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Entries from July 2013

Sunday Stealing: The Wackadoo Meme, Part The Second

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Link up here if you're playing along today!

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30.] What brand of batteries do you usually get?

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The coppertop, usually. Or Energizer, I guess, but it seems like mostly Duracell. And about 80% AAs. I tell my friends who get pregnant for the first time to stock up on those. Everything for babies and little kids uses at least 8 of them!!

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31.] Are any of your friends pregnant or have kids?  

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Dude. I'm in my mid-30s. They all are. Every last one of them. I'm a bit jelly. (Okay, I've had four kids of my own. But I still want ten more, and I can't, so I'm envious of the ones who could if they chose!)

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32.] What is in your medicine cabinet?

Well, I don't have a medicine cabinet. It's a drawer. And it's got medicines, duh. And about 37 hairbrushes, and some lip balm. And my Fysiko eyelash serum. And some other shit I don't remember.

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33.] What's your favorite aspect of the natural world?

Waterfalls. You thought I'd say beaches, huh? But nope. I love the mystical, magical properties of a natural waterfall more than anything.

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34.] What's your favorite man made thing?  

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Beautiful yarns. Hey, sometimes I must be predictable.

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35.] Can you whistle properly?

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Like a kettle, I can! My kids, on the other hand, all learned to whistle while sucking their air IN. I don't know where they got this from. It's only recently that they all started to whistle while breathing OUT. It was quite the accomplishment for each of them!

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36.] What song do you think is the most widely heard in the world?

Well, aside from "Happy Birthday," that is. ;)

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37.] Where's the strangest place a fast food restaurant was located?

I don't know, but there's a glorious little mom-and-pop restaurant at the top of Mt. Etna. We had some delicious cannoli there - and took more back to our ship! Yummo!

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38.] What states surround your state? Or are you not land locked?

I live way down there in Homestead. There's not another state in sight 'round here!

39.] Do you own binoculars or monoculars? What do you use them for? 

Hubs has a pair of binos. I'm not sure what he got them for, but the night vision goggles we borrowed from the military once to find our black dog in the middle of the night were far cooler. (And we found Johnny.)



40.] Do you ever wish you had a telescope on the roof or attic to stargaze? 

Who says we don't? We have one... it's in the master closet at the moment. Oughtta break that baby out and go stargazing during the meteor shower in early August!

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41.] What's your favorite chocolate bar?

My favorite chocolates in the world are coconut clusters like these, but if I had to buy packaged, commercial chocolate, it would be Lindt peanut butter truffles.

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42.] Do you fall asleep easy in cars? How about planes, trains and boats?

I can now that I'm older. When I was younger, I used to be too self-conscious about my snoring and drooling. Now, if I'm tired, I just sleep. Whatevs.



43.] Would you rather live a year of your life in every major country or stay in the same place you live forever without vacations?

OMG. I would absolutely die spending my whole life in one place. Mine is a nomadic spirit. I am always wanting to go somewhere!

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44.] What will you not tolerate in a person? 

Obviously. But other than that... I won't tolerate arrogance that's unfounded. I won't tolerate being condescended to, especially if it's because I'm "just" a woman or a stay-home mom, and I won't tolerate racism/homophobia or any other intolerance like that. 

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45.] Do you forgive others easier or yourself? Why is this?

I can forgive anyone who sincerely tells me, "I'm sorry." I have a much harder time forgiving myself. I'm always hard on myself. I engage in mental self-flagellation on an ongoing basis. :(

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46.] How was God made, if he exists?

He does exist. He always was, always will be.

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47.] Have you ever done aqua aerobics or polo?  

I did water aerobics one time. I don't know why I didn't do it again, except everyone else was 50-60 years older than I was, and I felt too conspicuous. I engage in water ballet by myself every time I swim, though.

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48.] What age were you when you learned how to swim?

I've been swimming since I was a baby. I can't ever remember being afraid of the water and/or not knowing how to swim. Not that I was great - I doggy-paddled for the longest time - but I can fly underwater!

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49.] What shows or characters scared you as a child?

My dad thought it was a good idea to let us watch Children of the Corn after my mom died, when I was just 7. Um, no. The words and images still make me shudder.

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50.] Do you stay up all night on New Years Eve/Day or go to bed after 12am?

It varies, but I've only gone out once on NYE, and that was with my father. Lame.

51.] What's something unusual currently in your fridge?

This is about as unusual as it gets, right now. Startin' to be slim pickin's in there.

52.] How about your freezer?

There are about eight 2L frozen bottles of water in the deep freezer. It annoys me, but since it's hurricane season, not much I'm gonna say about it - just hope we don't need 'em!

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53.] What could you be doing now that is more productive?

It's 0330 right now. I should be asleep. I'm almost never asleep at this time anymore, though.

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54.] Give me some lyrics from the song that's stuck in your head?

My kids were watching Lizzie McGuire earlier, and I have the theme song stuck in my head. You don't want that crap stuck in yours.

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55.] What's your favorite type of firework?

I like them all. The best fireworks show I ever saw was in downtown Panama City in 2002, when Chloë was a teensy baby. We didn't really get to see them this year; bummer.

