Leaping Along

A j-lander with a private journal left me a mouth-watering recipe in her comment in my previous entry, and I'm going to try it.  It is simple, using everyday ingredients, but it's something different.

For tonight, though, I think after Thomas gets home we're going to take Eler Beth and go get something to eat at the seafood restaurant where Andrew works -- that'll take care of today! lol

Eler Beth has had a stuffy head and the sneezes for the past couple of days.  She doesn't have a fever or chest congestion, though, so I think it's just a cold or allergies.  We took it easy today, and as a result I've just about caught up with everyone's journals -- just about, I say!

I'm pretty sure she isn't contagious, but we may just pick up our dinner and bring it back home.  She'd like to eat in because she likes to see big brother at work, but I don't think we'll do that. 

Now just because I've had two recipes, a web site, and Pam's chicken casserole, etc. suggested to me doesn't mean that I still don't expect some more suggestions -- come on, bring 'em on --

Anyway, I'm off here for a while.  I'll probably be on later though.  When Eler Beth is feeling bad she likes to cuddle or to just have me near, and I expect Thomas to get to bed early, since he'll be at work at 5 in the morning.  So it isn't unlikely that I'll end up on the computer again this evening.  So until later!

Happy Leap Day!!

The Poor Surveyor

Driving back home earlier today, we passed a man surveying.  Eler Beth didn't know what he was doing, and as we passed she kind of frowned at him just as he looked at her.  She asked what he was doing, and I told her. 

Then she said, "Well, I didn't know what he was doing out there, and I think the look I gave him is going to haunt him forever!"

She just cracks me up!

February Food Blahs

You guys know I love to cook, and I'm a fair dab at it, according to my family.  But this month every day has seemed like such a chore to decide what to fix for dinner each day and then to do it!  I get like this once in a while.  It will pass, but in the meantime I'm really getting tired of the same 'ole thing.  It feels like I've fixed the same two weeks' worth of menus for the past several months.  No one else is complaining, so I find myself in the unique position to not only be the one planning and preparing the menu but also the one saying "This again??"

Anyone have any neat recipes you'd like to share?  We like good old plain, country cooking for the most part.  Nothing too fancy, except on occasion.  Thomas is allergic to garlic, and I'm allergic to eggs.  (I offer that information just in case someone wants to take pity on me and send me some good ideas.)   We don't like spicy.  Other than that, ....

Wednesday it was really chilly and I made bean soup with ham, which actually was a nice change, because I don't make it often.  But I tell you the truth, I have a block when I sit here and try to think of something different for next week.  And I really wanted to get my menus and shopping lists made up for the week.  Oh well.  I guess I'll stop complaining.  Maybe my taste buds are dull and my creative juices are bland because of the time of year.  Maybe everything will perk up with Spring (which had better be just around the corner!).

Maybe I need one of Granny's Spring Tonics.  Maybe I just need some fresh green vegetables.  Mom always said at this time of the year that she was hungering for some field greens.  Maybe I should just be glad I have the means to have a choice in the first place.  Maybe I should just shut up.

Revisiting February 2007

My dad would have been 86 years old today!  We used to ask him what he would have done if he'd been born on February 29 instead of February 28.  He said he'd be a lot younger than he looked!

I've just been going through my February entries from last year and picked out a few to highlight:

We had the second snow of that season on February 2 and Andrew and Eler Beth ambushed Thomas with snow balls when he got in from work -- Andrew from up high in a maple tree, with a basket of snowballs!

I had a nice chuckle when reminded of this day last year when Eler Beth heard "Joyous" barking!

It did me good to read these funny gems again -- I'd forgotten them and got a good laugh out of them as if I'd never read them before.

I can't believe that I let this anniversary get past me, but February 16 of 2007 was Eler Beth's last day in public school.  We have been homeschooling Eler Beth for one whole year.  Wow!  Where has the time gone?  It seems like she's always been home schooled!

Eler Beth finds out that crab cakes and cole slaw don't really have all that much in common! lol

Can this be right?  In this entry I reported gas prices of $1.28 a gallon.  Surely it must have been $2.28 a gallon only a year ago.  Prices can't have skyrocketed that much, surely?  I must have gotten that wrong.

February 2006 Revisited

Before the month ends I wanted to go back to previous February entries.  Checking my 2006 archives I found the following entries of interest:

Eler Beth and I got our picture made with Glacier, the tiger cub.

On the 25 I was really starting to feel the stress as the countdown began to the end of my job that I really loved.

