Baseball—a simple explanation.

This is a game played by two teams, one out the other in. The one that's in, sends players out one at a time, to see if they can get in before they get out. If they get out before they get in, they come in, but it doesn't count. If they get in before they get out it does count.

When the ones out get three outs from the ones in before they get in without being out, the team that's out comes in and the team in goes out to get those going in out before they get in without being out.

When both teams have been in and out nine times the game is over. The team with the most in without being out before coming in wins unless the ones in are equal. In which case, the last ones in go out to get the ones in out before they get in without being out.

The game will end when each team has the same number of ins out but one team has more in without being out before coming in.

Be thankful (if you can still think) ~

Karen

What else? More pictures.

This is what desperate parents (and grandparents) do when their baby is crying without end:

It's an old cell phone that no one uses anymore.

 

 

At some point, he pressed the right button and turned it on.

While it was tasty, it was more fun when it was blinking and singing a Mozart sonata.

 

 

 

Tomorrow I may have other thoughts, but this week Sticky Bean has been the center of attention. I hope you understand.

Be thankful ~

Karen

 

Crusted Grape Salad, and guess who.

As usual, the food at our annual Thanksgiving feast was incredible. One of my favorites, though, is the Crusted Grape Salad, which I mentioned a few days ago. Here's the recipe, more or less:

2 lbs. seedless green grapes
2 lbs. seedless red grapes

1 (8-oz) block cream cheese
1/2 cup (or a little more) vanilla yogurt

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans

First, wash grapes and remove stems. Dry thoroughly (this step is important—I roll them around with dry towels, or you could let them sit long enough to be dry).

In a large bowl, mash the cream cheese with a fork and stir in the yogurt. Dump all grapes in and toss to coat well. Put it all in a 13x9 dish. Mix up topping ingredients and sprinkle over all. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The topping forms a "crust" over the grapes and the whole thing is so incredible you won't be able to stop eating it.

Ben and my brother Jim fried four turkeys:

Bean was held by his great-grandparents (my mom and dad):

Look at those eyes!

Bean was particularly fond of the men who have beards. It gives him something to grab.

Oyster's Rockefeller recipe coming next.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Our day in pictures.

Grammy and Sticky Bean:

Peeling apples for pie:

Apple pie topping:

Cheesecake:

Papaw and Bean:

We were so busy cooking, we never got photos of the well finally being fixed. All told, the guys hauled that pump up and back down 330 feet three full times. That's over 1/4 mile of hauling. They're very tired tonight, but we made them a good dinner. And we have water now, so everyone's happy.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Be thankful ~

Karen

Is there ever a good time for the well pump to die?

No, but today was close to the worst time.

Ben got up and went to the gym at 5 this morning. Water was fine. Leah got up at 5:30 and brushed her teeth. Water was fine. She turned the shower on and 20 seconds later, it stopped abruptly. That was it. No water. Lucky for us we have great neighbors who have had more than their share of well problems, so they welcomed us to come over all day to use the bathroom and fill jugs with water.

After much testing and pontificating, Ben and David decided it was the pump. It was getting power, but wasn't coming on. Sounds like a pump to me. So they began pulling. And pulling. And pulling. Three of them out there, taking turns and stopping every so often to catch their breath. When they finally got the pump to the top of the well casing, the very long flexible pipe was coiled around them on the grass and they decided to find out just how deep that pump had been submerged. So they measured the circumference of the circle, multiplied by pi and then by the number of coils and came up with . . .

330 feet. Get a visual now . . . that's a football field plus 30 feet.

Dude, those guys are my heroes!

They disconnected the old pump and went out for a new one. Came home, hooked 'er up, and lowered the whole thing. And guess what?

No water. So you know what they did?

They pulled the Whole. Thing. Up. Again. The wire is so corroded it's not getting juice all the way down to the pump. So tomorrow morning, they will replace 330 feet of wire. And hope it works.

While they were at it, we found time for playing with Sticky Bean

and Ab made us a wreath for the front door.

In the meantime, we've had pizza for dinner and are on our way to the YMCA to take showers. We're thankful that it's not raining, that this didn't happen on Thursday when we had 23 people here for dinner, and that we have a Y membership that's right around the corner. It could be worse.

Be thankful ~

Karen

The weekly random dozen, early. And . . oh! What have we here? Why, it's a picture of Sticky Bean! Imagine that!

1. Are you sticking to traditional Thanksgiving foods this year, or are you being culinarily adventurous?

Mostly traditional: fried turkey, mashed potatoes, apple/sausage stuffing, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole (my daughter was told "that must be a white-people thing" by her roommate), cranberry sauce, crusted grape salad, homemade bread, pumpkin, apple, and cherry pies, cheesecake, apple cider. Did I forget anything? Last year I was culinarily adventurous and made sauteed Brussels sprouts with pancetta and pignoli. They were incredible. Why am I not making them this year? (kicking self)

2. Tell me something concrete that you're thankful for. (Something you can literally touch, see, etc., not a concept like "hope.")

The people who will be here on Thursday. We so rarely have all the kids together at one time anymore, and will have them all, all week. And Sticky Bean! What could be better? And aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents—it's just so much fun.

3. You knew the flip side was coming: Share about something intangible that you're thankful for.

The ties that bind our hearts together.

4. Share one vivid Thanksgiving memory. It doesn't have to be deep or meaningful, just something that remains etched in your memory.

Once when I was a young teen, I was sick on Thanksgiving day. Because we had a lot of older relatives (grandparents, great aunts) and we didn't want them to get sick, I stayed in my bedroom the entire day while the whole extended family was downstairs having dinner and fellowshiping. HUGE drag. That's probably not the warm, fuzzy memory you were looking for, huh?

5. What is one thing that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt is going to happen this Thanksgiving because it always does, year after year?

