Blind Melon Tour- CLOG!

It feels good to be home, but out there, in my alternate universe, I'm driving to Winnipeg, Canada for tomorrow's slice of Blind Melon. Oh, but the gas money has run out, and there's children to unschool here at home.

Friday we shared Melon... family style. We all drove to Lafayette, IN, where we discovered there is a Chick-Fil- A! The only other Chick-Fil-A we Yankees have been able to enjoy has been in the mall in Racine, Wi. Lafayette's Chick-Fil-A is sublime! They have all you can eat nuggets the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month. Its a good thing we don't live there! Apparently, I'm fat enough according to Lafayette standards.

We stopped at a Wendy's to use the restroom. (We ate at Chick-Fil-A but doors to the Blind Melon show didn't open until 6:00pm.) While waiting for my family, I sat down with my bottle of water. Through my sunglasses, I noticed I was being stared at by an older woman sitting nearby. She put down her chili and approached me.

Placing her chili warmed hand on my arm, she asked, "Are you recovering from gastric bypass surgery?"

The horror on my face made her back pedal.

"Its just you are only drinking a bottle of water. That's a sign you've had gastric bypass surgery."

She quickly retreated, and I sat there not knowing whether to laugh or cry. I know I'm obese but is this a question a total stranger should ask another person? And why would I be sitting in a Wendy's torturing myself if I was recovering from gastric bypass??!

DH helped me see the humor in this, and I chose to laugh it off and enjoy our pending evening's activities. Lucky's bar is not family friendly but Nel Hoon, the mom of late lead singer Shannon Hoon, had requested this special vigil show be all ages so families could attend. We got right in and took pole positions at the rail. The boys were excited, and DH and I were buzzing as well, (not literally- we don't drink or take recreational substances. The music alone brings me to a happy place.)

The show did start late, as expected, and for the most part, it was incredible. DSalmost13 kept his best- I'm almost 13, too cool to smile face on, but DS9 was rocking out with us. That is until the drunk moron showed up.

He pushed my cub aside to try and steal his spot. My Mother lion came out and roaring in his face, I scared the moron away, but it still freaked out DS9 a little. He made it to the end of the show though.

Driving home through the star filled night, DS9 saw a UFO! Personally I thought it was a triangle shaped light on top of a cell phone tower, but DH & DS assure me, it was a UFO.

Saturday we left the boys in the care of my sister, and we headed to Mankato, Mn. Maybe I haven't said it enough, but I LOVE WISCONSIN! The fall colors were so romantic, and the bluffs in the LaCrosse area breathtaking.

Southern Minnesota I wasn't too impressed with. It looked too much like home, lots of soybeans and corn and windmills. The gas price in Owatana though was awesome! $3.29!! It's been $3.69-$3.99 by us.

We arrived in Mankato, picked up our tickets and even though I saw the tour bus, I refrained from crossing that line from devoted fan to OBSESSED, STALKING, FANATIC. Although I admit that line is a bit blurry to me.

Once again, our talent for being punctual paid off. We were stage front, this time no rail! Brad, CT and Travis were right in front of me. The downside was it was homecoming weekend in the college town of Mankato. The drunken frat boys with their drunk gal pal were directly behind us screaming stupid stuff like, "Is this a cover band?" "Where's Shannon?" "Old people suck!"

Technically, I'm the same age as 3 out of the 5 band members. Being older and wiser, I know it doesn't pay to get drunk at the bar, but to instead, stake out your concert space well before hand. Even after they started playing with my hair, (thankfully no scissors were involved), I didn't budge. Being fat and 40 does have its benefits.

We received much Melon love, lots of eye contact, hand shakes and high fives from band members! (Check out the photo of Travis' sweaty towel in my Blind Melon album! LOL)  I did see people taping. I'll be checking You Tube the next several days to see if we show up.

