Come and knock on our door....

Got a little irritated this morning trying to return a Redbox. 

The location - that appeared in my search for a movie the night before - did not exist. 

So, I had to find another location on the way to work and it took extra time. Boo! 

And now - annoyed at Amazon as they have delivered an item to my front steps, where it states - 

ALL DELIVERIES TO THE SIDE DOOR PLEASE

Because I live on a busy street I do not like them leaving packages framed by my hedges for all to see.  I mean, really? I have it on my account too - ALL DELIVERIES TO SIDE DOOR/BACK DECK. And the person that delivered it today even took a picture of it.  

What a dipwad. 

So - I have to do something to cheer myself up. 

Before and After of my side yard!!!  

The first picture was of the progress my dear T-bone was making constructing our awning - the second the awning is done, a new light (bonus) and the landscaping is fixed!!! 

Yeah! 

Here is hoping the Amazon box with the solar pathway lights doesn't go missing. 

Looking Back - and Laughing Out Loud - Fabulous Friday!

Today I realized I did not have all of Boo Boo La La's first-day pictures in one place.

Facebook has been showing them to me lately and I decided today I better get them together as I only have so many years left!!! (she was reminding me she will be 13 SOON today!)

And scrolling through Google Photos as I was I came upon gems that NEEDED to be published. 

You see, I went to a movie with these two ladies on Wednesday night and it was so much fun. 

They are both VERY crafty, me not so much.

They are both VERY funny. 

I love them! 

Patty!!! Who makes days fun and can be found hooping, crafting, listening, grabbing candy and parades, boating, maybe has a beer in her hand, but always reaches out for yours! 

And well this is Boo Boo's funny side....from 4th grade.

Enjoy and Happy Friday Peeps! 

The Great Minnesota Get-Together!

Today starts the Minnesota State Fair.

Have you ever been to the Minnesota State Fair?

No? 

You should visit. It is just about the best time you can have with tens of thousands of your closest friends and neighbors. 

There are concerts - some free around the grounds - and bigger shows at the Grandstand, people watching, a GINORMOUS slide, rides, games, fun activities, people watching, live television and radio shows, and MORE FOOD ON A STICK (or not) THAN YOU CAN HARDLY IMAGINE. 

2017 State Fair

Then there are the barns. I love walking the barns. Horse barn, sheep barn, cow barn... But lately, this little lady below, who is now 12 and not 7, is not quite as enamored of them as she was when she was 7 years old. 

Like, I could NOT get her out of the sheep barn and she wanted to love and pet everysinglesheep! when she was 7!  

Last year? Yawn. 

But Facebook reminds me just how much she used to love petting the sheeps. And that is cool. 

Plus, she still will hang out with me at the fair. 

BEST Juicy oven baked chops or chicken!

I am no good at taking photos while I cook.

I don't have a fancy camera to make things look like Pioneer Woman. 

I do like to cook. A lot. 

I do not always GET to cook because my husband gets home before I do and he does not want to wait until 7pm every night for dinner.

I try to make food exciting when it is my turn to get behind the stove. But because of how picky Boo Boo La La is I often just bake chicken with lemon or wine and cinnamon, or chops with onions or apple. T-bone had commented on how dry he thinks baked chicken breast is, but he does not like other pieces of chicken.  And chops can get dry in the oven too.

So I googled pork chops and found this lovely recipe from The Kitchn blog.  And as luck would have it the chops I had were bone-in!  I made the brine with garlic, pepper and some thyme, which is what I had, and voila! DELICIOUS chops.

A month or so later I tried it again with two packages of meat that were needing to be cooked or lost forever - one package was pork chops and the other ended up being chicken thighs! They came out so delicious that T-bone even ate some of the chicken thighs! I buy chicken thighs on sale for myself and do make ahead lunches with them. Yummy! Salivating just thinking about those juicy nuggets from the brine.

Now, this week I had Presidents Day off so I made sure I had everything ready to make chicken breasts in the brine when I had an epiphany (!) TEQUILA!!!

I have a giant bottle of tequila in my fridge that I have been trying to use up, so I substituted half the water for TEQUILA and used just garlic and the juice/zest of a lime in the brine.

You can say it.

That totally does not sound like it sucked at ALL.

And you are correct peeps. It was PERFECTO!

Muy bien.  

Let me know if you try it and you like it too!

Holidazzle Memories - Minneapolis Christmas just is not the same.

Long ago and far away we used to have a Christmas parade in Downtown Minneapolis called Holidazzle - they now have a market they call the same, but it's not. 

Here take a look at one from 2009

Holiday Light Tour 2017

Attention - This Post is from December 23, 2010 - I just love it and needed it again.

Note from 2017 Mommy Lisa, We have this Santa Photo framed so I just pulled it out decorating for Christmas and wanted to share the joy!



Yesterday I played along with Wordless Wednesday and put up this picture of my Dear Sweet Child, Boo Boo La La. 
I got lots of nice comments about how cute she is - Thank you - and I wanted to tell you how it came to be that I found myself paying for a picture with Santa Claus for the first time EVER in her life. 

You see my husband is in a union and every year they have a Christmas Party for all the kids to come and see Santa and Mrs. Claus - she sat on the SAME Santa's lap (or at least near it) every year since she was 11 months old.

