Better Than The Last

2011 is going to change my life forever, just as 2010 did. Hopefully not for the same reasons, otherwise I may have to sell everything I own to hire a hitman. Twenty-Ten has been one of the most depressing years of my life. And, not to brag, but I've had some pretty crumby years. Thankfully, I was married to Justin and had my daughter Violet to help me get through it.

Screw Twenty-Ten, Twenty-Eleven is going to be BETTER than any year preceding it. Justin and I are going to make it so! Anyone who tries to ruin it for us is going down. (or being shunned, like the entire Fisher Family.(which is proof that I'm not joking.)

I just have to decide on my resolutions and get to it. So should you!  Now's the time! Be prepared when Twenty-Eleven comes! 

The END is near!

I'm still thinking up next years resolutions. Some possibilities for the list are:

1. less soda/coffee/caffeine
2. stop saying "like" so much
3. start my flipping business already(which needs a new name)
4. write a new knitting pattern every week
5. get a REAL website for my knitting stuff with adverts and all that jazz.
6. start treating my body like I'm going to be getting pregnant (because when I was doing that last time I felt wonderful all the time!)
7. keep the kitchen table cleaned off
8. figure out where to move!
9. make millions of dollars by playing the lottery...pwahahaha. ok, jk.
10. potty train Vi!! (yikes, scary)
11. possibly join a running team (those cost money though...)
12. join a gym? I dunno. Still skeptical about those things...and they're dirty. yuck.
13. try not to be so sensitive.
14. try to look for the good in people.
15. try not to over think peoples actions/comments
16. keep up with the 5 new recipes a month(cuz that one rocked!) (do we get roll-overs on resolutions..does this mean I can have 6 instead of 5?)


Well, that's about 3 minutes worth of thinking. I am going to narrow it down to 5, like last year. I have many more.

Where has the time gone?

Well, we're into the second week of November, Twenty-Ten! My resolutions have come to a screeching halt. Here is a recap of my resolutions and their success thus far.

1. Be all that I can as a wife and mother.

2. Make all Christmas gifts for next year.
3. Read more often.
4. Make Violet a quilt.
5. Try at least 5 new dinner recipes a month.

1. Be all that I can as a wife and mother. 

Mother. I feel like I've been slacking in my motherly duties as far as educating my daughter. I feel like I've been ignoring her more lately. I mean, she's definitely becoming more independent. If I leave the crayons in a bucket on the table next to some paper she just colors whenever she wants. She reads whenever she wants. She plays whenever. But she's been watching a lot of TV too. I really dont want her to be watching so much. I only read to her a couple times a day. We used to listen to music all the time...I'm sure I could go on and on...

Wife. This one has probably the worst success so far. Although I feel more close to Justin than I ever have, getting there wasn't easy or fun.  And there are still aspects of our relationship that I feel used to be strong, that are no longer. After starting the year off so well, tragically the night before Mother's Day Justin's cousin took advantage of me being drunk and tried over and over to make a move on me. He kissed me so many times. I told him to stop every time. He just wouldn't listen. I was trying to be understanding because I knew he was having a hard time with the way his life was going and I felt he was reaching out, just in the MOST WRONG WAY POSSIBLE. So, long story short, his cousin told his mom the "makes said cousin  look less like a gigantic asshole" story....which she then told to the family. And now I'm somehow a cheating whore. Why is it that whenever someone is the victim, they aren't treated as such. Just because he was having a bad few months doesn't give him the right to ruin my life. And wtf was he trying to achieve anyway!?  And folks, this is why I haven't been a great wife this year. I've been depressed and absolutely not myself since that night. I've never felt so naked and alone. I would rather have more kids and let the whole hospital check out my "lady business" as often as they like than go through something like that again. What's worse, is now I absolutely HATE that family. And no matter who says what to me, I feel I will never be able to be around them again simply because I cannot trust them. I have other feelings about this matter, but those are between me and Justin. Anyway...I'm trying to get over it. Its really hard. Justin doesn't want anything to do with his family anymore, and I dont blame him, it just makes me sad.

2. Make all Christmas gifts.

Yep, no money.

3. Read more often.

hm. kinda stopped blogging about my reading because I took a couple months to write a business plan, play x-box and then I started writing knitting patterns galore. Now my business has never started because I'm not in the right state of mind. bummer. It was a good one. Maybe 2011? : )

4. make Violet a quilt.

This isn't going to happen until we figure out if she's going to be in a toddler bed or a twin size bed. I'm assuming I should just make a twin size quilt, but I dont know what colors the room will be. These are tough and critical decisions.

5. try at least 5 new dinner recipes a month

Ok, I know I've done at least 4 a month, but I stopped blogging about them because no on cared. So...whatevs.

Well, that started off pretty depressing...I'm starting to think about my twenty-eleven resolutions. I think the #1 resolution will be all about me and becoming more awesome. This year has been terrible and I really cant wait for it to be over. Why do I want to wait until the beginning of the year? I'm not sure. I want 2011 to start as soon as it can, maybe I'm hoping 2010 has something wonderful in store for us still? 

We can only hope.

Jude Law and Michael Caine

Absolutely Ultimate Potato Soup Remix

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Absolutely-Ultimate-Potato-Soup/Detail.aspx#

Here is the recipe.. I altered the ingredients in the true Cheryl cooking fashion.

4T butter
2 celery stalks
1 onion
5 cloves of garlic
4lbs russet potatoes
4 cups chicken stock
--------------------
3T butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups whole milk
1 cup shredded cheddar
a big handful of fresh chopped Italian parsley
1lb Smoked Sausage


1. Melt butter and soften celery, onion and garlic.
2. Add in potatoes and cook 5-6 minutes
3. Cover with chicken stock

4. In a saucepan melt butter and stir in flour
5. add milk stirring to avoid lumps
6. add in shredded cheddar and parsley

7. Pour milk/butter mixture into soup mixture when potatoes are soft.
8. Slice sausage on a bias and add in last.
9. Cook until sausage is cooked through.

Delish!  Make this. You will LOVE IT!

Violet Rocks my Garden's socks off.

Hey look, my freesia is growing again. Weird. At this point, I have no idea how many corms I actually have left. But there are a decent amount of flowers popping up.

Violet hard at work.

about 10 seconds after I snapped this one she pulled one of them out and threw it in the yard and said, "good girl!" haha, nope, not a weed. sorry.

left side there are 8!

right side, there are 6!

