Pet Peeve of the Day

I was watching some reality TV... This is when this pet peeve is the most aggravated...

"I'm giving 110%!"

There is not a time when someone says that on TV that you won't hear me groan or yell at the TV or something.

It makes me crazy. If you say it in my presence, be certain I'm chewing on my tongue to keep from commenting - or I'm actually commenting and you're annoyed with me. lol

You can't give more than 100%. It's a silly little thing but nonetheless...

That is all.

Audiobooks

I love - love love love - to listen to audiobooks while I'm cleaning and cooking.

But so often this is how it goes...

Everyone is outside playing (and on this day I mean Leah, Hannah & two cousins - Elaina & Julia). I'm starting dinner and I think to myself: ohh. now is a good moment.

So I quickly plug my phone into the external speakers I keep in the kitchen and hit play.

*split second passes*

Hannah: MOMMY!

sigh. pause the book.

Answer Hannah's request.

Back to cooking.. wait a few minutes... push play again.

*about 2 minutes pass* (That was a good long time, right!?!?)

Leah: MOOOOMMMMMM!

Pause. Yes?

Elaina: I'm thristy. 

Sigh. pause the book.

You get the idea. 

So this generally happens four or five times before I yell at everyone. It makes me insane. It's like my pushing play triggers my children's request. It's worse than going to the bathroom!

Still I enjoy it. I get to do it the most when everyone is asleep or if Drew takes the girls to the park or some place.

Besides - the only thing worse than my listening to an audiobook or going to the bathroom? Actually sitting down and opening a book to read. That makes everyone go completely INSANE. Even Drew can't handle it. He has openly admitted he suddenly feels like he needs to compete for my attention with the book.

Oy. Some people's kids and husbands, eh?

Good thing I love them!

Procrastination Meme

What am I procrastinating? I'll answer that later...

heh.

1. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be?

Hmm. I'm so loving the location I'm in right now that's hard to say. I'm definitely a fan of civilization! We have spent the last 5ish years leaving basically 100 miles from everything so at this moment I'd have to say my standards of location are fairly low. lol

I've wanted to have a home in Italy though. Or Ireland. One of those two places.

2. What is your favorite article of clothing? 

I have these 5 gowns/summer dresses. I love love love them. They don't touch too much of my skin (on the sensitive skin fibromyalgia days). They are flowy and comfy. My friend Jen (who also has fibro) told me about them one day and I ordered one, then another, then... you get the idea. I love them.

I also have this jean jacket I love. It makes whatever I'm wearing look better. Best jean jacket ever. It was made for me. I hate that it's too hot to wear it right now!

3. Last CD you bought? 

Sigh. Shake It Up. Leah cried and begged for it. We were getting ready to run out of town to go pick up the UHaul before we moved and she was headed off to her second to last day of school. And when it occurred to her we were going to pass a Walmart she wanted to come sooooo badly. It took me forever to get out of her why. Apparently one of her friends had told her she'd gotten this specific Shake It Up CD from the Walmart in Casper. Oy. The angst. That was a first for me from my own child. I got it while I was in there. She was very very happy.

4. What is your favorite place to be? 

I like to be where groups of family and/or friends are gathered.

5. Least favorite place to be? 

The doctor's office. What good comes of that?

6. Are you strongest in mind or body? 

Mind. Without question.

7. What time do you wake up? 

It's not normally of my own choosing. I get up when Hannah gets up - anywhere from 6:30 - 8:30.

8.  Favorite Kitchen Appliance

Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. Love. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

9. What instrument would you like to play?

I can play the piano with mediocrity. I sing. I can play the guitar some. And I used to be really fantastic at the clarinet - it's been a long time though. I always wished I'd tried a brass instrument - just so I could learn to play the french horn. Why? Did you hear the name? The French Horn. Besides - it sounds cool (The name and the sound the emits from the instrument when played well)

10. Favorite Color

Depends upon the subject. I love blues (most shades) in clothing. In decorating I really just like earthy colors - earthy reds, yellows, browns, etc.


11. Sports Car or SUV?

I'm just gonna be honest here - I seriously love my minivan. A lot. I know that makes me not cool but I really do.

I also really love big trucks.

12. Favorite Children's Book

Barnyard Dance!

13. Favorite Season

Fall - Because then the relief of heat is OVER. Oy I hate being hot. (I am at this very moment so it's on my mind. If you asked me this question during winter I'm pretty sure I'd say Spring!)

14. Least Favorite Chore

I hate to put away laundry. And I'm not using 'hate' in some lose sense. I seriously loathe it.

15. Favorite Day

I've always thought that was a funny question and before being a railroad wife I guess it was probably the weekend days but that's not part of railroad life. I guess my favorite days are the ones when Drew is home and there is no school - then we all get to be together like a "weekend" day. And days when I touch base with the people I love - those are always better days.

16. Favorite Food

Sushi & Seafood (all the better if they're in the same meal - and often they are.)

17. Favorite Drink

Ice Water but I wouldn't turn down an ice drink like a virgin strawberry daiquiri at the moment. 

18. Favorite Word

Really? That's an odd question. I don't have a single favorite word. I do have words I just like the sound of - or some that I say and think (or say outloud): I really need to find more reasons to use that word! But I can't think of one at the moment.

19. Favorite Inspirational Book

That's not really my genre - and it seems cliche to just say - The Scriptures. I don't think that's the intent of the question. How 'bout my favorite book?

No... Wait. I can't answer that question either. It just depends on my mood. I love The Wheel of Time Series most of just about anything. Fantastic books. FANTASTIC.

