Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Hot, hot hot!
We received a hot cocoa kit for Christmas from Brad's aunt and family. The warning on the outside back of the box says, "Keep away from heat." So how am I supposed to use this kit, exactly? MMM, cold cocoa!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Feliz Navidad!
In honor of my daddy:
In my stocking was a bottle of vanilla creme room spray. I'm a little scared to use it. On one side of the bottle it says, "This product is environmentally friendly and does not contain propellants." Below that reads, "Caution: Keep out of reach of children and pets. Non-toxic product. Not for human consumption."
And on the other side, the label says, "
FOR CHEMICAL EMERGENCYSpill, leak, fire, exposure, or accident, call Infotrac day or night." Ok, so if I knock the bottle over at 3 am and spill it, I should call Infotrac?
In my stocking was a bottle of vanilla creme room spray. I'm a little scared to use it. On one side of the bottle it says, "This product is environmentally friendly and does not contain propellants." Below that reads, "Caution: Keep out of reach of children and pets. Non-toxic product. Not for human consumption."
And on the other side, the label says, "
FOR CHEMICAL EMERGENCYSpill, leak, fire, exposure, or accident, call Infotrac day or night." Ok, so if I knock the bottle over at 3 am and spill it, I should call Infotrac?
Saturday, December 22, 2007
I wanna win...
So go here: December Scrap Bribing give-away and leave a comment and let her know you got to her by way of me so you can have an entry and I can have another entry! And then post about it in your blog so you can have more entries! :-)
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Lose 4 pounds in 24 hours!
Just get a nasty stomach bug! Thankfully I am feeling better today, but Sunday evening and yesterday were MISERABLE.
The good news (?) is that I'm now 3 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight. My original goal was to be there by the time Nyssa turned one (next Wednesday). Woo hoo, except I'm sure once I start eating normally again I'll gain it all back! Oh, well.
The good news (?) is that I'm now 3 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight. My original goal was to be there by the time Nyssa turned one (next Wednesday). Woo hoo, except I'm sure once I start eating normally again I'll gain it all back! Oh, well.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Why I'm baking from scratch
I thought I'd let my readers (all two of you) know why I'm baking pizza crust from scratch.
In two words: food allergies.
We found out early on that Nyssa is sensitive to dairy, so I cut all dairy out of my diet. It was very challenging at first, but I learned how to surround myself with yes foods (Oreo cookies are dairy-free!) and eventually find proper substitutes for my dairy cravings.
And then Brad had allergy testing done. Besides being allergic to 16 types of trees, all molds, grasses, and weeds (hello, lawn service), he is also allergic to shellfish, peanuts, eggs, corn, and soy. Take a look at the ingredients of just a few of the processed foods in your pantry, and chances are ALL of them will have some form of corn and/or soy. Pretty much any chocolate will have soy lecithin (an emulsifier) in it. I did find an organic chocolate bar at Target that does NOT contain the soy lecithin, so I've been buying those for him. Oh, and Breyer's ice cream is the purest stuff out there - all of the other brands at the local Kroger had corn syrup in them.
He's being a great trooper - he's finished two weeks of a four-week elimination diet (eating a LOT of grilled chicken and rice and salad with olive oil and vinegar) and has lost 6 pounds just doing that. After the four weeks are up, we will start testing the allergens one at a time in the purest form possible to see if he reacts. Based on the type of reaction, it'll be up to him to decide what foods to allow back in his diet and what to avoid completely.
So anyway, the reason I was making pizza dough from scratch is because all of the pre-packaged stuff contains either corn, soy, or dairy!
In two words: food allergies.
We found out early on that Nyssa is sensitive to dairy, so I cut all dairy out of my diet. It was very challenging at first, but I learned how to surround myself with yes foods (Oreo cookies are dairy-free!) and eventually find proper substitutes for my dairy cravings.
And then Brad had allergy testing done. Besides being allergic to 16 types of trees, all molds, grasses, and weeds (hello, lawn service), he is also allergic to shellfish, peanuts, eggs, corn, and soy. Take a look at the ingredients of just a few of the processed foods in your pantry, and chances are ALL of them will have some form of corn and/or soy. Pretty much any chocolate will have soy lecithin (an emulsifier) in it. I did find an organic chocolate bar at Target that does NOT contain the soy lecithin, so I've been buying those for him. Oh, and Breyer's ice cream is the purest stuff out there - all of the other brands at the local Kroger had corn syrup in them.
He's being a great trooper - he's finished two weeks of a four-week elimination diet (eating a LOT of grilled chicken and rice and salad with olive oil and vinegar) and has lost 6 pounds just doing that. After the four weeks are up, we will start testing the allergens one at a time in the purest form possible to see if he reacts. Based on the type of reaction, it'll be up to him to decide what foods to allow back in his diet and what to avoid completely.
So anyway, the reason I was making pizza dough from scratch is because all of the pre-packaged stuff contains either corn, soy, or dairy!
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Measure Twice, Cut Once
Or, how I managed to ruin two batches of homemade pizza dough this evening.
The recipe is as follows:
1 (.25 oz) package active yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1 teaspoon sugar
2.5 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Combine yeast, sugar, and water in a bowl and let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
Add flour, salt, and olive oil and mix until smooth. Let rest 5 minutes.
Turn out on pizza stone, roll into a circle, top with toppings, bake at 450 degrees for ? 20 minutes? I don't recall, as I didn't get that far.
I put two cups of water in the microwave to heat it to the 110 degrees. I added the yeast and the sugar and let it sit. Then I added the flour, salt, and olive oil and let my Kitchenaid do the mixing. After a few minutes I realized something was wrong. I thought maybe I had mismeasured the flour, since I was counting 10 quarter cups of flour instead of washing my one-cup measuring cup. I added another half-cup of flour and the dough was still not the consistency so I dumped it and started over.