Fin.


Sunday Stealing: The Wackadoo Meme, Part The Second

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Link up here if you're playing along today!

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30.] What brand of batteries do you usually get?

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The coppertop, usually. Or Energizer, I guess, but it seems like mostly Duracell. And about 80% AAs. I tell my friends who get pregnant for the first time to stock up on those. Everything for babies and little kids uses at least 8 of them!!

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31.] Are any of your friends pregnant or have kids?  

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Dude. I'm in my mid-30s. They all are. Every last one of them. I'm a bit jelly. (Okay, I've had four kids of my own. But I still want ten more, and I can't, so I'm envious of the ones who could if they chose!)

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32.] What is in your medicine cabinet?

Well, I don't have a medicine cabinet. It's a drawer. And it's got medicines, duh. And about 37 hairbrushes, and some lip balm. And my Fysiko eyelash serum. And some other shit I don't remember.

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33.] What's your favorite aspect of the natural world?

Waterfalls. You thought I'd say beaches, huh? But nope. I love the mystical, magical properties of a natural waterfall more than anything.

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34.] What's your favorite man made thing?  

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Beautiful yarns. Hey, sometimes I must be predictable.

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35.] Can you whistle properly?

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Like a kettle, I can! My kids, on the other hand, all learned to whistle while sucking their air IN. I don't know where they got this from. It's only recently that they all started to whistle while breathing OUT. It was quite the accomplishment for each of them!

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36.] What song do you think is the most widely heard in the world?

Well, aside from "Happy Birthday," that is. ;)

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37.] Where's the strangest place a fast food restaurant was located?

I don't know, but there's a glorious little mom-and-pop restaurant at the top of Mt. Etna. We had some delicious cannoli there - and took more back to our ship! Yummo!

.

38.] What states surround your state? Or are you not land locked?

I live way down there in Homestead. There's not another state in sight 'round here!

39.] Do you own binoculars or monoculars? What do you use them for? 

Hubs has a pair of binos. I'm not sure what he got them for, but the night vision goggles we borrowed from the military once to find our black dog in the middle of the night were far cooler. (And we found Johnny.)



40.] Do you ever wish you had a telescope on the roof or attic to stargaze? 

Who says we don't? We have one... it's in the master closet at the moment. Oughtta break that baby out and go stargazing during the meteor shower in early August!

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41.] What's your favorite chocolate bar?

My favorite chocolates in the world are coconut clusters like these, but if I had to buy packaged, commercial chocolate, it would be Lindt peanut butter truffles.

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42.] Do you fall asleep easy in cars? How about planes, trains and boats?

I can now that I'm older. When I was younger, I used to be too self-conscious about my snoring and drooling. Now, if I'm tired, I just sleep. Whatevs.



43.] Would you rather live a year of your life in every major country or stay in the same place you live forever without vacations?

OMG. I would absolutely die spending my whole life in one place. Mine is a nomadic spirit. I am always wanting to go somewhere!

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44.] What will you not tolerate in a person? 

Obviously. But other than that... I won't tolerate arrogance that's unfounded. I won't tolerate being condescended to, especially if it's because I'm "just" a woman or a stay-home mom, and I won't tolerate racism/homophobia or any other intolerance like that. 

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45.] Do you forgive others easier or yourself? Why is this?

I can forgive anyone who sincerely tells me, "I'm sorry." I have a much harder time forgiving myself. I'm always hard on myself. I engage in mental self-flagellation on an ongoing basis. :(

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46.] How was God made, if he exists?

He does exist. He always was, always will be.

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47.] Have you ever done aqua aerobics or polo?  

I did water aerobics one time. I don't know why I didn't do it again, except everyone else was 50-60 years older than I was, and I felt too conspicuous. I engage in water ballet by myself every time I swim, though.

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48.] What age were you when you learned how to swim?

I've been swimming since I was a baby. I can't ever remember being afraid of the water and/or not knowing how to swim. Not that I was great - I doggy-paddled for the longest time - but I can fly underwater!

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49.] What shows or characters scared you as a child?

My dad thought it was a good idea to let us watch Children of the Corn after my mom died, when I was just 7. Um, no. The words and images still make me shudder.

.

50.] Do you stay up all night on New Years Eve/Day or go to bed after 12am?

It varies, but I've only gone out once on NYE, and that was with my father. Lame.

51.] What's something unusual currently in your fridge?

This is about as unusual as it gets, right now. Startin' to be slim pickin's in there.

52.] How about your freezer?

There are about eight 2L frozen bottles of water in the deep freezer. It annoys me, but since it's hurricane season, not much I'm gonna say about it - just hope we don't need 'em!

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53.] What could you be doing now that is more productive?

It's 0330 right now. I should be asleep. I'm almost never asleep at this time anymore, though.

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54.] Give me some lyrics from the song that's stuck in your head?

My kids were watching Lizzie McGuire earlier, and I have the theme song stuck in my head. You don't want that crap stuck in yours.

.

55.] What's your favorite type of firework?

I like them all. The best fireworks show I ever saw was in downtown Panama City in 2002, when Chloë was a teensy baby. We didn't really get to see them this year; bummer.

