Four things meme

Well I got tagged a bit ago from CuriousC. Here are my answers! Now if i did not tag you and you want to do the MEME well leave a message in the comments and i will be sure to come check it out!!  Have a good one!

4 places I go over and over:

(1)Work. over and over and over again, even when i have days off!
(2) Starbucks – yup the caffene habit is slowly making its way back!
(3) my mom and dad’s house.  Someone has to help watch these crazy boys!
(4) the water, any water, i love to look at the water!

4 people who e-mail me regularly:

(1) Kimmy
(2) sara
(3) junk mail
(4)new  job descriptions from different websites

4 of my favorite places to eat:

(1) Fugi Garden
(2) Mystic Soup Company
(3) WHYC in the summer
(4) Sandy’s Market

4 places you’d rather be NOW:

(1) On a boat somewhere warm
(2) Gernadine Islands
(3) Plopped on a couch watching a movie with friends
(4) asleep in bed

4 TV shows I could watch over and over:

(1) House
(2) Criminal Minds
(3) I survived…
(4) The Unit

4 movies I could watch over and over:

(1) Princess Bride
(2) Gladiator
(3) the wedding date
(4) willy wonka and the chocolate factory

4 people I hope will respond:

(1)   Dave
(2)  Beq
(3)  Mike
(4)  Jen

Food Friday: Red Velvet cake

I make this cake twice a year, christmas and for my dad’s birthday.  It is soooo good!!!

This week i made the cake, I have a few photos to share, but the first cake i made, stuck to the bottom of the pan and crumbled.  YUCK. being a four layer cake i had to make another.  So here is the recipe for my redvelvet cake.

RED VELVET CAKE

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter
1 1/2 cup Sugar
3 Eggs
2 ounces Red food coloring
2 tablespoons Cocoa — heaping
2 1/4 cups cake  flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 cup Buttermilk
1 tablespoon Vinegar

***Frosting***
6 tablespoons Flour
2 cup Butter (Not Margarine- you can tell the difference in the flavor).
2 teaspoon Vanilla
2 cup Milk
2 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Make a paste with coloring and cocoa and add to mixture. Add salt and flour with buttermilk and vanilla.  add soda and vinegar and don’t beat- just blend.

Bake in two 9-inch pans (greased and floured with cocoa powder) for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Layers may be split to make four using dental floss.

Frosting:

Cook flour and milk on low heat until thick. You must stir or whisk the whole time on the stove.  Careful not to burn!!!Then cool (I put it in the fridge for this.). Cream sugar, butter, and vanilla until fluffy.   Now i put the milk mixture in the bowl, whip.  Slowly add the butter and sugar mixture. Beat until mixture is like whipped cream. Spread on layers.
Now with all the excitment of having to bake two cakes, christmas and such i totally forgot to get a picture.  Then I thought i would take one when i took the cake to my aunts.  BUT they cut the cake before i could get a picture! so here is a picture courtesy of Betty Croker.

So there you have it!  My famous recipe!  LOVE IT!  What do you make every year?

Merry Christmas!

Phew, I escaped. I am alive!  i found the children!! of course it was not until i dug them out of the christmas wrappings and found them at the bottom, reading books, playing their new DS games, comparing loot or playing with new star wars!  It was all in all, a good christmas.  The boys this year got star wars toys, action figures, space ships, (dont ask which ones I have NO idea. see pictures, best i can do!)  I found my brother, was so excited about their presents, and he wishing he could be a kid again.

I figured i would share a few of the moments today….

here we have the calm before the storm!!…

Here Nathaniel is waiting to go down stairs to see what awaits him!  DS in hand just in case there is a new game under all that wrapping…

Even the dog could not wait to get downstairs!!…..

Happy faces coming down the stairs….

Nathaniel inspecting the new star wars ship!

Raymond looking at his new star wars figures! Jordan looking on….

Uncle John inspecting the new Starwars ship, he is dying to play with them all!

Raymond explaining his new game to Uncle John.  He is beyond excited! (look how tall he has gotten!)

Jordan arranging his new Pokeman cards!

The three boys opening a present from their great aunt, guitar hero for Wii

Nathaniel with the deer in headlights look….

Tomorrow is food friday, do i hope to write about my red velvet cake!  YUMMM!! and then i will have to tell you about the yankee swap, hysterical!, a purse, some lotion and tampons!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Memo listed as: Urgent Message….. your month has just raced by and this week is Christmas

Oh my  it has been days!  and you are still here! MY my my goodness. what a roller coaster of a month. I can hardly believe this week we will be celebrating christmas!