Once again, after reviewing the recipe, I warmed two cups of water in the microwave. I repeated the exact same steps, but used a one-cup measuring cup this time to make sure I got the right amount of flour. I started mixing, and guess what? It looked the same. After wasting another half-cup of flour, I gave up.
Then I went to the recipe and looked at it, trying to figure out what I had done wrong.
ONE FREAKING CUPS OF WATER RUINED MY DOUGH!!! I used twice as much water in the yeast, TWICE! UGH. What's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results? *sigh*
I would have tried a third time, but I was out of yeast.
The recipe is as follows:
1 (.25 oz) package active yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1 teaspoon sugar
2.5 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Combine yeast, sugar, and water in a bowl and let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
Add flour, salt, and olive oil and mix until smooth. Let rest 5 minutes.
Turn out on pizza stone, roll into a circle, top with toppings, bake at 450 degrees for ? 20 minutes? I don't recall, as I didn't get that far.
I put two cups of water in the microwave to heat it to the 110 degrees. I added the yeast and the sugar and let it sit. Then I added the flour, salt, and olive oil and let my Kitchenaid do the mixing. After a few minutes I realized something was wrong. I thought maybe I had mismeasured the flour, since I was counting 10 quarter cups of flour instead of washing my one-cup measuring cup. I added another half-cup of flour and the dough was still not the consistency so I dumped it and started over.
Once again, after reviewing the recipe, I warmed two cups of water in the microwave. I repeated the exact same steps, but used a one-cup measuring cup this time to make sure I got the right amount of flour. I started mixing, and guess what? It looked the same. After wasting another half-cup of flour, I gave up.
Then I went to the recipe and looked at it, trying to figure out what I had done wrong.
ONE FREAKING CUPS OF WATER RUINED MY DOUGH!!! I used twice as much water in the yeast, TWICE! UGH. What's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results? *sigh*
I would have tried a third time, but I was out of yeast.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Use Your Ruler
Or, objects in mirror may be smaller than they appear.
I thought it would be nice to get Nyssa her first baby doll for Christmas. I found this Waldorf doll and thought it would be a nice doll.
http://www.willowtreetoys.com:80/product/KK74197
The website describes the doll as being 8 inches in length. Apparently my mind thinks 8 inches is twice as big as it actually is.
My order arrived today. That doll, while really cute, is about the size of a Beanie Baby and fits in the palm of my hand. It's not at all what I had in mind for her first dollie! And it was $20!!! To say I'm disappointed is an understatement.
Next time I will be pulling out the ruler to get a visual of just how big eight inches is!
I thought it would be nice to get Nyssa her first baby doll for Christmas. I found this Waldorf doll and thought it would be a nice doll.
http://www.willowtreetoys.com:80/product/KK74197
The website describes the doll as being 8 inches in length. Apparently my mind thinks 8 inches is twice as big as it actually is.
My order arrived today. That doll, while really cute, is about the size of a Beanie Baby and fits in the palm of my hand. It's not at all what I had in mind for her first dollie! And it was $20!!! To say I'm disappointed is an understatement.
Next time I will be pulling out the ruler to get a visual of just how big eight inches is!
Remembering Daddy
The first thought on my mind today about today's date was not, "Daddy died 6 years ago today." No, it was, "Hey, it's Michelle's birthday!" I am happy that I am finally at a point where I think of my friend's birthday before thinking of the day my dad passed away.
I'm really sad that he never met Brad or Nyssa, even though I know they'll all meet some day (hopefully FAR FAR FAR in the future).
My dad had a knack for a mean chess game and could play anything on the guitar. My two favorites were "Gentle Breeze" from the Music Machine record, and "You Can Close Your Eyes" by James Taylor and remade by lots of people - Carly Simon, Kate Taylor, Linda Ronstat, Richie Havens, Maureen McGovern, and probably others that aren't listed on the website that came up when I Googled it to find out who originally wrote it. I know there's a recent version that gets played on easy listening stations, as it'll come on sometimes when Brad and I have gone out to eat. It always, ALWAYS results with me in tears after picking up just a note or two of it. I tried to sing it to Nyssa once, and didn't even get through the second line without choking up. Fortunately, she was asleep by then and didn't notice (that, and she was 6 weeks old so she probably didn't care anyway).
Speaking of chess, Daddy taught us to play when we were really young. He showed us how to win a chess game in four moves, but unfortunately it only works with a novice chess player - any seasoned player will see it coming and thwart it immediately.
We always went roller skating as a family on Sunday afternoons. I was skating about the time I started walking, or shortly thereafter (or so I'm told anyway!).
We'd spend the weekends with him after my parents split up. Sometimes he'd take us to Crystal's Pizza and we'd sit in the cartoon room and watch Little Rascals or Pink Panther and then get to play skee ball and other video games. Sometimes we would just order pizza from there and have it delivered, and play Nintendo games at his house.
He would pick us up after school and take us to Baskin Robbins. I always got either pralines and cream, daquari ice, or on the rare occasion, bubble gum. I'm sad that they have changed the way they make the daquari ice and it no longer looks or tastes like it did.
My dad spent a TON of time teaching me things when I was very small. He read to me constantly and as a result of the time he spent with me, I was reading when I was three years old. I knew the Greek alphabet when I was 4 (I did not retain that knowledge, however!). Dad was insistent on us not only memorizing the Lord's Prayer, but also the Apostles' Creed (which I also do not remember - the Creed, that is...I will never forget the Lord's Prayer!).
