We miss you already, our dear baby harp seal! The family just won’t be the same without you.
Delicious breakfast #2 January 20, 2009
Okay, so the creme brulee french toast I made for lunch this past Sunday is pretty damn good. But that’s a special meal I only make every once in a while when I get hold of a particularly nice loaf of artisan bread. (It isn’t healthy, either, lol, not with the butter caramel sauce on the bottom and all of the eggs and cream involved. Not to mention the generous splash of brandy. Yum, yum!)
Anyway, I like to have oatmeal for breakfast through the week. The kind you actually have to cook a while, not that “instant” or “quick” yukko stuff. Oatmeal is good for me, it tastes good, and it is filling. I don’t like sugar on it – I eat it plain, or with a handful of any kind of berries if I’ve got them around. Yesterday, though, I discovered a really delicious oatmeal topping. We had picked up some fruit blends up north. The one I found in the cupboard and tried yesterday was raspberry and cherry foster with raspberry chambord and a splash of dark Jamaican rum. It’s sooooo good. Do you suppose that a spoonful of that on my oatmeal negates all the healthiness? 
Randomness January 19, 2009
I am listening to one of my favorite soundtracks ever – to a show I’ve never seen. Chess. One of my friends in high school had a poor cassette recording of it (it even cut off partway through one of the last few songs, lol) that I listened to a lot. Then, a few years ago, hubby bought me the two disk set. Finally got to hear the whole thing.
Princess has a friend over. I’m not sure when she’s going home, but they’re playing well and being quiet, so I don’t mind. (The girls didn’t have school today).
I’ve been spending a bit of time at Facebook lately. Several of my family members have made accounts recently, so I’ve been “adding friends” left and right, it seems like. That’s not a bad thing, though.
Let’s see – I also went to Classmates a couple of days ago, and saw something that made me really angry. One of the two men responsible for the death of my Little Sister made a page, and put a little blurb about himself, in which he complained that his career had been ruined by his time in jail. Cry me a river. My opinion is that he got off light – and what is more valuable, a life or a career? I really wanted to ask him that, and to ask if he had any remorse, but I have a feeling that the only real remorse he feels is that he messed up his own life, and I decided it wasn’t worth getting into it.
Eldest is going to AZ the end of the month to help her brother move into his new apartment. She’s flying down, and will drive back with her mother, at least as far as OH. There is talk about Eldest buying her mother’s car, but as she doesn’t have money for insurance, I’m not sure how that will go, and we just don’t have the money to help her right now, not with house taxes and insurance due. I’ve been trying to find a job, with no luck… gotta keep looking. Anyway, while we are glad to have her with us, it will be nice to have a little break. Once she gets a job and/or starts school, things will be better, when they get to a point of normalcy, you know? She’ll feel better then, too, because she’ll have more to do than sit around the house on her computer, and it will give her a chance to meet some people.
I’m also trying to find a new home for our puppy. Hubby is decidedly not a dog person, and as we’ve been having problems housebreaking her, I can see why he gets frustrated. She’s a good dog, other than that. Has a lovely, friendly and playful personality, and is just beautiful (she’s a Siberian Husky, with blue eyes). If we could just get her to not go to the bathroom in the house, he wouldn’t complain about her.
Oh – and Peanut informed me today that she was “born to do arts and crafts stuff!” Lol! Glad she can know that, at 6 years old.
Anyway, I guess that’s all for now. I need to go get dinner started. I’m making Moroccan chicken tonight, a family favorite. Yummy. ~ttfn!
Happy (very belated) New Year!! January 9, 2009
Well, hello there! Did everyone have a nice Christmas? I hope so. We did here.
I guess I’ve been busy since then, though not busy enough (as I look around at all of the holiday decor that still needs to be packed up). There has been a lot going on, anyway, it seems like.
I’m having a quiet morning this morning. Eldest is still in bed, so I’m taking advantage of that to listen to some music she wouldn’t prefer to listen to. It’s nice to have the tv be off for a change. As soon as I finish my breakfast, I’ll be back to job searching. Fun, fun, fun! Oh, that reminds me – would you please keep a good thought for hubby? He’s applied for a job (closer to home, higher pay) and is waiting to see if he can get an interview. I hope he can – if he can get in to talk to them, he’ll have a much better chance of getting the job.
Tomorrow I’m going to be getting a new fridge. Well, new to me, anyway. Another Craig’s List find. My old fridge (20 years old) isn’t working as reliably these days. The one I’m going to get is only 6 years old, and is in really good shape. Looks like brand new. Merry Christmas to me! (My dad gave us some money for Christmas. Unfortunately, it is going to take all of it to buy the fridge. I was hoping to be able to take care of a few other things we need for the house, like a new faucet for the bathroom sink upstairs, but that’s okay. A new fridge is good, too, and it is a good bargain.)
Allrighty – I’m off. (I know, you already knew that. 
) Have a good one!
