Ode to Candy Crush Saga

There once was a girl from Vancouver,
Who tried and tried to menuvuer.
A green one here and a blue one there,
I cant get a bomb anywhere.

I squint and cringe and even yell,
This game is making me mad as hell.
I think im close, im almost done,
Got one jelly left, but moves I got none.

It's been a few days but feels like forever,
I'll pass level 65, um like NEVER!
I've begged and pleaded for move moves to be sent,
Friends have replied but they've all been spent.

This game truly could be the death of me,
What's that in the corner, another damned jelly.
I think i'll cry from all this strife,
OOOh I gotta go, I just got another life!

Hobo Dinner - Tinfoil Meals

As most my posts have begun especially this summer....So I saw this on Pinterest, LOL

And I thought I can do that. Although it may seem simple to most people, you may have hopefully noticed by now, I am not most people. And I am definitely not simple. The simpler the harder as it comes to me.

Original pin:
http://pinterest.com/pin/196610339953233395/

So the basic idea is flavor your meat and veggies and toss in foil then onto the grill.

I of course being picky myself and having picky kids have had to make some changes.

So original post has mushrooms in it and called for ground beef or turkey.

I used no mushrooms, ick, and I used Italian sausage. I also didn't have any Worcestershire, but i think since we used Italian sausage it worked out for the best.

 

Our family has always liked Italian sausage instead of hamburger in our recipes, but you can do whatever you like.

 

My daughter loved that this was something she could help with. She got to do the mixing of the veggies and then she helped me make the meatballs.

 

I also only used 1 lb of meat, 3 large russet potatoes and 3 large carrots. I think I should've used more carrots especially since some of them got burnt and stuck to the bottom tinfoil. ;) I cooked it for 32 minutes. (It would've been only 30 minutes, but I was playing a game on my phone and got distracted)

Prep done and ready to grill



P.S. Don't touch the foil while it's cooking, it's FRICKIN HOT!

It's gonna be yummy yummy in my tummy.

So in conclusion, for a family of 4 it was a decent sized amount, but we had a piece of bread on the side. If you want this to be your main dish I would recommend using more food than I did. Also I would recommend USING OVEN MITTS and picking it up and trying to move it a bit, almost like shaking it, so you don't lose too much to burning and sticking to the bottom of the foil.

 



The interesting talent of my husband

Let me start out by saying I snore like a grizzly bear attacking a pack of wild dogs. I have been known (to his delight) to wake my husband and even myself from a dead sleep with my snoring. That being said, I can now feel comfortable telling you about my husband ;)

So he is not a loud snorer generally. There have been a few occasions where he has woken me up but that has been because his face was basically in mine. However this isn't about his snoring per say. It's more along the lines of what other sounds he makes while sleeping. NO I'm not talking flatulence. Sometimes an additional sound comes out from his throat or nose that creeps me the hell out.

I am an even lighter sleeper since we just moved to this house. I believe because I know my children are farther away from my room then they were in the old house. Anyway, I am often awakened by some sounds that I do not know what they are at the time, but later find out that they are coming from my husband.

They range from:
~A high pitch whistle that I can only assume is the equivalent to what a dog whistle sounds like to them.
~A snore that sounds like a gurgle that makes me think we are under water.
~A moan that is more like mumbling in his sleep. Like he's even too tired to speak clearly so I can understand what the heck he is saying. Although there have been occasions where he has blurted out things like "more mashed potatoes" and "we've got to get it over there", but I can never get him to elaborate. Sometimes I try to get him to finish what he's talking about and I actually end up waking him up. Oops.
~But the most disturbing of noises that he makes, really puzzles me. I wake up to the sound of what I think is one of my kids yelling mom from across the house. So of course I jump up and run to their rooms flinging open the doors only to find them peacefully asleep. Then as I go back and lay down I hear the sound again only to find that it is coming from my husband. It is like it is a secondary sound that comes out along with the little snore.

I have laid there listening to him trying to even imitate these sounds or even figure out how he makes them, to no avail. That is why I share this with you today. Not to embarrass him or anything like that, however to let you know I live with a possessed demon and if I ever disappear I'm blaming it on the spirit trapped inside him that likes to f**k with my sleep.

Rock Painting

I'm sure it sounds wierd but in today's upcycle everything world, its the
next big thing.
I've decided that since I have a black thumb, I will grow a rock garden.
This way I can have exactly what I want......AND NO WATERING REQUIRED!

