it is friday

It has been a while since I have enjoyed a Friday Feast.
Enjoy!

Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of cereal?
Lately, I have been enjoying the cherry vanilla granola that is sold in the bulk section at my local grocery store. It is full of giant dried cherries.

Soup
When was the last time you purchased something for your home, what was it, and in which room did it go?
I believe the last thing I bought for our home was a storage bin or something or maybe holiday decorations. Do cleaning supplies count? Because I buy them almost weekly.

Salad
What is the funniest commercial you’ve ever seen?
This one is pretty good for a giggle or two.

Main Course
Make up a name for a company by using a spice and an animal (example: Cinnamon Monkey).
Cilantro Cats

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I haven’t ______ since ______.
I haven't left the house since Tuesday because of the crabby, sick children laying around here.

1 day down

Well, I survived the daylight hours of both kids being sick. Now, comes the night - how many hours will Bauer sleep? Will Daria wake up feeling better tomorrow??

I tell ya - I really do not know what is worse - Daria sick or Bauer sick. Daria is a horrible sick kid. She is grumpy and will not eat anything. She refuses to take any medicine because every single flavor does not taste good to her. (bare in mind she used take them - what changed?? who the hell knows.) She lays on the couch all day and usually drools all over the cushions. She does not want anything but looks completely pathetic and sad. This scene usually lasts about 1-2 days.

Now, Bauer being 7 months old and all is a whole other bag of sicky goodness. He cries and whimpers most of the time he is under the weather. He does not sleep well, and this means no one really sleeps well. He wants to be held, but he is so wiggly these days it is a lot of work to find that comfort place for him. When I put him in his saucer, he plays for 5 minutes and then starts crying. He definitely does not want to be on his belly or roll around on the floor. Being held or carried is all he wants. Some of the good things about Bauer being ill is that he does take his medicine and does NOT complain about the flavor or spit it across the bathroom floor. He usually eats something when fed, and I can get him to giggle when I put Vicks on his chest. And he has taken a few naps throughout the day which brings some of the sanity back to my mind.

This sickness came on quick, so I am sure it is just a matter of time before I start hacking up a lung.

sick, sick, sick

It never fails......I plan a play date for Daria, and she gets sick with some sort of funky cold/flu thing.
In November, she came down with strep right before a play date at her new friend's house.
Then the day before her birthday, she came down with a viral infection that lasted days. And her best buddy from school was suppose to come over and play, but that did not end up happening.
Now, today she was going to have her friend over after school, and yesterday she gets sick with some nasty cough that has turned into the flu. And to top it all off, Bauer is now coughing. Yeah!! Two sick kids in the house - can I leave now??? I do not want to get sick - let alone hang out with the sickies all day.
So, I have come to the conclusion that I should not try and plan anything more social events for her because, obviously, it brings on sickness.
Must go now because the baby is upset because the the poor boy is stuffy.
Wish me luck.

he just started going backwards...

Sorry, there is no sound, but it is so cute watching him get farther and farther away from his toys. He gets really pissed, but it is so darn cute. Our lovely cat Charlie, loves to be involved when we are on the floor with the baby. Even though, Bauer tries to grab his fur any chance he gets.

Hopefully, the next video will be of him going forward. And quite possibly, I might not be so lazy and put some music to it.

7 weird facts about lil' ol' me

Found this here - one of my favorite places to visit.
Okay, here goes...
7. I actually do wash, rinse, AND repeat when I wash my hair. I believe it makes my hair softer.
6. I usually vacuum everyday. It just ends up happening.
5. I would love to have a farm where we have llamas and honey bees.
4. I have not worn any make-up since 1998 - and that was for a wedding I was in.
3. I love being the first one to bed when the bed is freshly made.
2. I have over 30 video cassettes with Simpsons episodes on them. I do not know what I am still doing with all of them.
1. I am a sucker for horrible television - just cannot turn away.

How weird is that??
What are your 7 signs of weirdness??