Fin.


Saturday 9: Just Give Me A Reason

Link up here if you're playing along today, folks!
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Thanks to Carielle for recommending this great song.
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1) When she first burst onto the scene, Pink was a self-proclaimed tomboy. Now she's glam. Literally. She was on the cover of the June issue of Glamour and is a spokeswoman for Covergirl cosmetics. Does a celebrity endorsement increase your interest in a product?
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I can't think of any time when that has influenced me, but never say never!
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2) This song is about a woman who feels her lover slipping away. Do you believe a couple can repair a relationship once it starts to sour?
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Absolutely, I do. As long as true love is still there, it can be fixed. Hubs and I have gone through a rough patch or two (or three); we've been to counseling, and things have gotten back on the right track. We're madly in love.
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3) As a little girl, Pink wanted to be an Olympic gymnast. If you could excel (or, if you do excel) at any sport, which one?
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Same as Pink, actually, I'd love to be an Olympic gymnast! I've always daydreamed about flipping around, and all that fun stuff. I stopped gymnastics in elementary school, though.
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4) Pink is married to motorcycle pro Carey Hart. Have you ever ridden really fast on a motorcyle?
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I have. I've ridden on the back of the motorcycle with three different men, including my husband and my uncle. My uncle is the only one, ironically enough, who didn't take it easy on me!
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5) When she found out she was pregnant, Pink says she gave up whiskey and cigarettes … but admits she misses the whiskey. Do you have a habit you know you should break?
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I've just recently broken my Diet Coke habit. It was really tough, and finally it was finances that forced me to do it. And yes, I miss it. A crazy amount.
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6) In 2010, she fell out of the aerial harness that was supposed to carry her across the stage. Are you afraid of heights?
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I thought I was, and then I met my son. Now that is a boy who is terrified of heights. He clings to us when we're safely walking on or above the third floor of a building!
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7) Pink enjoys showing off her tattoos. Do you have any body art?
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No tattoos here. It's not really my thing. Hubs has 8 or 9, but I don't think I'll ever get any. I do have a pierced nose, however.
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8) Pink can be very salty in her language. When was the last time you cursed?
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I curse all the time! I go through bouts of trying to quit, but I never succeed. I don't think I'll ever be able to. I say it's the New Yawka in me!
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9) On her website, Pink sells 10 different t-shirts. Do you have a favorite t-shirt? What does it look like/say?
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I had a shirt tie-dyed in the colors of Jamaica that I bought in college. It had Malcom X on the front and MLK, Jr. on the back. My dad destroyed it. He's racist... Still makes me mad, even though it was 15 years ago!
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Fin.

Old El Paso & My Blog Spark Provided Dinner Tonight! #giveaway #contest

I always love it when packages come in the mail - especially ones I'm not expecting! Today, I woke up to find a huge box waiting for me. It was my forgotten goodies from My Blog Spark: an Old El Paso Farmer's Market Kit! How fun. �Here's what I got:

I got together the fixin's for the rest of the dinner (ground turkey for me, ground beef for everyone else, bell peppers, chili peppers, onions, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream) and started cooking up a storm tonight. Everyone was eager to try out the goodies.

I spent a good five minutes with the chopper unsuccessfully, before switching to my Ninja food processor and getting the onions, pepper and tomato minced in a matter of 30 seconds, but I was rushed and probably doing it wrong. I could tell it was very sharp, so I'll give it another go next time. I did love that I could color-code the containers for what they, well, contained! Onions in the white, peppers in the green, tomatoes in the red and... cheddar cheese in the purple?! Hey, they're complementary colors, so it works.

Don't forget! Ends tonight!!


Aloha Friday: Who's Better Off?

Aloha Friday Blog Hop on @PamelaMKramer
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Link up with A Renaissance Woman if you're asking questions today!
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My question for you this week is:
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Are you better or worse off than your parents were - or about the same?
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Yes, I know that's nosy... but I'm askin'! 
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I can't speak for my hubs, but as for my folks, I think we're roughly the same. Which is not great!
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Thanks for stopping by; have a great weekend!
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Fin.

Susie Homemaker Visits The Garden

A

Last time I published a real blahggy post here was in the middle of Rob's brain surgery saga - at the climax of this situation. He was in the University of Miami Hospital in uptown Miami (der), a 50-minute drive from home. On a good day. At 0400, with no traffic. At least I was getting good mpg when I went back and forth every day, sometimes twice. He hasn't had surgery yet - that'll be this Wednesday afternoon - so I'll be back with more updates on that soon.

B

Over the last weekend in June, whilst Rob was in the UM hospital and the kiddos were away at their new bff's house for a few days, I got busy at home. I hadn't been much more than a lump for the entire month prior, but when the going gets tough, the tough ... I don't know. I'm not really one of those people. But I got going. I did umpteen million loads of laundry, unpacked boxes (we're making progress finally, after a long and early stall), and decided to put the girls' IKEA dressers together after we visited that blockbuster Swedish store back in, oh, May. Or was it April? I can scarcely remember. Lucky, the kitten Rob rescued from under the dumpster, decided to help me.

