Vacuum, Sam's Club, Staples, visiting O and am I really sorry?

9-16-14

Such a busy week, not even sure where to begin! 

Finally settled on a vacuum and after much research and too much time wasted with trying to order one online from Sam's Club, I ordered one direct from Shark. Ended up with the Shark Rotator Lift Away in a bundle package that includes pretty much every attachment that I wanted. Ended up being 19 cents less than Sam's with free shipping, more attachments and a lifetime warranty so I feel confident that I came out ahead! Sam's offered one attachment that this bundle doesn't have but they added four others that I will use more often. I didn't even know there was an under appliance wand! Already have (and love) the mop but my daughter in law and I were just talking about how much she would like to have one so that's a no brainer! To all my friends out there who sent info, thanks! 

Not sure if anyone really cares about the Sam's Club issues so in a nutshell, the 24 hour trial membership only lasts until midnight, instant savings don't really apply on trial memberships, the web says they do, customer service phone reps don't know any of the above information, and customer service e-mail reps tell you "sorry you were misinformed but thanks for being a Valued Sam's Club Member".

If only she'd sent the email before midnight the day before...

End result? I saved $45.00 by not signing up and paying the membership fee!

As for the printer, Joe took it all apart for me, power supply is definitely no good, tried all the tricks we found online and nothing worked. Off to do some research and turns out that the new version of the Canon all-in-ones are very affordable, wireless, and print on all kinds of things that I'll probably never need to print on! 

Staples.com refunded me for the unopened ink package from the old printer, gave me a great deal on the new one, a new ink package and free shipping. Maybe the folks over at Sam's Club should do some training at Staples! Refund is already processed and new ink arrived today, printer should be here tomorrow. They also called to tell me that they don't want the old ink back and I should donate or discard it. Anyone out there that can use it or know of someplace that can use it, let me know!

The highlight was the weekend and getting to spend the day up at my son's house. Joe painted and I played all day with O, what a blast. This little guy puts C to shame! I thought she was a mover but O is a mover, shaker, climber, runner, and talker all rolled up into one. What a smart guy and so much fun to play with. He pretty much goes non-stop until he is ready to sleep and then he is out for the count. When he wakes up, he is totally rejuvenated and back to being a dynamo. Tried to get pics of him but he goes so fast they are a blurry mess! Caught one in a quiet moment before he settled down for his nap.

This coming weekend I get to have O and B together for a few hours! Should be a blast and I can't wait. Just another reason to love the Pirates! Arghhhh!

My new Rachael Ray pan works like a charm, loaded it up with veggies from my Backyard Produce box. Butternut squash, mushrooms, green onions, yellow onions, garlic, red potatoes, celery and tomatoes. Took a picture. Added beef stock, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, teriyaki sauce and Italian spices. Put pot roast that had marinated in above sauce on top of v-rack. Covered with tin foil and baked at 350 for about 90 minutes. 

Forgot to take any more pictures but enjoyed every bite! Used up rest of veggies the other night with some chicken legs and thighs that I cooked in Thai fish sauce, ginger, and red pepper flake.

Finally, to everyone out there that I offended with my post of the little girl playing peek a boo with her dad (including you mom) I can see your point but I still find it very funny. I am pretty sure that in at least one of my posts I have mentioned my problem with often times finding inappropriate things hysterical! Evidently, this is one of those times...

For those of you who want to judge for yourself and haven't seen the video, I'll post it on the blog's Facebook page.

3 things plus a consignment sale, cereal for dinner, Backyard Produce and my new Rachael Ray pan!

9/11/14

Three things that must be mentioned today:

1) Thoughts to everyone, everywhere on this 13th anniversary of 9/11. Every one of us was touched in some way and we mustn't ever forget. Today, tell all of the important people in your life that they are the important people in your life.

2) Happy Anniversary to my fantastic son and the lovely daughter that (thanks to him) was added to our family! And let's not forget that cute little grandson! Can't wait to see you guys this weekend.

3) Happy Birthday to my amazing sister in law, hope you have a fantastic day!

Consignment sale. This particular sale is usually in our area a few times a year. Thanks to some seasonal Halloween store that is getting ready to open, sale location was changed to a warehouse. For those of you unfamiliar with NC, this warehouse didn't have A/C and it is very hot and muggy here this time of year. 

