Spoiled Rotten

In what was really a blatant plug for not only the store but also the products ... Fox & Friends allowed themselves to be used as a giant INFOMERCIAL for KMart ...

(roll eyes here)

They,  the store, hired Manny from 'Modern Family' to get out and speak about some of what KMart is deeming to be the "hottest" toys for the season ... well the ones they showed ... and you will get the idea.

Not only pay attention to the toy but the PRICE as well ... oh I will list that first.

$69.99 Lets Rock Elmo .... he has a set of bongos and you can hardly understand a word he says.  I can't see any interaction appeal to this one at all.

$29.99 I Am T-Pain Microphone ... this thing is supposed to "auto-tune" your singing voice ... so you too can be a "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star.  basically it reverbs to a point where your ears cant tell the difference ... it seemed way too loud and then add to it the 'beat box' buttons that come with it and you've got a fist full of migraine right there.  They should just call it I Am Pain.

$31.99 Barbie Hairtastic Doll.  You design hair extensions on the computer and print them out, these extensions can be put on the doll or your own kids hair.  You must have an ink-jet printer for this, laser printers will not work.  COME ON - ITS A BARBIE DOLL!!  NO BARBIE DOLL IS WORTH $32!!  Your kid is gonna play with this for about a week and its going in the toy box with all the other dolls she doesn't play with.

$54.99 Cookie My Playful Pup.  She makes chewing noises when a bone goes in her mouth, barks when you pet her,   They couldn't get it to work, but it reminds me of the Cubs-Alive toys.  I wouldn't pay this much for the toy, but the ones from WowWee are well made and have lasted years for my kids ... I do not know who the manufacturer of THIS toy is though.
*****
You know .... I have my own list of things to look for:

Legos - they are timeless and are just as much fun in later years as your child grows.  And in most cases the old set is compatable with the new sets so a little goes a long way.  I suggest staying away from those huge kits that cost over $10 ... your kid will build their own big buck set over time.

Pipe Cleaners and Pom Poms ... I know its very low tech - but you would be surprised at the hours of fun your kid will have creating their own toys.  My kids range from 11-22 and they still enjoy putzing with twist ties and pipecleaners just to see what they can make.

Learn to Knit/Crochet kits ... this is a lifetime skill which will come in handy later in life as a stress reliever and money saver.  In the short term they will make scarves etc, but in the long run they will be able to make gifts for other people.

American Girl Dolls - I know they are like $100 each BUT they are quality made.  They will last your daughter up into her adulthood and are expandable - there are some very nice inexpensive accessories which you can get at Walmart & Target as well (My Generation). 

18" Dolls - there are several CHEAP versions of the American Girl dolls out there which are good for girls under age 8 or those who are not quite mature enough to care for the $100 doll.  They do have the cheaper hair which mats up rather easily and does not lend itself well to combing/brushing out ... but for a first big doll they are a good choice ($5-$20)

Im Alive Cubs from WowWee ... These are more expensive but I have to tell you - I have had good experiences with these.  We have two of them ... a large panda and a wolf cub for my son ... even at 15 yrs of age he still snuggles with them.  I have found them worth the money as a cuddle toy - but be advised - they are stiff and have a hard body.

Handheld Game Systems - I know these are expensive to start ... but once the machine is purchased you can get the games second hand for sometimes just a few bucks ... and Walmart runs specials for games that are $5/each!!! You can't beat that!

Cool News For Scrappers

It's been a really long time ... A lot has happened in the world ... Even more in our personal lfe ... But I just had to share this for any readers who scrap:

You know when people look at your scrap book pages and then comment on how they would "love a copy" of that photo that's been glued/adhered down?

Now at Archivers (check their website for your nearest location) you can get full sized 12 inch copies ... Yes you can get a copy of the entire page! You can even get it shrunk down to a smaller 8 inch size if you want to make a sort of "souvenir" album.

I called my local store and they said that copies start at $3.49 a sheet ... I would assume (but I could very well be wrong) that to shrink it might cost a tad more.

