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Thursday, March 29, 2012

February 2012 and March 2012 Pinterest Inspirations

Never got around to posting about my Pinterest finds for February, and now the end of March is here, so I'll cover both. Got some really great tips!



Foil to Drain Oil - Line a small bowl with foil and use it to catch grease from browning meat. This was a big "duh." So much easier than trying to get it into a soda can or something!. Just let it harden and toss it.




Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti - This was just okay. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I felt the cream cheese really dulled down the flavors without adding enough richness to be worth it (or the extra calories). not bad, but we probably won't make it again.




Refrigerated Overnight Chicken Pasta - This was also just okay. Again, not bad, just not great, and certainly not worth the oodles of calories.




Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops - YUM! This recipe is a definite keeper. Super simple, but so much more than the sum of its parts. It includes a mashed potato recipe that looks good, but we just served the "gravy" over rice. I can't wait to make it again, it was so tasty!




Medicine Bottle Schedule - It is sometimes hard to remember if you ever gave a particular dose of medicine. Our pharmacy puts labels on the front and back of the bottle, so I had to do my schedule down both sides, but still, it was great!


Source: joyastle.com via Erin on Pinterest


TP roll over wrapping paper - This was disappointing, simply because nearly all of my wrapping paper rolls are too small for this to work! On the one or two large rolls I have, it works brilliantly, that just doesn't help with the other 20 rolls or so.




Creamy Chicken Taquitoes - These were just okay, but I'm pretty sure that is my fault. I can't do spicy anything, so I just left out the green salsa, which I'm sure provided a bunch of both flavor and moisture. Consequently, mine were quite bland and dry. Again, my fault. I imagine they're pretty good if you like the heat.




Find Original Source of Pinterest Images - Did you know you can search Google by image? I know! I've used this trick a dozen times since I learned it. I can't always find the source of the image, but the times I can, it is completely worth it. Great tip!


Source: chicaandjo.com via Erin on Pinterest


Use magazine holder for foil and plastic wrap - Apparently my mom has been doing this for years and I just never noticed. I now have two of these under my kitchen sink. SO much better!




Plain Chicken Soda Bread - I'd never had Irish Soda Bread before, but I decided to make some for St. Patrick's Day (well, the week after; the week of got a little nutty). It was quite good! Not something I will likely make routinely, but good enough for the occasional change of pace. Was excellent with both regular and honey butter.


Source: ehow.com via Erin on Pinterest


Ninja hood from t-shirt - This picture is not a good representation at all, but it is the only real picture at the link. The instructions worked remarkably well. Both DH and I were most impressed with the results, though it did work much better with a long sleeved t-shirt. Can't wait to try it at Luke's birthday party!


Source: shape.com via Erin on Pinterest


Whitening toothpaste to remove polish stain from nails - Not only does this work brilliantly, it has saved me twice now from having horribly stained nails! (Teal nail polish and I will just have to be distant acquaintances instead of bosom buddies.) I had better luck with a cheap tooth brush than a real nail brush, but the concept works shockingly well!




Torn Cotton Ball to Remove Nail Polish - This works quite well, too. It doesn't come off completely in one stroke for me (not sure if that is my impatience or my general use of 4-6 coats of polish and/or top coat), but it's still quite effective. Just a little clean up with a cotton ball and q-tip, and the nails are clean.

So, those are my recent tips and tricks and recipes gleaned from Pinterest. Hope you find them useful!

Currently feeling: well pinned

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The Lost Tooth

Luke quite literally lost his tooth today at school. He was terribly concerned, so he wrote the Tooth Fairy a note explaining the situation. Hopefully, she will be understanding. I imagine it's not her first time encountering this situation.



Before someone asks, the thing under the bed is one of those flat under-bed storage boxes. It holds out of season clothing that might still fit the following year. He's had one under his bed as long as he's had a bed, but it still amuses me that he felt like he had to draw it there. (It also never occurred to me that the Tooth Fairy is an actual tooth!)

