Ten Things of Thankful – Interesting and Mildly Entertaining Edition
I missed doing the Ten Things of Thankful linkup last week.
It’s not that I wasn’t thankful for anything…it just…never happened.
Sometimes I really think in the midst of the heaviness of life, it’s too easy to forget about those little lighter moments that slip in between the big ones. So this week I have a roundup of little things for which I am thankful. These are the moments of the last week(ish) that have made me smile, laugh, or just think “well, who knew?”
In no particular order, I am thankful for…
1. Kidzilla’s sense of humor. This kid is funny. She cracks us up on a regular basis. After her bath a few evenings ago, I helped her towel-dry her hair. All of a sudden, she shrieked and hollered, “Mom! Stop! I do NOT want my hair crazy like a magaruffin!” She was quite serious. We looked at each other in total silence for a few seconds, and then both burst out laughing. She realized she meant ragamuffin, but got the word wrong. I’m glad she has a sense of humor that allows her to laugh at herself. That will serve her well. In the meantime, it was a fun moment for the two of us in the midst of a stressful week.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar. I am so thankful for this stuff that the Fab Hub went out and bought me a gallon-sized bottle of it to keep up with the current demand. Why do I love it right now? It makes an awesome fruit fly trap. And we have fruit flies. Dozens of them. Or at least we did…
In less than 24 hours we’ve managed to trap more than 50 of these buggers in our little DIY traps. Thanks to Lindsay at Suburban Turmoil for the tip!
3. Homemade Ice Pop Supplies. With the fruit fly attack at its peak, I went through the kitchen guns a-blazing and rid the counters of everything that could possibly tempt a fruit fly. We found some really delicious apples from our CSA farm that may have been the cause of it all – the underside of one of them had rotted and none of us knew. And so the remainder of the acceptable apples went into the Vitamix and then into the molds for frozen apple pops. Zilla tested one and gave her approval. Currently, we also have some honeydew-lime, strawberry-coconut milk, and blueberry pops in the freezer from other instances of fruit that was about to turn to a life of crime. The amount of wasted food this prevents makes me happy, as does the snack of nothing but pureed fruit for the Hub and Zilla. The never-ending supply of popsicles makes them happy. And can I tell you how much cheaper homemade frozen pops are than the store-bought variety?
4. Delivery Pizza. It’s been a particularly hectic and tiring week for all of us – Zilla even passed out in the car on the way to the Farmers’ Market on Friday afternoon and this is the child who never stops. All three of us just wanted to get home, get comfortable, and chill out with some Friday night takeout. It was awesome.
5. Roasted Green Pepper Soup. I didn’t do a Soup of the Week post this week, because I’ve posted about this one already. The CSA deliveries continue to bring us bell and hot peppers of all varieties and this soup is a lifesaver. Not only does it get rid of peppers fast, but it’s an easy pack for my lunch. Peppers are loaded with Vitamins A, B6, C, and lots of great phytonutrients, too, so it’s a great immunity boost.
6. An Empty Date on the Calendar. We’ve had quite a few weekends lately that involved a trip out somewhere. We’ve loved every minute of them. But there is also something to be said for a day on the calendar that stands completely empty.
6.5. Another Empty Date on the Calendar. Even better than #6? An entire weekend with no official plans or commitments anywhere. We get a true weekend of rest and recharge time. Spending time in our home and taking care of ourselves is a nice retreat.
7. A Mommy-Zilla Day. The Fab Hub is out hiking with a friend today (Saturday), so Zilla and I are left to our own devices. Zilla and the Fab Hub have had lots of opportunity for Daddy-Zilla time this week because I’ve had some extra meetings at school, so we’re missing each other a lot right now. But today is our day to do whatever we want to do…or not do…together. Just us girls. More on that later.
8. Text Updates from the Fab Hub. As much as I’m thrilled that the Fab Hub is out in the fresh air and getting exercise today, I’m mildly concerned that he will get a little over-zealous in his excitement and overdo it physically. He has sent us some texts with photos today to let us know where he is, but I’m secretly happy to know he’s fine.
He sent this early this morning…the fog in the photo looks a lot like the fog in my head.
By their lunchtime stop, the fog had lifted…how’s that for a lunchtime view? 
A little while ago, he checked in again. We’ve always done this – touched base throughout the day. It’s a nice way to connect when we’re not together. And I kind of like knowing where he is and that he’s thinking of us.
