Manoa Girl

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T07:39:00.000-08:00

Ahh, Valentine's Day. The day when your true personality comes out. You are either really into it and expect something special. If you don't get something, you are extremely disappointed. You love all the cutesy aspects of it. This is for you:

Or maybe you have no valentine to rely on, you just got dumped, or you feel that Valentine's is just a way for Hallmark, Godiva, and 1-800-Flowers to make money. Well, then, this is for you:

Or maybe you don't care what the day is, you just know that you received chocolate and that's all that matters. This is for you:

Any way you look at it, I just want to say...Happy Valentine's Day, or Happy Wednesday, or Happy Eat Chocolate Day!

San Francisco

2012-02-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

I haven't been to San Francisco for about 21 years! Sad, but true. I can't believe how things have changed there. When I was 7 years old, I lived there for a year. This is what happens to a Hawaii girl when her dad works for the airlines. You move when you have to. Anyway, at the time, besides me the only other Asian kid in my class, maybe even the school, was Jason. He was another airline kid. We were Asian, but we are both 3/4 Japanese and 1/4 white. Zoom forward to now...I think there are more Asians than any other group in the bay area.

So, on to our vacation. The sad truth is I hadn't seen my dad in 16 years. Not since my wedding day. It was about time. My two younger children had never met their grandfather, step-grandmother, aunt, or cousin. My Oldest was out in California last year and got to see everyone.

We got some great deals on airfare, so we pulled the kids out of school for a week. Oh, again about the school district. I received a letter today stating that they had to send one out when a child missed 10% or more of school attendance days. Maybe if their parents had all summer off like the teachers and most school staff, they could go on vacation then. Maybe we should just go to all year school to take care of that. What do you say school district?

We also got some hotel deals. We decided to split up our trip by staying 3 nights in the SF area, one night in Monterey, and 3 more nights in the SF area. We had an awesome time.

Yes, time for some lame-when-it's-not-you type photos. Did all the tourist stops: Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli, Pier 39, Ripley's Believe It or Not, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods, Japan Town, Treasure Island, Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay Aquarium. The kids had a great time and want to go back soon. We had a good visit with my dad and family.

Can't forget a pic of the official bird of Fisherman's Wharf, the rat with wings, the squawking, annoying, seagull. Here is my attempt at getting as close as I could while walking backward and taking a self portrait. It didn't work that well.

A+ Mommy Gets an F

2012-02-09T18:02:00.000-08:00

You know how sometimes you think you are going to be the A+ mommy and you have a great idea. So, you decide that you are going to create a fun Valentine's project for your child's classmates. Especially since the school district you are in has decided to remove any holiday enjoyment by not allowing any fun food for holidays or birthdays. Don't get me started on that one. That's right for birthdays they can bring a non-food item. The district suggests a pencil or sticker...woohoo! I'm sure my kid would be da bomb if he brought a sticker.

So, for Valentine's Day I suggested we make heart shaped crayons for the class. I got a box of crayons, we unwrapped them all, broke them, and put them into a heart shaped mold. They came out beautiful, see...

They came out really cute and colorful. We still need to put them on cards and prettify them for giving out on V-Day. But, a little known secret...these A+ Valentine's went F at home. The first batch turned out really cute. The second batch were on their way to cute. The oven timer went off, I got the oven mitts on, went to remove the mold, almost made it, and this happened.

Need a closer look?

Although you may be thinking that perhaps a rainbow pteradactyl came flying through my kitchen and pooped, it is really melted crayon wax all over my counter, cabinets, oven,and floor. Oh joy. I do have a tip for you though. If you are ever in this situation, this is how you get it out. You take a Pampered Chef scraper and get as much of it off as you can by scraping. Then you get an iron (I protected it with foil to avoid waxy clothes later) and some paper towels and iron the mess up. Someone else said brown paper bags work well also. When I got to the sections where the iron couldn't reach, I got a wet paper towel, ironed it, and used the steaming hot paper towel to re-melt the wax and wipe it up.

This was a slow process, but it worked. So, A+ craft, F for execution.

Maki Sushi California Roll

2012-01-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

Let's get this straight for all of you who, at the mention of sushi, say, "I'm not eating raw fish." Sushi is not raw fish. Sashimi (Japanese)is raw fish, poke (Hawaiian) is made from raw fish. Sushi is seasoned rice either rolled (maki) or shaped. Today, I will be talking about Maki Sushi. This is more of a Hawaiian style sushi. The rice is a little more flavorful than the Japanese type.

First, I have to give credit where it is due. This is my cousin, Rynie's recipe. Her name is pronounced Ree-Nee. I never understood for the longest time why her name was Rynie. I finally asked my mom one day and she said it was because it was short for KathRYN. I have a big family back in Hawaii. You see Rynie is my cousin, but she is really my mom's first cousin. Her father and my mom's mother were half siblings. I'm not totally sure what that makes us, perhaps first cousins once removed or whatever. In Hawaii, you're cousins. Heck, most of the time close family friends are considered cousins.

Back to the sushi. Rynie makes the best sushi. It is always so good. I can tell you right now, my sushi is never as good as her sushi. I try and people here think it's pretty good. There are a lot of options for filling these. The easiest for me is always a simple california roll with cucumber, crab or imitation crab, and avocado. It is the one that most people will eat. Back home maki sushi usually has shoyu tuna, kanpyo (Gourd strings), carrot, fried egg, cucumber, shrimp flakes, etc.

In the picture above, I made some of both for my friend's 40th birthday party. The first time you try and roll sushi, they will probably come out off centered, but keep trying. You have to practice to get them centered, the right amount of rice on the nori (dried seaweed), and the right tightness (is that a word?). Here's the recipe below.

Rynie's Sushi Rice

Ingredients:
6 cups of cooked Japanese (short grain)rice
sushi nori (dried seaweed)
filling ingredients

2/3 cup sugar
1 cup Japanese rice vinegar
2-1/2 tsp. salt

Heat the sugar, vinegar, and salt in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. Place the hot rice in a large bowl and gradually add the sushi sauce while constantly stirring the rice. You may need to add a little less. The rice should absorb the sauce and not be soupy. Add enough so the rice begins to stick together.

