LLB Cooks

The other day LLB decided that she wanted some Ramen soup for lunch. We were going to eat a little later, so we told her that if she wanted it, she could make it. She has made it at least 100 times without incident - until now.

Let me set the scene for you: I was checking my email - yes just off the kitchen.

LLB got a bowl - a lovely green tupperware bowl - out and set it on the counter.

She went to the pantry and fetched a package of chicken ramen.

She opened the package over the bowl. Then she very precisely broke the noodles into her desired shape and lenght.

She very carefully poured the chicken flavor on top and tossed the whole thing into the microwave for 2 min. and 30 seconds.

Did you notice one very important ingredient is missing? Read it again... I'll wait.

When the microwave turned off, she opened the door - OMG!! The stench!!

Her comment: "Oh... I think I didn't do that quite right."

The bowl is smoking. Thick black smoke is billowing! LLB inspects her so called lunch.

I watch in fascination... my mouth agape. I laugh. I finally say, "LLB, quick, put it in the sink and fill it with water!"

"Ummm... I think that might be what I forgot."
"Really?"

Mr. Bug comes in at this moment and says, "Eeewww what stinks?"
LLB says, "My cooking - see?" and she shows him the bowl - with the blackend noodles now melted into the bowl.

He is impressed. He tosses the whole thing in the trash.
He says, "Who taught you how to cook? Your mother?"

Hey - It's Friday and I'm and Empress

This is probably the only time in my life that I'll ever come close to being royalty...

You are The Empress

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.

The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents,
beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home
decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.

The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

So, now it's time for the Friday Feast:
Appetizer
How do you usually celebrate on New Year's Eve?

Actually, for a few years, friends of ours had a party at their house and wow - it sure was fun. We live a little bit too far to go to their house now, but I'm willing to bet that they are still partying on! Sometimes I eat until I'm stuffed and then I go to bed early because I'm so stuffed I can't stay awake... This year we are going to a friend's house for a bonfire.

Soup
Name one thing unexpected that happened to you in 2006.

Life is unexpected, isn't it? I got to meet Daisy and FlipFlop and Becki and Melli. That was a total blast!!

Salad
Where was your favorite place that you visited in 2006?

Hmmm... I guess I'd have to say our trip to Luray Caverns was the best

Main Course
What resolution is your top priority for 2007?
Resolution... hmmm.... I guess my top priority for 2007 is building up my nest egg. My financial planner is having a fit because I spent so much on the house last year. This year it's save save save.

Dessert
Using just three words, describe 2006.
Fun, busy, rewarding.

Thursday 13

Thirteen Things LadyBug Is Thinking About Today 1. Christmas vacation is going too fast!! 2. #1 is off at basketball camp for 3 days this week and is loving it! He won the layup championship yesterday and scored a silver basketball for his efforts. 3. LLB is addicted to DDR. So am I, for that matter... Heck she and #1 played until 10pm last night! They were having so much fun that they didn't want to stop. 4. Mr. got my film developed. I had 5 rolls - some from as far back as football season... I best get my scrapbooking up and running again... 5. LLB got Brain Age with her DS. I'm totally hooked on it! I love sudoku and puzzles, so I'm always asking to borrow her DS so I can play it. Maybe I should get my own... 6. LLB is having a friend over tomorrow. She didn't want to have friends over before then. She told me she just wanted to play with her toys by herself. The child certainly knows what she wants. 7. I'm still walking for comments, but I decided to do DDR instead. Since my comments are low, I'm doing one dance per comment. If I get too many comments, I'll do the minute thing. 8. Our whole house emergency generators were dropped off today. They haven't been installed, but they are here... 9. Did I mention that our electric company wants to put huge towers through our beautiful scenic valley? We are NOT happy. Those 17 story towers will be within 5,000 feet of my house. If I wanted to have that I would have bought a house in an electrical corridor - not in the middle of nowhere. 10. Did I also mention that these towers don't benefit me in the least? The company wants to put them up so they can sell power to New York. No offense, but if NY needs power, they can get it someplace else... They don't have to ruin my neighborhood and my property in the name of the all mighty dollar. 11. The architect who designed the Grandbug's addition came out to take a look yesterday. He's going to call the builder and square some things away... 12. I have an open house at my friend R's house on Saturday. I'm tickled to be invited. I heard her house is absolutely gorgeous - something right out of Mahtha Stewaht... I'll let you know. :-) 13. We are going to a friend's for New Years. A bonfire - that means jeans and a sweatshirt! I'm all over that one! Do you all have big plans? Are you dressing up? Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

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Wordless Wednesday

Man - that was some Christmas!

