Friday, July 29, 2011

What Ms. M{artha} would like...



These are pictures of
my Zinnias!! I get about seven or eight off every day or so!  It is amazing.  Zinnias are one of my simple pleasures in life, and if I live to be an old lady, you will probably find me in my side yard with my warbly old fingers barely gripping the water hose to water them, using some kind of stool to get those pesky weeds, and cutting some blooms to put in my house.  Ojala!! :)
Andy is also impressed, as he has announced that next year we will plant a {longer} patch of Zinnias!
They are so happy there! ;).
The bottom picture is of my eggplant parmessan--it is one of the best things I cook, and here is how you can make some at your house.
Buy an eggplant...from wherever you can find one. :)
Cut it from one end to the other so you end up with big circles--not too thick--oh and peel it first! (if you want to)
Layer the eggplant in a baking dish like this...
bit of olive oil
bit of tomato sauce (most basic ragu)
eggplant
minced garlic--from the jar is fine
cheese--parmessan--and mozzarella (if the kind with both in the bag is on sale--buy it!!)
i put in some fresh basil too.
layer y layer...just like that
then cover it and bake it at...
wait for it, wait for it...
350! of course! (that is what i bake almost everything i cook from memory at)
bake it a long time--35-40 minutes, until when you stick a knife in the middle it goes
through the center without resistance--then your dish is almost done!
now, take the top off, and bake a bit more--so the cheese you put on top can get melty and crusty..
then take it out of the oven and let it set--while you bake some buttery garlicky bread
to sop up all that sauce with..
yum--go eat this and drink some chianti with it!!
Your body will love you for it. :)
Your husband will too.

two things i do like, and two things i don't

Just to be even and all...
1.  Plaquers--I think this is how you spell it, but hey they aren't paying me to say I like them...so who cares.
They look like side ways tuning forks with a teeny piece of floss across the tines..and they are the DEAL AND A HALF!!  Morgan introduced me to these, and we are all using them now.
2.  the show Wipeout...eek, you might say!! What??? but really, my kids watch this show, and it is hilarious.  Andy and i cannot quite figure out the target audience, the announcers/hosts use quirky only understood by adults humor, but the show cannot possible be for adults..it is on ABC and you should check it out--with some children, and if there is a little boy involved he will want to act out every wipeout SOOOO FUNNY!! :)
3.  Not like;  people wearing bathing suits that do not go together.  This is for sure a trend...no doubt about it...so for example, a girl on the beach might have a floral patterned top which features some white specks...so she wears a solid white bottom--ugh!! I just do not get it...or a plaid top and then a solid yellow bottom.  It bugs the hell out of me.  Why?  Why?
4.  I think I forgot the other not like..wow!  how positive of me. :)

Good night...no, i have one more post to do. :)

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Sensory Deprivation Chambre

Everytime I have PMS I say this...
"I wish I could go into a Sensory Deprivation Chamber"
If I do not say it, I feel like it.
All the people around me have heard this come out of my mouth...
My mother in law, my sister, my mom, andy's sister--Andy (he hears it a lot)
PMS makes all of the senses go into overdrive--at least with me...
It can be maddening.
My mother in law totally gets it.
She says for me to "SEND THEM ALL OVER TO MY HOUSE!!"
She used to have PMS like that too...
Okay, so last night we were watching PBS and this scientist was
talking about a sensory deprivation chamber!!!
They even showed one.
Now that I have seen that show, however, I realize that I would never really want to do that.
It would be creepy..
There was a movie about sensory deprivation chambers, and the title was mentioned on this
episode of NOVA--but I forgot the title, b/c I do not like movies.


WWMD? #6


Under the couch...
Now the fuzzies that you see at the top are just part of the fabric that lines the underside of the sofa.
So, although they look like something that makes you cringe.., they are actually just fuzz.
Those can be cut off with the scissors, and then they come right back....like when you pull out gray hairs..
In the foreground is the rug...See where it's coming apart in one spot...Thank you, Spot!  He will occasionally
go crazy and paw at the rug...He is a dog. :)
Now---look further...look in between the fuzz and the rug...oh yeah! Jackpot!  As a matter of fact
this is where I go to look for lost things.
Bottles, shoes...things that seem to have been lost for too long...Oh! I say to myself --that
thing must be under the sofa!
Other things that have a home there...a pretzel rod--wonder why Spot did not take care of that?
Lots of toy food, a clipboard, scraps of ribbon....
Yesterday, in the shower, my idea was...move out the sofa--this does happen on occasion, and let the children
have a contest.  I will give them each a basket, and let them go to town filling the baskets, and then we will put
all the little bits back where they belong, then we will scrub the floor....this is going to happen in a bit.
I bet Martha just gets her maid to clean under hers....
Sometimes I look under there and I feel a bit furious..but after seven years in the parent game, I am mostly laughing now...and I say things like..."I'm not gonna be the one to open THAT bottle!!"
Yeah...I think anger, in this case, is a total waste of energy, so is frustration--that would be like
getting frustrated b/c the ocean will not stop having waves or something, no?

