Egg Cream Soda Experiment

Picture of the Day for 8/31/2013. I concocted my own version of an Egg Cream Soda (which I assure you has no eggs in it; not sure how it got that moniker). A traditional version is made with milk, chocolate syrup, soda water, and vanilla. I made mine with a tablespoon of heavy cream, a heaping teaspoon of cocoa power, 2 packages of Stevia sweetener, and soda water. A word of warning if you try this concoction. Don't pour the cocoa and Stevia powder on top of the soda water. It's like a combustible high school science experiment gone horribly wrong. There was a lot of clean-up involved after I made this mistake. Despite this initial disaster, the drink turned out to be quite tasty.




And to my friend Suzanne who reads this blog, you should be aware that the tiny emulsion mixer you gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago works perfectly to blend the cocoa into the water. 

Secret Hippie

Picture of the Day for 8/30/2013. I'm a secret hippie. Well, not so secret anymore with this announcement. Maybe I have an affinity for this culture since I was born in the 60s and grew up in the 1970s. I remember learning the word "psychedelic" from a decidedly unhip grade school teacher. I also remember playing hippie house with my dolls. I wouldn't put my dolls to bed and I'd let them decide on their own bedtime since I didn't want to stifle their freedom. Oh, and no one in my doll household ever did dishes. We'd throw these "psychedelic" 6-inch disks (don't ask- I don't remember where they came from) that I used as dinner plates on the floor to show our contempt for traditional society. Yeah, I was a weird kid. 

To get my little hippie fix, I stopped by one of my favorite New Age stores this afternoon- Dancing Crane Imports. It's filled with crystals, incense, candles, books, ethnic art, clothing, chimes, etc. 




If I unleashed my inner hippie, I'd be burning nag champa incense and wearing outfits like this. I'm sure my sister Robynne would prefer an outfit like this over my usual attire of low-rider jeans which I have no business wearing as a 50-year-old. Apparently, I flash more skin than is appropriate. 

The Missionary Has Arrived

Picture of the Day for 8/29/2013. My nephew Rob arrived in New Mexico on Monday. The mission president sent this picture of Rob's trainer, Rob, himself, and his wife along with this letter to Rob's parents. We'll find out on Monday exactly where in the missionary boundaries (the Four Corners region) he'll be assigned. Rob looks excited to be there!

Medieval Home

Picture of the Day for 8/28/2013. My great-niece Hayley asked if she could hold her medieval-themed birthday* party at my house. I said sure. She said my house was perfect because the lighting at my house is so dim. Totally made me laugh. I can see where she's coming from. The light fixtures in my house are pure 1970s and have a medieval look to them. 

*She turns 14 on September 20.

Diet Coke Addiction

Picture of the Day for 8/27/2013. Hmm...do you think I have a slight addiction to Diet Coke?

Erma's Wedding Photos

Picture of the Day for 8/26/2013. It was my neighbor Erma's 88th birthday yesterday so I ran over to give her a little birthday gift (it's the same thing every year- two boxes of herbal tea which she loves) and to chat. In the 40 years I have known her, I've never seen a photograph from Erma's youth so I asked if she had any photos from her wedding she could show me. She had an album right on hand and we had fun going through the pictures. She was married on August 31, 1945, just a few days after she turned 20. She said her husband Don, who was several years older than she was, refused to marry a teenager and insisted they wait until after she turned 20. 

The album also included pictures from the first few years of their marriage. Don was a pilot in the Air Force and General Douglas MacArthur's navigator during MacArthur's years in Japan following World War ll. I know Erma and Don lived in Japan at least until 1951. Don was away on duty with MacArthur when Erma went into labor with her twin girls. She showed me a picture of the Japanese man who was assigned to help out Erma in whenever Don was called away. Erma was telling me this man drove her to the hospital when she was in labor, dropped her off at the front door. and wished her good luck! My life seems so tame compared to all the adventures she had being an Air Force officer's wife and living all over the world. 

