Feeling Good

I’m back!

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Did you miss me?  Maybe yes, maybe no, but let me tell you why I have not been blogging my little fingers off.

Wiseguy and I went to Europe.  No, it was not a last-minute decision.  We had booked our tickets back in February and the day had finally arrived for us to fly away and have a wonderful vacation in Europe.

Normal people book the summer off and jet away.  They take at least 3 to 4 weeks to enjoy the historical beauty of Europe.  In case you haven’t realized it yet, Wiseguy and I are not “normal” people.  I prefer the title of “unique” people.  As such, Wiseguy and I decided that we could really only be away for 10 days.  So it began.

We landed in Munich, Germany.  We drove for 8 hours down to a cozy little village in Croatia where FIL was anxiously awaiting our arrival.  After we unfurled ourselves from the mini car…ahem,  I mean “compact” car….we sat down and enjoyed our arrival.  We had driven from Munich through Austria, Slovenia, and into Croatia.  It was a looooooooooooooooong, but beautifully scenic, drive. 

The next morning we awoke to the sound of chirping birds…and the occasional crowing rooster.  We sat outside and enjoyed our new surroundings.  The panoramic mountains off in the distance.  We breathed in the fresh air.  Mind you, every once in a while you would get that one swirl of wind that would bring your nose to attention.  The smell of fresh manure from the neighbouring cows.  Mooo to you too!  I had a buddy goat that lived next door to FIL’s house.  (He belongs to the gypsy clan.  Yes, FIL’s neighbours are gypsies.)   As I would look at my goat friend he would baaa aaaaah at me.  Basically he was telling me to leave him alone while he grazed happily on his breakfast of grass and weeds. The neighbours also had two pigs of a variety I had never seen before.  One was black and the other was black and white.  The black and white was wasn’t speckled or striped.  His head and front two hoofs were white and then, I guess he got hit with paint or something, because his back half was black.  Unique right?  They also had a horse and old wooden buggy like they had on Little House on the Prairie. 

Honestly, being in Europe is like a time warp.  You have the modern stores in the cities but you drive 20 minutes out, village way, and BAM… farms and farm animals.  Nothing has changed.  The houses are the old cement and brick houses.  Some of them are old wood paneling.  The large vineyards there have been passed along from generation to generation.  Old ladies are wearing the babushkas on their heads and they have the trademark large, roundish black skirts with navy blue aprons.  They wander through their fields picking weeds out by hand.  Time warp right?

I will slowly share my adventures in Europe with you.  Traveling through Europe and taking millions of pictures to share with my family, was wonderful.  But being home and being able to hug and hold my family…that’s the best trip of all.  Welcome home!

Escape to the Believably Unbelievable

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I went to the movies today.  I cashed in one arm and half a leg to go and see The Avengers.  Yes, I did.  (Only half a leg as I cashed in points, or sold a relative, or something, in order to obtain a free ticket.  Next family reunion I will figure out who is missing.)  Was it worth it?  You betcha!

Just to be clear, I only go to see movies on the big screen when there is stuff being blown up and there’s lots of action.  Chick flicks I prefer to rent.  Same with comedies.  For some reason, I just love action movies on the huge screen.  Even better, this one was done in 3D!  Everything was flying right at me!  I was there in the movie!  No gun in hand or anything, but call me a casual bystander in the scenario.

This is a good year for movies.  This year is full of action movies.  The Avengers was a great start.  SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    (Poor New York…can’t imagine the tax increases due to restructuring after those evil things rip apart the city).  Then Dark Knight Rises comes out soon too. ( Hmmmm, there goes Gotham City.)  Now that brings me to Snow White and the Huntsman.  (I figure a whole forest gets burnt down and a castle might crumble.)  The trailers are fantastic!  Super Evil Queen!  Great acting!  And the Thor actor becomes a Hunter.  How cool is that?  (Can’t imagine the workout that man has to do in order to get biceps that big.)

I am not a regular movie goer.  I do believe there are certain movies that should be seen on the big screen to get the full effect.  Not only do you get surrounded by the activities on-screen, but the people are almost life-size (and especially in 3D).  You are now THERE!  You are in the movie!  You are part of it!  I must admit that with so much computer technology the impossible happens, but isn’t that what movies are supposed to be about?  It’s an escape.

In case I haven’t mentioned this earlier, I was a history student.  So, here is a bit of a history lesson for you.  During the Great Depression and during both World Wars, people went to the movies.  People went to the theatre.  People were entertained through radio programs.  It was all about escaping the reality around them for just a little while.

