Grandpa

In January, I lost my grandpa. It has definitely been the biggest loss in my entire life. He was the core of our family. He was very special to me. From taking care of me as a newborn to helping my buy my first vehicle, he's always been there. He could build anything his kids and grandkids could imagine. It was so sad seeing him go from a very strong man to not being able to do things for himself in a few short months. His battle with cancer started in 1998 and he fought hard and strong to conquer it. In August, my family was told there were no more treatments available and hospice had to be called in. By October they were visiting every day and he wasn't predicted to make it past Thanksgiving. It was the first holiday we didn't get to spend together as one big family gathered around the dinner table, because he wasn't well enough to get up. Shortly after, we were told he wouldn't make it to his birthday a few days before Christmas. He was still hanging on and keeping us close by. Shortly after Christmas, we all knew it was a matter of time and we stayed with him day and night. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. He passed surrounded by his family and best friend at home. The funeral was more about celebrating his life and memories than thinking about the cancer and how it finally took him away. Grandpa will never be forgotten. I love him so much and am thankful I got so long with him to create memories and to live life with such an amazing and strong man to call grandpa.

About half the family got together one weekend in November 2008 and rented a lake house to spend a few days together. Knowing grandpa was sick, we all wanted to make it special.

52 New Things: Week 14 ( or 1, 2, and 3)

After hearing about 52 New Things - an idea to try something new each week of the year and blog about it - I was excited. I've been reading the blog posts since it got started and finally decided to join in. I realize it's now Week 14 and I have some catching up to do, but I'm totally game for it. So here we go!

New Thing #1: Alice Springs/Smothered Chicken

A couple weeks ago my boyfriend and his sister were cooking Alice Springs chicken. I'd never heard of it, so I drilled him for details. Apparently, it is a dish served at Outback, but I haven't eaten there. After he told me how to make it, I decided to give it a whirl with my family.

You'll need:
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Fresh mushrooms, sliced
Fresh garlic (I used the minced, jar kind from the produce section)
Honey Dijon dressing (I used Kraft)
Avocado, sliced (optional)
Bacon
Shredded cheese (I used co-jack)
Olive oil for cooking

Pound out the chicken breasts until they are 1/2" thick, using the side of a meat hammer or something else heavy and flat. Saute the chicken breasts in a little olive oil and some garlic, until they are fully cooked. Also, saute the mushrooms in olive oil and garlic until they are a deep brown and cooked down quite a bit. Cook the bacon as well. I put it out on my broiler pan and broiled it on high until crispy, rotating it halfway through. By doing this, most of the grease drains into the bottom of the broiler pan. Once the meats and mushrooms are cooked, you're ready to assemble. Lay the chicken out on a baking tray, spread some dressing on top, top with bacon and avocado, then mushroom, and sprinkle cheese on top. Pop in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Most of my family doesn't like honey Dijon dressing, so I omitted it and those that liked it added it after. I think next time I make it, I'm going to add some onions when I saute the mushrooms for even better flavor. It's really a personal preference for what toppings to have, but cheese is a must!



New Thing #2: My Latest Obsessions
I've recently become addicted to polka dots. I haven't gone totally crazy, but I've joined those with my recent obsession of nail polish. I've never been someone to wear makeup, but my love of nail polish goes in streaks. A couple years ago my grandma got each of her granddaughters a set of Migi nail art pens. I barely ever used them, because I didn't think I could make the fancy designs they show on the box and its pamphlet. A little light bulb went off in my head and made me think to use them for polka dots. So far I've tried the pastel set on white, navy, and black. I think this particular set looks best on dark colors because of the contrast. The pictures below are on N.Y.C. Skin Tight Denim with the Migi pastel set.

New Thing #3: JOB!!!
Without going into all the dramatic and depressing details of the reasoning for my unemployment, I would like to share that I have a source of income to at least help out. I became a Miche bag home representative. I sell totally awesome purses that let you switch the outside as often as you want, so you don't have to empty your purse out and move the stuff to another purse. It's something which doesn't take very much time and I can do on my own schedule, which is perfect considering I'm finishing up school and this last trimester is an overload again. I'm SO happy to have money to help out and a job I can take with me anywhere I go.

This yellow shell really brightens up these dull rainy days I've had lately.


And I swear I'm not a name dropper!!

I can't wait to get caught up with 52 New Things and continue reading everyone's posts.

