Blue Eyes

About a week ago I had some extra time *WOW* and Luke and I wanted to do a fun photo shoot. We donned him in some, I my opinion, cute apparel, and went out. Of course, Luke being almost 14, had to do mostly goofy pics, but I think we took some pretty good ones in the end. Unfortunately, the camera batteries started dying so the focus isn't perfect, but oh well, I think he is a handsome boy nonetheless:)

This one is my favorite, he looks so grown up:) This next one was from some JCrew inspiration from the boys department. Honestly, it looks nothing like what they have though, you decide if it's better or not..... The "cool dude" look with his I-touch-whatever :) And last is the......I don't actually know, hot nerd? Hahahahah, NO!

Dumb Birds

Yes that is a chicken, and yes it is roosting on the computer monitor. But how in the world did it get there? This story goes back about about two months, when mom had a moment of weakness and decided to bring home two chicks from Murdock's. With chicks, we always set them up in the house with a heat lamp so they can feather in before we bring them to the coop.

A few weeks later, when they were still small, but feathered in enough, we graduated them to the big chicken home. I don't remember what mom and I were doing, but for some reason we weren't home and Luke was going to watch them. The most pitiful sight awaited us when we walked in the door, there was my brother Luke, sitting on the couch, tearing up, with a bloody head featherless chick shivering on his lap. Apparently the rooster had attacked it and Luke rescued it to the house again. A few days later the rooster attacked one of out hens and she had a huge gushing crater of blood on her back. Unfortunately for us, that meant turning our den into a place for chickens to re-cooperate (pun intended).

Right now you might be going "oh, poor chickens!", or "how wonderful that your mom saved them". Well, haha, not! I'm not trying to be a horrid human being with no pity for the harmed beasts, but these birds have made the last few weeks a living nightmare at times. At first it was ok having them in the house. The birds slowly started to recover and I could deal with my room smelling dimly like a chicken coop when I woke up in the morning, but that's when mom started having a emotional attachment. Every day Mom would take the three reject birds out to the garden and then if it rained or when it got late, brought them back in. It got to the point where once mom even said "Hi Meg, I just got back from taking the babies on a walk. Before that we played in the garden together, now I'm bringing them in the house because it was getting chilly out".

Do you see what I mean! They had infiltrated my mothers heart and once she even called them her loves! The straw that broke this camels back was when she started using the same names for the chicks as she did for me! She would be talking and I'd be like "yes mom?", and I'd walk into her talking to the dumb birds. This was about the time that the word "chicken" changed to "dumb bird" for me. It stuck too.

There is so much more to this story that I'm not even going to delve into like: what was happening in the chicken coop, the rooster escaping and then coming back, trying to free range the chickens, buying a pecking block, finally getting rid of the rooster, dad and I going crazy, loosing chickens in the house, stepping in unpleasant stuff, the den always smelling horrid, Cleo chasing the dumb birds, never being able to watch anything with mom in the den without her codling the creatures, them flying around the room, making chick food in the food processor (the worst sound you will ever hear), having them try to attack me, and so much more.

So that brings us to the first picture. I walked into the den to use the computer and I was so startled by that sight my heart was pounding for minutes afterwords. I had no clue what it was at first, and no one really truly expects to see a chicken on the computer.

Last Saturday morning was a great day for various reasons, but one of them was because it was the day we brought the birds out. We finally put the hen with the other chickens, and the two chicks in the garage. But you know what? I don't care that they are still not in the coop, because they are out of the house! No longer does this side of the house smell, no longer do I find a bird under the piano, no longer do I have to share mom with three dumb birds. Life is great, and I can sit here, in the den blogging without hearing the birds scratch, peck and fly at the sides of their boxes. Like I just said life is great:)

"Please Fish, for me?"

