueberries. If you add strawberries, rinse, hull and slice them.
Bring 2 cups of berries along with sugar and lemon juice to simmer in a saucepan. Turn into medium bowl and stir in remaining fresh berries. Refrigerate until chilled. When ready to serve, whip cream and vanilla to soft peaks. Assemble in the following order..Spoon a portion of half the cream, crushed cookies and berries into 4 large glasses, then repeat with remaining ingredients. Really good.
Kathy
The teenager down the street is into motorcross, and from what I understand he is pretty good at it. Riding in quite a few events. But for some reason, he feels the need to work on his bike in the front yard, which is no problem, except he revs up the engine over and over and over again while he is doing whatever he is doing to it. And he likes to ride them up and down the street over and over and over again. It doesn't make it very pleasant to sit on the front porch and listen to that and smell the fumes. Remember those old World War II movies when the Allies would string a really thin wire across the road and when the Nazis would ride through on their motorcycles......pppffffttttt.
I HATE yard work. I like my yard to look nice, but I don't want to do it. My son has helped in the past, but I wanted it done a certain way, so I would end up doing it all myself. Last year I hired someone to cut it for me. It was like Christmas when I would come home and it was all done! But, he really could have cut it shorter. I like it to be cut as short as possible, where you can almost see dirt. This year I have decided it will be my son's job to do the grass, and I am going let go of being in control of how every little aspect of it is done. He is more than capable of handling it. Maybe I can just have it all concreted over!!!
I have been reading "The Girl Who Played With Fire" by Stieg Larsson. It is about murder, mayhem, intrigue, set in Sweden. It is by the same author who wrote "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", which is now a movie. I've read that one also. I am a voracious reader. I have always got a book, sometimes, two that I am in the middle of reading along with assorted magazines. I have always loved reading, even as a child. As a teenager I read almost all of the Agatha Christie mysteries. I love mysteries and biographies the best. NO romance novels here. I tried to instill a love of reading in my son, I use to read to him everynight at bedtime, bought him books for Christmas and he saw me read quite often. But that whole theory didn't work out. He couldn't care less about reading. When he says he is bored I tell him to read a book. He answers that reading is for nerds. And when I tell him that I like to read, he says that's because I am a nerd.
RECIPE OF THE DAY EATON MESS (unknown)
4 cups of mixed berries
1/2cup sugar
1 Tbl lemon juice
1 1/2cup heavy cream
2 tsps vanilla
2cups crushed store-bought meringue cookes
Rinse berries and leave them whole if they are blackberries, raspberries and/or blueberries. If you add strawberries, rinse, hull and slice them.
Bring 2 cups of berries along with sugar and lemon juice to simmer in a saucepan. Turn into medium bowl and stir in remaining fresh berries. Refrigerate until chilled. When ready to serve, whip cream and vanilla to soft peaks. Assemble in the following order..Spoon a portion of half the cream, crushed cookies and berries into 4 large glasses, then repeat with remaining ingredients. Really good.
Kathy
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
5 Facts That I Have Learned
Life is a learning process, some lessons are big and important, some are small and seem inconsequential on the outside, but it is a lesson learned none the less.I have learned many lessons in my lifetime and then there are lessons that for some reasons never seem to stick and I keep repeating the same mistake over and over. I am here today to express some lessons I have learned and they have stuck!
1. It is not a particularly good idea to eat granola for breakfast and then have chili for lunch, on the same day. Especially if you eat both of them at work and you have to fill in for the receptionist when she is at lunch. Fiber overload is all I'm sayin'.
2. Under no circumstances take a popsicle directly out of the freezer and put it immediately in your mouth. Because if you do you could possibly pull the skin right off of your lips and your lips will still be on the popsicle. When I was a child I was at a church festival and I bought a popsicle and pulled my lips right off. It started bleeding and the only thing I had to wipe the blood off was my beanie (I went to Catholic School and a beanie was part of the uniform). I don't remember a whole lot more of what happened that day except that I got lost at the festival and pulled my lips off.
