Keys to the Cottage ...

FYI ...

2011-07-04T11:22:00.000-05:00

I am great. And thanks to everyone who has asked. Lots of emails wanting to know if everything is okay.

Indeed ... everything is great!

Summer is literally FLYING by. It is the fourth of July, which means that next week fall clothing will be displayed in the stores I do not shop in. But here in Chicago, summer is halfway over and it has been the best in a long time.

We've had our air conditioning on a bit ... off and on to be exact. We both prefer open windows so we go that route whenever possible. And here in the north it is frequently possible.

The weekdays are filled with work which I love. And weekends are filled with the Butler and me enjoying every moment. Winter comes hard and fast in these parts.

So far we have gone on road trips a few times. Down south a couple of hours to see long-time, forever friends. Met their grandbabies. Seen their now-grown kids who grew up side-by-side with our now-grown kids.

We've been to the farmer's market nearly every Saturday morning, which is now in FULL BLAST of the summer harvest. Even early tomatoes.

We've spent afternoons with family. Grilling salmon, eating black bean salsa, munching on our favorite peanut butter chocolate cookie balls which are affectionately ... in our family only ... and only because our niece's fiance dubbed them thus ... called "marshmallow fritter". They have not a morsel of marshmallow in them however. Of course.

We've biked and walked and hiked and talked and planned. Our youngest and his girlfriend are coming in a couple of weeks. We are planning a 3 day visit like no other.

So it has been a wonderful month since I last blogged. And it may indeed be a wonderful month before I blog again.

Because summer ... and life ... is short. For now, the days are stretching into 17 hours of light, and I do not intend to miss a moment of it.

I hope life is as good in your neck of the woods.

Memorial Day ... and a Gratitude List

2011-05-30T15:07:00.022-05:00

too much sunshine
sailboats on water
lawn chairs

color guards
youth
cool drinking water

flags unfurling in blue sky
open windows and balmy breezes
fresh sweet corn

children emulating their daddies
a weekday spent together

the best seat in town

all branches of the military ... is that the Calvary?

the Armed Forces Medley

marching bands with feathers in their caps

tired children and remembering mine

nine uncles, two grandfathers, one father, and one father-in-law, all veterans in the fight for freedoms too numerous to list

A Three Day Weekend ...

2011-05-29T14:26:00.001-05:00

In my business, taking a 3rd day for my weekend simply means that instead of 3 days of work on Monday, I'll have 4 days of work on Tuesday. And ... I have a (delayed) day-long orientation on Wednesday which means I will miss that day, have 2 days worth of work on Thursday, and at some point in all that mess I have to close up the month of May and open up the month of June.

Yikes.

To cheer myself up from all this depressing work talk, I thought I'd sum up three things I did this week to make my life a little greener and decrease my carbon footprint.

1. Bought sweet corn in it's own wrapper (husks) instead of shorn, wrapped in plastic, and balanced with a tray of styrofoam. REDUCE!

2. Bought 2 pair of Ann Taylor capris from the thrift store. REUSE!

3. Emptied the recycling bin. I am very thrilled to tell you that we recycle about 5 times more than we throw away. RECYCLE!

Anyone who tells you going green is expensive, hasn't compared the price of new Ann Taylor clothing with thrift store Ann Taylor clothing. I bought these exact capris for $7.99, and another pair for $5.99 in pink.

And anyone that tells you that going green is a political statement, hasn't read Genesis.

A Mid-Week Post on Nothing at all ...

2011-05-24T18:48:00.001-05:00

It was an absolutely glorious day in Chicagoland today. High 50s/low 60s and pure BLUE SKY with copious amounts of sunshine all day. It was splendid to walk to work at 7:45 a.m. and it was a joy to walk home at 4:30. I am hoping I will enjoy this all summer, but I know ... because I have lived her before ... that it can get very very hot. Florida hot. Just not for 6 months.

I LOVE my job so much. I keep thinking there is going to be something soon that I will discover I have to do that I do not like doing. And so far, I have not found it. I have, however, discovered the 2 occupational hazards of Health Information: 1) paper cuts, and 2) bruised shins. From filing drawers to filing papers I do my share of "OUCH!" all day long. And my hands are covered in little scabs.

I dropped my just-heated lunch on the floor today. I was so hungry. All morning I was looking forward to that lunch. And then I heated it and dropped it on the floor. So I bought a 50 cent soup ticket and had some soup from the kitchen (and they threw in a cup of pineapple and a carrot salad). Those kitchen ladies like to feed people and they take very good care of the residents and the staff alike. Here is how the conversation on the carrot salad went: Her: "Would you like some carrot salad?" Me: "No, thank you." Her: "You don't like it?" Me: "No" Her: "You are lying. You've never tried it. Here." Me: "Thank you!" (giggle)

She was right. I had never tried it. I was right too. I didn't like it.

When I worked in Long Term Care back in the 80s I was single. I paid 75 cents for a lunch ticket and ate a generous meal which held me all day. I would go home at night and have a bowl of cereal. Now the lunches cost $2 but they are still huge. I don't buy them, but if I did, this is what I would have gotten today: Steak-rice-and gravy, fresh carrot salad, fresh pineapple chunks, chicken noodle soup, and banana cake. The Butler has asked if I could buy him a meal and bring it home in a doggy bag. But it costs $6 for a non-employee. A very nice perk for sure. You know, if you eat steak-rice-and gravy ... and carrot salad ...

I was searching out plane tickets for one of our sons to come visit, and on a whim I typed in a round trip from Chicago to Atlanta for me to see my mama this 3 day weekend. And to see that new baby grand nephew that I have not yet laid eyes (or hands) on. And guess what? The prices were a steal. $94 to get there and $104 to get home. And I thought to myself ... "I'll watch and see if they get any lower."

And they did ... all the way down to $69 and $59. And so I decided to book a flight when I got home tonight. And when I went to do it, they were gone. Lesson learned: I snoozed, I losed. Or something. Now it would cost me $256 one way!

The American Idol finale is on tonight and I am just tickled that the two kids who are left are both clean cut good old fashioned American teenagers from the south. Country kids. Country music kids. A cheerleader, and a guy with a voice that is so pure it is phenomenal. And they both love Jesus.

So ... who to vote for?

Another Dump ...

2011-05-22T13:56:00.012-05:00

it was a great work week, which went by very very fast
I LOVE my job
I discovered if I create a big blender-full (or Ninja-full in my case) of smoothie, pour it into 4 glass containers, freeze it, stick one in my lunch box at 7:00 a.m., and take it out at lunchtime, it is perfect for enjoying at 1:00 on the dot
or I can just eat ice cream from the ice cream parlor at work, free for residents and 50 cents for everyone else
bought a new REI bag to carry to work, full of all my "stuff"
very functional
enjoying my Kindle, which I won HERE to my delight
it's enclosed in a nice leather cover that I bought with the swagbucks I was saving to buy the Kindle
still have not had to wear my rain boots to work yet
did an audit on a doctor Friday who is notorious for not completing his progress notes
he's in trouble now
when I worked in a major hospital's medical records 30+ years ago a doctor who did not complete his charts on time would lose admitting privileges
doctors have horrible handwriting ... correction ... MOST docs have horrible handwriting
hey, the deadline for the end of the world came and went and we're still here
good thing I bought groceries
slept with the windows open last night
everything is so so green, and the baby ducklings are growing so so fast
the Butler is taking an intense 3 week business class that lasts 2 more weeks
after that he is taking the summer off of classes so we can have some fun
then he has only 2 more classes before he graduates from Liberty University
had Chickfila (the only meat I EVER eat) for dinner
and I was stuck in traffic today, with a sudden and intense craving for ice cream

weekends are just for something different

A Brain Dump ... the Weekend Edition

2011-05-15T15:54:00.001-05:00

windy windy windy describes the weekend

windy enough to blow the hoods right off our heads
also cold, dreary, wet, gray, ugly enough to wear bright and cheerful rain boots

I love that they add a little joy to an otherwise sunless day

cleaned the apartment in just under an hour
baked oatmeal
piled spinach and mushrooms on my half of the deli pizza
read a book from my Kindle and bought 6 more (for free) from Amazon
ordered a Kindle cover
bought it with my swagbucks that I did not have to use for the Kindle that I was saving for but actually won
watched TPC Sawgrass, not once looking at the golfers but instead watching the galleries for my boys, who were supposed to be there
free tickets from the players themselves when they come in to order their coffee from their favorite Barista, my middlest
but they didn't go after all
great worship music at church
beginning to put One Thousand Gifts together with the weekly communion we have at church, and gaining a fresher perspective and a richer experience
a mama duck and her 10 baby ducklings
strawberries dipped in chocolate
our last small group until fall
spring day at 43 degrees
taking the Butler on a tour of my new work place so he can picture me there
meeting one of his employee's mom and grandpa, there to visit her grandma
seeing my favorite nurse, working her every-other weekend
napping under 2 blankets on the couch (note the 43 degrees and windy)
making a big tuna casserole to insure lunch, and lunch again tomorrow for both of us

A Brain Dump ... the Weekend Edition

2011-05-09T08:32:00.017-05:00

wishing a happy mother's day to my sweet niece, a brand new momma
paying $4.35 for a gallon of gas and $65 to fill the tank
then using 2 gallons before Monday morning

lunching with the Butler at an outdoor cantina
walking downtown with everything in bloom
laughing with a young couple when I ask them where they got their ice cream and they answer, "The college dining hall!"

laughing through dinner with college friends
answering doorbells with flowers from "the boys"
phone calls times three, and one to my mom

eating key lime pie
throwing windows wide open
enjoying gorgeous ... not to be outdone ... weather ALL WEEKEND
buying a new tumbler which will fit under the water fountain at work

skipping outside with no jacket
wearing sunglasses
sitting on the porch, even if the view is just a parking lot

being stared down by a toddler sitting next to us in a restaurant
picking up what is hopefully my last paper and covered book from the library (my Kindle should be on its way)
watching NO IMPACT MAN on DVD with the Butler ... WONDERFUL!

taking more pictures, just for fun
remembering the Butler's mom, who died in 1989 and who I still miss like crazy
going to small group, which turned out to be very small indeed
drinking nettle iced tea to help with my allergies
being totally refreshed by another weekend

Happy Mother's Day ..

2011-05-07T23:15:00.000-05:00

Why I Love to .... be

2011-05-03T18:52:00.000-05:00

“God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone,
but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars.”
~Martin Luther

Found this quote of my heart at my newest love-blog. Go and see for yourself.

Part Two ..

2011-05-01T21:24:00.000-05:00

Imagine two posts in ONE WEEKEND.

And I'm not even bored, as you can see by what I posted yesterday. But today was fun. After church we decided not to go home. It was a beautiful afternoon in the 60's, EXTREMELY windy, but sunny and bright and blooming all over.

We walked along the river front, climbed to the top of a local landmark, and held on for dear life as the wind tried to blow us away.

The River front

Bell Tower from below

And beside

The city skyline from 30 miles away. On a clear day you can see forever.

That's where we climbed

The view was pretty awesome

Even back on the ground

Heron

Tomorrow it is back to work. My bag is packed. My lunch is made. My clothes are clean. See you next weekend ...

A Brain Dump ... the Weekend Edition

2011-04-30T17:35:00.001-05:00

I had the most fun last night eating dinner with 2 college roommates and one of their daughters
then we went to the movies
the three of us used to do a weekend away once a year when we were birthing and raising our kids
friendships of 30+ years are so dear
the Butler had a work thing last night and didn't get home until 2:00 AM
he is sound asleep on the couch right now and he is not snoring, which might be a miracle
I just ate a smoothie created in my Ninja ... frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries, Chobani Greek yogurt, a splash of milk and 2 ice cubes of frozen OJ, plus a handful of chocolate chips because ... well, why not
I bought a new umbrella today
I got a haircut
I stocked up on skin care stuff after reading an article by someone who thinks we don't need to spend thousands on taking care of our skin
I got oranges, bananas, cucumbers, zucchinis, spinach, mushrooms, snow peas, hummus, and wheat thins so I'm looking forward to my work lunches this week
I also stopped at Whole Foods and got some good supplements that are really helping with my chronic sinus issues
the windows are open and we are wearing sweatshirts so that we can keep them open
I won a Kindle! I know I said I was saving my Swagbucks to buy one but now I don't need to. I'm over the moon excited about it.
I have one more week at work with the lady that is retiring and I need it
I cannot believe how much learning I have done in the last 2 weeks
I did not see the Royal Wedding yesterday but I did tune in to see the double kiss
Yay for peer pressure
I loved loved loved Kate's obvious response when she and Will walked out on the balcony and she saw the crowd below for the first time ... and she very clearly said, "OH WOW!"
I lost an earring on the way home from work and so Monday I shall keep my eyes peeled as I walk in the other direction
my feet hurt today because I forgot to put my sneakers on when I went on my errands this morning
did you watch the Oprah Show on Wednesday? Yeah, me either. But I am searching for a link to the entire episode because a friend I have known since high school, and we email and talk on the phone nearly daily, and have for a long long time, was one of the viewers chosen for Bob Green's 20 Years Younger Challenge and she looks AMAZING
I'm so looking forward to church tomorrow ... mostly because I just do every week
it's time to make dinner ... hamburger and sweet potato fries for him ... Dr Praeger's meatless burger and waffle fries for me ... raw zucchini and carrots for both of us
and we'll likely watch a West Wing Season Four episode tonight

I really hope y'all have a lovely weekend. Time is flying by and tomorrow is May for Pete's sake. How did that even happen?

A New Job

2011-04-25T06:40:00.003-05:00

Well, I ended the work week EXHAUSTED. I mean my brain was totally fried. Learning the new job is one of the hardest things I've done in my recent adult life. I do believe the new neural pathways that I am forming in my overloaded brain will be my best defense against Alzheimer's in a few years.

And here I thought taking up knitting was tough.

Monday was overwhelming. Tuesday the lady I am replacing, the one who is training me, was sick and stayed home. So I followed my boss around. Wednesday she was back and all the things we had talked about on Monday sounded like a foreign language. Thursday I was toast by 2:00 pm and had no idea how I was going to make it through the day. Friday I had gained a second wind and things started to look familiar.

Mondays are the busiest days, because there are three days of census reports and logs to update. Incredible details that cannot be passed on. A new resident ... Medicare? Yes? Well then count it for 14 days before you re-evaluate. Skilled care? Yes? Then be sure they are placed on that log. Not skilled care? Check to make sure they are not on a g-tube or have a pressure ulcer because then you override them to skilled care. Big bed? Yes? Then be sure to take their bed out of storage (on the log, not in real life) and record it. Who's the doctor? Let him/her know by fax. Email the bed list to the pharmacy. Copy the alphalist for the Director of Nursing. Check the mailbox for evidence of room changes. File the census in the book along with all the communications. Make sure all the numbers add up. Every day. Over and over and over again.

I like the predictability of the position. It's the same counting, the same census, the same logs to update and add up and reconcile every day. That satisfies my "task-oriented" nature.

But no two days are alike. Doctors come and need something NOW. A chart is missing something. A patient has decided to go DNR. Things change. Paperwork needs to be done, followed up on, filed, copied, emailed, faxed, dotting the i's and crossing the t's and nothing but NOTHING is ever assumed.

Whew.

It's a ton of info to take in and I count it progress that that some things are looking and sounding familiar at this point.

I count it a blessing that I have 2 more solid weeks with the woman who is leaving.

I count it a blessing that I am looking forward to going to work this week.

I like the challenge. I like learning. I like the job.

I count those blessings over and over.

And I also count it a blessing that I am employed in a job I can walk to every day, walk home from every day, and go to sleep in a comfortable bed to refresh myself for the next one.

It is the little things after all. The Butler willing to make grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. Comfortable shoes. Lunch in the Garden Dining Room. Remembering to put the code in the door before I open it and sound the alarm. Making a new friend. Talking to a resident with a great sense of humor. Sunshine.

And the end of a very busy day with that sense of real accomplishment.

Here's to another week. Not sure when I'll be back to catch you up. Working really gets in the way of my day :)

An Easter Link ...

2011-04-24T08:03:00.000-05:00

He's alive!

Rise up!

And celebrate the day!

Blessings to you all.

Jumping the Proverbial Gun ..

2011-04-16T15:19:00.000-05:00

On March 15th I stopped wearing my winter boots

On March 31st I removed the layers of heavy blankets that were taped and hung over our bedroom window all winter.

On April 4 I noticed a few green sprouts outing themselves from the cold, frozen earth.

On April 9 I took the winter blanket out of the car (the one I used to cover myself up every time I sat in the passenger seat).

On April 11 I saw my first tree buds.

On April 15 ... yesterday ... we moved the ice scraper, the collapsible snow shovel, and the plastic windshield cover from the floor of the backseat and put them in the trunk.

And this morning I threw on a spring jacket to go to the grocery store.

And now it is snowing. Hard. Blowing. Windy. Very very cold and ugly outside. SNOWING. OH, I said that already.

Geesh. Welcome home Mr President.

Catch all ...and Catch up

2011-04-14T09:04:00.000-05:00

I am sitting here on the couch ... in my pjs ... drinking coffee ... watching the TODAY Show ... just because I CAN. In a few days ... I CAN'T. The jig is up and the word is out ... I got a job.

I interviewed Wednesday last week and was offered the job on Monday, which I accepted immediately. Since then we have been doing pre-testing**. And as long as all of that testing comes out well, I should be starting on Monday. And I certainly don't anticipate any trouble.

