Friday Fun....

There is no Friday Fun Today.. I had it all yesterday. I ate a sandwich and cookies. Oreo cookies. With milk. You know how when you're eating the cookies and you take a sip of the cold, delicious milk, it not only tastes but FEELS good? Yeah. You should so do that today. Get some Oreo's and milk, and eat at least seven of them. You're mouth will feel so much better for it.

Today, I only have a bit of sarcasm. My living room is clean. At least one room in the house is dust free and vacuumed. I wanted to write a Friday Fun post about how much fun this weekend is (not) going to be since I didn't get my Z.ofran request to the Dr's office in time yesterday, they're closed today, and now I have one pill to get me through today, tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday until I get to the pharmacy. At least I'll have some coping skills.

Oh, and the ants.. they're migratory sugar ants. Meaning they migrate from one area of the house to another. Fun times. Fun times.

Friday Fun.

I'm warning you. This game is highly addictive. Very highly addictive. You don't want to go there. I swear. I first started playing this game a long time ago. Back when AOL was the best option for internet and 56K was fast. it's still addicting. Only now, there's more.

There is Traditional Slingo, Sling-Do-Ku" -- a combination of Slingo and Sudoku, and Triva Slingo. Not to mention the other bazillion addicting games on the site. I won't even talk about the entire day that I spent playing the endless version of Merry Poppings between visits to the bathroom and wrestling with Little Monster. Nope. We won't mention that. It just wouldn't be right.

And don't blame me when you sit down to play ONE game, just ONE game, and you look up and realize hours have passed, you've missed lunch. And suddenly it all makes sense that your child has been trying to eat his toys, pulling cake mixes and canned soups out of the pantry. That's just a hypothetical situation though. Have fun playing!

Friday Fun

My new addiction:

JigSawDoKu!! It's like Sudoku Jig-Saw Puzzle style!

Try it and let me know what you think!

Friday Fun

We went apple picking yesterday. I know. Yesterday wasn't Friday, but the fun was so great that it has spilled over into today. Today we're going to make homemade applesauce and apple pie. Yum Yum, right?



After we'd paid for our apples, and while we were waiting for everyone else to finish up as well, Little Monster decided to try some fresh pressed apple juice.

What makes this stuff so good?

I'm hoping I'll be back to my regularly scheduled blogging sometime next week. Until then -- or until something else noteworthy happens, I'll be laying around my house thinking about cleaning it while Little Monster runs over me with his cars.

Friday Fun

This is probably the worst and funniest blog I've ever seen. Cake Wrecks. I'm sure lots of you have seen it. At first I was offended, thinking HEY! I've made some cakes that resemble that! -- But then, I realized that ALL of them are cakes people have paid bakeries to make! How terrible is that?

I spent some time looking at every. single. cake. They are awful!

Friday Fun...

How old is your Brain?

A friend sent this to me by email... It's pretty simple.. You push Play, then a 3, 2, 1 countdown goes off. They will flash some numbers on the screen. You have to remember where they were and click on the circle placeholders in the order that they appear.

**Update**Wow. So, perhaps I should, I don't know... Post the LINK?? Here it is: The Brain Age Game.



I did this while listening to (what else but?)Cars, with Little Monster climbing on me, kicking me with his feet and trying to spill my coffee into my laptop. I got 31. I will try again a little later and update with my *REAL* Brain age.

Friday Fun

Average is better than below average. But maybe I'm not as big of a geek as I thought I was.

Friday Fun

Yay. One of the options for cleaning was putting it in the dishwasher. I, of course, told the truth and said I cleaned my keyboard with my vacuum cleaner. You shouldn't. It's not good for it. But, I'm thinking dishwasher might be a good idea now.

1,887,480How Many Germs Live On Your Keyboard?

Created by OnePlusYou - Online Dating

Friday Fun --

Name that Robot.

Shhh! Internet, don't tell my husband, but I failed this one. He might leave me because of my lack of knowledge of all things robotic and science fiction. Okay, maybe not. But, he'll still hang it over my head like a creepy bag full of earwigs.

Friday Fun!

Wednesday we had my favorite, most awesomest salmon ever. This salmon totally spoiled me for salmon out in restaurants. Which is a good thing, because we don't eat out very much anymore, and when we do, we can't generally afford places that would serve something like this. The Friday Fun part comes in when you taste it. It's like a party in your mouth. Your assignment: Try it, because the only things you should need to buy are the salmon and the dill. You honestly should have everything else already. Try it and let me know what you think!!

Scrumptious Dilled Salmon

What you Need:

1 Salmon Fillet (or more.. just make more paste!)
Brown Sugar (a few tbsp per fillet)
Balsamic Vinegar

Paste:
2-3 Tbsp olive oil, or maybe a little more?
1 small clove garlic
Dill (you can use fresh -- you'll just need more. I use dried.. OR I leave out the garlic and use the Pampered Chef dill seasoning mix.)

