Babies and Crepes

I don't have a picture for this because this post is spontaneous.  Over to my left I can see my brother with his baby on his lap while also trying to eat up some Graham crackers and milk.  To my right is the kitchen where half an hour ago I finished making a small stack of crepes.  I was watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Food Network channel while Guy was chowin down on some Polish food (that I want right now) they got to the dessert course and on the menu was crepes.  That was the moment I whipped out my phone and jumped on allrecipes.com to grab a quick recipe!  That link will take you to the one I used, however I decided to add a couple splashes of vanilla and a sprinkle of sugar over the batter bowl.  Once I thought you could just make this with really watered down pancake batter...nope, it doesn't work that way.

The baby was over to be baby sat while Mommy went to work and Daddy was on his way home from work.  Grandma is warming up some leftovers for dinner while the crepes sit in a plastic baggy waiting to be had for dessert.  I taste tested them with whipped topping and chocolate sauce.  I'm thinking that some fruit preserves would be yummy if I had any but we only have Grape and Apple jelly.  Bananas and peanut butter!  Yup, that's what I'm doing with mine next.  We did have honey but Brandt ate it all because he doesn't care about using the last of anything even when it's not his.....haha! Can't you tell I'm dying for some honey now?!

So...are these sugar cookies?

I have no idea what an original sugar cookie recipe looks like but I was tootaling along pinterest and found these cute "Melted Snowmen" cookies.  I didn't make melted snowmen cookies...I actually just made cookies and then found another recipe for that shiny icing and put two and two together to make YUM!

 

MIXED MATCHED SHUGARY COOKIES

 

Cookie Ingredients:

1- 1 1/4 c. sugar

2- 1 c. softened butter

3- 1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar

4. 2 eggs

5- 2 t. cream of tartar

6- 2 t. vanilla extract

7- 3 c. flour

8- 1 t. baking soda

9- 1/2 t. salt

 

Set the oven temp to 375 degree F.

On med. speed beat together 1, 2 & 3.

Then add 4, 5 & 6 beating on med.

Then at low speed add in 7, 8 & 9.

The dough will come together when you shape into balls.

On an ungreased cookie sheet place 2 in. apart and bake 10-12 minutes.  Cool on pan for 1 min. then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cooled apply the icing.

 

Icing Ingredients:

1- 2 c. sifted powdered sugar

2- 1 or 2 T milk (I guess this is the difference between piping and flood icing)

3- 1 T light corn syrup

4- 1/4 t. or to taste extract (I used vanilla- most call for almond)

5- food coloring

 

Combine all together and (I never thought to do this-I used a messy spoon)spoon into a plastic bag or a piping bag or...a squeeze bottle!  I don't like the taste of powdered sugar but when it's on the cookie you don't taste it very much or at all.

 

Though I told my mom I would help her vacuum and mop today I've neglected to start yet!  Hopefully leaving my latest baking excursions for you to read will get me going!  It sure will warm me up since a cool front blew in the other day.  I like the cold because I like bundling up...but then again, I don't want to be outside in the cold for very long!

 

I made the Christmas cards this year!  They aren't exactly what I was going for but it was the cheapest route for sure since the card base was already made.  I did my best to make them to where I could be proud of them :) My mom said, "Well...we've received 3 Christmas cards and I just sent out 50.  We'll see what happens."  Apparently she doesn't like giving to give...she likes giving to receive.  I'm not just saying that!  Oh no, she says those sorts of things a lot and it always seems to be around Christmas time.  I try and tell her that she doesn't have the right mind set.

 

Finally I've realized my way of life.  I believe that everyone is equal on the opinion field.  Not everyone believes this so it can get me in trouble but it's just plain silly that I'm 22 and someone would say that I should respect my elders when speaking my mind is not about respect...it's about being heard!  To tell anyone that they should respect their elders should only be applied if someone is truly being disrespected.  My brain is scattered right now so I'm probably just venting.  Don't silence your friends and children with the sorry excuse that you're older than them, you should listen to all that they have to say and compromise the outcome or explain why things aren't going to work in their favor that day.  Tomorrow is always another day, but if you keep dragging around excuses for you to get your way there will probably never be a sense of connection in your home.  It is just like that in my home and I am longing for the day to remove myself because when there are close minded people in the vicinity then nothing can ever be fully resolved. 

 

Now I'm going to mix up some early morning banana bread, previously known as late-night banana bread.

Shake that taffy!

 

The recipe is as follows though I'm still experimenting:

SALT WATER TAFFY

 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C White Sugar

3 T Cornstarch

1 C Corn Syrup

1 1/3 C Water

2 T Butter

2 t salt

2 T extract

8 drops food coloring

 

Notes: originally this was 1/2 t salt which equaled sugar taffy not salt taffy. Then 1 T of extract wasn't enough so I bumped it up by another T. Some say just 3 or so drops of food coloring but I think that's silly! I made an awesome yellow using about 8 drops so it was still bright.  I also made a nice raspberry color using 9 drops of red and 3 of blue.

 

How to:

1. Butter your glass pans or baking sheets and set aside. A deep square will hold this amount easily.

2. In a medium saucepan stir together the sugar and cornstarch so to make everything lump-free.

3. Add the corn syrup, water, batter and salt, and stir to blend. 

4. Turn on the heat bringing it to a boil over Medium.  You want it to reach 250 degrees F. on the candy thermometer though this turns out pretty soft so you might want to go until it reaches 260...I'm trying this next.

5. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the extract and food coloring.

6. Quickly pour into your baking pan or pans depending on if you plan to make 2 flavors out of this 1 batch.

7. Let cool! Until you can handle it without howling!

8. Stretch by rolling into a big ball or small balls and pass them around to helpers...BUTTER YOUR HANDS, you'll have to do that often probably...and roll into a cylinder then pull and fold.

9. PULL AND FOLD x 1,000,000...or until the color has lightened significantly.

10. Roll into skinny ropes and cut up to either roll in powdered sugar or wrap in wax paper so they don't stick to each other.

 

Note: Be patient! I read a comment that told me to only heat it to 234 and it was a runny mess that I had to toss.  Then I read that some woman waited only 5 minutes to start pulling but it was still waaaay too hot to handle and I just ended up making a huge mess.  I threw away most of both batches but plan to attempt tomorrow.  DON'T HAVE YOUR NAILS PAINTED!!! My nail polish started to flake off into the taffy...green glitter was not a part of the recipe! 

 

I haven't perfected this at all yet, but maybe you can fail along side of me!  I hope to make these next batches useful...maybe I'll just make one batch and split it up...it'll cool faster this way.

 

ALSO...DON'T THINK YOU CAN GET THIS DONE BEFORE WORK BECAUSE IT IS ONE STICKY MESS!  

