Toilet-less

My toilet has had a slow leak, at the base, something to do with the "seal". I dont know much about toilets. My dad came down yesterday to install the new, "Toilet in a Box" he bought at Menards for me. If only more dad's would buy their children toilets!

Anyway, apparently there was a lot of rot under the toilet, and some scary times when my dad considered putting linoleum under just the 5 boards he had to remove...oh boy. Thankfully, I convinced him to look around a little, and he found a custom flooring place just up the road and was able to find boards the same size as mine. Crisis averted!

Only now, there was not enough time yesterday to install the toilet. So now, I have no toilet. Well, I have a NEW toilet in the front porch, waiting to be installed. And, I have an OLD toilet sitting in my front yard. I wonder why he decided the front yard was the right place for the old toilet?

Of course...I have to go to the bathroom!

An Acorn & That Song

This morning, as I was walking from my car to work, I looked up at this oak tree that skirts the side of the parking lot. The moment I looked up, an acorn fell.

Have you heard that "new" song that plays incessently now by some chick...Katy something. "I Kissed a Girl" is the song. She did in a funky new way, but does anybody remember the ORIGINAL "I Kissed a Girl" - I dont know the specific year, but I was in college, so it was in the early 90's! Jill Sobule. Loved her....! Had the CD and everything. Wonder where that went.

Recipe: Roast Garlic & Tomato Soup

Makes 7 quarts
Start to finish = 15 minutes
Prep = 5 minutes

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Ingredients:
9 Tbls + 1 tsp olive oil
18 cloves minced garlic
6 quarts tomato juice
48 oz. crushed tomatoes
3 Tbls + 1 tsp paprika
1 cup sweet vermouth

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Directions:
Saute the garlic in olive oil very briefly, taking care not to brown it. Stir in the paprika and saute for another minute, stirring continuously, and taking care that it doesnt scorch.

Stire in the tomato juice and crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil; reduce heat and add vermouth. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes.

Optional: Garnish with parmesan and croutons.

Variations: Add cooked garbanzo beans and garnish with shredded feta cheese and chopped parsley. Or - add tabasco and garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

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I make this soup all winter long. Every fall I bring a batch to work and every absolutely RAVES about it. It is SERIOUSLY easy to make and tastes delicious - this is coming from somebody who DOES NOT LIKE tomato soup. But I LOVE this soup.

....courtesy Yo-Cones Recipe Book, Sara Basso

What Mocca Knows

Mocca knows....

The difference between a regular collar, and her agility collar.

The difference between when I am leaving to go to work, and leaving to go play.

That I am not fully home until I have set my keys down on the kitchen table.

That when I brush my teeth, I will let her outside, and there is a small possibility of a squirrel being out there.

How to use her paw to get the ball un-stuck from her teeth.

Which way I am going to throw the ball.

Which bowl is hers, and which is Annie's.

...and of course, a multitude of other things. But these came to mind all at once.

Planning my meals already

Kevin & I are taking a trip to Siesta Key, FL in late October for a week of r&r. Very much looking forward to this! I am already planning our meals; I wonder if this is normal.

Would like to eat:

• Lobster Ravioli at Galileo
• Tapas of all sorts at Sangria
• Selva Grill for steak
• Roys for anything
• Flemmings for anything
• Sangria again

Obviously MUST eat at Sangria. Lobster Ravioli also a must. May have to make some critical decisionjs about Selva, Roys, and Flemmings. That gets pretty costly. It is Kevin's fault I am this way now! Though honestly, I would be happy to eat at some normal place....really.

I think this time we might need to shake things up a little and try out some new places. That is how we found Selva, and Sangria(SANGRIA!!!) and Galieo....so there must be others out there. Once we drove up one of the Keys and found a neat little place on the beach and had a great, memorable experience, but have never been back. Of course, we used to always eat at Barnacle Bills....then they got taken off the list by Kevin. I would not mind going back, but it may be awhile before Kevin is ready. Usually we have pizza one night...

I'll just keep planning our meals! By the time October rolls around, I'll have it all figured out.

This is normal, right?

Blog Games: Things I Cannot Do Without AKA My Addictions

1. Chocolate. Especially German Chocolate
2. The sunday/weekend paper
3. News in the morning
4. News at night
5. Cereal
6. Bread
7. Hot tea
8. Just food in general
9. Chapstick. The non-petroleum kind please!
10. Mascara

Swingtown

Is anybody watching this show!? I adore it! Absolutely love all the characters and the storylines. It keeps getting better and better as well. If you arent watching this show you should be!

Blog Games: Things I Can Do Without

1. Republicans
2. Democrats
3. Jehovas
4. FOX News
5. Mowing the lawn
6. Snow
7. Work
8. People telling me what to do
9. People telling me I was wrong
10. Fuel Oil
11. Brett Favre
12. Liver as a meal
13. Mosquitoes
14. Sweat
15. Outhouses or portapotties

Blog Games: What I am Afraid of

1. Spiders
2. Spiders crawling up the toilet
3. Spiders hiding under the covers
4. Monsters in the basement
5. Monsters outside
6. Yetties
7. Coyotes
8. Bears
9. Aliens disabling all electronic devices
10. Pets dying
11. People dying