All about MeMe:First Kiss

Disclaimer: I am not making this up. This is how my first kiss went down. Not much in my life would seem as though it came from a schmaltzy motion picture, in fact I think that this is the only event.

What you are about to read is true to the best of my recollection.

It was the summer of 1987. I had gone away to summer camp for the first time. While there I met a nice young man named Alex. We both happened to be staying for two consecutive sessions, meaning that we were there during the time that most other campers had gone home.

Saturday evening we were sitting on a white bench watching the sunset. (The photo is of the actual location where the kiss took place.) I was lying on my back with my head on his lap. I closed my eyes for a moment and suddenly he was kissing me.

It was a very nice 12 year old kiss. Nothing creepy, no tongue, just sweet. Alex and I entered into a long term preteen relationship that lasted for 3 more days, until I met Hudson.

Alex and I actually remained friends for many years, long after I had forgotten Hudson (which isn't even his name because I can't remember it).

- Posted by Krista from my iPhone

Whaaaaaaa!!

Think what you will of me (like I could stop you), but I think that crying babies are high comedy.  So much fury contained in such a small package.  It's as though all the frustration of crapping in your own pants and being unable to eat solid food finally bubbles to the surface and can not be contained.

For your viewing pleasure I have compile as small sampling of pictures of my kids letting loose.  Enjoy.

Supah survivor - Challenge II - The Buff-on

Ahhhh it is yet again time for another Supah Survivor challenge.  --pause for applause--  This weeks challenge was to design a button to represent ourselves as blogvivors.

I have to tell you, folks, I was robbed last week.  I mean what kind of person appeals to a man's most base instincts by showing him boobs??  And really, why didn't I think of that?

So anyway, I have pulled out my mad azz GIMP skillz and whipped up this button (enlarged for your viewing pleasure.)

I think that my button is pretty self explanatory.  As a certified Domestic Delinquent...I will take pretty much any excuse I can get to avoid cleaning up after myself my kids resulting in a house that looks a little like that last room.


You know you want this awesomeness....so here you go....get a little something for yourself.









<a href="http://www.kjoj.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://i944.photobucket.com/albums/ad286/domesticdelinquent/smfullopt.gif"/></a>




So there you have it....Come on heroes....bring it on!!!

Menu plan Monday - Tuesday edition

My brain must have shorted out yesterday because I forgot to post my menu plan. Well here it is, just a day late


Sunday - chicken enchaladas

Tuesday - Stir-Fried Pork, Green Beans, and Red Bell Pepper with Gingery Oyster Sauce

Thursday - Red Beans and Rice

Saturday - bratwurst and saurkraut

Sunday - Chicken Paprikash

I think that last week was the very first week in which I completely followed my menu plan. The planets must have aligned somehow because that probably not going to happen again for a while.


- Posted by Krista from my iPhone

A FO and some bloggy love

It has been a while since I have had any knit wear to show off. I have been hitting the needles a bit, but the 10 million other things that I want/need to do keep getting in the way.

That being said I have managed to finish a pair of ankle socks over the past two four six months. These are from the book Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. This book, along with Socks Soar on Circular Needles by Cat Bordhi have led me to a love affair with knitted socks.


I owe all of you wonderful folks who comment on/follow my blog a big old appology. I have been stingy with the blight (stupid iPod auto correct) bloggy love recently. I hereby promise that everyone who comments on the post will get a heartfelt comment in return. I will also comment on every one of my followers blogs. If you don't have a blog I stil love you!! So I'm not posting here tomorrow because I'll be posting at your place.

- Posted by Krista from my iPhone

Friday confessions

I ate the last cookie. Somewhere between boy2 dumping a gallon of red jello on the carpet and boy3 puking on me for the fourth time I decided that I deserved it.

I don't actually watch the olympics. I catch the curling online and the highlights on the news, but otherwise it's more trouble than it's worth.

