Mar 13, 2012 |
Yesterday was my last day at Disneyland. At least for a while. My annual pass expires in six days, and since I still don’t have one of those day-job-thing-a-ma-jig’s, I’m not renewing. Not yet.
So yesterday was my last day Disneyland. At least for a while.
Megan and I were finally able to go together. She drove. And I can happily say, I did not get us lost. She did. Or rather, her GPS did. We named the GPS Stella. Just ‘cuz we could. And while laughing about different voices a GPS could do, we missed an important direction along the lines of “In one mile, turn right.” Yep. We missed it. On the way to the Park. And Megan was driving. That made me rather happy (no offense, Meg!).
She says there’s a download application to have the GPS use different voices, and one of them is Yoda. So we started talking like GPS-Yoda: “Turn right, you will.” One of the features that kept us laughing is with the merging freeways, Stella would tell us, “Turn right, then stay left.” While the directions were appreciated, if you didn’t know how to interpret, it could have been pretty difficult. We imagined what would happen if we made a mistake and GPS-Yoda were guiding us. We could only imagine being told, “Stupid, you are!” So while we’re laughing at being told we’re stupid, we missed the whole “turn right” thing. Yup. That confirms it: Stupid, we are!
We hit some heavy fog on the way, which is rare for us. It was a little spooky, and lent itself to five minutes of telling ghost stories. Granted, the photo was taken as we’re moving down the freeway, but still… Creepy looking, isn’t it?
We made it into the Park, and this is where I sincerely apologize to Megan: she’s a die-hard roller coaster fan. I’m so not. With the altitude change and my lack of coordination, I get a little nauseous. So I don’t do rides like Space Mountain or the Matterhorn. She was relegated to the Kiddy Rides with me. And proudly announced it through the Parks: “The Kiddy Rides are just around the corner!” Yeah. Way to boost my ego, there, Meg!
I looked for the Engine Ears store so I could finally get my Mr. Potato Head, but they closed it down! No Mr. Potato Head anywhere. Talk about disappointment! But the rest of the day was a smash. We did the usual: Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, it’s a small world, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (I got a hideously great high score of 368,100; my best ever). We walked through some shops and attractions. I verified the heritage and family crest of my surname and almost bought a Narnian sword (okay, not really because it was almost $200… but a girl can dream!).
We ate some great Chicken Fusilli with garlic breadsticks. We talked about everything from our book series to Jimmy Hoffa to Man Stores to how young is too young for Disneyland?
I showed her one of my favorite spots: The Bench:
Here’s a close-up of the Plaque:
And then at the end of the day, I took this picture of us together. Awesome camera. But I’m still not very photogenic, especially after a day of intense walking.
Leaving the Park was harder than I thought it would be. I knew it would be hard, but I put it out of my head. Then we headed to the exit. And walked through. And it clicked: I’m not coming back any time soon. It was really bittersweet.
And so now I have a new goal: Find a job so I can renew my Pass. ASAP. And sell my writings. Sooner or later, one of these goals is gonna become a reality.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Mar 12, 2012 |
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
I know, right?! Yummm…!
Check out that velvety rich chocolate and candy sprinkles coating those crunchy, salty rods. I made them by melting Wilton Chocolate Melts (dark chocolate, thankyouverymuch!) in my new Wilton Chocolate Pro melting pot.
Wilton Chocolate Pro Melting Pot
It’s gonna be an amazing tool in my kitchen. I feel like Willy Wonka.
It’s crazy-simple: just plug it in. Preheat for five minutes. Pour in a bag of Melts. Let melt. Stir occasionally. Look how silky it gets. The best part? No overheating. No messy spillovers. No double-boiler stove-top disasters. Just this.
Melting Chocolate
When the chocolate was ready, I took one pretzel rod at a time and dipped it into the Pot. I also used my small spoon to scoop up the melted goodness and rolled the pretzel in it. Once the pretzel was covered to my liking, I placed it on wax paper and started the next one. Each pretzel took only about 15 seconds to coat.
While the chocolate was still a little gooey, I sprinkled some candy sprinkles and even drizzled a little melted white chocolate over them. [For the white chocolate, I melted 20 Chocolate Melt chips in a small glass bowl in the microwave.]
Chocolate Drizzles
One bag of Wilton Chocolate melts took only ten minutes to melt completely, and there was enough to coat a full bag of pretzel rods with just enough left over to make one tray of molded chocolate treats.
In less than half an hour, the Chocolate Covered Pretzels were ready to eat. Delicious, filling, and oh-so-enjoyable!
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
So yet again, I can only say, “Thank you, Wilton. From the bottom of my tastebuds.”
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Mar 11, 2012 |
Overnight we had that excruciating experience of losing an hour through Daylight Savings Time (DST). Seems to me there’s still 24 hours in a day, though. Still seven days a week.