Late-night blogging while baking!

HOMEMADE GOLDFISH

Yeah buddy, I made goldfish from scratch!  Maybe I'll add some food coloring to the batch I make for my brother for Christmas to make them Goldfish brand orange.  I'll have to make them the eve of Christmas Eve so they're super fresh...I just had to make sure that they tasted good before I went all in and relied on this being my present to him.  Mmmm...they're good! They're so easy to make and all you need really is a bag of cheese!  (That is if you love baking and have the main staples already).

Homemade Goldfish

 

+Ingredients+

8 ounces Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

4 T Butter, Cubed

1 C Flour

3/4 t salt

2 T Cold Water

 

+How To+

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grab yo food processor!

Slap in the Cheese, the Butter, the Flour, and dat salt!

Now pulse it up! (Really I gave up after pulsing got boring and I just turned the thing on). You want to get an even sandy texture.  DON'T ADD SAND!

Then pulse in the Water a Tablespoon at a time. (I had a cup of ice water with my measuring spoon in it...then you have leftover hydration).

Remove the dough and put it in plastic wrap to chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.  Here is when you teach yourself how to make fishy cutters out of a beer can. 

When it's all chilled up you roll it out thin and cut 'em up and place them on the cookie sheets and bake for 15 minuets.  I made about 4 cookie sheets worth by placing them close together...like 1/2 inch or less.

 

They come out chewy...but I guess that depends on how determined you are to get the dough rolled out thin.  I compared the already shredded cheese to the big chunks of cheese and it was 4 cents cheaper to buy it already shredded...I'm willing to save a cent so it actually surprised me that they were willing to do all the work for me while adding a zipper bag to the equation.  I think I won that battle. 

 

BUT SERIOUSLY...This is an awesome idea for having kids work for their food.  If they want a hamburger have them learn how to grill or make them on the stove.  If they want pizza get the fixins from the store and you can buy the pre-made crust.  If they want goldfish, well here ya go!  If they want candy there are all sorts of recipes out there!  I plan on making taffy soooooooon!  It might demand a late-night pulling post.  (Get it?  Because you pull taffy!!!)

 

In the end, they aren't Goldfish brand, but they are yummy and cheesy!  Two ingredients that both have, thank you very much.  

THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU'RE HYPER:

#1. Write a blog and tell people what's on your mind-

I think it's important to pass down from generation to generation the....
my sugar high is crashing as I type so I'm not sure I'm going to be able to carry on.
BUT I MUST!  For there is late-night banana bread in the oven!

I just had this thought...I just left to go to the bathroom, so what if while I was away my cat decided to type something really crazy up and posted it but then created a new post and wrote what I already had typed???  Paranoia over the theory of a super cat...it's a problem!

Down to the goods!!!
There's this YouTube lovely lady with a "channel" (maybe that's the right word to use) called "Drunk Kitchen" LOOK IT UP, YOU'LL DIE HAPPIER!  After watching it I always find myself talking with a lisp- but that's all in good nature.  I just feel like I might need to have a YouTube "channel" that refers to all of the things I say and do during a hyper fit.

I've been really into facebook status updates because of my hyperness and because of my new phone that has this thing called wifi and 4G.  Crazy!  But yeah, whenever I have something good to say or just mediocre that someone might enjoy and get a laugh out of I post it as quick as you can say Ratatouillieeeeeeeeeee....I DIDN'T SAY AS QUICK AS YOU CAN SPELL IT!  If I can't come up with anything but wished I had something to say I post whatever.  Just whatever!  Like a Christmas list that consists of only junk food.

I always feel like I'm being judged for learning how to type with a double space after the period.  That's how I learned in 8th grade and then when I was still in college I heard someone say that they were doing away with that style of typing and it made me wonder if my A+ behavior in typing class was going to make professors think I was just trying to make my papers into the 12 pages it needed to be by having more space.  I did however hear about people using huge periods to end their sentences...but maybe they just needed to learn old school typing.  MY BOYFRIEND DOESN'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO TYPE!  Way to call him out huh?  I don't think he has any shame in not knowing...but I guess I harbor it all.

Postman asks:  Is there anything perishable in this package?
Customer says:  IT'S FRUITCAKE! IT'S ALREADY PERISHED!
(A one-act play written and directed and performed by Emilammy Jammy I)

THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU'RE HYPER and it's late...
1. Bake a late-night banana bread out of the brown bananas your pops didn't eat from last week.
2. Write a blog
3. Call you boyfriend and yak off his ear because if you don't he'll wait too long to call you and you're hyperness will already be focused on bananas and blogging.
4. When no ones asleep yet you have to be noisy and talk a lot...but when they're asleep you need to move out because THERE'S NO SLEEP UNTIL BROOKLYN! whatever that means.
5. I'm almost finished with HP #4 but that has nothing to do with hyperness because right now Cedric Diggory is dead and the dark lord has now been brought back to power!!!

I NEED A SOMETHING FROM SONIC STAT!  As stat as tomorrow can come!  Preferably around lunch time.  But what if I don't want it when tomorrow comes?!  Sometime I wonder why my brain is so much more adventurous than my body.  I think, "Oooh!  Sonic coupons!  How cool would it be to just go get a soda right now, for no good reason?!" but then I sit back down at the computer and just tell you my woes about the hoes inside of me that don't make my feet move in the direction of the car.  First I'd need shoes and a jacket and...car keys!  See...too much work just for a spur of the moment idea.  If I had those things already on me then I would've been out the door.  However, I don't really even know if Sonic is even open.  WHATEVER!  THERE'S LATE-NIGHT BANANA BREAD IN THE OVEN! and it would take longer than the 13 minutes left on the clock to get there and back plus ordering a drink in between there and back. 

THIS IS WHAT 13 MORE MINUTES OF BLOGGING LOOKS LIKE:
1. Time to spell check
2. Add a picture
3. Post this thang!

What this house needs is a fire.

 

Now, my mom would say that commenting on how much junk is in the house but for me its about the feeling of Christmas!

 

Since growing up and becoming more and more interested in decorating for the holidays I've ended up being the ONLY person in the house who's totally pumped to crawl up into the attic to get everything down.  My mom did start to chime in so I'm putting her on clean up duty.  Seriously, it's a mess all this glitter and tinsel.  I don't even know where the tinsel came from, but somehow it's in our house now.

 

Last year I was totally pumped to use ribbon around the tree however this year is totally new because my mom invested in a little blue and silver tree.  I wanted to still have the big tree up but everyone but me said that it wasn't necessary.  Maybe, just maybe on a day when no ones around I'll get it out anyways.  Probably not though- I'm making all of the gifts I'm giving so I need all that potential tree decorating time to be devoted to crafting!

