Political/financial rant.

Just in case you're wondering what started the financial mess our country is in right now, read from this article, published in the New York Times, Sept. 30, 1999, by Steven A. Holmes.

In a move that could help increase home ownership rates among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders.
The action, which will begin as a pilot program involving 24 banks in 15 markets -- including the New York metropolitan region -- will encourage those banks to extend home mortgages to individuals whose credit is generally not good enough to qualify for conventional loans. Fannie Mae officials say they hope to make it a nationwide program by next spring.
Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people and felt pressure from stock holders to maintain its phenomenal growth in profits.

Did you catch those phrases? "Extend home mortgages to individuals whose credit is generally not good enough to qualify?" "Under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration?" Read on.

In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of lending, Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980's.

"Significantly more risk." Ya think?

Remember, this piece was written in 1999.

The Clinton Administration demanded the mortgage industry offer home loans to under-qualified borrowers, then they demanded Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac buy those loans, further weakening their balance sheets. Is it any wonder they're in dire need of rescue now?

Our current situation should not be a surprise to anyone. A New York Times journalist predicted it nine years ago.

And who will pay the price? Those of us who have good credit, who work and pay taxes, and who pay our mortgages on time every month.

Makes me sick.

Having trouble being thankful for THIS ~

Karen

Fireproof

You've heard me say before that I am not a movie-lover. I just don't enjoy sitting still for two hours, and the vast majority of what's produced nowadays just doesn't interest me in the least. And since I'm not paying attention to what's coming and going, I never heard of "Fireproof" until Ben called last week and said he wanted to see it Friday night.

So see it, we did. And aside from the uncomfortable seat and the $9.50 per person price tag (Nine! Fifty!) I enjoyed it. A LOT.

I was very pleasantly surprised that I could actually go to the movies and love it. While this is not a film starring Hollywood A-listers, it is well done and the message is clear. The gospel is presented well, and anyone with a troubled marriage would be encouraged that there is hope if they're willing to work at it. We laughed and cried, sometimes simultaneously, and left the theater feeling good about what we had seen and taken our kids to. That's a rare thing these days.

Fireproof is made by the same people who brought us "Facing the Giants," Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. You can read a bit about it here, and here's what USA Today had to say about it.

Go see it. Take the tissues.

Be thankful ~

Karen

The signs of the times.

Deb has been taking lots of pictures in Thailand so we can see what they're doing and where they're going. They've visited the local market a few times already and she shared this picture from their most recent excursion:

What do you supposed it really means?

Be thankful ~

Karen

I'm crazy.

Today I was trying to kill some time while waiting for Abbie's class to be over. I was walking along a row of stores that have brick fronts, in a shopping center that is huge, located at the intersection of I-95 and a six-lane highway. It's the city, no doubt.

As I was getting near Old Navy, a little brown thing in a sheltered brick corner caught my eye. I stopped and took a step back to see what it was and here's what I found:

Can you see what that is and how tiny he is? It's a little brown bat, hanging upside down in the middle of the city! No kidding, his body isn't more than 2 inches long! And he was sound asleep. I got my phone about six inches from him to take this picture and he never stirred, although when I came out of the store a few minutes later, he had shifted his position a bit. His body is covered in brown fur - he looks just like a little mouse with wings. Can you believe I'm thinking a bat is cute?

I looked for other bats hanging around, but couldn't find any. So what happened to this one? Why is he alone in the city? Do you suppose he'll find his buddies tonight when they all come out to eat bugs? Why am I still thinking about a bat? Maybe becoming a grandmother has made me feel all maternal again. But toward a bat?

Be thankful ~

Karen

Wordless Tuesday, just to be different.

Deb and David at a waterfall in Thailand. With Sticky Bean!

Be thankful ~

Karen

Following

Chickadee must be sick of me. I saw this cool gadget on her blog called *Followers* and just had to have it, and she has been trying to coach me through using it, bless her heart. And I have been bugging her endlessly with silly comments about how I can't find this, figure out that, have no hyperlink, and on and on I drone taking up valuable comment space on her blog that other people could use.

I really would love to be technically literate, it's just not in my DNA.

Anyway, I found the gadget, got it on my blog, then struggled with it for two days and finally it appeared like it was supposed to. I don't think most of that was my fault - it just magically fixed itself. At least that's how I'm telling the story.