3. Before I enlighten you on this fact, first a disclaimer. Yes, I do feed my dog people food along with her dog food. I fix ground chicken or turkey and had mixed veggies and add a cup to her dry dog food. And she also likes cottage cheese and some........ahem.....snack foods. Don't judge me, she likes it and it is probably healthier than some dog food. BUT under no circumstances, ever, ever give your dog so much as a 1/2 cup of bean soup juice, no beans, just the juice, with her supper. It will become quite clear about 3AM why, I don't think I need to say more.
4. Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean your SHOULD do something. My son's father had a severe drug addiction some years ago which ultimately ended our long term relationship. And I am pleased that he no longer has a drug addiction, other problems, yes, but not the drugs anymore. Well, at the time he would leave the house saying he was going to the store to get lottery tickets or cigarettes and be gone for 3 or four days. I would go searching because I usually had a general idea where the crack house was and I would park in front and honk my horn over and over and over again. I knew they wouldn't want all that attention and they would make him come out to see what I wanted. We would argue and I would demand the key to the house so no one else would get it if it was lost and I didn't want him coming back unless I was home. There were times when the dealer would come out and I would cuss them out for doing this to my family. All in all, my doing those things probably wasn't the safest thing to do. Luckily nothing ever happened to me, but I would not advise anyone to ever do that and I would never, ever do that again.
5. This fact is short and sweet......sometimes it is better to keep your opinion to yourself. A plain simple fact and I have learned that lesson the hard way. But occasionally I do forget that lesson, but believe me, I am soon reminded.
RECIPE OF THE DAY BEER BREAD (got out of the newspaper)
3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
3 tbls of sugar
1 tbl. of baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. of salt
1 12oz beer
1 egg, beaten
Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt in a large bowl. Add beer, stir with fork til combined. Turn out onto floured suface and knead quickly til it forms a ball. Place on baking sheet and slit an X on top, brush with egg.
Put oven rack on lower-middle position and heat oven to 375. Bake until golden brown, about 45 min. Cool on wire rack...
I have made this bread many times and it is very good.
Kathy
1. It is not a particularly good idea to eat granola for breakfast and then have chili for lunch, on the same day. Especially if you eat both of them at work and you have to fill in for the receptionist when she is at lunch. Fiber overload is all I'm sayin'.
2. Under no circumstances take a popsicle directly out of the freezer and put it immediately in your mouth. Because if you do you could possibly pull the skin right off of your lips and your lips will still be on the popsicle. When I was a child I was at a church festival and I bought a popsicle and pulled my lips right off. It started bleeding and the only thing I had to wipe the blood off was my beanie (I went to Catholic School and a beanie was part of the uniform). I don't remember a whole lot more of what happened that day except that I got lost at the festival and pulled my lips off.
3. Before I enlighten you on this fact, first a disclaimer. Yes, I do feed my dog people food along with her dog food. I fix ground chicken or turkey and had mixed veggies and add a cup to her dry dog food. And she also likes cottage cheese and some........ahem.....snack foods. Don't judge me, she likes it and it is probably healthier than some dog food. BUT under no circumstances, ever, ever give your dog so much as a 1/2 cup of bean soup juice, no beans, just the juice, with her supper. It will become quite clear about 3AM why, I don't think I need to say more.
4. Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean your SHOULD do something. My son's father had a severe drug addiction some years ago which ultimately ended our long term relationship. And I am pleased that he no longer has a drug addiction, other problems, yes, but not the drugs anymore. Well, at the time he would leave the house saying he was going to the store to get lottery tickets or cigarettes and be gone for 3 or four days. I would go searching because I usually had a general idea where the crack house was and I would park in front and honk my horn over and over and over again. I knew they wouldn't want all that attention and they would make him come out to see what I wanted. We would argue and I would demand the key to the house so no one else would get it if it was lost and I didn't want him coming back unless I was home. There were times when the dealer would come out and I would cuss them out for doing this to my family. All in all, my doing those things probably wasn't the safest thing to do. Luckily nothing ever happened to me, but I would not advise anyone to ever do that and I would never, ever do that again.
