Five Question Friday ALREADY?

Has a week already zipped by and I missed it? My, how these summer days fly by! I think I have thought about blogging something each day this week, but alas, when I logged in my last post was 5QF from last week. Shame on me! It's raining outside...a nice steady gentle sort of rain. You know the kind that's great for sleeping (especially when everyone else in the house is sleeping in when you come home from a 12-hour shift at work!), and that's just what I plan to do after I link up with Mama M at My Little Life. First things first, people! *smile* Here goes...

1. What is your best secret cleaning tip?
Ha ha ha ha. That is some punchline, I tell you! Oh, you mean that was a serious question? Well, let's see. I could tell you all sorts of "do as I say not as I do" scenarios, like establish a routine and do a little every day to avoid having a nightmare task ahead of you when company says they're coming. Share the responsibilities. I tried breaking it down to a series of daily tasks once upon a time ago, but it never really took off with the family and I got tired of feeling like "Cinderelly, Cinderelly..." Went something like this: Monday-mail & money (sort, recycle, shred, pay bills, etc.); Tuesday-Toilets (scrub) and towels (wash, fold, put away); Wednesday Wash (the rest of the laundry); Thursday-errands & grocery shopping (not much rhymes with "Thursday" but we get our grocery ads on Wednesday around here). Friday-floors (sweep, mop, vacuum). If you need additional help, just ask the Fly Lady!

2. What is your favorite food to snack on during movie night?
Popcorn and ice cream...sometimes whoppers or m&m's if I'm in a mood for candy

3. If it was up to you, what would you have named the royal baby?I probably would have just dropped the George and gone with Alexander

4. If you could be any Disney character who would you choose?
Ariel was the first Disney character to pop into my head. I would just love hanging out under the sea with Sebastian the crab and singing all of those great songs from The Little Mermaid.

5. What's the most important part of a healthy relationship?
Communication! Say what you mean and mean what you say. Say "I love you" often (if you mean it); listen as well as speak, etc...

My eyes are past "getting heavy" so I must go and let them rest for a while. Thanks for stopping by. Until next time...

Five Question Friday, a day late!

Well, amidst all of the excitement over Alisa's birthday and trying to figure out the fondant icing business, I forgot all about Five Question Friday! Until today that is. I jumped around and visited some of the participating blogs then decided to answer the questions myself. Even if I am a day late (and a dollar short...c'est la vie!) Here goes...

1. What is one thing you have too many of in your house?

According to my mom (and I agree that she is right), I have way too many dishes. I don't think I even have enough cabinet space for them all. I love my crystal serving bowls for special occasions and my Corningwear for every day use and my chips and dips set. The thing is, I use them! It's not like I have a bunch of stuff that I never use taking up space...well, okay, maybe the wooden cheese and cracker tray with the glass dome lid doesn't get used so much...

2. Did anything go not quite as planned on your wedding day?

My main agenda on my wedding day was to relax and enjoy it however it turned out. So much stress and planning goes into making a wedding special, but you never know how things will unfold. As my midwife told me years ago...you can plan your plans, but you can't plan the outcome. That said, we had a couple of bloopers which make for a good laugh as we watch our wedding video...

We forgot our marriage license and had to send the boyfriend of one of my bridesmaids to retrieve it. In his hurry (and in the light rain) he took a curve too fast and scuffed the paint on the bumper of his truck. Ouch! He saved the day though. Next, as the hubs and I were getting in the limo after the ceremony, I noticed that he was wearing his mother's 3-rose corsage instead of his single rose boutonniere. I wonder to this day what his mom was wearing? Finally, one of our lectors read the wrong reading. He caught himself and was flipping back and forth trying to find the right place. I think he finally got it, but I honestly don't remember!

I'd say thing went pretty smoothly, especially compared to some of the stories I've read while 5QF blog-hopping!

3. What is your favorite summer smoothie recipe?
I recently bought a "Nutribullet" so my son and I have been whipping up "smoothies" pretty regularly. My favorite is a handful of baby spinach leaves, vanilla yogurt, banana and assorted berries to fill the cup. I use a little water or juice to "liquify" it all. Sounds & looks kind of gross (remember red & green make brown!), but tastes great. I'm going to try throwing in flax meal for added er uhh "benefits" like April at THIS is what it's all about

4. What is the weather like where you are?
Today's high 95, low 73, chance of storms, 53% humidity. Last year this time we were in our umpteenth day of 100+ degree temps, so I'll take 95 with a chance of rain!