All aglow, DH & I enjoyed a 1:00am supper/breakfast of pancakes at Perkins after the show. We crashed at a hotel but not for long. DH was up at 5:30am saying he was ready to drive home. I was also missing the boys, so armed with pillow and blankies, we started for home in the dark early morning hours.

So here I am now, 4 states in 2 days, 2 incredible Blind Melon shows with ringing ear drums to prove it!! I'm kicking back tonight.

I think there's a show in Fort Wayne, Indiana in November. My Blind Melon withdrawal should be ripe again by then!

Only 3 more days!!!

Its hard to focus on anything else but our upcoming road trip. Maybe you don't realize how crazy DH and I are, but we are driving 5 hours to Lafayette, Indiana Friday to see a certain band. For the boys, it will be their first rock concert. I've assured them we won't try to be in the front, and we won't embarrass them too much. (They've seen us in many YouTube videos and they're nervous.) We'll be picking up ear plugs too.

Blind Melon is performing a special show to honor their late lead singer, Shannon Hoon. Shannon's mom holds a vigil every year on his birthday, and this is the first year the band will be performing. There is a chance certain songs may be performed which the band hasn't done in concert since Shannon's death almost 13 years ago. This will be a once in a lifetime type show. I've heard through the grapevine several families are bringing their children.

As if dragging our pre-teeners to a rock concert isn't crazy enough, after the show, we plan on driving back home, another 5 hours. I suppose we'll get to bed around 3 or 4 in the morning. Why don't we get a hotel room you ask? Because on Saturday night DH and I will be in Mankato, Minnesota!

The plan is to have my sister babysit. The boys weren't interested in two nights back to back, plus the Mankato show may not be all ages. We'll leave for Mankato around 10:00am, drive the 6 hours and then rock the night away. This time there is a Microtel in our future.

3 states within 24 hours! I'm sure we'll arrive back home Sunday, ready to drop, but it will all be worth it! You have to live each day like its your last, soaking up every delicious drop of juice you can!

Cupcakes!

DS9 decided he wanted cupcakes today. Since the kitchen depresses me these days, I told him he could make them on his own. I only helped with the oven. As you can see, he had a blast.

Pumpkin bars

During all the traveling we've been doing this past week, I've begun to see road side stands offering pumpkins for sale. It put me in the mood for pumpkin bars, a delicious recipe a friend shared with me last year. (If she's reading this, BTW, Happy Birthday!) We ate them all before I could take a photo!

Pumpkin Bars

2 C flour
2 t baking powder
2 t cinnamon
1 t baking soda
1 t salt

4 beaten eggs
1 can of pumpkin (about 15 ounces I think)
1 1/2 C sugar
1 C oil (Yikes! I know, but these are a treat. Maybe next time I'll try applesauce.)

Stir together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

Whip the eggs, add the pumpkin, sugar and oil.

Mix the dry with the wet, beating until combined.

Spread the batter into a 15 x 10 x 1 pan, sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes , Cool before frosting


Cream Cheese Frosting for above pumpkin bars

6 ounces of cream cheese
1 C of butter
2 t vanilla
4 C powdered sugar

Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Spread frosting over cooled pumpkin bars.

These bars should be stored in the refrigerator. They also freeze very well. 
  

Firsts...

1. Who was your FIRST prom date?  Skipped prom to see the Amnesty International Concert in Chicago, with future DH

2.  Do you still talk to your FIRST love?  Every day! And sometimes we do more than just talk!

3.  What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?  Probably a sip of my mother's wine

4.  Who was your FIRST kiss?  There's photographic evidence it was Michael, the boy next door. I think I was 3 or 4. He moved away before Kindergarten started.

5.  Who was the FIRST person to tell you they loved you? Russ from the Axel skating rink. I laughed and he "broke up" with me. How can you be in love in 7th grade?!!

6.  Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning? DH as he wrapped his arm around me.

