AM~Erica Giving a Proper Introduction

So anyway...

It's been a week since Planet Comicon...and I'm still thrilled we got to go & take it all in. And I'm still remembering our experience mostly fondly.

If you remember, I went to Planet Comicon in my long-awaited steampunk outfitted character. And she has been a two(ish)-year project in the making.

I wanted to take a moment to focus on how my brain works & where she came from. At least I'll try...

A couple of years ago, shortly after I discovered Pinterest for myself, I started following someone who had these amazing pins on a board called "Steampunk." I was so curious about it because the pins were intricate, beautiful, spectacular...and I was quite drawn in. So, I went straight to her board to see what other visuals she was providing for inspiration. And I, then, became inspired by this thing called "Steampunk."

As I looked into it (because you all know I research when I find something new to take in), I found it was really from a sci-fi genre of literature, mostly based on the Victorian/Old West times, where the machines & beyond ran off of steam power. And, there are several of the storylines that lean toward a post-apocalyptic time of steam power. There have been movies with the same type of visuals, even TV shows & cartoons...
And I was hooked.

When I read something, I have an idea in my head, but it's true visuals that spark my imagination. I'm a visual learner. So, I started going thru other pins on Pinterest based on this, even Google images. The things I found were awe-inspiring, beautiful, crazy, intricate, and so creative in how those who have created their own characters took the genre to another level.

I could do that.

At some point, I came across some artwork. That's pretty wild, too. But there was one particular body of work from an artist that kept standing out to me. It was from the hand & mind of Brian Kesinger. Not only is he an artist, but he's even worked on Disney productions! I found that out later. But I really discovered him because of Victoria & Otto...along with his Tea Girls. (check out his work HERE)

Here is Victoria & Otto.
Though Otto is depicted much larger in other artworks,
I loved how their coming together is shown...made me think of T'luluh & Carlow.

This is Brian Kesinger's "Earl Grey" Tea Girl.
He uses mixed media of ink and tea. Love it.
Also, I wanted to use Earl Grey for my Star Trek geekery reasons.

I was so taken with his lovely & precious idea of the companionship between the lady & her octopus (which has been made almost the Steampunk Mascot), and along with the lovely imaginings of the non-Victoria "Tea Girls", my mind began to swirl...the cogs were turning, and the steam machine of my brain was warming up & really got going!

More of the steampunk tie to tentacles have been to much of the cephalopod types, including the creatures of Cthulhu & the Kraken. Between all of these factors...my mind started trying to put things together.

I loved the tie to the octopus companionship, as shown by Brian, so I went with that. I also began looking at what it would take to start building a steampunk outfit. Holy Cannoli! The money that can go into some of this stuff is crazy!! I don't have that kind of money laying around to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to put together something even just beginner. So I had to make the cogs of brain-workings work harder as I flipped the lever to deliver more steam to the thinking process...

As I tried to find pieces, I was working on a name & a backstory. Her name, T'luluh, is a form "Cthulhu" that I found intriguing. And, it's my own spelling. I'm sure most of you are shocked. Her last name, Poulpe', is French for "octopus". Then I wanted to keep it kind of classy, so I gave her the title of "Lady." So, I started to put together "Lady T'luluh Poulpe'" for the steampunk universe.

Now, I don't remember exactly what order many of my pieces came into my possession, but if you remember, I had just enough things to do an early test run of my character. So, I unveiled a very rough first outing (although she looked quite put together) at our church's Trunk-or-Treat promotion table. (reminder HERE)

But she was definitely still a work in progress. It wasn't the hair I wanted for her. She needed to be more tentacle-y...and so I really wanted a dreadlock 'do for her. Plus...she still needed a companion! An octopus...DUH! So, I began finding T'luluh a companion. I was looking for the right adoption, and it needed a perfect name...

As I started researching names for her new pet, I finally came across the name "Carlow." I was pretty drawn to it, then found out it's an Irish name (well, that's fitting) for "quadruple lake." It's totally a water name! Perfect! Well...if he's Irish, he needs a type of Irish last name...because we all know I'm giving him a last name. Amm-i-rite? Still along the lines of tentacles, and since T'luluh was the Cthulhu portion, he got the Kraken.
If you ever see the word "craic" (pronounced much like "crack"), it's Irish for "fun." So, Carlow's last name would be "McKcraic'n."

