Rockin' Heros, Birthdays, and let's just say so long for now...:)~

I've had a pretty busy social life these past two weeks. Let's start with last Friday. I finally got my first taste of Guitar Hero! My friend Ella invited me over to play. Of course she kicked my arse with her Mad Skills..... I bought the game this week...... I think I have a new addiction!

Saturday we were invited to Tina and Jess's for a night of food, fun, and ROCKBAND. Thank goodness I had a little practice on the guitar the night before playing guitar hero. They are pretty much the same on the guitar, but you need more people to play the drums and sing. Fun Times! Def have to do that again soon!

Then Sunday(father's day) was my mom's 61st bornday! Her sister, my Auntie Pat, had a Sisters and Daughters luncheon at her house in Sandy Hook to celebrate the day. Everything was just perfect....even the rain couldn't dampen our spirits of family!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My friend Jen and I went to the Acoustic Cafe to see Indy artists Edie Carey and Christine Havrilla. The first chickie was ok, but the headliner Havrilla, is who I went to see. I found her through a mutual friend on myspace. I dig Indy Rock, so I checked out her sound on her page, and loved it! I don't even want to compare her to anyone else, cause it's her own sound! Thanx for rockin' out even though it was only for a handful of us.
Here is a clip of the song we got her to get back up and do an encore of "Hole in the Ground"
Please excuse the shaky cam....I had a good buzz on! WhoooHooo!


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This weekend was Ffld Co. Pride. We were'nt able to make the day event, but we hit the after party at the Cedar Brook that night. A bunch of our friends were there to help Kat and I celebrate our 10 yr. anniversary. It's where we met 10 yrs ago on the 26th of this month! Damn 10 yrs!!!...That is totally a separate blog enrty fo' sure!

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Also this weekend I had to "say so long for now" (cause good-byes suck!...and sometimes are for ever) to a very special young man named Christopher. His grandmother who has raised him up since he was 5 was a very important person in my life when I was a teen and young adult. She was my Sunday School teacher, and turned out through the years to be like a second mom to me. In fact, all day she kept on calling me and introducing me as her daughter to everyone. Was very endearing!

The reason we were all there was because Christopher has graduated High School and for some reason, which I couldn't get out of him, has gone and enlisted himself in the ....God I hate to even say it out loud....Grrrrrrrr....in the ARMY...Urrrgghhhh! There I said it and that is all I'm gonna say about that!

Except.....God please keep that boy safe!

International Women's Day 2008 ... :)~

Tomorrow is March 8, and is International Women's Day. Take a moment today to honor and think about the women who have made a difference in your life, and in this world. Here are a few that have in mine.

My mom of course, and her sisters, my sister, my wife Kat, and some very close cousins and friends, and a few teachers.
Famous people...Princess Diana, Mother Teresa, Benazir Bhutto, Bonnie Parker, Melissa Etheridge, Joan of Arc, Rosa Parks

Who are some of the women in your life that you honor ???

Here is a video courtesy of youtube honoring International Women's Day 08'.

Stuffed Pepper Recipe... :)~

This is my Mom and sister Lisa's recipe for Stuffed Peppers...It may be simple.....simply friggin' delicious that is! :)~

5 Organic Bell peppers any color

1lb. Organic Ground beef

1 Onion diced

1 Clove garlic minced

160z Tomato Sauce

1 boil in bag cooked brown rice

1 Tb Worcheschire sauce

2 Beef boulion cubes

2c hot water

Cut tops off of peppers and set aside. Saute onions till brown, add garlic, and cook 5 min more. Add the ground beef, and cook till done. Drain off any fat. Add 1 cup tomato sauce, worcheshire sauce, and the cooked rice. Stir together well. Take off heat. Stuff the peppers with mixture and put tops back on. Mix together water and boullion cubes until the cubes disolve. Add to reserved tomato sauce. Place the peppers in oven proof dish and pour the tomato mixture around peppers 3/4 of the way up dish. Cover and cook for apx 1hr at 350, and 15min. more at 425 degrees. Peppers should brown up and blister a bit......Enjoy! :)~

Tag.......I'm It! :)~

I have been tagged by Darlene. The rules say I'm supposed to share six things/habits/quirks about myself and tag 6 others.....but everyone I read has already been tagged....Besides, I love breaking the rules!