Currently feeling: toothless (literally)

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Ulta Nail Polish Pilgrimage

I've always gone through phases of painting my nails and then not. The polish world has exploded in fascinating options in recent years, something I was not really aware of until Pinterest. After seeing so many photos there of really interesting colors and brands, I decided to make my first visit to one of the make up meccas of the world: Ulta. Mom went with me (yeah, really had to twist her arm there). Who knew you could spend nearly 2 hours looking at nail polish?! LOL  And what did those two hours get us? Mine are on the inner ring, and Mom's are on the outer. I have them labeled below.

Inner Ring (mine) - clockwise
  • I1 - Skyscraper by China Glaze
  • I2 - Fireside Glow by China Glaze
  • I3 - Rock the World by Orly
  • I4 - Caribbean Frost by Wet n Wild Shine (stained my nails!)
  • I5 - Till I'm Blue Over You by Pixel
  • I6 - Blue Belle by Orly (mini)
  • I7 - Goth by Orly (mini)
  • I8 - Black Out by Orly (mini)



Outer Ring (Mom's) - clockwise
  • O1 - White Static by Pixel
  • O2 - Diamond by Orly (mini)
  • O3 - Oh Pardon Me by Pixel
  • O4 - Soul Searching by Pixel
  • O5 - Humdinger by Pixel
  • O6 - Very Cherry by Sally Hanson Xtreme Wear
  • O7 - Oh Goly Gee by Pixel
  • O8 - Star Spangled by Orly (mini)
  • O9 - Spam a Lot by Pixel
  • O10 - Oh Wow by Pixel
  • O11 - Deep Dark and Handsome by Pixel

Should I mention that we each picked up about 6 bottles later in the evening? Nah, we'll just pretend that didn't happen. :-) Mostly Sinful Colors, if I recall correctly, but I know I got a Milani and a Wet n Wild, too.  I'm sure I'll be showing those off later, but tomorrow, I will be using the Orly Rock The World that Mom bought for me ($10 on a single bottle is more than I could stomach right now; thanks Mom!).

Currently feeling: girly

Saturday, March 24, 2012

MIL is Home

We received the official word that my mother-in-law was released from the hospital yesterday (March 23) and is resting comfortably at home. She is on several prescriptions and will receive four additional outpatient IV treatments over the next month, but hopefully, that will be it. Thank you all for your good thoughts, prayers, positive vibes, and concern!

Currently feeling: hoping she's on the mend for good

Friday, March 23, 2012

First Grade - First School Project

Two weeks ago, Luke came home with his first major school project. He's already written a report on a president (he was assigned JFK). This time, he had to write a 5 sentence report about an animal of his choice and create a "3 dimensional representation of the animal's habitat." I took that to mean a shoe box diorama. I feel so nostalgic!  Luke chose the tiger as his animal.




Tigers live in the forest and like water. They also hunt wild boar for food. We tossed out a couple of ideas, like using pipe cleaners for the tree trunks (instead of sticks from outside) and using dyed rice for the grass, but otherwise, all ideas, cutting, drawing, and coloring were his work. We did help with some of the gluing (especially the back piece).  I think he did a great job!





Special thanks to my husband for remembering to take pictures of it before it left for school this morning, since I forgot to do it last night.

Currently feeling: so proud!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Wordless Wednesday - March 21, 2012



Currently feeling: you weren't using this for a school project or something, were you?

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Disney 2012, Day 3: The Magic Kingdom

Previously: Disney 2012, Day 2: Epcot

Looks like we managed to do a bit better on our arrival time to The Magic Kingdom on Saturday. My parking lot row number/section photo was taken at 8:55. So, we didn't quite make it for rope drop, but we were close. In fact, we were early enough that I got some nice unobstructed photos of the Cinderella mosaics inside the castle.


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And the beautiful tops of the columns. How many people have been to Disney multiple times and never noticed the lovely little details like this?



