i didn't check the mail

Friday or Saturday but this morning I did and a letter from Eric's school caught my attention.  I first wondered how they could tell me he's missed too many days when the semester just started.  Here's what I read:

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Adame:
One of the most enjoyable aspects of a principal's job is to able to recognize students who have made a positive impact on the school community.


It is my pleasure to inform you that Eric has been named as a CHS Student of the Month for January 2011.  The Student of the Month program is intended to acknowledge students who not only meet their academic responsibilities but also serve as an excellent role model to other students because of their active participation in class, consistent consideration of their peers, and cheerful attitude in all activities.


After Eric was nominated for this honor by one or more teachers, his name was submitted to a committee consisting of both administrators and instructional leaders.  The committee members unanimously approved the selection of your child as a Student of the Month.  One nominating teacher wrote that "Eric is a bright young man who contributes to any class discussion."


Congratulations to you for raising such a fine young man.  I appreciate the time and effort it takes to produce a teenager with the many positive attributes that your son possesses.

So, the fact that his room is a wreck or that my car is littered with popcorn and other crap is being overlooked right now and we'll probably have lunch at the establishment of Eric's choice.

tonight they went on

a real date.  Sure, they've hung out at the house or gone to grab a bite to eat or gone to the movies but tonight they dressed up and went out to dinner.

photo-a-day, day 28

i love beans like

you wouldn't believe.  No, I seriously love beans.  Cosme thought I was odd when I first met him because I'd order bean nachos with a side of beans... no lie.  (and a Coke, of course)  I love beans.  I even like lima beans.  I'll even eat cold pork & beans out of a can.  My favorite fried chicken establishment is Popeyes and part of that reason is for the red beans and rice.  Today I tried something for the first time.  I made a pot of red beans to be served with rice tonight.  They're ready and I REALLY like them.  They're spicy and tasty.  I found a recipe online with good reviews and made them. (Okay, it's Emeril's so I figured it was legit.  I mean I've liked all the food I've had in his restaurants.) I can't wait for dinner.  Now I just need to make a pot of rice and get some French bread warmed up in the oven.  Yum.

photo-a-day, day 27

just an observation

I made...

It looks like one of my shoes could fit inside one of Eric's shoes.

photo-a-day, day 26

today is

Eric's birthday!  Last night we had his birthday dinner.  After dinner we put candles back in the half-eaten cake and sang to him again.

photo-a-day, day 24

Since we were singing again and it's her birthday too, we also sang to Paige.

photo-a-day, day 25

we cut Eric's birthday

  cake yesterday with Mom and Dad here.  We sat at the dining table, lit candles and sang... Strat was there too.

photo-a-day, day 23

the last photo

was Thursday (day 20) and it was number 19.  It's Monday the 24th.  I have some catching up to do.  The last few days were busy ones.  Yesterday I realized I still didn't have anything so I tried to find stuff.  Here's the photo-a-day make ups.  These are things I saw when I rode with Mom to empty out the rv.

for Thursday
photo-a-day, day 20

for Friday
photo-a-day, day 21

for Saturday
photo-a-day, day 22

i started a post but

it's just getting me worked up and hey, I just live here.  All I can say is I'm fed up with so many things regarding our government and our society.  It's pretty bad when our words are banned or shunned.  Next they'll be telling us how to think, or maybe they already are.

photo-a-day, day 19

I know, I know... the day 19 was yesterday.  I'll get there.

i spent most of today

in the kitchen.  It was another attempt at a new recipe.  This one was Ina Garten's coq au vin and I made it in my new red dutch oven.  It was so good.  Cosme and I loved it... Eric wouldn't try it.  Oh, I also made a cake but that's nothing new. I've wanted to try this particular recipe for about a year and it finally happened.  Now I'm ready to chill out.

photo-a-day, day 18

and then there was

none.  I made fudge last week and once I had the ingredients coming to a boil and almost ready for the chocolate, I realized I didn't have any chocolate.  I had chocolate bark, but that wasn't what I needed.  I did some quick research and added peanut butter.  I went ahead and broke up some of the chocolate bark to sprinkle over the hot peanut butter fudge while it cooled.  I was eventually able to spread it.  Once it was cut and ready, I couldn't keep my hands off the stuff.  It'll be a LONG time before I make fudge again.  I can't handle it.


photo-a-day, day 17

yesterday was a

lot of lounging and movies.  It was totally awesome.  For Christmas, mainly as a gag gift, Mom and Dad gave Lauren and I Twilight fleece blankets.  Yes, it was very funny and we laughed and laughed but that thing definitely gets used... like ALL day yesterday.

  photo-a-day, day 16

every once in a while

(by once in a while I mean every few years) I get bored and my inner Lauren comes out... but I pull out a camera.  I put on lots of makeup and take pictures.  The makeup freaked Cosme out.  He wasn't expecting to walk in the room and find this.  Cosme and Eric do not dig the makeup look.  I think Lauren liked it.

photo-a-day, day 15

The funny thing is, I remember wanting to go out dancing when I was probably 13 or so and I told Mom to put makeup on me and make my eyes look like this

Again with my inner Lauren...  I am proud to say that after reading the book that Madonna's brother wrote and letting Lauren read it, I don't think she's as much of a fan these days.