Are you ready for how difficult this is going to be? Are you sure? Okay, I'm kidding. This is probably one of the easiest recipes known to man. You can make this, some corn on the cob, and serve my Cheaper than Rachael Ray Banana Creme Pie for dessert.

Step 1. Rinse fillet and pat dry.

Step 2. Lightly sprinkle fillet with brown sugar. You don't want it totally coated, but you want to see it. It should look something like a "dusting."

Step 3. Lightly sprinkle with Balsamic Vinegar.

Step 4. Mix the paste ingredients into a small bowl.

Step 5. Spread the paste evenly over the entire fillet.

Step 6. Wait about 15 to 30 minutes to let the flavors mingle.

Step 7. Grill over hot coals skin side down until the fish is cooked half way up (about 5 to 6 minutes, depending on thickness). Flip, and grill additional 2-3 minutes, or until done.

Yep. That's it. It's super easy, and super good. I'll admit that I did get some inspiration from a recipe on the internet, but I made this one mine. If you were that inspiration, let me know. I'll link to your original recipe. Play this one by ear. It's hard to screw up. I know, because I can make it! Enjoy!

Friday Fun!

I don't remember where I found this... But, yeah. Let's just say in the 1930's, it was a LOT easier to be a good husband that it was to be a good wife...

We took this test several times, We each took the test as we viewed ourselves, then we took the test to see how we view each other.

So. My scores:

53 As a 1930s wife, I am Average Take the test!

As Not the Momma Views me:

51 As a 1930s wife, I am Average Take the test!

I think my low score has something to do with my stocking feet, and then there's that problem with how I don't ask permission before planning things...

My view of Not the Momma:

121 As a 1930s husband, I am Very Superior Take the test!

His view of himself:

102 As a 1930s husband, I am Very Superior Take the test!

So, Apparently, I think a bit more of Not the Momma than he does of himself... But then, he is a pretty good guy. And, me, I'm a lazy slob. You already knew that though!

How do YOU rate as a 1930's spouse? How does your spouse rate? Take the test and let me know. Or just take the test and laugh at the questions. Either way. Have fun!

Friday Fun!

I got this from I'm A Smart One, a blog I found during NaComLeavMo. I thought it was a pretty neat.

So, here's this week's Friday Fun.



I like that the word "praying" is in the center. Because despite everything, I do try to keep my faith as the center of my life.

What does your image look like?

Friday Fun...

... So, I'm totally copying Cali from GeekBrief.TV. I have a lot to worry about should I end up in the hospital in a coma. I think my husband might be able to knock down all of the other geeks trying to get a piece of that Cali Lewis action with one swoop of his arm. Yeah, maybe I should be nicer to him and start buying him some of those geeky-but-chic gadgets she spotlights. I'm not sure if it's her charming good looks or all of the gadgety goodness (Not the Momma's words) that draws him to the show. That, and the fact that he can download it using the Tivo. (heh heh gadgety GOODness!!!)

I'd start with this one. Oh, how fun would our Fridays be if only we had this $500 contraption. It would work in our house and in our RV. I could have my mixed drinks without any troubles. Push a button, and viola! A cosmo!!

The counter-top spout

This is the under-counter view.

Oh, the fun. Fun Fun Fun Fun Fridays. But I suppose, Saturdays would be a lot more painful. What gadget would make YOUR Fridays more fun??

Friday Fun! -- UPDATED!

Friday Fun is with Flickr Pictures today. I saw it while reading blogs for NaComLeavMo. If it was you, let me know, I'll give you credit. Apparently, my brain shuts off after 10 minutes of blog reading, and I didn't write down where I got the idea from.

I thought this was a fun way to describe "me" without words. Here's how it works:

You go to Flickr, and use the answer for each of the questions below for a search term. You can use one of pictures on the first page, and make a mosaic using this tool. You pretty much have to have a flickr account (I think, I didn't look too much) for it to work, but who doesn't have a flickr account? At any rate. Here folks, is me in pictures:




Whattaya think? Maybe you should give it a try!

**What's that you say? What am I supposed to search for?

OOOh, okay. I'm putting the questions here, and then in parenthesis what my answer was. Or soemthing close to it.)

1. What is your First name? (Mary)
2. What is your favorite food? (Runza)
3. Where did you graduate from High School?
4. What is your favorite color? (Red)
5. A celebrity Crush? (Brad Paisley)
6. Your favorite alcoholic drink (colorado bulldog)
7. What would be the idea of a perfect vacation (cruise)
8. What is your favorite dessert? (cheesecake)
9. What do you want to be when you grow up (teacher)
10. What makes life worth while (babies)
11. What is one of your character traits? (optimism)
12. Your flickr name (Mary Momma)

Some of the questions aren't exactly right, but that is how i came up with the pictures. You have to use a picture on the FIRST page of the results. :) Have fun, and let me know in the comments if you did it. Leave a link so others can find you!

