Friday, June 29, 2007

PM'ism for the morning

On the way to school, PM started talking about how Jesus is the Son. Unfortunately, he is thoroughly convinced that when his teachers tell him that Jesus is the "Son", that they mean he is the "Sun". No matter how much I tried to convince him that Jesus is God's Son, like he is BD's son, he refused to accept that. He is 100% sure that his teachers told him that Jesus is the Sun...

Proud of PM

Wow is all I can say. PM jumped off the diving board last night at swim lessons! At only 5, he jumped off, his teacher helped to make sure he came back up and then he "swam"over to the side. I am so proud of him!

Monday, June 25, 2007

Book Review - Lovely Bones

I just finished reading a book that I very much enjoyed. It is called Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. In it, you follow a young girl who was lured into an underground bunker by a man, raped and murdered. You follow her as she goes to heaven. We learn what her heaven is like and we get to tag along as she observes her family.

We really watch the transition of the family as well, while the young girl, Susie watches over them. She also watches her murderer and eventually, his death. My brief description cannot do it justice. I can just say that I very much enjoyed it. From what I understand, they are going to be making it into a movie soon, sometime in 2008.

You know you've been at a job a long time when...

Someone asks you to recall something you sent seven years ago. No kidding. Someone today started their e-mail to me with "A while back (6/1/2000) you posted a message..."

Friday, June 22, 2007

PM'isms for the morning

This morning, on the drive to school, PM was discussing the world (I wish I had recorded this for you to hear, as how he said it was as cute as what he said).

"Mommy," he said, "God made such a beautiful Earth didn't he? I love the trees he planted, they are so beautiful."

DQ chimes in, "He made beautiful trees and cars."

PM continues, "He made those beautiful plants too."

Then, as we drove by the houses close to their school (which are very old, smaller row houses), "Look at those beautiful houses. God did such a good job."

Seeing the world through the eyes of a child must be a wonderful thing. I only wish we could still feel that way as adults.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Everything in Moderation

I have been very good in my eating lately. I allowed myself a free-day on Saturday, and trust me, I went all out. But, last night, I fell off the wagon. You see, nothing seems to taste right still. For some reason, at the back of the mouth, at the top where that thingy in the middle hangs down, it is still swollen. It doesn't hurt, but the swelling is annoying and nothing tastes right. I want a good steak, we make them, yuck. There is always this bad aftertaste and sometimes the taste is bad while I am eating too. I am so fed up with this!

So, onto last night. We had a roll of Nestle Chocolate Chip cookie dough (which everyone knows tastes better than that other brand) in the fridge that has been there since I had my surgery back at the beginning of May. I have been waiting and waiting to eat it until I thought it would taste good. Well, last night, I gave up. I cracked that baby open, plopped down on the couch and went to town. BD joined me. Well, it didn't really taste that good. I am so bummed! All of those calories for nothing! Luckily, I had told myself when I started that I wouldn't eat as much at one sitting as I used to. Everything in moderation you know...

Monday, June 18, 2007

Avril Lavigne and Lil' Mama do Girlfriend

Key Lime Pie Martini

As promised, here is the recipe (done Pioneer Woman style) for my secret Key Lime Pie Martini!

What you need to get started: Liqor 43, Absolut Vanilla Vodka, Lime Juice, Heavy Whipping Cream, Reddi-wip (I use the Fat Free, just to make myself feel good), Graham Cracker Crumbs. You will also need a martini shaker, martini glass, a small pie tin and a paper towel.

Before you can start on the drink, we must prepare the glass. We would hate to get finished making the drink and be forced to drink directly out of the shaker! You can skip this part if you want, but to truly experience the drink, the glass is a must!

Pour graham cracker crumbs into a small pie/cake tin. This is a tiny Wilton tin that I happen to have and it works very nicely.

Then, pour/squirt some lime juice onto a paper towel and use it to wet the rim of the glass. The deeper in on the glass you wet, the more graham cracker crumbs you will have. You could really use a real lime here too, it works great. I just usually forget to buy one when I am at the grocery store.

Next, dip the top of the martini glass into the graham cracker crumbs and move it around a little to get it good and coated.

What you will have is then a perfectly graham cracker rimmed martini glass just dying to be filled with a martini! Off we go to make the perfect Key Lime Pie Martini!

Start by measure out 1/3 cup of Absolut Vanilla Vodka

Then, pour it into the shaker

Next, measure out 1/4 cup of Liqor 43, and then pour it into the shaker

Measure and add 2 Tblsp of Lime Juice to the shaker

Measure out 2 Tblsp of Heavy Whipping Cream into the shaker

Add crushed ice to the shaker until it is about half full

Top with the Reddi-wip almost to the top. Using the Fat Free is how I make myself not feel as guilty for drinking many, many of these. Yeah, I know, it doesn't help all that much, but humor me here will you?

Put the top and the cap on. Don't forget the cap, or you will be very, very sorry. Make sure it is on good and tight!

Shake, shake, shake! I usually give it to BD to shake, as my arms are very wimpy and get tired easily. Wasn't he nice to lend me his arms?