9.The Combination of a Rotten Cat and a Slanted Half-Wall. Cat Two is particularly affectionate with the Fab Hub – he’s the Hub’s little buddy. Like the Skipper and Gilligan, these two are generally not found without the other nearby. The Hub and I stood at the foot of the foyer stairway chatting about something and Cat Two wanted desperately to get to the Fab Hub. He mewed, he pawed, he wiggled his tail, but the slanted half wall separated him from his friend. Cat Two got so frustrated that he attempted to jump on the slanted half wall in an effort to get closer to the Fab Hub. He jumped up, landed…and you can imagine the hilarity that ensued when he realized he was sliding down the wall and tried to scramble back up.
10. Fab Hub’s Coffee. (OK, Fab Hub in General.) Last night, as the Hub was preparing his gear for today’s hike, he realized he was leaving far earlier than Zilla and I wanted to be awake and that he’d be long gone to the mountain by the time we were up and I was ready for coffee. He set it up ahead of time so all I’d have to do was push the button to make it brew. He left me this…
I suppose I should be mildly insulted that he thought perhaps I wouldn’t be able to figure out which button to push…but let’s be honest. I have no idea how to make a pot of coffee, so the assumption was fair. It’s true that we drive each other completely up the wall most days. But there is no doubt that the Fab Hub always thinks of the smallest details to make his girls happy. More on that topic later this week, too.
Happy weekend, friends! What are you thankful for this week? Leave ’em in the comments.
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funny cat! the little sweet things that the hubby does often makes up for him driving you up the wall all week…
Our cats are a never-ending source of amusement. And the Hub definitely does very sweet little things. Some guys do huge romantic gestures; my guy does loads of little things that make a difference in my every day.
Nah, I’m still laughing at ‘magaruffin’. That. Is. Genius!
I’m glad she was able to laugh at herself and share the moment with you.
Those PHOTOS! Wow! The views are incredible. What a joy to be able to go out and hike in such surroundings. And very sweet that he shares those precious times with you.
He sounds like a great guy, in fact, with the sweet little things he does for you.
Enjoy your unbooked weekend when it arises 🙂
He is definitely a great guy. Despite the blister on his foot and the overall state of “overdid it” that he’s experiencing, he’s still cleaning up the dinner dishes. What a hero!
Oh wow! Definitely a keeper!
Hope you tended to the blister and kissed it better (or, rather, air-kissed, given that no-one wants to get too close to a foot which has been hiking so hard!). Somehow that helps at my house when Husby manages to get some kind of ‘ding’.
I may have been mildly insensitive…said something like “well you’re the one who wanted to hike more than you probably should have so I don’t want to hear you whine.” He insists that he’s fine. But I probably should have been more sympathetic.
I’m giggling because that’s exactly what my initial reaction to almost anything Husby does like this, is.
Glad I’m not the only one!
I’ve seen the apple cider vinegar trick pinned on pinterest, but haven’t needed to use it yet. Glad to know it works!
It works great! The proof is in that rather disgusting photo. I’m happy knowing the problem is solved (except for one stubborn fly…) in relatively short time and without horrible chemicals around my daughter or my animals.
I can identify with #6 (and 6.5)…having a surprise day off, but I (also) makes me think, when exactly did the balance shift? I can remember times of having energy and trying to decide what to do and maybe…sometimes we would just do nothing for a *whole* weekend… but now, it’s the opposite. Plenty of things to do, not enough time!
I need to find out how to text photos, looks like fun, what with the phones having so many capabilities.
Oh, that’s also frustrating – so many things we want to do and not enough hours. Like today when I had nineteen things I wanted to accomplish and I did…three. Eh, it’s fine. Life’s short. I spent the day hanging out with my daughter. Chores be damned.
I just dumped our apple cider vinegar fly-filled traps the other day! Those things work like a charm!
I was giggling when I read about your fruit pops. We do the same thing, except in a pie plate and they are for the chickens, not us. 🙂 Either way, I love that no fruit ever goes wasted.
I just went out and discovered our pepper plants still had gobs of peppers on them. We’ve already had stuffed peppers, so the soup sounds intriguing. I’ll be over to have a look-see at the recipe.
Glad you and Zilla had a chance to spend the day together. Days off are absolutely priceless.
These apple cider traps are amazing. But at the moment, there are a handful that don’t seem to know they are supposed to get in them. Stubborn!