But my all time most sentimental favorite book is The Girl of the Limberlost. Happy Sigh.


20. Who would you like to play you in the movie of your life? 

What in the world? I have no idea - Clearly she should have red hair. And be awesome.

Fried Donut Holes (Wheat Free)

Jelly Donut Holes
Makes 16-18 donut holes

Ingredients
1/2 cup milk
TB Butter butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups Artisan Gluten-Free Flour Blend*
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
Oil for frying

Those are all the things I used.

The instructions are here.

For the jelly I just used blueberry all fruit jelly. I stirred it until it was liquid enough and piped it into the donut holes.

*In the flour blend I substituted 1/2 cup arrowroot for the 2/3 cup corn starch. You use about half the flour blend recipe.

That's not funny!

Do I count as a blogger anymore? I'm seriously going long stretches here.

There are several factors. One - my laptop has been busted for awhile. And I don't mean it kind of doesn't work. I mean it's BUSTED. It's in pieces.

And I've been doing genealogy. A lot. So when I sit down at this desktop I am generally organizing dead people - which I love to do.

We are moving in two weeks and I've been packing, dejunking, organzing. Ew.

In really fantastic news, I am getting a new laptop in the next week or so. I so miss being mobile with my computer!

Now to the point of this post...

Just a funny little video of Hannah. She does the greatest dirty look!

Tattooed Smurf

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

(I wish I had actually videoed her seeing herself in the mirror. It was hysterical!)

A little more…

Enchilada Sauce

Today I totally made this up using things from the last two posts....

1/4 - 1/3 cup oil (olive, vegetable, whatever you want)
1 heaping cup of Taco Seasoning
2 T. glutinous rice flour
2 cups of Spinach Marinara Sauce
2 cups of Water

Heat the oil. Adding the seasoning and rice flour. Stirring constantly to avoid burning the flour. Do this until it darkens in color - it only take a few minutes. Add 2 cups of the sauce and 2 cups of water.

Let heat through. Just a few minutes.

Done.

Oh my word. I dipped tortillas in it and put cheese in them and baked them until hot and bubbly at 350. You could of course do this with ground meat, chicken, beans, cheese - or any combination there of.

YUM.

That would have been a lot of work if I'd started with the goal of making enchilada sauce out of it but since it was leftover marinara and taco seasoning that was already made it was a quick dish!

Note to self - always make extra of these things.

Taco Seasoning. The End.

I've made a lot of taco seasonings over the years.

Different proportions, different this and that.

Sometimes I've still bought it over the years but since discovering Daughter #1 is allergic to wheat - this has not been an option.

I tried this one this week and it got seriously rave reviews from my crew...

http://glutenfreemonkey.blogspot.com/2009/03/gluten-free-taco-seasoning.html

The only thing I changed was the cornstarch. I used arrowroot powder.

Big Batch Gluten-Free Taco Seasoning

1/2 c. chli powder
3 T. garlic powder
3 T. onion powder
2 tsp. oregano
4 tsp. paprika
3 T. cumin
2 tsp. table salt
4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 c. arrowroot powder
1.5 tsp. ground red pepper

Combine in a pint jar with a lid (or a baggie works) and shake well.

3 T. for 1 lb of meat.

This is what I do - Ground turkey, thawed and crumbled in the pan. Add the seasoning and water (2/3-1 cup). Browning/cooking the turkey with some water in the pan gives it a great texture. 

*If you follow the link above you can get the proportions for just one batch. I never do that though.

Spinach Marinara Sauce

First I have to say - yay for crockpots!
Second I really loved this sauce. It is wonderful but Drew? He said:

"This is the best sauce I have ever put in my mouth."

And then he wanted to know could he just eat it as soup... I think he liked it!

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 finely grated carrot
•  2 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 oz tomato paste
• 28 oz peeled tomatoes, pureed, with juice
• OR 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, with juice
• 15 oz can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 4 teaspoons oregano
• 4 teaspoons basil
• 1-2 tsp ground red pepper
• 4 teaspoons salt

Heat oil in a skillet, saute onions and carrots until soft, add  garlic, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, salt. Continue to saute until garlic and herbs are fragrant.

Add to the crockpot: spinach and all tomato products and the sauteed mixture.

Cook on high for 4 hours or so. Or cook on low for longer - 6-8 hours. (From this point I really don't think you could mess it up. It just needs to cook a good long time so the flavors mix.)

PS - Crushed tomatoes are fine. I did the pureed ones to use up some whole plum tomatoes I had in the pantry.

Dino Socks

I first saw these on pinterest (click to see the pin and repin if you want) which links to this blog:

Happy Together

I didn’t have any kids knee socks like she suggested so I got some of my own socks I thought would work and after I cut the slit I cut and sewed closed the heel to just create tube socks the girls could wear.

I finally did this because Leah has silly sock day today. So she’s wearing the ones in the second picture and some jean capris. She was so excited. I tried to get her to wear one of each sock but she wouldn’t do it!

After I took the pictures I noticed that 2nd pair only had five spikes on the right sock. That’s what I get for doing it while I’m chatting on the phone. I cut it and fixed it. They match now. Whew.

The only part of this project that took a bit was cutting out the spikes. I had to cut out 24 hexagons. I like the way they look though. Doing a strip of triangles would have taken less time but I think the little shapes were worth it. Even at that I had both pairs done within a couple hours. And it wasn’t dedicated time. Hannah, Ava (I babysit her sometimes. She’s 12 days older than Hannah), Drew was here, etc. Anyway – my point – It’s easy. That is all.

And how cute are Hannah’s legs!?!?