The random dozen again!

1. When was the last time you laughed until you cried?

At a Sunday school class gathering when Perry made us play some game where you read a card that looks like gibberish but actually sounds like a common saying. Everybody wound up laughing at me laughing at the card.

2. If you found $10 today, what would you do with it?

Put it in my camera fund.


3. Do you volunteer anywhere?

Does the church nursery count? I only do every fifth Sunday night because that's all I can handle. It takes me a full quarter to recover.


4. What is your favorite summertime veggie or fruit, and how do you eat it?

Fresh tomatoes. I cut them in chunks, sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper, drizzle with a little evoo, and throw in some fresh basil. My mouth is watering.


5. Is your social sphere (circle of friends) small, medium or large?

VERY small. It basically consists of my immediate family. Between working, homeschooling, and taking care of the fam, I have no time for being social. I get all the people-time I need at church activities.


6. When was the last time you attended a family or school reunion? How did that go?

Last summer we went to my 30th high school reunion. It was great fun. I was amazed that people my age still drink like they're in high school. I'm so sheltered.


7. When you're feeling blue, what is the best way someone can cheer you up?

Give me a foot rub. I go to another place. Ahhhhhhhh . . .

8. Have you taken a vacation this summer?

We don't do summer vacations . . . we work. That's what $25K tuition bills will do to you. And really, I prefer to vacation someplace warm in the winter or spring.


9. What is the most unnecessary item you carry with you all the time?

There is seriously nothing in my purse that I don't use at least occasionally. I'm just not one to carry lots of junk, and can't stand a disorganized purse. But if I had to pick one thing, it would be my bank debit card. I might use it twice a year. And I never remember the PIN.


10. What is the best summer flick you have seen so far?

I haven't. I just don't do movies. My kids try to get me to watch this one or that one, but I just can't do it. It feels like such a supreme waste of time to me. Sorry.

11. Describe a perfect summer day.

Mostly sunny, about 85 degrees, no more than 70% humidity, on a beach, nice breeze, good book, no jellyfish in the water. Perfection!

12. Please a share a favorite photo from the summer so far!

Technically it's not from the summer. This was taken in Destin in April, before the oil spill ruined the beaches.

And here's one of my mommy and me.

I don't get to see her nearly enough, but we have fun when we're together.

Thanks to Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee for thinking up twelve random questions and enabling me to bring your another daily dose of drivel. 

Be thankful ~

Karen

And it doesn't make the house smell funny!

Back in June (or was it May?), Ben and Man-boy went to visit friends of ours in Washington State. The main purpose of being there other than to eat Adam's cooking was to go fishing for Steelhead, which they did. They brought home a cooler full of frozen fillets, and we've been working our way through them little by little. Adam kept telling Ben we needed to cook them on the grill and we've been trying to figure out the best way to do that.

I finally had a stroke of brilliance (or a memory-lapse lapse) and remembered I had a fish basket just for the grill. So yesterday I got it out and fired up the (very) old Char-Broil.

This would definitely work better if the grill were not older than my married daughter, but we do the best we can.

Mmmmmm, a little butter, a little squeeze of fresh lemon, a little kosher salt and pepper . . .

I was going to get a photo of it on my plate, but it wouldn't stay there. This stuff is amazing and the whole experience was wonderful . . . right up until it was time to wash the fish basket.

BIG DRAG. Anyone have any helpful hints?

Be thankful ~

Karen

Cooley

My neighbors have induced a serious case of puppy envy.

There's a really cute little dog in there somewhere.

There he is! He's about 10 pounds dripping wet.

Of course Pete is wildly jealous, and pants and paces until he's worn grooves in the floor. Cooley is just as chill as he can be. I don't think I've ever seen such a calm dog. He wanders around the house aimlessly and stops to sniff some leftover Pete smell every once in a while. Pete hunkers down like he wants to play and Cooley instantly drops the 5 inches to the floor. He wants no part of Captain Nervous. We should all be like Cooley.

Be thankful ~

Karen

PS. In case you know me and are wondering, I really DON'T want another dog right now. It's kind of nice to enjoy this one and know I don't have the vet bills.

I am commentless.

Somewhere in the last few days, Disqus disappeared from my blog and took all my comments with it. I have none. Zip, squat, nothing.

*sigh*

In my next life I want to come back as a geek so I can figure these things out.

On a happy note, only two more days until we get to see Leah. Excitement is building!

Be thankful ~

Karen

Things I learned at the pizza joint.

You know how they say everything you need to know you learn in kindergarten? That's a lie. You learn it from the college & career Sunday school class. These people are incredibly smart with the kind of random-trivia, we-know-something-about-everything kind of smart. And they know how to work iPhones and Droids!

I always learn things from them. Tonight they taught me how to play "Who Am I?", the game in which you all write a person (or sort-of person) on a piece of paper, you all swap papers, and then hold it on your forehead so everyone but you can see it, and you ask yes/no questions to try to figure out who you are. Are you ready? Here's Abbie:

We also had Matt Damon, Lucille Ball, Jerry Falwell, Jennifer Aniston, and Miss Piggy. I was Michael Jordan, and I won by guessing who I was first.

I also learned how to fold a dollar bill into a bowtie:

How impressive is that? Seriously, it's a shame we have to pay $25,000 a year for our kids to become the well-rounded individuals they are.

And now it's 11 pm and I need to get to bed. But first I have to read more of Making Rounds With Oscar, the book about the cat who lives in a nursing home in Rhode Island and knows when a patient is going to die.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Empty nest syndrome.

I decided the other day I was going to take a few more pictures of the wren babies that live outside the French doors in my bedroom in the spider plant. Mama had been going in and out all morning with bugs and I was amazed at how much they could eat. I opened the door and almost stepped on this guy:

I scared him into flying back up to the nest, and by that afternoon the place was deserted. Bye-bye wren babies. Have a nice life! Eat lots of bugs!

What's left to entertain me now that they're gone?

Be thankful ~

Karen

It's a good day.

You know it's going to be a good day when you check the blog and find out you went from 29 followers to 30(!!) overnight! What an exciting start to my Saturday!

Here's the POD (that's Navy talk for "plan of the day"):

1. Iron shirts (for some unknown reason, I keep trying to type irong. I just typed it and erased it five times. Maybe that's my subconscious telling me it's wrong to iron. Yes, I'll go with that answer.)

2. Get out all the stuff to can the latest batch of tomatoes. Yesterday I picked three laundry baskets full, brought them in, and washed them. When Ben came home from work, he offered to help me skin and cut them up. I begged to wait until Saturday. He insisted we do it Friday night. Now that it's Saturday, I'm thankful in the EXTREME that we did it last night. He's so smart—that's why I love him.

3. Practice music for tomorrow's church service with our Sunday school class—11 a.m.

4. Home. Eat lunch. Can tomatoes.

5. Going-away-to-college party for two of the girls in our Sunday school class—4 p.m.

6. Home. Bed. Lie awake half the night because that's what I do.

That should be enough to keep me out of trouble. Have a great weekend!

Be thankful ~

Karen