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?

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!!

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cast Your Votes!

You may vote for more than one name, but you can only vote one time. So don't go clicking on yours a millions times. (Ok, Nate?)

A New Name for a New Car Ferriswheels Urabus Roo Scooby Fred Frederu T-Bone Sue Baroo Silver Bullet Ace Charlie Buckley Stan Lulu Current Results

The Car We've All Been Waiting For

NOTE: All suggestions for car names must be in by midnight eastern time to qualify.

Surely you all are wondering. Assumedly everyone wants to know. Likely there are questions to be answered. So here's the story. It's a little long, but we all know how I like a good saga so read on!


Last Monday our car was hit. My stomach dropped as soon as I heard. We knew eventually we would have to buy a new car, but we were hoping to get the most out of our Cavalier that we possibly could.

The timetable now moved up considerably, we started shopping. AutoTrader.com is a life saver. We immediately found several cars that seemed like viable options and I started calling around to get information as soon as I could.

Friday night we stopped at several dealerships. We wanted to see all of our options, find out more information about several of the cars we had been reading up on. Most of the lots were closing as we came in and it was very cold. But we did get to test drive a couple and got some good ideas about many.

Pretty much everyone we know and everyone who knows someone we know, agreed that Subaru was an excellent choice. They're dependable, we heard. From the pictures of all we looked at, we could tell that it would be perfect for the hauling we would require from it.

I found a private seller who had a fairly new Subaru Legacy for a very reasonable price. We played phone tag a few times and finally set up a time to meet on Sunday after church. In the meanwhile, we did a few more drive-bys through small and large car lots and also stopped at another private seller's to do a test drive.

But I was holding my breath. My fingers were crossed. I was hoping against all hopes that this would be the car. The specs looked perfect on paper: sunroof, manual transmission, bike rack on top, sweet stereo, tons of storage, back seats fold down flat, low price, cruise control, a/c that worked, a very loud horn, and only three years old.

Sunday afternoon came. We met at Matt's* house. He seemed like a very nice, friendly guy and gave us a few details on the car before we took it for a spin. Before I even pulled out of the driveway (Yes, can you believe Andy let me drive it first!? I am one spoiled lady.) I said to my hubby, "Can we get it?"

The only stipulation was that we needed to take it to a garage and have a mechanic look it over. I was so sure this would be the car for us, I hardly wanted to even bother, I just wanted to take the car home! Monday we met Matt's wife and as we gave her our loan approval letter from the bank she gave us the keys to take the car to The Garage. (Really, that's the name of the shop!) The mechanic came out and looked it over, took it for a test drive and determined that we absolutely needed to have the brakes done very soon (we had been noticing the squeaky brake situation anyway) as well as the wheel bearings. He printed out an estimate for us and we went back to the seller's house.

Matt's wife took the estimate and said Matt would give us a call and let us know how much he would be willing to come down in price. We decided as we drove away that we would keep looking, just to be safe.

Though I didn't want to keep looking. I just wanted Matt to take off the amount of the repairs and we would be good to go. I was ready to take it home then and there. We had bonded, you see.

After more phone tag back and forth we agreed on a very reasonable price and set a time to meet at the bank the next day. On the way to the bank I called to let him know we were on the way and to make sure he had the title with him. He didn't, but his bank had said they'd mail it and that he wouldn't need it for closing. Our loan officer didn't agree with this. In fact, she said that we couldn't possibly close until we had it. After several phone calls, being on hold for quite a while, and many differing opinions, Matt decided to go back to check at his parents place and also at his place. Just to be sure.

Finally, finally, it was all settled. The title was found, we signed off on it, he paid the remaining balance due on his loan (we really bought it for less than he currently owed!) and I drove away in my new sube.

We are sube owners. Members belonging to an elite sube club. Waving at other subes as we drive by, we feel like we brought home a new family member. And in a way, we did.

But what to call him? Or her?! Any suggestions for a good name for our new addition? A fabulous prize is promised to whoever recommends the best name!