 

In order to up the holiday mood I got up into the 800s on the TV where the music channels are and I found the Holiday station so I've been jamming out to Christmas covers.  All I need is a fire!  The smell of a fireplace and the warmth would really pep up the holiday cheer.  Its like 70 degrees outside and pretty comfortable in the house so it's not really the best weather for an indoor fire...but just maybe there are candles sold somewhere that smell like a fire in the fireplace.  If there aren't I should probably get on it!  Or I could just use sticks instead of incense in an incense burner.

 

And, just so everyone knows... Glitter Ornaments = Glitter Everywhere.

It's the season of crafting...

...where spiderwebs are really just the hot glue strings strung all over your arm hairs.

While working at a church camp the summer before my sophomore year of college I actually became certified to work with a glue gun.  Mind you, I was already a couple weeks into helping the campers with their awesome "stained glass" pieces.  It was really quite the difficult task to complete for the kids so I set it up to where once they finished their drawing then they could get in a line and have me trace their drawings using black hot glue.  I really did perfect the stringless art of using a glue gun.  I'm sure my glue gun certification has expired since I never got a laminated card for it...so I'll just have to hang on to the memories.

Last night I had the realization that I better start making Christmas presents.  I started last month writing each person's name that I planned giving a gift to down on a piece of cardboard from a calendar.  Then I drew a heart around each name leaving space for my gift ideas.  To give away one, since dogs can't read, I've just finished baking the doggy treats I've started making a tradition.  This might be the third year of doing it.  Right now they're crisping up in the oven!  I do three cookies out of each cookie cutter since M&H have three dogs.  I made most of them with the Christmas theme, but I threw in a few loops like Ice Cream Cones, Turkeys, and... Rhinos!  No idea why we have that cookie cutter in the first place.  Come to think of it, where's the dolphin one?!
      If you have dogs you might want to use this recipe...though make sure your dogs tummy can handle the ingredients first.

2 C. Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 C. Unbleached Flour

1/2 C. Corn Meal

1 T. Brown Sugar

(Combine this in a medium-large bowl)

---

1 Apple- grated

1/2 C. Olive Oil (this is best for a shiny coat)

1 Egg- beaten

3/8 C. Water

(Combine this with the dry ingredients)

---

Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. 

Flour your working surface.

Grab some awesome cookie cutters.

Roll out the dough to desired thickness...between 1/4 and 1/2 inch preferably.

Place on a greased up pan, you'll probably need 2 plus you can place the cutouts close together.

Bake for 35-40 minutes and when done turn off over and leave them inside to crisp up.

Pull them out to cool completely and store them in an airtight container...you may choose just to stick them in the freezer to keep fresher longer!

 

My other gifts are pretty secret and just right for each person...though I'm still working on a few better ideas in some cases.  My coworkers might go crazy if I make them another goody bag for Christmas.  I'm thinking...saltwater taffy!  Can you say handmade boxes?!

 

So, that picture up at the top is a turkey- duh -made from accordion folded paper.  My mom saw it at my new favorite scrap booking store so she had me look up the tutorial.  The turkey face/body cutout they had looked like it had a big boob so I nixed that and gave it a more appropriate turkey body.  You're welcome turkey.  Honestly, I don't even like turkey unless it's sliced up into a prepackaged container that says lunch meat and I hardly even eat lunch meat. Maybe next year we can just have ham because even when we fried it last year the thing just wasn't that great.  Overall, I'm going to try and save a turkeys life... One person less of being in demand of a turkey just might keep Skeeter alive.  One could hope?







Things about me that might make you feel good:

1. I talk to myself and have no shame about it.  If someone walks in on it I finish my sentence and then proceed to asking them about what I was talking about. 
2. I boogy in my car on the days I listen to Bob because it gives me that pumped up energy to go about my day. 
3. I also laugh in my car on the days I listen to the comedy station. 
4. I'm lactose intolerant...and you're not.  ?

Well...that's all I've got for now.  But when I have some more I'll just add them on.

1. I have a cat that looks like a dragon.  Specifically the one from How to Train a Dragon.
2. I'm out of college but still love the idea of party favors or goody bags...so I just set out my coworkers goody bags for Thanksgiving.

Gardening for the win!

 

 

Our Garden

I've just been outside shoveling dirt that was in a rectangular flowerbed underneath an oak tree into an oval shape (you can see it where that poll is standing to the right) out from under the tree because my dad doesn't want anything in the footprint of the trees...not exactly sure why but maybe because it's better to have full sun when it's starting to get colder.  It is fall ya know!  ...though it doesn't necessarily feel like it!!!

I also was watering trees and other plants like our fig tree!  Yes!  It started to ripen again, silly thing.  I don't want to rack up the water bill so there is a timer on it and I set it to the standard 10 minutes just by pressing a single button.  So simple!  I may not be a lot but at least it's something. 

Whilst watering effortlessly I pulled out the sheers and hacked away at the bushes you see between the cactus and the pole.  It looks way better having defined shapes amongst that veil of green everywhere. 

My dad is trying to figure out how to edge each circular section we create.  Those edgers you see at the bottom of the photo fall over a lot so he wants something that's thick yet light.  I've been trying to figure out how we could make our own concrete molds that would turn out like he wants.  My first thought was making molds out of wood of course, but then I thought if we could find old window boxes we could recycle them by using them as the molds themselves.  Some other neat ideas I found were cinder blocks with small plants growing in the holes, but my dad said, "Well, there wont be plants growing in them all the time and it'll just be more to water."  Guess he's not down for that idea.  Then I saw one where you recycle glass wine and beer bottles by burying them upside down so that 4 or 5 inches of their bottoms stick up and their different colors makes it so beautiful.  It would take a lot of bottles so my dad said that I should just do that in the front flowerbed somewhere...and he also said it helps to have pretty flowers growing right next to them (like in the picture).  I guess I'll be taking my ideas to the flowerbed and stick to pruning the garden.

Anyways, working in the garden makes me feel good!  I hope pops takes more of my ideas.  He already is down for raised circular beds, let's see what other things I'll win!  Haha!

A semi showcase:

Here's my semi showcase!  Though it's really just a picture of a card and a necklace I made. 

I've got a corn dog beeping in the microwave...or is it that the microwave is beeping because the corn dog would like to get out?  That one! 

We have cleared off a spot for April the cat to sit on the sill of the kitchen window because she apparently can't learn what this means:  She jumps up, we pick her up and put her on the ground, she jumps up, we pick her up and put her on the ground...cont.  So, to win some for both sides she gets a spot to look out the window and enjoy the cool morning air while we enjoy our nick-knacks not getting broken by a crazy cat.  They just walk all over us! 

