" It's So Hard To Say Goodbye..."

After having another family over Sunday night:

Aaron: Reese, go to the door and tell your friends, 'thank you for coming to dinner'.

Reese: G'nite Suckaaaahs!

nice.

"Ashes, Ashes...We All Fall Down"

It's been a week.
"Ash" is getting a little old.
No-no, there's no need to watch the entire video.
You'll get the idea in the first 15 seconds.
Forgive me for not remembering that you can't rotate a video like you can a photo.

"Can You Hear Me Major Tom? Can You Hear Me Major Tom? Can You Heeeeear"

Did you make it?
Did I do any of this right?
Is ANYone out there?

Ok well if you ARE here...welcome to the super awesome special invite-only club that is our new private blog. I promise I'll post something better than this lame message soon. Unfortunatly, your Google Reader will no longer post my blog updates automatically for you, so you'll just have to add the new blog address (yes, notice we are no longer http://aaronandmeg.blogspot.com) of http://cuzimkeepinitreal.blogspot.com to your links, and clickety every now and then to see if there's anything new. Pain. I know. Sorry. But you DID get invited, and not everyone did (ahem that means you, Mr. British FatWilly, and I'm also pretty sure that if anyone that actually DOES live in Clovis NM happens upon the old blog, they will not be requesting an invite to read the new one, since I did some pretty heavy slamming on their hood in recent posts before I realized I'm an idiot and was stalking myself.)

If you are a new reader to our blog, we welcome you too. Just remember I blog for me, and my family, and for fun. I publish typos because I type quickly and am often too lazy to go back and edit a post simply because I left out an apostrophe somewhere. I use poor grammar and break nearly all sentence structure rules here. If you haven't spoken to me in real life, or if it's just been awhile, please know that I AM educated and I am totally aware of HOW to construct a proper sentence...I just choose not to here. You will find grammar errors here and there and everywhere, even though they drive me crazy when I read them somewhere else. I will try not to judge you if you do the same. Forgive me for the tangent, but I feel like a new blog deserves a new introduction of sorts, just to remind everyone why I do this. I do have a life outside our blog, so also remember that what you read here is only a snippet of what goes down in our glamourous lives. With that in mind, try to give us the benefit of the doubt if I say something you find offensive. Or ask me about it, and run the risk of being offended more.

OH and also, I do post often...but NO. I don't just sit around at my laptop all day eating Girl Scout Cookies....

Sometimes I eat the cookies in my car, or at the park, at church, or in the library.
Anyway, welcome to our blog. Come back soon.

You are officially cool.

Leave a comment, Yo.

"Come On Down And Dine, On This Tasty Swine...All Ya Have To Do Is Get In Line..."

"Aaaaare Ya Achin' ...Fooooor Some Bacon?"

We are! We are LOVIN' da pig around here.

For dinner, of course!

We are nearing the end of our Mexican Fiesta...and all the eating and the spice has been fabulous...but I have needed many a Siesta lately. Maybe it's the food?
Ok, so when I imagine Mexico in my head...there are always a lot of chickens running around...yet, we have eaten more pork this week than we have in the last 3 months combined. Maybe there are pigs running around in Mexico too? Mmmmm...Eggs and Bacon...and a Paletero (jingle jingle cart pushing ice cream amigo)...Mexico sounds heavenly.

So not much more to say tonight than...THANK YOU PIG. You are SO much more than a pork chop, a deli slice for my grilled ham and cheese, bacon for my eggs, diced for my beans, companion for my fries- all pulled and smothered from Smokin' Joes, or meat for my asparagus tip alfredo pasta. You are the CERDO. The essence of the Carnitas. The Carne Con Chile. My Pork Barbacoa.

March is almost here, and our 8 Day Gringo Fiesta will be coming to an end this weekend. You might think we'd be sick of the mexican food, but we aren't! We did cheat one night, and have non-mexican food-because I've been running high fevers at night (no, we don't know why...one might think the antibiotic I'm on could help with that, but it isn't) and wasn't in the mood to cook. But honestly, the spicy food has left my tummy MORE satisfied than anything else I've eaten in months. Maybe it's because the majority of the cooking has been from scratch, and has simple ingredients (beans, rice, eggs, meat-mostly pork, tomatoes, peppers).

In honor of our friend, The PIG, I thought I'd post a favorite pork recipe we love. It's not a mexican dish, but it is PERFECT for the warm weather that should be coming upon us soon!

