Belly Up to the Bar With Bendy and Her Friendies!!! Button Pics & New Thread Started!

[kabuki]

Hey Brenda .. not too much at all .. !
I love those therapy sessions .. we have them ourselves daily..
Pour - release - drink- sigh! REPEAT!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Brenda, I think everyone has rampant dysfunction in the family. I've come to the conclusion that some folks just hide it better than others! If I sat here and told you about my psychotic and hapharzard family dynamic, you'd suddenly feel terribly normal in comparison.

Alison

 

[TigerKat]

Glad you're back, we really missed you. I agree, we all have family issues, some are just better at hiding it.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

We have daily therapy sesssions in Stinktown about 7PM with a bottle of wine or scotch.

Have fun at your super-dooper-bowl party!

Really? You wait until 7pm? Just kidding. Well not on the time part... I really do start much earlier. But it's not TMI at all. The DIS community is a great support system. And we're here for you!

Kabuki - your party does sound fun. Please take pictures!!

 

[whogirl'smom]

Brenda, glad to see you after such a stressful week, I'm sure. I've said before what a good aunt you are, even not knowing all the details. Your nephew is very lucky to have such a good Stinktown family and I'm sure your love for him has made up for a lot. It must be terrible for him and Jen though, so more to them!

And happy hour does help with family time, doesn't it? I never realize just how often I imbibe until the extra time with dh's family at Christmas! (alright, alright, sometimes they're okay, but holidays seem to need a little wine to blur the edges!)

 

[shovan]

Brenda, I'm very sorry that your family is going through that! Sometimes it does seem to be more than anyone can bear.

Just know that you are not alone & we are wishing that your family can pull through this one.

I could also tell you some dysfuctional family stories. You are not alone on that front. From our own trials I have learned and would definitely recommend keeping up with your therapy sessions.

 

[D&R love Disney]

Brenda I'm glad to see you back I think we've all got some dysfunction in our families.


Gina I've yet to stay at Nestlenook but we have walked over there. We were going to go to Jackson for our anniversary in March but decided to go to Stowe, VT instead. Can't wait to visit the spa at the Stoweflake!

 

[oybolshoi]

Thanks so much for the huggles and kind words ... ... I know everyone has to deal with some kind of wackiness in their families but sometimes I feel like mine has more than its far share.

And as for Dylan and his mother ... this will sound very bad of me and reveal me for the petty person I am ... but there is a part of me that finds it very unfair that she's been blessed with children and throws them away like used tissues while Jay and I will never be able to have kids. I don't usually wallow in self-pity over this ... things happen for a reason and Jay and I are very happy in our marriage and with each other ... but there are moments when I kind of shake my fist at the fates.

I'm not under any illusions that I would have won the mom-of-the-year award if we'd had children but I sure as hell would never abandon my kids to go on some selfish globe-trotting quest for self-fulfilment eight months after they lost their father to cancer.

Anyway ... I think it's time for a little therapy. I'm going to have some unhealthy food and some beer. Thanks for letting me vent and we'll get back to the good stuff soon, I promise.

BTW ... Gina ... those pictures of that B&B are to die for. I wish we had places like that around here.

 

[TigerKat]

Bendy - You are absolutely right, it puzzles me as to the folks who do have kids that truly don't deserve them and then there's folks like you & Jay who would be wonderful parents....I'd better get off this subject as it truly makes me mad. OK, I'm going back to the Superbowl and my wine.

 

[MA pigletfan]

Gina, Now that is the way I want to "see & experience" snow!!! The pic from the hot tub & your sleigh ride! OMG!! That is awesome!

I agree!! Its been such a snowy winter here in New England this year..i wish i could just WATCH the snow like i did in NH!!

Gina - your pictures are stunning - it must have been like being in a fairy tale. And a pregnant donkey? How adorable is that!

There's one FF dip I make to go with raw vegies when I get tired of the WW soup - which is usually immediately - because I'm not a soup person.

It's just a fat free version of the very good Uncle Dan's Ranch dip. Normally it's a package of Uncle Dan's Ranch mix, and then add required blend of sour cream & mayo plus some extra fresh crushed garlic. For WW you use FF sour cream and FF yogurt. It works well and is less than 1 Point for 1/4 cup dip.

Thanks ! Jenny the donkey was super cute..i wonder if she's had her baby yet!
See that sounds good...the garlic adds a ton of flavor i bet so you don't get punished with that weird fat free after taste...thanks for sharing that one!!

Gina I've yet to stay at Nestlenook but we have walked over there. We were going to go to Jackson for our anniversary in March but decided to go to Stowe, VT instead. Can't wait to visit the spa at the Stoweflake!

OH NICE!! I have never really spent too much time in VT. Please tell us all about it when you go!

Thanks so much for the huggles and kind words ... ... I know everyone has to deal with some kind of wackiness in their families but sometimes I feel like mine has more than its far share.