Using a bamboo sushi mat, place a sheet of nori on mat. Have a bowl of water handy at your rolling station. Place rice onto the nori and spread it evenly with your hands about 2/3 of the way down the nori. Keep your hands wet. This will help the rice from sticking to you. Add your fillings. Using the mat, roll the sushi. Hold the fillings toward the center of the mat while doing this. Moisten the end of the nori so it will stick together. This takes practice, but you can eat the mistakes!

You can either cut the rolls now with a sharp knife. If I am not serving it right away, I place each roll in waxed paper and then into a plastic bag. If you cut them and place them on a platter, cover them with a dampened paper towel to avoid them drying out. This usually makes about 6 rolls or 36-42 slices.

With a Cherry On Top

2012-01-14T08:57:00.001-08:00

If you like it than you better put a cherry on it. If you like it than you better put a cherry on it. Uh, oh, oh, oh, oh...whatever, Beyonce. Anyway, made some Cherry Almond Bars the other day. I don't really like cherry anything much. I only like fresh cherries and even then I really don't like eating them because my fingers always get stained. I'm a little strange. I can't help it. My brain won't stop thinking of the what if's in life. Please, please make it stop.

Back to the cherries. They have never been my favorite thing, so in my ongoing quest to lose weight, I thought to myself, "Hmmm, if I make these cherry bar things, I won't eat too many because I don't like cherries." Eureka, I have found my diet secret. Make stuff that taste good to other people, but not to you. Voila, skinnyville here I come.

They make a huge 15x10 tray full so there was a lot. I took some to a party, some to the babysitter, and some to work. I was asked for the recipe a couple of times and today a guy from work said, "Oh, those were good. I only got to have one." I told him I would make more. I had only one, too. Cherries...remember...not my thing. Maybe it has to do with cherry being the only flavor of medicine when I was a kid. Here's a close up of them.

This is what they look like when they are out of the oven, cooled, and drizzled with the glaze.

Anyway, here's the recipe and a few tips. They are good. The middle section of mine was a little mushy. See.

I don't think there was enough batter on the bottom there and those darn cherries took over. They were not good enough to serve from this area. It was like a gory scene of a cherry homicide there. I am going to try these again and use a little less cherry filling. The almond extract added a nice flavor that complemented the cherries well.

Cherry Bars
from Taste of Home Baking Classics page 370 recipe from Jane Kamp of Grand Rapids, MI.

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 cans (21 oz) cherry pie filling

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2-3 Tblsp. milk

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the extracts. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture just until combined.

Spread 3 cups batter into a greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Spread with pie filling. Drop the remaining batter by teaspoonfuls over filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over top. Cut into bars. Yield: 5 dozen.

*5 dozen is an exaggeration. Unless they cut them super small.

Peanut Butter Brownies

2012-01-14T08:56:00.001-08:00

Looked through that Taste of Home Baking cookbook again and found a recipe for Peanut Butter Brownies.

Peanut butter, chocolate, cream cheese - what's not to like? Yes, I could've just bought a brownie mix, but where's the challenge in that? Instead I far exceeded the cost of a brownie mix. This brownie recipe called for 2 blocks of cream cheese.

And, in the end, I'm still not sure if it was more like a brownie with peanut butter cream cheese or a peanut butter cheesecake with a little brownie in it.

Here's what they looked like when they came out of the oven.

Pretty nice looking, huh? And, here is what they looked like on a plate.

How about a side view.

You know how brownies, cakes, and cookies all taste so, so good when they are warm and right out of the oven? Not with these. We all tasted a little when it was warm and we thought it really didn't have much of a peanut butter taste and they were just okay. Then, I put them in the refrigerator. That did the trick. When cold, these tasted like cheesecake.

I have a really good tip for you brownie bakers. You know when you try to cut brownies and your knife goes in and brings up a whole bunch of brownie with it. This always happens and you get a really gnarly looking brownie. Here is the trick. Drum roll, please? Use a PLASTIC KNIFE! That's right. One day I thought about how mochi is so sticky and you use a plastic knife to cut that, I wonder if it would work for brownies - and it totally worked.

Here's the recipe:
Peanut Butter Brownies from Taste of Home Baking Classics
3 eggs
1 cup butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
1-1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Filling:
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to the egg mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside 1 cup for topping. Spread remaining batter into greased 9x13 baking pan.

In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and milk on low until just combined. Carefully spread over batter. Drop reserved batter by tablespoonfuls over filling. Cut through batter with a knife to swirl.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Chill until serving. Makes 3 dozen.

Char Siu Chicken Plate

2012-01-14T08:54:00.000-08:00

Char Siu. In Hawaii, we all grew up eating this in so many ways. A few slices in your saimin, chopped up in fried rice, straight from the meat hook at the China Town roast pork and char siu man's stand, inside a manapua (char siu bao). I really have no idea what the correct pronunciation is of Char Siu. Growing up we all said, "Char Shoe." Doesn't sound very appetizing, does it?

For those of you that aren't in the know - char siu is the pork many Chinese restaurants use in their Roast Pork Fried Rice. It is red on the outside from the tons of food coloring that goes into it. In Hawaii and anywhere else there is a China Town, you can get Char Siu and Roast Pork by the pound. Here, 40 miles away from Chicago, good luck.

I never even thought of making Char Siu myself. Fortunately, our friends, C&C, that live about 30 minutes away from us and are also Hawaii born made this Char Siu Chicken for us once and we have been making it ever since.

Here's an interesting story, we met C&C at a Japanese restaurant in Naperville, IL about 11 years ago. We were waiting for our table and I saw this Japanese guy and his little girl walk up to get some mints at the front counter. My husband and I looked at each other. I said,"They're from Hawaii." My husband said, "Oh, because of his shirt." C was wearing a Crazy Shirt with a gecko on it. I said, "No, I heard him talk."

So, as C&C and their 5-year-old daughter E were leaving I said, "Eh, you from Hawaii?" We started with the usual questions: What high school did you got to and what year did you graduate? Where did you grow up? and so on. Of course, like every local person, you make connections. C went to high school with my cousin at Kaimuki High School. And, that was the start of a great friendship. In fact, they were in Hawaii this past New Year's Day and came to my grandpa's house in Manoa to join us for lunch. Crazy, small world, isn't it?

We are grateful that we met them. They are good friends, C loves beer as much as my husband, but the best part of having them for friends is we go the Char Siu recipe. Just kidding. After getting the recipe, I realized that I had the cookbook this recipe was in for years, but had never tried it. You can make this using pork also, but the chicken is great to throw on the grill. See how much I've lost my pidgin - I meant to say on the - hibachi.

