Epic Fail

"Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate, first one says "Oh my, it's getting late"  

The BK and I don't have any children, at home, but that doesn't mean we don't like to carve a mean pumpkin...So we drive all over the county to find the best pumpkins we can. The BK decides, maybe, we should roast some pumpkin seeds. I'm not a huge fan, but I find a couple recipes on Pinterest. Mmmmmmm...Cinnamon Glazed Pumpkin Seeds sound uh~maz~zuh~ing! 

On a cold, rainy, fall Tuesday, we begin the carving process. And I begin the roasting process:

Step 1:

After digging the guts out of old Jack, place the seeds in a bowl of hot water. This makes it easier to get all the stringy guck off your seeds...

Step 2: 

Spread your seeds on a baking sheet and allow to dry overnight.

Step 3: 

Transfer your seeds to a mixing bowl...coat with 1 tbs of olive oil and add 3 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 cup of sweetener, combine well. *Note: the original poster used Truvia Baking Blend, but I chose to use Sugar in the Raw. 

Step 4:

Spread seeds, evenly, on baking sheet and bake in a 310 degree oven for 30 minutes. Spread seeds around, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

(I will admit a gigantic screw up...I read 3 tbsp on cinnamon instead of tsp! So I added a bit more olive oil and sugar. )

This was an epic fail. Epic. Fail. Oh, the cinnamon and sugar glaze tasted delicious...the seeds, however, had the texture of cardboard. I did a little digging around...it seems like the oven should've been set at 300 degrees and the seeds stirred more often. 

If you want to try this recipe, for yourself, you can find the original recipe here...
Maybe your attempt will be a success!!

                                 

not so MANIC MONDAY

REPEAT: BECAUSE OCTOBER IS "ADOPT A SHELTER DOG MONTH"

"dogs are everywhere almost everywhere i go..."

FLASHBACK october 2007
rufus appears on our deck, early one fall morning.

FLASH FORWARD january 2008
first came charlie. cody and his girlfriend went to the local animal shelter and came home with a huge puppy. HUGE puppy. charlie is collie/st. bernard mix. and he's scared of everything. i call him the cowardly lion.
then came maddie. she's tiny. she looks like a mutant chihuahua. her paws are HUMONGOUS. we are told she is pit. as she gets bigger it's clear she isn't. she's greyhound/english pointer mix. she is a princess. she rules the house with an iron fist. rufus could care less. charlie bows down to her highness.

FLASH FORWARD today
maddie lives with me and bk now. no dogs to boss around. no boys to boss around. and bk refuses to be bossed around. she attempts to boss e'beth around...e'beth reminds her that she is, in fact, the queen. she is an amazing dog. she is loving. she is calm. she rarely barks. she does have her issues: #1~she still thinks she's a chihuahua (but why CAN'T i sit in your lap?)...#2~she hates when she is sent to time~out (yes, she gets time~outs, and, just like any kid, she tries to get out early...maddie's version? military crawls out of the room)...and #3~she firmly believes in "no means no" (so a word to all male dogs...keep your distance...she will punch you in the throat).
october is "adopt a shelter dog" month. we've all seen the commercials. sarah mclachlan sitting there, with her healthy yellow lab, making us cry over all these sad, abused animals. well, she's giving you some important facts...according to the aspca,  5~7 million companion animals enter shelters each year and 3~4 million are euthanized. 25% of dogs in shelters are purebred. and only 10% of animals, received in shelters, have been spayed or neutered. so, why listen to sarah and ADOPT a shelter dog? for one thing, you will be saving a life. the number of dogs being euthanized would be reduced drastically, if more people adopted rather than purchase from a pet store. your pet will, most likely, be healthier. most shelters examine and vaccinate animals when they are dropped off. and, often, they will spay/neuter the animal at adoption. and this also means...you'll save money. think about it...the cost of the adoption fee including first shots, and spay/neutering (go purchase a pet from a breeder or pet store and try to get a deal like that!)? and, don't forget, studies show that pet owners live happier, healthier, lives. so basically, you've saved 2 lives (the shelter dog and your own!!).
adopt a shelter dog...it does the body good...

**Update to gallery...our newest shelter dog**

                      

 

               

 

need help finding a shelter or rescue near you? check out petfinder.com

FLASHBACK september 11, 2001

"imagine all the people living life in peace"

i am rushing around getting ready. charlotte and i are taking our 6 kids, plus a few of their friends, to see incubus next month. the tickets go on sale today. a trip to house of blues and some early christmas shopping are in order. kids successfully dropped off at their various schools? check. make-up and hair done? check. money? well poop. i rush out the door and head to the bank. 8:46am...my cash is dispensed from the atm (i know because i still have the receipt). i walk into charlotte's house. she's in her room staring at the today show. "you won't believe what just happened! crazy!!". the camera is focused on the world trade center and smoke is billowing from one of them. matt lauer and katie couric are discussing what could have caused this horrible accident. and then it happened. live. on our tv screen. the whole world watched as a second plane crashed into the world trade center. this was no accident. panic sets in. should i get my kids from school? should i leave them there? what is going on? 
FLASH FORWARD today
14 years have passed. there is a memorial where the towers stood. i haven't seen it but i have been to ground zero while it was being built. you can't help but talk a little softer, be a little nicer, be a lot more respectful when you're there. you can't help but remember how everyone in this country came together after that attack. we don't need to remember 9/11 on september 11. we need to remember 9/11 every single day. we need to be a lot more respectful of each other. we need to be a little nicer to each other. we need to talk a little softer to each other. we need to come together. "for united we stand, divided we fall...and if our backs  
should ever be against the wall...we'll be together, together, you and i".

