New Kids on the Block CHECK!

Mom and I, 1978.

During the late 1980s, I was a new teenager.  I am also the only girl in a Mexican household stuck between a brother sandwich.  All that means is hearing, "No, because you are a girl" a lot.  What it had to do with anything has been part of my argument whenever this topic arises between my mom and I.  Mom, can I join little league with my brothers?  Sleep overs?  Movies with my friends?  You name it, I wasn't allowed to do because I was a girl.  All that good shit you're supposed to do with your friends, denied.  The one that hurt most was being denied to go and see New Kids on the Block.  I was in love with Joey McIntyre and Donnie Wahlberg.  All I wanted to do was go to their concert and finally meet Joey.  But despite my tears, the begging, the lame attempts at bargaining, that damn phrase was uttered to me by my overly protective mother.  It's a sore spot for me, but I'm not mad at my mother.  I don't hate her for what she did.  I completely understand why she did me the way she did.  I'm her daughter, her only daughter.  I know the very thought of anything happening to her only daughter would hurt her.  However, it wasn't right.  I feel like I missed out on a great deal. But I never, ever forgot about New Kids on the Block.  I've had their Greatest Hits CD in heavy rotation for years.  (As I type this, Step By Step plays in the background.)  Music is magical.  It can transport you back in time and make you feel that way in said time.  Music is like a DeLorean, flux capacitor and all but without the requisite 88 MPH.  I listen to this CD and I'm back in middle school, 12 years old, watching the videos on MTV rather than doing Ms. Chatmon's math homework and wanting to hug Joey.  My mom's tough rules were a tough pill to swallow but I cannot go back in time and fix it.  I can only move forward and buy some MFing NKOTB tickets and make my inner 12-year-old happy.  Holla.

So, on June 25, 2011 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas with my best friend since our middle school days, as well as some new friends, we went and cheered.  I cheered the realization of my dream as well as the fact that my mom couldn't say no.  No one could.  Instead, I got much encouragement and some high fives.  I even managed to get the BNC to drop me and my friends off like a boss.  And so, another box is checked in my Before I Turn 35 Bucket List.  I am happy.  Very, happy.

Behold, photographic evidence.  Be warned, it's image heavy.

My BFF (far left) and a new friend waiting for the show to begin.

 

Don't fall Joey!

Joey singing Please Don't Go Girl.  I screamed things at him.  Naughty things.

And then, Jordan walked towards our section! 

Closer...

And closer...

And closer...

CLOSE! ZOMG, he's right there!

What's with the horns?  Maybe it was when a snippet of AC/DC's Back in Black played.

The concert was amazing.  Honestly, I was expecting both NKOTB and BSB to sing to pre-recorded music, do a little dance and that would be it.  My bad.  They had a live band and some nice choreography.  These guys aren't new anymore, and they're either pushing 40 or surpassed it yet they can move.  I hurt for 2 days afterwards and all I did was stand up, scream and wave my arm back and forth because Donnie told me to.  It was one of the best concerts I had ever been to. 

And so, one of my many dreams was realized.  I went, I screamed, I bought some T-shirts and my heart burst.  It was awesome.  So, now on to more check boxes of my Before I Turn 35. 

The Summer of Margie resumes...

The Summer of Margie

I had cousins, the naughty ones that always got you in trouble kind, that, even if they passed the school year, were forced to attend summer school.  It wasn't a strategic move in order for my aunt to get her kids ahead on their education (cause 2 of them turned out to be high school dropouts) but rather, it was just a move to get them out of her hair.  It was brilliant because they were unruly.  I used to be jealous of such an opportunity not because I loved school (well a little since they had books and toys and crayons and my friends) but shit, you try keeping your cool in hot ass Mexico where an air conditioning unit was for the rich.  AC units aren't pricey but as hot as Mexico was, that meant the unit would be on 24/7 leading to a high electricity bill.  Just thinking about it and I can feel myself getting itchy and sweaty. 

I should mention that we got shipped out to Grandma's house in Mexico every damn summer.

What's my point?  I'm going to severely cut back on my blogging posts this summer.  With my recent book store visits lately, I've amassed several books that are in desperate need of being loved.  Today I will finally receive the next book in the series I am reading.  After trying to find it at the used bookstores, I had to use Amazon and order it.   It cost me $2 and it is tattered and I love it.  I'm super excited about it afterall, reading is FUNdamental.

