First Harvest...

Tomorrow is August 1st. Lughnasad. Everything this time of year begins its gradual descent. http://www.geocities.com/lavenderwater37/holidays.htm
I am not sure what I will do with the kids just yet. I haven't been keeping up with activities as much as I'd like too. Last summer we kicked off the Summer Solstice (Litha) by making beautiful fruit hangings (solar image) We cut up lemons and limes and we threaded them with yarn and hung them in the kitchen window where is was bright and sunny. It looked wonderful. Also smelled amazing because when the sun warmed up the fruit , it filled our home with a summery citrus aroma.
Maybe tomorrow we can go for a nature walk..(I bought Lily a kit where she can catch bugs,examine them and then release), and then maybe attempt to make bread..but that may be iffy, as you can see in the one post titled 'Potluck and dumb-ass bread'
I have a recipe for Lughnasad Loaves..so maybe Jack and Lily will be up for that.
Nothing much going on here today. Jack and i are going to the market later, and Justin and I may watch 300 this evening. I have finished planning my weekly menu early. I am going to make sirloin burgers w/Swiss, portabello and balsamic mayo..I made these before and they were a hit.

Summer Fun

This weekend we went to the lake and then to the park. There were huge geese. Jack was terrified..

We went to the park..Lily and her friend were trying to catch some butterflies and Lily was looking for fairies.

Yay For.....

1). Yay for Lily having some decent friends to play with

2). Yay for my children baking together

3) Yay for finding organic dishcloths and a totally cute top last night at Target.

We went last night to Target and bought a bunch of Lily's school supplies. Now, we just need to get her new,bigger clothes and shoes. Justin bought her a typing game for her pc so she could learn to type. After 15 minutes she was in there typing pretty quick with out looking.

I found some organic dishtowels to..on clearance even..but they are great because they match the color scheme of our kitchen..red/brown(we did a coffee theme in there)

I am not sure of the plans for today. Maybe Trader Joe's and the park..the kids love to look for the monkey and get a treat.

The ac is fixed.

I feel a tugging on my shirt, and its Jack. He just woke up and is wanting some granola. Not to mention the kittens need some yummies too. Have a great day!

Just In Time!

How wonderful, just in time for this massive heat wave we are going through, with insane humidity..my air conditioner decides to take a crap and die!
Now,for anyone that knows me..I don't do 'hot'. I turn into this bitchy, nasty little monster.
The repair man actually had an opening today(Friday) between 10 and 12pm.
Yesterday was miserable, as was the day before,(the latter half anyway). I went to Starbucks with a friend just to escape for about an hour and sit in an air conditioned environment. It was perfect in there. My friend was freezing. I love to be cold.
We enjoyed some chai and good conversation for roughly 45 minutes and then back home to mother our youngn's.
Oh yeah, so I was making lunch yesterday for everyone and we decided on sandwiches, Lily and Angela=pb&j, Ally, Jack and me=grilled cheese. I also cut up a bunch of fruit too.
"Lunchtime girls!" I holler. They stop the music and come to the kitchen, Lily and Jack start eating right away. Angela sits there nibbles her apple and looks at me with a vacant stare. "Kelly,um, I only eat white bread"...hmm well I say"Sweetie, we don't have that" and then Lily chimes in "Angela just try it its good". I even used a cute little sandwich cutter that cuts the crust, then cuts it in a tri-angle shape. She looked in disgust and repeated "I have NEVER had wheat bread, we only have white bread" So needless to say, I heated up some chicken dinos for her. Then Ally says "oh I don't like this grilled cheese". C'mon..are you serious?
Anyway..Jack and Lily were the only ones who ate the original lunch. Funny, she says they only eat white bread (which has no nutritional value whatsoever) but she knows exactly that there are 9 grams of sugar in Honey Nut Cheerios, lol. I thought that was funny. They are sweet girls. They also love fairies just as much as Lily.

Wednesday Pictures

Today was hot. We went to the market,then went on walk looking for bugs..(didn't find any).

For dinner I ended up making herbed pork roast with steamed carrots and a chicken/garlic pilaf thingy. Justin didn't like it. The kids and I loved it. I was going to make the fried zucchini, but that will be today.

Here are some pictures of our day. I snapped a picture of Justin teaching Lily to play WOW (World of Warcraft) I thought it was so cute. Also there a random pictures of kids eating, Jack following asleep while watching something on TV(I hear ya B! He too forgets he is tired and before you know it, poof!)

Lily's friends will be her at 10am. She is excited. Me too. These are good, nice girls..(sisters, one year apart) Love them!

I think I will take Jack to the barber again..his hair is growing out so fast!

Is Lily There?

