did anyone else see?

one of my all time favorite songs (there's alot) is midnight train to georgia. last night, i tuned into american idol, out of curiousity. i haven't been watching it much this season. actually, i only watched the beginning and... yup, that's about it.

i was making cookies in the kitchen when all of a sudden i heard a really good rendition of the song...

wait!

it's the real deal

and...

i cracked up when i discovered that the pips were robert downey jr, jack black and ben stiller!

(it would have been alot better if there was more robert downey jr... not only is he hot, but the man can dance!)

oh how i laughed!

the best of both worlds i swear.

click here to view.

comin' out!

i've been silently stalking several people, ok half a dozen people. imagine my state of shock when one of these people had the nerve to go private! how truly insensitive.

sadly, i'm beginning to believe i must make myself known (or maybe just this one time!). i take comfort from anonymity. i can slink through the shadows of someones life and enjoy the joys or insights they have. (ooo the first part of that sentence sounded creepy!) but, how do you go about doing that? should i just say,

"hi, i found your blog through my mothers cousin's granddaughters husbands blog. will you please please please be my friend???"

weirdo.

well, since i will be free of children until (maybe) tuesday morning (don't i have the world's best husband?), i'm dedicating that day my official coming out day! maybe.

wouldn't it be better to just remain anonymous?

such difficult decisions to make!

lack of...

sleep.

dear sleep,

i miss you. please come calling.

yours truly,

elka

last night i tossed and turned in bed until after 2 am. that is ridiculous. but it's becoming a daily occurrence. i can't seem to wind down at the end of the day. my brain keeps going 100 miles an hour. i've tried so many things: exercising (remember my 10 mile walk? i still couldn't fall asleep that night), chamomile tea, reading my scriptures (maybe i should try isaiah? j/k). i don't want to go back to taking non prescription meds (nyquil...). while looking over the news, i came across this article.

to sum it up:

"imagine you are sitting in a room watching a movie with the lights on. in a stable brain, the lights stay on all the time. in a sleepy brain, the lights suddenly go off," dinges said in a telephone interview.

finally, that is what is a matter with my brain. it also clearly explains why new moms (not me) get "dumb". lack of sleep.

anyway, how do you unwind? what do you do when you can't sleep?

oh and in other exciting yahoo news headlines...

food bingeing when stressed may be a biological need.

call me a monkey!!!

seriously good

i was searching for a really good avocado dip recipe and couldn't find anything great... so typical elka fashion, i read a whole ton of recipes to get an idea of what goes into it, then made up my own. here's what i came up with:

elka's seriously good avocado dip

ingredients:

3-4 avocados - peeled (obviously), pitted and diced

1 cup sour cream (i used daisy light sour cream)

3/4 cup salsa (i'm a pace picante fan)

minced onion (about 2-3 shakes)

sprinkling of chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt (i added a tiny bit more)

2 turns/shake of black pepper

dash of tabasco

directions:

mash avocados.

add remaining ingredients.

chill at least 30 -45 minutes.

*i tried it this morning (the next day) and it's a little strong. i'm thinking by upping the sour cream and avocado, it will cut the spices a bit. i adjusted the recipe already.

fire! fire!! fire!!!

first: fire hot weather
it's getting hot. to quote fools rush in "the white people are melting here!" seriously, both the yahoo weather and my car thermostat read 101 degrees. does anyone else have a problem with that type of weather in may? or is it just me?
to save a dime (not running the ac all day) i let the boys play with the hose in our ghetto pool. anyway, here's my adorable babies...



second: fire red twizzlers

ok this is a s t r e t c h for the whole "fire" theme. these are a new family favorite... well, for everyone except daddy. he's a chocolate man through and through. i picked them up because they do not melt in the car. i know gummy is the worst thing for teeth, but i'm going with all things in moderation here! we can almost use it for dental floss, since his eye teeth have no desire to appear.
even the ever picky rj loves them!

third: fire ants

my poor baby stepped in a fire ant nest on saturday. he had over 40 bites in less than 15 seconds. fire ants are awful. one of the nasty buggers actually drew blood because it's jaws were clasped so tight onto his little ankle. needless to say their nests are no longer in existence. i hold no mercy on things that make my children scream. (except me of course; it's my right as mother.) here's his little feet after a baking soda bath and caladryl treatment. just for safe measure he was also given a benedryl.

hmm.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/warning-using-a-mobile-phone-while-pregnant-can-seriously-damage-your-baby-830352.html

what i know

an old indian legend.

many years ago, indian youths would go away in solitude to prepare for manhood. one such youth hiked into a beautiful valley. there he fasted, and on the third day he decided to test himself against the mountain. he put on his buffalo-hide shirt, threw his blanket over his shoulders, and set off to climb the peak.
when he reached the top, he could see forever, and his heart swelled with joy. then he heard a rustle at his feet. looking down, he saw a snake. before he could move, the snake spoke: “i am about to die. it is too cold for me up here, and i am freezing. there is no food, and i am starving. put me under your shirt and take me down to the valley.”
“oh, no,” said the youth. “i know your kind. you are a rattlesnake. if i pick you up, you will bite me, and i will die.”
“not so,” said the snake. “i will treat you differently. if you do this for me, you will be special. i will not harm you.”
the youth withstood for a while, but this was a very persuasive snake with beautiful markings. at last the youth tucked it under his shirt and carried it down to the valley. there he laid it gently on the grass. suddenly, the snake coiled, rattled, and struck, biting him on the leg.
“but you promised—” cried the youth.
“you knew what i was when you picked me up,” said the snake as it slithered away.

i remember hearing that story while growing up...

and still what i know didn't seem to make a difference in the choice i made. i should have left that darn snake at the top of the mountain and avoided the heartache i'm now enduring... you'd think i'd have learned. (ok that was a little bit exaggerated and dramatic.)
on with the story...
to save a buck ($10 to be exact) i went to the beauty salon on base. my hair had grown quite straggly, but it had finally reached the base of my neck. i'd decided it was time to clean it up with a very simple hairstyle. apparently "very simple" and "base hair salon" do not go well together. needless to say, i'm left with a hairstyle reminiscent of the old 90's skater haircuts. (you know the one, with long hair on top and slightly shaved underneath. picture leonardo dicaprio during his stint on growing pains.)

(picture courtesy of business wire)

oh well, don't expect any updated pictures for about 3 weeks, not that i was ever one to put a plethora of pictures of myself when my children are so much cuter!

(that's when i have another appointment. a beautiful lady named, carina, will "fix" my mannish hair and put in some summer highlights... did i mention she came highly recommended? i should have just booked her to begin with.)