Spumoni Trifle (attempt no. 1)

My family and I created a recipe which was inspired by a banana trifle.  We eat fresh bananas, but that's where our love of the fruit ends, so we seriously tweaked the recipe.  It turned out quite delicious. So now I'm sharing it with you.

You will need:

1. Heavy Whipping Cream
2. Powdered Sugar
3. Milk
4. Two packages of Jello brand Chocolate Pudding
5. One package of Strawberry Cake Mix
6. Two jars of Maraschino Cherries
7. Grenadine
8. Rum
9. Eggs
10. Oil (vegetable/olive/grape)
11. Large bag of Pistachios
12. 9 in x 13 in Cake Pan
13. Wooden Spoon
14. Electric Mixer or Blender that can whip

This recipe is made in many stages, so start in the morning if you want it for dinner.  For less stress, I just made half one night, let it set in the fridge and finished it off the next day.

Put in mixing bowl the amount of eggs and oil required for the cake.  Then put two tablespoons of grenadine in your measuring cup.  Fill the cup to amount of water the mix calls for and mix it in with the eggs and oil.

Rough chop 12 oz (by weight), roughly one and a half jars, of the cherries.  Discard the corn syrup that they are stored in.

Mix the dry cake mix into the wet ingredients, only enough to get all the powder wet.  DO NOT OVER MIX. Then gently stir in the chopped cherries.

Cook cake in the 9 x 13 pan according to the directions on the box. When it is done, set in on a cooling rack to cool a little. It need not reach room temperature.

After 30 minutes poke holes in long rows all over the cake with the back of the wooden spoon.

Using the same technique as with the water for the cake pour two ounces of rum into a measuring cup.  Fill the rest of the way with the required amount of milk, boil and mix with pudding powder.  I used instant set pudding and it turned out fine, but I will use the regular next time so the flavors blend better.  I also believe that the chocolate might seep into the cake a little bit better that way.

Once the pudding is mixed, pour it over the cake, cover with foil and put it in the fridge to set.  Do not be impatient.  It is important that the pudding set firm.

When the pudding is set, you can place halved cherries across the pudding if you really like a lot of cherry flavor.

Mix one quart of heavy whipping cream with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.  You'll want an electric mixer for this.  It makes the job so much faster. Smooth the whipped cream on top of the pudding layer and generously sprinkle chopped pistachios over the top.  If you leave the trifle in the fridge for another couple of hours before serving, the cherry and pistachio flavors will seep into the whipped cream a little.  But feel free to serve right away.

This recipe makes a huge desert.  My family ate it for desert three days in a row and each had a treat on one day.  That makes 16 servings total, and for me, the servings were a little big.  But oh, it was so yummy.  I will be tweaking the recipe just a little next time.  If it comes out better or at least just as good.  I will share that info.

Everybody Poops

I work at my daughter's school so sometimes, I have to take a break in the little girls' room. Literally.  It's nothing special, I'm sure that everybody has to pee from time to time.  And, when you are responsible for keeping 500 children on schedule as they move from one place to the next, you need to stay hydrated. Hydration leads to urine.

Now, please tell me, was that first paragraph just more than you ever needed to know?  I feel that it was.  True or not, no one cares. That's how I feel about this book.

While squatting I couldn't help but notice this funny, if slightly disturbing, little sign hanging on the door.  Talk about blunt. The advice offered on this sign is good.  And kids from kindergarten up are using these toilets, so plumbing issues are bound to arise.  This sign is really just an extension of their education.


So I made the mistake of looking up the author.  Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi has the goal (I hope) of making children feel comfortable with their bodily functions by proving in gross detail that everyone, animal and human, that eats must have bowel movements as well.  This lesson may be helpful for those young children who are in the middle of potty training and are maybe having a hard time taking the next step.  The last page of the book however renders it trash and is too nasty for words.  Six illustrations of animal and human naked buttocks in the middle of pooping.

  YUCK!

Clean Hands = Healthy Body

I may be the only parent brave enough to admit this out loud, though I doubt I'm the only one who has ever had the thought.  My children are dirtier than I would like them to be. They aren't pigs, most of the time.  But they don't have the same appreciation that I do for things like freshly brushed hair and soft, neutral smelling feet.  My daughter whines every day when I tell her that it's time to take her shower.  "But I showered yesterday," is an argument she actually uses. Does that make sense to anyone as a justifiable excuse for being dirty today? If so, humor me, lie to me, what ever, just please don't tell me that seems right for you to stink today because you didn't yesterday.  I'd rather not know.

