Sunday, July 31, 2011

Strawberry Sunday





*27??* <---I need to buy a new scale.

I have been blackberry picking for the past two weeks. I have access to two places where you can pick blackberries. Both are legal to me to pick at and both a being neglected..meaning nobody is picking the freaking berries! They are blackberries people! They are one of the most expensive berries in the store!
Oh well. I do not give a fuck. I have got almost a whole large ziploc bag full of frozen blackberries. I am going to make jam with them. I was thinking I would make Strawberry jam today though. I have enough to do it and I picked up my pectin and lemons yesterday. It is a bit hot and humid but I want to do it. It is rewarding really. You have all those beautiful jars of strawberry red laid out in front of you. It is wonderful.
I still have more blackberries to pick before I am ready to can those into jam. I have never done blackberry but it is probably not as much different then strawberry. I will find a proper recipe for it so I do not ruin all the hard work so far of picking each and ever fully ripe berry! LOL You see those red ones? You have to wait until they are black like the center one.
I went out yesterday to pick so I will not go out until maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. Give them some time to ripen. It is a pain in the ass. I wish it was just easy. All ripen at once so I could pick to my heart`s content. I am catching skin cancer out there so I can make lovely jam for my family and friends. I am being nuzzled by Milo as I am typing this. He is such a sweet Ginger boy. He loves to lovingly harrass you while you are on the computer. Does not matter who it is. He was the best choice out of the whole litter.
I need to make an appointment for Lu to get her last summer cut. Nice and short. I also have to fork over some more cash for the flea treatment. It worked sooo well on all of them.  I have seen some itching going on so I know it is time.
Boy this blog is fucking boring. All I talk about is what I am gonna do, what I have done, What I am thinking of doing and the lives of the living things in my house. Boring! Nothing spicy is going on here except the heat outside. LOL
Speaking of spicy..I am going to make tomatillo salsa today. I do not know if I am going to can it though. I will have to see. I will post recipes like I usually do if any of you are interested.
Happy Sunday!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Lazy Lazy Lazy

*277* <---fucking sucks ass!

Yesterday someone said that a dirty house is owned by a lazy person. I am not a lazy person and my house isnt hoarder`s dirty but it is not lick the floors clean either. It is yucky lived in. I do not like it this way. I like a clean house. But I can only do so much with my energy level. Now, Fred helps but he works 2 jobs so I cannot really ask him to help me, can I? He helps with heavy and high stuff. And he does the laundry.
Now, I have 2 fully grown adult women in this house who choose not to help me. They chose to blame me. They say it is my fault that I did not teach them how to do chores when they were little. So now that means that they just lay around the fucking house all day. They demand shit and I am sick of it. I say NO all the time now. Your 22 and 17 yrs old. Do for yourself! I am tired of being taken for granted. You are here because you cannot afford to live on your own because your are jobless now or never went to look for one in the first place. Appreciate the fact that you have a place to sleep at night and food to eat. Stop being so entitled. For some reason, you feel you should get the computer from 1pm- until the next day?? No one is allowed to touch it. Who paid for the computer? Not you! Who pays for the internet? Not you! 
Once she and Natalie get full time jobs, they need to save up and go. I cannot take being treated like crap on a DAILY basis. And I am not having a hormonal day. I walk on eggshells in my own home. What kind of shit is that? Because if I did what I really wanted to do and really wanted to say, I would send them off crying..panic attacks and flip outs. So really, they are manipulating me.
The only things Chelsea does is her laundry and  cook for herself and sometimes wash a dish. That is it. Natalie...ummm. She will straighten up the livingroom if the mood strikes her. According to them, I cannot ask for help. I can suggest. WTF!
I am telling you, I need to be hard hearted. Fuckers!

I have therapy tomorrow which is good. But I wanted you all to tell me what to do. Please DO NOT TELL ME TO KICK THEM OUT. The job market sucks (chelsea has been sending out resumes) and they would be living in a tent. Chelsea is not lazy in that sense at all. She just needs to make more money. Natalie..Oy! She does not have a diploma so what kind of job is she going to get? Not much.
What do I do? I am stronger and I have been saying NO alot. It is pissing them off actually. I just want them to stop making fucking messes like they are 10 years old and not picking them up!
I want help!
I have yard work, garden work, laundry, dishes, floors, linens, windows, home repairs, home improvements, dogs and cats..The list is endless and you all know what I am talking about. If I did not have a multitude of illnesses..it would not be a problem.
So fire away!

