"A Magnet for the Oddest Stories".

 

 

To get the feeling of my story; Open up two youtube pages at the same time and play these song links I have below. Now I am setting the mood.  Once the music begins, continue to read on....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvRv-243Cmk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvRv-243Cmk&feature=related

The afternoon sky was black and thick as a  harsh and bitter rain pounded on our truck. I did my best to keep it under control through the gusty winds as we made our way toward our destination. A streak of lighting danced in front of my tired eyes as the sound of intense thunder exploded around us. I knew this was a sign of the horrific things to come...something was lurking out there, ready to find us and I feared that we would never get away.   HOLD ON - STOP THE MUSIC.  What am I doing - MY BAD. Sorry, it's not Halloween yet....lets get back to my story "A Magnet for the Oddest Stories". You'll have to wait until October to get the rest of this story.  *Wink*

 

***

 

 

Have you ever found yourself in the midst of the most oddest moment of your life that you find yourself either speechless, embarrassed, or wanting to run away as fast as you can because the topic gets to be a TMI situation? A.K.A. (To Much Information) type of topic.

Now it is no secret to my friends and family members, that for some reason, and not always bad reasons, my family is a magnet for people who are not afraid to share their most personal secrets with a complete and total stranger. Some of the things that people have revealed would have you either taking notes and writing your own version of "50 Shades of Gray" or calling Steven King to help him with his next horror film. My husband usually gets approached by female strangers who want to talk about their sexual problems and lack of a love life and meaningful relationships. Now I have my theory on this, but I’ll save it for my "13 Days of Halloween" portion of my blog. It should fit nicely right after the story on "What lurks in an 18 year old boy’s bedroom?" I on the other hand, get approached by both men and women who are usually the ones who aren’t getting any sex with a whole lot of love to give and nobody wants it. I wish I had a magic wand so that everyone in the world could find happiness in their lives. I believe that there is someone for everyone, just finding the right person may take longer for others, for whatever their reason may be. Either way, I am both surprised and humbled that people trust in us to talk in great detail...and they don't even know us. All I can say is that today's story doesn’t fall in anywhere near life that involves sex or love. This my friends, is at the top of the SHOCKING AND TRUE film category and still has me wondering - Why? So let me begin....

Two weeks ago, my younger son was in need of a pair of safety boots for his auto mechanics class that he is enrolled in this year. Now for most parents with a strict budget, hearing the word safety equipment is usually followed by - large price tag and then a "Get in the truck we are  heading to K-Mart". Don't get me wrong, I am not in the habit of scrimping when it comes to safety, but I'll be the first to say, my husband swears by his steel toed boots from K-Mart and that he's yet to find another pair that holds up so well and protects his feet.  So, my plan was to get the same for my son.

Now my son turned 15 in June and he is enjoying that feeling of what Independence is like. No more Mom in tow anymore - which is nice for both of us.  He tries on boots, mom looks at things, he looks at video games, mom is still looking at things - you get the gist, I’m sure. Usually I am drawn in by the towel section, followed by the pillows and then women's clothing, but when I discovered that I had lost enough weight to wear the Jaclyn Smith line, I head straight to clothing. Now with the weight loss I was also blessed with another wonderful change - I have graduated from huge parachute sized underwear to finally fitting into thin girl sexy underwear. Yeah that's right. I can wear it. Smile. I'm just not quite brave enough to walk into a Victoria Secrets. I know I can fit into my size there, but I'm still a bit bumpy in areas that need toning. My husband says, "You're only going to wear it for me, so it shouldn't matter", but I know I'm bumpy in places and I want to look my best when I can and for me when I have sexy underwear on, bumpy is not allowed. But my story today is not about bumpy bodies or what kind of underwear you like, it's about what happened to me as I browsed the lingerie department in our local K-Mart.

 

My younger son had gone off to try on boots and I was solo looking for some replacement undergarments when I heard a voice say to me, "Do you like satin or cotton?" I quickly spun around thinking it was someone I knew trying to be funny with me. Much to my surprise, stood a small woman about 5'5 wearing a big smile.

