Works for Me Wednesday… May 14, 2008

We have a problem in our house. I call it the “Microwave Mess”! It’s when items are put in the microwave and EXPLODE onto the sides and top of the microwave. The bottom gets cleaned often because the little turntable plate is easy to remove and clean. The rest of it is not so easily cleaned. And those little “microwave packet” things they’ve started selling in the stores just do not cut it! (I got two free samples and I was *not* impressed).

Anyhoo, half of that mess was being caused from mini-explosions in the microwave. Explosions that sent the paper towels covering the food flying off and rendering them incapable of preventing the microwave mess. We tried saran wrap, but the small “steam” burns that ensued were enough to switch us back to paper towel really quick.

Until I warmed up spaghetti sauce one night and our whole theory of the microwave mess changed! I dumped the sauce into the glass bowl and just happened to have a paper plate sitting right next to the bowl on the counter. I realized it was the PERFECT size to sit neatly on the top of the bowl. The steam would lift the plate slightly to let the steam escape, but the plate was heavy enough that it couldn’t be blown off completely!

I’m making orange chicken for dinner tomorrow night and I’ll use the leftover orange peels to boil in some water in the microwave to clean it out. The oils from the oranges are the best things I’ve found to loosen the gunk in the microwave. But because of the magic of the paper plate, I just realized that I’ve not had to clean out my microwave in quite a while. Because it doesn’t get nearly as gross as it used to!

So, that’s what works for me. What works for you?

 

Almost live American Idol (May 13)… May 13, 2008

I’m late, I know. But we got a call to go have dessert with friends after dinner tonight and well the thing about living life is that well, you miss out on a lot when you don’t live it. And unfortunately, internets, that means y’all take a backseat to my real life friends. We had a great time and stayed too late. I drank too much coffee, had great chocolate cake and laughed. A lot!

But I’m back with y’all now and ready for American Idol, even if I am a little sleepy. We’re down to the final three - the Davids and Syesha. They are each doing three songs tonight so it should be interesting. Is tonight judges choice? I guess we’ll find out.

Ryan introduces the judges and my, isn’t Paula sparkly tonight? Her hair looks rather nice tonight. And I’m right - it IS judges choice. And producers choice. And Idol-ee choice. This. could. get. interesting.

We start with judges choice and we get the news live at their hometown.

David Archuletta - And So It Goes by Billy Joel via Paula - David is excited to sing the pretty song. Which makes sense since he’s such a pretty boy. He does pretty well. And he’s really pulling off the acapella thing. NOT an easy task. It’s all a little pageant-y for me. He’s doing a MUCh better job at keeping his eyes open though. I wonder if he’s reading my blog? He sang for his audience and he sang it well. It was exactly what I expected it to be. No more, no less.

Syesha Mercado - If I Ain’t Got You by Alysha Keys via Randy - Ok, first, I’m automatically put off by the fact that she says she’s going to sing it just like Alysha Keys. Of course she is. Because that’s what she does. Or what she tries to do. When she tries to be something she’s not, she usually falls a bit flat. And that’s exactly what she’s doing. She’s singing it well, but I don’t see anything that screams out and says this girl can make it on her own and do anything original. She looks pretty though.

David Cook - First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack via Simon - I applaud Simon for picking a song that is way outside of anything Cook would have picked on his own. It’s a great song. A difficult song. And wow! He really brings his A game tonight! That was amazing! I couldn’t type. I could just sit and watch.  And I think Randy’s harshness is all about Simon and not about David at all. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

And we move on to the Idol-ee’s choice…

David Archuletta - With You by Chris Brown - The poor little boy looks so nervous to have chosen his own song. But I like that he’s singing something a little different than anything he’s done before. He looks comfortable - even if he does mess up the words a bit. I swear it sounded like he just picked random names from the phone book to sing there. He hits it strong now and his eyes are STILL open! Not my type of music, and forgetting the words aside, I’m glad he tried something new. Cheesy, but some people like cheese.

Syesha Mercado - Fever by Peggy Lee - WOW her legs are long in that dress! This is VERY Broadway. And I swear I’ve seen this song done exactly this way before - chair included. She’s doing nothing original vocally. She’s a great singer, but definitely not a musician. Syesha will be a GREAT Broadway star someday. She’s got what it takes to be on stage as an actress. Not sure she’s got anymore in her as a singer though than a second-rate wannabe. This whole season has been about her trying to be like someone else.  And as harsh as that is, she just doesn’t have any originality. Broadway, baby, that’s where she belongs. But, she does look AMAZING! She does sparkly well!

