It Happened Last Month

Dear Blog fans,

I know that you've missed me terribly but I've been terribly busy...can't really say exactly what has kept me so busy but all I know is that its now the middle of March and where January and February went, I don't know but they flew somewhere! Though I keep having flashbacks to winter as twice this week we've had this!

I do have to say that the snow is much prettier than the gray rain but I fear that it will impede all my daffodils that are trying to bravely make their way into spring!

Valentine's Day involved a little creative cooking (Valentine's Day is not my fav but I try to make it fun for the other creatures that live within my circle of love). First Bo-Bo made heart shaped puppy cookies for the love of his life Libby-Libby.

And then I made a heart shaped version of "jammies" sprinkled of course with a liberal amount of powered sugar! I then played Cupid and delivered them to various "love spots" around the harbor...

After Valentine's Day came a week of vacation and skiing with the kids at White Pass. We were again blessed with the use of a friend's cabin (love that free lodging thing). Boy #1 and Boy #3 each brought a friend so needless to say the van was packed to the ceiling with boys and food. Past life thought I'd brought way too much food - he later had to eat those words when he saw how much 5 boys who've skied all day eat for dinner! Past life and daughter M joined us mid-week and we all had a great time. Good weather, good skiing, good food and hours upon hours of "The Office" on DVD each night!

Boy #1 and friend J Boy #3 and co

Boy #2, Past life and Miss M

Friend "C" at the end of the day!

For the guy in your life

Not joking, this was on a list of "10 things your guy would secretly love"... I don't know about you but I'd pay money to see the looks on guys faces around the world when they open this one up!

(Did you see the " 5 saving graces" line - LOL) and just in case you are not sure how this would be used... the directions

1. Peel off adhesive and stick Subtle Butt onto the inside of your underwear or pants, exactly where you think it goes.
2. Go for it, Let'er rip, Have at it, Cut loose, Break wind, Gas it up
3. When you're done wearing Subtle Butt, remove and discard. If any adhesive traces remain, use a damp cloth for removal.

Tips for Success:
You want all the gas to pass through Subtle Butt. So do what you need to do to ensure none sneaks around the edges. Subtle Butt can be applied to thongs by wrapping and securing it around the back.

Tis this season

So I've been a busy little Christmas elf the past few days/weeks... not sure if its been days or weeks but anyways. At some point earlier this month I got a call from "Miss Thing's" mommy. It went something like this,
Miss Thing's mommy: "Hi Mannie, we have a question... are you a sew-er?"
Me: "Umm, maybe...why?"
Miss Thing's mommy: " Well because Miss Thing apparently needs an angel costume for her school play next week and well, we saw the costume you made for Boy #1 and well..."
Me: (Laughing) " Ok, yes I can do an angel costume"
Miss Thing's mommy: " Oh thank goodness"
Miss Thing's mommy to Miss Thing: "Alyssa, Mannie's a sew-er!" to which Miss Thing promptly ran and told her daddy, "Daddy, Daddy Mannie's a sew-er!"

I think I've now sewed more costumes in the past couple of months than I have in the past 10 years! And of course, she was the cutest angel in the bunch.... especially when she was she shushing her sister and says "be quiet" during the performance!

Besides angel costumes there were Christmas boxes to pack and get sent off to Solider Man in Iraq. I even found a tree that would fit into one of the flat rate boxes....way too cute!
And then there were the annual Christmas cookies to bake which was a little more complicated due to the fact that apparently I broke my ring finger on my right hand at Boy#1's last football game... (I guess we got a bit too excited) and after of month of it hurting and bugging me, Neighbor snuck me into the OR for a quickie fluro-scan and happy day, its broken. So now I have to wear this lovely plastic splint thing on it, which falls off every time I get it wet and made it impossible to do my famous rolled gingerbread cookies, so we had to settle for other things. I did manage to do the chocolate Andes mint cookies.