So my dad had a “man to man” talk with the boys.  He just could not take it any more.  He told them there was no Jolly old fellow climbing through anything eating and drinking your cookies.  That it was the spirit of giving.  A time to be with your family.  Unbenonst to me, i said a week after their little chat, so have you written a letter to santa.  i am sure he does not know what to get you unless you tell him.  Honest “Abe” aka Nathaniel, tells me in his quiet voice, “mommy, we know”  My heart did sink a little.  WHAT!! first thoughts were to hang on to it, then Raymond got into the mix.  trying to “shh” his brother.  I knew something was up… i calmly asked what they knew, Raymond pleading with Nathaniel to keep his mouth shut….well here it came.  the true story, grandpa had told them a week or so ago on the way to school.

I must say i felt a little relieved.  Finally this lying to the kids was over. phew. and they were very excited to keep the secret.  they understood what that meant! Hell two years ago, my dad told them about buying my mom a phatoen and they did not breath a word!!  I parked up the street, and when she walked down the stairs she could see her license plate on that new car!!  it was such a cool christmas and the kids were in on the secret!

Speaking of my mom she was devastated that the kids knew about santa, i think she wanted to hang on a little longer.  so we told teh boys that nana still believes and we need to keep believing for her!  they agreed and though it was cool they were in the back of the car hatching a plan on how they were going to make it a great xmas for nana!

well you all be proud to know i DID buy a christmas tree this year. Okay so it has been about six years maybe more since i have bought one! but my brother would always bring me his. I am just not a christmas person.  i will explain someday…..but i went with the boys, some road stand, with a fire pit, only reason we stopped.  I found the coolest tree.  it is about 5 feet tall!! i know it is small, i really wanted one that i could have planted in the ground, but they no longer had any. so i settled with this one.  (you know ecomonic hard times now, who knows where we will be next year i could have chopped it down for a second use!!) next time…..

Raymond decorated it!! with some help.  but lets face it he was in charge!!

Okay so the tree was finished and Raymond is so proud of it!  this makes me happy!!  Now how long will it stay up is the question??  we shall see….

oh did you get hit by the snow storm?  YEAH SNOW!!! BOOO SHOVELING SNOW!!  here are a few pictures from my house before i started to shovel us out!!!

Ahhhh well i am sure i have a few exciting stories to tell.  so rants to let go but tonight i am going to bed.  in hopes that my hand will be better in the morning. i feel on the ice while walking around mystic.  UGH i just do not have time to have it looked it.  we shall see….

Thank god time flies, as this too will pass

Phew, how long has it been?  So much excitement this time of year! So much happening! hard to believe we are half way through December!

well a few highlights:

• the boys had a “man to man” talk with my dad about Santa!  Raymond did not want to tell me he knew.
• bought two books, Where did we come from? and What’s happening to me? *giggle* OMG funny books but very good in answering questions
• been to the denstist mulitiple times, should have been a dentist, to bad i cannot stand other peoples teeths… YUCK
• finished christmas shopping except for my mom.
• changes at work, some good some very bad….
• jordan had his first concert in the band, he plays the baratone and it is as big as he is!!
• lantern light has seen Mrs. Palmer and Mr. Jennings out and about the town…and fooling around in the variety store with Mrs. Stillman!!

Okay so i hope to keep up a bit better on this blog, but man time is killing me!!  Thank heavens time does fly, as this craziness will pass!

Food Friday: No bake Oatmeal Cookies

So i will admit i am not a baker.  I would rather cook.  I think most people are either or.  Well when i was younger i found this recipe to be awesome.  I have been racking my brain for a cool recipe that is easy and good!! It is great to make with kids, not baking involved, a little stove top cooking.  They would make great christmas cookies too.

NO BAKE CHOCOLATE OATMEAL COOKIES

1 stick butter
1/4 c. cocoa
1/2 c. milk
2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla
1/2 c. peanut butter
3 c. oats

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except peanut butter and oats and cook over medium heat.

Let boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and oats.

Spoon out quickly onto wax paper or aluminum foil.

Cookies will harden as they set.

Enjoy!

Inhale…exhale…inhale…exhale…trying not to hold my breath

Holding my breath this week! phew it has been a crazy month.

emotions have been raw at work. the stress level has a bit overwhelming, but having an all staff meeting i have been able to exhale a little.

then  coming home to three boys that demand so much attention.phew and do they need attention and guidance.  I really do not know how other people do this!! never knew parenting could be this hard. they were so cute as babies and so easy, feed, water, clean and sleep.  easy. right?

did you know tomorrow is Friday?  i have been holding my breath.

I feel as if i have been all over the map.  swirling along…always landing home.  not always getting sleep. trying so hard to believe there is more than work.

