Random Dozen - Dr. Mario Addiction Edition

I had so much fun with my Random Dozen last week that I decided to join again. I just might make this a weekly event. Any one else care to join? Thanks to Lid for hosting!

1. What was the last song you listened to?

Praise You in this Storm - Casting Crowns

2. Have you ever had “buyer’s remorse” over anything?

Many many things. Unfortunately, I can be a somewhat impulsive shopper. Although, I am getting much better in my old age. I can't think of any major purchases I've had buyer's remorse over but I've certainly regretted an ice cream cone or two.

3. What is something in your life that you are thankful for now that you didn’t think you would be at the time of the event? (Something that seemed ill-timed, inconvenient or hurtful which turned out to be a good thing)

My first real break up.

4. Do you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade every year? If so, do you have a favorite float or balloon?

Considering I'm from Canada and our Thanksgiving was about a month ago - now. The closest I get to watching the Macy's Parade is when I watch Miracle On 34th Street - although I think that's the Santa Clause Parade. So, never mind. The answer is just no.

5. Share a quote, scripture, poem or lyric which has been an inspiration to you lately.

Can I share three four? (I couldn't stop after three!)

"And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14b NIV

"And if I perish, I perish" Esther 4:16b NIV

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10 NIV

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates" Deuteronomy 6: 5-8 NIV

6. This is meant to be a fun question, and this is a G-rated blog, but please share a “guilty pleasure,” something that you enjoy that’s probably not the most edifying, time-worthy or healthy thing you could be indulging in. Did I mention--G rating?

Chocolate, Pepsi, Potato Chips ... unfortunately, I don't stop there ...

7. What Thanksgiving food are you looking forward to?

Seriously, folks ... Thanksgiving was a month ago! But... when Thanksgiving is approaching, I look forward to the stuffing and gravy. Oh boy. I might have to come over to the states in a few weeks just so I can do it all again.

8. What is your favorite book to read to children, or what was your favorite childhood book?

The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I'm not even sure if I have a copy of this book again. It was my favourite when I was a child and my parents hated it because it was SOO long. I also knew the entire story by heart, so they couldn't get away with trying to skip a few pages here and there. My poor parents. I guess it was payback for the many hours of lonliness I endured because of #11 (see below).

9. Do you collect anything? (Feel free to post a photo.)

I used to collect Zebras. Those were the days. All of my zebra paraphenalia is packed away, waiting to make it's second debut someday. I now collect roosters and olive things in my kitchen and dining room. I also collect Christmas decorations. And friends. I collect friends. They are the best collection.

10. Gift bags or wrapping paper?

Wrapping paper! Opening presents with gift bags is NO fun. My mother-in-law used to wrap all of her Christmas presents in gift bags until I came around and starting wrapping all of her presents for her - in wrapping paper. Unfortunately, that meant everyone else got their presents wrapped in paper and mine were always still in bags. Last year, I put my foot down and told her I'd only do her wrapping if she promised to wrap my gifts with paper. She agreed. Just wait - in a few months, I'll show you how much I love wrapping Christmas gifts!

11. Share an after-school memory from when you were younger. What was your routine like on an average day?

One time in grade 2 or 3, I remember coming home crying, because the kids in class had seen my white undies with red hearts on them sticking out of my pants during story time and had teased me all day. I never wore those undies again, yet I still remember exactly what they looked like.

As for my daily routine, I would come home, my mom would give me a good ol' bowl of melted cheese and she and I would sit down to play Dr. Mario on Nintendo for a few hours minutes. And then I'd tell her I was hungry for supper and she would shoo me away and tell me to wait a few minutes while she played "just one" one player game .... six hours later we would eat supper. This is an exaggeration but my mom has a small problem with addiction to video games, like Dr. Mario. Sorry for sharing your problems with the world, Mumma! ha ha ha!

Also, in grade 6 I remember coming home after school with my BFF almost every day and eating banana chocolate chip muffins that my mumma had made. This happened on the good days - when she wasn't playing Dr. Mario.

(Sidenote: My mother was actually a very good mother, despite her Dr. Mario tendencies. She read me The Twelve Dancing Princesses on a very regular basis...after I broke the Nintendo. Just kidding. Maybe.)

12. True story: Once, in a job interview, I was asked this question and told there would be no clarifying; I simply had to answer the question: “When you’re fishing, do you feel for the fish?” So what about you? When you're fishing, do you feel for the fish??

Fish are slimy and gross.

A Year From Now....

A few conversations I have had recently have got me to thinking about where we will be a year from now and what I will be doing.

• For the first time in my life, I will no longer be a student.
• For the first time in my life, I will need to have a full time job.
• For the first time in our married life, we will not have to live in this area due to school commitments.
• For the first time in our married life, we will be able to start thinking about exactly where and what we want to be doing and actually take steps to do those things.

I like to live in an oblivious denial that we will ever have to make real life choices. I like to pretend we'll always live here, I will always be in school and things will stay just like they are.

But they won't.

These are scary thoughts for me.

Hmm ... Where will we be at this time next year?

