From Inmates to Playdates

Posts Tagged ‘eating’

Welcome to my kitchen.

I’m so glad you’ve stopped by.

Help yourself to a no-bake cookie and we’ll get right down to business.

Or for you health freaks, how about a banana,

Let’s get started, shall we? Geez O’Whiz, it just dawned on me that there are lots of baskets in my kitchen.

First of all, there is my recipe book basket. I don’t necessarily use these often, but you must admit they are pretty impressive when housed together in the magazine basket.

Then, there are my canisters,

And their neighbor, the utensil basket (featuring the spankin’ spoon), sits right beside the stove.

My favorite kitchen appliance, the Crock Pot.

And some strawberries waiting to be cut.

Grab another cookie before you scoot along, and remember these important words…

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen on this week’s You Capture tour.

When we first began planning our family vacation to Florida, (yes, I’m mentioning it one more time!) one of the first issues we tackled after agreeing on a date, was how / when / what / where we would eat dinner each evening as a family.

We threw around a couple of ideas, none of which seemed very appealing unless of course you enjoy eating in a restaurant with fifteen kids under the age of eight, or cooking for several hours each evening while everyone else enjoys the pool and the surf.

Then we discovered that Martha Stewart was not available.

Neither was Paula Deen.

So. We were forced to look into some other option. During an impromptu family discussion, it was mentioned that maybe we should look for a caterer. A caterer that would prepare dinner, allow us to borrow tables and chairs, deliver the meals, and do all of that for a reasonable price.

Sound impossible?

Yes, I thought so too.

My sister-in-law, (with the help of  John T. Google) found a lady in St. Petersburg, Florida who runs a lunch catering delivery business. She forwarded the number to me, and I got in contact with the catering lady, Kathi Maiden.

People, hear me when I say this, “Finding Kathi Maiden was like hitting the lottery.”

Only we didn’t win money.

And we didn’t have third cousins crawling out of the woodwork aggravating us to death.

She runs a business called ‘What’s For Lunch, St. Pete’ and when I contacted her she agreed to all of our hair-brained ideas. We decided upon a menu and she agreed to deliver dinner to our hotel every evening at 5:00 PM at a cost of $6.00 per person in disposable serving dishes.

It all sounded too good to be true so good and easy.

We had a bit of commotion from the manager of the hotel when we called to inquire about the  possibility of using the breezeway to eat, but after a few conversations with her she agreed we could use the tables and chairs in the breezeway area during dinner time. (And after arriving there, it was evident that of the 17 rooms available, nine rooms were empty, seven rooms were occupied by our family, and one other room was a family we didn’t know. So, it’s not like we wreaked a lot of havoc at the hotel.

As a family, we decided on a menu and I forwarded the menu on to Kathi. We e-mailed back and forth several times before arriving in Florida and the first evening she was due to bring our dinner I was nervous about the whole set-up. 

You know, because I have the utmost trust in people.

On Monday, Kathi showed up a bit before 5:00 PM with two banquet tables, some folding chairs and enough food to feed the country of Belize.

Or McDaddy’s family.

Monday was Mexican night so our menu consisted of enchiladas, build your own taco, burrito lasagna, taco fixin’s, refried beans, Spanish rice, summer salad, and two strawberry cakes. It was spectacularly delicious (try saying that three times fast!) and we were all so relieved that not only did the whole plan work out, it worked out perfectly. PERFECTLY! We also enjoyed Italian night (complete with tiramisu), hamburger/hotdog night, beef strogonoff night and country ham night. I’m sorry to say that I didn’t get any pictures of the spreads food. You should totally believe me when I tell you that her meals were impressive.

In fact, every. single. evening. she. outdid. herself.

Our family is so grateful to Kathi and thankful that she made dinnertime such a wonderful experience for us. None of us had to spend time preparing or planning dinners. And really, there was very little cleanup because every single meal was served in disposable containters.

Well, except for the spaghetti sauce.

But I’m not even mentioning that, because spaghetti sauce? Not a big deal at all.

And on top of that, there was generally enough food of some kind left over for lunch the next day. If you are visiting the St. Petersburg/Tampa area and have a need for food catering services or lunch, you should visit Kathi’s site What’s For Lunch St. Pete. It worked for us!