And as for Dylan and his mother ... this will sound very bad of me and reveal me for the petty person I am ... but there is a part of me that finds it very unfair that she's been blessed with children and throws them away like used tissues while Jay and I will never be able to have kids. I don't usually wallow in self-pity over this ... things happen for a reason and Jay and I are very happy in our marriage and with each other ... but there are moments when I kind of shake my fist at the fates.

I'm not under any illusions that I would have won the mom-of-the-year award if we'd had children but I sure as hell would never abandon my kids to go on some selfish globe-trotting quest for self-fulfilment eight months after they lost their father to cancer.

Anyway ... I think it's time for a little therapy. I'm going to have some unhealthy food and some beer. Thanks for letting me vent and we'll get back to the good stuff soon, I promise.

BTW ... Gina ... those pictures of that B&B are to die for. I wish we had places like that around here.

WOW...i feel like i need scotch therapy after reading what you wrote!
So glad to have you back!
Thanks about the pictures..it was an amazing place!

 

[kabuki]

Hello everyone .. Happy Groundhog Day! Thought I'd post a couple pictures from the "bacon" party I went to!

Usual suspects .. Onion Dip always good!

My jalapenos stuffed with bacon and three cheeses!

The other item I took - Bacon Truffles -YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Mashed potato bacon bake!

Zeke .. my host with the most! He's McLovin his dish!

and Chorizo bacon sliders!

 

[shovan]

Brenda, I was a much nastier meaner person than you! I tried for years to get pg before being able to have DD. My cousin accidently got pg & waited to tell me, because she was so afraid of my reaction.

kabuki, Yuuummmy! A bacon truffle! Oh yeah serious football food!

We didn't have a spread last night. I fixed shrimp & grits, but then my tummy started feeling icky. So I had popcorn & red wine (to settle my stomach of course) while DH enjoyed the food I slaved over!

 

[whogirl'smom]

Oh, my gosh, a bacon party! (she says with drool running down her chin) Now that's a theme I can relate to!

So, guess what email I got two weeks ago that I just now looked at? Yep, it was a 40% off code! We are thinking about going in mid-Dec. when school gets out....too bad the code isn't good for Oct. when everybody else is going. We were going to wait till May/June 2010, but how can you pass up 40% off?

 

[Tink rules]

Hi everybody!

I just wanted to stop by and thank you all for your kind words, good thoughts, and prayers this week. It was a very sad couple of days but it was nice to come back here and see that my food friends were thinking of us.

I'm sure it must seem like a strange situation and honestly, my family really does put the "fun" in dysfunctional.

My parents divorced when I was two and my brother was eight ... Mike and the dad stayed in Michigan while Grimace and I came to St. Louis because that's where her sister was living.

Fast forward eight years ... my sixteen year-old brother calls out of the blue and asks if he can come live with us in St. Louis. The dad drives him down here, drops him off, and doesn't say another word to him for 18 years. As for me ... I've seen the dad fewer times than I have toes.

Anyhoo ... when my brother was eighteen he and his girlfriend ended up pregnant and the result was Dylan (I was 12 when he was born) - they got married, had another child two years later and then ended up divorced shortly thereafter. The ex disappeared with both boys for about ten years and then made a dramatic reappearance.

Just as Mike was reestablishing himself in the boys' lives he was diagnosed with lung cancer and died when he was 37 (I was 31, Dylan was 18, and my younger nephew was 16). The ex decided that she didn't want to be a mother any longer and left the country.

Yes ... I said left the country ... and her children.

So, poor substitutes though we may be for real parents, Jay and I and Grimace and Jon have tried to do what we can to make up for the loss. We've had some success with Dylan but his brother has been MIA for some time - he ended up overseas with the missing mom who would like nothing more than to send him back.

The death of his mother-in-law last weekend just seems particularly sad to me; aside from Jen's loss of her mom (whom she was very very close to) Dylan has now essentially lost three parents in eight years.

As I read back over this (and I omitted a lot of ugly details) I think I understand why Jay's parents are always so confuzzled looking when I try to explain my family dynamic. They should just be grateful that I turned out so "normal."

Thanks Kabuki.

Jay's family fits the "normal" bill ... especially compared to mine! That probably explains why I can only take them in small doses ... they're too normal.

I just wanted to give a little background since I realized it might have sounded a little strange ... hopefully it wasn't too much info for anyone. We have daily therapy sesssions in Stinktown about 7PM with a bottle of wine or scotch.

Have fun at your super-dooper-bowl party!

Bendy... each one of us has something in their families... I think we're all a little bit disfunctional no mater how Ozzie and Harriett we'd like to think we are... Luckily you have Jay's family to balance it all out, other wise we'd have to give you the #800 for rehab...(I'll be joining you of course...)

Hey Brenda .. not too much at all .. !
I love those therapy sessions .. we have them ourselves daily..
Pour - release - drink- sigh! REPEAT!

does that go along with Lather, rinse and Repeat???

