Thursday, November 30, 2006

Alive & Dry

Since it's a good day for bullet points:

*The basement is dry and the water is hot. Very hot.

*My cold has progressed to the point where now I just cough incessently. And wake everyone up at night. Vicks VapoRub to the rescue!

*Hubby & I are seriously looking forward to the mounds of snow we are supposed to accumulate tomorrow. The Sube is ready to go.

*I have to work on Saturday. Phooey.

*It's a dance rehearsal so it won't be all bad. I do need some exercise.

*Last night I exercised. My belly is sore. I must do more pushups.

*Cooking has seriously fallen to the wayside for me. I love to cook, and I love some of my favorite meals, but when all you want to eat is soup and someone else has already gone to the trouble of making that for you, what do you expect? However, cookies will be baked tomorrow. Mocha Fudgies. That's right, I know you want some.

Monday, November 27, 2006

A Bit of A Gloom

If it weren't enough that I'm sick and hacking up all kinds of unfavorable items, there's a flood in my basement. Anyone adept at installing new hot water heaters?

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Monday, November 20, 2006

Currently Reading

Just starting to get into this book. But I have to say that it already feels like my heart is aching with it. I long for real passion for Christ. I've been living so long in the same place that I am both disgusted with myself and also completely complacent. Not that this book is all I'm hanging my hat on, but maybe it will be a little bit of a kick start. Laziness is often so overwhelming.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

In My Neighborhood

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

~Jane Austin









It has to be said that there is little better for a Saturday afternoon than for it to be spent with wonderful girlfriends, tea, and Pride & Prejudice.

It's an annual occurance now. Last year we watched the new, shorter version, and while it was a good movie to fill some time, it just doesn't have the same, oh I don't know, the same something as the BBC original. Not to mention, it lacked Colin and that alone should cause us to take exception with the film.

Regardless, all I really have to say is that this movie always gives me warm fuzzies. I know, I know. That sounds rather silly and flippant. But I cannot deny it any longer. No, wait, I've never denied it. At any rate, it was a beautiful day.

Friday, November 17, 2006

The Other Thing

You know what else is really horrible about a great book?

The inability to accomplish anything else in one's life until the book is finished.

For a while I hadn't been reading at all, not sure why but I just hadn't been picking up anything new. And now I seem to be stuck in the, "I'll do it when I'm done reading" phase...

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

The Birth of a Kitty

Since the cats have been quarantined upstairs, they have all been growing rather, um, chubby. Less running around, more sleeping and thus, more belly. This is a story of what happens to a kitty with a chubby belly.

In our home cat toys find their way inevitably under the closest piece of furniture and currently there are at least ten under the entertainment center. Along with many dust bunnies of course.

Cammie is often found peering furtively underneath in hopes that one of her favorites will be close enough to snag with her little clawless paw. Once every few months, she is so determined that she manages to squeeze herself all the way under.

We never notice the crawling in, it's the crawling out that is so conspicuous. Namely, the squeaking of her paws as she attempts frantically to pull herself out.

Squeak, squeak.

Squeeeeak. Squeak.

Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak.

Pause.

Squeaksqueaksqueaksqueaksqueaksqueaksqueaksqueaksqueaksqueaksqueaksqueak.


I've tried helping. I"ll grab a paw or two and squish her belly down while pulling at the same time. Somehow that never quite works. She just twists around and backwards and gets more stuck. So we usually just sit back, watch, and laugh until our sides hurt. At the expense of our sad, stuck kitty. But she always makes it out. I swear.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Less Than Optimal

Oh faithful readers, my words to you have been few and faithless. My thoughts given to brighten your day have been limited and lacking.

But I will claim business. Seriously.

Friday I had a breakfast meeting with a good friend to catch up and hang out. Good food & good company. Then I rushed home for a lunch meeting with one of the girls on my kids' music team to work on motions for a bunch of new songs we want to introduce. Basically a working-workout-lunch. After I cleaned up from lunch, I made creme brulee and spinach dip for a party I hosted in the evening. Ah... girls night in.

Saturday we had a breakfast meeting for the music leaders for all of our church services. After that I went shopping...which can take up much more of a day than you expect it to at first glance. Hubby came home for a relaxing dinner together and the watching of much Arrested Development on DVD.

Sunday was a regular busy day. Morning services, napping, practice, evening service. Oh, and of course after that was DHW.

Today there was no excuse for my lack of posting. We slept in, watched more AD (hysterical show, especially when watched all in a row) and then had lunch and browsed about on the internet for a while.

I think I'm out of interesting topics. Really, you don't want to hear about the random things I'm doing in my life. I'm bored reading it all. Whoop dee doo, I do stuff.

