Saturday, May 30, 2009

When was it...

When was it that my gray hair became the main color?
When was it that actually NEEDING sleep was required in order to just get through the day?
When was it they lowered the floor all the way down there?
When was it that I became a lecherous "cougar"?
When was it that my hip language became archaic?
When was it that Tums became a bed time routine?
When was it that the music that moved me now moves elevators?
When was it that my smooth dance moves became waltz like?
When was it that a standard chair became so hard?
When was it that my arms became too short for the distance of my eyesight?
When was it that the bags under my eyes moved in to stay?

Hey when was it that I got....old(?)

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Berkeley Burritto

Interesting topic huh? Ok first the back ground. Ah, yup you gotta get the background before you get the goods. I'm evil like dat...

Anywho. Long ago and in a far away land, called Berkeley (as in California) there was a boy that grew to a man. This man decided to explore new lands and so he moved to a small township called Monterey. There he met many interesting town folks and found the 'lub' of his life. Or at least the woman he was going to torture for the rest of her life. Anyways...They met and he decided to show her where he grew up and spent his youth. So he took her back to his homeland and introduced her to his people and culture. One of the places they visited was the eclectic market (read flea market). There she saw sights and heard sounds that were new and exciting. The man even introduced her to the native cuisine, as well. They had a wonderful time in the man's homeland, but finally returned to the township of Monterey.

Well the years passed and the man and woman grew older and had children (sigh). One day the woman remembered that time long ago in Berkeley and she remembered the native food they had eaten. She made the decision to recreate this dish so that the man and their children could enjoy this tasty meal.

Ok so I tried to change it up and make it a little more interesting for you all. Did it work? (pin drop) Uh guess not.

Anyway this is a burrito that I was introduced to by my Dh years ago at the Berkley Flea Market. A place my Dh spent some of his youth with his various family members. The burrito they sold there were HUGE. You had to hold it with two hands and then you might still need help with it. The ingredients might seem strange but they work together. So if you're a little daring and are willing to try something new here is the recipe, I will warn you they are filling:

The largest flour tortillas you can find
Olive Oil
ground meat-beef, chicken or turkey
Taco seasoning
Lettuce-shredded
Sour cream
Re-fried beans-warmed
White rice-cooked
Green onions-chopped
Black olives-sliced
Guacamole
Kraft American cheese slice singles

1. Cook meat and prepare it with the taco seasoning as per the seasoning instructions.
2. Cook rice as per regular cooking instructions.
3. Warm re-fried beans.
3. Prepare veggies.
4. Open all containers.

You will need a flat pan that is large enough to hold the tortilla. Place pan on a medium to high heat burner. Lightly brush both sides of a tortilla with olive oil. Place tortilla on pan. Place two cheese slices, single layer on tortilla. One slice above the other. Slightly warm tortilla just till the cheese becomes slightly warmed. Remove to plate.

Spread with sour cream.
Spoon rice on top of sour cream
Spoon taco seasoned meat on next
Spoon re-fried beans on
Spoon on guacamole
Sprinkle on green onions
Sprinkle on black olives
Top with lettuce

Fold bottom of tortilla, (over ingredients) Then fold one side over the bottom and ingredients and then fold the next side in, over the side and bottom and ingredients. Now try and eat it.

I realize it might seem strange to use the American cheese, but I assure you it works. It has a creamy cheese flavor with out having it too over powering. Now my Dh and The Boy can eat two of these, how I'm not sure, but they can.

If you happen to try these let me know what you think of them. Unless of course you hate them and then (ahem) you can keep that to yourself (grin)



Bon Apetite

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Imagination Award

The dear Miss AmyBel has given me another blog award. I appreciate her thinking of me.

The Rules:
Tell 5 things about your crafts you like the most...what inspires you to make home made gifts.
Send this award to 5 bloggers.

Ok here are the 5 reasons:

1. Crafting allows my vivid imagination some release.

2. It allows me to have a minute, a moment, sometimes just a milli-second of not being a mom, a wife, a sister, a DFaN, a daughter. Just me. (I know sounds selfish but true)

3. Crafting has been such an integral part of my life since I was small. It's what makes my house seem like a home.

4. I like the idea of leaving some memento or heirloom for my children's children to discover. Then, hopefully, have it inspire them to create.

5. I love that creating allows me to meet such interesting and wonderful people. Seeing what they have accomplished inspires.

So now I will choose 5 people to pass this to:

Caffaknitted
Daily Stitches
Walking within the Spiral
How to Make Art
PetraKot-Kotka

On that last one I fudged a little. Petra doesn't really have a blog, but she is an amazing designer/knitter/crocheter. She is taking patterns in her native tongue, Czezh, and trying to translate it so that anyone can create them.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Ok now I'm gettin' upset...

