Moment of Laziness leads to squirrels

So yesterday, I needed to take out the trash and with Peanut I did not have 10 minutes to walk down the two set of stairs and across the street to the Dumpster. So I thought it would be in ingenious of me to put it out on the balcony until I had that moment to take it out... not thinking that we have trees right outside the balcony and in those trees are active rodents. I can't believe I forgot about those squirrels and how last winter they were scurrying across 2 feet of snow capped roofs. They probably could survive a nuclear spill too, with an extra eye or two! So you can only what happened to my trash!

I discovered the holey plastic bags with apple shaving scattered across the balcony in the morning. When Peanut was asleep I took out the trash. First I had to scare a hungry squirrel looking for its meal. I successfully accomplished this by banging loudly on the glass and screaming. It reminded me of when I was in New Delhi and had to scare monkeys away from stealing my clean laundry that was hanging to dry. Though at least the squirrels wanted food the monkeys were just mocking me. Never again will I have a lazy moment with the trash again!

Apple scars

We got a winner spaghetti squash, it is! Mr. Incredible cooked one properly and scientifically proved to me it was indeed a spaghetti squash. So down two squash about a bazillion to go!

So, my friend had a harvest of apples which she gave me some and I gave her some squash. Great apples to cook with. Once again with apples, as bakers of squash they don't tell you how to cook or if you have to peel in a recipe. My hands have felt dead the last two days due to having to peel apple slices that had already been dipped in lemon water. Then I got a cut on my finger only to discover it with the lemon juice, PAIN.... is all I feel that is appropriate to say.

Dear apple recipe makers, think of the layman that does not encounter apples every other day and write the recipes for them. Make it so common sense does not have to be only limited to you. Please think of my hands when making your recipes of sweet delights. I know we are in America but can someone please make a recipe with apples that is a sweet accent and not buried in sugar. That is all!

Daddyathon and pumpkins of unusual sizes

After waking up from a zombie nightmare that was induced by reading about the 2009 Zombie Crawl in Denver, where a zombie mob attacked the Mall Bus of people not playing the game leaving bloody hand prints on the windows. Nothing makes me want to get my concealed weapon permit more then having a zombie attack you in the streets of Denver.

I have been awaiting this Baby Expo by Bebe Productions all week so I got out of bed bright and early in a happy mood despite of the nightmare. We get there, I find the Joovy Nook, the Lexus of all highchairs in my opinion, in that the tray is dishwasher safe and that it folds up compact. I tried and loved it, the bonus is they were offering 30 dollars off and free shipping. Sweet!

Mr. Incredible signed up for the Daddyathon a marathon for Daddies that includes changing clothes, diapers and squeezing a bottles contents into a cup. He won the first round, the second round lost! So we did not win the Britax stroller that would have been resold right away, I love my city mini stroller. But in my book he was the winner, he was helping the worker set up for all the rounds!

We take off from the expo with all the free rubber ducks and bags. Peanut has been chopping away at these rice cakes that are in the shape of a banana called mum-mum, still unsure whether he liked the taste or not, they are flavorless.

Next stop, Jared's Annual Pumpkin weigh in for the great pumpkin where "size does matter". Truly amazing to see multiples of pumpkins weighing in over 1000 pounds. The winner weighed in at 1536 lbs, what a huge monster it was. We got a bunch of pictures of Peanut with those behemoths, at least he did not try to take a bite out of it, like he did with our pumpkin at home. That is all with the weekend adventures for now!

Fall time

Friday is family day seeing Mr. Incredible has no school. So we went to Colorado Springs to hike Seven Falls before the ice and snow came and go to Edelweiss. Mr. Incredible hiked with Peanut on his back up the falls. Having conquered Wieliczka Salt mine in Poland before I thought there would be no problem. I was regrettably wrong, the evaluator was up to the shop and a bird's view of the falls and not up to the Falls itself.

224 steps up to the top of the falls. I got up 125 stairs and stayed at Shorty Falls unable to handle those rod iron stair case, they made me dizzy being on the side of the mountain the elevation didn't work on my side either. I think that if I did it at night it would have be perfect like the salt mines. Mr. Incredible hiked up all the Falls and back down enthusiastically with peanut. At length of... oh about 30 minutes I got back down those 125 steps with my legs feeling like jelly. Apparently my slowness clogged up traffic coming down and those people it not bother to go around me. I was fully clinging to only the right rail, so it would have been easy to go around me people.

