Monday, November 12, 2007

Cranberry Bread

All who know me know that I am not a fan of cooking. It's just not my thing - I'm not very good at it, I don't enjoy it, and preparing a meal is more of a chore to me than a pleasing thing to do. I do cook, or we would go broke eating out every meal, but like I said, it's not my favorite thing to do. Sometimes I do bake - I'm better at that - but always from a mix. I'm especially good at a Bundt cake or a pan of brownies.

HOWEVER, once a year I reach to the back of my pantry and pull out the scratch and make homemade cranberry bread. It's that time of year. I made the first loaf of the season yesterday and it turned out great - I gave half the loaf to D, and the kids and I ate the rest! So I'll be making more today. It's an easy recipe - I've had it for years and it's certainly not secret. I got it off the back of a book I had as a child called Cranberry Thanksgiving. I tweaked it a bit because I don't care for nuts or raisins, but my version is pretty close. And quite delicious, I must say. So, faithful readers, today I share my cranberry bread recipe with you:

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup orange juice
2 cups fresh cranberries, chopped

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add egg and orange juice all at once; stir just until mixture is evenly moist. Fold in cranberries. Spoon into a greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes (check at one hour), or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan, cool and enjoy!

Friday, November 09, 2007

Dinner Company

After a long day of shopping at Houston's annual Nutcracker Market * yesterday, Bubba's Mom and I were in no shape to cook dinner (well, let's face it, I'm rarely in any shape to cook dinner, but anyway....). So the whole family headed to a small, local Italian restaurant for dinner. This place has been here for 40 years - just a bit longer than I have - and I've been eating there all my life. It's not a chain restaurant - but a great place to go for good, inexpensive Italian food. When we got to the restaurant there were only two other people there - an older man eating alone, and a youngish (30 maybe?) woman, also dining alone at a booth on the other side of the small room. We took our table for six somewhere between them, just as the woman was asking the man if she could join him. As we ordered and shared stories of the day, I noticed that the older man did not speak English very well. He had what sounded to me like a German or Russian accent. I strained to eavesdrop on their conversation over the chit chat of my husband, children, and parents - the young woman asked the man what brought him to town. "NASA" was his reply. And so they talked, her slowly, and him in broken English, and they shared a meal and a bottle of wine. I overheard a story of Chicago and of travels somewhere in Europe (why couldn't my family be quiet so I could hear better?!). I found myself wanting to join them, too. At the end of their meal they each paid their separate checks and parted ways. I like to think each of them went home with a smile on their face because they did not eat alone that night. Their lives intermingled for just a short time and it was good. You don't see that kind of thing too often anymore. I thought it was a neat thing to witness.

*Check out the link - it's a pretty awesome event!

Friday's Feast #22


Friday's Feast is served! Enjoy!

Appetizer
Which snack do you like to get when you go to the movies?
Milk Duds!!!

Soup
What year did you start using the internet?
I think it was 1996 or 1997 - I was pregnant with Little Son.

Salad
What is your first name in Pig Latin? (Here’s how to speak it if you don’t already know!)
Illjay

Main Course
Name something you are picky about.
my calendar

Dessert
Fill in the blanks: I ____ ____ yesterday and I ____ ____ today.
I earned money yesterday and I spent money today!

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Ten Words to Describe Me

Ten on Tuesday is back, with a whole new look! Check it out! And here's Ten Words to Describe ME:

  1. Christian
  2. loyal
  3. anal organized
  4. compassionate
  5. funny
  6. loving
  7. lazy laid-back
  8. dog-lover
  9. smart
  10. petite

Monday, November 05, 2007

Go!


Last night was the premiere of the 12th edition of The Amazing Race! I LOVE THIS SHOW! Eleven teams started out from Hollywood, California and flew to Ireland (the home of my ancestors!) for some amazing tasks and adventures. I already have some favorites among the teams (and some not-so-favorites); I think this is going to be a great race!

Did anyone else watch?? Who do you like/dislike? Let's dish!

Friday, November 02, 2007

Friday's Feast #21


Enjoy my Fall Friday's Feast, ya'll!


Appetizer
How much money do you plan to spend this upcoming holiday season?
as little as possible - budget, budget, budget!

Soup
What was the last television show you watched, and was it good?
I watched CSI last night and it was good.

Salad
If you had to paint the walls of your living room tomorrow, what color would you choose?
This one's tough because I LIKE the color of my living room walls! If I HAD to change them I guess I would pick yellow.

Main Course
Name something clever or practical you have thought of that should be invented, but hasn’t yet.
I'm not that clever.

Dessert
List 3 things you would like to receive as gifts this upcoming holiday season.

  1. a new camera
  2. clothes
  3. bubble bath

Thursday, November 01, 2007

The Forgotten Holiday

Poor Thanksgiving. Now that Halloween is over, it seems we are headed straight to Christmas! All the Christmas stuff is out in the stores, even some decorations up around town. The shopping frenzy has begun, and it's just a matter of time before Santa shows up at the mall.

But what about Thanksgiving? How sad that in the flurry to spend our money on material possessions and holiday decorations that we overlook the day we should be giving THANKS to Him who gave us all that we have! Thanksgiving is truly the red-headed stepchild of the holidays - no one decorates their yard, there are no presents, no giant turkey at the mall to sit upon and tell our wishes. To most people Thanksgiving is just a day to eat like there's no tomorrow and watch football on TV. Many will already have their Christmas trees up (not me). Some will enjoy a 4-day weekend (not Hubby - he has to work the Friday after).