Today was report card day.  I must admit, even as an adult, report card day is stressful.  I did so poorly in school.  It was not until college did i learn to read and comprehend.  i graduated with honors after getting the help i needed.

i know it may be hard to believe that i had a third grade reading level going into the 9th grade.  It was surprising to most, as i spoke well and could explain things i had heard but could not comprehend anything i read, hell i could not pronounce the words on the page. It was horrible.  i always wanted to make sure when i had children they would not struggle like i did and would receive what ever help it took.  I felt so misunderstood as a kid.  the things i did to get attention…oh boy…that is another story….. so report cards would come out and i would hide them.  i was ashamed.  i needed help then.  so it caused such stress in my family.

i still carry that stress. almost like an automatic response.  I held my breath as Raymond and Nathaniel pulled out their report cards.  Nathaniel as expected, still reading below average, but his effort and progress is good.  something to be proud of!

then Raymonds! OMG!  he had and extra sheet in there, it was a STAR Reading report, i had to read this a couple of times…it says he reads above average, he reads at a 5th grade 4 month level….

I had to ask him what grade he was in….he giggled and said “mommy you know i am in the 3rd grade”

Holy shit!  what a smart little boy!!  aww i am so proud.  they are not struggling like i did.  I worried when Raymond was younger, he had a prolapsed cord when he was born, sparing details, his cord fell out before he did cutting off his oxygen level), he was slow to walk, barely spoke and then when he decided to talk he stuttered so badly I worried he would never speak.  I got him tested, I received help, I read to them every night before bed.  Then he stopped on his own, now he talks a mile a minute.  sometimes going on and on and on…..He is a bit of a know it all, but believe it or not he knows a lot.  he reads everything in sight and will tell you what he thinks about it!

I am proud of all my boys.  I do not compare them as they are completely different creatures.

I can exhale a little.   i am hoping that by me not allowing tv on school nights, no video games allowed in the house and reading to them has payed off.  i just hope that i can get through puberty because let me tell you i have NO tricks up my sleeve for this one!  oh expect reading books about it to them and giving them as much information i can!  OH my i think i am learning a few things along the way!!

I will exhale a little. I am still holding my breath though.  it is not over yet!  off to fill in my xmas cards!!

Letter to my rude neighbor

Dear Next door neighbor,

Look if you have not noticed i am a single mom working full time barely keeping myself together.  I have three active little boys just as you do.  I notice you are married and have a nanny who speaks very little english and has two sets of clothing.  almost like she is a prisoner in your home. that is another story and none of my business.

I really do not care how you speak or treat your wife or kids.  Again this is none of my concern.  I really do not care what you do for a living. i do not want to be friends with you either.  I think you are irresponsible because driving home drunk the other night was stupid, and laughing about the fact you hit another car.  STUPID, what kind of example are you giving your children?

Now lets talk about the fact that you think your time is more important than mine.  This morning, i got my three kids out the door to go to school, mind you BY MYSELF and i was ready to go to work.  I needed to get to work today, but i plan my day around the fact the bus comes at 822am every morning.  I do not schedule meetings or appointments before this time. and if i do, i MAKE SURE i have someone to cover that for me.

Now i know when your nanny has the day off, how because your kids end up in my yard.  YUP ALL THREE OF THEM, they are little and need a bit more supervision i am willing to give. My kids are older at 8 and 10, i feel they can play in the backyard by themselves while i keep my eye on them doing laundry, cleaning, making a meal.  but when your children come over, 6, 4 and 2 i DO NOT have time to stop what i am doing and watch them.  BE A PARENT! watch your kids.  IF you have noticed i do not allow my children to come over when they want to.  They have to ask me, then i come and ask YOU. it is respectful that way.

oh right, this morning i have to tell you i was a bit pissed at what you did. You let your child walk to the bus stop by himself, six years old.  Thats fine you could watch him from your house.  Then you hopped in your car.  Drove to the bus stop, told him to have a nice day and drove away!!!!!  WHAT THE FUCK! you know I am standing there like a good parent talking with my kids about their day making sure they get on the bus.  Assuming i would make sure he would get on the bus? Not even saying as much as a good morning to me?

Honestly, i really do not know who you think you are, but we are not friends.  Your children are brats, they watch to much TV, are very violent towards each other and to my children.  And they are just as RUDE as you are!!!!!!!!!!!!! I do not think it is normal for boys to be that aggressive.  THey are hurting each other.  Please and Thank you is EXPECTED in my house.

SO please, could you please watch your own kid! I have enough on my plate.  I do it all on my own, there are three adults in your house opposed to my one.  if i can do it, three of you can fucking do it! wake up buddy, you have three kids YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR.  put the cell phone down, make time to be with your kids, money will not buy their love or respect.

Pull your shit together Francis, I dont have time for this!