We find that for the most ono results you need to soak the chicken for at least 2 days. I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs I get from Costco. I have also used boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They are, as you would expect, a little drier, but still good. Oh, and if you want, you can always add red food coloring to make it look more Char Siu-y.

First make the sauce.

Place your chicken in a zip top bag, close it well, and place in a bowl just in case it leaks. Refrigerate for 24-48 hours. (48 is best). Flip the bag every once in a while to make sure the sauce coats all the chicken well.

Grill until perfectly charred and caramelized. Serve up with some white rice and veggies. Grind!

Char Siu Sauce (from Taste of Aloha)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce (shoyu)
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/8 tsp. Chinese Five Spice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. sherry
1 tbsp. Hoisin sauce
1 tbsp. red food coloring (optional)

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Marinate meat 24-48 hours and grill. You may also bake your pork, chicken, or spareribs at 350 degrees. 1 hour for chicken and pork. 30 minutes for spareribs.

* I usually make a double recipe to soak my chicken. This ensures that each piece is well coated.

Almond Apricot Bread

2012-01-14T08:52:00.000-08:00

Post written last year after our snowmaggedon of 2011.

Last week we had one of the worst blizzards, since I have lived in Illinois. I have to say being a Midwesterner for almost 16 years, I do know so much more about snow. Of course, when the blizzard hit us last week and we got over 20 inches of snow, our snowblower wouldn't start - again!

While the hubby was at work, my oldest son and I went out and started clearing snow. One of my wonderful neighbors - we are lucky to have many - came over and helped out with his snowblower. I am all about showing my appreciation for these acts of kindness. I really think he loves snowblowing because he did the sidewalk and our driveway - hooray! I decided I needed to bake something for him and his family. I looked through my Taste of Home Baking Classics Cookbook. It was only $12 at Costco. And, why do asians like a bargain so much? I won't see any asians for a while and then - boom - I go to Costco or the outlet mall and they are all there.

Whatever, I found the recipe I wanted to try. Almond Apricot Bread. It sounds interesting and easy. I run to the store because I have no dried apricots and absolutely no apricot baby food. Thank goodness, no more babies here. Of course, there is only one choice for baby food, an apple apricot. That'll do.

It came out nice looking.

The recipe was simple and the bread looked pretty when it was done. Here's the recipe:

Apricot Almond Bread
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 (7 oz.) apricot baby food (or similar)
1 egg
3/4 cup plus 1 tsp. milk, divided
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1-1/8 tsp. almond extract, divided
2/3 cup sliced almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup diced dried apricots
1/2 cup powdered sugar

In a large bowl,combine the flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt. Set aside 1 tablespoon of baby food for glaze. In another bowl, beat the egg, 3/4 cup mil, oil, 1 tsp. almond extract, and remaining baby food. Stir into flour mixture just until moistened. Fold in almonds and apricots.

Pour into greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

For glaze, combine the powdered sugar, reserved baby food, remaining milk, and extract until smooth. Drizzle over cooled bread. Yield: 1 loaf (16 slices).

Those must have been some small slices because there was no way we got 16 out of one loaf. See all those little pieces of almond and apricot? Scarily, this reminds me of a fruitcake.

Obviously, I made two loaves one for the neighbor and one for us. Looks like someone was ready for a bite!

Chicken Katsu Plate Lunch

2012-01-14T08:48:00.000-08:00

Chicken Katsu is a standard plate lunch offering. Most of the fine dining establishments that serve plate lunches offer it as a choice for your entree. And, when I say fine dining, I mean anywhere that serves you lunch on a paper plate or in a styrofoam lunch container with a plastic fork and knife.

Speaking of plate lunch serving ware - does anyone else totally miss the paper plate inside a box? Remember, when every plate lunch you got came on a paper plate, not styrofoam and it was in a bakery style box. I just remember the awe I felt when I opened the top of that box to reveal the treasure inside. Whether it was teriyaki on a bed of cabbage, chili and a hot dog, teri chicken, a veal cutlet drenched in rich, brown gravy. Save me - I could go on and on. The problem is that if I go on and on, I will add pounds and pounds onto my under 5 foot frame.

So, back to the Chicken Katsu plate. Here in Illinois - I have three choices: 1) I can go to the very big Japanese store, Mitsuwa, about 30 minutes away and go to their food court for a Japanese style Chicken Katsu. 2) I can drive to Chicago, about an hour away on a good day, where there is an actual place that serves mediocre plate lunches, 3) I can make Chicken Katsu, rice, and macaroni salad at home with my own two little hands.

Today, I chose the third option because it is just too crazy cold to be driving all over for a taste of Chicken Katsu. Besides, my homemade plate lunch tastes better than the other two options. Usually, I make my Chicken Katsu with the 3-step battering approach. Flour, egg wash (egg diluted with a little water), and then panko (Japanese breadcrumbs). This time I decided to try a recipe that is supposed to be L&L Drive-Inn's. This recipe is from the By Request - The Search for Hawaii's Greatest Recipes cookbook from Betty Shimabukuro. I bought this cookbook on our latest visit to Honolulu. I have to tell you why I bought it.

It includes a request I made to her about 7 years ago for the Kapiolani Bakery Prune Cake Recipe. It is on pages 120 & 121 of the cookbook. She should've asked me, I would've let her use my name. This prune cake recipe is not the right one though. I recently found another one that I am going to try. I have to tell you that I have the proof that it is me. I have the article cut from the paper and it still comes up on an internet search. So, enter my name and prune cake and you will find it. Sad, but true, I am associated in the world wide web with prune cake. Back to the Katsu.

The Close Up:

L&L Chicken Katsu
15 to 20 chicken thighs, boned and skinned (I use chicken breasts)
1 pound panko

Batter:
2 eggs
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp. each salt, white pepper, garlic powder
1 cup water

Katsu Sauce:
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/4 cups water
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. each chicken bouillon, white pepper, garlic pepper
dash of Tabasco sauce

Preheat oil to 325 degrees.

Open the chicken thighs and flatten. (This is where I do things differently because I am lazy.) I just cut the chicken horizontally into thinner pieces. I also use chicken breasts because my kids prefer them and they are a little healthier. Like it matters when it is deep fried.

Combine batter ingredients. Coat chicken in batter, then in panko. Fry in oil until golden brown and crispy.