I went ahead and spent 30 minutes or so putting those paint stickers on my nails.  They're probably a joke but the ones I have at least are.  The way I make them last 4-5 days is by applying them one by one.  First you put on some clear coat to stick the sticker to extra good.  Then you smooth it out and apply another layer of clear coat to keep the sides and tip secure from snapping up.  Now, don't mess with them and every morning give the tips and any other piece that seem like they might pop up another coat.  Too many coats can actually give you cracks in the finish and turn to an opaque white instead of clear...but you gotta do what you gotta do! 

Plans for this week:
-Hair cut!?
-Buy Taylor's new CD: Red!
-Buy that score board because it'd make card making...and turkey making...a lot easier.
-Buy some stamps for sending off more letters!  I have about 8 left but I might as well stock up now!  My Thanksgiving cards will have to go out eventually!
...in other words I'll be loosing a chunk of change today. 
-Work, work, work,...work.

Once it hits January I'll have to start paying my loans on a time limit and I've already been paying a little every paycheck.  I get paid every other Friday so it's not hard to do that but now I'll either have to pay a little one pay check and then pay the due amount the next check or I'll just wait till the end of the month and just pay all I normally pay 2 different times at one time. 

What is it about a red drink?!  You know it's red so you are really careful with it with every step you take.  BUT!  Then you do some little move wrong and WHAM! it's all over the floor!  That's exaggerated but it still hit the floor.  When we had the laminate on our counter tops anything colored that hit it stayed until we magic-erased it off.  Now I need to magic erase the cat from trying to get to the roast in the crock pot!

Brandt and I want to get a dog together when we can finally live together again!  I'm getting tired of living with my family though I don't have enough money to move out right now.  I'll probably have to start putting more away into my savings account.  He wants a corgi and a lab...I don't really know what I want but a small dog and a medium dog is a good idea.  Plus we have our cat still (who lives with me...and is really just my cat!) so they would have to be puppies first so they learn to love each other.  I see really good funny home videos!  The problem really is within where he's going to end up finding a job.  It's so close to graduation for him but I'm not sure if he's been saving money to have a place to live near his job or if he'll have to live at home for a while.  It sucks because I have my job and I love it on most days and I don't want to leave it!  ...I know he saves money for paintball...soooo not a living space.  "Duck man!" "Dammit, I'm trying to take a nap here!"  Haha!  Anyways, the plan for me is to stay with the dogs until I feel it's time to leave...or Brandt has a really good plan for us that's ready to live out. 

I'll just take one step at a time and then my mind wont be foggy and full of wants and confusion. 

Cleaning

      Cleaning makes me feel good.  More like, a clean space makes me feel good.  I like having control over a space whether it's my room, bathroom, or car.   I like experimenting with different cleaners and using wash clothes and sponges instead of paper towels.  I like using GREEN cleaners instead of things like Comet.  I just ran out of the multi-purpose Windex with vinegar so I decided that I should just refill it with vinegar and water.  So I did!  I'll probably look up the different concentrations of vinegar for different cleaning products.  Some recipes I just found!  NEVER mix bleach with ammonia or vinegar!  The combination creates toxic fumes! 
Here's some more! I think I like these better.

      Extreme Cheapskates is a show I watched the other day and I thought it was pretty neat.  I didn't think they were crazy...though I probably wouldn't have the guts to dumpster dive or not use a moist towelette to wipe my rear! I hate the Panera commercial that plays before every one, though I love Panera...but I kept watching and ran into "I poop like everyone else."  So poetic!  Haha!  I don't think I would pee in a jar but I already let it mellow every now and then.  Now that I think of it...I'm not sure if I flushed at work yesterday!  Oh well, It'll be me getting back at my coworker for not putting the seat down.

      All of this gives me a really neat idea for Christmas presents!  I wont say anymore, but my wheels are turning!  I don't know if I'm going to buy anything that's on any one's Christmas lists...though when we get older our list seems to get smaller.  No more Barbies or other toys on my lists.  Now it's a computer and Photoshop and Archiver's giftcards! 

      A list:

• Buy stamps for mailing letters and cards!
• Get my hair cut...or just suffer the growth (I'll at least wait for another paycheck)
• Buy 10 sheets of cardstock and Get 10 sheets of cardstock free!!!

That's all I've got for now because I've already cleaned my sink and toilet...I dusted my room yesterday though I probably should vacuum my rug (my cat loves that rug).  Plus I vacuumed out my car and did the windows though I'm still waiting for the carpet spray to dry so I can vacuum that too.  Maybe it has by now! (Ya know...spelling vacuum "vaccum" seems more correct...but it's now.  Damn.)

      Just so you know..I am now in love with country music.  It's on at work because it's one of the calmer types of music out there and last night were the CMT awards and it was AMAZING!  It started off with 3 guys I had never seen before but then they came back out later to sing each of their own songs and I was like "Oh!  I know this song!"  They are all such ladies and gentlemen when it comes to winning awards...nobody telling Taylor Swift off, though I don't I think she won anything.  She has gotten so much better since she started and I liked her when she first came out!  However, now when I listen back to the old stuff I kind of cringe.  Oh well!  I hope to update my albums with some new Taylor and perhaps some Keith Urban.

      I'm glad I didn't wait to wake up 'til 10 this morning!  I've gotten so much done already!  I made some cards yesterday and I hope I can find a good way to use them...I might need to go out a buy a stamp or some letters for this center piece I punched out for each one.  I made 10 colorful cards!  I shall post some!

Love,
Emily :)

Things that make me...crazy?

I have a cat who likes to lick my legs and toes...and nose!  She also will sit in my lap while I'm going to the b.... T.M.I. probably.  This never happened!!!

Wall color!  You know, wall paint?  The stuff you paint onto your walls?  Yeah, I'm crazy about the idea of painting the walls amazing bright and fun colors!  The problem...I only get to go crazy in my room and in my bathroom...however, both of those are green. 

Here are my dreams in color:


velvet evening

soulful music



They basically look the same...I don't want my blues to

 ever look grey or purple.

  But I want a nice dark calming color

 for my future master bedroom!

cran brook

mission wildflower

One is brighter than the other. Sometimes dull colors still look 

very bright so I figure it's better

 to just go duller in the first place.

bright star

peach butter

dessert glow

Now, I know I want a yellow kitchen...

I've been dreaming of that one forever! 

But I saw a picture of an orange-ish-yellow

living room and I thought it was brilliant.

Herbal

 I really like this color. 

My friend Jill would always paint

 her room this kind of color any place she moved.

So enjoyable!  I'm not sure where I

would use it but...it's amazing either way!

Madagascar

This is the color that I have in my bedroom

 right now and it's amazing!

It has to be in just the right space

or it might look terrible.

No one loves this one as much as me.