And then I did a mail-order adoption thru (the) Amazon. I found him! And he's adorable!

Carlow's "adoption" pic

Plus, I found the perfect hair for T'luluh, I went to thrift stores & found the perfect skirt, I was gifted my jewelry & goggles, a halloween corset on clearance, gifted shoes, hand-me-over/down under skirt, thrifted blouse & over vest, and some clearance tights put together with the magic of modern safety pins. Oh! And the surge to get this all together when we found out we were going to Planet Comicon...on Pi Day!! (Reminder HERE for more photos, too) My entire outfit may have cost, including the adoption of Carlow, about $40.

T'luluh & Carlow made some Steampunk friends at Planet Comicon.
Could have found so many more! Next time!!!

And I had to share that I put only one picture, at first, onto Instagram with a headshot of T'luluh & Carlow. I did tag it with #PlanetComicon. It was crazy that I got one of the artists with a booth there find it & say she saw me there & loved the outfit! WHAT?? I was so blown away. And then several other artists found it & liked it, too. So awesome! (I did add more pics on Instagram later.)
Of course I tagged Brian Kesinger in it...he's one of the biggest inspirations for the whole thing.

I did share a collage on Brian's PUBLIC FACEBOOK PAGE (and tagged him on Twitter: @briankesinger). There have been other steampunk pages share the photo from there, too!
Holy Cannoli!

Even with all of that, T'luluh & her story are still a work in progress. I hope to do something with it in the future, but unsure how that looks at the moment. But when it involves continuing her father's work, how her mother passed, and the search for a sunken airship...and maybe even pirates...you know it's gotta be good!

Then, I hope to meet Brian Kesinger one of these days...well I hope T'luluh & Carlow get to meet him. He inspired their existence.

And I'm looking forward to another chance for T'luluh & Carlow to show up somewhere.

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica PR'd

So anyway...

After I've mostly gotten over the BLACKLIGHT RUN DEBACLE, I was not about to give up running.

Well, I've been looking forward to a particular race coming up. Why? I was looking forward to a particular 5k to get a PR! What's a "PR"? It stands for Personal Record.

A Personal Record can be for several things:
Time
Pace
Distance
Miles Accumulated/(week, month, year)

There's several things you could set a PR for.

Well, I had been running long enough (in my mind) & trying to make some progress in my journey. I felt it was time to try to strive for this PR:

Run 3.1 miles in 30 minutes.

I have been so close a couple of times. I've been close on a training run, and even by guesstimate on the Blacklight Run...but wanted it to be official-official!

So, I've been working on running hills.
I've been working on distance.
I've been working on fartleks.

I've been reaching quick spurts of fast paces.
I've been hitting some pretty big inclines & descents.
I've been working on longer distances.

Though I have a super secret formula to a PR (because it's worked before), I will say the final step of the non-mathical equation is the tutu.

When you get a race shirt with your race packet, there are 2 camps on whether to wear the race shirt during the race or not. I am strongly in the camp that you EARN the shirt, so you do NOT wear it during the race...it comes anytime afterward. So, it stirs my creativity as to how I can stand out in a crowd, and still be part of the theme of the race I'm running. I then get my brainy-brain working to come up with an appropriate cosTUTUme to wear! (like some of these ideas HERE)

This 5k I was looking to PR happened today. It was the De-Feet Hunger 5k Run/Walk. It's a 5k race put on by the Heartland District of the Missouri United Methodist Conference to benefit Harvesters as a part of the conference's set day for SERVE 2014. It's an awesome ministry!! You can check it out HERE!

Well, since we are doing this race to benefit this food pantry, and since I didn't want to wear the amazing race shirt yet...I had to think. But I had to make a very quick decision! I thought our church was going to have some shirts done up for our church folks to reflect a theme we are officially unveiling this week...but we are beginning the sales of the shirts this week. So I couldn't work with that shirt like I originally thought.

