My Empire for a Pillow

This post has been 30 years in the making. At least, it feels like it.

I have owned the same pillow since I was sixteen years old. I love my pillow. It’s latex, not feather, and I do get it dry cleaned on a regular basis, so don’t get all icky on me. Anyway, everyone tells you that you must replace your pillow every so-many-years, since pillows tend to “break”. And I have tried. Boy, have I tried….

The first replacement I bought in college. It was a feather/foam type. As soon as I lay on it, it just flattened. I was so disappointed, because the salesperson absolutely guaranteed I would sleep like a baby. Turns out I did. A colicky one.

The second time, I found a latex pillow, and I was ecstatic! It was JUST LIKE MINE!! We were in the process of moving from San Antonio to Fayetteville, NC, when I realized my pillow had been packed with all the household goods. GAH!! We went to some big name housestuff store, and I found it. It was just the right size, too: three inches at the middle thickness. That is important, as you will see later. Anyway, we drove out from Houston to Pensacola, and stayed at a La Quinta overnight. And in my hurry to pack up in the morning, I left my pillow in the hotel room!!

Some hotel staffer is sleeping well in Pensacola.

The third time was only two years ago. I decided to splurge on a memory foam pillow, because that’s all the rage and it’s supposed to conform to your head, blah, blah, blah… So I do. I spend $50 on a pillow, but I am prudent enough to keep my old one, just in case. I try it out that night, hoping against hope that it works.

And I ended up waking up feeling rather stabby. GAH!! This time, Little One ended up with the premium pillow. At least she loves that thing, so it wasn’t a waste of time or money.

I scoured all over town for latex pillows, and finally found one. Number Four was latex, and firm, and awesome. But it was four inches thick, and I ended up waking up with a crick in my neck every morning. So, Son becomes the proud owner of a very nice latex pillow, and Momma once again literally dusts off her old pillow for her use.

Fast forward to last Saturday. Hubby and I had been contemplating a new mattress set. The old one was fine, but the box spring tended to creak horribly if you so much as looked at it. So, you can let your imagination wander here. And….you can stop now. Suffice it to say, it wasn’t conducive to a good night’s sleep, either. So, we went to get a new set, and while purchasing the mattress, I spied another foam pillow. The salesman told me it was a top seller, and I tried it out. Seemed the right height, so I added it to the final purchase. I awaited its arrival in eager anticipation. FINALLY, a new pillow for me!!!

And after two nights of waking up in discomfort, I have to take it back. Short of me shaving off an inch from the pillow top, I don’t see how it can work for me. So, either Eldest will end up with it, or the store will.

All I know is, my old, trusty pillow will probably be with me forever. At least, until I get cremated. Then we will have to part, because burning latex can be toxic, and I don’t want that ending up in the sewage along with my ashes 😉

Food Blogging: Day Two

There was a time in my married life that I made an effort to cook one gourmet meal a week.

And then the kids started growing up.

I’m trying to get back into that, but it’s difficult when some don’t eat certain foods, or others don’t like spices, or still others do not care for cooked vegetables. One thing that they ALL like, however, is steak. You can’t go wrong with steak, ever. I draw the line at Steak Tartare, though. There is no way I am serving raw steak with a raw egg on top.

Grilled steak with cubit potatoes, romaine and bleu cheese dressing, and random roll. AWESOME!!

CUBIT POTATOES

• Three to Four Large Gold Potatoes
• Oil of Choice
• Salt and Pepper
• Rosemary (optional)

Peel and rinse potatoes, then cube. Place in bowl, adding approximately ¼ cup of oil, and then salt and pepper to coat. Toss well, then place in an 8×8 pan, making sure to dust the top again with salt, pepper, and the rosemary if desired. Bake at 400* F (or 204* C for my foreign readers), for about 40 minutes.

Enjoy!! 🙂

We Remember

And we shall never forget.

