Before Bed Musings

Before Bed Musings:


My house is at it's messiest the week before hosting a big event. "Psh, I'm not going to clean the floors today because I'm going to crack-head-clean them next Monday." (I apologize to any crack heads that may have been offended by that statement.)


If walking up the stairs is exhausting to a point of needing to immediately lay down, I did a good job getting shit done today.


A plus of winter weather, it's less noticeable when I "forget" to shower for three days.

At two and a half, my son is starting to be too old to trick into doing what I want all the time. Also, he has started to have a preference with how I look. His preference is not "unkept hobo".

Part of why I love hosting a holiday is because it forces us to get shit done that has been on multiple to-do lists for multiple months... Or at least find a way to cover up that it still isn't done so it can be forgotten about for a fort-night or two. 

I can get more accomplished during my kid's three hour nap than I could in an entire day pre-child.

Walking in the downtown skyways with your child during the week is the perfect way to make a SAHM feel like she is missing out by not working. But then your toddler yells, "I think this is fun, Mom!" and you remember that you're not missing a thing.

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

Ack! I have been terrible at posting lately. Seriously. Thanksgiving brought travel, family and vomiting to our lives so I haven't had much of a chance to sit down and write. Recap of all that soon, I promise.

For now though, Happy St. Nicholas Day!

If you aren't sure of exactly what the deal is with St. Nicholas Day, ask Google. Google knows all.

For my family, it was always just sort of a pre-Christmas day of fun. Both of my parents went to Catholic school as kids and St. Nicholas, being a saint and all, was kind of a big deal there. When my folks had kids, they decided to continue the tradition, just at home... with fewer nuns... and mass... and whacking rulers... and frightening-ness.

The night of the 5th, we would leave food outside for St.Nicholas' horses and some cookies for the man himself and set our shoes out in anticipation. In the morning we would wake to find a present, usually candy or an ornament, or we would find coal.

Yep, legit, we got coal a couple of times. Ma thought it was a funny trick. It wasn't. After the tears she would eventually cave and show us where St. Nick had hidden our "real" gifts. Terrible. Ma learned to have real gifts handy after the year she gave my siblings rulers only to have one thrown at her in a fit of childhood rage.

The hubs and I have continued to carry on our own tradition each December 6th. In 2007, he even put a little box in my shoe with a sparkly ring and popped the question! Little Bear has gotten something from St. Nicholas the past two years but this was the first year that he had any idea that something was happening.

Last night we spent time prepping a horsey snack and writing a letter to St. Nicholas. Little Bear had a very important message that he wanted me to write...

We awoke this morning to a wonderful surprise!

Yippee!

So there you have it, Happy St. Nicholas Day everybody!

And now, to celebrate Thanksgiving, some Halloween...

For Halloween, Little Bear and I had a couple of other madwomen and their little ones over for a wee Halloween party.

It was fab and we were lucky enough to have a shutterbug in the group!

Being a mom, I pretty much never get to be in pictures with my tiny human. Like ever. So it made me extra happy to have a couple of shots of the two of us.

Maybe now the hubs' Flash costume makes a little more sense to ya'all.

Or not. He's a brave daddy.

We'll be fully into the swing of thanks and turkey over the next few days so I'm not sure if I'll be able to hop on and post much here. Check the Facebook Machine for updates.

Have a lovely Thanksgiving and enjoy as much family time as you can... No matter how bananas your family may be. 

Meatless Monday - Homemade Pasta!

This weekend I was given a lovely surprise by Ma. After hearing that I had hand grated an insane amount of summer squash and made gallons of pesto using a not-so-hot blender, Ma took things into her own hands and got me a lovely food processor! I had borrowed a processor from a friend during my baby food making days but had never gotten around to actually buying one for myself. Since returning the loaned one, I had avoided recipes that required processing and done my best to convince myself I really didn't need another kitchen gadget.

Good thing Ma has my back.

Sunday night was spent Googling "best uses for a food processor". Google has my back too.

Pasta kept popping up on lists so I decided to check out what the cookbooks had to say. They agreed.

