January 30-Sledgehammer

So I heard this song on the radio the other day, and I immediately thought of the video. So, enjoy.



What was this director on anyway? lol

January 29-Go Me!!!

So it's official. As of this post, I have completed my New Year's Resolution. Less than a month in, and I already finished. Now hopefully I'll keep up with posting so often for the rest of the year. :o) I suppose for the rest of the year, my resolution will be to lose 50 lbs.

January 29-Chocolate Chess Pie

It's another slow day, so here's a recipe for a REALLY good pie. I actually don't like nuts, but I used them and I still loved this. So here it is:

Single Pie Crust
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare pastry for single-crust pie; set aside. For filling, in a large bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, cornmeal, flour and salt. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, butter and vanilla. Stir egg mixture into sugar mixture until smooth. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into pastry-lined pie plate. Bake about 1 hour or until filling is set and crust is golden. If crust begins to brown too fast, reduce oven temperature to 325 and cover edge of crust with foil. Cool pie on a wire rack. (Filling will fall slightly during cooling.) Chill within 2 hours. If desired, serve with whipped cream. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Make ahead tip: cover and chill cooled pie for up to 24 hours.

I actually don't remember the website I got this from, but if I remember, I'll credit it later.

*edited to add: I finally found out I got this recipe from the Better Home and Garden website.

January 28-Those darn Californians

I always knew that California would be the first state to have Marijuana vending machines.

January 26-Nice try

So, I was sitting in the living room earlier, talking with my mom. I could see something on the floor in front of the curtains (between the chair my mom was in and the computer chair). It looked kind of like a bug, but it was WAY too big to be one. So I figured it was just a clump of random string or something. I askedmy mom what it was, so she looked at it. What was the culprit, you ask?
Nice try Lexi, but you didn't scare us.

January 25-Coal

I made some AWESOME cookies today. I've been meaning to make them since before christmas (they're a 'christmas' cookie, because they look like coal). We don't have any chocolate in the house, so I gave in and baked these. Here's a pic:

They're really easy to make (especially if I can make them lol). Here's the recipe:

For cookie dough:
1 cup room temperature butter
1/2 cup suger
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder {I couldn't find any of this, so I just used instant coffee}

To roll cookie in:
1/3 cup confectioner sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa

Preheat oven to 375. Beat together butter and sugar. Add flour, cocoa, and espresso powder. Roll mixture into 1 1/2" balls and place on cookie sheets. Bake for 20 minutes. Once cool, combine confectioner sugar and unsweetened cocoa. Roll cookies in confectioner sugar mixture.

p.s. I got the recipe from the December 2007 issue of Create & Decorate magazine. The recipe is by Lyn Slade.

January 25-My stalker

So, you know when you watch a movie, and the person finds out they have a stalker because they're going through pictures, and there's somebody in the background of a bunch of them? Well, that happened to me.
That's right. My stalker is Tiger Woods.

p.s. The first picture was stolen from Rachel.

January 24-Tuesday's Babysitting

So I babysat my niece on Tuesday. Well, we don't have many toys at our house, just a few stuffed animals, and my niece didn't seem too interested in them. So I found her a new toy. She kept throwing it, so I'd take it away for a little bit. But every time I'd get it back out, her face would just light up. She just loved it, and she carried it all over the room. What was this new toy of hers? A hockey puck. Yep. Less than a year old and I'm already getting her into hockey. :o)

January 22-Help...

Ok, so I've spent ALL FREAKING DAY looking for a knitting pattern for the Detroit Red Wings logo. If I get that, I can adapt it to what I need, but because there's so many details, I'm having problems making my own pattern. What I came up with looks like absolute crap. I'm gonna try to do it anyway, but if anybody knows anybody or something, I could really use some help getting a pattern for the logo.

January 21-Awkward

So I went to visit my friend Rachel at work tonight (the 20th). I'm on my way there and I stop at a stoplight. There's a car next to me with a guy and a chick in the front seats and 3 kids in the back. I look over, and they are ALL STARING AT ME!!! So what did I do? I slowly looked forward and stared straight ahead. I mean...what would you do in that situation?

January 20-Quote of the night

Sis: "If it wasn't for you, I'd be totally sober."
Me: "People tell me that all the time."

January 20-Hockey game

So the Quad City Flames won tonight!!! In regulation!!! And Grant Stevenson not only got a hat trick, but he got 4 goals!! Needless to say, this game was a LOT better than the last one. lol. The score was 4-2, but that's not what it should have been...