I'll continue to tackle My List of Places to eat in 2011, Netflix love, cooking with Bitty but I'll also be reading more, which means less TV, and I'll be rejoining a bowling league on Friday nights.  Side Note: The first night I joined a bowling league, 10 years ago, Tropical Storm Allison hit and we spent the night in the bowling alley.  Sometimes you can't make this shit up.  And we're back.

I'm calling this summer, The Summer of Margie, just like George except I'll continue to work.  There are several books to read, movies to watch (HP, Green Lantern, Captain America), parks to visit, trips to plan, friends to hang out with, new food to eat and, let's not forget,  I'll be turning 35 at the end of the summer.  And while I have no plans to cease stumping for Harry, sleeping with Buster or watching Jem and the Holograms, it's a big number.  Basically, I have a pre-35 bucket list.  I have several things I'm working on that, as much as I want to, I cannot share with you at the moment.  But, trust me, I will.  So, I'm going to have fun this summer.  I'm going to try and do so many things, most of which are going to be new adventures for me, but, at the same time, I'm planning on chilling a lot with the cats and my books.  Posting is going to be erratic and, since I won't be trying to make proper posts for you, I've started a tumblr where posting a single picture is more than enough.  Feel free to follow me there. 

Lastly, share with me your summer reading, or whatever it is you have going on this summer.  Maybe I'll join you. 

After These Messages

Doing some spring cleaning at home and at work.  Please pardon the mess.

Ice Cream Treats

It's Product Review Friday! 

Let's start with Blue Bunny's Sweet Freedom No Sugar Added cones in snack size.  Right off the bat,  you will notice how tiny they are.  They were roughly the size of the BNC's thumb.  Despite that, it was the perfect little size that satisfied the craving for a sweet treat.  It didn't taste like a diet snack and it wasn't overly sweet either.  It even comes with a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure.  You can either throw your head back and slide the loose peanuts from the bag into your hungry mouth or you can pick up the peanuts with the top of your already bitten off cone and then take a bite out of it. 

The final verdict:  Put it in the cart .

Next up, Skinny Cow Cookies 'n Cream Truffle bars.  The bar itself was more than plenty to satisfy that craving.  The taste, while not completely coming off as cookies 'n cream, was subtle and creamy.  I did get a bit of a toothache from the cold but I chalk that up to not having enough tooth real estate and thus dipping into gum territory.  Go figure. 

The final verdict:  Put it in the cart but perhaps in other flavors.

 

Lastly, Skinny Cow Ice Cream Cone.  The taste of these was a bit overwhelming.  It was so rich and slightly overpowering on the tongue.  However, if you keep at it you'll learn to appreciate the decadent fudge on soft chocolate ice cream.  Drink a glass of water, you'll be okay.  My only other non-issue was how hard it was to get the wrapper off the cone.  I kept thinking my Hulk Strength was going to crush the cone and I would be left without the joy of an ice cream cone. 

The final verdict:  Put it in the cart.  Put 2 in the cart.

 

The BNC and I are having a good time trying out various treats that are easy on me.  We're preferential to the snack size Blue Bunny cones because it's a perfect little snack.  You run such a high risk of overdoing it with a half gallon of ice cream and trying to figure how many scoops you should get and how generous those precious scoops should be.  The portion control of the above ice cream treats appeals to us a great deal and, as long Blue Bunny and Skinny Cow keep churning them out, then I'll keep trying them out.

Full of Food

I had to hit the 'burbs this weekend for the Katy Budget Books Semi-Annual Sale in Katy, Texas.  Dolla books make me holla, y'all.  Brother's Pizzeria though makes me squee!  And, since I rarely see The Chapa anymore, I made him meet there for lunch after I scarfed up some books at the book sale.

 

The usual large with cheese even if sometimes I get daring and get pepperoni.  And, it has to be baked extra crispy.  Oh baby.

However, the spaghetti with meatballs, with it's chunky, fresh, not too sweet marinara is amazing.  It's a simple sauce but it's delicious.  I woofed it all down.  Ok, not really, but I came close.  They offer kid's meals now so, next time, I will have to do that so I can eat more pizza.  Holla!

