MOOvers - 2011 Edition

[MommyPoppins]

We're on day 4 of rain here too. It's also chilly....the daytime high temps have only been in the mid-60s! I actually had to drag out jeans to wear to work 2 days this week. Luckily, it's supposed to be sunny and hot for the next several days.


Boris and Natasha start school on Tuesday. We did some more back-to-school shopping this evening. I am so dreading the school year!

Cool? What's that? This has been our hottest month of the summer. Several days our ac ran and ran and ran and the inside temp just kept rising. I keep the ac on 79 during the day, but on days like that it can't keep it there it rises to 81-82 until it gets cloudy.

When do your kiddos go back to school? Kids here started this past Monday.





It's raining again this morning.

 

[NAB]

And we are off to Las Vegas...

This is the front of the Luxor Hotel....

I hope Nicholas doesn't get as tall as this dude....

The Luxor Hotel was Nicholas favourite on the strip. I think it is because of the shape of the building and he got to see Kris Angel perform there. He bought a t shirt, hat and magic kit that night with his saved up money. He was in heaven.

 

[NAB]

A Jelly Belly statue of Liberty at New York,New York.

This was in the Venetian Hotel....

Hannah really wanted to do the canal ride but it was $16. a person.....if only two people went on it was considered private and cost $64.

 

[NAB]

Nicholas all in his Kris Angel wear....The Excalbuir is in the background. ( My spelling is off on the hotel names I'm sure)

This is in the Mirage...the letters spell out Revolution...

This store has 4 floors...everything M&M.....the kids loved it of course...

Outside the store.....

Inside the store....

Also had a Coke store that was two floors. You could taste all the different cokes there too like Disney only they were not free.....So we didn't do this, we will wait for Disney.

 

[NAB]

This is inside Caesar's.....these statues talk...but are not real. At the new hotel , the Venetian they have really people that stand still for a long time then scare the heck out of you when they move....lol.

This is where we camped out back....who knew there was a KOA campground back there....

This was the campsite, more of a parking lot , some did have a tree and a bit of grass. Did have a swimming pool, games room etc for the kids.

We were in Las Vegas three days. There is a shopping mall at each end of the strip. It took Hannah and I about 3 and 1/2 hours to walk it to one end. Took Hubby and Nicholas an hour and a 1/2 at night. They walk fast and didn't stop much. We looked in shops. Every casino has them. We need to , it was too hot to stay out on the strip.

Vegas is not a place for kids. They can walk though the casino but they can not stop anywhere. I just wanted to tell my mom that we were going to the trailer and left Hannah standing up four stairs and my mom was right there. She could not stand there...keep moving. This a good thing but we seen many kids out in the hall ways were they could sit and wait , this was in the middle of the night. Hubby, my mom and I just play the slots. Didn't win big but did get to play for awhile....that is a good thing those machines can and will eat your money fast. I played the penny ones....

Circus Circus is an old hotel but it was good for the kids because they had the adventure dome.This had rides, carnival games and shows for the kids to watch.

We did a lot of walking there , did a lot of shop looking and it was just cool to see the new hotels that have popped up since we were there 10 years ago. Then we stayed at Treasure Island. Boy has that boat show changed , used to be pirates like Jack Sparrow now it is a girly show ....girls with next to nothing on chasing very young nice looking pirates. Nicholas enjoyed the show and wanted to see it again but we didn't go back...lol

Had my fill of Vegas for awhile. My mom loves the slots and we were going to going to be so close to it we had make it a stop there on this vacation. She has done Disney so much with us or things we want to see this was for her.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Nab, I'd love to visit Vegas some time just to look at the hotels. I can do without the gambling, they have slot machines in every corner bar in Germany, LOL. Great pics.

I was this close to taking tomorrow off, but no such luck. Today they sent us new files for budget after 9 to update by noon. Not happening, very manual process. So the deadline got extended to 4:30 finally. We finished by about 1pm, not bad.

TGIF tomorrow!

 

[pumba]

THOSE PHOTOS ARE AWESOME.......YOU ARE SO LUCKY AND THE KIDDOS TOO TO SEE SUCH GREAT SITES ON YOUR TOUR OF THE UNITED STATES...

WE BOUGHT A NEW TRUCK LAST NIGHT.....A BIGGIE....4X4 SILVERADO WITH EXTENDED CAB AND FOUR DOOR....EVEN STARTS FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE IF HE WANTS IT TO.....

Today I am vegging ......no kiddos so going out to lunch with DIL and bumpkins....we are going to do CHINESE......hahaha.


Hope you all have a great day and see you later tonight

 

[NAB]

Marita-- Too bad you couldn't get the day off. Is it still so hot there?

Speaking of which is Mony still there?

It could take you days just to looking in very hotel. But that is what I like too. The Caesar's Place was the nicest one when I went 10 years ago. With the sky painted on the ceiling. All the nude statues of David around. but now the new one out did themselves. There are also a lot of high end stores there like Tiffany's and Parada. Guess the high rollers shop when they win big. But the fashion malls themselves are like any there mall, but new to us because we dont' have the same stores here so we were in heaven.

