We hope that you either have your pizzas ordered or are prepared to flee to the closest movie theatre in order to avoid this evening's festivities.
Lizzie will be sporting a Monarch butterfly caterpillar get-up designed by yours truly. This was a darling idea spawned by Jill's initial desire to be a Monarch butterfly. Sometime after she turned 4, though, the game plan changed.
Jillian will be wearing a layered Princess Leia costume for Halloween this year...her yellow Speedo bikini [as in Leia's Jabba the Hut slave 2-piece], under the white Padme Amadala unitard [she does not care that this is not REALLY Leia, just likes the holster and "shooting gun"], which will be topped off with the traditional white gown, but not the cinnamon bun wig. She "wants to use her own hair."
She will also be toting her green light saber [from her 2005 Yoda costume].
Yes, you are noticing a pattern, here.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Super Peanut Butter Cookies
This recipe is so unbelievably easy, I didn't think that it would work since there are only 3 ingredients, but I must say, these cookies may actually be pretty healthy.
But I must warn you, if you are on the fence when it comes to peanut butter, log off.
1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Mix together 1 cup of peanut butter [smooth or chunky], 1 cup of sugar and 1 egg. You'll need 1/4 cup extra sugar to roll the dough in later.
3. Refrigerate the dough until it's firm. If you don't chill it, it will be really gooey for the next step.
4. Roll the dough into 1" balls with your hands, then roll the balls in extra sugar, place on an ungreased cookie sheet 2" apart.
5. Do the fancy criss-cross with fork as you flatten the balls out.
6. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges turn golden.
7. Cool for about 10 minutes and remove from the cookie sheet.
They will not lose moisture due to the raging amount of peanut butter. I left them uncovered for 3 days and they got better each day!
But I must warn you, if you are on the fence when it comes to peanut butter, log off.
1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Mix together 1 cup of peanut butter [smooth or chunky], 1 cup of sugar and 1 egg. You'll need 1/4 cup extra sugar to roll the dough in later.
3. Refrigerate the dough until it's firm. If you don't chill it, it will be really gooey for the next step.
4. Roll the dough into 1" balls with your hands, then roll the balls in extra sugar, place on an ungreased cookie sheet 2" apart.
5. Do the fancy criss-cross with fork as you flatten the balls out.
6. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges turn golden.
7. Cool for about 10 minutes and remove from the cookie sheet.
They will not lose moisture due to the raging amount of peanut butter. I left them uncovered for 3 days and they got better each day!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Circulatory System
Ever since Jill had some blood drawn at the ripe old age of two, and thought it was ketchup, she's had a love/hate/fascination with blood. In an anesthesia induced rage, she removed her own IV after getting Tubes #2 implanted in June 2007.
For a while, she insisted that there was no blood in her body, just bones and skin...we think that this is due to the Tubes scenario and a trip to the Austin Children's Museum in which the human body and all of it's systems were on display. For months afterward she would actually cry about her having/not having blood.
A few weeks ago, I was driving her to school and we had quite a discussion about the heart, blood, blood pressure, cuts & scrapes, and scabs. I'm telling you...I told her everything I know, which seemed to satisfy her...for the time-being.
For a while, she insisted that there was no blood in her body, just bones and skin...we think that this is due to the Tubes scenario and a trip to the Austin Children's Museum in which the human body and all of it's systems were on display. For months afterward she would actually cry about her having/not having blood.
A few weeks ago, I was driving her to school and we had quite a discussion about the heart, blood, blood pressure, cuts & scrapes, and scabs. I'm telling you...I told her everything I know, which seemed to satisfy her...for the time-being.
Happy Birthday, Steve!
I am wishing my wonderful husband a very happy birthday, today!
AARP called. They want their money.
AARP called. They want their money.
Friday, October 10, 2008
I Stand Corrected
Upon the firing of Frank Solich, I was first in line to support modernizing the Husker offense to the West Coast style. I still believe removing Solich needed to be done solely on the fact the players lacked desire and discipline under his leadership.
Here is what I was wrong about. The belief in the Huskers inalienable right to be on top of college football every year would continually attract top talent. Also, the pre-game understanding of Husker opponents they were undermanned against Nebraska and were going to lose and probably lose badly.
After watching other programs follow the same path as Nebraska by bringing in new coaches with the high flying offensive attacks and seeing them fail as well (i.e. Arkansas, Texas A&M, and, Auburn) I have figured out why.