Off to the gym..dammit

*271*<-----the scale at Natalie`s dietitian says that our scale is 6 pounds off. Meaning I am really 277!

My stomach still feels like crap but I am being dragged kicking and screaming to the gym. Natalie wants to go and it is too far away to walk and she does not drive yet. (She will learn to drive when she gets her head on straight!)
So I have to fucking go. I hope I do not shit myself on the stair climber.
Still with the diarrhea,  heartburn, and stomach pain. It comes and goes. I also still get bouts of OMG! I am gonna puke!

Okay. Must go..She is waiting.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

A Night out

photo by leon levinstein 1960
*271*

 It was still hot out last night. Fred and I were hungry.  Where can you go out to eat at 1130pm? What is still open. Around here it is either the greasy spoon across the bridge or the casinos. We decided we were going to go to Foxwoods, eat, gamble tiny amount, and people watch. I stupidly put on FB that we were going. That meant Natalie and Raymond had to go too.
I have never ever seen that many women/girls/hookers dressed like that. I guess it is the new clubbing outfits. Skin tight sausage like dresses in varying dayglo colors and heels that I can say are 5 inchers but I bet some of them wore higher. I mean lots and lots of ho`ing going around.  Do these girls think they are going to find their *forever* man in that see of salivating testosterone?
 I guess I am an outdated relic. I met Fred when I was 17 and now I am 42. He is a keeper..I guess I am too.
 The kids had fun watching the drunken messes all over the place. Fred won the money back that paid for dinner of noodle bowls( and a little more) and we did not get into bed until 4am. I have not done 4am in like forever!
 I had 5 hours sleep because the cats wanted me to get the hell up. I will most definitely be taking a nap later on. I have my fresh brewed coffee to help me linger. I have chicken breasts to throw on the grill before the storms come later.
4am!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Heatwave relief and R.I.P Amy

*271*

I always liked this picture of Amy. She was a beautiful woman. She just had too many demons.

We are getting relief from the heat but I will continue with the weight loss. I am not going back...only forward dammit!
We are expecting some storms tonite and tomorrow it will be in the 80s. I hope it is better sleeping weather tonite.

That is all....back to my fish stew!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Good Grocery shopping and it is fucking hot!

I want a nice Italian ice
 
*271*<---Woo effin Hoo! I am the incredible shrinking woman. Something is working!

I went out early in the morning..like 730am. I did my banking, took Chelsea to her volunteer job, water the community garden, and went grocery shopping. I spent about $30 less then I usually spend. There are some things I had to put back on the shelf but I also was able to get some good stuff to eat for the weeks meals. It will just be an adjustment. Tonite I have a fish chowder simmering on the stove because I had 3 Tilapia fillets left from the bag of fish I bought. I have 3 large chicken breasts that I am going to cook on the grill later. I have corn on the cob and I am going to make rice roni. Oh and a $2 loaf of sour dough boule. Yummy!
It is fucking hot as hell. The thermometer in the house says 82 deg F and the outside temp is 102 deg F..that is not even with the humidity and heat index. I know that other parts of the country have it worse off then we here in the Northeast do. I do not know if I could handle it. I think there is relief coming on Sunday. Thank goodness!

I am going to finish my nectarine and play some Farmville and enjoy the fan (ac air is behind it)

Stay cool!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Back to basics: My Frugality

My Mom loved him. Pedophile, right?
*272* <---I love it!

Frugality: on being sparing, thrifty, prudent or economical in the use of consumable resources such as food, time or money, avoiding waste, lavishness or extravagance.

