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1/28/2019 0 Comments So... What HAVE I been up to... where Have I been? Like, WTF, right? PLUS: Announcing I have a Podcast now!?
Just me, & a New Lamb born on the 24th!
So... seriously... honestly, truly... I hope...
No. Not "I hope"... No, let me start over... My INTENTION is... to be more consistent with the content publishing for this blog, this website. My intention is... to prove to YOU, my adored & appreciated reader, that I have TRULY gone through HELL; and having survived, I've come out... joyfully swinging buckets of cool water on the way out to quench your thirst for something more in life. I am a true believer in leading by example. I practice what I preach. Integrity & Accountability are like, Top- TOP Values in the grand scope of everything I teach my kids and really everybody else that comes to me for any kind of help or guidance. I believe in "you get what you put in/reap what you sow"... I believe in the Law of Attraction, as far as the "manifesting your destiny", etc. I am TRULY a giant pail of fucking sunshine with a great, cheery, dispo-fucking-sition... so WHERE THE FUCK HAVE I BEEN????
Oh. My. Gosh. The world that I was living in... to describe all of it will take many, many posts to explain. And although I've posted posts similar to this... ya know, saying stuff like, "I've changed!... I'm ALL better!... Really!!... Believe me this time!"... but honestly... I know, in my heart & soul, that this... THIS is different. I wrote (not typed, I actually typed it today) this "post" on January 13th, a Sunday, KNOWING I wouldn't be posting/sharing it until March 9th (at least that was my intention at first, but obviously... I couldn't wait). This was pretty much part of my plan to work ahead of myself so I'd have a bit of a headstart once shit started getting crazy like I know it will be- really soon. Incidently, the day I'd planned to schedule this post to post/share, was/is my dad's birthday. He would've been 78 this year. Now, I'm hoping you might've already figured out from other posts just what kind of dad I had... but if you don't know, just know that he had a BIG part in making me who I am, influencing my perspective of life, giving me his genius and his demons...
He also (quite conveniently for my psychosis) raised me to believe I was some kind of Golden Child... actually... I WAS... THE Golden Child, and I had a FANTASTIC DESTINY to pursue. I've had my doubts along the way. I really shouldn't have. In thirteen days past the 9th of March (so, to be clear... the 22nd), I will be launching my new product line that I am like, SUPER EXCITED about and have been working my ass off to create. No... I can't tell you what it is, yet. But, I CAN tell you that it's something brilliant, and right in line with my "I don't give a f*ck about what others think, this shit is funny and makes me happy, so Ima share it with everyone" attitude. PLUS, it's handmade and IT IS QUALITY... I certainly wouldn't sell anything less.
I know I'm doing some rambling... it seems to be happening a lot now whenever I open my mouth... I just have Sooo MUCH TO SAY. But, I'm not gonna put it all here, right now. I've in essence, been "gone" for 2 years.
TWO WHOLE FUCKING YEARS! Yes, I have given little updates and shit here & there, but still... I want you all to know that I have been on this AMAZING journey of Self-Growth & Rebirth that I TOTALLY want & NEED to share all the juicy, insightful, & beyond painful, details. That's why I am pretty damn happy to make this announcement: I started a podcast. I STARTED A FREAKING PODCAST!!! eek! Okay, so what had happened was... I've been mulling this idea over for a while now. But, I'd been so scared and nervous about what I'd say and how I'd be received etc. and so forth. Then, about the 2nd week of this month, I just kinda said, "F*ck it", and just started recording. I'm up to 3 recordings now! A while back, I'd mentioned that over on Tumblr I have a separate blog called "HiporCritical View". I've even added a page to this site that has a feed from that Tumblr page. And basically, I'd started (it/them) just so I could post my varying and conflicting viewpoints on like, a million different ideas. So... This idea has evolved into this podcast now; because there are just too many ideas and thoughts and viewpoints on issues that I just really need to get them off of my chest faster than I could ever write or type.
