Yer Darn Right, Dontcha Know!!!

Wink, Wink.

I’m all for folksy, people….really. I live in a folksy part of the world---I kind of enjoy country euphemisms, and the fun way people get their points across. I often use improper ‘lingo’ when trying to illustrate the absolute RURALNESS of where I live….despite the fact it’s a Capitol City (or is it Capital? I never get that one right-------someone smart, weigh in on that for me).

But for God’s sakes…..the first wink and the first Soccer Mom reference in last night’s debate set me off----it actually insulted me. I’m a middle class American…..I’m an athletic supporter (haha….get the joke…….hahaha-------), I have teenagers, I worry about paying for college, ALL the things Sarah Palin tried to say made she and I ALIKE…..But talk to me like an adult…..not like a farmer over the back 40 fence.

In actuality, her demeanor didn’t allow me to truly HEAR what she had to say…….I tried, I REALLY tried….but I can’t think of ANYTHING that I really remember that she said that sticks out in my mind. I was insulted and felt like she was trying to be someone she’s NOT to ‘appeal’ to the ‘average’ American.

I don’t’ know may average Americans that WINK in general conversation. It was Friggin’ Absurd!! (wink, wink)

Ok, enough of my un-educated political talk……..

I am disappointed, Internet Friends. There is a HUGE Festival tomorrow. HUGE. It’s the Olde Tyme Apple Festival in Versailles (pronounced VerSales, for you French enthusiasts). It’s supposed to be 75 and SUNNY…..a beautiful festival day. But, son #2 has a game at 11. I so want to see him play---so I’ll go to the game, HAPPILY as a matter of fact……but there’s that little selfish corner of my brain that wishes the game were another day so I could FESTIVAL………it makes me feel like a bad mom to be disappointed to miss the festival…..I wouldn’t THINK of missing his game, but I wish there was (or is it were?) a way to do both.

I didn’t get a SINGLE comment yesterday (oops, now I,ve gotten one!! Thanks Tawny!!). I’m really sad……I need some serious advice about the dog situation. TALK ME OUT OF IT PEOPLE!!! Dash is just too cute to pass up!! The rescue group is coming through my city on Wednesday and said they’d bring him…………HELLLLPPPPPPP.

Mr. Perfectly noticed yesterday that CRISSY is in 2nd place for the ‘Hottest Mommy Blogger”---Y’all may get your wish of seeing her nekkid on the internet! Keep voting and help me WIN the sweepstakes!!!

Happy Friday!!!!

Bravo!!

The freshman boys lost. 17 to 6. Personally I consider that a success, since our JV team was beaten by the Rockhurst JV team 63-0 on Monday. So, the freshman keeping the score a tad lower and at least SCORING was quite a success in my book!! Son #2 sadly didn’t get to play—I guess his lumbar injury and being forced to not practice for 8 days hurt his standing on the team. He only got one full practice day (Monday) and the light practice that they do for pre-game (Tuesday). He wasn’t happy about not playing either.

I possibly had one of the best restaurant meals EVER last night. Now, please realize that I don’t live in an area with fine dining. I doubt I’ve ever been to a TRULY fine dining establishment---well, maybe once on the “HILL” in St. Louis……but seriously..I’ve been to some nicer places in my life, and I do very much enjoy good food, but I strongly suspect I don’t KNOW good food. My budget is not a ‘fine dining’ budget and around here, if it’s not fried and smothered in gravy, then it’s not worth eating. We live in a very meat and potatoes community.

I am accustomed to a decent Italian place around here, but it’s predictable and reliable. It’s one of the ‘nicer’ places in town. When we go out of town, we do try to go to nicer places, too, but obviously, not on a $150 per person price tag…….

Anyway, Rockhurst High School is on the state line of Kansas and Missouri. We got in quite early, and perused over to the Overland Park, Kansas area to shop. We found an ‘upper’ shopping area---at least stores we don’t have around here. Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Williams Sonoma. I’ve never been to ANY of these stores……..if it’s not Dillards, JC Penney or Sears, we don’t got it around here. Oh, or Wal Mart. If we go to the Lake of the Ozarks, there is an outlet mall with some specialty type shops, but still nothing on the line of Williams Sonoma.

We saw Dean and Deluca, and I’ve heard the Martha Stewart Wanna Be in our office talk about Dean and Deluca, but was not POSITIVE what it was. I thought they specialized in gourmet items, but the establishment LOOKED like a restaurant. At the football game, we decided to try them for dinner since they were close. Well, for those of you not in the know (like us) Dean and Deluca DOES sell sandwich-ish foods, and you can eat there, but it apparently (according to Perfectly’s dad) is more of a gourmet grocery. Since we wanted dinner and not sandwiches (even if gourmet) we left and started driving around the high end shopping area. There were a couple of places, but nothing that looked awesome, and suddenly we saw an Italian place. We all LOVE Italian, and decided to give it a shot. It was a chain (which Perfectly’s dad generally HATES), called BRAVO! Cucina Italiana.

