Do these memories make this meal taste better?

Hello Momginerdians (Yeah, I just made that shit up...Let's start our own nerd revolution)!

So, recently I joined a facebook group dedicated to using cast iron skillets.  What is so special about that, you ask?  Well, for me it is because they are the same pans that I received from my grandmother.

 As many of you know who have been following me for a while, my childhood was, well, pretty much sucktastic.  But, the best parts were going in the summer to visit my Mamaw and Auntie down in the mountains of Virginia.  This lonely only child, who many times had oatmeal alone for dinner since my dad was always working, would have 3 square home cooked meals a day and a bunch of cousins to play with.

I LOVE BREAD!

 I was FASCINATED by my mamaw and aunt's cooking.  I mean, my mamaw could make perfect biscuits by hand without a rolling pin or round mold.  She would just pinch her hands together and each and every biscuit was perfectly round, brown, flaky and scrumptious...in her cast iron skillet.

We would make homemade jams and jellies, fried apple pies, fried chicken (yeah, you get the picture...yummy fried deliciousness), macaroni and cheese, corn bread, chicken and dumplings...the list goes on an on....all in her cast iron pans. The skillets were as much an extension of her arms as they were her cooking vessels.

In later years my beloved Mamaw developed Alzheimers disease and the days of being awakened byt he sound of iron pans banging together were past.  My aunts and dad had the sad task of closing her household when she was no longer able to live alone.  The kindly asked all the grandkids what (if anything) they would like from her home.  I immediately knew I wanted at least one of her skillets.  I was fortunate enough to end up with 5 of them!  Some of them were in perfect condition, and some I had to give some TLC to bring back from oxidation and lack of use.  But, all were much appreciated and wanted by me.

Made in the antique skillet

My joining the cast iron cooking FB page encouraged me to post a picture of a meal I was preparing for my family.  A pretty simple meal for a busy work/school night.  Sauteed cabbage with bacon and onions.  I served it with smoked sausage, and the minions had rolls too.   It went cast iron viral!  Almost 400 likes/shares/comments.  The popularity of the post got me to talk to my kids about it and tell them about my memories of my mamaw and her cooking and how every single time I cook with these pans I think about her.  Just the smell of the pans heating up bring back memories of my time with her.

The kids seemed impressed and enjoyed the stories.  I felt like mom of the year for not only preparing a home-cooked meal, but instilling a little family history at the same time.

We went about our business of cleaning/homework/gaming/etc.  Until about an hour later I heard my pans being shuffled around in the kitchen.  I went to investigate, only to find my offspring inspecting all my pans and negotiating for who gets which pan......when I die.

Me:  Well I am still using them, you know.
Princepessa: Well, we are just being prepared, you know you are OLD mom!
Me:  You get the ugliest one.

What type of family heirlooms do you have that have surprising meaning to you?

 

The road less traveled

This year marks the last year my oldest will officially be still a "child."  She is now 17 and a senior (WHUCK!) in High School.  She will soon be making her final decisions about college and then will be off for her new adventure in life.  I wanted to make this Christmas about more than gifting.  So I got her (amongst other things) the necklace above.  But, I also had it wrapped in a letter.  I am re-posting the letter here (with her permission).

Dear Daughter,

For me this is a bittersweet Christmas.  It is, in fact, the very last Christmas before you are officially an adult.  This coming year is filled with many firsts for you.  You will be leaving home and in charge of your well being without having me or your dad here to catch or assist you daily.  You will make decisions that have a long term effect on your entire life.  It is stressful.  But don’t let stress guide you.  It is easy to pick the simple path of least resistance.  But what happens when that path is chosen?  You lead a simple life.  A simple life isn’t a negative in and of itself, but it is the life you want to lead?  You are adventurous, righteous, curious, and brave.  These are the characteristics of change makers, not path followers. 

My wish for you (besides figuring out how not to spill on your boobs) is for you to BE HAPPY.  To be happy you need to start figuring out what it is that will make you happy.  And not happy for now, but for the long term.  My task for you is to realistically look at where you imagine yourself say at my age, or even at 30.  Take some time to yourself and meditate on this. 

Think of these things:

1.    Will I be married?

2.    Will I have children?

3.    What do I like to do for fun?

4.    Do I work to live or is work my life?

5.    What makes me get up every single day and move forward even when I don’t want to?

Once you start figuring out these things, or even have some semblance of an idea about what you would answer for them, you will begin to understand what truly makes you motivated. 