So... If you are interested in hearing my beautiful melodic voice
(more like breathy, sniffly, sinusy congestedy, smoker's raspy-ness-ish type- voice)... and would like to just come along with me on the ride of my Precariously Balanced Life, while I sort out some things and also do some explaining about where I been/ how I've grown... and everything I've had to go through/how I did it... etc. etc. etc. ..... then, click below, or go to the Anchor/FM App (or most other Podcasting platforms like Spotify) and search "The HiporCritical View"
Anyways... that's it for now. I'm still SO OVERJOYED & OVERWHELMED by all of the continued love and support I've received through all of the Social Media outlets and Especially this blog/website... seeing that even in my somewhat absence my words & efforts are still reaching folks... that just really means the world to me & has helped to bring me full circle.
So, THANK YOU. *P.S. if there's anything that I was supposed to get done, that maybe I never did or whatever... or if you just feel like asking a question... click here to holler at me!
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3/9/2018 0 Comments Whilst digging through boxes of 'need to be filed' papers, looking for what I ended up finding in a binder next to my desk, lol, I found this post I'd not typed up yet... I absolutely LOVE this picture I took back in August of 2016. No filter, not photoshopped... just perfect timing. The division in light speaks to my Libran nature. I wrote this sometime back in June, I think, right before the car accident. I pen write almost EVERYTHING, which led me to the realization yesterday that I need to decide what I want done with all of my written works, in the event of my death prior to getting them typed & published. I'm kinda on the fence about that... Anyway, here's what I had written down about what was going on at the time of my then, only 9 month absence. So... I've been away for quite some time. I cannot guarantee with any degree of certainty that I am back and that that which has kept me away is a problem solved, and that I can move on... Because, it's not that simple. I've been in a dark place. My mind and moods seem to reflect the unpredictable weather we've been having; almost as if I controlled the rolling thunder clouds and voracious winds. I've been (almost) ashamed to even get back to blogging again, especially when I consider what a phenomenal year, last year, was (2016). Last year, I decided to pursue MY DREAMS. I took a chance and stood up for what I wanted. I made progress and tasted success-- something I'd been afraid of all my life. It was INCREDIBLE. Then, as everything does, life provided more challenges and harder obstacles. I can only assume my plate wasn't full, enough. :/ At some point, near mid-October(2016), my Precariously Balanced Life became horribly unbalanced. No, not unbalanced, exactly, because to me, that sounds like the scales leaned one way or the other, too much. No, more like the little thingy that holds the scales in place at the middle, the fulcrum, became loosened and over sensitive, making it so that even a small breeze could affect the sway. A roller-coaster of emotions? Sure. If it were a high speed one that completely changed direction every two seconds... then, yeah. That's how I've felt when I've taken a moment to acknowledge what I was feeling or thinking. Otherwise, I've just been NUMB. Numb and don't give a f*@k for months now. My existence has been autonomous. Like a calculator I've been robotically solving problems as quickly as they've been presented... Small ones, What's for snack? Bigger Ones, Do you have room for one more? And ridiculously complex ones, I f*@ked up big time, can you help me? What do I do? Somewhere along this timeline, I forgot about me. Each time I wanted to sit down at my computer... each time I wanted to write something down... each time I wanted to tell everyone out in the blogging-verse, "hey, I'm still here & alive."... each time I wanted to just , breathe... I was given another task. I am a huge believer in the laws of Attraction, and the under-estimated, seldom credited-- Power of the MIND. Hundreds of books have been written on the subject such as Rhonda Byrne's The Secret, etc. on every topic from healing to wealth. And all of them vocalize and confirm deep-rooted feelings I've had all along... That You are in control of Your life. Not a higher divine being, not the Fates, not some pre-written destiny... You. You control You. Me. I control Me. Only. Period. Now, let me expound upon this, perhaps further than some of the books out there venture to do... Here's who I am/was/am... Strong and confident, and in charge. On top of game. Fearful & paranoid on the inside, but capable of recognizing and resolving those things that frightened me, because failure was never an option. When I make a decision, a choice, I do not decide later that I chose wrong or regret what I've done. Every event, I treat as a life lesson. There is NO BAD CHOICE. There is only a failure to see things through, to quit before you're done... a lack of conviction. To put it another way-- If I second guess myself, after I've made a decision, then I open the door of Doubts. Like a dam, holding back a mighty river, once I open that door, an irreparable hole is inundated with forceful, destructive thoughts that erode