Immediately I started having a conversation with my mind which probably had me looking like I was having a break down. "Stacey, just pretend you didn't hear her," my mind said to me as I scrambled to find a way to move on with my browsing - Alone. "You heard her, now answer her you fool."

"Shut up brain and let me think," I thought to myself.

"So, which is it, cotton or satin?" She repeated with a smile.

"Both," I replied, hoping that the one word answer, like my kids give me when they want me to buzz off, would work.

"Me too, I like the feeling of the satin or really soft cotton on my butt."

"Uh, OK?" I replied that placed our conversation in an odd plateau of silence that I thought was my cue to continue to move slowly away. I pretended to be looking for something, but all I wanted was to just get myself out of this pending one sided conversation.

"Did you know that my grandmother is 91 and still has her period?" said the voice again.

"Say What?" I replied in a stunned sounding voice as I turned to see if she was just pulling my leg. “Is she sick?” I asked.

"No. She just still has her cycle. Can you imagine that? She could still have babies if she wanted too. It's strange, coming here to have to buy her underwear so her pads will fit. She likes the Always Overnights maxi pads.  Oddly enough she stood there with a very serious face and I stood there in disbelief as to what I just heard.OMG! DO YOU REALLY THINK I HAVE THIS NEED TO KNOW WHATS GOING ON IN YOUR GRANDMOTHERS UNDERWEAR!? I almost asked the question as to how she knew it was what she claimed it was, but I honestly and whole heartedly feared she would answer this question in great detail.

I shook my head while suddenly feeling this strange urge to laugh. I get that way when I'm embarrassed or if things get too serious and I don't know how to respond. I looked around me trying to pin point someone, anyone, that might have been playing a trick on me. In my head I was hoping that this was some type of segment from the show - Impractical Jokers. I looked inside the display racks to see if the four guys on this show were hiding out in the nightgowns and robes, trying not to laugh, while I stood there doing my best to process what I was hearing.

Trying to be respectful, I mustered up a response, "Excuse me, why would you want to tell a complete stranger about your grandmother’s personal hygiene?” She never did reply to my question, maybe she realized that she had offered way too much information. Yes I should have just shut up and took the time to listen, but I just felt this was way too personal of a topic to be talking about in lingerie department, in a K-Mart, with a stranger. Maybe I should have not even have bothered and just do what my friends do, pretend your cell phone is buzzing and answer it. I guess I was just baffled that one, she picked me to share this with, and two, 91 years old and still having your period – I hope that is all it is, and not something serious being overlooked.  We all think of what we should have said - after the fact, but I just didn’t know what to say and I still felt like it was some type of gag.

As I looked around, with the hopes that this was still some type of candid camera funny, I saw my son walking down the aisle to get another pair of boots to try on. Awe opportunity knocks.

"There's my family, I need to catch up with them. They are probably wondering where I am. It's been nice talking to you." I said with a polite smile then turned and walked away.

"It was nice talking to you too."

"What was that?" I thought, “And why did she chose to tell me this?”

I never did see her again as my son and I finished our shopping, but now it seems that every time I see an elder woman, I hear this woman talking about her grandmother’s period. I think I am scared for life – Calgone take me away!

So the moral of this story is - Never tell a stranger what your grandmother put in her underwear, you just might scare them away. *Wink* 


Blog ya later Alligators.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating The First Day of Fall with something DELICIOUS!

BEST EVER APPLE CRISP

 

 

 

Ingredients that you will need to make this delicious dish.

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Peal and slice 6 to 8 Apples, and put into a lightly greased deep dish glass pie plate. Set aside. 

(I like glass better than the metal or non-stick, because the apples cook evenly and they don't overcook or get a rubbery type of texture)

 

 

Mix Together the follow ingredients with a fork.