For me, if YOU are happy, fulfilled and proud of yourself, then I will be too.  Whether you are an MD, PA, RN, JD, MS or any other myriad of letters you can accumulate after your name. 

I picked this necklace for you because not only is it a symbol for woman power, but because to me, it represents not limiting yourself.  The world is filled with glass ceilings, but you are strong enough to break any of them; even if your ultimate goal is to not be a career woman but a mom and partner.  

No matter your ultimate path, know that you can make your life as meaningful and fulfilling as you want and are willing to break ceilings to achieve.  I hope this necklace will be a reminder to never ever limit yourself based on outside expectations. 

I love you so much it hurts some days.  I feel blessed to be not only your mom, but to see how our relationship is maturing into a friendship. 

With more love than stars in the sky for you now and forever,

Mom

Gary Won't Be Back

Hello Momginerd fans.  First off, I want to say it is good be back in the blogosphere.  I had a looong dry spell of total lack of motivation and interest in writing.  Recently, I have felt motivated again.  Not sure how often I will post here, but figured it was better than writing books on Facebook.  haha!

So, I am an engineer. In this function usage of a laptop is integral to my job.  Daily.  I sometimes have 6-7 Excel spreadsheets, Layout files and PowerPoint documents open at any one time.  For you non-nerdy people, this takes a LOT of RAM and generally needs a decent sized monitor.  My company, although awesome, is stingy with computer updates.  My current laptop is over 3 years old. Which in digital terms makes it align with the Tyrannosaurus Rex or maybe a car with crank windows.

Actual keyboard I use daily

Luckily, I received an email notification that I was (finally) due to trade in my lapasaurus for a brand new shiny Yugo version computer.  I was very excited and followed the instructions; happily picking my engineering mobile workstation from the 3 approved choices allowed.  I received confirmation that said a mobile workstation with UPGRADED RAM would be delivered when I returned from our annual vacation.  Yay me!

Hello Momginerd, I am here to make your dreams come true!

Fast forward to day of the great upgrade.   First off, I was scheduled for 8:00 AM and arranged my calendar accordingly to allow for no access for the 2 hours they allotted.  When I log in, I see that they have moved the appointment to 3:00 PM.  Strike One. 

3:00 rolls around and Gary the IT guy rolls in with a big smile.  I smile back and am dreaming of uber fast processing speeds and a new sleekly designed laptop (shhh!  I am a nerd, we like these things).  Then, I look at what he is holding and it looks like something from my nightmares.  It was a tiny Disney princess tablet looking thing!  Those of you who know me, can imagine my response.  For those newbies, I will give you some highlights.

Me: Um, I think you have the wrong computer.  I need an engineering laptop.

Gary (not his real name): No Momginerd, here is the invoice right here that has your name on it.

Me:  NO, here is the email I received and as you can see it clearly outlines the specs for an ENGINEERING laptop.  I show him my card: Momginerd, ENGINEER EXTRAORDINARE.  

Gary:  Let me talk to my manager.....

Me: Yes, you do that. (strike two)

15 minutes pass.....

Gary: (who has now started to twitch a bit upon approaching me) Momginerd? Umm..I talked to my manager....

Me:........

Gary: Well, you see, ummm, he said that this is your new laptop.....*blushes profusely

Me: No it isn't.  

Gary:  Well, you know, ummm...I have heard of this happening a lot lately...but ummm this is your laptop (he is backing away only to be trapped by the corner of the cube farm).

Me:  Well Gary, you have just admitted to a flaw in your system.  If a lot of people are saying this is a mistake, then surely you understand my inability to further the problem and enable future victims by not accepting this laptop.  I will keep my lapasaurus until this is figured out. 

Gary:  Let me go talk to my manager........

Me: You do that.... (strike 2.5)

15 minutes pass

Gary (who is now sweating profusely and seems to have lost the ability to speak without stuttering): mmmmooomm gi gi gi gi nerd? Um. he like said you like have to like take it.

Me: No I don't, because if I log in to it even one time it becomes an asset assigned to my name, so I refuse since it is not technically MY laptop but a mistake.  

Gary: ummmmmm.....well, ummm....hmmmm...

Me:  Thank you for your time (not really).  But it is now time for me to leave.  Have a great evening. (strike three, I am outta there)

I then proceeded to pack up my lapasaurus and leave him standing alone in my space.  I thought I smelled a slight odor of urine as I walked by.

