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October 10 Change is goodI know you all are tired of hearing about it
so this is probably the last time I will post a blog on this Space.
I will still visit everyone here
but the only place you'll find me is
October 09 Same story, different dayOkay, it's a different story but the reasons it's not here are the same.
October 08 Running with the wrong crowdOkay, I totally intended to dupli-blog today but it looks like WLS has changed the 'Add Photos' thingy. It now gives me 4 fields to browse but I can't for the life of me figure out where the upload button is. Oh, suddenly occurred to me that it might be because I am in Firefox and not Explorer. Well, fudge. So be it. Are you beginning to understand why I'm leaning toward my other home? Which, coincidentally is where you will find today's post, because it really wouldn't be much without the picture. I am also pretty excited, and a bit full of myself, because I did my first html editing the other day. I moved some things on my header and actually brought back my navbar!! It may not sound like much to you all but, personally, Blogger has given me the confidence to start sporting a pocket protector. I know! It goes so well with my Hush Puppies. Well, shoot! Now the little bugger shows up. But I can't seem to change the size or location. I really don't need this from Spaces because I have a man at home to provide me with my recommended daily allowance of frustration. October 06 Lazy JaneOctober 03 Maybe her last name is actually DonnerSo I'm passing out the souvenirs that I bought in Tahoe and I hand Omega a hoodie sweatshirt which she looks over before excitedly reading the printing on the front. "Lake Tahoe, California... wait... CALIFORNIA?!" She looks at me like I've played some horrible trick on her. "Um... yeah?" "You went to California? You didn't tell me you were going to CALIFORNIA!" she says in her huffy voice. "Where did you think Lake Tahoe was?" I'm assuming that she probably thinks it's exclusively in Nevada but I'm enjoying the idea that she believes I was in 'California', which to her means Disneyland and beaches and hot surfer boys. "I thought it was in like Idaho... or maybe Utah. Not California!" And now I have to cross geography teacher and travel agent as well as pioneer off her list of career possibilities. October 01 Chick Trip '09I don't have the nerves left to try to redo the entry for this place. If you care go visit the other side:
My patience with this joint has worn thin so unless I learn of some good reason, I'll probably just keep going over there. September 30 Well (don't) shoot (me)!I'm really trying to post something but (pick whichever excuse elicits the most pity):
Ah, but like she said 'Tomorrow is another day!'
September 28 The kayak has landed...I'm back at Whyhouse... the chick trip was great... I had planned to post during the week but, um... forgot the power cord for my laptop... doh!
I just spent a bunch of time erasing Asian spam from my Space and now I've gotta go... I will be back with more later... NOANIE!!
For now, Lake Tahoe from above:
(oh wait, never mind, that's Hellhole reservoir... or something like that. It all looks the same from eleventeen hundred feet)
And below!
(That, for sure, is Lake Tahoe.)
If you knew how close I came to hiking home in very wet clothes... yeah, I tend to lose some of my better judgement when I'm out on my own.
I will get out and about to catch up very soon. September 18 Wedgie-free's the way to beI wish I had some amusing story or tidbit to share, but I really haven't been paying much attention to life around me the last few days. You know the drill: run yourself ragged trying to get ready for your vacation so you can relax for a week and then run yourself ragged trying to catch up after you get back. Ah well, it will be SO worth it.
My friend is flying in Saturday morning and then we are heading out on Sunday. I am trying to figure out a way to keep her away from my house until dark on Saturday. Combine that with the faux power outage that I have planned for Saturday night and she will never have to know what a sad state my house is in. When we get back the next Saturday, the mess can all be blamed on the rest of the family... not that most of it isn't caused by them anyway.
Last night I spent over half an hour that I didn't have, sorting through all the options in the panty department of my favorite local store. Back in August, when I was watching the Olympics, I saw an advertisement that showed several women trying to discreetly shake their underwear out of their crack. I know, I know, spare me your thong theory - I just can't go there! Anyway, the advertiser promised to cure all need for any 'adjustments' and I tell you I have never before felt so moved by anything on tv. I thought 'Oh, My! THAT is MY STORY!!!'... only I was so busy feeling kinship with those women that I failed to absorb the brand name. I kept thinking I would see the ad again but no... and THEN last night as I was shopping, I saw something that almost made me call up my broker to buy stock in Hanes... if I even had a broker. There on a package of panties was a little sticker that said "Be Wedgie-Free" and I remembered that ad and I think I even squealed a bit at the idea that I could be going on a vacation without constantly doing the panty dance. Mr. Hanes was even promising to give my money back if they did ride up. How could I go wrong? In my excitement I bought two packages... 6 pairs total... almost a week's worth of cheeky comfort!
