Author Archives: Mrs Marvel

Growing Up OC: Atlantis Play Center

Posted in Activities, Growing Up OC by

I haven’t run a Growing Up OC article in quite a while, but have had some brewing in the back of my mind. Today my daughter’s summer day camp went to Atlantis Play Center, and since that was one of the places I loved as a kid, I was delighted to discover it is still around.

As a kid in the 70s, Atlantis Play Center seemed like a magical wonderland. It’s most memorable feature for me was the dragon slide. How could you not love that thing? It seemed like it went on for miles and miles, through bushes and under trees.

Danny the Dragon

Danny the Dragon

As I remember it, there were shrubs all along the sides of the slide and the “big kids” would run through and behind the bushes from the bottom back to the top. There were little “trails” from where the gardeners walked, raked and cleaned the falling leaves, and these always made me want to sneak around in the bushes. We would play games of hide and seek, or just hide and surprise our friends. When I was younger, I envied the big kids who would go play on those trails. When I became a big kid – maybe a whole year later? – I was so excited to do exactly that.

During construction

During construction

Here’s a great image of the dragon slide during construction of the park 51 years ago. That’s right, Atlantis Play Center is 51 years old! All I knew was that it seemed like we drove forever to get there (we didn’t) and that the park was gigantic (it wasn’t). However, it is no slouch in the space department, being placed on 4 acres in central Garden Grove, CA. We often went with the neighbor’s, Leslie & Karen, Robbie & Timmy, other kids I can’t remember. I do recall we once had a picnic next to the Viking Ship.

Land, ho!

Land, ho!

In this image, you can see in the background right the bushes that used to cover the dragon slide. This is the Atlantis of my childhood memory. These days, there are splash pads available for fun and play. The entrance fee is only $2 per person with kids under 2 free. I’m sure for kids today, as for kids of days gone by, it still inspires the imagination and generates hours of fun!

See the City of Garden Grove for more details on Atlantis Play Center, including directions & FAQs.

As a funny side note, when I was in high school I played basketball and our team played in a scrimmage up at Bolsa Grande High School, which is right across the street from Atlantis Play Center. I ended up catching a ride from this one girl who I idolized. She had a junker old car, and as we made the left turn from the school onto Westminster Blvd, she accidentally drove on top of the narrow center divider – driver’s side wheels on one side of it, passenger side wheels on the other! We laughed so hard we cried! After that, she talked to me at school and made me feel like she “saw” me, even though I was pretty much a basketball dork, lol. I’ll never forget that aspect of growing up OC either…great memories of fun times with old friends.

Theocratically speaking

Posted in Misc, WTH? by

I think I’m going to start my own religion….Church of Baking. We will minister to the masses with muffins and cupcakes, to warm their souls and remind people of the goodness of home. We will sponsor shelters for the homeless, assist abused women and children, teach parenting classes on how to bake with your children…we will be the most amazing church to come about since some of those other big ones.

We won’t discriminate against the types of baked goods we make. All types will be welcome – baklava, bagel and brownie, side by side on the plate. Everyone feeling the love of world baked good peace. Perhaps we will become so popular, we’ll even have an Arch Bagel, or even a Holy Pie in the Sky.

Next, I’m going to start a company, based on my personal beliefs and values of baking for the better good. I’m going to open stores that sell my baking products and of course, baked goods. Of course, we will be successful! Who doesn’t like baking for good-cakes sakes? We will incorporate to protect the owners (me) from any lawsuits or losses of the company. That only makes good sense. Why would I risk my personal assets for the practices of the company I founded? Finally, when I offer insurance to my employees, I am not going to cover any medicines for diabetes or any kind of obesity treatments, because it would violate my personal beliefs and values. Also, if you suffer from celiac disease, gluten intolerance, oh, or any sort of allergy, like peanuts or tree nuts, just don’t bother to even ask for an Epi-pen, GI test or other treatment, because I use flour and nuts in my baked goods. That is what makes them Right and Good. Furthermore, since we believe in the Church of Baking, there better not be any candy making going on in your homes. You work for me, and what my company believes in should rule all your actions, regardless of whether you are on the clock or not.

Don’t like it? Work somewhere else.

That is what I am hearing from lots of people today and it makes me sad, sad, sad for America.

