(not-even-nearly) Wordless Wednesday

I have a post.  A real post.
A jumbled up, not well thought out post.  But a post nonetheless.
I of course have not budgeted my time appropriately.
So, I'm sticking to the Wednesday photo thing.  Except there's a whole lotta' words goin' on.

Murano Glass Ornament
I bought it for myself in 1990
with my own money from my first real job

Stunning isn't it? It looks like dragon scales to me.

After gingerly toting it around for 22 years or so,
alone by itself in the next room, of its own volition,
the glass loop that held it on its hanger broke.

Tears have been shed.

I know I wont throw it out, but I don't know exactly what to do with it either.

From the looks of it though, maybe it was the weight of the the dust that finally did it in.

(nearly) Wordless Wednesday

A volunteer from a flowerpot emptied out in the bed last autumn

A sure sign of Spring?

That, and the Ladybugs
And the Robins
And the Red Winged Black Birds 

And the first dead bug splat on my windshield

An Early Morning Blurb

I haven't been on the computer much, not even "The Website" (Facebook) as it's commonly referred between me and my sisters.  

I have been meaning to write a post or three for a few days now but I am valiantly trying to read The Hunger Games, and quickly, so that I can go see the movie with Princess Pretty Face (PPF) and her mom Ali-Gator next Friday.  

Ali-Gator is taking PPF out of school early to go see the movie and I don't work on Friday's so it's a date!

I remember my mom surprising me and Ali-Gator by coming to school one day out of the blue to take us out of school.  I distinctly remember on my way to the principals office trying to think of what I did to get into trouble and how I was going to get out of that trouble.  

I was petrified when I walked into the office.

And there stood my mom.   

I can't remember what she told them as to why she was picking us up.  But I as we were walking out to the car she told us she was taking us to a movie.

 We were going to see Footloose. 

I loved that bright sunny day in 1984.  It is actually one of my fondest childhood memories.

Hopefully this will be one of PPF's favorite memories.  Especially since she loves the book so much.

My hopes are high.

Off to work!

Which interferes with my reading.

Yams & Chick Peas

I've been trying to come up with a post for today and it's been rough.  

As soon as I get this post out of the way I have given myself free reign to go clothes shopping.  As in "I've lost weight and my pants are baggy so I just have to go use my Kohl's Cash + 30% off" kind of shopping.

So here I sit waiting for inspiration to strike and I've already wasted an entire 20 minutes perusing Pinterest because somehow that'll help me think of a post to write...

32 minutes later:

Somehow, miraculously, it paid off!  

The following blog post is brought to you by a Sisterly E-Mail Conversation (that I still had in my work e-mail inbox?) between Ali-gator and myself:

>>>On 1/18/2012 at 12:28 PM, Ali-Gator wrote:

Pops,

Can you send Rachel and I the recipe for your sweet potato hummus?

Ali-Gator

______________________________________

>>> On 1/18/2012 at 12:36 PM, Ali-Gator wrote:

Dear Grammar Police masquerading as my sister... I'd like to rephrase my question.

Can you send me and Rachel the recipe?

This way you won't have to pull me over for grammar negligence.

______________________________________

>>> On 1/18/2012 at  2:04 PM, P. Rex wrote:

Dear Grammar Protester,

I won't use the pepper spray if you don't butcher my language.  You are obviously quite capable of using grammar correctly, so try it some time.

Respectfully,

Cpt. Gram R. Polizia

Sweet Potato Hummus

1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (I used 1 mammoth sweet potato)

• 1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 1/4 C fresh lemon juice

• 1/4 C tahini

• 2 T olive oil

• 2 t ground cumin

• 1 garlic clove, chopped 

• Coarse salt and pepper

• Smoked paprika, optional 

• Pita bread and/or veggies, for serving

Set a steamer basket in a large pot. Fill with enough water to come just below basket; bring to a boil. Add potatoes; reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a food processor.

Combine chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, oil, cumin, and garlic in the food processor. Puree, about 1 minute; thin with water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper and let cool; refrigerate, in an airtight container, up to 1 week. Serve with pita and crudites.

Check this website out: http://www.wearenotmartha.com/2011/04/sweet-potato-hummus/

They have step by step pictures.

It is insanely easy.

Enjoy!

____________________________

So there you have it a yummy recipe and a mildly funny conversation.

Kohl's, you devil, here I come!