7.  Who was your FIRST grade teacher?  OMG! I will never forget Ms. Kaveko!!! SHE SCARED ME TO DEATH because she threaten to beat us all the time. I'm not joking. (Hmm... could this be why home schooling appeals to me?) Years later I found out my mother's hairdresser, Gloria, hooked up with Ms. Kaveko's husband. Gloria left the hairdressing business to start the coffee company, Gloria Jean's.

8.  Whose heart did you break for the FIRST time?  I've never broken anyone's heart.

9.  Who was your FIRST best friend and are you still friends with them?  Lisa. We had a falling out in high school, but years later she emailed me and every once in awhile, she'll write me.

10.  What was your FIRST sport played? Does Big Wheel racing count? (I lettered in Badmiton in HS.)

11.  Where was your FIRST sleep over?  Lisa's. The first of many, including the night we foolishly watched The Exorcist.

12.  Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?  DH

13.  Whose wedding were you in for the FIRST time?  My sister Carrie's. I was a "Junior Bride" not old enough to be a bridesmaid, but too old to be a flower girl.

14.  What was the FIRST thing you did this morning? Snuggle with DH

15.  What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?  U2 circa 1986- I was Bono crazy even copying his mullet. I'll have to see if I can scan the photo someday for a good laugh.

16.  FIRST tattoo or piercing?  Mom took me to pierce my ears at age 11. I had the flu at the time but the earrings were on sale.

17.  FIRST foreign country you went to for vacation? I have a thing about planes. They crash. And now that I've seen Titanic, boats are out too. I guess I could always drive to Canada or Mexico?

18.  What was your FIRST run in with the law? 1986- "This ain't no lovers lane!"  DH & I were parking in the school parking lot. We weren't arrested but asked to leave.

19.  When was your FIRST detention?  In high school, the English teacher gave everyone in the class a detention, I can't remember why. All I know is another teacher bailed me out.

20.  What was the FIRST state you lived in? Land of Lincoln! Although he wasn't born there.

21.  Who was the FIRST person to break your heart? DH

22.  Who were your FIRST roommates?  Pyscho roommate from hell, Lindsay - She literally tried to kill me. I'm not lying.  My next roommate was bulimic. I gave up having roommates after that.

23.  Where did you go on your FIRST roller coaster ride?  Six Flags Great America, 5th grade, "The Whizzer". Isn't that a hilarous name for a roller coaster!!

24.  Who will be the FIRST to repost this? Go for it! 

Boob squish and funeral shopping

How's that for a title?

I'm in the mammogram club now. After turning 40 last month, my insurance would now pay for my first screening. Its wasn't bad at all. In fact, I'd rather have a mammogram than go to the dentist. My only complaint is with the engineer, (must have been a man), who designed the mammogram machine. Its not very ergonomic at all. Not that flattening your girls to pancakes is ergonomic, its just the corner of the cha cha plate is not rounded to fit your armpit. I felt more discomfort from the corner digging in to my armpit than I did from the smash. As for being topless, I felt more embarrassed about the no deodorant rule. They give you a poncho to wear, along with a robe, but you can't wear any deodorant or powders. They effect the scan.

DH reminded me we have nothing to wear to Grandma's funeral later this week. The boys live in t-shirts, & jeans. DH's work is casual dress. He hasn't worn a suit since our wedding and even then he wore shorts. (I'll have to scan our wedding photos, but that's another blog story.) DH suggested we all go out shopping for something to wear.

DH hates shopping only a little more than I do. I wasn't looking forward to this, but I knew it had to be done. Well, I think Grandma told God to shine down on us, because at the first store we stopped at, we scored. The place was deserted so we had the fitting rooms to ourselves. Almost everything was on clearance. We picked up 7 pairs of pants, 5 shirts, dress socks, and two pair of swim trunks, (not for the funeral), for $150. Now we don't have to worry about any family photos where everyone else is dressed up and we're wearing skater t-shirts.

Tonight, she's been called home...

We will miss her so dearly! Please pray for my MIL, my DH and our family as we mourn our loss.