Corporations are not people. Corporations do not have beliefs, values, feelings or religions. The OWNER has those things. If an owner does not want to be financially and legally responsible for the actions of their business, they incorporate to remove the individual from the business liability, among other things. Once the individual is out of the mix, sure the owner can run the business according to their personal beliefs, but still within compliance with state and federal laws. You can’t have it both ways – separate yourself from legal responsibility to protect your personal assets, while infusing your individual preferences into the business practices regardless of regulations, standard business practices or laws.

Don’t like it? Sell your business.

This is the law. It also is not a violation of the businesses beliefs and values, because it’s a business, not a person. Yes, my example of the Church of Baking is loaded with hyperbole and is ridiculous, but it isn’t far off from reality in America today. In this time of economic recovery, there are lots of people – actual humans, not corporate entities – who cannot pick and choose their place of employment quickly and easily. And yet, this cavalier attitude dominates the commentary. Self righteousness and hypocricy at its best.

Making an easy blanket for your pet

Posted in Activities, Mom, Sewing by

Even your smallest members of the house need a lovey, right? I have been making these blankets for my cats and dogs for many years. My mother made them for the family dog when I was growing up. They can be placed around the house where your pet likes to sleep, they protect your light colored carpets and linens from dark colored hair deposits and pet “gunk”, and can make it so your pet can sleep on the bed without being right up in your face.

Browser likes to hang out on the stairs

Browser likes to hang out on the stairs

To make your pet a warm bed that is also machine washable, you will need:

1 yard of cotton flannel or regular cotton

1 package of Warm & Natural batting, 34×45″ size (or any low loft batting, I just like the weight of this type)

Cozy to be

Cozy to be

Step One

Lay out the fabric to make sure the edges are even and straight. Trim where necessary.

Trim edges

Trim edges

Step Two

Lay the batting on your table, then lay the fabric on top. Match the edge of the batting to the folded edge of your flannel. The flannel is going to be your guide for cutting. Cut out the batting.

Cut batting to the edge of the fabric

Cut batting to the edge of the fabric

Step Three

You should now have one yard of flannel folded inside out and then layered on top of the batting. Keeping everything configured exactly like that, stitch around the open edges, leaving yourself a 6″ opening where you will turn the fabric. Backstitch to anchor your stitching.

Before turning, trim any edges.

Cut out extra bulk before turning

Cut out extra bulk before turning

Step Four

Turn your project by reaching in through the hole and grasping the other end. Pull everything through the hole. Once it’s right side out, reach back in and pop out the corners. Next, turn in the raw edges at the opening, pin closed, then stitch.

Pin and stitch

Pin and stitch

You can either just stitch it straight down the side, or you can stitch all the way around the entire project to make a more finished look. I stitch this about 1/8″ from the edge. Finally, stitch a straight line from edge to edge in the center of the blanket. This will keep the batting from drifting around and getting lumpy in the washer or when Fido digs around in his bed for the perfect spot to settle. If you are feeling really motivated you can stitch an X from corner to corner or other designs. I find that I am not precise enough to do this and I always wind up taking a tuck in the fabric, and that makes a pucker, and that bugs me. :-)

Step Five

Present to Fluffy and collect the furry gratitude you are owed for your efforts. Start to finish this project should take about 15 minutes.

Heavy sigh....

Heavy sigh….

If your pet is bigger than medium size, you can make a similar blanket using 1 yard of flannel backed with 1 yard of cotton or flannel cut into a square, and the batting sandwiched in the middle. Follow the same steps, just stitching around four sides instead of three. I suppose you could also make a kid blanket this way too.  :-)

That’s it, my work here is done

Posted in Misc, Mom by

Last night was interesting. First, on the school district survey form:

IMG_0279

Please indicate you how important?

Click to enlarge and find the error. Who is writing this stuff? This is the second grammar or syntax mistake I have found in school issued materials. These people are teaching my child, but did they actually pass the NCLB requirements for reading comprehension? Maybe they need to invest in a proofreader.

After that I figured the night would just continue in a boring fashion, until this happened:

IMG_6406

Not a yolk at all!!

William Shatner replied to my tweet. WOW. That totally made my night, and yes, I have posted this to Facebook, lol. It’s the little things in life that make you happy, right?

Shut down the government, great idea!

Posted in Misc by

I don’t have a lot of information to spout, no statistics, no political side-taking. My reaction to this is more visceral. I am disgusted. It seems the two party system has lost its ability to function without collateral damages to the public. You remember us….?

We are the ones you are hurting.

