Look Aunt Franny, I did it!

gnocchi

Definition: [NYOH-kee; NOH-kee] Italian for "dumplings," gnocchi can be made from potatoes, flour or farina. Eggs or cheese can be added to the dough, and finely chopped spinach is also a popular addition. Gnocchi are generally shaped into little balls, cooked in boiling water and served with butter and Parmesan or a savory sauce. The dough can also be chilled, sliced and either baked or fried. Gnocchi are usually served as a side dish and make excellent accompaniments for meat or poultry.

OK, so my sister and niece came to visit last week from Seattle. My sister has not seen our Sicilian grandmother since 1963, meaning she was only three when she saw her last. We decide to do a kamakazi trip up to New York to see our 95 year old Grandma. It was the BEST ROAD TRIP EVER!!! We drove 12 hours, got there too late to see Grandma, so we bunked up at a great hotel for the night. The next morning we call Grandma up, and start our usual chat. I hand the phone to my sister,pull up in Grandma's driveway, and ring her doorbell. She tells my sister, "Hold on honey, there's someone at my door." You should have seen her face! My grandmother never thought she'd have the opportunity to see my sister again. (that's a long story, too boring to tell) So we got to spend the day with her, and her daughter, my Aunt Franny, taught me how to roll a true gnocchi. Aunt Fran uses the roll it on the fork method. Grandma uses the thumb only method. It makes a more smooth, shell like gnocchi. Anyway, I will never forget standing next to my Auntie and learning to make a respectable gnocchi.
So anyone want to come to dinner, I am a gnocchi rollin-eestahhh!
And yes, that is my first one, captured for posterity.
We also brought back a 5 pound bucket of Grandma's meatballs that I wished would last forever...
P.S. Grandma also wears dangling earrings, blue jeans and uses Oil of Olay Night Firming Cream!

It ain't a roach...

just a lil' Palmetto bug. Or as we say here in the South...Palmettuh bug, or water bug. See, we don't have roaches in our immaculate homes.
Well, we are in the grips of a major drought, and with the plague comes the pestilence.These bugs are just in search of a little water. Too bad they tried coming into my home to find it.
Yes, they are big enough to put a saddle on, like anyone would do that. Thankfully, they do not 'infest' the home, but merely are passing through. This comes from a doctor at Duke, so it must be true. Too bad it decided to make a detour through Casa de Mah. And I might also add that I will not ever touch that quarter again.
So this little fella will go with the bat, in the chapter of my life called Varmints That Crossed My Threshold But Wished They Hadn't.
Norman Bates got nuthin' on me...

Where did all this junk come from?

OK, now I realize, these days you can't use the word 'junk' because it has so many interesting connotations. As in 'junk in the trunk' and 'that guy hit him in the junk'...
For all practical purposes here, junk is clutter.
We are getting our house ready to sell. This is huge for me, because I am a struggling paper-aholic. I am the collector of everyone's school work, on top of an out of control magazine habit. Then there's all the craft stuff from being in Primary for so long, Activity Day Girls leader and just being the mom of a small tribe.
So we are attacking one room at the time,trying to trash and Goodwill more than we box up to store. So far it is working well. Last night the hubby decided we would tackle our bedroom.
The bedroom is our oasis, or refuge. Everyone wants to hang out in our bedroom. So everything is in our bedroom. All the papers, magazines, crafts etc. Do you know that all the above are major dust collectors? Duh. There were enough dust bunnies to make a ward. Anyway,I am learning the difference between keep and toss. Not every item Sonny Boy has ever written needs to be saved for time and all eternity.
So room by room we are eating the elephant. After we de-clutter, it's on to painting. So why wouldn't someone want to buy my house with my pink bedroom walls???