Aeryun's Thoughts...

YAY! I made it to the end. I think I only missed one or two days too. :D

Jeff took off this week, so that we could get stuff done and spend time together before I leave on Friday. Today was Christmas shopping. I think I might just die later when I lay down. I thought I was tough to shop with. Looks like I have nothing on Jeff when he has a plan. We went to seven different stores, and was gone from 9 AM til 2:30 PM. I predict that I will be in bed before nine tonight.

I have to pack tonight. I need to call to order "tickets" for my bag or bags, and I need to figure out if I need 1 suitcase or two.

For those of you that enjoyed the ficlet yesterday, you might be happy to hear that Missy and I have been talking about ways to expand on the idea somewhat. YAY! The muse is finally talking to me again. I haz a BIG happy! :D

Hugs to all!

And today, you get an actually story. It's an idea that has been rattling around in my brain for a while now. In fact I had posted asking for suggestions about it one time. I hope you enjoy. :)

Summary: Albus Severus relizes the truth about the past, and how it affects him.

( Second Time )

Date night was fun. I learned something, that after four kids you would think I'd have known already...Missed this lesson though. When seven months pregnant, the order of the date should be, long ass movie first, dinner second. And three drinks at dinner makes for quite a few trips to the restroom durring said long ass movie. (btw, for those that would want to yell when I say "Drinks" while pregnant. The worst ingerdient in my drink for the baby, was the caffeine.)

2012 is a decent movie. I am pretty sure it will go in my DVD collection next to ID4 and the volcano movies. Dinner was good too. Can never go wrong at a hibatchi (sp?) grill. My California roll was exceptional as well. Although, my cat hasn't left me alone since I sat down. She seems to think that I will share my dinner. She doesn't seem to understand that I don't share very well. She even passed up a Pounce to sit and stare at me. Not very smart of her.

Our poor tree looks so lonely this year. But, we just don't see the point of decorating further. No point in putting holes in walls that we will jsut have to repair in a few months time. Both Jeff and I agree, the less we have to deal once we get the OK to leave, the better for everyone.

Is anyone else not getting Email notifications? I got a few from the Snape_Potter group on IJ, but no personal ones recently. lol is IJ on strike, or is just no one here? Bet everyone went shopping, huh? :D

I love black Friday! I get up late, well late enough. I woke up at 10:30 and was to awake to try to go back to sleep. Then I laze around. Kids pretty much do what they want, and I don't cook a damned thing. (unless you count nukin left-overs as cooking) I think I even ended up taking a nap for an hour or so. Great kinda day in my book.

Is my cat the only one that chirps? I have never heard a cat chirp before we got this one. She hears the Pounce shake or open, and she is all chirps and merorows. Noisy thing. (She's a fat thing too, lol)

I got a reply from the IM. She still refuses to even meet me at the airport. But, the shuttle might not be as bad as I first thought. It is one you book your seat in a head of time. She could have saved me quite a bit of worry had she simply given me all the information, but she still seems to think that the longer the emails are the move evil they are. I might just have to mention that, most likely won't though. At this point I doubt it would do any good. It's really sad, the turn this relationship has taken.

Date night tomorrow. Going to see 2012, have no idea where we are going to eat. Jeff is doing the "I don't care." thing...I hate that.

Hugs to all!

Well, I found out today all roasting pans are not equal. Got the bird out of it's bath, got him rinsed and dried. And then came the time to put him in the pan. I didn't buy a throw away roaster this year, because I had gotten a roasting pan the year before, and never imagined that it wouldn't be big enough...turns out, I sdhould have. LOL The damned bird would not fit.

So, this causes a trip to walmart...on a holiday. Jeff was convinced we wouldn't make it out of there for 2 hours, and was bitching all the way there. Why he insisted on coming I have no idea, it's not like I haven't been driving for, oh something like 17 years. As for the pan, we got lucky! Last roasting pan they had. We decided on getting a real roaster, and not a throw away because we plan on being the Holiday destination when we make it back home.

In the end, my bird turned out perfect. Juicy, delish, and perfectly cooked all the way through. (I also ended up getting a digital thermometer that goes off when you reach a certain temp, instead of time. I highly recomend this if you are planing on baking lots of meats. I plan on putting it to lots of use. Rib roast, here I come!)