Then I couldn't figure out how to follow another blog. It's not like there are instructions anywhere. So I struggled with THAT, until I had the brilliant idea to ask a question on the "how to" board. After all, if the "how to" board is not for asking questions, what IS it for, right?

Wrong.

Apparently, it gives grumpy people an outlet for their frustrations with those of us who can't figure out how to use a certain gadget.

But grumpiness aside, a certain person did give me the info I needed to use said gadget properly, so here I am with a followers link on my sidebar, and in complete understanding of the proper protocol for following another blog. Whatever would I do without Capt. Grumpy?

So if you want to follow my blog and have your teeny-tiny picture over there on the sidebar, click on *follow this blog*. If you want to follow another blog, use the instructions given by Sir Grumpy:

*If you want to follow a blog, get its URL and go to your Dashboard - Reading List (at the bottom) - click 'Add', and insert the URL. *

And if you share El Grumpy's opinion that I should have been born knowing how to do this, simply use your browser's back button to exit this blog.

And have a lovely day.

Be thankful ~

Karen

We bring new meaning to the phrase "Eat Dessert First."

When Ben took over the College and Career Sunday School class at our church, we decided it would be a fun thing to bring donuts on Sunday mornings. You know, people that age love to eat and what better way to entice them to Sunday School than Dunkin Donuts, right? It was no big deal because we only had three students.

Three.


But Ben is a phenomenal teacher and word started to spread. Slowly at first, then like wildfire. The spring semester ended and they all came home from college, and we were so crowded we had to get a bigger classroom. No one in the church had any idea we had so many kids that age. Most Sundays during the summer we had 25-30 students, plus Ben and me. Some weeks we didn't even fit in our bigger classroom.

Now I don't know when the last time you went to Dunkin was, but donuts for 30 people gets expensive. So I started baking. We had all manner of breakfast-ey stuff - coffee cakes, muffins, even did a big pancakes and sausage breakfast one week.

Eventually I got bored making the same stuff over and over, so I began to get daring. I made a pound cake. Then chocolate chip pumpkin bread. And finally a Chocolate Ripple Cake.



And that has become the official favorite. Chocolate Ripple Cake. For breakfast! One of these days I'm going to make a chocolate layer cake and see if anyone notices we're eating dessert at 9:30 in the morning.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Another question of the day.

Abbie heard about the hot, chewy brownies with French vanilla ice cream dripping down the sides and just had to have one. Only I didn't make the brownies.

And you know necessity (or really bad WANT) is the mother of invention, so she put a Little Debby Fudge Round in a bowl, heated it in the microwave, and got out the ice cream. As she was scooping it out, her hand slipped and an entire serving of French vanilla landed on the floor.

Two inches from Pete's nose. It took about half a second for him to inhale it. Which brings us to the question of the day:

Can dogs gets brain freeze?

My opinion is that they would have to have a brain for that.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Like Picasso, only without the freak show.

Abbie started college this year. She is taking most of her classes at the local community college, and English 111 at VBC which is a ministry of our church. Her community college classes are math, psychology, weightlifting, and drawing. Her long-term goal is to teach art. She has always been artsy, and I figured out pretty early that she was very right-brained. She's never had any formal training, but has always done lots of creative stuff. So we were interested to see what would happen in the drawing class.

She has far surpassed our hopes for her. Here's her first charcoal drawing:

Even her teacher is impressed. I have no idea where this girl got her talent. Her daddy and I have trouble drawing stick men, so it's certainly not in the DNA.

I'll have her start signing her works and we'll put them on ebay. That's one way to pay for college!

And I made it through an entire post without mentioning Sticky Bean one time! Or the fact that I'm going to be a grandma! A GRANDMA!

Be thankful ~

Karen

Question of the day.

This has nothing to do with Sticky Bean. I'm really making progress, aren't I?

First I'll give you the facts:

1. Our computer uses Windows Vista (God help us), and each of us has a separate profile.

2. I have a blog here at blogger.

3. My son, Elijah, also has a blog here at blogger. He made one so he could practice his writing, at my request.

4. I would like to link to his blog from my blog, but when I try to pull up his blog from my profile, it says there is no such blog, and would I like to create one.

5. What on earth? I link to all sorts of other blogs (as evidenced by my lengthy blogroll over there), so why can't I link to this particular one?

6. If you can help me I will send you thoughts of warm, chewy brownies with melty French Vanilla ice cream dripping over the edges.