So...what could I do?

I settled on soup.

Not to eat while thinking...but to actually create a cosTUTUme around the iconic Campbell's Soup label!

I found some shirts out there that I was hoping to get my hands on. It was a no-go. I also wanted to find a Campbell's Soup costume! Halloween is coming & there are stores with costumes out...so I went looking. Since I've seen them in stores before & have seen some online, imagine my disappointment when I couldn't find ANY! I would have no time to order, either! I only had a day by the time I realized I needed to change gears.

Well, I had to rethink some things...I had to pretend I was crafty.

With the Campbell's label still being so simple to this day, I figured it wouldn't be too difficult to recreate!

So...I set out to find a couple tanks &/or camis, think about what fabric paints I already had, and then work from there.

With a red cami I cut off to be worn over a white tank, this is what I came up with:

I stared at an image of a Campbell's Soup label. I tried really hard to even do the lettering as closely as I possibly could.

The gold seal was just going to be plain since I didn't feel comfortable with recreating the picture on it. So, I left it solid & eventually wrote "SERVE" on the top half of the circle & "2014" on the bottom half of the circle with black Sharpie.

I tried seeing what it would look like with the tutu...

I was actually getting pretty excited!!

I also knew it there was going to be a fabulous fall-like chill in the air during race time, so I pulled out some stirrup running leggings I have, along with a long-sleeve running shirt...both in a dark silver. I thought it might do pretty well representing the can.

Here's how it looked on race day!

Oh...you see the black mark on the back of my top in the picture on your right? I added a barcode....

And I went out with several representing members of my church to run/walk this race! And I ran it!

You know what? I felt GOOD! My pace was faster than expected, but I could talk to other runners who might be running beside at the time, or even cheering other people on that were on the other side of the course, whether in front of or behind where I was at. I could thank those volunteers who were helping to block traffic & yelling encouraging words!

And, a large portion of the race was at an ever-so-slight incline. Thank goodness I've been working on hills! It didn't seem like much to me. But I'm sure others were not doing so well with it.

But, nonetheless, I was shocked with myself! I wondered if I was going PR...

Then, once I figured out I was going to MAJORLY get a PR, I crossed the line like any other tutu'd former ballerina/hardcore dancer should:

That's right. With a grand jete'!

Why? Well maybe in my quest to get a 30 minute 5k, this happened:

Yeah...my official time was finishing in 29:19!! I totally SHATTERED the 30 minute thought! Like...by a lot!

When I did my very first 5k, the Park Trot, I couldn't believe I finished in 31:52.
When I did the Firecracker Flight, I knew I'd have a turtled time with a big hill of 35:30.
When I did the Royals Charities 5k, I felt pretty good about my 31:33!

But...look at that time up there!! I thought I might get down to 30 minutes...but had NO idea I would get this!!

What a day!
Not only did I set out to PR, do my necessary formula to try to insure it, but shattered it. Hardcore.

Not only that, my hubby did amazing by finishing 4th overall & getting 2nd in his age division! He got his own PR, too!

Oh...and most of those pics I have were taken my Teen Girl. Why? She came home from college for the weekend in hopes of helping get some pics of our church folks during the race & meal packing afterward. Well...she was actually approached, WHILE we were there, to be the official photographer for the race!! They gave her a press release & she did what she could to snap some pics along the way. She did GREAT!!

Also...Teen Boy was taking his ACT while we were at the race.

And Lil Guy did an awesome job sticking with his big sis during this race stuff!

So, a treat was called for:

Oh yes! Doughnuts & coffee! Pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin latte, regular coffee, apple fritter, warm & fresh glazed doughnuts, cinnamon buns...mmmmmm....yeah....

Don't judge. We'll be heading back this coming Friday for their Talk Like a Pirate Day promotion (past promo HERE)

Later on, I could start feeling my PR setting in: soreness, fatigue, tightness, yet elation!

Worth it! Cuz I PR'd! BOOM! *Mic Drop*

And I should bring up the almost 20 folks from our church who did the run/walk, plus several others who volunteered! A couple during the race, and several more to pack meals afterward!
Oh! Our church can also claim the 1st place finisher for F 10-19, 3rd place finisher F 30-39, 1st AND 2nd place finishers M 40-49! So proud of our group!

