Sawdust... It's what's for dinner.

I need some help. More specifically, I need some recipe ideas. I know I just lost a bunch of you right there. But if you like challenges, this is your game. I promise. If you can come up with a meal I can serve the two males (Girl Child can just suffer through and I will be thrilled to cook one meal at a time.) I will put your name in a drawing for one of these re-usable bags.

And if you come up with TWO (oh.my.word. I would be giddy with excitement!) recipes for the males to eat at once I'll put you in the drawing for this as well!

Here's why:

Big Shooter's eating woes: He has gastroparisis (stomach is paralyzed) so he can have no fiber. No fiber. Did you know there is fiber in coffee? He can eat very few veggies, IF they are cooked to mush. No salads. NO berries. No fruits... well, I can put a few fresh ones in front of him, IF I peel them first. And I'm not talking the ones you think of when you say peel here either, like grapes. NO legumes or nuts of any kind. NO seeds or grains of any kinds. No oats or brown rice. Basically, for the gastroparisis he can eat white enriched flour and white rice with a side of air. Now, here's where I always screw it up, since he had his gallbladder removed he cannot tolerate (that's my nice way of saying how his body reacts) ANY fats, oils or spice either. Whenever I hear of some scrumptious meal made of white enriched flour or nutritious white rice I jump right on it in hopes he will like it. What I always seem to forget about are the fats, oils and spices in it to jazz it up... Bad, bad wife.

Anyone see my dilemma?

Let's move on to Boy Child's allergies: He is allergic to soy, corn, wheat, and peanuts. Only four things. They just happen to be the four ingredients in every thing...

Now Girl Child is not allergic or ill. Her affliction is pickiness: NO meat. Okay, maybe a small nibble of a pork chop. Eggs? Occasionally, but mostly eeeh. Milk? In cereal, but for the most part, eeeh. Veggies? EEEEh, except a few raw carrots. Fruits? eeeh, except grapes and an occasional orange. Our rule is: You have to at least try a bite of what ever we serve. She does so without complaint. Then calmly gags. She doesn't make a big deal of it. She doesn't whine or complain that she is starving b/c she chose not to eat...and she is. This has completely caught me off guard. This is the child who orders tomato florentine soup and calamari for lunch, but won't finish a couple pieces of grilled chicken breast to save her life. What does she like? Any bread or pasta related food out there. She would eat her way out of an Olympic size pool if it was filled with simple sugar carbs like white bread or spaghetti. (She can't do wheat because it doesn't feel or look right.) I wonder at times if she has acquired this newish pickiness because of how much time, effort and thought I have to put into meals for the other two...

Anyway, there it is. Back when Big Shooter still had his gallbladder and before cancer, when he still had his kidney, and before his stomach just decided to stop working one day, it really was rather simple to feed Boy Child. Meat, veggies, oat breads, fruits, legumes, berries, nuts...healthy whole foods. Now? Not so easy for the momma. We three have gained tremendous amounts of weight eating what Daddy can tolerate and Boy Howdy, that has been BAD! So basically I cook two meals each night. I would so love to NOT HAVE TO DO THAT!

Okay, done whining! Thanks for your ideas. I know you all will come up with things I would never have thought of. That's why I am finally sharing.

Love Note to Big Shooter: Sorry I outed your health issues to the bloggy world again. But these are super smart and creative thinkers who visit here! They will be able to offer you something besides white rice and air. I just know it! I love you.

Green Give-Away Winner!!

This was my first time using a random number generator. It wasn't as satisfying as I'd hoped... maybe the hype was too much.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers: 17
Timestamp: 2008-10-11 05:28:36 UTC

Christine at The Home Team Wins wins the set of three reusable bags for her grocery runs!

I am giving the other three away at the end of the the month...just in time to be filled with your kids' Halloween candy you know you will confiscate because "it may be unsafe for them" to eat. You know you will. Don't pretend.

Just in case you can't wait until the end of the month for the chance to win a bag...my funny bloggy friend Flea is having an ADORABLE and funny bag give-away at her place. This is what is on the front of the canvas bag...

Go visit her at The Good Flea and sign-up!!

A Green Give Away!

It seems all I need to do to get you all talkin' is post about politics or personal security emergencies!

Seriously, I am just glad to know there are more than 3 of you out there because I'd like to have a little Give Away today!

Before I tell you what it is though I have a little tree-huggin' to do.

Many months ago I received an email that changed the way our family looks at plastic.
We've all heard about the wildlife that suffers innocently from our plastic waste. And sadly, we seem to become immune to the pictures.

But, did you know:

* Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute with billions ending up as litter each year.
* According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year.
* According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. (Estimated cost to retailers is $4 billion. Who do you think they pass that cost on to?)
* According to the industry publication Modern Plastics, Taiwan consumes 20 billion bags a year—900 per person.
* According to Australia’s Department of Environment, Australians consume 6.9 billion plastic bags each year—326 per person. An estimated .7% or 49,600,000 end up as litter each year.
* Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photodegrade—breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest. Which we in turn digest.
* According to David Barnes, a marine scientist with the British Antarctic Survey, plastic bags have gone "from being rare in the late 80s and early 90s to being almost everywhere from Spitsbergen 78° North [latitude] to Falklands 51° South [latitude]. Wow. Read that one again.
.