I am slowly starting to revert back to my frugal ways. When I was younger with kids, I had to learn to have a good life with the money provided. It was the late 80s/early 90s. Fred had steady work at the hospital (thank god) but money was still tight. Kind of like now but not as drastic. I knew how to cook already but I learned how to cook other things..Bread, canning, and freezing. I learned how to make food stretch and how if a recipe says you need this..you can substitute if you do not have it. It is called making due or being frugal.
 I want to talk a little bit about things you can do and things that I am going to do. See, this frugal thing has always been in me but for the past 10 years, we had enough to live comfortably. We were not rich at all..so do not even let that enter your mind. We have resources at our disposal if we got into a major pickle but mostly we can fend for ourselves. Now that Chelsea lost her job (lay off) and both girls look like they will be living here for awhile, PLUS we are losing part of my Social Security in October...I have to adjust.
The new car is part of the reason but we needed a more reliable car anyway..See me justifying. LOL

You want to make sure you have an emergency cushion of cash just in case. I have decided that about $5000 would do the trick for us. That will pay our mortgage for 3 months and our bills for 3 months.  You should save the cushion before you even start on paying down your debt. I have not started the cushion yet. I have to see how much I have to work with.
   I have debt. I have nickle and dime debt. Like I owe my old dentist $200.  These are bills that piled up over the years as the economy got worse and worse. I feel badly owing them but I have other fish to fry. I have life bills to pay so that we are comfortable. One site that I like is called Simple Dollar.
I found a new website yesterday that also wanted to share. It is called Love Food Hate Waste. It teaches you how to not waste food. Portion sizes for the amount of people you are feeding. Recipes to use with leftovers. How to save time and money on your food. I have been slowing reading it and I like it very much. It is helping me because part of this frugality game is home. Home cooking for one. No KFC. No pizza palace. No Chili`s. None of it. We have to make a conscious effort to not spend on take out food. I am being serious about this too. The girls will try to break me but I am standing firm. There will be enough food in this house on a day to day basis that they can find things to make and eat. I already found one for dinner from the ground chicken that I took out of the freezer this morning, Spicy chicken burgers.

The one thing that I am going to be doing now is de-cluttering. If I have not used it in forever and I see no reason to hold on to it, it is going. If it is worth money, I will try to sell it. Otherwise I want it out of the house. If Chelsea or Natalie get it into their heads that THEY want it..I will buy big plastic totes to put in their rooms. They can store that shit in there. I do not want to see it anymore. I am going to go thru my arts and crafts stuff first. I am not getting rid of my minis! Do not think that! But the place is a big ole hodge podge mess and I can never find anything. It is time to clean it.
So yeah, de-cluttering, frugality, home cooking, and weight loss. That is a tall order, huh?

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Beep Beep!

*272*

I took a picture of the Jeep yesterday but I need to blur the license plate in the pic so I will just post this. We got it yesterday. They gave us $25 free gas (card) and I drove all over hell and back. I love it! I love it! And I do not care that I will have to cook all the time because of it. No more take out for us. We cannot afford it.
You want pizza?? Make it yourself!

We`re having a heatwave. A tropical heatwave.





*272*

I am taking a short break from cleaning to tell you that it is hot hot hot here in CT. It is going to get worse as the days pass. SUCKS! The only exercise that I have been getting is housework and I am sweating while I do it.
My size 20 clothes are starting to get loose. Explain to me how I can look like I lost weight...Feel like I lost weight...clothes are telling me I lost weight..BUT the scale hardly budges.. Huh? Huh?
I do not eat much in the heat. I mostly just drink drink drink. Iced waters from Dunkin Donuts are the best and they are free!
Okay..must finish up..
So it is hot as hell and I have a ton to do.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Bread and Butter Pickles


*272*

Yesterday, in the blazing heat...I made and canned pickles. Bread and butter pickle spears to be exact. I have a couple friends that would like to have the recipe. It is nothing that was handed down. It was something I had found a couple years ago. I had to give a canning demonstration and I wanted a couple things that I canned for people to sample. This one came out wonderfully as a pickle chip. The plate of pickles disappeared. I was so proud! So here I am..sharing another one from the vault. I hope you enjoy it.

Bread and Butter Pickles

Ingredients:

5 lbs of pickling cucumbers (for spears) or regular cucumbers for chips
3 red onions; sliced thinly
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/3 cup of canning salt
1 T of tumeric
2 t of celery salt
2 T mustard seed
5 cups of white vinegar
3 cups of white sugar

Directions:
**Get your water started in your water bath canner now. It will take some time to boil. Enough to completely cover the jars.**
I used pickling cucumbers this time around. They are the very small version of a regular cuke. I have used plain old ordinary cucumbers to make pickle chips though. So use either or. I had enough to fill 9 pint jars.
I usually use yellow onion in this recipe but for some reason I decided to use red onions sliced thinly. I also used a purple garlic. One clove peeled and dropped into each canning jar.
   But Wait! You have to clean those jars first. New lids, collars (inspect for rust or dents..throw away if so) and jars. I do not have a dishwasher but that is the quickest way to sterilize by running them through a cycle. Or you can wash, dry, and then boil for a bit in the canning pot like I do.

