Ode to Bob ~ He shall be missed

Ode to Bob ~ He shall be missed



We will be raising money for the Making Smarter Crocagators Foundation...

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Summer Sausage and Mustard Sandwich Dreams

Dear Readers,
So, I decided I was going to experiment and ate some little summer sausage and mustard sandwiches before I went to sleep again to see if I had another weird dream. Wow, it worked! In this strange dream someone came to our house with their rare pink kittens in there pet carrier. They left immediately after, accidentely leaving the kittens. We called and told them that we would watch the kittens for a week until they came back. So, we watched them and they stayed in the pet carrier in our kitchen. We would take them outside in the pet carrier for a while so they could get some fresh air. So, one day I took them outside (in the carrier as always) and sat them on the front porch. I went inside for a brief moment and came out and found, to my chagrin, the cage open. I looked at a bush-like thing and out of it came a nice little garden snake. I looked at it for a moment, admiring it's alluring colors. Then, all of a sudden, it did the thing that cobras do when the get agitated (that made a whole wad of sense). I was stunned and didn't move until it came higher and I saw it's belly's tumescense and realized that it had eaten one of the kittens! I instantaneously went inside to have Dad come and kill the snakes (there were three). As soon as I went inside I saw Dad on the couch. What I saw surprised the dreaming me, but not the dream me, if that makes any sense. He was very, hmmm, uhhh, corpulent... rotund... well-padded? Lol. I told him that there were snakes outside and he needed to kill them. He didn't even look up from his buffalo wings and football game to say, "Just a minute." He kept on saying that, how annoying! I was in a state of agony! Grrrr. Oh... that was the end. He just kept saying that and I kept urging him to get up though he wouldn't for the life of the pink kittens. How sad. Well, I must bid thee adieu. Mom said I had to close now or she would come and close it for me. Ttyl, love you guys!
~Nicole

Monday, January 21, 2008

Pretty Penny




Hey People,


Right now I am watching Narnia with Beth and Audge. It is sleeting outside and I am soooo ready for spring (and my birthday, :op). I need to do some more homework, but I can't focus at the moment. Today my darling came to Chemistry. It was Martin Luther King Jr Day so he didn't have to go to college. (I almost wrote Marther Lutin King Day, lol) So, he came and we made "gold" out of pennies. We put them in zinc stuff and then put them through a flame. I did that with two of my pennies, then just put one through the flame w/o zinc, then made a round-ish lump out of another. Fire is fun. Later Mom took me to choir an hour early since she had to go to work and I did some homework there. Then we came home after choir. I now have a headache and am very excited about going to bed. That was my long day (it seemed long). With that I will say good night. I love you all very much!
~Nicole
p.s.
Above is a picture of my chemistry buddy on christmas. Gotta love him (bless his heart)

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Happy Cake

Dear Random Readers,
Okay, I just made the most awesome cake yesterday! This is the best recipe ever!

Chocolate Cracked Earth (Flourless Chocolate Cake)

Ingredients
1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 stick unsalted butter
9 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Instructions
Put the chocolate and butter into the top of a double boiler (or in a heatproof bowl) and heat over (but not touching) about 1 inch of simmering water until melted. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a mixing bowl until light yellow in color. Whisk a little of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs - this will keep the eggs from scrambling from the heat of the chocolate - then whisk in the rest of the chocolate mixture.

Beat the egg whites in a mixing bowl until stiff peaks form and fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is set, the top starts to crack and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it, 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, then remove sides of pan.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 pounds bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Instructions
Heat the cream until it just comes to a simmer. Remove from the heat. Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Allow to sit for about 10 to 15 seconds. Then, whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Allow to cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Mixture should be a little thick, but still pourable.

Place the cake on a metal rack set over a sheet pan. Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake and smooth the top and sides with a palette knife. Let set for 1 hour.

It is heaven in flourless chocolate cake with chocolate ganache form. It was fairly easy, especially the ganache. The thing that took the longest was whipping the egg whites for the cake. Even though we used a handheld mixer thing, it took nearly twenty minutes to get to what they call "stiff peaks". It looked like meringue. This is awesome cake, you really need to make it. Just be prepared to plop down about fifteen dollars for all the ingredients. Well, if you make it, I hope you enjoy it!