I escaped into another world today.  The acting was fantastic.  If I can believe the character’s persona then I am hooked.  That is good acting.  There are many good actors/actresses and I do appreciate being entertained properly. 

The Avengers also had what I appreciate most in storylines.  I LOVE humour.  The sarcasm, the surprising comments that make you chuckle.  The funny actions that probably make the actors want to pee with laughter after they hear “CUT”. 

Today, I just decided to share my joy of seeing a fantastic movie.  Fantastic…as in fantasy….suspend belief and just sit back and enjoy. 

Thank you to The Debater and The Artist for telling me to drop my other boring, drab duties and just escape for awhile into the film world.  I had a remarkably fun time and can’t wait for Wiseguy to see this movie!

Yup, ready to go to bed soon….just signing off this loan payment for my popcorn.

Pet Project

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My childhood fears were numerous.  I honestly don’t know how I managed to have so many phobias, but, boy oh boy, I drove my mother nuts with all the things that scared me.

Besides the usual arachnophobia, I feared grasshoppers (yes, they jumped at me and I was sure they were trying to poke my eyes out).  I was also beyond terrified of dogs.  From the big local Doberman on the street corner to the wee little Pomeranian.  I would hear a tinkle of the dog tags and I would almost pee myself with fear.  I crossed many a street due to roaming dogs.  These were the thoughts in my head, “I am terrified of dogs.  I will cross the street if I see any dogs.  Dogs are scary.  Dogs bite.  Dogs will rip me limb from limb.”  Pretty dramatic thoughts right?  Back in those days, I was kind of lucky in that many people did not have dogs.  None of my relatives had dogs either so I was pretty safe.

As I got older, it suddenly seemed, everyone had dogs.  My father-in-law (FIL) had beagles.  I tried to pet them to get over my fear, but as soon as they decided to jump on me to greet me I freaked out and ran.  So much for that plan.  We visited my sister-in-law and there were two dogs there.  As soon as I saw them, I froze.  Same thing would happen anywhere we went to visit.  I would ask Wiseguy to check with people we were visiting, to see if they had a dog.  He would forget to ask because, well, it was stupid to be afraid of dogs!

Now….move 10 years into the future.  Here I am watching tv with my TWO dogs.  Yes, I am the owner of these vicious mutts….Waldo (where’s Waldo?  haha) and Lucy (or Lucifer as we affectionately call her).  They are shi-poos.  I know, sooooo scary.  How did this come about?  After the kids moved out, and Wiseguy started working nights, I started telling him that I wanted a dog.  He looked at me like I was on crack or something.  Why would a woman, obsessively fearful of dogs, want a dog?  I explained, I didn’t want a dog, I wanted a puppy.  Cute, small, fluffy.  Nice logic right?

The story of dog ownership continues like this…The Princess called me happily one day to tell me that she got a job!  Yes, she was so excited!   “It’s at the pet store!”  The Princess LOVES animals.  Pet store?  ZING!  Hellooo karma!  Wiseguy and I went to visit her after she had been there for about a week.  She loved her job!  Suddenly, Wiseguy noticed this calm, little, caramel-coloured puppy with a tuft of hair in his little face.  He was just sitting there, staring at us.  He was a little teddy bear.  After two hours of me holding little puppy (while wandering around the store) we walked out with Waldo puppy and a bunch of other stuff to make our new puppy happy in our home.

Training and learning how to properly take care of a dog was a challenge for me, a not-ever pet owner.  Now, I am so happy to have two dogs in my life.  I am so grateful for their excitement whenever I get home.  My pups (dogs) jump on me (one is 20 lbs and the other is only 10 lbs).  They give me slurpy lick-kisses.  They cuddle with me.  They really are a joy for me.  They make FIL and Wiseguy happy too.  The amount of love and loyalty they show is just unfathomable.  Even little Kennie is excited to play with the “ogs”.  Kennie is very articulate about that.  She calls to them as any good trainer would:  Addo!  Ushi!

I now totally and completely understand why people love their dogs.  If anyone sees my dogs and get afraid, I understand.  I just hope that one day they will conquer their fear.  It’s worth it.  “Waldo…Lucy come!  Love you puppies!”

