This week the region had its first measurable snowfall of the winter, topped it off with a serving of sleet and a frosting of freezing rain.
Due to the weather, most schools in the area closed on Wednesday, Mutual was cancelled Tuesday night, and the President got to make a crack about how in Chicago, kids would still go outside for recess in this weather. (I also got a half day off work, too.)
The big deal though, is the fact that we now have a sidewalk to shovel! So, I spent Tuesday night clearing off our sidewalk and around the cars in our parking spaces (so we wouldn't have to drive up over frozen mounds of snow).
I have to say it: our yard looks nice covered in snow!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Big MacChicken
I've been sitting on a couple of posts for a few days, so I figure I'll push this one out here:
This 'creation' makes me the culinary equivalent of Dr. Frankenstein, but I'll take that honor:
Behold: The big MacChicken
Yes, what you see here is a Big Mac-style chicken sandwich. The fun thing is that it's cheaper than a Big Mac, also!
To make, buy two McChickens. Take the bottom off one, and slap it to the bottom of the other. You're done!
This 'creation' makes me the culinary equivalent of Dr. Frankenstein, but I'll take that honor:
Behold: The big MacChicken
Yes, what you see here is a Big Mac-style chicken sandwich. The fun thing is that it's cheaper than a Big Mac, also!
To make, buy two McChickens. Take the bottom off one, and slap it to the bottom of the other. You're done!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Sleep-its a wonderful thing!
So Afton has started sleeping through the night again! YAY!!!!!!!!
For the last week, she has been waking up every few hours at night. I'm pretty sure it has had to do with her cutting 4 teeth-yes she now has a grand total of 6 teeth- but the doctor suggested it might have something to do with separation anxiety, but I'm not sure if I agree. She would just wake up screaming. Hopefully, the worst of it is over for now.
She hasn't started walking yet, but she can keep her balance while standing really well. Its when she realizes that she is standing by herself that she freaks out and looses her balance. Its pretty funny to watch. I will try and get it on tape sometime. I never thought I would say this, but I really can't wait until she starts walking-mostly to give my back and knees a break. She's a pretty funny kid.
She definitely doesn't like hats. We usually play a game of putting on and taking off hats, but I used one that had a little tie on the bottom so she couldn't take it off. She would try and try and then just start crying. It was pretty funny. I know, what a horrible mom for torturing my poor child. Don't worry, I feel no remorse! :) As a side note, I would like to point out that the 18 month hats fit her like a glove, although she still wears 6-9 month clothing. What can I say, she has to have a lot of room to fit everything in. She has also figured out to pick her nose.
For the last week, she has been waking up every few hours at night. I'm pretty sure it has had to do with her cutting 4 teeth-yes she now has a grand total of 6 teeth- but the doctor suggested it might have something to do with separation anxiety, but I'm not sure if I agree. She would just wake up screaming. Hopefully, the worst of it is over for now.
She hasn't started walking yet, but she can keep her balance while standing really well. Its when she realizes that she is standing by herself that she freaks out and looses her balance. Its pretty funny to watch. I will try and get it on tape sometime. I never thought I would say this, but I really can't wait until she starts walking-mostly to give my back and knees a break. She's a pretty funny kid.
She definitely doesn't like hats. We usually play a game of putting on and taking off hats, but I used one that had a little tie on the bottom so she couldn't take it off. She would try and try and then just start crying. It was pretty funny. I know, what a horrible mom for torturing my poor child. Don't worry, I feel no remorse! :) As a side note, I would like to point out that the 18 month hats fit her like a glove, although she still wears 6-9 month clothing. What can I say, she has to have a lot of room to fit everything in. She has also figured out to pick her nose.
Monday, January 12, 2009
iPod Options
Last night I was given a used iPod (4th generation) with a damaged 20 GB hard drive. (probably due to being dropped, or something similar) The hard drive, when powered on would click and grind. Once on, the pod wouldn't respond to anything. As all who know me will attest, giving me this is a recipe for disaster. Tracy was not happy to hear about this.
I hastily opened up the device, adding a couple new scratches to the case, and found the drive. It's a 20 GB hard drive, manufactured by Toshiba. These drives are used in several small laptops, as well as iPods and, surprisingly, Microsoft's Zunes.
In looking up how to open the device and replace the hard drive, I found some sites that included other options for this thing. I'm going to list them and let you readers suggest options for what I should do.First, I can simply replace the hard drive with the same stock model, close it up and let it run. No major changes, it still uses iTunes, still acts like a 4th gen iPod should. I can pick up a drive for about $30.00 online. total cost? $30 plus tax and shipping
Second, I can replace the hard drive and install a drive with more capacity. Instead of a 20 GB iPod, I can have a 30 or 40 GB drive. If I look around, I may even be able to get an 80 GB drive for this thing. Cost? depending on the drive, anywhere from $30 to $200.
