Just a Minute

We're a strange group. But we love each other and that's what counts.

We're the orphans of the San Diego BlogHer conference and we decided to have our own little party.

Head over to Robin's place for the Mr. Linky of partygoers and go find yourself some NEW favorite blogs to read.

I thought I blogged about this? I searched the blog and couldn't find it so I guess I intended to, but didn't.

Some time ago, in a land far, far away. Oh. Wait. Let me start again.

Sometime in the recent past, I can't remember when--I keep reading that's part of this thyroid nonsense I'm dealing with, Phil made Tuna Cakes. It started like this. Remember when I went to see Jill? On the way home, I stopped at my friend Lisa's house and her fabulous husband Will made tuna cakes, homemade dip and buttered noodles. I came home raving and not to be outdone, Phil had to prove that he could do it better. (Don't tell him I like it when he does that.)

So I emailed Lisa for the herbs and we set to re-creating the meal my gracious hosts served.

So now here's where I share what we learned. Phil made fish cakes and here are the dips and the recipe for homemade Old Bay Seasoning.

Our local health food store sells bulk spices and we've found they're much more flavorful and a heck of a lot cheaper.

The dips we made for the tuna and crab cakes:

1. Basil, cracked pepper, mayonnaise
2. Tarragon, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise
3. Old Bay, mayonnaise

Here's the Homemade Old Bay:

I haven't done this in awhile. It makes me feel so accomplished in a completely obsessive way to shop this way. My first trip was CVS. I should have spent $127.40. I spent less than a dollar. Yes. It's totally true. I spent a whopping $.95!I have proof. Click on the receipts to see.


Next, Walgreens. I never do as well there. However, for $74.84 worth of stuff, I paid $28.71

From Walmart last week. Spent less than $2 here.
From Staples the other day. Paid $1.12.

So I paid a total of $32.78 for all that stuff. Not bad. Not bad at all.

I think this will have a permanent link on my front page. How Not to Start a Short Story.

I'm not getting paid big bucks to pick stories, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't listen. I feel the exact same way.

It's never too soon to find the perfect costume. Especially toddler costumes.

Zane's eight, he'll be nine by Halloween this year and really, where does the time go? I remember his first year, well, he was just a couple weeks old so we stayed home. But the next year, he didn't even wear a costume because he was totally afraid of them. We did go out trick or treating with a friend and I have some cute pictures in the scrapbook. The next year, would you believe he was sick and we stayed home? By year four, I'd pretty much given up on trick or treating. But that year was a good one. I think he was Sponge Bob. The fifth year he went with my friend Kimmie while I went to a conference. He's went with them for his sixth and seventh year as well.

So here we are. The toddler days are over and he was eight this past October. We had a Star Wars birthday party and he was a Jedi and we made his costume. Here's the party pictures.

Anyway, enjoy the cute toddler years. They don't last long.

I've been excited (and had to keep it all inside) about Inspiration Wood. Inspiration Wood is the retreat center of rustic elegance that my best friend and her family are opening very soon. Our family will have a part in it and while I can't discuss the details yet, I can say that we're very excited.

Well, now that I've started talking about it with people, I've found that I tend to notice things that could be of benefit to the business. Today, I ran across Atlantic Global. They develop business management software, or to be more specific project management software. While I won't be in charge of these sorts of things, I hope that I can pass on links and information when necessary. And I posted it here because I know a lot of you run your own businesses or are in positions that would find this link beneficial.

Plus, I haven't taken an Izea opportunity in such a long time and I have a conference coming up I'd like to fund. Context21 in Columbus, Ohio where I'll be sitting in on Gary Braunbeck's Short Story Master Class. And let's face it. Gas is expensive. I can use all the help I can get.

But first, we interrupt this message with a cute Patches photo:


What a bargain hunter I am!

Since corn on the cob is to Indiana girls as waves are to surfers, I had to take advantage of the local (okay, it was an hour away. But local to my mom's house) Farmer's store. Not farmer's market, but store. It's been there so long my dad used to work there when he was a boy.

Remus Farms had a special on corn on the cob. 40 ears for $12. After I mowed a bit of the lawn yesterday, I shucked all 40 ears, made 10 of them for dinners then blanched and froze the other 30. See that little yellow pepper? Hang on and I'll get to that!
Remus Farms had another special that day. With any purchase, free vegetable plants. F-R-E-E!!! JACKPOT!

Yeah. I know it's late in the season, but I also know spring has moved, so has summer, and it's now warm into November. So I figured why not?

I called my dad to print off a coupon for himself and we met at the produce market. He bought tomatoes and I bought the corn (and plenty of other stuff) and we both got our free plants. Like 16 of them!!

So yesterday after I shucked my little heart out, I went to the garage where Phil was changing the brakes on both cars and doing oil changes and gave him my best puppy dog eyes. Can you please, please, please till me up a little spot to plant these orphaned veggies?

And he did.

I planted.

And that little yellow pepper? I harvested that from my free plants! Life is good.Before I had the idea to ask Phil to till up a spot, I was going to put all of the plants in containers. But I ran out. I don't know if I'll leave those four tomato plants in their containers or if I'll end up transplanting them. I guess time will tell.

I'm standing in line with my loaf of French bread and bag of Normandy veggies to go with the sweet Italian sausage (they didn't have Vienna bread, alright?) cooking in the crock pot with peppers, onions and tomatoes.

The unbelievable woman lady in front of me is with her total brat sweet young child. The store intercom blares and screeches. Another cashier rushes to shut it off. The woman says, "Yeah. She knows right where that intercom thing's at. That's why she doesn't get to come." And walks out with her groceries and her child.

Guess personal accountability and manners won't be taught in that home, eh?

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