Author Archives: Mrs Marvel

Growing Up OC – The Lunchbox

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Today’s Growing Up OC is from Auntie Kat. What with back to school supplies flooding Target and rounders full of uniform tops and bottoms, this is a very timely post. I don’t even know if lunchboxes are being used anymore outside of novelties. Probably kids use those nylon insulated soft sided lunch bags these days. For my first lunchbox, I had a white plastic one that probably came from my cousin Becky. It had something very girly on it. Later I upgraded to a metal The Walton’s lunchbox and my mom would tape a dime inside in case I wanted get a carton of milk. So, enjoy our guest blog post, Growing Up OC – The Lunchbox.

Let’s start this story with, I had to wait for the staff to come back to the doctor’s office and I had time to kill in Orange one day. With time to kill and other places to go that were distant I decided to stay in Orange and browse the Orange Traffic Circle Antique or Treasure shops for an hour. What I was looking for was a pair of gloves. I did get them but I digress. I saw all kinds of stuff that reminded me of my childhood. Then I wondered what ever became of my stuff like that. Was it sitting in a shop just like this one waiting to become a prize treasure again or sitting at the bottom of some landfill never to be thought of again. The contemplations of a lazy Friday afternoon.

Then I saw it: a Bobby Sherman Lunch Box. I had a Bobby Sherman lunch box in the 1st or 2nd grade. I loved that lunch box. It was purple. It had a thermos. It was metal. Some of the lunch boxes that year were plastic. And there were pictures of Bobby Sherman on it. Did I mention I loved that lunch box?

I was now down memory lane thinking of Northcutt and lunchtime; going back to school shopping at Sears with Mom, getting to pick out the new lunch box for the year, new pads of paper, and so on. I had to walk uphill both ways in the snow…oh, wait, that was Dad. I walked across the street to go to school. That school was brand new when I was in first grade. That was in 1971, ahem.

As I went around a corner of the shop I thought to myself “I wonder what that lunch box is going for now days?” I took a peek at the price tag and it said $65.00! For a lunch box!? I could not imagine anyone paying $65.00 for a lunch box unless they were a true Bobby Sherman fan or maybe a fan of lunch boxes. You never know, there are fans of everything out there now days. Just go to an antique or treasure shop and see.

So, I’ll trade my PBJ for your cheese sandwich…

We know who you are, Anita!

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I was reminded this morning of some of the crazy things people have said to me and about me on the internet. They are ridiculous, all of them, because 99.5% of these people did not actually know me in real life (IRL). They were 2D people I met through various websites, but mainly through one we used to own that shall be referred to as AB.com. AB.com was a site that attracted a lot of…interesting…people. Many were musicians, fond of the singer/songwriter genre of the 70s, a few hippies, and a bunch of people I will lump together as “the religious group” because there were several denominations represented, a couple of them fanatical. They were sensitive, poetic, thoughtful, funny, charming, clever, and for the most part anonymous.

One aspect of the internet is that people are able to hide behind a screen name while they make comments in text they would never say out loud to someone’s face. While certainly some of us represent ourselves as who we are IRL, others take the condition of anonymity as license to be cruel.

One of the people I met through AB.com but later met IRL was Cat. She is a clever, witty and genuinely kind person with a bit of a wicked sense of humor. She specialized in 50 cent words that her detractors didn’t quite know the meaning of without the assistance of a dictionary and thesaurus. You know I found that hilarious. So, there was a flame war (series of posts escalating in the intensity of the insults) going on the public message board and through the private messages. At some point, someone started addressing Cat as Anita. I didn’t pay much attention to that. The slings and arrows went back and forth until finally one of the women contacted the admins, complaining that Anita was being mean to them. Wah wah wah. We told them to just ignore her because frankly, the fun for Anita was inciting their frustrations.

So, shortly thereafter, there was a post on the public board, calling her out, calling her names, calling her Anita, over and over, ending the post with “We know who you are, Anita!” The sublime hilarity of the whole thing only became obvious when we realized that Cat had listed her name in her profile as Anita Mann. Say it out loud, you’ll get it.

Another time, a woman who is certifiably crazy developed some vendetta against me. She trolled the internet trying to smear my good online name and all around make life terrible for me. I’ll call this lady Detta. So, Detta found out that I have other websites that I visit, maintain and/or own. After Detta had called me anti-Christian, hateful, insulted my character many times over, and called me fat, she went to one of my other sites and created a profile called “MarthasHater.” It wasn’t called exactly that, I’m just protecting the innocent. MarthasHater then went on to try to slander me some more, and shortly thereafter I deleted her from both websites. I loved the fact that at this particular website, she got no sympathy from the members. They ROFL’d right in her face and may have even LMAO’d.