It’s the night before Christmas… December 24, 2008
… and all through the house, I’m the only creature stirring. The girls are all tucked in, and ready for tomorrow. Hubby and eldest are still at church – I don’t expect them home until after midnight.
It’s too quiet here. Some nights, I don’t mind being by myself, and I’ve been alone every Christmas eve since I got married (once the kids went to bed, after they were part of the family), so I’m used to that, but for some reason tonight, I don’t like it. The wind is really blowing, maybe that has something to do with it. I was watching the power lines blow around when I tucked Princess in. I got out a few little lanterns just in case. I’ll just be glad when hubby gets home.
We had a really nice day together today, just the two of us. Eldest stayed home with the younger girls, so we could run a couple of errands. We picked up the last part of Eldest’s Christmas gift, had a nice leisurely Burger King lunch, then went to one of our favorite stores in our little downtown. We had a good visit with the owner and one of her employees, both very lovely ladies, made some purchases, and put some Christmas decor in layaway for next year before heading home.
I’ve spent a bit of time in the kitchen in the last few days. Monday, I made 28 dozen cookies, yesterday I made two of my “famous” 10-pound lasagnas (one for our Christmas dinner, one for hubby to take to the Christmas eve potluck at church), aloo gobi and homemade naan to go with roasted pork loin for dinner, and today, the girls and I made popcorn balls just for the heck of it. I have cinnamon rolls in the oven to rise overnight so they’ll be ready to cook for breakfast tomorrow, and then all I have to do is heat the lasagna, toss some salad, bake the breadsticks, and make the steamed chocolate pudding. All easy, non-time consuming stuff, so we can just laze about and enjoy the day. Mil may or may not join us, depending on the weather. We exchanged gifts with her Monday night, anyway, so the point of her coming would just be to keep her from being alone on the holiday. (We went up to her house for dinner and a short visit on Monday, then drove through Crossroads Village and Frankenmuth to see the Christmas lights. Nice evening!)
We were worried that Christmas would be slim this year. We didn’t do much shopping specific to the holiday, other than the main “big guy” gift, but we ended up being okay. The kids are going to get a bunch of random stuff, but I’ve been clearance shopping for months now – have gotten really good deals (Bratz dolls for $2, for example, and Guitar Hero – the game and guitar together – on special for $29!), so even though it isn’t stuff they’ve specifically asked for, they’ll most likely be happy. Fortunately for us (*knock wood*) our kiddos are relatively easy to please!
Anyway, other than feeling lonely, I’m in a good mood. I feel like I’ve been productive lately, and that always makes me feel better.
Well, on that note, I’m going to head on out, and let the television keep me company for a while. National Treasure is on, and I like that movie (never mind the fact that I have it on dvd, yes, I’ll watch it on tv, lol).
Merry Christmas, everyone. Hope you have a lovely holiday season!!
Feeling nostalgic December 18, 2008
The last few nights, I’ve dreamed about past boyfriends. Today, for the first time in a very long time, a couple of other friends from my more recent past crossed my mind. I wonder if it is just because it is “that time of the year”? *shrug* Dunno. Either which way, I’m thankful for the friends I have now.
I’ve had a good last couple of days. I spent two hours shoveling the drive yesterday morning, then finished up all the housework, did some holiday decorating, and ran a couple of errands before getting the girls from school. They went out with their grandmother for a few hours, so while they were gone, I worked on sorting out Christmas gifts. Today, I came home, made two batches of Rice Krispy treats (decorated with Christmas colored candy corn), cleaned up the kitchen, and then… read. I’m reading a Stephen King novel called “Insomnia.” I’m about halfway through now. Pretty good read, if long. After the girls got home from school, we made two batches of peppermint meringues. Both the Krispy treats and cookies are for Peanut’s school party tomorrow. Princess isn’t having a party – they’re going to the movie theater to see Tales of Despereaux.
That’s even provided they have school tomorrow, of course. I fully expect they will – just there were rumors flying among kids and parents and staff that a storm predicted for the wee hours of the morning tomorrow will actually hit, and they’ll end up having a snow day. I’ve been wanting a snow day for a while – but I hope it doesn’t happen tomorrow. I’d love to sleep in a bit, sure, but it’s a special school day, and the kids will be disappointed if they miss. I’ve already decided that IF (and that’s a big if!) they actually end up having a snow day tomorrow, we’re going to start on our cookie baking. That ought to keep the girls distracted enough…
The ultimate comfort food December 6, 2008
So, I wouldn’t have thought that I’d want to spend another day or two in the kitchen so soon after Thanksgiving, but I’ve been hungry for an old family favorite – Finnish Pasty. Last night, I peeled and diced 10lbs of potatoes, 3lbs of carrots, a whole rutabaga, half a large onion, and mixed them with 5lbs of ground beef – enough to fill my large turkey roasting pan. This morning, I got up, made the dough (took 7 batches of dough to use up all the filling), and cooked them. Five hours from when I started this morning, I had 37 pasties cooling on my breakfast table. Oh, it smelled so good in the house!!
