Think Like a Redhead

YOU rise and YOU shine!

2011-10-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

Because I so do NOT!

Name the movie my title is quoting....win a prize. Ring the bell. Push the button, Max! That's from the movie too. It is Bill's all time favorite movie. At least in his top 3. And it IS pretty funny stuff. You should watch it if you haven't. You'll have to read to the bottom to find the movie name. I'm demanding like that sometimes.

Are you a morning person? Do you burst forth from your bed all smiles and perkiness? Do you get your best work done before 10am? Yes? Really? Are you sure? Because I think you've been brainwashed into believing you're a lark.

Fact:   Statistically, only 10% of the population are truly early risers. Which means most of us are getting bossed around by these chipper rays of sunshine. And they have somehow convinced all of us that it is better to be up at the Crack Of Dawn.

Most weekdays I pry myself out of bed at the unmentionable hour of 5am. I am not proud of this fact. I am doing a disservice to all night owls. I know and I apologize.

I do this for the sake of my two oldest children. Because, despite being trained since diaperhood of the evils of their very own father's early rising tendencies, they have willingly chained themselves and thus ME, to the public school starting hour of 7:45am. If I want to be the kind of mother who makes breakfasts and lunches and drives people around without incident at 7:20am, I have to get up while it's dark out. That's the cold, ugly truth.

But there are requirements I need Primo Joe. 2 cups. Really hot and totally bionic. I need a muffin. And slightly under 2 hours of indulgent TV.

That would be: Peet's Coffee brewed nice and strong, ready and willing at 5am.
                         2 episodes of Mad Men (I've finished up my 7 year stretch with Nancy Botwin)
                         A Morning Glory Muffin.
                         A blankie.

So if you are like me, and require daily bribing to leave the snugly comfort of your fabulously more-perfect-in-the-morning-than-any-other-time-of-day bed, these muffins might make things a little less horrible at 5am.

I found this recipe on the world wide web and then of course substituted all the stuff I had for all the stuff I didn't have....and ~~for healthy muffins~~ they came out AWESOME! So I'm thinking it's a pretty forgiving recipe and you can change it up even more depending on what is lurking in your pantry.

You will need -
18 muffin (cupcake) liners
cooking spray
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup regular oats (I subbed quick oats because I had some left from another recipe and we don't like the quick ones for breakfast)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbs. wheat bran (I subbed wheat germ because oddly I had some stashed in the garage fridge)
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup plain fat-free yogurt (we had low-fat)
1 cup mashed ripe banana - about 2 bananas
1 large egg
1 cup chopped pitted dates (I subbed chopped prunes, we had them, don't ask)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried pineapple (I actually bought these)
3 Tbs. ground flax seed - about 2 Tbs. whole (I totally skipped this, didn't have any and don't know where it lives at my grocery)

Preheat your oven to 350F

Place 18 muffin cup liners in muffin tins, coat liners with cooking spray. Before baking if any of the muffin tins are left empty fill them 1/3 to 1/2 full of water so your muffins don't dry out.

Combine flours through salt in a large bowl and stir with a whisk. Make a well in the center of the mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt, banana and egg. Add to the flour, stirring just until moist. Fold in the dates, walnuts and pineapple (or your subs). Spoon the batter into the lined muffin tins. If you randomly had flax seed, sprinkle that on top of the muffins.

Bake for 20 min. Muffins are done when they spring back when lightly touched in the center. Remove muffins immediately and cool on a wire rack.

Set your coffee maker for 4:45am. Set your alarm for 5am. Drag yourself out of bed, grab your blankie and shuffle to the kitchen. Get your coffee and muffin, settle in on your sofa and watch, bleary eyed, 2 episodes of ~~Men Behaving Badly~~ Mad Men.

Then get on Netflix and request The Great Race so you can enjoy the antics of Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood and Tony Curtis being directed by Blake Edwards.

xoxo

~S

IT's....midnight?!

2011-10-13T00:06:00.000-07:00

Around 2 and a half hours ago I had the sensible thought that I should get off this box and go to bed.

Clearly the sensible, likes pain free mornings, half of me is not in charge. Because it's 12:02 A-freaking-M! It's really going to suck in about 6 hours when I have to get up.

I wish I could say I did something useful.

But I didn't.

Just please let there be bionic coffee brewing when I get up...

ZZZZZZZZZZZ

~Sherri

Well we saved her life...

2011-10-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

...by showing up on time but you won't hear that sh-- on the news.

In my 44 years I've had friends, neighbors, parents of friends, speeding ticket issuers, etc. who also happen to be in law enforcement. They are good, funny, hard working people (even the ones who've given me speeding tickets, because yes I was doing 55 in that 35 mph zone), who pretty much never get a big thank you unless they get killed on the job. It's just the way it is. Wrong. But true.

Today my blog is a BIG HUGE THANK YOU! And I'll tell you why.

Yesterday, while most of us were having a Tuesday, my friend (hi Judy!) was having her Monday. It was a shiny new workweek, full of possibilities. She's a police officer, and so in the last 20 years has seen and done all of things most of us hope never to have to see, touch, smell or fight off. I've known her since we sat next to each other in 7th grade band. She played the oboe and I was usually last chair clarinet. I say usually because every once in awhile I would forget how much more fun it was to be last chair, goofing off with Judy, and accidentally practice a lot and get moved up to like, second chair. At which time I would promptly quit practicing so I could be demoted back to last chair again. Even then Judy had a scowl that could convince the Swanson brothers to let me out of the band locker they had put me in. My kids, of course, think she's cool because she's always packin' heat and even without her field weapon could take even my 6 foot football player down. Judy is the polar opposite of their mama and sometimes I think I should take some kick ass classes from her so I could get a little more respect around this joint.

But back to yesterday. She and her fellow officers found a homeless woman on a mattress, in a field. The woman was covered with ants and had foam coming out of her nose...still alive. Because they showed up in time, they saved this woman's life! Yet in Judy's own words...you won't see that sh-- on the news. And it's a shame.

We get to hear all the bad stuff all the time. And sure, there's a enough yuck to fill up an hour long news cast several times a day. But I know there's also enough good stuff that could too. Find the good news. It's everywhere, lurking, waiting to make you smile!