Following a visit to my mom's house I decided to give everyone a brief introduction to my siblings.  I also realized that I had really missed my Dad during that visit.

A story of my dad giving a wild cab ride to four possible criminals!  Love this story of my dad!

And last, but not least, I had a seminar to learn how to deal with it when they keep moving my cheese!   I loved Paula's comment on that one!

Hope you enjoyed these entries if you hadn't already read them!

Tags: Louisville Yellow Cab Company

A Little Ramble on a Sunday

The past week went by in rather a blur.  The kids were out of school on Monday for President's Day, then they had a half-day on Wednesday because of the ice storm coming into the area, and snow days on Thursday and Friday.  Do you know how hard it is to settle your home-schooled daughter down to doing school work when her friends and her big brother have a snow day?  It's virtually impossible. 

Wednesday night I went with Thomas to a company dinner to honor the employees who had perfect attendance this year.  Thomas was one of the honorees.   I am very proud of him.  There were 33 this year with perfect attendance, out of around 700 employees.  One gentleman had had perfect attendance for 16 years! 

It was nice to dress up and go out with Thomas to an adult-only function.  The place they rented was really lovely, one I'd never been to before.  The food was pretty good.  They gave away prizes to all the honorees, and these prizes varied from $500-, $200-, $50- and $25-gift certificates, on down to items like DVD players, fishing poles, binoculars, thermoses, etc.  There were three one-year parking spaces given away -- you can pick your spot at any of the company's parking lots and they'll put your name on it for a year.  Then there was one grand prize -- a 42" TV.  Thomas won one of the parking spaces!  He was okay with it, but if they'd drawn his name one time sooner he'd have gotten the ocean fishing pole, and if they'd drawn his name one time later he'd have gotten one of the $500.00 gift certificates.  Oh well!  We had a lot of fun.  He'll make the most of the parking space, though, and has picked one out that puts him quite a bit closer to the area where he works.

I have caught up on reading a lot of journals this weekend, but not all of them.  I'll try to catch up a little more this evening.  The kids went to a party last night -- a get-together for kids of various ages and their parents.  They had a good time.  Today Eler Beth is playing at her cousins' house and Andrew is getting ready to go to dodge ball.  Then he's spending the night at Jason's.  They had had plans to go to Nashville, where Jason's girlfriend lives, but those plans changed. 

I need to get Eler Beth's lessons together for this week.  I think we have a bit more snow coming on Tuesday, but I'm hoping we're done with the ice and bad roads for the season.  I'm now ready for Spring.  Now that I've had my "pretty" snow I will now start complaining about wanting planting weather.  Just can't be happy, can I?

So, as you can see, nothing too awesome going on here.  I feel like I've been rather dull lately with nothing too interesting or funny to write about.  I'll try to make up for it soon, though!  I hope everyone is having a good weekend and that those who have been ill are feeling much better.

Catching Up A Bit

I have been unable to do much reading or journaling the past week or so.  I'm going to try to rectify that today.  Thomas will be working late.  School is out because of President's Day, and Eler Beth and I finished her lessons early, so Andrew has taken Eler Beth out for the afternoon.  He had a few errands to run and then is going to a friend's house to play some video games.  He offered to let Eler Beth go along -- I guess he's in a good mood today! lol  Actually he's pretty good about including her when he can.  This particular friend has been a childhood friend of Andrew's since early elementary school and is like one of the family, and I know Eler Beth will be fine with the two of them.  So I have my afternoon free until around 5:00.

The Extreme Makeover Home Edition episode last night was really good.  They did a wonderful job on the Hughes' home.  It was nice seeing familiar Louisville landmarks when the show first came on. 

We had a fairly mild weekend, with the highs in the 60s yesterday.  Then last night the temps dropped down to the 20s and I think today the high is only going to be around 40°.  At least it isn't raining.

Well, I'm off to make some entries in my other journals and to do some reading and catching up with everyone.  I hope everyone has a great week.

Hughes Home Unveiled Nationally Tomorrow

Back in November I did an entry on Patrick Hughes and his family who got a new home thanks to Extreme Makeover Home Edition.  If you don't know who Patrick is or why he and his father are so deserving of this gift for their family, please read that entry here.  The episode airs tomorrow on ABC.  I believe it is 8 p.m. ET, and it is a two-hour episode.  Our local ABC affiliate has been airing teasers for the past week.  They will be doing a special on Monday about many of the special things about the house and the local contractors who volunteered their time and equipment on the project, including a technical firm run by twins, who designed special voice-activated controls for Patrick.  I look forward to the episode tomorrow.

