Mommy's Nest

The week that I feel really old.

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 16:42:00 +0000

It all started with trying to do my favorite stretch on Peloton, the "Calm" one with Selena Samuela.I am so out of shape it actually hurt. Then heading out to walk Biggie Smalls I stepped wrong and FELL flat on my face. I sat there and cried for a minute, T-bone was coming out just after us and he helped me up. I wasn't hurt, just embarrassed. I have a CPAP machine for gods sake. I take meds and vitamins and ugh. Maybe once I get this sleeping thing in order I will feel better, but right now I feel really old.

Boo Boo and The Zoo

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 21:51:00 +0000

Last week Boo Boo La La let me take her to the Minnesota Zoo. She said she had really been wanting to go! We picked a day. Dropped our puppy-dawg at daycare. Got Starbucks and our tickets online. Away we go! She even let me take two pictures.

The best part was the talking. We talked about memories of different parts of the zoo, I told her about taking her older siblings, she told me about zoo camp. And other random things you talk about when you take your daughter to the zoo when she is almost eighteen. Next week, lunch!!

Who am I?

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 14:11:00 +0000

I wonder sometimes what people think of me.

Work people especially since I can't see any of them very often. I am home alone - a voice on the phone or a face on a Teams call.

And I can't stop thinking about it lately because hubby is sleeping on the couch because he had surgery and has been in Houston since Thursday.

So, I can't sleep and that means loops of thought.

What do you think?

Why didn't I un-Friend you first?

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 16:44:00 +0000

There is a woman I used to know. I have not spoken to her in years. Every time I spoke to her it was drama. She called or texted me to share some perceived slight or wrong-doing by others to her. It was

EXHAUSTING!

So I was ignoring her.

About a month or so ago? She texted me asking if I knew some stupid piece of information about her and her spouse.

I did not.

Then she kept texting me saying it was IMPORTANT if I knew to tell her because she now knows this "friend" of ours has been lying about her and others (only one person on her list I knew, the others I never even heard of...) and she is no longer friends with said "friend".

I told her I didn't know anything about it, and to kindly leave me out of her drama.

OH SORRY TO BOTHER YOU.

Fast forward.

She apparently then went digging - the puddle of friends we share is about six people, some of whom I have not seen in years either. So digging or making shit up in her mind, whichever.

She texted me that she "heard" I have been lying about her for YEARS and that she is now un-Friending me on Facebook since apparently, I am not her friend.

(Which, really, I am not. She is someone I used to know.)

Whuck? The only time her name has been in my mouth has been to say I have not spoken to her in years.

But now I wish I had un-Friended her one of the times I have thought about it since the last time we spoke. (The FUNNIER part is that she remains friends on Facebook with my husband. lol)

The end.

BEST CASINO TABLE GAMES - SLOTS OF VEGAS!!!

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 13:40:00 +0000

This is what my blog has come to:

Comments from bots directing folks to online casinos.

I wonder if I start actually blogging again if they will multiply - or fade away?

Nobody Blogs Anymore

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 19:39:00 +0000

It seems like nobody blogs anymore. I click on people who commented on my old blog posts and nope.

No posts for years and years. Except one who posted in June 2021 - about her husband needing some life-changing surgery, and then no update.

I hope he came through it okay.

I liked reading her blog.

She was funny and sensible, which is a good combination in a human if you can find it.

I thought I would say hello out into the blogger-verse because my domain is renewing and all. The $10 I spend to keep this domain alive seems silly.

Especially when the only thing happening on my blog are comments on old posts to go to some or other online casino.

Can you redirect your domain to something new? Will I lose all my old posts if I want to change my domain?

These are the thoughts on a Wednesday afternoon.

Siri SUCKS!

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 14:11:00 +0000

Yesterday I was driving and I asked Siri to make a call for me. Having just switched over to an iPhone in May, after only having a Blackberry (only one, my first phone) and Samsung phones since I have had a cell phone - I was not used to the response.

I said, "Hey Siri, call Athleta Customer Service" to which I expected it to pull the 800 number - and I got a list of local Athleta locations instead!?!?!?

Like Siri, you are totally useless.

Even my Google Home knows to pull up this number.

Can someone who else has gone from Samsung to Apple, or vice versa, please explain to the rest of the idiots out there that an iPhone is NOT superior in.any.way? Any of my Samsung Galaxy phones run circles around my iPhone 12 Pro. CIRCLES. It is an electronic brick.