Some cinnamon biscotti type cookies (Soldier man like cinnamon red hots). Off into a fancy red stocking they went, along with some Christmas lights, music and cinnamon pine cones. Happy Holidays to all the boys playing in the sandbox of Iraq!

November Wrap Up

Yes, I know, I know. It's no longer November but hey, this girl's been busy! That and the dark of winter wreaks havoc on my multiple personality disorder and I just want to hibernate! I mean really, didn't your mom make you go to bed when it was dark outside? Mine did, actually our mom made us go to bed at a specific time. I can still remember being a kid in Montana (so between the ages of 6 and 8) and sitting in my bed and listening to the other kids play outside in the summer with the sun still out. Isn't it funny how somethings you can remember/see in your mind years and years later? We lived in a single wide trailer in a trailer park with a dirt road (that was filled with families) back when living in a trailer was not considered "trashy". Sis Amy and I spent hours when we moved in digging for "carrots". Of course, there weren't any but the plants sure looked a lot like there should be carrots at the bottom. Alright enough of strolling down memory lane - onto current events!

November was a bitter sweet month, the fall leaves were gorgeous but it was the end of highschool football. The Tides season ended on a rather sad note, losing in the first round of the playoffs to a team we had been picked to beat. Some things just aren't meant to be I guess. The boys were so disappointed, Boy #1 especially as he has lived and breathed football for the past four years. The day after the season ended he said to me, "I was upset about losing but when I looked around the locker room at Lou, Jeff and Dalton and realized that we'd never play together again, that's when I really lost it". "Mom", he said, "this is the beginning of the end. Next we'll be graduating and life will never be this way again". Oh my mommy heart, do I love that kid! And yes, as adults we know there is life after high school but for them in this moment it is everything. So here's to you T - its been so fun watching you boys play!

Team Captains Voted 1st team all Narrows League and Kitsap Sun's All West Team

18 career interceptions

On to turkey day... or "no furkey day" as Sis Amy says (Sis Amy is a vegetarian and so we were teasing the kids that we were having "tofurkey" for Thanksgiving... eww, even she's says, "no tofurkey... yuck!" Instead we made.... Pumpkin cake served with whip cream and homemade carmel sauce...delish

Homemade cranberry sauce - way better than canned and smelled divine!

Sauteed garlic green beans - no nasty green bean casserole for these girls

And of course, "libations"... Aptly named the "Nofurkey-tini!" Kirsh, vodka, tart cherry juice, pear brandy, fresh squeezed oj, a dash of aguave, a splash of lime... Mmm, they were quite yummy! (Nanna and Boy #2 got virgins!)

Family photo - Happy NO FURKEY DAY everyone!

Back porch view

This is the view from my back porch and bedroom - the picture doesn't quite do the colors justice but waking up has been a rather pretty site the last few weeks... correction waking up is a pretty sight on the 2 days a week when a) I am not up while it is still dark out and b) its not pouring rain! I was quite certain the other night, as the water was streaming over the gutters (which are now filled with said lovely leaves) and onto the deck (kind of like sleeping near a waterfall) that good ol' Noah and the Mrs. might be coming on by with their flood/disaster prep materials!

I am definitely not a fan of daylight savings time as it seems to me the only thing it changes is that I now go to work in the dark and come home in the dark...Hello, the dark is for sleeping and that just makes me want to hibernate. Never fear, I've already started on masses doses of vitamin D (while I dream about a vacation to a sunny, warm, tropical beach complete with a gorgeous cabana boy who is good at two things: total silence and making sure my margarita glass is never empty!) Since one cannot sleep all the time (ok, one could but people might think there is something wrong with you if you tell them that) I've spent a bit of time here and there doing....

