Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Confused

My Maple tree is confused.

We have had the craziest weather here in Michigan this winter.  After snowing a few inches on Sunday, it was actually shovel-able at 2", today it was 56° degrees out.  We have had a very warm (for Michigan) winter with very little snow.  Poor thing, no wonder it's confused.

On Sunday, I noticed that it had started budding.

Taken today 1/31/12
Groundhog's Day is two days away.  I wonder if Spring is going to be early.


Friday, January 27, 2012

Annual Road Trip Day, Part 2

I finally got around to going through our pictures from our road trip but now I'm feeling lazy and don't want to write a whole lot.  So, I'm not going to.

Our trip in twelve pictures:


In my original post (Annual Road Trip Day) I went on and on about the blizzard that was supposed to devastate the Traverse City Area.  Well for the vast majority of our way up there (on two lane highways) it looked like this.  Rain.  Cold, windy and grey.  But, just rain.
















We actually pulled over so I could take a picture of this truck.  Mr. Wonderful is a truck driver by trade and the sight of this Mack hauling lumber made him exceedingly happy.  His eyes literally lit up.
















It did start to snow like the dickens though when we were about a half hour away from Traverse City.  For the most part it looked like this for the rest our drive.
















We got to our hotel (The Grand Traverse Resort & Spa) without any issues and checked in.  When we got to our room I was not impressed.  They had put us on the 6th floor in a corner room.  The room was literally shaped like a triangle.  And the view? Sucked.  But, whatever.  It was just a room for one night and it did have a Jacuzzi.  
















As we were trying to console ourselves that our lot had been drawn and we had a view of the parking lot and the roof at the front entrance.  The heard of youngins' next door started blowing their party horns and making a ruckus.  Knocking on the walls.  Jiggling the door handle that connected our rooms.  Valiantly trying to jimmy the door open.  Where were their parents? They're kids, I get it, but it truly was annoying.  I called my sister to let everyone know we were there and she either heard the distress in my voice or the wee beasties kiddies banging on the door demanding entrance.
















She told me to call the front desk and asked to be moved.  (It was a good idea Olive Picker, thanks!)  So, I called the front desk and politely explained that as children are wont to do they're acting like godless heathens just being kids and therefore rambunctious.  I explained that we were looking forward to some peace and quite and asked to be moved.  Ten minutes later a bell hop showed up and they moved us up four floors.

The view was much better (we could actually see Grand Traverse Bay), there wasn't anyone in the adjoining room and we still had a Jacuzzi.  We decided that we were just going to eat dinner at the hotel and not bother trying to find somewhere to eat because the roads weren't getting any better.
















The next morning it was clear and bright so we decided to grab a bite somewhere in town so I set to Googling and found this place Mabel's Restaurant.  Check out the menu.  Stuffed Hash Browns? Yes, please! We packed up and checked out.  The Bay looked beautiful and I wanted some pictures but Mr. Wonderful was hungry so I snapped some through the window of the moving truck.
















So we get to Mabel's.  It's Monday mind you.  January 2nd.  9:00 Anti Meridiem.  
Mabel was not there.  Nobody was.  We actually ate at McDonald's.  It was the only stinking place open.
















We decided that our return trip home should include driving through the Manistee National Forest.  Mr. Wonderful was fed so he let me stop to take a picture but it was snowing and we wanted to make some time getting back.  We planned on enjoying the drive and driving at a leisurely pace but once we got to the south eastern part of the state we still had to stop at MommaBean's and drop off her truck and pick up my car, etc., etc.
















It was quite a beautiful drive through the forest.  However there weren't really any places to stop to use the ladies room.  So I practiced my bladder expansion technique.  I did well too! No stops along side the road in the frozen wilderness!
















And this, this is the most priceless picture of the trip.  Only in Northern Michigan.

























We had a great trip and I am already excitedly thinking of where we can go next year!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

(nearly) Wordless Wednesday

Ineptitude*
*Not my inability to stick to one knitting project or keep my knitting spots neat and orderly.  But, the fact that I cannot figure out how to get a stupid (it isn't stupid, the user is) button to my friends blog (Clan-Donaldson) where I participate in a group effort called "Snapshots from a Sunday".  

