Spread some J.O.Y.

Love this girl. That is a command.



Her name is Jenny Owen Youngs and she has lots of yummy songs all her own. You can get a better listen here:

http://www.myspace.com/jennyowenyoungs

(You will have to copy and paste. The link button is missing from blogger?)

Jenny does have an album. I can't afford it though, so I am pretending that she doesn't.

ut-o

Today, when picking up Marnie from school, I was pulled aside by one of her teachers. She needed to 'speak' to me. My stomach instantly dropped to my knees and a feeling that I have not felt in almost a decade crept into my being. Was I in trouble?

Apparently Marnie is having some issues regarding the bathroom. Her teacher, in an o-so teacherish tone informed me that after using the facilities, instead of finishing up in the usual manner, she instead removes her clothing and parades out into the classroom - shaking what her Mama gave her. Sadly that Mama is me. Why she is doing this, I have not a clue. Well, maybe I have some ideas, but they all make me feel worse.

I did not know I could feel this way at my age. I did not get in trouble with my teachers much as a kid, but when I did it destroyed me. I have never been one to handle criticism well. I would dwell for days on what was wrong with me. It makes me sad to think of it even now. After graduating however, I rejoiced in the fact I would never have to face that dread again. Of course the judgement was replaced instantly with that from employers and eventually other mothers... but none compared to that of a teacher. Perhaps it is so bad because they are invested in you. Perhaps it is because they try to care. Who knows, who cared really because I would never have to feel that way again.

Eff no.

After today's curb side discussion, I came to an absolutely horrifying realization. I am going to have to feel this make me wanna puke dread x 18 years x however many children I end up birthing. This is awful. Possibly enough for me to consider sterilization... for Troy. This possibility never crossed my mind and due to my ignorance I am now crawled up in a chair, my stomach in knots, wondering why my child is doing this and why I am such a sham of a mother.

Shit.

wow

This made me almost pee my pants.

a little good karma.

There have been many changes in our house since we decided to do away with television four months ago or so. We originally gave up the service not due to convictions nor even financial purposes, but more a kind of laziness. That seems strange, even to type - giving up t.v. (the gateway drug to prolonged lethargy) due to having little/no motivation? But it be the truth. We had the popular bundle of cable, internet, & digital phone services. Two out of the three were rubbish. I almost was never access the internet - which for a net junkie like myself, can be a little frightening fo people that have no choice but be in my company. The phone worked, but only if you did not need the person on the other end to hear a single word that you spoke. People were constantly hanging up on us, thinking that the call was 'lost'. True testament of laziness: we kept the service for about 10 months before finally switching providers. The switch took me all of twenty minutes, but that seemed un doable within those first ten months. So finally I switched us. Goodbye Comcast, hello whatever company we go through now. When doing away with internet and phone, my bundle was unraveled - leaving me with a not very likable cable cost and even worse than that, an additional check to be mailed out each month. Screw that business, so out went t.v.

The change has went very smoothly in my opinion. I feared that I would be really out of my freaking mind bored, but not so. I always can find something to do (you were right mom and dad!) and usually still find myself lacking for time to get things done. I had expected to see a change in Marnie, but there has not really been much of one. I think she was too young still to be really attached to television. She continues to watch videos occasionally. She doesn't ask for any of the annoying toys that are on the market though since she is not viewing any of the wicked advertising geared towards her, which is pleasant. I am sure this is only temporary however. She is sure to see things that her friends have and get a case of the "gimmes". As of right now though, since she only watches videos and most of said videos are from my collection as a kid, I do often get requests to go see movies that have been out past a decade. She's crazy about Rainbow Brite. And is currently absorbed in the world of Muppets and Fraggle Rock. Which is fine - that is until the heart retching day that a connection is made within her mind and she figures out that NOBODY watches what she does. Not one of her friends have a clue what she is talking about. Her family is a freak show and she is THAT kid.

It has been good for the husband and I too. It is not really very interesting though to anyone who is not Troy or I and undoubtedly is an obvious reaction to stated action. No t.v. = husband & wife actually talk = better marriage. You can be a dummy like me and still have predicted that one.

