What Would Jen Do

Archive for November, 2008

While not a good picture, trust me, this was the cutest turkey EVER.   all 8.5 lbs of it.   The perfect size for three people unless you want a ton of leftovers.

Voodoo got his castle decorated for the holidays, but all he cares about is getting window privileges.

Did you know that we have a semi successful vegetable garden?  It was slow going at first as some things didn’t sprout and when the peas started coming in, something ate them!

parnsips?

carrots

cabbage

what’s growing right now are cabbages, which are doing extememly well.  Spinach is starting to come in and it looks like carrots and parsnips might be successful as well.  I think we might also have one artichoke.    Last night Icey brought in a few cabbage leaves which mojo really liked, so maybe she was the culprit eating the peas.

two more days off and then it’s back to work.   the only thing keeping me going is that soon, very soon, I will be able to work from home part time.    You’re supposed to get the 7 year itch in relationships.  We’re closing in on that and I don’t feel any itches.  But I think at work i’m suffering a definite 11 year itch.

Today my mom is coming over.  Icey is cooking most of the dinner, I add in my green bean casserole and call it a day.

It’s rainy and cold outside today.  It’s the perfect day to be sitting at home inside of a good smelling house. I plan on wearing sweat pants ALL DAY.

Pictures of the new appliances will be coming once it’s brighter outside, the gray sky doesn’t make for good pictures in the kitchen.  They aren’t very exciting tho, we went from old white ones to new white ones.   I’m just glad I have a working ice maker now.

Today is my mom’s birthday!!!   I’m having flowers sent to her at work and now I can’t remember if she’s taking the day off.  Oh well, even if she is, she’ll be back tomorrow.

Over the weekend we celebrated Skrappy’s birthday with a SURPRISE party!!  Fortunately he seemed to enjoy himself and went with the flow even tho he was prepared for a quiet night at home and didn’t expect to have all his friends hiding in his back yard when they got back from dinner.   

and speaking of surprises, even tho I knew he was in town I was not prepared to have my old friend Rich walk into my cube at work.  I stared at him for a second thinking he was the maintenance guy coming to ask me if i wanted my lightbulb replaced.   I don’t think it’s ever taken me that long to recognize someone!

Saturday we went out and bought a new fridge and dishwasher because I basically decided we needed them. They were delivered yesterday. YAY.  but now the sink in the kitchen is clogged. BOO.  coincidence?   Icey is not having a very good sitting at home doing nothing vacation so far, because now he might have to wait around for a plumber.   maybe he’ll get joe the plumber.  

it’s a three day work week and then a four day weekend, which sounds good in theory but since it’s a holiday weekend that basically means there is no rest.

~*Happy 30th Birthday Skrappy*~   I hope you have a good one!

I’ve spent the last three days taking everything out of our kitchen cabinets and drawers, cleaning them out and then putting everything back. Yesterday I saved the worst for last and ended up with 4 bags of trash and crap and junk and poo.   I went thru 3 magic erasers and almost an entire canister of cleaning wipes.   How two people accumulate so many things, I’ll never know.    But lord knows I love to throw things away, i’m a semi minimalist.

I finally got more info on working from home, I’m supposed to have a meeting set up the first week of December to discuss procedures, then have another meeting with people in my dep’t that are going to be directly affected by my being home, and then hopefully the IT guys will come out to my house and set me up.   The start dates are staggered between Dec-Jan.   I’m hoping that by the new year I’ll have a firm start date.

it turns out that I’m pretty good at this baking thing.   I’m not the greatest cook in the world but I seem to be able to bake things with no problem.

Getting ready to bake and wearing the apron my grandma sent me.  I’m happier than I look.

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. these have more of a cake like texture and didn’t turn out to be huge winner in our house.  Well, at least on day one, sometimes we tend to like things better when they’ve had time to settle.

lemon bars.  A lady at work makes these and Icey loves them. I’ve been sitting on the recipe for months and he finally guilted me into making them.     you have to make the crust first, bake it and then pour in the lemon mixture.   they stuck to the edges of the pan, but it wasn’t too shabby for a first attempt.   I added zest to the lemon juice because you can never have too much lemony goodness.

banana bread, probs my hubs 2nd most favorite thing I bake.   It’s a lot easier than people think, kinda like rice crispie treats………

pumpkin ice cream pie.   the only thing you would have to bake would be the crust if you made that, i chose not to since this was just a trial run.   it’s pumpkin, vanilla ice cream, pumpkin spice and brown sugar.   I almost died and went to heaven when i tasted the mixture.  I had some left over so i just froze that in a tupperware container so i could eat it later.    Once it sets in the freezer we’ll taste test.

I have monday off but it’s not all fun and games.  I have two dr’s appts that day and if I am not too lazy or traumatized, my car needs an oil change.    For some reason I made my first appt at 8am, which doesn’t seem like such a good idea anymore. 

I have this massive list of things to do that I can’t do from the couch so I just keep putting them off.   Lately I have been very lazy and blobby and hating most people and things, so it’s best if I continue sitting on the couch for now.   Eventually I’ll get over it and go back to being productive.  Maybe next week. 

I woke up at 3 this morning feeling very sick-ish, which is not going to help with the productivity level.   Right now I want to go home and watch all of Life season 1 in the bathtub.   I started watching season 2 this year and want to play catch-up. 

I have big baking plans this weekend, again if i can get off the couch (or out of the tub).  I have to make and taste test an icecream pumpkin pie that I will serve on thanksgiving, if it’s tasty.  I am also trying some pumpkin chocolate chips cookies, thanks to niteangels suggestion,  as well as banana bread and some lemon bars for icey.  because he just won’t shut up about them.   three of those things, I’ve never baked before.   and odds are not good that i’ll get around to making everything.  I also bought Rachael Rays latest cookbook and am going to look thru that this weekend for even more recipes.  

I’m not sure what’s wrong with me because just a few years ago I was way more into drinking beer and staying up late, now i cook and bake and go to bed at 8pm even on the weekends.   a girl gets a few gray hairs on her head and everything changes.

my baby boy is 6 today!

a long time ago he looked like this

which is almost the same as he looks now, but in that picture he’s about 40lbs vs. his 100lbs now, and he can’t fit into that shirt anymore.   and forget that collar, his neck is about as big as my waist.     Thank god he finally grew into his head……

I think all he wants for his b-day is some people jerky, but i’ll probably make him a hamburger for dinner and he can have some ice cream for dessert. 

spring cleaning 2.0 is still underway.  I’m pretty sure it’s not going to end for a couple o more months.  today Icey is building a fence around our garden because something, we think a rabbit,  is eating everything (but the cabbage) that sprouts.    So now we also have to replant everything.

The dogs have also built a clubhouse in a huge tumbleweed out back and we think that whatever is eating the vegs might also be living in there.  So today, their clubhouse goes.   sorry dogs!

why are there always so many things to do around the house??

It’s been getting pretty chilly here the past week.  When I wake up in the mornings the bedroom is at about 68 degrees.   Which isn’t so much fun when you are wet and getting out of the shower.    But on the upside, I’m hoping that in about a month I can start having fires in the fireplace.