Edited to add: I just figured out the problem. Does this mean I get the brownies?

Be thankful ~

Karen

Maybe I should stick to doing laundry.

I'm on a bleach binge. I just can't stop thinking about the mold in my washing machine.

Saturday I bought Affresh, a product which is supposed to strip the scunge (that's a technical term) from the innards of front-load washers. It says to use one tablet in a hot water cycle. I used three. So far it smells fine; we'll see how long it lasts.

So now I'm obsessing about the spores which are no doubt stuck in all my laundry. Today I took everything off the bed - sheets, mattress pad, blankets, everything - and washed it all with bleach. I'm not sure if my septic system will recover, but my bed sure smells nice and I'll sleep better tonight. Hopefully without any more dreams about giving birth to corny pop stars.

In other not-so-fascinating news, I made a different kind of enchiladas tonight. Try to contain your excitement. I usually make the kind with chicken and refried beans, with enchilada sauce and cheese on top. Abbie loves these and begs for them all the time. So when she asked what I was making and I replied, "Enchiladas," she was thrilled. When she came in the kitchen a little later and saw the pan full of the chicken and cheese kind with a creamy-cheesy-with-green-chilis sauce, she said with obvious feelings of impending doom, "What have you done?"

I might have launched into a dramatic rant describing the don't ever change anything always make everything the same way don't ever try a new recipe the old one was the way we like it and we don't ever want anything to be different mentality toward food in our house. In all fairness, Ben has been positive about my trying new things, and has even liked some of them. But according to most of the family members, WE DON'T CHANGE THE ENCHILADA RECIPE. OK. Back to boring.

In my mind, trying a new recipe is like moving the furniture. I get tired of the same old same old and just need a change. I started to tell Abbie that when SHE was a mom, she would get tired of cooking the same things all the time and would. . . and she interrupted me to say, "But I will NEVER change the ENCHILADAS!"

Whatever. Call me in 20 years and we'll talk about it.

But I liked the new recipe, and so did Elijah. I'm not sure if Ben will or not. It does have cheese which is a favorite of his, but sometimes I can't tell how he'll react. Abbie reluctantly told me, "Well, they're not disgusting."

A rousing endorsement.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Very short political rant.

This from the AP today:

AP - The U.S. government stepped in Tuesday to rescue American International Group Inc., one of the world's largest insurers, with an $85 billion injection of taxpayer money. Under the deal, the government will get a 79.9 percent stake in AIG and the right to remove senior management.

I have an idea. Let's try this strategy on the government. Since all the money they get is taxpayer money anyway, we have a 100% stake in it, and we should have the right to remove senior management.

Oh wait! We do! It's called an election!

So if you don't like the way things are going in America, vote. If you don't vote, go back under your rock and keep your mouth closed. Those of us who DO vote have absolutely NO tolerance for those that don't and then have the audacity to complain.

OK, I thought about something other than Sticky Bean for a solid minute there. Aren't you proud?

Be thankful ~

Karen

Sticky Bean at six weeks

Deb shared this link at her blog today, to let us know how "Sticky Bean" was doing - her name for the baby since she can't bring herself to refer to it as it.

I told you you would get sick of me.

I'll try to think about something else for at least three seconds today, but I make no promises.

Be thankful ~

Karen

You're going to get sick of me.

My kids are so great. First my son gets me tickets to the McCain/Palin rally and then this morning my married daughter Deb called from Thailand to tell me I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDMA!!!!

I texted my brother this afternoon and he replied, "Yeah, it's all the buzz!"

How did HE know?

Then I texted my sister-in-law (his wife) and she replied, "Kate (her daughter) called me at lunchtime to say she read it on facebook!"

Dang technology steals my thunder every time.

Deb says she feels good and is dying for pickles. She says it started before they left for Thailand, long before she had any inkling she was pregnant. She would come home from work at night and eat a bowl of them (??!!). So now they're in MaeSot, in the middle of nowhere, with not a pickle to be found. Apparently Thai folks don't eat them, nor do they know what they are. Their missionary buddy is searching high and low in Bangkok for some kind of vinegar-preserved vegetable that will pass for a pickle. He offered to bring ice cream, too.

Then I went and bought tires, a lower control arm, and a front-end alignment for my Honda and the sting of paying $850 was substantially reduced by the knowledge that I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDMA!!!

Did I mention the baby clothes? And the adorable teddy bears? And the quilt I'm already planning? And that I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDMA?????