Knowing this about my kids makes me all the more a proud mama when I realize that I spend a good portion of our grocery money on liquid hand soap.  I have to refill that sucker every other week in the kitchen and every ten days at most in the bathroom. At least I know that they believed me when I taught them that you should wash your hands every time you pass a sink.  The dirt and sweat may cling to their arms and legs, but the fingers that they eat with are sanitary.  I have taken steps to make this blessing a little more affordable, convenient, and enjoyable for all.  Maybe you can make use of theses little tips for your family.

1. Buy two separate soap dispensers for each sink.  Keep one full under the sink so that when someone can't squirt any soap out anymore they can just reach under and grab the new one rather than skip washing.

2. Hang a hand towel hook by your sinks so kids/hubbies won't re-dirty their hands by drying them on their t-shirt or jeans.

3. Refill individual dispensers with a bulk sized bottle.  

4. Soap washes away germs.  Don't spend extra money on anti-bacterial soaps that may contain harsh and dangerous chemicals.  The FDA has issued official statements regarding Triclosan saying that we are still unsure of whether this chemical is even useful in hand soap, let alone benign.  

***As always, do your own research.***

5. Do use liquid rather than bar, for convenience.  It is easier for your kids to pump than lather, so they will be more likely to do it.  It is also a real pain to wipe up the sink when the soap dish has a wet bar of soap sitting in it.

6. Add a few squirts of cocoa butter to each refill and shake well.  This will make washing your hands repeatedly throughout the day easier on skin.

7. Add one or two drops, no more, of an essential oil or extract, like vanilla or lavender to make washing hands just a little more of a splurge than a duty.

Read Before You Watch

Orson Scott Card amazed me with his science-fiction novel Ender's Game.  It's harsh look at the impact the universe can have on the hearts and minds of children would have made Lois Lowry proud.  The true testament to the book's power, however, is that fact that I already had such high expectations.  Mario (hubby) read four books in the series more than five years ago and praised them highly.  When I read a book on Mario's recommendation, I expect near perfection in both creativity and process. Ender's Game surpassed those expectations.

I dread stating that the plot line is a bit predictable. However, not in the banal interpretation usually implied by the term, "predictable." The characters are all written so well that readers who have been exposed to gifted children or referred to as gifted themselves are easily able to interpret motivations as if these characters were real people. Understanding motivations then makes it easier to foresee actions. Becoming acquainted with one character leads to more familiarity with another. So one person's actions only naturally lead to another's reactions and so forth.

I in no way mean to imply that you shouldn't immerse yourself fully from beginning to end.  The journey is like no other.  And, I am wholly convinced that there is absolutely no way a movie will be able to do this story justice. So I plead with you, "Please read the book."  That said, having loved the book I am anxiously awaiting the movie.  I personally cannot wait to see the Battle Room.

Ender's Game Official Trailer #2

No Tasing Six Year Olds or their Mothers

My new catch phrase is, "Never give me a taser." There are just too many stupid people in the world.  How else do you explain shows like, "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo?"  And I don't have enough patience.

Let us focus for a minute on her greedy mom.  Here's a woman who gave her infant a stripper name at birth, the poor girl never stood a chance.  Then she capitalizes on her child by parading this ugly toddler around in front of every willing photographer on the planet, knowing that the world is pointing and laughing.

I have a daughter.  She's a real human being, and I would hate to think that random people like me, were writing stuff like this about her.  My job as a mother is part education and part protection.  But all June Shannon sees is the $20,000 per episode paycheck, attached to her little girl's curls.

I really cannot say what irritates me more, the fact that this woman has been called a good mother for her exploitative ways or that there are people out there who invest real time in watching the show.

Use Facebook as...

DesertButterfly took one more step along the road of branding today.  She created a Facebook page.  Even as Evelyn, I don't use FB as much as your average person, so I'm hardly an expert.  But I remember it being much easier to create a profile on a social networking page.  I had to call Dannie to help me just to get past the add for add placement. I still can't like other pages or add artists as friends.

There is an option to, "use Facebook as DesertButterfly."  What does that mean?  Who else would I use it as?  That's who created the account.  That's who signed into the account.  I clicked it, hoping that it would make it easier to peruse and like and add a little easier.  But nothing seems to have changed.

I need to hire a teenager to come and teach me how to use my FB.  How sad is that?

The Daylight Project

This video makes me happy. 

 Thank you Maroon 5.