My mom has a Christmas decoration that is a train where the cars spell "N-O-E-L." We would always find that train saying, "L-E-O-N," after Dad had visited.
My friends from my childhood most likely know that my dad was a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. He spent a lot of time in the VA hospital in Big Springs. He would function pretty well when he was taking his meds, but when he stopped, he'd have a breakdown and have to go back to Big Springs.
He called my brother once requesting that he send him a post card. With a horse on it. It was just like my dad to make goofy requests such as that.
The last conversation I had with him was out on my mom's front porch on Thanksgiving day. He talked about how he considered his cigarettes prayer sticks and as he smoked them, he prayed for his brothers and sisters (he had 14 of them). I don't remember much more from that conversation other than in the last 2 minutes it turned ugly and I had to walk away from him and go into the house. A week later my mom called to let me know he had died suddenly (and quite unexpectedly). I felt awful that the last conversation we were to have on this earth had ended so poorly, but was thankful for the first 43 minutes that had gone well.
My dad was a very giving person, to a fault at times. His "friends" knew it and often took advantage of it. He was always wanting to help out anyone in need. He always tipped the Sonic car hops (and now I do it in memory of Dad). When he would take us to the Sonic on North 1st in Abilene, he would always park his car so that the big neon COKE/Coca Cola sign was visible from the parking spot.
There's a street just on the south side that has a significant dip in it - he was always willing to give us kids a thrill by driving as fast as he could down the road (within reason, of course). I wish I could remember the name of that street - I wonder if they've fixed it or if you still get air time if you go over it fast enough.
My absolute favorite memories of my dad are of him playing his guitar and us singing together. I have a recording of my dad and me singing when I was a very young child. It used to be on a cassette tape, but now it's on a CD (which is packed in a box somewhere at the moment). If I knew where it was, I'd share it, but I am not sure right now where it is.
I can't believe I almost forgot to mention that we shared a birthday. He was exactly 24 years older than I, right down to the day. He always said I was the best birthday present ever. We came up with a secret little handshake when I was little that we continued to do even after I was an adult. There were times as a teenager that I would roll my eyes in my mind, but as I got older I enjoyed our little 1-2-3-4 pinkie shake. Silly, yes, but it was special to us. He always signed his letters with "1,2,3,4."
When I moved to Santa Barbara, he would send me $21 a week so I'd have $3 a day to eat on. I never asked for it, but was always glad to get it as money was pretty tight then!
He was a faithful letter writer. Somewhere upstairs I have a box and an envelope with letters from him.
He was an MP in the Army. He was in Korea during the Vietnam war. He was a 100% disabled Veteran. I seem to recall him working for the post office at some point, but need to verify that information with my mother. He hung sheetrock in the Abilene Mall when it was being constructed. I know he probably had other odd jobs at different times, but most of the time he didn't work because he couldn't. He'd think he could, so he would get a job and his VA benefits would stop. Then the stress of the job would take its toll and he'd end up back in the hospital, and it would take some time for the VA benefits to kick back in again. I know he always felt guilty for taking money without working for it.
It's hard to believe he's been gone for six years already. Daddy, I miss you.
I'm really sad that he never met Brad or Nyssa, even though I know they'll all meet some day (hopefully FAR FAR FAR in the future).
My dad had a knack for a mean chess game and could play anything on the guitar. My two favorites were "Gentle Breeze" from the Music Machine record, and "You Can Close Your Eyes" by James Taylor and remade by lots of people - Carly Simon, Kate Taylor, Linda Ronstat, Richie Havens, Maureen McGovern, and probably others that aren't listed on the website that came up when I Googled it to find out who originally wrote it. I know there's a recent version that gets played on easy listening stations, as it'll come on sometimes when Brad and I have gone out to eat. It always, ALWAYS results with me in tears after picking up just a note or two of it. I tried to sing it to Nyssa once, and didn't even get through the second line without choking up. Fortunately, she was asleep by then and didn't notice (that, and she was 6 weeks old so she probably didn't care anyway).
Speaking of chess, Daddy taught us to play when we were really young. He showed us how to win a chess game in four moves, but unfortunately it only works with a novice chess player - any seasoned player will see it coming and thwart it immediately.
We always went roller skating as a family on Sunday afternoons. I was skating about the time I started walking, or shortly thereafter (or so I'm told anyway!).
We'd spend the weekends with him after my parents split up. Sometimes he'd take us to Crystal's Pizza and we'd sit in the cartoon room and watch Little Rascals or Pink Panther and then get to play skee ball and other video games. Sometimes we would just order pizza from there and have it delivered, and play Nintendo games at his house.
He would pick us up after school and take us to Baskin Robbins. I always got either pralines and cream, daquari ice, or on the rare occasion, bubble gum. I'm sad that they have changed the way they make the daquari ice and it no longer looks or tastes like it did.
My dad spent a TON of time teaching me things when I was very small. He read to me constantly and as a result of the time he spent with me, I was reading when I was three years old. I knew the Greek alphabet when I was 4 (I did not retain that knowledge, however!). Dad was insistent on us not only memorizing the Lord's Prayer, but also the Apostles' Creed (which I also do not remember - the Creed, that is...I will never forget the Lord's Prayer!).
My mom has a Christmas decoration that is a train where the cars spell "N-O-E-L." We would always find that train saying, "L-E-O-N," after Dad had visited.
My friends from my childhood most likely know that my dad was a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. He spent a lot of time in the VA hospital in Big Springs. He would function pretty well when he was taking his meds, but when he stopped, he'd have a breakdown and have to go back to Big Springs.
He called my brother once requesting that he send him a post card. With a horse on it. It was just like my dad to make goofy requests such as that.