Menu Plan Monday

After a week off, I am ready to get back on track and back into the kitchen. Aside from the fact that I've been battling a cold, I am good to go.

Here's a recap of what I've been making in the last few weeks...

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip

Black Olive and Basil BreadsticksPork SouvlakiCabbage Soup

Cake Balls

Seven Layer Nacho Dip

Roasted Tomato Fettucine

Lazy Lucy's Cabbage Roll Casserole

Seared Scallops with Saffron Aioli and Beer Boiled Shrimp

as well as Chocolate Chip Cookies** and Root Vegetable Soup**

Sunday
Spaghetti
Garlic Bread

Monday
Pork Chops
Roasted Vegetables
Roasted Potatoes

Tuesday
Chicken in Garlic Sauce**
Peas
Turnip

Wednesday
Sausage and Pumpkin Penne (with some variations - updated recipe to come)

Thursday
Pork and Cider Stew**

Friday
BBQ Chicken Pizza (or leftovers if needed)

Saturday
Christmas shopping day

Breakfasts
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Apples
Nectarines

Lunches
Cabbage Roll Casserole
Roasted Vegetable Soup
Leftovers

**Recipes to come on Lucy's Kitchen

Head over here to see more menu ideas

Mad Parenting Skillz

While the dude has been away, it has just been me and Nika at home. (Sidenote: You might remember I said that he was taking her, but since I didn't end up going to the states, it was easier for him to leave her at home).

I have learned a few lessons about my doggy parenting skills over the past few days. I am beginning to wonder if the way that I parent my dog is any reflection of how I will parent my future children.

Two examples.

Example One: Bribery.

I've mentioned before that Nika is a good ol' farm dog. She goes inside and outside as she pleases and just runs loose. For the most part, this is just fine. Except for that one time....

Anyway, she generally goes outside in the early morning, comes back in at some point during the day, if I'm home, to have a nap, goes back out in the late afternoon, comes in while we eat dinner and goes back out in the evening.

It's the fabulous dude's job to go outside and call her in when it's time for bed. She usually comes in around 9:30-10, eats her food and crashes.

Well, what we have discovered over the past 2.5 years is that she doesn't really listen to me very well. So, when I'm by myself it's a bit tricky to get her to come inside.

During the summer months, I just make sure to bring her in while it's still daylight. The problem is it now gets dark around 5 pm and she would NOT settle with being inside all evening. The reason I have to bring her in in the daylight is because once it gets dark, she knows she can hide from me because I won't be able to see her. Sometimes she just lays down on the grass and stays very still so I can't see or hear her.

Anyway, I realized that while the dude is away, and darkness sets in around 5 pm, I would need to find a new way to get her to come inside for the night.

So, I bribed her.

When I was ready to get her to come inside, I put on some shoes, grabbed a tin of peanut butter balls that my friend had made for me and went outside and started shaking them, yelling, "Niks, come get your treat. Come get it, little puppy".

Miraculously, within seconds she came leaping and bounding towards me like a kid on Christmas morning. As soon as she leaped with excitement into the garage, I closed the door quickly so she couldn't get back out and ushered her into the house. And yes, I gave her a piece of one of the peanut butter balls.

It worked so well, I did it the next night, too. Except this time I blind-sided her, and shook the tin of milk bones instead of peanut butter balls. I got the same reaction except I think she was disappointed that all she got was a measly dog treat instead of a delicious peanut butter ball.

Example Two: A Me-First Mentality.

One of the nights the dude was away, I awoke around 2 am to hear Nika barking and growling like crazy in the living room, right by the patio door. I'm sorry to say, but this makes me scared. In the middle of the night, while I'm all alone, it makes me wonder what, or who, she might be barking at out there.

Of course, logical-coherent me would assume that it's a racoon, a squirrel or a cat. But 2-in-the-morning me assumes that it's an axe murderer just waiting to prey on a innocent victim like me.

And then, of course, I "hear" (notice the quotations) a bang on the window and scratch on the wall and all sorts of other noises that indicate that the assumptions made by 2-in-the-morning me are, in fact, correct.

I burrowed myself under my covers, squeezed my eyes shut and willed myself back to sleep. The only problem was that I have this crazy habit that I cannot wake up in the night and get back to sleep without peeing.

For 20 minutes I lay awake weighing the risks. I could continue to lay here, try to fall back asleep without peeing and risk wetting the bed. OR, I could get up, run to the bathroom, do my business and go back to sleep. The second option clearly seems better except I do believe we are forgetting something ... OH YEAH, there is a killer on my patio.

So, I tossed and turned for 20 minutes, listening, hoping I could determine whether or not someone was out there. And finally, as I glanced out my bedroom door and saw Nika laying in the doorway - which also scared me because it implied that she felt the need to place herself between me and whatever was out there - I made my decision.

I would make a break for it towards the washroom and on the way I would glance at the patio door. If I did see a killer there, I would throw Nika in front of me for protection and run upstairs to my landlords for safety.

What a perfect solution.

Of course, as I sprinted towards the washroom and glanced behind me to the patio, I saw nothing on the patio. Nothing but some leaves blowing around and an old dead autumn mum.