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

la gente

that means the people.
any time i go anywhere the events I remember most, and most fondly, have to do with the people
i encounter along the way.
on the way to san juan, on the plane, there was a guy who was coming back from Afghanistan he was there
doing civilian work, namely working on the machines there--vehicles.
it was so fun to talk to him.
when the plane was landing he was so excited he almost cried.
he also invited lara and me to go to his house...
his wife had not seen him in four months...we laughed and laughed and said i am sure
your wife would love that--for you to bring company home--after
not having seen you for four months.
back to the story..he talked for three hours.
he told me about all of the people he has encountered all over the world, and about
the job he does etc.
it was very interesting to listen to this person whose life is so different from my own.
then, when we got to the conference we met sandra, and i have already said how
great it was to meet her.  she was so nice, and interesting to talk to and to
listen to.  then meeting her family made the whole trip even better.
on the way home i met a shrink who was cuban, he talked and talked to me.
he commutes each week from miami to pine hurst and spends the week
working in the health clinic at fort brag.
he seemed really wise--older than my dad, and he was quite opinionated.
turns out, we have read many of the same books, we like the same movies,
his daughter was studying in barcelona--right now!! so, he was excited to
hear of my favorite spanish places to go, and why (i always love a new audience for my own
{band camp} stories).  all of that is what i bring back with me--talking to people, and
listening to their stories.  some friends have remarked to me--p.r. is so dirty,
i would not even leave the resort, etc. etc.--
well, i say, there would have been no reason to go if lara and i had not walked up and down
that strip looking at all of the people.
yes, there was lots of litter--but there was also a lot of interesting people to see and wonder about.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Report for duty IMMEDIATELY!!

Yep, that's how mommy duty goes...
I got home in the middle of the night, and in the middle of the night--well, good thing I was here...
Eva wanted to visit with me. :)
My body aches, I am tired, ...but they NEED ME!! :)
I love it!!
So for this AM i have been trying to undo it all--get all the dirty clothes clean, organize all the stuff
out of my bag--etc.
I don't like to leave that stuff waiting...esp. since we left and our swimsuits still had beach water in them...we went beach, shower, plane--so I had to get the wet stuff outta there! :)
Here are some pictures y a little cuentito for you, and yes Bethany, that is the hotel, and maybe we could all go there together! :)





A ver...So I took a picture of the sign,so that I will have the information whenever I ever go back.
Of course there were many other hotels all around, but this one was so cute.
They served food and Pinya Coladas...YUM!  Lara and I had our share of Pinya coladas...




We could call this section, "the ride" This is riding through a place called Ocean Park--a neighborhood, and it was pretty.  The fotos where we are eating, that is where our presidente ate when he was in S.Juan recently, and I was eating one of my favorite things...a croqueta! :)  The women who worked at the register in this restaurant has attitude that was a little too sassy for me--needed a little Morgan in my pocket--but the food was Spanish food,and that was completely enjoyable for me!  The little old lady in the restaurant was nice.   On the ride in Ocean Park my sister needed a Xanax--she was wigging out b/c the people driving all around us, and Manny, were driving like crazy people!! I was enjoying my views...Lara was holding on for dear life.  Manny was laughing at her. :)  I cannot tell you all how nice it was to meet Sandra and enjoy the tour that she and Manny gave.
Super!
Bueno...on to more fotos, we will call these, "drinks"



The picture in the middle is of a machine that...
wait for it...wait for it...
DETECTS YOUR BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENT BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE BAR.
Yep.  We laughed. :)  Then there is the wine cooler in a pouch.  Lara could not wait to try this..she was thinking a pack like bikers have where the straw goes in the mouth, for continuous sipping.  It was more like B. and James in a capri sun package.  Cute, still. :)  One of the funniest things Lara said while we were there, was her declaration that she wished she had one of those sports bags full of pinya colada to walk around and sip!  I laughed and laughed at the thought. :)














