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  1. Maggie Mae
    Latest Entry

    By Maggie Mae,

    I thought it might be fun to rewatch some old Disney films and examine them under modern day morals and norms, and see how they hold up. If this isn't your thing, that's cool. I'm sure I'll get bored before I make it to the Renaissance Disney stuff, anyway. Full disclosure, there are several I haven't seen, and one that I've only seen in French. So I don't have the same level of nostalgia that many of you might have.  

    Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, is the first full length Animated Feature. Released in 1937, at great cost for the time, it won an Oscar (and seven mini Oscars.) 

    For me, personally, this one reminds me of my Grandmother.  She told me about going to see it, with my aunt, when it came out. I don't really remember details, just that it was a Big Deal. And that my Grandmother much prefered Fantasia, but I'll get to that story later. She did, however, like Snow White, and had a copy of it for me to watch when I would have to stay at her house.  On VHS, in the plastic clamshell case. I can almost smell it if I think hard enough. 

    To the recap: 

    Snow White opens with the old school credits before the film, and an overture, much like going to a live theatre. Not sure when credits changed to end credits, but I can see advantages for both systems. Walt Disney placed a note: 

    Quote

    My sincere appreciation to the members of my staff whose loyalty and creative endeavor made possible this production. 

    and signed it with his now well known signature. 

    The story opens, literally, with someone opening a book, and we are expected to read some back story. Which we all know. Once Upon A Time, there was a lovely Princess named Snow White. Her vain and wicked Stepmother the Queen feared that some day Snow White's beauty would surpass her own. So she dressed the little Princess in rags and forced her to work as a Scullery Maid. 

    This little paragraph begins a long tradition of Disney tropes. 

    • Wicked Stepmother! ✔️
    • Vanity being a Major Sin ✔️
    • Woman being jealous of other women's looks! ✔️

    Turn the page and it's more back story. Blah blah, the Queen consults her magic mirror, and as long as the mirror thinks the Queen is the "fairest" one of all, Snow White is safe. You'd think a Queen could just pay someone to tell her she looks good. That's obviously what a certain American President has done for at least the last 30 years. 

    Finally, we get some actual animation. The Queen, who is very "fair" if "fair" means pale, looks into her magical mirror and gets some bad news. A girl, with "red lips, and skin as pale as snow" has surpassed the Queen's beauty. She looks into the sky, like a proper villan and hisses out "Snow White." Next scene is Snow white, looking slightly more tan than the doves/pigeons she is serenading while she hand washes some steps in a cherry orchard. The flowers are painted, and it's quite lovely. The music is very dated. Snow White sings into a well and makes wishes. 

    She's wishing for "the one she loves" to "find her today." Her hair is cut into a very fashionable 1930s bob, tied with a blue ribbon. Some random guy shows up and starts to sing with her, she runs away. It's very Romeo and Juliet, with a dude singing at her while she stands around on a balcony. The Queen watches this from a different balcony, scowling and making herself less beautiful. Come on evil queen. You just need to drink more water, do some meditation, volunteer, and maybe take another spin class. You aren't ugly! Snow White is just younger. Do you want to marry Prince Whatever? But no, instead of working on Evil Queen, she goes with the "pay a huntsman to bring back her heart in a box" plan. 

    I still love Snow White's iconic outfit with the yellow and the blue and the red that she wears while running into the woods, away from the huntsman and the Evil Queen. It's quite a frightening scene, with trees grabbing her clothes and disembodied forest eyes lurking. She collapses and cries and cries. All of the herbivores and some omnivores come out to console her. She apologizes to them. 

    It's yet another Disney Trope! 

    • Young girl befriends animals. So many animals. ✔️

    They take her to the cottage where the Seven Men live. It's filthy. She lets herself in, followed by half the forest. Gross. Squirrels do not belong in houses. Anyway, so she decides, with the help of some deer and rabbits, that seven orphans without a mother live there. Enlisting the assistance of these magical creatures who would rather wash dishes than poo all over the floor, she gets to cleaning. There is a german style beer mug, which is a little tribute to the Grimm Brother story of which this film is adapted from. But only one, and it's decorative. 

     The "Seven Dwarves" are digging in a mine and sing a song. Then they sing another song to go home. For some reason, they hang the key to the vault next to the vault. They all have pickaxes, except Dopey who only has half of one. No idea what that's about. Snow White, being such a wonderful houseguest, enters their bedroom for presumably the first time and falls asleep, along with most of her new pets. Exactly what everyone wants, to come home to a deer in their bed. And why didn't she clean their sheets when she was having the rest of their laundry done? 

    Aww Dopey has a red lantern! Doc trips over his words more than anyone with a phd in mining should. Or is he a medical doctor? 

    Grumpy complains about "females," while the rest of the little men discuss how pretty she is. They all know that Snow White is the Princess, and that the Queen is a witch. 

    Snow White makes grown men wash their hands. Grumpy is the last hold out, of course, and complains about "women." 

    It's honestly kind of infuriating. He even spits on the floor, while trying to convince everyone of some grand conspiracy to make them wear perfume and put ribbons in their beards. So now we've got some entrenched sexism of the "boys are dirty" variety, and only two characters who are women. 

    The other men hold Grumpy down and wash him, while Dopey eats soap. I don't know what the deal is here. Should I be offended about the portrayal of little people? Is Dopey supposed to be intellectually disabled? Or are they not even supposed to be human? It's making me kind of uncomfortable. 

    The stupid magic mirror tattles on the Huntsman and the Evil Queen who has no name storms off, cape moving nicely. She needs someone to clean her lair, there are cobwebs all over her magic books. Maybe she shouldn't have kicked Snow White out so soon. She could have just disfigured her somehow, if she was so hung on being the most physically beautiful person ever. Not that she ever specifies that to the mirror, so as Snow White continues to force standard hygienic practices on stranger men, the Queen is just obsessed with killing her.  

    The Queen poisons an apple and steps over a skeleton that is not explained at all. It could be Snow White's dad, for all we know. 

