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. 

Happy Tenth-aversary YouTube & 91 Month-aversary to Mommy's Nest!

I posted my first video on YouTube on November 7, 2006.  I did it so I could email it to friends and family.

It went like this:



Fun - Huh? No?

Well, I got more adventurous.

See?  From November 2007 - we can now rake!



And then in November 2008 we learned to Vote - not Boat!



And in March of 2011 We shook it like we just didn't care who was watching at the MN Zoo!



And now - Boo Boo even has her very OWN YouTube Channel with gems like this one with Gma.


What I learned from Ten Years of YouTube?  It's fun to look back at how silly we can be...

And YOU? (Tube?)

Reminds me of someone...

I wrote about my grandmother a lot.

She was pretty cool - What with teaching me how to "brew tea" and all. 

She has been gone from this world over three years now.  I know as she passed away before I started my job here.  At the time I was laid off and not working, so I was able to visit her and be there for her funeral.  

Sometimes things are a blessing. 

And this morning I was thinking, Boo Boo is about like my Grandma.  

Pretty independent, creative, and loves a tiara. 

Actually my Grandmother's Tiara on Boo - she inherited it. 

Grandma would have appreciated the polymer clay class Boo Boo and I took yesterday.  

She has her Grandmother and Great-Grandmother's eye for color this one....

Kind of a pointless post - but for me there is a reason.

I need to remember all the fun we have when we do things like yesterday.

It is not hard to go to the store, get some clay, and do this at home too.  In fact I found out at the class that this stuff is less than $3 a pack....and you don't need very much of it.

I have promised her we will do this craft over the weekend of Spring Break.

And now you know too.

Send me YouTube videos of polymer clay crafts if you know of any!!!

If it were not for the street traffic...I would say it is quiet around here.

Boo Boo La La is at Granny's house.

Daycare is closed and Mama couldn't take the week off because one of my work buddies ALWAYS takes this week off.  

Always. 

Bonus, we get Thursday AND Friday off this week at work.  So it is a short week.  AND my friend Nettie is in town from Norway - I get to go and hang with her and my other sorority sisters on Friday at a beach.

Thursday is the last ever Fourth of July pool party at my Auntie's house as she has sold it and is moving.  

Yeah for her - Boo for us as we will all miss her.  She is an amazingly interesting and smart lady.  I never had better talks than sitting around her pool.  

Plus Boo Boo will miss "Uncle" Alex throwing her around.

Now THAT is what I call AIR! Whoop!

So let's focus on that (!) and all have a great week!

Move to the country...

MamaKat this week gave a prompt I can TOTALLY get on board with:

1.) What do your kids have that you always wanted when you were a kid?

You see I got A LOT of things when I was a kid - time with my parents, toys, food, trips, fun, educational opportunities, LOTS of swimming, LOTS of love and attention from my entire family. But my mother just would NOT let me have a Barbie.  

Nope.  No Barbie's.  

Barbie goes against every ideal that we have for our daughters.  We are the women of the 70's hear us ROAR.  

I had to sneak playing Barbie's at friends houses whose mothers didn't pay attention to Gloria Steinem and Annie Hall.  

I got these guys. 

The Sunshine Family were the 70's Hippy-Friendly, Hobby Store-owning alternative to Barbie.  They did things for themselves!  

But they were still made by Mattel so Mattel didn't care my Mother didn't buy Barbie's.  

Sew, garden, build, craft!

Reminded me of this SO much when I read that they were the "Do It Yourself" "Hippie" dolls.

Flash forward to this century - and what does my child have?

EVERY BARBIE UNDER THE SUN!!!!!  And Grandma bought her the Barbie Beatle, several SETS of Barbie clothes and at least one of the Barbies.  

Guess Grandma decided Barbie is a feminist after all.  

Now be GONE to MamaKat's for more inspiration of your own.  

Hey - even the Monster High kids dig Barbie.

p.s.. After I finished the blog last night I went downstairs and told my husband and Boo Boo La La that I had to write a blog about how Grandma wouldn't buy me Barbies, but she bought them for Boo Boo - she got all serious and said, "Mama, you can have one of MY Barbies.  Really, you can."
I love her.

