I'm not a tree

Hypothetically Speaking

2012-01-28T12:34:00.000-08:00

So, I got to talking with a friend about hot 80's actors that are still hot. So, that got me thinking about making a blog post about all the men in movies that I would hypothetically date / go to some "base" with. Figured I would get it out of the way so that you guys know just what my "type" is. Actually, I just wanted to write a post I thought was totally fun.

OK, OK I don't really have a type but here's some basic guidelines:

-must be taller than me

-should have dark hair (preferably light eyes)

-No typical hot guys

-INTELLIGENCE

-humor

-Some sort of style

OK, so here they are in no particular order ( have a feeling this list is going to be really long)

Andrew McCarthy
Ewan McGregor
Ali Boulala
Adam Levine
David Beckham
Sean (atmosphere)
Aesop Rock
Mark Ruffalo
Brock from Pokemon
Trent from Daria
Napoleon Dynamite
Josh Lucas
Michael Vartan
House
Jeremy Sisto

OK that's enough for now...

Sick

2012-01-24T05:58:00.000-08:00

I'm sick so I'm on a short reprieve from posting.
My kids are addicted to Youtube Cat Videos

So for your viewing pleasure:

That's actually really funny.

Walnut Butter

2012-01-21T17:15:00.001-08:00

Okay, so when I was a kid there was this endless supply of walnuts in our house. The reason for this was because my mother and grandmother loved to bake and my aunt had walnut trees on her farm. It was only when I moved out on my own that I realized how expensive walnuts are and how lucky I was when I was younger.

So, awhile ago I got walnuts at the market and didn't know what to do with them. I made Waldorf Salad a couple times and that was it. I saw an article in I think? All You magazine on the health benefits of nut butters and thought, "Oh, how I love nut butter" I've had sunflower and Almond butter but then it him me, my walnuts! I've never had walnut butter but the recipe was so easy I knew I could really screw it up.

So, without further adieu:

Alright so here's your list of necessities:

Walnuts
Honey
Oil (they say nut oil but I just used regular old veg/olive combo)
Nutcracker or HAMMER if you are me
Some type of processor

How I Roll in teh PREP

Alright, so here's the super simple instructions.

Bust open the nuts (Little bit of nut humor up there)
Get your processor ready ( I use a Ninja)
Add a little honey - about a tablespoon and a little oil
Start pulsing until it's buttery

OK, heads up my processor screamed like a banchee as I did this... and I had to open it up a couple times to see if it was right but it came out really good and my kids loved it.

Here's the finished product, I hope you like it. It tasted a little bit like wheat germ to me.

Just Some Thoughts

2012-01-21T10:50:00.000-08:00

Okay first thing I want to record here are my SM's birthday plans.
I was planning on doing Muppet Cupcakes but I've completely scratched that idea.

I will now be doing:

I will either make or buy a tie rack
Bake a real pie (Note to self to find out what his favorite kind of pie is)
Make a Banner for decoration

OK, so that is that. I also wanted to get him another rechargeable battery thing but he says if I get that it isn't really a gift for him... whatevs.

OK, on to the other irons in my fire... I've thought about doing a network marketing thing a couple times and I've pretty much decided that I do want to try. It's just about the timing I guess. But I have reservations, I firstly don't really have a network and I really don't like to sell. I'm not even really sure why this idea even appeals to me. But when it comes down to it I need the extra cash, I babysit but that's not an income and so this I guess, if I got creative and got out there could be good for me.

So here are the two companies I've narrowed it down to and my subsequent list of pros and cons:

Scentsy

This would be good for a lot more people than Usborne
There would be repeat buyers
It's constantly changing so it would provide a lot of variety and a reason for people to keep in touch with you

Usborne

This would be harder to pull off because you would need people with children
It would be great though because books in my house count as gold
They don't seem to have as many of the perks that Scentsy has
It will be a little easier to sell once Penny is in school

I don't know maybe I'll do neither, it's up in the air at this point.

Check back in a bit I'm going to make Walnut Butter :)

Taking Pictures

2012-01-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

I really like to take pictures. I mean, I have no talent at it but I enjoy it and that's what matters...
So I was at Target tonight and I saw this
Just go look
So, awesome... I currently use a Canon EOS Rebel but it's
a) Old (like six years)
b) Got a lot of features I don't know how to use because it wasn't my camera to begin with
c) Bulky and I do a lot of snapshots

I will have that camera sometime this year.

