Web Chick's Blog

Mom and dad visited from Oregon this summer and brought 16 boxes of "stuff" from my childhood.  Included in this delivery were 3 boxes of china from grandma, nothing special or expensive, just some cheap old china dad bought for her years ago.

I immediately threw away four boxes of junk that mom could not bring herself to throw away herself (I felt bad they drove it all the way out, but I had told them to throw it away).

I am stuck now with a box of old trophies ... I went to one of those schools that passed them out like water ...

... well, what do you DO with them!?  Is there a way to re-purpose old trophies?

Give me some ideas ...


-- Jill --
The Web Chick

So I have a bad habit of baking cookies, then sharing!  I admit it!  Brought in a batch of oatmeal and a batch of chocolate chip this week.

Whenever I bake, I always laugh at the subtle differences that can drastically change the whole character of the treat.

Milk Chocolate or Semi-Sweet - which chocolate chips do you prefer?  I grew up with milk chocolate, so to me, that's the best chip to use.  I don't like chocolate chip cookies too much, but I love chocolate chips in my oatmeal cookies!

Nuts or No Nuts - in your cookies?  I like nuts - just not in my cookies!  When baking for others, I usually either do no nuts at all or only in one flavor - I've worked several places where at least one person was allergic to nuts and I wanted to make sure they could enjoy at least one of the cookies.

Oatmeal with Raisins or Chocolate Chips - I like my oatmeal cookies with both raisins AND (milk) chocolate chips.  It's funny how many other people like only one or the other ... and there seems to be no consensus on which is better.

(It's funny how many people grew up having chocolate chips in their oatmeal cookies and thought *those* were chocolate chip cookies!)

How do you like your cookies?


-- Jill --
The Web Chick

ALTON, Ill. (AP) -- The Army Corps of Engineers will activate hydro-acoustic monitors in the next few weeks to monitor fish at the Melvin Price Locks and Dam in Alton -- part of a project to study how locks and dams might adversely affect migrating fish along the Mississippi River.

Nearly 40 dams cross the Mississippi from Cairo -- at the southern tip of Illinois -- to the source of the river in Minnesota. Strong evidence has arisen over the years that dams and locks can seriously disrupt the migration of many species.

The Price locks and dam will be a key focus of the study, which is expected to lead to proposals on how to help restore old fish migration patterns.

Among the 34 species researchers will study are blue catfish, freshwater drum, channel catfish and varieties of carp, buffalo and sturgeon.

Researchers will try to determine how many of the fish manage to get through when boats pass through Price locks, and they will use that information to devise possible solutions.

The pilot project at the Price dam will help determine if there is a way to operate the locks in a way to help restore fish migration patterns. A solution involving locks would be cheaper than constructing channels that allow fish to pass through or around locks and dams.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Maybe this will help them also figure out how to cut down the numbers of carp.

-- Jill --
The Web Chick

So these researchers decided to spread the news about the results of a study they did by enlisting a video game company and they ended up with a game that actually HELPS you!

Read the whole story HERE

I think it's interesting the fastest growing market for video games is middle-aged women!

I've been trying to get in to their site to play the game for myself, but apparently they weren't ready for the traffic and their site is down ...

... I'll try again later.

Let me know if you get in and can play the smiley face game ...


-- Jill --
The Web Chick

Apparently when George Lucas and the gang decided to make the prequels, they talked to these guys about come new Star Wars products ... but only based on the first three films made.

So these guys came up with a bunch of ideas ... and here are the ones that were rejected ... FOR REAL!

... the "Death Star Barbecue"

Go HERE to read the article ... click on the link below the photo in the article to watch a video and listen to the guy explain what they were thinking about when they came up with the ideas.

Some of them are too funny!


-- Jill --
The Web Chick

With all the winter weather we keep getting, I have been excited to watch my crocus bloom in the front yard! They're actually almost done now, but I got some great shots of them over the weekend.

Ah ... spring is just around the corner!







One of my neighbors called me to tell me he had "crocus envy" after looking across and seeing my flowers. Maybe next year he'll plant some in his yard!

I love them because they come up so early and they are so colorful. I bought mixed colors when I started, then I added more a year or two later and they were a different size, but also mixed colors. They all come up and the patches are naturalizing nicely, turning into larger clumps. It's funny though how the different colors come up in order. The bright yellow are first, then the light purple, followed by the darker purple and the butter yellow ...

