Meet Me On Monday blog hop

Meet Me On Monday





Questions:
1. Did you watch the Superbowl?

A: No, which is why I'm doing this blog hop on Sunday--I'm checking out this weekend's blog posts while watching Nature on PBS with the girls. The Husband snagged the big TV downstairs, so we're sitting on the bed with our feet under the covers. Just fine by me. When Nature is over, we're going back to our The Brady Bunch Collection: Complete First Season. (No that is not a lie. Snagged Season 1 and 2 at Target this afternoon for only 12 bucks!)


2. What is the last book that you read?

A: Politics of Food. I'm mid-way through "Ticket to the Circus" right now. Don't have a clue why I picked it off the shelf, but it's been pretty good so far. I tend to gravitate toward biographies. I guess I'm just nosey about other people's lives.


3. What is your favorite kind of cake?

A: Black Forrest. Nothing like cherries and chocolate to me!


4. Do you snore?

A: Yeah. I'm suprised you can't hear me from here. But only when I'm sleeping heavily... which is almost every night, in all honesty. (Check out my post about the tree falling down this past week.)

I will endorse Breathe Right strips. They work well for me--or so I'm told. I'm too busy sleeping to notice. Or even give a hoot.


5. Do you play an instrument?

Not any more. I had many years of piano--which my parents said I'd thank them for some day.

They're still waiting...

I played oboe in high school concert band and tenor sax in marching band.

I took fiddle lessons in high school, too. Had a lousy teacher. I always vowed I'd take them up again someday. I really should. That was on my "to do" list for 2010, after I completed a two-year class commitment. But I didn't get it done.

Another Parenting Milestone

It came without much fanfare, considering the milestone that has finally arrived:

LittleD is now officially a teenager.

So, now I'm officially further along in motherhood than I ever imagined.

Does this make me old?

For some reason, when I pictured myself having kids, my mental image got the child up to about the age of 5. Six, maybe.

But teenager?

Just didn't quite picture it.

I don't know how this happened so quickly, either.

Seems like just yesterday that I brought home my dark-haired baby girl in the aftermath of a snow storm. It freaks me out a little to think that in another five years she'll be heading off to college...

Although, I must say, there's a strong chance we just might kill each other before that happens!

Along with this milestone has come the hormones. And mood swings. And yelling. Followed by slamming doors.

It ain't pretty.

But I am determined.

I will prevail.

So what do modern 13-year-old girls want for their birthdays?

Let's see... a pedicure, a manicure, a Nook, (given up on the cell phone), a Facebook account... just to name a few.

So what do discerning parents who are determined not to raise an over-indulged spoiled brat give said 13 YO?

A checking account.

When the list got out of control (and out of budget!), The Husband and I opted to take LittleD over to our local Chase Bank and open a new account.

They have a no-fee student account option that we (the 'rents) can magically control via the web. (And, yes, I declined to give her overdraft protection. When that card pops up "insufficient funds" it will stop working. Good habits are formed early.)

She's had a savings account forever, but this is one that she'll be responsible for, including the debit card.

And--here's the bonus--she can buy her own birthday gift(s).

I decided it's time we put the lessons about living on a budget into action. And, when she decided to take back the ugly birthday sweater Grandma sent and found two sweaters she liked, my response was, "Buy it yourself; you've got birthday money."

That was not the answer she was expecting. Or wanting.

Nor was that the answer LittleD wanted when she wanted some candy.

But my kid is no dummy!

Three days later, LittleD plops down on the couch and asks,

"So, is this bank account a present or a punishment?"

I think the gleam is already fading from that debit card.

Meanwhile, I think my devious plan is starting to work. She's hardly spent any of the money. (Funny how you don't need certain things when you pay for them yourself!)

She's decided to save up for a Nook. Which makes me think she might be growing up even faster than I think!

Meet Me On Monday

1. Have you (only you..not a group) ever won first place in anything?

A: I won a jar of candy corn in third grade when I guessed how many.

I also won Best Halloween Costume once, where I used to work. I dressed as Jackie Kennedy at the funeral. Tacky. But it paid off.

2. Are your toes always painted (sorry guys...this question for girls only)?

A: No. It's winter, so all my toes care about are wool socks!

3. What color eyes do you have?

A: Blue. Little bloodshot, after how I slept last night!

4. Look to your left....what do you see?
A: Empty bed where The Husband will be hogging the covers in a couple hours. (Surprised there's not a kid there, wanting bedtime cuddles.)