More please.

Happy Birthday to YOOOOOOU - HiYa Cha Cha Cha!

So yesterday was my mother's birthday and she told me she turned an "evil" age and she laughed...
What "evil" age mom?  You know, "66".  Ummm, yea.

Later when I told T-Bone he said, "You should call her back and tell her in three years she will be a FUN age."  ba-dum-bum.

Boo Boo has been finding more "gems" in the yard at daycare.  I asked her if they belong to anyone and she said, No - but I am the best gem hunter EVAH!

Momma, she asked, do I have daycare today?  Yes sweetie.  AWWWW! But tomorrow we will do something fun!  Yessss! (with the fist pump, the girl loves a good Yessss! with a fist pump.)

I got all the way to work today and realized that telling myself in my head to remember to get my wallet out of my gym bag before I left for work does not work so well when you can't even remember how old YOU are...sigh.  No latte for me.

Same as the other photo these were NOT taken by me as we are all aware around here of my TERRIBLE photography.  These are the handiwork of a fun person I call friend.

Enjoy your day!

A to Z of Mommy Lisa

Yup. Glamorous!

A.  Age (For crying out loud do I have to???!!!?) 44 sigh.

B. Bed size: Queen – I would like a King but our room is too small.

C. Chore that you hate: Dusting – I am allergic to dust and I sneeze my way through a box of Kleenex every time I dust.

D. Dogs: I have had three dogs in my life.  Rufus (And yes my cat's name is Roofis, but 'cuz he is CRAZY we spelled it as in "Da Roof is on fire") when I was little – he was a cockapoo and we loved him, but we moved from a farmhouse in Blue Earth to an apartment in Shakopee when my dad got a job so we gave him to a nice family.  Toto was the crazy dog we got and then didn’t have time for so my parents gave him to a nice lady who babied him.  Buck was my dog in Indianapolis – 90 lbs of pit-bull/boxer and he thought he was a lap dog.  When my boyfriend at the time moved out, he took him.  “It’s the dog or the cat.” He said.  And Lucky was my cat for WAY longer so I kept the cat.  I was sure my ex would have gotten rid of the cat and/or ignored him.  Boo.

E. Essential start to your day: Job searching lately.  But the very first thing I must do every day is make the bed.  Yes, I am that person.

F. Favorite color: A very specific bold blue color. 

G. Gold or Silver: Silver – I am too pale to look good in gold.

H. Height: I say 5’5” when asked, but really its 5’4 ½”

I. Instruments you play: I played flute and piccolo in elementary through high school.  I tried taking guitar lessons, but couldn’t fit practice into my routine – yet! I still have the guitar and will try again. 

J. Job title: Unemployed – PTO Secretary – Mommy – Job Searcher – PT LBC for JuiceintheCity.com – too busy and not paid enough – and now Girl Scout Troop helper. 

K. Kids: Three, step-daughter Sair, step-son J-Dogg and @Iambooboolala

L. Live: On the edge.

M. Mother’s name: Mary Ellen – and yes a lot of people call her Mary Ellen, or maybe it’s just my dad? 

N. Nicknames: Dad called me Snicklefritz a lot, in Elementary my friends and I gave each other names – I was Bubbles :P, the first nickname that STUCK was LAB in college.  It was my initials, but everyone called me that for a few years.  Now?  Mama. 

O. Overnight hospital stays: Probably when I was born?  In my late twenties when I had surgery for my neck, then again when the incision got infected!  Then when I had my baby we were there for two nights for some reason…

P. Pet peeves: A lot of things, but right now complicated online job applications.  No lie on one they asked me on the first page to copy and paste my resume, then they asked me to fill out each item on my resume on the next page – no parsing – and you could not move forward until you filled out each section, including HIGH SCHOOL!!!, then they asked me to UPLOAD my resume.  WHO CREATES THESE THINGS???  Online is supposed to mean simpler. 