Time Vacuums

2012-01-19T11:17:00.000-08:00

I wake up every morning with every intention of getting up and getting things done. Then I sit down in front of my computer and get stuck in a wormhole of emails and facebook statuses. Before I know it, it's time for lunch and I've done absolutely nothing. I work well with lists and it seems the older I get the more I need them to get absolutely anything done.

So, in honor of procrastination here's a list of all the places on internet that I get sucked in and can't get out:

I know, you'd think there would be a lot more craft / cooking sites but I try to stay away from those unless I'm looking for a project because well... I wind up spending way too much time / money on usually Ugly or Ill received gifts / crafts.

Saying Goodbye to Christmas or as I call it PCD

2012-01-18T13:45:00.000-08:00

I took all of my Christmas decorations down the other day and now I'm in that after Christmas phase where the world feels helpless and lonely. Post Christmas Depression or PCD for short is a real disorder that I've created all on my own. It's hard to let go of that magical yet stressful time of the year where you are actually really busy and you have that awesome distraction of SHOPPING. Then it's like, it's over and you didn't even really enjoy it. You feel that need to see a familiar face or just get a big hug.

The truth is that I didn't even do the gift exchange with any of my family yet. They're in PA, I'm in the DC Metro so I'll get up there in February and get to do a mini xmas but it just isn't the same. By that time the Valentine's stuff will be up... Oh well

On another note, I'm thinking seriously about scrapping the muppet cupcake project. It's going to be hard. Maybe Ill just do a Kermit, I don't know there's no Tutorials anywhere on the internet... probably has something to do with the blackout.

Imaginary Boyfriends - A Battle (You'll see what I did there in a minute)

2012-01-14T17:52:00.000-08:00

OK, so let's close our eyes and imagine our imaginary boyfriend... you know the one that picks his socks up off the floor and doesn't tailgate. He's grand isn't he?

I was listening to my headphones earlier and Aesop Rock was on and I thought I bet Aesop Rock is a nice guy. You know he's cute and he's obviously very smart... he would probably be a great boyfriend. OK, just to preface this is all imaginary. I mean, in real life the guy is married and you know... good for him but this is my fantasy.

Then I remembered my other imaginary boyfriend Sean, or better known as "Slug" (said with a totally Tanya voice). Oh no, this could be bad. They could get into one hell of a rap battle where Slug metaphorically refers to me as Lucy. I would love EVERY second of it.

But seriously :sort of: I like these two guys. They each possess something very unique and appealing yet they are both extremely different. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is about either but I think Aesop Rock would be more the guy that comes home to you though and Slug would probably end up being the guy that "goes out for a pack of smokes and never comes home" Ha.

Either way my favorite Atmosphere song is .....

SHRAPNEL

Favorite Aesop Rock song is......

Greatest Pac-Man Victory in History

The Perils of Motherhood

2012-01-13T07:55:00.000-08:00

So, while pondering about what I was going to blog about today I did a little bit of web-browsing. I'm addicted to the thought of having a classroom setting for my kids despite the fact that they don't really need one. So, I was looking at www.lakeshorelearning.com daydreaming about cubbies and art tables and all the things that go alone with it. Motherhood obviously can be isolating especially if you are among the ranks of those that don't tend to make friends easily or crack jokes that people don't really laugh at <----- (ME) So, as I'm looking I start thinking man, A, you need to make some friends... and how do people do that?

I've tried www.meetup.com and while it was good for my kids, I hosted quite a few playdates at my house and even had a Gerber Houseparty. I had trouble connecting with the moms. My interests are varied and sometimes I see myself as a square peg in a round hole. So, I started thinking about taking a class at Michael's or something. They have cool one's the Wilton Baking and a Knitting. While those are cool I don't know if I'd wind up meeting anyone that I could really enjoy spending my time with. No offense to the cupcake bakers of the world but I'm not as traditional as most of the women that I assume sign up for those classes. They do however, offer painting classes which is something I totally suck at yet am totally absolutely interested in. So I look at the calendar and alas there are none on the schedule.

What a bummer.

Sometimes Being a Vegetarian Isn't Pretty

2012-01-12T11:37:00.000-08:00

So, if you're just stopping by guess what?! I don't eat meat. Don't worry though, I'm not preachy or anything like that. As far as I'm concerned this is the best choice for me and my family. Maybe you and your family enjoy meat, that's fine with me.

With that being said it can become mundane with the same old dinners. You also get stuck in "the pasta rut" where all your eating is carbohydrates and then I've got to kick myself into gear and go out and get the fresh stuff and the stuff that forces me to be a little more creative.

So, here's a little back-story. Last year we had my father and his wife living with us. She's from Thailand and she cooks some amazing... I mean delicious food. While they were staying here she really got me into going to Globe Mart which is the ethnic store where I live. I was firstly, blown away by the awesome prices on produce and secondly, amazed at the insane selection they had.

