Me and My Shadow

Farmer's Market Bento

2011-08-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

I've become obsessed with bentos lately. I just love the aesthetics of the little lunches. I also love how they inspire me to pack healthful lunches. This semester I have class from 9AM to 4PM without any break at all, so a packed lunch is going to be a necessity.

Here's a bento I packed using my finds from our local Farmer's Market.

It includes Anpan (a bean paste filled bun), a salad, watermelon, juicy slices of a fresh peach, and a miniature chocolate bar as a treat.

The two tiers have lids and stack on top of each other like this...

The top part has a compartment for chopsticks or a fork. I was out of plastic forks, so I stuck a spoon in there to show how nicely it fits.

Here's the bento completely assembled and ready to go.

Happy eating!

Chocolate Chip Cookies!

2010-08-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

My son was in a baking mood and wanted to learn how to bake chocolate chip cookies. "What the heck." I said. I mean it's only 100 degrees outside. Why not heat up the inside of the house with a 375 degree oven? We didn't have any chocolate chips at the house, so we had to brave the scorching heat and Wal-Mart in order to get the chocolate chips. Why did I agree to this baking lesson again?

Here we go. First you dump your flour in a mixing bowl.

Then you add baking soda and salt. Make sure you don't misread a teaspoon of salt as a tablespoon of salt. Phew, that was a close one.

Set aside the dry ingredients for a bit and grab another mixing bowl for the wet ingredients. You're going to need two sticks of softened butter. Mmmmmm, butter.

Then add in granulated white sugar.

Now the brown sugar. Don't forget that you have to pack brown sugar.

Then add a teaspoon of vanilla.

Now cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla together. You may have to dodge flying bits of butter for the first couple of seconds until it gets incorporated. Don't worry. We'll work on keeping it in the bowl. It takes practice. Don't get frustrated. The dogs will eat the flying bits of butter off the floor. They like butter and sugar just as much as humans.

Now beat the eggs into the butter and sugar mixture.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Not all at once. Just a little at a time. It's easier to stir that way.

Then add the entire package of chocolate chips. Yes, the entire package. I braved Wal-mart for those semi-sweet morsels, now dump 'em ALL in that bowl.

Stir.

And stir. Use those muscles.

Place spoonfuls of dough on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

Now drool and eat while they are still warm and gooey.

Great job, kid! Now clean up your mess while your mother goes and lays on her bed under the ceiling fan.

Strawberry Parfaits

2010-07-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

It's too hot to really cook, but my son found this simple recipe for a Strawberry Parfait, and with some minor adjustments we made it even more simple. In the words of Donkey from Shrek, everybody loves a parfait.

First you have to wash your strawberries. You don't have to wear rubber band bracelets when you do this, but if you want to look cool, you probably should.

Then slice your berries.

Next you are going to want to sweeten the strawberries with a bit of sugar.
Can I just say how delicious these particular strawberries were? I had quit buying strawberries, because they had been tasting a lot like, um, well, a lot like nothing. However, these strawberries were sweet, juicy, and delicious. Summer in a bowl.

The original recipe calls for you to cook up some pudding. It's too hot to use the stove and we were too lazy anyway. We bought already made vanilla pudding and emptied the containers into a bowl. We then quickly disposed of the containers, stood back and proclaimed, "Look! Pudding!"

Stir some Cool Whip into your pudding to make it light and fluffy.

Now you are going to layer the pudding/cool whip mixture and the strawberries into glasses.

Continue layering until the glass is filled to the top. Then at the very top add a little dollop of Cool Whip.

Voila! Sit out on your back porch and enjoy the fact that you didn't have to use the stove or oven to create this delicious treat.

Sitting on the Dock of the Bay

2010-06-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

Summer school is whipping my butt, so this is all have for you right now. Cooking lessons will resume eventually.

BMX Racing

2010-06-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

My son races BMX here in Missouri almost every week. This past week we decided to try out a new track in Oklahoma.

Here he is at the starting gate.

And they're off!

C'mon dude! Don't lose steam now! Pedal!

He came in third. He was having some problems with his pedals. He's still not completely used to the new "click-in pedals" that his dad bought him Puerto Rico, but he's getting there.

Racing sure does wear a guy out. I don't know what excuse the dog has.

And just to give fair screen time to my baby....isn't he precious!?

Pizza. Pizza.

2010-06-12T15:06:00.001-07:00

Okay, here's an easy one. Pizza. I want to teach my son how to cook, so that when he moves out on his own he won't starve. I realize that pizza is something you can have delivered right to your front doorstep. However, I know what it's like to be a poor college student trying to survive from one financial aid disbursement to the next. Believe me. I know. Ordering pizza can be quite expensive, so it's good to know how to make your own pizza creation. It usually tastes better than delivery, and it sure as heck tastes better than frozen. So, let's make pizza.

I usually make my own pizza crust from scratch, but my oldest sister fixed a pizza for me not too long ago utilizing Jiffy pizza crust mix and it tasted great. It also only costs $.59. Can't beat that for a poor college kid. I mean come on. That's right up there with Ramen noodles.

For this pizza we are going half and half. My son wanted BBQ chicken pizza and I wanted just a simple basil and cheese pizza. For the BBQ chicken half of the pizza, you need to cut up boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes and cook them in a skillet over medium heat until no longer pink and the juices run clear. Then set aside while you make the crust.

Put the Jiffy pizza crust mix in a bowl with water and knead the resulting dough. Let the dough rise in a covered bowl in a warm place for 5 minutes.

After the dough has risen, place it on a pizza pan or cookie sheet and spread it out across the pan using your fingers. You may want to lightly spray the pan with cooking spray, although that sometimes makes it difficult to spread out the dough. Prebake the crust in a 400 degree oven for about 3 to 4 minutes.

Next spread BBQ sauce (We used Billy Sims BBQ sauce, because there is nothing better) over one half of the pizza.

Then spread tomato pizza sauce over the other half. You can use homemade sauce or sauce from a jar like we did.

Spread shredded chicken over the BBQ side and torn basil leaves over the tomato side.

Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake in a 400 degree oven for about ten minutes.

Let it cool for at least five minutes before you slice it.

We also made blueberry cobbler, but my camera battery died without warning while we were in the middle of the process.

I was only able to get this picture of my son buttering the bottom of the pan.

And this picture of my son melting butter in the microwave.

You will just have to use your imagination now.....................and through the miracle of the Internet, we have.....

A delicious blueberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream on the side.

It is recommended that after eating pizza, cobbler and ice cream that you go on a bike ride.

Killing Two Birds with One Stone

2010-06-06T17:08:00.000-07:00

This is what you call killing two birds with one stone. I took my son to the community pool where he spent a few hours surfing and swimming and I caught up on my studying. He was happy, I was....caught up.

A Taste of the Caribbean

2010-06-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

My ex-husband and father of my son is Puerto Rican. He lives in a little town in the northwest part of the island called Quebradillas. When we were married, I learned to make all sorts of Puerto Rican dishes, but this one is probably my favorite. It's called Tostones (pronounced toes-tone-as) which literally translates to stones in English. Basically, it's just fried plantain. You can not eat plantain raw like you can a banana. You have to cook it to get rid of the naturally occurring acid the fruit produces. Otherwise, you will burn your little mouth.