Battle Royale

Suzanne Collins has been accused of ripping off the Japanese movie Battle Royale for her hit series Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay.  I just watched it.  It could have been her inspiration, but Hunger Games is in no way a rip off of that twisted, sick creation.

That movie is the hunger games, and those who enjoy watching it it are much like the citizens of the capitol. I can see how it may have inspired a trilogy of revolution stories.

I just want to publicly rebuke those who call the two stories the same.  Rather than reading a three sentence synopsis and passing judgement, read the book, or don't and just keep your mouth shut.  Either way works for me.

Bucket List

Here's a list of places I want to go before I die.  
Yes, a cruise ship does count as somewhere to go.

1. The Crater of Life 
     

2. Mt. St. Helens
          Mt. St. Helens erupted the day I was born.  It was the big eruption in 1980 that caused devastation and and sickness from breathing the ash far and wide.  I don't have some otherworldly beliefs or strange earth worship plans.  I've just always been curious about the volcano and the area around it.  The coincidence made me aware of the area and so I think of it often.  I would like to have memories in my mind of what the giant looks and smells like.

3. Anasazi Pit Villages

3. Disney Cruise
          I have always wanted to take a cruise.  But now as a married mother of two I don't want to have that experience alone or with a few girlfriends.  I've checked out a lot of lines and the Disney Cruise Line seems to be the perfect fit for a family.  There are so many things that I want my children to experience and this ship would let me experience and adult cruise while they had the time of their lives.

4. Gibraltar

What should I add?

There are easier ways.

I'm sure you are familiar with the phrase, "you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar."  I have the greatest story that proves why we should all live by that wisdom.  This really happened, but some *fake names have thrown in to protect business reputations and grumpy old men.

A local sewer and drain guy, Stewart*, got a call out to a fourplex apartment building the other day to deal with a simple sewer and drain issue.  It made sense to him, to back into the extra parking spot in front of the building, just in case he needed to carry tools in from the back of his truck or whatever sewer and drain guys do.  Also, considering the extremely low temperatures last week Stewart left the engine on his work truck running.

Not the Actual Building

Imagine you live in the second floor apartment and your living room window is open.  The exhaust would get into your window and stink up your apartment which would inspire you to get up and shut the window, right?  I guess that line of common sense reasoning doesn't come naturally to grumpy old men.  Instead Al*, the grumpy old man, left his window open and stormed down the stairs yelling profanities at Stewart and demanding that he turn his vehicle off.  Al insisted that the exhaust from the van was going to give him carbon monoxide poisoning. Stewart respectfully refused, explaining the the heat needed to remain on in order to keep certain mechanical tools from freezing and becoming to stiff to use.

Al then took his profanities and demands, quite loudly to the apartment manager, Bob*, who agreed to try to work something out with Stewart.  When Bob spoke to Stewart he found that Stewart had a very reasonable demeanor and was quite happy to compromise.  He pulled his truck around to the front of the parking lot, closest to the street and parked with the rear of the van toward the street.  That was not good enough for Al.

Al called the police.  He informed the police that the serviceman was trying to poison him with CO1.  The police of course, were obligated to respond.  Since Al insisted that his health was in immediate danger, the police had no choice but to alert the necessary authorities.  The fun part is this, because he mentioned CO1, the fire department had no choice but to come out and clear the building.  Not to mention, the paramedics were also required be present in order to treat any victims of said poisoning. So the cavalry was dispatched, all the while the unsuspecting super and serviceman were carrying on with the repairs on the ground floor.

First up was the fire department. When they arrived, they blocked off the entire parking lot, because they weren't able to come all the way in.  Cars as well as the service truck were filling the area.  Then they went upstairs to check the CO1 levels in Al's apartment.  Al, grumpy turd that he was, refused to let the nice fireman in.  The fireman argued with him for a good ten minutes, making no headway at all.  Eventually, out of ideas, the fireman turned to the police officers for help.  They had hatchets of their own, and yes, they used them.  Al's front door was reduced to a pile of splinters.

Of course, Al was greatly exaggerating the danger and all of the CO1 levels were within safe parameters.  Al's behavior however was not.  He had moved his hissy fit to the parking lot where he was now acting belligerent and combative toward the police men.  His reward for all of his effort was being strapped to a gurney by the paramedics for transportation to the psychiatric ER where he could rest and calm down for a few days.

