Five for Friday - Dec 2nd

1.   We pulled out all the Christmas Decorations and I just can't get excited about them.  Anyone know where Jeanette Isabella's torch is?  Because I'd like to borrow it and torch all my Christmas Decorations.  I think it's time to mix it up decor wise. 

2.  The Christmas pajamas and giant box of Christmas Books will stay, because my kids are already diving into them. This Jan Brett Book is our favorite! Oh, and Who Will Guide My Sleigh Tonight?  I could probably list 60 Christmas books that are our favorite... we pretty much love all of them.

3. My family is currently loving this soup recipe, Chicken and Wild Rice.  I chop up the carrots and celery in the food processor so it's super fine and even threw some riced cauliflower in there to give it more veggies.  They love the leftovers and shhh... don't tell them but tonight's batch was really made with Turkey!   Also, I made Broth with the Turkey bones in the Instant Pot.  Holy cow, it was so easy, and so tasty.  Just popped the bones in the Instant Pot for 2 hours with water some celery, carrots, onion, and garlic.

4.  I was explaining to my kids about how lucky they are that we don't have a lot of turkey leftovers.  My kids will never understand how tired we would get of eating Turkey when I was really little.  My mom made Turkey Casserole, Turkey Chow Mein, Turkey Sloppy Joes, Turkey Tacos for weeks after Thanksgiving and it was all gross.  She would freeze the Turkey and it always had freezer burn and she would pretend it was chicken, but it was always leftover Turkey. I remember sneaking into the kitchen at night and stealing Cheerios because I had boycotted dinner.  

5.  We had an unTraditional Thanksgiving this year and it was a big hit.  My kids were thrilled to do something out of the ordinary and I loved not having to worry about making a big fancy meal. Although, it was torturous driving home to a neighborhood full of delicious Turkey smells... so we did a small Turkey dinner a few days later.   I think my kids are sold on unTraditional Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Candlesticks

On a recent trip to Upstate New York, my friend Jackie came across these fantastic Eagle Candlesticks and knew they needed to be part of my spooky display at my Annual Witches Tea. She was right, they add just the right eerie spooky vibe and a bonus is that every witch looks great bathed in candlelight.

Back at the first Thanksgiving, my relative, let's just call her Catherine for the sake of the story, was in attendance.  I'm super impressed that I have a relative that was on the Mayflower.  My family isn't really known for being the type to rough it, I mean, we love to sail so I can see that Catherine was like, "Oh, that sounds fun!" However, I kind of think when it came to building a new colony and camping and starving.. she was probably like... "Yikes I didn't think this through.. I want to go back!"

So, on the first Thanksgiving, Catherine ate and celebrated with gratitude their survival of that first year.  As the sun set on that day, they were not done celebrating, the men lit a bonfire, but they needed something to light the long table.

Catherine jumped up from the table and exclaimed, "I have just the thing."  She ran into her cabin and grabbed the Eagle Candlesticks she had brought over from England.   They had given her courage and sustained her with light.  They served as a reminder to fly high like an Eagle, especially during that first trying year in America. 

With pride Catherine placed the Eagle Candlesticks on the table and the Thanksgiving celebration continued on through the night. 

And now, those candlesticks grace my piano as a reminder to fly high and to give thanks for the sacrifice of those came to America before me. 

Well, at least that is the story I tell folks when people ask me about the Candlesticks.  But between you and me, Jackie says she just stumbled upon them in an antique store and the store owner said, "I dunno their history, they are just old." Personally, I like my story a whole lot better.

Happy Halloween 2016

Can I get a giant high five?  This year, Halloween costumes were ordered/assembled prior to October 1st!  I am incredibly proud of myself and love that I have annual reminders in Mid-September to order advent calendars and Halloween Costumes.  No last minute scrambling this year!

This year Mr. Boy saved up his money to buy his very own Deadpool Costume.  He has seen a very edited copy of this movie and loves this character so much.  He loves that this character breaks the "Fourth Wall"   and I'm pretty excited that all those drama classes Mr. Boy takes is starting to sink in.