C

It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears - and two hours - but I finally screwed the last screw and got those mothers assembled. This was pre-labeling; I wrote all the girls' clothing categories on the bins they'll go in and yes, I miscounted the number of green bins I needed. One more each. Whoops.

D

Here's Hunter, Lucky's littermate, being oh, so cute on my lap. They have grown so much and are in a terribly fun, playful stage right now.

E

On Sunday, while I was up at the hospital with Rob, the kids came back from their extended playdate. Our friends Erica and Kevin, and their daughter Kira, took excellent care of our babies, and they are still talking about what fun they had.

F

At home that night -and pretty much every night since - nobody could sleep, so we did a craft from Kiwi Crate. I had gotten a few months' subscription for Jack and Sophia TWO Christmases ago, but we never had the chance to do them. They did one once, when we first got them, and could not wait to dive back into the crates to see what further explorations waited within them.

G

We spread out all the materials for the crate. This one was all about plants and gardening. Sophia's being my Vanna White here, modeling the goods.

H

Jack and I teamed up to make window planters for squash and bean seeds. He really enjoyed this activity and asked a thousand and one questions as we went.

I

Meanwhile, the girls' half of the Crate was to decorate with clay a couple of cardboard pots, and then "plant" flowers and veggies in them. They decided this would be Daddy's homecoming gift the following day, when he was finally released from the hospital. So sweet.

J

Meanwhile, Jack's cat, Muffin, cozied up to some craft felt in a rare display of affection for anything - or anyone - other than her boy.

K

And I very messily decorated my nails in a patriotic display for the upcoming Independence Day. My hands have been so shaky lately, so it turned out like crap, but I still got compliments somehow.

L

On Wednesday the 3rd, Rob went in for an angiogram of his brain, to make sure where stuff was and see if everything was good to go for surgery this week. While we waited, I picked up a local parenting magazine and discovered a full calendar of free events - for every single day - in this area. Whoop, whoop! Just what I'd been looking for. We found out that just that very day, the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden nearby was having a free day. It normally would have cost us about $85 to get in as a family, so this was exciting. As soon as Rob got out of the hospital, we headed straight over. You guys - it was beautiful.

M

On our way over to a recommended exhibit, we passed this small waterfall. The garden was so lush and ... lush. That's the word. Exquisite. Breathtaking.

N

This was German bamboo and captured the girls' attention for several minutes. They loved that it was smooth and waxy on one surface - the side you can see - and soft and fuzzy on the other, not to mention the vivid colors.

O

You can't really tell from the picture, but this lizard that ran by us was SO huge, at first I thought it was a small iguana. It quickly ran to this dark spot on a nearby wall for camouflage, so I didn't get the greatest picture of it, but fo'realz, it was large.

P

Walking along, we passed laboratories where scientists were busily working. In these glass bottles, they were growing all manner of orchid varieties. Reminds me of the lab at Mote, only Red Tide grew there instead. Not exactly the same!

Q

I caught Sophia as she was ducking behind this huge elephant ear leaf to scare me. Haha, kiddo, joke's on you!

R

Finally, we reached our destination: the exotic butterfly exhibit. This is what it looked like as soon as we stepped inside, like an overgrown jungle with winged creatures flitting this way and that. Only you can't see them, because most were too tiny, and the rest were too fast.

S

Once in a while, a few would stop and deign to let me take their picture.

T

Sophia tried like the dickens to get one to land on her finger, but she remained unsuccessful. Meanwhile, a girl nearby managed to get one to land, and she was center stage for a long moment. How beautiful.

U

The big, vibrant, indigo flutterbyes were too fast for me to photograph with my iPhone, so you'll have to settle for these guys.

V

There were chrysalis upon chrysalis behind the glass where, I'm sure, it was even more sweltering than it was in the main part of the exhibit. I was starting to get faint.

W

The next window had several butterflies already emerged - and more emerging as we watched. It was tres cool. After that, I was growing more faint, and I had my hand up to take another picture when Chloë whacked my arm and knocked the iPhone into a pond. It sank right to the bottom, and my heart with it! Oh noes! Rob jumped down to reach in, but he couldn't manage, so another fella did the job for him. I got my phone back, but it was so dead. (Thankfully, it came back to life later that evening - thank you, Otterbox!!)

And then I very nearly did pass out from overheating, so I had to get OUT of there, sit down, and put my head between my legs. Whew! That felt awful. Rob had to help ME back to the car, which was a little bit like the blind leading the blind. I was sad to leave so quickly, but it was much too freakin' hot for my thinker to stay.

X

That night, having recovered, I decided to put my homemaking skills back to use. Truth be told, I've been a bit manic since Rob went in the hospital, so I've been keeping busy in between the inevitable crash-and-burn marathon sleeping sessions. So anyway, I have been cooking. Everything. Literally. Everything.

Y

That night, it was chicken burritos. I have stashed mix after mix, packet after packet, and they have just been multiplying like rabbits. So I decided to whittle down the herd and mixed up some fajita mix with the chicken tits I'd taken out the night before. So good, especially on the tomato tortillas - yum!

