my own byte
Mercy. I finally finished my ChapterBytes chapter. Just posted Chapter 12. This is the first one from a different point of view. Go tell me if you like it, pretty please?
a thief
Hi all! I’m currently blogging from my MIL’s front porch, since that’s the only place I can connect to the internet. Why yes, I am, in fact, borrowing a wireless connection from some faceless neighbor in the backwoods of Central Maine! Thanks to whoever you are, I really appreciate it. (I gotta say, it was a little easier to work at the FIL’s last night – he has wireless set up!)
I just wanted to check in and say hello. I’ll be back to my regularly scheduled programming sometime later this week. We travel back home tomorrow, but before I can post here again, I need to finish my chapterbytes chapter. I’ve been working on it all evening. In a word doc. Yuck. But it had to be done since I preferred writing from the couch instead of sitting on these cold wooden steps.
I’d also really like to watch some Olympics tonight and since I can’t do it staring at the grass and swatting mosquitoes I’m gonna go inside now. See y’all in a day or so!
a byte of forgetfulness
Gah! I posted Dana’s Chapter 11 of Foodie up at ChapterBytes like 3 days ago and I forgot to post about it here! (The word forget seems to come up in my life a lot lately. I forget what I’m supposed to take to fix that.) Dana did a fantastic job and gave us yet another cliffhanger! I love it! When you’re done reading her chapter, go check out Dana’s book review site!
Now it’s my turn to write a chapter again. Holy moly.
I’m on some major deadlines with two of my current work projects, and DH is on vacation this week so we’re supposed to be visiting family for the next few days. I’ll be working from their houses! OMG, penguins are cute and all but I think I’ve looked at 10,000 images of them in the last 3 days. Yeah, not exaggerating either. Even though I’m prone to exaggeration, I’m actually not this time. Ack! I think it might be at least a few days before I can get my chapter written. Anyone want to ghost write it for me?! 
Or give me some ideas? Oy.
Okay, bloggy break over, back to the penguins. Unless my eyes explode.
sharing the love
I just received this award from Sometimes Sophia and I realized I also received it from Sue at Stay at Home Mom quite some time ago, and I, um, kinda forgot to pass it on. Sorry Sue! Thanks to both of you for this. It means a lot to me.
You should check out the original source of the award and why she created it.
In honor of the inspiration for it and one of miracles of modern medicine – organ donation – I’d like to pass this award on to Especially Heather, who will understand why I gave it to her.
fluffernutter
I really appreciate all of your comments about my fluff post. Let me tell you a little story so you know how I really feel about fluff.
A long time ago in a land not so very far away, I lived in a little tiny town in Maine, where everyone knows everyone else’s name, not to mention everything else about them. My name is Annette (shh, I know you know, but it’s part of the story.) Think back to the mid-1980s. Are you there? Big hair, neon clothes? Good. Now think about the name Annette in that mindset. Can you think of anything?
Does the name Annette Funicello ring a bell? If it doesn’t, then well, geez, that would ruin the story. Anyway, do you remember what product Annette Funicello hawked on television commercials in the 80s? Yes, indeed, it was Skippy peanut butter.
Imagine being a kid named Annette back then, and what do you get? You get one of your friends coming up with a nickname for you. Skippy. (I seriously cannot believe I’m telling you this.)
Now, up in Maine, we have something called a Fluffernutter. Does the rest of the country have that? You have not lived until you’ve had one, that is all I can say. Fluffernutters must specifically be made with Fluff, as in the brand Marshmallow Fluff. No substitutes will be accepted.
Okay, have you caught on where I’m going with this? If you’re a kid who suddenly has a nickname based on a peanut butter, and in the minds of all Maine kids, peanut butter is synonymous with a Fluffernutter, then your nickname is doomed to change. To Fluffernutter. God help me. Eventually said nickname will be shortened for name calling ease. Name calling in a good way, of course. Add to that my generally light, cheery attitude, and what do you get?
Fluffy.
Oh, yes. You can call me Annette, you can call me Catnip, you can call me Skippy. Or you can call me Fluffy, because I did indeed answer to such a nickname for a short time in my young life and I’m not ashamed to say it. (Well, maybe just an eentsy-weentsy bit.)
So now you know why the word fluff does not bring up negative connotations for me. It’s all good and the glass is still half full.
ps. Upon reading this my sister reminded me that her nickname for me was Netti, which when combined with Fluffy was Nuffy. Nuff said.
suppertime, suppertime…
Over the weekend my partner in crime/friend Nicole gave us, yes, gave us (thank you, you crazy girl!), a barely worn patio set that we are quite in love with. For dinner last night I boiled up some fresh local corn on the cob and DH perfectly grilled some boneless pork chops, with our favorite bbq sauce. Sometimes the simplest dinners are the best, especially when they’re al fresco.
The boy certainly thinks so:
And George only wishes he was people too:
You should have seen him dart out of the woods when he caught wind of this. Poor George, his little sniffer was working overtime and I felt bad for him, right up until the boy “accidentally dropped” two pieces of pork on the ground. George is kinda happy now. So are we.
Bonus cooking tip: All you need to perfectly marinate your meat for the grill is some white vinegar. I put all the pork in a gallon size baggie with about a cup or less of vinegar and stashed it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. You can still baste with your bbq sauce during the cooking process, but marinating in it ahead of time just wastes it. White vinegar is super cheap but will make your chicken or pork very tasty!