To make Katsu Sauce: Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. To thicken, add a small amount of cornstarch dissolved in water. (I did not do this. I just cooked it down until it was thick.) Chill.

L&L Katsu Sauce:

Mom's Katsu Sauce Recipe:

To make my Mom's Katsu Sauce:
1/3 cup A-1 Steak Sauce
2 tsp. ketchup (she spells it catsup)
1 tsp. shoyu (soy sauce for the haoles)
2 tsp. sugar
dash of pepper
dash of hot pepper sauce

Mix all ingredients together.

The one on the left is the L&L and my mom's recipe is on the right:

So, we had to do a taste test. We tried our usual Katsu sauce recipe from my mom and the L&L Sauce. The L&L sauce is much sweeter. Mom's is much more A-1 based. Since my little guy could take A-1 intravenously, he likes mom's better. The rest of us couldn't decide. They are both so different. Mom's is much easier because it does not require any cooking. You can do your own taste test.

As for the katsu, I think I will go back to my way salt and pepper the chicken then dip in flour, egg wash, and panko. The panko seems to love the chicken more. It hangs on for dear life. The L&L stayed on also, but required more ingredients and time. And,in the end, there isn't much of a taste difference.

By the way, this homemade plate lunch also included, what I like to call, my Lazy Okole Mac Salad. By the way - I usually use another word for okole that rhymes with pass, gas, and bypass. Heehee. All I do to make this is boil up some macaroni, drain, add some grated carrot, salt, pepper, and Best Foods (Hellmann's) mayonnaise. And, I insist on Best Foods or Hellmann's -depending where you live.

So, go cook up your own Katsu! I am already thinking of the next plate lunch. Maybe - Korean - yes, Meat Juhn or Kal Bi with Bean Sprout Namul. While I am thinking of the next plate lunch my hubby and the two younger ones have been stricken with too much Chicken Katsu...just look at them.

Almost Guri Guri

2012-01-14T08:44:00.000-08:00

GURI GURI....mmmm. Remember that creamy sherbet-like cold treat from Maui. You could only get it by going to Tasaka's Guri Guri in Wailuku or someone would have to bring some to you. They always packed it up in those Chinese take out style containers and packed it for you to take back to Honolulu. Only two flavors were ever available strawberry (my favorite) or pineapple (wouldn't turn it down).

So, how do you get Guri Guri when you are 5,000 miles away in very cold Illinois? Guri Guri is cold and so is my okole right now. Honestly, last year at this time, I was in Honolulu and it was about 90 degrees warmer than it will be here today. While we were there, we did have a knock off Guri Guri that they sell at Longs Drugs. It was pretty good and came in different flavors like Chocolate Haupia, Strawberry Vanilla, and Strawberry Banana. I can't remember the brand, but they were packaged in small plastic containers with the cardboard disk top with the little tab to remove it. Anything you eat with a wooden spoon in a little cup can't be that bad, right?

Back to my point, I need to make my own Guri Guri. Here is the first recipe I tried:

GURI GURI#1
2 (12 oz.) cans of strawberry soda
1 (12 oz.) can of 7 up
1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk

The first and most important thing you need to do is make sure you have enough room in your freezer to fit the bowl you are using. Then, mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Place the bowl in the freezer for a 2-3 hours. If you are like me, make that 4 or 5 hours, because you tend to forget. Go back and give it a stir. Unless you are like me again and forget, then when you go back it'll be 4-5 hours later and you'll think that it is totally frozen already, so you proceed to shove your spoon into it and find that only the top inch is frozen. This causes you to plunge into the liquid portion and it splashes all over your face. Not a good look. So, don't be like me. After your first stirring that should happen at the 2-3 hour mark, leave it overnight. The next day, stir it up and serve.

Looks pretty yummy.

Grab a spoon. Preferably a cow handled spoon because the cow is happy you used sweetened condensed milk.

See the cow is smiling.

My rating on this: Good, not like Tasaka's, a little too sweet for me. The kids thought it was good, but not great. If you have another version that you think gives Tasaka Guri Guri a run for their money, let me know and I will try it out.

Lost My Pidgin Blog Combined

2012-01-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

I decided to move my other blog, Lost My Pidgin, and combine it with this one. This is the reason for the name of the blog.

Transplanted locals...we are everywhere. We grew up in Hawaii, but for different reasons we have ended up far away from our island home. We are a distinct bunch. We remember things like picking mangoes with a long stick with a bag on the end, picking limu in the ocean, catching crayfish in the stream, telling potagee jokes, going to Magic Island for picnics, eating Matsumoto's shave ice, Leonard's malasadas, and Rainbow Drive-In plate lunches.

We wore rubber slippers before they were flip flops and we can think of many uses for them. We can swat a fly, kill a kaka roach, or gather a bunch of slippers and make a starting line for a race. We know how to get the little nub shoved into the hole when someone steps on the back of our slippers and makes it come apart. We know that you never wear your "good" slippers to a party because if someone leaves before you, they might take your "good" slippers.

We know the meaning of li' dat, da kine, hanabata, hammajang, and uji. Unfortunately, many of us live far away now and when we say things like li' dat, da kine, hanabata, hammajang, and uji, they just don't sound right. For me at least, I know that I have somehow LOST MY PIDGIN.

In an effort to maintain my localness, I have decided to assist transplanted locals like me. I will be posting my thoughts about being a local girl on the mainland. I'll also post recipes because we all know that sometimes it isn't easy finding kalua pig, malasadas, and coco puffs when you are so far from home. You probably have an easier time if you are on the west coast where there is an abundance of locals, but here in the midwest and other areas, it isn't as easy.

So, join me on my quest to bring some local style food, fun, and aloha to the mainland.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T21:26:00.000-07:00

This year for our Halloween party we were debating about what me and My Copper would be. For some reason he really wanted one of those fake tattoo shirts. So, first we were thinking bikers, but then he decided to do the convict route. Used a coupon for the tattoo shirt which brought the price to only about $13, orange convict outfit free, and doo rag for his head $1.86 at Walmart.