Bb

And then it was breakfast in the Crockpot. I diced potatoes,

Cc

and I threw them in the pot with some ham steak. No, no, Paula Deen.

Dd

Ee

So that was the mish-mash at night. I stayed up ALL night to make sure it turned out and didn't get ruined. I wanted Rob to have a good breakfast since he'd eaten so well in the hospital, y'know?

Ff

Eight hours later, this is what I found. It looked... okay in the pot. Actually kind of yummy, but since I don't eat piggies, I didn't try any.

Gg

It looked icky to me on the plate. But I woke Rob up to check his vitals eat breakfast, and he not only ate the whole plate, he asked for more! And ate another huge plateful. And then he went back to sleep. Apparently the girls liked the breakfast bake, too. Hm. Not bad. At the same time, I cooked chicken legs and potatoes in the Dutch oven. Manic, I'm telling you. (That was good, but the smell of the two things together made me wanna hurl. Seriously.)

Hh

The next morning, I took a selfie for my new profile pic. Look, my hair is growing! Slowly, but surely. Maybe I should rub the rest of the eyelash serum all over my head to make it grow??

Ii

Meanwhile, Rob's hair is growing like weeds. I hate him. Not really.

Jj

And little miss blondie let me braid her hair. She never lets me play with her hair.

Kk

Jack's been so excited to watch his window garden grow. He drowned the squash (bottom garden) but his beans are quite hardy. My squash is just starting to show!

Ll

After watching fireworks on the Fourth of July, Sophia caught a toad. She can catch anything, even when we tell her, "you'll never catch it! It's too fast!" It's like they jump right into her hands.

Mm

Chloë (whose face is boobooed because she and Sophie had an outdoor collision), try as she might, has trouble catching anything, so essentially Sophia catches them for her and then hands them over!

Nn

And then, while Chloë was holding the big toad, Sophia went and caught another, smaller one! Anything, she can catch!

Oo

Last night (Monday the 8th), we had a pineapple, so I tried hacking off the top to use our new coring tool on the rest. I could NOT hack it (sorry), so Rob had to step in. Here's me, playing the part of Carmen Miranda.

Pp

The tool worked eh, halfway decently, but we lost a lot of piña meat that way. I don't know about that thing, but at least I didn't pay anything for it!

Qq

We also had strawberries, so I just mixed them together and fed that to the kids after our Old El Paso-sponsored dinner. Sophia's favorite thing on the planet is a strawberry; she asks for them every single day of her life. No lie!

Rr

The kids devoured the fruit. They ate half that bowl!

Ss

I lightly sugared the remainder and decided to make fruit tartlets with them. I had made chocolate chip mini pies the other day, and my crust turned out awesome then, so I confidently made - I thought - the same crust. It was much too thick and doughy. Eh. I'll use my MIL's recipe next time. I hear it's the best!

Z

(Proof of the chocolate chip mini pies. The parchment paper slips worked perfectly to lift them out without having to dump them over, but I forgot to do it with the fruit tarts. I'll not forget again!)

Aa

I whipped the cream myself for the mini pies, but it was gone by the time I made the fruit tarts. I'd made a bunch of jello for the kids to snack on, and they ate it down with the remainder of the whipped cream. Too bad for me, but good for my figure, because I love that stuff!

Tt

I also turned out two loaves of bread last night - one I made by hand, and one from the bread machine. The handmade bread is way better. Goes to show!

Uu

The tarts, doughy crust and all, turned out beautifully. Sophia has probably eaten three-quarters of them herself. Well, the inside. She's been leaving the crust for others. Humph. I won't botch that operation again!

(Yeah, I probably will.)

Vv

And finally, after all that, we did another Kiwi Crate craft at night. The kids are feigning their excitement, but it's true they really were about that delighted when I suggested it!

Ww

The first half of the crate had them making an ocean in which to go fishing! I love that the crates come with everything - except scissors and water - needed to do the activities. Brilliance. Chloë's playing Vanna this time.

Xx

The girls love to color and decorate and do all things crafty, while Jack doesn't, so they took about nine times longer to design their fish and other sea creatures than he did. He went back to his Kindle and waited.

Yy

They did a really good job on their "ocean." I was especially impressed with a sea turtle that Sophia made.

Zz

Aaa

Finally, it was time to go fishing. They used Velcro tabs to catch the fish with the rods, and it worked well. Such fun!

Bbb

Ccc

Jack struggled a bit more than the girls with this, but eventually he got it. The Kiwi Crates are a bit young for the kids now, but it still helped with their manual dexterity. And the second half is always more educational than the crafty one.

Ddd

This time, the kids had to make observations about various objects in salt vs. fresh water. Even Rob joined in with the discussion about that!

Eee

Jack would say, "This is boring," every time he guessed wrong, but then, "This is fun!" every time he guessed right. Typical!

Fff

And finally, some obligatory kitteny cuteness. Lucky and Hunter are so adorable, I can hardly stand it!

Whew! That was a long post. You deserve a medal if you read the whole thing!

Fin.


Old El Paso & My Blog Spark Provided Dinner Tonight! #giveaway #contest

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

The winner selected by random is:

Random
#6:  Kelly D. who said, "I love Chinese food the most." 