I can see where this would come in handy for weddings - one main album for the bride/groom, and copies for the parents and the people who stood up - maybe even the officiate if they are a personal friend ...

Maybe that favorite aunt who couldn't make it ...
One for each of the kids later in your life ...
Or grandiose ...

How about baby books? Make the main one for your family and copies for each set of grandparents ...
Ones for the Godparents ...

What about bridal/ baby showers? Same thing ... Main one for mom/dad/baby ... Some for the grandparents .... Maybe a book that not only has pictures of things like baby's sonogram but also photos of mom &dad as kids thru the years for comparison ... What a precious gift this would be! Just make copies of the parents baby pictures so that the grandparents can get their photos back ... Most grandparents will have them either loose, in some of those albums where the photos just slide in, or in one of those albums that had the tiny sticky dot pages ...

HINT: if you do have photos on those old photo books with the sticky dots,be very careful removing them ... after being there for 20-30 years we found that they will be PERMENATELY stck and maybe damaged while trying to remove them from the page.

Check at Archivers (sorry but they are the experts on this one) and see if they have a product to dissolve the glue without damaging the photos.

I mean I know there is something out there - it's like Goop-Off or lighter fluid ( BUT DON'T USE THOSE) but it's a liquid that comes in a nozzle bottle that you squeeze on and it will gently eat the glue but the photo has minimum damage to it.

Any how ...

Just wanted to share about the copies ...

I think it's a wonderful idea ... Even if it is expensive - you are probably only to need/want this type of service so price will be a smaller factor in the long run.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO EVERYONE!!

From my family to yours!



I should mention that at the end there is a mention that the last two shots look like "feet" ... that's the code word for 'boobs' around here so we don't freak hubby out when us girls are talking about such things.

Oh Great!

Okay so hubby and I decided to do some last minute shopping - which wound up being cut short due to flu - and we way over spent this year.

Hubby got me a turntable that has am/fm radio, cd-r, turntable ... and I can record from my old platters onto cd's so I can preserve some of those very old children's records that I have that can't be found anymore. My only concern is that, well, they haven't been kept in the best situation over the last 10 yrs .... I'm hoping they aren't so warped that they won't play or play funny.

I am especially happy that I will be able to save my Raggedy Ann & Andy record -- it was my very very favorite ever since I got it and still find myself singing songs from it ... and considering how I used to fall asleep listening to it, even after college, it makes complete sense that I would have "Raggedy Andy", "The Camel With The Wrinkled Knees", and "Mother Dear" stuck in my head.

I can't wait to get it all onto my iPod!!!

Hubby found a new vcr/dvd-r machine ... the last one he bought to replace the one in the basement you might recall turned out to be a return (as evident by the dvd we found inside it) and they would only refund 10% of the price -- I was going to argue with them but hubby decided to just take it back (too bad too, it was a nice panasonic - I like panasonic) ... but when we were at Target we found a cheap $64 that should suffice until he can find something he really likes.

I did finally talk him into spending some money on himself ... but as I don't know if my son reads my blog or not ... I can't say anymore about things until after the holidays.

We were going to hit the supermarket too and grab their ham for $0.99/lb and get another one of their turkeys at $0.88/lb. plus some other goodies that they have on sale ... but #1, I forgot to print up the list as I really wasn't expecting hubby to take me (wanted to just get some stocking stuffers ... and we still forget to get the kids their slippers) .... and #2 hubby wound up getting sick at Target.

So we got home and ever since he has been just miserable ... no fever yet, no vomit, no coughing ... but oh the poor porceline in the bathroom.

Then during the football game (Green Bay vs. Chicago) oldest son finally admitted that he isn't feeling well -- he's got it too, only with strong chills. This kid NEVER gets sick ... if he catches a cold more than once a year its unusual ... so having him catch the flu is really unusual.

We've been visited by the Grinch

or maybe its just Scrooge.

We have had to cancel the big family dinner for next week -- our youngest boy has mono.

dr thought maybe he would be able to go back to school next week since its a short week, but I don't know ... may just keep him out until after winter break.

