All Mills All The TIme

First here is another video... Remember when I posted about Jonathan's Car? Remember when I described the rocket boosters?
Here you can see them in their full glory, zooming around the house terrorizing the dog. Please excuse the disaster on the counters... it was right after dinner. I promise it doesn't always look like that. You believe me right???

Cozy Coupe: Muscle Car Mayhem from Megan Mills on Vimeo.

Also, for those of you who can't get enough of Jonathan. We have our own Vimeo channel. and you can go there to watch all Mill's videos all the time! I know, you are feeling overwhelmed.

Did anybody know about this?

Hello my dear vegetarian and sometimes vegan friends... did any of you know about this?
I just heard about this new restaurant in Lafayette, from a friend's blog.  It claims to use locally grown produce. Yay!!! This sounds so exciting. Any reviews??

The Importance of Good Diction

Today will be the first in a series of Jonathan videos I took ages ago but was too lazy to edit, render, upload and post.
I have actually been working on them for the last three days. so there you go.
This one... emphasizes the importance of having good diction.

Good Diction from Megan Mills on Vimeo.

Teriyaki Wings

In honor of Superbowl Sunday, I made wings, and they turned out pretty good. So this post is as much for me as it is for any of you interested.

Teriyaki Glaze

• 1/4 c Sesame Seeds
• 3/4 c Soy Sauce
• 1  c Orange Juice
• 1/4 c Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce (the sauce not the marinade)
• 1/4 c Ketchup
• 1/4 c Seasoned Rice vinegar
• 1/2 c Light brown sugar
• 5 garlic cloves minced
• 3T ground ginger
• 1 small pinch of crushed red pepper (these wings are not supposed to be spicy, so don't add too much).
• 2 t cornstarch

1 lg bag of frozen chicken wings, thawed
canola oil

1. Whisk ingredients together, bring to a boil on stove top, simmer uncovered until reduced to a glaze.
2. In a cast iron skillet heat 2 inches of oil to 350 degrees. Add rinsed chicken a bit at a time, skin side down. Wings fry for about 13 mins, until golden. Drain on paper towel.
3. after glaze has thickened, turn heat to low, and drop in drained wings.Turn wings to coat completely, remove, plate and serve.

I had enough glaze leftover to stir-fry some veggies and serve.

NOTE: the original recipe I adapted from directed that I fry the wings. And I won't lie they were really good and crunchy, but it was so messy, next time I am going to try the oven technique.

Nightmares and other random things

I used to have nightmares. I know everyone does. But my nightmares used to be real-honest-to-goodness nightmares. Nightmares about killing rampages in my church, nightmares about babies being unzipped from my body ...(thank you pregnancy hormones). Now my nightmares are different.
Last night I had a nightmare that Jonathan pooped in the bathtub and I couldn't do anything about it. It was a like slow motion. I could tell it was going to happen, but I couldn't get him out of the tub.
I seriously woke up all panicky and sweaty and tossed and  turned and couldn't get back to sleep.
I am officially weird.

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In other news, any of those out there looking for Jesus. We found him! Jonathan informed me that this is Jesus.

You can all thank Jonathan, he found him in his train magnet board set. He was a little shorter than I pictured, and I would have guessed a hammer over a wrench. But there you go.

Something to read

So as I generally try to stay away from all things serious. I generally feel there are bajillions of blogs out there spouting off about politics, religion, etc. So why would anyone want to read mine. Although I guess I have been guilty of hijacking this blog to preach from a soap box.
Anyway, I came across this article (a friend posted it on their facebook page).
I found it so interesting and refreshing and amusing.
So I have decided to force it on all of you (ok, both of you).
p.s. it's 1:30 AM and I can't sleep and my husband is snoring. equals crazy.

How to Get Along...

...with your family.

I began this post last night as I was lying in bed.
I just returned from spending a week with my mom and dad, and aunt and uncle.
And while our famliy is far from perfect, we genuinely like each other and choose to spend time together.
I was thinking last night as to how that is possible. I know plenty of people that would get nauseous at the thought of spending a week with their parents. So here are my tips on how to get along with your family.

1. Love the Lord and seek to serve Him.
2. Apologize often (and quickly-don't wait, if you know you said something harsh apologize in the next breath).
3. Practice the art of forgiving (even before someone asks).
4. Keep short accounts.
5. Keep your family stocked of adorable, well-behaved children.
6. Find reasons to be thankful in all situations.
7. Practice the art of deep-breathing.
8. If step 7 proves to be too difficult or ineffectual keep a bottle of whiskey on hand just in case.
9. Remember Love covers a multitude of sins.
10. As much as possible remember that your parents, in addition to being your parents, are people: with feelings, battling their own selfish desires, and working out their own salvation. Try to forget everything they did that embarrassed you when you were younger.
11. Extend grace whenever possible.
12. Try to identify what exactly is frustrating you, then when you are no longer angry about it, simply explain why you feel that way.
13. Be quick to listen.
14. Find a place you can be alone for a few minutes.
15. Laugh together as much as possible.
16. Hug a lot.
17. Have slumber parties (with your mom, or your sister, or your niece).
18. Say "I love you" whenever you can.
19. When you are all together, add music, and maybe a little wine.
20. Have a family like mine.

Who wants some hate mail?

So sometimes I read other blogs and think... wouldn't that be so cool if I got hundreds of comments on every post. Then I would be so popular and so cool.
But then I think, "well Megan, you will probably have to post more than once a month for that to ever happen."

Then I think, how frightening it would be if that many people really read my blog. Because I think I am happy with my small, familiar audience (thanks for reading, Honey). Because what if I opened my big fat mouth and said something really stupid (I know, I am sure you are dumb with disbelief at even the insinuation that I could possibly say something stupid). If I said something really stupid, then I would get hate mail. I am pretty sure I am not ready for hate-mail. I am too fragile for hate-mail. Everette, now Everette could handle hate-mail.
I would shrivel up into a tiny puddle of pathetic self-loathing, lie in a corner weeping, and writhing on the floor.  Please do not send me hate-mail. I am a mother, and I have responsibilities. You would be ruining this child's life, if you sent hate-mail to me. Do you want that on your heads?

My Story

Hey everybody.
Jonathan and I are out of town this week. We packed up the van and headed for Cleveland with my mom, to visit my aunt (my mom's sister).
One of the items on our to do list was read through the letters my grandfather wrote to my grandmother while he was in Italy during World War II.
We read through a few of them and spent some time looking at some old photos.  My cousin Sam was hanging out with us listening  to the letters. He is your typical thirteen year old, aloof and a little mouthy. Actually he is not a typical thirteen year old. He is actually pretty great, no..he is pretty awesome. He is only mildly aloof and just a teensy bit mouthy, and of course only to his mom.
His early teen perspective does provide some hilarious moments. Like tonight.

In light of these recent epiphanies about her parents, Nancy (my aunt) asked Sam (my cousin) "Sam, do you know my story?"
His response, in his adolescent, non-melodic, newly lowered vocal register,  precisely expressing just how lame he thought she was, my cousin responded, "yeah... you were born,  married Dad, and then you had me."
Yes, Sam, in a nutshell, that is her story.
Only a thirteen year old could sum it up so succinctly.

So admittedly I copied this from someone's facebook page. But it is still very cool.

Kseniya Simonova is a Ukrainian artist who just won Ukraine's version of "America's Got Talent." She uses a giant light box, dramatic music, imagination and "sand painting" skills to interpret Germany's invasion and occupation of Ukraine during WWII.