Ding Dong Ditch and other events

A few things I've been up to.  In no particular order, because I'm lazy today.  I hope to blog more regularly so maybe chronology will get better. 

and actually, it's not that bad!  Leon discovered that he loved rollerskating so we took him and a friend.

Then we took them again for his birthday and he discovered that he hated it.

I've been putting pics of the new grandbaby up on the fridge and can't wait to see him/her on the day!  Got just over a month left before the due date.

We celebrated Robb's birthday by attending a Red Hot Chili Piper concert!  fun!

Easter egg hunt at my place!

Leon got a hair cut!!!!  He's rocking a shorter doo!

Attended a baby shower for Jen and Ryan.  My sisters showed up for a quick bite before the party,

and then helped celebrate the new baby!

Me and Jen. Remind me not to wear that combo again! 

Many at the party tie-dyed baby clothes!  This will be the best dressed baby in our town.

I got to hang out a lot with these girls!

I made bloody mints for the party.  I was going for tie-dyed mints... oh well.  They still tasted good.

Me and my kids.

A garage sale find!  I am loving it!

So is Leon.

Maddy bought a porch goose and then I did too.  I'm making clothes for my goose for the State Fair!

Here is a VERY rough draft of a hoodie using the sleeves from an old sweatshirt.

Maddy requested a rain jacket for hers so I made this out of an old rain coat she found thrifting.

This is a project that I started this spring.  I actually did a little work on the gate today but need more time to think about the hinges.  It'll happen!

I've been watching a lot of the Golden Girls as an homage to my mom.  Is it bad that I'm starting to get into their clothing styles?  Well, SOME of their styles...  I could so wear this one.

Ignore the slam the door in their face comment.  Was streaming something. Probably Golden Girls.

Happy anniversary to these two!  Six whole years!!!

I told Leon a story about some Dr. Scholl sandals we wore as teenagers so I looked them up to show him that they were not in fact clogs from Holland.  They're selling for $120!!!??!  

And those were a pair I owned!  How did they get so expensive?!

I made peach cobbler for Memorial Day and only after I made it, realized that only a few of us still like it.  I froze it in individual servings and they're waiting for someone to find and thaw them.

Hear that Maddy?!  I saved some for you!

AND we got ding dong ditched.  TWICE in the same evening!  I caught him on the security camera and then later going across our yard.  He gave a lame excuse that he was looking to hang out with Leon but he's a 14 year old, really??!!...  I'm doubting his story and Leon doesn't even know him.  Leon wasn't home btw.

Anyway, that's what's going on here.  I've got a to do list longer than this post and then get overwhelmed at the length of it so I stream Golden Girls or whatever other show the kids talk me into watching.

I'll get things picked off it eventually.

But now off to make tacos for tonight!

Simply Southern Mom Cookbook

Today I'm reviewing Simply Southern Mom's blog and brand new cookbook that she wrote with her daughter.  It is being released in 12 days!!!!  She's so excited!  So am I!

While I'm not cooking all the time and my favorite meal to prepare for whatever family happens to be home is "figure it out for yourself night", I love perusing cookbooks and dreaming about something to prepare that will cement my cooking in their memories.  Instead of giving them bad dreams.

Pam and I have been following each other's blogs for years and I have been inspired to make lots of her yummy things!  

Pam Wattenbarger and her grand-daughter.  

The cookbook has recipes that cover every Southern dish you've ever heard of and tons that you hadn't even dreamed of.  She and Brittany have been posting video tutorials on Facebook for the last several weeks on how to make lots of different foods from the book.  The last one I watched was how to make S'more pie and it was so different than one I'd tried in the past.  It made it look like a smooth pumpkin pie with whipped topping, but with chocolate and marshmallows...  OHHHHHHHHH...

I gained five pounds just watching.

Go pre-order this book today!!!  

She just announced a few days ago that it's the #1 best pre-sold book on Amazon! 

Help keep her at #1 for a LONGGG time.

I know I will!

Am I doing this right?

Several weeks ago, my dear bloggy friend Sonya Ann, posted something about boiled peanuts on Facebook.  

And let me say right here...  WHERE ARE YOU SONYA!!!??!!

