Change Is A-Coming.... There Are Term Limits, After All

I am watching the Presidential Debate, and I am about to cry. This is a contest of the poo-flinging monkeys. Nobody wins, and they both get dirty. I want to quote Glenn Beck. I once heard him say that he had "de ja moo. The feeling that we have heard this bull before." I am seriously sick of it. I get tired of the name dropping and the mud slinging.

Either way, "change" is on our horizon. Bush is out, and someone else is in. I think this contest is going to be more a popularity contest, and I have to say I am afraid that the greatest country in the world is in trouble, no matter who wins. If McCain wins, he will be blocked at every turn by a Democrat controlled Congress, and then blamed for the failures that happen. If Obama wins, Socialism takes over, and "the working man" he says he will help will be carrying the national debt on his shoulders. (Worst of all, I will have to find a job again. The scream will be heard round the blogs...) (Note the sarcasm. You won't be able to hear the screams, silly.) This election has gotten off track and out of context. There is more hearsay than actual ideas, and nobody really knows anything about the actual intent of the administration.

The most important part about it to me is that the only day that matters is Tuesday, November 4th. These talks will not change my mind significantly. I doubt that anyone who has made up their mind can truly be swayed now. The debates will only solidify the opinions already in the minds of the staunch. The goal is for the candidates to sway the undecided voters. Unfortunately, smooth talking will get a lot of votes for the liar who won't really say what kind of "change" he intends to inflict on us. I will leave it up to you to decide which candidate I speak of. (because I am not sure either...)

I have tried to stay neutral here on the blog, but it is no secret that I support Conservative talk radio in my area, and I am a Conservative in my personal views. I won't try to lobby for your vote to my side... just that you vote. If you don't vote, you cannot complain. I can complain all I want, and I should complain to the people who can do something about it. After all, they are there to represent me. I think of The Princess Bride: "Have I made it clear that your JOB is on the line?!?!?"

I have heard somewhere in my educational years that the average life-span of a world power is 200 years. We do all realize that the U.S. is at 232, right? Alright, enough of that. You have your opinons and I can't change them. You are probably as tired of this as I am, anyway. Right?

I am a Football Widow again for the High School season. I have not yet seen the score for DH's High School. I don't know if there is a final yet. Some games are Thursday, most on Friday. He usually keeps tabs on it. I have been looking on Facebook for friends from other places. I have been watching the debates (not going back to that). I have been reading. I have not been paying attention to football. {Edit: DH came home and said that his school lost. Lost big. *sniff*}

DH also has a friend who is taking him to a college game tomorrow. Unfortunately, the game is for the other team. DH likes OU, the University of Oklahoma. Crimson and Cream. The game he is going to see (free ticket, so we don't complain) is OSU, Oklahoma State University. Ugly orange. The rivals. I lose him for another night this week. Which is fine. I can go shopping, watch the newest "chick flick", and listen to Country music all night. I should probably have a "Hubby-proofed" dinner of rice with Broccoli in it, too.

I have been reading the newest book in the Inheritance Cycle, Brisingr. This is the third book by Christoper Paolini, and has cover art by John Jude Palencar. I have had a good time with these books, because Paolini made up his own languages, and started all of this when he was still in High School. He was self published before being discovered and nationalized. I wanted to go to the Midnight Release at my local Books A Million, but I was in TX for DH's great uncle's funeral. Roadrunner went, but I haven't had a chance to talk to her about the "event". The cashier that helped me when I picked up my copy was... less than enthusiastic. It was apparently not really popular, nothing like the Harry Potter Midnight Releases. Roadrunner was done with the book in two days. This does not surprise me. She reads faster than I do. Which, is pretty amazing. I just wish I could recall more of what I read. She helps me actually retain what I read, because we discuss.

I have been killing house flies all day long. No less than 20, and I know there are still two or three floating around here, because I just saw one on the television. I have no idea where they are all coming from. I can't blame them, really. I did make some awesome banana bread muffins yesterday evening. I have been cooking more often, to save money and to eat healthier.

I have been thinking about coloring my hair again. I like going a little lighter than my naturally dark brown, and lot more auburn. I have one prominent WHITE strand in my bangs, and it has started to bother me. I don't really know why. In the past, I thought of it as a personal rite of passage. I don't know why that little hair should cause such a stir, or why the stir comes now. It is so selfish and childish and vain. The hair glares at me. Brightened, magnified, by the flourescent bulbs over the bathroom mirror. Maybe it is my addiction to Alias, and Jennifer Garner's beautiful brunette tresses. Maybe it is my own desire to keep the public image of youth. Maybe it is just me being a girl.

