Dessert? Fruit Salad?

I tried a new cranberry/fruit salad recipe. It started out like this:
Side Dish: One year I made cranberry sauce FROM SCRATCH. No shit. What was I thinking? And then I went outside, grabbed some palm fronds, and fashioned myself a skirt. Just kidding. It was a brief, dark period in my life where I thought change was good and I thought I was a cooking goddess. Anyway, cranberry sauce from scratch? Totally not worth the time and I didn't care for the consistency. After that Thanksgiving I ran into Ocean Spray at the grocery store and I was all, "hello, sailor" and now we are on-again. I will never cheat on the Spray again.



Then like this before I froze it: (Nommy, right?)
It actually called for cupcake liners instead of a mold, but I kind of think the cupcake liners are wasteful. Plus, I only had one paper liner and the rest are plastic ones which I only use for s'mergencies.
Then like this:
So Good. And Creamy. And Delicious.

It was so simple and extremely yummy, so I imagine I'll be making it again sometime. It was almost like getting to eat dessert with dinner. It was THAT good. I mean, I'll make it after I finish making my own clogs out of cactus ribs.

p.s. The recipe was inspired by my Aunt Cronchie, but it is not actually her recipe, as I don't own cherries or apricots. And hers called for...cherries and apricots (duh). So I went scrounging and found this instead. So Auntie, you are my inspiration for frozen fruit salads! Yeah, baby!!!

Incognito

Spike came to the door with this feather stuck to his honker. Apparently he was disguised with a mustache as a...grumpy old guy.



Oh, wait. He is a grumpy old guy.


Or, sort of like a wolf in disguise.

Or, sort of like a sleazy European (I love Europe, for sure, but there is sleaze to be found on every continent.)


p.s. I reached a point where I was laughing and couldn't hold the camera still and he got to the point where he was all, "hey asshole, let me in". This shot is from before either of those things happened.

p.p.s. I've now included a handy little envelope thing in the bottom of every post. That way if you think, wow this girl is an idiot fun, you can email it to your friends. Or family. Share the love. 

Emily's Holiday Wish List

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama and GameStop are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?

My holiday wish is that everyone be happy and healthy. And full. Good food is a must.

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition?

Here in AZ we have cocoa and open presents. In MI we would open presents and have a yummy breakfast. Always about the food, I tell 'ya!

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?

I'd love to do some more traveling. I want to go to Italy. And Ireland. And Hawaii. And Greece...Anyone up for a trip?!

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?

Well, food always helps, for sure. We also play a lot of games and watch holiday movies and listen to holiday music.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?

Every. Game.Imaginable...Scrabble, Payday, Clue, SolarQuest, Hugger Mugger, Tabboo, Scattergories, Solitaire, Trivial Pursuit, Rummikub, etc.

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?

I still collect meaningful ornaments. Each one has a story or memory attached. That way when I break out the Christmas stuff, I can think about exciting trips, family, and good times.

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip?

Christmas away from home? Probably somewhere COLD, as being in PHX we do not see the snow. Not so much. Big surprise, right? Maybe a nice trip to Alaska. Or Canada. Or even Colorado.

8. Check out GameStop and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?

For sure I would like just about any of the games listed under "puzzles and cards", some fun "skins" for the controllers, and maybe the Mario game (old school).

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that everyone is having (or had) a fantastic Thanksgiving. For sure, we did. And while I know that it is just the two of us, I still wanted to set up a table. Like this:
I used the tea lights that I got on clearance with the little glasses from Salvation Army. I added some pine cones (on clearance last year), plus plates from Sal. Army. The pumpkins are from...Walmart (!) 75% off a few weeks ago. The burlap runner is left over from the drum shade.

I really wanted brown place mats but didn't have any, so I grabbed two sheets of scrapbook paper instead.
Whaddya think??
We liked it and it felt nice to make something special even though it was just dinner for two. Dinner was terrific, too.

How was everyone else's Thanksgiving?

Multi-Tasker

So I took this picture of Jeremiah last weekend:
He is: listening to a record, searching through his photographs, and playing the bass. All at once. I would find that over-stimulating, but apparently Jeremiah? Not so much.

Plus, for your viewing enjoyment, notice that he is in jammy bottoms, a long-sleeved shirt I brought back from MI, and a How to Train Your Dragon hat.

Sweet look, Babe.

What Time Is It?

It's time to rock and roll!!

Just kidding. We aren't that nerdy.

Not all the time, anyway.

I wanted to share a project that Jeremiah did this weekend:

He turned a very cool piece of vinyl (Rolling Stones, yo) into a clock.


We actually ended up using my Cricut (LOVE.IT.) to make numbers out of the album cover. Yes, it is cool. You dig it?


P.S. Jeremiah had so much fun (especially picking out the vinyl) that he's decided to offer up his services. If you know of anyone that is a music buff, vinyl fanatic, or punk (doesn't it look punkish/modish/eighties?) they might enjoy one. Let us know. He's offering his services for way cheaper than you might find elsewhere.