So I humbly offer up my little blog, with it's tiny readership, to say THANK YOU to Judy and all my other law enforcement peeps!!!

xoxo,
~S

High School Redo

2011-09-14T20:49:00.001-07:00

I can now say with certainty that nobody should be really concerned with what they may have missed academically in high school. You will have plenty of opportunity to go over it again. And again and again. With each and every child you help with homework. For instance do you know what Golgi bodies are? Turns out I missed that in 1980 when I was a freshman. I missed it again a couple years ago when my oldest was a freshman and we were staying up late doing science definitions. But tonight, on round 3 of freshman science, I can confidently tell you that, a - they're a real, as in not made up, thing and b - they have something to do with cells. I can also confidently tell you that I have successfully gone through my adult life never once needing to know what a Golgi body is.

So high schoolers, enjoy your high school days. Don't wear yourself out because you can't remember every possible little piece of (mostly useless) information they are trying to cram into your head. Develop some people skills. A work ethic. Be a self motivated starter, a thinker, a solver of problems. Learn to respect a deadline, however ridiculous it may seem. These skills you will use every single day of your life. Your bosses will live you for it. And if you turn out to be a small business owner? Even better.

All that other random info you are being exposed to? It's important in that you need to figure out what piques your interest. That's the stuff you'll remember, study in depth in college, and, if you're fortunate, is what your career will center around. But Golgi bodies...unless it turns out that science, specifically, Golgi related science, rocks your world...don't stress about it.

Xoxo,
~Sherri,
Who still thinks the public school system could use a major overhaul but doesn't have any great ideas as to how to fix it.

Olives and itches.

2011-09-09T20:22:00.001-07:00

Hello blog fam...I'm trying to do this from my handy iPhone. Because I don't yet own a laptop. You see my technology MO is one of total and complete rejection. All up until I Can Not Live without whatever the thing is. So I desperately absolutely completely need a laptop. In the same way I woke up one morning and HAD to have an flatscreen tv. But I digress.

Last night I smelled like a pasta dish. And I itched. Well to be exact, my arms itched. Nope they aren't in casts. I HAVE A RASH. Who, at 44, gets a rash?! Well, if you have recently tried a new body gel oil, which is what I'm squarely placing the rash blame on, and only your arm skin has a reaction to, you might just get a rash. So you might also be desperate enough to google home rash remedies because it's 11pm and You Are Desperate. And you will find several websites that tout the magical skin healing properties of olive oil. So you'll raid the kitchen pantry, slather olive oil on your rashy arms...and wait for relief.

But you'll wait in vain and just get hungry because it turns out that olive oil is not magical on your particular rash. So here I am, still itchy, wishing something would make it go away!

Love you to the moon and back,
~S

Black Swan and Watermelons

2011-09-07T14:56:00.000-07:00

Whew, we started off last week with a Monday morning trip to the ER and all of a sudden it's a week and half later. It goes like that around here sometimes. I try to surrender to the chaos. It feels good to be in the middle of next week.

Hallucinations. Ever had one? Me? Nope. At least not that they're telling me about.

Spoiler Alert: If you have not watched Black Swan, as I hadn't 24 hours ago, and it really bugs you when you know anything at all about a movie, then skip on down to the yummy eating part below. I don't usually mind a spoiler...and really, for Country Strong, I would have greatly appreciated one. Even though I saw the ending coming. I kept holding out hope. Ugh.

I have, however, had courtside seats while somebody else hallucinated, and I can assure you, that person's hallucination is very real to them. And pretty freaky for the guy sitting next to them. So this morning, I had about 47 THOUSAND loads of laundry to do and I finally popped in the Black Swan DVD that Netflix is probably about to thank me for keeping it and charging me $60 because that's how long I've had it.

Why the delay? Partly because I knew it was dark. Partly because I'm not a huge Natalie Portman fan. Partly because school started a month ago too early, and I've been busy signing school forms and buying endless school supplies. Partly because my husband had no desire to watch it with me. And it was on Blu Ray so I had to watch in the living room, when the prims were otherwise occupied. Partly because I'm not eagerly awaiting anything else from Netlix. It's an extensive list.

But this morning I ran out of reasons, and was completely, utterly, mesmerized. The layers with Swan Lake, the ballet, the descent into madness, the wondering if something was indeed real or a hallucination, and yeah, they leave you hanging on a couple. Which usually I detest, but not this time. Nat deserved her Oscar, and you should watch this film, even if she kind of bugs you too.

Then you should, because you purchased ANOTHER ho-hum watermelon and it's Mexico hot and humid outside, make this Watermelon Granita. It's from Pioneer Woman, and if you haven't yet checked out her blog/website, and all her recipes, you should. We've pretty much liked all of them we've tried. And we've tried a LOT of them. But back to the Watermelon Granita,

You need about 8 cups cubed watermelon (that's about 1/2 a largish one), 2 whole limes-juiced, and 1/3 cup sugar. Put half of each ingredient in your blender and blend until smooth (it really can make something besides smoothies and margaritas). Pour into a 9 x 13 dish. Do the other half - we don't want it to feel left out. Put it in the freezer and go watch Black Swan for 2 or 3 hours. Scrape the top, frozen layer with a fork. Keep doing this until it's all frozen and is pretty much a dry slushy.

Sneak off to your bedroom, with the whole dish and a spoon and eat all of it while you watch Nat dance into crazy town one more time. Or share it with your family. I'm not sure how it's going to go down here.

XOXO

~S

1. It feels like Wednesday.

2011-08-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

2. I'm having the skinny woman's breakfast of coffee and low-fat cottage cheese. If this was the 70's I'd be smoking cigarettes too. I really miss the 70's. Just because my family really didn't participate the first time around. The 60's lived on until the 80's in our household.

3. My beagle is unable to take a walk without producing something I'm required to pick up. No matter how many times he has been to the backyard before our walk. Why, Charlie, why???

4. I love the hot mess that is the Nancy Botwin character on Weeds.

5. You have to love a man who brings his own crazy to the table and it just so happens to compliment yours. Namely, your crazy didn't scare him away.

6. I painted my nails black two days ago, and it's still summer, so it's all wrong, but I've been too lazy to remove it.

7. Last night I made Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa Cake. Yes, Truvi's recipe from Steel Magnolias. All the sugar hounds in the household pounced on it. Me...there's no chocolate involved so that's a problem. You can find it on PW's website if you're so inclined.

8. No, I haven't been drinking this morning, why do you ask?

9. I really need a haircut.

xxoo,
~S

Stick 'em in or take 'em out?

2011-08-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite rescue hat that the hubby put in the Goodwill bag ~~because it was his to get rid of~~ causing me to say to him in horror..."What?! You can't get rid of that! I wear it ALL the time!" Then I snatched it right out of the Goodwill bag and put it in the closet on my side. But what I can never decide is this -

Ears IN or OUT???