I ordered the Grilled Georges Bank Scallops “sea scallops grilled and served on a bed of spinach Ricotta gnocchi, roasted sweet potatoes and sherry lobster sauce”

I chose this dish because I’d never eaten gnocchi. I’ve wanted to TRY it for ages, and have been too chicken to make it myself, and OMG……was it good.

Their prices were reasonable (my large, rich scallop dish was $18.99), and the food was quite good. They had $2 off martini’s too! I also know this isn’t ‘fine’ dining, but it certainly was good dining! And I now know I love gnocchi.

Lastly, I need advice. From ALL OF YOU that read me…..you know the 5’s of you!! Mr. Perfectly and I are waffling on a puppy. Specifically THIS puppy. Should we or shouldn’t we? Remember, we’ve got a houseful now. His name is DASH.

He's a Dachshund/Chihuahua mix. Approx. 12 weeks old.



Happy Thursday, my gnocchi loving friends!!

Hannibal Lecter

My poor baby, Buster, has an injured leg. He hops along about 2/3rds of the time on 3 legs and his left front leg, up and dangling. He lets us manipulate it, and feel it, and he doesn’t cry, but we don’t know WHY he seems to hurt. He RUNS like crazy after squirrels in the backyard, but hip hops through the house.

I finally took him to the Vet on Monday afternoon. I warned him (the Vet) that Buster can snap sometimes (one time, I thought he was going to take the hand off a vet who was giving him shots……..he may be small, but he bites HARD when he wants to). This was a new veterinarian that I’d never met. He joined a practice of 3 other vets that I’ve seen for years….they are down to earth, and not ‘doctor-ish’ at all….they are practical, and less expensive than many local vets.

I also knew Buster needed vaccinations---it had been (cough) 2 years, so since we were THERE, I figured it was a good idea. I also asked for some sort of sedative for poor Copper to come get HIS overdue shots as well….because the poor dog HATES to ride in the car….so we have half of a pink happy pill for him…….he’ll have no idea what hit him……..poor stupid pup……

ANYWAY…..I told New Vet that Buster can be snappy---Buster was obviously scared, and didn’t seem snappy, but the vet was all on pins and needles anyway (the man puts his whole arm in cow’s butts……why would the mere THREAT of a little dog snapping make him so jumpy??). He asked me if we should muzzle Buster, and I reluctantly told him it may not be a bad idea, especially since we needed to administer shots.

New Vet went to a cabinet and pulled out a leather muzzle and affixed it to poor Busters schnozz, and I swear people, he looked like THIS:




He sort of got that crazed look in his eyes, and tried to use his paws to pull it off---he even cried…like it hurt. He didn’t growl or snap ONE TIME (good boy!!)—I took the muzzle off once we were done, and put him on the floor, and he jumped and slammed himself into me (wanting to be picked up), and the New Vet insulted my intelligence by telling me that maybe Buster was ‘seeking attention’ around the house by holding his paw up…….

So the vet visit was a bust, and I now totally regret not taking the camera so we could get pictures of little Hannibal………the resemblance was striking!

We are off to Kansas City today for a football game. The freshman boys play against the toughest opponents in the state---KC Rockhurst. My cute cousin and her kids and husband may come to watch, which will be fun!! They live across the state line into Kansas, so it’s a little bit of a trip for them as well, but it’s a chance to get together for a little while. Perfectly’s dad is going, so it will be a nice family day. Except it’s on a WEDNESDAY, and the taking off work early, and leaving town and stuff makes it seem like a FRIDAY, and it isn’t. Tomorrow morning will be SUCH a bummer.

Toodles for now. Everyone have an AWESOME hump day!!

Tirade Tuesday

Well, nothing like getting up and having Mother Universe KICK YOU IN THE ASS.
I’m trying to be calm, and all parental, but I’m LOSING MY EVER LOVING MIND.

Son #1 ‘spent the night’ with his friend Saturday night…….. but as I found this morning, he actually trekked up to the big college town north of us, and stayed there all night long. In a girl’s room. Believe it or not, the girl’s room is freaking me out 100x less than the sneaking around a LYING. I don’t think he and this girl are involved, but even so, the whole spend the night with a girl thing is way less disturbing to me than LYING.

I’m nearly in tears-----there are times when having teenagers is really hard…….and other times, it is totally all worth it. This is a really hard time. He turns 18 in 2 weeks, and I fear the “I’m 18 and you can’t tell me what to do” syndrome. He truly doesn’t ‘get it’. Of course, he thinks I don’t ‘get it’.