The last conversation I had with him was out on my mom's front porch on Thanksgiving day. He talked about how he considered his cigarettes prayer sticks and as he smoked them, he prayed for his brothers and sisters (he had 14 of them). I don't remember much more from that conversation other than in the last 2 minutes it turned ugly and I had to walk away from him and go into the house. A week later my mom called to let me know he had died suddenly (and quite unexpectedly). I felt awful that the last conversation we were to have on this earth had ended so poorly, but was thankful for the first 43 minutes that had gone well.
My dad was a very giving person, to a fault at times. His "friends" knew it and often took advantage of it. He was always wanting to help out anyone in need. He always tipped the Sonic car hops (and now I do it in memory of Dad). When he would take us to the Sonic on North 1st in Abilene, he would always park his car so that the big neon COKE/Coca Cola sign was visible from the parking spot.
There's a street just on the south side that has a significant dip in it - he was always willing to give us kids a thrill by driving as fast as he could down the road (within reason, of course). I wish I could remember the name of that street - I wonder if they've fixed it or if you still get air time if you go over it fast enough.
My absolute favorite memories of my dad are of him playing his guitar and us singing together. I have a recording of my dad and me singing when I was a very young child. It used to be on a cassette tape, but now it's on a CD (which is packed in a box somewhere at the moment). If I knew where it was, I'd share it, but I am not sure right now where it is.
I can't believe I almost forgot to mention that we shared a birthday. He was exactly 24 years older than I, right down to the day. He always said I was the best birthday present ever. We came up with a secret little handshake when I was little that we continued to do even after I was an adult. There were times as a teenager that I would roll my eyes in my mind, but as I got older I enjoyed our little 1-2-3-4 pinkie shake. Silly, yes, but it was special to us. He always signed his letters with "1,2,3,4."
When I moved to Santa Barbara, he would send me $21 a week so I'd have $3 a day to eat on. I never asked for it, but was always glad to get it as money was pretty tight then!
He was a faithful letter writer. Somewhere upstairs I have a box and an envelope with letters from him.
He was an MP in the Army. He was in Korea during the Vietnam war. He was a 100% disabled Veteran. I seem to recall him working for the post office at some point, but need to verify that information with my mother. He hung sheetrock in the Abilene Mall when it was being constructed. I know he probably had other odd jobs at different times, but most of the time he didn't work because he couldn't. He'd think he could, so he would get a job and his VA benefits would stop. Then the stress of the job would take its toll and he'd end up back in the hospital, and it would take some time for the VA benefits to kick back in again. I know he always felt guilty for taking money without working for it.
It's hard to believe he's been gone for six years already. Daddy, I miss you.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Stupid Comment Spam
Apologies to my readers/commenters, you are going to have to enter the word verification to leave a comment now. I've been spammed and I don't appreciate it!
I don't know why they call it word verification, when the letters make up no English words with which I am familiar!
I don't know why they call it word verification, when the letters make up no English words with which I am familiar!
Monday, November 26, 2007
The Tree is Up!
We got a gorgeous pre-lit 9' slim tree from Wal-Mart for a really great price. Brad picked it up last weekend, and we put it up yesterday. I was shocked at how quickly it went together. The thing is so beautiful! Now we just need to get ornaments on it.
I have to admit that I hate real trees. First of all, Brad and I are allergic to pretty much all kinds of Christmas trees. It's not fun to spend your holiday season sneezing and rubbing your itchy eyes. Other reasons I hate real trees include the following:
I have to admit that I hate real trees. First of all, Brad and I are allergic to pretty much all kinds of Christmas trees. It's not fun to spend your holiday season sneezing and rubbing your itchy eyes. Other reasons I hate real trees include the following:
- They're high maintenance.
- I stress about them catching on fire.
- It's more trouble to go shopping for the perfect tree than to lug the fake one out of the attic each year.
- They leave needles EVERYWHERE.
- They're hard to get level and straight in the tree stand (at least, that was my experience growing up - seems like when we had real trees, they were always crooked).
- I can barely remember to water the plants on my front porch; having to water the tree in my living room is more than I want to hassle with.
- Getting rid of it at the end of the season seems like it would be a big production.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Thanksgiving!
We went to Barrington, IL for the Thanksgiving holiday to celebrate with Brad's mom, her husband, and their daughter. We flew out Thursday morning and returned home late last night. It was a pretty good trip. It was cold, and it was snowing a little bit when we arrived.
To entertain ourselves on the drive from the airport to Barrington, I put the language for the Hertz Never Lost GPS on French. On the way back to the airport yesterday, it was on German. I wonder what the next people who rent the car are going to think. :-P
I was without a camera for most of the trip simply because I was being too lazy to carry it around with me. I missed a few good photo opportunities, such as the hundred or so geese all congregating around a sign that read, "Beware of dog."
We went to a mall on Friday afternoon. It actually wasn't very crowded at all, but then, this particular mall doesn't even have a Starbucks (I was sorely disappointed, as I have an addiction to the soy chai latte these days). The six of us posed for a photo with Santa. He was a pretty creepy Santa and looks none too pleased with our little group in the photo (that I will share later when I get to the disc that it's on).
Inside this mall there was a candy store called "Fannie May Candies." Are the mortgage industry and housing market in THAT much trouble?!
'Tis the season for Christmas carols. It's pretty sad that Thanksgiving weekend isn't even over yet and already I have grown weary of, "Let it Snow." I swear, if I hear it one more time, I may scream. *note to self, check iPod Christmas play list!
"Do You Hear What I Hear" used to be one of my favorite Christmas carols. That is, it was a favorite until yesterday when I realized just how incredibly dumb the following line is:
"A child, a child, shivers in the cold.
