paint ball fun.... (not)...

I'm not sure how I convinced myself (or neglectfully allowed it to occur). But a couple of years ago, about this time - I remember wearing lots of layers in a cold, dreary day. I found myself being lead into what was meant to be fun, in the form of a paint ball challenge. I am pretty sure I wrote about it, since the idea of deliberately shooting someone was really 'way out of my comfort zone, And the place it occurred was physically located in a geographical area I would not otherwise been in down in a very gritty weedy, neglected, industrial area of south Atlanta.

F., along with a group of co-workers were going on an afternoon of paint-ball fun today, so I thought I should go along. Adult supervison? Researching? Wearing most of the clothing I own, so bundled up, I probably looked like a cartoon character. We went in several vehicles, carpooling down to the long out-of-us trucking terminal/freight-hauling logistics center where the 'business' was located. It is so drab and neglected, it looks more like 'out of business'. Surrounded by a chain link fence, and vast parking lot of cracked asphalt, overgrown weeds, there is a shabby, concrete block, graffiti covered building. I remember thinking when we went before: the guys who were running the business looked like they lived in a dark, cold, dirty room there, heated with a wood-burning stove and scrap lumber, scrounged tree limbs. The atmosphere of the place is of total abandonment. Something that would make a great movie backdrop, as the last battle for control of the ragged remains of the world rages.

So... we waited and waited and waited for the guys who were supposed to be there to meet us at 1:30. Someone called the phone number and got a recording that indicated they are normally open at 2, unless you've made reservations - which had been done. With a deposit paid. So the sorry drug-addled bums should have been there to let us in. I suggested someone call the number of the security company that was listed on the sign attached to the fence, but better judgment prevailed.  But I  predict it would have gotten a quick response: possibly not the one we would have most enjoyed - but I'm pretty sure someone would have showed up!

We went bowling instead. A great idea: indoors, warm, relatively clean (except for wearing multi-person shoes) (and poking my fingers in a thirty year old bowling ball), with a much nicer place to put recycled beer than we would have found down there, behind a building that has a floor with so many blobs of paint from pellets it is gooey, sitting neglected in the weeds on the southside. We played three times -  and adjourned to Eddie's with eight boxes of fresh, hot, flavorful pizzas. And more beer.

annual dr. appt....

Well, it looks like I did a pretty good job of putting it off as long as humanly possible, and still getting it done before the end of the year. Not actually my fault, as the insurance company will apparently only pay to have it done once a year, and not before the date it occurred in the previous year. So, even though I originally intended to get it done right around my birthday, it would get a couple of days later each year. Thinking, I guess, that I could remember it better if I could think it of as the same time as trying to get my license renewed?

The scheduling person would look at the calendar and say: 'well, can you come on the whatever?', and I'd offer a compromise, and we would end up with something just a bit later each time. So that appointment that started off as an annual occasion in September has now gotten pushed back a bit each time, inching along until it has nearly fallen off the calendar entirely. Sort of slouching along to see if I could put it off so long that it eventually got omitted entirely...

There is good news in that annual ordeal: you know, the miserable, humiliating event you start dreading as soon as you put your clothes back on - even though it will be at  least 364 days before it happens again. The dr. said that I am at the age that the medical experts say I don't have to do it anymore. This is one of the few bits of good news I've heard about getting older... the only other I can think of is that I got a COLA raise of $21 a month . Even though I have to nearly run out of month before I get that boost in funds/deposit on the fourth Wednesday, it's always a welcome surprise in my checking account.

being helpful, post script...

I did such a great job on those bouquets, I am sorry I didn't think to take photos, so I could impress all three of my blog readers by letting you view the results. Finished the brides and bridesmaids bouquets last night, except for the ribbon wrap on the stems. And got up (too early) this morning to do the other flowers: corsages for moms, grandmothers, boutennairs for groomsmen, dads, grandfathers. Got it all delivered by 11:00. Then had to dash off to another Publix to get three white carnations to make some little frou-frou/corsages for the servers/food helpers to wear. Devoted people who are church members that can often be found helping out with the kitchen work, willing servants for never-ending KP duty.

I had enough leftover greenery and fresh flowers to make a big pretty swag to attach to the large wooden cross the bride's dad and grandfathers made to decorate on the stage. Her mom had cut down some good-sized crape myrtle trees, put them in some big, square, white wooden planters, and hung twinkle lights all over the bare branches. And lots of strands of clear crystals hanging from the ceiling. It looked fantastic.That mom did an amazing job with the stage decorating. She is so talented, clever, and a great one for 'thinking outside the box', with the things she comes up with to decorate the sanctuary.

I'd had enough of rainy day, and wet feets, so came home to work on that mess on my kitchen counter- flotsam and jetsam catch-all. I'll ask for some photos to show you what  great job I did on the bouquets.

being helpful with a bit of floral work...

I am doing the wedding flowers for a bride who will get married on Saturday. Her parents and I go to church together, and her mom is a friend. The mom is the church receptionist, I see every week when I deliver the clean towels back to the kitchen. I've listened over recent months as J. has expressed concerns about this relationship that is about to become legally binding. And the newly weds will be immediaetly moving to Alaska where the groom recently relocated at the behest of his employer: U.S. Army.