If you aren't into it, then I hope you enjoyed this technicolor post. And the craftiness.

Backyard, Revisited

I know I mentioned recently that we like our backyard. We do. It isn't perfect, and if you catch us on an off week it's a puppy-poop land mine, but STILL - We love it. So I thought that I'd share a bit more.

I'm not entirely sure why the pool is so vivid (I didn't enhance it), but here's the view from the patio.
And then a view from inside, looking to the left of the yard. You can see the patio and palms.
We were hoping to sell the fountain (visible in the gourd/Alfred H. post, but not this one) this summer and use the money to create a really nice outdoor living space. Apparently no one wants a fountain that would look at home in front of Caesar's Palace. What's that all about? So the upgraded backyard dreams will have to wait. For now, we are content with it as is.

I think mostly that we love it because it is a tiny bit of green. We only water for about a minute three nights a week, which obviously seems to do the trick. Plus, there are trees, so we have some privacy from neighbors on the back and on one side. Ooh, there is the pool, which makes me happy. Yeah, it isn't perfect, but it makes us happy.

Anyone else have a backyard that they love?

Numb Noses & Hairy Ears

Well.

Went to my new ENT yesterday. I have been having problems with my allergies since I've moved here, and they just keep getting worse. And my family doctor is clueless (I'm looking for a new one. She also told me the answer to my muscle problems was sports drinks. Apparently she mistakes me for being so dumb that I don't know the difference between ache-y muscles and muscles that are on fire and being smashed with a mallet. I tried the drinks, just in case. They didn't work.).

Anyway, I went to the ENT.

He was funny. He was nice. He was prompt. He suggested a course of action - which I love.

And then...

He numbed my nose, throat, and sinuses. So he could see all the action up in there.I'm not sure if I've had this done before. It opens the nose up so he can stick a long black thing up there (with a camera?). I closed my eyes for it. Nothing I needed to see. But can I say? The only thing weirder than feeling those parts fall asleep? Feeling them wake up. Weirdest damn thing. Felt a bit silly, trying to eat my dinner and you know, swallow.

And then...

I was having serious ear problems. SERIOUS. Weird noises, slight pain, etc. He takes a deep look. He grabs these ultra-sharp scissors.

It is at this point that I grab his coat. I am THAT patient. Some doctors get weirded out by my touching. I touch. Or tap. Or even swat. My chiropractor calls his personal approach "get in, get it done, get the hell out of the way". I tend to do little taps or sometimes hit.

Not hard. Just so they know I'm there.

Anyway, I grab the coat, he pauses (but apparently isn't weirded out) to say that I'd best not move. Okey Dokey. Ten-Four. I drop the coat.

The scissors go IN MY EAR and they pull out...


a teeny, tiny, itty-bitty...


Atticus hair.

All the pain and irritation. Caused by a single hair. I'm not too embarrassed by this because we're clean people. I'll chalk it up to "it was bound to happen." I've never not had a pet. One hair is bound to make its way into my ear. And I clean my ears but this baby was way in there. Remember the scissors?

Could have been worse. I had a student with a tick in the ear. I knew a person with a moth in their ear. LIVING THINGS. So my hair? Not a big deal.

Anyway, today I'm feeling about 90% good. Let's hope it stays that way. Hope my story wasn't TMI. Lovesies you.

Disturbia

So...

On Halloween , Jeremiah was shootin' the sh- I mean, breeze with our neighbors. One of which hasn't spoken to us in the entire year we've been there. Regardless of the smiles, waves, whatever...nothing.

But on Halloween she was chatty. Most witches are.

Just Kidding.

I promise.

Anyway, she asked if Jeremiah had gotten a new tattoo.

Which means, this year that she hasn't been speaking to us, she has been memorizing our features and details. He didn't see the weirdness. But then I pointed out that in order for her to recognize anything as new, she must have memorized his others. From a distance. Which is weird to me. Is she watching out the window? Is she planning a sketch for America's Most Wanted? I just find it a bit odd that she can identify something as new when she's never met him to know what was old.

Disturbed.

p.s. For those of you that don't already know, I've had some issues with my "delicate health" lately. In fact, I ended up in the hospital for a fun visit last week and was out of commission (as in, couldn't do ANYTHING) for...well, still. Except now I'm back to work. So I'm doing a bit better after a week. And everyone knows at work. So interesting. We call it Crayola Wireless. The gossip mill runs strong in schools, I tell ya'. So anyway, posts are sporadic and at times they may be a bit...sparse. I'm used to writing almost every other day, which is hard to do when you are W.A.U. (without arm use). Love you all for still checking in.

p.s. Jeremiah was still thinking that perhaps it wasn't that weird. So I asked him whether the neighbor that noticed (or any other neighbor, for that matter) had tattoos. He got the point.

Thanks

Thanks for everyone that took the time to vote for me. It means a lot. For suresies. I didn't make the top twenty, but I was FAR from last. Out of tens of thousands of applicants, I landed at about one hundred fifty. Not too shabby.
Thanks.

Oh, the horror.

Soooo...

