Number 4

Notice how I changed it to "Number 4" instead of "Day 4"? Well I clearly am just going to post 30 times rather than try for 30 consecutive days.

Today's topic is Top 10 Pet Peeves. I'm changing it to 5 Pet Peeves and 5 Favorite Things though. I found myself getting more and more angry and negative as I thought of pet peeves so I wanted to end on a positive note.

1. People who use flowery vocabulary in everyday speaking and/or writing. I think I'm a pretty smart person with an okay vocabulary but I think people who use big words just for the sake of using big words sound pretentious and rude. It comes across as arrogant and I check out from the conversation every time. I also can not stand people who are condescending. I'm neither stupid nor am I a 5 year old child. Please don't speak to me like I am. We had a guy come to the door the other day trying to sell insurance. This was odd because living way out where we live, we don't get many door to door salespeople. Anyway, he started out by giving me a dead fish handshake. I was done right then. Come on buddy! You aren't flattering me by being gentle! Have you seen my hands? These man hands can handle a real shake thankyouverymuch! Then he goes on to ask if my husband is home so he can ask him about our life insurance. I felt like a little girl who was asked if my dad was home. I know our insurance situation thanks. Leave now sir. Just leave. Did I mention I was taller than him? *sigh*

2. I don't like having things pointed out to me. For example, if I have a cold sore on my lip, which happens more than I'd like, chances are I did notice it that morning and am well aware of it's existence. You know it's there and I know it's there so can we please just carry on now? Or when I'm saying something and you get what I mean, you don't need to correct my sentence for me. Thanks though... **Side note, i was gonna post a picture of a cold sore but that's gross. You're welcome for refraining.**


3. I am not a fan of the new policy that everyone is a winner. Everyone is not a winner! Unless you have tiger blood and Adonis DNA, you are not a winner unless you have in fact won something. If you are trying to get a job as an adult, they don't hand out jobs to everyone who applies. Why then do we give all the kids a "participation" medal or trophy these days? How do we teach kids to be good losers? Like my dad said, the olympics must be really confusing for kids to watch.


4. Space invaders. Everyone has a bubble of personal space. Take your bubble and double it...that's how big my bubble is. When I'm standing in line to buy groceries or buy movie tickets I can not stand it when the person behind me is all up in my business. You will not get through the line faster by stepping on my heels and breathing on my neck. This can also be applied when driving. Seriously back it up.


5. I get annoyed when people say "I'm in a million per cent." or "you are an eleven out of ten." I exaggerate all the time but for some reason when there is a specific cap put on a scale, exceeding that cap annoys me! If it is out of ten, then ten is all you get! Randy from American Idol drives me bananas! He ALWAYS says "a million percent yes, a million percent!" Ugh! I'm happy you're excited but please. Just stop.

Now let's be positive! Things that make me happy:


1. I love when people let someone go ahead of them in the grocery checkout when the other person has one or two items. It's not hard to be nice!


2. I love when people wink. A wink and a smile seriously gets me every time.


3. I think the biggest compliment someone can give me is to compliment my kids. If you think my kids are great, I think you're great.


4. I love when people get my jokes. I joke around a lot. But I don't like to explain myself so if you didn't catch it the first time, just move along.
5.


If you get this picture then I like you. That is all...

Location:Purple Springs,Canada

Insane in the membrane

Have I told you about the "bet" RJ and I made? Let me enlighten you.

Last year was a junk year. All the way around, we were so glad to see 2010 in the rear view mirror.

Since it was a stressful year we did a lot of emotional eating, according to our scales. So we decided to make a weight loss challenge. I know that men lose way faster than women but really? He has seriously kicked my butt. Since January, he's down 25 lbs and I'm down ..... Wait for it....



7 lbs... Wah wah wah....

7 measly pounds! Whatever.

We didn't really decide what the winner gets but I'm thinking I'm not in the running anymore, which is fine. Although, Ryan is starting to work on the farm lots so his gym time will be drastically cut. I may have a chance yet! Cross your fingers!

As you saw by one of my recent posts, I have been doing lots of fun classes. Well yoga is now over because it's a community learning thing since we have no real gym for that any kind of regular classes.

Zumba is over after Wednesday for the same reason. But I did buy some Zumba DVDs and I'm excited to get doing them regularly.

Remember that run we signed up for? Well me and Niki went up to the race and it started snowing/raining. Since neither of us are "runners" we totally bailed. It's fine though. I don't need to run a 6k in snow to build character. We did sign up for another run in June so technically I don't consider it a bail, it's just on hold.

The main thing I've been doing lately? I'm glad you asked!


Insanity is just that. Insane. I am not even kidding when I tell you that I cry during some of these workouts. It is THE hardest thing I've ever done. But I'm improving! Every 15 days you do a fit test and I improved tons in my first 15! And I'm down a size. Oh yeah, and 7 stupid pounds.

Shaun T is a good motivator. But I hate you Shaun T... Hate. You.


Okay, I kind of like you.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to. What are you doing to work out?

Day 3

Name something you crave a lot.

Something I crave a lot....There's lots of things I crave a lot. Let's try to narrow it down to one, shall we?

I crave summer.

To be specific I crave that week or two that can't decide if it wants to be spring or summer. The flowers are blooming, the grass is green, birds are chirping, it's t-shirt weather during the day but you still need a sweater at night....that's my favorite.

Being married to farmer has also made this time of year special. I live riding co-pilot in the tractor with Ryan as he is working the land or planting crops. We have had some of our best conversations in the tractor.

It's more than just a season, it's actually a feeling. There's hope in the air. Yeah yeah, I know it sounds cheesy but it's true. Everyone has had a good winter break to recover from the stress of harvest and it seems everyone is bright eyed and bushy tailed to get the year going.

This year I'm hoping to get some yard work done too. We were going to get some landscaping done last year but we had an unusually wet spring and were too busy pumping water out of the fields to worry about grass. Item number one on my yard list is definitely a garden.


This is my dream garden. Cross your fingers I can talk Ryan into it! Ha ha!

I haven't had a garden for three years because we were either selling, renting, or flooded out... I miss gardening. Stay tuned for updates on that! There's just something so satisfactory about growing a garden....

Location:Purple Springs,Canada

Day 2

Name your celebrity crush and 5 things you'd like to do with them.

I think Justin Timberlake made the cut.