Sunday consisted of our usual House of Pies visit and try as I might, I continue to choose the Waffle Platter.  I rarely finish it

For Sunday dinner, it was made up of rice, beans and fajitas.  I used old reliable corn tortillas to make tacos while the BNC used Romaine lettuce to make his.  Whack. 

My rice was perfect this time and I used part of my last batch of frozen beans.  As for the fajitas, or skirt steak, I cooked them with some sweet onions.  When they were almost done, I added a touch of tomato paste, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes for that slight kick to the teeth that you sometimes need until you bite down on a tiny fleck, cause you're lucky like that, and you vow to start using the SMIDGEN measuring rather than DASH. 

Good stuff.  Good weekend.

Feliz Dia de las Madres

In Mexico, May 10 is always Mother's Day.  Always.  You can't forget it.  I have yet to speak to my Ama (my grandma) but maybe she is still asleep since she likes to party hard and didn't answer the phone when I tried contacting her at 6a today.  Or, maybe she knows it was me and is letting me sweat because I called so early. 

Anyhow, I took my mom out to lunch today and, since my Old Man tends to be off on Tuesdays, he was more than happy to join in.  May as well since he filled the role of mom when she was off making some paper.

The role of Favorite Daughter is stressful and requires much time but the reward is immeasurable. 

What would you do...for a Klondike Bar?

I purchased some Klondike No Sugar Added bars this past weekend.  I usually try to avoid products with such a label because it means very little.  It can be full of carbs, which, if unused, will turn into sugar.  It can also mean that no additional sugar was added but other fructoses were added to compensate for the missing sugar.  However, after carefully reading the Klondike bar's label, I was satisfied enough to take them  home and give them a whirl.

The candy coating taste has not changed.  It retains that distinctive Klondike taste.  As for the ice cream contained within that yummy chocolate, it has that diet taste to it.  To me, it's just a tiny reminder of why I'm limited to some food items especially when it comes to my old ice cream addiction. 

Klondike has great flavors but oddly, the no sugar added one is missing from its site.  But, wtf, a rocky road one?!

Ok, focus...

I also added these: Skinny Cow No Sugar Added Vanilla ice cream sandwiches.  With 4g of fiber, I just couldn't pass these up.  They are yummy, filling and exactly what one needs when you need a little something after dinner. 

Being a diabetic will always have me on my toes.  I love food too much to think of it as my enemy and one should never think of food as such.  However, everyone is different.  What works for me may not work for others.  But, researching, testing and making yourself available to new things is a great start. 

Happy eating!

Let Us

The BNC, without having to, partakes in my sugar-free diet.  He eats, and drinks, reduced sugar, low fat, high fiber, whole grain, zero calorie, low sodium stuff with me.  It's one of the many reasons I love him.  His support means the world and makes what I have to do so much easier.  And while I don't enjoy all the good stuff I'm supposed to eat, I don't stop him from enjoying what he likes. 

So, on Sunday (and Monday) we I made lettuce wraps.  I used my new purple Slap Chop on some onions and tomatoes and cooked them down alongside some ground chuck. 

The mixture was seasoned with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and some tomato paste.

As a side dish, I made rice with orzo.  (Is that rice pilaf?)  Whichever, it was yums and both the rice and orzo were perfectly cooked. 

I toasted and cooked them together and out it came; perfect.

I didn't eat any lettuce but, from the looks and sounds of it, they looked and tasted awesome.

It's certainly a dish that will be put into heavy rotation especially with summer looming and the desire to crank up that oven grows less and less.

ps....excuse the shadows, the weird lighting and the less than stellar photos.  I'm still trying to find my angles as well as work the laptop I recently received.  Thank you, come again.