away even the most concrete of foundations, until the happy little village of "Problem Solved, I'm okay" is flooded with new miseries, and finally, washed away... So, I don't second guess myself. My life, my existence-- is the Dam. I. Am. The Dam. I have a large family. Like I'd said at the end of last year (2016) our household was swelling to 15++. I had managed just fine with a large livestock count, and a household of 8, for years: Meal Planning/Prepping Farming/Homesteading Home-schooling Mothering House-wifing Writing Art-working... Then our household grew, and then we welcomed a few more... I was okay for a while. I kept it together as best I could, for as long as I could... But even the most eternal of engineering marvels has a hidden weakness... Corrosive Acid Rain... Abrasive Desert Wind Storms... A hole no bigger than a womp rat... Mine? My husband. When our relationship is good, I am completely on top of the world. I am happy. I don't miss a beat. I'm like a fast shootin' gun-slinger from some old western movie, taking out all the bad guys... boom boom bang bang Boom! But when we're NOT okay, EVERYTHING. HURTS. Suddenly, my bulletproof vest is penetrable, and my confidence bleeds out to emptiness. Why? Why does he hold this power over me? Well the simple answer is, because I let him. But to be more concise, I'll give you the explanation I gave him, as we began working on our marriage that had suddenly seemed to have fallen apart after 11 years... Who does God cry to? Who does the General cry to? When you are an Apex predator, top of the food chain individual, who do you fear? Who controls, you? When you wield phenomenal power, who holds power, over you? You might ask, if you're at the top, why is there even a need for someone to have power over you? A good question. Simple answer-- because everyone NEEDS to be Dominated at some point. Everyone NEEDS to feel subordinate every now and then. There is severe truth in the saying that "Absolute power, corrupts absolutely". Whether it is a general seeing a dominatrix in secret, or a culture creating a pantheon of gods to govern them, or a people fearing an all-seeing Eye... Everyone needs someone to Answer to. Even the most Powerful people, cannot live at the pinnacle forever. To keep that power in check, you need to give some of it away. Existence is Precariously Balanced. To everyone involved in my life, my family, friends etc., I am a fierce protector, a solver, a fighter, a fixer... I am methodical, calculating, and level headed. People come to me, and lay their problems at my feet. No solution is unsolvable. For me. I do this without hesitation. I do this regardless of, and before, my own personal problems. What makes it unbearable, what makes it insufferable to the point that the desire to dispose of it (my position in life), is when I have no vulnerability left. When I am TOO GOOD. Insanity, right? Well, that's why I need my husband. It gets lonely at the top. I am a strong and powerful woman. I NEED an equal partner, if I choose to actually have one, in the first place. I need to be able to submit to someone or something. Someone to answer to, yes, kinda, but more so someone to lean on and tell me I am doing good. I need reassurance. I need comforting. I need to be grounded. That's who my husband is to me. He is my center. He brings me back to Earth... keeps me level. But he too, suffers from depression, and unlike me, he is only just now learning & applying the power of his own mind, control... the power behind actively changing your outlook... Which creates MORE problems. How can he comfort me, or dominate me, if he feels like less of a man? If he feels that I am too strong? How can he be 'The MAN', to an independent Woman? How can he ground me or put me in my place, without being a chauvinistic or abusive man? Isn't this what feminism is about? The equality of women to men? Doesn't this go against all of that? Maybe it does. But because I CHOOSE to have a partner, that partner has to match me toe to toe. I take care of him & his needs, I expect the same... Well, this "domination" of me, usually takes place in the bedroom, where he gets to lead and I follow... um.. but a passionate kiss or a strong embrace, even on a day where I'm filled with rage because my cup over-floweth-- is usually all it takes. I rule the house and create a sanctuary for him and all who visit here, but HE is MY SANCTUARY. He is MY Happy Place. A relationship, just like a people, or an individual person, or any species for that matter, MUST EVOLVE. It has to. Stagnation equals Death. If your body stops moving, it starts breaking. Your essence, just like your bones and muscles, begin dissolving, until there is nothing left. So, among ALL the issues I've been having for the past 9+ months or so, at the center of it all, has been an epic battle of adjusting and understanding within the most important relationship in my life. It has not been easy. It has broken me. Some parts of me remain, broken. So, this is where I am at. This too, shall pass, and I will once again triumph and be jubilant. But all in good time.  I love this picture. He'd stopped to say he loves me, in the middle of a jumpy house birthday party for our niece. Our eyes say it all! *Note: The additional individuals have all since left, either by their own accord, or because they were asked to leave.