This is a plantain. The bottom one that you see there. Yeah, that one. That's the plantain. The top one is a somewhat largish banana. Ideally, when making Tostones, you want your plantain to be green (unripe), because as they ripen they sweeten and Tostones are traditionally a savory, potato chipy, kind of snack/side dish. However, I went to three stores before I even found plantains here in Springfield, MO, so I wasn't going to be picky about the ripeness of my plantain.

You can't really peel a plantain like a banana, especially if it's a green one. You're going to have to use a knife to get the peel off. You just need to make a shallow cut through the skin down the entire length of the plantain, and then wiggle the fruit out of its wrapper.

Cut the plantain into 3/4 to 1 inch slices. You want them this thick, because in a minute we are going to smash them flat as a pancake and if you slice them too thin things just won't work out properly. Trust me on this.

Heat vegetable oil over medium heat and fry your plantain slices until golden.

This is a proper plantain smasher. That's what I call it, I'm not sure what the official name for it is, but plantain smasher works for me. I purchased this one in Puerto Rico. Surely, someone, somewhere in the United States sells these, but I'm not sure. If you don't have one, just use the bottom of a glass to smash your plantains.

Move your golden, fried plantain slices to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Then you put a single slice into the plantain smasher

And SMASH! This is my son's favorite part.

Now you have a flat plantain. It's almost a Tostone, but not quite.

To turn it into a full fledged Tostone, you have to fry it again. Fry it for about three to four minutes until golden brown and slightly crispy on the outside, but still a bit soft on the inside.

Drain on a paper towel lined plate again and add whatever seasonings your creativity allows. We just went with your basic light salting. Since our plantain was yellow instead of green, our Tostones had a slight sweetness to them. If you go traditional and use a green plantain, your Tostones won't be sweet. They will have more of a potato type flavor. I almost didn't get a picture of the finished product, because the Tostones were being eaten almost as fast as they were being taken out of the hot oil. Notice the half-eaten one on the bottom left.

Seriously, Son, you need to at least wait until they've cooled off a bit. Oh, and um, cut your fingernails.

Migas!

2010-06-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hey, look! It's a meatless cooking lesson. My son is going to cook migas. Now, migas certainly can have meat added to them, but we went meatless for this meal.

First thing you should do is go ahead and chop all the veggies and herbs, so that they will be ready to go when you need them.

Chop yourself some onion

Then some green bell pepper

And a red bell pepper. I think my baby has this chopping thing down. Look at those knife skills.

Now you are going to need to finely dice an jalapeno. You might want to wear gloves when handling hot peppers, but we didn't have any rubber gloves in the house. Instead, my son was very careful not to touch his face and then he immediately washed his hands after handling the pepper.

Last but not least, chop up some cilantro. About 1/2 a cup should be fine. The recipe also called for chopped tomatoes, but neither my son nor I like tomatoes (unless they come in the form of salsa, ketchup, or marinara). Therefore, we left them out of our migas.

Now crack about ten eggs into a bowl. Make sure you don't get any shells in there. Nobody likes crunchy eggs. Add a bit of milk or half and half to help make the eggs fluffy.

Give the eggs a good whisk and then set aside for a minute or two.

Add a few tablespoons of canola oil to a skillet and fry about four corn tortillas until they're crispy.

Once you have your tortillas nice and crispy, chop them up into bite sized pieces.

Melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat.

Add the onions and bell peppers. Cook until nice a caramelized. Hey, the stirring skills are getting better too.

Now go ahead and add the tortillas and jalapenos to the skillet with the onions and bell peppers. Turn the heat down to low.

Let the pan cool down a little bit and then add your eggs to the skillet.

Once your eggs have set up, add about a cup of shredded cheese and the chopped cilantro.

Top with salsa, sour cream, avocado, etc... and dig in. Yummy!

Cooking Lessons Continue

2010-05-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

Next on the menu are Comfort BBQ Meatballs. *sigh* More meat. I'm sensing a theme here and I'm not exactly sure what it means.

First you need to put about a pound to a pound and a half of ground beef in a bowl and then add your oats.

Then add a cup of milk

Then you need to finely chop some onion. Not too much. A couple of tablespoons will do. Now add that to the bowl.

Oh yeah. Don't forget the salt and pepper. Son, that seems like an awkward way to put salt in a bowl. Is your hand on backwards or something?

Now give it a stir. Mmmm, oatmeal cookies. Oops, sorry forgot where I was there for a moment.

Roll the meat mixture into little balls and refrigerate for about 45 minutes, so that they firm up a bit. Otherwise, they will fall apart when you try to brown them.

Once those little meatballs are cold give them a roll in some flour, just enough to lightly coat the outside.

Place the flour coated meatballs in a skillet and brown on all sides.

Work in small batches. If you learn nothing from Julia Child, learn this, do not crowd the pan. Transfer the browned meatballs to a casserole dish.

Once you've got the meatballs all browned, make the sauce. You'll need ketchup, sugar, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and some more finely diced onions.

Pour the sauce over the meatballs and wish for better lighting in the kitchen. The meatballs look a little yellow. Moving on.

Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.

While you are waiting for the meatballs to cook, clean up your mess. Mom doesn't like a messy kitchen.

This cute, little creature will be happy to help you clean up the floors.

And just to balance out all this meat, here is what I had for dinner. Pappardelle with spiced butter.

My son could eat his weight in these sweet and tangy meatballs. Try them. You'll like them.

My Daily Walk

2010-05-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

There is a wonderful walking trail behind my house. I usually walk in the mornings and then my son and I ride our bikes in the evenings down this trail. These are some of the sights I see on the way. The pictures were taken with my phone, so they are not great quality.

This is a picture of a community park that thinks it's a farm, or maybe it's a farm that thinks it's a community park. Either way, it's a cool concept and it has a playground, a fishing pond, lots of barnyard animals, and plenty of gardens.

Steak Sandwiches

2010-05-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

Steak Sandwiches? What the heck? I'm a vegetarian! Oh, well. I'll find something else to eat. My son saw this recipe in the Pioneer Woman Cookbook and wanted to make it. Who am I to deprive a little carnivore? We didn't have any Worcestershire sauce and he didn't want any of Frank's Red Hot. Actually, he did at first, but then chickened out at the last minute. What I'm trying to say here is our version is a loose translation of Ree Drummond's version. Let's get on with it, shall we?

First you slice an onion. I was told the goggles were for the deadly onion fumes. I'm not sure what the fatigues were for. It may have something to do with the fact that we are currently getting a free preview of the Military Channel this month, but I'm not sure. WATCH THOSE FINGERS, SOLDIER!

Add a 1/4 stick of butter to a skillet and melt over medium-low heat.

Add your onion to the pan and caramelize them. Stirring occasionally.

While you are waiting for the onion to caramelize, go ahead and slice up some cubed steak into 1 inch strips. I think I need to buy a cutting board specifically for meat, because I refused to let my son cut his meat on my veggie cutting board. Sorry, ain't gonna happen. WATCH THOSE FINGERS, SOLDIER!

Don't forget the onion! You don't want those babies to burn, just caramelize. When the onions are a nice golden-brown color, remove them from the skillet and set aside for a minute.

Back to the steak. Sprinkle it with seasoning. We used seasoning salt, lemon pepper, and black pepper.

Add a couple of tablespoons of butter to the skillet.