This year I'm not starting my "Christmas season" until after Thanksgiving. We are kicking it off with a trip to Disney World the week after Thanksgiving - our first time to see it in all its Christmas finery. After celebrating with Mickey and friends we will come home, put up our tree and decorations, and begin the beautiful Advent season. The most wonderful time of the year.

Just don't get too hurried! Take time to be thankful. Celebrate Thanksgiving for what it is - not just for the turkey and football.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Shock and Dismay


Tonight Sabrina Bryan was eliminated from Dancing With the Stars. She was, hands down, the best dancer on the show. How did this happen?!?

Birthday Bubba

Everyone stop over at Bubba's Blog and wish him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY today! He's the best brother anyone could hope for - I love him so much!

I'm still Mom and Dad's favorite, tho.

Happy Birthday, Dude.

Ten on Tuesday the Halloween Version

I'm not sure what's going on over at the Ten on Tuesday website, but it appears to be malfunctioning again. So I'm doing my own list again this week! I present to you:

Ten Halloween Costumes My Children Have Had
  1. Garden Fairy (by far Daughter's cutest costume - she was 19 months old)
  2. Pumpkin (Little Son's first - he was such a cutie!)
  3. Dipsy the Teletubby (Little Son's second - again, too cute!)
  4. Black Cat (Daughter - she was 2!)
  5. Scooby Doo (Little Son)
  6. Harry Potter (no, not Little Son, but Harry-Potter-Fanatic Daughter - even with the glasses and scar people thought she was Hermione. Ticked her off.)
  7. Lady Knight (Daughter - she got on a knight kick, too, reading a series of books about a lady knight)
  8. Pirate (Little Son)
  9. Astronaut (Little Son)
  10. Sandy from Grease (Daughter, who loved this movie in her pre-High School Musical days)

This year Daughter is going as a vampire cheerleader and Little Son as Phantom of the Opera. Happy Halloween, everyone!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Is my mommy gonna get lucky tonight?


It was several months ago, I believe - the USO Family and the Bubba's Sis Family were out together and decided to go to Barnes & Noble. We all head our separate ways in there - the men go one way, the women another, the kids yet another. So D and I are browsing about and we come across a table of High School Musical Magic 8 Balls. Cool! We decide to ask the Magic 8 Ball a question (come on, you know you would, too!). D picks one up and jokingly asks, "Am I going to get lucky tonight?" Her answer: "All signs point to NO." We giggle. Then we hear it. Unbeknownst to us, Daughter had walked up to the table, too, and thought she'd have better luck with another Magic 8 Ball....

"IS MISS D GONNA GET LUCKY TONIGHT?"

D and I just looked at each other, trying so hard not to laugh. Then Lamb joins in.

"IS MY MOMMY GONNA GET LUCKY TONIGHT?"

By now D and I are hysterical with laughter. Those sweet, innocent little voices asking such questions of a Magic 8 Ball! And not in a bookstore-quiet voice! People were starting to stare.

Apparently the girls couldn't get a satisfactory answer, so they kept asking,

"IS MY MOMMY GONNA GET LUCKY TONIGHT? IS MISS BUBBA'S SIS GONNA GET LUCKY TONIGHT?"

Now we are literally sitting in the floor, doubled over with laughter, tears rolling down our faces. The girls think we are upset because we're not going to get lucky. "Don't worry," they tell us. "You'll get lucky soon!"

If only they knew we were perfectly happy with "All signs point to NO!"

Someday, when they are much, much older and know what "getting lucky" really means, we will remind them of this incident. I can't wait to see their faces.

Drama Queens, Act II

Yesterday Drama Daughter and her BFF competed in the second Drama Festival of the school year - again, they competed in the same five events: Prose, Poetry, Storytelling, Group Acting, and Individual Improv. This time they each received FIVE Superior ratings (blue ribbons) and the coveted Five Star Trophy!

I expect Hollywood to be calling any day now.

Their next undertaking: UIL One-Act Play. They're doing Twelfth Night. I'm sure it will be fabulous!

Friday, October 26, 2007

Of Apple Pies, Orphan Trains, and Dancing Dogs

Because it's against the law to cook dinner at home on a Friday night in Texas (well, that's what I heard), D and I have taken to a Ladies' Night Out on most Friday evenings. Well, usually we take the kids with us, but not always. Tonight we did, but they sat at a different table across the aisle from us. We pretend we don't know them. D and I usually pick our restaurants based on the dessert choices. Our favorite is apple pie, and lately we have been jinxed in the apple pie department (both at Cheddar's, where they dropped it on the floor, and TGIFriday's, where they "just took it off the menu yesterday". Seriously. We almost cried.). Tonight we chose Chili's, even tho they don't offer a hot apple pie dessert. We just like Chili's. Much to our delight they now offer "mini desserts" - a small dessert in a shot glass - and one of the choices was caramel apple cheesecake, or something to that effect. Brilliant! So after snarfing up our Southwestern Eggrolls we each ordered one. Rather disappointing. NOT hot, full of raisins, and only fairly delicious. Oh well. Back to Cheddar's next time. Surely we won't be jinxed a third time, right? Right??

