Packing for College

So now that we know what dorm Whitney will be living in, the college buying spree has gone full speed ahead. So far we've got all her bedding, bathroom stuff, books, laptop and a first aid kit all ready. With nowhere to store this stuff, we've had gone to the piling method. And we still have to figure out what clothes to take (at least she does have a decent size closet).

A box of supplies, sheets and backpack full of binders/paper

The bedding

Towels, containers, blanket, odds and ends

I've ordered the combination fridge/microwave for the room and her roommate has agreed to share the cost.

Reality TV Roundup

One show is coming to a close so of course I have to start a new one. Here's this week's reality tv shows.

The Glee Project



Cameron




Samuel



A guilty pleasure of mine is watching Glee. I always wanted to be the kid in high school that could sing and dance so I live vicariously through these kids. And the Glee Project amps up Glee by putting real people through a very long audition process. The prize...a seven week stint on Glee as a guest. WOW that is an awesome prize. I have my favorite (Cameron) but I don't think he will win. My guess is Samuel will win.



Melanie



So You Think You Can Dance

I haven't enjoyed this season as well as past ones. Maybe last year spoiled me because they were totally awesome and this year I really think there are a couple of outstanding dancers. Don't get me wrong, these people are talented. But they just don't have the spark quality. My bet is on Melanie to win this year. I liked her the minute I saw her audition.





Project Runway

OK new season just started this week. I love me some Tim Gunn. Not quite sure how I feel about any of the people just yet. Too many to start to pick a favorite. And with so many they only highlight the ones that are going to be in that week's top and bottom so someone in the middle may be good and we just don't get to hear from them for awhile. Right now I'm liking Bert, the old guy. Mainly because it takes some guts to get on a show like this when you are 57 (or 102 like he said) because it is grueling. Hopefully the challenges will get more interesting in the coming weeks. Of course if I had to use my pajamas to make something it might be interesting depending on the time of year.

1. July is National Ice Cream Month...your favorite flavor? Soft serve, hand dipped or frozen yogurt-which do you prefer? And technically yogurt is not ice cream but its hot outside so I'll let that slide for today.

I used to say mint chocolate chip (the green fake stuff). But now there is a place near us with frozen custard that has pumpkin in October-November. Add in some pie crust and add some whipped cream and you have a pumpkin pie concrete. YUMMY!

2. When you travel do you tend to pack too much or too little?

I probably pack too much but not over-abundantly. My problem is I have to take my pillow and sound machine with me so even a small work trip means a big suitcase.

3. What's your favorite cleaning product?


That would have to be Dan, my husband. He is the best at deep cleaning (although he likes using lemon Pine-Sol which I can't stand).

4. What's the greater tragedy-an innocent person imprisoned or a guilty person set free? Explain.


I think an innocent person in prison. As much as I hate a guilty person going free, we all know there are lots of guilty people running around this world that just haven't gotten caught. And if they are super terrible, eventually they will get caught and go to prison.
5. What's the longest trip you've taken by car?


We were road trip warriors for many years. Being in the middle of the country, it takes forever to drive anywhere. So we've done the 20 hour trip to DisneyWorld (twice) and also 20 hour trips to Washington state (twice). I think I've given them up now however because I can't sit in a car for as long as I used to.
6. tennis-golf-canoeing-biking...pick one.


That would be NONE. All involve being outside and I don't do that.
 
7. What sound drives you crazy?


Snoring, a slow dripping sink, high pitched screams
 
8. Insert your own random thought here.


When is it too early to start a retirement countdown? I've got about 6-7 years before I can retire from this job and look for another profession to work another 10 years at so I can get another retirement.

The Wait is Over

Whitney finally got the email with her room assignment for college. She is going to be in Walker Tower. Of course this now makes her a third generation Walker resident as my mother lived in Walker at Illinois State and Dan and I lived in Walker at OU. She is in a room of three girls. One of them she had already friended on facebook so they were chatting away last night. I'm not sure how this happened but the other girl is short and likes Disney too. Hmmm, I don't remember that being one of the placement questions. They have the other girl's name and email address but don't know anything about her and if she is on facebook they can't find her.