The Number Of Crock-Pots Shall Be Three! (Five, Sir.)

For those who are wondering where I keep FOUR crock pots, I went and looked again. I actually have five, if you count the littlest one, that I can't cook in. To answer Flea's question, they are each in their own spot... scattered all over the 5 cabinets I have. Small ones up high, big ones down low. The 6 qt. pretty much lives on the cabinet, in the far left corner. All of them are Rival Crock-Pot brand. What have we here?

1. One 6 qt. oval removable crock. Temp adjustable with Hi, Lo and Warm. Deep green. The outside has herb leaves on it. I was hoping to win one of the new offerings from Stephanie's blog... those have a locking lid that would be helpful for travel. Oh, well. This is the one I use for the Pot Luck dinners. I couldn't find a red one, so I settled for green; but I love it.

2. One 4 qt. round removable crock. Temp adjustable with Hi and Lo. Maroon (got this as a wedding present). The outside has flowering pictures of herb plants on it. MIL wanted a removable crock, and couldn't kill her one piece. She jokingly threatened to steal mine. I offered to give it to her, but she refused. She didn't want to give up her working piece just for a flashier model. For a gift, I got her one. It was removable, an oval in blue, that matched her then new dishes. She donated her original wedding present to their church. It still works, and she had it since 1974.

3. One 2 qt. round, one piece. Knob with Off or On, but not really temp adjustable. Matches the chili pepper kitchen! I had to have this one. Don't argue with me. Seriously.

4. One 1 qt. Crock-ette, also called a Little Dipper, one piece. Plug in to turn on, no knobs at all. Deep green. Came with the 6 qt. and matches the herb pattern. This is the one I used for the Compote.

5. One Mini Potpourri Crock, one piece, plug in only. Deep green. This one could hold one cup of water, and is not designed for food. I think this one came with a set as well, but I don't really remember.

Now, I don't know exactly why I have the need to own FIVE crock pots. I have different uses for each one. There is the one that gets the cheese dip, the one that makes dinner for two, the one that makes leftovers for a week. I actually gave away a 2 qt. that matched the 4 qt. in exchange for getting to buy the one that had chili peppers on it. I have decided that I am totally wacko. I have so much kitchen stuff, and not nearly enough kitchen for half of it. Wishful thinking (there is another house in my future, I am sure) or just pack rat out of control? I can only say... "Whatever." I justified my pattern trade by letting one go out, to get one in. Seemed good to me at the time.

I love to cook, I love to make people happy with food. I have a need to have comfort food, and if I can make it fresh, it will certainly be better than the salt/fat/sugar laden canned stuff. I remember reading somewhere that there were studies done that said long, slow cooked food was better for you than seared and fast cooked food. (Don't tell Rachael Ray, her 30 minute meals are awesome, too.) I know that slow cooked meat is so much more tender than pan fried. I love a warmed and softened veggie, that still has some crunch to it. I LOVE that the term "stew" really does describe the mixing of the flavors; that the leftovers are just as good, if not better, on the next day.

I'm not so creative to make a New Year's Resolution to use the crock pot every day. (I really think Stephanie rocks!) I'm not so fanatical that I will tell you that you MUST be like me in my obsession. I like that the food can be slow cooked, and my house (and electric bill for counteracting the stove operating) doesn't have to get so hot. I adore baking, but it is a tedious and painful process in the summer. Oklahoma is not bakery friendly in the 100 degree, 80% humidity of July. I have been known to cook to keep the house warm in the winter, though.

I have learned a lot about Microwave cooking from my MIL. She is always happy to make things that don't take too long, and don't heat up the house. I had never thought of making casseroles in the microwave, and now I have a great time fixing DH's favorite. I have a few gadgets for that purpose, too. My kitchen has no shortage of interesting ways to cook dishes that I don't regularly make.

On to another subject. OH. MY. Goodness! How did it take me a whole month to read one little book? I will admit that I was reading only about one chapter a night, but... wow. I usually devour books. I don't know what is wrong with me. My friend David said that he has a sickness. We are in the same boat, seriously. See a book, buy the book. I have a whole shelf full to brimming, and that holds about 2/3 of the books I still own. I tried. I TRIED. I put enough books in the garage sale to fill a small shelf. I sold a few. But I brought back so many.

I don't know when/if I will try another garage sale. Roadrunner and I were going to do one together, but her plans have hit some unexpected bumps. I am seriously considering just dumping whole boxes of junk at Goodwill, and letting them deal with it. I figure the freedom of the clutter will help me declutter the rest of the house. I was hoping to make a little bit of money back on some of it, but that really has nothing to do with the decision. I can get a receipt for the donation of stuff. I don't really care. I just want it all out of my house.

