A Broken Hand is NO GOOD FOR A BLOGGER!!

You cannot type with a broken hand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I mean, I can only imagine how hard it would be to type with a broken hand..............

I mean.......

Oh, do you think I am talking about myself? Do you think that is where I have been?

Sorry to mislead you.

I didn't break my hand!

I was just saying, wondering

Thinking out loud!

Got your attention though!

Where have I been?

No good excuses, really..... I wish I had some terrific, funny, outrageous story. But, sadly, I don't.

Here is a quick re-cap of my last few weeks, in pictures!

I will be back with a vengeance! I have so many blogs in my head, that the fire department is getting ready to be called due to my brain reaching it's maximum occupancy limit. There is an unsafe number of words piling into this little head! It is against the city ordinance! Some of these thoughts are going to have to leave, or there could be a riot! No one wants a riot coming out of this mind! Believe me!

First of all WORK. VERY BUSY right now.

No, I don't work for a chicken tender/corn dog taste testing company. Geez!
I just really wanted junk this day!
That little dish with the fork sticking out? Those are green beans to go with my corn dog and chicken tenders.
See? Healthy, Right?

Second of all......Family Stuff! Broken hearted daughter, Easter, just stuff!

When your daughter comes home with a broken heart because some little nimrod stomped on it, well you make her homemade Frappuccino's, and Ruffles chips for dinner.
And you just listen
And you share your heartbreaks
And then you get a bad stomachache, because Ruffles and Frappuccino's don't agree with you.
Then you listen, hug, and listen some more.

Our counter top on Easter! No joke, this was exactly sitting like this when I walked through. Had to take a picture.
It's like the circle of life, but in drink form.
All that was missing was an Ensure at the end!

Third of all.......... More life stuff. 

A.K.A. Spring Cleaning!

This hamper?
It was full and overflowing.
The laundry fairy was taking a break.
Well, she came and visited.

No matter what...
Even if my life depended on it....
I can never keep a clean purse!
But I did clean it one day, because my daughters begged me to.
They are sick of standing in stores with me while I dig through it for something.

Lastly...........Just spending time with my family. Fun stuff, boring stuff, but still time with them.

'Caviar Nails'
My daughter got the idea off of Pinterest.
I have been doing this to both daughters non stop, as the beads only seem to last a day,
then they want me to do it again.

Easter Present from my son.He has been disappointing me a bit lately in the  'responsible young man' department, but when he walked in on Easter morning with this...
Let's just say 'TEARS'
The original old school Game Boy with Tetris.He knows I have been wanting one, just like the one I had in High School
Just like the one I played during my whole entire pregnancy with him.
They are either hard to come by, too expensive, or broken
He found a working one, with games, at a thrift store. Used his own money, and thought of me.
I had to hold off on the responsibility, 'what are you gonna do after you graduate' lecture for the weekend!

Ahhhhh, Yes!!!
 Our new passion!
Our new addiction!
KARAOKE!!!!!
It was supposed to be for our five year old daughter who starts singing lessons on Monday.
My family bought it for her.
She has been able to use it twice!
Why?
Because hubby and I need to brush up on our rendition of
Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne
"If I close my eyes forever
Will it all remain unchanged....."
This picture was taken the SECOND I walked in from work. Hubby had been practicing, and told me to put my bag down, and get over there.
He had thought of our perfect duet.............
"Uhhhh, Can I go pee first?"
"NOPE! Get over here and sing with me!"
"What song?"
"Close my eyes forever"
"OHHHH, I always loved that song. Peeing can wait!"

And the rest is Karaoke History........
We are already planning our Summertime Karaoke Bash!

Hey Mom, can we make SLUTTY brownies?

K, 13 year old daughter: "Hey mom, can we make slutty brownies?"

Me: "What?"

K: "S L U H- T E E Brownies"

Me: "Oh, Ooooo Kkkkkk. What are SLUTTY Brownies? Do they get all the boys?"  I laugh alone....