I envision this in a guest bedroom (if possible)

 so I can make up my "old" room in there for

 when my hubby has to be away or something. 

Poor fig tree...poor me!

Not sure what happened to those kittens around Brandt's place, but Roof Cat is still hanging around.  I feel like I should bring her home!

Our fig tree stopped ripening.  I picked 3 figs (that didn't get eaten by bugs) hoping to get enough to make some fig cupcakes.  However, for whatever reason, our figs aren't ripening anymore.  There are about 8 figs just stuck! So sad.  I froze the figs I did pick so I can probably still use them for a smaller batch of cupcakes I guess.  That makes me feel good!

Well, I thought I had a list of things to talk about on my phone but I guess I deleted it or forgot to save it.  I'll just have to think of some things right now!

-Buck saw
-Keeping the "A" in Manchaca
-Lasagna
-The Graduate
-Paper punches
-I love lists...

BUCK SAW...I hope that's not some alternative slang word for something inappropriate!  The other night I woke up to the sound of a saw.  The two ideas that sprung into my head was that someone was sawing the door open to our truck OR someone was playing a cruel joke by sawing off all of the lower limbs to our trees.  I know, my mind is a crazy place.  I got out of bed and turned on the porch light and opened to the door to a sound of running through the grass...I couldn't see past the porch, but I assumed it was that buck who's been hanging around, rubbing off the felt on his antlers.  Apparently he's already taken out a small tree in our backyard doing so!  Bad buck saw!  Haha!  I'm glad I figured out what it was.

Apparently someones trying to change Manchaca into Menchaca.  Which is totally silly!  There's a petition online to keep the "A" so go here if you care to help out our town!  It's pronounced "Man-Shack" though I've always just said "chack".  They sound the same anyways.
http://tinyurl.com/keepitmanchaca

Lasagna...it doesn't matter if it's made from scratch or not...Stoffer's is the best!  I bet their mac'n cheese is better than momma's!  Should I have said that???

The Graduate.  Once someone referred to me as The Graduate but they laughed and took it back and said something about not being the movie.  Or that he hoped not!  I had no idea what he meant so I decided to rent it on netflix.  Bahaha!  No, I'm not an adulterous and I can't get someone to run away with me after they've just married someone else by force.  It just isn't a problem you see, haha!

Paper punches...should I really just get my scissors out and stop returning these darn paper punches that aren't perfect?!  I have OCD when it comes to paper having clean lines and cuts...it's just silly how hard it is to get things that work just the way you want them.  When I punch paper into a shape I shouldn't have to clean up the edges with scissors or flatten out the crinkled corners!  Anyways, I'll be going back today to return the darn thing and perhaps just invest in something else outside of the punch world.  Hmmmm...I'll just have to beeboop around in there...I love that store!

I love lists! Duh!

Undecided...

Not on the topic of undecidedness...but wouldn't it be just the icing on the cake to live like you're in a movie for just one day?! You wake up and BOOM! Action Action Action! or Experience falling in love again!  Maybe see if you'd survive the Hunger Games?! Then you just wake up the next day back in your normal life.  Like a dream you have control of but you actually have to try! 
      What I don't like about dreams is when I'm trying to run, my feet in real life are stuck under the covers so I'm trying to run in my sleep...so in my dream I'm trying to either show off or get away and I have to go as fast as my feet stuck under the covers can go.

I think it'd be really cool!

Undecided on who to vote for this up and coming election? Apparently a lot of people are.  Do I want to give my vote to Obama so he can have another for years to "finish" what he started or start what he's put through congress, or do I want to give my vote to Romney so we can see a new face up top and see if his plans work for the better?  Tough stuff.  All I know is that everyone makes mistakes and everyone at some point is going to make a decision that is going to create negative opinions towards them.  The Obama campaign talks about bringing the military system out of the places at war to let the natives of the land who were trained take charge.  Romney's plan is to keep them there.  I honestly don't know what's best.  I don't know what's best for anyone because just because someone says they're going to follow through, it doesn't mean that it will keep priority.  Like, is that 1,2,3 list on every topic actually going to be written down on the black board of to-dos?  I don't know, you don't know...maybe even out future 2012 president doesn't know.
      Why can't we just set up an all-American poll to vote for which answer we like best? Then we really get a say and the only people we have to be upset with is the majority.  Maybe the majority will always have the right answer. 

Confusing!

Through vs. Thru!  I knew that it wasn't proper!  I always want to just type thru but I never thought it was supposed to be a real spelling, just a shortcut.
      That's basically what it is, a proper shortcut!

All of my questions have been answered! (On the topic of Through vs. Thru that is).

What makes me feel good is when I don't see negative comments on people's YouTube posts.  I mean, sure sometimes I have the same negative opinions, but I'm not going to post it so all of their friends can see.  Sometimes it's just constructive criticism but still, if they wanted that they would be taking lessons...which not many YouTube "stars" care to do.  Obviously.
     I've thought about starting a channel for singing on YouTube but I don't play a solo kind of instrument and you can't sing while playing the recorder...haha!

Be nice on the internet!

My ART&WATER campaign now has $40.25 in it!  Not much compared to the $1000 goal.  It takes $5000 I believe to build a well. 
      Wish me luck on getting my art show up and running by the 17th of November!

Oh it's gonna be some work!

Peach Cobbler...makes me feel real good!

Share a little bit of your love my friends...

I am about to give you the best Peach Cobbler recipe known by me.  Best eaten a la mode!!!

You're going to want to double the recipe because it's even good cold...or you might even just eat it all!

1 Cup - Unsalted Butter
2 Cups- Flour
3 Cups- Sugar
1 tsp- Salt
6 tsp- Baking Powder
2 Cups- Milk
6 Cups- Canned Sliced Peaches (We've discovered that when you bake fresh peaches they just lose their sweetness...you might also want MORE PEACHES! If I recall last time we finished of the pan we all thought it needed more peaches).
2 tsp- Cinnamon
Vanilla to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Melt butter in 10"x14" baking dish.
3. Sift together flour, 2 C. Sugar, salt and baking powder, and blend with milk.
4. Pour mixture over melted butter. 
5. Spread peaches over this and sprinkle with other cup of sugar mixed with cinnamon.
6. Bake for 1 hour.
7. Crust will magically appear and cover the surface of cobbler.

Serves 12...or 6 if you're crazy like my family.

This recipe came from A Texas Hill Country Cookbook that first printed in 1976!

Enjoy!!! AND DON'T FORGET THE VANILLA ICE CREAM!!!

Short and...apple juice sweet.

It's mushroom season!  There are so many kinds too!

      Well, I'm off my meds.  I'm not going to tell you what kind of meds though because that takes away all the fun of you perhaps thinking I might snap any moment.  So if you don't send me a donut through e-mail I might have to put you on my list.  My list of non-givers.