Gosh..Lily is on the phone..all the time...I have missed multiple calls because she doesn't know how to click over to the other line and then she tells me when its already beeped twice and when I click over, the caller has hung up. People are calling the house constantly for her..well maybe like 4-5 times a day. Then she puts it on speaker phone.. *rolling eyes*
Tomorrow her friend is coming over at 10 til about 4ish when we'll take her home. I like her friend. I want other kids to come over because the ones here are not a great influence if you know what I mean. Besides, the girl here is 11 or 12 so she has a different mind set. School starts in 26 days. Lily can't wait to go back. I can't believe how quickly she is growing. She is going through a growth spurt as we speak. (well I as blog). Justin swears by this time next year she'll be taller than me. how weird would that be?!
Its my turn for dinner. Not sure what to make. I have some ground turkey, so maybe some turkey burgers with some mango salsa?
well Lily is off the phone now..believe it or not..so I am going to go play with my babes... Have a great day!

Nevermind....

I can't do it. I can't send Zelda packing. She needs her sis. Just like other siblings, they have their fights..I'm OK with that I guess..but I need to monitor them when this happens and makes sure no blood was spilled.
I am in a crummy mood. Just had to put out a nasty note to my tenants. Pool problems..*sigh*
Remember when Justin said he was taking over dinner, Tuesdays and Thursdays..well so far he's kept up his end of the bargain..walking through the door after work with Burger King in tow, lol

Fairwell Zelda

The time has come unfortunately, that Zelda must vacate the premises. Her and Luna have been at each others throats..litereally...last night Luna was was sleeping peacefully and Zelda attacked her and got a good grip in her throat..right in the jugular..
This wasn't just playing either..this was hardcore fighting, hissing and growling.
I am sad to see her go..for awhile they were so cute together and getting along splendidly. She will be going to a good place..a friend. Lily is sad. As am I. But hopefully it will be for the best for them both. I hate to split them apart..but gee..I am afraid someone is going to get hurt badly :(
Nothing exciting to post..other than I have had some strange dreams lately. Last night..(when I did manage to get a few minutes of shut eye) I dreamt that a few of my teeth were falling out. Didn't hurt or anything..but it was awful. 2 of them were just hanging in there so I wiggled them with my tongue and out they came. Ewww.. I hate dreams like that. I have had dreams like that before. No fun
Hells Kitchen was good last night. I was sad to see Julia go. I really liked her.
I have a bday party to go to on Sat. then Sunday a few of my tenants and i are having a luau at the pool..bbq'ing shish kabobs and grilled pineapple. I am sure there will be 'grown-up drinks' but I will pass. I think I am done. booze just makes me feel like shit..everytime..even if I only have one..I get all head -achy. We are going to make some smoothies for the children..I'll just have one of those too.
Last night we watched Black Snake Moan...pretty good..but man..it dragged out..should have ended 40 minutes sooner I think. We paid Lily $5 to entertain and play with Jack while we watched the movie. She did great..they played in his room, then hers, then in our room, art, cars and things like that. She is so happy now with 5 bucks. I definitely think we will use her services again. Next time there is a movie worth seeing that is.

Jack's Doppelganger

This is an old picture of Jack. I love this picture because of his shadow in the background. Its so cool.

Monday Morning

*Chili was awesome..I gave some to the neighbors..
*I forgot to take pictures...
*Didn't sleep again last night..
*Jack is sneezy this morning..
*Making appointment for Lily to see the eye doctor..she is getting about 3-4 headaches a week and doing weird blinking...
*The cats are going crazy right now....
*There are pistachio shells in my flip-flops from Justin
*I am listening to Curious George on the TV
*Possum returned last night..god forbid I say something negative about that creature because someone will leave a dumb ass comment on how mean I am towards animals..Whatever..
*I need to make some coffee
*I am done blogging now..
*Anxiety is taking over my life...

Nothing interesting...

I have nothing so say. I know, I know, shocking...
This morning we decided to go to the mall. I didn't make any coffee because I thought I would grab something there.
Going to the mall was weird.
I forgot what the mall was like. Its geared towards the young folks.
Seriously, how many Wet Seal type stores do you really need. Not to mention the thousands of cell phone booths hovering around like hungry Parana, waiting to suck you in.
i had a coupon for a free cinabon. Sweet!
Literally!
Buy one get one free. Cool. I also bought a Mochlatta Chill..I had this years ago and it was fantastic. I t was like a frappachino-ish drink, all blended and delicious. But this guy, he made it over ice, and it was fucking nasty!
Me, being the coffee conesurer , dumped the damn thing down the drain. Shit, I tell you!
Needless to say, that cinnabon made my tooth ache like crazy.
Justin got a tummy ache. Overloaded on sugar I guess.
The rest of the day was un-eventful.
The neighbor came down around 5 ish and announced its was her pay day and she is looking to buy some Captain Morgans and make some drinks tonight. Oh cool. So me and the 'hens' as Justin calls the ladies and I enjoyed some fru fru drinks and watched the children play. Good times...
I went to party city and bought Jack's bday stuff..decorations, invitations, etc. He wanted fire truck theme..so viola! He got it!
It will be very small,(as mentioned in the other post).
Right now the kids are in bed, Justin is lingering somewhere in the back of the house..and I am here, intoxicated and blogging a bunch of nonsense here on this blog.
Tomorrow i am making a mean pot of chili.
Of course there will be pictures. :)
The first Charger pre-game is August 12th.
I can't wait. I love to watch football and have everyone over. I just like planning the menus and stuff. I know I am dorky. But hey, I love to cook!
Well off to bed, good night my fair readers,I shall post again soon! Mwahh! kisses!