We are at a steady 10, and holding.. 12/27/2016 0 Comments It's not ALL Rainbows & Sunshine... Okay, maybe a double rainbow was included in this post--it happens!
 Christmas Eve... looking out at Mt. Charleston. Well... Christmas is over (yay!), and I am not ashamed to admit that I couldn't wait for it to be done. This was probably the worst Holiday season I've experienced in a while. But is that me complaining? No. Because reflection and understanding are better than hindsight and regrets. Oh yeah, I'm tweeting that one... #Reflection and Understanding are better than Hindsight and Regrets. I hate that my household has been back and forth with the cold or flu for what seems like the entire holiday season, and I hate that I've been sick specifically on Thanksgiving AND Christmas. BUT, this is a household of 12, when my friend and her daughter are over (which btw, they're moving in next year-- but into a separate home on the property) then there are 14 of us. When my brother visits--during the holidays twice a month-- there are 18. Which, is kinda a lot to cook for, clean up after, keep the peace with, and at Christmas--shop for. Add to my crazy family life and farm life and homeschooling, all things I've spent what feels my entire life perfecting my methods of planning and execution, the supreme and ultimate desire I have to be the writer I've always felt I was inside... and then it's no wonder I've been sick and stressed and ate two pounds+ of yummy See's chocolate and smoked more than a couple of cigarettes after having lost nearly 40 lbs. this year and having not smoked for three years.  I love this picture... I'm not sure if you can see it or not, but it was a halo around the full moon, earlier this month. For me, this is a contemplative image... I'm not sure why... Yeah. I did. I fell off the wagon--sort of. My daughter will probably kill me after reading this (if she does). Am I 'smoking' again? No. I quit cold turkey before, I can quit again. Plus, I'm trying to get pregnant next year... Okay, I know what you're thinking... wtf?!! Don't you have enough family members? Yes, but my children are biologically not my husband's. And we've spent the last ten years of marriage with my tubes tied, working on all of those adult issues like family problems, alcoholism, house-buying, DUI, teenagers, budgets, death, parent/child role-reversal... etc. There wasn't time or money (to get the tubes reversed) to have another kid. It hasn't been easy, and that's saying it nicely. I'm bipolar with all my other issues, and my husband battles depression and an addictive personality (he is the recovering alcoholic). And yet, through it all, we have given 'our' kids a healthy home to grow up in. In ten years they have only heard us fight/loud argue two, maybe three times. When they talk about their future relationships, they describe a desire to have what my husband and I share (as do most of my family members and single friends). They understand that things will not always be rainbows and sunshine, but that you work through it and respect each other, and always be loving and affectionate, as well as sarcastic and able to take a joke. Cussing and bad words are allowed in my house. I, for one, cuss like a sailor. Of course, they can't cuss when they are young and inexperienced, like if they haven't lived through some sh*t. My son cusses worse than I do, but he remembers a time when it was just him, me and his sister, and we were homeless living in a car. So yes, he may cuss. Thankfully it's mostly when he is on his Xbox. Hearing him scream like a bitch when he loses is quite comical... just saying. Anyway. I know I'm rambling. I guess I'm just thrilled to be able to finally sit at my desk again. Plus, seeing that once again, this month more than 8,000 of you have stopped by to see 'me,' makes me happy. This blogging has thoroughly become part of my 'oxygen' that I need. It has become a habit. Yes, I suppose I do need a habit. And I think blogging is far more healthier than smoking, wouldn't you agree? So with the reflection and understanding, I accept that this is just the ebb and flow of things. I've taken on a great deal of tasks that in and of each individual one, are stressful. I chose this life, and I wouldn't change a thing. I'm living how I choose to. I'm building strong and caring people, and I'm chasing my dreams in front of my kids, living as an example of how to make your goals, realities... I'm letting them see that a dream is good, but the hard work that leads to the payoff makes the reward that much better. Lazy doesn't exist in my household.  So... here's to 2017. We as a people have experienced a tumultuous year. This is the year that everything has changed, and yet, we are still in control of how the future plays out... even if it feels like we aren't... Things will definitely never be the same, and that excites me. I hope you can harness some of that energy as well, and approach the unknown expanse of time ahead of us with just as much enthusiasm. Thank you again for supporting me and reading all about my precariously balanced life... seeing my ups and downs while I try to keep it as real as possible with you. **Life's a dance--you learn as you go! 12/12/2016 0 Comments No one said it would be EASY!