Waldo (sitting pretty)

Lucy(fer)

Beware, contagious

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Have you ever noticed the impact of a yawn on people around you?  All it takes is one person to start yawning and then it becomes like a giant wave.  It goes around full circle, everyone yawning one by one.  Even if you try to stifle it, you get that funny bug-eyed look while you try to clench your jaws shut.  Better to just let it go I say!

That’s how I feel about smiles.  Smiles are very interesting.  I learned that smiling actually uses less muscles than frowning.  Interesting right?  Smiles are also contagious.

I am a smiler.  Have been for a long, long time.  I love to smile.  I feel better when I smile.  Even if I am having a bad day, finding something that will make me smile just lifts my spirits.  When I go shopping, I smile at the cashiers.  When I am at family functions, I smile.  When I am at work, I smile.

I have been told that my teeth are really white.  People want to know if I use whiteners or something else to keep them so pearly white.  I tell them, “No.  I just smile a lot.”  Crazy theory, but I like it!

Smile!  Pass it along!

Mommy Mom Mama Ma

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Mother’s Day.  I’m a little late, but just thought I’d share my thoughts and feelings about this day.

Remember, in grade school, when the teacher would have arts and crafts supplies so that we could create wonderful gifts for our mom’s for Mother’s Day?  Macaroni art?  Tissue paper flowers?  Not to mention all the handmade cards (most of the time, the misspelled words were left alone to make it authentic).  Those were the cherished gifts for Mom.

As we children grew up, we couldn’t wait to get money and go BUY a real fancy gift for Mom with a real preprinted card to go with it.  So proud we were of our purchases.  Something had changed.  The happy gleam in her eyes of past gifts just didn’t seem to be there.  We tried different store-bought gifts every year.  We couldn’t figure out what we were doing wrong.  Time passed.  We gave up on the gifts.  We gave up on the cards.  I still call her on Mother’s Day and I can hear the joy in her voice.  No gift required.  

Then I became a stepmom to three wonderful children.  I received the homemade gifts and, believe me, nothing could make me feel more warm inside than that.  The homemade cards, including the wonderfully misspelled words, were the most beautiful things I had ever received.  I remember the dollar store plastic flowers that were given to me.  They were so excited with their purchase that they had to explain to me that, “we got you these because they will last forever!”  Yup, after 16 years, I still have those plastic pink flowers.  The kids don’t remember giving them to me, but that’s ok.  I will always remember the joy and pride they had when they were presented to me.

Even now, with everyone’s busy schedules, the kids find time to call or email or text.   They find some time to come and hang out.  I love all the hugs.  I am enamoured with the fragrant flowers.  I love the preprinted cards with the personalized essay of love inside them.  The older I get, the more the waterworks turn on, but that’s ok.  They are tears of love.

It’s really nice now as well because The Artist and The Baker call me mom.  Truly special for me, as I never had children of my own but married into the family plan.  I love the kids.  I love being with them.  I love seeing them.  I love seeing how well their lives are progressing and how they are excited about all their future plans.

I am proud of all of them.   I worry about each of them.  I love them all.  I think about them everyday.  I truly believe that being a Mom is a privilege.  It’s earned with lots of love, kindness, and especially hugs. 

Thanks for letting me be Mom on Mother’s Day (and every other day).

Pizza Presto

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I LOVE pizza!  Always have and always will.  To me, there is something just so tasty and comforting about pizza.  If you get the right sauce combination, you know, not too spicy, but fragrant enough with the right herbs, you have built the best base to start your layering of a fabulous pizza masterpiece. 

I have purchased frozen store pizzas to mangia.  Then I switched to making my own homemade dough (via bread maker).  I found it was much tastier.  On quickie dinner nights,  I have purchased a slab pizza, from the local bakery.  It is a baked slab with just pizza sauce.  I add my choice of delicious toppings and..voila!  Dinner in 30 minutes. (I love chopping and slicing everything by hand.  Makes me feel like a real professional chef!)

My Vegetarian Mushroom Red Pepper and Green Onion Pizza pre-oven time.  Look at all those colours!

Then there was the day that I was craving pizza and had no dough.  I also had no desire to wait for homemade dough, and absolutely no desire to go to store to buy some dough.  What to do?

 Necessity is the mother of invention. I foraged through my fridge and found Greek pita bread.  (They are different from regular pitas in that you can’t stuff them.)  I noticed that they are the thickness of a thin crust pizza and really, all I needed was a vessel that would carry my pizza toppings.