Add your strips of steak to the skillet and cook until nice and brown.

Add the onions back into the skillet and warm them back up.

Next, slice yourself a roll. WATCH THOSE FINGERS, SOLDIER! Yeah, he got tired of me doing that too.

Now, butter that roll. Lots of butter in this recipe.

Toast the bread in a skillet, on a griddle, or in the toaster oven as we did.

After your bread is toasted, spoon on the steak and onions. You can add cheese if it suits you. My son wanted it plain.

The verdict: Messy and delicious!

Soft Shell Tacos

2010-05-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

My son had his first introductory cooking lesson. I thought it was best to keep it simple and basic, so we went with soft shell tacos.

First you break up the ground beef into a skillet and brown over medium heat. Make sure you stare at it until it starts to sizzle. Oh, okay, that part is optional.

Stir the meat every once in a while as it's browning. Whoa, slow down. The meat is trying to escape. Try to keep as much meat in the pan as possible please. Your mother will thank you for it.

It looks like we're going to have to work on your stirring skills, young grasshopper.

Once the meat has been browned, drain off the fat, and then add a package of taco seasoning.

Then add 3/4 a cup of water, mix it all together, and simmer, uncovered, for ten minutes.

While the meat is simmering, get yourself another skillet over medium low heat and add a dollop of butter. I do believe he's mastered the sizzle.

Next add your tortilla to the pan. We used soft white corn tortillas.

After about a minute, flip the tortilla to the other side and cook until warm and floppy. Yes, floppy.

When your tortilla is warm and floppy, move it to a plate and add a spoonful of your taco meat.

You'll want to add your cheese next. It's essential that you put the cheese on right after the hot taco meat, so that the cheese melts and gets all yummy and gooey. Yes, gooey.

Then add whatever toppings you like, lettuce, tomato, avocado, onions, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, black olives, etc. Go on. Get wild with that taco.

Fold one side over. Look how perfect my son's first taco came out. It's a beaut!

Now, using your best taco neck bend, take yourself a bite and be proud of what you created.

I'm a vegetarian, so I didn't eat the taco meat my son prepared. I had roasted, seasoned, chickpeas instead. YUM!

Cooking Lessons

2010-05-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

My son turned 12 years old yesterday. I've decided it's time he learned to cook, and I don't mean reheating things in the microwave. He's already got that mastered. No, I mean it's time for him to learn to really cook. I'm going to make a good faith effort to document his progress and the recipes we try here on the blog. Wish us luck.

Hearty Cheese Soup & Tomato Bread Pudding

2009-09-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

Found this soup recipe in Taste Of Home's Halloween Magazine. Sorry don't have a picture for this one.

HEARTY CHEESE SOUP

serves 2

1-1/2 cups cubed peeled potatoes
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup sliced fresh carrots
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon chicken or veggie bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash Pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1/4 pound process cheese (Velveeta), cubed

1. In a small saucepan, combine the first nine ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

2. In a small bowl, combine the flour and milk until smooth. Stir into the vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat to low; stir in cheese until melted.

My mom tore this recipe out of the newspaper and gave it to me. I do have a pic for this one, but I am definitely not a food photographer.

TOMATO BREAD PUDDING

3 pounds Roma tomatoes, halved lenghtwise
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon basil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 head garlic, left whole
10 cups cubed (1 inch) country-style Italian bread (about one pound)
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
8 large eggs
2 cups Fontina cheese (8oz), coarsely grated
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Toss tomatoes in a bowl with thyme and basil, 1 tablespoon of the oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up in a large, heavy sheet pan with sides. Cut off and discard 1/4 inch from top of garlic head to expose cloves, then place on a sheet of foil and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Wrap garlic in foil and roast alongside tomatoes until tomatoes are browned but still juicy and garlic is soft, about 50 to 60 minutes.

While garlic and tomatoes roast, toss bread cubes in a large bowl with remaining oil until coated, then spread out on a large sheet pan and bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan.

Remove garlic and tomatoes from the oven and cool garlic to warm. Remove peel from roasted cloves and smash cloves with the back of a fork to make a puree.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Whisk together milk, cream, eggs, garlic puree, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Stir in cheeses.

Transfer bread to baking dish, then pour egg mixture over bread and add tomatoes, pushing some down between bread cubes. Bake until firm and golden brown in spots, 50 to 60 minutes.

Flood Day!

2008-04-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

Schools are closed in our area today, because a lot of the roads are impassable due to flooding. We get snow days from time to time during the winter, but I do not believe there has ever been a flood day. The kids are having a ball playing outside on this sunny, warm, spring day. It is weird. Flood day. Whodda thought?

All tied up and no where to go

2008-04-03T15:31:00.001-07:00

All tied up and no where to go
Originally uploaded by Marti515

What's the first thing you do when you arrive at Walt Disney World? Tie up your cousin with hotel pillow cases of course.

May I borrow your kidney?

2008-03-04T12:44:00.000-08:00

My son was born with a multicystic kidney. This kidney has had zero function since before he was born. His other kidney has been fine up until a year ago. Last March we found out that his "good" kidney has now developed about three cysts and maybe some tiny ones that we just can't see yet. I took Austin to his pediatric nephrologist today and not much has really changed. That's the good news. The bad news is that Austin will probably have to have a kidney transplant down the road. Not anytime soon, thank goodness, but sometime. Hopefully, he will reach adulthood before that happens.

In unrelated news, I am waiting for an email to come through from Oklahoma State University telling whether or not I have been accepted into their clinical psychology doctorate program. They only take 5 students per year. The lab I'm wanting in is only accepting 1 of those students. ONE! I'm currently in Northeastern State University's counseling program, but I want clinical psych and I want OSU. I interviewed this past weekend and they said we would know by today or tomorrow whether or not we have been accepted. There were over 120 applicants and only 20 got invited to have an interview and now only 5 of us will be allowed to enroll in the Fall. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me.

Update:

I didn't get in. I guess I'll stay at NSU.

Quinoa

2008-02-24T16:24:00.001-08:00

Quinoa
Originally uploaded by Marti515

I've been learning how to use this new grain. Well, it's new to me. Actually the grain itself is ancient. Not the specific grain I used. I mean the type of grain I used. Oh, never mind. The grain is quinoa (keen-wa), and I found a recipe I wanted to try over at Fat Free Vegan Kitchen for vegetable fried quinoa. It was delicious! Although, I think I may add some green onions to the mix next time for a little extra oomph.

Cakeface

2008-02-23T21:52:00.001-08:00

Cakeface
Originally uploaded by Marti515

It ain't a party until someone gets cake all over their face!

Valentine Party

2008-02-23T21:51:00.001-08:00

Valentine Party
Originally uploaded by Marti515

I know. I know. I'm really late posting these pics, but better late than never, right? Right!?

My son the goofball

2008-02-23T21:50:00.001-08:00

Fat Albert
Originally uploaded by Marti515

I guess he comes by in naturally. He decided he was going to dress up like Fat Albert. He had already unstuffed his top part before I thought to grab my camera, but I was able to snap a quick pic of his overstuffed behind. What a goober!

A Sock or an Ancient Torture Device?

2008-01-30T11:48:00.001-08:00

Knitting
Originally uploaded by Marti515

I have knit a lot of things, but I have never knit socks. My youngest nephew saw these socks in one of my knitting books and said he would give anything to have a pair. Since I am such a wonderful and giving aunt, I told him I'd try to knit them for him. As you can see from the picture, the socks are going to be bright green and black. What? Don't look at me! I didn't pick the colors.

