Ahhhh the basement

I’m still working on the basement.

I thought I had made more progress than what it actually looks like down there.

I said something to that effect to Italian Stallion, to which he replied, “Sweetheart, we’ve only thrown out about 6 bags total and most of that has been trash” … “ You know I can take care of all this for you if you want?”

Punch me in the gut why don’t you…

Trash? Excuse me? I know how you’d “take care of it for me”…

I have tossed some memories buster! My calculus tests and some old passed notes in high school…all my old lesson plans and countless folders of old study units that took HOURS to put together in the first place…I’ve put books, (yes you read that correctly) BOOKS into the “sell” pile…books, that I remember reading for the first time, where I was and the “movie” in my head as I read…

And yet…with all that…it doesn’t really look like I’ve made much of a dent down there..which only tells you how MUCH of a mess I’ve managed to store over the years…

It’s really a sad state of affairs…

I suppose I could look on the bright side…that I “have” stuff, that my house hasn’t burned down, that I don’t have long-term memory loss (or at least not enough that I can’t remember when I’m faced with an object to trigger it)

But OH the mess that still is my basement…long hours on the weekend, I sit on that cement floor and contemplate what I can pitch and what I must keep for future generations to go through and savor..er, umm…well, they’ll probably laugh and then pitch it themselves…but I say, power to ya cuz I just can’t part with some of those things until I can tell their “story” to my grandchildren…I keep telling myself that they will love me for it…

That is…unless they get their “Grandpa’s” sense of nostalgia..and in that case, they’ll look at me with a confused face, pat me on my hunched, wrinkled back and say, “That’s okay, let me take care of that for you” …

Little devils…Hmph!

Last weekend we took a break…

With Daddy being gone to meetings every night and Mommy taking pictures and the endless chores that they make the children do…the pain of it all…

We skipped church and had a fort-making day…

I don’t have a lot of pictures, because, as I stated earlier this week…I’ve taken enough pictures of people’s behinds that I was ready to set the equipment down for a bit…there’s only so much you can take people…but, not until I at least got a snapshot of the monstrosity that my dear Italian Stallion created in the playroom.

When I think of children’s forts, I think chairs and blankets and pillows as stabilizers…

Apparently this is another area where Italian Stallion and I differ…

He would rather obtain the tent rods (minus the tent) and some balls of yard in order to string up the room like a spider web ready to strangle you at any given moment and then throw over the sheets using chip bag clips to keep things in place…

Oh well…to each his own…

We enjoyed the day reading, coloring, playing puzzles and napping in our “fort”…lots of together time for sure.

Guess What...

SOMEbody got to pick a prize from the prize box...

A "prize box" you say?  Whatever do you mean?  Where is this prize box?  What meaning doth it have? What signifance therefore cometh from procuring a prize from hence wherein?

(I just got a Jane Austen book from the library...trying to get myself back into classic and OLD literature...whoa...need some help there)

Anyway...Little Munchkin...after 60 minutes of walking around the house, playing simon says and the hokie pokie, jumping on the potty every 5 minutes only to "hold" it once again, more walking, some jumping and a few spins...she FINALLY let it go!

We have had one BIG OLE deposit into the potty...for the very first time...and I swear her waist size shrunk about 2 inches! 

Daddy (and Mommy for that matter) has had enough with the diapers...and so he suggestd I take her out shopping for some major "prizes"...some tantalizing treats...some tempting toys...(better stop now, the aliteration is coming forth...)

So, we did...

We bought all manner of things Princess and sugar and deposited the "prizes" into a special box that she isn't allowed to touch, but sits at the base of the toilet in the bathroom...IF and only IF she poops IN THE POTTY, does she get a prize...TONIGHT was the night!

Afterwards of course we make a HUGE deal of it...there are the high fives, the flushing, the calling of friends and grandparents...however, as you'll see in the video following (which PLEASE try not to get dizzy watching...you'll see what I mean...) why we didn't get to call too many people...she spent most of her time discussing the value of the prizes within and wearing out the carpet...This is Little Munch talking to either Grandma, Auntie or Papa, telling them the good news...

by the way, if you're wondering where all her curls went...well, she asked Mommy to straighten it because she wanted to look like Rapunzel:)

Did you think I was on my death bed?

