Dear Ice Cream Maker,

I'd compliment you by saying you are the best thing since sliced bread, but since sliced bread was introduced into the mainstream in the 1920's I'd have to say you are the best thing since, well pretty much any other kitchen appliance I have ever spent money on. Keep up the good work!

It's not unusual for me to talk to household items or food for that matter. That's why I could not stop telling this new flavor of sorbet how much I adored it:



Pineapple-Coconut 'sorbet'. There are not enough m's in Mmmmmm. I'm up in the air about calling it 'sorbet' because traditional sorbet does not contain milk or cream. I believe that is what separates it from sherbet. But either way, I will call it either because it's going to be a regular in my house! I used 'lite' coconut milk, pineapple juice, crushed pineapple (it gave it a GREAT texture), sugar, vanilla and vanilla soy milk. Oh, soooo good!

So far I have made:

Lemon-Blackberry Sorbet (not making again)
Peanut Butter Cup (made twice)
Coffee-Toffee (very good!)
Coffee-Nutella Toffee (not bad)
Strawberry frozen yogurt (delish)
Chocolate Sorbet (Mmmm)
Pineapple-Coconut Sorbet

I think I've gotten my money's worth!

Next up: Pumpkin Ice Cream (thanks for the idea, Mom Mom!) I'd like to try it with vanilla soy milk, maybe not substitute all of the milk/cream with it, but a majority of it I will try. I hope this isn't defeating the original purpose of trying to eat healthy!

Mason and I went to see Toy Story 3 yesterday and it was great! Those movies are just the best and this one didn't disappoint!

Lost.

No, not the insanely stupid show that somehow lasted 6 seasons, but lost in life. I'm not really 'lost', but sometimes I feel that way. Especially with all the current events of my life. You seem to think that your life is on one path and just as you get comfortable with how everything is moving along, you get thrown onto another path. This path is not as smooth as the pavement-covered one I was on. This new path is more of a hard gravel. You can't walk down it as fast. Is that a bad thing? Maybe. Maybe not. I'm 31 and still don't know 'what I want to be when I grow up'. I love my job now, it affords me a nice living as well as the flexibility needed when raising a child. But is it what I want to do forever? I don't know. I recently took a quiz online to see what jobs would best suit me, you know like the same quiz taken in 8th grade! Here are my results:


Career Aptitude Test Results

The career types most closely related to your selected attributes are:
(click on any of the careers to get more information)

Mathematicians
Political Scientists
Sociologists
Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers
Marriage and Family Therapists
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
Psychiatrists
English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary
Economists
Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

Um.Ok.No. Math?? Some, of these career options I could see. I could see the therapist career or the creative writing, but #1 going to school to be a therapist takes FOREVER (I have little to no attention span for school) and #2 creative writing? If I could only get paid for blogging! I suppose my attitude has a lot to do with it. If I REALLY wanted it, I'd go for it, right? That is what I am lacking, motivation. I don't like to be out of my comfort zone (who does?), but I was thrown so far out of my comfort zone months ago and I am adapting. I don't know what appeals to me and I am afraid I will never find out. So, while I am pondering all the career options out there that I would be suitable for, here's a funny LOLcat:





And how cool is this table? I'd love to do a scaled down version:

Round Two

So, just about 1/2 hour ago I had a nice long post about some new recipes, LOLcats and a funny story. But something happened and it's all gone. I'm bummed and I was just about ready to call it a night. But first I had to take my dogs out. Then I saw this:



My irritated state somehow drifted away when I saw this beautiful double rainbow. Unbelievable how amazing nature is. Not only is it so breathtaking, it made me smile and enjoy this very moment. No worries. Just a wonderful sight. Goodnight all!