Well, I took them home and washed them... because, well, you know... you could catch something. Anyway, this morning I grabbed my full-of-promise panties and seriously, jumped into them. Hmm... front looks good... fabric is nice... size feels perfect... okay turn for the rearview.
E. Gad.
Do you know why they promise not to ride up? Because there is enough fabric in the butt-al area for at least a whole 'nother a$$. I looked like a toddler with a big load of junk in her trunk. No kidding. I could've probably pulled the backside up to my bra strap. Instead I folded it over a few times and finished dressing, feeling very let down. Now I keep nervously checking to make sure the wad o' panty-back isn't erupting from my trouser-top. Can't wait for the bike ride home from work. People will think I'm packing a parachute.
I truly believe that life is too short to wear bad underwear, but I have tried almost everything out there - from VS to FotL. All I really want is underwear that fit, don't shrink, don't ride up and make me look like Cindy Crawford. Is that really too much to ask?
September 15 Why'ld weekendOkaynotreally wild, but... oh, jeez, I don't have time for adjectives if you want the skinny.
First of all there was the high school homecoming football game... that our team lost.
 But the cheerleaders were spectacular. This one was my favorite  :
And there was no homecoming rain for the first time in many years! Then there was Saturday, which was basically Jane running ragged... looking for jewelry, a certain makeup and double-faced tape to keep the dress in place - all necessary prep for the dance on Saturday night. Doesn't sound like much but the jewelry thing was a pain. Omega was at her 'day activity' - part of the daylong date process. Then there were the standard manis and pedis to cure, hair to curl, not makeup to do, though. Mom doesn't do the makeup. Omega is quite the picky pants about the makeup.
Look! It's Homecoming Barbie! And then we took lots of pictures and the boys came and we took even more pictures and then we sent them off:
Awww... so sweet... off to the dance! Then I heaved a sigh and prepared to do some serious relaxing... but cleaned house until about 11, when I thought I was going to bed. Turns out the neighbor's dog was barking obnoxiously, which makes it hard to nod off, so Homer decided to go check out the situation. Ten minutes later, Pepperann started barking. Yes barking. It wasn't very loud or practiced but it was persistant. She barked and ran frantically from me to the backdoor to me to the front door back to me barking "Get up,dummy! There's treachery afoot!" Seriously, I expected to find that Timmy had fallen down a well. Eventually, I got out of bed and I turned on the front lights... nothing. I turned on the back lights... nothing. Well, except for that cop shining a flashlight in Homer's face. And the cop was yelling and Homer was laughing so I opened the door and asked what was going on. The cop asked me if I knew that guy. I swear I only hesitated for like a few seconds before admitting ownership. Turns out someone had reported the barking dog and when the cops showed up, here was Homer hanging over the fence and when the cop shined his flashlight on him, as the cop put it 'He looked like a deer in the headlights'. So I explained to the officer that the dog had been barking and Homer was trying to calm him because the dog likes Homer. The officer was pissed because he was shining the light in Homer's face and Homer was putting his hand up to block the light and the cop told him that if he didn't drop his hand, he was going to have to 'put him down'. Thus the cop yelling and Mr. Bad Judgment laughing at the cop. After giving Homer severe stink eye, and telling the cop how to block the dog door so the dog would be trapped inside the house next door - hell, I wasn't going to get in the middle of the mess and risk getting 'put down' - I grabbed Homer and pushed him into the house - suppressing the urge to tell the cop he was mentally challenged. Men, I swear! I'm sure they both were justified in their actions... the cop had no idea what kind of a nut he was dealing with... and Homer probably had every right to look surprised by a flashlight in the face, but I don't even want to think about what would have happened if the Princess hadn't sensed that there was a whole bunch of stupid going on outside. Sunday was my big day. I went shopping for a clothes washer. Woo hoo. I'm only being slightly facetious. The old Kenmore has put in almost 25 years and it just ain't all that it used to be. I've been drooling over the new high efficiency models and I think I have my new laundry partner picked out. I looked at several retailers around town, who were selling basically all the same stuff but it was Leonard at the H'Depot that captured my heart, because he was the only one who mentioned that I would get $150 in rebates from my local utilities. I In other exciting Sunday news, Homer made some awesome shrimp fettucine for dinner, so... I may have to keep him for a bit longer. And today the countdown begins... FIVE days until vacation! And, be jealous because it's a week-long chick-trip! Happy Monday every buddy! September 11 Making a nerd mom proud for over 16 years...Overheard in the Why dining room, a.k.a. Homework Central:
Alpha: Omega, what are you working on in math class?