These are pictures of a very old fort and other Old San Juan stuff.
A cute little bar we went to
The place where Pinya Coladas were born
A cat chair my sister liked... The little bar was the highlight of that night....so cute!! and not overpriced...
Just yummy!
There are many pictures of the fort, while we were there Manny insisted on mucho foto taking.
He was very excited, and when it started to pour down raining he exclaimed, "Imagine spanish soldiers doing this same thing 600 years ago!" His excitement was so endearing. :)  Sandra is in this group of pictures too, she is a fellow SLP--who is so lucky to have a house in Ceiba (a PRican town) that she spends her whole summer in. :)
She was great!  Instant friend chemistry. :)  A conference buddy--which is always nice to have btw.
And finally, after all my classes were over, I got to go to the beach yesterday...
Adios Puerto Rico!!


Friday, July 22, 2011

y speaking of opinions...

y'all know i cannot help myself...
y my opinion of the week is...
resort people are muy piggy.
cochinos.
when my sister and i arrived here we discovered that people who come
to resorts are very sloppy.
the beach, al fin del dia..was an atrocity!!
my mama would say, you ought to be ashamed!!
it was LITTERED WITH TRASH!!
all of the people who come to the resort know, i guess, that
someone is coming behind them to pick up their nastiness.
but i say, what a disgrace!! to leave behind your trash.
it is so ugly.
my sister and i, we are not resort people.
we go to the beach by our cottage y we {love} it.
we pick up our trash y the trash of others if necessary.
que grocerias!--not groceries, sino--gross, ities.
the next time I come, I will stay at this cutie pie hotel cerquita de aqui.
no tiene beach access..it does not have fifty towels for one beach sit...
but it is the cutest thing i've ever seen--well, one of them, y it has a breakfast for
five dollars y one bowl of cereal in this hotel costs 8 dollars!!
that has got to be one of the dumbest things i have ever heard of.
lucky for us, we are country girls, we came with our bags full of nabs, y
we went to the walgreens and stocked up on liquor, beer and wine and a
mini cooler to take to the beach!! {yippie!}

Ay que suerte!!!

My sister and I have travelled to Puerto Rico for a conference of bi lingual speech therapists.
This whole trip has been made possible by {luck}.
Serendipity.
We made it here safely,
We have had so much fun so far, and
we have met fabulous people who have been willing to show us their home.
One of my fellow SLPs is Puerto Rican and she and her husband and daughter have a house here.
Her husband is passionate about Puerto Rico and its history and basically everything about {here}
ademas, he tells really good stories.
He is really {in your face} and opinionated--which I love!!
He took my sister and me all around Old San Juan, and refused to leave us
until he spoke with people to assure that we would make it back safely.
Not only safely, digo, sino conveniently, tambien.
Que Suerte!!
We have had Pinya coladas--wink wink, Bethany.
We have has quiet moments in Plazas y parks.
We got the tour of {every neighborhood} between here and there, and
I even know every hotel this family ever stayed in before they got their own
piece of heaven here.
It is a beautiful place, Puerto Rico!
I consider myself very lucky to have experienced it, thus far, this way...
With a list of things to do...and fun people to do them with!
besos desde San Juan!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

WWMD? # 5

This is a picture of
My pantry!!
You know, there are people in the world who have their pantries organized ALPHABETICALLY.
Not me.
How would one even begin to do that?  By label, by food group and then label...
Too much thinking involved for organizing something that is so visceral--hunger.
Open the door, find something, cook it. :)
So to find the something, well, look at it!!
There are multiples of the staples which include:
Pasta, rice, and Mrs. Fearnow's Brunswick stew (in the canned meats aisle at the grocery store).
Now, Martha, if you have never bought Mrs. Fearnow's --YOU SHOULD! :)
Kids eat it too!  That is a bonus.
If you notice, the top shelf is covered by tea, and coffee...
Okay, hears a challenge:  Can you spot two cans of Mrs. Fearnow's?
Can you see where the trash bags are?
There also happens to be some animal food in there...food for which animal?
How many cans of homemade food can you find?
So to answer the question:
Martha, I think, would cry, and then she would sequester me to the house until this pantry was
organized ALPHABETICALLY!!.
What would she say about the five boxes of the same form of pasta...
She would probably wonder, what self respecting person BUYS THEIR PASTA??
Come on! Y'all know Martha makes hers from scratch.
Have a great day! :)

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

I could get used to this...

