Clean up in isle 12

To the young fella who was stocking the shelves at Wal-Mart, way to go accidentally slicing the back of the box of pancake mix! I hope you were standing right around the corner when I picked up the box and was met with a cloud of pancake powder, you deserve the laugh. (Heaven knows, husband and kiddo are still laughing) me and my batter covered strawberries will laugh later I am sure.

Baygirl VS the Universe

When you wake up and discover that you hit snooze one too many times, and there is no soy milk for your cereal, its a sign the Universe is telling you to crawl back in bed. But since I listen to the Universe about as well as I listen to husband I gave the Universe the finger and went on about my day. (I'm harcore that way.)

You know what happens when you give the Universe the bird? It finger flicks you right back in the forehead, 10 times harder!


An 8:00 parent/teacher meeting on a Monday morning to discuss kiddo's IEP means I could only hit snooze button twice. Stagger out to the kitchen to start the coffee perk, and there is only decaf (how did that happen).

With sleep caked in my eyes I turn on the shower and accidentally grab the body wash instead of shampoo. (my hair smells great, but looks like it wasn't washed in a month)

Open up the back door to discover that high winds have blown an entire side of my fence into the neighbor's yard. (waiting on the contractor now)

Construction on the roads downtown, meant I needed to take a crazy detour on the way to drive husband off at work. (where is my coffee?)

Get home and realize that I forgot to put the dog out, and there is a fresh puddle by the door!

Its not even 10 am yet! I can't wait to see what the rest of the day brings me; class this afternoon and clinic until 8pm, with a crazy hard pathophysiology test tomorrow morning.

I'm sorry Universe, you win. (I take back my hardcore status.)

Newfoundland confessions

I don't know if its the salt air in my lungs, my family around, the fact that I haven't cooked since I got to Newfoundland, or just the shear pleasure of being home, but today I decided to dome something I haven't done in my 33 years! I made me some raisin tea buns.





I would like to take this opportunity, to make a confession... I DID have some help. Turns out that me mudder got a new stove since the last time I was here, and it also turns out that I do not know how to use the new one.

I followed the recipe to the letter, hit the timer and popped the buns in to cook. 10 minutes later my sister and her two kids arrive. "What are you at? You needs to turn ON the oven for stuff to cook."

20 minutes after me sister turned on the oven, they were cooked, and they were delish!

Honesty, not always the best policy...

Kiddo is attending the circus camp just down the road from my school this week, so we share the 25 minute drive each way. Yesterday morning's drive we argued over which radio station to listen to, what the hell do the 10 year olds of the world see in Justin Beiber? Cute, ummm hummm he looks like an eighteen year old girl! Talented, ummm hummm all I hear is high pitched whining! So, we decided to compromise, we would listen to "her" radio station on the way to camp, and we would listen to "my" radio station on the way home.

Husband, if you are reading this post, PLEASE STOP HERE.

So this morning, I stayed true to our deal, I turned on "her" radio station, and off we went. She's in the back seat bopping her head and singing along with the pop station (you know the station that plays music similar to the sounds of sneakers beating around the insides of a dryer), I'm cruising down the highway guzzling my travel mug of happy juice.

"Mom, you're passing a lot of cars." pipes the voice in the back seat.

"Ummmm Hummm..."

"Mom, that sign said 100, how come you're going faster? I think you should slow down."

No sooner are the words out of her mouth, when I see red and blue lights flashing behind me! Seriously???

The officer walks up to the car "Mam, do you know why I pulled you over?"

Me batting my eyes, "No, officer I don't."

Kiddo pipes up "I do. She was driving 130 and the sign only said 100, but she was only going fast because we made a deal to listen to my music on the way to circus camp and she wanted to get there as soon as possible so she could turn it off quicker."

CRAP! Ya had to tell the truth didn't you child? Tonight, mom is going to teach you how to lie, then she's going to teach you not to tell your fadder.

Don't try this at home!

Apparently, jamming your hand into a bottle of pickles to get the last one that simply will not allow you to stab it with a fork, while you have a small cut on your hand is not very smart.

Also, rubbing your eyes with the same hand a few minutes later (and yes I washed it) isn't any smarter.

Ouch! Ouch! f*c* OOOWWWW!

Evil, Evil, Tasty Evil Pickles!

All I did was THINK about baking and look what happened!

A girl in my class gave me a recipe today, for what she is calling "the best chocolate banana bread ever", assuring me that there is no possible way I can mess it up if I follow the recipe and don't over beat anything. Since she was nice enough to hand write out the recipe on a pretty little card I told her I would try making it this weekend. So on the way home, I pull into the grocery shop and make sure I have everything I need.

I get home and....



the bananas have committed suicide! Just the thoughts of my baking with them, pushed them over the edge...

I can see how you'd get them confused... not

In the hustle of getting up and showered, making lunches and getting out the door in the morning, I asked husband to grab an apple for kiddos lunch bag while I brushed my teeth. Something I'm pretty sure the dog could do if she had opposable thumbs and could open the fridge door.

