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What Really Happened at Thanksgiving
I run under the assumption that I think I know everything that happens in our house. That is, until I start reading the kid’s school journals about what they did — or rather, their impression of what happened. Here’s some excerpts from my first grader’s Thanksgiving Journal: …â€and I went home. and I ate a hal (half). (why the period here?) jiyit (giant) pes (piece) ovfe (of) piy. (pie.) (So that’s what happened to the rest of the pumpkin pie.) and hers (here’s) my storey of Thanksgiving (why no period here?) I ate to servings of mashbtados (mashed potatoes.) †THEN…. and I fergot to add. This brother was being.…
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The smell of water at midnight
A bottle is purchased every 55 seconds. (My sale hit at exactly 11:43, November 28, 2010 EST.) For nine decades, this iconic scent remains the world’s best selling perfume of all time. Chanel N°5was not original to Coco Chanel, but rather was inspired by the recreation based of a perfume that had originally been created for a Romanov dynasty celebration in 1914, le Bouquet de Catherine. Could it be Chanel N°5 is so alluring be because of its mystery? This was one of the first complex fragrances — the fragrant components cannot be isolated out of the composition. You cannot, no matter how hard you try, pick out the top…
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When 23 degrees doesn’t feel like 23
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Turkey, salt rubbed, and grilled (amazing) by my husband. Since then, the temperatures dropped significantly up here at the lake. Yet, we promised we’d take the boys on the infamous toboggan run. However, we were not dressed for it — no snow pants, and I was even wearing my “city” hat, which meant that the hat could not be worn — or I’d loose it at the speed of 33 miles per hour. My knees shook, and my breath froze as we drove into the park, the tall trees beckoning us by bending forward to greet us from the winds. My husband and I decided…
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For just 5 bucks
we found this Storm Trooper Costume…. complete with feet straps. Because, you know how rough those storms can get… they can just blow your socks right off. Here’s a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card. Read about V8 V-Fusion and leave me a comment here.
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Make Your Own Baked Chips
Is it just me, or do you get a funny after taste when you bite into a store-bought chip out of a plastic bag? To overcome the flat taste, we usually dip the chip in some salsa, which does hide that blah taste we’d rather not have sitting on the backs of our tongues. Real chips leave no such baggage on our tongues, and can stand on their own, without salsa. And no, they are not that difficult to make — and even better, you don’t need to have them “spread out in one even layer” for this recipe to work. It’s pretty much fail-proof. Here’s what you do. Heat…
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We Have our Methods of Finding Out
“A boy in my class told me he got bit by a vampire bat; and now he’s a vampire.. and he’s going to suck my blood.†His brother looks at him, with a very serious look and says, “Are there mirrors in your classroom?†“Why?†“If there are mirrors, then he won’t show up… because he’s really invisible…Well, that’s because he’s actually DEAD, anyway.” “There are mirrors, but the mirrors are too high.” “You can bring garlic to school… vampires are afraid of garlic.†“Tomorrow, I am SO taking garlic to school, and I’m going to see if he starts running.†The garlic is already packed, peeled, in his backpack……
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What Are You Doing In My Pantry?
I found this little can of tomato paste three summers ago at the lake. This variety comes “With Italian Herbs,” and that little bit of spice changes up this little can of paste miraculously into a kid-friendly, bitter-free sauce. Spread onto a tortia shell with a bit of mozzarella cheese, and popped under the broiler for a few seconds made a perfect afternoon snack on many summer days. When I came back home, I expected to find this can lined up in the grocery store shelves at home. But alas, I’m still waiting for this stuff to appear. So I have resigned myself that Italian Herb tomato paste is just…
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An Annotated Mantle
Mother’s Day Poster, “My Mom Can Do Anything…” Sepia-toned pictures of boys catching and selling frog food. My mom’s blue apothecary jar. A first grader’s discovery into the art of drawing shapes in 3-d on the back of an envelope. A “rattle ball” made in the rec center clay class when my oldest boys were in preschool and I was pregnant with baby number 3. Small bits of clay inside make a rattling sound. Family portrait taken the day after Mom and Dad returned from Europe. Clay finger bowls made in clay class from number 5. Photograph of the massive tree house my husband built at our last house. New…
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Vintage Weather Guide
My little boys are busy putting some of my mom’s nostalgia into a photo album again. They came across this empty notebook. The pages in this “red steer” notebook are unfortunately empty — no cryptic notes about the cost of soybeans, or the price of beef. What a great vintage poster this would make.
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