Works For Me Wednesday is hosted by We Are THAT Family.

Can you believe it is already time for What I Learned This Week again?

Sometimes it seems like I no sooner hit publish on my WILTW post, it’s time to write another. And then another. But then again, this is one of my easiest posts to write, because the stuff I learn? Endless each and every week. That’s not to say it’s jaw-dropping information, I’m just saying there’s plenty of stuff to share.

So, let’s kick this thing off with my friend, The List.

1. The almond snickers is not nearly as good as the peanut one.

2. My camera will not work without the SD card.

Duh!

3. When the needle from your Cricut is missing from the box and it is usually stored on the top shelf of your son’s closet, chances are good that your needle will show up at the next closet cleaning session.

4. When you have an extra kid at the mall, you should assume that the kid has no idea how to get onto or off of an escalator.

5. When hyped up on all manner of consignment sale adrenaline, it is possible to purchase the exact same Lightning McQueen shirt for your sweet boys in a size 6, size 7, and size 8.

Sad, but true.

6. If your boy ever has the misfortune to have two black eyes, you can expect them to still be lingering on your sweet boy’s face a full two weeks later.

7.  If some sorry sap starts a Words With Friends game with you and then decides not to play, the computer will automatically resign the game after 21 days of non-activity.

8. A cactus CAN have a beautiful flower.

9. When using Arbonne’s sea salt hand scrub on your feet in the bath, caution should be used because after use, your feet and tub will be dangerously slippery.

10. When hundreds of parents question the county school board concerning a construction plan, they should totally listen, or else they will be calling those same hundreds of parents come August informing them that their children will not be starting school the same day as every. other. kid. in. the. county. because construction is running behind schedule and because “we’re at the mercy of American Electric Power”…

Dare I say I told you so, Mr. County School Board Superintendent?

11. When you are in your midlate thirties, and you get the bright idea to ‘hit the water slide’ with McDaddy and there is a tube involved, you should not be surprised when your hip feels as if it has been dislocated…

… because the old gray mare, she ain’t what she used to be!

12. When you spend 84% of your summer on the road, it is difficult [read: impossible] to keep up with the DVR daily docket.

And speaking of getting on the road, I need to hit the sack because 6:45 am comes bright and early.

And now, what did YOU learn this week?

If you’re linking up this week, please link to your actual WILTW post, and not just to your blog’s home page because in seven months when folks are nosing around on past posts, they can click on your link and go straight to your post. If you need help with that, you can go here or simply e-mail me because I love to talk, type, skype, whathaveyou, and I’ll do my best to walk you through the process. Also, please link back here to ‘From Inmates To Playdates’ because, well, that’s just a kind thing to do when you’re linking up to a carnival.

Okay. With all that out of the way, here’s MckLinky!

It’s one of those days where my head is swimming.

Not that it’s any different than most days in my head, but today, I suspect I could come up with thirteen very random things to purge from my brain thereby making room for other, more important information.

Let’s see what we can do, shall we?

1. I heard (or read?) somewhere that Harry Connick, Jr. may be the replacement judge for Simon Cowell.

- This news? Sweet hallelujah, this news absolutely thrills me to death!

2. At this very moment, I am playing Words With Friends with both Big Mama and MckMama. I feel like I’ve hit the big time.

- Do you play Words With Friends? I’m JulieWV if you’re looking for a game with a crazy person.

3. Earlier today, my sweet Alex asked “if we could get a pogo stick?”

- Why yes, sweet boy. Yes indeed we can get you a pogo stick. I can think of no better way to crack your head and bust your teeth? On top of that, what else does McDaddy have to do besides fixing a hole in the ceiling?

4. The new 4.0 iPhone software allows you to put your APPs into folders. Did you know that?

- Simply hold your finger on an APP until the little black delete x’s show up allowing you to delete or move them. Drag an APP on top of another APP and release. It will create a folder that you can name and show all the APPs in that folder and will consolidate your eight or nine pages of APPs into fewer pages.

5. Am I the only 30ish woman on the planet who has yet to get swept up in the vampire, Edward, Eclipse nonsense?

- Really. Have. No. Desire.

