Inflation and the Tooth Fairy

September 30, 2008 at 3:38 PM (random stuff)

How much is a lost tooth worth?  When I was a kid, I’m pretty sure it was only a quarter.  We didn’t have dollar coins in common circulation, the way we do know.  Now, according to Emma, some kids are getting diamonds from the tooth fairy.   Sorry, kid.  This tooth fairy doesn’t have any to spare.  Hell, I don’t have any period!!   Long story, lots of reasons…but I digress.  I figure a toonie is pretty damn good.

Emma lost her fourth tooth last night, while brushing her teeth.  I had to be sure to exchange the tooth for a toonie, especially cause last time I forgot – bad, horrible mummy!!!  I did manage to sneak in and do the exchange while she was in the bathroom that morning, explaining that the tooth fairy probably just hadn’t come yet, seeing as Emma was up super early, and the Tooth Fairy is obviously one busy lady.  She bought it, but I wasn’t sure she would a second time.  So last night I rememebered (good mummy!) to do the switcheroo.  Somehow, this morning, there wasnot only a toonie, but also a loonie (for anyone not Canadian, that is $2.00 and $1.00, respectively.)  I am responsible for the toonie, but not the loonie.  I asked my lazy still-sleeping husband before I left for work if he was the second “tooth fairy”, and once he got over the confusion of being awakened with such a weird question, assured me he was not.  Hmn.  Maybe the tooth fairy is real.  Now if only her cousins, the housecleaning fairies, would drop by.

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Here’s a thought…

September 25, 2008 at 9:03 PM (notes and thoughts)

Apparently, theft is on the rise.  People are so desperate that they are stealing from donation bins, things that are intended for good will stores, salvation army, and such.  Has it really become so desperate for people?  I remember being poor, student poor.  Counting pennies, literally, for groceries so I could eat, just to get me to the next pay check of my part time minimum wage job.  And it sucked.  But so poor that it’s necessary to steal from a donation bin?  And food banks are hurting, donations have dropped and people who need them are getting less.

So here is my challenge.  Next time you go to the grocery store, please buy one item, whether it’s a box of cereal or a can of spaghetti sauce, and drop it it the Food bank bin on your way out.  Just one item, doesn’t matter how much it cost, and donate it.  And every time you go, do it.  Just like bringing your cloth bags to avoid the plastic, make it a habit.  You’ll be helping in a small but important way.  And tell people you do it.  Encourage others to do it.  Challenge them to do it.  In a country so rich as Canada, it is a sin that people go hungry.  Little people make big changes when we get together.

And it’s probably good Karma!!

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I Ain’t Missing You Tonight…

September 22, 2008 at 8:26 PM (notes and thoughts)

Don’t know if this is apparent, but i try to use song titles a lot, just because I like too.

I don’t feel as old as I am.  In fact,  I still  feel like the person who used to dance the nights away at the bars on Fridays and Saturday nights, I don’t feel old enough to be married, to be someone’s (or two’s) parent, to be a responsible adult.   That is not me, right?  Don’t get me wrong, I adore my kids.  They are the best!  And I would kill for them.  But there is a part of me who can’t figure out where the hell the time has gone.  How have I gotten so old?  I miss dating.  Or at least the idea of dating.  I miss being a cute high school student (was I one, ever?)  I even kind of miss the melodramatic high school relationships.  I miss my first boyfriend.  I was thirteen.  We barely kissed.  I miss the magic and the innocence.  The wonder.  Am I forgetting how bad it really was?  And one of the weird things is that I did marry my first ‘real’ boyfriend, just years and relationships later.  And I still love him.  The way  I did, most of the time.  I have my moments when I wish he would disappear, as I am sure he has moments he wished I would!  I can be a royal pain in the ass at times.  But, damn, I’m lucky I am still love in with him, and so is he.  Just wondering how time can fly by so fast, without me even noticing.

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Be Scared…Be Very Scared….

