I'm Baaa-aack

It's been a while since I've posted. For those of you anxiously awaiting to find out what my warped middle aged brain wants to share, and I'm sure there are lots of you,  I apologize.

Here are some highlights since my last post.

• I nursed my hubby, then had him nurse me through the worst cold ever....or is it just harder to chug through something like this when you're pushing the big 5-0??
• Took my baby girl to the doggy spa, then spent the rest of the day wondering why I don't go to the spa every 5 weeks like she does.

Can't you see I'm trying to nap? Stop taking my picture, please.

• Accomplished absolutely nothing towards my goal of organizing my home/self this year.
• Cleaned the house from top to bottom, moving all the furniture, etc....Trying to get every spec of dust and dirt out of the house. Is it even possible to get a house that clean when you don't live in the desert??
• Spent an eternity at the hospital while my husband had sinus surgery.
• Felt like a 30 year old again driving around in my son's new convertable. Might have to get me one of those.
• Spent way too many hours playing mindless games on facebook. My self soothing addiction when I'm sick....
• Came up with about a hundred idea's for more projects when taking breaks from the mindless facebook games. Note to self:Next time you're sick, watch TV instead of thinking.
• Really missed writing in my blog. Might even start sharing it with more people.

Have a great Weekend everyone!!

 
 
 

Always!!

Anytime someone in my household gets sick, I catch it. Maybe that's why I'm such a germaphobe.

I HATE BEING SICK!! But then again, who really likes being sick??

What do you do when your sick?
Watch T.V?
Read?
Pretend your not sick and still manage to accomplish things?

First I try to deny it and keep pushing myself, when I finally give in to the illness I either vegetate in front of the T.V or play games all day on facebook. This illness is a play games all day on facebook kind of thing. This is day four of being completely useless. This is the last day though. Tomorrow, I will go with option 3 above. I have things to do!

Wishing you all good health.

Soups On!

My poor hubby is sick. Coughing, stuffy nose, tired and achy kind of sick. I feel bad for him. Especially since I'm a major germaphobe and refuse to let him touch anything.

ME          "Here, let me change the channel for you. I don't want you to touch the remote."
HIM         "I just washed my hands!"
ME           "I'll still do it for you. I really don't want to get sick."

On the bright side, I'm a nurturer. So you get pretty spoiled when you're sick in my house. Today I made some Chicken Noodle Soup to hopefully make the hubby feel better. He is normally the chicken soup chef but he taught me well, so I thought I'd share with y'all.

Ingredients
1 Whole Chicken
1 bunch of celery
3 carrots
1 onion, peeled
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 bay leaves
1 bunch parsley (if you have some)
1 1/2 cup uncooked Ditalini Noodles (or noodle of your preference)
salt and pepper

Place the whole chicken into a large pot and cover with water. Cut the celery, 1 carrot and onion into large pieces. Add the veggies, garlic, bay leaves and parsley to the pot. Add a tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper. Or whatever looks good to you. I don't measure.

It should look something like this.

Cover and cook at a low boil for about 3 hours. Check the water level every hour or so and add water if needed about 1/2 way through cooking time. After 2 hours, taste your liquid and salt/pepper to taste.

Dice the other 2 carrots and set aside.

The chicken is done when it falls off the bone when you touch it (with a spoon, silly. It's HOT). Remove the chicken and veggies. Toss the veggies into the trash. They've served their purpose. At this point, you may strain your liquid to ensure all the chunks of veggies are removed. I use a skimmer to remove my chicken and veggies so I skip the straining step

My Skimmer

Add the chopped carrots to the boiling water. Let them cook for 2 minutes, then add the pasta. While the pasta cooks, de bone the chicken and chop or shred into little pieces. When the pasta is cooked to al dente add the chicken back to the pot and simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Then serve it up with some chopped parsley for garnish.

Enjoy!

Distractions

Some days are just more productive than others. Like the days you're all alone in the house....all by yourself....no distractions.....Glory Hallelujah and Amen. But some distractions can be good for you. Especially if you live in my house. Thanks for making me laugh, guys. 