Love you people (is that better Brandon?),
Nicole

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Boredom Hurts


Like Depression, boredom hurts. Depression hurts like a knife through the spleen, or a highly acidic beverage poured on a razor cut. So, that is how boredom hurts, perhaps a little less painful, but painful none the less. At the moment I'm reading "Monster" by Frank Peretti. I'm into the whole suspenseful genre. I want a really scary book to read though, not just suspenseful. I think I'm going to read "The House of Seven Gables" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I don't know what it is about, but I've heard that is pretty scary. Guess I'll find out. Ooooh! I just found a website with online books and I can read it now! Yay! I wonder what other books they have on it. I wonder if the library has those new Ted Dekker books. They look like they are supposed to be a continuation of "Skin". I hope so, it was an amazing book. Below is the link to the online book site. It has Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen, The Bronte Sisters, Charles Dickens, etc. Oh, they have Keats and Doyle too!!! This is like literary heaven!


http://www.readprint.com/

Well, last night I got to watch "Meet the Robinsons" with Brandon after the church dinner. The church dinner was fun besides the old men always mocking and embarrassing me. You got to love them though. Brandon was just cracking up the whole time. I don't even remember the gist of the joke, but it was bad enough. I had a wonderful time though. Well, I'm done writing for now, I'm going to read most likely. Love you guys, talk to you later. Hey, ask me questions, it makes me feel smart, lol. Just comment me PLEASE!
~Nicole


Thursday, January 17, 2008

Sad Commercial

Do you want to see something really sad? Go down to my favorite sites, click on Skittles Commercials, then click the one titled "Touch". It's sad.....
If you haven't read what I posted yesterday, go read it!!! This isn't a real post! It doesn't count! Oh and you must read "Skin" by Ted Dekker. It is his best ever, it's amazing!!!! I was so surprised and until the end I was held in suspence. It's awesome!!!!!!
~Nicole

Later that evening...
You know what else is really sad? You people don't comment! How am I supposed to know if you even come? Crazy people. Yes, I am very hostile.... lol.

READ BELOW!!!!!!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Weird Dream

Hello, I had a weird dream last night (lol). No more weird than usual, but weird none the less. So, I was coming home from Chemistry and Daniel and Luke (I have no idea why he was there) followed me and came home with me. Mom just acted like it was normal and other than an occasional word or two to them, said nothing. I decided to go take a nap. I did until 5:42 according to the clock (that's a long nap). Guess what? They were still there! It appeared that they had been playing with the girls, but they were sitting at the table as they had been doing previously. They would look at their pocket watches all the time (yes, pocket watches with loooooong chains) and... just sit there! It was strangely unnerving. Anywho, they eventually left with a "thank you". So, then I looked outside and saw that my cousin from Texas was at Aunt Patsy's (she lives next door), so I went to see her. Apparently she was having a birthday party with all her friends. They were on a scavenger hunt. She didn't go on it for some reason and spent time with me. I was suddenly aware of my clothing and found I was wearing pajamas amidst several well dressed teenagers. Before I could go and change, Elise (my cousin) went and unplugged some (supposedly) electrical plugs (it looked like the back of a sound system thing like they have at church to control volume and stuff ). I was appalled with her unplugging such important things we had no idea about, so I went and plugged them back in the right places. She then stole my favorite shoes (look like converse) and ran off with them! She was like a boggart (refer to http://www.spiderwick.com/ and go to creatures, then look for "boggart")! Always taking my stuff and causing trouble! Only she wasn't ugly.... Anywho, I went and changed slowly and came back out and they were all gone! I wanted to play too, but I guess I wasn't invited. I think that was when I woke up crying (yes, crying because I didn't get invited to Elise's scavenger hunt party). Anyway, I went back to sleep and started the dream right back up, which is strange, because I usually start another dream. I went to Denise and she said that they left, but they needed help cleaning, so I did. There was lots of family in the house I didn't know and someone said that Adam was home. I got all excited because I thought they were referring to Brandon's brother. I went and looked at him and it was some weird person, not the Adam I know. Another disappointment. That is when I woke up! Well, yes that was a weird dream, no? Yes! I'm never eating summer sausage and mustard sandwiches right before I go to bed again! Well, gotta go!
Love you ALL!
~Nicole

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Forgotten



Dear Patient Readers,
Yesterday was Chemistry. I had a pretty good time, but it still couldn't be too great because Brandon isn't going anymore :o( which is sad..... Anyway, it was good, then I went outside to wait for dad. I waited, realized I had forgotten my coat, went and got it and came back down. I came outside and he still wasn't there. I saw that Issac and his friend were across the street talking, so I went and used Issac's phone to call dad. He was at home. I apparently was supposed to go with the Nichols, lol. Mom, was all like, "calm down" and I kept on saying, "I'm calm!!!", which I'm sure was comical to any bystanders. So I just waited with the boys until dad picked me up. They were hilarious though! They were like two Jons (look below). They would talk about the most random and stupid things. Bless em.


