Domesticity Three

Still working on the Macaroni and Cheese project. I have decided that provolone cheese is a little strong for mac and cheese—at least the kind that is available at our Wal-Mart. I'm also not ultra impressed with Vermont white cheddar cheese, and my mac and cheese is still not as creamy as Nate's. Next week we try muenster.

The second practice birthday cake for H turned out much better than the first one. I think we're ready to make one for her birthday. It's in a month.

I have cooked several meals this week. Mac and cheese, chicken wings and corn, and today we are having crock pot chicken enchiladas. H helped me make the layers.

Tomorrow we dine on leftovers.

Camping Notes

So we went camping last weekend. A couple of my nieces and nephews had never been, so it was lots of fun to see their first camping experiences. They also got to learn fire safety, and overall did pretty good with staying out of the fire, other than playing with the ashes.

My BIL keep getting after my nephew for throwing sticks in the fire. So when it came time to gather more firewood my nephew said "I guess I'll go get more damn firewood." He's seven, and if he hadn't been so sad it would have been pretty funny.

If you buy the giant marshmallows you only need one marshmallow, two full graham crackers and a full chocolate bar to make a giant s'more. If you put the chocolate bar on the graham cracker on a plate and set it near the fire it will melt and make the most awesome s'more ever. I really don't like s'mores that much, if you must know.

I think you could make an easy s'more by heating up a chocolate Moon Pie.

My niece McKenzie has renamed Dutch Oven Enchilada Casserole "Giant Enchilada." Dutch Oven Giant Enchilada is awesome. Even the little kids ate it. And it had jalapenos and enchilada sauce in it.

You can get away with eating all the cookies if no one sees you and you blame it on the mice.

It's a good idea to bring extra toilet paper on a campout, even if you are camping where there is a potty.

It takes freakin' forever to cook hot dogs and marshmallows over coals. Next time I'm throwing more wood in regardless of what anyone says, particularly if the person hasn't camped in over 20 years.

It's a good idea to put all the kids in the same tent so that when they leave the tent screen open all the bugs go in their tent, and not yours.

Always bring an extra lawn chair.

The later the hour, the gigglier the group gets. Even Brent gets giggly.

Cold cereal and Pop tarts for breakfast is a great idea, particularly if everyone gets up at a different time. The early birds are happy, and the late risers can eat breakfast when they want, and it's supposed to be cold.

Ten Reasons Why I Rock As An Aunt

I learned how to be an aunt from some really amazing women. I learned how to cook, entertain, craft and play games. They showed me how to spoil my nieces and nephews. From my aunts I learned different perspectives on life, and caught glimpses into different circumstances. I saw the fun some of them had interacting together as sisters and sister-in-laws, and I saw conflict between them as well. All of these things have influenced the way I treat my nieces and nephews.

So here are ten reasons that my nephews and nieces love coming over to my house, and love it when I show up at theirs.

1. I have a fridge full of Coke.
   
2. Cookie dough is a food group at Aunt Lindsays.
   
3. Aunt Lindsay has a WII and a projector and surround sound.
   
4. Foosball, air hockey and a play area full of toys in the basement.
   
5. The craft cupboard is always full of supplies.
   
6. The philosophy at our house is "if you go home hungry it's your own fault."
   
7. Aunt Lindsay doesn't snitch.
   
8. I rarely yell at the kids unless they are in danger or destroying something.
   
9. I love my nieces and nephews and them to know that above anything else.
   
10. Who else are you going to go to when planning a prank or caper? Seriously.

Domesticity Two

So my macaroni and cheese turned out pretty good. I used too much mozzarella, I think, and maybe the provolone was a little sharp. And I'm not sure that you could tell that it had romano in it. But the fresh bread crumbs that were on the top turned out well. I'm not sure my little food processor has worked so hard in a long time. It was an awful lot of work, but pretty darn tasty. I ended up combining a recipe from Martha Stewart with what my brother Nate said. So the first attempt turned out well, but the leftovers weren't as creamy as Nate's. I'll have to try again.

Really, You're Sticking With THat?

We all saw it coming. We knew it would happen. As much as we hoped it wouldn't, it was inevitable. I am talking, of course, about the skankification of Miley Cyrus. Yes, I made up the word skankification. If former President George W. Bush could make up words, then so can I.

I really didn't think the ice cream pole dance was that big of a deal, but the hoochy shorts were pushing it. But if you go onstage wearing something like this,

and then have the nerve to say "I'm not trying to be slutty" then you are so far over the truth line that you can't even see it.

