Once upon a time, when I used to cook dinner every single night, I had a fridge full of leftovers. Steaks. Sheppards pie. Potato bake. I didn’t want to food to go to waste, so one night I proclaimed “Tonight, we’re having scraps for dinner!”
“SCRAPS?!” Pighunter said, in a tone that could only be described as “horrified.”
“Yes, Scraps. We have a ton of food left over from this week and I thought I’d just heat it all up and eat it before it goes bad.”
“Oh, leftovers!” He said, somewhat relieved. “Not SCRAPS! We’re not dogs! We’re humans! IT’S LEFTOVERS!”
In my mind, scraps is totally different than leftovers in this way. Let’s say I make meatloaf and mashed potatoes on Wednesday night. Thursday night, I decide to reheat that. THAT would be leftovers. Now let’s say that on Monday night I made enchiladas with rice. Then, on Tuesday night, I made a steak with a broccoli salad. Then, on Wednesday night, I decided to put the enchiladas, rice, steak and broccoli salad that was left out and let every one choose whatever they want to eat. THAT would be scraps. Because, get it, it’s scraps from various different meals as opposed to a specific, reheated meal from the night before.
Did I really just try to explain the difference between “scraps” and “leftovers?” Yes. I did.
Anyway…
Think of this post as the blog equivalent of “scraps.” A little bit of this and a little bit of that, but totally not leftovers.
Today my daughter was drawing at the kitchen table. “What are you going to draw?” I asked her. “Me and Mr.Potato Head!” She answered. As she was creating her masterpiece, she was talking through everything she was doing. It was precious. Especially when she said THIS:
….”And here’s my one arm. And the other arm. And here’s my one belly button. And my one titty. And other titty.”
Obviously, my attempt to teach her to call them “her chests” isn’t working.
That girl. She kills me. She recently decided she must “paint her face, just like mommy!” So every morning, after I finish putting on my makeup, she pulls her chair up to my mirror and stars painting her face while singing “Can you paint with all the colors of the wind…” (No, seriously. She sings that as she’s “painting” her eyes a beautiful shade of black.)
I think girlfriend needs to work on her application techniques, but I have to say, not too bad for a three year old.
***
I’ve become a bit of a “Thyroid Activist” lately. Anytime someone complains of feeling tired, I’m all “OMFG GET YOUR THYROID TESTED AND DON’T STOP UNTIL YOU GET ANSWERS!!!!!!” Ask anyone in my life, pretty much every other word out of my mouth is “my thyroid” or “your thyroid” or “Hashimotos!”
It’s annoying and I KNOW this, yet I can’t stop myself from telling people to HAVE THEIR THYROIDS CHECKED! I just don’t want people to suffer needlessly the way that I did.
But, this isn’t The Thyroid Blog! This is a blog about Unexpected Joy! And so, I bought www.thethyroidblog.com so that I could have a place to talk about My Thyroid and how much I hate it without boring the people who come here to read about more important things. Like bean dip. And pachinas.
I wouldn’t get your hopes up though, because two years ago, I bought another domain that I was totally excited about and had big plans for and haha, nothing ever became of it and so, what I believed to be the greatest domain name ever just sits there in cyberspace, wasting away.
Creatively speaking, I SUCK. If only I were more like Tracey. You see, Tracey was able to take a creative idea that she had and turn it into something exciting and beautiful. Me? I have a ton of “great ideas” swirling in my head, but I can’t seem to make it past the “OMG! I JUST BOUGHT THE MOST AWESOME DOMAIN” stage. (I totally blame my thyroid. HAHA.) In all seriousness, I both envy and admire her.
If you love photography as much as I do, you must check out Shutter Sisters.
[/scraps]
That seriously is the best domain name ever. Great idea! I’d love to see some vagina monoblogs.
Leftover Buffet. That’s what we have.
Vaginamonoblog? That is brilliant! Maybe you just need a few contributors. Ask some of your girlfriends to start writing stuff. I’ll read it. 🙂
I get the scraps and leftovers business. He should only be offended if you start using the floor instead of the table. You could call it a hodgepodge dinner and if you say it with an accent then everyone will think it’s extra delightful.
thevaginamonoblog…hahahahahaha.
Thank you for the scrap vs. leftover distinction. I had no idea…!
My parents had a a “scraps” night – they called it Take No Prisoners. Nothing went back in the fridge.
That IS the greatest domain name!