So, maybe I just need to not touch the garden, and it will grow all by itself! haha. If I had gardening nerves of steel I would dig those bad boys up and pot them. But I'm afraid to. Anyone wanna come over and do it for me?

Venus Breeze

I have recently switched to the Venus Breeze razor from the Silk Effects, which I had been using for about 11 years. I never really had any problems with the Silk Effects razor, I just decided it was time to try something new.

Let me tell you something about me. I shave my armpits EVERY time I shower. I can not stand any amount of stubble. It drives me up the wall. So, the best thing to do is to just shave.

Another Cheryl Fact is that I dont wear deodorant. Well, that statement was true up until last summer. I guess my ph levels changed and now I stink. I need deodorant, specifically for the smell. There was no need for an antiperspirant.

As soon as I started using the Venus Breeze, I started sweating profusely out of my armpits. It surprisingly took me a couple months to figure out the problem. So here goes.

I was washing with bar soap(not my usual soap) and I would always wash and shave immediately after and just rinse the shave gel from the razor off with water.  I have since changed my routine and have not sweat since. (for all you smarties out there, I believe the sweating has nothing to do with the summer heat since I'm in AC all day and am always cold) I should also mention that I switched back to body wash about a month ago and didn't notice a change.

Here's what I changed.
I use body wash and a big puffy job again. I clean my armpits, shave with my Venus and then wash again to remove all traces of the shave gel from the razor.

No more sweat or odor. score one for me! Nice smooth shave, score two for me.

ps-I have since started the same routine on my legs/private area so as to avoid any future pore clogging/sweating. (btw-am I the only one whose knees sweat? That's usually the first place I sweat.)

Feed Me! I'm Yours:

In my efforts to find a suitable cookie recipe today, I decided to scour my personal cook books. Unfortunately I do not own this book, but wish that I did. Here is a funny little excerpt from a book titled Feed Me I'm Yours by Vicki Lansky (link below)

How to bake a cake, with small children helping

Light the oven. Get out bowl, spoons, and ingredients. Grease the pan. Crack nuts. Remove 18 blocks and 7 toy autos from the kitchen table. Measure 2 cups of flour. Remove child's hand from the flour. Wash flour off of child. Measure one more cup of flour to replace the flour on the floor. Put the flour, baking powder and salt in a sifter. Get the dustpan and brush up pieces of bowl which child knocked on the floor. Get another bowl. Answer doorbell. Return to the kitchen and remove child's hands from bowl. Wash child. Get out egg. Answer phone. Return. Take out greased pan. Remove pinch of salt from the pan. Look for child. Get another pan and grease it. Answer the phone. Return to the kitchen and find child. Remove child's hands from the bowl. Wash shortening from the child. Take up greased pan and find 1/4 inch of nutshells in it. Head for child, who flees, knocking bowl off the table. Wash kitchen floor, wash the table, wash the walls, wash the dishes. Call the bakery. Lie down.

 Feed Me! I'm Yours:

I'll just make my own fancy letters. :P

I've been seeing big fancy letters for children's rooms all over the place. They are usually dictating a name or just initials. Typically I've seen full first names.

Yeah, those things are EXPENSIVE! anywhere from $10-$35 per letter. Ok, I'm poor and feel that I should be able to give my daughter something cute and trendy for her room.

So, with $10 and some old ugly picture frames/glue/mod-podge I had laying around, here's what I did. (if you have to buy glue and mod podge and frames(dollar store) you can add another $7-10 to this project, which will still end up saving you an ass boat-load of money.

You dont have to be particularly crafty to do this project, just patient. I have never used spray paint before and found it pretty easy to use. (I used a WHOLE can for this project because I'm apparently not as good as I think I am.) Other skills you may need are tracing, color matching, frame shopping and using scissors. You can do this, I know you can. Of course, if you want something personalized/similar to this and dont feel like doing the work, I'll do it, but I'll charge you....5 million dollars. mwuahahahaha. just kidding. 4 million dollars. just kidding, but I'm really not, just kidding, I really am but I'm just pretending that I'm not, just kidding.

#1

my frames are 2-  8"x10" and 1- 5"x7"

Things to purchase:

Go to Hobby Lobby(or craft store of your choice) and purchase 3 sheets of scrapbooking paper ($.59 a piece) for a background. And, if you're doing initals only like me, grab another sheet of a contrasting color for the letters. I bought these little wooden letters for $1 a piece!  Also, I bought my spray paint there to paint the frames and letters for $4.99

#2 Cut the paper.

#1 Trace the letter.

#2 Cut out the letter

#3 Rub the paper over the wood letter to show beveled edge.

#4 cut the excess paper off

#3 Cut the other paper.
Cut the background pages to fit your frames.

Then have your cat do a quality check upside down.

#4 Take your wood and paint outside and paint it all.

After you paint, it takes a few hours to be able to handle the wood again.

#5 mod-podge the paper to the letters, being ever so careful.

The paper kind of buckled in a few areas. This was unavoidable for me since I dont know what I'm doing and making this up as I go. :)

 #6 Put the precut pieces of paper in the frames. I put the glass under the paper for stability.

#7 I used a spray adhesive to adhere the letters to the paper.

finished product. I'll post another picture when this is on the wall.

Patchwork Pillow

Patchwork Pillow

I love this idea. I think I might incorporate this idea with Violet's quilt project.  If I only had the fabric now I could get the pillow ready so she can have it before the quilt.

Also, I've decided to make a twin sized quilt. I figure she can have it longer. I remember being attached to certain blankets and it might soothe her to be in a special blanket one night. I can only hope that she actually likes it. ---which is why I keep going back and forth as to whether I want to make a normal quilt or something more contemporary. I dont really want to make 2, but I suppose I could. I'd rather just make one though. So its more special.

(ps, the ice cream cone balloons on that website are a total genius idea too!)

Clean! -er

Hours later Violet finally let me leave her side. So I got some cleaning done. I cant take the remaining stuff off the table until Justin is done painting...ug. I'm sick of that crap! I think I've decided to bring our extra table upstairs while I make Vi's quilt, so it can be a mess the whole time and the dinner table will be clean.

