Can someone please explain this strange fascination with Lea Dunham and her show on HBO, "Girls"? I suffered through two episodes and had to stop watching it. What sucked me in was the (erroneous) comparison to SATC. That show is NOTHING like SATC and she is not the second coming of Carrie Bradshaw. Seriously. I don't get why this show is popular and why anyone would waste time watching it or her. That's not very girl power supportive of me, is it? I'd much rather watch reruns of SATC or DVR'd episodes of the Sopranos. Oh wait, I do :)
I am making Bubba help Paige with her math homework tonight. I knew it wasn't going to go well when she told us there were 13 yards in 2 yards. Even as Gary was holding up the wine bottle nodding his head yes I knew I didn't have it in me this evening to be patient. I don't know what my problem is - I had a great day. I guess the initial "I just don't understand" whining rubbed me the wrong way and I was never able to recover. It's not that I think she should always know the answer or not ever be confused....but the whining sends me over the edge. I don't want to yell at her, so I'm letting sweet, patient Bubba help her.
Conversations with Paige
Bubba: Do you know your multiples yet?
Paige: I believe so.
Bubba: Can you tell me what they are?
Paige: No. We have just started adding our multiples.
Bubba: Adding your multiples?
Paige: Yeah. Adding our numbers together.
Bubba: Paige, that's called addition.
Paige: I know that. We are ADDING the multiples together.
Bubba: Okay. We just need to move on.
Paige was late to school this morning. It was icy in the thriving metropolis of Crisp, Texas. I waited until 9:30 to leave and Chmelar and Skrivanek were still iced over. We picked up one of her classmates in town and the roads were fine, as was 287. It was just colder than a well diggers ass the rest of the day. There is no heat in the store....so we were bundled up working today. The spices love the cold temps in the store. The Spice Mistress, not so much :)
I made southwestern chicken enchiladas last night and I fried an egg to put over the top of the leftovers this evening. It was damn good. I thought about buying carnitas today and braising it with chipotle powder and habanero peach preserves. That's best saved for the weekend...or I could put it in the slow cooker. I've done that once before and it came out phenomenal, so I'd like to try it again. I've also got some country style pork ribs that I can do in the slow cooker. Years ago I had a recipe for sweet and spicy country style ribs and I can't find it anywhere. Maybe I'll google that shit.
Waylon keeps trying to get into the fireplace. He's a moron. He was standing here in the kitchen with his nose poked into the screen and then he ran around to the hearth in the living room, jumped up on it and got as close to the fire as possible. He makes me nervous with his love of fire. I'm afraid he's just going to jump in the damn thing one of these days.
Gary is going to the deer lease this weekend and I'm taking Paige to cook chili with me at the Irving Elks Lodge Saturday. She'll go over to Gammy's (shocker) and then Courtney and I are going to do dinner and a movie. At this point, we are thinking India Palace and Zero Dark Thirty. I can't think of any new places we've been wanting to try and Bubba says he wants to try Indian food. Holy Shit!!! Gary has been asking me where he can get a real Gyro, so we looked up Greek restaurants last weekend. We found a few we are going to try. Maybe he and I can do that Sunday when he gets home. Paige doesn't have school Monday, so she'll get an extra day in the Land of Yes and Never Wait......
I can't find my Nook charger and my battery is almost dead. Something I don't like about the Nook is that if you don't use their products for charging your Nook, then it either doesn't charge or does so very slowly. With the Kindle, you could use whatever you had that would fit. I've used Paige's Kindle Fire and I like the way things are stored on the Nook better as well as how you navigate through it. What I do miss is how you download books to the Kindle from Amazon and how easy you can rent and watch movies. Netflix and Hulu SUCK and I have not figured out how to get a movie off of Barnes and Noble. Help, anyone?
I'm going to sign off now. I need to switch purses. In my attempt to not shove so much shit in my purse, I carry a smaller one than usual. What happens though is that it soon begins to overflow with shit upon shit. Receipts, business cards, debit cards, wallet contents, change, shit Paige has shoved in there, etc. I like to think I can keep a neat and organized purse. I can't. Or shall I say, won't. I start out every newly appointed purse with the best of intentions, but within a week, it's all gone to hell in a hand basket. I gave my sister a very nice red Balenciaga bag a few years ago. It's now falling apart. My mom gave her a purse the other day when she saw it and I tried to giver her another one last night. I may have laundry piled up in my laundry room and bathroom, and not have a clue where my debit card is, but by God, my purses are lined up, organized and accounted for - along with my turquoise and boots :) Hey - we all have our priorities!
Have a wonderful rest of the week. Tomorrow is hump day and I can't wait to see what the Hump Brothers have planned. I'm sure they'll spend the day earning their name :)
Spreading my own special brand of kindness, joy, and the unmistakable aroma of fresh cumin straight from the cooler!
The Cadillac Cowgirl
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
Tri(state)umphant!!!!!
Hell Yeah!!!! Someone got 4th place at Tri State Open last weekend!!! Yes, none other than the Spice Mistress placed 4th out of 129 cooks last Saturday. I was beside myself! Gary and I haven't cooked there since I won and Gary got 2nd in 2009. I was hoping to go back and kick ass and I'm definitely not disappointed. Guess my attitude adjustment is doing some good ;)
Congrats to Cliff Miller for kicking all of our asses and getting 1st place! Evwryone was happy for him - and for everyone who placed. Gary and I were thrilled to see so many of our customers place and qualify. Frances Sullivan got 3rd and auto qualified and both Carol West and Doodie Johnson also placed in the top 10. If you haven't cooked at this cook off, put it on your calendar for 2014. Great cook off put on by a great group of folks.