And I am SOOOOOOO excited about Shutter Sisters that I might have peed a little.
We call it “Rustle It”, thats when you go to the fridge and rustle on up whatever you can to eat.
Hmmm … I’d be less concerned about what she calls her “chests” and more about what she drew coming out of the front of Mr Potato Head! 😉
I know what you mean about scraps and leftovers. If I have scraps, I might try to cobble them together into some kind of unique soup. With leftovers, depending how much there is, I might add a vegetable or cook a few extra potatoes, so there’s enough to make a meal but not enough to make more leftovers.
That really is the best domain ever. . .
My thyroid (and Hashimoto’s) are the source of a lot of creative disfunction too. . .I could rule the world if I felt better. I’m not even going to tell you how long ago I was diagnosed, it’s too depressing.
That IS a great domain name! Mayhaps, when your unexpected joy reaches that age when, like her brothers, you feel you need to stop blogging as much about her, you can move this whole party over there!
Love that domain name! LOL. Wish I had thought of it.
As I type this, my daughter is begging to be allowed to eat the ‘scraps’ from a few days ago. Apparently, it’s more palatable than the FRESH tortellini I made. GRRR.
My dad used to throw all the left overs from the week into a frying pan and then fry them up.
You haven’t lived until you’ve had fried spaghetti mixed with mashed potatoes, tuna, corn and old sausages. Choked down while your dad threatens to ground you if you don’t eat it.
Gotta love those childhood memories that leave you all warm and fuzzy….
We don’t have scraps. We scrounge. We also never have left overs because I hate them. Scrounging is not limited to just food that is “left over” from one meal but can be any night where there will not be one meal that everyone eats. Mr. Husband might scrounge the meat loaf from last night, the kids might scrounge some scrambled eggs and I would scrounge the cinnamon toast crunch.
Wow, I’ve been calling it “leftovers” for years (then again, I’m not married and just have a 12 yr old. so whatever I make he eats and no questions on what I call it!)
Hmmm… how about a “buffett of leftovers”? 😉
i’m here for the pachina.
just kidding.
also, tell your doctor he needs to get the fixing of your thyroid to the top of his priority list, because i think the world needs ‘the vagina monoblog.’
seriously.
p.s. please tell me how to make enchiladas.
Um. I think I might be with Tony on the scraps. We refer to that as leftover night – when all the week’s meals reappear. The one thing I will say, though is that my hubster is the KING of taking what was once one meal and reconfiguring it into something else. I really am not fond of “leftovers” – so he turns them into something else so it feels like a brand new meal. He rocks.
You’re making me think I need to get my thyroid tested too – but here’s what bugs me. I just had like 8 bajillion blood tests done due to a heart/lung issue I have. Wouldn’t the doc have told me if my thyroid looked funky then? Maybe not, since that’s not what she was looking for – but dude – she did an HIV test and everything. And isn’t it stupid that even though I’ve been monogamous for a hella long time, and never really “got around” before – I was still nervous waiting for that stupid HIV test to come back. (And thank god it was negative!)
I love your scraps. They beat my meatloaf any day. But seriously I’m glad I’m not the only one buying up random URLs that are going to CHANGE THE WORLD and MAKE ME RICH and then doing nothing with them. It’s a sickness.
Great domain name. You definitely need to use it. I think Groovy Mom had a good idea. You could get guest bloggers to contribute if you didn’t want to write them all.
Hello, what about the other awesome idea? You know? The one that made fun of us?
Yes, that one.
That is awesome.
my favorite posts are those of the non-sequitur genre. thank you for that.
she looks JUST LIKE YOU!! and i do mean that in the totally gorgeous sense and not the blogher’06 yahootini sense.
you both are adorable.
and much laughing about the scrappy leftovers because i hate both. ichk.
when i look in the fridge and see those options…i know that it’s BREAKFAST-FOR-DINNER night.
We call that “mustgo” night. Everything in the fridge, must go.
But I’ll take scraps from you anytime!!
I have often wondered about the Mystery of Scraps. Thank you for solving, Y.
(Also: am loving your pictures with the New Camera of Awesomeness.)
G is even prettier than Pocohontos! 🙂
I know, after being diagnosed with (sigh) Diabetes and Hashi’s I diagnosed everyone. Then several of them ended up HAVING IT so I was right, which just fed my inner Google doctor and you guessed it, I still do it today.
