Haiku Wednesday

Stovetop, you siren

I am your gormandizer

Who's stuffed with regret

(I seriously am gonna hurl just looking at that picture of the box...

I think I ate 5 servings while I did homework
and drank 4 bottles of water on top of that. Oy oy oy)

Random Shmandom

I helped mark the boundaries of the Gilbert youth soccer fields this morning from 8-11. It was REEEEEALLY humid and hot and clouds of mosquitoes were bouncing off me. I saw them land on the rims of my glasses. I don't think I got one bite, though. They were so thick I'm surprised I didn't bite THEM. Thank you, bug spray. Even though you stung my face when I put you on, I owe you one. We'll see how next Saturday goes..... hopefully my sweat wont be as unrelenting. Either way, I'm there to make sure all the fields get lined and Matthew has a place to play his soccer games. Go my favorite sports team! Score a goal... unit... basket! Beat the opponents soundly! (comedian Brian Regan)

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Matt: Megan, I have lots of movies in my head!

Meg:  Matthew, those are called memories, silly!

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Matt: (after screaming his head off about a spider that scrambled up his arm) It was big and it had like five legs!

Me:  Matthew, spiders have eight legs.  Like an octopus.

Matt:  They DO?  ok, it had like eight legs and it was brown,  I think it was a black widow.

Me:  uhhh. ok. whatever.

(How on earth did a 6 yr old male not know that spiders have 8 legs??  I've failed as a parent)

Retroku

Guitar Class tonight

I can't feel my fingertips

The cost of progress

I'm officially in love.

yes.  with the dancing lemon...

wait, no, that's NOT what I meant to say.  but clooooose. 

I'm in love with lemon.  the fruit.  I love it on just about everything.  I love it especially on any type of vegetable

(especially asparagus and broccoli). 

I just had lemon squeezed on my left-over redskin mashed potatoes.  hohklahoma.  it was delish. 

And this kid in the lemon costume ain't too weird. 
ok, I lied. it is. 
it's even weirder on an adult. 

Why on EARTH would you EVER need or want to dress up as a lemon?
EEK!

 -and might I add, please do not EVER search the term "lemon cartoon" in google pics......  seriously.

Love me some lemons!

Harden your kids and watch them grow

Just waiting for my zune to charge so I can go jogging. So, of course, I blog.  We went to a company swim party tonight at Mesquite Aquatic Center and it brought me back to the good old days when I went there for swim team practice during the summer.  I'd get up and ride my bike 3 miles to get there at 6 am.  I'd swim my little hiney off for an hour and then ride my bike home.  I was 12.  What 12 year old do you know now-a-days that would do that?  We're so used to going everywhere in our air conditioned cars.  Let your kids get out and explore! If they don't want to, just shove them out with a bottled water and a snack, say "have fun!," and lock the door.  And then you can cry as you watch them through the window.  We used to have so much fun outside.  We'd make bike trails with jumps and we dug a tunnel that led to a big underground room.  We'd make blowtorches out of aerosol cans and play in mud.  We even played night games in our front yards.  Yes, it's hot.  That's what water is for. Kids need no-parent time to be inventive.  It helps their brains, I swear it! 
(Just make sure to have homeowners' insurance cause it saved my parents when Rob set our shake-shingle roof on fire.... on accident....of course )
Here's a news article about "outside time" from Wales- and seeing as I'm mostly Welsh, I say it's fitting that I link to it :)

Review..... of the Review.

While I wait for the flat iron to heat up I thought I'd tell you all that the show on Saturday went awesome! 

I got to rub shoulders with some performers from CA and NY and everyone did amazing on their songs!  Aaron and I sang Alone in the Universe (Seussical). He was horton the elephant and I was Jojo the mayor's son.  I sang an Annie Medley with Rebecca Barney, Fly Fly Away solo (Catch me if you Can), and then I was in a women's ensemble number of Cell block Tango (Chicago) where was had to dress in black and act all sexy complete with fishnet stockings and in which I had a monologue about how I shot my husband Bernie cause he wouldn't stop popping his gum. yeeahhhhh... I was a little embarrassed to do that one in front of the family. ha. Then we had 2 full ensemble numbers- Whistle a Happy tune (The King and I)/It's a Grand Night For Singing (A Grand Night For Singing) mash up and The Money Song (Avenue Q). 

There were about 25 acts and I was really so impressed with everyone's performances.  Some seriously great performers there and I was flattered to have been asked to perform alongside them.

When we were packing up after the show, my opening act partner, Steve Wertz (the NY guy), told me that they should bring Wicked to AZ and I should play Elphaba (the green wicked witch).  I told him that he could be the one to bring it here and I'd do it as a personal favor to him. LOL  I really loved working with such talented and complimentary people. 