As for me I decided that I would be his lovely lunch lady, Myrtle. I already had the apron from last year and touched up with ketchup, mustard, and worcestershire, it worked. Made myself a nametag on the computer. Found my beautiful dress for $4.99 at the Salvation Army. Unfortunately, Goodwill only offered dresses that were too nice for the lunch lady. Got some reading glasses and a lovely holder at the dollar store. I just took out the lenses for the glasses. Oh, and I added some lovely earrings from Salvation Army as well. I had one of My Copper's socks up and one slouched down and a hairnet. Just add in some very blue eyeshadow, thick eyebrow pencil, and a homemade wart drawn with a brown pencil with a black hair coming out of it drawn with black eyeliner.

The funniest thing was I left for work dressed like this and My Copper said, "Ew, where did you get that hair?" When I came home he said, "That hair is still in the wart?" He thought I had somehow gotten an eyelash and glued it onto the wart.

Even funnier, I stopped at the grocery store in full costume. No one said a word to me about my costume. I purposely talked to people and not one said anything about my costume. I guess they thought I really was a lunch lady. Scary!

What's wrong with that?

2011-10-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

After My Girl's hula class yesterday, she, My Little Guy, and I went to Noodles & Company for dinner. I ordered their mac & cheese and penne rosa, then I proceeded to order their sides of parmesan crusted chicken. When the cashier read the order back to me, I said, "Can you make sure the parmesan chicken is not on the same plate as the pasta and in two separate dishes?" She looked at me weird and I said, "They don't like their chicken touching their pasta."

She looked at me oddly and said, "Oh, really? Okay." Then, I thought to myself...wow, I am crazy. Why? Because My Little Guy does kind of care, but My Girl could care less. I am the one that can't stand it. My Copper thinks I am crazy, but let me explain my insanity.

Ever since I was a child, my family called me a meticulous eater. I did not like my food touching each other. For example, if we had chicken, rice, and green beans, I would have them all separated on my plate. If some of the liquid from the green beans started drifting over to the rice, I would gently push it back. My Copper thinks I am nuts, but my constantly working brain does not stop when the dinner plate appears. If the water from the green beans gets on my rice, it gets a texture I don't like.

Don't get me wrong, there are some things that I really like mixed together like beef stew over rice and chili over rice. But, there are many more things that I do not like touching. This is one of my quirks. I am sure that there is a phobia, ailment, or diagnosis for this. My biggest downer is when I get a salad, or soup, or pasta and they serve it with a roll, bread, garlic bread or whatever and they place it on top of the dish. In other words, my bread should not be touching the other stuff because it gets soggy. What is wrong with you people?

Well, so maybe I am a little bonkers. The worst part is...My Little Guy is worse than me and I indulge him. Every time we have something like pancakes, eggs, and bacon. He needs two forks; even at a restaurant. He won't use the same fork to eat his pancakes AND his eggs and bacon. If he only has one fork, he will get a napkin and wipe off the fork before switching. I know this and usually give him two forks so he doesn't have to keep wiping. Uh oh, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. Maybe I should say,the nuts don't fall too far from the mama tree. Look out all you future single women that are now about 6 years old, he's going to be a real catch someday!

Nicknames

2011-07-07T08:53:00.000-07:00

We were out the other night and a couple of friends asked me when I was going to post something here. I know I have been MIA on this blog for quite a while. Life gets in the way much too often. I told them that I need to think of something to write about and they both said, "Write about us." I proceeded to tell them that I needed pseudonyms or nicknames for them. Then the task of thinking of nicknames came into play.

It got me thinking. I remember when I was a kid I wanted a nickname mostly because I was watching Happy Days (you remember the Fonz, don't you?). There were the sisters Pinky and Leather Tuscadero. I loved their nicknames. Oh, but the dilemma of which one I wanted to be. Did I want to be the sexy, dressed in pink, love interest of Fonzie? Or, did I want to be the hard hitting, dressed in leather, Joan Jett-ish, rocker? The choices.

I already had a little cousin nicknamed Pinky. That wouldn't work. I didn't really want to be called Leather, so that wouldn't work either. Eventually, I got nothing. Well, eventually, I got something. It didn't stick, thank goodness, but someone we hung around with down at Manoa's gym and park gave me a nickname. Side note: we were what they called Gym Rats. In the summer, we were basically at the park/gym/fields/pool from 9AM-9PM on many days.

The nickname I was given was Ghost. Great. I didn't get something cool like Pinky, Leather, or T-bone (like George Costanza). Nope, I got Ghost. Why? Well, back in Hawaii, I was always very fair. I never tanned, no matter how hard I tried. I turned pink or red and then back to white with more freckles. Pretty cruel for a kid in Hawaii.

Ah, but what did my best friend get for a nickname? She got Ostrich. She was tall and whenever we played sports she would make this sound that someone apparently thought sounded like an ostrich. I'm not sure what an ostrich sounds like, but that's what my friend ended up with. So, Ghost and Ostrich went through life pale and squawking. Thank goodness the names didn't really stick, just for that particular summer.

So, back to the two friends from the other night. One had just been on vacation with another family. She said that everyone on vacation got nicknames. The other mom got Grilled Cheese. Why? Because while sitting on a picnic table on the beach, a local man went on and on about how hot she was, how he liked women with meat on them, and how her thighs could melt a grilled cheese sandwich between them. I guess Ghost wasn't too bad.

My friend, did not get a nickname. We decided that her nickname would be The Intimidator. That's right say it like Arnold. Speaking of Arnold, really, that housekeeper he knocked up, seriously? Not much to look at. Oops, off track again. The Intimidator is not a large woman, not overpowering, not a body builder, but she has confidence. Several people have commented that when they first met her, they thought she was very intimidating. I thought this was hilarious. She almost does the Shrek Puss in Boots kitty eyes and says, "I don't know why they think I'm intimidating." Here's why. She is confident and says what she thinks. She is straight up with people. Some find this intimidating. I find this awesome. I hate when people are not real and honest.

Now on to the other friend. Hmmm, we couldn't think of a nickname that night. So, let's see. She has a pug that sometimes pees all over her curtains. Well, I guess mostly the bottom of the curtains, he is a pug after all. She was a cop in a former life, she has confidence and a good heart, she has a good gay friend that likes to light his own farts, her husband has to travel a lot, but mostly she likes to bitch about the weather (too hot, too cold, too whatever). If Mother Nature ever came into human form, she would need to watch her back. She would seriously take her out.

I still can't think of a nickname. Oh, how about Fahrenheit? That might work. Gabriel Fahrenheit was a famous meteorologist (weather) and since it is the measure of temperature and her temperature can rise quickly over certain things, like crappy weather, etc. That could be it.