I wish we didn't have 1 or 2 straggler ants every month or so because I'd really like to re-organize (for the 10th time) my cabinets and put my spices closer to the stove again. oh well.

cakes

Vanillla Pound Cake

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

I'm so making one of these cakes when I finish organizing the kitchen! I'm hoping this is incentive. Good thing I have a small kitchen! The table isn't that bad, but that's only because I put a lot of the stuff that was on the table on the counter. :( I'm hoping this is clean by tonight because I'm thinking that Cinnamon Coffee Cake will be SUPER yummy with a nice cup of decaf while I knit tonight!
 

Toddler bed.

I'm so lost. I tried to convert Vi's bed to a toddler bed today, just to get a visualization not to actually keep it that way, and big surprise...its supposed to convert to a toddler and full size bed and all the holes are WAY too big and the bolts just slide right in..WITHOUT TURNING! ug. I'm thinking we're in the market for a new bed for her.

Target had a really cute one on sale for $60 last week...but I cant find it online to see if its still on sale. I'm assuming its not.

But, would I rather just skip the toddler bed altogether and go straight to a twin?  I'm thinking probably not. She's so darn little, a twin bed would just be crazy big.

But we could save a $100 and not have to worry about a toddler bed transition, which are 2 kind of big points..hm.....

input?

In Wink-A-Way Land

Fairy and Child

Oh, listen, little Dear-My-Soul,

To the fair voices calling,

For the moon is high in the misty sky

And the honey dew is falling;

To the midnight feast in the clover bloom

The bluebells are a-ringing,

And it's "Come away to teh land of fay" 

That the katydid is singing.

Oh, slumber, little Dear-My-Soul,

And hand in hand we'll wander--

Of Balow, away off yonder;

Or we'll sail along in a lily leaf

Into the white moon's halo--

Over a stream of mist and dream

Into the land of Balow.

Or, you shall have two beautiful wings--

Two gossamer wings and airy,

And all the while shall the old moon smile

And think you a little fairy;

And you shall dance in the velvet sky

And the silvery stars shall twinkle

And dream sweet dreams as over their beams 

Your footfall softly tinkle.

This poem is my new inspiration for Violet's quilt/toddler room. There is so much to work with here. I just discovered this poem yesterday and was enamored. I found it in this book that I have that was written by Eugene Field (who was born in St. Louis, MO; also the author of Wynkin, Blynkin, and Nod). The book was made in1905. I've been reading these poems to Vi since she was brand spanking new. All the poems in this book are bedtime poems.

Pregnancy & Parenting books, so far...

Man, this collection got big in a hurry. I haven't even started reading discipline books and what not. The delay for that is mostly, I'm busy. End of story.

Here are my books in stage order:

Pregnancy

The Natural Pregnancy Book
A Holistic Guide to Embracing Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood
Better Food for Pregnancy
Your Pregnancy Week by week
What to Expect When You're Expecting  2 vol. diff yrs.

Birth
Childbirth Preparation Classes (from Providence Med Center in KCK)
The Official Lamaze Guide
The Birth Partner
The Birth Book

Breastfeeding
The Breastfeeding Book
The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers
And a few pamphlets from here and there.

New Baby
Hot Mama(preggo book, wrong pic)
Your Baby's First Year
The Everything Father's First Year Book
What your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations
Teach Yourself: Baby Massage and Yoga
What To Expect The Toddler Years

Barbies from the 80's

My Barbies

Chaise Lounge, walkman, record player, a boom box and 2 cats.

shoes, ice skates, hangers and shoe boxes. (I had a shoe store too, but it was paper, so it died.)

BBQ set. complete with burgers, dogs, steaks, a microwave, a pie, cups, 2liters, a cash register...etc. geez.

What to do, what to do...

Not that this has anything to do with what I'm about to blog about, but we got to meet little Ryan Lotz yesterday! He's just so super cute. I think Justin was a little enchanted by him. Of course, I am by no means more inclined to have another baby any time soon. We MUST move out of our house before that even thinks about being on my to-do list.

Speaking of to-do lists...

We are quickly becoming overwhelmed by containers of baby clothes/toys in the basement and its only going to get worse!  We need to clean our basement SO badly. If it wasn't a spider haven I'd think about doing it myself but, there's no freaking way. I cringe just going down there to change the laundry. I guess I could wear gloves, but I honestly think its a man's job.

I'm wondering though, if it would be worth it to have a yard sale or to just have a "its in my yard and free" day. I like the sound of that even better. People are more inclined to take free stuff.

Some examples of stuff we've put on our curb that people have taken:

Office Desk Chair
Nordic track
Desk
broken toilet; yes, I'm serious.

We have to be careful what we have put in our yard, because people just flipping take it!

But, I think the best plan is to just move and as we're moving we can have a yard sale and downsize the amount of stuff we have at the same time.  So, what do we need to do in order to move? A lot. Our house is in no way ready to sell. I think its time to start focusing on that. So, we need to first figure out where we want Violet to go to school, find out what the houses cost, and then make the decision to move. I guess I should talk to Justin about this...Or, he could just read my blog.

Its time to get REAL

Real organized!  Where is the woman in my life when I need one!  Justin, I love the crap out of you(maybe not literally) but seriously, you're just about the best thing that has ever happened to me...until I got pregnant. I need a wife!  I am so crazy with ideas that I start so many projects and get super scatter-brained that I have a million things going on and can hardly finish anything at all. Lately, I've taken to knitting. I've finished a big blanket I thought would never be done, and I started making some dish cloths and baby bibs again.

I've been thinking, these dish cloths are AMAZING! and I wanted to start making them in bulk to send out to people, but then I was like, um...should I get an etsy.com account? Then people could just order them and it would be a little more professional and I wouldn't have to deal with that awkward, "how much do I owe you?" stuff...Not that there is anything wrong with that. I was thinking that it would just be easier if people saw what I had to offer and could make the decision privately instead of feeling on the spot. So, I need to decide if I want to do that and then I need to get that all organized if I do.

I'm also starting to knit all of Violet's winter hats and headbands, and maybe a sweater or two and I will be needing a special place for that crap as well. (yes, I call all my stuff crap. I really like the word crap. Its like a curse, but its not. Its a noun, verb, adjective, and probably so much more. lol, grammar was never really my thing. ) 

I also need to get my sewing stuff organized big time. Violet's quilt isn't going to just magically appear out of nowhere. I think I need to take stock in those huge clear plastic containers because as of right now, I could make my life a million times easier if I had about 100 of those damn things. Hey, Container Store wanna do a home remodel??  Ha, yeah right. They would walk in my house and be like, "we're just going to have to tear down this whole house and start from scratch."  Oh wait, I'd be ok with that!  ahem, call me. ;)

Now, the most important thing is my business. I really need to put all my stuff in one place. I dont have much, but its spread out all over the place. I suppose I could store some of it in my laptop bag...but I definitely cant fit my chair in there.  