I'm tempted to look at the survivor spoilers-but I won't. Although----

I did look at the bachelor spoilers. But only because I hate the show and font want to waste my time watching the finale if my chosen bachelorette doesn't win.

I will NEVER get sucked into watching the bachelor again. It is mind numbing. And Jake has the personality of damp bread.

I don't care what Tiger Woods has to say. Though I would like to see his wife pimp slap him.

Supahvillains are gonna whoop some supahhero tushie. And we ain't sorry. (We're villainous like that.)

I am stupid excited about getting Just Dance today. Stay tuned for hillariously embarassing video.


- Posted by Krista from my iPhone

The skew on the olympics

I have a confession to make. I like curling. In fact curling is really the only winter olympic sport I really like. Okay, there's hockey, but really I'd rather watch the NHL.

I generally enjoy sports. I particularly enjoy football. There is something beautiful about watching a perfectly executed play. It's like a ballet, except someone gets to win.

I know what you're thinking, what about figure skating? That like ballet where someone wins. True. The problem with figure skating is that is too subjective. I mean the German judge can think that you totally blew it while the French judge judge thinks you totally rocked. Who's to say which one is right.

I've given it some thought and here's how i think we can improve figure skating. Each heat twenty skaters take the ice and begin skating in a circle. At random intervals a bell rings and the umpire calls out a jump. Each skater has 10 seconds to complete the jump. If you fall you're out. Wrong jump? You're out. Took too long? OUT!!! This continues until only one skater remains. Pink feather boas are optional.

Okay, now that we have taken care of that, let's get back to curling. There is something really intriguing about the pushing of the stone and the frantic, but precise, sweeping. I also appreciate that curling is an every man sort of sport. I'm not saying that there is no skill involved, but I bet you don't see a lot of curling doping scandals. Finally, there is the team work. 3 people moving one stone to an exact location. Try getting 3 men to agree on anything and you'll understand the enormity of this task. I like to believe that curling is the thinking man's woman's winter Olympic sport.


- Posted by Krista from my iPhone

Post-it note Tuesday

Supah survivor - the first challenge

This week the supah survivor competition kicks off with the first immunity challenge.

This week we need to make a valentine for this sexy hunk of felt.




The valentines must be handmade and must include a poem. I gotta tell you people I'm totally going to rock this challenge.

First off, I am one crafty ass bitch. (Martha Stewart?? Who dat?) Second my sonnet writing skill are rivaled only by the bard himself. And finally, I know the way to a mans heart, even if it's made of cloth and polyfil. So without further ado, I present my (almost certainly winning) valentine.

Each of those hearts is filled with a tasty chocolate treat to tempt my furry valentine. The poem is located down at the bottom. It reads:

Roses are red and pink
Harv is orangy-yellow
All those flowers do is stink
But Spitenstein is one sexy fellow

That studly poly-blend suit
Ohh and the way he holds that mike
The species difference is moot
Cause Harv there ain't nothin' 'bout you I don't like.

You've got a hot slicked back doo
And some rockin' orange fluff
Harv I'd do anything for you
even shave my ... legs

I don't know if Harv is anatomically complete
He is just a felty orange puppet.
But let's face it, this guy is elite
Oh yeah, I'd totally schtupp it!!

I just hope that Harv doesn't have some psycho girlfriend. The last thing I need is to see this coming at me from a dark alley.




- Posted by Krista from my iPhone

Menu plan Monday - big dig edition

Well, we are finally free of the snow (although my kids may never see the inside of a classroom due to 10 foot ice piles on every sidewalk). We did some serious grocery shopping yesterday, so I am stocked up for the rest of the month. So here is a hearty menu fit for post shoveling fuel ups.

Sunday & Monday - tamale pie - I love this stuff. We make an extra one and freeze it for another day.

Tuesday - Steaks with blue cheese butter - yum! Fabulous dry aged steaks were on sale at Wegman's

Wednesday & Thursday - Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Ricotta, and Peas - this is something a little on the logger side.

