Eye Rolls and Gft Giving: Fly on the Wall

Welcome to a monthly Fly on the Wall group post. Today 6 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house. At the end of my post you’ll find links to this month’s other participants’ posts.

Since last month's Fly on the Wall, I flew PurDude home for Thanksgiving. He almost didn't make it, there was a huge snow storm in Colorado, many roads were closed a huge number of flights were canceled. He did make it to the airport, fortunately because I had booked him on a 9pm flight and by then the planes were flying again. 

I was still working in the kitchen late into the evening so we decided that Hubs would go pick up PurDude at the airport. His flight was delayed so we waited until he was in the air before Hubs left, but he left really early because it was sleeting out.

While he was driving I found out that friends of ours were stuck at the airport PurDude had just left, their flight had been canceled. Once he got to the airport, Hubs texted:

Hubs: I'm here, he lands in about 1/2 hour.
Me: Guess who I just found out is stuck at the Denver airport?
Hubs: Not him, I hope.
Me: Yeah, right, he's stuck at the Denver airport and I waited for you to drive through the sleet all the way to our airport to tell you.

Duh!

I've mentioned before that neither of my boys cook. At all. I've tried many times to teach them to make a few things just so they can get by if they have to but no, they're not interested.

So same night, Hubs is still at the airport and I tell him about our friends who are stuck at the Denver airport. He texts back:

Hubs: I wish them luck. I doubt if there are any uncooked flights tomorrow.

Uncooked? If there's cooking involved, my boys will never fly again.

We're coming up on Chanukah and Christmas (bet you knew that) and lazy me is really enjoying gift giving when my whole list is older kids.
My boys both want money. My niece and nephew both want money. No hours on the internet for me. No looking for parking spaces in the freezing cold for me. In fact, with my kids I won't even write a check, I'll just move the money into their accounts.

Me: I know what I'm getting you for Chanukah.
Hubs: Want to give me a hint?
Me: I don't need to give you a hint, I'll tell you flat out, I'm giving you money. In fact, it's already in our account, just use your debit card when you want it. You're welcome.

And just like that I'm done shopping. Yay me! Holiday gift giving at its best.

I guess he gave it some thought because Hubs came to me later:
Hubs: So let me get this straight, for my holiday gift I just take money out of the account and spend it?
Me: Yup.
Hubs: You mean like I usually do?
Me: Something like that.
Hubs: How is this different? 
Me: Well, for one thing, you'll be buying yourself something you want, from your family.
Hubs (smiles): That sounds promising.
Me: See, I knew you'd like it. Think about it, decide what you want that you wouldn't usually buy. You can spend that $20 wherever you want.
Hubs: I had a feeling there'd be a catch.
Me: There always is . . . 

Still later:

Hubs: I was thinking, although the boys will definitely appreciate money as their gift, maybe would could just buy them something small.
Me: Like what?
Hubs: I don't know, I'm sure you can think of something small. 
Me (grabbing my laptop and starting to type): You know, I have just the thing. I can get us all matching pajamas. We can take a family picture. We can even send out a holiday card.
Hubs: You know what, on second thought, the money will be enough of a gift.

Aaaaand . . . I'm done again.

Red Pepper and Spinach Hummus

After hearing me scream "NOOO", Hubs races up the stairs and finds me sitting on the bathroom floor cradling my make-up mirror. He approaches me cautiously because . . . well . . . he knows me.

Hubs: You OK?
Me: Yes.
Hubs: Why did you scream?
Me: I bumped my make-up mirror on the counter and it was falling.
Hubs: You caught it.
Me: Yes, phew, I just got over 6 weeks of the Shingles. 
Hubs: And? 
Me: And that's without a bad luck curse. Imagine if that mirror had broken, I could end up with the plague or something.
Hubs (rolling his eyes): So that's how you catch the plague . . . I always wondered.

Hubs comes home from doing an errand, walks downstairs, walks back upstairs and goes out again. When he comes back:

Hubs: I lost my cell phone.
Me: Where had you been?
Hubs: Best Buy. I went back but it's not there and no one has turned it in.
Me: So it fell out of your pocket?
Hubs: No, I had it in my hand.
Me: Using it?
Hubs: No, I just had it in my hand.
Me: You were looking at merchandise with a cell phone in your hand? Who does that?
Hubs: I'm upset enough, how about saying something positive.
Me: Sorry. So . . . good job, great idea to check out electronics with your phone in your hand. I may try that myself.