K: "My friend Syd made them this weekend. She said they are soooooooo good. Easy, and 'filthy', that is why they are called slutty brownies"

Me: "I hate the word Slut. I mean just because a woman has sex with a few guys, they get called sluts. A man on the other hand, they are STUDS!! Such double standards in this world!"

K: "Ooooo Kkkkk, well, can you get the ingredients so I can make them, orrrrrr......"

Me: "What are the ingredients? And back to the slut thing....... I mean, there are girls that are probably too promiscuous, but guys?? I mean they don't get any of the backlash. Not that it is o.k. to be a slut, I mean I never want you to be a slut, but...........if after you are a grown woman, you decide to...... well........ Just always be strong, confident, don't ever let ANYONE, man or woman, make you feel less than! You understand me?? Woman are powerful beings, and we need to overcome the stereotypes of the world, and furthermore............."

K: "Ummmm, you are a spaz mom! Seriously! Here, come over here to my laptop, here is the picture of the brownies"

Me: "OH MY GOD!!!!!!! Those look sooooooooooooo good! Print out what we need!" - I totally forget about any sort of lecture, speech, or mommy-isms. I just want these baked, and in my tummy,NOW!

K: "Are you going to the store now?"

Me: "YES! I have a sweet tooth, and those will do just fine!"

K: "Awesome"

This recipe is all over the internet. I just typed in Slutty Brownies. Not only does the recipe appear on Blogs, Pinterest, and other random sites, it actually comes up on the Duncan Hines website. I wonder how Mr. Duncan, or Mr. Hines feels about that. If for some reason a prudish person complains, they could call it:

People Pleaser Brownies

I mean isn't that what a slut really is?

A People Pleaser?

Nothin wrong with that 

As long as she isn't barkin up my hubby's tree. Oh, and as long as my daughters don't turn out to be "People Pleasers", well I mean keep it to a minimum level......after you are in your twenties.........and you are safe about it............ nothing where a notepad is needed to keep names straight........... I mean......ugghh, double standards are tough to ignore....... 

JUST STAY VIRGINS FOREVER!!!! Don't Please ANYBODY!!

Anyway.......back to my podium speech

For if there were no "People Pleasers",

there may not have been this recipe.

So thank you 'People Pleasers'

Thank you from the bottom of my sweet toothed little heart!
You have inspired a recipe, for which millions of amateur bakers give thanks!

This one's for you

*I really did make these this weekend. Seriously soooooo flipping YUMMY!! And yes, SOOOOOOO EASY!!!!! EASY, and it will certainly 'please' any sweet tooth you may have.

Try 'em out.

I put a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled some hot fudge over them. 

Of course I paid with a bit of a tummy ache the next morning, but hey, so worth it! 

Next week we are making Skanky Ho appetizers, and Whore Soup. 

Or, their new given name

Appetite for Love appetizers & Spreading Some Joy Soup.

I may not have won the radio station contest for Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch to perform at my High School, but I just won this award!!! So take that Marky and your Funky Little Bunch!!!!

I would first like to thank the Academy, and all of my fans  Lily at The Incoherent Ramblings of a Moose! I have said this many times over, but she was my first real follower that was not a family member or faithful friend. Although after becoming a part of this blogging world, I feel as though friendships have formed. Is that weird??? Maybe?? A tiny bit?? Oh well, who cares.  Thank you Lily, your blog is amazing! I get you, I get your creative style of writing, because through all of the demon, spawn talk you are just a Mommy who loves her son. And if there are some out there that can't read between the lines and see it, well they are probably just boring, unimaginative, un-fun people, with no creative soul!!!  Thank You Lily for being a follower, or leader, depending on how you look at it, and thank you for your wonderful comments. I always look forward to those, along with your posts.