The Fruit Market: Part Deux

Well, what an adventure it is to go the fruit market. If you remember from my last visit, I was run down by an old lady wanting the reduced produce. Well, I went again on Thursday and once again headed right for the 'reject' table. Yet another older woman (could have been the same one for all I know) was grabbing the veggie basket. I was bummed, but then just as I grabbed a basket full of bananas, she puts an eggplant from her basket into mine! Then another, I was thrilled! Well, this is when things turned, let's say, a little odd. Her husband was there standing right next to her, he looked like the kind of guy that rolls cigarettes into the sleeves of his T-shirts, but anyway he was none too thrilled that she was giving away the eggplant. Just as she was ready to give me a third eggplant (and the smile on my face was getting bigger with each one!) he grabbed her arm and pulled it back. With a voice the devil would be afraid of, he says, "Put that G-D eggplant back in our basket". WHOA. I was taken aback, was that necessary over an eggplant? So I said, "Geez. It's an eggplant" and was about to get on my way to the full priced produce and the woman looked at me and under her breath said, "I don't know why he wants it, he doesn't even like eggplant". So, clearly all he wanted was to get his money's worth. He didn't care if it was going to rot, he didn't want anyone else to benefit from getting an extra eggplant. Wow. I'd hate to see what he's like at home, but I'm pretty sure I have an idea. So, anyway I got two eggplants and then didn't know what to do with them. I brainstormed and came up with "Eggplant Parmesan Pizza". Rachel Ray always makes dishes that are two different meals and she turns them into one meal. So I decided to give it a try, with a less annoying voice. Now, this recipe was no 30 minute meal! I made the dough. I thinly sliced the eggplant and covered it with spices (basil, oregano, etc.) and then baked it for about 15 minutes until it got really tender. Took it out of the oven and sprinkled parm cheese on it. In the mean time I made my own sauce out of crushed tomatoes (thanks, Cherie!) and added spices. When it was time to assemble the pizza, I had a hard time getting the dough to be a round shape! So, I just went with whatever shape it wanted to be! Then I added the sauce, baked eggplant, mozzarella cheese, parm cheese and then topped it with Panko breadcrumbs (I will never use any other kind of breadcrumbs, ever! I love them!) for the 'crunchy' part without frying the eggplant. Yummy. Yum. Yum!!



It was delicious! I had no idea how far one eggplant would stretch, but two of them sliced up went a looooong way! So I had extra baked eggplant and Mason and I were just dipping it into the homemade sauce! It was so good!

Well, I can't wait to see what the next trip to the fruit market holds...

[Wise Words Wednesday]

“I’m a great believer in luck, and the harder I
work the more I have of it.” -- Thomas Jefferson

The Sun Is The Devil

I'm not shy about saying how I feel about the sun, I just don't like it. Maybe I was a vampire in another life, after all I am blood-sucking. So, now because I spent ALL weekend outside, I have sun burn all over my arms, neck and chest. OUCH. Not only does it hurt, it itches SO bad! I even applied the sunscreen multiple times throughout the day. We have a cook out to go to tonight and I hope the sun does a disappearing act! I can't wait to go get a cool shower to cool this down.

We went to a yard sale on Saturday and Mason found this:


It was brand new and one of those really high quality telescopes, for $10! Great find, Mason! So we put it together and went outside last night to look at the stars and couldn't see any! I never realized that looking through a telescope was something you had to learn! There are so many different lens, scopes and knobs that it's pretty confusing! I want to learn how to do it because I think looking at the planets and stars is going to be pretty cool!

Mason is watching Home Alone 2 right now! It makes me want to watch the first one, that movie never gets old to me! I like to watch it around the holidays. And while he is watching it, he's drinking pickle juice. Yes, you read that right.

Well, recipe #4 is ready to try in the ice cream maker! I have the batter chilling in the fridge and when I get home tonight I'm going to make it. I really should slow down because the freezer is well stocked with frozen goodies! This latest recipe is chocolate sorbet. Mmmmm. It is surprisingly easy! A simple syrup made of sugar, water and salt. I substituted half of the sugar with splenda and since it doesn't need to be baked or even cooked at a high temp, it will not lose it sweetness. Then sifted coco powder is whisked in. That's it. Then after it chills in the fridge for a few hours, in the machine it goes. Oh, I hope it's good!