This was the sunrise on my side of the world, Saturday morning...
Good Morning, and Happy Monday!
Oh my Freaking GOSH, does it ever feel GREAT to be sitting back at this desk of mine, plugging away at these keys... speaking to all of you!! Currently, we are in a 'transition' phase in this household. Remember I said my niece and her two kids were moving in? Well, they did. And while she is at work, I have the distinct pleasure of whipping her kids into shape-- along with my grand-baby and her best-friend (my Best Friend's daughter, whom I am a secondary mommy to), who happens to always be at our house while her mommy is also at work. So... what does that mean? It means I am GOING CRAZY!!! hehehehehe! Actually, that is definitely a big part of it. I am going crazy. My life for the last week has been completely flipped upside down as I had to handle/address other priorities, that left absolutely NO ROOM in my day for writing OR blogging. Which, for me, is a HUGE deal since the two activities have pretty much become necessities to my very survival. Like... I need to write & blog to live. To REALLY LIVE. I can breathe okay without them, but I damn sure ain't LIVING if I am not doing exactly what I have fought so hard to be able to finally do, this year. I have learned to accept that sometimes your passions need to be put on hold for a minute, to address other issues... but it is also just as important to not let your passions wait too long on hold, lest you want them to feel forgotten like a customer waiting on the other line.... Well, so what did I occupy my week with while I was MIA?
For one, I was training the four littles at my house in their new tasks. As part of this household, they each have a list of chores they are responsible for. Eight per kid, actually. Do the math, and that's 32 chores I was busy teaching the young'uns how to do. Now, mind you, my grand daughter already had about 11 chores she was responsible for, but I went ahead and gave some of them to the other kids, while giving her a couple new ones.
I had to come up with a list of chores I felt two 6 year-olds & two 5 year-olds could get done relatively unassisted, then, because the other three children were excited to get their own chart, I had to make each one their own Chore Chart with Pins. It looks easy, and I really thought it would be... but the drying time for the paint, mixed in with just the basic brainstorming and everything else I was trying to accomplish, meant that it still took me a couple of days to get done. 
Either myself, or one of my daughters take one of these out with us to make sure each chore is being done.
I have my friend's daughter do these. She does a GREAT job! These are for the garden beds in the early spring. We put these out BEFORE the plants begin to fruit, so birds will be 'somewhat' deterred from eating the real thing!
Remember this from my last post? If not, click on the picture to read how I do the Chore Chart/Reward System.
What else was I doing?
"Spring Cleaning," for starters. Yes, I know, it is not Spring, but before any Christmas can go up (which it STILL hasn't! Pitiful, I know!), I have to dust and reorganize EVERYTHING-- EVERY YEAR. It's kinda sadistic, really. I think I do it because I need MORE to stress about. Maybe not, but it sure feels that way! I think really I do it because Winter is such an important season. Springtime, for me-us, is too late to start cleaning. At that point, we really need to have it ALL ORGANIZED and ready to go, because there is just way too much to do schoolwork and farm wise. Plus, in the winter we are stuck inside a bit longer beacuse of the outside temperature & lack of daylight, so it only makes sense to do the cleaning now, and before Christmas & most importantly--the NEW YEAR. Clean House=Clean Slate And I can say with a satisfied smile... the house is Pretty Darn Clean & Organized & Ready!! Whoot Whoot!
