Does anyone else feel the finality of the year? I don't think I've ever felt it with such force. Usually a "new year" is just a turn of the calendar page for me. But this year feels different. Perhaps it's because my 2007 wasn't so great overall. Or perhaps I've just reached a point where I'm ready for newness.
Whatever the reason, good-bye forever, 2007! Here's hoping the next year is much better than the previous one.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Creativity
Does Kristabella make the best Christmas cards or what!?! I'm pretending I'm on the list.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Cold weather = soup
I love soup anyway, but something about overcast days and chilly temperatures make a pot of soup a necessity.
Today's venture was vegetable beef, in a completely thrown together, made-it-up-as-I-go-along manner. Veggie beef (or plain old veggie) soup is awesome for that, since you can just use whatever is on hand.
Today's soup:
1 lb beef roast, cut into small bits
~ 2 lbs veggies (carrots, potatoes, celery, mushrooms, tomatoes)
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups beef stock
~ 1 cup water
Italian seasonings
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
2 Bay leaves
It turned out so yummy! It even looked good in the stock pot, so I snapped a photo.
Skeeter was his usual soup snob self and refused to eat any though. I didn't fuss though, since he did get my camera hooked up again.
Today's venture was vegetable beef, in a completely thrown together, made-it-up-as-I-go-along manner. Veggie beef (or plain old veggie) soup is awesome for that, since you can just use whatever is on hand.
Today's soup:
1 lb beef roast, cut into small bits
~ 2 lbs veggies (carrots, potatoes, celery, mushrooms, tomatoes)
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups beef stock
~ 1 cup water
Italian seasonings
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
2 Bay leaves
It turned out so yummy! It even looked good in the stock pot, so I snapped a photo.
Skeeter was his usual soup snob self and refused to eat any though. I didn't fuss though, since he did get my camera hooked up again.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Wasting time on YouTube
Skeeter and I were wasting time this afternoon, looking up various comedians, and he happened upon this little gem:
Please tell me that the rest of the Back to the Future fans out there laughed as hard as we did.
We didn't even know that he did stand-up, but oh, he is so funny!
Please tell me that the rest of the Back to the Future fans out there laughed as hard as we did.
We didn't even know that he did stand-up, but oh, he is so funny!
My new favorite quote
"You can pretend to be serious; you can't pretend to be witty."
- Sacha Guitry (1885-1957)
- Sacha Guitry (1885-1957)
Friday, December 28, 2007
For the love of flannel
Skeeter and I have slept on flannel sheets -- year-round -- for the past 10 years or so. That actually started as a happy accident. We had purchased a new bed -- queen, as opposed to the full size we had before -- and didn't have sheets to fit, so we ran out to Sam's Club the day it was supposed to be delivered.
I don't remember the day, but it must have been mid-winter at least. We found a set of queen sized flannel sheets on clearance for $10. I had never used flannel sheets before, but for $10 I was willing to take a chance.
It was love at first sleep.
Those first sheets must have been of far better quality than I had realized because when I went to find another set, I had a difficult time finding ones that were nice enough. But by then I'd been spoiled by the softness of the flannel, and I couldn't imagine going back to plain cotton. Have you ever tried to find flannel sheets at Target during the summer? Not easy, my friend. Not at all. Now I make a point to buy a new set when they first get put on the shelves, and I always have two sets, just in case.
The bed is a bit of an obsession for me, as I've mentioned before.
All that has changed, for the moment. Skeeter bought a new bedding set for me for Christmas, and it came with a set of (you guessed it) plain cotton sheets. I don't have matching flannel sheets, so I'm currently using the ones that came with the set.
It's driving me nuts. I almost can't sleep because of it.
I went to Target tonight, just so that I could buy a set of matching flannel sheets. Oh the horror!! They were sold out of the sage green queen size flannel sheets! I almost bought the pink plaid, but it would have clashed just as horribly as the ones we have now. And I'm not sure I could sleep on those anyway.
So tomorrow, the search is on.
I don't remember the day, but it must have been mid-winter at least. We found a set of queen sized flannel sheets on clearance for $10. I had never used flannel sheets before, but for $10 I was willing to take a chance.
It was love at first sleep.
Those first sheets must have been of far better quality than I had realized because when I went to find another set, I had a difficult time finding ones that were nice enough. But by then I'd been spoiled by the softness of the flannel, and I couldn't imagine going back to plain cotton. Have you ever tried to find flannel sheets at Target during the summer? Not easy, my friend. Not at all. Now I make a point to buy a new set when they first get put on the shelves, and I always have two sets, just in case.
The bed is a bit of an obsession for me, as I've mentioned before.
All that has changed, for the moment. Skeeter bought a new bedding set for me for Christmas, and it came with a set of (you guessed it) plain cotton sheets. I don't have matching flannel sheets, so I'm currently using the ones that came with the set.
It's driving me nuts. I almost can't sleep because of it.
I went to Target tonight, just so that I could buy a set of matching flannel sheets. Oh the horror!! They were sold out of the sage green queen size flannel sheets! I almost bought the pink plaid, but it would have clashed just as horribly as the ones we have now. And I'm not sure I could sleep on those anyway.
So tomorrow, the search is on.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
A new favorite
A couple of months ago, Alkelda at Saints and Spinners mentioned how much she liked the new Robert Plant/Alison Krauss CD. I love Alison Krauss, and I like Robert Plant. Plus, Alkelda and I seem to have the same tastes on quite a lot of things, so I bought it last month.
I had saved it to go in my Santa stocking, since I wasn't sure if Skeeter would remember to pick anything up. Now that I've finally gotten to listen to it -- I love it. Love it!
The whole CD is a wonderful and surprising blend of their styles. Plant's, to be sure, is more reminiscent of his later solo work rather than his screaming Zeppelin days. True, hard-core Zep fans probably won't be impressed, since the work overall seems to have its roots in the slow, melodic folksy sounds that Krauss favors. I was particularly interested to see that most of the songs that have copyright dates are from the 1950s and 1960s.
It's early in my listening, but honestly, I think this is going to have staying power and be one of my long-term favorites.
Oh, and if you follow the link to the website, you can listen to the entire album there. But then do yourself a favor and buy it. :)
I had saved it to go in my Santa stocking, since I wasn't sure if Skeeter would remember to pick anything up. Now that I've finally gotten to listen to it -- I love it. Love it!
The whole CD is a wonderful and surprising blend of their styles. Plant's, to be sure, is more reminiscent of his later solo work rather than his screaming Zeppelin days. True, hard-core Zep fans probably won't be impressed, since the work overall seems to have its roots in the slow, melodic folksy sounds that Krauss favors. I was particularly interested to see that most of the songs that have copyright dates are from the 1950s and 1960s.
It's early in my listening, but honestly, I think this is going to have staying power and be one of my long-term favorites.
Oh, and if you follow the link to the website, you can listen to the entire album there. But then do yourself a favor and buy it. :)
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Just what I wanted
It has been a low-key kind of day. I've unpacked and put away most of the gifty things. I heated left over enchiladas and made Mexican rice for lunch. No one has wanted dinner yet, so I'll put out a fruit and veggie tray and make toasted cheese sandwiches as people want them.
Spyder reminded me today that I forgot to put his crystal mining kit in his stocking (I did -- completely), so we dug it out of the gift closet. He spent a happy couple of hours mining the crystals and making a dusty mess on the coffee table.
Sass and I played My Little Pony, and she and Skeeter had a tea party with all of her stuffed animals. It was quite funny, since she insisted that they both dress up for it. Skeeter was quite a sight with all of the bows in his hair.
The big excursion today was to the bread store. I finally remembered to ask if they had throw-away loaves that we could take to feed the ducks at the park. The lady happened to be taking them off the shelves then and gave me 12 loaves for $1. 12 loaves! Holey cow! That will feed the ducks for a couple of weeks! The children will love that though. I had planned to stop by the park on the way home, but it started to rain, so that will have to wait til tomorrow.
And I've decided that I must make my mom's party mix. She usually gives me a box at Christmas, and she didn't this year. It's quite easy, just very time-consuming, and I'll bet she didn't have time this year. But it's just not New Year's if I can't have party mix.
Spyder reminded me today that I forgot to put his crystal mining kit in his stocking (I did -- completely), so we dug it out of the gift closet. He spent a happy couple of hours mining the crystals and making a dusty mess on the coffee table.
Sass and I played My Little Pony, and she and Skeeter had a tea party with all of her stuffed animals. It was quite funny, since she insisted that they both dress up for it. Skeeter was quite a sight with all of the bows in his hair.
The big excursion today was to the bread store. I finally remembered to ask if they had throw-away loaves that we could take to feed the ducks at the park. The lady happened to be taking them off the shelves then and gave me 12 loaves for $1. 12 loaves! Holey cow! That will feed the ducks for a couple of weeks! The children will love that though. I had planned to stop by the park on the way home, but it started to rain, so that will have to wait til tomorrow.
And I've decided that I must make my mom's party mix. She usually gives me a box at Christmas, and she didn't this year. It's quite easy, just very time-consuming, and I'll bet she didn't have time this year. But it's just not New Year's if I can't have party mix.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Twas the end of Christmas
and we survived it all!
The fiesta went well, although it seemed as if we had a smaller group than usual. I counted and we had 17 people, so maybe not, but it seemed smaller. There was a slight hiccup at the beginning, since The Michael (fixer of Rotel and bringer of sodas) had a sudden illness. We survived on water and wine and juice until he was able to make it, and I had a free crock pot in which to make the Rotel dip.
The cheese cookies went over well, I suppose. I have quite a few of them left, but I did make a huge bowl of them. The Michael says he liked them, but I think he's just humoring me to some extent. And he was sick anyway.
I spent part of the party making more cookies, since the children cleared out the first four dozen within the first 30 minutes. Not that I minded, really. I like to cook, and these were just slice and bake things that I had gotten at Kroger, and I always like to send the children home with cookies for Santa. I also made rice krispy treats during the party, partly because I didn't have time earlier and I wanted those! My marshmallows had gotten misplaced (at a level that makes me think some child moved them), but I managed with a jar of marshmallow creme that I had bought (and then forgotten) for the church food baskets. They were a little more gooey than usual, but gooey is okay for rice krispy treats to me!
Our lasts guests left just after 11:30. We gave the children baths and got them into bed just after midnight, then Skeeter and I cleaned up the party mess and got the stockings ready. Normally it's just me getting the stockings ready, and it was much more fun to have Skeeter as a partner in it.
Because the children were up so late, they slept late (yay!), and they weren't ready to do stockings until about 9 am. Stocking gifts were well received, and we got on our way to the rest of the family celebrations.
We got there around 11:30, after three small but necessary stops. More gift opening, then off to eat. And eat and eat.
After the gluttony, we retreated to enjoy the gifts. Spyder spent the afternoon shooting paper targets and skeet with his new (Daisy Red Ryder) BB gun. Sass had to stay inside most of the time, as she is working on a terrible cold. She truly wanted to play with the dogs, but she had to be content with her new My Little Pony set.
We got back home at about 8:30 this evening. I was too tired to do much of anything, so I'll spend tomorrow organizing. And catching up on the neglected blog. :)
I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas!
The fiesta went well, although it seemed as if we had a smaller group than usual. I counted and we had 17 people, so maybe not, but it seemed smaller. There was a slight hiccup at the beginning, since The Michael (fixer of Rotel and bringer of sodas) had a sudden illness. We survived on water and wine and juice until he was able to make it, and I had a free crock pot in which to make the Rotel dip.
The cheese cookies went over well, I suppose. I have quite a few of them left, but I did make a huge bowl of them. The Michael says he liked them, but I think he's just humoring me to some extent. And he was sick anyway.
I spent part of the party making more cookies, since the children cleared out the first four dozen within the first 30 minutes. Not that I minded, really. I like to cook, and these were just slice and bake things that I had gotten at Kroger, and I always like to send the children home with cookies for Santa. I also made rice krispy treats during the party, partly because I didn't have time earlier and I wanted those! My marshmallows had gotten misplaced (at a level that makes me think some child moved them), but I managed with a jar of marshmallow creme that I had bought (and then forgotten) for the church food baskets. They were a little more gooey than usual, but gooey is okay for rice krispy treats to me!
