Recently, I have broken a lot of bad, or not so good habits. 2 months ago, my husband and I decided to be a little healthier. We quit smoking and we cut back on caffeine and soda; only having caffeine with tea or coffee and not drinking dark soda.
A new habit that I've picked up over the last 2 months is... Calling my local radio. I call, and make it on air, 3-4 times a week. I'm not listening to the radio 24/7, just waiting for them to say "call now"... I do a lot of my running in the early morning hours and the local radio station has a morning show where they are very interactive with their listeners and I just happen to be driving when they have call in segments. I've called in to give my opinion or to answer a daily question. I've played a game and lost. I just recently sang a jingle about taquitos that I made up. I've told stories about my family, I've given advice to an anonymous confession. I really enjoy calling the radio! The crazy part? I don't even stick around to hear myself on it. I rarely actually HEAR me on the radio until the weekend when they are doing -here's what you missed this week on the morning show- and some of my snipets make it. I don't consider this a bad new habit at all and much better than the habits I broke so I'll go with it until I burn out of it. And, who really listens to the radio anymore?
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Oh, isn't this the dream? To own a family shop, it wouldn't be a shop though... it'd be a bakery/barbeque joint and it'd be beautiful. Picture it, if you will. 2 separate buildings but also connected. One very bright and bubbly, named Baked. The other, more rustic feeling, made of brick, named Smoked. Smoked & Baked. Our family is an early rise family so early in the mornings you can see the smoke bellowing from Smoked, where they barbeque is in full force and the smell is just remarkable. You can stop in Baked before you head to the office and pick up a nice danish or muffin, perhaps. I run the Baked side and he runs the Smoked, we're a beautiful combination... sweet and smoky. Dinner is a great time, bring the whole family for a feast of barbeque then sneak on over to Baked to grab a sweet treat to take home for dessert... don't forget the furbaby... we have puppy cookies too! Our daughters love coming in and serving when they aren't in school or busy and it's a great way we all bond. The recipes have been built over years and years of us cooking together and the baked good taste like pure love. We are all characters. We all have storylines, plots, a beginning and an end.
I'm not just talking about being the character YOU create, which we all do. We all have versions of us; work us, home us, friends us, fancy us, new people us, so many versions of us, that we all create ourselves. We like to know how people see us, we want to know what character we are in their lives, but how do you look in the stories that you don't know you're in? The times that you remained unknown and unnamed but important in someone's like story, even if only for a moment? The problem with being these characters is that they can be good or bad but they are never really neutral or they wouldn't be remembered. You could be "that bitch that cut me off" in someone's story, You could be "the lady at the store today, gave me the sweetest compliment" to another person in their story. You could be someone that just said something so freakin' hilarious in the checkout line that someone had to tell their spouse about it when they arrived home. Maybe a stranger complimented your hair and you just told them where you got it done at, maybe they went and you have made them feel like the most beautiful person in the world because your stylist is THAT good. You could be the person that is always littering in other's stories and that wouldn't be good, that's not someone you want to be. You might be the person that is always tied to things going missing in many people's stories and you don't want to be that person either. The craziest part about these characters in the life story is they tell more about your personal character than any character you can create yourself. When there's nothing to brag about, when there's no name to be said, no glory to be given... that's when our true character shows. Who doesn't like food porn? I know that I'm a HUGE fan of some yum-tastic looking food pics. If you are a vegetarian, vegan, or in any way against meat... I suggest you don't continue reading this one. We like our meats. Continue scrolling for some mouth-watering photos, along side a description of what you are looking at. Chicken roulade. It's so simple, yet very simple to make. I honestly, can't remember what the stuffing is in the one pictured but it was delicious. What you'll need and what to do - Boneless chicken breasts: butterflied and ready to roll. A thinly sliced meat; ham, pepperoni, salami, pancetta for example. An easily melted cheese; swiss, mozzarella, provolone, havarti to name a few. First, you layer the cheese and meat on the chicken breast, then you roll it up, next you tie with some butcher's twine. It's always best to sear your meat before putting it in the oven. I like to use a skillet that is oven safe. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and get your skillet good and hot... you know your stove better than me but somewhere around medium-high. Use some butter in the skillet to prevent sticking. Sear the chicken and finish them in the oven for 15-20 minutes. There are many combinations that you can make and it's a great meal to experiment with. Roulades go great with rice or pasta as a side Steak Fajitas. This is a super super simple dinner and it's always a crowd favorite. This meal is the meal that got our children turned on to onions and peppers and if it can do that, it's always a win. All you'll need is some steak strips... sometimes we buy a flank steak or flat iron and slice it down to strips, sometimes we find the pre-sliced fajita steaks at the grocery store, and sometimes we get a more expensive steak and use that... if we're feeling fancy. You can marinade the steak if you'd like, I suggest this if you are using a lower grade cut of meat... which is fine by me and a great way to utilize a shittier steak. You'll also need some peppers and onions.... thinly sliced. If you are wanting to improve your knife skills, practice on peppers and onions for fajitas... I did and now I can slice a fucking gorgeous pepper or onion. I like to slice my peppers and onions a few hours before I plan on having dinner. I add them to a gallon bag with some olive oil and fresh ground salt and pepper. You'll need a rice and cheese as well. A simple mexican shredded cheese is fine and we prefer to use a cilantro lime rice. You can make the rice yourself, or you can just buy one... essentially, they cost about the same and take the same amount of time to prepare so it's whichever you personally prefer. Use some fajita seasoning, or make your own if that's your thing, on the steak. Serve with some tortillas and use some limes for garnish and it's a dinner that brings a little more yum to Taco Tuesday. I can't give specific recipes for the above recipes because, well, it comes from a skill that I don't have. This is all my husband's forte and something he was born to do. This is some of the best barbeque that I have ever had and I'm not just saying that because I sleep with the chef. I spent the early years of my childhood growing up in Texas, then I grew up in Missouri, by Kansas City... Kansas City BBQ is kinda well known. Once my husband and I met, we moved to Colorado, where he competed in BBQ contests so... I know BBQ, trust me, this is AMAZING... Ask anyone that's had it. The first photo is a full smoker. There's 2 pork butts, a shit ton of chicken, and 2 racks of ribs. The last picture is the finished ribs and the middle is some brisket. If it goes on this smoker, it comes off amazing. I don't know where he got so good but he's amazing at this. Grilled Tuna Steaks. YUM! These really are simple. I wasn't sure if I would like tuna steaks, and I really wasn't sure if the children would but I do and so do they so it's another amazing dinner. All you need is a hot grill, some tuna steaks and a glaze... we use a pre-made teriyaki glaze, nothing fancy. Salt and pepper the tuna before you put them on the grill. Let them grill for 5 minutes, flip them, cook for another 5 minutes. Flip them again, then begin basting with the glaze. Glaze it 3-4 times, while letting it grill for another 5-8 minutes... that's if you prefer your tuna well done, I know it can be served at medium but we just don't like that. Make this a meal with a nice rice pilaf or yellow rice and a green vegetable like broccoli or green beans. It works great sliced and on a salad too or as fish tacos. Mmm, my Mother's Day Dish. For, most years, I pick a salmon dish for my Mother's Day dinner and each time, the husband amazes and wows me. The salmon pictured is a crab stuffed, prosciutto wrapped, smoke salmon and it is to die for... trust me, I've died once but that's a story for another day. Look at this picture closely! Do you see the flaky salmon that's wrapped in the perfectly smoked prosciutto with the chunk of crab in the middle. YUM! The basics to making this is simple, stuff a salmon with a nice lumpy crab cake, wrap in prosciutto, smoke it! It goes really well with a pasta or rice and a nice leafy salad. STEAKS!!! My husband is the king of cooking a damn good steak and I'm saying that as someone that is EXTREMELY picky on proteins. I don't like biting into fat, I don't like tough meat, I prefer well-done but will eat medium well. Want to know a tip to a really great steak? Compound butter. What is compound butter, you ask? Simply put, a seasoned, flavored butter... we like to add herbs and roasted garlic. It's best to use an unsalted butter but not a necessity. Another good butter is to save the butter us use to butter poach any lobster, add some herbs and garlic to it and make a nice lobster butter. Okay, so you've made a fancy butter, what's do I do with that? You finish the steak with it, either in the oven or on the grill... depending which way you decided to cook your steak. Wait, we finish with butter so we probably need to start at the beginning before jumping to the finish, huh? Alright, the beginning of a great steak. With steak, the cut and quality is important. You can get a cheaper cut of higher quality steak without losing any yum... wagyu beef is the most expensive beef you can get in the US, we really enjoy this steak but it is a little pricey. There is a "cheaper" cut of this steak and if you happen upon it, definitely give it a go. A ribeye, strip, sirloin is always a solid choice... you want something with a nice marbling (the fat swirling through the meat). Filets are nice but tend to be a tougher cut, I use to only eat these because they have no fat... thank God for my husband and his ability to get me to open my mouth to new cuts of steak. Alright, so you have your steak and your butter. You need a cast iron, I want to say this is optional and any oven/grill capable skillet will work but it won't. We're grown-ups, go to the store and buy a damn cast iron skillet, it's worth it and you'll be so glad you did. If you are planning on cooking your steak indoors, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees and get your cast iron on the stove top heating up hot... high end of medium high. If you're grilling your steak, get your grill going. Season your steak simply with some ground salt and pepper. Place your steak either on the grill or in the hot skillet. Let it cook about 6 minutes, then flip. For the stove top steak, after you flip it, you place a pallet of compound butter on the steak and put it in the oven. For the grilled steak, you place the steak in the cast iron, add the pallet of butter and place the skillet on the grill. To finish your steak and make it so tender and juicy, butter baste it. every 3-4 minutes, spoon the melted butter over the top of the steak... be careful, use pot holders. Continue doing this for at least 10 minutes in the oven or 8 on the grill, you can butter baste for a little longer if you'd like, no harm in it. The steak dinner pictured is a wagyu steak, rice pilaf, and fresh green beans with new potatoes. The quiet girl, who never spoke,
Always sees it all. She sees the lies you're built on. She could make it fall. She doesn't cause a ripple. She would never make a wave. She'll let you keep your lies alive, Taking your truth to her grave. You're a character in a story, So fabricated, it's fiction. A real life fable. A walking contradiction. Built on lies, And omissions. Made up of myths, And new editions. But she has peace, in her house of true. Where she sees the real, Exposed version you. The ugly truths, Where the curtains fall. She sees your lies, She sees it all. Holding them for you, Day after day. You keep your lies alive, She'll take your truth to her grave. So, I can't be the only one that gets quite irritated, perhaps, even annoyed when someone insists (constantly) on giving you way more information than you need?
For example: Being 1 "Hey, I have this play coming up, do you think you'd be available to come and watch the soft opening?" Being 2 "Totally, I'm busy every Tuesday. I have a friend that does Play Promotions and she makes like bunches of bucks." Being 1 "Super cool but I'm literally just promoting the play I'm gonna be in, not looking for a job." Being 2 "That's how she started too and now she has a real job." Being 1 didn't ask, and neither did I. I get that it happens on occasion, which is fine but there are people out there that do this constantly, consistently and usually in conjunction with "one upping" others. Anything you can do, they can do better, or they know someone that can. Anything you know, they know more, or they know the person that knows the most. Anywhere you've been, they've been recently, and they know the all the important people there. I don't know why these people decide to live this way or how they think it's a good way to live but I most certainly couldn't do it. I know a few of these people on a personal basis and unfortunately it's for the long term. I just decide to keep these folks at bay and not interact with them absolutely necessary and that may make me seem off-putting but I really don't care. My own well-being and mentality is way more important than forcing myself to be around someone that I really don't like that much. I usually keep the conversations short and too the point and try to avoid certain subjects and I don't ask the questions that I really want to.... The ones that would force them to lie to me, the ones that I know the answer to but I wanna see what they have to say. I am so much smarter than I might appear and I spent a lot of my life blending in and when you blend in... you see a lot more. If you have to deal with people like this, maybe they are a family member, an in-law, or a co-worker... just be as nice as you can, I know it's hard but it will annoy them a hell of a lot more. Oh, and asking an odd question here and there will keep them on their toes so don't be afraid to do that either. These are the type of people that don't tend to learn from anything or ever change so you really can't let them bother you. They truly believe the lies they say, they believe what they want to about the stories of their past, they pick and chose how people see them which in reality just shows how fake and sad their life really is. You are better than them and if you can't help them, just let them be. I'd say about 10 days ago, I was browsing the good ole internet for remote, freelance, part-time jobs. Something that I can do from my home, within distance of my children, that won't over take my life. I found one that REALLY caught my eye "online game show host"... WHAT? Let me check this out.