Don't you dare even think about judging me about my choice, you know you love JT too. He isn't on my list because he's necessarily good looking. He has a bunch of weird features by themselves but together his weird lips/nose/eyes seem to work. He's in the same boat as Scarlet Johanson. She has weird features that seem to collectively work.

Here's why he's my pick. He really can sing. I've been patiently awaiting his next album. I was not a fan when he was in N*SYNC. I only became a fan when he brought sexy back. Dude's come a long way from his N*SYNC days. A LONG way.



See? He gets extra points for cutting those frosted tips. Well done JT, well done.

Anyway, five things we'd do together.

1. Sing a duet. Duh. One song my choice and one song his choice. That would be good times.

2. Do a Saturday Night Live skit together. Every time he shows up on SNL I get all giggly. He is just so stinking funny! For a while there he was randomly showing up every week.

3. Double dinner date with Ryan and Jessica Biel. He's still dating her, right? Well she seems super funny too so that would be a fun night.

4. Photo shoot. We'd need a memory of our fun day together. I'm sure he has some fabulous hair/makeup/wardrobe/photographer people that would make some great pictures. I would maybe bring my own wardrobe people...we wouldn't want a wardrobe malfunction. That would be awkward.

5. I'm out of ideas. The other four things would be sufficient. Maybe we'd do an extra SNL skit just for fun. A digital short song. That would be so funny.



Hilarious....

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 1

I'm going to do a 30 day blog challenge. This idea is recycled from Julie. She has good ideas. The end.

Day 1: Name 5 things about yourself that no one really knows.

1) I cry during sad movies. I mean really cry. Hard. We're talking ugly cry. I don't want to talk about it. All I need now is some purple lipstick, right? (sorry, private family joke...)

2)As much as can be the stereotypical woman in other departments, I will actually choose chocolate flavored treats last. Chocolate ice cream and chocolate cake on the menu? No thank you.




3)You may or may not know this about me but I am terrified of spiders. To be specific, all bugs that stick to me scare me. Grasshoppers aren't bad in theory, but they don't shake off easily and that is a huge problem. I'm getting better just in the simple fact that I'm realizing if nobody else is around, and I don't squish the spider, it will just run and hide only to pop out again later. And squished spiders always get flushed, no exceptions. That way they can't reanimate and get me later. Common sense. PS yes I have seen Arachnophobia.




4) I was in the Alberta High School Honor Choir. That was kind of a big deal because only 35 kids in all of Alberta were chosen. It is still one of my most treasured memories. (I'm the third from the right on the second row...)




5) Flying scares me. A lot. I love going on trips though and that is usually the only option to get somewhere good. I get major anxiety. We're talking one step away from breathing into a paper bag anxiety. I act like I'm bored but really I'm trying real hard not to think about falling from the sky in a giant fireball of death. I am an actress after all. Never mind that I'm usually doped up on gravol...




I'm going to *try* to blog every day on the new subject. Sorry if you read Julie's blog and get bored of the repeat. I am only a good idea doer, not a good idea maker...

Update

Huh.

I guess I turned into "that guy" with my blog.

Don't judge me, I was busy with school.

School was hard though. And I was only taking two online classes. I'm scared for what life will be like when I'm going to the college full time.

Here's how that went.

I took an Algebra class. It was really hard! I managed to pull off an 85% final grade and I even got 100% on one exam! Yay me!

I also took a Psychology introduction class. That was interesting but I'm not really super great at memorizing facts about names and dates. That was the basics on every test so I didn't fare as well. But I did end up with a 79% in that class. I'm hoping the one good thing about driving into the college will be the simple fact that I will be able to commit more fully. When I'm at home sitting on my computer it's easy for people to bother me. And since I'm easily distracted, that is not a good thing.

I was supposed to drive in a couple days a week (I live about 45 min from the college so the drive in is a bit of an ordeal) but it turns out I don't have to do any more upgrading. I had my schedule all set for the winter semester but when I applied for the actual Nursing program I got a call from the admissions desk. She told me that according to my good math grade and my less-than-amazing high school grades, I could actually come in and write an equivalency test and completely bypass anymore upgrading. So I did and I got 98% on it and am officially accepted into the Nursing program for September.

I decided to do the two year LPN (Practical Nursing) instead of the four year RN program because it was all around a better fit to do a two year program. I don't want to graduate the same time as Katie. Not cool. Maybe we could go grad dress shopping together though? Just kidding. But not kidding about the prospect of going back-to-school shopping in September....

So in other news, we have a new line-up for farm pets. That's big news people. Duke got hit by a truck and I decided to re-home Ruby to a family that is a way better fit for her, especially since I'm going to be gone all the time. We've even gone and visited her a few times and she is much happier.

And the 525,600 farm cats we had have all moved on to a better place. Some had help being re-homed (don't tell Katie) but most just disappeared.

We have a new puppy and she's so fun. Her name is Maisey (get it? Maise = corn).



We call her our Care Bear puppy because she has a perfect white heart mark on her tummy. I'll post a pic of her heart another time.

Remember that one time that this was a cooking blog? Well it might have to turn into a diet blog. All that amazing food I was cooking was not kind to me. I learned tons and loved it, but alas....I don't like the junk it put in my trunk.

Now I'm using all my time on the following activities:


**Healthy eating**.
I'm taking what I learned from Tyler and omitting all the cream and butter. I can make some pretty wicked food and it can still be wicked but healthy.



**Zumba**.
If you haven't tried it, you should be ashamed of yourself and go sign up for a class immediately.



**Yoga**.
I've never done yoga before and I absolutely love it. It makes me feel so relaxed and stretchy.



**Aqua fit**.
I go with my friend to the pool a couple times a week and it is really fun. It is usually a class full of older ladies in their swim caps and I adore them.



**Running**.
I signed up for a 6km run in the middle of March and I don't want to embarrass myself too badly so I have been training for it. And I use the word "training" in it's loosest form.



**Growing my hair out**.
I cut my hair last year and it was seriously the biggest mistake I ever made. Well maybe not ever, that was a bit dramatic, but it was a HUGE regret. I have a habit of growing my hair super long then chopping it off short. I have never been attached to my hair before. But this time was different. I had really great hair. I'm still in mourning from the chop. So what if this is a shallow "activity". Pretty hair makes me happy.