What can we do about it? Here are a few ideas:

* In 2001, Ireland consumed 1.2 billion plastic bags, or 316 per person. An extremely successful plastic bag consumption tax, or PlasTax, introduced in 2002 reduced consumption by 90%. Approximately 18,000,000 liters of oil used to make the bags have been saved due to this reduced production. Maybe governments around the world should consider implementing similar measures.
* July 2003, ReusableBags.com goes live, advancing the mainstream adoption of reusable shopping bags.

* Each high quality reusable shopping bag you use has the potential to eliminate hundreds, if not thousands, of plastic bags over its lifetime.

And guess what they sent me to give away...

Tell me what you think of this Tree Huggin' idea in a comment to be entered. I will randomly choose a winner of all three bags on Thursday evening. Too, if you're the recycling kind already they have AWESOME metal water bottles. Check them out here: http://www.reusablebags.com/

Love Note to my Big Shooter: Thanks for lovin' me even when I get all...you know, Green.

Godiva Chocolate give-away...thanks to Saucy Sashi.

Here's the deal.
It was my Other Spouse's birthday.
Happy birthday Saucy Sashi.

I was going to go kidnap/wake her up at the butt-crack of dawn and take her to IHOP to have breakfast with a whole slue of her friends this Saturday.

She ruined that idea.

Cause apparently she needs to go celebrate her marriage to Taco Bandito Out-of-Town-by-Themselves.

Love Fest.

Gag-a-Ramma.

I only say that cause I'm so unbelievably jealous. The only time we've gone Out-of-Town-by-Ourselves-without-Crumb Snatchers, Big Shooter threw up the entire time. The. entire. time. It was a real Love Fest. A real Gag-a-Ramma too.
(Here's another famous time he said, "I think I'm gonna get sick.")

Anyway, after much fly by the seat of your pants, decision making we all threw together a quick Birthday Dinner out for her. I figured we'd go to some nicer restaurant down by the river. (Plainsville's version of San Antonio's Riverwalk) But when I called Taco to ask if he'd be available and willing to do solo kid care, I figured I'd better ask his opinion just to make sure...

Now, trying to pull one over on Sashi is like trying to give a cat a bath. So I finally just said, "BTW, Girl Child and I are coming to get you for dinner tomorrow. Taco said he'd be available for kiddos and he said Yocal-Local Mexican restaurant is your fave place. We'll be there at 6:30." She was a little caught off guard and didn't say anything more about it. Until the next morning...

When she called and casually asked if we could change locations because Taco wasn't thinking clearly when he told me Yocal-Local Mexican.... "Ummm, of course. It's your birthday. We'll go where ever you want." I was so proud. I held my self together long enough to make several phone calls that divvied up the list of people to be called since we'd be meeting in less then 8hrs.

During those few hours, she:

* informed me "to be flexible" b/c she'd spoke with Taco Bandito and "wasn't sure when or if he'd be home in time tonight. We may have to change plans." (We already did that unbeknownst to her. Thankyouverymuch.)

* decided to go shopping at Wally World for groceries 45 minutes before she needed to leave her house to meet me. 45 minutes. Wally World. 3 boys in tow. (Whuuuhh? Like your boys need to eat?! Did I mention she chose to shop at Wally World - 45 minutes before she had to leave. Just makin' sure.)

* on the way home from Wally World she called to suggest 7pm instead of 6:30. (????? I came up with the fastest lie I could. I blamed it on Big Shooter. I had to be home. Big Shooter. All his fault. She fell for it.)

When we had all arrived and got to laugh at the wrinkles, gray hair and heart palpitations she'd caused me, we landed on this fact.

Taco's been married to my Other Spouse for many, many years...and he didn't know where her fave restaurant with the girls would be. Now, to his credit, his excuse was I caught him off guard, in a crunch, unawares... so to speak.

Made me wonder. What would Big Shooter say? Did he know my fave restaurant? I mean yes, he knows the faves with the fam. The ones with him. But, what would he say if Sashi had called him for his opinion with the girls?

I asked.

He failed. Mostly.

He named several I love. A couple I don't. One I really don't. Then reminded himself it was with the girls. Let it swirl around in there a while longer...and then for his final answer threw out two I wouldn't dream of going to with the girls. If it were my choice.

I totally feel for ya Sashi. I get it girl.

21 years. Years.

Do me a favor y'all. Think up what you'd say for your lover-boy's faves and ask him what he'd say for yous.

Then, let me know.
I'm giving away some fancy chocolate to someone for their honest answer. Well, I'm giving it. I'm making Sashi choose who upon her return. I figure I'll spring that on her after Love Fest cause hopefully she'll still be all starry eyed and swooning and won't remember anything. On the other hand, I've never seen Sashi starry eyed and swooning over anything.
Anyway, you have til Sunday evening to leave a comment.
Mmmmm...choc-o-late...




Love Note to my Big Shooter: I highly doubt I'd do any better with yours. How can that be after all. these. live. long. years... and years and YEARS? Maybe we need to get to know each other a little better. Hubba, hubba.

Free headers, free headers...free, free, free!

Remember when I mentioned Lindsay from Splat Designs? You know the super creative one who was the master-mind behind my own blog overhaul? Well, Miss Lindsay is holding a very creative and interesting contest in order to gain donations for a cause that literally became immensely important to me overnight. If you need or know someone who could use a new header, or two, or...three! Please have them check out her rules. They are so extremely simple and easy to follow in order to enter! Go! Check it out! Thanks for humoring me, I mean your support!

The chance to win THREE NEW HEADERS...Cool.