Writing......

I am working on a new book. No real title yet. I call it Sam's Book 1, lol. Yes I know I am the queen of original. Anyway this month is NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month for all of you not in the writing community. The goal? Write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I passed the 35k mark last night and am on track to meet the 50k by the 30th. Book won't be done at 50k though, lol. The story is flowing, the detail is amazing, and I think it is my best book yet. It has romance, shapeshifting were animals, ghosts, crime, and some undercover digging. I am loving it. So here's to hitting the mark and beyond and making a dang fine book in the process.

And the emmy for forgetfulness goes to . . . .

ME!!! I swear I am going absolutely cuckoo. So Monday I decided it was time to actually buy the Thanksgiving dinner fixings. I figured Costco was the place to go since we are hosting this year. I took Bug to school and knew that Costco still had an hour to open so I figured I would go to Walmart to get diapers for Squeak. Once inside the store I remembered that we had a guest bed being delivered this week and we needed bedding for it. So I got mattress covers, sheets, blankets, and pillows. I went through the check out and remembered I needed diapers. Dumb Lila! So I put the bedding in my truck and went back in. Got diapers and some clothes for Squeak. Checked out. . . . and remembered that we needed milk. I was about to go back in when I realized Costco's milk was cheaper and tasted better. So I went to Costco and I got milk and other odds and ends. Got to the car and discovered my brain had totally fried as I had forgotten every single Thanksgiving item. 2 hours of shopping and not a single thing I had originally planed to get.

Flacita Burritos

When my beautiful sister was in college in Chicago, she worked for a time at a Mexican restaurant. The cooks there called her Flaca (meaning skinny) because she is tall, skinny and very blond. For Spring Break, our parents let me fly to Chicago for a visit, and I spent quite a bit of time hanging out around the restaurant while she worked. The cooks quickly dubbed me Flacita (or Little Skinny). I decided to called these treats Flacita Burritos, not because they are skinny or healthy, but because calling them that takes some of the guilt out of eating them. Denial is a powerful thing.

I got the idea of these in my head on Friday, and just couldn’t shake it. I wasn’t sure how I was going to pull it off, but by Pete, I was going to figure it out. I ended up spreading out a buffet of warmed corn and flour tortillas, apple butter, peach and apple jam, toothpicks and a pot of hot oil. Okay, really the pot was the end of the buffet line, but I’m guessing you get the idea.

I tried corn tortillas first because I wanted to do a sort of taquito, but since I was using apple butter as opposed to diced apples, they were hard to roll tight enough without ripping them. I tried both rolled and fold ones, and although they fried up well, the crunchy texture and corn taste were a bit more than I wanted.

I tried round 2 with the flour tortillas, which were quite a bit larger. The rolled/taquito style still didn’t work too well, but the burrito-style ones I tried worked perfect! Simply roll them up, and stick a toothpick in somewhere to keep everything nice and compacted once you put it in the fry oil. If you don’t have toothpicks, you can use metal tongs to hold them together for a good 25-35 seconds just to be sure they’ll hold their shape.

Once in the fry oil, the burritos only take about 1 min on each side. or until lightly browned on each side. Remove from the oil, and place on a baking rack to drain. I use a roasting pan with paper towels between the rack and the pan to keep it clean and keep the burritos crispy. As soon as you get them on the cooling rack, sprinkle them generously with a mix of cinnamon and sugar. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Serve these immediately, preferably while piping hot. Or if you’re like me, bite them the second they cool enough to be picked up, therefore burning your tongue repeatedly in a wanton fashion.

Flacita Burritos

Flour Tortillas
Apple Butter
Cinnamon and Sugar, blended
Toothpicks (optional)
Oil for frying

Heat tortillas in the microwave, covered with a wet paper towel, for 30 seconds or until pliable. Lay flat, and place 3-4 table spoons of apple butter on bottom 1/3 of the tortilla. Roll up, pin with toothpick, and set aside.

Heat 1″ of oil in a pot (I use a dutch oven) to 350*. Place burritos in the pot, with the ‘tortilla flap’ down so the burrito doesn’t expand. Cook for 1 min on each side. Remove from oil unto cooling rack, quickly sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, then allow to sit for 3-5 minutes to drain off excess fat.