On another note, I was cleaning out a cabinet yesterday with some of Eric's drawings from elementary school and I came across a sketch pad.  When I have nothing else to draw or want to warm up for something, I always fall back on drawing my hand.  This hand just happen to have a spray can in it.  It's nothing big, I just decided to share.

It's little because it was made with my phone.

i'm scrambling here

with what to post for uneventful days.  Although yesterday was anything but uneventful, I didn't get a picture.  This morning I decided to do a recap and here's what I came up with.

I found a healthy recipe I was determined to make and headed to the store early yesterday.  One ingredient was sesame seeds.  First, let me say I do not care for sesame.  I can handle small doses but too much ruins it for me, much like coconut and ginger (fresh, not ale).  Anyway, I gave in and had to ask for help.  I had no idea where to find sesame seeds.  At first I thought it would be with the Asian foods, then maybe with the other things like sunflower seeds in produce, then I wondered if maybe it would be with the salad toppings.  I asked and I never thought to look in the spice aisle.  Hmm.  It really doesn't matter because I was so unimpressed with the outcome, we had to pick dinner up.

photo-a-day, day 13

While I finished all my grocery shopping before 9:30, the only downside to finishing that early is that the liquor store isn't open yet.  I don't normally need to stop at the liquor store but again, a recipe.  I'm finally going to make Ina Garten's coq au vin today or tomorrow and I needed cognac for that.  We'll see how that turns out. If it turns out to be another recipe flop, I guess I'll pick up a new hobby... cognac.

photo-a-day, day 14

today needs to be

a day of putting away and cleaning.  I should probably start with the Christmas tree but I dread it.  Since the twelfth day of Christmas was last week, I think I'm way past due.  I like having the tree up and on.  Oh yeah, I also hate taking each ornament down and packing them away.  Enough talk, I am getting up to do it now... but first I need to do some laundry.

photo-a-day, day 12

if you found this blog

by searching Scentsy from an ISP in India, we're on to you.  Stop now because you're wasting your time.

i told the exchange

student from Germany to please disregard half the things he picks up from Eric.  After Eric took Simon to Whataburger to experience a triple meat cheeseburger, they came home so he could then be introduced to Beavis and Butthead.  (insert long sigh here)  Fortunately, Netflix was acting up so the online instant viewing was unavailable.  That was okay, Eric had a backup plan.  I found this stack the next morning: The Saboteur (a video game of killing Nazis), Inglorious Basterds (a movie of Nazi killing), Valkyrie (a movie about attempted Nazi killing) and then there's Scarface (cocaine and killing).  He liked it.  I hear he really liked Whataburger too and his eyes got big when he took his first bite.

photo-a-day, day 11

michael jackson advised

us to not stop till we get enough but in the words of Depeche Mode, I just can't seem to get enough.

photo-a-day, day 10

another bad by

me.  I didn't post my photo-a-day.  I guess I need to realize there will be days I won't get posting done.  In such a case, I will make it up... as I'm doing now.

We needed to run to Pearland yesterday and I had a coupon for Gringos that was expiring soon.  There was really no sense in letting it go to waste.  So we used it and it was good.  They have something that isn't on the menu and it's a layer dip and it's pretty tasty.

photo-a-day, day 9

my bad.

I was running around like crazy yesterday.  It was seriously a very busy day.  I had to make myself stop, sit down and eat lunch (as well as watch the previous night's episode of RHBV, or to all you non-Bravo people, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills).  Anyway, as soon as lunch and RHBV was over, it was back to business.  

So to make up for Friday's photo-a-day as well as today's, here are two.  

photo-a-day, day 7

photo-a-day, day 8

because the video

of the former panhandler, Ted Williams, is everywhere and I find myself fascinated with it all.

photo-a-day, day 6

luckily, this pistachio

cake is pretty good and won't be around too long.  I really don't know how we'd tell when it started to go bad with it being green and all.  I've been thinking about a pistachio cake for almost a week and finally made it yesterday.

photo-a-day, day 5

this sums up

my day.

photo-a-day, day 4

this was taken

yesterday.  It was originally going to be my photo for the day but once I found the red velour underwear, everything else was put on hold.  Hey, I didn't want anyone to miss out on the spectacular finds on Telephone Road.

photo-a-day, day 3

Now that I've put the fork in it, this post is done.

just in case anyone

needs red velour underwear, I found some.

photo-a-day, day 2

and so it

begins.  The first day of the new year and the first day of my assignment.  I never said my photos each day would be posted promptly at the crack of dawn so here we are Saturday night with the photo-a-day, day one.

What would be more appropriate than New Years Day lunch?  (Answer is not much.)  I hope this was enough to handle my money and luck for the next 12 months.