Tags: Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Patrick Hughes

We Finally Get A Pretty Snow

 

I guess I have to stop complaining now.  Yesterday evening we finally got a pretty snow.  After I told Eler Beth that the snow would be changing to sleet and freezing rain and then just rain, she went outside at 8 or 9 last night to play in it.  She crunched around in the back yard for a while, then she got her sled out.  It was so bright outside she didn't have any trouble seeing, and there were few cars on the street.

This morning it did change to sleet, then this afternoon we started getting a little rain, but I think it is still mostly freezing rain.  Schools were closed today, of course.  I don't think we got much here as far as accumulation went, but areas around us got several inches.  I think my Mom had five inches in Breckinridge County.

Today is National Pancake Day, and IHOP was serving a free small-stack for every customer this morning from 7 to 10.  I had planned on taking Eler Beth there for breakfast, but then with the weather getting bad I didn't really want to get out.  Well, Thomas got off work early, so all of us went there for lunch.  It was packed!  They were still giving away free small-stacks if you wanted them, so we each had one and I also had a grilled chicken crepe with mushrooms, spinach, cheese and hollandaise sauce.  Oh my goodness, it was delicious!  You got two, and I could only eat one, so the other came home with me.  Thomas had BBQ ribs, and the kids had the breakfast sampler.  The roads were slushy and fairly clear by that time, but I imagine they will freeze up tonight, plus they're talking about more snow coming in.  I gave Eler Beth the day off from school, but told her that even if there is no school tomorrow, she will still have to have some class time.  And just to be fair, I'll make Andrew clean his room or something. :)

That reminds me, he did have a blast at that concert Sunday.  They recorded that one for a live album coming out later this year, so he's looking forward to getting that one.

Well, I guess I'll go for now.  Eler Beth is out sledding again.  Thankfully there's still plenty of snow out there, nicely packed down just right for sledding.  I hope everyone is having a great week, and if you got some of this snow or ice, I hope that you are able to enjoy it without having to be out on the roads.

Thank you Donna for the lovely graphics.

We Girls Are Having Trouble Sleeping

I was staying up a bit later than I should have been, reading journals and such, when Eler Beth came into our bedroom complaining that she was having trouble falling asleep.  Her back hurt, she said.  "I thought you were probably awake.  Will you rub my back?"

So I did, and we talked a bit, and then we started to wake up Thomas, so I suggested she go back to her bed and I'd come in there with her.  So I've been sitting here on the computer while she was supposed to be trying to go to sleep.  (She said she probably could if I was just in the room with her.)  So far, she's as wide-awake as I am.  I just made us both a cup of hot cocoa.

Friday evening the four of us went shopping and had dinner out as a family (we haven't done that in a long time).  Then we came home and watched a movie together.  It isn't often that we have Andrew at home on a Friday night nowadays.   Saturday evening he went snowboarding at Paoli Peaks.  This was a first for him.  Eler Beth worried all evening that he'd get hurt.  At one point she said, "Mom, what if he dies?!"  I said, "Well, good grief, child, I don't think that will happen!"  And she said, "Yeah, that is kind of the worst case scenario, isn't it?"   (She's so funny!)  He made it home okay, just cold and a little sore.  He had a blast, though.

Tonight he and two friends went to Covington to see Third Eye Blind in concert.   Then he's spending the night at his friend's house who is doing the driving.  He'll go to school from there tomorrow, so I won't see him until tomorrow afternoon.  Yes, he's becoming quite the little gadabout these days.  But so far he's a responsible gadabout, so I guess I can't complain.

Well, not too much else going on here.  It is very cold, but not as cold as some of you are reporting.  At least we haven't had rain for a few days.  Saturday was actually very sunny and fairly mild, but Sunday the temps took quite a dip.  I think we may even be expecting snow tomorrow.

I have a feeling Eler Beth and I are going to get quite a late start to our school day tomorrow morning.  I don't know what is wrong with us.  I guess I'll close for now.  I hope everyone has a great week!

History of Last Surviving WWI Veteran is Preserved

I don't know if anyone reads this blog, but for quite a while now I have subscribed to a feed from the Library of Congress Blog.  The entries are usually interesting.  This morning I was catching up with them, and their most recent post is about Frank Buckles, the 107-year-old last remaining WWI veteran. 

The author of the post writes about the Library's Veteran's History Project (VHP), and he wondered if the oral history of Buckles was included in their collections -- it is.  Read the full article here.