Yesterday I found out that March is National Peanut Month and because this is the last day of March, I thought I would do a post on peanuts. Most people who get to know me soon find out that I love, love, lub, lub lub, peanut butter. I actually prefer peanut butter to *gasp* chocolate, that is how much I love peanut butter. If I lived on a desert island with only fruit and grass to eat, the food I would miss the most would be peanut butter. I would have to bribe the fish to swim to the nearest inhabited area and bring me a jar before I went the way of most castaways: insane. Come on, I mean seriously peanut butter is like one of the most versatile things out there. You can have it with every single meal of the day without even feeling overly redundant. Like, for example: breakfast you can have pancakes with peanut butter and bananas, a piece of toast with peanut butter and honey on it, or a bowl of oatmeal with a spoonful of peanut butter mixed in with it. For lunch you could have the original peanut butter and jelly sandwich, an apple or celery dipped in peanut butter, or a peanut butter granola or energy bar. Now you might ask " Megan, your forgetting dinner. You can't have peanut butter with dinner!". Here you would be wrong. First off you could have a chicken wrap with peanut Thai sauce (my personal favorite), a Oriental salad with peanuts on top, an African peanut stew, peanut butter enchiladas, I've even found recipes for peanut butter fried chicken (I'm not sure how good that sounds to be honest though). Now lastly, desert. This is the easy one. you could do cookies, sundaes, smoothies, brownies, cheesecake, the list goes on. So there you go, you could live on a diet of peanut products without going completely mad in a few days. You might gain quite a few pounds, but I know I'd be happy. Lastly, I decided to leave you with one of my favorite peanut recipes. It's quite simple, low mess, and great if your short on time.

Peanut Butter Quick Fix

First make sure you have everything you'll need. It's really disappointing if you find your short on an ingredient after you start.

You will need:

1 Tb Peanut butter

Spoon

optional: sugar

First find the right sized spoon, not too big, not too small. I personally prefer our small spoons, but it really is up to your personal preference. Next find you jar of peanut butter. I like creamy, but crunchy would work just as well too. If you only have almond butter or another kind of peanut butter knock off, that can work too.

After opening the jar slowly scrape the spoon along the sides of the jar. I like to go in a counterclockwise motion, but again it is ultimately up to you.

The next step is the hardest. When you have your desired amount on the spoon you take it out and close the lid without setting the spoon down. It can be tricky to close the jar with one hand holding your spoon in the other without getting any on your hand*, but after some practise you'll have it.

If you really want a sweet treat you can sprinkle some sugar on the peanut butter. I personally don't really like that, but I've heard of some people who do.

No waiting, cooking, freezing or cooling off is necessary, your Peanut Butter Quick Fix is finished. You can slowly lick it, or eat it all at once. However you choose, enjoy!

*If you do get any on your hands, it's OK to lick it off.

79-61

For my birthday I only had one request, I wanted to make myself a cheesecake. So I found two recipes that sounded great. The first one was for a generic cheesecake with a ginger crust with chocolate chips in it and a cream topping. The second was for a pumpkin cheesecake also with a ginger crust. Well, after seeking many opinions and getting mixed answers I finally decided just to make both. Enough people were coming over to need two anyway. So on Tuesday I got the ingredients I needed and went to work. For me cooking and baking isn't a chore, it's how I relax. Like when I got my wisdom teeth out all I wanted to do was make dinner, or if I'm not having a good day the way I calm myself down is through stirring anything over the stove. I could saute or stir forever. Anyhow, I made the first one well, first. It went together pretty easy, I even baked it in the water bath like it said (which I was worried about). Next I made the pumpkin one which came together much more simply than the first. They both cracked down the middle which I was disappointed about. If any of you know how to get a cheesecake not to crack please tell me. So when they were both cooled I stuck them in the fridge for the night.

Yesterday, I had to go to town to register for my next semester classes. When mom and I got to the college we were supposed to meet Brian Bechtold, but he had gone to the cafeteria for lunch. So most of you know my mom, so of course we had to walk over to the cafeteria, not wait. We get there and I see him finishing his lunch, mom said to go over to him. So after the hushed "no" "yes" "but" "just go" that I'm sure everyone has done at some point in their life, I finally lost and walked over.