More to come...

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

The AM~Erica Costume Approach

So anyway...

If you haven't figured this out about me by now, I love costumes. LOVE COSTUMES!

Not even just costumes, but creating a character, creating a look. Anything from a pirate, a flapper, super fantastical, sci-fi, 50's housewife, a hippie, etc. Even in everyday wear. Channeling a character or a decade, for example, can help how you walk out the door for the day...or for whatever event it's for.

I love keeping up on cosplay out there, too. You know? The hardcore geeky fans that go ALL out on their recreation &/or interpretation of the character they are trying to portray. You see it a lot at Comic Con & other conventions like it. From makeup to the outfit...to the overall attitude. Yeah. That.

I have seen some CRAZY stuff out there, too. People go SO above & beyond...I'm not even sure how they stand or move. Live with Kelly & (now) Michael have done annual costume contests for Halloween. The stuff these people come up with are SO elaborate...they've created a scene! Seriously...and it's even hard to tell if there's a human being in there!

Examples:

With all the incredible work that goes into the show, here's how I see it:

If it is going to hinder my movement in any way, if I can't see, sit, turn my head, move my arms, keep me from walking, etc., then it's a no-go.

Wigs, headpieces, makeup, accessories, clothing, and footwear all make a difference for what you are trying put out there. I will work what I can to go above & beyond...but so I can still function in society...in my own weird & creative way, of course.

Find out more HERE

This has been on my mind as I have some 5k runs coming up. And part of my motivation to do these, if you remember HERE, is that I can wear a TUTU! Since I used to wear costumes ALL THE TIME back when I danced hardcore & competed, the glitz, glamor, lycra & fabulous get-ups all had to set the tone of the dance & the message we were trying to convey, AND we HAD to be able to move while doing so. Tutus were just a part of some of the costumes that were a ballerina standard. And I loved getting to wear a tutu with the sequins & shimmer tights. Ahhhh...those were the days...

Anyhoo...I've been thinking up some really great tutu running outfit ideas for some of these races coming. And...since I'm RUNNING...that means I need to be able to MOVE without being hindered in any way. Just like my thought on costumes to begin with!

Tutu running outfits for 1) Park Trot 5k (by Bass Pro); 2) [Chiefs] Finish on the 50; 3) My Girl is on Fire Bday 5k run

So...as you plan your upcoming costumes for Halloween, or whatever (since it's already THAT time of year for me...but it's always Halloween for me), I'd just ask you if it's worth winning a costume contest for 5 minutes to an hour that you can't move in...or to embody your costume you can wear for a long time, and hopefully a few times (and maybe even reuse), for hours of fun?

If you choose to go elaborate enough that you cannot move, or it is difficult to move around, all for the show, then good for you...have at it. But what can you do or create to be able to move around for a longer period of time without having to take off or have to carry parts of your costume you can't keep on...

So, I'm already looking forward to some fun running tutu outfits. Some of the races even have costume/outfit contests! You know what? If I can be elaborate ENOUGH to at least compete...awesome! But I won't sacrifice mobility/view to try to win it.

Anyway...if you are one that does go so elaborate that you are willing to sacrifice ANYTHING to win a costume contest, even if it only lasts 10 minutes...and you can't move or see...my question for you is: Why? I would love to hear! Seriously! Just comment, below here on the blog, so we can keep the responses together. I'm genuinely curious.

In the meantime...I'm planning my upcoming running tutu outfits, as well as planning ahead for Halloween. My Favorite!

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

Why AM~Erica Celebrates Pretty Much Everything

So anyway...

Not too long ago, an article had been put out there by a mom who was frustrated with Pintrest moms. You know the ones that seem like they want to be the Martha Stewarts of every party, every meal is perfect, every "small gift" looks like $50 bucks was spent on it...you know: the one-uppers! And this mom was venting about how Pinterest has ruined the simplicity of the school parties, costumes, teacher gifts, snacks, etc.