Our lasts guests left just after 11:30. We gave the children baths and got them into bed just after midnight, then Skeeter and I cleaned up the party mess and got the stockings ready. Normally it's just me getting the stockings ready, and it was much more fun to have Skeeter as a partner in it.
Because the children were up so late, they slept late (yay!), and they weren't ready to do stockings until about 9 am. Stocking gifts were well received, and we got on our way to the rest of the family celebrations.
We got there around 11:30, after three small but necessary stops. More gift opening, then off to eat. And eat and eat.
After the gluttony, we retreated to enjoy the gifts. Spyder spent the afternoon shooting paper targets and skeet with his new (Daisy Red Ryder) BB gun. Sass had to stay inside most of the time, as she is working on a terrible cold. She truly wanted to play with the dogs, but she had to be content with her new My Little Pony set.
We got back home at about 8:30 this evening. I was too tired to do much of anything, so I'll spend tomorrow organizing. And catching up on the neglected blog. :)
I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas!
She knows him well
SASS (referring to her daddy): " . . . and if they don't know how to nap -- oh, honey -- he can sure show them!"
I don't know what was funnier -- that she was talking about her daddy teaching someone how to nap or the "oh honey" that she threw in that has her mama all over it!
I don't know what was funnier -- that she was talking about her daddy teaching someone how to nap or the "oh honey" that she threw in that has her mama all over it!
Monday, December 24, 2007
The camera and the computer hate each other.
They must. I'm sure this has been stewing for quite a while, and I was simply oblivious to the power struggle. Tonight the camera has decided that she (for she must be a she) has finally HAD IT and is no longer talking to the computer.
And I had photos to show everyone my Christmas tree shaped cheese cookies, as I know you were all anxiously awaiting.
Drat.
And I had photos to show everyone my Christmas tree shaped cheese cookies, as I know you were all anxiously awaiting.
Drat.
Advent and memories
We do an Advent calendar every year. It's one of the things that my children look forward to the most. With the Advent chocolate every night, we share a Christmas memory.
This year's favorite was a silly one -- the year that my Nana gave me a watch and the alarm kept going off every night at 10:30 while it was wrapped and under the tree. They asked me to retell it several times. It's a silly little thing, but I remember it well, and my children obviously loved hearing the story.
It always amazes me what we remember and how that remembering can resonate with others. I wonder what my children will remember about their Christmases.
This year's favorite was a silly one -- the year that my Nana gave me a watch and the alarm kept going off every night at 10:30 while it was wrapped and under the tree. They asked me to retell it several times. It's a silly little thing, but I remember it well, and my children obviously loved hearing the story.
It always amazes me what we remember and how that remembering can resonate with others. I wonder what my children will remember about their Christmases.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
That's my story. I'm sticking to it.
I've largely neglected ye olde blog lately. I shouldn't. I really shouldn't. I always feel as if I need to catch up, diary form, if I do.
Here's the simplified version:
We've all had the sniffles.
Skeeter is off work until Thursday. Yay!
I've done more shopping than usual.
We're getting ready for tomorrow night's annual Christmas Eve fiesta.
Tonight in preparation for the fiesta, I baked chocolate chip cookies and cheese straws. Well, they were supposed to be cheese straws. They ended up being cheese cookies because I couldn't find one of the pieces to my decorator set that I use to make them. So rather than wait until I found the piece, I decided to make them as cookies. We're having cheese cookies, and I'm going to act like I meant to make them that way.
And despite my best intentions, it looks as if I'm going to have to go to the grocery store in the morning.
Here's the simplified version:
We've all had the sniffles.
Skeeter is off work until Thursday. Yay!
I've done more shopping than usual.
We're getting ready for tomorrow night's annual Christmas Eve fiesta.
Tonight in preparation for the fiesta, I baked chocolate chip cookies and cheese straws. Well, they were supposed to be cheese straws. They ended up being cheese cookies because I couldn't find one of the pieces to my decorator set that I use to make them. So rather than wait until I found the piece, I decided to make them as cookies. We're having cheese cookies, and I'm going to act like I meant to make them that way.
And despite my best intentions, it looks as if I'm going to have to go to the grocery store in the morning.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Accents?
Eh, I don't know if I believe this. I'm from the south. I think I sound like it.
| What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio. | |
| The Northeast | |
| The Inland North | |
| The South | |
| The West | |
| Philadelphia | |
| Boston | |
| North Central | |
| What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz | |
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Crash and burn
Or, the aftermath of excitement, sugar, and caffeine.
Tonight was Olivia's birthday party at the bounce. The children love the bounce.
That's an understatement. The children would live at the bounce I would agree to cater.
They were thrilled when I announced this morning that today was the day for bounce! They bounced here, around the house, most of the day in anticipation, so they were hyped enough when they realized it was really! time! to! go!
As always, the party ended with cake and drinks. Sass drinks water most of the time, so that's what she ordered from the party assistant. In direct contrast, Spyder ordered a Coke. Not the "why bother?" version I occasionally allow -- Caffeine Free Diet Coke. No, no. He ordered The Real Thing, and I didn't know it until he was almost finished with it.
Oh lawzy.
Afterward, I could definitely tell he'd had a bit more than his body is used to. When we were leaving, he decided that he really needed to see his Grammy (my mom). Er, I can sympathize, but she lives an hour away. So I let them call and chat with the grandparents. It was a riot. Spyder spent the time telling them he was excited about seeing them at Christmas. Sass spent her time telling them about the bounce.
Nighttime routines were a bit off, but not horribly so. In fact, Spyder found one of the books that Sass likes, a beginning reader book, that he said sounded like a poem (it does). He decided to copy it into his copybook that we use for handwriting practice.
But after finishing, he happily listened to that same story as I read it to Sass, did our Advent chocolate and memory, and went to bed. He didn't even attempt to stay up and read. Ten minutes after lights out, I checked in and he was sound asleep.
The bounce is great for that, despite the sugar overload.
Tonight was Olivia's birthday party at the bounce. The children love the bounce.
That's an understatement. The children would live at the bounce I would agree to cater.
They were thrilled when I announced this morning that today was the day for bounce! They bounced here, around the house, most of the day in anticipation, so they were hyped enough when they realized it was really! time! to! go!
As always, the party ended with cake and drinks. Sass drinks water most of the time, so that's what she ordered from the party assistant. In direct contrast, Spyder ordered a Coke. Not the "why bother?" version I occasionally allow -- Caffeine Free Diet Coke. No, no. He ordered The Real Thing, and I didn't know it until he was almost finished with it.
Oh lawzy.
Afterward, I could definitely tell he'd had a bit more than his body is used to. When we were leaving, he decided that he really needed to see his Grammy (my mom). Er, I can sympathize, but she lives an hour away. So I let them call and chat with the grandparents. It was a riot. Spyder spent the time telling them he was excited about seeing them at Christmas. Sass spent her time telling them about the bounce.
Nighttime routines were a bit off, but not horribly so. In fact, Spyder found one of the books that Sass likes, a beginning reader book, that he said sounded like a poem (it does). He decided to copy it into his copybook that we use for handwriting practice.
But after finishing, he happily listened to that same story as I read it to Sass, did our Advent chocolate and memory, and went to bed. He didn't even attempt to stay up and read. Ten minutes after lights out, I checked in and he was sound asleep.
The bounce is great for that, despite the sugar overload.
A small break from the organizing
to give Big News here on the Christmas front . . . .
Skeeter is going to be off work! Wooohooo! This really is big news, since That Company decided a few weeks ago that they might have to work on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. They've gotten enough work done that they've been granted a reprieve. He'll be off beginning Saturday, and he won't have to go back in to work until Thursday! Excellent!
And now, to put him to work around here . . . . There are several little chores that he's been, ahem, conveniently forgetting.
And back to the organizing.
Skeeter is going to be off work! Wooohooo! This really is big news, since That Company decided a few weeks ago that they might have to work on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. They've gotten enough work done that they've been granted a reprieve. He'll be off beginning Saturday, and he won't have to go back in to work until Thursday! Excellent!
And now, to put him to work around here . . . . There are several little chores that he's been, ahem, conveniently forgetting.
And back to the organizing.
Monday, December 17, 2007
A week til Christmas . . . .
And I'm nowhere near ready for our fiesta. This little sinus infection isn't helping things.
I attempted several things today, and I didn't get as far as I wanted on any of them. I did, however, manage to get out and get my errands done early. I was back home by 11.
Skeeter worked overnight last night (got home at 5:30 am), and he was just getting up as I got back in. We had a nice picnic-style lunch in front of the Christmas tree, and he headed off to work just after noon.
And rather than write a true post all about our ever-scintillating lives, I'm off to unload the dishwasher.
It is the glamorous life.
I attempted several things today, and I didn't get as far as I wanted on any of them. I did, however, manage to get out and get my errands done early. I was back home by 11.
Skeeter worked overnight last night (got home at 5:30 am), and he was just getting up as I got back in. We had a nice picnic-style lunch in front of the Christmas tree, and he headed off to work just after noon.
And rather than write a true post all about our ever-scintillating lives, I'm off to unload the dishwasher.
It is the glamorous life.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Peace and joy
Not here.
Five Christmas parties (three of which I helped host).
Two days.
Sinus infection.
I'm so tired that it hurts to think. I hope to have coherent thoughts after sleep. Blissful sleep.
Five Christmas parties (three of which I helped host).
Two days.
Sinus infection.
I'm so tired that it hurts to think. I hope to have coherent thoughts after sleep. Blissful sleep.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Friday Feast
I've never participated in the Friday Feast, but not because I have anything against it . . . . I just don't think of it! Fresh Girl participates every week though, and today's appetizer question was too good not to answer this time. So here goes . . . my first Friday Feast.
Appetizer
Make up a word and give us its definition.
Dogbread: My family made up this word when I was little, so long ago that I can't remember not having it in my vocabulary. No one ever liked eating the end of the loaf of bread, so we always gave it to the dog. Thus, "dogbread" was born. Skeeter and the children even use the term. And they like the dogbread, so they don't give it to the dogs!
Soup
What is currently your favorite song?
Despite all of the Christmas tunes running through my head, I think my current favorite is an old hymn called "I Love to Tell the Story." I sing it to Sass at night and to settle her when she's upset, and she's taken to singing it. All the time. She serenaded everyone at Backyard Burger tonight. She may sing loudly and at inappropriate times, but it's still so sweet to hear her little voice.
Salad
What’s at the top of your Christmas wish list this year?
Perfume. I've been wearing the same two perfumes for the last 15 years -- Sung in the winter; Jessica McClintock in the summer. I want something new. I think I've decided on Juicy Couture. I've been stalking the perfume ladies, and that's the one fragrance I've gone back to again and again. The other front runner is Burberry Weekend, but I think that Juicy has won.
Main Course
Name a scent that reminds you of someone special in your life.
Old Spice. It always reminds me of my dad. Always. Especially when it's worn by someone who is very outdoorsy.
Dessert
Who is someone on television that you feel probably shouldn’t be, and why?
I'm going to have to cop out on this one. The only television I watch regularly is Numbers. And Heroes, until it ended, and really, I only watched that because Skeeter wanted me to watch with him. I wasn't pleased with this season, and I would have dropped it.
Appetizer
Make up a word and give us its definition.
Dogbread: My family made up this word when I was little, so long ago that I can't remember not having it in my vocabulary. No one ever liked eating the end of the loaf of bread, so we always gave it to the dog. Thus, "dogbread" was born. Skeeter and the children even use the term. And they like the dogbread, so they don't give it to the dogs!
Soup
What is currently your favorite song?
Despite all of the Christmas tunes running through my head, I think my current favorite is an old hymn called "I Love to Tell the Story." I sing it to Sass at night and to settle her when she's upset, and she's taken to singing it. All the time. She serenaded everyone at Backyard Burger tonight. She may sing loudly and at inappropriate times, but it's still so sweet to hear her little voice.