I cut the cukes into 8ths. If the cuke is on the small side then only in fourths. I piled them up in the biggest bowl I own. And this bowl is huge! The reason being is because we have to sweat them out a bit.

You add the 1/3 cup of salt to the cukes (i did half. piled some more on top and then the other half). Mix it well. Then cover them in ice cubes and plastic wrap. Put them out of the way in a cool place (if you can find one) and let sit for 3 hours.
After the three hours, you are going to drain them, rinse them, and drain them again. Wash all the salt away. This is what they will look like after their little spa treatment. Nice and pliable for the jars.
In this pot is the juice for your pickles. Place in the pot your sugar, turmeric, celery seed, mustard seed, and white vinegar. I used that much juice because I was doing 9 jars. If you are going to do less then change the amounts. If you are going to do more jars, add more.  It is a very forgiving recipe that way. Let this come to a boil and stir occasionally.  When it does boil, turn down to a slow simmer until you are ready. Oh by the way. TURMERIC STAINS! So do not wear anything you love when you do this recipe.
They smell amazing

At this point you want to start packing your jars. You want them to be tight but not so tight that you cant get a pickle out without them all coming out. They are going to shrink a bit so you want to have a good amount in each jar. If you find they are hanging over the top..you can trim them or just shove them down like I did. I placed one clove of garlic and a nice handful of sliced onion in each jar.  I do not put the juice in yet. I want to wait until the canner is boiling. That way these pickles can be as crisp as I like them.
You want to pour your pickle juice in your jars with a ladle and a funnel. There are special canning funnels that you can buy and they are inexpensive. Fill until you have half inch of head room at top of jar. Fill all of them up the same way. Wipe the outside rims of each jar to get them clean. Place your lid and twist on your collars tight. Then take your jars and put them in your canning rack (comes with the canner) and place in pot of water. Put the lid on and set the timer for 10 minutes. Do not start canning until you have a rolling boiling in that pot.
Yummy!

After the 10 minutes are up, use canning tongs to lift each jar out of the canner and onto a towel on your counter. You do not want the jars touching. I do not know why this is but that is what I was told and I do that.
You will start to hear the pop pop pop of the lids sealing. I had three of them that did not seal right away. I could push up and down on the lid. If that happens, they become refrigerator pickles. But give them a wait and see first. Because when I came downstairs this morning..this three were sealed. I think it was cause of all the heat and humidity.

And there you have it. Now you can successfully can your own pickles.

It is expensive when you first start out canning. I spent maybe $100 on all my supplies and that was 10 years ago. I have a water bath canner, a pressure canner, and all the utensils that are needed so you do not burn yourself. Then the jars, lids and collars. Jars and collars can be used over and over but you have to inspect them. If a jar has a crack or a collar has some rust..toss them. Lids can only be used ONCE. That will be the thing you will have to buy every year and it is not that pricey.

Enjoy! and let me know if you tried it.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Waking at noon, Pickles, 2 MORE DAYS!! and so much more.