If the boat is a-rockin'

Since I was a kid, I have always had issues with motion sickness.  As time passed, my sensitivity to it got worse.  I can't read 2 words in the car without wishing for a swift death.  If I'm a passenger in the car, oy, so much worse.  I watch a movie shot with a shaky camera, nauseaville.  (I'm looking at you, Cloverfield!)  Whenever I travel via car, I take Dramamine.  However, as some of my meds have changed, my desire to ease up on taking unnecessary pills has gotten greater.  For example, my insomnia has eased up tremendously and I have ceased taking Lunesta.  I rarely get headaches but, if I do  find myself getting ill, or nauseous, etc. I go for some ginger ale.  The motion sickness is something I couldn't get around though.  I had to take Dramamine.  With an upcoming trip, I did my usual of stocking up on it until, right next to the Dramamine, I discovered this: 

These are called Sea Bands and they are designed to apply pressure to your wrist to help ease up on the motion and sea sickness as well as the nausea.  With my mini-trip upstate this past weekend to hang out with my punk ass Godchildren, I had the opportunity to test them out.  I found myself able to read things such as texts, CD covers, receipts, labels, etc.  I never once felt like my head was about to explode.  It was remarkable. 

If you're like me and are extremely sensitive to motion sickness, I highly recommend these.  As a bonus, you may feel like a superhero.  I, for one, felt like Wonder Woman. 

Flashback Friday (Thursday)

One day, my phantom children will look at these pictures and giggle about how old they look.  They'll notice the wood paneling, the orange couch, the fluffy carpeting but not before they notice that I was wearing socks with sandals before Kevin Federline did it. 

They'll notice that I sucked my thumb and I will tell the story of how old I was when my mom traumatized me into getting off the pacifier for good.  (It involved a roach.)

But it's the clothes that we'll talk about more than anything else.  My cute little dress, despite my underwear showing, even if it matched my dress and my cute, pink long sleeved tee with my brown plaid pants. 

The 70's were a grand time (for the 3 years and some months in which I was alive).  I was 3 years old in these photos and I remember most of the moments as they were captured on film.

Damn Kids

Mom!  Brother is all up in my sun spot and I was here first!

After weeks and weeks of being a complete shithead, Apolo finally allowed me to come home and now have shit on the floor.  Maybe our failed attempt at taking Apolo to the vet where he whined and whined so much so that my BFF, with whom I was on the phone with, thought I was whipping a baby, gave him the scare he needed to STOP SHITTING OUTSIDE THE LITTER BOX.  Maybe it was the fact that the vet's office was so packed, with people and pets still waiting to be seen after 3 hours, I decided to give up and come home.  The secret is out on the vet and everyone is going there.  Great.  Then, just like that, the asshole cat stopped.  I still wanted to beat him. 

He's still a good cat but geez, he's incredibly picky, a bit of a bully and the sole butt scooter.  Logan, on the right hand side, is very sweet and would love nothing more than to cuddle with you and, if you let him, nibble from your plate but, not unless you give him the go-ahead.   I didn't raise no ill-mannered cat.  In other words, for the most part, the damn kids are ok because, if my biggest problem is dealing with a shitting cat then I will gladly take it.

Oh, and dealing with Bitty Girl and her killing ways.  Yea, I'll take it.

Top of the Muffin to You!

I'm a huge Seinfeld fan.  Huge.  Insane.  Not only do I possess the box set, with the accompanying coffee table book detailing every episode, but I also own the Scene-It Seinfeld game.  I know.  There are so many good episodes that whenever I try to name my Top 10 I end up leaving out several other good ones.  I should just rank each episode, all 9 years of it. 

Some great ideas have come out of Seinfeld such as the bro, the yada-yada, the urban sombrero and the muffin top (not the too tight pants which makes meat cones).  The top of the muffin is the best and Elaine knows, we know it and now, Mr. Lippman knows it. 

Mr. Lippman steals Elaine's idea and opens up a shop, Top of the Muffin to You! which starts out not doing too well.  See, Mr. Lippman was only baking the tops and not the entire muffin.  As Elaine rightfully explains, the entire muffin has to be baked in order for the top to be yums.  There has to have been a stump.  That sentiment is what had me weary when I found these while out on an excursion. 



I need snacks, good snacks, to fend off the low sugar hunger monster and, while these looked a little promising, they were just okay.  As with most sugar-free items, the muffin tops were a little dry, then again, the stumps weren't formerly attached so that may have been the reason.  The overall taste was subtle despite being chocolate flavor which I actually enjoy.  Then again, I am the person who LOVES the dark chocolate miniatures out of the bag.  Despite all that though, the Vitatops were full of healthy stuffs and it's what I need right now.  Turns out, while my A1C has held steady at 6.4, my vitamin D has taken a nose dive.  So, let's add another pill to my Walgreens profile. 

