Genetic Faults

When I was in High School my dad would drive us to school wearing a giant striped robe with a hood. Yes with the hood on. Holding a mug of coffee. I SWORE that "I WOULD NEVER EMBARRASS MY KIDS LIKE THAT!"
Turns out I would. At least I wore a fleece jacket over my cowgirl pajamas this morning, and yes I was holding a mug of coffee.
Maybe the next generation can break the cycle.

Genetic Faults

Enjoying the Small Things

You know how God whispers in your ear sometimes? He tells you that you are sleeping and it's time to wake up. This morning I came across this blog and it woke me right up.
http://enjoyingthesmallthings.blogspot.com/
My younger son was born almost 6 weeks prematurely, and when they took him away to the NICU he seemed to be gone for a long time. The NICU specialist came back to talk to my husband and I and as he was talking I only remember hearing a few words, syndrome, physical markers, genetic defects......I was putting puzzle pieces together in my head, not liking what was coming together. I remember glancing at my husband who was listening, but wasn't hearing what I was hearing. I knew what the doctor was trying to say in a round-about way, but I knew my husband's puzzle was FAR BEHIND mine. I cautiously said, "You're not talking about Down's Syndrome are you?" He shook his head yes.
I walked straight back to the bed hoping that this was a pregnancy induced nightmare. I couldn't look my husband in the eye, it was too painful, I couldn't make happy phone calls, because I couldn't speak the words.
As the day wore on we made some phone calls to family members to try and make this go away.....and little by little we heard things that eased our minds. Our son was born with 4 out of the 5 physical markers for Down Syndrome, but he was one in a million? billion? that didn't have actually have it.
I felt so relieved, and so thankful, but you know how life creeps back in, there are diapers to be changed, homework to check, and life is just life.
After reading this blog, that was sent to me today, God whispered "wake up". And I listened.

Enjoying the Small Things

It's Deee-licious

Did you drink this growing up? It is sooo good. Mix everything up in a HUGE bowl and put it into smaller containers. Add 1 tablespoon of mix to a mug of boiling water! Yummm....It's a little ghetto-licious... But don't let that stop you from trying it!
These measurements are to taste, add a little more or less of what you like. Great for a cold or the flu!

1 jar Unsweetened Nestea Mix (I found Decafenniated)
1 quart container Tang
1 quart container Lemonade
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp ground cloves
1 tsp grated nutmeg
*1 tbsp ground ginger (I'm on a ginger kick so I added some in)
* Add in some "Red Hot" candies If it sounds good to you!

It's Deee-licious

Colorado School Shooting

Our hearts and prayers go out to the family's of the school children who were shot yesterday, as well as to those children who are terrified to return to school.
Makes you want to homeschool doesn't it?

The shooter was not a student, but does that even matter at this point? How many school shootings can we take, not only here in Colorado but everywhere.

Kevlar vests for students? Keep them home? What?

Colorado School Shooting

Taco Tuesday

I'm heading on over to "Works for Me Wednesday", won't you join me?
Yesterday was Taco Tuesday! (No we don't have tacos every Tuesday, but doesn't it sound festive!) Recently I looked on the back of a taco seasoning packet and felt like calling poison control!

(Click to enlarge, if you would like to see the disgusting ingredients)

So I went on the World Wide Web and found a recipe for homemade taco seasoning. I found it here:

Doesn't it look so pretty in the jar, kind of like the dessert. (It's snowing here what can I say, I'm dreaming of the dessert!)

I blended half of the spices in my Spice Grinder. It is just a coffee grinder that I only use for spices. And no I don't grind my own spices everyday. I didn't want to grind all of it because it is so pretty when you can identify the spices that you are eating. Except for my children who will interrogate me if the see some color in their food and demand to know what it is. Just lie, it's the right thing to do.

About that lying thing...do they need to know that they are eating shredded cabbage instead of lettuce....no......Organic Greek Yogurt instead of Sour Cream..........no...Ground Turkey instead of Beef.......no.....Whole Grain Tortillas.......Oh come on, your mom did it to you too!
Homemade works for me!!