As my children get older, I begin to see how Summers off could be--very spoiling for me.
A typical morning has been something like this:
7:00--blink my eyes
7:20--cut on the lamp and roll over
7:25--are those kiddie foot steps I hear?
7:28--Yes! And they are perfectly content to watch kid shows
7:30-9:00 Breakfast, coffee, internet, wander around, wash some dishes
9:00-9:40 Workout (now I know how other people manage to do this, they are not running all the time)
10:00--Elena to swim
10:10-10:45--Wander around, piddle,and take a shower...
11:00-1:00--go to pool with plenty of snacks at hand--pool snacks are expensive!
1-3--phone off hook, door locked--Siesta for everyone
3-5:30--some visit or activity--
5:30 supper
after that things tend to go crazy..
But I must say...I am loving this relaxed life.
Usually I just rush around, ill all the time...sad, no?
I do not even realize that the rushing around is so detrimental to me, until I
have five days in a row in which I do not have to do it.
It is nice!!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Re: Cute Stuff at the Hallmark shop

okay, this is mainly addressed to Melissa, but I am sure there are others out there who enjoy the irresistibly cute stuff at Hallmark...
There is the best Peanuts Nativity set in there..whoa--but it is pricey..
And--something that my Mama bought for us--a cute figurine of Linus waiting for his
blanket to come out of the wash..underneath it says, "some things in life are worth waiting for"
awww...That is just like V-man when he goes to my Mama's and has to wait for My my to get washed.
Grandma washes My my--and she also throws birthday parties for him... :)
There were many other things too..oh! and there is a series of Christmas tree
ornaments that are cupcakes..this is the second year, apparently--Melissa--so you have those?
Do you have the first one?
Oh, and there was a desk Calendar that you tear the pages off weekly and put your stuff
on the pages one week at the time...
I really love that store, and when I go in there I have to really remind myself that
{I AM NOT A COLLECTOR OF THINGS!!!}

Okay we are off now, to go to get E her allergy shots.

Eva Lou is officially two!

 These are the pictures (out of order) of Eva's second birthday party....
 On Thursday, before the party, Elena and Victor and Eva helped me make the cake, then when Eva took her nap, Elena and Victor decorated the cake--YUM!  They did a gorgeous job.  I think that children do a better job with sprinkles, as I am sure I could never have made it look this pretty!

 This is Eva's sweet face playing with something...not sure what...
 My Daddy is in the red shirt..he basically loves Eva to death!!
 The grandmas..my Mama on the left and Andy's on the right.
 I am not sure what was going on in this one...
 Me with Eva while we were singing..my children all get really-{something} when they are sung to, even Hambone--it is interesting--I think it is called, "overcome with emotion"...which is not a stretch at all considering their genes...

 I must have been telling them something to do here..they have their listening ears on...ha!
 Lick the candles time!--That is so exciting to children--what a hoot!
Eva was very excited about all of her presents.  She got some pink flip flops which she has wanted to
wear constantly...and she got some baby doll stuff...she loves to play babies. :) That is Andy's dad behind Eva...
He loves her to death too!! (That is not a very good expression, no?--I don't like it very much)

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Mami, I pee da floor. :)...and other kiddie contrasts

Okay so this summer the focus in my head, from the literary essay standpoint..is contrasts.
It is amazing to me what a paradox childhood can be.
I mean the two year old is SOOOO DAGGONE CUTE!!  She stands there, naked, with
her shoes on--her Sunday shoes..all of her hair a mess (and there is a lot of it)...grinning..
Amazingly cute, even if she is refusing to put on clothes. " I a ready to go Mommy.."
Just {try} to put clothes on her...go ahead...
I catch her struggling to climb onto the potty and she says to me, "Mommy, I pee da floor.  Yes Mommy
in da libin room, Mommy GO CLEAN IT UP!!" -- The pee pee mancha was actually in her bedroom
right by her closet..boy what a hunt! :)
In the little boy world.. whew...it just takes my breath away..
His favorite movie, --Hero Factory, full of robots --fighting...sound effects..boy stuff..
He watches it while sucking his thumb and quietly snuggling my my, his beloved stuffed
elephant.
The oldest, conquering her fear of contests...swimming fine/beautiful...but in a {race}
..you're gonna have to {make} me...and then I beam with Pride--even with a fifth place ribbon...

The contrasts of parenting are astounding and bewildering...

Oprah said it...