Salad
What’s at the top of your Christmas wish list this year?
Perfume. I've been wearing the same two perfumes for the last 15 years -- Sung in the winter; Jessica McClintock in the summer. I want something new. I think I've decided on Juicy Couture. I've been stalking the perfume ladies, and that's the one fragrance I've gone back to again and again. The other front runner is Burberry Weekend, but I think that Juicy has won.
Main Course
Name a scent that reminds you of someone special in your life.
Old Spice. It always reminds me of my dad. Always. Especially when it's worn by someone who is very outdoorsy.
Dessert
Who is someone on television that you feel probably shouldn’t be, and why?
I'm going to have to cop out on this one. The only television I watch regularly is Numbers. And Heroes, until it ended, and really, I only watched that because Skeeter wanted me to watch with him. I wasn't pleased with this season, and I would have dropped it.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
The Crying
Candy asked about my crying at the Messiah performance, and my comment response ended up being so long that it seemed to warrant a post all its own.
It's not just that particular piece of music. I cry at almost any moment that evokes emotion -- sad, happy, sentimental . . . . I'm just a crier. I try to hide it, so I actually don't even know if my friends have noticed. Skeeter is kind enough to avoid making eye contact when he knows I'm teary. I'm pretty embarrassed about it, actually, but I just can't help it.
Oddly enough, I seldom cry when I read. It's usually a visual or auditory stimulus that brings it about. I've even been known to have the weepy eyes when talking to a particularly emotional customer at the bookstore! Shameful . . . shameful.
I'd like to blame this the children. (Weepy just seems to follow children in my mind.) I don't think that they deserve the blame though. I think I was this way before.
It's not just that particular piece of music. I cry at almost any moment that evokes emotion -- sad, happy, sentimental . . . . I'm just a crier. I try to hide it, so I actually don't even know if my friends have noticed. Skeeter is kind enough to avoid making eye contact when he knows I'm teary. I'm pretty embarrassed about it, actually, but I just can't help it.
Oddly enough, I seldom cry when I read. It's usually a visual or auditory stimulus that brings it about. I've even been known to have the weepy eyes when talking to a particularly emotional customer at the bookstore! Shameful . . . shameful.
I'd like to blame this the children. (Weepy just seems to follow children in my mind.) I don't think that they deserve the blame though. I think I was this way before.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Handel's Messiah
The children and I had the opportunity to attend a performance of Handel's Messiah (well, selections from) this morning. It's one of those musical compositions that moves me -- every time -- and even hearing selected portions is worthwhile.
When Fresh Girl emailed me to let me know of a local performance, I knew I had to go. I called the venue to see if I could bring my, er, entourage. The woman on the phone sounded skeptical, but she said I could.
I had never met the Fresh Girl before, but I recognized her from her photo almost at once. And because I always assume that PEOPLE! LOVE! ME! And EVERYONE! WANTS! TO! MEET! ME!, I barged right over and said hello. And sat down behind her family. So let this serve as a public apology for being my brassy self. I'm glad I sat there though. Fresh Girl and her family are just lovely, and that nephew Thomas -- he's a cutie!
Sass sat on my lap during most of the performance, which was quite useful in hiding my teary eyes. I always get teary-eyed during certain movements, and I'm always so embarrassed by it. It was nice to have Sass as cover. Sass wiggled a bit more than I wanted, but she was mostly engrossed in the music, so I was pleased overall.
Spyder and his stinkin' long legs though -- he accidentally bumped the seat in front of him more times than was necessary. I know that he can't help being so lanky, but I'll be so glad when the rest of him catches up and he has more control over his limbs. Spyder brought a book (as always . . . ) and read during most of the performance. Afterward he asked if we had it on CD at home (we don't) because he wanted to hear a certain portion again. Until then, I was unsure that he was even paying attention. And even later, while we were out shopping (again . . . ), he mentioned twice how much he liked it as "background music to my book." That made me laugh.
I had promised Sass that I would take her to eat at the mall's food court, and we weren't far from there, so that's where we had lunch. And in a pleasant surprise, it wasn't terribly busy!
It was a great day, and I was sad that Skeeter couldn't join us. He had a Big Day at work though. That Company started testing Skeeter's project, so they've come to the beginning of the end. It's exciting!
When Fresh Girl emailed me to let me know of a local performance, I knew I had to go. I called the venue to see if I could bring my, er, entourage. The woman on the phone sounded skeptical, but she said I could.
I had never met the Fresh Girl before, but I recognized her from her photo almost at once. And because I always assume that PEOPLE! LOVE! ME! And EVERYONE! WANTS! TO! MEET! ME!, I barged right over and said hello. And sat down behind her family. So let this serve as a public apology for being my brassy self. I'm glad I sat there though. Fresh Girl and her family are just lovely, and that nephew Thomas -- he's a cutie!
Sass sat on my lap during most of the performance, which was quite useful in hiding my teary eyes. I always get teary-eyed during certain movements, and I'm always so embarrassed by it. It was nice to have Sass as cover. Sass wiggled a bit more than I wanted, but she was mostly engrossed in the music, so I was pleased overall.
Spyder and his stinkin' long legs though -- he accidentally bumped the seat in front of him more times than was necessary. I know that he can't help being so lanky, but I'll be so glad when the rest of him catches up and he has more control over his limbs. Spyder brought a book (as always . . . ) and read during most of the performance. Afterward he asked if we had it on CD at home (we don't) because he wanted to hear a certain portion again. Until then, I was unsure that he was even paying attention. And even later, while we were out shopping (again . . . ), he mentioned twice how much he liked it as "background music to my book." That made me laugh.
I had promised Sass that I would take her to eat at the mall's food court, and we weren't far from there, so that's where we had lunch. And in a pleasant surprise, it wasn't terribly busy!
It was a great day, and I was sad that Skeeter couldn't join us. He had a Big Day at work though. That Company started testing Skeeter's project, so they've come to the beginning of the end. It's exciting!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Rice Krispy Treats
The first of my Christmas treat making. Yes, the first, and I copped out with an easy one. I'm behind schedule!
I added butterscotch chips to part of the mix. It turned out too sweet for me, but I bet Skeeter will love it.
I added butterscotch chips to part of the mix. It turned out too sweet for me, but I bet Skeeter will love it.
Monday, December 10, 2007
The Mad Dash
I spent Saturday and Sunday shopping. And part of today as well.
Shopping.
Me. And two children.
I know that some people love to shop. It's not really my thing, especially when having to drag the urchins along. Saturday was actually quite nice though. We had had a pretty awful Friday afternoon, so I was glad Saturday ended up being a good day.
I took the children to "the nice mall" about 45 minutes away from our house. We got there relatively early, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't crowded at all. We went to a few stores, and the children each got to make a bear at Build-A-Bear. Build-A-Bear took a lot longer than expected, so the mall had started getting crowded by then. Sass had wanted to eat in the food court. (Why is it that the mall food court is so appealing to children?) Spyder and I decided that the food court wasn't such a great idea though, since we found exactly one unoccupied table, and I wasn't about to let him sit there by himself to save us the seat.
We decided to leave the mall, and we ended up at Backyard Burger near my bookstore. Since we were so close to the bookstore, of course we had to stop in. I bought a Christmas gift, rounding out the gifts I need to ship. It's nice to be done with one set of gifts.
After the bookstore, I remembered that we were supposed to be in the town-next-door's Christmas parade. We dashed home to change clothes, then off to the parade. By the time that was over, it was almost 10 pm, and we had been gone from home (with a minor pit stop for clothing changes) for nearly 12 hours.
I think we all almost fell into our beds that night.
Sunday morning, my mom called and said she was coming to my town to shop. I called The Michael to join in. So the shopping continued.
We started with an early lunch at Fazoli's, to avoid the after-church crowd. As The Michael says, "Those Christians are serious about their Sunday food." Skeeter even joined us, although he was interrupted with phone calls a couple of times and he had to dash back to work after lunch.
Mom, The Michael, the children, and I went to 9 different stores. We were so intent on the shopping thing that I completely forgot it was Sunday. Skeeter called about 15 minutes before Awana started and asked if we were at the church yet. YIKES! I ran to the checkout, and I got them to the church just as the opening prayer was starting. I had to go apologize to their teachers, since neither of them had a book, Bible, or uniform. Again, we were gone all day, and we all were exhausted by the time we got home.
Today was a relatively easy day, although we did have to go to a few places. I'm looking for a new perfume, so we went to sniff fragrances at Dillard's. The children love that though, so they were perfectly happy to do that. They also managed to talk me into lunch at Chick-Fil-A. I got them back though. I made them go to Kroger afterward. HA! :)
Spyder has begged for a complete at home day tomorrow, and I'm going to try to comply.
Shopping.
Me. And two children.
I know that some people love to shop. It's not really my thing, especially when having to drag the urchins along. Saturday was actually quite nice though. We had had a pretty awful Friday afternoon, so I was glad Saturday ended up being a good day.
I took the children to "the nice mall" about 45 minutes away from our house. We got there relatively early, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't crowded at all. We went to a few stores, and the children each got to make a bear at Build-A-Bear. Build-A-Bear took a lot longer than expected, so the mall had started getting crowded by then. Sass had wanted to eat in the food court. (Why is it that the mall food court is so appealing to children?) Spyder and I decided that the food court wasn't such a great idea though, since we found exactly one unoccupied table, and I wasn't about to let him sit there by himself to save us the seat.
We decided to leave the mall, and we ended up at Backyard Burger near my bookstore. Since we were so close to the bookstore, of course we had to stop in. I bought a Christmas gift, rounding out the gifts I need to ship. It's nice to be done with one set of gifts.
After the bookstore, I remembered that we were supposed to be in the town-next-door's Christmas parade. We dashed home to change clothes, then off to the parade. By the time that was over, it was almost 10 pm, and we had been gone from home (with a minor pit stop for clothing changes) for nearly 12 hours.
I think we all almost fell into our beds that night.
Sunday morning, my mom called and said she was coming to my town to shop. I called The Michael to join in. So the shopping continued.
We started with an early lunch at Fazoli's, to avoid the after-church crowd. As The Michael says, "Those Christians are serious about their Sunday food." Skeeter even joined us, although he was interrupted with phone calls a couple of times and he had to dash back to work after lunch.
Mom, The Michael, the children, and I went to 9 different stores. We were so intent on the shopping thing that I completely forgot it was Sunday. Skeeter called about 15 minutes before Awana started and asked if we were at the church yet. YIKES! I ran to the checkout, and I got them to the church just as the opening prayer was starting. I had to go apologize to their teachers, since neither of them had a book, Bible, or uniform. Again, we were gone all day, and we all were exhausted by the time we got home.
Today was a relatively easy day, although we did have to go to a few places. I'm looking for a new perfume, so we went to sniff fragrances at Dillard's. The children love that though, so they were perfectly happy to do that. They also managed to talk me into lunch at Chick-Fil-A. I got them back though. I made them go to Kroger afterward. HA! :)
Spyder has begged for a complete at home day tomorrow, and I'm going to try to comply.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
I am inordinately pleased that I am not alone in my Muppet love
Ah yes! There are other Muppet lovers! I am so pleased that Susan and Bunchastuffes are with me on the Muppet thing.
JP and Susan, I'm embarrassed to say that I completely forgot about The Year without a Santa Claus. It's especially embarrassing since I've been singing the "Mr. Snow Miser/Mr. Heat Miser" song for a week.
I am probably the lone person on the planet who doesn't love A Christmas Story. I don't particularly dislike it; I've just never been able to get into it. That's most interesting because I did get a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas one year, when I was about 7. And it's the same BB gun that Spyder shot until recently. Not long ago, an oddly shaped or oversized BB got stuck in the gun. We've tried and tried to get it out with no success.
Fresh Girl, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is just as funny as the book. Not quite as good as the book, just because Barbara Park's phrasing is so spot-on wonderful, but the movie is still excellent.
Dallas Meow, you must watch The Bells of St. Mary's. It actually wasn't made as a Christmas movie, in the same way that It's a Wonderful Life wasn't. It's perfect for the season though. Plus, Bing and Ingrid!