Sharing the Longmire Obsession

Picture of the Day for 8/25/2013. I was telling my niece Chantal about my new obsession with the TV show Longmire. She decided she wanted to watch it too so she invited me over for Sunday dinner and afterward, through the magic of Netflix, we watched Episode 1 from Season 1. Since I don't have Netflix, Chantal has become my new favorite person on the whole planet and I'm hoping I get invited over to watch more episodes so I can get caught up on Season 1.

Austenland

Picture of the Day for 8/24/2013. I saw a special screening of the movie Austenland. It's based on a novel written by Shannon Hale who was also the screenwriter for this film. It's about a woman who is completely obsessed with all things Jane Austen who buys a vacation package to a tourist attraction in England called Austenland where the visitors are treated to a Regency-era experience. After living at Austenland for several days, she finds the experience wasn't all she thought it was going to be. Austenland was a darling movie. Light, frothy, and totally entertaining. It's on my "need to own" list. 

Shannon Hale was in attendance at tonight's screening and she participated in a Q & A session with the audience afterward. It was fun to hear her experiences on set with all the actors. 

Irritable Whale Syndrome

Picture of the Day for 8/23/2013. My niece Chantal and I saw Blackfish- a documentary about the problems associated with keeping Orca whales in captivity in general and specifically about a killer whale named Tilikum who actually was a killer, a fact that was kept from the trainers at SeaWorld until Tilikum famously killed a trainer in 2010 during one of the public shows. SeaWorld does not come off looking good in this film. It was a fascinating film; I highly recommend it.

We saw the documentary at the Broadway Centre Cinemas. As you may recall from a blog post from a couple of months ago, my brother-in-law David, movie-lover that he is, has a commemorative plaque on the back of one of the theater chairs. Chantal found her dad's chair and sat in it during the movie.

I Didn't Get the Wardrobe Memo

Picture of the Day for 8/22/2013. Apparently, I didn't get the wardrobe memo. Every other female in my family showed up at family lunch today wearing a blue top and light-colored pants/skirt. I was wearing my usual black.

I decided I needed to get a picture of this. Of course, with my family that's easier said than done since they HATE having their picture taken, much less having it displayed on the internet. I probably should have labeled this post, "My Family is Neurotic." You can see evidence of this below from the camera angles that don't reveal enough to identify actual people, but still provide a hint of the blue tops and my outlier status. My niece Chantal is the only one emotionally healthy enough to pose for a picture without angst. 

Mystery Family Member #1




Mystery Family Member #2





Mystery Family Member #3




Not-So-Mystery Family Member #4 (who is aware she's somewhat neurotic herself)




Non-Mystery Family Member - Chantal McNeill

Lisa's New Car

Picture of the Day for 8/21/2013. My niece Lisa was the recipient of her brother Rob's car since he'll be away for two years on his mission. It couldn't have come at a better time since her car (which she inherited from my mother- complete with a "My Grandkids are Smarter Than Your Grandkids" license plate frame) just died. The car was over 20 years old so it owed the world nothing. 

OF COURSE I had to document this big event with a picture- taking pictures incessantly is what I do.

Rob's Facebook Username and Password

Picture of the Day for 8/20/2013. It's been awhile since I've used my blog for evil. Normally I torment my niece Chantal, but this time it's my niece Rachel's turn. What makes this soooooooo gratifying is the fact Rachel is a dedicated follower of my blog and is sure to see this. 

Look Rachel- here is your brother Rob's Facebook username and password which he has entrusted to ME while he's away for two years on his mission. Oh, was this information cut out of the picture? That's so weird. I have NO IDEA how that possibly could have happened!

Oh, and look at this, here's a Facebook post which I made on Rob's page.

Note: I'm sure it's quite clear to the non-Rachel readers of this blog that Rachel was hoping to be the one granted access to Rob's Facebook page!

Geraniums

Picture of the Day for 8/19/2013. My favorite flowers are geraniums. I bet you didn't know that. 

It's been years since I've had any geraniums so I decided to go out and buy some. Sometimes I forget that there's such a thing as beautifying your home opposed to seeing it as just a way station between trips. 