My maternal grandfather was a calvaryman in WWI.  He died in 1984.

Time Goes Marching On

This entry is for all you ladies out there, especially you mothers of daughters, because you will understand my feelings at this moment.

The torch of womanhood passed to my daughter yesterday evening. 

I've Been Honored

Last week two J-landers honored me on the same day with the Nice Matters Award.  This award has been floating around J-Land for a week or two now.  I am very honored to have it passed my way.  Pam at Almost 40 and Lisa at Adventures From Florida To Kentuckiana (private) and The Periwinkle Post (public) had some very nice things to say about me, and I really do appreciate it.  They are both such nice people themselves, and I so enjoy reading their journals. 

The idea behind the award apparently is that it be "...given to those that are just nice people, good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings.  Those that care about others, that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence on our blogging world."  I think this describes so many here in J-Land.

I believe that I am supposed to pass this along to a group of J-Landers myself, but I hesitate to do so, because I can't think of a journal that I read whose author doesn't display the traits in the description above.  So I'm going to just hold onto my allotment of honorees for now, and then I think I'll parcel them out for specific journal entries that strike me as particularly "nice" at the time.  I hope this is okay.

And thank you again, Pam and Lisa, for thinking of me.

Please Call 'Round

Please drop by Alphawoman's Journal, as her father passed away during the night.  I'm sure she would appreciate it.

My Mother Would Be Proud

I just gave Eler Beth a tube of chap stick to use to make a book marker. 

I thought I was giving her a glue stick.

In case you're wondering, no, chap stick doesn't work like a glue stick.

_________________________________________________

It occurred to me again yesterday (and I may have mentioned this before) that when my mother was the age I am now, she was pregnant with me and had six kids at home from 17 years down to 5 years.  I cannot imagine!

In a couple of months I will be half my mother's age.

I hope I make it to her age, and if I do, I hope I'm as mentally and physically sound as she is!

Nice Weather For A Change

Wow, what a beautiful day we're having here!

It got close to 60° this afternoon, and made me want to get out and play in the dirt.  Unfortunately there is no dirt to play in; it's still mostly mud!  Oh well, this is just a little hint of Spring, anyway.

Thomas had said something about burning some old boxes and some scrap wood this afternoon, so Eler Beth decided that when he did she wanted to roast some marshmallows!  We have a little fire pit (or ring, actually) where we burn things like that on appropriate days, so Thomas started the fire and added some hickory chips to it, and then Eler Beth and her friend B sat out there and watched it.  Now they are roasting hot dogs and marshmallows.  I made up some hamburger patties for them, and Thomas laid a camping grill over the ring.  The fire is dying down enough now for them to grill burgers.  Thomas had thought about firing up the actual grill today, but, heck! -- if the girls want to grill burgers and hot dogs over the open fire, then I'll fix a little pasta salad to go with it, and we'll have dinner, without my having had to do much at all!

The girls are having a blast.  Isn't it great that a simple thing like watching a fire and roasting hotdogs and marshmallows can keep two little girls busy and happy all afternoon?

Andrew went to Bloomington with friends Friday night and got in late last night.  Now he is off to a Super Bowl party with friends this afternoon.   Thomas and I don't usually get into the Super Bowl, although we did watch the whole game last year -- we didn't just tune in for the commercials.

I need to do a lot of catching up on journal reading today, and journal writing as well.  I hope everyone is enjoying this Sunday.  Have a great week!

Weekly Sentence With Val

 

This week's letters are DSPWAS.

And here is my submission:

Dinner Should Probably Wait A Second!

To play along click the graphic at the top.

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February 1, 1947

If my father were still living, he and my mother would have been married for 61 years today.  Happily they were able to celebrate 55 years before his death.

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad

 

They eloped, and these were the only pictures taken of them on their wedding day as far as we know.

First of the Month Reminders

Don't forget to schedule your annual mammogram, and please be sure to conduct self-exams monthly!

My mother was in her early sixties when she found a small lump in one breast.  Her doctor immediately sent her for a mammogram, a biopsy was done, and it was found to be cancerous.  It was found in the early stages, and was a slow-growing type as well.  She opted to have a mastectomy, recovered wonderfully quickly and has now been cancer-free for almost 18 years. 

She still does monthly self-exams and gets her mammogram and pap smear once a year.  So don't put it off, please!  Early detection can make a world of difference!

Tags: mammograms, breast self-exam