    With 14 minutes left of an 84 minute film, we get our first conversation between Snow White and the disguised Queen. This is a very scary moment. 

    Spoiler

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    The Queen tells Snow White that the men folk prefer apple pies to gooseberry pies. (Wikipedia says that gooseberries are common in Europe and Northern Africa.)  Considering that the Queen is not named anything other than "Evil Queen" and Snow White is named so because of the color of her skin, and they talk about what to feed men, I do not think this film passes the Bechdel test. 

    The animators did a nice job on the scene where the dwarves chase the disguised Queen in the rain. We get another trope!

    • Villian dies offscreen by falling off a cliff! ✔️

    The Dwarves are sad and decide that they can not bury the dead Princess. This makes me ask the question - What is the plan for this supposed kingdom? If the King died, leaving his daughter in the care of his second wife, who served as Queen Regent, what happens to the realm? Or is the King still alive somewhere? 

    Another title card explaining the plot. The "plot" being that the dwarfs stuck the Princess in a glass box and the Prince (is this a prince of a neighboring kingdom?) has heard stories of it. 

    And look! Prince No Name shows up singing, while the animals and dwarves keep vigil. He sees her lying there and just kisses her, right on the mouth. That is NOT OK. Who just sees a young girl sleeping or dead and just kisses her right on the mouth. They didn't even know each other! They sang one song together, a few days ago. 

    • True Love's Kiss saves the day✔️

    Snow White runs off with him. Well, she hops on his horse, and he leads the horse off into the sunset. 

    Arbitrary Score: 

    5/10. I thought it dragged on, and on, and on. The artwork was excellent, and thinking about how they animated it without the technology we have today was pretty cool. The "story" is barely a story. The dwarves make me uncomfortable, in a "is this still OK" kind of way.  The background music is well done. 

    I could see a modern remake being a thing, though. They would have to actually film the backstory, make the "dwarves" either actual children, or explain why a group of people (there are seven of them, they don't all have to be men. You could have men, women, and non-binary, as long as they have actual names) live together in the woods. Maybe she just stumbled upon an actual mining operation? Snow White and Seven Miners? Let Snow White have a female friend that she talks to about being hunted by the Queen Regent. Have a conversation when the Queen and Snow White talk to each other or fight or whatever. And let's have the Prince just hold her hand, or figure out a different way to bring her out of the coma, and a back story where they had been seeing each other in secret for a while. 

     

  2. HerNameIsBuffy
    Latest Entry

    I am helping my daughter plan her wedding and with every discussion about the dress, flowers, reception, etc. FJ lives in my head! 

    Karma for my having enjoyed snarking on the Nurptials so much!  I don't really know what I'm doing so just hoping to be a better Mother of the Bride than JRod.  I'm already behind since I don't have any pictures of them teetering back into a fountain nor did I buy an engagement bench.  In my own defense I don't chaperone my daughter and her finance since they have jobs and their own house.

    She found THE dress...  should I have a modesty panel sewn in, or just have her wear a white t-shirt underneath?

    Spoiler

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    She's chosen which of my tiaras she wants to wear and she picked my first choice too!  We have very similar taste so this is extra fun.   The cat being kind enough to model this is Griffin.

    Spoiler

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    And we have the church....

    Spoiler

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    And we have the restaurant for the reception.  I jokingly asked if she wanted root beer floats in the parking lot and she asked if I was okay, because it's only really a joke if the other person knows what you're talking about.  She does however want a dessert bar with ice cream but her finance really wants a wedding cake.  They compromised and will be doing both.

    They still need to set a date, but the church and restaurant have a lot of open availability this summer into it shouldn't be a problem.

    Fun things to come;  Bridesmaids dresses, bridesmaids gifts, flowers, the cake, tasting, jewelry, invitations, hair, makeup.

    Things to come that are very much not fun:  Finalizing his side of the guest list, groomsmen suits, hiring photographer, learning how to do those tulle bows on the pews, mother of the bride dress.

     

  3. clueliss
    Latest Entry

    By clueliss,

    I posted this in the coloring club (or whatever it's called).  But I'm conducting a bit of an experiment since I've managed to find my way to where I can post a blog entry.  (it doesn't appear as an option now under Create - well it does but it comes up blank)

    This is my most recent project.  I've got a couple of smudges that make me batty when I see them.  Otherwise, I've very happy with how this turned out. IMG_20190317_064139.jpg.a2378d5049d788552f19f741c3dbfaab.jpg 

     

  4. I felt weird thinking the phrase, but the early days of parenthood were a real baptism of fire. I knew a few other women who were having their first at around the same time as me, but I definitely felt "different" having two. There was also the fact that many people who were God-fearing Christians like us believed that women should do pretty much everything in terms of childcare, and the men just had to do stuff like lead family Bible time. Some had twins, but they weren't a couple's first child so older siblings could help. I was so grateful that Hugo was so willing to help out.

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    I also constantly felt like I might do something wrong. Whenever I needed to bathe the girls, I was always checking the temperature with my elbow, even whilst whichever twin was being bathed was giggling away, clearly completely content with the water temperature.

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    I came to realise, though, that many of my worries were just "new parent worries" and that everything would be fine; God was in control.

    There were things about parenting that I didn't like, one of them being tummy time. It wasn't because I found it boring or hated interacting with Martha and Rachel, but they seemed to both hate it. I didn't know if it was uncomfortable for them or if they were just frustrated at not being able to move.

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    There were times when both girls would sleep, and we would spend a little time together. I enjoyed working on my writing skills and Hugo would occasionally practise an instrument, or would play chess. 

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    The girls were progressing every day. Soon both girls gained the ability to sit up by themselves and were able to start eating solids.

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    It was always adorable to watch the girls playing side-by-side; it reminded me of my own childhood.

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    Winter came around, and snow lay thickly on the ground. I wrapped up warmly and went outside to make a snowman, thinking about the days when the girls would be old enough to join in.