I went with a recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook because it had pictures and a whole lot of extra info on how the eff I was going to do this... and spinach. I like spinach.

I added the flour, salt and eggs and got to processing. It worked! Things looked cornmeal-esq. Next the spinach. Things looked green. I kept it running and poured in the oil and water.

Suddenly, dough! (I later explained this process to my darling husband to which he responded quite confused, "Wait. That's all noodles are!?" It's OK hunny, I was amazed too.)

I pulled it out and got to rolling.

The dough rolled beautifully. Seriously. It was smooth, not sticky and a little springy. I had trouble getting each ball rolled into 12 x 12 squares and getting it super thin but I did my best.

From there I rolled up each sheet for cutting into noodles.

All that was left was to hang the noodles. Hmmmmm.... but where? And on what?

I fashioned a string line in the kitchen and pulled out some hangers. That'll do.

Now, what to do with these fab little green noodles? I didn't want anything too flavorful because I wanted to make sure the noodles could be tasted. (Because I assumed there would be a taste to them, more on that in a bit), I tasked myself to a basic white sauce with the intention of adding some of my now dried herb harvest and garlic.

Creamy herb garlic noodles, yeah that sounds good!

And then I forgot to add the garlic. You know, the most important thing when you're talking creamy herb garlic noodles. Son of a...

So I threw in some peas. That makes sense, right?

No, not a great pic, actually quite nasty looking... but you get the idea. 

The sauce was borderline flavorless. As were the noodles. Which leads me to believe that if HAD done the sauce correctly, this would have been a home run... or at least a triple.

Next time. Next time.

Also next time, I need to try and get the dough a little thinner since the hubs complained the noodles were a bit "chewy" (he's right, they were). Also, I might go ahead and add a bit of herbs directly to the dough, just 'cuz.


So yes, I made my own noodles! And it wasn't that hard! And I think they could be good!



One more thing. Did you know you can make your own butter with a food processor?! AND buttermilk!? Google said so. That might be a little too ridiculous though.

I say that now but wait until we're in the dead of winter, I might get antsy enough to try...

Thanks and Welcome!

It's been a while since this has been said so I would like to throw it out there...

THANK YOU! 

For reals guys and gals, thanks for digging on the madness!

For ya'all that are new here, welcome! This is my place to get out some of the things that are rattling around in my brain. I mostly post on the Facebook Machine (because it's easy and takes all of 4 seconds with my phone) but the good stuff gets out on here.

On here I vent about random happenings, share my few proud homemaker triumphs and chronicle the things and stuff that make my world go round.

I generally have at least a couple blog drafts in the works (that I have kind of sort of started but may never complete), several blog ideas in my head (that I'm feeling but not sure of), and countless things that seem like I should look into them further and start writing (but I usually forget what the hell they are before I get on the internets).

I like to write. It feels good. It is a new discovery for me. I love being a SAHM but I miss communicating with people. Oh, how I loved scripting up a good email and knocking out a stellar conference call with well organized information and spreadsheets..... Mmmmm that was good stuff.

Since my life is more PBS Kids than Microsoft Outlook now, this is where I get my communication jollies. I hope you enjoy! 

I Have Never Been This Excited To Do A Meatless Monday!

I was looking forward to doing this Meatless Monday pretty much since the first bite of last week's Meatless Monday. As soon as we realized that Belgian waffles are more savory than sweet, I knew they had to be used in delicious egg sandwiches.

Yep, it was a good idea.

Last week's waffles were frozen so I popped them in the oven for a bit to warm up and make them a bit crunchy. Then I added cream cheese to one half and stuck spinach to it and added regular sliced cheese to the other half.

I like my sandwich eggs runny and all kinds of gooey so I added two eggs to my sandwich, one with the yolk broken and the other intact to be broken upon sandwich assembly.

The hubs and Little Bear like their eggs a little more intact so I left the spinach off the waffle and instead chopped it and added it to the whipped eggs to be cooked all together.