Keep shaking until the shaker is nice and frosted over. This will ensure that it is perfect!

Pry the cap off and pour your luscious drink into the prepared glass.

Ahhh... The perfect Key Lime Pie Martini!!!

Oh, and after you are done, your glass will look like this!

Now, go forth and make the best Key Lime Pie Martini ever! Just don't say I didn't warn you that you may become addicted and not be able to stop drinking them. They are a little strong and I have known some restaurants to substitute sweet and sour for the vanilla vodka. You can do that too, if you don't want to become tipsy too quickly. I personally haven't done that at home though, as BD likes it when I become tipsy...

Shortened recipe:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Liqor 43
1/3 cup Absolut Vanilla Vodka
2 Tblsp Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tblsp Lime juice
Crushed Ice
Reddi-wip
Graham Cracker Crumbs

  1. Moisten paper towel with lime juice.
  2. Rim glass with juiced paper towel.
  3. Pour graham cracker crumbs into pie tin.
  4. Dip glass rimmed with lime juice to rim glass in graham cracker crumbs.
  5. Pour first four ingredients into shaker.
  6. Add crushed ice to shaker until about half full.
  7. Add Reddi-wip to shaker almost to top.
  8. Put on top and cap.
  9. Shake until good and frosted on the outside.
  10. Pour into prepared martini glass and enjoy
Depending on the size of your glasses, will make one large or two regular size martinis.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Mish-mash

This will be a mish-mash of various topics:

1. BD can be great or a real pain in the ass. I have had the same dinnerware set since 1993. Last year we bought a few plates (four dinner size and four salad size) on Christmas clearance at Target. They don't look 100% like Christmas plates, but I know that's what they are. Anyway, Pfaltzgraff has a great clearance sale and they a few 16 piece sets that I really like. The kicker? They are only 29.96 with shipping that ends up being less than $40! And he refuses to tell me which ones he likes so that I don't buy them. But, at the same time, I am selling stuff we don't use anymore on eBay to earn extra money. GRRR... If I sell our indoor slide/climber thing, I am buying the plates. He will just have to deal with it!

2. This is the third night in a row that there are storms in the area. So, the kids haven't gotten to go to swim lessons yet, as it has been storming each time. On top of that our dog is driving me bonkers! He keeps following me around the house crying because first he is scared of the storms and second he wants to go for a walk.

3. I had a really strange dream the other night that involved one of my friends mothers that passed away a year ago this past January. In my dream, I had to drive by her house to get home and decided to stop by and see her because I knew she was really sick and didn't have long to live. When I got there, there were tons of her friends and family there and she looked pretty good. She had lost tons of weight (she was very overweight) and was up walking around. She still didn't look great, you could tell she was still fighting cancer, but she was moving. Come to find out everyone was there for a baby shower because she was pregnant... Strange.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Watch This

And tell me that she isn't just wonderful. I was crying as well...

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Will Power

My "diet" plan is this, eat healthy every day of the week, but have one free day where I can splurge. That free day was yesterday. Here's how bad my willpower was though:

Friday night, I had two pieces of pepperoni pizza with garlic butter dipping sauce for the crust.

Saturday was a free day. No need to feel guilty at all. I didn't work out and I ate what I wanted, for the most part. I had my typical Weight Control Oatmeal (which I won't be having anymore since I saw it contains Splenda). After the grocery store, PM and I shared a 3 Musketeers candy bar. I didn't really eat lunch. But, then for dinner I scored. We had friends over. We had steaks in a really yummy marinade (the kids had cheeseburgers and every one of them finished theirs!). We also had roasted vegetables and homemade macaroni and cheese. For dessert we had The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever with Vanilla Ice Cream. To top it all off, my friend and I made shaker after shaker of Key Lime Pie Martini's. I should have taken pictures of the awesome drink and maybe I will some day. And, maybe at that time, I'll share my secret recipe too. ;-)

Sunday I walked 4.5 miles in the morning, because I felt guilty from Saturday night. Then, I came home and ate two reduced fat cinnamon rolls. GUILT! For lunch, I made myself a wrap with turkey, reduced fat Swiss cheese, fat free miracle whip, chili powder and lettuce on a wheat wrap. Then, I had nothing else until we went to a graduation party, where I had the following: grilled chicken, salad, watermelon, shrimp/noodle salad, bean/corn salsa with chips and cheese, a bite of banana pudding and a big piece of chocolate cake.

When we got home, had the kids bathed in in bed, I wanted nothing more than to pull out the ingredients for the Key Lime Pie Martini and make up a batch. I wanted that more than a piece of the The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever, but that would have done too. Instead, I got a glass of Raspberry Lemonade Crystal Light and grabbed the phone. Can't think about eating when I am talking to my mom or a good friend back in IN.

Now, so that I don't go eat or whip up a batch of drinks, I am going to bed!

Coming soon, the recipe for Key Lime Pie Martini's!

Kidspeak

Yesterday when PM and I were driving home from our two hour trip to the grocery store he started asking about having a baby brother or sister. I told him it wasn't going to happen. His response was "well, I'll pray to God for a baby brother or sister". Let's hope that's one prayer that God doesn't listen to and answer!