Friday & Saturday - Pan-Fried Fresh Salmon Cakes - I love these! I make them with a creamy lemon dill sauce. On nom nom nom.

Added due to popular demand - blue cheese butter

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened
1 1/2 ounces blue cheese (mild), room temperature
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons minced fresh chive
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine butter, cheese, and salt in medium bowl and mix with stiff rubber spatula until smooth. Fold in chives. While steaks are resting, spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons butter on each one.


Enjoy you week. I'm off to shovel the 4-6 inches of snow were expecting to land on top of the 3 feet already in my driveway.


BTW. Don't forget to check in tomorrow to see my entry into the first supah survivor challenge.

- Posted by Krista from my iPhone

Family Friday

The family Friday topic this week I how you met your significant other. I LOVE telling the story of how I met my husband because I think that it is very telling of our future relatioship.

It was right after my junior year in college. I was working for the housing department over the summer which meant that I go to stay in one of the dorms. (At the time this was a bi perk because the alternative was staying at my parents house where my drinking and partying would have been secerly curtailed.)

I was staying in the morewood gardens dorm. I picked up my key and found my room. It is importan to note tha all the unoccupied rooms are left open and are only locked once someone is living there. So anyway, I dumped a bunch of stuff in there, took a quick look around, and headed our since I had a meeting in just a few minutes.

This was when I realized the I didn't know how to lock the door. I know what younare thinking, you're nearly a senior at one of the nations top technical colleges and you can't lock the door?? Isn't this a skill you should have aquired by now?? I could tell you that CMU employs some sort of super fancy robotic lock or something, but fact was I just couldn't get my key out of the lock.

I started to panic a little. I couldn't leave my stuff here, but I couldn't miss the first meeting of my new job. It was time to find some help.

I took a quick walk down the hall and saw someones feet propped up on a table. I poked my head in to find a young man eating ramen noodles. The following conversation ensued:

Me: uh..hey. Can you help me a little?

Him: ok

Me: (as we are walking down the hall) I got my key stuck onthe door. I can't believe that incant get it ou I mean how inept must I be. You'd think I would have figured this sort of thing out my now you know? (we have reached the room) Look at how big that room here is. My room is like a fraction of the size of that room blah blah blah blah blah.

Him: (Turns the keynsideways and pulls it out.) Here.

Me: (turning red) oh wow... I can't believe that j didn't figure that out blah blah blah blah

Him: (walking back to him room). See ya.

I went about my day and didn't really see him for a week or so.

Friday rolled around and I thought that I would enjoy an adult beverage. Sadly I couldn't find my bottle opener. So I went for a little walk. There were those feet again.

Me: hey...do you have a bottle opener (I held ip my beer not even thinking that of may have been nice to bring one for the guy who saved my ass only a few days before.)

Him: here

This is when I realized what he was doing with his feet up on that table. He was watching tv. He had his own television - with cable - right there in his room. There was one other tv in the whole dorm. It was in the common room and there was nearly always someone watching star trek on it.

Long story short, to avoid the indignity of watching in the common room, I watched tv in my future husbands room.

I thought he found me annoying. I even came by one time when there was another girl watching his tv (little hussy). I tried to stay away, but he was right down the hall .... With cable.

We started xyphering while I was working late (xypher was an early CMU version on IM). Eventually I realized that I sorta liked him.

The reat is history. We dated all through our senior year, lived together for a year while he finished his masters degree and then got married.

Fast forward 12 years and here we are! Who would have thunk it?




- Posted by Krista from my iPhone

The Skew on romance

Ahhh romance...you know what I'm talking about. Flowers. Serenades. Kissing in the rain. You've all seen the movies. That's romance...or is it?

In high school I had what script writers would consider the worlds most romantic boyfriend. He bought me flowers every week. He played guitar and sang to me and made me mix tapes. He planned elaborate surprises for my birthday. Thing is flowers get old and sometimes you get surprised with things you don't like (a night at the circus for example). Don't get me wrong, he's a good guy and I wish him well, but it just wasn't for me.

