catnip and coffee

Over the last two weeks most of my trees have come into bloom and I been taking a few pictures. Sundays are always a good day for gardening (or like today, just plain ole yard work) and of course that always make me want to talk about gardening!

The first picture is my little mystery. It’s a very pretty little tree on the edge of the woods that looks like a scrub tree for much of the year, but for about a week it looks like this. It blooms at the same time as my flowering cherry but I don’t think it is one because the leaves don’t have serrated edges. Does anyone know what it might be?

Next up is my very traditional hot pink rhododendron. It just love it.

Okay, now here is my (formerly) least favorite bush on my property. It’s so big it might as well be a tree. Last year it was in poor shape and I thought about whacking it back to ground level and seeing if it would regenerate. At the time, I really didn’t care if it did or not. Somehow white flowers seem a little pointless. I like pinks and purples and yellows, but white? Meh. Well, I’ve changed my mind and I’m really happy I didn’t mess with it, because, just look at this white azalea:

Imagine, it’s five feet tall, and five feet wide, and completely full of flowers. Gorgeous! It’s doing much better than my poor little pink azalea in the backyard that has neither flowered or leafed out. That one might be in for the whacking instead. And no I’m not going to show you a picture of the poor thing!

Now, what flowering tree post would be complete without a lilac? Certainly not this one!

I love lilacs. I’ve wanted lilacs at every place I’ve ever lived, but never had them until now. Can’t you just smell it??

Hope you’re all having a great Memorial weekend!!

I’ve been slacking - I was tagged almost a month ago by Jungleswife for the Four Things Meme! Oops! I thought today would be a good day to do this so I don’t have to think too hard

Four Jobs I’ve Held

• Glorified insurance salesperson (That means I was the receptionist that also had to sell auto policies. I was really bad at it.)
• Alumni association fundraiser - this was a summer job and god help me, I had to call alumni of the university I attended to beg for money. see above. Funny thing though - I once got my own parents on my call list - my father went to the same school as me - so I got to call home on work’s dime and time.
• Gas station attendant - I think that says it all. Oh and I was 16.
• Bank receptionist - I had to take all the phone calls from irate customers of a third rate credit card company - you know the kind where you have to put a deposit down to get the credit card. Yikes.

Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over

• Twister - I’m a sucker for disaster movies, the badder the better
• Pride and Prejudice (the 6 hour BBC version) - 2 words: Colin Firth
• You’ve Got Mail - also a sucker for romance, especially if I need a good cry
• The Sound of Music - yes, I know all the words, and sing them loudly

Four Places I Have Lived - and no I don’t live in any of them now

• Portland, Maine - I wish I had appreciated it more when I was there
• Leesburg, Virgina - that was my keeping up with the Joneses phase
• Belmont, New Hampshire - yep, right near the racetrack
• Jay, Maine - don’t ask

Four TV Shows I Like - only four???

• House
• Top Chef
• Workout
• Clean House

Four Favorite Foods

• Lobster - yeah I know it’s a cliche
• Risotto - my new favorite food, mmmm imagine lobster risotto….
• Ribs - nuff said
• anything someone else cooks

Four Places I would Rather Be

• on a beach
• asleep
• shopping
• at a Red Sox game

Four People I am Tagging - goody, a chance to tag some of my new readers! and I’m tagging more than four because I can

Stay at Home Mom - well you aren’t really new here…but I’ve never tagged you

Mrs. Because I Said So

New Kate

Kaza’s Place

ErinSlick

Tropic of Mom

And anyone else who wants to do it too!!

I guess I haven’t been too irritated lately, it’s been awhile since I posted one of these!

Today’s irritation: tailgaters.

Now this post is going to make me sound like a goody two shoes old fogey fuddy-duddy, well that’s fine, cause I am. Or at least I am now.

I have a history you see, of speeding. I KNOW! I’ve been a leadfoot since the day I got my license. There was the time in high school when I sort of made my cute little Dodge Omni “fly” and my passengers both hit their heads on the ceiling - and they were wearing seatbelts. I was pretty sure by the loud crack we heard that I had snapped my undercarriage in two - but no.