The Rochester Americans took a shot in the 3rd period, which, to me, looked like it was a goal, but the light didn't come on, meaning that the goal judge didn't consider it a goal, and the ref said it wasn't a goal, so they continued playing. There was no stop in play at all until about a minute later when there was offsides or something. They showed the replay of the 'goal' on the screen and my sis checked her video of it. It didn't look like a goal. The ref decided to talk to the goal judge, and somehow they decided that it should be counted as a goal...ok, they had both decided it wasn't a goal, and now, a minute later, they decide it is. Since they gave them that goal, the score was now 3-2. Close enough for the Rochester Americans to still tie it up and win in overtime/shootout (and if that would've happened, there would have been quite a few cuss words in this post. lol). On top of that, they put the time back. So instead of being up by 2 goals with less than a minute left in the game, the Flames were only up by one goal with almost 2 minutes left in the game. Well, Rochester pulled their goalie and Stevenson got an empty netter for his 4th goal of the night (Thank goodness).

Well, my sis played Pardytime tonight, but she kinda wussed out and took tiny drinks so she only had 1 beer. We almost added another rule to Pardytime, but we decided not to. I just had to mention it so that anybody who reads this is wondering what it is, but I'm not gonna tell you {unless at some point we decide to add it to the rules}.

p.s. If anybody wants to buy me some yarn, then I can actually have a hat to throw on the ice by the next game...

January 18-Hockey game

So, the Quad City Flames lost tonight...but we were playing against the Chicago Wolves again, and it was a close game tonight. The last goal by the Wolves (The game winning goal...the score was 3-2) was bullshit. It was scored on a delayed penalty and I swear the Flames touched it at least twice. ugh. At least it's the last time we have to play them at home. lol

The night wasn't all bad though. In the first period, there was a fight between Brandon Prust and Guillaume Desbiens RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!!! It totally made up for the fact that all the fights so far this season have been at the other end of the ice. lol. And the Flames were winning by 2 goals for a little bit. :o)

January 16-Quick question before I head off to bed

What is a Marlie? I mean, I know it's a hockey team, but what is it?

January 16-I am never playing hopscotch again

Not that I ever really played anyway. lol


Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

p.s. it's a video. you have to click on it. :o)

January 15-Cheese Ball

So it's another boring day so it's time for a recipe. This is a REALLY good cheese ball that I've made quite a few times. Everybody loves them.

1/2 lb. mild or medium Cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 small package cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick margarine or butter, softened
Garlic salt to taste

Mix all together. Roll into a ball. Roll in chopped nuts. Serve with crackers.

*A few notes...I've used sharp cheddar before and it tasted fine. I personally prefer to grate the cheddar cheese myself so it's not dry, but it's perfectly fine to get the pre-grated stuff. When I first started making these, I used barely a pinch of garlic salt, but as I've been making them longer, I've started using a little more. Now, I don't like nuts, and that's what holds the cheese into a ball, so I really just leave them out and make it as a cheese spread.

*IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not use cottage cheese in place of cream cheese!!!!!

I got this recipe from Virginia Fire Fighters Auxiliary Cookbook.

January 14-Paper Wallet

So my old wallet is totally falling apart because I just didn't tape it right. Well I'm about to make a new wallet and I figured I'd put a link to the instructions so I don't lose it [and so anybody reading this can make their own :o) ]. So anyway, here's the link to the instructions. My first one lasted a while and I loved it, but I stopped using it because I got it signed by Michael Gaston, and I didn't want it getting ruined.

January 14-Pardytime Rules

I'm the only one without the rules to the game on their blog, so here they are (with my own explanations on some of them):

---Every time Adam Pardy gets on the ice - 1 drink
---Every time Adam Pardy touches the puck - 1 drink {He can touch the puck multiple times, and it's still only 1 drink, UNLESS somebody else touches the puck in between the times he touches it. This can get really fun when he's tied up along the boards with someone.}
---Every time Adam Pardy scores a goal - chug the rest of your beer {If it's the third period and they are no longer selling beer, you can chug up to half of your beer. Meaning if you're on the first half of the beer, you chug so you have half of the beer left. If you are on the last half of the beer...sorry you've gotta chug and you don't have any left for the rest of the game.}
---Every time Adam Pardy gets in a fight - chug the rest of your beer {See above note on chugging the rest of your beer}
---Every time Adam Pardy gets in a scrum - 2 drinks {This is a newly added rule. This is for when he's not quite fighting, but there's a lot of pushing around and stuff. We've always taken drinks for it, we've just never had it as an official rule}
---Every time Adam Pardy gets a penalty minute - number of penalty minutes x 2
---Every time the announcer says Adam Pardy's name - 1 drink {So if he gets a penalty...let's say it's just a 2 minute penalty...we take 5 drinks...4 for the penalty minutes x 2, and 1 for the announcer saying his penalty.}
---Every time Adam Pardy gets an assist - 5 drinks
---Every time Adam Pardy checks someone on our glass - 3 drinks {Now this one, Rachel and I always played that if he checks someone OR if someone checks him on our glass, we take the 3 drinks.}

January 13-Pardytime

So, I keep talking about it a lot lately, but not actually doing it. Well, tonight I finally played Pardytime again! I didn't get too drunk though...no fights and no goals by him, but I suppose that wasn't too bad considering I only had money for two beers. But Adam Pardy DID get an assist tonight [YAY!!!] so that made me drink a lot for a little while there.