As for AK, she has wanted to be Catwoman for an entire year.  She loves comic book characters (she lives in the right family for this) and my only beef with this costume is that she looks way too grown up.  Where are my sweet baby faced children? 

Looking in the rearview mirror and seeing my costumed kids never gets old and I love it so much.  As for me, I'm Agent Carter.. as in Peggy Carter from Captain America.  I wanted to do this last year, since the Agent Carter TV show had just debuted, but I was busy recovering from my Unicorn Horn surgery. Long story short.. no one knew who I was, it was kind of terrible costume idea.

Happy Halloween! See all Halloween Costumes of years past here. 
  

Five for Friday: Witches Tea Edition

Five things that are rolling around in my head today:

1.  I hosted my annual Witches Tea this week. It's a girls night to celebrate those witches in my life who have my back.  I love it, and I love celebrating my gal pals.  My friends are invited to wear black and wear their most glam witches hat. Every year I forget to invite someone... I have a love/hate relationship with Evite and it's app.  Seems like it doesn't always pick up my contacts list all the way.  I need a better way... anyone have any brilliant ideas?

2.  I think it's important for kids to see that "Mom has a thing tonight with her friends" to help them see mom as more than a maid and a short order cook.    But maybe I'm just grasping for some justification to ignoring them and also forcing them to do 100 chores while I panic about the state of my house.

3.  I don't bake, so something like this stresses me out a bit.  Last weekend's attempt at Blueberry Crostatas were a disaster and even the dog wouldn't eat them.  However, I'm crazy lucky to have talented friends who don't sleep and make amazing treats to share.

4.  My forte is drinks.. specifically mocktails. This year we had a Caramel Appletini, along with my signature drink. I like to call it.. Drugs, which is a medicine syringe of Cranberry Juice in Ginger Ale.

5. Every year I have grand plans for a lavish spread of appetizers and decorations, yet I get distracted by other projects.  Then at some point during the party I look around at my house full of my favorite witches and I realize I shouldn't have stressed.... these are my witches and they always have my back.

And I am one lucky witch!

Burning Down the House

This summer we took a detour on the way to dropping Mr. Boy off at camp and visited my childhood home.  I showed the kids the neighborhood where I spent my elementary school years.  My kids who shun sightseeing,  were surprisingly enthralled with seeing the neighborhood.  They have always loved hearing stories of my colorful childhood and beg for them at bedtime.  "Tell me the story of your mom being a mama bear."  "Tell me about your arch nemisis Howie Hayward."   For them being able to see the setting with their own eyes, was the missing piece to the story.

It's a lovely neighborhood with neat manicured lawns and homes that back up to a golf course.  The country club was the social hub of the neighborhood and most of the neighbors lived a pretty posh life.  Many of my neighbors had found wealth in the form of "black gold." (oil)   It wasn't the most glamorous town, mostly agricultural, with blazing hot summers, and a whole lot of oil,  but our neighborhood was definitely one of the nicer ones in town.

As we drove around, I showed them my elementary school, the childhood homes of my friends, and all the homes that had been burned down. After showing them the fifth house that burned down, I realized, "Wait a minute, this is not normal." This is pretty much a running theme of my childhood.

When several neighbors got financially in over their heads, they burned down their homes or their businesses to collect on the insurance money.  I'm pretty sure they all got caught, because I can't remember a house that burned down where it wasn't arson.  Instead of insurance money, the owners got jail time and I'll bet that didn't help with their financial problems.

I showed my kids the toy store that burned to ground taking other neighboring businesses with it.  I vividly remember mourning all the Barbies that were senselessly burned.  Arson.

I showed them the gorgeous golf course home that burned to the ground in the middle of the night.  We watched the firefighters battle the fire in our pajamas from across the golf course. A few days later the police found boxes of fine china, silver, photo albums, and other prized possessions stored in the back room of his office.  Arson.

