Rantings On Laundry Day

From May 2009

This handsome young man is my oldest son and with him is his prom date and girlfriend. 

After ordering the coursage and making arrangements for his tux, this cute couple found out they'd be able to arrive to both dinner and prom in style.  Her best friend's boyfriend's uncle just happens to operate a limosine.  Can you say suweeet!  So grateful to best friend's sister for her photography service as the rest of our family was out of town and the photos were all we saw of the young man and his sweetheart dressed in their finest.  This next one is my favorite.  They look so happy. 

This pretty girl found her way to our house yesterday and claimed us as her friends.  We don't know yet if we'll keep her; we're still looking for her rightful owners, but if they don't find us and we don't find them, welcome to the family Princess Nogie:

 

. . . where we thought we lived.  It's been raining for days and during a moment of reprieve, we decided to go for a drive and check out the landscaping.  My wonderful man drove up to the front door to pick me up because the reprieve was so brief that while we donned our shoes, we missed it.  We went ahead and drove over to the river to see how things looked:

This is only a couple of football fields from our place, but thankfully we're still dry.  Well, technically, our land is soaked, but our home is still above sea level.  (and river level too).  We drove up the road (read north) to get doughnuts.  (Krispy Kreme only delivers south of the river, just so ya know).  On our way back from our thus far fruitless journey, we took another shot:


Wow!  The water was still rising (and by this time it really had stopped raining).  More rain is in the forecast for tonight; I hope they're wrong.

After we went south for the Publix doughnuts which we KNOW exist, we grabbed some of the kids and went back for a third run:

And YEAH!  the water is receding.  Whew!  That little house you see in the background gets it every time.  I don't know if the people live there or just use the place as a fishing resort, but today, it's fullup with water.

After our river run, we thought we'd check out the beach:


Volleyball, anyone?  Who knew it was a water sport? 

Speaking of water sports, have you seen the purple flag? 


I'd love to share what the purple flag means:


See at the bottom of the chart?  DANGEROUS Marine Life.  Today I watched as several people went swimming, skim boarding, and just wading in this DANGEROUS marine life infested water.  Now, I truly understand when folks don't know what's out there and think maybe somebody thought they saw something and well nothing will happen to me because there's something out there all the time, but nothing will happen to me. 

But take a look at the beach:


These beautiful, but DANGEROUS, man o' war jellyfish looking things had beached themselves up and down the entire beach.  They were literally EVERYWHERE! 









You couldn't walk two steps without avoiding them.  Why, oh why, would you want to swim with these zooids?  Even when you step on them, you could be stung. 




And what do you do when you get stung?  (I am not a medical professional!)  Please don't use vinegar, that might hurt:

Step 1:  Quit playing with them and get the tentacles off with a towel or shirt or something (NOT your hand)
Step 2:  Rinse with salt water (NOT fresh water, this makes it worse)
Step 3:  Rinse with HOT water to denature the toxins
Step 4:  Use ice to reduce the swelling and slow the toxins from traveling

If you have a severe reaction, PLEASE get medical help.  (I am not a medical professional.)  Some people are really allergic to these guys and if the venom reaches the lymph nodes . . . well, it's not a good thing.

Thankfully, the rain has let up for the time being and we're enjoying the wonderful breeze that's making it 72 balmy degrees--the absolute perfect baking temperature.  I think I'm going to whip up some cookies or cake or something delectably delicious.  And this time, I'm filing the recipe for the wonderful people that ask for it.

Happy day and yes, there is still some laundry in the dryer that I need to fish out and fold, but I'm putting that off.

My brother-in-law is so cool.  How cool is he?  The other day he flew in and out, but not before we were able to capture him on film.


He looked like he was going right into the phone lines, then whoosh, he was over our heads and up high in the air again.

So we boiled some up along with some Zaterain's, lemon, sausage, salt and vinegar.  Can you say delicious?  Even though we do this every year, not everyone participates.  This year, the youngest decided that he had played with those critters before they went into the pot, he sure wasn't going to eat them:-)  Oh well, there's always next year.


We did add some veggies to the pot and rinsed off some fruit to round out our flavorful meal.  I'm so glad that it's spring and fruit prices are going down. 



Now, you can't eat crawfish without dripping.  Not if you're doing it right, anyway.  One of my young'uns couldn't remember how this was done.  Dianna, look the other way as I describe how to eat a crawfish.