FYI, if you intend on trying the Vitatops, be warned that it contains 9g of fiber.  We all know what fiber does, right?

This

Makes.Me.So.Happy. 

The entire series needs to come in a cute box set.  Today.

More at the link. 

FYI, work be crazy.  My wallet is paying for it since I'm opting to shop at the nearby Target rather than stay and eat here. 

Breakfast

This are the major players for my Sunday breakfast now.  (Bacon, eggs and sausage were off getting prepped.)

Quaker oatmeal pancake mix - they're a bit chunky but it's oatmeal and I'm not a fan of oatmeal but, who can argue with 4g of fiber?

Mrs. Butterworth's sugar-free syrup - When I was a kid, we used to make our mom get us this.  She always wanted to get the cheaper syrup but she never caved that is, until I walked in on her pouring cheap syrup into Mrs. Butterworth's glass container.  I never did find out how long my mom had been doing this.  It broke my heart but, at this age, it makes me chuckle at how devious my mom was.  This particular sugar-free (SF) syrup is fantastic and, like many SF products, it tastes sweeter than the original.

Hershey's sugar-free chocolate syrup - This is one of those SF products that is milder than it's sugar-laden cousin.  It's still good and a great companion to the oatmeal pancakes.

Tropicana 50 apple juice - Apple juice is my drank.  It's absolutely divine when it's super cold.  Unfortunately, it has so much sugar, even in its natural form.  Imagine my surprise when Tropicana 50 started making APPLE JUICE.  The 50 stands for 50 less sugar and calories.  Just wonderful as was my blood glucose after breakfast. 

Russo's NY Pizzeria

A few months ago, I noticed that Groupon was selling $20 coupons for $10 at Russo's NY Pizzeria.  Since they were on The List (my list of new food places to try in 2011) I had to scoop some up.  I managed to purchase 2 and saved them for when it was time to try another pizza joint.  Yesterday was that day. 

We met up with our good friend, Carlos, there and sampled a variety of items to give us a good indication on what kind of place we were dealing with.  The food was actually pretty good.  Their mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto was yummy while their flatbread, all coal fired cooked, was genius.  Of course, we had to get a pizza because, if a pizza place doesn't know how to make pizza then that's an automatic fail.  When the pizza arrived, it was perfectly crispy and full of toppings not unlike the wimpy kind I've seen at other places.  I ordered a pasta dish, chicken marsala, because I like pasta.  While I found the sauce a little too runny, the noodles were a perfect al dente texture. 

The Final Verdict:

Is it Brother's Pizzeria?  No, not at all but it makes decent pizza and pasta.  It certainly comes closer that the disaster that was Romano's.   But, would I go again?  Sure especially since I have the other $20 coupon still left to use.  Besides, another try at the pizza is needed.  And, I hear there is a brunch?  Holla.

Carlos probably playing a round of Words with Friends.  Cheater.



Chicken marsala = yum.



The Kitchen

When we moved in early February, our kitchen lost a lot of storage space but gained a wider kitchen.  One that now allows us both to be in the kitchen.  Yay.  But it's that pesky storage space that gave us quite the pickle.  Many items, such as my beloved little toaster oven, went to live in our storage unit.  What were we to do?  We figured that we may as well use the walls for our dilemma and so, we looked to Ikea and their Grundtal series.

The BNC installed these for me one a Sunday afternoon.   I put out most of the cookware I tend to favor except for the dutch oven, the braiser and the cast iron.  Those got lucky and found some real estate in the cabinets.  Having a small kitchen makes you get creative on where to put things such as the microwave.  Our solution?  On top of the fridge.  It's seldom used and, quite honestly, I'm thinking of getting rid of it altogether. 

I'm extremely pleased with how it turned out though.  It's still a work in progress but the functionality has come out.  Some of my dry herbs need to be replenished but the ones that are present are ready to be used. 

Even my colorful knives are ready.  And, you know what else?  The toaster oven is out of storage and in the cabinet, and, like the knives, the cookware, and the dry herbs, ready to be used.