So this is my first award, and I will see if I do this correctly. Although the person whom gave me this award seems to go by her own set of rules in life, so I am pretty sure she meant it when she said that the rules are not set in stone. 

Way better than Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch

I will happily link back to Lily (and might I add that I deserve a special award for finally learning how to link) 

I already follow Lily

I will definitely proudly display my award (if I figure out how) 

5 of my favorite things- just five??

I will pass this on to 5 fellow bloggees- If I list you, you can either choose to pass it on, or just look at it as a public shout out to how much I adore your blog.Simple, Cross my heart! 

1.  Link back to the person who gave you the award.
2. Follow the person who gave you the award.
3.  Proudly display your award on your blog.
4.  list 5 of your favorite things.
5. Pass on to 5 fellow bloggees

My five favorite things- 

First of all, from my blog we all know how much I love my family. My kids are definitely one of my favorite things. So I will leave them out of the list, because that is a given. I will actually list 5 random things out of the 100's of things that make me happy; to give a little insight into J.R. 

1.) The Beach- This picture is from our honeymoon in Kauai. Our local beaches make me just as happy. My dad is a surfer, so loving the beach is in my blood.  A towel, some snacks, sunscreen, and you are good to go. And it is free!!

2.) Lipgloss -I am addicted. My purse is full of them, my desk at work has 3 or 4, and they are all around the house. When my husband and I go out, I always ask him to hold my i.d (I am beyond getting carded, but a girl can dream) and my lip gloss!






2 1/2.)Nail Polishes make me happy. I used to only paint my toes, not enough patience to wait for my fingernails to dry, but then I tried an idea from Pinterest, and have been hooked. You can read about that and see the pictures here.

3.) Painting furniture- This came out of nowhere. I have always had a creative side, but never a creative outlet. About 12 years ago, the local Museum of Art was advertising night classes for Beginning Furniture Painting. My mom showed me the City flyer that came in the mail.I thought,'what the heck'. This was the first piece of furniture I ever painted.I will paint whatever you put in front of me, as long as I can go crazy with bright colors and polka dots. Fits perfectly with kids furniture. Mind therapy also!






4.) FUN WITH FRIENDS- I can be a bit of a homebody. My home is my happy place, but every once in a while, I just want to be with my girlfriends! Good friends are hard to find, and I have a few of them that I am so lucky to have in my life. We understand each other, and never get down on one another for being too busy. That is why, when we can, and do get together, watch out!!! The card below is from one of my best friends, and is so fitting for me! Although, robbing a bank may be where I draw the line! And what girl has not seen the movie Girls Just Want to Have Fun!! OH MY GOD, I used to dream that I was a character in that movie. All girls love to dance,it is just a fact! My best friend and I brought our teen daughters to Palm Springs last summer for a girls trip. One of the best weekends of my life. Being able to relax by a pool, have cocktails,talk with my friend and be silly with my daughters all in one weekend. (although drunken Karaoke was out of the question. Maybe next time without the daughters) I bought this DVD at Target for $5.00, brought it home for my girls and made them watch it right away! 

I have only done 3 out of the 5......Hmmmm, which 3 do you think? 

Cheesy movie? Maybe
Favorite movie? YES
Did I daydream about being discovered, and
becoming a dancer on a hit show like Sarah Jessica Parkers Character? YES

5.) Watching T.V. (preferably in bed)- While I was adding the picture of the beach from our honeymoon, I came across this picture. Yup, even on my honeymoon, I have got to get in some remote control time. In my defense, so I don't seem like a complete couch bed potato, I am certain I probably took this picture while waiting for my husband to get out of the shower. It most certainly was not taken while he was snorkeling at the beautiful beach right outside our room, while I cozied up in bed, channel surfing. Nope, I was definitely just killing time. Oh, but I do love me a bed and a t.v. - Happiness!!!