With that being said I took a trip there today. Came back with this.

OK, it doesn't look pretty but I'm sure it cleans up well. Some of it I've had before and some of it I took a gamble on. Usually it isn't half bad. Plus, my kids love tofu anyway you serve it to them they gobble it up. So, I guess the moral of the story is Globe Mart is pretty rad.

More Bento Box Ideas

2012-01-11T12:16:00.000-08:00

I want to list a couple of the really cool links I found while researching Bento Boxes

So, it's coming along... now I just have to figure out how to make those muppet cupcakes.

Cheap Books / Facebook Dramz

2012-01-11T10:21:00.000-08:00

OK, so I've had a migraine blame the last two days of misery on that.

When I was pregnant with Penny I ready this book and it really helped me to realize just what babies are, a crying, screaming bundle of reflexes. I had no prior experience with babies but this book was great. One of the best pieces of advice I got from it was that toys are novel and cool but you can definitely over do it. Books on the other hand you can absolutely never have too many of.

So obviously she is telling me to obsessively refresh the Ebay children's book lot auction page right? I mean that's what I took from it.

Other than that I had an interesting experience on Facebook yesterday, with a relative. Figured I would vent here since anything I say on there can and will be used against me in the court of webzlaw. I made a comment in defense of eating at home and suddenly I was being attacked... and well... it felt bad. I also chose not to go forward with "a flame" because who airs their laundry on facebook like that? Surely, not I. OK said it, got it off my chest, and I feel the exact damn same ... :/

Recipe: Vegetarian Spinach Lasagna

2012-01-10T06:09:00.000-08:00

I have one tried and true recipe for when Steve's family comes to visit since we're vegetarians our eating habits tend to be different from theirs. I always make vegetarian spinach lasagna. So, I figured in honor of their visit yesterday I would share my recipe with you.

That is not my lasagna, I totally forgot to take a picture.

So, here's your ingredient list:

Lasagna Noodles (whatever kind you desire)
1 Big Container of Ricotta
1 Jar of Red Sauce
Package of Frozen Spinach
Package of Fresh Mushrooms
Package of fresh sliced cheese

Alright, here's what you do.

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees
Boil a big pot of water, once it comes to boil throw about half that box of lasagna noodles in there.
While that's boiling defrost (if not already done) spinach and drain really well
Mix your spinach and ricotta cheese together
Check noodles, they should be not quite done
Get out a big casserole dish and put a teensy bit of sauce on the bottom (so noodles don't stick)
cover the bottom evenly with noodles, then add a layer of the ricotta spinach mixture, then a layer of noodles and then sauce. Repeat this step as many times as necessary. (I usually only have to do it twice.
Once you've added your final coating of sauce on the top cover that baby in sliced cheese
Put it in the oven for about 35 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling
SERVE AND ENJOY!!!

Here's some clever variations:

Add hamburger or Morningstar Farms fake hamburger if you're a vegetarian like me

Add some zucchini and sun dried tomatoes

Add whatever you like really, the only problem that you may run into is that the ricotta holds moisture and if you want this plain (just ricotta and sauce and noodles) it may get runny... I really don't have a solution. If you do run into that problem my best bet is to try a lot of different types of ricotta and probably like always the MOST EXPENSIVE one will yield the best results.

Good Luck and Let me Know How it Turns Out.

Being Lazy and Not Productive

2012-01-09T07:52:00.000-08:00

So, when I started this blog my goal was to update at least once every two days. Obviously, I've been slacking. With the holidays and having family come AFTER them to celebrate with our children it's been a little hectic. But those are excuses right? How long does it really take to make a little blurb on the internet? You did update your Facebook status Asheli.

So, I ask myself what does it take me personally to stay on track? What does it take me to be productive?
I have to take out my headphones (yes, I wear them while my kids watch TV) and I have to get out of my cozy little spot in the corner of the couch. Parenting is like this big balancing act. Even when I'm not doing anything I'm being barraged with requests for snacks and to look at a picture or to give the dog a milkbone. So, I take my time with everything to make up for it.

What do you do to stay on track? If you've got any good ideas let me know.

On another note, I've got plenty of downtime this morning because my kids got round two of Christmas with my Mother in Law. They're busy breaking their new toys.

Other notable things include:

Triops never hatched
Steve got a real job
I've actually decided that when I've saved the cash I'm going to do the real estate school thing

And just for some laughs while we are on the subject, a demotivational poster.

