Halloween Funnies

Hidey-ho neighbors! Nothing much to report today so I thought I'd post a few "treats" so we could all have a good giggle :0) Enjoy!!!

Body World

Okay. So I went to see the Body Worlds 3 exhibit over the weekend with my good friend Rose, my oldest kiddo and my son-in-law. I had heard about this last year when said oldest child went to Phoenix to visit her mom…one of the shows was there (they’ve got 4 or 5 of them now, each with a different theme) so she went with her mom, step-dad, little brother and sister. Also, my Anatomy and Physiology professor talked about it in class…he’d been to one in Seattle. Suggested we go if we had the chance to see one. Our exhibit opened on the 19th of September in SLC and it is the 3rd show with the theme of the heart. This is not an exhibit for everyone. It’s extremely graphic…you can’t show the details about your body and how it works with out being that frank. You know what I’m saying? Definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. That being said, it was the singularly most interesting and amazing thing I have ever seen. I’m not kidding. I have carpet burns on the bottom of my chin from it dragging the floor for 3+ hours (LOL). The bodies are posed in different ways in which show how everything moves and works together in motion. They’re actually quite beautiful in their own kind of macabre way. There is lots more to discuss but I don’t want to make any of you who don’t get into things like anatomy revisit your lunches, so I’ll stop here. If you are interested in the exhibit, visit theleonardo.org to find out more and how to get tix to the SLC show.

In other developments, Chris had his first HS swim meet Saturday. He competed in 3 events – 2 individual races and a relay – and he WON his 100m freestyle race!!! He not only won, he shaved 23 seconds off his best time for that event. Yes, I could have the next Michael Phelps living in my house as we speak ;0) The relay…well, he kicked butt and was the lead-off man, the last kid hauled too, but the 2 kids in the middle…not so much. They finished 3rd in that one. His other individual race was the 100 backstroke and he did good – 4th – but was racing bigger kids. He’ll get ‘em next time. Overall the boys team took first place and the girls team finished 2nd….not a bad start to the year!

Hope you all enjoyed the fine fall weather and are having a good day so far.

A Smattering

Been feeling kinda icky the last 2 days so there's nothing really exciting to report. In that case, I will share a couple pictures I've taken in the last 2 weeks, so we're not all completely bored by this post (LOL)....a small herd of longhorns has cropped up about 1/8 of a mile from work...not something you see alot of around here. I like the longhorns; if I was to ever raise cattle, that's the kind I'd have. They've got attitudes :0) Got a new cat trying really hard to adopt us...it lives across the street at the Checketts. Not sure why they got another cat; the last ones they had - Siamese brother and sister - they didn't pay attention to and we ended up with the sister (Daisy) after the brother was hit by a car and killed. This one is named Jasper...lovable little thing...purrs like mad and is cute as heck. Hazy sunrise in the valley last Thursday, taken on the way to the dentist. I love how you can tell where the river is by the line of fog coming up from it. The pic really doesn't do the scene justice....it was alot prettier in person. And the Brady Chapel in the cemetery in Poky....I've always wanted to stop to look at it, read the sign. For years I thought it was a mausoleum but it's not. It is quite a nifty little structure...I like the architecture. I'd LOVE to be able to see the stained glass windows from inside with the sunlight coming thru them; I bet they're gorgeous.

Chany and James are coming tonight...excited to see them. We're all going to watch Chris swim in the morning, then the 3 of us (Chany, James and I) are going to see the Body Wold exhibit, along with my friend, Rose. Looking forward to going!

That's it for me today. Tonight is the Emotion Bowl so GO GRIZZ! Beat those Tigers!!!!

You all have a great weekend!!

Bunt Cakes and Braces

Finally able to get back to the blog and update! I was kidnapped over the weekend by drag queens driving a pink ’62 Caddy and forced to bake bunt cakes while watching “Caberet” and “Arthur”. Just kidding ;0) Nothing quite so flamboyant...just busy.

Let’s see…Saturday we spent the afternoon and most of the evening visiting with one of my DH’s friends since grade school, Lynn, and his kids. They came up and stayed most of the afternoon and evening. One of his boys is learning how to play the guitar, so he brought his “axe” and Steve spent some time teaching him scales and a song. We all had a nice time…looking forward to the next time we can get together.