I have always had piles of stuff, stacks of boxes in my way. I don't know why I keep some of it. There is a box of "hope chest" things, but I don't have a chest. I haven't even looked in that box in four years. I can't even tell you where it is right now. I have boxes of stuff my mom gave me from her house, that I haven't opened in almost 10 years. I haven't even been married that long! I think this year is the year to clean, DEEP CLEAN, my house. I complain that I don't know how to clean, which isn't technically true. I have never had a clean house to maintain, but that is no real excuse. "Mess equals Stress." Thank you, Mrs. Rice. Yes, I need to clean up, and maybe that will get rid of some of the depression, stress, and moodiness. I don't know. I should certainly try.

Time to jet. I have a women's class to attend, studying keeping cool and eating for less $$ and, most importantly, following God's plan for my household. Beginning, of course, with me. I need that lesson.

Have a happy day!

A-Musing Potpourri

Word of the Post
Today's word is: brouhaha
/brew"ha*ha/ noun
The confused noise of many voices, cacophony. A noise much louder than its reason deserves.
I heard a clatter, and the sound of the resulting brouhaha carried all the way outside.
~~~~~~~~~~
Ever wondered why you bother? I have had a few days of that. I try and try, only to be disappointed again.

Roadrunner and I were supposed to do our multi-family garage sale on Friday and Saturday this week. And it rained. A lot. Getting up early, I took a shower and got dressed. I pondered the irony of putting on sunscreen as I heard the thunder for the first time. My paleness is legen- (wait for it...) dary. I can get a burn by starlight, I think. And I never even get a tan to show for it. So sad.

On Friday, we had both been awake from before 6, and had done all that weight lifting getting the stuff outside and onto the tables, only to take it back inside. We decided on Friday that we would try again some other weekend. We only had one lady actually look at our stuff, and we weren't even done displaying it that early. We were ready by 8, we were packed and back in the house by 11. Depressing. As if the rain weren't enough.

Today, DH and three other people went to work at the Luther Christian Service Center. It is a store of sorts, run by a lady in the church, who serves a very poor area not far from the city. She has a wall of shoes, piles of clothing, donated bulk food, furniture, and even toys. The guys are part of our clandestine group of charitable givers. We have had several workdays out there. When I went once, I helped one of the guys replace about 40 of their 6 foot flourescent light bulbs. DH helped replace the ballasts for some of their non-working lights today. He came home exhausted. Good work wears one out.

When he came home, DH brought with him a desktop computer tower. He said it was in the dumpster. The processor is the same brand as ours. The tower has a 160 gig hard drive, 1/2 gig of RAM, a DVD writer drive, a CD reader drive, built-in card readers (like the little external attachment I have for the laptop to read my camera card), and a black faced floppy drive, instead of the cream one (from DH's first computer, Maleficent). Most of that information is mumbo-jumbo to me, but I get some of it. I am wondering why it was thrown away. If the hard drive is bad, but the rest is useable, we still can upgrade our own tower for nothing. Yay! If the hard drive works, we just added quadruple the storage to our system. I hope it works. Even if just one part is salvageable, we are better off. Normally, I would have issues with him bringing leftovers from a dumpster, but this is different. Whatever we can't use, we can throw away, give away or sell in the next garage sale attempt. We couldn't buy these components right now, so I choose to think of it as reward for DH helping the Service Center. We don't do this for reward or profit. We do this to help Miss Ruby help the less fortunate.

Today has been a lazy day for me. I have done a lot of reading, some dishes, and I spent a lot of my TV time on the Hallmark Channel, or the Contemporary Christian Music Channel. I am reading The Shack by William P. Young, on the advice of Niki. She wants to have discussions about it. I am thinking these discussions will be good. I have about 50 pages to go, out of 248. It is a short book, as my reading list goes, but it is a lot to digest. Each chapter is full of deep thoughts to ponder, absorb and reflect upon before moving on. I want to rush through and finish, but I find I can't.

I made a Citrusade. Two lemons, two limes, one orange, some orange juice I had in a jug in the fridge, a little Marischino cherry juice, some Grenadine, a bit of vanilla and LOTS of sugar. I think it still has less sugar than the juices I could get at the store. I wasn't too terribly impressed, but DH is now on his second glass, so it can't be bad. I should have done some more housework. Laundry, dishes... something. But I just couldn't. The work yesterday wore me out. Today has been a rest. Tomorrow will be God's day, and then I can do work on Monday.

I made a mini crock pot of potpourri from the peels of the orange, lemon and lime. I added cinnamon stick, bay leaf, drops of mint extract, drops of vanilla, a dash of ground corriander, a teabag of Honey Peach Ginger tea from Cellestial Seasonings, and some whole cloves. My house smells yummy, and I can smell it best when the air conditioner kicks on. I need to take the teabag out, before the paper totally falls apart. I am thinking about just opening it up, and dumping the tea leaves in to keep the peachy scent alive. Or I can peel and core an apple, and add those bits while I have a tasty snack. Oooh. Idea.

The noisy bunny-painted ice cream van just drove by for the fifth time today (at 8 pm), and that is just the times I have seen it. I should call the city about the noise violation that thing is. Nuisance. It has a flashy yellow light on the top, and that is a danger to those prone to seizures and migraines. Health danger to the public, oh yes, I do need to call the city. I wonder what that guy's Carbon Footprint is? (Joking, but it can't be good.) He certainly can't be turning a profit, going through the same neighborhood six times a day, and using all that fuel.

Have a cold drink and a little dessert. You deserve it!

Oh Six, Oh Seven, Oh Eight.... Oh My!

Several people have emailed and commented to me that I should put something new on the blog. I have been hesitating and procrastinating. I decided from Jayme's Life Lessons Learned that I cannot spend my "5 minutes" wasted on thinking of doing something when I must DO something. I also chose to put away the putting off of duty, delegation and desire. I should not put off the good I can do today, to wait for better tomorrow, as I may not have a tomorrow. Without further ado...

On Wednesday, June 4, the world should have celebrated a great milestone. However, most of you will never even know about it. 71 years ago on June 4, a man named Sylvan Goldman invented the shopping cart. He first produced them by building a little cart with wheels, that held two small shopping baskets. He also invented the later addition, a child seat in the top part of the cart. They were first used in Oklahoma City. (the news station told me, so don't think I made this up)