Friday Fun

I am sick. This is the billionth time since we've lived here. I'm blaming it on the weather. Here it is always 60 degrees. It never gets cold enough or hot enough to kill anything. In Nebraska, it is 60 degrees for 2 weeks in the year. One week in April, and one week in October. Between April and October, it is 110 degrees, and between October and April it's -1o. Nothing can live in those temperatures for long. But here, here, I've been sick at least once a month. So, I apologize for the quality of this 'Friday Fun' Post. I hope next week will be better.


This wasn't meant to be a post where I whine about my sinuses being clogged, my aching head or my pure exhaustion. This is meant to be a post about the things that made me smile today, despite the fact that I'm dying of yet another California Head Cold.


1. The Ball Fairy stopped by and left a big blue ball in our front yard. I went out to find the child it belonged to, but the neighborhood was like a ghost town. We talked about picking it up (we did, eventually) and then posting signs on all the doors in the neighborhood stating "we have your ball." We didn't do that last part.



2. When I went out to investigate (read: photograph) the ball, Kleenex escaped. She ran across the street. Not the Momma chased her and had her, but she got scared of him (I would be scared too if he was chasing me), and snapped. When she realized that she'd misbehaved, and was probably going to be in trouble, she ran again. Only this time, she didn't run away. She hightailed it for the front door. She knew her only hope was getting inside, and running straight into her room. That made me laugh, because I've not seen her run that fast in a loooong time. It doesn't sound funny now, but it was hilarious.


3. Little Monster's new fashion statement:

He's pretty proud of his accomplishment.

4. Remembering that just removing the Tylenol Cold from the box will not ease the symptoms. You actually have to take them out of the foil and ingest them.



5. Little Monster's all ready to go!



6.Cold Stone Creamery's Peanut Butter Perfection, made with Vanilla Ice Cream. In a freshly made waffle bowl. So fresh, I watched her make it fresh. It melted my ice cream because it was hot, fresh. For about 10 minutes, I thought I was cured of my cold. But, I wasn't.

Does anyone have the slightest idea why all of my baby weight came back? Me neither.

The Friday Fun part: What did you do today that made you smile? There had to be something. Even if it was a bad day. Tell me about it.

Friday Fun -- An Assignment!

Today's Friday Fun is a little bit different. There will be no quiz today for you to take, instead I have an assignment.

We bought an aquarium membership over Memorial Day Weekend, but we didn't stay long because the place was packed. Packed in like sardines. (heh heh, get it, Aquarium, Cannery Row, Sardines? -- Okay. Lame, I know.) Fast Forward to today. We went to the Monterey Aquarium and Cannery Row today. Today it wasn't busy and we had a great time. Little Monster had fun touching crabs, rays and all different kinds of kelp. The whole place is nice, and extremely child friendly. They have several places that are designated 'play' areas with things to climb on, touch, and learn with. Little Monster loves the place now, but he'll only grow to like it more as he gets older and can actually interact with the 'interactive' displays.

My favorite parts of the day:

• When Little Monster pushed the button that made seal sounds. It was just a little bit loud, and scared him. His eyes got big, and he ran around behind me and hugged my legs. Yeah, I'm sadistic like that.
• Not the Momma's favorite part was when we held him in a concave dome so he could feel like he was 'in' the tank. He got a little freaked out and held Not the Momma so tight that the scratch marks are still showing on his arm. We think he was upset about it because it was the only area where he couldn't touch the glass. So, he was worried we were going to 'drop' him in with the sharks.
• When Little Monster pushed the button that made whale sounds. It wasn't nearly as loud as the seal. But when he heard the whale songs, he started imitating them. And continued for the rest of the trip. He does a mean whale song, that kid.
• The look on Little Monster's face when we walked into the entrance, and he saw the fake whale suspended from the ceiling. His hands went up in the air, and his face had a look of "wow!"
• Watching Little Monster discover how to put a cylinder through the appropriately shaped hole in the baby/toddler area of the "Splash Zone."
• Okay, so really, watching Little Monster discover everything was a real treat. The look on his face for most of the day was one of complete awe. He kept waving and saying "hi" to the fish. He did not whine or complain once, even though we delayed his lunch by about an hour, and he was in his stroller for much of the time.
• Right. Now. Little Monster was so tired from the day, that when I put him down for his nap, there was no argument. He rolled over onto his tummy, stuck his tush up in the air, and fell asleep. What better reward for a busy morning is there?