One of the changes I did not expect however is my new obsession for hunting new bands and artists to listen too. I spend quite a bit of time listening to songwriters and happening upon many soon to be favorites. I love this little bonus in my life. I have stumbled into quite a few that I cannot believe I did not previously know about. There is one annoying little detail though and no way to get past it - often times the music that I am instantly attracted to does not belong to any label. Meaning that there is no album for me to buy. Or, as often happens, the band is in another country and their work has not been released in the US. Such was the case for Amy Winehouse. I began listening to the songstress about a year ago which was before she was heard of over here. She had already had a hit record out and there was no way to download it (legally) here. It was not until 'Back to Black' came out in the US that I was finally able to listen to Amy without carting around my laptop. Her older album is still not available here. Today I heard a song while listening to BBC 2 and fell in love with it instantly. You can listen to it here: http://www.myspace.com/adelelondon The girl (Adele) is amazing, but does not have a record or even a single to be purchased. Myspace is the only place you can hear her unless you happen to be in South London and pop into one of her gigs. My thought is, if I talk about some of my finds, maybe it will put good vibes out and records will be released. It has always been my observation that whenever you discover a great band that is not well known and you are super cool for listening to them and being so 'indie' - that is when they become a huge success and start getting play on the radio. No one believes you that you listened to them before... what a poser you are. Geek. Now, I am hoping to use this inevitable usual suckery to work for me instead of against. We'll see. Check her out.

Missed it, But...

I missed Recipe Wednesday. I suck. In my defense however, I was moping about, pouting and throwing tantrums like a two year old. You probably wouldn't have wanted to try any recipe I came up with at that time any how. It would have been something like this:

Life Hates Erin Pie

Ingredients:

1 stolen dirt bike
1 broke phone
1 lost necklace
1 busted up car
1 stolen laptop
Any other manure, poo, dookie, & shiz that you happen to have laying around
1 Erin

Directions:

In a big pot (maybe canner size?), combine all ingredients until they become heartbreakingly devastating & soul crushing.
Pour contents on top of Erin until she cries.
Enjoy!


Who wants to eat that really? No one, that's who. Definitely better that I just skipped over Wednesday and moved right along as if nothing ever happened.

I'll make it up to you though my cheeky little monkeys. How you ask? Ha, with this little ditty of a recipe that I made up this morning for my darling Marnie. She and Ethan have been sick all week and as a result, neither has had the desire to eat anything. This morning however my curly haired little girl asked for chocolate cookies. I don't happen to keep those on hand... actually not even sure if such exists outside of her sugar crazed mind, but I wanted to oblige. The only problem was that Troy took my car to work, so I had no way of going to the store. Not that it really mattered though. Even if I could have got there, I could not have bought anything. We have begun a new budget and the amount of money allotted to food would only get me a bag of lima beans and a half eaten jar of pickles. Not that the budget really mattered though either because I am inherently lazy and probably would not have gone regardless. So, as I do aim to please, I started rummaging through the cupboards to see what I could make up.

This recipe is based on one of my FAVORITES as a kid. Every time there was a bake sale at school and I somehow miraculously had a quarter, I would order me up a couple of No Bake Cookies. We did not have cookies at home. No sweets really. My Mom was of the mentality that if it didn't contain wheat germ it didn't belong in the house. Which is why the No Bake in my mind is synonymous with f.u.n.

Moving on... You may or may not know that Celiacs can not eat oats. There are some out there that claim to be gluten free. I find this dubious however and choose to not partake. I cannot quite wrap my head around how oats can be grown without the presence of wheat. To each his own however. But if you get intestinal cancer because you never met a bowl of oatmeal that you didn't like, don't come crying to me. I will run. This oat fact has always kept me away from making No Bakes, because really what could you use instead? Anything you happen to find in you pantry is what. This is what I came up with:

Throw It In There! No Bake Cookies

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup of butter (I didn't have any, so I used olive oil - it worked, but I'm pretty sure butter would have been better)
4 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup peanut butter
3 cups shredded coconut
2 cups peanuts
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, butter, milk and cocoa. Bring to a boil and cook for about two minutes. Remove from heat and mix in remaining ingredients. Place heaping spoonfuls onto wax paper and allow to cool for what seems like forever as your child screams 'But I want it Nnnooowwww!' Try to ignore the urge to rip the skin from your face.


They turned out well. The chocolate stained footie pajamas that I will spend the next two hours treating, rinsing, scrubbing, swearing at & repeat do well to prove it.

Something must change.

After the dirt bike scenario the other evening, Troy and I got to ponder our situation. Over the past two months or so, we have had a lot of damage come to our personal belongings. So many things in fact that it has become kind of spooky. For example - the laptop I wrote about in an earlier post being stolen and a window to Troy's truck being smashed in. I lost a necklace that meant a lot too me and smashed my phone to bits. Another instance that I have not previously mentioned is my car. Troy was driving it home from work the other night and hit a raccoon. It completely busted up (beyond saving) my grill and dented the front. We also have a little projector that we use to play movies on our wall for our Friday Family Fun Night every week... Ethan tipped it off the table and broke some of the front off. My point? That is a lot of things to break in matter of a few weeks, no?

