Tab

I was thinking the other day about the

first time I ever tasted a diet soda.

It was back in the 70's and my younger

sister and I were on a road trip with our

parents. We stopped at a gas station

to freshen up and fill up the car.

There was a pop machine and we

ran over to get a drink. I saw that they

had Tab! I'd never had it before but had

seen the commercials on TV! They made it

look so glamorous...almost like you would

become one of those gorgeous models just

by drinking this hip, diet soda!

I think my sister got the familiar Orange

Crush and I felt older and cool with my Tab.

That is...until I took my first big gulp!

This was the day before Nutrasweet, mind you!

And I'd never had anything except the sugary

regular stuff. Oh my....what a horrible taste!

I was too proud to reveal my disgust and tried

my best to finish the can and look as grown up

and as cool as possible. I think I only managed

to choke down about one third of the can!

Oh yuck! ha-ha!

Red

googleimages.com

"Artists can color the sky red because they know it's blue.

Those of us who aren't artists must color things the way

they really are or people might think we're stupid."

Jules Feiffer

Artichokes

Girl With Artichokes

Diego Rivera

Quite honestly, this could be me when considering

cooking an artichoke! She looks perplexed, doesn't she?

I see them in the grocery but hesitate to buy them.

I've never cooked them or eaten them whole!

In fact, the only way I've ever had

them is in the TGI Friday's spinach and

artichoke dip or marinated in a salad!

Do you make them at home?

What's your favorite way to eat them?

I'd love some ideas!

Spider Man?

Look at this gigantic 8 foot tall spider web!

The Mister found it in our front yard this morning.

No, I didn't go look for the spider!

I don't even want to know how big he was! LOL!

Theme Thursday = Wild

A favorite book to read at bedtime

when my boys were small! Little Boys...they are the

perfect definition of WILD!

• Wiggly
• Impetuous
• Loud
• Devilish

"The night Max wore his wolf suit

and made mischief of one kind and another

his mother called him "WILD THING!"

and Max said "I'LL EAT YOU UP!"

so he was sent to bed without eating anything."

Watermelon Salsa

My dear friend Marcia posted this recipe this week

and I just had to try it. It is wonderful! A surprising

twist on the traditional...and oh so yummy!

I will be making this again and again!

It's got the jalapenos, onions and cilantro,

but not the acidity that the tomatoes bring.

Just a hint of sweetness from watermelon and a peach!

Click here for the recipe on her blog!

Thanks, Marcia!

Welcome, Autumn!

The Last Word of a Blue Bird

As I went out a Crow

In a low voice said, "Oh,

I was looking for you.

How do you do?

I just came to tell you

To tell Lesley (will you?)

That her little Bluebird

Wanted me to bring word

That the north wind last night

That made the stars bright

And made ice on the trough

Almost made him cough

His tail feathers off.

He just had to fly!

But he sent her Good-by,

And said to be good,

And wear her red hood,

And look for the skunk tracks

In the snow with an ax-

And do everything!

And perhaps in the spring

He would come back and sing."

~~Robert Frost

new haircut picture, as promised

Happy Birthday to Me!

It's my birthday...all day.

I hear whispers of dinner out. Yea! :)

That Geico Commercial

Silly, I know, but I just can't watch this commercial without giggling!

Night Sounds

The sound of crickets is a classic summer sound,

isn't it? We've had a cool summer here in

Ohio and our windows have been open most nights.

Usually this sound is one of those, like the sound of the ocean

or the hum of a oscillating fan, that puts us to sleep.

But this summer we have had the loudest crickets outside

our bedroom window! Most are giving that classic chirping

sound, but another does the same pitch and rhythm as my

cell phone ring! Thinking that your cell is ringing out in the kitchen

is not the type of sound that lulls you to sleep, believe me!

Theme Thursday = Over The Hill

googleimages.com

• Old
• Venerable
• Elderly
• Relic

• Tired
• Hardened
• Exhausted

• Hackneyed
• Impaired
• Lifelong
• Longlived

Too Funny!

Just what IS it about Spencer's feet and my purses???

click on highlighted words

Spider Myths

painting by lucille butler

So people, your some of your comments about my spider

in the glass concerned me! Swallow spiders while we sleep?

That just isn't acceptable to me! How am I ever going to

fall asleep again...much less get a drink in the dark! LOL!

So, I've done a little research! Here are 8 common

spider myths..that's right...they are not true!

My information was gathered from The Burke Mueseum

^0^

You unknowingly swallow an average of four live spiders in your sleep each year. This very widespread urban legend has no basis in fact. For a sleeping person to swallow even one live spider would involve so many highly unlikely circumstances that for practical purposes we can rule out the possibility. No such case is on formal record anywhere in scientific or medical literature.

^0^

Spiders drink moisture from the mouths or lips of sleeping humans. This legend does not seem to be recorded in print anywhere. A variant that one person claimed to have heard on TV is that "a spider will drink from your eye (while you sleep) 3 times in your life." It is probably just a variation on the "swallowing live spiders in your sleep" legend; like that one, it has no basis in fact.