"Are you Brian Bechtold?" I asked.

"I depends on why you ask, what's your question?"

"Well, um, I don't really have a question, um, you are my advisor, um, and I came to register, um and they said you were here, and um, I'm sorry to bother you, but..."

I think is the first time I got the you have no clue what your doing stare.

He was mostly done eating so we walked over to the AT building. He asked me what my plans were and I think he quickly determined that I had none. I did know what classes I wanted to take so when we sat down at his computer I had a huge shock. I only go into town Monday and Wednesday and so far my schedule has been working out great. So when we saw that sometime between Monday and Wednesday they had switched ASL to T, TH, I was floored. After some mumbling and just being so shocked, mom and I went to find a computer that we could figure out how to make this all work. I absolutely wanted to do ASL so I had to work everything around it, which wasn't easy. Right now I'm signed up for Music Theory II on Monday (which is going to be difficult considering it's my only class on Monday) Intro to Fiction (which sounds horribly dreadful, but I need the credit), ASL, and then Public Speaking (which I'm actually looking forward to, because my speaking skills are lacking:). Later in April, I'm taking a Field botany class that last two weeks. I'm really looking forward to this class, and the class is already completely full.

So after all this, we got home around 4ish, Hannah came over around a half an hour later. I made dinner (Puttanesca sauce, yum..) Grandma and grandpa, James and Stacia, Dad, and Rachel, all got here around 5:30ish and we ate a little bit later.

The Underhills, Ridge, Kathi, and the Vestals came around 6:30 and we had cheesecake. I'm glad I made two because we ate almost all of them, The first one, in my opinion, was better, but not by much, and the pumpkin one was really yummy also.

OK, funny story. Mom couldn't find an eight candle, so being the math brain she is, I was 79-61. I think this was probably a first ever. James, Ridge, and Eric, who graced us with his presence.And how could I not end this post but with a horribly unflattering picture of me at my eighteenth birthday party.

Tooth Bling!

How much wood, could a wood chuck chuck, if a wood chuck had braces?

It should be over, and I'll be smiling before I know it. Right?

How 'bought a diet of pain pills!

Shark bait, hoo, ha, ha.

I feel like a horse with a bit in my mouth.

Can you read my pain? Because I can.

I only have around six more months of life without gum. Could it get any worse?

I need baby food.

No pain, no gain, put to the test.

Make new friends, and keep the old, mine our silver and none are gold.

Well, it sort of makes my lips look bigger. Although I think it would have been cheaper to have them pumped.
I wonder if anyone has ever died from braces before....

This it the most expensive pain I've ever been in.

If you were hanging from a tree by your braces, would the braces pop off, or would your teeth pull out?

I can feel you smiling at me.

Why me?

Yesterday was the day that I got my top two wisdom teeth removed. Some of you have already experienced this lovely ordeal, some of you aren't quite there, and still others maybe will never have to. So, I will start my experience at the beginning.

My appointment was at 10:45 a.m. Thursday, September 9th. I wasn't allowed to eat or drink that morning, but it wasn't so bad because I have a cold and really wasn't that hungry anyway. We got there on time and had a short wait. I really wasn't nervous at all, if anything a little excited. After sitting in the ominous green chair and talking to the nurse awhile the anesthesiologist came in. I'm weird with little pain. I can do big pain, like tearing the ligament in my ankle almost no problem, but needles.... not so much. I have to say that was the worst part, at least up till then. They injected the anesthesia into my arm and the nurse stuck a big plastic thing in my mouth. I remember thinking it was taking a long time to work, and then I started giggling. I don't know why, I just was finding it funny. Then my lips started to tingle and I think I giggled even more. I could just imagine the anesthesia seeping up my arm and into my head because suddenly the world started to collapse on me, and I think I remember saying "Ohhh".