*We decided that Matt was a new friend and we could refer to him by first name. It was great to work with such a flexible and friendly guy.

See Stage Right

You may or may not have noticed the buttons I have added on the right sidebar over there. Take a moment now and look...

They look silly and random, right? Well, they are.


The top button you see is a link to a bunch of fun little bloggy awards for you to nominate me for. Heather Anne is hosting these awards, mostly for her own entertainment. She never fails to entertain everyone else, so she might as well get some fun back from the blogosphere. Here is the site to go to for more information and the categories for which to nominate me for. Feel free to select each of them. And feel free to nominate yourself while you're at it. I'm sure not going to stop you. I already nominated myself anyway.

I'll wait a moment while you go over and submit your ballot. Go ahead, get moving!


The second new button is for my own motivation. The month of November is National Blog Posting Month. I have already been trying to up my posting quotient lately. Not just for your amusement, though that is one of the reasons to be sure. But also for myself. So I will take more pictures of my life, and document my own goings-on. I am not very good at journaling regularly, but blogging has helped me analyze a lot of my thoughts, the things that go on in my life, and it is generally good for one's sanity to just get it all out. So, if you feel like you'd like to encourage yourself to post more, feel free to join in on NaBloPoMo. It'll be a good time.

10.24.06

10.22.06 Portrait of a Sweet Deal

Yesterday I went shopping.

This isn't really a huge monumental event or anything. But I haven't gone shopping, (really shopping, fun shopping) in quite a while.

One of the hardest things for me in deciding to quit my full-time job and only work my other part-time job, was knowing I would have to give up shopping.

I'm an excellent shopper. Not only do I enjoy it immensely, but I am also proficient at finding bargains.

Yesterday I went hunting.

Armed with several gift cards, free item coupons, and a few percentage discount coupons I went in. With all of these discounts, I still head directly back to the clearance section, browsing past the sale racks on my way.

Altogether, I got free lipstick, free knee socks & workout capris for $1.97! You can't beat that kind of shopping!

The very cute shoes you see pictured above aren't very practical. Nor are they appropriate for our current weather conditions. And I won't likely be able to wear them for at least 7 or 8 months. But I couldn't pass them up. They are so very adorable. Even better, they were only $8.53.

I've had my shopping fix. Hopefully, I'll be able to make it for a few more months.

10.20.06 "Portrait of a Nekkid Breakfast"

Mr. Met

I watched a baseball game tonight. The crucial game of the year.

It has been a very long time since the NY Mets had any sort of winning season.

And they almost made it to the World Series. It's been decades since that happened.


I'm surprised there weren't more tears in the basement. Maybe next year, Mr. Met. Maybe next year.

10.19.06

Recommendations

There it is. Shortly after I first bought it. She was a good little car. I had a Garfield in the back window, and my Israel sticker on the rear window. Many trips, both near and far. Many years of good service. We commend you to the junk yard.


Now. Moving on. I am always willing to give my personal opinion about practically anything. And today I need your opinions.

In all of your years of driving cars, which have you loved most? Which have you hated the most? What should we be watching out for? Any tips for dealing with the tricksy car salesman?

Here is what we're ideally hoping for:

1. Four doors
2. Hatchback/Wagon/fold down back seats (we always have a lot of things to haul about including, but not limited to: huge guitar amps, guitars, keyboards, drywall, bags of dirt, plants, other people, bikes, etc)
3. A/C
4. Excellent gas mileage. This means 28 mpg or higher. At the very least.
5. Low price. This means less than $8000. Much less if possible.
6. 2000 or newer.
7. No need for any repairs in the near future.
8. Someone to give us some money. (oops, sorry about that. Internal monologue coming out.)
9. Good cupholders that our coffee cups don't fall out of.
10. Cruise control
11. Manual transmission. This isn't really a requirement, but I do prefer the manual.
12. Someone to give us a brand new car. Or we could win one. Either way is fine.


Some of these things are very silly, I know. And not all of them are absolutes. But our car is out there waiting for us. We have just to find it...and find the money somewhere in there too!