Grandma, we look forward to the day we can feel your loving arms around us once again. Give Grandpa a big squeeze for us!

The Way Toys Work, The Science Behind The Magic 8 Ball, Etch A Sketch, Boomerang and More

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Science
Author:	Ed Sobey & Woody Sobey

This book caught my eye at the library today. We had it read practically before we arrived back home.

The authors explain not only the history of your favorite playthings, but they also dissect them, figuring out how they work. Some toys have recommendations on how to build your own versions or other experiments to try using your toys.

I don't know if I'll ever try to dissemble an Etch A Sketch, but I'm glad they did! It was interesting to see the inner working of one without getting messy.

They dissemble a Nintendo Entertainment System, which was very interesting, but again, I don't think we'll dissemble ours. I'm sure my boys would hate me if I couldn't get it back together and working again!

I do regret selling our Furby at last year's garage sale. Had I read this book previously, I would have taken him apart. I had no idea how much technology was inside of him!

Got your cheese?

Because I'm bringing on the whine! Feel free to skip this post today, but I just have to get it out so I can move on.

I'm a baby. I'm in pain, and I hate it. Its depressing and spiraling me even deeper. My carpal tunnel wrist is ridiculous. I'm doing what I can, trying to be careful but often I will forget its injured, and I will do something stupid like trying to remove the gallon of milk from the fridgy or I don't know.... hit a volleyball?

Yes, depressed as I was, I thought we should meet with our homeschool homies and play a little sand volleyball. I told myself I could use my right hand and do it one handed style. Wrong! Instinct took over and lefty wanted in on the act. OWIE! OWIE! OWIE!

This morning I was doing a simple, modified, morning Sun Salutation yoga move, and sudden I felt a pop and the muscles in my left shoulder spazzed out. The pain made my stomach curl, and I wanted to assume the fetal position. I quickly jumped into the shower, and the hot water helped a little bit. Its not spazzing right now, but I can't turn my head or take a deep breath without pain. Its crazy how the pain wraps around from the back of my shoulder to the front of my chest.

In another universe where I have money and no other obligations, I'm at the chiropractor right now being taken care of! Instead, I'm off to the grocery store with my coupon for Chips A Hoy!

Watch out for those unschoolers....

They will always end up surprising you.

When my eyelids decided to open, I could hear the sounds of activity already brewing in my nest. At first I thought I had over slept.

Did I miss my morning kiss from DH? No, he's getting ready in the bathroom.

What's that popping noise?

I stumble out into the living room and DS9 announces, "Did you know the tooth fairy doesn't come on Mondays? I have to wait until tonight, because today is 'toothsday'."

"Did you lose a tooth?" How did I miss that?

"Yup. I ate apples until it came out. It hurt a little bit, but not bad. It came out when you were at work."

More popping noise coming from the kitchen- I head that direction and DS12 announces he's made a gun.

"WHAT?!"

All of this before 7:30am? What time did they wake up?

DS12's gun was a toilet tissue roll and a balloon. He had cut the balloon and stretched it over the end of the tube. He'd load it with a penny, pull back on it and fire away. Pennies flew across the room, knocking down plastic cups.

"I wonder if this could break glass?" - DS12

Thank goodness I'm now awake!!

Good times.

My first home made tomato sauce

My neighbor blessed us with lots of fresh garden tomatoes, too many to eat in salads and sandwiches. I decided to try making fresh tomato sauce and I think it came out great! DH loved it too. Next time I don't know if I'll use the carrot because my boys thought it was a little on the orange side, but it actually came together quite easily.

My Home Made Tomato Sauce

First I made a Soffrito. I heated a tablespoon or two of olive oil and then added 1/2 diced onion, 1 diced carrot and 1 diced stalk of celery. I cooked the Soffrito for 15 minutes covered. I then added a few cloves of diced garlic, followed by about 2 pounds of fresh, peeled and seeded tomatoes. I seasoned with Italian seasons, Parmesan cheese, a little salt and pepper to taste. I cooked the sauce down for about 30 minutes, uncovered.