      I have no idea how people train cats...it seems impossible.  I can't get my cat to just walk on the leash...she has to run then wait for something else to pop up to chase.  Run STOP Run STOP Run STOP!  I did possibly train her to not eat Nerds...She ate the first one with some difficulty, but then I tried to give her another one and she actually licked all the color off and got to the tangy part and WAAAAH!  She didn't like it.

      Do you ever just crave juice?  I crave Apple Juice when I'm dehydrated.  Once Brandt and I were coming back from a hike and I got him to stop by the convenient store to get a bottle.  Too bad it would be cheaper to just get the huge bottle from HEB than to spend $1.50 on something you could have 10 of.  We got Juicy Juice for free with the meal deal these past couple of weeks and I was really wanting that tart taste of grape juice.  Don't go for Juicy Juice if that's what you're looking for though...the first ingredient is Apple Juice.  Yeah I'm a huge fan, but the doctor ordered grape, k?  (The doctor being me- highly qualified folks).

      The cat obstacle coarse has started...or maybe it ends on top of the china cabinet.  Who knows really?  Boo is a psycho cat.

      What about all of this makes me feel good?  To clarify...I feel better already not taking those darn drugs.  They all have scary side effects anyways....  It made me laugh to see the cat spit out that nerd.... There's a bottle of Apple Juice with my name on it in the fridge.... That highly active cat makes me laugh, but I'm sure glad April doesn't try and do what she does around the house.  April sticks to running back and forth from the rug in my room to my mom's bed. 

You don't want to use just any ol' butter.

Yup, these are gingersnap cookies.

Well, it's nothing like a trip to the dentist to depress me.  Then what do I do?  I watch the newest episode of Glee and it depresses me even more!  So what do I do to fix it?!  I make cookies!  AND THEY TURN INTO SOUP!  Apparently, you don't want to use just any ol' butter.  I used the spread in the big tub...and boy did it spread.  They still taste good!  Now it gives me an excuse to use that cookie coupon I have!  Break and Bake baby!!!

About the dentist:  I've been going to the same guy ever since I was a kid.  His practice is basically in a mini mobile home.  Now that I'm really into making my own decisions I grabbed my insurance card and took a stab at the place I keep getting postcards from.  They loaded me up with X-Rays and hooked me up with toothpaste that I had to pay for and pointed out some about-to-be cavities.  This guy who runs this place is definitely reminding me of that guy on the Dr.'s Travis Stork...flocked by ladies of course.  Only men want to run dentistry?  Overall, I'm really glad they are up to date with technology and include me in the reviewing of my X-Rays...that was neat!  Next change is my doctor...I have a wonderful Ob/Gyn and hope to find a wonderful overall health Doctor (whatever those are called).

About Glee:  I too, just like Fin & Rachel, Kurt & Blaine, and Brittany & Santana, am going through a long-distance relationship.  We're an hour away from each other and have been able to work out seeing each other every other weekend. BooHoo right?  No, it's not as bad as it could be...but boy am I ready to move on with my life.  I'm stuck here going through the motions waiting for him to graduate and find a job.  I am just having a hard time, and seeing how it ended with all of them it crushed me.  I'm a hopeful person and they all just slapped me in the face.  Ruuuude! It does make me feel good that I'm not far from him and that he calls me practically every night unlike those Glee folk.  I am thankful for the love I have and hope to keep on keepin' on!

Have you been paying attention to the Primetime on Demand commercials???  I haven't!  My sister-in-law just opened a whole new world to me!  Screw Hulu and it's setbacks with having to work through a temperamental computer...I'm gonna watch what I've been missing out on ON THE TV!

Now!  The other day I remembered this shirt I had that I later despised wearing.  It was a black long sleeve shirt with a bunch of different nail polishes with funky names printed on it, and there were bows.  My last day of wearing that shirt was at church camp when I read the conservative sign in the bathroom saying: "LET THE YELLOW MELLOW."  As I read through the many names of nail polish I later discovered that the bright yellow bottle was named "Yellow Mellow."  No, I never would associate those two words with a song...not after reading that sign.  Since disposing of that shirt due to embarrassment that only I would ever feel and understand, I have come to terms with letting the yellow mellow.  At night it's nice not to wake anyone...and then it's also great when you've had a lot of water to drink that day because then you visit the lou a lot.  Be a conservative and save water!  Maybe that's called a conservationist?  Or is that just with land?  I am not affiliated with an electoral party. 

PREGNANT GOATS.  They're looking like they're about to pop!!!  Wish the mommies and babies luck!

Hey! Hey! Hey!

Some neat little bugs I saw on a plant at the park.

      There is this movie called Fly Away Home and it's about a little girl who bring up a nest of baby geese!  They end up seeing her as their mother figure and she has to prompt them to flying south by getting in a small plane and leading them away.  The reason I bring this up is being I love quoting that movie.  It goes like this: "HEY! HEY! HEY! HEY! HEY! HEY!"  Something like that.  That's not the only reason I'm bringing this up though, that would be silly!  So, as I was walking to put the mail in the mailbox yesterday (which didn't get sent because it was a holiday- go figure) I overheard a goose.  When I looked up, there it was!  A goose flying solo south!  It may have been more Southwest than just south.  Just sayin'.  To answer your question, yes I did start saying "HEY! HEY! HEY! HEY! HEY!"
---
      Another great thing about yesterday was the weather!  It's probably the end of the coldfront and around 4PM will probably be back in the 80s but you have no idea how weird it was to say the other evening, "It's 57 right now."  Like I've said before, anything below 100 is just fine for me.  But seriously, lets respect Fall and have some nice cool weather. 
---
      With Fall comes the falling of acorns.  Every now and then I get spooked because another one falls off onto the roof and since we have a tin roof it can get pretty loud.  I still haven't been knocked in the head by any, but there's still time.  Last year I picked up a lot of the caps and made acorns by gluing a cotton ball wrapped in fabric to the inside.  They're cute!  Not sure if I should get some sparkly string and glue loops on them for ornaments or just set them out somewhere.  They're top heavy so they roll over and quit looking like acorns.  The ornament idea is probably best.  They'll go well with our little blue tree my mom invested in last year.  I thought getting another tree meant 2 trees, but boy way I wrong.
---
      Besides falling acorns, lactose intolerant people have a leg down in the foods of Fall category.  Egg Nog has dairy, hot chocolate has dairy, the pumpkin pie I ate the other day had dairy...it's cruel really!  Queso has dairy and it's staring me down when I open the fridge.  And I've been opening the fridge a lot lately!  I go to the TeaPioca Lounge by my house and get a Jack fruit cream drink and it's creamed with dairy.  I never learn I guess but they do have just ice drinks...maybe I'll get the Kiwi one today instead of a cream.  I seriously need to cut back on this dairy!!!  A gurgley tummy is not fun, okay?!
---
      On another note, not including Fall... I've just sold a necklace and matching earrings to a friend who took them to an auction.  I do wonder if they sold.  My G.P.(Granny Pat) took a painting or 2 with her and sold one.  It was one I did in High School.  It was neat but I wasn't attached to it.  You can't really be attached to your artwork because someone, that being G.P., is going to want everything you make.  However, I've been telling her that she can't have everything because then she's the only one who knows me.  Make sense?  Sure it does!  BUT YEAH!  I then got inspired to make some jewelry for my art show!  It's hard though!  I made one good piece yesterday, though I also made a goofy one, but couldn't figure out how to put earrings with it...so I ditched the set idea and I'm going to stick with just necklaces.  I can tell when I really don't care for some of the older stuff I've made because I envision taking it apart and trying again.  Sometimes the outcome is 10X better though!
---
      I wish I had the push to be in my studio more often, but it's just not happening.  I went there to other day and did another boyscout popcorn mountain scene (which is basically the same scene just on a different sized canvas) then yesterday I tried to do a mini still life that I made up from my head.  I didn't feel like finishing it...so I didn't.
---
      Send good feelings my way!  And, send good thoughts that don't result in me eating tons of dairy!

