Christmas

Halloween

Columbus day

Labor Day

Independence Day

In the song "Yankee Doodle," why did Yankee Doodle stick a feather in his cap and cal in macaroni? Th eline refers not to the pasta but to the Macaroni Club, a mid-eighteenth-century English social club of dandyish young men who wanted to bring the influences of the Continent to bear on their home country. Thus the line was originally intended to discredit the American revolutionaries.

Did Betsy Ross design the American Flag? No, it was designed by Francis Hopkinson, a naval flag designer, who was never reimburesed for his services by teh US Government. And there is no record of Betsy Ross 's commission to sew the flag.

When did the motto In God We Trust start appearing on US coins? It has appeared on most American coins since about 1864. During the Civil War, rising popular religious sentiment prompted Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase to put the country's faith where its money was. Other slogans suggested were God Our Turst and God and Our Country. The motto is not required by law.

Fathers Day

Bugs gone wild

All Purpose Insect Spray
1 garlic bulb1 tbsp cayenne pepper1 quart water1 tbsp liquid hand soap1 small onion
Chop or grind up the garlic and onion, add the cayenne and mix with water. Let it steep for 1 hour. Ad liquid soap. Stor in a covered jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Use as a spray wherever insects are.

Makin a list...checkin it twice

I am a habitual list maker. I make lists for everything. Grocery shopping, things to do, calls to make, other lists that I need to make. I have lists everywhere. (Somehow I believe this goes along with my post it fetish. There's a pad of postits in everyroom of my house, plus like 10 in my car). With the move in date of the 20th of June, you can bet that I have started my list of todo's. Fortunately, Ken is taking care of alot of the little details, like switching on all of the utilities and cable. I'm not used to having anyone help me with all of these little details so i'm making a list of the things he's doing so I don't get confused.

So far here is my packing scheduale:

29: pick up boxes
30:pack dining room
31: Sisters pool bday party
1: pack cookbooks
2: pack living room
3: pack den
4: pack office
5: work
6: pack bedroom
7: pack clothes
8: pack front coat closet
9: pack garage
10: pack garage
11:work
12: work
13: Sister in laws pool bday party
14:
15:pack kitchen
16: pack kitchen
17: work
18: work
19: pack bathrooms
20: Movers coming at 8am

It all smells like roses

After 6 years of doing property management, I am still surprised at some of the things I find when I go into homes. I guess the Glade needed a little help .

Obi Wan is the Pope?

Memorial Day we took a ride out to a new suburb here in Vegas, Aliante, where we're moving to in a few weeks. We wanted to check out the shopping, restaurants, and of course see how long the commute is going to be for all of us. Turns out it's only going to add 10-15 minutes to each of our drive, which I don't think is all that bad. I usually use the time in the car to turn on some theraputic music (either Korn or System of a Down if I need to scream or classical if I need to wind down and focus).

While we were out there we stopped by Aliante Station to see "Angels and Demons". We had been to the movies there once before, a few months ago, but we didn't have time to check out the casino then. Honestly, it's almost identical to the Red Rock Casino. The only difference that I could tell was that the restaurants were different and the bingo hall was smaller and was non smoking only (yay!!).


I had read the book like 4 years ago, and remembered the general plot. I knew that it was set before 'The Davinci Code', but in the movie they make references to Davinci like it had happened before this. There were a few other general key plot changes that I don't think affected the movie, but were definately noticeable to anyone who had read the book.

I love the whole history conspiracy searching for clues thing. Any one know of any other books along the same genre?

Ken didn't really like the Davinci Code, so he was hesitant about seeing this. Especially after the previews, which were all very chic-flicky. But he enjoyed the movie after he got into it. I asked him what the difference between this and Davinci was and he said it was just more suspensful.

The movie was great. I love the theme music, which was the same as from Davinci. The acting was supurb and the sceenery was awesome. I know they shot alot of it from a sound stage and did the whole cgi thing, but it looked very realistic. Well, ok, i've never actually been to Vatican City, so i'm assuming it was realistic. Looked real enough to me.

It definately made me want to go back and read the book again.

Overall - 2 thumbs up.

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Have a safe and wonderful day!

Eating Carpet

Due to my insane schedule, I have to occasionally kennel the girls. Usually it's just for a few hours before Carl gets home from work. But I guess that's long enough for them to do serious damage. To my carpet.

Notice the sheet metal under the cage? That's because Bella somehow figured out to move the tray, and then eat the carpet and padding underneath all the way to the cement foundation. Now before I get a ton of hate mails for abusing my dogs, they're kenneled up for this reason. Bella is still a baby, a BIG baby, but still going thru that what else can I eat when my mom's back is turned baby stage. I can't tell you how many pairs of shoes, panties, and books I have lost in my battle of wits with a 10 month old rottie.