I'm not...athough I did call the doctor to determine if all my symptoms were related to mini-strokes, a virus or…holy crap quit working out so hard in the evening! In my expert opinion, with all my knowledge of all things medicine…I think it was probably some weird virus or just a really bad migraine..My body tends to have a delayed reaction within stressful situations…For example, it wasn’t until 8 months after my sister passed away that body finally gave in and decided to break out in massive hives all over for about 4 months…guess it’s the way I’m wired…


Anyhoo…

I’ve had a busy week…no busier than anyone else I’m sure, but I like to lament about it anyway Italian Stallion’s office hired me to take some photographs of their “kick off the year” meetings and then taking pictures of them bowling…I will say that I have had my fill of editing pictures of people’s behinds as they throw a 10 lb ball down an alley…whew!

In other news…and drastically changing subjects:

My husband likes to remind me how I married “up”… It’s a running joke we have between us…

I mean, how else would I have gotten myself to Hawaii, Cobos San Lucas, Grand Cayman, and now….

Yes, he has earned another trip…

And though I am sooo looking forward to some sun and one on one time with my hubby, I also know it comes with all the fear and trepidation that I possess when it comes to leaving my girls behind…I guess it just comes with the territory…

I’ll get you up to speed with all the details..but I’ll leave it for another blog…I need me some “blog topics!”

And now that my brain seems to be stable and not sloshing in my head making me dizzy and nauseous…and headaches seem at bay…it’s just me, my basement and some random editing on the computer…so, I hope to be a bit more “regular” with regards to blogging in the near future…

I'll be back soon!

About 4 days ago I started experiencing some crazy vision issues...nothing serious...more like, "I can NOT stand looking at this computer screen...my head starts to ache and I get these blinky things in my peripheral vision"...

Therefore, I've taken a break from the computer for the past couple of days...well...accompanied with those vision deterrants...I have also started to experience 2 days of headaches that can only be described as mind-blowing.  I would rather be in labor for 17 hours than deal with the pain that these headaches produced.  I tend to manage pain fairly well, in most cases...I can talk myself through things and make it tolerable...

In this case though, I was incapacitated...I literally fell into bed and pulled the covers over my head in agony.  Praise God for Ibuprofen and LOTS of it...I was prepared the 2nd day, so when I felt the ache coming, I ran for those tiny orange pills and wrapped up in a blanket on my mother in law's bed...This time it only took 15 minutes for it to subside...

so, why am I telling you of all my laments?...oh, cuz it gets better...

This morning I woke up "tilty"...I don't know how else to explain how unbalanced I felt...I literally kept running into the wall on my left...or I'd start tilting off to the left anytime I tried to get from one place to the other...my girls must have thought I was a little loopy..

I was able to cook them some omelets, fix their lunches and get some coffee going for myself...still clueless as to the problem...I got them outside to the bus only to start blanching white almost as soon as the cool air hit my face...I dropped them off with my wonderful neighbor friend and made a run for it, back to the garage...

Yes, well...I didn't make it...apparantly headaches and dizziness can lead to a stomach bug...I've informed my husband that he's going to want to pull ALLLLL the way into the garage when he returns home and perhaps plan on getting the mail while still in his car rather than walking to the mailbox...I'll only be opening the smaller garage door for when the girls return home as well...

TMI???  so sorry...but, I'm cooped up in a house and have been watching hours of Handy Manny and Mickey Mouse Club and I need to get it out..

okay, sorry for that pun...

I will say that I am guessing that the fact that I was movin' and groovin' to Jillian Michaels last night until my abs were screaming and cussing at me and then sat down and ate peanut butter graham crackers...must not have been a good combination either...

Little Munchkin felt badly for her mommy feeling so badly, so she thought it would be appropriate to "let it out" as well...although, hers is more focused on the lower half of her anatomy...let's just say that I decided to forego the panties today and went back to diapers for the time being...

that's my day folks...thanks for listening...I"m heading back to the couch...got me a date with Elmo...perhaps we'll be learning about the benefits of bleach today:)

Textures

I'm cheap...

I don't mean that in a derogatory way...I just really don't like to spend money for things when I can either find them free somewhere or make them myself.  Now, granted, if I made a ton of money and was extremely busy, I'd probably be more apt to hire someone or purchase things to make my life easier...

But, currently, as a stay at home mom, I've got a couple hours that I can let the laundry go and just pour bleach in the sink to make the sour milk smell go away, while I play on the computer:)

A few days ago, I introduced you to actions.  I have created my own actions based on what I normally do when I upload my images to the computer...but, I really do like the ones that Coffee Shop and Pioneer Woman have made available...and with my own tweaking and running combinations, I can make them my own.

Another thing that is fun to do to pictures to make them really stand out...make them "canvas quality" as I like to put it...is to put a texture on top.