6. Stevie’s speech teacher had another job lined up for the upcoming school year. In her words, something “just didn’t feel right about the new job!” so she asked if she could have her job at Stevie’s school back.

-Answered prayers.

That’s all I’m sayin.

7. Very excited about two very cool blog reviews coming up in the next week.  Stay tuned!

8. Our boys are participating in an eight-week program at our church called Centershot Ministries. Their web-site says ”The Centershot Ministry teaches children the life-skill of archery while sharing the good news of Christ at the same time.” That means my four (4!) year old will be shooting a real live bow with real life arrows at a real life target at thirty feet.

Wow. Just wow.

9. Summer is more than half-over. That makes me very sad. Especially when you consider how s-l-o-w the school year creeps by.

10. McDaddy’s cell phone suffered a fatal accident this week. His new phone arrived today. I was concerned that he might need my precious for a few days while out of town on business. Thankfully, my old phone (two phones ago) charged right up and accepted his SIM card. Me and my iPhone have been inseperable and I’m not sure how either of us would have fared if forced to spend time apart.

11. Stevie’s left front tooth is loose and crooked. When he smiles, he looks like Tow Mater.

12. I’m planning an impromptu birthday party for a friend. I’m giving out princess treat bags and may even wear my tiara.

13. I am in the mood for Chili’s chips and salsa. Would love to have some at this very moment. They are warm and salty and wonderful.

I know. I know. I shoulda never brought it up.

Happy Thursday, y’all!

Is it just me or are the Summer months flying by?

I enjoyed June.

I really did.

But I can hardly remember where I was when it passed me by. Why is it that the school year seems to creep by while the summer months zoom right past?

I learned a lot this week. In fact, I learned so much, there’s no way I can put it all into one post. I mean, I could put it all into one post, but really do y’all want to sit here half the day and read about all the things I learned?

Nah, I didn’t think so.

Anyway, please help me welcome, the list.

1. If you are in the Amish Country and decide to buy Fry Pies, you should know the more fry pies you buy, the more fry pies you will eat.

2. When pulling a camper, you should place the salt and pepper on the BOTTOM shelf. That way, when it upends, you’ll only have to clean the bottom shelf and not all four of the shelves.

Common sense, where are you?

3. Titling a blog post, “Your Kiss Is On My Lips” will send a great deal of blog traffic your way.

4. Ditto for Wet T-Shirt Contest.

5. If you plan on purchasing a two-piece bathing suit, it’s probably a good idea to keep up with both pieces or else you might find yourself still needing a bathing suit.

6. When you are packing a day’s worth of stuff for a July 4th picnic and your hubby says, “Don’t forget the sunscreen” you should strongly encourage him to GET THE SUNSCREEN RIGHT NOW AND PUT IT IN THE BAG or else you will find yourself paying an arm and a leg seven dollars for a small tube of sunscreen (about nine squirts) at a gas station.

7. The headlight switch on my van can be pulled out or pushed in which apparently turns on the fog lights.

First of all, I had no idea the switch did anything other than turn from side-to-side. Secondly, (McDaddy skip down to number eight right now!) I didn’t know my van had fog lights.

Sad, but true.

8. If your son begins to wail like a crazy person in the scrapbook aisle at Michael’s completely unprovoked, there is a fair chance he has been stung by something.

9. It is very tough for me to end a list on number nine and sometimes I must get real creative to finish the list out with a nice, round, number.

10. So, What did YOU learn this week? (Please link directly to your WILTW post, not to your main blog page, and please don’t forget to link back here to the WILTW headquarters!) Thanks y’all.

Are you feeling guilty because you forgot your child’s dentist appointment?

Have you ever been overcome with embarrassment because your child made a grand announcement in a public restroom that “you stink when you use the potty?”

If so, then you are in the perfect place for Not Me! Monday. A blog carnival that was “created out of a desire to admit some imperfections and reveal a few moments you would rather forget”.

It seems my life was full of Not Me! Monday imperfections this weekend while we were camping with several families from our church.

For instance, it wasn’t me who stood perfectly still for the better part of 30 minutes with camera aimed and ready during a lightning storm with hopes of getting the perfect picture.

Unsuccessfully, I might add.

Well, I probably wasn’t perfectly still because the words me and perfectly and still could never be good friends. But, you get my drift, right?

