tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66704843731913222732024-03-05T00:09:19.821-08:00Confessions of a Platinum Blonde MomOnce upon a time, I had a brain. Really, I did. Now, however, my head is filled with air, and thoughts are at a premium.
Can you relate? Do you have difficulty roping in your thoughts? Feel foggy-headed? Wonder if those brain cells are EVER going to regenerate? I'm living proof that you are NOT alone!
As for my hair color...? I don't dye my grey hair -- those roots are PLATINUM!
Welcome!TanyaWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000720704315425712noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670484373191322273.post-1971956652606711912017-11-22T09:46:00.001-08:002017-11-22T09:46:58.310-08:00Not Another Ordinary Day<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">November 22, 1987.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">30 years ago today.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On this date…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Dale Earnhardt won the 37<sup>th</sup> NASCAR Sprint Cup.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Patriots shut out Indianapolis 24-0.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jack Sikma (Milwaukee) ended his NBA free throw streak of 51 games.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Two Chicago television stations were hijacked by an unknown pirate dressed as Max Headroom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lots of other things happened, too. Babies were born; people passed on. It was the Sunday before Thanksgiving, so I’m sure people were traveling to see loved ones around the country. Some went to the movies. Some went shopping. Some stayed at home and cleaned, cooked, read books, watched TV.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>For most people, it was an ordinary day.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>But not for me.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>For me, it was a “come-to-Jesus” kind of day. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Literally.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>November 22, 1987, was the day I was baptized into Christ.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I did not grow up going to church; it was not a regular “thing” for me. Sure, I went if I had a sleepover with a friend who went, but I knew absolutely nothing about faith. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’m not going to go into details about the events leading up to my salvation; suffice it to say that I was rapidly spinning out of control as I feel deeper and deeper into my dark pit of despair. I was deeply depressed, hopelessly lost, and felt completely empty. I was a complete and utter disaster – a suicide waiting to happen, or a college-girl-statistic yet to be counted. Things were so dark for me that I can’t tell you much about my week in Atlantic City that September, because it’s a literal black hole in my memory (nope, I didn’t do anything to get into trouble, because I was too young to drink or gamble – it’s just a blank spot, my “rock bottom,” if you will). It was my semicolon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I returned from Atlantic City broken and empty, needing to be filled with something, <i>anything,</i> other than the depression that was sucking me down like a mastodon in a tar pit. Only then was I willing to go to church with a couple of friends, who had been trying to get me to go with them for several weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Why was I so resistant?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>Because I knew that “they” would see my sin. “They” would know how unworthy I was. “They” would judge me, and give me “that” look. And no god in his right mind would want me.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>But I was wrong.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don’t remember the subject. There had been a marrieds’ retreat, I think and a couple of people shared their experiences. The Pastor (“Evangelist,” in the church I went to) shared a sermon, and I cried through the whole thing. All of the years of anxiety, depression, desperation, loneliness – everything came pouring out of me that very morning, in that very pew. Two girls came to talk to me, and I will forever be grateful to them for their acceptance, friendship and godly love. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Wendy, Judy and I began to meet weekly to study the book of John, so that I could learn who this Jesus <i>really</i> is. I learned that He is the Son of God – not just some “good” man who once lived on the earth. I learned that he was obedient to his parents and that he loved to listen to and challenge the “teachers of the law” as a young boy. I learned that he had a sense of humor. I learned that he had great compassion for the “sinners,” but seriously challenged the “religious” people. I learned that he made a choice that he didn’t have to make, for me and for you and for everyone else, all while knowing full well that many people would choose to reject his gift – because we’ve been given free will. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>He gave it all anyway.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We studied more when we were done with John. They taught me about discipleship, what it means to follow Christ, and how we won’t be perfect, but we are expected to try to do the right thing (1 Pe 2:21, Eph 5:2, Mt 28:18-20). They taught me what sin is according to the Bible, and how it is what separated me from God (Gal 5:19-21, Ro 3:23, Isa 59:2, Eph 4:18). They taught me about the cross – what crucifixion is, what Jesus experienced during crucifixion, and why His <i>choice</i> to stay on that cross, even though he had all the power of Heaven in His pinky finger, is such an incredibly powerful thing for us all, and how it is what makes forgiveness of my sins possible (Eph 2). They taught me that, according to the Bible, I am washed clean by the blood that was shed on that cross (1 Jn 1:7). They taught me about grace, forgiveness, mercy, healing, and how very much God loves me (Ro 5:6-8, Col 3:12-17). They taught me about baptism, and how I would be buried with Christ in the water, and raised to a new life in Him. ( Mk 16:16, Ro 6:3-4, Eph 4:5, Col 2:12, 1 Pe 3:21) I would be clean.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We cried, we prayed, we confessed sins, and through it all, I found hope. Hope that I wasn’t trapped in that dark, murky pit of despair forever. Hope that I was worth something. Hope that I was loved more than I could ever understand, despite what a wretched, broken, imperfect person I was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Hope that I would be <i>okay</i>.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>I was baptized late on the night of November 22, 1987, and born into a new life. I have never forgotten my confession of faith, “Jesus is Lord.” He is still the Lord of my life, and always will be. <i>I am clean.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I do not claim to be perfect; I never have. I do not claim to know it all; I never will. But I do claim Jesus as my Lord, and God as my ever-loving heavenly Father, and the Holy Spirit as my guide and counselor. Although I fall short often and make mistakes daily, I still try to live as He wants me to live. Because He loved me first. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For more information, download the YouVersion Bible app. It’s free. I’d encourage you to read the books of John, Acts, Romans, and Ephesians. Seek the Truth. Find a church. Fellowship with others who believe, because it gives us strength and encourages us to remain faithful. Reach out to your friends and neighbors, and share the Hope for which you live. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>You are loved more than you can ever understand. Wholly. Deeply. Unconditionally.</b> (Jn. 3:16)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Resources:</span></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">https://www.youversion.com/</span></b></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">https://www.biblegateway.com/</span></i></b></div>