Believe it or not, as much as I love Pinterest for ideas, I mostly agree with her.

Yes, yes, yes...I hear you!

"Hey! She posts things up of new recipes & crazy holidays. Who does she think she is?"

(totally said in my best Jim Gaffigan voice)

Here's my deelio:
I'm sure you might be shocked to know that I have a theatrical background. I understand your shock. And sometimes I love having the theatrics in real life, too. Holidays give me that opportunity. And I guess I'm along the lines of a "method actress." I will research & dig to get inspired on how to play out a part...or serve a meal...or wear an outfit/costume.

In doing these things, not only do you learn more things because you force yourself to research, but you may find that you can add to the mundane dinner menu rotation for the family!

Personally, I love to keep things as authentic as I can, but add a bit of a pun or quirk to it.

* A lot of this started in 2001. A little before then, too, but it really kicked off then. It was with Halloween coming & I came up with my Vulcan, T'Rek. Find out how that went down HERE!

The (half) Vulcan, T'Rek, circa 2001

* I learned about fashion & makeup from the 60's when I took an old internet quiz years ago about which supermodel I was most like. When it came up Twiggy...I started digging more into more about her.

* I learned about fashion, makeup & the times of the 50's when I was part of a diner theater (yeah...I said "diner") at our church, "Uncle Phil's Diner."

Me as Miss Donna Lee in "Uncle Phil's Diner", circa 2008

* I love using St. Patrick's Day to dig into some of my Irish background. So I try to keep it authentic. And I love learning how much we actually get wrong in overall celebrations. Check out some of my discoveries HERE.

* I love, I love to set my brain loose when celebrating that Dr. Seuss! Outfits, foods & rhyming galore; each March 2nd we try to do more. If you'd like to know which way to steer, check out what I've done before HERE!

March the 2nd is the date; a Seussy day to celebrate!

* Aye! Me loves to take in & talk like a pirate! Each September 19th, we set creative ideas to sail a course of the day! Check out what I've done before HERE!

* I love marking the Ides of March & Pi Day, too! Check 'em out HERE!

But I'm also a shortcutter. If my kids need something for a school party, I will totally just send the valentines of their favorite character. I don't need to have a pencil or a Hershey's kiss/hug attached to it. Or if my kid has "hat day" at school, I'll offer up a brightly colored stovepipe hat, but am fine when they just choose a baseball cap. Eventually if they want to do more, I'll support them & help them...but if not, as quietly sad as I might be on the inside, I am still glad that they are willing to participate in something beyond the ordinary.

I'm not a Martha Stewart. I use Pinterest & Google to get inspired for things, but I am not (usually) going to put tons of money into what I'm doing if I don't need to. It's about setting an ambiance. It's about making memories. But it's not about killing myself to do it. It's not about being a one-upper. I do what I love to do. And if it inspires someone else to try something, that's awesome! It's never about setting some bar super high to prove no one can top it! Trust me...anyone can top me. I just know how my brain works. And then I go with it.

At times, I'm sure my family gets frustrated with my crazy ideas...but sometimes it proves to be fun & OK. Even if they roll their eyes...they will still be talking about it quite some time later...and might even ask if we will get to do it again!

And if you offer up any sort of creativity like that with your kids, it encourages them to think about what they would do, too. I've even had my kiddos start to make suggestions for some of these special days! And the ideas are often good ones. Heck...my hubby helps with the ideas sometimes, too!!

So where there is a semi-revolt against increasing hype for other holidays, I say go for it! Start small. Do what you can. If you think you need to one-up anyone, then you're doing it wrong. Just up your own creativity & dig into research for yourself. You will enlighten yourself & it will rub off on your family. It will be amazing to see what happens when you change up a couple of things while you have a history & explanation behind it.

You know what? Being that shortcutter allows me to find the quick way around fixing things up...where it's more about the presentation. I still want things to taste good, too...but I'm not above throwing some store-bought stuff together. I'm willing to fake it til I make it.

Really...you can, too. Trust me.

So go out there, have fun, celebrate, and just challenge yourself a little bit. You'll be amazed!

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

Cap'n AM~Erica Be Talkin' Like a Pirate

So anyway...land lubbers...