I'm off to get ready for the cook out, there will be 'couples' there, I kind of feel out of place now because I am no longer a 'couple', but I will adapt. I miss doing the couple things because we were for awhile and I really enjoyed it. But, I will be part of a couple again someday and I look forward to that. I am looking forward to a lot of things in my future, 'couple' cook outs are just one of them!! I made angel food cake cupcakes to take with me. Should be fun!

Great Day For Some Ice Cream

Since it's been so hot this summer, we have been eating a lot of ice cream, popsicles and sorbet. So, that adds up, not only the money but the calories and preservatives. So, we went and bought an inexpensive ice cream maker! I did a lot of research on affordable, quality machines because my fear is using it once and then it becoming just one of 'those' kitchen gadgets that never get used. I figure it will pay for itself after about 10 uses. I want to be able to control the ingredients that go in as well as make creations all my own. The first recipe was a lemon-blackberry sorbet. I had all of those lemons from my fruit stand purchase, so I squeezed the juice out of them and then added some frozen blackberries to the mix. It turned out ok. I think it's too tart, I tried to limit the sugar as much as possible, but I think it could have used more. So, today Mason wanted peanut butter cup ice cream. The recipe calls for whole milk and heavy cream. I substituted 2% milk and light cream, the end result was VERY rich. I could only imagine what the full-fat dairy products would have been like! I think I'm going to play with that, because even though the light cream is 'light', there are still a ton of calories in it. I also want to make sure it freezes well, though. In the machine right now is a coffee-toffee ice cream, I made it myself, I figured once I figured out the 'basic' recipe I'd start creating my own, and this is the first non-recipe experiment! I hope it turns out! Yum. I want to try a fruit ice cream next, with berries. You can also make slushies in it, so that makes Mason happy!




Here is the handsome [no so little] guy! I swear, he changes everyday, he looks older everyday, he needs to slow down!


Summer means NO SHOES! Or at least flip flops everyday!


I can not wait to see this movie:

I love Toy Story 1 & 2, so I'm sure this one won't disappoint! I'll wait for a super hot day to take Mason so we can enjoy the cool air conditioning of the movie theater.

Ahhhh, This Is The Life...

85 degrees today and we were all geared up for the pool today! Mason's swimming shorts, to my surprise, still fit. So off we went, we were the second ones there, but it sure filled up fast! So, the pool was a little green, but they assured us it was only because of the rain water (??) and the umbrellas were not up, so my very fair skin got doused with 50 SPF, and I still think the sun got through it. As I walked by the lifeguard I heard her say, "59". So, I turned around and she was reading the temp of the water!! 59 DEGREES!!! Wow. Brrrr. So Mason, (eventually) made his way in, but very slowly!! I plan to go swimming this summer, in fact I can't wait to get into the pool, but not at 59 degrees! I put my legs in and got a whole new appreciation for the Polar Bear Club!


That was cold. I don't know how Mason stayed in that water for hours!
Mason 'dishing' with the girls: (HaHa!) I'm thinking he only went over there for the food??



Sweet face:



Don't let all these 'fun' pictures fool you. Behind that smile on Mason's face is a lot of pain. Pain he has trouble dealing with. Pain that will be with him forever. His mood can go from extreme happiness to extreme hatred, sadness and fear in a matter of seconds. It comes out when it's only us or on a rare occasion he will tell someone he trusts how he really feels. But it's mostly me who tries to help him deal with all of it, all of the tears fall on my shoulder and that's why I'm here. How could you hurt a child so bad, let alone your own. But this is mostly the face I see at home:



Grumpy. Sad. Mad. That's ok, though. I can handle it!

But I know someday he will, again, have more smiles and more happiness.

Here are some pictures that I took that I love the way they turned out. The outside, natural light gave these pictures a fantastic look:


Hamming it up.

Look how beautiful the clouds are.