We woke up that day. Let us remember the sacrifices, and never forget the reason. And above all, let us remain vigilant.

Always.

Food Blogging: Day One

Technically, I suppose it’s Day Two, but yesterday was a rambling post with the addition of the food blogging, so I shall declare today as Day One and go from there. In case some of you missed it, I am participating in Yabu‘s “NATIONAL IRRITATE A FOOD PIC HATER FOOD PIC POSTING WEEK”, henceforth known as NIAFPHFPPW, for short. Click on his name and you’ll see the multitudinous postings of delish entries.

Today I shall feature what is probably my most requested dessert. Not only is it popular, but very, and I mean VERY, easy to make. It is also a good alternative to using raw eggs.

Chocolate Mousse

• 1 pint Heavy Whipping Cream
• ½ large jar Nutella Spread.
• 1 tbsp. Grand Marnier (optional)

In a medium bowl, whip the cream on a high setting until stiff peaks form. Add the Nutella and the liqueur if desired, and whip again until thoroughly mixed. Using a spatula, make sure to smooth out, and then spoon into custard cups. Makes about six servings.

Enjoy!! 🙂

*UPDATE*

I erroneously typed “small” instead of “large” for the Nutella jar. Correction done!!

It’s Sunday!

And I got nothing for today.

Today I am going to the hardware stores in search of stuff for jewelry and Steampunk. Yes, I did say “jewelry”. But not for me. I have plenty. Well, ok…I do need to make some Steampunk style jewelry, so I should pick up more of these:

Oh, and I also have to cook something delish for Yabu. He has a fantabulous contest going on whereby we in the Blogosphere will be posting food pics and recipes!! It’s called the “NATIONAL IRRITATE A FOOD PIC HATER FOOD PIC POSTING WEEK” or NIAFPHFPPW for short. I shall be updating this blog with tonight’s feastology.

This is probably the most rambling post I’ve done this year.

Anyway, until then, have a great one, and feel free to join the foodie fun at Yabu’s!! 🙂

DELICIOUS UPDATE!!!

Slow Cooked Porkchops;

• Six thick-cut porkchops (boneless or bone-in)
• One bottle BBQ sauce
• One onion, halved and sliced.

Place porkchops in slow cooker, then layer onions over them, then pour bottle of BBQ sauce over it. Cook on low for 6 hours. Recipe stolen creatively borrowed from Laura a long time ago. Trust me, it is AWESOME!

Oh, and since I didn’t have any dinosaurs or fighter jets, I decided that Carl the Psycho Llama would grace the montage just fine. Tell me I’m wrong.

I dare ya 😉

Saturday Sithy

Compliments of my friend, roamingfirehydrant, who knows what I like!!

It’s like two great tastes, only different. It’s better than using cookies to convince you to come to the Dark Side™. It’s like winning the lottery without buying a ticket. Had the Emperor dressed his clones in kilts, there would have been no Clone Wars, there would have been no Rebel Base, and Alderaan would never have been obliterated. Peace through superior kiltwear!!!

Ok, I think I’ve had enough coffee. Y’all have a great Saturday!! 🙂

I Need a Time Machine

It’s that time of year again. Pretty soon, little ghouls and princesses will be coming around to get their fix of sugar, and after that, little family members will be coming around for turkey and pie, and after that….

It doesn’t bear thinking about right now.

I tend to do most of my creative stuff during the fall. I admit I like to dress up in costumes to greet the unsuspecting innocents trick-or-treaters. I am never scary intentionally. Notice the use of the word, “intentionally”. It matters. This year, I was toying with the idea of doing a Steampunk costume. I do own *ahem* some of the accoutrements needed, not to mention I can fashion out a wicked set of goggles in a snap, plus I’m pretty handy with glue and needles.