January 13-About to leave

Well, I helped to scrape paint at my sister Boopie's house earlier today, and now I'm about to head out to a Quad City Flames game. They're playing against the Rockford Ice Hogs. Sometimes I miss the old Rockford team. You know, when the guys would talk crap and stuff. lol

January 12-Kinda boring again

So, nothing really blog-worthy today, but I did go help out at my sister, Boopie's house again. I didn't actually get to do a whole lot, but it was more than the last time I went down there. :o) I actually WANTED to work hard today, but there just wasn't really anything hard to do. Now, watch...the next time there's actually hard work to do, it'll be a day that I feel like crap or that I just don't feel like doing anything. :o)

January 11-Hockey game

Well, There's not a whole to say about tonight's Quad City Flames game. We lost. By 4 goals. But you know what? I'm gonna pull the new team card. We ARE a new team, and we were playing the best team in the league. {Chicago Wolves} Of course, it's not fair that their coach { John Anderson } is the same guy who led our fans to expect wins from our team with a championship win like ten years ago. lol.

Btw, The Chicago Wolves have TWO former Quad City Mallards people (I say people, because one was a player and, as stated above, one was a coach). They have the greatest coach in Quad City hockey history, John Anderson (I apologize to every other coach that we've had here, but this is my personal opinion. He brought greatness to the area. Enough said.) And they have a good goalie, Robbie Gherson. He was here a few years ago, and I bought his jersey from the auction. (Please, don't ask how much I paid for it)



Back to tonight's game...(kind of)...You know, I really hate when they pull a goalie. I always bang on the glass for the goalie when they skate by during stops in play, so that I can show my support for him (I know that sounds so sappy, but I'm terrible with wording things and that's the best I can come up with). And when they pull a goalie, I feel bad that I'm cheering for this goalie, while the starting goalie sits on the bench, no longer getting my support. (They still have my support, but I'm just not banging on the glass for them.)

January 11-Ok, seriously

I was hoping to blog once a day, but apparently [Apparently I say that all the time now. lol] I'm only going to be blogging every other day. Cuz that's what I've been doing for like the past week. Ugh. I guess it's because I only do stuff every other day. Like today, I'm going to another Quad City Flames game. But yesterday, I didn't do anything.

January 9-Hockey Game

Well, tonight's Quad City Flames game was pretty damn good. But seriously, How many times in a row have we gone into, not just overtime, but a shootout? Seriously? It was a good, exciting, close game though. And I'm really glad that the coach didn't pull Keetley tonight. I mean, the last time he started a game at the IWireless Center, (It's so much easier to type 'The Mark'...Why did they have to change it?) he got pulled after only 1 goal! He seemed REALLY happy to get the win too. :o)

Oh yeah, and how can I forget to mention that we played against Tommy Galvin tonight!! I miss that guy! He used to play for the Quad City Mallards. And since the Flames won tonight, I can go ahead and say that I'm SO HAPPY that he got a goal tonight!!! A shorthanded goal!! Yay!

So anyway, back to the Flames... Kolanos got 2 goals tonight. So close to getting that hat trick...and he was really trying for it too. (Sorry, but I wouldn't have thrown you my hat...It's my favorite one and I'm not parting with it for ANYBODY. But I would have made up for it by screaming EXTRA loud for you! lol) Speaking of someone really trying for a goal...Pardy was playing his ass off trying to get a goal. Ok...you're a defenseman, you don't HAVE to get a goal. And, more importantly, you're supposed to be getting goals when we're actually playing Pardytime!!! lol

January 9-Slacking off again

So I didn't blog yesterday because I did absolutely nothing yesterday. That's just how I like my days. lol. Anyway, I'm going to another Quad City Flames game tonight. Too bad I don't have the money to play Pardytime. :o)

January 7-Babysitting

So I'm babysitting my niece again, except this time it's at my house. She'd been tired for a while, but just REFUSED to sleep. I finally got her to sleep on my lap, so I put her on the floor so she'd be more comfortable, and she cried for a couple seconds, and then she was fine. But then Shaggy, my cat, came by and meowed. It was just enough to wake up my niece and make her start crying again. She wouldn't go back to sleep. So anyway, I finally got her to sleep on my lap again by letting her watch music videos on youtube. lol. I don't have my music anywhere around so that was all the music she could listen to. Anyway, she's sleeping right now. But I don't dare try to move her again so she's still on my lap until she either wakes up or my sister comes back. lol.

January 6-Umm...

