Drive In Movie

It was a very long Saturday.

It did not pick up until about 5pm.

Dinner was made.

Chicken Enchiladas

Tummies were made happy and yet there was something missing from our day.

We needed to get out and about.

While I was picking up some summer clothes for my daughter, my husband had a brilliant idea.

Why don't we hit up the drive in?

Hmm.  The idea was simple.  Why hadn't we thought of this earlier?  The cost is low and entertainment value is high!  And.......my little is "4 & under" so she gets in for free!  We looked up show times and wouldn't you know it, they were still showing The Pirates: Band of Misfits, something my kiddo would enjoy.  I've made her plenty of pirate hats and swords, been apart of her crew and often repeated AAARRRR!

I couldn't take a real picture because it was so dark.  I had to make one so you can visualize it.

I was excited to go.  I remember the last time I went to the drive in, I was very pregnant and we went to catch some family films with the whole family (in-laws and nieces and nephews).  They always show a double feature and that night they were showing Madagascar 2 and Beverly Hills Chihuahua.  I fell asleep in the car as soon as the credits started.  There went 6.50 down the drain.

But this time was much more fun.  We sat in our little car with a little someone in my lap.  We made up a song about sitting in the front seat called, "Sitting In The Front Seat."  She really liked it.

The movie started at 8:55 (it would have been 8:30 but people were still coming in).  It was hilarious and I loved the soundtrack.  I think any movie that uses music from Flight of the Conchords is a winner.

She fell asleep by 10pm, drooled on my shirt, didn't move a muscle while putting her back in her car seat, went to bed easily.  She'll probably wonder how she got in her bed in the morning.

Homemade

So I posed a question on facebook saying:

Do homemade gifts still trump expensive gifts when the person who makes it is 30? I hope my mom likes my macaroni necklace I made her.

I had already made my mom a gift.  I myself am not into spending tons of cash because then next year it has to be bigger and/or better and I don't like to get caught up in that.

I adore homemade anything.  Especially food.  I didn't make my mom food.

I made her an album out of scrapbooking paper, cardboard, glue, pictures and ribbon.

Was I totally worried that she would hate it?

Yup.

I had this idea to put together pictures of every house I remember living in while growing up in California and then writing a little something about each house.  I touched on when us kids were in a scary car accident with my dad, jotted a tiny something about her divorce from my dad, and pondered the question, "Whatever happened to my sister's cat Samantha?"  My sister forgot that she had a cat altogether.  I took the liberty of making up a short story of the kind of life Samantha had.  It's not our fault, we aren't pet people and the cat was a gift to us from my mom's friend.

I can see it now. Samantha had a life of hard living after we abandoned her at the house on Lake street.  She probably joined a cat gang because she needed a new family.  She gets a tattoo on her paws that says MEOW 4 LIFE.  She didn't receive the love she needed when she was young so she goes from cat to cat hoping to feel that love again.  She has a litter of kittens at 4 and gets on kitty welfare.  Her kids repeat the cycle two years later. 

All together there were 7 houses and stories but I'll spare you.  I presented this little gift to my mom over sushi.   There are a few pictures below.  I think she liked it.


My mom is pretty mysterious like that.  I'm still, after all these little years, am trying to please her.  I'm going to think that she loved it and will cry her eyes out in private.

Maybe she'll let me know after I post this.....maybe not.

And that's okay.

She Knows What She Wants

I'm writing this post waiting for my roast to cool down a little so I can shred it by hand.  While I was taking the roast out of the crock pot, I look over to the picture I have of my Gramma that I have placed above my stove.  She's kind of an inspiration for me, especially when I don't know what to make.  She's always able to make a feast in times of famine.  With all that I have, I won't let myself cook something boring or plain.

So it's almost my Gramma's birthday again.  I'm very happy to have been able to spend yet another year with her.  She will be 82 on May 5th.  I decided this morning that I was going to invite her to my house for a nice birthday breakfast.  She is extremely picky (which she would deny) so I decided to ask her what she would like for me to prepare.

