You are currently browsing the monthly archive for April, 2008.
This could positively be a new trend for my Tuesday posts… To improve my positive thinking:
5 Positive Things About Today
- Despite the wind my allergies were tame
- My bird likes me again
- I got to wear my new necklace
- We ate dinner as a family
- I wrote a text message that included the words “Yabba Dabba Doo”
~Em
I am trying to get my house all festive for MOMents this coming Monday (Cinco de Mayo!) My friend Michelle Mayo said that she will only come if everyone pronounces Mayo “right” (like mayonnaise)…. her last name. Oh she’s a funny one! Hey Michelle… how’s Stony?
Anyway… I made these little cards to stick out of my pots on the mantle… Oh I can’t wait till that mantle gets painted white!
I took this photo at a rather odd angle because my mirror had smudges on it when I took it head on… Why do I admit these things to y’all? Happy Tuesday!
~Em
I slept good Friday night… possibly because of this
Hot & Spicy Mary
1 & a half shots of vodka
Fill the rest of the glass with Spicy V8
a dash of Tapatio
a dash of celery salt
a squeeze of lime juice
a dash of Worcestershire sauce
salt/pepper to taste
garnish with celery and a lime wedge… serve as is or on the rocks
and have a GOOD… NIGHT
(this is a spicy drink so use regular V8 if you don’t like the hotness)
~Em
I sat around most of the day and watched my kids color,
took “the boys” drinks a couple times at the job site and watered my poor poor plants that were passed out from the heat (why is it so hot?) I like lazy Sundays! Especially when they start with doughnuts! Oh, I DID go to church… Yay God!
Here is a cute picture of my pots waiting to be embellished…
for no reason other than throwing them in this jar made them fun to look at. Oh and in other randomness, a friend and I were talking about the funny words our kids say and that we need to write them down for posterity. Here are some Luke-isms:
When asked, what kind of dog do you have? He replies “a chiwalla”
Point to a rectangle and ask, what shape is this? His answer, “a tec-rangle”
And his favorite word to spell…
L I P
don’t know why but he likes that word. See….
~Em
Yes… already! I couldn’t wait to get started on these as I have been dreaming about them for weeks.
And here is the first finished pot.
For lack of an official name, I am calling them “Embellished Peat Pots”. I envision them as a new way to give a gift so I am including a tulle circle that you can wrap a little gifty in and put it in the pot! Think baby shower, weddings, birthdays… a great gift card holder! I am going to make some for my mom(s) this Mother’s Day. This item is available for purchase in the shop for $8 + free shipping.
~Em
I am in the process of making some “thingies” for the shop. After I am done I will have to have you all help me come up with a name for them… here is the main component ~
~Em
HAPPY EARTH DAY 2008
Go GREEN
~Em
You saw it on SNL, you’ve heard the expression, you’ve seen the t-shirts… and if you have played Rock Band you know that you can indeed have too much cowbell!
No I am not plugging my favorite drink in this picture, I am- in fact- icing a cowbell/tambourine injury from playing Rock Band for 12 hours straight on Tuesday night. You see, if you are the vocalist in the game you also have the chance to play percussion when there is a drum or guitar solo… You tap your microphone on your hand with the beat and depending on the song you are either clapping, playing the tambourine or yes… rocking out on the cowbell. And yes… Don’t Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult IS one of the songs in the game! Was it worth the pain you ask? Yes, Aaron and I did complete the World Tour - but today I actually read the instructions and found out that the percussion parts are OPTIONAL! sheesh!
~Em
That ROUGHLY translates to “White Girl’s Vegetarian Menudo“
I can’t begin to describe the taste other than tangy-spicy-goodness! Now do you know what MEAT usually goes into menudo? Cow or pigs feet and tripe (AKA stomach lining) G R O S S. Now before you send out the Federales… I have eaten REAL menudo twice and loved it… but this is the white girl’s “green” version. I made mine in the crockpot but the authentic way is to stir a pot on the stove “all day”. = No thanks!
WHITE GIRL VEGETARIAN MENUDO
Ingredients:
- Whole head of garlic - unpeeled
- Oregano
- Cilantro
- 1 Roma tomato (diced)
- 1/2 white onion (diced)
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- Whole black peppercorn
- Sea salt
- 1 can white Hominy (these are corn nuts! I never knew that, yes did I mention I am very “white“)
- 1 small can of green chilies diced
- 2 cups vegetable stock (or beef bullion for the non “veggie” version)
- Tapatio or any hot sauce
Directions:
Turn crockpot on low and shake about 10 drops of hot sauce on the bottom of the pot. Add the can of chilies, tomato, hominy, and onions (green and white). Add two cups stock (veggie or beef) and then fill the rest of the pot with water. Grind peppercorn and sea salt over top to taste. Float the garlic head in the pot whole (see first photo). Lay a couple fresh sprigs of oregano and cilantro on top. Shake some more hot sauce over the top (a little goes a long way, use as much as you like) Cover and cook on low overnight (I did mine from 9pm-8am) Unplug crockpot in the morning and refrigerate until dinnertime (it’s WAY better if it “marinates” for a few hours).