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<i><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/animals-trapped-in-the-la-brea-tar-pits-would-take-months-to-sink-6006035/</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">https://www.onthisday.com/date/1987/november/22</span></i></div>
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TanyaWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000720704315425712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670484373191322273.post-49779469244863634162017-08-31T07:47:00.003-07:002017-08-31T07:47:55.790-07:00I'm Not the Only Platinum Blonde Around These Parts<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
This is a repost of a Facebook post I did on August 31, 2015. Enjoy!</div>
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Quick lunch at a drive through today. Sat behind a car with a window sticker which read "I'm A Better Driver Than You." Didn't phase me until...</div>
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I pulled around the corner after ordering, and it's (sorta) at the window. About 5 feet out. Stopped catty-whompus. The driver -- out of the car, standing at the window with money in hand. "MmmHmm" I nodded, admitting that yes, indeed, she is a far superior driver (as I perfectly lined my SUV up with the window, and didn't have<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"> to reach far to pay. I'm a snob.)</span></div>
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I sat at the window in awe, though, as she pulled out into the street, and sat at the red light... LEFT OF THE DOUBLE YELLOW LINES. No joke. A car was waiting for her to move out of the way so that they could turn onto the street, but she wasn't having anything of it.</div>
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So, being the helpful person I am, I pulled up to the red light on her passenger side, and motioned for them (she had an adult passenger and a toddler in the car) to roll the window down, which she did. I let her know that she's on the wrong side of the road, to which her passenger said, "Yea, we figured that out," then sat there longer. Finally, her passenger told her she needed to move, and they backed up into the parking lot of the fast-food joint they just left.</div>
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Lessons I learned:</div>
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1) Don't believe every "braggart" bumper sticker you see. <span class="_47e3 _5mfr" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle;" title="wink emoticon"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://www.facebook.com/images/emoji.php/v9/f57/1/16/1f609.png" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: -3px;" width="16" /><span aria-hidden="true" class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;">;)</span></span><br />2) Always have your phone handy, ready with the "camera" active -- it would have been an AWESOME photo to have, with the sticker and all,..,.</div>
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At any rate, no one was injured, and I got a good chuckle out of the whole escapade...</div>
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<span class="_5afx" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/thethingsyouseeingj?source=feed_text&story_id=10153023047297201" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #4267b2; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">thethingsyouseeinGJ</span></a> #nottheonlyplatinumblondemomaroundbutiwearitbetter </span></div>
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TanyaWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000720704315425712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670484373191322273.post-70613726581932216402014-05-13T21:15:00.000-07:002014-05-14T09:51:54.215-07:00The Great Hard-Cooked Egg Experiment...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Part 2!</h3>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">As I posted last week, I’m on a quest to find a way to hard-cook fresh eggs, of any size or color, which leaves them easy to peel and perfectly cooked. I’m a bit OCD, and it drives me crazy that so much egg white comes off with the shell. I miss the days of easy-to-peel hard-cooked eggs, and I’m beginning to think they are simply a figment of my imagination.</span><br />
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We have pet chickens, so farm-fresh eggs are fairly abundant. Now, if you're like me, you are well-aware of the philosophy that fresh eggs won't work -- you have to boil <i>older </i>eggs to be able to cleanly peel them (while leaving the egg white intact). I'm out to find a way to hard-cook my fresh eggs and have enough egg white (and sanity) intact to make beautiful deviled eggs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMfPqXlUgCIkvwvpsneDxZiC7A15S-jz-vsDVY5k2uGtMMN4UUzHzZ5AWLvt-ThuNXD4k8NGMcMwMsMf1OevW1p9Y9aWolJsWE3Tyyzfh6-uL6U7BWm2na56ddo-iySGvH4IbJMzvdaUf/s1600/Mistys+eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMfPqXlUgCIkvwvpsneDxZiC7A15S-jz-vsDVY5k2uGtMMN4UUzHzZ5AWLvt-ThuNXD4k8NGMcMwMsMf1OevW1p9Y9aWolJsWE3Tyyzfh6-uL6U7BWm2na56ddo-iySGvH4IbJMzvdaUf/s1600/Mistys+eggs.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Misty's PERFECT eggs! </td></tr>
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Boiling Water Method</h4>
This week, I tried a method recommended by my friend and fellow chicken-raiser & chicken-lover, Misty. She described her method to me, which I also found on several websites. Basically, you bring the water to a boil <i>before </i>adding the eggs to the water, boil for 15 minutes, then immerse in an ice bath. After the eggs are cool, crack all over and peel. She posted a picture of her lovely eggs -- of which I'm quite jealous -- and I'm out to duplicate her results. <br />
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If you're looking for a website for the method, here are two:<br />
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http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-hard-boiled-eggs-with-FRESH-eggs/?ALLSTEPS<br />
http://www.goodstuffnw.com/2013/06/my-new-superpower-hard-boiling-fresh.html<br />
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As I did last week, I started with 9 super-fresh eggs, laid over the past two days. I was using the perfectly-sized pan to cook dinner, so I used a larger pan than I normally would. I put enough water in it to cover the eggs I would add, then put the pan on the stove and brought the water to a boil. I added the eggs, and set the timer for 15 minutes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GITkTN9YmUNGhFZAa0bLi7lshmaVbk4D1Vp3vJMTjCEgB2TY2xwZaVBlLOk9W8pOLmNPfpZVlcu-VSVQzBtbPM-FmFg9OBURIcJ9wEBuQzRzbihMY_SwGNTqa5JC2satnhIRwyGJz-RZ/s1600/Take2+Intro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GITkTN9YmUNGhFZAa0bLi7lshmaVbk4D1Vp3vJMTjCEgB2TY2xwZaVBlLOk9W8pOLmNPfpZVlcu-VSVQzBtbPM-FmFg9OBURIcJ9wEBuQzRzbihMY_SwGNTqa5JC2satnhIRwyGJz-RZ/s1600/Take2+Intro.jpg" height="80" width="400" /></a></div>
