Name::Sarah Jean"Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center."
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Name::Sarah Jean
Recent Entries
Archives
Daily Reads
Credits
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Sudafed Rant
So, I get sinus blockage. When I get a cold it goes straight into my sinuses and sets up camp. As a result, I have tried most sinus meds. Pseudophedrine Hydrochloride, brand name Sudafed, is the aspirin of decongestants. Put simply, it works.
But apparently, it can be made into meth. I don't know how this works, and I don't really care. But because of it, first they had the blister packages, which meant you could only get 12 or 18 pills, which is ridiculous!!! and you had to wrestle with the little plastic bubbles. What is worse than plastic bubbles when you're sick!? And now, it's behind the counter. BEHIND THE COUNTER! Which means you can't get it when the pharmacy is closed. Like, when you're actually sick.
And in its place they're pushing this Sudafed PE crap. CRAP, I say! It doesn't work! Not for me! They should call it Sudafed PA for pansy...never mind, my mom reads this blog. But you have to take twice as much of it, so it costs more and it just doesn't work. CRAP!
So I went to the pharmacy. I waited in line. I provided my address, drivers license, home phone number, etc. I listened to the Australian pharmacist tell me about the Patriot Act and how we would have more freedom if we'd stayed with the UK. Yes, really. My kids were bored. I was late to meet the carpool. But I waited. And they brought me this.
"What is this?" I said, examining the label for the chemical genus and phylum I had memorized. It was real. Pseudophedrine Hydrochloride. I almost hugged the little bottle. But look! It's a bottle, not a box of blister packs! And *gasp* there are 100 of my happy red friends. 100?
"How much?" I've noticed that pharmacists don't feel the need to tell you how much things cost the way most retailers do. I'm not sure why this is. Because the mysterious insurance card is paying for it? Because they're almost doctors (they do wear white coats) and therefore above question? I don't know. But I ask. Cause I'm cheap.
"$1.99...plus tax."
$1.99. Amazing. In case you're wondering about the going price for Sudafed: you can check it here and PE.
I almost asked to buy another bottle. But I didn't want to look like an addict.
Posted by Sarah Jean :: 8:14 AM :: 5 Comments: 
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Saturday, October 28, 2006
Green Salsa
tomatillos from the Muum (as many as you can steal from the pile o' produce, which this summer, was a lot)
cilantro (a bunch)
garlic (one clove)
green chiles or jalapenos or anaheims or poblanos (I buy the canned, diced ones because I have a fear of chopping chiles)
sugar (not more than a couple tablespoons)
Peel stuff that needs peeling. Chop everything. Then puree most of it. Leave some big chunks of tomatillo, though. Mix it all together. To help you out, I put notes on the picture up there^^^^^^^^
Mmmm.
This has such a citrusy, fresh taste, I really love it. Mmmm.
Posted by Sarah Jean :: 3:09 PM :: 1 Comments: ---------------------------------------
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Live from BYU
This makes me happy, today, to see what my alma mater is up to. Rain, it appears.If you go to the live webcam from BYU Magazine, you can see a time lapse of the last 5 minutes. Look at the little coeds run to class!
Posted by Sarah Jean :: 10:35 AM :: 0 Comments: ---------------------------------------
Monday, October 23, 2006
The Story My Body Tells
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
-from Maya Angelou's poem "Phenomenal Woman"
Mary at Owlhaven wants to know about scars. The physical kind, I think. So, I have a few. Itend to scar easily, but they go away eventually. I have my birthday scar, the splatter on my arm, now 13 months old, from bacon grease.
I have 3 kidlets, so I have the stretch marks. On my belly and hips. You can't hold up a watermelon on two toothpicks, you know. So my thighs grew with my belly. Not a ton, but enough.
I have a scar on my ankle from...this is killer, scratching myself with my own toenail in bed while asleep. Ya. I rawk.
I have a round scar, almost gone, on my calf, from 5 years ago. It's a burn, too, from a motorcycle tailpipe, which I was riding with my husband, after I had a stroke and got pregnant, all in the same month. Ya, the doctor was really thrilled to see me again.
Oh right, I have a scar on my brain. I had a stroke, Easter of 2001. So there's a little thumbprint-sized section of dead cells on the left center part of my brain.
The thing is, my scars tell the story of my life, don't they? I'm a mother, I grew life inside me. I nourished those little lives, too. But sagginess is not a scar. I'm a survivor. I like to hang on to the back of my husband and hold on really tight. And I'm kind of a klutz. But I celebrate, I dream, I play. Pretty phenomenal, huh?
Posted by Sarah Jean :: 8:11 AM :: 3 Comments: ---------------------------------------
Monday, October 16, 2006
What is News and What is Not
This is for the benefit of my local news media, who seem to have some confusion on the issue. It may, in fact, be a national or world-wide problem. Below you will find examples of items that are news, and those that are not.
News: Pentagon to resume forced anthrax vaccine program
Not News: Man ordered to make up for ruined Christmas
News: What Secretary Rice is doing about North Korea
Not News: What Jackie Chan thinks of safety rules in the US
News: Earthquake in Hawaii
Not News: Former president in the hospital for no apparent reason
News: Weather
Not News: Who won or lost on your network's reality game show last night
News: What is happening in the world, our country or state
Not News: Cute animals, advertisements disguised as news and things celebrities are doing
That is all.
Posted by Sarah Jean :: 5:54 PM :: 1 Comments: ---------------------------------------
Granilla
Why my kids call this granilla, I do not know. Granola, vanilla, granilla.
