For Women Only

I got this as an email and it was hilarious.

Men and boys, I’m warning you now, if the feminine…shall we say…”mystique” embarrasses you, you may not want to click on this link.  Just go on about your business and let us females remain mysterious. (I don’t think you’ll find it funny or even get it anyway).

My fellow women, I’m sure, will find this letter hysterical…..

http://wendi-aarons.blogspot.com/2007/03/as-seen-on-mcsweeneysnet.html

PS: There are one or two off-color words that I would not choose to use, so be warned if this offends you.

Random Question of the Week

Don’t feel like writing a real post, so here goes with another random question……

 If you could invent a modern convenience, what would it be?

I would so want to teleport myself. I feel like I live in my car. All the driving sometimes puts a hamper on the evening, as I don’t always feel like going anywhere else once I get all the way home.  So not only could I commute to work in the blink of an eye, I could travel to Paris for the weekend. And no need for hotels. When it’s time for bed, I’d just teleport myself back into my own cozy bed. Think how cheap travel would be! And for that matter, I could live anywhere in the world and not worry about being near friends and family. Yep, guess I better get crackin’ on that invention.

Random Question of the Week

Do you name your car and/or other inanimate objects?

Typically I don’t. However, my friend also has an Elantra she calls “Ellie” and her roomie has a Saturn named “Frank”. One day they asked what my car’s name was. I said that since I have an Elantra GT, it could be “Ellie Gert”. Do I ever talk to Ellie Gert or call her that? No. Are my friends crazy? I don’t know. But coincidentally, they are also the friends that call Rajah (and other cats) the spawn of Satan. (So you be the judge).

So leave me a comment with your answer.

So You Think You’re Having a Bad Day??

Well my friend Emily tells me that when she’s had a bad day at work, she just needs to call me and hear about mine and she feels much better. Case in point…..today. A teenaged autistic kid bit me on the outer thigh just above the knee. I had thick jeans on, otherwise, I think I would have had a nice little chunk missing (not what I have in mind when I think of trimming down my thighs). No broken skin, so no shots needed. And you know me, I had to have a picture……

 Day 1  Day 6

So you readers are probably wondering how I can like a job when on any given day I can get hit, kicked, bit, and get my hair yanked. I really do think God has equipped me for this, because it doesn’t stress me out. Sure, I would have preferred not to have been bitten, but in the grand scheme of things, I feel like the help I’m giving these very needy kids is well worth the risks. Sure I’m an emotional person, but God gives me the personal strength to be there and not melt into a puddle of tears when I hear the sad stories of abuse and neglect these kids tell. That’s the only way I can explain it. Otherwise it doesn’t make sense. I watch a movie or hear a story about the same kind of thing and I can’t help but cry. But when I’m face to face with a kid needing help, somehow I can hold it together and not take on so much emotional baggage that I’m stressed out. 

By the way, it’s really a good feeling to be doing what you feel you were meant to do.

Future Animal Planet Host

I went over to my sister’s Sunday afternoon.

Their cats got in accidentally and Milan went crazy.

 

They were so gentle with her, even when she was pulling their tails.

I can tell we have another animal lover on our hands.

Yeah! One more recruit for the cat lovers of the world!

“Spawn of Satan?! My Foot!”

Thursday 13: Names that are Forever Ruined for Me

Having worked with kids with mental illness for the last 10 years or so (translate that into major behavioral issues), I have certain names that I will never name my own children. It’s not that I do not like the names. So if one of these is your name, never fear, I still like you and your name. It’s just that these names bring up memories of mischievous children, so I would choose not to use them…..I’ve only listed the fairly common ones, so as not to give away anyone’s identity (I’ve run across some very unique  names in all that time too).

1. Cody….no offense to my bro-in-law, who went by this name for awhile, but every other Cody I’ve ever met has been extremely hyperactive and precocious.

2. Ashley

3. Jason……besides the fact that now when I hear “Jason” I immediately think of the horror movie (not because I’ve seen them, but because I’ve seen lots of kids’ art on the subject). But also I’ve known plenty of Jasons in my time.

4. Austin

5. Justin…..for that matter almost all of the “J” boy names are ruined for me.

6. Brittany……Well and the biggest problem child of all has this name. We should have known when we heard her sing thing like, “Oops, I Did it Again”.

7. Michael…..and actually a lot of other common names.

8.  Josh…….and Ritalin often go together.

9.  Robert…..and all variations (Rob, Bob, Bobby)

10. Eric

11. Brandon

12. Chris

13. Jennifer

There are many others. Some are so unique that they would definitely give away who I’m talking about, so I’ll leave that as a mental list.  

You may have noticed there aren’t as many girl names on the list. It’s not that I haven’t worked with my share of precocious girls, it’s just that their names tend to be more unique.

