Quick Idea

When you're at one of those restaurants that give kids a couple crayons and something to color on, break them in half and give each kid half of each color. Doubles the crayons and avoids arguments over who gets what colors!

What Happened to Your Mom and Dad?

she asks me out of the blue.
Gulping back tears that immediately closed around my throat I answered, "I guess they stopped loving each other honey."
"How did they do that?"
"Maybe they didn't spend enough time together, maybe they didn't want to try anymore ... I don't know baby."
"They love new people now?"
"They are both married to new people now."
"Does that make you happy?"
"They seem happy."
"Does that make YOU happy?"
"I'm glad they are married to people who make them happy."
Eye balls me. "Are you happy about it?" (have I mentioned she's really good at working around my hedging?)
*sigh* "No, honey. When I think about my mom and dad not being married it makes me feel really sad inside. But they aren't anymore and they both married new people. So I have learned to be happy for them and deal with it."
"So Grandpa Rod and Grandma Sandy are your new mom and dad?"
"No, baby. My mom and dad will always be my mom and dad. The people that my mom and dad married - Grandpa Rod and Grandma Sandy? They are my step parents because they married my mom and dad."
"So your mom and dad are still Grandma Char and Grandpa Kim?"
"Always will be."

Why are these talks always so hard?
I guess I have to learn to deal with it. I imagine they are only going to get harder.

"Mom, what's sex?"

GAH!

Kettle Corn

1/4 c Oil (doesn't matter what kind you use)
1/3 c Sugar
1/2 c Popcorn (I use "mushroom" kernels, but any kind will do, I suppose)
Salt to taste

Place oil and 3 kernels of popcorn in stove kettle; wait until they pop.
Dump rest of popcorn and sugar into kettle.
Stir constantly.
When popping stops, dump into bowl.
Sprinkle with salt.
Toss till cool to discourage sticking.

News Reel ...

The PINK means it's FRICKIN FREEZING

FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET CONTINUES ACROSS NORTH TEXAS
TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW FREEZING TONIGHT WITH PERIODS OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET.
ICE ACCUMULATIONS
MANY ROADS HAVE BECOME COATED WITH ICE AND SLEET THIS EVENING AND TRAVEL IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED.
ROADS WILL REMAIN ICY THROUGH MID MORNING WEDNESDAY AS TEMPERATURES SHOULD REMAIN BELOW FREEZING UNTIL LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING.
ROADS... BRIDGES... AND OVERPASSES IN THE WARNING AREA ARE SLICK AND HAZARDOUS.
EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION IF TRAVEL IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
KEEP AN EXTRA BLANKET... FLASHLIGHT... FOOD... AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE YOU BECOME STRANDED.

You, ya YOU. Stop laughing.

Butter Chicken

Not from the bottle and oooooh so delicious!
Thanks, Dawn!

4 Chicken Breasts
500 ml Sour Cream
1 sm. Onion
2 t Ginger Paste
2 t Garlic Paste
1/2 t Garam Masala
1 1/2 T Tandoori Powder
2 t Kasoori Methi
1 t Red Chili Powder
14 oz can diced Tomatoes
5 T Butter
1 t Salt

Cut chicken into cubes.
Finely chop onion.
Heat butter in a pan over medium heat.
Add onion, ginger and garlic.
Cook until onion is translucent.
Add tomato puree, tandoori, chili powder, garam masala, salt and kasoori methi.
Cook uncovered for 5 minutes.
Add chicken and cook covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat, add sour cream and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring regularly.
Serve hot with rice or naan.

This was enough for my family with all of us eating some sticky rice and naan. So bigger eaters will need to make more. You won't be sorry!

Wen

No, I didn't misspell the title. It's Wen. As in the hair product.I'll admit it, I got drawn in.
It was late at night.
I was bored.
Nothing good to watch in MTV or VH1.
I was hurting.
So as I flipped through the channels I caught myself slowing down as I came to an
an
an
an infomercial.
It featured all of these women with beautiful hair.
Long, short, curly, straight.
Asian, Caucasian, African American, Polynesian.
They had me hooked.
What did I do?
I thought it over for at least a couple weeks.
Then I called my mom and wheedled.
"Mom, you know what I'd LOOOOVE for Christmas?"
At first I wasn't too sure I was getting any results and I felt gypped.
GYPPED I tell ya!
Then I did their intensive moisturizing treatment and
wow wow.
Here are the results on my curly, out of control, frizz prone hair
on a rainy day!My hair is dry!
It's now officially that glossy when it's DRY.
Am I the only one whose mouth is dropping open?
Oh ya baby.
Bring on the weird hair care products!