Quick Side Note...
Can I just add that I ABSO-Freakin-LUTELY LOVE Hefty Shrink Bags? Like, I am so NOT getting paid to say this, although I will DEFINITELY add my affiliate link for the bags on Amazon (which in that case could mean I'll get paid if your click becomes a purchase). I have tried SO many of the Space Saving Vacuum bags out there--and they ALL suck!! In a bad way. But these Hefty ones, which I bought on a whim because the Walmart by my house had them on clearance, are AMAZING!! They actually stay sealed, and suck down to a uniform size. I used a few to pack some of my niece's linens to put in storage, then I used a few more to pack my brother's and my friend's bedstuffs that I pull out for them when they visit for their beds. This way, the bedding will not get used accidentally , leaving me rushing around looking for replacements. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these bags!!
Of course, with everyone sick back and forth, guess who once again, has a sore throat?
Yes, me... good grief! That's one of the perks of the Holiday season around here... Family visits TWICE a month, instead of once, which means we never officially get a break from a bug. COME ON, JANUARY!!! Anyway... I almost fell down from my happy delusional high I have been on for the past few months, as I became more & more overwhelmed with changes & responsibilities & new priorities. My depression was constantly staring me in the face every time I looked in the mirror, which is also another reason why I clean in the winter... Like most people, my depression is cyclical, and worse in the darker/colder months. To keep it at bay, I have to stay busy. Well, with four littles needing active learning and stimulation, plus the budding writing careers of two of my daughters(and my own!), the long-awaited return of my other daughter who is coming back from a vacation to her father's & then heading straight to Cosmetology School, plus, plus, plus... I think I'll have PLENTY to keep me busy, for quite a while!
Thank goodness!
So, I have a few reviews to get done for this month, that you can expect, which you can see on my blog just for books, "For all the Books I've Loved so far..." Not Just for Christmas, by Kim Knight Three Fat Singletons by JM Bartholomew Paranormal: The Old Woman's Paintings by Lamees Alhassar Absolute Sunset by Kata Mlek Juliana by Dr. Vanda Desire in Tartan by Suz DeMello Ravel by Shari J Ryan Also, the few posts I expect to get done and posted this month: the rest of my Thanksgiving Recipes--I know, I totally suck! Sorry! Some Pie Recipes, that should have been up a WHILE ago! A new post on How I Wrap Odd-Shaped Gifts. Meal Planning-How to Budget (Finally! Again, keeping it real here, I'm trying!) Meal Plan/Calendar etc. for January. and maybe one or two more--but seriously, this will be a LITE month as far as posting goes.
Again, bring on January!
I am so excited for all the things I'm looking forward to accomplishing next year, as I can now say with conviction, that this year has been one I am thoroughly proud of! Thank you for your continued support... I couldn't have done it without you! In fact, when I have my dark moments, where I feel like I am a failure at everything and I end up questioning is any of this even worth it... I just remind myself of how many of you visit me/my site for what I can only presume is some interest into the stuff I share and write about. So, thank you. Having a 'positive' aspect in life to focus on, is absolutely key to battling the onslaught of negative energy and thoughts that continually plague my psyche. **Oh, and a reminder... only a few days left to enter for your chance to win a FREE copy of my Book. See details at the top of this page, or read an Excerpt & find out more, here. 12/1/2016 0 Comments I'm going to call this, 'My 2016 Thanksgiving Diary'--cue Soap Opera theme music...
 Day One of Thanksgiving Break. Children are out of school so my neice's children came home with the hubby to spend the week with us. So far so good. Except we've all been taking turns passing back and forth a lovely little Sneezing & Coughing Bug between all of our houses since the holidays require two visits per month instead of the typical one visit for birthdays and such. And now it seems to be buddying up to my mom, finally. We shall see how things go... We ended our night with a song and dance performed by, and a pretend dinner served by my granddaughter, her best friend (my best friend's daughter), and my neice's kids. A couple glasses of wine, after what looks like is the start of a 'hard to find time to work' type of week, made this lost day of work, easier to accept.