When I "woke up" I was quite loopy. Mom said I was crying and when she asked me I didn't know why. My head felt so heavy like it was filled with sand, and I think I kept saying something about a waterfall. Mom also said that I kept doing the alphabet in sign language over and over again. I was seeing double, and my mouth felt like plastic, which I think I kept insisting upon. The nurse and my mom helped me out to the car. I still couldn't help sobbing and when mom would say that I was crying I would insist that I wasn't, and I even said I was so fine that I would drive us home if she wanted me to. It felt like it took forever to get home, and I was feeling very seasick. Mom had to help me to the couch when I almost fell over. I was just standing there I felt like my legs just turned to jello. I took a short nap, and when I got up besides felling tired I was OK. I really wanted to help mom make dinner so I started stirring the milk and butter to make a sauce to go over the mac and cheese. The Vestals came over to pick up Christian and I was talking to Hannah when I had a sudden notion that I really needed to puke. I ran to the bathroom, the gagging feeling was in my throat, when the world started to fuzz and then went black.

I woke up and it was the strangest feeling ever. I had no clue were I was, or even who I was. I just heard some people talking and saw what looked like carpet. I really was completely disoriented and drenched in sweat. I kind of sat up, or what I thought was up, I wasn't even in tune with my body it seemed. I remembered something about blue pelicans, and then it came back to me. I called for mom and when she came (I think I was crying again) I said that I thought I had passed out. She brought me over to her bad and I lied down. I felt nauseous for the rest of the day, and kept feeling the urge to upchuck. My mom called the doctor and the doctor said, "no more monkeys jumping on the bed". No, actually he just said that I was probably dehydrated and needed to lay down.
When I woke up today besides being incredibly puffy, and tired I'm doing much better. I went to town today and mom got me some stuff for me to eat. I was so pitiful looking though that people kept giving me these sad looks, and the lady at Costco called me sweetie. I still have a lot of homework to do so I should be off. The sad part about this whole ordeal is that I have to repeat it in a year or so.

Day 20: The Hu Hot Adventure

I guess a hobby of mine could be that I love to wear costumes, which fits perfect with my post for today.

Today Hu Hot was having a dress like Genghis Khan day. If you came in three or more Genghis pieces you would get a free meal. I convinced Luke, Mitch, Matthew, and Christian to do it with me. Hey, I'll dress funny for an hour for a free meal. Luke and I waiting for the rest of our mangy bunch to arrive.

Needless to say we got funny looks.Christian getting his food. The guys there are so cool. They can do all these flippy things with their spatulas and are just so good at what they do. My plate, or at least the first one. Yummy.Matthew being goofy.Luke, Matthew, Christan, and Mitch at our table.Luke and Christian looking, well, I'm not actually sure what they looked like. Some Viking, Mongolian, Sasquatch hybrid.Come to Montana, The locals are great!

Another great day!

Day 17: The gentleman

For an art piece I just love this painting.

I can just imagine what they are saying.

The gentleman: "OK now ladies follow me, flutter you fan like this, then draw back your skirt into a slight curtsy."

Ladies try

The gentleman: "Very well done," his stomach growls because he hasn't eaten lunch yet.

The chaperons: "Isn't he just dashing, I'm just sure he and Lucy will be married by the spring."

"No, no, I heard he is quite fond of Mary."

"I'm sure your mistaken, he had tea with us a fortnight ago and said how much he admired her scones, and said he would come again when work permitted him."

"Well, at the ball last night he danced twice with Mary, and I'm sure would have danced two times more if your Lucy hadn't practically wrote his name on her dance card."

"What are you implying about my Lucy?"

"Why nothing, whatever could you mean?"

The gentleman: Thinking about how all he wants to do is go to his residence, and leave these empty headed girls and their fans.

a froth provoking experience

First I give you all permission to laugh at my ignorance.

