Because More of a Good Thing Is a Good Thing

You know the feeling when you find a pair of shoes that are comfortable, or jeans that fit you so well that you wish you had more in every color??

Yeah, I get that feeling, too. I just take it further sometimes. Last year I found really comfortable sweat pants, so what did I do? I bought five pairs, two in the same color. That was either because I forgot I owned them in that color already, or because I was a little over zealous. This applies to lipstick and nail polish, as well. There have been a few times when I have found a beautiful shade of rose only to find out it was a limited edition nail color. This last week I found the perfect summer pink and bought three bottles of it.

This past month I was at the Soma™ store, and found a really nice dress. It was on sale, but they had a medium, which was too big (WHOO HOO!!!!) and an extra small, which fit rather clingy. Clingy can be good, but I tend to avoid it. I like more “flowy” dresses for two reasons: 1) I can move more freely, and 2) well….let’s just say I prefer no one else to know my sizes in everything. Sadly, there was no size small, so I thought my search for the dress was over. Until I went online.

Model not included, especially since she is wearing an extra small.

THEY HAD IT IN MY SIZE!!!! And that’s not all. They had two other solid colors!! So of course I have to get those, too!! It’s one thing to have two pairs of black sweat pants, and quite another to have two dresses in the same print. Just not done, right? And since I am so short, the dress comes down past my knees, which makes it perfect.

Of course, this means now I have to go find the perfect pair of shoes. More than likely three pairs, in different colors 😉

A Trick and a Treat

I know, I know… wrong day, wrong month, wrong season. But this isn’t about Halloween.

I saw this photo today on a social site, and as my tummy was growling, I was reading the comments on it.

First of all, ZOMGYUMMY!!!! But secondly, just how is it done?

Well, most of my foodie friends have figured it out. But not the commenters at the photo. They kept asking if one presses the uncooked bacon in a muffin pan and bake. Close, but using this is much simpler:

Invert the custard cup upside down, and wrap the bacon around it. Then bake until done, and you have a beautiful little bacon bowl. You can do this with pie crust and phyllo pastry, too. And it makes you look like some big time gourmet!

Can this Sith cook, or can’t she??

An April Fool

I usually don’t prank people on April Fools Day. Actually, I never do. I understand that it’s all in fun, but I am too soft-hearted to trick someone like that. That makes me a prime target for pranks and jokes, and that part is fun, too. Trying to out guess the prankster keeps me sharp. That’s not to say they don’t fool me, but at least it helps keep me sharp.

The best prank ever played on me was done by my sister. And it wasn’t even on April 1st. When we were very young, I think she was in Kindergarten and I was in First Grade, we would go to my grandmother’s house after school to wait for our parents to pick us up after work. We liked going, because our grandma would serve us cafe au lait and slices bread with jam for an after school snack, not to mention sometimes there would be fresh cherries from the tree out back. A tree that we were forbidden to go explore, because it was too high up.

Anyway, one day there were no cherries, and my sister, who is younger than I am, suggested we sneak out back to get some while my parents were visiting with grandma. So off we went, and looked around for the cherries. As we went around the house, we spied a small bush with semi-round red berries. She ran to it, and started plucking the berries off, though I hesitated, telling her the berries didn’t look right. The were not as red, and were not as round, and are they not supposed to be on a tree?? But she knew best, and told me they were cherries, and so, like a fool, I partook.

Only to scream as I felt my mouth be set on fire.

We ran back in, screaming and alarming the folks, and since we were unable to speak, they correctly deduced what had occurred: we had eaten ajíes, a common chile found in Puerto Rico. Many glasses of sugared water later (we didn’t know we could use milk for the heat), and sporting beards of my grandma’s Pond’s Cold Cream™, we left for home. My mom was still upset, but my dad laughed the whole time, which didn’t make my mom any happier.

This did happen in Spring, but not on April 1st. Even the Fates are not that unkind. As for my sister, I never got back at her for the pranks (yes, there are more). She is a best friend, just like the others and my brother, and has been there for me always. Besides, she ended up having and raising five kids, and that was enough Karma for me 😉

Gag Worthy

Be advised: pictures are forthcoming!

There are some foods that, by the pure loving grace of my Creator, I will never, ever ingest. Don’t get me wrong. I have eaten some pretty weird things, like muk tuk, but even the anthropologist in me has her limits.

First, there is Balut. Considered a delicacy in some Asian countries, it is a cooked fertilized duck egg. Yes, fertilized as in embryo.

Just add a dash of salt and some lemon juice, and you are good to go.

To the bathroom to hurl, that is.

Next up we have Haggis. Haggis is nothing more than a sausage, really. A sausage composed of sheep’s liver, heart, and lungs, seasoned and then stuffed into a sheep’s stomach, and then boiled for a few hours.