Pumba-- How exciting a new truck. What colour is it. Hubby really wanted a burgandy one but there are slim picking up here when he got his. Is it diesel? I remember you as being a petite woman , that should be fun getting in. I drive but I do not drive the truck....to big for me, I will stick to my car.

We haven't had any rain here , we've had been baseball practises all week. Nicholas team plays the final game tomrrow. As they say they are going for the gold. They were #2 all season , they play against a team that didn't lose one game at all. This should be fun.

 

[Minnie_Moo]

Nabbie - Your Vegas photos are awesome!!!

I think visiting Vegas every 10 years is just about right.

MommyP - Congrats on being an even skinnier minnie!

 

[NAB]

Thanks Moo....we took so many it wasn't easy picking which ones to post.

We were suppose to play our championship baseball game tomorrow but the team we play against said that they have a wedding or something and would be short three kids so they want to reschedule.

I think this is so unfair to the kids since all the other teams in the league play and they only call the night before. I think they should forfeit the game thing if they don't have enough players. That is how it is done with the regular games. They make a big deal at the diamond too with the teams, they have someone there calling all the plays using the kids name etc. They get there medals right there too ...our team won't have the turn out either to cheer them on.

Now we have to wait and see in the morning if something will happen and we play don't play etc. Waste my whole day I am sure waiting to hear....

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Nab, I'm taking next Friday off instead, even better, I will have a 4 day weekend. The last several holidays that fell on Monday we had to work because it fell on month end dates, so this is a great change of pace.

Pumba, congrats on the new truck!

I got the turkey meatball recipe I asked for today from the chef. Oh my, it calls for a lot of ingredients I dont own (yet) including some I have to get from asian markets, which means an hour round trip. But it was soooooo goooood!! And is normally despise turkey, so that is something!

Funny story, I got the recipe today and looked at it and it called for 5 lbs of ground turkey for four servings. I thought that was rather excessive. So I got my nerve up tonight and emailed the chef and asked him, how many meatballs do 5 lbs make for 4 servings.
He emailed back (at10pm, I guess he worked late), it was 1.5 lbs. I read it as step1. #5 lbs, duh!!!. He said 5 lbs for 4 servings would be the football player version, LOL.
I think what probably really makes this recipe is the sauce, so Im going to post it here, you can ignore it, but doesn't it sound great? (it tastes fantastic with the meatball recipe). We exchange a couple of more emails about doubling recipe for parties and doing a test run, and he recommended crusty bread for dipping in the awesome sauce.

Turkey Meatball Sauce​

Yield: 4 servings​

3 cups crème fraiche (or Greek style yogurt)
½ cup sweet soy sauce (find in Asian markets)
¼ cup sesame oil
Juice from medium size can of mandarin oranges (reserve mandarin for garnish)
Juice from medium size can lychee nuts (reserve lychee for garnish)
2 oz ginger puree (available in food stores)
1oz garlic puree (available in food stores)
1 oz sriracha red rooster Asian hot chili sauce (find in Asian markets)​

Puffed rice crisps:​

Puffed rice cake
Ginger powder
Cinnamon powder
​

Preparation:​

​

• • Add all ingredients together in a bowl and mix together with a whisk
    
  • Place cooked meatballs into baking dish and top generously with sauce
    
  • Place reserved mandarin and lychee in top of sauce
    
  • Place into the oven at 350 degrees and bake until to heated through and has

a nice golden color to it

　​

Garnish:​

Crumble rice cake by hand to small pieces and mix with a light sprinkle of
ginger and cinnamon, sprinkle puffed rice mixture on top of dish just before service with sliced chives and drizzle of sesame oil.

ENJOY!!!!!​

What the heck, I'll throw in the meatball recipe as well:

Turkey Meatballs​

Yield: 4 servings​

1.5# ground turkey
1 fine diced onion
2 cloves garlic fine mince
1oz chopped cilantro
2 whole eggs
1 cup panko bread crumbs (Japanese style)​

¼ cup soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste​

Preparation:​

​

• • Place all ingredients except the bread crumbs into large bowl and mix together.
    
  • Add bread crumbs to bowl and mix together until fully incorporated.
    
  • Scoop into 2 oz balls and roll in hands until smooth and round and place in refrigerator for 1-2 hours to firm up and set.
    
  • Place on baking sheet and bake in 350 degree oven until internal temperature is 165 degrees.

​

 

[NAB]

Martia-- thanks for the recipe. I would have thought the same thing as you and saw 5 lbs.

Well we are still in limbo over baseball. Our team showed up anyway , the other team did not. So we are hoping that we won by default. We just want it over with. They said we may have to play the third place team which doesn't seem far to our guys. Just played that team and won. That is how we became #2 team. Hate to have an off game and end up still in second and third win first.


Tired tonight. Still staying up too late and sleeping in really late.School hours are going to shock our system...One more week off. I bet it will go fast.