**Relaxing**.
I have a CRAZY couple of years coming up so I'm enjoying my time off to the fullest. And I have a really great bathtub that I do not spend near enough quality time with. Doesn't it look neglected?

So that's the deal. I have lots going on and I'm going to make it a priority to tell you all about it more often. Plus my sister-in-law Julie had a super fun blog idea that I think I'm going to copy. Stay tuned my pretties....

Blueberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

I have not lived until tonight. Tonight is when I made Blueberry Cheesecake Cupcakes. Seriously. They were that good. I say "were" because by the time you read this, they will probably be looong gone. Here's what they used to look like:

So good, right?

Here's how I made them:

First, call your sister on the phone and ask how she would incorporate cream cheese into the cake part of a cupcake if she were to make this particular flavor. *Only do this step if you have the privilege of having a Cake Boss for a sister, which I do.

1 package French Vanilla cake mix
1/2 brick cream cheese
4 eggs
1 1/4 c milk

Combine cake mix, milk, and eggs with room temperature cream cheese. You want little bits of the cream cheese to come through as you eat but not huge chunks. Chunks are gross. Fill 24 muffin cups and bake at 350* for about 20 minutes (or when a toothpick comes out clean). Cool the cupcakes completely.

Meanwhile.....

Reserve 24 blueberries for decoration. Smush one pint of blueberries with 1/3 c sugar. Bring this blueberry mix to a boil and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly. Put in a bowl and cool completely in the fridge.

When blueberries are cold, mix around 1/3 of the mixture with one tub of cream cheese frosting or you could use your own cream cheese icing recipe since the store version turned a bit runny after adding the blueberries. Use the rest of the blueberry mixture for filling in the cupcakes. Use a piping bag with a larger tip to fill cupcakes. Frost with frosting and put a fresh blueberry on top. Now have a good time at the party in your mouth!

Here's what else I've been doing in the six years since I blogged last. Have you ever been to Silverwood? You should go. It's way too fun. Silverwood is down in Idaho kind of in between Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene. It's a huge amusement park on one side and a water park on the other side. We went down there and rode rides and swam till we passed out every day. And we went to IHOP for breakfast one morning....which was clearly the highlight. Just kidding. But IHOP is always a good time. The highlight was clearly the Aftershock roller coaster.

Let me explain it to you. It's one of those roller coasters that the business part is above you and your legs are dangling. This one pulls you up so you're looking down at the ground then shoots you down and around the loop-de-loops and you get pulled up the other tower backwards so you're now looking up at the sky. Then it shoots you down and you do the whole thing again backwards.

If you look real close you can see my legs dangling, 3rd seat from the top. I dragged three of my nieces with me but to be honest, I was only talking tough and was surprised they agreed. I was kind of hoping they would back down so I could too and still sound brave. While we were waiting in line, Shalyce looked at me and said, "I'm out" and left. Ten minutes later she joined us back in line.

Dang.

Next thing I looked over at Taylor and she was completely white as a ghost.
T - "Amanda, I'm gonna barf. I can't do this."
Me - "Okay Tay. We can leave if you aren't feeling well." (you know, just being the supportive auntie that I am....)
T - "Well, I think maybe I'll be okay. Let's do this."

Double dang.

Torri on the other hand was waiting for the stinking ride to start! I think she was the only one who really wanted to go on it. Did I mention she's only 11?

Moral of the story is, we did eventually get on (after being at the front of the line for about three rounds), and we LOVED it! It was seriously the funnest ride ever. I talked Katie into going on it too and after a minor (MAJOR) melt-down, she decided she loved it too! We'll definitely be back to Silverwood. You should go too!

So in other news, I'm gonna be in a play! Taber Players is doing Nunsense and I'm Sister Robert Anne. She's the sassy, tough-guy, trouble maker nun from Brooklyn. If you don't know about Nunsense, go check it out on Youtube. The Late Great Rue McClanahan is the Reverend Mother on the Youtube version. It's pretty funny and I'm super excited! I'll post more about that later as we've just started and I don't have much to comment about it yet....

To everything, (turn turn turn) There is a season (turn turn turn)

We are coming on a lot of big changes around here. The song by the Byrds referenced in the title has been running through my head on repeat for the last couple months. Sometime in February it hit me that Emily is going to be in Grade 1 next year. What? When did that happen? I have been waiting for this to happen for what seemed like EVER and while I was waiting, it happened. I thought her going to school full time would bring on some elaborate celebration or a grand freedom march of some sort. Surprisingly it brought sadness. What?!?! Who AM I?

With this grand revelation brought a sense of panic. Not the sense of panic that causes someone to go out and buy 30 pairs of new shoes (this time), but the sense of panic that causes someone to take stock of their life and regroup. A couple months ago, I went with RJ up to Edmonton for business. We went out to dinner one night with a friend of his who is "wiser" than us. That's a polite way of saying he's old enough to be my dad (no offence dad, you're young). Anywho, while we were talking with our friend, he was telling us about his wife who went back to school at the age of 40 to become a doctor. She graduated when she was 48. I thought, I'm only 30. I have all the time in to world to go to school! So the new seed was planted.

This brings me to my grand revelation. I was absolutely intrigued by his explanation of her schooling and now her job. It was hard for her, I mean, who isn't medical school hard for. Come on. But it was totally worth it. *Enter Relief Society-like quote here* -no really. I can't remember the quote about how you have to work hard for anything worth having.....

Anyway.....

I think I found my "thing". Don't get me wrong, I'm still gonna cook with Tyler and write about it....like I have been meaning to do....but I'm going to add to my life experience.

I went to the college and did a 6 hour placement test. That was hands down the hardest test I've ever taken. Partly because it meant dusting off the back caverns of my brain to find the things they were asking for. Ryan, being the supportive husband he is, told me that if I did crappy on the test, I would never hear the end of it from him. It would be mocking of the grandest fashion. I did bring this upon myself because I remind him on every occasion I can that I'm the smartest person he knows and I skipped a grade. His wonderfully supportive comments just added to my nerves. I was more scared to find the marks out than I was to take the actual test! When I went in to get the results, the student adviser told me that typically you lose a grade level for every 3 years or so that you've been out of school. That's been 13 years, ladies and gentlemen, so that would put me at about a 7th grade level (because as I found out today, I put a stop to my math career in grade 11. Yes I am ashamed. No really, I wish I would have put way more effort into school the first time. I thought for sure I did math in grade 12). Turns out I actually still have bragging rights. I am at a Math 20 level (impressive because I only took Math 23 thirteen years ago and did HORRIBLY at it) and I got 83% on my English. Who knew? ME, that's who! I knew! Thanks for the extra boost to do well, Ryan. Love you! Actually I didn't know and I was really impressed with my results. And humbled.

