Random counter clutter

This is what a two hour delay looks like in Central New York. However, that is not the important part of this picture.  You see, I registered a complaint awhile back regarding a lack of attention given to our snowy driveway on a similar morning. When I voiced some concern this morning regarding any role I might have had to play in clearing the driveway, the husband muttered some sort of inquiry as to the forecast for tomorrow. Seriously? I am not sure that you can get a good sense of how deep the snow was, (and you certainly can't tell how heavy it was, so trust me) so keep in mind it was enough for school to be delayed. It was garbage day, as you can see, so apparently it was believed that we just needed a path for the trash can to wander down. Forget that we have a son who needed to get to the busstop, and the cleared path ended at the garbage (not the road). Our front walk is also under that fresh blanket. Suffice to say a better route was shoveled...and now my back hurts.

I shouldn't pick on the husband. After all, he did bring back this super awesome chocolate crocodile from Florida.

This just rubbed it in that he had ventured to warmer climates.

Hmmm...let's see what else is on the kitchen counter...

I nagged my daughter for not wiggling her baby teeth more to get them out to accommodate her braces. After the dentist pulled them out, we saw why they were so stubborn. Yikes!

Speaking of the daughter, she brought home her Poop Quiz today! "Poop to Profits", a delightful romp about how to turn manure into money...

I didn't think things could get better until I saw the name of the company...Dairy Doo!

One more tidbit from my daughter this week. Do not try to claim her calzone as your own because, yes, it does have her name on it.

I don't want my son to feel left out, so here is something else that appeared on our counter...

As you can see, he clarified the labels on the items he brought in for chemistry class.

Let's not leave the kitchen yet, I decided to go with a turtle cheesecake as a consolation prize for our basketball family friends. It was hard to hand that one over, so I stopped by later to have a piece. (Hey Tina, thanks again for the pecans!)

I want to put an end to any thoughts you may have that my kitchen is some sort of organized and together kind of place. This is what was going on while I was making my first foray into flooding icing on cookies. (Flooding alright.)

Some color did make it onto the shamrocks...

and the counter, and the floor, and the...

Go visit this cookie and she what random she's got going on!

Traditional and comfort food

I dug out my shamrock socks and pulled down a green sweater that might seem a little snug for everyday use, but was certainly acceptable for St. Patrick's Day. I felt compelled to have a slab of corned beef cooking, but refrained since I still would have had to cook something else for the other people I live with to eat for dinner. I can't really complain, since I do not recall if I am truly a big fan of corned beef dinner. My friend and I typically grab a reuben at some point in the month of March and call it a holiday. 

In an attempt to raise the family level of holiday food consumption beyond shamrock cut-outs, I zipped through the golden arches and bought my son a shamrock shake...the first one I have ever purchased. I had a small taste, and while it wasn't my favorite, I can see having a craving for one in a month when they are not available. I can't really think of anything that I can only enjoy once a year. (Please note: Those Cadbury chocolate little eggs with the candy coating were out at Christmas in red white and green oval shapes. Uh-oh, it will be a bit of a wait, so, note to self to stock up on Easter clearance.) Those crazy Peeps? They deck themselves out all the time now!

Sorry, I got distracted by sugar. It seems like I had a point I was headed for. Let me look at the title and see if it comes back to me...Ah yes, traditional comfort food, and the comfort of traditional food. There are certainly foods that I look forward to eating, but there are also plenty of times I find myself blindly guiding food to my mouth just because I am caught up in the moment. Truth be told? I don't really care for cut-out cookies all that much, but you can bet that I have eaten more than my fair share of every shape and colorfully decorated design presented in the name of celebration. 

As my grandmother has started cooking less and less, I have tried to make sure to get some of her recipes so we can still enjoy some of our favorites. There are some dishes that I have a general sense of direction for, but cannot seem to replicate how I remember her version tasting. I also realized that there were a couple of cakes that she tended to make often, but nobody seems to miss them. I keep wondering if I need to track down those recipes just for tradition's sake. Will a chocolate vinegar cake with sticky sweet white frosting or a fruit cocktail cake provide comfort, even if we don't cut them? I seem to recall my mother mentioning that gram used to make creamed tuna on toast...no comfort there, thanks.

I used to really enjoy dunking bread in milk. No, those were not prison days for me, and I do admit it sounds pretty gross right about now. Now graham crackers dunked in milk? Yeah, I'm going to have to go get some now...

Talk amongst yourselves, and to me, about some of your least favorite traditional foods that you eat anyway. Oh, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Randomish

Hi (cough, cough) Sorry (cough, cough) Excuse me (cough, cough)...must be all of that black smoke from them not picking a new pope yet. 

I thought I was onto a grand news item when I found my daughter's current grades for Home and Careers on the counter yesterday...