I'd also like to start cooking healthy again. I cant wait to start all my favorite fall foods. But I want to keep up with  my resolution and try lots of new things this fall/winter. So, I need all my cookbooks handy and put back where they go. More importantly, I need to put all the recipes that I wrote on scraps of paper in one happy place....like a scrapbook? lol. Sorry, I'm dumb. But also a genius! A recipe scrap book!  Holy crap, why didn't I think of that before. I love revelations during blogging. sweet.


Anyway, I am also SUPER excited to change the nursery into a toddler room but Vi isn't quite ready to potty train yet. She's getting closer for sure. She now knows when she is peeing because she grabs her crotch, :(, and she also started recognizing "poot" which is poop. I'm trying to teach her that poop comes out her butt, but she's a slow learner with that. I dropped one of her poops in her potty today and had her look and she said, "yuck" lol. Hm, you dont have to tell me(the poo cleaner) that its gross. 

I wish, I wish with all my might...that we could live in a 12 bedroom house. one for each hobby of mine and Justin's and then I guess a few could be bedrooms. 

I Love Leeks!

Its true. I tried them for the first time within the past year and am still wondering how I ever managed to live without them! They are amazing.

While looking for recipes, these actually made my mouth water!


cock-a-leekie
chicken leek and mushroom casserole
poached beef with leeks
fettuccine with leeks and white beans

Now I have to decide which one to make.

I went grocery shopping

Well, I actually bought breakfast food. I'm not sure if its classified as healthy. I am going to start eating breakfast every day and see if it changes my opinion on eating throughout the day, what I choose to eat, and my overall mood for being healthy.

I feel silly blogging about this, but since I blogged how unhealthy I am yesterday I've thought about it a lot.

I'm worried that I didn't buy enough food though because when I eat breakfast I'm usually hungry ALL THE TIME! ---but normal hungry. Last night this guy at Wendy's(I got a burger and a salad) ordered 3, THREE, double bacon cheeseburgers. HOLY CRAP! How can you do that to your body? That is just insane! I'm glad Justin doesn't eat like that. For 2 people their dinner bill, at Wendy's, was around $20. Other than the 3 burgers for himself he also got 2 spicy chicken wraps and 1 other thing...anyway. Just because you're big doesn't mean you have to eat like an idiot. I understand big guys need lots of food, but not that kind of food. I hope his arteries show him a thing or to before he hits 30 and set him straight.

Anyway, enough about that guy and more about me....actually, nevermind, I'm done blogging. bye.

There's something I have to tell you...

I have not been working out. I could blame many things, but shouldn't and wont.

I feel like crap. I've been eating like crap. I'm lazy, tired all the time, hungry all the time(because of the lack of energy I am trying to replace working out with eating). Its just all around bad. I keep saying "when the weather is nice again...." blah blah blah. I need to get off my butt and do something!

I just wanted to say I'm not complaining, but just admitting the sad sad truth. 

I am ashamed, but mostly tired and feel like crap too much to be fully ashamed. Isn't it great how that works.

Starting my business(which it's almost 100% ready to launch) is helping me get more things done in the cyber world. But, no one is doing my laundry, dishes, or exercises. :( 

Warning:
If I get snarky comments on this I will probably be mad at you. Though it is my own fault, I'm the one being lazy.

Birthday #27

I still cant believe I'm 27. really. No I'm serious....oh wait, you believed me. nm.

Here is a picture of some of the awesome things I got for my birthday!

On the left there is the complete Anne of Green Gables series from Ben, Jennie and Becca! I jokingly posted it on facebook and it just magically showed up at my door the other day! SWEET!!!  I am going to start reading it tonight!

In the center is a cool photo frame from my mom. Now Justin and I need to spend hours picking out pictures to put in there.

Next is Lego Harry Potter from Justin. My first X-Box 360 game, which is finished to 100%. I got all 1000 achievement points for it. I enjoyed playing this game so much, I'm already playing again under Justin's name so he can get the achievement points too!

And lastly, all the way to the right is the COOLEST card I have ever received! Its a got a hand knit square on it that was knit with toothpicks! The card reads, "Do you think this yarn will be too scratchy? I was going to make you some Sunday-go-to-meetin' gloves..." inside, "but pasties go so much faster, and are much more festive." LOL! Thanks Sheryn! I will keep this card forever! 

Thanks to everyone who made my birthday memorable! I had a great day. I worked in the morning and then came home and Justin took me out to TGI Friday's where I had a really yummy dinner with an even yummier Strawberry Daiquiri!

Toddler Room

Quilting, nope, I'm not doing it yet. I'm still figuring out what style I want Violet's room to be. I'm thinking pink and green, since there is already a bunch of green. I'm also thinking about ditching the monkey theme and the canvas I made for her.

Side note: I might make another canvas set that matches her quilt. How cool would that be! Or I found this.

Here is a picture of the current canvas that I made for her nursery. Isn't it cute! 

I came across this website FabricLovers.com and really like their fabric. They have a lot of "modern" fabric. Which is important.

We are also getting rid of the rocking chair in her room and will be replacing it with a toddler size table and 2 chairs for her to play on. (which I bought for Claire when she was a toddler)

I will be making her an apron/table cloth/napkins for tea parties. hehe, aww.

I think that I really want her room to be uber girly though, with lace and chiffon. I LOVE Fancy Nancy so she will be my inspiration! I might even try to make her a tulle bed skirt, but we'll see. With a quilt it might look better with a cotton bed skirt.

My room as a child was just a regular old room. Nothing really special. All I can really remember was that there was crap EVERYWHERE!!  So I'm focusing on organization and not overloading her with toys. (ahem, grandparents) Too many toys to me is just overwhelming. So, as of this Christmas, every new toy means adios to an old toy. (plus, I will be removing toys that she doesn't play with anymore.) We've pretty much put away all of her infant toys.