Enjoy the distractions in your life. Laughter IS the best medicine!

Note: The guy in the green shirt that hides is my son.

Coupon Craziness

I like knowing what makes people tick. Why they do the bizarre and unnatural things they do. That's what makes me so interested in watching shows about hoarders and other type of extreme behaviors.

Note to self: Use caution when watching these shows around the hubby....

He's very impressed with Extreme Couponing, on TLC. So much so, that he now collects all the abandoned Sunday Circulars from the empty houses in our neighborhood. Did I tell you we live in one of the highest foreclosure zip codes in the nation....Yep, that's a LOT of empty houses in our neighborhood.

That's also a lot of coupons to clip.

This is just a small sample.

It wouldn't be so bad except I am a big supporter of Coups For Troups. That means, instead of just cutting out the coupons I use, every coupon is cut out and either used or donated. Just a small way to thank the men and woman who serve in our Armed Forces.

I've actually gotten a blister on my thumb from clipping so many coupons. Really, a blister is not so bad when you consider what the troops go through for us.....Neither is having a husband that'll walk the neighborhood and pick up the unused circulars without me ever asking. Saving soldiers money, helping the environment (because we recycle), and keeping our neighborhood clean!!  

Would that be killing three birds with one stone? Where did that saying come from anyway??? Why would we want to stone a bird to death??

Monday Madness

Sundays are a day of Worship. And Rest. I Love Sundays!! Church, dining out, lingerering over the Sunday paper, watching a movie, just enjoying life without a worry in the world.

...But then comes Monday. As soon as that alarm rings, a hundred tasks start racing through my mind. It's a brand new week. Just think of the possibilities.This will be the week all my projects are completed, my house will be cleaned from top to bottom, and I will be a invaluable member to every committee in which I serve. Oh, and I will prepare delicious and healthy homecooked meals every evening for my family to enjoy while looking lovely and wearing pearls.

But first, I need coffee....and lot's of it.

Happy Monday Everyone.



  

Opposites Attract

I love this picture.

It says a lot about my hubby.

It says he is a good sport.

It shows how he goes along with my wild impulses.

It shows that he will only go so far in being spontaneous.

(I said "Act Excited" and this was his pose)

My hubby does NOT like to have his picture taken

Or draw undo attention to himself.

Yet he married me...

 and there he is,

posing for this picture in a crowded casino.

Not one complaint about it either.

I really appreciate that about him.

It's always an adventure

The first stop on my quest for organizational sundries was a favorite spot of mine, The 99 Cent Store. Yes that mecca of bargains, all for under a buck.

As I walked through the parking lot of my beloved 99 Cent Store, two men looking a little suspicious and quite nervous repeated in a low tone while their eyes were darting back and forth probably looking for DEA, FBI, or some other type of undercover agents, "Tamales....Pork....Tamales."

Uh....WHAT? Did they really just try to sell me a tamale out of the back of their mini-van? Is that a new code word for crack or something?

Of course I behaved just as any good Las Veganite would. I ignored them and kept walking. Didn't even give it another thought as I entered the store.

On my way out though, the men had become brazen in their quest to become tamale pushers. The mini-van hatch was open displaying coolers and Styrofoam containers while they showed off their "product" by munching the tamales. Yes, a much better strategy. You can't get arrested for having a pic nic in the 99 Cent Store parking lot. Kudos men on your entrepreneurial spirit. One hint though, not a lot of people are going to buy prepared food out of the back of a mini-van. Maybe the bags of oranges at the freeway off ramp IS the better idea.

Let the Organizing Begin!

I decided to stick with my New Years resolution to organize myself/home/life. For some reason I've been lacking in motivation and feeling very lethargic lately. Could it be the 500 Christmas cookies or the pound of fudge I ate last month?? Surely not.

Baby steps seemed to be a good way to start. You know celebrate the small success's and all that. So I straightened up the hall closet and my pantry. No pictures to post as you really wouldn't notice a difference but it looks and feels pretty good to me. Next on the agenda, shopping!! Everyone knows to properly organize, one must have great tools.