I would like to take a moment and talk/think about the blessings that surround us. I'm mostly talking about me here, because mostly this blog is about me. But I bet you could apply this to you too! God is so GOOD! I am so blessed, and sometimes, like now, I am so humbled and touched and just AWESTRUCK, that I want to share how awesome HE is!
Why? Why am I so blessed? What has me so worked up, you ask, that I'm waxing a bit religious fanatic?
Nothing HUGE. Not like winning the lottery huge or life saving huge. I didn't see an angel, or watch some huge media-worthy miracle. BUT here is how awesome God is:
I usually do my major weekly grocery shopping on Mondays. Two things happened this week that prevented my usual trip. 1. I didn't really feel like it (definitely not a valid excuse, I know) 2. I had a grand total of $25 in my pocket.
Ummmm...how am I going to manage this one, I asked. Lord, how am I supposed to feed a family of 4 with $25 for a whole week? And by the way, the gas tank was below empty. Like....waaay below empty and I was praying the fumes would last to the gas station and I wouldn't hit too many red lights. Oh, and by the way, I only made like $32 last week, so that means I don't have much money coming in a couple days to cover it. Oh, and its the 1st so my husband's check is pretty well gone towards rent. Yeah, and also there are several bills due. And my brother Josh just got home from Afghanistan right in time for his birthday. (Which is actually part of how I got myself into this fix. Extra trips out to my mom and dad's to visit. Extra events to plan for. And several extra low-level activities that added up.) But that's ok. I know that the Lord won't let us starve. I KNOW that GOD IS WATCHING OUT FOR US AND HE HAS A PLAN! So, Sunday morning I put my regular tithe in the offering plate, said a little prayer and put my faith in Him that made me.
Back to Monday. I put $10 in the gas tank and took Terran to school. Then I went home and looked through my cupboards and took stock of what I could improvise into some meals. Then, after school I went to Walmart and spent $15 on a few essentials that would help to supplement what I already had. "We might be eating a little weird. But we will be eating." Was my thought at the register. Got home and called one of my bill people who I knew I owed, but hadn't gotten a bill for yet. It was almost half of what I had budgeted for! I had budgeted $75. The balance was $41. Pheww, now at least I can buy some milk and juice! A couple hours later I went to check the mail and our tax return had come in! $4200. Now, that money has also all been spoken for so I couldn't get tooooo excited, but still.... I proceeded to call the first person on the list slated for the tax check. (mixed blessing here:) I had thought we owed $400. Turns out we owe closer to $1,052. Ouch! But they were willing to work out a payment plan of $133 per month starting May 25th. Well...the good news I guess is that that means I can buy groceries!
Also, I got ahold of another big bill person. My student loans! Yikes! THis one kinda caught me off guard because I had applied for a defferment a couple months ago. I had wondered at the time if I really qualified, but hadn't recieved notification that I had gotten denied either. So I naturally assumed no news was good news and let it ride. Ya...all the way till they call me this afternoon and inform me that my account is 75 days overdue and I owe 400 something dollars due immediately and how would I like to make that payment today? My hear hit the floor...."I'm sorry....I caaan't make that payment today...I'm sorry." I manage to say, while frantically wondering how to make this happen. "Its ok" the nice lady says "I understand. Now mam if we were to lower your monthly payment to $50 would you be able to resume payments in June?" I'm floored that this is even an option! I do a quick calculation in my head. "yes, I think so." and just like that my loans receive a "courtesy forebearance" to bring them up to current and my new monthly payment is $41 per month with the first payment due June 16th.
The whole point is that in 3 days I went from feeding my family a plethora of cooks surprise and raman noodles to having a REAL grocery budget, a tank of gas and being a little more on top of my bills. And all I can say is "praise God!"
Sometimes life gets out of hand. Sometimes we don't know what to do. Sometimes we wanna give in and give up. But God always has us in His hand. He always knows what to do. And when we give up, He is there to take over.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
I have fond memmories of making peanut butter cookies with my mom. I think I may have gotten a little burnt out on them at some point though, because although I remember liking making them (particularly the part where I got to squish them flat with a fork) I don't ever remember really loving them. Weird. I liked them ok...but they were never my fave. Oatmeal raisin cookies were my all time favorite. Particularly the ones my Grandma Birchard used to make with me. They were AWESOME! And they were relatively diabetic friendly, so she could eat them with me too.
So, why am I posting about a cookie I just told you wasn't my favorite? Because THESE cookies have reached a tie with my all-time favorite! I can't decide which I like best now! Crazy. And yummy. And my oldest, who seemed to share my opinion of peanut butter cookies, also loves these. So its not just me.
Sooo, without further ado:
Mix the flour (not shown because I buy 25 lbs. at a time) baking soda, baking powder and salt in a small (or medium if your doubling the recipe like me) bowl.
In another, larger, bowl cream the butters and sugars till light and fluffy. This part always looks so yummy already! All smooth and creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla. You could easily do this with a stand mixer, like the recipe insinuates, but I did this all by hand.
This is my interpretation of stirring in the dry ingredients till "just incorporated". They are pretty well mixed in but not completely, you can still see some of the flour mixture.
Add the oats and stir till its evenly combined. And taste, because I firmly believe that you can't know if its gonna be a good cookie unless you tase the dough! Personal opinion there, of course. And you can give me all the lectures about raw eggs and salmonilla (spelling?) but I've been taste-testing raw cookie dough since I can remember and haven't gotten sick from it yet!
Roll into even sized balls. I used a tablespoon for this part and, although my recipe doesn't actuall say to, I lightly spray my cookie sheet with cooking spray. I also dip both my tablespoon and my hands into that bowl of warm water, so that the dough doesn't stick to my hands as much. Of course, this could be completely unnecessary if you have an appropriate sized cookie scoop, but I do not. You do need to space them far enough apart though. Don't overcrowd because these DO spread quite a bit.
Bake 10-15 minutes until just barely golden brown around the edges. They will be soft and almost doughy, and slightly puffy when you first take them out. THAT IS NORMAL! Do NOT overbake these! As they cool (and I highly recommend you allow them to cool a few min on the cookie sheet) they will "set" and flatten out a little. In the end you end up with a delicious, lightly crispy, cookie.
See?
*Note: These were originally intended to be sandwich cookies, but I'm not patient enough for that extra step. In my head I keep telling myself "next time I WILL make the filling and make these the way they were intended" But I never get around to it.