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    One of the biggest milestones was when the girls finally learnt to crawl. They were able to get around under their own steam! But it also made me realise how big they were getting. Would God bless us again soon?

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    With the money we were earning, we were able to afford more appliances for the kitchen. The homemade margherita pizza, fresh out of the pizza oven, was one of the tastiest things I'd ever eaten.

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    All too soon, it seemed, the girls became toddlers, and time for Hugo and I to enter another new season of life.

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  5. Ugh.  Looks like we're going to get slammed this weekend with multiple snow events.

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    Several chances for impactful snow return to the forecast over the next few days. The first chance arrives late Thursday into Friday morning and the second, stronger storm system by Sunday.

    Both the have the potential to create travel hazards, so we have deemed both Friday and Sunday Weather Warn Days.

    A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for counties surrounding I-94 including all of the metro Thursday night into Friday morning.

    After a short break on Saturday, a stronger, wetter system is in the forecast Sunday into early next week. This one has the potential to drop a good amount of snow, but questions still remain. There is a lot of uncertainty regarding when/if we transition to a rain/snow mix or even rain. The later that transition happens, the more snow we'll see.

    I was hoping we'd get out of the winter season without having any more snow but I guess that won't be the case.

  6. Imrlgoddess
    Latest Entry

    He's 5.

    A whole 5 years old! Hims a chonky baby still living in the house with Princess. Life, money & health have all slowed the renovation process.

    We're in& out pretty much every day whether it's to clean or visit them or deal with things that are stashed inside. 

    He got yum yums & extra cuddles today.

     

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  7. Hey, look, I’ve got a blog here (that I’ve serious ignored).  And rather than start new topics in stuff that intrigues mr, why not used said blog.

    origins of the Protestant reformation.  includes maps. 
     

     

  8. crazydaffodil
    Latest Entry

    Really good point!

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    Just sayin...

  9. I haven't felt much like posting picture of the day entries recently for some reason, but my husband just scanned this one for me and I really like how it turned out so was motivated to post today.

    I did this one with prismacolor premier colored pencils.  I did use blending with the big flowers.  The rest is just plain old coloring.

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  10. Full disclosure: I am 100% Anti HOA. There are no  arguments that will ever change my mind on this. This may or may not be relevant in a few minutes. 

    Over the weekend, I noticed that my "Next Door" app was "blowing up" (by that, I mean, there were multiple reports and people were posting on it.)  We have a local person who started a couple of facebook groups and volunteer groups to help people find their missing dogs and cats. (We have a separate one for birds.) The dog/cat rescue people have been searching (and receiving tips) about a missing Aussie for a few weeks now. I've seen the signs.  

    Someone on ND posted a plea for people to start taking down the signs. He said they were making the neighborhood "trashy" and then he called the pet owners "crazy" and that the dog must be dead. I voted to remove his post because it was mean and ridiculous and the pet group has permission to put up signs. They are still getting tips, and it's likely that the dog has been stolen, or is being cared for by someone who doesn't know it belongs to a family, or the dog is just in survival mode. There are enough people around here that leave out food when they see animals that it's not impossible for the dog to still be alive. 

    Someone had screencapped the post and shared that with a plea to not take down the signs. You'd think that would be the end of it. Nope. Going on day four or five of this. Someone filmed two women taking down signs. The women didn't want to be filmed and one assaulted the photographer. People are arguing and getting passionate about their hatred for a couple of missing pet signs. Which then causes the normal people who have hearts and compassion and aren't just walking bags of disaster to tell them why they are being jerks. Now people are citing state laws and municipal code.  Supposedly there are news stories looking for the women who stole the signs. 

    And there are still people whining about how "trashy"  and "bad" the signs make the neighborhood look. The signs come down eventually. They are laminated. These are probably the same people who want to live in HOAs and have their house look identical to their neighbors and choose between three different shades of white for their mailboxes, while taking away resources from the rest of the city, forcing more people to have to choose between ugly pre-planned neighborhoods controlled by over-zealous people who care what color your flowers are and will put a lien on your house for daring to use the front yard you paid for as a yard. 

    Anyway, this last year has shown me a lot of the misplaced passion in my municipality. For years, it seemed like no one really cared about anything. But then Covid hit, and suddenly there are people being outspoken about the most bizarre things. Somehow wearing masks is an agenda by our progressive assembly to take away rights. Missing pet posters are a scourge and people just need to let their pets die, I guess. Anti-cat people posting about how much they hate cats when no one brought up cats in the first people.  Opening a homeless shelter in an unused building is hurting people who make $100,000 a year, somehow, I don't know. 

    Have people always been this selfish and they just didn't talk about it? Is there some sort of collective unconscious that's making people just lose their minds at the most bizarre things? Are we all just stressed and acting out by focusing on weird things?  

  11. Destiny
    Latest Entry

    By Destiny,

    It grieves us to share that long time poster and helpmeet @Arete has passed due to complications from cancer.

    Arete joined FJ in 2012 and described herself as "I'm in my early 40s, live in the Northeast US, and work as an ebil scientist. Born and raised Greek Orthodox Christian, and still am, got to have my smells and bells in congregational prayer. Politically liberal."

    She was glad to provide information about her church, her experiences in gardening, and her Greek family traditions.

    In respect for her family's privacy, we won't be sharing any additional details, but we know you will join us in honoring the memory of a graceful woman.

  12. This week I have accomplished something great, HUGE even:

    I have finally found shoes that don't make my little toes feel like they somehow missed their amputation appointment.

    Color - check
    Ease of purchase - check
    Ability to reorder 1000000 pairs at once - near check (I actually want to wear them a bit more first to make sure they'll hold up ok).
    No attack of the allergies while shopping - check
    NO squished painful toes! - CHECK!

    You have no idea how happy I am about this. YEARS and MANY shoes of attempted this made me wonder if it might be impossible without emptying my bank account. Apparently it IS possible. YAY! I'm so happy. I once found a pair of shoes when I was really desperate that were good, except they were something like 5 times my budget at the time which wasn't really possible.