Detta actually had the temerity to email me demanding to be reinstated because she was sorry. Awww, she was sorry.  How touching. I didn’t reinstate her. I also deleted the numerous other accounts she created after that trying to get herself back onto the site. It became ridiculous and I just quit communicating with her. About three weeks later she apologized again and begged to be allowed back onto the site. You can imagine, I didn’t bother to reply. Besides, I wasn’t even fat back then.

Once I got a death threat. After about five minutes of being seriously scared, I realized it was the ranting of someone seriously disturbed in the head. You see, the threat was over a website tantrum. It was basically “if you don’t get rid of so-and-so, I’m going to hire someone to come out there and kill you!” Once I stopped seeing red, for I did not like demands over petty website disagreements, I remembered other incidents with this person and I knew she was unbalanced in the head. The next day, she ah, “clarified” her statements to suggest she was only kidding. Yeah, and I’m Michelle Obama.

That’s it for today’s installment of “crazy things people have said to me on the internet.” Check back soon for “the time we absolutely could not laugh at the bad singing,” and “the FBI is monitoring us.”

Lemon Shortbread and Molasses Crinkles

Posted in Baking by

We just got the name of our soldier for Round 11 of Baking GALS and I started our baking on Sunday afternoon. Melody was a great help again, measuring and pouring in the ingredients for our lemon shortbread cookies, and of course, testing them to ensure they are good enough to send! I decided to bake the lemon shortbreads again because Sarah, our soldier a few rounds back, told me they were her favorite cookie, plus they seemed to have traveled the best. Although I got the original recipe somewhere else, I have added the lemon zest and I bake them differently than the recipe directs. I’ll get to that in just a minute.

First, I want to mention a contest I entered recently and managed to win. Over at DeltaWhiskey, Cat was running a contest called Deploy Peace. She asked that her readers comment about the ways they support American troops and why. The winners would receive a Deploy Peace dogtag, which is made from retired military aircraft. Check the Deploy Peace site for more information about them. Here is my comment, which I am honored to say was chosen as one of the winning entries:

“Every branch of my family going back to the Revolutionary War has served in some form or fashion. I am a supporter, not a fighter. I know my limitations and I’m not in the military nor have I ever been, but I’m a proud supporter and a proud descendant of a long line of military heroes. They may not all have been decorated, but every single one who served is a hero in my eyes.

I live near an air base, and we see servicemen and women all the time. Every time I see someone in uniform, I want to go up to them and just hug them, thank them for the sacrifices they and their families make on a daily basis for me, my family, my neighbors, my fellow countrymen. But I’m a big chicken and I never do it. I don’t want them to think I’m some kind of loopy nut. :-)

Instead, I bake. I found Cat through the Baking Gals website and it has opened up a font of caring and emotion inside me that I had not known existed with such richness. To me, every batch of cookies that I send overseas is taking a piece of my love and concern to someone who needs to know they aren’t alone out there. Since starting last November, I have looked into the history of our family flag, 100 years old almost, and presented by the Army to an ancestor. He had taken care of the troops on their way to and from WW1, in his home, with his own funds, because it was the right thing to do.

People who are critical of military service people and their families have no room to talk. Our servicemen and women don’t choose to go to war. They don’t join up because they want to kill the enemy. They join because for them, it’s the right thing to do, and when the country comes calling, they go, because it’s the right thing to do.”

I say it over and over, the reason I do this baking thing is to send a little comfort to those who have few comforts. Sure, they may have a bed to sleep in and a roof over their head, but the comfort of home is irreplaceable. A home made cookie is always better than a boxed and mass produced one, every day.

Want to make some yummy lemon shortbread cookies for your family? Here’s the recipe I use. Please use high grade butter and pure vanilla extract for best results. It’s a cookie, don’t worry about fat content! :-)

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Zest lemons, combine with vanilla and stir until smooth and well blended, set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt, mixing thoroughly, set aside. In your mixer, cream butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and mix for about 2 minutes. Add lemon/vanilla flavor. Add flour mixture slowly, one spoonful at a time under the beaters is best. Mix until the dough is light and fluffy. (At this point if the dough is not “lemony” enough for you, you can add another 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon, but don’t get carried away.)

Roll dough into 1″ balls and place on cookie sheet. Press flat with a fork. Bake for about 9 minutes at 350. Yield about 4 dozen. You can chill the dough and make rolled cookies, but mine always end up wonky, which is why I don’t do that.

Enjoy!

Tonight, molasses crinkles!

Top 5 Passive Injuries

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What is a passive injury, you ask? A passive injury is when someone is doing something relatively benign, like sitting still, and manages to injure themselves somehow. The list below is compiled from real injuries to real people I know. Their names have been excluded, but you might be able to guess some of them. All these injuries are real, as are the explanations of how they occurred.

