City livin'

So I moved from the country to the city...Abby and I were putting in
our fall garden and low and behold one of our cats comes running up
with this as proud as could be. It played dead while they watched,
batted it and waited. I touched it with my shovel and it slithered
off. Damn it was fast!!

1940's girl

Ashley was a 1940 pin up this year for her Halloween party at school.

Hair Color

My dye job is way overdue. I am three toned right now. I started going grey when I was 19. It sucked. I used to dye my hair myself, but it never looks as good as when I go to the shop. However, money sometimes dictates color. My hairdresser is great...wonderful...cool. Thursday I am going to the shop for a chop and to get colorized. Here are the colors I love and chops I love.

Piercings and some Ink

I don't think I've talked about tattoos or piercings on the blog before. I am in love with tattoos. They are art to me. Pieces of art forever adorned on our bodies. I have two. The fish from Pinnochio (silly choice from my younger days) and Tinkerbell ( which I love, but has turned in to evil fairy from years of sun exposure). I have many plans to get more...; however, the cruel reality of finances has hindered my ink. So many other things have taken the forefront of importance that it became hard to jusifty a 300.00 tattoo at the time. Then was I was ready I was heading to the beach....water and a fresh tattoo don't mix well.

My tattoo wants are big. Not small little ones. I have contemplated half sleeves if my arms weren't chubby Italian arms and I wasn't a nurse that needed to look somewhat professional. I think I am over the chubby arm thing and will settle for 1/4 sleeves to be covered by my scrub tops. A pin up on one side and not sure what will go on the other...I have sooo many loves and ideas and not enough skin surface:)  Tim Harris, from New Haven, Ct, does some of the best pinups I have ever seen.  I want him to do my pinup.  The pinups are all his.

I have never been a big fan of piercings. My daughter had her nose pierced and a Monroe piercing. She has the most awesome sleeve done of my favorite TIME LIFE picture. The sailor kissing the nurse at the end of the war. My mother has her nose pierced....nose piercings I really like if they are SMALL. So, I have decided to take the plunge into the piercing world. My girlie Pepper and I are going next Friday to get our noses done. How exciting. I will post pictures when we are done:)

Charms for the Charmed One

I am not one to get caught up in fads.  That's why I have not succumbed to the Pandora Bracelet pandaemonium.  They don't excite me...everywhere I look someone has one.  In a few years they will be outdated...just like my nomination bracelet is.  Now charm bracelets are another story. They have been around forever.  Timeless.  Not so many people wear them.  My kinda thing.  I found Silver Confetti about three years ago from Martha Stewart. Love, love, love them.  Now, I have been asking for three years to have a bracelet started.  Family if you're listening....I want this.  Santa...helllllllllo.  Top of list with my pink or baby blue Kitchen Aide mixer.  I love the charms.   Sooooo freakin' cute.   Plus they have a bee and spinning wheel.  So much to signify life's loves and events!

How did I do it?????

I took the the peep to the doctor today while her mom did her first day of clinicals at the nursing home...God love her! She got her 6 month shots and is very healthy...just a little sprite. We stopped at Borders and got Pioneer Women's cookbook. Who by the way will be in Atlanta on December 7th for a book signing. I think DH and I are going to drive up for the night. Unknown to him.

I am now at home and totally exhausted. Babysitting wears me out. I have no idea how I raised 4 kids when they were small???? I try to sit and think about what was different (except the age factor). Hmmmm 4 versus 1..something seems terribly wrong. I was a stay at home mom back then and ran a home daycare for awhile. Dinner was always cooked, laundry done, I even ironed my ex's work shirts...starch and all. Iron you say? What is an iron now?

One adventurous time when I had 3 little children, the smallest being 6 months..I flew from Seattle to visit my mom in CT on a red eye at night...got layed over in Chicago for 4 unexpected hours and hopped on a connecting flight at O'Hare...all by my lonesome with the three girls.

My point being is that one little baby wears my ass slap out now? I am only forty for God's sake....WTF! I need to have a visit from the energy fairy!