I also was debating on getting a "toy box" but I find that just creates a lazy child. If you have one big toy box then they don't get used to putting things where they belong. But, if everything has a place, it may create a better habit for your child.  (these are just my opinions, I will not be judging others) Which means less of the parent cleaning the children's room or yelling at the child for having a messy room. I got yelled at ALL the time for having a messy room, but was never taught how to clean it. I dont mean to make my parents sound bad its just the dirty truth.

Also, Ikea has a bagillion things that are awesome and super cheap! So I might be buying stuff from there eventually.

Anyway, whew, all that writing just to post a link that no one is going to go to. lol.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

This is something I just came up with today.

You can make it however you'd like. I just altered my chicken noodle soup recipe and added the potato gnocchi in place of the noodles and potatoes.

The list of my ingredients are:

carrots
celery
onion
garlic
chicken stock
shredded chicken
potato gnocchi

seasonings of your choice. I used salt, pepper, sage, and thyme. I wanted something sort of basic since Vi isn't 100% right now. BTW-she ate her soup!

Its very easy to make.

Directions
Bring the stock to a boil with all the veggies (carrots & celery cut in to large chunks for my toddler). When the veggies are mostly cooked add the chicken and gnocchi to warm/soften/cook and then serve. I would LOVE many other veggies for myself though.

This is just a simplified version of my chicken noodle soup, so you could take your soup recipe and just add the gnocchi. Its yummy and different.

I do believe I will be making my own gnocchi from scratch from now on though as the store-bought kind are way too salty and kind of rubbery...weird.

(nothing beats the Olive garden chicken and gnocchi soup though.)

Being a mama

So, I was looking for simple shaped cookie cutters and I hit the mother-trucker-load! I went to Bed Bath and Beyond(which is just really just random crap that no one needs) and I found these bad boys. um, 100 cookie cutters for $10! How could I resist? So, the set has most holidays, numbers and letters. The only down side is that they dont have basic shapes like square, triangle, etc. (there are circles, hearts and stars)

So, for my first batch of cookies using the new cutters I made the alphabet.

Things I learned very quickly

The dough needs to be REALLY cold.
Lay down a piece of plastic wrap
Roll out the dough
Then carefully pick up the cookie cutter with the dough in it still
Let the cookie rest on the baking sheet with the cutter on it still(which makes it attach to the sheet so you can remove the cutter with NO problem.)
Refrigerate the cookies on the baking sheets for 10-15 minutes.

My cookies turned out great! I tried a new icing which is made up of powdered sugar, veg. shortening, and vanilla. Its pretty good. Its supposed to still dry hard but less hard than royal icing. Which is a good thing for me.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is something that everyone can make, right? nope. I'm notorious for ruining them. Over and over and over...sigh, its pretty sad.

Here is the recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chicken Quesadillas

Dinner tonight is going to be quick and simple.

I bought some Lawry's Chicken Taco seasoning in a packet. I'm not too keen on using stuff like that, but figured what the hay.

I'm going to be using chicken thighs, Mission Flour Tortillas(my personal fav), Daisy Daisy Sour Cream-Fresh and Tasty Naturally!, and some shredded Cheddar Cheese.

So, once the chicken is all cooked up I will shred the crap out of it and then season it with my Lawry's stuff.

Then I will heat a dry pan on the stove, lay down a tortilla, and layer cheese-chicken-cheese then the other tortilla. Once the cheese is sort of melted I will fliparoony the Kasadia(how I think it should be spelled in English) and let it brown on the other side. (I dont fold my quesadillas, I just stack them. --Because I usually want 2 and its easier to just make 1 huge one, duh)

I will serve it with taco sauce and sour cream. YUM!  You should eat some. If you're lucky I'll post a pic.

Twilight Box!

So, this is the gift I made for my 12 year old little sister's birthday. (She loved it, btw) I found a thick paper box at Michael's and painted the outside black and then painted the inside a nice blood red. I was torn for days as to whether it should be focused on Edward or Jacob, because Claire cant decide between the two. ::::sigh::::

Anyway, my friend Michelle helped me find the Zephyr font which is used as the title font for the DVD's, since the books dont have the swirly "g." Why? I dunno.

So, I printed out all the text and pressed it into the box so I could paint the impressions with white paint.

I used acrylic paint for all of this.

Then I jazzed up the twilight to resemble the way it looks on the DVD. (more like I just painted some lines in odd places.... The quote around the side of the lid is, "And so the lion fell in love with the lamb..."  I'm sure everyone remembers that line from the book and the movie. After all the painting was done I applied 2 coats of mod-podge in a matte finish. (yes, it looks glossy...its matte, I swear!)

If I was really crafty I would have tried to paint the top of the box to look exactly like the DVD disc, but I didn't even want to go there.

So, here is a pic of the finished project.

Oh, I didn't just give it to her empty, I sewed her a knitting needle/crochet hook holder and gave her a bunch of knitting notions and a book on how to teach yourself to knit and some bright blue Caron Simply Soft yarn. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the finished needle/hook holder I made.

The biz-ness

So, I had some really good ideas while working on the website today. But, then Violet woke up. Yeah, its noon and she's already had her nap and is probably going to be up for the rest of the day. yay. (note sarcasm)

Anywhichway, I printed some envelopes with my logo and I think they look AWESOME!  I'm really digging my logo. (I dont care what all you Lame-O's think) 

Now I just need to have more than an hour to work...but someone keeps getting in my way.

Finalizing!

So, here's the plan, the "business plan" if you will. hehe. yeah, I'm 10, so wut.

The final steps I need to take(this week!):

• Open a P.O. Box...yikes $60/yr. sheesh.
• Buy some nice clothes, since none of my "work" pants fit anymore...sigh... I like this shirt... (not too professional nor too casual. I'm not sure if my ginormous rack would fit though...that model has ZERO chest and it looks tight on her.)
• Set up Website
• Purchase Business Cards
• Purchase Essential Oils
• Convince the lady up the street that she should be babysitting Violet for me...because its uh, UP THE STREET! crap that would be awesome! I'd even contemplate buying her a carseat just for Vi since I know she's got a child in summer pre-school.
• Purchase disposable face cradle covers & waste bags

Final Steps for next week:

• Mail out post cards & flyers (or, have them mailed out...because that's how I'm gonna roll)
• Hopefully start scheduling for a few weeks in advance!
• Announce my business to all Friends and Family (So they can tell me how I should be doing things and so they can make fun of my terrible logo. Yeah, I'm not a web designer, logo designer or anything in between. Yes, I could have paid someone to make it look better. No, I'm probably not going to until I start making money. End of Story.)