I noticed I said Umm... a LOT in my last post. lol. Anyway, I helped out at my sister's again today. I must've been doing everything wrong though cuz it seemed like every time I started something, somebody else would take over from me. lol. My hands hurt. And they're REALLY dry from the caulk and wood putty. (As if they didn't already look like grandma hands. lol) So I'm just sitting here, bored out of my mind, waiting for there to be hot water so I can take a bath after caulking all day. ugh

January 5-Ok, so I'm a day late

I was so busy yesterday, that I only had time to sit down for like five minutes, and that wasn't at my computer desk, so I didn't get to post. I'll just post about yesterday today. Umm...I helped scrape some paint at my sisters. I was working my ASS off! I got 2 blisters on my hands, and I didn't even notice one of them until it was open and oozing. oops! lol. Umm...Then I went to the Flames Hockey game. You can read about it at my sister, Shorty's blog. There's a link on the right hand side of my blog. She got some good videos of the fights. Umm....Then I came home, sat down for five minutes and went to bed. I was on my feet all freaking day. I'm so glad I have a chance to sit down today. :o)

January 4-Again

So I'm getting out of the house again today! Wow! Two days in a row! Aren't you proud of me?? lol. Ok. I'm done with the sarcasm. I'm gonna go babysit my niece in a little bit. Does that actually count as getting out of the house? I'm gonna say it does cuz I am, in fact, leaving the house.

January 3-Iowa caucus

So I got back from the caucus a little bit ago. (Rachel...no caucus jokes. LOL) Anyway, I couldn't get anybody to go with me (for whatever reason...I know everybody had their own reason) so I went alone. They had 2 caucuses going on at Adam's and the traffic is always terrible! I'm so glad I walked. lol. Anyway, I guess ours was supposed to be in the basement, but there isn't a wheelchair ramp to there, so they moved us to the library, and let me tell you, there is NOT enough room for 306 people in that library. Seriously. There were some people standing out the door. Anyway, it was kinda boring, but if I'd had somebody to keep me company and/or I had been able to sit down, it wouldn't have been that bad. It actually wasn't that bad anyway.

January 2-Chicken Fried Rice

Since I'm trying to blog more this year, and I don't ever do anything, I'm gonna post some of the recipes I come across that I love. So, last night for supper, I made some chicken fried rice. Here's the recipe:

1 cup cooked chicken (diced) {I use the packaged pre-cooked stuff}
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup long grain rice (uncooked)
1/3 cup oil {we only ever have vegetable oil in the house, so that's what I use}
2 1/2 cups chicken broth {now remember...1 can is 2 cups. the first time I made this, I used like twice as much broth as I was supposed to. lol}
1 small onion (sliced) {my mom doesn't usually like onions, so I usually put less onions in}
1/4 cup green pepper (chopped)
1/4 cup celery (thinly sliced) {I usually cut the vegetables up really small, this last time I was trying to hurry so they were bigger pieces, and it was good, but I didn't like it as much}
2 eggs (beaten)
1 cup lettuce (finely shredded)
Combine chicken, soy sauce, salt. Let stand 15 minutes. Cook raw rice in oil over medium heat until brown. Reduce heat to low. Add chicken ingredients and broth. Cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until rice is tender. Increase heat to medium. Add onions, pepper, celery. Cook, uncovered, until liquid is absorbed. Blend eggs into rice mixture. Stir in lettuce and serve immediately.

It seems pretty healthy except for the oil, so if you substitute the vegetable oil with something, it could be pretty healthy. And I usually scramble the eggs before I put them in. And I know it sounds funny to have lettuce in there, but it's actually really good. I usually double the recipe and it's GREAT as leftovers.

Oh yeah, and I got the recipe from a community cookbook for Wimbledon, North Dakota 1977. The recipe was by Joan Rose. I gotta give credit where credit is due. :o)

January 1-Biggest Accomplishment of 2007

Well, the Year of James Bond (get it...2007 = 007) is over. My biggest accomplishment was that I finally quit smoking. I had my last cigarette August 11. The only way I actually did it this time was pure stubbornness. I bought a carton and I said "These are my last cigarettes." It was pretty hard at first, but you know what? I don't miss them at all any more. I actually loathe the smell of it. I'm sure it's annoying as hell to those family members that still smoke. :o)

p.s. 3 down, 29 to go til my resolution is complete. Can you guys tell I'm bored outta my mind today? lol.

*edited: What was your biggest accomplishment of 2007?

January 1-New Year Resolution

My new year resolution this year is to blog more. And considering that I only had 32 blog posts in this past year...it shouldn't be too hard. :o) 2 down, 30 to go. lol What are your resolutions?

January 1-Happy New Year

So I wanted to get online last night to create a happy new year post, but it turns out that Mediacom sucks. Their internet service went out at exactly midnight. I guess it didn't come back on until about 6:00 in the morning. I guess they had a problem with their server switching over for the new year. So, yeah. Mediacom sucks.