Sunday Sunday Sunday

Happy Sunday morning, Interweb!  I hope you are having a fabulously relaxing weekend.  Mine has been so far, so good.  Yesterday, my mother and I drove up to hang out with my grandma, which is always wonderful.  I also got to see my dad, my sister, and my super-cute great nephew.  He warms my heart.  I don’t think he’s too sure about me yet, though.  He always gives me this contemplative look with his head cocked to one side and half of an unsure smile on his face like he can’t quite figure out if I am one of the good guys or some weird-looking drifter who has invaded his home.

I had a dream last night that left me feeling slightly annoyed when I woke up this morning.  I dreamed that The Hubs and I were sleeping, and a sound woke me up.  I got up and went to investigate.  I couldn’t see anything amiss, so I went back to bed.   A bit later, The Hubs heard something and woke me up, and he went to investigate.  He started hollering something about a dog.  Just then, a gust of wind blew open one set of my bedroom blinds.  As I go over to look out the window, a pack of 5 dogs jumps through and takes off toward my living room.  I run in and find about a million puddles of dog pee all throughout the house, torn up cushions, ravaged papers, and just general destruction everywhere.  And, in the midst of the chaos sits Rodge, one of my customers from work (who I have never actually met face-to-face).  He is sitting at my computer typing furiously.  I ask him in not-so-nice-deranged-screaming-head-spinning-fire-shooting-from-my-mouth terms to please leave.  He does, and I go to my computer to find that he has been making up orders for locations that do not exist and entering them into my dispatch system.  Meanwhile, the pack of dogs, which range from Labrador-sized to teacup poodle-sized are running circles through my house, jumping in and out of my bedroom window, and adding to the destruction with every pass.  When I did actually wake up this morning, I cautiously tiptoed into my living room while holding my breath….just in case…..

Well, I must stop being a Procrastinating Polly and go do some chores.  It is Football Sunday.  My fantasy team is the only one left in the league that is undefeated, but I have an inkling that will come to an end today.  We are limping along with injuries and bye weeks, and it is just not a pretty picture.  But, never say die, right?

Peace and doggy destruction grease.

Recipe of the day:

Baked Potato Pizza via http://www.pillsbury.com

Ingredients

• 1 (11 oz) can refrigerated pizza dough
• 6 slices provolone cheese
• 2 cups cubed, unpeeled baked potato (about 1 large)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp ranch dressing mix (from a 1-oz. pkg)
• 8 strips crisply cooked bacon, chopped
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions (optional)
• sour cream, for garnish

Directions

• Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray or grease a 15×10″ cookie sheet.  Unroll the dough and press into a 15×10″ rectangle.
• Arrange provolone cheese onto dough.  In a medium bowl, mix potato, olive oil, and ranch dressing mix.  Spoon mixture evenly over cheese slices.  Sprinkle with bacon and cheddar.
• Bake 13-16 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.  Sprinkle with onion and serve with dollops of sour cream.

Book of the day:

A Sudden Light by Garth Stein.  It has been a while since I read this book, but I loved it.  Stein has quite a way with words, and I found myself reading and rereading passages so I could absorb them.  Stein also wrote The Art of Racing in the Rain, which squeezed my heart until I could barely breathe.

Song of the day:

Praise You in this Storm by Casting Crowns

This is one of my most favorite worship songs.  Enjoy!

It Takes a Village

I’m still here, in case you missed me. Life has been crazy busy, and I’ve hardly had time to breathe, much less blog.  It’s mind-boggling how much preparation and how many people it takes to get ready to have surgery and check out of productive life for a few weeks.  There are doctors  and nurses and insurance personnel and hospital personnel. There is my husband and my mom helping all they can. There are co-workers to train, duties to divide up, and loose ends to tend to. Appointments, chores, shopping, food prep, a haircut, packing, medical preparation.  Frankly, I could do without hearing the word ‘surgery’ again for a few years. I am truly appreciative of everyone, and I am sorry for disrupting lives.

Well, I guess you’ve figured out that I did survive MuckFest after all. And, it was surprisingly fun this year. Last year was fun, too, but it was miserably cold, and I spent hours wet and shivering. I attempted every obstacle this time and only ended up walking around two impossibly slippery mud hills (after sliding down them on my knees and/or buttocks several times). That is vastly better than 2015. One of my teammates contracted food poisoning the night before the race, and another had an asthmatic episode just a few mud-laden steps into the course.  Though it wasn’t fun for all, I had a good time and walked away feeling proud of myself. And with a limp. And an impressive bruise in the crack of me arse.

Perhaps I won’t stay gone from my blog so long next time. I will have a couple of weeks with little else to do after all…..

Hope you are all well. Peace and robotic surgeon elbow grease. (Do robots have elbows exactly?)

Song of the day:

Only if For a Night by Florence + the Machine. Because I heard this song today for the first time in ages. And I rocked it out and nailed every note like I do when I’m driving alone. 😉

Book of the day:

Landline by Rainbow Rowell. I have read other books by Rowell. They’ve all been pretty good, but they’ve all been YA fiction. I love YA fiction probably a bit too much–don’t get me wrong. Landline was geared more toward adults, and refreshingly so.  It is a tale of a troubled marriage and the wife’s unlikely chance to make things right.