We have come to the conclusion that this is no set of circumstances or plain coincidence. Our attention and affections have been misdirected lately and we better get our acts together.

It has always been such a difficult task for us to decide where in time we actually belong. There is one huge part of Troy and I that want to step back and enjoy simpler lives. Enjoy our family and the pure pleasure of being with each-other no matter what it is that we are actually doing. We love this side of our personalities and we are constantly attempting to widen that aspect in our daily walk. The other side however is pulled by the modern trends and the ever so persuasive need for stuff. Troy and I are in our twenties and obviously susceptible to advertising and the allure of 'keeping up with the Joneses. I can't say that I like this part so much.

I am beginning to believe that all of these crazy events are happening to grab our attention. We have come to a point where we have to make a decision as to path we wish follow. We can't keep doing this. Not only because I want to lead a well purposed life, but also because I am scared shitless that my house is going to be hit by a cyclone. Or that my car will some how roll into the lake and drown.

I think I am going to sell my phone. I cannot even get that much for it - now that stupid Apple lowered the price on them, but it would be more of a symbolic gesture anyhow. I don't even like to use it now - I am so afraid that I will drop it and the face will shatter again. Troy says not to be hasty, but I really want to go back to my pre stuff days.

Troy is not going to replace his computer either. We are going to share mine. I will just have to trust him not to hurt my baby, I mean, er, my computer. BUT, just in case he somehow sets it ablaze by leaving it too close to the coffee maker or some such other absurd happening takes place - I now have rental insurance.

suckety suckety suck.

I was planning on sitting down this evening and telling you all about Marnie's first day of preschool and the wonderful weekend that followed. A weekend that included a lovely visit with my Dad, apple picking, a new growing area for the chicks that is not in the house, my first attempt at canning and the the building of our new chicken house.

But now I'm not going to. Why? Because I'm pissed.

This evening the local police were due to come out and run the VIN on Troy's recently purchased vehicle. We bought a 2005 Honda CRF from a Honda dealership in a nearby town ( I won't write their name yet, since I am not sure how they will handle this situation). Troy loves his bike. He lourves his bike. His dreams are filled with dirt bikety goodness.

Troy's bike is a stolen bike. They sold us a STOLEN dirt bike.

This has to be the most mortifying experience I have ever been part of. Three cop cars in our driveway for over an hour and then a huge impound truck to haul the bike away. All of our neighbors could see it take place. We look like thieving criminals.

More later. I cannot formulate thoughts properly at the moment.

Gluten Free Recipe Wednesday

The thing about not eating is this - it makes you pretty hungry. Since I am unable to actually eat food however, I figure I might as well write about it. And here, the very first Gluten Free Recipe Wednesday is born. A day for all you Celiacs out there to dine like I wish I could.

Troy became obsessed with cooking about three years back when we moved from South up to my neck of the woods. Maybe it was homesickness, but Troy began to read every book article and website on Cajun and Creole cooking. He began concocting elaborate meals from scratch that would make your mouth salivate with a single sniff. His level of skill increased in all things culinary and he began to expand into other genres. Cajun and Creole were his passions though and remain so until this day. Soon after Troy had begun to explore the culinary arts and actually become quite fantastic, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. This was a crushing blow to my husband, who felt like he was being told he could never see his best friend again. Not only could I not eat wheat anymore, but essentially it could not even be in our home due to fear of cross contamination. To be honest, when diagnosed, I had never even heard of the word gluten. Where as Troy was proving himself to be quite genius in the kitchen, I was more of what you would call a culinary retard. Once grasping the concept of living without wheat, we were devastated. So many meals that we loved were made using flour. The entire base of almost every cajun recipe is a roux which is essentially flour and oil. But for one's health, you must do what you must. We endured a few weeks of chicken breasts with no sauces to accompany them and steamed vegetables with no seasoning. Salads. We tried out various corn pastas and "crackers" from our local health food store which all tasted like cardboard and the cost of which jeopardized Marnie's college fund. This just would not do. We really enjoy good food and there just wasn't any out there for me. We would just have to stop wallowing in self pity and discover ways to make it for ourselves. And that is exactly what we did. Over the years we have created some awesome dishes that have met and exceeded every craving for foods that are otherwise forbidden to me. We have also made some things that were pretty nasty, but we'll just forget about those...