She lost her mojo and she may not come back...

I miss you...

BUT she's on FB, so I follow her there.

Any-nuts, back to the boiled peanuts.

I responded with eewww... or something in an equally encouraging manner.

She, Sluggy and Ann in the kitchen pounced!  Lovingly of course!

We bloggers are wonderful people.

Just ask us.

They said, "Don't knock it until you try it" and "Fresh is SO much better than canned" and other some such nonsense...

 

So I took their advice.  I found it on Amazon and we ordered a can.  And since I'd been dieting for the wedding, there it sat in our cupboard until last night.

 

A week or so ago, Robb and I were at Walmart and found it on their shelves.  

Seriously??...

Oh well.  We still hadn't tried them, so I wasn't about to stock up anyway.

Back to last night.  Robb made supper and heated up a can.  It looked and smelled like dirty boiled peanuts. hmmm...  Is this REALLY considered a side??  Or a snack?

And yes.  I actually took an unsuccessful bite out of the shell first.

Amazon had a label over the directions, so that's why we were in the dark.

Oh.  I guess you have to shell them...

And we did.  We both kind of liked them!  Robb said that they tasted like soggy peanuts.

I was SO glad they were salted!! 

My rings got all crusted over with salt water, but it washed off.  We ate most of them and stuck the rest in the fridge.  I don't know if that is proper procedure or not...

I guess we need to try the fresh green peanuts sometime, but where do you get them?  I think I'm too far north of I80 to find any here...  And Amazon doesn't sell them.

So anyway, as I promised Sluggy, Ann and Sonya, there is my review.

I'd eat them again.

I'm a saltaholic.  How can I not?

Watered down week.

It's been a busy week...  

Father's Day was very nice.  The girls, Leon and I took Robb out for lunch at HyVee's Chinese food buffet after church and it was REALLY good!  Leon discovered what crab rangoons taste like AND what the bathroom of HyVee looks like.  No real correlation there...  That evening, we had a nice dinner at home that Ryan was able to join us for and the men opened their presents.  

The Leon book was a big hit.

Monday through Wednesday has been a blur. Work has been crazy with no real breaks to speak of unless you call a rushed lunch, or a quick chauffeur to work, a break.  Robb has been out of town most of the week and got home last night.  So I did most of the chauffeuring if Maddy wasn't available and she was working a lot this week too.

Leon discovered the old sitcom of The Munsters, and I think he wants to be a Frankenstein monster for Halloween now...  He loves it!

I finally got our family pass at the pool and took Leon there the other night with the girls.  

It took a while for him to get used to the water again, but he loves it and likes to pour water on his aunt Meri and Grandma, even though I'm not dressed to get in the water...

We're getting ready to go to Wisconsin for the wedding of a nephew.  Hey Sonya!  My son can't come to the wedding now, want to be our son for an afternoon?  We'll be about an hour from you, I think...  Email me!

I was going to totally redo the dress I made for another nephew's wedding a couple years ago, but decided that that would be pushing it, since I just tried it on on Sunday afternoon...  Yeah, there's no way I'd get it done in time.  Also I look like a large brown cow in it.  So I dug in my closet and found an alternative that needs a little side seam work that I'll do over lunch.  I also purchased a new jacket thingy to wear over it so wish me luck!

Gotta get to work.  Have a great weekend!  And I'll blog at you more on Monday. 

Nobody loves me, Everybody hates me.

Lately, Robb and I have started watching a BBC program called Doc Martin.  Apparently there are more than 6 seasons, so this will last for a long time!

Here is what Netflix has for a description.

Crippled by a sudden and inconvenient fear of blood, flashy surgeon Dr. Martin Ellingham abandons his bustling London practice and sets up shop as a country doctor in this medically minded British sitcom.

The scenery is gorgeous!

It's kind of a cross between Northern Exposure, House, Father Ted and Greys Anatomy... 

 If you can imagine...

 

He makes me think he's a close relative of the Mr Bean fellow...  

His self appointed incompetent receptionist was one of the step sisters on Ella Enchanted, but now she has braids/dreadlocks... LOTS...  

If you think everyone in town hates you...  you just don't know how bad it COULD be...