The end result was delicious! The waffle made a perfectly crunchy and sort of fluffy egg sandwich bread and since they were already in the freezer, it was minimal work. Little Bear opted to have us remove the egg and add syrup to his plate (ugh, fine, just eat it) which gave me an idea.

What would syrup be like with the whole thing?

A-Mazing!

Syrup is completely necessary and will for sure be slathered all over the damn things next time! Add some breakfast potatoes to the side and you have yourself a glorious Brinner!

Here's hoping next Meatless Monday is equally exciting!

Roasted Sunflower Seeds

Late last winter, Little Bear and I went to a green expo. Home Depot had a seed planting booth that we were able to have some fun at and we were lucky enough to bring home a lovingly planted sunflower seed. We added her to the rest of our seedlings and hoped for the best.

Come warm weather, she joined our Backyard Farm.

Yeah, that sucker grew!

Come harvest time, I thought I'd try something new and roast up the seeds from our pretty lady.

First, I cut the flower head and let it dry for a couple of weeks. When the back had turned yellow and the seeds were wiggly, I flicked them out and gave them a good rinse.

From there I soaked them overnight in saltwater. The seeds floated so I had to get a little creative to keep them under.

The next day I cooked the seeds for 4 hours at 200 degrees.

They smelled nice. They looked pretty. I was excited!

And then I cracked one open.

Empty. 

And another.

Empty.

And ten more.

Flippin' empty! 

Are you kidding me!?

And another.

Empty.

And another.

Seed! Yes! Delicious, seed!

And then another.

Damn! 

And the rest.

Son of a bitch. 

How is that even possible!? 

And into the trash they went.


Bastard seeds.

How are thiiiings?

Oh, hey guys! Sorry for the delay in posting, the fam and I have been down and out with a cold bug since Saturday and things are finally starting to smooth out enough to be called normal. Here are the latest updates.

• Daylight Savings Time happened, which anyone with children knows is just kind of a pain in the ass. Extra hour of sleep? Super! But then not because children do not understand that and will wake up whenever they damn well please. Which is exactly why we effed up giving Little Bear cold medicine early Sunday morning. Due to some daylight savings confusion (we thought it was still too early for him to wake up, it was... and wasn't), I groggily told the hubs to give Little Bear another dose of his PM meds instead of regular daytime goods. And then we realized what time it was and thought it would actually somehow be ok and we would get to sleep longer. How wrong we were. The hubs was nice enough to let me sleep in while he dealt with an abnormally amped up Little Bear. The kid literally walked around the house talking non stop for two hours. Lesson learned. 
• Halloween came and went. Little Bear had a wee kid Halloween party with his friends. It was adorable. He also went trick or treating. In the rain. And I am still answering questions each day regarding why we cannot put our costumes on and "go trick or treat more!

• 

  Cat#1 does Halloween quite well

  

  Dog

  

  Screw Papa Murphy's, my Jack O Lantern pizza is way cuter!

  

  The Flash! (The hubs is a dedicated Daddy)

• Also, in Halloween news, I figured out a way to combat the teenage bastards that don't dress up and beg for candy. (Effers.) Mini-Tootsie Pops. You're going to come to my house with a backpack FULL of candy that you have collected? Fine. But I'll only giving you one crappy sucker. Cute little kids in costumes, on the other hand, get gummies and stickers and smiles. (Sure, I could give those bastard teens nothing... but they scare me a little.)
• I finally got out and planted my tulips, three days before the first snowfall hit. Most are planted over Izzy's grave which I feel is pretty fitting. Girl loved to garden with me. I've never done bulbs before but I'm pretty excited to have my fave flowers ready to pop up and greet us with pretty colors in the spring. 
• We've finally decided it's time to start trying for another tiny human (Oh lawd!) When we were trying to get PG with Little Bear I watched my cycle and became a pro at temping and charting. This time we're thinking we'll just roll with it. (I say that now, knowing full well that a few months in I'll probably crack and become a chart freak again.)
• Another Meatless Monday success came and went! (Hells yes!)
• The mental Christmas countdown has began. I love me some Christmas joy!

And that's about it. Here's hoping for less illness in the house and an influx of blog fodder! 