I decided to process, (blender), the sauce to make it smoother. I thought my boys would be more apt to give it a try if they couldn't identify pieces. After I processed it, it took on an orange color rather than red. I decided to add one small can of tomato paste and whalla! Perfecto! We like our sauce a little thick so it sticks well to the pasta.

One Word

YOU CAN ONLY TYPE ONE WORD!

Not as easy as you might think. Now copy or forward to at least 10 people.  Change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's really hard to only use one word answers. Be sure to send back to the person you received it from!

1. Where is your cell phone?  backpack

2. Your significant other? funny

3. Your hair? messy

4. Your mother?  artist

5. Your father? caring

6. Your favorite thing?  love

7. Your dream last night?  rollover

9. Your dream/goal? health

10. The room you're in?  living

12. Your fear?  loss

13. Where were you last night?  home

14. What you're not?    thin

15. Muffins?  chip

16. One of your wish list items?  computer

17. Where you grew up? pink

18. The last thing you did?  phone

19. What are you wearing? Haiku

20. Your TV?  weather

21. Your pets? shedding

22. Your computer?   antique

23. Your life?   blooming

24. Your mood?   sore

25. Missing someone?   Sean

26. Your car?  terminal

27. Something you're not wearing? makeup

28. Favorite store?     book

29. Your summer?   rocked

30. Do you love someone?  Sean

31. Your favorite color?    indigo

32. When is the last time you laughed?  9:00pm

33. Last time you cried?    movie

34. Who will repost this?  YOU!

Four- Four- Four- Four

(I got this from my wonderful MIL.)

Four Places I go to over and over:  Piggly Wiggly, my kitchen, the library and Blind Melon concerts!

Four people who e-mail me regularly: DH, MIL, SIL, and the penis enlarger people I keep telling them I don't have one!

Four of my favorite places to eat: The Hilltop in Steven's Point, Mi Cocina in Madison, The Pizza Oven in Monona, Rock'n Rollz in Evansville, I mean "Heavensville." 

Four Places I would rather be right now: my husband's arms, a Blind Melon show, in the woods, a Japanese garden

Four TV shows I watch: This past week its been Project Runway, America's Top Model, 90210, & Good Morning America.

Project Runway I've been a long standing fan. Heidi is so mean isn't she?!

ANTM I watched out of curiosity because this cycle there is a transsexual. She's not that bad, but I'm rooting for the French, home schooled girl. Tyra makes this show almost unbearable to watch though.

90210 I watched with DH. He's more the fan than I am. This new version is really bad!!! The story lines are not well thought out.

GMA I watch because I like Robin & Diane better than the other morning news people.

Four people I hope will copy this meme to their blog: Everyone, but I can't wait to read Jake & Carly's! Thanks for playing!

Hola! Como estas?

Both DS12 & I have been having fun with My Spanish Coach for the Nintendo DS. I bought it on Amazon when I ordered My Japanese Coach for DS12. He wants to learn to speak and write in Japanese and this video game may help him accomplish this desire.

For some reason the day I pre-ordered the Japanese Coach game,  the Spanish version was only $14.99 so I couldn't pass it up. I know this is how Amazon gets you!

I was surprised at how much Spanish I could remember. I tested out as a "toddler" and after playing for 30 minutes or so, I graduated to "preschooler." My favorite game so far is playing hit the gopher. It's like Whack A Mole only you hit the gophers displaying the correct Spanish words.

I did become obsessed with getting my accent correct. There is a feature where you speak into the DS and it records you to compare to how a native speaker would pronounce the word. Its very cool!