I have this phone for one reason only - Find My. I had a very scary phone phishing experience and do not want to repeat it so I track my kid. She hates it, but too f'ing bad.

So Samsung, if you are listening, get a service that is free like Find My on your device that can track an iPhone and I will be back faster than you can say, "Hey Siri, you are useless." to which Siri replies "That's not nice." but too bad you really suck.

If it looks like this...

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 21:03:00 +0000

If the cycling studio you attend looks like this ->

They don't care about teaching cycling. Cycling is an afterthought driven by using open space to generate revenue. Those bikes are trash and there isn't much way for you to know if you are in the right gear to get stronger, no matter how dedicated the instructors.

If the cycling studio you attend looks like this below:

Congratulations! You have found a real cycling studio with quality bikes and instructors who will know just how to get you stronger.

Anxiety

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 02:00:00 +0000

This is a picture that I was so proud to take. My daughter went with me to vote for the first woman to be President of the United States. We bought a cool t-shirt and a button at the Fair even that summer.

I was sure of it.

I felt it in my bones.

I had no clue that people hated her quite that much. Or hated that she 'let her husband get away with, xyz'. Or that EMAILS!

I was kind of crushed.

Boo Boo would not go with me to vote in the next election. She was crushed too.

Now she takes to Instagram and posts about anti-bullying, being kind, and taking care of others. Protests - #sayhername #blacklivesmatter #Beruit - She knows what is going on and asks me questions.

Mom, do you know who Kamala Harris is?

Do you know why Joe Biden picked her to be his running mate?

Did you and Daddy vote yet?

It all is starting to feel familiar though. And with the #45 Parade down our Lilac Way this past weekend, I am anxious, to say the least.

Not to mention all the vitriol on posts by our Governor. I can honestly say, I would be afraid to be in front of some of these people.

How did Minnesota get like this?

The white supremacy seeping out from the "nice".

I will remain positive, but a little anxious, until this is all over.

Maybe by Christmas.

Just please, no Jason Lewis.

I was driving when this a****** decided that he's going to practically stop in a 45 mph zone.

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 21:00:00 +0000

In our town, there is a three-lane road where at one point, before it gets downtown, one of the lanes becomes an exit only.

This morning when I was driving my child to soccer a gentleman decided that he wanted to jockey for position to move over into the crowded exit only lane and not care that he was blocking the entire center lane of this three-lane highway. (He had plenty of opportunities to merge into the lane, he NEEDED to be first in line)

I honked at him, then as I passed he looked at me like, "What is your problem?"

I'll tell you what my problem is loser - My PROBLEM is white dudes like you who think that you can jockey for position wherever you are regardless of everyone else. YOUR NEED TO BE FIRST NO MATTER THE COST.

You are an entitled lump of crap and you are blocking the way of everyone else!!

Get out of EVERYONE's WAY!!!

that's my problem

Something Scary Comes This Twitter....

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 13:14:00 +0000

This morning I was checking Twitter Notifications and I saw that someone "liked" one of my tweets.

I could not even think when that Tweet was from, a PINK Chevy Tahoe?

So I clicked and found it was from 2010...

What kind of time do you have on your hands that you can literally find a random tweet, from a random person, and take the time to not only like, but reply? Bot? Or Not?

Enjoy peeps!

It is JUST like a Monday. #TuesdayAfterLaborDay

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 13:56:00 +0000

ANNNND I need a pedicure...

Off We Go To Milwaukee!

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 14:01:00 +0000

Earlier this summer I had a crazy idea that we would drive over five hours to Milwaukee. Lucky for me I am married to T-Bone and beyond my giving him grey hair he is a pretty good sport! How many husbands would agree to a 36-hour trip that 10+ was driving?

It would be a surprise visit to Summerfest for my child to see Billie Eilish.

p.s. I agree it was an amazing show and her brother was also fantastic to watch. I'll give my review later...

But along the way, we found other ways to amuse ourselves.

Me - I looked for license plates (after I saw Alaska!) and I found:

I got a lot of problems with you people and now you're gonna hear about it.

I am of the opinion though that Illinois has FAR too many variations of their plate & that people have plate frames that oddly cover a large amount of their state name. Which I can't believe is legal.

Then, of course, there was Sunday Brunch & watching USA Women's Soccer KICK A$$!

Rose Bowl @ Wicked Hop

We wrapped up our weekend in a place where T-Bone could be happy too.

The Harley Davidson Museum! Who goes to Milwaukee & doesn't do that?

