Martini Monday - What is a Martini??

Ahhhhh...the Martini.  I know, I know...I'm a wine drinker not a martini drinker, right???  But, there are times when I do love a good martini...of course, I generally reserve the 'martini' for those Friday nights after a long, long, long, long (you get the picture) week.  But, what is a martini you ask??   OK, so maybe you didn't ask b/c perhaps you already know what it is... or do you??  The martini's of today are NOT the martini's of the past.

According to Wikepedia, the definition of a Martini is such:  The Martini is a cocktail made with gin and vermouth, and garnished with an olive or a lemon twist.

Now, rather than spew out more information regarding the original martini and how it got it's name, I am going to be lame and give you a bunch of links to check it out in case you were interested (see links below)...
It was kinda interesting to read about it and where it might have started from (nobody really knows...but there are some ideas)

You see, my real goal with this whole Martini Monday blog post is to create a weekly martini and share it with you.  Some of my martini's will be completely created from my crazy brain while others will be replicated from a restaurant (you know, where they list the ingredients but don't give you exactly how much of what to put into drink??).  I love to play with ingredients and flavors...some of these will be Awesome but I am sure some will be flops.  If you see a martini somewhere and you want me to try and break it down for you, I'm open to that as well...just let me know:)

The Martini's of today are named more for the glass they are served in and not because they resemble the Original Martini.  Gin...blech...'nuff said.  I used to drink Gin and Tonics in college because they resembled a sprite...but that doesn't mean I liked them:)  So, if you're looking for straight up Gin or Vodka (the imitation original martini) Martini, please do not move forward with reading my stuff.  I am all about the flavorful, frilly, silly, yummy concoctions served up in that long stemmed beautiful glass!! (or the new stemless version of a martini glass...these come in handy if you are prone to knocking drinks over)

And so, as I gear up to start spewing recipes and ratios and splashes of liquids, please make sure you have a Shaker and a Martini glass:)  And I'll see you next Monday with the first of many!!

IN OTHER NEWS...if you're an avid reader of my Honest Mommy entries...here's what's been going on since I last wrote in life and in my head (and I'm just going to list a bunch of crap and you'll know I was busy even though I promised to try and write at least every week...sorry...maybe...I've been busy..lol) Since the end of September:
-Franny turned 3
-Franny started preschool
-Nutcracker auditions
-Nutcracker rehearsals on top of the 11 total dance classes between the 4 kids)
-Polish dance 1-2 per week
-I turned 39...eeeeek... liven it up this year and enjoying every second of it.. um, did you see I was going to be making weekly martini's??  ha ha ha
-Halloween - Franny was sick and didn't dress up, she missed her whole week of Halloween at school
-New gig bartending
-Thanksgiving
-Performing with Jimmy Sturr's Christmas Show
-Performing in the Nutcracker
-Drinking wine
-PTA meetings and things
-Re-visiting my whole photography and trying to boost it a bit   (need some pics, call me...am in the portfolio building stage and looking for some subjects to practice on:)  )
-Re-thinking my cookie business... failure, lack of time, is it worth it, yadda yadda yadda
-Christmas
-New Year's
-Do I go back to school for my masters??  It's never too late, right??
-Potty training a toddler who's not really 100% ready but I just don't want to buy diapers anymore... fun times!!
-Back to school

And here we are...I am sure I missed a bunch of stuff in there...but, I think you get the picture.

Things to look forward to:
-Creating personal goals for the 1st time in my 39 years of life
-Creating a household chore schedule for myself to try and stay on top of it... um... maybe...
-And other stuff I can't think about right now...my brain is about to shut off

Hope you have a Fantastic Day and I will totally see you next Monday!!

Oh, yeah, here are the links I promised you:)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martini_(cocktail)
http://www.sipsmith.com/blog/articles/the-history-of-the-martini
http://www.cityofmartinez.org/our_city/martini.asp
http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/the-classic-martini/Content?oid=921951

Not Just a Stay at Home Mom...