You can make your own textures or find free ones online...just do a google search for free photoshop textures.  Or, if you are up for it...just start taking pictures of things.  I take pictures of the carpet, my textured walls, a cream sweater, sandpaper...you name it...

You can lay these images overtop your photo that you are working on in photoshop and then make it into a soft light or overlay layer...once you change the opacity, depending on the depth you are wanting...you can create a beautiful image all your own!

You can click on the above picture to see it enlarged more.  I plan on putting some of these "before/after" photos on facebook as well...for those that want the "recipes"...

NOT weight watchers approved

First of all...I watched the movie Julie & Julia.

So, I cooked an omelet this morning...you should have seen me shakin' that pan all over the place, making a racket...but, I gotta tell ya...Julia Child definitely knows a thing or two, cuz that omelet turned out pretty nice if I do say so myself...

This in turn got me in the mood to cook...especially on a day like today:

And so, what is a perfect meal when the air is bitter and the snow is falling?  (well, white chicken chilli is a top choice, but I made that yesterday...) So, we went with Beef Stew and Mashed Potatoes...

And now begins the craziness that is my life when I bring the camera into the kitchen...

Welcome...

I want to begin by saying that I wasn't necessarily what mother would call a homemaker's dream.  I would rather have scrubbed a toilet than clean dirty dishes...and I steered clear of the kitchen any time I could.  My poor mom, wanting to develop in me the skills of a homemaker: sewing, cooking, cleaning...yep, it was me and the basketball hoop and/or the books...

that is until I got married and then I kicked myself thoroughly for not heeding my mother's advice...

So the fact that I am even posting the following is quite a miracle in and of itself...my very first meal that I cooked for my dear husband was given to me by my brother's wife (then girlfriend...she was off to a MUCH better start than me for sure!) But this recipe isn't the first meal...I actually came across it about 5 years ago and in that time have gained a bit more confidence in the kitchen and therefore "tweaked" it a bit, to make it my own...

Without further ado:  Beef Stew  (hee hee...that rhymed)

You start off with some EVOO in the fryin' pan and brown yourself up some MEAT!

Seeing as I have younguns, I cut those beef stew pieces even smaller, into bite sizes (which also reduces the amount of time has to cook in the end as well)

Next, you get out a big onion and some garlic (yep that's garlic from the ole garden...are you liking the twang that I seem to have acquired?...must have to do with "home-cookin'" and watching too much Paula Deen) And lest you think I dare show you another lovely picture of me in goggles whilst chopping onions...think again...

While you enlist younger children to stir/brown the meat, you get yourself on over to the saute' of the onion and garlic...

Throw about 3 TBsp to 1/4 cup of flour onto the onions and keep browning them...they'll look a litle like yellow-y mashed potatoes...

Next, comes the good part...get some red wine...we use the good stuff that my hubby made in the basement...mmmmm, so delicious!  Add 3/4 cup of red wine to the onion/garlic saute.

Also add 3/4 cup water mixed with about 2-3 TBsp tomato paste...

Let that simmer while you head over and get a bunch o' carrots chopped up...

I like to steam them for a bit (again, less time in the oven if you get some of the cookin' done ahead of time)

Once the sauce gets to boiling, pour in the drained, browned meat...

and then add the carrots too...

Put that all into a baking dish, cover and put in the over at 300 degrees for about an hour to an hour and a half. 

Once it gets to only having about 20 minutes left in the oven, you can start on those mashed potatoes...my fave are yukon gold...but we can't find any of those in the store right now, so we settled for russet...but after I "doctor" them up with butter, milk, cream cheese and salt...oooooweeeee, they are YUMMY...

Put it all together and you get a warm, delicious meal that your tummy will thank you for later!  The scales probably won't, but everyone needs a break now and then:)

Happy Day!

Beef Stew Recipe

3 TBsp Olive Oil (half for browning meat, half for onion/garlic saute)
1.5 lbs beef chuck
1 onion
1 clove garlic (or more if you like the taste)
3 TBsp flour
3/4 cup red wine
3/4 cup water
2-3 TBsp tomatoe paste
a bunch of carrots (add as much or little as you want)

Preheat over to 300.
Heat oil & brown meat (set aside after draining)
saute chopped onion and garlic in oil
sprinkle flour over onion/garlic
saute until brown
stir in the wine
mix up the water & paste and pour that in as well
season to taste (meaning salt & pepper:)
wait until it thickens
return the meat and add the carrots (somewhere in there you can steam the cut carrots before adding to sauce)
Boil and then add to a baking dish, cover and put in over for 1 - 1.5 hours at 300

Make those mashed potatoes and serve along side or put the stew on top:)

Enjoy!