so here lately I have been spending a lot of time indoors. It was 106* last week, and then the weather turned and it has rained (really hard with thunder and lightening and everything) every day so far this week. We have spent a lot of time making flower fairies and reading, but, I'm not going to lie, also a pretty fair amount of time watching movies. I will review them for you now.
*Charlotte's Web (2006)
this was a pretty good movie for one with talking animals. It was live action and they did a good job at making it look realistic. I was impressed with all of the talent that they recruited for this picture, we heard (since they were animal voices) Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah, Cedric the Entertainer, Kathy Bates, Reba McIntire, Robert Redford, Thomas Hayden Church and Beau Bridges. The little girl was played by Dakota Fanning who is cute and pretty talented for a 10 year old (or whatever she is--who can tell with kid celebrities??) but not her best work in my opinion. The girls liked it, and weren't at all bothered that Charlotte kicks it at the end, I on the other hand got a bit emotional and was a little disappointed that there was no songs like in the animated classic from my youth. "The fair is a veritable smorgasbord, orgasbord, orgasbord...." anyone??
all in all, didn't love it, didn't hate it. Definitely not as good as Babe, which it reminded me a lot of.
*How to Deal
Mandy Moore-um, not great. I am not a fan of these movies that have a ton of drama--real life has plenty for me, so I didn't love this one. The lowlights: divorce, death, teen pregnancy, blah blah, crap you know-ug! The highlights-her best friends name was Scarlett, which is a name I love AND it also featured the Flaming Lips with a song I love "Do you Realize". In case you are not familiar, find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvdma6tCnjw really those are the only good things about this one, I'd skip it. The "hot guy" in this one wasn't even almost good looking, pu-leez! BOO-next!
*A Cinderella Story
Hillary Duff. I actually liked this one, it could have been animated, and you know the plot, it is in about every preteen movie ever made. Still, who cares, you kind of know that going in. Hillary is cute and to me a bit less obnoxious than most of her teen sensation counterparts, she seems a little less, I don't know, um, trampy or something. I like a nice wholesome teen ager--call me old fashioned. Didn't hate it, probably wouldn't spend an hour and a half on it again, but then again, I'm not 15, so there you go. My mom would like it. My favorite character was her nerdy best friend-boy, he was great, reminded me of some of my nerdy best friend boys back in the day.
*A Lot like love
Ashton Kucher. I think it's been established that this boy makes me stutter. The movie was fine, you knew what was going to happen, and it would NEVER happen in real life--still this is why we like movies. I swear when ever he kissed the girl (Amanda Peet who I also like--she's quirky) it literally made my heart beat all fast and get a little jealous. Love that-when does that happen? I would watch this again just for the feeling--I think I deleted it--too bad.
*Garden State
Zach Braff. Loved this, had to watch it multiple times before Alan stayed awake to see the whole thing, and I didn't even mind. Mild drama, his mom dies at the beginning (which is harsh, but it is the premis of the movie, so it's fine, just not a huge fan of mom's dying in general) but that's really all, so I can handle it. When he kisses the girl (Natalie Portman) it doesn't do anything for me (rip off!) but the movie is completely random and I like that. My favorite quote from the movie, he's dropping his friend off and his friend says "...if you ever need a Kato, you know where to find me.." I cracked up, Alan didn't get it.
um-that's all I can remember for now. I am excited for September so I can get back to Survivor and the Office, until then I am working my way down the tivo and will let you know if I come across anything extraordinary. The pizza's done, so I better scoot. I have an interview lined up, so soon will have my first blog guest, I am really excited about that! Until then, stay dry and out of trouble and we'll meet again soon!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
some pig
We have just finished up reading Charlotte's Web-our first out loud venture. The girls really liked it, especially Layla, as she has a longer attention span and didn't mind sitting still for the time it takes to read a story out loud from beginning to end. It took us a month, but still. We are planing to sleep in, eat pancakes and watch the movie in our jammies this weekend while Alan is away at a charity golf tournament for JDRF. (yay Dad!!)