Low Country Shrimp Boil

I love shrimp, fish,seafood in general. This was the first time I ever did a low country shrimp boil, aka frogmore stew. It was soooo good, casual and messy! Threw it on the table with some newspaper, paper plates and LOTS of napkins. Ate it for a few days:)

Lowcountry Boil

4 pounds small red potatoes
5 quarts water
1 (3-ounce) bag of crab boil seasoning
4 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
2 pounds kielbasa or hot smoked link sausage, cut into 1½-inch pieces
6 ears of corn, halved
4 pounds large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined optional
4 lemons halved
Cocktail sauce

Add potatoes and lemons to large pot, then add 5 quarts water and seasonings. Cover pot and heat to a rolling boil; cook 5 minutes. Add sausage and corn, and return to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add shrimp to stockpot; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Drain. Serve with cocktail sauce. Serves 12.

(Adapted from Southern Living, August 2002 and Real Simple, August 2001)

These Boots Are Made For Walking.......

I am not a crazy shoe person. Actually, I am very basic when it comes to shoes and clothes. I don't need alot. I would rather have a small amount of good stuff then a hundred pieces of cheap shit. That's just me though. I like expensive stuff at bargain prices. That's why TJMaxx and I have had a love affair going on for years. I love it and it loves my checkbook.

There are a few brands of shoes that are excellent quality, timeless, downright awesome. Of course Berkies are there (my fave), Docs, Dansko, Clarks and now Fluevogs. OMG, I almost wet my pants when I saw these. Very steampunkish which I love. DH looked and said
"I can definately see you wearing those high black ones. They're you."
"Really...I think so too. They're about $300.00."
Silence....................................................................................lol!




'


Docs are great boots and shoes. Abby loves her docs. She wears them all of the time with dresses, skirts, leggins, it don't matter. Her black ones with the red roses. She is a boots type of girl.

Hey Doll

I Love, love, love Japenese ball jointed dolls.  I courted the idea of ownership all of last year.  Blythe was on the top, until I saw the Latidoll.  They are lovely, with their sad eyes.  They are sooo expressive.  Sadly I haven't gotten one yet.  The wait time seems long.  I did buy a small BJD last Christmas.  Her name is Esme and she is still naked and bald.  I did buy her a wig that I didn't like, so now she sits on my Hoosier cabinet with her black goth shoes and nothing else.  My kids say she's creepy.  I love her, but she's not a Lati.  Esme will finally get something to wear this Christmas when I can find something worthy for her on Etsy.  Plus, she needs a brother or sister soon.

Creepy Kids

Here are some pictures of my creepy kids.....

Some pics from my Iphone using a Helga manipulator. Abby in the beeyard.

I heart Apple!

I am an apple convert.  It's been almost 2 years since I switched teams.  PC to MAC.  Trust me I have NEVER looked back.  I cringe when working on a PC.  Still have a desktop.  Well, my son does because he's a gamer and apple is not known for that.  However, the little techie just got a new Macbook to use at school (everyone in his program did) and he now hearts Apple as well.  Abby had her choice last January for her birthday and decided to pick the crap Sony Vaio.  This year I will convert her to Apple also.

So, not only do we have 2 Macbooks, numerous Ipods, airport extreme....we also have 2 Iphones...soon to add a third.  I LOVE my phone...use it for so much more...how did I ever survive without it.? I have a love affair going on with it!  Well, low and behold when giving the peep a bath on Wed...I had the phone in my scrubs pocket and plop...right into the duckie bathtub!  My heart stopped beating.  I  scrambled for it. Dried it, shook the water out and it turned on!  However, no sound and no calling.  Texting worked though.  I called DH and he said he would swing by and buy me a new one...However, upgrade wasn't available until December, but he would have done it anyway.

I decided to wait...I could talk, but only on speaker phone....To my amazement, yesterday when going to work everything worked!  I guess it finished drying out.  My point to this is that APPLE makes superior products.  The damn phone was submerged in a hot bath and still works.  Perfectly.  Unbelievable.