Apparently D and I take a long time to eat. It can't be all the talking we do. But for some reason all four kids finish up their meals WAAY before we do, and subsequently become bored. Now, they are very well behaved children - never make noise, complain, even get up from their table (which is how we can pretend we don't know them). But tonight's ploy to get us to hurry was long, sorrowful looks. Lamb pretended to sleep on Daughter's shoulder, while Daughter gave us her most pitiful expression. And they think WE embarrass THEM in public! D said they looked like they were on an Orphan Train. This made us crack up even more and take even longer to finish eating. That'll teach 'em.

Back at D's house, I was showing her my super-nifty new mp3 player I got for my birthday - she plugged one earbud into her ear, and I had one in mine. Surfing thru the songs, we started belting out "Raspberry Beret". We could totally be the next American Idols. D's dog Ty even started dancing along, pumping his body perfectly to the beat. I was impressed! Wait a minute. He's not dancing. He's......going to throw up! A hissy fit ensued, trying to get him outside before he barfed (didn't work), then trying to bribe one of the kids to clean it up ($5!! Also didn't work.) In the meantime Bear and Little Son are wandering about the house, needing scissors, tape, and "something heavy we don't need". Never a dull moment around here!!

Next time I'll tell about our precious daughters asking the Magic 8 Ball if their mommies are going to get lucky tonight.....

Friday's Feast #20


My 20th Friday's Feast!! Bon appetite!

Appetizer
Name a great website you would recommend to others.
The Breast Cancer Site - see the button on my sidebar!

Soup
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how often do you dream at night?
Um....a 12! I dream every night VIVIDLY. Sometimes I wake up exhausted. I even dream if I take a nap!

Salad
Did you have a pet as a child? If so, what kind and what was its name?
We had a miniature schnauzer named Chamois. I guess I just love schnauzers because now I have two!

Main Course
If you had the chance to star in a commercial, what would you choose to advertise?
Disney World!

Dessert
What is your favorite kind of hard candy?
Life Savers

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Ten Random Thoughts

The official Ten on Tuesday site has gotten off schedule - or I have gotten off schedule. Either way, I've already done this week's list, and next week's. So here's something else for your reading enjoyment - 10 random thoughts of mine:

  1. I think Halloween has gotten totally out of control. The decorations, the costumes, the marketing. It's nearly as big as Christmas.
  2. Speaking of holiday decorations, I really hate those big inflatable things people put in their yards.
  3. I got an mp3 player for my birthday (the big surprise) and I L-O-V-E it! I have 710 songs on it and I like to just put it on "shuffle all" and then I never know what's coming up next. But I know I'll like it because I put it on there!

  4. I am already bored with Survivor. The challenges are pretty cool, but there are no good "characters" on the tribes. Where's the Colby, the Rupert, the Jonny Fairplay? These people are boring, and now that Aaron is gone, not even good to look at.

  5. In fact, I'm bored with several of the shows I started out watching this fall. I'm whittling down that list on my sidebar.

  6. However, I am excited that The Amazing Race is coming back next Sunday (November 4).

  7. I want to be Julianne Hough when I grow up.



  8. I thought I might miss teaching dance this fall. I don't. But I do miss dancing, and I think my body misses the exercise. Gotta do something about that......

  9. I thought I would hate having a part-time job at Hubby's work. I don't. It's not so bad.

  10. Little Son's school is asking for money again. Why don't I just arrange to have our paychecks directly deposited into the PTA's account??

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Monday, October 22, 2007

Fall has arrived!

We finally got some cooler weather today - we woke up to temps in the 70's, but a front blew through, bringing some rainy, windy weather - and temps dropped to the lower 60's! Tonight it's supposed to be in the 50's!! Now some of you may not think that's too chilly, but that is 30 degrees colder than what we've been having the past few weeks, so to us....BRRR!

Friday, October 19, 2007

Friday's Feast #19


Happy Feasting!

Appetizer
If you were a dog, what breed would you be, and why?
I would just be a mutt with good characteristics of several breeds - loyal, loving, well-behaved, smart, and cute!

Soup
What does the color purple make you think of?
Oprah Winfrey

Salad
Approximately how long does it take you to get ready each morning?
30 minutes or less - I am very low-maintenance

Main Course
How many cousins do you have, and are you close to them?
I have three cousins - one on my father's side and two on my mother's side (one of which is Wendy Bird). I am very close to Wendy Bird - she's more like a sister than a cousin!

Dessert
Take your initials (first, middle, last) and come up with something else those letters could stand for. (Example: SFO = Sweet Funny Otter)
Just Damn Cute!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

What's your name?

Found this on USO Girl's blog and it looks fun!

RULES: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following...they have to be real places, names, things...nothing made up! You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

What is your name? Jill (gasp! I just revealed my real name!)
4 letter word: jump
Vehicle: Jaguar
TV Show: Jeopardy!
City: Jackson
Boy Name: Jacob
Girl Name: Jolene
Alcoholic Drink: Jack Daniels
Occupation: jockey
Something you wear: jeans
Celebrity: Johnny Cash
Food: jelly beans
Something found in a bathroom: Johnson's baby powder
Reason for Being late: jinxed
Cartoon Character: Jessica Rabbit
Something You Shout: Jackass! (I've been known to shout this at other drivers...heh heh.)