Today I am outside doing some picking up and Maggie comes up to me with something in her hands--"it's Charlotte Mom!!" oh yay- a giant spider, with a big butt and tons of freaky, spidery legs. "Put Charlotte back sug--she needs to get back to her web" is what I say. "Good Grief-what the heck are you doing!!! That will bite your hand off and give you rabies!!!" is what I'm thinking. So she throws it. I love 3 year olds. I think I may be one. Today I was worried that some of my flower tubers weren't growing yet, so I dug them up and proceeded to accidentally break them into bits--oops! I considered putting myself in time out for a while, but decided that it would be more of a mini vacation than punishment, so I skipped it. Also, being so mad at myself and possibly wrecking my peonies is really punishment enough. I always wanted peonies. Apparently patience isn't my strong suit. (wow-really) Stop laughing Mom, it's hard to wait. (especially when the stuff is super great-like Christmas.....and peonies)
current jobs I am considering:
shot girl (at a bar)
late night shirt folder (at a discount store)
office lady (like lunch lady but with a copier and a stapler instead of a stove and hair net)
nothing like a little variety to keep it real.
that's it for today
p.s. for those of you not famliar with janina-speak "sug" is short for sugar, so say it like the first part of that word--it's hard for me to explain my made up language--please try and keep up.
Today I am outside doing some picking up and Maggie comes up to me with something in her hands--"it's Charlotte Mom!!" oh yay- a giant spider, with a big butt and tons of freaky, spidery legs. "Put Charlotte back sug--she needs to get back to her web" is what I say. "Good Grief-what the heck are you doing!!! That will bite your hand off and give you rabies!!!" is what I'm thinking. So she throws it. I love 3 year olds. I think I may be one. Today I was worried that some of my flower tubers weren't growing yet, so I dug them up and proceeded to accidentally break them into bits--oops! I considered putting myself in time out for a while, but decided that it would be more of a mini vacation than punishment, so I skipped it. Also, being so mad at myself and possibly wrecking my peonies is really punishment enough. I always wanted peonies. Apparently patience isn't my strong suit. (wow-really) Stop laughing Mom, it's hard to wait. (especially when the stuff is super great-like Christmas.....and peonies)
current jobs I am considering:
shot girl (at a bar)
late night shirt folder (at a discount store)
office lady (like lunch lady but with a copier and a stapler instead of a stove and hair net)
nothing like a little variety to keep it real.
that's it for today
p.s. for those of you not famliar with janina-speak "sug" is short for sugar, so say it like the first part of that word--it's hard for me to explain my made up language--please try and keep up.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
quickie
just a few things today:
we made potpourri out of acorns and cinnamon sticks and essential oils, they are "curing" and smell marvy-possibly a nice thing to make for Christmas.
I made a lemongrass/fresh mint simple syrup to use in lemonades, teas and cocktails, can't wait to try it!
Trying out a new gelato recipe tonight, coconut white chocolate (or maybe I'll call it vanilla, since that is the flavor I was going for)
It was over 90 degrees, I guess summer is still here.
final thought: is there anything that sounds as fabulous as "buttercream"?
I'm out-j
we made potpourri out of acorns and cinnamon sticks and essential oils, they are "curing" and smell marvy-possibly a nice thing to make for Christmas.
I made a lemongrass/fresh mint simple syrup to use in lemonades, teas and cocktails, can't wait to try it!
Trying out a new gelato recipe tonight, coconut white chocolate (or maybe I'll call it vanilla, since that is the flavor I was going for)
It was over 90 degrees, I guess summer is still here.
final thought: is there anything that sounds as fabulous as "buttercream"?
I'm out-j
Monday, August 4, 2008
Mary Mary Quite Contrary....
How does your garden grow? Time for a garden report!!
Well, I am feeling like quite the gardener this year, as EVERYTHING we have planted has grown-woohoo! This is most likely due to the fact that we have been watering regularly and taking time to thin, prune and sing to the garden (ok, well maybe not) The weather has been nice, the girls have been helpful and I have been amazed. Our tomato plants are taller than me and are loading up nicely with small to medium green tomato babies. Our crook neck squash have lots of little yellow crooked babies, we have eaten greens and blueberries until we turned that color, and our cilantro bed is extraordinary. The basil is making an honest effort (I am surprised we even got anything, as the seeds expired years ago and had also somehow gotten wet along the way, dried and stuck to the seed packet and we peeled them off, and planted them stuck to the bits of paper) The cukes are getting babies--although they don't look cuke-ish---hmmmm......more like acorn squash (watch out for the veggie start clearance rack I guess) We have gotten quite a few strawberries, and the bush beans are growing like crazy. Our flower beds are big, bushy and beautifully green, we are still waiting for any blooms. My cilantro bed is getting tall and threatening to bolt, I have big plans of making cilantro sauce and freezing it day after tomorrow. I don't want to cut it all though, one of the coolest things this year was that we planted and grew our own seeds that we harvested last year. We had amazing nasturtiums and cilantro, it was really so rewarding to see our seeds sprout and grow. We are wanting to do more of it for next year. Layla harvested some nasturtium pods this morning and we are planning to do our marigolds, cilantro and maybe beans too for next year. We are also wanting to build a little shelter to grow our own starts, since Layla is so into the planting part, and our season gets off to such a late start around here. I'll let you know when and if that happens. :)
Product Update
Vinegar of 4 thieves: I brewed up a batch of this to use as bug spray and we took it to the river this weekend. It must have been really strong because we didn't even see a mosquito the entire weekend (well Layla got 2 bites, but I think she's just sweeter than the rest of us) even though we didn't use it. Thankfully the wind changed (or something) and the bugs were all gone. Alan did spray it on a couple of times and he smelled a little vinegary for a bit until it dried, but then just herby and nice, I think I'll add a little citronella essential oil in the next batch just for smell-um good and extra bug protection. I am excited to have a natural alternative for chemical bug spray.
