This & That

April 30, 2012 / Ally Bean / 23 Comments

{april – monday – morning}

√ I told you something hinky was going on. If you follow me on Twitter you might remember that last Thursday I tweeted: “There’s a sheriff’s helicopter circling the ravine behind our house & 2 police cars racing up/down the street. This is not normal.” Over the weekend I found out what had happened right here… in the ravine behind our house… in the middle of the day.

A police officer noticed a car without license plates driving through town. It was a stolen car. So, the police chased the four men in the stolen car into a cul-de-sac in our subdivision where the driver of the car crashed the car into a tree. The police immediately apprehended one man, but the other three men escaped on foot and headed into the ravine that runs throughout this subdivision.

That’s when the helicopter started circling our house. Eventually, [about 10 minutes I’d estimate] thanks to the helicopter overhead the police caught the other three miscreants without any shots fired or destruction of personal property. Good job, eh?

√ We planted the pots by our front door with coleus this year. We chose Mosaic, Jazz Rose + Black Dragon with a spike in the middle for height. The colors should coordinate nicely with the green pot itself and the surrounding red barberry bushes. [For an abstract rendering of the colors we’re working with go here to this cool blog called Field Trips in Fiber.]

√ I tried a new recipe. On Friday I found this recipe, Homemade Chocolate Pudding with Baileys, in a blog called My Baking Addiction. I realized that I had almost the correct ingredients in our pantry, so I decided to make the pudding with what I had on hand.

Because I used fat-free half & half (instead of heavy cream) + 10 bite-size pieces of dark chocolate candy (instead of semi-sweet chocolate) what I made was more of a sauce than a pudding. Which does not matter because this was the most delicious tasting almost-pudding I’ve ever had. I’ll make this recipe again with [or without] the correct ingredients to eat as pudding– or to put on toasted pound cake + vanilla ice cream.

√ As some of you know, I collect Le Creuset coffee mugs. I have one of each color. This weekend I got a mug in the newest color, Marseille. I’d describe it as robin egg blue-ish [peacock blue-ish?]. Alone it is a lovely shade, but in our house it truly goes with nothing. Zilch.

All of our blues are cobalt, or denim, or rather grayed– and this new color with a touch of green in it looks very out-of-place. Still, it makes my collection complete, so it can stay. But nothing else of this color will be entering my house if I can help it.

This & That

March 19, 2012 / Ally Bean / 18 Comments

{march – monday – morning}

√ How great is this unprecedented warm midwest winter weather? It’s so great that I wore shorts, a long sleeve t-shirt and birks this weekend– and I was too warm. I needed to stop for an icy cold bottle of water from the vending machine outside of Kroger before we did the shopping. Never in my life here have I seen winter shift directly into summer– skipping over spring entirely.

Me likey this year’s revised winter.

√ Well, if it’s going to be summer then I’m thinking that it’s time for me to make some The Pioneer Woman’s Perfect Iced Coffee. I tried her method last summer and enjoyed the results; the effort was worth it. I don’t have to have a pot of hot coffee each morning [did I really just say that?] when I can have a refreshing glass of pre-made iced coffee with a teaspoon of sweetened condensed milk instead.

Try it… you’ll like it! 🙂

√ We planted a few pots with some pansies that we bought at Lowe’s. They had the prettiest/healthiest/cheapest selection anywhere, so I am happy. Of course, I’m always happy when I see pansies. Did you know that in the language of flowers pansies represent thinking?

And with those cute little smiling faces and those bright cheerful colors– what’s not to like?

√ I went to the doctor late Friday afternoon. My stomach has not been right for months now, so I finally decided to go see what the doc had to say. Bottom line: I’m middle-aged + probably nothing really wrong with me so no tests + take some OTC meds in the way he prescribes = feel better. I like this guy’s down-to-earth approach to practicing medicine.

Having followed his advice for 2 days I like how much better I feel already.