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
slightly adapted from annies-eats.com
3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 TB. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. oats
In small bowl combine flour, soda, baking powder and salt. In large bowl of stand mixer cream together butter, peanut butter and both sugars till light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix till combined. Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Stir in oats till fully and evenly combined. Roll into evenly portioned balls and place on cookie sheet a couple inches apart. Bake in oven preheated to 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
Pean
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
My "Test Kitchen" What pans are acceptable to me
Did anyone else use to sit and love watching Americas Test Kitchen on PBS? I seriously used to stop what I was doing just to sit and watch that show. Did I ever use any of the recipes? Ummm...no. Personally its really hard for me to follow recipes from cooking shows because a.) they talk really really fast so I can't write down ingredients and steps. b.) this was all before I had ever had a satelite...let alone a dvr...so there was no option to pause, rewind or rewatch. c.) I don't believe t.v.s belong in the kitchen. (or the bedroom either but I've given ground on this account) So, although I never tried any of their actual recipes, I did lear a lot from the show.
My favorite part was when they actually put things to the test. What brand tortillas was actually best and why? Why should you spend that much on a certain set of knives? What cheese was best for that recipe and why? Sooooo......now that I've started recently spending so much time in my own kitchen I have discovered a few things myself.
1.) I HATE teflon/nonstick pans. BLAH! Whos terrible idea were they anyhow? I invariably end up ruining them. They wear out quickly (broken handles, cracked coating etc.) and I'm pretty sure they can't be healthy either.
So, what would I prefer to use and why?
Cast Iron- because these pans are pretty much indestructable with low maintnance. And I can use a metal spatula to scrape things off the bottom, or a metal scrubby to scrub crusted junk. Also, They heat well and more evenly. And are super versatile so you can use them outdoors over a campfire, in the oven, or on the stovetop and expect the same results! Whats not to love about that?
or........
Stainless Steel- Because once again these are durable and I can use metal. Also, they are easy to clean with a simple solution of baking soda and vinegar or a metal scrubbie. I have had the same stainless steel set of pots for probably 6 or 7 years...none of my non stick pans can claim that lifespan!
If I have to use a non stick/ teflon pan, then I would only recommend Farberware. Why? Because America's Test Kitchen said they were a great brand. And also, the one non stick pan in my cupboard with singularily the longest lifespan is a farberware. It needs replaced because of course I did a non-inteligent thing and left it on a hot stovetop and now the bottom leaves little black specks in the food. My fault entirely...I acknowlege this. Poor pan.
So there you have it...
First Place- Cast Iron
Second- Stainless Steel
Third- Farberware ( but you still need to be careful with them)
There are no runners up....all the other ones I have experience with are NOT WORTH IT!
My favorite part was when they actually put things to the test. What brand tortillas was actually best and why? Why should you spend that much on a certain set of knives? What cheese was best for that recipe and why? Sooooo......now that I've started recently spending so much time in my own kitchen I have discovered a few things myself.
1.) I HATE teflon/nonstick pans. BLAH! Whos terrible idea were they anyhow? I invariably end up ruining them. They wear out quickly (broken handles, cracked coating etc.) and I'm pretty sure they can't be healthy either.
So, what would I prefer to use and why?
Cast Iron- because these pans are pretty much indestructable with low maintnance. And I can use a metal spatula to scrape things off the bottom, or a metal scrubby to scrub crusted junk. Also, They heat well and more evenly. And are super versatile so you can use them outdoors over a campfire, in the oven, or on the stovetop and expect the same results! Whats not to love about that?
or........
Stainless Steel- Because once again these are durable and I can use metal. Also, they are easy to clean with a simple solution of baking soda and vinegar or a metal scrubbie. I have had the same stainless steel set of pots for probably 6 or 7 years...none of my non stick pans can claim that lifespan!
If I have to use a non stick/ teflon pan, then I would only recommend Farberware. Why? Because America's Test Kitchen said they were a great brand. And also, the one non stick pan in my cupboard with singularily the longest lifespan is a farberware. It needs replaced because of course I did a non-inteligent thing and left it on a hot stovetop and now the bottom leaves little black specks in the food. My fault entirely...I acknowlege this. Poor pan.
So there you have it...
First Place- Cast Iron
Second- Stainless Steel
Third- Farberware ( but you still need to be careful with them)
There are no runners up....all the other ones I have experience with are NOT WORTH IT!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Grocery Stores, food, and nutrition
Do you ever wonder how much we lost with technology? I mean you can go into any grocery store at almost any given time and pick up an entire meal without batting an eyelash. It could be a complete meal from a deli, or a boxed meal from the shelves, or individual ingredients to take home and transform into a meal. The choices are limitless, and they are all within our reach.
But when was the last time you REALLY thought about all that convenience? Do you read the ingredients on packages? Do you know what they are? How to pronounce them? Do you care so long as dinner is ready on time?
I just recently started REALLY REALLY paying attention. It started with my finding out that Pepsi is made by using aborted human fetuses. YUCK! True story, by the way....I didn't believe it either, so I looked it up. As if that isn't bad enough, Kraft and Nestle do the same thing in the making of their products! Double, and TRIPLE YUUUUUCCCKK! And of course the ultimate shocker? President Obama has declared this "business as usual". WHAT?!!! If they can seriously do THAT to our food, what else is in there?
I don't know. Thats the problem. And I'm not looking to take college level chemistry classes to try to decipher those unknown ingredients either. So that is what got me to where I am now. Making as much as possible from "scratch".
I was blessed to inherit my Grandma Birchard's old Betty Crocker Cook Book (copywrited 1956). I love it. I love the comments. I love the nestalgia. I love that almost everything that I've ever tried to make from the recipes comes out nearly perfect. And I love reading the little tips and tidbits so lovingly included. Of course, some of it is purely humorous in todays society, though maybe still applicable? "If you're tired from overwork, Household chores you're bound to shirk. Read these pointers tried and true And discover what to do." Those "pointers" by the way, are things like "wear comfortable clothes and shoes while working" "Use good posture" and "harbor pleasant thoughts".