^0^

Spiders lay their eggs in human hairstyles. This one dating from the days of beehive hair-dos relates that a young woman died from the bites of black widow spiderlings that had hatched inside her bouffant. There are a number of variants, including a common one where the victim is a man with an Afro hair-do. Spiders do not find the human body or hair a favorable site for egglaying. Even if the hatchlings could bite, their vinom would be too weak to kill.

^0^

The tip of a banana should not be eaten because there could be spider eggs inside. This seems to be one of the newest urban legends. I find no reference to it from before 2002. As the story goes, some unspecified spider species lays its eggs in banana flowers, the eggs end up inside the ripe banana fruit, and some nameless fate will overtake you if you eat the end with the eggs. Allegedly, monkeys peel bananas from the "wrong" end to avoid the spider eggs. banana flowers are narrow tubes. In consumer varieties, the fruit grows from the ovary deep inside without fertilization. There is simply no chance for spider eggs to get into a banana. Nor would a species that did this survive long, since spiderlings in an uneaten banana could never escape.

^0^

Spiders can lay their eggs under human skin in wounds created by their bites. Fact: In a surprisingly widespread urban legend, a nameless woman is bitten by a spider (usually on her cheek) while on vacation. She later develops a swelling, from which, in due course, baby spiders emerge! Somehow or other, the venom must have transformed into eggs. Spiders, need I say, do not find the human body a suitable site for egglaying, and no actual case anything like this can be found anywhere in scientific or medical literature. (I specifically remember this story being told when I was young!)

^0^

Spiders can hold their breath to avoid inhaling pesticides. I only heard this for the first time in 2007, but it is already as widespread as any of the older myths and legends. Exterminators use this story to explain why their pesticides don't kill spiders. The first thing wrong with this myth is that most pesticides that work by respiration, also work by contact. Many also work by ingestion. The second problem is that neither spiders nor insects actually breathe; therefore they cannot "hold their breath."

^0^

"I'm very kind to spiders; when I find one in the house, I put it back outside instead of killing it." You can't put something "back" outside which was never outside in the first place. Although some house spider species can survive outdoors, most don't do well there, and some (which are native to other climates) will perish rather quickly when removed from the protective indoor habitat. You're not doing them a favor.

^0^

Spiders come into houses in the fall to get out of the cold. This seemingly simple idea conceals many false assumptions. In reality, house spiders are usually not the same species as the yard or garden spiders outside the house.

^0^

So there you have it! I'm especially glad that I don't have to worry about

a spider laying eggs in my face while I sleep! :)

Oh my!

I came out to the kitchen this morning

and look what I found in my water glass!

I sure am glad I didn't stumble out here

in the dark of night and take a big gulp!

Apple Season

One of autumn's best gifts is apple season!

Our favorite is the Gala ~ extra crisp, juicy

and just the right amount of sweetness!

If there's anything The Men don't like around here

is a mealy, mushy apple...or a tart one!

Gala meets all the requirements! :)

Braeburn comes in second!

Wikipedia list over 150 different apple varieties! So, what's your favorite?

Perhaps a MacIntosh, Pippin, or Winesap?

Maybe a Honey Gold, Ida Red or Liberty?

****

"But I, when I undress me

Each night, upon my knees

Will ask the Lord to bless me

With apple-pie and cheese."

Eugene Field

A Basket Order

A lady in our village had back surgery and has a long

recovery ahead. One of my neighbors ordered a

gift basket for her. Finding soft green, comforting

things was so much fun! Who wouldn't be cheered

by some miniature roses, fluffy socks infused with aloe,

lotion, tea and chocolate!?

"Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. The third is to be kind." ~~Henry James, to his nephew, William James, as quoted in Leon Edel's Henry James: A Life

Theme Thursday = Rhythm

Close your eyes as you listen and think "rain"!!

Clip stolen from Steviewren. Thanks, Stevie! :)

• Repetition
• Harmony
• sYncopation
• Tempo
• Highs and Lows
• Movement

The Good, the Bad, and the Part 1

Because some days you need more than others!

Here's a few tidbits of life that we've experienced over the last few days...all in the spirit of keeping it real!

• I got my hair cut ~ 6 inches shorter! All 5 men approved! Actually, the triplets didn't even notice. But Harry did gave me a second look as I brushed his teeth tonight. :)
• We had a fast but violent thunder storm. The Mister looked outside in the lightening and hail and noticed we had a gutter stopped up. He had the pleasure of going out in that stuff, getting on a ladder, and unclogging it. Do you think it was Murph?
• Harry used the shower curtain for toilet paper. No, really...he did.
• The refrigerator door was left open about an inch...all night. (my fault!)
• One of the stove burners was left on 'high' ....all night. (Taylor's fault!) ..and no, not the same night that the refrigerator was open. ha!
• Nugget grew a few more inches.
• Spencer did a flying leap and landed on our large, four-poster bed, breaking part of the bottom support.
• The Mister repaired the bed using some left-over baseboard trim he found in the garage, only to have Alex throw a little tantrum, landing on our bed and breaking it again two days later.
• Taylor is enjoying the beginning of college life and brought home a new girl....named Taylor...( you say "No way!"....I say "Way!" )
• Speaking of The University...The H1N1 virus has arrived with 2 confirmed cases. Chapel was cancelled all week in an attempt to slow the spread. Ugh.
• Some of you may remember the skin burns from mincing jalapenos.
• I was sitting here at the computer with a cherry Tootsie Pop in my mouth. Spencer walked by and pulled it out of my mouth and popped it in his own, never missing a beat in his step. Ugh. I scolded him and he tried to put it back in my mouth. Um...no thanks.
• The Mister and I enjoyed huge bowls of chocolate icecream topped off with my thick, gooey hot fudge sauce. Because, we definitely deserved it! ha-ha!