David Cook - Dare You To Move by Switchfoot - It’s starting out really low. Creepy low. Which tells me there will be screaming later in the song. WOW that was short. It’s like he can just get started with the song and then it’s cut short. I feel ripped off that we didn’t get the whole song. It was weirdly short. Not a good song choice. Pretty predictable.

Up next - producers choice…

David Archuletta - Longer by Dan Fogelberg - And he’s SQUINTING again! And it’s just a bit weird to hear him sing this because the song is older than he is! He hits that last note and his fans start passing out all over the place I’m sure. It was boring and predictable. A beautiful song, done well. I was bored. But it’s not his fault - the producers are trying to sabotage him I think. It’s just weird to hear a 17 year old sing a song about loving someone forever.

Syesha Mercado - Hit Me Up by I have absolutely no idea - I hated it. That was just kind of goofy and weird. And it was from a movie with Penguins - although I can’t remember which one because there have been so many lately. That was *not* a good choice and I think the producers should stick to producing and not choosing songs. That was not good.

David Cook - I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith - Chip says, “Why did they have to arrange it like a Michael Bolton song?” And I couldn’t agree more. This is all just a bit overproduced and weird. The ending was better than the beginning but wow. I might need to watch that again to get a real feel of it all. The song is an amazing song. I disagree with Randy calling it predictable. *that* mess was anything but predictable. But it’s enough to get him into the finals.

Who goes home? Syesha. I really think that the powers that be decided a long time ago that the Davids would be the final two. And they deserve it. Cook is just a great musician and Archuletta has the potential to be given a bit of time and life experience.

Best of the night goes to David Cook. Worst of the night was Syesha. Going home will be Syesha.

Tackle It Tuesday… May 13, 2008

It’s Tuesday and I’m grabbing it by the broom handle! Spring hasn’t really completely sprung here yet. I’m ready to be able to pack up the winter clothes and pull out the summer clothes, but the weather just is *not* cooperating! It’s only 56 degrees here today and breezy - which makes it a bit sweatshirt-y out there! Something I’d like to pack away, but when you want a sweatshirt EVERY day and are still wearing jeans it’s a bit hard to put those things into storage. Let’s talk about this global warming thing again, eh? I think maybe I’m going to start leaving my lights on all the time and maybe running empty appliances for a while. Maybe that will warm things up around here?

Anyway, I’ve decided that I’m going to tackle Tuesday anyway. And I’m going to use “Life Skills” as a reason to make the kids help and incorporate it all into schoolwork for the day (they are done with their curriculum, just trying to fill these last few days with “legitimate” activities). So, we’re packing away things like winter jackets and snow boots (because if we end up needing snowboots again, I *will* most certainly need some serious Starbucks therapy). We’re going to clean the living room, dining room, office, kitchen and bathroom today. That will take care of the entire downstairs.

And I’m going to make those kids of mine WORK! And work hard. My theory - and mind you it’s only a theory - is that if they WORK hard to get things clean, then maybe they’ll actually want to *keep* it clean for more than 20 seconds? They’ll be singing that “Cinderelly” song by the time I’m done with them and wishing for a far off prince to wisk them away (or a princess for the boys).

So, what are your plans for the day?

Menu Plan Monday… May 12, 2008

I have every intention of making Pasta Bake this week. Last week just got away from me. We were out and about and by the time we got home, I just decided to make some homemade pizza instead. 

Monday - Three Cheese Pasta Bake

Tuesday - Tacos

Wednesday - Chicken & Spinach Calzones

Thursday - Sloppy Joes & homemade fries with cheese sauce

Friday - Baked Orange Chicken

Saturday - Eggplant Paremesan

Sunday - CORN (Clean Out Refrigerator Night)

Come share your Menu Plan here…

Happy Mother’s Day! May 11, 2008

Happy Mother’s Day!

Enjoy this video of Anita Renfroe doing The Mom Song to the William Tell Overature (BRILLIANT!) - I think I say half of these things in any given day! Happy Mom’s day to all of my favorite moms (my own included) out there!

My littlest mower… May 10, 2008

my littlest mower

My yard is full of mowers. Chip and his dad are both out there. Elijah is heading out the door and I just put “gas” into Seth’s mower. He got a belated birthday card yesterday. I really wasn’t sure what to get him until I saw the mower. When I showed it to him, his eyes about popped out of his head. I don’t think he even knew it blew bubbles until I put them in there this morning and we got it going. He’s been running back and forth in the yard all morning just mowing and mowing some more. He feels like such a big kid out there helping his dad.