If ye haven't heard yet...it be International Talk Like a Pirate Day, mateys!!

How have ye been participatin'?

As ye know...this pirate can bee seen dressin', eatin', an' you be knowin' I be speakin' like one. Arrrr...

~~~~~~~~~~

OK, OK...I started this post last night, but there were so many distractions that I couldn't finish it! We had some company & had to watch the Chiefs go 3-0 against the Eagles (which may be a whole post by itself)! And...I wanted to get a recipe on the food blog while it was in my head. More on that in a moment...

So, did any of you celebrate TLAP Day?

If you haven't figured out, I certainly had to dress the part...but there was a hitch in my original plan on how to dress. You see, a I mentioned, the Chiefs were playing! I had to work in my red & gold...

And since my hubby took the day off, due to the insanity this week became, we treated it like our usual Friday date day. So we went out to breakfast...at...Cracker Barrel. We wanted to look at the adorable country store to see what fall & Halloween stuff then might have out. But...e,at first!

As we were seated, we were told that Uncle Herschel's Breakfast was on special. Then hubby & I began to scan & investigate the menu to see what might sound good after ordering our coffee, of course. I began to look over the highlighted special & there was an option on there that led me to choose the breakfast of Uncle Herschel...
Not only did my grits & the biscuits with gravy, I could choose apple butter, too! (Duh! Fall!) I got my eggs over hard, got the fried apples (Duh! Fall!)...and my meat of choice was...wait for it...catfish. No, really!

YUM! Grits & fried catfish for breakfast!

I think my hubby thought I was crazy...but did he totally miss how I was dressed sitting across the table from him? *snort*

After our bellies were filled, we looked around the store...at...mostly Christmas items! About a quarter of the store was Christmas! I think there were about 4 trees up & decorated! It was crazy. Oh...there was a little bit of fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving stuff in there, too.

Then we needed food for the week & for what I planned for the TLAP dinner. So we made our weekly run, just a day early, and it threw off our regular cashier. hehe

Once we got home & put away the groceries, we loaded up to set a course to take the Sea-Sick Crocodile (yeah...that's what I named my ship last year...and I love it) to sail over to finish up our shopping to pick up a few things we couldn't get on the 1st run.

Eventually I set sail on a solo cruise to Krispy Kreme to score some loot of a dozen doughnuts for being dressed like a pirate. Now, in my last post about it (HERE), I showed you what their guidelines were to score some free doughnuts. So I changed my outfit up a little bit to try to cover my bases:

I added a hat, and skirt so I could wear
my striped knickers to flash if needed.
My Broadway Babies peeps might remember these! hehe

As a waltzed into the Krispy Kreme destination, I was prepared to have them try to keep up with what I was wearing to see if I would get to do this:

But, alas...I think if you put effort into your outfit, you got the loot. All I did was walk in there & they gave me a dozen from under the counter...either that, or they were terrified of me. Let's pretend that was the deal, OK? Thanks.

However, since a peg leg & a costume hook is on their list of items to have, I thought about walking in with a plunger & telling them that I plundered it from Pee-Wee while using the poop deck so I could come get some doughnut loot. Maybe next year...

I wanted to take in the free fish from Long John Silvers, but hubby & I were so full!!! And our time was really short. Plus, I couldn't wait to try what I had in store our pirate dinner!!

Eventually we got ourselves together, I got changed back into my 1st outfit, and we began to prep for dinner!!

Let me give you a rundown of our menu:

Planked TiLAPia (recipe HERE)
Fish Planks
Chicken Planks
"Seaweed" Salad
Golden Potato Quarters
Goldfish Mac & "Cheese"
Sea Salt Rice Crisps
Lemon & Black Pepper Rice Crisps
Pirate's Booty Puffed Snacks

Because of how my brain works, I eventually came around to thinking up have grilled fish on a plank. And, since it was for TLAP Day...my brain jumped to the pun of TiLAPia. *SNORT* Yeah...I went there! So...that's what we did! So I had my hubby grill up the tilapia with some lemon & rosemary. It was SOOOO good!!! He'd never grilled fish...and definitely never used planks. He did researching, I did researching...and we came up with this winner, winner, plank-fish dinner!