They also did a career placement test to see what would be the best fit for me. They thought I should be a nurse. Well maybe I will! I missed the deadline to apply for the Nursing program this year. That's okay because thanks to my extremely full social calendar I enjoyed in High School, I need a full year of upgrading anyway. Regrets, I have a few, but then again, too few to mention... *two points if you can name that song*

I think nursing will be amazing. I would have NEVER been able to take this seriously until this season of my life. It wasn't even anything I ever considered doing. That's where the song reference comes into play. I love when ideas turn into reality. It's gonna be really hard. *see Relief Society quote from before* I just look at my pal Beckie and she's my hero. She's in nursing but she makes it work and still is a great mom who carpools her kids around to their baseball games. She doesn't glamorize it by saying it's a walk in the park. It's hard. But Becks is still the wind beneath my wings. And my inspiration. Don't think I'm going into this all sparkly-eyed. I realize the work involved and I'm excited for the challenge. My brain needs stimuli. Stimulus? See, it needs a workout.

The moral of the story is, I'm gonna be a Nurse! That's gonna be my thing! YAY ME! This is going to be a big sacrifice for our family for a few years, but I think the end result will be worth it. Ryan is seriously so supportive of my wanting to go to school. He's amazing. There's no way I could even think about doing this without him. High five RJ, you're the best. Enough of that. Wish me luck everyone.....

Red Velvety Goodness

Okay. So technically this isn't a Tyler Recipe but since he's from the south, I'm almost certain he's made it before. I'm gonna email him and tell him he needs to publish his version in his next cookbook. 90% sure he'll listen to his favorite fan.

RED VELVET CAKE
1/2 c shortening
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 c sifted cake flour
1 c buttermilk
3 tbsp red food coloring
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vinegar

Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly grease and flour two 9" round cake pans. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar together well. Beat in eggs until light and fluffy. Add salt. Beat in cake flour alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Make a paste of red food coloring and cocoa. Add to batter and beat well. Mix vanilla, baking soda, and vinegar in a small bowl. Sprinkle over batter, then stir in. Pour into pans and bake for 30-35 min until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 min, then put on racks. Frost. Eat.


I'm not giving you the frosting recipe I used because I hated it. And it didn't turn out. I think I jinxed it though because I was skeptical when I was reading the ingredients. Another reason I don't think it really worked out is because I love to cook by hand. I like to use a whisk and my own man-power over an electric mixer. When you're whipping things into fluffy goodness this isn't always the best policy to use. I still prefer hand mixing.

This is the first time I made this cake and I wasn't too disappointed with the turn out. I know what I'll do differently next time but all in all it wasn't bad. The hint o'chocolate flavor was what I loved about it. I'm not a fan of chocolate cake ( I know, surprise, surprise) but this was a happy medium. I can have my cake and eat it too. Thanks. I'll be here all week. Don't forget to tip your waitress.

I'm going to keep making and tweaking this recipe until it's reached perfection. I already have some ideas about what to do to help on the dryness factor. It was one of those cakes you need a big glass of milk with. Anyway. I'll keep you posted on how this goes.

Moving on.

RJ's Amazing Birthday Dinner was neither amazing nor dinner for that matter. K's soccer coach called and said they had team pictures at 5:50 and then their game was to be at 6:30. That extra 40 minutes was the time I allotted for actually eating the dinner. RJ tried to talk (guilt) K into skipping soccer all together but she would have none of it. We had 5 minutes to pack the Bacon Wrapped Roast and Velvety Mashed Potatoes up and pop them in the fridge and get to town. We ended up getting an extra special cheeseburger meal from the one and only Raunchy Ronnie's. This is one of those times when it's the thought that really does count. Yay for leftovers tonight though!

That brings me to a couple of pictures found on the lost but now found camera. I have a good excuse for not cooking/blogging so much. Soccer. Soccer is way funner this year because the kids are actuallly playing the game of soccer. I really do enjoy going (most days). But that's where the excuse part comes in. I'm going most days....4 days a week this year. On one of the sacred days off I made this:


Mmmmmmm.

The Ultimate Spaghetti Carbonara
pg 160 of Tyler's Ultimate

When we first got married, RJ introduced me to the joy of carbonara sauce. When he lived in England for two years he learned a different method of cooking this dish that we have since grown out of. He's not a real pasta guy so it's always an extra challenge to make pasta dishes he'll eat. I think (?) he liked this. When I'm not feeling super great the comfort food I reach for is creamy pastas. Carbonara is the granddaddy of all comfy pastas in my book. Something about the onion-mushroom-bacony goodness combination gets me every time. I agree that this is the Ultimate Carbonara. Yummmmmmy! The kids liked it too. He uses an egg in his sauce that was unexpected and yummy. Ty describes it as being a silky egg sauce and I concur. I think I might even make some more tonight because now its on my mind.

You know what else is good? Ricardo's. The owner/chef makes all his pasta fresh by hand every day. He also makes all the sauces and the bread...everything. It just screams home-cooked. This is my new favorite lunch spot with RJ. The only downfall is he likes to sit down and visit with you while you're eating. Now if you know me, you know I'm not a fan of space-invaders. The chef likes to plop down real close. Come on man, I'm just trying to eat my food! I took Em there for her birthday because she's a pasta freak like me and he sat down next to her to talk about stuff. She would have none of it. Why do kids get to be honest and just ignore people when they don't feel like talking to them? I wish.

Speaking of comfort food, here's what else I made.


Fried Chicken with Buttermilk Cherry Tomatoes
pg 128 of Stirring the Pot

Nothing beats fried chicken. PS I thought Tyler's version was better than the Colonels. KFC isn't my fave anyway so that wasn't that big of a deal but still. I left out the Buttermilk Cherry Tomatoes part because I didn't have any buttermilk left after marinating the chicken in it. It was still super good without. This chicken had a bit of hot sauce in the marinade too which was a nice little kick. I love dished with surprise ingredients that you have to think real hard about. It's like your mouth says, "I think that's hot sauce but.....I'm not sure.....". That's my kind of cooking. Good food makes people happy. I was watching Tyler's cooking show and he is a genius. The key to good cooking is to know what ingredients can compliment each other. And you have to experiment. He seriously just was throwing things together that I wouldn't have thought to put together but that actually made a lot of sense that they were together. I like experimenting with my steak marinades. I don't think I've ever made the same marinade twice. There have been some real hits and some real stinkers. The moral of this story is: Play with your food people!