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I fished the eggs out of the hot water using a slotted spoon, and put them into an icewater bath.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXLfjuWRyWJoYR-SGJfmBy-Yk5MxSZA3vW8kR65Ye1M4MluT9kZ0lGC3nhcCV4sesIeO-YbjHcMXOUxlOByzLdM7n75_4_yHnoYCZeqfGdI1a-g48bXHlqpuWmC6sUlpSZj1NaHkVfLAW/s1600/Intro3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXLfjuWRyWJoYR-SGJfmBy-Yk5MxSZA3vW8kR65Ye1M4MluT9kZ0lGC3nhcCV4sesIeO-YbjHcMXOUxlOByzLdM7n75_4_yHnoYCZeqfGdI1a-g48bXHlqpuWmC6sUlpSZj1NaHkVfLAW/s1600/Intro3.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
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<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Nine eggs, all different sizes. Some small, medium and large (and all quite lovely, if I don't say so myself).</div>
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<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">My Results</span></i></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWoYCqnq-PnJmRJjWWijQwugBzLyBdW4V9xcIlnAVbNDNMjZjnhG3PNns_Ghe50Z-umC9R_6_wrXkFwF723uLdoYl9KNdeZx6MQq55RlHjilfCVy8qUxInk3Abas-992SZTXaU47DiTJi/s1600/Egg%231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWoYCqnq-PnJmRJjWWijQwugBzLyBdW4V9xcIlnAVbNDNMjZjnhG3PNns_Ghe50Z-umC9R_6_wrXkFwF723uLdoYl9KNdeZx6MQq55RlHjilfCVy8qUxInk3Abas-992SZTXaU47DiTJi/s1600/Egg%231.jpg" height="131" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Egg #1:</b> Perfect! (This egg had a small crack in the shell)<br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSAgp-ZJRAdkHfyhILOC5NRP79jrKlb9be5OxrwwSUS5k-9JlXWT3Rb9ei7Kv_OYawk6eyZ0xSL2BGpDC92QgOJRS0WmrPavM_9y8IPEEE96zJfujN6yujpQjZ67BExUqaGrqmQ512ywD/s1600/Egg%25232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSAgp-ZJRAdkHfyhILOC5NRP79jrKlb9be5OxrwwSUS5k-9JlXWT3Rb9ei7Kv_OYawk6eyZ0xSL2BGpDC92QgOJRS0WmrPavM_9y8IPEEE96zJfujN6yujpQjZ67BExUqaGrqmQ512ywD/s1600/Egg%25232.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Egg #2: </b>Also perfect!<br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTHBfew8JzO387GZ76i9cz6PNUkd56FGLSEyjtXFzbs3kcv1LFhNBVtBOwy9lqhV2ZnnUEpsPZ-_mjH2w1JPzxy-aSXnmd-hW7iWOr2ppa7OLmZRD3lylbhm3lua52M3ZFt4HNPWGWhEl/s1600/Egg%25233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTHBfew8JzO387GZ76i9cz6PNUkd56FGLSEyjtXFzbs3kcv1LFhNBVtBOwy9lqhV2ZnnUEpsPZ-_mjH2w1JPzxy-aSXnmd-hW7iWOr2ppa7OLmZRD3lylbhm3lua52M3ZFt4HNPWGWhEl/s1600/Egg%25233.jpg" height="131" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Egg #3: </b> Another perfect egg! <i>Could it be?</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZMxeezz0fvGKkV87PfTVJ4Gu5jsaakQVilrNUZvI4YqcqR8RBmZb31cYw4AVnnnkiwOn1tggfOfJykM_857Ezq2QHUSNtbbuzR2NLVFJ4_x9ztQkddyPQFe3rBr1PK1g0sLjqY0MKYur/s1600/Egg%25234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZMxeezz0fvGKkV87PfTVJ4Gu5jsaakQVilrNUZvI4YqcqR8RBmZb31cYw4AVnnnkiwOn1tggfOfJykM_857Ezq2QHUSNtbbuzR2NLVFJ4_x9ztQkddyPQFe3rBr1PK1g0sLjqY0MKYur/s1600/Egg%25234.jpg" height="131" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Egg #4: Rats! </b>Well, you can't win them all, right?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0XRo8jMetu3TO7ZwOSroLr4rrEerBXelBD-jY3AY_9mPTakEaFItJMnVMaPw_kewzJQbBw7V-wf5OsZj5NdnfSYKUcS3fqQA-84vQLVnJKrdV87B0LBq-TTtBE8BHeBgq1iLhG4FhEHZj/s1600/Egg%25235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0XRo8jMetu3TO7ZwOSroLr4rrEerBXelBD-jY3AY_9mPTakEaFItJMnVMaPw_kewzJQbBw7V-wf5OsZj5NdnfSYKUcS3fqQA-84vQLVnJKrdV87B0LBq-TTtBE8BHeBgq1iLhG4FhEHZj/s1600/Egg%25235.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Egg #5:</b> I'm getting <i>very </i>hopeful right now!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBwAujZsXsb9fmnXPWZ4cj1MpzRjkV4XvWfBCk-4O8SF1K7EvEEf7fJk0cjAaIfe2B0kKzdsYEXqkFSlYPW4QE9PYyayuSSwcA3eInnCSm_339kZEIaJbMCmILbkggZFG8P2OClaiaIpS/s1600/Egg%25236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBwAujZsXsb9fmnXPWZ4cj1MpzRjkV4XvWfBCk-4O8SF1K7EvEEf7fJk0cjAaIfe2B0kKzdsYEXqkFSlYPW4QE9PYyayuSSwcA3eInnCSm_339kZEIaJbMCmILbkggZFG8P2OClaiaIpS/s1600/Egg%25236.jpg" height="131" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Egg #6: </b>I love these blue eggs!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyZ32A-payjo2YAJiBCem3J7x6dc0QxNWBnXaBfzWTVB6qNOUYqAjCTcrD4ehNGwzp8JFl3nf0OLseEgeRXfR2MYFj9nkSX9xVcJzusIxWQZDuTZ3d2-2ZPxp7rmoIjTyspwBXv4c3uvS/s1600/Egg%25237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyZ32A-payjo2YAJiBCem3J7x6dc0QxNWBnXaBfzWTVB6qNOUYqAjCTcrD4ehNGwzp8JFl3nf0OLseEgeRXfR2MYFj9nkSX9xVcJzusIxWQZDuTZ3d2-2ZPxp7rmoIjTyspwBXv4c3uvS/s1600/Egg%25237.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Egg #7:</b> There's a water droplet on my lens in for the first shot.<br /></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJhWvuPINcaXNT9SfFiFrBuPRdxBmKcESAR2i6m44LCxzKzzDvdPb9f8zAmC6kwrV0vF5VVk6xiabkGz_An-scoSC8zsWeBP83kBxv2F8LjYzHRr3SNF6ffVoFKloqWSUjKKJeOtS8y3N/s1600/Egg%25238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJhWvuPINcaXNT9SfFiFrBuPRdxBmKcESAR2i6m44LCxzKzzDvdPb9f8zAmC6kwrV0vF5VVk6xiabkGz_An-scoSC8zsWeBP83kBxv2F8LjYzHRr3SNF6ffVoFKloqWSUjKKJeOtS8y3N/s1600/Egg%25238.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Egg #8:</b> Seriously, only one bad one out of...<br /></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctDONZ5RWn5i71M8SYAvMGWTA6DWi0rd2Sbr7sXEmfdI2kZ1ZEd3Jhz4vfYxHXGKf-ftNBuaPY3yt2P8UJMYXoZZpLzSK8p7Qd_LmveYLrj3VBjG869mr_aW5eucVGhZBvyPP1YB5glDl/s1600/Egg%25239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctDONZ5RWn5i71M8SYAvMGWTA6DWi0rd2Sbr7sXEmfdI2kZ1ZEd3Jhz4vfYxHXGKf-ftNBuaPY3yt2P8UJMYXoZZpLzSK8p7Qd_LmveYLrj3VBjG869mr_aW5eucVGhZBvyPP1YB5glDl/s1600/Egg%25239.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Egg #9: </b>Well, TWO bad eggs out of 9. Still, waaaaaay better than last week!<br /><br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">So, in a nutshell, out of nine eggs, only two came out questionable. The first "error," was the fattest egg I boiled. Maybe that had something to do with it, or maybe not. As for the last one, I didn't crack the egg very well, and it may be why it didn't come off cleanly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">The verdict?</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I'll probably try this method again, but I might add a couple of minutes to the timer, because the smaller eggs all came out beautifully. Perhaps the largest eggs needed a little more time? At any rate, they turned out better than my average, so it's at the top of my list...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5K2080Xe9UP6Z_uh5dYhi8L5yrsXTYMOPCBuF0kwLnE_ccZBhmwH7OZqau5Rce0hch_k75GmeFHkazDyBjQSpym0U25Aq-qSWM8jfV_Fd03shxWr_WTlVI_jL9RuzxFSle5pV3IK5JC5/s1600/P1400093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5K2080Xe9UP6Z_uh5dYhi8L5yrsXTYMOPCBuF0kwLnE_ccZBhmwH7OZqau5Rce0hch_k75GmeFHkazDyBjQSpym0U25Aq-qSWM8jfV_Fd03shxWr_WTlVI_jL9RuzxFSle5pV3IK5JC5/s1600/P1400093.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">... for now... </span><i style="font-size: medium;">(maniacal laughter ensues...)</i></div>
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TanyaWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000720704315425712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670484373191322273.post-30179669511555668302014-05-07T23:48:00.000-07:002014-05-07T23:48:09.561-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<h2>
The Great Hard-Cooked Egg Experiment….</h2>
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<h3>
Part 1</h3>
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<o:p> </o:p>So, I’m on a quest to find a way to hard-cook fresh eggs, of
any size or color, which leaves them easy to peel and perfectly cooked. I’m a bit OCD, and it drives me crazy that so
much egg white comes off with the shell.