Step 1:  Snag that sucker off the plate.

Step 2:  Pull off it's head.

Step 3:  Suck the head if you choose

(STOP!  We're civilized people, we don't suck the head, it's just gross.)

Step 4:  Tell the young'un learning how to eat crawfish that he really doesn't have to suck the head.

Step 5:  Squeeze the sides in on themselves to crack the shell longways.

Step 6:  Pull apart the shell.

Step 7:  Scoop out the meat.

Step 8:  Slurp it up.  (Eat it.)

Step 9:  If you're desperate and know that there is a limited supply, continue with step 1.  However, if you know there's plenty (is there ever?) take a second to crack the claws and get the sweet meat from there.

Step 10:  Learn quickly because if you're slow, you'll only get a few:-)

Step 11:  Find a paper towel and quit dripping on the floor.  As I said, we're civilized people.

After a while, you just sit back and decide to be through.  If not, you'll find the end of the pot.  Cuz you can't just stop with one

Fabulous creations begin with a plan, some ingenuity, and well let's face it, an education on how to make food right.  Food Network is absolutely a great teacher for me!  Love, love, love THE Network:-)  So, let's make some Mahi Mahi cuz it's fresh in from Publix and tastes fab:

First, look at this beautiful fish steak.  It's delectable and fulfilling and should only be used if you're really hungry.


Then sprinkle it with seasoning salt and some fresh ground pepper on both sides and put a touch of sesame oil in a skillet. 

Sear both sides and the edges of the fish steak before putting it under the broiler for 5 minutes or so on each side.


I LOVE my Wolfgang Puck!  While I wasn't taught specifically how to create a great this Mahi Mahi dish on Food Network, I did learn how to sear and some unique plating techniques.  Stacking is a wonderful way to show off your beautiful food:


First, put something tasty on the bottom.  It needs texture and it also needs to be something that compliments the flavor of your main course.  Surprise yourself and put something under there that's sweet like a menagerie of fruit.

Then, add your main course and top it with some veggies.  Surround your mound with a sauce and you can even dot another saucy condiment on the plate and viola:

Umm Umm good, doesn't that look like what you'd like for dinner?  Oh, wait.  This dish looks lonely?  That's not enough???  Well, how about we make some shrimp cocktail to go with it:

I used to think that you could just throw some shrimp in boiling water for a few minutes, then cool it off, add some cocktail sauce and hey, that's shrimp cocktail.  I was wrong!!!
 Did you know that if you add an onion, some peppercorn and lemon juice, a bay leaf, and a touch of salt to the water, the shrimp sucks up the flavors and turns bland shrimp into a culinary delight?  Now you do


See those happy shrimp swimming around in that succulent stew?  Oh yeah, this is the life.

And again with the plating:


. . . or in this case, ?glassing?  DH and I went to Hard Rock and all we brought home was an empty wallet and this pretty glass.

Ooops, when it came out of the boiled stew, we couldn't put those hot, hot shrimp directly on ice.  They'd freak out and shrink into shrimpy shrimps, so . . .


They were laid out flat on a cookie sheet and since we were pretty hungry at this point, stuck them in the freezer for about 5 minutes.  If you have more time, you can slowly cool them in the frig. and they won't shrink so much.  Then just add a spinach salad (complete with bacon bits, onions, mushrooms, and tomato) and some ambiance:













and you have a well-balance, appetizing, and visually appealing meal.  Enjoy!!!   

PS  Ambiance provided compliments of the Valentine's day bouquet.  Have I mentioned I love my man!?!

We had some friendly competition and truly some of the most creative chili ideas were shared at our ward dinner and game night.  Just in case you were wondering, our touch of love started out with the main event:

Texas Chili

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 or 2 lbs pretty beef roast, cut into chunks (not too marbled, no one wants to chew gristle)
1 onion, chopped
Handful of green peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 - 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes (or several whole real ones, or diced, or . .  well you get the idea)
1 or 2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/3 to 1/4 cup chili powder

Brown the roast chunks in oil, then add the onions and peppers.  Throw everything else in the pot and cook forever.  Honestly, it's not rocket science.

Sometimes we add beans, depending on how many folks we need to feed.  Red beans, pink beans, navy beans, pintos (these are the favored ones) have all been tried and given the stamp of "Yes, we will eat this."   We also love toppings - cheese, saltines, tortilla chips, onions, etc.