My Ten Favorite Halloween Candies

Trick or treat! It's Ten on Tuesday!


  1. Laffy Taffy - banana is the best!
  2. Tootsie Pops
  3. Tootsie Rolls
  4. Special Dark minis
  5. Reese's cups
  6. Butterfingers
  7. Whoppers
  8. Milk Duds
  9. Skittles
  10. Now & Laters

Monday, October 15, 2007

Change

When I was in high school I was friends with a brilliant young man who wrote a sonnet in my senior yearbook; here is an excerpt:

"Before the last tear falls away
A final word I'd like to give.
So take my thoughts and from this day
Fly forward and in bliss do live....

To win the war 'gainst pain and strife
Accept CHANGE as a way of life."

I much prefer the mantra, "Change is bad. Change is bad. Change is bad..."

Change is hard for me. Perhaps it is the Libra in me that doesn't like my scales to be thrown out of balance. I do understand that change is necessary in life, but it seems like things just change too fast! New neighborhoods and shopping centers pop up overnight, changing the landscape of the town I grew up in so fast I can barely keep up. Stores where I regularly shop remodel and move everything around so I go in and am immediately lost. My children are growing up much too fast - and I love who they are becoming, but I miss those baby days, too. Couldn't I have just had a little bit longer? And my body is changing. Bubba's Mom always told me it would when I got to be about this age (I think I can hear her snickering). Nothing drastic, mind you. But things are shifting, wrinkling, pooching. Why can't I just stay the way I have always looked? I liked my 24-year-old body!!

Things change at Hubby's work - not always for the better. Things change at our church - puts everyone in a tailspin. But change is necessary for growth, and if you're not growing, you are dying. I may not embrace change, but I must accept it.

But why does it always have to be so scary?

Friday, October 12, 2007

This is my cat.

Yes, it appears that this IS going to be my cat after all. However Mustachio turned out to be a girl kitty, so now her name is Delilah. We fed her and she was voracious - now she gets a little bit of milk every morning and some Fancy Feast every evening. She loves me.

Hey, there Delilah....

Friday's Feast #18


It's Friday already? Time for Friday's Feast!

Appetizer
When was the last time you were surprised?
when I opened my birthday presents last Sunday!

Soup
Fill in the blanks: My eyes are ________, but I wish they were __________.
My eyes are A PRETTY BLUE but I wish they were LESS WRINKLED AROUND THE SIDES.

Salad
If you were a Beanie Baby, what would you look like and what would your name be?
I would be a cute, furry sloth with a crown and my name would be Queenie! Right, D????

Main Course
Name two things you consistently do that you consider to be healthy habits.
get yearly checkups and mammograms, eat my veggies

Dessert
What brand of toothpaste are you using these days? Do you like it? Why or why not?
I actually had to go look! It's Crest. Toothpaste is toothpaste.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Ten Things That Worry Me

What, me worry? My Ten on Tuesday offering for this week:
  1. Breast cancer
  2. Alzheimer's
  3. my children - their health, their safety, their futures, everything
  4. money
  5. Hubby's health
  6. Hubby's job
  7. the lump on Good Girl Dog's side - what if it's a tumor?? She is 7 years old today.
  8. that cat hanging around my house, thinking he lives here, meowing at my door every night
  9. my upcoming flight to Florida in November
  10. not living up to others' expectations of me

Monday, October 08, 2007

This is not my cat.

But he/she REALLY wants to be my cat. Here he/she is at the window beneath my kitchen cabinets crying, "Let me in!"


This cat belongs to somebody around here, altho he/she has no collar. The kids and I happened across (we'll say him) one day out on the driveway. We petted him and stuff. We said he should be named Mustachio because of the funny black moustache he has. Then we went on our way. Mustachio decided he liked us. A lot. Sometimes he sits at the front door and meows. Sometimes he comes and looks in the windows. I promise I have not fed him anything. He just loves me. And I can't stand to be cruel to him and shoo him away. Besides, he just comes back.

I am not really a cat person. Ask D. I pretend to like her cat because that's what friends do. But I must admit, this little guy is pretty friendly. Very loving. But I DO NOT NEED A CAT! I have two doggies who do NOT like this kitty hanging around!


Is it possible to be adopted by a cat?


Sunday, October 07, 2007

Na na na na na na - YOU SAY IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY! Na na na na na na - IT'S MY BIRTHDAY, TOO, YEAH!

Thank you to everyone for the Happy Birthday wishes - and to Tish over at CrAzy Working Mom for this beautiful cake!! Everyone have a piece - it's delicious!

This isn't a "milestone" birthday for me - but in a couple of years it'll be the Big 4-0. Still, here are some interesting things about the day I was born....

(Info courtesy of this site, which I found via Dawn at Coming to a Nursery Near You)

7 October 1969

Your date of conception was on or about 14 January 1969 which was a Tuesday.
Nice to know, but no one likes to really think about their conception, do they?
You were born on a Tuesday under the astrological sign Libra.
Your Life path number is 6. (This is pretty accurate if you read the description...)

Your fortune cookie reads: Be direct, usually one can accomplish more that way.

