Welcome
to a monthly Fly on the Wall group post. Today 3 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.
I told a few stories in last month's Fly on the Wall about me becoming a bit forgetful. It's not all the time, but it's here and there and I do get frustrated by it.
I had read something recently that said that if you brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand, it helps support connections in your brain. OK, maybe true, maybe not, but what have I got to lose?
So, I started brushing my teeth with my left hand. And, ah, the power of suggestion, but I could feel myself getting brighter, more alert.
One morning I was in a rush and just brushed my teeth with my dominant hand. Later that day:
Hubs: Did you go out into the garage?
Me: Yes, why?
Hubs: You forgot to turn the light off out there.
Me: That's because I didn't brush my teeth with my left hand.
Hubs: {{blink, blink}}.
I did eventually explain to Hubs that I had read that brushing my teeth with my left hand was supposed to help my memory. I don't think he quite got the point.
A few days later:
Me: Did you forget to stop and get the mail on the way home?
Hubs: I did. So, I guess that brain theory doesn't work, I've been brushing my teeth with my left hand.
Me: But you're left-handed.
I was standing at the kitchen slider watching the leaves dropping from the trees along the wood line behind my house when I started singing. I didn't realize that College Boy was in the house.
Me (singing Moondance): "And all the leaves on the trees are falling, to the sound of the breezes that blow."
College Boy: You know why so many of them are falling like that right?
Me: The breezes?
College Boy: No, they're trying to escape your singing.
Now that's just mean. Possibly true, but definitely mean.
College Boy had come in through the garage, put his shoes in his locker in the laundry room and was headed upstairs when I thought I caught a glimpse of something.
Me: Let me see the bottom of your foot. Are you wearing socks with holes in them?
College Boy (holding up his foot, with no shame, btw): Yeah.
Me: That's more hole than sock. Throw that out.
College Boy: Want to see the other sock? It doesn't have one single hole.
Me: Well, that's good.
College Boy (holding up the other foot): It has two!
As a mother I need to ask, why do we even bother trying?
College Boy (calling down from upstairs): Are you making pancakes?
Me: No.
College Boy: What do I smell?
Me: I'm baking a cake.
College Boy: Why do I smell pancakes?
Me: I don't know, all I'm baking right now is a cake.
College Boy: Is it pancake flavored?
Me: No.
College Boy: Well, now I want pancakes.
Me: I've got cake . . .
But damn that power of suggestion. Now I, too, just had to have pancakes.
Pecan Oatmeal Pancakes
Me (to myself): Hmmm.
PurDude: What?
Me: Oh, I was looking at the words a friend sent me and I've never heard this one before.
PurDude: What do you mean?
Me: I have to Google this word, I don't know it.
PurDude: But you know all the words.
Me: What?
PurDude: You know all the words.
Me: I don't know this one.
PurDude: What else have I believed that's actually untrue?
Me: Huh?
PurDude: That's great, now I'm going to have to reevaluate my entire childhood.
The time came, all to fast, when he had to make the drive back to Boulder. We had a conversation that's become pretty standard for us.
PurDude: I'm going to go back home tomorrow.
Me: No.
PurDude: Yeah, I have to.
Me: No.
PurDude: You knew I wasn't staying forever, right?
Me: No.
PurDude: I have my weekly food service package coming Sunday morning and I have to work on Monday.
Me: No.
PurDude: Based on this conversation, I think I need to apologize for every conversation we had when I was a toddler.
College Boy was in the kitchen early, and loudly banging around getting out a bowl, spoon, and glass for his breakfast.
Me: You're making an awful lot of noise.
College Boy: I'm just getting my breakfast.
Me: Stop being obstreperous.
College Boy: What's that?
Me: Google it, I had to. And I ended up ruining your brother's whole childhood.
College Boy: Ruined his childhood?
Me: Yeah, he thought I was perfect, now he knows I'm not.
College Boy: Well you won't ruin my childhood, I already know you're not perfect.
Me: Thanks. Or not.
I was working on a recipe for my Triple Chocolate Dome Cake and wasn't sure what size the bowl was that I planned to use. I Googled "pyrex bowl sizes," knowing I could figure it out from there. The first thing that came up was "bong joint sizes."
Me: Hmm, that's weird.
College Boy: What?
Me: I was googling bowl sizes and the first thing that came up was something about there being 3 bong joint sizes. I thought you either smoked a bong or a joint, but I've never heard of a bong joint.
College Boy: There are bongs that can accommodate joints.
Me: Well, I guess I learned something new today.
College Boy: There are actually joint menorahs, you light all the joint candles at once.
Me: OK. More information that I needed. But I guess I'm now well prepared if the subject ever comes up on Jeopardy.
College Boy went to college nearby, just an hour away. In his locker in the laundry room I'd keep a bag and fill it with supplies for him that he'd take back to school after a visit.
PurDude, as you know, went to school 9 hours away. He couldn't stop by for visits, we'd have to fly him home. I'd always tell him not to pack toiletries, I'd have them here for him and he could take them back with him. I'm not sure why I felt bad about not supplementing his basics on a more regular basis since his budget while away was that I had access to his bank account and whenever it started to get depleted, I transferred money in and built it back up.
He's been out of college for years, but after that first year he moved 8 hours away in the other direction. Whenever he comes home I tell him the same thing, don't bring toiletries, I'll have a fresh supply here and he can take them with him.
While PurDude was home for my birthday, I gathered up supplies for him, but 10 days later when he was packing to leave, I notice he'd not packed the deodorant.
Me: Don't forget to take the deodorant.
PurDude: I don't need it.
Me: Just put it in your cabinet at home and you'll have an extra there.
PurDude: Not necessary.
Me: Why not?
PurDude: I'm still working on the supply of deodorant from you during my college days!
Now click on the links below for a peek into some other homes:
Pecan Oatmeal Pancakes
©www.BakingInATornado.com
Ingredients (makes 6 - 8 pancakes):
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup quick oats
2 TBSP brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup chopped pecans
5.3 oz container of Greek yogurt, plain or the flavor of your choice, I used toasted coconut flavor
1/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 egg
6 TBSP butter, divided
Directions:
*Melt 2 TBSP butter and set aside.
*Place the quick oats in a food processor and process until fine.
*Whisk together the flour, crushed oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pecans in a large bowl.
*Add the melted butter to the dry ingredients, along with the yogurt, milk, almond extract, and egg. Mix just until incorporated, do not over mix.
*Heat 1/2 TBSP butter in a saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add a little less than 1/4 cup pancake batter and spread from the center to a circle about 4 inches in diameter.
*Once the batter starts to bubble, flip the pancake over and lower the temperature a little. Cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Remove from pan, keep warm, and repeat with the remaining butter and batter.