never. again.

I have decided that no matter how tempting the "Kids Eat Free" deal is at Perkins, I'm never going out to dinner with my family again.

Between the kids belching so loudly that we the got uncontrollable giggles and my husband meaning to order the "shrimp trio" and instead ordering the "shrimp three-way" (hmm, where was his mind??), I was totally embarrassed tonight.

If I do change my mind and decide to go out to eat with them again, I'm asking for a separate table!

You would think, that by living in a house full of guys, I'd be used to this by now, but I'm not!!

How to irritate me

I really wouldn't recommend it, really.

Every day, about 7:45am and 4:25pm, I drive over 6th Street by the court house and Gannon, and then around the park to get to Erie Insurance. Every day, I see people darting in and out between cars there, with no regard for traffic. I'm all about "right of way" but geesh, people, the crosswalks aren't that far away. Will those 12 or so extra steps really kill you? They won't, I promise, but the cars driving down the street might.

Also, if you are going to use the crosswalk, wait until you have the right of way, don't just step out into traffic (even if that traffic is just me at the moment) without looking the only way traffic can travel go on North Park Row, while talking on your cellphone. I'm sure where you're going is very important, but I promise you, it's not as important as your life.

Another good way to irritate me is to assume the cupcakes I baked for your family, when I haven't seen you or your family in almost 12 years, are free. Reimbursing me for the cost of my ingredients at least would have been nice. I appreciate the thank you, but when I don't get a very large paycheck, and had to pay for those ingredients out of my pocket, it's just not enough.

There's more but really, that's enough negativity in here today. I try to be a pretty calm person, but when I bottle stuff up, it's got to spill out somewhere - and it's my blog and I'll bitch if I want to!

Tonight I'm off to help with cupcakes with one of my 4-H'ers. If you're looking for something to do tomorrow morning around 11am-ish and are hungry, stop by the Erie County Vo-Tech school for our 4-H Cook off. You can taste everything the kids made for only $1 and all the money goes to the 4-H scholarship fund and get to vote for the most popular dish. If not, I'll have lots of photos to share, I'm sure, between tonight and tomorrow!

Movie quote meme

I posted this in a note on Facebook, but I thought I'd toss is up on here too.

This was fun to do (and it's been fun to try to guess other peoples' choices too):

1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Post your guesses as a comment at the bottom.
5. No Googling/using IMDb search or other search functions.

**********************

1. "What's the point they're all the same, some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can't act who is always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door, it's insulting."

2. "I want you to think of what you ate today. Got it? Now cut that in half, this is called a diet, people, everyone start one today! Darcy, you should stop eating. You see, when you skip a meal, your body feeds off its fat stores. And if you skip enough, maybe your body will eat your ass! "

3. "What's in the box?"

4. "Well, yes, ma'am, I do... I mean, I got everything I need right here with me. I got air in my lungs, a few blank sheets of paper. I mean, I love waking up in the morning not knowing what's gonna happen or, who I'm gonna meet, where I'm gonna wind up. Just the other night I was sleeping under a bridge and now here I am on the grandest ship in the world having champagne with you fine people. I figure life's a gift and I don't intend on wasting it. You don't know what hand you're gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you... to make each day count. "

5. "December 24th, 1989, 9 PM, Eastern Standard Time. From here on in, I shoot without a script. See if anything comes of it, instead of my old shit."

6. "All I want to do is graduate from high school, go to Europe, marry Christian Slater, and die. Now it may not sound too great to a sconehead like you, but I think it's swell. And you come along and tell me I'm a member of the hairy mole club so you can *throw* things at me?"

7. "It's a well-known principle that if you keep the flint in one drawer and the steel in the other, you'll never strike much of a fire."

8. "Ma'am, I'm never gonna be an English teacher. But I know why I'm here: to be a pilot. And you don't dogfight with manuals. You don't fly with gauges. I mean, it's all about feeling and speed, and lettin' that plane become like a part of your body. And that manual says that a guy who's a slow reader can't be a good pilot. That file says I'm the best pilot in this room. Ma'am, please, don't take my wings."

9. "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

10. "Leslie and I have an amazing relationship and it's very physical, he still pushes all my buttons. People say 'oh but he's so much older than you' and you know what, I'm the one having to push him away. We have so much in common, we both love soup and snow peas, we love the outdoors, and talking and not talking. We could not talk or talk forever and still find things to not talk about."

Cupcakes. You're surprised, right?

This afternoon was spent with friends at a bridal shower (which I'll have lots more pictures of, I'm sure, posted on Flickr later).

I was getting my camera and things out of my bag when I looked up and saw cupcakes being delivered. I was then helping with flowers for the tables when I wanted to know where the woman delivering them got her boxes. My mother asked for me, and instead of answering my mom, she looked right at me and answered and proceeded to tell me (something to the effect of) "I saw you when I walked in and I read your blog! I want to know where you got the giant sturdy box you had!" I was absolutely floored and completely flattered that there is someone out there that reads my blog!!

Here she is setting up the cupcakes (I can be sneaky with a camera when I want to be, lol):

and here are a few more cupcake shots!

I am sorry to say that I did not taste them. Not because of any other reason than I don't like cake or other sweets, I very rarely even eat my own cupcakes. I did sneak a taste of the chocolate frosting though off my mom's cupcake when she wasn't looking and it was fantastic! *shh don't tell!*

I'll leave you with one more photo, but it's not of cupcakes. This was the theme to Megan's shower ... "Celebrating Women".

just sharing some photos

I finally got my hands on a copy of Photoshop the other day. Then I downloaded the Photoshop Actions from the Pioneer Woman. I love them.

Here are a few of my favorite photos that I've taken in the last year (some from the wedding I shot in September, some from the Strong Vincent re-enactment I shot in June, I think you'll be able to tell which are which, lol, and one of me, 'cause I'm feeling vain!). Feedback is always welcome!

cupcake video

So, now that my Food Chain video is done and uploaded, I can share it with you! You'll have to excuse Dave's shaky camera work, this really wasn't filmed in an earthquake, LOL.

I left out the outtakes (thankfully, LOL), but still have one of them saved, just in case I decide to share it one day. You won't see me swearing because I screwed up or spilled milk all down the front of me. You won't hear the dog tap dancing through the kitchen because I forgot to put him in his kennel (he's not allowed in the kitchen while I'm baking). You won't hear the kids wrestling above me in their rooms.

Here it is, me, in all my dorky glory, baking in my teeny tiny kitchen!

Cupcake video from Kimberly Sprickman on Vimeo.