Now rule # 5, pass onto 5 Bloggees. Now again, I am passing this on, and going along with this because it is my first award, and I am FLIPPING excited!!! But I honestly feel as though Blogging probably does not have rules. It is for all of us, to just be who we are. And if you are someone whom does not do these, or you are having a busy week and you just don't have time. I understand.No Biggie :) I am a nice, non judgmental, understanding person. If I list you, just know it's cause I like you, and I still will!!!! - Insert Cheesy Grin Here


1.) Marianne at We Band of Brothers - I am semi new to the blogging world, and she was one of my first followers. She was also one of the first blogs that I started following. This is one of the first posts of hers that I read. She writes about her boys, hostessing parties with big sandwiches, her son resembling Slim Shady, and many other random tidbits of life that we can all relate to. Something about her just makes me like her!!! 


2.) Stephanie at Clay Baboons - Stephanie is AWESOME! And if I die, I want to come back to life as one of her clay creations so that I can grace the pages of her blog. I just don't want her to smash me! Her stories are heartwearming, cute, endearing, fun, and full of entertainment. Not to mention that it comes with its own claymation, handcrafted by Stephanie herself.  This being one of my favorites. Through being a fan of Stephanie's, I know she does not pass on these awards, but she does her own shout outs in her own way,and that is fine by me. She is GREAT!


3.) MOV at mothersofbrothersblog - She is great! Another one of the first blogs that I started reading. When I first started my blog, I was only writing, not reading. Then I realized, DUH!! I love to read, and here are some amazing blogs right under my nose. MOV has an amazing blog. She writes about her children, her husband, her life, and her love for Target all with a humorous twist! She has just added some decorating touches as well, which I can't wait to see more of. 


4.) Tina at What We Keep - I just started following her blog, and I really like it. She somehow finds a way to write about antiques, Halloween decorations, and the annoyance of having to drive 6 hours to bring her husband a spare set of car keys, all mixed together. (O.K. Annoyance was my word, but Tina, you had to be completely annoyed??? RIGHT??) I like this blog, it has a perfect mix of whimsy, smiles, and good stories. :)


5.) It is getting late, my daughter is calling me from her room, and my other daughter is having a fashion crisis. My stomach hurts, and I think I may have to use the restroom soon. Not to mention it has already taken me a few days to even sit long enough to type something, and learning how to link, wow I need an award just for that.(which I am now doing full force. From now on, I am gonna go crazy, and you can call me J.R. the LinkMaster)So for # 5, I am going to say that I really enjoy the new blogs that I have started following in the past couple of weeks.I cannot wait to read more. If I could just get my children and husband to leave me alone for more than an hour. Dam them!!! ( Love them, but DAM THEM!!) 


Well this was fun! My sweet parents probably think I won an actual real award that will be displayed on my mantle;There goes that unconditional love they spoiled me with.  My daughter asked if I was "makin any money yet from this blog" and when I said "No, that is not really what it is for" then I am pretty sure I lost her interest.My husband just smiles, hugs me, and says "Wow babe, your first blog award! Cool, I'm stoked for you" I think he is reading magazine articles that say being supportive is a turn on to your wife. I wish that he would read an article that states that doing laundry is the real way into a woman's bed! 


This was fun, and whether you pass it on or not, I still love all of your blogs! :) Thank you for sharing your lives with me day in and day out, and for letting me share mine. 

Pinterest..... It can be fun (or make you feel like a loser)

So I logged on to Pinterest (or asked to be 'invited', excuse me) a few months ago. I did not get it at first. I thought it was a craft website (I can be a bit crafty when I have the time), but only pictures of pretty models, and interior design came up. Then I dove in a little more, realized I had to 'follow' people, still didn't totally get the point though. Then I figured out how to look stuff up that pertained to me. DIY and Crafts, Kids, etc. There is a TON of great ideas on this site (still don't 100% get it though. I mean am I to 'like' a pin, or am I to 're-pin' it. Making sure to give credit to the original re-pinner??) When I go on it I am more just like a kid in a toy store, ooohhing and ahhhing. Every once in a while, I yell to my husband 

"M, come look at this. I finally know what to do with all of the Wine Corks we have been saving."