This weather is KILLING my skin. I hate dry skin and this cold dry air is just miserable. Oh my God - I'm actually longing for humidity! I SLATHER all sorts of goop on my face all the time. I may have to start coating my face with vaseline. Eeeewww!!
I set up a recipe page on Facebook. The Cadillac Cowgirl Recipe Page....real original, huh?!?!?! It's been a great way to post all of my recipes in one spot. Its also got me thinking - I want to write a cookbook. I'm still thinking about it really is something I want to do.
Its been almost a year and my hormone shot is starting to wear off. Without the "forced menopause" of my hormone shot, I stay in serious, serious pain - and its starting to come back :( I've taken a hydrocodone and drank a glass of wine with dinner. You could say I'm pain free right now! You can't take these shots forever, so there is always down time between them. Fortunately I didnt have to have as many throughout the the year, so I should be able to have one more before I have to take a break. Keeping my fingers and ovaries crossed :)
I'm going to sign off for the evening. The Juicy of Love and Deliciousness is tucked in her bed and I think that's where mommy is headed.
Keepin it real in Ellis County......
The Cadillac Cowgirl
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Rumors of My Demise Might Not Be Rumors........
I haven't blogged in so long that I forgot how to get to my blog. That's pretty bad. Someone (a few someones actually) have asked me why I don't blog as much anymore. Or why I don't go off on shit like I used to. Well, because people bitch about it to my husband and then he bitches to me :) I push people's buttons and instead of not reading my blog, they keep reading it and then gripe. So....I guess the reason I don't go off like I used to is because I get tired of listening to Sheriff Gary. Hell, he even had someone bitch at him because I DIDN'T mention their name in my blog.&nbs Yeah....I'm just going to leave that dumpster fire alone. So hey....if you want me to entertain you, QUIT TATTLING ON ME......LOL!!!!!
In the month since I blogged, two of our dogs died and we closed T&B. Wow - what a FANTASTIC end to 2012!! Gary came home one afternoon and found Wyatt, our bloodhound, dead in the backyard. Completely shocking - completely unexpected. We buried him behind their fenced area and it was just so surreal. It didn't seem like we really grieved because we were so shocked by it. The next Thursday, Gary left for the deer lease and Fred got in his doghouse and didn't come back out. I kept feeding him and putting water in his doghouse, but he was not the least bit interested. I even tried to get him out of the doghouse - I was afraid that he just couldn't get up - not that he didn't want to get up. No luck. Gary got home Sunday night and took the top off of his doghouse to see if he could get him out and he wouldn't budge. So, we made him super comfortable, made sure he had food and water and Gary stayed with him outside Saturday night. We really thought he was going to pass away during the night, but he was still fighting Sunday morning. It wasn't until Sunday night that Fred passed, and we both laid there with him and stroked his head and told him to let go. You could tell he was so tired, but he just wouldn't stop fighting. It was so sad, but I'm glad that Gary and I were there with him. Hell, even little douchebag Eddie laid under the blanket with him at the end - he knew it was his time. We buried Fred next to Wyatt and it's been very quiet in the backyard ever since. Blue, Molly and Tucker have taken over the back patio and believe me, they make plenty of noise, but it just seems weird not to have lockdown in the evenings while Wyatt and the hounds are eating. Or to not have to hide the bread if it's out on the counter and Fred is in the house. Waylon has had to get used to the big dogs being up on the back porch when he goes outside. He's a little brat - all bark and no bite! Now he goes out there and shows them all his muff :)
The end of 2012 also saw the Paige Brignon math issue come to a head. Gary and I followed up with the diagnostic testing request made by Paige's teacher and principal. We took all of her test scores, report cards and schoolwork over to the committee at Travis Elementary in Ennis that had been formed to help us do what was best for Paige. After five minutes of discussion and the committee personnel looking over P's work, it was determined that a 78 in math is not grounds for diagnostic testing (no shit, St. Joseph). So, we talked some about options and other issues and then followed up on the committee's suggestion - force St. Joseph to tutor Paige. So, we met with the teacher and principal and got a few things straight - and made sure that they would be tutoring Paige. I told them that there is nothing wrong with my child and that I don't pay tuition to that school for them to make her someone else's problem just because she needs extra time to comprehend a subject. I was ready to pull her out and put her in public school for the second semester but we've left her there until the end of the school year. The new principal is just terrible. I know that doesn't sound fair, and I'm sure I'm going to piss off some educators by saying that, but the environment at St. Joseph has just become toxic. This past Monday they discontinued the hot lunch program. Yes, that hot lunch program and THAT lunch lady. Do you know what kind of notice was given? And email from the lunch lady. All we got from Timmermann was a blurb in the announcement sheet that goes out each week. "No more hot lunch. Lunch lady wasn't making any money. Until we find someone else, send your kids with a lunch." No, we've already got something in the works; hey parents - got any suggestions. Nothing. I'm just really disgusted with St. Joseph. I don't want to send Paige to Ennis - way too big. Palmer is a really good school district and it's small - same student teacher ratio as St Joseph. There is a Catholic school in Corsicana that she can go to, or we can drive her to one in Dallas every day. At any rate, this is her last year at St. Joe's. We've talked to her about it and she didn't freak out like I thought she would - she's kind of excited actually. I think a change will be good.
