"Like"

 

 

For those of you on Facebook, you are most likely very familiar with the graphic similar to the one above...the "Like" option. You are also probably familiar with the sidebar that suggests either people to friend (you know, those people you either only know because you've seen them in the street, they're a friend of one of your acquaintances or you haven't seen, nor care to see/talk to them since preschool...of course there's to occasional real one...but whose counting?) or what use to be becoming a "fan" of someone/something/somewhere.

 

Today's was the best though. Today's "Recommended Page" was...

 

Many people who like Walt Disney World like Starbucks.

 

No kidding. I can tell you exactly who those people are too. Those are parents who bring their children to Walt Disney World, go and see everything they can until they almost drop or they cannot stand their kids' whining and crying anymore, go to bed and do it all over again the next day.* Who wouldn't need/love a strong cup of coffee???! I know I did/do/will.

 

*I hold no judgement, we do the same thing! LOL

Good fortune

Tonight, after a quick dinner, CiBaby snatched up one of those unclaimed fortune cookies from a previous take-out night and excitedly awaited to hear what it said. Her fortune read:

"Today is an ideal time to water your personal garden."

Her take on the message? "Mama, that means we are suppose to teach people how to garden."

That's my girl!

Happy Birthday, CiBaby!

You are 4 years-old today. Amazing...truly amazing.

Yesterday we were talking about being a baby in someones belly and you said that you wish you had been in mine, but the truth is life would not be the same. I couldn't begin to imagine all of the differences, as there could be so very many.

The one thing that I do know is that Daddy and I are two of the most lucky people in the entire universe to have found such a wonderful girl to be our daughter. You bring us so much joy our hearts overflow daily. You are bright, inquisitive, funny, loving, imaginative, kind, beautiful, quirky and you just keep being you...because we cannot think of anything better.

We love you so very, very much honey. Happy Birthday!

Love, Mama and Daddy.

A Fish Tale

A couple of months ago, we gained a family member..."Ariel" the (male) Beta. Ariel was a get-well/you-did-great gift from Auntie and Great-Gram after  CiBaby's Dental Extravaganza. At first, CiBaby was really into Ariel, always wanting to watch him swim around...but he was soon forgotten. So as Mom, I took over the daily duty of feeding the fish.

Comfortable in his new home, Ariel would swim excitedly (T-Daddy can attest to this) around when we came anywhere near his bowl (which is actually a vase, but whatever) which is in the kitchen, so it's a lot. Anyway, last weekend we went away for a small trip, G-Mama and Bopa took care of Ariel and Jaz. I was a little nervous as no one was around to supervise the curious cat, nor was there a lid for the fish's abode. To our relief, all was well...until...

We arrived home Monday evening, Tuesday went well, until all of a sudden...CiBaby takes a HUGE interest in feeding the fish, by herself.

CiBaby: "Mama! I fed the fish!"
Me: "Aaah okay. How much did you feed it?"
No response.

I go over to the bowl and there are numerous pellets floating on the surface of the water. More than the fish needs, but not an insane amount. Making a mental note to clean the fish's bowl the next morning I go off to work for a late shift. During this time T-Daddy texts me, which I don't receive until after midnight...

T-Daddy: "The fish is dead! Probably over fed it."

What?! Now I know this is just a little fish and who knows how long they all live, but I felt terrible! Then I started to think about what did T-Daddy do with the fish? Did he explain to CiBaby about how animals die? Did he say anything at all? Did he flush the fish down the toilet? Did he leave it for me to do? What if the fish wasn't dead and he flushed it by accident???! This was all running through my head as I drove home from work.

When I got home I immediately walked over to where the bowl was to see a fish...swimming around! While it's belly did look slightly distended and his color was off, he was alive. At that point, I changed the water in the bowl (first step of detoxing the fish!), then went to bed. In the morning I finally responded to the text message that was sent to me the night before (which I didn't respond to because T-Daddy was asleep at that point), telling him how I was all worried about the fish and his text must have been some kind of joke.

Are you still with me? This is where it gets pretty good.

He immediately responds to me that the fish was actually floating last night and wouldn't even respond to taps on the glass and that he guessed it was a good thing that he didn't flush it like he was going to!

