Last night, I prepared one of my husband's favorite vegetable dishes: My own recipe for Sauteed Greens. When fresh greens aren't available, I use a combo of two frozen chopped "greens" (collard, turnip, mustard, etc.) Last night, I used freshly chopped Swiss Chard and fresh spinach.

First, I dice up some uncooked turkey bacon and sautee that until browned in a large frying pan. Then I add a freshly-diced onion and continue to sautee. When they are cooked through, I add a touch more olive oil, and the chopped greens - either fresh or frozen - turn down the heat to medium/low and continue to stir untill all the greens are thoroughly wilted and cooked through. Then I add a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, and blend that in the mix. Perhaps a teaspoon or so of sugar or sweetener (Splenda, etc.) to offset the vinear and finish with some freshly ground black pepper.

Since my daughter volunteered to help cook the greens, she also wanted to try them at dinner, albeit with some trepidation.

"What does it tase like," she asked curiously.

"Its the best thing, it has so many flavors..." began my husband.

"Yeah, its bitter and salty and sour and sweet all at once, " I added.

"Kinda like Mommy!" noted my husband, to roars of laughter from the kid.

"I'm putting that in my blog!" I muttered.

(and I did!)

We have little room in our house for either the display or storage of extensive Christmas decorations. However, my daughter is fascintated with Nativity scenes. I walked into the living room and discovered that she fashioned this with Fisher Price farm animals, Mega Blocks dollhouse pieces and Barbies - I think she was inspired by the Angel Barbie she received last year. Note that "Baby Jesus" is portrayed by a princess Kelly doll.

I was both touched and amused by her creativity and sincerity:

If you'd like to reduce the amount of bulk mail you get (catalogues, local advertising packets, "junk mail", etc.) you can reduce the wasted paper, and the heft of your recycle bin by registering your name with the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service. This will NOT discontinue mail such as bills, correspondence, magazine subscriptions, etc. But it gets your name off "lists" - like those bought by credit card companies to send you some pre-approved-usury-in-plastic-form, or by 21-st century scammers to invite you to "a free gourmet dinner, if you listen to our speech about investment strategies."

Personally, I do all my "catalogue" shopping online - no paper needed. Furthermore, I don't need the temptation of novelty t-shirts, tins of cookies, or cashmere sweaters beckoning to me (and my savings account) from my mailbox on a daily basis.

Click below for the form and more information; you will be charged a $1 fee - but note that the US Postal service ALSO charges $1 for change of address now (I think it is to prevent people from doing it as a "joke".)


https://www.dmachoice.org/MPS/

From this site, you can also register (for free) to opt-out of unsolicited credit card and insurance offers for 5 years (online) or permanently (must print form and mail in.)

There are other options and onformations for consumers, as well, including opting out of unsolicted email, telemarking calls and more.

Go ahead and click through - Mother Earth and your bank account will thank you!

A combination of environmental, health, and overall ethical issues have been weighing on my mind. Hubby and I watched "Fast Food Nation" over the long weekend. As a well-informed  food consumer (and former vegetarian), the film (although well acted and interesting) offered no new insights to me, but it was a reminder of the wonderful experience we had this summer buying so much locally-grown produce and locally-produced meat and dairy products from little shops and farmstands up near our Wisconsin cabin.

I would love to be part of a CSA (a food co-op supporting a specific local farm) but none in my area do winter shipments. I did get in touch with one local farmer in IL who does deliveries to my 'burb and hopefully we will be able to participate in her spring CSA, since we are up North for much of the summer.

The problem is: my family can be open to new foods but sometimes they are so PICKY, it drives me crazy. I love trying new vegetables, flavor combinations, recipes...but my husband is so anti-casserole, anti-soup, and anti-pasta that it makes meal planning difficult at times. (Ironically, he does have an adventurous palate, especially in terms of ethnic foods served here and abroad.)

With a CSA you get a big box of whatever is seasonal; so maybe before I invest in it (it ain't cheap!) I need to read this book to get an arsenal of recipes in order so I know what to do with the rutabagas that may arrive in my crate 'o veggies next March.

After extensive fan-blowing, dehumidifier-running and adrenalin-pumping, the carpet dried out and we moved forward and made our little Thanksgiving feast - just me, hubby, kiddo and the pets.

We had a wonderful day, and today was even more enjoyable. We attended our Village Christkindlmarkt - a craft/gift show augmented with German music, food and beverages held outside, but in heated tents. My husband is an aficionado of a German deli near his office, and they happened to be one of the event caterers. The deli manager recognized him, greeted us warmly and set us up with some great food. Mmm, nice weiners.

;)

Anyway...

After our late lunch, we wandered around the craft "markt" and I found myself sniffing some super-scented locally-made candles. The fellow managing the booth (I think it may have been the owner of the business, itself) took great interest to introduce me to some specific scents they developed  - my husband, still floating on a cloud of potato pancakes, Thuringer sausages, and two India Pale Ales, encouraged me to get 5 sets of votive candles. It was a "buy 4 - get 1 free" promotion so all in all it wasn't a bad deal. I got home and checked out the candlemaker's website.
Its funny but the way he had the candles displayed for this suburban event was very different from the more "edgy" quasi-s&m style he has on the website pictures (ie - no faux-leather straps and stud piercings on the candles today!)