From the bathroom I hear "Bria, where does mom keep the apples?" followed by a lot of banging and shuffling around.

"There is a whole bag of apples are in the bottom drawer of the fridge" I holler back.

"Nope, none there. Guess again." Then comes a long pause and I can hear her lunch bag zipping up.

I left it alone, grabbed my travel mug of happy juice and slipped out the front door.

On the way home, we dropped into the grocery store to grab some burger buns and out of the corner of my eye, I see husband counting out apples. "Hon, we have a whole bag of apples, we don't need any more."

"Nope."

"What do you mean nope? There is a whole bag in the drawer, didn't you give one to Bria today?"

"Nope. No apples, just a bunch of tomatoes."

Huh, ok, maybe I was wrong. So we buy the apples. Just as we're walking into the house, kiddo appears at the top of the steps eating, guess what, an apple!

So I give husband the 'what are you, retarded' look, and head up into the kitchen, open the fridge and produce an entire bag of apples.

His response "Nope, they're tomatoes."

He was looking in the wrong bottom drawer of the fridge. I swear of those apples had teeth they would have jumped up and bit him.

Domestic baking goddess I ain't!

Over the past weekend we played tourist and ended up buying a full flat (6 quarts) of strawberries. Now, I love strawberries but what was I thinking buying so many at once? Our friend took a quart when he was leaving, I've made strawberry spinach salad, I've been blending strawberries into my protein shakes, had strawberries in my cereal, strawberries, strawberries, strawberries.

So last night I went looking for recipes and I found some ideas that made me drool just reading them. Eventually I came across one for strawberry cupcakes with strawberry butter cream icing, ohhhh my taste buds were screaming. I printed the recipe and immediately began cutting and pureeing strawberries while husband was sent to the store for the items a non-baker lacks.

As I mixed and blended, I tried to ration with myself... I haven't had cake in over 2 years, these won't be cake they are mini cake so they will have less calories, I will spend an extra 10 minutes on the treadmill to make up for it. I can see the look of shock on the faces of my cooky classmates who regularly bring in freshly baked items from home to share, kiddo in awe of having cupcakes that don't come out of a box or from a store. I would be a cupcake goddess.

I popped my pinkish buddies in the oven and wished them well, that they would rise up beyond my expectations, while they baked I worked extra hard on the icing following the recipe to the letter, all the while being very strict and not sampling anything.

The cupcakes came out of the oven, and they looked a little 'small' but I didn't let it get me down. The icing was smelling great, and my stomach was now growling for a sample. No. I would stay strong.

Time to ice them, so I called the kid to take over. She heaped the icing on their tops and begged to lick the spoon when she was done. Still no taste testing on my behalf (yeah and nay at the same time).



Don't they look cute?

So this morning I get up, I pack a cupcake in kiddo's lunch, two in husband's and then I pile a bunch in a container to take to school. I strut into the lecture hall carrying my container of cupcakes high, proud of myself and awaiting the ohhhs and ahhhs that will surely follow.

I would like to take this opportunity to state that looks can be deceiving, smells can be deceiving, and classmates can be harsh.

My cute little muffins were a flop. Apparently there is something "wrong with my leavening agent" MY WHAT? (English please)... they didn't rise (I thought they looked small) and then there were a bunch of offers to come to my house and teach me to cook (one of which came from the guy in the class who eats ramen noodles 5 days a week). Its a good thing that I learned to laugh at myself years ago..

I get home from class today, walk into the kitchen and then I notice that the remaining cupcakes are nearly gone. Hummm is kiddo tossing them in the garbage? NOPE my kid is loving them, thinks they are some of the best cupcakes I have ever made.. that's it, I'm trying one, they're not awful, but a domestic baking goddess I am not! that's for sure.

Next week I plan to buy some cupcakes, bring them to class and say "just kidding".

--side note, my first cupcake in 2 years, and it was "not awful" yeah I'm a winner.

Puppy Juice?

Its been a busy week so far, I've had 1 written, an OSCE and I have another written tomorrow, so I've been neglecting the housework especially the grocery shopping. So when husband got off work we headed to the grocery store. I hate grocery shopping so I whiz around the outer perimeter methodically gathering up what it necessary before heading to the stop (I only buy what is on sale, and fresh so grocery shopping usually involves 3 stops to complete).

Somehow, we forgot milk so husband decides to run to the corner store. He arrives home with 2 bags and calls me into the kitchen to see what he bought...

milk - good this is what he went for
pomegranate juice - for me as a treat to quote "help with studying"?
yogurt - because it was on sale, and he forgot we just bought some
3 boxes of granola bars - because they looked good and he can take them to work

So the groceries are all put away, supper is done, the dishwasher is on and I'm enjoying my coffee before hitting the books for the night. Husband pokes his head around the corner "hon, is it ok if I have a glass of that fancy Pomeranian juice I just bought you?"



I'll be giggling all night!