Now that I am older and wiser romance is a whole different thing. Romance is the way my husband stepped up big time when I was put on bedrest with boy2. He took care of me, the house and boy1 pretty much all by himself.

It's the way that my hubby makes it clear that even though I don't recieve an actual paycheck as a stay at home mom he still respects the job I do.

It's the way that he brings me tea at night while I put boy3 to bed.

He doesn't sing to me, but he shares his iTunes library with me.

I don't get flowers very often, but I'd rather see that money go into our 401k so that we can have a long happy life together.

We don't kiss in the rain, but he did dig my van out from under 3 feet of snow.

Don't get me wrong, it's not all unicorns pooping rainbows at our house. We have our ups and downs. But I know that he loves me and our kids and that hes always going to come home to us, even if he isn't carrying flowers.


- Posted by Krista from my iPhone

We've had some Snow

We've had a bit of snow over the past few days.  I think that we are currently holding steady at about 30 inches.

This is my house.  Notice the van in the driveway...that's not going anywhere for a while.  We live at the bottom of this hill, which hasn't seen a plow yet.  Notice the idiot stuck in the middle of the street so that even if a plow happened by it couldn't get down the street.

Boy1 and Boy2 went out to play in the snow last night - before round 2.  I was afraid that Boy2 might fall into a snow drift and not be found until the spring thaw.

Boy3 prefers to stay inside where it is warm.

This is one of our other cars...probably not going to see that for a while.

Finally, this is Jim.  Jim is a police officer.  Jim has been called into work nearly EVERY day of the blizzard to cut down fallen trees so that firetruck and ambulances can reach emergencies.  Somehow he has still found the time to snowblow nearly everyone in our cul-de-sac's driveways, offer to run to the store for anyone who had an emergency, and tow at least two stuck cars to the top of the hill (including one VERY ticked off pizza delivery guy).  (He also taught me how to start my rental car a few months ago.)  So thanks to Jim and all the hard working Fairfax County Police and other first responders out there who don't have the luxury of being trapped in their homes.

Outlast, outwit, outblog

Let's talk about television. Now I realize that there are those amongst you who do not watch tv or who only watch shows like NOVA. While I appreciate your lifestyle choice, this post my not be for you. Perhaps you should go read a book or play chess or whatever it is that you do while I'm watching LOST.

I like television. There is no point in pretending otherwise. If youvlook at my netflix cue you will find that it is mostly filled with tv shows. What I like about tv is the ability to really get to know a character. Movies are all well and good, but once they're over the people in theme are gone as well.

Generally I prefer scripted shows. I like House, LOST and Numb3rs (though I don't watch numb3rs anymore because of the previously mentioned hulu situation.) I wil watch the occasional reality show. (Somehow I got sucked into "The Bachelor" which I hate, but can't stop watching.). While I haven't watched Survivor in years you can bet your butt that I will watching this season. The reason is that I am a blogvivor this time around. I will be scheaming, forming alliances and backstabbing my fellow blogvivors just like my colleagues on survivor (only I'll be doing it from the comfort of my couch and without eating any bugs). When I win, I will recieve a fabulous gift basket from Supahmomy and the wonderful sponsors you can see scrolling along in the sidebar over there.

So check back in starting Friday to root me on and see my, no doubt hilarious, entries for the weekly challenges.


- Posted by Krista from my iPhone

Post-it note Tuesday - the OMG MORE snow??? Get these children out of my house edition

La dee laa dee la...Post it note time.

I'll be in the corner twitching.

Meal plan Monday 2/8/10

Monday already? Being snowed in sure messes with your sense of time. Sadly, the family still needs to eat so I still must cook....here's what we have planned for this week.

Monday - Crock pot veggie curry - this just keeps getting relocated

Tuesday - Curry Leftovers

Wednesday - Sloppy joes - This is assuming that I can get to the top of our hill and get to the store by then.