My Turn...

You know how sometimes you go to the market or Target or whatever, and there always seems to be a child having a tantrum..screaming bloody murder. Shrieking so loudly you can hear where they are located in the store? And you know how you always think, whew, thank goodness its not my kids.
Well today was my child's moment to shine. Lily was off at a party, so I gathered up Jack and off we went. We were out of a few things, like bread, cat food and a few other random things. Jack had asked me before we left if the store had firetrucks. I told him I wasn't sure but maybe we'll check.
After I gathered the things, I took a trip down the toy aisle. Big mistake. I looked through the hot wheels and there was no fire truck. There was a lady working that aisle scanning merchandise and putting new price tags on things and she pointed out to me that there were a few hot wheels 'monster trucks' that are 75% off. She scanned them and they rang up $2.50! Sweet..I took 2 and hid them so Jack wouldn't see. His bday is in a month. I was going to buy him a regular hot wheel for a dollar and showed him a few to choose from. That wasn't good enough. He wanted the $19.99 remote control dump truck thingy. Now trying to explain that he wasn't going to get such a big toy, because 1). its too much $ right now and 2). his birthday was in a few weeks did no good. He started screaming, yelling, freaking out..and then he went berserk, going back in forth in the stroller trying to get out, trying to grab my cell phone, trying to knock items off the shelf. Time to leave...NOW!! He has never had such a meltdown of this magnitude before..WTF??? Nothing I can do or say would calm him down. What do you do? I could feel everyone starring at me and Jack, muttering things under their breathe. I am sure lots of people go through this..I would have normally just dumped everything and left the premises, but I was done shopping and all I had to do now was check out. The cashier handed Jack a sticker and he calmed down. I was so flustered...and furious. Walking home he acted like nothing even happened. He was all smiles and giggles. Must have forgot what just took place in the store. I know all kids do this..but damn..why couldn't Justin been there to deal with this? lol Jack acts so much better when Daddy's around. Oh well. He is content now eating raisins and string cheese. I on the other hand, need a stiff drink...

Random Stuff

We just watched 'The Last Mimzy'..wow what a powerful movie. We all loved it! We also rented Shooter and Black Snake Moan..I am eager to see both of those flicks.
Sunday I think we are venturing out to the beach. We are going to leave very early to get a good spot. We'll head to La Jolla where there is a grassy area too, that way you are not sitting in sand all day. I will pack a picnic of tasty sandwiches, fruit, maybe some yogurt and the kids favorite fruitabu.. . .http://www.fruitabu.com/ that's some tasty stuff.
Justin stopped at Trader Joes on the way home from work and got the coffee I love... what a guy. Of course he picked up a bottle of vodka and a bag of pistachios too. Those are so addicting. Lily is at the pool, Jack and Justin are enjoying some quality father,son time..playing with some action figure dudes and blowing up random things. Its very endearing.
I want to get a new CD. I am sick of everything. Justin ordered that Interpol..but I want something else. Maybe another 'Buddha Lounge' or even Innocence Mission? Hrmm..maybe some old ska would be nice..haven't listen to that in a long time. I used to have a old Bob Marley CD that was ska/rock-steady..and I can't find it anywhere. The last CD I got was Lily Allen..Justin got me that for Mother's Day. Its great..except when Lily overhears some lyrics and starts asking questions..

I Love My Husband

Justin has noticed that I have been a wee bit stressed as of late. So being that top notch guy that he is..he suggested that mama have Tuesday and Thursday 'off ' and her would arrange dinner and clean up dishes. When he said this last night..(while doing dishes mind you) I about fainted! That was the best news I heard in a long time. Fantastic! Even if he makes mac and cheese and chicken Dino's for dinner, who cares..its my night 'off' Woo Hoo!!!!
I will plan the rest of the weeks menu..no problemo!
I feel better today..better mood, better spirits, even have better coffee..not that crappy stuff Justin got me, I bought some vanilla nut beans and they are delightful.
Not sure what we are going to do today or this weekend. Lily is begging us for her ears to be pierced..hmm, not sure about that yet, we'll see. I am thinking of painting Lily's room soon, I was suppose to paint it 'vintage violet' and just haven't got around to it. I need to start planing for Jacks bday. We are not having a combo bday party like last year. We did Jack's and Lily's together, and it was total chaos. This year it will be very, very small. Jack will just have the kids in the plex at the pool. Lily will possibly have a slumber party with a few girl friends..who knows. I can't believe shes going to be 8!

Bored and Dirty

Once again, I am at a loss. I am so freaking bored outta my head its pathetic. Justin is so creative, he makes up games for the kids to play. Why can't I do that? I did some schooling with Jack earlier. That lasted about 20 minutes.