JP and Susan, I'm embarrassed to say that I completely forgot about The Year without a Santa Claus. It's especially embarrassing since I've been singing the "Mr. Snow Miser/Mr. Heat Miser" song for a week.
I am probably the lone person on the planet who doesn't love A Christmas Story. I don't particularly dislike it; I've just never been able to get into it. That's most interesting because I did get a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas one year, when I was about 7. And it's the same BB gun that Spyder shot until recently. Not long ago, an oddly shaped or oversized BB got stuck in the gun. We've tried and tried to get it out with no success.
Fresh Girl, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is just as funny as the book. Not quite as good as the book, just because Barbara Park's phrasing is so spot-on wonderful, but the movie is still excellent.
Dallas Meow, you must watch The Bells of St. Mary's. It actually wasn't made as a Christmas movie, in the same way that It's a Wonderful Life wasn't. It's perfect for the season though. Plus, Bing and Ingrid!
Saturday, December 08, 2007
To Santa or not to Santa
Do you play Santa in your household?
I don't think there are any two families who play Santa exactly the same way, and some families don't play at all. I don't think I realized how many different ways there are to play or not to play until recently.
As for us, we play Santa. However, Skeeter and I have never presented Santa as real.
I managed to weave through the Santa maze of childhood without terrible disappointment, but Skeeter was absolutely devastated when his older sister told him the truth. He was about 5 years old when he found out the real deal.
Skeeter was completely against Santa. I was for it. So, like in any good relationship, we compromised.
Santa does "visit" our house, bringing a stocking full of socks, chocolates, peppermints, a toothbrush, an orange, and a small toy or two. We don't give large gifts from Santa like my family did, only the stockings.
While Santa does "visit," we have never presented Santa as a real person. The children have been told from the beginning that Santa is a game:
In a nutshell, that's the explanation that we gave to the children.
Spyder took it at face value. He loves to pretend about Santa, but he knows that it's all pretend. This way of presenting it actually did what it was supposed to do for him -- allow him to have all of the fun of Santa without being able to have it ruined by a thoughtless word. And that thoughtless moment did come for Spyder, when an older cousin announced in a haughty tone, "You know Santa's not real, right?" Spyder was 6, and he was able to say (with conviction), "Yeah. Are you just now figuring that out?"
Sass, on the other hand, is completely enamored with the idea of Santa. She wants it to be real so badly that I'm not certain that she accepts that it's all a game. She would be hurt if Cousin did that to her. I keep dropping little reminders, but I'm not sure she's willing to pick up on them. This year, I will have her help me pick out the chocolates and socks for Spyder's stocking, so perhaps that will help.
So, what do you do with your children in the ages-old Santa question?
I don't think there are any two families who play Santa exactly the same way, and some families don't play at all. I don't think I realized how many different ways there are to play or not to play until recently.
As for us, we play Santa. However, Skeeter and I have never presented Santa as real.
I managed to weave through the Santa maze of childhood without terrible disappointment, but Skeeter was absolutely devastated when his older sister told him the truth. He was about 5 years old when he found out the real deal.
Skeeter was completely against Santa. I was for it. So, like in any good relationship, we compromised.
Santa does "visit" our house, bringing a stocking full of socks, chocolates, peppermints, a toothbrush, an orange, and a small toy or two. We don't give large gifts from Santa like my family did, only the stockings.
While Santa does "visit," we have never presented Santa as a real person. The children have been told from the beginning that Santa is a game:
"Santa" a huge game of pretend that everyone plays. That's why adults pretend that Santa is real when we know he's not. But it's only fun if everyone plays along. I'm letting you in on the secret that he's just pretend, but some children don't know. Since you don't know who knows about the game and who doesn't, it's very important that you always remember to play along.
In a nutshell, that's the explanation that we gave to the children.
Spyder took it at face value. He loves to pretend about Santa, but he knows that it's all pretend. This way of presenting it actually did what it was supposed to do for him -- allow him to have all of the fun of Santa without being able to have it ruined by a thoughtless word. And that thoughtless moment did come for Spyder, when an older cousin announced in a haughty tone, "You know Santa's not real, right?" Spyder was 6, and he was able to say (with conviction), "Yeah. Are you just now figuring that out?"
Sass, on the other hand, is completely enamored with the idea of Santa. She wants it to be real so badly that I'm not certain that she accepts that it's all a game. She would be hurt if Cousin did that to her. I keep dropping little reminders, but I'm not sure she's willing to pick up on them. This year, I will have her help me pick out the chocolates and socks for Spyder's stocking, so perhaps that will help.
So, what do you do with your children in the ages-old Santa question?
Friday, December 07, 2007
Souptacular Recipe: Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Here is one of the old standards for our annual Christmas Eve Mexican Fiesta!
Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp oil
4 cups chicken stock
15 oz can of Rotel (or diced tomatoes with onions and peppers if you can't get Rotel where you live)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp Mexican or Southwestern spice mix (I use either Emeril's or Pampered Chef.)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 tsp flour
1/2 cup water
1 lb cooked chicken, cubed or pulled
1 cup cream
1/2 cup shredded cheese
Saute oil, garlic, and oinions in a large pan or dutch oven until soft.
Add chicken stock, spices, tomatoes, and Worcestershire sauce.
Thoroughly mix flour and water to make a pseudo-roux, then whisk into soup to thicken.
Bring to a low boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes.
Stir in chicken, cream and cheese until thoroughly blended and heated.
Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips. Garnish with fresh chopped
cilantro.
Scoot on over to Boomama's place for more good stuff!
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Favorites
Lindsey at Enjoy the Journey asked about favorite Christmas movies, and in typical Noodle-fashion, I couldn't choose just one.
I have loads of Christmas movies that I love.
Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas. The Muppets, no more needs to be said. I love the Muppets. I always think of it as a "Gift of the Magi" type story. Each person wants to give the other an extra-special gift for Christmas . . . . It's just a great story!
The Muppet Christmas Carol. Such a fun retelling of the classic story! Loads of the usual Muppet jokes and gags. Awesome!
A Muppet Family Christmas. (I'm sensing a theme here . . . .) So much fun because we see Sesame Street characters as well as The Muppets. I can't remember how we discovered this one originally, but it was one of Spyder's favorites.
A Charlie Brown Christmas. No Christmas is complete without a Charlie Brown special. Just fantastic! We have this on DVD, but we all were excited when it came on television recently.
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Ah, good old Rudolph. My favorite though, is Hermey, the elf who wants to be a dentist. That's good comedy, folks!
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Based on the book by Barbara Robinson. Funny and touching and wonderful.
It's a Wonderful Life. I can't quote whole sections of this film like some of my friends, but I adore it. It stars Jimmy Stewart, so of course I adore it.
Miracle on 34th Street. This was one of those that I loved as a little girl because the main character was a little girl -- skeptical and suspicious, just like me. When my children tell me something that I don't think is the whole truth, I always say, "I believe; I believe. It's silly, but I believe."
Christmas in Connecticut. This is a new one to my Christmas collection, recommended by a friend last year. I can't believe I missed this before! Lots of fun!
The Bells of St. Mary's. Ah, Bing. How I love thee.
And even with all of these, I'm sure I've missed some. So, what are your Christmas favorites?
I have loads of Christmas movies that I love.
Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas. The Muppets, no more needs to be said. I love the Muppets. I always think of it as a "Gift of the Magi" type story. Each person wants to give the other an extra-special gift for Christmas . . . . It's just a great story!
The Muppet Christmas Carol. Such a fun retelling of the classic story! Loads of the usual Muppet jokes and gags. Awesome!
A Muppet Family Christmas. (I'm sensing a theme here . . . .) So much fun because we see Sesame Street characters as well as The Muppets. I can't remember how we discovered this one originally, but it was one of Spyder's favorites.
A Charlie Brown Christmas. No Christmas is complete without a Charlie Brown special. Just fantastic! We have this on DVD, but we all were excited when it came on television recently.
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Ah, good old Rudolph. My favorite though, is Hermey, the elf who wants to be a dentist. That's good comedy, folks!
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Based on the book by Barbara Robinson. Funny and touching and wonderful.
It's a Wonderful Life. I can't quote whole sections of this film like some of my friends, but I adore it. It stars Jimmy Stewart, so of course I adore it.
Miracle on 34th Street. This was one of those that I loved as a little girl because the main character was a little girl -- skeptical and suspicious, just like me. When my children tell me something that I don't think is the whole truth, I always say, "I believe; I believe. It's silly, but I believe."
Christmas in Connecticut. This is a new one to my Christmas collection, recommended by a friend last year. I can't believe I missed this before! Lots of fun!
The Bells of St. Mary's. Ah, Bing. How I love thee.
And even with all of these, I'm sure I've missed some. So, what are your Christmas favorites?
Gloucestershire Wassail
This was one of the songs that we sang in my high school choir. It was a standard; we did it every year, but I absolutely loved it. I sing it to my children now.
Stealing from Candy
Candy posted this as a Thanksgiving meme. I'm shamelessly stealing it, albeit far past Thanksgiving.
( ) Been to Canada.
( ) Been to Mexico.
(X ) Been to Florida.
(X ) Been on a plane.
( X) Been lost.
Please. As my dad always says, "I haven't been anywhere until I've been lost there."
(X) Been on the opposite side of the country.
I'm undecided on how to answer this, since I live in the middle of the US. I have been to the coast before, so I'm going with yes.
( X) Swam in the ocean.
( X ) Cried yourself to sleep.
(X )Played cops and robbers.
(X ) Played with a Tonka Truck.
(X ) Recently colored with crayons.
( X) Sang karaoke.
(Not well, I might add.)
(x ) Paid for a meal with only coins.
I have also paid my $120 electric bill with one dollar bills. More than once. That's what workin' for tips will do to you.
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t?
( ) Made prank phone calls.
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
( X ) Danced in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus.
( X) Been kissed under the mistletoe.
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone you care about.
(X) Blown bubbles.
I love blowing bubbles. I sit outside and blow bubbles for the dogs. They jump and catch them like treats. It's awesome!
(X ) Made a bonfire on the beach.
Only the "beach" called a sand bar. But it was a fire, and it was on a semblance of sand. So there.
(X) Crashed a party.
( ) Crashed a wedding.
( ) Crashed a funeral.
(X)Gone ice-skating.
Only once, and in Germany. I couldn't speak the language well. I kept bumping into people, muttering "Bitte; bitte."
1. Any nicknames?
Not particularly. Skeeter is the one who calls me Noodle though. Just in case y'all were wondering where I came up with that.
2. Mother’s name?
Judy. Judith, actually, but she's not fond of that.
3. Favorite drink?
Depending on the time of day -- water, hot tea, Diet Dr Pepper
4. Any tattoos?
None. Because I'm a big chicken.
5 Body piercing?
Ears. Do those even count any more?
6. How much do you love your job?
The stay-at-home-mom gig? Most of the time, I love it. There are moments though . . . .
7. Favorite vacation spot?
So far, Norwich, England.
8. Ever been to Africa?
No.
9. Ever eaten cookies for dinner?
Yes. I'm not particularly proud of that though.
10. Ever been on TV?
I think so, but I can't really remember. Never any significant screen time, that's for sure.
11. Ever steal any traffic signs?
No, I don't think so.
12. Ever been in a car accident?
Yes, once. Unlike Skeeter, who has made it a hobby.
13. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle?
Yes, both, simultaneously. (This was Candy's answer, and I had to leave it because it made me laugh aloud.)
14. Favorite pie?
Pecan.
15. Favorite Number?
2. What can I say? I'm unimaginative.
16. Favorite movie?
Urgh. This is more difficult than it should be. I'll go for The Philadelphia Story.
17. Favorite holiday?
Christmas. Really though, I love Halloween through New Year's.
18. Favorite dessert?
Mom's Four Layer Delight
19. Favorite food?
This time of year it's cornbread dressing, because I know that I only eat it at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
20. Favorite day of the week?
Monday.
21. Favorite brand of body wash?
Kiss My Face.
