making chicken stock= life-changing

Ok, maybe not life-changing, but certainly attitude-changing.

A few weeks ago, I made chicken stock for the first time, using pretty much only ingredients that I would have otherwise thrown away.

I think I threw in a chicken carcass, some carrot peelings, a couple ribs of celery that were past their prime, and half an onion that I had cut up a while ago. I looked up a recipe for a "Bouquet Garni" from The Joy of Cooking and threw in whatever herbs I had that matched (probably parsley, thyme and some peppercorns, since that's what's usually in the house).

I simmered it for 3 or 4 hours, strained it through my colander, then through an actual strainer.

And it looked like this:

I did manage to strain some more of the herbs out of it after I took that picture, but it was amazing even with those little pieces in there. And this time around, I tied all the herbs together in a square of cheesecloth, and it wasn't a problem. I froze it in ice cube trays and used it anytime a recipe called for chicken broth or stock. Delicious. And nearly free. And way easier than I originally thought. You really can't mess this stuff up.

I made another pot yesterday, and I still can't get over how I was paying $1/can for this stuff, on sale! And I can pronounce all the ingredients in the homemade version, which, by the way, is way lower in sodium. Oh, and I've used one of those rotisserie chickens from the grocery store to make this, with equal success, so you don't have to cook whole chickens to do it.

This is the closest I could get to an actual recipe. Seriously. Don't feel any need to follow this to the letter.

Basic Chicken Stock
1) Place chicken carcass in large, deep pot. If you remove as much skin as possible, you won't have to skim as much fat off later.
2) Add cold water to cover.
3) Bring to a boil. If any fat or scum rises to the top and you feel like it, skim it off. Sometimes I do; sometimes I forget.
4) Reduce heat and add quartered onion, chopped celery and carrots, about [1 t. each dried parsley and thyme, 3-4 peppercorns, 1 bay leaf and 1 clove garlic]. Tie bracketed ingredients together in 1 small square cheesecloth or a coffee filter for easy removal.
5) Simmer for 3-4 hours. (Joy of Cooking says to simmer uncovered, but I usually partially cover it.)
6) Strain. How fine your strainer is will determine how clear and "pure" your broth is. Since we use it mostly in recipes and don't eat it as soup, I just strain it through a regular colander (which removes the chicken pieces and veggies).
7) Skim the fat off the top before using. (This is easier to do once the stock has been refrigerated, as the fat rises to the top and solidifies. It will even stick to your spoon if you use a metal one.)

Waste not, right?

cloth diapering 2.0

When Lyndon was about 3 months old, we jumped on the cloth diapering bandwagon. I knew, though, even before he was born, that he would be in cloth; I actually put it on my gift registry! After talking with friends, researching, and trying out a few brands, we decided to use BumGenius one size all-in-ones. They have worked perfectly . . . up until a few weeks ago. (For those of you who have never investigated the wonderful world of cloth diapers, you totally should! They're not your mother's cloth diapers anymore. Nope, these things can fit like disposables, complete with velcro tabs. They're a bit more labor intensive to wash than a normal load of laundry, but not by much. And when you consider, among other things, that each disposable diaper takes 250-500 years to decompose [source], it really all becomes worth it.)

Anyway, so we were plugging away nicely with our little stash of BumGenius, when I noticed that the velcro closures were dying. I tried picking the lint out of them and sticking them in the dryer (per the manufacturer's recommendations). No difference. After talking with a few friends whose BumGenius are lasting well into baby #2, I had to conclude that the problem is my washing machine. We inherited it from my in-laws, and, while it is old and not particularly gentle on clothes, it was free, and it still works perfectly. I am a use-it-til-it-wears-out kind of girl, so we are not getting a new washing machine until this one dies. Which means that, for our family, velcro diapers are not a viable option. Le sigh.

So, I started researching alllll over again. And I found this:

These diapers (yes, they're called Fuzzibunz) use snaps instead of velcro, which last longer, but don't give as tight of a fit and are known for causing leaks. The catch with this brand is that they're way more adjustable than your average diaper. It's all in the elastic-- see?