THE MEN WILL DO THE DISHES! I am never so thankful for that tradition (started by my awesome husband ♥) than on Thanksgiving, when I've been cooking for three days and can't stand the sight of more soapy water.

6. Do your pets get any left-overs?

No. Just an hour ago, Pete was walking past the trash can and grabbed the entire packet of giblets I pulled out of a raw, oven-stuffer roaster. Treats are not treats when you steal them unallowed.


Now that I've said this though, my manic-hyperactive-hairball will sit patiently at Ben's feet while he carves the turkey, and Ben will throw him pieces of skin and fat, because although Ben presents himself as a cold-hearted meanie, he has no willpower when it comes to a pathetic dog begging for poultry.

7. Does your family pray before the big meal? If so, do you join hands while seated, stand, repeat a formal prayer or offer a spontaneous prayer? Who does the praying?

Yes, but we always thank the Lord before we eat. We always hold hands, usually while seated, unless we're eating buffet-style (which we will do on Thursday, with 23 people), in which case we will hold hands while standing up. Unless they want to sit on the kitchen floor. Either Ben prays or he asks someone else to. It varies.

8. Will you be watching football in the afternoon? If not, what will you be doing?

What else do you do on Thanksgiving Day?

9. There are two distinct camps of people on this issue: How do you feel about oysters in the dressing/stuffing?

We have a tradition of apple/sausage stuffing, but my mother makes an oyster casserole that is incredible. So while we don't put oysters IN the stuffing, we do eat them elsewhere.

10. Do you consider yourself informed about the first Thanksgiving?

As a matter of fact, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine recently published the 2009 Digital Holiday Supplement, which is completely free for anyone to download. It contains lots of info about the first Thanksgiving, as well as recipes, crafts, ideas for decorating, stories, etc. Go get yours here!  It's free! For anyone!

11. Which variety of pie will you be enjoying?

Pumpkin, cherry, and apple, as well as cheesecake. I will be enjoying all of them—that's called pig-pie. And another of our traditions is that we eat pie for breakfast on Friday. I'll need to do extra Pilates next week.

12. Do you feel for the turkey?? (This is a humorous throw-back question related to the 12th question in another Random Dozen!)

My first reaction to this question was No. But then I remembered that I said I DID feel for the fish, so now I'm doing some real soul-searching. I think the reason I don't feel for the turkey is because it comes to be featherless, head-and-feet-less, gutless, and nicely wrapped in plastic. I had to unhook the fish , cut its head off, and gut it myself. So in the turkey's case, the violence of my meal is hidden from me, hence no bad feelings.

And guess who's here to share it all with me?

Be thankful ~

Karen

Weekend review.

Sticky Bean is on his way, so I'm happy. His parents both have poison sumac, so I'll get lots of opportunity to hold him. I can't wait!

Since we're going to have 23 for dinner on Thursday, I went looking for another set of silverware yesterday. Bed, Bath, & Beyond was having a sale, so I knew I'd get a good deal, and I did. Service for 12 at a very reasonable price, plus my 20%-off coupon. And it included 12 extra teaspoons and 12 extra salad/dessert forks. What's not to love, right?

So I came home and unpacked it all, throwing each piece in a dishpan of soapy water as I unwrapped it. I was almost finished when I got a funny feeling. I felt like I had seen an awful lot of spoons, and not nearly enough forks. I washed and rinsed it all, laid it all out on towels, and started counting. 12 knives, 12 forks, 24 teaspoons. So far, so good. 24 soup spoons. Hmm. That's alotta soup. 1 dessert fork. One. Now it's getting personal.

Obviously, someone packed the box wrong. Back to BB&B I went with the 12 extra soup spoons to get my missing 23 forks.

All is well now and we won't have to slurp our dessert with mammoth-sized spoons.

Saturday the girls met some friends in downtown Fburg to hang out and take pictures. The plan was to meet at Picker's Supply, a music store. They got there before the friends, so they browsed around looking at the instruments. The guy behind the counter asked them what they played, and then handed Abbie a $5000 guitar and Leah a $6000 violin and told them to have at it. Then he grabbed a stand-up bass and played along. Someone has a video on facebook. The guy was so impressed he offered Leah a job teaching violin. She may take it after the first of the year. Here are a few pics of their impromptu jam session:

 

When the friends all got there, they went off to take pictures. Two of them are pretty good photographers, so they have "photo shoots" when they get together. Here's a sequence Joy took of Abbie and Leah:

 

 

Today we get to see Deb, David, and Sticky, who got here in the middle of the night. I love having them all together!

Be thankful ~

Karen

How I feel tonight.

I'll try to have a coherent thought tomorrow.

Be thankful ~

Karen

How did I get this dog?

Well, Pete survived his 7-hour ordeal at the pet hospital. Because it was a comprehensive exam and there was a lot to do, including shots and several tests, they asked me to drop the dog off. I was glad to.

When I went to pick him up, I asked nervously if he had been good. The girl at the desk said, "Um, I'll go get the technician."

Why did I even ask?

Not one, but three technicians came out. I wanted to crawl under the display of doggie beds. But they were smiling and immediately started gushing about how wonderful he had been, how compliant, how he licked their hands and sat still while they cut his nails and did all their tests. I was speechless.

Finally, after looking down at Pete sitting happily at my feet, I said, "This Pete? For real?"

They continued with their gushing and praising and petting him while he happily sat next to me and licked their hands.

I said, "I want to know what drugs you gave him, and I want to take some home."

"Ha, ha, ha," they laughed. I was so funny. He was such a sweet, loving dog.

I paid my bill and left, glancing down at Mr. Compliant every so often to make sure I had the right dog.