I would love to see what the grocery stores were like back then. I would love to look at the things they had on the shelves. Apparently, up until the 50s there were hundreds of small little grocery stores all over the place. Did they have "convenience foods"? What were the ingredients in those? I know my grandparents were all farm kids. They grew a lot of their own food. And even into my parents generation my mom will tell you that things like bottled juice were almost non-existant in their household. They worked. They supported themselves. And I bet they could pronounce all of the ingredients in their food and had a pretty good idea as to where it came from. What an awesome concept......
But when was the last time you REALLY thought about all that convenience? Do you read the ingredients on packages? Do you know what they are? How to pronounce them? Do you care so long as dinner is ready on time?
I just recently started REALLY REALLY paying attention. It started with my finding out that Pepsi is made by using aborted human fetuses. YUCK! True story, by the way....I didn't believe it either, so I looked it up. As if that isn't bad enough, Kraft and Nestle do the same thing in the making of their products! Double, and TRIPLE YUUUUUCCCKK! And of course the ultimate shocker? President Obama has declared this "business as usual". WHAT?!!! If they can seriously do THAT to our food, what else is in there?
I don't know. Thats the problem. And I'm not looking to take college level chemistry classes to try to decipher those unknown ingredients either. So that is what got me to where I am now. Making as much as possible from "scratch".
I was blessed to inherit my Grandma Birchard's old Betty Crocker Cook Book (copywrited 1956). I love it. I love the comments. I love the nestalgia. I love that almost everything that I've ever tried to make from the recipes comes out nearly perfect. And I love reading the little tips and tidbits so lovingly included. Of course, some of it is purely humorous in todays society, though maybe still applicable? "If you're tired from overwork, Household chores you're bound to shirk. Read these pointers tried and true And discover what to do." Those "pointers" by the way, are things like "wear comfortable clothes and shoes while working" "Use good posture" and "harbor pleasant thoughts".
I would love to see what the grocery stores were like back then. I would love to look at the things they had on the shelves. Apparently, up until the 50s there were hundreds of small little grocery stores all over the place. Did they have "convenience foods"? What were the ingredients in those? I know my grandparents were all farm kids. They grew a lot of their own food. And even into my parents generation my mom will tell you that things like bottled juice were almost non-existant in their household. They worked. They supported themselves. And I bet they could pronounce all of the ingredients in their food and had a pretty good idea as to where it came from. What an awesome concept......
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Waiting & Waiting & Waiting & ..... TWINKIES
I'm unreasonably excited for Drake to get home from school. Terran is too...we've been counting the minutes. Only 5ish more to go! So...what were we doing in the meantime? Baking of course!
I know they aren't beautiful....but trust me....they are AWESOME! They are............Homemade Twinkies!
I won't give your the recipe though, because I didn't come up with it. But you can get it yourself at: loveveggiesandyoga.com
I followed it pretty much exactly. Except I didn't have her nifty pan. And I used Plain yogurt. And hers were much prettier.
Anyhow, I definitely recommend them to you!
And as an added bonus: A totally kid-friendly baking project! Both boys loved helping put the marshmellows on, there wasn't much to make a mess with, only dirtied one bowl and the pan and they are done in about 30 min or so (start to finish)! TADAAAA!
Friday, March 9, 2012
It's FRIDAY...
I have a confession: I caved this morning. Six more days to go and I logged on to facebook. But only becasue I didn't want my brother to feel abandoned. I got a text last night from my other brother saying that Josh wanted people to quit quitting facebook. Josh is in Afghanistan. He doesn't have a lot of ways to keep in touch with people. So he won.
So Friday means a few things around my house lately:
1. Ever since I found allfortheboys.com an their "build-a-fort friday" activity, and Drake got a Build A Fort Kit for his birthday, they LOVE to get to sleep in whatever fort is created for the weekend. They ask (or beg) all week long to be able to sleep in their fort. Its a big deal to them, and I don't care as long as its not a school night.
2. It's payday today. YAY! Payday is always a good thing right? Even when you're still broke like us and all the money already has a place to go?
3. It's my last full day for the week. Already? Yep, tomarrow is Sat. so I only work a 1/2 day, which is nice by design, but could mean bad things for MY check on Wed.
4. And this is really the most important one, only 2 more days till SUNDAY!!! EEEEK! Why am I such a stinkin procrastinator? Yikes! I'm in trouble. I know it. Why?
WEEELLL....My church is throwing a babyshower for lifeway pregnancies, which is a local non-profit organization that offers free services to women such as pregnancy testing, counciling, etc. All wonderful stuff. So they were asking for layette items and hand-made blankets. Awesome. I got to talking to the lady organizing the shower about blankets specifically and she was saying that that was the one thing she didn't really expect to get many of because she didn't think many ladies at our church sewed. I sew. I also make blankets. I'm a total beginner, but this IS something I do. So I sort of maybe volunteered myself to make a few. She was SOO excited. And then I put it off. And put it off. And procrastinated just a tad more. Thus the above panic. Now I only have 2 days and only 1 quilt made.
Fortunately, they come together pretty quick. And I raided my own fabric scraps for material, so I have all the material I need. (Hopefully there are a lot of boy layettes since all I have are boy fabrics!) So it's just a few hours work and actually getting it done.
I better get to it then.......(The first one was SO cute! I'll post pics when they are done! and maybe my own version of a tutorial?)
So Friday means a few things around my house lately:
1. Ever since I found allfortheboys.com an their "build-a-fort friday" activity, and Drake got a Build A Fort Kit for his birthday, they LOVE to get to sleep in whatever fort is created for the weekend. They ask (or beg) all week long to be able to sleep in their fort. Its a big deal to them, and I don't care as long as its not a school night.
2. It's payday today. YAY! Payday is always a good thing right? Even when you're still broke like us and all the money already has a place to go?
3. It's my last full day for the week. Already? Yep, tomarrow is Sat. so I only work a 1/2 day, which is nice by design, but could mean bad things for MY check on Wed.
4. And this is really the most important one, only 2 more days till SUNDAY!!! EEEEK! Why am I such a stinkin procrastinator? Yikes! I'm in trouble. I know it. Why?
WEEELLL....My church is throwing a babyshower for lifeway pregnancies, which is a local non-profit organization that offers free services to women such as pregnancy testing, counciling, etc. All wonderful stuff. So they were asking for layette items and hand-made blankets. Awesome. I got to talking to the lady organizing the shower about blankets specifically and she was saying that that was the one thing she didn't really expect to get many of because she didn't think many ladies at our church sewed. I sew. I also make blankets. I'm a total beginner, but this IS something I do. So I sort of maybe volunteered myself to make a few. She was SOO excited. And then I put it off. And put it off. And procrastinated just a tad more. Thus the above panic. Now I only have 2 days and only 1 quilt made.