Zebbie survives his first Christmas at Ladybug Crossing. He's still a little shell shocked and definitely stuffed with treats. Marmalade - who has been through this before - sleeps it off...

The Most Fun You Can Have With Your Clothes On

#1 Son purchased a gift for the family this year. He bought us Dance Dance Revolution. We have been playing almost all day and boy is it fun!! LLB actually ran up and changed into shorts and a t-shirt because she was too hot! LOL!! We got pretty darned good -- at the beginner level...

So we aren't the best dancers around here - except for LLB, but we sure can follow the arrows! I scored a couple of A's and so did the Mr. We have two dance pads, so we can dance together. I think it's actually harder to dance together because you end up sort of following each other and if one person's timing is off, you are both off. We have had more fun!!

If you don't own DDR, go and get it - with the extra dance pad -- it's the best $65 you'll ever spend!!

Ok - I gotta go rest. I'm bushed!!

Monday Memories on Tuesday

Monday Memories: Did I ever tell you About The Clothes in the Driveway? I've been wanting to tell this story since my cousin, J, called me last week telling me about her messy teenager. According to J, her son's room is a disaster - clothes on the floor and stuff everywhere. She put all of his clothes in trash bags and tossed them on the porch. I told her she was too nice - that Grambug tossed mine in the driveway for that very same infraction. J couldn't believe it! I had Grambug call her and confirm the story... The story goes like this: Our house was a ranch and my room was right off the kitchen. You could pretty much see my room when you walked into the house. My mom is and always was a neat person -- a very neat person. I, by nature, am not that neat. I'm cluttered. I can't help it... I just am. I'm better than I was, but.... Anyway - we had 2 rules. Make the bed every morning and keep the room picked up. Sounds simple... My biggest faux pas in my room -- my tiny room -- was clothes on the floor. I had a hamper. I was too lazy to walk over to it (we're talking maybe 3 steps) to put the clothes in it, so I'd toss the clothes in the general direction of the hamper. More often than naught, they'd land next to the it. In my mother's world, that was totally unacceptable. (As an adult, I can understand it -- but as a kid -- um... it made no sense to me what the big deal was.) One day she gave me an ultimatum - Get those clothes off the floor and into the hamper or I'll throw them all into the driveway. Now, when Grambug issues and ultimatum - she always follows through. I made sure all of my things were in the hamper and that the cover was on it. I took off for school - secure in the knowledge that my clothes -- including my unmentionables -- were safe in the hamper and would not land in the driveway for the world to see. Auntie was one to always test Grambug. She wanted to see if Grambug would really toss the clothes into the driveway. She snuck into my room and put a shirt on the floor next to the hamper. (Yes, she was and still is a little scamp!) When I got home, I found all my clothes on the driveway. I was mortified and furious!!! I assured Grambug that my clothes had all been inside the hamper with the cover tightly closed. She told me that the cover was off - as a matter of fact it was on the floor. Then she gave me a look - a look that told me she knew who was behind all of this.... She confronted Auntie - the 1st grade scamp - as she walked through the door after school. Auntie confirmed her suspicions and had to appologize to me. So - yes, my clothes did end up in the driveway -- not in bags on the porch. I'm thinking that clothes in the driveway are far more effective than bags of clothes on the front porch.... LadyBug Click here for the Monday Memories Code, Blogroll, Graphics, & Other Information View More Monday Memories Participants Trackbacks, pings, and comment links are accepted and encouraged!

Merry Christmas!!

It's finally here!!

Merry Christmas!!

My nose is runny and I can't stop sneezing...

I hope Santa was as good to you as he was to us.

LLB and #1 received their very much desired Nintendo DS game systems -- pink for her and black for him. Is there anything better?? They were both very excited to get them and have already figured out how to communicate with each other. That would have been a wicked handy feature when Auntie and I were kids... Alas... youth is wasted on the young...

Auntie and Uncle sent great gifts - pottery for me and Gram, a metal detector for LLB, a Beer Can Chicken Head for Mr., slippers for Grandpa, and Legos for #1. She knows what we like!! We miss Auntie terribly, but we will get her for Christmas next year... This year she's off to the in-laws.

Mr. got to open the Magic Bag this year. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with the tradition of the Magic Bag - it's like this: There is a santa bag. There is one item in the bag. Anyone can guess what is in the bag but only the bag filler knows who gets the magic bag. On Christmas Day, after all the other presents have been opened, the Magic Bag is passed around for one last guess. The recipient is revealed and the present opened. ) This year the bag contained and Ipod Shuffle. Mr. Bug was shocked! Yup - made my day!!

Enjoy the rest of your day! I'm off to find my box of tissues...