Thursday, October 30, 2008

Beggar's's Night



















The night before Halloween or my Anniversary .....you choose the special occasion....is beggar's night. This year Joe Jasper and I went with the Bottenfield-Biehn's and the Ward's. Between our three families we had an alligator, a fireman, Anakin Skywalker(with two light sabers), two Death like creatures, and a teenager with a tail.




The best joke was not a joke at all, but rather something that put an annoyed look on most adults faces, which in my opinion, made it a keeper.


It went something like this:




Q: If you are stranded in the desert with nothing but your car, how many pancakes would it take to shingle a roof?


A:Purple , because snakes don't have armpits.




Then there's Sylvia. She went Trick or Treating with a friend. This was the first year she hadn't gone with me, it was kind of sad but WOW..........





Seriously, she came home with 176 pieces of candy, two juice boxes and a pencil. Yes, she counted them. Can I put these on FreeCycle?

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

The perfect cold weather breakfast

Oatmeal.





I was raised on this stuff. My grandpa used to call it greasy grimy goat guts....and yet we both still ate it.



I always use old fashioned rolled oats. That means it's retained more of the beneficial components though it takes an extra 10 minutes more than quick cook. Really, you have 15 minutes to make oatmeal in the morning. If you don't think you do than make a big batch at the beginning of the week and warm a bowl up each morning. Simple.

  • Here is an easy way to make oatmeal:



    2 cups oats
    4 cups water
    pinch of salt

    In a medium sauce pan with a tight fitting lid bring water, salt, and oats to boil. Then reduce heat to medium high cook stirring frequently for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 3 minutes.

    The things you can add to oatmeal are endless! Sometimes I add them at the beginning and sometimes at the end. With all the different combinations you won't be able to call oatmeal boring any longer.

    Here are some yummy options:
  • brown sugar, cinnamon and cream
  • raisins or craisins
  • pecans and brown sugar
  • add vanilla to the water
  • jelly added at the end
  • cook in juice like peach juice instead of water
  • cook in milk instead of water
  • make a glaze of dates,vanilla,cardamon, and water
  • add a pat of butter

You can also use left over oatmeal in bread, cookies, and granola.


Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008


So I know your all tired of looking at John Travolta so here is a new movie to think about. Secretary(2002). It's my favorite love story starring James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal.Nice.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Staying Awake

Staying Alive(1983) written and directed by Sylvester Stallone was quit possibly the worst movie I have ever seen. Yet, I couldn't stop watching it. It was pointless and filled with horrible acting and bad bad 80's clothing. What it did have though, was something I never realized that I wanted. This:

I can't seem to get the image of a uber ripped young Travolta, dripping sweat and jumping around a 'Broadway' stage out of my ...umm.... head. Of course it was also really late and I was sleep deprieved to begin with.

Perhaps tonight they'll show Grease.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Here are some pictures of my grandparents. I love them.


Friday, October 17, 2008

Random updates for those far away.....

Here is a picture of my beautiful and increasingly spirited son. He looks so angelic here. I made some delicious banana bread from a recipe out of this 70 style cookbook. Of course I didn't follow the recipe to a T! Sour cream instead of milk, made them very moist and tasty. I made two separate batches, one with coconut and dates(my favorite!) and one with chocolate chips(Sylvia's favorite).
Sylvia's such a good big sister.
I love my front porch. It's a great place to hang out when it's nice enough. Its full of toys, plants, and a comfy love seat. I'm sad that the weather is getting to cold to set out there.



Monday, October 13, 2008

Death to the Easter Bunny.......

The fall of Santa.

And the after math is my daughter's trust.

Innocence is a beautiful thing. Something to be protected. So why then do we fill our children up with stories and then wait for them to figure out that everything they held dear was a lie? The tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, Santa......
Really it's Sadistic.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Going Off-Line

In an effort to get our finances straight, we are getting rid of our Internet(and the annoying cable my brother wanted). I'm hyperventilating as I type this.....I've become rather attached to my computer. I spend to much time on it though, and since it's a laptop, I can always take it to a local coffee house or library to blog or update my etsy.