I do have one gripe. The place wasn't that busy, but there were 'hot spots' of activity. The main ones being the touch tanks. I get that the touch tanks are cool, so I know there are going to be lots of tween-aged kids running around touching things. That's what they're supposed to do. But, parents, you could keep an eye on your kids, and make sure they aren't being too pushy. That isn't my gripe. My gripe is with the ADULT that elbowed my son and I out of the way so that he and his wife could touch a starfish. In the children's area. Where the tanks were set low enough that Little Monster could touch them himself, without having to be held up. Dude, there's an adult sized one downstairs, and this is the kids area. We had to leave before I embarrassed myself and Not the Momma, because it was all I could do not to say something to him about how rude it was to elbow an 18 month old out of the way so that he, a grown man, could touch a starfish. Oh well. We are members. We'll go back next week and touch a starfish. Or, we'll touch one for free. Outside, in the real tide pools. So there.

Back to the whole "fun" part of this, though. Are you ready for your assignment? Either this weekend or next, be a tourist in your own town. Find something you've never done, a museum, or park you haven't visited, (or at least somewhere you haven't been in a while) and go there! Take a lunch, relax and have a good time. Then, tell us what you did. I'd bet there are lots of places, right in your hometown, you've never visited. Places you've been meaning to go but haven't because you were busy, or the weather wasn't good enough. No excuses. You have two weeks. Get to it!

Runza. Runza. Runza. I love Runza.

**Disclaimer** I have NOT been paid to advertise for this company. I just love them. And some people admitted to not knowing GASP!!! what a Runza is. So, I'll enlighten you. Because I love Runza. I love them
<---------------------------------this much--------------------------------->

Not the Momma and I grew up in Nebraska. I'd like to think of it as the Heart of the heartland. It was a great place to grow up. Safe, small, yet big. You could be a kid without too many worries. One of the things I LOVED to do on summer afternoons, or sometimes after school, was to walk to the Runza that was near our house. I would save my babysitting money just for those trips.

Onion rings, not too salty, just a tad sweet, melt-in-your-mouth goodness.



The fries. Extra crispy on the outside, but hot and soft on the inside. Salted to perfection.



It was always a pain to decide which ones to get. I don't remember when, but someone, (pure genius) decided to add "Frings" to the menu. A combo of the two. Pure. Heaven.

Then, there's the pièce de résistance, the Runza. I prefer mine with cheese, but there are tons of way to get them. Plain, with Swiss cheese and mushrooms, Italian style... the list goes on. Sometimes, they even spice it up and add different, seasonal recipes.



Pretty much everything there is good. Handmade. Everyday. (If that isn't their slogan anymore, I think it used to be.)

So, if you're traveling anywhere near one of these yellow dots (If you're traveling I-80, you are):


You should stop. You can tell them I sent you, but they won't know who I am. They might look at you funny. So, instead don't ask what a Runza is. It's a combination of some seasonings, burger, and cabbage, all baked into a bun. Don't ask about the nutrition content. It's fast food. Just eat it. And enjoy.

AND NOW you should go to http://runza.com/areyouarunzaticquiz.htm to take the quiz. I scored a 72. Because, the questions are unfair to those who have no choice but to move. I answered the questions as though I still lived in Nebraska though. So, I cheated a bit. I, my friends AM a Runzanatic. But then, after reading this, did you wonder? That is the "Friday Fun" part of this whole thing. But I had to explain it. Want to know what would be even more fun? Going to Runza. And eating until I'm sick. That would be more fun. So, You Nebraskans! GO! Have a bite for US!

Now that I'm DROOLING uncontrollably into my keyboard: Hey, uh, Runza? Can I get my commission now? How about 3 dozen frozen Runza's shipped to me? Yeah, that will be great. You're welcome for the advertisement!


All photos are borrowed from Runza.com.

Friday Fun

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I'm slacking today. Not enough caffeine. Too much sun.

Friday Fun...

The fact that I didn't get 100% on this really really bugs me. REALLY REALLY Bugs me. I want to know what word I mispelled and go back and fix it.

I Scored a 93%!

Friday Fun...

I'm kind of getting bored of the whole "Friday Fun" thing. There are only so many quizzes out there worth taking. I mean, how can you possibly beat "the kindergarten fight" and "would you eat your buddies?" I swear I had an idea last night. It was a good idea too. The best idea EVER! But, like many of my best blog entries, it entered into my head as I was falling asleep and disappeared into the void that is my brain these days.

So, for today, I'm still doing the silly quiz. But just beware. Friday Fun is getting ready to undergo a makeover. (At least something around here is -- I am definitely in need of one!) I'm also in need of a drink. A good one. Probably a Colorado Bulldog... Maybe even tonight? (Kahlua, Cream, and Coke. mmmm)


82%LUSH

Ah, Not the Momma would be so proud to know that when he calls me a Lush (any time I have a drink -- that is, about once a month or so these days), he's actually speaking the truth.