And now that they are mostly done, I can take my trusty laptop out on the porch for a while. I woke up this morning and it just felt like a wonderful spring day outside. Unfortunately, it also meant that everyone and their brother was outside mowing and since I’m allergic to grass it meant that I had to sit inside most of the morning. When I did finally emerge from the house - laptop in hand - Noah asked me if the laptop was my life. I told him that no, the laptop was not my life, but it did help me keep in touch with the people who are important in my life. He said, “I know why. Because they are all bloggers too.” Smart kid! And when I told him he was such a very insightful little guy, he just looked at me and said, “Are you going to twitter about it?” ROFL! I love this kid of mine!

And now we’re off to do some more shopping. I told my kids all I want for mother’s day is for them to let me shop in peace and try and have a good time. I think the older two kids are going to bring a notebook with them to carry so they can work on their list of 100 things they want to do in their lifetime. They are inspired by the list I started the other day. Which is great - if I can inspire them to take a risk in life and try something new, then I feel like I’m doing my job as a mom. 

Ready for the weekend… May 9, 2008

I’m sitting in the recliner with my feet up. It’s going to be a LONG night for me I’m afraid since I just accidentally popped 3 excederin migraine pills. Oops! I went in there after Tylenol and wasn’t thinking apparently. Hopefully I’ll get some sleep tonight. And I hope the headache goes away.

We took off this afternoon and went shopping. I bought a super cute new pair of shoes (slipper?). They are a pair of brown plaid super-cute shoes! And they are really warm! I’m not sure they are something that I’d wear out and about, but they’ll be great for kicking around the house.

 Oh! Did I mention that they were only $8!!!

And while I’m all snuggled into my chair, I’m gear up to watch the Phil Wickham concert FREE on his blog via mogulus. Go check it out - http://philwickham.com/blog  He’s recording a live record tonight while he’s there and streaming it free online while it’s going on. I’m off to listen…

My top 100 things to do before I die… May 8, 2008

I’m going to make a list. A list of things that I want to do before I die. 100 things at least. I am *not* going to finish this list tonight. But my comment last night about Cirque Du Soliel and posts by her and her and probably a few others that I read made me decide that I should make my own list. I’m not sure how far I’ll get tonight, but there is no time to start by the present.

1. Finish this list!
2. See Cirque Du Soleil live.
3. Visit NYC.
4. Take my kids on a real vacation that doesn’t involve visiting family.
5. Go to Disney World.
6. Write a book.
7. Go on a safari in Africa.
8. Visit Australia and New Zealand.
9. Visit all of the MLB ballparks
10. Visit all 50 United States.
11. Eat authentic Italian food - in Italy!
12. Go to The Masters.
13. Have a book that I write published.
14. Shower in a waterfall.
15. Drive across America.
16. Spend Christmas somewhere tropical.
17. Lose 40 pounds.
18. Go for a hike in the woods.
19. Go geocaching.
20. Plant a tree.
21. Golf with my husband.
22. See a tornado (but hopefully not up close).
23. Fly a kite.
24. Reach 500 readers on my blog in one day.
25. Send a card to someone for no reason at all.
26. Make something new for dinner that we’ve never had before and is a bit outside the box.
27. Get my own domain name for my blog.
28. Host my own blog (more from wordpress.com to wordpress.org)
29. Learn to knit.
30. Have a regular date night with my husband - even if it’s at home after the kids are in bed.
31. Start a regular family night before my kids are too old to appreciate it.
32. Have an article or short story published.
33. Buy a GREAT pair of shoes. (this is harder than most people think).
34. Blog for 100 days straight.

Ok, I’m a third of the way done. That’s the easy part. The part that I can just jot off without thinking about too hard. The rest of it isn’t going to be quite so easy.

American Idol results show (May 7th)… May 7, 2008

I’m going to start this episode without Chip. I don’t *think* he’ll be too upset. He can’t really stand it and always wants me to fast forward to the end anyway. And because of the wonder of the DVR, if he really, really wants to see the opening group number, we can just start it over. He should be home momentarily anyway.

Ryan doesn’t surprise me when he tells me more people voted than ever before. Is it just me or does he say that EVERY week? Maroon 5 and Bo Bice on tonight’s show. Ryan chats with the judges about last night and wastes time because this show is an HOUR long! Even though the entire performance show is an hour. But for fear of becoming as boring as Ryan by repeating myself week after week, I’ll just let you go back and reread what I’ve said about that same topic just about every week of this show.