    So, long live internet shopping and long may I be able to purchase shoes with free return, and no import taxes.

    (and may internet shopping greatly improve. I got my feet scanned so I could find out what shoes would fit best and the damn thing won't even tell me that. I have to look at each individual shoe *sigh* At least the scan did inform me that I have WIDE feet, and thus I'm not imagining that ;) )
     

    The search for work/formal shoes/boots continues. I ordered some 'wide' ankle boots online. People complained in the reviews that they were too wide. I try them on and was so terribly terribly saddened. I'm not sure how much foot binding those reviewers did in their youth, but those boots made me want to get rid of 2 full toes spread over 3 toes, on each foot. They were NOT wide enough. I guess the bonus was I could actually squeeze my feet into the boots. There have been times in the last five years and the 100s or possibly 1000s of shoes/boots tried on, where it just wasn't possible to do that.

    And I guess while I talk about footwear, it's time I got some new gardening shoes. I don't know what I want, or how to find cheap enough footwear that'll fit, is sturdy enough and won't get full of dirt every time I step outside (ok ok, today it was manure and dirt)

    Then I might need some gumboots , and I'll be sorted for the next 20 years. One may dream right?

  13. Tonight's song I've been listening to over and over is "I'm Not the Man" by Ben Folds. I am basically trying to find every live version I can on youtube. I have been obsessed with this song since the album came out. It gives me a lump in my throat when I listen to it sometimes. In February, I'll be seeing Ben live with a local orchestra. I have no clue if he'll play this one but I might go a bit crazy if he does.

    A lovely live version is behind the spoiler tag.

    Spoiler

     

    In high school, I liked the song "Brick" by Ben Folds Five.  But I never really listened to Ben Folds much until around maybe 2010 or so. Since then, I've been kind of obsessed. I listen to him almost every single day. I'm not sure if that's healthy or not...ha! He just has so many great songs. The one I posted above is from his most recent album. I've only seen him perform live once in 2012. We're finally seeing him again next year and I am so freaking excited about it. As dumb and cliche and it sounds....his music has really helped me get through tough times. This won't be the last Ben song I post here.

  14. The Long Dark is a first-person survival simulation video game by a Canadian company called Hinterland. It's currently in alpha release (available on Steam for both PC and X box platforms), so there are constant changes, updates, and tweaking. The game is frequently updated with new areas, new mechanics,and new looks/feels.

    The setting is the frozen far-north Canadian wilderness after some kind of freak global disaster (currently not much info is yet available about that). So, there's no electricity or anyone else around (which they capture really well with an isolated/desolate feel to the game--you're on your own!), and you have to scavenge food, water, clothing, and other resources that will keep you alive all while protecting yourself from the elements.

    Oh, and the wolves. And did I mention the bears? Yeah, those godless killing machines, too.

    Currently, there are only 2 modes available:

    • "Sandbox"--you have the freedom to explore the world as you wish, with the goal being to survive as long as you can. And when you die, it's perma-death. No saves for you! (This perma-death/no save feature really pissed me off when the game glitched out on my longest survival run yet--529 in-game days, which put me on the leaderboard on Steam in the 42nd place).
    • "Challenge"--you can choose two pre-set challenges and try to beat the clock to accomplish the set goals (Oh, and watch out for that bear on "The Hunted, Part 1," because it's a bitch).

    There will eventually be a "Story" mode that will provide an RPG-type experience (and will allow saving, from what I understand), but that is still in development. I think the first chapter is due to be released sometime in the next month or couple of months.

    Let's take a look at just a few visuals, because the game is pretty visually stunning.

    Here's a gorgeous sunset over a frozen lake in an area called "Mystery Lake." There's a lot of walking, climbing, running, hiding (and falling and starving and freezing and dying) through these beautiful landscapes.

    Spoiler

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    A more typical snowscape, with a peach-tinged sunrise in the background.

    Spoiler

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    Here, I was trying to make it to a safe location in the dead of night, and turned around to catch the moon rising in between some stark trees.

    Spoiler

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    Here's a typical shelter that provides refuge from the cold (and usually food, drink, and supplies). Actually, this is one of the swank digs in the game. A lot of the time you're kickin' it in a quonset hut, a little shack, or even a cave. Hell, I've been caught up in blizzards when out running for supplies and had to make due with a hollowed out tree. Oh, and there are also some "prepper caches" hidden in two of the maps, so you can luck out and find some really good stores of supplies.

    Spoiler

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    There are currently 5 well-developed play areas (Coastal Highway, Mystery Lake, Pleasant Valley, Desolation Point, and Timberwolf Mountain), with more (from what I know) still in development. You can do fun (or terrifyingly dangerous, depending on your level of adrenaline junkiness) things like rappel down mountains, climb up mountains, ice fish (there are some cool little ice fishing huts on the frozen lakes), or try to find the wreckage of your airplane to scavenge for supplies.

    You can also trap rabbits, hunt wolves (usually *they're* hunting *you*, though), or hunt bears, and their skins can be made into useful clothing that can mean the difference between freezing to death and being toasty warm as you explore the landscape.

    I have been greatly enjoying it, and even though it's still only in alpha release and Sandbox mode is the most in-depth game play mode right now, I haven't yet gotten tired of it. Well, not *too* tired of it. They just recently did an update, so that's made me a pretty happy camper.

    I plan to post more (I've got some more interesting screenshots and will probably post a couple "Day in the Life Of" type posts), but here's a video of the most recent update, which will give you a feel for what the game looks like in action:

     

  15. Keeping Up With The Dunkels - Chapter 14: Dunkels Double Date

     

     

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    Back at the Miceli's, Hobart brought his doctor friend home for dinner again one night, and one of Adalyn's sisters just happened to be visiting to help with the baby.

     

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    Wow! Aimee Joy and Christian seemed to be hitting it off! "What do you think about an ice cream sundae reception?" she asked him.

     

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    "Huh? That's crazy."

    Hmm... maybe not.

     

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    Uh oh... is there trouble at Adam and Mehrissa's new house?