Fortunately, they come together pretty quick. And I raided my own fabric scraps for material, so I have all the material I need. (Hopefully there are a lot of boy layettes since all I have are boy fabrics!) So it's just a few hours work and actually getting it done.
I better get to it then.......(The first one was SO cute! I'll post pics when they are done! and maybe my own version of a tutorial?)
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Days up to whatever day this is :)
So...I have been bad. I haven't been posting anything new and exciting lately. I also have not been on facebook. At least I haven't caved in right?
Saturday was my birthday. It was fun. My husband had fire training all day so, unfortunately, he didn't get to come to my "party", but we just went to my mom and dads' house for cake and such. Nothing big, but isn't it always the small and simple get-togethers that mean the most? They are for me. My dad psychically knew I was in need of some new kitchen towels, which really was awesome and perfect timing! and my ex-sister-in-law (long story there) gave me a couple of shirts (of a most comfortable variety) and an ipod! I was so shocked!
I was, of course, super excited. But I am a total ipod virgin and the very first thing I did was to accidentally delete all the content. OOOPS. The next thing was to realize an immediate problem....
The cord to the earphones gets caught on stuff. And, unless you happen to be wearing pockets (which I was not) then you have to actually carry the thing around with you. Not practical for my every-day usage. So I set to work to find a way to solve said problem.
This is what I came up with:
Saturday was my birthday. It was fun. My husband had fire training all day so, unfortunately, he didn't get to come to my "party", but we just went to my mom and dads' house for cake and such. Nothing big, but isn't it always the small and simple get-togethers that mean the most? They are for me. My dad psychically knew I was in need of some new kitchen towels, which really was awesome and perfect timing! and my ex-sister-in-law (long story there) gave me a couple of shirts (of a most comfortable variety) and an ipod! I was so shocked!
I was, of course, super excited. But I am a total ipod virgin and the very first thing I did was to accidentally delete all the content. OOOPS. The next thing was to realize an immediate problem....
The cord to the earphones gets caught on stuff. And, unless you happen to be wearing pockets (which I was not) then you have to actually carry the thing around with you. Not practical for my every-day usage. So I set to work to find a way to solve said problem.
This is what I came up with:
(I was impatient....I still needed to trim the stray threads :) )
Not bad. I think I may still play with some different designs and styles, but overall it does what I needed it to do.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Days 4 and 5
Yesterday (Day 4) :
My husband had the day off so we went over to my mom and dad's house for a family dinner. Even my sister-in-law made it. My parents are having a long time family friend stay with them for a couple of weeks so we ate and visited and just relaxed together till about 9 p.m.
Then we went home- the kiddos were exhausted and went right to bed- and my husband and I used a free rental coupon we had for redbox and stayed up to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows part 2. It was sooo nice to just spend the evening relaxing together and cuddling on the couch!
Then today (Day 5):
Drake has been bugging me for a vacation lately, which is definitely not in the budget. But this is a 3 day weekend, so I wanted to do something cool for them. So after church today it was all about the boys. We had a quick lunch of sandwiches, changed into play clothes, loaded the bikes and dog and everyone up in the car and headed to the park. It wasn't very warm, but it wasn't freezing cold either so we rode a lap around the goose pond and then the boys proceeded to play on the toys. Drake made a couple of friends and played football for a bit with them. It even turned out that I got the dad's phone number so that we can arrange for other play dates together, since our boys hit it off so well and are the same ages!
Then we came home, played wii bowling for a couple hours, had a nice simple dinner, and then I let them watch a little t.v. Then, after bath, we went to their room and built a fort and played crazy eights and ate popcorn till it was bedtime! (They got to take out their sleeping bags and sleep in the fort of course!)
What a fun day it has been!
My husband had the day off so we went over to my mom and dad's house for a family dinner. Even my sister-in-law made it. My parents are having a long time family friend stay with them for a couple of weeks so we ate and visited and just relaxed together till about 9 p.m.
Then we went home- the kiddos were exhausted and went right to bed- and my husband and I used a free rental coupon we had for redbox and stayed up to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows part 2. It was sooo nice to just spend the evening relaxing together and cuddling on the couch!
Then today (Day 5):
Drake has been bugging me for a vacation lately, which is definitely not in the budget. But this is a 3 day weekend, so I wanted to do something cool for them. So after church today it was all about the boys. We had a quick lunch of sandwiches, changed into play clothes, loaded the bikes and dog and everyone up in the car and headed to the park. It wasn't very warm, but it wasn't freezing cold either so we rode a lap around the goose pond and then the boys proceeded to play on the toys. Drake made a couple of friends and played football for a bit with them. It even turned out that I got the dad's phone number so that we can arrange for other play dates together, since our boys hit it off so well and are the same ages!
Then we came home, played wii bowling for a couple hours, had a nice simple dinner, and then I let them watch a little t.v. Then, after bath, we went to their room and built a fort and played crazy eights and ate popcorn till it was bedtime! (They got to take out their sleeping bags and sleep in the fort of course!)
What a fun day it has been!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Days 2 and 3 without FACEBOOK
Day 2: I spent some time sewing on Drake's quilt and some extra time at my mom's house visiting with my parents and an old family friend who is visiting from out of state.
Day 3: Yesterday I worked late and didn't get home till 6:30-7ish. I did have a good reason though. We are getting a new massage therapist and Tracie let me audition him. So I got a really nice massage...he'll be a good addition to our team I think....but anyhow... I did watch a show with Drake (Terran was busy crying over not getting what he wanted for dinner) and after the kiddos were in bed I spent some time with the husband....sort of anyway. He was at the computer and we were watching the same show....that counts right?
Day 3: Yesterday I worked late and didn't get home till 6:30-7ish. I did have a good reason though. We are getting a new massage therapist and Tracie let me audition him. So I got a really nice massage...he'll be a good addition to our team I think....but anyhow... I did watch a show with Drake (Terran was busy crying over not getting what he wanted for dinner) and after the kiddos were in bed I spent some time with the husband....sort of anyway. He was at the computer and we were watching the same show....that counts right?
