Wordless Wednesday - First Day of the Last Year

Me: Rey, are you happy Senior Year is starting?

Rey: Hell ya!

Another beginning to the end... (tears...)

Cricut Circle Sisters' Fall Blog Hope and BLOG CANDY!!!!

First of all... let me say... I'm not a Circle Sister. I can't participate in their challenges because, well... I'm not a member of the Cricut Circle (an EXPENSIVE and elite club of Cricut Members sponsored by ProvoCraft). I just can't afford it. And that's okay. But still... I get to look at these fabulous creations by some of the members, and I swoon. I wish I were a Circle Sister.

Today (Saturday, August 27, 2011) began their Fall Blog Hop. And boy oh boy! Is it HOPPING! So many awesome projects to be found, and a lot of nifty little tips - tips that I'm favoriting as I hop along and storing them in my head as well to use in the future. They are also using LOTS of Cricut carts that I never really thought of using, and now... um... yeah... I'm thinking I might need them! (hahaha! NEED!!!!) Yes, I'm grinning in a wildly ferocious, fearsome grin, thinking of all the wonderful things *I* could do if I had these cartridges in my hands (on my Gypsy!).

So... here's the breakdown...

We begin with Kristen at Fantabulously Pink. She starts the Fall hop with a bang and a great give-away!

Then, we follow to Michele who makes an awesome fall home decor piece. She also has blog candy...

Roberta was next, but she didn't have her Hop post up yet (I'll go back again and check later...)

Well, I don't want to ruin the talent for you, or the excitement, so... I'll just re-direct you to Kristen's blog, where you can start your hop on your own. I'd like to thank all of these ladies for participating. It certainly kept me going (and my dishes from NOT getting done...) on a super-dee-duper HOT Saturday night (it got to 109 here!!!).  By the way, there are TWENTY-THREE entries. So... if you have some time on your hands, or even if you don't you should check each and everyone of these ladies out, as they have tons of stuff to show you.

And also... some of them have even MORE friends that have blog candy, so you really should check out their links, as well! Check out some of them HERE:

Chris at ChatterScene is giving away a Scrapbooking with Cricut book for her 400-follower-giveaway. September 1st is the deadline, so you'd better hurry. It's a great prize! She's got lots of great projects, and a forum, too! Seriously... go check it all out!

Have a great Saturday night/Sunday morning. Hope those of you in the East stay safe and dry and hoping that Hurricane Irene passes you by...

Feed Me Friday!!! A Recipe for My Special Rub...

And it's hotter than heck here... over 100 degrees! Whew! We're kinda sweltering, but hoping that our fellow countrymates survive Hurricane Irene. Cheers to you over there!

But, we're barbecuing this weekend! And pork ribs (with my special rub!) are on the menu...

It took me TWO years to get this just right, because I'm that picky! But it was worth it... I love it, my hubs loves it, my whole family loves it, and every time my hubs takes some to work for lunch, he always gets asked for the recipe.

Well folks... it's not a secret, and I aim to share, but... please do not sell it or make a profit off it, because... that wouldn't be fair.

Please note: I use light brown sugar and I grind my own spices, making them extra special fresh.

Lisa's Sweet N Spicy Rub N Grub

3/4 c. brown sugar

2 T. chili powder (just powdered chilis, NOT the preseasoned chili mix!)

2 T. ground cumin

2 T. garlic powder (I'd use fresh, but it would be ultra sticky!)

1 t. ground black pepper

1 T. onion powder (I grind up dried onion flakes for a little more texture)

1 t. fine sea salt (gives it a *special* taste)

1 t. ground cayenne pepper (more or less, depending on your taste buds... the sugar balances it out)

1 T. paprika (I prefer the smokey Spanish-type, but go with whatever gets your gusto)

(recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, or however many 'led you wanna do. just put the leftovers in an air tight canister AWAY from heat)

Mix it all together (I thread it through my fingers and crumble the grains between my fingers [clean hands, of course!] to get most of the lumpy bumpies out and make sure that it's really all smooth and as consistent as possible.). Rub it all over your meat GENEROUSLY. Massage the stuff in, and leave it with quite a bit on top that still sticks to it. Let stand at room temp about 30 min (while your coals are getting ready). Spray foil with cooking spray (I use olive oil cooking spray). Wrap the meat up semi-loosely, leaving room for steam, but not too much, and crimp the edges of the foil (if you used two pieces do it all over, if you used only one, then at each seam), sealing it well. Your coals (or grill) should be about ready, and move them over to one side (or turn off one side gas burner). Put the meat over the unlit side, close the lid, and let it slow cook for 1 hour, then flip it, and do the same thing (be sure to check your heat source every once in a while to make sure it's still good!). Carefully take off the foil (there will be LOTS of juices... you can try to salvage them and make a sauce* or just let them go and give off steam, but DO NOT open it over the flames and put out your heat source. you're NOT done yet!) and place your meat over the DIRECT heat (the flames/coals... whatever) for 10 minutes each side to get the grill marks and finish it off. Let your meat rest covered (I use a turkey roaster) for 10 minutes, then carve and serve.