Ok, I'm done. But only for a little while. GRAMMY will be back tomorrow!

Be thankful ~

Karen (Grammy)

Clearly, psychoanalysis is needed.

My first thought this morning was one of horror mixed with laughter.

The dream I had just before I woke up was this: I was pregnant.

Now you could stop right there and it would be bad enough. But wait, there's more.

I was pregnant with twins. Twin girls, to be exact.

And I was in labor. And the only one home to help me was my 15 year old son, Elijah.

Yes, this is really bad, but believe it or not, it gets even worse.

I delivered the first girl and she was pretty normal - red, wrinkly, crying.

Here's where the dream takes a bizarre turn.

The second baby born looked like a poster-image of Hannah Montana, complete with fake-highlighted hair.

Help me.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Epic cuteness.

Turn the speakers on.

Oh, the life I am missing. Not.

Most of the time I go through my life without thinking about the little things I do. But today was different. I really paid attention. And you'll be amazed at the things I learned.



Every three or four days I go quickly through my spam folder to make sure something important didn't get sent there. It has happened in the past and caused a problem, so I check. Today I started going through the 287 messages that ended up there in the last three days and here are some of the subject lines:



Let the government fund your dreams



Dumb and poor? Here's a simple way to make MONEY!



Claim your FREE baby clothes and diapers HERE!



Colon Cleanse



Stop being fat!



I don't even know what to say about these. Or about the fact that I have missed the 56 gift cards Walmart wanted to give me in the last three days. And the new singles in my area. *shaking my head*



Back under my rock.



Be thankful ~



Karen

A very short rant, I promise. And a cute puppy to offset it.

Mike has been playing with his blackberry lately trying to figure out all the things it can do. In the process, he's been taking pictures and sending them to me.


He knows my weakness for really cute, little dogs:

Someday I'm going to have another Yorkie - I just can't resist them. My last one (see Spanky in the sidebar pictures) was the perfect dog. I told Abbie I'm going to get a female and name her Gucci.

*sigh* Someday.

And funny signs he sees in his travels around Virginia:

But let me just say something about voting for the chick, which I will do. Voting for Sarah Palin just because she is a woman is no better than voting for Barak Obama just because he is black. One vote is sexist, one is racist. Same thought process, and both are stupid. Make your choice based on what you believe the candidates can and will do for America. Or at least to prevent the other candidate from doing what you believe will harm our country.

Be thankful ~

Karen

At least someone enjoyed them. *sigh*

I was just reading over at The Gremlin Wrangler about her fried green tomatoes. If you want to give your salivary glands a good workout, go look at her pictorial tutorial (I just made that up - aren't you impressed?).

Anyway, her fried tomatoes looked incredible, but I am not going to be making any this year. My tomato plants have been eaten. Not just the tomatoes, but every tiny bit of every leaf. Yes, we've been visited by the Great Tomato Hornworms. Here they are feasting away:

And lest you think they're-not-that-big-how-much-can-they-possibly-eat, here's my finger next to one to give you perspective:

Now I've written about two nasty things in two days. I'll try to think of something positive for tomorrow.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Dude's got no chance!!

* Guest Contributer (She's going to kill me!) husband of Karen*

So I went to my 30 year High School reunion about a month ago. I’m an old goat who still works hard and in addition to that I work out 4-5 times a week at the Y (the old man gym) while most men my age are still sleeping. So I’m not quite as soft as most of my classmate brethren, but I’m still almost 50, and keeping my weight under control is an ongoing process. The Darlin Bride (Karen) has been diligent about keeping the broccoli and beans in front of me (high fiber, low fat, no flavor stuff) and since May I’ve been able to drop 13 pounds of unneeded Ben. So I must be looking better and here’s how I know.

Labor Day Monday it was raining and I couldn’t go to the job I’d planned for the day and so I thought I’d work at the house laying some trim, doing some painting etc. in anticipation of our soon coming fireplace stone and hardwood flooring projects (The Darlin Bride has the patience of Job). I got back from the gym and the Darlin Bride says to me, “Hey dad, want some breakfast?” I said, "No thanks baby, I’m headed to Lowe’s for material and I’m going to get to work." Out the door I go and back in a flash ('bout an hour). I come in the door and what do I find, but the Darlin Bride is cutting out some biscuits. Not just your garden variety nasto bisquick biscuits, but the “Oh yeah, she just got done grinding the fresh wheat, stay with you all day amazing, incredible, give me 6 or 8 NOW biscuits!” Talkin unbelievable, irresistible, no saying no to biscuits. So, I said “I told you I didn’t want breakfast” with a stunned look on my face. The look that says I’m meat, I know it, she knows it, she’s got me kinda face. To which the Darlin Bride says, “You’re not looking better than me buddy, now sit down and eat!” Is that DIRTY POOL OR WHAT?! So, next time you see a guy who’s pushing 50 and you think “Man what happened to that dude, he’s a load”, just remember … there but for a lousy cook for a wife, go I!