 

1. Cup Flour - unbleached

1. Cup Sugar

1. teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2. teaspoon cinnamon

1/2. teaspoon nutmeg

1. Egg

 

Pour this mixture over the apples.

 

Sprinkle with:

 1/3 cup of real salted butter

1/2 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

 

Bake 30 to 40 minutes - start watching closely after 30 minutes so that edges to not over brown or burn. If they appear to be getting very dark, cover edges with a pie crust protector or tear tin foil into long strips and wrap around the pie plate just to cover the edges of the crisp. This recipe is delicious when served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a whipped cream topping. It is also great cold. Enjoy!

 

 

 



FALL MEANS FOOD, FAIRS, FAMILY & FRIGHT! R U READY??

ONE MORE DAY UNTIL AUTUMN! YIPPIE!!!

 

Good Friday Morning to everyone in blogger land near and far. I hope today’s blog finds you all excited for the arrival of autumn, which is indeed one of the most favorite times of the year for me. I love the crispness in the air, the colors of the leaves as they peak and their sounds as they take flight across a cool autumn breeze.  For me, the autumn season means, sleeping with a fan in the window under layers of handmade quilts snuggled up tight next to the one you love. Being invited by your kids to go to their Homecoming parade and then enjoy the sights and sounds of a High School Homecoming football game – win or lose you just feel the fun and happiness in the air. I love the feeling of wearing a fleece over sized sweatshirt and comfy jeans while driving down a country road with your family, on your way to pick apples, with the sunroof and windows open as your listing to a song that reminds you of great times during the fall season. For me one song that instantly comes to mind is a song by Pat Benatar. It is called - One love. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOgxVWC4a18&feature=related

But let us not forget that autumn also harbors the heavenly aroma of delicious foods at the fairs. I have two fairs that are my favorite and very symbolic to me and I guess my reason for that is because the memories all include my family, one when I was a young child and the other as a parent with my own children. My very favorite - the Sandwich Fair in Sandwich NH. This event is something that I think everyone should experience once in their life time. I grew up in Laconia, New Hampshire, and I remember always getting so excited for the big day my family would venture off to the Sandwich Fair. I still remember how striking the colors of the trees were and the sharp cool sting in the air that was setting the tone for a winter blanket of snow white.  I remember the strange feeling of my stomach lying to me that it was hungry because of the combine scent of the various foods being made by a multitude of vendors. I think my absolute favorite stand was the Spiced Cider and homemade pumpkin drizzle donuts that really accompanied the fall weather beautifully.  I marveled at the huge crowds of people that never  resulted in long lines. Who knows maybe I just planned it right when going on the rides or getting those must have french fries covered in ketchup.  For some reason at the Sandwich Fair, everyone just seems to mingle and move well, or maybe I was just having way to much fun to notice or let it get to me. This Fair is also the place where I made my first step into the world without my family, when my mother allowed me to finally go outside of the city limits with my high school friend in his car, who was taking others from school as well.  THANKS DAN, for the memories of a fun trip in your Mercury Montego. I'll never forget the sense of freedom that I felt that day. 

Check out the pictures below and I also provided a link if you ever wanted to plan a trip to NH in October.  You won't be disappointed.

Sandwich Fair, Sandwich New Hampshire

Walking up to the Midway.
The Cider and Donut guy was usually on the right
if your look at this picture but back behind where this
picture was taken.
 

 

Horse Pulls - Sandwich Fair, Sandwich NH.
You can kinda see part of the White Mountains
in the back ground.

 

http://www.thesandwichfair.com/html/general_information.html

 



 

 

My second favorite fair is the Anne Arundel County Fair. This is a fair that my entire family has been coming to and getting involved with for over ten years.

http://www.aacountyfair.org/

 

Now I have got to say, the three boys in my home really enjoyed themselves this year, and yes when I say three boys, I am including my husband. This year my two sons actually got to work their dream jobs with companies who have been vendors at the fair for many years. As for my husband he finally had a dream come true, but let’s start with my sons first. My older son was hired by a company that is operated all by young ladies, what teenage boy would turn this opportunity down? These ladies call their business "Cowgirl Up" pony rides/parties. They manage the business while their parents are very strong supporters of what they are doing. It's a great thing they've created.  Check out their link. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cowgirl-Up-Pony-Parties/123017821107203.