5. Injured neck cutting vegetables. Recently, Ms KP shared that she needed to see the chiropractor for a neck injury. Upon further explanation, it was discovered that while she was cutting some vegetables for dinner, the carrots and celery jumped off the cutting board and karate chopped her, in a bid to escape the stew pot.

4. Wrenched hip watching TV. Mr MK was watching an exciting game of basketball on TV. He stood up to get a drink from the kitchen and as he did so, wrenched his hip and was forced to sit down and complete the game without a beer. His wife simply laughed at him.

3. Pulled shoulder muscle turning off the shower. Mr JG was giving his toddler daughter a bath. Upon hearing it was time to get out, she used a Jedi mind trick on him causing him to levitate away from the bathroom at a rapid rate of speed. However, he had already reached for the faucet to turn off the water, and his extended arm was sucked behind him as he accelerated out of the room, causing his shoulder muscles to contort in an uncomfortable manner.

2. Broken rib while feeding the cat. Ms DM had a special treat for her kitty cat, Mr Jingles. Unfortunately, Mr Jingles was none too excited about the catnip scented wheatgrass she had just placed in his bowl. While she was still leaning down, he tripped her by winding his body around her legs, causing her to stumble into the counter top, fracturing her rib.

1. Pulled muscle while sleeping. This one surely takes the cake. Mr JG again. As he was sleeping, he was dreaming of playing tennis. An involuntary muscle spasm caused by increased adrenaline, brought on by the excitement of the dream, caused him to swing at the oncoming ball. His arm moved swiftly, but since he was lying in bed he did not have a full range of motion and the impairment of his swing caused him to pull a muscle in his arm.

Bonus. Back thrown out while brushing teeth. Ms MBM was brushing her teeth during her 5 day mission on the ISS, because of course, she is dedicated to good dental hygiene after all. A small meteor hit the ISS and startled her, causing her to jerk involuntarily. Upon her return to Earth, Mission Control debriefed her while she was in traction for the injury.

Stay safe out there, America!

An open letter to Dunkin Donuts

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Dear Dunkin Donuts,

I remember as a young girl growing up in Orange County, CA there was a Dunkin Donuts at Harbor & Warner. My sister and I would sometimes go there to get a donut. She denies this, but I remember. Once we got a dozen (you can guess our parents were out of town), and the dog ate one. We all loved Dunkin Donuts! Especially that one with the chocolate cream filling. Delish!

Sadly due probably to the flagging economy and the rise of Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts pulled out of California in the 1990s, and that old Dunkin Donuts shop was turned into a video rental/Chinese food store. It had a drive up window and I wonder if that facilitated video rentals. But, I digress.

WHY ARE YOU ADVERTISING HERE???

Per your website, the closest Dunkin Donuts to my zip code is in Las Vegas, NV. I’m not driving to Vegas for a donut people, and your coffee is just coffee. Heck, I don’t even drive to Vegas to see Love, which I really want to see, or to gamble, and I love me some blackjack, or even just to enjoy the food and the shows and the casinos and all the wacky people walking the streets. Hm, digressing again, sorry.

Please open a store in Southern California, prefereably Orange County, maybe even in Irvine hint hint, or, quit your advertising here until you do. I understand the concept of driving demand through advertising. I remember the Krispy Kreme frenzy. I remember driving 40 miles to La Habra for a Krispy Kreme donut with my friend Sarah in the middle of the night. I get it! But you have no stores here so driving demand while offering no pay off really just pisses us off. Nothing like rubbing it in to make us want some donuts, right? Yep, great marketing idea!

America might run on Dunkin, but out here in the wild and uncivilized west we’re still running on independent donut shops, Starbucks and Peet’s coffee.

Rant over. Love,

Me

Walking with Papa

Posted in Melody by

Gramma Alice found this little poem and paired it with this picture of Melody and her Papa walking together last April.  Too sweet!

Walking With Papa (written by a child)

I like to walk with Papa,

His steps are short like mine.

He doesn’t say “Now hurry up!”

He always takes his time.

Most people have to hurry,

They do not stop and see,

I’m glad that God made Papa,

“Unrushed” and young like me.

Who needs a care package?

Posted in Baking by

I just wanted to put it out there…if you know a soldier who is deployed to a war zone and would welcome a shipment of home-baked goodness, please let me know! Operation Baking GALS has rounds that ship almost every month, so there isn’t a rush to send me names and information, but I would love to host a team of bakers. I’d stress out the entire time worrying that no one will join my team and thinking it’s somehow a reflection on me, but really, I’d make that sacrifice. Think about it, let me know. I’ve been itching to try a pound cake and these cheesy crackers and some chocolate shortbreads and…

Growing up OC – an old man feels like a young boy

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In our county, we have a wonderful piece of history called the Dory Fishing Fleet that continues to flourish today. Founded in 1891, the Dory Fishing Fleet is the only commercial fishing fleet that is permitted to cast off by the Newport Pier. The number of boats has shrunk since its heyday, at which time around 30 boats were active in the fleet. Today there are seven or eight who still ply their nets in the open ocean, setting out as early as 2 in the morning. The age old tradition stirs images of a time when we lived closer to the earth, gathering our consumables and using them immediately rather than the convenience shopping we experience today.