I have pictures of my bird. I am just too lazy to find the cord to my phone as well as doing what you have to do to the pics to make them posting friendly. Might do that tomorrow.

For all that went wrong in the beginning, dinner was only an hour late. Not bad, in my oppinion.

I hope everyone else had a wonderful day, whether you celebrate or not. I am very thankful for each and everyone of you. You all have helped keep me sane, by giving me a wonderful way to get away from life. *Great Big Hugs* to you all!

Thanksgiving menu:

Turkey - Brined waiting for it's 30 min prep before going into the oven at 11 am.
Mac n Cheese - Ready to go into the oven
Dressing - Ready to go into the oven
Sweet Potatoes - Ready to go in the oven
Green beans - Will be done on the stove while everything else is in the oven
Mashed Potatoes - Will be done on the stove while everything else is in the oven
Stove Top - Will be done on the stove after everything else is done
Biscuits - Done in the oven after the Bird and everything else
Cranberry Can shaped Jelly - will be cut up by someone who can stand the smell...namely NOT me. :)
Pumpkin Pie - Baked and ready to serve (this may be my favorite thing, cause it's done. LOL)

Getting up at 10 am just so I can hurry and get done. I haven't been able to stand long today, and Jeff and I both think that the level of my tummy has dropped somewhat as well. So, I'm not pushing it. Things will get done as they get done. I'm not worried about it. Plus, I have a teen I can house-elferize, and have her put stuff in the oven. :D

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! And for those that are across the pond and don't celebrate, I hope you have a great day! *hugs*

Wow! Looky, it's no where near midnight. :D

I actually accomplished some stuff today. :D

My dressing is in it's pan, all those wonderful flavors mingling. YUM!!!! And my mac n cheese is also in it's pan, ready to be shoved into the oven on thursday. :D


I'm not sure I've talked about my stuffing before, and I'm too lazy to go back and check. If so, please ignore this post. :D

I'm not a fan of celery, never have been, never will be. The vile veggie is up there with...well it's not quiet on the same level as lima beans, but it's close. So, I have been searching for an alternative for years to replace it in my dressing. A few years ago, I found the solution. I have no idea which food network person I was watching, but someone put fruit in their stuffing, I believe it was apples she used. I don't like cooked apples, either, but the idea was a good one, so this is what I came up with.

1 loaf of King Hawiian Bread - cut into half inch cubes sprinkled with olive oil, salt, pepper, ground sage, and ground thyme. Heat for 2 hours in a 225 oven.

1 carrot - small diced
1 1/2 onion - small diced
3/4 of a bag of cherry flavored dried cranberries. (yes, I know I said I don't like cranberries, but these don't taste like cranberries, they taste like cherries, so...)
enough chicken stock to make stuffing squishy. (Love that technical term, squishy?)
Gound Sage
Ground Thyme
salt and pepper

Melt butter in a skillet, on a low heat. Add veggies and cranberries, and sweat until onions are translucent. add spices, herbs, and stir. Combine veggie mix and bread in a large mixing bowl, then slowly add stock until you have reached prefered squishiness. Put in baking dish, bake on 350 until top is golden brown and dish is completely heated through.
Enjoy!

WOW! Another, at least started before midnight. I'm on a roll here.

My Mini_Fest fic is offically in the hands of my wonderful Beta, Missy. YAY! I had to start over, but luckily could use my first attempt as "notes".

I have learned I have no discipline what so ever. Even on a deadline, I was procrastinating right up to the end. I still want to try for the Snarry-A-Thon, but I have the feeling that I should pretty much stick to writing things that excite me, and on my own time. I'm just too much of a procrastinator to be a good fest participant. I'm sure Mods around the world would hate me. :)

My bird is taking it's bath. (Another YAY! This one from Jeff, though) Instead of veggi stock, I used 5 C each of pineapple and orange juice. I forgot that turkeys float. Normally I'd have a convient handle to attach a spoon to to keep him under, but not this year. So, we are trying a pie plate to see how that works. I'm not too overly woried. I'll be fliping him over once a day until Thursday, anyway, so it's not like that one edge will miss out. I also love how this cooler fits in the fridge. I alway worry that the glass shelf will bust on me, under the weight of the metal pot, brine and bird. This cooler fits perfectly where the shelf and drawers would normally go, so no breakage worries for me. I may have to use this cooler from now on, even if I have a smaller bird.