Thursday, February 16, 2012
30 days without facebook: Day 1
So yesterday was day one without facebook.....what did I do that was different. Well, to be perfectly honest, I really just didn't get on facebook. Yesterday was really busy and weird since my mom was out of town. So I didn't end up adding anything new as far as furthering my "real connections" end of this goal.
I did however, have a full day at work and work on Drake's quilt in the evening after kiddos were in bed. I also found back some of my crafting inspiration that seemed to vanish after christmas. This is awesome since I have every intention of doing home made gifts again this year and I had wanted to start much earlier. The problem is that I was thinking about my neice who is most likely moving across the country as soon as my brother gets home from afghanastan. :0( I'll be very very sad to see them go, and I want to get to see her open the things I'm envisioning for her. So do I make her some stuff to give her right before she leaves, or do I force myself to save them for christmas and beg my brother to take a ton of pictures?
Ok....anyhow...I digress.....My thoughts for day 2: I want/need to call one of the ladies from our church and ask her some questions regarding the thurs. night bible study. And I would like to work it out so that after we get home and have dinner maybe I can play a game with the kids. SORRY is the fave game in our house right now, but maybe even we could play 3 holes of wii golf depending on the time it all happens. Will update again tomarrow!
I did however, have a full day at work and work on Drake's quilt in the evening after kiddos were in bed. I also found back some of my crafting inspiration that seemed to vanish after christmas. This is awesome since I have every intention of doing home made gifts again this year and I had wanted to start much earlier. The problem is that I was thinking about my neice who is most likely moving across the country as soon as my brother gets home from afghanastan. :0( I'll be very very sad to see them go, and I want to get to see her open the things I'm envisioning for her. So do I make her some stuff to give her right before she leaves, or do I force myself to save them for christmas and beg my brother to take a ton of pictures?
Ok....anyhow...I digress.....My thoughts for day 2: I want/need to call one of the ladies from our church and ask her some questions regarding the thurs. night bible study. And I would like to work it out so that after we get home and have dinner maybe I can play a game with the kids. SORRY is the fave game in our house right now, but maybe even we could play 3 holes of wii golf depending on the time it all happens. Will update again tomarrow!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
30 Days without FACEBOOK
As a few of my less fortunate friends and family members know, I have a new soap-box regarding facebook. I've tried very hard for the most part, to NOT bombard everyone with my rant...but since this blog is partially my self-centered vent zone, all of cyberspace gets to have the opportunity to hear it. And then I will get to the fun part of this post. (I won't be at all offended if you want to skip past my rant!)
A couple of things happened recently that started all of this:
First, my aunt died. Not that we were super close or anything, but the ONLY reason I even heard the news was because my brother happened to see a random post about it on facebook. It was burried 3/4 of my page down, lost between peoples' game status updates. No one from that end of the family tree even called my mom. Not one single phone call! If my brother hadn't called to ask if my aunt had died, we never would have known. This was a terrible slap in the face to me.
Let me insert here, that I DO get it. At least to some degree. My cousins were grieving enough. This isn't something you feel like doing probably when you have just lost a close loved one. And how easy is it to just post it on facebook, anouncing in one single fell swoop the tragedy. Now, surely, everyone knows and you didn't even have to deal with all that messy, emotional business of actually telling anyone. But there are just certain things that are unacceptable to me here. At the very least, all of the sisters should have been notified. That has always been how the family newsline has worked. The sisters (meaning my aunts) are notified and then they tell their children, and on down the line.
Then, and this happened like 1 week later, I found out, from a random post, that one of my cousins' wife had left him with their 5 kids (only 1 of which was actually his, btw) and had a new boyfriend! Ok....now I DO realize this is family gossip. And in HIS defense, he doesn't actually facebook that I know of. It was one of his wife's random posts that I saw. But this is still family news.
These 2 events led me to questioning the general reliance on facebook. Are these "friendships" even real? Are we becoming so lazy, that real communication is becoming obsolete? Are we sacrificing our ability to effectively interact with the other humans on this planet all for convenience? I believe YES. YES WE ARE!!!
When was the last time you called your best friend? Or wrote a letter by hand to someone you love? Better yet, when was the last time you actually spent some time actually making new friends? Look at the lives around you. Seriously, it makes me want to cry! Especially teenagers, but society in general is falling into a pattern of non-interaction. It's all digital. From dating, friendships, even sex is a digital affair that no one really has to come face to face with anymore. You can have an entire alternate life on facebook. New job, games, friendships, and up to the minute updates on anything anyone in your virtual world is up too. "my dog pooped on the carpet" "my kid is so cute" "my job sucks" etc. etc. etc.
And that makes me wonder how many of my facebook friends and family actually care about me, or if it is simply convenient to stay "in touch" without the messy business of real interaction. Am I just their friend so they can tell me all about their life? Is it all just a digital facade? At least if we were communicating via email I would know they were talking to me and not just cyberspace in general.
*Sigh* So there you have it. My Facebook Rant.
Now....for the real purpose of this post! 30 days without facebook!
I'm going to extricate myself from facebook for 30 days. I'm not even going to check it. Instead I'm going to fill that time with more meaningful connections. I'm planning on posting as I go so that may be I can inspire anyone else who wants to do this with me too. If you do join me, let me know what you do with your "facebook" time. How do you plan on substituting your digital relationships for forming real ones? I'm curious. Anyone wanna do this too?
Here are some of my ideas so far:
Call a friend and make a plan to spend time together
Do some projects with my kids
Spend some time with my husband
clean my house
reach out to others and try to make some new friends
Those are just a few thoughts to get me started....I'll let you know how the reality sets in as I go!
A couple of things happened recently that started all of this:
First, my aunt died. Not that we were super close or anything, but the ONLY reason I even heard the news was because my brother happened to see a random post about it on facebook. It was burried 3/4 of my page down, lost between peoples' game status updates. No one from that end of the family tree even called my mom. Not one single phone call! If my brother hadn't called to ask if my aunt had died, we never would have known. This was a terrible slap in the face to me.
Let me insert here, that I DO get it. At least to some degree. My cousins were grieving enough. This isn't something you feel like doing probably when you have just lost a close loved one. And how easy is it to just post it on facebook, anouncing in one single fell swoop the tragedy. Now, surely, everyone knows and you didn't even have to deal with all that messy, emotional business of actually telling anyone. But there are just certain things that are unacceptable to me here. At the very least, all of the sisters should have been notified. That has always been how the family newsline has worked. The sisters (meaning my aunts) are notified and then they tell their children, and on down the line.