This morning while in church, PM patted BD's belly and said it looked like he had a baby in there. Then he patted mine and said mine didn't. That does make me feel good!

At the pool this afternoon, one of DQ's friends said to her mommy, "Mommy, you have a small tummy. Ms. Mary (to me), you have a small tummy. Ms. Ann (to another mommy), you have the smallest tummy!" We'll have to work a little on her.

Friday, June 08, 2007

Restaurant Experience

We took the kids to a O'Charley's last Saturday for lunch. We usually go there when we want a sit down, but don't want to spend a lot of money because their kids meals were free and you just had to pay for their drinks.

We were surprised when we got there to discover that the kids meals were no longer free. It wasn't a huge big deal, as I can completely understand the need to charge for those. The prices on most of them weren't horrible and ranged from $2.99 to $5.99. Each kid got their own meal. PM got a Sprite (his treat when we go out to dinner) and DQ got a milk.

When we got our bill we were shocked to see in addition to their meal charges a drink charge. PM's single childs cup of Sprite was $2.19 and DQ's chocolate milk was $1.99. :wtf1

We asked our server about it, as it appeared on the child's menu that the drink was included but you had to pay $1 extra for a smoothie. He was very flip about it and likened it to purchasing an adult meal and you don't get the drink free. I typically would have asked to speak to the manager but DQ was overtired and I really needed to get her home. So we just paid and left.

I filled out the online form regarding our experience because the more I thought about it and the more I looked at the kids menu, that we had brought home, the more upset I became. sure, it is only $4, but it was the principal of the matter.

Yesterday I got not only this response, but a call from the manager:

Hi,

Thank you for taking the time to let us know about your recent visit to our location. On behalf of O’Charley’s, please accept our sincere apologies for the service you received while dining with us. Our goal is to exceed our guests’ expectations and please know we take your feedback very seriously. The drinks most certainly are included in the price of the kids meal. We are forwarding your comments to the Operations Director and General Manager; we appreciate the opportunity to correct these issues so you and every guest will be better served in the future.

We are sending you a gift card to use towards another visit, hoping that we have another opportunity to show you what our company is really about. Again, we apologize for the disappointing experience and look forward to serving you again.

The call from the manager went well, I told her what had happened, including the servers comments. She had already spoken to him and after I told her his comments, she said she was very glad I had told her that and that she would be having another conversation with him. Also, that we should soon be receiving a $10 gift card. Ok, I am glad they are trying to rectify the situation, but the $10 is a little bit measly in my opinion to try to get a family of four to come back. But, at least it gives us back our $ that we were wrongly charged.

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Withdrawal Update

For the most part, the brain zaps have stopped. I don't really feel anything else. Sometimes when I am yelling at the kids (which happened on the drug as well) I wonder if the Lexapro would have helped. But, I don't think so.

So, I am happy to report that I think I have most of the drug out of my system! Yay!!!

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Chicken Spaghetti

One of the blogs that I regularly read is Pioneer Woman. She has some great recipes on there and has recently launched a blog for just her recipes. Her most recent was Chicken Spaghetti. I made it on Sunday and we really liked it, that is BD and I. The kids were not as enthused and ended up eating ravioli. Keep in mind if you decide to make it that it really makes a lot of food!

Batman and Batgirl to the Rescue!

This morning, on our drive to school, the kids informed me of their plans for when they grow up. Apparently, since I told them they can't live with us, they will be living together in a house with a bat cave underneath. They will fight crime as Batman and Batgirl. When I asked where they would get money to buy the house, they said they will use their money in their piggy banks. Let's hope they change their minds before they get ready to graduate high school or all of this money BD and I have been saving for college will be lost. Ha!

Friday, June 01, 2007

Has this ever happened to you?

While I was out after having my tonsils out, I was sitting on the couch when the strangest thing happened. I heard a pop and as I turned my head, I saw in slow motion the glass globe over one of our ceiling mount hall lights fall to the floor. It is amazing how things like that seem to happen in slow motion. I let out a small scream, as much as I could muster and looked over the back of the couch. What I saw amazed me. The globe had shattered all over the floor. It was in tiny pieces everywhere.

I ended up calling BD to come home before he went to pick up the kids from school to clean it up, as this was when I was really sick from surgery still. Afterwards, he went around and checked all of the other ones we have (we have a total of 8 in our house). Every single one with the exception of one was loose. So, now after four years, they have been tightened. Hopefully this will prevent another accident like this. If none of the others had been loose, I would have sworn we had a ghost or something!

For now, I have to take one of the other ones off and take it, along with our original paperwork back to the lighting place to see about getting a replacement.Oh the joys... Here are few pictures.

First, the shattered glass on the floor. The floor is actually scratched in a circular pattern where the globe hit.

Here is the biggest piece that survived:Finally, this is what you now see in my main hallway that you can even see from the front door downstairs. I figure if I leave it like this it will give me incentive to get to the lighting shop. So far, it hasn't worked. Maybe next week.