It seems I am the nurturing one and Justin is the fun, entertaining one. He plays action figures with Jack and makes up silly stories for them to act out. Same with Lily and her Bratz dolls. I can never think of anything. I would rather teach Lily how to cook or something. That's totally selfish, because that's what I love to do. I suck at video games, which Lily is into. Shes currently playing Zelda, Twilight Princess on the game cube..and also The Sims on her pc.

I know this sounds like a pity party, but I think they think I am so boring. When Justin comes home they are so excited and jump all over him.

I want to go somewhere and do something, but hes pooped from work and just wants to stay home and play with the kids. I am going stir crazy in the house.

I know there are far more important things in the world to think and worry about, then this petty bullshit. I have been getting so mad and irritated over things lately. Just for the dumbest things. The kids..just being kids..making huge messes..laughing and throwing food (well that one is mostly Jack). I guess I am just getting burnt out. I am sick of cleaning up..I am sick of making healthy,organic food and a). someone doesn't like it, or b). someone takes one bite, says he's full and throws it away.

I really just need to lighten up, enjoy this time with my babies..they are growing so quick I feel like I am missing it because I am always getting mad and not embracing this wonderful time, aka as childhood. I need to stop the worry, the anxiety. I am so worried that one of them will get sick, or get hurt. Its almost an obsession. Its ridiculous. I worry they are going to throw up or catch some weird disease..which I know is my own weirdness, because I am a totally hypochondriac..also I think I have a slight case of Emetophobia. Perhaps something triggered that in my childhood, who knows. How do I get over that?

Well at any rate her some pictures of our day. Lily on the phone of course and Jack getting dirty, then getting clean. Exciting I know

So cute...

Luna and Zelda are totally connected at the hip now. They go everywhere together..even in the litter box, which i witnessed this morning. They are best buds. Its disgusting how cute it is. Zelda was even grooming Luna. *Awwww*..I know I should have got a picture of that, but it was like 1030pm and I was half asleep.
Jack's birthday is in one month from today. I can't believe hes going to be 3. We will have a small party for him. He can't decide between firetrucks or construction theme. He loves them both.
We haven already started back to school shopping for Lily. So far we got a few outfits, her backpack she wanted (which is a pink camo design) and a matching lunch pack. We still have to buy new shoes, but i am waiting until a week or so before school because she is growing like a weed. She is getting so big, soon, she'll be taller than me. Crazy, I know. But hey, I am pushing 5'1 so its really not saying much.
The children and I are going to the market today for some goods. Lily loves to pick out the fruits and veggies. Jack just wants me to buy granola. (Strawberry, hemp ,vanilla ,flax seed granola) They have it in bulk and we buy alot at once because that's all he wants to eat. Its kinda costly..it is $2.99 a pound.
We are going to make lasagna tonight for supper. I am going to see if Lily wants to make the sauce.

Imerial Beach...

Today we are gathering the kids and heading down south to Imperial Beach. Justin's friend Chuck lives down there with his child Franklin..who is 4. Chuck is the one that actually got Justin and I together. Long story, but I was suppose to go on a date w/ Chuck and my friend with Justin..then things got flipped around..and here we are 12 years later..(well it'll be 12 years of marriage in November).
Well got to go get ready..and feed the kittens..Justin bought them some organic kitten food by Newman's Organics. How cute! I will post pictures of our trip later this evening. Hope everyone has a great day!
Oh yeah, Luna and Zelda have calmed down a bit since that last post. Only about 2 fights a day. And for those of you wondering..Settlers of Catan is so fun, it totally rocks. It is a 'game of discovery, settlement, and trade'. Sorta like Oregon Trails..you know the one you played on the pc in school.Lily won the first game, and Justin the second. We're gonna play again tonight I hope.

Sibling Rivalry

And no I am not talking Lily and Jack..(by the way have been totally good as of late)
I am talking Luna and Zelda.
All day long.
All night long.
Hissing. Growling. Wrestling. Chasing. Sneaking up behind one another and clobbering the hell outta each other. If they can't get along..I am gonna have to give Zelda back to where she came..(which is from my boss and very good friend).
They are very cute chasing each other down the hall and stuff. It sounds like there is a Halloween Haunted House CD playing in my house at all times with all this damn screeching and growling.
At first it was kinda funny, but know I am getting annoyed..and guess who didn't get much sleep last night? Yours truly.
I have had this same headache since yesterday. I broke down and took 2 aspirin. I never take anything unless I can't tolerate whatever aliment I have at the time. I try to use homeopathic or herbal treatments first..then if that fails..try conventional pain relief. This headache, was a aspirin and cup of coffee type of headache. Hopefully the caffeine and the Bayer will nip this in the bud.
I will post a picture of 'the girls' at each others throats. That is if Justin can get a good one. He is currently following the felines around waiting for another round of fistfights.

Click on the first picture..it looks like Luna is possessed and going to turn Zelda into stone..like a Medusa...its totally creepy.

We must be crazy...

OK, one child, easy..add another kiddo, kinda hectic at times, throw in a kitten, what the hell, take on ANOTHER kitten..(which is actually Luna's sister) what are we thinking?

