Ladybug and I went to my mom and dads house to prepare the flower beds for the upcoming party on the 3rd of July (since the 4th falls on a Monday). I am determined for these flower beds to look great and for everyone in attendance to comment on how nice it looks. I don't mind weeding. But DAMN I have got to say I HATE Bermuda Grass with a passion. That crappy "grass" grows in runners and goes everywhere, it's a pain in the butt to get it out.
So we set out this morning at 9:30 to run by Starbucks and then head to their place before it could get too hot so we could work without being in the hot sun all day. (Best laid plans). I guess I didn't realize how much there was to do. So we finally get there around 11ish. Mom was making lunch (Bacon covered hot dogs with cheese in them).
Ladybug and Granddad went out in the back yard to check on the pool that they were draining (to clean it). She was so excited to get out there and "help" Granddad to clean it. Her gardening clothes (a pair of cut off jeans and a t-shirt) were soaked before lunch was ready. She played in the pool (that was mostly empty) for a good time and then I had to strip her in their backyard so she could eat lunch.
Lucky for me I always bring at least 1 extra set of clothes but I had 2 sets with me today "just in case". It came in handy. Although Ladybug would have been perfectly happy eating naked in her towel, I put a Tangled dress on her. After she ate her and Granddad went to OSH to get sprinkler head replacements.
Now Ladybug and I had been to OSH on the way to Gram's house because Ladybug forgot my Garden Toolbag at home and it had my gloves in it. So I had to pick up the cheapest pair I could find ($4 for two pair) and on the way in I saw that they had flats of Verbena that my mom wanted for around the tree in the front yard. So I told Ladybug "Remember to tell Granddad that they have Verbena for $2.28."
When her and Granddad went to OSH he was looking at some plants that he liked and was thinking about buying but my bossy little girl told him that those were the wrong flowers and lead him straight to where they had the Verbena outside of the front of the store. Unfortunately he had a small basket of stuff that he hadn't yet paid for. He could have walked away basket and all for all the attention it brought but after she lead him to the flowers he felt compelled to buy them for us. LOL. So when they got home she comes and says:
"Mommy!!! We got you a surprise! It's a gardening gift! Flowers!!"
How cute that she thought of me when she was spending their money! I planted several around the front tree, then the rest in the back. We are hoping they will spread out a bit and fill in the empty spots.
After they fixed the sprinklers (which I figured would take longer but only took like maybe 5 minutes tops), they went back in the "clean" the pool. We were out there working in the yard and pool from about 12:30 until 5pm when Ladybugs cousin was coming over to play for a bit.
I was covered head to toe in dirt and even though I had my mom spray my back with sunscreen (SPF 115) before I started, I still ended up burnt in some areas of my back. It never ceases to amaze me how utterly white I am and how easily I burn.
I just put my Ladybug to bed (more than an hour late) and she told me that her favorite part of the day was when she put her gardening gloves on herself, found some snails, dropped them on the ground and smooshed them with her shoe. Ain't life grand?!
This week Ladybug has been off on a break from school. She graduates from preschool tonight but will be returning back to her school next week for the summer program and also be remaining in 007's classroom for next year as well instead of moving on to Kindergarten. So while I have been working here at the house for Hubby, she has been watching some TV and then we will take a TV break and spend some time together, painting, playing outside, things like that.
Today is day 3. Normally I would be going insane by now but things have been good. I have found new ways to disfuse the Power Struggles that we seem to often have. My favorite is the When/Then and it goes like this.
"When you put your panties and jammies on, Then I will turn on a movie for you."
"When you pick up your toys, Then we will have lunch."
"When you wash your hands and face, Then we can get ready to go outside."
It's amazing how you can phrase things so they don't feel that need to get more power out of the situation!