Serve immediately.

Yeah my friday the 13th sucked lemons.

As Gracie said my Friday the 13th had some lovely moments. It all started that morning. I had been up off and on with Squeak as she is teething so we slept through the alarm. (Very rare for me.) Then I woke and got Bug up and set her to getting ready for school while I got Squeak and I ready for the day. I was going to register my truck in our new home state and get my local driver's liscense so had to gather the proper things like my SSN card to prove I am me, birth certificate as another form of ID, marriage certificate to prove my name change, previous license and registration, vehicle insurance card with proof of meeting state laws. Took Bug to school and headed into town. One joy of our location is a freeway that is never full of traffic between our usual point of travel. Such a change from ther PNW. I went to the bank to withdrawl cash to pay the fees wich were huge but nessecary. Went to a check station for emissions testing, went to a VIN verification station and then headed to the DMV. There were a ton of people but I was early in the day and it seemed to be a hive of comings and goings. Hubs said he figured I would have an hour tops which is why I did it rather than him, it would be easy to do. Yeah I hate to wait in line for 30 min to get my number and have the information desk review my paperwork. I was assigned G228. I looked at the board to see us on G150. OMG!! Also was told I needed my tags of my truck so I could surrender them for in state tags. Pushed the strolled back out to my truck, dug for a screw driver and removed the tags while being honked at because people wanted my spot and were mad I wasn't actually leaving. Hurry back in because the info guy said it would be quick and if I missed my number I would have to start over. Yeah it was on G153. So I sat, with a 10 month old, and waited. And waited. And waited some more. 3 hours later and I got called forward. Baby is screaming, has eaten all of her snacks and is mad as a hornet because I haven't nursed her and she hasn't gotten her nap. Took 15 minutes to actually do my business of registering my car and doing the eye exam for my DL. Then I have to go wait in another line to have my picture taken. Baby has wailed herself to sleep, people are giving me dirty looks, I was a wreck. Got out of there and treated myself to a thin mint blizzard at DQ. Man those are good. I have decided that next time Hubby can go to the DMV or he can keep the kiddo with him.

And you wonder why we call him Brusier.

Bruiser landed his little butt in the ER.....again. He was in the garage (mistake #1) and jumping on a pogo stick (mistake #2). Dad had forgotten to put some of his tools away (mistake #3) and the pogo stick came down on a screwdriver. The screwdriver rolled, Bruiser went flying and landed on his head. I am unsure at this point if his head hit the sledge hammer or the cement or both. Either way, he has a concussion. He lost conciousness and doesn't remember a thing. How is he supposed to learn from his mistakes if he can't remember them?

Friday the 13th

Life today has almost been as scarey as the movie!
I got a phone call this morning saying my boys got off the bus and immediatly started fist fighting. Bruiser somehow convinced the principle that he was totally innocent. Not sure how he accomplished that, but he knows better than to try it with me. I got th real story out of him. He was mad at Butch for keeping him in line so he started kicking him. Butch got sick of being kicked so he doubled up a fist and punched his brother in the face. What a day! I hae an appointment with the principal on Monday so Bruiser will be getting detention along with Butch. He isn't going to skip out on punishment when he was just as much at fault.
I have been on the phone all day with various chores and rescue stuff so the house is still a mess. Guess who gets to spend their evening (possibly the whole weekend, hrmmm that has potential!) cleaning? Not Mom! There are a ton of chores to be done, I hope it makes them think twice about losing their temper.

Maggie and Lila have had similar days. I wonder what it would take to just rent an island for a while?

My thoughts on the Ft. Hood Massacre and aftermath

I watched much of the Ft. Hood Massacre aftermath on TV along with the rest of the nation. Speculation varied from all over the place, from multiple spots to multiple shooters. I was horrified to be honest. I've mentioned before that my ex-hole is in the military. And through the years of our marriage, I met and befriend many soldiers, their wives, girlfriends, kids and families. My heart went out to the soldiers and families. I can't imagine having something like that happen on our post.

Yesterday, I found myself at our post's Readiness Center (long story I won't bore you) and could help but look around and think that it could have happened to anyone in that room. The thought floored me. I've taken several days to try and organize my thoughts on it, and I still don't have a good grasp on my feelings and I still haven't. I'm anger, terrified, and saddened all at once.