The Evidence:

At 11 months

Just about Two

At almost three she didn't think she liked the big guy...

Almost four and starting to get the picture...

This year however my husband had to WORK on the day of the party...and while I would KNOW people there, including my BIL and his family, it was essentially my husband's WORK Christmas Party and who goes to their spouse's Christmas Party without their spouse? 

I thought to myself...you DO have a backup Santa.

THIS is what I call a good backup Santa!

Boo Boo's Pre-K ALWAYS has a visit from Santa!

wah wah wah

Remember what happend at Boo Boo's Pre-K Christmas Pagent?  Snow-maggedon 2010?  The blizzard of SEVENTEEN INCHES OF SNOW that took down a football stadium? 

yeah, no Santa that day either.

So what does a mama do that PROMISED her Boo Boo she could visit Santa?

She takes her to the mall on the COLDEST night in December that is possible and does it on the night they ALSO allow people to bring their pets. 

I am a genius.

But Boo Boo was soooo excited.

As we stood there in line for nearly two hours she was as patient as any four year old could possibly be...having to wait for THREE dogs to sit with Santa ahead of her...hair dirty and in a scraggly pony...not dressed up in her Christmas Best like years past...but you know what?

She chatted with Santa for the longest time.  And this Dear Santa really listened and talked with her on a whole other level than our Santa's of the past. 

And T-Bone still got to watch The Vikings at Applebee's.

20

20 random FACTS about yourself that may surprise people.

These are my favorite things to do - Thanks to my blog friend on Facebook for posting it so I could play along.

1. Do you make your bed everyday? YES! Forever! - https://youtu.be/KgzLzbd-zT4 and I am in good company. 
2. What's your favorite number? 8
3. What is your dream job? Being Chrissy Hynde - ha ha.
4. If you could, would you go back to school? I just finished in 2010. No, but I like to learn.
5. Can you parallel park? Yes, I used to be excellent at it - going to the U will do that to you.
6. A job you had which people would be shocked that you did? Bakery line worker for McGlynn's factory.
7. Do you think aliens are real? Probably.
8. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes, my first BRAND NEW car was a Mazda Protege and I purposely bought a manual transmission. :)
9. Guilty pleasure? Floating in a pool with wine and good friends.
10. Tattoos? Two - want a third, but it will be tiny.
11. Favorite color? Green or blue, depends on the day and the shade.
12. Things people do that drive you insane: Not fully reading an email before they reply - bad driving - leaving socks everywhere...
13. Fear? Drowning or suffocating.
14. Favorite childhood game? Whatever my grandparents would play with me - Old Maid, 500, Yahtzee, Scrabble. It was fun to play with them. Grandma would not let us lose until we started playing 500 - then she was out for blood.
15. Do you talk to yourself? I worked in a radio studio by myself for 9 years, of COURSE I talk to myself.
16. Do you like doing puzzles? Yes, especially with other people.
17. Favorite music? It's hard to say so I will say Christmas because I am that person who got excited this morning when she heard the ad on Sirius that HOLLY IS BACK 11/1.
18. Tea or Coffee? Coffee, unless I am sick.
19. The first thing you remember you wanted to be when you grew up? Lawyer
20. One place you've been to that truly amazed you? I love San Diego and Napa/Sonoma. But I don't want to live there...

You can play along... copy and paste it onto your blog, post the link below! 

It always takes more

I always have these grand plans for everything I am going to accomplish.

Not just on the weekend, but any given day. 

Like yesterday I imagined that I would get another shelf of my closet organized, the laundry put away, roast squash, make dinner, maybe vacuum and clean the kitchen. 

This, all after church, lunch, and going to get our pumpkins for Halloween. 

Ha ha ha ha. 

No. 

I got the squashes roasted and the kitchen clean.  Oh, and I made rice and a salad for dinner. After all that was accomplished it was after six and I was pretty much pooped.  

But I spent time with my husband and my daughter - maybe she will remember the pumpkins and the frappucino and not the argument we had this morning over moving the recycling bin.  

It always takes more than you have of things.  More time, more money, more energy. 

I always seem to run out. 

Here is to setting my goals more reasonably this week. 

Happy Monday Peeps. 

Pictures....

I often look at my Google Photos and wonder...

Why on EARTH did I take this picture??

I know at the time I took that picture of the drink cup and top of a sport-pepper I was trying to get people to guess "Where is Lisa?"

But out of context why on earth would I take a picture of a sign warning me to "...not feed the coyotes." when nothing would be further from my mind to do.

Isn't this a cute egg?

I wanted to remember the tequila and buy some for a party.

LAND HO!!! (Side of the highway in Sonoma County, CA)

Should I get boots for MY chicken?

Joy in a glass.

ROAR-ing good wine.

Does this need a caption? 

Sometimes I get a beautiful photo....

Other times I find I look odd...

Or something is funny...

Like REALLY funny.

Mama - we need this recipe in our life!!

Sometimes the heron is on this rock, other times it is a turtle or two in the pond next to the parking lot.

What a great State Fair!

  

Homemade Gummy Bugs!!! Yum. 

I do not think I need to say more....