Good golly, Miss Molly! So the fish gorged itself to the point where it couldn't swim so it almost got flushed. Talk about one fin in the grave!

Moral of the story...if you think your fish is dead wait 4.5 hours to flush it.

Speaking of "Magic..."

When in the world did the word "please" become magic??? I don't know about you, but to me, "Please" and "Thank You" are key words in civilized society...a society that is sometimes forgotten and fantasy and "magic" come to call in its place. Good manners, humility and graciousness are not magic, they are essential.

What's the magic age?

So much of what we do is decided for us, like the age you can start driving (15 with a permit, 16 with a license...at least on the tundra, but not a farm), buy cigarettes, vote, join the military, drink (at least legally), and get a better insurance rate...but what about other things? Being a girl I think of wearing make-up, dating and getting your ears pierced.

When I was young I was in dance, shocker, I know. Make-up was no big deal as you got to get "dolled-up" for recitals. I don't recall ever being told that I could not date until I was X age,* but ears pierced...here's where an age came for me. I had to be 13. Why 13? I have no idea.**

Why do I bring this up? What made me start thinking about this? This morning, at 4:40 AM our soon-to-be granddaughter*** was dropped off on her mom's (C) way to work. Half asleep she hands me a bottle of stuff to clean GD's ears and said that GD had been begging for them, and C was having a weak moment, and that she knew that CiBaby couldn't have them. That snapped me awake. Not so much the part about CiBaby not being able to get them, 'cause if she wants her ear(s)**** pierced, in time, be my guest...but the age. I know culturally things are all over the map, but my question became...what is the magic age? 13? Younger? Older? It just had me thinking...What age will we choose to make the magic age?

*I know some people have that rule. Heck, CiBaby isn't going to date until she's at least 25...if I have my way.
**I'll have to ask G-Mama and Bopa, maybe they have an answer, or maybe they just thought it sounded good.
***That's a blog post for another day!
****Prosthetic ears, if we/she decides to go that route, can be pierced as well. They really are a thing of art!

Lying gets you nowhere

Even in retail.

As most of you know, I am a GAP Girl. It's just a part-time gig, but I really like it.* My favorite roll is in the fitting rooms, where you will find me most of the time. Making sure that what people are trying 1. fits correctly and 2. looks good on them. If you ask me my opinion (or sometimes you don't even have to ask me to get it) I will always be truthful.

Last night was no exception. A postpartum mom was in looking for a dress. The one she chose had a v-neck, vertical stripe and empire waist. She asked me my opinion and I told her. She looked great! Of course she was unsure as she was self conscious, she even said so. Then another customer came out and complimented her. She was convinced. I jokingly told her I wouldn't lie to a new mom...way too many hormones! And then there were the ladies and jeans. Who doesn't hate looking for new jeans? Men, maybe. I was so excited when I was able to find a pair for a woman who apparently can never find jeans to fit right, and two others that needed help sizing so they looked great. People, it's my job to make you look good!

I suppose I could lie and say something looks good when it doesn't really, but where does that get me in the end? Maybe more sales right then, possibly, but when someone realizes that something doesn't fit correctly and they hate it (or don't love it but were talked into it) they won't be repeat customers and if they do actually return why would they believe us? I know I wouldn't. And frankly, I don't want angry customers randomly coming up to me in the mall cursing me for making them look like crap.

So...if you want some real help and an honest opinion, come and find me. Who knows...I may even tell you to try another store!

*Except for picking up after the slobs who leave things all over the dressing rooms. Seriously people?!? That's just plain rude.

Could you make...?

I love those 3 words. It's a challenge, like "What can you create with minimal time and without having to buy a king's ransom at the grocery store? Huh? Huh?!?"

A friend recently threw a birthday party for her husband and requested a lettuce salad. With a quick dig through my deep freezer*, and my brain, I came up with the following salad recipe. Of course when I told her what I was making she said, "Oh, I was just thinking lettuce, tomato and cheese." Ummmm, do you know who you're asking???