I showed them the house next door to one of my favorite friends that burned to the ground because of a "cooking fire."  Later we learned she had sat in the backyard waiting for the fire to spread before running to the neighbors to call for help.  A week later her second car was found stuffed with possessions she stowed before the fire. Arson.

As an adult, it's fascinating to me that people would get so desperate they would burn down their own homes.  It seems like an outrageous solution and one where you are sure to get caught. 

So fast forward to last week, when there was a house fire in my neighborhood, my kids instantly jumped to the conclusion that it was Arson.   AK thinks we should tell the police to look for a second car, or check the back room at their business.  Mr. Boy is super proud to finally be able to have something exciting to show his future children... when he comes back to tour the neighborhood.

Five for Friday - September 30th

1.  Can we talk about Placemats?   We have never use them for everyday meals and a few weeks ago at a friends house, we got to talking about placemats.  She uses them religiously, and after polling a few friends, now I have a complex.  Am I the only one who doesn't use Placemats?  Do you use them?  And why?

2.  My family is loving this recipe this week.  Chicken and Potatoes in a Garlic Parmesan Sauce.  Super easy and great leftovers.

3.   We watched the debate while we made dinner.  It was hilarious to watch my kids flip flop back and forth between the candidates.  "Oh that is a good point, I'm voting for her."  "Well, wait, that is a good point, so I'm voting for him."  They went back and forth the entire debate and it was my favorite part of the whole election was watching them. 

4. Mr. Man and I are still in the middle of the big house purge.  Things that have been uncovered during this purge... apparently I have an addiction to To Do List Notepads.

5.  The kids and I watched the movie Secondhand Lions a few weeks ago.  I had forgotten how much I loved that movie.  The kids loved it and I think it's in my top ten favorite movies of all time. 

Five for Friday 9-15-16

1.  I want my kids to grow up thinking that dreams come true and that they can be catalyst in making other peoples dreams come true.  So when Mr. Boy decided years ago he wanted a Paintball Party, Mr. Man and I worked to make it happen.  Seeing the pure joy on his face was the best and it was so much fun.

2. Also, our boy has the best group of friends. Seriously, what an amazing group of boys. 

3. I'm a little obsessed with this cheese which I found at Costco two years ago.  When I went back to buy more, of course they had stopped carrying it..until now.

4.  AK is almost finished learning all the states and capitals.  I'm pretty much out of lies stories  to tell AK.  Today I told her that "Daddy wanted to name you Dover and I wanted to name you Delaware... so we compromised on DE, then realized that AK was a better name for you." 

 5.  I'm pretty sure Mr. Man is pregnant, he is in a serious nesting mood.  We've been purging closets and cabinets and every week there is a giant pile of stuff for the charity pick up.   I know my closet is on the horizon and might need to find a safe shelter for my shoe collection until the purge passes...  any volunteers? 

Wednesday Wisdom - Washi Tape for your Cords

It seems like my charging cords that I use in my car only last for about a year.  Which while nothing more than a nuisance, I can never remember to switch them out.  It's out of sight and out of mind for me, once I exit my car.  So then I'll be out somewhere, frantically trying to get the cord at juuuuuusst the right angle for it charge my dying phone.

When I mentioned this to the Genius helping me at the Apple Store, he gave me this hot tip.  Wrap the cords as soon as you get them with tape where the cord connects into the plug. That is the weakest spot and where they tend to break.  It has made all the difference and as a bonus, now in my jumble of cords, I can easily tell which cord is for each device, because they are color coded with different colors of Washi Tape.   (Washi Tape is decorative paper tape, but really any tape can be used.)

Genius Tip from the Genius Bar at Apple.

Anyone else have any hot tips when it comes to devices? 

Wednesday Wisdom: Get Cash Back with Ebates!

Since constructing my beloved home that I refer to as "The Chalet",  I have become a total recluse.  I shop online as often as possible.  One of my favorite ways to save a little dough while shopping online is using Ebates.com.

It's a click through shopping site for many of our favorite retailers.  Like Nordstroms, Living Social/Groupon, Kohls, Hotels.com, etc.  There is even some cash back on certain Amazon.com categories.