Yes, these are exactly the kind of things that keep me up at night. So, how do you wear yours?

Pondering life's really small issues today,

The News, Jersey Shore's Situation and I

2011-08-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

What's your favorite part of the newspaper?

Mine, hands down, is The Back Page. It's where a cool photo is surrounded by paragraph long news stories. I can find out nobody likes Casey Anthony, that the miners were freed from the collapsed mine and that Heather Locklear is now engaged to Jack Wagner. That's enough for me. I'm not so much interested in the latest shooting in LA, which politician is embroiled in a scandalous twitter photos or anything that's happened very far away from me. Yes, world news is important and affects us all, but that stuff leaks in whether I want it to or not, so I don't really need to seek it out in my morning paper.

But what I LOVE are the stories of idiot criminals featured almost exclusively on The Back Page. You know....the guys who broke into a police van to take gag photos of themselves being arrested. And then managed to lock themselves in. Since their other idiot friend who came to rescue them couldn't break into the van despite their previously successful instructions as to how, had to call 911. Uh huh, as soon as they were rescued by the responding officers, they were officially arrested. Guess they didn't need those gag photos after all.

If it happens to be a Sunday when I come across a little laugh out loud gem like that, and Bill and I are sitting on the back porch having our coffee and reading the paper together, I absolutely interupt whatever important article he's reading to subject him to a read aloud of the story. I don't think he always loves this, but I figure it's good for him to gain a little perspective. If we have idiots here, so do the bad guys over there. Of course theirs usually have a bomb strapped to their chests.

My favorite news story today...Abercrombie and Fitch offering The Situation of Jersey Shore fame thousands of dollars to stop wearing their clothes because it's bad for the company's image. BA HA HA HA HA!
Awww who wouldn't want that associated with their product?! Hey Bill, listen to this one...

Have a fab day everyone!
~S

Think Like a Redhead: Cheese Potatoes and Free Associating in List Form

2011-08-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

Think Like a Redhead: Cheese Potatoes and Free Associating in List Form: "1. We've slid into the dog days of summer...triple digits...81F in the garage at 7am...are garages air conditioned in places like Vegas and..."

Cheese Potatoes and Free Associating in List Form

2011-08-16T16:16:00.000-07:00

1. We've slid into the dog days of summer...triple digits...81F in the garage at 7am...are garages air conditioned in places like Vegas and New Orleans? They should be. I want one. I also want a Jacuzzi.

2. I was feeling much funnier this morning.

3. It's the last day of Elvis Week. Have you fried your pb&b? When I'm done here I'm going to channel surf and hope for an Elvis movie marathon somewhere. Debbie and I used to watch old Elvis movies summer afternoons after we swam in her pool. See #5 if you don't know who Debbie is. Do you know why today is the last day of Elvis Week? Did you know the hubs and I used the commemorative Elvis stamp on our wedding invitations?

4. Summer is not officially over until 2 things have occurred. Labor Day and the arrival of the September issue of Vogue. Which makes the first 18 days at the local public high school a complete sham. Nobody should be expected to do Algebra when it's perfect pool weather.

5. My friend Laurie's birthday is today. Debbie's was yesterday. Lisa's was back in July. Laurie and I have been friends since Jr. High. But a few years back she moved to...wait for it...Texas. She was the first to go there. Debbie and I have been friends since 2nd grade when we were both 7 and lived kitty corner to each other. Saturday I was hanging out at her house celebrating her 35th double digit birthday. Lisa is my friend I've never met. She is fabulous, compassionate, wonderful and funny as hell. We're modern day pen pals. We met several years ago on the Chris Isaak Message Board that no longer exists. My PSA - Kiddies don't try this at home.

6. I've been reading the Ephron sisters. They are brilliant. You at least know them from their movies. But there are books people! Google if you have no idea who they are. I, of course, became aware of their novels from a food blog that Amy Ephron has, Oneforthetable. I was figuring out how to make grilled pizza. Which is to die for by the way and you have to do it.

7. Last night we had leftover night. Which completely appeals to my thrifty German side. As does rebuilding the screen door countless times rather than buying a new one every summer. But leftover night overwhelms my inner slacker. The dishes. Oy.

8. I might even delete this list entry so nobody knows a thing.

9. If you read my last two blog posts you know I fail, sometimes, to be nice. My grandpa passed away 2 weeks ago. He was 92 and a permanent fixture on my very short list of people to whom I will listen without fail if they question some decision I've made. Honestly I feel a little adrift without him. My husband is a lot like him. And that's a good thing. So I've been thinking if that woman had offered her unsolicited school supply advice on another day when I wasn't feeling adrift...maybe I would have been nicer. Or at least just ignored her comment. But I was out of sorts.

10. I love this time of year because they come out with new post-it note designs. I got some today. :D

11. Cheese Potatoes are a great accompaniment to Leftover Night because they are delish and fill in a lot of gaps...cheesy protein...sour cream for the dairy....green onions for the veggies...potatoes for the carbs and fiber... This one came from my hub's family. Probably his Grandma Mae, although I first ate them at his Aunt Dawn's House on Easter in 1988. It was the first holiday meal I shared with them and they were all very gracious and lovely with me. I loved them for it. And still do.

Parboil, cool, peel and thinly slice 7 medium potatoes - red or brown work fine.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a large pot (I always just use the same one I boiled the potatoes in, less work) combine -
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 can cream of chicken soup (I always use the healthy request)
8 oz sour cream (light totally works)
1/3 cup sliced green onions (seems to usually be about one bunch)
2 cups shredded cheddar (use at least medium, I think mild would be too bland)

Melt all those lovely ingredients over medium heat until they are bubbly. Fold in the potatoes. Put them into a greased 9x13 dish and bake 45 minutes.

12. The nice attendance lady at my daughter's school, Miss Monica, told me she liked my red hair today. Things are looking up.

xoxo,
~S

Maybe I should come with a warning label.

2011-08-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

I must seem pretty approachable. After all I've been sniffed at Walmart by Weird Guy. It's true I'm completely comfortable striking up a conversation with a perfect stranger for the 3 minutes we have to wait in line together. Exchange some pleasantries and pass the time. But please, complete strangers, take note. I'm no shrinking violet Pollyanna either. Don't get all up in my business uninvited unless you want to feel the sting of being thrown out of the party.