8-10 cups chopped Romain, or other crunchy lettuce (I used 2 Romain hearts)
1/2 cup roasted red pepper, chopped
1 cup roasted corn
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
5 slices thick cut bacon, fried and chopped
1/2 cup candied walnuts**
Fried dandelions (recipe follows)
Walnut oil vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Layer salad in this order - dressed lettuce, roasted red pepper, roasted corn, tomatoes, and bacon. Add the walnuts and dandelions right before serving so they remain crunchy.


Make ahead and set aside:
Vinaigrette
1/2 cup Roasted French Walnut oil
2 Tbsp high quality balsamic vinegar
1 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp basil, chiffonade

Whisk together right before tossing with the lettuce.

Dandelion flowers
1 cup dandelion flowers, stemmed and washed well
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2+ cup beer (use a little more if you need to thin the batter a bit)
1/2 cup oil (I used corn this time)

Combine the flour, cornmeal, salt and beer in a medium bowl. The batter should be like pancake batter, so if too thick add a little more beer, if too thin add in a little more cornmeal. Add in dandelion flowers and toss to coat.

Heat the oil in a small frying pan (I use my 5" cast iron frying pan as I don't like the wasted oil) over medium-high heat. Add the dandelions to the oil one-by-one, blossom side down and cook for about 3 minutes or until slightly browned. Turn over and cook the other side. Remove blossoms (I just use a fork) and place them on a paper toweling. Immediate sprinkle with kosher salt. Repeat with remaining blossoms.


The salad was a hit. Now I just need a name for it!

*This is where all of my harvest time labor pays off!
**If I need to put instructions on how to candy your own nuts, let me know.

Flower Power!

My little Garden Sprite and some of our many flowers

They had a field day

truly.

This last month of school there is a lot happening, among them...Field Day. I recall my own field days with fond memories. Spending the day outside, just playing. And now my girl had her first one as well...and she had a ball.

I tell ya, this kid can run...and run, and run. And she's pretty fast too! Of course, she's not all grace. After I picked her up and she had her playtime in "the pit"* But in true form of their school, all of the children got a gold medal.

One thing CiBaby did not tell me in her brief of the day was what happened after she fell. I found this out later. One of her awesome teachers, Ms. G., captured this moment for us.

This is CiBaby's buddy, J. J and CiBaby bonded at the beginning of the school year over My Little Pony, and the bond continued. They are a great match.

During the Field Day race, when CiBaby fell, J stopped running, went back to where CiBaby was and started walking with her. Later, Ms G asked J why she did that and J said, "Because. [CiBaby] is mine friend." Well, I don't know about you, but that got my eyes to well up. I feel so blessed that I found such a great school that brought my girl together with such a wonderful being, who is no doubt the product of her awesome parents.

Preschool may cost you money, but it was a priceless year in my book.

*There is adjacent lot to the school that has a huge composting leaf pile that the kids love to run around and in...and they have lovingly dubbed it "the Pit." Not a day goes by that they don't want to have a romp in the pit after school.

Happy Mother's Day!

To all of you mothers out there...Have a fabulous day!

And a special "Happy" to the mothers in my life...

Mom, Grandmas...You always are/were super human to me. Thanks and I love you.

Well...why not?!

I look out my big picture window...and there they stand. Bright and glowing in the sunlight, taunting me. "Ha ha! I got into your flower beds and there's nothing you can do about it!" Until a light bulb switched on. Oh yeah? Watch me.

So today I took my trusty bowls out into the wild blue yonder and harvested...dandelions. "Huh?" you say? Well...why not?! Dandelion greens are high in Vitamins A and B, Potassium and Iron...and the flowers taste darn good when you fry them up. Of course T-Daddy said, "We're eating weeds??" and proceeded to tell CiBaby that her Mama is silly.

I fried up a little bit of bacon with a clove of minced garlic then added the dandelion greens (just the leaves, mind you) and stir-fried them up like you would any southern style greens. The flowers were dipped in a little batter and fried to a golden brown and topped with a little kosher salt. Those were gobbled up instantly.

So in the end I guess I'm not so silly after all.

Please note...if you are going to do this make sure that the dandelions you harvest are clean of all herbicides and pesticides. I picked mine out of my organic gardens which do not see any of the forementioned "cides" and are fairly protected from passing dogs.