Checkmate!

2008-01-26T13:56:00.000-08:00

My son was in a chess tournament Saturday. Does he play chess, you ask? Why no, not really. You see, last week my sister, who teaches gifted and talented children, asked Austin if he wanted to be in a chess tournament. Austin said that he hadn't played chess in a long, long time and couldn't even remember the rules. My sister told him that his mother, that's me, could teach him the rules if he wanted to enter the tournament. I was then informed about this, and I have spent the last week playing at least one game of chess with my son each night. I was a little nervous about letting him do the tournament. I didn't want him to get upset when he inevitably lost. So I kept reminding him that the other kids had been spending months, if not years, being coached and instructed in chess, and also being prepared by their gifted and talented teachers (and I'm sure their parents too) just for this tournament. He was only getting a week's worth of half-assed instruction from his not so gifted and talented mother. He assured me that he could take getting his ass whooped. Therefore, I took him to the tournament. He tied for 4th place. There were 26 kids in his division. Not bad, huh?. That'll teach me to doubt my child. The parents weren't allowed anywhere near the rooms where the games were being played, so I don't have any pictures. However, my sister was the monitor in the room where my son's division played, so I got all the inside scoop after the tournament.

Flip Video

2008-01-22T19:51:00.000-08:00

After a month of back and forth emails to the Flip Support people, I think we've finally gotten my computer to be compatible with the camera. Here's a test video to see if it actually works. Cross your fingers.

New year, new look!

2008-01-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

How do you like the new digs?

I've been trying to figure out how to upload a video Austin filmed, but I've been having all sorts of problems with it. The lastest upload has the picture okay, but the audio sounds like a recording of The Chipmunks. I've got a call into the Flip camera support people. Hopefully, they can figure it out.

Giambotta

2007-12-27T17:27:00.001-08:00

Giambotta
Originally uploaded by Marti515

In the words of Winnie the Pooh, it's a cold and blustery day. So, I made Giambotta, or Italian vegetable stew. Doesn't it look scrumptious? Comfort food at its finest. I tried to get my son and the neighbor boy that's spending the night with him to try some, but they opted for pizza instead. Mmmm, they don't know what they're missing.

Ice Storm 2007

2007-12-26T15:12:00.001-08:00

Poor Tree
Originally uploaded by Marti515

Here are three pictures of the ice storm that I was able to salvage from my old digital camera's memory card. There were so many trees that looked just like this one, split right down the middle and opened up like a blooming flower.

Drooping Limb

2007-12-26T15:10:00.001-08:00

Drooping Limb
Originally uploaded by Marti515

Ice Storm 2007

2007-12-26T15:09:00.002-08:00

Ice Storm 2007
Originally uploaded by Marti515

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T17:18:00.001-08:00

Cousins at Christmas
Originally uploaded by Marti515

I hope everyone got everything they wanted for Christmas. I got a new camera yesterday. Well, it's' not actually new, but it's new to me, and it wasn't for Christmas. For some reason, my old camera stopped working the day of the great ice storms. Then, about a month ago, my ex-husband said that he was going to send me a camera that he has never really used for various reasons, so I called him and told him my camera went kaput and could he please send me the camera he was talking about. He said sure. We got it in the mail yesterday afternoon, just in time to take pictures on Christmas day. It's a Canon Powershot A630. A MUCH better camera than my old one. Now I just have to figure out how to use the thing.

Blackout!

2007-12-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

I have electricity! I have been without power for a week due to a severe ice storm that swept through Oklahoma last Sunday/Monday. Here are some tips (lessons learned the hard way) in case you are ever stranded without power for a long length of time.

1. Candles, candles, candles: These are a must have during a blackout. However, make sure they are unscented, or you will have one hell of a headache.

2. Lighters or matches: Your candles will be no good to you if you have nothing to light them with now will they?

3. Don't worry about stocking up your refrigerator/freezer with food the night before a reported ice storm is about to blow through, choose non-perishables instead.

4. If you do stock the refrigerator/freezer and don't want to loose $$$ in spoiled food, just stick your food outside. It's an ICE storm remember?

5. If you have an electric stove, how are you going to cook? You don't. You find a restaurant and eat there along with the other 50,000 people in your area without electricity. Luckily we have a gas stove, so we did have that option.

6. When you run out of money to eat out, or just get sick of eating out and fighting the crowd, have a winter backyard BBQ, (yes, vegetarians can BBQ too. They just do it meatless).

7. If birds have built nests in your wood burning fireplace year after year and you have not had a chimney sweep clean your fireplace, EVER, don't build a fire. I repeat, DO NOT build a fire.

8. If you have a gas stove/oven. Thank your lucky stars and use it to try and warm at least a couple of rooms. To do this, turn on all the burners and the oven, open the oven door and hang a sheet from the ceiling to the floor to block off the back part of the house, so that the front part stays toasty warm. Don't forget to crack a window so unwanted gases don't build up and kill you.

9. Flashlights. Flashlights are just as important as candles.

10. Batteries. Batteries are just as important as lighters/matches. Stock up on Size D batteries. After the second day of a blackout, you will NOT be able to find anymore. I promise. Nope. None. No where. Yes, I'm serious. Nada.

11. For entertainment you can make S'mores, tell ghost stories, listen to a battery powered radio, play board games by candlelight, stare at each other, go to bed early, knit, tease, I mean play with the dogs, flashlight tag, shadow puppets, tell jokes, lie in the middle of the living room floor and whine, jump rope, learn some new yo yo tricks, play cards, pretend you are studying for finals (Hey, I couldn't see very well even with flashlights and candles), jump out of dark places and scare the bejebus out of your nine year old, call the electric company and listen to their prerecorded message until you memorize it, color in all of the coloring books you can find in the house, find a place that has power like a Starbucks or Panera so that you can charge your computer, cellphone, and personal DVD players then go to Blockbuster and rent some DVD's.

12. Dogs put out a lot of warmth. If you don't let them sleep with you any other time, let them sleep with you now.

13. Blankets, blankets, blankets

14. It's okay to sleep in your coat, hat, gloves, and scarf even though you are inside your own house.

15. Want to take a nice hot shower, well you are SOL if you have an electric water heater. Boil water, mix it with some cold water and have yourself a bath. Have an electric stove too? Boil your water in a fireplace or on a charcoal grill (do this outside of course).

16. Vow to buy a generator when you can find one which will probably be next summer.

Christmas Tree 2007

2007-12-09T15:21:00.001-08:00

Christmas Tree 2007
Originally uploaded by Marti515

This is the last year I'm putting this Christmas tree up. It's about fifteen years old and it's starting to look pretty scraggly. I left off half of the ornaments that we have, because I'm even tired of them. It's time for a new tree, new ornaments, and a new color theme. Also, have I mentioned that I'm really sick of looking at that bright yellow wall?

My New Favorite

2007-12-09T15:16:00.001-08:00

Cherry Kisses
Originally uploaded by Marti515

If only they came in dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. They're still good though.

When does this Christmas spirit crap kick in?