I went with J. a couple of weeks ago to the wholesale floral supply business in Opelika (about thirty min. drive) to order the fresh flowers, and back again on Thursday afternoon to pick up the 'ingredients' for the bride's bouquet. After work today, I called all the other Publix, checking for roses. Then drove all over town looking for little sweetheart sized white roses to make the corsages for the mom's, grands and serving people, plus boutonnieres for the guys (groom wearing Army uniform). I've been putting the hand held bouquets together, will wait till near delivery time to wrap the stems so they stay in water/fresh till needed. I'll get the little satin bows tied for the corsages, and get up in the morning and do the other stuff.

The photography people will be at the church at 1:00, so I will need to get all my part delivered before then. And already looking forward to an afternoon of: nothing. If I can get my kitchen floor cleaned, following the mess I've made with leaves, stems, trimming stuff, I think I will reward myself with one of the many movies I'd like to see before they leave the theaters.

requesting a re-match...

When I left home on Tuesday morning, I believed I was mostly, relatively, fairly, sort-of organized food-wise: with my ham and broccoli casserole, plus a couple of other little items. Things that have become a tradition for the holiday meal. But when we sat down for a hurry up and eat lunch, it did not all get on the table. I didn't realize things were missing for several hours, but as we were driving back to Columbus it occurred to me some of our lunch was still in the fridge.

One of the bowls we traditionally pass at Thanksgiving and Christmas is an adaptation of Waldorf Salad. I don't put raisins in it, and every time they see me cutting up nuts and apples, the questions is: can you leave out the celery? The answer is always 'No', but the celery to apple ratio will invariably weighed towards fruit and very light on the crunchy green zero-calorie vegetable part. I had already diced my celery and nuts, took two apples to cut up and had great plans for salad to go with the ham and broccoli. Thought about it halfway down the interstate.

The other thing has been around as long as I can recall, so it was on my grandmother's table as holiday fare, as well as occasionally on my mothers'. Short lengths of (the dreaded) celery stuffed with a mix of cream cheese and diced green olives. Unwrap the block of cream cheese, and let it sit out to soften. Add a bit of mayo. to make it easier to mix, chop olives and pimento, stir it all together and put in the fridge to chill, and fill the little trench with the cream cheese mixture. Put it out in a little cut glass dish (boat-shaped if possible, to uphold tradition), and it will all be gone by the time you call them to come sit down to the meal.

I'd made the cream cheese/olive combo a week or so ago, when I bought blocks of cream cheese for another project. I was fully prepared. But when we got down to the wire, it did not come together.  For any  number of semi-legitimate reasons: We ate a huge breakfast mid-morning and no one was interested in another meal. Then it got to be early afternoon, and I knew C. had to get dressed to go to his job.

It was sort of hurry up/slap-dash in getting on the table. C. was trying to get ready for work, kitchen chaos was occurring, dogs barking, cats wailing...Such a flurry of activity with ham-slicing, risotto-stirring, casserole cooking, chaotic gift-giving/unwrapping, I just didn't get it all accomplished.So I'd like to ask for a' re-do', and have another opportunity, a bit more time to get organized and have it all on the table at the same time.

peanut butter cookies...

This is the part where you think: 'you know you are right! What could possibly be easier than a three ingredient cookie recipe?'

And of course, as you know, tthey are not 'officially' peanut butter cookies unless they have fork marks from the tines imprinted on each cookie. And should all be nice and small, so one can easily fit in your mouth. This will allow you to give the  innocent, 'who me' look as soon as you pop it in, to avoid being caught with the evidence in your hand.

2 cups of baking mix, like Jiffy, Bisquick or the store brand
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 can condensed milk (not evaporated - the kind that is super thick, super sweet, really bad for you)

Mix the milk and peanut butter together, till smooth, add baking mix, it will be stiff, hard to stir - keep at it. When all the baking mix is stirred in, roll into one inch balls, put on baking sheet, press gently with fork tines to leave parallel mark on each cookie. Bake at 350 for ten minutes, or until lightly browned.

 You can get about four dozen on a sheet, they don't spread. It makes at least seven dozen, if you don't consume too much before they get cooked. You might want to plan to give them all away, as you have eaten so many while you were making them, you don't feel so good….

lunch casserole for the Christmas dinner...

Woke up about 6 am, to get my casserole put together so we could take it to TN. A well- traveled casserole is always so much more tasty. This is  a recipe I have not made in years. Almost as easy as that peanut butter cookie recipe I made and gave away last week: what could be easier than a dish with only four ingredients? Oh, yeah, that would be the peanut butter cookies that I bagged up and put in the mail. This is not quite that simple, but not really complicated. The most difficult, time consuming part is waiting for the rice to cook before you put it all together.  All you need is the cooked rice, some chopped up broccoli, a can or two to open - that's it.

I used to make it years ago, and divide up into little square casserole dishes, freeze solid, and put in baggies in the freezer. Take out when I had no idea what we were having for dinner, and thaw, to make it look like I was organized, planning ahead, a really dutiful spouse and mom. Those were the daze…

Broccoli Casserole

2 Cups cooked rice (I used brown, that I cooked in chicken broth)
2 boxes of broccoli - chopped, thawed
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 jar of cheese whiz - I know - questionable nutrition.  I could only find wee little jars when I went to the store on Monday, so I bought a big jar of pasta sauce that was cheese, bigger than I really needed, so did not use it all. If you use the cheese whiz, it is a pretty solid substance, so I have found that it is best to add it to the rice when it is still hot, so it will soften, melts  and everything will stir together.

Added chopped onion, that was cooked first in the micro. and stirred it all up together. Bake for thirty min. at 350. It's all really done, except the broccoli, so it just needs to get thoroughly heated.

The three ingredient cookie recipe comes next.