Omega: I don't know, maybe quadratics or inverse functions.
Alpha: Well, what do you know about factoring?
Omega (eyes lighting up): Factoring? You need help with factoring? I freakin' LOVE factoring!
I'm pretty sure that if the cheer grapevine got ahold of that, Omega would be stripped of her pompons.
Favorite quote of the day: On the Today show, guest Paul Begala when asked if U.S. borders have become secure since 9/11/2001: "They couldn't even protect us from Mexican jalepenos that slipped across the border and attacked our intestines."
TMI: If anyone is remotely interested, I've determined that my bladder holds about 16.9 ounces... the same as the average water bottle. If only the water cooler and the restroom were in the same direction. I think I might be drinking too much. Does anyone know how much water is too much? I once heard of a lady who internally drown herself but I am SO much thirstier than when I was drinking caffeine... perhaps I should get me a lifeguard.
September 10 About to commit politicide...Can we just stop already with the mud-slinging and focus on the issues? I can't believe that a candidate would spend money on political ads that do nothing but falsely condemn the other candidate. If perchance you win this election, wouldn't it be helpful if nearly half of the country didn't think you an ass?
Mr. McCain shush! You used the very same phrase yourself... TWICE. Seriously, do you have nothing positive to say about your own campaign??
Mr. Obama, ignore them already.
Sorry, but if I hear one more word about lipstick, I will probably pop a vein.
Caution: Soda addict in recoveryYep, you read right. Jane is off the bottle. It's been FOUR days since I drained that last Diet Dew. Why? You ask. I'm not sure. Lots of reasons but no particular reason. You know the hype: diet pop makes you fatter, carbonation inhibits muscle function, too much caffeine makes you crazy... maybe that one fits best. I'm telling myself it's just for a few weeks. If I can feel a real difference then I will probably convince myself to drop pop altogether... if not, well, maybe my satiation point will be reset a bit lower because on Saturday I must have had over 2 liters of the stuff. I know! You'd think I would have been bouncing off the walls, but no... all the cobwebs are still hanging in the corners as testemonial that I barely got above bed level. Yawn!
 It actually hasn't been that much of a struggle. I am drinking lots of water and between the trips to the water cooler and the trips down to the restroom, I figure I should burn up a pants size by October. Afternoons are still hard. About 3 o'clock I start to gaze very longingly at the Coke machine... but it passes. I thought the caffeine withdrawal would be a problem but other than a mild headache on Sunday the noggin's been all good, too. Interestingly, I have had the only two leg cramps of my bicycling career this week... perhaps my muscles actually thrive on carbonation. I could be weird like that. There, too, it was no big deal. If you are thinking to yourself that this is one hecka boring post, please understand that I am probably trying to convince my inner Dew freak that I have made the right decision.
Okay, in other news. Omega accepted her dance invitation but she 'doesn't really remember' how she did it. Which means it was probably very lame. Alpha and I came up with a great idea, using Becca's frozen pea suggestion, to leave the bag of peas on his doorstep along with a note that said 'The Princess would be PEASED to dance with you.' (couldn't find a glass slipper, MizAngie). She loved the idea and asked why we didn't tell her about it. Um... we tried... you didn't seem to need our advice. I think she actually felt bad.
Probably not as bad as Alpha felt this morning. I told her to do something her own f-ing self. Supermom strikes again. Hey, I was frazzled. She said it was okay though, she thought she would be well over it by this afternoon. I love that girl.
Finally: Officer Noanie, Maam? Please don't write me that ticket for wearing the white pants on September 5th. I can explain really... see, they were my friend's pants... I was just wearing them for her.
Actually, I think I found a loophole. Since Labor Day can technically fall as late as September 7th, I felt I was totally justified in wearing them on the 5th... which was like 95 degrees. But mostly, it was because not only are they fabulous pants and I wanted to squeeze in one more wear, but they were clean and IRONED. Linen pants that I had spent a half hour IRONING! I was not about to waste my labor by packing those pants away all IRONED. NO, Noanie, I am not that kind of foolish!
Anyhay, that is probably sufficient rambling for this day...
Happy Humpday you all!!! September 08 Freezer loveEver have one of those cumulatively crappy days
where nothing stands alone
as the single big brown stain on your day,
but by 5 o'clock you are exhausted
from trying to dodge every little annoyance that gets shot at you?