5. This fact is short and sweet......sometimes it is better to keep your opinion to yourself. A plain simple fact and I have learned that lesson the hard way. But occasionally I do forget that lesson, but believe me, I am soon reminded.
RECIPE OF THE DAY BEER BREAD (got out of the newspaper)
3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
3 tbls of sugar
1 tbl. of baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. of salt
1 12oz beer
1 egg, beaten
Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt in a large bowl. Add beer, stir with fork til combined. Turn out onto floured suface and knead quickly til it forms a ball. Place on baking sheet and slit an X on top, brush with egg.
Put oven rack on lower-middle position and heat oven to 375. Bake until golden brown, about 45 min. Cool on wire rack...
I have made this bread many times and it is very good.
Kathy
Sunday, April 1, 2012
The Good Ol' Days....
People always talk about the "good ol' days", but realistically, they weren't always that good. However, they weren't always that bad either. I've been watching the Waltons in the afternoons, I know, weird, but I can't help myself. There is something nostalgic about living in a simpler time and a simpler life.
When I was growing up there were no cell phones, computers, ipads, ipods. In high school we thought it was a big deal to have a selectric typewriter. You could only watch cartoons on Saturday mornings til noon, and there were only 3 main channels to watch. There were only a few fast food joints to choose from, not the hundreds there are now. When my son is griping about not having something or he is bored, I tell him the above facts he just looks dumbfounded. "Well, how boring", he says.
But I don't remember being that bored, of course, if you don't know what you're missing, you can't miss it. We played outside all the time, even in the winter. During the summer we'd go outside right after breakfast, play til we were called in at dinner (lunch), then right back out to play til supper (dinner). After supper, during the summer, most of the neighbors would sit on their front porches because not very many people had air conditioning, while all the kids played til dark. We'd play hopscotch, frozen catchers, red rover red rover, my father owns a grocery store, ride bikes, skate, and lots more, everyday. We never had weight problems back then, and we could eat anything. Of course, we very rarely ate out or had fast food, most of our food was homecooked.
I sometimes feel bad for the little kids now days, usually both parents work out of neccessity, so the kids are at daycare. Of course, they get to play there, but it's not the same as playing in your neighborhood. It's funny how sometimes sounds and smells can take me right back to those good ol' days. If I hear the sound of a wooden screen door slam (and there aren't very many of those anymore) it takes me back to my mom's house and us kids flying in and out of the house and slamming that door, driving my mom crazy. We grew up in a camelback shotgun house and my grandma lived in the front of the house and we lived in the back. To this day when I smell someone making brown gravy, I think of her cooking in her kitchen and the smells wafting back to our house. Feeling a cool breeze coming in the window on a summer night reminds me of us sleeping with the windows open at night, it was safe to do so then. And to this day, I love the smell of sheets that have hung outside to dry, it smells so fresh.
I was lucky that growing up my son always loved to play outside. He would rather play outside then play his electronic games. I always loved sitting on my front porch while he played out front, it remined me of the good ol' days. Now don't get me wrong, I love my cell phone and my laptop. They have changed the world, for the best. Information is right at your fingertips, cell phones make sure that you can reach someone if there is an emergency, check on your child, your teen letting you know where they are (that's the best one). I wouldn't give them up.
Now I can live without an ipod, I don't want music blaring in my ears to where I can't hear what is going on around me, especially if I am out walking. I would rather turn the stereo up loud and sing with it. I am not interested in a Kindle, I love the feel of a book in my hands, turning the pages, even the smell of an old book. I guess a Kindle would come in handy at certain time, but really I'm not interested. There is something to be said for not always being plugged in and available. Sometimes simple can be better, just like the Waltons, who lived a simple life, ate their meals as a family, depended on each other and felt "rich" even though they were living through the depression. I know it was just a TV show, but it had some good messages.
So I guess I do miss some things about the good ol' days, but I also love some of the things about these days. There is nothing wrong with keeping some of the old ways alive while embracing new technologies. I've tried to keep some of the simpler ways alive for my son, especially when he was young. He's all into the electronics and that's great, he'll need that for his future, just as long as he remembers the lessons of the simple things.