Now we couldn't have a chili supper without delectable treats.  We love 'em.  Big ones, small ones, frosted ones, naked ones, we must make 'em all.


While these delicious treats came at the end of our celebration, the childrens treated them with the highest regard and they disappeared quicker than the chili, which truly is saying a lot since it is some of THE Best Chili in town. 


We couldn't decide which dessert was best, cookies or cupcakes, so we went ahead and combined them.

After Valentine's, the big man went to Vegas and all I got was . . . whoa, hold your horses, you stopped where???  He loves me, he loves me, he loves me!!!!!!!


I could show you the pictures of the naughty boys on the street.  I had to see it with my own eyes to be sure, but I'll refrain.  Apparently, if you've EVER been to Vegas, you'll know what I'm talking about.  Instead, I'll plunge into my fancy box and pull out another treat.

Speaking of treats, it's a bit early for some of you, but I'm so sure that spring is just around the corner.  How do I know???  Well, a little birdie told me:

Actually, several large birdies in the sky all got together to let me know that the angels are watching over us.  Can you see the angel in the sky?

And then, quick as a flap of their collective ducky wing, the angel flew away; I'm pretty sure heading north.


It seems like every spring, I get the fever to put in a garden.  I also get the fever to play outside more and see the wonderful things around our neighborhood.  What I don't ever seem to get the fever for is laundry.  So, when the dryer started taking 2 to 3 hours to dry a load, the laundry came to a slow, but steady halt.  Did you know that when a dryer takes 2 to 3 hours to dry a load, it's broken?  Well, it is!  AND, did you know that when it's broken, it has to be fixed?  Well, it does!  AND, did you know that the parts list is not really long for dryers?  Well, it's not.  SO, why have I been putting off the inevitable?  Well, it's fun to do ANYTHING else but laundry:-)))


Trivia question:  Can anyone guess what this part is???

Happy Day and remember, if ever you want a break from doing laundry, and hence blogging, you have to kill the machine.

Watching movies is a favorite pastime for my dh and I.  We have watched some of the funniest, dumbest, dramatic, etc. films around.  For New Years Day, we chose to stay up and watch Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera.  What an absolute treat.  Saying "the music was outstanding" does nothing to portray the essence of beauty depicted.  Talent excudes from each character, so much so that I felt as if the events were indeed real and I was as a fly on the wall, capturing each scene to be replayed in my mind over and over and over.  What a wonderful way to spend my brain time--never tiring of the lyrics, nor the richness of the voices, I've found myself humming along and even breaking into song as I've gone through yesterday and today's activities.  I know I must press on and yet I want to hold on to that essence of beauty I admire.  To be that stunningly perfect in tone and range of voice, looks, and obvious strength of self that Emmy Rossum portrays is truly goal-setting material.  Amazingly different in tone and texture, Gerard Butler and Patrick Wilson excelled in their vocal performances and portrayed their characters affection for Emmy's character so well I felt the tension in the air. 

Some movies are just for entertainment value; this one will be top on my list for some time I'm sure.  Yes, it's been a couple of days since I watched the movie, with my eyes, but as you can tell by this post, I'm sooooo not through watching it through my mind's eye!

Yeah!  Yeah!  Yeah!  I'm always working on this project or that, but not always finishing.  Today is a happy, fulfilling day as I've finished stitching a major project.  Unfortunately, it wasn't finished in time for this Christmas, but next year, I'm prepared!


And, whenever I complete a project, I must pick up a new one right away.  It's my nature.  I can't stop it.  Even if I wanted to.  New project from http://www.crochetnmore.com/dawnsscarf.htm:



Isn't it lovely?  Having said that, I'm committed to completing half-finished projects this year.  I've made a list and have checked it twice.  But in the meantime, I'm so excited to start a crochet project.  I haven't done one in quite some time and am afraid that my fingers will forget how. 

Even a 2-year-old can shop on E-bay.  This is what mine bought:-)  Aren't they pretty?

Yeah!  I completed, mailed, and received from the Halloween Stocking swap.  Yes, I started up again.  It's not so much that I like trading as I really love having something I've chosen to create and have a reasonable deadline to complete it.  Then there's the whole rating system and I've received my reward:-)

This swap was for two stockings, sending to two different people.  I was so excited when I received the rating for the black cat because the recipient really loves it.  She even called me a "talented seamstress."


