Escarg...oh, no, you didn't! or "Them's snails!"

One of my most favorite scenes from Little House on the Prairie was when Mr. Edwards and Charles were eating in a "fancy" restaurant in one of those big cities they always visited for business. They decide to order something really nice, and the waiter suggests the escargots. The men order their "es-car-gots" and when the little morsels arrive at the table, both men are outraged--"Why, them's snails!" they shout as they leave the restaurant in a fury.

I went on a cruise with my husband's family last weekend to celebrate his lovely grandmother's 80th birthday. It was the first cruise for our family of three, and we were told before leaving that we should be prepared for the wonderful food. Guess what? It was wonderful, and there was plenty of it. On the menu for our formal dinner evening I did spy something that always makes me giggle, and well, gag--the incredibly luxurious escargots bourguignon. Them's snails, for us simpletons.

I feel like I have a pretty adventurous pallet, but personally I find a plate of snails, excuse me, escargots, to be one of the most vile dishes I have ever tried to eat. They taste like grass and dirt. What about the delectable garlic butter sauce, you say? Well, I would prefer to eat that on something not disgusting like pasta or vegetables. I may even prefer to eat that on actual grass and dirt rather than consuming an escargot.

So, back to the cruise. I am a Frenchie-Francophile (that means "lover of France" for those of you raising your eyebrows) who has actually lived in France and has been served "escargots done right" and I can imagine no greater punishment than being forced to eat a plate of smelly, once-slimy creatures swimming in fat, garlic, and herbs. My brother-in-law (a very cool guy, by the way) ordered the escargots as his appetizer. He won't eat a fresh tomato, but he will eat a plate of slugs in sauce. I don't get it. Is it the luxe factor? I have a theory on that.

I think it went something like this: Two con men are walking through the woods searching for provisions for their next meal. One looks down at the ground and inspiration strikes. "Hey! Remember how we tricked that emperor into walking around naked? Well, there's plenty of snails here--let's see if we can get the rich people in town to eat them! Get out the garlic butter and herbs!"

It couldn't possibly be that someone saw it as a good idea. Who would seriously look down at the ground and say, "Check out the slime trail that thing's leaving! Looks like good eats to me! Quick, get the garlic butter and herbs!"

Oh oui, Somewhere out there is a dead Frenchman who is laughing hysterically saying, "I so wasn't serious about that! You're not really going to eat those are you???" With a French accent, of course.

An actual escargot de bourgogne. (Apparently a homeless escargot.)
This picture was taken in 1998 in the woods near Autun, France in the region of Burgundy.
Amazingly I was able to take this shot without succumbing to the urge to reach down, snatch him up and eat him.

Quarantined

We're under quarantine. OK, so it's not as serious as it sounds--my little guy has what the doctor is calling bronchitis and he is contagious, so we are home bound for the rest of the week. It's kind of strange, too. This week and next should have been two of the busiest of the season for us, and suddenly with a fairly high fever and a few coughs, we have nothing to do except dose medicine and drink fluids.

There is another side to this as well--we're supposed to go on a cruise next weekend with my husband's family (pretty much all of them, in celebration of his dear grandmother's 80th birthday), and I'm a little concerned about this change in health. We can't cancel really cancel our reservations, and I'm pretty sure a family of sick people wouldn't be too welcome on the boat. I believe I read a clause in the informative booklet we received that says something like, "Sick people will be left to fend for themselves at the nearest port of call." Yes, I'm paraphrasing a bit, but I do have a feeling that we would be locked in our stateroom before Captain Stubing would allow his ship to become a floating lazaretto. So somehow we have to nurse our son back into health while keeping our own hands clean and germ-free...yikes. I can't even estimate how many times I was on the receiving end of sneezes and coughs today...

Donna lent us this book, and it has come in quite handy!

'Tis the Season to GIVE!

A few days ago we received the annual holiday newsletter from our local charitable organization, and in it was a reminder about the beginning of their food drive as well as an article about their "Giving Tree"-type campaign. Usually I read the newsletter and then throw it away, but this issue I kept. I looked at the list of food items and then I looked at the pile of coupons on my dining room table, many of them for great products that my family just doesn't use. I decided then and there to challenge myself this year: I'm going to give as much as possible to those two campaigns while spending as little as possible (so that I can give more).

Before I continue, please hear me--I'm not writing this for any reason other than 1) to hold myself accountable, 2) to hopefully get some great ideas from you on how to accomplish this goal, and 3) to possibly inspire you to join me in giving. That being said...

Yesterday I started my quest by getting FREE Crest Pro-Health toothpaste at CVS. With my coupons I actually earned $1 on the purchase. Toothpaste is not quite food and really isn't a great Christmas gift, but I had to start somewhere. I then went to Walgreens where I acquired two boxes of Celestial Seasonings tea for FREE--They were 2 for $3. The Walgreens Easy Saver Rebate book has a coupon for $1 off of 2 boxes and I had 2 $1 off 1 box coupons from a previous Sunday paper. Those are considered food donations, so I'm on my way!

