Black Friday Event

My husband Dave received an invitation to a Black Friday event at a Senior Living Community!  The invitation promises a free flat screen TV if you sign a lease on Friday.  This is funny because my husband is 45 years old. He does wear hearing aids, so I'm going to assume his audiologist sold his name to a mailing list. I wonder what would happen if he showed up on Friday with our 10 and 8 year old daughters in tow to collect his TV? 

I'm trying to make a comeback to my blog.  Did anyone miss me?  Probably not.

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

The Sponge Bob cake I designed for Jade's 8th Birthday celebration.

Not me!  Hope you enjoy the photo of the cake I designed from an 8 inch square cake and a 9x13  inch cake.  I am very proud of my work!  No fancy, one use pan necessary and the cake was delicious.  I told you I was "The Real Housewife of Chesterfield Township.

Downsizing

Am I the only person who hates to exercise?  I doubt it. I have been pushing myself to do it everyday so I can fit into a few items of clothing hanging in my closet.  So far it is not working.  If only exercise was as much fun as eating and drinking.  A girl can dream. How do you get excited about exercise?  You are sweating, breathing heavy and usually uncomfortable or in pain. Does that sound like fun?  Maybe if you are a sada masochist.  Everyone always talks about the endorphins and the runner's high, but obviously I'm not feeling it.  Someone please tell me how to make it fun, because I am desperate! I bought a couple of new clothing items so I would look good and feel good, but that lasted about a day. I started walking with a friend, but she had to have surgery and has been out of commission for three weeks.  The exercise buddy did take my mind off of the exercise, so that may be the answer.  But what should I do until my buddy is back in action?

Make me an offer I can't refuse!

My unemployment checks ended two months ago and now I'm starting to feel the pain of not enough money in the budget.  I have been looking for employment during the past two years, but it is only recently that there seems to be positions which are a good fit for my experience.  Recruiters are starting to contact me so the economy must be improving.  I need to get back to work to have structure and purpose in my life.  I need to have contact with the outside world.  Being a housewife and stay at home mom is not always the best thing for self esteem.  I sometimes feel isolated and alone even though I may have had coffee or lunch with a friend.  It is hard to meet someone for the first time and tell them that you are not working.  It doesn't matter if it is your decision to stay at home or a corporate decision it is looked down on by most. However, most of the people who look down on me are working mothers.  Why is this?  Is it jealousy or resentment?  I am ready, willing and able, so bring on the opportunities.

Vacation

Sorry I have not posted in over a month. Life gets in the way when you don't prioritize, but I'm back.

We wanted to to get away for a quick spring break and decided to go to a hotel/water park for two days.  That was the first mistake.  One day was more than enough! I booked the room online and had the choice of a queen suite or a queen room for the same price.  I chose the suite, thinking it would be nice to have a little extra room, refrigerator and microwave.  We checked in and schlepped our luggage to our room and discovered it was a plain queen room.  Being a person who is not afraid to stick up for herself, I marched backed down to the lobby to make them aware of the mistake.  I was told that our queen room is considered a suite because it is located on the same floor as the suites.  What???  I told the clerk that this was misleading and deceptive and wanted to be compensated.  We were upgraded to a queen suite with bunk beds, so the girls were thrilled.  Later that evening we discovered a plumbing issue with the toilet.  Disaster was averted when the maintenance man replaced a faulty valve at 9:30pm.  We awoke at 7:00am to enjoy our complimentary full continental breakfast.  We walked down to the lobby and discovered a sign saying breakfast had been moved to the second floor pub. We go to the pub and find out that they no longer offer the complimentary full continental breakfast, but are offering it to those who know about it.  Did I mention you can still find mention of the complimentary full continental breakfast on the hotel website? All of these things could have made this awful trip a terrible experience, but actually it made it memorable.  We now have some funny stories to share and we made memories with our daughters and that is what it was all about. 

Fat Weekend Treat

In honor of Fat Tuesday and all things sinful, I made doughnut holes this weekend.  I found the recipe in the newspaper and it reminded me of the doughnuts my Grandma made when I was a child.  If you are bored with the homogenized taste of chain doughnut shop doughnuts, then you will want to try these little bits of heaven. The doughnut holes are crispy on the outside and covered in cinnamon and sugar delicious-ness. They even taste great the next day.

Cinnamon Doughnut Holes

Yields 4 dozen

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 t ground cinnamon

1 3/4 c all purpose flour

1 t baking powder

1/8 t baking soda

1/4 t cinnamon

1/4 t salt

1/2 c granulated sugar

2T unsalted butter, melted but not hot

1 large egg

1/3 c buttermilk

vegetable oil for frying

Mix cinnamon and sugar on a plate; set aside.