9 years ago, this month, hubby and I made the decision that I would not go back to work full-time.. Instead, I would take on the challenges of being a mommy...full-time.  At the time, we had DJ (who was almost 2) and Kyra (who was 3 months old).  We did the math and figured out I would pretty much bring in very limited income with 2 kiddies in daycare.  Mentally, I don't think I was quite ready for it...but...we did it. And here we are with 2 more kiddies thrown into the mix.

It wasn't too long after our decision was made, and I no longer had a job, that we realized we really couldn't make it on 1 salary.  Sooooooooooo, this momma has been on a quest to bring in an income as well.  In the past 9 years I've done what I can, when I can to bring in an income.  In our family structure, my income needed to cover groceries and gas for my car.  I've done everything from bartending, waitressing, baking, picture taking, cleaning, birthday party hostess, babysitting, library work...etc.  Just last year, there were some weeks where I worked 4-5 jobs and basically never had a day off.  We all know parenting is a full-time job, so that is NOT included in my 4-5 job description.  lol

And, we all know that just being the MOM means tons and tons of juggling and scheduling and planning and budgeting.  There is a limitless supply of unpaid (monetarily speaking...hugs and kisses are always there for the taking) chores to do.  Since we all know about those, I'm not going to bore you with them...

Recently, though, I find myself at a crossroads of working.  I no longer babysit (there are so many pros to this... only con is that constant salary) and the temporary bartending gig has ended (I am only the back-up person now with no weekly shift).  I continue to work in the library...but that means Saturdays and Sundays and also means I miss a lot of stuff (ie. soccer, bday parties, events, etc).  I love the library...it just sucks that I basically can only work on weekends (with 1 night thrown in there when I have a 'free' babysitter). And, with no other income coming in, these library checks cannot shrink too much and my budgeting must become very imaginative. Ahhh, yes, budgeting... I hate that word!! I even have a gas budget...

And so, now I must figure out my next step in doing my part.  I don't think hubby knows just how bad I feel when I can't 'bring home the bacon' every week.  Working full-time, during the day would completely change the dynamics of this house...and quite honestly, I am not willing to do that right now.  I want to be home when the kids get off the bus and I want to be home with Franny until she goes off to Kindergarten.  I hate working my 1 night a week b/c it means I am not there to see them and check homework and get them to afterschool activities (I'm a control freak and really hate leaving this stuff to other people...super hard for me...).

But, alas, my thinking cap is on and I know we will get past this.  Everyone has daily struggles in this world.  We all work hard to make sure we do what we can (and I believe that's different for every mom out there...we are all made differently and struggle with our own demons on a daily basis).  So, I will push some cookies and photo sessions and see where that takes me (both are my passion)...And, I will continue to look for that perfect job for right now (you know, like a Facebook Game tester...or maybe getting paid to sleep at night...etc)  The world is still my oyster:)  lol

On a final note, this is what most of us Mom's look like when no one's looking... um... maybe... ok, at least this is what I look like at night after a long day..lol

And now I leave you as I must do some dishes, and sweep Franny out the door:)  Have a great day... I will post a recipe later tonight!!  I'm thinking a dessert is next:)

Adult Hot Apple Cider... Revisited:)

Whew...I am only about 14 hours late for the Recipe Wednesday I promised you.  AND, I am going to be lazy with it...  It has nothing to do with the 2 Polish Dance practices, 1 boot camp, 1 adult ballet class and a twisted ankle..and I didn't happen to just pass out last night or anything..nope...not at all... LOL..

So, with fall coming along quite nicely, I thought I would revisit my Adult Hot Apple Cider recipe.  You know, in case you're having a get together or anything like that..this is perfect in the crockpot... Oh, and the original post was somehow 'Pinned' on Pinterest..how cool is that???

Here's the original post along with recipe:
http://honestfamilyliving.blogspot.com/2011/09/hot-apple-cider-adult-style.html

With all the new vodka flavors out there...I'm thinking that Caramel Vodka might go nicely as an added 'adult' flavor...and, I'm thinking that I may need to make this really soon:)

I've also made this and let simmer for a few hours before refrigerating it into a container.  You can always heat up back up in the microwave...just make sure you shake well as apple cider tends to separate.

Hope you're having a great day!!