5. What is your favorite book to read to your kids?
We loved Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. We also had lots of Sandra Boynton books. I for one love the bug-eyed silly animals doing everyday stuff that rhymed. My daughter especially loved "mother-baby love" books: Time for bed and Guess How Much I Love You come to mind.

That's all for now folks! Gotta get some shut eye before I head for work later. Until next time...

happy birthday alisa

I can't believe my "baby" is 15 years old! Wasn't it just two weeks ago or so that she was two tiny handfuls all snuggled in my arms close to my heart with a nursery closet full of pink frilly stuff? *sniffle, sniffle* Alas, that was then and this is now. She won't snuggle in my arms, but she remains close to my heart...always.

Today, she's a beautiful young woman headed to her sophomore year in high school, learning to drive, excelling at everything she attempts...academics, dance, percussion She is creative and "artsy" and has an eclectic eye for fashion and design. She loves her iPad and spends hours playing candy crush and other games as well as scrolling through board after board on pinterest and pinning stuff. She loves babies and small furry creatures and non mainstream music. She's also used her iPad to make some fantastic videos of her youngest cousin Maycie. Very talented that daughter of mine is! I love her. 

I thought I would try to think of something really profound to say about raising daughters or kids growing up but it's all cliche so I'll just stick with how very much I love my girl forever and for always. That never gets old!

Here are a couple of pics from our dinner with my daughter's godparents and their family that was visiting from Louisiana plus some local friends...

 My first attempt to work with fondant icing...talk about a sticky situation!

 Alisa and her purple ombre layer cake

 Back row: Nicole, Lauren Aaron; middle row: Alisa, Victoria, Cierra, Sheridan, Ciel

Front: Sydney

 Happy Birthday to you,  Alisa!!

 Yum! layers of purple goodness...

June/July Celebrations

Every time I log on to my computer I'm reminded of all of the occasions I've missed blogging about. Just before leaving for my scrapbook retreat I downloaded pictures from 4th of July (this year) and our trip to New York with the school band at the end of April. As I was hunting for the pictures on my computer, I came across pics from a couple of years ago. Did I ever develop any of the photos? Have I already scrapped some of them and they're stashed in a pizza box somewhere in the "craft room" (aka, "multipurpose" or "catch-all" room)? I thought I might feel just a little better if I took a few minutes to at least post a few of the pics before I retire for the night. There will be more to come as I become more organized in the very near future!
The Hubs grew up always requesting caramel cake for his June 18th birthday. I have searched high and low for a recipe similar to his Aunt Zeda's recipe. I found this one at Betty Crocker's website. The cake looked like a caramel cake, but the icing just didn't quite do it for me. You can read my review if you click on the link. The cake part was good, but I'll keep looking for a better caramel frosting!

Here are pics from the 4th of July impromptu get-together at my parents' house. I say impromptu because mom literally called me the day before the holiday and asked if she should grill some hot dogs and burgers and have everyone over. Umm, no, not really. She wouldn't accept that since she was feeling a little guilty about skedaddling out of town for our scrapbook retreat on Friday July 5. Then she asks what I want to bring. Umm, nothing 'cause I have lots to do to get ready for said scrapbook retreat AND I had to work 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. on the night of the 4th. Anyway, we did end up getting together. I did end up making potato salad and a very patriotic five layer cake with whipped cream icing that slid all over the place inside the cake holder on the way to mom's...

 Me and the baby niece, Maycie

Cousins: Aaron, Xavier, Alisa, Micaela (Aaron's sig-o), Maycie & Leyla

 The slip-sliding away cake. It tasted great even if it was a little worse for its travels!

T'Lani's patriotic mini cupcakes. We did have real food, too, just in case you're wondering LOL!
I'll save the New York pics for a separate blog. Until next time...

Do the mashed potato!