Take the random science teacher who felt it was her rightful duty to let me know that the kind of notebook (a tidy little 5 subject Mead spiral, black cover) I was buying, was the wrong one. Yes, she leaned right in to where I was standing with my kid, and said authoritatively..."You know teachers hate those. The kids have to rip out the paper and it's all messy and doesn't stack up. The 3 ring binders are much much better." She looked at me expectantly. As though I was going to thank her for generous pearls of wisdom, return the Mead to the shelf, and grab one of the 3 ringers she was gesturing at.

I'm pretty sure it was her snotty attitude, that caught the attention of my Mean Girl.

I looked at her with a level gaze and resisted saying what first came to mind, after all I was still standing next to my kid, tossed my hair and said..."Well, the kids like these so I get 'em what they want and I figure the teachers just have to deal."

Her expression was a little shocked, but not shocked enough to shut the heck up yet. She said, "Well, I MAKE my students get those nice 3 ring binders." I looked at her, trying to decide whether she was the most ridiculous person I'd met so far in my 44 years, and pulled out my favorite Mean Girl face. We all have one. Earned them in high school. Finally as it seemed to dawn on her that maybe I could care less what she thought, she quickly and quietly added., "at least...for my biology class I do."

Snorting, I gave her that dismissive I'm sure you do and I still don't care nod and turned back to my kid.

Ah, so that was her little fifedom. Her biology classroom. The place where she felt important and probably took it out on her students. But there, in the school supply aisle of Target we were back in the halls of high school and she was just an irritating, ruddy faced, overweight, dateless, bad-clothes wearing, busybody, who turned out to be a dorky science major but wasn't smart enough to get the grades for a good career in the actual science industry and ended up teaching high school biology out here in the middle of the sticks. I know that's Not Nice. Not one word of it. Total Mean Girl. I know. But really I hadn't asked her opinion. And maybe if she had offered up her opinion nicely...nope, even then she would've bugged me. But I might not have gone all dismissive Mean Girl on her.

My general theory about people who are bugging me in any way shape or form is this...I'm not a throw the first punch type of girl. I show up expecting to get along with everybody. But neither am I one to take much crap. So if you push me, I'll push back much, MUCH, harder so you'll go away. It's that lazy flaw of mine. I don't want to waste my time messing with you more than once. There are lots of great, fun, awesome, lovely people for me to spend time and energy on.

So strangers, sit up straight and pay attention here: Your mother was right. If you don't have something nice to say, it's better not to say anything at all. And we'll get along just fine.

We might even exchange pleasantries in line.

xoxo
~S

P.S. I happen to know and love a few people with science degrees and a larger than average number of my friends and family are educators. I'm not grinding on those two professions...just this woman who really irritated me earlier today.

Everybody's vibin' so don't nobody start a fight, yeah...

2011-08-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

Truth is I'm moody.

I can be volatile.

And sometimes I'm just straight out lookin' for a fight.

Thankfully, my husband is the man he is.

When he sees me coming, hair on fire...

He's got it in him to sidestep me and my wicked mood.

He's the bigger person in this relationship.

Well, most of the time.

xoxo
~S

Funny Stuff My Husband Says To Me

2011-07-28T21:20:00.000-07:00

Him - "You are totally dudelike ."

Me - I gave him A Look. (Not The Look, mind you, because that's a war declaration.)

Him - "In a smokin' hot, girl, kind of way..."

I don't actually remember what I did that made him say that, but I do remember we were sitting on the living room sofa watching something on TV. On a Sunday. So there's a good chance we were either watching a movie or sports...either way I was probably having words with the show is my guess.

He can't remember what I did either; I just asked him. But he does remember saying that to me. It's why we get along.

xoxo,
The Dudelike Smokin' Hot Girl

A Walmart by any other name...

2011-07-25T19:15:00.000-07:00

Walmart.

Like it or not, there's probably one near you. Maybe even a Super Walmart. Sugarland dubbed it Wallyworld in a song, the midwesterners call it by The Walmarts for some unfathomable reason, but here in this household...we refer to it as...The Place Where Very Weird Men Hit on Mom. Okay, I replace 'Very' with a particular word that starts with an 'F' when my children aren't around but I'm trying to keep my blog PG-13.

Now when I go out and about my daily business I do occasionally get....approached, we'll call it....by an interested man. I'm talking like once a year. These guys are polite and completely embarrassed once I flash my wedding ring that they somehow missed. So, for the most part, I give out my very happily married and not in the market in any way, shape, or form vibe, in a big, BIG way. Apparently, however, when I cross the threshhold of a Walmart, I am stripped of my usual vibe and it is replaced with...I don't know what...but it encourages whatever weirdo male is in the store to come on up and take his chances.

And, being a redhead, I am familiar with the Guy Who Has A Fetish for Red Hair. That guy hits on every redhead he comes across everywhere and anywhere, and usually wants to touch our hair, even while we're calling security over. So I'm not a novice in needing to tell a stranger to back the hell off. But this whole Walmart thing is...I don't know...more ewwww somehow.

It's a little disconcerting.

The last 3 times I have gone this is what has happened...

I have a had a seriously lounge lizardy ancient guy, with a massive dyed combover, give me the what for.

I have been followed around, aisle to aisle, as I tried to decide which body wash to purchase...and then offered help in applying it, while I was reaching for the laundry detergent. That one called my husband 'one lucky bastard'.

But I think the dude who sniffed me might be the hall of famer.

This happened just about a week ago. I was at the 'nice' Walmart in the 'nice' city with the hubs (as he has deemed it unsafe for me to enter Wallyworld by myself based on my previous experiences). We had been there, got what we came for - a new cooler - and were headed to the check out lanes. As it happened we were walking single file because of the crushing crowd in attendance that Sunday afternoon and unbeknownst to me, my fabulous husband had stopped to look at something (but, ever protective, was still keeping an eye one me). So for the first time in our shopping expedition it appeared that I was alone. Within seconds a man, fitting the description of Not All Cards In His Deck, walked by me real, real, close, leaned in, and sniffed me as he went by. Now I was not 100% positive this had actually occurred until I was rejoined by my hubby. He had been catching up to me, and had witnessed the whole scene close up. Apparently just as Weird Guy walked past me he exhaled deeply and audibly sighed while a contented smile took over his face. I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP.

This does not happen to me anywhere else. It doesn't matter what Walmart I go to, how I'm dressed or what time of day it is. So what I want to know is...does this happen to anyone else? Am I just special? Do I just need to never enter another Walmart again and only shop Target for the sundries in my life?

xoxo
~S

Goodbyes

2011-07-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

This last month we've been saying goodbye again. One of my least favorite things.