So...I've been talking about starting a new sweater. Right? Well I found one. I purchased the pattern. Did a swatch for gauge, yes I did. Figured out the simple lace pattern. Completed one whole skein and....realized I was not going to have enough yarn. *SIGH* So now...now I have to frog and figure out another pattern to use this yarn for. The yarn is Elann Sonata in Glacier Blue. It's a pretty color. The yarn is nice to work with for a mercerized cotton. I was going to try the Astrid pattern, but felt with my figure it would look like I was wearing a gunny sack. I have mentioned my vision of myself, and the reality of what I look like. Geez, that almost makes it sound like I'm a two hundred pound toad with a rummy eye and a hump on my back. I assure you I'm not. As my DFaN describes it; I'm thick. So when it comes to choosing clothing to make for myself I look better in tops that have an empire line at least or at least a v-neck line. Darts are also helpful. Yet I'm not proficient in dart or short row placements in a sweater, yet. So winging darts or short rows in order to accommodate my bust is a little iffy.

I have been searching for a tank that would allow me to utilize the Sonata. But the ones I am drawn to are the ones that match my vision instead of my reality of me. I did find one knitter that was able to translate one of these camisole/tanks to include bust darts. But we go back to the whole me winging it thing.

I also mentioned how I had completed the Tattoo Kimono Shrug. I wore it and decided that I would get a photo to show you all here. Yeah that didn't go so well. I saw the photos and have decided that I am going to frog the sweater, that no one is going to see me in that sweater, and that I can't believe that my family or DFaN didn't tell me I looked like a huge dork wearing it. It's a great sweater. I love the sleeves. The pattern is easy to read and knit. Putting it together can be a little confusing at first, but a great sweater. The down side for me is the neck line. It's ends up being boat neck. Yeah not so good. (sigh)

So now I'm going to be frogging and trying to figure out how to use these two yarns. I might just end up having to sell the Glacier Blue Sonata in order to allow me to purchase a larger quantity of this yarn. I am going to frog the Tattoo and just reuse the Knit One Crochet Two 2nd Time cotton, maybe in the pattern I started with the Sonata. Oh yeah that pattern is Glampyre Knit's Pattern Camellia. I researched other knitters that made this sweater. It has been successfully knit by other's that are well endowed and thick. It has a faux empire line and the kimono sleeve thing going on. So hopefully it will be a win win situation for me.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Hmmm It's Saturday

Yup. It's another beautiful day. Right now the Wee Ones are down for their naps. Well their supposed to be, they are at least in their respective napping spots and quiet. Which allows me the opportunity to write a post. Just to warn the easily dizzied this will be one of those wandering posts, so grab a cup of joe and a Dramamine and lets wander...

I didn't go to any garage sales this weekend. They have been mighty disappointing. Dh's theory is that with the economy so bad people are trying to lessen the junk in their homes and trying to make some real money so they are truly selling off their junk and pricing it too high to boot. But that hasn't stopped me from bargain hunting. I check the Destash board on Ravelry. I peruse the listings on Etsy and then I research ebay. I have been really good lately and not bought any yarn. Mostly because I have depleted my PayPal cash account. I still have the dolls that I'm working on, plus some light blue Elann sonata that I can knit up into a sweater. I was going to use it for the Astrid pattern. I have two concerns. One, I really don't want to knit a pattern I am going to have to sew together. Two, I'm concerned it will look like a potato sack on me. As I have mentioned before, in my mind I am thinner, but in reality I am not. Now I'm beginning to wander if I should play around with altering this pattern, Tunic Dress. I like the bodice. I don't need to put the patterning in, but I like the neck line to it. I would fashion it after this sweater pattern by DROPS. I am almost positive I want a tunic. Almost(?)

Moving right along. I have also been thinking that since we no longer live near the ocean. Haven't for too many years to count. I would like to re-do the living room in an seaside like feel. You know Adirondack chairs with lovely cushions. Paintings of ocean scenes, Seas shells displayed. Colors done in sea foam green, soft blue, and whites. Alas this is another one of my many creative concepts that will not be able to see the light of day. Due to financial concerns, living room size and management restrictions on painting the walls in the apartments.