We also made sure to serve up some store-bought battered fish in case the grilling didn't go so well. And we had the chicken planks (tenders) for the kiddos who sadly don't like seafood.

To get some greens in there, I found a mix of baby spinach & baby kale. It was very reminiscent of seaweed, so I was sold. I tossed it in a splash of lemon juice & some sea salt. Plus, leftovers are going to be just wilted enough to put into an omelet the next morning!

I also fixed up some golden potatoes, cut into quarters & delightfully boiled in butter, sea salt & a splash of lemon juice to keep their golden color & to give 'em a good flavor. Any leftovers can be smashed/mashed or fried up...maybe with that omelet with the wilted greens!

I came across some Goldfish (yes, like the crackers) brand Mac & Cheese. I didn't have any, it was more for the kiddos. They were very unsure about it. Only one of them was really fine with it. So...not doing that anymore. So, just FYI...just stick with the Goldfish crackers.

I also needed some kind of bread. I didn't have time to make hard tack (but I will next time), so I dealt with crackers! Cuz we all know that Polly would want some, amm-i-rite? So I found these rice crisps that would work really well: one of them was sea salt flavored, and the others were lemon & black pepper flavored. They were perfect!!

And of course, I had to get some Pirate's Booty puffed corn snacks. Not only because of the brand, but they always make me think of my friend RENEE. I miss her. And I think she would've gotten a kick out of all of this. Even better? My youngest ate half of one of the bags. I think we have a winner!

Did you notice that there's a lot of sea salt & citrus (mostly lemon) involved? Yeah, that was on purpose. Sea salt should be self-explanatory; the citrus is to keep the scurvy at bay. Amm-i-rite? *snort*

We followed up the meal with the free doughnuts, of course.

To drink, we just served some semi-sweet iced tea & some lemonade. Yes, we probably needed rum...but have you seen how expensive that stuff is? But I worked up a drink for myself that sufficed a bit:

I call it "Cap'n Arnold Palmer's Grog"! Remember when I played with the Arnold Palmer drink before? (recipe HERE) This time, I added a splash of rum flavoring, poured the lemonade about half-way up the glass, then topped it off with the tea.

And we finished off the night with storms-a-brewin' & a crazy football game that resulted in a KC Chiefs' win taking them to 3-0!

What was a crazy-adventurous day was actually a really great one.

Looking forward to setting sail on the Sea-Sick Crocodile again...

I'm sorry...I missed it. What did you do? I would really love to hear!!

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica is in a Corner

So anyway...

You may have figured out by my previous post about how goofy my brain is, but also by my Mom's Day post as to how hard my brain & heart can be on me. I hit a wide spectrum of functions, emotions & moods. Sometimes I do feel bad for my hubby & kiddos for having to put up with it.

The last couple of days have been no exception. It's almost a high school moment as to one minute I feel like homecoming or prom queen, then the next minute I feel like I'm at the table with the outcasts...or even at the table by myself.

In school, I was pretty middle of the road. I was pretty involved with things, but I just knew everybody. Didn't mean I was hanging out with them, but I could socialize with a large range of groups & cliques. But I didn't really belong to one...and my close friends really didn't either. I liked not being overwhelmed by tons of good or tons of bad. I could kind of coast...socially. Deep down I had a roller coaster going on, but what teen doesn't, right?

It's so weird how we try to get past those high school days, but the weird parts still hang on. I still go thru those days when either everyone wants to talk to me at once & I am overwhelmed in trying to keep up with it all & keep it all straight. Then there's the days where I'm sitting alone at a table. It's weird to know that either you are raised up on shoulders or a pedestal one moment, and then dropped to the ground the next. And no one really realizes it happens. Except for yourself.

The roller coaster still happens in me. I know I've covered it before, but it doesn't make it easier.

Even when I have people all around me, and I know I'm not a wall flower, there's the days I am...or at least feel that way.

Sometimes these come out of nowhere, it could be a little spark that sets it off, a big fire, or just the thought of the burning. But it happens.

There's the days when I'm the one in the cafeteria, at the big table, by myself...in the corner.
