A Boring Story about a Book

Last year, I called out to my friends on Facebook. Despite knowing specific facts about the book, I couldn't find it on my own.

Several of my friends are (or were) in the book business so that was my first stop. There were no answers. 

This year, the post popped up as a memory notification on the Facebook. And coincidentally, I thought about this damned book again within this past week. I happened to re-share the memory and someone (current friend, former book business) suggested I head to the Front Page of the Internet: Reddit. Now, husband enjoys perusing Reddit. I have an account (that I don't really use) so I logged on in and went fishing. Since I work in a library, I was all about to email some coworkers asking for help, but 12 hours and 3 subreddits later someone sent me a GoodReads link but there wasn't a great summary of the book. So I Googled into it some more and saw this which give a Cliff's Notes version of the story. And it was the book I've been trying to figure out for at least 3 years even though I read it about 23 years ago. 

Books: they stay with you forever. 

And just to be clear, the following image is the book cover I remember... With the doodles. 

Yeah. So now I want to (ridiculous, I know) read it all over again. Don't ask why.

Halloween, Happy November! & Menu Plan Monday

Happy November!
Yesterday was a strange Halloween for me, out of the norm. I had to work during the day while Husband took Kidlette around the town to different events like Trunk-or-Treats or Fall Fests. Friday at work, all of my coworkers and I had a holiday potluck. It was pretty nice to all get together and find out something new. We were to "scavenge" for an unknown fact about each other.

I was in charge of the decorations. I was pretty pleased with myself!

We have a wonderful hand crank die-cuts machine and I had a lot of fun with it. It's also kindof my job.

After work on Friday, we carved our pumpkins and watched Hocus Pocus afterwards.

Back to yesterday though... As soon as I arrived home, I joined my husband and neighbor for the fun part Trick-or-Treating! The past couple of years, we went into an adjoining neighborhood because there never seemed to be anyone participating in ours. But there were actually quite a few houses with their lights on this year! I was glad to be able to hang out with another mom in the neighborhood as our girls are only a year apart.

Anyway, it was fun! If one of us (me or Husband) had stayed home, we would've had several candy-claimers!

And the weather... oh the weather. It's been raining quite a bit lately. Not record-setting but we were thinking Halloween would be rained out. But instead, it was a chilly day! A nice change from previous years when it was still feeling very summery.

I hope you had a wonderful Halloween! I know we did! There's so much candy in my house!

Menu Plan Monday November 1-7

• Sunday - Fondue
• Monday - Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes & corn
• Tuesday -  Potato chip chicken tenders with leftover vegetables
• Wednesday - Hamburgers with oven fries
• Thursday - King ranch chicken casserole
• Friday - Leftovers
• Saturday - Crispy cheddar chicken with corn casserole

Check out OrgJunkie.com for more MPMs!

*****

So let's talk about Potato Chip Chicken...
A few years ago, I was invited to a bar and grill after work one day with a few ladies and our table ordered an appetizer of potato chip chicken tenders. I'd never heard of such a thing but it makes sense. I mean, we use bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, and cereal crumbs to top our meats. I even vaguely remember my mom putting potato chips on a casserole or two.

I'd tried the chicken and I was in heaven! And we always swore up and down that I'd take my husband and bring him over to the dark side. But we never went until quite recently. And the funny thing is, I never thought to look online for a recipe. I know it's stupidly simple, but I like having those things. Apparently I've been craving some so I went to my all-mighty resource... Pinterest. Of course there are a myriad of Pins with a bunch of different variations.

So, for my sake and yours, here's one of those recipes hailing from Pinterestland IowaGirlEats! But I've added a couple of notes in italics.

Potato Chip Chicken

• 3 cups potato chips - crushed 
• 1 egg
• 1 Tablespoon milk
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into strips (or 3/4lb chicken tenders)
• salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Crush potato chips in a food processor or with your hands in the bag then pour into a shallow dish or bowl. Whisk together egg and milk in a separate shallow dish or bowl.

Season chicken strips lightly with salt and pepper then dunk into egg mixture. Allow excess to drip off then roll in chip crumbs and place on a nonstick sprayed, foil-lined baking sheet. Continue with remaining chicken then lightly spray tops with nonstick spray or olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Menu Plan Monday week of Oct 25

Another week begins!

This time last year was busy with a bunch of Halloween events. Because I've gone to work, and my little Bug has started school, there hasn't been as much time. 