I hate making him have to make up for two weeks (well, most of last week and this week) ... he should be able to do a great chunk of it over the week and two day vacation ... yep, they don't even get a full two weeks anymore - but I might digress here (actually I already did and editted myself, hee hee)

I will have to contact his teachers and see what we can do to keep him up to speed with his classes, or at least keep him from falling too far behind in them.

But because we aren't having the huge celebration we are comtemplating not putting up the tree ... such a bother to just take it down in a couple of weeks ... but then, it just isn't christmas without the tree.

and then there are the kids ... sick, but they want a tree ... hmmm .... but it just doesn't feel like christmas .... don't know why .... ever since we moved there is just something that keeps me for getting too festive ... and its been nearly 8 yrs now.

maybe we will put up the tree anyhow ... hubby wants to just put up the tree top, I'm leaning towards the whole tree.

we will see ... keep you informed.

I so fricking tired

hmmm, lets see -- first ... I have no idea why the blog reposted about the package I sent out a month ago ... I think I may have been waiting to see if my partner was going to post something about it so it wouldn't ruin her surprise ... she didn't (she was in the middle of a move, so I can totally understand how it took a back seat ... )

I am so fricking tired.

We had been going over the house with a fine tooth comb for a week doing every little thing we could think of ... including the bonfire I wrote about earlier, and taking down most of a dead tree (trunk is the only thing left) ... we were going at a really good pace, including pulling the furniture away from the walls and cleaning behind there -- personally I feel that if the relatives are nosy enough to look back there, its their own fault if they find a mess.

Woke up Wednesday before thanksgiving with a fever.

chilled to the bone and unable to move - rather unable to come out from under the covers for fear of decorating the floor with a pretty array of colors. So hubby and the oldest daughter had to do all the work themselves ... well oldest boy had to do the bathrooms 'company clean' since its his normal chore anyways.

So hubby hit the banquet room - aw c'mon, its what it was designed for even if it would fit twice into what people consider to be a normal size room ... actually the main part not including the outcove for the front door, is 15 X22 so its not small - I think we could fit the whole side of our old house in this room (the bedroom was 10x10 and the living room was 10x13) ... but when its not being used for holiday meals its a great place to sort laundry on the big tables and it had become the place to put the christmas presents as they arrived.

Well hubby and I had started on the christmas gifts Monday while the kids were in school. I had to pack them into my already stuffed closet so it took some major space management -- damn clothes ... if it weren't for them everything would fit perfectly ... hee hee ... but since hubby can't use his closet for all the craft stuff shoved in there (really its not all craft stuff, but it is quite a bit) he has to hang some of his clothes into my closet so I can't really take it all out - besides, where would I put it?

well I hadn't been combining the packages like I would normally do as they come in but I really had to do it this time -- I didn't think I could get two American girl dolls & two doll sleds in the same box, but damn if I didn't and get more inside yet! I will have to take a photo of the box and post it later, the 'space management' of that box is a thing of beauty!!

so ... anyways, I was sick the day before ... but hubby insisted that the meal could go on and that he could throw it all together while keeping me in bed - well, he could cook the turkey, but I had a feeling that the rest of the stuff wouldn't get done on time. So I got a cold wash cloth and pinned it around my wrist to pull down my temp and slept all day.

At about 3pm I started to stir ... the fever was lower so I was able to move enough to go in the kitchen and start giving orders as to what was to be done. hubby made me go back to bed and brought me a sandwich - it was so good, even if it was just bread, butter, and sliver thin peice of meat (I think it was ham) ... then I slept some more. By 8pm I was up and feeling nearly fine ... so I got the yams in the crockpot to cook over night.

Then I couldn't get to sleep ... I was up late, maybe 1am when hubby finally made me go to sleep.

Thanksgiving day -- I was feeling normal, well nearly ... hubby had a major sinus headache but he wasn't going to cancel Thanksgiving dinner no matter what (we have only had to cancel one holiday meal in 7 yrs and that was because 3 out of 4 kids were sick).