Hubs rolls his eyes and walks away, knowing that the best he could expect from me was sarcastic.

PS: He went to the store, searched the car, went to Verizon, put a hold on his phone, looked in his coat pockets, and basically spent an entire frustrating afternoon in "lost phone" mode.

A few hours later, I went to the coat closet, checked the shelf above the coats and found his phone. He'd put it there when he hung up his coat.

And yes, when I handed it to him, I was exceedingly sarcastic.

I think the years of watching Purdue football games with my son has gotten to me. 

Whenever they kick off, all the students yell "IU sucks". Yeah, it's not nice, and they do it whether they're playing Indiana University or not (which I'd imagine would be confusing to other teams they're playing but I think it's funny). 

The Patriots were playing and I was finishing up on my laptop as they kicked off. Without even thinking about it, I yelled "IU sucks". Of course whenever you do something silly you hope no one sees. Of course (for me anyway) someone always does.

Hubs comes down the stairs, stops next to where I'm sitting, waits for me to look up at him, rolls his eyes so hard I think they're going to fall out of their sockets and walks away.

I'm not a foodie. Cooking and baking serves a purpose in my life so I enjoy the escape. Developing recipes allows me a creative outlet. But my recipes are not cutting edge, they're pedestrian. They focus on what my family likes, or what I think they could like. I see no point in making meals or snacks that will end up not being eaten.

I'm been invited into a few Facebook groups where recipe developers share their recipes with others in the group. I'm lucky that there is a varied enough group of people in these groups that there's an audience for the kinds of foods I make.

But I was sharply reminded, the other day, that I am truly not a foodie. A fellow blogger had posted her latest recipe. I read the title, four words, and I read them twice. Nope, have absolutely no idea what a single one of those ingredients are. 

In a couple of days it'll be the first day of Chanukah, followed a few days later by Christmas, and with New Year's right around the corner. I always make Crusted Prime Rib for Chanukah, a turkey for Christmas and then an appetizer bar for New Year's Eve. They all require shopping lists and prep and defrosting and . . . you know.

Yesterday Hubs, who's generally oblivious to anything cooking related, reminds me that I need to take the turkey out of the freezer. In the basement we have a spare fridge (with a freezer) and right next to it a freestanding freezer. I had the turkey in the fridge freezer and had already moved it to the fridge down there. I told Hubs that.

He keeps his beer in that fridge because it's where the man-cave is. Hubs comes up later that day to tell me he went to get a beer and didn't see the turkey in the fridge. I rolled my eyes. After all, this is the guy who constantly asks me where items are that invariably right in front of his face. 

Me: It's there.
Hubs: It's not. 
Me: Don't worry about it, you'll be eating turkey dinner in a couple of days.

Later on I went down to the basement. It's a good thing Hubs actually noticed that the turkey wasn't in the fridge. Turns out I'd moved it from the fridge freezer to the freestanding freezer. Needless to say, it wasn't defrosting. At all.

And please don't tell Hubs. 'Cause you know he'd roll his eyes. And make damn sure I saw him doing it.

Now click on the links below for a peek into some other homes:

Never Ever Give Up Hope  
Menopausal Mother 
Spatulas on Parade
Go Mama O. 
Sarah Nolan 

Red Pepper and Spinach Hummus        

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 TBSP lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt (may add more at the end, to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper
4 TBSP olive oil, divided
3/4 cup spinach leaves
1/2 cup roasted red peppers

OPT: serve with pita bread, crackers and/or crudites

Directions:
*Toast sesame seeds in a dry pan over med heat for just a few minutes. Watch closely as they will overcook quickly, remove from pan once they begin to brown.
*In blender or food processor, pulse the chickpeas, toasted sesame seeds, minced garlic, lemon juice, sesame oil, cumin, salt, pepper and 2 TBSP of the olive oil just a few times until the chickpeas are broken up.
*Add the spinach and roasted red peppers. Process until it starts to get smooth. With the blender or processor going, add in the remaining 2 TBSP olive oil through the spout on your machine meant for this purpose and blend for just a few more seconds.
*NOTE: if it's too thick, add water (1 TBSP at a time) until it's creamy. Taste and add another 1/4 tsp salt if needed.
*Refrigerate, tightly covered until serving. Best if it sits for a day.