Rumor has it that they are coming out with an e-reader next year.  I wonder if that will overtake the e-reader market like Ipods took over the MP3 market?

Sprout

I like shopping for baby food for the peep.  I am amazed at all of the different varieties out there.  Mango, tomato pastina, wow you've come a long way baby...even from 12 years ago.  My favorite by far is Earth's Best Organic.  Let's see today we had turkey,wild rice and peas and bananas/raspberries/pears.  2 thumbs up.  They even have baby granola with fruit...so you see why I love this brand.  It's got a major competitor now in my world however..... Sprouts.  I had to buy it when I saw it on the Publix shelf in the nifty little (recyclable) ziplock packaging.  Sweet potatoes and white beans (sigh) and roasted apples (Yum).  Oh the peep will be a food connoisseur for sure after her Zia Abby and I are through with her.


Well the apples were sampled today and let me tell you they are good!  Ya Ya was taking bites after baby!  They are all organic.  Don't have quite so many varieties as the others, but I am sure that will change.  They are 1.00 per package and created by Chef Tyler Florence.  

Pizelles

Someone at work asked me  the other day if I made Pizelles.  I guess because I'm Italian they figured I did. However, my kitchen is not fortunate enough to have a pizelle iron at this time.  Pizelles are a thin, round cookie in the shape of a round snowflake of some  sort.  Alot of times they are flavored with anise, sometimes not.  My great grandmother had several irons and always made them on the holidays, along with fried bread bows rolled in sugar.  They are a very light cookie that have a little crunch to them.  Believe it or not Target has them online on sale for $44.00.  I may have to order one.

I also really want to order a marble baking slab for my kitchen.  They are lovely and picturesque.

Vespa

I want a scooter....clarification..I want a Vespa...you know I want a REAL Vespa.  Impractical...yes...if I lived in Gainesville I would have one.  Truly.  I would drive it to work and on small shopping trips.   They are zippy and cheeky.  I want a pink one.  I loved the blog Vespa Vagabond.  That girl had guts...she drove from the West Coast to the East Coast on her Vespa.  See, they are zippy.  She has another blog called the Daily Coyote.  Her book was a great read.  Check it out and meet Charlie.

Piggy Bank Helper

I'm not sure how I found about extreme couponing.  I'm sure it was one of my endless nights of meaninglessly surfing the web.  However it happened, it sucked me quickly into the vortex of a coupon addiction.  I used to scoff when I heard that people would spend 200.00 on groceries and only pay 25.00.  Impossible.  With my family I spend 300.00 per week and could easily spend more if not careful.  There is no way this could be true.

Surprisingly people it is a reality.  After finding Southern Savers  and Coupon Mom  and scouring their blogs and sites I was hooked. I tested the Walgreens and CVS savings.  I am still using the original $7.00 that I spent at Walgreens about a month and a half ago.  I am stockpiling a small drugstore under my bathroom sink. 

I am a novice, but getting the hanG of things quickly.  I buy numerous Sunday papers and All of You Magazine at Wally World. My savings hasn't been as good as some areas because our local stores do not double coupons. However, I did get this good deal..

3 bags fresh express lettuce
2 dozen eggs
4 double packs of Betty Crocker instant microwave cakes
1 loaf of bread
1 gallon OJ
2 bags Chex Mix
1 package BC instant red potatoes
2 packages of Kebbler CC cookies

All for $10.00:) In this economy we need to learn how to stretch our money like silly putty!

Let Em Eat Cake!

Okay....you need to check out this very entertaining blog called Cake Wrecks.  Some of them will make you laugh your ass off.

Knitta Please..

Love, love, love these knitting bags from offhand designs.  I want this one.  It's $110.00 and mighty purty.

Two Stix makes this adorable bag that is hand embroidered.  No two are alike...Just my thing.  $166.00.

This doctor bag reminds me of Mary Poppins.  Love it.  $156.00

Oh Santa baby......