     

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    Nope! Apparently when you adopt a pet, the police are nice enough to bring it over. Er... sure. Why question it? Adam and Mehrissa's boys had been begging for a pet for ages, and their parents finally decided to get them a little puppy named Bear. Aww!

     

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    With Mehrissa expecting another (hopefully) tiny blessing, it sure was going to be a full house soon! She wore her hot pink maternity pajamas, hoping God might take the hint.

     

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    Not long after Aimee Joy was introduced to Hobart's doctor friend Christian Cwik, Anna Grace started talking to another young man from church, Waylon Menon. She was a little worried when he expressed his admiration for women who kept in shape - that wasn't her at all! But it COULD be her! 

     

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    After Waylon left, Anna Grace jumped right on that treadmill. She got off to a rocky start, but she purposed to work out every single day, determined to win Waylon's affections, and soon she was physically fit!

     

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    "Wow, I can tell you're a young lady with a heart for the Lord, who also LOVES to lift!" Waylon exclaimed, impressed, and promptly went to talk to her brother to see if he could start a group text.

     

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    *To the tune of Butterfly Kisses* "I know the cake looks funny, Daddy... but I sure tried!

    Oh... wait... my daddy's dead. And he wasn't my real daddy, anyway. Oh well."

    :pb_eek:

     

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    Guess what? Christian and Aimee Grace Joy (I am seriously surprised I don't mess up these names more often, folks) may have gotten off on the wrong foot (seriously, ladies, enough with the ice cream sundaes), but soon they were getting along just fine. In fact, little adopted brother Alexander was only too happy to chaperone as they started an OFFICIAL COURTSHIP!

     

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    Aimee Joy was thrilled that her educated and employed suitor took her out on nice dates (don't worry, the chaperones are right there at the next table). She didn't mind at all that he had a gay brother in the city. What was one gay brother?! They were totally in sync on everything. They even discussed the sort of house they would move to if, Lord willing, they got married!

     

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    Anna Grace wasn't far behind her twin sister. Her dates with Waylon were a little more low key, but she didn't mind at all. She was more than happy to show off her homemaking skills by impressing him with the most complicated meal any of her sisters had ever made: spaghetti and meatballs.

     

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    Both sisters were totally sure they had found the men they were going to marry! FINALLY!!! Being single in your mid-20s is such a trial, ya'll!

     

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    Back in the Big Scary City... Abigail was still fuming about the way Gilbert had treated her. She decided she was finally going to take the plunge and try online dating.

     

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    Her first date was with a firefighter in a trench coat. She thought that was kind of weird, and she'd had bad luck with guys in trench coats - plus, all she could keep thinking about was how mad she was at Gilbert. But she decided to give trench coat man 3.0 a shot anyway.

     

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    Sadly he turned out to be totally meh. All he could talk about was himself, and Abigail found herself far more interested in the basketball game on TV than him. She didn't even like sports!

     

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    A couple weeks later, she had another date lined up with a guy named Neil. This guy seemed much more promising. He looked normal, didn't wear a trench coat, and didn't try to jump into bed with her on the first date (which is a good thing, since Abigail is still trying to get over her fundie upbringing and hasn't had the best of luck with dudes and, er, hasn't even kissed a guy yet. Shh...)

     

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    WHAT FRESH HELL IS THIS.

    Abigail and Neil planned to meet up for another date the following week. When he texted her to let her know he was outside, she asked him to come in, because she was going to be about another five minutes getting ready. But when he walked in the door, he was dressed like THAT.

    "Um, hey Neil, what's up with the outfit?" she asked with a light laugh, trying not to show her alarm. "Are you in a play tonight or something?"

    "What? Nope, 'course not. I'm taking you out on a date. This is just how I dress. Haha! I know it may seem weird, but I'm part of a plant-worshiping group and we have to dress like this to do our rituals. It's not a big deal, we just have sexual intercourse with plants to gain their leafy powers for ourselves. I was hoping you'd come to tonight's meeting with me."

     

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    Abigail kindly asked him to leave.

    "Fuck you, Gilbert!" she thought to herself, as Neil walked out the door. Some misdirected anger there, I think, but okay.

     

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    Things were going much better back at the Dunkel homestead. The twins' suitors coordinated between themselves to do a... double proposal! Oh my gosh! How sweet and how neat! 

     

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    Aimee Joy and Anna Grace were absolutely ecstatic. This time they both say, "YES!" Looks like there's a double wedding in the (VERY NEAR) future!

     

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    NIKE! Don't worry, Cara was alone in the privacy of her beige bedroom as she celebrated her third pregnancy. #Blessed!

     

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    Adam and Mehrissa's boys were growing up. So far little Bryson was the only one with Mama's colouring.

     

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    Bear grew up too! Good dog.

     

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    Addyson liked to escape the Dunkel homestead now and then to visit her cousins' house, where there were only six people and a dog.

     

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    Happy Birthday, Braydon! Time for a haircut, I think, little buddy.

     

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    Much better!

     

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    Just as Mehrissa put Bryson down for his afternoon nap, she went into labour for the fifth time. This labour was the fastest yet, and they didn't even have a chance to call the midwife! Thankfully that baby just slid right out of her, a mere 10 pounds even, and she was back on her feet making tater tot casserole that very same night! Meet...

     

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    Brody Dunkel! Yep. It's another boy. Sorry Mehrissa - maybe next time! I mean, look on the bright side. There will definitely be a next time.

     

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    Adalyn was soooooo enjoying being a mommy. It was the most precious thing ever! As she watched her little David grow into a toddler, all she could think of was how much he looked like his daddy. Where was Hobart, anyway?

     

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    Out schmoozing, it seems. Look, the man is a DOCTOR, he has to make connections in the community. He can't be expected to sit around at home with his wife and kid all day. How else is he supposed to provide for them? And yes, he's at a disreputable establishment with GAMBLING, but that's where the work luncheon was held. He can't help that, can he?