So, we started selling Girl Scout cookies the other day (hint, hint). Welllllll, I gotta go! Talk to you all later! Love you bunches!
~Nicole

Aly&Aj Potential Break Up Song (it's rockin)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqpA5Acc8-c

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Emergency


Hey my peeps!
So, today was funny. I went to Memaw's after church for lunch and sat at the "not yet quite grown up table" with Jon and April (which is funny, because they are married with two kids, so I would think them grown up). So, just so you know, Jon and April are very much like me, only quieter. They are both random in the extreme, we like many of the same things, oh, dry humor, lol. So, anywho, Jon gets a call from a friend saying he has an emergency. So, we are really paying attention to Jon (and making up what we think his friend would be saying then after Jon says, "Oh really" the millionth time). Then he gets off the phone and we were like, "what was that about?" So, here is the story: His friend called and said that he was going on a date with this girl. He had looked in the car mirror and saw that he had nose hairs sticking out of his nose. So, he called Jon to see if he should be a little late and pluck the nose hairs from his nose, or just be there on time with his crass nose. He, thank goodness, said be a little late and be merciful on the poor girl. The secret life of guys, lol. Not really, I hope... lol. So... yeah... that was the story, thanks for reading, have a nice day. Much love to you ALL!!!
~Nicole


Saturday, January 12, 2008

Yawn

Hey people!
How do you like my drawing up above? Does it look like me? I messed up on my forehead, but oh well. I like the reflection in the sunglasses! What do you think of my music? Random much? Johnny Cash rocks!!! I love the Potential Breakup Song. I wish it wasn't about breaking up though. I love the beat and sound!!! It stops right in the middle of the song though :-( that's sad. I'm Walking on Sunshine is now my official song, cause that's how I feel all the time now! Well, except for nobody went away... lol! Well, I just woke up from a long and wonderful nap. I had Girl Scout stuff today and had to go do a birthday party to raise money for the trip to England. So, we did a birthday for some little girl. There were two little girls and they were inseperable! They were truly adorable! One didn't talk hardly at all, but she was adorable. I hope I have a little girl who doesn't like to talk, is that terrible? I hope I have quiet, nice little girls. I guess that all depends on how I raise them though. Anyway, the other girl was afraid of the snake (we were at the nature center and Jaima was letting them "pet" the snake) and she crawled up next to me. I just wanted to take her little face in my hands and kiss it, she was sooooo cute!!!! The others were loud and rowdy and I wanted to tie them up. I wish I could play the banjo, that'd be awesome in a rock band. I love the twangy sound. I loathe country music, but I love the banjo! At the beginning of "The Saga Begins", it sounds like my dad singing when he's singing his 80's songs around the house (just to bother us of course). My arms are sore... Happy Birthday Britter!!! I love you! Last night we had her surprise birthday at Sweet Bay. We actually surprised her! Welp, I'm gonna go! Love you ALL!!! ;o)
~Nicole

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Bumble Boogie

I love Bumble Boogie! I put some youtubes above, you must look at them. The last is the best. I also put some Hobbbottom films on it (cause they are awesome!!!). Well, hope you love them as much as I did! Enjoy!
~Nicole

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Hello Everyone!
I wonder how many times I'll post before I delete my blog, lol! I'll try to be good, but who knows..... *thoughtful expression*. Well, my name is Nicole. I'm an old sixteen-year-old who is frequently grumpy, and sometimes very, very, annoyingly happy! I'm almost always tired, or just saying so, lol. I am courting the most wonderful, most handsome, smartest (except for when he takes pictures of me, then I growl at him, lol) guy in the entire universe! I'm quite happy about that. I have to sisters (bless them). Beth is nine and Audge is four. I have awesome parents who are also frequently grumpy. Then my bestest friends, Lady Boo, Britter and Meggy (they are awesome too). Welp, I'm going to go now... so, uhhh, bye!
~Nicole