Also on June 4 back in 1919, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was instated. It guaranteed the right of Women to Vote. Handy to remember all those 19's.

On Friday, June 6, I was entrusted with a very valuable cargo. I got the opportunity to watch my nephew, Gum Drop, for a few hours while his daddy went to work. His mommy and sister (Jelly Bean) are out of the state on an adventure. This weekend, Gramma and Grampa are borrowing Gum Drop. They have never gotten to have him all by himself, because he is the second child. So, I was trusted to take Gum Drop to the Baby Swap meeting, near half-way between our fair city and Gramma's home. This is a 45 minute drive from Gum Drop's house. He is so laid back, such an easy baby. Totally different from his high-maintenance sister. (Not to say that she is bad; on the contrary, she was an easy baby, too. She just demands more attention.) I took a picture Friday that reminded me much of an old picture of Jelly Bean. Maybe I can get the two pictures side by side here for you someday soon.

I finished reading the most recent book I couldn't put down. It was "Abomination" by Colleen Coble. I loved Colleen's book. It was the perfect blend of thought-provoking and scary. Chills. I was certain the killer was someone else. I see now how she dropped little clues. I didn't see it at the time. Oh, it was great!

I hate to tell her, but there were two mistakes I caught. One of them ruined a bit of the early drama, and the other was a minor typo (and probably not her mistakes at all). I do relish being a Proofreader. I miss it greatly. I need to be in contact with some of the publishers. I want to get transcripts to things electronically, and "telecommute" to work. I don't really want to Edit, per se, but I would love to correct everyone's grammatical and spelling errors. I would so very much enjoy fixing the writers' and publishers' mistakes. Spell Check on your computer program cannot possible find all the mistakes. See? Possibly, you missed it? In a hypothetically perfect world, "an" and "a" would not be interchangeable, particularly in front of words beginning with H. I know. I am a psycho; but my little world is so much more clear, and fun for me.

Today is 06-07-08. It is THE wedding day of the year, supposedly. DH suggested to one bride we know that she should have the wedding start at 3:45. I wonder if there are babies being born today, that will be happy to know their birthday is such an interesting set of numbers? Yesterday was a birthday for a friend from High School (that I have since lost track of). There were three of us, S. born on 04-04, Me born on 05-05 and V. born on 06-06. V. was into lots of strange things, like Numerology, smoking and E.S.P. She commented once on the fact that my upbringing (church of Christ) would not allow me to go to dances, while hers (United Methodist) threw them. It isn't so much that my church wouldn't let me go, but my mother thought I needed to be more mature to go. I was planning to go to my Senior Prom, but when nobody asked (one of two or three nobody's in very particular), I took my father to see a movie. Daddy/Daughter dates were rare, and I enjoyed it. The only downside was that he had to drive home in the downpour of driving, sheeting, bucketing, cats-and-dogs rain.

I have been quietly cleaning up the blog, adding the books I have finished for the 888 Challenge, and massaging the links that I have. I have added a few new links that I have checked often for a long time, but decided to share with those of you who may not go the same route I have traveled. I have removed some links that have not updated for several months. (Jared, I would add you back at a moment's notice, so don't despair!) I finally took down my link to Suezque. It breaks my heart all over again to have to remove something so cherished. I saved the link, and have looked at it often, but I couldn't stare at it anymore on my side bar. In fact, it has been hard for me to come up with something new for the blog, because adding another post would move their remembrance from the top three posts, and I wasn't ready yet for that to happen. I may never be ready, so I decided to do it today.

Flip Flop Mamma lost a close friend recently, as well. He was only 32, and was an amazing story of faith and strength. One of her friends, while at Steve's funeral, said to FFM, "Can you imagine being so amazing that God only needs you on Earth for 32 years?" My memory gave a start, because at the Whitlow graveside service, the second uncle of the three to speak pondered, "The greatest Man to ever walk this Earth died when He was only 33." He was referring to Jesus, of course, and the fact that Gary had not yet made it to his 34th Birthday. I am just 34 myself, and barely so. Stark realizations have set in. I can't imagine that my funeral would be as positive. I must work to change that. I don't believe Gary's age was "coincidence", any more than I think that the tornado was an "accident".

Sally said that she had a friend whose daughter was touched by Gary and Kim's story and dedicated her young life to Christ. What greater good can come out of such tragedy? The work of the Lord goes on, in the lives and hearts of younger people all the time. Legacy. We inherited it from our family or mentors or teachers. It will be passed on to the following generations in the same ways, for all time to come on this Earth. Until Jesus comes back to take us all home, we must forge ahead. Forging is not always an easy or pleasant job. I have to remember to keep looking for good. I have to be good to others, and not let my own disappointment and depression keep me mired in the mud where I seem to be stuck. God will give me His Joy.

DH just told me that Big Brown finished Third. I don't know why that is still so intriguing to me. When I was a child, reading all the horse books I could get my hands on, the current running of the Triple Crown was the only sport I was curious to watch. Big Brown this year had already won the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes. Today was the running of the Kentucky Derby, the third and largest (well, most televised and talked about) race of the Triple Crown. I was rather hoping Big Brown would win. It has been many years since one horse captured all three races. Rare, and exciting to follow. I think Black Beauty got me hooked on the real races, and riding my cousin's horse in the summer trips to Kansas.

Blessings on your weekend!

May I Have Your Attention?

Word of the Post
Today's word is: caprine
/cap"rine/ adjective
Being, pertaining to, or speaking of a goat. Related information: the Zodiac sign of Capricorn is named so for the stellar constellation that is said to resemble a horned goat. DH was born a Capricorn.
The little field stickers coated my socks, their caprine horns reaching through the cotton to pierce my skin.
~~~~~~~~~~
I have to put this edit in a new post. How crazy is that?