I want to cry, internet. I know this is a ‘this too shall pass’ moment. I totally get that. But in the throes of the panic and worry, it sure as hell doesn’t SEEM LIKE IT. I fear him totally leaving when he’s 18. I fear that he will expect all the ‘good’ stuff from us (cell phones, money, vehicle, etc) and dump on us by using the ‘I’m 18 and you can’t tell me what to do anymore’ thing. My entire being fears this……..boot shaking FEAR.

Ok, and what is with the everyone saying Eva Longoria is ‘just fat’. Do these people really know the definition of fat? Eva Longoria doesn’t even come CLOSE to fitting that description……it’s so humiliating for someone like ME to see someone like HER flippantly saying that “I’m just fat……tee hee”. It’s like a slap in the face to me……because they don’t KNOW fat…….I don’t even watch Desperate Housewives, or keep up with that crew, but the MEDIA is in such a tizzy over whether or not she’s pregnant or not, that it’s a HEADLINE……a freaking HEADLINE when our economy is on the brink of DISASTER, the mainstream media is worried whether or not Eva Longoria is fat or pregnant.

Ok, and to tell THIS story, you need to hear a little background on my cat. He, on occasion, will pee on items left on the floor. Towels, socks, SHORTS…….so for me, being the terrible housekeeper that I am, poses a minor problem at times. Mr. Perfectly doesn’t LIKE it when the cat pees on stuff. Even if it isn’t HIS stuff. But anyway, a good sign that cat has peed somewhere is when he is near the offending item, and ‘scratching’ to ‘cover’ the mess----now he doesn’t have front claws…so he’s really only swiping, not scratching, but you know what I mean…..that sweeping motion a cat uses with their foot to ‘cover’ their business. Of late, he seems to try to cover ALL the smells in the house. Where the dog lays, where we sit, where the food is….it’s kind of weird…we worry that he’s thinking about peeing or something. I am not a cat, so I don’t know what he’s THINKING…….

So, anyway……usually an hour or so before the alarm, cat comes into our room and stalks us and the dogs. He sits and peers through the slats in the blinds for birds and squirrels to stalk. He insists on ‘scratching’ the cardboard we have in our window (because we are classy like that) to cover the area where a window fan fits, but the blinds don’t go all the way down.. We fight him in the early morning hours. Damn nocturnal cat. So this morning, he came and nuzzled me on my face, which is common…..and he began SMELLING me…..my mouth and breath precisely-----and immediately began ‘scratching’ the blanket tucked so very sweetly under my chin…..so apparently the early morning gods were trying to TELL ME SOMETHING………and the cat was trying to cover the god awful smell.

So, as you can see, I’ve had a great start to the day. It’s only 8:10 in the morning. What other lovely things await me today?

Oh, and Mr. Perfectly and I are suffering from Puppy Fever….in a bad way. Tell us that 2 dogs, a cat and 2 teenagers ARE ENOUGH…..we don’t NEED another dog…….(but the ones we found are SO CUTE)…….we need a pet intervention.

Sorry to be a Daisy Downer today---but it just is one of those worrisome days…….Hold me internet….make it all go away.

What were YOU doing 21 years ago?

If you say being born, or if you were a toddler then NEVER MIND.

This is what I WAS DOING 21 yrs ago...




Don't we look about 12? Son #2 and Girlfriend are looking through my wedding album and he professed that it looked like a typical SEVENTIES wedding......ahem....we were married in the EIGHTIES!

This is set to be such an AWESOME weekend........tonight it's dinner out...at a new restaurant in town....Ria's. We've not eaten there before and in our town, a new restaurant is CRAZY to get into......but we will give it a shot.

Tomorrow, of course is FESTIVAL DAY!!N We will be going to OKTOBERFEST.....and Teenie, Jakki will be there, and a SURPRISE!! Ph.D is coming for a surprise visit! I'll meet LESTER for the first time.......I'm so excited!

Then tomorrow night is the car show downtown, in which Mr. Perfectly and Perfectly's dad will be showing the 1967 Camaro. I can't say car shows excite me, but they do the hubs and dad, so it will be fun to see THEM have fun.

I am surprised to know that Ph.D is coming for a visit. All of my very best friends will be around.....I'm getting verclempt!!

Sunday, Teenie and I have tentative plans, so I'm BOOKED...I can't believe it...this NEVER happens............I'm very excited.

Happy Friday, everyone!! Y'all KNOW this is my very favorite day.

Have a great weekend!!!!

