Archive for the 'House' Category

A post in which I make fun of my pantry-keeping skills.

I decided to clean out my pantry recently. It was like a great big junk drawer of canned, boxed and bottled food. Apparently I have been stocking up on the necessities. I am such a “nester”…

Apparently, every family of 5 needs THREE 40 ounce bottles of BBQ sauce. Yeah, because my kids use BBQ sauce instead of milk in their cereal.

Chocolate syrup. Keeps the marriage alive. Just kidding. You can NEVER have enough of the syrup that is chocolate…A.K.A. “The Nectar of All Things Good and True”. I mean, really… What if a school bus full of children broke down in front of my house and I had an insufficient amount of chocolate syrup for making chocolate milk? How embarrassing. 

I guess I could always offer them…

What is this all about? One might think I operate a soup kitchen… or a healing clinic called, “Bring Me Your Sick, Your Sore Throats”. Nope. I just harvested a bounty of canned chicken broth… for all the soup I make in the summer. Ahhh… nothing like sipping on steaming hot bowl of soup In. The. Summer.

Tomatoes anyone? My kids HATE tomatoes, but - by golly - I am gonna keep these diced, sauced, crushed, whole, canned, red orbs in my pantry. I wait for the moment enough of their young taste-buds die off and the children realize tomatoes won’t gag them to death.

Oooh - a vinegar bar! I look at this line up and I am reminded of Bubba Gump…

…white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, Balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, rice vinegar, vinegar-vinegar…

***Note: One item that was NOT in my pantry…. Oreos. Because I ate them. All. 

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Published
by
jenny
on August 7, 2008
in 365, Eats, Fa' Real?, General and House
. 14 Comments

Amish Friendship Bread, among other things

Goody! A list of Downey Downersons:

My Amish Friendship Bread is baking for another 35 minutes… The kids wanted to help make it. I forgot until after they were asleep (thank you Lord they fell asleep). It is day 10, and I had to make it. I am so bummed the kids didn’t get to “help”. This makes me feel like I have ripped childhood joy from their sticky, filthy palms. However, I am keeping one of the “starters” and we’ll try this again in 10 days…

I have a butt-load of emails and phone calls I have not been able to return in a timely manner.

With the layer of dust on my furniture, one might presume Mt. St. Helens blew her top again.

What happens to my hand towels in my guest bathroom? We. Have. Not. Had. Guests. Recently.

I just ate a bowl and a second bowl of Oreo ice cream with a couple of scoops of Jif - cuz that’s the smart thing for a girl to do when she’s packed on a few in the last couple of weeks and has to run in a half-marathon in, like, 10 days. Just keepin’ it real pzeeple.

I am not usually embarrassed at the condition of my home. But I was today. Someone came by who has never been here before. I gave a quick tour. There was not one corner that didn’t have crap piled in/on/upon/around/within it. Not. One. Now, I don’t need a clean house, but there are limits.

I stink. I worked out this afternoon and need to wash off the stank of fitness (all undone due to that double bowl of Stupid-n-Jif I ate a little while ago).

My desk. Oh my heck. You don’t want to know.

Yeah. Blog365. That too. It’s usually not a problem for me, but there are days. This is one of them. I have posted everyday this year, and do I blow it because of stink and dust and paperwork and emails and chaos? I know, it’s not a competition… except I am all about frivolous pressure and adding stress and intensity to my life… because, ya know - my life needs to be “spruced up”.

Watching the finale of Lost now - at 11:20 p.m. (recorded)… I’m feeling a little better now.

 

Published
by
jennyonthespot
on May 29, 2008
in 365, General, Guilt, House, Jenny Jen-Jen and Not So Much
. 5 Comments

04.25.08 - Fridge Friday

Due to technical difficulties, the picture I took of my fridge today cannot be posted in time to meet the “Friday” goal. Rest assured, the usual suspects are there - about 2 gallons of milk and that bottle of champagne is still chillin’. However, there are also 2 gallons of orange juice - a portion of which I hope to use in mimosas some day this weekend. I know, I know… yeah, right. There’s tri-tip from Costco, ready to be sorted into managable protions, and leftover yakisoba. Num. I also have a big container-ful of little tomatoes that pack a punch. Ooh, those babies are GOOD…

Good evening dear friends and faithful lurkers. May you rest well this Friday night… I am off to chase some zzzz’s, for I have an 8 mile run to tackle bright and early on the morrow.

 

Published
by
jennyonthespot
on April 25, 2008
in General and House
. 1 Comment

Seamless Toilets

One would think that when a woman gives birth to a baby boy, not only should she come home with large gauze undies, witch hazel spray, a bundle of joy, a heart full of content, discharge papers, the Apgar score, after birth pains, and an unrealistically romantic view of mothering… she should also go home with a seamless toilet.

No, not for her. For. Her. Soon. To. Be. Potty. Trained. Little. Boy. The time between the newborn stage and being able to wee wee in the potty goes fast. The hospital doesn’t send papers about that.