Yes, the rumors are true folks, we have added yet another member to our little clan....

Introducing Zelda..Luna's sister. We got her today. She was a big bully, hissing and swatting Luna. And Luna? She took it all in stride. She could care less about Zelda being a complete ass. In a day or two, (hopefully) they will be the best of kitty friends..or sisters, or felines..whatever..I will post a picture of Zelda.

Also, Justin ordered us a new board game to play..Settlers of Catan..we have been playing so many games lately. I am still wanting Scruples..

Also got an Interpol CD..'Our Love To Admire'..I am listening to it right now and its fabulous.

Finally!

Success in the kitchen. I decided the other day to make up a stew like dish. I threw a bunch of random stuff in a pot and poof! Stew~!

I also browned some beef stew meat to throw that in too. The kids slurped it up! About time, whew, I was starting to get discouraged.

I took some random shots of the kids outside while they were riding bikes and scooters.

Included in this series is a picture of my new knitting project, and the beginning and the end of the stew. I know..I know, I'm a dork like that.

Nothing else to report. today was pretty mellow with the kids. Only a few quarels..easy to resolve. Jack apparently has stopped taking an afternoon nap. Pft...whats up with that? Oh well, at least he'll be in bed early.

We went to BlockBuster and I rented Zelda, Twilight Princess for the gamecube. Everyone is in my room playing that now, so its rather quiet at the moment which is nice. I haven't been getting much sleep lately. Luna thinks its hilarious to wake me up every effing' morning between 530-6am to play. Oh so fun..and as you would know it, once I am awake I can't get back to sleep..and on the off chance that I do drift off, Justin's alarm will get me up anyway. Well that's it for now. I am sure hubby will be in here any moment lingering behind me, waiting his turn for the computer to play that World of Warcraft game. I so need this shirt..http://www.cafepress.com/gamingsucks.70601314

Loss for Words...

Today at the 711 across the street they were giving out free Slurpee's. So I decided to take the kiddos over there around 11am. The cashier said The Simpson's would be coming there at 1pm. Lily wanted to go back.

OK, sure, fun for the kids, as there was a slurpee eating contest and games. (Mind you Lily did not enter the slurpee eating contest, she's lucky I even agreed to get her one in the first place because it contains pure sugar, but hey, once in awhile is OK!)

Its 1pm, I put Jack in his stroller and we walk over there. It was very crowded. No problem. Tons of kids. Fun for all. Well as we are waiting in line to spin the wheel to see what you win, either a free hot dog, big gulp or slurpee, 4-5 boys, one African American, the rest, were Hispanic cut in front of us. Oh well I thought. No big deal.

Well the mama behind me asked if they cut, I said yeah, but it was no big deal. This cute couple was Hispanic and had a little girl, probably about 6 months old which the mom was holding. She was so cute. Anyway, the dad and the mentioned African American guy, maybe 12 years old, started talking shit to each other. The kids said he would beat his(the dad's) punk ass for looking at him that way..and then the Dad started right back.

*Mind you Lily,Jack and I are standing right next to them.* I was pissed because they were using such foul language in front of all those children. then..a swing, a punch, shoving, pushing, choking. They start brawling right there! They hit the stroller and it goes off the curb. Jack almost falls out. Lily is wondering whats going on. Then Jack is crying. I am yelling at them to knock it off that theres children here. Then someone..I think it was Mr. Burns breaks it up.Lisa Simpson comes over and tried to comfort Jack and give him a balloon. I grab Lily and high tail it outta there. We saw one of her friend prior to this ridiculous fight and I brought her home with me too(with the moms permission of course). It is so sad that a adult would stoop down to that level and actually fight a young child. Over someone cutting in line? Are you serious? This was suppose to be a gathering for children to have fun and meet the cast of the Simpson's, not to be frightened and scared away.

I will post a few pictures (pre-fist fight) of Lily and her friend and some of the characters. Jack was not liking any of them. He did however give Homer a high five.

Blah..

Wow 4 posts in one day..ya me! Actually I left the pc on when making dinner.
Which by the way was terrible.
I made homemade mac and cheese because the kids love it and I thought my version would be healthier and remotely tasty. Who was I kidding?
I put a beef chuck meat thingy in the crock and seasoned the bad boy up all good. Then I followed the recipe in the Moosewood cookbook. I even bought organic ingredients for this dish because I thought no one can screw up mac and cheese. So once again organic goods wasted. I think from now on i will use conventional ingredients the first time I make a new recipe and if turns out good, then i will get the good stuff.
There was some hard,chewy noodles in the dish..I actually used penne instead of elbows.
The meat was --ehh.. I would give it a good 4 outta 10 stars. It had a rubbery texture and somewhat tasted like liver. Gross.
First Lily said the mac tasted like bread, then Justin said it could glue your mouth shut. I totally agree with both.
As Lily was clearing the dinner dishes Lily says "Mom, that was a lame dinner". Couldn't have said it better myself. We are all hungry and burger king is right across the street and a whopper is sounding mighty good about now.