Of course these flowers would look more beautiful if I put them in pots, but I'm sure there's a trip I have to pack for..

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

Picture of the Day for 8/18/2013. I started reading this book in the afternoon yesterday and stayed up until after 3:00 this morning finishing it. I think it's been years since I've read an entire 300+ page novel in one day. It's hysterical! I was giggling the whole time I was reading it. I highly recommend it. Here's the plot description from the dust jacket:

Meet Isabel "Izzy" Spellman, private investigator. This twenty-eight-year-old may have a checkered past littered with romantic mistakes, excessive drinking, and creative vandalism; she may be addicted to Get Smart reruns and prefer entering homes through windows rather than doors -- but the upshot is she's good at her job as a licensed private investigator with her family's firm, Spellman Investigations. Invading people's privacy comes naturally to Izzy. In fact, it comes naturally to all the Spellmans. If only they could leave their work at the office. To be a Spellman is to snoop on a Spellman; tail a Spellman; dig up dirt on, blackmail, and wiretap a Spellman.

Part Nancy Drew, part Dirty Harry, Izzy walks an indistinguishable line between Spellman family member and Spellman employee. Duties include: completing assignments from the bosses, aka Mom and Dad (preferably without scrutiny); appeasing her chronically perfect lawyer brother (often under duress); setting an example for her fourteen-year-old sister, Rae (who's become addicted to "recreational surveillance"); and tracking down her uncle (who randomly disappears on benders dubbed "Lost Weekends"). But when Izzy's parents hire Rae to follow her (for the purpose of ascertaining the identity of Izzy's new boyfriend), Izzy snaps and decides that the only way she will ever be normal is if she gets out of the family business. But there's a hitch: she must take one last job before they'll let her go -- a fifteen-year-old, ice-cold missing person case. She accepts, only to experience a disappearance far closer to home, which becomes the most important case of her life.

What I like about this book is she wrote it exactly the way I would do it. In addition to the narrative, she includes lists, transcripts of conversations, and footnotes and they are all funny. 

This book is the first in a series and I can't wait to read the rest!

Lawn Update

Picture of the Day for 8/17/2013. I'm sure you've been dying to know how my lawn is faring after I described its sad state a couple of months ago due to lack of water. (Just a reminder- I'm not sadistic. I wasn't withholding water from my lawn on purpose. My sprinkling system needed a repair.) 

As you can see, it's coming back quite nicely. I was rather worried about all the opportunistic weeds that had sprouted up while my lawn was down for the count, but my sprinkling system guy (SSG) was telling me that the best defense against weeds is a healthy lawn. Looks like that's the case. Here are the AFTER and BEFORE pictures below. 

Green Lantern

Picture of the Day for 8/16/2013. A friend of mine knows my great-nephew Dane is into action heroes so he sent this comic book signed by the creator of the Green Lantern. I stopped by my niece Chantal's house to drop it off.

Here's Dane with the comic book.






Ethan decided my Lego keychain needed to be attacked by a Lego monster. Duh, of course it did.




Hayley wanted to show me her new pet mice- Eowyn and Arwen.




Sadly, my camera died just before I could take a picture of Sadie. She's 7-years-old and still snuggly. While I was hugging her and kissing her, she said that I could snuggle with her decades from now even after I'm dead and a skeleton.  I thought it was sweet. What? You weren't expecting a normal declaration of affection from my family were you?!

Tumor Cake

Picture of the Day for 8/15/2013. We celebrated my nephew Rob's* 41st birthday tonight. At his request, my sister Paula made him a Black Forest cake that immediately began to melt upon assembly, even though all the components had been chilling in the refrigerator for a few hours. It kind of looks like a tumor- a tumor that's sticking its tongue out at you. Eww. 

Regardless of the appearance, its still tasted great. 