Now why doesn't everyone just listen to her????!!!

We all know it is terrible to try to talk on the phone and drive your car.
We all know this.
Why do I constantly see people driving all around town talking on the
damn phone?
It makes no sense.
Must you, absolutely, talk on the phone..I mean is it worth dying over, really?
So dumb.
Now, I remember when I first had a phone.
It was sort of an image thing...to look {important}to drive around and
talk on the phone--in my little 86 Honda Accord that freaking hopped
{boy was I fooling myself} :)
That was 12 years ago...
We all know that you should ignore the phone (including texting)
while you are operating a vehicle...
Get the message people, --or I'm calling Oprah!
B/C really, you don't look all
Bold and Beautiful when you talk on the phone and drive...
you look more Dumb and Dumber
and I am not interested in having your big ass
Suburban careen across the lane to kill me and my children...
How cute will we all look then?

**I also happen to feel this way about talking on the phone
out in public period...
I do not have a cell phone so I consider my view sort of an alien one...but
really...
..In the line at the Dr.'s office--as you tell them your medicaid number while fishing through your food stamp vouchers in your purse {really}...when you are eating out with LIVE COMPANY..
at the movies...at the theater...at the pool while your beloved offspring {swims}???
really???

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

{brutally} honest...

I have been told before (by a real estate agent) that I was brutally honest, and she said, "yes, you are brutal, that is right."
Well, here I go again.
If you have children, and they are not mine--I DO NOT WANT TO KEEP THEM.
I know this sounds mean.
BUT I have three already, and entertaining yours--NOT INTERESTED.
Anyone remember the little girl who has a {summer} river house beside Andy's mama and
Daddy?  Well, her mother has never gotten in the river with her, nor have I ever
seen her mother play with her....so guess what little sweet pea does...
SHE COMES OVER TO PLAY WITH MY CHILDREN AND I BABYSIT HER!!!
I am not sure if anyone has noticed, but the children who are constantly pawned off
on other people are also the ones who blurt out constantly,
"LOok at MEEEEE!!!"  "Watch this Ms. Susan"  "now, WATCH WATCH watch me do it AGAIN!!"
Yep.  Now we all know that all children do this...they all want to be looked at and watched.
THAT IS WHY I KEEP MY ASS OUT IN THE RIVER AND WATCH MINE.
Get it?
Now there are a couple of exceptions, cousins being one of them.
You know when all of the family is there together...I do not mind watching all the
kids for a while..no problem...aunts and uncles can do a little watchy watchy.
Also, when someone has a teeny baby and they are about to go insane...
I will watch one of their offspring.
Playdates are beginning to come up, and that is actually fun...
you know, the children entertain one another..
That can be fun-
IF YOUR CHILD KNOWS HOW TO BEHAVE AND NOT GET INTO MISCHIEF!!
I just got a phone call from a little girl who used to live next door--over a year ago.
She told me her new phone number, and that she wants to come and play at my house...
Maybe there is a teensy teensy bit of me that feels flattered...
Oh...she misses us..
But the bigger part of me says...
SHE IS DRIVING HER {CRAZY} MOTHER EVEN CRAZIER...AND HER MOTHER WANTS
HER TO COME TO MY HOUSE FOR THE DAY(S).
Well, nothing doing, sister, you had her--YOU KEEP HER!!
I had the play group that I want, and I don't want to watch your children while you
laze around your house all day and chain smoke and watch trashy t.v..
Do I feel sorry for the little girl...maybe a teensy part of me..but not
sorry enough to put up with her all day!!

I know this is (brutal) --but it's how I feel. :).

WWMD #4

It's that day again!
Wednesday.
I cannot believe how fast the time is going by this Summer.  I am going to present this dilemna to Martha
today...
How does one have a picnic table outside that does not look, well, disgusting?
How?
I try...you see the pretty table cloth...???
The one, and then the other going the other direction...see?  And the little clips to hold it all down??
And then, do you see...hmmm a tool kit, a kid's shaving kit, Windex, spilled colored bubbles, which look
really gross, when spilled...There is something under the table a broom?  and then the bucket on the bench...it is for washing the car...
What do you suggest dear Martha?
I will say, I have given up, completely...I give up.
When we are going to have company, then I will clean it.
If you come to my house un-announced..this table will greet you!  Cheerio!



Spot on!

Spot is our family's chihuahua.  He is what we call, "an evil dictator/stuffed animal come to life".  Sometimes, after he has ...