Cheers,
Rocka

Cheesy (Hashbrown) Potatoes

I'm a super picky eater. Fortunately, I'm changing that by trying new foods and recipes. Unfortunately, it also means I'm stuck in some of my habits. Every time I go to am outing and have potatoes as my dish to pass, I choose this recipe. It is quick and simple without requiring a ton of odd ingredients or a lot of preparation. Most of my family love these potatoes as well, which means I always have to make two or three batches. I don't want to ramble, so here's the recipe.

Cheesy Hashbrown Potatoes

2 lbs frozen hash browns, thawed *I typically use Ore Ida Potatoes O'Brien*
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 stick margarine, melted
1 pint sour cream
8 oz grated cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all and put into a greased 9"x13" pan.
Optional: Top with 1 cup crushed potato chips or corn flake crumbs
Bake at 375F for 1 hour or until potatoes are tender and cheese is golden and melted.

Note: If your potatoes are not completely thawed, they will take longer to cook, but still work fine. Usually if you get them out the day of the event, you'll be fine.

Cheers,
Rocka

Ugh... Valentine's Day

The declaration of Valentine's Day dates back to 498 when it was declared by Pope Gelasius. It was meant to be a day of romance as it celebrated fertility and the beginning of Spring which brought forth bird mating season. In the early 1700s, Americans started exchanging handmade valentines and the tradition continued until they were mass-produced and sold in 1840 by Esther A. Howland. Now, an estimated 1 billion valentines are sent each year (second only to Christmas with 2.6B) and approximately 85% of them are purchased by women.

Now that we have a little background information, this brings me to my point about Valentine's Day. I have never been a fan of the holiday in my entire life. As a young child it was always cute to exchange the little cards with that year's cartoon character craze. As I got older that wore off and I realized it was more about men trying to impress their women and people saying I love you every 2 minutes. Yes, I may be exaggerating on the frequency, but I think everyone gets my point. I've had my fair share of single Valentine's Days and a few where I've been in a relationship (including the past 2 and this year). However, I still don't like the holiday and it's at no fault of my boyfriend's.



There are a few reasons why it makes me say Ugh... Valentine's Day each year when the month of February comes around.

First and foremost, it is supposed to be a day of romance and I think it has sort of lost that touch. It does make people seem more romantic, but why can't we be romantic every day rather than just on February 14th of every year? I say I love you when I mean it, not when a holiday tells me it should be said. I think a lot more of that should happen, because we never know it will be our last chance. I'm not trying to be depressing about it, but I always think it is important to share emotions when we feel them. That doesn't mean gushing whatever is in our heads to random people. I certainly don't walk up to someone in the grocery store and say whatever is on my mind, but a friendly smile or a 'make it a great day' go a long way.

Secondly, Valentine's Day has become just as commercialized as Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Independence Day. This really bothers me and pains me to admit. It pains me because my favorite holiday is Christmas. While many love the holiday for presents, I'm not different. However, I love it even more for the traditions and the time with family since we aren't together as one big group very often. Anyway, back to the commercialization bothering me. It does so mostly because it's become more about chocolate and flowers, than about the sweet little love notes. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect an actual love letter, but something other than buying a card at the store and slapping a 'Love, So-and-so' on it would be better in my opinion. It's absolutely ridiculous that flower shops and other stores may double or even triple their prices on roses just because they know they can get away with it. Every time I'm in town, I drive past a sign every time I go into town that says 'Roses $14.99 dozen', but come Valentine's Day, it is at least $24.99 a dozen. I understand the demand is higher, that we have a free market economy and that's how it works, but it seriously did not cost anymore for those flowers to be grown for Valentine's Day than it does for the non-holiday times of the year.



Lastly, my irk about Valentine's Day is about the stupid tradition we learn as a kid. When I was in elementary school, we had classroom parties for Valentine's Day. Inevitably that meant every student brought in a Valentine card (typically sold in a box of which leaves you short or provides way too many) for each classmate and sometimes the teacher. That's fine I get that it's cute and kids don't know any better. My beef is about the other side of it which is the chalky heart shaped candies that tasted no better than your average antacid. They didn't taste good then, and I'm not sure they taste any better nowadays. Every year at least a couple of students would bring in boxes of chalky hearts as their Valentine or we would eat them with the pizza during the classroom party. Back then they were cute and said 'Kiss' or 'Hug', but now the tradition has gotten raunchier and more illiterate. Texting phrases and shorthand are used which make them an even more stupid tradition.

