Making Soap

Making soap

My endever to create a giant soap dynasty is getting off to a rough start. Using a gylcerine soap making kit is not very cost effeincent. Making soap from scratch with lye is cheap but scary. Using lye is just as dangerous as all the articles say it is. The internet says do not let lye come in contact with aluminum. I thought it just meant aluminum foil. Apparently, it means all aluminum and that includes aluminum pans.  When lye meets aluminum it can be scary, albeit amazing. It becomes a mass of hot steaming lava. I am now down one aluminum pan, a few minor chemical burns to my face and eyes ( nothing perminate.. I have my vision back). The extra good news is that Peek doesn't seem to have any permanent lung damage from the noxious poisonsous steam from boiling lye water.


Gloria Stewart

Processed Food

I am going to cook 4 meals this week. No frozen processed food. Although, I think processed food gets a bad wrap... Or does it? Is it all hype? Isn't any food that you put together processed food?

proc·essed, proc·ess·ing, proc·ess·es

1. To put through the steps of a prescribed procedure: 2. To prepare, treat, or convert by subjecting to a special process

There I go, wondering off topic. I am cooking this week with fresh meat. But really, is purchased meat from a grocery store, fresh meat? Is it just called fresh just because it is not cooked? I have seen fresh meat on my sisters table. Meat that just gave up it's last breath minutes before being slapped into a skillet. That is fresh meat! Albeit' gross meat. Now that is what I consider processed meat. A process  that can turn you into a vegetarian!

Okay back on topic of my quest to fix real suppers. I even bought some exotic ingredients. White pepper and thyme leaves. Really? White pepper? Does it taste different than black pepper? Or is just to hide the pepper.. to sneak pepper into a dish? A secret ingredient! I like it.

Holy Crap! I’m going to be 50

I don’t understand people who don’t want to tell their age or hate birthdays. I have always liked to celebrate mine. Much rather have birthdays than not!

People seem to expect me to be upset with turning 50. Oddly enough it doesn’t bother me. I do find it somewhat shocking to say, “ I’ll be 50”. Wow 50, such a grown up age. Holy crap, when did this happen?

What bothers me the most is that it happened so fast. A wrinkle here and there doesn’t bother me. My frizzy hair and extra hair in odd places bothers me more.

But mostly I am amazing calm and don’t really mind saying, “hey, I’ll be 50”. However, it could just be a false calm, a side effect of crazy pills.

Stage Fright, I’ve Had It

This past December I had a small part a play at little Bedford Theatre. I had never done anything plays and it was a small role about six lines. So I thought, why not, my 16 yo daughter has memorized whole scripts. Surely I can memorize 6 measly lines. It turned out that it was harder than I thought. I had to focus really hard on my 6 measly lines. I’m sure glad it was a small role. I asked my daughter for tips on how she memorized so many lines and even some of the other players’ lines… she was no help... Basically she told me “geez mom. It is only 6 lines”. So I practiced at work, in the car and home. My co-workers and my 8 yo grandson had my lines down. You see, I had trouble remembering this line…. “Nail down the church, lock up the silver service and hide the collection plate they will clean them out”…it was silver service that me threw off… I have never used silver service in a sentence… who says that?

It was finally opening night and I was so nervous. My heart pounding hard and fast and my knees were literally shaking. It was my time to come out on stage. With my stomach churning, heart pounding and knees knocking, on stage I went and I nailed it, I was perfect. I didn’t miss a word. My second queue for my next few lines was right after the choir sang silent night. I didn’t miss my queue or my words... such excitement and rush after knowing you did it! Oh how fun... a star was born! Next 2 nights... was a blast, I was relax enjoying feeling confident and feeling somewhat disappointed that we only had two more nights to go.

Fourth night, when it was time to say “Nail down the church, lock up the silver service and hide the collection plate they will clean them out”… I said Nail down the Church…. I think I experienced what it must be like to have a stroke. I think if I was asked my name, birth date and current president. I could not have told you. My mind was totally blank. I could see the look of pain and encouragement all over the actors face. It took all I could do to save myself. I had to reach way down inside all the way to my toes just to be able to find some words to save myself... any words.. What seemed like forever I was able to blurt out “or they will clean them out”.

I was horrified. I began to panic that I wouldn’t remember my next lines after the Christmas carol, Silent Night…. Now I will never be able to hear silent night again without my heart pounding, knees shaking and an intense desire to run out the back door. I can’t remember my characters name but I can assure you “Nail down the church, lock up the silver service and hide the collection plate they will clean them out”… is forever engraved my mind. Yeah stage fright I had it.

Science Fair 2011

I have been doing science projects for over 20 years. I never get honorable mention just the same old blue ribbon that they give every other kid. I’ve had some pretty good projects too. I am beginning to think it is the fault of the presenter. If only they would let me present the project, instead of a 4th grader. I think my best bet is to sharpen Jalen's communication skills. Well, for starters some communication skills.. Then we'll sharpen them.

The Blundering Blogger: The Hitler Channel..

The Blundering Blogger: The Hitler Channel..: "I love TV... I look forward to the fall lineup of new shows and the return of old favorites. I can easily get hooked on a series and I'll wa..."

The Hitler Channel..

I love TV... I look forward to the fall lineup of new shows and the return of old favorites. I can easily get hooked on a series and I'll wait with anticipation for the following week. I watch and record several different series and sitcoms. It amazes me how quickly and how often they will put reruns on. A re-run right in the middle of a series, is just plain annoying. Although at times, I'll appreciate the opportunity to re-watch a program that I have enjoyed or one that I have missed the first time around. An "I love Lucy" or an "Andy Griffin" re-run can seem as fresh as the first time you've seen it. Then there are shows that I rarely watch and just my luck, I will catch the re-run of the only episode I’ve watched.

There is one station that has me contemplating a Kamikaze attack (kind of hard since I don't have a plane) or a banzai attack (A lesser known WWII suicide attack where the attacker doesn't expect to die but plans too….. can you say dumb ass?). It is the WWII channel that has me fantasying about going all Fukuryu or Nikaku on Ron it he doesn't turn the channel. I call this channel the Hitler Channel.

In spite of my murderous contemplations this channel leads me to, I have picked up some varies Hitler facts. For instant, did you know that Hitler had Parkinson's disease, gastro-intestinal symptoms and skin problems. I picked some other useless information about Hitler, while Ron is getting his WWII fix. Did you know that he was painter, he was homeless for 8 years, hated his dad, he was a vegetarian, he only liked people with blonde hair blue eyes and he was Austrian.

Don’t get me wrong. I am proud to be a daughter of a WWII veteran and we should never forget the greatest generation and their war. I am just making some observations that this channel never has a re-run ( you can argue that every episode is a re-run from 65 years or so ago)

It is just that it amazes me how a new series can have a re-run right in the middle of the season and the Hitler channel never has the same battle or the same biography. Much to Ron’s delight and to my despair there seems to be and endless supply of "new footage that no one has ever seen before".

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*Fukuryu -- Human mine - Swimmers carry an explosive charge beneath a ship or landing craft.
**Nikaku -- Human anti-tank mine - Soldiers with explosives strapped to their bodies