But today, something happened that shaped at least one thought. On Facebook, you can make/take quiz's that usually involve some sort of current events. Today, I saw one that asked the question "Should Muslims be allowed to serve in the US Armed Forces?" At almost 80%, the answer was 'no'.

I was floored. The only number I could find on Muslims in the US service branches was that the Pentagon states the numbers are around 3,500 Muslims out of 1.4 million U.S. service members.

Of my personal experience, I met people of all religions and backgrounds. Conservative Christians from the Midwest, Catholics from Boston, atheists from Alabama. And one Muslim. His name was Kareem, and he was born and raised in NJ.

I didn't know Kareem well. He was more of a friend of a friend. But once my boys left for Iraq, his name popped up more and more in the stories I heard. My friend Scottie and he grew very close, and slowly I learned more about him. He joined the military because he wanted people not only to change the world, but to show his patriotism. When he was finished with his service, he wanted to go to medical school. And in the pictures I saw of him he was often goofing off and making funny faces.

On August 6th, 2007, Kareem and 3 others (Nick Gummersall, Jake "Tommy" Thompson and Juan Alcantara) were killed when an IED went off in a home they were entering to search for insurgents. These men were my friends, my "family by choice" as Tommy used to say. And their deaths were devastating to me. Never once did it cross these boys minds that Kareem was Muslim. He was an American, a soldier, and their brother.

But Kareem became known to the world when Colin Powell mentioned a photograph taken of his mother at his grave site, used by the New York Post in a photo essay about the War on Terror. I agree the image is powerful, but for me it's for another reason.

I was at the service where a 21-gun salute was made in his honor. Saw his mother break down in front of the helmet and dog-tag memorial meant to represent his honorable service. Saw the tears fall down his fathers face as the notes of "Amazing Grace" wafted through the Chapel Air.

For me, those who question the rights of Muslim-Americans to protect their country. I feel they directly question every action Kareem made for his country, including his death and the honor he gave our country by serving it.

Eat your pet, save the planet

Dogs cause more damage to our planet than SUVs, according to a controversial new book, Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living. The environmental footprint of an average "resource-guzzling" hound is twice that of a typical sport utility vehicle, say New Zealander researchers Robert and Brenda Vale, who note that a surprising amount of land is required to produce Fido's meals each year (roughly 2 acres). The book has caused a ruckus by saying people should go pet-free—and even consider eating strays. Have environmentalists gone too far? So what is acceptable — pet millipedes? The green movement is becoming "progressively batty," says Ralph Reiland in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. First we have to "shut down our oil, gas, and coal industries, bike to work," and take the briefest of showers. "Now they want us to cook our dogs"? Apparently, a pet "bug" is the only companion these "hysterical" activists would consider guilt-free. The authors' research is sound: OK, eating our pets "is surely a non-starter," say the editors of New Scientist. But the Vales are right about the science: "Man’s best friend, it turns out, is the planet’s enemy." And while giving up Fido might be "a sacrifice too far," we can take smaller steps. The solution might start with "green, eco-friendly pet food."You can’t quantify a pet's value: Even if we Americans were to adopt "petless lifestyles," says The Washington Times in an editorial, we’d still be "major carbon offenders in the eyes of the green theocracy." Anyone obsessed with sizing up "carbon pawprints" is missing the point: "A pet’s value, like the worth of a human being, cannot be reduced to a rude carbon quotient." They make us happy, and "that is enough to justify their existence." Why not eat pets? "Dogs are wonderful," says Jonathan Safran Foer in The Wall Street Journal, but they’re not any smarter or more affectionate than pigs. In fact, unlike farmed meat, soon-to-be-put-down strays and runaway pets "are practically begging to be eaten" — and "in a sense," we’re already consuming them. Millions of euthanized cats and dogs are already "rendered" into livestock feed each year. Why not just eliminate this "inefficient…middle step"?


ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! Ok, yes there are some valid points, but seriously people, this is sick.

Justice after the Justice's injustice!

Woot woot! Saw this today on my headlines and loved it. I could go on and on again but I won't. Just a note that I think letting him resign was to nice.

Quote of the day

Once your reputation is ruined you can live your life quite freely! - German saying (or so I am told)