Ok so now on to my topic. Ladybug wanted to watch Cat in the Hat this morning. It's not the movie but the show on PBS which I record on Tivo so we have a good selection of each of her favorites. So in the show there are these two children Nick and Sally who are about 7 or 8 I am guessing (it's hard to tell from a cartoon). They are friends and they play together a lot. The Cat in the Hat always comes over when they have a problem and he has a solution from a far away place or something like that. For instance the other day Nick was trying to make honey for breakfast since he had ran out.... So the Cat took them to a Bee Hive to learn how make honey. Now before the kids leave they always ask whatever Mom they are with... It goes like this:
"Mom!! Can Sally and I go with the Cat in the Hat to the Land of Milk and Honey to see how Honey is made?" says Nick.
(Laughter) "The Land of Milk and Honey? Sure just be back before lunch." says Nick's Mom.
Sally and Nick will jump up and down and say together "We can GO! We can GO!"
"I know I know!!" Says the Cat in the Hat.
So anyway, Kayla was saying this morning "I can go, I can GO!" I decided to test her on something. I asked her this:
"Ladybug, do you think I would let you go somewhere with the Cat in the Hat?"
"YUP!" she says!
Wow... so let me get this straight. A Cat in a Hat comes by and just takes off with my kid AND her friend to take them places in the Thingamajig (the flying car) with Things 1 & 2, not to mention Fish and I would be ok with this? She insane! I don't let her go off and play at her friends house without me being there yet (of course no friend has asked that she stay there without me yet either).
But I shall let my Ladybug live in her dream world and be happy with that. No point in rocking the boat on this one. She wouldn't understand. I feel like telling her:
"When pigs fly, Then you can go with the Cat in the Hat."
At my age (33) you would think I would have learned a few things. Like not to be stubborn and to insist on doing things my way just because I am mad at my husband for being careless. This is a two story Blog. I probably could split it into two blogs but I figure I think they tie together in what I am beginning to feel is my "Week to be stubborn and stupid".
Many many weeks ago when I had my cousins carpet cleaner my husband was doing something in the living room (maybe setting up the Tivo... who knows... it doesn't matter). Anyway... I went out there to see if I could "help" him (because God knows if he's doing a project in the house he always needs help, the man can't seem to even cook spaghetti without needing me to help). When I got into the living room I saw that there was a HUGE red Koolaid stain on the carpet from a big tall glass that he took in there and put on the floor.
(OK, let me stop here with the fact that the man is in his 40's, has kids, lives with a 4 year old, as well as 4 cats and thinks that putting a glass of anything on the carpet is OK?)
So I asked him about it and he said that someone or something must have knocked it over and went back to the Tivo installation. So it was up to me to clean up. I sprayed 409 on the sucker (fresh mind you) and turned on the carpet cleaner and must have had the damned thing on for more than 20-30 minutes on this stain but it was still there. I finally gave up.
Well, about 10 minutes into my vacuuming frenzy my husband (who I was not happy with in the least) pipes up and says "Go get Club Soda and Salt and it should take the stain right out. I heard it on Curb Your Enthusiasm".
Being that I am a very stubborn person, especially when mad I didn't listen to him because, let's be honest, some of those home made remedies that you hear about just don't work or they need to much effort that it's nearly not worth it in the end. Now I think I am the most "Green" person in my extended family, that I know of. We recycle (or collect cans and never take them down to the recycling place), conserve water and power, I even used cloth diapers on Ladybug. So this should have been something I jumped on. But I wanted to be stubborn and mad at my husband so left the stupid stain there. It's been sitting there now for almost 2 months taunting me every time I go in there.
So, today Ladybug begged me to let her eat her Pizza Lunchable for dinner. I plan(ed) to make White Chili Soup and knowing that she wouldn't eat it I let her go ahead and eat the lunchable. The first "pizza" she makes she drops on the floor. Shredded cheese is everywhere and there is a small tomato sauce stain on my carpet in the dinning room.
I am thinking "Well, shit!!! That's not coming out!"