It’s also not me who misplaced that same camera making it impossible to share the cool pictures I did get of the sky and the rainbow because me? I never lose stuff.

It most certainly wasn’t me who considered herself to be “roughing it” at the campground because my precious iPhone wasn’t able to perform in 3G mode therefore making it impossible to play Words With Friends for most of the weekend.

I did not make another one of these cakes for the third time in as many weeks. I also didn’t eat any of it.

There’s no way I decided to skip out on the laundry today, opting instead to write tomorrow’s blog post because I am not lazy. Nor am I a procrastinator.

I would never roll my eyes when reading that someone excepts something when really they should accept it.

What can I say? I’m full or quirks. Pet peeve alert, people.

It is not me who has killed more than her share of ants over the past month and who still found herself killing ants in the camper this past weekend.

Where in the heck do they come from, anyway?

And finally, it isn’t me who completely forgot to write a father’s day post before going on our camping trip this past weekend so that it would automatically post on Father’s Day. McDaddy is a great father and is totally worthy of his own personal blog post.

And so is this guy. My own daddy, Jimmy.

For more Not Me! Monday posts, head over to MckMama‘s place.

I enjoyed my first full week of summer with my fellas very much!

I usually give summer a hard time.

There’s the heat.

The humidity.

The stupid flying, stinging, insects.

Not to mention the humidity.

But one thing I love about summer is the extra sleep it affords.

I drop-kicked the alarm clock out in the front yard about nineteen minutes after I picked Stevie up on his last day of school and it hasn’t been seen or heard from since then.

We’ve had a couple of playdates because hello? Remember the whole From Inmates To Playdates thing? We love playdates around here. Especially indoor, air conditioned playdates.

The boys are taking (indoor!) swimming lessons and when I signed them up, I was careful to choose a class that wouldn’t conflict with anything else in our schedule.

Basically that means I didn’t want to get my lazy butt out of bed before 9:00 am, so I picked the 11:15 am class.

Priorities, people.

I was a bit apprehensive about the swimming lessons because while my boys love to frolic in the pool, they are not big fans of “going under” or getting water in their eyes. Swimming lessons could have been a big freakin’ mistake. McDaddy shared a story with them the night before lessons about a little boy named Daddy who had a mommy named grandma, who had swimming lessons, but was too scared to actually learn to swim. Then, I added my four cents about bravery, and the cost of the lessons, a threat that might or might not have included the loss of certain electronic devices for not trying their hardest, as well as a bribe for an “Iron Man Mask” IF they are able to actually swim at the end of their lessons.

Upon arriving at the University of Charleston for swim lessons, we pause before getting out of the van. We hold hands, sing “Kum Ba Yah” and then we pray that God will help them to be brave and safe in the water.

While I am not sure they will actually learn to swim, I am pleased to report that they are giving it their all and actually trying to learn. I can’t help but think of my boyfriend, Michael Phelps, and how his mama must have felt as she sat on the sidelines and watched him take his first lessons in the pool. Do you think she had any idea at the time that he’d be breaking records and taking names in the 2008 Summer Olympics? I’m not clinging to the hope that my boys will be Olympic Swimmers some day, but by golly, if they do, I will say the $108.00 (after coupon) was totally worth it. They have seven more lessons, so we’ll see what happens.

McDaddy is working out of town for part of the week, so I’ve planned and schemed to find me and the boys some fun things to do to insure that I won’t be sitting in a fetal position in the corner rocking back and forth answering for the eleventh time why it is that they can’t play the Wii or watch Tom and Jerry the whole entire day. They do enjoy playing outside but seriously, in the heat of the day in the hills of West Virginia, it’s approximately 97 degrees with about 285% humidity, so playing outside is kept to a minimum until the sun goes down.

The other thing I’ll be busying myself with this week is packing.

It seems like all I’ve done the past month is packing, washing clothes to pack, or unpacking. I’m not necessarily complaining, because I don’t complain. I’m just merely making  a statement.

I just got the laundry caught up after our gloriously fun, but hot quick weekend in Florida for the wedding, and now, I”m at it again.