My younger son was hired this year to work for "Fast Action Motorsports Entertainment" which is a contained R/C car race track. Go to their website to learn more. www.fameracing.com  Now there is something very special about this company. Both of my boys have won the championships over the course of 8 years, with the exception of last year. Below is a picture of some of the trophies my younger son has won, and I don't dare go into my oldest sons bedroom - have you seen the pending nightmare that lurks in an 18 year old boys room? All I can say is Halloween is just around the corner; I'll save that story for the horror story segment of my blog. *Wink*

 

This isn't even half of the trophies that my boys have
won from "Fame Racing"
and they had fun collecting them.

My husband, younger son, and myself with one of the reps
of the company and the car that I sponsored
 in2011 to promote my book.
#56 was my husbands football number in High School
and the yellow and black resembles the "Bee" in me.
 

OK, I'm getting off track, ha-ha no pun intended, so where was I, oh yes,  with the exception of winning last year, which was a pivotal moment for my younger son as this was when he learned that sometimes holding a title isn't everything and sometimes when we lose - WE WIN! This year, his dream came true and he was indeed the big winner when he found himself working alongside of some of the most wonderful people I have ever met. My younger son is so into R/C Cars that it is almost scary how well he can put these things together and make them go as fast as they do.

I also did something unlike me, and decided that it was time to get over my fear of touching people, and so I ventured out and assisted the "Tiffany's Moon bounce/Face painting" company as a face painter. (I can't find a link on line for her at this moment, but I know her very well and I'll get one) I went from mild to wild all depending on the person and what they were wanting on their face, cheek or arms. I even had a lady that was so impressed with the sleeve look on her arm, that she asked me if I would be willing to body paint at an adult Halloween party...SPOOOOOOKY!!!!  Ha-Ha Yes, I'll admit, I was very curious, but gracefully declined. My husband will be bummin about this decision - I'm sure. Smile. I excelled in all the designs in a book that the owner had with her. I just decided to take the designs and add even more life to them. This book is what I used; my favorite was the rainbow glitter style design. People believed they were wearing masks and that it was not painted. Made me feel great, but the lines were crazy endless once they figured out where I was located. I also painted this horse on my arm just before the fair opened so people could see that I could paint in a simplest way so that it didn't burn their money out of their wallet.



I painted this upside down on my arm.
People really believed it was a Tattoo 
and was in disbelief when I told them
it was face paint. Did they want me to
paint something on their face.
*Smile*
They Did.

I gave them every bit of their monies worth and then some. Nobody went away unhappy, and this includes my husband. He too had a dream come true and in came in the form of being flat, green, and was the size of money...Ok it was money. Because I also decided to dabble a bit in the money making part of the fair this year, what money I brought in from face painting, meant money for all the delicious food the fair had to offer. I felt kind of like a sugar mama' and I loved it. For once we didn't have to kill our budget or take out a loan, just to enjoy the fair. 

So when I get that first taste of autumn, fun with family and my favorite two fairs are the very first memories that tickle my senses and lets me know that it's time for more wonderful memories to be created and that I am thankful that the hot, humid, and hazy days in Maryland are finally behind us. I don't have to worry about my husband working in the blazing sun and my kids want to get out of the house. Needless to say - when fall hits this Bolin home - Everyone is happy!!!  What's the old saying...A family that plays together - Stays together.  Below I have added some additional highlights of our times at the Anne Arundel County Fair  Hope you all have a wonderful "First day of  Autumn Weekend!"  Oh, one last thing for those anticipating things that go bump in the night, if you're not afraid....I dare you to click on the video below.