I haven't heard back from the swapper that received the ghost one, but had fun making it, too.  The textures were easy to find, but wonder under only works with close weaved fabric.  Otherwise, your needle gets extremely gunked up and you have to stop every couple of stitches and rethread.  Glue sticks to thread, thread stretches to its limit, thread decides to let go (ie break), glue in needle keeps you rethreading:-(


I also added some Beanie babies and chocolate, after all, what's a stocking without a sweet and a toy!

In return from two totally different swappers, I received a rendition of twilight and I loved it, loved it, loved it:


I really enjoyed the swirly toe on the next stocking. The design was sweet. I think I'll use the toe design for a couple of my family stockings:


What a fun way to say hello to someone you don't know.

wonder if you'd done things different how your life would have turned out?  I do, I think about my husband, my children, my home, and even my faith. What would have happened if I hadn't made the choices I made.  I'm so glad I did.

Please, please let me crack the egg.  I promise not to crack it too hard.  See Mom, the shell's all here:

It's a difficult thing to give up that kind of control to a two-year old who LOVES to smash the shell to bits when he cracks it.  But he promised, so I had to let the apron strings loose, well, not too loose, he cracked them into a relief bowl.  And we have success!!!  No shell in the bowl, and not too much egg on the boy.


The next part was easy.  I got to roll and the little man got to rock:-)  He even put little finger impressions on some of the cookies.  Hey, this is really fun.  Messy, but fun.


There you have it, perfectly shaped, perfectly covered, deliciously edible, laughable yummies.



Well looky there, they weren't cracked a second ago and then, all of the sudden, we have fault lines.


Beautiful, lovely Snicker Doodles; Just what the rents wanted.  Now where are those chocolate chips.

Nature is a beautiful thing.  In moderation.  While fully expecting a few extra waves at the beach yesterday, we were truly amazed at the magnitude of what we saw.  Walking up to the public access, we caught an eyeful of the waves splashing over the sand dunes that were recreated after a couple of previous hurricanes took the natural ones. 

Fingers of water kept reaching over the dunes in an attempt for the sea to reclaim the sand, only to be pulled back by Mother Ocean or is it Brother Sea.

This wall of fury raged under a tiny walkover and later had taken so much sand that the access had to be closed.


Can you see someone guarding lives from this island?  I don't think we'll be swimming this day.

The newly created sand dunes did their job further east; unfortunately, they didn't go down the beach far enough to keep each property dry.  These homes are being put back together from a different storm and are still standing tall and firm despite the water licking their pilings.  And really, Ike didn't hit here.
Hey, have you seen my dh's shoes?  A few minutes after this shot, they were floating down this flowing water.  Oops.

Oh and this is the top photo of my day:
NOTICE:  Sarcasm alert.  You've been warned: 

Sales AD:  I've got some ocean front property, but it's not in Arizona.  Would you care to take a look?  On the left you'll notice the sand, high and dry.  The property is perfect for the water enthusiast who really wants to get back to nature.  With a close up, front seat view of the ocean, who could ask for anything more.  All this property needs is your beach seat and smiling face.  If I've failed to mention the lack of land to place your million dollar home, well, let's just keep that between you and I, shall we?

Beep, beep, beep, sarcasm over.  And there goes the dryer buzzer, again.  Ugh! 

Be on the lookout for some delectable almond cupcake treats.  Coming your way:-)

Well, if you thought we were done for 2008 Hurricane Season, think again.  I'm not going to stop thinking about everything else, but I am going to pack my bag.  Again.  Say "Hello" to Hurricane Ike (compliments of www.nhc.noaa.gov):


I just knew it was going to hit Cuba and not just kiss it as it passed.  Oh, why do I torture myself with my forecast efforts?  Sometimes I'm wrong and sometimes I'm right, but always I feel compelled to use the information I collect to make that educated guess in the first place.  And to collect that information, I steal time.  Time from the dishes waiting in the sink, dinner waiting to be prepared, and yes, laundry screaming that it is indeed ready for me.

P.S.  For those of you not living near the coast, don't hate us.  During the rest of the year the living conditions are so ideal we push our of our minds that hurricane season is annual. 

Until it rears its ugly head and peeks its beady eyeball. 