Touching on the whole living near the ocean topic. Yup I was lucky to have grown up in Monterey and Pacific Grove, California. When we were wee girls, my mum would take my sister and I to the beach. We would walk down in the morning and walk home later in the afternoon. Our home was a mere ten blocks away. We really never played in the surf that much, more just climbed on the rocks, looked at the sea life in the tide pools and looked for shells in the sand. As we got older our family moved into Monterey. We moved to an area called spaghetti hill. Due to the large concentration of old Italian families that had lived there for years. It was a lovely area to live in. If you stood out in the street, which was possible because it was not that busy, you could watch the planes take off from the Monterey Airport. I can remember hearing the strange sound of the Good Year blimp fly over our house during the Bing Crosby Clam Bake and Golf Tourney, which was later renamed the AT&T, and I'm not sure what it's called now. I can remember when we heard the blimp fly over our house I would run outside and wave to the pilot. I was always amazed when the pilot would wiggle the blimp in response. Yes he would be that low........

Oh well I guess it's enough of this blog writing. The Wee Ones have decided that they are not going to go to sleep. They have decided they are going to bug me and now the youngest has spilled milk on himself and needs a bath. (sigh) Off to be a mom.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

What a beautiful day

Well it was today. Warm but not too hot, with a slight breeze. This afternoon my DFaN came over and we took the Wee Ones and Princess Persnickety ( her youngest) outside to run around.

I haven't been much in the mood for writing any posts lately and I apologize for that. I assure you that my creative mind is working overtime as of late. I and my mum recreated one of the tops that I have. I can have a difficult time finding tops that I like and that fit. I looked at this one Old Navy top I had and decided that it looked an easy enough pattern to copy. Whew I was lucky it was. We dug through our fabric stash and found some linen fabric. It appears a little stiff but I'm hoping that it will soften with washing. I will try and get a few pix of it to post soon.

I'm still trying to finish my Tattoo sweater. I have one more sleeve and side seam to sew and then I will be able to wear it.

I'm still working on the Wee Ones Tulip dolls. And now my DFaN's son has asked if I will create a doll for him.

I would also like to try and make this dress. I think I might like it out of this fabric. Unfortunately I won't be able to purchase any of this right now. The Boy's computer has crashed and DH is trying to get it back up and running. The only thing is he can't find the cd for Windows XP operating system so we are having to buy one. I am trying to get one from ebay. Hopefully no one will bid against me and we will get it for cheap.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Thinking Thursday

First let me say sorry to all of you. I have been feeling less than stellar as of late. Just a silly little cold that frankly is beginning to kick my butt.

But that aside, here are some more Brain twisting word puzzles. Yup from Mad Gab again =0)

Soap Hour Flee

Lilac Aid Hog

Chess Touch Joke

Dawn Bizarre Cast Tick


Have fun one and all.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Love and Loss

I have been reading my fellow bloggers' post, as usual.

Dina wrote a very interesting post about overflowing love. I can relate to that feeling and this post. I can remember when I was younger the feeling of carrying around so much love inside me that I thought I would truly explode. I often made the mistake of trying to give this love to someone that either didn't want it or didn't treasure it. Either way I made the mistake and would often times be devastated afterwards. Then of course along came my Dh and then our three boys. I do not have the feelings of pending explosion, because I can release my love in a safe environment.

Then I read Miss Alex the Girl's post today and wept. Luckily the Wee Ones were preoccupied, Dh was at school and The Boy was upstairs. I feel so sad for her brother about his loss.

Shortly after Dh and I started seeing each other his dear Grandmother passed away. Also very suddenly. Sadly before I could meet her. Now I have had the misfortune, as I'm sure other's have, of having family members pass away. Though most of those deaths seem to happen when I was smaller. My parents felt it was better that my sister and I not attend the funerals. Going to Dh's Grandmother's funeral was to be my first. I was slightly nervous because I was going to meet a portion of his family, which is huge, for the first time. And I was going to see his mother again, and our first meeting wasn't very warm and fuzzy ( a story for another time). After meeting his grandfather, mother, brother and his ex-wife (yes, another story for anther time) we went to the church. I ended up sitting at the back of the church by myself, his mother's doing. Then the funeral began. Since I had never been to one, I found that I began to grieve for my relatives that had past. It was a strange feeling of a surging wave of deep grief washing over me. I cried for the loss of the people I had known and loved and then cried for the loss of Dh's Grandmother. I sat there, sniffling and crying silently. Dressed all in black with my reddish blond hair. The family started to make it's way up the church aisle, out of the church to go the cemetery, and my Dh saw me sitting there at the very back of the church balling like a baby. Looking back this is humorous, his look of confusion and shock. Plus it didn't help that I happened to be the only white person there. You see my husband is black. I got several strange looks from the other attendees I assure you.

Reading about Alex the Girl's Sister-in-law's passing made me wish to be able to take some of the hurt and pain this poor man must be feeling at this time. Yet nothing will do it. Not even my or your over flowing love. And that saddens me as well. (sigh, sniffle sniffle) I wish it could help. I wish it could flow right out of those of us that feel such all consuming love straight into those who have lost someone so dear to ease the pain. The only way we can begin to convey some of it is through words. Frankly I have often felt that words fail me (I know you might not be able to tell that).