This week I thought that I would start with one of our family favorites, Lasagna. This is not SO much a gluten free recipe - it is more of an awesome dish that we made gluten free. Just a fantastic dinner to at to your family's repertoire. This is not just any lasagna mind you, it is absolutely the best tasting lasagna in the universe. I have served this dish to many, many guests and each time I get raves of it being the most amazing they have ever eaten ( "It's better than my Mom's, but please don't tell!) and I am asked for the recipe a ton. If you do not have a wheat allergy, just substitute the Tinkyada Brown Rice noodles for regular. It is just damn good.

* If you make this for your family, please leave me a comment and let me know how your thoughts!
** The original recipe was given to us by our Aunt Dixie (thanks Dixie!!) and adapted, amended, and substitutions made to make it our own Family Lasagna.

Our Family Lasagna Recipe

Ingredients:

1 pound Sweet Italian Sausage (I buy the stuffed sausages and cut the casings)
1 pound ground beef.
1 onion
1 green pepper
4 Large cloves of garlic
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14 ounce) can tomato paste
1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 TBS white sugar
1 TBS dried basil
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 TBS salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 cups fresh parsley
Tinkyada GF Brown Rice Noodles (of course you can substitute, but I personally believe these to be the best)
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp. salt
12 ounces mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

In your lasagna pan, fill with warm water and set your lasagna noodles to soak. By the time the sauce is ready, your noodles will be perfect for cooking (drain and set aside before assembly).

In a dutch oven, cook sausage, beef, onion, bell pepper & garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in all tomatoes and water. Season with sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, 1 TBS salt, pepper and 1/2 the amount of parsley. Simmer, covered for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley and 1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To Assemble:

Begin layers with sauce, noodles, ricotta mixture, cheese, more sauce & then parmesan cheese. Add additional layers. Top with cheese.

Cover with foil - to prevent sticking, spray foil with cooking spray or use toothpicks to make a 'tent'.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for additional 25 minutes or until cheese has turned a nice color of golden brown. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!

homestead.

I am becoming enthralled with the idea of homesteading. Until two days ago I had no idea what the term meant nor implied. If asked I would have come up with some partially correct, but mostly incorrect answer about going out west and staking claim of a plot of land. I am an absolute moron when it comes to history. Homesteading today in fact has nothing to do with claiming land from the government, but rather the idea of living in a simpler fashion and more self sufficiently. People have varying ideas about the subject, but that is okay generalization I think.

When we moved into the country a year ago, I had no idea that this idea of homesteading was exactly what we were drawn to. Little by little we have simplified our existence. We have tried to become more green. Nothing drastic mind you, just little things to slowly erase our footsteps. Out went the 409 and in came the vinegar. We took a stand against the usage of paper towels and started using cloth. We do much of our clothes drying by line. Tiny changes that will hopefully lead to bigger ones later. We now of course have the two goats. They are useless really but quite cute. The chickens will do us a lot of good. Eggs, meat, fertilizer and entertainment. I have more dreams of adding other small animals to our growing hobby farm to provide us with additional food and fiber. We have to stay pretty small scale due to the cost of housing and enclosure for our animals. At this time, we rent and therefore do not wish to spend a lot of money on fences and barns on someone else's property. Hopefully one day, after much scrimping and saving, we will be able to buy some land of our own and develop it the way we wish.

Here is the huge gaping, red flag waving, hole in my beautiful dream: I love stuff. I am ashamed to report this, but sadly it is true. Ebay is one of my best friends. Target and I are old chums. Take a look in my crafting hutch and you will witness my deepest shame. Stuff, oddly enough, costs money - which we need to be saving. Being thrifty just does not seem like as much fun as shopping does. But alas... I am going to change this around. Here I make a pledge to put as much effort into saving every extra penny and working towards a larger goal and a better purpose as I now do in finding the latest and greatest (insert needless item here). This is going to be a real struggle for me I am sure, but I am sure I can do it. I have saved at least twenty bucks yesterday and today by making Troy fast with me. Maybe we could stay on it for the next five years.

chickens.