They adjust the same way adjustable-waist pants do: with a row of buttonholes on the elastic and a button on the fabric. I bought two just to try them out, and I am in LOVE. They're so trim and fit so well that I think Lyndon can actually move more easily in them, and I don't have to readjust the sizing every time I wash them. Snapping and unsnapping those BumGenius before and after every wash was getting to be kind of a pain, but the instructions say to make sure they're on the largest size before washing. With Fuzzibunz, that's not a problem. Oh, and did I mention they come with an extra set of elastic? Just in case.

So, I bought a set. And I put them in a bag in the nursery closet to await the arrival of Baby #2. New baby, new diapers, new beginnings, all of that. Then, last night, I reached the end of my rope with my poor, dying BumGenius. I put one on Lyndon after his bath, and there was just no way the velcro was staying on. With not a single disposable in the house, Adrian and I did the only thing we could think of: we duct taped that puppy. Yes, last night my child slept peacefully in a duct taped diaper. And his pjs were nice and dry this morning, thankyouverymuch.

So, last night after he went to bed, I pulled out the brand new Fuzzibunz and adjusted and washed them. Lyndon is in snaps today. And I am way too excited about it.

I joined the double stroller club . . .

Sometime in May, I decided I wanted to put our growing family in this stroller. Sometime in August, I found it on Craigslist! As you can see, the thing retails for nearly $400 new. The stroller I bought was barely used, about a year old, and in perfect condition. It came with a car seat attachment and (purple!) seat covers (retailing another $50), and I paid $250. I did have to drive to PA to pick it up and got horribly lost on the way, but it was all worth it for this:

Clearly, Lyndon already loves it. (See him on the seat back there?) He actually begs to take it for walks instead of our single Graco. And, honestly, I think it handles better than the Graco anyway.

Showing off the sit-n-stand option:

The space right behind Lyndon's head is where the car seat fits in; this was one of only two strollers I found that put the infant seat in the space closest to the adult. I love the idea of having the baby closest to me. And when the baby is ready to move up to the front seat, Lyndon will (hopefully) be mature enough to handle riding on the sit-n-stand section. It's a perfect solution for us; I'm just anxious to be able to put it to good use. Three more months to go!

What's for dinner? salmon and black bean "burgers"

So, I'm posting my second dinner recipe, and hopefully, I won't end up in the ER like last time. (I did wait until I had actually served dinner this time to post; maybe that will help.)

Anyway, here we go. My recipe is based on this one from allrecipes.com. I've made it as written a few times now, but the other day I had some fun tweaking it, since I needed to feed a few more people and wasn't about to add more salmon.

12 oz. canned salmon (that's 2 cans if you get it from Costco)
1/3 cup finely chopped onion (I've made it with both fresh and about 1 T. of dried-- good either way)
1 egg
5 saltines, crushed
1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
15 oz. can black beans ( I used about 3/4 of the can, but my husband is a beanophobe. You could probably use the whole thing if you wanted.)
1/4-1 cup water
1/4 cup flour


1. In a bowl, combine first 7 ingredients. Mix well.
2. Mash beans with a fork and add to salmon mixture.
3. Add water 1 T. at a time until mixture will hold together. Form into 8 patties.
4. Coat patties lightly in flour.

You can either pan fry these or bake them in the oven. I've done both. Obviously, the oven option is healthier (and more hands-off for those of you chasing little ones around), while pan frying gives a better, browner crust.

To pan fry: Heat 3-4 t. oil in skillet over medium heat. Fry 4-5 mins. on each side or until lightly browned and heated through.

To bake: Preheat oven to 375. Arrange patties in single layer on greased baking sheet. Spray patties lightly with cooking spray. Bake 10-12 mins. or until lightly browned and heated through, turning once.

We love to dip these in cocktail sauce, ketchup, or chili-garlic sauce (from the Asian section of the grocery store), depending on how much spice we're feeling that night.

Enjoy, and let me know if you try these!

our victory garden

First of all, I apologize for the shabby vegetable garden coverage this year. I honestly didn't think it would be much of a success. You see, I planted it in the shadow of our neighbor's privacy fence. This spot doesn't get full sun until about 2pm, but it worked perfectly with the layout of our postage stamp-sized yard, so I thought I'd give it a try. All I had to lose was a few seed packets.

And all I had to gain, it seems, was about a billion tomatoes.