But, as I peed and crawled back into bed, I couldn't help but feel a small twinge of guilt about the fact that I had planned to sacrifice my sweet pup for my own safety.

What kind of mother am I?

So there you have it. If I can employ half as much bribery, trickery and me-first-mentality with my future human children as I do with my four-legged child, I think we can all agree that I will be one fantastic mother.

Random Dozen

I have seen a number of my blog friends participate in Random Dozen, so I decided this week I'd join in.

1. It's early morning, about 2:00AM, and you're driving home. You come to a red light and sit there. There is no one in sight for miles around. Do you wait it out or run the light?

Oh, I wait for it. This very question has come up with my husband on more than one occasion. He may or may not be tempted to run the light at times. I am a law abiding citizen and I will wait for the light to change!

2. If you had the chance to re-do the last 24 hours, would you change anything?

I might have let myself sleep in a little later because I completed all the tasks on my to-do list earlier than expected.

3. When you reply to someone's comment on your blog, do you reply in your comments or go to her blog and comment? (Or email her)

I like to e-mail replies to the comments that are left on my blog. But, some people don't have it set up that I can do that. I have actually had this conversation with a few readers lately ... so, this gives me the perfect opportunity for a tutorial.

Here's the deal:

If you want to allow people to respond to your comments via e-mail, log in to your blogger account, click on edit profile, under privacy it will say "Show My E-mail Address" - make sure that box is checked. Scroll down further to where it says "Identity" and ensure that the e-mail address you want to use is entered in that box. Please do this.

I have to admit that I often forget to respond to comments when there is no e-mail option. My bad.

4. Your favorite Disney movie is:

Beauty and the Beast

5. Do you recycle?

Yes - like crazy.

6. Games of strategy or games of chance?

Strategy

7. Do you have any recurring dreams?

I often dream that the brakes in my car stop working. And I dream about snakes a lot. *Shiver*

8. What did you learn from your first real job?

That no matter how stupid I am, my dad could never really fire me.

9. Do you buy or borrow most books?

Borrow.

10. What fashion trend of the past did you say you'd never wear again but did?

Hah - more like what fashion trend of the past did I say I'd never wear again and actually NOT wear again?

11. When do you start Christmas shopping?

Septemberish usually. Although I occasionally pick up an odd gift here or there through the earlier part of the year.

12. Have you ever been so happy that you literally jumped up and down for a few seconds? If so, what was the occasion?

When I found out I got federal funding for my first year of graduate school after originally being informed that I had not been selected to receive it.

Never Too Old

Remember yesterday when I said that you're never too old to go home to Mama?

Guess what else you're never too old to do?

Dress up for Halloween and go trick or treating with Mama.

It all started so innocently.

We decided to dress up in costumes to hand out candy to the kids.

So we dug out the old dress up bin from when we were kids.

Things immediately started to go downhill from there.

We tried on many different costumes before finally settling on the perfect attire.

Then we looked at each other and said, "These costumes are too great to go unnoticed".

So me, my mama, and her suspenders decided to hit the town.

The Manager at my parent's store (who also happens to now own the home I grew up in - long story) enjoys decorating our his front yard for Halloween and hiding amidst the ghost and goblins to scare the little children. He had told my mom that we should come by and see his display.

So we went.

And I let a group of little children go up the driveway before me so that if Shawn was crouching in the bushes waiting to jump out, I would not be the one to wet my pants. It was the first time I've been in my childhood home since we moved out just before my wedding. It did look pretty spooky.


And then we went to my grandma's.

And then we went to our friend's house.

And then we went to another friend's house.

And at each door upon which we rang, we stood there in silence until they realized that the little boy behind the clown mask was my mother and that the crazy nasty ugly faced person beside her was me.

And it was fun.

And then we came home.

I tried to convince Nika to dress up as Little Red Riding Hood and join us on our adventure, but apparently, Halloween is her least favourite holiday. This is what I went through until I finally got a decent photo of her in her "costume".

She also attacked our faces anytime we put a mask on. Hmm, if she's still around when we have children, I guess we will have to come up with entirely mask-free costumes.

I am pretty sure that since I had so much fun, I will be going trick or treating again next year ... and the next ... and the next.

Who's says it's only for kids?

Not a Menu Plan Monday

This is a not a Menu Plan Monday. I am in the states right now visiting my brand spankin' new nephew. I can't wait to tell you all about it. Another scheduled post that was all ready to go before I canceled my plans to visit.

Also, the fabulous dude left on Saturday to spend the week at the cabin hunting for Bambi's.

I am visiting my parents right now and planning to come home sometime today. I am then going to go back next weekend so Mom and I can do some shopping together. You never really get too old to go home to Mama.

So, I am taking the week off from cooking. Or at least any scheduled cooking. I can't promise that I will completely stray from my crazy kitchen cooking antics. I might have to make/bake something on a whim...in fact I have already done so once.

While the husband is gone I shall let the wild winds take me where they will. Read: I will eat lots of Sushi, perhaps some cookie dough and may potentially take myself out to eat once or twice.
So, no menu plan for me because a) I am not entirely sure when I will and will not be eating at home and b) I want a break!