Taco Tuesday

I see London....

We have a sweet sheepdog named Casey. (When she's not biting me to get my attention) She rarely barks, (we've only heard her a few times), she doesn't shed, and she's the only other girl in the house!


Yesterday she was outside playing with the neighborhood dogs in the snow. We all have open gates between the homes so the dog's and kids can go from back yard to back yard. Our neighbors could not be sweeter, so it works out great!


Casey started barking and barking, so I went to see what was wrong. She was chasing our next door neighbor's dog around and around this shrub and I realize they are fighting over something. Because of the snow I couldn't really tell what it was because it was white.......and........lacey........oh.....no. Oh yes. I made a mad dash for the tug-of-war altercation and this is what a wrangled out of the neighbor dog's mouth.


My un.der.wear. Nice.

I see London....

Healthy and Fun Dinner

Bison is readily available here in Denver, but grass-feed beef would be great too!

I used two pounds of ground bison. Put between two sheets of waxed paper, using a rolling pin spread bison until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Then you can cut into "slider squares" and grill them. We are grilling indoors at the moment!

Just mix a ranch dressing packet with Organic Greek Yogurt and buttermilk, and then stick it back into the Hidden Valley squeeze bottle.

I'm happy, they're clueless.

Mini Bison Sliders are in full rotation on the dinner menu around here. (I substitute shredded cabbage for the iceberg lettuce. It is so much better for you, and no one can tell the difference!) Pair with sweet potato fries, and some veggies with "Ranch dip" and you are all set. Don't kid yourself with the tiny plate above, that would be mine. My older son can eat 6 sliders all by himself.
Sliders work for brown bag lunches as well!

Healthy and Fun Dinner

Lent Challenge

http://simplycatholic.net/old-pages/40-trash-bag-challenge/

The blog Simply Catholic is doing a 40 trash bag challenge. I joined up. You don't have to be Catholic or observe Lent to be a part of it. I don't think I could fill that large of a bag every day, but I know that I could fill a shopping bag. Since I have many G-Dub bags laying around, I'm just going to fill them up and bring them back with new stuff!

What's in my first bag?

High, high, high heeled sandals. I'm a small person, so I love high heels, however with my new skill of falling, I thought I should go a little lower this season.

3 quarter (sleeve) length sweaters. I bought them in every color last year, and do you know something? Denver has 3 temperatures. -20, 20, and 80. (Sometimes all in the same day) So theoretically half your arm is freezing, or sweating. Hate them. Live and learn.

Random clothes that I'm sick of or just don't fit well.

A good rule is that one new article of clothing comes in another goes out. That's a hard one, but it does keep you closet under control. If you can't find a hanger to put it on, then something has to go to free up a hanger. (My husband is either laughing hysterically, or printing this post to hang in the closet.) He has no idea how I actually have to edit the clothing. I'm.a.girl. Get it?!

When you are giving to the Goodwill, or any other charity. Please only give wearable, useful clothing. If you can't wear it because it is ripped to shreds or has a large paint stain down the front, someone else can't wear it either. That's not helpful.

You can go to Simply Catholic to sign up for yourself! Happy Organizing!

Lent Challenge

O Magazine is all about De-Cluttering Your Life!! this month. Since you all know that I love O Magazine and the show Hoarders on A&E the combination has made me make a mad dash for the Goodwill Drive-Through and unload a ton of things from my closet on Ebay so that someone else can hoard it. First, let me say in all honesty, I have broken all of the Oprah Rules Thus far:

1) Don't build a wardrobe built on fantasy.
But what if I meet Don Draper, and his secretary just quit, and I'm wearing one of my 10 sexy secretary outfits and well, one typing thing leads to another and we go out for a drink and a ciggie and..........get it?