*If you'd like to make a sauce with your rescued juices, simple get them into a sauce pan and simmer them over med heat until syrupy. Makes for finger-lickin' goodness! MMM... mmm... YUM!

This is especially great with pork ribs (spareribs are better than country style) or even a roast. I love it with beef and chicken, too... and it's pretty great on veggies. Have a great grub!

Mama Kat's Losin' It Writing Prompts: 1.) A mom fail moment.

First of all... I'd like to say to you (and have you realize) that I have a lot, and I mean a lot of mommy fail moments. Don't know what these are? Um... right... In case you're serious (which I doubt...), a mommy fail moment is that moment when you realize that YOU as a mommy (or other parental-type) failed. You or your kid did something bad (or just not good or rude or...) and you realize it's your fault because the example you set wasn't so hot.

If you don't have a lot, or at least some, then you should write a book. And the rest of us would buy it, because... we want to see how to raise your child perfectly. Uh, huh. Yeah...

Anywho... it was hard for me to pick just one. ONE that wouldn't totally embarrass my kids. ONE that wouldn't totally embarrass me. ONE that wouldn't be judged so harshly (because we have those, too!). ONE that I really didn't mind blogging about. It was really hard. So... here goes!:

The Fart Fairy

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away... a little girl was passing gas (quite a lot) on an ordinary Springtime Day.

The girl was super sad and felt rumbly in her tummy; she didn't like the way it smelled. It made her feel crummy.

Her loving mother assured her to all beings it was inherent and that the smell wasn't quite always apparent.

And so her mother sat her down and told her a fairy story... full of breaking wind and all the glory.

Of witches, goblins, fairies and fairy dust, the tale cast a spell while the little girl fussed

And pouted and cried and shouted

But then her mommy told her about the Fart Fairy... a wing-ed chubby chick, who was slightly hairy...

Who came in the night and waved her wand, taking farts from all the children as they yawned

While they were sleeping, she'd poof them out and take the gas to prevent the children from weeping.

The girl laughed and giggled, guffawed and wiggled

And wanted to hear more... Her mother was just happy that she was back to before

To happiness and peace in the air; previously she'd thought she'd pull out her hair!

And so it goes... that every time the young girl farted, the giggling fits and laughing started

And then one day, she went to school and there was nothing in the golden rule

About not farting, not passing gas, and when the children gathered in mass...

Someone tooted! They all laughed and made awful an awful joke, then the little girl up and spoke...

"Don't worry, I guess the Fart Fairy didn't visit you last night. Don't worry. Sleep tight tonight and all will be right.

The Fart Fairy will come. She'll wave her wand and take your farts away. And when she does, you won't have much gas that day."

Needless to say, the mommy has had many teachers and parents calling and asking lots of questions where EVERYBODY mentions...

THE FART FAIRY

The moral of the story? Be careful what you stories you share. They go around. Any time. Any place. Any where...

And that, my fellow failing friends (or non-failing!) is a Mommy Fail Moment! Ta-da! and should you want to check out what others wrote about, or join in yourself, please check out Mama Kat's Losin' It. We'd love for you to share, too!

Wordless Wednesday: Woohoo!!!

Woohoo!!!

This was a fun little experience!

1) I'm afraid of heights, and getting WAYYY up there on the green-screen mannequin was SCA-RY!

2) The disc wasn't ready when they said it would be... and then they couldn't find it.

3) Printing them ala Walgreen's was a bitch. (See details HERE!)

If you'd like to join in the fun... link up and see fun pics, too! It's a hoot and it'll get you revved up for (what I prefer to call it) "slump day". And if you'd like to see what I do on "other" days, check this out! Have a great Wednesday! (and check out my haiku challenge poem from today, too!)

Write a Haiku Weekly Challenge - Back-to-School

My kids returned two weeks ago, exactly, to be exact, so... thought I'd play along with this new challenge. For fun!!!

Back to School

Time on my hands, not enough

There is no Free Time

Not enough "ME!" Time, Oh Why?

Yeah, I know... not "really" about back-to-school, but it is... ya know? It seems that since the kids have been back, my life is CRAZIER!!! Flying everywhere, and doing everything. *sigh* but... all in the name of love of the kids that have gone back. We'd do anything for them!

You can play, too! Write a haiku! First line = 7 syllables + Second line = 5 syllables + Third line = 7 syllables. Let's see what you can do! Thank you, Mommie Daze for prompting this challenge. Made me think a little. Link up yours to hers (she started it!). And then... check out my Wordless Wednesday pic... fun, fun... all in the middle day...