No matter - they smelled great and I'm feeling even more confident that my home will become beautifully perfumed after the carpet craziness this week. If you like the freshness of Yankee Candle's "Greenhouse" (which is now only available from them online in the winter) you may want to try Raw Candle's "Spring Moss" - its WONDERFUL - clean, green, and serene. I also got the "caffeinated" - my daughter, the almost-8-year-old Latte fanatic, chose that one! It does smell amazing...can't wait to burn those on a chilly Sunday morning while dad is in the kitchen making waffles. Mmmmm!

Living with two dogs leaves its *ahem* "mark" on your daily living - especially if your home has carpeting. I decided to have my carpets professionally steam cleaned. Now, I am so depressed because it seems that I spent $130 to create a bigger problem than existed before cleaning.

 I own a Bissel extractor which does a pretty good job as far as removing liquids. In the past, if there has been a "doggie don't" situation, or even something as innocuous as a coffee spill, I have blotted, made a mix of oxyclean and hot water, scrubbed the spot and used the extractor. I just felt it was time to do the whole room, as was recommended by countless "expert" opinions and carpet manufactures that I have read.

I contacted Sears home service and tried to get an appointment earlier in the week, but I was stuck with today -the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Everything I read noted that "truck mounted systems" offer a more thorough cleaning than home units. That they can blast super-hot water into the rug and then utilize a super-extractor to remove most of the dirty water. The carpet will be damp but with fans/air circulation, should dry within a few hours. I figured that would be okay if I went with a morning appointment - that by dinnertime I'd be able to move everything back and begin setting the table for dinner tomorrow.

Last night my family and I moved most of our items from the living room into our basment and our bedrooms. Remember - my house is just over 800 sq. feet - not much room to put things like furniture and such. This morning, I completed the furniture moving with the exception of the larges furniture pieces which had nowhere to go!

As instructed, I vacuumed the carpet. I was pleased to receive a call telling me the technician was going to be right on time for the appointment. The technician walked in my front door, and immediately I was glad my daughter was down in the basement with the dogs. The technician was a transgendered person, apprently still in transition. He/she was about 6'4", huge "man hands" but dyed and possibly permed red hair tucked up into his/her cap, layers of shirts on that still didn't hide the breasts, and an appearance of full face makeup. This person also had a name that was obviously made-up - it seemed like a stage name for a drag queen based on the spelling. The TG/TS issue didn't bother me as much as the attitude I got. This person seemed like he/she was on the defensive or had a very judgemental attitiude. He/she also seemed critical of my housekeeping skills, although I know that is a tactic to try to upsell cleaning products and services. Whatver the reason or motivation, I did NOT appreciate it whatsoever. He/she was giving me the creeps. I kept thinking of "Silence of the Lambs." Nice.

While working seemingly efficiently, I felt uncomfortable asking too much or criticising anything of him/her. I just wanted that person out of my house as soon as possible.

I asked when I could begin moving furniture back into the room - 2 hours? Maybe 4?

"You need to let this dry for at least two days," the technician replied.

I nearly lost it. The technician made a snide remark as he/she left that I didn't really understand.

How the HELL was I going to live in my house when we now had no functional bedrooms (both full of furniture), let alone have Thankgiving with NO DININING ROOM!?!?

I felt the carpet. It was SOAKED. Not "damp." WET.

I ran into the basement, retrieved the Bissel, and began sucking up DIRTY BROWN WATER with my little DIY extractor! What the F***?!?!? My HOME CLEANER is sucking up water that the truck mounted extractor was supposed to get? I must have gotten up over 1.5 gallons of filth into my machine. It was all I could do not to cry.

I hate to be a complainer but I don't have $130 to toss around each day just for fun. I called Sears and spoke to a manager. I explained that I was sucking up dirty water with my crappy little home unit - so why did I blow cash on  something I could have done better myself?

I hesitated about complaining because I was genuinely afraid of the technician. I noted to the manager something to the effect of,"I don't wat to get the technician in trouble OR have him (?) come back to my house."

THANKFULLY the he/she had already gone onto another job in Chicago. So the manager told me that they need to have the "opportunity" to rectify the situation and will send another crew out to just run their extractor over the carpet a few times. Well, considering I already busted my ass sucking up dirty water with my own machine, I didn't much see the point of that but its better than nothing. I would have liked a partial refund but mostly, I want a dry house so I can put everything back where it belongs.

I called my husband at work to vent about my experience with the unusual carpet cleaner.

He asked for clarification: "So, was this person a she-to-he or he-to-she."

"It was a he-to-she," I replied.

"Oh," he remarked, "you got to expereince the Softer Side of Sears?!"

Hmm, I may have already used this blog title before...

...but no matter, it applies here again.