I imagine that we snagged Peter Pan FastPasses first thing, then decided to hit some other things in Fantasyland. (The new part wasn't open yet; we missed it by just a few weeks.) We hit Winnie the Pooh first, which Luke didn't really remember having done before:


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And then we headed for Snow White's Scary Adventure. *Really* should have taken some photos of the outside, since the ride is now closed forever, but I did get some very nice shots inside. I don't think Luke had ridden it before.


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Next up was Peter Pan, my personal favorite, as you all know. I did try to take some pictures, but man, it is DARK in there, and the ships are whipping around a lot faster than you realize (until you try to take a picture)! These turned out okay (they're a little blurry at full size), but most of the ones I took were not good at all.


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After Peter Pan, we ran across and did it's a small world, where I got tons of great photos. Here is a sampling:


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I thought this one was particularly nice:



And I just can't get enough of this smile:



We still had a little time to kill, so I whipped out the Disney Parks app (no affiliation, just a happy user) and saw that the Tomorrowland Speedway wait time was a reasonable 25-ish minutes.



That timed things perfectly for our "new to everyone" Magic Kingdom item: lunch at The Plaza.



There was a lovely view from the door near our table:



Again, no exterior or sign photo (I was a total photography failure this trip), but the interior was quite lovely. And small! Good grief. No wonder they always looked packed; they always are! So small, in fact, that there are no bathrooms inside. You have to go to the ones nearby that are shared with the Tomorrowland Terrace restaurant (only open seasonally, and has never been open when we have visited in March). It's not that bad, just a surprise to ask our waitress where the restrooms only to be told there aren't any inside.



We selected The Plaza for three reasons: 1) It was one of those places I had always walked by on Main Street and thought it looked quaint. 2) It was new to everyone. And 3), several friends had raved about their Tomato Bisque soup. It truly was outstanding, so much so that it is the only dish I took a picture of. I think everyone got a sandwich of some sort. Reviewing the menu now, I would guess I did the turkey, Mom did the Reuben, and DH did the Club; maybe DH got a burger, but I genuinely don't recall now. But seriously, I'm salivating remembering that soup. YUM!

Next up was yet another new thing, this time for Luke. I knew he would be hugely disappointed that Big Thunder Mountain was closed for rehab. How ever could we make it up to him? Perhaps by letting him ride a new roller coaster!



You may have noticed that Luke has not ridden Space Mountain before, despite the fact that he cleared the height limit quite some time ago. Yes, I'm the weird mom who put him on Expedition Everest and The Rockin' Roller Coaster before letting him ride something as "tame" as Space Mountain. Why? Because I could sit beside him on those rides (and because The Rockin' Roller Coaster has over the shoulder restraints, so between that and the physics of the ride, there is NO chance he's coming out of that seat). If he got scared or upset, I would be there, right beside him. But on Space Mountain, you sit by yourself, in a single bucket seat (three seats to a car, two cars to a train), with only a lap bar to hold you in.



There are no huge hills or loops or anything like that on Space Mountain, so from that perspective, it really is a fairly tame coaster. Thus, a lap bar is perfectly sufficient for safety, assuming you follow the rules! You MUST stay seated and under that bar. Remember that Luke has been tall enough to ride Space Mountain since he was 5, but I frankly did not trust him at that age to sit in his seat in near total darkness. What if he tried to get up? What if he got scared and wanted to turn around and see me? In the darkness, I wouldn't be able to see him to stop him. With all the noise, I wouldn't be able to hear him if he called for me. From behind him, I would not be able to comfort him if he got scared. The ride tunnels are small, and the ride frame is very close to the cars, though how close is well masked by the darkness. If he stood up or tried to get out of his seat, not only could he be seriously injured simply from the speed or being thrown from the car, it was at least possible (in my mind) for him to hit his head on something. I'm quite certain that when the height limit was set at 44 inches (1.11 meters), it was intended to keep kids that young off the ride; Mr. Behemoth Child just had to be "special." To me, it simply wasn't worth the risk, so I hadn't let him ride. I debated about it last year, but the ride itself kept breaking down, so we didn't bother getting in line or getting a FastPass. But this year? ::said in her best Lion King Rafiki voice:: It is time!