*272*
I woke up at noon. I did not fall asleep until like 3am so that is the main reason. I had such a horrible head ache and sore throat last night. I still have a bit of a sore throat but the headache is not as bad. So it is 330pm and that is like mid morning to me. LOL This day is going to fly by quickly.
 I cut all the cukes into spears and they are in a HUGE bowl with salt and ice. I have to rinse them soon. I have to start the water in the canning pot, wash dishes, sterilize the jars (lids and collars), make the juice for the pickles (bread and butter), and can them. I am documenting the whole thing so that I can post it tomorrow. I will be posting the recipe also.  I spent $26 on 2 dozen wide mouth pint canning jars. WTF! Everyone has decided they want to try their hand at canning. I have not problem with that but the supplies are low and the prices are higher. I used to pay $6.99 a dozen last year! I got a guy in another town that has a dozen to give me for free thru freecycle. I will have the girls with me so it will be safe. I have strawberry jam to do. I have some more strawberries that I have to cut and freeze today also. Cannot forget that.
 As you can see from the picture, Oliver and Milo are fast friends. They sleep together. My last couple cats did not do that. They did not even clean each other. So I think it is sweet and nice that I have two buddy boys.  Oliver was still a young cat when MonsterFace died and he missed him so. Now he does not bug the shit out of me every morning like he used to.
  Tuesday we get the Jeep! Woot! I have been looking at Jeep spare tire covers. I have not decided which one we should get. I do not want it to be girly or masculine so we shall see. I am so excited!!
   I go back to the Periodontist tomorrow. Final check on the surgery site and then the bottom line. I got a *this is not a bill* thing from the dental insurance. It says that MY portion of the bill is over $900. I guess that means no trip to Colorado or any place else for that matter. I paid them $300 already so I still owe $600. I have $200 to give them tomorrow. That is all I have to give. I will have to just send them money each month until it is paid off. I cannot have any more dental stuff done until October. That is when the new insurance cycle kicks in. Ugh!
Wow..I have posted alot of boring fucking information. Sometimes I wonder why I even do this...

Oh..I remember! Dude! None of my Bras fit! My boobs are swimming in them! Woot! Woot! Woot!
I will get fitted again and purchase like 2 bras for now because if this is a trend, I do not want to waste money.
Smaller boobs dude!! Oh, my garden clogs are not snug anymore. Woot!

I also wanted to thank one of my readers and friends...S. She graciously offered her small AC to me because I was bitching on FB about how hot it is upstairs. I could not use it because it will not fit in my window but I asked if I could use for Natalie. Her AC shit the bed last year and she has been sick the past couple week with stomach bug. She didnt have to do it but she did and I love her for that. Strawberry jam for you my friend!!

Oh..the fleas! They were winning. So I gave up, broke down, and called the vet. $65 later and I had two vials of Frontline plus for the cats and two vials of Advantix for the dogs. They are all better. Lu is not chewing the crap out herself anymore. Hail!

Okay, gotta go. Pickles to make.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Let the housework commence!

*271*

It is cool. It is not humid. And there is a breeze. I am going to clean until I pass out! I want to get it done before the next heatwave! Wish my fat ass luck!

A dream deferred

*271*

This is our honey. It is a 2007 Jeep Liberty Sport. (i think sport..hehe). I took this picture at the dealership. I took pictures of two Liberties to send to Natalie so she could see. Not even knowing that after the test drive we were sold! Now the dream deferred. We closed on our loan yesterday. I thought that meant I got to get the car. NO! State of CT banking has a rule with our kind of loan. You have a 72 hour (business days) *thinking* period. It gives you time to say, "you know what, I changed my mind and I do not want that loan after all." Well, our bank is closed on Saturday. So Wednesday didnt count, Saturday and Sunday do not count..so I have to wait until TUESDAY to get the check and the car! FUCK! Talk about a complete downer. And it is gorgeous outside today. Perfect day to open the sunroof! Oh well. That is okay. I can wait. Yup. Instead I went and had a pedicure and my eyebrows done last night. Feel good now.

 I am on phase two of the flea killing fields. A facebook friend told me of the virtues of lavender. I look up some stuff and I bought some dried lavender yesterday. I am going to make some lavender tea to strain and put in a spray bottle. I will also use it to brush the dogs down with. You dip the brush in the tea, brush the dog, repeat. Fleas hate lavender! I am going to spray down the carpets and furniture. My house is going to smell wonderful! I will tell you how it turns out. Here is a link if you are interested.
It is gorgeous out today. The oppressive heat is over for now. I opened windows. Humidity is zero so after I do some more writing..I am going to use this opportunity to clean.
So no Jeep-o yet but I am hoping soon!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

This is NOT a flea circus

*271*

I just got done giving Perla a flea bath. Yesterday it was Lu, and the baby Milo. He did not get a bath but he got sprayed down with flea treatment. The carpets downstairs have been Boraxed and today (if it is NOT too fucking blazing hot) I will do upstairs. Oliver is being a pain in the ass. He wont let me treat him. He tears my skin apart.  I will have to think of some way to do it for him so he does not suffer. I think Fred brought them home with him from the shop. The shop owner has two bloodhounds that live at the shop. He treats those dogs better than some people kids so do not think they are neglected. I just think they probably havent had a flea treatment. Because we have NEVER had them this badly. The animals were covered. Now they are happy. Blissfully unbitten and uncrawled upon. I feel itchy all the time because of it. I know I do not have any on me because I look but just talking about the damn things makes me itch. *scratch scratch scratch*
Hopefully I will get this nipped in the bud within the week.