Meatless Monday Brinner Waffles Remix

Monday came and I set myself to put SOMETHING together. It had been a while since we had cooked up some waffles so that seemed like a super choice. Buuuuuut, waffles have been done. How can I switch it up? The Joy of Cooking knows!

Yeast! In waffles!? Yikes! O...k....

I'm glad I gave Belgian Waffles a shot but I think they will be a one time thing. The main issue? Rise time. Cooking up a full batch of waffles takes long enough, let's not add 90 minutes for the batter to rise. Also, by the end I was really sick of that yeasty stank. They were good but not nearly as sweet and yummy as classic waffles.

I was left with a dozen or so to freeze so we will definitely be eating them in the future, just not fresh.

The plus side, since Belgian Waffles weren't as sweet as regular ones, they would make a rockin' egg sandwich. So basically, I know what next Meatless Monday will bring!

20 Scariest Movies of All Time - Spookify your night!

I'm sort of proud to say I have seen most of these!

1. The Shining - Yes. Watch this. If you haven't seen The Shining before, drop what you are doing a put it on now. Not only a great horror movie, also one of the most legendary movies. Of. All. Time.
2. The Exorcist - Ain't nothin' creepier than a demonoid board game. This movie prompted my Ma to buy me a Ouija board when I was about 14. It was made by Hasbro, purchased at Toys R Us and glowed in the dark. Creeepy!
3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Scarier than the recent remake but mostly because of the '70s filming techniques.
4. The Silence of the Lambs - "Hello Clarice"
5. Jaws - I don't feel  like this fits the "horror" bill. I mean yes, it's scary. And sure, it has a lot of blood. And death. And the ever annoying Richard Dreyfuss. Never mind. It works.
6. The Ring - VHS Tape! Scary!
7. Halloween - Another film that is only made more creepy by the era that it was made. Plus, young Jamie Lee!
8. Psycho - WTF Norman Bates!? So many "mommy issues". Plus, young Janet Leigh!
9. Seven - Somehow I didn't see this film until recently. Just more proof that Kevin Spacey plays an amazing crazy person. Diabolical. 
10. Rosemary's Baby - We are not allowed to watch this in our house. I made the hubs watch it years ago and he was scarred for life. 
11. Poltergeist - This movie won't scare you, but it may cause you to laugh your ass off. At least it the filming was rumored to be cursed, so that helps.
12. 28 Days Later - Oh lordy! This is the film that made me realize my issues with zombies. They hunt people! HUNT THEM! Not ok, ya'all!
13. A Nightmare On Elm Street - It has a young Johnny Depp. Apart from that, it's a classic '80s horror film.
14. The Thing - This one I have not seen. the fact that the director is quoted as saying, "When The Thing was released, it was one of the most hated movies of all time." Doesn't make me want to do a Netflix search for it.
15. The Evil Dead - I had to turn this movie off. Legit. Once the trees started raping a woman, I had to call it. That's enough evil for me. Not ok.
16. Carrie - Damn the opening scene of this flick. Really?! Really!? It was the '70s and awkward nudity seems to have been a must.
17. Night of the Living Dead - Daaamn. Original zombie creeping. A solid flick if you can handle the odd quality of it all. 
18. The Omen - IMO, this movie ruined the name Damien. For reals. 
19. An American Werewolf in London - I have not seen this and I don't know if I would be able to stop singing Werewolves of London long enough to watch it.
20. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer - Another movie I could not make it through. I'm not even sure what it was that made me turn this flick off but I do remember being upset by how OK it was that he was brutally murdering people. 

Or just stick with some Ghostbusters action and keep things light but spooky! You can't go wrong with a movie that was mostly ad-libbed by Bill Murray.

Meatless Monday and Other Stuff

For those who pay attention to such things, there was no Meatless Monday this week. Nor will there be a Totally Meatless Tuesday, Wacky Vegetarian Wednesday, Thrillingly Meatless Thursday or Fabulously Vegan Friday.

Both Monday and Tuesday require warm cozy comfort food so we had spaghetti. Same exact thing. Both nights.