Anybody out there remember how to do the mashed potato? Okay, I admit to being old enough to remember music from the 60's that referred to a dance called the mashed potato, but I have no idea about how to do the dance itself. That said, this post really isn't about a dance at all. It's about the side dish!
Years ago when I had just graduated college (the first time around) and I was in between apartments, I stayed with my friend Kathy for a couple of days. One night she fixed real honest-to-goodness mashed potatoes. No offense to my mom, but we mostly had mashed potatoes that started as white flakes out of a brown box when I was growing up. It could be that Mommy dear at some point in time did make us real mashed potatoes from scratch and my siblings and I complained that we liked the stuff out of the box better. I don't remember, but it could have happened. I have a couple of kids of my own now who have such warped taste. At any rate, Kathy was flabbergasted that I would think of eating mashed potatoes out of a brown cardboard box when "real" mashed potatoes were so easy to make.
Fast forward to this past Sunday night. My son's friend "T" joined us for church Sunday evening. On the way home we were talking about "what's for dinner?" It was already late so I was thinking of quick and easy. T mentioned that he love potatoes in any form or fashion. That got me to thinking about mashed potatoes to go with chicken tenders, cream gravy and mixed vegetables with broccoli thrown in for good measure. Here's the recipe I came up with with ingredients I had on hand:

Mashed Potatoes
3 large baking potatoes
2 quarts water (give or take...enough to cover the cut up potatoes)
1 T. Salt
2 oz cream cheese (I used reduced fat neufchatel)
2 T. butter or margarine
1/2 cup milk
salt & pepper to taste

Scrub and peel potatoes. Cut into eighths. Rinse in cold water. Place in large pot with enough water to cover potatoes. Add 1 tablespoon salt.
Bring potatoes to a boil. Reduce heat to med-high and cook for 10-12 minutes until potatoes are soft but not mushy. Turn off stove.
Drain potatoes and return to pot. Return pot to warm burner and cover with a lid. The residual heat will help "dry" any excess moisture from the potatoes.
Add cream cheese, butter or margarine and 1/2 cup milk to pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
**Remember you boiled the potatoes in salted water when adding additional seasoning to taste**
Beat with mixer or mash by hand with a potato masher until all ingredients are well-incorporated.
Yields about 6 servings of fluffy, flavorful goodness known as mashed potatoes!
Add some fresh chives, bacon bits and shredded cheese after whipping up the potatoes for "fully loaded mashed potatoes"!
Bon Apetit, mis amigos...until next time!

Time to call in the Professionals!