Two reasons:
One, and most important, are the facilities. Osborne had a state of the art fitness facility in the Boyd Epley Fitness Center. If a player wanted to be the biggest, fastest, and strongest he could be his best choice was to go to Nebraska. Now every school in the country has as good of facilities as Nebraska so we have lost our edge. The athletes also understood they would be playing in front of the most amazing fans in the country and they would be treated and viewed as state heroes. And don’t forget about the stoic Dr. Osborne himself.
Second, there is not enough talent to go around with the new scholarship rules. Every team in the country has at least a few top athletes because the top programs are not allowed to stock pile talent simply because they could afford it anymore.
So Huskers, what to do about it?
Go back to the Triple Option offense and here’s why. Very few programs run it now so you have little competition in recruiting for the top athletes. Do you think Southern Cal is out there looking for the next Tommy Frazier? If you are the next Tommy Frazier where are you going to go? Also, run blocking is easier than pass blocking and allows the o-line to punish the defense as opposed to being knocked around themselves all game.
Unless you are able to stock pile talent every year the West Coast and Spread offenses are too complicated for college students. So, go after the punishing style offensive players and run the ball to the short side of the field. By doing this the smaller speedy guys on defense are unable to benefit from their speed and simply get run over.
Steve Grandinetti
10/10/2008
Here is what I was wrong about. The belief in the Huskers inalienable right to be on top of college football every year would continually attract top talent. Also, the pre-game understanding of Husker opponents they were undermanned against Nebraska and were going to lose and probably lose badly.
After watching other programs follow the same path as Nebraska by bringing in new coaches with the high flying offensive attacks and seeing them fail as well (i.e. Arkansas, Texas A&M, and, Auburn) I have figured out why.
Two reasons:
One, and most important, are the facilities. Osborne had a state of the art fitness facility in the Boyd Epley Fitness Center. If a player wanted to be the biggest, fastest, and strongest he could be his best choice was to go to Nebraska. Now every school in the country has as good of facilities as Nebraska so we have lost our edge. The athletes also understood they would be playing in front of the most amazing fans in the country and they would be treated and viewed as state heroes. And don’t forget about the stoic Dr. Osborne himself.
Second, there is not enough talent to go around with the new scholarship rules. Every team in the country has at least a few top athletes because the top programs are not allowed to stock pile talent simply because they could afford it anymore.
So Huskers, what to do about it?
Go back to the Triple Option offense and here’s why. Very few programs run it now so you have little competition in recruiting for the top athletes. Do you think Southern Cal is out there looking for the next Tommy Frazier? If you are the next Tommy Frazier where are you going to go? Also, run blocking is easier than pass blocking and allows the o-line to punish the defense as opposed to being knocked around themselves all game.
Unless you are able to stock pile talent every year the West Coast and Spread offenses are too complicated for college students. So, go after the punishing style offensive players and run the ball to the short side of the field. By doing this the smaller speedy guys on defense are unable to benefit from their speed and simply get run over.
Steve Grandinetti
10/10/2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
We rocked the Snake Farm
If you are a fan of Discovery's Dirty Jobs, you are somewhat familiar with The Snake Farm in New Branfels, Texas. Apparently, they cleaned out an alligator pen on the show. We headed out early Saturday afternoon to get a load of the animals and hopefully try to persuade Jill to take interest in another species of pets. Didn't work, but luckily, we missed "feeding time" by a good 15 minutes.
Well, our trip was focused on the snakes, of which there are about a hundred on The Farm, more than I've ever seen in one place and surprisingly, albino versions of every variety. There is also a true menagerie of other creatures [more on that later]. Clad in a retro 70s print dress [of course] and her trendy haircut, Jill was immediately taken with the snake collection, especially the venomous ones. The anacondas, pythons, boas, cobras, rattlesnakes, adders, mambas and what I think was a pit viper, did not phase her one bit. I just kept saying, "Yeah, [suck in breath], that one could really hurt you." I admit that I kept it together, for the most part, until I came upon an empty tank and wondered where the animal had gone.
After a quick run through the 1st room, The Snake Farmer offered to let her hold Benny, the Ball Python. She was just tickled and went in for the grab. The 8 and 9 year old boys, who where there for a birthday party, looked on in amazement as the 29 pounder with the mental fortitude of spoon-bender wrapped the thing around her neck. Keep in mind, this is a child who would not go down a slide until she was almost 4...I just don't get it. Turns out, Ball Pythons are "good entry-level snake pets." Right, kind of like marijuana is a gateway drug. I'm still Just Saying No.