We bought a car!! It is a 07 Jeep Liberty Sport. It is white and it is cute and it drives really well and it has low mileage on it. Score! We pick it up tomorrow. I want to drive someplace but I do not know where...
As I look around I see my house is a wreck. It has been so hot and humid even with the AC on that the only thing I get done is cleaning the kitchen so we can eat. I need to wash floors, sweep, vacuum, scrub. etc.  *scratch scratch scratch*

Oh here is something fucking weird. That lesion on my wrist. I was just able to peel off the top in a non gross manner with no pain. Kind of like when you peel off skin from a sunburn and it it healed like looking or some shit on the inside. Maybe I wont have to go to the dreaded yucky derma! Crossing fingers.
I need to get moving. Insurance for the car!

Monday, July 11, 2011

For Fucks sake..I never told you

*271*

I came home from someplace Thursday evening and my neighbor across the street asked me if I would like free tickets to a concert at Foxwoods casino for Friday night. She had two vouchers (4 free tickets) and all I had to do was go to the box office to get them. It was a double bill of Yes and Styx. I told A. and she got really excited. She wanted to GO! I said yes..she gave me the two vouchers. Now, I was only allowed to redeem one voucher because those were the rules. So I got our 2 tickets Friday morning. I drove all the way out there and messed up my morning routine because we were gonna have a fun night!
Later on in the afternoon, it came to me about what to do with the other voucher. I stalked our mailman in our neighborhood (with Natalie) and asked him if he and his wife would like the voucher to redeem to get two tickets. He was beyond excited! They had seen the show was going to be coming and they wanted to go but they never bought the tickets. They love Styx. He had to finish his route, drive all the way home, change, drive all the way to casino and get tickets. I was worried he might not make it. But they did make it.
I am waiting to talk to him today about it. See how he liked it.

I am going to finish my scrambled eggs now and hope this dizziness goes away.....

It has been an interesting weekend

*272* <----Seriously..like 4 days in a row!


The heat has allowed me to lose some weight. Like 6 lbs! WooHoo. I do not know if that is a good thing or a bad thing but I will take it. I am taking a break from cleaning the kitchen and de-fleaing the house. It is fucking hot!
Let`s see..We had Sailfest here but I did not go. Too humid and too expensive. We cannot find a used car anyplace. We drove all the way from here to Willimantic, CT.  It is a 40 minute drive to look at a Jeep. They were told to let us know if it sold before we got there. They never called. So this bitch pregnant saleswoman dressed in BLACK gets snotty with us like So what if you drove all the way here? That isnt MY problem. No apologies. I took a full cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee (size large) and smashed it onto the lot of the dealership. SPLASH! That was my childish vengeance. I know maybe it was wrong for me to do but I was fucking tired dude..I went to the concert the night before.
The whole night was great. I invited my friend A to go with me. I had given the other voucher (worth 2 more tickets) to our mailman. He was stoked because he and his wife wanted to go so badly. And here I just drop 2 free passes in his hands. A and 1 went to dinner at Junior`s in the MGM Grand portion of Foxwoods. It was really good deli food. Then we did a small bit of slot machines and then the show. We had to take an elevator to number 4 to get to our section. I was thinking this was not going to be good. OMG! I am afraid of heights and we were in the upper Mezzanine. UPPER! I did not get vertigo but my ass was not leaving that chair until the shit was over! First up was Yes. I knew some of the songs but not all. Yes was more on my siblings level of music because they are older than me. But the music was really rocking. Not making fun cause they are older but they still had it. They put on a really good show. During intermission, A. pointed out into the crowd on our side..there was my mailman and his wife waving in our direction. They made it!! I was glad. Next up was Styx. Tommy Shaw had what I call rocker hair. He was whipping that shit..no wig on his head and if there is..very good glue!
They put on a great show also. There was streamers and confetti shot out of a cannon. There was lots of encores. It was great. I couldnt hear a god damn thing! I loved it.
We played a little bit more slots, bought slices of Junior`s cheesecake to take home, and that was our night. Really good night!
The skin lesion on my arm has changed size and color so I know it is most likely a squamous cell carcoma.
Okay...gotta cut this shit short..We are going to blaze a trail to Norwich to go look at cars. Hopefully we will find something.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