The punchline: Stewart had finished up his work a few minutes after emergency crews started to arrive, but he was unable to leave as they were blocking the drive.  So he ended up sticking around with his work truck running and releasing exhaust for an extra hour as a result of Al's 911 call.

From Girl to Woman

It has been requested that I give women equal treatment and write a list for them.  With women it is a little harder because the whole women's lib thing makes the demands on her differ.  A single career woman has different demands on her that a woman who is married.  And a woman who is married but has no children has different demands on her than a woman who is married with children.  Then there are single mothers who fall into a category all their own. They are basically super heroes and no list is required for them, they simply know how to do everything and do it.

I do not however believe that a man should have all the demands and the chick be free to be who she wants to be with no responsibilities whatsoever.  She can become whoever she wants to, but she must good at being that person.  And a woman who demands that a man be a man need to deserve that man

I've chosen to write my list based on things I believe a wife and mother should know, be, and be capable of doing. This list is meant for both stay-at-homes and working mothers.  And I say to the women the same thing I say to the men, "if I'm too sexist and harsh for you, get over it."

- sew on a button
- iron a crease
- walk with grace
- sit in a skirt
- paint her fingernails
- how to be modest with make-up and know when not to be
- boil water
- cook a turkey
- straighten a man's tie
- gas her own car
- how to check her own oil
- change a tire
- jump start a car
- put on a condom
- what type of scoring goes to what games (the major ones)
- how to hold a baby
- wrap a gift

Again, I reserve the right to edit this list however and whenever I feel like it.

Manly Things List

Things a man should be able to do: Wrestle bears, land a plane, make coffee, build a house and hunt moose


Ha ha, well maybe he should be willing to do those things if absolutely necessary, right.  Apparently my expectations are a little high when it comes to what makes a male human a man and not just a guy.  I don't really subscribe specifically to the above stereotypes, but I do separate the genders. It's sexist. I know, and I don't care.

The fact is, a man should be a man.  He should have cajones and a sense of responsibility.  No man should think that everything is okay when his wife is paying the rent, buying his cola and making dinner while he plays video games.  It should be emasculating.  Allowing a situation like this just proves that he is not capable. And I firmly believe that a man who can't take care of his woman can't satisfy her either. What follows is a real list of things that I think a man should do or qualities that he should possess.  If he doesn't, yes, I do think less of him. 


- work toward the financial stability of his family
- if unemployed dedicate a minimum of 20 hours per week solely to searching for employment
- if unemployed wash dishes, vacuum floors and help put laundry away
- help his children with their homework
- take the trash out
- open the mayonnaise jar
- stand up for what is right every time
- tell a creep to screw off if that's what is called for
- walk away and never turn back
- not participate in a slap fight
- shovel the driveway
- be able to drive a vehicle with a manual transmission
- know how to light a fire (in the fireplace, at the campground, on the grill)
- employ preventative maintenance to keep his car running
- wear a belt and keep his pants pulled up
- make a dinner reservation
- comprehend the word "no" and act on it
- put on a condom
- check what "that noise" was
- name the 4 C's

I reserve the right to alter this list in any way at any time.

If a man does not know what or how in regards to any of these items, he can quickly redeem himself. Asking, researching and changing are are ways of showing humility and willingness to learn and make that man exempt from judgement while taking action to rectify his ignorance.  If a man is unwilling to show humility, and unwilling to grow he becomes stagnant.  Any man that is not growing is useless and should be quickly discarded.  The faster he is replaced with a real man the less pain everyone (including him) will endure.

Dear Evelyn,

You have a cute______.

You make me _______.

You should ______.

Someday I will ______.

You me =________.

If I saw you now I'd __________.

I would build a _______ just for you.

I would get your name tattooed on my __________.

If I could sing you any song it would be _________.

We could __________ under the stars.

My love for you is like that of ____________.

Love,
_______________

(P.S. ______________.)

Repost this as "Dear (your name)" and see what kind of answers you get.

Copy and paste into a comment, fill in the blanks. You can figure it out.

Waste Some Time

Whatever you write, you should put a sample of it into this converter.

Let me know how it turns out for you. Leave a comment or email me.

I took an excerpt from a blog I wrote around three years ago.  You can read the original post here.

I was told:

Your text: 1191 characters, 234 words

Bullshit Index :0.04

Your text shows no or marginal indications of 'bullshit'-English.

North of Everything

Craig Crist-Evans is the author of a book entitled North of Everything.  It is a short novel about a young boy who moves from the warmth of Miami to the chill of Vermont.  The entire story is written in verse.  It's not my style and I can't honestly recommend it, but I did really enjoy the very first "chapter."  It captured the essence of turning away from being desert girl from Las Vegas and embracing becoming Alaskan.