There was also the time back in 95 when I rolled the same bestest car ever cute little Omni over, because wha? yeah, I was speeding, (and there were deer involved, but really huge moose-like Maine deer!) and hey, I didn’t snap the undercarriage in two then either! Just everything else. I digress, that’s really story for another post….

Now I am a leadfoot in recovery, mostly because I’ve had a few too many speeding tickets over the years, and I’d really really really like to not have anymore for a very looong time and my insurance company would probably really like that too I’m trying to be a responsible mother. My biggest problem now is if others are speeding I can’t help but speed too, but somehow I’m the one that gets caught.

My cure for this is my cruise control. Especially if the speed limit is really low. Like 25 mph. I don’t ever get caught going 78 in a 65. Nooooooooo, I always get caught going like 37 in 25. So I set the cruise, like any good fogey, at about 4 mph over the limit. I know, you hate me, you really really do, cause you’re the one stuck behind me. I’m so sorry, but really believe me when I say, I do it because my checking account can’t take another fine I’m doing you a favor by not letting you speed either. Because…I KNOW where all the speed traps are, don’t you people pay attention to these things?!!

Anyway, I just want to know, why oh why do people have to TAILGATE? Let’s be clear here - I’m not even talking about teenagers who I understand are still in their stupid phase. I’m talking about other adults, usually with one ear in a cell phone, and driving much much larger vehicles than mine. Really, no matter how close they get, I’m not going to go any faster. Do not try to guilt me! Dude, all that tailgating does is it really makes me want to slam on the brakes and and then sue them for rear-ending me. (Just not when the boy is in the car with me, I swear.) I worked for an insurance company once, I know very well who would be at fault here, and it’s not the old fogey chick in front. Just sayin’.

As you’ve heard before, I’ve been an insane person the last week or so. I’ve got dishes piled high in the sink. I’ve got nothing to wear because I haven’t done the laundry. The family room looks like a tornado hit it, a little boy tornado that is. Pathetic. However, it does mean the boy actually played with his toys…

I made the boy have a (mostly) tv-free day yesterday because he’s been out of control asking me to let him watch. I know it’s partly my own fault. When I get super busy with work I do let him watch more tv than normal (I am in the room with him, but still) but it’s the constant asking that was driving me nuts. So we did an experiment. I told him he would not have any shows all day, unless I decided he could. The deal was that if he asked for it, not only would he not get any, he would also have to pay me a quarter out of his job jar. He didn’t ask once. It was a beautiful thing. I only offered it twice, once for part of an episode of Twister Sisters, and once for an episode of Berenstain Bears before bed.

The thing is, I’m one of those people that thinks there is some value to television. Yes, even for kids. He has learned some amazing things that I never would have thought to teach him myself, just by watching The Magic School Bus, Zoboomafoo, Super Why, or Time Warp Trio. We also let him watch shows on Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, and the National Geographic Channel, partly because we like them too, and partly because that science stuff fascinates him and it’s awesome to see him soak it all in. And yes, we love the Food Network, and that definitely encourages him to try new foods as well as wanting to help me cook.

But. There’s always a but isn’t there? This is five year old boy. What he really wants to watch is Power Rangers, Spiderman (cartoon, NOT the movies), Transformers Animated…you get it. And that’s the stuff he’s asking for. Yes, I have those things on my TIVO, yes I let him watch them once in awhile, but geez, stop ASKING me. Or it’ll be $0.25 please.

Yes. That’s right. The experiment worked extremely well. There’s not much that will separate a boy from his hard earned job jar money, and tv isn’t it, so the quarter fine will stay in place, and I? I will have peace from “can I have a show?” a hundred times a day.

Okay, I really need to talk about my hair again today. Superficial yes, but I don’t care. I’ve already told you a little of my coloring woes, but this is more about stylists.