We took a guided tour - heard about plenty of motorcycles (and other motors!) and went into the limited run exhibit "Daredevils! A Century of Spine-Tingling Spectacles" that had everything from Buffalo Bill Cody to Joie Chitwood & Evil Kenevil. Plus, some idiot that tried to build a loop-de-loop & mountain bike it...ugh! Do NOT try this @home.

And now we are home again - jiggidy-jig!

How is your summer?

Come and knock on our door....

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Mon, 17 Sep 2018 17:23:00 +0000

Got a little irritated this morning trying to return a Redbox.

The location - that appeared in my search for a movie the night before - did not exist.

So, I had to find another location on the way to work and it took extra time. Boo!

And now - annoyed at Amazon as they have delivered an item to my front steps, where it states -

ALL DELIVERIES TO THE SIDE DOOR PLEASE

Because I live on a busy street I do not like them leaving packages framed by my hedges for all to see. I mean, really? I have it on my account too - ALL DELIVERIES TO SIDE DOOR/BACK DECK. And the person that delivered it today even took a picture of it.

What a dipwad.

So - I have to do something to cheer myself up.

Before and After of my side yard!!!

The first picture was of the progress my dear T-bone was making constructing our awning - the second the awning is done, a new light (bonus) and the landscaping is fixed!!!

Yeah!

Here is hoping the Amazon box with the solar pathway lights doesn't go missing.

Looking Back - and Laughing Out Loud - Fabulous Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 14:41:00 +0000

Today I realized I did not have all of Boo Boo La La's first-day pictures in one place.

Facebook has been showing them to me lately and I decided today I better get them together as I only have so many years left!!! (she was reminding me she will be 13 SOON today!)

And scrolling through Google Photos as I was I came upon gems that NEEDED to be published.

You see, I went to a movie with these two ladies on Wednesday night and it was so much fun.

They are both VERY crafty, me not so much.

They are both VERY funny.

I love them!

Patty!!! Who makes days fun and can be found hooping, crafting, listening, grabbing candy and parades, boating, maybe has a beer in her hand, but always reaches out for yours!

And well this is Boo Boo's funny side....from 4th grade.

Enjoy and Happy Friday Peeps!

The Great Minnesota Get-Together!

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Thu, 23 Aug 2018 13:59:00 +0000

Today starts the Minnesota State Fair.

Have you ever been to the Minnesota State Fair?

No?

You should visit. It is just about the best time you can have with tens of thousands of your closest friends and neighbors.

There are concerts - some free around the grounds - and bigger shows at the Grandstand, people watching, a GINORMOUS slide, rides, games, fun activities, people watching, live television and radio shows, and MORE FOOD ON A STICK (or not) THAN YOU CAN HARDLY IMAGINE.

2017 State Fair

Then there are the barns. I love walking the barns. Horse barn, sheep barn, cow barn... But lately, this little lady below, who is now 12 and not 7, is not quite as enamored of them as she was when she was 7 years old.

Like, I could NOT get her out of the sheep barn and she wanted to love and pet everysinglesheep! when she was 7!

Last year? Yawn.

But Facebook reminds me just how much she used to love petting the sheeps. And that is cool.

Plus, she still will hang out with me at the fair.

BEST Juicy oven baked chops or chicken!

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 18:11:00 +0000

I am no good at taking photos while I cook.

I don't have a fancy camera to make things look like Pioneer Woman.

I do like to cook. A lot.

I do not always GET to cook because my husband gets home before I do and he does not want to wait until 7pm every night for dinner.

I try to make food exciting when it is my turn to get behind the stove. But because of how picky Boo Boo La La is I often just bake chicken with lemon or wine and cinnamon, or chops with onions or apple. T-bone had commented on how dry he thinks baked chicken breast is, but he does not like other pieces of chicken. And chops can get dry in the oven too.

So I googled pork chops and found this lovely recipe from The Kitchn blog. And as luck would have it the chops I had were bone-in! I made the brine with garlic, pepper and some thyme, which is what I had, and voila! DELICIOUS chops.

A month or so later I tried it again with two packages of meat that were needing to be cooked or lost forever - one package was pork chops and the other ended up being chicken thighs! They came out so delicious that T-bone even ate some of the chicken thighs! I buy chicken thighs on sale for myself and do make ahead lunches with them. Yummy! Salivating just thinking about those juicy nuggets from the brine.