Q. Quote from a movie: "Men.  You can’t live with them…you can’t shoot them.” St. Elmo’s Fire

R. Right or left handed: Right

S. Siblings: Pete, he’s awesome.
T. Time you wake up: I don’t sleep very well so sometimes 3am – sometimes 7.  When I had to work I had to get up at 4:30 if I was going to the gym before work and 6 if I was just going to work…right now it doesn’t matter unless I have an interview.

U. Underwear: I really like boy shorts.

V. Vegetable you hate: Is red onion considered a veggie?  I hate red onion.

W. What makes you run late: Trying to do too many “things” before I get out the door.  The IshouldjustgodownandputinanotherloadoflaundrythensweepthebasementbeforeIgouptoputawaytowels syndrome.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Hand, ankle, teeth, neck MANY times, chest checking for pneumonia and yes…I had it.  Blah.

Y. Yummy food that you make: I love my cooking usually – but especially my lasagna, alfredo and chicken stew.

Z. Zoo animal: I ADORE the zoo, but I am going to go crazy and say the dolphins.  We were all set to go to our zoo for Family Zoo Adventure – Dolphin Magic tomorrow, but two things.  One of the dolphins injured themselves so it got cancelled and my Grandma Lucy is not feeling well.  Please send prayers for the lady who indulged my every whim as a child.  I am so sad right now – I was not going to say anything about this, but now it’s just pouring out of my keyboard.  My grandma is starting to leave us…her body is just too tired to keep going much longer.  She is still of sound mind, but her poor little body is not cooperating.  My dear hubby is going to drive Boo Boo and me to visit her tomorrow so we can give her kisses and tell her we love her so much.  (Until the ramble I was going to say I also can’t wait to see Dolphin Tale in the theatre.  It must be in the theatre because I want it on a BIG screen.  I will probably cry at that too.) (And YES, its really weird that the link for my chicken stew also brings up a photo of my granny.)

So that is me A to Z.  Link up here and check out more stories and tangents like mine. 

I love you guys thanks for reading.  

Scenes from Country Kitchen

Mom, Boo, Gramps and Grandma walk into a Country Kitchen to have brunch.

B: I want a quarter to play!!! (pointing at the Toy "Hook" Game")
Gramps: I don't have any...
M: No.
Grandma: Maybe after we eat Grandma can find you a quarter.
M: Mom said "NO."
B: *instant fake waterworks*
Grandma: Here, you can have some gum.  Grandma bought you gum.

Yes, Grandma decides to give Boo all her gum instead of let her be upset for about thirty seconds.  Seriously once we sat down with crayons she would have totally forgotten about it.


Sitting at the table with menus...the family works out what to order:

M: Do you want french toast, pancakes...
B: *eyes chocolate chips* PANCAKES!  Chocolate pancakes.
M: Okay then.

Order arrives and Boo has now DROWN the pancakes in syrup:

B: I WANT FRENCH TOAST!!!
M: You had that option...
Grandma: ...here, have one of Grandma's.

Seriously?  Who IS this woman?  ; )

p.s. I love my mommy.

Happy Birthday Grandma!!! (and a recipe)

Even Physical Therapy gets her to smile.

That is my darling girl, age 5, with her Great-Grandmother about 6 weeks ago.  Granny turned 97 on Thursday and today we are in Albert Lea, MN celebrating the best granny EVER! 

I found the perfect card that talked about rule breaking and fun having.  Granny let us do all kinds of crazy things at her house. 

• Make corn-husk dolls
• Make up games
• Cook, bake, blender up a shake - and mix a martini or two
• Color with the iris and day-lily blooms we dead-headed
• Go swimming
• Be silly
• Stay up late and listen to the radio - even call in to those late night programs
• Play Scrabble
• Tell stories to each other in bed
• Sleep out on the porch
• Inspire, Love and Adore

The BEAUTIFUL Birthday Girl with 3 of her 5 Great-Grandchildren

Happy NINTEY SEVENTH BIRTHDAY Lausy!

Here is something she might love!