The roasted green pepper soup is delicious. And if you like a little heat, toss in the hot! I quite like it with the hot peppers added. If you need to cool it off a bit in the aftermath, just use a dollop of sour cream or yogurt. Delicious! I went looking for it because we aren’t huge stuffed pepper fans (although I did find a stuffed pepper casserole that everyone agreed was just fine). There are lots of roasted red pepper recipes out there, but we have green green green! So the soup was a terrific find. If you use it, let me know what you think!
Life definitely can get in the way of our writing intentions.
I loved the note on the coffee machine. It sounds like something I would leave. I loved even more that you were cool with the note.
Hey, the truth is the truth. And without the note, I may have just hopped in the car and gone to Dunkin Donuts. I’m not kidding when I say I have no idea how to do coffee. I mean I do in theory, but I don’t think I’ve made a pot of coffee more than once.
I missed you last week, Lisa! Glad you’re back!
I, too, have had Invasion of the Fruit Flies this summer and have done the apple cider vinegar fruit fly trap. It works wonders! THEN I started washing my fruit in a mixture of 1 part vinegar to 10 parts water, then rinse with clear water. Haven’t had a fruit fly problem since, plus any waxy residue comes off the fruit. Oh, and it prevents berries from molding (pat them dry or lay out on paper towels until dry before putting in fridge). And I’ve used white and apple cider vinegar to wash the fruit and can’t tell a difference.
We are cat people, too. I love seeing my husband with Fletcher (he’s cat #1 at our house, if it’s based on age; #2 if it’s pecking order) on the arm of the chair beside him, petting him endlessly.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Thanks, Dyanne! Glad I made it this weekend.
OK, I have done the water/vinegar berry rinse and was greatly disappointed. Tried more than once to make sure it wasn’t a fluke in the process. We end up having worse problems with the berries than if we don’t use the water/vinegar rinse. What’s that about???
Huh! It worked great for me! I don’t measure the vinegar, so I know I use more than what the recipe calls for. Maybe that’s the difference?
Hm, maybe. I’ll give it another shot.
Weekends with no plans are the best!! I am way overdue for one. And yum for homemade ice pops 🙂
There is definitely something about the unplanned weekend stretching before you that feels like a mini-vacation.
We had homemade ice pops for dessert last night – honeydew lime, MacIntosh apple, and strawberry coconut milk. All delicious!
Sometimes nothing to do can be relaxing. Good for you taking off an entire weekend. Hope you and Zilla had some good girl bonding time.
We did! Post forthcoming about our adventures doing nothing.
Fab Hub sounds awesome. But the piece in your post that caught my attention the most was the fruit fly solution. We had them a couple weeks ago and I feel I have a fairly clean house. Yet tons of flies circulating while we were eating. Annoying as heck. Anyway, I looked up on the internet and found the apple cider vinegar. I only caught one fly. But I see from your post that we should have added a bit of soap. So I’m going to remember that for my next infestation. Right now, my kitchen seems to be rid of those pesky creatures. I hope it works as well at my house as it did yours. P.S. Love funny kids and funny cat stories.
The apple cider vinegar plus soap trap seems to be doing the trick very effectively. We just have one or two stubborn ones that don’t seem to be able to figure out we want them to go IN the jar, not just sit on the side.
If you like funny kids and funny cats, stick around – we do that here often!
Her sense of humor will serve her well in this world! Also,and I know you won’t be surprised–it is a sign of intelligence.
It certainly will. And you know, I forgot about that connection…but no, I can’t say I’m surprised. She is one smart cookie.
Apple cider vinegar! Who knew?
That’s what I said!
I love the idea of a restful weekend with no commitments, too. My hub sees a blank calendar box and tries to fill it up with activities. He likes to be busier than I do.
What a great list of things to be thankful for!
I really like doing this link-up. It’s been a real eye-opener for me in a lot of ways, but also helps keep the positive in focus.
That’s really cool of him to leave coffee like that. It’s funny that he left a note saying which button to push. Even if you didn’t make coffee at all, wouldn’t it take you all of maybe a few seconds to figure out which one to push? Still, the gesture is awesome.
By the way, those photos look great. I love the view. Makes me wish I was out and about exploring the outdoors right now.
I am trying to convince him to do a guest post about his day trip…perhaps we’ll get some more photos.
[…] Fab Dad woke up early, made my coffee, kissed his sleepy girls goodbye, and headed off for the mountain. Zilla and I snoozed until much […]
[…] I am thankful that the fruit fly infestation seems to be over. We’ve seen one or two every couple of days, but the massive outbreak seems […]