My oldest son in the Garden Tractor Pulls

"Best In Show" for our Peach Jam



My Honey and I winning the "Newly Wed Game"

I know, we've been married 20 years, they needed contestants. 

Oldest son preparing the track for the big tractor pulls.

Reese and his - almost - 8 second ride

A view of the Midway.
It's a beautiful sight just as the sky
turns to that dusky grey/navy blue color.

 

"Do you have what it takes to continue to scroll

down???? I dare you!!!!

 

DANGER -  CAUTION

TURN BACK NOW!

BEWARE OF THE WIDOW SPIDER!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.aacountyfair.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=18

"The Mind is a Powerful Thing"

We'll here it is, September 19, 2012. Nine months since I began my quest to get organized and what a quest it has been. Now for most people, when a person says that they need to get organized it generally means getting your home, office, or maybe even your storage locker you purchased to house the extra stuff that your home doesn't have room for. But what if getting organized meant, organizing your material things and your mental things? For years I saw the physical clutter in front of me and never understood the mental clutter that was the cause. I've walked around in my life in this half-baked type thought process without any answers as to why. Could it be that I was just lazy? A terrible homemaker? Depressed? Overwhelmed? Maybe all of the above - I just couldn't tell you. But what I do know is that when your mind is unorganized, the life around you will be the same. Now I'll be honest, there were times that I should have posted my before and after clutter projects, that I have been working on between the gaps in my blogging, but recently I've been trying to cope with a past situation that has found its way to the forefront of my memories that have me feeling deeply ashamed and embarrassed and what's worse this event dictated who I was all these years. I share this with you today, as it is time to move forward and that someone may be going through the same thing as myself. I'm not looking for pitty and you can't change a thing, that the past is what it is and all I can do now is try to accept and move on. Easier said than done. I believe it is important that when someone sets out to do something and they are not consistent, sometimes there is an underlining reason of explanation that helps those around you to understand and offer support.

I chose to go back to a therapist to help delve into the mysteries of my mind. Why do I do what I do and say what I say. Why did I feel like I had two people living in this body of mine? In late July I discovered why. When a person has experienced a traumatic event in their life, most times they deal with the event and move on slowly in the life. Others, for whatever the reason, block the event with the hopes that the memories will never return. It take a lot of work when a person blocks a pain, a hurt, a sorrow that in their mind they just don't want to handle and that is where my problems began and left me, for years on a path of extreme behaviors created by the mind to keep a memory from returning. Now when my therapist told me that it was possible for people to go on for years this way, I looked at her as if she was a fool, but in things that I wrote and said she began to see a pattern that resembled sexual abuse/assault. I could not recall anything major when she spoke of this, but I do remember feeling panicked, the room began to spin and my breath quickened.

I couldn’t get out of her office fast enough and was happy to know that I was only being seen every two weeks. Personally I always believed that it was my cancer diagnosis that resulted in a duel personality - one happy and one sad. When I felt sad or scared, then the extreme happy personality would shove the other personality out of the way and take over. Yet when my therapist asked me how long I felt I had this feeling of being two people, I responded “Since I first got to Adak.” Well now that ruled out my cancer being the cause of my extreme behavior, but what in heaven’s name happened in Adak other than the typical everyday military life and drama, that would make me feel that I need to think the way that I have over the past 21 years – It just didn’t add up in my mind, however could explain the excessive need to return to the island. I have always felt there was something I needed to go get, or find, but couldn’t explain it.

I’d have dreams about Adak that were extremely vivid, I could smell, hear, taste, touch, I was there but would wake up very upset when my dreams would take me into a club that I used to work at called the Husky Club, which I spoke about in my book “Through the Barracks Window”,but did not recall this traumatic event that I am about to share with you, until just this summer thanks to close Seabee friend who finally provided me with the answers that I had missed placed in my mind to protect myself from the hurt. When I asked him why he waited so long to tell me what he knew his response was – I didn’t want to be the bad guy and hurt my friend with what I knew and that it seemed that I had just moved passed it and he didn’t want to bring it up.” It was after talking to him, all the memories that I had banished away behind a locked door in my mind, where once again in front of me twenty-one years later. He never knew that I had just blocked it, I had never faced it and I should have from the start. I am finding with each day I chose to talk about what happened to me, the clutter in my mind and in my home is rapidly diminishing. So what happened to me you asked? A man took something from me without asking as he knew the answer would be NO! AND NO MEANS NO!