*This is not Missionary Rob- my 19-year-old nephew profiled in several recent blog posts. This is 41-year-old Rob who is married to my niece Chantal. In our family, you can't shake a stick without hitting someone named Rob. In addition to the aforementioned Robs, there's also:

Dad: Robert

Sister: Robynne (named for our dad)

Maternal Grandfather: Robert

Maternal Uncle: Robert
Paternal Cousin: Robert Lane
Maternal Cousin: Robert (aka Bobby)

The list goes on, but you get the idea...

Dropping Rob Off at the Missionary Training Center (MTC)

Picture of the Day for 8/14/2013. My nephew Rob left on his two-year mission for the LDS church today. 

He's all packed and ready. His sister Rachel helped with the packing.




Rob got the most emotional when he had to say good-bye to his sisters and the family dogs. Do you know who he didn't get emotional over? His parents and his beloved auntie (me)! Fine! (Not to worry- we're not really outraged. We found it amusing.)




I got to accompany Rob and his parents on the drive to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, UT where he will spend approximately 10 days before leaving for New Mexico to begin serving his mission in earnest. Since the post-World War ll era, we've had 0% percent of our family members serve a mission (aside from the lovely men who married into the family). Consequently, this is the first time any of us had seen the facility or the phenomenon. I call it a phenomenon since there's quite a process to dropping off a missionary at the MTC. All new missionaries report to the MTC on a Wednesday which means the place is bustling with activity. You drive into the complex and park at an assigned spot next to the curb. 




The sidewalks are lined with missionaries who have been at the MTC for awhile and serve as hosts to the arriving missionaries. Everyone looks so happy and eager. It's like being surrounded with goodness and light. The hosts greet the new missionaries, help them gather their suitcases, and whisk them away. 




The process is quite quick. Rob was clearly eager to get started on his mission. We said a hasty good-bye and then he was on his way. 










I hope Rob has a fabulous mission. The next two years are a blank canvas. It will be interesting to see what gets painted on it. 

Officially a Missionary

Picture of the Day for 8/13/2013. I suspect my readers may be just a tad weary of me chronicling my nephew Rob's impending departure as a missionary. Don't worry- we're in the homestretch! Just one day to go before he leaves. Tonight he was "set apart" as a missionary by his stake president (ecclesiastical leader) who is pictured on the far right below. My Mormon readers will know what that means. For my non-Mormon friends, this means the stake president prayed over him and gave him advice pertaining to his mission. The stake president said a lot of nice things. My favorite was that Rob would be able to look past the flaws of the people he was teaching and be able to see them as they really are- all dressed in white (in Mormon parlance, pure and whole). 

$100 Jewelry for a $15 Dress

Picture of the Day for 8/12/2013. I'm kind of cheating as I didn't buy this jewelry until Wednesday, August 14. However, I spent a looooooooong time debating whether or not to buy it on Monday, August 12 at a little boutique on Main Street in Bountiful, UT. I didn't come back to buy the earrings, necklace, and bracelet until after I had purchased a $15 dress which matched the jewelry perfectly. Trust me to spend $100 on jewelry to match a $15 clearance dress.

Rob's Missionary Farwell

Picture of the Day for 8/11/2013. Today was my nephew Rob's missionary farewell. Technically, a farewell is the speech a future missionary gives in church just prior to leaving. In reality, a missionary farewell is an all-day affair.

Since Rob will be serving his mission in Farmington, New Mexico, he hung a New Mexico state flag on the house.




Here's Rob chatting with his best friend Brandon just before the sacrament meeting service.




Here's Rob delivering his speech. He did a FABULOUS job. He was very relaxed and engaging.




After church, friends and family assembled for an open house and then a full Thanksgiving dinner (per Rob's request) right after the open house. I think they were meant to be two separate events, but essentially the same people attended both.




















Rob was the recipient of gifts and money.






Rob did his "special" face for my brother-in-law David and then hugged him. David LOVES the "special" face, but he is NOT a hugger. It just about killed him when Rob hugged him. I love the pained look on David's face. 








It was fun getting to know Rob's girlfriend Michaella.




Of course this is my favorite picture of the whole day- Rob giving me a hug.