Very naughty mommy

So I had kind of a rough weekend. Saturday I had a memorial to go to. Sunday was okay, we went to the Monster Truck show, although most of the day I was dreading the root canal I had to have done Monday.

The memorial I went to was so sad. Of course they are all sad. This one was hard because it was a friend from a long time ago(I believe this was mentioned previously), he was two years younger than me and it was an unknown health issue. I thought the memorial would help deal with the grief. Maybe process it since I am not good at that, and it may have, but I am too busy smashing it down on top of the other deaths that I haven't dealt with to notice.

So my dear friend, "I" we will call her, (I will do this until I get good hang of this blogging thing), texted me asking if I wanted to go out for a beer. I shot back a text to her, "Holy S**t, yes please!". This is our thing. She is single so we go out and scope for guys for her. It is pretty fun on my end, no pressure, happily married and I just get to make friends and have fun. So it was so great to get out.

To pretty much sum up the night:

Ditched an online date at the bar. We went outside so "I" could smoke, then left him there.

Sang Kareoke. Badly. So badly.

Closed down Kareoke bar.

Met a group of 4 men outside of said bar, (and for reals, one was named Michael Phelps and another Marvin, but his friends called him Kevin), we all decided we needed to go to a strip club. Two of 4 men ride with us to strip club. Can't find strip club, ask directions, get accosted by a bum, find strip club.

First time in strip club. Blech.

The group of guys ditch us in the strip club.

We leave, the guys are in the parking lot getting torn new ones by a carload of girlfriends, theirs, I assume.

So what goes around comes around kids. We ditch someone, then we get ditched. It was a blast. I hate getting home so late though. Got home @ 3:30, then got up @ 8:30 to run.

Here's the thing. I don't do this kind of thing. I'm a sweet, quiet PTA mom that has never been to a strip club, I don't get drunk, this just isn't my bag.

But is was a frickin' blast!

In the picture is Marvin,(aka Kevin) & Michael Phelps. I took a pic of them in my friends backseat to send to a friend b/c it was so crazy. The poor guys were sitting in carseats too!!

Naughty mommy.

What is it about Footie Pajama's?

They are so darned cute! Youngest has quite a few of them. He has a favorite pair(is pair right?)that he has grown out of. He calls them his "froggies", they are green with frogs on them. I'm trying to wean him off his froggies and on to his "rockets". He got the "rockets" for his birthday in November and starting to ask for them. Now I need to hide the froggies. I hid them once in my closet but he found them. I have this stash of clothes that are too small for the kids and I can't bring myself to make a decision about what to do with them. Eventually I decide, and half of it ends up in their memory boxes. Which is crazy! Geez, just let go!

I always hear people say that they wish they had them for adults, and I have actually seen them at Target. They were big sizes in the kids section. It was ages ago too. I love them though. They make me just want to cuddle up with a movie in bed under a down comforter and snuggle.

Crappy Dinners

I made Swedish Meatballs for dinner last night. I had high hopes, looked like they would be good. They just...weren't.

It was a pretty basic recipe, as I was making it I kept trying to find a way to spruce it up some. To no avail. The kids ate it at least...because it had no flavor! It was like when you are sick with a cold and you can't taste what you eat, then when you are done you are so unsatisfied, that was Swedish Meatballs.

Now, we aren't used to tons of flavors. When I made Curry Chicken the recipe had tons of Ginger, Garlic, Curry and Onion. It was almost overwhelming all the flavors in it. It was delicious though and I would rather have lot's of flavor than none, which I think is pretty normal. So I ate a couple mini Crunch bars and felt a little better.

The Split Pea soup turned out pretty good. Except I didn't have enough chicken broth so I replaced it with bouillon cubes. It ended up very salty, and the ham I added didn't help. It was pretty good though. The Youngest loved it and ate it all, Middle only ate the ham out, Oldest had to be bribed to take, "Just a couple more bites".

So you can't win them all. I think I am feeling Goulash tonight.

I can't wait until Summer when the lighting in my kitchen is better. My pictures will look better then.

New Food

So it hasn't been as hard as I thought to try new recipes. I have always wanted to, but it is hard when you have babies to cook. So I got into the rut of Spaghetti, Meatloaf, Goulash, Baked Chicken, Baked Pork Chops, Pot Roast, Tuna Helper. Repeat. They are quick and easy with not a lot of ingredients. They are always accompanied with a veggie and a starch. Unfortunately my kids got used to these dinners. So it has been discouraging, after every time they try it, I get,"Blech, I don't like it". Or, "Can I spit it out?". Really? It is not brains or sweetbreads for crying out loud! It is French Dip! That was one of my favorites as a kid. Geez. So, I have made Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetables, Curry Chicken, Bruschetta, Beef & Barley Stew, Chicken & Dumplings, Breakfast Casserole,(I have made that before, just long ago), Potato Soup, Chicken Pot Pie, and Blueberry Muffins. Last month I made Alton Brown's Peppermint Chocolate Pinwheel cookies and his Pumpkin Bread. Among other sweets. So tonight it is Baked Pork Chops in W-sauce, Dijon Mustard and Old Bay with steamed Broccoli and Jumbo Shells stuff with cheesy mashed potatoes. I had to pick through the shells to find ones intact, and it ended up being just enough. Also, that box of jumbo shells has been in my pantry for awhile,(bought them after my last attempt of trying new recipes). They turned out very yummy and the kids liked them, so success! I don't even mind doing the dishes afterward. Oh, and gotta love my pink countertops circa 1957 with the flecks. Next Split Pea Soup. So I am on my way, and loving it!