One hour is sixty minutes. One minute is sixty seconds. Daylight Savings Time in the spring kidnaps 3,600 seconds only to give them back in the fall.
The idea began with Benjamin Franklin in 1784, but wasn’t put into practice until the First World War. Several nations, and even states within our own, have implemented it at one time or another; and not always in sync.
An original goal of DST was to reduce reliance on incandescent lighting but as energy usage varies greatly by environment, this wasn’t completely successful.
The change in time is conveniently construed to be over a weekend night, for as little disruption as possible. Seriously… you don’t want to be at work at 4:30, only to find out it’s actually 3:30, do you?
In 2007, The United States changed the DST months from March and November to April and October. Today marks the first time in five years that DST is being observed in March.
And now that the history lesson is over, what does one hour mean to you?
In one hour, I can work out on the Wii Fit Plus and Just Dance.
In one hour, I can lose an average of eight rounds to Dot on Mario Kart.
In one hour, I can make a full dinner.
In one hour, I can make a full breakfast and do the dishes.
In one hour, I can read three chapters of whatever book I’m currently into.
In one hour, I can play an average of seven Super Sudoku games on my cell phone.
In one hour, I can write and edit at least six pages of great material.
In one hour, I can watch a full episode of Flashpoint, NCIS, or The West Wing.
In one hour, I can clean my house pretty decently.
In one hour, I drive about 75 miles straight.
In one hour, I can run about 15 errands.
In one hour, I can balance the checkbook, write out the budget, and pay the bills.
In one hour, I can crop two full scrapbook pages.
In one hour, I can have meaningful phone calls with my brothers and my mom.
In one hour, I can think up a buzzillion more uses for this hour.
But that’s when I have an hour. Last night it was taken away from me. So til midnight tonight, I’m gonna be behind on everything.
Bummer.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Mar 10, 2012 |
Remember the Meal Memo in a Jar that I started on March 1st?
Well, this is my month-long recap. Starting with March 1, I’ll track each and every day what menu we pulled and how it turned out. **EDITOR’S NOTE: A whole month of meal tracking is gonna be pretty wordy, so here’s the first week and a half. I’ll post another update (or two) as we continue.**
OBSERVATIONS: We’re eating so much better! Already from Janice’s suggestions, I’m going to revamp the Memo colors to incorporate one that signifies “More Work Meals”: those that take a bit more to prepare and are perfect for weekends or dinner parties. I also want to include “Dining for One”: those meals when Dot or I are out and the other still needs to eat. These meals will consist of easy things like microwavable TV dinners or frozen pizza. Maybe just Mac-n-Cheese with a side salad. I’m toying with the idea of throwing in two slips for when we eat out, like “Pizza Hut” or “Cheap Take Out”. But I’m worried that if I pull them both in the first week, we won’t have another outing for a month. So maybe that can be another colored memo that we know we only pull one every two weeks or something.
I’m paying attention to all your suggestions and ideas, and I really appreciate your feedback and sharing. In the first day, the Menu post has gained some popularity through Facebook, twitter, BlogHer.com and even Pinterest! That’s kinda cool in my Book.
So. Now for the recap. Ya’ ready? Here’s how the Meal Memo in a Jar worked for us so far in March:
1st: I was so excited to start this new idea! I stayed up til midnight last night writing and planning and photographing and blogging. So when I had the chance this morning, I started to drag Dot into the kitchen to pull the first menu. Halfway there she said, “Oh, I’m going to Grandma’s after school today.” Needless to say, my shoulders slouched. She felt really bad, but I assured her that days like these were really worked into the plan. I just didn’t expect it on Day 1. So here I am home alone at dinner time. And that’s when I figure a “Dinner for One” option will be included next month. Tonight, for me, I guess it’s Clean-Out-The-Fridge time. Yea… (*dripping sarcasm, for sure.)
2nd: This morning Hannah pulled the first menu card! Drumroll… “Steak bites, Baby Potatoes, Salad, *Leftovers”. The steak and potatoes are frozen fresh from Schwan’s. I order from them every so often to stock up my freezer and I’m so glad I did. Instead of making the entire batch and refrigerating leftovers for tomorrow, we opted to make just enough for tonight and put the card back in to draw later this month. Schwan’s foods almost always offer several ways to prepare the food. Tonight we went for the less-mess microwave method. In 10 minutes, we had hot potatoes and meat. I tossed a small salad with torn lettuce, diced tomato, carrots and snap peas. Oh, and I already had garlic toast leftover in the fridge that only took two minutes to warm up. It was a pretty fine meal, if I do say so myself.