Paige went to the deer lease for the first time last week. I was making sure she had packed and she said yes, she had her clothes, pj's and a pair of panties since she'd only be gone a few days :) Oh, it gets better. She had an accident. I'm not telling this to be mean...I swear. Poor baby - she didn't want to get out of the deer stand with her daddy, so she thought she could hold it, but she wasn't able to. When I was getting her cleaned up, that's when I discovered she didn't bring any undies........
So, we made it through that dilemma and the other night after she got out of the shower and got her pj's on, I asked her if she had put clean undies on. She informed me that she put on the panties she put on a few days ago when she was clean. And if she was clean when she put them on, then......
Yep, we're back to that.....LOL!!!
Gary and I are going to Amarillo this weekend for Tri State Open. We haven't cooked there since I won and Gary got 2nd in 2009. Paige also won the junior cook off there....maybe Gary and I'll be able to at least place this weekend!! Weekend after I'm going to cook in Irving, then we'll take a break until Minden and then we'll have our Gingerbread House CCO a few weeks after that. I'm going to squeeze in a SOTF trip to Jefferson after Minden and then one to Coffee Creek the beginning of March. I'm really ready to hook up my little trailer and get the hell outta town for a bit :)
We still haven't used our free airline tickets, and we have until the end of March. I'm hoping to hijack Gary's birthday and go to New Orleans. We didn't go back for our anniversary and I really can't take it much longer! I want to smell the trashy, smelly French Quarter! I want to sit at Acme Oyster Bar and eat oysters full of horseradish and Tabasco until I can't move! I want to just wander around the French Quarter and Jackson Square and lose myself. I love that place and I love being there with Gary. So yeah....I'm going to hijack Gary's birthday...hahahaha!!
I'm going to sign off for now. I don't think I'll promise to blog soon because I can't seem to stay on track. I have a whole slew of opinions that I'd love to share, but I might not have a spice business by the time I finished. So in the interest of keeping a roof over my head and food on the table, I'll just keep biting my tongue til the damn thing bleeds.
Spreading kindness, joy and the beauty of silence.....
The Cadillac Cowgirl
In the month since I blogged, two of our dogs died and we closed T&B. Wow - what a FANTASTIC end to 2012!! Gary came home one afternoon and found Wyatt, our bloodhound, dead in the backyard. Completely shocking - completely unexpected. We buried him behind their fenced area and it was just so surreal. It didn't seem like we really grieved because we were so shocked by it. The next Thursday, Gary left for the deer lease and Fred got in his doghouse and didn't come back out. I kept feeding him and putting water in his doghouse, but he was not the least bit interested. I even tried to get him out of the doghouse - I was afraid that he just couldn't get up - not that he didn't want to get up. No luck. Gary got home Sunday night and took the top off of his doghouse to see if he could get him out and he wouldn't budge. So, we made him super comfortable, made sure he had food and water and Gary stayed with him outside Saturday night. We really thought he was going to pass away during the night, but he was still fighting Sunday morning. It wasn't until Sunday night that Fred passed, and we both laid there with him and stroked his head and told him to let go. You could tell he was so tired, but he just wouldn't stop fighting. It was so sad, but I'm glad that Gary and I were there with him. Hell, even little douchebag Eddie laid under the blanket with him at the end - he knew it was his time. We buried Fred next to Wyatt and it's been very quiet in the backyard ever since. Blue, Molly and Tucker have taken over the back patio and believe me, they make plenty of noise, but it just seems weird not to have lockdown in the evenings while Wyatt and the hounds are eating. Or to not have to hide the bread if it's out on the counter and Fred is in the house. Waylon has had to get used to the big dogs being up on the back porch when he goes outside. He's a little brat - all bark and no bite! Now he goes out there and shows them all his muff :)
The end of 2012 also saw the Paige Brignon math issue come to a head. Gary and I followed up with the diagnostic testing request made by Paige's teacher and principal. We took all of her test scores, report cards and schoolwork over to the committee at Travis Elementary in Ennis that had been formed to help us do what was best for Paige. After five minutes of discussion and the committee personnel looking over P's work, it was determined that a 78 in math is not grounds for diagnostic testing (no shit, St. Joseph). So, we talked some about options and other issues and then followed up on the committee's suggestion - force St. Joseph to tutor Paige. So, we met with the teacher and principal and got a few things straight - and made sure that they would be tutoring Paige. I told them that there is nothing wrong with my child and that I don't pay tuition to that school for them to make her someone else's problem just because she needs extra time to comprehend a subject. I was ready to pull her out and put her in public school for the second semester but we've left her there until the end of the school year. The new principal is just terrible. I know that doesn't sound fair, and I'm sure I'm going to piss off some educators by saying that, but the environment at St. Joseph has just become toxic. This past Monday they discontinued the hot lunch program. Yes, that hot lunch program and THAT lunch lady. Do you know what kind of notice was given? And email from the lunch lady. All we got from Timmermann was a blurb in the announcement sheet that goes out each week. "No more hot lunch. Lunch lady wasn't making any money. Until we find someone else, send your kids with a lunch." No, we've already got something in the works; hey parents - got any suggestions. Nothing. I'm just really disgusted with St. Joseph. I don't want to send Paige to Ennis - way too big. Palmer is a really good school district and it's small - same student teacher ratio as St Joseph. There is a Catholic school in Corsicana that she can go to, or we can drive her to one in Dallas every day. At any rate, this is her last year at St. Joe's. We've talked to her about it and she didn't freak out like I thought she would - she's kind of excited actually. I think a change will be good.