But it was probably a good thing because we were expecting 21 people (well 20 adults and 1 baby) ... but you know, hubby just couldn't be kept down - I have no idea how he does it, he amazes me ... I would have been crying in a corner.

Well we got the table set up - everyone was rubbing elbows. up close and personal. Figured we'd be safe though - after all, one niece tended to only come for dessert and my nephew had called from Chicago to say that he and his girlfriend couldn't make it in as planned (we won't see them for Christmas this year either, but maybe Easter ... we will see)

Well - I've talked to my SIL before about giving me a jingle so I wouldn't have to scramble at the last minute to make a spot ... drop ins are a really pet-peeve of mine, it just strikes me as being rude not to give the hostess a heads-up - and she knows it, we've talked about this quite a few times ... but the neice/boyfriend came (no biggie really, I planned just in case) it was the other neice's boyfriend who I wasn't expecting.

But you know it worked out fine ... we just squeezed him in.



The worry was about how much we had to eat ... see when we found out that my nephew wasn't coming in we had decided that the 18 lb bird would be enough with fixings ... so we only cooked up the one bird and saved the second bird - we like to brine our birds so the decision was irreversable when we found we had another big eater.

We had just enough bird, and there was really very little left overs this year -- not that we get any of the left overs ... love my family, both mine & in-laws ... but the custom on their side of the family is that all the left overs get divided amongst all the households eating - so that means 5 - 7 houses ... so we get very little actually even though we will spend nearly $300 on groceries.

normally we have to wait for New Years before we see a significant amount of turkey - no relatives so we make one JUST FOR OURSELVES ... but now that we've got the college kid - we still don't see a lot of it - who knew he would grow to eat 6 turkey sandwiches at a sitting??

so back to being tired .... so finally all the relatives went home by 5 (amazing I have to tell you, normally at 7pm we are dropping strong hints to my SIL to go home) ... so we got to put everything back in order and vacume up the 'banquet hall' and set up hubby's computer out there so that he could check a few things at work since he had been off all week.

So when we went to bed we were both tired but I have insomnia -- I really have to be super tired to drift off ... or really bored ... so I was up until about 2am catching up on the "Parking Wars" that I had missed and checking 'Drudge Report' (OKAY, I'm addicted, I'll admit it .... but most days its the only news I have time to get and pay attention too).

then I drifted off ... awww. The next day we went to my dad's to visit with my big brother & other SIL before they had to head back to Indiana - and ate some food ... and drank my dad's pop (we generally don't have pop in the house, except for ginger ale - don't get ahead).

Daughter felt a little warm before we went but she was acting fine ... she started complaining that she was sleepy at grandpa's and her cheeks were a tad red, so we left. came home and everything seemed fine. no issues. stayed up late catching up on CSI episodes that I had missed. But I couldn't sleep -- worrying about my oldest brother ... he's got some issues that I'm trying to figure out and get him to go for help on (might as well teach Addy to fly).

so I was up at 430am when the oldest daughter got me out of bed to tell me the youngest got sick ... but it was okay ... and honest she said this ... "she only got a little on the top blanket because she tried to catch it in her hand" ... oh yeah, that makes a mother feel better --- not.

well, her temp spiked ... 101F by 7am, clinic opened at 9am so we figured we could wait a couple of hours, then hubby could run her down to get a strep test done (she said her throat hurt but her stomach was okay).

So 9am she's off with dad to the drs., I needed sleep so hubby made me stay behind. well it wasn't long before he called to tell me that he got down to the clinic and they were closed, but there was a note saying to go to a different city about 10 minutes away, so he was going there.

okay. well they took a really long time to get back ... not so long that I was going to catch any zzz's but long enough to make me wonder what was going on. Well when he got back, hubby was just dropping her off so that he could go get the prescript filled .... strep test came back negative, but dr figured with a temp that high she was fighting some sort of infection so she got a prescript for some REALLY strong med that she was to take once a day, for 5 days, but it is so strong it stays in her system an additional five days.

but her first dose was more than twice a regular dose to give her body that kick start -- boy did it ever ... head first into the Porceline God!!!