September 18, 2008 at 9:23 PM (politics)

Sarah Palin.  She just plain scares the crap out of me.  The thought that she could quite conceivably be the US president in the near future makes me want to scream!  I know, big ifs are on the table.  But hell, I lost a bet that old Georgie was gonna get elected the first time.  I didn’t think Americans were that gullible.  Then I lost a bet when he ran for the second term, cause no way were the Americans dumb enough to fall for it again.  Then again, he didn’t really win either one, did he?!  So the big ifs of Sarah Palin being president aren’t quite so big anymore.  If the Republicans win again (not a chance in Hell, right??? Ha.  Bet against me, I don’t seem to be good at picking the winning team.), then she is in as VP.  Then if McCain gets sick, or dies, or gets shot by some crazy gun totting nutter (cause they run rampant in the US), who steps in?  This woman is a nutty evangelical christian, who believes the world is black and white, God and Satan, Good and Evil, ban and burn books, gays have no rights, women have no rights to their own bodies, the war in Iraq is ‘God’s plan’, OMG, I could go on.  But go look it up.  And hope and pray and whatever it is that you do to influence world events that you have absolutely no control over that this woman never sees power.

Obama will get elected.  (There won’t be recounts, Supreme Court won’t decide who wins.) He will not be assassinated.  (My biggest fear, and one many others share.)  He will prove to be a truly effective president.  (He won’t screw up like Bush.  Won’t get caught like Clinton.)  And we can breath a sigh of relief.  Threat averted.  Cause believe you me, what happens down there, affects us up here.

And our elections?  Crap, crap and more crap.  I’m voting Marijuana.  Even Elizabeth May has pissed me off, with her dissing the electic car.  Bitch.  Till she said that, she had my vote.  No more.  I know it’s a wasted vote, but really, I am going to back Stephan Dion??  Stephen Harper???  Oily car sales man liar Jack Layton – who I actually used to respect and like as a pol, but he has shown me the error of my ways!  So a protest vote is the only thing I can do, I guess.  They all suck.  They all lie, they all scheme, they all break their damn promises when they get in,  (I haven’t forgotten you, Jean Charest, you lying, pond scum sucking jerk!!) so really, if I must vote, as a good lil’ Canadian, then at least I’m gonna make my vote count against somebody.  Besides, I do think pot should be legal.  But don’t get me started!

PS  I still love my job.  It makes me very happy, despite how bitter I may sound about politics.  Petting the ponies is great for my blood pressure.  And riding is great for the flab.

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A good soup to make on a cold rainy day…

September 15, 2008 at 8:18 PM (recipes)

I love to cook and bake, so I’ve decided to share some of my basic recipes once in while.  I’m a pretty decent cook, and I love playing with recipes.  Bread is so easy to make, and once you’ve made it, you’ll wonder why you never tried it sooner, especially with the prices lately.  So many dishes are easy, and don’t take as much time as one would think!  Crockpots are great for people with very little time, who still want a good, home cooked meal.  Plus all the mess is limited to one pot!  So here’s what was on the menu tonight:

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

1 large Cauliflower, washed and chopped into florets (small pieces)

1 large onion, diced

2-3 celery stalks, diced

1 tbls of butter

1 cup sour cream

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 cup mozzarella, grated

1/2 cup romano or parmesan, grated

salt and pepper to taste

Saute the celery, onions and cauliflower in butter, till tender, approx 25 mins

Put through a blender or food processor, till the desired consistency is reached (smooth or chunky, however you like it – smooth hides the cauliflower from picky eaters)

Return to pot, low heat

Add the cheeses and sour cream, stirring till the cheese is all melted in

Add 1-2 cups milk, depending on how thick you like your soup

Variations:

Different cheeses will add variety to the flavor.  I would love to try this soup with blue cheese, but no one in my house but me likes it.  Sharp old cheddars would also give it a nice tang.