Then we remember.  We remember the:

*packing (picking our favorite, most beloved items from among our plenty),
*changing social plans (picnic, kite flying, taking a romp in the large bathtub called the Gulf)
*high gasoline prices (ugh)
*bored children (who are plotting their way to get back at whoever or whatever caused this disruption.
Photo:  AFP/GETTY

And yet, the beauty, warmth, camaraderie, and cohesiveness keep us here to rise to the challenge another year.

Courtesy of http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at2+shtml/151800.shtml?radii#contents

For the last week I've watched this storm go from an Invest to a Category 4 and continue to watch as it putters along the Gulf Coast as a Category 2.  It's been an extremely addicting experience.  I don't know how many times I've clicked on Weather.com and Wunderground looking for another fix, never quite fulfilled by what I've found.  Now that it has actually touched land, I can tell that I've been holding my breath and will most likely take days to recover a recognizable breathing pattern. 

Hurricane season has truly begun, not from a date that's been set, but from a natural standpoint of a serious storm making landfall.  I feel quite small in a vastly huge universe.  Fear does that.  Dang those meteorologists.  They hype it up on television, dramatizing for the camera, for the viewers, hoping to get that great rating.  I should just turn it off.  But, like any good addict, I'm fixed on the TV like glue, too.  It's almost funny, going from TV to computer and back again.  Have you ever watched a professional tennis match?  The audience looking from left to right, then back to left as the ball is smacked back and forth.  Yeah, my neck is starting to feel the strain.

The duel is between S'more Cupcakes and Lemon Lime Delights.  While the players on both teams are similar, the inclusion of good ole' Honey Maid's for Team S'more and lime juice (not pictured) for Team Delight are sure to make the competition lively.














After creaming the sugar and butter (did you know that you're only supposed to cream them briefly?), Team S'more quickly pulled ahead.  Team Delight didn't follow the rules and was almost disqualified in round one of the game after creaming for a full 4 minutes.

                   TEAM S'MORE                                                       TEAM DELIGHT












Team S'more continued to perform well throughout the competition.  The graham crackers didn't stand a chance with the blender and crumbled on impact.  After being stirred with the other dry players, Team S'more was quite ready to heat things up.














As Wolfgang Puck turned up the heat, Team S'more turned to mush.


However, the combination of the players regained their composure as the grueling heat continued.  They stood firmly together for a truly fine run.

Team Delight pulled out all the stops to compete.  While standing up to the grueling mixer, the players combined well and seemed to hold their own.  Playing light on their feet, placing FIRST seemed inevitable.


While the games were played, one bystander took advantage of the unattended equipment and became a contender for Best Licker.

Standing side by side, the finished Team Delight truly shone next to an equally stunning Team S'more.  Lemon frosting and a touch of rind shows this team's best side.  Team S'more is topped with chocolate buttercream, a dollop of marshmallow cream and a bite of chocolate bar.


But in the end, it's not about looks is it?  It's about the smooth, springy texture on the inside, combined with the sweet decadence of topping that takes you to the top of your game.  At this moment, you must stand alone, and be judged based on merits you've worked your entire (short) life to attain.

The winner is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .






Well, Team Delight, while you are gorgeous on the outside, your guts just didn't cut it.  Better luck next time.

Finally, I've decided I can open up my blog for others to view.  I'm blogging about crafts and stitching, food, and plan to write about food storage, genealogy, books that I've read, and miscellaneous ideas that cross my mind.  I love to take pictures, so I'll add nature shots or unique ideas that I think may appeal to you, the reader.  Please enjoy a glimpse into my life and feel free to add comments.

I couldn't stand it anymore, I just had to fill it up.  First with the delectable treat of Cinnamon Toast Cupcakes which my boyz went wild for.  I really loved the smiles all around.


This  is a close-up, can you taste the cinnamon?


And when those were cleaned out (I only gave them a day), I had to do it again:


Yummy, yummy chocolate treats.  With so many different taste buds in our house, we had to have a bit of variety:


Okay, I can't stand to do the same thing twice, but cupcakes, well . . .  I have to do them over and over again, with a twist . . . ooh that gave me an idea, how about zinger cupcakes (not the hostess version though dh would love that).  Maybe lemon with a twist of lime.  The diversion sated, . . . over and over again, with a twist of variation just for the fun of it.  The young ones don't object, they encourage my varieties and even give me ideas.  They haven't finished Chocolate Mint, so I'll just have to hold my creativity in check until they've consumed today's treat.

It's a sad day.  The cupcake stand is empty, it's raining, and the children are pacing.  What to do?  Let the baking begin!