I love these chickens. They are crazy and full of spunk. I threw an apple core into their brooder and they went absolutely bonkers. All of them running around trying to steal peel from other's mouths. All except for one that is. I think that one of my chicks might die. I noticed this morning that one of the littlest chicklets was just standing around with her eyes shut when much activity buzzed around her. The brood would run into her and she would just sort of stumble a bit. Her doings were just odd and most definitely stood out amongst all the chaos. I cannot even fathom what exactly is wrong with this little chicken - seeing as I have no experience with raising poultry. I decided to separate her from the others for some time. This thought presented it's own set of problems. I have plenty of boxes laying about, but I do not have duplicates of the other necessities like waterers, feeders and most crucial, a heat lamp. I started to scrummage through the basement and put together this little birdie bubble:



It will have to do. The housing itself is a miniature greenhouse for starting seeds. There are slats in the top to allow in air. She will be dining off Japanese soy sauce plates and her heat source is coming at her via a nasty old heating pad. I keep checking to make sure it is not too hot in there, but it seems to be fine. The bird seems to be perking up a little also. I guess we will just have to wait and see.


o-so-tired chickens napping after The Great Apple Core pursuit

Not knowing what types of birds I have is driving me insane. There are at least five different varieties of hens plus the double mystery freebie that Murray McMurray Hatchery threw in. I spent all day yesterday next to the brooder with my laptop, comparing pictures of breeds as chicks with my own. I did not have much luck. I am pretty sure that I have 5 Buff Orphingtons which is awesome. I really wanted some Buffs, but the site stated they were all sold out. And I am a gazillion percent positive that two of them are Turkens. After that, well I just have no idea. I am really confused by the 'rare' extra. I looked at a slew of photos, but could not tell. I hate surprises. I hate not knowing.


Mystery Chick

Enough about the chickens, let's talk about me not eating. Well, I am not eating. The end.

I really thought this fast would be a bit more of an interesting topic, but if all continues on in the way of today, then nope. Troy started it with me today too. He also has nothing to report.

theft sucks.

This morning was our first big School Shopping day and we were all pretty excited for it. We headed out early to the outlets in Michigan City where they were having a crazy sidewalk sale. It was nearly impossible to find a parking spot and we ended up about seven miles from the stores (exaggeration). Troy called during our hike back to the outlets to find out where he could meet us. He had given a meeting at work earlier that morning and was ready to join in our fun spending adventure - pretty sure he just wanted to insure that I did not blow the paycheck. We set off from kid store to kid store and could not believe the insanity. The lines for checkout at any particular retail establishment would circle the perimeter and sometimes continue out the door. We decided to choose two stores that were worth waiting in line for and then get the hell out of there. I am full of certainty that it will be a long time before I can convince Troy boy to come out shopping with us for clothing again. While standing in line at the baby Gap, I saw the cutest little rompers that I just had to have for Ethan. I motioned to Troy to come and take my place so that I could go and find his size. Apparently the four (not together) women who were behind me in line did not see our switcheroo and started to yell at him. What do you think you are doing? Who the hell do you think you are? No mind to the fact that the poor man is standing there with a baby in a stroller and a pint sized Marnie. After explaining to the angry shoppers that he had merely taken my place in line and no he had not 'cut', one of the women said 'Well, you can obviously see what lead me to my thinking'. Yes, of course. No apology is necessary then. Crazy 'ol bat. Troy made me leave then. We went and had a nice lunch that involved Ethan trying to climb onto the table and throw chicken wing bones at our heads. There was even time afterwards to head home so that Troy could change his shirt before work (he is the messiest of the three kiddies). I drove him back to where his car was parked. It was like shit-cream frosting on a poopy cake. One of the windows had been smashed in. Troy's two month old black MacBook was gone. Gone. Stolen. Now, after a couple hours to calm down, I am still uncertain as to why they broke into the truck. It really is a pile of junk. Last year we blew out a tire and still have the rusty hubcapped replacement on there. If you look in the driver's window, you will surely notice that the middle console is completely missing and that there are five dollar seat covers (not in good shape) hiding the cigarette burned seats from the previous owners. We had thought about selling this truck a couple of months back, but decided not to waste our money on advertisement for we were relatively sure that no one would want it. The only reason Troy was even driving it is because his Saturn is not running. I am giving you all a stellar impression of our choice in automobiles I know. Who could possibly have thought that there was something worth stealing in there? How did they know there was and $1800 laptop hidden under the seat? I am certain (and when I say certain, I mean not at all certain) that it has to be someone Troy works with. He had given a meeting using his computer earlier that morning and then went off to meet us. And how does such a thing happen in the middle of the day? Due to the crapiness of the car, we only had the minimum coverage on the car. Insurance won't even pay for the window let alone the computer. We are screwed unless they happen to find the person who stole it. And I am sure that never happens.