I was a DJ after my military work/duties, at the Husky Club. I was 23 years old, single, and doing what I loved after my Seabee work - I got to play music for others to enjoy. My first few nights working there I was in a training type of status – having to learn how to fade one song into another, how to turn the equipment on and off, and getting over my fear of talking on the microphone. I was a fantastic DJ – when nobody was in the building. We are all great at something when nobody is around. Now we all have those mom moments, you know the ones when you’re about to do something and you hear your mother’s voice in the back of your mind telling you to think before you do it. Well I had hit one of those moments head on. I was still very timid about working the equipment and decided that I would stay after the club closed to go over the closing process one more time before going solo. I trusted the guy who was training me – and that was my downfall. He had brought me a beer, which had already been opened, that he had got while the bar tender was closing. He was so gitty when he said, “Here, this is one of the perks of being a DJ at the Husky when you are the one closing up the place – we get free beer!” I smiled and happily accepted it.

The music that was playing began to sound like and can best be described as white noise. That is when my happy moment and my love for music, while the song Diamonds and Pearls, by Prince, (Which is why - Liz, I hated it when you'd request this song endlessly over the next four years I was there, and you knew I wouldn't play it. Now It has me wondering if you knew what happened? What I am told now is that my reaction to your request then could be considered a trigger and that I didn't understand why the song bothered me because my mind had chosen to block the memory of how it related.) It continued to play and my body was slowly becoming limp. The music sounded like it was beginning to fade on and off. I remember feeling tired and dazed and once in a great while I could see colored lights flash before my eyes as he spoke, “Nobody has to know.” The lights and white noise were also dreams I would have but could never find the relevance of them to my life. I didn’t like the feeling of him touching me as he took a hold of me to lead me across the dance floor to another room, but I didn’t have any strength to pull away. I remember seeing the ladies room, but he took me into the back office with a mattress on the floor. I hated the way he felt on top of me, but I couldn’t scream for help! I hated the scent of his cologne, but couldn’t get fresh air! I hated the sound of his voice telling me how beautiful and sexy I was! I HATED IT ALL! I HATED HIM! I was filling with rage while feeling completely helpless. I wanted to strike him, hurt him, scream at him, pull his hair, but my body just lay there – numb. I could feel the warmth of my tears pool into the corner of my eyes and then run down the side of face into my ears and then down my neck. I tried to just fixate on the warmth of my tears and he took want he wanted from me physically and sexually. He was a thief in the night never to be trusted again.

It was then I felt myself morf into a split person, just like being cut completely in half from head to toe. I told myself to think of something else it will all be over soon and you will forget about it. I remember going deep within myself looking for things that made me happy as he continued to have his way with me. I don’t remember when the thief finished with me, but what I do remember is constantly looking for the pink shirt that I wore that night that was never to be found again. I remember hearing loud banging on the door and soon a man’s voice saying to me, “I’m sorry I left you alone with him, I’m so sorry, will you ever forgive me.” I never looked up to see his face, I knew the voice and that he worked there, but I didn't know him personally. He insisted that I call the police, but I just wanted to go back to my barracks room never to come out again. My personality was always positive when I finally went back to work, I refused to deal with what had happened, however my dislike to be touched by people became extreme. I tried dating guys while on the island, but I couldn't find the ability to connect and the idea of sex sickened me.