Well, today I went to a coffee shop for the first time ever. My grandpa is staying with us for two and a half weeks while my grandma is in New York. He had a dermatologist appointment today because he had skin cancer on his face removed and went to have stitches out. When he was there they said that his glasses were leaking copper into his face and that they needed the nose part to be replaced. We took him over to fix his glasses (which they also sonically cleaned) and they said it would be about 20 minutes. My mom suggested walking over to City Brew across the street, so we went.
We walked in and it looked cool. Very what I would expect a coffee shop to look like. My mom and grandpa ordered just a coffee, but if you know me I'm more of the sweet type. My experience with coffee is limited to Costco Latte' Freeze, those Starbucks cold sweet things you can get at supermarkets, and embarrassingly McDonald's iced coffee. So I look at their board and feel overwhelmed. I know I want something sweet, but what is the difference between a cappuccino or a frappucino, and will it taste anything like what I'm used too?
I'm feeling on the spot, the nice looking girl is starting to look not quite so nice and the person behind me is getting impatient. I suck up my pride and ask her "what is the difference between a Latte' and a cappuccino?" She says something about frothed milk in the cappuccino, so I say I'll take that. She asks what name to call and my mom says "Megan". I ask why. Dumb question, let's just say I get um..... blonde in stressful situations. So we all go sit down and I'm seeing these people walking around with these really yummy looking coffee, whipped cream, very light and sugary looking goodness. I get kind of excited. Maybe it will be really good? The lady calls my name. I don't hear her, she starts walking over to the table, I see her and stand up to get it. Humm, it's in a foam cup not a clear plastic one. First clue. I open it up and see all this frothy stuff, of course being me I dip in my finger and try it. It taste like... nothing. I try again and it barely taste like milk. I put the lid back on and take a sip and burns my tongue. So, I let it cool, wondering about what it might taste like.
My mom asks to try mine and after taking a sip proclaims "It tastes like dirt". At this point I'm feeling protective of my cup of unwonderfullness, and tell mom that it does not taste like dirt and she just has to let it cool. We sit there awhile and then leave. I still really haven't tried it yet. By the time we get grandpa's glasses and head for the car it has finally cooled enough to drink. It tasted like coffee, not really the flavor I was looking for. I drank the cup but I am unimpressed (the flavor did resemble that of dirt).

Overall I went into my first coffee shop, had my first "real" coffee, and next time I think I will just ask for the sweetest thing they've got.

Purple Bananas

I'm sure you all know the feeling when you see that your fresh yellow bananas have gone a little too mushy and brown for human consumption. About that time we all pull out are trusty banana bread recipe. You all know the one; never failing, always perfect, family favorite. Well, I have been so sick of ours for so long I've been experimenting. By now you should all know that my experiments in cooking are always..... interesting. I first tried the banana cookies which were a huge hit. But me no, I can't make the same trusty recipe for a fourth time now can I? So I pulled out an old Rachel Ray mag and found this recipe for caramelized banana loaf cake. It looked gross to begin with in the picture so I was a bit hesitant, but we had all the ingredients so I went ahead. You first have to like saute (fry?) the halved bananas in sugar and butter (umm). Which was an interesting process.

Tip; soak the pan when your done, sugar kinda hardens quickly I found out.

Next you lay the now gushy bananas on the bottom of a pan and dump the rest of the caramel on top. This is when I really started hearing complaints from family members.

"that looks gross, I wont eat that"

You then make a generic banana bread mix and put on top, bake, and walla it looks like every other banana bread! But then after ten minutes of excruciatingly waiting it was time to turn it over on a pan and.......Purple bananas? I have no clue how yellow bananas turn pink and purple (with a mix of yellow and brown) But they did. My brother Luke refused to try it, my mom scraped off the top, but dad and I ate it, and surprisingly we thought it was actually really good!

So the question is "would you eat it?"

Twister

I found this sight off a buyer on etsy. You all should take a look if you like funny clay pictures or squid.

(Just go to the side bar and click on a year to see all her pictures)

http://articulatematter.com/