Tyler On The Go!

Yay! Today is RJ's birthday. Happy birthday sweetness!


Lookin' good! So I was looking on Tyler Florence dot com for inspiration on an amazing birthday menu and found out that Ty has a new app for my ipod. Yes he did make it specifically for me. I did get a little bit side-tracked in my recipe hunt for the big birthday dinner but that is serendipity if I ever saw it! Go HERE to get your own Tyler Florence app! You know you want to! Yay for exclamation marks!!! I know I haven't been on here for like ten months but I can't find my camera with all my cooking pictures on it. I'm looking real hard today because I have an amazing dinner planned for RJ and I need to put it on here so you can all be super jealous you didn't come over for dinner. That's all I'm gonna say about that...until later. I PROMISE I'll be back in the next 24 hours to post pics and deets about the feast.....

Winner winner chicken dinner

I decided to cook again. My family has been looking a bit skeletal so I thought it was probably time....

So here's what I cooked:

Perfect Roast Chicken
page 67 of Stirring The Pot

I know. I cooked it on its belly when it should have been on its back. It was amazing though. The smell....oh my gosh, the smell was AMAZING! This is easily hands down the most flavorful chicken I have ever cooked. I put a paste made of tons of garlic, butter, parsley, thyme, rosemary, etc....I left out the lemon though because I'm still a bit scarred from the Provencal Chicken. And I didn't put mushrooms in with the chicken while I roasted. It was still brilliant.

If you haven't gone out to buy Tyler's cookbooks (shame on you!) he does a write up before most of his recipes. The write up on this recipe was really funny because of my inspiration to learn cooking (Julie & Julia). Here's what he said:

"At Tyler Florence: Mill Valley, my kitchen retail shop, I have a constant loop of vintage shows of Julia Child's The French Chef playing on the wall. In my favorite episode, she roasts a chicken. Before she passed, Julia once mentioned that she was a fan of mine and I honestly couldn't have been more flattered. But she also said she didn't agree with my method of roasting a chicken, and I'll tell you, I've made it my mission to right that wrong. So I thought this would be the ideal opportunity to walk you through, step-by-step, roasting the perfect chicken. I think you will find this helpful and that it would make Julia proud."

I think she would be proud of this one Tyler. Scrap the Provencal Chicken and just stick with this one. Just my little tidbit of advice. Love you Tyler!

I wish I could go to Tyler's Mill Valley kitchen retail shop. But I probably won't because I don't think a trip to Cali is in my near future. Partly because I'm so busy....I'll get to that in a bit....but the other reason is because I'm going HERE instead:

My friend Heather opened this store and it has the CUTEST stuff ever. I can't wait to go and shop my face off. For realsies. See you there!

Here's why else I'm too busy to go to Cali:

That's right. My poor puppy broke his leg. Duke was going with Ryan to be a farm dog and he just wasn't big enough yet to understand not to jump out of the truck. The truck was barely moving but it's pretty high up for a 10 week old puppy to jump out of. Dukers got a cute cast that is now off...partly because he is better and partly because he grew out of/chewed it in the 10 days it was on. He was already a big snuggly baby and this has made him worse. He tries to climb up on your lap to get a good belly rub which is hilarious because he's just so big! I'm pretty sure he won't ever jump out of the back of a truck again.

We've also been really busy shipping potatoes from the storage bin to the Old Dutch Potato Chip plant. I had a good picture from doing that but this post is getting too long so maybe next time I'll post it. Plus I'm tired so maybe I'll take a nap....

Tip of the day

Oh my gosh you guys.

I just learned the coolest thing.

Ever.

I learned that if you have been chopping a lot of garlic (which I have been because Tyler loves his garlic!) you CAN get rid of the smell! All you have to do is rub your hands on your stainless steel sink and you don't smell anymore! It's true. I've done it and it really works.

Now go chop some garlic...

Master of the Universe

We got another puppy. I know. I'm an idiot. But this new puppy is SO cute! And Luke finally has another boy around. In my defense, this puppy was the puppy we planned for. Ruby was the spur-of-the-moment-she's-so-cute-can-I-please-please-have-her addition. This new puppy wasn't ready until just now.

The problem with Duke (Luke named him Duke because they're best buddies) is he can't handle much alone time, being one from a litter of eight puppies. We're trying to crate train him and it isn't going well. He got two baths last night because he pooped and played in it. Gross. But he's still cute! He's a silver lab and he has blue eyes. Duke's gonna get big too (he's 1/4 Great Dane) so as soon as we can get a dog run built outside, he will forever be banished to the outdoors as a true farm dog. He mostly just hangs out (poops on) the back deck and sleeps in the garage at night. I should add that Ruby is his chew toy. When they first met, he just grabbed her by the back leg and started dragging her around. Super funny.

I promise this is the last animal I'm getting. Ryan is not happy about all the pets we've acquired. While we were talking about Duke's pick up he says sarcastically, "Why don't we get more pets! Let's just stop at the pet store and get 10 fish while we're at it!"

So I said, "Did you hear that kids? Dad said you could get fish!"

Kids: "YAY!"

That's what you get Ryan. Ha ha!

Here's Duke:

I realize the main blue in his eyes is from the reflection, but he really does have light blue eyes.

Okay. Enough about our zoo.

Dinner was gross.

Veal Piccata with Lemon, Capers, and Parsley-butter Sauce
on page 93 of Stirring The Pot
I've decided I don't like meals with a huge lemon flavor. It's just overwhelming for me. It's not me, it's you, lemon. The kids didn't like it, partly because they asked what veal was and I (stupidly) told them it was a baby cow. (WHAT?!? How did it get killed?) Great. Now my kids are vegan. Not that there's anything wrong with it.

This wasn't too difficult to make but it was messy. Anytime you dredge anything in flour then egg it won't be pretty. I felt the sauce for the noodles needed more depth to it. It just tasted like lemon juice with garlic mixed in. If I make this again, I will probably make a garlic cream sauce and add a hint of lemon to the veal itself.