I know...I just posted a recipe like a week ago, but after raving about the greatness that is Mr. Wilbur, I can't NOT share this recipe, as it is a favorite of ours. sorry there is no picture. It IS a pretty meal though, all charred and glorious...especially when served side by side with some zucchini.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin With The Really Yummy Sauce (it doesn't have a name...we just call it the really yummy sauce, because we MUST have it with this dish...give it a shot!)

1 boneless pork tenderloin (I usually buy the 2 pack from Walmart for around 7 or 8 bucks, prepare one for dinner, and stick the other in the freezer to use at a later date.

1/2 bottle generic Teriyaki Sauce...not the fancy thick stuff...just the cheapo liquid Great Value stuff, or Kikoman. FYI...I am NOT a teriyaki fan, but still love this recipe. It tastes different when used on pork than it does on chicken....especially as a marinade.

garlic salt

Put teriyaki sauce and tenderloin in a large ziplock about an hour (at least) before dinner and let marinade....if you want it REALLY yummy, let it marinade for 2-3 hours.

On a gas grill, grill the tenderloin on each side on HIGH for about 3 minutes (sometimes longer...keep it on high long enough to sear the meat)

Reduce flames to med-low and grill about 8 minutes on each side, until meat is no longer pink inside. Season with a little garlic salt.

Slice into 1/2 inch thick medallions (slices) and serve with baked (or nuked if you're lazy like us) sweet potatoes, and REALLY REALLY YUMMY SAUCE:

MMMmmm...The SAUCE (makes the meal. trust me!)...sadly, I've made this enough times that my mayo/sour cream measurements are approximate, so it might be a trial and error thing...but try it anyway.
1 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup mayo (lite mayo works well too, even though lowfat mayo shouldn't really be allowed to be called MAYO, since in my mind, Mayo=Fat...but we've used it and it's good still in this recipe)
1-2 tsp yellow (or dijon if that's how you roll) mustard
2 + TBS worchestershire sauce
1-2 tsp minced garlic (we like a LOT of garlic)
dash salt and pepper

whisk it up, and place in frig for 10 minutes or so to let flavors merge and become even more yummy.
Happy Grilling Season, Everyone!

Our New "Puppy"!

We have been very excited about pets around here lately. On Friday, we trapped a ladybug in a jelly jar and Reese named her "Lady" (appropriately, since Lady died with her tiny insect legs crossed modestly, after being shaken around and examined for a hours.) and 4 days later, Reese is still wondering when Lady is going to "wake back up from her nap". I explained that Lady might be dead and we should let her go in the yard (so I can wash my jelly jar), but Reese insists that I am wrong and that Lady is just obedient and sleeping like she was instructed. I'm still not sure what to do about that one.

Then, our friends got a puppy this week. Reese thinks that "Ash" is the cutest thing ever, (as long as he is in his crate where he can't "get" her.) and has been talking about Ash non-stop since she was over there on Monday. I'd kind of hoped the excitement over Ash would distract her from shriveled-up-Lady, but instead...Ash was the first thing she told Lady about when she got in the car after preschool group. (Lady's jar lives in the cup holder in my van next to her booster seat).

She actually brought herself to pet Owen's kitty today (on the tail, while I held her face out of reach)...so we are making baby steps in the animal department. She no longer screams when they get too close.

I really shouldn't be surprised that "Ash" took up residence in our living room tonight.

In her crate, of course.

When Aaron came home, he played along and passed "Ash" a treat through the slots, and Reese thought that was the coolest thing ever. It was pretty cute.

My dirty laundry was emptied all over the living room to create a crate for Ash.

Naughty puppy.

Sometimes I really DO feel like we have a dog:
-I clean poop and pee off the floor.
-I say "hey, get down from there." a lot.
-Four little feet come running whenever I am eating something yummy, and they beg for a bite.
-Everything I own has been chewed on, dragged from it's home, and strewn all over the place.

It might be time for a goldfish.

If I Had A Hammer...Slow Progress

I finally got going on that bookshelf I've been wanting to make. Usually little crafts like this can be done on a Saturday, but for some reason, we've been dragging it out. I think it's because I'm not in "project mode". When I am working on BIG projects, I don't clean up the mess every day, and I work through nap times, and get going as soon as the kids are in bed at night. Lately, by the time the kids are in bed, I am ready to veg out too! I am SO exhausted all the time, I wonder if my iron is low. Today I headed back to my bedroom to fold laundry while Quin was watching Dora. I got so lightheaded that I sat on my bed, then ended up snuggling up with a pillow.