When the man I am now married to today, arrived on the island in 1992, I had pretty much given up on men all together. Until the night that I met him. I honestly feel that was the night that my mind had blocked what had happened to me months earlier. My husband's touch is the only touch I wanted and would accept. He had a special quality unlike the others I had dated - his hugs made me feel 100% safe and still does to this very day. I never reported what had happened to me and by the time I had met my husband, I had completely blocked what had happened, but trust me, people on the base must have known which may, or may not, explain why they were so upset that I got married only knowing a guy three months. Maybe they believed I married him because I was running away from the pain of what happened. I’ll set that record straight – How can someone run from something they don’t remember?? I married my husband, because I love him and so very much in love with him and I don’t want anyone else. It hurts me to think that still after all these years, a person who took something from me, still was taking from me mentally after all of these years and my friends and family had to suffer while I struggled with what the doctors believe were/are symptoms of P.T.S.D. for years and didn’t know or remember why.

To my friend who found the courage to share what they knew about that tragic part of my life on the Rock and then also let me know that I was not the only one who had been taken advantage of at the club – I thank you. I am sure it was hard to finally reveal what you knew, but please understand I could never be mad at you and I am so thankful that it was you who told me. It will take me a long time to actually say the four letter "R" word that describes what happened to me, but I have given the information/documentation to the right people to help me move passed the memories of the event and finally be the "one personality" me I used to be. You my friend have given me a new light on life and myself and my family thank you.

I tell myself that with each improvement, accompanied by music that inspires me to stay on a positive road another spark of happiness shines. These are a couple of my many favorites to get me motivated and helped me attacked the Spare bedroom madness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMkHO0NzFy0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5kwUG1vAmk&feature=related

I know the process takes time and with the support that I have from my friends and family, I will overcome this. I have not given up my goal to be organized by the 2013 and I promise you...I WILL DO IT! I may not blog every day, but I do my best to write at least twice a week to keep you updated on this progress. I know - you will not be disappointed.

Below are before and after pictures of the dreaded spare bed room/office clutter hell that I battled for months, but is now in an excellent example of what happens when you let your mind go somewhere positive and your heart follows.

Looking at this I see the clutter
that was in my mind.
Kinda gives a person whole new perspective
when someones asks you -
"What the hell are you thinking?"



There is peace in the Valley -
Let's hope it lasts.



“Combat and rape, the public and private forms of organized social violence, are primarily experiences of adolescent and early adult life. The United States Army enlists young men at seventeen; the average age of the Vietnam combat soldier was nineteen. In many other countries boys are conscripted for military service while barely in their teens. Similarly, the period of highest risk for rape is in late adolescence. Half of all victims are aged twenty or younger at the time they are raped; three-quarters are between the ages of thirteen and twenty-six. The period of greatest psychological vulnerability is also in reality the period of greatest traumatic exposure, for both young men and young women. Rape and combat might thus be considered complementary social rites of initiation into the coercive violence at the foundation of adult society. They are the paradigmatic forms of trauma for women and men.”
― Judith Lewis Herman, Trauma and Recovery: The aftermath of violence--from domestic abuse to political terror

Meatless Chicken MOM!? WHAT THE BLAZES!?

My boys and their first day back to school.
2012

 

It was a great day, and I was in the mood to do some serious cooking. The weather outside was hinting that cooler temperatures were on the horizon that would one day lead to my favorite season - autumn. I had done some grocery shopping and had decided that a roasted chicken with baked potatoes, peas, homemade rolls and a chocolate banana cream pie for dessert would be the perfect first day of school dinner.

My very own Chocolate Banana Pie.
Vanilla Pudding with Cut up bananas as the bottom layer
in a graham cracker crust.
then sprinkly crushed up vanilla wafers
then add the chocolate pudding layer.
Serve with a big scoop of cool whip.
Delicious!

Now normally when roasting a chicken, one would put it in a shallow pan, season it with your favorite taste bud teasing pleasures. Heck, some people may go as far as tenting it with tin foil to help keep the meat tender and juicy while only letting small amounts of that delicious sent, that floats through the air, escape and has your family constantly asking - "Mom...when's dinner, the smell is making me super hungry".