Little Boys have been given special parts that make it negotiable whether the pee lands IN or ON or AROUND the toilet. Target practice at it’s finest. What amazes me is is this - why do toilets have so many d*** crevices? Where’s my Wonder Twin?

Wonder Twin Powers ACTIVATE!

SHAPE OF… teeniest, yet most absorbent, most antibacterial q-tip EVER!  

FORM OF…. most bendable person EVER! 

*picture credit here*

OR, a seamless toilet. If they can make seamless panties… c’mon!

Published
by
jennyonthespot
on April 5, 2008
in 365, General, House, Mutha' Hood and Not So Much
. 7 Comments

Oh, wow… WINDOW CHALK…

Window Chalk.

Window Chalk

Oh, Mom, you are much too sweet to the kids… You shouldn’t have. No. Really. You shouldn’t have…

Published
by
jennyonthespot
on January 4, 2008
in 365, General, House, Mutha' Hood and Spawn
. 3 Comments

Snow and Preschool Beauty Escapades

Our driveway

The driveway…

Roll that snow

A future snowman…

Frosty! Is that you?!

Frosty, could that really be you?

Even the littlest amount of snow

Yay! A snow angel!

Our backyard

The view from my room…

Snowed

The back of the house from the back…

That Enough Mama?

“Is that enough, Mama?” Ummm… yeah…

Yook, Mama!

“Yook Mama! I did it!” …and I’m 2!

Published
by
jennyonthespot
on December 2, 2007
in Family, General, House, Lucy, Olivia and Spawn
. 2 Comments

You know the tune… let’s sing it

“99 loads of laundry on the bed, 99 loads of laundry… fold one up and put it away… 100 loads of laundry on the bed. 100 loads of laundry on the bed, 100 loads of laundry… fold one up and put it away… 101 loads of laundry on the bed. 101 loads of laundry on the bed, 101 loads of laundry… fold one up and put it away… 102 loads of laundry on the bed…”

I give. I’m gonna “sing” a different song…

“99 glasses of Vodka Tonic on my counter, 99 glasses of Vodka Tonic… pick one up and throw it back… 98 glasses of Vodka Tonic on my counter, 98 glasses of Vodka Tonic… pick one up and throw it back… who cares about the stinkin’ laundry…”

Blogged with Flock

Published
by
jennyonthespot
on November 15, 2007
in General, Guilt and House
. 6 Comments

In

new… house… first… night… so… happy… so… tired… must… rest… :)

Published
by
jennyonthespot
on July 29, 2006
in General and House
. 3 Comments

So…

In an earlier post, I was a little “ranty” about the painter/circumstances with our new place. For an update - it is all working out (and the red walls are so yummy it makes me want to lick ‘em). The painters are making good on delivery. I’m cool. Can you feel it? Pretty much, there are a bunch of fellers kickin’ tail up at the ‘ol properTAY..

Which leads me to some exciting news… I got to vacuum brand new carpet in my brand new house today!!! Zip! Who knew vacuuming could be so exhilarating. I am here to testify, it can be - oh it can… But the most exciting news of all is that it is 99.99999% likely that we will be moving in on Saturday! Yes, THIS Saturday! I can hardly stand it. If you saw me right now, you might be think I was a 7-year-old trying to “hold it” - bounce, bounce, bounce!

Speaking of exciting news… my life-long friend just had a baby boy!!! He’s wicked cute, but only I got the pics - and I’m not sharing! She’s not created a new post, but maybe this’ll get her going. Gosh, she’s had a whole 3 days to recover :) Congrats my dear Jen :)

Published
by
jennyonthespot
on July 26, 2006
in Family, General and House
. 4 Comments

Our “brush” with celebrity…

So, the company who is painting our house (get it, “brush”) was the company that painted one of the Extreme Home Makeover houses in our area awhile back. I’m so mad I can’t even link to EHM. The whole home-makover thing - love it. Love. It. Best idea. Best. Idea. I fully support it, but read on….

wwhhEll… (read as a moan of dissatisfaction not a gleam of impression), apparently the painter got a “last minute” call to work on the opening season show in Alaska last week. They gave him a hefty chunck-o-change to turn tail and forsake all his other obligations - like my house. Mi. Casa. “Never fear Jenny” - is what I hear from our project manager guy - “the ever-impressive painter-man has his top 2 guys on your project.” Why do I ever believe anyone? Can someone please send me a kindergarten teacher from 1952 to walk next to me with a pointer stick so she can strike my knuckles each half hour for buying that line of nonsense…

At one point we were told it would take 10 days to finish painting. The job needed to be completed by this coming Monday (the 17th) so things like the following could be completed: the fireplace, the rest of the lights, 2 more coats on the wood floor, carpeting, clean-up, and who knows what else!

As of today - those 2 “top men” must be dead. No one’s seen ‘em, at least not at my house…

Published
by
jennyonthespot
on July 15, 2006
in General and House
. 1 Comment