When we got near the van, I was unlocking the back door to let him jump up into his crate, when a car pulled in next to us. A man got out with a Papillion on a leash, and thank the LORD for the leash. That little dog was possessed with a spirit of kill-the-big-wimpy-bulldog, and it was hell-bent on its target. Whatever drugs they had given Pete instantly left his system and he reverted to his old, petrified-of-everything, shaking, jumping, frothing self. He bounced like a pinball between the bumper and my left leg until I could get the van door open. As soon as I did, he catapulted himself at the crate and bounced off the closed door. I fumbled to get the peg out so I could pull the door open, but Pete had reached his limit. He flung himself up again, this time smashing the door inward, but successfully getting into his haven of rest. He cowered, trembling, as far back in the crate as he could get, and whimpered while I secured the door. Rolling my eyes and heaving a sigh of relief, I closed up the van and turned to walk around to the front door, when I saw the man and his Papillion-from-the-devil staring at us incredulously. I forced a smile and got in my van.

No doubt about it. That's my Pete.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Not enough waffles and too much dog.

This from the world of Yahoo Finance: Apparently there is an impending worldwide shortage of Eggo waffles. You just never know what will show up on CNN news. I will say, though, that the few times I have tried to pass off cheaper waffles around here, I've been verbally beaten into Eggo-buying submission. Some people are testy at breakfast.

Tomorrow Pete goes to the doctor for shots, heartworm test, and to have his nails cut. I've put it off because I didn't want him in my car with the leather seats, and the van was full of tools. But now that Abbie has my car and I'm driving the rolling toolbox, we've emptied and vacuumed it, and I can now fit his crate in there. He'll be overjoyed, I'm sure. I'm already prepared for the he's-overweight speech, as well as the he-was-due-for-shots-two-months-ago-why-did-you-wait-so-long-don't-you-love-your-dog-enough-to-take-care-of-him lecture. Also, the he-needs-his-teeth-cleaned-and-it-costs-$250 ditty will be thrown in there for good measure. And the honest truth is, he's just not high enough on my priority list. If he were cute like this: (LOOK at that FACE!)

maybe. But this?

Coupled with dog hair, begging, and being afraid of everything that moves and a lot of what doesn't, not so much. 70 pounds is a lot of dog to put up with.

Someday I'll have a Yorkie again. Until then, I'm learning in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Be thankful ~

Karen

I have a budding Wordsworth! And way too many leaves!

I am drowning in leaves. Elijah and I raked/blew the front yard again today (this is the second time this fall), and still haven't gotten to the back yet. Tomorrow it rains, Friday the leaf-mountains in the back will be wet and miserably heavy. Goody. Then I dug up some iris bulbs that needed to be planted deeper. Still haven't gotten my daffodil bulbs in. Hacked off the forsythias that grow so big every summer the branches actually grow into the garage and up under the siding. Moving them to a spot where they can grow happily wild is also on the to-do list, but alas, there's no time, and if I could find time, I can't find the pointed shovel. Drained and put away the hoses and various attachments. Figured out for Abbie that the input values of a function are the domain, and the output values are the range. Promised to send her directions home (she's directionally challenged). Washed and dried two loads of laundry. Worked four hours. Balanced chemical decomposition equations with Elijah. Made a big pot of split pea soup. I'm sore, but I don't know if it's from yard work or my blessed Pilates class yesterday. At least my abs aren't seizing up,and that's a vast improvement over last week's class. I think it was a productive day.

Well, that was a run-on paragraph. So much for the "one topic, one paragraph" rule.

Abbie (the daughter at Liberty University) is on twitter, and she has decided that every tweet will be a poem. She gets quite imaginative with them. Here's the one she posted just a little while ago:

Home in days
To sing the praise
Of Mama's blessed cooking
I'll hold the Bean
I haven't seen
Whenever Deb's not looking  =)

That made me laugh and cry all at once! I love that girl and can't wait to have her home for a whole week.

Be thankful ~

Karen

It's the Random Dozen!

Welcome, once again, to the weekly Random Dozen meme. I feel like I should write more of an intro than that, but, like last Thursday, Pilates kicked my patootie. Why does that make my brain tired? I have no idea. Ok, I'll shut up now.

1. If you could master one sport, what would it be?

I'm a non-athlete. At this point, I'd like to be able to balance my body in a V like everybody else in my Pilates class. It's not looking good.

2. When you make a major purchase, do you go with your gut instinct, or do you do research to make an informed decision?

I research, ask opinions, and research some more. Then I add my gut instinct, which I think is nothing more than the sum of my experience, and buy a thing. The one appliance I did not research (but really couldn't, because it was too new) was the Maytag Neptune front-load washing machine. Worst $1000 I ever spent and I'm still suffering with it.

3. There is an old kids' game that says you can find out what your movie star name would be by using your middle name as your first name and the name of the street you grew up on as your last. What is your movie star name?

Lynne Burnt Tavern. How glamorous.

4. Would you rather give up your favorite music or your favorite food?

Definitely my favorite food. You can always find a substitute for a food but not for music.

5. There are two types of banana preferences. One is pristine yellow, almost to the point of being green; the other is spotty and more ripe. Which is your preference?

If it doesn't still have a little green around the stem end, I'm not eating it. Once the green is gone, they're ready for banana bread. Mostly I think I can't stand the soft texture of ripe bananas, but I love green ones.

6. Your favorite tree is?

A pink dogwood. But I learned last year that the "blossoms" are not really blossoms, but new leaves. Dogwoods don't have flowers.

7. On a scale of 1-10, how tech savvy are you?

Oh my word, maybe a 2, but only because I took a class last year that covered Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Anything else and I have to ask one of my kids. I take pictures with my phone because it's easier to get them on the computer than with my camera. Isn't that sad?

8. Has H1N1 touched your family?

No. We are a bunch of hand-washing Nazis. And we don't get flu shots since the last one almost killed my husband. I'm pretty pedantic about staying away from people in public who are coughing and sneezing, but I really think hand washing is the best defense.