 Ok, Stress is REALLY starting to pile up now! 

My blog

I finally got my blog back to how I had it. I will not be able to use the new templates because none of my links or pictures were click-able. So, back to normal for me. I'm sad though because I wanted something other than black. 

But, I guess once you go black, you can never go back....even if you want to.

Abby Cadabby

Violet is in LOVE with Abby Cadabby. So, is this good, or bad? I'm not sure.

I can use Abby to get Violet to do things she wouldn't normally do, or might be uncomfortable doing. (I just need to buy her a plush Abby)

I can make Violet an Abby quilt for her next bed size to get her excited about sleeping in a big girl bed.

She will want everything Abby that we see, like how she is with Elmo..which is annoying.

Abby Fabric is expensive and hard to find.

I'm sure there are other reasons, those are all I can think of right now...

Pork Kebabs

Pork Kebabs

This sounds like a pretty yummy recipe. I'm not sure if I'd get around to skewering them up though. I'd probably just leave the pork loin whole.

Debt

Well, Justin and I are getting into the tough time of the year for us, the summer. Summers are always a little more troublesome for us since Justin doesn't get his teaching money. And, since I haven't started my business just quite yet, we're about to be way beyond broke.

So, I'm going to have to pick up another day of work. I'm actually ok with that because I really do enjoy the time spent away from Violet. I mean I love the crap out of her but the time away is a good thing, for both of us.

I'm also going to look into Oprah's Debt Diet and see if there are some big changes Justin and I can make. I'm going to reinstitute my $60 per week on food plan. We used to eat SO healthy when I would plan out food and make a grocery lists. It might have to go up a bit like maybe $80 so that Violet can eat too. :)

Taking a hard core look into our credit card debt is going to probably stress me out. But I'm hoping it might also be motivation to get my lazy butt moving on my business.

my swiffer, my friend

So, I found a knitting pattern for washable swiffer cloths and I think I might make a few and see how it goes.

I do love the disposable cloths even though they are wasteful.

I will keep you posted as to whether or not I like it.

Swiffer Reusable Cloth Pattern

Looks SUPER easy!

They're dead.

All of my freesias are now dead thanks to all the rain and then the 100 degree temps. now I just have dirt. DIRT!

But, I also have cookies in the shapes of little stars, so...I guess things aren't that bad after all :)

June update of everything

1. Be all that I can as a wife and mother:

Just gave Justin a wonderful Father's Day that I hope he remembers. I gave him a CD and some Xbox points as gifts, then he got to spend the whole day with Violet while I was working. I got off work early and went to the grocery store and picked up a cheesecake(as requested)and some rolos. Then I came home and we got to spend some family time together. Then we went to Borders and browsed for a while. I bought the Baby Einstein alphaooks for Violet since she's getting so good at the alphabet. Afterwords we went to Penn Station(also requested) and then we came home. When we got home it wasn't long before Violet was getting sleepy so Justin read her some stories and put her all snug in bed. Then, Justin got an hour and forty minute massage from yours truly. After the massage we ate lots of cheesecake with fresh pineapple, strawberries and blueberries. After some Wipeout I went to bed and Justin played Xbox. Sounds like a great day to me! :)

2. Make all Christmas gifts.

um. ha. nope.

3. read more often.

I am currently The Inheritance of Loss...(I can't really say much about it because I read the first chapter a month ago and haven't picked it up since.) Not doing too well here.

4. Make Violet a quilt.

I haven't dedicated any time to this lately either. I think my goal is to give it to her by her 2nd birthday.

5. try at least 5 new dinner recipes a month

Yeah, I haven't really been blogging about food lately. I have been keeping up with this one though.



So, I would say, May/June are not really good months for me anyway. Some of you know why. Anyway, I'm hoping to turn a corner soon and get myself out of this rut that I'm in.

I think I have decided after all to get a business license. Just in case. I hate to not have one and then get in trouble.

I still haven't fallen in love with a logo yet so I think I'm just going to use a font and I'll develop a logo later.

Damn Rabbits!

They just ate one of my freesia blooms..

I need a gun.

Japanese Beetles!

Will I ever get a break! Holy geez! Not only did one land on my head and I wore it for about 2 hours without knowing it... They're eating all the leaves on my tree.. My 1/2 dead tree, which is probably going to fall on my house in the next couple years because all the dead parts are directly over my house.

Ug. We need to move so bad! We've hit the 5 yr mark, which is when I wanted to start shopping for new houses but now that I'm starting this business Justin and I have decided to wait and see how the business goes.

I definitely want to move before Vi starts preschool. :*( I'm dying on the inside. seriously. dying. I want to move right now! I would even settle for an apartment at this point.

Garden update (100th post!!!)

So, this is the embarrassment that is my garden.

Of the 40 corms, so far, 2 of the 6 :*( are starting to show progress of actually blooming flowers. One of them is going to be yellow! I cant wait!! I might just do myself a favor and cut it and put it in a vase. I mean, 1 stinking flower by my porch is just pathetic. (I might as well buy fake flowers and stick them in the ground.)

I'm mostly sad that 4 of the original 10 flowers were ruined by animals.

Also, my impatiens died a most horrific death. The day that I set them outside to adjust to the sunlight, it hailed. sad.

The Elements-34 Cheryl-6

depression. bleck.

So, I've been depressed lately, which has definitely cut into my business planning time. Well, not this morning!

I woke up rested and happy. I finished my fee schedule, contract, logo, about me, and am currently working on my website!

Things are going good!

I dont know why, I'm still nervous about announcing the company name. I'd almost rather not do it at all. ha. I'm crazy.

Once the website is done I will be ready to start advertising in full force!

(there are many things that the website affects, business cards, email address, and flyers)

First pictures

These pics were taken on June 3, 2010.

Bust 34"
High Waist(belly button) 29"
Low Waist(ASIS) 32"
Hips 36"

So, though its not bad, its not what I want and I must make it better. I dont really have a goal, I just want my stomach to appear MUCH smaller in clothes.

Also, not that it matters, my weight is 110lbs. I would REALLY like to be around 125 though...but I want it to be all muscle.

So, uh, ouch....