Then, and this happened like 1 week later, I found out, from a random post, that one of my cousins' wife had left him with their 5 kids (only 1 of which was actually his, btw) and had a new boyfriend! Ok....now I DO realize this is family gossip. And in HIS defense, he doesn't actually facebook that I know of. It was one of his wife's random posts that I saw. But this is still family news.
These 2 events led me to questioning the general reliance on facebook. Are these "friendships" even real? Are we becoming so lazy, that real communication is becoming obsolete? Are we sacrificing our ability to effectively interact with the other humans on this planet all for convenience? I believe YES. YES WE ARE!!!
When was the last time you called your best friend? Or wrote a letter by hand to someone you love? Better yet, when was the last time you actually spent some time actually making new friends? Look at the lives around you. Seriously, it makes me want to cry! Especially teenagers, but society in general is falling into a pattern of non-interaction. It's all digital. From dating, friendships, even sex is a digital affair that no one really has to come face to face with anymore. You can have an entire alternate life on facebook. New job, games, friendships, and up to the minute updates on anything anyone in your virtual world is up too. "my dog pooped on the carpet" "my kid is so cute" "my job sucks" etc. etc. etc.
And that makes me wonder how many of my facebook friends and family actually care about me, or if it is simply convenient to stay "in touch" without the messy business of real interaction. Am I just their friend so they can tell me all about their life? Is it all just a digital facade? At least if we were communicating via email I would know they were talking to me and not just cyberspace in general.
*Sigh* So there you have it. My Facebook Rant.
Now....for the real purpose of this post! 30 days without facebook!
I'm going to extricate myself from facebook for 30 days. I'm not even going to check it. Instead I'm going to fill that time with more meaningful connections. I'm planning on posting as I go so that may be I can inspire anyone else who wants to do this with me too. If you do join me, let me know what you do with your "facebook" time. How do you plan on substituting your digital relationships for forming real ones? I'm curious. Anyone wanna do this too?
Here are some of my ideas so far:
Call a friend and make a plan to spend time together
Do some projects with my kids
Spend some time with my husband
clean my house
reach out to others and try to make some new friends
Those are just a few thoughts to get me started....I'll let you know how the reality sets in as I go!
Monday, February 13, 2012
My 5 am Baking Obsession
Does anyone else wake up at 5 am with the urge to bake something? No, I'm not smoking crack. ANYONE else? No? Ok...fine. But in my defense it was more about spacing terran's valentines day party until Fri night and then procrastinating the baking of the cookies all weekend. Now that I know you can relate to!
This pretty much sums up my morning:
(I'm saving empty coffee cans for several future projects......in case you were wondering...)
And the results of my early morning spree were, of course, totally worth it......
Oh....you would like to know what kind of cookies these are? AND the recipe? Oh fine.....
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 TB. unsalted butter, soft
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. oats
In small bowl, combine flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Stir with fork to combine. In bowl of electric mixer cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars on med-hi till light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Blend in egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients on low speed till just incorporated. Stir in oats till evenly blended. Use small scoop to portion dough...I use a 1 tsp measuring spoon...and roll into ball. Place on parchment lined, or lightly greased, cookie sheet a couple inches apart and flatten slightly. Bake 10 min at 350 F.
*This recipe is slightly modified from www.annies-eats.com.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Pizza for Breakfast? Yes Please!
Have you ever had piza for breakfast? Probably. But was it a breakfast pizza? Did you know that there was such a wonderful concoction? I did not. Then I came across a recipe for "Breakfast Galette" at acozykitchen.com. That is where I got the inspiration for this:
And added some other stuff too....green onion, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. I think next time I might try adding some salsa or something as "sauce". Then I took 5 eggs....this was too many and caused some trouble. Don't add that many eggs unless you have a pan with higher edges than mine! Next time I will use 3 eggs, slightly beaten and poured over the top.
And cooked at 425 for about 15 min. Till eggs are done and crust was nice and golden brown.
But honestly, I changed it so much that I feel ok calling it a monster of my own creation. So here is what I did......
I took a Jiffy Pizza Mix from out of the pantry
And made it according to directions
Then I pressed it into a 12" pizza pan and sprinkled generously with cheddar cheese, and topped with some chopped ham..
(I forgot to take pictures of this....sorry.)
Then I baked it for about 3-5 min till all the cheese was sorta melty.
And added some other stuff too....green onion, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. I think next time I might try adding some salsa or something as "sauce". Then I took 5 eggs....this was too many and caused some trouble. Don't add that many eggs unless you have a pan with higher edges than mine! Next time I will use 3 eggs, slightly beaten and poured over the top.
And cooked at 425 for about 15 min. Till eggs are done and crust was nice and golden brown.
Breakfast Pizza
1 Box Jiffy Pizza Crust
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 finely chopped green onion
1 cup chopped ham
1 TB red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 eggs, slightly beaten
Prepare pizza crust according to directions, but do not pre-bake. Top with cheese and ham and bake 3-5 min, or till just starting to get melty. Remove from oven and top with remaining ingredients. Return to oven and bake about 15 min, or till eggs are done and crust is nice golden brown.
ENJOY!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The cost of personal freedom?
"what is the most you will pay for your beliefs? What cost is too high? ...if this were a question of religion then anything short of people dying for my belief would be acceptable. But it is not a question of religion, its a question of personal freedom."
That was something my brother asked via facebook. So this is kind of a loaded question for me and sparked a personal rant....which no one was really around to hear....so I'm posting it in cyberspace so that even if no one ever actually 'hears' it, at least everyone has the chance to view my opinion! HAHAHA....all part of my evil plot....not really....but still.....
So...if it isn't a matter of religion then I have to define "personal freedom". In my unprofessional and unsolicited opinion, I would say that 'personal freedom' is a state of being. A way of life completely defined on an individual level. Vague? Yes....that was the point. Personal freedom starts in the heart and mind of an individual. Anyone can be 'free'. Anytime. Anywhere. And no one can breach that. Period.