The group number is Reeling In The Years and I find it ironic that Syesha, who is always Little Miss Broadway, just isn’t really into it. Listening to them sing is like that game on Sesame Street - “One of these people is doing his own thing, one of these people is not the same…” David Cook’s voice and performance abilities are just so vastly different than the rest of them that they can’t even begin to compare. Mercifully, the group number is over.

Ryan pimps the AI tour (which I have NO desire to go to) and then recaps last nights show. Most of which I’ve already forgotten so I’m thankful for the reminder. Only now I’m remembering why they were so forgettable. Or memorable for the wrong reasons. Jason was awful. Archie was amazing. Syesha wept. And Cook was Cook.

Ryan calls David Archuletta out first and no one is surprised that he’s safe. Because it would be the MOST unpredictable thing in the world if they were to call the person going home out first and “just do this thing already!” But that’s not how Ryan rolls and David is going to take a seat on the nice comfortable couch (which really doesn’t look that comfy to me).

Back from commercial, and we see the final four go on tour as much bigger rockstars than they’ll ever be. Comparing ANY of them to the Beatles is a bit of a stretch. In a HUGE sort of way that one might compare dogs and airplanes. It just doesn’t work. But it would be cool to go see Cirque Du Soleil. It’s only list of things to do in this lifetime.

Ryan calls David Cook out and, well, I KNEW IT! The David’s were the top 2. Although I was kind of hoping that David Cook would go home tonight because the irony of such a great rocker dude going home on Rock&Roll week would have been too much. But he’s safe and no one is surprised.

Ryan calls both Syesha and Jason Castro out and says the “Person who leaves us tonight on American Idol…” and Jason freaks out a little bit even though those of us at home viewing know we’re not going to find out now because this is American Idol and nothing if not predictable and we all know there is still too much time left and two star performances and most likely those awful viewer questions that we still have to sit through before we can actually find out who’s going home. Oh! And don’t forget the Ford commercial.

Speaking of the Ford commercial - y’all just KNOW that Johnny Cash has GOT to be rolling over in his grave right now! ARE THEY FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?!?!?

And we’re back for the phone calls. Emily wants to know if David Cook will go on a date with her for her birthday since he’ll be in town for the Idol tour anyway? And he’s got his very first STALKER! And he looks completely terrified! Sarah wants to know what the biggest challenge the Idol-ee’s have had to overcome? Syesha says stagefright, David doesn’t know (answering these questions should be it) and Jason is so high that even HE knows he’s brain-dead. Lynn wants to know why Simon hasn’t been knighted by the Queen? And he agrees! He’s just waiting for that call from Buckingham Palace and his invitation. Mara wants to know how Syesha feels about being the only girl in the top 4. She says it’s a bit uncomfortable, but she’s proud of herself. Humility is not her strong point. Teresa wants to know if any of the Idol-ee’s have gotten feedback from the original artists and Cook is the only one popular enough to get that kind of respect. Marla wants Simon to be the next James Bond. Then she called him sexy and intriguing and I think maybe it’s time to end these calls.

Now it’s time for Maroon 5 and “If I Never See Your Face Again.” I’m not a fan. At all. And if I never saw this band again it would be too soon. This is *not* music! No, no, no! Thank you Dish Network for giving me the power of the fast forward. They’re going on tour and going to Europe and San Antonio. Because those two places are so close to each other. Adam Levine tells them that they’ll become jaded and hate it and love it all at the same time because it’s a lot of work to be that cool.  Thankfully, it’s all ok because now there is a really cool commercial on for the new Indiana Jones movie that comes out in two weeks! I can’t wait!!!

We’re back from the commerical and they bring out Bo Bice. He’s singing Witness. This guy was just born int he wrong decade. Well, he was *born* in the right decade. He just wasn’t old enough to perform then. The background singers just don’t seem to mesh with the whole performance though. Better than Maroon 5 by a long shot, but I’d rather heard David Cook sing personally. It’s all a bit showy and sell-out and then he breaks out the Framptonator. Because he’s cool like that. And I’m reaching for the remote. Again. And I really don’t care what he has to say about the contestants. His album just came out and more than ever I know I won’t be buying it.

Please, AI officials, I’m begging. Go back to the thirty MINUTE results show. Because these seems to be thirty HOURS long tonight.

We’re finally back from commercial and rehashing the awfulness that was Jason last night (love that someone told him that he shot the tamborine man) and the shreik-e-ness of Syesha as she struggled through. Jason knows he was awful. Syesha knows she was emotional. (I just realized I didn’t hear anyone say it was PMS - could it have been?)