Congratulations, Kelly! I'll be emailing you for information.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this fun giveaway!

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IMG_6124

I always love it when packages come in the mail - especially ones I'm not expecting! Today, I woke up to find a huge box waiting for me. It was my forgotten goodies from My Blog Spark: an Old El Paso Farmer's Market Kit! How fun.  Here's what I got:

  • An insulated market bag, which I cannot wait to put to good use,
  • An avocado keeper,
  • A chopper and bowl set, 
  • Old El Paso Fajita Dinner Kit, and
  • Taco Seasoning

I got together the fixin's for the rest of the dinner (ground turkey for me, ground beef for everyone else, bell peppers, chili peppers, onions, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream) and started cooking up a storm tonight. Everyone was eager to try out the goodies.

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I used the taco seasoning in both the gound beef (½ packet) and

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also in the ground turkey. It was really flavorful - not too spicy or overpowering; just right.

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I spent a good five minutes with the chopper unsuccessfully, before switching to my Ninja food processor and getting the onions, pepper and tomato minced in a matter of 30 seconds, but I was rushed and probably doing it wrong. I could tell it was very sharp, so I'll give it another go next time. I did love that I could color-code the containers for what they, well, contained! Onions in the white, peppers in the green, tomatoes in the red and... cheddar cheese in the purple?! Hey, they're complementary colors, so it works.

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In about 20 minutes, I had dinner on the table and everyone gathered 'round the table. Between the fixin's, my festive table runner, and the Fiesta Ware, it was a colorful spread, no? We said grace and then everyone fixed her own plate.

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Here's mine. I skipped out on the chilis - I don't do spicy, people! I piled everything high on top of my fajita and dug in. Oh, my goodness! Fresh, tasty, and nutritious to boot. What a great dinner! Even the kids raved about it. Honest! My younger daughter, Sophia, said, "Dinner was really good tonight, Mom!" to which the oldest, Chloë, replied, "No, it wasn't good - it was great! The best dinner ever!" (She's my 'best ever' everything kid.) 

High compliments to Old El Paso 'cause we tend to eat, like, every single day.

********

Would you like to win your own Old El Paso Farmer's Market Kit? Cool beans! ;)

Just leave a comment on this post with your favorite ethnic food by Friday night. On Saturday morning, the Random Number Generator and I will pick a winner from the commentors. That's it! Now GO!

Fin.

Full disclosure: My Blog Spark provided me with the dinner kit mentioned herein, but I was not otherwise compensated. Like always, my opinions are honest and completely my own. Amen. 


Sunday Stealing: The Wackadoo Meme, Part The First

 

Link up here if you know what's good for ya!

 

This week's questions come from Shopafreakingholic and it was stolen there as well, but the search doesn't go back any farther.

1.] What age is your youngest aunt?
 

Hm. Aunts. Nope. I don't have any. {{living}}  
 

 

2.] Do you miss someone right now? 

Right now, I'm missing my friends back in Virginia/Carolina. My friend Lisa from VA is coming down in October, though, and I can't waaaaaaaait to get in trouble with see her!!

3.] What can you see North West to you?

What do Kimye have to do with anything? {{Honestly, I have no sense of direction. I couldn't tell ya!}}

4.] Do you like bowling? 

 

I like it, but I pretty much suck at it.

5.] Can you pronounce Italian words?

 

I can make a passing attempt, most of the time, but all those z's and c's and vowels and stuff... man! Spanish is way easier for me.

6.] Do you prefer black or beige coloured jackets?

 

Really. Not even a blip on the outside edge of my radar, dudes.

7.] Do you own a hoodie? 

It's going to be one of those memes, isn't it? For the record, I have several, but since I live in Miami and none are short-sleeved, who knows if I'll ever wear one again?

8.] Do you like roasting marshmallows on a bonfire? 

 

I do. I only hate when it gets burnt and falls off, into the fire. That's the only way I do like marshmallows, though.

9.] Do you like cheesy puffs? 

POOFS, not puffs. Pffft. Of course I do.


10.] What's your name without vowels? 

 

MLN. That's right. I'm a melon.

11.] How many layers of clothing are you wearing? 

!!!! This meme has officially jumped the shark.

12.] When was the last time you got a take away? What did you have? 

 

Pizza, what else does one get for take-out? Oh, I guess there are plenty of choices, now that I mention it... but yeah. Pizza.

13.] If you could climb any mountain or range which would you choose?

 

No. I like the beach. If they are surrounded by mountains like in Guam, that's fine, but I'll be looking UP at them from the water. You feel me?

14.] Do you alphabetically arrange anything in your room? What? 

No.... but I do like to arrange my clothes by color. At least that makes SENSE.

15.] Have you ever visited fat-pie [dot] [com]? 

NOT GONNA DO IT! {{Wouldn't be prudent.}}

16.] Do you prefer sweet or sour fruits? 

I like citrusy fruits. No, I like all fruits. So yes and no. How's that for a non-answer?

17.] Do you like Flo Rida? Which song of his? 

Eh. He's aaaight. You know?

18.] How are your dancing skills?