Hats for troops - it is now growing a bit cooler in those sandy hell holes we insist on defending, so the need for "cool ties" has declined. Now we are knitting hats - all wool for ground troops because much of the "warfare" they encounter is Incindiary (Dictionary.com=An artillery shell that burns upon impact, usually stuffed with white phosphorous and anything made from acrylic fibers would melt to the solider (shudder, stomach did a major tumble when I read that in our Ships Project newsletter). While Iraq is not too cold yet, apparently it is quite chilly in the mountains of Afghanistan (yes, we are still fighting there - defending stretches of road while the terrorists simply run in and out of Pakistan saying ne'er-ne'er). Normally we put care labels on all our items so that the troops know how to take care of things and that its from the Ships Project group. However, the things that are being helo-dropped to the special forces groups in Afghanistan (and other places) are not to contain those labels due to concern that if the drop were to fall into hands other than ours that there may be some "not so nice" care packages sent in return. So I got a little creative/festive with my labels. I wrote hand wash, cold H2O - air dry on these fall leave decorations I have around the house and tied them to the hats~

Fall continues to bring out random food cravings. Last weekend it was French onion soup, twice baked potatoes and these chocolate sandwich cookies (recipe courtesy of the girls at Bread and Honey blog). Into my pot went about 5 sliced Walla Walla sweet onions. Along with some celery and other things I can't remember now (check Cook's.com for lots of easy recipes)

While that was cooking I mixed up the twice baked potatoes (Boy #1's fav) that I'd started earlier And finished up the cookies. Now the Bread & Honey girl's cookies look better than mine. My dough was very "sandy" in appearance. This is the first cookie recipe I've made where you didn't cream the butter and sugar first... might change that around next time. Anyways as always they were gone in a few days! I topped the soup with a thick slice a "No Knead Bread" from a few days before - and melted slices of provolone cheese over the top - all the boys tried it (that's a stretch for Boy #3 who only tried it after I told him it had sweet onions in it because he loves sweet onions but he picked out the bread - no soggy bread for him! On that one I tend to agree, no soggy bread for this girl either but in french onion soup one has to make an exception!)

Happy Halloween!

Its been a rather "bewitching" week. I'm quite certain that "possessions" are at an all time high this year! You just have to turn on the TV to see them... Oh, that's right... Nov. 4th is just a few days away. Ok, so maybe they're not at an all time high. And as for work, we'll let's just say that if I'd have dressed up today, I would have gone like her !

Normally I'm more into the "Wonder Woman" look but someone stole my invisible jet, I've worn out my magic lasso trying contain all the drama (male drama mind you, not female) and its making me a little cranky!

On a lighter note, My friend Carla sent this to me today, so I'll share 'cuz it made me "cackle"

Two brooms were hanging in the closet and after a while they got to know each other so well, they decided to get married. One broom was, of course, the bride broom, the other the groom broom. The bride broom looked very beautiful in her white dress. The groom broom was handsome and suave in his tuxedo. The wedding was lovely. After the wedding, at the wedding dinner, the bride-broom leaned over and said to the groom-broom, 'I think I am going to have a little whisk broom!' 'IMPOSSIBLE !' said the groom broom. 'WE HAVEN'T EVEN SWEPT TOGETHER!'

Sounds to me like she's been sweeping around!!! Trick or Treat~

Weekend Warrior

Do you ever get to Sunday night and think, I'm exhausted! I need another weekend? Well, that's how this past week and weekend were here in our little corner of the world. The week went something like this:
Monday night - Soccer game boy #3
Tuesday - up at 4:00 a.m. to be at work by 5 for the go live of our hospital electronic medical record. Home around 6pm, something else happened but can't remember what and I fell into bed.
Wednesday- up early again, another soccer game for boy #3. Home cook 3 lbs of pasta for football team dinner on Thursday afternoon.
Thursday - work, run home, drop off boy #2 at field to watch girls soccer game. Run back home, change clothes, pick up boy#2 and drive to the football field for our Homecoming game (yes, weird... homecoming on a Thursday night) game was a blow out. Tides ahead 57 to 0 by half time. Final score 64 to 0 with everyone who was eligible to play getting to play.
Friday - work and then home. Drive to WalMart in Port Orchard to buy fabric to make costume for Boy #1 to wear to the homecoming dance on Saturday night.

