Monday, October 21, 2013

Never Ever Again Ford

I was so excited when we got Rojo Grande, our big red truck.  I fell in love with being a truck girl.  It just seemed to fit me and we just seemed to be a natural fit.  And then...heartache.

We are breaking up.  Do you hear me Ford.  We are never ever getting back together!

Since we drove it off the lot it has been one big headache.  First the springs in the door broke.  Oookay I will just take it to the dealer.  Who then proceeded to accuse me of basically She-hulking the door open.  Then two months later I get a post card in the mail about a recall.  Guess what got recalled?  The damn door springs.  The emblem fell off the back.  The hook on the gas tank broke and it wont shut.  The windshield has a traveling crack.  And then earlier this year the truck left us stranded on the side of the road.  It's only four years old.   

It just left me stranded again for the SECOND time this year!  I am so mad I can't even put it into words.  Which is unusual for me because I am good with the typing.  I don't even know what in the heck is wrong with it other than it's "chuggy".  It's currently sitting at school because I couldn't trust enough to drive it home during the school rush hour.  So we walked home. Thank you to the few people who called to check on us and make sure we were okay.  It's not that long of a walk and I'm glad I was close to home but walking across two fields in my cute flip flops which have no arch support has left me more than slightly grumpy.

I just hear echos of "get an American car".  Memories from when we were shopping for a new car.  I can tell you from experience, it's not about quality.

You know you have those moments where you wish you could go back in time and change something...this would be it.  I wish I could go back and keep my Honda!

  

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Stinking Addicting Potatoes

Hubby wanted to kick the weekend off right and have a fire in the fire pit.  I was all about it.  Nice and relaxed hubbies are good things.  He said he wanted some appetizers for dinner and that I should just pick something up from the freezer section.  I know he was trying to make dinner easy for me but the thought of putting greasy pre fried food in my stomach wasn't sitting right with me.  Especially not after the McDonalds the night before.  Me and fast food just don't get a long anymore.  Not that it's a bad thing.  I probably shouldn't be eating this stuff anyways but Clover was sick and wanted Chicken Nuggets so that is what we had.  I have started to just pick up happy meals lately.  I get a smaller portion and an extra toy for Clover to play with so it works out.  Even with a smaller portion the nugget/fry combo didn't sit well that night.  So my stomach was already out of whack.  I decided that it would be better just to make my own appetizers.  This would take a bit more time than just popping some stuff in the oven but in my head, my stomach would thank me.

So I found this potato recipe over at Diethood - Loaded Baked Potato Rounds.   Here is where I admit that I didn't follow the recipe exactly.  I skimmed it and in my hurried state didn't get to the bottom where it says they precook the potato.  Whoopsie.  But you know what?  They came out perfect anyways.  I sliced them pretty thin.  Not potato chip thin but still thick enough to hold the toppings.  And to shorten the cooking time I micronuked the bacon.  I layed out the rounds on a lightly greased tin foiled covered sheet pan.  I used about three potatoes.  Then I sprinkled on some cheese and bacon.  I cooked them for about twelve minutes and then added some more cheese and cooked them for ten more minutes.  They were done all the way when I pulled them out and still had stability to hold up while dipping them.  They were soooo yummy.  You get the same flavor as a baked potato without having to wait an hour to cook them. 

I was a little worried about reintroducing dairy back into my diet since I have been weened off it for awhile due to the gastritis but I didn't have a problem at all.  I'm going to have to take it easy though or else I might dive into the diary isle head first.

Between the three of us we ate the entire half sheet pan.  I will admit that I snacked on a few before the plates made it out to the fire pit.

If You Give Juju A Cookie...

Have you ever read If You Give A Mouse A Cookie?  It's an adorable story about giving a mouse a cookie that leads this kid on a little adventure.  Like this kids whole day is blown because they gave a mouse a cookie.  It's pretty much the premise for my entire life.  Like if I go to the grocery store, I will have to make a list...then I will have to find a pen and paper...I will have to shop...take the bags to the car... take the bags in...unpack...clean out the fridge...and take out the garbage.

It's like this with ALL the projects I want to work on.

I wanted to string up lights this weekend.  They were these cute blacklight Halloween lights.  You know the tiny bulbs that everyone just calls Christmas lights?  So I bought four packs the other day while I was waiting for Clover's meds to be ready at the pharmacy.  I went to grab the ladder that had been outside only to find out that a bird had tried to make a nest in it.  So I sweep off the nest only to find a bajillion tiny bird droppings all over the ladder!  Ick ick and tripple ick.  So now I have to wash the ladder.  So I have to take it over, find the bleach and spray that sucker down.  So even though I had my heart set on putting up the lights I know that a wet, metal ladder and electricity do not mix.  I'm smart like that.

So now I have to find a plan b.  Why another plan?  Because I have this weird tick where when I set my mind to finish something I am going to gosh darn finish it!  I call it a tick, my husband thinks I'm insane.  Tomayto...toemato.  Most people would give up and try another day.  Not me.  If I don't have a tool I need, I will improvise.  I have duct tape!  Enter the step ladder and a stick.  Not just any stick but a Y shaped stick.

So after I figure out where the thing is going to plug in, I start stringing.  And then I get to the top of the garage.  The highest point on the house.  Which again would have not been a problem had the ladder not had a metric ton of bird crap on it.  So then a light bulb goes off in my head.  I grab Clover's Barbie fishing pole and my thinking is that if I fling the bobber over the light on the garage I can just reel them over.  Sounds good in theory right?  Nope.  Three attempts and nothing.  The lights are just too heavy for the fishing pole.  The string snaps.  I guess the people making these kiddie fishing poles think that these kids aren't going to catch anything bigger than a minnow because the string that comes on those things snaps after about two pounds of pressure.  Now a mental note to restring the bright pink Barbie fishing pole.

So I am already invested in this project.  And I mentioned earlier that my husband thinks I am insane right?  Probably because I am.  So the Y shaped stick of light stringing doom is about an inch too short to make it over the light on the top of the garage.  Enter mental rage because I couldn't really rage with my daughter playing in the yard.  At this point another light bulb goes off in my head.  I'm surrounded by them at this point.  I have duct tape!  So I grab a marshmallow roasting fork with a U in the top.  Then I duct tape it to the stick.  Not kidding here people.  I already told you I was invested.  To top it off it was pretty duct tape not that silver kind!  Back on the step ladder with the Frankenstick of light stringing doom.  Finally cleared the light and finish stringing up the house.

Seriously all of that just to put some lights on the house.

I think I deserve that cookie now!