This is what she said:

Me:  Hi Gramma!
Gramma:  Hi Mija!
Me:  I was wondering if you would like to come to my house on your birthday for breakfast.
Gramma:  Ooh, that sounds nice.  What are you making?
Me:  What do you want me to make?
Gramma:  Oh, nothing fancy.  I know how you like to make fancy food.
Me: What?  I don't make fancy things. (I really don't and I have no idea what she's talking about)....So what can I make you?
Gramma: How about an omelette, but not plain.  Cut up some jalapenos, tomatoes and onions.  Not big pieces, small ones.  And some fresh refried beans...make a pot of beans and refry some.  Smash them well and I like them creamy.  I hate dry beans.  Oh and make some potatoes.  Cut them into small squares.  I like them soft not crispy.  Cover them while you cook them, not crispy.  Make some salsa.  I want you to boil the tomatoes and broil the jalapenos.  Then blend them in the blender but not too much, I want it chunky but not too chunky.  Oh and flour tortillas, the kind with the Mexican flag on them.  I like those the best. (I thought she was going to make me make fresh ones.  I can but she wants store bought and I don't want to disappoint). What time are we having breakfast.  Not too late because it'll turn into lunch.  I think like 8:30 or 9...or 9:30 if you want your aunt and sister to join us.
Me:  Okay.  I can make that.  I was thinking of something different but this works.
Gramma:  What were you thinking?
Me:  I was thinking chicharones con chile (fresh pork rinds with salsa)
Gramma:  Make that too.  Or wait until I get there and then we'll make it.


She's going to be 82....she knows what she wants and I'm happy to oblige.

Easy Arts

What I've been creating lately....
Sci-Fi gals.

I wish I would have put more emphasis on the brains but I do like the wires.

I love the orangey tones.

Late Night Dining

Growing up my family and I would visit our cousins in the summer.  It was a 7 hour road trip that my dad preferred to do overnight.  We would pack our things into our 1976 Chevy van, take our blankets and pillows and head out on the road.  I would do my best to try and stay up but I could never manage to stay awake the whole way.

Sometime during the road trip, after I had drifted off to sleep, my sister would shove me awake.  I remember that she would still look kind of groggy herself, like someone else had just woke her before me.


"Put your shoes on, we're at Denny's."

Talk about some magical words.  I would put my shoes on and we would make our way out of the van.  Everyone's hair was disheveled and it was perfect.  It was always between the hours of 11 - 2am each time we'd make a stop.  After talking to my mom, she clarified that it was the Denny's in Grapevine.  My dad would grab a plate of pancakes and a couple of cups of coffee.  We got whatever we wanted.  I usually got a hamburger.

My clearest memory of late night Denny's was when I was 11.  We were just about done and the place was dead.  The staff must have been made up of college kids. They lined up the dining chairs and had a race.  It was exciting.  I think I had put the occupation of "waitress" on my list of things I wanted to do at that moment.

Before I had my daughter....late night dining was always on my list of things to do.  My husband and I would meet up with friends, hang out then make our way over to Denny's or to its rival IHOP.  I don't know what it is about late-night dining that I miss.  Maybe the freedom, the way hot food tastes on a late chilly night, laughing about splitting the check...who knows.

My husband told me that his dad would bring hamburgers in the middle of the night and he'd be up at 1am half eating/half sleeping. I can imagine him trying to hold his head up with one hand and trying to eat a burger with the other.

I think when my kid is older, we'll keep up that little tradition.  When I was a kid, it was an adventure.  It was fun yummy spontaneity and I can't wait to start it up again.

When Anticipation Turns Into Anxiety....

I'm not going into detail about how this came about but two weeks ago, I went to the ER because I thought I was having a heart attack.

I felt like I did about 2-3 hours or cardio and there was a 300 pound weight on my chest.  I couldn't breathe and my heart rate was at 120.

I had just read an article called "If You're Going to Be Treated For a Heart Attack, Try Not to Be Female."  To sum it up, it basically says that when women go to the hospital complaining of chest pains; they are discriminated against.  It also said not to down play what they're feeling and to be their own advocate.

I had been having chest pains for a week but they generally went away.  The night before I went to the ER, the pain wasn't subsiding and I got nervous.  The next day I decided to go to my friendly neighborhood urgent care (which I now know that if you are experiencing chest pains or abdominal pain, skip the middleman) to get checked out.  They did an EKG and said my heart rate was abnormal and that I should go to the emergency room.  I dropped my kid off with her nana and my husband and I set off to the hospital.

I called my sister to let her know and she kept telling me, "You're not having a heart attack, it's probably anxiety."  I wasn't sure what it was but my chest was hurting something fierce.

I walked into the ER and told the girl up front, "I have chest pains and an abnormal EKG from urgent care." I was immediately taken into their "quick look" area to get my vitals checked and got another EKG.  The nurse was fast and was pumped with energy.  He looked at the EKG I had.  He asked, "Where did you get this from?" I replied, "Urgent care."  With an eye-roll he says, "Ugh, urgent care."  I thought that was so funny.  He yanks the wires off of me and sits me up and says, "Sinus tachycardia yes, heart attack? No.  You should feel better because I just ruled out your heart."  He gave me a quick smile and we went to the waiting room.