I miss the days of easy-to-peel hard-cooked eggs, and I’m beginning to
think they are simply a figment of my imagination.</div>
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We have pet chickens, so farm-fresh eggs are fairly abundant. Now, if you're like me, you are well-aware of the philosophy that fresh eggs won't work -- you have to boil <i>older </i>eggs to be able to cleanly peel them (while leaving the egg white intact). I'm out to find a way to hard-cook my fresh eggs and have enough egg white (and sanity) intact to make beautiful deviled eggs. </div>
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<h4>
Steamed Method</h4>
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Recipe/Method: <a href="http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com/2012/01/hard-steamed-eggs.html">http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com/2012/01/hard-steamed-eggs.html</a></div>
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According to this website, I should be able to cook my super-fresh eggs and they should peel well. Please keep in mind that I'm at a relatively high altitude (4400 ft. above sea level), so that may (or may not) play into how they cook. </div>
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I started with 9 freshly-laid eggs, laid over a 2-day
period. Those are some SERIOUSLY fresh
eggs!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I used a medium-size pot, with a steamer “flower” in the
bottom. Unfortunately, I do not own a
bamboo steamer, and I wanted to be sure the steam was fairly even around the
eggs, so I chose to not use my double-boiler-style steam pot, which is pretty small. </div>
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I chose to cook several eggs, to account for any variables within the eggs. You'll notice the shells are different colors; this doesn't have any bearing on what the eggs taste like -- they just look pretty in the carton! The eggs to vary slightly in size.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5daK2_obVNU_f7H0KNasrajiw1iHdy4KeWkfom21S_4ZIohCebx95yyaEG5IlV9uG-V5QylxnppC7WIrtTeLX-sULkefMkTtECbqKqq6vm8OtL4wUCVN-zjpY8_sgbKPTwPqVrOPQoE9k/s1600/How+it+started.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5daK2_obVNU_f7H0KNasrajiw1iHdy4KeWkfom21S_4ZIohCebx95yyaEG5IlV9uG-V5QylxnppC7WIrtTeLX-sULkefMkTtECbqKqq6vm8OtL4wUCVN-zjpY8_sgbKPTwPqVrOPQoE9k/s1600/How+it+started.jpg" height="80" width="400" /></a></div>
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Following the instructions outlined on the website, I
brought the water to a boil, rinsed each egg in warm water and added the eggs. I put the lid on the pot, and then set the
timer for 20 minutes. When it went off, the eggs went into the waiting ice water
bath. It really only took a couple of minutes for them to cool off “until they
are cool enough to peel.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">So, how did they turn out?</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNftPb0Eo1qiu3J2QTv6_BGPVoZWvSm0Yyk8qs3n2I_DhGZ3efom-qXAzby7rf3K8pUddYPYO3k4-6ohQ3YEnMTXzAbxpJXFUhyphenhyphen-lySdx1BCMTUaP9YqJrALhsMGxgMzNFqHeqxLVoqYk/s1600/Egg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNftPb0Eo1qiu3J2QTv6_BGPVoZWvSm0Yyk8qs3n2I_DhGZ3efom-qXAzby7rf3K8pUddYPYO3k4-6ohQ3YEnMTXzAbxpJXFUhyphenhyphen-lySdx1BCMTUaP9YqJrALhsMGxgMzNFqHeqxLVoqYk/s1600/Egg1.jpg" height="332" title="Egg #1" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"><b>Egg #1: </b>Well, it could be better…. Kinda bummed at this point.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh935cJg9yNTqd4f-8WpQ3Lgw0WHYBBhPR3vgt7k8Gr8pvdsfchkoc5GMMh0lwOi5GXutXO1Nb2EyoazMPYfvKaCct9vmc6uLACNIFr7R0b9_EC3v3imOnKqXq3-h5uDrEOTShlTdQG1p6g/s1600/Egg2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh935cJg9yNTqd4f-8WpQ3Lgw0WHYBBhPR3vgt7k8Gr8pvdsfchkoc5GMMh0lwOi5GXutXO1Nb2EyoazMPYfvKaCct9vmc6uLACNIFr7R0b9_EC3v3imOnKqXq3-h5uDrEOTShlTdQG1p6g/s1600/Egg2.jpg" height="400" title="Egg #2" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"><b>Egg #2:</b> Wow! THAT came out PERFECT!!!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLkhrboRtouRSgNLlAs_5DdYRalYCXaEOUuEWLKzK2KWzud3a8PbEse4SoDodMaAGgzYWN3_QYPr9MyGM5w6khO1GzVGgzojDXf08o9_3hG70o76bLx1jt5XE6xGuAc7sLPWjrZ7A83uQ/s1600/Egg3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLkhrboRtouRSgNLlAs_5DdYRalYCXaEOUuEWLKzK2KWzud3a8PbEse4SoDodMaAGgzYWN3_QYPr9MyGM5w6khO1GzVGgzojDXf08o9_3hG70o76bLx1jt5XE6xGuAc7sLPWjrZ7A83uQ/s1600/Egg3.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Egg #3: </b><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Ugh…</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq834LjpJye-o7TFJlj6jkToS8oWfgUDfCCZ7eOzTMSxY55x8ChaAzPzwaVwhvWz2waUyxT1CK8064vk-HRtTQU4JUpARueMA45p7FSMi9TzNGkUxGPv-ACvuU9y4pii9dQzq7dWhACwI0/s1600/Egg4b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq834LjpJye-o7TFJlj6jkToS8oWfgUDfCCZ7eOzTMSxY55x8ChaAzPzwaVwhvWz2waUyxT1CK8064vk-HRtTQU4JUpARueMA45p7FSMi9TzNGkUxGPv-ACvuU9y4pii9dQzq7dWhACwI0/s1600/Egg4b.jpg" height="110" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Egg #4: </b> <span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">It started out looking promising, but ended badly… VERY badly…<br /><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-I2c4Ido274Hj15jWlp8HW408PSMJiJCzZXdhtG0hMwhsUTTXiZC0E-krdyb1CkreW45zWU9gLEw6jUZRa5qQJOxaVLO5eqiD8KrVLbwxXtYj9asXDXAAsEsRYRbiAaaUItZnxs7eG5N/s1600/Egg5+for+real.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-I2c4Ido274Hj15jWlp8HW408PSMJiJCzZXdhtG0hMwhsUTTXiZC0E-krdyb1CkreW45zWU9gLEw6jUZRa5qQJOxaVLO5eqiD8KrVLbwxXtYj9asXDXAAsEsRYRbiAaaUItZnxs7eG5N/s1600/Egg5+for+real.