Yup

Yes, I know I have not blogged in quite some time. It's this thing called work and life and sleep that get in the way. I'm always thinking about stuff to blog about - but seldom get around to it. Last week I worked more than 40 hours. Seems like everyone at working is calling in sick or kids are sick so they need someone to work. 2 days down this week, 2 more to go. But now, it is 30 degrees outside, the house is 62 degrees and it is time for me to crawl under the covers and sleep. I'll try to blog more later! And at the request of Laura, add more pictures. I swear I am trying to get my house clean so I can take more pictures of it to post - but it just will NOT stay clean!! Can't imagine why.

Adios.

Cooking Fiasco

It is a well known fact in my family that I do not cook much. Not exactly sure why that is. Laziness? Maybe. Fear of failure? Maybe. Lack of time? eh...probably not. :) Well tonight I was home and Brett had lab until about 6:20 or so, so I decided I would actually attempt to cook something for supper. We had some ground beef thawed in the fridge so I decided to make something with that. I didn't want to do anything taco related because we had just had taco salad a few days ago. I wasn't in the mood for spaghetti either. I started browsing the cupboards and cookbooks (the few I have!) for something to make where I didn't have to go to the store. I came across this recipe for pizza casserole and thought, hey, that sounds good and easy! I'll make that! Thank goodness I know how to brown ground beef and onion so that part was easy. As I got that started I went in the cupboard to get my macaroni noodles out and found that I didn't have any so I thought hey, noodles are noodles, I'll just use the egg noodles I have. Well the recipe called for 4 cups of macaroni noodles. I didn't have 4 cups of the other noodles but thought they were bigger so it was okay.

So I start cooking the noodles. I then look in the fridge for my pepperoni. Pepperoni, pepperoni where are you???? ARGH - I have none. I'm scrambling to think what else I could use and since you all know I am wonderful at this cooking thing - I came up with nothing. I know you are all on the edge of your seats just wondering what I did with this dilemma. I locked the cats in the porch so they wouldn't eat my food that was cooking. Then I turned the pans off and quick ran to the store to get some pepperoni. All the while my dryer was running. Smart? heh.

THEN - I get home and find my meat to be dried out and my noodles to be turned to some kind of mush. Apparently leaving them in water isn't a good idea. Who knew? Well, I put it all together in a pan anyway. Mushy noodles and all. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't say it was wonderful either. Brett ate it, and even had seconds.

I guess if I ever decide to make food again, I'll know what to do different with this recipe! How did I draw the short stick in my family when it comes to cooking? My mom is a wonderful cook and so are my 2 sisters. Brett said practice makes perfect, so I guess this means I need to cook more huh? One meal at a time.

WHAT?

Are you kidding me? It is November? Just 2 blog posts ago I wrote that it was the beginning of October!! This means a few things: 1: time is going too quickly! 2: I don't blog near enough, and 3: Thanksgiving is right around the corner!

I like Thanksgiving. Mostly because I love eating ham and cheesy potatoes and green bean casserole and my mom's homemade warm buns with homemade strawberry jam. YUM! Mostly, I like eating those things because I am not the one that has to make it. I just enjoy. This year however, I am not sure I will make it home to eat "home cooked" food. I'll have to eat my own home cooked food, which for me, consists of mac and cheese. If I'm lucky, it is the extra cheesy kind. And if I am even luckier - Brett will cook :) Which he does most all the time anyway.

Last night we had a little fire in the backyard. We burned a few sticks and leaves (shhh!!) It is perfectly legal to have a fire in the backyard if you are cooking something, so we made smores. You just aren't supposed to burn yard waste. So it was a joyous occasion and I should have taken pictures, but I didn't. Speaking of pictures - I have been TRYING to get my house all nice and clean so I can walk through it with my video camera and show it to people who haven't seen our house. But alas - I am terrible at making the whole house clean at once. I'll get one room all nice and clean and then the next day try to do another room, and by the time that is done, the first room is messy again! Can ANYONE relate?

Happy 21st Birthday to my little sister a couple days ago! She's all grown up now and everything. Now, if only she'd act grown up. Just kidding Laura! I love you.

Parker, our little cat has become quite the monster!!! Brett ordered a pair of shoes off the internet and they came in the mail the other day in a box. Parker tore around in the box and chewed up one side. He'll run around, and then run straight in the box and duck down inside and then poke his little head up make some meowing sounds and then jump out again. Oh, the cuteness. :) Currently Brett is lying on the couch with his notebook in front of him studying. Parker just jumped up and sat on his notebook and looked at him like, "hey, I'm sitting on your notebook - what's up?" Then he'll bite the paper. Oy.

So on the 31st we had these 3 little kids come to the door trick or treating. I had thought they came around on the 30th, Saturday, so that night we hid in the basement with the lights off and watched a movie. Well, on Sunday we were upstairs and had the lights on and these 3 cute little kids came by - and I had no candy.....so, what did Brett find to give them? They each got 1 whole bar of Hershey's chocolate (the kind you use for smores). Those lucky kids.

I'm off to ride my bike before it gets too cold. Maybe I can get Brett to go with me. Fat chance though!