**physical, TB test, background check, drug screening

It is at a huge conglomerate of facilities down the street. They have a long term care facility, an assisted living facility, and a retirement village, all on about a billion acres the length of a whole street in the center of our residential neighborhood. I'll be in the Health Information Dept as a Health Information Coordinator. I have experience from over 30 years ago that they seemed to be impressed with. You know, BEFORE computers. BEFORE HIPAA Laws. Back when they used to call it Medical Records. When you went to work in a horse and buggy.

The funny thing is that I walked into that facility over a month ago, just after I left my last position, and filled out an application COLD. I happened to bump into the Human Resources Director, who informed me that they did not have any openings and very rarely did they come up. "But," she said, "We keep the apps for 2 years, so you never know."

Believe me ... God knows.

She called last week to say someone in the Health Information Dept was taking an early retirement.

I knew when I met the Human Resources Director that God had something up his celestial sleeve. He doesn't believe in coincidences either, and he never wastes a meeting like that.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon looking for business attire. I have worn nothing but jeans, casual capris, t-shirts and sweatshirts for 5 years, since I quit teaching. The daycare/preschool I was at required jeans and t-shirts. And when we moved here I gave away everything I owned. I had to fit it all into that little closet after all, sharing with the Butler.

So I'm starting from scratch. And I still am starting from scratch because yesterday I found NOTHING. NADA. ZIPPO. ZILCH.

I'll try again tomorrow.

Meanwhile ... I'm using my time ever-so wisely today ... with my feet up. I'm making lists and making plans. Dusting off the crock pot and deciding what desperate outfits I can come up with that don't look desperate. And enjoying these last few hours of freedom.

Not as Self Explanatory as I Thought

2011-04-13T08:22:00.004-05:00

If you tried the link below and got stuck, I'll give you a hint. Just click anywhere on the black screen. Surprise!!

THIS is addicting. And fun. And will totally get you in the mood to plant flowers, or you know, NOT, since you live in an apartment.

ENJOY!

Just for fun ...

2011-04-12T07:13:00.001-05:00

Check out the sign on this grassy patch.

Looking into the sky. It looks like I had a white backdrop. That's how low the clouds were.

We called this a caterpillar bus.

Story of my life that day. I must have tried 5 times before I found a restroom I could use. Most of the public areas in Chicago have no public bathrooms. Hmmmmm.

Apparently when they built this one, there was no pattern for a "U".

A sea of bicycles on Navy Pier. No one was riding in the cold.

Something just for fun.

All Season Weekend ...

2011-04-11T08:46:00.000-05:00

We had a stuuuuuuupendous weekend.

Our middlest flew in on Thursday night, late, as his flight was delayed several hours. He was tired, and we were tired, but we had to force ourselves to stop talking and go to bed.

Because Friday was a big day ... despite the fact that I kept thinking it was Saturday. The Butler took the day off, and we headed to the city.

First, we bought a 10-ride train ticket. The three of us used it in and out on Friday, and the two of them used it in and out on Saturday. Ten rides! For less than it would have cost us to park the car for one day.

And ... we bought a 1-day pass for the CTA. Busses, elevated trains, subway, we rode them all on one pass. One ride would normally cost $2.50 and we paid $5 for the pass.

Score! It took some research to figure it all out, and it was a small learning curve to become savvy bus riders. But we managed to do it with ease and we felt pretty much like pros when we were done.

It was cold on Friday. Dreary ... damp ... misty ... windy ... gray ... foggy ... looked like snow all day long. But we didn't let us stop us. Well, maybe once when we just had to duck into a coffee shop and get something hot to drink.

We called it late fall.

Just look at the low hanging clouds. We never saw the tops of most of the buildings.

I love this picture of the Butler looking at our boy, full of love and pride, and our boy looking at the camera, just plain happy.

Here's the Picasso in Daley Plaza.

This is The Bean in Millennium Park. Yes, it has a more sophisticated name, but no one calls it by that.

The photos you get on The Bean are quite amazing.

It reflects the Chicago skyline behind it.

Here I am taking a picture of The Bean, and capturing our son taking a picture of The Bean.

Here is where I learned how to spell Millennium.

I was tickled by these children, caught in a kind of freeze tag version of ring-around-the-rosy, in a perpetual state of summer. It was one of the few places we actually saw color all day.

The Theater District.

Spring in the city. Nothing is actually blooming quite yet.

Willis Tower ... formerly Sears Tower. We did not go up and we did not stand in the Skybox over the city. But only because we were trying to do this on a dime, due to the lack of job on my part. Next time, we will.

Saturday the boys went back into the city for the ballgame. Our son is a Tampa Rays fan and they were playing the White Sox. The Rays lost, but not before they made one of the best catches in outfield history.

It was in the 50s and if they had not been in the shade it would have been pretty comfortable as the sun was out and it was a glorious day for baseball. Spring for sure.

Sunday it was summer. Seriously summer. Eighty degrees. A fluke. Today it is not. But it can't be long now.

Meanwhile, we took our son to the airport on our way to church, and by the time we got back from a couple of errands after church, he was landing in his hometown. Gotta love travel. Breakfast in Chicago, lunch in Florida. It makes everyone feel like we're really not that far away.

Spring Cleaning

2011-04-05T07:34:00.001-05:00

It was March 31st when I turned on my computer and saw this:

The Butler and I had discussed this very topic all winter long. Because in December, when the snow started blowing and the wind began to sneak in ever tiny thin place in our not-too-efficiently-built apartment building, we did this:

I put our heaviest blanket on a spring loaded rod and placed it in the window in the bedroom. And I duct taped and/or pinned towels to the bottom of the blanket so that then entire wall from the top of the window to the floor was covered with at least one layer of heavy insulation. Then I stuffed pillows between the wall and the file cabinet that sits next to the window. And I put a couple of boxes under the table that sits up against the wall the serves as a desk for the Butler, and draped blankets over the boxes to insulate the area under the desk. Because by golly and no kidding, there was an actual breeze down there. We could never determine where it came from, and concluded it was just a wall without adequate insulation. So we made our own.

Which meant, for nearly 4 months we lived in a bedroom with no natural light at all. It was depressing. And it didn't even solve the whole problem. Chicago winters are wicked and the Butler has studied at his "desk" every night and every weekend with an actual bed quilt folded over 3 times on his lap. Brrrrr.

Imagine our surprise when March 31st came along and the temps were warm enough to hope that we might be able to actually open our windows once again and welcome fresh air into the apartment. So down came the blankets, towels, pillows, boxes, and quilts.

And just so you know how many we had going ... it took me 3 loads of laundry to wash them all for storage until they are needed next winter.

Of course, uncovering an area that had been covered for 4 months led to some additional work. Enter exibit #1: DIRTY WINDOWS. Boys howdy they were dirty. All of that dirt was outside of course, since nothing had touched that window from the inside for 4 months.

It was warm enough for me to take my step ladder outside and wash that window. It improved things 110%. And now we have fresh, natural light streaming through our window. It makes things seem so much brighter and cleaner and fresher and kinder.

And it wakes me up at 6:00 a.m. Which is not such a terrible thing.

I added my newly embroidered pillow cases in the color of shiny copper. Nothing too frilly for the Butler. Just a little touch of different.

And I took a picture of a robin who has returned from her southern vacation. She and her friends are feasting on the old dried, flash-frozen-for-the-winter berries on the front tree. Nothing green yet. I keep checking.

While I was at it I vacuumed the carpets, wiped down the cabinets in the kitchen, dusted off the dining room chairs, corralled a little clutter, shredded a basket of leftover files from January's purge, cleaned the crumbs out of the toaster, swept the porch, washed the other window ... which is actually a sliding glass door ... and basically worked out my anticipation while I waited for word of our baby Chase being born in Atlanta.

Sunday it was in the 60s and I actually opened that window for about 2.34 hours. Then I closed it really fast because a cold front moved in and yesterday it was only 42 degrees.

Still no green. I checked again.

Good Sports ... All of Ya

2011-04-04T09:08:00.006-05:00

And I thank you for that. I haven't pulled a good April Fool's Spoof since I was 8 years old and me and my Grandpa (a very naughty pair) convinced my Grandma that a mouse had scurried behind her stove. I can still see his back, his shoulders jarring up and down as he tried to hold in laughter while he pulled the stove away from the wall for Grandma to "capture that varmint".

We were trouble. And we were in trouble. No dessert for us! Except that Grandma caved and served us anyway. She even served Grandpa a second helping when he tapped his coffee cup with his teaspoon .. his "call" that she was to figure out what he needed and hop to it!

It was the 60s. And times had not yet changed.

Anyway ... GREAT NEWS ... Chase Avery has arrived. And he made me a GREAT aunt. He was born last Thursday afternoon to my niece and her husband via c-section. He weighed 8 lbs 10 ozs and was 22 inches long and had a BIG head.

Less than 48 hours after giving birth via major surgery my niece and her new baby were at home. Something is wrong with that picture.

Here is something amusing. My niece had never changed a diaper in her life. Never seen anyone nurse a baby. Never driven with a child in her car Never cleaned spit up. Never fed a bottle. Never babysat. Never had a sibling or a cousin young enough to be involved in their care. Never dressed an infant, bathed an infant, or rocked an infant. She asked my mama how many hours in between diaper changes?

So her husband is pretty much doing it all. Which is okay. Except he goes back to work tomorrow.

Here he is. We think he's pretty cute. And ... he has his daddy's red hair which endears him immediately.

That's my mama in the background, scurrying around so fast that she won't come out crisp in a photo. She is 73 years old and she likes to say she has "been raising kids for 53 years."

She raised me and my 2 younger brothers. Then she raised my two nieces, the older one is Chase's mama. Now she will have her hand in raising Chase because Chase and his parents live with her. They are so young. They were married 3 1/2 years ago straight out of high school and are both in college and working. So my mama ... the Great Grammie ... will be Chase's babysitter. At least until she is exhausted. We're taking bets that she outlasts us all.

So that is the big news around here. Along with Butler (not related to THE Butler in any way) and UConn playing tonight (GO Bulldogs!!), the CUBS losing their opener and the big storms that swept through here last night.

Plus ... I did my spring cleaning. But that is so exciting you'll have to wait for another day to hear about it.

Happy Monday!

A new Job ...

2011-04-01T09:00:00.005-05:00

I've had it under my hat for a couple of weeks now. I needed permission to share. It seriously had to wait for the press to be told. Seriously. The PRESS.

But it's out as of 8:00 a.m. today. So I share ...

It started four weeks ago when the mayor-elect of Chicago announced he'd like people with "integrity, grit, loyalty" to apply for positions in his new administration. Character is essential they announced.

"You've got character!" the Butler told me. So I applied. I expected my resume would be thrown in the trash POST HASTE.

But I got a call. A pre-interview. Directions. A time. A new suit. A ride to the Loop in the METRA. And a meeting with the future mayor.

And an offer.

I'll be taking care of small things. An assistant to an assistant. But still ... it's a job. A good job. A worthy job. Politics don't matter. Loyalty does. Knowing when to be quiet. Knowing what to say when you are not. Knowing where the bottled water is, how long it takes to get to the airport, who to contact when one needs a clean tie.

I start on Monday.

My first assignment: How to pull a really good April Fool's joke on blog readers. How'd I do?

What I'm up to ...

2011-03-30T15:55:00.000-05:00

found some cabbage in the fridge that needed to be used so I made fresh cole slaw for dinner (cabbage, sweet red pepper, carrots, red onion, some mayo, vinegar, celery seeds, ground pepper ... it's pretty and just creamy enough)
I think I'll serve it with salmon patties
the sun is shining
took out the recycling
researched activities and train travel for our day in the city with our son ... coming up next week
the Butler has given me permission to take the heavy blankets off the bedroom window on Friday
and he's not fooling
which means Friday is officially spring cleaning day ... wait for it
tomorrow I might be a great-aunt
the branches I'm forcing from the bushes in the complex are bursting forth green
I hope they have some flowers coming too but I have no idea
I'm thinking about being a dog walker
$10 per 20 minute walk, fresh water, and a cuddle, for any dog in our complex
seriously ... EVERYONE comes home between 10:00 and 2:00 to take their dog for a walk
I love dogs
think how much exercise I'd get
I'd need a raincoat
my sweet friend sent me the book One Thousand Gifts and I am already into it
I canceled my hold on it from the library
surprises in the mail are one of my new favorite things thanks to her
canceled is spelled cancelled at the airport, which is misspelled according to my spell check
maybe I should tell them***
the cobra that escaped from the Bronx Zoo has a twitter account and a facebook page and she is tweeting some funny, funny stuff
for example, "just leaving Wall Street ... that place makes my skin crawl"
hahahahahahahaha I'm so easily entertained
and slightly bored

**** I looked it up ... both are acceptable ... how can that be? Our language needs just one more exception to the rule.

Friday and a Brain Dump ...

2011-03-25T10:51:00.003-05:00

I blog more when I'm not working
a pesky squirrel is intent on breaking into our SEALED bucket of bird feed on the porch
I've scattered him three times, then sprayed the bucket with some bleach water to deter him
he's already chewed a hole into the bucket
persistent
not a bad quality when you are job hunting either
I made such a good lunch yesterday that I can't wait to eat it again this afternoon

recipe here

I finally reserved a copy of One Thousand Gifts at our libary
It's good till June of 2012, and it may actually take that long to get it considering all the holds on it
I've got $70 in FREE $5 gift certificates, thanks to SWAGBUCKS, toward my future purchase of a Kindle
Yay!
our middle son is coming for a visit in 2 weeks ...
I created my first online VIDEO application for a job this week
the tulips in my header are courtesy of the ladies' retreat last weekend, and they are STILL going strong a week later
I stole some branches from a nearby shrub to see if I could force them into blooming
I have no idea what they are but I'm taking my chances
I'm embroidering pillow cases for ME
I tried yoga for my sore lower back and I like it ... just some ultra stretching, holding, breathing
It's still winter in Chicago .. highs just at freezing for the next week
patience
another good quality when job hunting

Y'all have a great weekend!

The Feet Have it ...

2011-03-24T08:05:00.002-05:00

I've lived with what is affectionately known as "the foot picture" for so long I forget that it is a conversation starter that everone has not seen. And the story, for those of you who have not heard it, is kinda fun to hear.

When I was a small girl my mom worked for an advertising agency. And when they needed stand-ins for ads, my brother and I ... literally ... stood in.

This picture was a shoe ad that hung all over the country. In the late 60s, when "cut and paste" really did mean CUT and PASTE, the photos were simply put together by hand to make a poster.

This one has me showing 3 1/2 times. The half time was not done by the photographer, but by the framer some 30 years later who needed to "lop some off" to make it fit the frame. And instead of taking his inch from the left as I asked him to .. and marked with a pen ... he took it from the right and cut me in half.

Ouch.

My brother is on there three times. Apparently boys' shoes were not as fashionable as girls'.

I remember doing this ad. Our faces did not matter, but my mama did my hair that day anyway. I remember having to change shoes and dresses and socks a billion times (or at least 4). I remember the photographer telling us to lift a hand or push a foot forward or turn. I remember him saying how well behaved we both were and how nice we were to work with. I remember the other men and women in the shots, and how pretty and handsome they all were dressed up like that (you'll notice not one single woman with slacks on .. it was the late 60s).

Oh, you didn't? Let me zoom in.

I also remember making $10 an hour. And that was a LOT of money back then. It's not bad for a part-time job now either. We worked for 6 hours. That is how long it took to get the pictures, with wardrobe changes and several people to direct.

And with my big fat paycheck I bought a new bike. So did my brother.

We were styling in more ways than one.

And now you know ... the rest of the story

A Dreary Afternoon

2011-03-23T08:01:00.000-05:00

And now ... more room to store things under the bed.

Let's Check in Shall we ...

2011-03-21T07:00:00.014-05:00

Happy spring! It's hard to believe we are on the light end of March already. Hopefully, those of us that took a Word of the Year back in January are learning something by now. I thought maybe it was time to consider sharing what God is teaching us through our journey. So if you took a Word of the Year, and are willing to share, write up your post, publish it, and then ~~come on over here and link up~~ come back and put the URL for your post in the comments (see below). I'm excited to see what everyone is learning as we go.

And here's an idea. If you didn't take a Word of the Year and feel like you missed the proverbial boat ... it's never too late. Here's the rule: There is no rule. The backstory is that instead of adopting a New Year's Resolution that will be thrown to the wind by lunch on January 2nd, some of us take a Word of the Year to live by and learn from all year long. Try it!

PURPOSE for 2011

I have no idea, first of all, why I always capitalize the entire WORD OF THE YEAR. But I do. I've been doing it for 9 years, which definitely makes it a habit, so I'm not going to stop.

PURPOSE seemed like the right thing to work on after 2010. Last year was a big year with a lot of big changes. And while I TRUSTed (2010) God and followed the Butler from Florida to North Carolina to Illinois in a 9 month period of time, that was not as hard as leaving our boys, downsizing from a 4 bedroom 3,000 square foot house to an 800 sq foot one bedroom apartment, and getting rid of stuff. All kinds of stuff. Junk and stuff and crud. Gone. It was a bit hard. You spend all your life acquiring things and then in just a few weeks you give it all away. Hard ... and empowering ... and freeing all at the same time.

And then there was going back to work after a few years, falling in love with Boo, and leaving him.

All that to say that PURPOSE seemed just right for 2011. I needed to know what's most important. I needed to live a life and not just make one. I wanted to be strategic about my life. Doing things for a reason.

The verse I took is from Proverbs 19:21 "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's PURPOSE that prevails." (emphasis mine of course) Because I want to do things for God's reasons and not necessarily for my own.