 

I giggled several times throughout the day, and may have texted this photo to a friend because I just couldn't wait to share. My daughter met my dumb grin with a straight-faced response that it had been a manure to money quiz. She did not recall any specifics, as the quiz was nearly a month ago. After some pleading, on my part, she did look through her folder but could not find the elusive poop quiz...disappointing, even with the 100.

The husband is away on business (or so he says), and I just got this email titled "Yes, there's a story" with this picture...

No story was included, nor was there any guarantee that it will be a good story, let alone anything amusing enough to make up for his absence. So, I guess I have that phonecall to look forward to.

It is so gloomy here today. This morning I seriously pondered why the superintendent had not called a rain day, or just a general lack of interest delay. How were parents supposed to effectively drag their children out of bed when we ourselves could barely grunt three syllables? So very sleepy...need some energy. This is one of those times when the whole why-can't-my-body-be-happy-with-caffeine thing really stinks. Surely there is something...

Hey, we haven't talked about cookies in awhile! Yeah, you're right, we have talked about them a lot though...soooo, how about CAKE!

Made from scratch Hershey's Chocolate Cake...yum! My daughter made this cake the other day, and required no help from me. (sniff) I hid out in the basement after giving two, which was two too many, tips on frosting. Luckily, she still let me eat some!

You know what's better than cake? More cake!

 

This is one of the three mini cheesecakes I made for our friends' daughter to celebrate her team's  victory in the Regional basketball game. Oops, we in the stands thought they won, but the other team called a timeout and got two seconds put back on the clock in a two point game...eeek!

About one minute (and several fried nerves) later...

 

We are not traveling to Albany to see the State championship game this weekend, and I don't know what to make to step up my game if they win!

Cake, poop and fish? Really? I thought I had more...or better. Maybe next time! In the meantime, you can go visit Stacy to see what random she's rocking this week...

 

My So-Called Teenage Life Blog Hop!

You're invited to join the

My So-Called Teenage Life Blog Hop

Part Deux

March 25, 2013

Hosted by Amy of The Big Green Bathtub, Christa Desir and yours truly of Maybe It's Just Me.

We couldn't get enough of this last time, as I mentioned to Amy on more than one occasion. I am so excited that they have agreed to do the hop again, and to even let me co-host. The teenage girl in me feels like I am getting to sit at the cool lunch table! (Now if I can just keep myself from cracking up with a mouthful of milk, thereby sending it spurting all over the belongings of the cool girls like I did in eighth grade...)

Here's how the blog hop works:

• Step One: Sign up on the linky below
• Step Two: Dust off those old sappy diaries bursting with teenage angst or high school notebooks filled with bad poetry*
• Step Three: Skim through them until you find something share-worthy
• Step Four: On Monday, March 25 POST IT on your blog
• Optional: We all love seeing old photos, so if you have one lying around of you as a teen, post that, too.

We'll all be hopping around peeking into each others private teenage lives on March 25. C'mon! What else do you have to do?

*Didn't write in a journal or compose poetry as a teenager? Have no fear! Counterfeit entries are welcome! Pretend you're a teenager and write whatever you feel. Just make sure you're using your teenage voice.

And if you're still a teenager, hey, you're going to basically rock this blog hop.

Sign up below!

52 Weeks of Happiness - Week 52

Here it is...week 52! 

It has been so much fun, for the past year, to always have "what's making me happy" in the back of my mind. Each week I reflected on what had gone on, then had to see what I managed to take pictures of. There was always happiness, and there were always pictures, and sometimes the two things even coincided.

The varsity girls' basketball team won the New York State Section III championship, at the Carrier Dome, this week.

It made me so happy to get to enjoy the game with my family and our friends (they have a daughter, who is a senior this year, on the team). The game was a nailbiter for the first half with only four points separating the teams at halftime. I admit to being kind of happy that nobody in our house was on that court as my friend commented on her upset stomach. The second half was a bit different, and the team won by 29 points in the end!

It was a fantastic season of games, and the four of us had something we enjoyed doing together that broke up some of the winter cabin fever. Regionals are this weekend! Go Stars!

Perhaps you remember last year when the team won the state Federation title, and the coach followed through on his word and let the girls give him a reverse mohawk? Well I couldn't help but notice that he shaved his hair pretty short a couple of weeks ago.

Thank you to Leigh at Leigh vs. Laundry for hosting such a fun year of smiles!

 

Rays of random

I saw the sun today...phew! All of my big talk over the past few months, celebrating the glory of winter, came to a screeching halt last week when I had finally had enough. The only snow that is welcome at this point had better be enough to warrant a snow day, or at least a delay. Without the benefit of getting to sleep in, the only new activity would be shoveling, and I am finally over it. So there is the weather update. I am not checking the forecast for tomorrow. Cloudy with a chance of meatballs? (At least I wouldn't have to figure out dinner!)

Speaking of children's books, I saw a new one today while visiting some fun folks. I thought this page from "Monsters Eat Whiny Children" was hilarious...

Thanks for sharing your books, guys!