This time, I’m packing for a camping trip. The McFamily will accompany 10 other families from our church and we’ll spend four days eating, fellowshipping, laughing, fishing, boating, eating, and eating. It is a logistical nightmare for the ones who organize the camping spots and the food which is planned several weeks ahead of time. We eat breakfasts and dinners together and spend the other hours of the day deciding who will go on the boat, who will fish and who will stay back with the nonboating, nonfishing kids. I am so thankful for our church family. I’m looking forward to a short (hopefully not too hot!) sweet camping trip.

Oh, and I guess since this is Monday, I should let you know that it certainly wasn’t me came home from church last night and fixed pancakes for my hungry little fellas because anyone with half a brain knows that eating pancakes slathered in butter and syrup at 9:30 pm is never a good idea.

And it also wasn’t me who squealed like a little girl when this thing hopped across my foot on our front porch late one evening last week.

It also wasn’t me who walked three miles out of the way to get into my house and get my camera.

And before you ask, it was not me who crouched down like she was a professional photographer for National Geographic just to snap a picture of the nasty little sucker for the blog. Nope. Not me. Not scared. At all.

And since I’m confessing all the things that I didn’t do, it is not me who visits Google weekly to find out proper spellings of words like Kum Ba Yah, and crouched for the blog.

Not me. No way.

Have yourselves a lovely Monday. I plan to enjoy mine fully, in between the swimming lessons, the humidity, the laundry and whathaveyou.

This post is linked to Not Me! Monday over at MckMama‘s place.

I am nosy by nature.

So, that might explain why it is that I love to know stuff. No matter how silly the stuff, I want to know it. As you might imagine, I was tickled to find out I could place a widget within my side-bar that would track who visits my blog and how they found my blog.

Y’all.

Some of the things people google are off the hook.

See for yourself….

• Dubai arrived from Google.ae on “Top Then Things I Learned at Santa’s Worshop” by searching for three things I learnt from a school workshop.

Welcome, Dubai! If I’ve “learnt” anything at all, it would be to spell correctly in my google searches or else my spelling mistake might show up on a blog in West Virginia. Just sayin’.

• Washington, Pennsylvania arrived from google.com on Thursday Thirteen – 13 things that “D”elight Me by searching for donut connection; chocolate iced rings.

What’s up, Washington? Not real sure why you’d be googling the donut connection or their chocolate iced rings, but I can already tell we are kindred spirits. While I love the donut connection like nobody’s business, I can assure you that I haven’t darkened their door for months. It makes no sense for me to go there because there’s this weight that I need to lose. When I go to the Donut Connection, the weight just follows me around and I can’t lose it. So, Washington P-A, enjoy one for me, would ya? Thanks!

• Mountian Home, Arkansas arrived from google.com on “Unleashing My Inner Latin Freak” by searching for how do you say freak in latin?

Would y’all give Mountain Home, Arkansas a big WV welcome. Um, I should start by saying that I took German in high school. I didn’t see a reason to take Latin. Or French. Or Spanish. You know, because Spanish wouldn’t be the least bit helpful to me in my adult life. Nosiree. It was German for me. Because that’s how I roll. So sorry to break the news to you, but I have no idea how to say freak in Latin. Or German for that matter. But I am so happy that you stopped by and do hope you’ll pop in from time to time.

• Oakley, California arrived from google.com on “Making Things Happen” by searching for make things happen or say what just happened.

Oakley, California, I’m so glad you’re here! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. There are three types of people in the world. Those who make things happen, those that watch things happen, and those who stand by and say, “What Just Happened?” I tend to think I am a one of those people who make things happen. And Oakley, I sure hope you are too. Nobody likes a slacker. So keep your head up and keep making things happen.

• San Diego, California arrived from google.com on “Oh Yes, It’s Almost Time!” by searching for “Apolo Anton Ohno stupid headband.”

Hello, San Diego! Welcome to my humble abode! If you’ve spent anytime here at From Inmates To Playdates, you would know that Apolo Anton Ohno is my boyfriend. And when you’re a hottie, like my boyfriend, you can wear a stupid headband and look good while wearing it. So there.

• Bangor, Pennsylvania arrived from search.yahoo.com on “my funeral” by searching for gynecologist, coopersburg, pa.