For a few months now, I've been having weird eppisodes. My tummy gets tight, my heart beat picks up, and sometimes my breathing gets faster as well. I didn't think it was contractions, at first, because it just didn't hurt like I'd remembered. I'm not so sure now. They may just be Bracston (sp?) Hicks, but as I have never had them, I am unsure. I do have a history of pre-term labor, so that is one of the reasons I'm unsure now. They are no where near regulated, and the most I have had in one entire day was 4 or 5. So, I'm not worried that I need to go get monitored. But that plane trip is a little more scary now. Stress was a factor in my last case of pre-term labor, (Jeff was leaving the next week for Boot camp), and flying is always stressful, no matter how much you try and make it simple. I do beleive I shall be asking if there is anything I can do, or take (that will be of no harm to baby) to help me stay calm. That reminds me, I really need to start that list of questions for the doctor. I keep forgetting.

I realised something horrible today. I have not read Snarry in a week. (I am not counting drabbles.) I just haven't felt like looking for anything to read. I am thinking this might need to become one of my depression tells, it's just not normal...well, for me at least. :)

Hugs to all!

Hey, I'm posting before midnight, it's a miracle.

Teen boys suck! At least the one that bailed on my daughter does. LOL I had to go see New Moon after all. I can honestly say that it was better than the first (but that wouldn't take much), and that I even laughed quite a few times. (Laughing at the ending earned me several nasty looks from my daughter. But what can I say, that ending was hilarious!) The lack of...shall I say sound effects (read the sighs, ooohhs, and aahhhhs) from women MY age helped as well. Although, I do believe my daughter now has more incentinve to try and get me to read the books (good luck dear, I bleed stuborn), she is sick to death of me commenting and asking questions durring the movies.

Jeff took the boys to see Planet 51, the boys enjoyed it, and Jeff said it was ok. Found out Gary Oldman is the voice of the General. :)

I fear I am going to fail on my Mini_Fest story. It's been opened on my computer everyday for the last week and every time I go to type...I just freeze up. I have no idea what is holding me back, I really should have a case of the "It's never going to be good enough"s, but it seems I do. I shall continue trying up to the deadline, though.

My turkey will end up in a cooler after all. Lucky we had one just the right size to both give the turkey room, and that fits in the fridge. I shall start my brine tomorrow. Jeff will be pleased. I also think I'm going to change up what I put in it this year too. I'm not going to bother with stock or broth, but I'm thinking of adding some pineapple and orange juice. I am thinking the amount of water that goes in will be enough to dilute the acid enough so that it doesn't start cooking the bird. I will be watching it closely though.

I have been in a great deal of pain the past few days. Today the right kidney area of my back has been killing me. Which brings back memories of the stone I had when pregnant with my youngest. (that fucker was the size of a pea, and they refused to admit me to the hospital for it. The only consulation I had afterward, was how horrified my doctor acted when he found out what had happened to me over the weekend.) The only thing that has kept me from going to the ER is the lack of other symptoms. With the last one, I felt like I almost had a bladder infection. I am hoping a decent nights sleep will cure the pain. (although I am pretty sure there is only one cure, and it is about 2 months away)

I hope everyone is having a good weekend. *hugs*

I am hoping that I will actually post during the day so that I am caught back up.

We are taking the boys to see Planet 51 while our 16 yo drags her poor boyfriend off to New Moon. I'm not entirely thrilled about them being alone in a dark theater, but I'm not having to be tortured by another Twilight movie...so it evens out in the end. :) And, she's less than a month from 16, I know I have to let go...eventually. *sigh*

I wrote out a huge email to the IM last night, and got a fairly decent reply for once. Thought that we were actually having a conversation, until she said that she just can't handle conversations because you have to get into too much detail, they only spawn longer emails, and trying to see something from the other person's point of view gives her an anxiety attack. Really, this is an adult I'm dealing with. One that has a good 15 years on me. Yet she acts worse than my teen. Labor has never looked so appealing. Hell, at this point I think I'd even give up the lovely pain drugs just to get it over with.