2007-11-28T20:02:00.001-08:00

Christmas Teepee/Volcano
Originally uploaded by Marti515

When we first moved into our house seven years ago, no one on our street put up Christmas lights. "This just will not do!" I proclaimed and became the first on the street to decorate. The next year, the people across the street put up lights. Not to be outdone, the people to the left of me put up lights the year after that. Eventually, the entire street, except for one old scrooge, was decorating with outdoor lights. My heart swelled with pride. Then I started graduate school.

I currently have five IQ tests to administer, three IQ reports to write up, a paper on ethics, a paper on an emerging theory, and a paper on personality disorders all due within the next two weeks. Oh, and four finals to study for. So, what do I decide to do tonight? Yep, put up Christmas lights. Actually, it wasn't my idea. The rest of the neighbors already have their lights up, and my son asked if we could put ours up too. My initial response was, "Why? We have so many other beautiful houses to look at that have lights." He wasn't happy with that answer, and I really didn't want to be known as scrooge #2. I mumbled a few #$*&% to myself and up to the attic I went.

Most of the lights strands are old and probably need to be replaced, but I didn't feel like running out and getting some right then, besides you can get them 75% off the day after Christmas. Instead, I went through each strand and located the burnt out bulbs with my handy dandy locater and replaced them with new ones, all the while mumbling #$*&% to myself.

After I got the strands all untangled and glowing brightly, I began stringing them across the front gutter. Austin decided that this year he was big enough to climb the ladder and clip the lights to the gutter instead of me, so he informed me of this milestone. #$*&% I muttered to myself. I didn't want his help. It would be 50 times faster without him getting in my way. I compromised with him and let him do just one strand up on the ladder while I stood there and held it and yelled the following things up to him. "Be careful. You don't need to climb THAT high. No, I will not let go. I'm standing right here and holding this thing. Of course I trust you honey. It's the ladder I don't trust. Hurry up. Put it on the hook. The hook. THE HOOK. #$*&%!

After that, we moved on to the trees. We used to have five trees in our front yard. A tornado blew through one year and blew one of them down. Last year's multiple ice storms took care of two more. I used to wrap lights all around the trunks of these trees. All I have left is one big stump. I decided to try and make a Christmas tree with lights using the stump as a center pole. It didn't exactly turn out as I had envisioned it. It looks more like a teepee, or perhaps a volcano. #$*&%! I thought we could just live with it, but the more I look at it, the more I realize that I'm going to have to take it down and try something else. #$*&%!%&*#&*@$!!!!!!

I WILL live with it until finals are over though. In fact, I think I may have to ground myself from doing other things until I get all my school work done. You know, because putting up Christmas lights is just so much damn fun.

A Tribute To Mary

2007-11-26T20:31:00.000-08:00

To my next door neighbor, Mrs. Mary.

You started having health problems about a year ago and last month you started declining really fast. Hospice came to take care of you, and they did a great job making sure that you were comfortable and had everything you needed. You died today.
Who's going to make sure I remember that it's trash day?
Who's going to wave to us from the window every time we pull into our drive way?
Who's going to watch our house when we are away?
Who's going to talk to me through the fence when I'm doing yard work?
Who's going to sneak dog biscuits to my dogs through the fence? You didn't realize I had figured out it was you they kept getting them from, did you? I didn't say anything. I didn't want to ruin your fun.
Who's going to tell my son that he is welcome to come by for a Popsicle any time.
Who's going to toss my son's golf balls back over the fence?
Who's going to catch me up on all the television programs I've missed?
Who's going to make me fudge at Christmas?
Who's going to watch my son do a gazillion fireworks on the Fourth of July?
Who's going to tell me that my son is trying to blow up the mailbox with Black Cats?
Who's going to tell me that my son is too smart for his own good?
Who's going to give me tomatoes from their garden?
Who's going to ask me where my helmet is when I ride my bicycle?
Who's going to make sure that they have an extra special treat for my son when he comes to their door on Halloween night?
Who's going to let my son take a rose from their rose bush to give to his mom?

I think what I'm trying to say Mrs. Mary is that you will be missed.

Vacuuming

2007-11-25T17:12:00.001-08:00

Vacuuming
Originally uploaded by Marti515

This is what happens in my house when you are lying in bed watching cartoons and then your mother comes in to vacuum the floor and then you scream at the top of your lungs that you CAN'T HEAR THE TV!!! STOP VACUUMING!!!!

Not Vacuuming

2007-11-25T17:09:00.001-08:00

Not Vacuuming
Originally uploaded by Marti515

This is me lying in bed demonstrating how NOT to complain when OTHER people are vacuuming.

Be Ye Not Afraid!

2007-11-21T12:24:00.001-08:00

Mud Room
Originally uploaded by Marti515

I am much better with power tools than one would think. Look what I put together all by myself! Finally, I have a mudroom. With my son getting older, I have been in desperate need of a mudroom. I don't have an entry way closet and have just been using simple hooks on the wall next to the front door to hold our coats. The shoes just seem to lay where they fall, which is usually all over the hard wood floor, which isn't too much of a problem when it's dry outside, but not so good when it's wet and muddy. I'm so excited. Austin helped me hang the shelf. By helped, I mean he stood there and cried while he held one end over his head and I held the other end and power screwed with one hand. Wimp!

Confusing Weather

2007-11-07T08:42:00.001-08:00

Confused Trees
Originally uploaded by Marti515

Sunday we hit the 80 degree mark. Monday we were in the 70's. Yesterday we were in the 60's. I mowed the yard yesterday for the last time (I hope). We finally got our first freeze last night. Yep, finally fell to 31 degrees. The rest of the week is supposed to be in the 70's again. See those two trees in my front yard. They're confused. The one on the left has stripped itself of all its leaves. The tree on the right still has all its pretty green leaves. If you enlarge the photo, you will see that my sweet potato plant sitting there on my porch is still green and lush. The grass however is brown in some places and green in others. We're all confused. I refuse to mow again until March. Bring on some snow please.

In Honor of Halloween

2007-10-31T07:42:00.001-07:00

In Honor of Halloween
Originally uploaded by Marti515

We have a ghost that lives with us. He's been with us since the day we moved in. How do I know it's a he? I don't. It's just a feeling, I guess. Anyway, our friendly ghost has made banging noises. He has turned the lights on and off. He has dimmed the lights. He dimmed them once when my sister was here and totally freaked her out. He sets off Austin's motion detector toys in the middle of the night. He has done this on numerous occasions. My dogs love to bark and stare at him. Also, when I take pictures inside my house, I'm ALWAYS catching orbs. He has never scared either Austin or me. He's a friendly ghost. The picture up above is a picture I snapped of my nephew while I was sitting there talking to him. You can see the orb smack dab in the middle of his forehead. It even has a little bit of a tail, so that it looks like I caught it in motion. A few seconds after I snapped the photo, my dog started staring at the corner behind where my nephew was sitting and then barked at it. I love having a resident ghost. I feel protected.

Whatchu talkin' 'bout?

2007-10-30T17:44:00.001-07:00

Whatchu talkin' 'bout?
Originally uploaded by Marti515

I love this picture. I think it's hilarious. No, I'm not talking about the fact that my son has had a much needed growth spurt and his pants are now way too short. I mean the "put the camera down" expression that he's wearing on his face.