Goodness! I wonder what next week will bring! It's all about keeping your sense of humor, isn't it? And taking it one day at a time....which, sometimes can be more than enough to handle!

My Favorite Egg Dish

Ever since I was 14 years old, I have admired this deviled

egg dish in The Mister's family home.

When my mother-in-law passed away last year, it's the

thing I asked for when her house was cleaned out.

It's traveled from her china cabinet to mine!

It makes me smile as I pass by it every day.

Today I thought we should get it out and use it.

After all, deviled eggs look absolutely adorable on it,

don't you think?

And I did a makeover on your grandma's recipe,

using whole grain mustard, white wine vinegar

and fresh dill.

Spicy and Hot Salsa Weekend

I canned a few jars of salsa this weekend using the

"green method". No canner, no pressure, no hot kitchen ~

just filled piping hot jars with hot food. Put on the lids

and turn upside down. The heat creates the seal.

Incredibly easy.

Click here for my salsa recipe!

And ~ did you know you can get jalapeno skin burns?

After mincing 1 cup of jalapenos my fingers felt like they

were on fire! I had used thin latex gloves in the past,

but thought I could get away with washing my hands

several times during the mincing process. Well,

that doesn't work. The burning lasts about 24 hours ~

kinda tough to sleep that way!

I looked online for a home remedy and didn't really find

one. The only words of wisdom were that you shouldn't

touch any ...ahem...delicate parts of your body while your

fingers are burning! (wonder how they found that out!)

And I do believe them as my eyes burnt when I put my

contacts in even the next morning!

But all is well now and we've already enjoyed a jar...with

tortilla chips and then tucked in an omelette with cheddar

for brunch. Yum, Yum!

Sleeping Positions II

Could you sleep with someone's hand on your head?

Not me! LOL! But I suppose if you've slept with your

two brothers since the womb, you're used to anything.

Notice Alex has been sleeping with his head at the foot

of the bed lately. Whatever works, right?

That's Harry, by the way, in the middle...and Spencer's hand.

Have I mentioned that when we separated them into their

own cribs, that they held hands through the bars as they slept?

A good start to the school year....

I've had several people ask me how the boys are doing as they have started back to school this year. Well they are doing great! The Special Ed teacher that we liked so much last year has returned! We did have one aide that has been with the boys since kindergarten that Alex just didn't get along with. Each year would get progressively worse! In fact, we think she would purposefully provoke him! It's hard to prove when it's just her word against a non-verbal child! But teacher and principal had their suspicions and were keeping an eye on her. Anyway, she retired! Yippee! And the new aide is wonderful and the mom of an autistic boy herself. Best of all, Alex seems to like her...giving her a kiss the third day of school. :) I was praying that Alex would get along with the old aide. Sometimes God gives you 'beyond what you could ask for or even imagine' and just gives you a whole new aide! LOL! The picture is the guys getting off the bus this afternoon. I didn't mean for the tree to cover their faces, they were just walking really fast! I don't normally dress them alike, 'cause that's just not what 'normal' 15-year-olds would do, right? But sometimes you just have to wear the only clean clothes left in the closet! :)

Theme Thursday = Beginning

"Large streams from little fountains flow,

Tall oaks from little acorns grow."

D. Everett in The Columbian Orator, 1797

• Birth
• Embarcation
• Gateway
• Introduction
• New
• Natal
• Inception
• New-fledged
• Genesis

“I can't go back to yesterday -

because I was a different person then"

~~Lewis Carroll

Garden Tomatoes

One wonderful way to enjoy them!

Our Friend Murphy

googleimages.com

"If something can go wrong, it will go wrong....

at the most inconvenient moment"

~Murphy's Law~

Have you ever known people that just have terrible

luck? The Mister is one of those people. We've taken

the concept of Murphy's Law a step further in our

house and say that "Murph", as he's so lovingly

called, is The Mister's right hand man.

If The Mister chooses a check out line in a store,

even if it's the shortest one, it will be the slowest one!

If he needs to tighten a screw on something, it turns

into a 2 hour project.

If he is already running late, he will get behind a huge

combine puttering along at 15 mph.

You get the picture. Poor guy.

Sometimes if it's really been a bad day, we say that

Murph is here...and he's brought his whole family!

You know how garlic wards off vampires? I wonder

if there's something we can get to ward off Murphy?

LOL!