Good Night John-Boy
RECIPE OF THE DAY NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER-RICE KRISPIES TREATS
(Lucinda Scala Quinn)
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups of peanut butter (I use crunchy)
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups of rice krispies
Line a 9X13 in pan with wax paper or parchment paper. Place the corn syrup and both sugars in a large saucepan over med. heat and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, remove from heat.
Stir in peanut butter and mix well to combine. Quickly stir in vanilla and rice krispies. Spread into the lined baking dish. Cool and slice into square.
Kathy
When I was growing up there were no cell phones, computers, ipads, ipods. In high school we thought it was a big deal to have a selectric typewriter. You could only watch cartoons on Saturday mornings til noon, and there were only 3 main channels to watch. There were only a few fast food joints to choose from, not the hundreds there are now. When my son is griping about not having something or he is bored, I tell him the above facts he just looks dumbfounded. "Well, how boring", he says.
But I don't remember being that bored, of course, if you don't know what you're missing, you can't miss it. We played outside all the time, even in the winter. During the summer we'd go outside right after breakfast, play til we were called in at dinner (lunch), then right back out to play til supper (dinner). After supper, during the summer, most of the neighbors would sit on their front porches because not very many people had air conditioning, while all the kids played til dark. We'd play hopscotch, frozen catchers, red rover red rover, my father owns a grocery store, ride bikes, skate, and lots more, everyday. We never had weight problems back then, and we could eat anything. Of course, we very rarely ate out or had fast food, most of our food was homecooked.
I sometimes feel bad for the little kids now days, usually both parents work out of neccessity, so the kids are at daycare. Of course, they get to play there, but it's not the same as playing in your neighborhood. It's funny how sometimes sounds and smells can take me right back to those good ol' days. If I hear the sound of a wooden screen door slam (and there aren't very many of those anymore) it takes me back to my mom's house and us kids flying in and out of the house and slamming that door, driving my mom crazy. We grew up in a camelback shotgun house and my grandma lived in the front of the house and we lived in the back. To this day when I smell someone making brown gravy, I think of her cooking in her kitchen and the smells wafting back to our house. Feeling a cool breeze coming in the window on a summer night reminds me of us sleeping with the windows open at night, it was safe to do so then. And to this day, I love the smell of sheets that have hung outside to dry, it smells so fresh.
I was lucky that growing up my son always loved to play outside. He would rather play outside then play his electronic games. I always loved sitting on my front porch while he played out front, it remined me of the good ol' days. Now don't get me wrong, I love my cell phone and my laptop. They have changed the world, for the best. Information is right at your fingertips, cell phones make sure that you can reach someone if there is an emergency, check on your child, your teen letting you know where they are (that's the best one). I wouldn't give them up.
Now I can live without an ipod, I don't want music blaring in my ears to where I can't hear what is going on around me, especially if I am out walking. I would rather turn the stereo up loud and sing with it. I am not interested in a Kindle, I love the feel of a book in my hands, turning the pages, even the smell of an old book. I guess a Kindle would come in handy at certain time, but really I'm not interested. There is something to be said for not always being plugged in and available. Sometimes simple can be better, just like the Waltons, who lived a simple life, ate their meals as a family, depended on each other and felt "rich" even though they were living through the depression. I know it was just a TV show, but it had some good messages.
So I guess I do miss some things about the good ol' days, but I also love some of the things about these days. There is nothing wrong with keeping some of the old ways alive while embracing new technologies. I've tried to keep some of the simpler ways alive for my son, especially when he was young. He's all into the electronics and that's great, he'll need that for his future, just as long as he remembers the lessons of the simple things.
Good Night John-Boy
RECIPE OF THE DAY NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER-RICE KRISPIES TREATS
(Lucinda Scala Quinn)
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups of peanut butter (I use crunchy)
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups of rice krispies
Line a 9X13 in pan with wax paper or parchment paper. Place the corn syrup and both sugars in a large saucepan over med. heat and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, remove from heat.
Stir in peanut butter and mix well to combine. Quickly stir in vanilla and rice krispies. Spread into the lined baking dish. Cool and slice into square.
Kathy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)