Never, and I DO MEAN NEVER, buy a Maytag.

I think I've told you before that I have a Maytag Neptune front-load washing machine. Oh, bless my heart.

We've been through the burned up mother-board which Maytag grudgingly replaced, but only if we would drag the machine 60 miles to a repairman. Looking back, we should have literally dragged it 60 miles. Even though it was less than two years old and still under FULL warranty, they wouldn't come to the house because we lived in the middle of nowhere. Sorry, but not my problem.

Anyway, then the mold started showing up on the rubber seal around the door and Maytag replaced it with a "new, improved seal" which was supposed to allow the water to drain better, thereby preventing the mold buildup.

Nyet. Every so often I have to make a bucket of hot, bleachy water and slop it all over the inside of the machine, around the seal, under things and in places I never intended to stick one of my appendages.

And yet I'm still washing my family's clothing in this thing. That's just a little bit nasty.

In the last few weeks I have noticed a distinct odor coming from the machine. It's the same one I smell when I step out of the shower, grab a freshly laundered towel, bury my face in it and inhale. And almost pass out. Ben has been complaining that his t-shirts smell funky. Granted he sweats when he works hard, but it's been much worse than any normal person would expect.

It's beyond awful. It surpasses gross. I can't stop envisioning the mold spores in my freshly washed hair, on my sheets, in all my clothes. ON MY DISHTOWELS, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!

Today I actually considered unhooking all the hoses and pushing it out the door into the driveway.

But because I am a woman of great self-control and obsessive researching, I went to the internet and read people's sob stories looking for help.

Some say use vinegar. I've tried that and it doesn't work.

Others suggest baking soda, borax, commercial odor-fighters, bleach, and using only "he" detergents. None of those has worked for us.

Someone else declared we needed to file a class-action lawsuit. I've already been part of one and got a check from Maytag in the amount of $12.89.

$12.89.

Finally I read a true story-of-last-resort. One guy took his machine apart. You know that tag on the back that says, "Do Not Open This Vented Flappy Thing On The Back - Only A Qualified Technician May Service This Appliance"? Well this guy rebelled. He took the back off. And the sides. And the top. He disconnected wires not knowing if he could ever get them hooked up again. He all but mutilated the mother board. He removed every screw, nut and bolt holding it all together. And you know what he found?

I pause to give you fair warning that what he found may cause you to throw up a little.

He found a solid half inch of built-up detergent, fabric softener, and MOLD in the drum. Not in the inside where you could actually SEE it, but in the surrounding drum which is cleverly hidden from human view. So every time this guy washed his clothes, that built-up mold-ridden scum was sloshing around with them.

Oh my goodness, people! No WONDER they STINK!!!!

So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to tear the beast apart next week. What's the worst that can happen, right? And maybe I'll find some scum of my own to clean up, right? And maybe my laundry won't stink anymore and I won't have to sleep in a bed of mold spores, right? And if it all goes south, I'll go down to the river and beat my laundry on a rock. It couldn't smell any worse.

Be thankful ~

Karen

So brave with the HTML I'm scaring myself.

ps. Is this so totally cool? I really like my new background and I love the creamy-colored page - much easier for old eyes like mine to read.

My brush with fame included 23,000 people.

My effort to actually shake Sarah Palin's hand was completely blown out of the water today. Off the map. We might as well have been in separate universes. I thought that by leaving my house at 6:30 for an 11 am rally I was doing well, but apparently 22,999 other people left earlier. Here they are:

Security guys told us the line began forming at 3 am.

When Mike called me on my cell phone at 9 we were just parking and still had to walk a MILE to get to the end of the line which led through the security checkpoints. He laughed when I told him we were just getting there and said, "Oh Mom, you'll be in the nosebleed seats."

For sure.