Note how the damage is in squares? This was what she could get thru the holes in the bottom of the cage.

How big the damage was. Now this was done over a series of days actually. Took me that long to obtain a piece of sheet metal to put under the cage. I know she didnt ingest any of it simply by the amount of remnants around the hole. Also none was 'evacuated'. (And yes I did call the vet).

The smiling culprit.

And the wonderful patch job my carpet company did. Can't even tell there was any damage. No harm to floor and dog.

Now to go see what else she's gotten into.....

Friday's Facts - Cats are allergic to lilies

I've mentioned that i'm trying to make this blog more organized, trying to make it more user friendly. Alot of the blog's I read have different days for different topics. So since i'm such copycat, I have come up with some of my own. Okay, well so far all i've come up with is one, Friday's Facts. It's no secret that I love wierd and unsual facts. And I love sharing them. Hey, you never know when one of them might be that winning answer on Jeopardy.

So here is the first Friday's Facts......

Lilies, a floral reminder that winter has passed, frequently appear in homes during spring holidays as potted plants or cut flowers. But for cats, many lilies can be as lethal as they are lovely.
Members of the plant genus Lilium produce a chemical, present throughout the plant, that can cause a cat to suffer fatal kidney failure. It can be deadly for a cat to simply bite into a lily leaf or petal, lick lily pollen from its paws, or drink water from a vase containing cut lilies. Easter lilies, stargazer lilies, and Asiatic lilies seem to be the most hazardous of this group of plants.

“Some cats appear to be more susceptible than others to lily toxicity, and the severity of the resulting kidney failure also varies from cat to cat,” said veterinarian Julie Fischer of the UC Veterinary Medical Center-San Diego. “Some poisoned cats recover with minimal therapy, while others require weeks of dialysis to live long enough for the kidneys to repair themselves.”
She noted that many cats never recover kidney function following lily toxicity and die, or are euthanized, within just a few days of becoming ill.

“Symptoms of lily poisoning include vomiting, lethargy or loss of appetite,” said UC Davis veterinary professor Larry Cowgill, co-director of the UC Veterinary Medical Center-San Diego “If cat owners suspect lily poisoning, they should contact their veterinarian immediately because a cat that has consumed the lily toxin very likely will experience kidney failure within 36 to 72 hours unless it receives appropriate treatment.”

Vets note that while all plants of the Lilium genus should be considered extremely hazardous to cats, calla lilies and peace lilies, which don’t belong to the Lilium genus, are harmless to cats.

Where's the beef?

In the tradition of Memorial Day weekend, we are having a barbque. It's just going to be the three of us, plus maybe a few friends. Now that I have an idea of a moving date I don't want to do anything big. I'd rather wait until we're in our new house and then really throw a huge party.

I was perusing the yahoo main page I came across a recipe for these, Inside out cheeseburgers. Don't they just look delicious? I can't wait to try them this weekend. I had it in my head for a while that I was going to write a cookbook that was 365 different hamburger recipes. Besides getting stumped after 34, I found several different versions of this book written by other people. Isn't it always the way? Come up with a good idea and someone's beaten ya to it. Owell... I had fun experimenting.

1. Ingredients

1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1 pound 90%-lean ground beef
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Nutrition Info
Per Serving
Calories: 304 kcal
Carbohydrates: 1 g
Dietary Fiber: 0 g
Fat: 19 g
Protein: 30 g
Sugars: 0 g
About: Nutrition Info
Powered by: ESHA Nutrient Database

2. Cooking Directions

Preheat grill to medium-high or preheat the broiler.
Combine Cheddar and Gruyere in a small bowl.
Gently mix beef, Worcestershire, paprika and pepper in a large bowl, preferably with your hands, without overworking. Shape into 8 thin, 4-inch-wide patties. Mound 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on each of 4 patties, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Cover each with one of the remaining patties. Crimp and seal the edges closed.
To grill: Lightly oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the stuffed patties over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes per side for medium-well. (Be sure not to press the burgers as they cook or they'll split open and the cheese will ooze out.) To broil: Cover a broiler pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Broil the stuffed patties in the upper third of the oven, about 4 minutes per side for medium-well. In either case, let the burgers stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Yield: 4 servings

3. Still Hungry?

Why put the cheese on top of the burger when half of it just melts off--Instead, form the burger around the cheese so you can char the meat and safeguard the more delicate flavors. Use any mixture of hard or semihard cheeses-Emmentaler and Gouda or Asiago and Parmigiano-Reggiano also pair well.