Outdoors, there are a number of monkeys, peacocks, hens and chicks, tortoises, free range chickens and "ungulates, Dad, that means hooved animals." There was also a curious collection of what looked like giant ground hogs, but with legs that looked like they belonged to an Italian Greyhound. Turns out, they are the world's smallest breed of deer.
The petting zoo had a llama and a family of pigs that had 2 piglets. Apparently mother pigs are not as protective of their babies as mother dogs are, since Jill was able to coax a piglet away from it's mom with a handful of petting zoo feed. Frankly, I'm surprised that she was not trampled by swine.
No tourist trap trip would be complete without a run through the gift shop; now we are complete with a 5' long stuffed snake named Queen Amadala, after her other new passion, Star Wars. That night, as I was putting her to bed, she started to giggle. I asked her what was so funny and she said, "Hee hee, I want to go live at The Snake Farm. Hee hee." I told her that we'd sure miss her; she countered with, "Hee hee. OK, then I want The Snake Farm to move to our house."
Thank God for deed restrictions.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Pets
We re-entered the pet sub-culture about a year ago. Previously, Steve and I had 2 parakeets, Lamont and Lola. We had a few madcap misadventures with Lamont [clipping his toe nails, accidentally pulling his tail feathers out and letting him fly around the inside of an enclosed car], but had calmed down by the time we got Lola, so named as the bird turned out to be a male. Thanks to The Kinks for making naming the She-Male so easy.
Seems that our pet calamity is genetic. Jill got her first legitimate pet about a year ago...Freddy, the beta fish. He was a beautiful shade of blue and she actually took interest in feeding him for about 2 weeks. Freddy kind of lost his luster until Jill realized that if she was alone and could push her stool up to the counter, she could PLAY with Freddy. Needless to say, Freddy didn't tolerate their playdates for long.
After buckets of tears and sobs for forgiveness, we welcomed Freddy II into the house. This Freddy is a girl Freddy, though.
Since Freddy II's arrival, we've added a collection of anole lizards [both purchased and captured] and a wild juvenile skink, to the Lizard Habitat. All of this collecting and observing really feeds Jill's need for information on animals and fosters her lightning quick hand-eye coordination, at least, that's how I'm justifying it...plus, Steve cleans the cage.
However, I'm drawing the line here...
Somehow, Jill has learned about corn snakes and likes to remind me that they don't bite. "But you know what I really want, Mom? A python."
Me: "I don't think that a python is a good pet for our family"
Jill [whining]: "But why?"
Me: "Well, they are really big. And they like to eat small living things. So, having one would not be safe for Lizzie and you. Dad and I don't want you to get eaten by a snake."
Jill [contemplative]: "Well, I'll just train it not to eat us."
Me: "How about we go to the Snake Farm [this is Texas, people] next weekend and take a look at the snakes and ask the Snake Farmer if a python is good or bad for a family with a baby and a 4 year old?"
Jill: "OK, Mom. That's a good idea!"
Continue to pray for our sanity.
Seems that our pet calamity is genetic. Jill got her first legitimate pet about a year ago...Freddy, the beta fish. He was a beautiful shade of blue and she actually took interest in feeding him for about 2 weeks. Freddy kind of lost his luster until Jill realized that if she was alone and could push her stool up to the counter, she could PLAY with Freddy. Needless to say, Freddy didn't tolerate their playdates for long.
After buckets of tears and sobs for forgiveness, we welcomed Freddy II into the house. This Freddy is a girl Freddy, though.
Since Freddy II's arrival, we've added a collection of anole lizards [both purchased and captured] and a wild juvenile skink, to the Lizard Habitat. All of this collecting and observing really feeds Jill's need for information on animals and fosters her lightning quick hand-eye coordination, at least, that's how I'm justifying it...plus, Steve cleans the cage.
However, I'm drawing the line here...
Somehow, Jill has learned about corn snakes and likes to remind me that they don't bite. "But you know what I really want, Mom? A python."
Me: "I don't think that a python is a good pet for our family"
Jill [whining]: "But why?"
Me: "Well, they are really big. And they like to eat small living things. So, having one would not be safe for Lizzie and you. Dad and I don't want you to get eaten by a snake."
Jill [contemplative]: "Well, I'll just train it not to eat us."
Me: "How about we go to the Snake Farm [this is Texas, people] next weekend and take a look at the snakes and ask the Snake Farmer if a python is good or bad for a family with a baby and a 4 year old?"
Jill: "OK, Mom. That's a good idea!"
Continue to pray for our sanity.
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