Costume by La Licorne Ailee via Deviantart

And as totally cool as that would be, I am more than 100% sure that most of the kids wouldn’t even know what my costume represents. I could always fall back on the ever-reliable Roman toga, but then I run the risk of kids yelling “ANIMAL HOUSE!!!”, when they should NOT know about that at their age. It’s a quandary. Oh well…never too late to start planning, right?

Time to rummage through the fixtures at Home Depot™ 😀

Tangled

I hate having a bad hair day. Seems like those are the ONLY ones I have. In a futile attempt at “styling” my hair this morning, I decided to twist separate wet strands and then roll and pin to my head. I had little cinnamon buns all over my head, which then made me hungry. I went off to try and clean up my work areas and organize my craft supplies, because it’s Eldest’s senior year and I had to get stuff to make her Homecoming mum, among other things. After a while I notice my hair is dry, so like an excited child unwrapping a present, I get all giddy thinking I will look like a gal in a Pantene™ commercial and run downstairs to undo the Cinnaminis™.

Can you say “Mufasa”?? YES, YOU CAN!!!

Seriously, the photo does not capture the fluffiness of the debacle that is my hair. I think next time I will do Cinnabons™ a la Princess Leia. Thank goodness I have no place to be. There’s only so many times I can take hearing “Circle of Life” from laughing kids 😉

Weird Day

It happens every year.

Kids go back to school, and I briefly enjoy the rapture that comes with the peace and serenity.

And then, I come back to Earth.

I guess today marks the day I return to reality. But it’s hard finding a groove again after dealing with kids being home for a while. This morning I walked the dog, folded the towels, and started dinner prep. And I was done by 9 AM. Shopping is out, since I am still adhering to my financial diet. Eating is out, since that would lead to shopping for larger sizes in the long run, not to mention more eating from being depressed over buying larger sizes. And there is just so much cleaning I can do before I begin doing the kids’ chores.

I’m sure this will last all of two days. By Friday, I shall be back in the swing of things. Until then, I will start making the Christmas List, making gifts, and planning my Halloween costume.

It’s never too early for that!! 😉

A Little Fun Between Strangers

My poor dog Lenny had a miserable night. Her ears are infected, and that necessitated a trip to the vet. Thankfully, she loves, and I mean LOVES going to the vet. That wasn’t going to be the issue.

But Hubby’s car is in the shop, and the van has issues, and so Hubby took my Pathfinder to work this morning, which meant I had to borrow a vehicle, which meant my niece’s Isuzu. My niece is 18, just graduated from high school, and does all the seniors-are-cool stuff to her car.

1. Tassel on rear view mirror: check!
2. “Acquired” Whataburger™ table number*: check!
3. Obligatory “2012” signage: check!
4. Phrase written in shoe polish: check!

Wait, what??

Great….just great. I get to drive all over town with this. The good news is, no one will recognize me while driving around. It’s a big enough area. Anyway, I get to the vet’s and Lenny is beside herself wanting to make several new friends, including two parakeets, a trio of ferrets, a Scottish Terrier, a huge dog probably bred from bears, and a very nasty cat. I say nasty as in mean, not icky. Her own owner doesn’t like her. Moving on, I go outside to wait for them to bring me Lenny, since the place is packed, and the gentleman that arrived at the same time I was parking struck up a conversation.

Gent: I take it you like to dance?

Me: Well, yes… like most people, I guess.

Gent: Country dancing, huh?

Me: No, more along Big Band and Waltzing, why?

Gent: *points to niece’s vehicle*

Me: OMIGAWD!! Sorry, I didn’t write that. It’s my niece’s vehicle, and I had to borrow it today.

Gent: So does that mean you’re a waltzing babe?

Me: No, it means I am taking that car to the nearest car wash.

Gent: *laughs*

I must have turned three different shades of red. But he had a good laugh, and if I helped to make someone happy, then I win, right?

*For those not familiar, Whataburger™ is a Texas chain, and a lot of graduating seniors always feel compelled to abscond with one of their little numbered table signs. It’s a right of passage 😉