So all afternoon and all night Saturday I was up with her ... she finally went to sleep about 5am sunday morning, so I crawled into bed ... I got woken up about 730a by this horrid crying/screaming/keening really ... she was in the bathroom with her dad and she was just in misery. So it was off to the clinic again -- only to find out that hubby had taken her to a different clinic than our normal one yesterday ... different medical group that is ... so they didn't know anything about this child or the family history or anything - men!

actually it probably wouldn't have made a diffence in the long run. They were lucky enough to get our regular dr at the clinic and he kept her on the same meds but suggested we break it into two portions over a 1-2 hour period so it wouldn't hit her stomache so hard.

well that seemed to help yesterday - so hubby let me take a couple hours nap ... of course it happened to be at the same time I wanted to watch a particular show, but I really needed the sleep. so I woke up to more 'catterwalling' (that's what I'm calling it now).

Hubby decided that since she had done so well that he would give her some plain chips & oyster crackers - hey I would have thought the same - but her stomach had other ideas. So all day yesterday, and all of last night we (she & I) have been up.

she finally took a good nap about 10am this morning -- me? I got about 10 minutes in before she woke up crying and holding her stomach again. she fell asleep again and then woke up about an hour later asking 'what do we do now?' meaning she was feeling better and wanted to get soemthing to eat ...

I ain't falling for it. she can have a bit of chicken broth later - it seemed to o okay last night - but then as she is laying here on the couch next to me sleeping, i can hear that stomach churning away ...

man I hope she gets better soon -- and I hope I can get in a few hours sleep tonight.

(ps. I started this post last night and have gotten interrupted about 4 times by her --- the post started around 11pm last night and now its 12n-ish ... man)

cyber Monday will just have to exist without me today ... I got one order in to TSC and that took 6 hours to finish -- but number 2 son should be done now -- I know what I wanted for Yule this year, but it will have to wait ... hubby wound up buying a used car for number 1 to get back-and-forth to school/work with ... even though I don't want much I know it will all add up. I will stick with the practical stuff -- like the cast iron I ordered at TSC as long as I had an order going in.

okay ... off to try to get some rest.

Resurrection of the old recipe

Update-Followup post with photo & analysis here

Have you ever had a favorite recipe go missing? In my case the recipe is one I ran across in a cookbook that I used all the time but that particular section I tried to avoid like one of the plagues ... bread.

Well this particular book was used so much that soon the binding gave way...the pages began to fall out and when we moved was packed no so nicely by my helpers into an old grocery bag with many other old cookbooks. Now I know I have seen this particular cookbook several times since the move 6 yrs ago...and I know that many of the recipes I wanted did not make it with the book (it was missing a section). I think hubby has thrown out my dear friend, which might explain why he hasn't complained when I have bought several more cookbooks looking for this recipe.

So for the last 6 yrs I have been looking, and the family has been missing out on my Three Kings Bread however, I have found a simular pattern recipe which I am trying to convert to this much loved family favorite. It is a simple batter bread which I've changed and am trying out. Here's the recipe:

• Three Kings Bread
  this bread does not need kneading, the beating of the batter takes care of that for you {how simple is that?!}
  
  3/4 C sweetened condensed milk
  3/4 C warm water, divided
  1 tsp. granulated sugar
  1 tsp. salt
  1/4 C. butter, softened
  1 large egg, beaten
  1 package ~or~ 1 cake ~or~ 2 1/2 tsp. dry yeast
  2 1/4 C All Purpose Flour (or in my case two heaping cupfuls, why overly
  measure?)
  1 tsp. each cinnamon & nutmeg
  1/2 C. walnuts or pecans, chopped bigger than fine but smaller than
  course.
  1/2 C. raisins, seperated from each other (you can coat with flour or
  powdered sugar if need be)
  1/2 C. other dried fruit (for large fruit like prunes, apricots, or dates
  coursely chop them)
  
  In small bowl or coffee cup, proof the yeast in 1/4 C of the water & sugar, stir to dissolve yeast...let set for 5-10 minutes to make sure yeast is
  alive.
  