Add a hundred women, twenty babies, twenty toddlers, and a dozen "I don't want to be here" age kids. Mix them into a windowless and fanless warehouse that is crammed full of stuff, add a dozen workers and then just for fun let's give half of those women a stroller to push. What a great afternoon we had... 

Upside found A some adorable winter stuff and my daughter and her friend found some great deals as well. Would of stayed longer but when the toddlers start to melt it's time to hit the road!

My favorite find!

Dropped my daughter off at her house, of course, I had to run in and say hey to her hubby,check out the progress on the house and of course play with B. He has become quite adept at keeping his mother and I busy providing him with items he finds entertaining. These included a singing, vibrating pig and a zebra playing, I'm sexy and I know it. His dancing was well worth our combined efforts to make them play at the same time! Half an hour zips by and I am off to the grocery store. I call Joe since it is about 6:45 and he tells me he still has some stuff to do so I promise to be quick and make something simple when I get home.

Patting myself on the back for being in and out of Food Lion in 30 minutes I head home. Super stoked that I found some great burger meat and fresh onion rolls for supper. Bags are unpacked, stuff that needs to be washed is in sink and I am reaching for the bowl to start mixing burger meat and the phone rings...

Thirty minutes later, Joe comes into the kitchen and grabs a bowl of cereal. Twenty minutes after that, he comes in to say good night. Ten minutes after that, I hang up and have my own bowl of cereal! Tragedy has been averted, all is right in the world and Special K with red berries have never tasted so good!

The good news for Joe is that while he may not have had any dinner last night, my new Rachael Ray roasting pan with the v-rack arrived today. This means I can now properly cook my favorite recipe! 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/jkl-pesto-pork-and-veggie-roast-recipe.html

I have made this with pork and beef roast but never in an actual v-rack pan. Note, if you use smaller than three pound roast adjust rub accordingly... Also, I make my own pesto and cut down on garlic as well. Guess what we are having for dinner tomorrow! 

The only downside, orange not purple...

Just received an amazing Backyard Produce box. The veggie part of the roast! If you live in NC, SC, or VA check and see if they deliver to you! Tell them I sent you for an extra ten points added to your account.

This is the top layer, there is more underneath!

http://www.byproduce.com/

My mouth is already watering! Love it when the box is full of endless possibilities! 

One last thought to all my readers:

If you would, please feel free to post comments and suggestions and if you are on Google+ if you hit the +1 button it helps my blog get more coverage! I tried to make a link to follow my blog on Google+, not sure if it worked or not. Still trying to work out the kinks! Trying to follow my stats is a bit confusing but looks like I am close to 500 views already and I'm being visited by someone from Poland...

Endless shrimp, a fever, chili, Churchill and Bobby Flay

9-6-14

Off to visit the grand babies I went and poor Joe got ripped off of a birthday dinner. Turns out this was not such a bad thing as Red Lobster kicked off his favorite meal of all times, Endless Shrimp! Must say though, he is turning into a light weight. Only ate four portions... 

As for the rest of us, we decided to give the four course feast a whirl. What a bargain, soup, salad, entree with two sides and dessert. Hmm... and you still get those famous cheese biscuits. Suffice it to say I made it through about half of the entree (grilled Tilapia) and was calling for the to go box! I call that lunch tomorrow.

On the sad side, my handsome little B decided to have a fever and not feel so good. Those of you who know this little butterball should sit down for this.

He wouldn't eat.

Enough said.

His mother sent me a text when they got home that said 102.9. Poor little man. Hopefully he'll rebound quickly, his face was made for smiling!

As for my two darling granddaughters up North. Phone rang earlier and when I answered I heard, "Churchill, Churchill" and I said, "is he being good" and she said, "meow" and I said, "oh really" and she said, "baby" and I said, "where is A" and she said, "night night". 

Not an incy wincy spider in sight today! 

Question: what do you get when you cross two pieces of Bojangles chicken, dirty rice, kale with white beans and couscous, a package of sausage, a couple of tomatoes, a half a green paper, a half a red onion, some garlic cloves, a can of tomato sauce and a can of kidney beans? 

Answer: a killer pot of chili! 