     

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    Okay, I know this looks bad, but Dr. Amanda [mumbled last name] is European, okay? It would be the height of rudeness not to greet her with a kiss!

     

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    But it seems Hobart tried to do a little more than greet her, if you know what I mean. To her credit, she was having none of it. "Are you crazy, Hobart?" she exclaimed. "I know you're married! We're standing outside your own house, for God's sake! I'm out of here."

    Hobart could only hope that this little 'misunderstanding' wouldn't get spread around town by his colleague...

     

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    Meanwhile, inside the house, Adalyn was about to welcome their second precious blessing! "Hobart! Hobart?! Where are you?!" she called. 

     

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    Oh well. Adalyn was sure he'd be along to welcome his newborn daughter Daisy to the world eventually.

     

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    A few days later, Abigail was surprised to see Hobart out and about downtown, and at the sort of establishment fundies usually steered clear of. "Hobart? What're you doing here?" she asked. "Didn't Adalyn just have a baby?"

     

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    Hobart laughed her off and told her he was there for a 'work event', but she watched in consternation as he sat down to play poker with some strange women, who seemed more than a little interested in how much money a doctor of his calibre made.

     

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    Guess who? While Abigail was out and about and worrying about her brother-in-law, her "ex-boyfriend" Gilbert showed up outside her house AGAIN. Good thing she wasn't there to see him, because there might have been a throw down, and not in a sexy way.

     

    So long for now! Hope you enjoyed today's update. Check back soon for... a Dunkel Double Wedding! And so much more. Maybe a Dunkel restraining order, too (take a hint, Gilbert)!

  16. Here is the post about our second and last day with Kiki. We picked her up at around 10am, the Grandma gave her to us, because her foster mama was at work. We decided to drive into the little town first and go to our apartment after.

    We walked around the pedestrian zone, went into the tourism office, a few stores and whatnot. She was the star once again. First a mail lady stopped and talked to us and her, then another older couple. The wife was afraid of dogs, but she was okay with Kiki.

    Kiki showed her cheeky personality too. Her foster mum does not allow her to jump up and down the stairs, but on our way back to the car she literally jumped on every little step (not really stairs, just a small step in front of stores due to the old buildings) and she was so happy doing that. We noticed that a few hours later. Haha! Good thing we only have her for a few days and are allowed to be a bit more relaxed about rules and treats.

    We went to the apartment to have tea and coffee and rested for a bit on our bed afterwards. She was allowed to join us (big sister is also allowed to join us in the bed here at home) and she had the best time. She rolled on her back and snuggled with us.

    We decided to go out once again and so we drove to a pet store and a hardware store. She was perfect again in both stores. Especially seeing her walking around the big hardware store was amazing. She acted like she lives there. Really confident in herself. The automatic doors were also no problem. In the pet store we put her in a dog bag and a dog stroller to test how she would look like in them and she let us do it with her.

    And that was the last day. We don't know yet when we will be able to visit her again. Maybe in April/May? We are already planing what we are going to do with her.?

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  17. I'm making my first attempt to cook rice in my Instant Pot. I am completely incapable of making rice that isn't either mush or crunchy, no matter what I do. Here's what I have done so far:

    1 c. wild rice

    2 c. water

    1tsp better than bullion veggie because it sounded good.

    1tsp. butter

    Put in pot and set to 25 min per https://www.platingsandpairings.com/cook-perfect-rice-instant-pot/.

    Prayed Rufus' blessing on my endeavour.

    Blogged about it on FJ. Updates to follow.

  18. Welcome back to 66 Goodbook Avenue! 

    Year 23, 2032, was a big year for the Edens! Well, for some Edens.

    First up, Elsie, our auxiliary Eden. Even though she's still nervous about alcohol she took a class on Mixology and received a promotion for her efforts! She is now head caterer. Yay! She also went out with some coworkers and acquaintances after work. Despite the Woman In Overalls From the Vet's Office being real cute, Elsie didn't make any big connections, but was still happy she put herself out there.

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    And Romano Johnson finally finished his science project! He was so so proud. An almost-Eden getting extra credit in a science class?! Amazing. 

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    Now onto the Edens proper. Proverb Eden, #17, was born Feb 2031, and despite plenty of God-honoring, Biblical fellowship,

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    Eva's womb remained closed throughout 2031 AND all of 2032. Since Eva was 41 during Proverb's birth, her fertility decreased again to 20% (Try For A Baby success was set at 80% ages 20-35, and at 50% 35-40). She's still got a shot at 1-2 more Edens before her cutoff at 45, but time is ticking! 

    Unfortunately, Adam and Eva still have 17 children! In 2032 Ruth, now 14, finally got her teenage birthday celebration (a full year late) #eighthchildproblems! She's the one who started growing her hair out for Nathan Bates 10 years ago, and I'm pleased to report she sports a shorter, more natural 'do now. She's very artsy and loves painting and design. (Oh! And Jesus. Naturally.)

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    Proverb also aged up into a toddler but no one knows anything about her or even took a picture because #seventeenthchildproblems. Maybe Eva will start paying more attention now that Proverb might actually be the caboose on this crazy train.

    Favored first child Genesis had a milestone year as well. She was promoted to the intermediate course for music education (level 2 of entertainer career) and licensed her first song! It was a haunting melody entitled "Smelly and Unlovely." shiver 

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    We'll get to #2 in a bit (giggle), but what about #3, Leviticus? Well there were ups and downs. He attempted to make dinner for the  family, but that's wimin's work!!! How could he have known to keep watching the oven?

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    This time it was not Genesis, but a different Eden daughter (Deuteronomy, #5) who extinguished the blaze. You go girls!

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    But back to Levi. He and Exodus met up with younger bro Judges (#7) at ALERT Academy for some Manly Bonding. Behold the ALERT campus.

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    Note: I didn't make this. I downloaded this "military barracks" from the Sims gallery. And filled it with fundie men including Kyle Vera and now Judges Eden.

    Exodus, Leviticus, and Judges punched bags and swam in basement pools as only Godly Young Men can do. It's nice that Judges isn't totally banished. 

