Kissed Caramel

The bottle in the middle is Kissed Caramel vodka, by Smirnoff.  This stuff is pretty amazing!  I made bday coffee drinks in the a.m. and then bday dessert drinks in the p.m.  Here is the recipe for the dessert drink, which I am going to call Chocolate Cake Batter, because that's what it tasted like.  I was going for turtle sundae, but this is what we got.  Very good!

Toss a handful of ice cubes into the blender.

Half of a rectangle container of vanilla ice cream went in next. (I have no idea what the size is on those things, I only buy it when I have the kids.)

Grab the bottle of Hershey syrup and coat that ice cream thick. (Sorry, this is how I cook....you rarely get an actual measurement out of me.)

A big slug o' Smirnoff Kissed Caramel Vodka.  Then look at it and put in another slug for good measure!

Blend until smooth.  Grab a spoon and dig in! 


We ate these along with the seeds from the pumpkins, and together they were fabulous!  The mix of sweet and salty was perfect.

Speaking of the pumpkins, you will notice the one on the left has a nose that is shaped very much like a female body part.  I did NOT pick out or carve that one. :)  I call it "Vajayjay".

"The nose is to heavy, it's going to break.  I'm going to get a screw and perform a rhinoplasty."

"Don't you mean a vaginaplasty?"

Happy Halloween!!

Got Boots?

These are my brand new Duck Boots!  They cost to many pennies, but on this rainy, snowy, blowy day I am so glad to have them!  ( bday gift from me, to me) They are also to big.  Apparently my feet are shrinking.......  I don't get it.  All my shoes are loose, and when I try to find shoes nothing fits.  Another one of those weird things that happens in your forties? 

It rained for a month (June), then no rain for months (July, Aug, Sept) and now it has rained three days straight.  This all or nothing weather is kinda crazy, but I am loving the cooler temps.  Several times there were snowflakes floating on the breeze today! 

I had to sing the rain song to myself today, while driving in the car on my errands.  Didn't have a bunch of four year olds to sing along and do the waddle walk.

♫ Ducks like rain!  Ducks like rain! (join in if you know the tune) Ducks like splishing, splashing in the rain!  Ducks like rain!  Ducks like rain!  Ducks like the rainy weather, water running of their feathers, ducks like splishing, splashing in the rain.  (get ready to flap and waddle) QUACK, QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK.  QUACK, QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK.  QUACK, QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK. QUACK! QUACK! QUACK!    Very good children. ;)

I also stumbled onto a new drink.......... Kissed Caramel Vodka, by Smirnoff.  Oh my goodness!  Going to try and make some birthday turtle drinks out of it this weekend.  So much better than cake!  Thinking I can also do some hot caramel apple drinks and hot chocolate or coffee drinks with it.  Hope it's good!!!  Perfect for this nasty weather.

Bday Sleepover

This past Friday the Goovers came over for Hannah's birthday celebration.  She requested Pizza Hut stuffed crust pepperoni pizza, brownie sundaes, and Mickey Mouse pancakes for breakfast.  She must have been menu planning for quite some time, because when I called to ask her what she wanted she didn't miss a beat.

This was the first time I had the little goovers without big sister.  Apparently being in the football playoffs is more important than a brownie sundae.  Go figure.  "Can we do coffee or dessert sometime?"  *eye roll  Sure.  Check your calendar and get back to me.....  Ah, the life of a teenager.

We were planning to watch the new Winnie The Pooh movie, but it arrived from Netflix snapped in half.  Luckily I had just purchased "The Nightmare Before Christmas" so we were still good to go.  Afterwards we had sundaes,

Then Tater did some art, and Hannah worked on some fall sewing cards.  I think she's ready to learn how to do some plastic canvas.  We played a game of "War" that ended in a draw, and the girls had fun with their dress up/toy box.  The evening ended with a bedtime story around ten o'clock.

Happy Ninth birthday Hannah Banana!  Love you bunches!!!

Look out Honey Boo-Boo, here come the Goovers!

Sam ♥

One year ago I got the call that Sam wasn't well.  It was a whole awful story that I can't really get into without losing it.  The end result was having to put her to sleep, and although it was time it still wasn't easy.  Not a day goes by where I don't think of her or miss her.  The new puppy, Jacob, is amazing, and a lovey, and my baby.  He brings so much to our lives, but he doesn't take away the ache of losing her.

So if you dare, kleenex is required.  http://queenie930.blogspot.com/2011/10/sweetie-girl.html

The Binder

Is anyone surprised by a Mormon man with a "binder full of women"?  ( I read something similar on my cousin Ray's Facebook status this morning and almost spit coffee out my nose.)