My bathroom stinks...

I have been slaving away in the front bathroom...a.k.a. The Kids Bathroom. As of late is in constant need of attention. Normally I tidy everyday or so, picking up towels, fishing for random toys out of the toilet. But now that we have another 'kid', Luna, it has been especially ripe. Eghhh.
Between her kitty box(which Lily cleans 2x daily and Jack peeing all over the place, which really is in his potty seat, but occasionally his 'wee wee' is pointed up and you get a urine shower..oh so fun) it has been a hellish task to keep that room smelling fresh. Any tips..anyone? I don't use any air fresheners not good for the environment. Maybe I should use some water and lemon and spray it on the rugs and shower curtain.(which by the way I launder once a week) or even use some essential oils in a burner..or...um... anyone??
Damn, the Dewey guy is here and just informed me he is going to 'spray the complex'..(I am a manager for a apartment building for those of you who didn't know). I honestly think this is ridiculous..I rarely see any bugs..and so what if there are a few creepy crawlies roaming about. We need them for the fragile Eco- system, right? I mean without spiders..(which I despise, especially those giant daddy long legs, they just creep me out with those long ol' legs and all) we would be inadated with abundant flying things, like flies mosquitoes,gnats,etc. Right? And the bugs are not hurting the landscaping. Oh yeah don't get me started on the gardeners..who come every Tuesday..but for some reason didn't come today, so they will be here tomorrow. Any who...when they finish there stuff, they also go around the complex spraying weird shit to keep the bugs away. Tuesdays i don't let the kids out to play..because my kids like to play in the dirt, look for bugs, pick flowers etc. What kid doesn't? Call me a paranoid mommy..but really is all that pesticide really needed? Justin and I also kept Lily out of school for a week when i found out by accident, that they were going to do the annual spray for pests at her school. Not just in the fields but in the hallways too. I was picking Lily up from school one day and noticed a teeny tiny slip of paper on the bottom of the gate at school. So being the noisy person that I am I looked at it (it was attached to the gate) and it stated the date and what chemical was sprayed around the campus.
Justin and I found this upsetting. I think they should notify parents when there is going to be a spraying. So I got busy, calling the school district, then head of landscaping, etc. Is it just a coincidence that Lily came home a few days prior smelling..no wrecking of some strange odor. I could not figure it out. It was on her clothes, her hair, everything. I put her in the tub, she bathed, washed her locks, and i washed her again. No luck. this weird sulfur smell was emanating from her skin. WTF? I asked her what she did at school today..she replied she went bug catching and was rolling in the lawn. Shit. She brought home a plastic jug I had sent with her to school full of water, she filled it with dirt,grass and ladybugs. I opened it and sure as shit, same chemically smell that's on her. Her hands were so stinky.
Anyway, I went and bought some Aztec Indian Clay..that is suppose to draw out impurities. I put this on her a few times. Not sure if it helped..but after a few days, the smell started to fade. So needles to say, the head man at the school sent me all the info and such of what chemicals were used,when and how much. He said he had never heard of a child smelling like the pesticides they used. Like if he had he would have told me? ha
So I asked when the next spray would be and he gave me the date of the annual spray, which was going to happen on a Saturday, so we kept Lily home the following week.
Gee, this is alot to type and now my fingers are hurting.
Needless to say, I am leery of anyone spraying stuff around our home and where my daughter is to be educated. We will keep her there for 3rd grade. She doesn't want to home school anymore.
Wow I really went off on a tangent..I hope this all makes sense..
Off to make some food for the family...

Ghetto Park

I wish I would have charged the battery to my camera. I rounded up my crew and off we went to ghetto park, you know, because we're cool like that.
Things we saw and heard:

1. A woman with one arm listening to some gospel music on her ipod belting out some praises and the like. (Not sure if she realised she was singing out loud).

2. Another mom scolding her children because they were disobeying her and yelling "god said you shall not disobey or there will be consequences" *Shudder*

3. A man taunting a raging pit bull through the fence. I was just waiting for the beast to jump over and devour that dude. What a moron.

4. Helicopters surrounding the area looking for uh, someone I guess..criminal on the loose? there was about 3 of them hoovering around the park.

5. A policeman driving in the field to break up some brawl...

And that's it folks. Good times yo, good times.
Be we are all safe and sound in the comfort of our cozy nest.
Tonight I am making homemade macaroni and cheese from the Moosewood Cookbook and also putting some meat in the crock. Tomorrow I am making some sort of stew-ish thingy..
Stay tuned.