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Egg #5: </b> Oh, my.... <span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Disaster struck again!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqUzlE0FuFV6KLOTlXZ8HjT150aDMheq764uiyZVnfS1jrqp2NrDOcvZ0ZXyM4f1BGdhhcVcul43DYWrCcs0p2vxen0ASzX6VkKRGZlOa8cu1WDRhsYxHIscQbVXfMpJQsZPHbrX_CqESL/s1600/Egg6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqUzlE0FuFV6KLOTlXZ8HjT150aDMheq764uiyZVnfS1jrqp2NrDOcvZ0ZXyM4f1BGdhhcVcul43DYWrCcs0p2vxen0ASzX6VkKRGZlOa8cu1WDRhsYxHIscQbVXfMpJQsZPHbrX_CqESL/s1600/Egg6.jpg" height="131" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"><b>Egg #6:</b> Not as bad as some, but still not perfect.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFpvdbwWKexqNLYMuThuUXfLTCQdV8hJDDDqUdxoVs2pIxrUHIPaa4hgjMGnjucyyWR3YLFXnJcc7shRAwxAU6CWFYJ9-H7fd6UCcV0sbtbzjhE_GBjktfRwyTZFmMBNtmJWvsTckpEDd/s1600/Egg7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFpvdbwWKexqNLYMuThuUXfLTCQdV8hJDDDqUdxoVs2pIxrUHIPaa4hgjMGnjucyyWR3YLFXnJcc7shRAwxAU6CWFYJ9-H7fd6UCcV0sbtbzjhE_GBjktfRwyTZFmMBNtmJWvsTckpEDd/s1600/Egg7.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"><b>Egg #7:</b> It looked so good to begin with. The peel looked like it would just slip off…. Sadly, NOT…</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiscrDRw-auogm9zOFlOIhY6siQh3GK_S_T7FHYBFK1olkYBRoepff1HcuVKZQ8zul87AFWKPvcRzXVhCtn18W4bZEvpzLOkSLxs6Akw40IrNWXj37Lg1KDp3jewmKV2k1RRMMBk_EAIIr/s1600/Egg8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiscrDRw-auogm9zOFlOIhY6siQh3GK_S_T7FHYBFK1olkYBRoepff1HcuVKZQ8zul87AFWKPvcRzXVhCtn18W4bZEvpzLOkSLxs6Akw40IrNWXj37Lg1KDp3jewmKV2k1RRMMBk_EAIIr/s1600/Egg8.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"><b>Egg #8: </b>Hmmm… Not bad!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YJ14237EV6AMOGJfpChJFsuXprGzPVzaj9SKXPEu4KdP1glE49n6me6cPLKckce9phmOVm29hdIFm7kAxUQSUbcUMDZmj4qOQBejOR3mXC3EW21EOWCFV_EJCHuQnMs9LqU078OgOavG/s1600/Egg9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YJ14237EV6AMOGJfpChJFsuXprGzPVzaj9SKXPEu4KdP1glE49n6me6cPLKckce9phmOVm29hdIFm7kAxUQSUbcUMDZmj4qOQBejOR3mXC3EW21EOWCFV_EJCHuQnMs9LqU078OgOavG/s1600/Egg9.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Egg #9:</b> <span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Seriously? Grrr!</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>So, did my farm-fresh eggs peel perfectly?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgNP86qg_jEmVIF_cYuguVa3w8IrdhKhKdmiD19qlTQQb_OUIXhoA-TgpiWrGU4qFUiMgtWZQ27wzxyYMb_xRh0AMrmKKHHJ0b8KSYnTDPxZ2EPSa4U8g0_wUy3GRCWSWyrhVrwskHXsN/s1600/P1380871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgNP86qg_jEmVIF_cYuguVa3w8IrdhKhKdmiD19qlTQQb_OUIXhoA-TgpiWrGU4qFUiMgtWZQ27wzxyYMb_xRh0AMrmKKHHJ0b8KSYnTDPxZ2EPSa4U8g0_wUy3GRCWSWyrhVrwskHXsN/s1600/P1380871.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>NAILED it!</b></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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TanyaWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000720704315425712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670484373191322273.post-62722523290408840482014-03-17T14:11:00.001-07:002014-03-17T14:18:03.535-07:00<h3>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Mondays <i>suck</i>.</span></h3>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know this well. From experience. <i>Personal </i>experience.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Last night, Brat2 told me how to wake her up. "Just shake my arm and say 'BratGirl, wake up BratGirl!' and make me sit up." I tried to tell her it wouldn't go well, but she disagreed. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, I tried it. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It didn't go well.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I shook her arm, saying, "Braaaaaaaaaaat Giiiiiirrrrlll, wake uuuuuuup." </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She rolled over on her stomach.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">About 5 minutes later, she yelled at me to leave her alone, saying "you're doing it wrong!"</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Shheesh!</span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After Hubby left to drive her to school, I tried to get in the shower (at about 7:30). My cell phone rang. It was Hubby. "I forgot I have an 8 am meeting, so you need to drive Brat1." </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Grrrrrrrrr!</span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I managed to get my shower in (no makeup), still get Brat3 on the bus at 8:12, AND get Brat1 to school (albeit 30 minutes late).</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I got to work, clocked in at 9:02, and at 11:11 recieved a call to come get Brat2. She threw up. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">***Sighs***</span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Clocked out for 1 hour + 10 minutes. Grabbed lunch on my way back. Will probably end up staying late today.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I suppose, it <i>could </i>always be worse... :) </span></div>
TanyaWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000720704315425712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670484373191322273.post-38601199194533795082013-11-18T13:37:00.000-08:002013-11-18T13:37:39.485-08:00"I promise, this will NEVER happen again!" <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My little guy joined The Good News Club after school on Thursdays.