1. Before my mother was diagnosed I was so anal about so many things. I mean For Real!....Just ask Kat...LOL...
Especially about cleaning, and everything having a place in this apartment. ....and that is just a small part of it.....
But a few weeks ago I noticed that I have been way more lax about ALOT of things. I think its because things like that just seem so trivial to me now compared to the cancer......It feels good not worring or fighting about all that stuff as much. Just blows that it took such a sucky thing to relax me a bit........but I Hope it lasts!

2. I have been to 28 of our United States.

3. I Love coconut ice cream in a cup with a cone ontop.

4. I like creepy crawly things, and always put spiders out the window instead of smooooshing them.

5. I really miss playing my guitar since my surgery in November....actually since the accident last March.

6. It will be 3 months on Friday since I smoked my last cigg. Whooo Hooooo!
:)~

Enough is Enough Already!

Who ever came up with the saying...What Doesn't Kill Us, Only Makes Us Stronger......didn't know what the hell he/she was talking about....
Because the events of this past week have reduced me to a mere puddle.

It wasn't enough that I have to deal with the emotional and physical stress of my mom's cancer,and my stay with her in the hospital...... Ohhhhhh Nooooooooo.

Sunday when I came home for a bit I found my pet Iguana of 9 yrs.... Socrates... on the bottom of his cage not responding to me, and was stone cold. I picked him up, and held him in my arms. He was so cold, so lifeless. Kat helped me position his lights, and got the portable heater to help with the warming. I held him to give him my body warmth under the lights....He began to respond a bit so I tried to feed him again.... I sprayed him down with warm water...I tried to get him to open his mouth so I could spray water in his mouth....but he just wouldn't. I repositioned his lights so hopefully he would stay warm through the night....I did what I could for the moment...The vet wouldn't be open till tomorrow....and I had to get back to the hospital, to my mom.

Around 7 am Monday morning I got a call from Kat all upset, and in the middle of an asthma attack.....She woke up to Socrates violently thrashing himself around his cage.....And was now belly up on the ground. She said he was dead.
I began to go into panic attack mode, and did not have anything with me to take for that....I went to the nurses station and between breaths tried to tell them what was happening. This really kind nurse named Jennifer took me into an empty room and talked me down.

By the way.... I would like to give SUPER PROPS and Muchas Thank Yous to the entire staff, especially the Nurses, on the 7th floor at Bridgeport Hospital in CT. I just happend to be on that floor for my stay a few weeks ago... right around the corner from my mom's room. Everyone was so kind and gentle and attentive to our needs with all of us involved in our stays there.

OK back to Socrates....When I got home he opened his eyes for me when I picked him up...He had no fight in in him whatsoever. So we rushed him to the vet. His prognosis was not good at all. He had become severely dehydrated and stone cold. His organs had begun to shut down, and his body had gone into shock....it was too late.....I had to make such a hard and sad decision to put him down right there and then. They let me say my goodbyes with him and, we stayed with him for the first injection until his eyes closed, and he went into a deep sleep. There were other injections that they had to give him because reptiles have such a slow metabolism. I didn't want to be there for that. I made arrangements for him to be cremated and will have his ashes in an urn......I know.....a little kooky.....but I LOVED the heck out of my little dragon!

Over the summer my dad and brother John built this great encloser for Socrates and we keep it in the kitchen....I keep going in there looking for and talking to him out of habbit.....and then of course start crying realizing that he is not there.....
It is just a horrible constant reminder and I want it out of here!
Kat and others say keep it....That I might want another reptile soon.. . But between taking care of myself and trying to heal properly from my surgery.....and soon to be really taking care of my mom..It just wouldn't be fair to a new pet at all... :)~

They say things come in 3s

1. My surgery

2. My mom's cancer

3. Socrates death

There damn it!!!... that's three.....Leave me the hell alone for a good long while!

It's time for some good JuJu already!!!... :)~

Sorry for such sad posts lately......but that's what's honestly going on in my life and this is one of my few outlets...

Peace Outie.....TMC

Happy Birthday Juniebug!!!...... :)~

For the past month or so, I have been planning my mom's 60th birthday. With some help form my aunts, my sister, and Kat, we really pulled off a great party. Being it was a pool party/picnic, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! The sun was shining.....The birds were singing.....My sister and I didn't fight at all......in fact we got through the day without any fights, between anyone.....LOL.....wich is a great feat within it's self if you know my family at all.....HA! ....