Return of Possum.(.part deux)

Justin came to me once again to deliver me evil news. Another, yes another tomato has made its way into the nasty possum. Ans he couldn't even wait til' it was ripe. Now hes macking the green ones. Then Justin realized that our motion lights for the backyard had been turned off by the switch in my room.
We turned it on, and slept with the sliding door open, that way if the light goes off, Justin swore to me he would run out there and in my honor defend our beloved vegetable garden by dowsing the giant rodent with the hose and then maybe making some weird noises to frighten him away and never,ever return. My hero!
Of course the little piss ant didn't visit last night. Musta been too stuffed with my tomatoes. Grrr...
Lets see what else to report .... oh I am so glad Melissa was cut last night from Hell's Kitchen...she was bitchy. Rock was so bent last night I thought he was gonna explode.
I think I am taking the kids to ghetto park today. For something to do. I have run out of ideas. Sick of the pool, too hot to cook...I think we may go to the beach Saturday. Last year the beach was OK I guess.But we had sand left in weird little places in the houses two months after the fact.
Luna kept me up all night. She is trying to nurse so she is all cute and sucks on my neck and my arm looking for mamas milk. I feel sad that she left her mama so early. Lily lets her suck on her arm. Justin and I said not to encourage this habit.
I haven't posted any pictures yet because my camera is being charged. Well it will when Justin gets home cause I haven't figured it out yet..duh!
Jacks bday is in like 39 days and hes gonna be 3. His bday is on a Friday and then Lily returns to school the following Monday. I remember when I was little we didn't go back to class until some time in September..weird
Well I am off to make some coffee. We went to Albertson's the other day and Justin got me some coffee beans. They weren't my usual from Trader Joe's that I LOVE..(Ethiopian Fair Trade, Organic, Shade Grown,,Bold and delicious) it was some random brand that tastes bitter and nasty. I suppose I have become the coffee snob...I am going to buy my friend some of the mentioned beans and a coffee grinder for her birthday..Poor thing, she is still drinking Folgers..I can't bare the thought no longer....

Good and Tasty..

I woke this morning at the god awful time of 6am because I could no longer sleep. I was so itchy. Before I fell asleeplast night I was itchy. When I went to the bathroom to see what the hell the problem was I was greeted by these nasty humongous bites all over my right leg and ankle. I don't think they are flea bites because these are huge,red and swollen. I lost count after 8 because I no longer wanted to look at them. Its disgusting. My legs looked diseased. I have some homeopathic bug ointment that I put on and it relieved the itching..for awhile anyway.
No one else in the family gets bit, its just me. Even if the house was invaded with fleas, spiders and mosquito's, they would all feast on my tasty blood. Shit.
I guess I will start taking my vitamin B1 again. I read that it helps keep insects and creepy crawlies at bay. I took it awhile ago when I was getting bit. Also geranium oil is suppose to be good for that same purpose.
I know Luna has fleas, I have seen them on her...looking at me and saying "oh yeah, we're coming for ya, we will be feasting tonight!" She's still too young for Advantage..A couple more weeks and she can have that.
Remember my post about that damn possum that broke my statue? Well that sunuvabitch struck again last night. Go ahead, break some statue, no problem, hey knock over some potted plants,no biggie, but eat half of my bright red delicious organic beefsteak tomatoes? Oh no...this is war now you nasty ol' flea bag piece of shit. (I really do love animals...really!) Justin went to get those two tomatoes we have been anxiously waiting for and he came to deliver me the bad news. That fucking fur ball is taunting me..he leaves just a little tiny piece left..just to say.."haha you sucka!" just to rub it in my face. Oh no you just didn't!
Bring on you nasty possum, bring it on!

Library

Yesterday we went to the library. I picked up the book I ordered and a few others I saw..The Herbalist Way by Nancey and Michael Philips (it has a forward by Rosemary Gladstar, I adore her and have her book Family Herbal), I also got Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking and a Moosewood Cookbook..After my disastrous loaf, I need a new cook book. Lily wanted Wheres Waldo but they didn't have any, so she got 3 I Spy books and a few Goosebumps books. Jack got a couple books I found with cars, dump trucks, etc. and a Bob the Builder DVD. He loves any kind of construction stuff and that little Bob is so up his ally. I don't think he's ever seen the show, he'll either love it or be terrified of it.
For dinner last night I made Beef Stroganof, it was OK..I guess I wasn't in the mood for that. Jack had been asking for that for days so I had to make it. Tonight, hmmm...I think we'll prepare herb roasted chicken and some sort of vegetable. We are finally going to make that Pate today. We were going to make it a few days ago, but never did. can't remember why. Oh well.
the plans for this weekend are non existent as of yet. We are going to Target tonight for some household stuff. I would like to go to the nursery and get some more vegetables for the back yard...maybe onions, peppers and potatoes. Oh yeah, I still have to watch Reno 911..I rented that the other day. I used to watch the show. We also got Letters to Iwo Jima..I didn't watch because I started a new knitting thingy and I was obsessed with that for the night, Justin only watched about an hour of it.I will post pictures of the pate later and make you all drool. Too bad I can't go into the cyber world and pop out of your screen and give you a taste of this magnificent treat.Seriously folks, its that good. Ah..guess we'll just have to eat it! Ciao!

