I MADE TOMATO SOUP!!!!

October 1, 2017 Arlene Giddings

from my OWN tomatoes!!! out of my garden!!

the truth is
i made tomato soup yesterday too
but i'm not really sure why i thought
that tomato soup
made with carrots
and vegetable broth
would not taste like
VEGETABLES...

because it did.

it totally did.
it smelled like vomit.
and the carrots left a weird texture.
and it smelled like vomit.

i had to throw it out.

today
i started from scratch.
i had liked about 6 different recipes
on pinterest
so ended up pulling a little from each
i roasted the tomatoes with garlic and onion
and then put it in the ninja and
mushed it up
(disclaimer #1 - i never claimed that i could write a recipe
so bear with me...i don't know the technical terms)...
then put it in the slow cooker
with CHICKEN BROTH
(not vegetable broth...)
and basil pesto, cream, a handful of sugar,
a dollop of butter, salt & pepper

and it worked!

it was so good!

even 17, who said "i don't like tomato soup"
dipped his grilled cheese & bacon into our soup
and then said..."well...i don't like heinz tomato soup...
but this? This is good"
and went & got a bowl for himself.

yay me!
i should start a cooking youtube channel...
and call it
cooking with luck or something equally clever.
:)

disclaimer #2 - the amazing grilled cheese & bacon sandwiches
were not cooked by me.
i do not handle cooking any food that spits hot grease at me.
That's S's department
(and he makes the BEST grilled cheese & bacon).

wordless wednesday - the robots are taking over

September 27, 2017 Arlene Giddings

tuesday truths...

September 26, 2017 Arlene Giddings

♥ ♥ ♥
it is almost impossible to be unhappy
when wearing a polka dot dress.
it's like magic.
(and really,
the more i think about it
it might not be the dress itself...
i think maybe it's the polka dots...
because...
the polka dot shoes work, too...both pairs...
and the polka dot skirt
and that polka dot shirt i bought...
wow.
i own a lot of polka dots.)

(truth...the word polka dot is starting to
sound funny...i think i said it too many times)

♥ ♥ ♥
i often wonder if
it's apparent to people driving by me
that sometimes
i walk the whole way home
trying not to step on any cracks
in the sidewalk...
which means
that sometimes
i have to take extra big steps
and
then 6 tiny steps
followed by jumping to the
left because...well...
because it's fun
and i don't want to break my mother's back
(see, mom. i'm always thinking about ya!)
i suspect maybe it's not as apparent
as i would hope
and that people probably think
i'm drunk.
heh.

♥ ♥ ♥
speaking of walking home...
why do people insist on stopping for me
at the one crosswalk
that i don't have to cross at?
and then get mad and speed off
when i turn
instead of crossing.
i am literally starting to get stressed
about it now as i come to that intersection...
in my head, i'm like...
they think i am going straight
but i'm going to turn
and now they are waiting for me
but i am going to turn
so i'm just not going to make
eye contact or maybe i should
point to the way i'm turning
or maybe there's some sort of
hand signal
they are expecting...like people on bikes do
but i don't know what that
signal is
and damn it...
now i just stepped on a crack
and
got hit with gravel
as that car sped off all mad cause i didn't cross.

maybe i should just start crossing
even though i'm NOT GOING THAT WAY.

♥ ♥ ♥
i wasn't going to write about
any
of these today.
funny how i sit down here
with one plan in mind
and something else totally different & slightly odd
comes out instead.
i blame the polka dot dress.
or credit.
depends on if you enjoyed this post or not.
heh.

i would not make a good sailor...

September 17, 2017 Arlene Giddings

all summer
i said i was going to visit greenwich national park
(the above picture IS NOT from there but was taken on the way)
so a couple of weeks ago
i finally did it.

and it did not disappoint.

the day was windy and a little cool
but the clouds were big and fluffy
and so low it felt you could jump up
and pull one down
and the sky was so damn blue
which seemed like a perfect day
for this trail.

the dunes were so incredibly cool...

but the walking bridge over the water
was way, way longer than i thought it was going to be
and i am sure
i walked it like a drunken sailor.
i thought that once i was on it for a bit
my body would adjust...
but no...not really...
i wobbled along, tripping and stumbling
and feeling a little seasick.
i kept watching other people
(because for the record...there were TONS of other people
on the trail the whole time i was there...
i didn't enjoy that part so much...
i like a little more solitude when i am on a trail)
to see if they were being affected
the same way
but if they were,
they hid it much better than me.
so...that coupled with the sad fact that i can't swim
has completely removed sailor
from my list of "what i want to be when i grow up".

and i didn't know that it would take you to the beach...
which was beautiful
and i love days like that
where the wind is wild
and the waves are foamy
and rushing in with a roar
and you just feel like laughing loud
and running along the beach
without caring what anybody thinks
but...
you are still feeling slightly seasick
AND there are so many people around
so you limit yourself
to trying to get really close to the waves
for photos
until one wave tricks you
and actually runs you over
soaking your pant legs
and making you laugh out loud
and run in front of strangers anyway.

the day before i went to this park
i had dyed my hair kind of purple...
so i also spent an inordinate amount of time
trying to get a photo of the purple
while on the trail...
which i am sure made people look at me oddly
as well...

and...
even more exciting...
i found a perfect little truffula tree
as i was walking back.
part of me want to point it out
to the other people as they walked by
but realized that shouting
"look!!!! it's a PERFECT TRUFFULA TREE!"
paired with my staggering walk on the bridge
might cause someone to think maybe
i shouldn't be driving...or unaccompanied.

i know this post was way too long
and so many photos so if you stuck with me
til the end, yay!
and honestly...THERE WERE SO MANY MORE PHOTOS
that i DIDN'T post...but wanted to.
if you have not been to this park yet, you really should go!
i regret that i didn't explore the interpretative center a little more
other than just to find the bathroom
and there is a whole other trail i didn't do
but that will be another adventure.

oh...and an ice cream sundae on the way back... :)

365 - robot love

September 8, 2017 Arlene Giddings

i have made a decision.

i have been toying with the idea
of doing a new 365 project
(& for the record...this will not be my first
365 project
but will hopefully
but the first 365 project
that actually makes it to 365...)

if you know me at all...
you know i kind of like robots.
and polka dots.
(but that's not really relevant...)

so
i have decided to do a doodle project
of 365 robots
starting TODAY
cause what better day to start on
then your birthday!!
(especially when you meant to
actually start on Sept 1st
but that has gone by
and you are the kind of person
that NEEDS a definitive start date...
it can't just start on the 4th or on a tuesday...
that just feels...wrong.)

so.
365-robot love it is.
and they may not all be pretty
or fancy or look at all like robots...
and some may be actually be scribbled on
a napkin (preferably not used)
or the back of an envelope...
but hopefully
this time next year,
i will have an army of 365 robots.
(insert evil maniacal laugh here)

so...obviously...i'm not going to blog post
about each of them...
that would just be crazy. :)
but see that tab up at the top of the page
that says
365 robot love
(and yes. it replaced my sadly failed
365 a day photo project
but can we just
not talk about that...
heh)

so feel free to check that out
from time to time
and leave me some
bits of encouragement
and a kick in the pants
if i start to fall behind...
(see...look...i'm already setting myself
up for possible failure...)(heh)

oh...and that guy up there...
he's robot #1.
and see...i'm already setting a precedent...
bad lighting, shot with my phone,
and doodled on the back of a bent index card....
setting the bar at the appropriate height.
:)