2)Don't Buy Your Favorites Over and Over.
Three words: Brown .Tweed .Blazers. Looooovee Them. No Idea Why.....Maybe if I'm wearing one and I'm in Harvard Square and they need a professor lets say to teach......Making Dog Treats 101....and there I am all professor-ed up.....(See rule #1)

3)Don't Shop For the Beautiful but Impractical.
Jessica Simpson Brown Suede Pointy Toe 5 inch heals. I wore them and screamed. Not in ecstasy but in severe pain! It sounded much like her singing. I looked sooooo hot! Because I was sweating over the excruciating level of torture. It was right up there with childbirth....but you know, with my feet....did that make sense? It's 5am so I'm not so sure.

This is just step one in my Oprah-ized blog post. I think I will do a series. Do come back for more.

Ahhhh Mother In Laws......

My MIL has been staying with us for the past week for my nephew's Bar Mitzvah festivities. And can I say....Bless her heart.....the poor thing has her foot permanently lodged in her mouth.
Up to her ankle.
Now the beauty of having a blog is that when she says these incredibly insulting things to me I just write them down so that I can blog about them later! I used to get my feelings hurt and now I'm so excited to have blogging material, I'm thinking "Bring it!". Now you might be worried that she is reading this right now, but don't worry because this is how our story begins.

Read Aloud with a very loud and strong Brooklyn accent:
Okay....proceed...

MIL: "Oh your blog......I read that a few times...in the beginning. I don't really have time, to sit around all day on the computer."
(as I was sitting around typing a blog post yesterday)

MIL: "You know Dee, you really aren't that unique" (referring to me blogging about my crazy brain)

After the second comment I turned to my husband who was pretending to read the paper and announced loudly. "Hey did you hear that one!! She said I wasn't that unique!" With this crazy smile on my face because I knew that it would be blogged about shortly.

Don't worry I informed her after the offensive comment that she just landed herself on the blog.

I wonder if they have surgery that can remove the foot from her mouth. That position couldn't possibly be comfortable. But then again she must be used to it.

Ahhhh Mother In Laws......

You wanna a piece of me?

Did you ever have one of those days (weeks) when everyone needs a piece of you? Yesterday was my day! My nephew's Bar Mitzvah was this past weekend, so we had a ton of family in from out of town, at one of the events my son's cell phone quit working and he NEEDED a new one ASAP. (He'll be 16 next month.) So with all of the family coming and going, parties, services, and all that comes with major events, my son is fixated on getting a new phone. (Who knows how many hotties have texted him! He NEEDS it now!) Sooooo I'm trying to get the phone situation worked out, my husband is buried up to his eyes at work, my Mother In Law is staying with us................you know the drill. Everyone needed a piece of me, so the dog was feeling a little neglected in all of this chaos, walked by me very casually, and BIT ME on the muffin top. Anyone else need a piece of me?

You wanna a piece of me?

What!

I'm doing better but here are some funny car moments I've had in the past few months.

I was driving home from the store, and I had this terrible panicked feeling that I was driving home with someone else's car that I found in the parking lot. Hmmm? Then....

I saw a policeman parked on the side of the road, and you know that paranoid feeling that you get in your stomach that you might be speeding so you check for the the flashing lights for the next 5 miles? Well I kept checking my gas gage and thinking ok good I have a half a tank I'm safe, then I would check it again just to make sure it was still half full so I wouldn't get a ticket. It wasn't until I got home that I realized I was checking the wrong gage on the dashboard. Whaaaa?

Dr. Shah please don't take my license away again, I'm sure these are isolated incidents! Right?

The GOOD news is that I realize these are a little off. If I didn't know then I would be in BIG TROUBLE. (I like to look on the bright side!)

What!

My design crush...

Ok as you know by now I have a design crush on Eddie Ross. I wouldn't say I'm a stalker, but I do follow him around the web a little bit. I don't think his boyfriend Jaithin has anything to worry about, our relationship is DESIGN based. So I was reading a post here: http://purestylehome.blogspot.com/2010/01/eddie-ross-before-after-guest-blog.html

about a little copper tray that he picked up his fabulous outing at a New York Flea Market, in his cute puffer jacket and burberry scarf. It looked like this:


Well as serendipity would have it, I was perusing my favorite boutique, in my lucky jeans and down parka and what did I happen upon? hmmmmmm........