North of Everything
Craig Crist-Evans

Here, north of everything,
when winter's almost done
and the sun begins to climb
above the mountains,
the old Winooski thaws.

Willows wave their pale leaves,
robins dig for worms,
and I hear the lowing cows,
     voices
          drifting
               soft
across the fields.

Here, north of everything,
we boil sugar from the maple trees in March,
plant long rows of corn in June, watch
October mountainsides erupt in leafy fire.

Here, north of everything,
all winter long, we sit beside the wood stove,
drinking cider, rubbing hands
to warm ourselves.

Here, north of everything,
where seasons change their clothes
from red and yellow, then white to green,
where I have learned
that fall turns to winter,
and winter turns to spring.

If it doesn't belong there, PUT IT AWAY!

Is this concept really that difficult to understand?  I'm sure that there are women around the world who's blood pressure just raised a point simply because I typed the sentence.

If you see an item in the wrong place, put it where it belongs.  I just solved half of the problems every husband will ever have for all eternity.  I have provided an invaluable education to teenagers worldwide.

There are so many ways to expand on this concept.  "Trash belongs in the trash can."  "Wet towels belong on the towel rack."  "Spoons should be washed, rinsed and then returned to the very same pocket in the exact same drawer they were removed from." "Don't leave your hair tangled up in the brush."  "Rinse your spit and toothpaste down the sink."  "Hang your clothes back up, on a hanger, in your closet."

Let's be real, though.  If you are old enough that you make messes by living  not by toddling, you are old enough to clean them up without a mother or a wife telling you step-by-step how.

Happy Movie

I just watched Dear John on FX. The first half of the movie was so sweet and happy and wonderful.  I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, because I know what a, "Dear John," letter is.  But it just kept up with a loving couple who wrote letters to one another when they couldn't be together because of his military deployments.  His name happened to be John so the title began make complete sense. And I got comfortable with how happy two people could be even though they were two characters in a movie.


I'd like to thank Nicholas Sparks and Jamie Linden for thoroughly disciplining my optimism.   In the future I will remember that chick flicks are not meant to make you happy and the phrase, "Dear John," still only has one meaning.

Caught on Camera

This awesome tech blog called Gizmodo posted an article with some hilarious pics from Google Maps Street View. I was inspired to find some on my own.  I found some scary, some weird, some funny, and some just plain strange pictures.  Click "LinkBack" in the caption above the picture to link back to the original posting.  To view the original Gizmodo article click here.

1. This creature under the water is being called Nessie, you know, the Loch Ness Monster.  I'm personally going to guess, giant squid. LinkBack

2. This is super sweet.  It's always a good thing when the fire department has enough free time on their hands to climb a tree and rescue a kitten.  That means nothing is burning down at least. LinkBack

3. Oops, I guess they missed one. This just sucks. LinkBack

4. Ummm, yeah. Better to have a horse's head than a horse's... "Linkback" recently broke.  Sorry about that.   

5. Is that a bum napping in the street? Nope it's a Aussie that's had one too many.  Dude, next time, sleep it off on the couch. LinkBack

6. Wow, someone has too much free time on their hands.  And I'm a little concerned about their obsession with Santa.  LinkBack

7. There's nothing dynamically new about this type of "freeway art," but I really like it. LinkBack

8. Let's Play. LinkBack

9. An alien invasion in Germany, oh no!  Oops, someone put the glass over the lens without checking. LinkBack

10. Water gun fight blown way out of proportion on the web.  I can see that that gun is plastic.  People just love drama. LinkBack

11. Artists put on a show for the Google street cam van. Say that five times fast. LinkBack

12. This is the scariest shot I found.  Can you imagine being out for a walk that day and happening upon this scene?  Yikes. LinkBack

13. I know a long day of shopping always makes me tired enough to wish I could crawl home instead of walk.  Wait a minute, he forgot his bags. LinkBack

14.  I really hope she said yes. LinkBack

15. Flash back. LinkBack

16. Hey buddy, you're double parked.  LinkBack

Earthquake

Alaska residents have a chance to help the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program map out the activity, damage, and range of Alaska's earthquakes.   Click on the following link, Earthquake Report, and fill out the form.  It only takes a minute and a half. The extra information can halp them give rescue groups the knowledge they needs to plan and train for true disasters in the future.