And the results are in and Jason is going home. And no one is surprised. And I think Jason may even be a bit relieved. It will take a certain something out of the show though because you just never knew what he was going to say and if it would be coherent. Jason sings us out and for the first time in weeks he really looks like he’s having fun because he’s not worried about what anyone is going to say anymore.

Apparently, he’s not a blog reader.

 

Almost live American Idol (May 6th)… May 6, 2008

The final four go at it tonight on ROCK night! Ryan just told me that I *must* vote, but honestly the polls are going to be closed for me before I’m done watching. Really, if Idol wanted lots and lots of votes, they’d figure out a way to only allow one vote per phone number but keeping the lines open longer. Because of the wonders of the DVR, I’m automatically disqualified from voting because I’m not watching live. I can’t fast forward through commercials or Ryan’s time-wastingness either.

I’d really like to go to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But of all the nights on Idol so far, this is the one that scares me most. I just don’t know that I can see anyone but David Cook doing a decent job.

ROUND 1 - *ding*ding*ding*ding*

David Cook - Hungry Like The Wolf by Duran Duran - I expected it to be a great performance and it was. I didn’t hear anything original, but it was good. It fit his voice really well, but it was safe. We’ve come to expect great things from him and this was just little boring from David Cook.

Syesha Mercado - Proud Mary by Tina Turner - It’s a stupid choice. Everyone does this song. She picked the ONE diva rock star. When is this girl going to learn? And she’s going to copy the choreography too? She’s singing it ok if you can actually concentrate on the singing. It’s just unbelievable. Unbelievably bad. I’m sitting here shaking my head. (Chip says, “Rock and Roll - The Musical”). It definitely showed her personality and she had fun with it, but wow! Just wow! And not in a good way.

Jason Castro - I Shot The Sherrif by Bob Marley - He’s still doing that weird thing with his face. Is no one that helps him put together his performances actually watching him sing? It’s completely distracting to me. In a concert it wouldn’t be a real problem because unless someone gives me tickets I’m not going to be close enough to see his face anyway. I didn’t think it was as bad as the judges. I just don’t think the judges can figure out how he’s still in the contest because Castro is not the type of music they would choose to listen to voluntarily. It was better than I thought it was going to be.

David Archuletta - Stand By Me by Ben E. King - I’m glad he found a song that he could actually sing. Because I was nervous for little Archie. It’s all a little high school variety show, but he’s still in high school so I won’t hold it against him. It’s not nearly the wreck the last two were. And that little touch at the end was great! I actually liked him *almost* as much as David Cook. And it makes me want to break out a classic movie!

And we’re back from commercial and the bell is ringing…

ROUND TWO!!!

David Cook - Baba O’Reilly by The Who - And this type of thing is why we love him. This is what we’ve come to expect and I wish just let him sing the whole song instead of letting Syesha or Jason sing. LOVED it!

Syesha Mercado - A Change Is Going To Come by Sam Cook - I cannot believe that she just compared her being in the Top 4 with the Civil Rights Moment. But her dress is AMAZING!!! And this song suits her well. But she’s pushing it a little bit with her voice. She just tries too hard. I think her fans are going to really enjoy it. And at least *this* song is worthy of some votes.

Jason Castro - Mr Tamborine Man by Bob Dillon - He did NOT just forget the words!!! (Chip says maybe he’s trying to *be* Bob Dillion so we just couldn’t understand the words! ROFL). It’s just too late in the competition to do that kind of thing! If he had these kind of performances in Hollywood week, he’d have been sent home. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Do *not* vote for Jason this week! That was rough in every area!

David Archuletta - Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley - He’s GOT to open his eyes all the way when he sings! It’s driving me insane! Maybe the boy needs glasses? He always looks so squinty eyed. But he did a GREAT job with song choices this week. The boy doesn’t have an ounce of rock and roll in him, so I was wondering how he’d do. But he took two “rock” (and I use that term very loosely with these songs) and made them his own. He melted the hearts of all the little Archuletta fans. For the first time, even though I’m *not* a fan, I’d have to say he was definitely the best of the night. Not that I want to listen to him sing those songs again since I’m not a fan of that kind of music.

Best of the night - Overall, it was David Archultta.  Best single performance of the night belonged to David Cook with Baba O’Reilly.

Bottom two - Syesha Mercado and Jason Castro.

Should go home - Jason Castro

Will go home - Not sure, but it won’t be one of the Davids.