Hey, Mr. Congressman, are you getting paid while the government is shut down? If the answer is yes, then shame on you. We are hardly out of a very difficult economic crisis, a recession that put thousands out of work, out of homes, and out of hope. All the while, YOU got paid. You dithered about this agenda or that agenda, never considering that the people ultimately affected by your inability to turn away lobbyists, special interests, and your party-line agendas are the middle and lower classes. We are the ones paying the taxes. We are the ones paying your salary.

Let’s hope no natural disaster occurs while you children finish your tantrums and decide to play nice in the sandbox, because FEMA is shut down. Hurricane or super storm, come on down!

Let’s hope no serious chemical leaks and/or explosions occur (remember West, Texas?), because the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board is shut down.

Let’s hope no dangerous products are imported or marketed (like Chinese dog-killing food and lead filled baby toys), because the Consumer Product Safety Commission is closed.

Your precious Department of Homeland Security is hobbled. Hopefully there won’t be any large public events taking place that can be threatened by terrorists.

Major union strike takes place? Let it happen, because the Department of Labor will be at a minimal staff.

But hey, Mr. Congressman, you are getting paid, so how will this possibly affect you?

EPA, EEOC, FDIC, FCC, FTC, NTSB.…..and so many more, all put in place for the American people, yet unable to function because of you.

You continue to take your pay, get your government subsidized healthcare, and live insulated from what the rest of America might be experiencing, and then have the gall to claim you are doing “your very best” for the American people? You disgust me.

There was a time when a seat in Congress was a position of great respect and honor. You dishonor your title every second you hold yourself above the rest of America. When your family suffers because you are out of a job, your house is in foreclosure, and you don’t know where the next meal is coming from, you can call yourself a regular American. When budget cuts at your employer force you to take a pay cut just to stay employed, then you can join us. Until then, you are a politician, playing with peoples lives and livelihoods. You can surround yourself with yes-men who tell you what you want to hear, but only you will believe it. The people out here who have to hear your pompous meanderings about working for Americans are pretty well fed up.

Your job, your one and only job, is to serve the American people. I am so disappointed in you. Maybe if we get lucky, you will be out of work soon.

Daisy Girl Scouts: Rededication Ceremony

Posted in Girl Scouts by

We are in our second year of Daisy Girl Scouts, and discovered over the summer that our first year was, shall we say, informal. We had a lot of fun with the girls, went on some fun field trips, and made great friendships, which is most of what scouting is about! But, having become a co-leader of our troop, I was invited with the other leaders to attend a Girl Scout kick off meeting this past August, and we learned that Daisy Scouts can do even more than what we already did! So, the three co-leaders have decided to start some new fun things for our Daisies for their second year.

Last year, we didn’t do a Dedication Ceremony or even an Invocation, we just made sure the girls knew their stuff and they earned their petals. This year, we wanted to do a Rededication Ceremony for them, so they would start learning some of the pageantry that future levels of Girl Scouting all seem to utilize. Ceremonies are a great way to place importance on something — “putting a point on it” so to speak. Dedication to Girl Scouting is one way to welcome the girls back to Scouts after a great summer. Since I searched the web and drew different bits and pieces from many resources, I figured I would go ahead and share with others. Since we did not pick up any new Daisies this year, this ceremony is specific to a Rededication, rather than an Invocation and/or Dedication. We kept it simple, but if anyone can use any bits or pieces of this for their ceremony, please help yourself!

Daisy Troop #345 2013 Rededication Ceremony 

Cut out sections and paste to notecards. Number the cards so they don’t get out of order. 

All stand in a circle with Leaders at the front, a small table will be needed to hold the pins.

Leader: Where are the Daisy Girl Scouts of Troop 345?

Girls: Here we are!

Leader: Tonight we are confirming our continuing dedication to be the very best Daisy Scouts we can be.  Each of you is an important part of our troop, our families, and our community.  As Girl Scouts, we promise to be the very best person we can be. Let’s make that promise together, now, by saying the Girl Scout Promise.  Everyone raise your hand in the Girl Scout salute.

All recite Girl Scout Promise  “On my honor…”

Leader: Last year, we learned about the Girl Scout Promise and the Girl Scout Law.  These are valuable tools to help us each as we grow and learn about the world.  In Girl Scouts, each girl is special and recognized as a valuable member of the community by older people – parents, leaders, neighbors, and community members.  This year, we will learn about our individual strengths and also how we can work together as a team toward mutual goals.