Sour cream and cheeses can be low fat or no fat, for calorie conscious eaters.  The sour cream is what gives it the creamy taste without the high fat of cream.

Substitute other veggies for the cauliflower, to make Creamy Broccoli, Creamy Carrot, Creamy Potato, you get the idea.  Just remember, if you blend the Broccoli, you’ll get green soup, which some kids might love!!! Same with carrots, orange soup.  If you don’t want green or orange soup, blend only the onions and celery, and add chopped carrots, broccoli to saute for a while before adding cheese and sour cream.  You may want to add a little water or milk for a liquid saute, covering the pot while the veggies cook.

Bacon bits served on top look nice, and add flavor.

Serve it with a toasty baguette and a side salad for an extra dose of veggies.

This recipe is so versatile, have fun and play with it.

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I’m wearing a new hat…

September 13, 2008 at 10:13 PM (notes and thoughts)

Actually, it’s a helmet.  A riding helmet, to be precise.  A Troxell Sport schooling helmet.  I’ve been given the opportunity to ride some of the lesson horses at work, and I’m loving it!  My boss asked me on Monday if I’d like to ride, and of course I said I would love to.  So I brought my chaps (which I actually still fit, amazingly enough) and my old hunt cap the next day, and saddled up one of the school horses.  Apparently,  I ride well enough and was offered the chance to ride a few more.  It looks like I will have the chance to ride one or two horses every day, so I figured I’d better invest in a proper helmet, just in case I take a tumble.  I’m over the moon that I get to ride again!!  This is working out so much better than I could have imagined!  I love working there, and really love the chance to ride again.  I’m so bloody (knock on wood) lucky!!!

I bought a new camera today, pocket sized, so will use it and will post some pony pics soon.  There is horse there, that looks so much like my old horse, Babe, but about a hand taller.  Charlotte is a sweetie.  And how could I not like a horse named Sam?  They are all very nice, well behaved ponies, and very well treated.  (Never mind the 25 lbs of carrots I bought a few days ago, cause they were on sale, and I had a good reason. Verges on the spoiled, I guess.)  But they deserve it.

I love my job.

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

September 7, 2008 at 9:14 PM (random stuff)

Back to school!  Meg is enjoying her days as a kindergardener, and loves taking the bus to and from school.  Emma’s is happy to be back too, and pleased that she has two of her good friends in her class.  Her best school friend is no longer in the french emersion program, but her best neighborhood friend that we’ve known pretty much since we’ve moved here is finally in her class.  So it’s all good!

I’m really enjoying my new job.  I keep pinching myself, it’s just so perfect.  The people are great, the horses are fab, and the hours are soooo convenient.  I swear it must be Karma.  All those courtesy ‘cut in front of me’s’ I let people do when I’m driving, all those ‘you’ve only got two items, go in front of me’s’ at the grocery store, the smiles at people just cause, the squirrels that I slow down and stop for so they can boot across the street – I think they’ve paid off.  I try to be a nice and positive person, but I do believe in Karma in a way.  Who knows?  Maybe Earl’s gotta a point!?!  I love that show.

I’ve got lots more to say, the upcoming election (s), kid news and funny things, thoughts of my own, garden updates, new recipes to share, I just need to find some time to write it all.  And time is becoming a bit harder to find nowadays.  I always seem to rediscover the joy of reading in the summers, and have been an avid library goer this year as well.  I love sitting outside in my backyard with a good book, which is not something I can do in the winter (obviously), so I’ve been reading a lot lately.  It’s nothing for me to read a book in a night or two.  So I’ve been spending a lot less time on the net, and much more time with my nose in a book.  And with the new job, and school starting for the kids, I’m trying to be good about going to bed early and keeping on top of the laundry, household chores, etc…Which leaves much less time for other things.  But it’s getting late, the kids have school tomorrow, and I have to work (yay!!!!!!!!!did I mention I love my job???)   So I’m off to bed!!

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