Trip to the optometrist today. That's always fun. When I first moved here, I went to a Nationwide chain that was covered by my insurance and offered me HORRIBLE service.

After about two years I said, "Screw this" (Actually, I probably dropped the f-bomb. I found out I'd been wearing the WRONG prescription contacts for an entire year. You might have dropped the f-bomb, too.).

I left and found a doctor that isn't covered as much as the crappy place but I get much better service of a much higher quality.

And it was today that I was informed that...

I need bifocals. f-bomb inserted here. I knew it before I went in, but still.

Sigh.

So anyway, I am going to go over to Sun City (as soon as I can see again and my pupils aren't as big as frisbees) and I'm going to get myself a pair of cheaters at their Walgreens. I figure all those wacky old ladies in Sun City probably have some funky glasses.

I'm going to get a pair. And I'm going to rock them. Just you wait and see. I'll be all eccentric and crafty and awesome.

F-bomb-it, I'll kick some serious bifocal ass.

p.s. I'm listening to Don McLean. Yeah, oldies. Fitting, isn't it? Seeing as how I'm apparently an oldie now. Oh, so sad.

Living Room

Here's a wider shot of the living room. Obviously, we still have one window to finish, some organization things for the desk, the tables will be moved in, Elmer will be painted white and moved, shelves will be hung, etc...But we're so in love with the way things are looking.

p.s. What I'm listening to now: crows or blackbirds outside. So Freaking Loud. All day. And vinyl. Jeremiah has declared it an all-vinyl day.

p.p.s.Hey, would you like more deets on the tattoo experience? A picture of me almost fainting (I'm serious.)? Jeremiah's cool tat? Yeah, me too. Jeremiah has ALL the pictures and isn't sending them to me so I can blog. What a doof. Maybe if someone comments (!) he will feel the pressure and send the photos. And, yeah, I'll still eventually post the stuff. You can continue lurking if you'd like. No worries.

p.p.p.s. Hey. Thanks for all of you that are still voting for me. I see wonderful people in Ohio, MI, and CA (who are you, CA?) are voting. It means a lot. Thanks! Oh, and my mom informed me that you can vote once a day per internet browser (like Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, etc.).

Dog Days

For Christmas, early Christmas, Michigan Santa(s) sent me a digital STD camera. It's really called something else, but STD gets the eye-roll from Jeremiah. It's an SLR, I think. Anyway, I've been trying it out on a lot of plants (so fun) and I thought that the dogs might be good subjects, too. 'Cause they're cute. You know they are. Anyway, here are my favorite shots from this weekend.
I love both the shot above and below. I love the shadows on Spike.
The Kisser. Hiding/burrowing in the blankets.
Lean on me.
Below- He just looks so flippin' confused.
So I've noticed in the two days that I've used the camera that even when using the flash, it doesn't create red-eye like a point and shoot. In addition, I get a lot less shots that end up blurry. Thanks for checking out my pictures...and my pooches.

Um, Really?

Setting: At the post office

Post Lady: You'd like this sent to Minnesota?
Emily:No, I'd like it sent to Michigan.
Post Lady: Well, you put MI.
Emily (in a slightly teacher-ish voice): Yes, that means Michigan, not Minnesota.
Post Lady: Oh, I saw MI and thought Minnesota.
Jeremiah (in a stage whisper): Seems to me that if you're working at the post office you should know your state abbreviations.

Seriously. Jeremiah has a good point. That woman's WHOLE job consists of mailing packages with these abbreviations. I'd think it'd be a requirement before getting the job: Thou shalt know state abbreviations.

Every day, I am more and more astounded by the stupidity that exists in the world around me. I am doing the best I can to fight it at an early age, but I am only one person.

Anyone else have stories where they were left just shaking their head? Please share.

Squash? Gourds? Alfred Hitchcock?

First a finally cleared off dining room table (update: it's already covered again as we're moving/switching islands). I love the symmetry and the view of the outside. We love our backyard. LOVE.
Alfred Hitchcock.
Entryway table.
And one more time, for those in the cheap seats...

VOTE

Hi.

Vote today.

There is no excuse.

If you don't, and everything goes down the shitter, you can't sit there and complain because YOU DIDN'T VOTE.

So vote. Then maybe everything won't go to pot. Or maybe it will...depending on what is being passed in your state. We have one on medical marijuana. If it passes, then it would literally be going to pot. I meant my statement in a figurative sense.

Anyway. Vote.

Nail Cuttin' Time

Every couple of months Spike and Jeremiah do a delicate dance called "Trimming of the Raptor Claws".

It doesn't go well.

Spike is a huge baby and whines, wiggles, and licks. The whole time.

While Atticus watches.

He usually gets his done at a grooming place because he bites when I try to do his. Naughtiness abounds!

So here's the first shot:
Atticus is simply enjoying the sun, perhaps teasing Spike.
Oh, yeah. The good life. But then wait...things are getting awkward.
Look at the Kisser's face now! He's worrying that he might be next. He's totally thinking, "Do not make eye-contact with the dude. Do not make eye-contact with the dude."

Final shot:
Dead wiener.