What is it about ourselves that no matter what, we are the most important person in the story? Or we somehow find a way to become the pivotal role in the story. We wait with bated breath as we listen to the story being told to us, in anticipation of inserting our part right in the middle.

Ugh. I am such a bad listener. I want to make people feel imporant, to know that their story is the only thing I want to hear. I don't even like anything I'm typing tonight. I'm not making sense to myself. Maybe I should just go to bed and try again tomorrow.

Peace out, peeps. Hugs and kisses to you all.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

And the Winner Is....

Cheri, Kat & Kerrianne! Kerrianne wins double-time since she not only tied for second in the "Name That Car" game, but she also guessed correctly in the "Truth or Lies" game. What a week it has been!

Cheri's car name came in first place with "Ferriswheels;" Kerrianne's trailing close behind with "Stan," and tied with Kat's "Lulu."

I did lie. It was #1. I have never dressed as Raggedy Ann for Halloween. Wasn't it just too obvious?

Way to go everyone! Girls, I need your addresses to send out your fabulous prizes! They are even more amazing than I have hyped them up to be, don't you worry!

Oh, and we'll be christening the car this week so stay tuned.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.


There's nothing better than reading a good book. Especially when you have the chance to devour the entire thing in one day.

Dan recommended this book to me yesterday. It's one of those books that I think I may now have to purchase.

The worst part of a great book is the last page.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Playing Fair

There are a few games that I really like to play. Card games, Monopoly, Battleship. Games that are good to play with friends, family, sometimes even strangers. And there are a few that I really hate to play. Stratego, Risk, Chess. Strategy really isn't my strong suit. Usually the ones I hate are the ones I'm not very good at. They are the ones that I commonly lose. And in reverse, the games I really love are the ones that I am exceptionally good at.


Speaking of games I am really good at, tonight I played Dutch Blitz with a bunch of friends. And I won. It's the one game that not only am I really good, but I also never cheat at. Yup, you heard that right. Now I'm not saying I cheat at every game, nor that I cheat in mean ways. Nosirree, I only cheat fairly.

Of course, I can't tell you exactly how I cheat so fairly, because then you'd know all my tricks. And that just wouldn't be fair at all.

What are your most and least favorite games?

Monday, November 06, 2006

Truth or Lies?


V posted this meme last week and I was thoroughly intrigued.

The hardest part for me is coming up with things that people who actually know me will really have to think about to figure out.

Give it your best shot. Four truths & a lie. Which is which?


1. For Halloween over the years I have dressed as Laura Ingalls, a witch, Mrs. Zorro, a goddess & Raggedy Ann

2. I have seven piercings. But I'm thinking of taking one out and getting another somewhere else.

3. In my library are 900 books. Give or take a few. I've read about 65%.

4. I've been to Kenya, Egypt, The Netherlands, Jordan, Switzerland, Israel & Canada.

5. My favorite video games are: Zelda, Mario (Kart/Party/etc), James Bond, Hydro Thunder & Star Wars Legos.


A prize will be awarded to the winner.

Oh, and speaking of prizes, if you submitted a name for the car voting contest, email me your name & address. Prizes for that contest are forthcoming!!

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Shooting From the Hip

Can you believe Desperate Housewives tonight!?! Unbelievable!! If you missed it, go now to abc.com and watch the most recent episode. Then tell me in the comments what you thought.

On a more normal note, today was a very busy day. I love Sundays but I also look forward to them being over.

We got to church at about 8, prepped and setup for our various services, rehearsed & sound checked.

After the two morning services, we had to rush into one of the main rooms to reset the stage and rehearse for our Baby Dedication. For a room that normally seats about 300 to 350, we found a way to cram in almost 500 family members. It was a beautiful service, ending with cake and family photos.

We cleaned up and got reset for the evening service. I informed hubby that I needed to leave the church just for a little while and we went out to pick up coffee and rest in the afternoon sunshine for a bit. Then back for our evening rehearsal and service. I get to sing in the "big church" services in the evening; mostly because I am there and they often don't have any other girls on the schedule for the evening. And really, having a girl on stage adds a good deal of stage presence, right?!

The worship music portion of the service over, I run over to our children's classroom and do their music also. This week was rather difficult for me as there seemed to be a lot of high-attention kids in attendance. Many of the teachers don't know how or aren't able to keep them focused when there are people on the main stage so I feel like I have to be the leader as well as the crowd controller. But it still went over all right. I do love those kiddos.

Worn out, we still hung around after the service to chat with friends we don't see very often. Then had a couple friends over for leftover Blimpie subs (that were fantastic after being toasted on our Foreman grill) and watched DHW & Brothers and Sisters. Again, please tune into abc.com if you have missed this week's episode!