Some good news was delievered today, though. She is offically the childs Mother...as long as I have the baby in Cali, at least. She'd still have to go through an adoption if I delivered in any other state. So, that is the last obsticle I believe. Legal one at least. Alls that is left is for me to suffer the month away in LA, and deliver, and get the hell back home and as far away from her as possible.

After my first email to her this morning, I laid down for my usual morning nap...only I slept until after 2pm, instead of waking up around 11 like normal. And I've still been pretty tired even after that. On top of that, my cat won't leave me alone, and her track record for giving me attention isn't nice. Normally I end up in the ER not long after. The first time it happened I ended up breaking my foot that same day. (funny story, lol I fell down one step. Yes, just one. And broke my foot. I am a queen clutz. ^.^) The last few times, I've ended up with a migraine that put me in the ER, as no amount of medication made it go away. Migraines suck period, but the ones that last days at a time are just horrid. I hope I'm just being paranoid, and that she's just trying to get me to open the Pounce bottle.

Anyone read about the punkin shortage? Shocked the hell out of me. I'm glad I got my pie stuff a while back. Can't have Turkey day without the pumpkin pie. Oh, that reminds me. Does anyone know if garbage bags are food safe? My turkey is too big for the pot I normally brine it in. So I am going to have to use a cooler this year. But, I don't want the brine to stain the inside of the cooler. A garbage bag is the only thing I can think of that is big enough to use.

What is it about communication that turns even the most maturest of adults into Junior highschool idiots that think everything is about one-upping the other person? Truly, is it so hard to work through dissagreements without stooping to that level?

As those who have been following this journal know, I've been having some difficult times with the person I am being a Surrogate for. They started before she flat out refused to talk through anything, but have only continued because she refuses to do so. She now reads all of my emails to her as hurtful or hateful, and I am at witts end.

She has done nothing but email me with possible problems she's found on the internet the night before my appointments. She refuses to take the doctor's word that everything is going better than was ever expected considering her age when the egg was harvested. (In all four of my pregnancies, no doctor would say things are going perfect. Well, they all have said that this pregnancy is as close to perfect as they have ever seen.) ALL of the tests have come back with great results, yet she is constantly wanting more and more done. She is abusing my insurance company, and doesn't seem to care one bit.

I've tried being understanding. She has had many things go wrong during this long five year process, and is expecting the other shoe to drop...again. But, instead of embracing the good she is constantly looking for the bad and ignoring everything else. I'm a realist that toes the pesimistic line, but goo gawd woman.

And I still have to spend from Dec 4 until I have the baby with her in the same hotel suit. If I disapear all of a sudden it is because I didn't make it out alive.

Today was a very sad day. We should be moving back home today. But, nope, we are still in Florida. Hell, it's possible we could be here for another year, depending on how long the Medical Board takes, and whether or not Jeff has to appeal. @@

But, that's not what I wanted to talk about today. No, I wanted to talk about...


MEATLOAF! :)

It's one of those dishes that no two are a like, and every household has at least one recipe. I happen to have two, but that is because Jeff really didn't like my original one. Tried something a little bit different while cooking mine tonight, and it was my best one yet! It was fully cooked, but still nice and juicy. YUMMY, if I do say so myself.


2 packages of ground beef (here this equals to about 2.5 to 3lbs)
1 half package of real bacon bits
1 med onion diced and carmelized
3/4 of a bag of shreded colby jack cheese
2 eggs
a cup total of Ketchup, BBQ sauce, and mustard
enough panko bread crumbs to bind (added in small intervals)
salt and pepper to taste

I dump everything in one of my huge bowls, and squish it all together with my hands. when I can gather it into a ball that doesn't fall apart, I know I've added the right amount of bread crumbs. I pat it to get out as much air as I can, and mold into a oval shape in a glass pan. Tonight, I baked it on 425 for 40 min, then took it out, painted BBQ sauce on top, then stuck it back for another 25 min at 350. As I said, YUMMY!