9. Are you an analytical person, or do you just accept things the way they are without questioning or scrutinizing?

I am an analylzer from the word Go. At times that's a problem and causes me undue stress, like when I try to figure out people's motives when they do stupid things. I really need to learn to just let it go.

10. Is your personality more like that of a dog, cat, or Koala?

Well I would hope I'm not like a cat (sorry cat fans), and Koala's don't seem to have much personality at all, so I'd have to say a dog. But hopefully not like Pete the Terrible, because he's the most annoying life form in the county.

11. Do you keep in touch with friends you made years ago?

A little. Most people are too busy, but facebook is nice for keeping in touch in brief spurts. You can use it when you want to and walk away when you don't.


12. You are checking out at a grocery store. In the express lane, there are more people than the regular lanes, but of course, their load is less than those in the regular lanes. Which lane do you choose (assuming you qualify for the express lane) and why?

First I look at the checkers. You can usually tell inside of ten seconds whether the checker is a fast mover or not. That's the decision maker. But I also look at the ages of the people in line (Younger people are usually faster, as are those with no children.) And believe it or not, the stuff in their baskets makes a difference. People buying "stuff" will take longer, because they are still enjoying the "shopping feel." Those buying groceries typically just want to get home. It's not like you get any enjoyment out of buying food. 


I told you, I'm an analyzer.

And still brain-dead. Goodnight.

Be thankful ~

Karen (aka Lynne Burnt Tavern)

Cuteness and sweetness, all in one post, and with no transitions! Isn't that handy?

Oh, the preciousness! Sticky Bean has a bottle of water and is learning to hold it himself. How can something so silly make me swoon? I'm telling you, when you're a grandmother, every thing the child does is sweet, adorable, cute, precious, pick-your-adjective. And he's coming HERE next week! Along with his mom and dad, who, while we love them dearly, are not nearly as cute as Sticky.

In my effort to exercise more days than not, I took Pete the Terrible for a two-mile walk today, and now my feet hurt. I'm wondering if I need new shoes. My last pair of $100 asics (how it pains me not to capitalize a proper noun) are a year and a half old, and while that doesn't sound like much, they have a lot of miles on them. I do have an almost-new pair of Sauconys, though, that Abbie tried and didn't like, so that might get me out of the dreaded shoe shopping for a while, which is almost as bad as bathing suit shopping in my book.

Of course, the whole feet hurting thing could have something to do with the fact that I am no longer 25, which is how my brain feels, but I enjoy living in denial. I am a living, breathing dichotomy. In my mind I'm 25, but my body feels every bit of its 48 years.

After seeing the photo in this post, I had to make the Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce. Who says women are not affected by sight? Show me a picture of incredible food and I'm like a zombie—I have to cook it. So here's mine, before I inhaled it.

I would never have thought to put a lemon sauce on gingerbread, but it's more incredible than I imagined. It had already cooled by the time I got to eat a piece, so I put the sauce on it and nuked it for 20 seconds. A. Ma. Zing. Thanks, Susanne, for sharing the recipe. Go see her. She'll share with you too!

Tomorrow's the meme!

Be thankful ~

Karen

The movie answer.

If you are here and haven't yet read yesterday's post, go read it here first. Don't continue reading here until you've read that one. I'll wait.



Ok, did you guess?

It's from my all-time favorite movie, While You Were Sleeping. It is Sandra Bullock at her absolute best. I've liked most of her movies (The Lake House didn't give her much of a story to work with), and since I watch so few movies to begin with, the fact that I loved this one makes it more special. You really need to go rent it/add it to your queue/whatever you do to see a movie. The kid on the bike is worth it. And her little ankle wobble when she's walking into the chapel. And Joe Jr. I laugh just thinking about it.

So here we are at Monday again and we're back to the grind. Every week I wonder how I can sit at the computer for 5 hours and only have 4 hours of work on the books, but I think I've figured it out. So much of what I do involves the computer: banking, blogging, facebooking, searching for a new sun visor for my van, keeping up with Abbie's college stuff—it's all done on the computer. At least, that's what I'm telling myself so I don't feel like I'm wasting my life on facebook.

I did get Puffer Fish done this morning, and that definitely makes me happy. It was like the E-Book that wouldn't die, and I kept putting it off for more interesting things like sell sheets and landing pages. But finally it's done, and I'll be happy if I never see another tetraodontidae. Reading blogs is much more fun.

I read this post by Eleanor, who has the most amazing story of God providing. You won't believe it.

Then I had to go and read this post at Rocks In My Dryer and now I have puppy envy.

*sigh* Think I'll go fold laundry.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Name that movie!

"I went to Cuba for my honeymoon." 

"Cesar Romero was Cuban. And tall, like Peter. Lucy likes tall." 

"These mashed potatoes are so creamy." 

"Cesar Romero was not Spanish!" 

"I never said Cesar Romero was Spanish, I said he was tall!"

"Good pot roast, Ma."

 

This is absolutely my favorite movie of all time. Do you know what it is? Have you seen it? Here's a tiny hint (literally):

**Members of my family are not allowed to play.**

 When you figure out what movie it is, go rent it. You won't regret it. Right now. Go. And watch for the kid on the bike throwing newspapers. I'll tell you the answer Monday if you don't already know it.

Be thankful ~

Karen

What have I done?

I totally stepped out of my comfort zone Thursday and did something I never thought I would do. I went to a Pilates class at the YMCA    b  y    m  y  s  e  l  f.  That is surprising on many fronts, not the first of which is that I've watched Pilates videos before and vowed never to actually, you know, partake. And here I was, partaking with a whole room full of people. Men, even! And I didn't know a soul!

When I first got there, I had to ask where the exercise classes meet because, although we've had a membership for over a year, the most I've ever done is lift a few weights and ride the stationary bike. I really do prefer to be outside for my exercise, but what with the monsoon we've been experiencing and winter coming on, I figured I'd better have an alternative. Then the YMCA catalog came in the mail, and I felt it was a nudge from God.