It's a Christian club that meets for an hour once a week. Seems
simple enough, right? He stays after school, then I race out to pick him
up after I get off work at 4:30. No sweat!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first week went off without a hitch.
5:00 rolls around, and *boom!* I'm there on time. Huzzah!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The second week....? Well, let's
just say that my brain took a vacation at a most-inopportune time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5:10 p.m. My cell phone rings.
I ask myself, "Whose number is that, do you suppose?" and
decide to go ahead and press [send]. Good thing! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The voice at the other end sweetly
introduces herself, and that’s when my horror sets in. “Oh, crap!” I mindlessly exclaim. (Never mind
that she introduced herself as a pastor’s wife – oops!) Apologizing, I explain to her where I am, and
that it will take me at least 20 minutes to get to the school. “No problem,” she says to the frantic mom on
the phone. “But, would it be ok if I take him to my house to wait for you?” Sure, she could be a psycho axe-murdering lady,
but I’ll take my chances and hope that she doesn’t call Child Protective
Services. She explains where she lives
(right next door to the church that her hubby pastors), and I rush to get him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s not the first time I’ve forgotten to pick up my son. Poor kid; I’m sure he’s developing a major complex
– one that will require YEARS of therapy to resolve! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, I get to her house, and he’s hanging out in the front
yard, on the porch swing. He’s not
stressed out, and had a great time, both at the GNC and at her house. She’s very sweet – albeit a tad bit
introverted, so I’m certain I overwhelm her – and we chit chat for a
while. Needing to get home, I apologize
for about the hundredth time, and swear it will <i>never</i> happen again….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yea; right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two weeks ago, my son politely reminded me <i>in the morning, before school, </i>that he had the GNC that day. So guess what?!! I was there on time (actually, a few minutes <i>early</i>!)
My neighbor’s kids haven’t been picked up yet, and I don’t see the mom,
so I try to call her to see if she wants me to bring them home. (I’d been thinking we should car pool anyway,
right?) At any rate, the number I have
for her is disconnected. Her son seems
disturbed to see me, and not her, so I promise that I will wait until she picks
him up before I drive off. Feeling very
accomplished and responsible – <i>adult</i>,
really! – I head home about 5 minutes later, when his mom shows up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That brings us to last week.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My hubby and I both got off work early; one of our children had a
couple of grades that had slipped into the “caution” zone, and we felt that it was
very important that we take her to her Parent-Teacher conferences and meet with
her teachers. It was chaotic, because
the conferences are held in the gym of her school; all of the teachers sit at
tables, identified first by the subject they teach, then their last name. We had already met with a couple of her
teachers, but the teacher we most needed to meet with had (of course) the
longest line. As we’re heading to that
line, my hubby’s phone rings. It’s our
oldest daughter, saying something unintelligible to my hubby. Exasperated, he thrusts the phone at my head;
“I can’t understand what she’s saying!” As
I put the phone to my ear, all I hear is “Good News Club!” and I’m certain the
blood drained from my face. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ooops – I did it again!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I haven’t mentioned here is that my
cell phone battery died while I was at work.
I hadn’t bothered to charge it at home, and I didn’t have a charger at
my office. The only charger I had with
me was the lighter-charger for my car.
Therefore, my cell phone was not on my person, but in my vehicle. It’s rather hard to hear it ring from inside
the gym….<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My hubby, who probably wants to get out of meeting with the math
teacher almost as much as he wants to win the lottery, insists on picking up
our little guy, but “where do I go?” is his question. As I’m trying to formulate directions in my
head, my growing panic demands that I go to my car, because I <i>know</i> she will be calling me. I just <i>know</i>
it! So I start barking orders at my hubby
to stand in the line he most wants to avoid (“No, <i>you</i> stay there because I <i>have</i>
to get my phone!”) so that I can go get my phone and rescue my “forgotten”
son. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I turn on my headlights and navigate my car out of the
congested parking lot onto the empty streets of my town, I am grateful that a)
the roads are not nearly as busy as the school gym and parking lot, and b) that
I remembered to charge my phone <i>and</i>
turn it on! At about that exact second,
as if on cue, it rings. Before she could
even get more than her name out of her mouth, I prolifically apologize,
confessing my horror and embarrassment, all at the same time!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have to say, she truly is the sweetest thing ever, because she
didn’t bat an eyelash about it, and almost more importantly, she didn’t laugh
out loud when I sheepishly proclaimed, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>“It won’t happen again.”</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My son, on the other hand, sums it up the best: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I wasn’t really surprised, Mom.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ouch.</span></i></div>
TanyaWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000720704315425712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670484373191322273.post-75676102706606949232013-01-03T08:26:00.002-08:002013-01-03T08:26:29.924-08:00<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; mso-line-height-alt: 20.4pt; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="color: #d15211; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 29.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">resolution<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Pronunciation: <a href="http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/key-to-pronunciation"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #1a63ab; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">/r</span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #1a63ab; padding: 0in;">ɛ</span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #1a63ab; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">zə</span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #1a63ab; padding: 0in;">ˈ</span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #1a63ab; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">lu</span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #1a63ab; padding: 0in;">ːʃ</span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #1a63ab; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">(ə)n/</span></a> <i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; padding: 0in;">Noun</span></i><a href="" name="resolution__2"></a><i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></i><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #333333; font-size: 9pt; padding: 0in;">1 </span></b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #333333; font-size: 9pt; padding: 0in;">a firm decision to do or not to
do something</span><i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">New year, new beginnings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Every year, sometime around January 1<sup>st</sup>, I find
myself mulling over a list of items I’d like to accomplish for the year. My list is usually more detailed, but
includes such things as Organize, Build, Clean, Diet, Exercise, Read, Learn, Create,
Stop. My intentions are good, and I
might actually stick with it for a while, but usually by March or so, I lose
interest – or worse, I <i>forget</i>. EVERY year.