After the Falls, we went to Edelweiss a German restaurant in Colorado springs. Love that place! With all the German speakers and atmosphere I felt like I was back in Europe. You got your kaiser rolls and real butter. Celebrating Oktoberfest with out all the beer.

Then we stopped at the Crazy Elephant to enjoy their Sweet Charity market. Where a bunch of charities were selling wears to support their causes. We bought sunglasses, jewelry and cards benefiting children's literacy and diabetes. It was awesome! Thank you Crazy Elephant for hosting the event!

Off to Tango class for our last lesson. Mr. Incredible does not know he own strength at times, I was man handled doing the step called the hook! Well that ends my Friday travels.

Shakespeare-esqe Antoine Dodson

My youngest brother enlightmented me with this twist of shakespeare on the modern society you tube music by Antoine Dodson. Which give me great delight, hopefully you will find it as fun!

Lo, they climb through yonder window,

They snatcheth up thine persons,

The wise man sayeth; Hide yon wives,

Hide yon children, yea, hide yon husbands as well,

For they are violating all and sundry.

I say to thee: confess thee not.

For we seek thee, and we shall find thee.

For thou art a fool, thou art truly a fool.

So run, run! Cry it out in the land, homeboy.

Boils and family photos

Family pictures remind me of Charles Dickens Tale of Two Cities being that it can be the best and worst of times. So my husband whom I shall call from now on Mr. Incredible and I were looking through our photos. I stopped at one of the shots of us by a tree to the left of my face the shadow makes it look like I have hives on first glance. Then on second glance, it appeared to be a growth of hair coming out of my brow and off the edge of my cheek bone.

So I turned to Mr. Incredible asking "Does it looks like patches of hair growth?" Thinking that if one one saw this photo they think I was related to cousin it or distantly a wookie.

He said jokingly "no, it looks like boils!" I couldn't help but laugh and thought of the wicked witch from oz. Well, I'm off!

Squash, what variety are you?

Perplexed, greatly I am! Having cooked about two of those yellowish greenish white squashes in the photo. I assumed they were spaghetti squash. Looking at the pictures of what other people call the said spaghetti squash I'm not so sure, it seems to be more fibrous then mine just slicing into it. Mine looks like a pumpkin.

I know what you are thinking, you grew them why don't you know what seeds you used!

My husband bought so many varieties of squash that I'm unsure. Our garden as you can tell from the photo has brought us a bountiful harvest, that is just from one day. We have like 8 more of those squashes in the car.

The X squash as I will call now, tastes like a pumpkin and has tougher skin then a butternut. Maybe a summer squash or a winter squash! Whatever X is I'm getting tired of making casseroles and of cutting into that squash. I look like a psycho beast when I'm doing it. Watch out Freddy Krueger's in the kitchen, hacking to death the life of poor innocent unknown squash! Only if those delightful X squashes grew with softer skin it would make my fall cooking easier. Maybe we can get a scientist to create a hybrid of a squash with softer skin like a fruit. I mean FDA has accommodated hybrids in the market for a awhile now. That's all for now! I'm on the hunt for an international cuisine with squash in it. When I discover what X squash is I will let you know!

Walking to running in one night

For family home evening we were watching Back to the Future classic 80's film, right during the part when the lightening strikes,. I look up to see my little peanut take his first steps and call to his Dad to see the momentous steps. In which we all clap and shout hooray for him. Little did we know the mind of our peanut.

It's time for bed and Dad is about to carry him off to start the bed time ritual of putting on his overnight diaper(that makes him look like a warrior who destroyed the muppet Grover and made a loin cloth out of the skin). Peanut's legs vividly flung into action running away from Daddy, but having little experience with balance. He ran fast clinging on to the sofa, then the sofa ended... he hit the carpet. Dad picked up the giggling peanut who was clearly proud of his get away attempt.

Both my husband and I said at the same time " we are in trouble!" Just barely walking and he trying is run. Advice to my peanut, master walking before running little one, so you don't eat the floor as much!

