Eclat! or how to spend a Friday night in May

It's that time of year again! The National Spelling Bee has been on for three days now. Tonight is the finale. I can hardly wait. These kids are amazing and every year as I watch the show I get goosebumps watching them spell. These kids are so young! Tonight's finalists are:

Samia Nawaz
Tia Thomas
Austin Pineda, Perris
Justin Song
Kyle Mou
Rose Sloan
Sameer Mishra
Kavya Shivashanker
Sidarth Chand
Catherine Cojocaru
Scott Remer
Jahnavi Iyer

One of them is from the school district one over from us. Perris, California. Probably one of the poorest districts in the state. And he's out in the first round (8) tonight.

bowdlerize
shamateurism
tralatitious
aurelian

The biggest probelm with tonight's finale is the commercials. Aaack. Four words and a commercial This is crazy. Unless of course, all the monies derived from the commercials were going to the school that the kids attend. Or at least paid for the trips to get them to the bee. That would be a great thing for some corporations to do, you know Hershey's?; Target?; Clairol?; Nintendo?; ABC?; AT&T?; Purina?; Columbia Pictures?; TicTacs?; oh here's a big one a drug company! Reclast?; Macy's? Or even a number of those celebrities (Martha, Carlos, Mariah, Donald...; MacDonalds?; Will Farrel?; The guy from the office?; Honda?; Cheerios?; Starbucks?; Payless Shoes?; Olive Garden?; Disney?; KABC-LA?; Wells Fargo?; Jack-in-the-Box?; Sprint?; Petsmart?; Visa?; KFC?; Dr. Scholl's?; Kohl's?; Walmart?; Pampers (KimberlyClark?; Samsung?; Oscal?; Ritz?; Saturn?; Crest?; GMC?; KMart?; Coppertone?; Philadelphia Cream Cheese?; Cottonelle?; Bank of America?; Chrysler?; Degree?; Chase?; Behr Paint?; Home Depot?; Advair?; Yoplait?; Aleve - Bayer?; Applebee's?; Circut City?; Chili's?; Mervyn's?; Mastercard?; Red Lobster?; Scott's?; Dove Chocolate?; Any of you want to help these families get to DC next year?

Cryptarithm
hemeralopia
basenji
empyrean

Yep every four words!

tautological
Huguenot
digerati
caduceus
monogoneutic
brankursine
rorschach
trochiline
alcarraza
numnah (numbnut? oh numnah! that's a relief!, says Sameer)

epideictic
ommateal
boulangere
ranunculaceous
Nietzschean
escabeche
propylaeum
satyagraha
lapies
fumagillin
chorion
martellato
ziarat
bogatyr
lemel
parfleche
huapango
rhyton
sheitel
nacarat
ecrase
posaune
thymele

last round:
oxylophytic
sinicize
aptyalism
opificer
hyphaeresis
kulturkampf
taleggio
introuvable
esclandre
prosopopoeia
guerdon (winning word!)

Congratulations Sameer! Good luck in medical school!

Here you can test your spelling prowess.

Read More......

Welcome

Welcome sign, originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

Alison asked for grass. Welcome Alison to the grass around the house for a garden party.

This lush green lawn welcomes everyone to our home. Note the lavender, which edges our property.



And now to the back yard, watch out for the tractor(not shown in pic)! Help yourself to a ripe tomato if you please!



I could not resist this group of trees yesterday. The colors were brilliant!

See ya soon!

Read More......

Oh what a beautiful morning,

Oh what a beautiful day! That is the song I have been singing in my head for days. The weather in SoCal has been so magnificent I feel like inviting y'all over for a garden party! Two weeks ago it was so hot I thought the bottom half of the state was going to melt away. Then in rolled some thunderstorms. It rained for three days, and now, well, now it is just beautiful.

So yeah, if you're tired of the weather where you are. How about a garden party here? I'll bring the weather and the lawn, you bring your selves and we'll all just bask in the wonderfulness that is SoCal!

Read More......

Klutz with a capital K

Owie!, originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

I have long been known as the family entertainment. Yes, that woman you saw "slide into third base" at the conference center in Palm Springs when President Hinckley cames to speak, that was me!

The woman you saw in Fredericksburg, Texas miss that 6" step on to the storefront deck and do a header into the store? Yep that was me.

I rarely do things in the privacy of my own home, because I'm a giver. If I can entertain someone in the public view I will. I'm just that way. I want you to laugh. Because if you don't I've failed in some way.