Year in Review April - June

Almost forgot about the review thing. Is it Friday already??! I've already posted something else for today, so you're getting a treat! TWO posts from me!!! Don't you feel lucky...
Ok here we go...

April - I got our new washer delivered on April Fools day. How was THAT for a joke? My husband was one of my guest posters... I made that brown skirt with a pattern of my own making after reading an article in a Threads magazine. Enjoyed bon fires with my girls. And I made a ton of graduation cards for my 15 year old to take to upcoming grad parties. It was a busy month.May - Robb and I celebrated 22 years of marriage! Who have thought it would have lasted this long?! I mean, me with my temper and him with his... No wait, that's not us... But wow. 22 years old. That's impossible because I don't even feel older than 22... But I guess it is. Got the marriage license to prove it!June - On the eve of Memorial Day, in the middle of a rainstorm, my dear son plunked his (our) car into a drainage ditch at 1am, then walked home with a friend in tow. Had fun at the dentist and almost bit him. Celebrated a little Norwegian heritage with our town festival. Showed why the child labor laws were put into effect by making my nieces and children sew for my sewing guild... And even gave a tutorial for how to make troop bags that no one understood.Next week, please tune in! County fair galore!!!

Legal-eze Yearly Review Part 1

Mimi has challenged us. Yep. I'm attaching this as a linky, which I so rarely do because mainly... I forget. I had a super story to tell you about something that Mimi would call an F-bomb. But since I don't swear, except for at disobedient puppies and loose mice in my garage, I don't normally participate in those either... and I so rarely do anything worthy of using the F-bomb. But I had a doozy to share with you today. But that's on hold now because she's replaced F-bomb Friday with this format of a linky instead. But maybe I'll make Monday a Doh!Monday and share my story then!

That's a lot of buts...

Anyway, back to the linky rules. I need to review my year and label it. Cruddy? Super? Meh? whatever it was. But parts of it were each of those items and other colorful adjectives, so she wants us to break it down into chunks.

Today's is January thru March. I'll break it down by month...

January - My youngest turned 10, my oldest broke up with his girlfriend, my middle child played in several jazz competitions. There's tons more, but that about sums it up... I think January is one of my favorite months outside of the Christmas season because the Christmas rush is over, the house is still fairly decorative because who takes down their tree and stuff immediately after Christmas?? Scrooge?? yes. My husband? yes. Me? No way Hose! Or as Robb puts it, No way Jesus! There's usually snow and I typically take the free time I now have because I'm not scrambling making or buying gifts to enjoy the time together as a family without feeling like I need to be doing something. It's nice and the house is warm. My January was good, except for the break up thing... That was puzzling.February - Ah February. Maddy was invited to the Sweetheart dance. and then there is a thing known as TMI, Too Much Information... I shared my trilogy-plus of Tales from the Dad-side with you all. My dad is funny! He has so many interesting and crazy stories to tell and I've got them all locked up here in my crazy inherited brain of mine! I shared a few stories that he'd told us through out the years of pranks he pulled, old women he scared, a wedding party he broke up... Things I still laugh about to this day. I learned that sometimes those stories turn people off and I found that every single time I told one, I lost at least one follower! Weird huh? The thing is I've got exactly 162 stories left to tell but I'm afraid to! :P Oh well. February was good. Oh and my cell phone died. Got the exact same one off Ebay and switched things over to that. Whew.March - Consisted of Spring break with my hubby and girls in Branson Mo! On the way, I got to meet one of my loyal bloggy buddies Annie Jones!! Hi Annie & Kat!!! We were recovering from flu on the way down, but then Robb caught it when we finally got to our cabin. He couldn't sight-see with us at all except for the last day there. Then I almost ran over Meri with the car. Eventful month!!! Enjoyed St. Patrick's Day meal with friends. Then scrambling sewing! I made the Easter dresses for the girls. Seems to me that this was done in our hall way because my son had moved back home. Yep - just checked with my husband. Ryan moved back home in March. Our grocery bill went up as well as gasoline bill.Ok - that concludes my formal 1st part obligation to Mimi. All rights, privileges to share and keeping silent laws have been contractually fulfilled. Carry on with your day!