Hubby has partaken of this while deployed during a celebration. He said it wasn’t bad at all.

I don’t care to find out.

And finally, I come to a heartbreaker, Sardinian Marzu. I love cheese. I really do. I even partake of Limburger. But this…. I just could never, ever eat. Marzu is a goat’s milk cheese to which maggots are added.

Now, after “fermentation”, you are supposed to remove the maggots carefully, and eat the cheese. But some people leave the maggots, because they add an additional rich flavor to the cheese.

I don’t know about y’all, but I can do without ever knowing what cheese-infested maggots taste like.

As a reminder, it’s only a week until Easter, which means I do get to partake of some serious chocolate. That should make up for this post 😉

Animal Fears

Today started off on a low note, and the weather isn’t helping much. So, I am posting a funny today.

Remember to laugh, my friends. And don’t let the….. negative people bring you down 😉

Postal Fail

I send packages all the time, and usually don’t pay attention to the flat rate Priority Mail™ boxes that are commonly used. I just fill, tape, address, and mail. We all do! So imagine my surprise when Son pointed this out:

You don’t see it yet, do you? Well, neither did I at first, and I’m a fanatical Sith when it comes to spelling and grammar.

That’s right: “Express” has TWO “S”s. (I maybe be a spelling Sith, but I’m not sure how to write the plural of one letter. STOP JUDGING ME!!!) And before you think it’s the French word for it, no it’s supposed to be in English. The French boxes have the circumflex accent ( ˆ ) above the second letter “E”.

Now, I won’t rush to judgment and condemn the entire US Postal Service for this. They probably contract out for such items. But it grates on my nerves that they can’t spell check, or at least decide on ONE spelling for that word. Seriously, pick English or French!

Just not Esperanto 😀

Good News in Time For Easter!

Guess what I just found out???

I CAN EAT CHOCOLATE AND STAY THIN!!!!

Now, the article does emphasize that one shouldn’t gorge on chocolate, but it does stress that chocolate is full of the antioxidants that help to promote weight loss. And it also states that bitter chocolate helps to suppress appetite better than sweet chocolate.

All I know is, I am going to start nibbling on bittersweet chocolate twice a week. For health reasons, you know.

But that will happen after I gorge on Easter chocolate. Cadbury eggs are awesome!!! 😉

Just Breathe

Yesterday, though a milestone, was still a hectic day. I spent most of the day running to and fro, conducting errands and taking care of a sick kid. It used to be that I had time for me, but lately I have forgotten about that. I find myself saying that I can just do “that” later, or I can go “there” next week, or perhaps have “this” done at the beauty salon sometime…. but it doesn’t happen. Not because I don’t have the time, but because I don’t make the time.

As I was driving back from the post office yesterday, I was passing a local farm. Yes, we have farms within our subdivisions here. I was looking at the beauty of the field, when I suddenly stopped the car, put the hazard lights on, and stepped out to enjoy the view.

I must have stood there, leaning against the fence just looking, and enjoying the peace and serenity. I hadn’t noticed how long I had been there, until an older gentleman stopped to inquire if I were having car trouble. I told him no, just wanted to stop and look at enjoy the flowers. And then he parked his car, put his hazard lights on, and came to stand by the fence, telling me that as many times as he drives on that road, he had never noticed the field before. We chatted for a bit, until the cattle started to moo, and then we parted. But not without humor.

Me: Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Him: That’s very profound…. Hemingway?

Me: Nope. Ferris Bueller.

Him: HAHAHA!!

But it’s true, isn’t it? Life does move pretty fast. And we should always stop and look around, take a deep breath and enjoy it. 🙂

Eighteen to Life

It’s a funny title, because it’s our anniversary today!!!

And he was sweet enough to send me this:

Yep, and Edible Bouquet! I’ve never received one before, so it was quite a novelty. And Hubby was considerate enough to call them and ask that they NOT cover the strawberries in chocolate…

….but there was a slight miscommunication, and most of the strawberries were covered in chocolate, which made the girls ecstatic, but at least I got the plain fruit, so it was all good.

Eighteen years, going on eighty. This past year has been hard, but soon enough it will be over, and then we can both eat chocolate covered strawberries while sitting on the couch, watching some really awful movie on SyFy™ and laughing at the carnage.

What can I say? We enjoy the little things in life 😀

It’s Quiet….TOO Quiet…

And that’s just how I like it.

I’m still in my very comfy pajamas, drinking my second cup of coffee, and listening in my head to this:

Soon enough the kids will shuffle in like zombies wake and start the weekly chores, and I will spend time in the garden beds pulling weeds and digging holes for new flowers. Once that begins, I shall be listening in my head to this:

Sorry, but there is no way I am listening to the actual Wagner opera. I have better things to do with my braincells than keep Wagner pickling them for sixteen hours 😉