I've Lost My Damn Mind

 This is the mess that I made in our kitchen. As you know, I'm a terrible cook. I hate being in the kitchen. That said I feel really sorry for Anna. I'm so glad and thankful that she is working but it is hard work. So I thought that I would make little lunches to lift her spirits. Yes, I am this crazy. I hollowed out a tomato half and poured in Ranch dressing and cut up celery and put it all on a bed of carrot peels.

So do you feel uplifted? And the funny thing is Den got jealous and asked why I didn't do this for him. Um well you complain that it isn't good enough and slam things around in the kitchen. I did make some for him but we will see how long it takes him to complain. And DJ put in an order for his lunches next year. What have I done? I will be making these for years!!!
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

Happy Memorial Day

I just wanted to thank all the Vets that have helped keep me and all of my loved ones free. And I want to say thank you to my dad, I love you and miss you ever day.
Enjoy your day, it's because of a vet that you have it.
Love,
SonyaAnn

Friend's Friday!

I've run our of boogers so I've decided that I'll be your Friday friend. Weak, I know. And if you have anyone that you would like to nominate PLEASE let me know.
Have a great weekend,
SonyaAnn

What do you do with this one?

Here's another story to turn your stomach. Yes, these things still happen here.
Anna and DJ spent the night at their grandparent's house a while ago. Donna and Dennis in an effort to cut bills, changed cable companies. No stomach turning there.
Anywho, Donna was having problems figuring out the new system. So when Anna walked passed, she flagged her down to help her. And then came the problems. Donna flipped to the soft porn channel. WOW! Anna said she wasn't sure what to say so she just sat there. Donna was all flustered and told Anna how she didn't want DJ to watch this kind of smut. To which Anna answered but its ok to watch it with me. She told Anna to try and figure out how to block the channels and that she had been trying for days to figure out how to shut them off.
Well, now we know what my in-laws will be doing when Dennis retires.
Smile-I bet this doesn't happen at your house,
SonyaAnn

Wicked Wednesday!

Yes, yes, yes!
Have a great day,
SonyaAnn

Happiness and a Complaint

The happiness is that I got another $20 from Toluna. If you are taking surveys from them, be sure to answer yes to the head of the household. Also, use the links in the emails that they send you for surveys-you will qualify for more. And last but not least, answer all the little questions worth 15-75 points on the side, they lead to more surveys.
I think that once I really get a feel for Toluna and I'm sure that I'm making all that I can from them, I'm going to start with a new company and I'll tell you about them. I'll track how much I'm making and what I'm doing and pass on the info to you.
And for the complaint, why does Mother's day fall on the weekend that all the yard work needs to be done? And why is there never anything going on the weekend of Father's day? Father's day is a day of rest and Mother's day is a day of fighting with the people you live with to get yard work done. Just pondering this thought as I try to find something for Den for Father's day.
Just asking,
SonyaAnn

Anna Update!

This was a little lunch that I put together for Anna and I the other day(before all the car problems). It was a nice way to celebrate her being home.
When I went down to pick her up a strange thing kept happening. We would say the same thing at the same time. It was weird. I told her that I sent her to college to become me. I laughed, she didn't.
That day, we had to wait about 2 hours before she could do her final checkout. So I took her and Aaron out to lunch. It was a great meal, it just took our server a long time to bring us the bill. We were cutting it a bit close to checkout time and he was nowhere in sight. So I said to both of them, we need to get his attention. And at the same time, I said Anna flash him and she said show him your boobs. We then shot each other the same look.  Aaron said, I like where this is going.

This is Ms. Anna. And she started work TODAY! She ended up getting a factory job. She will be earning $7.50/hr with the best of them! She will clear about $200 a week and about $40 of it will go for gas. She has a few babysitting jobs lined up for after work to try and cover the gas.
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

IT'S ALIVE!!!

Den worked a miracle and got her running again. I walked out the door this morning and he already had it fixed. He asked me how much I thought it cost to fix it? My frugal heart stopped for a bit. And then he said, Zero dollars and Zero cents! He was so proud of himself.
It ended up being the caliper(the part that holds the brake pads). It worked a bolt out and was smacking on the inside of the tire. Den said he had never heard of it happening. That was probably why we would hear a strange grind noise every so often when we were driving around. He never could find it though. Since it was still attached, there was no way that he could. It would also explain why the car went nuts when Anna was trying to stop. I bet it was a hell of a ride. Den also said that it was a good thing that we got a tow because if she had tried to limp it home, she would have torn up the wheel and the brake system on that side. And it probably wouldn't have been too safe either.
I hope that nothing else falls apart this weekend.
Thanks for coming to see me,
SonyaAnn