Of course this means I will have to pay more attention to my family and my house. Maybe even play a board game or learn to whittle...... what did people do before the Internet?


Wish me luck.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Damn you candy corn and peanuts!

Individually not to appealing, but put them together and the crunchy salty sweet goodness it creates calls to me everytime I walk past the container. It's my fault too. No one else would make this connection in my house. I brought them home,combined them, and now I have to live with the consequences of my actions. *sigh*

Oh, I added more stuff to my etsy. I also added more pics to my flickr.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008






I spent the day with my grandparents at their home in Harvey. It was wonderful to see them, because even though they live less than an hour away we don't often get together.

While we were there we ate my grandma's homemade pizza...








I took pictures of their fairy-esqe front yard.....












I also helped my grandma figure out her new phone, packed up the cool vintage knick-nacks my grandpa found for me, and watched Jasper have fun watching the mules eat a treat.



I had to get back in time to pick Sylvia and her friends up from school. Here is some pictures that give an idea of what it's like to sit for 30 minutes in a car with a toddler.....



I promise you these pictures are deceptive. It looks funner than it was!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Mercury Retrograde

Hands down mercury retrogrades are the worst retrogrades. With all the lost emails and text messages, miss heard statements, good intentions gone awry. Seriously, I have misplaced my keys, my phone, my atm card, my children numerous times in the last week. Each time it was shortly after holding the aforementioned article/person. It's like your brain takes a hiatus....or like NARF .....you know.... normal age related forgetfulness . Not to be confused with MILF(you can google this one yourself).
Luckily we are half way through this annoying astronomical anomaly. I would suggest paying extra attention to your belongings for the next week or so. Look before you cross the street, save the ambiguously worded emails for another time, don't sign any contracts. Let go of schedules and expectations.... take a hot bath, order in Thai and read a book.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Crazy? or Recipes involving apples

So, I have to get ready for the street party tonight and I decide to bake a bunch of muffins and a bread/cake. 'Cause I'm crazy.


Jasper,Sylvia and I picked apples at a friend's house the other day. It was fun and educational and best of all free! So, with our bounty I tried two new recipes. Tweaked a bit of course as I am unable to follow a recipe to the T.



This is a bread I had at a recent SOG meeting. It was so good I asked for the recipe and made muffins instead.


Apple Date Muffins


* 2 apples

* 2 cups all-purpose flour, stirred or sifted before measuring

* 1 teaspon baking powder

*1/4 tsp baking soda

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1 teaspoon cinnamon

* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

* 1/2 cup butter

* 1/2 cup sugar

* 2 eggs

*1/2 cup milk( I used cream)

* 1 cup chopped dates


Peel, core, and chop apples; measure 1 1/2 cups. Sift flour with the baking powder, baking soda,salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cream butter with sugar;beat in eggs. Beat flour mixture into the creamed mixture alternatelywith the milk. Fold in dates and chopped apple. Turn into a greased muffin tins. Bake at 350° oven for 25 mins, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in centercomes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a rack to cool completely.


Banana Apple Bread( more like a cake)



1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 eggs
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 banana, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 apples, cored and chopped

Directions
1Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
2Cream butter and sugars,banana and beat in eggs.
3Stir in sour cream and vanilla.
4In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda and cinnamon.
5Gradually add to butter mixture.
6Gently stir in apples.
7Spoon into greased bread pan and bake 1 hour.

Pre-Pride Event

I'm going to be selling my bags and reading Tarot at the Pre-Pride event tonight. If your in Des Moines you should come and check it out. There will be vendors and music and if the weather stays the same it should be gorgeous. Here's the blurb:

Party instead of Politics on 13th Street in front of Ritual Cafe
10/3/08 4pm - 11pm
Party instead of Politics!It's going to be aGOP(Gay Ol' Party!)andDNC(Dykes Need Change!)at the Ritual!Come on out and let's just queer it up!

-Pride Partyhappenin' on 13th Streetbetween Grand and Locust
on FridayOctober 3rdfrom 4PM to 11PM
There will be live music, food, art, fashion and lots of fun and entertainment for all!!!!Wristbands (admission) will be $5.00(includes your first beer)