Start by going to the Ebates homepage and then click on the shopping site you want to make your purchase at, it will automatically take you to their website while creating a "tracking ticket" that logs your purchase.   Boom! Then you get cash back every quarter. Essentially you make money by clicking on one extra site while you shop online. 

Then you can be like me and laugh all the way to the bank! (or you can have it sent to you via Paypal) Here is a photo of me and my most recent rebate on Ultimate Super Mega Summer supplies. ($45)   So far I have earned $921 in cash back from Ebates!

Right now if you sign up for Ebates, you will get a $10 bonus after you make your first purchase by signing up, simply by clicking on the logo below or any of the links in this post. 

So, join me in living like a hermit and join Ebates!  Now go forth and shop online!!

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Five for Friday, September 2nd, 2016

"My friend named Wyoming loved to greet her best friend by saying, "C Hey Enne" 

1. AK is learning all 50 states and their capitals.  I just don't know if I can do it anymore, I'm all out of lies and stories to tell about each state.  She needs a story to help her remember each state, so I've had to make up stories help her relate each state to it's capital.  Such as Toto, the dog from the Wizard of Oz, is really named Topeka, but Dorothy had trouble saying it when she was little, so she called him Toto. I'm running out of lies stories... and have no idea how I'm going to help her with states like Delaware. 

2.  Every year I go into a bit of a Fall Funk.  I am grateful to at least have a bit of a warning that it is coming.  So I've been making lots of plans for fun things so I have something to look forward to and keep me social.  Both of those things are helpful to battle my fall blues, because I just want to sit on the hillside and talk to the deer all day. 

3.  Mr. Man and I have been cleaning out cabinets, it stresses me out, but I love the results. He discovered my paper straw collection, it's a secret addiction.  The good news is that it's a pretty cheap addiction, way cheaper than drugs.  At least that's what I tell him. Do you have a secret addiction?

4.  Stranger Things... I know!  Watched it, loved it, you should watch it too.  Freaked me out, as did 10 Cloverfield Lane.  EEK!

5.  Spent last weekend at the beach and surfed!  I'm terrible but I forgot how much I loved it.  It was funny how my body just remembered exactly what it needed to do.  My new favorite thing is Swim Pants!  Pants.. in the water?  Weird, I know, but they are amazing and I'm hoping I don't turn into a Duggar because I fell in love with Swim Pants. Anyway,  I'm basically a vampire and when my skin gets touched by the sun it burns.  Swim pants mean I don't have to lather on ten layers of sunblock.  I won't wear them all the time, but at the beach it's a perfect.

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Wisdom Wednesday: Instant Pot Terriyaki Bowls (Crockpot too)

I have a few ideas rolling around in my head for this blog, so testing out a new feature today.   Wendy's Wisdom Wednesday - Sharing things that make my life easier or better.

Two years ago for Christmas Mr. Man bought me an Instant Pot, it's an electric pressure cooker.  It sat in the living room for two weeks and I sent it back, I just couldn't fathom using it.  Over the course of two years I kept wondering about that Instant Pot and then I started noticing food blogs raving about them.  So I picked one up again, because Mr. Man apparently knows me better than I know myself and I'm pretty much hooked on it. You can cook frozen chicken breast in 15 minutes!

Today, I have a recipe that I made up on the fly one day. I'm not a chef or a food blogger, but trust me your family will eat this.

 Check out this elaborate list of ingredients:
Terriyaki Sauce
Frozen Chicken Breast
1/4  cup of Water
Cooked Rice
 

Optional:  Green Onions, Cabbage, Any leftover Veggies, Fried Egg

Pop the Chicken Breast in the in the Instant Pot (I did four frozen) and a bottle of Terriyaki Sauce and about a 1/4 cup of water.  On the Instant Pot hit the Poultry setting for 15 minutes if you are going to let it sit and do natural release,  18 minutes if you are going to release and eat right away.