Life Path Compatibility:

You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 3, 6 & 9. (Hubby is also a 6! As is Bubba's Mom! Daughter is a 3!)
You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 8, 11 & 22.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 1, 5 & 7. (NOT true - my BFF is a 1, and we love each other very much! Both my sons are 5's. Hmmmmmm.....)

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2440501.5.
The golden number for 1969 is 13.
The epact number for 1969 is 11.
The year 1969 was not a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/17/1969 and ending 2/5/1970. You were born in the Chinese Year of the Rooster.


Your Native American Zodiac sign is Raven; your plant is Ivy.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Choiach, the fourth month of the season of Poret (Emergence - Fertile soil).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 25 Tishri 5730. Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 26 Tishri 5730.
The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.17.16.2.17 which is 12 baktun 17 katun 16 tun 2 uinal 17 kin
The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Tuesday, 25 Rajab 1389 (1389-7-25).

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 6 April 1969.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 13 April 1969.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 19 February 1969.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 25 May 1969. The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 1 June 1969.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Saturday, 13 September 1969.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Thursday, 3 April 1969.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 18 February 1969.

As of 10/7/2007 11:39:14 AM EDT -
You are 38 years old.
You are 456 months old.
You are 1,983 weeks old.
You are 13,879 days old.
You are 333,107 hours old.
You are 19,986,459 minutes old.
You are 1,199,187,554 seconds old. (NOW I feel old!)

Celebrities who share your birthday:
Shawn Ashmore (1979)
Rachel McAdams (1976)
Toni Braxton (1967)
Thom Yorke (1968)
Simon Cowell (1959)
Michael W. Smith (1957)
Yo-Yo Ma (1955)
Vladimir Putin (1952)
John Cougar Mellencamp (1951)
Bishop Desmond Tutu (1931)
R.D. Laing (1927)
June Allyson (1917)
Vaughn Monroe (1911)
Andy Devine (1905)
Niels Bohr (1885)


Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 5.4320939334638 years old. (I'm younger than Good Girl Dog!)

Your lucky day is Friday.
Your lucky number is 6.
Your ruling planet is Venus.
Your lucky dates are 6th, 15th, 24th.
Your opposition sign is Aries.
Your opposition number(s) is 9.
Today is not one of your lucky days! (Oh, great.)
There are 366 days till your next birthday on which your cake will have 39 candles. Those 39 candles produce 39 BTUs,or 9,828 calories of heat (that's only 9.8280 food Calories!). You can boil 4.46 US ounces of water with that many candles.
In 1969 there were approximately 3.7 million births in the US.
In 1969 the US population was approximately 179,323,175 people, 50.6 persons per square mile.
In 1969 in the US there were approximately 1,800,000 marriages (9.3%) and 479,000 divorces (2.5%)
In 1969 in the US there were approximately 1,712,000 deaths (9.5 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.

Your birthstone is Opal.

Your birth tree is Rowan, the Sensitivity - Full of charm, cheerful, gifted, without egoism, likes to draw attention, loves life, motion, unrest and even complications, is both dependent and independent, good taste, artistic, passionate, emotional, good company, does not forgive.

The moon's phase on the day you were born was waning crescent.

There are 79 days till Christmas! (Yay! More presents!)

Saturday, October 06, 2007

Tora! Tora! Tora!


The Wings Over Houston Airshow is this weekend - a 2-day event featuring some pretty awesome aerial demonstrations. This year the Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be showing off their precision acrobatics in the sky, the Texas Air National Guard F-16's will be doing fly-by's, there will be re-creatings of WWII battles, including the Tora Tora attack on Pearl Harbor, plus much more to delight the crowd.

I live about 2 miles from the runway. Every so often my house shakes with a fly-by. It's going to be a loud weekend.

Friday, October 05, 2007

Friday's Feast #17


My feast offering for this week.....

Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you look forward to your birthday?
An interesting question - my birthday is Sunday! I would say probably an 8 - I think the day you were born is pretty special.

Soup
What is one word you don’t like the sound, spelling, or meaning of?
slacks

Salad
Do you wear sunglasses when you’re outside? If so, what does your current pair look like?
deep red plastic frames - not too big but not too small - scratches on the lenses of course

Main Course
If you were to write a book, to whom would you dedicate it?
my mom - the strongest woman I know

Dessert
Name a beverage that you enjoy.
Sometimes there's nothing like a cold beer....

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Sucker Punch

That's what a cancer diagnosis is. A sucker punch. Life can be going along just fine and then BAM! You're battling a serious disease. In the past year I have known five people who have gotten a cancer diagnosis. Two of them have already passed on. It's downright scary.

Not all of the cancers I've brushed up against lately are breast cancer - but October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and that's the cancer I'm most afraid of. I've seen Bubba's Mom - MY mom - fight it twice. She's a survivor. I'm so very proud of her.

Today she was sucker punched again. I'm right beside her to fight Round 3. She's going to beat it once again. Cancer, be damned.

Ten Television Shows I'd Like to Have on DVD

This week's Ten on Tuesday list really made me think - I'm not one to watch TV shows - or even movies - over and over. I don't own any TV shows on DVD. But these are some of my favorites that would be cool to watch again - from the beginning....
  1. Alias
  2. Ally McBeal
  3. All the Amazing Races
  4. All the American Idols
  5. Dallas
  6. All the Dancing With the Stars
  7. E.R.
  8. Friends
  9. Lost
  10. Will & Grace

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Drama Queens


Today Drama Daughter and her BFF participated in the first Drama Festival of the school year. They both competed in the same five events: Individual Prop Improv, Prepared Audition, Dramatic Acting, Humorous Acting, and Individual Pantomime. And they each received four Superior ratings and one Excellent rating (ribbons for awards), which also earned them each the Five Star Trophy for excelling in all five events!!