The kidlet got his braces on yesterday. He is a miserable little camper today…his poor mouth is extremely sore. I can sympathize…had braces for 2 years in HS. He picked blue and orange bracket bands…team colors (go ‘stangs!) …I tried to talk him into glow-in-the-dark ones, but he wanted to do school colors. He has his first HS competition this weekend and I am so excited for him! The team did a "pre-meet" Saturday morning so the new kids could see how a real meet is run...my boy swam 3 events...one solo race, one relay and the 500 freestyle....that's like 20 laps...I was exhausted just watching that one!

And that’s about it for us right now. Hope all is well with everyone….have a great day!

I Love You, Mr Bubble!

Tough day at work. I know that lots of people have jobs where they have co-workers to pick up the slack if you take a day off. I do not have that luxury ((sigh)). I am my office...it's just little ol' me to run the day to day stuff...the filing, the reports, the data entry and orders. My stuff just piles up until I return. After just 1 day, the top of my desk is buried under a rediculously large mound of papers...I think if I stacked it on the floor I could jump into it like a pile of leaves. At the moment I'm thinking if I get any more paperwork brought to me the tempation to throw it all in the garbage can, grab a Bic from one of the guys and toast marshmallows would just be too great. It's a good thing I need to run to the store after work...I'm out of Mr Bubble (gasp!!) Mr Bubble is my buddy...we spend lots of time together in the evenings...especially durning the winter. Long baths with Mr Bubble and a good book or some tunes helps preserve my sanity. They used to make a lavender-scented Bedtime Mr Bubble before the whole world became crazed with all things lavender...it kicked butt for winding down after a long day. Sadly they discontinued it. But I can manage without the fancy lavender smell. I am anxiously counting the minutes until I can grab my book, fill the tub and spend some good quality time with the guy I've loved since childhood...Mr Bubble.

Autumn Treat

Each fall it happens. The undeniable urge to have them. I want…I need…I yearn…for apples. Ambrosia. Pacific Rose. Honeycrisp. Pink Lady. Granny Smith. Braeburn. This is my favorite time of year for eating apples. Fall brings a whole new crop of bodaciously yummy apple varieties. True, Granny Smiths are available year round, but October is harvest time…right now my local grocery store is carrying Grannys that are softball sized globes of delicious green tartness…I picked up a bunch last night, along with some of my other all-time favorite autumn apple, Honeycrisp. Oh, the juicy sweetness of those little suckers is well worth the months of waiting for them to return to the produce section. So good. I enjoy eating the Grannys for breakfast or as a snack with some peanut butter…the Pink Ladys are great sliced up with some sharp cheddar and some crackers; throw some cored Braeburns in the oven stuffed with raisens, chopped walnuts and a little cinnamon to bake for a warm treat. If you have never tried some of the varieties I’ve mentioned, please look for them at your store and purchase a couple to taste. You won’t be disappointed, I promise.

Notes

Ah, the first snowstorm of the season. We got lucky on the snow accumulation….pretty much nothing but a light dusting. It just wasn’t cold enough for it to stick. And the fact that most of the storms split when they reach our valley, taveling either east or west of us, played into that lack of snow someplace I’m sure.

Looking for pumpkins this week …getting some ideas of what to carve. I’ve seen some real,cute ideas from that company who puts out the pattern books every year (their name escapes me at the moment). I’m not as artistic as my better half so I have to resort to patterns. What I see in my head isn’t what I end up with…I cut out what I should leave and vice versa. Oops.

Had word last night from our good friend Doctor Picker in St Louis that he and his son will be coming out here around Christmas to visit with us and other friends. We haven’t seen them in about 3 years so this will be a wonderful treat.

I’ve been listening to a lot of classical music the last few days (thanks in large part to a fab co-worker who was kind enough to add his mps’s to the few pieces I already had), which I enjoy tremendously when I’m in the right mood. As I listened, a thought occurred to me…how in the world did Beethoven write such beautiful music after he had lost his hearing?? Being able to hear until his 20s (if memory serves), could he still “hear “ the notes in his mind as he wrote? How could he know what his finished works sounded like when played, or if they were played correctly?? It just boggles my mind to think about. Absolutely amazes me.

Enjoy your day!!