Shared some with H & M but don't tell her I put a few tapas peppers in there too!

The kale with white beans and couscous was the side dish to some pretty tasty pork chops that I made Thursday night. Decided to have some for lunch on Friday and planned to put the rest of the chop in the chili but this was before B didn't feel well. He finished his black bean burger and half of my chop for lunch! Must say though, the marinade I made for the chops came out pretty tasty. Did a mix of spice rub and liquid sauce that I marinated in before cooking and then basted with while cooking. Used the indoor grill with a bit of smoked paprika in the rub. Thank you Bobby Flay, yet another tip that works like a charm!

I'm back! Newborns, hop, and the incy wincy spider...

9-3-14

Thinking you can blog in a house with a newborn and a toddler, priceless!

The last two weeks have been a total blast! I am exhausted but in a good way. A is the cutest little newborn of all times, reminds me of a tree frog the way she clings to you. I know they say babies this young don't smile but I'm telling you this one never stops and it is not accompanied by anything even remotely resembling the tummy troubles usually given the credit for said smiles! 

C is going to be one heck of a big sister. She is so smart and has a heart of gold! She loves her "baby" and doesn't seem to tire of looking at her and fetching for her. For some unknown reason, she calls her pacifier "HOP" and is determined that A should have a hop in her mouth at all times (including when she is sleeping)! I think my daughter is going to have her hands full with all that helping!

We did so many things while I was up there, I don't even know where to begin. I was impressed that I remembered all of the words to the Goodbye Song from "The Bear in the Big Blue House" and I was even more impressed that C learned all of the finger play parts to Incy Wincy Spider in one day. Not bad for 20 months old! 

Incy Wincy Spider

We don't even want to discuss how many times I watched these nursery rhymes but when C shouted "Out, Out" the spider was on, on!

I look at this child in motion and immediately think of Taz from the Looney Tunes show. From the moment she wakes up she is ready to go full throttle. Everything you say to her she responds with "ok" and then she may or may not take action. Reminds me so much of her mother at that age! I think they make them so cute at this age as the survival of the species technique for homo sapiens. Every now and then she yells, "kisses" and runs up and leans against you (her version of a hug) and makes kissing noises. Definitely her saving grace move!

Had some great family time with my parentals and siblings. Did a shopping trip so we could do a trial run of the logistics of shopping with both kids. Hit one of my favorite restaurants for lunch. Cooked up a storm and stocked the freezer with thaw and heat up meals. Even managed a trip to the mall that taught us a few lessons on the importance of timing! And then, boom, two weeks are gone and it is time to head back to Joe and the kids. 

Must admit, they were some tears off and on for the first few hours. Pandora is my new best friend and travelling South is much friendlier and cheaper than heading North, just saying... 

Made it to Edgewood, MD the first night, would of kept going but thunderstorms were imminent and I'm no fool! For anyone who is interested, La Quinta is super nice, first time staying and I was impressed. Great Priceline Express Deal and breakfast even included fresh fruit salad, yum. A mini suite, complete with sofa, desk, tons of outlets, comfy bed, smelled good and was very clean!

I love Fredericksburg, Virginia. This is why I always stop here for gas:

Made it home before dinner (stopped and picked up Bojangles) like I said above, I'm no fool!

Glad to be home but sad to be home. Miss those girls (and the rest of my family) already! 

Morons on I 95, porch flowers, anoles and baby toes!

8-18-14

Travelling all day is not as much fun as it used to be! Three hours from Quantico to Baltimore. The radio (when it was working) traffic update: High volume traffic. I call it idiotic drivers, construction, more construction, rubberneckers checking out folks getting tickets, some more construction, and then a car fire. That was the first 30 miles, then we hit Springfield...

Note to all of you loyal readers, please don't be that driver who ignores the lane ends, please merge signs. I'm pretty sure that the only excuse for ignoring those signs is inability to read (in which case you wouldn't have a license and be driving) so really there are no excuses and the only reason you didn't merge is you are a moron. No gray areas on this one! 

My favorite was the 20 minutes to travel one mile to see a truck in the left lane picking up traffic cones in the left shoulder. Enough said.

All the morons delayed me two hours so only made it to DE and had to stop as I promised not to drive after dark. I found a great place and pricelined it from my phone. Not wanting to be out and about after dark, decided to stop and pick up some KFC to take to hotel and devour after check in! 