Today I logged into my email and found an email.  A scheduling appointment for a 15" ENGINEERING laptop.  I will name her Lola and we will make many happy spreadsheets together.  

Bets are on as to which IT tech will come to deliver it to me.  My bet is it will NOT be Gary.

Happy to be back, please like/share/comment if you enjoyed this!

Momginerd

Things Kids Say, pt 2

Like most families, our schedule is very chaotic and overwhelming.  One thing I insist on is everyone sitting down together for dinner.  Of course, this means sometimes we eat dinner at 4:30 PM, and other times at 8:00 PM.  I do this because I think it is a great time to commune over food and really get to have the kids attention.  There are just a couple of rules we enforce for our dinner:

1.  Use your manners.  Practicing at home means you will not forget them when you are out at a restaurant or  eating at a friend's house.By manners we mean, no elbows on the table, chew with your mouth closed, and keep bodily functional noises away (and I have a BOY, so farting and burping are things he takes great pride in doing well).

2.  Take what you get, and don't throw a fit.  I work hard all day and make concerted efforts to cook at least one thing per meal that everyone will enjoy.  It takes a lot of coordination and planning to make a healthy family dinner after a long day at work.  I will not tolerate bitching and complaining about WHAT I have prepared.  If you don't like it, don't eat it....but there will not be any dessert or snacking later.  And being Momginerd, yes, I have an APP for that.  It is called Evernote, and it ROCKS!

Last year I started a tradition where we all go around the table answering 1 question.  This has led to some pretty funny responses from the offspring.

Me:   What do you want to be when you grow up?
Princepessa (7): I want to be a millionaire pet shop owning artist.
Me: How she will you BECOME a millionare?
Princepessa: Marry someone rich, duh.
Me:  Why don't you earn your own money?
Princepessa:  Because if a boy is dumb enough to give me his money, why shouldn't I just do what I like? Me:  "crickets"

Me:  Bubbie, when do you want to get your hair cut?  (His hair is pretty long, and he has even be mistaken as a girl on occasion).
Bubbie (9):  I don't.
Me: Why not?
Bubbie:  The ladies love the locks, mom.
Me:  Okay then......

Me: Manudo, put down those electronics and come to the table.
Manudo (13):  grumble, grumble grumble.
Me: I don't understand why you kids are so ADDICTED to those electronics!  When I was a kid we used to go OUTSIDE and play with other real life people!
Manudo:  Looking over at my 2 lap tops, iPad, Kindle, iPhone "Jeeze mom, I don't know where we get it from."
Me:  "............."

Nic

Things that make me want to stab myself in the eye

Soooooo....I was going to resolve to be less sarcastic this year, but then I didn't.  Life is just to damn stressful and quirky to not allow oneself some small self-gratifications.  Sarcasm is my coping mechanism.  I wish that my sarcasm was paired with a better self-filter sometimes, but most of the time the people who are around me know how to take me.  While perusing the web I was inundated with different images that made me want to stab out my own eye. I just couldn't help but say to myself   "Whuck the hell were you thinking?"

Seriously?  Whuck!?!  Why the hell would anyone WANT these nails?  How in the hell does she wipe her ass or wash her hair?  I am guessing she thinks she has some really cool nails, but no one can get close enough to her to check them out because of her overwhelming stench.  Is that middle finger supposed to be a bottle opener or something?  Is the thumb a corkscrew?  Because if so, THEN I can see the practicality of those nails!

And here is the next submission to WHUCK are you thinking?  Unless this man is independently wealthy, I am guessing his career choices are severely limited.  I mean, I wouldn't even want him to make my burrito supreme from Taco Bell.  What if something fell out of that hole in his nose into my food?  I only hope he is a tattoo artist or something.  If not, I am sure his parents are still bugging him to clean his room in the basement.  Momginerd is not against tattoos, in fact she even has TWO, however, she also believes in the fact that to be successful you pretty much have to not scare the shit out of old people and young children.  Hell, this guy scared the shit out of me even with that pleasant dreamy smile on his face.

Look again, this isn't porn!

Now, I am all for keeping cool when it is hot, but I am also for not making people think they are looking at something pornographic when really it is just an assault to the eyes.  Whuck was she thinking?  Didn't the dude shopping with her have an opinion   What is with the tie holding the straps together?  Is that to offer more support for her backboobs?  I can't stop looking at this picture and wondering how the hell did she get her backboobs to do that?  Where are the nipples was my next thought.

Happy New Year!
Momginerd