In my head I began to mull over what my sister said.  Anxiety.  It was a pretty rough week and it was only Wednesday.  I was looking around and there were people who looked worse off than how I looked.  I started to feel guilty and yet my chest pains weren't going away.

A short time after I was called and they rolled me to triage in the wheelchair which I felt was a bit much but its more of a liability thing.  I got set up in my little area and told several people what happened; I started to feel like a broken record.  They did blood work, a chest x-ray, a cat scan, urine screening.  Once the doctor came in, I thought my heart was going to bust out of my chest.  I see him look beyond me then back at my face.  He says in a calming voice, "Ms. are you an anxious person?"

"Uh....yeah?"

He said, "I know because as soon as I walked in, your heart rate jumped from 98 to 120," and smiled.  "We're going to get the results back from your blood work but for now how about we get that heart rate down okay?"  He tells the nurse, "How about one milligram of valium."  She nods.

Valium?  The drug of choice for housewives everywhere.  I never thought I'd have to succumb to the powers of it.  They handed me this tiny pill and I take it.  It works......fast.   Now that I think about it, they could have given me a placebo.

Once all was said and done, I didn't have diabetes or high cholesterol.  I had an anxiety attack....maybe more than one that week.  And telling someone to calm down in the middle of an anxiety attack won't help.  The doctor said to try and figure out ways to handle my stress better.  I really thought I could handle stress fine but my husband said that I often care to much about things that are out of my control.  And instead of getting defensive, I agreed.  I do care too much about things that don't need much caring about.

My sister in law, who is a nurse (which I'm very grateful for) came by the next day, took me to Target to get my prescription for twelve pills of valium.  The bottle says in big, bold letters - TAKE AS NEEDED.   This made me laugh.  We did a little shopping and she picked up pizza for dinner.  She also brought me some yoga DVDs which has helped me stress less.

All in all, I think I've learned to have more faith that things will work out and that I need to be more carefree.  Things that are going on in my family life are still going on, but truthfully its a brief moment in time.  And anytime I need to get my head on straight I just think about how good I actually have it compared to the terrible things happening in the world and tell myself to shut up about my champagne problems.

February 13th, Not A Valentine's Post

What was the worst gift I ever got from my husband?

Any guesses?  A fancy cheese grater?  A bubble machine?  Portable flo-bee?  It sounds like a chainsaw and is helpful for those excessive fuzz on your clothes days - The electronic lint remover. His heart was in the right place....even if every time I used it I thought tiny metal antennae were going to come out of the holes and rip up my guts.

Since then, the gift giving has improved.  My husband has a knack for remembering little things.  I got the lint remover because I said I hate using a lint roller and wished that there was an easier way to remove lint. Since then the little things he's remembered has worked in my favor. Here are some examples:

- There was a glass etching class I kind of wanted to go to, you know the ones that let you etch your last name onto your casserole dishes so that if you leave them there's no reason why it couldn't go back to you?  It reminds me of like a housewife sting operation....anyway, I wanted to go but I didn't have any glassware....until that following Mother's Day.  He listened to me say, "Pssh, it was probably boring anyway" and heard "I wish I had some glassware."

- I said, "Man, I wish I didn't live so far from the library.  I'd probably read more." On my birthday I got a gift basket with all the classics, snacks and drinks.

- "If I had a blow dryer, I'd be ready faster."  On Valentine's Day, I got the hotel room style blow dryer...you know the kind that mounts to the wall.  I love it!

- The day after I got the last Harry Potter book (which came out right around my birthday) I was given the whole day to read it and my husband brought me food throughout the day so I wouldn't have to stop reading.  It was probably one of the best gifts - time to do what you'd like to do, not what you need to do.  I could go for another one of those free time days.

I never get tired of the "I love you's" but one of my most favorite things my husband had ever said to me happened when he asked me once what I wanted for Christmas.  I said, "How about some nice comfy pajamas?"  I'm a pajama girl.  Not the teeny barely there kind, the sweats and cute top kind...you know.  I quickly thought it would be weird for making my husband shop in the ladies section for me and said, "You know what, nevermind.  You don't even know my size and I really don't want you to guess."  He says, "Of course I know your size."  My mortification was short-lived when he said, "You're size pretty."