Suddenly Routine

Yesterday while Anna and I were having her post-nap snuggle on the couch, I decided to look through the Children and Family category on the Netflix instant streaming with our Wii. While ignoring the Caillou requests (I hate that freaking show), I saw a movie called, The Amazing Panda Adventure. Anna loves the pandas and it was in the family section, so I figured it was ok for her to watch.

The movie started off ok, Mama Panda and her baby romping through the woods being fluffy and cute. Then all of the sudden, Mama Panda gets caught in a cage and starts freaking out. At this point I start thinking that maybe this isn’t going to be the best movie for a two year old to watch. But it turns out that the cage is set up by the research team that is trying to save the pandas from extinction. They throw a radio collar on Ms. Panda and send her on her merry way.

There’s some plot about a kid and his dad who works at the research camp, but it’s really boring and the kid is a really shitty actor. We’re really just watching for the pandas.

Finally the panda family shows up again and are very cute and sweet. Mama Panda is walking through the forest, cooing at her baby, when she steps in a big giant bear trap and starts freaking out. The baby panda is crying and freaking out. And Anna starts crying and freaking out asking about the panda and her foot. I tried to turn the movie off, but thought that maybe I should keep it on so she could see that the pandas were going to be fine. It’s a kid’s movie. They aren’t going to kill the pandas, right? The poachers show up and go to shoot the mama panda, but are interrupted by the researchers. Whew. But they do steal the baby panda, who is crying for his mother. The whole time we’re watching this scene, I’m thinking,  ”Pleasedon’tkillthepanda… pleasedon’tkillthepanda… pleasedon’tkillthepanda… pleasedon’tkillthepanda…” hoping that this movie doesn’t turn into the Pandas in the Mist, complete with the panda paw ashtrays.

The rest of the movie is basically the crappy actor kid and another crappy kid actress rescuing the baby panda, running from the poachers, falling into the raging river, getting lost in the woods, going over waterfalls and getting covered in leaches (that scene was very Stand By Me-ish). All of this happens while they are carrying the baby panda. Anna is freaking out every time something happens with the panda, but we hang on until the end because she really needs to see the big reunion between the mama panda and her baby. Which we eventually see and it’s a big happy smooshy ending. Happy pandas, happy kids, happy everyone and one big giant relieved Krissie (who is so happy that she doesn’t have to explain where the panda fur rugs came from).

Anna wants to watch it again. Last night she wanted to see it before going to bed. (uh, no) And first thing this morning, she asked to watch “the panda movie.” (I don’t think so. ) Maybe I should have just let her watch Caillou. Although, I think I’d watch Caillou vs the Panda Poachers.

Everyone reading this is probably rolling their eyes and thinking, “Get a job, man. This is way too much self-imposed drama for one person to post about.” And I would agree. But I have to get this out and then I can move on.

If you read my last post, you know that I was debating what to do with this site and with my other professional site. Thank you for all the feed back. It really helped me focus a bit. So what I’ve decided to do is just have my other site be my resume/portfolio. Something to send to potential employers/clients. This site will stay the same. Only improved. I’m thinking redesign, new pages, all sorts of interesting things. It’s not like I don’t have the time to do it. And I need to keep my skills up. I’ve been watching too much Dinosaur Train and Wonder Pets, it’s making me less smart than I used to be. My brain might be shrinking, there seems to be more room in there.

So anyway, that’s my plan, Stan. Stay tuned…

Maybe you’ve noticed that it’s been a little quiet over here. I have to be honest, things aren’t the same. A little of the passion is gone and I’m not feeling as fulfilled as I have been. Got a little bit of the wandering eye, if you know what I mean.

So in the interest of total honesty and to start from a fresh place, here it is: I’ve been cheating on this site with another site. I know, it’s shocking. Want to hear all the gory details?

A few weeks ago, I got the idea into my head to start a new personal site. One that is a little bit more professional in nature and that actually has my real name on it. I know, OMG, right? I’ve always tried to be pretty anonymous here. I mean, most everyone who reads here knows who I am, but the concrete google proof isn’t there. The new site will have that solid proof, so I have to be a little bit more responsible about what goes there. So maybe no more passive aggressive digs at my previous employers, ex-boyfriends or family. And no more swearing. And no naked photos of me shooting heroin while saluting a statue of Lenin. You know, that sort of thing.

I probably should have done this back when I first lost my job. Maybe one of the reasons I’m not getting a good response back from employers because I don’t have a good online presence. I’ve been avoiding setting up my portfolio because it’s going to involve a lot of digging through old hard drives, getting screen shots from websites that don’t exist anymore and scanning things that don’t have electronic versions. It’s time for me to just get it done and move on. Maybe Anna should start learning about html and help me out a bit.

I’m still trying to decide what to do with this site. I don’t want to delete it. I like a lot of my older posts. I wonder if I should import some of the better ones over to the new site. Or maybe I’ll just link back here. Seems like I might be making things more complicated than they need to be. I just need to focus on getting the new site up and running and looking good. Then I can focus on the older stuff.

We’re not exactly church-going folk, but I didn’t want to not get Anna dressed up in a new spring dress. With hat and shoes to match!