If you are using a Crockpot, cook on low for three and a half to four hours using thawed chicken breasts. 

Terrible Food Photography, just trust me it's delicious.

Once it's done, throw rice and Teriyaki chicken into a bowl, the chicken will be falling apart tender.  Add some of the juice from the Instant Pot if you would like.  My family likes to add some cabbage and last time we threw on some leftover veggies.

Everyone in my family raves about this and fights for the leftovers.  So one day while fighting over the leftovers, we made smaller bowls and threw a fried egg on top, and again everyone cheered. 

I make this on nights when I have people eating at different times.  I just cook the rice in the rice cooker and let the rice cooker and Instant Pot stay on the warm setting.

Bon Appetit!

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Five For Friday - Back to Stupid School

1.  Summer is over and it makes me sad.  Mr. Boy declared it was the best summer ever because we "just laid around at home a lot" which makes me happy to hear.  In my eyes, it was a sleepy and subdued summer with 41,000 doctors appointments.  It appears that maybe all those afternoons of lounging in the pool somehow washed away the fact we spent all morning at various appointments. We had the ceremonial folding of the summer banner and I'm grateful my family indulges me in my ideas, it's pretty much my favorite thing. 

2. Currently, I can't stop thinking about this episode of Liar City.   It's a podcast about lies and liars.   This particular episode deals with Michael Jackson and completely changed my point of view on him.  It's worth a listen, the other episodes are great too, but this one has consumed my thoughts for a month!

3.  Are you aware that Braces/Orthodontic work cost a small fortune?  Both my kids need braces and I have grossly underestimated how much they cost.  Now when I see a kid with braces, I give the parents a nod and say, "Niccccceeee"  like you just caught a glimpse of a sweet Rolex on someone's arm.

4.  Olympic Fever swept our house and I am always surprised by my enthusiasm.  I am not a sporty person, but suddenly I become an expert in Synchronized Diving, Rowing, and the Long Jump when the Olympics come around.  I love the stories of athletes winning, tales of sportsmanship or lack thereof, and I love the crazy stories of the host city getting prepped (like finding a human hand while prepping beach volleyball, a kayaker hitting submerged couch, etc.)  I'm really, really, hoping Los Angeles wins the bid for 2024! 

5.  It's National Dog Day and today I'm celebrating my dogs. I'm even celebrating Zoey who is allergic to absolutely everything and recently developed an allergy to the pool.  So, now I'm the crazy person who after swimming with the dogs, is shampooing and BLOW DRYING my dog.  As if I really have time for that, but I do it, because you usually end up doing anything for something or someone you love.

Tell me the crazy things you never thought you'd do, but have done out of love....

Families are Complicated.

A few weeks ago, I had to pass through the town where I lived during my elementary school years.  This is not a place where I call home, but it is a place where my family lived for a number of years.

My kids asked if we could see my old house and I decided it might be enjoyable to see my old stomping grounds.   As I drove through the gates of the old neighborhood, I felt my chest tighten up and memories came flooding back.  My kids who normally hate sight seeing, were fascinated by seeing the places where so many stories took place. They have grown up hearing stories of my childhood, and storytelling is something that I loved to do.  I showed them the former homes of my friends and the spot where we used to slip onto the golf course to have water gun fights.

They loved seeing my old elementary school, where Thelma, the world's scariest secretary worked,  and enjoyed seeing my old house.

As for me, I stood in front of my house and felt a myriad of emotions, most of them weren't good.  This house was the epicenter of Crazytown, my family wasn't very happy here.  I'm not sure I could pinpoint a place where my family was happy, we just weren't one of those happy families.  My mom did the best she could, but the more years that go by, the more questions I have for my mom.  Memories keep popping up with holes in them, but she isn't here to answer them.  I'm not sure she would have answered my questions truthfully anyway.  Some things will have to remain a mystery. 

Here is the big lesson I have learned in my lifetime.  Families are complicated. 

And that is okay. They don't have to be perfect. 