So what will I pay for that freedom? What cost is too high? There is no cost too high, the cost is defined by me. I set the cost of my personal freedom and pay it gladly. I choose to sacrifice my unhappiness that I may give myself the freedom to be happy. I choose to give up feeling sorry for myself, that I can feel happy for others. I choose to let go of my vanity, so that I can be free to truly appreciate the beauty that surrounds me.
Of course, he could have been asking on a more political level. That is a seperate issue to me, but I believe even there that it is a matter of individual attitude. I will fight for my political personal freedom. BUT I am not naturally a fighter. I'm not going to grab the nearest kitchen knife and head off to 'war'. It would do more harm than good. But I believe that voting, is a type of warfare. Teaching my children to do what is right and good no matter what...is a type of warfare. SPEAKING MY MIND is a type of warfare. I can and will fight to the bitter end for my personal beliefs if I have to. I will also ALWAYS 'fight' on my own terms and therefore gain my personal freedom in every battle.
I believe there is NO DEFINABLE COST FOR PERSONAL FREEDOM!
That was something my brother asked via facebook. So this is kind of a loaded question for me and sparked a personal rant....which no one was really around to hear....so I'm posting it in cyberspace so that even if no one ever actually 'hears' it, at least everyone has the chance to view my opinion! HAHAHA....all part of my evil plot....not really....but still.....
So...if it isn't a matter of religion then I have to define "personal freedom". In my unprofessional and unsolicited opinion, I would say that 'personal freedom' is a state of being. A way of life completely defined on an individual level. Vague? Yes....that was the point. Personal freedom starts in the heart and mind of an individual. Anyone can be 'free'. Anytime. Anywhere. And no one can breach that. Period.
So what will I pay for that freedom? What cost is too high? There is no cost too high, the cost is defined by me. I set the cost of my personal freedom and pay it gladly. I choose to sacrifice my unhappiness that I may give myself the freedom to be happy. I choose to give up feeling sorry for myself, that I can feel happy for others. I choose to let go of my vanity, so that I can be free to truly appreciate the beauty that surrounds me.
Of course, he could have been asking on a more political level. That is a seperate issue to me, but I believe even there that it is a matter of individual attitude. I will fight for my political personal freedom. BUT I am not naturally a fighter. I'm not going to grab the nearest kitchen knife and head off to 'war'. It would do more harm than good. But I believe that voting, is a type of warfare. Teaching my children to do what is right and good no matter what...is a type of warfare. SPEAKING MY MIND is a type of warfare. I can and will fight to the bitter end for my personal beliefs if I have to. I will also ALWAYS 'fight' on my own terms and therefore gain my personal freedom in every battle.
I believe there is NO DEFINABLE COST FOR PERSONAL FREEDOM!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Some Randomness for You
I don't know what the rest of the country /is doing weather wise...but its snowing here. Not a huge surprise really- and I'm not really complaining- but we have had an exceptionally mild winter this year. Our temps have been in the 40s and 50s with little to no moisture for weeks! But its cold and windy and snowing like crazy now.....which makes it perfect weather to stay at home and bake and clean!
First, let me share a little thing I spotted on my facebook page with you: "Twinkies are going bankrupt" check it out: http://blog.fooducate.com/2012/01/10/twinkies-are-going-bankrupt
The author is obviously a happy healthfood nut....but I'm a little sad. Its not like I keep a stash or anything, but the world does seem a little sadder because of the potential lack of twinkies. Maybe I should buy some? Or better yet...learn to make them myself?
So, back to the baking thing..... I made bread this morning (a necessary task) and it went poorly :(. I let the dough over rise which then of course caused it to fall. Then I was in an impatient sort of mood so I didn't let it cool long enough before cutting into the first loaf. :P The result? Many, many crumbly, tiny, dense, chunks of bread. Bread pudding anyone? (That is my next venture of the day)
Then, I finished my "oreo" cookies from the other day. But of course I didn't have vegetable shortening, so I subbed with olive oil. The cookies were yummy, but the filling.....not the most awesome.
And now I'm working on the diy version of "do-si-dos". I took pics of those....but they aren't done yet so I'll let you know when they are done how they turned out...and then I'll post some pics. :)
Also, I spent some time cleaning. But I'm having some weird trouble with my right knee and my husband caught me stumble once and ordered me to sit down for a bit. So my 5 year old got up and finished picking up the living room for me. "There Mommy, now you don't ever have to clean the living room ever ever again cuz I will do it for you. That way you can rest your knee so it won't hurt anymore." (and I got a hug as a bonus!) It was one of those awesome mommy moments that I wish I could stick in a box and save forever! So Sweet!
So that pretty much rounds out my randomness for today! Happy Tuesday!
First, let me share a little thing I spotted on my facebook page with you: "Twinkies are going bankrupt" check it out: http://blog.fooducate.com/2012/01/10/twinkies-are-going-bankrupt
The author is obviously a happy healthfood nut....but I'm a little sad. Its not like I keep a stash or anything, but the world does seem a little sadder because of the potential lack of twinkies. Maybe I should buy some? Or better yet...learn to make them myself?
So, back to the baking thing..... I made bread this morning (a necessary task) and it went poorly :(. I let the dough over rise which then of course caused it to fall. Then I was in an impatient sort of mood so I didn't let it cool long enough before cutting into the first loaf. :P The result? Many, many crumbly, tiny, dense, chunks of bread. Bread pudding anyone? (That is my next venture of the day)
Then, I finished my "oreo" cookies from the other day. But of course I didn't have vegetable shortening, so I subbed with olive oil. The cookies were yummy, but the filling.....not the most awesome.
And now I'm working on the diy version of "do-si-dos". I took pics of those....but they aren't done yet so I'll let you know when they are done how they turned out...and then I'll post some pics. :)
Also, I spent some time cleaning. But I'm having some weird trouble with my right knee and my husband caught me stumble once and ordered me to sit down for a bit. So my 5 year old got up and finished picking up the living room for me. "There Mommy, now you don't ever have to clean the living room ever ever again cuz I will do it for you. That way you can rest your knee so it won't hurt anymore." (and I got a hug as a bonus!) It was one of those awesome mommy moments that I wish I could stick in a box and save forever! So Sweet!
So that pretty much rounds out my randomness for today! Happy Tuesday!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Family Dinner
Family dinners are supposed to help bond a family together, prevent kids from turning into troubled teenagers or drug users, and all manner of other things that I cant think of right at the moment. So why is it that most nights that the family is together for dinner, I always feel so empty afterward? It's like that "empty house" feeling you get when company leaves after a weekend (or longer) visit. When you are left with suddenly a quiet house and a ton of housework to catch up on. Thats how I feel every night after dinner is over.