I've had a hard time cooking lately. I thought when my kids were school aged I would have all the time in the world to just hang around and be a mom. False advertising! I've steadily gotten busier and busier. Who knew?

I have however found time to read everyone else's blogs. Ryan's cousin Rebecca tagged me in a MASTER list that I have been thinking about ever since. I finally have it down.

Here's the deal.

(1) List 6 things you are a master in.

(2) Pass it on to 6 bloggers you think are masters at friendship & make blogging so awesome.

Here's what I came up with:

1) MASTER OF USELESS INFORMATION. I got it from my Dad. Thanks Dad! I could probably win Jeopardy. Blindfolded. This makes Ryan CRAZY. One thing we play is "Name That Celebrity" on movies. I know everyone's name, past movies, age, height, weight....okay, maybe not all that but I do know who they are and what they've been in.

2) MASTER OF SARCASM. If we've ever had a conversation you've probably been subjected to it. Sorry. I can't help it.

3) MASTER OF PLOTTING. Another fun game RJ and I play while we watch the teev (yeah I just shortened that) is we try and guess the ending as soon as possible after starting either the TV show or movie. Well he tries, I win. Not just the ending either, we have to guess how they get to that possible ending. Good times.

4) MASTER CHEF. Obviously.

5) MASTER OF PERSONAL SPACE. I have an abnormally large bubble of personal space. I don't like "Space Invaders" at all. Ewwww. While in any kind of line, be it the bank, grocery store, movie theaters: just back it up people, back it up. I like space.

6) MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE. Well, maybe not the Universe, per say. I am a master of current events. I love the news. I love knowing what's going on. I should have been a reporter because I also love being the one to break the news. And I love discussing current events. I should be on some kind of panel to discuss my thoughts on TV.

So here's my 6 tags. Don't let me down people.

1) Lachele
2) Julie
3) Mandy
4) Tiffany
5) Jackie
6) Colton (even though I can't read your blog....)

Isn't my blog supposed to be about my cooking? Ha! I'm gonna go cook something now....

Let's just make it official, okay?

Raise your hand if you automatically become a restaurant critic every time you walk through any eating establishment. I do it each and every time so I decided to tell you all how I feel about the places I eat. I've decided, starting now, I'm officially a Food Critic. Just ask the guy who was waiting for his wife to come out of the bathroom. I gave him the CliffsNotes version of my critique while I was waiting for Ryan. PS this was really scandalous for RJ for some reason. Maybe because I don't carry a badge? I don't know. It was funny for me though.

Last night, Ryan had some tickets for the annual Steak and Lobsterfest. What he didn't do was confirm the day on his tickets. We actually have tickets for the annual Steak and Lobsterfest for tonight. We already had the babysitter lined up so we decided to try the new restaurant in town that we've been meaning to go to. The restaurant is in a hotel that was recently renovated. We went to a wedding at this hotel in December. The bride was gorgeous, the speeches were funny, the groom was charming, the parents were teary-eyed, but the food. You guys. The food! I have never, nor will I ever again eat food like this. It was a classic menu of prime rib, roasted baby potatoes, salad, vegetables, pasta salad. I know. Doesn't sound very gourmet. But it was. The prime rib was juicy and full of flavor and the potatoes were perfect. It wasn't the menu in itself that was amazing, I think it was the preparation. Amazing.

Needless to say, we have been anxious to try the new restaurant. It's called Firestone and you should go. Here's why:

1) The Atmosphere was really comfortable but still upbeat. The music wasn't too loud which is important. Ryan gets yelled at enough at home, he should be able to have a break while we're dining out. The biggest annoyance for both of us was the seating situation. There were booths and tables all over but the main walkway had booths on one side and tables on the other. Not regular tables, romantic tables for two with side by side seating. Umm....we've been married for 10 years, we don't need to brush thighs while we eat. While the walkway did make for good people watching, it made us feel like we were on front row seating for the booth beside us. Seriously. No thank you. Where do you look when you're sitting and waiting for your food? Straight ahead. There were way too many awkward eye locks with the people beside (in front of?) us.
Overall I gave the Atmosphere 4 out of 5.

2) The Service was okay. When I sit down to eat I like to immediately have a drink order. If I ran a restaurant, I would have the hostess carry a pitcher of water with her as she seats people. Even if you want to order a Diet Coke, there would be water available at all times. I'm serious, it would make all the difference. One night we were out eating and the waiter/waitress didn't even come to take our drink order for 1/2 hour after we were seated! We left. Jerks. *Side note: that restaurant has since gone out of business. Hmmm.* This waitress last night was pretty good about the initial drink order, but we had empty water glasses way too often. The appetizers did come within a couple minutes after ordering though which was really surprising. The main course felt like it took longer than usual but I think I'm going to blame that on the fact that we were sitting there on our front row seats, drooling at the table beside us.
Overall I gave the Service 4 out of 5.

3) The Bathrooms were very impressive. I firmly believe that you can judge the quality of a restaurant by the bathroom. While on a weekend getaway with the kids one year we went out to eat lunch. Before we left I took the kids to visit the bathroom and I was seriously horrified. I swear when I was looking around I could hear the classic "RHEEE RHEEE RHEEE". There was, *ahem*, brown stuff EVERYWHERE!!! On the floor, on every part of the toilet, the walls. I'm not even exaggerating at all! I'm curious about what the guilty party looked like after creating that kind of catastrophe. Did they even survive? I grabbed my crying, scarred children and told Ryan that we needed to go get some kind of shots from the hospital. Or our stomachs pumped. We told the management and they didn't seem too bothered by it. I wish I knew the name of that restaurant but I must have suppressed that bad memory. Seriously. Bathroom cleanliness is a must. This bathroom was super cute (and clean) with individual chandeliers in each stall, a couch and TV (I thought they only did that for mens rooms), and while I was washing my hands, an employee came in to straiten up. Well done, Firestone. Well done.
I gave Bathrooms 5 out of 5.