22. Favorite toothpaste?
Tom's of Maine Spearmint
23. Favorite smell?
Citrus.
24. What do you do to relax?
Read.
25. Do you have a message to your friends reading this?
Come on . . . play along . . . you know you want to . . . .
26. How do you see yourself in 10 years?
Still the same old me, just older. I'm guessing that I won't be watching Strawberry Shortcake with Sass though. I wonder if I'll miss it.
27. Furthest place you will send this message?
Who knows?
28. Who will respond the fastest?
No idea.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Dolly Parton: Hard Candy Christmas
Just for The Michael.
I was looking for one where only Dolly sang, but this was the best I could find. Still, good stuff.
I was looking for one where only Dolly sang, but this was the best I could find. Still, good stuff.
Crisis averted -- darn!
Remember that Blackberry I was convincing Skeeter I needed? Almost . . . almost!
Yesterday I dropped my cell phone in the dishwater. It landed in a saucepan, so it wasn't completely submerged, only the ear part. The person on the other end (Brenda, who is recovering from her nasty sinus infection) could hear me just fine, but I could only hear {crackle . . . . crackle}.
This is a serious issue, as we no longer have a home phone. The squirrels kept chewing through the line, and the phone company decided that they didn't like coming out to repair it. They repaired it four times, but the fifth (and last) time that I called, they told me I'd have to pay for the repair. As if I had an army of trained squirrels at my disposal, hell-bent on destroying my phone line. So I told them to forget it, and we've been using our cell phones only ever since.
At last! My chance to convince Skeeter that I needed a new phone! It's a necessity! Why not go ahead and get a Blackberry? (batting eyelashes)
Alas, not to be! The phone dried out nicely, and it's working as well as ever.
Drat!
Yesterday I dropped my cell phone in the dishwater. It landed in a saucepan, so it wasn't completely submerged, only the ear part. The person on the other end (Brenda, who is recovering from her nasty sinus infection) could hear me just fine, but I could only hear {crackle . . . . crackle}.
This is a serious issue, as we no longer have a home phone. The squirrels kept chewing through the line, and the phone company decided that they didn't like coming out to repair it. They repaired it four times, but the fifth (and last) time that I called, they told me I'd have to pay for the repair. As if I had an army of trained squirrels at my disposal, hell-bent on destroying my phone line. So I told them to forget it, and we've been using our cell phones only ever since.
At last! My chance to convince Skeeter that I needed a new phone! It's a necessity! Why not go ahead and get a Blackberry? (batting eyelashes)
Alas, not to be! The phone dried out nicely, and it's working as well as ever.
Drat!
Monday, December 03, 2007
A full house
I called my friend Brenda this morning, and she's sick, more than just your usual cough and sniffles. She was debating on going to the doctor, so I did what I always do -- invited her children over.
She brought them over around 10 am and headed to the doctor.
I'm hearing the sounds of some video game the Spyder and Ryan are playing. Sass and Olivia are playing some sort of pretend game with the dogs.
And me? I love it. I'm actually folding the laundry and putting it away, without being interrupted 17 times for some inconsequential nonsense.
I love when the children have friends over and the house is full of happy sounds. After several hours though, I'm just as happy when the friends go to their own homes. :)
She brought them over around 10 am and headed to the doctor.
I'm hearing the sounds of some video game the Spyder and Ryan are playing. Sass and Olivia are playing some sort of pretend game with the dogs.
And me? I love it. I'm actually folding the laundry and putting it away, without being interrupted 17 times for some inconsequential nonsense.
I love when the children have friends over and the house is full of happy sounds. After several hours though, I'm just as happy when the friends go to their own homes. :)
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Christmas shopping a la Mr Bean
This clip never fails to make me laugh! I can absolutely see Spyder doing this!
Traveling art
A treat for the eyes! Peter Grant's photos of decorated cars, trucks, and buses in Pakistan.
The Irish Rovers: Christmas in Killarney
Just for you, JP! This is my second-favorite non-traditional Christmas song, close on the heels "Christmas Wrapping."
Again, not a true video, but a nice clogging set using "Christmas in Killarney."
Again, not a true video, but a nice clogging set using "Christmas in Killarney."
Saturday, December 01, 2007
The Waitresses: Christmas Wrapping
My favorite non-traditional Christmas song! What's not to love about a Christmas song that begins with "Bah Humbug!" :)
Alas, it's not a true video, but you can hear the song.
Alas, it's not a true video, but you can hear the song.
The Advent Calendar
The children look forward to doing the advent calendar every year. This year's Advent calendars aren't as nice as the ones we usually have. I wasn't able to get the German ones this year, so we're managing with ones I picked up at Walgreens. I'm trying not to be disappointed. The tradition and the sentiment are still the same.
If you are a cantankerous old person, don't go to the Christmas parade
Our town had its Christmas parade tonight. It's always a nice little affair, seldom busy, but always fun.
This year's parade was a bit different. It was crowded. Not just a little bit more crowded, but significantly so. We always park at the end of the parade route, mostly because it's not far from our house. In years past, we've always had our choice of parking (and watching) spots.
We were a bit late this year, getting there at about the time the parade was starting on the other end. There were no parking places left, and certainly none at the street where we usually park. I ended up parking in an unused drive. We unpacked our chairs, grabbed the coffee and went to find a spot.
The spot that we decided upon wasn't optimum. I prefer to be in the grassy area, and the only space near the car was on the concrete. That wasn't a big problem though. Everyone gets up and wanders around during the parade.
Obviously the women who were already sitting in their chairs nearby didn't get the memo on the wandering though. I asked them, "Are our chairs in your way?" (Meaning: "Are you expecting someone else?" or perhaps "Are we too close for comfort?") The grouchy old woman said -- in a none-too-pleasant tone -- "Yes, you're in the way. I guess we can get up when the parade starts."
Oh pardon us. God forbid that you might have to get up during the parade.
I couldn't stay near that. I walked to the other end of the block and found a great space in a grassy area that already had a couple of families. Excellent! I walked back, gathered our stuff, and we moved to the new place. Sass and Spyder were excited that there were other children and an area to play. It was all good.
One of the things that always surprises me about our parade is that every float throws candy. Every float. And most of the people who drive the antique cars have someone throwing candy too. It's like a candy festival.
The proof is in the candy bowl:
This is the only place I've seen that particular trend, where the children come home with as much candy as they did at Halloween.
We'll be sharing that stash.
This year's parade was a bit different. It was crowded. Not just a little bit more crowded, but significantly so. We always park at the end of the parade route, mostly because it's not far from our house. In years past, we've always had our choice of parking (and watching) spots.
We were a bit late this year, getting there at about the time the parade was starting on the other end. There were no parking places left, and certainly none at the street where we usually park. I ended up parking in an unused drive. We unpacked our chairs, grabbed the coffee and went to find a spot.
The spot that we decided upon wasn't optimum. I prefer to be in the grassy area, and the only space near the car was on the concrete. That wasn't a big problem though. Everyone gets up and wanders around during the parade.
Obviously the women who were already sitting in their chairs nearby didn't get the memo on the wandering though. I asked them, "Are our chairs in your way?" (Meaning: "Are you expecting someone else?" or perhaps "Are we too close for comfort?") The grouchy old woman said -- in a none-too-pleasant tone -- "Yes, you're in the way. I guess we can get up when the parade starts."
Oh pardon us. God forbid that you might have to get up during the parade.
I couldn't stay near that. I walked to the other end of the block and found a great space in a grassy area that already had a couple of families. Excellent! I walked back, gathered our stuff, and we moved to the new place. Sass and Spyder were excited that there were other children and an area to play. It was all good.
One of the things that always surprises me about our parade is that every float throws candy. Every float. And most of the people who drive the antique cars have someone throwing candy too. It's like a candy festival.
The proof is in the candy bowl:
This is the only place I've seen that particular trend, where the children come home with as much candy as they did at Halloween.
We'll be sharing that stash.
Stories and essays
I love to read. I'll read just about anything, with few exceptions. I have little patience for erotica that disguises itself as romance. I'm not terribly fond of futuristic fiction. Technical works (computers, engineering . . . ) put me to sleep. Other than those, I'm game for almost anything.
Even though I love most types of books, two of my favorite types of writing are short stories and essays. I love the economy of words that those styles require. It's the type of writing that I attempted, despite my mostly insipid style. :)
My favorite short story is Maxine Hong Kingston's "On Discovery." It's one of the shortest I've ever read -- just 661 words -- but it speaks to me so powerfully. "Articulate silence" was a phrase that was used liberally when I was in graduate school, but it feel right when describing this work. I wish that it was in the public domain so that I could link to it, but alas, it is not. I have it in this book. There are several other excellent stories as well, but "On Discovery" is my favorite.
I can, however, link to the full text of one of my favorite essays, "Regrets for my Old Dressing Gown" by Denis Diderot. I can't say why I like it so much. It's not a particularly touching essay, but I find it so amusing that I find myself smiling and nodding and laughing each time I read it.
Even though I love most types of books, two of my favorite types of writing are short stories and essays. I love the economy of words that those styles require. It's the type of writing that I attempted, despite my mostly insipid style. :)
My favorite short story is Maxine Hong Kingston's "On Discovery." It's one of the shortest I've ever read -- just 661 words -- but it speaks to me so powerfully. "Articulate silence" was a phrase that was used liberally when I was in graduate school, but it feel right when describing this work. I wish that it was in the public domain so that I could link to it, but alas, it is not. I have it in this book. There are several other excellent stories as well, but "On Discovery" is my favorite.
I can, however, link to the full text of one of my favorite essays, "Regrets for my Old Dressing Gown" by Denis Diderot. I can't say why I like it so much. It's not a particularly touching essay, but I find it so amusing that I find myself smiling and nodding and laughing each time I read it.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Christmas shopping
I'm exhausted. Finished school work early, then out Christmas shopping nearly all day, with two urchins in tow. Lawzy. I deserve a medal.
Perhaps I'll design my own. Green circle, mom hand holding little hand in white.
We spent two hours at the bookstore. My store has "employee appreciation days" every year at this time, where we get 40% off merchandise. I shopped and shopped! The children decided that they weren't interested in the shopping thing, since, after all, we weren't buying much for us. They decided to help shelve books. I suppose it's both good and bad that I work there. They're comfortable at the bookstore. They love it! But because they feel "at home" they feel that it's okay to lend a hand. Luckily, the woman in charge of the children's section likes them and doesn't mind too much when they lend their version of a helping hand.
After the bookstore, we went to the game store, since I also get a discount there, and the children have several friends who are getting new game systems for Christmas. I found some excellent deals there, although I had to visit two different stores to get what I needed.
I have to stop and reassess, but I think I'm about 90% finished with my shopping now!
Perhaps I'll design my own. Green circle, mom hand holding little hand in white.
We spent two hours at the bookstore. My store has "employee appreciation days" every year at this time, where we get 40% off merchandise. I shopped and shopped! The children decided that they weren't interested in the shopping thing, since, after all, we weren't buying much for us. They decided to help shelve books. I suppose it's both good and bad that I work there. They're comfortable at the bookstore. They love it! But because they feel "at home" they feel that it's okay to lend a hand. Luckily, the woman in charge of the children's section likes them and doesn't mind too much when they lend their version of a helping hand.
After the bookstore, we went to the game store, since I also get a discount there, and the children have several friends who are getting new game systems for Christmas. I found some excellent deals there, although I had to visit two different stores to get what I needed.
I have to stop and reassess, but I think I'm about 90% finished with my shopping now!
Overheard
Sass: So what were you like when you were two?
Spyder: Well, I broke my arm. Twice.
Sass: How?
Spyder: The first time I was running in the house. The second time I was jumping on the couch.
Sass: Wow.
Spyder: Yeah, I was kind of wild. Having a little sister settled me down though.
Spyder: Well, I broke my arm. Twice.
Sass: How?
Spyder: The first time I was running in the house. The second time I was jumping on the couch.
Sass: Wow.