^part of south tower from world trade center^

FLASH BACK august 16, 1977

"there will be peace in the valley..."
35 years ago, today, the world lost the king of rock 'n roll. i was 11 when elvis died. i'm not gonna lie. i have no idea where i was, or what i was doing, when i heard the news. and it would be years before i would realize how much  i love his music (mostly because i love vince vaughn, but that's a whole other story). 
hail to the king baby!!

THROWBACK THURSDAY

A REPEAT...
"he ain't heavy, he's my brother..."
FLASHBACK october 9, 1967
i am a happy toddler. i live with my mama and daddy in a nice house. we have a dog. life is good.
FLASH FORWARD october 10, 1967
the nightmare begins. mama and daddy bring HIM home. a little brother. "aren't you excited to be a big sister?" ummmmmm. no. no i'm not.
FLASH FORWARD 1970 something
i can't get rid of him. queenie and i are at the park? he is there. queenie and i are at the pool? he is there. queenie spends the night? he is there. he. never. goes. away. he tries to kill me...on multiple occasions. thank you whoever invented locks on doors. and there are times he needs my protection. yeah, exorcist demon, you will not possess my little brother because i'm letting him sleep in my room. 

             

FLASH FORWARD 1980 something
he's in high school now. and is kind of gigantic. no one realizes he's just a freshman. my friends become his friends. he's at all the same parties. the same homecomings. the same proms. he makes getting a date tough, however.  it's hard to get a date when every guy at school has seen you first thing in the morning. with your hair standing on end and no make~up. but, all in all, he's not so bad. 

       

 

FLASH FORWARD today

he's kind of a d~bag.  but he's my d~bag. he's given me a sister. he's given my 2 beautiful nieces. he's my dearest friend AND the bane of my existence.

today is national sibling day. celebrate your brothers and/or sisters...they are the ones that taught you "fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring" (pamela dugdale).

a gallery of siblings:

                         

FLASHBACK 1995

*iA repeat because it's necessary...."

"i can see the russian army rollin' thru my head..."
the kids are at school. it's a beautiful fall day. i've cleaned the house...finished the laundry...gone to the grocery store. i have a few hours before the boys bust in from school. maybe i'll read a book? watch a movie? and then...flashing lights in the corner of my eye. i look at my dog. i can only see half her face. what?!! this is weird. i spend the rest of the day in bed...my head buried under a blanket to keep out the light. if i move...at all...i run to the bathroom to blow chunks. i am experiencing what samantha stephens mother-in-law used to call "a sick headache". UGH!!!
FLASH FORWARD september 29, 2012
the bk and i have a relaxing morning. noon (ish) we go into town for the applefest. we duck into the paddock for lunch. hmmmm...mel's face his blurry. i never noticed she had a blurry face before? i have no advil migraine (it's solubilized ibuprofen, which means it gets in your system faster than regular ibuprofen)...this is not good. i text danno..."please have advil or the osu game is gonna suck for me!". he meets me at the door with 3 advil and a promise to turn the music down during commercials. you went to the game day party with a migraine, you ask? ummmmm...yeah...i'm no scarlet!! 

as a migraine sufferer who refuses prescription drugs as much as possible...i have a little advice:

#1~advil migraine really works...and doesn't upset my stomach. it doesn't contain caffeine, which can help but can, also, be a culprit when it's in high doses...
#2~a trick my daddy suggested...and it really works...ICE CREAM!!! not long after he mentioned this i noticed the beginnings of a migraine (flashing lights, blurred vision, an adversity to light) and the bk bought me the biggest chocolate malt united dairy farmers has to offer. KABOOM!! problem solved. maybe it was the cold on my brain...maybe it was the caffeine in the chocolate...i don't know and i don't care. the full on migraine was averted AND i had a tasty treat!
#3~get to a dark room and nap. i really need to purchase a sleep mask but, until then, i just wrap my favorite blanket around my eyes.
and finally...
#4~stay off your computer!!! even if you've taken meds, the light and all the colors and words on your computer screen will strain you eyes, making the migraine 45000X worse than it needs to be.
and, last but not least:
#5~be a scarlet and skip game day. you don't want to be a debbie downer, and besides, you need to be following rule #3...