Ever since I put in that last thing... the Google Map made the last post go hokey, so I can't edit in there. I am so happy I was finished. Glad I didn't call anyone an ugly name!

MammaMia (if you didn't see the comments) clarified that her hubby, in fact, did NOT attend school at Oklahoma Christian. His friend did. I am sorry. Guess I just lumped it all together in my memory. It was a month ago, so I am losing the detail I so crave. But all the boys knew mutual people from O.C. So at least I had some of the detail right.

Graduation Season is upon us. (Does this mean we can shoot them?!?!) I know at least five High School Seniors, and I had hoped to give them all some denomination of money. Life is terribly expensive, no? Wedding Season also quickly approacheth. I am attending a Shower for one bride-to-be from church this Saturday. If I give a small gift or a card without money in it, I feel cheap. If I give more, well.... you multiply any given amount by 6 for this weekend alone, and you get the small fortune I wish I had. Truth be told, the bride and my graduating cousin will get the most bucks, because Brides need stuff and Cousins who send announcements deserve more than the kid I barely know at church. Sounds harsh here, and I am not trying to be. Two of the local grads are going to Europe in the next few weeks. Oh, the jealousy is threatening to show it's ugly green head.

This weekend, I shall be playing the Final Round of the Scrabble Tournament. My final game will determine 3rd place. I am in the Losers Bracket. There were four siblings in this Tournament, and the oldest and the youngest are also playing this weekend, to determine who is 1st from the Winners Bracket. I play early on Saturday morning. Good thing it is happening at a coffee shop!