Paige went to the deer lease for the first time last week. I was making sure she had packed and she said yes, she had her clothes, pj's and a pair of panties since she'd only be gone a few days :) Oh, it gets better. She had an accident. I'm not telling this to be mean...I swear. Poor baby - she didn't want to get out of the deer stand with her daddy, so she thought she could hold it, but she wasn't able to. When I was getting her cleaned up, that's when I discovered she didn't bring any undies........
So, we made it through that dilemma and the other night after she got out of the shower and got her pj's on, I asked her if she had put clean undies on. She informed me that she put on the panties she put on a few days ago when she was clean. And if she was clean when she put them on, then......
Yep, we're back to that.....LOL!!!
Gary and I are going to Amarillo this weekend for Tri State Open. We haven't cooked there since I won and Gary got 2nd in 2009. Paige also won the junior cook off there....maybe Gary and I'll be able to at least place this weekend!! Weekend after I'm going to cook in Irving, then we'll take a break until Minden and then we'll have our Gingerbread House CCO a few weeks after that. I'm going to squeeze in a SOTF trip to Jefferson after Minden and then one to Coffee Creek the beginning of March. I'm really ready to hook up my little trailer and get the hell outta town for a bit :)
We still haven't used our free airline tickets, and we have until the end of March. I'm hoping to hijack Gary's birthday and go to New Orleans. We didn't go back for our anniversary and I really can't take it much longer! I want to smell the trashy, smelly French Quarter! I want to sit at Acme Oyster Bar and eat oysters full of horseradish and Tabasco until I can't move! I want to just wander around the French Quarter and Jackson Square and lose myself. I love that place and I love being there with Gary. So yeah....I'm going to hijack Gary's birthday...hahahaha!!
I'm going to sign off for now. I don't think I'll promise to blog soon because I can't seem to stay on track. I have a whole slew of opinions that I'd love to share, but I might not have a spice business by the time I finished. So in the interest of keeping a roof over my head and food on the table, I'll just keep biting my tongue til the damn thing bleeds.
Spreading kindness, joy and the beauty of silence.....
The Cadillac Cowgirl
Friday, December 7, 2012
Not Necessarily the Same as Lumping....But Close....
This morning Paige told me she had found Lollipop's happy spot.
Paige: I found Lollipop's happy spot. It's right under her neck. She purrs and shakes when I scratch her there.
Me: Aww...how sweet. She loves it when you spend private time with her and love on her.
Paige: Well, it's not the same as Gilbert.
Me: True, it's not. But you're her mommy and she loves you.
Paige: Well, it's not the same thing as lumping, but I try to make up for Gilbert being gone.
Me: That's wonderful. Just fantastic.
I was telling my mom about my dogs driving each other (and me) batshit crazy the past few days. I think it's time they had their nuts cut. I then explained to my mom that they're like an old married couple, biting each other's nuts one minute and cleaning one another's teeth the next.
My mom told me that she didn't know what kind of marriage I had, but there was certainly NO nut biting or teeth cleaning going on in hers.
She's probably also never lumped either :)
Sorry mom....at least I didn't talk about the Pirate Eye.......
Keep it real - and have a great weekend no matter what kind of freaky relationship you have with both the animals and humans in your life!!
K
Paige: I found Lollipop's happy spot. It's right under her neck. She purrs and shakes when I scratch her there.
Me: Aww...how sweet. She loves it when you spend private time with her and love on her.
Paige: Well, it's not the same as Gilbert.
Me: True, it's not. But you're her mommy and she loves you.
Paige: Well, it's not the same thing as lumping, but I try to make up for Gilbert being gone.
Me: That's wonderful. Just fantastic.
I was telling my mom about my dogs driving each other (and me) batshit crazy the past few days. I think it's time they had their nuts cut. I then explained to my mom that they're like an old married couple, biting each other's nuts one minute and cleaning one another's teeth the next.
My mom told me that she didn't know what kind of marriage I had, but there was certainly NO nut biting or teeth cleaning going on in hers.
She's probably also never lumped either :)
Sorry mom....at least I didn't talk about the Pirate Eye.......
Keep it real - and have a great weekend no matter what kind of freaky relationship you have with both the animals and humans in your life!!
K
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Conversations with Paige
This morning on the way to school, I noticed a lovely scent coming from the backseat of the Expedition......
Me: Hey Paige, are you wearing that Bath and Body Works body spray?
Paige: Yes. Why?
Me: Just wondering. You smell delicious.
Paige: Yeah, I know. I like to mix it up.
Me: Mix it up??? Paige: Yeah, wear different perfumes. Keep people guessing.
Me: Are you kidding me?
Paige: Nope. No one knows from day to day how I'm going to smell when I come to school. They always ask when I get to school. Or they just smell me and try to figure it out.
From the mouth of my soon to be nine year old......
Pray for her daddy and me.....
Spreading my own special brand of joy and kindness....and an aroma that might keep you guessing....
The Spice Mistress
(AKA The HMFIC)
Me: Hey Paige, are you wearing that Bath and Body Works body spray?
Paige: Yes. Why?
Me: Just wondering. You smell delicious.
Paige: Yeah, I know. I like to mix it up.