Well Shit

I will give you one guess which car quit today. And I bet you can't guess who was driving it?
Off to drink,
Sonya the lush

Happy Times

This is what my new van looks like with the bumper hanging off. Anna's car was pulling terrible to the right. I wanted to keep her safe and told her to drive my van when she went to her grandmother's house. Safety rocks!
Our area is known for construction and it lived up to its reputation. A guy trying to weave around cones and construction horses, hit her and ripped off the bumper. Everyone was fine except my new van. Sigh.
It happened about 5-6 miles from our house so I drove over to help. The guy was nice enough but this is how our conversation started after the hellos.
Guy-see this rusty clip(points to a metal clip under the bumper) I think it fell off because it was rusted.
Me-Ummm no, I think it fell off because you hit it with a car
Guy-I'm just saying if it wasn't rusty, it probably wouldn't have fallen off
Me-It was attached until you hit it
He got a ticket-go figure. And the great news is, he has state minimum insurance. I bet we will be paying for this one. He has a really crappy insurance company.
Let the good times roll,
SonyaAnn

Friend's Friday!

And my booger for the day is Melissa from Peace and Projects. She has a sort of soothing effect on me, trust me I need it!
Have a wonderful weekend,
SonyaAnn

Not Playing Nice

So here is a good story! When we were in the Dells, the three idiots that I live with went apeshit over the fact that we would be able to watch TV for a night. Yes, I used the word apeshit. So I took their razzing with a smile (while I contemplated how I would dispose of their bodies) and sat back to watch TV while spread out on the bed. I was looking forward to it too but would die before telling them.

Den lovingly cradled the remote as he flipped through 50 gazillion channel. The three of them found a channel with a movie on it and all agreed that that would be acceptable. I was not asked if I would enjoy the movie because I don’t deserve a say. To them, I am the TV Nazi.

Within a few minutes, the commercials started. Hmmmmmm, they said nothing and then Den cradled and flipped around a bit more. They found a second movie that they could agree on and started to watch that one. And again with the commercials so he flipped back to the other movie.

Den mentioned that he had forgotten how annoying commercials were.

Now, as you all know I am the peacekeeper. I am known for being the one that plays nice with others. And I did hold my tongue for about fifteen minutes which I thought would be a record by most people’s standards. But then it just blurted out of me. “YOU HAVE GOT TO BE GOD DAMN KIDDING ME!” I yelled over the blaring TV. I have taken months of crap from those three over shutting the satellite off and what do they do! They chose two movies that we have on DVD! 
The ever right,
SonyaAnn

Wicked Wednesday!

I snorted! This is great.
Have a wonderful Wednesday,
SonyaAnn

Granola Cereal

I made granola cereal and it rocked! I started out with a granola recipe and then changed it. It is really rich so I was thinking about stretching it by mixing it with plain corn/bran flakes.

4 cups oatmeal(I used instant that was at its expiration date)
3/4 cup pecans 
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/4 cup shredded coconuts 
3 tablespoons butter 
3 tablespoons oil 
1/4 cup honey(spray the measuring cup with Pam and it will slide right out)
2 tablespoons sugar 
5 teaspoons vanilla 

Preheat oven to 325 and adjust racks to the middle. Spray 2 9x13 pans with Pam. Mix first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine butter, oil, honey and sugar in a sauce pan and heat until melted, add vanilla. Pour the liquid over the oat mixture and stir well. Spread on sheets. Bake until golden brown 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on this one because it will burn. 
And you are welcome,
SonyaAnn

                                                                                  

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good News is Toluna paid me again! YAY, I’ve got $60 for Christmas only $1440 more to go. LOL But if my calculations are correct, I will have $500 from our credit card points to put towards Christmas. I feel like I’m running a scam on the credit card company just call me GE.

Now for the bad, I’m limp. Honest baby, I’ve never had this problem before. My celery is limp and falling over. I tied him together with a purple ribbon but I think the end is near. And I’m pretty sure a creature ate Sal. I guess that it is survival of the fittest out there.

And here is the ugly; this is the tarp that is supposed to keep all the crap out of the crystal clear water in the pool.

FAIL! Grrrr, it is going to cost a ton to clear this one up. The pool water is the same color as the 80’s green we all loved. It was great back in the day but not so hot when it’s a pool color.
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

Friend's Friday!

