Who says pork fat rules?

Okay, so I'm not a huge pork fan. I know, I like to cook, therefore, I should love the pig. But I don't. Pork is, well.....I don't know....tough, dry and many times 'BLECH'. I know, I must not be preparing it properly, but I just don't love it. I love it crock potted and pulled in a sauce topped with COLE SLAW, but grilled, baked or pan fried? Nope.

I do like bacon. But apparently I'm a bacon snob, because I ran to Wal-Mart today to avoid 5 pm traffic, and didn't know what kind of bacon to buy. I decided on the Wal-mart brand...it looked meaty and was reasonably priced. YEAH......NO. It was like frying up some tissue paper strips. It's thin, and stuck to the pan, and I am NOT happy. I buy KRETSCHMAR brand bacon. I do not like sweet bacon. I do not like thick sliced bacon. I like Kretschmar bacon.

This foreign stuff was just not what I am used to. (pout)

Anywho, it was Farmer's Market day again. I got a whole bunch of tomatoes, some peppers, some onion and some cucumbers. Who says farmer's markets are cheap? I spent $20.....$10 on tomatoes. I can't wait til Perfectly's Dad's garden grows and we get our own........

So, we are having classic BLT sandwiches for dinner.....with substandard bacon.

Oh well.......the cheap wine spritzer's I'm making will make up for it!!

It's Friday night!! Toodles!

Marsupializing the submucosal nodule

Son #2 had what we thought was a canker sore on his tongue. More specifically on the bottom of his tongue. We used hydrogen peroxide on it to try to clear it up (isn't peroxide a fix all for many ailments??). The next day it was HUGE. Like maybe a 4th of a grape tomato in size huge.

Mr. Perfectly took him to the doctor, and we found out he had some sort of infection....something regarding the mucous gland or something (this is how they explained it to me). So, I went to my frienemy...Google to see what I could find abou such an odd thing. And sure enough, there is an infection...of the submucosal nodule. He needed to be seen by an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor so they could remove it, otherwise it may just come back.


We had our ENT appointment today, and the doctor looked at it, said it was a submucosal nodule, and that he could marsupialize it or my son may do it naturally in the course of things like chewing.....ewww.

Speeding forward for a moment....MARSUPIALIZE? WTF? I came home and went to my frienemy AGAIN and had to look that word up...I mean really....what does a WALLABIE (see comments, please) have to do with my son's tongue nodule that's filled with mucous? As it turns out, this means to open, or to break. Like popping a zit. So the next time you want to impress your family and friends, discuss in detail how you MARSUPIALIZED your zit that morning.

So, back to the doctor. He gave son #2 a numbing solution to put on his tongue, came back with a needle, popped the submucosal nodule, and squeezed it like a pimple. Gross. I gave up watching, because I don't do well with spit.....and spit and mucous was all stringy from the gauze........blech. He goes back in a month. Oh and will be taking an antibiotic, which I haven't filled yet. Bad Mommy!!

So, now that the medical speak is over, what are YOU having for dinner? We are havinga concoction of zucchini, tomato and onion over rice. This is a dish that my dad thought he came up with years ago from our garden produce. It's awesome. Anyway, as I got older, I realized, that lots of other people make this too. Oh, well....our feeling of originality still lingers in my mind. We must have had SOMETHING to do with local folk liking this so much.

Anyway, you take an onion, and chop it to the size of your liking. Same with a zucchini and however many tomatoes you want to add. You brown the onion a little, add the zucchini, and at the end the tomatoes. You cook it until the veggies breakdown to your own personal softness liking. I like mine soft and soupy. Add some salt, pepper and a little FRANK'S hot sauce and you've got a meal.

Spoon it over some rice, and HOT DAMN...you've got dinner.

Awwwwwwwww....I wish I could video quicker and better, because my kitty is grooming the dachshund. Oh wait....now they are wrestling....or like they say around these here parts.....WRASSSSLIN'.

Toodles for now. Enjoy the bounty of your garden or farmer's market....I'm SURE I'll have more recipes for you!!

The Remote Starter

So.

Son #2 turned 16 last Wednesday. He got his driver's license (with a 94%), and is insured (ouch). We are slowly letting him drive on his own (scary).....

We celebrated with a family dinner on Friday night at the local Italian place that we all like (Dominico's), and had ALOT of fun.

The 1991 Ford truck that Son #1 drove for 2 and a half years has been passed down to Son #2. We bought a keychain and put his keys on it, and presented him with his very own keys to 'his' truck. He looked at the keychain--which has a LED flashlight in it--and said "I didn't know the truck had a remote starter".........to which the entire table CRACKED UP......because it's a NINETEEN NINETY ONE.......no fancy fobs from the vehicles of the 'old days'.