So thanx to everyone who came......and especially to those who helped make this a special day for my mom... me.... and my sister! I couldn't have done it without you!......Oh yeah, and a special shout out to my cuz Rob for letting us use the house!...Woooot! Wooooot!....You Rock!....
Here are some pics of our day! :)~

Fav comfort desert recipe...shhh don't tell my mom... :)~

Ok, so I'm way over due to post a recipe, so here ya go .....For years I've been asking my mom to find a particular recipe for an apple desert she used to make when my sister and I were kids. Finally, the other day she found it!!!.....She was going to surprise me, and make it this week, but she couldn't keep her findings a secret. I swiped the recipe, and made it the other day. It tastes just like I remember...and my mom agrees...She tried to make it a few years, ago and couldn't find the same cake mix. It just didn't have the same taste...The secret is to use Pilsbury Moist Supreme yellow cake mix w/pudding.


Sourcream Apple Squares

1 box Pilsbury Moist Supreme Yellow Cake Mix w/pudding
8 TB or ....1 stick butter, room temp
1/4 c Brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 c Sourcream
1 Egg
2 Apples peeled & thinly sliced....I used the sweet Empire apples

Combine butter and cake mix until crumbly, and reserve 2/3 c.
Add the brown sugar and cinnamon to the reserve, and mix well.... this is for the topping.
Press the remaining into shallow baking pan. Arrange apple slices over the base.
Blend sourcream and egg together and spread evenly over the apples.
Sprinkle with the reserved topping.
Bake till golden brown....about 30- 40 min at 350 degrees....Enjoy!.

Did Someone Say Cheesecake?... :)~

What up people???......Had a crazy ass busy... but totally fun time last weekend. Had some friends stop by Friday night. Saturday we hit a local car show....Then later the beach bbq, and bonfire at night w/ Ang, Katherine, Elizabeth, and the rest of the boat crew. It rained til like 1 in the afternoon...but the sun finally came out. It turned out to be a perfect day! We grilled, we ate, shot the shit, we drank, we made FIRE!!!!!!.......We've been planning this for over a month, and wanted a bonfire at night....Which meant we needed a permitt ...This was the date they gave us ....Thanx Ang for obtaining that by the way....I know what a pain in the ass it is to get one... :)~. Then on Sunday, after work, I gave my friend Sue a buzz and stopped by there for a bit. I had to be home on time to watch Desperate Housewives.....LOL...

A birthday shout out to my sister Lisa......Her born day was on the 30th.....She had a party at her place. Here we are with our mom in the middle....Got to see alot of people I haven't seen in a while there. My friend Steve came down from East Bumble F***. .....He is the boy next door...No, literally.... well actualy he lived two houses down from us growing up....LOL....We have kept in touch through the years, as have the rest of neighboorhood gang . He recently moved somewhere upstate NY, and I missed saying good-bye to him and Mary. So I got to say a very happy Hello to them.......... and a :( good-bye.......Also, I cleared up a misunderstanding with a very dear friend.... Hearsay is baaaaad M'Kay!.............

Ok.... so here is what you came for ......the recipe!

Ricotta Mascarpone Cheesecake

3 lbs. Ricotta cheese
8 oz mascarpone cheese
12 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 TB. pure vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
2 TB soft butter
6 chocolate biscotti

In a mixing bowl, with the wisk attatchment, add the ricotta and mascarpone first, mixing on low speed. When blended stop the machine, and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Then add the eggs one at a time. Break each one into cup before adding it. It is much easier to get any egg schrappnel out of the cup rather than the batter. Scrape down sides of the bowl again to ensure the batter is smooth.....Add the sugar vanilla and lemon zest. Mix on low for 1 minute.

For the bottom crust, and sides: In the food processor add the chocolate biscotti and grind till very fine. With a paper towel spread the softend butter around the pan to coat throughly. Add the biscotti crumbs to the butterd pan. Coat the sides well and level out remaining crumbs to at least 1/2 in. Pour batter in pan and bake in a water bath for 1 hr at 350. Then turn down to 250 for 1-2 hrs more. The top should have a light brown color and not jiggle when done. Let rest at room temp for 1 hr and then refridgerate.

As shown in my pic I like to use a raspberry coulis, and Hershey's chocolate sauce to decorate the plate and it also compliments the cheesecake.