Me and D....we're some mighty proud mamas tonight!

Friday, September 28, 2007

Friday's Feast #16


Hungry? It's time for yet another Friday's Feast!

Appetizer
How are you today?
a little tired, but OK - looking forward to the weekend!

Soup
Name 3 television shows you watch on a regular basis.
Dancing With the Stars
Survivor
CSI

Salad
What’s the scariest weather situation you’ve experienced?
Hurricane Alicia in 1983

Main Course
If you could wake up tomorrow morning in another country, where would you want to be?
someplace that's really having fall right now - Canada maybe? - it's still in the mid-90's every day here

Dessert
What do you usually wear to sleep?
just a pajama top - can't wear the bottoms because they get all twisted up!

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Dancing With The Stars - The Men

Another great show tonight! We didn't get a production number by the professionals tonight, just a review of what the women did last night, but then the men turned it on for the competition! I have a theory about why mostly men have won DWTS - in ballroom dancing, it is mainly the woman who is showcased. The audience's eyes are naturally drawn to her. So if the woman is the professional dancer, the couple will naturally look better than the couples consisting of a male professional and a previously-untrained female. Just my theory.

My early favorites of the men are Indy car driver Helio Castroneves and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban - both of them surprised me with how well they did! Soap star Cameron Mathison didn't do too bad, and he's easy on the eyes. (Did anyone else see Edyta's thong showing??) Model Albert Reed (who?) was just odd. Not bad - but he's kinda dorky. I wasn't too impressed with Floyd Mayweather or Wayne Newton (Bubba's Mom calls him Fig Newton). If I had to pick one to go I'd say Floyd - Wayne deserves to stick around for a little while just for being the icon that he is. And he's lovable in a Jerry Springer kind-of way.

But only one will go home tomorrow - will it be a man or a woman? My prediction? Josie Maran. But we shall see....

Ten Things I've Been Putting Off

What a great Ten on Tuesday topic for a procrastinator such as I! I mean really, if it weren't for the last minute, I'd never get anything done! Here's what I've been putting off lately:
  1. getting everything unpacked from the move
  2. organizing my closet
  3. making my appointment for my yearly exam - I'm usually quite vigilant about this, and I'm not that far behind, but it just hasn't happened yet.
  4. going to the dentist - yeah, not so vigilant about this one, and we won't discuss how long it's been since I was last there.
  5. cleaning out my old refrigerator that is sitting in the garage
  6. calling Goodwill to haul off all the crap I didn't sell in my garage sale
  7. taking my dogs to the vet for their yearly shots - again, usually on top of this type of stuff.....
  8. getting the registration sticker for my car - it expired at the end of August. What can I say? I'm just flirting with getting a ticket.
  9. finding a new exercise program now that I'm not teaching dance this year
  10. finishing this list

Monday, September 24, 2007

Dancing With The Stars - The Women

Let me just start by saying I LOVE THIS SHOW! From the opening number tonight I was enthralled. I want to dance like that.

Tonight the six women of Dancing With The Stars started off the competition; they did Cha Chas and Foxtrots. My early favorites are Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan and Spice Girl Mel B. Next would be Jane Seymour and Marie Osmond. They really all did well tonight! Model Josie Maran was a little clumsy, and Jennie Garth was quite obviously nervous. But all in all, I was impressed! Can't pick a winner yet, but if I had to pick one to leave it would be Josie.

Tomorrow....the men!

Curious Snail Mail

I received two very strange letters in the mail today. The first came from my bank. Due to some problems with my dumbass ISP, I had to change my e-mail address last week. I made the correction on all the websites that have my e-mail address, including The Bank. Today I get this letter:

Notification of Undeliverable E-mail

Dear Bubba's Sis:

The Bank recently encountered some difficulties e-mailing the important information referenced below.

It is very important that The Bank is able to send you notices regarding your account. If your e-mail inbox is full, please go to your inbox and clean out some of your old e-mail so that The Bank can continue to send you important information.

This original e-mail was sent to bubbassis@oldemailaddress:

Greetings Bubba's Sis:

Your E-Mail address has changed. Thanks again for choosing to bank with us. For your security we wanted to let you know that your primary e-mail address you provided has been changed to bubbassis@newemailaddress.

Sincerely,

The Bank

Um.....hello? If you are notifying me that you have a new e-mail address for me, wouldn't you send the notification to THAT E-MAIL ADDRESS??? I have a new one for a reason! The old one doesn't work anymore!

The other letter came from my phone company. I registered with them online so that I could pay my bills online. Obviously registration requires giving them your personal information. They sent me a letter today that said this:

Dear Bubba's Sis,

Thank you for your interest in The Phone Company's self-service feature available with your phone service. You are receiving this letter as a confirmation of a change to your Phone Company Account Manager online account. The following change was requested on telephone number xxx-xxx-xxxx (my phone number)

This telephone number has been added to your profile.

Thank you for using The Phone Company

What?? They spent money on paper and postage to let me know that my phone number is my phone number??