I've learned a couple of important things so far. First of all, I wrestled with what God's PURPOSE really is. I read the Purpose Driven Life along with the rest of the free world a few years ago. And that was very helpful. I know it's not about me. But I'm the one living this life of PURPOSE, so for me it is about me, and how I go about making it happen. So I dug a little further and I learned that God's desire is not for me to be happy. His desire is for me to be holy.

Which brings me to lesson number two. If I'm living God's PURPOSE, I won't always be where I want to be. But I will always be where I need to be.

Scary. I wondered if that meant that life was full of sacrifice and misery and slogging through jobs and family responsibilities just so that I could do what God wanted and be where God wanted so that I could somehow suffer enough to become holy.

And that sure didn't add up.

I think sometimes it really isn't about right and wrong. Sometimes it is just about what makes us happy. Because even though God goal is not to make us happy, he sure wants us to be full of joy. He loves to give good things to his children.

Here is one practical approach to this lesson that is blooming right now for me.

I've been through 2 jobs since October. By choice. I taught pre-school first of all, and quit that job in January because I could not continue to align myself with some of the ways the director was running the place. Just a few unethical things. Nothing illegal, just unkind. Nothing immoral, just not compassionate. I needed out.

So I took another job at a daycare which turned out to be a disaster. Loved the director. Loved the way it was run. Couldn't stand the kids. Pre-delinquent ... mean ... disrespectful ... swearing ... kicking ... hitting ... running away from the teacher 3 and 4-yr olds. Highly discouraging. I did not have the energy or the patience for that. It had nothing to do with happy. It had everything to do with joy. They sucked the joy right out of me. Literally.

So I quit. It was not an easy decision. The pay was great and I walked to work. All of that made the decision difficult because I really questioned God as to whether I was supposed to be there despite my unhappiness.

And on my way home from that job on the last evening, I prayed that easy, TRUST-filled prayer that I echoed so many times in 2010 .. "God, please be in this thing with me." And then I added something that seemed just right at the time, "And take care of my heart in this matter."

God is concerned about my heart. He wants it close to him. He wants it full of his Spirit. He wants it chasing the right things and devoted to what he finds important. He wants it seeking holiness.

Here's where the practical part came in. I found a job that I thought would be all of those things. I interviewed, and I was invited back to shadow the job for a couple of hours just to make sure. But the hours for the job include every other weekend. I'd have to work every other Sunday and miss church.

It has taken a long time for us to find a church we love, and join, and have a small group, and make friends. We have not been happy at church for about 7 years. And now we are. And we go together and enjoy the day and worship and learn and grow.

And that takes care of my heart. And missing it would not.

So for now, I'll keep looking for a job that is mindful of his PURPOSE.

And apparently McLinky is no longer free. I haven't used it in awhile and was unaware it had gone profitable on me. So put the URL for your post in the comments if you will. And let me know if you are aware of another linking service that doesn't cost. Because I'm ~~frugal~~ cheap like that.

Made ya Laugh ...

2011-03-18T13:00:00.000-05:00

Just try to keep a straight face through this one.

I'm publishing the Word of the Year links on Monday so ... heads up everyone.

And y'all have a great weekend.

Leprechauns and Other Green Stuff ...

2011-03-17T09:35:00.000-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Which means nothing here since we are not Irish.

But here is something that made my day. I won this great bag from Beehive Designs. It's made from a sail. And it's strong and light and sturdy and gets lots of comments when I carry it. Love it! Thanks Bee-Friends.

And it's green. So if I go anywhere today I'll be sure to take it along so I'm covered. I have not One Single Green Item in my closet. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero.

It's pretty outside again today. Second day in a row of sunshine and nice temps ... and by nice I mean we don't have to wear snow boots. Or gloves.

It's been said of the Cubs ... "Spring baseball exists to remind us that we're still wearing coats." -- from either the weather or the sports guy on NBC-TV Chicago.

Ya'll have a great green day.

Book Review

2011-03-16T10:25:00.003-05:00

A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst is a daily devotional written on reflection of God's own words inspired in the Old Testament. The book is divided into 10 general topics covering things like Loyalty and Betrayal, Faith and Doubt, and Peace and Conflict.

The devotions are basic, no holds barred, to the point. There is no fluff, and no warm fuzzies. It's an easy book to pick up and read, the scripture included in each day's reading so it can even be done on the road without a bible in hand.

This devotion is a straightforward approach to daily readings, a good gift for anyone who hates to start their day without something of substance, but not for those of us who like a little personal human touch to their devotion.

This book was provided to me free of charge for the purpose of review by Thomas Nelson Publishers and Booksneeze.

Sunday and a Brain Dump ...

2011-03-13T13:37:00.000-05:00

Day Two swaddled on the couch with laptop ... phone ... magazines ... and lotsandlotsabasketball.

The Butler says it is not March Madness.

But it's March.

And some of those guys look pretty mad.

Ok ... so here's the ~~scoop~~ dump:

Is there something in Asian culture which encourages numb fingers and toes? Because my new neighbors are DAILY leaving their apartment door wide open to the elements. Seriously. It is in the 20s and 30s and they have every day left their door wide open. For about 3 weeks now. Not sure why. So I'm asking.

I found a neat job. It is called "Life Enrichment Manager". It is at a senior living facility and apparently it involves a case load of residents that one gets to know. Then, with that relational knowledge, you develop ways to keep them connected to life, and enjoying life, and feeling significant. I can't help but think it might not be too different than developing a "lesson plan" for a certain 3rd grader. I think I'll apply.

My back is killing me. I have no clue why. Except maybe it is screaming, "Time for a nice walk in the spring weather!"

On that note ... the weather professional on tv last night made it very clear that all of us asking for spring weather will have to wait awhile. She was VERY CLEAR to say that we can use May 15th as our deadline for freezing temperatures. Usually. USUALLY.

I recall living in southern Illinois years ago and we were told never to plant our gardens until after Memorial Day. I refused to obey and set those seeds out earlier in the month. And it froze in late May and I had to do it all over again. So there.

I have to admit that this Florida girl is finding it a little difficult to wait for spring. In the same way I used to crave fall when I lived in FL and saw everyone posting pictures of orange leaves and sweatshirt-ed children, I am now craving spring while viewing picture of budding trees and happy daffodils.

May 15th.

Meanwhile, I am on the lookout for some forsythia to force. Does that exist in this area?

Since I am not going to work tomorrow at the daycare (YIPEE!!) I will clean this apartment. I will scrub my tub, vacuum my carpets, and dust my shelves. I will head over to the fitness center and ride the bike (maybe that will help my sore back). I will make a list of things to do on Tuesday, when I plan to get the car and drop some resumes. I will make a huge pot of chili for the Butler, who insists you can never have too much chili. I will write a check to my youngest and mail it off. I will read a magazine, make the bed, watch a bit of the TODAY Show, clean the fridge and knit on the afghan that was supposed to be given as a gift at the wedding we missed yesterday.

I'm making my list.

What I'm Not Doing This Weekend...

2011-03-12T15:15:00.000-06:00

I'm not wearing a pretty outfit.

I'm not taking photos at a wedding.

I'm not eating and laughing with the oldest friends we have in the world.

I'm not spending the evening holding someone's new grandbaby.

I'm not meeting a one-year-old for the first time.

I'm not going to our old (20+ yrs ago) church.

I'm not walking in the sunshine.

I'm not having lunch with my friend who will be guesting on the Oprah Show.

BUT ... all is not lost.

I'm napping on the couch.

I'm popping my prescriptions.

I'm keeping my feet warm.

I'm wrapped in a blanket.

I'm eating leftover pizza.

I'm watching an opera on tv (I'm perilously bored).

And enjoying Jason Castro's new song ... in person sort of.

I hate it when the best laid plans are overturned. But then, nothing takes God by surprise. I'm where I need to be.

Still ... I hope your weekend is better than mine.

How to Raise Juvenile Delinquent ...

2011-03-11T10:32:00.001-06:00

keep telling my husband that the kids I work with are the kind that will
not stop if a cop says, "FREEZE!. I'll be reading about them in the paper some day .. and not because they won any accolades.

Here's what I'd LIKE to give the parents ... courtesy of the Houston Police Department.

12 Steps to Raise a Juvenile Delinquent:

1. Begin with infancy to give the child everything he wants. In this way he will grow up to believe the world owes him a living.

2. Quarrel frequently in the presence of your children. In this way they won’t be so shocked when the home is broken up later.

3. When he picks up bad words, laugh at him. This will make him think he’s cute.

4. Give the child all the spending money he wants. Never let him earn his own.

5. Never give him any spiritual training. Wait until he is twenty-one and then let "him decide for himself".

5. Satisfy his every craving for food, drink, and comfort. See that his every sensual desire is gratified.

6. Avoid the use of "wrong". He may develop a guilt complex. This will condition him to believe later, when he is arrested, that society is against him and he is being persecuted.

7. Let him read any printed material, and listen to any music he can get his hands on. Be careful that the silverware and drinking glasses are sterilized, but let his mind feast on garbage.

8. Pick up everything he leaves lying around. Do everything for him so that he will be experienced in throwing all responsibility on others.

9. When he gets into real trouble, apologize to yourself by saying, "I could never do anything with him."

10. Take his part against neighbors, teachers, and policemen. They are all prejudiced against your child.

11. Prepare for a life of grief. You will likely have it.

Taken from a pamphlet entitled Twelve Rules for Raising Delinquent Children distributed by the Houston Police Department.

I Gave Notice ...

2011-03-08T11:46:00.000-06:00

... again. The Butler says I am getting great at the 2 week notice. But this time, I only get a week. As soon as I told my boss she began begging me to stay. My choice of classroom, my choice of doing away with certain kids, my choice of hours. Man, I could write my ticket. But there is no way I am going to be known as a Daycare Diva. So I will not take the offer.

Besides, one friend told me that if I "cave" I will feel obligated forever. I'm a people pleaser after all. She's right. Totally.

So Friday is my last day. I feel relieved already. No more defiant 3 yr olds. No more kicked shins. No more thrown food. No more tears. From me. Seriously, I have been brought to private tears many times with these difficult children.

And I have another sore throat. This will be the 4th time I am sick since October.

But of course there is another issue ... finding another job.

I'm on it. Craigslist is my friend.

Until then, I'll enjoy NOT cleaning up vomit, wiping running noses, mopping thrown cereal, changing a FOUR YEAR OLD'S SOILED UNDIES!!! and all that stuff. I don't want to sound like I am too good for that because I truly am NOT too good for that. I'm just tired of it. I've just had enough. I just need to move on.

And my PURPOSE is at the top of the list. I've been wrestling with that pretty hard. And wrestling with God, which I understand will result in blessing. Eventually. Wrestling is hard and lonely work.

I had an Interview ...

2011-03-06T15:58:00.000-06:00

... and I didn't get the job.

Oh, well, it is a tough market out there and there is no reason for anyone to settle by hiring someone that is not as qualified as the next person. I'll keep looking.

But the bottom line is that I am NOT looking in preschool/daycare or anything to do with kids.

I want to love them after all.

And right now I don't even like them very much.

The sun is shining in Chicagoland but it is 29 degrees. I have seen pictures in Blogland of early blooms ... daffodils, crocus ... and heard rumor that the temps in Atlanta were fair and the trees were budding.

The tenants in our rented home in Florida are asking for help with the air conditioner as it seems it is running constantly. So this is how we handled it:

1) gave our manager permission to call his fix-it guy to do a house call

2) addressed the REAL owner of the home in this manner: "Dear God, That lovely home you own in Florida has an air conditioner problem. However You want to use Your money is fine with us. We can put it toward air conditioner fixing or we can use it on something more fun. Whatever. If You'll let us know we'll sure follow through. Love, Your faithful stewards"

After all, it's all His and we are very aware of that.

I'm frantically knitting. Well, right now I am NOT knitting but I SHOULD be knitting. I am about 1/3 of the way through an afghan that needs to be done in 5 days. The young bride is expecting a baby as well. And the good news is that the baby gift is done. So we've got that anyway.

A group from our church is heading to Thailand for 2 weeks. Two weeks! They've been told not to touch a child on the head. That is the holiest spot on their bodies. They've been told not to do anything with their feet. That is the unholiest spot on their bodies. They've been told not to ... under any circumstances ... let a drop of water enter their mouths. Last trip, someone rinsed their toothbrush in the water from the faucet at the hotel and they got a terrible parasite. Ick.

I don't have a passport.

No regrets.

Ya'll ... have a great week.

It's What's for Dessert ...

2011-03-04T11:17:00.000-06:00

... or breakfast.

1 small container of plain yogurt
a couple of hand-throws of frozen strawberries
a splash of grape juice
2 tablespoons concentrated cherry juice

Ninja the cocktail, divide it between 2 glasses, stick them in the freezer.

The next day, scrape the contents of ONE frozen cocktail into the Ninja, add about 1/2 a cup of skim milk and as many chocolate chips as your little heart desires, and squish it all again.

Yum.

It's a cherry-grape-strawberry-chocolate-fruit-punch-with-a-twang sort of start to your day.

Or dessert.

And there's another one for tomorrow.

Boo Growing up ...

2011-03-02T11:00:00.000-06:00

Remember Boo ...

He's growing up fast ...

Sigh.

First Tuesday in March ... 10:00 a.m.

2011-03-01T10:15:00.000-06:00

... and they are testing the tornado sirens. You don't get that in Florida. Or North Carolina. Familiar sounds of "home" and growing up in the midwest.

It is a lovely day all around. Sun is SHINING and the sky is BLUE and the air is COLD and CLEAR. Spring can't be too far away.

I walked to work this morning with no ice on the sidewalks. Yesterday was treacherous so the Butler kindly drove me and dropped me off. Then he delivered a car to me at 5:45 and walked himself home to a dinner of leftover spaghetti so I could attend a staff meeting which I have no comment on. I remember the rule growing up that if you didn't have anything nice to say you should say nothing at all.

Silence.

Yeah ... like that.

Okay ... one thing. Swearing ... not professional.

Okay ... another thing ... you don't PAY your employees for 2 hours of their time on a Monday evening AFTER work?

Okay ... one more thing ... no introductions ... who WAS the woman running the meeting and running off at the mouth? I have no idea. And did she know me? No. And there were only about 25 people so it seems it would not have been out of the question to perhaps notice someone new and find out who they were and tell them why you had the authority to run the meeting and tell the new person what to do.

Ya think?

Okay ... I'm done now.

And today is a new, beautiful day.

Welcome March ... one day closer to spring.

I hope yours is lovely.

Happy 3rd Birthday!

2011-02-26T09:35:00.000-06:00

Swagbucks is celebrating a birthday on Monday. Its THIRD. I have been a part of the pre-party festivities and I've been racking up Swagbucks like ca-razy.

If you have not yet joined Swagbucks or have joined and are not using it, you need to get with the program. You will get an automatic 25 swagbucks just for joining. And then they promise over 100 Swagbucks in codes alone on Monday. Plus some other surprises and fun. We're working on a cryptogram right now that will be solve-able on Monday. It promises to be a hefty payoff.

Swagbucks is so simple to use. (Find out more here). When you need to make a search online (or if you just want to log in to facebook, your blog, your email, etc) you use the provided box to do the search. And every once in awhile a few Swaggy-dollars will pop up and be yours. I've received anywhere from 8 to 50 at one time. And it's over and over and over. I often win several times a day.

I have been doing the new "tasks" which add up quickly, keeping up on the "trusted surveys", and of course answering the daily poll and using the toolbar, each for one guaranteed Swagbuck every day.

I already told y'all that I am halfway to the Kindle at Amazon. But what you don't know is that I have been saving for it only since January. Since I joined Swagbucks a year ago, I have earned nearly $200 is real dollars and gained myself some Christmas gifts to give away, some Starbucks coffee to enjoy, and some other items from the Amazon store that make my life either easier or funner (more fun ... fun-filled ... whatever).

So ... bottom line, sign up now. Work it. Use it. Enjoy it. And be sure to use this link because then I can enjoy it too.

Thanks.

Brain Dump on Thursday ...

2011-02-24T12:19:00.000-06:00

Glorious Day! It is Thursday. That means tomorrow is Friday. Which means that Saturday is just around the corner. I have always despised those of us that live for the weekend. I think it is so ungrateful to be focused on the only days of the week we don't have to go to work. I shake my head at those comments on Friday afternoons on Facebook ... "The weekend is here!" "Yay! It's Friday!" Stuff like that.

And yet here I am ... living for the weekend.

Sorry. I hate my job. Yes ... I said it out loud. I am done with kids. Totally. Afraid for the future of our country when we leave it to them. Well, these kids anyway. Where ARE the parents?

Which brings me to another update of another sort.

Some of us have dutifully taken a Word of the Year. If you did so, you know who you are. And I suspect that by now God is busy teaching you some of what you need to learn with that Word of the Year.

So in March ... toward the end ... I'll put up a linky so you can, if you choose, share with the rest of us what you are learning. Start writing that post now if you want. It may take awhile to think it through and edit what you think. Keep a lookout. I'll remind y'all again in a couple of weeks. And if I forget, you can remind me.

My friend from central IL is in Pasadena, California right now, compliments of Oprah. She was chosen, along with 19 others, to take a challenge to look and feel 20 years younger in the next few months. Yesterday she flew in, had an amazing lunch, met the others, got a briefing, saw the grounds, and tried to get used to cameras following her around EVERYWHERE. She had breakfast with Bob Greene this morning, and will be walking the grounds with him, going to a Farmer's Market, getting her blood drawn after fasting, and hearing all kinds of things on sleep issues, supplements, nutrition, stress, etc. I told her to take notes so she can tell me everything.