I think it is because OMG we found our answer and we want to help others, not really that we are now Hashi experts but that we know there is a way to feel better and we know how crappy it feels and at the same time, how wonderful it feels to get answers.
I probably said to get your thyroid checked at some point I am sure (go ahead. roll your eyes I deserve it!)
Never thought of buying the domain though, how smart of you! 🙂
Oh and we totally call your scraps “Buffet Night”.
I’m here for the bean dip. Won’t you please tell which is your favorite bean dip? PLEASE!
Anything I don’t have to cook is good to me. As long as you aren’t serving them the food in bowls with their names on them, call it whatever you like. 😆
Growing up we had Smorgasbord night.
Best. Night. Ever. Unless dad had already snarfed all the leftover arroz con pollo.
LOL…your daughter reminds me of my son. He’s five and for years I was proud that he was the only 3 yo who said testicles. Now he can’t stop saying balls. It makes me cringe whenever I hear it….especially when he says (in earshot of the Target cashier), “mommy, my sweaty balls itch”!
When I tickle my godson, I like to “get” his “boobies,” and he always likes to correct me, and tell me that boys don’t have “boobies,” they have “chests.” (As in 1, 2 chests.) It makes me laugh every time.
have been built for its present inhabitants. If you go into those houses, their masters, become independent labourers. The women return to their
You aren’t using that domain?! OMG. It is genius. You HAVE to use it, Y. Make it your photo blog or something. It is too funny to waste.
my hubby won’t eat them whatever you call them..
He grew up in an Italian household the only son, and a Mom who cooked something different and ironed everything..even his underware,,,and still worked part time…and here I came along..an Irish girl..with a young son…and pregnant..we were not greated with much affection..but now she is in her nintys..forgetful,,and forgot she never liked me..life
is good….
maunie
geezopete, the preview button is not working & i’m trying for the third time to tell you how much i like your website & if it doesn’t work this time i shall just have to go to the refrigerator & make a huge casserole out of all of the flotsam & jetsam in there……
said flotsam/jetsam, at my house, is now rounded up into one meal & called Remembrance of Meals Past. (except now i feel guilty that i’ve never actually read proust.)
like millions of your other readers, i too love your other domain name & encourage you to do something fun with it! also, thank you for the shutter sisters link; i admire their creativity & also your bravery & sense of humor. wish i could remember how i linked to your blog but that was many clicks ago, & now here i just am, & glad of it.
Well, the feeling is mutual my talented friend! Thanks for the looooooove.
xo
We call it Mustgo, thats when everything in the fridge must go! Usually on Fridays!! I love your blog by the way!! Hugs from Fort Worth
I live for your vaginamonoblog domain name!
I call those nights “Whatever” nights as in whatever yuou can find to eat that means I don’t have to cook from scratch is whats for dinner…
Bossy has a friend who invites reams of people over for Leftovers and the only rule is they have to bring leftovers of their own. It’s very scrappy. (and cool.)
Also – thanks for linking Bossy to the photography site so she could click all around and lose half her day and come down with a case of Jealousy. It’s contagious, you know.
My husband’s family calls scraps night “(Last Name Here) Family Restaurant,” which I find a little weird. I mean, if I had a restaurant, I would SO not feed my guests leftovers. But whatever.
And I can’t tell you how much I’m now coveting your Vagina Monoblog domain. Can I be a contributor?? I want to tell the internet about my vagina!!
I love that blog name! We call the cleaning out the fridge night “National Leftover Day.”
My cousin’s husband calls them “L.O.’s”
The name scraps sounds good to me!
I loved the leftover/scraps conversation. I’m not allowed to call it leftovers or my husband has a cow and won’t eat it. “That’s just another word for old food” he says. Men! So, I have to just kind of say, “I’m heating stuff up…”. I’ll have to try scraps.
In my house it6’s “Food Ecology Night”. Somehow makes it sounds like you are making a contribution to society.
Yes. That is the Best. Domain. Name. Eva. and like me you procrastinate. Go blog over there. I would so follow you just to have the name in my reader and the thingy above the search thingy. Cause I am all about the technical names.
And scraps for dinner? I call it FIF. Fend in fridge. Everything is fair game and any combination is welcomed. And what is left over gets fed to my husband cause he eats anything.
My mom used to call it “Make Your Own” night. That just meant it’s time to clean the fridge and that she wasn’t cooking. I used to love those nights.
At our house it’s called “Mustgo” Night. It all must go.