Ah, the joys of youth.......he was clueless until we shined the flashlight in his face.......hahahaha

So, how was your Fourth of July? Ours was fun---rainy, but fun. We went outside around 8:30 and proceeded to have a HUGE thunderstorm pop up......it lasted around 30 minutes, and we went back out to the bug filled, hazy air, and the kids (and Mr. Perfectly) shot their fireworks. We watched the bats dive bomb the bugs, and watched the supposed FABULOUS fireworks fizzle out.....

But that's what home-set fireworks are supposed to do......be laughingly disappointing! The boys had fun.....boys....fuses.....explosive powder and fire always is fun for them!!!!

We had family come in from Nebraska to join in, and had good friends over, too. You can't beat that.....good family...good friends....good food and fun.

I swear, I have dorm room pictures, Hooters pictures, and Dock Dogs pictures. I've just been TOO LAZY to deal with the undertaking of uploading them (or is it downloading....I never understand that). Although great strides have been made in the computer age, it still takes a while to load pictures.......and I have a short attention span.......so I've been avoiding my promised pictures.

I must say, it's been an exciting week, with driver's licenses and all, but it's still remained relatively quiet.

I'll post pictures soon.....really.

Toodles for now!!

MAH BABY is 16!!

Just LOOK at him. Isn’t he adorable? He’s a great kid. He’s funny, smart, handsome, engaging, and all around awesome.





We will be going this afternoon to get his driver’s license. YIKES. That means I’ll have to deal with adding him to our insurance. OUCH. He went to six flags yesterday, so this week will prove to be a fun one. It usually is since his birthday falls near the 4th of July!! There’s always FIREWORKS and BARBEQUE in the mix, too!!

Today is my Friday. I’ll be leaving work today at 1 to get the driver’s license, and from then on….I’m free!! Until MONDAY!!
My uncle will be coming here for the 4th…so that will also be fun!!

Send good 16th birthday wishes this way, and of course MONEY!!

Toodles, and happy Wednesday to everyone!!

Waiting for Stoogie to comment

I am constantly amazed by the blogging community I belong to. When I embarked on this blog endeavor, I never expected ANYONE to EVER read my posts except maybe my husband and friend, Jakki. I do not have a huge following, BUT the people that do follow me are like real FRIENDS…….they seem to respect me….they seem to laugh with me, and support me if I’m down. It’s amazing. I know everyone always talks about the dangers of ‘putting’ oneself ‘out there’….on the INTERENET…..that it’s DANGEROUS.

And, I suppose it could be. But since my little blog title is a portion of my name, and I often refer to where I live, and where I work….it’s not hard to find me. And so far, nobody has been untoward, stalkerish or frightening in any way.

I truly enjoy the rapport I have with many of my online friends. I feel like I could drop in on any one of you and have a cup of coffee and pick up like we really KNOW each other. I like that feeling.

I read a blog earlier today from one of my good blog buddies. One that would like to MEET ME in real life……..and she’s struggling right now…….which makes me sad. I think she’s awesome. And true to form, StoogePie (who’s my Stoogie) left her a beautiful comment. So, now I’m waiting for mine (hint hint, Stoogie).

I love you guys……and thank you for the chance to meet up with all of you….and for sticking with me and what I figured would be a boring little blog. I mean, who cares about a Midwestern mom of two teenagers in an incredibly happy marriage……….who likes to cook…….I mean, really…..YAWN. But y’all seem to ‘get’ me……..and I love that. I know a real AUTHOR because of this blog………I know fun people, and highly educated people. And they all still like my frumpy, un-educated self.

My struggling blog friend made me retrospective, I guess. Now….back to the fluff that is my life.

Sorry I was gone for so long. There’s nothing wrong…..no lack of material…….or no real reason for not blogging. Except I was lazy. I started a couple of posts, and deleted them……..Meh…they were just too hard to think about. I was not in a funk…Or angry….Or depressed…….just plain old LAZZZYYYYY assed-ness.

But, I’m sort of over it……maybe…….and I do have TONS of stuff to tell y’all about! Like My son’s dorm room/Dorm area!! Like celebrating PerfectlyShelly’s dad’s birthday at Hooters!!!! Oh, and we can’t forget our trip to the Lake to see the DOCK DOGS competition!! I have pictures of EVERYTHING!!! Even MY Hooters. Although, I discovered, when putting them on display for my husband’s camera when we were at HOOTERS…I neglected to put down my napkin….so I have my hooters and a napkin in my hand. I am such an old lady. If I’d had long sleeves, I guess I may have had it stuffed up in a sleeve for later use. Sheesh. OH…..and Brandon cut my hair that day, and it’s shorter than normal, and I’m not sure I like it.

So, be watching. Oh….and yes….My Hooters are clothed……I just wanted to give our cute hooters girl a run for her money. She had hooters too, and a cute body, but remember, I’m a big girl, and MY hooters out did hers FO’ SHO’……

Oh, and we’ve got son #2’s 16TH birthday coming up, and the fourth of July!! And an informal gathering of my class of ’84 classmates….AT THE WINERY!!!