Oklahoma Air Show

2007-10-28T19:12:00.001-07:00

Oklahoma Air Show
Originally uploaded by Marti515

Today, we went to the Oklahoma air show. Austin loved it. It was 70 degrees with a slight breeze and lots of sunshine. Beautiful! Although I really wouldn't mind if the leaves would begin to change. I have a feeling we are going to go straight from green to crispy brown. Oh, and I would really like to stop mowing the lawn. It's almost November for goodness sake.

Pilot

2007-10-28T19:07:00.001-07:00

Pilot
Originally uploaded by Marti515

An Early Halloween

2007-10-28T19:00:00.001-07:00

An Early Halloween
Originally uploaded by Marti515

Since I will be in class all night on my favorite night of the year, Austin and I had our Halloween celebration early. We went Trick or Treating in Brookside where they were having their annual Boo Ha Ha celebration. Austin was being a party pooper, because he didn't like his costume. Hey, he was the one that picked it out.

Arm Wrestling

2007-10-13T15:22:00.001-07:00

Arm Wrestling
Originally uploaded by Marti515

Afterwards, we went to eat and the waitress arm wrestled Austin for a dollar. He won.

Rolling Hills

2007-10-13T15:21:00.001-07:00

Rolling Hills
Originally uploaded by Marti515

I love the variated colors in this picture.

Oasis in the Middle of the Prairie

2007-10-13T15:20:00.001-07:00

Oasis
Originally uploaded by Marti515

Hey Half-Pint where's Mary?

King of the Buffalo

2007-10-13T15:18:00.001-07:00

King of the Buffalo
Originally uploaded by Marti515

The buffalo roamed free and there were lots of signs warning not to get to close because the buffalo would charge. Austin wanted to know if they used Mastercard or Visa.

The Tall Grass Prairie

2007-10-13T15:15:00.001-07:00

Tall Grass
Originally uploaded by Marti515

Today we visited the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve. There was a lot of..uh..well...tall grass.

What Austin might look like when he grows up.

2007-10-06T23:13:00.001-07:00

If Austin were a celebrity, who would he be?

2007-10-06T22:08:00.000-07:00

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

If I were a celebrity, who would I be?

2007-10-06T21:49:00.000-07:00

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

Me Morphing Into Jessica Alba

2007-10-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

I'm having way too much fun with this.

Goin' Veg

2007-09-26T07:25:00.000-07:00

I've decided that I'm going try vegetarianism again. I was a vegetarian for awhile when I was in college, (the first time around), but somehow moved back into eating meat. I think it may have been that back then there were very limited options and the fake meat was nasty. Anyway, a week ago, I decided to ease back into it. And by ease I mean I still have some meat in the freezer that I refuse to just throw away, but I'm not going to purchasing anymore and once the meat in the freezer is gone, it's gone. I wasn't sure if Austin would be willing to be a vegetarian with me. I left the decision up to him, however, I told him I wasn't going to be cooking separate meals and if he didn't like what I cooked for dinner then he would have to fend for himself. Surprisingly he has loved the veggie meals I've prepared so far. We both love the "fake meat" options that are available in today's markets. They are far superior to the "meat" in the early days. Austin has tried Morning Star corn dogs, and Gardenveggie BBQ Ribs. He says they taste better than the real meat versions. We could be onto something here. Bring on the veggies!

Damages

2007-09-20T11:27:00.001-07:00

Tooth
Originally uploaded by Marti515

Okay, so here are those stories I promised you. One night, as my son and I lay watching television in my bed, a food commercial comes on. Austin, being the dork that he is, gets up and tries to eat the pizza that's on the screen. He misjudges and bonks his face hard into the television. He starts crying. I start laughing. He starts crying and laughing. He asks me if he is bleeding, because if there is blood then he knows that he is seconds away from death and can appropriately raise the scream-o-meter a few notches. "No", I say without really looking. He then goes to look in the mirror, because he doesn't believe me and really wants an excuse to raise the scream-o-meter. He comes back and tells me he has chipped his tooth. "YOU WHAT!" I promptly raise the scream-o-meter myself as I grab his cheeks and pull his face closer to me. "Austin, you goober, that's your permanent tooth. It's going to be like that for the rest of your life." He smiles and says, "Cool!"

Damages too!

2007-09-20T11:25:00.001-07:00

Fender
Originally uploaded by Marti515

So the next day, I'm waiting in the "car line" at Austin's school to pick him up and somewhere behind me a Kindercare bus is trying to squeeze through the crowd of parents' cars. Apparently, it does a pretty good job of squeezing until it gets to my car. I hear the crunch and scrape of metal against metal and my jaw drops. "Are you kidding me." I yell to no one, since I'm the only on in the car at the moment. The crossing guard looks toward my car and his jaw drops too and he shakes his head. The Kindercare bus keeps going. I jump out of my car and run after it. When I catch up, the driver rolls down her window and I calmly say, "You just crunched my car quite badly." Her reply was an innocent, "Oh, did I?" So then I run back to my car and we pull over into an adjacent parking lot. I call the police. She calls her employer. Her employer tells her to leave and go pick up the kids. The police dispatcher tells me to stay put and that there is someone on the way. The Kindercare driver hops out of her bus and hands me a paper with her name and the Kindercare phone number on it and tells me she has to go. I tell her she shouldn't leave the scene of an accident. She says she has to go pick up the kids. As she hops back into her bus to leave, I grab the number off the license plate. A few minutes later a police car pulls in and asks me where the other car is. I tell him that she left. He shakes his head and says, "That's not good. I don't like that one bit." To make a long story short,the officer went to the Kindercare and kindly got the insurance information for me and my car will be fixed to tune of $1,100.

Ugggg!

2007-09-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

I'm dead tired. This week, I have been putting in a living room floor and a kitchen floor. Oh, all right, I supervised. However, I was the one that moved every stinkin' thing out of those rooms and then back in again. I also co-hosted a garage sale today. I'm too tired to think, let alone type and think, so you will just have to wait to hear about how my son chipped his tooth trying to eat a television and how I was attacked by a Kindercare bus.

Geocaching

2007-09-07T19:16:00.001-07:00

Geocaching
Originally uploaded by Marti515

We just started a new hobby. Geocaching! There are currently 820 caches in our area for us to find. I guess we better get busy. Austin loves it! He's even got the jargon down already. It's kinda funny listening to a child with a speech impediment talk about "coordinates", "longitude" and "latitude". I can't even begin to type them how he says them. This picture is of our very first find. There was lots of poison ivy around the area, so as soon as we got home we both jumped into the showers. So far no poison ivy as appeared on either of us. Thank goodness!

Just Hangin' Around

2007-09-03T20:55:00.001-07:00

100_0312[1]
Originally uploaded by Marti515

My son's new hobby is climbing the walls........literally.

Sight of the Day

2007-08-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

I threw out a few random ball pit balls that I came across while I was cleaning out things this weekend. (My child hasn't had a ball pit in six years, but I still come across a random ball or two every so often. I think they mate.) Anyway, I looked out the window just as the trash men were coming down the street and noticed one of them in front of my trash pile juggling three of the balls. It's nice to see someone having fun at work. He stopped juggling before I could run and grab my camera though.

You Just Wish You Lived At My House, Don't You?

2007-08-24T08:26:00.001-07:00

This is how I'm living at the present time. Not only do I NOT have a living room floor, but somehow I got the bright idea that now would be the perfect time to rearrange and organize all the crap that's in the spare bedroom. I'm an idiot.

