Sunday, April 19, 2009

wherein i talk about my cheekies, soup, ants and a birthday party

i just biked a circuit of around 6 miles and my legs have that noticeable jello-ness to them. my butt is going to be hatin' in a few hours. the only real drawback to riding fixed gear is when i have to climb hills, that is not fun. and being as we live in an area that has a hill on the west side of every street, david was kind enough to change the gear to something easier. so tonight i decided to take it out and see how the new gearing was and i basically road down the hill to the alley near high street and back up all the way to indianola (1 mile each way) and so on and so forth. then i cut down calumet and rode over to near the co-op, down weber to indianola and rode that all the way back to my street. the hills made me feel pushed but not maxed out. it was a nice reprieve to go down hill one way but then pump it on the next street. but towards the end of the ride, around near studio 35 (2 miles away) i was feeling really crampy in my rear and was just ready to get home. i think ill keep this routine up a few times a week if i can and increase the number of streets i have to go up hills over time. i keep telling myself that i want to train for Awesomefest (which has a 30 mile ride) but today showed me without question that i've got a lonnnnng way to go. sparkpeople.com told me this route burned 150 calories. (that means i can eat chips tonight right?)

does anyone have a good tomato soup recipe they love? i'm trying to decide between this one and this one so far but im a big fan of knowing someone who has made things vs simply picking a recipe online (however well reviewed). i've asked three people already but no one has gotten back to me with a yay or nay.


the kids looking at ants in the kitchen

i've decided im done trying to be okay with the ants in my apartment. last year we were very anti-killing ants and just sort of let them exist along side of us. not that it was some rampant infestation but now i'm soo over even a mild presence. once i tried borax mixed with frosting because i heard the sweetness would lure them to their sugary deaths but it was met with mixed reviews. now i unapologetically hold the opinion that they just need to perish and get out off my laptop.

yesterday was the kid's birthday party and we all not only survived but had a good time. kids + pinata + costumes = instant fun!








cupcake pops win! my friend judy (who's basement i want to live in because she apparently has every conceivable baking or candy making accessory known to man...) lent me her "sucker tree"



oh and i think augustine has an ear infection, what a poor little guy! he woke up during his nap sobbing and sobbing. so he's now laying on a heating pad with mullein/olive oil/garlic in his ear watching cartoons with his lovey. i need to get him adjusted by my dad asap. pray my little guy feels better soon, please.

13 comments:

Kristin said...

Michelle has a really yummy tomato soup recipe that she wrote down for me once. I've never actually made it yet, but I still remember it from over 5 years ago! Maybe she still has it. If she doesn't I will dig it out of my recipe box for you.

Olive just gets prettier and prettier every day! :)

Anonymous said...

I have used vinegar to get rid of ants, seems to work and doesn't kill my kids! ... good luck

Doom For Darlings said...

I love the costume idea and LOVE the cupcake pops! They look absolutely fabulous, especially on the tree! What a fun party :)

MamaFeelgood said...

This is my tried and true tomato soup recipe.

Judy said...

This recipe is NOT anywhere near low fat. It is a soup from a well known restaurant in my hometown. People come from all over the area just to get a slurp of this soup. The outsiders don't know the recipe is out there. :)

8 0Z CREAM CHEESE
28 OZ TOMATO PUREE
1 LG ONION DICED SMALL
1 PT. HALD AND HALF
3 small CANS OF TOMATO SOUP or 1 large family size can

24 OZ V 8 JUICE
24 OZ TOMATO JUICE
or you can use....
1 48 OZ V 8 JUICE

3 tsp BASIL (I use fresh)
1 tsp Oregano (I use dried)
FRESH GARLIC to taste (I use about 4 tablespoons)
SALT AND PEPPER
1/2 STICK BUTTER-yikes.

PROCESS CREAM CHEESE AND TOMATO PUREE IN BLENDER, BLEND WELL.
COMBINE SOUP AND HALF AND HALF...Warm over stove. ADD CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE, ADD V8 Juice (and tomato juice if using the first option above)

SAUTE' ONIONS AND GARLIC IN THE BUTTER,,ADD TO SOUP. ADD THE BASIL AND SALT AND PEPPER
TO TASTE. COOK LOW IN CROCK POT FOR 3 HOURS. SERVE WITH MOZZERELLA CHEESE AND CROUTONS

Leanne said...

recently found your lovely blog. i dig reading about your life and your family. no soup recipes here - just wanted to say hi.

oh, and i don't believe killing any living thing... 'cept ants in the house. they must die! ahhhhhhhh!

Judy said...

Oh, I forgot...living in my basement may sound appealing, but I promise you...

it is not.
However, you (or others) may borrow anything, anytime. I love sharing. It makes buying justifiable..

ELINDSIAH said...

I've successfully repelled ants with peppermint & citronella oils on cotton balls placed around counters & corners of doors. Then I sprayed the edges of doors where I thought they were entering.

Leanne said...

ps - what kind of bike do you have?

Olive said...

bianchi

Alia said...

Ok--between...
*Olive's ladybug costume (the only tat I have is a LB),
*Your Olive Oil costume (which rocks), and
*The cupcake tree (Noah would drool)...
I am audibly squealing-in-delight in the middle of my office--which does nothing to help my covert blog reading, I might add!
:D

Jessy, Greg, Grace, Jack, Nora, and Lexi said...

Hey, just cruising through from Kristin's blog. About the ants....we have horrible horrible fire ants here in TX. Last summer we had a hill in our backyard probably 6 inches tall and 12 inches wide. It was like a scene from a killer ant movie in our back yard. Anyways, BABY POWDER kills them! We dumped a whole bottle on the huge hill and it completely took care of them. Later in the summer they started coming in the back door so we sprinkled some along the threshold. Took care of them immediately. The theory is that the talcum causes cuts on their feet so they steer clear of it. Good luck!

Olive said...

i also wonder if perhaps the powder causes a dehydration that leads to death? though now that i think about it their exoskeleton prevents that sort of permeation probably. i know that is how insecticidal soaps work - but they don't work on ants!

i have some powder left over from my kids babyhood. good tip!