Mix flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl.

Whisk sugar and butter in a large bowl. Whisk in egg and buttermilk until smooth.  Gently stir in dry ingredients with a spatula to form soft, pliable dough.  Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

When ready to fry, heat 1 inch of oil in a 10 inch heavy skillet to 325 degrees.  Meanwhile, use a rounded teaspoon measure to scoop all of the dough into balls.  Working in batches, drop dough balls into hot oil.  Fry until golden brown on one side, 1-2 minutes.  Flip and continue to fry until golden on remaining side, another 1-2 minutes.

Drain all doughnut holes on a brown paper bag and quickly dredge in cinnamon sugar, serving warm or at room temperature. 

Per doughnut hole:  70 calories, 8 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein, 4 g fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 0 fiber 27 mg sodium



Addicted to Coupons

I have started coupon shopping in January in response to the Extreme Coupon show I saw on TLC.  The people on this show amaze me with their $2.67 grocery bill and four carts of groceries.  The bizarre part of the show is the OCD tendencies these people have such as:  enough toilet paper for 30 years warehoused in their garage or a shopping trip that yields over 300 free toothbrushes.  This being said, I now have an addiction to shopping with coupons. I am not extreme by any means.  I purchase two newspapers every Sunday and combine the coupons with store sales to net the best price on items that my family will use in a reasonable amount of time.  There are no plans of renting a storage unit to keep my groceries.  Last week I was pretty proud of the fact that I was able to find laundry detergent for $0.49, $0.73 deodorant, Cheerios for $0.99 a box, free KY, free toothpaste, free salad dressing and free hot dogs.  This has become a game for me and I am determined to win!  I must pay less than half-off to even consider going to the store since starting this adventure.  I have found a grocery store in a neighboring community that doubles coupons up to $1, all bread items are purchased from a bakery outlet (over 75% savings) and I purchase some staple items at Aldi.   If only I could find a discount on fresh fruit, vegetables and milk, but that might involve buying a farm.

You're a Winner!

They are the words so many wish to hear.  No, it wasn't Publisher's Clearning House. No, we didn't win the Mega Millions jackpot.  The call was from the Macomb Daily and my husband was the winner of...wait for it....not one... but TWO TICKETS to the AUTORAMA!!! Can you believe it?  For those of you not familiar with Autorama, it is basically an indoor hot rod and classic car show that  this year included Billy The Exterminator and one of the guys from the Jersey Shore signing autographs.  Any guy into cars loves attending (my husband), but I would rather you run me over with a car than attend.

My husband and brother-inlaw used the tickets last night.  It sounds like they enjoyed the people watching more than the cars.  I'm sure there were many people that have been seen on COP's in attendance.  I enjoyed quality girl time with my daughters and that makes me feel like a winner too.  

Talking Trash

Our trash was not picked up today, due to the significant snow fall Sunday evening and Monday morning.  This has somehow turned me into Tina Trashfinder.  I am one of those strange people that will run a piece of dental floss out to the curb on trash day as the garbage truck approaches the house.  However, give me an extra day to find trash and I suddenly find an extra 45 gallons of trash to haul away.  Somehow I achieve some sort of satisfaction knowing that every trash receptacle and recycling bin in my home is empty.  I know I'm not  the only person with this affliction, but I never see anyone else running to the curb with a used tissue in hand. Since I realized the trash was not going to be picked up until tomorrow, I have made four trips to the curb today and will probably make one more before the truck arrives tomorrow morning. I'm sure breakfast tomorrow will include emptying that cereal box into my bowl.

Family Dinner

I enrolled my daughters in a  hospital sponsored six week course, which focuses on healthy eating habits and exercise. During our appointment the nurse weighed and measured the girls and had them answer  health related questions.  Some sample questions included:  How many times a week do you eat fast food? and How many hours a day do you spend in front of screen (TV, computer or video games)?  I nearly went through the roof when I heard both my daughters answer the following question: How many times a week do you eat dinner as a family? The girls both told the nurse once a week!  The truth is we eat dinner together as a family (sitting at the table, home cooked food) six times a week and the seventh time is usually pizza delivered to our home. We are not a family that pulls through the drive-thru every evening and eats in our car on the way to our evening activity and call it "dinner" because we are all in the car.  Even when my husband and I have dinner plans, I still prepare a meal for the girls and sit down with them while they eat.  Do my daughters consider "dinner as a family" only the meals that they like and finish?  I have to admit that this was a blow to my ego since I consider myself the Martha Stewart of Southeastern Michigan.  Even if my children and I do not agree on the number of family dinners, I know family dinners provide stability in a crazy world and an opportunity for open communication.  