Tip-sy Tuesday - Tips from the Photo Printing World

My Monday Mojo is running a tad late this week. I think I left it at Walgreen's yesterday...

I had ordered prints for my "California Project" (this week's DT Challenge), and had "issues" at the above-noted establishment.

Let's start at the beginning...

I uploaded online. I always do. Usually, I have them mailed to me, because... *sigh* I'm not a "glossy" person. I'm a "matte" person.

Glossy just attracts things. Things like fingerprints. Things like dust. Things like GLARE when you're trying to take pics of them. And glossy just can't be played with as much (i.e. coloring with markers, pens, paint... whatever...) without being totally obvious and taking away from the effect.

So matte is my fave. I love to play with my photos, both in PhotoShop (I have two programs!) and the more traditional way, the manual way... where I can do it myself.

But Sunday night, I ordered prints to pick up at the store, and they only do glossy in the store. No bigsters. Ok.

I went to pick them up after working in the kindergarten class yesterday morning (around noon'ish). They did not have my order. They had nothing. It didn't show in the queue. Um... WHAT? And so... being the SmartPhone that it is, I whipped out my trusty cell phone and got on the dang internet. Whew! (I looked really tech-y, I'm sure!) Logged in... and it had me at an order continuation page. Um... yeah... It told me that my available time was no longer available. Meaning? I had to resubmit my order! Seriously? And then it happened AGAIN! Ugh! Finally, it went through... ok.

TIP #1: ALWAYS check to make sure the order went through before going to bed for the night. (a confirmation screen must be seen!!!)

The order confirmation page told me my pics would be ready in an hour. The tech said give me 15 minutes. And then he went on his 15 minute break? (So not my day!) And so... I'm sitting there. I've already browsed the store, picked up a couple-a school supplies that were steals.. um... DEALS! and perused the alcohol (did you know that there is a chocolate red wine imported from Holland for $12.99 a bottle..? not sure about that one...), came back and sat on a stool waiting. And I waited more... (it's air-conditioned, ya know? and it was well above 95 outside...).

A manager came and asked if I needed help. I told said manager that my prints were going to be done by noon, and she informed me it was AFTER. WHAT?? uh... and so... she looked in the queue, printed out the pics, and stopped. She informed me that she could not let me take the 5x7 photo I'd ordered. She said it was copyrighted.

Yes... I told her. I know that. And I paid for the copyright. (It is a Sea World photo, with all of us on Shamu... no jokes, please...) She said she'd have to see the copyright release. Ok... and so, I wasted gas and went back home to get the CD.

And I came back. I handed her the CD. She told me she didn't have a way to "read" it. Seriously... Ok, well, can't we just put it on the kiosk thingamajiggy and read it there. Only the kiosk only accepts photos and videos she told me. (I'm sure my eyes were rolling to the back of my head at this point, and I really didn't care if she saw me do it or not, but the folks at Sea World assured me I would have NO problems, that photo places knew about the discs and copyrights... and here I was... over 1 1/2 hours from the time my pics were supposed to be ready! AND! the fact that duh... she could've probably viewed it on the screen anywho...) *huff* and so... I went back home, as it was closer than the Kinko's she suggested (and cheaper, too!) and printed the dang thing.

TIP #2: When in doubt, print it out (if you believe you may have a copyright issue).

And I came back... again... Apparently, there's some peeps out there who are so frickin' desperate that they fraudulently print the copyright doc, as well, because... she tried to tell me I could've just done that myself. (Guess who was getting a call later that afternoon? uh yeah... Corporate Walgreens!) But then... the printing operator came back and showed her the copyright page with the THEME PARK EXCEPTIONS! and handed me my items (without even an apology) and sent me on my pissy little way.

Yes, I did call. That phone call took another 20 minutes and made my day much brighter. I'm that kind of person. Bad customer service and harassing customers, especially from management, deserve a phone call (and not the good kind). On the upside, after huffing and puffing and ruffling my feathers (wait... I had to pull my panties outta the bunch!)... I ended up with a hefty (read: FREE prints!!!) discount the next time I order in store (like I'll ever be doing that again!).

TIP #3:  If you have a problem, let people know. If they can't help you, take it to a higher power... and so on...

And so, my steam and my mojo were well spent at Walgreen's... (hopefully, it'll come back soon!)

I'd show you the pic in question, but I'm saving that little tidbit for tomorrow...

How did the rest of my day go? um... let's just say... (not a photo printing tip... sorry...)

TIP #4:  When putting loads of cooked beans (pinto or other) into the fridge, do not put them in one of the throw-away containers like Glad. The lid comes off and someone may have to clean the floor!

So... here's hoping you all find yourself some useful tips. Thanks for your awesome comments, and I hope to be using them soon! And... have a great day! Remember... it could be worse...