Flakey

I think I just went into cardiac arrest. I looked at the forecast for this weekend and saw that it is supposed to SNOW. Snow….that is a swear word in my world. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a total grinch when it comes to snow…I love snow just as much as the next guy. Snow is great!….in the mountains, where I don’t have to shovel it. It is not so appealing in my driveway. ((Sigh)) I am sooooo not ready for winter. I want fall until 2 days before Christmas, then snow a bunch, then melt again 2 days after Christmas. Last year we had snow piled so high I couldn’t throw the snow high enough to land on them! The dang snowpiles were taller than me! But the worst thing was backing out of the drive…I couldn’t see over the piles so I was always afraid some car, or worse – a kid, would be in the road. Even though I was diligent about surveying the street before getting into the car, you never know who or what can come down the road while you’re getting belted in and beginning to back out. Scary. So with a little luck, we won’t get but a skiff. Good weekend to make some comfort food :0) Like the following beef stew recepie (please note that this needs to refrigerate overnight before cooking) that I got from Paula Deen’s show on the Food Network…enjoy!!


Parker's Beef Stew

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 24 hours
Cook Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Yield: 6 servings


2 1/2 pounds good quality chuck beef, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 (750-ml bottle) good red wine
2 whole garlic cloves, smashed
3 bay leaves
2 cups all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Good olive oil
2 yellow onions, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in 1 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 pound white mushrooms, stems discarded and cut in 1/2
1 pound small potatoes, halved or quartered
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 cups or 1 (14 1/2-ounce can) chicken stock or broth
1 large (or 2 small) branch fresh rosemary
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas

Place the beef in a bowl with red wine, garlic, and bay leaves. Place in the refrigerator and marinate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Combine the flour, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper. Lift the beef out of the marinade with a slotted spoon and discard the bay leaves and garlic, saving the marinade. In batches, dredge the cubes of beef in the flour mixture and then shake off the excess. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot and brown half the beef over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Place the beef in a large oven-proof Dutch oven and continue to brown the remaining beef, adding oil as necessary. (If the beef is very lean, you'll need more oil.) Place all the beef in the Dutch oven.

Heat another 2 tablespoons of oil to the large pot and add the onions, carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Place all the vegetables in the Dutch oven over the beef. Add 2 1/2 cups of the reserved marinade to the empty pot and cook over high heat to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken stock, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables in the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium heat on top of the stove. Cover the pot and place it in the oven to bake it for about 2 hours, until the meat and vegetables are all tender, stirring once during cooking. If the stew is boiling rather than simmering, lower the heat to 250 or 275 degrees F.

Before serving, stir in the frozen peas, season to taste, and serve hot.

A Show I can Really Sink My Teeth Into...

Oh thank heavens its Wednesday! Two days down, two to go – yahoo! Work is tedious this week, alternating between supercrazy and just mildly chaotic. Starting to feel the effects of our delightful economic state this week….they’re starting to cut production hours and our warehouse is packed to the rafters due to lack of buyers. Our market has pretty much tanked. Fall is normally kind of a crapshoot anyway – some years have been REEEAAALLY bad and we’ve only worked 3 or 4 days during the week or seriously reduced hours for a 5-day week, while other years have been good enough that we actually worked Saturdays. And frankly, this is probably the biggest reason I am going back to school…market instability is a bad thing for an hourly employee at any time, but especially heading into the holidays. That and the Brazilians are just driving me nuts with their micromanaging!!! Those people have some serious control issues.

I’ve been watching a new series on HBO this fall, called “True Blood”. Been waiting for them to come up with a good series since “Deadwood” and “Carnivale” wrapped up. This is not a very family-friendly show by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve been liking the storyline lots. It’s a vampire show, set in modern time in a small Louisiana town. The main character is a mind-reading waitress named Sookie Stackhouse. The country is buzzing over “vampire rights” as they have apparently come out of the closet…or the coffin (ha ha). And as you can imagine, most folks aren’t real keen on the idea of vampires among us. Sookie becomes involved (mostly in a platonic way) with a vampire named Bill. The writers so far have done a good job of developing the characters; the story is full of twists and turns, ending each episode in a way that you have to watch the next one (which is kind of the point of a series, right?). Last episode we got to learn more about Bill and his life in Civil War-era Louisiana before he was “turned”. If you read Ann Rice’s vampire chronicles and enjoyed them, this may be a show for you. It airs on HBO on Sunday nights. Oddly enough I am reading the first book of the insanely popular “Twilight” series. Bit more tame than “True Blood” :0

October!!