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     And the reason for this Manly Men's retreat? Exodus was soon to be a groom.

    Exodus, 20, was set to marry Maya Mahan, newly 19. They courted for two years and were childhood friends. Maya is a creative, geeky young lady who loves the outdoors, painting, her infant brother, and her parents. (Oh yeah. And Jesus.) And while no one bothered to learn Maya's last name during the courtship, it turns out the Mahans were LOADED. Maya's childhood home was so beautiful...

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    That it made a lovely spot for a wedding!

    Maya got ready for the big day in her childhood bedroom. How very symbolic. (The baby is legitimately her brother! No shenanigans here) 

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    But what emerged from the house was no longer a child, but a beautiful bride. In the Mahan's culture, white is the color of mourning, but Maya also wanted to respect the Eden's dress standards and compromised with this absolutely lovely bridal gown.

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    The wedding was beautiful!

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    (Note that Maya, typically with a pixie cut, grew out her hair the tiniest bit in another compromise, but she still looks stunning. You guys, I think I have a crush on a digital woman.)

    Elsie was even the caterer!

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    After the wedding, the new Mr. and Mrs. Eden went on their honeymoon to Granite Falls! Since they fell in love under the stars in Salvadorada and were engaged on a camping trip, it made sense to honeymoon in the great outdoors as well. 

    It was a cozy little one-bedroom without a stove or even hot shower,

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    But that didn't stop them from enjoying Exodus-prepared BLTs together.

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    And even though Exodus kept getting distracted by the first tv he's ever been allowed to watch,

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    he was still more than ready to enjoy all the benefits of marriage with his bride.

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    And unless the Lord intervened, there would be a very low chance of a Honeymoon Blessing. At least for tonight...

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    ...

    ...

    ...

    And while a few more things happened at the very end of 2032, I think I'll save them for next entry as that was a lovely place to end. Congratulations to Exodus and Maya and until next time, Edens out!

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  19. This fucking summer. This fucking year, really. So. My marriage, which limped along while I was super depressed because I just didn't care, is really rocky right now. I'm not sure he knows that it's total shit- I think he thinks everything is great. I mean, I finally stopped nagging him. I'm just really quiet all the time. I never ask him to do anything around the house anymore and just do it all myself. Because I'm fucking tired of having to tell a grown man, over and over and over again, that he needs to put effort into his own life outside of work. For the first time in a long time I'm thinking about the future and I'm just exhausted by the thought of however many more decades with him. I get one life and I'm not sure I want to spend it as someone's damn live-in help- there is no mystical property of a penis that prevents the owner of said genitals from cleaning the shower once in a fucking while, without being reminded six times, and without whining about it.

    It all came to a head when one of his friends (who, silly me, I thought was my friend too- hahaha, no) told him that he's avoiding me on purpose (we're next door neighbors, it was getting pretty weirdly obvious) because he's got some Mike Pence flavored asshole ideas about the world. Well, the dude didn't acknowledge his own Mike Penceness, just said that he won't be alone with his friends' wives*. Like, what the fuck, dude, I'm a PERSON. I'm a PERSON. I don't BELONG to my husband, and I don't just drop my fucking pants every time I'm alone in a room with someone! As a matter of fact, the vast majority of times I have ever been alone with another human being, I was wearing my pants the whole time. The whole time!

    *I'll note that this rule was clearly not in existence last year, before I lost 50 pounds.

    Believe it or not I swallowed my rage (it took some serious swallowing) and did not make him eat his own mailbox. See? Agency. Choices. Not ruled by my emotions/gonads/instincts. Almost like I'm people or something.

    Like, holy shit guys, I'm being treated like I'm an appliance with tits by basically all sides these days. This sucks and MANY things officially tasted better than thin feels.

  20. Until recently, I foolishly assumed that since the laundry area shelves and brackets were 1.5 inch thick solid wood, that they had been properly anchored to the wall by the previous owners.

    Long story short, they weren't! :angry-cussingblack:

     They are now, and I'm extremely grateful that no one was hurt when one of the brackets holding up a fully loaded shelf pulled itself out of the wall. :pray: 

    Everyone, please check to make sure your shelves are secure! 

  21. Hello all! Here are some pupdates!

    Since last time, we were able to get into contact with quite a few breeders. Unfortunately, no one had any puppies recently but some had upcoming litters for late fall and early next year. We were waiting on word for 2 littlers in late October. Unfortunately, we did not get off the waiting list for those litters. I was deeply disappointed. I mean, we've been waiting for this for 10 years! And our next best bet was going to be Spring 2024. That seemed so far away. 

    In the meantime, I decided to keep researching and joining groups, and seeing what other breeders may have been missed in the first search that people had good things to say about and were legitimate. Well, this week I decided to revisit the website of a much-loved breeder a few hours away. Last time I had checked, there were no available puppies or any news posted on their website. My heart filled with joy as I saw the news of a newly born litter! 2 puppies were born in the color we wanted. Both had previously been reserved, but for some reason, the female buyer had fallen through and she was available! I instantly got into contact with the breeder and filled out a questionnaire. The next day, we were chatting over facebook. Confirmed the little girl was still available and breeder accepted our application. We completely paid for her in full!

    OUR BABY COMES HOME LATE DECEMBER/EARLY JANUARY!

    We need to go pick her up. She is a good few hours away, but we were more than willing to take the time to go get her. So we will be doing a little post-Christmas roadtrip. 🥰She is very adorable with bi blue coloring. Anticipated having heterochromia eyes. Yes, we initially wanted a boy but after our initial disappointments of not having a single puppy in the previous litters for us, we decided we no longer cared about boy/girl. We are just excited to be puppy parents! Home prep in overdrive for the holidays! 

  22. As I may have mentioned before, I am not a morning person. As the kids' summer break from school has gone on, they and I have been going to sleep a bit later and yet later than we should. :pb_redface: Our travel plans wisely took this into account.