So, who has a meatloaf recipe they want to share? :D

Had my week 31 check up today. I'm happy to say that my weight has not changed from the first trimester. Baby is in the 73% for weight, so we know he's growing nicely. This is a nice change from my first pregnancy, where I gained about 30 to 40 pounds.

Also found out that they will fax my records directly to the office in LA. This makes me extremely happy. I really did not want Her having a copy of my records, and that was her plan if I had been given them to hand deliver.

One thing I am kicking myself for, though. I forgot to ask what this doctors oppinion was about how soon after delievery that I could fly home. *head desk* I really can't believe I forgot to ask. Luckily, I have one more appointment before I leave. So, I have another chance to ask. I hope I don't forget again. I need to start a list of questions now, while I'm thinking of it.

I've finaly gotten an idea on how to flesh out my Mini_fest fic. Now if I can just get time to write it while my brain is working, I'll be all set. So much for it being sent in early. @@ at myself. I don't think I have to go anywhere tomorrow, hopefully I can kick my ass in gear and get it done. :D

I just realized I didn't post yeasterday. Metroid Prime took over my brain. :D


Within the past year or so, I have really gotten into the "Let's turn one thing into another" while cooking. (ie...You take one leftover and turn it into a completely different dish.) Growing up, leftovers were what I had to clean out of the fridge every weekend. @@ My mother was wasteful, unfortunantly.


One of my favorite things to do is to turn left-over mashed potatoes into potato soup. In fact, I think it is a lot easier than just making potato soup on it's own. We have mashed potatoes as a side at least once every two weeks, and it's so easy to just add four to six potatoes to a normal batch. After that, I make them like I normally do. (mash with mixer, add butter and milk, whip some more...) Then, in a day or two, I add the left-overs to a heavy pot and add a bit of cream, and enough milk and chicken broth to get it to the consistancy I like. *poof* Potato soup. :D I have also been known to add garlic, bacon bits, and/or cheeseas well. (If I am making garlicy mashed potatoes, I add a few peeled cloves to the potatoes while they are boiling. When mashed, they blend right in, and the taste is NUMMY!)

Today was interesting, well the evening was at least. Had a truck decide that he didn't have to look before getting over, that he owned the road and it didn't matter who was there. It's a good thing that I was going for my daughter's doctor appointment, and not mine. I don't think they would have liked my blood pressure after that. It took half an hour for me to quit shaking as it was. I really hate idiot drivers. Some days Agoraphobia looks really good. I really hope the IM does not expect me to go many places in LA. There's no way in hell she's getting me in that car with her behind the wheel for something stupid like sight seeing.

making a huge pot of Spaghetti sauce tomorrow. Luckily it is one of the things I make that freezes nicely. So, it's one less meal Jeff will have to worry about making in December. Plus, the way I measure herbs and spices isn't exactly easy to translate to paper. There are bad things about being a look/taste/smell type cook. I'd get in trouble in Potions Class real fast like. :D

No recipe tonight, sorry. I'm just too drained. I'm lucky I remembered to post today's entry. Hoping to get my Mini_Fest fic done and to Missy to beta soon. It's mostly done, just needs fleshed out and slowed down a bit. *hugs*

Some people fangirl Alan Rickman, some Danial Radcliff and or Tom Felton. Me? I fangirl Food network personalities. (Tyler Florence is a cutie. ^.^)

I've been watching Food Network for at least 15 years. I have learned more from them than my mother ever even tried to teach me. Rachel Ray taugh me how to cook a meal so that everything was finished at the same time. Sandra Lee taught me to look at packaging to see what I could get for less. (ie...using pre-packaged spices seasonings instead of buying each spice or herb individually.) Still haven't figured out what I want to learn from Guy, yet, but he's at least fun to watch.