For those who may not have the opportunity for this particular type of "adventure", let me share. When you walk in to WalMart on Friday night its like taking a trip to a whole other country - as in 3rd world trailer park country. I wandered around the store for a bit trying to see if I could put together a costume that would not require sewing (Homecoming theme was "Rome-coming" and Boy#1 wanted to go dressed as a Gladiator. Of course, the costume we found three weeks earlier while buying new football cleats wouldn't do). No such luck but I did find a t-shirt that said, "If the broom fits, ride it!" I was tempted but pumpkin orange isn't in my color palette. I tried not to stare at the multitude of families while I pondered, "how on earth did you find the time to have all those children in such a short period of time? And then it dawned on me - dad actually has two wives and they are sisters! How nice to have a family tree that goes straight up. Makes keeping track of things so much easier. Anyway, I digress. I did find a pattern and fabric (leather imprint vinyl). While waiting at the fabric cutting counter I was then treated to conversation that I can only describe as amazing. (Older woman doing the cutting -we had to repeat how much of each bolt of fabric we needed cut like three times. I know, she was just being thorough. Young girl/woman- old enough to apparently be married and joining the military but I'm quite certain not old enough to buy beer) were having the most fascinating discussion with "Joe" from the WalMart Oil change mart. Joe was complaining about how people just don't understand how hard their job is (while leaning on the fabric cutting counter in all his greasiness) and then explaining to Young Girl/Woman how he was going to help her get ready for boot camp including automatic weapons training. Then towards the end of my turn in line, Young Girl belches (and I do mean belch) to the mild chagrin of Older Woman who says, she always knows where to find Young Girl in the store. To which Young Girl responds, "Well I'm not going to hold it in and get a tummy ache!" Thankfully I only had to have three things cut and was able to leave before they shared any more with the lucky fabric crowd. On Saturday morning when Boy#1 arrived home and I showed him the pattern we had the following conversation:

T: "Do I get the cape too?"
Me: Yes

T: "YES! Sweet!"

I guess capes fall into the category of things that you are never to old for. Four and a half hours later and....

My gladiator!

Sunday began with a trip into Tacoma to pick up the rest of the tux for Boy#2 to wear to his musical concert on Tuesday night (apparently one was supposed to have brought at check with oneself to school on Friday - yeah, communication not so good on this one). I get to the store only to find they are CLOSED! I counted to ten and headed into Costco where I managed to spend several hundred dollars on food items (how does this happen?) then dashed home for Boy#3's fourth soccer game of the week. Back home and now, its time to cook (Sunday are my cooking days). First I threw all the fixings for a turkey noodle soup into a pot - Yum, perfect fall dinner food. Then I mixed up a double batch of Halloween M&M cookies (did you know that Halloween M&M's are like purple and orange and black and brown? Not the most appetizing look in a cookie). And then because I'd had a craving all week for it, I made two apple pies. I had picked up about 6 or 7 Honeycrisp apples from the fruit stand up the road, so I peeled and sliced them...

To which I then added: (double this if you are making 2 pies): 1/2 c. flour, 1/2 c. sugar, 1/2 c. brown sugar, 2 tbsp. flour, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/8 tsp. ginger, 1/8 tsp. ground cloves (I didn't have allspice), juice of one lemon. I stirred this all up (Yummy, could have eaten just that right out of the bowl) and poured the apple mixture into a deep dish pie shell. And no, I did not make my own pie crust. I see no reason to go all the trouble when Marie C. does such a great job for less than $3. Then because I wanted a crumbly top I topped the pies with a generous amount of low-fat honey granola I had. Then I baked them at 425 for 10 minutes, turned down the heat to 350 and baked them for another 40 minutes and....

Lord have mercy! These had to be the world's best apple pies! Boy #1 ate an entire half all by himself. (one tip, if you use granola, I would hold off putting it on top until you turn the oven down to 350. Some of my bigger chunks got a little too brown at the 425 heat).