So for now we can return the full size bedding set, buy all the rest of the twin bed stuff, and furnish a dorm room. One of the leaders for sorority rush posted pictures of her room in Walker so the girls can get an idea of how much stuff will fit.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Going to try a new blog hop today.



1. July 20th marks the anniversary of the first time man stood on the moon. Flash forward 42 years to July 8, 2011 which marked the start of the final Space Shuttle mission. Should we continue to explore space? Should nations devote more or fewer of their resources to exploring space? Would you want to go into space if the opportunity arose?

Dan and I just watched a whole series on the entire space program. I certainly think that it is a lot of money that we have spent on space exploration (over $1.5 billion on the space station alone). And now that they aren't flying the space shuttle, how much use is the space station if something happens with the Russians? I think there are too many problems here on earth to really focus a lot of money and attention on space. And no I don't want to go into space.

2. What are three things in your freezer?

Mozzarella cheese, ice bags, hamburgers.


3. If you could see any band/artist perform live tonite who would it be? It has to be someone living-no Beatles, Elvis, etc.
 
I would probably say Prince, but that may have been more in his heyday. Maybe Lady Gaga? I'm not a big concert person so it would have to be a SHOW!


4. Ice-cubed or crushed? Or are you one of those people who don't like ice?


I like ice but it really doesn't matter to me. Our freezer gives us cubes but we can change it to crushed. I rarely do, but I can if needed.
5. The owner of a small restaurant outside of Pittsburgh recently announced he was banning children under six, saying they regularly disrupted other customer's meals. You can read the story here in more detail but isn't this a perfect topic to discuss in our Wednesday Hodgepodge? Have at it friends...what are your thoughts?


I think the restaurant can decide who they want to serve. If you don't like it, don't go there. My child was a well-behaved one but there were still times when something happened and you knew it was interupting others. I have some tolerance to it, but if I go out to a nice restaurant, I don't want to hear crying, yelling or someone being told to sit down.
6. What was your first car? How did it come to be yours?


A Toyota Corrolla. I bought it and didn't know how to drive it since it was a stick. Dan had to teach me. He test drove it and said it was good.
7. If I had a nickel for every time I __________ I'd be rich.

How about burping? It seems as I've gotten older I do it all the time. I'm having major acid reflux the last few years and this is how it really manifests itself. I try and be polite and not make it noisy, but even if you keep your mouth closed, everyone can hear it.


8. Insert your own random thought here.

Just got the book list for Whitney's first semester of college and with used books from amazon we can keep the costs under $400 for 7 books. I'm super excited about that.

Pan Seared Steak

I'm going to try and put pictures and a recipe here at least once a week.

This is probably the easiest, tastiest way to cook a steak. Even I can do it (and I don't cook meat well).

You need a good sized steak (at least an inch thick), canola oil and kosher salt and pepper.

Most importantly you need a cast iron skillet.

Heat your skillet in the oven at 500 degrees (yes that is right super hot). Bring steak to room temperature.

Remove the pan after it is smoking hot, and place on the stove on high heat. Coat the steak lightly in oil and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place the steak in the pan. Cook 1-2 minutes without moving it. Then turn it over with tongs and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes. Place the skillet in the super hot oven for 3 minutes a side.

Remove the steak from the pan, cover loosely with foil and rest for 2-5 minutes. You can put a little pat of butter on the steak while it rests if you like.

And that's it. I had a friend over who brought fresh from the farm steaks and he said when I cooked them this way, it was one of the best ways he had ever had a steak.

So if I can do it, so can you. Dan and I split one of these and now have the other one as leftovers. Steak may be expensive, but you don't need a lot when it tastes this good.

Sunday Stroll

On my way to church this morning, I ran into a gaggle of geese on the move. They were walking across the busy street from the neighborhood across from us to get to our pond. I'm not sure why they didn't fly from one pond to the other. But it certainly brought a huge smile to my face.

I guess they decided to conserve energy and walk

 

 

The stragglers