On the importance of reading labels...

So, GolfDad calls me at about 5:30 this afternoon. His voice sounds a little weird, and he says that his BigBrother1 told him that he had to call me.

Oooooookay, why is that, GolfDad?  Well, it's because when his arthritic knees were achy and bothersome this afternoon he took some acetaminophen. He's grouchy about the acetaminophen; he says it doesn't work for crap, but given that he's having hip replacement surgery on Monday, ibuprofen is currently banned (and will be for six more weeks while he's on blood thinnners - oh, joy). The crappy acetaminophen doesn't work for crap, so he takes some more. Hmmmmmmmm, he's feeling kinda strange.

BigBrother1 calls right about then, and informs GolfDad that he "sounds like he just drank a pint of whiskey." GolfDad says "Nuh uh" and then looks at the bottle of acetaminophen. OOOOOOOOOOOPS, he just took an overdose of the NIGHTTIME acetaminophen! Hence, the feeling way groggy and sounding slurry. BigBrother1 insisted that GolfDad needed to call me so I could come over and check on him.

Which, of course I did after stopping at Maverik to fortify myself with a giant a giant dietCoke - elder-tending requires such measures.  Mrs. Igor has the phone number for the state's poison control programmed into her phone, which she gave to to me when we passed in the driveway.

Arriving at GolfDad's he was cooking his dinner and seemed basically alert. He showed me the bottle (pictured above), and indeed - it's the bright blue pills indicating PM formula. I called poison control, and after a few questions, they assured me that aside from the grogginess, GolfDad would be fine.  They will even call back later tonight to make sure all is well.

So here I am, keeping company with the over-doser for the next little while, just in case.  No prob, we're talking real estate and stock market and what's available on streaming Netflix, and I'm glad to do it!

Nearly Wordless Wednesday 7/28/10

Lazy summer Saturday afternoon...

Maybe some explanation is needed:

On the couch, we have Nephew who's on the computer, stacks of folded laundry on the back, and apparently some Play-Dough and the associated tools.

On the floor is Niece, surrounded by the accouterments of various art and dress-up activities. I think there is a dog or two back in the shadows.

In the background on the dining table is a white plastic laundry basket filled not with clothes, but rather with produce from the weekly Bountiful Basket haul.

The curtains are drawn on the south-facing windows, because it's approximately one-hojillion degrees outside.

And that is the scene here.

Teaching Tuesday

I had a Ten Things Tuesday post ready to go, except for some photos I wanted to add. However, due to a camera FAIL that post won't be happening today. It was a post about school, so I'm going to direct you to a substitute school-related article instead.

EVERYONE needs to read what this Florida teacher has to say about the state of our profession and what it means to be an educator in today's world. Teacher friends, I know you will relate! Non-teachers, please read this and understand that this IS our reality!

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Dessert Nirvana

This afternoon I made a simple, delicious peach cobbler and tonight we gobbled it up with fresh whipped cream - soooooooooooo good!

You don't have to subject yourself to that spray stuff or the creepy, waxy frozen chemicals known as "whipped topping." It's NOT hard to make real whipped cream, and believe me, the taste and texture difference are incredible!

Real Whipped Cream:

• 1 - 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla for each 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for each 1 cup whipping cream (this is my preferred ratio; adjust to your taste depending on desired sweetness)

1. Chill a metal bowl and the beaters from your hand mixer/the whisk attachment from your stand mixer in the fridge until ice cold.
2. Remove bowl and beaters/whisk from fridge and pour in whipping cream.
3. Beat on HIGH until just before stiff peaks form - you want little, soft peaks at this point.
4. Add vanilla and powdered sugar.
5. Beat again stiff peaks form. DON'T over-beat or your whipped cream will get clumpy and butter-ish!
6. Use on top of your favorite dessert, and be prepared to NEVER buy the canned/frozen stuff again!

Monday Meme

As always, thanks to Mrs. Chili for providing good stuff to steal (which she, in turn, steals form others...)


1. What is your favorite color?

PURPLE, always purple!

2. Have you ever slapped someone?

Not that I remember. Slapping seems so petty and gratuitously violent.

3. Is your hair curly?
It has quite a bit of natural curl and wave… and some "cowlicks" in inopportune places.

4. What was the last CD you bought?

Physical CD? NO idea! Possibly "Supernatural" by Carlos Santana. I've been an all-iTunes girl for quite awhile now.  I think the last full album I bought on iTunes (that wasn't kids' music for school) was the "Hope for Haiti" compilation.

5. Do looks matter?
Truly, no. Cleanliness does though!

6. Could you ever forgive a cheater?

What type of cheating?  I have dealt with certain types as a teacher… as for the more intimate variety, I don't know.  That's hard to predict or imagine.

7. Is your phone bill sky high?

No, though I think we're being robbed blind by the landline phone company.

8. Do you like your life right now?

Yes, except for the lack of my mom, which I still feel acutely.

9. Do you sleep with the TV on?
Our ritual is to get in bed, set the TV timer for 30 or 60 minutes, and watch an episode or two of "King of the Hill" (which we TiVo daily).  We pause the TV to comment and chat, and then snuggle up and drift off when the TV timer turns off.

10. Can you handle the truth?
I hope so. I try to.

11. Do you have good vision?
No, terrible. I have worn glasses since age 8 and contacts since age 16. Lately I seem to need reading glasses on top of my contacts... depressing.

12. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people?
I try to avoid that type of negativity. I am "processing" some very angry feelings toward one individual right now (don't worry, it's none of YOU), but hope to reach a place of closure soon. Yes, I know, that was very…. "something"-sounding.

13. How often do you talk on the phone?
Daily. Not my favorite pastime, but it's part of life, so there ya go.

14. The last person you held hands with?
Mr. Mamie, often!

15. What are you wearing?

Black t-shirt, charcoal gray knit skirt, black flip-flops.

16. What is your favorite animal?
Aside from Beagle and Laprador? Penguins!

17. Where was your favorite picture taken?
Zion National Park, May 1, 2010: The "foot picture" from when the Mamies got hitched!

18. Can you hula hoop?

Sorta. Kinda. Maybe.



19. Do you have a job?

1st grade teacher and university adjunct instructor.

20. What have you most recently bought?

A cold, delicious fountain diet Dr. Pepper.

21. Have you ever crawled through a window?

Not that immediately comes to mind, but it's entirely possible that I am banishing such an event from my active memories!

Pioneer Day 2010 Fireworks

I love taking pictures at night - the effects are so interesting! Here are some shots from last evening's fireworks.

SuperGeek (Mr. Mamie's cousin)

Mr. and Mrs. SuperGeek - they're newlyweds, so they're all aglow!

Mrs. Igor, "chillaxin!"

 

Niece and Nephew, waiting for the fun to start.

 

 Nephew in repose.

 

Mrs. Igor tosses one out.

 

Flash, bang, smoke!

 

Sparkle-time!

 

 Now that's some action!

They're lighting something on fire....

 

 Happy, glowing house!

Sunday afternoon at Chez Mamie

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Pioneer Saturday

I seem to have fallen off the bloggy bandwagon (again)… oh well, climbing back on and picking up where I left off…!

It’s a holiday weekend here in our intermountain west state – Pioneer Day! Pretty much just another excuse to hang out on the patio with feet in the wading pool, eat tons of yummy food, and light things on fire.

Mr. Mamie’s cousin SuperGeek (SG) and his wife Mrs. SuperGeek (Mrs. SG) arrived yesterday afternoon to spend the long, hot weekend with us here in the southern part of the state.  Last night we ate big ol’ spaghetti dinner which featured this delicious sauce served over organic, whole wheat spaghetti. I increased the tomatoes and spices and added a pound of spicy organic chicken sausage – delish!  We also had a double-batch of Italian Cheese Bread, which came out perfectly. A giant salad made my Mr. Mamie rounded out the dinner, along with a German chocolate cake (from a box) made almost entirely by Niece.  Mrs. Igor, Nephew, Niece, and GolfDad joined us, making nine for dinner. Afterwards we watched half of Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity before everyone conceded defeat and fell into bed.

Mr. Mamie and I were up early this morning (7:30 FELT dang early!) so that we could pick up our Bountiful Basket.  It was a great haul today: 8 ears of corn two huge tomatoes, a bag of Yukon Gold potatoes, two heads of brocoflour, a head of green leaf lettuce, 20 or so peaches and plums, a bunch of bananas, a small pineapple, a small watermelon, and a large bunch of red grapes. I still find it absolutely amazing that we get all that for $15!  We also paid $21 extra for a flat of blueberries, which was twelve 12-ounce containers.

I used one of the containers of blueberries to make a double batch of sour cream blueberry waffles for breakfast.  The five adults in the house ate them ALL, to the disappointment of Niece and Nephew who arrived about a half-hour after we had polished them off.  The rest of the blueberries are getting frozen on trays and then poured into big Ziploc bags for use in waffles, smoothies, cobblers, etc. for the next few months.  SO GREAT to have fresh-frozen fruit available!  We still have OOODLES of strawberries from the flats we bought a while back, as well as some peaches I cut up and froze.

After gorging ourselves on waffles, I got some chicken, lime juice, and chili powder plopped into the crock pot for tonight’s dinner, made an angelfood cake, and cut up strawberries to macerate in sugar for dessert.  Once the SGs had showered, we all (SGs, Mamies, and kids) headed into the Village to buy pop for GrandmaT and the kids at the grocery store and fireworks at the stand outside.  We managed to get away from the fireworks place only $35 poorer, though Nephew and Mr. Mamie could have easily spent double that.  It’s overcast and windy right now, but hopefully things will improve by later tonight so that Mr. Mamie and SG can do their pyromaniac thing in the street in front of the house.

After relaxing for awhile and watching the second half the Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity, the SGs and the Mamie headed into the Big Town for lunch at a local favorite.  We had a delicious pizza lunch and a good time telling and listening to stories about Mr. Mamie’s/SG’s childhood (their mothers are sisters) and about the foibles of their various relatives.  As a bonus, one of my best teacher friends and her family came in and were seated at the table next to us.  As much as I love to cook, it’s nice to go out and let someone else do the work sometimes while we sit back and enjoy!

Home again to another round of Jeff Dunham (Christmas special; LOVE "Jingle Bombs" and "Roaskill Christmas"!) while I blanched corn and made dough for cinnamon rolls (tomorrow’s breakfast).  Mr. Mamie is now napping, and while I wouldn’t mind joining him, it’s a little late in the day – I might never get up!

Looking forward to another fun evening… holiday weekends with family and friends are the best!

BTW - yes, I know Jeff Dunham is not particularly "politically correct."  He is, however, pretty dang funny, and his ventriloquism and puppetry are AMAZING!