I long to go to the beach

1920s bathing beauty
*276*
It is hot and I want to go swimming. Unfortunately I have another lesion. This one is on my upper wrist. Damn!
I am taking Natalie into the burbs to stay at a friends house till tomorrow morning. My hair is super assed curly from the pin curls and I have to mess with that later to do a hairstyle. I will try to get Chelsea to take a picture of it but she is notorious for saying no to many things. Mhm.
 Just in a funky mood. I have a heavy period, it is hot, I have another lesion, and we are buying a newer car.
Lots of stress going on in my life. It should be good stress but it isnt. I will worry that we cannot afford it.
Okay..I gotta go. Time to bring the kid.

I love that photo and I just had to post it.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Pin Curls and victory rolls

*277*

I have my period and it is 90 deg outside (with humidity) so I am not in a good mood. So I figured I will play with my hair. It is almost touching my waist in the back. Chelsea has been looking at videos of how to do vintage hairstyles. I was looking at the pageboys and victory rolls because that is what my Mom used to do to her hair back in the day. I am going to set my hair into pincurls today, sleep on them and work on the curls tomorrow. I have a couple videos to share if you are interested in doing it yourself.
This is part one.
This is part two.

Now my hair is long and I am going to sleep over night so I am going to have some GORG curls going on that will survive any heat wave!
Eating a low carb lunch with Fred (he has day off). Leftover grilled pork steaks and a HUGE salad. I still want an ice cream sandwich..My uterus demands it!

Monday, July 4, 2011

July 4, 2011

*276*

Today is the 4th of July. It is not as much as a big deal to us here because we do not get our fireworks until this weekend. Sailfest is the weekend following the 4th and that is when New London celebrates. It doesnt matter either way..It is hot as hell and the beaches are full. Maybe we will go later on for a dip in the water.
 I have hot dogs and I can make hamburgers for dinner. I wanted to make potato salad but I do not have enough potatoes and I do not think the grocery store is even open today. Oh well, I have salad stuff and I think I will hard boil some eggs too. That will be good.
It is basically just another day for us. Hot and humid..stuck in the house with the kids that are constantly pissed or annoyed with me. Natalie is mad that I got a new cellphone. I had the oldest one in the house but that does not matter. I guess I am not deserving of such nice things.

I have been saying the word NO NO NO more. It angers them but I have drawn a line. I am tired of being their go to person, their whipping boy, and their all around gopher. I just say No. They try to talk me out of it. I say NO. They say Why am I being that way? And I say because I do not want to do what you are asking me to do..that is why. They hate it, and give me the silent treatment. I am trying hard to not give a shit. LOL
Gym is closed today because of the holiday and it is almost 90 deg F out so I am NOT walking. I will do some housework and cook. WooHoo!
So exciting.
I cannot wait till we get a newer car. Then we can go visit Fred`s family on holidays like today without worrying that the car is gonna die.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

My Saturday...meaning yesterday.

My first broccoli plant
*277*

Look at that broccoli! I should have went to the garden on Thursday like I was thinking about it but I didnt..so the broccoli has a few flowers. That is okay. I will pick them off and cook the tough bastards for dinner tonite! I have never grown broccoli before. I am so proud! I only planted one plant so that is all there is. Next time I will plant 2 or 3.
Yesterday was very productive. Natalie and I went to the gym. We did 20 minutes on the stair climber with more incline and resistance! It was killer. My feet were screaming but I kept it up till the timer stopped. Then I did all the machines for my stomach and back. I am okay today! LOL
 We went to the community garden so that I could water and harvest and weed. Weeds are prolific this season.
Looking good!