Howdy, Bangor, P-A! If you’re looking for anything to do with a gynecologist, or a funeral, you just might find it here. Because for one, I have serious opinions about my funeral, and for two, I have written about my visits to the gynecologist on more than one occasion. What can I say? That’s just how we roll around here. Thanks for stopping in and I do hope you found the answers to your questions here at From Inmates To Playdates.

• Allendale, Michigan arrived from google.com on “A Little Bit Of Gross!” by searching for removing milia from the lips.

Oh Snap, Allendale! I’m not so sure I’d attempt to remove milia from my lip. The little tool to remove the milia doesn’t look at all pleasant and so I’m not sure I’d attempt that if I were you. I had (a ?) milia on my face and I have to admit that I did briefly consider removing milia myself, however, I thought it best that I leave the milia removal to the professionals. If you did attempt the extraction though, I’d love to hear all about it. You know, because I’m nosy and all.

• Macomb, Michigan arrived from google.com on “Nosiness” by searching for “saturn sky red line collectability.”

Macomb, Michigan, ahem, first let me say that if you have a Saturn Sky Red-line and you’re looking for a home, or a babysitter, look no friggin’ further. I would be more than happy to assist you. On the other hand, if you are someone looking for a Saturn Sky red-line, I’m afraid I can’t help you. I write about the Saturn Sky Red-line frequently in the hopes that someone from Saturn will get a whiff of this here blog and send one of the suckers my way! Unfortunately, I could be waiting awhile. Especially since Saturn put the smack-down on the Sky after the unfortunate automotive collapse on 2009. Double dang. I’m still crossing my fingers.

• Seattle, Washington arrived from google.com on “From Inmates to Playdates” by searching for Apollo Ono, headband, ears.

Seattle. What is it with you jokers who constantly attempt to bring a good man down just because he wears a headband? Seriously, have you nothing better to do? And what’s the deal googling Apollo’s ears? He’s cute. And so are his ears. Get off of it already. Oh, and thanks for stopping by.

I think it’s safe to say I really enjoy feedjit.

It feeds me a line at a time and I read every. last. one. of. them.

Feedjit works for me!

Find out other things that may work for you over at We Are THAT family.

It hit 80 degrees today.

And I, for one couldn’t be happier. I was so afraid that we would spend a summer playing around with 70 degree temperatures and THE RAIN. The stupid stinkin’ rain.

It has rained for weeks.

Dang.

Noah. Bring your ark.

Since the warm weather has finally arrived (and appears to be sticking around pleaseohplease!) and camping season is upon us, I thought it might be a great time to repost this recipe.

My criteria for a successful recipe includes,

• easy
• quick
• fail proof
• delicious

You can thank me later, especially after you have wowed your circle of friends and co-workers with this delectable delight.

ICE CREAM SANDWICH CAKE   

• 1 box of ice cream sandwiches
• 1 large container of cool whip
• 1 jar of chocolate fudge or Hersheys’ syrup
• 1 jar or butterscotch or caramel topping

Layer 9X13 baking dish with ice cream sandwiches. Cut sandwiches when necessary to completely fill the pan and appease  your OCD.

Next, spread a thick layer of cool whip.

Drizzle with Chocolate syrup and butterscotch topping.

REPEAT LAYERS

Freeze until ready to serve

Top with crushed Butterfinger or heath bar. (Or your favorite topping such as pecans, sprinkles (for holidays) oreos, or just about anything else you can think of.

Head on over to We Are THAT Family to find more things that may Work For You!

If you’ve spent any amount of time around here at Inmates, Inc. you know that I’ve started the great weight-loss effort of 2010.

Which happens to be a continuation of the great weigh-loss effort of 2008.

Or something like that.

For the next seventeen seconds, do me a favor and forget that little tidbit?

Because this thing that “works for me” um, only works for me four days a month.

If you get what I’m sayin’.

It is delightful.

It might even be sinful.

The next time you invite the girls over for a gab session, you might want to pick one of these suckers up.

Because they are easy.

And the are delicious. And undoubtedlychock full of calories. That Edward sure does know how to make a pie.

And his pies work for me.

At least four days a month.

For more “Works For Me Wednesday” posts, visit We Are THAT Family.

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But before you go, head over to my Review page for your chance to win a poster print from uPrinting.