Recipe of the day:

Creamy Cheesy Chili Potato Casserole via http://www.food.com.

I make this stuff whenever The Hubs cooks up a giant pot of chili.  It is ridiculously good.  Seriously.  It is probably illegal in some countries because nothing should be so friggin’ tasty.

Ingredients

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8″ thick
• 3 cups of leftover chili
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, cubed
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Layer sliced potatoes, chili, cubed cream cheese, cream of mushroom soup, and cheddar cheese in a greased casserole dish.
2. Repeat layers (like lasagna).
3. Bake covered in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours.
4. Top with additional cheddar cheese and bake uncovered for 10 minutes.
5. Allow casserole to set for 20 minutes and serve.

A post about nothing.

As usual, I have nothing earth-shattering to write about.  The Hubs and I finally went to the State Fair of Texas this past weekend.  How do we always manage to end up going during the OU/Texas game?  There were 5 million people there, roughly 1/3 of which were barely dressed college students.  It was fun, but I was very happy to be heading home.

I am preparing to have surgery to fix an issue I’ve been dealing with for several years now.  I’ve never had surgery and am both excited and anxious about it.  The surgery will be of the DaVinci variety, which means a robot will be sticking it’s little robot arms and fingers into my body instead of a surgeon.  That’s kind of freaky.

My fantasy football season is progressing beautifully.  I am somehow 5-0.  Woot woot!  There is only one other 5-0 team, and we play each other this coming weekend.  I guess our little staring contest will be forced to come to an end.  (**fingers crossed!**)

MuckFest MS is this frickin’ weekend.  I could not possibly be less prepared for a 5K mud run.  I may die face-down in a mud puddle.  I hope that I have entertained at least one reader before I die.  Do I have one reader?  Hello, hello, hello….is there anybody out there?….

Anyway.  I hope you are all well and trudging through your week as painlessly as possible.

Peace and fried Twinkie grease!

Song of the day:

Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd

Book of the day:

After You by Jojo Moyes.  This is the sequel to Me Before You, which was on my list of painful literary deaths from my last post.  I am not finding this book quite as good as its predecessor, but I’m not giving up.  I’m only about half way through.  And, after that I have yet another Jojo Moyes book waiting for me on my Overdrive player.

Recipe of the day:

Buttery Coconut Bars via http://www.tasteofhome.com.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, melted
• FILLING:
• 3 large eggs
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups flaked coconut, divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13×9-in. baking pan with parchment paper, letting ends extend up sides.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar and salt; stir in 1 cup melted butter. Press onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 12-15 minutes or until light brown. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Reduce oven setting to 325°.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the first seven filling ingredients until blended; stir in 3 cups coconut. Pour over crust; sprinkle with remaining coconut. Bake 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Lifting with parchment paper, remove from pan. Cut into bars. Yield: 3 dozen.

I also toasted a bit of fresh coconut in some coconut oil to sprinkle on top before I cooked them.  It was a nice touch.  These things are wonderful.  You will hurt yourself on them.

Spoiler Alert

I am a sap for a heart-wrenching book. And, I’m not above bawling like a baby to the point of concerning The Hubs while reading such stories. Below is a list of fictional literary deaths that ripped my heart out of my chest. **SPOILER ALERT**

• Albus Dumbledore – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
• Anya Whitson’s husband – Winter Garden. Understanding and compassion come very slowly in this book, which adds to the injustice of his death.
• Augustus Waters – The Fault in Our Stars.  I did the Big Ugly cry reading this book.
• Cadence Sinclair Eastman – We Were Liars. I didn’t see it coming. I should have seen it coming.
• Almost all of Edmure Tully’s wedding party – A Storm of Swords.  George RR Martin is heartless.  And brilliant.
• Fred Weasley, Dobby, Remus Lupin, & Nymphadora Tonks – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
• Manchee – The Knife of Never Letting Go. Why??
• Michel Starzynski – Sarah’s Key.
• Ruth Jamison – Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.
• Sirius Black – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. 
• Theodore Finch – All the Bright Places. You see his death, like Will Traynor’s, coming for miles and miles. This does not ease the blow any.
• Will Traynor – Me Before You. See above.

Please feel free to comment and suggest additions to this list. And, yes. I know I may be a bit obsessed with Harry Potter, but it is the series that got me reading again.

I hope everyone has a blessed week!

Peace and mascara running down your face as you sob over the pages of a soul-shattering novel grease.

Song of the day:

House of the Rising Sun by the Animals. Because I love this song. Who doesn’t?

Recipe of the day:

A Concoction The Hubs and I Came Up With Last Night

• 2-3 chorizo sausage links, decased
• Onion & bell pepper, diced
• Mushrooms, broccoli, & asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 pkg gnocchi
• 1 jar Alfredo sauce
• Salt & pepper
• Olive oil
• Vegetable broth

Cook chorizo with onion & bell pepper until brown. Drain. Meanwhile, cook other veggies in olive oil and a couple of splashes of broth. Cover to cook faster. Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Mix all together with Alfredo sauce. Pretty good! 4 servings.

Book of the day:

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North. I just started this book and have a good feeling about it.  **Update:  I did not finish this book.  After a promising start, I just wasn’t feeling it for some reason.  I vow to try again someday.**