"I'm gonna wash that [smell] right out of my hair."

Some pretty flowers I found at the park!

The title quote is sort of from that musical South Pacific...but I changed "man" to "smell" because it's more practical.  Apparently it was a song based off of a commercial about washing the grey out of ones hair.  What is the difference really...grey vs. gray?

This cat...she'll sit under our feet at the computer chair and no matter how many times we forget she's there and step on her she still comes purrin' back.  Psycho.

The high for today in Austin was 63!  Can you believe it???  I can!  I was in it!  My boyfriend and I went to McKinney Falls State Park and hiked both trails all the way around!  I haven't done that in forever.  Plus, there was a trail I had never taken before.  I loved that people were out on picnics.  It made me want to have a picnic but instead we went to Taco Bell.  I tried that new taco shell and it was pretty good.  However, their burritos suck.  Therefore, I'll stick to crispy tacos.  Now, if I'm at Taco Bueno...then I want Muchaco tacos.  Yup.  That's what I like.  Enough about food!  Let's talk about foooooood.

Just kidding...gosh.  I need to keep up with a point journal so that I don't keep posting blah blahs.  I'll go do that!

Random poofs!

Rain Lily...or that's what I call them.

Marketing towards women...
      I've been watching a TV channel where they market Cinnamon Toast Crunch towards women.  Guess what I'm eating?  Yes, I'm a sucker.  Heck, Eggo Waffles came on and my mom was practically salivating.  Guess what she got at Sam's Club?  Yup.  I'm a bit put off by that one because I love making waffles with the just add water mix.  The truth is you have to cook it after you add water so you don't just add water.  As for Magnum ice cream bars and 100 calorie brownies...I don't care about those.  Those commercials make women look desperate.  If she's desperate for anything it better be a man, not a damn brownie. 

Painting my nails...
      That's what I'm doing right now.  I hope ma doesn't mind yellow speck on her keyboard.  Hopefully that doesn't really happen.  I see the coolest ideas for painting crazy designs on your own nails.  Having said that I'm just going to paint them yellow and then slap a coat of gold glitter on top.  My nails grow pretty long without me realizing it.  When I was inspired to play a little on my dads guitar I just cut the 4 on my left hand.  Those were getting long again, and though I lost inspiration to keep the guitar pluckin' (once again) I decided to cut them all.  I got to my right hand and screamed!!!  Not.  But they were getting pretty long, so I'm glad I haven't pulled one back on anything...like that time that happened at work when I was trying to pry open the vacuum cleaner.  Pain...pain.  I'm going to have to retire this yellow polish because it's getting stringy.

Lists...
      I love making lists.  I'm trying to not use as much paper so I put them on my phone or on my dry erase board that I turned into a weekly calendar.  I printed one out the day before yesterday because I felt like type...but then I felt bad for using a whole sheet of paper just for that.  It was a list for my boyfriend and me on what we might do when he comes for a visit.  I've really been wanting to go with him to a pumpkin patch type deal.  I though farmers market but most are only open until 1pm and I wont be done at work until 12:30 at least.  Plus the dude wants his hair cut.  Therefore, I've revised my list since I printed it out. 

Silly Drawings...
      I love sending letters to people.  Plain and simple!  When talking on the phone last night I drew a lovely border to a future letter including Dragons, a chicken, and a fish.  I figure it will give whoever gets it a good laugh.  I made a copy of it so that it can go out to more than just one person.  Two persons! 

Sitting around and doing nothing...
      I consider reading and blogging not doing much because I'm not moving my legs and I'm not making anything.  It's the easiest thing to do since I don't want to drive anywhere...or put on clothes to wear in public.  At least on some slow days where I just wait out until 3PM or so I make it out for a walk down the road and back.  I may still be in my night clothes and just be wearing flip flops but I like being able to say that I did that.  I need to go to the studio though...I have a nice painting idea.  Simple...but intriguing.

Eating...
      I want to eat more.  I had cereal and a banana.

Life....
      Why doesn't America have a school of Witchcraft and Wizardry???  Haha!  I guess I wouldn't know about it.  I want to intrigue someone to make a decent movie about the American version.  Scratch that!  I like their accents. 

One word: Coupons

Found this online...if I'm going to have an ode to coupons I better have a photo.

I bought a handful of things from HEB the other day and had a coupon for practically everything.  I saved almost $7.00!  Impressive?  I'd say so!  We got 6 lbs of bananas free...we have a lot of bananas.

I purchased some birthday gifts online yesterday.  Green gifts.  I can't say what they are because I live with the people and if they wanted to read about what makes me feel good then they'd figure out what they got. 

My friend Rachel is visiting from New York!  I hope we get to do something together today...or I'll be sad. 

I bought my cat some healthy weight food...but Peaches keeps stealing it from her.  So not cool dude.  April still eats out of the other cats' bowls though.  Come on Ape!

Happy goose pimples!

Now, normally I call them goose bumps but for some reason, since hearing goose pimples, I haven't been able to get pimples out of my head!  Do geese really go through puberty or are they just stressed???