My friend today is a site....yeah I know, boring...... it's Living on a Dime! I love it there and I stop by a few times a week. And with another mouth home, I need to find a few ways to keep costs down.
Have a great weekend,
SonyaAnn

Quicky

Super short post, I have been busy since Den is home this week. We are trying to get the yard in order and Anna is trying to find a job. She has a babysitting job for the summer but.........she needs to make a bit more. She had a job lined up and secured for the summer, it was at a friend's dad's company but they just had to layoff 300 people so that sort of fell threw. Oh well. Remember back in the day when all you had to do was pick up the classified papers and pick one or two. Yes, I am that old.
Have a great day,
SonyaAnn

Wicked Wednesday!

Ha, Ha, Ha!
Have a great Wednesday,
SonyaAnn

I'm Still In Need of a Life

And this interesting picture is that of the end of a bunch of celery. Just what you needed to see to start your day. And we shall name it Sal.

I planted Sal next to Sonya's celery. I wanted to see if it would sprout and grow with no work at all. Like I have said I have no life at all. And much to your dismay, I will keep you posted.
Thanks for stopping over.
SonyaAnn

YAY!!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend, Mother's day, and everything else that goes with the weekend. We are off to an indoor water park for the day. It will do my self-esteem wonders to squeeze my fat ass into a suit.
Den is off this week and this is Anna's first week home so let the fur fun fly. I just hope that my striped shirt still fits. If I don't have the shirt, do I still have to be the ref?
On a positive note, I got another $20 from Toluna. I have $40 for Christmas. I rock. I have a few checks coming so it is working out to about 1 a week.
Thanks for stopping over,
SonyaAnn

Friend's Friday!

Somethings are worth repeating and Sinful Southern Sweets is one of them. I gained 5 pounds just poking around her site.
Have a wonderful weekend,
SonyaAnn

Smile?

I know that Cinco de Mayo is supposed to be a happy day but alas, it is not for me. It is to be my last day...............before I have to get Anna. Let the fun times roll.
And DJ will be out of school pretty quick here too. Oh Joy!

Whenever the cat sees someone coming, he runs under the bed. Why can't I do that for the summer?
Have a great Thursday,
SonyaAnn

Wicked Wednesday!

I don't remember if I put something like this one up before either way just pretend like you like it.
Happy Wednesday,
SonyaAnn

Conversion Chart

Unit:	Equals:	Also equals:
1 tsp.	1/6 fl. oz.	1/3 Tbsp.
1 Tbsp.	½ fl. oz.	3 tsp.
1/8 cup	1 fl. oz.	2 Tbsp.
¼ cup	2 fl. oz.	4 Tbsp.
1/3 cup	2¾ fl. oz.	¼ cup plus 4 tsp.
½ cup	4 fl. oz.	8 Tbsp.
1 cup	8 fl. oz.	½ pint
1 pint	16 fl. oz.	2 cups
1 quart	32 fl. oz.	2 pints
1 liter	34 fl. oz.	1 quart plus ¼ cup
1 gallon	128 fl. oz.	4 quarts

As some of you have figured out this is a cooking conversion chart, I swiped it from here. Yeah, I wouldn't trust anything I come up with for cooking so I resorted to stealing.
 
I have come up with a teenager conversion chart.

1/2 cup of kool aid=a stain on the carpet because it is going to get knocked over because it isn't enough to drink
1 cup= a sip
2 liter bottle of pop= a drink and a belch
1 gallon of milk & a box of cereal= h'orderves
1 tub of ice cream=quick snack
3 boxes mac & cheese=a light lunch
6 ramen noodles= breakfast
leftover pizza= forget about it
a loaf of bread=a moment
a loaf of bread & 16 slices of cheese= a kitchen drive by
a candy bar=nanosecond

All cups, plates, silverware, and wrappers will be left where they fall-its the rule.
Did I miss anytthing,
SonyaAnn

My Stalk!

It's so sad when they grow up and move out. This little experiment worked. It was about a month from start to finish. If I had to do it all over again, I would have put it in the ground after about two weeks but it kept snowing and/or getting stupid cold at night so I put it off. The only problem that I had was some of it started to rot where the sticks were but I think that could be avoided if it were put in the ground right after the roots started. So just save the end of your celery and you can get free stalks!
I scraped/cut off all the rotting or dead parts when I planted it. It seems like the only part that actually grows is the very center. So I might just strip everything away and just leave the very middle if I try this again.
I also, took the sticks out before I planted it. I didn't want the other vegetables to pick on him. Vegetables can be so cruel. 
Smile,
SonyaAnn