A long day, but a good one as usual. And tomorrow I will have a case of the Monday's. (that means I get to sleep in, make a late breakfast and spend some time on the computer before doing any 'real' work) Man I love Mondays...

Saturday, November 04, 2006

New Hair, New Outfit


I know boys, doesn't that just sound like a post you are absolutely DYING to read!? Well, if I'm trying to post every day, you're just going to understand that girly stuff is going to come out. I promise to get in a couple good "boy" posts too, just so you don't feel left out.

There is nothing better than a day at the salon. The atmosphere, the smells, the piles of magazines--it all cries out to soothe.

A brighter color, a fresh cut and a quick blow dry somehow makes me feel like a new person. I get a fresh start on how I view myself, let alone how anyone else might view me.

Not to mention how much I love a cute new outfit. Most of the components aren't actually new, but it's a new combination nonetheless.

I'd love to stay and chat, but looking like I do, I had better get out and live it up. It's jeans and a t-shirt again tomorrow.

Friday, November 03, 2006

On Why You Need to Finish What You Start

First of all, I have to proclaim that I successfully made apple pies this week. And not just one, but two. Unfortunately, I was only intent on taking pictures of the process and not the finished product. And now they are eaten. There were even very cute little cut-out kitties on top. Tasty little kitties, too.

I used to bake a lot more than I do now. Which is really rather weird because I work less now than I used to. However, while peeling all the apples I remembered why I don't do apple pie as much. Luckily, I was able to cart the laptop into the kitchen to turn on ABC.com and watch some telly that I haven't yet caught up on.

This morning it is quite chilly. And we can't find the little space heater for the bathroom. So every time you get out of the shower, all the drops of water on your body immediately freeze. Not a pleasant situation for anyone involved. I tell you this because I want you to understand why I didn't take a shower today. I mean really, who wants their tushes frozen over? Not I, said the mouse.

Here I sit on my cozy warm couch under my cozy warm blanket with my cozy warm laptop on my lap. Sipping hot cider. With donuts for breakfast.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Day 2

Today I:

Sat in on a meeting discussing plans for Christmas events in a room highly decorated for Christmas. Normally this would irritate me to no end, but somehow it was quite nice. The snow gently falling outside the window. I still don't like to hear Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, but since my job requires me to find and choose said music for said Christmas events, I don't really get to avoid that.

Transposed music and made a lead guitar player. Sometimes at my band rehearsals I feel so overwhelmed by how much I don't know that I could quit from my inadequacy. I run back and forth to the office getting things I have forgotten, and we spend half of our time trying to make the sound board produce the sounds we actually want. But then there are a few moments where I just love learning what is best. Taking that guitar player and teaching him how to pick out the solo. Helping each individual to find what key they need to be in so that I can actually sing the song. It was a fun night in spite of my insufficiencies.

Ate Butternut Bisque Soup. Quite tasty, I must tell you. Especially with some asiago cheese grated over the top and a slight squeeze of lemon. Friends who make dinner for you every week becausee they know you don't have a chance to go home are amazing. I can't even tell you how thankful and comforted I am every week by your generosity.

Missed Grey's Anatomy. Big Brother usually records it for me, but I forgot to ask and he forgot to remember. So no one ruin the plot, ok!? Thank goodness for ABC.com.

Went to bed late.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

In the Meanwhile...


We got our Christmas lights up!!

I know, it's only November. I can hardly believe it's November. But Monday was a very warm day and I would much rather get them all hung up before my roof freezes and I am more likely to slide right off.

We still need to buy a couple more strands to make it all the way around, as well as a few for the porch railing. But it's one good fall job down and very few left to go! All the flowers are in, the gardens are cleared. I think all I really have to do is rake the leaves over the gardens and put a bit more dirt on top for some good mulching.



I'm trying to rig the votes on our car-naming-poll. To get the one we want to win. I mean, I'm not going to call my car something that I don't like, right? So, we're trying to rig it. Except that I set it up so that you can only vote once. If you haven't voted yet, be sure to vote for one we like, ok?


It's supposed to snow tomorrow. I think I would really prefer it didn't. But winter is coming and it must be embraced. Gloves, hats and sweaters must be worn. Boots must be pulled out, shovels must be by the door, and our breath will freeze. Monday I planted several pots worth of tulip and hyacinth bulbs. To wait quietly in the cold basement. To be brought up in the middle of winter, when there are no flowers to be found. They will brighten the house. They will give me a bright spot to make it through to the end of the cold season. I am hunkering down, burrowing in.

Maybe I should live in California.