I've made my peace with my family history, for the most part.  Things were crazy within my family, but it's in the past.  I can't change the past, but the things I can take with me are the crazy stories that my children love to hear.  So, I'm hoping to introduce a new feature on my blog.  Greetings from Crazytown, the stories of my childhood.  They will be mostly entertaining stories about growing up with eccentric parents, such as the time I was convinced I was being abducted by aliens.  Or the time where the can of Peanut Butter flew through the window.  Or if you want a sample of one that was already written, you can learn the reason why I was the "butt" of all the diarrhea jokes in Jr. High. 

So next time your family makes you want to throw your hands up in the air or commit a crime, just remember, Families are complicated and that is okay.

Ultimate Super Mega Summer V Bucket List

Ultimate Super Mega Summer IV

Eat:

Crickets/Bugs/Scorpions

Dragons Breath at Chocolate Chair

Kogi Taco Truck

Find the Best Tacos in LA

Quenelle

Bubba Gump Shrimp (watch Forrest Gump right before)

Philippe’s (The Orginal)

Robin’s Basket (Baskin Robbins)

See:

X-Men

Finding Dory

Secret Life of Pets

A few Twilight Zone Episodes

Newsies

Alvin & the Chipmunks “Road Chip” with Dad (Mom boycotts)

Do:

Learn to Type

Dodger Games

Paddleboard Lessons at Castaic Lake (Splash in the Water)

Bake Cupcakes

Make Pizzas on the Grill

American Girl Doll Store Lunch

OC Beach Day

Bake a Pie

Hike to the Wisdom Tree

Nordstroms Back to School Shopping                 

Listen to all episodes of the Memory Palace Podcast

Barnes and Noble

Visit:

Dreamworks
My childhood home

The Broad Museum

The Getty

The Chandelier Tree

Little Tokyo

Universal Studios

Santa Barbara

St. George Party House  (Meet up with our friends in St. George, Utah where there are no bedtimes and no rules)

Family Reunion

Five for Friday - June 24th

1.  Current TV Show I can't get enough of: UnReal on Lifetime and Hulu.  It's a fictional show about filming a show like The Bachelor.

2.  Also, can't get enough of Watermelon flavored licorice.  Not nearly as healthy as Watermelon, the actual fruit, but more delicious.

3. Finished the book, The Light Between Oceans, loved it.  I've been struggling through All the Light We Cannot See for six months. Everyone seems to love it and  I have a very tough time giving up on a book. Does it get better? 

4.  My kids are superstar sleepers and sleeping until 10AM, it's one of the best parts of summer.  They are also superstar fighters and don't get along with each other, which is one of the worst parts of summer.

5.  While my kids are sleeping like champs, I'm not.  The stupid smoke alarms keep having errors at four in the morning.  I've changed all the batteries, but still one of them malfunctions and sets the whole string off. Why doesn't this happen during the daytime? 

Five for Friday

Five things on my mind today:

1.  Have you ever wondered about the orgin of "The Super Ultimate Mega Summer"?   You can read about it here.  While  you are at it, I suggest you also read about the time I was mistaken for being homeless, because it still makes me laugh. 

2.  I've been reading a lot and just finished Orphan Train and Girl on the Train.  Loved them both and while both involve trains, they were very different.

3.  Mr. Boy isn't feeling so great and as a result we don't really have any big trips planned.  It's got me feeling a little blue.  Our big trip to Alaska last summer made me realize that I really enjoy having something to look forward to.

4.  Last week I reconnected with an old friend that I haven't seen for 22 years!  We picked up right where we left off and it was so enjoyable.   I kind of pushed everyone away after high school  because those were hard years at home that I just wanted to forget.  However, I realize now my friends were what got me through those tough times.  So if you are reading this and are an old friend, just know I am grateful for you and your friendship.

5. Things we can't get enough of:  The Goldbergs (TV Show),  Taco Bell's Happy Hour Slushie's ($1 from 2-5pm),  reading by the pool, and Sprout's Cowboy Burgers. 

Tell me what you are looking forward to or what you can't get enough of!