Oh, that God. He has such a sense of humor.

So I found the room, and someone had to tell me where to get all the equipment. The mat, the mat cover, the big ball and the square thingy to keep it from rolling all over the place, and the hand weights. I liked the idea of the mat and mat cover, because that meant I'd be on the floor, and that sounded pretty easy. I've seen people sit and sort of bounce on the big ball, so I didn't think that would be a big deal. And the hand weights? They all told me to get the light ones to start with—3 pounds. Pffft. With all the typing I do, I knew my arms were already in pretty good shape. And after all, this was called "Pilat-ease" in the catalog. How hard could it be?

We started out with some basic stretching, you know, yoga-style. Slow stretch, deep breathing, very relaxing and happy. Then the basic stretching turned into more creative stretching to "get those muscles that don't get stretched very often." Holy cow, I stretched muscles I didn't even know were in there! Somehow the stretching turned into a serious ab workout that had me out of breath and trembling, then bicep curls, and flies. And all the time we're doing flies, she's telling stories, presumably to keep my mind off the fact that it feels like I'm trying to pull my arms up and out to the sides with my earlobes. While balancing on one foot.

Finally she had mercy. We set down the weights and sat down on the balls. This was more like it. But my reprieve was not to be. We leaned forward and did more flies, swinging the now-leaden weights from the floor out to the sides, working our upper backs. Then more ab work. Then triceps. Then pseudo squats.

Finally she allowed us to get flat on our backs on the mats. We rolled the balls under our feet. Ahhhh. I could have slept a thousand hours. But no. Now we're doing reverse planks, then holding the reverse plank on one leg and lifting the other one straight up. Do you know how hard it is to balance your body between your shoulders on the floor and one leg on a 3-foot ball?

It didn't even end there. I kept looking at the clock wondering how long she could go on with the torture.

A solid hour. Without breaking a sweat or getting out of breath. Telling stories and laughing the entire time.

I've never been so thankful that a class only met twice a week. I have until Tuesday to convalesce.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Friday's Fave Five

I love these memes—they provide me with something to put here when real life doesn't. This idea provided by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story. Go thank her. And here are five great things about the past week, in no particular order (because that might hurt someone's feelings, and we know I couldn't stand having that guilt to deal with.):

1.A really great chemistry text for Man-boy. We use Jay Wile's Exploring Creation With Chemistry, first edition. This is the set I bought when Tall One was a wee (wee is used very loosely) lad of 16, and I've used it with three of the five kids. Dr. Wile has the ability to make complicated subjects very understandable without dumbing them down, and he routinely defends God's creation of the universe. I love his science books!

2. Being able to finish an entire editing project in one day. This is a monthly project that usually takes me anywhere from five to seven hours, and today I got it done in 4.75. That probably only happened because it's been raining non-stop since Tuesday evening so my distractions are quite limited, but I'm glad anyway. I sent my boss an email with all the parts of the project attached that said, "Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Who da man?!" I'm sure she's thrilled to have such a professional working for her.

3. My Crock-Pot. It makes the best pot roast. And my bread machine. My family is spoiled by homemade bread. Too bad they don't make a mashed potato machine.

4. The 16-year-old man-boy. Without him, I would never have discovered the joys of Overhaulin', that show on TLC where they take somebody's old heap of a car and make an incredibly sweet hot rod out of it and then surprise them at the end. It is so unlike me to watch a show like that, but it happens to be on during our lunch break from school, so he watches it most days. Today I watched it with him and it's pretty cool. He flips back and forth between that and Cash Cab, which is also a pretty cool show—like Jeopardy on wheels in New York City. And Tom and Jerry, because what's a lunch break without a little childhood violence?

5. Election Day! Tuesday was a great day in Virginia. The Republican candidates won resounding victories across the state and gave us just a glimmer of hope for the future.

In the words of Walter Cronkite, "And that's the way it is, this Friday, November 13th." Have a great day!

Be thankful ~

Karen

But how will we TALK?

I got this photo of Sticky Bean from my daughter, The Mommy, yesterday with the caption, "I'm happy because I've been up half the night." ;)  Do you sense some bitterness?

Can't wait to get my hands on him at Thanksgiving!

News of the day—the company gave Ben a new blackberry to replace the antiquated one that was as big as his foot. The new one is sleek, it's shiny, it's full of cool features. 

Texting isn't one of them.

Can you imagine? No texting? Isn't that how the other zillion people on the planet communicate in 2009? I'm speechless (in a metaphorical kind of way. I'm obviously not speechless, as evidenced by the drivel that keeps pouring out of my mouth). You mean we have to make a phone call? Isn't that so old fashioned? Of course, if I send him an email, that goes to his blackberry. But I can't send a text.

I just can't comprehend this.

Be thankful ~

Karen

The weekly Random Dozen.

Hey, it's 11/11!

Finally, it's meme day—I was running out of thoughts. Thanks to Linda at 2nd Cup for the questions. Here they are:

1. What was the last song you listened to?

"Revelation" by Third Day.

2. Have you ever had “buyer’s remorse” over anything?

Oh my word, YES. Where do I start? Hair color, books (especially homeschool books that I thought were going to be great and turned out to be stupid), the sofa that's in my living room, a very expensive mattress (don't believe the Kingsdown salesman), a pepper mill (That's right, Dear. It's not tacky, but it doesn't grind pepper worth a flip. See? I admitted it publicly.), a dog (even though we didn't buy him), and a vacuum. I'm sure there are more things.


3. What is something in your life that you are thankful for now that you didn’t think you would be at the time of the event? (Something that seemed ill-timed, inconvenient or hurtful which turned out to be a good thing)

Moving to Northern Virginia from Tennessee. The kids and I fought it every step of the way, but now, five years later, we're all VERY thankful we did it. Hubby wanted to leave and the rest of us wanted to stay. (I'm on a public admission roll here.)