At the beginning of the month, my daughter's freshly graduated best friend, my Other Daughter, moved out of state for a new adventure and chapter in her life. While we're excited for her, we're holding out hope that when her lease is up in the Spring she'll head back. Pray for loads and loads of snow in northern Utah people! And this week a family we've known for several years headed east for Texas. And yes, for those of you in the know, I am purposely leaving out the great state of because I've come to harbor the seeds of hatred for that state. It has gobbled up no fewer than 5 of my favorite women and their families. I guess those longhorns really can hook 'em.

It seems in the last 10 years, since we moved to this little one-horse town, we have said more goodbyes than I have in all the rest of my lifetime. I don't know if that would really hold up under close examination, so maybe it's just that the goodbyes we've been forced to say in the last decade have worn much harder on me than before.

Is it that it's a small town, so friends are fewer and farther between? Maybe. Is it because the population out here is...unlike any I've lived among before? Probably. Is it because I've now lived here longer than any other place in my adult life? Is it because I'm becoming more and more certain I might never go somewhere else? Is it because I'm in the wrong place?

That last suggestion was made to me several years ago by a husband's friend on the eve of their departure for the greener pastures of Humboldt, CA. It's an interesting thing to ponder since I'm pretty sure we're not going anywhere. I had been lamenting to him that in the previous 6 months we had said goodbye to 2 other families and were now saying goodbye to his. I was telling him that it was funny because all of the people who moved (and continue to move) were always the last people that thought they would go. The pattern goes like this...we meet them and become friends...in discussing the fact that people seem to move around a lot they declare that they're going nowhere and all the really solid reasons why...then within the year...AND I AM NOT EXAGGERATING HERE...some weird random personal/job/health issue comes up....and a For Sale sign appears in their front yard.

It really stinks.
Maybe I need to befriend myself...ha ha ha!

I prefer a casual, quick, just like I'm going to see you next week as usual, kind of goodbye. Even when that's not what we're doing. I don't go for the long, dramatic, crying, desperate hugging goodbye. Which isn't to say it hasn't happened...just that I can pass on that all day long.

This morning I said a very different goodbye. It was casual, the usual, how we've been doing it for years, goodbye. Only this time, in Seal Beach, at my grandfather's bedside, he struggled to open his eyes and we both knew it might be our last until we eventually meet up on the other side. Of course I'm planning to go see him Friday too...so maybe I'll get lucky.

I've always believed in 'the other side'. Heaven. Whatever you want to call it. I like the idea that fried chicken will have no calories, my skin won't burn in the sun, too many margaritas won't give me a hangover and I'll spend some serious time lying on a beach with all my favorite people. It's my version of the sweet beyond.

Maybe all of this is why I haven't felt like writing. Actually, if we're gonna get bare naked honest, why I've been avoiding writing like the plague. I've been in a mood. But it's time to bounce back and enjoy the sunshine.

Love to you all!

~Sherri

Purple Knot - you need it!

2011-06-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

Hey my friends,

This morning I was real fired up about the Rihanna controversy and I thank all of you for your comments and messages to me. It's heartening to know it's not just me out here being irritated and frustrated.

But tonight I'd like to introduce you all to my friend Raquel Byrnes. We first met a few years back at a homeschool group we both belonged to. Raquel is easily one of the most relaxed, genuine, peaceful people I have known. Within 5 minutes of meeting her you just want more of the way she makes you feel. But what I did not know until about a year and a half ago was that Raquel's little secret is that she's a very talented writer! This tidbit I discovered thanks to Facebook.

Raquel was a great inspiration to me to get back to writing, going so far as to generously inviting me to 'throw down a chapter and come meet with my writing group next Sunday'. I've yet to get that far, but I did start my blog and I can't thank her enough for the extra push. And remember awhile back when I was astonished to learn that Amish fiction not only existed, but was interesting? Raquel strikes again.

Somewhere between homeschooling her 6 kids, she writes faith based suspense/mystery/romance novels. Raquel is good and you need to check her out. Her first published novel, Purple Knot, is out on Amazon.com tomorrow (which will be today when I post this) 6/3/11. I put my order in today (okay, yesterday, but you all get it right?!) Anyhow, follow this link and show her some love!!!

Purple Knot

www.amazon.com

xoxox,
~Sherri

Stirring the Pot

2011-06-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know me well know I'm opinionated and can be real loud about it sometimes. This is one of those times. It's a-okay if you don't agree with me...I just want you to think about it.

I'm on Rihanna's side folks. I don't know if it's because she's dyed her hair a shocking red and pulling it off, if it's because she has survived and succeeded despite being beaten within an inch of her life by Chris Brown, or if it's just because she's ballsy, loud and unapologetic about who she is. I respect that in a person. I like her.

In case you haven't heard, Rihanna's new video, "Man Down", depicts a young woman returning to her home island (we can guess it's Barbados where Rihanna is from I suppose), and ends with her shooting and killing her rapist. Not in the moment as self-defense, but the next day in a premeditated act carried out in a crowded train station. People are freaking out. Groups are requesting it be banned from the air. Everyone is concerned it sends the wrong message to impressionable young girls. Here's a news flash for you all - if you are raising your kids right they are not hyper-focused on one particular celebrity to figure out who they are! Does my daughter like some of Rihanna's music? Sure. It's how I heard it first. Am I worried about her grabbing a gun and shooting her ex-boyfriend because he ran his mouth off when she broke up with him? Uh no. I'm not.

My initial reaction to the video - which I saw before it went viral and stirred every one's feathers, was along the lines of gorgeous location, gritty story, probably happens. And I moved on. Didn't think anymore about it. I was already familiar with the song. But here's what got me...I had always assumed she was singing about a man's story of shooting a man down. Because I don't associate violent gun crimes with women. There it is out on the table. My own prejudice. Something I need to consider.

My question is this...why is it okay to make a full-length feature film about a man taking violent, premeditated murder as revenge against someone who has wronged him or his loved ones (the movies Taken and Unforgiven immediately come to mind), but not okay for a woman to do the same for herself? It is all fiction after all, is it not? If we're going to be incensed when a woman does it should we not be just as flipped out when a man does it? Worry ourselves that people are unable to differentiate between something real and something unreal? Sure there are dumb people with no judgement, but they're already doing stupid things. If you're unstable and something is going to set you off it could just as easily be the guy who inadvertently cut you off on the freeway this morning.