I am woefully behind in my Project 365. For some reason I just can't think of anything to take a picture of. I need inspiration. Perhaps spring. You know, if it ever gets here.

My BFF from Florida is coming to see me. Well ... okay ... in the effort to be totally honest I'll admit that she is actually visiting down the road (10 miles away) with her son, daughter-in-law and grandgirl. But ... she is 10 miles away for Pete's sake and you can bet your bottom dollar that means we'll be seeing each other for the first time in 14 months. We'll both be hoarse by the time we're through. After all, she has married off a daughter, seen her son and his family move here, and I have moved a SECOND time since we saw each other. We have a lot to catch up on.

I'm reading the Longest Book Ever right now and enjoying it very much.

And I love they way I THINK in poetic language when I am in the midst of said novel. I am languishing over the depth of its pages and hitting on all cylinders when it comes to the joy of it all. Heady stuff. It's hard to trump an afternoon of lollygagging with Father Tim in an old castle. Or listening to him volley with his charming and witty wife over a game of adjectives to describe the beauty of what they are experiencing in Ireland. It's a place I myself would love to visit one day. And since I do not yet have a passport, I am depending on my faithful friend to tell me everything. That's the ticket! Let him get the jet lag and eat the strange foods and I'll just ... read. Meanwhile, I told the Butler that I need a TIME OUT to git 'er done. It's a long tale indeed

I got the Large Print version.

Because it was a shorter wait list at the library than the regular version.

That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

It is a cold, dreary, icy day in the Windy City ... but the mayoral election is over. It was highly characteristic of the Chicago politics that I remember from the 70s. Not very classy (consider the used-to-be-second place candidate who moved herself to a firm tied-for-last when she stood up in a church forum, wagged her finger and her sassy head and spouted some nastiness that came around to bite her in the booty. I don't know how stupid she thinks Chicagoans are, but I am glad that they proved her wrong. May her political career be O.V.E.R. And that there is as political as you will ever hear me get), nasty (see previous), name-calling (every commercial on tv EXCEPT anything by Rahm Emanuel), petty (does Mr Emanuel have boxes hidden in the basement of his rented home or doesn't he), Supreme Court intervention-ed (STOP the presses, don't print the ballots until we decide if the boxes in the basement are due course for granting Chicago residency!!) , and last-but-not-least, happening while the democratic lawmakers from Wisconsin are taking refuge in Chicago so that they will not be forced to do their job ... er ... vote in the state legislature.

OH MY GOODNESS THE DRAMA!

And I may not like ALL of his politics, but I very much respect the fact that President Obama's former Chief of Staff ran the cleanest campaign I seriously have EVER SEEN run in local politics in any state or town I've every lived it. So ... good for him. Really.

And how 'bout the state of affairs on the world stage? History is being made these days. Stay alert!

Hardly fodder for a lowly blog with the habit of dumping brain.

But there you go.

It's Thursday.

Some Bling for Cinderella

2011-02-21T10:55:00.000-06:00

Of course I named my hardest working, lovliest of kitchen helpers. Didn't you?

A Brain Dump ... On Tuesday?

2011-02-16T10:57:00.000-06:00

Yes. Because I can't think of ONE THING to blog about for an entire post.

Nothing.

So I dump ...

my favorite quote these days comes from a pastor friend who had unique, creative and VERY effective parenting techniques ... "We know you love your children. Discipline them so we can love them too."

Amen.

I'm about over working daycare. Way over. The lesson: be ever so glad that my kids did not have to go to daycare.

I won an amazing giveaway that I can't wait to show you. Let's just say I'll be stylin' this spring. As soon as it arrives I will rip it open and take it's picture. Stay tuned.

It is supposed to be in the 50s tomorrow here in the Windy City. It's a fluke, but we'll take it. I may even wear SHOES to walk to work instead of BOOTS, which I will ... by the way ... be sad to put away eventually. I have worn my boots everyday everywhere since the first week of December and I love love love their warmth and comfort.

I gave the Butler a sprig of english ivy to live on his window sill in September, and it is a whole plant now. Beautiful. He waters it once a week ... on Wednesday ... because he put it on his calendar and it pops up on his Wednesday to-do list, "Water Plants", and he does. Besides that ... nothing.

I brought my baker's rack indoors on Saturday. It has lived on the porch since we moved, and Raymond* dug through them and hid things in the dirt. When the plants came indoors this fall, they were a mess. So I decided NOT to put the plants back outdoors this summer. They will live inside, on the baker's rack. Here's a photo:

I like yogurt now ... go figure

I love walking to work. Love it.

I baked a new bread called "struan bread" from my new bread book. It makes the most wonderful toast. Topping it with peanut butter or strawberry jam, but now both because I don't mix.
Tart cherry juice is the new super food so I am trying it. My friend uses it to help her sleep because it apparently has lots of melatonin. It keeps me awake as if I drank a double shot espresso before bed. So I make a coctail of decaf green tea, honey, and cherry juice, and I drink it as a pot of tea in the late morning. Delicious! Let's see if it helps with inflammation.
I've been using my iPod during the day while I am at home. I am enjoying all over again, like when I first got it. I need to sign up for some podcasts from my favorite pastor, Andy Stanley, at Northpoint Church in Atlanta.

And now my brain is rather empty. Thank goodness.

*our resident rodent (chipmunk) because he is annoying but we love him anyway

Happy VD!!

2011-02-14T12:16:00.000-06:00

a Tour

2011-02-12T21:18:00.000-06:00

... of the ~~cottage~~ apartment.

Because it is clean. And decluttered. And the Butler is not at home.

This is the "man cave" part of the house. His piles. Allowed. But corralled. Excuse the lighting.

The photos are not high quality. But there you go. Our nest. Clean. Uncluttered. Did I say that already?

Friday's Fav Five

2011-02-11T15:18:00.001-06:00

1. Sunshine ... the ONE thing I miss about living in Florida is constant sun. It is so cheering. And the dull, gray, snowy, cold, dreary days of winter without sun are NOT cheering. This week we had sun ... and below zero temps at the same time. Oh, well, can't have it all.

2. My new shawl ... I knitted it for myself and it works great. It is a bit fitted in the shoulders so that it does more than just hang there ... and the tassel, which falls on the V right where my tail would be if I had one, makes me happy.

3. An early Valentine's lunch with the Butler today. We both were off work at 12:30 and took advantage.

4. New yarn and a goal to finish a wedding afghan by March 12. Can I do it?

5. Cookies ... baked and mailed to the boys for Valentine's Day.

Head on over to Susanne's to see more Friday Fav's. Then post your own.

Something New in my Kitchen ...

2011-02-09T19:35:00.004-06:00

Remember when I taunted you with a "recreating one area of my home" post?

Well, it's taken a bit longer than I thought it would. And I blame it on the BLIZZARD of 2011.

Because when it snows 21 inches in 20 hours and the wind is whipping around at 60 mph and everything shuts down, including the roads, that whole story about "rain and snow and sleet and hail" turns out to be a lie.

Let's start at the beginning ... CSN, that great great online mall of stores at our fingertips, offered to let me review an item from their inventory and let y'all know what I thought. So I jumped at the chance because, as usual, I have a running list of Things I'd Love To Own For My Own and I had something at the top of the list I wanted to try.

When we moved to IL from NC we did not bring any of our old plastic food storage containers. None of it.

Every piece I owned had been born sometime in the 80's, along with my own children, and frankly it was showing it's age. Plus, I just am over plastic to store my food. Over it. Done. It stains, it cracks, it does who-knows-what to your food in the microwave, leeching chemicals into your leftovers to be consumed and in turn leech into your body.

So I got rid of every last piece of plastic food storage containers I have ever owned. Including the mismatched lids. Gladly.

But then I had a new problem of where to put the leftovers. I bought a set that shall remain nameless. An inexpensive set at the Walmart with blue lids that didn't last. I have already, in 6 months time, thrown 2 lids away. And really ... how do I store food in a lovely glass container with no lid?

Exactly.

So I had in the back of my mind that if I ever got free money I'd order these from CSN.

And maybe these to partner with them.

I had actually used them before. When I was a nanny to my little Boo his parents had them in their kitchen. So I already knew that they worked. They stored food. The lids fit tight ... air tight ... and were sturdy and strong and not about to break through normal use. I had filled them with leftovers at Boo's house, stored them in the fridge, taken them out the next day, heated them up in the microwave, put the empty containers in the dishwasher, and put them away in the cabinet the next morning.

So I was convinced before I even tried them in my own home.

Sold!!

You may notice that one of the square containers on the right are missing. That is because as soon as they were delivered (5 days late due to the blizzard. They apparently hung out in the UPS warehouse for a few days of R and R in central IL.) I let them warm up to room temperature, then snatched one up and washed it and filled it with leftover chili and plopped it in the Butler's lunchbox.

It worked for him too.

They even look pretty in the cabinet, although right now, most of them are in the freezer. Full of good things to eat.

Score!

My review ... I love them! Thanks CSN!

Moving on ...

2011-02-08T17:54:00.001-06:00

No ... No ... NO! Not as in moooooving again. We're done with that for awhile. Although I had an amazing dream the other night that we were moving to Minnesota's frozen tundra with our great friends bb and her family, including her daughters, sons-in-law and granddaughters, and my boys, and one friend from my job. We were going to buy a great BIG house with lots and lots of bedrooms. It had literally WALLS of bunk beds for all the grandkids we'd someday house. And we all went out in the front yard to have a snowball fight. I hit my friend in the nose with a snowball and we both laughed so hard that it woke me up.

The End.

No ... not that kind of moving.

I'm moving to a new job.

There were some things going on that I am not going to go into. Let's just say that if I were not already leaving, this sign on the bookshelves that greeted me this morning would have done me in.

Seriously!?! Book shelves in a preschool classroom that the children are not allowed to touch.

It almost made me cry.

Let's just say that the director must not believe in a literature rich environment ... and leave it at that.

Not to mention that I don't even know a 3 or 4 year old who can read that sign.

Meanwhile ... on The Day That I Knew I Had to GO Right Now ... which was 2 weeks ago today ... I stopped at another Preschool/Daycare on the way home to inquire about a job. Good timing ... or maybe that should be GOD Timing. 'Cause the drop-by turned into a phone call turned into an interview turned into an offer. More money. Less hours. Nice folks. Not one single red-flag-that-I-chose-to-ignore, like when I saw and interviewed in my current position.

And I know that there is no perfect job. But this one looks good. And here is the very best part of all. The part when you know for sure it is a God thing. The part that is the answer to the prayer that goes, "Lord, will you be in this thing please."

The place is a block away.

Four minutes from the time I locked my door till the time they open theirs. Four minutes, one road to cross, one parking lot to trekk, one stop sign to pass. I'll start off working a split shift, which I would hate if I had to scrape off the car, warm up the interior, and drive 20 minutes, which I do now. But a split shift that gives me 6 full hours at home every day, and a 4 minute walk to where I am going twice a day, is doable.

So we shall see. I'll let you know. I'll keep you posted. I start Monday.

The Beginning.

This Weekend ... I

2011-02-07T11:58:00.007-06:00

had to cancel a lunch with the Butler's birthday-girl sister because she got sick
donated our 4 drawer file cabinet ... which we emptied and shredded ... to our new Habitat Resale Store
got 4 square feet of space back in my kitchen, where it had been standing for weeks
increased my kitchen space by 1/3
made a trip to the library which I have not done in months
got new glasses that work
without lines
third try ... finally successful at Wal*mart of all places
planned to bake those girls some cookies to thank them ... this has been a major ordeal since July
knitted a new headband to keep my ears warm
took a picture to show you both

Hmmm ... I might sort of look like the flying nun
finished knitting my shawl, to replace the blanket I wear constantly on my shoulders
watched the Packers win the Superbowl
RSVP-ed a wedding in March
prepared to work my last week of work at this preschool ... starting a new job on the 14th ... details to come
celebrated that Karen is doing the weekend roundup again ... so fun!

Want to join us? Hop on Over the Backyard Fence and give it a whirl. And have a great week!

Super Bowl Sunday

2011-02-06T15:02:00.001-06:00

Our pastor did his trash-talking again today against the Packers. He's a Bears fan through and through and will root against anyone who is their arch enemy, with Green Bay at the top of the list. I am rooting for the Packers however, because if they are going to beat the Bears in a once-in-a-century-game then they'd better go on and win it all. Besides, there are nicer guys on the Packers than there are on the Steelers. Just saying. Some of those guys need rehab ... or at least a really good whipping from their mamas.

I loved watching "The Blind Side" this weekend. Sandra Bullock's character was a HOOT I tell ya. I loved how she threatened that mean-boy with her "Saturday Night Special" which also shoots well on the other nights too (hahahaha). I also loved loved loved the way she marched onto that field to give her boy a pep talk like no other, and smacked the coach on the backside as she went. And ... when she told off the potty mouth fella in the stands and said, "That's my son!" I was so proud of her. Standing up for her boy. That's a mama!

Funny thing is that we know someone in Florida who is exactly like her. Exactly. Down to the well groomed nails and expesive haircuts. Down to the designer shoes and the house the size of a castle. Even my youngest who actually saw the movie when it first came out, called me and said, "That Leanne Touhy is Ms. C all over again." I love me some southern women who are not afraid of it. Especially when she is paired with a good football game.

It is snowing again. It started in the middle of the night, when I awoke to the sound of the snow plows starting to dig out our parking lot. It continued through the morning but did not stop anyone from going to church. Chicagoans are not afraid of a little wintering. And now, it is coming down hard. Not blizzard-like mind you, but hard. Big, soft, wet, heavy flakes are falling. The Butler shoveled us out and he will likely have to do it again before bed.

And if the Packers win, then I am going to make our pastor eat some ~~crow~~ cheese. I will sneak into the sanctuary and place a small plate of the finest Wisconsin cheese on his pulpit. Anonymously of course. He will get a kick of that. And I suspect he will eat it too. Because he's a really good sport and loves to enjoy a good laugh.

Even at his own expense.

Go Packers!! (With apologies to my friend, Maddie)

Wednesday ... and a Brain Dump

2011-02-02T11:45:00.001-06:00

Or perhaps a picture dump. I love posts with lots of pictures. And fewer words. Here for your viewing pleasure ... the Blizzard of 2011.

Or ... What we Can See From our Porch without Going Too Far into it.

They say about 18 inches for our area ... so far. But we can't really tell since we can't get out of our front door yet.

Meanwhile ...

The neighbor upstairs is a smoker who has to bundle up and step out onto her porch every time she needs to smoke.

Sixty-eight and sunny at our kids' house yesterday in a beachside, Florida location. Poor fellas, missing out on all of this.

Chicago Public Schools have shut down today for the first time since 1999. Clearly Chicagoans are NOT wimps. The kids in our town take snowpants to school so they can wear them at recess.

We did not lose power, although 150,000 homes did.

We seriously may not get out of our parking lot by tomorrow. There is just too much snow to remove.

I stayed up until 11:00 last night because I could. I am a night person who does not relish getting up at 5:00 a.m. every morning, although I do. Today ... I didn't.

The Butler made french toast for breakfast.

It feels like there should be some sort of parade on tv today.

My nails are so dry.

Right now it is blowing so badly that I cannot see the building across the parking lot.

The TODAY Show, one my favorite "day-off-of-work-indulgences" is preempted by all the blizzard coverage.

It totally reminds me of hurricane coverage. "Hunker-down" being the favorite go-to phrase.

In natural disaster, as rescue workers search homes for victims who need rescuing, they paint a red X across the front of the home to let everyone know it is has been searched and does not need to be searched again. Here, when a car is searched and the trapped motorists are rescued, the workers pull the windshield wipers up to stand at attention, so that others know there is not one in the car. Clever.

Our snow shovel is in the car ... you know, in case we get stuck in the snow. Lotta good it does us now, since we can't get out of our front door.

Back to the Future ...

2011-02-01T07:51:00.001-06:00

January, 1994 ... the TODAY Show cast trying to figure out what the internet is. Oh my. That was only 17 years ago. Where we have come ...

Once Upon a Time ...

2011-01-31T16:36:00.000-06:00

There was a baby sister who was beautiful and talented.

A dad with a great singing voice.

A husband who was supportive and loving, even through 2 semesters of long distance marriage.

A new friend who wrote a song just for the occasion.

And a tender hearted young woman who had her dream come true.

Called ... ordained ... installed as the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in a small town in the midwest.

Her family was so proud,

that her parents were glowing.

I've known this young woman before she was even born. And I could not be more proud.

Congratulations, Courtney! It was so fun to be a part of your amazing day.

Let Your Fingers do the Walking ...

2011-01-25T08:20:00.002-06:00

This past Christmas I did ALL of my shopping online. It was great to come home nearly every day to find a package at my door. Even if it was technically for someone else. I enjoyed online shopping so much that I intend to make a habit of it. CSN Stores can help. It's a virtual mall with over 200 online stores where you can find anything you need whether it be swingsets, fitness equipment, or even new cookware.

I'm doing a little shopping today. I'm out to recreate one area of my home.

Stay tuned!

This Weekend ... I

2011-01-24T20:16:00.000-06:00

Yay! Karen is taking over the Weekend post. I haven't done it in quite awhile and frankly, I cannot think of a better friend to maintain the tradition. Thanks, Karen! I hope you'll hop over the Backyard Fence and join her.

