The Need for speed

 Lets' face it,  who doesn't want everything to be lightning fast these days?

 I certainly know I am guilty of it.

  I want my high speed internet connection, my digital satellite T.V. with the DVR so I can tape my shows and fly through them commercial free....my high speed cell phone so I can check emails on the fly...of course with the texting package so I can get immediate responses from friends and family.

complete with a cell phone camera,  so I can instantly take pictures and upload them remotely to facebook, or other social media sites for instant gratification.

  Ridiculous really,  but it's the way society has us programmed these days. 

and of course I love it.

 to a certain degree.

 I am sure many of you have seen this video,  but how true is this?  I can totally relate.

 

 SO even though I want this speed,   I AM aware of how silly it really is.  I believe there are and should be limits.

 Which I am learning by way of my son and his middle school.

Since when did kids become so advanced at such an early age?

 can we blame the media?  the internet?  Who knows.

 All I know is that there are things out there that I see on T.V.,  or the internet that completely disgust me.

 So these past few weeks have been a learning curve for me,  having a child in a new school,  figuring out new schedules...tweaking things here and there.

  We have decided to remove his cell phone, AND texting and restricted his computer activities.  because even though he is a great kid,

HellO!!! he's a KID.

and kids do NOT have the maturity to limit themselves,  or to even handle what's being thrown at them on a daily basis.

  this lightning fast everything has completely altered who we ARE as human beings.

 turning young kids into little adults far faster than they should be.

 I believe the things that kids text to each other are not necessarily the things that they would actually SAY out LOUD to one another if they were on the phone. 

 Social media is just TOO easy.  and too fast!

  All I can say is that I really wasn't prepared for this age.  So I am learning. 

I am AWARE. 

I am paying ATTENTION. 

and I am involved.

  it's the single most thing you can do for your kids in this fast paced world. because in the end,  they will probably thank you for it.  maybe not now, but hopefully in the future.

    SO, that being said,

(phew! now I am climbing down off of my soap box for the day, ha ha ha,)

I will now share some of my fun tips and discoveries that have revolutionized MY fast paced life this week.  You know how I just LOVE to share!  ;)

 So, In this life, with driving and activities galore, cooking and feeding a family can be a complete nightmare.

  welcome the crock pot into to your life. 

little trusty crock pot, I love you.

This is my quick recipe for the week.  I threw this baby together in less than 10 minutes, and had a wonderful HOT delicious meal for my family 11 hours later.  whaHOO!!!

  

Meatball Stone soup!

Ingredients:

1 bag (16 ounces) frozen Italian style meatballs

2 cans (14 ounces each) beef broth

2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes with Italian Herbs

undrained!!

1 medium potatoes chopped and diced (about 1 cup)

truthfully, I actually used two potatoes,  because lets face it,  I adore the potato!

1 medium onion diced about 1/2 to 1 cup,  I used a lot of onion. :)

1/4 tsp garlic pepper, again,  i used a bit more!!!

1 bag (1 pound) frozen mixed vegetables.

salt and pepper to taste

Literally throw all of this stuff into a 3.5 to 4 quart crock pot cover and cook on low for 9-11 hours.

omigosh!  so easy and delicious!

 I made some cornbread muffins to go with it,  and sprinkled parmesan cheese on top of the soup and EVERYONE ate it!  so good~!

  Next up in my wild repertoire is this baby....

how funny that it's called Urban Decay, but!

It has completely revolutionized my life.  seriously.

I mean this is life altering stuff. (o.k. I'm a bit shallow about some things) 

 But If you are like me,  and have to REAPPLY your eye make up like 10 times a day because it smeared and creased on your eyelids,  then this stuff is for YOU!!!

 It literally keeps my makeup in place,  and I do NOT have to do ANY touch up of any kind ALL day long!

 it's fast! dries quickly, and really will add tons of extra minutes to your day by not having to check to make sure your eyeballs are still looking wide and haven't slipped off down by your chin. :)

 you can find it here

or at Sephora. (located in the mall,  don't tell anyone I actually WENT to the mall,  but there you go. I HAD too.  hee hee)

 now lastly I will show you my new baby in my life.

I pick it up tonight.

I am so excited I could literally explode.

this day cannot go faster for me!  ha ha.

 I know it will help to make my fast paced life a little zippier.  speeding me from here to there......

SO meet my new car.

 

 a Mini clubman S.

with a turbo charged engine, and road rally potential..... :)

 

which is hilarious,  because in all actuality,  I drive like a GRANDMA,  seriously!

  I drive really slow,  and conservatively. ask my kids,  they'll tell ya.

  The funny thing is that even though I like obvious girly things like makeup products,  I AM part boy, and love,  LOVE , LOVE cars!

 I love that this car is European. I have always been intrigued by the little foreign cars at the auto shows.

(sorry American car companies, if it's any consolation my husband still drives a chevy truck)

I also love that it has a wonderful vintage tradition behind it!

 So since I have decided to do the OPPOSITE thing that most people do with families, and go from a honking SUV

(our lease was up on our chevy Tahoe)

  I've decided to BUY a tiny little sport vehicle, and I am REALLY excited about it!

  It will save me money on gas, be sporty enough to have fun in, and will force me to slow it down a bit as to how much I can literally pack into my fast paced life.

  I bought the stick shift model. I love to drive stick, and really,  c'mon, if you are gonna have that kind of car,  doesn't it need to be a manual transmission?  :))

My husband was telling me "cathy,  you are going to get REALLY tired of that quickly!  I mean you won't be able to drink a cup of coffee while you are driving,  or talk on the cell phone!"

  but I'm thinking,  it's O.K.!

i'm doing my small part to slow it down a notch.