He REALLY needs a haircut!

Here are some cool pictures that I took ;0):

A butterfly that was on the fence at Mason's game last night:


A bees nest under a picnic table at the pool (I didn't tell anyone about it because I was afraid someone would come over and destroy it, however, I doubt it's going to last all summer):



Well, I'm beat, a day in the sun will do that to you! Have a great weekend, everyone, I know I will!

Smile ;0)

On my way home from work today, I saw something that made me smile. I'm not going to elaborate right now, but it made my day! Much like seeing this LOLcat picture did the other day:



Great weekend ahead ;0)

More Field Trip Pics

I can't express how fun this day was! The weather was perfect and walking/talking with friends, seeing people that I hadn't seen in months, it was nice to catch up and socialize! I am so fortunate that I get to be here to enjoy this. I know some Mom's (especially single Mom's) just can't go to things like school field trips, so I just feel so blessed that I get to share this with Mason, even if I embarrass him with a camera stuck in his face all day long!! He likes to get his picture taken, though! Good thing!

Mason being goofy, during lunch he went and rode this baby ride by himself!!


Neither of us were ready for this picture!


Mason and his friend Carson:


Mason and his friend Chris:





Lunch:



So we are convinced that this 'game' has glued quarters in it. Some of them were 3/4 of the way off the ledge and did not fall, so we decided to take matters into our own hands by giving it a little "shake", (just a little)!



Then we saw this sign:



apparently we weren't the only ones who thought it was a good idea to shake it! What a great time, I can't wait to go back there this summer!

I wish I could sleep. I think I've gotten 7 hours of sleep in 3 days. It's making me grumpy, but I just can't sleep. I never watched so many infomercials in my life. Then there are nights were I watch late night TV, doze off, wake up, watch some more....I like to watch Forensic Files at night and sometimes I'll start an episode and wake up to the ending of a whole different episode and wonder how they are connected! Oh well. I'll catch up on sleep this weekend.

My Own Little Trickster

Ever since my room has been super-cleaned (no clothes piles, junk, etc. sitting in piles on the floor), Mason has been dying to hang out in there to watch TV. So, as I was going to bed the other night, I saw this:



it was stretched across from my bed to my dresser. I was thinking, "What the...heck is this?" Then, I proceeded to ask that very question to Mason. "Mason, what the heck is this?" Without an ounce of hesitation he says, "a trip wire, did I get you?" HA.HA.HA!! I love his imagination! He is so funny! I don't know, perhaps he had visions of the house blowing up as I clumsily tripped over the 'wire'! Who knows, but boys imaginations are awesome!! He cracks me up and never fails to give me quite a few laughs each and every day!

This was my dinner tonight:



It may be my breakfast, also! It was so delicious. Two slices of Ezekiel bread (7 grain), topped with cottage cheese, honey and blueberries and a side of cantulope. Mmmmm. Even though it wasn't that hot today, I am going to try to use the oven a little less this summer. I hate to heat it up sometimes, and I was reading one of my favorite blogs, CheapHealthyGood and this post made me want to try 'less energy foods' this summer. I really love this blog, so check it out!

WHY, WHY, WHY, I ask myself, WHY do I want to see this movie so bad???

[Grown Ups]


I know it's going to be stupid. I know it's probably going to be a waste of time. I know it's going to have extreme crude humor. I mean, it's got Adam Sandler in it, how much worse can it get. But, do the previews ever make it look hilarious! I love Kevin James, but paired up with all those SNL guys? I don't know. For some reason I want to see this, but I'm sure I will regret it! I'm torn, though is it really worth the price for the movies or wait for DVD? Decisions. Decisions.

I Can't Believe He Did It!!

Without much coaxing, just a pep talk about being brave, trying new things and not being afraid of the unknown, I got Mason to ride 'THE TOWER OF TERROR'. Ok, I know it's not called that, but when I rode it last year, I dubbed it that!!