"Mmm Hmmm." - he is about as interested as I am in hearing about whatever websites he thinks are cool.

The only thing about Pinterest is this. It makes me feel inadequate as a crafter,sewer, do-it-yourselfer. It makes me feel jealous,upset,and envious that I don't have a craft room in my house, decorated and organized like it jumped out from a Martha Stewart magazine. It makes me feel anxious, looking at all of the pictures and really, truly thinking to myself

'I can make these things. I could TOTALLY do that' but when would I have the time? I feel stressed and excited all at once, I can't handle looking at all these cool pictures, uggghhh!! 

There are a gazillion crafts using the paint chips from home improvement stores. I have already asked my husband to start smuggling some each time he steps foot in one. Pretty soon,they are going to start having security cameras set up in the paint aisles. Looking for any suspicious 'crafty mom' types. 

"Mam, are you taking those samples to go home and match to an actual room, that you are going to actually paint?" 

"Yes"

"You sure?? Or are you going to be constructing a hanging lantern, valentines garland, bookmark, name cards, or homemade gift tags?"  SECURITY we got a crafter, paint aisle!!

Yeah, I will send my husband. He will get away with it, he certainly does not have the look of a crafter.

Since I have no craft room, (hell I don't even have a craft desk, or a craft closet.) I have to use the kitchen table, and a cardboard box that fits everything from broken tile pieces ( I really have been meaning to try out Mosaic Tiling), to pipe cleaners, to Scrapbook supplies (another thing I keep trying to get into,but after one page is done, I go on a two year hiatus). I may do the Valentine Garland. Looks easy and fun.

But.................... The one thing that was easy, because you don't really need tons of supplies, and between myself and my daughters, we are pretty well stocked, was the fading, glittery, colorful, french manicure. I don't need a Martha Stewart craft room to do this. I have everything I need in a basket under my bathroom sink.

Close up pictures of nails are ALL OVER Pinterest. So I chose the one that looked the easiest,and tried it. I love, love, love painting my toes, but my fingernails are another story. I am too impatient to let them dry, they always chip, and I always mess up. But this was easy. You don't have to be perfect in applying the tip, because the glitter goes over it and covers up any imperfections. Easy, Cute, Love it. 

See, when I am not writing about PMS, getting frustrated at my kids or husband, or hoping our cat doesn't get eaten by coyotes, or wondering what my (almost) 18 year old son is going to do with his life, and all of the other annoying things about being a woman/mom/wife, I am sitting on my bedroom floor painting nails with my girls..... until they annoy me. Kidding! My daughters had decided to try out a newspaper look. Where you dip your finger in alcohol (not rum, or vodka. That is for me! RUBBING alcohol for the nails. RUM for mom). Then you press a piece of newspaper onto your nail. Kinda like when we were kids and you would press your silly putty onto the comics, and then the picture would appear on the putty. Then the girls saw how cool my nails turned out, compared to how crappy theirs turned out, and they begged me to "please do ours when you are done" 

I said "sure, just let me finish" with a big,nice mommy grin. Well a few minutes later, I was over it. That is me, I get all gung ho on things, but can be totally done after fifteen minutes, laziness, and exhaustion setting in.

So I stood up, said "sorry guys, I'm gonna pour myself a cider (alcohol), and watch t.v." 

Fun Mom one minute... Tired Mom  the next...

That is how I roll........

Here is the final outcome, I am pretty proud of myself. (must be, since I took pictures, huh?) No pictures of the girls nails, theirs sucked remember! 

"Look Honey,look at my nails!"

"Mmm Hmmm!"

Red polish tips. Silver/Pink glitter
Clear Coat

Gray tips. Silver glitter
Clear Coat