Tip
To oil a grill rack: Oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.)

ch ch changes....

Well, i'm seriously debating whether or not to leave the changes i've made to the design of this blog or to hire someone seriously more gifted than me to revamp it. I like the white background, I think, and I love the header picture.... just not sure.... I so hate change.

But considering how much I hate change, i'm moving, AGAIN. For those of you who remember I moved 3 times last year and swore I wouldnt move again for a really really long time. Well, that must have been in dog years because we're moving in a month. There's a rental home that just came up that we're dying to have. It's the perfect design, not to mention location, being half way between both of our parents. It's a bit out of town (think half way to Utah) but for the price and the house, I think it's worth it. Carl and I are just about out of room here, and Ken and I are ready for that next step of living together and seeing as how there's not even enough room for him to leave stuff for overnight (what do you mean clear out one of my dresser drawers?) we NEED a bigger house. We should get the keys this weekend and will know all of the details (moving date) later. I'm actually pretty excited. It's going to be a big step for Ken and I. We've known each other for 15 years, dated off and on for 10, but have never spent more than a week total together with each other. I think it'll be good for us, getting to know each other on a different level. He's lived by himself for the past 5 years, and i've always either lived with a boyfriend or a roommate, so it's going to be a big transition. I've got my fingers crossed tho.

Dollhouse has been picked up for another season!!!

I am just so excited that "Dollhouse" as been picked up for anther 13 episodes. I just love this show. I've always been a huge Joss Whedon fan, love just about everything he's ever done. And when I heard he was doing this with Eliza I was just thrilled! And it didn't disappoint. Ok, yes, it started out a little slow in the beginning. They even said that the first few episodes were 'filler' shows that the studio made them put in there, so as not to overwhelm the audience with the 'big bad' conspiracy that is a staple for any Joss Whedon show. But even they weren't that bad. Heck, they were just as great as the rest of the episodes, just didn't go along with the story line. My favorite sceen in the whole season was the one where they all 'woke up' and they stumbled into the huge warehouse full of clothes. I so want that closet! Three rows up from floor to ceiling and at least 20 racks from side to side! I'd never have to wear the same thing twice. So anyways, costume changes aside, i'm dying to see what's in store for next season, what with Alpha on the loose. Yay!!!!

Finally wired

Well this weekend I did a little shopping. We started out just trying to kill some time before "Angels and Demons" started, but ended up spending 2 hours in Best Buy. I've been slowly loosing what was left of whatever computer savy I had by not having my own computer for 3 weeks. Yeah, I could use the one in my office, or Carl's, but I couldn't download photos, and I just felt limited. Kind of like having your car in the shop for 3 weeks and using your parents car. You know they lent it to you cuz they trust you, but you're still hesitant about putting too many miles on it or taking it off road. So after perusing the many isles of laptops, drooling over the pink compaq, I settled on this one, a HP Pavilion Notebook. They had an amazing deal where if you purchased this groovy little contraption and signed up for a 2 year contract with your server (mine being AT&T) for the wireless air card, it was only $399. Even my cheap butt couldn't pass that up. So fast forward 24 hours and here I am, sitting on my couch, watching a rerun of NCIS and writing this. Yay!!! I am so excited. I am taking the next two days off from work to clean my house, catch up on blogs, and maybe revamping it and making it pretty. Well, prettier.

Mothers Day

Killing time

It's thursday evening, and I actually have a ton of work to do. Most of it housework, so it'll wait. I've been trying to decide what direction I want this blog to go in. I'm sure this is a dilema that alot of people go thru, especially after they've come up against that 'dreaded writers block'. It's not that I don't have a list a mile long of things that i'd like to write about. It's just that the list is so varied. It seems like every one of my multiple personalities wants to have a say and voice their thoughts. I already have one for my ever growing collection of recipes. I've been toying with the idea of keeping one blog, but add different sections, such as frugal tips, contests and sweepstakes, and decorating ideas. That's one way to satisfy all of the voices in my head. The hard way would be to create an different blog for each topic. What would all of you do? Does anyone have any recommedations for a blog designer? I've checked out a few different sites (of designers) and they all seem go good. I guess I just have to make a decission. But it's thursday evening, dinner is in the oven, and the vacume is calling my name.... i'll have to think later.

What's the origin of the word hijack?

During Prohibition, the taking of trucks full of illegal liquor became commonplace. When it happened, a gunman would say, "High, Jack", to indicate how the driver should raise his hands.