3rd: Dot went out with friends so I had more leftovers. Instead of dinner, though, I opted to eat more of this morning’s Breakfast Frittata and hashbrowns. Fantastic and filling!
4th: Today’s Meal Memo called for Texas Hash. This excites me because this is a great recipe, super easy, and it’s included in my Cookbook! I took the last leftover bits of steakbites and potatoes and tossed those with lettuce and diced tomatoes for a great salad; and finished it off with Schwan’s frozen garlic toast. Super easy, super delicious. And so much Hash left over that I’m freezing half of it. We’ll eat leftovers tomorrow, and put the Meal Memo back in the jar. Next time it’s pulled, there’s no prep except to thaw, heat, and eat!
5th: Both Dot and I are pretty tired today. So very thankful for the leftovers in the fridge!
6th: Day 3 of leftovers; we’re finishing up the Texas Hash and the Breakfast Frittata. On a side note, am very happy that the Texas Hash photographed well enough to prob’ly make the cover of the Unemployment Cookbook!
7th: Believe it or not, one last day of leftovers! The frittata’s all gone, there’s a little bit of Texas Hash left… but I’m having a cup of yogurt and two frozen waffles. Yummm! *Full disclosure: After taking Dot to youth group I ran through McDonald’s for a burger and Shamrock Shake. They totally messed up my order and charged my card for someone else’s more expensive order. That’ll teach me to go off track…
8th: Dot’s going to her grandparents after school so I’m relegated to scrounging. I think scrambled eggs and toast are on the menu for me tonight. *Late nite note: I opted for peanut butter and pickle on a toasted English muffin.
9th: Finally got to pull another Meal Memo today! Today’s menu: “Dump” Chili, bread, and Jell-O. I chose strawberry-banana. For the chili, I just mixed two cans of no-bean chili, mixed vegetables, and seasoned diced tomatoes. I had everything prepped within 10 minutes. All I had to buy was some shredded cheese and I chose tortilla chips.
Mar 9, 2012 |
A neat little trick I’ve picked up from other blogs is, when you don’t have much to say, say EVERYTHING. These posts come in the forms of Stream of Consciousness, ABC Characteristics, musings on other people’s writings, and linking up to other blogs to share their topic.
I was inspired by several blogs recently to list 25 fun facts about myself, which you may or may not already know. And since I’ve got a lot on my plate today and don’t have a lot of time to concentrate on a deep, thoughtful, inspired post… you get this instead! Lucky you!
Ready? Here’s the Real Me:
1. I eat peanut-butter-and-pickle sandwiches, and on toast.
2. I love popcorn. I eat it atleast 3 times a week, and for months on end can eat it every day.
3. I’ve only been without a cat for the first seven years of my life, and a short five years when my daughter was first born.
4. My favorite TV shows are “Flashpoint”, “West Wing”, “NCIS” and “Riptide”. From the 80’s. Don’t ask me why. I just love it.
5. I’m a great writer, but I often stumble, stutter, or just talk like an idiot when I open my mouth.
6. When Dot was young, I had her convinced that I had married the Harrison Ford when she was away on a vacation. It helped that an old friend actually had seen him around town, which made my story more plausible.
7. When I get really sick, I absolutely crave mashed potatoes and gravy from KFC.
8. Before I get really sick, I get really emotional.
9. In high school, I really wanted to marry into the Italian Mafia.
10. I have a really hard time keeping houseplants alive. Except cactus. But that’s ‘cuz those are my daughter’s and she cares for them.
11. My favorite color to look at is green.
12. My favorite color to wear is red.
13. I’ve never baked a cake in my life. Cookies, yes. Cupcakes, yes. Treats, candies, chocolates: yes, yes, and yes. But never a cake.
14. I have a poor memory. So much so that I should make notes of things like “Buy milk” and “Brother’s in a meeting today, don’t call.”
15. As much as I love writing, I don’t make memos. So I forget to buy milk, and I often interrupt my brother at work.
16. I never liked dolls.
17. I love stuffed animals. In particular, cats, frogs, bears, otters, and Eeyore.
18. I was published in Highlights Magazine in sixth grade.
19. I like writing and speaking in “Old English” and with great introductions.
20. I buy a lottery ticket every week.
21. If you hold a book up to a mirror, I can read it with little difficulty.
22. I can write backwards – from right to left.
23. I’ve met several famous people just by being in the right place at the right time. I once literally ran into Andre Rieu in Las Vegas, but didn’t know who he was until I saw his televised PBS special a year later. I felt like an idiot for complaining about “that man with the long hair”.
24. I have really good karma/luck most of the time. I win things a lot. Except the lottery. So far.
25. I’ve been in 10 car accidents (never my fault!), and also hit once as a pedestrian while walking home from high school.
And that is my useless list of 25 Friday Fun Facts. How about you?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