First, he got on and buckled in and started to move up:



And Up:


And waaaaay up:


Then drop:


Look at his shorts! The strings are still in the air!

Then finally off the ride:


Wow! I have to tell you, I was very nervous when he went up there! I remember when I rode it the feeling of, "WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO" and then just wanting the ride to stop in mid air so that I could get off! Then, when it finally plunges to earth, you feel like you can't stop it and are going to go well into depths of the earth that no one ever should! But all of that feeling lasts 90 looooong seconds! But, I guess I was more worked up about it that Mason because he said that he'd go on it again when we go this summer! Yeah! I told him I'd ride it with him next time!!

I have many more pictures to share and stories about Mason's field trip, but today was one heck of a long day. I didn't sleep well last night and then we had the field trip all day and then had to rush home for Mason's baseball game! So, I am exhausted! I'll post some more later this week!

Teacher Gift

I had an idea for a Teacher gift, but sometimes things don't always turn out like what is in your head, so I went to Plan B:




I just went out to the store, thinking there would be no problem finding a nice potted plant to place right inside this plant holder, but nooooo, that would be too easy! Of course, I wait until the last minute for everything, so now I don't have a flower to put inside, so the gift is just going to have to wait one more day! I hope I can find a nice flower at another store tomorrow! It's June, one would think since we had a frost about 2 weeks ago and you can't plant flowers here until Memorial Day that the flowers would be plentiful. Oh well.

Here is the card that I made:



Oh and an update on the awesome find of horror movies, I have watched 4 of them, well, I should say 3 1/2 of them! One of them was so horrible that I couldn't even stand it, and that's bad!! I was really hoping that day that Killer Klowns From Outer Space was still on the shelves. But no such luck! I want that movie SO bad!!



I will own that movie someday!

Do You Know The Muffin Man?

Yes, he lives in my house. Mason the Muffin Man. Let's just say, to put it nicely and to keep things not so disgusting on my blog, that Mason needs a bit more fiber in his diet. So, I frequently get him the FiberOne Bars and recently we saw a box of FiberOne muffins in the freezer section of the grocery store. Banana Chocolate Chip to be exact. So, we buy them and at roughly $1 a muffin, I was expecting a WAY bigger muffin than what was in the box. So, he eats one for breakfast on Saturday, he said they were so good, he wanted another one. So, I let him. Little did I know that he had also eaten one of the FiberOne bars in between muffins. Oh. My. Gosh. Is all I have to say. Now, from experience I used to eat the bars because they were so delicious, but the consequence of eating one of these fiber-infused bars was so painful (like, hunched over in a ball painful) I no longer care to indulge. But back to the muffins, he ended up eating all 4 in 2 days, and at the price of the box, I'll give it a go at making these things myself, minus all the preservatives. I bought whole wheat flour, soy flour (which is loaded with protein, also) and I had on hand flax seed, chia seeds (omegas) and then loaded them with walnuts, mini chocolate chips, and bananas. I did use oil, but only 1/4 cup and replaced 1/4 cup with applesauce. YUMMY!! They got 2 thumbs up from Mason and I have to agree, they are delicious! It made about 28 muffins at a fraction of the cost of the FiberOne muffins and I feel better about eating these and giving them to Mason.

My Glorious Garden

Now last year, I wanted a garden sooooo bad. So I begged my former spouse to dig one up for me in the backyard so that I could plant my growing-out-of-control seedlings. I had tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, squash, pumpkin, sunflowers, etc. all started and ready to provide a summer's full of fresh produce. Then he got the shovel, all ready to dig, and within about 10 minutes (I may be stretching the time by about 8 minutes) he gave up. It was too much to build a garden. So all my seedlings died (not that I was guaranteed successful crops anyway with my black thumb, but...). I was promised a garden this year, tilled with a borrowed tiller. I couldn't wait to get some plants in the ground and not have to pay grocery store prices all summer long. So, you ask, how is my garden, now?? Well, here it is:



...


...


...






