What!?

It doesn't take much to get me annoyed these days.  I can pretty much get worked up about anything.  Blame it on changing hormones.  Blame it on life turning upside down.  Blame it on the weather, politics, pets, whatever.  You get the idea.

I won't get into post-election day drama.  This platform is for mama drama.

Today is a beautiful sunny day, sunnier than usual it seems.  Today seemed like a good day to take care of some recycling.  I had researched where to take batteries: the hazardous waste facility here in Boulder and found out where to take an expired carseat: the CHaRM -center for hard to recycle materials. 

I didn't want to throw these things into the regular trash.  I wanted to do the right thing, even if it meant toting my 6 month old along while driving all over town.  First stop, HazMat Collections.  I pull up (they have great signage by the way, and I'm not being sarcastic), wrangle Little Man out of his car seat and walk in with my bag of batteries, baby on hip.  After calling four various numbers confirming this is where I needed to bring the batteries, I now realize I should have specified alkaline.  Am I the only idiot that didn't know I was supposed to throw these into the regular trash?  I've been stock-piling these things for 3 years.  Three years.  The old, used batteries have actually moved with us.  Insane.  Well, it wasn't a total loss.  They have shelves of home improvement materials all for free: paint cans, thinners, cleaning products, various art glues.  Not terrible.  Now I know where to go before Lowes.  

The next stop was where you get my "What!?" 

I should begin this next bit by stating I wanted to recycle a car seat that was given to me but couldn't use because it expired years ago.  I didn't know about car seats and expiration dates until about 2 months ago.  Eh, you learn as you go.  I remember laying on the dash of my parent's station-wagon while someone was driving.  I don't even think the rear back seat had seatbelts.  I realize safety has come a long way since the 80's and I totally get why carseats have expiration dates but I just wish I would've known before I accepted it.  I could have just thrown it in the dumpster but like I said before, I wanted to do the right thing. 

I follow the directions to eco-cycle's CHaRM location.  They also have pretty decent signage.  I pull up next to the sliding window where it says "check-in".  What is this, a hotel? 

He asks what I have to recycle.  I tell him its a baby carseat, stripped down. 
He says, "Great, that'll be just $3.00 then" 
I'm sorry, what?  $3.00?  What!? 
"Its a facility fee.  A fee to use the facility." 
So I'm getting penalized 3 smacks because I'm trying to do the right thing?  It's not even my car seat.  "You expect us to pay for you to recycle?"
Uhm.  Kinda. 
"This is a non-profit" 
Right.  OK.  So what you're saying is, I can throw this into a regular dumpster for free OR I can bring it here and pay. 
"I see what you're saying."  Pause.  "So can you pay the $3.00 or not?" 
Grr. I can pay the three bucks. 

I paid the three bucks and he directed me to the dumpster where I placed the stripped down car seat. 

Mother Earth, You're lucky I love you.  Grrr.

My lesson:
Next time, look a gift horse in the mouth, because if you have to pay the vet to put it down before you even get a chance to ride it your sunny day is all sorts of grumpy.
 

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I've tried many a recipe for pumpkin seeds after my carving exhibitions over the years. 
Most have failed me. This one has not.

 

Sweet & Salty Pumpkin Seeds

2 C seeds, rinsed, patted dry

2 T unsalted butter, melted

2T granulated sugar (I mixed 1/2 brown 1/2 white)

1/2 t sea salt

1/4 t ground cinnamon

 

Put plain seeds in oven at 300 degrees for 50-60 mins

Turning over about halfway through

Mix with above ingredients

Return seeds to oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 mins
Let cool.
Enjoy.

Party at the Bat Cave

AKA Martha Stewart on a budget

I wanted to throw a Halloween party.  Maybe its because the Oct 31st of my childhoods were suppressed and ignored or if I was allowed to go door to door, it was to collect money for the church mission fund sans costumes (soooo embarrassing, I mean, c'mon, at least give me a costume that covers my face so when I'm offered candy I can hide while politely declining, saying "No, I want your money, thanks"), or maybe its the change in weather.  Either way, as an adult I get an itch every year at this time to celebrate.  Having just had a child put a lid on our "fun money" jar but I was determined to throw a bash even if it meant total DIY.  Or in my case DIM (do it myself).

We live in a garden level condo, a fancy term for dark half basement.  It was natural to think cave.  Cave.  Halloween.  Bats.  Pumpkin carving.  (Not that bats necessarily carve in their caves but it seemed like a good activity in lieu of filling the place with guano.)

White christmas lights in glass vases wrapped in writing paper with cardstock cutouts.
Warning: Paper got quite warm to the touch, I wouldn't leave it on and leave the house unless you don't like your place and want to start over.

Evite was sent out, budget was set and as it turns out I could have stuck closer to it because we currently have enough salsa to take a bath in.  The gamble with parties is that you never know how many are actually going to show, no matter how many respond or don't respond to your evite.  You win some, you lose some and then you have chips and salsa for every meal for the next 3 days.  Lesson learned.  You want to learn how to get creative with chips and salsa?  Call me.  We'll talk.



More black construction paper bat silhouettes, hung with thread from a tack in the ceiling

 

Spider webbing & black construction paper bat silhouettes.
I looked at images on google under bat silhouettes and freestyled it from there.



For a fun new twist on classic sweets -Crisp candy-corn treats. 
I got the recipe from here: Yummy treats by who else? Martha.

What to do? What to do? So many options so few pumpkins

Carve away





Use what you got