Here’s the background. I have curly hair. Not super duper curly like one of my sisters, nor just slightly wavy like the other. It’s somewhere in between. I usually encourage the curl instead of fighting it. When I fight it, it just gets fuzzy. Please don’t tell me to use anti-frizz products - I’ve tried them all. Products tend to make my hair flat and greasy. As much hair as I have, the individual strands are very fine and my scalp is oily so I have to wash it every day. I rarely blow dry it, but when I do, I use a diffuser and fluff up the curls.

I have a hard time finding a stylist that understands how to cut my hair. I always have layers in it to combat “the tent” look, you know what I’m talking about. But long layers so I don’t have helmet head either. The thing about layers though, is that I hate it when you can see them, a la, “the shelf”. I like them to blend. It’s a rare stylist that knows how to do invisible layers, and when I find one, I stick with her.

Bless you if you’re still with me, but I went through this whole looong story to say I finally found a great stylist this week after living here for over 2 years. I really love the cut. However. Why, why, oh why must every stylist I’ve ever had attempt to blow my hair out straight??!! Seriously, she just gave me a cut specifically to make it curly nicely, and I’d like to see how that worked out!

Please, someone enlighten me about this. Is it that they glimpse a head of curly hair and see a challenge? Are they taking pity on me because I tell them I usually air dry? Do they think I don’t have the knowledge to blow it out so they’re going to show me how? Are my curls actually ugly and they’re trying to give me a hint? Is it that they’re just trying to be nice and pamper me in their weird way? Do they think they’ve combed out all the curl during the cutting process and they don’t want to re-wet it and start over?

Isn’t curly hair finally back in style? So what’s up with the straightening? Someone out there, if you know the answer, please tell me!! I really want to know.

Since I’m still slammed with work this week (penguins are cute but they all start to look alike after awhile and I still have a long way to go) and I bet you are too, I thought I would post the absolute easiest recipe in my repertoire. This is the dish I always bring to parties.

Easy Guacamole

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/4 cup sour cream (light or fat free work fine)
• 1/2 package of taco seasoning (I use Old El Paso 40% less sodium)
• 1/4 cup finely diced tomatoes (can also use equal amount of salsa from a jar)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion or scallions (skip if using salsa)
• dash of lemon juice
• dash of hot sauce

Mash avocados very smooth. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Cover with saran wrap so it is touching the top of the guacamole (so it will not brown before serving.) Chill until ready to use. Stir again just before serving.

Now I’m craving some guac and chips! I hope you like it as much as I do!

Holy cow ya’ll! I’m going to be a Channel Editor for Blog Nosh Magazine!

Now I’m no longer just stalking your blogs, I’m noshing on them! I’ll be looking for great content from your blog’s archives for republication and some linky love!

What’s Blog Nosh Magazine? It’s the brainchild of the fantastic Megan at Velveteen Mind and it’s coming soon! She can explain it way better than I can!

I’m specifically going to be working on the Homemaking Channel, (organization, gardening, etc) and the Entertainment Channel, (movies, books, music, etc.) Woohoo! Could those be more perfect for me? Seriously! I know what you’re all thinking, perfect except for organizing and cleaning! But, I’m not writing the posts, you are!

So, do YOU have an amazing post in your archives you think we should see? Come on then! Email me at catnip35 at gmail dot com or Megan at blognoshmag at gmail dot com! What are you waiting for??

It’s official. She is the funniest blogger on the planet. I got nothin’ today, so go read her instead. I’ll just be here refreshing tomorrow’s forecast.

Work pretty much sucked the life out of my yesterday and I expect today to be the same. I need a little amusement, how about you? Luckily the funny came in the form of my cat yesterday afternoon. So I took mini break to get a few photos! Really bad photos I might add, as it was super sunny out. (All photos are clickable for larger versions.)

Without further adieu, I present to you: Planter Cat!