WWW: Weight Watchers Wednesday

Maybe posting this feature on Wednesday will be a little more do-able. Don’t have a lot to report, but one recipe to share. This is a recipe I got from my sister and already made quite a bit. I just doctored it up to make it more WW friendly.

Tacos in Pasta Shells

• 1 pound 95% lean ground beef (or use ground turkey)
• 15 jumbo pasta shells (I prepare 18 in case some rip)
• 4 oz. fat free cream cheese (1/2 a block)
• Chili powder (to taste)
• 1 cup salsa (I like On the Border Salsa)
• 3 large tortilla chips (I like Tostitos with hint of lime)
• Tostitos Monterey Jack Queso (this comes in a jar near the chips and dip) about 2 Tbsp needed

Steps: Preheat oven to 350. Prepare jumbo shells as directed on package. Meanwhile, brown beef and drain. Add cream cheese, chili powder, pinch of salt, and salsa. Allow to simmer as Pasta finishes boiling. Once shells are drained, put about a Tbsp. of meat mixture into each shell (don’t fill them to the gills or you’ll run out of meat). Top with a tsp. of queso on each shell. Bake for about 10 minutes, until heated through. Crumble chips and sprinkle over top. Makes 5 servings (3 shells each). Points value:  7.

Variations: I tried to make these with even fewer points, but was stuck on what else to sub. Ground turkey would yield the same point value. If you’re really determined, I suppose you could use tofu crumbles or something. If you can find a higher fiber pasta or whole grain shells, that would definitely help the point count.

Also, if you’re not worried about points, use as much cheddar or Mexican blend shredded cheese on the top as you like. I used the queso because it had a relatively low point value and I like the flavor. If you are counting points, just be sure to account for any point differences in the type of cheese you use.

Update on the Oreo Pie:  This is one good pie (the second one I made, not the one with Knox gelatin. Believe it or not, I made it 4 times in the last week, each for a different function or dinner (not just for me). It is so easy and good. My friend that hates oreos even liked it.

A Posting from Sasha, The Samoyed

Hey, I’m getting better at the computer. Every day when mom is gone to work, I work on my keyboarding skills. It’s hard when your nails need clipping, but I have all day. Yesterday, I encountered yet again the miniature human. I worried about how this one got so small, but she seemed happy enough.

 I sniffed her out. She checked out, though I did detect a mild scent of lavender mixed with doo doo.  Not sure what that’s all about.

Overall, I found this mini human, whom they were calling “Milan” pretty delightful.

She giggled and smiled a lot but didn’t say much ….

We became fast friends. 

My only problem with her is that Mom seems to like her more than me! HMMMPHHHH!

Click here for a video greeting from me. Signing out, Sasha Samoyed.

Random Question of the Week

If you could be a member of any TV sitcom family, which would it be?

I’d love to hear your answers. Just comment below. You can even do so anonymously if you’re shy.

My answer…..The Huxtables on “The Cosby Show”. They seemed to always have fun, lots of laughs, and are probably the least disfunctional of the ones that came to mind.

Quick Recap

Well it’s been awhile since I’ve posted. I’m up late because I have no school tomorrow. I love having days off. I’ve had a very productive weekend. Yesterday my dad came over with the leaf shredder and I finally raked up all the leaves from last fall (at least in the front). That was nearly 3 hours of raking. I am definitely sore. I don’t usually put it off this long, but last fall I was in NY the weekend my city picks up leaves. Then it snowed quite often and I never had time when they weren’t covered in snow.

 Then I did my weekly house cleaning. I am trying to get organized in my approach to housework. I’ve used a few tips from FLY Lady and other organizers/cleaners. I was rushing around getting lots done when I threw my jeans in the wash. Only when I got upstairs did I realize my phone was in the pocket. My only phone. I rushed downstairs, but my phone was already fully submerged.

I read up online about how to save a wet phone. For future reference, if it ever happens to you, take the battery out immediately, as that is what will cause the damage. The water by itself won’t ruin the phone, so once the battery it out, you can leave it to dry. To speed up the process, I placed my phone in a sealed container with some silica gel that I use for drying flowers. It was working by morning.

Weird feeling though to feel so out of touch. I wanted to get together with a friend Saturday night, but had no way to contact her except email, and not everyone checks theirs as compulsively as I do apparently.

This morning we woke up to lots of snow. It was quite a chore to shovel the drive, as the snow plow comes through and I always end up with about a 2 foot pile at the bottom of my steep driveway. Got lots done today too as far as de-cluttering. I don’t know why I’m on such a de-cluttering click lately, but I’m going with it while I’m in the mood.

Thursday I had a great time with 4 girlfriends at a Singles Awareness Day dinner party. We laughed so hard we were crying. I have to say it didn’t leave me feeling sad or lonely at all. Didn’t feel like I was missing out on much, but then people now know better than to tell me their sappy love stories on V day.

Tomorrow I’m babysitting Milan and doing some stamping or scrapbooking. So I’ll have pictures I’m sure.