I've been practicing pratfalls, and trips, and downright good falling stances for years. Just like yesterday morning. Went out to the garage. Had plans to put the protective edge on the piece of sheet metal I purchased for the glass table. That way I can do flamework out there too. Less, problems with burning the house down that way.

Well, there I was, I had rounded the corners, and began to attach the tubing along the edge. All the while keeping the warning of the sheet metal place in my mind. "Be careful! This stuff is super sharp! Don't run your fingers along the edge because you'll lose a digit!

I let go of one side to untwist the tubing. That's all it took. Wack! The requisite "Oh crap!" Look down and yes, there in full color is the blood gushing from the slice. "Oh my gosh! I tried to cut of my left toe!!!!" I better go get some sterie strips and get this closed" I'm muttering to myself as I head into the house.

Then it all goes wonky. I begin shaking like the devil and can't keep still. I phone the husband, who hasn't had patients for three days, and ask him if he's busy. "Yep, got a couple more patients to see" is his response, "why what's wrong?" I begin to really shake. In my mind I am passing out and being found three days later dead on the floor from blood loss through my big left toe. "Oh, nothing. I just cut my toe and was hoping you weren't busy and could help me get it bandaged. But it's okay, I'm fine, don't worry. Just me being me! I'll see you when you get here later! Love ya, hon!"

Yeah he knew it wasn't just a small cut. When he did get home his first words were "I told you that stuff was sharp!" Yeah, sigh. The things I do to prepare for public stunts! Not sure how this one will play out in public sometime in the future, but it will. Life's funny that way.

Well, at least today at the random doctor visit, I'll have something to talk about. How many of you know how to use sterie strips on a whim? Oh and after taking a look at that close-up, I need a pedicure! Oh, can't do that for a while!

Update: Doctor saw the wound and stated "Wow! could've used three or four stitches!" My response: "yeah, but that would have taken 8-10 hours and about $400 dollars, sterie strips work fine!" He agreed and asked to see me in three weeks. Well, at least I know my toe isn't going to fall off. ;-)

Read More......

Urban Assault Vehicles

uav vs mini, originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

This is my car versus what I call an Urban Assault Vehicle. UAVs are all over SoCal. It's obvious what is not to love here. What isn't so obvious is the following:

1. the bottom of their chassis is as high as where the windows start in my car.
2. if the car is driven by your average female or teenager, they are not able to see over their own hood; small person or animals beware!
3. the largeness of the vehicle has problems stopping on a dime; this car is going to take a few more feet to slow down or come to a stop.

All of these come to mind, because of an accident that happened to a friend of ours. He was coming off a 72 hour shift at the local ambulance company. It was a busy weekend. He only had to get across town to be home. He owned a 4 wheel drive UAV, not the one pictured. 3 blocks from home, he fell asleep at the wheel. His car ran over a Honda sedan. His car nearly decapitated an elderly woman, (she died) and severely injured her husband. It was a terrible accident. Nothing intentional at all. The guy was very very very sorry.

It was not enough. He lost his job, and will never work as an EMT again because he was charged with a felony. All because he worked hard and spent his money on a car that should not have been allowed on the streets. All in the name of "personal freedom".

Read More......

Well now let's see.

I have been a very bad blogger as of late. It seems life has caught me and I am so busy doing life stuff I just don't blog. Sorry all. I have been tagged by the middle daughter and so I will post that soon.

Today was spent in the garage trying to sort out a bunch of boxes. I am streamlining the storage system. Trying to set up more of a glass shop for the flame work in the garage will require a bit of a larger space so I need to clear some things out. There are quite a few boxes to go through, and it has been fun to read some old papers from the past. The first note the big guy wrote me when we started dating. Hehehe. Goofy young love.

Then I pulled out some of the old stuffed animals for Sport and looked at the Molly doll that Little Miss will love in a couple of years. Vintage American Girls. Who'd of thought she'd get a doll that is about 14 years old and be in love with it as much as her mom. Me, for one. I rescued her from the garage sale the middle and youngest were having to raise money waaaay back when they had decided to get a place of their own. Yes, they'll both be thankful I didn't let them sell their dolls.

Love you all! Thanks for checking up on me. Marbles or beads to all who leave a comment!

Read More......

33 years ago today...

I got up at 4 in the morning to prepare for my wedding day. It was the best day ever. I knew for the first time in my life, I was going to be loved forever, and no one could change that fact. We were young, impetuous, and goofy. Still to this day, I would not change a thing. He's everything I wished for while I was young and I know I'm still his sweetheart.

Today, I got up early, ran a bunch of errands, picked up my marbles and beads, bought ingredients for a great dinner and now blogged about it all. Then I'm signing off to go celebrate this day with my guy. See you all in the funny papers!