GranillaStir that all up in a BIG bowl. In a glass measuring cup (1 qt. size works best), combine:
- 5 c. rolled oats
- 1 c. shredded coconut
- 1 c. sliced or slivered almonds
- 1/4 c. sesame seeds or sunflower seeds (shelled, please)
- 1/2 c. wheat germ
Stir that all up in the smaller bowl or cup, then pour it into the big bowl. Stir until it's all wet. Now you can either bake it in the oven or in the microwave. Either way, your house is going to smell great, and you're going to need two 13x9 pans, lined with foil. You don't have to line the pans with foil, but if you don't you'll have to, like, wash them. And who wants to do that?
- 3/4 c. of any combination of molasses, maple syrup (REAL syrup, please) and/or honey
- 1/2 c. vegetable oil
- 2 t. cinnamon
- 1/2 t. nutmeg
- 1 t. vanilla
So, if you want to do the oven, divide the raw granola between the two pans and throw them in a 300 degree oven. After 20 minutes, take them out and stir it up. Leave them in there for 10 or 15 minutes more (do you like your granilla crispy or extra crispy?). Then take it out and let it cool.
If you want to do the microwave, just keep it in the bowl. You're going to microwave for 8-10 minutes total. You have to stir it after the first 2 minutes, the second two minutes, then each minute after that. REALLY. It's like chex mix. You are heating oil and if you don't stir it and distribute the heat, it can actually burst into flames in your microwave. And that's no good for anyone. So only set the timer for 1 or 2 minutes at a time. Then, when it's cooked enough for your tastes, dump it out on those same foil lined pans and let it cool. See? So the microwave is faster, but you have to babysit it and you don't save any dishes. *shrug*
When it's cool, put it in ziploc bags. Sooooo good over yogurt for breakfast. Or at night. Anytime, really.
Posted by Sarah Jean :: 8:27 AM :: 2 Comments: ---------------------------------------
Sunday, October 15, 2006
48 Things You Could Care Less About (now, with pictures)
48 Things You Could Care Less About
1. FIRST NAME? Sarah
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Yes. My middle name is after this lovely lady.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? ...good question. It's been a few days, at least.4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I do. Examining my marriage certificate, I noticed that it greatly resembles my father's. Ironically, my husband's is very similiar to his dad's. (Our dads were the witnesses at our wedding).
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Ugh. I don't like lunchmeat much. I guess turkey.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Probably, but it would be a rocky friendship.
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? I think this is about it.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Unless someone made off with them in the night. Yes, I have all my original body parts. And one or two extras.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Maybe. I think it would be fun to jump off something tall, but I'm a little worried about being jerked back up at the end. I suppose it's better than the alternative...
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I'm on an anti-cold-cereal kick. What I really like is plain yogurt and my homemade granola.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope. I only have 1 pair of laceups, and they are much abused.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I am exactly as strong as I need to be and not a smidge more.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Burnt Almond Fudge. And there's some in the freezer. Today just got better.
14. SHOE SIZE? 8.5
5. RED OR PINK? Red
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My mercurial nature. I hate not being reliable, reasonable or predictable. But if I was, I would probably hate that.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My brother. He's serving the good people of Texas and God right now. I expect him back and blogging in about 3 months.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? like, by email? No way. Comment, people. Don't be silly.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? blue (jeans), red and...none. I blog barefoot.
20. LAST THING YOU ATE? cinnamon toast.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Swan Lake, a la Barbie
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? today, steel gray.
23. FAVORITE SMELL? wow...just one? How about 5. Bread rising. Babies. My husband (gold dial soap and light male sweat). Autumn leaves and old books (same smell, ever read Farenheight 451?) and fresh lavender outside my door.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? my friend B. She and her husband, and another couple came over last night to play make-believe.25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? His neck.
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? We've never met, but she seems nice.
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Hm, hazelnut hot chocolate, or Sunkist orange soda, or probably just water. I like water.
28. FAVORITE SPORT? making fun of men who are younger than me.
29. EYE COLOR? brown/hazel
30. HAT SIZE? um...medium big. I've never bought a hat with an actual size. They're always size One. As in One Size. Fits all.
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? nope. Despite my mother's warnings, reading in the semi-dark has not made me blind yet.
32. FAVORITE FOOD? Today? Anything I didn't cook.
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Books. I haven't seen a really good movie in months.
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Fall. Or spring.
36. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs when I'm sad. Kisses when I'm happy.
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? ...you're joking, right? ALL YOUR DESSERTS ARE BELONG TO ME.
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? To what?! What is this???
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? !!!Huh!?!!
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? I'll have to come back to this one.
--right, I'm back. Current reads: 1-2-3 Magic (reread), Parenting Breakthrough, Princess Academy (with H), The Countess and the Butler (potato chip), The Next Big Thing, How to Draw Animals (with T), Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf (for Joy School! Joy of the EARTH!), and Selling Yourself without Selling Your Soul, and Selling the Invisible.--41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? I have no mouse pad. My mouse lives on my kitchen counter, which is green.
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? I didn't. TV is like movies, only with less time and effort put in.
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? passionate piano playing. My mom and sisters laughing.
44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles.
45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Italy. Art, 5 stars. Men, 2 stars.
46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I can guess what people are thinking or feeling. It doesn't work on my husband, which is one of several reasons I like him.
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? on a Florida naval base.
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? right-clicky discount from Blackbird
Posted by Sarah Jean :: 2:52 PM :: 2 Comments: ---------------------------------------
Monday, October 09, 2006
Sunday Best
In lieu of real thought, I'm throwing pictures of my kids up here.
Girls in the garden, wearing their dresses from the wedding last month and matching pigtails (so people will think we're twins!).And all three, ready for church (EARLY!!!). Good looking bunch, if I do say so myself.
But here's the picture of when I made them laugh too hard and took the picture anyway.
Reminds me a lot of the Peanut's gang.
Coming soon.....
what news is and is not.
Posted by Sarah Jean :: 7:43 AM :: 1 Comments: ---------------------------------------
