Flagstaff, Arizona

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a drive, and that is just what we did. It was 143 miles from Cactus Ranch to J & H RV Park in Flagstaff. The trip was pretty much uneventful. The sky was so blue, with puffy white clouds. This is the first view of the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff from I-17.




We pulled into J & H RV Park around 1:30 p.m. and set up the trailer. We had forgotten about the higher elevation of the area--it's around 7,000 feet. By the time we got done, we were worn out, huffing and puffing. This is the same park we stayed in last year when we were on our way up to the canyon. We like it because the sites are very level pull-throughs, and it is pretty. However, is is $40 a night. That's us, in the trailer between two motor homes.



The sunset yesterday was beautiful, again. This is looking out toward the San Franciso Peaks:




Today was a busy day. It started out with breakfast at our favorite Flagstaff restaurant, Miz Zips. They serve breakfast all day for a pretty good price, and their coffee is good. I like places that will serve me eggs any time I want them. It's just not right not to. It always seems like a penalty to me for sleeping late when a restaurant closed up the egg carton at 10 a.m. Anyway, Miz Zips is on Route 66, that famous highway. I just like the idea of eating my eggs on Route 66.

After breakfast, I got a haircut, a manicure, and a pedicure. The girl did a good job on my hair. she only took off about a half inch, and cut some bangs. I had wanted to just let it grow all one length, but the front was growing funny, with just a little bit that was too long to be bangs, but too short to stay back with a hair band. So, I went ahead and cut the bangs, "fringe" to my English daughter-in-law. It looks ok. Keep in mind it was a windy day and I let it air dry instead of using a blow dryer on it, and I didn't have a brush in the truck:



After all that was done, we went to the game store for Fabgrandpa, and to Joann Fabrics for me. You know I had to get my fabric fix. I got five coordinating prints in chocolate browns, teal blues and creams, for a project I want to work on. Can't wait to get started on it.

Next, we went to Wal-Mart for a stock up of toiletris, paper goods, and part of the grocery list. It took quite a while, but we did get about half of the planned shopping done today. Then we went home and unloaded the truck and put everything away, ate some lunch, and took a nap. A looonnng nap.


When I woke up, I offered to take FabGrandpa out to dinner, so he suggested the Swadhe Thai Restaurant in the old town part of Flagstaff. Yum! I am ready for thai food anytime. I ordered Woon Sen Soup and Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice. The soup had those clear bean thread noodles, chicken, and bok choy, and was delish. And what can I say about the fried rice except, if you have never had it, you do need to try it.



He ordered Won Ton Soup and Spicy Seafood Fried Rice. The waiter asked him "How spicy do you want your rice?" They have from 1 to 5 on the spicy side, so he ordered "3". It was so hot it made his whole head turn red, and it had squid-y, octopi looking things in it, along with the shrimp and scallops. I told him to never order "seafood" in a Asian or Italian place, you just never know what you are going to get. He ate it though, and said it was good.


Here is the sunset we saw when we walked outside to go home:


Tomorrow, there's more shopping to do. The last time we did a big shopping trip for groceries was on February 27, so it is about time.

Restocked and Ready To Go

We made it out of Wal-Mart alive and with at least some money left in the bank. Whew! It was a marathon of shopping, but we got it all done. I felt a little bit like we were on that game show, Supermarket Sweep, only not quite that fast. FabGrandpa had his list and I had mine, and we took off in different directions. Two carts full. And we had been to Frye's first. Grand total, to steal a phrase from one of my favorite bloggers, Oh Mah Holy Hell! $416.33!!!



But, for all that dough, we do have lots of potential meals. The cupboard is no longer bare. The fridge and the freezer, and the little fridge, all full. We can have some cooking fun now!


One of the reasons the total was so high this time was that we were out of every gluten free thing. I got some gluten free baking mix, gluten free cornbread mix, gluten free spaghetti, and gluten free noodles. And of course, we got some little treats again, too. MMMM, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil. Those garlic stuffed olives FabGrandpa loves. Stuff to make this. OOO, and stuff to make shrimp and sausage gumbo. Oh, and I found some spring roll wrappers, a new item I have been wanting to try. Don't know yet exactly what I am going to do with them. Yes. I am a fool for food.



So after all that shopping, what did we eat for dinner tonight? Tuna salad with crackers. You didn't expect me to cook after all that did you? I had to put all that shit away, you know.


My goal for the next five weeks, or until I have to go shopping again, is to blog my dinner recipe every day. Here are some of the things I am going to make this month:

Mexican Seafood Soup
Chicken Salad with Guacamole
Stuffed Cabbage
Stuffed Peppers
Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo
Italian Mushroom Stew
Eggplant Parmesean
Fried Chicken Livers (so some days are better than others)

So some days are better than others.

And just in case you want it:

Tuna Salad

2 small cans tuna, drained
1/2 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 boiled eggs, chopped
1/3 cup mayonaise

Mix all together well. Served over romaine lettuce with cherry tomatos and crackers.

Time To Go Grocery Shopping Again!