Bundt Trauma

So a few goals for this year. Connect and stay connected to people I have lost contact with. Attempt at keeping in contact with people I am in contact with now, better. Try new recipes as often as possible. There are more, I just can't think of them.

It took me awhile to realize that I enjoy cooking. My dad is a great cook. I remember watching him the kitchen with amazing patience and talent. I guess I got it from him. I love standing in front of a pan of gravy, stirring, waiting for it to bubble and thicken. I love using a good paring knife,(which I just noticed tonight is bent,eek!). Trying out a new recipe, sitting down to eat it, and the anticipation of trying it, hoping it is good! Then it is! Rejoice, success! My love of cooking has been helped along with the aid of Alton Brown and Good Eats. My Oldest and I love to watch him together. We managed to get to his book signing in October and met and got a picture with him.

So, it took me a long time to get to this point. When we were first on our own,(went from parents directly to apartment with now husband). I really couldn't do anything. I gave it my best. I made bland chicken and dumplings, bland meatloaf, and brownies from a box. I just now tried to make chicken and dumplings again, after not giving it another whirl in nearly 10 years. Oh, it was divine. It was homemade chicken soup with savory dumplings. A thin slice of heaven...in a bowl. So I have managed to succeed in baking. After realizing, you really do need to follow the recipe, there IS a reason that baking powder is in the recipe, you cannot skip it. Baking soda is NOT the same. You can't really mess with baking recipes.

So next. A Bundt cake. The pan that I last made one in is still in the cupboard with sticky, burned cakeness on the insides of it. I usually stick to chocolate cake, cookies, breads, pretty basic stuff. I'd like to tackle the more difficult baking. Like springform pans, layers, and mousse. We will see how it goes. It is still January too...lots of time yet.

3 posts in one day?

Our Pets

So we have had a cat for about 8 years, his name is fatty. We got him from a pet store. He is also 28lbs. He is a giant. He is mean and likes to randomly bite you and will just reach out and scratch your leg when you walk by. I love him still though. We have a black lab named Max. We got him nearly 4yrs ago. He is so great. We got him from the pound. He was house trained, knew to sit and didn't jump on people,(still is house trained, still knows to sit and still doesn't jump on people). He loves to camp with us and we love him dearly.

Our Oldest has a beta fish named Steve and a fire belly toad named Teddy. They are pretty cute too.

There are also the snails. I have 6 land snails. Two we found camping and took home. The other 4 a friend found and gave to us. I got them last June, and just adore them. They are so darn cute. With their long wobbly eyes, and how they just grab on and go. They also mated last summer and gave me 140 babies. I tried to take care of them all, but it was too much. So I kept 15 of the babies and released the rest. Now I have another batch of about 70 eggs. Not sure if they will hatch though. Those baby snails were so small I had to move them with my pinky fingernail, just scoop and move them.

Sometimes do you notice after a loss you may kind of help yourself through the pain, by either sort of replacing it, or just buying something?

When my dog, Chewy, a bichon Frise died two years ago I got a Beta Fish, named him Francis. He was pretty, red, my favorite. Now an old friend of mine just died on New Years Eve. I haven't seen him years. We worked together, hung out, was pretty much my best friend for a few years. He taught me how to drive a stick and told me to stay with my husband when I needed serious advice. So, still dealing with this sudden loss, a good friend of mine offered her green tree frog to me. I jumped all over the chance to gain a new pet. She is sweet as can be too. The she coming after I looked up how to tell the difference between boy tree frogs and girl tree frogs. Already named Augie, it stuck. For it can be short for Augustus or Augustine. Anyway, I am quite happy with out newcomer, of course it will never replace anyone, but gives me something to focus on sometimes. You were the best Nick. Love ya.

Here I go

Well here I am. After much debate I have finally created a blog. I asked a mom friend of mine if she had ever thought of making a blog. She replied, "About what?". A fair response. Then I kept thinking about it. I love to cook and talk about cooking, but no one really wants to hear it. I get a lot, "you cook every night?". Well yeah, and it kind of makes me feel weird. Not bad, but wrong almost. Like I have nothing better to do. I like to take pictures of my food too. But have no where to put them. They aren't worth framing and putting in the kitchen. I love to run too. I'm kind of hooked. I also like to read, camp, knit, and take care of my family and house. So here I am. I am going to talk about these things and others. Oh and my kids too. I have a boy 9, girl 5, and boy 3. They are pretty freaking awesome. My husband is pretty cool too. We have been together for almost 12 years, married for most of those. So this will be my out, my vent I suppose. Here we go....