Am I the only one who doesn't get it?

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Fall TV is back!!

I'm so excited - it is finally time for Fall TV! A couple of shows I watch have already premiered, and most of the others premiere this week! It was a long summer with nothing to watch but Houston Astros baseball and the one good prime time show - Saving Grace.

I've added something new to my sidebar - Shows I'm Watching. As they premiere, I'll add to the list. If you watch them, too, let me know! I love to dish on the latest episodes! Here's what I think so far:

Kid Nation - great show! I was way impressed with those kids; I cried with them and cheered with them - I can't wait to see how it unfolds! My early favorites: Sophia, Taylor, Laurel, and Michael.

Survivor: China - off to a pretty good start. The last Survivor was kinda boring, but being the devoted Survivor watcher that I am, I stuck with it. I hope they liven it up a bit this season. So far so good. There are people I like and people I dislike on each tribe, so I haven't really sided with either one yet. I think the Gwen-Stefani-lookalike-girl needs to go. My early favorites are Aaron (easy on the eyes), James (big and sweet), and Leslie.

Some of my favorite shows aren't coming back yet - like Lost, American Idol, and Amazing Race. They'll be back mid-season. Something to look forward to!

Friday, September 21, 2007

Friday's Feast #15


My fifteenth Friday's Feast!

Appetizer
What is your favorite type of art?
dance

Soup
When was the last time you got a free lunch (or breakfast or dinner)? Who paid for it?
Bubba's Mom bought my lunch yesterday!

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how emotional are you?
Easily a 9.

Main Course
Approximately how long do you spend each day responding to emails?
Hmmm......maybe 30 minutes to an hour? I do it sporadically thru-out the day, so I've never really added up the time.

Dessert
To what temperature do you usually set your home’s thermostat?
In the summertime, 77. In the winter, 72.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

The Cost of a Free Education

My children go to public school. For one thing, I can't afford to pay college tuition prices for them to go to grade school. But even if I could, I wouldn't - because we have superior public schools where we live and I know they are getting a great education. However, this "free education" guaranteed to my children by the government is starting to break the bank around here.

First of all there's the cost of new clothes and shoes for them. Of course this is an expense I anticipate every year (because those darn kids keep growing!) and I try to spread it out by buying a little at a time. But it still ain't cheap. And they both needed new backpacks. Not wanted - needed - as in the old ones were filthy and worn out and had been used the past two years anyway.

Then there's school supplies. I was able to pre-order Daughter's school supplies - a great convenience offered by her school - and they cost about $35. Because she is in a program for gifted/talented students, she is "highly encouraged" to purchase all the novels they will be covering throughout the school year. So we did. $35 more. Little Son's school supplies also came pre-packaged - $65. And "oh-yeah-I-need-a-binder" - add $10. (Do you know you can get binders for $25???? Insane!)

So school begins. In the first week of school I wrote out $55 worth of checks for various class fees for Daughter's school. I then bought her approximately $30 worth of sewing supplies for Home Ec class. Her first Drama Festival is $3 per event - she is in 5 events. There's another check.

Then - THEN! - we're hit with the fundraisers!!! I bought a little something from Daughter's catalogue of goodies, but Little Son's school is selling "Butter Braids", which is frozen dough that bakes into a lovely pastry. For $10. Even Little Son agrees that's highway robbery. We'll not be purchasing one of those.

And it's also time for school pictures! I chose one of the lowest packages I could buy and still get pictures large enough to identify which child it was. Still came to $20. Each child. No, I didn't have to buy them, but what mom doesn't buy her kids' school pictures? The guilt would have eaten me alive. Now I'll at least have 1 5x7 picture to remember their 5th and 8th grade years by, and they can have the 500 postage-stamp sized pictures to hand out to their friends.

By the way, we skipped both Book Fairs. My credit wasn't good enough for the loan needed to pay for anything else.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Ten Things I Do When I Have Nothing Else To Do

As I was making this week's Ten on Tuesday list, Hubby saw my title-less list and said, "What's this? A list of how you spend your days?" Har har. I really do have lots of things to do with my days - this is what I do when I'm done with all that other busy stuff:
  1. nap
  2. surf the Internet
  3. play a game on the computer (I'm really into Spider Solitaire right now)
  4. snack
  5. look over my calendar for important things that might be coming up
  6. watch TV
  7. pull weeds from my flowerbeds
  8. read the newspaper (I try to do this every day anyway)
  9. take the dogs for a walk
  10. call Bubba's Mom and see what she's doing!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Friday, September 14, 2007

Space City

Having grown up in this NASA community, all things space were just a way of life to me. My daddy worked at Johnson Space Center for over 41 years - he just retired at the end of 2006. I attended the splash-down party for Apollo 11 in-utero (I was born less than 3 months later). My first grade teacher was an astronaut's wife. When Bubba and I were kids Dad used to take us to work with him sometimes. We have seen the parts of NASA that you don't see on the public tour - we've been in the shuttle simulator and seen where the astronauts train. We were never allowed in Mission Control, but Dad has been there several times. Even today Hubby and I know a few astronauts personally. They are the people we go to church with, have lunch with, and see at the grocery store. Their triumphs are our triumphs and their tragedies our tragedies. I can't even begin to explain how the Challenger and Columbia disasters rocked this community of ours. I had friends who lost parents in Challenger, other friends who dropped out of astronaut training after Columbia. You never get over those things.