√ A bit of self-awareness never hurt a soul, now did it? I’ve been thinking about my use of the internet. How often I go online, what I do, what I expect to happen when I’m online. I realized that I’m spending less time surfing the web than I used to do, but more time connecting with people via comments or tweets or pins. I realized that for me technology is a tool, and will never be a lifestyle. I realized that while I adore the immediacy of the internet, I also take pride in the fact that I can walk away from it without any sense of anxiety when I so chose.

Yep, I like this newfangled thing called the world-wide web— as long as I use it on my terms. 😉

Later, kids. The out-of-doors beckons to me.

I Link. You Click. We Chat.

March 1, 2012August 28, 2018 / Ally Bean / 12 Comments

* Most inexplicable search term that brought someone to my blog: if i were a bird I’d be an apple.

* Most intriguing way to start conversations with children: 1973 classroom discussion posters.

* Most unexpected flashback to my younger days: i make things happen. i’m a catalyst.

* Most wonderful tutorial about painting your home: how to paint perfect lines.

* Most logical idea that will make my life better: weekly chore schedule.

* Most confusing online discussion of the week: pinterest-gate.

* Most entertaining political website ever: i ride inside.

* Most interesting test that you must take: word association study.

* Most beautiful advert with useful information on it: left brain/right brain.

* Most delightful analysis of online friendships: 10 annoying social media friends.

* Most remarkable personal revelation about how to cook: crock pot baked potatoes.

* Most useful exercise in self-awareness that you need to do: your eight auspicious symbols.

* Most unique glimpse back in time: a few important suggestions for the use of your dial telephone.

The “Randomness” Meme

February 9, 2012 / Ally Bean / 13 Comments

Cheri of Naples Girl Blog tagged me with this randomness meme. Fun, huh? But me being me, I will play along… to a point. I tend to make up my own rules when it comes to memes. So here we go, okay?

The REVISED Rules:

First, post these rules on your blog.
Second, post 11 random things about yourself.
Third, answer the questions posed to you by the blogger of the blog where you first read this meme.
Last, create 11 new questions for any blogger who chooses to do this meme next.
No need to tag anyone on your blog or on twitter. Those bloggers who want to do this meme should do it [linking back to original source, of course]… and those bloggers who don’t want to do this meme should not do it [forgetting that they ever knew it existed].

11 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME

My eyes appear to be blue, but in actuality I have a little bit of green around each iris.
I don’t like popcorn very much.
I played the violin from the time I was in second grade until I graduated from high school. I couldn’t wait to get to college and give it up.
I’m fond of tulips.
I went online for the first time from my home in January of 1997. It changed my life for the better in ways that I never could have imagined.
I’m allergic to mold spores.
I recently gave away my grandparents’ dining room table. It was in great shape, but we had tired of it. I thought about selling it, but decided that giving it to a couple who needed a table right now was more in keeping with my values.
I have narrow feet.
My favorite Bible verse is: “Be strong and let your heart take courage.” Psalm 31:24.
I have lots of old photos that I’d like to put into this blog, but we have the world’s most ridiculous printer that only allows me to scan when it is in the mood. Which isn’t very often. There is no fussier machine in the world.
I think that Glee is delightful.

11 QUESTIONS FROM CHERI

What is your fave book? Winnie The Pooh.
Are you a healthy eater? Some days, yes.
Do you believe in prayer? Yes.
Do you own any pets? No. We had two cats, but they died… and we never got around to getting any more pets after that.
Who does the cooking in your house? We both do.
Are you working in the field of study that was your major in college? Yes.
When is the last time you laughed so hard your stomach hurt? Watching an episode of The Big Bang Theory… Sheldon can make me laugh like no other character on TV.
If you could live anywhere, where would you live? You know, I don’t really know for sure. Somewhere with more sunshine than around here, but not too muggy and buggy.
Which is your fave season? Autumn.
Who is your fave artist? Vincent Van Gogh.
Do you consider yourself crafty? No. Both in the ability to make cute things with my hands definition of the word– and in the sneaky, conniving sort of person definition of the word!