Filed Under cooking, family, food, the boy, the cat Tagged cooking, corn, food, pork, the boy, the cat
a big pile of fluff
I think I’ve said before that I read a lot of blogs. Many, many of them are very serious in nature. Painful, heart-rending, death defying writing. Beautifully and powerfully done, all. Just look at my blogroll and you will find some of the best writers out there. Some with distressing topics near to my heart and with meaning for my life. I don’t shy away from reading them, and I don’t shy away from commenting. I don’t shy away from you.
Sometimes I wish I could pour my heart out that way, but that’s not how I’m made. Me? I write a fluffy blog, I’m well aware of it, and it’s purposeful. Don’t think I do it to avoid real life. Don’t think I do it to evade the truth.
Honestly? This dorky blog is my happy place. Really. I’m one of those strange “glass is half full” people. Always look on the bright side of life, always upbeat, laughter is the best medicine. Yeah, it’s okay if you wanna smack me upside the head for that, sometimes I even annoy myself. I can’t help it though. If you come to me with a request for help with a problem, I’m going to encourage you until you find an answer. If you come to me with a heartache I’m going to try help you find something to giggle about. Don’t want advice? Then I’ll listen, I’ll listen as long as you need to talk. Then I’m going to hug you, even if it’s just a virtual hug.
I try to find the smallest of positives in a world of negatives. I don’t think it makes me out of touch, I’m well aware of the hardship in the world. Life is serious, life is complicated. My life is serious and complicated, and sometimes downright scary, but if I can come here and have a little fun, and make things fun for you all, then I’ve done something right. I hope you like my big white puffy cumulus cloud I have going here. I hope it makes you happy to stop by and take a rest, lay on the grass, pet the cat. Have a snort or a snicker at my silliness. I’ll be here imagining what the clouds will look like next.
Any idea why I’m suddenly hungry for marshmallows?
summer reality recap
A couple days ago my real life friend Cluckers reminded me I need write up some of my thoughts about the reality shows I’ve been watching this summer. (I promise you, Cluckers is not her real name!) You all know I have a thing for reality shows, (and so does she!) and there are a bunch of fun ones on right now.
Design Star (on HGTV) – I don’t know why, but this season bored me to tears. I adore Vern Yip so I kept thinking I’d like it and so I kept recording and trying to watch. I’d hit play, and then get engrossed in something online instead. Next thing I knew I’d look up, it would be over, and I wouldn’t care. Delete. Pretty much it just made for great background noise while I worked. The finale is Sunday night and I don’t even remember who made it.
The Next Food Network Star (spoiler alert – don’t click if you haven’t seen the finale!) on Food Network, obviously) – I was a bit surprised who made the final three, Lisa kinda makes me cringe, her pov is weird and I just want to tuck her hair behind her ears so she doesn’t look so stark. Aaron is adorable and his food sounds fantastic, but I never thought he had enough confidence to make it all the way. Adam is always so cocky about his on-air personality but his food just doesn’t seem to cut it. I’ve seen the finale, but I won’t ruin it for you here if you haven’t!
Shear Genius (on Bravo) – I loved this show last year, but the jury is still chatting in my brain about this season. I don’t have a stand out favorite yet, but maybe Nicole, because although she’s inexperienced, she’s also very creative and seems the most “real.”
Project Runway (also on Bravo) – One of my very favorite reality shows, and this season is already good! No matter what happens, Tim Gunn makes it work. (hee, hee) I don’t have a favorite yet, but I do know who I don’t like. That Suede dude really needs to stop referring to himself in the 3rd person, he just makes me want to reach through the screen and smack him! Also, Blayne has got to lay off the tanning bed, pun intended. Yeah, I think this show brings out the snark in me!
Flipping Out (can you say Bravo again?) – If you’ve never seen it, you really should. Anyone with any bit of neuroses (and who doesn’t?) will feel much better about themselves after they witness Jeff Lewis’s self-admitted OCD. Oy vey. And yet, you just gotta love him! The Season Finale is Tuesday night and I’m sure there will be a season marathon leading up to it so y’all can catch up.
Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood (on Oxygen) – Okay, who here is going to admit they love the Tori and Dean shows too?? Come on, you know you do. You all grew up on 90210 just like I did, so give it up. Tori is adorable, Dean is, well, adorable, and the baby is, of course, adorable!
So what are you all watching this summer? Any good reality shows (or any shows) I’m missing that I really should be watching? But if you say Big Brother I’m going to ban your IP address! Um, kidding! Maybe. Try me and we’ll just see. Seriously, if you watch Big Brother, I need to know why. *gag* Convince me.
perfectly perfect
Have you ever read a perfect post?
A post that makes your head spin, kicks you in the gut, and leaves you breathless?
A post that makes you makes you feel everything the author feels, as if it’s actually happening to you instead of her?
A post so wrenching you can barely eek out a comment because she’s rendered you speechless and blurry from tears?
I’ve read a post like that, just this week.
Mrs. Chicken, this Perfect Post award is for you:
She’s an amazing writer and she’s always been one of my very favorite bloggers, but this post? This one blew me away.
If you want to see the rest of July’s Perfect Post recipients, head on over to Petroville or Suburban Turmoil today.