Like… say for instance, you get bike grease on your white linen pants,
your stapler jams - numerous times,
your husband sends you an irritating email,
your lunch order gets screwed up,
your water bottle jumps from your bike
SIXTY-THREE
actual blocks from home…
and springs a leak...
on top of the usual job-related irritations and
THEN
when you get home feeling SO hungry
you think you will truly DIE,
you discover that you are one bouillon cube short of dinner.
Yeah, JUST like that!
Well, don’t give up hope, campers.
Because just as you are sitting there,
crumpled in the corner holding your little empty Wyler’s jar
and wishing you were Samantha Stevens
so you could twitch your nose and conjure up a cube or two,
you may get an idea.
 You might suddenly remember freezing a container of chicken stock a few weeks back!
And when you madly plow through your freezer,
getting more and more frustrated
because not only can't you find the broth
but you CAN find at least a half dozen single waffles,
37 yellow Italian ices,
some foil wrapped frozen mysteries, and no...
could it be?
Why yes!
Yes it is!
Something that has eluded capture for at least 3 months!
And suddenly chicken stock and dinner and all the day's bad things evaporate.
And when your daughter comes home and sees you sprawled on the floor
in front of the open fridge,
licking a wooden stick,
and she asks how your day was, you will smile and say
“Splendid!"
Because Jesus sent you a Dove bar.
September 06 End of the week wrapupFirst of all, my daddy is out of the hospital! Yay! He is at home and doing well. He lost 15 pounds but is back to eating anything he wants so hopefully he will be his spunky old self soon! Thanks again for your concern and support and... everything!
That's my dad and his great grandson in the 4th of July boat parade.
Yes, that crazy dude in the back belongs to me.
Secondly, I don't have to remind you that fall is upon us. But you might forget that fall means homecoming... homecoming means dances... dances mean innovative invitations.
Here is the one Omega received :
This was left on the doorstep... the inviter's name was left a little later... after she had scratched her head and rattled her brain to try and figure it out. She had no advance word through the grapevine this year. No idea yet on in what manner she will 'respond'. I suggested leaving a princess crown on his front step... but what do I know.
Okay, I know I had some other things I wanted to say but I can't seem to shake them loose and I got LOTSA work to do. I'll be back if anything comes to me... Happy Saturday all!
p.s. - Did everyone watch the same convention this last week? You would never guess it from reading the opinions out there. I guess everyone saw what they want to see. What did I see? I saw that I am probably qualified to run for vice president.
On the other hand. My mom voice would never hold up for 3 months.
September 05 Yummy, ja!You may remember that yesterday I was indirectly bragging up all my international cuisine *cough cough* talents. No, I'm sure most of my recipes aren't terribly authentic, but they do keep us from blowing away in a stiff wind. Some more than others.
Growing up Scandanavian in the upper midwest, I was raised on pretty bland, predominantly white food. Black pepper was truly as spicy as it got. I don't even remember grilled chicken having barbeque sauce on it. Sad, huh?
It was big excitement the first time my rebel mom bought a little package mix and a can of tomato paste and cooked up something called 'Eye-talian' spaghetti. I'm sure the extended family knew that it was a consequence of moving to the Big City... just one more step down the road to ruin.... probably because we had *gasp* neighbors of German descent. Da!
Well, I can get into that whole freaky from-whence-I-came thing some other time. The point of my blathering today is supposed to be food... Norweigan food... specifically LEFSE. MizAngie asked about lefse yesterday; wondered if I had a recipe. I'm not sure if she was serious but knowing what a humorless
 person she is, I'm going to assume she was. Lefse is basically a Norwegian tortilla... looks like this.
A few years back, Homer got a bug up his butt about making lefse. He wanted lefse badly but I had been raised under the impression that lefse making was a higher calling requiring talent and special equipment. Not something below-average-baker Jane could do. Well, it didn't take long for me to sink into challenge mode and I went surfing the www. What I found could possibly be the foundation for a new religion. I don't know who Rob Marx is, but I will help him build the Uff-Dah Palace, which would be headquarters for his Church of Foolproof Lefse.
This here is his lefse recipe. I have probably made it 20 times and not once have I been able to screw it up. I have also preached it to other friends and family and they, too, are now believers. The recipe itself is pretty straight forward. I have made it with Idahoan and store brand potato flakes and didn't notice a difference. I buy Whateverischeapest brand evaporated milk. Again... no difference.
As far as the equipment goes, I started out using my electric frying pan. You could use a stove top frying pan, too, I guess. I just liked the electric one because it has a temperature control. Warning: If you use an electric frying pan on top of your counter be SURE to put something insulating under it - the constant high temp can ruin your countertops! I heard of a lady who even cracked her Corian countertops doing that. Ruined countertops will quickly kill your lefse buzz.