Third, I can go the other way: ditch the hard drive entirely in favor of a solid-state option, like a Compact Flash card. This will give me less storage space, but will make the iPod completely shock-proof, so no more HDD failures. I will have to buy two parts: a CF to IDE adapter and a CF card of my choosing. I can choose any card from 2 to 32 GB, providing me with a storage range from an iPod shuffle to a full-sized one. The price will be about 5 for the adapter and between 20 to 100 for the card, depending on size.
There's also two other options for me to do to it:
A: Replace the battery. It doesn't really need it, but it can't hurt, especially since this battery is a few years old. I can't tell just how much life I can get out of this battery with the drive damaged, but as long as it's open I don't see why not. I could get more battery life that the original OEM spec, especially if I go to a CF card. It's cheap, too: about $6.50 for the battery and parts to (further) dissasemble the device.
B: Replace the Apple firmware with an open-source replacement known as RockBox. This stuff lets you do all sorts of stuff to your iPod, while still being able to play music, and even dual-boot back into the Apple firmware if you need to.
So, the vote: Choose one of 1, 2, or 3, and include options A or B if desired. I'm not going to use any widgets, or anything, so just leave your vote as a comment.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Sunday Morning-12:48 am
So its 12:48 am and I just got home from work. I read Joe's post and thought I would add one until my Ramen Noodle gets done cooking. So according to the directions, I have 3 minutes to write. :)
Work was horrible-it was probably the worst night I have had at the outback. I made really good money but the people were out of control. I got stiffed--which for you non-servers means that you don't get left a tip at all, which really blows considering we only get paid 2.15 an hour. And they got good service. But that wasn't the worst of it. My last table (the reason I got home at 12:48 am) was a 14 top (again for those non-servers, 14 people) and it was one of the guy's 21st birthday. So naturally, if your not Mormon, there was quite a bit of drinking going on. Wells lets just say that these people were definitely not nice drunks. They tried picking fights and so on. Towards the end, we ended up comping (taking off) 70 dollars just to get them out of there. I'm still thinking of nannying, especially after tonight. :)
Afton is better now. For about a week and a half she has been really cranky. She would only be happy if I was holding her, and no-one (ok, its really late and I really can't figure out how to spell no-one so there you go) else would do. Lets just say I couldn't get a lot done. She is cutting 3 teeth now-her 2 canines and one of her front tooth. I am sure besides being sick, her teeth were hurting her fierce. Thankfully she is back to her normal cheerful self. She really is a funny kid. She's starting to vocalize alot more. I think she is reconizing that I am her mama, which is pretty cool.
Well, my soup is overdone. Thank goodness its just Ramen. I hope everyone is sleeping well or at least sleeping. At least I get to look forward to Joe cooking a yummy Sunday dinner. Adios!
Work was horrible-it was probably the worst night I have had at the outback. I made really good money but the people were out of control. I got stiffed--which for you non-servers means that you don't get left a tip at all, which really blows considering we only get paid 2.15 an hour. And they got good service. But that wasn't the worst of it. My last table (the reason I got home at 12:48 am) was a 14 top (again for those non-servers, 14 people) and it was one of the guy's 21st birthday. So naturally, if your not Mormon, there was quite a bit of drinking going on. Wells lets just say that these people were definitely not nice drunks. They tried picking fights and so on. Towards the end, we ended up comping (taking off) 70 dollars just to get them out of there. I'm still thinking of nannying, especially after tonight. :)
Afton is better now. For about a week and a half she has been really cranky. She would only be happy if I was holding her, and no-one (ok, its really late and I really can't figure out how to spell no-one so there you go) else would do. Lets just say I couldn't get a lot done. She is cutting 3 teeth now-her 2 canines and one of her front tooth. I am sure besides being sick, her teeth were hurting her fierce. Thankfully she is back to her normal cheerful self. She really is a funny kid. She's starting to vocalize alot more. I think she is reconizing that I am her mama, which is pretty cool.
Well, my soup is overdone. Thank goodness its just Ramen. I hope everyone is sleeping well or at least sleeping. At least I get to look forward to Joe cooking a yummy Sunday dinner. Adios!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Sunday Recipes
It's 11:20 Saturday night. Tracy isn't back from work yet, Afton's asleep, and Tomorrow is Fast Sunday. I was watching the Food Network, and decided to prep dinner for tomorrow. I'm modifying both recipes to my needs; we'll see how they do. I made the dough for the cobbler and the potatoes for the pie tonight.
I also stole the dough for the peach cobbler from Alton Brown's peach-rhubarb cobbler. (Must attribute my sources!)