I review the job, it's a pay per game job, it's a company that use to go to businesses and do team building exercises... like trust falls and guess who's fun fact, things like that. Well, due to covid making a lot of jobs more virtual, they adapted their brand and went online as well. Now, they do virtual game shows, for remote job team building. They are looking for hosts to run the games from their home, on their schedule. Okay, this seems too good to be true, what do I really have to do to apply... there has to be a catch. In order to apply, you submit your resume, and send in a video saying who you are and why you think you'd be a good fit. I'm not a big video fan but for this, I'm down. I made a video, stated that I'm entertaining, I don't like dead air, I'm upbeat and I'm interesting to look at. I kind of just went blank once the camera was on and just blurted out some random shit and sent it in. The next day, I get an email thanking me for my ENTHUSIASTIC video and that they'd like to pursue having me as a host. The following week, I signed my contract and sent in my tax forms. Today, I got my work email and logged into all the platforms to start training!!! I have grown up watching game shows, I play along with game shows.... actually, there's a new game show called "Family Game Fight" hosted by Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell and my husband and I compete against each other in our living room while watching this show. Oh, and just a couple weeks ago, we staged a "Crime Scene Kitchen" (another game show we watch) and had the children guess what was made as their after school snack... it was a blast and highly recommended. I think I may have just found a diamond in the rough kinda job. I'm a freakin' game show host!!! HOW FUCKING COOL IS THAT? I titled it "Childhood Obsession" but I'm not quite sure if that's the right way to approach it but I am obsessed so let's go with it.
When I was super young, I didn't know much about religion or the reason for prayer... every night when I was little, I would pray for a pretty new dress... every time, all the time. All I ever wanted was a pretty new dress... such an odd request considering I was ALWAYS getting new pretty dresses, my grandmother loved seeing my sister and I in matching custom dresses so we were loaded with outrageous magazine style dresses. Now, as an adult, I still love pretty new dresses and I have a whole rack of dresses that have been barely or never worn. I do wear my dresses, but I don't walk around in dresses every day, it's more like maybe once a month but once every few months on average. Maybe it's just a way of keeping my childhood alive in my adulthood and with every new pretty dress, I feel like a prayer has been answered, proving a God is real... Maybe? Another thing, I have updated my prayer system, I do not pray for things for myself or even others. Every time I pray, I pray for everything to happen as it's suppose to and for everyone to get what they deserve in life. That might bring struggles to myself but it might be triumphs, I pray and wait and so far, the world has worked out for me. Hold on to whatever you loved as a child, whatever you wish was, whatever brings you back to the time when you could believe in anything and the world was a beautiful place. The problem with growing up is that you begin to see the world as it really is and that makes the world a little bit ugly. The success of others, doesn't take away from the success of myself. I have a horrible tendency to compare myself to others and what I'm doing to what they are doing.