This is the AFTER picture! I had to scrub that thing for-ev-er. Of course once again I did take a BEFORE picture without the card in the camera!! Canon will you please have an alarm go off if someone is taking pictures with no card in the camera! So here is Eddie's in all of its Rat Pack Glory!

Here's mine:

We're having family friendly martinis! Just use Sparkling Cider with Pom pomegranate juice! Delicious, good for you, the kids can have some, and it is a beautiful red color for valentines day!
Here is another way, for a fancy treat:

Cookies and milk anyone?
I'm telling you the best chocolate milk ever is shaken in a stainless steel martini shaker with ice. Try it!
Eddie would be so proud!

My design crush...

Caitlin Cookies

Girl Scout Cookies are delicious, especially the Lemon Chalet Creams. I know this because I just ate an entire sleeve of them all by myself. (No, not feeling that great right at the moment.) They are sooo lemon-y and kind of salty too? Just enough to make you eat another one just to see if that is what you are tasting. Now repeat. I also like the Thin Mints. Now here at our house, Thins Mints are actually called "Caitlin Cookies". They got their name about 14 years ago when our friend's daughter sold us A CASE of THIN MINTS. Our boys LOVED them, and named them Caitlin Cookies, the name stuck and we still call them that to this very day. Oh by the way, Caitlin graduated from Duke and now she works on Wall Street. Cheers to Caitlin and her delicious cookies!
I suggest you take a stainless steel martini shaker fill with crushed ice, milk and Hershey's dark chocolate syrup, shake it like a martini, and serve it in a frosty martini glass. Or do what my boys do, drink the milk from the carton until it is empty and then put it back in the fridge.

Caitlin Cookies

Bar Carts

Eddie Ross started it!

You know how you never notice "something", and then you start thinking about it, and then you see them everywhere? (Does that make any sense at all?) Like when you're pregnant you see pregnant women everywhere......like that?

Well it is bar carts for me right now. I have never noticed them before, and now I see them EVERYWHERE.

Take a look in Jack Donaghy's office on 30 Rock. (if you don't watch it you should, it is soo funny. Tina Fey is the best, okay Alec Baldwin is not bad either.)

Bar Carts

G-Dub Boutique

Before Bar Cart It even came with a set of tongs!

Primer with Lots of Painters Tape!

Satin Black Spray Paint

After

You may know this from previous posts, but I will re-cap. I'm working through a brain injury so I can't drink alcohol or caffeine. The good news is that espresso comes in decaf! *Plus two teenage boys and their friends coming and going don't really call for a cart of booze in the dining room! What a perfect spot for coffee flavorings instead of bottles of wine.

I make a mean latte! I even had my favorite barista come for my 40th Birtday Party!

G-Dub Boutique

Eddie Murphy McDonalds

Pretend like you see the pictures of the beautiful dinner that I made. My younger son said, stop taking pictures of it, we want to eat it! (The card wasn't in the camera!! So no pictures were actually taken.

AAAArrrgh! Why didn't the camera tell me... dang it!)

Do you remember the Eddie Murphy Delirious Concert when he talked about wanting a McDonald's hamburger and his mom says, "you don't need no McDonald's we got meat at home." Then she proceedes to make him a hamburger with giant chunks of green pepper on Wonder Bread? I laughed so hard back in the day, because all of our mothers pulled that.
Guess what?

I'm Eddie Murphy's mother now.

Tonight the boys wanted Chili's. Well the older one will want the queso appetizer, a giant bacon-cheese burger, fries, and the molten lava cake for dessert. Now that would require me to tell him to reel it in, he can't order for twelve people..etc..the younger one will want the Mac n' Cheese for $6.95 that is the same garbage that comes out of the box. No Thanks!
So I tell them that instead of going out I'll make "Chicken Nachos...Hooray!" I'm trying to really sell it! They rolled their eyes and chicken nachos it was!
You know, whole grain chips, organic chicken, home made salsa, avocado, greek yogurt (they think it's sour cream)...the works!
They were less than impressed. Even though I threw in the whole-wheat flour tortilla chips with cinnamon sugar for dessert. They were great...I ate most of them.
Just call me Mrs. Murphy

Eddie Murphy McDonalds

Simple Pleasures...