Here is a very blurry picture of him at the end of the ride. I think he liked it, what do you think?



I think we probably grabbed Buzz FastPasses at this point. I know we hopped on the Peoplemover. Here is Luke showing off his official Space Mountain badge as we ride (he specifically asked me to take this picture).



We hopped on Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin after this, but again, no good pictures. I'd guess we probably waited in the queue, based on the picture time stamps. We caught the Carousel of Progress after that, then back to Buzz (likely with FastPasses), then we headed to Adventureland for snack time. You see, I was on a mission. When people find out that I've been to Disney nearly 20 times in 30-something years, but I've never had a Dole Whip, you'd think I said that I'd never seen Cinderella's Castle or something. "You've NEVER had a Dole Whip??!!!!!" Um, no, sorry.


Click to biggify.

Is everyone happy now?! LOL It was good, but I did not experience the rapturous transcendent experience that most people seem to have. I'm just not a huge pineapple fan, sorry. But I am glad I tried it. Yay, another new Disney thing! We actually consumed our snacks at the Tortuga Tavern (formerly El Pirata y El Perico), then slipped across the way.



I won't repeat photos similar to what I've shown in previous years, but here are a couple of new ones. This scene now appears in the tower of the queue.



And finally, a decent shot of Captain Jack Sparrow at the end (where the boats backed up, so we were nearly stationary).



With no Big Thunder Mountain to occupy us, we convinced Luke to try The Haunted Mansion again this year. He had been resistant last year, so we didn't push, but he decided he could be brave this year. Yet again, no pictures actually turned out well enough for me to feel that I can show them. Afterwards, we ate dinner, though I have absolutely no idea where. Knowing us, it was most likely either Pinnochio Village Haus or the Starlight, but I really don't know. But I can tell you that we were in Tomorrowland by 6:30. How do I know?



Because we were in line for the Astro Orbiters! We hadn't really intended to ride it. The line is always dreadfully long. But as we walked by (probably on the way to the Peoplemover), we noticed that the line was about the shortest I had ever seen it. I believe it was completely contained within the permanent queue and was quoting 30-40 minutes. I know Space Mountain had a much longer wait than that and was out of decently timed FastPasses (they were for like 9:30 or something, and we would be gone by then). None of us had ever ridden it before, even though Luke had frequently asked. So let's go!



First off, you should have seen Mom and me trying to fit into one rocket. Let's just say that two full size adult women, even if we were size 8s, might have been tight. And we're not size 8s, either of us. It was absolutely hysterical with us trying to twist and turn and fit in with this leg here and that elbow there. We were absolutely cackling. You know that really loud table at a restaurant where everyone is laughing their heads off but no one else can see what is funny? That's about what it was like. I distinctly recall my mother saying, "We should have done this when you were 5, not 35!" Perhaps, but too late now! LOL We did finally manage to squeeze in, but I don't think we'll be trying it again any time soon. But it was absolutely worth it, for these two pictures:



I could not be happier with these shots if I tried. Great camera, wonderful low light setting, and a whole lot of luck. I was taking these pictures behind me, over my shoulder, without turning around or being able to see the view screen. I took four shots, two came out, including one with the Contemporary in it. The perfect end to our trip!

We did do Downtown Disney on Sunday, but it seemed like almost all of it was under construction and/or behind walls. It was also *pouring* down rain. DH and Mom were parking their cars, and each of them had an umbrella, but Luke and I did not. He and I had stopped by the pin store before meeting them at the Rainforest Cafe for lunch when the bottom fell out, so they were dry-ish, and we were literally soaked to the skin. As in, we were SO wet, I bought new shirts for Luke and me at the Rainforest gift shop so we could change (and a frog umbrella for when we left). We did hit the pin shop on the way back. We also popped into the World of Disney shop and the LEGO store, but we didn't stay long. We were just tired and wet. But overall, the park visits had gone very well, and we were properly mouse-ified for another year.

Currently feeling: ready for 2013