Senior Moment

My Rustic Turtle Torte we enjoyed with the senior moment.

In an effort to be frugal, we often check out a DVD from our local library. This was the case between the holidays and we decided to share one of the movies with my parents on New Year's Eve, with the stipulation that they would return it to the library. The movie was due on January 4, but I received an e-mail notice from the library on January 11 that the DVD had not been returned. I promptly called my parents and asked them if they had returned the movie, the answer of course was "YES, we dropped it off at the library on January 2 after church".  Are you sure?  Did you check under the car seat? There must be some mix-up at the library because my parents are very responsible, so I start pleading my case with the library, sign an affidavit with witnesses that gives the library six months to locate the DVD and if they do not find it I cough up $26 to replace it.
Friday evening (February 4) - I have invited the family over to celebrate Mom's 65th Birthday. After settling in, my Dad asks me "whatever happened at the library with that missing DVD"?  I retell the story and my Dad finishes by telling me it should be resolved soon because they returned the movie this afternoon and starts laughing.  I think my jaw dropped to the floor as I just stood their in disbelief.  It seems my parents took their new vehicle in to the dealership for a seat belt recall and when they picked up the vehicle the DVD had magically appeared and was sitting on the seat. Looks like I have some fun years ahead of me as I start parenting my parents. Happy 65th Birthday Mom!

Government Plot

It is my view that this "Snowzilla" Storm was a government plot to get the economy moving again. The media hyped it and we bought it. Think about it, we all went to the store to buy at the very least milk and bread. I added some comfort foods that I don't normally purchase to my cart.  Some people invested in snow blowers and generators for a storm that wasn't much of anything.  Tow truck drivers were kept a little busy by people who think they know how to drive.  Collision shops will be busy in a couple of days with the dings and dents, which means parts will be purchased from the automotive suppliers.  It's a win win situation. Even if the storm wasn't all that it was predicted to be, I am enjoying our family snow day.

The Perfect Storm

I made my trip to the store today to make sure we had milk, bread, fresh fruit and beer in the house to ride out the storm. You need to make everyone happy. I already have several bottles of wine so I should be OK. Meijer was like a war zone.  Cars were parked out to the road like it was two days until Christmas and the same number of shoppers in the store, but not enough cashiers.  You would think that us Michigan folks had never seen snow.  I think the reason everyone was in the store is because no one eats at home anymore.  Most people hit the drive thru or curbside pick-up these days. It is so sad to me that many families don't sit down at the table and talk every night or have a family breakfast. Now we sit and wait with baited breath as the meteorologist tweaks the forecast every couple of hours and tells us this is the Perfect Storm.  I hate to admit it, but I love the anticipation of the storm and the family time it gives. I'm actually excited that my husband is using a leftover vacation day from 2010 and secretly hoping for two snow days for the girls and two feet of snow. Only 24 hours left until it starts!

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

It happens every two weeks on Thursday morning and I am desperately trying to avoid IT. What is IT? IT is Sal the Schwann's delivery man. Over the summer this sweet gentleman came to the door leaving us with a bag full of ice cream samples and a Schwann's catalog. My daughters thought this gentleman was the answer to their prayers. I of course felt guilty after eating the samples and would order something every two weeks when Sal came knocking at the door. I have created a monster that won't take NO for an answer. I having been on the lamb on Thursday's for the past few weeks to avoid Sal and save money. Having worked in sales, I understand he is trying to make a living, but I really do not need to spend $6.99 on a bag of frozen green beans that I can purchase at Meijer for $1.00. That old public service announcement, "Just say NO to drugs" keeps echoing in my head, if only I could say NO to Sal. Looks like I will be at my Yoga class this morning.

I'm Bored

I've completed one of my New Year's Resolutions and it is still January! I have cleaned and organized everything in this house and now I'm saying the words that cause any mother to cringe... I'm bored. What should I do next? Hmmmm...let's try and figure out this blog thing. I am not tech savy so this has been a challenge to say the least. Today I attempted to set up ads. We will see if I was successful since I can not click on them. I need to plan dinner for tonight and make some lunch box treats for the ones I love. I am thinking Jambalya and Snickerdoodles are on the agenda. I promise to post recipes after I get the hang of this. By the way, I'm still working on the exercise and healthy living resolutions. I'll keep you posted on those.

Just Do It

After much encouragement from my family and friends, I am starting a blog. I'm not sure anyone really cares what I have to say, but I feel it is a better use of my time than watching reruns of Sex and the City on cable. My goal is to share my love of entertaining and all things domestic. I'm still trying to figure out this blog thing so please be patient with me as I learn.