hand soap/shower gel: The girls have been using this and loving it in their bath room, it smells nice, it is gentle and cleans well. I am not a huge fan because of the consistency; it is, well, slimy. I think it is very similar to the feel of egg whites, which I don't really like to rub on myself, but apparently kids think it's great, and are into slimy stuff, so it has worked for us. Layla is into "rose" scent (ew) so I am planning to get a Dr. Bronners rose bar of castille soap to try for the next few batches and see how that works out. (they don't have a rose essential oil at my co-op, so this is the most cost effective option)
Oh-our 8th annual Blochtoberfest was amazing and as always a smashing success. Can't remember if I had given an update, and it's kind of a big deal around here-so in case you missed it, make sure to catch the next one (can you hear me all the way down there in California??) It was the party to celebrate my wonderful husband making it to his 35th birthday-the new fire pit was great, and we even have some special fire music planned for next year (can you say didgeridoo??) I laughed so much that I lost my voice and am still working on getting it back (maybe if I ever shut up?!?) ok then, Alan is watching some excruciating documentary on Hitler, so I obviously need to go grab the remote and change the channel to the smurfs or something, so he doesn't get nightmares (or die of boredom).
talk soon-j
Well, I am feeling like quite the gardener this year, as EVERYTHING we have planted has grown-woohoo! This is most likely due to the fact that we have been watering regularly and taking time to thin, prune and sing to the garden (ok, well maybe not) The weather has been nice, the girls have been helpful and I have been amazed. Our tomato plants are taller than me and are loading up nicely with small to medium green tomato babies. Our crook neck squash have lots of little yellow crooked babies, we have eaten greens and blueberries until we turned that color, and our cilantro bed is extraordinary. The basil is making an honest effort (I am surprised we even got anything, as the seeds expired years ago and had also somehow gotten wet along the way, dried and stuck to the seed packet and we peeled them off, and planted them stuck to the bits of paper) The cukes are getting babies--although they don't look cuke-ish---hmmmm......more like acorn squash (watch out for the veggie start clearance rack I guess) We have gotten quite a few strawberries, and the bush beans are growing like crazy. Our flower beds are big, bushy and beautifully green, we are still waiting for any blooms. My cilantro bed is getting tall and threatening to bolt, I have big plans of making cilantro sauce and freezing it day after tomorrow. I don't want to cut it all though, one of the coolest things this year was that we planted and grew our own seeds that we harvested last year. We had amazing nasturtiums and cilantro, it was really so rewarding to see our seeds sprout and grow. We are wanting to do more of it for next year. Layla harvested some nasturtium pods this morning and we are planning to do our marigolds, cilantro and maybe beans too for next year. We are also wanting to build a little shelter to grow our own starts, since Layla is so into the planting part, and our season gets off to such a late start around here. I'll let you know when and if that happens. :)
Product Update
Vinegar of 4 thieves: I brewed up a batch of this to use as bug spray and we took it to the river this weekend. It must have been really strong because we didn't even see a mosquito the entire weekend (well Layla got 2 bites, but I think she's just sweeter than the rest of us) even though we didn't use it. Thankfully the wind changed (or something) and the bugs were all gone. Alan did spray it on a couple of times and he smelled a little vinegary for a bit until it dried, but then just herby and nice, I think I'll add a little citronella essential oil in the next batch just for smell-um good and extra bug protection. I am excited to have a natural alternative for chemical bug spray.