    So, day 1 of our trip did not start early. We got up at about our usual time, and I packed for myself and the 2 kids while my DH swiftly packed for himself. We then travelled about 30 minutes and then stopped for a meal and a full tank of gas. (This is also the first trip that we've taken as a family when I have done the majority of the driving. My only requirement of my husband was that he do all the "big city" driving.)

    On the plus side, we only had a 4 to 5 hour drive to our hotel in the beautiful Wallowa Valley (Oregon). On the minus side, the only picture I got that day was at a rest area:

    20160725_175549.jpg

    By the time we got to Wallowa Lake, it was dark, all the lovely scenery was not visible, and the hotel registration desk was closed. (We did see a deer by the side of the road in the dark. Fortunately, it stayed on the side of the highway.) On a different plus side, the hotel staff were trusting enough to leave our room key where we could get it and have a nice night's sleep. Thus ended day 1 of the WWJCD family trip. (royal flourish)

  23. Hey everyone! In advance of Thanksgiving, I thought I'd share a family turkey recipe! Fair warning, this takes FOREVER to cook. I do it in advance of the big day.  Enjoy.

    Sauce: Enough for or a 15 pound turkey or smaller  

    Ingredients:

    Relajo (spice mix).. you can find this at some Mexican grocery stores in a little baggie or make your own

    ---chile ciruela

    ---chile wake

    ---ajonjoli

    ---pepitoria

    ---laurel

    ---ajo

    3 chopped onions

    2 Red bell peppers chopped

    1/2 small can tomato paste 

    12 peeled tomatoes (from a can, buy two large cans and use 12, plus juice)

    2 cartons Chicken stock

     

    Directions:

    Toast the relajo on a frying pan until its fragrant 

    Cook the onions until transluesent, add bell peppers and relajo

    IMG_1503.thumb.jpg.193c5d9d8f475e0516fcddc3d11348c3.jpg

    Add tomatoes and tomato juice 

    Cook low and bubbly for 30 min 

    Blend the sauce as fine as possible (you can use regular blender, but let it cool before blending, or immersion blender)

    Add half carton of chicken stock and cook for 20 min

    Get another pot. Place a fine strainer over the empty pot, and slowly strain the sauce into the pot using a spoon to push the sauce against the strainer and squeeze as much juice out as possible. This juice should be thin and red. Place the pulp into a bowl and repeat until all the thick blended sauce is strained.

    Now take the pulp and put it back in the original pot, adding another half carton of stock. Cook for 20 min.

    Repeat the straining. Cook one more time with more broth. Strain again. (so three rounds of cooking and straining)

    You can throw away the pulp, and what you have left in the pot is your sauce! Season to taste. If its too sour, mix in some brown sugar

    IMG_1509.thumb.jpg.f79d9341883e7065a101a270de8be7bb.jpg

    For the turkey:

    Ingredients:

    ·      Butter

    ·      Mustard

    ·      Worcestershire sauce

    ·      1/2 cup white wine

    ·      Stuffed spanish olives

    ·      Capers

    ·      Salt

    ·      Pepper

    ·      Paprika

     

    Directions:

    The night before, poke the turkey with a fork. Rub the butter, mustard, and worcestershire sauce all over the turkey and get inside the skin

    Put the turkey in a pan with the sauce, olives and capers drained, white wine, paprika and cook in oven. 

    Make sure you baste often it while its cooking

     

    The sauce gets its final flavor from the turkey. After cooking with the turkey, it can be frozen used as sauce on other things.  Also, a good Salvadoran post-thanksgiving meal is pan con pavo/ pan con chumpe, which is a turkey sandwich with the sauce, radishes, and cucumbers. Use a crusty bread.

     

    Sauce can be made a week in advance, and keep in Tupperware in the fridge. Or freeze if holding for longer.

     

    Throwback to last year's stuffing recipe: 

     

     

  • Posts

    • Maggie Mae

      Posted

      14 minutes ago, treehugger said:

      And now they sound like my right-wing ring, extremist, conspiracy theorist, Trump loving Aunt. 
       

      The media has its issues, but there are still lots of responsible, serious journalists out there. 

      It's the all or nothing, black or white, orcs or Hobbits views. Or as a giant black dog once said, the world is not split into good people and death eaters. 

      The field of journalism has changed dramatically. But saying "they work for the rich" and are "sellouts" is so juvenile and lacks any sort of understanding of the state of the industry. 

      Calling people "sellouts" because they took or kept jobs when their peers and colleagues were being laid off is just cruel. It's also not that deep. Not everyone in journalism is into hard-hitting investigative journalism. There are sports writers and sports casters, arts and entertainment, political analysts, anchors, feature writers, food writers, etc. There's a former Attorney General who writes a garden column and occasionally a piece on local politics. I guess he's a "sellout" too, reminding us when to start our peonies and snap peas. 

      And beyond that, there are still plenty of people blogging and podcasts because they love it, while working their day jobs. Art wants to be a journalist who doesn't "sell out" or "work for the rich?" They can do what thousands of laid off journalists and start blogging. A recent political blog in my state sold for a few million and it brings in around $5 million annually. More in election years. It's a terrible example of journalism and responsibility, but the fact is that someone created it, created content, marketed it, and found readers and advertisers and managed to make money off of it. 

       

      • Upvote 1
    • BritishBabycatcher

      Posted

      Karissa Collins is having a boy 💙. What disastrous name will she chose.

       

    • FiveAcres

      Posted

      And the good ones get attacked from all sides if they don't promote the attacker's favorite conspiracy theory.

      • Upvote 1
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    • MariaariaM

      Posted

      I did learn about different orders. But using numerals from smaller numbers when you're writing out larger ones hurts my brain. Still: I learned something new today, thank you!

    • mango_fandango

      Posted

      Erica has two associations for me. One is Erika Shupe, and the other is that it was the name of the “Brown Owl” of my Brownie Guides group when I joined. Brown Owl is the traditional name given to the main leader of a Brownie unit here in the UK. I remember she always had her hair in a single long plait down her back.



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