Well, folks, I've gone and done it! I couldn't be happier with my decision. I contacted a couple of professional organizers in my vicinity on Friday, and I'm waiting to hear back from them!! I have blogged over and over about the cluttered state of my house. I posted pics of shame and horror on a website I don't even remember the name of now in the hopes of embarrassing myself into action. I have made pacts with friends to commit to cleaning one area at a time and be accountable to one another until the transformation was complete. (That only lasted about a day-LOL!) I have repeatedly turned down offers of help from family members who enter my house and shake their heads in sympathy. I have endured even the youngest of extended family members berating my (lack of) housekeeping abilities ("E, your house is a mess. You need to clean this table off!). I have listened to my own mother threaten to report me to every cable television show that deals with conquering clutter in a very big and public way...e.g., Clean Sweep, Extreme Makeover, etc. I have survived the sting of sarcasm as the clutter has careened further and further out of control (the truth hurts!): "So, I see you've made a lot of progress since I was last over..." I'm tired of living in what Fly Lady calls CHAOS (can't have anyone over syndrome). I am finally saying enough is enough!
If I am to return to school (which really isn't an if since it's mandatory if I want to keep my current job), I need ORGANIZATION! I cannot possibly work full time and be involved with the kids' school and band activities and go back to school even part time with my house in the state that it currently is in. Why have I waited so long, you may ask? It's what it always boils down to: Money, money, money. Once upon a time ago I had money and my house wasn't cluttered. The hubs and I were "DINKs": dual income, no kids. Then along came child #1 and two years later child #2. The air conditioner went out, the fence needed replacing, the house needed painting, etc. Then were single income, dual kids. Then 9/11 happened and our one income changed drastically as the Hubs works for American Airlines. Our debt ran amuck. I went back to school for nursing in the hopes of taking some of the pressure off of the hubs. Can YOU imagine working 40 to 60 hours per week and still coming home to a spouse clutching bills in both hands with in arms crossed and foot tapping saying, "We need MORE money, Honey, like yesterday!!" So now, we are DITTs: dual income, two teenagers. I'm afraid our lifestyle of "managing amidst the mess" will carryover into their lives once they leave the nest. I secretly hope it turns them into complete neat freaks. I don't have many regrets in life, but I do regret that we were not the "kool-aid house" on our block. Before I had kids I dreamt of being the mom who had all of the neighborhood kids over for slippety slides across the lawn, cookies and milk after school, friends over for dinner and sleepovers and movie night or game night. I dreamt of hosting family get togethers during the holidays and throwing dinner parties with friends just for the heck of it. Alas, I honestly cannot remember the last get together I hosted in my home although I believe it was Aaron's First Communion around 2004. Sad but true, folks.
Now, from some of the fees I've seen online, I know I'm looking at several hundred dollars to "makeover" my house. I understand the "concepts" of keeping a tidy abode. My ultimate goal in life is to have a place for everything and have everything in its place (that ranks just after getting to Heaven and hearing the voice of God tell me, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Now, come on in!). In order to have a place for everything I must get rid of stuff. One must have systems and routines in place to maintain the organization. We have systems in place now; they're just counterproductive--like bringing in the mail and piling it all over the kitchen table or collecting recycle-able paper in bags and boxes by the laundry door but never remembering to load it in the car and drop it off at the school or library until it is overflowing and blocking the doorway. Another system: dirty up every dish in the kitchen and let them stack all over the countertops and both side of the sink until the task is just too daunting to tackle and then run and grab fast food instead of cooking a meal. Yeah, we have systems all right!
The way I see it, I spend hundreds of dollars per month on groceries that may or may not get eaten because I throw out food every week that folks around here are just too lazy to prepare or warm up. And I spend hundreds of dollars on clothes that wind up on a certain teenager's bedroom floor. If I can redirect those funds and curtail the shopping (which only adds to the "accumulation of goods" I call clutter 'cause new stuff doesn't have a place of its own) then maybe, just maybe I can "afford" my professional organizer. I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it! I'm about to lose control (in a positive way), and I think I like it!! Until next time, my friends...
The following are only for the strong of heart...one rule applies: "Don't judge my junk!"

This is that "recycle station" I mentioned before

The "former" formal dining table. It's actually much worse now : (

 Ashamed to say this is my bedroom! I think I did finally relinquish rights to the 1980's linen blazer with shoulder pads LOL!

 This is my side of the bathroom counter. The hubs has about 1/4 the space but it's no neater, SMH...

Alas, the kitchen. These pics were taken over a year ago but on any given day...sometimes it's better, sometimes, it's worse

Good Sunday Morning to You!

I just love "the arts"! This past week I took in a movie with the Hubs. We went to see The Lone Ranger which I had been looking forward to ever since I saw the first preview several months back. I guess I wasn't expecting it to be as silly as it was, but then again Johnny Depp was playing Tonto and it was a Disney film...should've put two and two together. It was entertaining and Armie Hammer with those oh-so-blue eyes was easy to ogle look at for 2 hours and 29 minutes. Then, I took my mom, my daughter and my 8-year-old niece to see a live musical at Jubilee Theatre in Fort Worth. While we were downtown on a Friday night, we popped in to Barnes & Noble bookstore to peruse a copy of the book on which the play was based. Then we stopped by The Original Cupcakery where Sasha enjoyed a very chocolate-y cupcake dressed in fluffy buttercream icing and chocolate cookie bits on top. Alisa chose a raspberry cupcake with champagne buttercream and sparkly edible glitter. I sampled them both, and I must admit they were both quite tasty even though I'm not usually that much of a chocoholoic!
I am looking forward to using the tickets to the symphony that I "won" at the silent auction for the high school band just before school let out. Finally, the local Museum of Art has an interesting exhibit featuring artwork related to the Harlem Renaissance. I'd better get on that because I think there are only a couple of weeks left.
For now, I'm going to sleep where visions of sugar plum fairies can dance in my dreams. Last night was a good night at work, but I'm exhausted nonetheless. Until next time...