(nearly) Wordless Wednesday

A co-worker brought these in to brighten up the office today.
What's not to love irises and a mason jar - perfect!

Blurbing: Random Thoughts

Blurb Unum:
Book Club went off without a hitch, of course.  I was being a goober.  We set up some guidelines and decided who would be picking the books in which order, etc. MommaBean was first on the list and she chose:

The Secret Holocaust Diaries By Nonna Bannister

I just got it in the mail yesterday, I am not very far into it and so far I love it.  My only complaint is the editors.  They've interjected little tidbits of "information" throughout the paragraphs.  The wisdom they feel they are imparting is common sense.  They're simply repeating what Nonna had just clearly explained.  In nearly the same verbiage.

Example:
Nonna's translation of her diary- "When the family left she, (grandmother) would take the portrait down, carefully wrapping it in blankets, and would store it in the attic due to political changes that had taken place during the Bolshevik Revolution."

Editors- "Grandmother had hid the portrait of Grandfather, who had served the last Tsar, because at the time of the Bolshevik rule, Nicholas II sympathizers were in grave danger."

Riiiiiiiiiight.  Nonna had just got done relaying that her Grandfather was a Cossack and had served the Tsar and that her grandmother would get the portrait out when they were all at the Great House.

It is annoying and disruptive to the story.

Blurb Duo:
Little Miss Nike Cat.

I don't know what else to say other than she is special.  Very, very special.

The vet said that like not all people are smart neither are all animals.  I like to think of her as Special Needs.

Mr. Wonderful and I have been retraining ourselves to fulfill her needs.  Along the way she's had to make adjustments and so have we.

One of the adjustments is we've added a little, low sided, litter box in one of our bedroom corners just for her and her alone.  She likes this and we're now a happy family.  Except, sometimes though, she misses.

Just a few weeks ago I witnessed it myself.  She stood in her litter box and with her bottom facing out into the room.... yeah.  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  I sure as hell wasn't going to yell because she would be scarred for the rest of her 5 lives.

That and she's compulsively licked all the fur off of her belly, and insides of her legs.

Her skin is really, really white.  Which contrasts nicely with her all black fur.

Blurb Tres:
I've been using my homemade laundry powder for 6 weeks now and I can report that it works fabulously! Even Mr. Wonderful's grungy, greasy work coat came out clean! When I make some more, I'll take pictures and post them along with the "recipe".  It is Uber easy, mainly because I'm lazy and took the simplest way out  and didn't do any "cooking" of it.  And it's cheap! Sa-weet!

Blurb Quattuor:
There was more but my CRS is kicking in.  Argh!






*8:27 p.m.: It's still not coming to me.  I've been staring at the screen for 10 minutes hoping it would pop into my head so I wouldn't have to end the post that way.

And that, my friends, concludes this blather-fest.  Until next we meet!

Hair Flipping

I have been known to glare at Hair Flippers all steely eyed and lemony mouthed.  I'm not sure what about the hair flipping thing irritates me so much.  But, it does.

I am not nor have I ever been a hair flipper.

At least, that's what I thought until approximately 7 1/2 minutes ago.

I was sitting here, going to write a post about something completely different and then it happened...

I flipped.  Or, at least, I tried to.

Because today, I did this:

Two of my four 9" ponytails

I cut my hair in order to donate it.  I do it about every 1 1/2-2 years depending on how I feel in the between time and how often I get it cut.

I am now sporting a fancy, yet very respectable (and cute), bob.  It's my go-to "Donation 'Do".

Like so:

Victoria Beckham

Of course I look nothing like Mrs. Beckham but, you get the idea.

Anyway, you see the long bits? The front part?

Yeah, well, I tried to fling it over my shoulder when I dipped my head down to look at the Coke I had dribbled on the front of my shirt.  I stopped in mid-flip horrified by what I was doing.

I am going to blame it on the fact that had I had my normally long hair it would've been in a ponytail or bun or something and .... well, dammit, I'd have never flipped.

So to the Occasional-Get-My-Hair-Outta'-My-Face-Quick-I-Need-To-Look-Down type of Hair Flippers, to you, I apologize for my snobbery.

To the Cutesy-Oh-My-Gosh-Look-At-Me!-Flip-Flip-Toss type of Hair Flippers?  I give you all my best steely-eyed and lemony mouthed glare.

Now that I've whined, I've got to go find a scarf.  My neck is cold.