I've started on her Halloween costume today. She decided to be a bat. I am more that happy to make her costume every year. My fashion professor should be proud. 

I created the wings by marking around a small plate. Then I stitch binding around it all for a nice finished edge while also stitching ribbons into the edge to tie around her neck (sounds awful!) and arms.

I've only just finished one part of her costume today - the wings. Tomorrow I'll figure out a way to make her ears. 

To complete her costume, she'll wear a black shirt and leggings. I was thinking of adding some fun details for her wings but I'll let her decide. 

ETA: The ears are done!

And here are her previous costumes...

Bumble bee (with frilly wings and a cute stinger that you can't see)

Foofa from YoGabbaGabba!

Purple princess

Pink princess mummy

Dalmatian 

Menu Plan Monday

• Sunday: Broiled parmesan tilapia with couscous
• Monday: Fried chicken & mashed potatoes
• Tuesday: Baked potato soup
• Wednesday: Leftovers
• Thursday: Fend for yourself/Hot dogs or nachos
• Friday: Breakfast for dinner
• Saturday: Italian Shrimp Bake over Pasta - or something spooky!

Head over to OrgJunkie for more MPMs!

Resurrection

It's time that I start this thing back up. I find many times that I don't have much to say. But I'd like to say things. Right now, I'm sticking with what I know. Menu Plan Monday. Although, it's already Thursday. And I've technically been Menu Planning for about 4 weeks straight by this point.

So, here is a Menu Plan Monday Thursday. It includes what I planned and what we actually had for supper this week so far.

Sunday: Pasta with tomato cream sauce Tapas (pigs in a blanket, fried mozzarella)
Monday: Leftovers Kentucky Hot Brown Sliders
Tuesday: Bacon wrapped hot dogs
Wednesday: Pizza
Thursday: Nachos Fend for yourself
Friday: Leftovers (from what??) Nachos maybe?
Saturday: Fajitas

As you can see, I've got a bunch of wiggling going on.

More MPMs at OrgJunkie

Since my last post, Ivy started kindergarten and loves school!

She's also started Daisy Girl Scouts!

Being the ever-so-crafty mom that I am, I made her a daisy hair bow. Plus some for her troop!

(Top left: Pinterest; Bottom left: first attempt; Right top and bottom: my perfected items)

Homecoming season is winding down so things are ... chugging along.

Are you new to this wonderful Texan tradition? (Notice, I didn't use the new Norwegian slang of texas. But it is still pretty texas, y'all. Oh that is so meta.) There's a little blurb of history here. ;)

40 Before 40: An Update

Husband has access to clay and his favorite game to play is Let's Get Lena to Make Something. But I don't have an artistic bone in my. Crafty? Yes. Painty, drawy, doodly, sculpty? No. 

The previous week, he took Kidlette to throw some clay on the wheel and, in her words, make pott-er-ree. 

I just can't tell if she's having fun or not. 

No, I don't think she likes it.

It's just so dang messy. Ugh!

A week later and he asked me again if I wanted to do pot-er-ree and I finally relented. I figured I would try it out and just add it to my list. But then I started to get excited. Hoo doggie I decided I'd make myself a damn mug. And so he taught me how to shape it and then his fateful words were "you won't be able to make anything [taller] than a tuna can on your first try." 

Challenge fucking accepted. 

Ahem. I'm a great listener and I can work pretty damned good with my hands. I'm also kind of competitive. He went off doing his own things and I'd ask questions here and there and get back to doing. 

Look! It's not an unidentifiable art class junk project!

After it dried, I put a handle on it then we fired it. 

Then I glazed it and fired it again. 

And while I was at work, Husband picked it up and was thrilled for me. 

I mean look at this shit. I have made my own vessel that I can actually use. You're so damned jealous. I just know it. 

Garage KM

It doesn't look like much, but I've (we've) finally started tackling stuff in the garage. 

We emptied all but two bins and cleared some things from the shelves. I don't even know what it was, nor do I care to know. 

Currently, we are keeping the bins and they're back in that spot. Sadly, there are still bins to go through. 

KM "Progress"

I wouldn't consider this much progress. I procrastinate like nobody's business. So my closet clothes have been sitting next to my dresser since I pulled them out. Husband even added some of his own clothes to get rid of. I still haven't gotten to my clothes in my dresser. 

But this is what I DID do. 