Me: Mix it up??? Paige: Yeah, wear different perfumes. Keep people guessing.
Me: Are you kidding me?
Paige: Nope. No one knows from day to day how I'm going to smell when I come to school. They always ask when I get to school. Or they just smell me and try to figure it out.
From the mouth of my soon to be nine year old......
Pray for her daddy and me.....
Spreading my own special brand of joy and kindness....and an aroma that might keep you guessing....
The Spice Mistress
(AKA The HMFIC)
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
If An Itchy Palm Means Money, Should I Fear An Itchy C-Section Scar?
Wow - what a friggin visual!
Nothing to worry about here. My tubes are tied.
Still.....kinda scary logic.
I know this goes without saying, but I truly adore my child. With that said, whew.....what a week its been - and its only Tuesday! She has worn my ass out. Paige normally calls Gammy on the way to school every morning and talks to her. Then we shoot the shit. Well, she was so out there this morning I had to turn on Radiohed and suggest we just have some quiet time on the way to school. She's just so anxious and all over the place right now. And she is such a worrier. I can normally handle her with no issues, but man......the past few weeks have been rough.
Tonight, while watching The Walking Dead, Paige and I worked on her math. I HAD TO TAKE a break to see the heads roll out of the aquarium, but we got a lot accomplished. I was able to help her and she did really well. I know she's going to come through this in no time. And why wouldn't she? After all, she's the miracle baby born at 30 weeks :)
I've got a standing date with Thom Yorke. See ya on the flipside, muthaf**kas!!
K
So Many People....So Little Time (and bail money)
I have been so freakin keyed up and stressed out for the last two weeks. I've gone through all of my hydrocodone and half of my Xanax. The HDBIC at T&B Demolition, LLC didn't go away as we had hoped, so that caused a shitload of stress and general bullshit for Lord Brignon and myself. That situation (we think) has finally been put to bed, but I'm not at liberty to give out details at this time. What I will say is don't ever, ever have a business partner. Especially one who likes to lie, spend money at breast lounges and likes to tell his wife that his business is in the shitter because of everyone but him. But I digress.
Then there is my sweet, precious, Juicy of Love and Deliciousness. Many of you know of her math struggles these past few months. I had the pleasure of giving up an hour of my life to listen to her teacher and principal say things to me like, "she keeps saying she's confused, but there's no way an 8 year old knows what that means" yet, "she should know what a numerator is" and "she should really be able to remember things better". Here is a snippet of the conversation I had last week:
Me: So, ya'll want me to tell you why Paige makes the mistakes she makes in math?
Them: Yes.
Me: Did you ask her?
Them: No.
Me: Well, I'm not trying to be a smart ass (yes, I said smart ass...I didn't mean to, but I did) here, but aren't ya'll the ones teaching her? Does it occur to either of you to ask her what it is about the math problems she doesn't understand?
Them: She says she's confused. She can't possibly know what confused means.
Me: Why wouldn't she know what the word confused means?
Them: When I was sitting with her, pointing to each of the problems asking her why they were wrong and how she got those answers, she just kept telling me she was confused and didn't understand.
This from the principal, who was standing over my shoulder stabbing the problems on the paper with her finger and re-enacting her interaction with Paige...when she was supposedly "helping" her.
Me: Did you go through the problems with her and show her how to get the correct answer?
Them: Yes. She said she didn't understand. She should know all of this. She couldn't even tell us what a numerator is.
Me: So, my child shouldn't know what the word confused means, but she should be able to tell you the top number of a fraction is a numerator while you are sitting next to her drilling her?
Them: No response.
I could continue sharing this bullshit conversation, but I just get worked up all over again. Basically, they've passed my kid around to a few teachers in hopes that she will get the right answers when doing fractions, pre-algebra and multiplication problems in front of/with them. She still doesn't. So I ask, do you offer tutoring? The first time I asked I was told that tutoring was more of a crutch and they didn't want to start doing that yet. The second time I asked, all of a sudden it's available. But with a caveat - "we don't know if it will even help her since she doesn't even understand any of this to begin with."
Then it gets better. "Paige has always struggled with math", I'm told.
Me: No she hasn't.
Them: You've never had to come in about Paige and math.
Me: No. For the past five years, I've talked to her 2nd grade teacher about her lack of focus, weird questions and struggles with Religion testing. I talked to her 1st grade teacher and Mrs. Volker about her reading and focusing (Mrs. Reyna, her 1st grade teacher, tutored that baby and she's a reading fiend now.) I talked to Mrs. Hartley because she thought she was immature. I had to agree, considering she was 5 and in kindergarten. And finally, Sister Lucy and I spoke about Paige's lack of interaction with her classmates (well, maybe she doesn't like them) and whether or not I was feeding her food full of red dye 5 because she was so full of energy and didn't like to focus (she was 4 and in pre-k).
But no, I have never, ever talked to anyone other than the two of you about my child struggling in math, because this is the first time she's had problems in math. And from what every other parent in this class has told me, all of our kids are having problems.
Them: Oh no. Just Paige.
So then I ask them what we are going to do to correct this and help out my child. And do you know what they say? The principal and 3rd grade teacher/assistant principal at the school I've been sending my child to for five years and spending thousands of dollars a year so that she receives the best education possible tell me to call the Ennis ISD and tell them they HAVE to test her because we pay school taxes to them.
Me: Test her for what? Dyslexia? Learning disabilities?