Soon the daffodils will be up (the buds are up and ready to go), then the tulips!

What's growing in your yard? Does anyone else plant crocus?


-- Jill --
The Web Chick

So our friends want to go eagle watching along the Mississippi this weekend ... and I've never been.

Where are the good places to go?  (Illinois or Missouri side?)  Where do you park?

Any advice on taking good pictures?

Thanks!

-- Jill --
The Web Chick

You get all kinds of advice from TV, magazines and stores on how to set your table, make centerpieces, and decorate your home for Thanksgiving.  Do you listen to what they say?

We want to see photos of your table, your bird (or other main dish ... my brother loves lasagna for Thanksgiving), and your holiday decor!

Just upload your photos to your photo album and we'll see them when we approve them.  We'll feature as many as we can on the main blogs page!

Let's see how *you* do Thanksgiving!


-- Jill --
The Web Chick

We live with the wild things in the yard all the time ... the bunnies, squirrels, birds, chipmunks, even the mice, possums and the deer. But every once in a while one of them gets a little too close for comfort!

In college, while I dated my husband, his roommate interrupted our dinner to tell us there was a monster in the attic! He pointed up and we all laughed. "Really!" he pleaded with us. "I heard it last night!"

Over the next few days the boys heard it several times. They took the light fixtures down from the ceiling to discover the landlord had added a ceiling about a foot below the original and a mama raccoon had moved in to have her babies. Over the next few weeks the babies started appearing in the basement ... a whole row of beady eyes staring at you from the floor joists ... and you could hear them running from the attic to the basement through the walls.

The boys tried everything to encourage mama to move out, but to no avail.  The landlord arrived with some bottles.  He was told the smell of ammonia was supposed to drive them off (it'd probably drive off the people, too!).  So he brought lemon scented ammonia to help (he wasn't too bright ... he didn't figure out the lemon scent probably made that attempt futile).

Finally they got a humane trap and caught several cats, a possum and finally some of the babies.  The landlord nailed a board over the hole in the eave where they entered at will, enclosing a couple of the babies and the mama in the attic.  They trapped the babies and finally mama ... was she pissed!

All the raccoons underwent what we hoped was a successful relocation.  They never got back inside anyway!

This incident has provided us with many years of funny stories (two babies almost landed on me one night as they fell through the turned off house fan!) and I am surprised how many people in the newsroom said they have had similar events with squirrels, birds and other critters.

What has been stuck, burrowed, crawled or found it's way into your house?

... your pumpkin that is! I did Saturday!

This was the third or fourth time I have carved a pumpkin underwater. I actually have a certification card from PADI that shows I took a class ... it's actually really hard ... pumpkins float ... REALLY WELL!

Here you can see me carving my first pumpkin underwater.  I did a fish ... wish no curved lines ... only straight lines!  It actually turned out pretty cool!

Now I had several ideas for this year, but I chose an octopus.

I was the only diver to not only carve a pumpkin underwater ... I also peeled carrots! ;-)

I won second place!  I even got a trophy ... take a look in my photo gallery to see more pictures of me and of the other silly divers.  The weather was so great and we had a great time!

-- Jill --
The Web Chick

OK Rosie ... need a hand here! (and anyone else familiar with our little piece of Germany so close ...)

The boys go on a camping trip every fall and the girls end up having a weekend to themselves ...

Last year we had spa day with massages and pampering, and a day sitting by the pool and chatting.

One of the girls suggested a weekend in Hermann this year!  We don't want to do the wineries ... half of us don't like wine, and besides, there's more to do in Hermann than wine!

So what are your suggestions?  We like B&Bs, taverns, antiquing, and we don't mind walking ...

-- Jill --
The Web Chick

OK, so the candy jar on my desk is empty.  I always keep candy at my desk ... it's a good ice breaker (people will stop by to ask for a piece), if I have it around I won't crave it, it's a great way to watch human behavior, and it's just plain nice (I have a bad habit of sharing ... ask the staff about the zuchhini bread and the cookies).