This Weekend, I ...

went to the clinic (finally!) for an antibiotic
started to feel better by Sunday morning (10 days of sore throat GONE)
baked a new style of bread
watched the Bears lose to the Packers
watched the Jets lose to the Steelers
did all the laundry
changed the table runner on the table
relaxed as much as possible so I could finally get better

Not a busy weekend. But just the way I like it.

Now, go see what everyone else was up to.

Friday and a Brain Dump ...

2011-01-21T15:54:00.001-06:00

It's 6 degrees outside right now. A little chilly. I took the trash out earlier and by the time I got back inside my cheeks hurt so bad from the cold. I can't even imagine being out on the streets. I prayed last night that everyone who needed a place to stay warm would have one.

We do not have a garage. So the Butler went outside last night before bed to start the car. And he went out again this morning at 4:30 a.m. to coax a little life into it. And when we left for work at 6:00 it did not complain at all.

It's that HEAT in the gas tank, and that synthetic oil we equipped it with. Not to mention the windshield cleaner created for temps at -25.

So are my boots ... created for temps at -25. And today I was very, very glad for that.

This is what 51 cents worth of organic oat bran from Whole Foods looks like.

Actually, I only paid 41 cents because I had my own bag and they give you a 10 cent credit for being green.

I visited the Walgreen's Clinic after work today, where I came away with a prescription for an antibiotic. I just haven't felt significantly better since I started getting sick 9 days ago. I refuse to describe what I have seen coming out of my sinuses. That's way TMI. However, I will say that my face hurts, my glands are swollen, and my ears are full of fluid.

"I concur with your diagnosis of a sinus infection," the nurse practitioner informed me. Yay! Another weekend on the couch.

... where the entire town will shut down on Sunday afternoon. I am wearing my Bears hoodie right now and I intend to wear it through the weekend. Not because I'm superstitious or anything. I don't believe in that sort of thing. I do, however, believe in supporting my team.

So it's a good thing it is six degrees because I won't be sweating in this thing.

It's Monday ....

2011-01-17T13:15:00.003-06:00

And I've hibernated for an entire weekend on the couch. I consumed gallons of soup with broth and sipped pots full of hot tea. I popped mucinex like they were M&Ms and took tylenol around the clock. I slept, I took baths, but I did not wash my hair (a wet head is just not enjoyable when you are fighting a fever).

But most importantly ... I watched Pittsburgh, Green Bay, the Jets and THE BEARS win their playoff games. At one point during the last game of the weekend I announced that I was tired of football and went to take a bath. The Butler could not believe his ears.

So now ... my dilema. The Bears are hosting the Packers next Sunday afternoon at 2:00. And I am supposed to attend a ladies tea at church at 2:00. What to do?

I'll wear my hoodie ... and I'll go home at halftime. Because games are won and lost in the second half of course.

Ick ...

2011-01-14T16:55:00.001-06:00

I'm sick! Very sore throat, low grade fever, tired, tired, tired.

The plan was to take a short trip out of town this weekend. Leaving this afternoon and returning in time to see the Bears and the Seahawks rock it out in Soldier Field at noon on Sunday.

The bags were packed. The baby gifts ... 3 of them ... were bought and wrapped. Dinner was discussed, breakfast tomorrow with one family and lunch with another ... church on Sunday with friends we have not worshiped with in 20 years.

We were concerned with the weather. Snow ... as always ... can alter travel itineraries.

We never considered being grounded by a virus. And yet here we are.

I'm looking forward to lots of hot tea and soup and not getting out of my sweatsuit or leaving my house. Hopefully I'll be raring to go by Monday morning, and our visit will be rescheduled for another time.

Meanwhile, a reminder that "many are the plans in a man's heart; but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

Have a healthy weekend.

Today in the Wobbler Room ....

2011-01-13T18:36:00.000-06:00

Turning

Twirling

Spinning

Dizzy

Dancers

We are so Ordinary ...

2011-01-12T15:45:00.002-06:00

Edited to add: HERE is the recipe I use for focaccia bread. It is yummy. And very easy.

When we went to my sister-in-law's house on New Year's Day I took a fresh, warm loaf of my focaccia bread and my dipping spices with olive oil. I even took our favorite little dipping oil bowls which I have a dozen of. They are the small Fiestaware bowls and I bought one of every color because they all go with my china and are perfect for fruit or olive oil.

As I was prepping the side for our turkey and dressing she commented on how lovely and fun it was to have such a treat. I told her we did this 2 or 3 times a week and she laughed. I said, "NO! We really do. I'm not kidding." She could not believe I'd go to the "trouble" for just the 2 of us.

No trouble at all.

So in case you want to have a normal spaghetti and meatball meal with bread and dipping oil on an ordinary Wednesday night. Or ... in case you want to impress someone who doesn't ... here is the recipe.

I found this online and I think it is from the Carrabba's menu.

1 T basil
1 T parsley
1 T minced garlic

1 t thyme
1 t oregano
1 t crushed black pepper
1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 t chopped rosemary
1/4 t crushed red pepper
about 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

extra virgin olive oil

Put all the first 10 ingredients in your food processor (I use my Ninja). Run that thing for a few seconds till stuff is all mixed and chopped up. Scrape it all out into a glass container for storage.

I put mine in the fridge and just leave it there until it is all used up.

Put a good 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture in your individual dipping bowls (we use our own so we can double dip as we please) and add a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Voila!!

Note: Here is an interesting tidbit about olive oil. You likely know this already but I didn't know it until someone told me, and then when the Butler asked the question I knew the answer. "Why do we use Extra Virgin Olive Oil?" Well, because olive oil comes from multiple pressing of the olives. The first press is the most virginest ... if I may. The last one is the least virginest. And the most bitter. So if you are eating the olive oil in it's raw form ... say, for dipping oil or in a salad dressing ... you should use the extra virgin because it has the smoothest, least offensive taste. If you are cooking with it, you can use the cheap stuff. And ... just so you know ... olive oil has a low burn temp, so frying with it is not recommended. Although I do it on low, and use the cheap stuff.

So there you go. I hope you can become so ordinary that you do this a couple of times a week. You don't have to make your own focaccia bread. It works on the day old stuff from the Walmart clearance rack too :)

And Now for Something Completely Different ...

2011-01-11T15:43:00.000-06:00

A Brain Dump on Tuesday.

It just seems right.

It has been snowing for nearly 24 hours and surprisingly we only have about 4 inches on the ground. We are expecting it to last for at least another 12 hours and 2 more inches overnight. It is the simplest, quietest, peacefullest snow I've seen in a long, long time. I am realizing anew that January snow is very different from December snow. They didn't even clear the streets this morning. It's like the snowplows are tired of it already. But I'm not.

My best friend from Florida has lived in Florida all her life. Her kids were all born there. Her firstborn, at age 28, is married to one of my MOPS mamas. New flash: That young couple is moving HERE this weekend. My friend says she will be here to visit every other month. I googled the address and it turns out we are EXACTLY 10.0 miles away and 19 minutes. I'm thinking I could not have thought of that if I tried. It's a God thing. You know ... again.

Today I was in the baby room. Six babies ... well, 2 teeny babies and 2 wobblers and 2 toddlers ... were all fed, diapered and sleeping when I left. It's a daycare miracle.

Still snowing ...

We are going to see old friends this weekend. Three families. Years ago we'd get together to let our kids play. My boys have been known to unashamedly play with Barbie dolls when they got together (shhhhh ... don't tell them I told you that). This weekend, we will meet the children of those children. One just turned a year old. Another is 2 months old. And yet another will be born tomorrow. TOMORROW! I can't wait.

Did you know that you cannot have a scheduled c-section today? Not unless you scheduled it long, long ago. Expectant mothers everywhere have been scheduled to have their babies today ... 1/1/11. I saw a facebook post today where a mama said her baby boy turned 1 year old today. 1 year old on 1/1/11.

My niece started her 3rd trimester today. Yippee. Can't wait to meet Chase Avery.

Dr Oz's brother-in-law is the one that operated on Representative Giffords over the weekend. Small world.

Still snowing ...

Have you seen the new M and M commercial? They are not letting me embed it so here is the link. Enjoy.

New Math ...

2011-01-09T15:43:00.000-06:00

30 years of filed paper work is equal to 16 vertical inches of ~~trash ... shredding~~ ... recycling

add one electric shredder divided by 2 days

and lots and lots of hummmmmmm ... hummmmmm ... hummmmming, to which the Butler may have said, "Our neighbor upstairs is going to think we are practicing dentistry without a license."

and you will get 5 1/2 bags of shredded material, which my cousin thinks is perfect for garden mulch, hamster bedding, or mardi gras confetti ... but which we actually just recycled

and then rewarded ourselves with half a pizza each ... his and hers ... his is over there and mine is over here.

Another perk is a coat closet which actually fits coats, and a laundry closet which actually fits laundry. It's feeling nice and purged around here. Still cozy, but less crowded. 800 square feet does not go far, after all. We're making certain that everything we own has a PURPOSE.

Chunky Vegetable Lentil Soup

2011-01-08T14:29:00.002-06:00

Recipe courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine January 2011
(start to finish: 50 minutes)
1 TB olive oil
1 onion cut into thin rings
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup dry green (French) lentils, rinsed and drained
1 lb. whole small mushrooms (halve or quarter any larger ones)
4 medium carrots, thinly slice (about 2 cups)
2 stalks celery,chopped
4 cups water
1 14oz can vegetable broth
1/4 ts salt
1/4 ts ground black pepper
1/4 head of napa or red cabbage, sliced into strips (about 2 cups)

In a 4 quart saucepan or Dutch oven heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in lentils; cook and stir 1 minute.

Add mushrooms, carrots, celery, water, vegetable broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 25 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Divide among soup bowls; top with cabbage.

Makes 6 (1 1/2-cup servings).

each serving: 185 cals, 3 g fat, 1 mg chol, 408 mg sodium, 30 g carb, 13 g fiber, 12 g pro

Friday's Fav Five

2011-01-07T18:46:00.002-06:00

I squeaking in just under the gun for this one. I'm joining the girls over at Susanne's Living to Tell the Story for my five favs from this week.

1. My new veggie/lentil soup. I'll post the recipe this weekend. It's a keeper.

2. My shredder. I had a pile 16 inches tall to get through and I did. It took me 2 days. And it filled 6 1/2 garbage bags which we recycled.

3. My fancy box of Starbucks tea (a Christmas gift). I make a pot every afternoon and enjoy it so much. Warms me up inside just about the time I think I am going to freeze.

4. Snow.

5. My hours at work. 6:30 till 12:30 means I am home every afternoon. Joy!!

Link up with Susanne if you'd like to play. There is still time.

Wednesday ... and a Brain Dump

2011-01-05T18:37:00.000-06:00

I'm cozied on the couch, eating a hearty bowl of my homemade vegetable-lentil soup and soaking up the vegetable broth with my freshly-baked basil focaccia bread. I've got a throw over my sweat-shirted shoulders and another covering my legs, and there is a pot of hot tea at my side.

The Butler is at an evening meeting which includes dinner. So I'm treating myself right.

I went to the dentist yesterday. No cavities. The Butler picked our new dentist. He opened up Google maps, hit the dentists search, and ended up with a short list of available dentists right within our area. He made 3 phone calls and chose the office with the least expensive cleaning and checkup price.

Imagine my surprise when I walked in the office yesterday to face a picture wall of smiling Hatian children, cared for during the dentist's mission trips through the years. He flies to Haiti and pays for several staff members to go along for assistance. And he works on the teeth of the Haitian people for free. There were photo albums on the coffee table to leaf through, documenting their trips over the last several years.

Then as I talked to the hygenist working on my teeth ("Wow! You're an easy clean," she told me. Yipee! Flossing works!!) I found out that Friday afternoons are set aside to treat women and children from a battered women's shelter. "We like to give back," said the hygenist. "God has blessed us greatly."

Score!!

I told the Butler he would like the new dentist (who recommended a night guard for my apparent clenching and grinding, which may explain my morning headaches). He will go in a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, we also found a good mechanic to work on our one car. Getting maintenance on a car which needs to get two people to work and home is tricky. So far the mechanic the Butler (he seems to be good at this picking trusted people stuff) is using has been very helpful. He will take the Butler to work, pick the Butler up from work, have the maintenance done ON TIME, charge a very competitive rate, and even send us coupons.

Next up ... a doctor ... and someone to cut my hair.

Our snow is gone. All that is left are piles of ugly, black, dirty snow leftover from the 4 or 5 plowings that have been done, piled up at the ends of parking lots and looking pretty nasty. Time for a new snowfall to pretty things up a bit.

Tomorrow our oldest turns 28. Twenty-eight!! Where does the time go?

You should see my shred pile. The Butler has been FINALLY going through the two file cabinets that we have trotted across country twice in the last year. Apparently we do not need the vet files for our sweet dog that died several years ago. Who knew? Well ... I knew ... and I have been trying to get him to go through these files for a long time. He is finally doing that, and piling up the papers for me to shred. I'll just have to post a picture because really, you won't believe it.

I am loving the photo challenge that I am participating in. Not that all of my pictures are terrific. But they are at least an easy practice. And here is a hint for anyone that would love to join but doesn't think they can take a picture every day and post it everyday ... I don't do that. I take a bunch of pictures one day, then edit them and choose what I want to post and auto post them for the next 4 or 5 days. If I get behind I am not going to worry about it. I'll just do that in reverse.

The Bears are playing in a playoff game on January 16th. We just don't know who they are playing yet. But when the tickets went on sale this afternoon it only took 6 minutes to sell them all.

I really need to clean my kitchen ... again ... I have been baking all afternoon (baked oatmeal, focaccia bread, pumpkin bread) and wearing out my Kitchenaid mixer (which I LOVE by the way ... bought it with the money I made selling my BOSCH and my Nutramill). So I will stop dumping my brain and go do something that shows ... but will not be nearly as fun.

Another New Project ...

2011-01-02T19:31:00.000-06:00

I'm joining the PROJECT 365 movement. One picture. Every day. All year.

You can find my photos HERE.

Or you can find them over there to the left if you click on the "PROJECT 365" button.

And you can play along too if you like. I started a whole new blog for the purpose. Nothing but my photos over there. No comments. No ads. No links. No frills. But I think I will enjoy the challenge. I'm trying to become a better photographer and this may be just the motivation I need.

PURPOSE!

2011-01-01T00:05:00.020-06:00

Here are some answers to some of your questions in my last post which contained no words at all:

Why yes, I do think my men are just about as handsome as they come. Don't we all think our kids are the cutest? But it is really sweet of y'all to tell me that. Thank you. Although I just birthed 'em. God created them that way.

And OH MY GOODNESS YES(!) they DID have fun in the snow. Along with all the cousins. Our youngest had only seen snow once in his life, and that was in a cooler, trekked from the north. Just enough for him, at the age of 8, to make an 8 inch high snowman before it melted in the Florida sun.

Our older 2 had not seen it in 20 years. Along with the cousins, every single "kid" in his/her 20s, they played their little hearts out on Christmas night. The Florida kids in sneakers and layered in hoodies ... the Georgia kids in boots and gloves because they snowboard in the mountains. They were soaking wet and hysterical with laughter. They built a snow village and then proceeded to decimate it with my niece's high school leftover javelin they found in the garage.

Watching them was a blast from the past. They scurried like toddlers after each other and rolled like puppies in the snow. It was a sight for this mama's memory bank and theirs as well. A gift to us from a God who knew we'd need a wonderful memory to hold us close for the next while.

We moved to Florida in 1991 so the youngest has never lived where it is cold, the middle one has little memory of it and the oldest can still tell stories. So their experience is varied. But suffice it to say it has been a long while.

That is the Butler being pulled by our boys on a piece of cardboard inside a garbage bag. We also tried the lid to a plastic bin. Sledding is best with the proper equipment and technique. We had neither.

It was the best Christmas I can remember since my boys were very small. Just the best.

And now ... it is 2011-- time for a new Word of the Year.

I absolutely LOVED my Word of the Year for 2010. It was TRUST. And God tested me in it, taught me to put it into practice, and helped me to learn it to the point that I feel stronger, healthier, and more full of faith right now than I did this time a year ago. And isn't that the point?

I prayed one prayer so often during the year. It went something like this, "Well, Lord, you know our need, and you know our hearts, and I'm just asking you to be in this thing. Because I know that you can do exceedingly more than I could ever ask or imagine."

For years and years I have prayed so differently. I would say I came to God with more of a wish list, and pretty much told Him the way it should be. I knew what was best and all He needed was for me to tell him what that was so He could move on it as soon as possible.

This year, I learned what it is like to just let go. As I prayed my prayer of "...be in this thing" ... I pictured what God must have been saying for all the years previous, as I read Him his To Do List. "I can certainly do that for you," He'd say, "but I sure had something much better in mind."

Why that continues to awe me I don't know.

As the Butler and I drove home from our Best Christmas Ever we discussed my Word of the Year for 2011.

PURPOSE.

Every year at this time I get a little excited and a little nervous (except the year I took PERSEVERANCE and fought it right from the start ... I didn't want it and God insisted and I hated it all year ... but I persevered and made it through and I am happy to say learned MUCH).

I get excited because it is, after all, new. And I never know what God will do with it. What He will teach me. Where it will take me. But I get nervous too, because I never know WHY God wants me to have a certain word. What is going to happen this year that I will need to learn PURPOSE? I don't know. And my imagination runs wild and I think of all kinds of nasty scenerios.

But this year I am not nervous because I have learned to TRUST. I TRUST that God will provide a PURPOSE for all He asks me to to and go through. And I TRUST that His PURPOSES are worth whatever that might be.