I'm disappointed that it's just 3 bags. 

Konmari part 2

At this time, I still have not tackled the dresser.  The pile to the left is a large pile of what will be leaving. My husband has contributed to this pile too. 

The bottom left dresser drawer holds my t-shirts. I learned this trick years ago. Apparently this is one of the methods in the book. 

Even though I can't sit down and pile everything all at one time, I was able to clean out and reorganize my sock and underwear drawers. There are no before shots. Just a pile of everything. 

The Method does not recommend to roll the socks but I don't care. I don't get attacked to socks. They're not an issue. 

I do need to go through my shirt drawer and my pjs.

Konmari Part 1

So I heard about this book from a few sources. We have been wanting to live more simply with fewer things. 

The author talks about how she figured out the perfect method of getting rid of things: Pile all of a single category of items in one area, touch each thing and feel if it elicits happiness. If not, thank it for its use and discard it. If yes, store it properly. 

There are a few steps to this process that I won't list here. What I will start with is the first category, clothes. In all her examples, she explains how her clients all had closets or rooms that were packed. Full. Overflowing! 

Growing up and well into my adulthood, I had always had full closets, but nothing to wear. I frequently changed how I stored my clothes. Different dressers, hanging nearly everything, storing clothes in bins. But something finally got to me.  I had to stop living in the past and decided to get rid of the stuff I want wearing, didn't fit, or was "out of style" (whatever that means, because I'm not stylish/trendy).

So, my closet? I've got plenty of room. Dresser? There's still some room. I obviously don't have a problem letting go of clothes I don't like. Could I get rid of more? Sure. But I can't really afford to at the moment. Handbags, I don't have many of. Shoes have already been pared down. But I'm still going to do this. 

Here is a before of my closet. And granted, when we moved in, all my racks were fairly full. 

Upper-left I kept dressy/work attire. I have a few item that are sentimental. 

Bottom left is where I keep non-work clothes (but the work clothes made their way down there). The right rack has dresses and maxi skirts. Yes, luggage and tote bags are on the floor. 

A basket drawer tower, top to bottom:

- His shoes

- Plastic Easter (eggs which need an attic storage box home)

- Sentimental & Halloween stuff

- Summer stuff

- Underwear?

- Sweaters and running gear

- My shoes

- His sweaters

And to the right of that tower, stuff I've already been purging.

Sadly, I don't feel I can make the huge pile at one time for a huge laundry list of personal reasons, so I just did my closet. See what I did there? 

I know, not a huge pile. It's about what I had expected. 

And the current after. I moved my coats and sweaters from the downstairs coat closet to get them out of the way. 

All I can say now is that I dread the winter. I will have a need for long-sleeved tops and I just hate shopping for clothes. 

Bonnets of Blue

Does any other state, or do any other people, get ramped up about their state flower? 

Every spring, people find themselves stopping along highways and and roadways to take a picture of or with the flower of Texas. The bluebonnet. 

It got its name from the color (der) and the shape it seem to resemble, a bonnet. A specific type of bluebonnet was named the state flower in 1901. But us Texans preferred a different species and in 1971, the state declared that any bluebonnet was the state flower. 

Bluebonnets are Texas' cherry blossoms. They bloom from mid-March to early May. They are, in fact a wildflower. They grow where they want to grow, though some cultivate them. 

I grew up believing that it is illegal to pick the flowers. It's simply not the case. But people are encouraged to respect the flower. Land in rural areas is dwindling so there is less space for them to grow in the wild. 

I believe this is my first photo of myself in a field of one of my favorite flowers. Their perfume is divine. 

My favorite. 

The Universe Needs to STFU

Have you ever fully given up on something? Completely released it to the universe? 

I've done this several times within the year. And those 'things' are like boomerangs. They just keep coming back to me. Feigning opportunity and then playing trixies on me and scampering away like indecisive squirrels. 

I had three interviews for teaching positions and I wasn't able to take them. After the first one, I decided that I wasn't going to actively look for them. I was extremely disappointed and heartbroken. Then they started seeking me out. So I went on two more interviews, again, I wasn't offered positions. 

So I finally relinquish the thought of ever teaching again and get a job in another field. And, you guessed it, I got a call for another teaching position. 

Why, universe, are you teasing and taunting me?

I declined the position because it was pretty much a long-term sub situation that would lead me nowhere. No thanks, I've got a good thing going right now.