So, I dedicate this post to Ostrich, The Intimidator, and Fahrenheit.

Ebay Big Pay Offs

2010-10-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I love a bargain. This is what usually happens to me...I go on the garage sale treasure hunt, I slowly walk toward the sale, I scan the set up, I see that magical item. This is the item that I know I totally do not need, want, or have any intention of keeping. I know I can turn around and sell it for a profit if, and only if, I can get it for a steal. It is almost the same at Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. except that you know the price when you look at the tag.

Thought I would share some of my successes. Let's see. There was this big green bottle shown in this picture. I paid $7 for that bottle. I sold it on ebay for $124.99!

Then I found a real Kate Spade bag brand new with the tags inside, but not attached at the Salvation Army for $3.99. I sold it for $59.

One of the Salvation Army stores that I frequent, has started having $1 clothing days on Fridays and guess what day of the week I am off? Fridays. I usually drop my little guy off at kindergarten, high tail it out to the SA store, spend about 1-1/2 to 2 hours rummaging through the racks and end up with about 15 or so items to sell. Most of these items sell for between $4.99 and $9.99, so my profit ends up being about $60-$135. Some items turn out to be duds and I end up taking them back to the Goodwill, but guess what? I get a tax write off for my donation. And, there are far more items that sell for more than $9.99 than don't sell.

You cannot beat ebay for a great extra money, stay at home mom, make your own hours type "job." Yes, it can be time consuming. Yes, you need to know what sells and what doesn't. Yes, there are some crazy, quirky people buying on ebay and craigslist.com, but life would be boring without a little drama.

Hmm, I just had a few items sell. I sold a costume that cost me 25 cents for $8.99, a $1 pair of Chico's pants for $14.99, a $1 Anthropologie jacket for $9.99, an outgrown by my girl Roxy denim jacket for $9.99 (which I originally bought resale for $4.99), a $1 spiderman costume for $4.99, a $2 Roca Wear wristlet for $4.99, a $1 gap maternity sweater for $8.99, and a couple of other items. Before ebay and paypal fees I have a profit of about $65. Not bad for a little extra time and is it really work if you love it?

MIA

2010-09-14T14:47:00.001-07:00

I have been MIA for quite a while from this blog. Why? Hmmm, writer's block, laziness, realization that there were only a minimal number of days left before summer ended...I could go on and on.

I am trying to determine where this blog should go. Here are my dilemmas.

1) I am too lazy to take pictures all the time. Sometimes I think you just need to enjoy moments without having to haul a camera around to make sure you don't forget it. Besides, I really need a new camera.

2) I love to read other blogs and when I find ones that I really like, I feel totally inferior.

3) I am so scattered and random. I would like this blog to have some sort of vision, but I am a scattered person. My interest are all over the place. Cooking, thrifting, ebaying, shopping, refinishing furniture, Hawaii, Chicago, children, crafts, watching episodes of Ghost Hunters, Two and a Half Men, & Hoarders, etc., etc. Notice that cleaning was not in that list. I hate cleaning which means sometimes I think I could be on Hoarders, but then I watch an episode and determine that I am nowhere near that. This, of course, means that I don't have to clean. Yes, it is a vicious cycle.

4) I need focus in so many ways...that is what I am doing if you don't hear from me in a while. I am thinking of focusing on local (meaning Hawaii) food recipes, since I cannot go out and buy many of the foods I grew up eating, I have to cook them. I should just concentrate on that and then add in my stories of my strange life.

We'll see.

FROSTED DECISION

2010-07-31T05:56:00.001-07:00

Some people make a conscious effort to make the earth a better place. They are aware that their decisions can harm or help the earth. Some of them decide to "go green;" others, like Kermit and I, decide it's not easy being green. Some decide to use reusable bags when they go grocery shopping; I never remember to bring mine. Some people drive Prius hybrids; I don't ever want to see one of those in an accident with an SUV or semi. Some people recycle; at least I do that, unless we have a really big party and all the recycling bins are full.

In my ever growing conscious effort to make the earth a better place, I have decided to.....are you ready?...never, ever, ever use canned frosting again. Oh sure, I've done it many times in the past. Whip up some cupcakes, throw on some canned frosting, and add a few sprinkles...voila! Each and every time I have ever done this and eaten one of them, yuck. They taste horrible. I have tried all the big brands out there and the all store brands. ALL of them range from yuck to yuckier. And, in all honesty, most of the times that I have used canned frosting, I wouldn't eat any or I would eat one before the frosting went on. Maybe I should use canned frosting; I'd save lots of calories.

Here is my promise to the earth: From now on all delectable, delightful desserts coming from Shevon's kitchen, well, all those that require frosting, will have a yummy frosting made by my own two hands and maybe the grubby little hands of a couple of helpers. This will usually mean either cream cheese frosting or buttercream frosting. There may be others along the way, but they will all be homemade.

The other week I made some of these:

I saw these somewhere on the internet, but I can't remember where they were. Being old sucks as far as memory goes. (If anyone knows where I saw them, let me know. I like to give credit where it is due.) The ones I saw were much prettier. The buttercream frosting was piped nicely and they were beautifully perfect. I was going for a more homey, going to the neighbor's for a few drinks kind of look. And, I really didn't want to whip out all the cake decorating supplies just for that.

The little mini cupcakes on top are just mini Reese's peanut butter cups topped with a little frosting and sprinkles. Mmmm, and cute, too. So, now my challenge to you all is...

Join me on this crusade. It's easy. You don't need to change your lightbulbs, buy a hybrid, or buy organic. All you need to do is take out your blender, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla. This is about the future of our children who, without your commitment, will never know the wonders of a yummy frosting!

Craptastic Garage Sale

2010-07-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

Doing a pop-in post. Getting ready for my garage sale this Friday and Saturday. I really despise having them, but I have too many large items to get rid of. 2 coffee tabes, a console table, an end table, an armoire, a large dresser and mirror, and loads of accumulated crap. Ha, ha, crap.

Reminds me...My Girl is a sweetie. She is a good girl, although recently a bit more moody. In any case, she has always, always, always been my easy child. She never likes when people argue; it bothers her. But, back to Crap. It is one of my go-to words. What is all this crap? That's crappy. Oh, Crap. Just a few of my well known go-to outbursts. So, one day our conversation goes like this:

Bad Mouth Mama: "I gotta get rid of all this crap."