Riding Lessons

After hearing time and time again at the Autism conference that the two best therapies for our kids is hippo and aqua I looked into it and signed both my kids up for equestrian lessons. Can't sign up the boy and not the girl.I'm all about equality.

Or something.
This week they went twice, once on Tuesday and again yesterday. The lessons are an hour each with Christian teaching them horse "etiquette", grooming, feeding, leading, proper reigning, blah blah blah.Christian is a super nice girl (woman, I guess. She's 25), who's patience personified, friendly, ultra knowledgeable and a perfect fit for my kids.
Especially the girl.
Ms. R is in love with her.
And "her" horse.

A lesson

THIS is why you don't put candles in the attic when you live in Texas. Too bad I forgot that small fact. Frickin' Frackin.

New Years Resolution

Mine is rather silly, but one I know I'll have fun doing and not want to weep, wail, gnash my teeth and think ugly things about myself if I don't accomplish it.
See and record all 48 continental United States license plates.
Stop laughing.
Seriously.
It's a FUN goal, yeah?
I figure with all the transient people here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and the far flung road trips we take in the summer, I should be able to accomplish it.
Mostly.
Maybe not those tough North Eastern states.
Those people don't seem to travel down here a lot. Or see much of the mid west.
Where DO they vacation?
I did see a Massachusetts plate the other day ... so I haven't given up hope altogether, yet.
Good thing, since it's early on in the year yet.
If I get really desperate, I may stop by a U-haul place and check out the plates on the trucks there.
See, I already have a contingency plan.
It's all in the planning I tell you.

25 things

I was tagged by Mandy. I'm not sure there are 25 things you don't already know about me though. I write EVERYTHING here. Soooo ... here goes ...

1. I love moving. I love the whole process, finding a house, packing, shuffling ... It makes me sad that I haven't moved in almost 8 years.

2. I need a certain girly operation to stop something intensely embarrassing that happens daily. But am WAY chicken. Worry that the end result won't be worth the pain.

3. I have kept a journal from the time I was 8. I have 3 Rubbermaid tote full of them in the attic.

4. I hate Swiss cheese. I call it Stinky Cheese.

5. I don't really like even numbers. They make me feel funny inside.

6. I have a hard time with "about" times. If something happens at 3:34 I have to force myself to tell someone else "about 3:30". Why can't I just say "It was 3:34"?

7. I'm willing to play dirty to get what I want.

8. I love physical labor. It makes me feel like I have accomplished something.

9. If I had a super power, I'd be able to fly. Very un-original. But also very true.

10. I love pasta but hate Spaghettio's

11. I think I'm a good mom. Not to brag or anything ... but I do.

12. If the skies stay over cast for more than a few days I become reeeeeally depressed.

13. The best pizza I ever ate came from Aardvarks in Banff, Alberta, Canada.

14. I love my hair but wish I knew what products to use on it so it didn't frizz when I let it go natural and curly.

15. I think I have a pretty good problem solving sense. When people will tell me about different problems or scenarios, I can usually come up with one or more ways to improve it that hasn't occurred to them.

16. Hallmark commercials have the ability to make me cry. Always have.

17. I have known my best friend for more than half my life.

18. After living in the "Big City" with my kids, I don't think I could ever live in a small town (while they are still small). I just may have a panic attack.

19. In my brain I tell myself I think I am making "reasonable" goals, when in all reality, I know I am kind of a slacker.

20. Getting laser hair removal from Jerry for Christmas is possibly the best gift he's ever given me.

21. I have pretty thick skin, unless it's Jerry telling me something. Then I crumble like a ... really crumbly thing.

22. Though I project a fairly laid back mother attitude I am fairly hyper sensitive where they are concerned. Usual mom crap.

23. I would love to love shoes ... but I can never find pretty shoes that fit my size 6 WIDE, high arched feet. So I usually forgo shoe shopping for me and buy them for the kids instead. They have way cuter feet than I do.

24. I kind of hate how neither of my kids look anything like me. I GAVE BIRTH TO THEM for heaven sake! I should have SOME influence!