4. Do you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade every year? If so, do you have a favorite float or balloon?

No. I'm way too busy eating. I watched when I was a kid, but I don't think I've seen one in 25 years.

5. Share a quote, scripture, poem or lyric which has been an inspiration to you lately.

1 Samuel 30:6 "And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God."


David was greatly distressed! People wanted to STONE him! Yet he was able to encourage himself in the Lord! How much more should we be able to!

6. This is meant to be a fun question, and this is a G-rated blog, but please share a “guilty pleasure,” something that you enjoy that’s probably not the most edifying, time-worthy or healthy thing you could be indulging in. Did I mention--G rating?

I love to be outside in the summer. In the bright sunshine. And I don't use sunscreen other than on my face. I know it's bad, and I'm honestly not trying to look like a St. Tropez native, but I just can't stand that pasty-white look. I want to look like I've been outside, being an active participant in life, not inside sitting at a desk under the fluorescent lights.

7. What Thanksgiving food are you looking forward to?

Definitely the stuffing. I'll be making my mother's stuffing with sausage and apples in it and it's incredible. I only make it once a year and for weeks beforehand, I think about it. Can't wait.  Ooo, and my brother will be deep-frying turkeys. They're amazing.

8. What is your favorite book to read to children, or what was your favorite childhood book?

I love The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. The language is so beautiful, and the original watercolor illustrations are lovely. I still have my childhood copy of it. I'm very sure I appreciate it more now than when I was little.

9. Do you collect anything? (Feel free to post a photo.)

Dust. And dog hair. I'll spare you the photo.

10. Gift bags or wrapping paper?

Gift bags. I'm not an artsy-craftsy person, and never could make a wrapped package look great. Gift bags are so easy, you can't screw them up.

11. Share an after-school memory from when you were younger. What was your routine like on an average day?

I got home from school at the same time my mom did, and we would stand at the counter with a carton of ice cream and two spoons talking about the day. We never had that teenage-daughter-vs-mother angst thing.


12. True story: Once, in a job interview, I was asked this question and told there would be no clarifying; I simply had to answer the question: “When you’re fishing, do you feel for the fish?” So what about you? When you're fishing, do you feel for the fish??

Absolutely! It must hurt, don't you think? But when I was a kid, my dad took us fishing often. We learned to fly fish for trout in the rivers out west, and he had a commercial party boat for a while and took us out in the ocean for bluefish, tuna, mackerel, and I don't remember what else. When I was 11, he told me that if I caught a fish, I had to gut it too. I'm surprised I didn't quit fishing then and there, but I didn't. There's nothing better than fresh rainbow trout cooked over a campfire.

I had a hard time concentrating today, and apparently I wasn't the only one. I noticed in the middle of the day that my boss had posted a status update on facebook to the effect of being completely unmotivated and trying to find things to do other than the things that should be done. So I commented, "Me too! I just spent 2 1/2 hours raking leaves with Man-boy so I wouldn't have to be at my desk!" Other co-workers joined in with their commiserations (did I just make up a word?), so I felt better about only working two hours today. Tomorrow I'll be kicking myself (actually, I'll probably be too sore), but I enjoyed being outside today. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so I won't be able to get away.

Have a great Wednesday!


Be thankful ~


Karen

edited to add: You have got to go to my cousin Catherine's blog and read her answers to these questions. Every week we both do this meme and EVERY WEEK we have some of the SAME ANSWERS (and we don't cheat, either)! I live in Virginia and she lives in Idaho. We've seen each other once in the last 25 years. Who says family ties aren't strong? We both collect dust! And can't wrap presents! Isn't that awesome?

A 16-year-old's love note.

Remember I told you Abbie is a student at Liberty University? Well apparently the food there is not worth eating. But it makes a great art medium:

In other news, I have a notebook on my desk on which I write notes while I'm working. When I came home yesterday from spending the day in Lynchburg with the girls, Elijah had written on it:

"Mom is greater then camp food and soccer."

Aside from the spelling mistake, I am incredibly flattered. Better than soccer?

Ah, the way to a mom's heart . . .

Be thankful ~

Karen

Saturday recap and Christmas card request.

I had a great day in Lynchburg with Leah and Abbie. Leah and I went down in two cars so we could leave one of them with Abbie. She lives off campus and has been depending on the undependable bus to get to campus and back. With cold weather coming, we thought it best not to have her standing around for 30 minutes several times a day waiting for the bus that might come. And the church she wants to go to is about 20 minutes away, so now she can go.

We spent the day fighting typical Saturday traffic, but had fun in spite of it. First we had lunch at Chick-fil-A. Leah used to work at a CFA, so she remembers the whole my pleasure routine. As we were leaving the parking lot, we saw this sign:

When you put quotes around something, it means sort of, but not really. So what this really says is "It's been kind of our pleasure to serve you, but not really ." I've submitted it to The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks.

Then we made stops at the mall (shoes for Abbie, a dress for me, a purse for Leah), Target, and the now-famous Jersey Mike's Subs (that's my idea of cooking dinner). Leah and I left in the fiddle-mobile and made it home by 6:40. Ate a sub and I am quickly running out of gas. I hear a hot bath calling . . .

One last thing: My cousin told me about some friends of his who have a 5-year-old boy in the end stages of cancer. He loves Christmas and Christmas cards. His family is celebrating Christmas next week because he likely won't be alive in December. If you'd like to send him a Christmas card, here's his address:

Noah Biorkman
1141 Fountain View Circle
South Lyon, MI 48178

Be thankful ~

Karen

No post, just a list of excuses.

It's going to be a busy day. Leah and I are taking a car to Abbie at Liberty U after I work for an hour and iron 20 shirts, Ben and Mike are painting the trim on a house up the street, and man-boy is on his way home from the soccer tournament. We'll be like ships that pass in the night—not that I'm a fan of overused similes or anything. Hopefully we'll have pictures and stories to share tomorrow.

