Take 1 –Feb Secret Subject Swap

Welcome to Take One of February’s Secret Subject Swap. This week, 15 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts.

 

 

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

 

Baking In A Tornado

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy

The Momisodes

Menopausal Mother

Momaical 

Life on the SONny Side 

Chewylicious

The Insomniac's Dream

A Mother Life 

Follow me home . . .

100lb Countdown

Something Clever 2.0

Just A Little Nutty

My Brain on Kids 

Quirky Chrissy

 

 

My subject is: I used to say “when I grow up I’m going to          but now         .  It was submitted by: Quirky Chrissy. Here goes:
 

When I grow up I’m going to            .  If I had a penny for every time I said that growing up I’d be rich. If I had a minute for every time I thought that, I’d live to be a zillion. If I had a brain cell for every time I was convinced of that I’d have a memory. If I had a . . . you get the idea.

 

The truth of the matter is that we all want to think, in that moment, that we’d do so many things differently when we could. But we don’t have the means to do what we’re longing to do, and once we have the means we’re left longing to be back in that moment. This, my friends, is where the term “vicious cycle” must come from. Have you ever seen a dog chase it’s tail?  Don’t laugh, you’re doing the same thing.

 

So yes, my smart-ass-past-self did think many, many times over the years that I had ALL of the answers and when I grew up I’d remember each and every thing younger-me didn’t have the means to do and I would go out there and show the world how it’s done. So let’s see how I did, figure out the success rate, shall we?

 

When I grow up I’m going to eat cookies and candy for dinner.

But now I’m lucky when I can find one in the packet, and I’m talking 5 minutes after I buy them.

When I grow up I’m going to stay up all night.

But now I’m exhausted (thanks, kids), half the time I can’t wait to get to bed.

 

When I grow up I’m going to drink as much as I want.

But now I see the folly in that. Because when a lot goes down, it frequently comes back up (so to speak).

When I grow up I’m going to just take off whenever I want.

But now I spend most days telling myself “you will not run away from home today, you will not run away from home today, you will not . . . “

When I grow up and graduate from college I’m never going to write another paper again.

But now . . .

When I grow up I’m going to have a chef to prepare whatever I want whenever I want.

But now I not only cook (sorry, kids) but I bake . . . for pleasure.

Tie Dye Cupcakes

 

When I grow up I’m going to never go to a Doctor or Dentist again.

But now I find they’re the only people who listen to me.

When I grow up I’m going to dance all night.

But now I have trouble getting up off the couch.

When I grow up I’m going to grow my hair until I can sit on it.

But now I hate it. It takes forever to dry, hours to straighten, it’s too thin to be long and I look like I keep my hair brush in a shopping cart along with the rest of my belongings.

When I grow up I’m going to live next door to my best friend.

But now I live 1500 miles away from, pretty much, everyone.

When I grow up I’m going to let my kids do whatever they want.

But now, not so much.

 

  

Tie Dye Cupcakes
                                    ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 

Printable Recipe

Ingredients Cupcake:
1 box white cake mix with other ingredients specified on the box
3 (3 oz) boxes of (different colors) jello
Ingredients Frosting:
1 (3 oz) box jello
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup boiling water
 

Directions Cupcake:
*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put cupcake papers into 24 muffin cups. Spray a small amount of nonstick baking spray into each cup.
*Prepare cake batter as directed on box. Divide into 3 bowls. Mix 1/2 jello package (about 4 TBSP) into each bowl.
*Put about a TBSP of one color batter into each muffin cup (you don’t need to be exact), follow with the next color, then the next. If any batter is left, continue spooning into cups. Where the colors go doesn’t matter as long as all cups are filled to the same level.
*Bake per cake package directions. Cool completely.
Directions Frosting:
*Put jello, sugar and vanilla into a metal bowl. Beat on high while slowly adding the boiling water.
*Continue to beat on high until it’s of frosting consistency, about 8 minutes.

NOTE: This is not my recipe. This is one of those recipes that everyone has and that I’ve had for so many years I don’t even know when or how I got it.

 

Give ‘em the Finger

OK, admit it, sometimes people drive you nuts. Telemarketers who call your house every 3 minutes, Customer Service reps who won’t help you, drivers who can’t drive, blog comment spammers, your kids.

No one can make me crazier than my kids. I mean gone-blind want to kill ‘em nuts. They are experts at pushing me to my limit and beyond. I’m the first to say, the best spur-of-the-moment release of all that anger and frustration is a good stream of every swear word I can think of (and I can think of a lot). Preferably at the top of my lungs. Second best option, the dreaded finger. The more forceful the better. Accompanied with a “HEY” so they know to look. But is that usually an option? No, sigh, sadly not.

Or is it? Yes, actually, it is. Well, sorta. With a little ingenuity. You see, folks, what I learned is that we have other fingers. And it actually feels kinda good to unleash ‘em every now and then. Yup, I have started generously giving out the old Ring Finger.

