Sunday, October 25, 2009

Quote of the Day

I got this on my ArcaMax recipe newsletter today. I like it.

"Intellectual men who quickly wolf down whatever nourishment is necessary for their bodies with a kind of disdain, may be very rational and have a noble intelligence, but they are not men of taste."Sainte-Beuve, Charles Augustin (1804-1869) French historian

Friday, October 23, 2009

NO MORE Southern Lehigh

Things have been unusual lately. I will post more later, but effective today's date........Joshua is no longer enrolled in the school who made his life a living hell. He was sent on his way with 'you will fail, and you will be back'.....not if Momma has anything to say about it!!!!

I will post more about what else is going on (new grandbaby and all).....but to keep you rolling...I 'baked' 3 rather large pumpkins. Made enough pumpkin stuff to bake umpteen pies. Found a seriously good, but rather easy recipe on Allrecipes.......

A box of spice cake mix
2 cups pumpkin
3/4 cup water.

Mix together, bake in muffin tins. Yummy. Too easy to be that good.

Until later.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Thank YOU, Jesus

As those of you know, who have been following this blog, tale of woe, of what have you....I have been fighting with my former employer for my unemployment compensation. I filed, was awarded compensation, my former employer appeal led, compensation was halted until a hearing was held, hearing held, I showed up, they didn't. I was awarded compensation again. They appeal led again, I received a letter saying that they would allow them to request another hearing but I would continue to receive compensation until then. Hearing was to be set for next Thursday. I just received a call.......the company pulled out of the hearing. I will receive a final determination, but the way it reads in the original paperwork for this hearing, I won the first, and the company would be allowed to have it's say 'why' I shouldn't have, but it would have been under the cloud that they never bothered to show up prior. Now they say, it's nice you are having a hearing, at our request, but we won't be going to this one either. So, this morning I get a call from the court overseeing the hearing, although the official determination will have to be made from Harrisburg (state capital, for all you non-PAians), they have stopped the appeal process. Apparently, it is customary if you appeal a decision, to actually SHOW UP for the hearing. Today looks like it's shaping up to be a good day.......refer to last post....the plumber comes at 1 p.m.!!!!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Gloom, Despair, and Agony on Me

Nothing like having the switch on the 'just replaced' sump pump kick out and flood the basement/playroom. Oh well, it needed to be cleaned up anyway. Sigh

Another day, Another Way to Avoid Housework

Again, I find that procrastination is my best virtue (snort). I have last night's dishes to do and more clothes to fold than I can shake a stick at (I can't do that since I lost the stick in the clothing pile). I did get the sauerkraut made, but the cukes turned before I could get them in jars (see sentence #1). I know, I know. I put things off and then they pile up......I know my faults, but my problem is overcoming them.

Yesterday wasn't one of the best. I got another notice from Unemployment. My former employer contested my unemployment, I had a hearing in August, and since no one from the company showed up, the judge made a determination in my favor. They appeal led saying it was unfair (unfair that they actually had to show up) and to reschedule. The state agreed to let them state their side, but it would be tinged with the fact that they blew off the former meeting and allow me to question their motives. I am confident that it will still go my way, but I have to take time out and run 20 miles out of my way for a 10-15 minute hearing. That, and it falls right in the middle of the one time during the week I usually go to a Ladies Bible Study...any other day of the week I am at home trying to ignore the dishes, laundry and dust bunnies. Thursdays I go out. It is scheduled for Thursday. Since I was bummed, I do what I usually do when I'm out of sorts....I cook. Dinner was as follows:

Bacon wrapped pork chops, rubbed with a dry rub (salt, black pepper, gran. garlic, cumin, chili powder and paprika - there IS measurements in the recipe, but I just eyeball it, this way if you want more garlic -you make yourself happy, etc.) and broil until done (I used 175 internal temp as done). I served Spanish rice and corn with this.....Made enough for dinner and Joe's lunch today (I always make a platter of food for him to take to work the next day). I thought there would be chops left for my lunch or the kids after school, but I was WRONG. I left them out to cool while I went to a meeting last night and asked Joshua to put them up for me. He did.....nom, nom, nom.....when I came in I asked where the chops were....He burped.

Baby boy is front and central lately. We are having all sorts of issues with his school and I am back and forth with them. It all sounds petty taken individually, but when you add up what is going on, I am a raw nerve. Yesterday I had to go to school to find out WHY he owed lunch money. His school uses a debit system. You put money on the account, they swipe their ID card and the lunch is debited to his account. Last school year, he had THREE ID cards stolen from him. Rather than being concerned that there was a thief in their midst, the school was more concerned with me paying $5 a pop to get him a new card. When school started this year, I just gave him cash for lunch each day, no need to use the card. Finally, they gave the kids the new IDs for this year. I give him enough money for a week's worth of lunch in the form of a check (yes, people still write checks) to put on his account. He deposits it and is told he has $6 available to him. How? He hasn't used the account, it should not be in the negative. When they checked the records, his card has been swiped a number of times up to that date. Gee, I wonder who was swiping his card, since he was paying cash for his lunch and didn't even have a card....In order to get to the cafeteria, I have to run the gauntlet of getting thru the office. Now at this school, you get buzzed in, must report to the office, turn in keys and ID to get a visitors pass and must detail where exactly you are going in the school.....I go in, plop down my keys and ask do I have to check my guns, knives, heavy artillery and pike poles as well. I think they know me by now and get 'no, just your keys will suffice'. I go to the cafeteria, find out that they will monitor his card 'usage' and I will continue to send cash with him daily, hopefully they will catch the culprit. The office, however, still feels it is Joshua's fault for LETTING someone steal his card. Oh well.....

Momma is bummed again. So, tonight is whole roasted, seasoned chicken, mashed potatoes and a green veg. I may even make 'nanner bread (yea, I'm that mad). Hopefully, the machinations I have working in the background regarding Joshua's school experience will come to fruition and I can go back to cooking for love and not out of frustration.......as his appetite has been compromised and I eat out of aggravation. Not helping my waist line or his well being.

Off to the stove.