Anyway, I need suggestions for the next batch of candy.  I have been stocking Jolly Ranchers, but people seem to be tired of them.  I used to get the Brach's Pick-a-Mix, but that's hard to find now.  When I got the Brach's I would get a variety, including starlight mints, root beer barrels (which I have discovered many people despise), those coconut neopolitan things, and a few butterscotch disks (which I don't like personally, but many people do ... well more than like the root beer barrels!).

Couple of weird observations about the candy jar.

>> People really don't eat that much when it is unattended.  Believe it or not, everywhere I have worked, most people ask for a piece!

>> People seem to tend to like either soft candies or hard. 

>> Many people HATE coconut!  I happen to love it.

>> Women will either just grab a chocolate, or if none is available, they will take something from the top of the jar.  Men on the other hand, are more likely to pick up the jar, scrutinize the contents, then proceed to shake, turn and roll the jar to get that one lone Tootise Rolll that happens to be two thirds of the way down the jar.  They will actually dig it out!

So what do you think ... what flavor next?

-- Jill --
The Web Chick

OK, I love to watch cooking shows, but there are a few things that just drive me nuts when I watch ...

>> Watch Those Rings!
When you cook, especially when everyone is watching ... TAKE OFF YOUR RINGS!  Do you know how dirty rings are?  I don't want to watch that chef put their hands in that meatloaf mixture or that pie crust when they have four rings on!  Ewwwwwwww!  First you just transferred whatever goo and dead skin is lodged in your rings to the mixture ... second you just got grease and meat all over your rings!  Clean it up people!

>> Spoon The Pits
If you ever cut up and avacado for guacamole, cut the avacado in half, pull apart.  Now cut the remaining half in half again and remove the pit with just your hand from the avacado fourth.  It's that easy!  Wanna use that knife and whack the pit like you see on TV?  Talk to anyone who works in the emergency room and ask them what happens (and it will if you keep doing it) to people who whack their pits ... that knife will eventually slide right off that slimy pit and go right into that fleshy part of your palm right below your thumb.  It's awful!  So use a spoon or just make fourths instead of a half ... you're just going to mash it up anyway!

>> Smack, Crunch, Slurp, Gulp
I don't want to watch you eat what you just made.  You obviously like the recipe, otherwise you would not have made it! Duh!  Just plate it up and show me what it looks like!  I also don't want to HEAR you eat!  Gross!  Food Network is especially bad.  I watch it at the gym with my headphones and it just grosses me out so bad, I ususally change the channels when it gets near the end of the show and they get ready to eat.  Spend the time giving me tips, or telling me something else about the dish or the ingredients ... don't waste my time showing me how much you love to eat your food!

What bothers you about the cooking shows?  Bizarre ingredients?  Assuming you know what a truffle is and you would actually be willing to eat one?  Their elaborate kitchens?  I love the shows, but sometimes they just get to me ...

-- Jill --
The Web Chick

OK ... so if you live in St. Charles County and want to see the blogging panel discussion ... here's your chance!

Here is the LU-TV26 schedule for the Blogging Seminar shot at LU for the next two weeks. It will play at the same time next week.
  + Sun 07/08/07 03:00 PM LU-TV26 + Sat 07/07/07 08:00 PM LU-TV26 + Fri 07/06/07 07:00 PM LU-TV26

Enjoy!

 

 -- Jill --
The Web Chick


 

The panel discussion on blogs at Lindenwood University was last night and it was a lot of fun.

It's always good to meet new people ... and meeting nice people is great!

Jill Schroeder is the woman who organized the event and she was great.  We Jills are always excited to meet other Jills (there aren't many of us) and we always find it amusing to run in to each other.  I haven't met a Jill I didn't like yet!

Kammie Kobyleski wears many hats and was a great moderator.  You can read Kammie's blog and get life coaching tips.

I have popped in on Steve Patterson's blog many times over the years and it was great to meet another brick hugger.  I also hope to pick Steve's brain on some neighborhood issues.

Married to an IT guy myself, I didn't find Ben Vierck geeky at all.  Ben's influence in the St. Louis blogging community goes back many years. He spoke on the technical aspects of blogging.

Dana Loesch has a funny blog about motherhood.  She is also a columnist for the Post and participates in the MomBlogs on ClubMom. Dana actually makes a living blogging!

The audience had some good questions for us.

If you missed it and you really want to watch it, it will be streamed HERE.

 

-- Jill --
The Web Chick