Now the first time I gave it to my kids, forcefully and loud “HEY” included, I think they were stunned. I’m sure they thought I had actually given them THE finger. No kids, count again. That’s the dreaded (OK, not so dreaded) Ring Finger. Stunned silence. I gave then the death-glare (don’t pretend you don’t know the one) and walked off with my head held high. Was it a victory? A failure? I don’t know. The good news: they don’t either.

Hey, Telemarketers, talk to my voicemail. And Ring Finger you!

Customer Service rep, I called ‘cause I need assistance. You don’t want to help me? Well Ring Finger you!

Driver in front of me, that thing to the right of that brake you’re riding is the gas pedal, use it. Oh, and Ring Finger you!

Comment Spammers, got something for you. Ring Finger you!

What, you’re teenagers and you’re still whining about dinner? Ring Finger you!

White Chili (with Cornbread)
 

Oh, and Facebook, always screwing with my news feed. Do you really think I’m going to pay you $5 per post so the people who’ve liked my page can see what I have to say? Well I’ve got a whole other finger for you (OK same finger, just another hand), but Ring Finger you!

White Chili
                                    © www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts cut into bite sized chunks
garlic powder for sprinkling
1 chopped onion (I use frozen chopped onion in this recipe)
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cans (I like medium heat) green chilis
2 tsp garlic powder
2 1/4 tsp cumin
chopped fresh cilantro (amount depends on your tastes)
2 cans white beans, undrained (I like Great Northern)
1 can corn, drained 
 
 Directions:

* Sprinkle chicken with garlic powder, then saute in a large pot until cooked. If making this in a crock pot (see below) just saute in a fry pan.

*Add the chicken broth, the chilis, the garlic powder, cumin and cilantro.

*Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

*Add the beans and corn.

*Simmer another 20 minutes.

NOTE: I will often saute the chicken, then finish making it in the crock pot.

NOTE: This recipe was adapted from Southwestern White Chili by Ellie Deaner

Permanent Record

Have you ever “googled” yourself? I bet you have. We are all curious about whatever information is out there about us, what we’ve left behind as we go through life, what, if anything, people will see if they “googled” us. There’s a lot about us that’s out there that’s permanent, footprints we’ve left deliberately or inadvertently. I think there’s more available on Baking In A Tornado than there is about me personally, and that makes me happy. I prefer the anonymity on the personal front.

When Older Son was really little he somewhere heard the term “permanent record”. He wanted me to explain it to him, which was difficult given his age. He listened and then asked about his own permanent record. We ended up having multiple conversations as I tried to assure him that it was really OK that he didn’t yet have a permanent record.

When Older Son was in second grade the school district had the teachers fill out forms on the students rating their character. I was uncomfortable with the whole idea. One of the rankings concerning Jason surprised me and I went in to speak with the teacher. She gave me an example of the questionable behavior: She had asked for “p” words and Older Son said “potty”. After I got my jaw back under control I challenged her, “potty” IS a “p” word, isn’t a curse word and that answer does not rise to the level of her questioning his character. 

The scariest part was when I talked to Older Son about being careful about what he says in class, and he insisted that it was not him but his friend who has said it. His friend happened to be at our house and readily admitted (I’m sure his parents had no problem with the word either) that it was he (the friend) who used that particular “p” word. End result: I don’t believe schools should be documenting their assessment of a 7 year old’s character, I don’t consider the use of “potty” a character flaw, but bottom line my kid hadn’t even said it. I could just see him running for President one day and the opposition producing a whole commercial on Older Son’s use of “potty” on the second grade, resulting in his teacher’s questioning his character. I got the assessment amended.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately because my kids are at the end of their High School years. When they were younger, a lot of their choices didn’t have any long term consequences. Once they hit High School, though they are leaving their mark. They have to be more cognizant of not just what they do but how it is perceived, how it will be recorded.

Cinnamon Ginger Cookies

And maybe I’ve been thinking about it because of this little conversation I had with the boys just the other day:

Me: “Do you want me to get you a parking sticker so you can park in the school parking lot?”
Younger Son: “No, there are more accidents there than you can imagine".”
Older Son (indignantly): “No, they take the drug dogs out there and they think just because you’re on school property, they have the right to just go and search your car.”

Could be he’s just trying to push my buttons (his favorite sport). Could be he’s going to have his wish for a permanent record after all. Could be I need to bake . . . after I search his room.

Cinnamon Ginger Cookies
                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, softened

1 stick margarine, softened
3/4 cups sugar (plus more for rolling dough)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cinnamon baking chips  

Directions:

*Beat butter, margarine, sugar, brown sugar, molasses, and egg until creamy.
*Mix in flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, cloves and salt
*Mix in cinnamon chips last. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
 *Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with no-stick spray.
*Roll dough into 3/4 inch balls. Roll each dough ball in white sugar and put onto cooking sheet.
*Bake for 12 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 1 to 2 minutes before removing.