Now, this week I had Presidents Day off so I made sure I had everything ready to make chicken breasts in the brine when I had an epiphany (!) TEQUILA!!!

I have a giant bottle of tequila in my fridge that I have been trying to use up, so I substituted half the water for TEQUILA and used just garlic and the juice/zest of a lime in the brine.

You can say it.

That totally does not sound like it sucked at ALL.

And you are correct peeps. It was PERFECTO!

Muy bien.

Let me know if you try it and you like it too!

Holidazzle Memories - Minneapolis Christmas just is not the same.

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 14:56:00 +0000

Long ago and far away we used to have a Christmas parade in Downtown Minneapolis called Holidazzle - they now have a market they call the same, but it's not.

Here take a look at one from 2009

Holiday Light Tour 2017

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 15:48:00 +0000

Attention - This Post is from December 23, 2010 - I just love it and needed it again.

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 15:59:00 +0000

Note from 2017 Mommy Lisa, We have this Santa Photo framed so I just pulled it out decorating for Christmas and wanted to share the joy!

Yesterday I played along with Wordless Wednesday and put up this picture of my Dear Sweet Child, Boo Boo La La.
I got lots of nice comments about how cute she is - Thank you - and I wanted to tell you how it came to be that I found myself paying for a picture with Santa Claus for the first time EVER in her life.

You see my husband is in a union and every year they have a Christmas Party for all the kids to come and see Santa and Mrs. Claus - she sat on the SAME Santa's lap (or at least near it) every year since she was 11 months old.

The Evidence:

At 11 months

Just about Two

At almost three she didn't think she liked the big guy...

Almost four and starting to get the picture...

This year however my husband had to WORK on the day of the party...and while I would KNOW people there, including my BIL and his family, it was essentially my husband's WORK Christmas Party and who goes to their spouse's Christmas Party without their spouse?

I thought to myself...you DO have a backup Santa.

THIS is what I call a good backup Santa!

Boo Boo's Pre-K ALWAYS has a visit from Santa!

wah wah wah

Remember what happend at Boo Boo's Pre-K Christmas Pagent? Snow-maggedon 2010? The blizzard of SEVENTEEN INCHES OF SNOW that took down a football stadium?

yeah, no Santa that day either.

So what does a mama do that PROMISED her Boo Boo she could visit Santa?

She takes her to the mall on the COLDEST night in December that is possible and does it on the night they ALSO allow people to bring their pets.

I am a genius.

But Boo Boo was soooo excited.

As we stood there in line for nearly two hours she was as patient as any four year old could possibly be...having to wait for THREE dogs to sit with Santa ahead of her...hair dirty and in a scraggly pony...not dressed up in her Christmas Best like years past...but you know what?

She chatted with Santa for the longest time. And this Dear Santa really listened and talked with her on a whole other level than our Santa's of the past.

And T-Bone still got to watch The Vikings at Applebee's.

20

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 13:36:00 +0000

20 random FACTS about yourself that may surprise people.

These are my favorite things to do - Thanks to my blog friend on Facebook for posting it so I could play along.

1. Do you make your bed everyday? YES! Forever! - https://youtu.be/KgzLzbd-zT4 and I am in good company.
2. What's your favorite number? 8
3. What is your dream job? Being Chrissy Hynde - ha ha.
4. If you could, would you go back to school? I just finished in 2010. No, but I like to learn.
5. Can you parallel park? Yes, I used to be excellent at it - going to the U will do that to you.
6. A job you had which people would be shocked that you did? Bakery line worker for McGlynn's factory.
7. Do you think aliens are real? Probably.
8. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes, my first BRAND NEW car was a Mazda Protege and I purposely bought a manual transmission.
9. Guilty pleasure? Floating in a pool with wine and good friends.
10. Tattoos? Two - want a third, but it will be tiny.
11. Favorite color? Green or blue, depends on the day and the shade.
12. Things people do that drive you insane: Not fully reading an email before they reply - bad driving - leaving socks everywhere...
13. Fear? Drowning or suffocating.
14. Favorite childhood game? Whatever my grandparents would play with me - Old Maid, 500, Yahtzee, Scrabble. It was fun to play with them. Grandma would not let us lose until we started playing 500 - then she was out for blood.
15. Do you talk to yourself? I worked in a radio studio by myself for 9 years, of COURSE I talk to myself.
16. Do you like doing puzzles? Yes, especially with other people.
17. Favorite music? It's hard to say so I will say Christmas because I am that person who got excited this morning when she heard the ad on Sirius that HOLLY IS BACK 11/1.
18. Tea or Coffee? Coffee, unless I am sick.
19. The first thing you remember you wanted to be when you grew up? Lawyer
20. One place you've been to that truly amazed you? I love San Diego and Napa/Sonoma. But I don't want to live there...