Shut up, I needed to not worry about dinner for a couple of days.

Things are perking up a bit around here since Monday's sadness. Little Bear has asked about Izzy a few times but it's always been in passing so we haven't said much. The hubs and I both decided that if he straight up asks, "Where is Izzy?" we will tell him. Until then, we are being vague. Dog has been a little off but seems mostly unchanged by the loss of his tiny friend. Cat#1 has been a little more cuddly and a little less of a dick. He's also started opening the giant container I have always kept the cat food in and is now regularly trying to help himself. So apparently Izzy must have kept him from doing asshole things like that. He's lucky we love him.

Tonight will be spent putting the finishing touches on the hubs costume (Little Bear's and mine are ready to go), for tomorrow is Halloween!

An Ode To Izzy

Like most pet parents, our pets are part of our family. Which makes it even more difficult when one leaves to cross the Rainbow Bridge.

Isabel. Oh, little Izzy. In this house of boys, she was my girly little girl. A tiny cat with a huge heart and not a single mean bone on her body. Izzy loved everything and if she didn't love it, she simply hid from it. She was neurotic. And odd. And lovey. And cuddly. And had the sweetest little meow.

Izzy joined our family not long after the hubs and I moved in together. I had Cat#1 when we moved in together and he was my boy. The hubs, feeling left out of the pet love, convinced me we needed another cat. 

We took a trip to the pound and were told, "Sorry, it isn't really kitten season but feel free to look at what we have." The hubs spotted a tiny cat hiding in a litter box and looking scared of the world. She had been abandoned with her brother and left with a note that simply said, "Please take care of these cats." We instantly fell in love. 

The early days, hiding in a closet and covering our clothes in fur.

We brought our tiny kitty home and she became part of our family. Izzy brought many trials to our apartment. She hid in the walls and in the floor. She crawled inside the giant heater and almost became a fireball. She curled up under covers and mostly kept to herself but was always a furry ball of love. 

Soon after bringing Izzy home, we realized she was "special". Special like, not so smart special. Cats can't really be trained to start with but Izzy took that to a new level. Basically, she had to be protected from herself and her own absentmindedness. The up side of that was that she was a little too dopey to be mean. She just didn't know how. Izzy never really figured out that she had claws so there was no need to declaw her. She never really whined for food like Cat#1 because she trusted that her loving pet parents would feed her when she needed to eat. Even though she was spade, Izzy made nests like a girl cat about to give birth (again, not so smart). She built homes inside couches and box springs, under dressers and in the crawl space. Girl could always find a good place to hide.

Unlike Cat#1 who rolls with things, Izzy was a prissy girl about her litter box. She peed on more piles of clothes and blankets than I even know. But damn that cute little face, we could never get mad. 

When we moved 600 miles away, the pets came along for the ride. Izzy arrived at our new home with a new social personality. She became friendly and hid less but was always a little skiddish. We moved back home a year later and again Izzy switched to being an even more amazing cat. With every new adventure (moving to a house, getting Dog, bringing Little Bear home), Izzy brought out a bit more of her lovely personality. 

The change of me becoming a SAHM suited the little kitty wonderfully. Izzy no longer needed to spend her days hiding, Mom was home! She would chirp while I was busy in the kitchen and roam the garden or chase Dog in the grass while I did yard work. She was my baby girl. Always ready with a cuddle. Instead of scurrying away from Little Bear when he wanted to snuggle, like Cat#1, Izzy would go limp and let him curl up on her. When Little Bear was a baby I spent many night nursings with a fluffy cat curled up on my lap along side him. 

The house is not the same today. It's a little quieter. A little less fuzzy. There is only one food dish to be filled. There's nobody at the patio door chirping at birds. Nobody to bring Cat#1 out of his bad ass shell and give him a cute little bath. No little bell jingling into the kitchen for a cuddle or running after Dog for a game of chase. 

I miss my kitty. 

Izzy had a wonderful life. She was part of our brood. When Cat#1 was being a crab ass and Dog was being a beast, there was always Izzy around to keep things lovey. 

She helped to make our family whole and we will always miss her love.