Quincy came in 45 minutes later to tell me that Dora was over. WHAT? Yeah I am a good mom. I'd TOTALLY fallen asleep and let my 2 yr old roam free in our house. (please don't call CPS)

ANYway... here is the progress report on the bookshelf:

I borrowed a router from a friend, but having never used one, I just couldn't figure out how to get it to do what I wanted it to do. After getting very frustrated and giving up, Aaron made a phone call and took my cut pieces of wood over to his buddy's house and returned 30 minutes later with it routed EXACTLY the way I wanted. Awesome, thanks Randy!
And thanks Aaron, for just "fixing" the problem. Usually I get mad when he steps in and solves a problem. This time, I am super grateful for his natural need to "just fix" what's wrong. I still need to sand up the rough edges, but it looks great!
Measurements made, shelf placement marked, shelves labeled and cut, MORE measurements made and marked for holes for the dowels. Since the shelf is so large, I plan to secure the dowels in place using finishing nails and a nail gun, but I wanted to sink the dowels into the sides with wood glue for extra stability.
I used 7/16" dowels, and a 7/16" drill bit. The guys at Lowes said to use a larger size bit, but I am glad I didn't listen to them, because the holes are the perfect size. I didn't want the holes to go all the way through the wood, but I wanted them all to be a similar depth. A little trick: tape off the end of the bit to use as a guide.
See? Now I can tell how deep my holes are, and stop drilling when the tape lines up with the wood. Not perfect, but they are much closer than had I tried to eyeball the operation. My dad would be proud.
And this is where I quit tonight. Some of the dowels are still a little too long, but I need another set of hands to help hold everything in place to measure correctly. Once everything is the correct length, I'll glue the dowels into place, then hit everything with the nail gun.

Still on the To Do List:
-measure and cut the beadboard so it fits on the back of the frame.
-nail the beadboard into place
-sand and caulk everything so it's pretty
-paint
-pray that it doesn't fall apart the first time Quincy climbs it like a ladder.
-vacuume all the little wood splinters off my living room carpet!
-Make mini version of this shelf for Big Willy's room. (Aaron had that piece routed tonight too...smart guy, thinking ahead!)

It doesn't look like much right now, but it will be FABULOUS when it is finished! I can tell already...and for 7 bucks? woot!

When Did We Become THOSE Neighbors?

It. Is. Almost. MARCH.

Aaron,
Since I can't seem to guilt you into to taking the Christmas lights down, and I'm not exactly in a position where I can go scaling rooftops anytime soon...I'm gonna pull out the big guns here.
I know you don't read our blog. But your Momma does...and If there is ANYone out there who can convince you to get your butt on our roof and take the Christmas lights down...it is your Mom. Because you are a good son, and you love your Mom. And you would do anything for her. And your mother does not want her grandchildren to witness their mommy wildly shooting down Christmas lights with a BB gun. Please take them down. Not for me. For her. For the children. For Carl. He's home from the hospital now...but he's on a lot of meds and kind of confused. Imagine how much more difficult we are making it for him to know what day it is when he looks outside and sees Christmas lights on our house. He probably thinks Santa's going to be dropping by any day now, and is wondering where his almond bark and holiday pumpkin bread went.

Love you, Baby. For all that you do for me...and sometimes for things that you don't do for me and let me do for myself.

But not this time.

This isn't like that time you let that one freako hair on your arm grow out to like 3 inches long just to spite me because it grossed me out and I kept nagging you to pluck it. That was about YOUR personal grooming. I was only trying to help you when I attacked your arm with the tweezers and plucked it while you were sleeping. This is OUR home. We BOTH have to live here. If you recall, I ignored your request to "just let it go" when it came to that one nasty long arm hair, and found a way to take care of the problem that was bugging me so much. I will do it again.

I'm telling your mom.

I hope you can expect a guilt-ridden call from your mother tomorrow after she reads this post.
And it's quite possible that you will also get a guilt-filled call from my mother as well-as she can make holiday "slaves" (er, I mean "elves") appear out of thin air.
And if this doesn't work, well...maybe I will get on a ladder. Or I'll borrow a BB gun and shoot 'em down-like the white trash that we've become by simply leaving the lights up this long in the first place. We both know how scary either of those situations could be for me at this point.

Please take the lights down.

Love and Hugs,
Wifey.