I have a feeling by the time I'm done, I will have the cutest little garden
on the block. And I can take it with me if I move :)

 

Here's what we've got so far:

Pick your canvas

Flat surfaces give you most freedom

I saw this (Yes on Pinterest) and had to try it.

I am aware of how completely innapropriate this may look but my daughter made this into a key.

Even boys can get in on the fun. My son made this grenade.

And he made "bluey"

 

Crack Potatoes - Fancy hash browns!

So i saw this post on my frineds facebook and immediately knew i wanted to try it. But did I write it down....NO. So after putting the word out a week later and getting the recipe I decided tonight is the night.
I hadn't really planned on what to serve with it so we are just going to have hot dogs. Don't judge me, i'm impulsive or slothish. You get one or the other ;)

 

Here is the original recipe:

pinterest.com/pin/196610339955602558

However I didnt feel like making enough for the round table so I cut my recipe down...and since I only had some of what it called for I decided to call it improvising ;) See, no stinkin thinkin here.

So this is what I put in:
30 oz bag of Hash browns
1 16oz container of Sour Cream
1 C shredded cheese, and a pinch more becasue I love cheese (i used a mexican blend not cheddar)
6 strips of bacon, cooked and diced. (Let's be honest, only 5 1'2 pieces made it in there ;)
1 pkt ranch dip powder

I started off cooking it for 30 minutes since it is a modified recipe.
(It is cooking as I type this so I will return later with the verdict.)

Im thinking of doing a 1-5 stars scale on how I like things. Am I important enough to start a rating system...I DO WHAT I WANT! So yes, I will start a Star rating system.

Also while we are waiting, I will point out that I have very picky eaters, so I am hoping this goes over well.
My daughter doesnt like cheese, or hash browns. My son doesnt like potatoes but likes hash browns. Ya this'll be fun.


My happy litlle helper

UPDATE:

We have tried it. It is pretty good. Some reccomendations are: Less ranch mix, it was a little over powering. And more cheese. My husband is having seconds and is going to try sprinkling some shredded cheese on top them microwaving it to melt it a bit. I think cheddar not finely shredded would work great for next time. I think ill put more bacon in too. Cuz, well, IT'S BACON!



I give it 4 stars

Tweet (@Lucky_mamaK)

Keri Crimmins (@Lucky_mamaK) tweeted at 3:41 PM on Mon, Jul 08, 2013:
Every1 is all up about 50 Cents cuss riddled msg about his sons mom. Im sorry were u all expecting a heartwarming love sonnet frm the RAPPER
(https://twitter.com/Lucky_mamaK/status/354369652580823041)

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Rollerball painting

Materials needed: Paint, box lid, paper, something that rolls.

(We used a marble and a bouncy ball)

 

Kam did 3 colors on each side

 

I did 3 on top and 3 on the side

 

And away we go!

 

Keep rolling til you get the desired effect.

These are our finished beauties

 

Crescent Roll French Dips

So I saw this yummy looking dish on ....PINTEREST. Ya i'm sure that was a tough one to figure out.

Original pin:

http://pinterest.com/luckymama10/foodies/

 

And It seemed simple enough that even I couldn't mess it up. And guess what....I DIDN'T!

 

Some reccomendations though, because the directions were very minimalist.

~I would reccomend cooking them straight on the pan, not on tinfoil. Tinfoil keeps the bottoms from getting a nice crisp.

~I do not reccoment string cheese cut up as the cheese on this. It did not melt as well and i think Mozzerella just isnt the right choice.

~I would pre-cook the roast beef in the Au Jus sauce and then prepare it as directed.

 

Here's mine, looking delish



So keep pinning, i'll keep trying and someday we will all reach nirvana ;)

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pull

I pinned this a while back and finally got around to making it the other night.

It looked so yummy, i mean how could it not....IT HAS BACON!

So the original pin is here.

 

See it does look good huh.

So I happened to be getting a loaf of bread to go along with our soup and I had cheese. (I always have cheese in this house)

Once I got home I was in luck to see I still had some ranch dip mix left too. Like when does that happen.

So I was cutting the bread and its a little ore difficult than that picture makes it look. You definitely need a bread knife. I never really understood the need for all these different knives growing up. My dad had this one knife that was about a foot long and was rounded at the end and he used it for EVERYTHING! He needed to cut up some steak, he used it. Need to cut tomatoes, used it. Need to put a little butter on bread, he used it. We always made fun of him and that knife. And when I started cooking more I had a favorite knife as well, but it doesn't cut bread for crap!