This was my snapshot.
Go read her blog.  It's good stuff.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

A Breakfast Confession



Here goes nothing.

(deep breath)

Wait, before I confess anything I want to tell you that Mr. Wonderful and I do not eat fast food very often.  Once maybe twice a month tops.

Okay, let's try this again.

About every few (2-3) weeks Mr. Wonderful calls me on Saturday morning when he's on his way home for work and asks about breakfast.  When he calls I know deep down in my heart that he's wanting fast food.  Way deep down inside, I do too.  Because I am mostly lazy and this would save me from having to actually think of something to make, make it and then clean up afterwards.

Something happened last night.  I had the strangest urge to not be lazy about this mornings breakfast.  So I scoured the internet for things that I could make ahead and have ready for whenever Mr. Wonderful got home.

It had to be something warm.  It had to be nourishing and most of all, it had to be yummy.

One of my favorite recipe sites is Mennonite Girls Can Cook.  Have I ever made anything from their site? Nope.  But a girl can dream can't she?

I found this recipe for Baked Oatmeal with Apple and Cinnamon there.  But, Houston, we have a problem.  I don't have any oats! I used them all and haven't remembered to replenish them.

Which got me thinking and forced me to get up and rummage through the pantry. Lo and behold I actually some Steel Cut Oatmeal left over from another time I had stopped being lazy about breakfast. Woo-hoo!

So, I started my search over and, quite brilliantly, entered 'steel cut' after baked oatmeal.  And that, lead me to here, Nourished Kitchen.  Now the stinker of a problem was I didn't have half of the stuff the recipe called for, and one pound of oats? Geez louise, that would feed an army!

The next link Google brought up was this one: Beef 4 Breakfast who in fact got his recipe from Nourished Kitchen.  However his proportions seemed more manageable so that is what I kind of did.

The recipe that I used is down below the pics:

Soak the oats over night by covering them in about an inch of water.  I let mine soak for 8 hours, but I think next time I'll soak them for a few hours longer.  There were some that I ran into that were hard little nuggets still.

Oats that have been soaked over night
Drain the water - My every day colander has enormous holes so I used this one which has a sifter like screen.
Why I set it over a bowl and not the sink, I'll never know
This is where I think the creative process can really excel.  I figured I would stick with apples and not get too fancy my first time out.

Then comes the Magical Concoction that you pour over the whole thing.  Mine consisted of: eggs, butter, brown sugar, half & half, walnuts and a wee bit of maple syrup.


Butter the bottom of your dish and spread the oatmeal in the dish

Pour your Magical Concoction over the top, sprinkle with cinnamon and bake!

And this is the finished product straight out of the oven!

Recipe:
1 1/2 C Steel Cut Oats - this just so happened to be the exact amount I had
2 large apples - I used two Fuji apples we picked up at the Farmer's Market
2 eggs - courtesy of my MommaBeans Chickens
1 C half & half - I have nothing left for coffee, must go to the store immediately
2 Tbs butter, melted
1/2 C brown sugar 
1/4 C walnuts - it's the amount I found in the pantry
1 tsp of Maple Syrup - I was experimenting...
Cinnamon 

  • Soak the oats the night before. Do not skip this step.  I put mine in a mixing bowl and covered with about an inch of water. I threw a flour-sack towel over the top and went to bed.
  • Drain the water from the oats using a colander and put in a large mixing bowl
  • Dice your apples and mix them in to the oats along with the walnuts
  • Stir together in a small mixing bowl the eggs, milk, brown sugar, maple syrup and melted butter
  • Butter the bottom of a baking dish then spread the oatmeal mixture evenly
  • Pour the Magical Concoction over everything
  • Sprinkle Cinnamon on top
  • Bake at 350° for 45 minutes
  • Cool for 10 minutes and serve!
Oh.Em.Gee and even I like it- and I am not known for trying new foods.