Ok, so now that I got the review review out of the way and my flat iron is hot I just wanted to say it's my first day of school and this is going to be a FULL SEMESTER holy hannah.  Ready or not, here I come. 

AND I thought I'd eat some crow and tell you that there is a a REALLY PESKY MOSQUITO buzzing around my head. dang blammit! :) 

Have a super great Monday, y'all!

Moaskee toes

Moaskee-toes.  The emphasis is on the Mo. 

I have mixed feelings about mosquitoes.  Not like the mixed feelings I have about the 202/60 overpass over by ellsworth. No, I actually have a respect for the convenience of said overpass and I think it's really cool and futuristic-looking.  Like I'm in the middle of a futurama episode.  but I also hate that it blocks the view of the majestic superstitions as you're heading west on the 60.  So.... love/hate category. 

However, mosquitoes evoke a different emotion.  Actually I should say that they anti-voke.  SOMEtimes they are pesky, but I don't hate them.  I think it's because of the fact that everyone attributes their strongest emotion, HATE, to them.  Why so crazy?  Everyone's strong emotions trigger an "I really don't care" attitude in me  <-----that's very much me.  Like when we went camping with a bunch of girls this weekend and all the girls (and women chaperone's) were squealing about big bugs.  I came over and threw the bugs (wowza they WERE big) out the door and had to teach the girls that the bugs weren't there to harm them.  They're just hangin out.  yep, mosquitoes are pesky bugs, but they're easy to kill. They are like little flying hairs- so fragile and easy to dispose of.  Besides which there are tons of anti-mosquito products that will ward them off.  dont be a-hatin. 

However, I have to say that they give me both mild annoyance and mild pleasure as well.  bad: when I just smacked my face really hard after feeling one on my eyebrow, good: when they land on my arm and I can squish them like a blood balloon.  that's pretty cool.

Retroku

hair, clothes, ruffle bed

ruler table, sewing tips

Pinterest in my head.

All Aboard! Pinterest is the new black.

Ok, I know this is soooo over-blogged in blogiverse, but I decided that enough of my real live face-to-face friends haven't heard of Pinterest, so I needed to spill the proverbial beans.  Pinterest is bookmark meets facebook. sooooo...... "facemark"... or better yet, "bookbook."


Pinterest is a site that gives you a personal profile where you can store links to pages that you like and you can organize them in folders, or what they like to call "pinboards" or just "boards."  The best part is that all of these "bookmarks" you pin are represented by large pictures instead of just words which is extra wonderful for us "visual" females :) yay!  (and yay for quotation marks, cuuuuuuuzzzz I'm using them a lot in this "post.")

What i really like is that they have a "Pin It" button you can add to your browser toolbar so that if while you are surfing the internet you find something interesting, all you have to do is click the button and add it to one of your pinboards without leaving the site. 

You can "like" and comment on other people's pins and you can also "repin" something you find and like on someone else's boards.  You can follow individual boards or people and you have your own followers as well (which is twitterish...  so, maybe it's twitbookbooker).

Want to check it out? 

Here is MY pinterest profile... 

Have fun!

Isn't this precious?

Artist: Matthew Shumway

Source: 1st Grade Classroom

I love the thumb nubbins. And that smiley face is adorable.  It's interesting to see how your children view themselves.

Every desire you have at its core exists because you think attaining it will make you happy; but happiness can only be attained in the present moment. Therefore any desire you have to be happy in the future is blocking your ability to be happy now. Only when you are at peace with what is now, will you ever find happiness now.
Jackson Kiddard

Mellowists and December Mushroom.

Yes, I know that this will be the fourth post in two days..... I have fought the urge to post all day, but I just wanted to say that I'm so excited for our anniversary date tonight!  Mellow Mushroom and Decemberists concert on the Docket! wee wah.

Prickly Pear Jelly

Ok, Rebekkah, this is for you J

  I made this tutorial in 2009 and apparently I didn’t post it on the blog... uh yeah..  who knows why.  I did it a week before teaching the young women how to do it at an activity.  In the pictures Matthew is his cute 4-yr-old self. awww.  cute.  Anyway, I’m posting it now because:

ItS tImE tO pIcK yOuR pRiCkLy PeArS! 

This week, people!  If you don’t have access to one, just drive out to ASU East- we have the most productive prickly pear cacti I’ve ever seen right by the VA Hospital.

Things you’ll need:

Tongs
Rubber Gloves- BTW you'll get pokies EVERYWHERE.
Bucket
A hat. cause it’s hot out there.