hand soap/shower gel: The girls have been using this and loving it in their bath room, it smells nice, it is gentle and cleans well. I am not a huge fan because of the consistency; it is, well, slimy. I think it is very similar to the feel of egg whites, which I don't really like to rub on myself, but apparently kids think it's great, and are into slimy stuff, so it has worked for us. Layla is into "rose" scent (ew) so I am planning to get a Dr. Bronners rose bar of castille soap to try for the next few batches and see how that works out. (they don't have a rose essential oil at my co-op, so this is the most cost effective option)
Oh-our 8th annual Blochtoberfest was amazing and as always a smashing success. Can't remember if I had given an update, and it's kind of a big deal around here-so in case you missed it, make sure to catch the next one (can you hear me all the way down there in California??) It was the party to celebrate my wonderful husband making it to his 35th birthday-the new fire pit was great, and we even have some special fire music planned for next year (can you say didgeridoo??) I laughed so much that I lost my voice and am still working on getting it back (maybe if I ever shut up?!?) ok then, Alan is watching some excruciating documentary on Hitler, so I obviously need to go grab the remote and change the channel to the smurfs or something, so he doesn't get nightmares (or die of boredom).
talk soon-j
Thursday, July 31, 2008
mouths of babes
just a couple quick quotes from the girls today
only moments ago Layla and Maggie were playing house (Layla is the mom) and I heard her say "Well Maggie, moms are REALLY old, but they still take naps anyway"
.......word
last night we are down town Portland and there is a tall building with a ladder on the side. Layla asked about it, I told her it was the fire escape. If the building ever had a fire, the people inside could get out and down to safety on the ladder. Maggie said "ya cause if you stayed in there, your skin would burn off and you'd just be in yer bones!"
(Alan did not think this was funny-but I cried)
oh and last but not least, my Thrifty Thursday tip for this week:
skip the food and drink dinner. (maybe some times it will be thirsty Thursday)
Janina's Beer Punch
1 can of frozen limeade
12 cheap beers (clear)
2 limes
put 1/4 of the can of limeade in a pitcher, add 3 cheap beers, squeeze in half a lime (the plastic ones work too, but adjust accordingly) Stir and serve, good with chips or micro popcorn as dinner. Repeat until you are out of ingredients and can no longer stand--good job. See, you're not even hungry any more, and this has cost you less than $10, and you even shared. Good Work. Use this time to do important things like talk politics, tell dirty jokes, or call all of your very best friends--2am?-even better.
--that's all for me-we're off to the river for Alan's birthday--see you in a few!
only moments ago Layla and Maggie were playing house (Layla is the mom) and I heard her say "Well Maggie, moms are REALLY old, but they still take naps anyway"
.......word
last night we are down town Portland and there is a tall building with a ladder on the side. Layla asked about it, I told her it was the fire escape. If the building ever had a fire, the people inside could get out and down to safety on the ladder. Maggie said "ya cause if you stayed in there, your skin would burn off and you'd just be in yer bones!"
(Alan did not think this was funny-but I cried)
oh and last but not least, my Thrifty Thursday tip for this week:
skip the food and drink dinner. (maybe some times it will be thirsty Thursday)
Janina's Beer Punch
1 can of frozen limeade
12 cheap beers (clear)
2 limes
put 1/4 of the can of limeade in a pitcher, add 3 cheap beers, squeeze in half a lime (the plastic ones work too, but adjust accordingly) Stir and serve, good with chips or micro popcorn as dinner. Repeat until you are out of ingredients and can no longer stand--good job. See, you're not even hungry any more, and this has cost you less than $10, and you even shared. Good Work. Use this time to do important things like talk politics, tell dirty jokes, or call all of your very best friends--2am?-even better.
--that's all for me-we're off to the river for Alan's birthday--see you in a few!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
busy bee
I have taken a little blogging break, and someone noticed, so I just wanted to pop in and say howdy. We are busy getting ready for the big fest and basically summering which includes long hot days outdoors and tons of outside projects. This last weekend we shoveled 2 tons of rocks. (my friend Kristen informed me that that isn't really very many rocks at all-however, my back would like to disagree with her!) The place is really shaping up, and we are looking forward to this weekend when we finally get to sit back and relax and enjoy all of our hard work. Our guests will start arriving tomorrow, so this is crunch time.
I also wanted to mention that I am now the proud owner of "THE" heirloom tannie recipe that I eluded to in an earlier post. I just cannot bring myself to post it to the public, so let me know if you are interested and maybe we can work something out.
I had a job interview (yipes!) and hopefully will find out soon what my future holds--will let you know when I do. Right now I'm off erranding, so much to do, no time at all........
talk soon (or maybe later, I will be a bit busy celebrating summer for a while, I'll sip a frosty beverage for you!)
j
I also wanted to mention that I am now the proud owner of "THE" heirloom tannie recipe that I eluded to in an earlier post. I just cannot bring myself to post it to the public, so let me know if you are interested and maybe we can work something out.
