Not Me Monday

Once again, a week has slipped by and I haven't blogged. At least it means I'm out doing things that will give me plenty of "writable moments" for Not Me Monday! Go to MckMama's blog to see what other people have not done this week!

One day this week, I was craving macaroni and cheese, so I decided to make some. After I drained the noodles, I went to the fridge to get the milk. I did not see an empty shelf where the milk was supposed to be. Hmmmmm.... now what do I do? After weighing the options for a couple minutes, I did not get out the can of whipped cream. Hey, it's a dairy product, right? The basic ingredient is from a cow, like milk is. But when I saw that the can read "sweetened," I decided that wasn't the best option. So, I opted for choice #2. I did not take the recently-drained noodles and put water in the pan to mix with the cheese. I guess it worked fine, although it didn't taste quite right. Oh well. I learned a lesson. Check the fridge before you cook the noodles.

Because I literally have fabric coming out of my ears, when I was tempted to go to Blackduck this week, there is no way that I gave in to that temptation. No, I have way more self control than that. Upon my arrival--you know, if I had gone--I got out of the car and slammed the door and was surprised to see the back hatch of my car bounce. That's weird, I thought. So I went to the back and attempted to lift the hatch, and of course, it opened easily. I did not have a sudden revelation that the last time I had opened it was 2 weeks ago while hitting some garage sales. So, I did not drive around with my back hatch opened for 2 weeks.

On my return trip from Blackduck (wait, I didn't go there, did I?), I did not have to swerve to avoid hitting two small baby raccoons, in the middle of the day. From what I could see at 55 mph, they were really adorable. And of course, I did not leave my camera (Mylo) at home that day! Ahhh, when will I learn?

My garage sale find for this week was a pile of Mailbox Magazines, a preschool idea magazine. I was so excited to find them, and for a great price. After closer reading, I saw that there are additional ideas and patterns available online. Since I don't subscribe to the magazine, these aren't available to me. Hmmmm... the lady didn't remove her address labels. I did not compose and mail a letter to the lady, asking her if it would be okay for me to login with her information from the mailing label. I did not receive a phone call from her the very next day. Her answer? Absolutely, go ahead and use my information and I hope your year of teaching goes great. I was so super excited and can't wait to use some of the ideas I found!

Well, that about wraps up this edition of Not Me Monday. Since I'll be gone camping for the week with my family, I'm sure I'll have much more to write about next Monday. Have a great week everyone!

Manicotti Mystery

As a response to a question on facebook, I'm sharing the "Manicotti Mystery."

For years I have LOVED manicotti. I ordered it once at Olive Garden, and have ordered it every time since then. I can't make myself try anything new. So when I was at my sister Erin's house and she made manicotti, I was extremely happy (even though it was different than Olive Garden manicotti). I copied her recipe and thought I would be on my way to many delightful meals of the wonderful Italian cuisine. Here's the saga so far...

The first time I made manicotti, I was planning to have several people over before our singles' Bible study. I was really excited to try making it--sounded easy enough. Everything was set to go...just had to pop it in the oven after work. Couldn't get any easier. I found out that Jason, the leader of the Bible study, had been taken by ambulance to the hospital that afternoon. We decided to postpone Bible study that night. So I feasted on that pan of manicotti for several days and didn't think anything of it. Turns out Jason was okay, so life was good, right??? I'll let you decide.

Since our dinner plans didn't come to fruition on the first attempt, I decided to try again. A couple weeks later, we planned to have our meal before Bible study. Once again, manicotti was in the frige waiting to be cooked after school. I called my sister Becky on the way home and she told me she'd just gotten home from the emergency room with my mom...who was on her way to Duluth for emergency surgery. Well, to make this longer story shorter, Mom was okay and didn't need surgery. But the thought still crossed my mind Is it because I'm making manicotti tonight? Everyone came and enjoyed the manicotti (which turned out great) and after I told them the story we all laughed and I didn't think anything more of it....

...Until the next time I made it. Some friends (Brooke and Travis) were heading to Alaska for a few months, so I planned a dinner for some close friends (yes, from the singles' Bible study). It seems I was in the kitchen all day, but it was a lot of fun. I made manicotti, soup, breadsticks, cheesecake...YUM! After we ate, I kept my fingers crossed that nothing would happen to anyone (I didn't answer my phone all night, just in case). As I was cleaning up the kitchen, Travis told me that Brooke had gotten sick and was going to bed. I was seriously starting to panic at this point. He told me she was already sick before she ate, but my I had my doubts. I left that night saying Three strikes and you're out. First Jason, then Mom, then Brooke. I'm never making manicotti again!

After several months, maybe even a year, I was having a "girl party," and when considering what I could make, the thought crossed my mind that I could try manicotti again, just to see what happened. I went against my better judgment, and I made the dreaded dish, all the while hoping the chain of mishaps was behind me. I was wrong. Talking to Anne the next day, she felt sick. Her words, "I had too much rich food at once." Yeah right. Just admit it...it was the manicotti. Did I mention I'm NEVER making manicotti again?

I guess I'm not one to remember my resolutions...and I'm thankful my friends don't remember either. Here's the scene...girl party a year later. Anne convinces me to make manicotti again. I cave to the pressure. Find out last minute Jenny might not come. She's feeling sick. WHAT??? Are you kidding me? She said her kids had been sick too, so that's where she got it. Yeah, right. I'll say it again I'M NEVER MAKING MANICOTTI AGAIN!

I honestly had not made manicotti for a long time. This summer while in Alaska, I was going to make dinner for my aunt Joan, uncle Eric, and Grandma. Since I was closer to Russia than the lower 48 states, I thought It HAS to be okay for me to try manicotti, right? After discussing the story and giving everyone a few laughs, the meal was very yummy. Once again, my fingers were crossed. Good, no one got sick. No phone calls from home saying something bad had happened. I thought I was out of the woods...until Eric mentioned the next day that Joan had had an upset stomach the night before. He said, "I don't think it's from the food. The rest of us are okay."

It's been six months since I was in Alaska, and although I'm getting hungry for it, i don't think I can bring myself to succumb to the temptation to make manicotti. By now, there are many people who have survived my culinary attempts...so many, in fact, that I could probably get a quantity discount and have t-shirts made. I'M A MANICOTTI SURVIVOR! I'm thinking spaghetti sauce red for the shirt with mozzarella-colored lettering. What do you think?

So there you have it...the reason I'm never, not once in this lifetime, forever into all eternity, not EVER going to make manicotti (at least not that I'm going to tell anyone). I'm doing it to spare your life!