Pick Prickly Pear Fruits in late July or Early August when very ripe.  Pick them with tongs and they should almost lift off the plant without effort.  If they are hard to remove, they are not ready so don't force it (first hose down cactus fruits if the plant is in your yard, if not, swish with water after fruits are picked).  Easy Peasy!  Don't be afraid, my 4yr old did it! Just pinch and twist.

 however, I don't think any of us will look as cute as this when we're picking them .... it's not possible to attain this level of cute past kindergarten!

Here they are in the bucket all yucky and dirty- wash them off- I used a potato scrubber. 

 Here they are all washed and ready to cook

Barely cover clean fruits with water in large kettle and simmer with lid on until very soft. 

 Mash with Potato Masher.  This will look really weird and the little brownish greenish slimey seeds will emerge.  I love nature. 

Do not strain.  Now cover a deep bowl or pot with a pillowcase and pull tight and bind the case with a rubberband.  This is your seive. 

Sieve through clean cloth. Do not squeeze fabric or try to mush fruit while on the cloth as this could move pricklies through the cloth and into your juice. Just pour the mush on top and let it sit for 15-20 minutes or so so that all the juice can work it's way through on it's own.  Patience is, in fact, a virtue.

 Rinse remains down the disposal then wash fabric in washer.

Now you have your Prickly Pear Juice! Kudos!

(note: For a stronger flavor you can reduce your juice by

boiling it down to your desired strength.  This concentration works fine, though)

Here is the Recipe for the Jelly:

CACTUS JELLY (that's what my mom calls it)

Stir in tall kettle:

3 ½ cups cactus juice

½ cup lemon juice

1 pkg pectin 
(little side note... Instead of Sure Gel pectin, there is a new pectin that you can get in UT[and maybe here] called Ultra Gel- it minimizes the amount of sugar you put in your jellies and jams! 
With Sure Gel you use 3 cups smashed fruit and 4 cups of sugar.
With Ultra Gel you use 4 cups smashed fruit and 2 cups of sugar.
Amazing right? Anyway, just thought you should know- you'd have to experiment with this recipe a little since the amounts are a little different, but basically whatever measurement you use for the fruit, you'd use 1/2 of that measurement for the sugar.)
Bring to boil and add:

5 cups sugar (or if using sure gel, ~1¾ cups sugar)

Return to boil.  Let boil 3 minutes.  Skim off bubbles, if necessary.  Pour into hot pint jars. Seal with lids and rings.  Let cool.  Jars should seal (pop) as temperature lowers.

Wah-LA!

 One more note: you will be finding pricklies in your kitchen for the next week no matter how many times you mop. YE BE WARNED

Haiku Wednesday. again.

Nothing tastes as good

Said the mother to herself,

as thin feels. Nothing.

(except maybe the tiramisu cake that you can special order at albertsons. 

That tastes about as good as I weighed in highschool.)

Haiku Wednesday

Their first day of school

no idea who dressed them (lol)

...........I think I'm lonely.
:(

Baby Shower Bows.....

This afternoon I went to a baby shower for my friend, Riki Wamsley, and her almost born daughter Emma Diane Wamsley.  If any of you have known me for a while you know that there is only one thing I bring to girl baby showers.  Bows.  Lots of Bows.  I looked through my hodge podge of crafting supplies and found sufficient supplies to create a sizable gift even though I haven't been shopping for bow stuff in years.  I guess that's what happens when you own a business and have a huge supply like we did.

Here's what I came up with... I'd have liked to do some brighter colors but I used what I had. (sorry about the dingy mat- that's what I use so that I dont get glue on my table... I've had it through the business years and in personal crafting too so.... like 7 years?  LOL)

I didn't sew anything in this batch which is odd for me, so I'm missing a whole other type of bows/flowers, but I didn't have it in me today :)  Maybe you'll see some sewing work of mine with the next shower.  All of the rhinestones are swarovski and are so sparkly but they don't photograph well. oh well.  Here is a close up of all of the bows...

This gray lace and felt one was made to match a grey and white striped outfit that my friend Jaime gave her already...  I don't know if you've noticed, but gray and yellow are a thing right now.

Sequins... are they out or in?  I guess we'll let Emma decide...

Tattered Lavender :)

I love LOVE this one.  It's super cute- i need to make one for us Shumway girls...

Shabby-chic Off-White one

 Sea Foam

 Hot Pink. Yeah baby.

Melted Ribbon.  Soft and Pretty.

Side view so you can see how fluffy :) 

Plain white flower

White Blessing Bow with ricrac elastic- looks whiter in person

side view so you can see the tool on front and behind

 Red layered Grosgrain and Organza on nylon.

These tiny ricrac ones are so precious on a head. Off a head? "eh."

 This one has 5 flowers on it so they pretty much go around the whole head. I love daintiness on babies.  You can see how I gathered the elastic under each flower.