Them: Oh no. She's not dyslexic and she doesn't have any learning disabilities. Her grades in all of her other subjects are fine. (Her math grade is a 78).
Me: Um, okay. So what do I tell them to test her for?
Them: They need to test her to see why she doesn't understand the math. And if they can tell us why she doesn't understand, then we can try to help her.
Me: I've told you why she has a harder time with math. It's overwhelming to her. It's tedious, methodical and once you start compounding simple math with other elements, it is difficult for her. Haven't you noticed that Paige excels in unstructured subjects, but that her math grades are lower.
Them: Yes. But she should still get this.
Me: So what if they tell you the same thing I've just told you. Are you going to treat her any differently? Teach her differently? Give her more one on one instruction?
Them: If she has a specific learning issue that they can pinpoint and can tell us exactly what we are supposed to do to fix it, then yes. We have to then.
Me: But you don't have to unless they tell you exactly what to do.
Them: Correct.
I have been going batshit crazy about this for a week. I am so disappointed in my child's school right now. Gary and I have supported Catholic education from the time we started planning Paige's education. We never thought we would have this kind of conversation with an educator at a private Catholic school.
I called and talked to the principal at one of the elementary schools in Ennis. He was more helpful in 10 minutes on the phone than her teacher was in the hour I spent with her. It's real simple - 3rd grade math is hard. Much harder than 2nd grade. On top of that, not all kids are math minded. Does it mean they have a specific learning issue? No, you just have to work with them a little more than the others. What you don't do is write them off and that is certainly the vibe we've gotten from St. Joseph's about Paige. So, I got the name of some online math games that I've downloaded for Paige and since she's getting a tablet for her birthday, I'm going to load it with all sorts of math games, worksheets and anything else I can get my hands on.
Just because my kid can write a screenplay about a teenage zombie but can't do 3rd grade math does not mean anything is wrong with her. And that's that!!!!
And that is the other thing. All I hear from them is that she doesn't have any self confidence. That is BULLSHIT!!! Anyone who knows my kid knows she thinks she is the bees knees. What is going on up there to make my child doubt herself? That has always bothered me and while a Catholic education for Paige has always been important to her daddy and I, we've kind of turned the corner after the past week. I have a feeling she won't be attending St. Joseph next year. This has just left such a bad taste in our mouths.......
So the other morning I ask her if she thinks she's smart....
Paige: Of course I'm smart. I've known that since I was a baby.
I love that kid!!
Between T&B Douchalition and 3rd Grade Math, I've been on a tear the past few weeks. Thank God for Mild Bill's. It's such a blessing.....I love coming to work everyday. It's busy and I've got so many wonderful things on the horizon. This has really been the only bright spot this past year - at least professionally. I know 2013 is going to be better. I just know it!!!
Gary and I cooked last weekend at the Blue Christmas Police and Fire Dept CCO in Irving. I won 1st Place Beans and placed 7th in Chili. Gary placed 8th - hell yeah! They had 57 cooks - what a fantastic turnout and the weather was gorgeous! This weekend we will be cooking at the Irving Elks Lodge. They are having the combined TOT and Cowtown Christmas Party Friday night, so we'll be there for that. We will probably go home Saturday after the cook off and Gary will go back up there Sunday. I don't know if I'll cook both days. We are definitely going to Tri State in January and I'm pretty sure we are going to Indianapolis to party with some of the Biskit Boys at the New Year's Eve CCO up there. We have to use our free SWA plane tickets and since New Orleans is a little out of our budget right now, this may be what we use them for. Hey - there's a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Indianapolis....so you won't hear any complaints from me!!
Mild Bill's will soon have Casa Fiesta beans available via the website and we'll also be bringing them to any cook off we attend. Stay tuned to our website and FB for more info!
Mild Bill's also has a 10% off coupon for all spice mixes and food products now through December 31st. This applies to all items in both sections on our website. Our jellies, taco seasoning, ranch dip mix and chili mixes make fabulous gifts! Use coupon code XMAS10 when you check out :)
A few weeks ago I found a recipe on Pinterest called Mexican Eggs in Purgatory. It's basically eggs baked in a spicy green sauce. It looked and sounded fantastic, so I decided to make them for dinner. Well, I got to HEB and I thought, what if I did something more along the lines of Huevos Rancheros instead of baking them. So I did, and this is what I came up with!!
Cadillac Cowgirl Salsa Verde Huevos Rancheros
(Serves 2)
4 Eggs
4 Corn Tortillas
1 cup Green Salsa (I bought a bottle of Herdez and used 1/2)
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
1/4 tsp Mild Bill's Jalapeno Salt
1 can Hatch Green Chili Enchilada Sauce
1 can Casa Fiesta Black Refried Beans, prepared according to directions
Pico de Gallo and Crumbled Cotija Cheese for garnish
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a baking dish with non stick spray. Lay the corn tortillas on the baking dish and spray the top of them with non stick spray. Set aside. In a medium size soup pot, combine the enchilada sauce, green salsa, chicken broth and jalapeno salt; bring to a boil and cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer it for 10-15 minutes. It will thicken up slightly and reduce a little bit. While that is simmering, place the corn tortillas in the oven and bake until slightly crispy around the edges - about 10 minutes. In the meantime, fry the eggs however you like them (Gary eats his runny, I cook the crap out of mine) and once done to your tastes, set them aside while you begin assembling the deliciousness :)
Remove the tortillas from the baking dish - two to a plate. Spread the warm refried black beans over each tortilla and top with the eggs. Pour the green sauce over the top and garnish with the crumbled Cotija cheese and Pico. Serve warm and enjoy!!