Leader: Troop 345’s Daisy meetings will be a place where each girl’s individuality is valued.  It will be a place where the importance of caring for ourselves and others will be emphasized.  We will learn about our world and ways to care for nature.  We will have fun!  This will be a place for each girl to live the Girl Scout mission statement: “Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.”  Now, it is time for each girl to be called up and be rededicated to Daisy Scouts.

_____________________(naming girl), please come forward

 Leader: Welcome back, ______________________.  Do you promise to try to be the best Daisy Girl Scout you can be?  (Girl responds yes) Here is your Membership Star, and your cookie sales pin, your safety pin, and your first Journey book, which you earned through your hard work last year.  We are proud to have you in Daisy Troop #345!  She pins girl, shakes her left hand and makes the Girl Scout sign with her right hand. Directs girl to return to her place.

Repeats through all girls.

Leader: Daisy Girl Scouts are named after the founder of Girl Scouting in the United States, Juliette Gordon Low, whose nickname was Daisy. She brought Girl Scouting to the United States from England. For over 100 years, Girl Scouts have been teaching girls about their world and how to be a good citizen.  Last year we earned the ten petals of the daisy, with each petal representing a line of the Girl Scout Law.  This year we will take three journeys, each one focused on a  different aspect of the world we live in, and preparing you, the Daisy Girl Scouts of Troop 345, to bridge up to Brownies next year.

Leader: We are excited to see all your lovely faces, eager and ready to continue the Daisy Girl Scout fun!  Now let’s sing the first verse of Make New Friends.

 

Vids with ads

Posted in Movies by

You know those videos with great titles, like “Baby Drives Tractor” and “Amazing Surfing Dog Wipe Out!!!” ?? The titles really draw you in (granted I just made those up) and make you want to watch the video, whether it is on YouTube or Yahoo! or wherever. What I hate hate hate about videos is when they force you to sit through an ad for some website or laundry care product or whatever. That pretty much makes me A) not want to buy your product and B) not watch the video.

So, here’s a video of my stupid dog not willing to pick up his chew treat from the tile floor. No ad required, because I’m cool like that.

Dory Boats, revisited

Posted in Growing Up OC, Pictures by

A few years ago, I wrote about a local fish “market” called the Dory Boats, down in Newport Beach. It is one of the few remaining places where fresh caught fish is sold, usually off the bow of the boat after it has bee hauled up onto the beach. As a kid, I went with my family on a number of occasions to pick up fresh caught fish for dinner. It was always better tasting than anything bought in a store. One time we went with my grandparents, and as I titled my previous blog post “An Old Man Feels Like a Young Boy,” my Grandpa Jim was right down at the boats, helping to pull them up across the shore. I knew there was a photo of this event and I searched for many years, but at the time of the post I didn’t have it. I could picture him clearly in his red & blue plaid pants and blue shirt. At the time he would have been in his 70s.

Recently, I found the photo.

Dory Boats, Newport Beach, CA

Dory Boats, Newport Beach, CA

That little kid is me, bathing suit bottoms and a tee shirt. I have no idea who I was talking to, probably just some guy. Grandpa Jim is at the bow of the boat, to the right of that fellow in the jeans & white shirt. Those men hauled the boat up the beach by pulling it across rollers. When the boat cleared a roller, someone ran the roller around to the front.

You can read the original Growing Up OC here.

Virginia Special Macaroni and Cheese

Posted in My other sites by

I’m going to reblog some posts from my other sites occasionally, as I did with the dress modification. I feel like I have four loves but they are fragmented onto four sites, so this might be the best way to bring them all together. Cheers!

Mrs Marvel's avatarGram's Recipe Box

Virginia Special Mac and Cheese

 

Macaroni and cheese with sugar in it isn’t exactly what I was thinking with this one. However, maybe it adds a gentle sweetness to an otherwise cheesy, gooey, casserole. Having a 6-year-old, we tend to eat a lot of macaroni and cheese. Maybe I will try this one. Without the tomatoes of course. I like catchup on my mac & cheese, but there is where I draw the line. :-) I don’t know the vintage of this recipe. It was clipped from a newspaper of unknown origin and date.

Virginia Special Macaroni & Cheese

1 7 oz package elbow macaroni

1 1/2 cup milk

1 cup evaporated milk

2 well beaten eggs

2 T sugar

1/2 t salt

1 8 oz package sharp Cheddar (or process American cheese), coarsely diced

Tomato slices, halved

Cook macaroni in boiling salted water til just tender; drain. Blend milk, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar…

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