4) The Food and Menu was amazing. This is our new favorite restaurant because it has everything and the prices were really reasonable and huge portions (thank you guy waiting by bathroom for that little insight). On the menu there was a steak section, pizzas, sushi, chicken, unbelievable salads, unique starters....seriously everything. It had tons of items but it wasn't overwhelming because there were so many sub categories. I have a hard time deciding what to eat so a menu that is ADD-friendly is important. Another thing I like to see is a knowledgeable server. If I'm having a hard time deciding, I like to ask my server what they love. If they know the menu they can give honest suggestions. I did ask and she did know what she was talking about.
To start, we ordered Mini-Yorkies which were yorkshire puddings filled with shaved roast beef served with a horseradish dip. The horseradish was kind of sweet and it added a good flavor to the roast beef, not the usually spice of plain horseradish. Super yummy. The Lobster Spinach Dip was surprisingly fresh. Usually spinach dips in restaurants are overloaded with cream cheese but in this one the cream cheese was a supporting character, as it should be. I ordered Avocado Rolls and they were HUGE. I was so full after eating them. They were definitely up there with the best sushi ever. I'm going to learn how to make good sushi. So many people are mis-informed that sushi is only raw fish. It's so much more people! Ryan got the Half Roast Chicken and he said it was good. It wasn't too memorable, but come on. How exciting can you make roast chicken? It's either good or it isn't in my opinion. The plates were really cute too. I like cool plates. For dessert we got Them Donuts. They were cute little home-made donut holes that were dusted with powdered sugar and came with three dipping sauces: chocolate, raspberries, and a butter rum cream. Brilliant. I was too full to finish these (yay for me, Ry doesn't like dessert so I didn't even have to share!) so I'm pretty excited to dig in to the leftovers. The donuts were really light but crispy. The chocolate was, well chocolate. Chocolate gets a good rating by default. The raspberry sauce tasted like it was just crushed raspberries. There wasn't any sugar or anything. I love fresh tasting food. The cream wasn't my fav, but it was okay. One thing I have to mention from the menu. I think when you only have seven items on your dessert menu, you should have all kinds of options. On this menu, they had two items that had a chocolate/raspberry theme. This brought on quite the discussion between me and RJ. One item was a chocolate cake with a raspberry mousse and chocolate sauce. The other was kind of a chocolate fudge with raspberry sauce. Yes they are totally different desserts but the fact that they are both chocolate with raspberry isn't okay with me. It's the same flavor combination repeated. I don't care how different the dish is, mix up the flavor flav. Okay Ryan? That's the way it is. (love you!)
I gave the Food and Menu 5 out of 5.

All in all Firestone restaurant got a 4 out of 5. We will definitely be going back there. And soon...

Fish and Chips.

Let's face it. If you deep fry something, it will taste good. I've only deep fried twice in my life and I'm not really a fan. Mostly because I HATE smelling like food when I go somewhere and if you deep fry, you smell like McDonald's for a minimum of 24 hours. Gross. In making my way through Tyler's books, I must not have really noticed the deep fry chapter. But it still tastes good even if you smell like a donut after. I'll just stick to the eating part of deep frying.

Side note: I'm glad we (as in Canadians) say "deep fry" instead of the American "deep fat fry". It tricks me into thinking it's more healthy. Maybe that's not a good thing? Still. Maybe we leave it out because we know it's unhealthy and are just ignoring the fact? I don't know. I'll ask my American mother. She's smart about those kinds of things.

Anywho. Back to my deep fat frying. I decided to make Fish and Chips.


Fish and Chips with Homemade Tartar
page 130 of Stirring The Pot
My kids LOVE Spongebob Squarepants. Let's be honest, I do too. It's just pure silliness. When they heard we were having Tartar Sauce they all laughed their heads off. If you don't watch Spongebob, (which I know you do so don't lie) they all say "tartar sauce" as a sort of cuss word. Stub your toe? Tartar sauce. Crash your car? Tartar sauce. Blow up the whole town of Bikini Bottom? Tartar sauce. Thanks Saturday Morning Cartoons! You helped my kids try something new!

My brother-in-law and his kids were over when we ate this and they really enjoyed it as well. Taylor doesn't really like fish but she ate it and liked it! The fries were the star of the show though. Oh sorry, the "chips" were the star of the show. Tyler said to bake the potatoes whole and then cut them into wedges and deep fry them. Basically they're already cooked through and you're just crisping them up on the outside. They were delicious.

Ryan lived in England for two years so he's obviously an expert on English dining. Even he said it was comparable.

Speaking of Taylor, she got a new haircut recently. With thick bangs. Emily thinks Taylor is just the coolest thing ever so it wasn't a big surprise when she decided shortly after Taylor unveiled her new 'do that she needed one too. Actually it was a big surprise because Emily is a princess through and through. One day she informed me that "princesses don't have short hair ever." She's had long hair ever since she started growing hair (so since age 2....) and this is a really big deal for her.

BEFORE

AFTER

Isn't she the cutest? RJ didn't think so. He was offended because she looks like she's 16 now. Which doesn't really help matters because she already thinks she's 16. Parenting is fun!

You know what else is fun? The OLYMPICS! I must admit, I'm not usually a fan of the Olympics. Does that make me a bad Canadian? I had a really hard time getting excited for this because I knew it was going to cut into my regular TV schedule. Since they started though, I've definitely changed my tune. I love the Olympics now! Watching that one guy win the first gold on Canadian soil was super exciting. And watching that girl win another gold in that other sport was amazing too. I'm super into the Olympics.

Just in case you were wondering, here's how Ruby is doing:

Isn't she just so super cute? She is totally cute. Funny story though. Last week we had a dinner party and I made Prime Rib Roast (which was super yummy and not from Tyler's cookbook, that's why I didn't blog about it). There were some rib bones left over so we decided to give one to Ruby. Bad decision. She went completely nuts. We tried to take the bone away and she was growling and snapping at everyone. I thought, no big deal, she'll let me take it away. Nope. She lunged at me too. She ran away to a back corner and me and our friend Julie went back to deal with her. Julie reached for the bone and Ruby seriously jumped at her face! What a bad baby! Julie's husband Randy came over to see what was going on. Let me just tell you about Randy. He is a large man. He's super tall and if I was Ruby I would have been seriously re-thinking my tantrum. Randy just walked up to her and held her down and showed her who was boss. The thing is, Randy is a gentle giant. He just talked her down as calmly as could be. Thanks for teaching me how to control my savage beast Randy! PS, you should work for the police as a negotiator. You could totally talk criminals down. Needless to say, Ruby won't be getting any bones for a while. The thing is, she is the sweetest puppy ever and I have NEVER seen this side of her! Let's just hope we don't see that side ever again. Or else Ruby. Or else....