Thursday - Chicken stir-fry

Friday - Leftover stir-fry

Saturday - Chicago style deep dish pizza

Sunday - Chicken enchiladas. These are so yummy that I just have to share the recipe!

Sauce and Filling
1 1/2	tablespoons vegetable oil or corn oil
1	medium onion ,chopped fine (about 1 cup)
3	medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
3	tablespoons chili powder
2	teaspoons ground coriander
2	teaspoons ground cumin
1/2	teaspoon table salt
2	teaspoons granulated sugar
12	ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 thighs), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
2	cans tomato sauce (8 ounces each)
1/2	cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
	1 can (4 ounces) pickled jalapeños , drained and chopped (about 1/4 cup)
8	ounces sharp cheddar cheese , grated (2 cups)
Tortillas and Toppings
10	corn tortillas (six-inch)
	Vegetable cooking spray
3	ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese (3/4 cup)
3/4	cup sour cream
1	avocado , diced medium
5	leaves romaine lettuce washed, dried, and shredded
2	limes , quartered

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. FOR THE SAUCE AND FILLING: Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, salt, and sugar; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until coated with spices, about 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce and 3/4 cup water; stir to separate chicken pieces. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and flavors have melded, about 8 minutes. Pour mixture through medium-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on chicken and onions to extract as much sauce as possible; set sauce aside. Transfer chicken mixture to large plate; freeze for 10 minutes to cool, then combine with cilantro, jalapenos, and cheese in medium bowl and set aside.

2. 2. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 300 degrees.
   

3. 3. TO ASSEMBLE: Fill, roll, and sauce enchiladas. Cover baking dish with foil. Bake enchiladas on lower-middle rack until heated through and cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover and serve immediately, passing sour cream, avocado, lettuce, and lime wedges separately.

   
   

   This is from Cook's Illustrated

Owl design

Check out my latest blog design





See it in action and let me know what you think about the navigation bar here.

- Posted by Krista from my iPhone

Poolside Photobooth

In direct opposition to

the more than two feet of snow on my driveway, I present to you poolside photobooth.

This is my oldest son when he was about 3. He has always been a fish. He joined the swim team when he was 4 and is the fastest swimmer in his age group. Keep your fingers crossed for a full scholarship!

Skewed

Supah is hosting a(nother) blog carnival. (Yeah...I know....again!!)

So here are my thoughts on Mr. John Edwards.

First off, let me say that biologically men are set up to cheat on women while women are set up to find the most suitable male and hang onto him for dear life. Biologically, men can afford to spread their genetic material far and wide and hope that some of them survive to continue the cycle. Women, on the other hand, invest an enormous amount of time and energy into the "production" of offspring and therefore need to choose a mate wisely. That being said, we are also biologically programmed to eat as much high fat food as we can get our hands on, sleep 8 hours a night and smell bad. Just because it's biologically desirable doesn't mean it's morally, ethically or even physically desirable.

I personally think that JE is a lousy rat bastard. First he cheats on his wife. He tries to hide it so that the news doesn't come out while she is still alive. (Seriously?? It's like he's just waiting for her to die.) He puts another marriage in jeopardy by making them lie for him. Then he denies the child that results from the affaire. All the while holding himself up as some sort of golden boy. I'm mean if you're going to be a lying, conniving asshole who thinks with your penis at least admit to it!

I think that JE has to man up to what he has done. He needs to pay Elizabeth SCADS of alimony. He needs to accept his child and support her financially and emotionally. Finally, he needs to accept the fact that no one is going to forgive him for what he has done and he should just crawl into a hole and never be seen in the light of day again.

We also need to remember that it takes two to tango. Rielle Hunter (AKA Lisa Jo Druck) entered into this affair willingly and with the full knowledge that JE was a married man. Come on ladies, we girls need to stick together! Stop sleeping with other women's husbands!

