Superman

So, I'm watching Superman IV with the boys and Meriel Hemmingway is on this one as the daughter of the guy who temporarily bought the Daily Planet. Do you remember that villain that got his powers from the sun? He had that super manicure and those flesh colored tights with a really bad mullet? The one created by Lex Luther? Well, he took her and was flying her so far above the earth that the planet looked like one of those pictures that make it look like a very pretty marble, swirls of white and blue. Why could she still breathe? I"m just saying...

Almost

Have you ever had an 'almost' day? I almost did this or I almost did that? Well, I have had an 'almost' week. I thank God for the almost. It allowed me to see the scripture "resist the devil and he will flea" for real! But when I really think about it and as I type, I feel a little like Israel. It was less me resisting an more of God saying "oh no let me help you cause you 'bout to mess up and I need you for this purpose". Circumstances prevented me from the actually and kept me in the almost. God knows that if the soup had been right there probably would have been 'actuallys' all week! It was a real struggle keeping focused, but I give all the praises to God! Praise Him!

Up, Up and Away, Away, Away and Away

I am sure I'm super woman. I have been in the sky more in the last two weeks than the man of steel! The air traffic controllers know me by name and I get extra bags of those nut-like thingys from the flight attendants.
Off to Florida. Sunny skis, sandy beaches, fresh air and such! NOT! More like musty training rooms, old government foggies, rain clouds and tornado warnings! For 5 days! Well, sort of 5 days. On the day that I was leaving, it was sunny and warm. Arg!!!
Off to the cold gray February of up North, just to be off to...Te-Hahs! Or otherwise known as Texas! Yes! Open plains, hot sun, slow life-style tasty beef, right??!! WRONG!!! Lets try a day of delayed flights that finally led to cancellations that led to me going home and getting up at 4 am to head back to an airport to be rummaged through and fondled on. Sunny skis here I come! WRONG!! Lets try cold wind, cloudy skis and frantic rushing around trying to make a party. Sheesh! So, I gave up on finding nice weather and warm breezes. Settling instead for a relaxing time. Wrong again! Up at 4 am again to catch a flight out back to my home. But doesn't that sound great. My own bed. My own sheets. My own piece of America. Wrong! Lets try trapped in North Carolina in a motel across the street from an abandoned outlet mall with only about 3 choices for food, all of which look suspicious! Then guess what? Back up at 4am to catch or try to catch a flight home. This is how I imagine my family telling the story. All of it was true, but the boys and me have a different spin on things! We had an unforgettable adventure full of first for us all! First time in Texas for them. First time on a plane for one. They fell in love with family they never get to see. I found out my youngest is a dancer. He must have danced for 2 hours! My oldest, who is much shyer, even danced for a long while! First time being put up in a hotel by and airline for us all. We found some really cheap book in that outlet mall and we payed 'feed the kitty' board games! We got to watch cable in the room (which we don't have at home). Would I do it again, if I knew how it would turn out, probably not, but I'll be prepared, just in case it does. Praise God for good attitudes and hotel beds!

"Big Bang"

I loved him, he didn't love me, he finally told me (big bang) and stopped it all. Now we are friends. Gee, thanks. We can never have too many friends (this is me rolling my eyes)

" "

I have nothing to say today. Either my mind is blank or I have so much going on in there that I have just shut down. I'm approaching my habitual conundrum again. "The boys weekend away". Its a love hate thing. I so need the time "off" and I so hate them being away and I miss them so much, that I am sad. Everything is a little more depressing when they are not around; shows, books, church, laughing even food. Before the "Big Bang" I had "him" to look forward to and I could deal with it so much better. We'd have nothing planned but would end up doing lots of stuff. Catching up on shows, driving here, driving there, bowling, planning, talking, cuddling. It was just nice. Every moment I am in that house alone, my one official job is to keep my mind off of that. Now that there is no "him" and I realize that I really hate being home alone. I stay locked in my room hiding from the mound of clothes waiting for me to sort. Or playing dead to the ton of dishes I have to wash or just the general crumbs that boys seem to acquire lurking about.
Where do these crumbs come from? Pockets? Book bags? Corners? Where?! Anyway...
Until next time...

I know it's not Monday buy hey...

Post Christmas. Tree down. CHECK. Decorations away. CHECK. Toys have a home. CHECK. Pine needles up...ah, not quite. Three checks and a not quite. Pretty good. For Christmas I received a life long dream. A Crock Pot! Oh how I long to have sumptuous one-pot wonders. Steamy warm comfort food. Saucy things to make you think of Mama or covers, footed PJs maybe. Onions and carrots. Beef and gravy. Juices to sop. (OK, I'm back). Since I opened that beautiful piece of machinery, I have been on the hunt for recipes. However, being a single mom, I'm also looking for something to fit the ingredients I already have on hand. I run across this dish that would mean only one trip to the store to buy only 2 ingredients. Pepper Steak! No! Not that wonderful stuff you get from the Good East down the street with paper lanterns hanging about. But a number with black peppercorns and dijon mustard with a rather strange addition. Cream of celery soup. Now being an optomistic, I really think that perhaps this will turn out good. I'm hoping for a "but surprisingly, it was really very good" sort of a story. My hopes started to dry up when I got home last night after only about 4 of the 10 hours of cooking were completed. My littlest one says "EWWWW! Mama what is that stink?", to which I replied, "Don't say ewww, that's your dinner tomorrow". We all wanted to see what I may have conjured up in my, dun-dun-dun-duuunn:Crock Pot! As soon as I peaked into that pot I quickly shoved them off to bed. No need to see what I see and have everybody sick! It was horrible. The famed (or infamous) soup was dried on the top of this mound of sweating beef surrounded by droopy onions and odd looking carrots! I lifted the top to stir it up and a cloud of funk came wafting out. It smelled like it should have come off of a 14 year old on the soccer field! So, being a romantic and still looking for a "but surprisingly, it was really very good" story. I begin to stir. The greasy pond scum was supposed to be my dinner!?!?!? Well, maybe it'll all come together after it's all done.
Well, this morning I couldn't wait until I could see my wonderful pepper steak. You all will be happy to know, and I'm pleased to report that I have made the most appealing, warm, flavorful, kibbles and bits you could imagine! The dried up pieces of beef would make any Fido or spot proud. And what dog doesn't like gravy?
Now all I have to do it get a dog...