This is a seriously awesome dish and you should absolutely try it!  

I am going to make it again next weekend but I think I'm going to try different ingredients now that I know I like the basics.

A victory for this culinary mamby-pamby!

Friday, January 20, 2012

The Trouble With Coupons

Who doesn't want to be thrifty?

50 cents here, a dollar there, and when the stores double the coupons? Wooo Doggy!  Just think of all the fabulous things you could buy with all of that money you saved!

When I was a kid my mom used to pay me to cut out coupons for her.
Do you think maybe it's a genetic thing?  Our Family's Coupon Problem?

Anyway, she would leaf through the circular and mark the ones she wanted cut out. She would then hand me  a seemingly gigantic stack and I would plop down belly first in the living room with my scissors.

Dutifully I would cut out the ones she had marked and oft times ones that I felt were products we should have in the house.  You know, things like Fruity Pebbles. Which, I'll have you know, I never even tried until I was in my 20's!

I made 5 cents per coupon! Man, what a sweet deal.

Hey Mom? Any coupons you want me cut out?

Anyway my problem with these little savings gems is three fold:
  • I do not have the patience or wherewithal to plop myself down anywhere to rifle through/cut out coupons.  (why? probably because I'm not getting paid to do it.)
  • The vast majority of the coupons aren't for things that we buy.  Ever.
  • The storage space.

There isn't much we can do about storage unless I give up my Knitting Room (which is also where the computer resides) or Mr. Wonderful gives up his, ugh-I hate calling it this, Man Cave we're at an impasse with the whole storage issue.

Maybe in our next house we'll have somewhere to store a six month supply of              (insert item here)    .

We get our weekly hometown newspaper, The Herald, and on our every two week grocery shopping expedition I grab a Sunday paper.  I conscientiously pile up the coupon circulars for my immediate attention on the end table near my end of the couch.  And promptly get distracted by 9000 other things.  Finally when they are close to toppling over I will leaf through them with an ever hopeful heart that the majority haven't expired.

Mr. Wonderful and I are going shopping this weekend so let's see what we have.

Here for instance is one circular:
Nothing
There are exactly ZERO things in this circular that I have ever bought or even plan on buying.

And with our every other week Sunday paper, we have two of the same circulars.

But then... there is the "off" week from The Herald:

Score!
That's right - $1.30.

Which, as my mother always says, is better than a swift kick in the ass.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Finding Time

Just when and how do people come up with time to blog?! I am struggling here to post more than once a month. I have plenty to say, now whether it is worth reading is a whole other ball of wax.

Where do you suppose that saying came from? "Ball of wax."

I'll have to look it up.

Anyway, last week I started working four 10 hour shifts.  I have a three day weekend, every weekend.  So one would think I could find the time to  plop my rear end down here for an hour and blather...

And here we are.  A really quick whiny post before I run through my nightly routine and turn in for the night.

(insert harrumphing)

One more gripe for the night - It was 54 degrees and raining today.
It is currently 34 and snowing.

This is what I've been reduced to wearing in the house:






Snarly face.
Turtle neck.
(beautiful) Scarf.
Fuzzy robe.







Boo, Mother Nature, boo.

p.s. Yes, I know it's Winter in Michigan and we have been so very lucky thus far but I still don't like winter.
p.s.s. Maybe I'll do a post on the scarf? (likely story)
p.s.s.s. This week one of my goals is to get the New Years trip pictures posted. (don't hold your breath, I'm not)

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Impromptu Breakfast

I found my camera!

I even downloaded the pics but I'm not about to mess with them.  I am here for a quick post of our lovely breakfast this morning.  We're doing our every two weeks grocery shopping today and I wanted to use up some of the stuff we have hanging about.





Would you look at that loveliness?! Croissants & Homemade Pumpkin Butter.  Yum-my!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

(insert witty title here)

I am officially without functioning brain synapses.  Maybe it's early onset dementia?