We had a terrific Thanksgiving meal. We roasted our turkey in the new roaster my mom and I bought and we had a ham from The Honey Baked Ham Store. Everything was amazing and of course I ate and drank a little too much! I took a nap right after lunch :) Between the mimosas, red wine, turkey and dressing, I was in a serious trytophan coma!!!
I also tried something new with my Jalapeno Jelly. I warmed it up in the microwave and added it to the cranberry relish. Uh yeah - it was BAD ASS!! I also used Jalapeno Relish in my Pea Salad for the first time ever (it was AMAZING!!!) and I used Hatch Medium in my macaroni and cheese for a little heat. I'm going to make the macaroni again before I post the recipe. I didn't quite like the consistency of the sauce, so I want to make it one more time.
I hope everyone has a wonderful day. I'm going to get back to filling orders :)
Keep it Spicy!
The Spice Mistress
Then there is my sweet, precious, Juicy of Love and Deliciousness. Many of you know of her math struggles these past few months. I had the pleasure of giving up an hour of my life to listen to her teacher and principal say things to me like, "she keeps saying she's confused, but there's no way an 8 year old knows what that means" yet, "she should know what a numerator is" and "she should really be able to remember things better". Here is a snippet of the conversation I had last week:
Me: So, ya'll want me to tell you why Paige makes the mistakes she makes in math?
Them: Yes.
Me: Did you ask her?
Them: No.
Me: Well, I'm not trying to be a smart ass (yes, I said smart ass...I didn't mean to, but I did) here, but aren't ya'll the ones teaching her? Does it occur to either of you to ask her what it is about the math problems she doesn't understand?
Them: She says she's confused. She can't possibly know what confused means.
Me: Why wouldn't she know what the word confused means?
Them: When I was sitting with her, pointing to each of the problems asking her why they were wrong and how she got those answers, she just kept telling me she was confused and didn't understand.
This from the principal, who was standing over my shoulder stabbing the problems on the paper with her finger and re-enacting her interaction with Paige...when she was supposedly "helping" her.
Me: Did you go through the problems with her and show her how to get the correct answer?
Them: Yes. She said she didn't understand. She should know all of this. She couldn't even tell us what a numerator is.
Me: So, my child shouldn't know what the word confused means, but she should be able to tell you the top number of a fraction is a numerator while you are sitting next to her drilling her?
Them: No response.
I could continue sharing this bullshit conversation, but I just get worked up all over again. Basically, they've passed my kid around to a few teachers in hopes that she will get the right answers when doing fractions, pre-algebra and multiplication problems in front of/with them. She still doesn't. So I ask, do you offer tutoring? The first time I asked I was told that tutoring was more of a crutch and they didn't want to start doing that yet. The second time I asked, all of a sudden it's available. But with a caveat - "we don't know if it will even help her since she doesn't even understand any of this to begin with."
Then it gets better. "Paige has always struggled with math", I'm told.
Me: No she hasn't.
Them: You've never had to come in about Paige and math.
Me: No. For the past five years, I've talked to her 2nd grade teacher about her lack of focus, weird questions and struggles with Religion testing. I talked to her 1st grade teacher and Mrs. Volker about her reading and focusing (Mrs. Reyna, her 1st grade teacher, tutored that baby and she's a reading fiend now.) I talked to Mrs. Hartley because she thought she was immature. I had to agree, considering she was 5 and in kindergarten. And finally, Sister Lucy and I spoke about Paige's lack of interaction with her classmates (well, maybe she doesn't like them) and whether or not I was feeding her food full of red dye 5 because she was so full of energy and didn't like to focus (she was 4 and in pre-k).
But no, I have never, ever talked to anyone other than the two of you about my child struggling in math, because this is the first time she's had problems in math. And from what every other parent in this class has told me, all of our kids are having problems.
Them: Oh no. Just Paige.
So then I ask them what we are going to do to correct this and help out my child. And do you know what they say? The principal and 3rd grade teacher/assistant principal at the school I've been sending my child to for five years and spending thousands of dollars a year so that she receives the best education possible tell me to call the Ennis ISD and tell them they HAVE to test her because we pay school taxes to them.
Me: Test her for what? Dyslexia? Learning disabilities?
Them: Oh no. She's not dyslexic and she doesn't have any learning disabilities. Her grades in all of her other subjects are fine. (Her math grade is a 78).
Me: Um, okay. So what do I tell them to test her for?
Them: They need to test her to see why she doesn't understand the math. And if they can tell us why she doesn't understand, then we can try to help her.
Me: I've told you why she has a harder time with math. It's overwhelming to her. It's tedious, methodical and once you start compounding simple math with other elements, it is difficult for her. Haven't you noticed that Paige excels in unstructured subjects, but that her math grades are lower.
Them: Yes. But she should still get this.
Me: So what if they tell you the same thing I've just told you. Are you going to treat her any differently? Teach her differently? Give her more one on one instruction?
Them: If she has a specific learning issue that they can pinpoint and can tell us exactly what we are supposed to do to fix it, then yes. We have to then.
Me: But you don't have to unless they tell you exactly what to do.
Them: Correct.
I have been going batshit crazy about this for a week. I am so disappointed in my child's school right now. Gary and I have supported Catholic education from the time we started planning Paige's education. We never thought we would have this kind of conversation with an educator at a private Catholic school.