Sunday dinner

I've said before that Ryan's a "Meat and Potatoes Guy" through and through. I really don't understand why, but he would take a plate of roast beef over a big bowl of ice cream any day. I know. He's nuts. But he is what he is so we have a lot of meat on our menu. On Sunday I tried Tyler's version of roast beef dinner. I'm starting to think the novelty has worn off for the kids because none of them were too excited.

Direct quote from Luke, "You know I don't like meat, Mom!" Except for burgers, steak, any kind of chicken, pork chops, etc, etc, etc.

The Ultimate Sunday Dinner of Meat and Potatoes
page 104 of Tyler's Ultimate
You know what I love about getting dinner ready before church? Going to church smelling like meat. Yes I'm being sarcastic here. That is probably #1 on my "list". I HATE going somewhere smelling like food. It's gross. I'll go into my "list" another day. Not today though, sorry. Here's what dinner looked like:

Yes I am well aware this looks gross. Maybe that's why the kids didn't eat it. It wasn't that bad but the gravy was supposed to be runny and didn't make for a pretty picture.

Ryan called today and said, "What's for lunch? I'll be there in 10 minutes."

Boo.

Being the Domestic Engineer that I am, I did what any trained professional in my field would do. I whipped something up. In doing so I had my first injury.

Believe me, Mom's were hurt in the making of this meal! Lunch still turned out yummy. I made spaghetti (with sauce from a jar, GASP) and even threw in one of Tyler's starters:

Carmelized Onion Toast
page 18 of Tyler's Ultimate
This appetizer asks for Anchovies. All I know about anchovies is that they are what gross adults put on pizza. This knowledge was learned as a small child from the ever reliable Saturday Morning Cartoon lineup. Isn't that where all the most important life lessons come from? I think so. Thanks Mom and Dad for all the street smarts I have. Anyway, this is toast covered with carmelized onions that have been sauteed with anchovies. I've never had anchovies...why would I? I only order yummy pizzas...but you know what? It added some nice flavor to the toast. Does that make me a gross adult? I'm going to go with no because I have great hair. That automatically cancels out any gross attributes. Here's what the toast looked like:


And don't worry Dad, I did wash my hands before finishing the spaghetti.

The toast was yummy. Try it. You'll like it. It also has the option of adding olives but I didn't because I didn't have any on such short notice. Dinner tonight is going to be really yummy. Are you excited? Luke probably isn't.....

Can I get fries with that?

Okay. Here's what I've learned this week.

A) Don't ever blog about how you hope your kids don't catch the flu that's been going around. You WILL have puking kids within a day.

B) Food is yummier when you have good friends to share it with.

C) Puppies are still cute even when they poop on the floor.

To be honest I haven't done much cooking with Tyler to talk about. The other night we were being lazy, too lazy to even go get take out, so I decided to try some macaroni and cheese.

The Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese with Peas and Bacon
page 176 of Tyler's Ultimate
I have always loved Mac and Cheese. It is seriously the ultimate comfort food. There is nothing better than Grandma's Macaroni and after making Tyler's version I think Grandma's is still better. Don't get me wrong, Tyler's is a very close second.

When you make this you mix the mac and cheese together (with a good dose of cream and butter, naturally) and throw it in the oven. This dish has 5 1/2 cups of cheese. That's right. 5 1/2 cups. Wow. This is not your low-cal dinner by any means. Anyway, while it's in the oven, you need to fry up the bacon with some fresh thyme and add the peas. When it's done you pile the peas/bacon on top and dig in. Tyler describes the flavor of the peas/bacon as "smokey" and I think he hit it on the head. This particular mac and cheese took comfort food to a whole new level. Plus with the layer of peas I didn't feel as bad eating all the bacon and cheese and noodles. Add veggies to anything and it becomes healthy, right? I also found it funny when I was reading in another of Tyler's books he said, "this isn't a diet book, it's a cookbook." No false advertising here.

Last week we invited our good friends the Harris' over for dinner. Here's what we had:

Scallop Saltimbocca
page 62 of Tyler's Ultimate
They are basically bacon wrapped scallops with apples. I'm sorry but I don't have a picture of these scallops. When I turned around to take a picture they were gone! I'll take that as a good sign. You know, I'm not really a fan of scallops but these were really good. It kept the hungry mob busy while we were making the rest of the food.

The Ultimate Burger with fixin's from The Burger Bar
pages 94-97 of Tyler's Ultimate
If you want a really good burger, try adding new things on top of it. My idea of an amazing burger is to add mushrooms. You can't go wrong with mushrooms. The sides we added included Sauteed Mushrooms, Carmelized Onions, Tomatoes with Olive oil and chives, and Bacon with Rosemary. We also added Swiss Cheese to the burgers while they were cooking. Mmmmmmm. Nothing beats a good burger. The kids all loved these burgers too which is always a bonus.

Tolan's Mom's Potato Salad
page 190 of Tyler's Ultimate
My friend Kim made the potato salad while I was making the burger sides. Way to go Kimberly! I think you're hired! Here on the farm, I think we're potato salad snobs. Ryan's mom makes the best potato salad so it's hard to try new versions. This one was pretty good. I'm probably not going to make it the new family standard but it was a nice change. It had capers in it. If you've never had capers, try them. They look like pickled peas. It just added a different tang. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was boiling the potatoes whole in the skin. It does add a different flavor to the potatoes but it was just too hard to tell if they were cooked all the way through (which they weren't). Not to mention how long it takes for a pot of whole potatoes in the skin to boil. Here's what Dinner with the Harris' looked like and I'm going to apologize in advance for the sideways picture. I tried everything to turn it around and it just isn't working. Don't judge me, just turn your head sideways.


Yummy! I'm still playing it pretty safe in choosing the recipes I'm using. I haven't braved into he seafood section yet. I'm still trying to talk myself into it. Kind of like on Pee Wee's Big Adventure when the pet shop is on fire and he keeps walking past the snakes with the stink face on. He knows he's going to have to go there eventually, but he makes sure all the safe things are out of the way before saving the snakes. That's how I feel about the crabs. I keep flipping through those pages with a stink face but eventually I'm going to HAVE to make it. I'm not brave enough yet, but soon.....