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Thinking Thusday

Have you ever heard of the game Mad Gab? It's a game of words and perceptions. I recently picked up the game at a local thrift store. I brought it home and we started looking at the game cards. Within 15 minutes we were cracking up so hard I think we were all ready to pee our pants. I would laugh harder when The Boy would read one of the cards because he would try and help me out in figuring out the answer. He would stand there and make these very cartoonish directorial gestures which would crack me up more. So I decided to share the fun with you all here.

So here's the gist of it. There are cards with words on it. These words sound like a phrases. For example:

Up How Worm Heater. What does that sound like when you say it over a couple of times stressing different parts of the words and grouping the syllables differently? Any clue? The answer is: A power meter. Get the idea? Can you see why we were crackin' up?

So what I thought what I would do is give you a couple of them to figure out just for fun and to make ya think....So here we go.....

Eight Hat Who Her

Goat Threw Them Oceans

Chest Beat Wean Husk Hurls

Cry Muffin Owe Cents

Have fun figuring them out. Write the answers if you think you know what it is.
Cheers!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

A Wee Bit a of a Wonky Post

Yes I know it's a strange title, but it's how I'm feeling this evening. I seem to be chasing my tail last week and this. Our lease for our apartment is up for renewal. The management company we deal with is.....well....less than stellar, at least in my opinion.

We started this process April 1st and until yesterday we were still trying to provide the documents they wanted. (sigh) If you don't provide them the documents in the time frame they want, they start threatening to give a 10 day or quit notice. Yes they are brutal. And no I really have no empathy for them what so ever. I ended up standing in the on-site managers apartment yesterday as she was on the phone to the office manager for the management company. Of course I could only hear the managers side of the conversation, but I could tell what the office manager was saying. She was blatantly saying that I was lying about trying to get them documents. (sigh). She then started directing the manager to start writing me up the 10 day notice thing. But since the manager had admitted not not do some small detail that they would give me until the 11th of May to get all documents to them. Now here is the reason I have no empathy. I chose to help the process by turning, without being requested. I knew we were due to start the process. So on April 1st I sent in the documents we had. We had an appointment on April14th to sit down with the on-site manager to sign the papers to actually start the new lease process. We informed the on-site manager at that time that we were lacking this one paper. Yesterday the office manager told the on-site manager the small detail she forgot was to write us a 10 day notice on April 11th for not providing the papers by that time. Yeah you can go figure out the logic of that.

While trying to get the missing papers for the management company I seem to have to run out of the house nearly everyday for one thing or another. Then our smallest Wee One is going through this whole squeal, screech, screaming phase. So if you ask/tell him to do something or not do something he reacts by this piercing high pitched, so high it calls dogs that are running wild in Africa, squeal. It's so irritating and loud that the middle Wee One will put his hands over his ears and tell him to "stop cuz you too loud". And this is the same middle Wee One that can run through the house and it sounds as though elephants are charging. He has the heaviest feet. They are so heavy that my DFaN called me one day, when the middle Wee One was jumping up and down to ask if we were the ones making the big booming sounds. She wasn't complaining she just wasn't sure if it was the Wee Ones or if we were suddenly under attack from a canon brigade. But alas no it was the middle Wee One.

Today I went to town and went grocery shopping. Now I realize this might seem trivial, especially since The Boy watched the Wee Ones until DH came home. But we do grocery shopping for a month at a time. So it means a lot of groceries. The Boy helped me carry the groceries in from the car as DH watched the Wee Ones. Of course after the Wee Ones discovered I was home all bets were off and they were under foot. The middle Wee One thumping his way around the kitchen and living room and the youngest Wee One squealing because he wanted to play in the sink and the refrigerator. Finally got the groceries put away and all of a sudden it felt as though the left side of my head was ready to explode. Luckily Dh grabbed the Wee Ones and took them upstairs with him and The Boy.

So I have gotten the management company their missing paper, I have gotten the grocery shopping done. So hopefully tomorrow I can stay home and just deal with the chi'dren.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Miss Lila DeWinter

Well she finally made it to the hair salon. So she is all ready to go to her new home. As you will no doubt remember this is what she looked like
and this is what she looks like now..


Here are the friends together.


And the envelope please


I know I have already passed this award to Alex the girl and Shortly, but (and you just knew that it was coming didn't you?) I just read Clare at thisandthat , from the things I read in her blog post from Thursday, I feel she would definitely deserve this award.

So without further ado...I pass the Renee Award to Miss Clare.