Creative Sleeper

I've noticed that when I sleep or just rest, my creative mind comes alive. As I drift to sleep, images and ideas come to me....really good ones for all kinds of things....cards, photos I should take, recipes. Sometimes I will wake up and go right to my craft desk and jot down some notes, but more often than not, I just roll over and tell myself to remember that idea. Well, that never happens. I usually have some kind of vague recollection of things, but the details are not there so I miss out on the idea :-/

This also happens with ideas for stories. I like to write as a hobby and my best ideas come from dreams I've had. I can usually remember those when I wake up, but if I don't make notes right away, I will forget the dream in a day or so. I think if I were a writer, brainstorming would require a lot of napping. And I dream every time I sleep so I would not be lacking material. This has now become my dream job....get it....dream job? Laughs!

If I just didn't have this pesky day job that requires me to get a good nights sleep, I could get up in the middle of the night and write or craft and not have to worry about getting up at 5:45am. But you know....need that pesky paycheck to pay the pesky mortgage and feed our 4 pesky varments....one of which just jumped on my desk and is chewing on my colored pencils!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Time

Time is a funny thing. And I don't mean funny "haha".

Sometimes time is not our friend.
Like when we see wrinkles or are being punished.

On the other hand, sometimes it's our best friend.
Like when we are on vacation for 2 long weeks.
However, it sucks when it's time to go back to whatever you were getting away from.

Time is the cure for broken bones. And broken hearts.
Time also helps kill us....durgs, alcohol, disease.

Time can be stressful.
Like being in traffic when you are supposed to be at jury duty.
Actually, I think time in general is stressful when the government is involved.

Wasting time can be fun.
It can also be very boring.
Running through the tide on a beach is a perfect waste of time.
Reclining in your chair counting ceiling tiles is less ideal.

With time, emotional pain can become more....bearable.
It can also be unbearable.

There is also:
Time for action.
Doing time.
Curtain time.
On your own time.
For the time being.
Double time.
Time of your life.
Time bomb.
Make time.
Ahead of time.
Many a time.
Behind the time.
From time to time.
Lunch time.
Time for bed.
Dinner time.
Bath time.
Out of time.

There is a short span of time each day when something amazing happens that many of us do not take time to witness. It's a golden time. Sometimes pink and blue. Sometimes silvery white. It's called sunset.

Time makes you think about your actions.
Like after you leave the party and realize you made an ass of yourself.
Or, maybe you're just an ass all the time.

Time can lead to change.
Hair color.
Skills.
Growth.
Income.

Time alone can be a blessing.
It can also be a curse.
We can sit alone in an ugly bathrobe with bed head and be perfectly happy.
On the other hand, the fact we are sitting alone in an ugly bathrobe with bed head can make us cry.

Most of all, I think time is a teacher.
Time has taught me things that can't be found on the internet....and that's hard to do.

Sushi + a dog

Not sure why the dog is there. At times it looks like a stuffed animal. I have to say tho, that omelet she makes is pretty darn impressive.

I worked at McDonald's when I was....uh, I forget how old. A teenager...maybe 16. To this day the only thing I will eat there is the McNuggets with hot mustard sauce. All I'm going to say is, I saw some stuff that makes me not want to eat anything else they make.

Anyway, the sauce is really the star, but the nuggets do have a crust that is like no other I've had. I came across a recipe I pasted in below for both the nuggets and the sauce and I'm eager to try both to see how close they come to the real thing. The nuggets sound time consuming, so on a weekend when I have nothing better to do, it would not be a big deal to try them. The reviewers on the site I found the recipes gave the sauce 5 stars, so I'm hopeful :)

Chicken McNuggets

vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup water
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup tempura mix
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Accent seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
4 chicken breast filets, each cut into 6-7 bite sized pieces.

1. Beat the egg and then combine it with 1 cup water in a small, shallow bowl. Stir.

2. Combine the flour, salt, Accent, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder in a one gallon size Zip Lock bag.

3. Pound each of the breast filets with a mallet until about 1/4 inch thick. Trim each breast filet into bite sized pieces.

4. Coat each piece with the flour mixture by shaking in the Zip Lock bag.

5. Remove and dredge each nugget in the egg mixture, coating well. Then return each nugget to theflour/seasoning mixture. Shake to coat. Put nuggets, bag and all, in the freezer for at least an hour. Cover andrefrigerate remaining egg mixture.

6. After freezing, repeat the "coating" process.

7. Preheat oven and large cookie sheet to 375.

8. Deep fry the chicken nuggets at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until light brown and crispy. (cook onlyabout 9 at a time)

9. Drain on paper towels 3-5 minutes.

10. Place deep-fried nuggets on preheated cookie sheet in oven and bake another 5-7 minutes.


McDonald's Hot Mustard Sauce

6 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard (Use store brand, I use Crystal - French's isn't quite right)
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup (Karo dark corn syrup)
4 teaspoons ground, dry mustard (I suggest Coleman's)
11/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/16 teaspoon (a dash) ground cayenne pepper

Mix all of the ingredients together in a microwave safe container until it is one solid color. A fork works well forthis. Microwave on high about 35 seconds, and mix again. Cover, and refrigerate at least 6 hours (to allow the flavors to meld) Refrigerate until needed, and remember to refrigerate unused portions. This recipe makes alittle more than 4 "packets" of hot mustard sauce.