My Girl: "You know, Mom, I really don't like that word."

Bad Mouth Mama: "What word? Crap?"

My Girl: "Yes, I just don't like it."

Bad Mouth Mama: "Really, you don't like crap? Why is it too crappy for you? Oh, crap. I said it again didn't I? Does it make you crappy?"

She says nothing just rolls her eyes and giggles. That's how the crap rolls around here. Hmmm, maybe I should list my garage sale as the Craptastic Garage Sale!

Travel Paranoia

2010-07-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

The recent passing of a blogger from Hinsdale, Marija of Holding Court got me pondering life. Marija was a beautifully stylish woman who I did not know at all. She was killed in an accident outside of Atlanta on an antiquing trip last Saturday. She was at the Eddie Ross event I recently attended. I noticed her because she had that look to her...the one we all envy. That casually elegant style. The one I will never be able to achieve unless I grow another 8 inches, but even then I would need to lose a few more pounds. I am extremely short for my weight.

Marija leaves behind her husband and two young children. When I hear of tragedies like this I cannot help but ponder my own life and existence. Each time My Copper and I go on a date night, I worry that if something happened to the two of us, our children would be left orphaned. Yes, My Oldest could take care of the younger two, maybe. I would love to go on a mini vacation with My Copper, but again...what if the plane crashed?

This doesn't seem to bother me when we are all traveling together. I know I am not the only mother on earth that has these concerns. I am guessing that once My Girl and My Little Guy are older and more self sufficient, I will be more apt to go on trips with My Copper. It's strange, but I don't seem to worry about My Oldest when he is not with us. I think that constant concern and worry for him diminished when he was away at college. When he was in high school, I knew when he got home and if he was late, I would worry. When he was away at college, I had no clue about where he was and when he got home which resulted in blissful ignorance.

Anyway, just my thoughts. I wish Marija's family peace.

Eddie Ross Event June 17th

2010-06-25T17:50:00.001-07:00

Like this photo of a powerpoint on a screen? Eddie Ross was here recently and I was fortunate enough to attend this event called Wow Without Work(even got a discount for being a blogger). If you are not familiar with Eddie, have a look at his website. He is an idea machine, has an amazing background in style, and a magnetic personality.

The picture above is a partial shot of the buffet table set with items from Scentimental Gardens in Geneva, IL. Debra from Scentimental Gardens presented alongside Eddie and, I have to say, they are a great team. Eddie is the foodie and style phenom, Debra is great with garden decor, and together they're a winning combination.

This Baby's Tears Cake (at least I think it was made from Baby's Tears was a cute idea. With some tall candles, lovely.

I can't tell you everything that happened...it was a long evening about 3-1/2 hours, but here's an idea I liked: using vintage swizzle sticks for drink markers instead of those wine glass charms. Each has a unique location, is colorful, and also acts as a conversation starter.

There were lots of yummy tidbits to be had. My favorite was probably a spiced popcorn with some candied nuts served in little individual brown paper bags. See the grease spots? Yum. Sorry for the blurry picture. I was trying to take it and grab a bag off the tray!

Speaking of individual servings...this was another great tip. Eddie talked about creating individual servings to be picked up by your guests. For instance, taking little shot glasses, adding a little cocktail sauce to each, and placing a cocktail shrimp inside. Your guests have a holder for the sauce (saving a nice outfit from red cocktail sauce drippings) and, after indulging, a place to put their shrimp tail. I usually do this with any sweet treat I make to take somewhere. When I make a dessert (brownies, lemon bars, raspberry bars, cakes, etc.) to take to a party or work or anwhere really, I cut it into individual servings and place each in a paper muffin cup. This allows everyone to take a piece without searching for a plate or napkin, and, for you germaphobes, people don't get their fingers in other pieces. I also think desserts get eaten faster this way. I would definitely take a piece of something that I don't have to cut and serve myself. Another good point Eddie made was the fact that by making individual servings you know you will have enough for the guests that are coming.

If they rsvp!!! What is it with people and the lack of rsvp-ing? Sorry, but I must go off on this tangent for a moment. I am a planner. I love to have a party with pretty items on the table: place cards, favors, gift bags,etc. It is extremely difficult to do this when people don't respond. So, if you are one of those people, kindly rsvp. I usually add my email to invitations these days because it makes things even easier. Sorry, tangent erased and I am back on track. Oh, and I apologize to anyone that I have failed to respond to for a party. Anyway...
A couple of other hors d'ouevres that were served: mini phyllo cups filled with mac & cheese and topped with bread crumbs. These were surprisingly good and even more surprising was the little canape with country pate topped with a piece of dill pickle. That's right dill pickle and pate. I had to try it. The dill pickle was really perfect with it.

During a break, I spoke with Jaithan for a while. We chatted about parties, and luaus, and how he has a good friend that lives on the Big Island, where one side of my family lives, and yada yada yada. We may have to have a luau the next time he and Eddie come this way. Took a picture with them. This screams, "Go to the gym, woman," and "What the hell did you have to drink?" I had one vodka, cran, oj. I swear; that's it! It also asks me, "Ooh, which one are you an Oompah Loompah or a Munchkin?" Believe it or not, I had on 3" high wedges!!!
This next pictures screams, "What the hell did the person taking the picture drink?" Oh well, she was kind enough to take them.

It was a wonderful evening and I know several bloggers were in attendance. I met Stacey from The Blessed Nest who sat next to me. We had each come alone, so it was nice to have some company from a fellow blogger in the area. Everyone left with some new tips to help create their own Wow party. Or, if anyone needs help, let me know. That way I can just spend your moolah instead of mine.

I am crossing my fingers that Eddie comes back soon to do one of his flea market field trips soon. I would really like to go on one of those outings!

Thrifty Deals

2010-06-19T20:14:00.001-07:00

Friday was my highly successful garage sale day. Here's what I got...

Tall case with 5 pull-out baskets $7, small 3 legged table FREE (it pays to chit chat with people, I was looking at this and she said, "If you want that, you can just have it," so I took it), on the top of the case silver pitcher $1, Pottery Barn beeswax candle 50 cents, floral plate 25 cents.