I know it’s hard to see his face. Let me assure you he was quite happy. I thought the boy and I were going to die laughing when we saw him climb up into the planter. I was a bit wary at first that he was going to use it for a litter box! Then I realized he just wanted a nice sunny spot, and the pot gave him the perfect vantage for keeping an eye on me in the family room and his boy out on the screen porch with him. (Did I ever mention George likes to follow me? Everywhere? And so does the boy?) Planter Cat is just very lucky I had not actually planted anything in that pot yet!

Planter Cat likes his boy to pet him:

Then Attitude Cat Planter Cat started to get sick of me taking pictures and gave me the non-look look. As in “I’m not going to look at the camera anymore, now get away from me so I can take a nap in the dirt” look:

The next photos are even worse, since I snapped them from my hole in spot on the couch, with my laptop perched, well, on my lap. I must show them to you though, for after we stopped swooning over his royal cuteness, Planter Cat got yet more comfortable:

That was a lovely strrreeetch…right down to the toes….

And this one you must click to make bigger for the full effect:

Dude. That yawn is contagious!

I KNOW it’s blurry! But can you see the tongue curl??

That was such fun. Now I need coffee, and I need to get down to business!

ps. for those interested in bloggy meta, this is my 50th post! Who knew I had so much to say?! Heh.

• I’m doing bullets today because it seems faster….
• Work is kicking my butt yo. Too much to do before Friday deadlines. I’m ordering final images for one book, and finding a gazillion image options for another. Why do these things always fall on the same week? Last week I had nothing to do!
• Charity event I’m doing this weekend should be kicking my butt, but I feel like I haven’t done crap for it so the guilt is kicking my butt instead.
• I am obsessed with refreshing the 10 day forecast to see what the weather will be for this outdoor charity event that I’m slacking on. Right now: 40% chance of rain.
• I had leftover chicken, tomato, and garlic pizza for breakfast. The tomato made it really soggy. And now I’m gonna smell like garlic all day.
• Great mother that I am, I just fed my kid brown and serve sausages (microwaved) and a cheese stick for breakfast. I guess it’s better than fruit loops.
• Boy has to go to school today. I seem to get nothing accomplished on school days due to all the freaking time I spend in the car going back and forth. Frankly, two hours of preschool helps me not. at. all. And it costs me two bucks in tolls every day.
• My sister gave me lemon balm from her garden for Mother’s Day. I think I might have killed it already. Bummer.
• I had what I thought was a great “Mexican Lasagna” recipe all typed and ready to post. Then I made it for a recipe swap night last week. Blech. Yes, Nicole the tortilla texture was a little funny. And the re-heat value (very important!) was, as my boy would say, yucko mucko. How can something be soggy and dry at the same time? When I have time I’m going to find my tried and true Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada recipe and get that ready to post instead.
• HRC is really pissing me off that she won’t drop out already.
• I haven’t done groceries in ages, so dh has had nothing to pack for lunches this week. Not saving any $$ that way! Also, it’s the reason for the weird breakfasts. Maybe.
• I really really need to buy a can of air. My keys are a little crumby and I’m having trouble with the enter button. I have to hit it really hard to break up whatever little crumb is underneath! Um. Yeah. I suck at cleaning even worse than you ever thought.
• I’m thinking about getting a second cat. What am I? Nuts? Yes. I do think George needs a companion. And major overcrowding at local animal shelter makes me sad….hence next bullet:
• I feel bad for people who get foreclosed on, (there but for the grace of god go I…) BUT it really bites when some of them leave their pets locked up in their empty houses when they move away. Assholes.
• I read a very funny post yesterday and then I got in a little trouble with dh for my comments on said post. Sorry honey Then I went and unloaded/reloaded the dishwasher. If you go read it, you’ll understand.
• I don’t seem to know how to end this post. I don’t think I like bullets after all, it was not faster.
• Must go brush teeth and leave

Edited to add

• Stupid pizza made my stomach hurt. Serves me right.
• I forgot to put my contacts in and couldn’t find my prescription sunglasses, so I had to wear my regular glasses to drive. Dang. It’s really bright out there today. Why is it not making my mood better?? Cause squinting gives me a headache!