Thursday, February 10, 2011

I Aspire to Be an Eyeball Cook

February Challenge Question 10:

10. When you cook, do you measure out everything exactly, or do you eyeball it?
It depends.  If I’m making mac & cheese out of the box, I eyeball it.  (I’ve cooked that stuff for years.) For anything else, except for maybe instant oatmeal, I measure everything out exactly.  I’m kinda new to this whole cooking thing, so I don’t want to mess up my meals. I’m not accustomed to what all those measurements look like yet.  But I aspire to someday be an eyeball cook.  It would just make things quicker and require less dish washing. And that sounds wonderful.  Plus it would just make me look super cool. ;)

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Canasta: A Family Tradition


February Challenge Question 9:
 
9. What is your favorite family tradition?

 
Canasta! When my family gets together over holidays (or non-holidays) we always play Canasta. There's usually lots of trash talk, potty humor, and snacks involved, so as you can imagine, we have lots of fun.
 
We usually play partners.  Then we each give our team some original name like "The Winners" or "The Sharks." My Dad and Uncle Mike make up one team, Mom and Granny another, and my sister, Molly, and I the other. 
 
Molly and I weren't allowed to play when we were little, however. Canasta is for adults.  They would start playing when it was time for us to go to bed, so the game was always very intriguing.  When they finally decided we wouldn't be too annoying to try to play with, they put us together as a team.  They didn't want to join with either of us to form a new team; we’d be a liability.  And they were right.  We were awful. 
 
Then one day while Molly and I were losing again, I finally dragged her aside for a little heart to heart. "Molly, the key to Canasta is to make canastas," I told her emphatically.  I wanted to win. That little heart to heart was all it took.  After that we had about a year long winning streak. It was awesome.
 
When Michael and I got engaged, I knew that meant he would become my new Canasta partner.  He had to learn the game.  And to my joy, he's been a pretty good partner.  I just give him heart to hearts every now and then. ;)

Some family photos:



Oh, you have to see what Michael listed as his favorite family traditions:
 
Chocolate rolls on New Years' Day
Cream cheese braids on Christmas morning
Cherry and chocolate pie on Thanksgiving
Chocolate chip cheesecake on my birthday
Key lime pie on Dad's birthday
 
Notice a theme?


Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Sweet Kicks and the Space Craft outside Our Apartment


February Challenge Question 8:
8. What was the most serious trouble you have ever gotten in with your parents/teachers/bosses?

Well, the most trouble I've gotten in is with my parents, but I don’t think you want to hear about any of the times where I was disrespectful to them, and I, frankly, don’t want to relive any of those moments.  I never really got into much trouble at school.  Breaking rules makes me nervous.
However, I did have some trouble with getting to school on time.  This began as early as kindergarten.  I remember one morning my mom dropped me off at the school door, I in my pink and purple knock-off Wal-Mart Keds and purple stirrup pants with a half eaten Pop-tart in my hand because that's apparently the only breakfast we had time for that morning. (Mind you, we literally lived right down the street from the school.) Anyway, I hopped out of the car, and just steps from the door, the school bell rang and my kindergarten teacher looked at me, closed the door, and locked it.  Mom was not happy.

The tardiness continued in high school, but it really was my own fault at this point in my life. Luckily, however, I usually had classes like dance or theater first period where I really didn't have to worry about getting into any trouble if I was late. Senior year was different.  I had economics with crazy Mrs. E and would get my first and only detention for being tardy. I really have nothing ill to speak of Mrs. E. I mean the reason she was crazy was that she gave students who made a 100 on any assignment a 110, because if you could make a 100 you deserved a 110. (I think I made a 102 overall in that class.)  

So what led to the detention?  In high school, we had Tardy Sweeps. A Tardy Sweep worked something like this--the bell rang, a tardy sweep was announced (I can't remember if it was right before or after the bell rang), and all the teachers shut and locked their doors. Well, one particular morning I was running late, and seconds from the door, the bell rang for a Tardy Sweep.  Mrs. E looked at me, closed the door, and locked it.  Memories of kindergarten fled back to me; however, sadly, this time I did not have a Pop-tart or pink and purple Keds. (Stirrup pants wouldn't be in style again until a couple years later.)

So the security guards rounded up all us tardy people like cattle, not really like cattle but that's how it felt when it happened. They rounded us up to a long table at the end of the halls.  There I stood in line with hundreds, at least a hundred (I went to a big school.), other students to get our three hour detention slip. Yes, THREE hours! I almost got through all of public school without a detention, and at the very end I got a three hour one. I had to stay after school that day, which I did most days of high school because I was in theatre, but that day I had to miss theatre. 

I figured it couldn't be too bad, though.  I had my snacks and water bottle and the complete works of Tennessee Williams. I enjoyed reading A Streetcar Named Desire and The Glass Menagerie again, two of my favorite plays. (William's uses language so beautifully.) But they wouldn't let us eat or drink anything.  For THREE hours I couldn't eat or drink anything.  That was a serious punishment.  I had no idea they would be that cruel. Detention seemed like a piece of cake on TV.  I just remember my mouth being SUPER dry when I got home and complaining a lot about it to my mom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So it appears we have some sort of space craft living outside our apartment building.




Okay, it's not really a space craft, just some pipes that maintenance felt the need to bundle up.

Monday, February 7, 2011

My Friend's Jewelry is Etsy Worthy

It's Day 7 of the February Challenge! Join the fun!
Today's question:
7. Do you have a favorites list on Etsy.com? If so, will you share the link?
I don’t have a favorites list on Etsy.com, and I haven’t bought anything off the site yet, but I’m a huge fan. There are so many pretty things being sold there.
I’ve told my good friend Leslie, that she needs to sell the beautiful jewelry she makes on Etsy. Look, she made my wedding jewelry!

It's all so pretty and dainty!








Leslie and me on the big day.

It was so special to get to wear jewelry that she made for me! She has also made her own wedding jewelry and is making the jewelry for all us gals in her wedding party.  I’m excited to get more Leslie pieces! (I’m her matron of honor, by the way.J)
So, whenever Leslie sets up a shop on Etsy, her shop will be on my favorites list.  Keep an eye out for her!


Sunday, February 6, 2011

Agony: My Thoughts on Video Games

February Challenge Question 6:
6. How do you feel about video games?
Well, I get stressed out just trying to play Pacman, all those little guys chasing you and trying to eat you.  I don't do well with Frogger either. 
I also hate video game music.  My hubby has a lot of the old Nintendo games on his computer: Super Mario Brothers, Ninja Turtles, Tecmo Bowl.  Each one has more annoying music than the last.  I tried not to say anything at first.  He was having fun. (And if I ever tell him something he’s doing is annoying, he makes sure to do it more.) But then he started playing Ninja Turtles.  I tried so hard to keep quiet.  But I finally burst one day while trying to apply mascara: “It’s so ANNOYING!” He was in shock.  He had no idea.  And he laughed at me. Tecmo Bowl is the worst, though.  (This is the one he’s into now.) “Ready. Down. HUT. HUT. HUT,” over and over and over…and over. I’m dying inside!

Tecmo Bowl. (I do like their little pink and purple uniforms.)

He’s been pretty nice to me about it, though, like right now he has the volume turned down. Thank you, Sweetie. :)
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