I mean, I can tap, but I can't twerk. I can pirouette and plié, but I can't ... whatever. I belong in a dance studio and not the club. Really, now.

19.] What is your favorite number? 

64 is my longtime favorite number, and not just because of the crayons. I can't explain it. I like perfect squares, but this has been since before I knew what a square was. I guess I've always had a bit of the mathematician in me!

20.] Describe your best friend to me? 

She's funny, kind, and smart. And sane. And she does what she set out to do for a living and is a great mother. She's everything I wish I could be, and more. I love you, Lisa Joy!

21.] What is your favorite alcoholic drink?

It's true. I love me a piña colada. Mai Tais are second, but piña first.

22.] Do you do any sports or have you done any sport professionally? 

'Nuff said.

23.] What is your ringtone?

Damn if I know. I made up all kinds of ringtones for my iPhone 4, but now that I have the 5, I can't figure out how to do it again! So I have... whatever.


24.] Do you like chilli flavoured chips/crisps?

Ignore the top part. It's the best I could find. In a word, ew. No. I don't like spicy. Also, you spelled 'chili' wrong. Just sayin'.


25.] Do you curl or straighten your hair? 


I've done both, but I haven't enough hair to do either right now. So, no.

26.] What's the nicest smell of shampoo? 

Growing up, my stepmother (TBFH) always bought this apple pectin shampoo. It smelled nice; I liked it. Hey, she couldn't have gotten it all wrong, amirite?

27.] What smell turns you on? How about turns you off? 

On: I like any cologne on my hubs, but Drakkar is by far my favorite. He almost never wears any, though, which is stupid, 'cause he'd get more if he did. Yeah, I went there.

As for off? You guessed it:


28.] Who's your favorite comedian? 

Ellen DeGeneres has long been my favorite funny-girl. Love her. Wanda Sykes is pretty close. Maybe I prefer lesbians?

Love Larry David, too. He's my boyfriend.

29.] RnB or Reggae?

I like 'em both, but Reggae reminds me of being in the Caribbean in my youth, and those were good times. So it wins.

Fin.


Saturday 9: Dedicated To The One I Love

At least this time, I'm only a day late, instead of three or four. Or five. Link is here if you're a latecomer like me!
Thanks to Diana for recommending the Mamas and the Papas. (You can listen to the song here.)

1) The lyrics include the line, "Love can never be exactly what we what it to be." Are you happy with your love life?

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I am ecstatically happy. Marrying Rob was the one sure thing, the one thing I got right in this life.
2) Another lyric is, "Each night before you go to bed, whisper a little prayer for me." Do you say your prayers?
I do pray. When I thought my husband was going to die two weeks ago, and when my son was really dying, are the hardest, most earnest times I've prayed. I mostly pray thankful as opposed to asking prayers, but they all count.
3) Mama Michelle and Papa John were married in real life. It didn't end well -- not for the couple and not for the band. Do you believe you could work successfully with a romantic partner?
I have done it, and it was okay. Sure, I think it's doable. Maybe it didn't work in this case, but that's just one example.

4) After the band broke up, Michelle tried her hand at acting and eventually became a regular on the nighttime soap, Knott's Landing. Of course, she could live off of her music royalties while she learned her new craft. If money was no object, what career would like to try?

If money were no object, I would arts and crafts as my working-hobby. I mean, I do ply my hand at it in my Etsy shop, changing my wares with my whims, but I haven't been too successful. I do it for fun more than anything else.
5) There is a famous rumor -- completely false -- that Mama Cass died while eating a ham sandwich. Can you think of another urban legend? 

I can think of a hundred at any other time, but man, you put me on the spot and they disappear! I think my sister-in-law did her thesis on urban legends, or something like that - ask her! ;)
6) In the 1960s, every high school girl wanted to wear her hair like Michelle and Cass -- long and straight. Can you recall a fashion trend from your school days?
It was the 80s. Come on. High hair - high, high bangs with a can of hairspray in it. Ugh. I played along, too. It was not so pretty.
7) With the Fourth of July falling on Thursday, are you able to enjoy a looooong four-day holiday weekend?

I guess you could say that, yeah.
8) Many communities have parades to celebrate Independence Day. Have you ever ridden on a float or marched in a parade?

I have. As a Brownie, and later as an adult Girl Scout leader. Also in the 4H club as a kid and... for something else I can't remember. Dancing, maybe?
9) In honor of the Fourth of July, name your favorite Founding Father.
I think Ben Franklin was my favorite. I'm pretty fond of electricity... 
Well, onto Sunday Stealing. "BRB," as my girls like to say!
Fin.

Because A Holiday Is Like The Weekend, Part II

Link up here if you wanna, folks!

This week's questions come from Academic Cog, and she wrote the questions herself because she hadn't seen a summer meme in a long time.

1.) What first tells you that Summer is here? 

 

I think I usually know when Daylight Savings starts. The longer days are the key for me.

2.) Name five of your favorite distinctively Summer habits or customs. 

1. Spending too much time at the beach/pool/other body of water.

 

2. 

3. dreaming of traveling, if I'm not doing it

4. sweating profusely, and

5. eating frozen yumminess!