Here we are in October. I love October for the simple reason that Halloween is my all-time fav holiday! Bring on the skeletons, the jack-o-lanterns, zombies, witches and mummies! I can’t wait to pop big bowls of popcorn and settle into nights of classic horror movies on AMC or TCM – you know, the really good cheesy monster movies like “Dracula” starring Bela Legosi, “The Invisible Man” , and “Frankenstein” with Lon Chaney Jr.; and “Psycho” (I still can’t shower without peeking out from the curtain to make sure Norman Bates isn’t waiting by the sink to get me!) is a staple of classic horror movies. Of course I have to pop in my dvd of “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein”…LOVE that one :0) I dress up most years; last year I came to work in a big flannel nighshirt (I had shorts on underneath), socks and slippers, curlers in my hair and a mud mask on my face. I got some interesting looks in that get up for sure ;0) I thought my boss was going to hurt something laughing that hard (LOL). I’m kicking around going as a zombie this year…I have a place to get the “white eyes” contact lenses so my eyes would be totally blank…then just put really pale make-up on…I could wear my everyday clothes…quick and simple costume. Or maybe a vampire…I could get some red or some snake-eye contacts and some little teeth, use the pale make-up and dress in regular clothes. We’ll see. Got a few weeks yet to make up my mind. Let the “ghoul”-d times roll :0)

Monday

Ever have one of those days!?! It's bananas here at work today...I think if I looked in a mirror, I'd look just like this! (LOL)

Dirty Dancing in the Morning

I had one of those Twilight Zone moments this morning. I woke up with “Time of My Life” from the Dirty Dancing movie stuck in my head for whatever reason…couldn’t begin to guess why…I haven’t seen the movie in quite a while…didn’t hear the song anywhere…just popped into my cranium. Been humming it all morning. I get to work, go to the main offices to get our “mail” and it is playing on the dang radio!! Seriously!! I kid you not. Most definitely one of those things that make you go ‘hmmm’.

Another oddity occurred earlier in the week – I got word from my “crash crew” buddy and good friend, Darla, that they’ve got a site up for the SHS Class of ’89 20-year reunion. 20 years. Good Lord…can it really have been that long already!?! I’m not old enough for that yet!! Okay, so I have some grey hairs…I’ve had those SINCE HS (I blame Algebra class for that)...I'm still young!...a 20-year reunion would mean I'm almost...40 ((gasp!!)) I peeked in on the class of ‘88’s site over the summer and was enjoying seeing where people ended up at, what they were doing, and of course how much/little they changed. I have done the same for my own class with the few “classmate profiles” that are posted thus far. Some people I wouldn’t know if they ran me over with a cement truck. Others look pretty much the same, just a little older. I will confess to being petty enough that it makes me smile to see some of the “beautiful people” I went to school with sporting lotsa extra pounds and some wrinkles…I’d hate to be the only one ;0) Yeah, I know, ”if you can’t say anything nice....” yadda yadda yadda. Sue me.

Have NOTHING really planned for the weekend – I don’t have to work (yay!), no fundraisers going on, nada. Possibility of a visit by my DH’s friend Lynn and his kids tomorrow, but we’ll see. If it’s not raining (much) I think I’ll head out with the camera and get some pics.

Enjoy your weekend and I’ll see you back here again later!!!!

S-m-i-l-e

Welcome to Wednesday everyone!! Wishing you all a superb day :0)

Feeling pretty good today…. and not just “good” good, we’re talking “zipadee-do-dah-I-love-my-life-all-is-right-with-the-world” kind of good. I have been riding a bit of a high since Saturday - I had so much fun! (I think I mentioned that already) - and am holding on for dear life to the splendid mood I’m in. Had a blip of icky here and there but managed to shake it. I think the yummy pizza Monday night helped :0) Bad bad bad for the figure, but ohhhh so good going down ((LOL)) I’m doing penance for that, though…crunches and a bunch of “sumo squats” on top of the running and stuff…ouch. I’m such a wimp ;0) Anyway, it’s all good in my world and I am loving life. I am blessed in so many ways; I just need to remember that when things start to look bleak. I am ever so thankful for my wonderful family and awesome friends! You all are my biggest blessing!! Without all of you, my life would be circling the drain. So here’s to you…salut!!!!