But, the one person who has taught me the most, is Alton Brown. He turns cooking into a science lesson, and for some reason the way he explains things makes it easy for me to learn the first time. He has also made me the Thanksgiving Queen! I have used this recipe for every turkey I have ever made, and I have yet to have a dry, nasty bird. Seriously, the very first turkey I ever made was perfect. I'm even moving up to a 27 pound bird this year, and am not scared. It really is very easy. And I start cooking and prepping for Thanksgiving the week before anyway, (I don't like spending the entire holiday in the kitchen, and I HATE getting up early...period.) So, this works into that nicely.

It is not a good recipe if you fry your turkey. It's just too moist. Water and hot oil is not a good combo. But Alton even has a brine for that type of bird too. (I have not tried this. That much hot oil scares the crap out of me. I've had two second degree burns that covered my entire right hand, both times. On top of that, I burn myself quiet often just cooking bacon and fried chicken. I'm not tempting fate.)

I cannot sing this methods praises loud enough. I really suggest you try it! I doubt you will regret it!

Expect more Turkey Day recipes coming up. :D

Right as I was getting ready to post this last night, AOL got pissy with me. So just gave up and went to sleep.

I had planned on getting together some links and pay my favorite food network person homage. But Mario party 8 and my kids were more important yesterday, so that didn't happen. (Got my ass kicked too. LOL) Hopefully, I'll be able to do that tonight.

Off to get another Ultra sound in a few min. They are torture this late in the pregnancy. They want you having a full bladder for an hour before your apt. That's just RUDE!!! On top of that, I had a sneezing fit that sent me running to the restroom. So now I'm chugging water, hoping that it's got long enough to make it to my bladder before they get to me. LOL For once I hope they are running late, but this early in the morning, I doubt it.

See you later for day 12. :D

Well, it seems all my worries were for nothing. Thankfully! I got to sleep through the worst of it, and there was little to no damage around here. Thank goodness that this is the last hurricane season we have to deal with.

Tonight's recipe is a recent development from my kitchen. I got the idea from Rachel Ray, but changed just about everything in her version to things my family would actually eat. I have two versions, as I don't like taco meat and Jeff and the boys don't like refried beans. They could be combined into one dish, if you happen to like it all. :D

Mexican Lasagna
2-3 lbs ground beef
2 packets taco seasoning
2 bags Mexican blend or colby jack cheese
1 full jar of taco sauce
enough flour tortillas to fit pan (size needed and amount depends on baking dish used)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown meat and add taco seasoning and fix according to packet directions. Layer sauce, tortillas, meat, and cheese and repeat, having the top layer be just tortilla, sauce, and cheese. Bake at 400 for 35 to 45 min until golden brown and bubbly. Let sit for 5 min then serve.

The only difference in the second version is I replace the taco meat, with slightly thinned refried beans and diced onion. (I thin then down with a little chicken broth)

So, we are still here. No evac, and a very unhappy me. I hate bad weather. Like tranqualizer type hate. Too bad I can't take anything. I may OD on Halloween candy though.

I delt with several idiots today. I tihnk the worst was at the school. My son had his ADHD check-up this morning, so while I dropped him off at school afterwards, I was asking if they had any info on possible early release or whether or not school would be open on Tuesday. I then got lectured on how it was "Just a Tropical Storm". These are the same people who got all pissy because I told them they were taking the Swine flu procautions to far. After I got back in the van, I was thinking, "Ok, you'd rather send kids on a high profile bus, that has no seat belts in high winds, possibly killing several hundred children. Yet, has a hissy over my oppinion on swine flu? Yeah, these people should be teaching.

No recipe tonight either. I've been going non-stop since 5:30AM, and want to pass out now. Hopefully I'll be around tomorrow, as long as the power and phonelines hold up.

*grumbles* "it's only a tropical storm." Ok, and it's still got 70 MPH winds. I'll take snow over this crap anyday! (Never thought I'd think that, either.)

Is on hold thanks to Ida. I've been doing laundry all damn day trying to get ready for an evac that they should have already announced, yet haven't. The Hurricane tracker still has the damned thing landing in Pensecola (which is less than 45 min from where I am) on Tuesday around 7am. And the idiot comander seems like he's going to give us less than 24 hours to get out of here. I think we had a good 2 days notice for Ivan. @@ You'd think they'd have learned something after what happened at Keesler. So, yeah, I'm not happy one bit.