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.