I know my job as a wife and mother is relatively thankless and all that. I get it and accept it. And actually most nights someone will generally at least say a "thank you" or "this is yummy". Terran often gives me tons of accolades "you make the bestest meals" or "you're a great chef mommy" (to which my husband is quick to correct because i am NOT a 'chef' but a 'cook'). So I guess I'm not without my share of "thanks".
But I am left, last at the table, staring at empty plates, and wondering why I feel at such a loss. Maybe I should start an after-dinner-activity? Games? Dessert? A family movie time? Sigh....I just don't know.
And that is ENOUGH of my whining and moaning for one night! Actually, I made spaghetti from scratch tonight and it was really very good (I thought anyhow) considering I was totally winging it. It was a little spicy, but yummy and everyone ate it so that was what counted. I should really have wrote down the recipe but c'est la vie. It went something like:
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes w/ green chiles
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 sm. can (idk how many oz) tomatoe sauce
2 c. beef broth
about 2 c. chopped veggies (i used the leftover veggies from last night that had carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower)
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, rosemary, oregano, and italian seasoning (i just shook them out of the jars till it tasted good....thats my exact scientific measurement for the day :) It was probably about a TB of the italian seasoning, oregano, & salt; maybe 1/2 TB of pepper flakes and pepper and just a little bit of the rosemary?)
Brown hamburger, adding garlic and onion 1/2 way through the browning process. Then add everything else. Bring to low boil, stirring frequently. Turn heat to low. Cover and simmer about 30 min. Serve over spaghetti noodles.....of course!
*This made a TON of sauce. Plenty for a few dinners and I will be freezing the leftovers for future use :) .
I know my job as a wife and mother is relatively thankless and all that. I get it and accept it. And actually most nights someone will generally at least say a "thank you" or "this is yummy". Terran often gives me tons of accolades "you make the bestest meals" or "you're a great chef mommy" (to which my husband is quick to correct because i am NOT a 'chef' but a 'cook'). So I guess I'm not without my share of "thanks".
But I am left, last at the table, staring at empty plates, and wondering why I feel at such a loss. Maybe I should start an after-dinner-activity? Games? Dessert? A family movie time? Sigh....I just don't know.
And that is ENOUGH of my whining and moaning for one night! Actually, I made spaghetti from scratch tonight and it was really very good (I thought anyhow) considering I was totally winging it. It was a little spicy, but yummy and everyone ate it so that was what counted. I should really have wrote down the recipe but c'est la vie. It went something like:
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes w/ green chiles
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 sm. can (idk how many oz) tomatoe sauce
2 c. beef broth
about 2 c. chopped veggies (i used the leftover veggies from last night that had carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower)
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, rosemary, oregano, and italian seasoning (i just shook them out of the jars till it tasted good....thats my exact scientific measurement for the day :) It was probably about a TB of the italian seasoning, oregano, & salt; maybe 1/2 TB of pepper flakes and pepper and just a little bit of the rosemary?)
Brown hamburger, adding garlic and onion 1/2 way through the browning process. Then add everything else. Bring to low boil, stirring frequently. Turn heat to low. Cover and simmer about 30 min. Serve over spaghetti noodles.....of course!
*This made a TON of sauce. Plenty for a few dinners and I will be freezing the leftovers for future use :) .
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Paris in Montana
For the people who don't know me....
"Paris" was my nickname in highschool. How did I get such a nickname? Well, before I had ever even heard of Paris Hilton or her slutty escapades, I loved the idea of going to Paris. What wasn't to love? And I had a shirt that said "Paris". So, when I made friends with a drunken old train tramp who lived under a tree down on the backroad of the little town I lived in, he couldn't remember my name. But he could remember my favorite t-shirt. And so he asked me, listened to me talk about how some day I was going to Paris. I was going to learn french. I was going to see the Eiffle Tower (i'm sure I spelled that wrong).....etc, etc, etc. So he dubbed me Paris and the name stuck.
I spent quite a lot of time under that tree with that old man (as did quite a lot of the other kids in town). Enough to have certain rediculous rumours started about my friendship with him and for the cops to come visit him and threaten to chase him out of town. But it didn't stop me. I loved sitting and listening to him tell me which train was going to where and when it would arrive. He had the most unusual friends...and they were all fun. He spared no crude comments on account of me being a "innocent, young, girl" and instead frequently told me tales of whores in Spain, drunken debauchery, how he broke his penis in a train car door, his distaste for unwholesome peircings etc. And though he was often drinking by 9 am, he was one of the most honest and caring friends I ever had.
Now....years later, I have moved on in life to become a wife, mother of 2 boys, a massage therapist and a myriad of other things I am sure. This blog is my attempt to share that myriad with whomever wants to see it. Its my attempt to get my thoughts and ideas, somewhat, organized. And, as I am exceptionally opinionated, chime in my 2 cents worth when I feel like it. So there you have it....Paris in Montana. :)
"Paris" was my nickname in highschool. How did I get such a nickname? Well, before I had ever even heard of Paris Hilton or her slutty escapades, I loved the idea of going to Paris. What wasn't to love? And I had a shirt that said "Paris". So, when I made friends with a drunken old train tramp who lived under a tree down on the backroad of the little town I lived in, he couldn't remember my name. But he could remember my favorite t-shirt. And so he asked me, listened to me talk about how some day I was going to Paris. I was going to learn french. I was going to see the Eiffle Tower (i'm sure I spelled that wrong).....etc, etc, etc. So he dubbed me Paris and the name stuck.
I spent quite a lot of time under that tree with that old man (as did quite a lot of the other kids in town). Enough to have certain rediculous rumours started about my friendship with him and for the cops to come visit him and threaten to chase him out of town. But it didn't stop me. I loved sitting and listening to him tell me which train was going to where and when it would arrive. He had the most unusual friends...and they were all fun. He spared no crude comments on account of me being a "innocent, young, girl" and instead frequently told me tales of whores in Spain, drunken debauchery, how he broke his penis in a train car door, his distaste for unwholesome peircings etc. And though he was often drinking by 9 am, he was one of the most honest and caring friends I ever had.
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