5. Soft cookies or crunchy cookies?

A: Depends: Chocolate chip--soft. Thin Mints--crunchy.

meet me on Monday

Big D couldn't do it today so Baby D (me) had to fill in for her.

Questions:

1. What are your New Year's Eve plans?
: We usually just have a normal dinner and then stay up to watch the ball get lit up but Big D never makes it to midnight

2. How tall are you?
: I am exactly five feet tall but I am still growing

3. What is your favorite pudding flavor?
: My favorite pudding flavor would have to be vanilla with vanilla wafers


4. What room of the house do you blog the most in?
: I do it in any room but I only do it once and awhile and only do meet me on Monday

5. What is your best physical feature?
: my eyes because they sparkle and the pretty blue color

Nothin' Like Barf to Ring in the Week!

I wrote this post on Monday this week, but for the life me, I don't know why I didn't hit "publish". Could've sworn I did!

LittleD was up bright and early this morning... throwing up. In her bed.

Yup, I had a load of laundry going before 5 am this morning.

Came out of no where. I hope she just ate something disagreeable yesterday. She really didn't have a fever (98.9).

So, here I am: 8:55 am on a Monday on the blog, in my PJs and robe, dog lying on my feet, watching The Andy Griffith Show and I'm thinking "boy, I'm glad I don''t have to go out in the -5 degree weather!"
What a life! (except for the barf)

It was a busy weekend. I had to work a trade show--where I had a real life, face-to-face meet up with Bloggy Pal Jent at From My Front Porch...

LittleD tagged along with me. One of my friends was amongst the show organizers and her husband was out of town, so she contracted with LittleD to baby sit her 1-year-old. Now this was LittleD's first paid babysitting job. She did great and kept the Babe entertained the whole time. The only crying was during the diaper change (and it was the Babe, not LittleD).

I did have to step in to help with the diaper duty... Yes, it was the full prize the first time. Since this was LittleD's first, she needed a little guidance on the details. So, now I'm trying to collect my fee as a diapering subcontractor. Don't you think LittleD owes me a cut of the profit? I did all the wiping! She seems to think I do these things for free. I'm trying to teach her some basic economics. Some how, I don't think she's going to ante up...

Now LittleD is loaded. Only she's not looking to go out and spend it right away. She's saving up to go on a mission trip with our church. Hopefully next year. She's very committed to earning the money herself--which I think is great. She just seems.... sniff... so grown up... sniff.

Meanwhile, I'm going to do the Meet Me On Monday link up.


When BabyD comes home, I'm sure she'll want to add to the post, as has become her thing lately. Until then, you can see my boring old answers:

Questions:
1. What is your favorite kind of cheese?
A: Asiago, especially on scrambled eggs with mushrooms. Otherwise, it used to be this caraway seed Havarti that I can't find anymore.
2. What size is your bed?
A: Queen. Big mistake. Should've bought the king when we had the chance. It just seemed so big back then... before we had kids, who like to snuggle.
3. What is your most overused phrase?
A: Lately I've been finding myself saying "really?" I used to annoy one of my coworkers with "Look at me!", but I think I've broken that one.
4. Green or purple grapes?
A: Purple. Actually black seedless, if they're on sale. Seems like green are always the cheap ones. 5. Shower, morning or night?
A: Morning or else the previously mentioned coworkers would say "Look at you!" because of my hair's ability to channel Medusa overnight.

Monday Means: Leftovers!

Anyone tired of turkey yet?
Not me!
I love, love, love making a big ol' turkey and using the leftovers in about a hundred (ok, maybe only 75) different ways.
I don't wait for Thanksgiving or Christmas to make a big bird. (It's just a good time to stock up my freezer when they're on special at the store!)

I usually make the biggest bird I can lay my hands on. This year's was a mere 20 lbs.

And, I learned a long time ago not to screw around with that silly basting business and flipping the bird part-way through. Heck no! I just use my trusty Oven Bags. A turkey-sized bag and a meat thermometer and you can't go wrong! I haven't made a dry turkey in years! (Is that bragging?)

Actually, after my family had to choke-down a very dry bird early in my marriage, my Grandma suggested I try her method. And it works like a charm. Plus, it cooks faster. Bonus!

So, on this Hunk O' Meat Monday, I want to give a shout out to Katie and her family at Squaw Creek, who raise turkeys for the rest of us to enjoy.

