LaurenandLloyd.com

where our wasted time becomes your wasted time

Archives for May 2010

Monkey pancakes

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I would like to start off with the statement that this is not an original idea. Jim’s Pancakes is a site about a guy who makes crazy fun pancakes for his daughter and now is famous for them. Kudos to Jim for being creative with his breakfast using batter as an art medium! When I was a kid my mom would make letter pancakes, and we absolutely loved those.

I’ve tried flower pancakes with the preschoolers, and started to make a bunch of those this morning. I said I needed another simple shape, Kathryn suggested a monkey. Excellent idea. Any simple outline shape will work. ‘Draw’ the outline first, let it set for a while, then flood the middle with batter.  Plus, tell me you’ve never wanted to eat a monkey?!?

Cook, flip, cook some more, admire your edible art – eat.

Blurry -taking a picture with my left hand.

Blurry -taking a picture with my left hand.

That's better.

Can you hear me now, monkey?

Oh yeah, you're going to need a squeeze bottle.

There’s a done one with a flower in the works.

Are you tired of looking at pancake pictures yet?

Of course, the batter can’t have big lumps in it, which is a shame. Lumpy batter makes good pancakes. No matter. What they lack in texture they make up for in charm.

Why is it called a griddle?

Kids!  Charm’s ready!  Come and get it!

The Peperkorns are here!

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They came with a CAMPER!!! I am so crazy jealous.

That should be mine!!!!!

Our good friends from college, Todd and Kathryn, arrived with their adorable children this evening.  They are on a multi-week (well, two) extravaganza vacation out to the wild west – Colorado! They are stopping by to visit their old haunts from college days.  I’m sure we’ll have some photos of that tomorrow.

I don’t have one good photo of the group, so I’ll take pictures and update throughout the day. How does that sound?

Breakfast – Monkey pancakes (future post)

Playing at the park. They have the most bizarre, yet beautiful, statues….

Walkin’ the square. Scooters are genius when on a walking trip! I needed one.

Packin’ it in – Part Last

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Peggy, this one’s for you.

This was the most fun. I read a blog called Mighty Girl and she is always off to fantastic adventures in all kinds of places. The actual places don’t interest me so much, but the packing does. (I need counseling.)

Here’s what I took:

The lighting in my parent's guest bathroom was so nice.

Two necklaces, to dress up my crummy Target shirts.
It's my venture into accessorizing.

Body stuff – deodorant, lotion, razor.
I seriously considered cutting down the razor handle.

Face stuff – eyeliner, face lotion/sunscreen, chapstick, mini toothbrush. Yes, I used my parents’ toothpaste. Yes, I’ll refill that tube of face lotion when it runs out. That’ll be a trick.
If you train people to accept your flawed face as normal, you don't need a lot of makeup.

Hair stuff – dryer, 3 rollers & clips, conditioner, hairspray, tiny brush. (I’m sad I brought the dryer – Mom had one. I always take conditioner, since I’m brand-loyal to that.)
Can you believe there's so much stuff for my terrible hair?

I love the little brush. It’s the kind that converts and folds up, but I ripped off the folding half that had a mirror. The mirror was broken anyway.
It's like a little turtle.

I was also pleased at how I got two of the three curlers to nest. It’s hilarious that I ‘curl’ my hair so that for ten minutes it has some body. I look really, really good for that ten minutes, though.
I photoshopped out the hundreds of hairs that were sticking out.

There you have it. Almost everything fit in a ziploc baggie, and it was plenty for my three-day trip. It makes me wonder why I have so much junk in my bathroom cupboards.

Tiny living. I love it so.

I thought I felt funny…

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I know you’re all anxiously waiting for my toiletries post, but I’m too tired tonight to give it the time and dedication that such an exciting post deserves. Plus, I was diagnosed at Preschool Doctor’s Office as having spiders in my belly. Apparently somebody made me a spider cake and I ate it unawares.

Treatment consisted of several shots and blood pressure readings. My temperature remains frowny face.

I need to go lie down.

Packing it in – Part Two

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Just so you know up front, this is a three-parter, so tune out now if you’re already bored.

Lloyd’s bag was plenty little, but my bag was a purse! That’s right – one of those oversized jobbies that some women carry and you think, “Jeez, that thing looks like a suitcase!” Well, mine was a suitcase!

I got it at a consignment store, so it was pretty cheap. I hate the polka dots and the stupid bow is even worse, but the size and shape was acceptable. Form vs. function and all that.

I also brought along my regular purse so people wouldn't think THIS was my purse. As if they'd notice or care.

I planned meticulously what to bring. I wore jeans, a Target shirt, and a sweatshirt/jacket on the plane, and the bag held:

  • a hair dryer (Dang – I didn’t realize my mom had one.)
  • three hair rollers & clips (they get rid of the bump)
  • toiletries (tomorrow’s post)
  • three Target shirts (one was newish to wear to church)
  • a pair of dress pants
  • Jammie bottoms (I just wore a regular shirt for a top)
  • a long-sleeved cut-up shirt as a sweater/robe
  • underwear & socks

It all packed up nice and little. I folded the shirts, instead of making a huge bundle. (I’m not a roller.) They got creased, but I expected that.  I threw everything in mom’s clothes dryer for couple of minutes and all was well.

The hilarious part was that I forgot how dry it was in Colorado.  On Friday night I washed my jeans out in the sink (I had spilled on them) and laid them out by the open window, thinking that perhaps they might be dry by Monday morning.  I woke up at 3 a.m. – five hours after I had hung them up – and they were dry.  That would never happen in Nebraska.

Tomorrow – toiletries!  Truly a triumph of tiny toiling!

Packin’ it in – Part One

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As Lloyd alluded to in his post, one of my our goals was to pack as light as possible. He was going to San Antonio for Brittney’s confirmation, and he wanted to take a suitcoat to Texas. To Texas. It is a million degrees there in the winter, let alone spring, but whatever. It presented the opportunity for me to shop!

I found a tri-fold garment bag online for 30 bucks. It’s not anything magnificent, but for the price, I was impressed. It folded in thirds to make a neat-o carry-on.

It held:

  • his suitcoat
  • two Hawaiian shirts
  • a pair of jeans
  • a swimsuit
  • sleeping shorts
  • a t-shirt
  • socks & underwear
  • toiletries
  • flip-flops (for the pool)

It could have held more, but this was its trial run and plus – I said he didn’t need any more stuff.  Yes, I’m a tyrant.  I had mentally packed my tiny bag (tomorrow’s post) a dozen times in my head, so it was flabbergasting to me that the night before he mumbled, “What am I going to take?” and then spouted some nonsense about three pairs of socks for a two-day trip.  What a child.

He really balked at the idea of not taking his toiletry bag, but was adventurous enough to cave and shut me up try my space-saving ideas.  He really pared it down.  Aside from this baggie, he took a brush and his electric razor.

It's all there to see, TSA.

In the baggie:

  • six Q-tips for his spotless ears
  • a mini-toothbrush from a dollar store 5-pack (tiny travel score!)
  • a dollop of hair goop inside the container I used for my braces wax
  • the innards from an old deodorant (He’s brand-loyal and they didn’t have a mini size.)
  • two Azo tablets  (Don’t leave home without them.)

I told him he could bum toothpaste off his sister.  Christina, if he didn’t tell you – he used your toothpaste.