So, what’s to make 2013 any different?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Maybe I’ve been approaching it all wrong. I tend to look at my list of resolutions as a
whole, instead of focusing on one thing at a time. Common sense even tells me that some of my
resolutions will be easier to keep – or accomplish – than others, just as
learning some skills are easier than others.
Take tying your shoes. When I
learned to tie my shoes, it was difficult at first, but I managed to get it
done, and eventually, I could tie one shoe at a time with my eyes closed. But, what if I tried to tie <b>both</b> shoes at <i>the same time? </i>Would it have
worked? Probably not. In fact, even with all of my shoe-tying
experience, I don’t see how I could tie them both at once, unless I tied them
together. But then, what would be the
point?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Henry Ford once said, “a weakness of all human beings is
trying to do too many things at once.
That scatters effort and destroys direction.” (I wonder what he would think of today’s
mentality about multi-tasking….?) I
suppose he’s saying that focusing on one thing at a time isn’t a handicap –
maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.
Single-tasking forces us to concentrate on one thing at a time, so that
at least one thing gets done with our <i>full
attention</i>. What a novel idea!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’m thinking that this year, I’ll focus on one thing at a
time. Maybe I’ll get to the end of 2013,
look back, and say “Wow! I sure got a lot done!” Then again, if I can’t prioritize my
resolutions, I may look back and say “Darn! I should have put ‘stop
procrastinating’ at the top.” </span><o:p></o:p></div>
TanyaWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000720704315425712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670484373191322273.post-66574900376486422262012-11-30T20:44:00.001-08:002012-11-30T20:46:46.613-08:00<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18px;">Isn't "dumb blonde" a peroxymoron? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<img src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/68470_418336284898412_1159904116_n.jpg" /><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks, UnKNOWN PUNster (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/UnknownPuNster">https://www.facebook.com/UnknownPuNster</a>) for posting this. It suits me to a TEE!!!</span></div>
TanyaWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000720704315425712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670484373191322273.post-67084904455191949182012-11-26T21:46:00.003-08:002012-11-26T21:48:57.797-08:00Dingbats ROCK!<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm such a dingbat (though I'm sure you never would have guessed if I hadn't mentioned it now, would you 've?)...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I got a new car in May. Mother's Day weekend. Mine had reached a point that it was going to cost far more to repair it than it was worth. So, lets head down to the Credit Union and see what they have available from the rental company sale. Mini van? Sounds great! What, another couple is test driving the one that we want? Sure, we'll take out this crossover SUV instead. Wow! This is really nice! Lets do some quick research. Looks good. LOVE the car. Can we get it? Cool! We're approved? Awesome! Hours later, finally driving away with my new vehicle. LOVE it! Totally!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That was a Saturday. The following Wednesday....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have one of those handy-dandy key fobs. You know the kind I'm talking about: press this button to lock it, press this button to unlock it, press it twice to unlock all of the doors. Press this one to unlock the trunk. They told us that they would send the extra key in a couple of weeks, so don't lose this one. OK. I won't. So, I drop my son off at school, then stop at the grocery store. It was my sister-in-love's birthday, and she has always wanted a globe willow. Lookee here! They have globe willows on sale at the store, at an incredible price! I better get one for her before they're gone! Pay. Carry it out to the car. Unlock the trunk with the new fob (not the side doors, since I'm heading back in to buy some groceries). Adjust the seats so that the tree fits (I have to lay it down). Awesome! It fits! Time to go back in.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">SLAM!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh, crud...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I left my key inside the trunk. I had it in my hand, and didn't put it into my pocket. Now what? Keep in mind that we only had that ONE key.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I call my friend, who picks me up at the store. I only have the one key, so there's no sense calling the hubby. We don't have AAA or other road side "oops, I locked my key in the car" service. I really don't want to spend a bunch of money to have a locksmith or tow-truck driver break in for me. What the heck am I gonna do?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Fortunately, I left the window down about 2". Unfortunately, the car is new enough that the locks are the flippy-kind in the side of the door (not on top of the door, where you can hook a hanger around it and pull it up). The car is also quite wide, so I don't think the broom handle through one window will reach across to the other door to flip the lock. Enter McGuyverMe. At home, I grab duct tape, the flag "pole" for my son's bike trailer, and a 48" wooden dowel. My friend and I head back to the store, laughing all the way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh -- just for grins, I'm also parked in the very first space, directly out the doors of the store. High visibility, right? :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, I use the flag pole to try to reach through one side window, across the car, and (hopefully) snag the lock & pop it. It's too short. Next, I duct tape the dowel onto the pole, to make it longer. That works, but it's too flimsy -- the pole keeps bending. Next, I wad duct tape onto the end that I'm trying to use to flip the lock, hoping maybe I can 'catch' it -- sort of like fishing. I keep trying, and trying, and trying....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, my friend is inside the store, looking for two types of things: #1, items to try to hook the lock & flip it, and #2, the most "criminal-looking person in the store -- they'll know how to break in!" Would you believe, she was successful? She's standing there in the store, with a flyswatter in her hand, hoping to find a wire hanger, when another friend walks up behind her and gooses her! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My hero!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Gooser-girl's hubby used to be a tow-truck driver, and they just happened to have a nifty kit with all kinds of fun tools for just such an occasion. As luck would have it, she had driven the truck with the kit in it THAT VERY DAY! So, she goes off to get the kit. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Keep in mind that we're <i>right in front</i> of the grocery store, and that using such a kit is questionably (<b>il</b>)legal. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We've been working on breaking in for almost an hour at this point. Maybe even two. (It was probably more like 30 minutes, but it felt like FOUR HOURS!) People keep asking if we need help. Duh! Of course, but you're crazy if you think I'm going to admit it NOW! No matter how hard we try, nothing seems to be working. I'm mortified! How do I go about telling my hubby, and all of my co-workers & neighbors & friends, and my KIDS, that I locked my only key in my car only 4 days after getting it? <i>How embarrassing</i>! Sheesh!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After another 5 hours (<i>minutes</i>), a nice gentleman, covered in tattoos, with his little blonde kindergarten-age boy (who happened to be carrying a barbie doll with no head, but that's another subject all together), comes along and offers to help. Relieved, my two friends quickly accept, and in no time at all, he has my car unlocked. Of course, because no key was locked, the car horn & lights begin protesting loudly. I quickly hop in, throw the seat forward, reach under the tree pot, and hit the "unlock" button. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<i><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Blessed peace.</span></b></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Do I have a point to my story? Not really. I learned not to unlock the trunk of the car ONLY, but to unlock at least the driver's door as well. I also learned that a platinum blonde mom can quickly make new friends by acting as dorky as she feels when she does something (<i>stupid</i>) brilliant. And, I learned that, when you drive off and leave the roll of duct tape laying on it's side on the hood of the car, that <i>it won't go anywhere</i> because the stickiness oozes out the sides of the tape, adhering it to said hood. (Whew!) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Finally, I learned that <i>I truly am a platinum blonde mom....</i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">@#%</span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>This post is dedicated to my dear neighbor-friend, my hero-friend, and my new guy friend. Oh, and new guy friend? I'm sorry I didn't have any cash to give you for rescuing me, because you </i>really <i>need to get your son into therapy! </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />TanyaWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000720704315425712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670484373191322273.post-70743833453060649172012-02-19T20:07:00.000-08:002012-02-19T20:07:50.492-08:00Our Tooth Fairy<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="background-color: white; color: #cc6600; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.25em; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #996633; font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.6em;">I read an article online about tooth fairies, which got my mind going.</span></h3><div><span style="color: #996633; font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.6em;"><br />