So...is this plant keen to neutral soil? (insert laughter here)

This is a picture of Swiss chard.  I once painted a picture of it.  Click here to see it on my creation blog!  I bring Swiss chard up because it was a good joke to open up the fact that I love setting the table with fresh picked flowers.  We had my brother and sister-in-law over for lunch today and I thought it would be impossible to find any...but silly me forgot about the pretty flowers popping up in the garden.  I found some kind of pink flowering sage, Turks cap, and an orange bell flower (no idea what it's called.  I stuffed those into a bud vase and then in a large vase simply put a trimming from the bush outside of my front door and TADA! table decor.  I have taken a piece of bush before and it lasted forever in that little bud vase.  I found a nice idea for table settings I'd like to do for Thanksgiving...however I have no idea what we're doing for Thanksgiving.  Flowers!!! Yea!!!

I have been thinking about writing a book for a long time.  I just love how the pages of a book look.  BOOK LOOK.  bookalooka.  I have an idea but it's been stuck for so long that I have no idea how to start...but really it's how to finish and how to keep going in between.  I wonder how J.K. Rowling did it with Harry Potter.  I actually referred to HP today at church when the kid behind me had shown me his drawing of his two-headed alien or something.  Then he added another head and I told him that he should call it fluffy.  He's six, and I'm not sure he got it.  I'm not sure his parents go it either.  I have written a few short stories.  I'm not sure how good they are, but I had a goal to write one every weekend until I filled up the book- but that goal went flat.  I guess the only thing I've been inspired to do lately is post things that make me feel good.  Sometimes I feel like I should take on another 5 hours of work so that I can feel useful for another day instead of just feeling like I could be doing something better than reading HP.  Impossible!!! (That's what I imagine my friend Daniel saying if I were to say that in front of him.)

Yesterday (Saturday: 9/29/12), my parents and I enjoyed a 5K in the rain.  I had a rain jacket, yes...but wearing that while trying to get through the first mile was proven a sticky (sweaty) situation.  I'm lying because I took it off before I even started to run.  Pops and I stayed together the whole time and at first it was easy to run for a while and then rest with a brisk walk then start to run again, but into that 3rd mile I thought I was going to lose my legs.  Not really.  I just didn't want to run any more.  When we got to the end we were hiding around a corner walking and as soon as we rounded it we finished with a jog...so tricky of us.  I was hungry the rest of the day and when I woke up this morning I was horribly sore.  OUCH!  My mom on the other hand walked with a group of about 5 ladies from the church.  When I saw my mom with her damp do (hair...because I don't know if that's how you spell do when referring to hair) I was actually allowed to touch it AMAZING! and proceed to turning it into a faux-hawk.  Yes I took a picture...but I only shared it with my brother.

My neighbors, Don and his little girl Josephine, just dropped by to have a chat- they must have passed my parents while enjoy the weather with a stroll.  I showed her the bird feeder and we put seed in it, then we took a ride on the porch swing, following that she invited herself into our house and gave April the cat too many treats and tried to play with Boo the cat making sure to say "Hi Boo" every now and then. Also, she learnt that April doesn't like tape on her.  Then we were summoned back outside and she tried to staple a pretty plant with a water hose nozzle which was ineffective of course.  She has no recall...that's for sure.  The world of wonders has become just that!

I have a friend with a birthday coming up.  I doubt I've ever given her anything for her birthday because I guess it was never a big deal to have grown-up birthday parties...as for me I have had one every year and plan to keep it up.  It's not about the presents...anymore...it's about planning and eating and friends!  I guess this isn't about birthday presents (yes it is)...but it is about Christmas presents.  Last year for 3 of my close friends I bought random things and then wrapped them up with a clue to be read on the outside as to what it was.  They picked and what was revealed was a journal, an herb filled postcard, and dry-erase board paint.  This year I want to make everything or at least if I buy it it has to be exactly what I was looking for.  I have some ideas already, but of course I can't put them out here for my secrets to be spilt.  Really, there's nothing worse for me than being stumped on gift giving.  All I have now for my friends birthday is a hand-made card...maybe she needs a trip to...oh! I wont say!  

Das es alas...my mom says that.

Damn, we've had a lot of cats!

This is Molly. She is a he, however we've know him so long as a her that Molly will just be referred to as "she" and "her."  Yes...that is a dingle berry behind her hind leg.  It's normal.

I've been keeping a note card close by so that whenever good things pop up I write them down so that I might be able to use them in one of my posts.  Since I have nothing else to do right night but go to the bathroom I think I'll hold it a while to tell you what I've written down and why.

 

What makes me feel good: On a note card

 

When people are walking past me to the beat of my music.

The song Joy Ride by The Killers was playing when I saw the future love of my life strut by my dorm room window.  It was the best room for creeping on people and texting them right when I see them taking the short cut through the grass past the chapel.  "I see you!" I probably should have said that I was in my room.  Whatever, it's funny watching them look around like "what?"

 

Royalty: Clothing Optional

I love all the publicity over royalty and their lack of clothing.  I don't give a flying rats ass if someone wants to be free from cotton/rayon/spandex, you name it.  Let them strip and quit making their bodies even more exposed to the world because I'm sure once it hit the news the people hit google, safe search OFF.

 

"Look, it's Hagred!"

This little girl at the farmers market in Falls Church while I was visiting my Great Aunt and Uncle said this after spotting my Great Uncle.  Sheesh that made me laugh!  I was the only one of us 3 that heard it or knew who she was pointing out.  Personally I think he looks more like Vernon Dursley, but I still love that little girl for making my day.  I still don't know if he knew who Hagred was.

 

Damn, we've had a lot of cats!

I found my construction paper ode to the cats we've had.  I will proceed to describe it as I have done so on this paper.

1. Mathilda- Black, Orange, White, Brown, Gray :( Old age

2. Stripe- Orange and White Stripes :(

3. Thomas- Gray Tabby :(

4. Mischief- Gray and White :(

5. Spunky- Light Orange :( Amdroe

6. Midnight (#1)- Black :(

7. Buster- Black :( Car

8. Sweetpea- Gray and White :( Car

9. Max- Gray :( Dog

10. Mightnight (#2)- Black with Reddish chest :( Garage door

11. Whiskers- White and Gray Stripes :( Old

12. Shelly- Turtle Shell :( Car

13. Sadie- Turtle Shell :( Kidneys

14. Molly- Orange and White :)

15. Dusty- Dusty Black ???

16. Boots- Gray and White :( Car

17. Peaches- Orange and White :)

18. Cookie- Black and White :( Went blind

19. Taco- Black and White (visitor) ?

20. Shmeagle- Black and White (visitor)  :)

21. Sir Knight (Black)- I believe we took him to the shelter b/c he was mean

22. Moostache- Gray with white mustache (visitor) ?

23. Boo- Turtle Shell :)

24. Ron aka Bite Me- Orange and White :( Was put out because he was acting very strange

25. April- Gray Tabby (My cat specifically) :)

 

Well, now that I have sufficiently depressed you.

That is all!