Spyder: Yeah, I was kind of wild. Having a little sister settled me down though.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
On the bandwagon
I'm relatively new to the art of text messaging. I only started using it, oh, this summer. My friend Carla was the one who encouraged me. She rarely answers the phone, but she'll text in a heartbeat. And I got really good at it when my dad was in the hospital.
Tonight it came in quite handy. I was wandering around the dollar store -- I do love a good dollar store -- when I came across these!
Unimpressed? Well, my friend posted just recently that she was looking for just these star-shaped glass dishes.
Woohooo! Me to the rescue!
It was a bit late for a phone call, so I sent her a text message asking if she wanted me to pick them up. It's like instant messaging without the computer. I'm all about it!
Now I'm wondering if I can get Skeeter to spring for a Blackberry, to make my text messaging more efficient. Er, probably not. But I covet, oh, I covet!
Tonight it came in quite handy. I was wandering around the dollar store -- I do love a good dollar store -- when I came across these!
Unimpressed? Well, my friend posted just recently that she was looking for just these star-shaped glass dishes.
Woohooo! Me to the rescue!
It was a bit late for a phone call, so I sent her a text message asking if she wanted me to pick them up. It's like instant messaging without the computer. I'm all about it!
Now I'm wondering if I can get Skeeter to spring for a Blackberry, to make my text messaging more efficient. Er, probably not. But I covet, oh, I covet!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Moving on
Long ago I read a story about a woman who had burned all of the correspondence she had kept throughout her lifetime. At the time, I couldn't comprehend it. Those letters were so much a part of her, who she was, who she had been. Why discard that, and in such an unalterable way?
I've kept a journal of some sort for most of my life. I came across one of those old journals today. I wasn't looking for it, just clearing out a box of stored things.
This particular journal was from my college years. And in reading through it, I absolutely could not relate to it. I remembered it, of course, but it was as if I was reading the embarrassing drama and escapades of someone else. Some of those more emotional moments -- so hard to manage and decipher at the time -- seem blatantly obvious now.
I've gotten to the point where I can see myself burning my journals and letters, though not for the reasons my 17 year old self -- the one who had read that story -- had thought. Not burning them to rid myself of them, ashamed for who I had been. But instead, burning them to honor and acknowledge that I have changed. Just as the pages turn from paper to ash, I have changed just as surely and just as completely.
I've kept a journal of some sort for most of my life. I came across one of those old journals today. I wasn't looking for it, just clearing out a box of stored things.
This particular journal was from my college years. And in reading through it, I absolutely could not relate to it. I remembered it, of course, but it was as if I was reading the embarrassing drama and escapades of someone else. Some of those more emotional moments -- so hard to manage and decipher at the time -- seem blatantly obvious now.
I've gotten to the point where I can see myself burning my journals and letters, though not for the reasons my 17 year old self -- the one who had read that story -- had thought. Not burning them to rid myself of them, ashamed for who I had been. But instead, burning them to honor and acknowledge that I have changed. Just as the pages turn from paper to ash, I have changed just as surely and just as completely.
Lessons from Garfield
You know what happens to liars, don't you? They end up doing the weather on TV.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
And again with the macabre
Spyder decided that he would wait on recreating the guillotine. Instead, he and Sass opted to work on other historical methods of execution.
First was the gallows, which I forgot to photograph. Spyder wasn't all that great at making the noose (I'm thinking maybe that's a good thing), but he did an excellent job on the gallows. Amusingly, he and Sass used a lollipop, dressed in paper "clothes" for their victim because neither of them wanted the "realism" of using one of Sass's dolls.
A bit later they decided they wanted to burn someone at the stake as well. (I think that perhaps that was merely an excuse to light a fire in the grill.)
The whole scene with the burning at the stake was so much fun, mostly because Spyder made up a great back-story about the man who had been sentenced to death.
Poor Mr Bane, destined for death:
Spyder told me today that his ideas had come from his Wicked History of the World and Horrible Histories books. I'm glad to know that. I had been wondering the reason for the current fascination.
First was the gallows, which I forgot to photograph. Spyder wasn't all that great at making the noose (I'm thinking maybe that's a good thing), but he did an excellent job on the gallows. Amusingly, he and Sass used a lollipop, dressed in paper "clothes" for their victim because neither of them wanted the "realism" of using one of Sass's dolls.
A bit later they decided they wanted to burn someone at the stake as well. (I think that perhaps that was merely an excuse to light a fire in the grill.)
The whole scene with the burning at the stake was so much fun, mostly because Spyder made up a great back-story about the man who had been sentenced to death.
"Mr Bane was an evil man, and few people were sorry to see him sentenced to his fate. He had murdered the Carmena family, the town's candlemakers. He murdered them all, even the children, over what Mr Bane thought was an unfair trade."Spyder insisted that I videotape the whole thing while he narrated. He said it made him feel like someone on The History Channel. LOL!
Poor Mr Bane, destined for death:
Spyder told me today that his ideas had come from his Wicked History of the World and Horrible Histories books. I'm glad to know that. I had been wondering the reason for the current fascination.
Monday, November 26, 2007
I'm pretty sure the librarian is scared of us
The children and I made a trip to the library today. That's not unusual. We're there at least four times a week. I found out today that they don't bother calling us to let us know our holds are in. They know we'll be there.
Anyway, today we went with a real purpose -- to find a book with information on guillotines. Spyder decided this afternoon that he wanted to build one (sans blade, due to a stick-in-the-mud mother who said no).
We didn't find a thing, with the single exception of a book on the French Revolution. The librarian was rather taken aback at our search, considering that my children are 5 and 9 and they were anxious to build their own. We ended up finding much more information on the internet, but Spyder is like me with the books. A book at my fingertips is just so much more handy than running to the computer.
Our quest for materials was thwarted, since it seems that the town has had a run on craft sticks. Brown yarn was also difficult, so he let Sass pick out hot pink.
Spyder made his preliminary model out of straws tonight, and he did a decent job. Photos tomorrow. And with any luck, we'll be able to find craft sticks so he can make one that's a wee bit more realistic.
Anyway, today we went with a real purpose -- to find a book with information on guillotines. Spyder decided this afternoon that he wanted to build one (sans blade, due to a stick-in-the-mud mother who said no).
We didn't find a thing, with the single exception of a book on the French Revolution. The librarian was rather taken aback at our search, considering that my children are 5 and 9 and they were anxious to build their own. We ended up finding much more information on the internet, but Spyder is like me with the books. A book at my fingertips is just so much more handy than running to the computer.
Our quest for materials was thwarted, since it seems that the town has had a run on craft sticks. Brown yarn was also difficult, so he let Sass pick out hot pink.
Spyder made his preliminary model out of straws tonight, and he did a decent job. Photos tomorrow. And with any luck, we'll be able to find craft sticks so he can make one that's a wee bit more realistic.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Wet and cold
Lest anyone think I'm freezing us to death, I turned the heat on.
Let it stand as a record! We turned on the heat on November 24, the latest I can ever remember. Having 60 degree temperatures inside the house isn't all that comfortable to me. Today wasn't nearly as cold -- hovering around 45 degrees -- but it rained all day.
We visited my parents today. My sister and her boyfriend were still there, so we decided to make another visit so soon after Thanksgiving. We don't get to see them very often, since they're about 5 hours away. The visit ended up being cut short though. Brenda sent me a text message that the children did indeed have choir practice, so we left around 2:30 to be back in time for that. That was okay though. Dad looked like he was in need of a good nap.
Since it was raining and chilly, Skeeter and I decided we'd let the dogs stay inside while we were gone. That was a big step. We've never let them stay inside by themselves for more than a couple of hours. Today they were in, unsupervised, for more than 7 hours, and they were excellent! No rooting through the trash, no accidents on the floor. I was so proud! I'll be more willing to let them stay inside on yucky days now.
I'm proud of my Skeeter too. He installed a new doorknob today! I know; I know. Not a huge thing, but he's not exactly the kind of person who thrives on that kind of stuff. The original doorknob broke -- really broke, inside the mechanism -- on Thanksgiving. Skeeter took it off the day after so we could actually use the door. I had a dishtowel stuck in the hole just so the cold air would be deterred. Oh so redneck of me. Tonight, Skeeter got the knew doorknob from Home Depot and installed it. What a guy!
All in all, quite a satisfactory day.
Let it stand as a record! We turned on the heat on November 24, the latest I can ever remember. Having 60 degree temperatures inside the house isn't all that comfortable to me. Today wasn't nearly as cold -- hovering around 45 degrees -- but it rained all day.
We visited my parents today. My sister and her boyfriend were still there, so we decided to make another visit so soon after Thanksgiving. We don't get to see them very often, since they're about 5 hours away. The visit ended up being cut short though. Brenda sent me a text message that the children did indeed have choir practice, so we left around 2:30 to be back in time for that. That was okay though. Dad looked like he was in need of a good nap.
Since it was raining and chilly, Skeeter and I decided we'd let the dogs stay inside while we were gone. That was a big step. We've never let them stay inside by themselves for more than a couple of hours. Today they were in, unsupervised, for more than 7 hours, and they were excellent! No rooting through the trash, no accidents on the floor. I was so proud! I'll be more willing to let them stay inside on yucky days now.
I'm proud of my Skeeter too. He installed a new doorknob today! I know; I know. Not a huge thing, but he's not exactly the kind of person who thrives on that kind of stuff. The original doorknob broke -- really broke, inside the mechanism -- on Thanksgiving. Skeeter took it off the day after so we could actually use the door. I had a dishtowel stuck in the hole just so the cold air would be deterred. Oh so redneck of me. Tonight, Skeeter got the knew doorknob from Home Depot and installed it. What a guy!
All in all, quite a satisfactory day.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Finally!
My Arkansas Razorbacks won in a great, triple overtime game! Oh, joy! It's about time!
And we beat LSU -- ranked #1! My pastor is an LSU fan, so I, being the sensitive soul that I am, sent him a GO HOGS! text message. :)
And we beat LSU -- ranked #1! My pastor is an LSU fan, so I, being the sensitive soul that I am, sent him a GO HOGS! text message. :)
Oh, Lawzy, we're in for it
It's chilly today. It started yesterday, and last night it was below freezing, the first of the year. We haven't even turned on our heat yet. It's the end of November, and we haven't really needed it.
But after yesterday's cold snap, Spyder decided that this was appropriate wear, even inside the house.
Please note, baseball cap under hood for additional warmth.
I don't know how poor ol' Spyder is going to take it if That Company decides to send us north.
But after yesterday's cold snap, Spyder decided that this was appropriate wear, even inside the house.
Please note, baseball cap under hood for additional warmth.
I don't know how poor ol' Spyder is going to take it if That Company decides to send us north.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Black Friday
I've never quite understood the lure of Black Friday.
I understand wanting to take advantage of the great sales. I love a good sale. I really do.
However, I do not enjoy getting up at "the butt-crack of dawn" (to borrow a phrase from my sister). I especially do not enjoy getting up that early to go outside and wait in the cold with a bunch of people who would inflict bodily harm to get their hands on that insert desired item here, which is (of course) only available in limited quantities, no rain checks.
My employer has always opened at the usual hour, around 9 am, a perfectly respectable hour to open for business. During my years in the mall store, I saw many of those people, the ones who do get up in the middle of the night for a bargain. And sometimes they're scary.
And we all know isn't really morning except in the most literal sense. It's really still the middle of the night. Quit pretending.
My sister did the Black Friday madness this morning, to get a camera for my mom -- a nice Kodak, 7 megapixel, 10x zoom -- for $150. She said this year wasn't as bad as previous ones.
Personally, I participated in my usual stay-at-home-avoiding-the crowds-day.
I understand wanting to take advantage of the great sales. I love a good sale. I really do.
However, I do not enjoy getting up at "the butt-crack of dawn" (to borrow a phrase from my sister). I especially do not enjoy getting up that early to go outside and wait in the cold with a bunch of people who would inflict bodily harm to get their hands on that insert desired item here, which is (of course) only available in limited quantities, no rain checks.
My employer has always opened at the usual hour, around 9 am, a perfectly respectable hour to open for business. During my years in the mall store, I saw many of those people, the ones who do get up in the middle of the night for a bargain. And sometimes they're scary.