25. After my first German/French/Swiss experience I will never visit a country that is predominantly a language I am not comfortable with without a tour guide. I'm smart like that.

Auto Pilot

So, I got the ol' "Go Ahead" from Jerry to buy my plane ticket up to s. Alberta next month for a religious ceremony my dad and his wife are going through next month. I may have been a wee bit over excited. Two indicators: 1 - I used my maiden name on the reservation. I noticed this almost right away and immediately called up American Airlines and switched that info. 2 - I put my return date as March 2, the date I am actually returning from my VANCOUVER trip later that month. Fortunately, I'd called Jenie to let her know about when my flights were so they could also plan their trip/pick up. When I went to tell her the return time and date ... WHAT! CRAP! So once again my finger quickly dialed up AA... Once again, I hit upon good fortune. They had not processed my reservation yet, so there were no actual "changes" to be made. Saved $150 there.
Have I mentioned how much I love AA? Cause I do, I really really do.

What I Love About the Things I Hate

Mornings. I hate them with a burning passion that borders on possible psychosis. I hate the cold morning air, I hate the dew, I hate the frost settled on my truck, I hate waking up, I hate leaving my warm bed, I hate the angle the sun hits my eyes as I drive home from dropping Ms. R off, I hate the cold floors on my footsies ... I hate it all. What I love: Getting back into a warm bed after I drop the girl off at school. I have learned the fantastic skill of going back to sleep after being awake for almost an hour in the morning. By this time, the boy has ALWAYS climbed into my bed. So I carefully pull the covers back and snuggle my back up to his body which is always radiating heat and settle back in for at least another hour, if not two. It's glorious.
Pregnancy. I was not one of those women who "glowed" and made pregnancy look like a cake walk. I was sick, I was tired, I was irritable, I was annoyed, I was stressed, I felt fat. However, I got to wear overalls, which I have never been able to let myself wear (even though I love them). I'm not a mechanic or farmer ... therefore, for I think it's wrong. When you're preggers though, all rules go out the window. Heck, when you're preggers, you can wear your husbands shirts. Even if he's 6'7" and 230 lbs ... just makes the shirts roomier.
Baby on hip. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate babies I just prefer for them to be not babies. Espeically when they belong to me. I am not huge into how you have to carry them everywhere, how dependant they are, how they cry and give you no clue as to what they want, the night time feedings, how the whole world revolves around them, dirty diapers, carrying an extra bag just for them, how my back hurt from carrying around the extra 10+lbs. Having a blanket at church (with a good excuse and not feel like one of the old church ladies) to wrap around myself is a nice bonus though, darn does our church building get cold!

.

Eastward - Ho!

My mom and her husband Rod are talking about moving to Texas (again). This time their plan is to just come for the harsh Canadian winters so it's a more viable plan, hopefully we'll see a follow thru. Because of this (tentative) plan we have been all over the country (and I mean country not states) looking at properties, topography, meeting local people, seeing what towns are like, prices of various things, ect. Our wanderings took us out to east Texas where Jerry's parents live, so we took advantage of their very gracious hospitality and stayed at their place as we explored out there some more. We also visited Canton for the First Trade Days ... but that was like a side trip. Or maybe that was ACTUALLY the purpose of the trip but became secondary. Either way, we spent a day out in Canton taking in all there is to take in at Canton. Next time I have promised myself I am renting one of those power carts, my legs are a wreck by the end of the day. I don't think it's entirely because I weigh too much - I think some of it is simply because it's 8 hours of standing/walking on cement. Rod rented one this time and I took a turn wheeling around in it - oh my good gracious, it was a hoot!
Jerry's dad also convinced me to let me use his Flowbee on Brogan's wayward hair. Brogan was all about getting his hair cut, even requesting Wayne do so a number of times. However, when it came down to the actual cutting he was a little freaked out. Possibly because of all the noise, hoses and three people standing around just watching. In the end, between Wayne and I ... it turned out alright. At least at the current length it won't be sticking straight up or all fluffy all the time.

These are just pictures of us enjoying Wayne and Linda's back patio, eating kettle corn Wayne popped for us, playing cards and enjoying the 70+ degree weather we've been enjoying ... My mom needed to take pictures to remind herself there are places in the world without 6 foot snow drifts, below zero and BLOWING.