I called and talked to the principal at one of the elementary schools in Ennis. He was more helpful in 10 minutes on the phone than her teacher was in the hour I spent with her. It's real simple - 3rd grade math is hard. Much harder than 2nd grade. On top of that, not all kids are math minded. Does it mean they have a specific learning issue? No, you just have to work with them a little more than the others. What you don't do is write them off and that is certainly the vibe we've gotten from St. Joseph's about Paige. So, I got the name of some online math games that I've downloaded for Paige and since she's getting a tablet for her birthday, I'm going to load it with all sorts of math games, worksheets and anything else I can get my hands on.
Just because my kid can write a screenplay about a teenage zombie but can't do 3rd grade math does not mean anything is wrong with her. And that's that!!!!
And that is the other thing. All I hear from them is that she doesn't have any self confidence. That is BULLSHIT!!! Anyone who knows my kid knows she thinks she is the bees knees. What is going on up there to make my child doubt herself? That has always bothered me and while a Catholic education for Paige has always been important to her daddy and I, we've kind of turned the corner after the past week. I have a feeling she won't be attending St. Joseph next year. This has just left such a bad taste in our mouths.......
So the other morning I ask her if she thinks she's smart....
Paige: Of course I'm smart. I've known that since I was a baby.
I love that kid!!
Between T&B Douchalition and 3rd Grade Math, I've been on a tear the past few weeks. Thank God for Mild Bill's. It's such a blessing.....I love coming to work everyday. It's busy and I've got so many wonderful things on the horizon. This has really been the only bright spot this past year - at least professionally. I know 2013 is going to be better. I just know it!!!
Gary and I cooked last weekend at the Blue Christmas Police and Fire Dept CCO in Irving. I won 1st Place Beans and placed 7th in Chili. Gary placed 8th - hell yeah! They had 57 cooks - what a fantastic turnout and the weather was gorgeous! This weekend we will be cooking at the Irving Elks Lodge. They are having the combined TOT and Cowtown Christmas Party Friday night, so we'll be there for that. We will probably go home Saturday after the cook off and Gary will go back up there Sunday. I don't know if I'll cook both days. We are definitely going to Tri State in January and I'm pretty sure we are going to Indianapolis to party with some of the Biskit Boys at the New Year's Eve CCO up there. We have to use our free SWA plane tickets and since New Orleans is a little out of our budget right now, this may be what we use them for. Hey - there's a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Indianapolis....so you won't hear any complaints from me!!
Mild Bill's will soon have Casa Fiesta beans available via the website and we'll also be bringing them to any cook off we attend. Stay tuned to our website and FB for more info!
Mild Bill's also has a 10% off coupon for all spice mixes and food products now through December 31st. This applies to all items in both sections on our website. Our jellies, taco seasoning, ranch dip mix and chili mixes make fabulous gifts! Use coupon code XMAS10 when you check out :)
A few weeks ago I found a recipe on Pinterest called Mexican Eggs in Purgatory. It's basically eggs baked in a spicy green sauce. It looked and sounded fantastic, so I decided to make them for dinner. Well, I got to HEB and I thought, what if I did something more along the lines of Huevos Rancheros instead of baking them. So I did, and this is what I came up with!!
Cadillac Cowgirl Salsa Verde Huevos Rancheros
(Serves 2)
4 Eggs
4 Corn Tortillas
1 cup Green Salsa (I bought a bottle of Herdez and used 1/2)
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
1/4 tsp Mild Bill's Jalapeno Salt
1 can Hatch Green Chili Enchilada Sauce
1 can Casa Fiesta Black Refried Beans, prepared according to directions
Pico de Gallo and Crumbled Cotija Cheese for garnish
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a baking dish with non stick spray. Lay the corn tortillas on the baking dish and spray the top of them with non stick spray. Set aside. In a medium size soup pot, combine the enchilada sauce, green salsa, chicken broth and jalapeno salt; bring to a boil and cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer it for 10-15 minutes. It will thicken up slightly and reduce a little bit. While that is simmering, place the corn tortillas in the oven and bake until slightly crispy around the edges - about 10 minutes. In the meantime, fry the eggs however you like them (Gary eats his runny, I cook the crap out of mine) and once done to your tastes, set them aside while you begin assembling the deliciousness :)
Remove the tortillas from the baking dish - two to a plate. Spread the warm refried black beans over each tortilla and top with the eggs. Pour the green sauce over the top and garnish with the crumbled Cotija cheese and Pico. Serve warm and enjoy!!
We had a terrific Thanksgiving meal. We roasted our turkey in the new roaster my mom and I bought and we had a ham from The Honey Baked Ham Store. Everything was amazing and of course I ate and drank a little too much! I took a nap right after lunch :) Between the mimosas, red wine, turkey and dressing, I was in a serious trytophan coma!!!
I also tried something new with my Jalapeno Jelly. I warmed it up in the microwave and added it to the cranberry relish. Uh yeah - it was BAD ASS!! I also used Jalapeno Relish in my Pea Salad for the first time ever (it was AMAZING!!!) and I used Hatch Medium in my macaroni and cheese for a little heat. I'm going to make the macaroni again before I post the recipe. I didn't quite like the consistency of the sauce, so I want to make it one more time.
I hope everyone has a wonderful day. I'm going to get back to filling orders :)
Keep it Spicy!
The Spice Mistress
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