Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Silly boys, girls can hunt too!

It's that time of year again. Everybody gets all bundled up in their camo pants and orange vests. They sit around a fire, smoke and frozen breaths billowing into the sky. They shiver uncontrollably as they dream of the perfect score. They picture something big and manly they can use to adorn the living room wall and brag about to all of their friends.

Well it occurred to me that girls can do this too! Why leave all the fun up to the smelly boys?? Here is the story of my first hunt!

It was a chilly October night. The wind was blowing. . . . . some random direction with a little bit of rain mixed in. I was wearing jeans and a hoodie. (A girl as cute as myself wouldn't be caught dead in camo and orange) It had been a long trek through the night finding other random items in the Winco jungle but I was ready for the big score!!

There he was, sitting tall on a cardboard box above all the others. He was beautiful! I couldn't wait to show him off to all my friends.

(This is a dramatization. Not actual picture of actual pumpkin)

This is where it gets a little gruesome but you are just gonna have to suck it up and deal with it. I have always thought it was cruel to just use the animal for bragging rights, you gotta use the whole thing! That is exactly what I did. So I slammed that big boy up on the table and pulled out my biggest knife. . . . . .

(Again. . . this was a little too crazy for mid-action photos. This ones a fake.)

Next came the messy part. Now I am not the type of mom to leave the kids out of the murder and mayhem. This was a family endeavor dang it!! "Kids you get in there and rip those guts out!!" This was new for them, they usually only paint the ones we bring home. Surprisingly they adjusted quickly and called it "him" the entire time!

We seperated the seeds to roast later. I didn't like them but the kids thought they were tasty. Just baked them with salt, pepper, and cumin.

Next I was going to create my "Dinner in a Pumpkin"

1 Medium pumpkin cleaned out and roasted for 45 minutes at 375
1.5 pounds Ground beef
1 medium onion chopped
1.5 Cups chopped mushrooms
1 Tbsp minced garlic
Salt, pepper, and cumin.
1 Cup chopped cilantro
1 Cup frozen corn
1 can white beans.
1 family size can of cream of chicken soup.

Saute onions and garlic in some olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add ground beef and stir until browned. Add spices, corn, mushrooms, and cilantro, and beans until warmed through. Mix in soup until mixture is creamy but thick. Pour into pumpkin and bake for another 25 minutes.

We placed ours on a bed of fall leaves the girls had collected earlier. Instead of serving out of the whole in the top of the pumpkin we had to cut a piece out of ours because one side collapsed. It was still beautiful and tasted delicious. Luckily there are left overs for my lunch today!




So there is the story of my very first hunt. I'm sorry to report one pumpkin was harmed in the making of this blog. At least I will be well fed while battling the protesters!





Monday, October 25, 2010

Part 2: A tale of two ladies

I think there might have been a misunderstanding with my last post. Mom and Heather "got it" but they get me most days so that doesn't surprise me too much. Hopefully this post will clarify.

Let me start with saying this, I am not on a search for approval. I am not looking for reassurance that my like is worth while and means something. I think my last post might have come across as a pity party, that was not my intention. I was trying to remind myself & other women like me that we should constantly be striving to better ourselves and situations. With that let me also say that I am grateful to have to have friends that would support me in a pity party if I were throwing one.

Now let me tell you about these two ladies I know.
Kayleigh: A little bit quiet. Married too young. Overwhelmed and irritated mother of two. Creator of debts. Dreamer of big things but do-er of very little. Chronically dependent. Socially anxious.

Kiki: In love with life. Adventure seeker and risk taker. Fun & active mother. Financial fanatic. Fashion passionate. Student of the universe. Strong willed, independent woman.

My ultimate goal here is to get a little closer to the Kiki side and pull away from those Kayleigh parts that have been holding me back in life. I'm psyched! Let's go!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Part 1. The Journey Begins.

We have all been there, you are making your way through the produce section on a desperate search for the final pieces of some dinner you are throwing together at the last minute. Your hair is a mess, as usual, and make-up was nowhere near the top of your to-do list today. Because this is real life and not a romantic comedy you are wearing the only pair of jeans that don't have something wiped on them by baby hands and a shirt that wasn't as lucky. You reach for the last onion and turn to escape the craziness that is the store and head back to the craziness that is home.

That's when it happens. Like hitting a brick wall you run into "THEM". ("THEM" is a role that can be filled by a few different people. The bitchy cheerleader from highschool who always looked like she had a team of professionals prepping her for her appearance in home-room and now has a successful modeling career. The nerdy kid nobody admitted talking to because your social status would drop miles per minute. He has a REALLY lucrative job with microsoft. Or heaven forbid, the worst of the worst, that jock that ditched you at homecoming.)

The following conversation always follows:
Kayleigh:(Smiling as if she is totally glad to see you) "Hi ______! It's been forever! How are things?"

THEM: "I know! We haven't talked since high school! I am doing REALLY great. I ______ (fill in the amazing life story and experiences.) What about you?"

Kayleigh: "Oh you know, just working and 'living life'."

The conversation ends. You exchange numbers and promise to talk soon. You go home to the craziness and realize you forgot the dang onion!


Living life. That phrase has started to haunt me recently. What does it mean exactly? I know I am living. I have a pulse. I breathe. But other than that it all just sort of blends together doesn't it? The living gets lost in the shuffle. I don't think that will do any longer. I want to wake up every morning glad to be living. I want to feel all the beautiful things this life has to offer me.

And so the journey begins. . . .