3.) What is your favorite smell of Summer? 

toes in the grass, fresh-cut grass, rolling in the grass...

in other words, grassy, grassy grass!


4.) What is your favorite taste of Summer? 

Anything strawberry! 

Or watermelon

or citrus

or any fruit, really...!


5.) Favorite Summer memory? 

 

long, hot days at the Jersey Shore

jumping in waves

getting knocked over, tumble tumble tumble

flattened onto the shore

getting up and

doing it all over again!

6.) Extreme heat or extreme cold? Which would you choose and why? 

 

I would say 80-90º is okay, but I can't deal with extreme anything.

We went to a botanical garden today, and we

visited the exotic butterfly exhibit.

It was screened in, and that made it exceedingly hot and humid.

I damn near blacked out.

It was no fun... but at least I wasn't shivering!


7.) What books do you plan to read for the season? 

 

no books planned.

i have a stack of magazines a mile high that needs my attention first!


8.) What is your favorite part of summer? 

TODAY!

Independence Day is my favorite holiday, so naturally

it's also my favorite part of summer. 

I love everything about it:

fireworks

picnics

patriotism

family

heat

late nights

E V E R Y T H I N G ! ! !

9.) What's your favorite quintessentially summer food? Least favorite? 


 

favorite:

corn on the cob!! there is nothing better than sweet, juicy corn

least favorite:

baked beans. aka barf in a bowl. 

ICK!

10.) Best beverage to beat the summer heat: 

 

i'll take whatever this is, please. maybe two.

11.) Least favorite/most annoying thing related to summer?

does it get any worse than bug bites?!


12.) Pick one: the lake /the beach. 

a good beach is my favorite thing on Planet Earth

13.) Most amusing summer vacation trip you've ever taken?

 

i'm going to take 'amusing' in the sense that it was highly interesting, and not funny,

so i'll go with our

2008 june/july mediterranean cruise.

you can read all about it here.

14.) Most ridiculous/cringe-inducing/blush-provoking summer outfit you have seen? (Bonus points if you yourself were wearing it!) 

like, really, britney??

15.) Your absolute dream summer afternoon would be: 

i actually have lain in a hammock in the summertime, at the beach, in the Bahamas, on a private island.

It was the shizz.

I'd do it again any day of the week.

Minus the Bahamas part. Not my favorite country...


16.) If you could go anywhere on summer vacation where would you go?

my husband went SCUBA diving in micronesia when we lived in guam, in 2003

i couldn't go because

i was pregnant with our twins.

it's on my bucket list - 

i'm so jealous of him!!

********

have a great 4th of July, my fellow americans!

Fin.


Because A Holiday Is Like The Weekend, Part I {Saturday 9}

Because of Rob's brain tumor situation going on for the past 10 years, I haven't been participating for the past two weekends, and I've missed it. Link is here if, like me, you're late doing Saturday 9 this week. 
{I actually did do it the prior week, but Typepad once again ate my whole post, and I was in too much turmoil with Rob to redo it. Such is.}
Thanks to Bankerchick for suggesting JT 

1) When was the last time that you got dressed up, or to borrow from Mr. Timberlake, "fixed up to the nines?"
Oh, my goodness, I can't even remember. It's been a while since Rob and I had a hot date, so maybe a year? Two years?

2) Justin Timberlake is known for his threads. Do you try to keep up with fashion trends?
In a word, no.

3) While on tour, Justin has a cigar roller on call so that he and the band can enjoy a "gentleman's club" atmosphere back stage. Do you enjoy the smell of a good cigar? 
In the same one word, no!!! Gross.

4) Justin appeared on Star Search when still in grade school, and he's been working ever since. When Crazy Sam was that age, her only "job" was to load the dishwasher and for this she earned her $1/day allowance. Did you work when you were a kid?

I had tons of household chores and started babysitting when I was twelve. That was eons ago.
5) JT has appeared several times on Saturday Night Live, a show that premiered before he was born. Who is your most favorite ever SNL cast member of all time?

Melanie something. Hudsel? Ketzel? Something like that. She made me laugh the most. And not just because we share a first name!
6) Justin is a very good golfer (6 handicap). Will you play this summer?
Me, golf? Are you mad, or what?
7) A round of golf requires hours outside in the elements. Have you ever endured a painful sunburn?

8) When they were young, Justin dated Britney Spears. Obviously, it's been easy for him to keep up with her successes and problems over the years. Do you wonder how one of your exes is doing?

I know how all of the exes I really care about are doing, and I don't care about the ones I don't know about. How's that?
9) Ever since his days with n'Sync, Justin Timberlake has supported music education. Did your grade school offer music classes? If so, do you remember any of the songs you learned then?
Yes, of course it did. I thought they all did, actually, until I was a parent and started paying attention to that stuff. I remember lots of the songs. I starred as the Caterpillar in an elementary production of Alice in Wonderland, and I stole the show! I even remember most of that dance. I do have to give props to my hated stepmother for making me the show-stealing costume! She had sewing skillz, I'll give her that much.
Welp, that was quick. On to Sunday Stealing. Stay tuned...
Fin.