These pics were taken a few weeks ago, before everything ripened. These tomatoes are now a lovely shade of yellow-red, almost ready to be picked. Oh, and these are cherry tomatoes . . . about the size of a golf ball, these cherry tomatoes. All three of my cherry tomato plants are producing beautifully, even with the mild grasshopper infestation they had to endure.

Then we move on to the cucumbers.

These two plants actually look better in this picture than they do now, mostly because I epic fail at harvesting them. Two cucumbers escaped my notice long enough to tell their plants to shut down. Most of the leaves are now yellowish-brown, although there are a few at the top that still look like this and have some new flowers, so maybe all is not yet lost. And even if they are done producing, I've still gotten my money's worth and then some. Anybody know a nice recipe for cucumber salad?

Then there are the string beans.

These probably won't be part of the garden next year. I didn't realize just how many bean plants you need to produce enough beans for a decent meal, and that number is way beyond the capacity of my garden. Maybe with the extra space next year, I'll be able to find all my cucumbers!

Not pictured is our lettuce, which, because of its sheltered position against the fence, didn't go to seed as early as our neighbors'. I want to try ripping it up and planting some spinach there in the fall. Can you imagine not paying an arm and a leg for baby spinach leaves? I know I can.

Also not pictured is my sad little strawberry plant. Maybe it just needs some time to "get established," or maybe the bugs just love it way too much, but I've only managed to harvest one little strawberry from it. It's supposed to be everbearing, though, so there's still time.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is our victory garden. The garden I never expected to succeed, let alone flourish. I'm already excited for next year.

our staycation, part 2: the city

After our lovely day-long beach vacation, we went to visit some friends in the city. Adrian went camping with his former roommate and longtime friend, while Lyndon and I stayed with InDeeds and the baby. She keeps telling me how much there is to do in her city, but I didn't quite believe her until I experienced it for myself. Unfortunately, my camera died on the second day of our weekend adventure, so my pictures may leave something to be desired.

First we went to Storyville . . .

Lyndon had all kinds of fun playing with Legos and trains. We really need to get him some . . .

He also, despite the pouty face, loved sitting in this little chair. I'm pretty sure it was designed for stuffed animals, since it was a tight fit even for him, but he loved it. And no, that's not our teddy bear. That particular ratty (but endearing) toy belongs to Storyville. (Yes, I had to repress a shudder as I watched him snuggle his face into its germ-covered belly, but I could either test his immune system or break his heart. Guess which one I chose.)

 

"Legos and trains aren't just for boys!" says Papillon.

"Neither are awesome rocking boats!"

Then, we visited the duck pond. The ducks (especially the drakes) were apparently starving and not afraid to show it. We got attacked more than once, to the point where I had to beat one off with my shoe. (True story.) Between the vicious ducks and Lyndon's desire to leap into the pond, it was a busy trip.

The females were a little less gung-ho. A little.

Lyndon, however, was plenty gung-ho. He splashed and stomped pretty much the whole time we were there. (Love those Crocs.)

Oh, duck pond. How I wish we had one.

There was SO much to do in the city, so much to see. It was all free and open to the public-- unlike here, where the children's museum costs $12 per person and you have to put your name on a waiting list to attend library storytime-- and, as much as I don't want to live in the city, I have to admit, it has its advantages.

our staycation, part 1: the beach

For those of you who don't know, Adrian recently changed careers (and couldn't be happier about it). As of June 21th, he was officially done teaching middle school, and, as of June 27th, he was an employee of our alma mater. For those of you motivated enough to do the math, this means that, instead of having the whole summer off, he had 6 days (one of which was half taken up with the orientation for his new position). We also knew that he wouldn't be eligible for ANY time off until this winter at the earliest. So, very quickly, our vacation mindset changed.

We decided to embark on a "staycation". We set out to discover the joys of sticking (relatively) close to home, and it was a resounding success!

Day 1: We visited the beach, which is only a little over an hour away from our house, yet we don't go much on the weekends due to massive traffic jams and huge crowds. But a Tuesday in June?! Sign us up!

The surf was a little rough the day we went, especially when we first arrived.

Lyndon was mesmerized.

Then we got down to the very serious business of playing in the sand.

Kisses on the beach! Awww.

This is pretty rough for Delaware.

Lookin' snazzy. 6-9 month shirt and 18 month shorts. MckMama isn't the only one who mixes sizes willy-nilly.