</span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-572941238381947382" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div align="justify" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: #996633; font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"></span></div><div align="justify" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span style="color: #996633;"><span style="font-size: 23px;">O</span>ur tooth fairy has a pathetic "response-time." She's even been known to be 3 days late in picking up a tooth! Sadly, it has nothing to do with our kids being light sleepers, because they are not. Nor does it have anything to do with not being able to find the tooth. It's simply called "mommy-brain," or, "I just had another platinum-blonde moment"!<br />
<br />
Another problem our tooth fairy has is forgetting to hide the tooth somewhere safe, or to lable who it belonged to. She had 2 baggies in a locked box with each child's name on it, for their teeth, but has misplaced the locked box. Really, she IS smarter than she sounds! Unfortunately, sleep-deprivation and three kids deplete the female tooth-fairy's brain cells.... <span style="font-size: 11px;">(I think that will be a good topic for another post!)</span><br />
<br />
The one cool thing she does is leave foreign coins/money for the kids, along with $1. Cheap, but interesting for them to learn about the country the money is from. Bad, if the tooth fairy runs out of foreign coins.<br />
<br />
Maybe our tooth fairy should tie a string around her finger...</span></span></div></div>TanyaWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000720704315425712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670484373191322273.post-9221433531447044722011-01-20T08:45:00.001-08:002011-01-20T08:46:09.818-08:00Duuuuhhhhh......<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">After running errands with my 11 year old daughter, then picking up my 6 year old son from Kindergarten, I needed to stop at the grocery store. I hurried around the store, picking up this and that, then headed for the self-checkout lanes.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">I swipe my club card; "Invalid phone number." Huh?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">I swipe my club card again; "Invalid phone number." OK, now, this is getting annoying!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">As the attendant walks by, I say to her, "My club card won't work." She looks at it, and says "It's a King Soopers card." I explain that I know, but that it's always worked before, since King Soopers & City Market are BOTH Kroeger stores; after all, I've been using that card at City Market since I moved to GJ 1.5 years ago!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">She looks at me, smiles sweetly, and says, "This is Safeway."</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">As I said earlier: Duuuuhhhhh......</span>TanyaWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000720704315425712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670484373191322273.post-83389885734056000662011-01-20T08:44:00.001-08:002011-01-20T08:46:25.710-08:00SQUIRREL!!!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">I seem to be having more and more trouble keeping my thoughts in order. There always seems to be something distracting me. It's like a squirrel stopped to have a snack on the railroad tracks in front of the train my brain is on, and when the train hit it, the train derailed. Most of the cars have fallen into a ravine sooooo deep that there is absolutely NO HOPE of getting them out. Some are hanging off the edge in such a precarious position that I hope a butterfly doesn't fly by; the gentle flutter of the wings as it passes by could very well be enough to knock the car over the edge!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Not one of the cars is unaffected by the derailment caused by the squirrel (though some are more affected than others). Though some of the cars may be nudged just a bit off track, it's enough to stop the train completely. Sometimes it's just that there were only a couple of cars in this train to begin with; sometimes it's a VERY large squirrel! Either way, the damage is done, and my brain must start over from scratch.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">What does this all mean for us 'airheads'?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">SQUIRREL!!!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">I don't remember -- I lost my train of thought!</span>TanyaWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000720704315425712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670484373191322273.post-12540940895471272542011-01-20T08:43:00.000-08:002011-01-20T08:43:42.592-08:00New story....<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">New story....</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">Devon's car is in the shop, so he took mine back to GJ. After 2 days without a car, I rented one. I got it during the day, and it's pretty simple to operate.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">Last night, after work, I stopped at the grocery store. I shut off the car, and....</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">..."How the HECK do I turn off the headlights?!" Duhhhhhh..... I didn't remember turning them on.....</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">Now I know: they turn on & off automatically. Unlike my own car. I can hear Napoleon Dynamite's brother singing now: "I love technology, not as much as you you see! Still, I love technology, always and forever."</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">He's right--I don't love technology as much as he does.</span></span>TanyaWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000720704315425712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6670484373191322273.post-19843519803371289412011-01-20T08:18:00.000-08:002011-01-20T08:18:45.446-08:00I've Lost My Mind (or, "It's been sucked out by parasites!")<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">I knew I was in trouble the second time I locked Aidan in the car--WITH my keys still in it. I was dropping the girls off at school, and got out of the car to get their backpacks out of the trunk & hug them good-bye. I slammed the door, and...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">"Oh, crap!" I had mindlessly locked the doors, leaving my 18 month old son asleep in his carseat. Now what? A mom who knows me fairly well is laughing. "No, no AAA." "Yes, I have a spare, but it's in the car." "No, Devon can't come unlock it. He works downtown and rides the bus to work. It would be at least an hour!" Hmmm...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">Tap-tap-tap! "Aidan, wake up! Aidan!" He looks at me groggily. "Aidan, can you unlock the door with your foot?" He couldn't reach the lock with his hand, because he was buckled properly. He had learned to LOCK the door with his foot, but not UNlock it. He shook his head and said something, but I couldn't hear it through the closed window. "Aidan, Mommy is locked out of the car. Can you try to use your foot to unlock the door?" He shook his head "no" again, saying something I still could not hear. Am I going to have to call the police? I feel like such an idiot! "Please, Aidan, just try to reach the lock with your toe!" He says something else, then...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">...rolls the window down, saying "Mom, I can't hear you!" Why didn't I think of that? "Aidan, you're a genius!"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">So, that's the story of how I discovered that my toddler sucked out all of my brain cells while I was pregnant with him...</span></span>TanyaWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000720704315425712noreply@blogger.com0