Day Three. Hubby is off work today. Maybe this will be okay? I have a huge incubator the size of a fridge, on my porch that I want moved to the garage, so I can move a large cupboard-type-thing in it's place so I can have a space to store my canning stuffs & foils, instead of all over the kitchen counters & laundry room. I'm thinking him or my son (or both)should be able to move these- no problem, so I can FINALLY post the Thanksgiving Recipes Part #2 and some additional Pie recipes as well... since, ya know... tomorrow kinda is Thanksgiving... 3 hours later... Yeah, not so damn much!
 Day Four. Thanksgiving for everyone else, except this family--because WE do ours on Saturday! **So this is what I started posting Thanksgiving morning... This is literally how I was beginning my Thanksgiving Recipe Post/Part #2 that I got up fairly early to get done and posted, without interuptions, since most of the house appeared to be asleep… **I decided to just go ahead and copy and paste the intro… ************************************************************************************************************************************************* Okay, so you know that old saying of better late than never?… Well I bet some of you are probably not too happy that this is coming so damn late… Let's see what excuses do I have for you today? How about this site on Monday wasn't cooperating-- to the point I wanted to break the computer itself... Then I had what I could only assume was the stomach flu as my husband had just recently had... Then my mom got sick later on Monday which the regular flu, which I have somehow managed to only dabble with a couple weeks ago-- I had a mild case... Unlike a few other members of my family who stayed sick for more than a few days-- mostly the dry hacky cough and stuffy noses. And for the past couple of days I have found myself unable to even sit at the computer, as I am currently just like a bunch of you guys, trying to prepare for a bunch of family members coming over for a thankful feast. Unlike most of you I won't be doing mine until Saturday, which gives me some extra time to put together any last-minute details. Yet, if there are any of you who happen to not have to make your meal until later, or would like to save this for some time later down the road, whatever the case, I'm sharing it anyways…But ah, today... My mom and I find ourselves pretty darn sick, completely congested, voices almost gone, throats hurting… And I'm busy yelling at my sister who is currently using all of my eggs to cook some damn scrambled eggs for the family… As if any of us eat that crap. Now somebody has to go the store to go replace my eggs, in a town where grocery stores are not open on Thanksgiving--- awesome!F*@ktard. Anyway-- Good morning, and Happy Thanksgiving! (How funny... I totally forgot I was even sick then, too, and about the site not working! Wow. Yeah, kinda scary. I do have a pretty damn good memory, but I'm obviously losing it?) Let's see... What else happened on Thanksgiving? Oh yeah, remember I said on Thanksgiving we butcher our turkey? Yeah, well this year we didn't. By the time we were finally able to make our way outside, the temperature had already plummeted to around 40° and the sun had already gone down… My mom had been sick in bed all day and I kept going back and forth giving her medicine and cooking her soup… I obviously wasn't going to get my recipes posted, so I had to admit defeat & failure to myself--- an outrageously difficult pill to swallow. ALL of my children were acting up & being A$$holes, EXCEPT my nephew, niece, and friend's daughter. I still hadn't Meal Prepped anything, nor had anybody else helped me… And quite frankly, I was really close to having a nervous breakdown, and was finding it very hard to maintain any kind of composure, so the thought of butchering a creature that I had not interacted with for months (my daughter's the one that takes care of it, just so you know), and still might only weigh a measly 14 to 15 pounds, did not appeal to me at all. I was legitimately crying to my husband, in uncharacteristic hysterics, begging him to make the decision whether we would slaughter it or not, because at that point I was beyond tired of making decisions... Of being in charge-- of anything. So he handed me a beer, cracked open one for himself, and we let Mr. Thanksgiving, free, in the yard.