I actually owned a lefse rolling pin - which gives it a corduroy effect. I'm not sure what the consequences would be if you used a regular pin. As far as the pastry board, you can always put a pastry cloth over a board or a large, flat cookie sheet and tape it to the back side. It really makes it easier to roll if you have a surface that doesn't pull up or move around.
A lefse stick is basically like a big wooden paint stirrer with the edges tapered so it will scootch under the lefse easily to allow you to flip it. I think I used a pastry knife or a long, large spatula.
My only other advice is to use lots of flour when you roll out your lefse. We originally started with the electric frying pan so we made our lefses about 10 or 12 inches across instead of the traditional 24". We found that we like the smaller size anyway since the large ones are typically cut in half anyway. The smaller ones are also easier to roll and flip.
The stuff is awesome. I could eat my weight in warm lefse without any additives but it is usually served room temperature, spread with butter/margarine, sprinkled with sugar and rolled up. My strange in-laws use brown sugar instead of white but my M-I-L is French so what can I say? During my internet picture search I saw some photos that seem to indicate people are using lefse much like a wrap. I don't know if I could condone this, but what you do in your kitchen is your business.
It also freezes wonderfully so you can ration it out and make it last a little longer. This also lets you prepare for holidays ahead of time. Just be sure to mark the package 'brussel sprouts' or something because otherwise you may just find empty freezer bags stashed strategically around your house.
These days I'm the proud owner of a regulation lefse griddle and pastry board and even a lefse cozy. My French M-I-L bequeathed her equipment to me - she tried to make it once and failed miserably (not this recipe). Okay, now I'm having a humungo lefse craving... ja!
So, yeah, that's it! Make it for your next smorgasbord!
Happy Weekend Every Buddy! September 04 Stay away from that Aussie foodLast Monday...lunch time, bellied up to the Why Bar, slurping some exquisite tomatillo chili... because it's a nippy 50-some degrees on Labor Day!
Omega: Mmmm. I love Mexican food. What kind of food do you cook the most... like from what country?
Jane: Hmmm... I don't know. Mexican, Asian, Italian, ... I think I spread it pretty evenly over a lot of different countries.
Omega (challenging): What about Ireland?
Jane: Corned beef and cabbage?
Alpha: How about Norweigan? You never cook lutefisk.
Jane: If you had ever eaten or even smelled lutefisk you wouldn't even let yourself say that word.
Omega (trying again): What about Australian food? Have you ever cooked up a tri-antula?
Alpha: Tri-antula?
Omega: That huge, hairy spider.
Jane: Oh yeah, like a TARantula... but with only 3 legs.
Jane's apologies to everyone Down Under.
September 03 Because 50 rocks!If you have a second, please go wish Noanie a Happy Birthday.
 It's her 50th, which makes her cool like Madonna and Jamie Lee Curtis and Drew Carey and Sharon Stone and Michelle Pfeiffer and Andie MacDowell... can you even believe that Andie MacDowell is 50? And me!
They say 50 is the new 30... I'm thinking it's more like the new 18, without all the bad choices.
September 02 Momma always said 'Fair only happens in September'I was thinking:
Is it really fair to put the Republican National Convention on hold
because of Hurricane Gustav?
I mean, haven't those people down south suffered enough?
It seems like they should be allowed to miss a couple days
of extreme politicking for all their trouble.
Update on my Dad: He is doing MUCH better. He had his first meal yesterday - apple juice and chicken broth. Doesn't sound like much to us, but to a man who hasn't eaten in 2 weeks, it was heavenly.
Thanks again for all your support!
I did have a good weekend, thankyouverymuch. The hail was kind of a flukey thing. It was very cool yesterday but I got some cleaning done inside so the day was not wasted... I can now USE my desk because the surface is fully excavated! Yay me! September 01 Hail Yes, It's Labor DayI hope none of my neighbors were planning a Labor Day picnic because it appears that summer has taken flight a day early. The temp dropped about 40 degrees and then this:
There will be no lounging on the very soaked porch swing today.
These are the best pictures I could get without leaving the shelter of the patio roof.
I don't think the hailstones were big enough to damage much, just very plentiful.
It certainly took the dead buds off my flowers.
I guess I should take advantage of the bad weather.
When life gives you hail... go shopping.
How's your day going? |
Okay, I did sneak in quite a bit of shopping for myself. I didn't buy much but I enjoyed looking.
Leonard. I am hoping to |
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