So it began.  I  pulled out a pita, put on pizza sauce, layered some shredded mozzarella on top, topped that with chopped onions, then some mushrooms, and finally tomato slices.  I decided to forgo the pepperoni that day.  That adventure could be saved for another day.  Instead of turning the oven on, I put that into the toaster over on 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  Molto bene!  Fantastic!  Personal pizza ready in 20 minutes.  Mmmmmm!

This discovery has also assisted me in many ways since.  Since they are really “personal size”, I could top each one with whatever the kids liked to have on it.  Some preferred more meat, some preferred more veggies.  In the end, there was something for everyone.

This has become my go-to hot appetizer as well.  I cut each pita into 8 wedges and ta-da!  Little mini pizza hors d’oeuvre.  Very pretty too.

Vary the recipe as well.  Use Bononcini or goat cheese instead of mozzarella.  Use an olive oil, with garlic infusion, instead of pizza sauce. 

Pizza really is a versatile dish.  Easy to make, easy to eat, and just makes your taste buds feel sooooo happy.

Hmmmm, I’m kind of craving some pizza right now.  Mmmmmm.  How about you?

My Vegetarian Mushroom Red Pepper and Green Onion Pizza AFTER baking!

 

El Presidente

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If there was one thing that I learned while studying at University, it was how to play cards.  Sure there were the crazy euchre tournaments and people begging you to be their partner, but there was absolutely nothing that was as much fun as President.  Hands down, best card game ever.  The great thing about it is that you can play with many people as long as you have enough decks of cards.

I introduced this game to our family while we were vacationing at the cottage.  There was our family and two of the extended families with us.  We were trying to figure out a card game that everyone could play.  Old and young.  It had to be something that everyone could get a chance to win.  Then it hit me.  I asked Wiseguy to go and bring out two decks of cards.  I told our clan that we would play a really fun game and it wouldn’t take long to learn it.  We started with 8 people.  We needed one deck of cards for every four players.  I figured that if the eight of us had fun then the others would join.  We played, we laughed…hook, line, sinker.  Bring out another deck of cards.

I will try to summarize the rules and gameplay for you:

The goal is to become President.  You become president by getting rid of all your cards first.  There is also a vice president, a secretary, and the lowly joker.  Anyone can deal the deck of cards first as everyone begins as a neutral person.  You deal the whole deck (jokers included as they are very, very lucky cards).  Now, the best way to sort all your cards is to put them highest to lowest and put pairs and triplets together.  Example:  Joker would be highest, then any deuces (twos are bonus cards as well).  Next would be Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, 10s, 9s, and so on down the line.  The three of spades starts to the game so whoever has that card must play it.  The game continues clockwise from there. 

Important:  if one card is laid then the next person can only play one higher card (not two or more).  If doubles are played, then it continues all around as doubles.  So, if one 3 is played then one 4 or higher can be played.  If two 5s were played then two 6s or higher can be played.

Super important regarding the bonus cards:  The wonderful Joker cards can beat anything…a single card or a stack of 5 of a kind.  BAM!  wins it!  The deuces, a little bit to remember.  One 2 will beat a single card or a double card.  If there is 3 of a kind put down you need two 2s.  Four of a kind, you need four 2s.

So, round and round you go until someone slams down that last card and calls PRESIDENT!  The next person who goes out is the Vice President, the next, secretary, and last is the Joker (fondly called Loser, but I prefer Joker when children are playing).

Next:  the Joker is now in charge of shuffling and dealing the cards (deal goes clockwise again).  The President gives his two lowest cards to the Joker and the Joker gives two highest cards to the President.  The Vice President gives his one lowest card to the Secretary and the Secretary gives the highest card to the Vice President.  Now, when you have 6 or more people playing it gets quite interesting.  There are only the 4 main positions.  All others that are playing keep all their cards.  No need to swap so you never know who has the Joker cards or the deuces. 

What is SO great about this game?  Anyone can win.  I remember my eight-year old niece just cleaning up.  She went from Joker to President in one turn.  The giggles and laughter were priceless.  This is definitely a unifying game.  That anticipation of dropping the last card is such an adrenaline rush.

We still play this game.  I introduced this game to The Baker and The Artist at Christmastime.  When we get together we still love to gather around the table play President and nosh on snacks while we giggle and laugh and taunt each other.  Good loving times.

The next time you have a large group of people together and just need a quick pick me up, whip out that deck of cards (or two or three or four) and declare a Presidency war.