Potluck and dumb-ass bread

We had a potluck with some neighbors at the pool yesterday. I made some Italian chicken to grill and there was also the typical fare of dogs and burgers. There was also brisket, I never had that, and I must say it was quite tasty. Justin was lighting firecrackers and Jack was freaked out. I wish he could tolerate them, because there was some really neat ones last night..(or so I heard, I had to stay home and comfort the little tyke). Honestly I didn't mind, I had a HUGE headache..probably because I didn't have any coffee that morning..just mimosa's.

Justin was pretty drunk last night..after a bunch of beers, my friends hubby was pretty loaded too and thought it would be a good idea to have some Jamaican rum. Duh!! Big mistake.

Both men are paying for it this morning, haha. I am not a huge drinker, it always makes me feel like crap. I seem to get my hangover the same night, not the next day. Not to mention I get weird red splotches all over my face and it spreads down my neck. Hrmm..weird. Anyway, I would rather have a coffee drink then booze. But that's just me.

Remember I was going to make that yogurt herb bread? Its a recipe (from Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats) anyway..I soaked the organic wheat flour over night with whole milk yogurt and followed the directions to a T. The house had a fantastic aroma of savory herbs..everyone else thought it smelled like banana bread..probably because the maple syrup. Well I took it out of the oven and it look great, sliced a piece and it was speckled with bright green herbs, (tarragon, oregano, basil etc.) I put a little bit of butter on it.I was so anxious to eat this delicious morsel. It was crap! It tasted like absolutely nothing. Wait, I take that back, it tasted like basil butter. It did rise good however because I soaked the flour. I was so disappointed. It was even light and fluffy, not so insanely dense like all the other bread I've made. I have made wheat bread multiple times and its so freaking dense and heavy you could hit a burglar over the head and knock em' out. I will post some before and after pictures. Sniff..

Dinner and Baby Lizard

Here are some shots of dinner last night. I really like taking pictures of food.I took about a bazillion of our tomato's out back..not to mention the single miniature broccoli crown we had too. I'm weird like that. Also..here is a picture of Lily holding what appears to be a baby lizard. We found him in the kitchen window yesterday. Lily tickled his tummy. The dinner was great. I didn't think the kids would eat kale, especially Jack..but they scarfed it up..Lily had seconds. Jack had to eat his with the meat every bite, as it is quite bitter. I am going to try some collard greens next. :)

Voracious Vegan Pate

Lily and I are making this pate today from one of my cookbooks, How It All Vegan... It is so good. The recipe actually calls for 1 cup grated potatoes, but I omit that and the optional habinero pepper. I friend I used to work with along time ago had it and loved it. I made it for her a few times. She always said.."Kelly, even if we haven't talked for awhile and you make this..still call me and I'll be right over!" haha She lives just right down the road.
Tonight's dinner will be London broil in the crock pot with steamed potatoes, kale and mushrooms.
Also from that same book..I made Savory Shepherd's Pie one year for Christmas(when I was a vegetarian) and I plan on making it again. If I recall, I think it was a hit. :) The local Library just rang and my book is in.Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves ...they had to special request it from another branch.(http://naomialdort.com/)
I am looking forward to reading it. Although I still have to finish the book Justin got me for Mother's Day..Animal,Vegetable,Miracle..A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver ..http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/..it is a wonderful read.
A possum woke us up last night a little after midnight. He was poking around the backyard and he knocked a spider plant over and broke my Bodhisattva statue...I loathe possums..they ruin our garden and carry a crap load of fleas.

Crafty Kids

Today the kids and I decided we should make a bird feeder for all our feathered friends that visit the backyard. So, first I got a 2 liter of soda that was sitting in the fridge forever (don't drink much soda) , cleaned it and we cut it the bottom of. Then I punched 2 holes on either side and used some of my knitting yarn to thread it and make a hanger. then we punched out a bunch of holes with the hole puncher with different colored construction paper, and then glued the confetti to the feeder for decoration. Lily filled it up with some bird seed we had and we headed out back to hang it in the tree. Total cost $0 approx. time=15 minutes Time shared making recycled crafts with my babies= priceless.

Delicious!

Here are some pictures of the sausage we made this morning, and also a few other pics, like Luna napping with Elmo, and a bunch of our organic cherry tomatoes we picked the other day to eat with our cottage cheese.

When your hot, your hot!

Wow, its begining to really feel like summer now. Humidity is coming up from the south and hanging out all around us. Last night in my bedroom at 10ish it was 82 degrees. Yuk. I really don't mind the heat, its the nasty humidity that gets me. Shower after shower you still feel gross and sticky.
I think Justin is going to buy a air matress today at Target, that way we can camp in the living room in front of the AC.
I am going to make some home-made maple sausage with Lily this morning, Jack is already eating his Strawberry Vanilla Hemp Granola. I am getting dangerously low. He wants that every morning. I don't mind, its really good for him and sometimes I put it on top on Brown Cow Vanilla Whole Milk Yogurt and mix in the flax or cod oil. The sausage recipe we are making is from Nourishing Traditions CookBook.(http://www.westonaprice.org/) Lily is excited to help in the kitchen.I think we are making some herbed yogurt bread today too! Yummy.