I tell Ladybug, "Sit down in your chair and do not get up until you are finished eating please." After she washes her hands she does this.
So I figure now is the time to "Prove my husband wrong" and try the Soda Water/Salt combo to see if it works. I happen to have Club Soda in my pantry because it's called for in some other "Green Cleaning recipes" that I was checking out. So I took it out and poured it on the stain, put a little salt on it, walked to my computer to see how long to leave it, came back (was gone maybe a minute or two), and blotted it up with a towel and the F^ing Stain was GONE! So I go to the other stains that I have (one in the entry way and the big one in the living room) and try my new trick and it WORKED, in minutes.
You might be thinking I was happy, elated, singing with giddiness that the stain is gone and I can stock up on Club Soda and have a new use for the salt that I am no longer using for food because of high blood pressure... You would be wrong! I am irritated that my freaking husband (being the idiot who caused the first mess) was right! Explain that please? I sure can't.
I am not looking forward to when he gets home and sees the stains out of the carpet (maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday soon I am sure he will mention it) and then I will have to admit that I got them out using his suggestion! I may never live this down. It will go down in my family history with the Pokémon incident (which may or may not be told in a later Blog).
Now this would all be ok with me if last nights Rice Cooker fiasco hadn't happened. Several months ago I bought a Black and Decker Rice Cooker for Hubby because he had been whining that we couldn't live without it blah blah blah, I saw it on sale for $9.98 at Wise Buys and figured to give it a shot. This was the first time using it.
Now I don't care for rice as a rule, I am a potato person. But my husband is on potato strike for a year (at least from what he says) and so I figured I would make rice to go with the Pork Chops I was making last night.
I had made the pork chops for Ladybug and I (since the only child who would come and eat at the table besides Ladybug is Cassie and she was out with her boyfriend yesterday) and also made mashed potatoes with cauliflower in them, as well as Ladybugs all time favorite food, Garlic Croissant Rolls. Hubby was going to be home later though so I figured to try to make him some Brown Rice in the Rice Maker.
So after I put the pork chops in the oven I read the instructions for the Rice Cooker. It had a section for "Rice Cooking" and a section for "Food Steaming". I read the instructions for both but basically figured I knew what I was doing (how hard can it be right?), filled the water reservoir with a cup and a half of water, stuck the 1 cup of rice in the cooker thing and turned it on for 50 minutes that it said it took to cook it. In that time I was able to finish the potato/cauliflower dish, the rolls and some corn, as well as the Pork Chops. I put it all on the table and we started eating. Then it "dings!"
I get up and check it and am completely pissed and disappointed because the freaking rice is still hard and not cooked at all. So I try read the instructions and it says this:
"Using the Rice Bowl
When cooking in the rice bowl, add rice, herbs, seasonings, and water directly into the rice bowl.
1. Place the steaming basket onto the drip tray and place the rice bowl with contents into the steaming basket (H). Cover steaming basket with the lid.
2 Plug cord into wall outlet and set the timer to desired cooking time, up to 75 minutes; see Cooking Chart on page 6 for recommended times.
3. When cooking is finished, unplug the unit and remove the rice bowl immediately to avoid over-cooking.
4. Use the lid inverted as a tray for the steam basket.
CAUTION: Use pot holders when removing the lid or lifting the steaming basket, drip tray or rice bowl. Life the lid away from your face and body to avoid escaping steam."
So I followed those directions. 50 minutes later, water, rice and no cooked rice. Ladybug is getting ready for bed, Hubby is on his way home, I am So tired that I just want to go to bed but I want and need to get this right. So I try to combined my two efforts and put the water in the reservoir and in the rice bowl with the rice and try that.
Three hours after I started dinner the rice was done to perfection. How many times does it take to make rice in the rice cooker? The answer is three, if you are patient. If you are not patient you would have thrown the damned thing out after the second try and figured stove rice was good enough from now on. If you are interested in purchasing this wonderful device please see the picture and link below.