Ahhhh, I am feeling much better. I spent some time with my therapist, her name is Rowenta and she is pictured above. Some people yell at the kids, kick the dog, snarl to people on the phone. I iron.....everything.... Now I know this sounds sick to many of you but I know at least two readers who share my passion for the Rowenta and it's healing powers! (Hi Lisa K. and Mary!) This is NOT to be confused with Lisa R. who does not share my passion for the iron.

Now if you love to iron you have to get the Rowenta, it is a little pricey, but use the 20% off coupon to Bed Bath and Beyond that you have shoved in the glove compartment. While you're there search for this cleaner. It is magic! Don't ask me how I gunked up my iron, but this stuff took it right off!

My shirts are pressed and I am sooo much better now.

A few years ago one of my son's little friends was over and said, "You do some things in this house that we don't do in mine...." I was hesitant because we have Jewish customs and he has Christian customs, and I thought that it was going to be some uncomfortable religious discussion, so I said, "What things?" and he made an "ironing" motion and said, "You know that thing you do!"

Ohhhhh ironing!

Ironing is my simple pleasure!

(I don't want to hear "Simple Mind, Simple Pleasure". Just because I'm going through a "simple mind" phase doesn't mean it will last forever!)

Simple Pleasures...

So How Was Your Day?.....

Oh, thank you for asking. I try not to make this blog all sunshine and unicorns, but if you think that I do this post will change your mind.
So....I woke up this morning with the world's worst sore throat. I'm a sore throat aficionado so I know the worst when I feel it. I think some store brand Daytime Cold Medicine seems like a good idea. So I took some.
Well, when your neurologist says, no mind-altering substances like alcohol or caffeine he should throw in the Daytime Cold Medicine. Because guess what? I felt like I had ingested about a kilo of Cryst*l M*th. I'm not kidding. I told my husband that maybe I needed to go to the ER for the Cryst*l M*th antidote if one existed. And that if he came home from work and I had moved to a trailer park and stopped wearing a bra he would know why! (Why would you purposely do this to yourself? I can't imagine!! That was NOT FUN!!)
It started to wear off a little, so I thought it was safe for me to run some errands. You know selfish stuff like returning one child's library book and buying another one at Barnes and Noble to replace the other one from school that he misplaced, buying groceries, putting gas in the car etc....
Now in the back of my speed-twitching mind I remember that I have to pick up my older son for batting practice at 2:80......yeah you read it right. So at 2:50 I get the frantic phone call, WHERE ARE YOU? I'm thinking I have time, whats the hysteria? As the clock clicks 3:00 I realize that there is no such thing as 2:80. He doesn't speak to me all the way to the batting cages. (He was on time by the way, but don't let that little detail curtail his breakdown.) Because of that delay, on the way to pick up my younger son my phone rings and he says, "Mom do we need to go over the "No Child Left Behind Policy" AGAIN! He's funny that one. It is then that he decides that we need to have the ever-popular, "How come I can't have rated Mature Video Games when everyone else does" argument for the bajillionth time this week.
I would like to go to bed now please. Good night. (Oh yeah not only is there no such thing as 2:80. I thought 2:80 was ten minutes before 3:00. Still not right. My math is still a little off.)
How was your day?

So How Was Your Day?.....

Brain Dysfunction

Don't ask me how this blog went from Brain Dysfunction to my Goodwill obsession but maybe the two are related. A friend said that maybe finding something that I'm good at: re-finishing furniture, re-purposing things, enjoying my home, and sticking with it is making me feel better. Maybe she's right. I don't know. My brain is better, but took a back-slide about a week ago. Don't ask me why, nothing has really changed, but my old "brain tricks" came back. I think that it will come and go, so I'm not to worried about it. Who needs to know that it is 2010 anyway. (Just typing it seems weird.) Oh and if someone should say "Twenty-Ten" I think, "isn't that 30?" What the heck are they talking about!?

Crazy I know.

Brain Dysfunction