Read More......

Breathing a sigh of relief...

I awakened this morning to this Headline. It is nice to know that if I ever come out of the alien belief cabinet that one billion Catholics will be right there with me. ;-) Well, maybe half of them at least!

Read More......

Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!

Yesterday afternoon I went to a class I have been wanting to attend for a long time. The first two thirds of the glass was learning how to make beads with "Boro" glass and then the last hour was spent learning how to make marbles.

How fun was the marble part? So much fun that I finished way before everyone else! It was my reason for attending. Years and years ago began my obsession for marbles. I have a little drawer in my bedside table that has a small wooden box in it. Inside the box is a collection of marbles. Let me show you:



I was a marble girl. I love playing marbles, loved marble season at school, and could hardly wait to see the swapping that could come about in a frenzy of trading! Clearies were my favorite. Always. With cat eyes second. My brother's was always the steelies. They could knock anyone's marble out of the game in an instant! As kids we would put a bunch of marbles in a frying pan, heat them up hot! and then run cold water on them. They'd shatter into some really pretty objects. (ah the benefits of being latch-key kids!) But they could no longer be called marbles. That phase didn't last long.

Now I can make my own. The one I did yesterday is not yet in my possession. It had to anneal in the kiln at the shop so I have to wait and pick it up later in the week. I'll post a picture soon!

Read More......

Let the whirlwind begin!

I am busy. Not too busy but busy even still. I have a hundred things to get done this morning so sleep has been interrupted by lists. Yes, I make lists even when I am sleeping! aaack.

The 1st daughter and her husband and sport on are their way here. Yay! It is his summer internship time again and this means for the next three months the economy will be stimulated by me running back and forth to San Louis Obispo. I can't think of a better way to spend a tank full of gas! Well, unless it includes going to UT to see the other daughters! That will be done this summer too!

I took a class in cold working glass last Saturday. Who knew there were so many ways glass could be manipulated? Well, I learned how to grind, saw, drill, sandblast and polish glass once it is cold. Then it can be fired again, if need be. This Saturday another class is planned that I am really looking forward to attending. I am going to learn how to make marbles! Neat, neat!

Thursday evening brings teaching a class in cake decorating. A simple three weeks class to teach the basics in making a cake and decorating it for a family party. It should be fun!

I have a poll up at the food blog. Please go vote so I can get a good cross section of voters! Thanks!

Read More......

I've been thinking about the economic stimulus checks

most Americans are being given. It seems awful silly to me that in an environment of deep economic woe, the government would give away money in hopes of stimulating the economy. Yes, we all have some free money, now we can go spend it and forget all of our troubles.

Then to think this has worked better than the U.S. census in gathering data about the citizens. You see, in order to get a check, you had to let them know where you lived, and how much you earn. And, (think about it now) most of us gave them our bank account numbers too. Holy hannah. These guys got us into this mess and now they own us. "Go change bank accounts!", says the crazy conspiracy theorist in me.

But that said, we have some free money available to us. If you aren't going to pay a debt, or donate it to the local food bank (that'll really do some good!) then where are you going to spend it? Please don't tell me you are going to run down to the local big box store and buy something from the very corporations the politicians want us to support. If we were smart, and we know we are, we'd be very careful how we stimulated the economy. We'd do something revolutionary indeed. We'd find our favorite economy - call it a favorite "creator of wonderful things" - and personally stimulate their economy! It is also a great way of supporting creative endeavors. With all the copycatting going on out there, this is one way of validating your favorite original creator!

Here are some of my favorite "creators of wonderful things":

Brent and Beckies Bulbs Brent and Becky will make your garden grow! Think of the pictures you'll be able to take!

Purple Haze Lavender This Lavender company is great! Not only do they have plants to buy, but the have all types of other products to make your life smell as sweet as can be!

Zuzu's Petals has long been a favorite of mine. 2 young women from different paths come together to bring the best staitonery and invitations ever!

Black Mesa Ranch is where we will spend some of our money. We are going to go there and spend a few days to learn about living off the grid. This couple is doing what we want to do on our land. And maybe, just maybe we'll be able to learn enough to get there now!

Savannah Bee Company is just the best honey company in the U.S. They are family owned and operated and have some of the best honey that can be found.

Lost Button Studio. Jessica is one of my favorite bloggers. Her jewelry is simple, elegant and inexpensive. You really need an adornment for that special occasion! Jessica will fix you right up!

There are so many more out there! Who are your favorites? And don't forget 3 Hip Sisters we could use a bit of stimulation ourselves!

Read More......