Yep, a container of cabbage and a small pot of basil that I am nursing back to health. Oh, don't forget about the Topsy Turvy. That should provide enough tomatoes for the the summer anyway. Oh, promises, shomises, who needs them anyway? I suppose he promised me a lot and in the end, what do I have to show for it? Maybe a head of cabbage.

Best. Lunch. Ever:



Grilled peanut butter/marshmallow sandwich on Panera bread with sweet potato fries. 'Nuff said!

Looking forward to tomorrow, Mason has a field trip and I can't wait to go!! What an awesome baseball game they had on Friday night, he is really proving himself this year, he has done so well and I am so proud of him!

/Mornings Are No Fun/

So, I'm very excited (and so is Mason) for summer to start. The final days are coming close, just days closer to being a 4th grader-WOW! My joy quickly turns to frustration when I think about the morning routine. Here is a sample of what I go through every morning:

6:15 am (after his alarm has been going off for 15 minutes)

Me: Mason, it's time to get up.
Mason: uhhh, k.

6:20 am
Me: MASON, you have to get up for school, get dressed.
Mason: k, I'm getting up.

At this point I have come down stairs, gotten the dogs out, getting my lunch together and started to get myself breakfast.

6:35 am
Me: Mason...Mason...MASON??
Mason: Zzzzz...

6:45 am
Me: Mason, if you're not down here in 10 minutes, you're going to start losing privileges.
Mason: OK, MOM. Geez, I'm getting up.

Fast forward to 7:15 am
Me: [Walking up the stairs] I hope you're up and dressed...
Mason: Zzzzz

Then the next day, then the next....

Well, I was thinking there was going to be some relief this summer because he could sleep in and get some well deserved rest, however, this summer is different. Last summer I only worked 2 or 3 days a week. So, Mason could sleep until 2pm if he wished! But not anymore, I have to work all week, up early each and every day, and because I can't afford to send him to any camps this year, that means going to work with me. Bummer for him, his whole summer got flipped upside down, all because someone in his life doesn't have the 'warm and fuzzies' any more. I'm hoping he can have a normal-as-possible summer, but it's not going to be as fun for him as past years. This means more mornings like the ones above and because he LOVES to stay up late when there is no school, it's probably going to mean more struggles in getting him out of bed. I may have to resort to dragging him out by his toes! On the plus side, I'll get to spend quality time with him, but I know a 9 year old would much rather be at home, playing outside in the summer with his friends than riding in the car with Mom.

But, once he is awake, he is as sweet as ever!!



I stopped at a local fruit market, I love this one because they have a TON of fresh veggies and fruit and amazing prices. I got there as soon as they opened and I was going straight for the 'reject' table. All the poor fruits and veggies that didn't make the grade, but still taste as good as their presentable cousins, but cost WAY less. Well, apparently, I wasn't the only one who wanted to shoot straight for the bargain baskets. This woman, an elderly woman darted past me so fast, you would have thought there was a fire. I had my eye on the prize, a big basket full of eggplant, peppers, onions, garlic, etc. for $2.50. Well, as soon as I rounded the corner, she cut me off!! She WANTED that basket and nothing was going to come between her and the cheap veggies!! So, I settled for the fruit basket, all these goodies for $2.50:



{except for the peppers, I bought them separately}

3 grapefruits, a dozen lemons (have no idea what I'm going to do with all of them), 2 mangoes (not a fan, but Mason likes them), 2 tangerines, a tomato, mini onions (I guess that's what they are), apples and a nectarine. So, it was a good and cheap way to get some more fresh produce in the house even if I was run over by an old lady!!

I was having a bad day the other day, you know the whole I've-turned-31-and-my-husband-left-me-I'm-not-getting-a-gift-from-him-or-Mason-not-getting-to-celebrate-as-a-family thing, you know, everyone goes through it, so as I was driving I saw this (once again, I think it was meant for me!):



So, it made me smile. And my little Trails makes me smile, too ;0)




Here's to a great weekend...