And we all know isn't really morning except in the most literal sense. It's really still the middle of the night. Quit pretending.
My sister did the Black Friday madness this morning, to get a camera for my mom -- a nice Kodak, 7 megapixel, 10x zoom -- for $150. She said this year wasn't as bad as previous ones.
Personally, I participated in my usual stay-at-home-avoiding-the crowds-day.
Things are gonna change
Oh happy day! My Memaw is getting a hearing aid!
Poor Memaw's hearing has been going for a while. It's been noticeably bad in the last few years though. She can hear well enough to communicate, if the other person speaks loudly and if the person is facing her (so she can semi-lipread) and if there are no other significant noises. She used to be one of the big talkers at our family gatherings. But lately, she just can't, not unless someone is talking to her, and only to her. She's begun to sit aside, just watching, simply because it's hard for her to participate. She's not stupid. She knows that it is frustrating for us to have a conversation with her. And it's just as frustrating for her, I'm sure.
I've been asking her to get her hearing checked for the last several years, so I'm really glad she's finally done it.
Her newly regained hearing will severely cut down on the opportunity for -- oh, someone -- to have an additional conversation about Memaw during the conversation with her.
Hypothetically, of course.
Poor Memaw's hearing has been going for a while. It's been noticeably bad in the last few years though. She can hear well enough to communicate, if the other person speaks loudly and if the person is facing her (so she can semi-lipread) and if there are no other significant noises. She used to be one of the big talkers at our family gatherings. But lately, she just can't, not unless someone is talking to her, and only to her. She's begun to sit aside, just watching, simply because it's hard for her to participate. She's not stupid. She knows that it is frustrating for us to have a conversation with her. And it's just as frustrating for her, I'm sure.
I've been asking her to get her hearing checked for the last several years, so I'm really glad she's finally done it.
Her newly regained hearing will severely cut down on the opportunity for -- oh, someone -- to have an additional conversation about Memaw during the conversation with her.
Hypothetically, of course.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Four Things
I like doing these things, really I do. When I don't forget, that is. Candy tagged me for this several days ago, and I completely forgot until now. :)
Four First Names of Crushes I Had
- Michael (no, not The Michael)
- Matt
- John
- Scott
Four Pieces of Clothing I Wish I Still Owned
- The red Indian shirt that I simply wore out.
- The funky-plaid pants from college that disappeared, probably due to roommates.
- The red twin shirt that I spilled bleach on.
- The purple striped sweater that I also spilled bleach on. I have issues with bleach.
Four Professions I Secretly Want to Try
- Travel writer
- Songwriter
- Researcher
- Literary agent
Four Musicians I’d Most Want to Go to Dinner With
- John Pizzarelli
- Keb Mo'
- Chris Rice
- Alison Krauss
Four Foods I’d Rather Throw Than Eat
- Ketchup
- Boiled cabbage
- Turnip greens (gah, smells like you're serving up the lawn waste)
- Chitlins (talk about smell . . . .)
Four Things I Like to Sniff (er, Smell)
- Bonfires
- Citrus candles
- Water
- Roasted pecans
Ah, the tagging. Guess what -- you're it! So many people are participating in that NoBlo thing that I figure I'll help you out. Just leave me a comment so I'll know to check it out!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Must read
Drop whatever you're doing and run to Saints and Spinners for Alkelda's latest edition of Children's Books That Never Were.
Especially you, Kaleigh. Just go. Now.
Especially you, Kaleigh. Just go. Now.
Misconceptions
Warning: I'm feeling snarky and mean today.
With that warning, a few comments on homeschooling, based on four different conversations I had today:
1. Just because I am a homeschooler does not mean that I know all other homeschoolers. It is quite possible for two homeschooling families to live in the same city and not be familiar with one another.
2. Even if I do know another homeschooling mom, it does not necessarily follow that we are friends. We all have our own personalities and opinions.
3. It is quite insulting to wonder aloud if the homeschooled children should be at home studying rather than playing in the play area at Chick-Fil-A -- with your public-schooled children.
4. It is also quite insulting to critique a homeschooling mom on what she is teaching. I don't critique what your children are learning at school. That's your job. Leave me to mine.
5. My son likes to read because he likes to read, not because I "made him that way." That look of incredulity that I gave you? Completely justified.
6. Just because the public schools here don't teach German does not mean that it's not a valid foreign language. Some people of the world truly do speak languages other than Spanish and French.
7. I think it is quite acceptable for my children to be running errands with me at 2:30 pm on a weekday. We don't have the crowd control issue that schools have, so we get our work done in less time. Unlike regular schools, we also do work on Saturdays and during the summer. I think we're allowed to do errands.
8. I am happy to volunteer to do any number of things for your organization. I am, however, a package deal. If you ask me to volunteer, I will tell you that I am only available if my children can come along. I'm not kidding about that, and it's rude to try to convince me to find a babysitter so I can be available for you.
9. Just because "I'm home all the time" does not mean that I am available to do anything, anytime. I do have a schedule too. Don't be shocked if I tell you I'm busy.
10. And most importantly, I do not / have not / will not make assumptions or judgments based on your family's educational decisions. Please extend us the same courtesy.
With that warning, a few comments on homeschooling, based on four different conversations I had today:
1. Just because I am a homeschooler does not mean that I know all other homeschoolers. It is quite possible for two homeschooling families to live in the same city and not be familiar with one another.
2. Even if I do know another homeschooling mom, it does not necessarily follow that we are friends. We all have our own personalities and opinions.
3. It is quite insulting to wonder aloud if the homeschooled children should be at home studying rather than playing in the play area at Chick-Fil-A -- with your public-schooled children.
4. It is also quite insulting to critique a homeschooling mom on what she is teaching. I don't critique what your children are learning at school. That's your job. Leave me to mine.
5. My son likes to read because he likes to read, not because I "made him that way." That look of incredulity that I gave you? Completely justified.
6. Just because the public schools here don't teach German does not mean that it's not a valid foreign language. Some people of the world truly do speak languages other than Spanish and French.
7. I think it is quite acceptable for my children to be running errands with me at 2:30 pm on a weekday. We don't have the crowd control issue that schools have, so we get our work done in less time. Unlike regular schools, we also do work on Saturdays and during the summer. I think we're allowed to do errands.
8. I am happy to volunteer to do any number of things for your organization. I am, however, a package deal. If you ask me to volunteer, I will tell you that I am only available if my children can come along. I'm not kidding about that, and it's rude to try to convince me to find a babysitter so I can be available for you.
9. Just because "I'm home all the time" does not mean that I am available to do anything, anytime. I do have a schedule too. Don't be shocked if I tell you I'm busy.
10. And most importantly, I do not / have not / will not make assumptions or judgments based on your family's educational decisions. Please extend us the same courtesy.
Modesty
(Spyder walks by wearing a new pair of jeans)
ME: Hey, bud. Those jeans look good on you.
SPYDER: I know.
ME: You know?
SPYDER: I know they do. I saw myself in the mirror.
ME: Hey, bud. Those jeans look good on you.
SPYDER: I know.
ME: You know?
SPYDER: I know they do. I saw myself in the mirror.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Family Daze
Skeeter took a -- much needed, well-deserved -- break today. He went in to work as usual, and at about 8 am, he decided that he just couldn't stay. He felt disoriented (not so good around heavy equipment), and he decided he would take a break for a few hours.
He came home and napped from about 8:30 to 10:30. He got up and we decided to go out for brunch. We opted for Cracker Barrel, since it was the only place either of us could think of that would serve both breakfast and lunch at 11:15. (Other than IHOP, and I detest IHOP with all of my being. It was never an option.)
Cracker Barrel was astonishingly crowded for not-quite-noon on a Monday. We had to put our name on the waiting list, so we wandered around the shop. I love the old-fashioned toys they sell. I had to convince myself I didn't need any of them. Thankfully, the wait only ended up being about 10 minutes, so I managed to get out of the toys with my wallet still unused.
After lunch, we went to the YMCA, for the urchins to swim and Skeeter to soak in the sauna. He pulled a muscle in his shoulder yesterday, so he was hoping a soak would help with the soreness.
We only stayed an hour or so, and we got back home at 2:30, in time for Skeeter to go back to work and catch up on what had happened. He felt bad for playing hooky during crunch time, but he's worked for 21 days straight, most of them 12 hour days. I figure he deserved a few hours out.
But, of course, with Skeeter home, our day was anything but normal. I have chores piling up faster than I can manage. I'm wandering in a daze because there is just so much to do. There always is, of course.
I think it might help a wee bit if I manage to go to bed before 2 am though. That may possibly have a negative effect on my energy levels. Maybe.
He came home and napped from about 8:30 to 10:30. He got up and we decided to go out for brunch. We opted for Cracker Barrel, since it was the only place either of us could think of that would serve both breakfast and lunch at 11:15. (Other than IHOP, and I detest IHOP with all of my being. It was never an option.)
Cracker Barrel was astonishingly crowded for not-quite-noon on a Monday. We had to put our name on the waiting list, so we wandered around the shop. I love the old-fashioned toys they sell. I had to convince myself I didn't need any of them. Thankfully, the wait only ended up being about 10 minutes, so I managed to get out of the toys with my wallet still unused.
After lunch, we went to the YMCA, for the urchins to swim and Skeeter to soak in the sauna. He pulled a muscle in his shoulder yesterday, so he was hoping a soak would help with the soreness.
We only stayed an hour or so, and we got back home at 2:30, in time for Skeeter to go back to work and catch up on what had happened. He felt bad for playing hooky during crunch time, but he's worked for 21 days straight, most of them 12 hour days. I figure he deserved a few hours out.
But, of course, with Skeeter home, our day was anything but normal. I have chores piling up faster than I can manage. I'm wandering in a daze because there is just so much to do. There always is, of course.
I think it might help a wee bit if I manage to go to bed before 2 am though. That may possibly have a negative effect on my energy levels. Maybe.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Unanswered prayer
Tonight, during bedtime prayers:
SASS: And God, please tell Santa that he needs to bring me a dogsled team. And a sled. And then you need to make it snow.
SASS: And God, please tell Santa that he needs to bring me a dogsled team. And a sled. And then you need to make it snow.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
I have a new job
It seems that Skeeter was terribly pleased with my data entry yesterday. I don't think it was particularly that I did a great job, since I botched his formulas on one of the pages of his spreadsheet. I think it was more that he didn't have to do it.
He loved that part, so I'm playing data entry chick tonight too. Listening to Ozzy Osborne's Crazy Train at the moment, although I have the Zen on random, so there's no telling what I'll get next.
A big thank you to PezMama, who did leave a comment after I begged. :)
He loved that part, so I'm playing data entry chick tonight too. Listening to Ozzy Osborne's Crazy Train at the moment, although I have the Zen on random, so there's no telling what I'll get next.
A big thank you to PezMama, who did leave a comment after I begged. :)
Elmwood
Today was a gorgeous day. The children and I did story time at the bookstore this morning -- a selection of Sandra Boynton books -- and afterward it was just too nice to stay inside.
We've been doing leaf rubbings lately. We have an abundance of leaves on our land, and it's become quite a favorite way to pass the time. Because of this, I decided to take the children to Elmwood Cemetery. We've been before, several times, but it's been more than a year. We've always enjoyed doing gravestone rubbings, so that's what we did today.
Spyder remembers doing them before, so he set to work straightaway, choosing a pink crayon because "it's a happy color."
Sass started out doing leaves, since that's what we've done at home, but she got the hang of it pretty quickly. She chose a black crayon because "we're surrounded by dead people." Ah yes, the dichotomy.
And, as hard as I tried, I couldn't convince them to do their rubbings near each other, so I could get a shot of the two of them together. This was the best I could get.
While they did the rubbings, I went in search of interesting carvings. That's my favorite part of old cemeteries. They're just as much outdoor museums as they are a final resting place.
And the trees were gorgeous. Normally they've lost all of their leaves by now, but with the unseasonably warm weather, they were still just as lovely.