I think we should consider the setting of the video. My guess is that in that part of the world crimes against women are not heavily prosecuted. As recently as 5 years ago there were still parts of Mexico, heavily populated tourist meccas not little villages, where rape was not considered a crime! Why aren't these groups up in arms about that?!

My mother was both a hippie and a feminist. I was raised with the principles of peaceful resistance and female empowerment. When the other kids on our street played cowboys and Indians I had to come in, it was too violent. I knew who Phil Donahue, and Gloria Steinem were before I was out of grade school. To this day I shudder at real life violence and can't stomach much fictional violence either. I am never going to be a huge UFC fan because it looks like the other guy is getting hurt. (And they wear really little pants but that's another discussion). I also believe women have been oppressed for centuries and continue to be oppressed, in varying degrees, all over the world.

So do I think in real life, the solution, the appropriate justice, for a rapist is murder? No. But do I think it happens? Absolutely. Probably more so in parts of the world where the criminal justice system casts a cold, uninterested eye at violent crimes against women.

Ask yourself this...would you react differently if a brother or father of the raped girl murdered the man who raped her? Would you feel like it was okay because he was defending her honor? Why, then, is it not okay for a woman to defend her own honor? Is that not just a subtler, more currently acceptable way to oppress women? Let the men handle it? Really, this is where we are at as a society?

This morning I read an article online wherein the author asserted that since Rihanna has publicly admitted in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine that she likes to be spanked and tied up during sex that she was being hypocritical in her video by murdering a man who raped her. Wha? Is this 1950? It's okay to rape certain women as punishment for their actions, dress or sexual proclivities? Rape is about power and violently taking the power from the victim. It is not about sex. Yes, women should be mindful of the message they are sending out by the way they are dressed and what they are doing. But so should everyone. Would it be okay if I beat the guy in a dirty wifebeater who stank of beer and cigarettes at 8am in the Walmart parking lot? Is it cool if I whack him upside the back of the head with a bat because he leered at my kid? No. Nobody deserves violent crime.

I don't approve, condone, encourage or want rape or murder. But I do think it's okay, important, for Rihanna to stir the collective public conscience. We all need to consider it, consider our own reaction to it, and consider if we're really all as evolved as we like to parade about.

Love you...now go think!
~S

Sweet sweet perfection...

2011-05-30T16:58:00.000-07:00

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

There are some things in life that need to be perfect...

...the perfectly crisp white tailored shirt always at the ready for those times you find yourself seated across a desk from the school principal unabashedly defending your child's reason for socking that really annoying kid in the eye.

...the perfect shade of lipstick that lights up your smile and brightens a bad day.

...the perfect phrase that manages to define your life view and applies to absolutely everything - mine is...

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

...the perfect guacamole recipe. I have spent the last 20 or so years trying to get it just right. In college the guac was Joey's job. He has been my friend's (hi Kim!) boyfriend, fiance and continues to be her totally cool husband. He also happens to be the person who introduced me to Chris Isaak's music and so I am eternally indebted to him for that too. But since we have all grown up and moved farther apart than we were then...I no longer get to simply sit down to the huge bowl of the green perfection he used to create on many a Friday night. I have to make my own. Huge sigh here.

And on this gorgeous 85 degree Memorial Day I think I've hit the mother lode.

Make your guac this way and you will not be sorry...pick 3 perfectly ripe avocados - firm yet yielding to the gentlest of pressure. Grab a ripe Roma tomato and 3 green onions, your Lawry's Garlic Salt (it's okay, you don't have to admit out loud that it's in the back of the pantry and you use it all the time), a lime, and some Tapatio.

Quarter the tomato and slice the white part of the green onions and throw them into your food processor and whir 'em around until they are chopped up real tiny. (If you didn't happen to inherit your mother in law's food processor like I did you could absolutely chop it all up real little by hand.) In a bowl mash up your avocados (you know you should cut them in half and scoop all the flesh out without me saying it right?), but stop mashing before it's as smooth as you like your guac. It'll get a little smoother as you mix in everything else. I like to use to potato masher but a fork works too! I add a light layer of garlic salt across the top and generously sprinkle in the Tapatio. Add the onion and tomato mixture and mix everything in. Then, and this is muy importante, taste with the chips you'll be eating it with because that adds to the saltiness!!! Took me a few trips around the block to remember this little golden nugget of guac wisdom, so I thought I'd mention it. Adjust your seasoning to however you like your guac. I like mine not too spicy because I usually eat it with spicier Mexican dishes and use it to temper the heat of those. Also I live with a bunch of gringo dudes who can't handle the heat. Oh be sure to squeeze in about a quarter of the lime's juice and mix that in. Helps keep it from turning the color of the dryer we had when I was a kid and I like the hint of tartness it lends.

Some people might be wondering what the heck?! Where is the cilantro?! Well, I have a long and serious love affair with cilantro. Turns out I just don't like it in the guac. But if you do, well throw some cilantro in your food processor with the tomato wedges and green onion slices.

Well, that's about it. I hope it works out for you like it did me! Remember to thank those who have died for our country...it's what this holiday is all about.

xoxoxo

~Sherri,

The Guac Master

The Betty Rice Center for dunked phones

2011-05-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

Hello Blog, it's been awhile.

You see Spring...sprung. And I have been declared by friends of mine...twitterpated...nerves all tore up.
In short, I've been having myself a good ol' time with things not having anything to do with this desktop box.
I have...prepped and sent my girl to Prom (absolutely gorgeous), worked out really hard and am well on my way to being back in the ring at fighting weight, dealt with my son's broken hand which, incidentally, did not end up requiring surgery, celebrated and hosted Mother's Day, received a white iPhone as a gift from my beloved husband, become a regular voyeur on twitter and you tube, discovered tumblr, and have been regularly texting my favorite sista about all things having to do with Spring. In short, I have become like totally reacquainted with my inner 17 year old.

And now my iPhone is down. And I am jonesin'. B.A.D. Where is my music? How do I fulfill my twitter/tumblr/fb/youtube addiction? How can I text Lisa? How much money is in my checking account? Date? Time? I don't know because I quit wearing a watch! What are all the passwords? And where the heck am I supposed to be at noon on Friday?! I used to not be able to function without my post-it notes. Now I can't function without my phone. It is a sad state of affairs.