Last night I wrapped up my wrist and broke down, taking Advil. It didn't take any of the pain away but the wrap did keep me from accidentally moving or using my wrist.  I couldn't believe how bad it had gotten, but I guess that's the job of nerves. To tell your brain it hurts!  It feels a little better today. I now totally sympathize with those who suffer from carpal tunnel. Pinched nerves really hurt and stop you from doing even the most basic of tasks.

Today is a day I'm glad I live in Wisconsin. Yesterday it was in the 90's and very humid. Over night, the cold front moved in! Its breezy, and 68! I put on jeans! It feels so good!

I'm off to check on my tomato lunch. I love to sprinkle them with herbs and Parmesan cheese and them broil them up.

Adios!

Our not back to school day....

I asked the boys if they wanted to celebrate our not back to school day. (Public school in Wisconsin always starts the first day after Labor Day so the resorts don't lose their work force and the tourist dollars can keep rolling in.) DS12 didn't see why we needed to celebrate, but DS9 liked my idea of waving to the friends as the school bus drove by. Unfortunately, they were both asleep when it rolled past our house.

They decided to build this Lego set together. It was a long lost set from last Christmas they never had gotten around to building. Later today I think we're going to watch movies. Its suppose to be in the 90's, too hot for me.

I'm icing up my wrist today. I never realized carpal tunnel was this painful! I think its carpal tunnel. I'll see my doctor later this week, and I'll ask her. I'm suppose to go into work and put up bulletin boards, but I'm in so much pain just trying to twist off the cap on my lip balm!

My blog looked screwed up, so I downloaded the Firefox upgrade. Now it looks better, but the upgrade won't support the Multiply toolbar. I miss it terribly, feeling like I'm missing out on all your updated pages. I'm trying to keep up, but I'm still suffering from the "who moved my cheese" syndrome. 

Bristol Ren Faire

Rating:	★
Category:	Other

Maybe I'm just not a Renaissance girl. Was it customary to be rude during that time period?

We had free tickets to the Bristol Renaissance Faire. Still sporting our post Blind Melon concert buzz, we grabbed MIL and headed to our first Ren fair experience. I figured there would be people in period dress, some paid, some not. What I hadn't realized is these people try to engage you in conversation whether you want to or not.

While waiting for my family to look again at yet, another 5th maybe 6th wooden sword vendor, my eye caught a pirate costumed whip artist in action. Just as I was thinking, this was an accident waiting to happen, this different dude walks up to me and gets in my face, "Are you all right?" I guess he had been calling to me, but since I don't really speak Shakespearian, I had no idea he was talking to me. He gave me a hard time for not role playing with him. Mind you I was not in costume! That should have been his first clue I wouldn't play along.

I found as we walked around, more players had to comment on our appearance. For some reason, I was the one they picked on the most.

It seemed like every 15 yards there was yet another wooden sword shop, a shoe shop or a jewelry store. Pity the shinies weren't that interesting or affordable. The prices shocked me. I've been to art fairs and seen better quality for less money.

We came across one show where "Christophe the Insulter" was demonstrating his talent. He picked on a 16 year old boy, celebrating his birthday at the fair. We quickly had to move to another oddity because Christophe began teasing the 16 year old boy about masturbation. Now I'm not a prude, but why is it ok for a grown man to tease a 16 year old minor about his anatomy? Would he have done this if it was a 16 year old girl? Why is this not sexual harassment, worsened by the fact the boy is a minor and he's teasing him in public? I didn't realize Ren fair's weren't always family friendly.

The food wasn't exactly true to the time period. Curly fries anyone? Miller Light? I was expecting ale or Meade.

I was disappointed the games were expensive. You had to pay a few bucks to even allow your children to play with foam swords. Or how about paying $3 in order to sit on a log and pillow fight? I could do this at home for free.

Thankfully, our tickets were free, we made the hike from the free parking lot and we chose to eat elsewhere. I felt sorry for the people who were paying $18 a ticket to enter. Your $18 only bought you insults. I didn't see this photo until I got home. It cracks me up because the looks on my boys' faces says it all!