Commode

Please my little peanut don't play in the commode! I know it's tempting and you have succumb to the temptation of joyously splashing the water all over the place and giggling. You are cute but Momma can't handle another clean up like that. That is all!

victory dance

I'm following up to tell ya'll that I didn't burn down the kitchen when I was making Pancit Canton. Yes, it was a possiblity! With the onion I felt like my eyes were watering out of their sockets, but the hubby said it was good! Sweet victory! I go now to finish my happy dance!

H mart

My husband really likes me to cook as you know. He considers it a special treat and wanted me to cook him a special dinner for his birthday, he loves all asian cuisines so I decided on making him a Phillipiano dish. Which one of my greatest friends gave me the recipe.

So we drove out to H Mart, the biggest asian market here in denver, I love that store it is like being in India but cleaner and many more languages spoken from different parts of the planet, surprisingly we were not the only white people in the store. We got oyster sauce, pork, flour noodles, cabbage.... no mexican chorizarrio. The mexican butchers who did not know English very well, told us "no sell, no sell." Amazing how those two can work in an asian mart where most of the staff only speaks Korean, they got mad survival skills.

At the huge check out line waiting, one of the korean workers comes up to me and starts telling me " you veggie order is ready" the universal dumbfounded look on my face of "wha.." told her I was the wrong person. She and I would have remained in our state of confession, if the other white woman did not claim her order. My husband and I laughed as we both said at the same time " You see one white person you've them all!" Off to cook his meal!

Tango of the argentine variety

I can't help but get joyous when we head to dance the Argentinian Tango. It's backward to other dances like the fox trot, waltz, and other american dances. It made my head spin at the first lesson, when I have to do the leg cross then remember that my right leg and foot were suppose to function and move quickly after. Now I can envision myself doing it really well one day. Truly my dancing weakness is overthinking the steps. When my grandma taught me to dance she is such a strong lead I can't help but be forced into whatever spot on the dance floor she wants me to be. I'm grateful my husband really enjoys the tango to he likes it because as he says "its like walking," on his part to be sure. Great date night dancing! Well that is all!

Ahh Fall

Love this season! Butternut squash soup, leaves changing, chillier weather, yea parties, harvesting season, but my favorite by far is fashion week. Deeply superficial you say? Perhaps?

The time when one gets to see who is sitting next Anna Wintour on the front row and which celebrities walk the catwalk. Christian Siriano's collection caught my with the colors and flowers made of fabric bellowing over. I got a giggle of delight!

New York times reported that the designers were looking for unique beauty which this season is classified as gap teeth. I don't see it! I when Queen Elizabeth's Era liked high foreheads. I pretty sure that fad I bet will not last long. It makes the catwalk more interesting to be sure with the 1950s updo's this season and the touch of Jacquie and Aubrey. I enjoy watching the regal looks of gowns as opposed to the Wang "Kill Bill" look.

Related to fashion, yet a tangent... France has banded berqa's. Though I know the french don't like anything that imposes on their culture but banning berqas which only effects 2,000 or more women in the country according to WSJ.com is a bit much. What the government is trying to over come in surpressing those women by banning their berqas is surpressing them lower so they will not have any way to get out of the house.... Well that is all for now. I'm off to enjoy some butternut squash soup and an izze.

Domestic thing

So, as of late, I decided to cook every night for my husband, he gets home at 7:30. Dinner awaits him, which is truly unusual considering, before this he could count on his hand how many times I cooked for him. I like to cook things from scratch always, that is why I didn't do it often. We have a community garden plot (as some of you may know) with an abundance of squashes, pumpkin and zucchini.

I have taken the challenge to cook said squash and zucchini. Stuff zucchini sounded good, after all the zucchini bread and cake, it sounded like a relief. So I followed the recipe exactly, having been accused of being illiterate while baking in past, it said cook the zucchini in the microwave for 5 minutes on high. No further instructions on step number 2. Four minutes later I hear a canon shot thunk and see the zucchini split bottom. Step number 2 never instructed me to fork the zucchini. Why use a recipe if you have to think for yourself?

Writers of squash and zucchini as a beginning baker/cook of the veggies that are tough skinned. I plead with you in behalf of my poor microwave that may never recover from the hard hit blow, please include the simple steps of forking the tough skinned beast before nuking it's nutrients out. That is all!