I do have the flooring. It just hasn't been installed yet.

This is what the spare bedroom looks like as I write this.

Click here to read all the little notes I left behind on each pic.

Bob and Weave. Bob and Who?

2007-08-22T08:04:00.000-07:00

So I'm trying to exercise more, and I get the idea that I'll ride my bike to the store to get the poppyseed dressing I need for the salad I'm going to make for lunch. After walking the kid to school, I hop on my bike and head to the store. Everything is fine on the way there, no pulled muscles, no heat exhaustion, no flat tires. I did bruise my heel when my foot slipped off the pedal, but other than that everthing is cool. I'm feeling good. I made it to the store. Now I just need my dressing and I can head back. Keep in mind that I'm out of shape, really out of shape. The store is 2 miles away. I'm really out of shape. It's 9:00 am and it is already 95 degrees with 100% humidity, and I'm really out of shape. I get about half way back, and I start to feel very nauseous. I shake it off and keep pedaling. Lots of cars are driving past. I keep telling myself that I'm not going throw up. I refuse. I have never thrown-up in public and I'm not about to start now. I keep pedaling. Cars keep driving by. I start to feel light headed as well as increasingly queasy. I keep pedaling. Cars keep driving by. I have emitiphobia, which means I have an intense fear and dislike of vomiting. I start to feel like I'm going to pass out. I keep pedaling even though I'm starting to get tunnel vision. I don't know if it's the heat that's causing this, or my phobia. I keep pedaling. Cars keep driving by. "I will not stop and puke." I keep telling myself. "I will not pass out." I keep telling myself. I begin to bob and weave on the bicycle, because, like it or not, I'm about to pass out. The cars that keep passing me probably think I'm drunk. I finally decide that maybe it might be a good idea if I get off the bike. I start walking with the bike, and gradually start feeling better. By the time I got home, I was perfectly fine. I never did puke or pass out. However, next time I want to ride my bike in 95 degree weather with 100% humidity, I'm going to stay home.

On a completely different note, I want to post this before I forget about it. My son had surgery 3 weeks ago. Apparently, when he was growing, the tissue around his testicles pulled tight and caused his testicles to pull up into his adominal cavity. Therefore, they had to go in and "release the boys", pulling them back down where they're supposed to be. So, the night right after he just had surgery, my nine year old and I have the following conversation.

Austin: Mom, my voice sounds weird.
Me: Yeah, you're hoarse. They had breathing tubes in your throat, and
sometimes it causes your voice to sound funny. Don't worry. It will go
away.
Austin: Awww, man! I thought it was puberty.

The Rivalry of an Only Child

2007-08-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

My nine-year old son is an only child. He will probably always be an only child. I, on the other hand, am the youngest of three girls. I have witnessed and been a participant in many a sibling scuffle. My son does not have to deal with the problem of sibling rivalry……or does he?

After getting a kid’s meal with a really cool toy inside.

Me: (grabbing the bag) I get the toy this time.
Austin: Mooommm, give it to meeeeeee.
Me: I paid for it.
Austin: So, it’s mine.
Me: I paid for it.
Austin: It doesn’t matter.
Me: Of course it matters.
Austin: It’s myyyyyy toy.
Me: But I want it.
Austin: IT’S MINE!!!
Me: If you don’t let me have it, I’ll tell all your friends that you still sleep with your stuffed monkey and suck your thumb at night.
Austin: No, I don’t.
Me: Who do you think they’re gonna believe? You or me?

I’m in my bedroom and hear screams coming from the kitchen.

Austin: Stupid dog! Stupid, idiot dog!
Me: What did he do?
Austin: He stole my corn dog.
Me: Oh, well.
Austin chases dog and tries to kick him
Me: Hey, hey, hey. Just get another one.
Austin: That was the last one. STUPID DOG!
Me: Well, be more careful with your food next time. Don’t leave it where the dog can get it.
Austin: You love him more than me. He storms out of the kitchen.

While eating at Taco Bell, he finds two sauce packets. The mild packet has “Thanks for rescuing me. Hot was getting on my nerves.” printed on it, and the hot packet has “Thanks for rescuing me. Mild was getting on my nerves” printed on it. He takes the sauce packets, and begins playing with them, and making them talk to one another.

Mild: I hate you!
Hot: Not as much as I hate you!
Mild: Would you just go away? I thought I got rid of you.
Hot: You will never get rid of me.
Mild: Shut UP!
Hot: You shut up.
Mild: I’m telling.
Hot: Who ya gonna tell, cry baby?
Mild: If you don’t shut up I’m going to smush your head into the burrito.
Hot: Just try it.

Yeah, I'm a little disturbed by that last example too.

It's not 100 degrees today!

2007-08-18T14:19:00.000-07:00

Skater Pose
Originally uploaded byMarti515

Today has been a nice day. The temperature has been hovering around 90 degrees. Much better than the 100+ degree days that have kept us inside the air conditioned house all month. The sky is overcast, but as long as it doesn't rain we can continue to have some outdoor fun. In celebration of the cooler temperature, I took Austin to a new skatepark that just opened up a couple of miles from our house. I was a little worried at first, because he just had surgery 16 days ago, but he did fine. That is until he ran to me screaming, "Bleeding! I'm bleeding! Bleeding! Bleeding! I'm bleeding!" Knowing the drama queen, uh king, that my son is, I just sat there while I watched him run towards me screaming. The other parents kept looking around for this poor child's mother to jump up and run to her bleeding son's rescue. I think it only registered to them that I was his mother when he stood directly in front of me and stuck his foot in my face. I checked out the stinky, sweaty ankle, and informed him that it was only a little scratch. I then wiped the small amount of blood off with a crinkled up napkin I found in my backpack and off he went. A litte later he decided that he was tired of skating and wanted to go to Bass Pro Shops to "just look around". Yeah, I've heard that one before. It always ends up with him asking me to buy him 20 different items and me eventually giving in and buying him "just one thing and that's it". Surprisingly, I got out of there without buying him a single thing, although I did have to buy my dogs a dog bed that was being "given away" for only $9.88. The dogs weren't sure what to make of it at first. In fact, I think they were downright scared of it. Well it is kinda ginormous and very smooshy, and they have been used to just sleeping on a thin blanket on the cold, hard floor. Both of them would get on it, look frightened by the smooshiness, and jump off. Eventually they did get used to it though. It's a nice pillow too. I almost kept it for myself, but then I had this vision of me lounging on a dog bed in front of the television and........still wanted to keep it for myself. Austin made me give it to the dogs.

I'm Back!

2007-08-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

I think I might be able to regularly update this blog, at least for a while. So, here's a quick update to catch you up on what has been going on in my world lately. I just started working on my Master's degree in child psychology. I plan on getting my PhD immediately after completing my Master's. For two months this summer, I lived in Stillwater, OK while going through a summer program where I got to do research at a hospital in Oklahoma City. The research involved children with cancer. I also did a praticuum placement in Tulsa where I shadowed two different child psychologists. In other words, I got to drive in between Tulsa, OKC, and Stillwater while I watched the gas prices go up and up and up.