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD'S purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21

Taking a Word of the Year is the singlemost effective tool in my walk with the LORD. Just for fun, I thought I'd list the ones I've done.

2004 ... Faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-24)
2005 ... Peace (Philippians 4:6-7)
2006 ... Perseverance (Galatians 6:9)
2007 ... Satisfaction (Psalm 90:14)
2008 ... Listen (James 1:22)
2009 ... Simplicity (Jeremiah 29:13)
2010 ... Trust (Proverbs 3:5-6; Ephesians 3:20)
2011 ... Purpose (Proverbs 19:21)

I literally could write a book on the things God has taught me and the ways these words have been made real to me each year. From the year I stuck with a job I did not want (perseverance) to the way God provided this renting, garden-loving gal a rose garden with no one to tend it (trust) to the downsizing of a household (simplicity), He has never failed to make each word a tool for teaching me more about Him. I think that is why this whole process works so well. It is not up to me ... it us up to Him. And He never fails.

Just for fun, if you are one of those that takes a Word of the Year, put it in the comments so that we can all see what it is. And if you aren't one who takes a Word of the Year, consider this your invitation to do so.

And on that note ... I wish you a very Happy New Year.

Goodnight. (I lie ... I was in bed hours ago and just put this on auto-post. I'm sound asleep right now.)

Scenes of the Day ... a Week Late

2010-12-31T08:19:00.003-06:00

2010-12-30T15:41:00.000-06:00

There is just about nothing I love better than purging right before the new year. Unless it is a brand-spanking-new-never-been-written-in calendar. Or a perfect Word of the Year to follow TRUST. Or perhaps a three day weekend.

Guess what? I have them all. I'm off tomorrow and I will finally ... Finally ... FINALLY post about our Christmas, which was FAN----TABULOUS. We got to see our boys, and my mom, and both my brothers, and my niece and nephew-in-law that are gloriously swollen with child (well, she is ... he just smiles), and various other nieces and nephews who brought along various other perhaps-to-be-a-part-of-the-family-some-day beaus and beauettes.

But that is a post for a different day.

Today I am just getting readyl to go pick up the Butler from work. And tomorrow I will NOT use an alarm clock, but sleep in until I want to get up. He will take the car and I will be wonderfuly stuck at home.

I have a BIG list and lots of fun things to do. Like try a focaccia bread recipe, make soup in my new cast iron red enameled pot, fill out all the birthdays on my new calendar, drink hot tea, call a friend, and perhaps not get dressed until well after lunchtime. That's my goal.

We won't be heading out to any parties tomorrow night. But we will likely eat soup and focaccia bread and watch the first episode of our newly acquired Season 4 of West Wing. Retire early. And welcome the new year first thing Saturday morning, long about the crack of 8:00. We are seriously hard core when it comes to New Year's I tell ya.

Christmas is put away ... the house apartment is squeaky clean ... I've taken an entire trunkload of stuff to Goodwill (again) ... I've organized the bathroom and the kitchen and the laundry closet ... I've hung our warm curtains in the bedroom to keep out any winter drafts ... and the temperature is expected to be 53 tomorrow afternoon.

Which proves that winter in the north is not so bad after all. It's already spring!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-19T14:35:00.000-06:00

May your days be merry and bright!

All Together Now ...

2010-12-15T16:45:00.001-06:00

Here's what we do in pre-school these days (to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot")

"I'm a little snowman, short and fat
Here are my buttons ... here is my hat
When the sun comes out I like to play

But ... I slowly melt a-way."

Don't you think these would be perfect?

And you can literally do this to everything you own. Well, not that you'd want little birdies on everything you own. But a personalized gift for a baby or child on your list would sure be fun. And this is easy. I use Wonder Under for mine. But because I don't want to take the time to write up the directions ... you can just use these.

Okay ... just yum. And you can use the more popular dark chocolate too, or milk chocolate, or whatever you want. Just yum.

Time to make reindeer food.

Last year I was frantic at this time of year. The Butler was already living in NC, with half of our belongings ... well, those that we were keeping. And I was in Florida with a bare house, 2/3rds of a Christmas tree, boxes and boxes ready to go ... and more needing to be filled, getting 2 sons out of the house, renting out the house, closing all the accounts, saying goodbye to friends, and pulling off Christmas all by myself.

Today I am sitting on my couch with my heated rice bag on my feet, covered with a light throw, sipping hot tea with honey, contemplating how completely stress free my Christmas preparations are this year. Here is how I managed it:

1. Give up all crazy expectations that it is my responsibility and within my power to make the holidays perfect for anyone. I'm over it.

2. Enjoy advent ... Waiting ... and experiencing the moment. I am having so much fun praying for my Word of the Year 2011. I cannot wait to share it with you. As soon as I know what it is :)

3. Doing all my shopping on Amazon.com. All of it. I took advantage of the signup for free Priority access a couple of months ago. That means everything I order directly through Amazon.com is delivered free in only 2 days. And sometimes ONE day. Seriously. It's the best. Even movies that come out THAT DAY, arrive at my door the NEXT DAY. I don't know how they do but it definitely does not involve a sleigh.

4. Plain brown boxes which we have used over and over and over each year for many years. All packed flat between Christmases. All moved from Florida to NC to Chicago in the span of 9 months. All topped with the same color ribbon for a certain member of the family. On Christmas morning ... The Butler gets the white ribboned boxes, the oldest to youngest sons get red, green, and blue, and I get purple. Or the other way 'round. It changes every year because there is no reason it has to be the same. And others ask as they "wrap" their bought gifts, "What color is Dad?"

EASY-PEASY to quote a phrase. And green, to quote another one.

5. Wait for it ... wait for it ... wait for it ... no really, wait for it. I mean don't do things TOO early. Anyone who buys their Christmas cards the year before when they are on sale after the holiday, and orders an accompanying picture when they get home from vacation in August, and has their cards addressed and the picture tucked inside and mailed the day after Thanksgiving, is organized. But ... they are not very frugal.

If you wait till about 2 weeks before Christmas, almost every online photo storing site offers free cards. Some with overnight shipping for free. You click on a sample, drop in your own photo, type in your greeting, and you're done. They arrive in your mailbox within the week. OR ... you download your own addresses and pay for the postage and the elves mail them from right there. Stress free. I got 50 cards free this year, and I got 40 free last year, which is all I needed.

6. On that note ... store your addresses on your computer and print them out each year (after making any changes) onto address labels. I store the addresses in my documents marked "Christmas addresses 2010" and can pull them up, make any changes, add any new ones, delete any I no longer want, and print them out the next year. Slap, clap and we're all done.

7. Keep your traditions simple. And few. A very few traditions are easier to maintain year after year than a lot of traditions. We have only a few. Pizza for Christmas Eve (sometimes homemade and sometimes bought and brought home ... whatever is easiest for the circumstances) ... breakfast casserole on Christmas Day (put together the day before and stuck in the fridge for baking on Christmas morning) ... movie at the theater on Christmas afternoon (makes for a very easy plan of events and becomes part of the gift-giving and produces major memory making). Here's a hint ... buy your tickets online ahead of time to prevent standing in line and the risk of being sold out. Believe it or not, Christmas afternoon is a VERY popular time to go to a movie.

8. Mail early and often. And don't do it on a Saturday. The best time to stand in line at the post office is mid-morning during the week. And if you mail in early December, don't do priority mail. I sent cookies to my kids the week after Thanksgiving, on a Saturday, and they arrived on Monday with standard mail. You may have to try this out a few times before you figure it out, but generally the post office doesn't really want packages sitting around. They want to move them on out.

9. Join Swagbucks so you can win Amazon.com gift cards. If you do that today, by next December you may just have enough to pay for most of your gifts, or at least make a very good dent in things. I sure did.

10. Open the snail mail sloooooooowly. This time of year, right before I put on my boots, my coat, my gloves, and my hat to go get the mail, I set a cup of tea to steeping. When I come back in, it is ready for enjoying while I open the cards and letters and enjoy the pictures that arrive each day. It's like a visit with an old friend.

11. Enjoy. We women are great at planning, executing, and cleaning it up. But we need help in the area of enjoying. Being in the moment. Relaxing with those we LOVE. Letting someone ELSE host the party. Asking ANOTHER person to bring part of the meal. Asking the HUSBAND do the dishes, even if he doesn't do it the way we like. Get over it. Life is so short. Make every moment count with the people you love, not the things you do.

You will, of course, have to figure out what works for you. If you only exchange one gift per person, wrapping presents with traditional paper may be the way to go for you. If you have small children in the house, you definitely want a lot of paper flying all over the place. And if your favorite thing in the whole world is the smell of baking and cleaning bread dough out from under your fingernails, then for certain, go for it. But once you figure out what you can DO WITHOUT ... your Christmas stress will ease a bit.

Here's to a very happy Christmas.

Around the Blogoshpere and Other Destinations ...

2010-12-09T15:43:00.001-06:00

This adorable Gingerbread Cabin with great wheels out front. I am enamored of the festive sparkly car with the Christmas Tree in transit. How ingenious! I'm reminded of the tiny village we used to set up under our tree, a cozy hamlet for the train to venture 'round. My boys used to line their Hot Wheels up next to the church with a stained glass window. "It's Christmas Eve," they'd say. "And all the folks are worshipping."

If you have not yet done your Christmas cards ... take the easy and freebie way out by following directions HERE. I have been doing cards-by-someone-else for the last couple of years and I love love love this ~~lazy and cheap~~ easy and economical approach.

The official, authorized, detailed list of 2010 Handmade Holidays is out. If you did not follow along day-by-day have no fear ... it's all in one place, along with 2007, 2008, and 2009. If you can't find the perfect homemade gift for everyone on your gift list, then you are just too picky.

My boots came ... and it appears they are just in time.

FYI ... 15 days 'till Christmas.

Tidbits ...

2010-12-05T13:34:00.000-06:00

I'm drinking hot tea which cools off very quickly here in the northern temperatures. It is a special tea from Whole Foods that we lovingly call "Breathing Tea" around here because it is said to help with breathing trouble which seems to be the bane of my existence right now. I am coughing my fool head off with what appears to be a resurgence of my asthma, which I thought I had left behind almost 20 years ago. A new appt with a new doctor is in order and will be made this week. I can't survive on a rescue inhaler.

My finger is fine thankyouverymuch. It has one more small scab to get rid of and then it is just a matter of growing some new stuff. I may have a tiny divit for the rest of my life which will not hinder my mad keyboard skills but may alter my fingerprint.

We had our first snowfall on Friday night. Sometime between midnight and 5 a.m. the snowplows came out and cleared the streets so that newbies like us would not do something stupid. We were able to get out and fulfill our responsibilities serving at church early Saturday morning, and again last night to have dinner in a neighboring village with the Butler's sister, brother, and their spouses. We closed down the restaurant and had a ball.

I have done all of my Christmas shopping via Amazon.com and have had packages arriving at my doorstep every few days intact and in time. Two day free shipping is a gift. I love to let my fingers to the shopping.

The birds are enjoying our bird feeder. You're welcome feathered friends.

I've been enjoying the advent devotions again this year from HERE. And I am currently praying about my Word of the Year for 2011. Doesn't 2011 look funny? So far I have a list of words that I have been hearing over and over again in sermons, conversations, readings, etc. Hope, Follow, Connect, Serve, Compassion, Give. This year of TRUST has been the most amazing yet. Of course, I generally say that every year about this time. Taking a Word of the Year has been the single-most effective growth tool EVER in my walk with Christ. By far. I hope you will consider it.

Oh, I ordered my winter boots. I have boots, which cost $5 and were purchased just in time for moving to NC last winter. They cost $5 because they are worth about that. They are warm, terribly uncomfortable, with no tread. But they ARE warm. I have been wearing them practically every day because warm feet for me are a priority. If my feet are cold I am miserable.

But ... they will not do at all for walking in the snow, hiking in the snow, or standing in the snow. So I ordered THESE PUPPIES.

And here is how I did it. I looked online for 3 days, reading reviews and checking locations and comparing prices. I narrowed my choice down to 3 different boots, then went to 3 different places in town trying them on for size and comfort. I chose the one I wanted, which cost $20 more in the store than what I had found for the same boot online.

I offered the manager the opportunity for the sale at the online price, and he declined. So I went home and ordered them with free shipping. Only just this very minute when I went to find the link to show you what I ordered, I discovered that price is no longer available. I paid $59.99 for those boots. And I think I will be very happy for many years. They are temperature tested to -25 degrees, have an awesome tread and great support.

Now all I need to do is convince the Butler that he needs a winter coat and some boots. Perhaps the 7 degree temperature we are to have in the morning tomorrow will be on my side.

Our pastor used a living prop this morning, to illustrate how "ridiculously miraculous" it was that the God of the Universe would choose to bring HOPE to the world through a tiny, wailing baby. His prop was about 4 months old, dressed in her best dress, and decorated with a HUGE red bow on the top of her tiny, hairless head. I'm not sure what the pastor said, but I sure know he enjoyed holding that sweet babe.

Ridiculously Miraculous indeed. Definitely something to think about.

Have a wonderful week ahead.

Brain Dumps and Healing Fingers ..

2010-11-27T16:03:00.000-06:00

It's Saturday, the day after Thanksgiving. Since Tuesday I have been so confused. Is it Saturday? No, must be Friday. Is tomorrow Sunday? Or today? Did we forget to go to church? Add to that the fact that I am still adjusting to the PITCH DARK at 4:00 in the afternoon here in the north, and I am totally confused. Last night I felt certain I needed to go to bed to get ready for work today, at 7:30 pm. because, after all, it had been dark for nearly 4 hours. And of course I don't work today. Oh, bother!!

Living in the north is harder that it looks.

I got a new winter coat. I knew I'd need one as soon as the temperatures hit 30 degrees and my jacket, which I had worn for years and years on the coldest of Florida winter days (low of 32 on a really cold night, high of 50 the following day), did not cut it. The first thing I did was go to Burlington Coat Factory and spend over an hour trying on coats to get an idea of what I wanted. Long, to my knees, a waist tie to keep the wind from rushing right off the lake and up my chest, gathered wrists, a high collar with a zipper that went all the way up, and a hood. A big hood, that I could tighten around my face. And not down because I don't want to look like the puffy Pillsbury Dough Girl. And not that plastic-y sort of finish to it because that just plain LOOKS cold so I can't imagine that it would feel warm and cozy.

I found exactly what I wanted at my favorite store ... Kohl's ... $150 on sale for $49.99 and I had a 15% discount on to of that. And when I bought it they gave me $10 in Kohl's bucks to use at another time. SCORE!!

I also got a pair of warm mittens with suede palms so I could grasp my morning coffee on the way to work.

Plus, the $5 boots I wore in NC are not going to cut it either. I need something much warmer and more durable. I'm still looking but hope to get a pair before the snow ~~flies~~ starts accumulating.

My finger is healing nicely I believe. I am no longer required to wear the bandage or the guard. The mesh they put on it is falling off little by little. It still hurts. I have a feeling the nerves will never be the same. But it could have been worse. The bad news: I can do dishes again.

We put up our tree today. It was not a difficult job. It is a 4 1/2 foot tree which we put on top of a table by the sliding doors and used about 30 ornaments and some colored LED lights to dress it up. It was easy up and will be easy down in a few weeks. A far cry from the monumental effort I used to put forth when we decorated our 4 bedroom home with 3 trees.

We hung our cukoo clock and the pictures of our boys, none of which were ever hung in NC. It just never felt like home enough to do so I guess.

And we did this, which was really fun, and completely gave our rented bedroom a whole new look without a whole bunch of effort.

Some people just hate the vinyl decor that seems to be so popular now. I just love it. I prefer a whimsical style to my home. Not too serious and lots of fun. Just like me. I'm all about the fun. And fun is finding this vinyl set at Meijer's for $14.99 and realizing that it will totally get my old windows out of our only closet to save space and keep them safer.

And while we were decorating for Christmas I found the pillow cases I had made a couple of years ago. Yipee! We shall have visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads I'm sure.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at my sister-in-law's house with her family. It is a gift from God to realize that the one person in the family that you would most likely want to live next door to is exactly the one that you live closest to. They are 45 minutes away from us and we are so thrilled. We have been seeing them and doing something with them every 2 weeks since we moved here. Next week we are going out to dinner with them and with the butler's brother and his wife as well. It has been 20 years since we lived near any extended family and we will never take it for granted again.

We've been enjoying our new HDTV that we bought ourselves for Christmas. We recycled our old one today which gives us a lot of extra space in the trunk of the car. That is where we were storing it since there is no place to set a huge television left over from the 1990's in this place.

We're trying to figure out a way to hang our living room curtains that I made in NC. They are created from drop cloths lined with plastic and are a wonderful insulator. But we have a weird set up with our sliding glass doors and the heat vent that is above them. We're still trying to figure it out. I'll share if we ever do. Figure it out that is.

I baked our boys' favorite Christmas cookies yesterday, and mailed them to them with their childhood Christmas advent calendar. Not sure if they will fight over moving the mouse like they used to when they were little. Or whether the mouse will sometimes end up on its head rather than its tail. They will have fun with it I hope.

Here are some things I have thought about in the last week that I had not thought about in the last 20 years:

zipper pulls
mitten clips
snot freezing in your nose when you walk outside
watering eyes from the cold biting wind
ice that you can slip on even when it is sunny and you think it is warmer than it really is
walking west instead of east to avoid the "lake effect"
electric blankets
draft dodgers (the kind you put at the bottom of your door, not the kind that run to Canada)
parking in a sunny spot (after 20 years in Florida looking for shade)
snow pants (should I consider this?)
long underwear
a blanket in the car
carrying my milk money in my mitten all through grade school
not being allowed to wear pants to school (a school rule) until I was in high school
walking 5 miles in a foot of snow, up hill both ways, barefoot ...