A year and a half ago I picked up a little pink BlackBerry Curve. I mounted the slippery slope in complete ignorance. But I did figure if I was going to shell out for the required data package I needed to be all in. Go big or go home, as my friend Margaret likes to remind me. The calendar, the checkbook register, checking email, texting my kids instead of calling, doing a google search here and there...checking into fb, Pandora radio, sending pictures and messages back and forth to my husband (get your mind outta the gutter, not those kind of photos)...texting my friends, updating my contacts but never my paper phone book, using it for library lists, shopping lists...I couldn't NOT check to see why my BlackBerry's little red light was blinking. They don't call 'em CrackBerries for nothing.

Then I was completely mesmerized by the white iPhone. In love. The screen, the colors, the clarity, the speed. Oh my. I am a goner.

On Monday at 6:48am, my evil, little, white, fluffy dog managed to dump my week old iPhone into my coffee cup. Which was half full. Or empty. Depending on your outlook. I'm a half full kinda gal myself. And so it has gone to the Betty Rice Center for dunked phones. It has become HAL and is randomly calling people. I apologize if I have called you at all the wrong times in the last 2 days. Blame HAL. I have no control. I have no music. I have no calendar. I have very little contact with the electronic outside world. And it is making me stir crazy.

The luxurious accommodations at the Betty Rice Center.

THIS is exactly why I think I am resistant to new technology. I know I will be sucked in for all I'm worth and then poof it will break. I didn't want to switch to DVD's from VHS. Wasn't interested in a home theater sound system. Only embraced the internet and email because homeschooling forced me to. Don't possess a laptop. I didn't want a cell phone at all. When I got one I didn't even know how to answer it. Then I didn't care if it could take pictures. And I certainly didn't want one that had a QWERTY keyboard for texting. Gave away the Palm Pilot my husband gave me a few years back. Didn't want my life in a little electrical box. Most certainly didn't want any sort of smartphone. Not that long ago I didn't even know exactly what that word, smartphone, referred to. I was blissfully happy people. Peaceful in my ignorance.

And now I just want my iPhone back!!!!

With twitching thumbs,
~Sherri

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...

2011-04-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

There are things I simply know I should stay away from. Bartending for instance, would be a horrible career for me. Did you see the Banger Sisters with Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon? Let's just say I identified more with Goldie's character. I am thankful to this day I did not get that job as a shooter girl.

Well, tonight was just one of those nights I thought I'd let bygones be bygones. Try something I'd sworn off of more than 20 years ago. I had my class...I really wanted a crock'd all inclusive dinner that would be ready when I got back home...I'm cooking lighter...those were my three big inspirations today. Big mistake. Really big. Huge, actually.

I have only made 2 dinners in my entire adult life that were inedible. The first was a meatloaf. A healthy, good for you, meatloaf. I know, I should have known better than to mess with comfort food, but I was young and impressionable. It came out the color and consistency of cat food in a can. Absolutely, inarguably disgusting. The Fiance (the very same man as the present day The Hubs) and I ordered in a pizza.

Tonight, I made this lovely concoction. Inedible Dinner #2. And yes, that is a cookbook you see in the background.

So no, this evil doing was not from my own personal imagination.

Which means somebody else thought it up, made it, ate it, believed it tasted good, and then Other People agreed it tasted good enough to include in a cookbook! No, I'm not going to bash this cookbook, because the fish tacos and the zucchini nut muffins were pretty darn tasty. I will make them again. But The Hungry Girl's 300 Under 300 recipe for Cheeseburger Mac Attack is nasty, nasty, nasty. Yes it does indeed look like a crockpot rendition of Hamburger Helper in her book's photo. My husband has a soft spot in his heart for The Helper, so occasionally I indulge him. Let's just say the boxed stuff is way better!

This is when I should have become suspicious, but I was clearly in denial...around mid-day I wandered out to the kitchen where my oldest son was and asked him...'What's that weird smell? Oh it must be the crockpot dinner'...chuckle, chuckle.

His response? 'Mom, that does NOT BODE WELL for dinner, that even you think it smells weird'. That kid made arrangements to eat at his cousin's house tonight where my sister in law was serving tri-tip.

So, what is the common denominator in these two dishes that even I wouldn't eat and smelled weird? GROUND TURKEY. I will not, let me repeat, will never, EV-ER, try to cook with it again. Two times and shame on me, right?
I opened windows, cranked up the whole house fan, lit candles, put that nasty mess to rest in the garbage and hit up Submarina for some awesome sandwiches.

Sometimes that's just how it rolls.

I think my trusty crockpot is happier now. I'll have to make it up to her with a nice roast, or chili, or Italian Chicken...or ABOUT A THOUSAND OTHER RECIPES THAT DON'T INCLUDE GROUND TURKEY!!!

Don't let the turkeys get you down, (snicker snicker)
~Sherri

How did all that happen?

2011-04-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

I love my Japanese Maple. The other one didn't make it through our cold winter.

My boys and I have just completed the Oddest Spring Break On Record.
We did not go anywhere exciting.
We did not go anywhere at all.
Instead, they both got sick with that nasty cold that's going around.
But each and every day I still had to get up at 6am to take my daughter to her school, which was not on Spring Break, and won't be until the last week of the month. After Easter. Anyone else find this odd?

Plenty of opportunity to get my Spring Break To Do List done done done.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.

This was my To Do List For Spring Break - paint my bathroom cabinet (it started raining - paint takes forever to dry), shoot photos for class final, reschedule daughter's doctor appointment, schedule my own eye doctor appointment, schedule dentist appointments for all the kids, make 2011 files (yes, I'm aware we're in the 2nd quarter of the year, so what?), empty desk files that I ignore into the file cabinet in the garage.

What I did do was...hung out with my sister in law (hi Karie!), saw my friend who lives an hour away (hi Michelle!), and well....I'm not sure exactly what else I got done. I did P90x most days. So I can be proud of that right? Oh, and I bought a lot of cold medicine and Kleenex and tended to 2 sick young men. They need a lot of attention when they're sick, those young men do.

It's okay though, this odd Spring Break, because one of the big advantages of not being beholden to the public school system and its schedule, is that we'll take some days in the next week or so and do something fun! And exciting!
At least we'll leave the house.

Around 7:45am today, before the rain, wind and hail.

So on this last day, of this odd Spring Break week, not only did it shine bright sun, pour rain, blow major howling wind gusts and hail, I found I was completely, totally, fully, completely, distinctly, commitedly unmotivated. Hiding out. Hibernating. I did not want to. Anything. Period.

But as I write this at 9:57pm I realize I...

...did 3 loads of laundry, despite my best intentions to leave the washer alone.