Yes, I'll be honest, I am one of those tenter people, but on this day I got a little daring and decided to use my chicken roaster stand on our grill. I've used it before and the outcome was delicious, so why not use it again and make baked potatoes on the grill as well.  I had timed it just right that by the time my husband got home from work, you could smell the delicious aroma throughout the community - Just want I wanted. What’s better than the smell of a great comfort food aroma dancing along a cool late afternoon breeze? Knowing it's coming from your house and it's your dinner. Yeah baby!



I got this a Bass Pro Shop - LOVE IT!
You literally cook the chicken or turkey standing up.

It comes apart so that you can filled the center with
beer, chicken broth, and/or water and spices, and then you rub the
chicken with spices too and cover it with a tent of tin foil
and put it on the grill. The head comes throught the vents and
acts like a roaster/steamer.

 

As I prepared the serving plates and side dishes, I took the chicken off its cooking stand and placed it onto a platter. It was a beautiful golden color and the scent of the spices was wonderful, however the chicken looked very strange to me. Kind of like a chicken on big time steroids. Its shape was very strange.

"That's odd?" I thought for only a moment, and then went on with getting the food to the table. My oldest son, who lately has been on a see food diet, meaning everything he sees he eats, took it upon himself to carve the bird. There was nothing holding this guy back, he'd been smelling this cook all afternoon and he was done waiting.

As I finally sat down with my family to delve into our dinner, I was once again drawn into the shape of our roaster chicken. "There is something wrong with the chicken. Don't you think so or is it just me?" I said to my husband and boys "It looks weird."

My husband then took a longer look as well. "Hua? Yeah, it does, like it's been working out at the gym or something. An Arnold Schwarzenegger look." He remarked with a chuckle followed with a puzzled expression. As my son tried to carve the meat off the bone, he was met with a growing frustration that he was not getting the food on his plate fast enough.

 "What's wrong?" I asked, worried that my special dinner was overcooked.

"Ah dry!, It won't carve!" He replied in a sarcastic and agitated tone voice.

"No way it's dry, I saw the juices bubbling under the skin on the grill."  I thought, hoping that he was wrong.

 "Let me try," boasted my husband thinking that it took a big man to crave a bird. "What the &^^*&^#%!!!!"

"What's wrong?" I questioned, worried that now my husband was just as frustrated as my son, I must have really turned our supper into a Griswold Christmas dinner moment.

"Stace, there isn't any meat on this chicken! look it's all bone when I cut into it." He was very serious - this bird was meatless!

 I got up from my chair and walked over to the other side of the table where both my husband and older son were working feverishly as if they were trying to revive an inner tube that had gone flat, just before it was time to tie it to a speed boat and zoom across the water for an afternoon of water adventures.

"Let me try." Just as the words left my mouth a pivotal moment passed over me and I caught the look on my younger sons face. I could see in his eyes a sense of worry that he would not get his favorite chicken and gravy dinner, because mom had dried the bird to the bone. "Let's check to see if there is meat underneath, and with that, I flipped it over. (I think a heaven of angels burst into song and no joke the song I added came to mind - Enjoy)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE

Light had dawned at the Bolin table that night.  Clearly it had been a long day as not one person noticed or even realized what was wrong until after flipping the chicken over. A True OMG I AM SUCH A DUMBASS MOMENT! I had place it on the platter breast side down, but because I had cooked the chicken standing up on the grill, it made the legs fall backwards giving the appearance that the bottom of the chicken was the breast side. To Funny - Not one of us noticed that the chicken was upside down. Even after cutting it, they believed it was dry; again not even realizing it was upside down. We all looked at each other dumbfounded and then burst into a fit of laughter that lasted all through dinner.

So the moral of this funny tale, be sure your breasts are always in the upright position. Have a great day and enjoy the weekend! Until next time - Blog ya later.