  In large bowl or baking pan...beat together milk, renaining water, salt; add proofed yeast, egg, and butter. Add flour and spices beating well (at least 100 times) until all flour is incorporated...
  
  It should be a very soft sticky dough that forms a nice ball on its own, but not runny.
  
  Cover bowl with warm damp cloth and let rise 2 hrs in warm place until doubled in size....I heat oven to 225^oF then turn off the heat before I begin to make the batter, if you are lucky enough to have a gas oven that will let you turn the light on while the door is shut (I miss mine) just turning that light on during rising works beautifully.
  
  Beat the batter 20-30 strokes then add in the fruit & nuts working in as well as possible distributing them as evenly as possible without over working the dough. Let rise a second time for 45 minutes (it should be light).
  
  Bake 350^oF for 35-45 minutes...depends on your oven, may take a tad longer. If you'd like you can sprinkle the top with cinnamon-sugar.
  Let cool completely, turn out onto platter...crisscross top with squeezed heated can frosting. Serve in slices with plenty of butter.
  

YUM!

I use silicone bowls that are heat resistance--it cuts down on the dirty dishes as I can mix, rise, and bake all in the same dish...and most silicone is naturally stick resistant so it just pops out when its cooled.

If this recipe turns out I will post photos, although I have to warn you....I've used this oven for 6 yrs now and I STILL can not figure out its timing....

I so hate electric ovens.

why can't they get this thru their heads??

San Jose Mercury News - 'Shrek' special too 'hip' to join holiday classics

there will NEVER be another "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" or "Frosty the Snowman" or "Here Comes Santa Claus".....those days are gone....because that collective innocense is gone.

What makes these movies classics isn't the "cuteness" factor....its the recreation they produce of a more peaceful, innocent, child-like state of mind....

when you watch Rudolph....it could be in the middle of August and 100*F outside....it makes you want to curl up under a blanket with a cup of cocoa which is using a candy cane as a swizzle stick. And yes I do really do this.

The classic films will instantly bring back memories of childhood....the incredible amount of presents under the tree--which seemed to take forever to open {of course now as a parent, you can't believe how quickly all those gifts get torn open}....it brings back the smells of mom's cooking still lingering in the air....the crisp bite of winter air on your nose as you helped to hang the Christmas lights and decorate the yard....making a snowman with your brothers--well okay, my brother's wouldn't share their snowmen with me, I had to make my own little ones.....

its that sense of nostagia that has made them "Classics". Why won't the Shrek special become a "Classic"? Because families don't have big meals anymore on a regular basis.....people pay some company to come decorate their house....snowmen are considered "inappropriate"....snowball fights are considered assaults....and kids aren't allowed to play outside if the temp gets below freezing.

Does this mean that there will never be a classic again? Of course not---look how quickly movies like "A Christmas Story" and "The Santa Clause" have become standards....even the poor but funny "Home Alone " 1 & 2 are Neo-Classical. All have to deal with two things--the innocense of youth and the rediscovery of the Holiday Spirit in the innocent kids parent/s.

I love A Christmas Story--even though it is set before my time--I can relate to much of what Ralphy goes thru....I remember walking 7 blocks to school in the dead of winter and trying to find short cuts....having the same friends from birth to about 4th grade {that's when things changed here}...do most kids have this anymore?

All you have to do is listen to the radio, watch the ads on television or go into a grocery store these days and see the crumbling of the American household---we live in a world of catered holiday dinners, quick fix one dish meals, and Christmas-in-a-truck {okay I am guilty of a lot of this too, and I'm a SAHM}

It has nothing to do with how hip a movie is, how cool the effects are, or how much money is spent making it....it has to do with capturing the feeling of youth at the time-=-or catching the feeling of being a parent at the time-=-or reminding parents about what it was like to be a kid if even for just a single day a year.

THAT is what makes a Christmas Classic!