Well think I will try and go to bed early....Hubby and Nicholas are at the show. They went to see the Other Guys. Hannah and I didn't want to see it so we stayed home.

 

[Minnie_Moo]

Nabbie - Everyone's trying to wring out all the fun they can while summer's still here! We had gorgeous weather and I finally made it to the beach today. Got a late start, but I prefer to go in the late afternoon/evening so there aren't as many people and I don't have to put on sunscreen. I stopped at a couple wineries and a chocolate shop on the way to Lake Michigan, so that took me a while longer than usual.

The sunset was beautiful and I picked up some pretty stones and beach glass. VERY relaxing, but I didn't get home until 11.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Nabbie - Everyone's trying to wring out all the fun they can while summer's still here!

Speak for yourself, Moo!

I got up at 7:45 waiting for the dishwasher repairman second Saturday in a row, he didn't show up again!!!So still no dishwasher!

Went shopping for the meatball and sauce ingredients this afternoon. Meatballs turned out ok, but the sauce was awful!! I looked orange and had a strange flavor. I dont know what I did wrong, but something with the seasoning was off. Maybe it was the sweet and sour instead of sweet sauce? I don't know. I ate some, and i have lots of leftovers, LOL.

I better get to sleep in tomorrow!

Oh, and the vacuum is in the shop too!!

 

[NAB]

Marita-- your stuff is falling apart. No dishwasher...I would miss that big time. The vacuum I would just have an excuse to cleaning.

Down to our last week of holidays for the kids. Nicholas finally got his stuff together. Went to Walmart and Staples to get what he didn't have. Then Hannah who had everything decided she wanted a different colour duo tang. Should have said no but for .15 cents it wasn't worth the fight.

It is really hot out today. Got some rain a few minutes ago but I think that is going to drive the humidex up. At least they tell us this will last for three day, the heat I mean.

Moo-- sounds like you are having a great summer and Mari will be home again soon too.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Nab, yes, things sure are falling apart here, LOL.

Hubby had the day off and of course was in bed by the time I got home. I found a brand spanking new Dyson sitting by the door Guess the old one couldn't be fixed? I never even knew it was broken, and I vacuumed the week before it went in the shop Sometime hubby just likes to buy new toys though

Anyway, so I got home to a new vacuum, but no vacuuming was done. Neither were any dishes, the kitchen was a mess. And the dishwasher is still broken. So I was bit perturbed, but went on and did the dishes. About 8 pm i thought, hmmm, unusual that the dog is not out with me in the living room, he usually is. I went checking the house, no dog. I asked Nicole what she knew about it when she got home, and she said, well we talked about it about 1 1/2 weeks ago. Actually, we have all been talking about if for months, the poor dog was 17 years old and pretty feeble. So I guess hubby took him down today.
So I will forgive him for not doing any dishes on his day off.

Nicole just said, well that sucks a couple of times, but we all knew it was time.

 

[NAB]

Marita-- hope you had something to eat before you did the dishes. Sorry about your dog. I know you been saying he was having trouble moving and stuff. New vacuum , lucky you at least it wasn't given to you as a present.

How is the not smoking going , is it getting any easier for you?

Went to the mall and got some school clothes for the kids. They actually had good sales going on so we lucked out.

Think I will stay in tomorrow, going to be hot again and Hubby has to work. Maybe I will get the kids to work on there rooms. They are a disaster since we got home. Got to get back on some schedule. Everyone slept in again today but me , I got up at 9:00 but didn't have the heart to wake the rest.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Nab, smoking is going ok as long as I always have something to chew on Gum, mints, pretzel sticks.

I sure am looking forward to a 4 day weekend this week, havent had even a 3 day one in ages.....

 

[pumba]

I know it must of been hard for yur dh to put the doggie down......We found it was the hardest thing to do with ours......just looking in their eyes of their pain....but knowing it was the thing to do....

I am wicked proud of you to do this non smoking thing......yes tic tacs are my bestest friend when I get stressed.......

We got an offer and the house in florida will be theirs on Sept 15th.....fast isnt it......kinda sad in one way but I understand hubbies thinking.........now is the time according to the realtor to buy a place down there because the prices have plummeted......if a condo goes for 135 it is now listed for 85......and condos in the florida areas.......are listing for the price of a car......weird but Florida and California were the hardest hit they said.

I do still have to tell my sister about us selling the place........hard thing to do because she has been looking forward to us moving their in the winters with her and her husband......

have a good day everyone

 

[babynurse1]

I received some sad news this weekend. My great uncle passed away. This was the man I considered to be my grandfather. My paternal grandfather chose alcohol over everything else and I only saw him 2 or 3 times in my life.

Anyway, my great uncle definitely filled that role even to the point the he was seated in the grandfather seat at my wedding. In fact, I saw him more than I saw my maternal grandfather, so this was a huge loss to me.

I was in West Virginia this weekend for the visitation etc. I was so strong when I was there, but then yesterday (maybe because I was by myself) was a very tough day.

Hope you guys are doing ok. Talk to you all soon.