Christmas (card) Memories ...

2010-11-23T14:26:00.001-06:00

If a picture really is worth a thousand words then I've written many a novel over the years ... and most of them have been at Christmas.

Every year since we were married (30 years ago) we have sent a picture in our Christmas cards. And ever since the advent of Shutterfly, we have nixed the boxed cards all together and made our own cards using their software and our favorite picture.

This year, with our three sons living together in one state, and us empty nesters living in another, we have had to beg them for a picture, and take one of the two of us, and somehow creatively merge them on the same card for our yearly greeting,

It won't be hard at all (once we get the photos) because Shutterfly simply makes it too easy to worry about. Just go HERE.

The hardest part will be choosing ONE style.

And here is a free fun tradition to start, share with newly marrieds, or even go back and dig out pictures for retroactive fun ...

Frame your Christmas pictures from each year. We have 30 of them in all different frames ... spanning 1981 till 2009, and we display them each year as part of our Christmas decor. It is by far my favorite decoration. By far! And we always get the most positive comments when people see them.

So take the easy, professional, fun and memorable route for Christmas cards. Do it today and you won't have to stress over it. Have fun!

Brain Dumps and Faulty Fingers ...

2010-11-22T15:04:00.004-06:00

This is what it looked like after some time at the urgent care facility down the street. It took 2 1/2 hrs to get the bleeding stopped. "This is so frustrating!" was the response of the young doctor who politely declined my dinner invitation for squash casserole made with zucchini and yellow squash and one medium sized chunk of right ring finger.

This is what it looked like 3 days later when I removed the bandages.

The black stuff is a mesh that they packed the wound with to stop the bleeding, just after they applied silver nitrate, which hurt 100 times more than the injury.

They say I'll be as good as new after awhile. But I am not sure whether I'll use my mandolin again.

Not this kind if mandolin, which was what some people thought I was talking about.

But this kind of mandolin, used to quickly and efficiently and dangerously slice veggies into uniform sizes.

Do you see that handheld guard that you use to hold the veggie so that your fingers don't get near the blade? Yeah ... that. Isn't that a brilliant idea? Smart I tell ya. You should use that thing.

So I'm not cooking for Thanksgiving. We are going to the Butler's sister's house with her family. I am baking the bread, and only because I did not tell her that I hurt my finger because if I did, she would not let me.

Fun Visit
This past weekend we spent 4 days with our youngest son here in Chicago. He flew up Thursday and back on Sunday and the whole time he was visiting from the 80-degree Sunshine State he shivered and the sun never made an appearance. They are predicting snow for us on Thursday. Bring it on we say! We can take it ... as soon as we buy some gloves and I knit myself a hat, which will not really be happening anytime soon because of that finger thingy.

Low Attendance
I had four kids at preschool today. It was quiet and we were able to do some things we don't get to do when I have 15. We did kid yoga. I wanted to see what it was like. It is a DVD and it was cute. No meditation or becoming one with anything, just some cat back arching and doggie tail wagging and snake slither hissing. It was cute. And the kids loved it.

Early Christmas Present
We bought ourselves an HDTV. The tv we have had for years is a dinosaur. No, really, it is the size of a small dinosaur. Huge. Boxey. Cracked. Emitting mostly green coloring. And since the move from NC the picture has taken on the shape of an hourglass.

So while our techie son was here we bought our Christmas present and he carried it in and set it up. It is so light that he thought the box was empty.

And I am enjoying my football games so much more now that I can distinguish between the two teams' colors. I have never seen such brilliant color and vivid pictures. We watched Avatar and it was amazing. I cannot wait to see the ~~football games~~ Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Merry Christmas to us!

Speaking of which, we will be seeing all three of our boys for Christmas, along with my mom, both my brothers, and Every. Single. Niece and Nephew in my side of the family. We'll be doing us a party. My mom is calling every grandchild to ask what food they want. So far ... shrimp, cheesecake, homemade hot cocoa. She has 5 more kids to interview. And she is not asking her actual children because clearly grandchildren rank higher.

And this year, for the first time, a great grandchild to buy for. HE won't be here until April but we're pretty excited.

Meanwhile
Since I am typing with my entire left hand and only the index finger on my right, it has taken me an hour to do this. So I am done for now, and wishing you ALL a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving.

We Interrupt our pre-Thanksgiving Stress ...

2010-11-12T14:23:00.000-06:00

I can't think of an easier way to get the thing done. Go ... Quick ... plan ahead ... order ... then spend the rest of the 41 remaining days before Christmas stressing out about something completely unrelated.

You're welcome.

What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?

2010-11-10T14:42:00.002-06:00

Just a few of the many things I've said the last few weeks:

Clean up, clean up, ev'rybody everywhere ... clean up, clean up, ev'rybody do your share
Jacob, please do not hit
Wash your hands
Take that out of your mouth
Yes, P stands for potty but I was going for PLEASE
You're welcome
Wash your hands
Jacob, get off of the table
No, don't tattle to me, go talk to your friend about how you feel
Yes, you may play with the blocks
No, you may not play with the blocks
Jacob, Sit. RIGHT. HERE!
Wash your hands
Home Living is open to everyone
Jacob, you can't play in Home Living if you are going to step on the babies
Circle Time!
Thank you for peeling the crayon papers, now you may pick up the the papers and throw them away
Play dough is not for eating
You can see the words better if you turn the book right side up
Wash your hands
Who cut your dress?
Hand over the scissors!
Would you like more milk?
What's the magic word?
Wash your hands
Are you sorry?
You're shoes are on the wrong feet
Yes, I can put your barrette in your hair
No, Jacob, this barrette is not yours
Wash your hands
You WHAT?!
Count again, I think you missed one
You've had enough graham crackers
Wash your hands
No, your other right
One person in the bathroom at a time please
No, not veterinarian's day ... Veteran's Day
Not pears for eyes, a pair of eyes
Wash your hands
It's not a choice
No, I will not wipe your bottom ... you are four years old
Nap time!
Ahhhhhhhhhhh
JACOB! Go back to your OWN cot!

I don't believe I have told you all how much I love my hours. Six-thirty a.m. to 12:30 p.m. I drop the Butler off at his office on my way to work, and then I am home by 12:45 and I pick him up again at 4:00. His office is on the way to my school. And his office is 3 miles from our apartment. It is so easy to commute using one car and will only prove easier as the snow begins to fly.

My six hours are perfect. It is like looking forward to a day off every day. Every afternoon I am free to do as I please. Yesterday I took a nap. Tomorrow I am going to a craft fair.

And one day a week Jacob is not at school.

Which is like a week's vacation all by itself.

Takin' a Break...

2010-10-30T20:33:00.000-05:00

I think I've just gotten the wind knocked out of me a bit.

Between the sudden loss of our friend, Jenn, to adjusting to a new job, and finally getting a nasty case of bronchitis, I just need to catch my breath.

I'll likely be back. I love the holidays and will need to keep in touch with all the activities we are all enjoying. But for now ... I am taking a break.

Blessings to all ...

This Weekend ... I

2010-10-24T18:00:00.001-05:00

watched Jenn's Celebration of Life service online as it was streamed live from our former church in Florida

met our great-niece, Lucy, for the first time

rejoiced in the announcement that Lucy's aunt, our niece, will be married

met her fiance and fell in love ourselves

watched the SF/Phillie game and explained to the Butler that YES, they DO sing God Bless America at most of the games these days during the 7th inning stretch

ate carrot cake for breakfast, a practiced technique I learned from my dear friend bb when we were in college

watched the Bears lose ... again

Would you like to play along? Grab the button on the side bar and link up below.

This Weekend ... I

2010-10-17T00:32:00.000-05:00

It was a sad weekend for me. My friend passed away from breast cancer. She and I have not spoken for years except on facebook. I haven't seen her for a long time. But when I did see her, it was weekly.

She was a bible study leader in a study I was facilitating.

She worked on the same staff my husband worked on for many years.

She and I had dinner at Red Lobster once.

She liked my white sweatshirt, which was new at the time, back in 1999, and now is old and stained and stretched, but still in use.

We once went on the Southbeach diet together.

We talked about what it was like growing up loving a stepfather as our own, and never knowing our birth fathers.

We both loved Beth Moore.

She made me laugh.

And now she made me cry.

I'll never get a mamogram without thinking of her.

She was 35 years old and had just been married in August. Her cancer was aggressive ... and cruel. I've never met a cancer that isn't cruel. It causes pain. It takes away dignity and strength. It cuts us up and leaves us with scars. It strips us bald.

Jenn lost her battle with cancer tonight. But she never lost her faith. She fought the good fight, she finished the race, she kept the faith. She taught us how to fight for our lives and leave nothing behind ... except those that loved her. And we will see her soon.

Jennifer Cunningham Kimbrell 1975-2010

also this weekend ...

today is our Ethan's 20th birthday ... we no longer have any teenagers in our family
bought some warmer clothes
tried to get my IL driver's license but the line was too long
returned my library books
walked among the falling leaves on what I suspect will be our last weekend of color
attended a fund raising banquet for Haiti

For Your Eyes Only ..

2010-10-11T17:57:00.000-05:00

... and for the enjoyment of all those southerners who miss this stuff.

This Weekend ... I

2010-10-10T18:00:00.000-05:00

took a road trip to meet friends at Starved Rock State Park
old friends, grown up children, and new grandbaby

a great visit and a lovely setting
bought new "indoor shoes" for my new job
used my rent.com $100 gift card to make some purchases
saw my first commercial that was targeted to Spanish speaking consumers
picked up the Butler's new glasses
prayed for my friend Jenn, who is in the last stages of her battle with breast cancer

October is breast cancer awareness month. Be aware.

Wednesday ... and a Brain Dump

2010-10-06T15:07:00.000-05:00

This is getting to be a common weekly post.

My eyes are dilated. I got another eye exam today because the one I got in July, and proceeded to buy glasses with, is not working. The Butler had the same problem. The eye "doctor" (and the use of quotes is completely on purpose, because it is highly possible that he only played one on tv) we had in July checked our distance and then used that number to create a percentage of need for our reading. And that, it seems, is a common way to do things if you are a lazy doctor, and it will work for about 75% of patients. We fall into the 25%. So we both had to have new eye exams and sure enough, my close prescription is not nearly as strong as it needs to be.

We are both going to try the progressive lenses, and hopefully we'll be happy for a year or ten.

I'm making rice and beans for dinner. I decided it was time to eat like a 3rd world country. Tonight's the night.

I got a job. I start Monday. It's not the job I was offered yesterday. I turned that one down. I went for an interview today at a daycare and found it to be a weekday job, more money, more hours, instead of a 3 day a week job including Saturday for less money and less hours.

So I turned the one from yesterday down and took the one offered today. It will be good to have something to do during the week, and to continue to look forward to weekends. I can't even tell you how wonderful it feels to know I will not have to work Saturdays, when yesterday I was certain that was what I was going to have to do.

We've made plans to go see our kids for Christmas. My heart is so happy about this.

I had to cover my Christmas cactus that is on the back porch. I don't want to bring it in the house yet, because the buds are forming and they need cooler weather to set. But we had frost the night before last and so I had to cover it with a beach towel. I find that highly ironic.

Our nephew from Florida is coming to visit his family in a couple of weeks. He is bringing his wife and his baby daughter, Lucy, whom we have never met. She is a almost a year old and because I do not have to work on Saturdays I will be able to see them when the family gathers for a meal.

Boos' first birthday is Sunday and he has received my package in the mail. His mom wrote to tell me they are having him wait until is birthday to open it up, which for some reason makes me feel very happy. I'll be there in spirit.

Is this a Chicago thing? I mean "washroom" is only a term I have ever heard in Chicago. What do you think? Does anyone from any other place in the country call a bathroom a washroom? Please let me know. I find it a bit unnerving. I don't JUST want to wash you know? Then again, I am not really looking to REST either. Hmmmm. Interesting.

And that's all for this edition of the Brain Dump. I hope y'all have a great rest of your week. I getting ready to start a new job. With kids. Yes!

Dinner

2010-10-05T16:17:00.000-05:00

We ran into this raptor over the weekend.

I told the Butler that this was gross.

And that I'll never eat a mouse again.

And I mean it.

This Weekend ... I

2010-10-03T18:00:00.001-05:00

Grab the button on my side bar and join us for a weekend bullet list.

This weekend I:

saw the Christmas tree display at Sears

and then saw the Christmas tree display at Garden Ridge ... yikes!

discovered that the squirrels in this part of the country are black

attended a mobile food packing event in my old home town and found this girl getting down to business

in 2 hours these volunteers packed enough food to feed 73 children for an entire year

found the house I spent my junior high years in ... and I found my junior high ... and just as I remembered, it was exactly 5 miles uphill both ways, which of course I walked, barefooted, every day to and from

walked a new forest preserve trail where the leaves are starting to get serious

told the Butler, "I am not asking you to turn on the heat, I am just asking you to close the windows."
attended our first small group with new friends from a new church
wore jackets for the first time this season
took the Butler on a tour of Meijer's
did 3 loads of laundry, cleaned the apartment, paid the rent, emptied the recycling bin, washed the kitchen floor, shook out the throw rugs, swept the porch, cleaned the microwave, made 2 delicious dinners and I am currently waiting for the Bears game to begin

What did you do?

Friday Faves ...

2010-10-01T10:21:00.001-05:00

I'm joining Susanne at Living to tell the Story for an easy Friday post. I love lists.

Here are my Friday Fave Fives:

1. An entire 5 days of the most beautiful weather. Clear blue skies and bright sun with a cool breeze and a nip in the early/late days. Fall is here and so is October. A fave!!

2. A call-back for a second interview. Yesterday's interview apparently went well. I go back on Monday for the second.

3. Boo's Birthday snake and book. The snake turned out a little fatter than I had pictured, and I could not get the mouth the work like I wanted. But as wonky and goofy as the fella looks, he's somewhat endearing. And the book ... it was my kids' very favorite. In fact, I called them to read it to them and they remembered all the words.

4. Living in a town with professional teams. BEARS! CUBS! BLACKHAWKS! (I'm not a hockey fan, but ...) It's just fun.

5. Saturday mornings at the farmer's market. It will be gone by the end of the month ... too cold. But it will start up again in the spring. Of course, if I get the job I have interviewed for I will be working on Saturday and then that will be one of my most UNfavorite things. But such is life.

Join Susanne if you want to plan along. And have a great weekend.

A New Kinda Normal ...

2010-09-29T15:44:00.000-05:00

By week's end we will have spent the entirety of a whole month ... all of September ... in Chicagoland. Have you ever moved to somewhere from somewhere else, or began working at a new job after leaving an old one, or gone from an old house to a new (to you) house and had that feeling like you've been there forever?

Yeah ... like that.

It's like we've always been here. We spent 18 years in Florida and 9 months in North Carolina and at this point North Carolina feels like it never happened. In fact, when people ask me where I moved from I tell them Florida, as if North Carolina was just a vacation where we took all our furniture.

So now we are in a new kind of normal. Especially me. Since I don't have a job ... yet ...

It goes something like this:
6:00 am sleeping
7:00 am still sleeping
8:00 thinking about getting out of my WARM and COZY bed
8:30 okay, okay I'm up for goodness sake
8:30 till 10:00 checking email, checking Craig's List jobs, checking the recipes on the TODAY Show
10:00 eat breakfast ... homemade granola ... and just one slice of yummy chocolate chip pumpkin bread
10:15 brush teeth (after eating a second slice of chocolate chip pumpkin bread)
10:20 take off for my walk ... 3 miles

Okay ... I am going to stop saying what a beautiful time of year this is in Chicagoland because people from Florida are getting a little ticked off. They are looking forward to the time when they can say how beautiful it is in Florida ... likely in January or February.

So this is the part where I spend about 15 or 45 minutes telling God how amazing I think His creation is ... an easy thing to do when it is 65 degrees and the sky is a brilliant blue with a warm sun and delicious breeze and the maple trees turning from gold to red as I walk by. The farmers have finally cut down the corn in the fields. The soybeans have been harvested and they are threshing the summer wheat and getting ready to plant the winter wheat.

11:00 home to a really big glass of water
11:05 to 1:30 more online stuff. Today I applied for 2 more jobs and it really did take that long. Online apps are lengthy and finding the jobs to apply for is time consuming.

It's a full time job looking for a full time job.

1:30 shower and put on a clean sweat suit
2:00 lunch ... can you say POPCORN ... and reading a book (currently reading The Coral Thief)

The Butler comes home about 5:30 and asks me Every. Single. Day. "What did you do today?"

I have started telling him, "The same thing I did yesterday."

This Weekend ... I

2010-09-26T18:00:00.001-05:00

Link up below for your weekend memories.

Here's what we were up to:

hiked the forest preserve and saw some lovely sites

and some strange sites too

went to the Farmer's Market
saw some lovely sites
and some strange sites too

bought local honey and "Dad's Marinade", fresh sweet corn, caramel apples and cider
started Boo's snake that I'm knitting for his birthday
wore sweatshirts all weekend
saw a car with wipers on the headlites ... brilliant!
discussed the ad for "fresh salmon" with the grocer ... frozen is NOT fresh
went to Sunday School at our new church
got invited out to lunch by new friends
got invited to small group by other new friends
felt friendly

Friday ... and a Brain Dump

2010-09-24T13:50:00.001-05:00

Watch out below ... dumping from the brain ...