There are sugar ants in my kitchen. I have a rather large cleaning plan ahead of me. I think there are still critters in my ceiling, too. Things that make funny noises in the dead of night at our house. I have trouble sleeping when the little scratching noises commence. It was better to have a child running across my ceiling in the apartment above me. At least that stopped sometimes. The mom of that kid used to threaten to get me to come up and yell. That always made me laugh. I figured that they were quiet enough, especially late at night. The kid was a child, and needed to run off some of her energy sometimes. I didn't mind so much. I am a night owl, and she was in bed when I was sitting up doing my thing. I was at work when she was running. Or I was downstairs, listening, and laughing at the fear the mom was trying to use to teach her baby girl manners. I never did tell the mom that she was doing a good job.

I am so far behind on reading for the 888 Challenge, I may never catch up. But, I am valiantly making an effort anyway. I have finished reading two more books this week, and have two small study books that are almost finished as well. Then, on to the Blog Friend Writers. I have a stack of books from writers that I have met on the Blogs. The hard part will be deciding which to start with. I also plan to re-read the Christoper Paolini books (Eragon and Eldest), since his third (Brisinger, according to rumor) is coming out this September. I think I shall probably re-read the Harry Potter books, too. They are entertaining, and I can read them pretty quickly. I am trying very hard to not use all children's books that can be read in five minutes. I could have a section for that, but it can't be the entire list.

For the 888 Challenge, I have my categories started:
1. Here There Be Dragons
2. Blog Girls Writing
3. Autographed Collection
4. Political Opinion and Satire
5. Books of THE BOOK (Bible books as well as study guides)
6. I Missed That (High School Reading I never got to)
7. Ooo, Hoo, Witchy Woman (Occult fantasy/sci-fi)
8. Miskolc, Mish-mash, Miscellaneous (Catch-all Category for Leftovers.)

So, does it sound as if I will be reading interesting things this year? I probably should put the Bible category first, but that isn't the order it popped into my head just now. I have a written guide list, and this may change as the year's reading progresses. Since I need to be held accountable for actually reading some, I thought I would put this out there, for you all to help me with. Hopefully, I can have a completed list in November or December. I actually hoped for a full list, not the shortened list with the 8 overlaps I am allowed. If I am going to do this, I should do it right. Keep me honest!

I hope you all have a wonderful Friday. I will work on the Vacation Chronicles this weekend, and hopefully add a new segment before Tuesday.