Joe's Shepherd's Pie:
1/2 lb ground beef
1 pound ground sausage
1 14. oz. can green beans
1 14 oz. can whole corn kernels
1 4 oz. can mushrooms
chopped dried onion
mashed potatoes
shredded cheese
In a medium to heavy pan, brown the beef and pork. Add the dried onions, and some garlic, if desired. Once browned, drain, and mix in the mushrooms, also drained. Mix in the vegetables.
In whatever size casserole pan/dutch oven/whatever this fits in, place the meat and vegetables on the bottom, cover thickly with the potatoes, and top with shredded cheese, if desired. Bake at 400 until the mashed potatoes and cheese are golden brown.
Peach Cobbler
2 cups of flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter
1/4 stick shortening
Sliced fresh, or canned peaches
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup sugar
Mix the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter and shortening just until mixed. Place in a stand blender and blend at the lowest setting. Slowly sprinkle water (1 to 3 tablespoons) until the mixture starts to come together and can hold a shape. Place in a ziploc bag, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
While the dough is chilling, mix the peaches with 1 cup sugar and the cinnamon to form a nice syrup.
Tear off about 1/3 of the dough from the bag. Take this part and pinch off pieces. more or less cover the bottom of a 9x9 pan with them. Spoon or gently pour the peaches on top. While still in the bag, roll the dough out into a sheet. Cut the bag open, and place the dough on top of the peaches, pushing it in. Bake at 375 degrees 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
I also stole the dough for the peach cobbler from Alton Brown's peach-rhubarb cobbler. (Must attribute my sources!)
Joe's Shepherd's Pie:
1/2 lb ground beef
1 pound ground sausage
1 14. oz. can green beans
1 14 oz. can whole corn kernels
1 4 oz. can mushrooms
chopped dried onion
mashed potatoes
shredded cheese
In a medium to heavy pan, brown the beef and pork. Add the dried onions, and some garlic, if desired. Once browned, drain, and mix in the mushrooms, also drained. Mix in the vegetables.
In whatever size casserole pan/dutch oven/whatever this fits in, place the meat and vegetables on the bottom, cover thickly with the potatoes, and top with shredded cheese, if desired. Bake at 400 until the mashed potatoes and cheese are golden brown.
Peach Cobbler
2 cups of flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter
1/4 stick shortening
Sliced fresh, or canned peaches
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup sugar
Mix the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter and shortening just until mixed. Place in a stand blender and blend at the lowest setting. Slowly sprinkle water (1 to 3 tablespoons) until the mixture starts to come together and can hold a shape. Place in a ziploc bag, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
While the dough is chilling, mix the peaches with 1 cup sugar and the cinnamon to form a nice syrup.
Tear off about 1/3 of the dough from the bag. Take this part and pinch off pieces. more or less cover the bottom of a 9x9 pan with them. Spoon or gently pour the peaches on top. While still in the bag, roll the dough out into a sheet. Cut the bag open, and place the dough on top of the peaches, pushing it in. Bake at 375 degrees 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Texas Trip
We've been back from Texas for two days now, and man, it feels good to be home. Even though it was great to visit Tracy's parents, it gets kind of crowded in their house. For those who aren't familiar with the house Tracy grew up in, imagine a house about the size of our old home in Mount Vernon, minus the basement. Now cram 7 adults, 3 boys, and two baby girls into it for a week. Ouch.
On the plus side, the weather was great, and we got to see everybody we wanted to, although Tracy's sister, her husband, and their kids left Christmas Day to visit his family. Tracy's grandmother came for Christmas dinner, along with her Uncle Gary; we went to her house the 26th for more dinner and met her Aunt Sharon there. Christmas night we also went to see a movie with Tracy's brothers
On the much worse side, everybody in the house got sick while we were there. Blech. Tracy led the way, I followed, and everybody else clumped up in a pack afterwards. It was some sort of nasty 24 hour stomach bug. We couldn't tell if Afton had it, beacuse she was already sick. (Maybe she led the way!)
Picture time!
On the plus side, the weather was great, and we got to see everybody we wanted to, although Tracy's sister, her husband, and their kids left Christmas Day to visit his family. Tracy's grandmother came for Christmas dinner, along with her Uncle Gary; we went to her house the 26th for more dinner and met her Aunt Sharon there. Christmas night we also went to see a movie with Tracy's brothers
On the much worse side, everybody in the house got sick while we were there. Blech. Tracy led the way, I followed, and everybody else clumped up in a pack afterwards. It was some sort of nasty 24 hour stomach bug. We couldn't tell if Afton had it, beacuse she was already sick. (Maybe she led the way!)
Picture time!
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