In conclusion, JE = rat bastard. Lisa Jo Druck = bitch. Elizabeth Edwards = tough, classy woman who will move on with her life and be happy without him.

What I Meant To Say

To the woman who tailgated me for three miles before cutting me off on the way into target only to park right next to me.

"congratulations!! You made it here 6 seconds before me!! You are amazing. I hope that endangering my life and the lives of my three children was worth it. You, my friend, are an American freaking hero because not only did you get here first, but you also managed to park 6 feet closer to the entrance!! You rock because it's important for you to be as close as possible to the door. Never mind the fact that I have to drag 3 kids with me while you, a young healthy woman can just stroll across the parking lot. In fact, I believe that there is a parapelegic pulling out of a handicapped spot up front. You should go and take that spot. Maybe you can run over a puppy on your way to get there."


- Posted by Krista from my iPhone

post-it note Tuesday - better late than never

Free Template

I had such fun remaking my blog that I just couldn't stop. I whipped up a new template with a cute nav bar. (If I do say so myself.)

If you like it please go ahead and grab it. I will happily edit the header for you and even put your links for the nav bar into the HTML code.

(Click the image for a bigger picture.)

Get the code here.

Please let me know what you think because I live for your approval. Love it? Hate it? A horrid memory your inner eye will never be able to erase?

BUSTED

I'm not a very good driver. Im also not a dangerous driver. So while I may poke along at the speed limit in the fast lane and refuse to change lanes unless I have roughly 1/3 mile in every direction I don't get pulled over very often. Not that it has never happened....

I was driving home one day, only a few months after moving into our new house. Here in Virginia we have these HOV lanes. You must have two or more people in your car to use the HOV lane. The HOV even has some exits that are not available to the unaccompanied driver. As I was driving home I noticed that the exit that leads right on to my home was open. Keep in mind that we had just moved here and I was unfamiliar with the roads.

So I merge into the HOV to use the exit, not realizing that it was an HOV only exit. Once I did figure it out it was too late to merge back out of the lane. I proceed down the ramp to see a policeman pulling over cars left and right. I'm busted!

I pull over and roll the window down. I'm already getting a little misty eyed. (I don't know why, but getting pulled over sends me over the edge.) The following conversation ensues:

Officer: You're in the hov lane. You need to have a passenger to drive in this lane.

Me: I have my cat. (I was coming home from the vet.)

Officer: Sorry, it's no good if you're pregnant either. (Good to know I guess.)

Me: uhh okay. How much is this going to cost?

Officer: Well, have you done this before?

*At this point I should say that I was flustered and feeeking out a little. I THOUGHT he said "is this the first time you have done this?"

Me: yes

Officer: wel then it could be as much as $1000 dollars.

Me in complete freakout mode: oh my GAWD! My husband will kill me..* incompressible blubbering *

Officer: I'm sure that the officer who issued your last citation made this clear.

Me: *still blubbering* No. This is the first time I've done this.

Officer: oh, well then it will only be about $50.

I nearly got out of the car and kissed him.

At this point he sent me on my way with a $50 ticket and a near mental breakdown. I have NEVER used the HOV lane without a passenger since.

Consider me rehabilitated.


- Posted by Krista from my iPhone

Menu Monday

This weeks menu theme is eating less meat. I watched Food, Inc over the weekend and as a result I'm trying to be more selective about the foods I feed my family. I'm trying to move toward mor organic meats, but organic meat is about 3 times more expensive than regular meat. If we cut our meat consumption in half it will be easier to stomach the extra cost. I'm aiming for 4 meatless dinners this week.

Monday - chicken corn chowder

Tuesday - veggie curry. This got bumped last week.

Wednesday - leftover curry

Thursday - fajitas. These get loaded up with peppers and avacado so they don't use too much meat.

Friday - leftover fajitas

Saturday - falafal. Thanks to Kate for this one.


- Posted by Krista from my iPhone