Let us bring him silver and gold."
I don't know about you, but if I knew that a child was shivering in the cold, I'd be bringing warm blankets and a nice coat, hat, and set of mittens! Gold? Silver? Really, now?
I am really just poking fun at the lyrics of the song, not the actual visitation of the wise men. Notes about the wise men - 1) the Bible never says there were three wise men. There were three gifts (gold, francensense, and myrrh). 2) They did not arrive the night of the birth of Christ, so nativity sets that have the wise men as part of them aren't really accurate. 3) My uncle's favorite joke of all time is the following:
Q: Did you know the wise men were firemen?
A: Yep, they came from afar. (a fire, said with a prominent west Texas accent).
I always thought it would be neat for our family to make a little birthday cake on Christmas day since it's Jesus' birthday (well, the day we celebrate, anyway). However, with Nyssa's birthday being the day after, that's a lot of cake to have sitting around! So I am going to let go of the idea of baking a cake for Christmas day.
I am FINALLY ready to celebrate Christmas! There were several stores that started putting out their Christmas decor in October, before Halloween! I like to celebrate my holidays in order, so let me please get through Thanksgiving with fall leaves, pumpkins, turkeys and other orange decor before you start pushing red and green and ornaments and lighted garlands on me, please!
I am mindful every day of the gift of Christ, but love the month-long emphasis of Christmas. I do get overwhelmed with the commercialism of the holiday and frustrated at the attempt of so many to reduce October/November/December to "The Holiday Season" and not make any mention of CHRISTMAS DAY in an effort to be politically correct. I could go on and on, but I will stay off my soap box for this one. Suffice it to say, we are celebrating Christmas in this home - celebrating the birth of Christ!
To entertain ourselves on the drive from the airport to Barrington, I put the language for the Hertz Never Lost GPS on French. On the way back to the airport yesterday, it was on German. I wonder what the next people who rent the car are going to think. :-P
I was without a camera for most of the trip simply because I was being too lazy to carry it around with me. I missed a few good photo opportunities, such as the hundred or so geese all congregating around a sign that read, "Beware of dog."
We went to a mall on Friday afternoon. It actually wasn't very crowded at all, but then, this particular mall doesn't even have a Starbucks (I was sorely disappointed, as I have an addiction to the soy chai latte these days). The six of us posed for a photo with Santa. He was a pretty creepy Santa and looks none too pleased with our little group in the photo (that I will share later when I get to the disc that it's on).
Inside this mall there was a candy store called "Fannie May Candies." Are the mortgage industry and housing market in THAT much trouble?!
'Tis the season for Christmas carols. It's pretty sad that Thanksgiving weekend isn't even over yet and already I have grown weary of, "Let it Snow." I swear, if I hear it one more time, I may scream. *note to self, check iPod Christmas play list!
"Do You Hear What I Hear" used to be one of my favorite Christmas carols. That is, it was a favorite until yesterday when I realized just how incredibly dumb the following line is:
"A child, a child, shivers in the cold.
Let us bring him silver and gold."
I don't know about you, but if I knew that a child was shivering in the cold, I'd be bringing warm blankets and a nice coat, hat, and set of mittens! Gold? Silver? Really, now?
I am really just poking fun at the lyrics of the song, not the actual visitation of the wise men. Notes about the wise men - 1) the Bible never says there were three wise men. There were three gifts (gold, francensense, and myrrh). 2) They did not arrive the night of the birth of Christ, so nativity sets that have the wise men as part of them aren't really accurate. 3) My uncle's favorite joke of all time is the following:
Q: Did you know the wise men were firemen?
A: Yep, they came from afar. (a fire, said with a prominent west Texas accent).
I always thought it would be neat for our family to make a little birthday cake on Christmas day since it's Jesus' birthday (well, the day we celebrate, anyway). However, with Nyssa's birthday being the day after, that's a lot of cake to have sitting around! So I am going to let go of the idea of baking a cake for Christmas day.
I am FINALLY ready to celebrate Christmas! There were several stores that started putting out their Christmas decor in October, before Halloween! I like to celebrate my holidays in order, so let me please get through Thanksgiving with fall leaves, pumpkins, turkeys and other orange decor before you start pushing red and green and ornaments and lighted garlands on me, please!
I am mindful every day of the gift of Christ, but love the month-long emphasis of Christmas. I do get overwhelmed with the commercialism of the holiday and frustrated at the attempt of so many to reduce October/November/December to "The Holiday Season" and not make any mention of CHRISTMAS DAY in an effort to be politically correct. I could go on and on, but I will stay off my soap box for this one. Suffice it to say, we are celebrating Christmas in this home - celebrating the birth of Christ!
Little Pitchers have Big Ears
Brad and I were putting up the Christmas tree this afternoon. Nyssa was hanging out on my back while we fluffed the branches. I don't recall what happened, but something caused me to say, "Crap." Not two seconds later, a little voice from behind me said, "Bap." I paused for a minute, then looked wryly at Brad and asked him, "Did she just imitate me saying ,'Crap?!'"
Guess it's time to start REALLY watching what I say! I'm pretty mindful of my language anyway, but I don't want our 11-month-old (as of tomorrow) running around saying, "Crap! Crap!" That word does NOT need to be in her vocabulary list!
Guess it's time to start REALLY watching what I say! I'm pretty mindful of my language anyway, but I don't want our 11-month-old (as of tomorrow) running around saying, "Crap! Crap!" That word does NOT need to be in her vocabulary list!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Trash? Treasure?