...changed my Firefox Persona from a hot pink girly one to Homer Simpson sleeping in his tighty whities with donuts on his belly.

...paid our homeowners insurance premium and updated the checkbook.

...gathered up and took even more photographs of my gnarliest pet.

...wrote the ungrateful pet her own blog post.

...remembered to make the chili for dinner.

...cleaned our house because my daughter is having friends over for a movie night.

...took a shower and, mind you, it was not a minute past 4:03pm, don't think it was.

...retrieved my son, heard him out, decided he wasn't really in as much trouble as I thought he might be in.

...went to the grocery to pick-up movie night type snacks for the girl and her friends, because sometimes I'm nice like that.

...got home in time to make my favorite cornbread.

Apparently even when I'm lagging...I am woman, hear me ROAR!

I bet you are too.

Even if you're a dude.

Make this Sweet Cornbread. It's better than Marie Callendar's. And the recipe is straight off the Alber's Corn Meal box side panel. If you prefer the unsweet, baked in the cast iron skillet, kind of corn bread, I'm not sure what to say about that besides come on over to the sweet side of life.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine these dry ingredients in a medium bowl:

1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Set aside.

Combine these wet ingredients in a small bowl:

2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups milk (I always use nonfat because it's what we drink.)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons butter, melted.

Grease an 8" round cake pan. If you use Crisco, you will get a nice little crisp edge that's divine. You can also use spray oil, but the edge is not as fab.

Add the well combined wet ingredients to the well combined dry ingredients. Stir just until blended. Pour into pan and bake for 35 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes then cut into wedges and have a little cake disguised as cornbread with your dinner!

I will be prom dress shopping tomorrow,
~S

Oh Yeah, She's a Mean Girl

2011-04-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, there was the movie, Mean Girls. And yep, I went to high school and can back you into a corner if need be. But I suspect most of us can. So it's not really much to brag about. But the Mean Girl I'm talking about is this one.

Meet Layla.

I call her THE VERY BAD CAT.

She is a climber of screens.

The eater of carpet (and wicker Pottery Barn chairs).

Much to the amusement of my boys, she can leap half way up a wall in hot pursuit of a red laser dot.

She sharpens her ~~weapons of mass destruction~~ nails, publicly, and proudly.

Always watching.

Seeking.

Stalking.

And like most Mean Girls, she's absolutely gorgeous...

mink soft fur

sleek body

glistening golden eyes
magnificent stripes

long strident whiskers

So what began as a scruffy, fluffy, unbearably adorable, grey and white foundling from the hub's company's outside shop, has become our very own Mean Girl. She even had a dark grey 'M' marked in the center of her forehead. We should have known right?! But no! We thought it meant she was destined to be ours...M being the first letter of our last name and all.

Little did we know it really stood for Mean.

xoxo on this super unmotivating Friday, last day of the oddest Spring Break ever, wish the sun would come out kind of day,

~S

P.S. She's also hands down the favorite pet of my oldest boy...who truth be told shares a little of her ruthlessness. I keep telling him he should be a trial attorney.

1 box, 2 boxes, it's how the cashier knew.

2011-03-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

This man, also known and usually referred to by me, as the hubs, hubby, sweetie, The Man, hunka hunka burnin' love, damn baby, and other even more embarrassing nicknames, had a birthday last Friday. He has many qualities that cause me to love and adore him. For starters, despite the fact that he does not have one iota of laziness in his precious soul, he never begrudges me my serious personality flaw which makes me constantly yearn for a soft sofa to lounge around on. He's funny, steady, kind, and can go shopping with me without anybody wondering if he's straight. He can fix pretty much anything, build stuff, looks smokin' hot in a suit or a pair of Levi's, is an awesome driver, and a really good dad. He makes me feel safe, loved and treasured. And get this, I don't scare him. (I've scared lots of male types in my earlier days...they just couldn't handle this redhead.) But this one...not scared. He can totally deal. His dad, back when we got engaged, said something like...Son, are you sure? She's a redhead with Mexican blood in her. I've seen that temper. The only thing worse than that is a Texas blond. You sure about this?... My sweetie just smiled, and said he had it covered. He's totally a keeper.

The other thing I love about him? He's older than me by 4 1/2 months. Believe me...I like to ride him about that all the time. Without fail. And now that he's once again had his birthday, our numbers accurately reflect that. THANKS HONEY!

Those boxes I mentioned up top? When I was at the grocery picking up a few things to fulfill all his dinner and birthday cake desires, the cashier said...it must be your husband's birthday... I couldn't figure out how she knew that, exactly. Sure it was a birthday, all the signs were on the counter...the birthday balloon, the yummy ingredients, the celebratory napkins, the blue cake candles (blue candles, probably a dude)... OH! It was the candles. 2 boxes. More than 36. Probably not my son. Smart lady.

So yeah, if you ever wonder, they are checking out what you're buying, trying to put 2 and 2 together. Wonder what they were thinking the night I bought wine, dark chocolate M&M's, and a big pink box. Oh right. Everyone knows what that means... ;)

I'm off to take the ribs out of the oven for the other male in the family with a March birthday. Yep, that's 2 birthdays within 3 days of each other. The girl is a couple days before Christmas, I'm the day before Halloween and my youngest's birthday falls right when we take our annual beach vacation. Why do anything simply?

xoxoxox
~S

Late and without a shamrock.

2011-03-17T22:07:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!!!!!!!

There are good ships, and there are wood ships, the ships that sail the sea.

But the best ships are friendships, and may they always be.

I know, it's almost over...sometimes the day just rolls like that regardless of my plans. Not that it was a bad day, just a busy one. I spent a good part of my day putting together my midterm portfolio for my photog class. This was one of my favorites...

An Irishman is never drunk as long as he can hold on to one blade of

grass and not fall on the face of the earth.

The color is quite a bit lovelier in the actual print and in my computer file than it is here, but still, it makes me smile. I know there about a bajillion photos just like this blade of grass with dew drops glistening in the morning sun. But the fact that I got this so tightly focused, and it actually came out just like I wanted it to, straight out of the camera, no post editing, made it TOTALLY worth the fact that yesterday at 8:30am I was purposely lying on my stomach, in the dirt, on the side of a remote rode between a horse ranch and empty field, taking pictures.

I hope everyone had a great day and enjoyed a little Irish luck!

May those who love us, love us.

And for those who don't love us,

May God turn their hearts.

And if he can not turn their hearts,

May he turn their ankles,

So we may know them by their limping.

May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.

xoxo,

~Sherri