This weekend, I helped my duaghter, a second-grader, put together an assignment to make a "Dino-rama" - a diorama display of an assigned dinosaur. The "exhibit" had to caontain the dinosaur, plants, animals, food & water sources, and other dinosaurs from their era.

Our assinged reptile was SALTOPUS.

Salt-o-pus...there are so many bad jokes but I will refrain...

Anyway, apparently little is known of saltopus except that they were found in what is now Scotland, were about the size of a cat, and had many small pointy teeth. It is assumed that they ate insects and/or carrion.

Since they were dinos, WE assumed that their babies hatched from eggs. So I cleaned an eggshell, and also made "clay" from a mix of cornstarch, water, and salt (LOTS of salt). She shaped the Dino and then made a baby to fit into the eggshell. (Our idea of a "gimmick" for her display.)

After air-drying, she painted the dinos and the eggshells, and I began taping up the box, and basically doing the portions of the project that weren't totally kid-safe, like using big sharp scissors and the hot glue gun.

We decided to glue rocks around an oval of blue paper to simulate a pond (water source.) My daughter convinced me to let HER pull the glue gun trigger while I held the tiny pebbled in my fingers.Two second-degree burns on my finger and thumb later, I reclaimed the glue gun helm and we eventually finished the project. She made a "key" to explain what each of the display elements are (they are marked with coordinating numbered red dots.) She also has to give a presentation to her class about saltopus and the triassic period. Note that the "food sorce" (as she spelled it on her Exhibit Key) are two dead bugs I found in/on the frog habitat. I hot-glued them right into the scene!

Here's a picture of our handiwork, minus the blisters:

This morning I decided to listen to my alma mater's student-run radion station as I browsed blogs, news stories, and bank accont infoormation as I sipped my morning coffee.

Monday-Friday mornings they broadcast Jazz from 5am-12:30pm with breaks for news on the hour (or half-hour?)

Anyway, it turned out an old radio friend of mine was dj'ing today. In my college days I was a devoted alterna-rock dj, and also had fun doing a hiphop show as well as working in the administration of the station - eventually working my way up to the (elected) position of General Manager my senior year. But this British gent - I believe he was either a gradate student or employee of the University or possibly both - always played the smoothes jazz - always listenable and enjoyable to my ears. He is the longest-continous DJ at WNUR - over 2 decades on the air as a VOLUNTEER! Kudos to Flavian for a job well done!

If you are looking for some great jazz music that you wil likely hear nowhere else, you can listen right on your pc each Friday morning, CST, from 7-10am:

http://www.wnur.org

Enjoy.

I was tagged my MemeGrl about BOOKS. Hmm, this meme doesn't give me much opportunity to make sarcastic remarks. Oh well; here goes:

Book Meme

Total number of books I own:
They are almost all reference/how-to books. Our house is too small to store books; plus we have a FANTASTIC local library, so I try to check out something new each week. I save money and shelf space that way.

My daughter has an insane number of books; her bookcase is overflowing.
 
Last book I read:

I started Laurie Notaro's Idiot Girl's Action Adventure Club but (imo) it was a piece of cr*p so I returned it. Prior to starting that, I finished Girls Gone Mild by Wendy Shalit. Don't go by reactionary reviews; she makes valid, thoughtful, intelligent points about the expression of sexuality among girls and young women in our culture that (for Moms like me) are a wake-up call. Prior to that, I read How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates Gill, which I really enjoyed.


Last book I bought:

I just ordered 4 educational books from Barnes & Noble on Catholic "fun facts" and trivia (did you know there were such things?!) plus an old-school Baltimore Catechism for my daughter to supplement her religious education and sacramental preparation.

As far as reading for myself, I almost always get them from the library. I usually only purchase reference books.


5 Meaningful Books

The Bible (honestly - I use it often as a reference tool, but also enjoy reading the OT poetry/psalms when I'm up at the cabin and want to relax)


Ways of Seeing by John Berger. Although it has been maligned in recent years, it changed my mindset about many issues in college.

Any number of memoirs that have offered me new ways of looking at and reacting to/with people, relationships, and personal spirit.

Holidays On Ice by David Sedaris - (ok, well the audio book version) this is meaningful because it has become a beloved Christmas tradition for my family; we listen to it as we drive across country to Pennsylvania for Christmas and all laugh aloud. "Little elf, oh little elf!..."

So, do I know five bloggers who haven't been tagged on this?
I never tag anyone. So, if you find it interesting and want to brag about how erudite you are, and need some blog copy, then...here ya' go!

My daughter has been sick with some sort of virus since Thursday evening. Initially we thought it was Strep Throat because the school nurse sent home a "warning" letter that it was going around the class. The throat culture revealed no Strep infection but I had already sanitized nearly every exposed surface in the house with Lysol.

Since I have not yet had a flu shot (and that is what she seems to have - some kind of virus) I have continued the spritzing and constant hand-washing to ward off any chance that I could get it, too.

I think I am too overwhelmed from the inhalation of disinfectant sprays to write anything cogent today.