Doesn’t she look happy? It’s not a true holiday until someone cries or gets mad. I think she really pulls off that emo toddler look of disenchantment.

This one’s better.

Ok, this one brings the cute.

This one is pretty cute too.

Looking at these pictures, I realize that I should have also gotten some matching white gloves to complete her garden party ensemble. That would’ve been totally fabulous.

So it looks like my posting everyday in April goal was really an April Fool’s joke. Anyone fall for it? Suckers.

Anyway, I wanted to share my new favorite* casserole recipe. I was looking through my recipes collection (aka an old work folder jammed with printed webpages and word docs, ripped out magazine pages and hastily scribbled scrap paper) and found something called Greek Lemon Chicken Casserole. I don’t remember where or when I found it, but it sounded good and more importantly, we had all the ingredients.

Quick, easy and relatively healthy. What’s not to love?

Greek Lemon Chicken Casserole

• 1 lb of chicken tenders
• Greek  marinade (or Italian dressing or whatever marinade you like)
• 1 cup uncooked quick brown rice
• 1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 sm onion, chopped
• 1/2 lemon
• salt & pepper (I used Mrs Dash instead, trying to cut down on the salt here)
• 1/2 cup mozzarella or grated parmesan cheese
• PAM spray

A few hours before dinner, marinate your chicken tenders in your marinade of choice. I used a Greek marinade and marinated the tenders overnight, because I like my chicken with the marinade soaked in real good.

1. Preheat oven at 375.
2. Saute the onions with olive oil, add in the spinach, rice, and salt & pepper plus any other seasonings of choice. After everything is heated (five minutes or so), put into a PAM-sprayed casserole dish.
3. Place marinated chicken on top of rice mixture.
4. Cover with foil, cook for 30 minutes.
5. Uncover, sprinkle with mozzarella or Parmesan cheese and put under broiler till brown.

Take out of oven, squeeze your lemon half over the top and serve. Mmmmm… so good. It’s even better the next day for leftovers. I had mine for a late breakfast because I couldn’t wait until lunch.

* When I say favorite, I mean my new somewhat healthy favorite casserole. Because come on, the best casseroles are all creamy, cheesy, fatty, salty goodness. I had a casserole the other day at a party that was a cross between mac and cheese and shepherd’s pie. WOW, that was so good. I need to get that recipe, that casserole was really the casserole of the gods.

It’s April first and I was trying to think of some funny prank to pull here, but came up with nothing. So I’ll just say that I’m going to post everyday in April. If I don’t, I can claim it was all a prank. All bases covered.

What’s everyone doing for Easter this weekend? We will be heading out to hang with my parents and eat my mom’s pierogies. So good. I could eat them everyday for the rest of my life.

I’ve also been thinking of what to do for Anna’s Easter basket. Trying not to go overboard and turn Easter into Christmas Part II. I got her a kid’s tool kit and I’m going to attempt to make her the superhero cape she asked for a couple of weeks ago. Add some jelly beans and a chocolate bunny and we’re done!

Hey Kris, WTF is that on your door? It really clashes with the maroon and beige color scheme.

Oh, I was feeling a little festive today and made a spring wreath for the front door. Here’s a closer look.

Yes, those are marshmallow peeps. Anna and I went to Michael’s today to pick up some egg decorating stuff and I thought it would be fun to make a spring wreath for the door. After being inspired by this wreath, I decided to come up with my own interpretation. So while Anna napped, I slapped this bad boy together. Doesn’t it look like it took hours to make? hahaha… I’m not sure how long it will last, it might be coming down when my husband gets home. Something tells me he’s not going to be a fan of today’s creative burst of energy.

I think I like the one that I was inspired by better, but I didn’t have enough peeps to go that route unless I opened up the bunny ones. And you never want to mix your peep creatures. God only knows what sort of unholy union will become of that.

I bet this little guy had no idea of what his fate was going to be when he left Wegman’s today.

Yesterday the phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and didn’t recognize the number, but answered anyway and had the following conversation.

Me: Hello? (In a perfectly pleasant phone-answering voice)

Caller: Bitch! I told you to stop callin’ my man!!!! (In a very angry, unpleasant phone voice)

Me: Excuse me? I think you have the wrong number.

Caller: BITCH! Don’t tell me I have the wrong number!! Don’t be callin’ my man!!!

At this point I thought the call was kind of funny. Because obviously I wasn’t calling anyone else’s man. I hate the phone and making phone calls.

Me: I’m sorry, you have the wrong number. I’m married. My days of calling other people’s men are over.

Caller: Uh… [beep, beep, beep and click]

She didn’t call back, so I guess she dialed the right number.

Maybe I should change my phone demeanor to be more like my mystery caller.

“BITCH! I want to order a pizza to be delivered, double cheese, black olives and mushrooms!!!!”

“BITCH!!! Make me an appointment to get my hair cut and highlighted, Thursdays work best!!”

“BITCH!!!! I need to come in for a pap smear!!”

Bitch, it works in all different scenarios. Brilliant! I can’t wait for my next job interview!!!