Hubby, eldest and I each ate one, then I wrapped the rest up to give away. 37 sounds like a lot, until you divide it five ways. My folks and all three of my brothers would have had a big ol’ fit if they’d found out I’d made pasty and hadn’t shared, lol. Anyway, since I gave today’s round away, I’m planning to do it all over again tomorrow, or maybe Monday, so we can have a couple of dozen to put in the freezer (after we eat some, of course!).
Peanut is at her first official sleepover tonight. She was so excited! Her friend lives just around the corner, so she’s close to home if she decides she doesn’t want to stay, but I doubt that will happen. Eldest and Princess are in the other room playing Disney Scene It, and hubby and I are watching Harry Potter movies on tv. A nice, quiet evening in. It is too darned cold outside to go anywhere, anyway!
Hope you’re all having a nice weekend.
Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving! November 28, 2008
I hope everyone had a lovely day, however you spent it!
My last few days have been extremely busy – Tuesday doing all the housework, Wednesday cooking and/or prepping everything I could do ahead of time, and Thursday, well, that was the big day! We hosted this year. Including ourselves, there were 24 of us. My mom and dad, hubby’s mom, my brothers and sisters-in-law, my nieces and nephews, one of my Aunts, one of my Uncles, and two family friends. In my role as hostess, I didn’t get much time to visit with anyone, other than those who haunted the kitchen with me, so we made arrangements to have a couple of quieter dinners later (with fewer people) so it would be easier to visit. Still and all, it was a successful day in my book. No one went home hungry, everyone had a plate of leftovers to take with them, and there were no major fights among the kids!
We had a fairly traditional feast. My family doesn’t really go for “new-fangled” recipes much, though they did like the new dessert I added to the menu this year. Everyone who came brought a dish or two, which helped round things out. I made 3/4 of the meal, but it was nice to not have to worry about some things. Plus, each family has a “signature dish” or two that everyone wants to have when we get together, so those are things to look forward to! (Examples – my sil’s delicious broccoli cauliflower casserole and oreo dessert, one brother’s buckeyes, and another brother’s buffalo chicken dip… yum, yum, yum!)
So, our complete menu:
Beverages:
Lemonade
Water
Iced Tea
several types of soda
beer
a couple bottles of wine
On the snack table, we had:
Chex mix (I made 4 batches of it)
Pumpkin dip with gingersnaps and apple slices
Cheeseburger dip
Ranch cheese dip
Buffalo chicken dip
Ham roll-ups
Cheese and meat tray
Venison summer sausage
Deviled eggs
Veggie tray
Pretzels, tortilla chips and 4 kinds of crackers for dipping
On the dinner table we had:
A fried turkey
A brined and roasted turkey
A glazed spiral ham
Green bean casserole
Corn
Squash
Candied sweet potatoes
Baked sweet potatoes
Mashed potatoes and gravy
White and wheat dinner rolls
Stuffing
Broccoli cauliflower casserole
Jellied cranberry sauce
Blueberry cranberry sauce
Roll-up Lawash sandwiches
Macaroni and cheese
Grape salad
And then there was dessert:
Two pecan pies
Two pumpkin pies
Two apple pies
Buckeyes
Oreo dessert
Pumpkin trifle
and these adorable pumpkin spice cupcakes my sil made to look like turkeys
So, that was our meal. I’m going to make two kinds of turkey soup with the carcasses (one with noodles, and one with dumplings), and I’m going to freeze the ham bone to make split pea or bean soup with later in the year. Hubby is also happy that there were just enough mashed potatoes left over for me to make shepherd’s pie, which I will likely do tonight or tomorrow. As for today, no, we’re not going out shopping – not to a store, anyway. What we are doing is making about a three hour round trip to purchase the Christmas present Eldest d. picked out for herself – a cute Persian kitty named Eloise. I have a bag all packed with goodies for lunch on the road, and just took a pan of cinnamon rolls out of the oven so we can have a little breakfast to go, too. Anyway, I have a few things I want to get done this morning before we leave, so I should get going. Again, I hope everyone had a lovely day, and that the coming weekend is nothing but enjoyable for you!
Yes, I am 37! November 16, 2008
So, how much more sad does that make the fact that I just can’t help drooling over Daniel Craig? 
Hubby, Eldest d. and I went to see Quantum of Solace last night, and very much enjoyed it. Our biggest complaint was the editing of the two chase scenes in the beginning of the movie. Other than that, can’t figure out what critics were complaining about. Anyway, there was one scene near the end where Bond was all beat up, and he just looked so damned sexy, it hit me right in the gut. Whoa. Anyway, seemed to have effected Eldest that way as well, because we looked at each other immediately thereafter, and she just had “that look” on her face, lol.
Anyway, now at least I know I’m not alone!
A Peanut-ism November 13, 2008
“But I don’t like bread pudding. Mommy, don’t you know that kids don’t LIKE bread in their pudding?!”