I am drinking a hot cup of mint melange decaf tea from Trader Joe's. And eating a generous slice of chocolate chip pumpkin bread. Not to worry ... I walked 4 miles this morning. I am also calling it lunch.

I'm on the computer (duh!) perusing new job listings on Craig's List, checking websites for places I passed yesterday as I drove around, and answering email. I got a note from Boo's mama that said he is walking while holding their hands. Well, I'm gonna miss it. But life goes on and I am okay.

I have a super secret project to make for his birthday, which is coming up in a couple of weeks. Oh, alright, it's a knitted curly snake. I am going to make him with all kinds of pieces of leftovers to give him some good stripey color. I'll post a picture before I mail him off with a new book for the birthday boy.

Look what I found in a parking lot yesterday. You don't see this very often.

I have a job interview next week at a place 2 miles from our house. I can walk it. So it would be a perfect location. It is a nursing home smack in the middle of our lovely neighborhood, next door to a church and right down the street from a middle school. The job is therapy/activites aide. It is only 3 days a week and I really want more than that. But we'll see if it is offered and perhaps I'll take it with the hope of more hours as time goes on.

I had lunch yesterday with 2 college roommates. Fun! One I had not seen in 30 years. We look EXACTLY the same. And I'm a monkey's uncle. But the waiter did say, "Were you in grade school together?" The Butler says he was flirting. Fine. I'll take it.

It is windy today, and chilly on top of it. I am wearing a sweatshirt and have no intention of taking it off.

I went to the library yesterday and got a book called "Last Minute Patchwork Gifts". I'm going to see if there is any inspiration for Christmas.

Have you seen this? If I had a grand girl I'd have to get this for her for Christmas. It is a GREEN dollhouse. Not GREEN as in color, but GREEN as in ... it has solar panels on the roof. And wind power. It's green and clean and I love it so much.

Here is the description straight from the website:

The dollhouse's energy efficient design includes a wind turbine, a solar cell panel and electric inverter for generating electricity, a rain barrel for collecting rain, a biofacade, which uses the natural cycle of plant growth to provide shading, and a blind that can adjust the amount of sunlight and air circulation. Also, recycling bins are included in the set.
If I were just a little bit shorter I'd totally live in this house.

There is one particular type of tree in this area that has already lost all its leaves. The wind has not helped but I am sad to see it go so soon.

Speaking of fall which leads to winter which leads to things I have not seen in a long time ... here is our city getting ready for "salt deliveries". And we are not talking sea salt to make your surfing experience more realistic.

Tomorrow the Butler has asked if we can go hiking on the Forest Preserve trail. "Yes!" I said. "It's a date." Maybe some hot pumpkin spiced latte coffee will be in order afterwards (for him) or some chocolate mocha coffee (for me). It will be another cool fall day here in the Chicago area. We are planning to enjoy our weekend. I hope you do too.

Happy Fall ...

2010-09-22T11:35:00.000-05:00

Yes indeed it is. Enjoy!

Thinking Ahead ...

2010-09-20T17:44:00.000-05:00

A Christmas Prayer by Amy Parker and Illustrated by Marijan Ramljak

This is a book to add to your gift-giving list. A grandchild, a special little friend, or your own child will love this cozy prayer thanking God for all the parts of the Nativity.

The prose is simple and completely true to the biblical rendering. There is enough repetition to give the young listener control over his/her participation. As the child in the story finds each piece of the Nativity, the purpose of the person or object is revealed, all according to God's perfect plan.

The illustrations are sweet and endearing. Drawn with a slightly whimsical style, but real enough to give the story authority, the illustrations will bring familiarity to the listener.

This book is a sturdy board book with a padded cover. It will take some abuse and handle some rough page turning.

This prayer/story teaches the listener about birth of Jesus, and humbly recognizes that God was in control to plan it all. It will likely become a family favorite for many Christmases to come.

Ages 1-8 in my opinion.
I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for my review.

Mmmmmmmmmmmonday ...

2010-09-20T11:15:00.001-05:00

and ... my house might just smell better than yours.

Maybe.

Can you tell what I'm up to?

It a recipe from here. The only ~~bad~~ ~~good~~ ~~bad~~ good part is that it will smell great in here at 8:00 tonight, and again at 3:00 a.m. and still at 9:00 tomorrow morning.

To settle that "immediate gratification" thing, I am also baking more chocolate chip pumpkin bread. I gave away 2 loaves and we ate a third, sharing a few slices with a neighbor.

This time I'm baking 6 loaves. I'll freeze 5 of them for quick giveaways or quick company, which we seem to get more of these days. No telling what will happen to the sixth.

This Weekend ... I

2010-09-19T18:00:00.002-05:00

It was a cool, rainy, dreary weekend here in Chicago. But we managed to have a great time without the sun. Here's what we did ... with our umbrellas:

bought apples from the apple orchard
toured a llama/alpaca farm
met some new friends

(the girls)

(Karma, with dred locks)

(Faith, with a great mop of dusty hair)

(Calypso, who pretended to be shy)

(it was clearly an act ... he's a camel of course)

(no, that is not MY Butler ... perhaps someone else's)

(the boys ... alpacas are smaller and have

straighter ears ... the llamas are larger and have banana shaped ears)

had lunch with the Butler's sister and bro-in-law who live ONLY 45 MINUTES AWAY!!
had dinner with friends we hadn't seen in over 15 years who live 7 MILES AWAY!!
settled on a church
visited with the mom of the Butler's childhood friends ... she lives 3 BLOCKS AWAY!!
said more than once, "It's like we've come 'home'"
made pasta and veggies
ate the last of our loaf of pumpkin chocolate chip bread
washed the car
~~helped the Butler hang bedroom curtains~~
~~watched the Butler hang bedroom curtains~~
~~hung bedroom curtains~~
was surprised to see that the Butler had hung the bedroom curtains

I hope you'll join us. Copy and paste the code for the button (to your left) and then come back and link up. We'd love to know what you've been up to this weekend.

For Today ... The Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-09-17T09:54:00.001-05:00

FOR TODAY ... Friday, September 17, 2010

Outside my window... a gorgeous, blue-skied, clear, crisp autumn morning

I am thinking... about talking to my oldest this morning ... a fun phone call

I am thankful for... great news from our former rental in NC ... we're getting our September rent back and don't have to pay for the rest of our contract.

From the kitchen ... Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread (I'm just adding the chocolate chips and a bit of cinnamon to meld it all together)

I am wearing... flannel pj shirt and a flannel blanket thrown over my legs as I sit on the couch

I am creating... Christmas presents

I am going... to take my walk around the neighborhood

I am reading... just finished "Sweet Caroline" and need another book.

I am hoping... the perfect job for me is right around the corner

I am hearing... Raymond, our resident chipmunk, is noisy this morning. And the TODAY Show is on the tv.

Around the house... laundry

One of my favorite things ... not being in any hurry in the morning

A few plans for the rest of the weekend ... off to sister/brother's house tomorrow with my Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread ... we're heading to the apple orchard wearing our sweatshirts; the library for more books; and a second visit to a new church on Sunday morning

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

(sweet summer memories)

Join others here for more Daybooks. Or better yet, join in.

It's only Weds and I'm Bored ...

2010-09-15T15:19:00.000-05:00

Not having anything to do is kicking my booty!

There is only so much cleaning you can do in an apartment this small. Example: pushing the chair in from breakfast is about the extent of what I needed to do today.

I did manage to cook two days in a row, which helped. Yesterday I made granola (for me) and today I made baked oatmeal (for the Butler).

I finished a book and now I am needing a car so I can go get another.

I'm hoping the phone rings to set up another interview for another job ... and hoping it doesn't ring to offer me the job I interviewed for yesterday because I'll have to say no. Fifteen hours is not enough.

I need to go to Aldi, where my friend tells me I will get the best bargains on groceries. Today their milk is $1.89 a gallon.

I updated my resume with the school district and added two more vacancies to my "submit" status. I've checked Craigs List ... twice ... for new postings. Nothing new has been added to the hospital openings for 3 weeks. The Starbucks down the street, which I could walk to, has no openings.

I petted a big sloppy doggie yesterday on my walk. He wanted to hug but he was taller than me.

Oh, I talked to little Boo's mama who is downright giddy with the news that they fired the original nanny replacement. She is so relieved to have found someone they love. Case in point: The newest new nanny actually gets down on the floor and plays with Boo. She can do laundry without putting Boo in his crib to be entertained. And she is able to sneak away for a quick bathroom break without Boo noticing. She also thinks ahead and has lunch ready before Boo decides to pitch a hungry fit. The first "new nanny" did none of that. And complained that Boo's mood seemed to change from happy to needy pretty quickly. "Hey, nanny! That is what babies do."

They are breathing a sign of relief. And so am I as we all knew when I left that they had compromised on what they really wanted based on need-in-a-hurry.

I did not walk this morning. I saved it for after dinner when I am going to force the Butler to go with me.

I had lunch with my college roommate on Monday. She lives up the street about 15 minutes and we are just tickled to be able to do that once in awhile. It had been 15 years since our family met her family in Tampa at the zoo while they were on spring break. We haven't changed a bit :)

I hesitate to call this a brain dump as we just had one of those a few days ago. Let's just say my to-do-or-did list crawled off the paper and onto the screen.

And y'all have yourselves a great last half of the week.

This Weekend ... I

2010-09-12T17:00:00.001-05:00

saw the first leaves starting to change yellow and red

found a great blue heron on the lake behind our complex
scheduled another job interview for Tuesday
watched The Book of Eli with the Butler
made my picks for the winning teams in this weekend's football pool
took the Butler grocery shopping
slept in on a rainy Saturday morning
went to the ZOO
liked the new Sunday morning church very much
renewed a library book
watched the women's final at the US Open
saw the Bears totally steal the game from the LIONS ... and didn't feel one bit sad
heard from Boo's mama

Would you like to play along? Write your bullet post on your weekend's activities, grab the button on the side bar, and link up below.

Friday ... And a Brain Dump ...

2010-09-10T12:43:00.001-05:00

I have a car today ... and I am going to try to figure out a way to use it. First up ... another Goodwill dump. And then, per the Butler's request, I am actually going to park the car and go INSIDE the Goodwill. The Butler is requesting I peruse the merchandise and decide whether it is worth his time to go inside to look for a coat ... and boots. We want to be ready.

I had to turn down a job offer yesterday. Do you know how hard that is? I mean, how many people are looking for jobs right now? But the hours just wouldn't work with one car. And it was a 6-day a week job which would just be hard for me to handle. I just don't want to work that much.

The Butler and his sister and I packed food last night at the new place where the Butler is site supervisor. He is trying to do all the different jobs, even those of the volunteers. It was fun. Loud music, double-clean environment, prayer, and we packed enough food (24 volunteers) to feed 17 children for an entire year. Boy that feels great.

We have a chipmunk that lives in a hole next to our front door. He likes to scamper all over our back patio. We've named him Raymond because ... well ... everybody loves Raymond.

Plans for this weekend ... the zoo, the bike trail, and washing the car, which we will have to do at some car washing place for the first time in our married life. This apartment complex does not have outdoor water access.

I have a lunch date next week with a former college roommate that lives 20 minutes away. I can't wait to see her.

We are going to a church for the second time this weekend. And the Butler is even considering attendance at the Men's Breakfast tomorrow morning. Go Go Go I said. Everyone needs a friend.

I borrowed the "John Adams" HBO series from the library. Seven episodes .. all done with amazing talent. Did you know that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were the only two surviving signers of the Declaration of Independence on the 50th anniversary of the signing? And ... they both died that day. Thomas Jefferson overseas, and John Adams at his beloved farm, Peacefield. John Adams was 90 years old, and his last words on his death bed were, "Thomas Jefferson survives". He had no idea that his old and dear friend Thomas was dying as well.

History can be so fascinating. Abby Adams, John and Abigail's daughter, died of breast cancer, only after her right breast was removed. The surgery was done with her lying on her bed, tied down, and held still by 3 men. Oh, how thankful I am that our ability to treat and remove cancer is so much more civil. She was indeed a brave woman.

I found a shortcut to the library today.

I'm having popcorn for lunch. Surprise! Or not.

I walked into a Crate and Barrel Outlet today which was a big mistake. Man, they have some wonderful stuff. The first time I ever walked into a Crate and Barrel store was about 38 years ago when I used to live in the Northwest suburbs.

Windows are open all over the place, and right now there is a very unhappy baby crying his/her little eyes out.

I miss Boo.

It's Fall for Pete's Sake ...

2010-09-09T12:43:00.001-05:00

Fantasizing for fall is fairly frustrating for fear of finding full fledged fickleness in the final frontier of what we fondly refer to as AIR CONDITIONING!!

For the past 19 years I have lived, as you may know, in the south. At this time of year in Florida for example, we were still depending on the full effect of air conditioning to keep us comfortable. And I found it not only dull and dreary, but down right depressing every. single. year.

September-whatever ... "It's fall. When do you think we are going to be able to turn the air off?"

October 1st ... "Ugh, 89 outside, turn down the air conditioner."

October 15th ... "Woo hoo! It's 77 outside. Let's turn off the air. We can sleep with the windows open tonight."

October 16th ... "Gosh the humidity is awful. Let's turn the air on."

November 15th ... "What?! Thanksgiving is next week? We still have the air conditioner on!"

Really ... that is the way it went year after year after year. Thanksgiving always snuck up on me because there was no preparation. No opening the windows at night, closing the windows at night, turning on the heat or scurrying to the back of the closet to find the boots.

But not this year sister! Now that we are in an actual fall-affected northern climate, I have decided to participate in the Fall Festival at This Blessed Nest.

Welcome!

And since we live in a tiny apartment, where the entire floor plan is changed if someone forgets to push in their chair after breakfast, we didn't go too overboard. Here is the extent of our decorating around the ~~house~~ apartment.

In the kitchen ...

In the ~~dining room~~ eating half of the living area ...

We don't care if the napkins don't match. We're a cloth napkin family so we just grab one and use it till it gets dirty. Then we grab another.

On the china cabinet ...

There you go ... short but sweet. Perhaps you'd like to join us.

For Today ... The Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-09-07T13:00:00.000-05:00

I have not done one of these in a very long time. But I was inspired by my friend Karen to do so, and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it.

For Today. . . Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Outside my window... it is nearly violently windy outside ... this is why they call it the Windy City
I am thinking . . . about my son who has just facebooked that he has a migraine ... I hate it when I can't be the mama to my boys
I am thankful for . . . too many things to list ... but at this very moment ... ice cream for dessert
I am remembering . . . what September was like in Florida and totally enjoying what it is like here in the Chicago area
I am going . . . no where today
I am currently reading . . . Jodi Picoult's Perfect Match ... she is one of my favorite authors
I am hoping . . . to find a job soon ... I'm kinda bored
On my mind . . . I have an interview tomorrow
Noticing that. . . it is VERY loud in here. The severe wind is causing the windchimes on the back porch to go crazy
From the kitchen . . . getting ready to roast a chicken in the oven, with new potatoes from the farmer's garden, and I'll make zucchini fritters on the side
Around the house . . . the dishwasher is running
One of my favorite things . . . open windows

From my camera . . . leftover from our visit in August with our youngest ... praying for his headache to go away NOW

You may join everyone over here to do your own Daybook. It's fun!

This Weekend ... I

2010-09-05T17:01:00.004-05:00

How is it that the weekend gets here so quickly and then disappears so fast? It's a time honored question I supposed.

I hope you will take the code from the sidebar and link up with us for "This Weekend, I".

I'll even give you a 3 day weekend for fun ... go ahead ... enjoy.

This was a fun weekend for me. Lots of activities with friends and family, and a whole day for just the Butler and me. Perfect!

This Weekend ... I:

met this sweet blogger who has become my friend over the years.

Our husbands were great sports to visit with us. Can I just say that Ginger and Dave are EXACTLY who I thought they would be. Ginger's blog is definitely a true picture of who they are. Down to earth, completely warm and loveable. It was great to meet and have an hour together.

An extra special treat was that their Chicago kids were with them. Icing on the cake!!

went to the farmer's market with our nearest relatives who are half an hour away. The Butler's sister and brother-in-law came and spent the day with us. We bought some great goodies and then we came back to our little place for lunch.

opened the windows to the cool air

closed the windows when the air got downright cold

went to 2 church services, which we have been doing as we check out churches in the area

had dessert with friends who were traveling back home to central IL after spending the weekend in Chicagoland

took a bike ride on the Forest Preserve Trail

made some more salsa from our farmer's market goodies

went through the remaining "garage" boxes on the patio ... and gave away more stuff since we no longer have a garage
took our coffee out to the lake behind the complex and sat on a wooden bench watching the ducks playgot up and realized the bench was COVERED in ticks. We pulled ticks off of each other for 1/2 an hour, then threw our clothes in the wash to get the red blood stains off the backs of our tshirts and pants. Ick.
watched Invictus

I hope you had a great holiday weekend too. The only complaint I had the last few days is that we have an American flag with no where to fly it. We'll keep it though. Something will work out.

Link up if you'd like to play along.

Calling all Foodies ...

2010-09-02T12:27:00.000-05:00

I have just updated my RECIPES page (right up there under the header) to include 3 new recipes: The Butler's Chocolate Chip Cookies (not at ALL new to us but seen here on my blog for the very first time), my sister's Homemade Granola (yum, yum, yum) and for Lady Farmer ... French Bread. Just in time for your weekend baking. Enjoy!