There's the days I wave at everyone going by & shouting my hellos.
There's the days when EVERYONE comes to sit with me.
There's the days when no one sees me back there.
There's the days when it seems like my crowded table empties at once & I get blocked in from no one pushing in their chairs because they were in such a hurry to leave.

Is that exaggerated? Maybe. But I do feel like that some days. I just do. Like the "Lo" in "Lonely."

But then I realize that Baby got put in the corner. No one puts Baby in the corner! Not even me.

I can socialize with all kinds of groups & ages. I love the large spectrum. But sometimes I just paint myself into a corner...I just need to figure out how to get out.

I'm working on it.

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica Points Finger at the Father Figure

So anyway...

Well, today is one of those holiday-thingys. It's Father's Day. And I have the same feelings about today as I do about Mother's Day. But that's beside the point.

Because of the day being forced to celebrate, we went to hang out for the afternoon at my grandmother's place to eat & kick back for & with my dad & my hubby.

Before I get to what I want to get into, much like my point about mother's on Mother's Day...the dad's tend to want something grilled/barbequed to enjoy. That generally means the dads are the ones to have to do it. Even though not all dads want or eat that food, nor do all dads grill...it is a general consensus. Trust me...it's very true in these parts for sure. So the dads end up cooking on "their day." Go figure. (refer to my Mom's Day post)

What I really want to talk about on this Father's Day is....me. I wish I were kidding, but I'm not. Not out of ego, I promise...more about why I am the way I am. You'll see where some of the blame lies.

My brain sometimes works differently than others. It just does. I can't always explain it, but it happens. I get in a weird zone & can't stop it. It's like one of those wind up toys that just keeps going until things wind down. No stopping it until then. Yep...that's what happens to me & my brain.

One of my dad's phases he's gone thru is word-working. We kind of joked that he needed to make Teen Boy a loft bed since we have been on the look out for a decent one for him. Eventually that joke became reality & my dad is on the last few stages of making Teen Boy's loft bed! WOOT! But my dad tries to go into detail with me that I don't care to hear. Probably because I'm not into the wood-working thing. And we have been in no hurry, so we haven't been pushing it...it's just whenever it gets done. Somewhere in there, my dad thinks we need to know every step. Just tell us what is needed from our part & when it's done. But my dad can't always help himself either.

Well, now that the bed is close to done, my dad was trying to bring up that I needed to bring hubby's truck out for hauling & blah-blah-blah. I told him to talk to hubby about the truck since I won't drive it. My dad thinks I am being ridiculous...but I'm not kidding. So, as he's trying to give me more details about this bed...it happened...my brain kicked into high gear...

I pretended I was driving a really loud truck. I was even making the sounds. I informed my dad that I couldn't hear him over my loud pretend truck. He rolled his eyes. Eventually, I stopped my truck to hear my dad, but as he was talking, I realized I couldn't hear him because my window was up. So I had to roll down my pretend manual window so I could hear him. I think he about gave up on me.

He had the gall to basically ask who's fault it was I was like this. I pointed directly to him, started up my loud pretend truck, and broke into a verse of a song that he made me listen to many years ago...

"Take me for ride in your Mack truck.
Take me for a ride in your truck, Mack.
Take me for a ride; take me for a ride;
Take me for a ride in your Mack truck,
...Mack."

All he could do was laugh. He, then knew that this particular deal was his doing. He made us listen to a lot of Peter, Paul & Mary. So "Car, Car" was the appropriate song to break into to prove it.

So I can also blame him, and I do, for Star Trek imbedded into my DNA. Along with Star Wars & much more Sci-Fi. And an array of Tom Lehrer songs.

As you can tell, I can totally blame my father-figure dude for my warped-drive sense of humor. Well, my mom's side, too...but it's so much more fitting to blame my dad for today. It's the gift that keeps on giving...

And this is what my loving hubby has to put up with. Bless his heart, right? I know...

Stay tuned...and...live long and prosper. (thanks, Dad)

God Bless, AM~Erica