Serving Suggestions:
Serve in a bowl with sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, green onions, and a wedge of lime. If you prefer a thicker soup add chunks of potato when you cook it.
We ate ours with tortilla chips crunched on top like tortilla soup. You can even add sour cream and cheese.
“Buen Apetito”
~Em
I made this charm for the shop…
and I am admitting something here… I do not know how to attach the jump ring! Some people would say that me telling you this is bad for business but sheesh we are not all born with the innate ability to solder! I have some emails sent out to the “pros” to help me… I will be gifting this charm (when it’s done) in my first EV-AH blog giveaway.
~Em
Okay, I posted a photo of my new dog Jersey… ya know, the one with the under-bite. Well… my mother says my other dog is the ugly one! How rude. Here is Peja… I don’t think he looks like a Gremlin at all! Do you?
~Em
They say that your eyes are the windows to your soul and that windows are the eyes of your home… so are these new window boxes bags under the “eyes” of my home?
I wanted to spruce up the view from my bedroom window so I planted these under the window that faces my gazebo… I forgot that my headboard sticks up a foot higher than the bottom of my window. I can barely see the little tips of the flowers out my window… oh well - I know they are there and that makes me happy. I’ll file this in my “bliss” category.
~Em
Many of my friends have been talking about Bliss. What gives you bliss? I find Bliss in many things… last week on one of the nights the weather was “perfect” I took my laptop out in the yard and sat by my new bird fountain and surfed the net. My kids were playing in the playground, Aaron was watering plants, the dogs were at my feet. THAT was Bliss!
My friends have also been talking about making Bliss/Vision/Inspiration/Idea boards… If you have ever been wanting to do this, Jen and I are working on a workshop to teach you how!
~Em
Even if your past consisted of haircuts like this one…
I like to call this look “business up front, party in the back” otherwise known as the “mullet”, or the “Achy-breaky-bad-mistakey”.
I asked my mom “WHO cut my hair like this…” she said “I think I did”. Oh mama! Say it ain’t so… why did you do this to me? On a positive note… Mary Kate and Ashley… you can eat your hearts out… I wore these spectacles before your were even dreamed of!
Always remember your roots people, even if they are mousy brown!
~Em
…to do something with this basket.
I got it at the thrift store for .99 cents. It is approx. 7″ tall X 10″ long x 6″ wide. Please give me some ideas of what to do with it! This is going to be a new “feature” on my blog. I have a lot of things that I love and just don’t know what to do with. I am inspired by you all out in the “blog-o-sphere” and want you to Inspire Me.
~Em
On Monday we had our MOMents meeting for April - what a smashing success! The theme was How to be More “Martha”. No, we don’t want you to start saying “delectable” or pronouncing herbs with the H… We just talked about the lost art of hospitality, letter writing, being a great hostess and some easy ideas to add a personal touch when giving gifts. Our meeting went down like an episode of Martha or Oprah… 
And everyone got a “door-prize”
To learn more, please visit our website at www.MOMentsOTC.com - Click “MOMentos” to see all of our past events. Please consider joining our group even if you don’t live in Lodi as we will be expanding to have pod-casts soon!
~Em
My World Vision child, Klera just sent us a letter! Well, Mimoza, Klera’s mom did. She writes that they live in a small commune in Albania. They eat mostly vegetables, beans and dairy products. They have a Mediterranean climate and live in a flat valley surrounded by hills. In addition to Klera, Mimoza and her husband also have two sons. The family lives in a small brick house that has 3 rooms. Here is Klera along with her mother’s letter.
We are sending her pictures of our family and a letter this week. Klera looks exactly like Tatum…doesn’t she? AND… Here is Luke in the chair I talked about in my last post… 
Freakin groovy huh? The boy loves this chair! Well, I have a really long list of things I should be doing right now and writing this is 11-teenth on the list (meaning it’s not on the list) so I better go check some real things off!
~Em
It feels weird to take Easter DOWN on April 1st… Good bye Easter decor… 
oh and the desk… the marvelous desk! This was a freebie from Jen’s neighbor. Just wait till you see the chair I scored too! Happy Spring everyone!
~Em
My new bathroom was completed in April 2006 (I think). Anyway, for it’s birthday I bought (her/him?) a new shower curtain. (It was supposed to be a walk-in shower but water found it’s way out onto the floor and the curtain holds in the yummy warmth more) and everyone got their own new, towels. The color scheme was green and yellow and now it is a beachy mix of brown, taupe and blues. Happy 2nd birthday bathroom!
~Em