Happy Birthday, Skoonus!

My wonderful, loyal, and beautiful kitty, Skoonus turned 14 today!! Actually she is 15 years old, but I rescued her from the pound 14 years ago. I was 20 then!! And I still lived at home!! We have been through a lot together, and I am amazed she is still with us after all this time.

She is awesome, soft, and full of love.

Happy Birthday, best buddy!

Here she is sleeping on Daria's Sleeping Beauty dress today - how fitting!

anyone up for some muffins

One of my favorite snacks is the muffin.

In the past few weeks, I have tried 2 new muffin recipes, and I loved them both.

The first one is the peanut butter and chocolate chip muffins. They were the perfect combo of chocolate and peanut butter. I really enjoyed heating them in the microwave for 20 seconds and then putting a dab of butter in the center before I inhaled it.

They were easy to make and nice to look at. Go ahead, give these a try on a wintry afternoon.

The Recipe:

2 1/4 cups flour (I used half spelt and half unbleached white flour)

2 tsp. baking powder

2/3 cup brown sugar

6 TBS. butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 lg. eggs

1 cup milk

3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet, but I am sure milk would super yummy.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a lg. bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder and brown sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, peanut butter, eggs, and milk until smooth. Pour in flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Divide batter into muffin cups. Each cup should be filled to the top, not just half way up, to ensure you get a nice dome on the muffin. Bake for 17-20 min. until a tester comes out clean and the top of the muffin springs back when lightly pressed. Cool on wire rack.

Tonight, I made another new recipe from the wonderful King Arthur's Whole Grain Baking.

Sour Cream Muffins with raspberries.

I believe it is one of the first muffin recipes in the book.

Needless to say, they are super delicious! The fragrance alone will make you drool.

Check these out:

trying some new things

There is no reason for the new colors and words.
I saw this template, and the greens made me think of spring and warmth.
Who could blame me?
It has been chilly the last few days.

passing along good info - take note

Just received this in a regular news letter from Organic Consumers Association.

WHAT HAPPENS WITHIN THE FIRST HOUR OF DRINKING A COLA?

-10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system, which is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake. You'd normally vomit from such an intake, but the phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.

-20 minutes: Your blood sugar skyrockets. Your liver attempts to maximize insulin production in order to turn high levels of sugar into fat.

-40 minutes: As your body finishes absorbing the caffeine, your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your liver pumps more sugar into the bloodstream.

-45 minutes: Your body increases dopamine production, tricking you into feeling pleasure and adding to the addictiveness of the beverage.

-60 minutes: The sugar crash begins.

it is just about time....

Finally, a new, great show is starting in just a few minutes.
You know you are going to watch it because it was the channel's most watched show EVER last summer.
You know what I am talkin' about...
Hoochie mamas
LOTS and LOTS of alcohol
and then LOTS and LOTS of drunkenness
and of course, the star....
What more could you ask for in 60 minutes of television?
That's right folks....Rock of Love 2 is going to start shortly.
Some of you out there have already viewed the season premiere....you lucky duckies!
You know the icing on the poison cake is the promo pic....


check it out...

WOW! The pants...can't miss the pants....enough said.

(please end soon, writer's strike)

just did it

I just entered Bauer into a "cutest baby" contest.

Ya know, because he is and all.

I took the photo on this past Sunday...

and look! He is the cutest.

This was the second runner up picture....

Again, such cuteness - not that I am biased or anything.

right now

I would love a large slice of moist chocolate cake with vanilla frosting.

finished

I finished my to-do list today!
That was a first in many, many weeks.
I was even able to get a few extra chores done.
How? you ask.
I do not know because both kids were here and most of it was done after school, along with dinner, homework, and the occasional baby cries.
Somehow things got done.
Amazing.

6 months and happy!

He is just so excited about getting presents. This was taken on Xmas morning.

hip hip hooray!

Best news of the week!
Did a little dance in the living room last night - can't wait for the caucus!