Thanks so much for the huggles and kind words ... ... I know everyone has to deal with some kind of wackiness in their families but sometimes I feel like mine has more than its far share.

And as for Dylan and his mother ... this will sound very bad of me and reveal me for the petty person I am ... but there is a part of me that finds it very unfair that she's been blessed with children and throws them away like used tissues while Jay and I will never be able to have kids. I don't usually wallow in self-pity over this ... things happen for a reason and Jay and I are very happy in our marriage and with each other ... but there are moments when I kind of shake my fist at the fates.

I'm not under any illusions that I would have won the mom-of-the-year award if we'd had children but I sure as hell would never abandon my kids to go on some selfish globe-trotting quest for self-fulfilment eight months after they lost their father to cancer.

Anyway ... I think it's time for a little therapy. I'm going to have some unhealthy food and some beer. Thanks for letting me vent and we'll get back to the good stuff soon, I promise.

BTW ... Gina ... those pictures of that B&B are to die for. I wish we had places like that around here.

I used to get upset that I never had the chance to have any children. & then I realized one day that I already had 5 of the greatest kids I could ever want... and even though I'm not overly religious anymore, I know that God said... "Listen... they're gonna need you" and they do...

I'm the nutty Aunt - but they still want me around...

My youngest nephew summed it up just right at Xmas this year... he told me that I didn't feel like the other aunts' he has... I felt more like another big sister... (the one that doesn't pick on him... )

 

[Tatania]

I'm sure it must seem like a strange situation and honestly, my family really does put the "fun" in dysfunctional.

See, that's what I think is so cool about you. Even though you and your family have gone through things that are usually the stuff of soap opera scripts, you manage to keep a wonderful and wacky sense of humor. :yes:

I wasn't aware from previous posts that you're not able to have children of your own. A close family friend works for social services and it's absolutely hair-raising to hear about women out there who have kid after kid and are not fit to take care of any of them. And don't even get me started about the woman who just had the litter of 8 - on top of the 6 she already had!! And she's going to get rewarded with all this publicity and money for her story??

If it's any help, no matter how much effort and time you put into your offspring, it's no guarantee that they're going to be close to you or be a friend to you when they reach adulthood. I speak from experience - though I won't go into detail here.

Anyway, I'm glad to see that you're back!

 

[blissventure]

Hope it's OK to join--didn't think we'd be going to Food and Wine this year, but we got a code that made it possible. Even though it's only Feb, it's so fun to look forward to our vacation.
We'll be at the Boardwalk Inn Sept 28-Oct4th!

 

[oybolshoi]

Hope it's OK to join--didn't think we'd be going to Food and Wine this year, but we got a code that made it possible. Even though it's only Feb, it's so fun to look forward to our vacation.
We'll be at the Boardwalk Inn Sept 28-Oct4th!

The more the merrier! Welcome to the madness!

I really am working on an update ... I am I am I am!!!

And thank you all again for putting up with me and allowing me to spill my guts ... I wish it would have helped with my weight loss goals!

 

[whogirl'smom]

I don't know where everybody went, but we need a bump!

 

[Tink rules]

What we need is a recipe.... I made this the other day and it is SOOOOOO good...



Black Dog Chowder

(and don't ask me how long it took to get that dog in the pot...)

(This is from the Black Dog Tavern on Martha's Vineyard...)

2 oz of salt pork, rind removed. I sometimes substitute bacon. Crisp the bacon and leave in the pan.

2 cups diced onion

1 cup diced celery

3 cups diced potatoes (I use 3 lg cans of diced potatoes)

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp ground black pepper

4 cups shelled quahogs w/ juice (about 6 pound in shells).

I use 4 cans of whole or chopped clams. Save the juice in the cans and add to soup with the potatoes... If extra juice needed I use bottled clam juice.

1/2 cup salted butter

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 quarts of light cream

Pinch of red pepper flakes


________________________________________________________

Dice the salt pork or bacon in a large pot til translucent.

Add the onions and celery and saute for 5 min.

Pour in about 1 1/2 cups of the juice from the clams and add potatoes and seasonings.

Simmer mixture until potatoes are tender. About 10 min. (if you are using canned potatoes you don't have to wait - they are already cooked... )

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and cook on low heat for 5 min. Stirring often, this is your roux. DO NOT BURN!!!

When the potatoes are tender add the clams to the large pot and simmer for 2 min.

Stir in the roux and continue simmering for another 5 min. The mixture will be very thick so stir often to prevent it from burning.

Scald the cream in a saucepan until bubbles form on the edges and then add it to the chowder base

I serve it w/ oyster crackers, and some paprika sprinkled on top. The BD serves it with a dollup of butter in it...

 

[ChelleinNC]

And thank you all again for putting up with me and allowing me to spill my guts ... I wish it would have helped with my weight loss goals!