Here's my first leftover recipe:

Turkey Mushroom Risotto Recipe

Ingredients
2 Tbsp butter
1 large shallot, chopped
1/3 pound chanterelles or other fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
1 1/2 cups Arborio, Carnaroli, Vialone Nano, or other risotto rice
Salt
3 cups turkey or chicken stock
2 ounces Chevre or other fresh goat cheese
Black pepper to taste

Directions
1 Bring the stock, plus an additional 2 cups of water, to a simmer.

2 Heat the butter in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes, until it begins to brown. Add the shallots and mushrooms and toss to combine. Salt them well and sauté until the shallots are translucent, about 3 minutes.

3 Add the garlic, sage and rice and stir well. Sauté for another 1-2 minutes, stirring often. Add 1 cup of the simmering stock. Stirring constantly, let the stock evaporate before adding another 1/2 cup. Repeat, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is al dente, cooked through but still a little firm. This will take about 20-30 minutes.

4 When the rice is al dente, add the goat cheese and stir well to combine. Add the black pepper and stir again. Serve at once.

Serves 4.
**My appologies to the blog where I found this recipe a while back--I didn't make a note of it to give appropriate credit.

Now, for this week's Meet Me On Monday 5 Questions.

BabyD is joining me again to help answer (in blue). (She's a my blogger-in-training, since LittleD is burried in homework!)

Questions:
1. What is your favorite way to eat chicken?
A: Orange chicken, grilled chcken with ketsup, or Chick-Fil-a chicken sandwhich. I vote for the orange chicken/General Tsao's.

2. Have you decorated for Christmas yet?
A: No, because my sister LittleD has her birthday in December, so she gets to decide when the tree goes up. Which is not fair. She always says after her B-Day, but I want to do it the day after Thanksgiving. To be fair, this is the first year she's asked to wait until after her birthday.

3. What is your favorite article of clothing?
A: My new furry boots, and jacket, gloves, my new black scarf my mom made. I don't have an absolute favorite, except maybe my black pencil skirt.

4. Do you pay your bills online or write checks the old way?
A: I am so happy I don`t have to pay any bills. I get to relax! (Isn't life great when you are 10?)

5. Do you make Christmas cookies?
A: Yes, with a lot of frosting, and sprinkles on the cookies I make compared to Mom and LittleD. But mine are the Best. We usually get some made--which rarely last very long!!

Meet Me On Monday link up

1. Have you ever been on a cruise?
A: No. We considered a cruise to Alaska for our honeymoon, but during the discussions The Husband (then To-Be) and I went sailing with friends on Lake Erie. Well, let's just say we both ended up "feeding the fish". That sealed the deal: Airplane to Hawaii.
The youngin's have taken to nagging about doing a cruise sometime. I don't know if I should reconsider. I'm afraid I'll feel like a caged rat on that big ol' boat.

2. What is your favorite way to eat eggs?

A: Omelet, with mushrooms and Asiago cheese. Then diced tomatoes on top. Yum!

3. What is your favorite reading material?

A: I like biographies. Real life is always more interesting than fiction.

4. Name all the pets that you have ever had?

A: Dog (a hound dog), Skidmore (Doberman), Flash (beagle), Daisy (cat), Katie (stray cat that adopted us and had 12 kittens in one year!!!), Blackie (cat), Barnie (cat), Butter (yellow Lab). (We seem to be revolving door for cats that hang in our barn.)

5. Were you ever a girl/boy scout?

A: Boy Scout, no. Girl Scout, yes. Still am. I have a troop of 6 wild, wild girls and 1 nice, quiet one (she's watching me type right now!). They give me an excuse to act like a kid every so often. (Then they remind me I'm sooo old!)

National Blog Posting Month

Found a new link up/blogging challenge. I think I'm going to try it.
The National Blog Posting Month challenge is to post something every single day for 30 days.
We'll see.
Might be total crap...
Though some could debate that's what happens already...

If you want to join the fun go here.


..

This Week's Questions:

1. Do you sleep with a night light on?
A: No. Sometimes the TV... especially if I'm in a hotel. Drowns out the noise.

2. What do you drink with dinner?
A: Milk or water with nearly all meals. Rarely anything else.

3. Do you play the lottery? If so, how often?
A: Nope. Voluntary tax is what I always say!

4. How often do you go to the grocery store?
A: Way too often anymore. Seems like we're always out of something.

5. Would you rather travel back in time 500 years or travel forward 500 years?
A: I don't know the answer to this one. Am I coming back? If so, I think I'd go back in time. I'd appreciate my pampered hot-running-water-and-electricity life so much more. If I went forward, I'd probably freak out at the state of society and come back to move into a cave.