Seriously, any self-respecting streetwalker wouldn't wear this thing. It's no wonder that her clothing line is on the clearance rack at Wal-Mart. No parent in their right mind is going to purchase clothes that leave nothing to the imagination. Plus the stretch pants were really ugly. I mean, super ugly. They are so ugly that I can't even find a picture of them on the internet to show you. They are skin tight and black and words fail me. And the stirrup pants? Even for $4 on clearance you're not going to find any takers. They were a disgrace back in 1986.

These shorts cost $14! Fourteen bucks for shorts that have holes in them and don't even cover your butt.

They are called distressed. I know I sound like a crotchety old man, but you could make those for free by cutting off the legs of pants you already own. You know, if your mother hasn't already chucked them because of the holes in them. I know my mother would've.

How about this one?

It's a romper. Last I checked only 3-6 month old babies wore those. They even come in different colors, with or without a back!

What's next, a tramp stamp? I don't think I want to know.

Really? You’re Sticking with That?

We all saw it coming. We knew it would happen. As much as we hoped it wouldn't, it was inevitable. I am talking, of course, about the skankification of Miley Cyrus. Yes, I made up the word skankification. If former President George W. Bush could make up words, then so can I.

I really didn't think the ice cream pole dance was that big of a deal, but the hoochy shorts were pushing it. But if you go onstage wearing something like this,

and then have the nerve to say "I'm not trying to be slutty" then you are so far over the truth line that you can't even see it.

 

Seriously, any self-respecting streetwalker wouldn't wear this thing. It's no wonder that her clothing line is on the clearance rack at Wal-Mart. No parent in their right mind is going to purchase clothes that leave nothing to the imagination. Plus the stretch pants were really ugly. I mean, super ugly. They are so ugly that I can't even find a picture of them on the internet to show you. They are skin tight and black and words fail me. And the stirrup pants? Even for $4 on clearance you're not going to find any takers. They were a disgrace back in 1986.

These shorts cost $14! Fourteen bucks for shorts that have holes in them and don't even cover your butt.

They are called distressed. I know I sound like a crotchety old man, but you could make those for free by cutting off the legs of pants you already own. You know, if your mother hasn't already chucked them because of the holes in them. I know my mother would've.

How about this one?

 

 

It's a romper. Last I checked only 3-6 month old babies wore those. They even come in different colors, with or without a back!

What's next, a tramp stamp? I don't think I want to know.

Domesticity 1

Last weekend I prepared four meals. This is the current record because although I like to cook, I really haven't made it a priority since before H was born. She's four now, almost five. As soon as I felt up to cooking again (H was two) my mom died, which sent me spiraling into a depression which I may never fully pull myself out of. Then we were in a car accident and it took quite a few months (and a prescription for Celexa) before I physically felt able to start cooking. Although I really didn't make a lot of meals. Maybe one or two a week.

Other stuff happened, and I am still grieving for my mom, and then my back went out. It's now been about 6 weeks and I'm starting to feel pretty good. Basically, I have run out of excuses to avoid cooking dinner. So on Friday I made steak. Yes, I did forget to make side dishes. In my defense, I was really sad on Friday and was doing good to make anything. Saturday was a holiday. On Sunday I made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. Since H was very sick we didn't go to my dads for dinner, so I went fancy and made waffles from scratch for my little family. Every bowl in my house is now dirty, but my husband loves waffles. On Monday I made grilled sandwiches for lunch again.

Today we embark on a new journey. My next cooking goal is to master macaroni and cheese from scratch. Having mastered Kraft Macaroni and Cheese quite awhile ago, I feel it is now time to step up my game. Plus my little brother makes awesome mac and cheese and as the big/only sister I feel it is my sworn duty to out do him. So I called him and got the recipe and spent $12 on cheeses. Provolone, Romano Reggiano and Mozzarella. Attempt one is today. Wish me luck. Wish my family luck, since they have to eat it.

Huh?

So I have a lot of issues with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show, starting with the fact that only Tootles is smart enough to take supplies on an adventure, and it seems like everyone is pretty much incapable of holding anything, as they are always handing things off to hands that come out of nowhere. My current issue is the fact that there is a bridge in Mickey Mouse land made of glass. They can't walk over it without slipping, so they have to get a carpet from Tootles so they can cross the bridge. How that ever passed planning and zoning I don't know. You'd think even in Mickey Mouse land that they would think it unwise to build a bridge out of a breakable material, much less one that was likely to cause accidents. I'm just saying.