Guilt

Who the heck invented parental guilt? I think it was teenagers during pre-historic times that decided parental guilt was FUN. They instilled the guilt into their Neanderthal parents, and the syndrome evolved into a full time event.

Son #2 has a game tonight….in another town. It’s not far, but STILL. He isn’t playing because of the back injury---so I thought I’d stay in with the SURVIVOR premiere. Mr. Perfectly is going, because of course he’s the BETTER parent and takes pictures and doesn’t drink boxed wine very often.

I guess I feel like I should be a GOOD football mommy and go support my injured kid and the team. BUT I REALLY WANT TO STAY HOME. So I’m in a conundrum…….

Mr. Perfectly scanned the back x-rays and is anxious for me to put them out there for you to see. Think of all the spine models and pictures you’ve always seen. Each little vertebra has the bones pinched together down the middle---LIKE PIE DOUGH…….pinched bone, then space, pinched bone, then space……you follow me? Look at the bones above the circle first………..you see pinched vertebra bones, don’t you?

Now, look at this x-ray, and see where Mr. Perfectly has circled.



Uh Huh!! Not pinched!!!!……THAT, my friends, is what spina bifida occulta is. And according to the orthopedist, it is a ‘non-issue’. You could very well have the same condition and not even know it. If you DO find out you have it, talk to your doctor…it probably has no impact on your life whatsoever.

So, to all of my 5 readers, should I go to the game or not? I want to be supportive, but then on the other hand, son #2 is not going to play, so what is the best option?

Happy Thursday. Tommorow is our 21st anniversary. YEAH US! I absolutely could not have married a nicer, better guy than I did. He actually loves me. It still surprises me sometimes. He’s kind, thoughtful, and SMART. Oh, and he’s really hot, too. I, on the other hand, can be stubborn, ornery, needy, impatient and a little ‘princess-ish’. Yet he still hangs in there……..you’ve got to admire a guy willing to deal with me.

Toodles for now!!

An offer you can’t refuse

Well, maybe you CAN REFUSE, but hey…I got your attention, didn’t I?

Since it is festival time around here, I decided that if anyone wants any of the kitchy, crafty stuff that one finds at street festivals like wine bottle cheese boards and ribbon/star garland halos, just let me know, and I’ll go on the hunt for you.

The only issue I see cropping up is that whole ‘trust’ issue thing…..You know, we meet on the internet, and I’m a wanna be funny girl, but am I REALLY? Maybe I’m a gnarly 60 yr old man with nose hair looking for a new hostage…I mean companionship. Maybe I’m your RELATIVE that is stalking you.

Seriously, I’m just a wanna be funny girl---so you’d have to TRUST me with your mailing info and I’d have to trust you with mine (what….you think I’m gonna foot the BILL for all the loot?). You’d have to trust my judgment with your precious $1 for a halo, or $10 for the wine bottle…….because you know, what if I love it and you…not so much?

And, this would have to be under the approval of Mr. Perfectly---he’s the conservative one in this family---By the way, I’m totally SHOCKED that he’s pimpin’ for Stoogie’s sweepstakes! He doesn’t DO stuff like that……hey, go vote for his ‘best sports blog’. He nominated himself (another shocker).

I can’t think of a creative way to pimp the sweepstakes myself, so I’ll just do it. EVERYONE, VOTE FOR CRISSY AS HOTTEST MOMMY BLOGGER. IF YOU GO TO STOOGIE’S SITE, YOU’LL FIND INSTRUCTIONS AND REALLY, REALLY NEAT PRIZES WORTH NEARLY $600…LIKE A CAMERA, AND SIGNED BOOKS FROM MELISSA LION, AND A LOT OF OTHER STUFF……….PHOTOSHOP, A MEMORY DISK THINGY FOR THE CAMERA………

I must confess, I want Photoshop for my hubby---he has the free photo software but having the ‘real’ photoshop is his dream. I personally want MELISSA LION’S books! I have this secret fantasy of being all literary and bookish---of wearing peasant skirts and flowy tops in a coffee bar hearing really cool poetry (and ‘getting’ it)……having pale, emaciated authors as my friends---we could stay up drinking coffee and sharing our literary knowledge……..so to have signed copies of a real authors books totally makes me HOT----I mean, I’d highly look forward to receiving them!

I’ve been trying to think of a fun, catchy, creative way to pimp Stoogie’s sweepstakes, but I just can’t find the mojo……..Creativity doesn’t run like a river through my veins……….

Okay, so now I’ve accomplished a few things on my ‘to do’ list…..offer my festival services for your desire of crafty stuff, and to pimp Stoogie’s sweepstakes.

Happy Wednesday, everyone. GO VOTE FOR CRISSY----FOLLOW STOOGIE’S SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS. You may WIN big!!