I even harvested a couple of my dark green tomatoes. I do not remember the names of them but they do not turn red. When they are dark green, they are ready. Aren`t those marigolds divine?
Today I am going to cook the broccoli with dinner. I think I have a lemon....
 Then we got the car loan paperwork in the mail so we just had to go to all the area dealerships to drool over cars with the benefit of the salesmen NOT tripping all over us. I have to admit it...looking at vehicle after vehicle is gets really boring after awhile. And it was humid out so I was sweating. Not my idea of a fun afternoon.
We then took the girls for Thai food at night. They paid their way..Thank God. There is not going to be alot of fun times to be had by all after this car is bought.
So that was my Saturday. I did not do any yard sales like I wanted but I did get much done anyway.

Cars Cars Cars

My Dad had a Bug this same color.




*277*

It comes in threes..Right?
We got a confirmation letter in the mail yesterday that we were approved for a car loan from our credit union. YAY! WooHoo! Hip Hip Hooray! Ok..I need an antacid.
The amount we asked for makes our payments enough to give me acid indigestion. But Fred and I went looking at cars after the dealerships closed yesterday..and we saw a few that were less than our loan amount and really snazzy looking. Most are Jeeps. Oh, there was one that I really want badly. But we shall see. I am just stressed because it will be a hunk out of the weekly pay (the payments will be taken out off the top and put to pay the loan..We never see the money). Then insurance will probably go up a bit. Then it will have a bigger gas tank so more for that. Ugh! But we need a newer vehicle because our Nissan is 10 years old. The Jeep is even older. That one will either be sold or junked. Either way, it will be gone. I am just nervous about the payments but excited about the prospect of a newer vehicle. It will be used, of course. We cannot afford brand spanky new.
Today I dont really have any magical plans. I am going to dissect a whole fryer chicken for Fried chicken dinner. I was going to do it yesterday but it was still frozen.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

I GOT A NEW PHONE!!!!

*277*

I got a new phone! Oh yeah a neeewww phone! Oo ah! Oo Oo ah!
Okay, I am done..LOL '

 This is the Virgin Mobile LG Optimus V. It was on sale for $149.00. Down $50 from before. Fred had $100 stashed and we went and bought it yesterday. I have had the same cellphone for about 4 years. I do not have the kind of cash like I used to where I could just buy a phone for everyone when they needed an upgrade. So it is finally MY turn!! Woot! I love it so far. It does not have a querty keyboard (which I love) but the touch screen keyboard is just like on the iPhone and I am so used to that. It is so cool...well sort of. I went out yesterday with Fred and Nat and we went to lunch. I wanted to show Fred something but I had NO 3G at all. I figured maybe it was the area that I was in..Nope. I did some research...the map is good in our area for data. So the next time I am away from the house, where it uses wifi, I should shut down the phone, wait, and turn back on. The 3G should pop back up. If not, I have to call VM about it. No problem.
I still love it as it is now and once it is really working..OMG! I will be facebooking shit all over the place. You all will get sick of me.

The fine art of Canning

*277*

*I have to wake Natalie in an hour to go to the gym so I have some time to chat*

 Fred and I were watching the cooking channel last night and this commercial came on. It is new, I had never seen it. I think it is cool. Really I do. I love to can foods. I have my canning supplies on the diningroom table as I type this.
I started this when we bought this house..about 13 years ago. I started with apple sauce. I was given an opportunity to buy half a peck of ginger gold apples for $5. They were seconds. They were gorgeous seconds! OMG! WTF am I gonna do with all these apples? I made apple sauce with them and canned them. It was a big hit with the family and with my friends. I did the same thing the next year but then I branched out and made raspberry/jalapeno jelly. That was good too (and I have not made that in a dogs age). A canning staple for me is strawberry jam. I start buying and freezing strawberries in May. I buy and buy until I think I have enough..which will be at the end of July and then I buy a shit load of sugar and pectin and I am ready to go.
 I scour yard sales for old canning jars that I can use. They have to be like the kind that takes collars and lids. You really cant use the really old ones with the rubber seals, not safe anymore. I use those for decoration.
 This year I have a bunch of people that want jam. I will make my bread and butter pickles. I made the sweet vidalias, and I am thinking I am going to try canning the local corn here. It is super sweet and tasty. Best in Connecticut. I want to put up a batch for the winter.
Oh yeah.. *putting up* is a term used when you can a batch of jars of goodies.
If you are ever ever ever interested in canning and need to ask a question, do not hesitate to ask me. It is not that hard once you read the guidelines and you have the instruments. That will be your biggest expense but once you spend it, you wont have to again.
Okay..I am going to drink some more coffee now