When I was a child, my mom would sometimes go down to the Dory Fishing Fleet market to pick up some fresh caught red snapper or the like. We often ate fish and this was a great way to get outside and do some shopping at the same time. I have a distinct memory of going down the to Dory boats with my family and grandparents one year. I was around 8-10 years old I’d guess. We arrived while they were still bringing in the boats, close to 8 a.m.

The process of bringing in the boats involved placing wide rollers under the boat to drag it up onto the sand, and they acted a bit like wheels on a tank. There were a limited number of these rollers, so when the boat rolled over the last one in the rear, it was run around to the front, and this was repeated over and over, a circular process, until the boat reached its destination.

On this particular visit, my Grandpa Jim worked on recapturing his youth. At the time he might have been in his early 70s. He was a youthful man, strong and happy and I always remember him with a smile on his face. He had a great affinity for very loud, very plaid slacks, golf shirts and (gulp) white belts and shoes. I think that day it’s a safe guess he wore sneakers though, since we were going to be in the sand. Well, when we arrived down there at the beach, Grandpa Jim surprised us all be heading down to the boats and helping pull them up on the shore. He was having a fantastic time, helping pull the boat while the rollers were run from rear to front. I remember the air was damp and chilly and he had on a white hat. The smells were of the sand, the ocean, and the fish. It has embedded itself with the visual memory of Grandpa Jim pulling on that boat with a huge grin on his face.

He had the time of his life!

Somewhere there is a picture of this. My sister, dad and I all know exactly the picture but we cannot find it. We recently looked through every old photo album and shoebox of photos we could find. I’m sad to have misplaced the photo, but I am delighted to have the memory. Create a few memories of your own by visiting the Dory Boats. Your kids are gonna love it!

It’s the least I can do

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Operation Baking GALS (Give A Little Support) is celebrating its one year anniversary this month! According to Lindsey Leybold, site administrator, Baking GALS has shipped approximately 3000 care packages to approximately 100 soldiers in war zones overseas. There are close to 1000 subscribers to the site’s email newsletter and well over 1000 registered participants during the past year.

As you know, I am quite passionate about this organization and I’m proud to have participated in my own small way. Read about my reflections on the experience over at the Orange County Register’s Mom Blog and as before, please, please, please comment. Did I mention I’d really like you to comment?  :-)

Cookies for SSG Limerick no laughing matter

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Round 10 of Baking Gals just finished and we shipped our goodies to SSG Nicholas Limerick in Afghanistan on Tuesday. While I was at the post office there were two soldiers each mailing a care package to someone in the military. I know that because I’m psychic. No, because they were using the military flat rate boxes from the US Postal Service too.

Anyway, I recently bought a Wilton cookie press because it reminded me of the cookie press my mom had (and my sister probably now has) in days gone by. When I saw it, I became instantly nostalgic and culinary at the same time! :-) It wasn’t terribly expensive, about $20 at Bed Bath and Beyond, and it comes with something like 20 designs. More important for me, it comes with the recipes for spritz cookies – what cookies made with the press are called apparently – and also for a type of cheese cracker. I haven’t tried the cracker yet but I am going to soon. If they are yummy, they might not make it out of Cypress, let alone find themselves in Iraq. So, first I made chocolate spritz cookies, because even though it’s a living oven in Afghanistan right now and chocolate chips will melt, chocolate cookies must be had!

Next I made lemon spritz cookies with fresh lemon zest. They are not as good as the lemon shortbreads I made last round, but I wanted to try something new, so what the heck. I think next round I will go back to the original shortbread recipe, which came from Joy of Baking incidentally.

Here’s a mini review of the Wilton cookie press: it was overall a B+ because it was at times difficult to load the dough into the barrel. The instructions say “shape the dough into a log and place in the barrel.” I would like to know if the Wilton people have actually touched the dough from their recipes, because it is soft and very pliable. This stuff wouldn’t stay in the shape of a lump. Also, if the dough wasn’t “just right” in the barrel there were what can only be described as misfires. I’d squeeze the trigger but nothing would come out. Once the pump was primed so to speak, the press worked nicely, although at times the shapes were not uniform and I think I will attribute this to the warm pans. Note to other bakers who would like to use a cookie press: allow your pans to cool before pressing the next batch to be baked. The dough will not stick on warm pans. The Wilton recipe called for the cookies to bake for 10-12 minutes but my oven must run hot because I burned them at 10 and they were just right at 8.

We rounded out our box with candy and gum. Hopefully SSG Limerick has access to a dentist.