Got $10 to burn? Order a something!
http://www.somethingstore.com/index.html
Very, very weird.
http://www.somethingstore.com/index.html
Very, very weird.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Friday Ramblings
God's funny. Last night Brad told me the Ozarka water guy was coming today to deliver our monthly supply of water and a water cooler (we're water snobs, ok?). I asked him to find out what time he was coming so I could be home. Immediately upon waking up this morning, I called Brad this morning to find out what time and he told me all they gave him was a 5-hour window. I was NOT a happy camper about being stuck at home for five hours when I so desperately needed to go to the grocery store. I threw a small fit and so Brad called them back to ask them to move the delivery time to Tuesday. I wasn't thrilled with that either since that meant I had to get water from the grocery store in addition to everything else we needed, but at least I could get out. Not five minutes after I got off the phone with Brad, the Ozarka water guy showed up with our delivery. So we had that silly tiff for nothing! Note to self, don't make phone calls immediately after waking up in the morning.
I had a challenging time shopping today because I left our Beco carrier at home. I almost ALWAYS shop with Nyssa on my back, because it is just easier that way. She's out of my way back there, her arms and hands are contained so she can't grab at stuff, and she likes it best back there. I had a ring sling (one shoulder carrier) in my car, so I ended up using that half the time and letting her ride in the cart the rest of the time. What a pain that was! I seriously debated calling a babywearing friend of mine that lives in the area where I was shopping to see if I could borrow her Beco, but decided we would just make do this time. I will be putting a carrier in my car this evening so I don't get caught like that again!!! It was quite challenging.
While in the soda aisle I passed a woman who commented on Nyssa in the sling. She said, "You have your hands full, literally!" Well, no, actually I didn't - the purpose of the sling is so that I have my hands free! I didn't bother correcting her, what would the point have been?
I bought organic eggs. On the carton it states that the eggs are from vegetarian hens. Um...since when were chickens omnivores or carnivores? I'm a little disturbed at the idea of a chicken eating meat. On a really random side note, my cockatiel loves scrambled eggs. So what does that make her? She can't have cheese (birds lack the enzymes necessary to break down milk proteins), so would she be an ovo-vegetarian? And why do I keep trying to spell "vegetarian" with three Es, like "vegeterian?"
I ran across a very interesting video game toy this afternoon. It had what amounted to a stationary bike and the video game was a cycling route. It was geared toward children, since the bike was all kinds of crazy colored plastic and the object of the game was to collect letters of the alphabet in sequence. I guess if kids are going to play video games, they might as well get some physical exercise, too! I suppose it's no different than watching TV while riding the stationary bike at the gym.
I had a challenging time shopping today because I left our Beco carrier at home. I almost ALWAYS shop with Nyssa on my back, because it is just easier that way. She's out of my way back there, her arms and hands are contained so she can't grab at stuff, and she likes it best back there. I had a ring sling (one shoulder carrier) in my car, so I ended up using that half the time and letting her ride in the cart the rest of the time. What a pain that was! I seriously debated calling a babywearing friend of mine that lives in the area where I was shopping to see if I could borrow her Beco, but decided we would just make do this time. I will be putting a carrier in my car this evening so I don't get caught like that again!!! It was quite challenging.
While in the soda aisle I passed a woman who commented on Nyssa in the sling. She said, "You have your hands full, literally!" Well, no, actually I didn't - the purpose of the sling is so that I have my hands free! I didn't bother correcting her, what would the point have been?
I bought organic eggs. On the carton it states that the eggs are from vegetarian hens. Um...since when were chickens omnivores or carnivores? I'm a little disturbed at the idea of a chicken eating meat. On a really random side note, my cockatiel loves scrambled eggs. So what does that make her? She can't have cheese (birds lack the enzymes necessary to break down milk proteins), so would she be an ovo-vegetarian? And why do I keep trying to spell "vegetarian" with three Es, like "vegeterian?"
I ran across a very interesting video game toy this afternoon. It had what amounted to a stationary bike and the video game was a cycling route. It was geared toward children, since the bike was all kinds of crazy colored plastic and the object of the game was to collect letters of the alphabet in sequence. I guess if kids are going to play video games, they might as well get some physical exercise, too! I suppose it's no different than watching TV while riding the stationary bike at the gym.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
In Order
could we please celebrate our holidays in order?
oh, and i discovered the lock buttons on the dish washer and oven, thankfully!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Nonsense!
So our new house has a dishwasher, microwave, and oven that all have push buttons for operating them. My daughter loves buttons and the oven and dishwasher are both within her reach.
Guess which appliance is the only one with the child lock on it?
The one she cannot reach, of course! Our plan is to barricade her from the kitchen completely.
Guess which appliance is the only one with the child lock on it?
The one she cannot reach, of course! Our plan is to barricade her from the kitchen completely.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Bye-bye, Birdie.
Our love bird, Houdini, passed away this evening.
I am very sad over the loss of our little buddy. I have a warped sense of humor (as if you didn't know this already) and have said some inappropriate things regarding the passing of our little feathered friend.
Things like, "Well, that's one less thing to move." My husband admitted the same thought crossed his mind only after I said it. And things like, "Ugh! There's a dead bird in our freezer and it's not even Thanksgiving yet!" We're going to bury the little guy tomorrow, but didn't want him starting to decompose and stink tonight, so I made a little birdie casket from one of my stationery boxes lined with fleece cut from the covers we used to cover the birds' cages with at night time. Brad put Houdini in the box, and then put the box in a ziplock bag, and then I put the whole package in the freezer.
Apparently one of my coping mechanisms when dealing with grief is to think inappropriate thoughts. :-)
RIP, little dude.