You can play along... copy and paste it onto your blog, post the link below!

It always takes more

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 13:26:00 +0000

I always have these grand plans for everything I am going to accomplish.

Not just on the weekend, but any given day.

Like yesterday I imagined that I would get another shelf of my closet organized, the laundry put away, roast squash, make dinner, maybe vacuum and clean the kitchen.

This, all after church, lunch, and going to get our pumpkins for Halloween.

Ha ha ha ha.

No.

I got the squashes roasted and the kitchen clean. Oh, and I made rice and a salad for dinner. After all that was accomplished it was after six and I was pretty much pooped.

But I spent time with my husband and my daughter - maybe she will remember the pumpkins and the frappucino and not the argument we had this morning over moving the recycling bin.

It always takes more than you have of things. More time, more money, more energy.

I always seem to run out.

Here is to setting my goals more reasonably this week.

Happy Monday Peeps.

Pictures....

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 20:21:00 +0000

I often look at my Google Photos and wonder...

Why on EARTH did I take this picture??

I know at the time I took that picture of the drink cup and top of a sport-pepper I was trying to get people to guess "Where is Lisa?"

But out of context why on earth would I take a picture of a sign warning me to "...not feed the coyotes." when nothing would be further from my mind to do.

Isn't this a cute egg?

I wanted to remember the tequila and buy some for a party.

LAND HO!!! (Side of the highway in Sonoma County, CA)

Should I get boots for MY chicken?

Joy in a glass.

ROAR-ing good wine.

Does this need a caption?

Sometimes I get a beautiful photo....

Other times I find I look odd...

Or something is funny...

Like REALLY funny.

Mama - we need this recipe in our life!!

Sometimes the heron is on this rock, other times it is a turtle or two in the pond next to the parking lot.

What a great State Fair!

Homemade Gummy Bugs!!! Yum.

I do not think I need to say more....

I did not like the capture...it was more like torture.

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 15:05:00 +0000

I need a prompt today...

Oh yeah, it's THURSDAY!!! Welcome.

http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/

The Prompts for Thursday, July 13, 2017:

1. List 7 things you’d rather be doing this summer.
2. Describe a hobby you would pursue if you had an additional hour to spend each day.
3. Write a blog post inspired by the word: celebrate
4. Book review!
5. Your summer vs. Your kids summer

I was going to write about My Summer vs. My Kid's Summer, but both have been pretty great. I turned 50 and went to wine country with my girlfriends and tasted delicious wine - ate delicious food and pretty much rocked that birthday. And Boo Boo La La went to her first overnight camp, is learning ukulele and is participating in general merriment at her summer program.

I also got to go to Duluth with T-bone and Boo Boo which was way relaxing even if we were in a waterpark hotel.

And your summer is _______________?

So I decided to write a 4. Book Review! because I FINALLY FINISHED THIS DARN BOOK I HAVE BEEN READING FOR NEARLY A YEAR. Ugh.

I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith

Last year I got a summer reading list and - uh, let's say I hope they fired the person who curated that list.

This book was a slug fest for me to complete. I found the characters irritating and their behavior kind of stupid. But perhaps that is because it is all written by Dodie Smith when she was in her early fifties, but the voice of the book, the main character Cassandra, is 17. I just feel it wasn't right. Somehow what Cassandra "captured" in her writing about what was going on just was silly and boring.

So yeah.

Do not read it. Really, just walk away from the book.

Unless maybe you are 17 or a 50-year-old who thinks they are 17 again.

Give me Liberty....

noreply@blogger.com (MommyLisa) — Fri, 26 May 2017 15:06:00 +0000

I hope you all have plans for the long holiday.

I plan to spend time with my family today
My friends and family tomorrow as we host a big party - maybe drink too much wine...
Sunday relax and enjoy what comes, maybe garden a bit
Monday - be thankful I don't have work - go visit my MIL for a bit and walk over for the celebration at The Victory Memorial Flag Plaza and watch my daughter sing the National Anthem.

Enjoy Peeps.

Enjoy.

Thousands gathered today at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate to hear former Pres. Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel speak about democracy. pic.twitter.com/yDP8c41tru
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) May 25, 2017