So yes, I've said I hate Valentine's Day. Whenever I mention this out loud, I get the eye roll of the century from whoever hears it. I don't completely boycott the holiday, but I don't follow the traditions of it either. For me personally, it is more about romance and love and a lot less about flowers and chocolate. I try to choose gifts that are more meaningful and personal to the recipient than following the commercial traditions set forth by the greeting card and candy companies and florists. I also don't think I'll ever pass up a romantic dinner and a fun date with my boyfriend on February 14th, even if he insists on the dang flowers.



Cheers,
Rocka

Mini Makeover

Towards the end of August, I decided that I was tired of my bedroom looking the same. I had two walls in particular that needed a change. The first wall was covered all over in bowling plaques while the second wall was very kiddish. Since the bowling wall had so many spots on it which had faded due to the sun, it needed a total makeover. I chose to paint just this one wall (Sombrero Tan, if you must know) and it really made a huge difference in my opinion.





Bowling wall before and plaques in progress of being taken down. If you look closely, you can really see the differences in color where the sun had changed the wall.


Trying to choose a color that blended well with the border, which I didn't want to take down.


The wall once it was painted and dried. After seeing the Point 'N Paint on television, I was very curious to see if it works. The wall did take two coats, but I would surely use it again for painting. It was slick and I never had to worry about dripping like brushes or rollers can sometimes cause. I highly recommend the product for small areas. It may work on larger ones too, but I haven't tried it yet.


The second wall which needed a makeover. This is the before picture.


I really wanted to showcase some pictures since I have so few scattered about my bedroom. I bought several of the collage style frames. In this photo, I was making sure I liked the layout before stuffing them with actual photos.



Finished look of the second wall and my headboard which spans the entire length of my bed, rather than at the head. The layout of photo frames along the headboard seemed to play nicely with the wall.

Lastly, I will show you the finished product of the first (bowling) wall. I bought a beautiful wall sconce over the summer and was debating on where to hang it. After the mini makeover in my bedroom, I thought it would look nice above my bed.

With someone's help, we hung it over my bed using wall anchors in the drywall. The 'wings' of the anchors didn't expand properly and the weight of the sconce caused the anchors to pull out of the drywall. If this had gone unnoticed, the sconce probably would have fallen on my head while I was trying to catch some shuteye. Fortunately, I caught it in time and took the sconce off the wall. Since those anchors didn't seem strong enough, I purchased some larger ones which ended up not working either. Over the course of three weeks, I tried numerous sets of anchors and nothing seemed to work.

In my next attempt, the sconce was lined up and I had gotten some picture hanging wire to help support it in larger screws. The wire stretched and looked bad, so I gave up on that as well. Since all the attempts had put two large holes in the wall, I had to patch and repaint to cover them up.

Lastly, I went back to the original set of anchors and found a better way to expand them. I asked my dad for help and we started to hang it. I put the anchor for my end in first and it was all set to go. Dad went to drill into the drywall only to discover we'd hit a stud. That meant the anchors we'd tried several times wouldn't work on the end he was hanging. We used a regular screw and finally got the sconce hung up.

To go with the sconce, I found some awesome battery-operated LED flameless candles that look like they flicker when turned on. They're also made with vanilla scented wax, so I can enjoy the scent of vanilla candles burning without all the mess.







Hopefully my mini makeover looks like a success. I'm definitely loving the way it feels in here after a few small (except the sconce dilemma) changes.

Cheers,
Rocka

Wordless Wednesday - Fall Scenery

No Bake Cookies

The other night I made some poppy seed bread, which got overdone in the oven. It was intended for a bake sale at my mom's work, but I couldn't send it with her. I had to come up with something quick to send instead. We were running low on flour (a definite tragedy!), so I also needed something which didn't require flour. While brainstorming, I thought of No Bake Cookies. Delicious, chocolate oatmeal cookies which were quick and required no flour. Since then I've made close to 12 dozen of these little darlings.

No Bake Cookies
Yields: Roughly 3 dozen, using a small scoop

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
1 stick of butter or oleo

1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups oatmeal (quick oats or old fashioned)

You will also need: a large pot, a whisk, a scooper (or two spoons), and wax paper

Bring the first group of ingredients to a rolling boil over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Once mixed thoroughly, drop onto wax paper to set.

*I typically cut the butter into smaller pieces so it will melt faster. Set the wax paper out before starting, because the mixture will set up quickly. Measure oats and peanut butter while the other ingredients are heating up, so they're easier to stir in later. Once they are set, store in an airtight container. If the cookies are flatter, they will set quicker.


Now that I've devoured far too many No Bake Cookies, I think it will be awhile before I make more.

Thank you for reading my blog. Take care everyone!


Cheers,
Rocka