Honestly, there is no thought flow here.  So, to make this post easy on myself I'll bullet point some random thoughts for you to enjoy and try to make sense of. Yippie!


  • Our New Years Day - Annual Road Trip went off without a hitch.  Barely any snow let alone a blizzard.  Which brings us to point two.
  • I cannot find my camera.  It's here.  In this house. I remember seeing it and it has a few pictures documenting our trip but, I can't locate it.  Which coincides with the misfiring of brain synapses - I always know where my camera is!
  • I have to go get new tires on my car today. Fabulous, just how I wanted to spend my Saturday morning.
  • As an early Christmas present from my husband that I ordered and told him he bought me, I have Adobe PSE 10.  I have recently, last week, installed it on the computer but haven't had a spare moment to use it.
  • I made a list for Mr. Wonderful and put it on our chalkboard in the kitchen of Acceptable Gifts.  Our First Date/Wedding Anniversary is coming up- I told him it counts as 1 1/2 anniversaries and just because we got married on that day doesn't negate it was our First Date anniversary.- Valentine's Day is also coming up and our respective "Mid-Year Birthday's", more on that later, are too.  So, the gifts are as follows: 1) Skyrim, 2) telescope, 3) wooden cooking utensils, 4) Kindle Fire.  I'll probably buy myself the fire with the money I got for Christmas - AFTER I read my hundreds of dollars worth of books that I have bought.
And there was something else, can't remember what it was though.  So, yeah.

I'll upload those pics as soon as I find my camera and put together a nice blog post for ya!

**EDIT: I remembered what else I was going to say! I am going to try making my own laundry detergent.  I have had the Washing Soda for about a year and a half staring me down and I have the Borax, which I use in each laundry load, all I need is a dang bar of soap.  Which I will pick up today while out getting my new tires. I have heard wonderful things about it, how safe it is for the environment and you can't beat the price of .01 per load.

My question, if anyone has ever tried this, is this: Will the soap dissolve in cold water? I only use cold water to wash my clothes.**

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Annual Road Trip Day

Today is Annual Road Trip Day!  I am half excited half apprehensive.


Last week I decided that I wanted to go to Traverse City since I haven't been there as an adult. And because neither of us have to work tomorrow we decided we were going to spend the night in Traverse City. 


I booked a Tower room at the Grand Traverse Resort for tonight.


Lovely, eh?










Local Weather Alert

Blizzard Warning for Grand Traverse, MI

From 12:00 PM EST, Sun., Jan 01, 2012 until 7:00 PM EST, Mon., Jan 02, 2012


Issued by The National Weather Service
Alpena/Gaylord, MI

Sun, Jan 1, 2012, 3:51 AM EST

... BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 PM EST MONDAY...
A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 PM EST MONDAY.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
* SNOW WILL DEVELOP ACROSS NORTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN TODAY... AND WILL BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY. SNOWFALL TOTALS OF 10 TO 20 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON.
* SUSTAINED WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH... WITH GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH... WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN WIDESPREAD BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW... AND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS.
IMPACTS...
* ROAD CONDITIONS WILL RAPIDLY DETERIORATE TODAY... AS ROADS BECOME CLOGGED WITH FALLING AND DRIFTING SNOW. POOR DRIVING CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. VISIBILITIES WILL DROP TO NEAR ZERO AT TIMES IN FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED. FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS AND POOR VISIBILITIES ARE LIKELY. THIS WILL LEAD TO WHITEOUT CONDITIONS... MAKING TRAVEL EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL... HAVE A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT WITH YOU. IF YOU GET STRANDED... STAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE.

Right. No refund on the room and never ones to weenie out - so we're going. We borrowed MommaBeans 4x4 truck for the expedition. 
I've packed extra hats, gloves, scarves, coats, blankets and one of those fancy emergency road packs in the truck.
And that is that! So now, I am going to fry up some bacon, the once a year treat for Mr. Wonderful & make french toast for our breakfast and then we're off! 
Catch you on the flip side with pictures!
HAPPY 2012 Everyone!