Every Girl Knows Statistics LIE

Word of the Post
Today's word is: onomatopoeia
/on*uh*maht*uh*pee"uh/ noun
Words that imitate the sound they stand for; Crash, bang and boom, for instance.
~~~~~~~~~~
I added a counter to my site. I wanted to see some statistics, because I only get a few comments for some posts, but I don't know how many times any of you may read what I have to say. It skews the stats just a bit to know that I count for each time I look at the site while updating. I still need to find a counter that shows me all hits, unique hits, and not myself. But it seemed like a good idea to start somewhere. It comes with a sponsor link, and I chose Lane Bryant, because that randomly came up, and it is something I would use (if I had money to spend on clothes!). So, go check out their coupons for me, and keep my counter busy!

Several people have said they like the recipes, so I am hoping to continue those on occasion. I find I am often in a rut about what to cook. I have stacks upon stacks of cookbooks. When we got married, I asked my mother-in-law to tell people that I wanted cookbooks. I received many at our various showers, and had no duplicates. I have added several since then. For Christmas, I got Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious", and just last night I got Missy Chase Lapine's "Sneaky Chef". I figure that if Ms. Lapine is going to accuse Mrs. Seinfeld of stealing her idea, then I should probably buy both books and compare them for myself. Ms. Lapine seems to take into consideration that you CAN add veggies to anything, but questions which ones you SHOULD add to each dish. Putting Cauliflower in Macaroni and Cheese doesn't sound so bad, but Broccoli in Brownies? That sounds bad to me. Anyway, I am willing to experiment, and maybe get some of the veggies past myself and DH to make us more healthy.

Speaking of experimenting, I tried something new the other night. This was last Monday, before the stew (which we still have at least one serving of). I was thinking on the idea of a Shepherd's Pie, and came up with a Joe-like version that tasted pretty good.

Pie-less Shepherd Joe
Large skillet (I used the largest one I had, but it could have been done in a 12 inch)
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1/4 cup frozen diced onion
1/2 cup frozen diced green sweet pepper
1 can (10 ounces) Rotel (I used Mild)
1 can (8 ounces) Tomato Sauce
Spice to taste (remember my fondness for the spice rack). I recommend especially: a shake or two of Worcestershire sauce, cumin, chili powder, cilantro, black pepper, and garlic powder.


Simmer over medium heat, stirring often, until most of the liquid evaporates out, and you are left with a yummy sauce.

Serve on Toast, top with Cheese, and maybe add a side of Sour Cream.

This turned out pretty tasty, and I remembered to get pictures of it for you. A good day!

I got to baby sit the Candy Kids yesterday. Regular baby sitter's own child was sick with a fever, so late at night, I was called in as the pinch hitter. Jelly Bean was her usual aged 2 attitude, but still very sweet. She is doing well at the potty training. I had to keep asking her if she needed to go... and usually the answer was no. At one point, I just said, "let's go", so she didn't really have a way out. She really did sit, and actually did something twice, but she has no patience. "I done, that's all, there is no more to squeeze out." She does not like sitting there longer than she has to. So, at least there is no desire to read a magazine or something. She gets 3 m&m's when she accomplishes the use of the potty. Very cool reward. I even let her pick the colors she wanted. She did a lot of telling me no, hoping that I would not remind her that she needs to obey and respect anyone who is in charge. I did remind her. She also tried a lot of testing the rules, hoping that I would not know them all. Sneaky little thing. She did the most of her acting up when Mommy came home. I wonder what that was about? (Did I mention that she's 2?)

Gum Drop is growing so big! His sister was so little, and still is, I guess. He is now almost 5 months old. He doesn't like to sit down very much, he loves to stand and kick. We practiced walking a little yesterday. He did his own motion of one foot in front of the other. I just balanced him, and gave him the leaning cue to move the foot without the weight. He enjoys being on his back, and can almost completely roll over. He gets right on the verge, and then that arm on the bottom stops him. He also rolls from his front to his back, but he seems to be surprised when that happens. He puts his arms straight down by his sides when he is on his tummy, as if he thinks he can fly or something. (He was Superman for Halloween) He needs to get his arms up and his knees under him, so he can get the motion of crawling down. I have a feeling he will crawl for a day or two, and decide that walking is faster and easier. I propped him up on the arm of the couch with pillows for support, and he discovered his knee. He was very serious about examining what this new thing was.

Beware of people who don't like cats. ~ Irish proverb

Drinking In The Memories

Word of the Post
Today's word is: libation
/lie*bay"shun/ noun
The ritual of pouring out wine or oil to honor a god; liquid used in such a ceremony; an alcoholic drink.
The bread to feed the hungry needs to be accompanied by the libation upon the altar. Yeah, this comes from the lyrics of an old camp song. "Would you be poured out like wine upon the altar for Me? Would you be broken like bread to feed the hungry?"
Religion makes cannibalism so much symbolism, so it is not as creepy.
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I got the honor of hanging out with Jelly Bean on Thursday. Her mom and I took her swimming. I guess this is the first time she had ever been in a community pool. Up until this week, it had only been bathtubs and kiddie pools. She had a blast! She laid back a little to practice floating, but she kept turning her head and getting water in her nose. She was very good at letting us hold her, and kicking those legs for all she was worth. She will be a good swimmer someday. She is fearless. She liked standing on the side of the pool, and "jumping" in... basically falling into the arms of Mommy or Auntie Chelf.

I also got to watch her all day Friday, and DH and I were invited to Sis-in-law's house for dinner, too. Jelly Bean is growing up so fast! I took her with me to go shopping (shop shop shop, until we drop drop drop!). I don't get tired of hearing how cute she is. The clerk at Bath and Body Works asked her how old she was. I watched, curious to know if she knew. She said something that sounded like "20 munse", which is very close. She is actually 23 months. I was going to say that she was almost 2. It sounds less complicated. Amazing, brilliant girl!