Remember when I went grocery shopping the last time, and planned to have it last at least a month? We went to Wal-Mart and did that big shopping trip on January 19th. I spent a total of $304 for groceries that day, which included toiletries, paper good, and other miscellanous stuff as well.

In between times, we went to a local market for things like fresh veggies and fruits, milk, eggs, and ice cream. We spent another $197 in those in between trips. So, for 38 days, we have spent a total of $501 for groceries. That comes to About $13 per day or $92 per week.

I also still have a pound of breakfast sausage, a pound of bacon, one can of salmon, 4 cans of tuna, a can of spam, and 6 pounds of dried beans, along with an assortment of canned goods. If we really wanted to get down and dirty with the frugalness, we could put off going grocery shopping for at least another week, maybe two. But we aren't--we're going to do the big shopping trip again tomorrow.

As usual, I have made my menu plan and then made my shopping list. Tomorrow I'll post my menu plan for the coming month and let you know how we did on the shopping.

How To Enlarge Your Breasts Overnight

I hate shopping. And of all the things in the whole world that I hate shopping for, I hate shopping for bras the most. It really irritates me that I have to spend so much money on those items of clothing just so that my breasts won’t flop around and look “unladylike” to others.

The other day, I had to go shopping for bras. The last time I bought some was about three years ago at a flea market in McAllen, Texas. I got some really nice, brand new Vanity Fair bras with the tags still on them, for $3.00 each. I picked out my size 38C unpadded underwire bras, paid for them, and took them home. They fit.

I have worn size 38C unpadded underwire bras since my youngest daughter was born 32 years ago. I have never had to try bras on at the store. I just bought them in the right size, took them home, and wore them until they wore out or sprung a wire, then went and got some more. That is exactly what I expected to do when I went to get some more the other day.

But no! At my first choice of store, Target, there was not even one bra in the store that was a size 38C unpadded underwire version, in any brand. I even considered getting one that had just a little bit of padding, but nope, no 38C’s. I thought to myself, I must be in the world capital of size 38C boobies. So, I went to another store. Wal-Mart.

One thing I hate worse than shopping for bras is shopping at Wal-Mart for anything. But, because I was down to only two size 38C unpadded underwire bras, and one of those has a broken wire, I had to go get some new ones somewhere.

Since we were in Frederick for the day, I went to the Wal-Mart there. I found a couple different brands of bras that had my 38C unpadded underwire versions, so I grabbed up four of them, took them to the register, paid for them, and took them home. I felt victorious, that even though I had to go to Wal-Mart to get them, at least I had gotten my new underwear and it would be over with for another year.

When I got home, I changed into my nightgown and started cooking dinner for my husband and me. We have a new trailer that we just got in December. In my new kitchen, the microwave oven is installed above the stove top, where I have to reach over my head to put thing in and take things out. I was cooking steamed asparagus in the microwave that night.

When I reached into the microwave to take out the bowl of asparagus, I accidently poured the hot liquid from the bowl down the front of my body. I rushed into the bathroom and took off my clothes. I put cold water on the burn, then put on some Carmex. The pain stopped, but I was left with a two and half inch long red burn mark right between amd slightly below my size 38C breasts.

The next morning, as I was getting dressed for the day, I attempted to don one of my new size 38C unpadded underwire bras that I purchased the day before. Now, I don’t know how other girls do it, but I have never learned how to put on a bra and fasten it behind my back. No, I have always hooked that sucker on backwards, then turned it around to the correct position, and commenced pushing my 38C’s into the cups. It's like I am a contortionist at the circus every morning. But this day, that action was hampered not only by the pesky burn between my breasts, but also by the fact that even though the tags said “38C” on them, the dang thing wouldn’t fit.

It wasn’t even big enough to fasten, much less turn around on my body. What? I looked at the tag again, just to make sure I had picked up the right one at the store. Yes, it did say 38C on the tag, but the thing was just not big enough. Had I grown overnight? I mean, I have worn 38C unpadded underwire bras for 32 years, how could I have outgrown them in just one night? I soon realized that not only did that bra not fit, none of the ones I bought did. And then, I realized I would have to go back to Wal-Mart. Damn!

The next day, I went to the Wal-Mart in Gettysburg with my Bag O Bras from the other Wal-Mart. I had my receipt, but I had taken the tags of one of them. The sullen clerk at the Customer Service desk told me “I will take this back this time, but we normally don’t take bras back if the tags are torn off of them.” Oh, thanks, I’ll remember that one.

After I got my money back, I went to the lingerie department. I quickly found the size 38C unpadded underwire bras in some different brands from the ones I had bought the day before. I took them to the dressing room to try them on, and guess what? They didn’t fit, either. Now I knew. I HAD grown overnight. Just as I had suspected. I got dressed and went back out to the sales floor.

After trying on several bras, and irritating my burn along the way, I discovered that I had really blossomed into a size 40D in just 36 hours. So, now, I am the proud owner of six size 40D unpadded underwire bras. I hope I don’t grow any more.