Have a great day!

Be thankful ~

Karen

Sometimes a list is just so handy.

Just here to quickly share the highlights of my day, along with my feeble thoughts about each one. And since there really aren't any, and there are no funny stories to tell, you get a list. If I were you, I'd run away right now.

1. Coffee, work, laundry, work.(Coffeemate is not nearly as good as International Delight, unless it's the Belgian chocolate stuff. Then Coffeemate rocks.)

2. More work (I'm behind on my hours this week and trying to catch up is killing me).

3. Walk with the dog. Chase two miserable animals up the street away. Try to control the beast. Walk a 15-minute mile coming home, even without the miserable animals chasing us. (I love leash laws until I want to stand on the porch and let my dog do his thing in the rain. Then I hate them.)

4. Wait for an email. (I know my boss has IM, and I also know sometimes she hides. I think she's hiding today.)

5. Make grape salad and sweet potato casserole. (Grape salad is the bomb. So is the casserole. I could eat just that for dinner. And breakfast. And I probably will.)

6. Continue waiting for email. (Boss, come out from hiding!)

7. Try to decide what to do with cod for dinner. (Any suggestions? I'm not an inventive cook. I need somebody to tell me what to do.)

8. Somewhere in there, do ab crunches. (I promised someone I'd do them every day in November. Today is the first day I did. I'm destined to have mom-fat forever.)

9. Listen to neighbor blow leaves out of 1/2-mile-long ditch. So far it's been 3 hours. (I wish he'd come do mine—I hate that job.)

10. Empty ashes out of woodstove, throw kindling in the few coals left and hope it catches. (I always leave a few coals so I don't have to start a fire from scratch.)

11. Remove unburned kindling, crumple newspapers, replace kindling, light fire. (*sigh*)

12. Order vitamins. (If you normally buy vitamins at a health-food store, go to vitacost.com. The saw palmetto I buy my husband is $60 at the store, $17 at vitacost. Same brand, same number of pills.)

13. End lame blog post. (Is anyone still here? Hello??)

Be thankful ~

Karen

A food connoisseur in the making.

We have had several dogs, but only two for any length of time. Spanky was our little Yorkie that we had for ten years. He was technically my dog, but everyone loved him. You couldn't help but love him. Ben acted like he couldn't stand a little dog, but they were good buddies, especially when Ben was frying eggs (he makes perfect fried eggs). Spanky knew as soon as the egg pan came out of the cabinet that he was in for a treat. Ben has always said the key to making perfect fried eggs is to get the pan hot enough, so while he was heating the pan (wink, wink) he would throw an egg in there for Spanky. Just to get the pan hot though. It's not like he actually, you know, liked the dog. And since Ben is also the chicken-peeler in the family (I hate taking the meat off the bones of a whole, roasted chicken, so Ben does that too), Spanky got more than his share of skin, cartilage, and fat. But only because it was good for him, not because Ben actually, you know, liked him.

So Spanky was accustomed to people food and would hang around the kitchen getting under everyone's feet when something smelled good.

Then we got Pete. 70-pound Pete is a little bigger than 12-pound Spanky was, and I knew I didn't want him in the kitchen along with everyone else, so I proclaimed (ha ha, I laugh at how ridiculous this was), "Pete will NOT get people food. AT ALL. EVER. NOT ONE TINY SCRAP. HE IS A DOG AND HE WILL EAT DOG FOOD."

Yeah, right. I think that lasted a month, maybe. So now Pete hangs around the kitchen when things smell good.

Fast forward to the grandbaby. Now I know you think I'm going to equate the dogs with the grandbaby, and in a way I am, but at the end of this interminable story, you'll see why.

Deb sends pictures from her cell phone to mine quite often and always captions them.  The other day she sent this one:

And it said, "Do you want to know why he has his mouth open?"

So, of course, being the curious sort, I texted (Yes, that really is a verb. I looked it up.) back, "Why?"

Then she sent this picture:

For those of you poor souls who don't know what this is, it's (as the cup says) Jersey Mike's Subs. And you're probably thinking, "So what. It's a sub." But let me assure you that this is no ordinary sub. The original Mike's was in the town I grew up in, Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. It was a block from my high school. We used to walk there for lunch. There was nothing like it then, and there is nothing like a Mike's Sub now. If you ever have the chance to go to one (you can find them here), get a #2, Mike's way, and you'll love it so much your grandchildren won't even go to Subway. Obviously, since I was a youngster, Mike's has become a franchise and is now nationally called Jersey Mike's Subs.

So that's where they were. And the few times Sticky Bean has gotten big-people food, he's really liked it. Deb describes his reaction as "lunging at the spoon." He's learned that when Mama eats, it must be good, just like the dogs (See? I told you it would tie in!) And she added this caption to the photo: "This is why his mouth is open, only I'm not sharing!"

Granted, Sticky Bean is only 5 months old, but really! I texted back and said, "Oh, come on! Give him a little piece of bread with the sauce on it!"

So she did. And here's what he thought:

That's the look that says, "Better than Mama's milk!" There's another Mike's Subs lover in the family! I told you she was raising him right.

Be thankful ~

Karen

The Random Dozen, and just in the nick of time.

Oh, I'm so glad for a list of questions to answer. For some reason (it can't be menopause—I'm still in denial about that, so it can't affect me), my brain is, um, sluggish tonight. I'm taking my chances (or you're taking your chances) with some of these, but here goes the Weekly Random Dozen:

1. It's early morning, about 2:00AM, and you're driving home. You come to a red light and sit there. There is no one in sight for miles around. Do you wait it out or run the light?

Absolutely wait it out. I don't have it in me to drive through a red light. Seriously, I would be horrified with myself and wouldn't be able to sleep. So why is it so easy to drive 70 in a 55?