Observing the waves from a safe distance with Daddy, until . . .

. . . Daddy helped him take the plunge. And he loved it! The water was pretty chilly, so I definitely didn't expect him to giggle hysterically and ask to do it again . . . and again . . . and again. He even enjoyed getting splashed up to his waist when the big waves came in!

Staycation, Day 1 was a ton of fun!

dandelions and a singing turtle

A couple Mondays ago, I took Lyndon to the park . . . the bigger one down the road that he's only visited a few times. We went right after breakfast, so we were the only ones there. He had a blast! It's amazing how a few simple pieces of plastic and wood can provide so much entertainment and discovery.

It was a sweet time for the two of us to do something fun together; I've been trying to soak up all of the special "firstborn" moments I get to have with him, since I know I won't get another chance.

Once he got tired of the equipment, we walked over to a nearby field and picked some dandelions. This has since become Lyndon's favorite pastime. He squeals and points anytime he sees dandelions, straining to reach them, and he'll hold them in his chubby little fist for hours if I let him.

Near the end of our adventure, I realized that our library was scheduled to have storytime soon, so we headed over there. I expected something dinky and cute, since this wasn't the swanky storytime you had to pre-register for. Turns out I have amazing timing. A two-person children's theatre troupe was visiting all the way from NC to do an original show. They were fantastic! Their story was about an owl . . .

and a turtle . . .

who became friends even though they were different. They almost let their species' prejudices get in the way of their friendship, but in the end, they decided to play together anyway. The turtle sang a lovely original song, asking "Why is it wrong to get along?" Good question, turtle.

It was a lovely morning.

What's for dinner? chicken and broccoli braid

I'm making something tonight, derived from a recipe from allrecipes.com, that was too easy, cheap and most importantly, delicious not to share with you. I've tweaked the recipe a bit to appeal to our tastes, what we usually have on hand and our family size (I halved it). The best part is that once you get used to it, it's easy to play around with. I've substituted spinach for the broccoli with great results. I like to mix the ingredients ahead of time (i.e. nap time) and refrigerate them, then assemble and bake at dinner time. Enjoy, and let me know if you try it!

Chicken and Broccoli Braid

Ingredients
1 cup diced, cooked chicken meat
3/4 cup broccoli, finely chopped
1 T. pimento (orig. recipe called for 1/2 cup broc. and 1/4 cup red bell pepper, but we don't eat many peppers around here)
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dried dill weed (I've never used dill; I substitute whatever herb I feel like that night, and they've all been delicious.)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons diced onion
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 egg white, beaten (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees F).
2. In a large bowl, toss together chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlic, Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, salt and onion.
3. Unroll crescent roll dough, and arrange flat on a medium baking sheet. Pinch together perforations to form a single sheet of dough. Using a knife or scissors, cut 1 inch wide strips in towards the center, starting on the long sides. There should be a solid strip about 3 inches wide down the center, with the cut strips forming a fringe down each side. Spread the chicken mixture along the center strip. Fold the side strips over chicken mixture, alternating strips from each side. Pinch or twist to seal. Brush with egg white, if desired.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden brown.

happy cardmaking!

Hello all; it's been a while! Between the Thanksgiving holiday and "the plague" (read: stomach bug) that's been going around, we've been a bit busy. But now, we're back, just in time to tell you about a great deal! Shutterfly is giving away 50 free Christmas photo cards to bloggers willing to do a review of their products. Free Christmas cards? Sign me up!

This is our family's first time sending Christmas cards, and I wanted to do it right, so I've been shopping around for a few weeks now. The first thing I noticed about Shutterfly was their wide selection of card designs. There are literally hundreds of holiday cards to choose from, and almost all of them are really cute. You can sort them by size, number of photos, or color, which is really helpful, since I have very specific things in mind for our cards this year. Once I picked a few favorite designs, I started adding pictures from our holiday photo shoot. Shutterfly lets you collect up to 60 pictures per card, and you can swap them in and out just by dragging them across the screen. I could change my mind for days! Actually, I have been changing my mind and updating my cards for days now, because once you sign up for a (free) account, you can save your projects. I've been able to send my creations to my husband to get his opinion, then come back and make changes. It's been a lot of fun, and I think I have the final design nailed down now. (I'm not going to show it to you, because that would spoil the surprise. But I will show you some of my other favorites.)