We were there for an hour and a half, and none of us was particularly ready to leave until
Sass fell and scraped her knee. Oh the horror! The blood! She suddenly became unable to walk, and Spyder helped her limp back to the car. We'll go back soon though, before it gets too cold and the leaves are gone.
After we left, Sass insisted that she would never feel better without ice cream. Neither would Spyder, since she knew he felt so bad for her, with her knee tragedy and all.
We went for ice cream. There are worse ways to see the sunset, sitting outside, eating ice cream, talking about the great day we'd had.
We've been doing leaf rubbings lately. We have an abundance of leaves on our land, and it's become quite a favorite way to pass the time. Because of this, I decided to take the children to Elmwood Cemetery. We've been before, several times, but it's been more than a year. We've always enjoyed doing gravestone rubbings, so that's what we did today.
Spyder remembers doing them before, so he set to work straightaway, choosing a pink crayon because "it's a happy color."
Sass started out doing leaves, since that's what we've done at home, but she got the hang of it pretty quickly. She chose a black crayon because "we're surrounded by dead people." Ah yes, the dichotomy.
And, as hard as I tried, I couldn't convince them to do their rubbings near each other, so I could get a shot of the two of them together. This was the best I could get.
While they did the rubbings, I went in search of interesting carvings. That's my favorite part of old cemeteries. They're just as much outdoor museums as they are a final resting place.
And the trees were gorgeous. Normally they've lost all of their leaves by now, but with the unseasonably warm weather, they were still just as lovely.
We were there for an hour and a half, and none of us was particularly ready to leave until
Sass fell and scraped her knee. Oh the horror! The blood! She suddenly became unable to walk, and Spyder helped her limp back to the car. We'll go back soon though, before it gets too cold and the leaves are gone.
After we left, Sass insisted that she would never feel better without ice cream. Neither would Spyder, since she knew he felt so bad for her, with her knee tragedy and all.
We went for ice cream. There are worse ways to see the sunset, sitting outside, eating ice cream, talking about the great day we'd had.
Friday, November 16, 2007
What have I gotten myself into?
Skeeter is asleep. It's 9:45, and he's been asleep for almost an hour. That poor guy works so hard. It's physically demanding work too, not just brain-work. He has that too though.
And he was so exhausted when he got in tonight. He had to be at work at 6 am, so he got up at 4:30. He got home at 5:45.
So tonight, when he said he had to enter tickets into his Excel spreadsheet, I felt so sorry for him. At that point, it was about 7:30, and his eyes were already droopy and tired. And entering the tickets is about a two hour job. So I told him I would do it.
I'm sitting here, entering gross and tare weights on a spreadsheet. I've only been working for 30 minutes, and already I'm bored out of my mind and my eyes are hurting from looking at these numbers. I'm not as fast at this as he is either. I've probably got another two hours of work ahead.
So come on! Leave a comment! I'm here . . . . waiting for it. And I will be for a while.
*sigh*
And he was so exhausted when he got in tonight. He had to be at work at 6 am, so he got up at 4:30. He got home at 5:45.
So tonight, when he said he had to enter tickets into his Excel spreadsheet, I felt so sorry for him. At that point, it was about 7:30, and his eyes were already droopy and tired. And entering the tickets is about a two hour job. So I told him I would do it.
I'm sitting here, entering gross and tare weights on a spreadsheet. I've only been working for 30 minutes, and already I'm bored out of my mind and my eyes are hurting from looking at these numbers. I'm not as fast at this as he is either. I've probably got another two hours of work ahead.
So come on! Leave a comment! I'm here . . . . waiting for it. And I will be for a while.
*sigh*
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Big Brother is alive and well, and he works at Overstock
Now let me tell you, I love Overstock. Very competitive prices on almost everything, and $2.95 flat rate shipping. Can't beat it.
Earlier tonight I ordered a shower chair for my dad. It's what he requested for Christmas. I can't help but think, "It's a SHOWER CHAIR. For CHRISTMAS!" but hey, it's what he wanted.
Just before that, I had logged into my Facebook account. I don't log in very often, but someone had asked me a question about Facebook, and I had to log in to answer. And I did a quiz about Grease. Scored 80%. It's been a while since I watched it.
When I left Facebook, I didn't log out. I closed the tab instead. And as I completed my checkout at Overstock, a little box popped up at the bottom that said, "Sending your shower chair purchase to your Facebook stories!"
Uh, wha . . . . . ??
Why in the world would I want to share my purchases on my Facebook account? Why? Especially with Christmas coming up? There's really no danger of my dad seeing his shower chair, since he's never even heard of Facebook. But what if I was buying a gift for someone who did have an account and was one of my Facebook friends (or whatever they're called)? Ooooh, Overstock, thanks for letting Friend know what I bought! ::exaggerated, sarcastic wink::
And that doesn't even touch the heart of the matter. Does Overstock really and truly think I want to announce all of my purchases to the world? Would anyone? And if I did, shouldn't it be my choice -- a conscious decision, not some automatic application that I didn't ask for? How dare they make that decision for me! Privacy policy, anyone?
I did get back to Facebook, and I did manage to figure out how to delete that "story." (Although, really, why should I have bothered, since I'm airing it all here.) But I should never have needed to delete it from Facebook in the first place.
I am absolutely livid right now, two hours after it happened. Overstock will get an extremely un-nice email from me tonight. And possibly a phone call tomorrow.
Welcome to Big Brother's version of caveat emptor.
Earlier tonight I ordered a shower chair for my dad. It's what he requested for Christmas. I can't help but think, "It's a SHOWER CHAIR. For CHRISTMAS!" but hey, it's what he wanted.
Just before that, I had logged into my Facebook account. I don't log in very often, but someone had asked me a question about Facebook, and I had to log in to answer. And I did a quiz about Grease. Scored 80%. It's been a while since I watched it.
When I left Facebook, I didn't log out. I closed the tab instead. And as I completed my checkout at Overstock, a little box popped up at the bottom that said, "Sending your shower chair purchase to your Facebook stories!"
Uh, wha . . . . . ??
Why in the world would I want to share my purchases on my Facebook account? Why? Especially with Christmas coming up? There's really no danger of my dad seeing his shower chair, since he's never even heard of Facebook. But what if I was buying a gift for someone who did have an account and was one of my Facebook friends (or whatever they're called)? Ooooh, Overstock, thanks for letting Friend know what I bought! ::exaggerated, sarcastic wink::
And that doesn't even touch the heart of the matter. Does Overstock really and truly think I want to announce all of my purchases to the world? Would anyone? And if I did, shouldn't it be my choice -- a conscious decision, not some automatic application that I didn't ask for? How dare they make that decision for me! Privacy policy, anyone?
I did get back to Facebook, and I did manage to figure out how to delete that "story." (Although, really, why should I have bothered, since I'm airing it all here.) But I should never have needed to delete it from Facebook in the first place.
I am absolutely livid right now, two hours after it happened. Overstock will get an extremely un-nice email from me tonight. And possibly a phone call tomorrow.
Welcome to Big Brother's version of caveat emptor.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
That Company
Things are stressful at That Company at the moment. That Company (Skeeter's employer) is pretty particular about things, so I can't ever go into detail.
The first phase of his job is supposed to be complete at the end of the year. They've overcome some pretty big obstacles, but they don't know if they'll make the deadline. So stress takes over. Poor Skeeter is working the same hours -- about 6:30 am to 6:00 pm -- but he has about three times as much to do in that time frame. He's more tired than usual when he gets home, and I've made him start going to bed earlier.
He's still saving them money though -- a lot of money. Today it was about $16,000. And they like saving money, but tensions are running high. It will continue until this phase is finished; nothing can be done about that.
There's not much I can do to help, except keep things settled on the home front. And try to keep him in matching socks.
The first phase of his job is supposed to be complete at the end of the year. They've overcome some pretty big obstacles, but they don't know if they'll make the deadline. So stress takes over. Poor Skeeter is working the same hours -- about 6:30 am to 6:00 pm -- but he has about three times as much to do in that time frame. He's more tired than usual when he gets home, and I've made him start going to bed earlier.
He's still saving them money though -- a lot of money. Today it was about $16,000. And they like saving money, but tensions are running high. It will continue until this phase is finished; nothing can be done about that.
There's not much I can do to help, except keep things settled on the home front. And try to keep him in matching socks.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Perhaps this is part of the reason our marriage works so well
An excerpt from an actual conversation last night while Skeeter was setting out his clothing and boots for this morning:
SKEETER: I'm running out of socks.
ME: Okay. I'll wash some tomorrow.
(Skeeter walks by with one grey sock and one navy blue sock.)
ME: Those don't match, you know.
SKEETER: Oh, I know. My socks haven't matched for the last few days.
ME: Oh no! I'm so sorry! I had no idea you were out.
SKEETER: I wasn't out. I just didn't have any that matched.
ME: Well that's just as bad as being out!
SKEETER: No it's not. You've been busy, so I didn't want to ask you to wash them until I really needed them. You're the one who worries about that whole matching thing anyway. To me they're just something to cover my feet.
SKEETER: I'm running out of socks.
ME: Okay. I'll wash some tomorrow.
(Skeeter walks by with one grey sock and one navy blue sock.)
ME: Those don't match, you know.
SKEETER: Oh, I know. My socks haven't matched for the last few days.
ME: Oh no! I'm so sorry! I had no idea you were out.
SKEETER: I wasn't out. I just didn't have any that matched.
ME: Well that's just as bad as being out!
SKEETER: No it's not. You've been busy, so I didn't want to ask you to wash them until I really needed them. You're the one who worries about that whole matching thing anyway. To me they're just something to cover my feet.
Monday, November 12, 2007
The Coming Christmas Season
I'm late this year. I'm usually done with my Christmas shopping and planning by October 31. But with my dad's troubles, my September didn't go quite as planned.
Luckily, we only do minimal Christmas gifts -- three for each of us -- and Santa only brings stockings.
I already have everything picked out for the children; just working on purchasing.
For Spyder:
Legends of Magic set
Subscription to a magic club
Magician's cloak (handmade)
For Sass:
Monogrammed ballerina-themed purse
Tea with Me Belle
Princess cloak (handmade)
Spyder's stocking gifts will be How to Be the Best at Everything and a Klutz Coin Magic book. Sass's stocking gift will be a Find It game. And of course, they'll both get socks and toothbrushes and candy.
I always ask the children to give me a list of seven items that they'd like as gifts. They know that we only do three, but I usually pass the others along to various family members. This year, Spyder asked for the magic club subscription and the Legends of Magic set. Tonight he came to me and apologized for not having any other suggestions.
Sass asked for the Belle doll. I feel like such a sellout for buying it for her, but it was the only thing she asked to put on her list. And today she asked me if she could do chores to earn it. So obviously, it's important to her. But I still feel like I'm selling out.
As of tonight, I have everything for them either ordered or in hand, with the exception of the cloaks.
Now, to get started on gifts for everyone else!
Luckily, we only do minimal Christmas gifts -- three for each of us -- and Santa only brings stockings.
I already have everything picked out for the children; just working on purchasing.
For Spyder:
Legends of Magic set
Subscription to a magic club
Magician's cloak (handmade)
For Sass:
Monogrammed ballerina-themed purse
Tea with Me Belle
Princess cloak (handmade)
Spyder's stocking gifts will be How to Be the Best at Everything and a Klutz Coin Magic book. Sass's stocking gift will be a Find It game. And of course, they'll both get socks and toothbrushes and candy.
I always ask the children to give me a list of seven items that they'd like as gifts. They know that we only do three, but I usually pass the others along to various family members. This year, Spyder asked for the magic club subscription and the Legends of Magic set. Tonight he came to me and apologized for not having any other suggestions.
Sass asked for the Belle doll. I feel like such a sellout for buying it for her, but it was the only thing she asked to put on her list. And today she asked me if she could do chores to earn it. So obviously, it's important to her. But I still feel like I'm selling out.
As of tonight, I have everything for them either ordered or in hand, with the exception of the cloaks.
Now, to get started on gifts for everyone else!
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