If you want to read a more reverent tribute, go to http://missnyssa.blogspot.com/2007/09/and-then-there-were-three.html
I am very sad over the loss of our little buddy. I have a warped sense of humor (as if you didn't know this already) and have said some inappropriate things regarding the passing of our little feathered friend.
Things like, "Well, that's one less thing to move." My husband admitted the same thought crossed his mind only after I said it. And things like, "Ugh! There's a dead bird in our freezer and it's not even Thanksgiving yet!" We're going to bury the little guy tomorrow, but didn't want him starting to decompose and stink tonight, so I made a little birdie casket from one of my stationery boxes lined with fleece cut from the covers we used to cover the birds' cages with at night time. Brad put Houdini in the box, and then put the box in a ziplock bag, and then I put the whole package in the freezer.
Apparently one of my coping mechanisms when dealing with grief is to think inappropriate thoughts. :-)
RIP, little dude.
If you want to read a more reverent tribute, go to http://missnyssa.blogspot.com/2007/09/and-then-there-were-three.html
Monday, September 10, 2007
Odd Midwest
We recently made a trip to Emmetsburg, Iowa, by way of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I found great amusement in quite a few things on this trip!
Did you know there is a Minnesota Contact Lens Society? I wonder if there are Lasik surgeons attending this meeting incognito.
The Wild Rose Hotel & Casino in Emmetsburg has a daily special at the snack bar. On Sunday, it was a taco in a bag and a pop. What exactly is a taco in a bag? What kind of bag is it? Would they give you a choice of paper or plastic? I didn't care to spend the four bucks to find out.
Apparently you are not supposed to kick the side of the escalator, and dogs with no legs should be carried.
And because the pictures aren't enough guidance for proper use of an escalator...
This was in someone's front yard in Granada, Iowa.
A convenience store in Estherville, Iowa. They also have them in Emmetsburg. I guess the cost of the letter E was just too much for the chain. They must have said, "No," when asked if they would like to buy a vowel.
Ok, so I've seen international signs for no smoking, wheelchair accessibility, and even breastfeeding. I am stumped as to the meaning of this sign, which was outside our hotel room at the casino.
We departed from terminal A when we flew to Minneapolis. When we returned home to DFW, we were returned to terminal C. Dang inconvenient, if you ask me. So we hopped on the skylink and rode over to terminal A. The recorded voice announced, "Please stand clear of the doorway, do not block the doorway. This guy obviously didn't get the memo.
Did you know there is a Minnesota Contact Lens Society? I wonder if there are Lasik surgeons attending this meeting incognito.
The Wild Rose Hotel & Casino in Emmetsburg has a daily special at the snack bar. On Sunday, it was a taco in a bag and a pop. What exactly is a taco in a bag? What kind of bag is it? Would they give you a choice of paper or plastic? I didn't care to spend the four bucks to find out.
Apparently you are not supposed to kick the side of the escalator, and dogs with no legs should be carried.
And because the pictures aren't enough guidance for proper use of an escalator...
This was in someone's front yard in Granada, Iowa.
A convenience store in Estherville, Iowa. They also have them in Emmetsburg. I guess the cost of the letter E was just too much for the chain. They must have said, "No," when asked if they would like to buy a vowel.
Ok, so I've seen international signs for no smoking, wheelchair accessibility, and even breastfeeding. I am stumped as to the meaning of this sign, which was outside our hotel room at the casino.
We departed from terminal A when we flew to Minneapolis. When we returned home to DFW, we were returned to terminal C. Dang inconvenient, if you ask me. So we hopped on the skylink and rode over to terminal A. The recorded voice announced, "Please stand clear of the doorway, do not block the doorway. This guy obviously didn't get the memo.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
World Market Getaway
These pictures are probably a month or so old. I have been busy with the other blogs and have really neglected this one! Oh, well. Enjoy the humorous pics.
Is it a weenie dog? Is it a devil dog? Is it a bull?
MmMM, play-doh cookies.
Did you know mini pigs were perfect for parties?
I saw this and almost bought it for Nyssa. However...
I couldn't identify the blue animal that apparently starts with a Y. Perhaps it is a Dr. Seuss animal. I suppose it could be a yak? But all the other animals in the book were their proper color. Except for the animal that starts with an X...I have no idea what that is, either!
I have never understood these things.
Awww, sad wilted flower!
Everyone needs a giraffe mug!!!
Mmm, sausages. These just look gross.
This just made le laugh. I wonder if the marketing person at Heinz got fired for this. I mean, would YOU buy something with such an attractive name and packaging? What exactly IS spotted dick, or does that fall into the realm of questions you don't want answered?
They couldn't stop at gummy bears. Or gummy worms. NOOOO, they had to go and make gummy CENTIPEDES. Somehow I don't think these things really have a hundred legs.
Is it a weenie dog? Is it a devil dog? Is it a bull?
MmMM, play-doh cookies.
Did you know mini pigs were perfect for parties?
I saw this and almost bought it for Nyssa. However...
I couldn't identify the blue animal that apparently starts with a Y. Perhaps it is a Dr. Seuss animal. I suppose it could be a yak? But all the other animals in the book were their proper color. Except for the animal that starts with an X...I have no idea what that is, either!
I have never understood these things.
Awww, sad wilted flower!
Everyone needs a giraffe mug!!!
Mmm, sausages. These just look gross.
This just made le laugh. I wonder if the marketing person at Heinz got fired for this. I mean, would YOU buy something with such an attractive name and packaging? What exactly IS spotted dick, or does that fall into the realm of questions you don't want answered?
They couldn't stop at gummy bears. Or gummy worms. NOOOO, they had to go and make gummy CENTIPEDES. Somehow I don't think these things really have a hundred legs.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Random Easter Crap
I'll spare you my diatribe about how Easter really isn't about bunnies and eggs and marshmallow Peeps, and instead share with you some of the very silly things my mom and I ran across while shopping at WalMart a couple of weeks ago.