I have a thing for brown, even though it isn't a "traditional" Christmas color.

I love the simplicity of this one, even though it looks like the son on the right was a little angry when they took the picture. :-P

Oh, and I almost forgot. Not only are we sending out Christmas cards from Shutterfly this year, we're also making photo calendars for a couple members of our family (who probably won't read this). And yep, Shutterfly does that, too. I've been having serious fun playing around with all the background and layout options. Hopefully, I'll be able to decide in time to get them by Christmas.

Happy cardmaking!

Disclaimer: Shutterfly compensated me for this post with 50 free Christmas cards. However, all my opinions are completely true.

first Halloween costume

Soon after Lyndon was born, I announced that he was going to be Harry Potter for Halloween, as he had a head full of untidy black hair and would only need some blue pajamas and maybe a painted-on scar. As the holiday approached, however, his hair began to lighten. It's now a soft, light brown, and he doesn't look like Harry at all. *sigh*

That meant I actually had to come up with a creative, cheap, easy, comfortable costume for a crawling 9 month-old. Um, yeah.

It came to me one night when I was asking my husband, yet again, if he had any ideas. I said something along the lines of, "He army crawls everywhere, so he has to really be able to move in his costume; otherwise, either he'll be miserable or it'll be ruined." Wait... he army crawls? Ah ha!

That's right. I dressed him in camo (most of which he already had), bought a hat, borrowed some socks, and painted his cheeks. Army ranger, anyone?

Some action shots:

He went after a really manly monster truck, which was perfect.

 I think he kind of looks like a cat in this one.

Lyndon had a lovely first Halloween.

debt

Get. out. of. debt. . . like, now.

(If you can, that is.)

I listened to a sermon the other day that compared debt to slavery (actually, it was Proverbs 22:7 that made the comparison), and I remember thinking, "Okay, so debt isn't the best thing in the world, but 'slavery'? That's a little extreme. I mean, everyone has a mortgage, and pretty much all of our friends have had some kind of school debt at one time or another. We financed a car, and nothing bad has happened to us."

Adrian and I discussed it and decided that yes, paying down our debt is probably the best use of any extra money we have right now, but we're not going to go crazy and try to get rid of it all next month or anything. We've made peace with our debt.

And then today happened. And now I am completely disgusted at our debt.

Let me explain. For a while now, we've been trying to get rid of Adrian's ridiculous 50 minute commute. We know that either he has to find a job closer to home, or we have to find a home closer to his job. It's been looking like the latter is our best option, so we've been looking at houses on and off. Every time we get close to one, it seems, something goes wrong, and we have to walk away. Then we found today's house.

Cute little 3 bedroom, 2 bath, in immaculate condition, with plenty of space for a growing family, on 1/2 acre, within walking distance of Adrian's job. And the price was right. Or so we thought. We knew where our 3 1/2 percent down was coming from, and the money that would go back into our pockets with no 50 minute commute (gas, insurance, car repairs, the cost of owning a second car) would more than make up for a slightly higher mortgage payment. Then we called the FHA people to talk shop.

They rejected us. Because of our debt. Apparently, your total debt, mortgage included, can only equal a certain percentage of your total income. And ours was way too high. After he recovered from the shock, Adrian asked, "So, based on your program's system, how much house can we afford?" Her answer: less than we currently have.

I've never felt so much like a slave in my life.

Seriously. If you can, get. out. of. debt.

the joys of Craigslist

Adrian and I decided recently that we have to follow our budget more carefully. We also decided that while it sounds good to pledge to cut out every fun, impulsive purchase from our lives, in reality, it'll probably make us feel like a couple of penny-pinching Scrooges.

So we came up with a compromise. All "real" money goes towards responsible, grown-up things: mortgage, food, utilities, etc.. All "fun" money goes towards fun things. "Fun" money is defined as coming from somewhere other than our steady, grown-up jobs: birthdays, Christmas, extra work, etc.. Until recently, our "fun" money has been sparse and unpredictable, appearing mostly on holidays. Then, last week, while moving some furniture, we decided to sell something on Craigslist and made an amazing discovery.

There is a lot of fun money out there.