I woke up sad today, someone I know is releasing a book today... their book is for sale and I am still sitting here with no book written or published but when I opened my email, I had a royalty payment from one of the short erotic stories that I have written and published to the kindle store on amazon as a self publisher... that made me feel that even though I haven't written the book that I want to, what I am doing is just fine. My husband called the radio today and mentioned me, the radio hosts knew who I was from all the times I've called in so that also made me feel better about who I am and what I do. It doesn't matter if someone I know is working 3 jobs while I can't find 1. It doesn't matter if a family member takes 3 vacations a year, while I barely make it 2 hours from home for a date weekend. It doesn't matter if my sister can paint and I can barely draw. It doesn't matter if that house is bigger and that yard is greener, that car is faster and that job is better. I am so guilty of getting into a negative mindset based solely on someone else's negativity and that is a habit that I am actively trying to break. We can't let other's bad days affect us, some people don't have "bad days", they are a bad day. No matter what is going on in their life all they can focus on is what is going wrong. One of my most said statements is "mind over matter", it doesn't mean that if it's not on your mind, it doesn't matter... it means that your mind is a powerful thing and no matter what is going on, your mindset matters. You can be the happiest person in the world on the surface but if your mind is depressed, it can be seen in your eyes. I do what I do and I need to be happy with me. I need to know that my success is not valued on the success of others but what I do as me, for me and mine. So, to all of those that are out there doing what they do without the acknowledgement of anyone else, to those that think what they are doing is small on the grand scheme, to those that just don't feel successful... YOU ARE! Every day is worth celebrating and every one is a success story! If you have been a consistent reader of my fab-tab-u-lous blog ( all 2 or so of you ), then...
A. I thank you for at least giving me some kind of thought and taking a minute or two every once in a while to check out what's going on here. and B. You might notice that it's a little cleaned up around here. Some of the posts were showing funky or just didn't post up right or the pictures were there and the actual blog was not... I reposted those. It looks a lot better, in my personal opinion. I also, went ahead and deleted a few blogs that were just dumb... okay, they were not dumb because they came from me but they just needed to go. I was negative for no reason and I was, in essence, searching for a pity party and who the fuck really wants a party about pity? Not I, said the fly ( it's a saying, look it up :) ). I decided to delete those blogs that served no real purpose. So, since I have your attention and you enjoy reading what I have to write; I want to talk a little more about myself... I will not be able to write every single day... as much as I really wish that I could, some days, it just won't happen. I will try to at least post something a few times a week. I have saved a few writing prompts to help start some creative writing juice flow and I have a few erotic short stories that I'm currently working on. I've been applying like crazy to jobs. I'm a great employee but I do jump into work head first and I tend to leave my family and home in the dust. My last job I had was right before the Covid pandemic began. I applied for a part-time housekeeper/laundry attendant at the nursing home near me. I got the job and started almost immediately. I went from weekend part-time employee to Head of the Department in just 4 months. I went from working 2, maybe 3 days a week to working 6 days a week almost every week, some times working weeks in a row with no breaks because if there's no one to work, I had to, I was the boss, I was responsible. I loved my job but working so much after being a stay at home mom for so long... really fucked up my family and home life. All of my routines were broken and my kids were just not who they were. Then covid hit and I used that as an excuse to quit... not a bad choice at all and it was time to close that chapter. Now, I'm applying for remote or freelance positions so that I can maintain a balance between working and home life. I enjoy working, a lot but I can't lose my family for my job and my husband makes enough that I don't HAVE to get a job, I want to so I can take my time and find something that fits my life. I love Halloween, so it's about time to get SPOOKY! I also love cooking and baking... I'm not bad at it either. I've shared some recipes already and I plan on sharing a bunch more. I wouldn't mind starting a "Dear Dr. Ruth"/"Ask Abby" blog where I answer questions that you have to ask from life hacks, recipes, sex secrets, anything and everything you'd like to ask about. If you have any suggestions on what I can write about, a writing prompt perhaps or a question you'd like me to address: Feel free to email me at [email protected] Again, thanks to anyone that has read this blog and feel free to share any post that you find interesting or entertaining. |
AuthorMarried. Mother. Writer. Artist. Witty. Clever. Positive. Obnoxious. Amazing. Archives
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