Governor Romney's whole story about having no women on his cabinet and telling the powers that be to round up some qualified women screams Affirmative Action, which by the way he is against.  Even the tone he used while telling the story made my skin crawl.  I'm searching for a good way to describe it.  Sort of like he was talking to millions of absolutely helpless females.   He didn't use the words, but what I heard in my head was, I knew that if we hunted long and hard enough we could find one or two of you who could do the job.

I would like to present him with a binder.  For that matter, I would like to present both of them with a binder, one that is full of women qualified for the job they both are seeking!  Men have ruled the world for far to long.  :)  HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT!

Debateable

Ey yi yi!  I didn't watch the Vice Presidential debate last night, for two reasons. 

1. Joe Biden
2. Paul Ryan

I seriously can not stand either one of them.  How's that for partisan?

Anyway, from the blow up of facebook posts and Internet media I get the gist of it.  Malarkey, plain and simple.  While it would have been more entertaining than the movie I chose to watch (Brideshead revisited..... I don't recommend it, snooze fest.) it would have made my blood boil.

I did watch the first Presidential debate.  If I am truthful I will say that I have an equal measure of like/dislike for these two men.  So that put me in a pretty good spot to actually listen and watch objectively.  In the spirit of partisan I will say this.  It was nice to be able to listen to an intelligent discussion.  Did I get the answers I was looking for? No.  Did I want to wipe the smirk off of Romney's face? Yes.  Did I think the President needed to grow a pair?  Absolutely.  For the record, he was being polite folks.  I recognized it right away, I do it all the time when I'm trying not to reach out and choke someone who is driving me nuts.  When they kept showing him looking down, I had to chuckle.  The eyes will always out, you must look elsewhere or they will know they are three seconds from death. 

For the first time in my voting life I thought about crossing the aisle.  I asked the Middle Aged Republicans if they thought Romney could fix the economic problem, and never got a straight answer.  I have listened to the man himself and still cant find a straight answer.  I kept wavering, because I know, and knew four years ago, that Obama isn't the answer.  Then Romney hooked up with Ryan, and for me it was "game over."  Although the thought of a President Biden doesn't thrill me, the thought of a President Ryan scares me.  The phrase "Wing Nut" applies, for my Republicans who are reading. :)  They just love that one.

So I slid a little off topic. (shocking)  The debates.  I made it through the first one without to many changes in blood pressure, apart from wanting to shake both of them, for different reasons.  Then it was over and the commentating and critiquing began.  The phrase  "Romney wins points for style and zingers." sent me flying off the couch and into a pacing, ranting, tirade, which ended with me shutting off the television.  I was going to let it fly on Facebook, but I promised myself that I would not play in that political sandbox. (Yes, as in child's play...... for #@$% sake, grow up.) 

Style points and zingers?  Is that truly all "Joe Public" cares about these days?  If that's the case, then you get what you deserve.  Are we really a nation that is all fluff and no substance?  Stop thumbing your nose at each other and work together to solve this problem!  We are in some serious trouble here, and it isn't going to be fixed by "style points and zingers."  Arg.  HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT! 

I wont even link this to Facebook, because I'm not going to debate it.  This is my corner, and my opinion.  :)

Cold Nuf For Ya?

What a difference a week makes!  Last Friday night Sandy Hughitt, Shelly, and I sat out on the deck at Keyport.  It was absolutely gorgeous, and probably the last time for the year.  I had my traditional "pink" and that was probably the last for awhile too.  I tend toward warm coffee drinks when it's cooler outside.  Tonight I'm thinking Bailey's...... and I know that we will be inside visiting.

The temps today are hovering in the 40's, but there is a 20 mile an hour wind that is ripping off the big lake.  If you haven't experienced it, you really have no idea what that means.  It's cold.  Damn cold.  Rip right through you cold.  Our beautiful fall leaves are being yanked right out of the trees, so if you live up here I hope you enjoyed the spectacular fall colors last weekend. :(  I will take it though.  This is still better than 90.  Any day.

Today definitely marks the season change for me.  I brought a big salad for lunch, and just tossed the salad dressing bottle into the bag I was carrying.  Now I need that bottle at home, and the chances of my remembering to grab it out of the basement fridge when I'm done tonight are slim, and none.  Leaning heavily toward none.  Then it dawned on me!  I can leave it in the car.  Yep folks, it's that time of year again, where you can use the car to safely store food.  No melted ice cream on a long drive home, that's for sure.  So I bundled up in the new sweater that my sister bought me for my birthday and ran outside. (Hair done by lake breeze is one of my favorite terms.)  I should have donned my jacket instead, but the dressing is safe in the car, where it will at least make it to the front of my house tonight. 

Bundle up folks, and enjoy the snuggle weather.  I know I intend to!!