I had a job interview (yipes!) and hopefully will find out soon what my future holds--will let you know when I do. Right now I'm off erranding, so much to do, no time at all........
talk soon (or maybe later, I will be a bit busy celebrating summer for a while, I'll sip a frosty beverage for you!)
j
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
just checking in
the weather has been wonderful and warm (ok-hot, really hot, with lots of sweat, and splashing in the water, and hiding in the shade). Tonight we are having taco salad made with greens and cilantro from our garden. Our mosquito bites are almost gone, and our landscaping is getting close to complete.
The herbs for my vinegar blend just arrived, so I am in need of some apple cider vinegar and will get to brewing my new, improved, all natural bug spray so it can be ready in time for our next outing. This week I also made shower gel for the girls out of ivory bar soap-yet another product replacement test to help s t r e t c h the budget, every little thing helps, and after a bit, things really add up. Again, thanks to boogiemum (http://boogiemum.com/) for the recipe and inspiration. (this can also be hand soap, but not dishwasher soap, or laundry soap, that's different)
Here's what you do:
Shower Gel/Hand Soap
*get a microwave safe covered casserole dish
*use a knife and shave about 1/4 to 1/3 of a bar of ivory soap into it-this is cinchy
*add 2 cups of water, or enough to fill up your currently empty soap dispenser
*microwave it and whisk it until soap is pretty much all dissolved (took me about 6 minutes)
*let it set there for a bit until it cools and turns into shower gel-taadaa!
ok, I had to add a little more water and whisk it some more to get it the texture I wanted once it was gooey, and I also added some essential oils, they wanted it to smell like "sweet orange". I had some left over that wouldn't fit, so I put it in an empty plastic water bottle, labeled it and saved it as a refill. Ivory soap comes in multi-packs for a really good price and from each bar I can make 3 or 4 bottles of shower gel. Compared to our usual brand this will be a substantial savings, especially considering last week Maggie squeezed an entire new bottle of shampoo right down the drain, just because. 3 Year olds are fun-really.
**just so you know, you can use any kind of soap you want for this project, but it has to be soap. Beauty bars like Oil of Olay or Dove won't gel, you will just get a big pot of soapy water. (I know this to be true--twice) You can also use the left over sliver bits from your bar soap, for an even greater savings--make your hubby Irish Spring, cool mountain mist shower gel from leftovers. (and then you have a few extra bucks to get the special yummy Mom's only shower gel for yourself--at least, that's my plan! Shhhhhhh.....)
The herbs for my vinegar blend just arrived, so I am in need of some apple cider vinegar and will get to brewing my new, improved, all natural bug spray so it can be ready in time for our next outing. This week I also made shower gel for the girls out of ivory bar soap-yet another product replacement test to help s t r e t c h the budget, every little thing helps, and after a bit, things really add up. Again, thanks to boogiemum (http://boogiemum.com/) for the recipe and inspiration. (this can also be hand soap, but not dishwasher soap, or laundry soap, that's different)
Here's what you do:
Shower Gel/Hand Soap
*get a microwave safe covered casserole dish
*use a knife and shave about 1/4 to 1/3 of a bar of ivory soap into it-this is cinchy
*add 2 cups of water, or enough to fill up your currently empty soap dispenser
*microwave it and whisk it until soap is pretty much all dissolved (took me about 6 minutes)
*let it set there for a bit until it cools and turns into shower gel-taadaa!
ok, I had to add a little more water and whisk it some more to get it the texture I wanted once it was gooey, and I also added some essential oils, they wanted it to smell like "sweet orange". I had some left over that wouldn't fit, so I put it in an empty plastic water bottle, labeled it and saved it as a refill. Ivory soap comes in multi-packs for a really good price and from each bar I can make 3 or 4 bottles of shower gel. Compared to our usual brand this will be a substantial savings, especially considering last week Maggie squeezed an entire new bottle of shampoo right down the drain, just because. 3 Year olds are fun-really.
**just so you know, you can use any kind of soap you want for this project, but it has to be soap. Beauty bars like Oil of Olay or Dove won't gel, you will just get a big pot of soapy water. (I know this to be true--twice) You can also use the left over sliver bits from your bar soap, for an even greater savings--make your hubby Irish Spring, cool mountain mist shower gel from leftovers. (and then you have a few extra bucks to get the special yummy Mom's only shower gel for yourself--at least, that's my plan! Shhhhhhh.....)
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