You wanted a blog...did you really?

I'm not good at this. Really. I waste time. This is nothing new for my family. I can put off anything. I can come up with an excuse that only convinces me that I have a good reason for not doing what I should be doing. If you give me a minute, I'll tell you why I don't have time to deal with the excuse to procrastinate, yet again, what I'm putting off until tomorrow. Got that?

Tonight, I had a reason for serving salad and paninis for dinner...REALLY! The darn bunny got loose and we had the whole neighborhood sifting the bushes with rakes, sticks and buckets. THANK YOU awesome neighbors! Now I guess I have to pony up and help y'all when you're in need. (Yes, I said y'all.) Dang. My biggest regrets: I didn't have my camera ready to catch Mrs. Brandy diggin' in the bushes in her sweats, the Mad monster and friends trying to rebuild missing planks from the fence to keep this from happening again, and last, the carrots strewn across the yard in a veggie sacrifice to entice the bunny to stick around for another day or two. (After the trauma of 4 screaming kids, I don't think it's enough really.)

I can't imagine what life in the city is like...we have so much adventure here in the country, who could want more? Take your city, we like the drama of bunny herding here.

Until the next adventure...this soccer ma is over and out. Errr going to count some sheep.

Dinner and a little poot...

We are no longer equipped to handle the little people. They are exhausting. You ma's and pa's out there with more than one have my utmost sympathy. REALLY!
Food later, still sleeping off the poot factor. LOL!

Soccer Madness/School Registration/Budget Cuts

The roller coaster has begun. Tonight I sat through 2 and 1/2 hours of the Mad monsters soccer camp. Thank goodness we are sitting at only 76% humidity and it's about 83 degrees. I still drank 32 oz. of water and did the pee pee dance in the car all the way home.

I have to say it was far more interesting than you would think. I spent the entire evening chatting with one of the teachers at my daughters school. Our schools are in dire need of supplies. I didn't realize that each teacher (those that haven't been let go due to budget cuts) has lost their class supply budget...there is NO money. That means those nifty little weekly notes that come home stating homework and what's going on in class are a distant memory. We, as parents, are going to have to pony up or our children will suffer. I for one, am taking that teacher "wish list" to heart tomorrow morning when I go to register for the 4th grade...EGADS...the fourth grade!

I hated my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Heffner. After my dreamy 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Westomoreland, I did not adjust well to the old school, hard nosed, no fun teacher. I look back now and wonder...how close was she to retirement. I hope the Mad monster will like her teacher this year. I know she is in for a rude awakening when I become more involved in her class life.

Well, I'm off to get ready for that "wish list", creating wedding packages, washing soccer socks and paying fees and donations that i no longer question when it comes to my daughters education.

Hey, I know the silhouette...

THE SEA OF SUNSET.
This is the land the sunset washes,

These are the banks of the Yellow Sea;

Where it rose, or whither it rushes,

These are the western mystery!
Night after night her purple traffic

Strews the landing with opal bales;

Merchantmen poise upon horizons,

Dip, and vanish with fairy sails.

-That Emily Dickinson chickie

What is more simple than girls by the bay? What is more simple than enjoying the breeze and the sand and the sunset? I've been avoiding many things in life, but can the sunset really be ignored? If you can honestly say you don't see it when it is in front of you...you have no heart, you have no love of majesty. Oh I could go on and on. But I won't because it's late and I'm tired and didn't see the sunset tonight.

Salmon...sigh

I love Salmon. My mom started my love of salmon as a kid making salmon patties fried up and served with whatever veggie she had on hand, preferably fried squash or okra - they never really made it to the table, I'd stand over her and eat each little morsel right away.

My husband was a total meat and potato man, salmon was not a meat...beef was a meat. (Although he fished, salmon was not a Potomac River catch, lol.) When he found out he was diabetic, carbs became a no no, salmon became a favorite and potatoes were a special thing.

Now we eat salmon quite a bit. There are so many ways to use left overs too. Ochazuke, rice ball filling, toss on salads, etc. Tonight I made homemade tomato soup (I had to use those yummy tomatoes from my mother-in-laws garden before they went bad), asparagus, salmon and mock croutons. My picture doesn't really do it all justice. Even the Mad Monster was begging for more "croutons" for her soup. So maybe this blog entry should be about the tomato soup...hmmm.

Myspace/Facebook - Time

I hate it. I really want to love it all, but it is all such a pain. Neither one is really productive. I just spent an hour with the new features (who knows when they came into play...I've been busy with life) and smacked myself when I realized I had it set to the "lite" version of viewing. I guess it's time to spice up my knowledge base when it comes to this whole social network crap.

Guess what this is?
It's hard to imagine my Mom baulked at the cell phone. I thought the cell phone was such a frivolous thing too, back in the beginning. Now I panic when I don't have it when I leave the house. My daughter has my cell phone memorized (and has her own...ugh!) better than the house line...imagine that. My daughter has only seen the vinyl RECORD versions of "Star Wars" (1977), "The Story of Star Wars" (1977). Bach on the Pedal Harpsicord/E. Power Biggs (Library of Congress catalog number R65-2809) and Toccata and Fugue/Bach's Organ Music (1980) because that is all I saved from my extensive collection. None of which we can actually play because we haven't had a turn table since WAY before she was born. She knows "download this for me dad, I'll clean my room". Wow, where did the time go. When will the transporter come into being...I'd like that trip to Europe now, please.

Flavor Cabob...Little Chef gone wild!

Anyone can cook...

If you are a Disney Mom, you know where that phrase comes from. And in this house, I knew that before the movie "Ratatouille" came out. I have a "little chef" on my hands. I was throwing together a stir fry for dinner the other night and the little monster (oh, she's such a delightful monster) decided she wanted to make a pre-dinner snack. Little bug doesn't know what an appetizer is or an Hors d'œuvre, but she planned it out, cut it up and happily chatted while she chopped and assembled.

Meanwhile, I assemble her bento box for camp the next day...I'm obsessed and here is the first picture of a not so beautiful bento I have for her. Left - stir fry: chicken, rice (duh), little corns, beans and (shh don't tell her) onions, Middle - mini frittatas: egg, cheese, tomatoes, sauteed leeks a few green beans wrapped in smoked turkey to fill the space and right - steamed green beans. This is only the bottom tier. The next tier will have her fruits, one of her little appetizers and whatever I can throw in to fill space. She loves it! Get your kids interested in food that isn't too processed! Get them into bento...PLAY WITH FOOD, it's super fun!