It is fun to be loved by a 2 year old, and yet... sometimes the love is hurtful, even if it is unintentional. The sweet little Jelly Bean is expecting a sibling, Gum Drop. Now, we don't know if Gum Drop is a girl or a boy, because her parents think the surprise is fun. DH and I both think that is for the birds, we would want to know. Sis-in-law is about 6 weeks away from finding out, so she has a very distinct belly. Jelly Bean said something about a baby in the belly to me, wondering if my similarly shaped (Santa has nothing on me!) belly had the same progression as Mommy's. She is perfectly innocent in thinking that big bellies carry babies. She has no idea that I cried for an hour while she was napping.

For the first time in recent memory, DH was told he was little. You must understand, he is 6'6", and weighs more than I am allowed to tell you. Nobody has thought he was "little" since... well, since he WAS little. Jelly Bean was wanting to cuddle, and kept saying she wanted to "hold you". This, of course, means that we must hold her. She told DH she wanted to hold him, so he leaned over, and put his head on her lap while she sat in the couch. She pushed him off her lap, and said, "No! You're too little!" She meant that SHE was too little, and he was too big to be on her lap.

Jelly Bean knows where all the toys are at Auntie Chelf's house. She knew that she wanted the football, and not the soccer ball or the basketball, from the collection of stuffed ball toys on my shelf. As soon as it was in her hands, she spiked it on the floor, and yelled, "Touchdown! Kansas City, Chiefs!" with her hands up in the air, like she was signaling the play on the field. Her Daddy is speechless, and glowing; a real "that's my girl!" moment for him. The "Chiefs!" sounds like "Cheese!" but we don't mind. Somewhere, I think they have a cheerleader outfit for her. Destiny might be at work here.

I remember my dad and my cousin playing when she was little. She kept yelling, "Uncle Frank!". Finally, after a little thought, he yelled back, "Niece Morgan!" She stopped, and gave him a funny, curious look. "My mommy doesn't call me that!" Well, no. DH had a game with Sugar Bunny when she was about Jelly Bean's age. She would almost sing, "Dzif!" (Those J sounds are tough!) and DH would sing back her name, and she would say, "What?!?" She would forget whatever it was that she was going to say to him, because he answered her in a way she didn't expect. We do a game where DH pops up behind me on alternating sides, and says "boo" to any kid I am holding, while I bounce the baby each time, and say "eek!" I do it for the giggles. Aren't baby giggles the best? I now have Jelly Bean trained to answer "Boo!" with "Eeek!" and a hop.

OUCH! Have you ever coughed and immediately then hiccuped? Not fun. I have the hiccups, and I hate them. They are useless pains. I don't understand why such a thing would be a good creation in the life of a human, but God must see some purpose to it.

I need to get back into writing. J. K. Rowling has more money that the Queen of England! I was told just the other day that I had a gift, and I needed to write a book. I actually have three in the works. One fiction, one observations of the world (maybe including memoirs), and one of religious study. I was always better at poetry than prose, but this blog outlet seems to have struck a chord with me. I do my best writing while sitting at the computer, and typing the gibberish that falls out of my brain.

Sometimes, however, the best release is a freshly sharpened cedar wood #2 pencil and a new notebook of perforated College Ruled paper. The drivel that happens when I am angry gets hand-shredded into tiny bits, and burned or tossed as so much confetti. It is a party to release anger like that.

Throw a party with your anger-confetti.

Have a Blessed Day!

I Hate To Say "I Told You So"

Word of the Post
Today's word is: divination
/div'i*na"tion/ noun
To foresee, foretell; The act or art of divining; Gift or pretense of prophecy by supernatural means.
This is one of the many subjects available for study at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This is condemned profoundly in the Bible.
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I find myself upset. I have just spent the better part of 16 hours reading a fictional book. I have wasted an entire day of my life to find out if Harry Potter lives or dies.

I have said before that I wish I could settle myself to read the Bible with such enthusiasm.

Of course, I know that Jesus lives eternally after that nasty physical death. So, knowing the ending takes all the mystery out of the read for me.

I had a few notions that were solidly confirmed with this book. JKR had the daunting task of finishing her thoughts without destroying the hopes of the futures in fan fiction. I think she did well. I have always enjoyed these books, from the very first. I got involved during the 3rd one, when the whole of the preaching world was in a tizzy over the introduction of witchcraft and spells to the 11 to 15 year old reading public.

I am the first to tell you that I believe that witchcraft, of any kind, is named as bad in the Bible.

I am also the first to tell you that your 11 year old can tell the difference.

The spells that are named are just Latin conjugations of real words. Levicorpus, for example. Levitate, the corpse. Yep, you guessed it: this one lifts a body. Usually by the ankle. That is funny, when you think about it. The potion ingredients are mostly stuff that you could find, but will probably make a stinky and gross mess if tried in real life. Fanciful names for historical herbs that were once thought to have the magical qualities of what we today refer to as "medicine".

Legend, creatures, and mystery all crammed into a little book that only takes a day to read. JKR does much research, and most of it is accurate. There are some details that she massively messes with, to make it all fit. I am OK with this policy, as long as the messes are consistent.
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Book in Hardback on Release Day: 21.50
Time spent reading the book: 15 hours 45 minutes
Sleep in the middle of the reading: 4 hours
Arena Football Game in the middle of reading: 4 hours
Bathroom Breaks and Lunchtime: 15 minutes
Still smiling on Sunday morning at church: Priceless
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Hopefully, I can be clean and happy on Sunday morning, and not fall asleep during the lesson.