 I really shouldn't be doing those things anyways right!? ;)

XOXOXOXOXO

 

Comments

[kristen]

you just kill me. you live life at warp speed and drive like a grandma.

love you so much lady!!

[Jackie]

I love reading your blog - you have so much great energy! I hear ya on the kids and cell phones, etc. thing. Our two oldest have cells, but no texting or internet access - they don't have e-mail accounts or facebook or my space and they seem to manage just fine with lots of friends and activities. I hear such horror stories of things that can happen when teens and kids text and stuff and we just don't need to go there!!

Enjoy your new little car!!

[Jen]

Enjoyed reading your commentary, really :-) Lots to think about, that's for sure. Enjoy your new ride!

[Catherine]

thanks Jen!

there is always something to think about right?!

;)

anyways, Hope you hvae a wonderful Holiday season!

its just the beginning! weeeee!

xoxo

Catherine Thursby

ReD ShOes

332 South Ashley

Ann Arbor, Mi 48104

734-913-5554

http://redshoeshomegoods.com

http://redshoesllc.typepad.com

http://twitter.com/redshoesA2

http://pearldog.blogspot.com

[lulusparkles]

i can't wait to try the recipe...maybe even tomorrow.
but......garlic pepper? i have never heard of that spice and wanted to make sure you did not mean garlic salt

[suzanne b.]

What a fun post. I have so many female friends with boys hitting that age, dealing with those same issues . . . hang in there, Catherine, and GOOD FOR YOU for being involved and loving him enough to pay attention and make the tough decisions.

Your car is adorable! I can just imagine your little dogs smiling out of the window. :D

[JunkerJane]

I love your posts!! :D

They always make me laugh, but you are so right....we all need to SLOW DOWN.

[Jamie]

Okay- Once again you are SOOO COOL. I'm drooling over your cute new ride. So adorable!!! You are going to be so styling!! Life is good! I love how you love and embrace every nano second of life and this crazy world we embody!

[jackie]

I have a middle schooler too and you are so right. Stay involved that is the right thing to do and meet and know his friends. Such a impressionable age. Then I have two girls right behind him....ugh!!! Have a great day, and love your car grandma ;) Jackie

[Renee]

I feel the same way when it comes to our high our speed lives. On one hand I love the instant gratification of uploading photos and artwork to my blog and FB, but the flip side is that I am ALWAYS connected. Sometimes a girl just needs to turn it all off, light a candle, put on a nice moisturizing mask, pour a lovely glass of wine and read a book instead of a text.

P.S. Love your new wheels!
Renee

[Jennifer]

I am guessing that, given what you said about your son's middle school experience and the decision to remove some electronics from his life, you might be interested in this really wonderful article about the changing nature of childhood and what's at stake:

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22891

[Kelly]

I hear ya. It's all too much, too fast. And I am sick to death of E.D. commercials on TV. It feels like the media is shaping my kids instead of us these days... It's a fine line to balance. It's hard.

Anyways, the recipe looks delicious. I am a huge crock pot girl. Here's a great link for crock pot lovers-- crockpot365.blogspot.com. I just made the crock pot pumpkin latte (seriously!) and it was yummy!

Have fun with the mini cooper, you'll look stylin in it for sure:)

[PJ Hornberger]

Good for you! All that stuff is thrown at kids, like they're suppose to know how to handle it. That's when being a parent comes in...
Gotta get my crock pot out now. Where is that thing?
You're gonna love that mini. I had one. Got stopped a lot, but I can do the blonde dumb thing, even with red hair. :) Never got a ticket, but you'll be tempted. So practice in the mirror. It's a kick to drive. So much fun. Then a Wal-Mart truck ran over us... nobody hurt. The DPS said they are one of the safest small cars on the road. Have fun!

[Vicki]

just found you from Kim's and will be back again. Love your little Cooper....someday...
And I AM a grandma, so I understand your driving..
Now I'll go make the meatball soup!

[Pat]

Love your blog! This is my first visit but I shall return. :-) I totally agree re: kids and the super fast way people live now, the cell phones/text msgs, internet, etc. Of course, it was like the dark ages when my kids were growing up ~ they still tease me 'cause they always said "they were the only kids in high school that were not allowed to watch Sat Night Live". That was about the most raunchy thing on TV at the time. ;-) TV time was limited and we sat down as a family for dinner each evening with no TV or music...just being together and conversation. 'k I'll stop now.

[Daisy Cottage]

I left a comment here yesterday but I don't see it...

Anywho - I shared your recipe link on my blog Catherine - I made it and it IS so good! Thank you for sharing it with us... and as always, thank you for ALL of the inspiring things that you generously share.

Love,
Kim

[Catherine]

aww!

thanks sweet Kim,

so nice to hear from you!

i agree that was a wonderful recipe, and super easy, which of course i love! ;) ha ha!

anyways!

hope you are well, and thanks so much for the visit!

xoxoxo

c.

Catherine Thursby

ReD ShOes

332 South Ashley

Ann Arbor, Mi 48104

734-913-5554

http://redshoeshomegoods.com

http://redshoesllc.typepad.com

http://twitter.com/redshoesA2

http://pearldog.blogspot.com

[Mary Lou]

Hi! I just hopped over here via Daisy Cottage. I gotta tell you - I've been driving stick for almost 30 years, and you CAN do coffee & stick, but cell phones don't work for me. My brain just isn't that coordinated! Hope you really enjoy the new car.

[Laura]

Hello! It is my first visit to your blog. I want to try your recipe soon! And, we just bought a red Mini Clubman in August! (Our other car was a 'cash for clunkers') I LOVE IT! I can still put my goodies from antiquing in the back, too! It's so fun to drive. (I can't do manual transmission though.) Enjoy!