Since then, we have sold 4 items: furniture and some childhood paraphernalia. Our garage is cleaner, and the "fun" money jar keeps filling up. We told Adrian's parents about our unexpected success, and they saw it as a chance to clean out their basement. They gave us more items to sell, glad to get rid of some clutter and let someone else do the work of taking pictures, listing items, responding to potential buyers, and making the final transaction. Now, word has gotten out to Adrian's grandmother, who apparently has a whole basement full of furniture, etc. that might be worth a look.

Now, we know we're not going to get rich off of Craigslist, and, really, that's not the point. The point is to feel like we don't have to nickel-and-dime every single DVD or cup of coffee. The point is to be able to do something for ourselves, for someone else, or just for the fun of it every now and then without worrying about where the money is coming from.

Although, the saver in me sees student loan payments every time that money changes hands. I'm just sayin'. :-)

mall shopping

Lessons learned on a solo trip to Christiana Mall today:

1. If at all possible, go to the mall in the middle of the morning on a weekday. The staff is way more attentive and cheerful. The stores are also not staffed by angsty teenagers. Speaking of angsty teenagers, there are very few of those roaming the mall at this time slot as well, which is always a plus.

2. If you wander into a store in which you are genuinely interested but can't afford anything at the moment, don't reject the overtures of the staff, especially if said store franchised within the last 5 years and moved to the mall in the last 2 months. They will give you FREE stuff. I now have an entire tub of natural, handmade facewash just because I let the lady talk. Retail value: $12.95.

3. Mall drivers are THE WORST. Enough said.

4. Upon entering a store, if you are not looking for an extremely specific season-sensitive item, proceed directly to the back. Having worked in a mall store, I can tell you that the merchandise on the sale racks at the back of the store is usually only a few weeks old but carries way more than a few weeks' worth of discount. $10 Ann Taylor sweater, anyone?

5. Ducking into Teavana for the sole purpose of picking up a free sip or two of tea is really awkward when you're the only customer in the store, making the staff to customer ratio 2 to 1. Pretend to browse really expensive teapots to diffuse the awkwardness, although, if you do this, you run the risk of being tempted by the seriously discounted gorgeous teacups in the back. Remind yourself that you DO NOT need another teacup, and deal with the awkward glances from the staff as you exit.

6. If an attractive-in-a-euro-metrosexual-kind-of-way man at a hand cream kiosk approaches you and says, "Ma'am, can I ask you a question?", say no. Smile while you do it, but say no. Firmly. Then duck into the store you were heading for, which happens to be right across from the kiosk, and listen as his kiosk partner berates him in Italian for getting rejected. Stride quickly and purposefully towards the back of the store. (See lesson number 4.)

It was a productive, rather educational morning.

Things I have recently fallen in love with

1. whole grain Pop-Tarts
5 grams of fiber. 2 grams of protein. PER Pop-Tart. So, if you eat the whole package, you've had 40% of your fiber for the day . . . in a POP TART . . . a real one . . . that tastes good.

2. every anti-histamine in existence





In an attempt to not be dependent on the drug companies, I stopped taking allergy medicine for 2 days, at the end of which time, I was miserable. Chills, aches, sore throat, upset stomach, the works. Who knew allergies could do so many bad things to your body? So, I'm back on them now, and I've promised myself that I'm NEVER going off of them again. We'll see what happens once I get pregnant . . .

3. children singing
The first Sovereign Grace Children's Choir performed today, and they were splendid! Little Ethan, who will sing for anyone at the drop of a hat, hid behind the person next to him as his face turned bright red. That was adorable enough, but the rest of them sang so beautifully that I couldn't help but be proud of them. The most fun, though, was before the performance, when we did warm ups and breathing exercises designed to be as goofy as possible, and I got them to sing so loud I was sure the congregation could hear us from down the hall. I loved the whole thing. Now, if only I had a degree in music . . .

4. Legend of the Seeker
This mini-series, on channel 17, is just the right mix of fantasy, romance, comedy, action, and slightly sub-par acting, perfect for a Sunday night of relaxation and denial about work the next day. Although, for some reason, they've started over from the beginning after airing about 5 or 6 episodes. I don't really mind, as I'm seeing new things that I missed before, but I really hope they go on this time.