Ok, ready to hear what you all have to recommend.

Why You Shouldn't Talk on Your Phone When You're Driving (Really, is it too much to ask?)

Remember how we were a one car family? And we were ok with that. Not a big deal. We work at the same place so that makes it pretty easy most of the time to get around.

Well, now we're not a car family at all. Just in time for winter, we decided to bike everywhere. Just seemed easier. Save some money on gas and all.

About two years ago we were a two car family. Had a nice little car and a nice little suv. All very happy and cozy. Until someone ran a stop sign and plowed into me on my way into work one day. And we were sad. It was a good little suv. But we grieved and moved on. Made our peace with the world.

About five hours ago we were a one car family. Had a nice little car. All very happy and cozy. Until someone ran a stop light and plowed into my husband on his way home from work. And we are sad. It was a good little Cavalier. A red Cavalier. I had had it for many years.

And now. Now we are not a car family anymore. Both vehicles have been violently taken from us within walking distance of our home. Where do we go from here? We were thinking about buying a new car within a year or so because we weren't sure how long ours was going to last. This has moved up our buying schedule much sooner than we were hoping. Our savings is not ready for this development.

It's such a depressing situation. And I know that if God will provide a way for me to get something silly like my luggage returned to me, a vehicle will be just as easily provided. There's not a "but" at the end of that thought, though it feels like there is.

"But we don't have enough money right now."
"But I don't want to get a huge car loan."

All I'm really saying is, "But I don't trust God enough to provide what we need." I do trust. I don't even have to think about it to know that I trust completely. Maybe I just needed to say it out loud to know it. We'll get something. It will be what we need for carrying what we have, for future use, and for our budget. It will be better than we can hope or imagine.

Thanks for listening. Thanks for your prayers.

Flick Pics

I finally got my flickr site up, running, and full to the brim of pictures. Ok, not quite full, in fact there is plenty of room, however, I have uploaded a good pile of pictures.

All the African shots you could possibly be interested in, and many more that I just love. Old wedding pictures, vacations, flowers, projects. Basically most of the ones I've posted and a million that I never have.

Feel free to browse. I still plan to update the descriptions so you actually know what you're looking at for every shot, but here it is.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anneandandy/

Chocolate

I love chocolate in every shape and form. In every recipe, over every pastry, everything. I've never met a chocolate cheesecake I didn't love. I love it hot, I love it cold, I love it lukewarm. I'll eat it melted right off my fingertips...or yours for that matter. I'm not shy.

One of my new favorite finds is Cadbury Drinking Chocolate. Every morning and evening in Africa, it was provided for us along with hot milk and hot water. It's not the same as Swiss Miss, which I love and drink plenty of each winter. It has a different taste entirely. And I don't know that Cadbury is necessarily better, but it has a taste of nostalgia mixed in. It tastes like late nights over cards and sweet conversation. It tastes like a fresh morning of high expectations. It tastes like hope, growth, flowers, construction. But maybe that's just me.

And I brought some back home with me. Three small containers that must be carefully rationed. What do I do when the nostalgia runs out?

Solitary

Everyone is now in their own little room. It is kitty boot camp around here. We are training, people! Training! Treats, food, water with calming drops, and fresh personal litter boxes for each.




Cammie refused to pose. But this is her own personal eating area in the library. She can brush up on her French during lunch.









Iggy gets the bathroom. And an enormous box. But he really seems to like it. That or he really likes the nip I spread over his rug. Whatever.











Clara, of course, gets the sweet, pink, feminine room. She sits happily on her little chair and looks out the window at the world going by.







We take them out now and then to socialize with us and with each other. Apparently, in just one night they have forgotten that they have known each other for years. "Who is this new cat in my house!? I've never seen her before! Must pronounce my seniority! HIISSSSSS!!" Sigh. This training is going to be a pain.

Their sad little cries from under the doors make my heart break. But we will have a calm household, a clean household, a happy-kitty-cuddly household. As God as my witness, I'll never smell cat pee again!!