Jingle Even Loved to Sing

2012-01-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

So as a Christmas Eve gift I got my kids one of those Hallmark Book Buddies, particularly "Jingle all the way"
It's a little stuffed dog that interacts while you read a book.

Every time you say a particular phrase in the book he either barks or sings.

Which- that is so awesome right?

Well, yes... in concept this is a really cool and fun idea and gets your kids into reading. My kids already are but I thought this was a sweet gift despite that.

Here's the problem. First, one particular phrase in the book I have to repeat over and over in different tones and annunciations because "Jingle even loved to sing." Apparently, Jingle does not. It usually takes me FIVE tries to get him to do it. The second problem is that my two adorable, wonderful, beautiful children like to fight over Jingle and usually in the process of fighting over him they push the little button on his ear off.

We read it before bed tonight... kids had fun but I was frustrated... cest `la vie? I guess.

Ordering Prints and their Accompanying Procrastination

2012-01-04T12:32:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's just me, but ordering prints online of photos is one of those things I put off until I can absolutely not go without them anymore (I know... first world problem.)
I scrapbook, or at least I USED to. I haven't ordered pictures in two years I think??? Not that I haven't taken them... I've taken thousands and the last time I ordered I ordered like six hundred and that was awesome because I had a lot to work with but now I'm running low.
It's a thing I like least, I always over order and the whole process just tends to take hours.
I have to tonight and I'm dreading it.
My best prints ever though have definitely come from Snapfish.

You are what you eat

2012-01-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to post this while it's fresh in my mind.
I just watched this documentary on how the food we eat is directly related to who and what we are.
Most people don't make that connection between these very simple things. You can prepare a meal and provide someone nourishment and that's one of the greatest and most valuable gifts you can give.
My mother in law is coming Sunday, I told her I was going to make Lasagna. She said, "Why don't we just go to Olive Garden?"
To me the answer is very simple... you live 200 miles away and we don't see you. The very last thing I want to do is waste the time we have sitting in the car and sitting in a crowded restaurant. I would much rather prepare you a meal and sit with you and enjoy it. The gratification is worth every ounce of work.
I'm also a vegetarian, so are my children. We've received a lot of flack for this. Most of which I've allowed to roll off my back. But yet again, here we are at this really significant connection between us and the Earth, us and life itself. I choose not to eat a lifeless bird and that to me means so much more than the sustenance meat provides.
It is quite funny because when I was younger I ate very fast and I ate a lot. People would ask why and I would say, "I don't have time for food." I realize now that I'm older what I meant and what I said was skewed. My thought process was also a little flawed, I understand now where I was coming from. I wanted food to not be the primary source of entertainment. It's like the canvas and I can see that now. I'm not going to make a TV dinner and then sit and watch Jeopardy. I'm going to make a meal and sit and eat that meal with my family.

Projects in the Works

2012-01-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

So, I've got a couple cool projects I'm planning on doing soon that I'm excited about:

Bento Boxes for Valentines Day
Muppet Cupcakes for Steve's birthday

Other than that, right now I'm working on the Glass Bead Game (the book).

If you know me, you know that up until last year I had my very own website but unfortunately the server it was on was hacked :-( The site was dedicated only to my 1001 books 1 lifetime project. Basically, it was me taking this list and just going through and reading. I'm still working on that project, Glass Bead Game is on there. It's taking me an obscene amount of time to read it.

On the kid front, I've been introducing Penny to words which is awesome. I got some of those flash cards from the dollar store... (how awesome is it that the dollar store has a teaching section) and we've been working on the different sounds that the letters make together. Silent E's she already has down... I am absolutely impressed with her.

Yep, that's today in a nutshell.
Oh yeah, the triops! Duh, so for Christmas Penny got Triops. "Trops" as she likes to call them.

We set that up last night. I'll let you know how they turn out in a couple days when the eggs are supposed to hatch. But if you have a kid that is into dinosaurs or fossils or anything like that... this is like Sea Monkey's on speed.

So, welcome I guess?

2012-01-01T12:12:00.000-08:00

Yeah, yeah it's the new year. New me? Eh, I'll settle for a cleaner house and cats that don't throw up on EVERYTHING. I got up this morning walked into the living room and there were three awesome piles of cat throw up just waiting for MOI. Always a pleasure Muffin, always a pleasure.

Today was alright. Nothing special. No pork or sauerkraut, not in this house. No meat = no chance of trichinosis! I'm trying to devise ways to organize the tons and tons of things my kids have in way that makes it accessible to them and transparent to my own eyes. If you come up with a solution let me know.

Otherwise, that's me signing off for the day.