So, if you see any deals, let me know! And if you want to post your ideas for helping your community, please leave comments! I don't have to tell you that many people are feeling the crunch this year with recent economic events. If we can give of ourselves, our time, our abilities, our talents, maybe we can show others the Light that is the Truth of this season...

Happy Giving!

Fall Fun

We're in western Kentucky this week visiting family, and today was full of fall fun. This morning I awoke (a little too early--my internal clock is still set to Eastern Time) to see the sun creeping through the back yard.



The leaves are ready to change, and some of them are already turning beautiful shades of red and yellow.



We visited a farm today where we went on a hayride...



picked apples...



played in a sandbox full of corn...



explored a pumpkin patch...



and gathered walnuts.



Today's fun was a welcome change from yesterday's fast food and interstate driving!

Snack Time!

We're on the road this week, and in our car, the choice of snacks is almost as important as the gasoline in the tank. (I guess that's a bit of a metaphor, too.)

Here's our list of munchies for this trip:

Trail Mix made with freeze-dried fruit from Just Tomatoes
Sun Chips
Juice Boxes
Pizza-Flavored Gold Fish Crackers
Triscuits Thin Crisps
Candy Corn (Mommy Emergency Food)
Marshmallows (Toddler Emergency Food)

What do you like to eat when you travel?

I should be arriving at my destination later today, so be sure to check my blog this week as I hope to blog from the road!

On the road...

Today my son and I are beginning a journey across four states to visit our family in western Kentucky. I learned a few trips ago that I travel much better by car when I have good audio books in the CD player. This time we are going to have a Nicholas Sparks marathon:

True Believer
At First Sight
The Guardian

What do you listen to when you travel?

Making the Holidays Last

I love this time of year--from Labor Day until New Year's Eve, I am on Cloud 9. I love the holiday displays (and by holidays, I mean Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's) and the holiday foods--a little too much! I could easily celebrate everything all at once before October even begins, so I've come up with some rules for myself to keep me from going overboard.

1. September is apple and birthday month.

2. No candy corn or pumpkin-flavored anything until October 1st. I love pumpkin (especially in pancakes), but I stop eating it before summer begins so that I'm really craving it by the time the season gets here!

3. We decorate with pumpkins after October 1st. I don't decorate much for Halloween, so these are the precursors to our Thanksgiving decorations.

4. November 1st is the first day of Thanksgiving decorations. We add harvest-y things to the pumpkins that are already there. Candy corn is finished for the season on this day, also.

5. Christmas officially debuts in our home on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The decorations are set, and we prepare our Advent calendar. We give ourselves from that Friday until December 1st to finish our preparations so that we can enjoy the entire month of December.

6. I'm not a big fan of Black Friday shopping, but I do seek out a Starbucks after the crowds have dispersed a little to get my first Peppermint Mocha of the season.

7. December 1st is the first day we open our Advent Calendar, and we open a door every day until Christmas. Christmas candy is allowed as well as cookies, cakes, boiled custard and eggnog, and anything else our little hearts desire (applying the rule of moderation, of course!).

How do you make the seasons and holidays count?

100 Things About Me--This is getting hard! 20 more...

If you're interested, you can also see 1-20, 21-40, and 41-60.

61. I always have a Starbucks gift card in my purse.
62. I have never been to East Timor. (You're only gonna get that if your name is Carole and we spent eight hours together sitting at a table discussing the finer points of Arctic exploration and the methods of fencing in an apple orchard so that cows couldn't eat the produce...it was an excruciating day, and we were delirious when this little joke became the funniest thing we had ever heard.)
63. I took piano lessons as a child, but I didn't progress too much because I didn't want to practice.
64. I was on our high school welding team.
65. I had a huge crush on my swimming instructor when I was little (I was probably six or seven at the time) His name was Todd. I think. It's been a while.
66. My high school mascot was the Rebel. Yes, the Confederate Rebel. It was a tad bit controversial. Especially the large Confederate flag that was painted on the wall of our gymnasium.
67. I am named after a woman who would become the Superintendent of Schools for Webster County, Kentucky. (I told you, this is getting hard!)
68. I have been known to watch shows like Clean House and Clean Sweep so that I will not feel bad about my own housekeeping skills (or lack thereof). (Yes, that is sad and sadistic.)
69. I LOVE Graeter's Ice Cream.
70. I can write a word and its mirror image with my left hand and right hand at the same time. (Does that make sense? Here's a picture.)

71. My favorite summer Olympic sport is women's gymnastics.
72. My favorite winter Olympic sport is curling. I find it to be utterly fascinating.
73. Speaking of the Olympics, I have been to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.
74. Some people don't wear white after Labor Day. Personally, I don't drink Pumpkin Spice Lattes until after October 1st.
75. I don't consume Peppermint Mochas until the day after Thanksgiving. It gives me something to look forward to.
76. Apparently I say "Whoa" and "OK" quite often. I know this because my toddler now says them constantly, and he didn't hear them from his father.
77. I really don't like craisins. I find them to have an unpleasant tartness. I do like cranberry sauce, though.
78. Fall is my favorite season, and it's what I miss the most (besides my family) living in Florida.
79. I have stood on the Appalachian Trail. (Not hiked it, mind you, just stood.)
80. I LOVE to vote! If you're a Floridian and you're reading this on August 26th, be sure you vote today!