My son just started back to school last week. He is back in public school again. I wish I could continue homeschooling, but as a single parent, it just isn't possible. At least, not right now. I found out this past May that my son is dyslexic. I suspected that he was ever since I began homeschooling him a couple of years ago and saw for myself the trouble he was having. No, the public schools did not ever mention the word dyslexia to me when he was having trouble at school. They threw every other label at me that they could think of, but dyslexia was never one of them. Anyway, I had him formally evaluated by a private psychologist when I knew that I was going to have to put him back into public school. I didn't tell the psychologist ahead of time that I thought Austin was dyslexic, but several tests later the psychologist confirmed what I already knew. Hopefully public school will be better for Austin this time around since we now know where all his frustration is coming from.

Let's see. What else has been going on. Oh yeah. I have been living without any flooring in my living room for almost a month. The pipe that runs to the washing machine got clogged and flooded my living room. Needless to say repairs are going slow and I've been living on a concrete floor ever since. My insurance company assures me that I will eventually have a new living room floor as well as a new kitchen floor. I'm still waiting.

I think that's enough for now. It feels good to be back.

Blog Time

2006-05-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

I may not be blogging too much anymore. Every once in a while maybe, but I don't know. Today I called and cancelled all my cable services. This means television, internet, and phone. I just don't have the means to keep them at the moment. I will still have access to the internet through the public library and the university I attend, but blogging might not always be on the agenda when I have to use those computers.

Austin's Birthday Present

2006-05-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

Austin's Birthday Present
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

8 years ago today you were born. How could I have ever known how much I would love you? Now I know. You are an amazing little boy. Happy Birthday, Boo!

Conversations with a seven year old

2006-05-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

A couple of nights ago, Austin wanted to know exactly how a baby grows in a mommy's tummy. Which led to exactly how does it get out of the mommy's tummy. Which inevitably led to how does it get in there in the first place. Then he decided he wanted to know how a breast makes milk. I was pretty proud of myself. I answered all of his questions honestly, age apropriately, and as throughly as I could. Afterwards, he told me, "thanks for talking to me like this Mom. I really like it. If I have more questions will you talk to me like this again." "Absolutely", I told him. So, today he shoots off hard question after hard question. I'm talking questions about religion, philosophy, politics. Geez, I'm worn out. Anyone out there want to take over for awhile?

I don't wanna grow-up!

2006-05-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

I don't wanna grow-up!
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

They tell me I'm 35 years old today. NO WAY! I won't grow-up! I won't!

No, I don't have stripped wallpaper. That's Austin's timeline in the background.

Graduate

2006-05-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

Graduate
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

One Bachelor's and one Associate's down, one more Bachelor's, a Master's, and a Doctorate to go.

Burn Ban Lifted

2006-05-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

The Oklahoma burn ban is finally over. We have not had a good soaking rain since October. OCTOBER! This past week we have had some good soaking rains though. Last night we had a major thunderstorm. And judging by the sound, I could have sworn lightening struck our front trees more than once. They are still standing though, so I guess not. It was a loud night last night, and it lasted ALL night long. I'm glad the burn ban is over. Now we can finally do some grilling outside, and hopefully we will get to do fireworks on the Fourth of July. Believe it or not, the fate of the 4th of July was starting to become a big concern. We aren't completely out of the woods yet. The burn ban could be reinstated at any time. Actually, some western Oklahoma counties still have the burn ban in effect even now. Good luck and many rain dances to them.

I've been tagged!

2006-05-01T22:53:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a quick break from studying for my finals to list six weird qualities or habits about myself. This was really hard, because I'm just not that weird. HA HA HA HA! Yeah, right.

1. I can't sleep unless my arms are above my head.

2. I can pop just about every bone in my body, and do quite often. This is probably more annoying than it is weird.

3. I can not stand having my finger nails longer than the tip of my finger. Bugs the crap out of me.

4. I can't just watch television. I HAVE to do be doing something else at the same time.

5. I hate the feel of frosted glass. Just the thought of having to touch frosted glass gives me the heebie jeebies.

6. When someone sings out of tune, it makes my two front teeth hurt. I could never judge American Idol.

Boy Scout Camping

2006-04-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

Austin and I attended a boy scout camping trip this weekend. Except, because of the burn ban that is currently going on in Oklahoma, we weren't allowed to camp overnight. So, it was more of a boy scout picnic. Austin had a blast. The boys did a lot of activites in just one day. Hopefully next year we'll actually get to spend the night. Below are a few of the pictures I took at "camp". There are tons more over at flickr if you care to browse.

PHOTOS

Hiking

2006-04-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

Hiking
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

Austin hiking on the boy scout camping trip.

Austin and friend in Castle dungeon.

2006-04-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

Austin and friend in Castle dungeon.
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

This castle was three stories high. The boys loved it.

BB gun range

2006-04-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

BB gun range
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

Austin loved getting to shoot the bb guns and the shooting range!

Archery instruction

2006-04-23T08:33:00.001-07:00

Archery instruction
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

Getting some archery lessons.

Water guns!

2006-04-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

Water guns!
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

Austin had a great time with the water guns.

Mom's House

2006-04-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

House
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

We went to my mom's house for Easter. We didn't do much. Just chilled and ate chocolate.

Fishing

2006-04-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

Fishing
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

Austin went fishing off of my mom's dock.

Crappie

2006-04-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

Crappie
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

He caught his very first fish. He was so proud of himself. He wanted to have sushi for dinner.

Wolf Badge!

2006-04-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

Wolf Badge!
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

Austin received his wolf badge along with one gold arrowhead and two silver arrowheads. Yea Austin!

Just a Swinging

2006-04-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

Just a Swinging
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

I took Austin and one of the neighborhood kids to play in the park today. They found a vine that allowed them to swing across the creek. They had a ball!

2006-04-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

Okay! The comments are now set so that anyone can leave a comment. So, what are you waiting for? Comment!

Geoscience Field Trip

2006-04-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

Geoscience Field Trip 2.
Originally uploaded by Marti515.

Austin got to attend a homeschool field trip to the Geoscience Center. They did some really cool stuff. He loved it!

Tornado!

2006-04-06T20:06:00.000-07:00

We were on our way from soccer practice to get something to eat tonight when the tornado sirens went off. Needless to say we postponed getting something to eat and booked it on home. We barely made it. As we walked thru the door, I told Austin to go get in his closet, and that I was going to feed the dogs and be right there. I put my purse down and looked up through the kitchen window. Things started a swirln'. You know the scene in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy and the house are in the tornado? It looked like that. Only real. And minus the green witch. And with lots of hail stones. I decided the dogs could do without dinner for awhile and I ran to get into the closet with Austin.

After the all clear, we decided we really needed to go get something to eat. Once outside I saw that the three porch chairs that are usually on my front porch were now in my neighbors yard, and a big branch from the tree right next to the house had been blown off and had staked itself into the ground making it look like we had new tree. I wasn't able to get a picture before Austin knocked it over. It was rather interesting.

Everyone is safe, and not too much damage was done. All I can say is that I'm glad I cleaned out Austin's closet over the weekend. Now that's foresight!

Dig The New Digs?

2006-04-05T17:57:00.000-07:00

I decided that it was time for my old blog to die. I need a place that my family members do not have access to, so that I can vent as needed. I found that my insides were seething with energy that needed an outlet, and ever since I let my family have the URL to my old blog, that energy had no "safe" place to go. So here I am with a new URL, a new blog title, and a new look. Everything feels so fresh!