On the little table top: every single thing was 25 cents each. There is a little vintage tea pot, a glass decanter, glass rooster, 3 biscuit cutters, a hand painted vintage pitcher, 2 planters, a decorative bird statue, and a statue of two children (this one is made in Occupied Japan). All that for $2.25.

white shelf was $2 and the little vintage red case with white polka dots was $1. On the bottom shelf of the little table, is a milk glass plate $1, a pewter vase $1.50, a milk glass salt and pepper grinder $1, a vintage music box stein 25 cents, some wood shims 25 cents, a blue and white vintage scarf $1, and the green photo box on the ground was 50 cents.

Also on the ground is a box of old sewing notions for $3. I found a vintage advertising piece in the box that sells on ebay for more than that. My very favorite find is an old Italian wine bottle. That's right, the kind they sell at Pottery Barn for $99 and up. Got mine for $7!

Oops, I forgot a few things. This was a vintage strawberry shortcake tray for 50 cents, mug for 25 cents, and candle for 10 cents. The white ceramic basket was $2 and the melon baller inside was 50 cents. The 12 metal molds were 75 cents and the old milk bottle was 25 cents. The frisbee, which will be destroyed by the dog in one play session, and the decorative bead strand was free.

I would call it a highly successful day. Total for everything: $33.85 I'm sure I will make most of that back on ebay from a couple of those items.

Note: I just linked up to the Thrifty Treasures Party at http://southernhospitalityblog.com/thrifty-treasures-once-again/

WHAT SMELLS?????

2010-06-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

Why do we do it? Why? Why? Why? Why do we smell something stinky, wrinkle up our noses, and immediately say to the closest human, "Ewww, smell this." Why? It's bad people, it's nasty, it's disgusting, it kills every pleasant olfactory sensation before it....so, come on smell it too, you know you want to.

What made me think of this? Smelly things, of course. My Copper (poor guy) was out training one day last week. It was outdoors and it was a very wet day. Rain, rain, rain. I felt bad for him. He came home with sore feet that had been sitting in soggy black socks and boots all day. His feet looked like wrinkly, wet dead things. He said they were so bad and smelled like dead fish. He didn't want to put them in the hamper (thankfully), so he put them in the laundry room. Did I know this? No. I just happened to have put a freshly washed load of darks in the dryer right before this. The next time I go into the laundry room, I see two black wet socks on the washing machine. I immediately think that I dropped them going from washer to dryer, so what do I do? That's right. I take a gigantic whiff of them expecting the rain fresh scent that the bottle of detergent claims of. What do I get? A gigantic whiff of stinky dead fish. So, what do I do? I go upstairs (laughing the whole way) and tell My Copper. What does he say, smiling? "They're bad, huh, I smelled them, too."

Why? Why do we do this? It must be leftover from our primal times when we had to smell to ensure something was okay to eat. Cavemen didn't have refrigeration. Smell could deter you from consuming something that could kill you. And, believe me, those socks could've killed me. I put them in the garbage instead of the next load. I just couldn't take the risk that they would infect other articles of clothing.

Dogs, of course, have a whole different view of what smells good...

In the end (ha, ha get it, the end), if we are going to sniff around at things, we should just continue stop and smell the roses.

Thrifty Treasure Finds

2010-06-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

I am the lover of a good deal, sale, bargain, etc. I get a terrible pain in my head if I am not allowed to stop at a thrift, resale, garage sale, flea market, antique store...you get the picture. Okay, so I will post pictures when I remember to take some. I love to write, but don't always remember to illustrate!

Right now I have a few items that I still need to put away, sell on ebay or etsy, or do a little prettying up to. My garage currently contains: a cast iron bed (for My Girl's room). This was a freebie from my neighbor's garbage.

A buffet that needs to be sanded and painted for my dining room. I bought it late in the fall and it was too cold outside to paint it properly. It's nice now, so I will be working on it soon.

Bags of treasures that include: crystal plates, pressed glass plates, glass corn plates, a silver pineapple tray (that's right I am from Hawaii), a pressed glass tall dish, a blue small pedestal dish, a pier one frame, and other things that I really don't remember at this moment.

Today at the Salvation Army I found a tacky hula girl statue, but I have plans for her. You'll have to wait and see. A milk glass plate, some wire baskets, a table runner for my antique pedal sewing machine that I got at a garage sale for $20, a game for My Little Guy, and (my best find) pink depression glass salt and pepper shakers for 75 cents!

The best part of the whole Salvation Army (or as I have heard some people pronounce it Salivation Army; eww, I bet people do salivate on some of that stuff) shopping experience was the woman on the phone talking the entire time. She was having a vivid conversation about her divorce and how much it was costing her every time she went to court and every other word was the F word. I was laughing the whole time. My kids weren't there...pheww. Don't worry, I wasn't eavesdropping. I could hear her very clearly from three rows over!

WIN A $20 TARGET GIFT CARD

2010-05-20T18:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I need followers. Tell your friends!

Be one of the first 50 people to register as a follower on this blog and one random person will be selected to receive a $20 Target Gift Card!!! Don't know much about this blog stuff yet...I believe you need to register as a public follower or I won't know you are there and won't be able to see you.

I will use a random number selector to choose one of the first 50 and notify you by email.

Remember, no one will be able to win unless we hit the magic number of 50, so tell your friends.

Walt Disney World

2010-05-20T17:32:00.001-07:00

My children and I were talking about last year's trip to DisneyWorld. Ahhh, I am a total Disneyland and Disneyworld lover. I told my children that each and every time I walk into the Magic Kingdom and see this

Mickey head made from flowers, I AM INSTANTLY HAPPY! Not just a little happy. I am giggly, five-year-old happy. I could skip right under the bridge and take a picture with the first character I see. This has happened to me since the first time I went to Disneyland when I was five years old. Each time I returned seeing the Mickey flower head triggered all my joyous Snow White, Pirates of the Caribbean,and Haunted Mansion anticipation. My dream is to go there without kids. Well, I did that once, but they don't know. But, it was a convention and I wasn't there very long, really, really.

It is just amazing the joy that comes with the magical world of Disney. Walt Disney was brilliant. Where else in the world can you have everything appear to be perfect and happy. Where else are there princesses, pirates, and Pooh; Donalds, Mickeys, and Nemos? Where else can you go on a safari one day, visit a dozen different countries the next, and go on a backlot movie studio tour?

Where else causes children to exhibit unnatural moments of extreme happiness? Here is the proof:

Where else can you go and have your kids look like this at the end of the trip?

AND, where else does your husband smile when his wallet ends up like this?