100 Things about me--20 more...

1-20 are here, and 21-40 are here.

41. I start my Christmas shopping in July.
42. The last song I downloaded was "These Are the Days" by 10,000 Maniacs.
43. I think foie gras is repulsive and I refuse to eat it ever again.
44. I like being in my 30's--I think it's the best decade I've had so far.
45. My first college major was Pre-Med.
46. My BA is in French with a minor in English. (I changed my mind.)
47. I frequently quote things I hear on the Food Network.
48. I'm not so fond of heights.
49. I have never been to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I've been to the bottom several times, but never the top.
50. I have been in 23 US states.
51. I never have ice--I just don't use it. When my Mom (who loves ice) comes to visit she has to freeze water in paper cups because I'm using my ice-maker to store frozen vegetables!
52. I obsessively check my e-mail. I don't always respond right away, but I usually read messages as soon as they arrive!
53. My first cat's name was Bubbles.
54. I had the same phone number for the first twenty-something years of my life even though we moved, and my parents still have that same number.
55. Our first house was a log cabin that my parents built themselves.
56. I collect Cinderella memorabilia.
57. I once spent double the price for a Cinderella ornament on E-Bay that I failed to buy in the store before it was out of stock.
58. I now buy the majority of the Hallmark ornaments I collect by October, and many of them in July when they debut. (yes, I'm one of those people)
59. I drink coffee every morning.
60. I find the flavored coffee creamers to be addictive, and I have to limit how much I keep in the house!

100 Things About Me--The next 20...

Here we go--another installment of 100 Things About Me. The first 20 are here.

21. I have been to a Josh Groban concert.
22. I have been to a Trans-Syberian Orchestra concert.
23. I LOVED the show Alias and was devastated when it was canceled.
24. I earned my yellow tips in Tae Kwon Do when I was in college (that's one step above nothing, but I did break a board with my fist to get them!)
25. I sang a solo in first grade at an all-school assembly. The microphone shrieked, and that was the last time I sang alone in public.
26. When I was in college I worked at Patti's 1880's Settlement. I was a server, and I had to wear a Little House on the Prairie-style dress.
27. I celebrated the 2000 New Year in Rouen, France.
28. I coached girls' soccer for two years.
29. I taught high school French for six years.
30. I currently teach a French class for toddlers.
31. I have seen Rock City.
32. I could eat almond paste and marzipan every day.
33. I was the treasurer of my junior class. Or was I the secretary? I forget. We didn't do much.
34. I have been a member of ten wedding parties (including my own).
35. My favorite place to vacation is eastern Tennessee and the Smokey Mountains.
36. I go to our local library at least once a week (most of the time).
37. I have a myspace page.
38. I write foreign language questions for an academic tournament.
39. I freecycle. (FreeCycle)
40. I am currently reading the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

Just 60 more to go...

Simplify...

I am in a constant struggle to conquer my toxic perfectionism (I'm keeping the productive perfectionism--it's what has made me successful), and this blog is really about me trying to keep things simple so that I can enjoy life more fully. I'm certainly not an expert, but I have made a ton of mistakes, and if you can learn from my shenanigans then maybe my writing will have served a purpose.

I look forward to posting tips, anecdotes, reviews, and probably some rants. Also, I hope to give you some inspiration for simple things to do for enjoyment, especially with your kids.

Thank you for reading, and please be sure to check back often!

100 Things About Me--the first 20

I am new to blogging, so I thought I would start with an introduction. Here are 20 things that you may be interested to know about me (more to come later):

1. I was born in rural Kentucky (and yes, I was born in a hospital).
2. My DH and I just celebrated our six-year anniversary.
3. We have an almost-two-year-old son, our Little Guy (LG).
4. I have a sister and an almost-three-year-old nephew.
5. I was once almost arrested for taking a picture of the US embassy in Paris. (OK, maybe not arrested, but they did threaten to take my camera away and I talked my way out of it.)
6. I am probably one of the only people in the world who has a picture of the US embassy in Paris.
7. I love to read cozy mysteries.
8. I actually email companies questions about their products.
9. I was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority in college.
10. I was a cheerleader in high school.
11. I have visited five countries other than the US.
12. I collect Christmas Ornaments.
13. I once drove to Canada to buy a specific candy bar (we visited Niagara Falls while we were there).
14. I like giant insect movies.
15. As a child I helped my aunt and uncle strip tobacco in the winter. (They paid me a quarter!)
16. I plan many of our vacations and trips around places I hear about on the Food Network.
17. I am slightly obsessed with ice cream.
18. I took gymnastics as a kid, but I was never able to do anything spectacular because I was afraid to go backwards.
19. I'm a Fly Baby. (FlyLady)
20. I prefer Coca Cola to Pepsi.

To be continued...