We stood way up on a hill where the view was mostly blocked by tree branches and gargantuan speaker systems, but when the breeze blew just right the branches moved and we had a great, if not extremely far away, view of whomever was speaking.

Kudos to the person who invented telephoto lenses. And Elijah's camera has a great one. Abbie's too. Here's Gov. Palin speaking:

Still it was fun and not something we get to do every day, even given our close proximity to the Capital. So now we're home trying to catch up on sleep, do some schoolwork, and get ready for church tonight.

Campaigns are exhausting. Good thing I'm just a spectator.

Be thankful ~

Karen

In my next life I'm coming back as a bird.

I'm re-reading The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman which is a pretty interesting book. I read it many years ago and thought it was good and applicable, then promptly forgot about it.

Then last week Ben and I had a discussion wherein I said, "I think we speak two totally different languages," and that book popped into my head again. So I'm re-reading it, and I'm more convinced now that we speak different languages.

What's most interesting is that I try to communicate with him in MY preferred language instead of in HIS preferred language. I guess that's to be expected, since that's what comes naturally to me and what's easiest for me. And then I get frustrated with him when he doesn't understand me.

Duh. We need the gift of interpretation.

In other news, not that my reading of an old book is news, but we have to fill this blank space with something and you just happen to be here spending your valuable time reading it. Anyway, I did finally get my no-line progressive-lens bifocals and while I don't love them, I don't hate them either.

You just have to get used to the fact that, if you want to look at your feet, you have to bend your neck forward at a 90 degree angle to look out the top of your lenses, something that's probably not an easy feat for the most flexible twenty year old, let alone a middle-aged housewife. Makes painting the toenails difficult. If I could get my feet closer to my eyes it would be easy. But seriously, at 47 how much of a pretzel can I be? And since I can't get my toes close enough to see out the bifocal part of the glasses, I have to bend my neck at a ninety to see out the top part. Are you getting a visual? It's not pretty.

And since the focus blurs at the sides of the glasses, you can't just nonchalantly glance to your right or left. You turn your head. Like an owl. Yeah. I should be wearing a sign that says, "I am attractive in my new bifocals."

So instead of everyone knowing I'm old enough to need advanced vision aids, I attract the attention of bird-lovers everywhere.

Just throw me a mouse.

Be thankful ~

Karen

I have tickets!!!

I have such an awesome son!

Mike called me today from somewhere in the western part of Virginia where he is working like a crazy man for one of our Congressmen's campaigns. He told me that John McCain and Sarah Palin were going to be in Fairfax (north of us) on Wednesday and he could get me as many tickets as I wanted.

So I started inviting people. What a great opportunity for our kids to see Mrs. Palin up close and personal! And that other guy on the ticket, too.

We are so excited! I have serious doubts that I'll get close enough for a photo op, but I do plan to try.

Be thankful ~

Karen

More disjointed thoughts, courtesy of my aching head.

I have a sore throat, hurting ears and a headache. Methinks it is a cold coming on, which I got from Abbie, which she got who-knows-where. When I start to get sick I gargle with Listerine a lot (kills germs, doncha know) and drink huge quantities of water. So I smell medicine-y and spend my time running to the potty. Good thing Deb's not here - she'd have me eating whole garlic cloves.

Pete has progressed from eating trash to just chewing it up and leaving it all slobbery-squishy in the middle of the living room so I walk on it. Have you ever stepped on a frog with bare feet? That's what it feels like. Anybody want to adopt a dog?

Abbie loves Chipotle. You know, the Mexican grill place. She especially loves the rice they put on burritos and she's been asking me to make something like it lately. So tonight she did a web search for a recipe, found one that sounded like it might be it, and brought it to me. I cooked it. It was the most disgusting stuff I have ever put in my mouth. We'll stick to the restaurant.

After dinner I ran a sink full of soapy water to wash the stuff that doesn't go in the dishwasher. My big santoku knife went in with some other stuff. But unbeknownst to me, the big knife landed blade up and was propped that way by the other stuff around it. So when I plunged my hands in to start washing, I sliced two knuckles. Yeah, that soapy water felt great. So, like my mother always said, don't put the sharp knives in the soapy water where you can't see them. Sorry I didn't listen, Mom.

So to comfort myself after making horrible rice and shredding my fingers, I made some cinnamon struesel bread. It's sitting here hot and cinnamony and I'm going to go eat a lot of it.

Be thankful ~

Karen