Such a cutie AND he had cookies!

Sad because he had no cookies.

Speaking of my field trip, I had the van to myself (gads, "car" would sound so much cooler), which meant the music was under my sole control. Time flew by on the way there, as I sang my lungs out to 10,000 Maniacs. I swear I hit at least five correct notes...at least! I was a little bit tired on the way home, but luckily I had something to keep me alert...

This is seriously the selection I grabbed heading out the door.

ABBA GOLD!!!! I swear I saw a disco ball when track one fired up - Dancing Queen. The only thing missing was a pair of happening rollerskates...the kind with the giant red stopper under the toe. Take a chance, take a chance, take a chance...knowing me, knowing you it's the best I can do! You're welcome for any ear worms that provided! The winner takes it all!

Let's talk about the a-z challenge for a little bit, shall we? You may have noticed some new flair over there on the right side of my space. (Click either badge to learn more.) Typically when I say I am up for a challenge, that means that I am basically cowering in a corner eating m&ms, waiting for the sugar to kick in...then it's go time! After surviving some seriously silly samplings of alliteration in last year's a-z challenge, I figured I might give it another whirl this year, but wanted a little more on my plate to justify my computer time requests around here. I joined a team of minions! (I have always wanted minions, but since I wasn't getting anywhere, I thought becoming one was surely the next best thing.) You can head over here to see my coronation crowning introduction, complete with my kindergarten class picture!

I am still cracking up over this latest use for duct tape that we spotted at the floor hockey game...

Not sure why I haven't got rid of this yet. Maybe because it is one of the healthiest plants in the house?

Martha! Get dressed...

...and go visit Stacy...

52 Weeks of Happiness - Week 51

After that salad I fed you last week, I have something with much more substance this week!

This. This right here...

...made me so incredibly happy this week! My brother was on the Hudson Valley floor hockey team, that played at the Special Olympic state games in Rochester. So. Cool.

Sometimes I like to pretend that I have complete control over my enthusiasm in any given situation. When we arrived at the venue, I started to feel that inkling of worry about how hard it would be to find our guy. As I pondered out loud, my son had already spotted him. I turned and saw my little brother (ok, so maybe he is going to be 25 soon) walking towards us with his fabulous grin, I yelled and flung my arms around him. I was so excited! (And not just because I hadn't seen him in two months.)

Exhibit A: His smile for the fans

Exhibit B: Me, not masking my enthusiasm

Our dad...chief funseeker and fan club chairman

There were four courts/rinks/fields (we never did decide what to call them) set up in the banquet room of the convention center. (The fancy chandeliers were hoisted high up at the ceiling, and just the sport lighting was lowered.) There were quite a few people milling about checking out the games. One of the things that became apparent was that there was not a person there who did not want to be. The enthusiasm was palpable! The venue also felt safe, not just in a personal wellness way, but more of a judgement-free zone. There were no labels, just athletes, spectators, friends, family and volunteers all there to support each other.

My husband wandered off first to check out one of the other games, while we were waiting for my brother's game to start. He was quickly engaged in a conversation about the game by an athlete he just met. I shook hands with a man who asked my birthday, and when I saw him start to ponder, I had a feeling what was coming next. Adolf informed me that my birthday would be on a Wednesday this year. (Yes it will.) 

We arrived with enough time to spare to meet several of my brother's teammates, as well as the coach and his wife. By the time the game started, we had become invested in team, and could cheer them by name. It was awesome!

This was not your old school gymnasium floor hockey. That disk on the ground was very light and made of something like a dense felt. Sometimes they flew up over the sides, and it was hard to get used to the fact that nobody was going to get hurt by the flying object. The sticks were like broom handles, and two just barely fit in the hole at once.

There were a lot of fist/glove bumps amongst "rivals" as they got up from falls or reset after penalty calls. There were many displays of personal pride and enthusiasm, quickly paired with congratulatory gestures from teammates. There were also many moments of reassurance for temporarily disappointed teammates.

Even though the Knights did not win their first game, we were able to celebrate the comeback they had started in the final few minutes. Their win in the second game sealed their spot as the bronze medal winners for their division. It made me so happy to see this face after the game...

It also made me happy to hear Mousey's talk about her first goal ever, Will's lamenting over his rough one minute stint in the penalty box followed by a few goals and assists, and Billy's ability to overcome the tiredness he felt to have some incredible saves as goalie.

Due to the distance some of the teams travel, there are not necessarily a lot of family members able to make the trip. I was so happy that this event just happened to be less than ninety minutes from our house! It made me happy to see many volunteers had come to the event. Did you know that one of the things you could volunteer to do was simply be a fan? They had large pieces of paper and colored markers for sign making...cool! I highly recommend...it might make you happy! I look forward to looking for other opportunities for our family to get involved volunteering with Special Olympics. I am so happy that my brother's participation this year provided us the chance to get a peek into the competition.