Yay!

Our townhouse has been subletted out so we don't have to pay rent! Woo-hoo!

Now that we have a little extra money, we are going to buy an LCD tv. Looks like we can get a 42", but Joe really wants a 52" screen. Geez. Can we say, "The TV totally dominates the room?"

Anyone have any suggestions on brand?

The day draws nearer...

Only 6 days to closing! We needed to get Sarah's room painted and she was dragging her feet. So last night, after a dinner of bacon wrapped filets, onion rings and corn dip/fritos (gotta get the veggies in...), I casually say to Sarah,

"I'm going upstairs. And I'm going to do one of two things. Either I'm going to paint or I'm going to pack your closet. If you come help, I'll paint. If you don't, I'll pack your closet. If I see anything I don't like, I'm throwing it away."

The room got painted. It looks nice.

Amy's Famous Fritos Dip

At least, it's famous in our family. She made it this summer when Teresa and I were back to see Mom and we had "The Tornado That Shook The Beds And Tore Off The Garage". But I digress. On to more important matters of food.

Amy made this dip and here is my slightly modified recipe:

1 can original Rotel tomato (drained)
1 can Nibblets corn (drained)
1/2 cup (or a big handful) of shredded cheese-I usually use Monterrey Jack
1/2 cup (or a couple of big spoonfuls) of full-on Mayo (low fat? yuck!)
3 or 4 sliced green onions
salt and pepper

Mix it all together, put it in Grandma Crouse's speckled bowl covered with plastic wrap and let it chill for a while in the fridge. Serve with Frito's Scoops.

I'm telling you. At first, you kind of say to yourself, "What? Corn and tomatoes as a dip? With MAYO?" and you aren't sure you like it. But it's addictive. It grows on you real fast. Sometimes I eat it without the chips. It's probably the only way Joe and Sarah and I get any real veggies at all.

So last night, for supper, we had chicken and dumplings, and the "corn dip". Sarah got a phone call, and was gone for 14 minutes. She came back and the entire bowl was gone. She ate plenty before she got the call, but you snooze you lose when it comes to this dip. She was SO distressed, that Joe volunteered to go out in the freezing cold to get the ingredients to make more!!! That's how good it is!!!! Try it.

Join the dip revolution.

10 days to moving day

On the one hand, 10 days sounds like an eternity. We close on the 29th and we are very excited about the move and getting settled in to our new home. It can't come soon enough. On the other hand, OH MY GOSH WE ONLY HAVE 10 DAYS TILL MOVING DAY!! Yes, we have a lot packed. Yes, we have an idea where everything will go. Yes, we even decided to have a local moving company come move all our stuff. But we have SOOOOOOOOOOO much more to do.

Yesterday, Elizabeth came down with the kids. We had asked a kid to come over and paint Sarah's room here at the apartment so it would be back to it's original eggshell color. (Her room is a bright orange and bright green.) At the last moment, he called and had to cancel. So, Elizabeth and Sarah and I attempted to paint Sarah's room. We KNEW we were going to have to put on a coat of base to help cover the colors. What we didn't know was how many coats. AND, some of the paint "slid" on the wall. What a nightmare. By the time we were done with the first coat, the baby was hysterical, Yuki and Sofi were bored to tears, and I was ready for everyone to leave. So I told everyone I'd have to go buy another gallon of Kilz2 and we'd work on it again later. Which really means, Sarah will work on it again later. She's the one that wanted to paint the walls originally and I told her at that time that she would have to paint it back. I was just being nice yesterday. It's her baby now.

It is REALLY REALLY cold here. We've been so spoiled by temps that don't get below 30 degrees, and suddenly it's 0 degrees with an ungodly windchill factor and a winter advisory telling us it's cold outside, so be careful out there.

Time to get back to watching Bobby Flay make comfort food. I wish I wasn't the only one that loved meatloaf. It just sounds so good. So does Chili. Of course, making either one of those items would mean I'd have to go to the store. I wouldn't want to take the chance since the National Weather Channel tells me it's cold outside and my blood might freeze right in my veins if I venture out. So, I guess I'll just dream about the meatloaf and make chicken instead.

Yuki strikes again

Elizabeth is in the garage putting recylables into the bins.

Yuki walks out and says: "What the hell are you doing?"

Elizabeth, taken aback, says: "What did you say?"

Yuki: "What the hell..."

**********************

Elizabeth calls to tell me this, and I am cracking up. I ask her who says that. She said she doesn't know. I think it's the damn t.v.

Comments from outside...

Most of you know we have snakes. Lots of snakes. And some of them are BIG. They unfortunately reside in our living room right now. When the blinds are open you can see the snakes through the window if you are standing outside. So yesterday some kids were outside the window looking in at the snakes.

Kid 1: Whoa! Look at those snakes! They're HUGE.

Kid 2: Wow! I wonder what kind they are?

Kid 1: I know what kind they are...those are the kind of snakes that can kill a man!

Kid 2: That's creepy! Let's get out of here!

On the face of it, I really wouldn't want anyone to think that my snakes could kill anyone. They aren't poisonous. They probably could strangle a person (the bigger ones) but you'd have to be pretty weak to not be able to get them off your neck, and if you're dumb enough to put them around your neck in the first place perhaps you deserve your fate.

But on the other hand, if all the kids in the neighborhood are afraid of our house because of the snakes, maybe none of the little hoodlums will break in and try to steel anything. HAHA.

Happy New Year!

Well, here it is the New Year of 2008.

I have duly recorded my weight in a top secret place known only to me, lest someone stumble across it and realize that the number on my driver's license is not correct. But, it's not that far off either.

I'm drinking my vitamin-filled morning beverage that is supposed to give me 100% of all the vitamins and minerals I need for the day. Joe and I each got our own gender-correct canister at GNC last week. It's not supposed to be a meal replacement, but I'm thinking it can't be bad with milk and a frozen banana or some blueberries. That's more than I get for breakfast most of the time anyway.

So last night I was lying in bed thinking of New Years Resolutions and how they need to be do-able. Most of my thoughts centered around work. I didn't make any personal goals (other than work) because I know I won't keep them after about one and a half days. But the work one is really more for my sanity than anything else, and I'm going to try hard to keep that one.

"I will work my diaries every day and will not roll them to the next day(s)." There. It's in writing.

Happy New Year! Blessings to you!