First, we have the Fiber Optic Carrot Lite [sic]. I guess the Fiber Optic Carrot Heavy is bigger? At any rate, every kid needs one of these.
Next up is the BIG EARED RABBIT! Couldn't have called it Oído Grande just for grins. I don't know why my phone takes pictures in mirror image sometimes. It's weird.
Gone are the days of boring pastel plastic eggs...we now have camo eggs in both green AND pink! Just how challenging do we want the easter egg hunt to be, honey?
And no egg hunt would be complete without the SPIDEY EGGS!
Finally, we have this...er...um...well, I'm not sure what it is, but it made me laugh.
First, we have the Fiber Optic Carrot Lite [sic]. I guess the Fiber Optic Carrot Heavy is bigger? At any rate, every kid needs one of these.
Next up is the BIG EARED RABBIT! Couldn't have called it Oído Grande just for grins. I don't know why my phone takes pictures in mirror image sometimes. It's weird.
Gone are the days of boring pastel plastic eggs...we now have camo eggs in both green AND pink! Just how challenging do we want the easter egg hunt to be, honey?
And no egg hunt would be complete without the SPIDEY EGGS!
Finally, we have this...er...um...well, I'm not sure what it is, but it made me laugh.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Mommy Musings
I used to hate having to go to Target. Now, with a 2-month old (as of Monday the 26th), a 30-minute trip to Target alone while the baby stays home with Daddy has become a great respite. Granted, my trip was to buy diapers, but still!
I was very amused last night as I wandered the Easter aisles. The first item that caught my eye was a basketball-sized and shaped fluffy sheep. It cracked me up because it was so ridiculous looking.
As I continued my wandering, I noticed something green and fuzzy. Upon closer examination, I discovered a Frabbit. It was a stuffed frog onto which a pair of white bunny ears had been sewn. I can just picture the board meeting among top executives of Fluffy Frog, Inc. sitting around lamenting that they had produced too many frogs and were losing money on merchandise that wasn't moving. The VP of Marketing pipes up and says, "Let's sew bunny ears on them and market them as Frabbit, the Easter Frog." Voila - the result was the toy I saw sitting on the aisle last night.
Have you ever noticed the sign posted on the exit door of Target that reads, "Please have a safe trip home." ??? I have been to Target a thousand times and never noticed this sign before. I wondered if it was there to make me feel all warm and fuzzy, like the folks at Target REALLY care that I have a safe trip home. I have to say that the nice sign is not the reason I will return to shop there.
I was very amused last night as I wandered the Easter aisles. The first item that caught my eye was a basketball-sized and shaped fluffy sheep. It cracked me up because it was so ridiculous looking.
As I continued my wandering, I noticed something green and fuzzy. Upon closer examination, I discovered a Frabbit. It was a stuffed frog onto which a pair of white bunny ears had been sewn. I can just picture the board meeting among top executives of Fluffy Frog, Inc. sitting around lamenting that they had produced too many frogs and were losing money on merchandise that wasn't moving. The VP of Marketing pipes up and says, "Let's sew bunny ears on them and market them as Frabbit, the Easter Frog." Voila - the result was the toy I saw sitting on the aisle last night.
Have you ever noticed the sign posted on the exit door of Target that reads, "Please have a safe trip home." ??? I have been to Target a thousand times and never noticed this sign before. I wondered if it was there to make me feel all warm and fuzzy, like the folks at Target REALLY care that I have a safe trip home. I have to say that the nice sign is not the reason I will return to shop there.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Waste of time...
I noticed for the first time yesterday that the tag on my Boppy pillow says, "Read before each use."
Sure, I know I'm sleep deprived and have Mommybrain, but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to forget after a couple of hours that I shouldn't let Nyssa fall asleep on the pillow or let her use it unsupervised.
I put that dang pillow in my lap every two hours around the clock, I am not going to waste 10 seconds of my life reading the tag each time.
Sure, I know I'm sleep deprived and have Mommybrain, but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to forget after a couple of hours that I shouldn't let Nyssa fall asleep on the pillow or let her use it unsupervised.
I put that dang pillow in my lap every two hours around the clock, I am not going to waste 10 seconds of my life reading the tag each time.
Friday, January 26, 2007
More instructions for dummies...
I really do have a hard time believing people are truly so stupid. I know it's the litigious society we live in, but still.
Two things quickly before Pineki wakes up and demands her afternoon lunch.
1) The toy bar in her bouncy seat says, "WARNING! Do not lift seat by toy bar." That's pretty dumb, given the fact that the toy bar doesn't even latch into the seat - it just rests inside two holes and comes off at the slightest pressure. It's impossible to lift the seat by the toy bar! Now if the instructions had said, "Do not attempt to lift seat by toy bar," that would make more sense.
2) The instructions on my thin plastic bottle liners say, "Do not use sharp objects to squeeze air out of disposable liners." C'mon, I'm sleep deprived, not stupid!
Two things quickly before Pineki wakes up and demands her afternoon lunch.
1) The toy bar in her bouncy seat says, "WARNING! Do not lift seat by toy bar." That's pretty dumb, given the fact that the toy bar doesn't even latch into the seat - it just rests inside two holes and comes off at the slightest pressure. It's impossible to lift the seat by the toy bar! Now if the instructions had said, "Do not attempt to lift seat by toy bar," that would make more sense.
2) The instructions on my thin plastic bottle liners say, "Do not use sharp objects to squeeze air out of disposable liners." C'mon, I'm sleep deprived, not stupid!
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