Upside Down Cats

Deciding to have a baby is a monumental affair! Adding a baby to the mix changes the dynamics of established relationships within the family, routines and schedules. As the arrival of a baby is anticipated, mental and physical preparations are made so that when the little one arrives, everything and everyone is ready to accept the joys - and responsibilities - that go along with him or her...

I know this is not news to anyone who has a family...

Continue reading "I'm Expecting A Baby...Tomorrow!" »

I'm honestly not sure if today's installment should be titled Too Cute! or Too Sad...!

A five-year-old girl in my daycare saw the Spicy Barbecue Chicken Wings - left over from the previous night's dinner - that I was eating with my lunch. She asked what they were, then asked if I got them from a restaurant. I told her, "No, I cooked them myself." (See, I told you we ate last week, even if I didn't post the menu here!)

She stood watching me eat for a couple minutes, then she asked, "How did you get the bones in them?"

Is it really possible that she has never seen chicken wings that didn't come from a restaurant? How sad would that be? I have previously ranted on the subject of children becoming increasingly disconnected from the food they eat. So I will spare you my diatribe...

But seriously...how can she not know that bones are not an addition to a wing...?

As I have mentioned before, sleep is one of my favorite things. The problem is, I never seem to get enough of it. Back in my dark days I began having insomnia problems...when you don't feel safe, it is difficult to reach a relaxed state in which to surrender to sleep...

In recent much-improved years I've battled through the insomnia and I consider my ability to regain control over my sleep one of my proudest personal victories. But when life gets stressful, or busy, or even run-of-the-mill it's not easy to get all the sleep I want and need.

This past Sunday we had absolutely nothing to get up for, so I slept late...not just late...11:30 late!!! (Gasp!)

You know that sleep-aid commercial (with the beaver, Abraham Lincoln and the scubadiver) that says, "If you can't sleep, you can't dream...?" Well, I have officially proven that...

The cats were confused by the fact that we just didn't get up, so they started getting a bit restless around 8 A.M., but it was such an indulgence to just roll over and not give them another thought. Somewhere around 10 A.M. I lapsed into a dream...the likes of which I've never experienced...

Continue reading "My Hippy Trippy Dream" »

Are you as horrified as I that I didn't post a What's Cookin'? last week...?! Fear not...be assured that we did indeed eat last week. I guess that posting the week's menu was one of the things that didn't get done when the lazy bug bit me last Sunday.

I'm back on track today, though, so here's some of the meals I've planned in advance to cook this upcoming week...

 

Steak Burgers, Onion Rings & Mixed Greens Salad

Orange Roughy over Pasta w/ Garlic Aioli & Cauliflower w/ Toasted Parmesan Breadcrumbs

Shrimp w/ Olive Oil, Garlic & Basil, Gnocchi with Marinara Sauce & Mixed Greens Salad w/ Fresh Mozzarella

Chicken Kiev, White Rice & sautéd Spinach w/ Garlic

Scrambled Eggs, Bagels, Grits & Bacon

Grilled Swiss Cheese Sandwiches on German Dark Wheat Bread, French Fries, Coleslaw

 

That's more like it...letting the world know what's going to be on our table!

There was a time in my life when just about everything sucked. I felt trapped in a violently abusive marriage, I felt my family of origin had betrayed me, I had no friends in whom I felt I could safely confide and we were drowning in debt. This was seventeen years ago in a land far, far away. Not one minute of my day felt safe...When was I going to be screamed at or hit by my first (and now - thankfully - ex-) husband? What was his tirade du jour going to be about? I was afraid to go to the mailbox for fear of finding a scathing letter from someone in my family. I was afraid to answer the phone for fear it would be a bill collector demanding payment. And when the doorbell rang...well, that was rarely pleasant either. I was suffocating in a miserable, lonely cesspool that continually closed in on me, squeezing the life and sanity out of me, minute by minute.

For a girl who, by my very nature, prides herself on keeping a handle on things, I couldn't have felt more desperately out of touch with myself...more out of control...

Continue reading "Regis, I'd Like To Use A Lifeline..." »

I took the day off yesterday.

Sure, it was Sunday, but I had things I felt obliged to do...grocery shopping, laundry folding and putting away, pan scrubbing, bill paying, blogging...you know, the essentials to life as we know it... These are also chores I find it difficult to do during the week when my days are busy and my hours run late.

And sure, it was freaking freezing here in Midwest Paradise...The high temperature here was 14 degrees. That's not really inspiring weather to leave the house!

Continue reading "Oh Great...Now I Have Guilt!" »

Our two-year-old cat, Cooper, is one of those cats who retrieves things for his people. He is fond of bringing me a sock, a sweatshirt, (clean or dirty...doesn't seem to matter to him) a shoe or a slipper. He also has an affinity for stuffed animals, which exist in great abundance at this daycare home. It is a common occurrence to awake to find that a Beanie Babies gorilla has mysteriously appeared in the middle of the living room floor...Not particularly harmonious with the rest of our decorating scheme!

Lately, he has become obsessed with a little stuffed blue bear wearing a red sweater. It is a decorative bear that is part of my Winter decor. Or, rather, that's what I thought. Apparently, Cooper has an entirely different idea of where the bear belongs...Several times a day, no matter how many times I return the bear to his basket of pine cones, Cooper drags him out! Sometimes he carries the bear to the middle of the living room, sometimes to the bottom of the stairs and sometimes all the way down to the daycare! One night in the dark my foot brushed against something soft in the middle of the upstairs hallway...the blue bear, of course!

Continue reading "Pondering Life's Mysteries..." »

It's been a while since any of my daycare children said anything that cracked me up, but our funny-drought ended this morning, so my Too Cute! feature returneth...

A little girl who will turn three years old next month was singing The Farmer in the Dell and this is what I heard...

"The farmer takes a life...!"

We've got to stop watching Law and Order at quiet time...!!!

I'm starting the week out right by getting the week's meals planned in advance. Here's some of what I'll be preparing at Chez Gina...

 

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches, French Fries & Mixed Greens Salad

Bratwurst, Onion Rings & Ramen Noodle Coleslaw

Linguini with Shrimp, Calamari & Scallops & Mixed Greens Salad

Chicken Breasts & Broccoli in Lemon Sauce over Rice Medley

Egg, Bacon & Cheese Bagel Sandwiches & Hash Brown Potatoes

Mexican-Style Steak with Cheese & Salsa on Flour Tortillas, Mexican-Style Corn & Red Peppers & Refried Beans & Tortilla Chips

 

That will keep us nicely fed this week!

Before we get any farther into the New Year, I would like to acknowledge some of the celebrities who passed away in 2007.

This is in no way a complete list of celebrity deaths...it is merely a list of those with whom I am familiar and will therefore miss at least a bit now that they are no longer here to entertain.

Since I am youngest in a large family, I was exposed to television and movies that were considerably before my time by my older siblings, parents and grandmother. I come from a family of TV and movie trivia buffs, too. These things must have rubbed off on me, explaining why so many of these older personalities are familiar to me.

I can't think of a better example to illustrate the depth of my trivial knowledge than the following list of deceased celebrities with whom I am familiar:

Continue reading "Farewell, Familiar Faces..." »