So, there will be lots to see and talk about in the coming days.

I missed everyone….although if you check your site meters I have been reading. I’ve not commented much. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I was LAZY ASSED. I just didn’t. So, I’m sorry, and I hope this doesn’t mean you all will not comment on mine. ‘Cause you guys know how I love to get comments.

So, I’M BBBAAAAACCCCKKKKK!!! Bring on the comments! I missed y’all!!

Toodles!

Dog Days

I’m bored internet. B.O.R.E.D.

Yes, I have tons I could do……clean my house from top to bottom. Do the gazillion loads of laundry that I have waiting. Clean the couch that smells like a dog……….yep…I have a lot to do. But none of it is FUN. I want to GO PLACES, and DO THINGS. Alas, we have a kid that just graduated (expensive) and going to college (outrageous), and another turning 16 on the 1st of July (EEEKKKK!!!), so, it’s not like I can just drop everything and book a trip to Puerto Rico (ahem, Stoogie….). Besides, I’ve got things like WORK, and KIDS to worry with as well.

Anywho…….I’ve been scouring the internet for things that interest me. Like the Soulard Farmer’s Market in St. Louis. It’s less than a 2 hour trip, and unless one goes bat-shit crazy buying produce, bakery items and meat….it ought not be terribly expensive. And then there’s the Canine Cannon Ball—which is a fundraiser for the Dogwood Animal Shelter in a community south of my town. It’s held at the Lake of the Ozarks (at the Dog Days Bar & Grill), and tonight they have an Extreme Vertical competition…….and to me it sounds LIKE A BLAST. Order some decent sounding food, a drink and watch the dogs.

Tomorrow they have a Speed Retrieve Heat, 3 Big Air WAVE competitions, and on Sunday, the Finals.

And, best of all, other than the food and drink….the Canine Cannon Ball is FREE!! So, I may go out on a limb and actually try to DO SOMETHING tonight. I always think about doing stuff, but I never seem to get off my butt to actually DO IT. Luckily, Mr. Perfectly is really good about indulging my whims, so he’ll grab his camera and do whatever I want. Which is nice. He’s good to me like that.

I’ll see if Perfectly’s Dad wants to go. He’s grumpy, so he’ll probably say no, but maybe. JUST MAYBE he’ll want to tag along. Next week is his birthday, so Teenie and I are putting our brains together to try to come up with a PARTAY for Daddy-o. So far, all he wants to do is go to Hooters, and said he wants it arranged to take a Hooter’s Girl home. Um…….NO. He can arrange his OWN Hooters……

Hee Hee, we’ll buy him a stuffed Owl (aka HOOTER) to take to bed with him at night. GREAT IDEA number one has emerged. Thanks, Internet……..you are ALWAYS good for bouncing ideas off of.

Okay, Internet…here’s your assignment. Think of fun, FREE things for me to do to entertain myself this summer. Secondly, think of additional fun things for my Dad’s birthday. He’ll be 65.
See Ya!! Happy Friday!!

COUGH, COUGH, RATTLE, RATTLE, SSSNNNEEEEZZZZEEE.

I am sick, Internet. I expect a great deal of sympathy and well wishes. I don’t do sick well. Really, I don’t. Ask Mr. Perfectly. He’ll tell you.

I have bronchitis. And fluid behind my ears, and according to the Nurse Practitioner, ALLLLOOOTTTT of drainage running down the back of my throat. I knew you’d want to know that. So you can feel SORRY for me, and not to think to yourself ‘ewwwwww’.
I am coughing and crackling in my chest. I don’t like to crackle in my chest. It keeps me awake. I can hear myself crackling, and it’s a) disgusting, and b) NOISY. She put me on a steroid pack. Apparently, according to my co-workers who are, like me, trained in family medicine, I won’t sleep for the next week, and I’ll eat everything for the next week. The eating thing? Not new for me, but the SLEEPING thing? Yeah. I like my sleep. I do not like to be interrupted from said sleep. So what is one to do? Crackle all night long and cough like your 65 year old Uncle that smokes cigars? Or take the steroids and not sleep. And eat.

Speaking of eating, we are having hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner tonight. From the grill. I do enjoy a grilled hot dog……..and even a burger on occasion. I’m really not a huge beef fan….or a pork fan for that matter. If I do eat a burger, I do not like the uber thick ones. It needs to be thin. As thin as possible. I like the middle to be barely pink, and the outside sort of charred and crispy. I know, I don’t ask for much in particular in the preparation of my food, huh?

Son #2’s new girlfriend is coming over for dinner tonight, so yippee. I can cough it up in front of her, too.

I spent a lazy weekend alternating between dozing in my chair and hacking up a lung. I’m certain I was pleasant to be around.

Well, since I’m not doing anything other than complain, I’ll let you off the hook in reading about my misery, and trying to be empathetic (if you are’T’ FAKE IT!!).

Toodles for now.