Out of the Mouths of Babes!

Had a funny Mom Moment last week that made me SO appreciate my girls' youth.

When I look at my two daughters, every day they seem closer to young women than the babies I brought home from the hospital 12 and 10 years ago. I have to smile and treasure those moments when they still seem little... and blissfully naive about the world.

That was last week when LittleD, BabyD and I were running around town, doing our weekend stuff. We topped to get something to eat and the girls were acting royally silly and goofing off. While we were laughing, I declared to the lady at the counter, "These aren't my kids--they belong to my husband."

To which BabyD says, "How can we NOT be your kids? You're married to Daddy. If he didn't have a wife, how could he have kids?"

I said (trying really, really hard not to laugh), "Hmmm... I suppose you're right."

"Duh, Mom," she said, shaking her head.

I had to quickly shush LittleD, who was about to set her sister straight. Why ruin the innocence? BabyD's in fifth grade, and just a couple months from That Health Class Topic that will change everything.

I like watching them grow, but it makes me sad to see those days of innocence pass away. Until then, I'll enjoy what I can!

I was also blessed with a blogging award last week:

Thanks to Shannon over at Augmented Gem for the honor.

These are the rules attached to The Versatile Blogger:
1. Accept the award. Post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass it along to 15 blogs you've recently discovered.
4. Contact those blog owners and let them know they've been chosen.

Here are 7 things about me (wow! this is harder than it looks!):

1. Clutter drives me nuts... especially in my kitchen. (I'm nearing insanity right now!)

2. I am a Girl Scout leader. It's such a great organization. I'm thankful I can have an impact on my troop of girls and--hopefully--teach them leadership skills that will be life-long. I also get to have all sorts of adventures, like skiing, snow tubing, and rock climbing. If you need cookies, I can hook you up!

3. I could easily be a hypocondriac, but I'm too logical to allow that to happen. So, it translates as being a germ-o-phobe.

4. I almost majored in architecture in college. I opted out, because I didn't want to spend my career remodeling kitchens. I had a "go big or go home" attitude back then.

5. My favorite pass time is junkin' at flea markets and rummage sales. I'm not too proud to buy other people's junk, er, treasures. It's all about the bargain.

6. I can't stand a weak handshake. Especially the "dead fish."

7. One of these days I'm going to take fiddle lessons, so I can play Under the Double Eagle like a pro.

Blogs I'm passing this award on to:
Wanna Buy a Duck

The Frump Factor

Work, Wife, Mom... Life!

Walking the Off-Beaten Path

Yours, Mine and Ours

Sanity is Over Rated

You Can't Google Everything

Ben and Carrie Tracks

From My Front Porch

Confessions of a Semi-Slacker Mom

Everyday Ruralty

My Hebrew Name is Cinderella

Scene of the Grime

Meet Me On Monday 5 Questions

Not very inspired to blog on a topic this evening, so I thought I'd do the Meet Me On Monday Linky Questions:
1. How many TV’s do you have in your home?
A: Am I counting TVs that are HD-compatible and actually work? Then, 3. Five is I count the two that we never ditched.

2. What is on your bedside table (nightstand)?
A: A giant hogde-podge of stuff--much of it contributed by my two daughters, who seem to think they own the joint. Mostly: Bookends holding up about 20 workbooks (Beth Moore Bible studies) and quilting and tatting pattern books; a pencil cup with pens, markers, lip balm, nail files and safety pins; a glass of iced tea; bottle of allergy eye drops; a headband; Sunday crossword puzzle; pair of gold hoop earings; alarm clock; a lamp; and a beaded bracelet with a broken clasp. Oh yeah, and a healthy layer of dust (dusting is man's work, afterall).

3. How many pair of shoes do you own?
A: Too many to count. Seriously. I'm embarrassed to count.
You have to understand... I wear a size 11... it's a dainty size 11... and if I find a good deal on shoes that aren't made of purple phython skin, I just have to buy them... I might not get another chance. If I wore an 8, I'm sure I'd have a lot fewer shoes...

4. Can you change a flat tire?
A: Heck yes! Can and have... several times!

5. Do you prefer sweet treats or salty treats?
A: Usually salty over sweet--especially potato chips!
But, if I can get chocolate-covered pretzels that's the BEST of both worlds!