First day of the workout and holy crap, my abs hurt for a whole week! So, I took the week off. And I'm going to start again, with less fire, easing my way into it. I'm thinking about doing my regular pilates routine and throwing in a small amount of the crunches.

The first work out calls for 3 sets of 20 reps of 10 different ab exercises focusing on upper, lower+obliques, and all(upper/lower/obliques) and good Lord that's a bitch. 600 crunches to start off, good thing I only did 200 b/c I was SO sore!

I cant believe I used to do an extra 500 2x a day on top of all that craziness! No wonder my waist-line was 23.5" NOT WORTH IT! ouch.

I will try to get Justin to take my picture soon and I will measure myself as soon as I start up this week. I've been putting on the lbs recently too, so I guess that will make the end results more dramatic.

Fitness & Tanning

This book got me into stellar shape for Ben and Jennie's wedding and I think I'm going to give it another go. I'm also going to start tanning this year. I haven't really tanned since 7th grade, and that was 15 yrs ago. I guess I will need to take some before and after pics.

I'm not sure which workout in the book I'm going to go with. There are 3 different plans, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months. I think I did the 3 month last time and had fab results. I also did about 500 crunches in the morning and before bed in conjunction with this book, and sometimes during the day, for a month. I'm not sure if I will have that kind of dedication, being that I'm a mama now. But, if I want to be a "hot mama" I will have to. ha. I will be doing the "at home program" because I just cant afford a gym right now, and honestly don't think I would have the time to go with Justin's crazy schedule. I should also note, my goal is not to lose weight, but to tone.

Here is one of the recipes from the book, you will LOVE this!

Strawberry granola fruit parfait

6 oz low fat vanilla yogurt
5 strawberries, sliced
1/4 c blueberries
1/2 c granola

layer in a cup and gobble it up!!

(measurements/pic/weight to come in next entry)

Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo Sauce

This week I will be trying a new Alfredo Sauce since mine is lacking much in awesomeness. This is the recipe. I'm not a big fan of Parmesan cheese though, so I hope I like it.

Chicken Sheperds Pie

So, there was no recipe for this, but I felt like being creative and trying new things, so this is what I came up with.


Bottom layer, Veggies!:

Sautee in a skillet with 2T of EVOO:

1 leek, chopped and cleaned
2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 chinese eggplant, coarsely chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 small carrots, chopped into circles
6 button mushrooms, chopped
S&P

Middle Layer, Chicken:

in skillet from veggies(with all the brown bits left over):
cook 1 lb ground chicken
S&P
When chicken is 99% done, deglaze pan with 1/2C chardonnay.

Top Layer, Potatoes:

2 lbs mashed potatoes mixed with a nice handful of chopped fresh parsley
top with cheddar cheese


Bake at 350F for 25 min.

I'm currently:

reading: The Inheritance of Loss

listening to: She & Him

knitting: Lake Serenity

making: Claire's Birthday present

drinking: Dr. Pepper

eating: Yakisoba

feeling: Melancholy

A small step towards Vi's toddler bed.

Crib & toddler bed sheets

This pattern popped up on my facebook page today and I thought I would store it away for later use.

It looks SUPER easy to make.

I have been planning on making my own toddler sheets out of a set of twin sheets because toddler bedding is expensive for some reason. Plus, they're either Disney(ug), or ridiculously expensive.

She can have the disney or character sheets when she's in her twin or full sized bed. (Justin and I haven't decided on the bed size yet. I'm thinking twin because its easier to find twin bedding)

Cheryl Fisher, MIA

So, where have I been?

I haven't been blogging because I've been spending all my efforts and time with my business. I'm working on flyers/postcards/business cards/licensing right now, and when I'm done with all of that, I need to research software, create a website, create a facebook page(why not), buy clothes, and for goodness sake get my rear in gear! It also wouldn't hurt to have a babysitter on call.

Anyway, I've got lists galore and I've pushed back my open date to May 24th... :( Which I'm pretty upset about, though I feel like I will be pushing it back at least 1 more time.

So, as far as I'm concerned, blogging is at the bottom of my priorities for now.

I did make some really yummy food recently. I've not even scratched the surface with Violet's quilt and lately I feel like I've thrown "be a good wife and mother" right out the window.. :(

I've finished the Harry Potter series

Here is a cake of Hogwarts! How cool. I wish I could make awesome stuff like that!


Well, Deathly Hallows was a very good read. I enjoyed it more than Half-Blood Prince. It was a little depressing at times though.

Spoiler Alert!! Don't read below if you don't want to know.

Here is the short version on how I feel about the book.

Ok, did I care that Moody died? not so much. He wasn't that great of a character and we never really got to know him since Barty Crouch Jr. was posing as him. So, no hard feelings there. I have to admit, I was more sad when Hedwig died. I'm sure most were since Hedwig was so special to Harry.

I could have done without Ron being a bitch and leaving Harry and Hermione. That didn't seem all that important to the storyline and I feel that if she had left that alone the book wouldn't have been so depressing. Oh well.

I'm happy that JK actually took the time to explain what really happened between Snape and Lily. She has thrown hints at a possible romance between the two here and there and I always wondered if I was just crazy because I was thinking along those lines. I'm always upset though when I hear that people are told only half the story so as to make them think a certain way. Of course, for plots sake(ha), I understand why she did it.

I was honestly expecting everyone to die, and I mean everyone. The fact that Harry died and came back, sounded like a little bit of bs to me. If the Elder Wand had never taken to Voldemort, wouldn't it have backfired on him the first time? Instead of the second. Then Nagini would have been Voldemort and Harry would have had to battle a huge snake! Or, was it that since Nagini was still alive, the wand couldn't kill Voldemort yet...which is what she wants us to believe. It just doesn't make sense compared to the first time when Harry's parents died. I guess I need to think about this more. The ending was almost exactly what I was expecting though, Voldemort and Harry face to face. I like the way she didn't have them "dueling" so much as, talking. I get the feeling that in the movie it will not go that way and there will be explosions. (maybe even a giant mechanical spider...since they brought the Acromantulas out of the forest).

Anyway, I had high expectations for the ending and I think she did a great job.

The "19 Years Later" part at the end could have been left out though. I thought it was fitting that Harry & Ginny and Ron & Hermione got married and had kids, but I thought the fact that Harry named all his kids after people was kind of lame. I get why, I just thought it was lame.