I was watching Food Network last weekend...per usual.  And I watched not one, but TWO hosts make a chicken stew of some kind.  It put me in the mood, but since I was NOT in the mood for beans Saturday with the idea of refried later that evening at my in-laws I made this stew up out of my head.

Enjoy.

3 Sausages - I used Chicken Apple without casings - here is where you can be flexible, use what you like.  I would suggest staying away from a spicy sausage as it would negate the herbs I used.  I considered Chicken Garlic/Spinach and a mild Itallian - but I just LOVE Chicken Apple.

1 chicken breast diced - raw or cooked/leftover - I was using up a lonely little breast in a bag from my freezer.  See, more flexible.  You could even use turkey - or just put in two more sausages and no chicken breast! 

1 cup rice uncooked - 2 cooked! (so semi-flexible here)

1/2 cup white wine - unless you are opposed, use more chicken stock.

4 cups of stock - I used chicken of course.  But you could substitute vegetable if you prefer.

The important parts are next and I don't consider them flexible!

3 carrots
1 large onion
1 red bell pepper
1/2 cup corn
2 T. Olive Oil
1 T. Garlic chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. thyme - dried
1/4 t cumin

Directions:  Put two tablespoons water, carrots sliced to 1/4 inch and sausages in pan - cover over medium heat for five minutes until steamy.  Remove lid and brown sausages.  Remove sausages and carrots, set aside on a plate. Add onion, thyme, salt and peper, and olive oil to pan and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes on medium heat.  Add raw chicken and cook through about 5 minutes more. (If using cooked chicken you can just add after onions are translucent).

Deglaze the pan with 1/2-1/4 c. white wine that you would drink.

Add in red bell pepper sliced, cumin, garlic and cook on medium for 2-3 minutes.

Add stock, rice, bay leaves bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Then check salt and pepper to see if you need more.  (if rice is cooked just heat through at this stage)

Add in corn, sausages sliced 1/2 inch thick and the carrots and let simmer for five minutes.

Serve and enjoy! 

Of course it was even better the next day.



Chicken & Sausage Stew

Mother! Mother! (you do know I am forty-something, right?)

I love love love my mother - she is my FAVORITE person to talk to about stuff.  She is the best. 

This past weekend our furnace went out.  Since I was taking @iambooboolala to a birthday party in their neighborhood I called and asked if I could borrow a space heater to help out until we got the part to fix the furnace.  (T-bone can fix things like that.  My best friend in college's mother told us, "Marry rich, or potential to be rich, or at least make sure he can fix shit around the house.")  My parents told us that they could locate one and asked when we would be over. 

"About five."
"Okay, see you then."

Driving to the party about 2pm I get a call on my cell phone.

"Lisa Ann?"
'Yeah Dad?'
"You're mother is all worried about @Iambooboolala being too cold tonight.  Do you want her to stay with us?"
"Dad, I am half-way to Chaska now and didn't bring any clothes with for her, so I don't think that will work."
"Well..."
"Dad, T-bone has the in-floor heat going and with the space heaters the house should be just fine."
"Okay, see you later."

Mothers.
Did she really think I wouldn't keep my baby warm that I spent three years trying to get, nine months growing and twenty-two months breastfeeding?

No.  She really didn't.  She was just being a Grandma.

But it made me laugh later that day when I heard this song on the radio.



Happy Friday!

Merry Christmas - Peace - Love - Joy, you know all that B.S. ;)

Boo Boo La La is spending the morning and early afternoon with GRAMPA!!

She loves Grampa.  And Gramma had to go on a quilting trip with her girlies...she is making ME a quilt.  And well, T-bone gets to use it too I guess.

Anysewbuttonsonyourunderwear.

That meant last night T-bone and I were ALONE!  Heaven forbid!

And today I am cleaning out her toybox, which has NEVER been done. 
(she still has the baby link ring toys in there people!)

So I share our Holiday Card with you! 

Enjoy!

I guess she did have fun whilst we were rockin' the Xcel Energy Center with AC/DC.