What a deal! 2 pieces of chicken, mashed w/gravy, biscuit, sweet tea and a warm chocolate chip cookie all for five bucks. The cookie made my day!!

Backtracking just a tad, wanted to share some pictures. Went out and checked all the porch flowers before I left and one of my two little Anole friends was hanging out and came down to say goodbye. No tree frogs wanting to say goodbye though. Note middle pic is a mum blooming way early this year!

Also, the cats weren't too thrilled to see a suitcase coming out but at least they'll have Joe home with them! Lucky Joe!

Hopefully they'll behave themselves and not cause too much trouble while I'm gone! 

Final thought: as promised cute and adorable pic of my newest grand baby! Baby toes are irresistible!

Maybe lottery tickets aren't all bad...

8-14-14

Won a dollar in the Pick 5, gained another gorgeous granddaughter and got a killer Backyard Produce box. Today is looking like it is going to be a very good day!

Abigail Leyna born 8-14-14 at 6:45 am

 7 lbs 4 ozs and 19 3/4 in long

Pic to follow

Meanwhile, have B coming tomorrow to spend the weekend and this arrived in the mail today:

Like I said, it's going to be a great day!

Spaghetti squash w/collard greens and garlic pesto for dinner and I can't lie, it was totally delicious. Used basil and parsley from the porch garden, sliced almonds, organic garlic, fresh grated Parmesan cheese and some olive oil to make the pesto. Baked squash with just salt and ground pepper for about an hour, then "pulled" it out of shell and added it to a pan with onions, mushrooms, the collard greens (instead of kale), some spices, and a bit of butter. Added pesto and a bit more Parmesan cheese and served with the last of the sesame ginger chicken. YUM!

2 lottery tickets won last night, I am doomed!

8-13-14

Matched the mega ball and won four bucks in Mega Millions and the NC Pick 5 matched two numbers again so that's another buck won. Figure I'm in for a rough week! 

Must find silver lining. My new motto is to be proactive as opposed to reactive...

Tapas peppers are a welcome addition to ham salad (at least that is what Joe said) however, using your fingers to strip the seeds is a very bad idea! Not only did I burn the tips of both thumbs but without thinking I wiped a piece of hair out of my eye. Enough said.

After my lack of getting any work done yesterday, figured I should buckle down and try and accomplish a few things today. I have found out that junk mail multiplies while you are out of town. 

I also found out that drawers that you keep shoving stuff into to go through later now have:

1. two years of receipts that are so faded you can't read them
2. mini rubber bands
3. a few toothpicks
4. some business cards from NH (we moved about 3 years ago to NC)
5. a couple of hospital wrist bands
6. expired coupons and old grocery lists
7. those yellow forms about privacy that you have to sign at every doctor/hospital appointment
8. several teeth in a baggie (don't ask)

Junk drawer motivated me! I started sorting junk mail which led to tearing off labels to shred (before placing in recycling), this of course led to the envelope by the computer that the shredding goes into which in turn led to looking up recipes for a marinade for dinner! I think we can all see where this is going.

Good news is dinner was tasty! Made a yummy sesame ginger chicken along with fingerling potatoes slow fried in olive oil, kosher salt and ground black pepper! Did the chicken marinade in a saucepan with a touch of Shedd Spread added. I then basted chicken every 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Chopped up some salad for on the side which used up most of the veggies so I am ready for my Backyard Produce delivery tomorrow!

Decided to kick back and watch a bit of tv with Joe and then tackle kitchen clean up. All that sorting today really wore me out. Not to mention fighting the mighty Adam Ant, sweeping some floors, giving the porch plants their daily dose of TLC & H2O and of course washing B's bedding and our favorite sitting outside blanket! 

Squished, tossed, he reappeared so I splatted, re-tossed and spent the next hour checking to be sure he was still dead in the garbage. Hoping he was a stray...

Final thought: I liberated a couple of Reader's Digest magazines from Utah for the plane ride home. Found an October 2013 little blurb about weird words so I now have a new favorite word:

Cataglottism

My gift to you, go ahead look it up. 

Now that you've been to the dictionary, I'm sure you understand why I have no final picture here...