Day What? Oh yeah, Five. So normally, on the day before 'Thanksgiving', my mom and I do all of our prepping for the next day. She usually cuts and dices, and washes the large mixing bowls & pots, while I bake any remaining pies & desserts & take care of any last minute details. My son usually peels all of the potatoes and my middle daughter usually cuts the potatoes up, but this year she was spending Thanksgiving with the other side of her family...so obviously would NOT be able to assist. Well, mom was so sick on Friday, that she never even got out of bed. I think personally, she was faking it! Just kidding-- she was in bad shape. So, I was on my own. Now, I know what you're thinking, I had all of those family members there (plus my brother and his family on their way), why didn't I just ask the rest of them for help? Because remember the Hulk-Hucking a cupboard-thing? And my hysterics fit from yesterday(Day Four)? I was in no position to tolerate anyone in my kitchen. Period. So not only did I bake all 24 Pies (No cheesecakes-too tired) and two bread puddings (Apple & White chocolate), but I also washed all of the dishes, which is one of my daughter's jobs, cooked Ghetto Pylamani for the family once my brother arrived, And then when my friend finally got off work at almost 7 o'clock at night, I gladly threw back a couple of shots with her & my sister, who I then begged to help me cut the onions, and peel/cut all of the potatoes… because my son had conveniently gone to bed and forgotten to do them. By the time 2 o'clock in the morning rolled around, my kitchen was still a wreck, pies were still cooling... But all 16 other souls in my house had comfy beds and were sleeping soundly… Except me. Both of my two older dogs, female, 15 years old… needed to go potty, but not at the same time, of course! And then apparently it was too cold to sh*t outside, because one of them pooped on the carpet, in the dark, as she walked in front of me… Yes, I stepped in it…twice, with slippers-thankfully! Yes, I cleaned it up. Finally, too tired even to get in the bath, I climbed into my over cushy bed at about three…  Coconut Cream Pies and Snickers Pie. Recipes will be posted-soon. I swear it!
But I love her anyways, and I was able to get a few extra miscellaneous things done... And-- after the bird and hams went in... I finally got the ball rolling, and everyone left the house for a while to go shopping (and get away from me for a couple of hours), leaving only myself, my husband, my mom, my son, and one daughter behind, to enjoy the silence and growing yummy aromas... Dinner was late... about 6:30/7pm... but EVERYTHING was remarkably good, and everyone was full and happy at the end. I couldn't ask for more!  So, all in all... it was pretty darn good. I didn't get much posting or writing done... But family was taken care of. That's all I'm living for, is this family of mine-- blood related or not. Extended is just another word for measuring how long my heart strings are. My love is unconditional. My kitchen and home are warm and welcoming. Mission accomplished. Mischief Managed. And all other cool phrases, here. Well, I have a question before I go... What do you do with your leftovers? There's of course the standard Turkey sandwiches... My husband likes them with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce... He got two for lunches this week @ work. Then of course, you can just eat a standard plate of food... he got one of those, as well, for lunch.  And then... My friend who was over this last weekend, had mentioned something she saw online somewhere, about muffins made out of green bean casserole, or something... and said she though the 'crust' was made out of stuffing. Well, today I had to do 'something' with what was left of the 'leftovers', which wasn't much. So I came up with, and decided to make this...  Here's a quick How to:   Well, thanks for letting me vent! I hope you enjoyed reading about my Thanksgiving week. I'd love to hear about how yours was? Any last minute miracles to remind you what exactly you have to be thankful, for?  |
Mt. Charleston, as seen from my backyard.
Hello!I’m T.B. Cooper, and I’m very excited to share my life with you. In between living on Pinterest, voicing political views of Equality (on Pinterest, Twitter and Tumblr), running an atypical farm in the Southern Nevada Desert, spiritually guiding & advising & fixing lives, and schooling my kids plus a bunch of others' kids (...that I'm not sure how they got here); you’ll find me fighting for desk space with my cats, attempting to keep their hair out of my tea, plugging my nose 'cause my bulldog likes to sleep & fart next to me, trying to actually do some work that makes ME happy… 
Don't miss out on my NEW SERIES, Tentaglian Empire: House of Tentagel. For details, click here.
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