2. If you had the chance to re-do the last 24 hours, would you change anything?

I would hug the man-boy when I dropped him off at his friend's house to go to a soccer tournament in Tennessee. Yes, I forgot to hug my own kid. I did, however, remember to hug his friend's mom. I told you my brain was sluggish. It took me five hours to realize I hadn't hugged him or said goodbye. Good thing we have cell phones. (((((man-boy)))))


3. When you reply to someone's comment on your blog, do you reply in your comments or go to her blog and comment? (Or email her)

I usually email. But sometimes I reply in my comments, under hers. I don't know what it depends on. The weather?

4. Your favorite Disney movie is:

Finding Nemo. I can so relate to Dory, but also to Mr. Ray, singing about the layers of sea. And the turtles. And the sharks!


5. Do you recycle?

Newspapers, yes. Nothing else. Probably because newspapers are easy to bundle in brown bags and plastic and glass are not. I'm just lazy that way.

6. Games of strategy or games of chance?

Strategy, but not much of it. A little rummy, maybe some Catch Phrase. Games of chance just don't do anything for me. They're too . . . chancy, and I'm not a risk taker. Although every time I pass the billboard that says how many millions are up for grabs in the Powerball thingy, I plan how I would spend it. I have no idea how to buy a ticket, but it would be fun to win it.  

7. Do you have any recurring dreams?

At night while I'm sleeping, you mean? No. Daydreams, definitely. The combination of chemistry, geometry, laundry, and hours of computer work brings on intense longing for sunny beaches.


8. What did you learn from your first real job?

Not to prop a tray full of clean glasses against the counter with my hip. Yes, I did. And didn't get fired.


9. Do you buy or borrow most books?

Borrow. I love the public library, and the one we have here is the best. I can sit at home and browse the catalog online, order what I want, pick it up when they let me know it's there, renew on my computer, it's awesome. I bought a lot of the kids' books when they were younger, because I knew I would have five children reading them, but for me, I'm too cheap.


10. What fashion trend of the past did you say you'd never wear again but did?

Crocs. I had a pair when they first became popular and loved them. Since I have bunions, my forefoot is wide and I can't ever wear shoes "off the rack." They have to be wide-width shoes, which are not easy to find, by a longshot. I looked in every shoe store in my area this fall and couldn't find anything to wear with jeans for the winter. I bought fur-lined Crocs and they are incredible. Like wearing my bedroom slippers. And yes, they look like it, but I don't care. I'm comfortable, and some things in life are just more important. My feet need to be happy.

11. When do you start Christmas shopping?

I plead the Fifth.

12. Have you ever been so happy that you literally jumped up and down for a few seconds? If so, what was the occasion?

When I was a kid (11, 12, etc.), my parents were both public school teachers. The whole family had summers off. So they bought a camper and we traveled the country every year for 2 1/2 months seeing all the things most people only dream of. I've literally seen every state in the union, except for Alaska and Hawaii, and spent a good deal of time in most of them. One year toward the end of summer, my dad announced that it was time to head for home. I was glad, and actually turned a cartwheel in the parking lot where we were getting gas.


Now I wonder what was wrong with me? I would give a lot to be able to do that again.

And thus concludes our weekly meme.These questions brought to you by 2nd Cup of Coffee. Thanks, Linda, for providing blog fodder when I need it most.

Be thankful ~

Karen

You WILL take a toy.

I have been remiss. I'm sorry. But I have good excuses. Yesterday after church I drove out to my parents' house to visit for the afternoon. It was doubly-nice because my baby brother (38), whom I NEVER see, was there and even cooked us a wonderful dinner (lasagna, spinach salad, crusty bread, cherry pie), and my oldest brother, whom I see about as often as I see my parents, also came over and ate with us. So it was fun. But I didn't blog because I wasn't home. I could have used baby brother's laptop, but I probably would have ruined it with all my drooling over it (it's a mac). So here I am, apologizing for leaving a blank space on a Monday. I'll try not to let it happen again.

Here in Virginia, we are officially sick of rain. Since this was the weekend to put the roof on Mrs. Smith's house, of course it rained from Friday morning through Sunday. Today the sun is finally out and I am sitting at my computer being blinded in one eye by it, but enjoying it anyway because I definitely have SAD (seasonal affective disorder) when the time changes and I get depressed by too many days of gray skies. I ♥ sunshine.

And here in Virginia, we are also completely OVER the democrats. Tomorrow is election day and, contrary to what Keith Olbermann declared last year (read my son Mike's blog at Newsbusters here), we haven't gone purple. The Republicans are going to win decisively and we can finally stop being embarrassed by the people we elect.

Yesterday on the way to my parents', I stopped at McDonald's to get a cheeseburger for the road. Now that I'm older, I don't eat as much as I used to, so my days of Big Macs are long gone. I actually like a Happy Meal—it's just the right size.

So I pull up to the drive-thru speaker and tell the voice inside that I would like a cheeseburger Happy Meal, with Coke. He asks,"Is that for a boy or a girl?" They ask this because there are boy toys and girl toys.

I answer, "Oh, I don't care. I don't even want the toy."

Silence. At least 30 seconds' worth.

Finally, the voice says, "Ma'am, I have to know if it's for a boy or a girl."

Me: "I don't want the toy."

Him: "But it comes with a toy."

Me: "I'm 48 years old. I don't want the toy."

Him: "I have to give you a toy."

It's still  raining and my left arm is now soaked. I tell him it's for a boy.

Is there a law on the books that says you MUST get a toy in a McDonald's Happy Meal? I would be just as happy without one, and now there is an unloved boy's toy taking up precious space in a landfill somewhere. What would Buzz and Woody say? Should I write to the dean of McDonald's University and ask him/her to make this part of the McTraining?

Stay tuned for happy election results from the still-red state of Virginia.

Be thankful ~

Karen