Plus, now that Voldemort is gone, its kind of boring to think about their kids going to Hogwarts. I mean...if they sneak off it wont be to do exciting stuff. whatever.

The series was great. All in all it was good.

Rubber Snake in the garden

Well, this idea didn't work. I'm not sure if its because the snake is small and its a neon color, or if my pesky neighborhood animals are too gangsta for something so trivial as a plastic snake.

I found the snake in the back covered with dirt...so that's not working. Now I have to think of something else.

Someone told me in order to defeat the squirrels that you should just grow an abundance of whatever it is so you can enjoy some, while the squirrels enjoy some. I don't like this idea. Especially since only 2 of my 40 corms are coming through the dirt right now.

blah.

Chicken lo mein.

Chicken Lo Mein

Ok. I've made stir fry before...and it was ok.

This was yummy! In true Cheryl fashion..I altered the recipe a little bit. That's just what I do.

So make this recipe almost exactly as it says except...

I used chicken tenderloins.

I boiled broccoli and carrots and fettuccine nests.

In the skillet I added 1tsp chinese 5 spice, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, baby corn and green onions to the chicken to cook for a couple minutes before adding all the sauce ingredients.

Yummy yummy yummy.

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken enchiladas

Another Rachael Ray recipe that I hope to try soon.

Deathly Hallows & Half-Blood Prince

Half-Blood Prince:

The book was ok. I'd have to say that I pretty much forgot everything that happened in the book other than the last few chapters. Justin and I ran out to buy the movie so we could watch it. I originally wanted to wait until I read Deathly Hallows to watch HBP but once I started DH, I decided it would be best to just watch the movie and get it over with. THE MOVIE WAS TERRIBLE!!!! I couldn't believe how much they added and changed. I could really just scream the f-word all day long about it. It was just crap. I understand that some movies need to adjust the story a little bit to make room for a 2 hour movie but geez! It was 2/5 hours and it was so boring. They could have done so much more with the movie. Give the readers what they want, an accurate telling of the story. It was by far the worst Harry Potter movie yet. I have no expectations for DH. I am not sure if I will even bring myself to watching it. I'm definitely glad I didn't waste money to see it in the theater. But, I'm also upset that we spent money on the DVD.



Deathly Hallows:

I am not at all happy with the way things are going. I'm half way through and I'm just upset. I get the feeling a lot of people are going to die soon. :( I'm excited to read on, but I hold no hope for anyone. And, I get the feeling that Harry dies. I'm not sure about Voldemort though. I guess I need to go read....

:( poor eaten freesia corms.

Today, amongst 2 deep holes in the front "gardens" I found the dry outer part of my freesia corms resting on the ground.

Leslie, you sonofabitch. This resolution, of being a better mommy, isn't working out too well. But, Vi does love to go outside and pat the dirt for me. Its pretty cute actually. At least I can give her a moment of happiness before I remove her from the dirt and wipe off her hands. :)

I think I will need to be buying the mesh screen stuff.

Also, the bowl of water on the back porch...not working. Each pot and the planter has been dug into again. This is getting old.

The Pot Stickers were Fabulous!

Rachael Ray's Pot Stickers

Everyday Food's Pot Stickers

Epicurean Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce

Oh...My.......Goodness.

Ok, so here goes. I combined all of these recipes to make the extremely flavorful and disappearing pot stickers that used to exist but are all gone now.

I forgot to take a pic too. Sorry. My eyes & stomach could care less about a photo. Plus, I was eating them right out of the pot. omg. they rocked my socks off. I love this resolution more than any other one. I'm definitely going out of my cooking shell and LOVING it!

Final Recipe:

Filling:
12oz ground pork
1/2C finely chopped napa cabbage
1T finely chopped ginger root
2 chopped scallions(white & green parts)
1 clove finely chopped garlic
1T soy sauce
1t toasted sesame oil
1t Chinese 5 spice

24-ish Won-ton wrappers(the square ones)
1-2T vegetable oil
scallion greens for garnish.
1C chicken stock

step 1: chop that shit!
step 2: gently combine in a bowl. (I always use glass when dealing with raw meat)
step 3: keeping wrappers under a very slightly wet towel(I put a paper towel between the wrappers and the wet towel so they dont get too wet and sticky) and put a teaspoon of filling in the wrapper and wet the sides and press together gently.
step 4: Heat a 12" skillet (with lid) over med-high heat and pour in 1T of veg oil.
step 5: brown both sides of pot sticker (1 min each side)
step 6: pour in 1/2 cup of stock and put lid on skillet for about 3-4 min until pork is cooked through..or until stock is absorbed/cooked off.
step 7: once pot stickers are done, remove them and set them on a paper towel lined plate to catch some of the excess fluid. (this step is probably optional)

This is very easy. I took me about 45 minutes, but I think that's because I've never made them before.

I served them with the exact recipe for the Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce from Epicurean.

I ate 12....along with all the rice and the big bowl of fruit. (the snow peas I made were yucky..I over cooked them.)

Gardening tips

Craftzine.com

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this website!!!

Pot Stickers!

Here is a recipe for Pot Stickers.

I love me some pot stickers but have always lacked the courage to make them. Maybe I will try next week. maybe.

Lester...is a girl?

I saw her nips.

I think a name change is in order.

I think I'm going to go with a transgender name because I'm sure there are 3 squirrels at least that come to my backyard every evening to scrounge for food.

So, Leslie...which means "from the gray fortress" it's perfect!

Leslie.

All the squirrels from hence forth,in my backyard, shall be Leslie. So let it be written, so let it be known.

Lester Proofing..

10 ways to keep squirrels out of your garden or pots.

1. Take the squirrels at least 15 miles away from home.
2. Sprinkle hot sauce/pepper flakes around garden.
3. Place kids pinwheels around garden.
4. Sprinkle human hair clippings around garden.
5. Sprinkle coffee grounds in flower pots.
6. Place toy snakes in garden, moving them around every once in a while.
7. Read the book "Squirrel Wars."
8. Use a bird bath/bowl of water. Squirrels eat plants because they are thirsty.
9. Place mothballs around garden.
10. Place loose plastic mesh over dirt.


ok..I'm ok with most of these except the hot sauce/pepper flakes. That just seems mean. Poor little guys with burning mouths.

I think I will try putting a bowl of water out on the porch near the pots and I might try the plastic snake in the front "garden" and see if that works.

I will keep you updated.