Cleaning Virtual Toilets? Really?!?

August 20, 2009 - Griffin Road

Okay. I need to write again today so that none of you worry about my mental state. Not that you're worried because,... really... anyhow.

I am aware that I haven't exactly been doing anything to change my mood. Rather, I've been sitting here at the computer for several friggin' hours a day doing nothing but junk, including the Restaurant City game on Facebook. So today I vow to turn things around! Including, but not limited to, Restaurant City. In that game you hire your friends to do the cooking, serving and cleaning in your restaurant. You can hire yourself and give yourself a job, too. So what job do you think I have been giving myself every day? Cleaner!!! What?!? Why?!? Why, even in a virtual world, would I give myself the job of cleaning the floors and toilets?!? (Okay, enough with the extra punctuation already.) As of today, I am the cook (unfortunately, there is no job called Restaurant Manager who just sits around schmoozing customers and has her fill of free drinks or that would be the job I picked) and guess who gets to clean the toilets? A man! Any man! even if it is just pretend. hee hee...

And the other things I plan on doing are getting up early to watch the sunrise, exercising, eating better, making time to quilt and, gasp!, maybe even do some scrapbooking. Poor Baby Bug only has 5 pages in his book. Poor 4th child.

August 27, 2009

It may be early but I am not alone.
Sometimes, I'd just like to be alone.
Not for long, though.
Just a little while - which is why I need to get up just a wee bit earlier.

Feeling a bit Upside Down

Oh, I so picked the wrong music to listen to tonight before bed. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. I feel like I've been in a mild state of depression for a little while now and this may drag me so far down that I won't be able to see any light peeking through from the top of my hole.

I'd better look for something more upbeat. ***
Looked in my file labeled Bekah's Run - Bruce Springsteen "Born to Run"
- Bryan Adams "Run to You"
- Melissa Ethridge " I Run for Life"
- Coldplay "Speed of Sound", etc., etc.
Nah...
***
Bob Marley? Nah, it'll only make me want the beach that much more!

***
Chet Baker? Nah, too mellow... waaaay too mellow.
***
Corinne Bailey Rae? No.
Gosh! Do I have anything up beat?! Maybe this is part of my problem.
***
Getz & Gilberto? No,... makes me want to be downtown on a date with a cup of coffee and I am only in my bed in my own house and it's too late for coffee.
***
Jack Johnson! Jackpot! That will do nicely. Maybe this will help to turn my mood upside down. I think I'll listen to this all day tomorrow.

Sometimes I think this should be called The Lady Bug Blog

Did you know I have 4 children? You didn't? Hmmm... I suppose that's my fault since every other post is about either Lady Bug or Cuddle Bug. It is just so much easier to get in a post about the little ones because they are home all day with me and because they are always doing something ridiculous! The bigger bugs, however, aren't doing so many ridiculous things any more. Or maybe they are and they're just doing ridiculous things at school. Oh! I hope not! I guess if they were then I would be getting phone calls from their teachers about such things. They are good boys.

I totally skipped over their first day of school and posted about Lady Bug's instead. So,... three weeks late and without any further ado...!

Very handsome! Look how foggy the morning was!

Baby Bug watching them leave.

Where I waited for them to get home.
I love this spot!

Here they come!

I love these bugs!

A new baby in the family! And this one isn't mine!

What a beautiful baby boy! Let me introduce you...

This is Nephew Bug! He was born in the 6 o'clock hour on Saturday, August 15th. He weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces and was 20 inches long. I'm going to love being an aunt! I get to love and kiss and cuddle and spoil and then, get this!...
I get to send him home to his mama and daddy, my sis-in-law and brother!

Liz's mom and step-dad and my mom oohing and aahing and basically going ga-ga bananas over his sweet little sweetness!

My dad with the munchkin.

Getting a bath and really liking getting his hair washed.

1st Day of Pre-K

who is going to miss her Lady Bug
3 mornings a week
when she goes to Kindergarten
when she goes away to college
when she gets married and her husband moves her 1,000 miles away
A WHOLE LOT!!!

Mmmm... Corn

Okay, I'm posting a recipe. I don't know if this is even allowed since it isn't my recipe but if I'm giving Cooking Light the credit is it okay? If it isn't, then let someone from their site know that this recipe isn't on their site and if they want you to love them as much as I do then they will correct this oversight immediately! And then I'll totally remove it if I need to. It's from their recipe book The Lazy Gourmet published in 1997, the year we were married and was a wedding gift from Brian's parents - do you think that was a clue that she was more than a little worried that her baby might not eat as well with a Yankee chick cooking for him? hmmm... Don't answer that!

Spicy Tomato-Corn Chowder

Prep: 5 minutes Cook: 25 minutes

Vegetable cooking spray
2 teaspoons roasted garlic-flavored vegetable oil (which I've never been able to find and regular vegetable oil works just fine)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed (fresh corn works too since that is what Pioneer Woman is talking about today)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 (14.5 ounce) can no-salt-added chicken broth
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can reduced-fat, reduced-sodium tomato soup
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Nonfat sour cream (optional) (but totally recommended by me because I'm a sour-cream freak)

1. Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray; add oil, and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add corn and basil; saute 2 minutes. Add broth and next 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Top each serving with sour cream, if desired.
Yield: 4 (1 cup) servings.



Your welcome!

I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes I saw the sign. Life is demanding without understanding...

I was very tempted to put that song in my playlist just for this post but I'll spare you. Seeing the lyrics will probably be enough to get you humming that tune if you remember 1994 at all.

Along the 4 mile stretch of road between the exit off of I-20 on your way to "downtown" Aniston a phenomenon has occurred among the businesses. I've noticed this over the last few years that we have been holding our annual family reunion here and finally determined that it was worth documenting before all these little places board up their windows.

We'll start with the ones you probably already recognize. Household names really. Old dear friends.

For the record, I did not get a picture of Mickey D's or CiCi's pizza. I thought that might be overkill (like this already isn't?).

Next up:
Last names

And, technically, this next one probably doesn't officially count since there is no apostrophe to show possession of this store but I think it fits nicely into this same general category.

Coming up:
Run of the Mill First Names.
The kind of name your dad or sister-in-law might have.

That one is for you, June. Well, it is if you change the 't' to a 'v' but it's close enough right? No? Oh well, I tried.

INDALES? What are INDALES?



Next on our list: (Good night! You mean there are more?!)

Not so common first names
Names I will forever regret not considering for my children because who doesn't love to shock their husband's granny with name choices?
"What kind of name is that?!"

Radney's

Mata's

Zandra's

And my personal favorite:
Notice: Healthi-er choices - not the healthi-est choices but hey! it's better than nothin'.

Of course, the entrepreneurs of Aniston are not limited to first and last names.


And, naturally, would any town be complete without the local nut-case?

And last but not least, even though it doesn't fit in this category at all, is our all-time favorite simply for the characterization of a grub.

Don't you just love the selection at the Grub Mart? Look at all the wonderful things a grub can buy! .... Propane, Barber, EBT (?), Milk and Air! My! My! What a cornucopia!