 

So anyhow, I just cut mine in thick slits and once down the center. Then I stuffed the cheese in the slits. (I used shredded cheese because it melts evenly and we used it for just about everything.) Then I stuffed in the bacon bits. I used Oscar Mayer pieces I had bought for a  breakfast burrito.

(yes i sang the theme song to spell it right)

And then I poured on the ranch butter mix. I thought it didn't look like enough in the recipe so I added more ranch. DO NOT ADD MORE RANCH. It was a little too much.

 

It was very good though except for the piece where i poured the last of the ranch butter mix onto. You know when you have all that unmixed powder and you think "oh man this is gonna be awesome". Not awesome. That part was like just licking the powder straight from the packet.

 

Here's mine!

 

Here's the recipe:

1 unsliced loaf of sourdough bread
8-12 oz cheddar cheese, thinly sliced (I used as much shredded cheese as I could stuff in it)
3 oz bag Oscar Mayer Real Bacon bits
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp Ranch dressing mix

Using a sharp bread knife cut the bread going both directions. Do not cut through the bottom crust. Place slices of cheese in between cuts. Sprinkle bacon bits on bread, making sure to get in between cuts. Mix together butter and Ranch dressing mix. Pour over bread. Wrap in foil the entire loaf in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

 

I'd like to thank Plainchicken.com for being a great website that I have gotten several delicious recipes from.



Bird's Nest Breakfast

So another Pinterest recipe I have tried a couple times is called the Bird's Nest. It's a hash brown, egg and bacon or sausage combo.

 

So the first try was pretty good. I didn't press down the hash browns much and cooked them for 15 minutes and they didn't end up with enough crunch.

 

Also a variation was that since I was out of bacon, I used little smokies cut up. It was good.

I noted that for next time I would press the browns more and cook them for 17 minutes.

 

Here's pics from try #1.

They also stuck to the pan so this is how they came out. I shoulda used more cooking spray.

 

So attempt #2, I saw a similar pin using cupcake liners. So i tried that. I did press the browns using the bottom of a measuring cup, and cooked them for 17 minutes.

Then I did everything else the same but i did use bacon this time.

I do like the bacon ones much better, but when is bacon not better.

The all around taste was way better and it held together better. But it was hard to get the paper off the hash browns.

 

Original Bird's Nest Pin

Doofenbrain!

So I am sorting all our laundry, which I feel I have the entire household's wardrobe in front of me right now. And I find myself talking to myself about what I'm doing. Not that this in itself is weird, but I'm using the Heinz Doofenshmirtz accent. You knw from Phineas and Ferb. Yah, um I don't know why but it was stuck in my head, so this is the kind of conversation I had, alone, in my room, while sorting laundry.

(Don't forget to read this in his accent!)
 

"Oh hey Perry de Platipus, I didn't see you dere. You see I'm working on my latest Inator. I call it de laundry-inator. Well here lemme just show you how it works. De socks go in here you see, and dis is where de pants go in."

 

I must say it made the whole process a litte more fun, which is surprising.

Pinterest, you enabler!

So I have been trying a lot of Pintest things lately just for fun, and to be more than just one of those people who pin and never actually do any of them.

Some things I didn't take pictures of so i'll just speak of their success or failure.

#1-

I thought this would be fun for the kids. Especially sonce they love playing with water but are not always able to go into the pool.

I had a bunch of crystal light containers so i thought what the heck.

Um, big tip for ya, start with the top and pour some water in each one after you attach it to the fence so you know where the water is going to land, then you know where to place the next one. I didnt do this at first so i had to re adjust 2 of them because they not placed right.

Here is mine. OOOOOHHHHH so awesome i know. Well actually my son loves it so much, so ya it is awesome.

See here he is enjoying my handy work.

#2-

 DIY Screenprint Shirt

The items required are pantyhose, an embroidery loop, mod podge and acrylic paint.

I had all but the pantyhose, but i snagged a pair for like 70 cents at Walmart.

So you draw your design on the panyhose stretched over the hoop, cover what you don't want in a thick layer of mod podge. Let it dry, mine took a whole 36 hours. Then place it on your shirt and basically stamp the paint on like any other stencil. Let it dry then peel off.

I taped mine down so I wouldnt mess it up

 Just dab dab dab away.

It doesnt really give you straight lines so i ended up going over and outlining it after this picture was taken to clean up the lines a bit. I also ended up adding red outline and and accent lines.

But i used a pajama shirt so if i messed up it was ok ;)