But today Daughter got to experience one of the perks of living in this NASA area. In an assembly today at school, the students got to speak to one of the astronauts onboard the International Space Station (he has a kid at that school). It was a live feed and the students got to ask questions, such as "What do you do to exercise?" and "How does living in space affect your hair and fingernail growth?" Daughter was impressed with how clear it was - just like talking on the phone, yet this guy is orbiting the earth 220 miles above the ground!

I think Neil Armstrong said it best: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

And we continue to leap.

Friday's Feast #14


Happy Friday and Happy Feasting!

Appetizer
When was the last time you visited a hospital?
The last time I was in a hospital was in January when Hubby had surgery to remove the screws from his ankle (which were put in last November after breaking his leg/ankle).

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how ambitious are you?
Eh, I guess a 5.

Salad
Make a sentence using the letters of a body part. (Example: (mouth) My other ukelele tings healthily.)
Apes need kind, loving empathy.

Main Course
If you were to start a club, what would the subject matter be, and what would you name it?
I think a club to share vacation tips and info would be fun - I'd call it The Vacation Information Station! (**Disclaimer - if you already have a club named that, I'm sorry - I just thought of it off the top of my head and it's late.)

Dessert
What color is the carpet/flooring in your home?
oatmeal

Thursday, September 13, 2007

The Conspiracy

I believe there is some kind of conspiracy in this world to discontinue making the products I like. As sure as I find something I really love - whether it be a cleaning product or food or whatever - they stop making it. Some examples:
  • Glade Spin-Fresh toilet paper holders - a pleasant but subtle way to keep the bathroom smelling nice every time you use toilet paper
  • Alpha Bits cereal - and while I'm on the subject of cereal, can I just say that while I appreciate the effort to make cereals healthier (lower sugar, sodium, etc.), doing so has made some of the oldies-but-goodies not so goodie anymore. Super Golden Crisp should have stayed Sugar Crisp. I'm just sayin'.
  • Chicken by George - tender boneless chicken breasts that came in delicious flavors like Tomato Herb with Basil, Caribbean Grill, and Mesquite Barbecue; yes, they were over-packaged and a little over-priced, but they were great for a quick and easy meal!
  • Scotch Brite Rescue Pads - soap-filled sponges with a scrubber side and a sponge side; while Googling this, however, I discovered that they may still be available online, so it's apparently just my local stores that are in on The Conspiracy
  • Several Bath & Body Works products, including but not limited to the Stress Relief Bath Salts (the new ones aren't as good as the old ones) and White Tea and Ginger Bubble Bath (which also appears to be available online, but not in my local store)

So why does this happen to me? I can't be the only person who bought these products! Bubba's Mom has noticed the trend, too. She can't get her Revlon Moon Drops Moisture Cream anymore. What is this world coming to?

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Name Game

**SCROLL DOWN FOR WORDLESS WEDNESDAY**

I stole this fun game from Stacey at JameeForever - it's silly and fun and guaranteed to make you laugh! Try it!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Muffin Venture
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Chocolate Chip Chocolate Chip! I think that should be just Chocolate Chip Squared or something....
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) J'Car
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Blue Dog
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Darlene Houston
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Carji
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Red Tea
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Albert Martin
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy) Design Whoppers (HA!)
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) Marie Albert
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Giglio Geneva
12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Spring Lily
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Strawberry Tankie
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Brownie Oak
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) The Dancing Storm Tour!

Wordless Wednesday - Rollin' on the River


Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Ten Cities I Could Live In

Today's Ten on Tuesday list asks for Ten Cities I Could Live In - forever or just for a little while.....here's what I came up with off the top of my mind. Some of these places I have been, others I haven't.....

  1. Austin, Texas
  2. Bastrop, Texas
  3. Beaufort, South Carolina
  4. Hilton Head, South Carolina
  5. Charleston, South Carolina
  6. Savannah, Georgia
  7. Natchez, Mississippi
  8. Gainesville, Florida
  9. San Diego, California
  10. Breckenridge, Colorado

Saturday, September 08, 2007

Good Answer

Friday, September 07, 2007

Friday's Feast #13


Time for another Friday's Feast!

Appetizer
Using only one word, how does grocery shopping make you feel?
tired

Soup
What is your favorite part about the season of Autumn?
cooler weather

Salad
Have you ever had any bad experiences online?
I had a virus e-mailed to me once, but other than that, no.

Main Course
Name three things that make you happy daily.
my husband
my kids
my dogs

Dessert
What one household cleansing or organizing item would you not want to be without?
my calendar (that's an organizing item, right?)

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Back-to-School Bugs

The last time Daughter threw up was 2 years ago - we were in Hilton Head, SC on vacation, and something she ate for dinner didn't agree with her. In the middle of the night it all came back up. All. Over. The. Bed. It was a strip-the-bed-and-throw-the-kid-in-the-shower incident. But after that she was all better and wasn't sick anymore.

Until today.

It started at 6:15 this morning. (She did make it to the bathroom.) Since then she has thrown up 3 more times. This girlie is SICK. She's lying in her bed like a limp dishrag, trying to watch TV but dozing a bit, too. She can't even hold down water. I feel so badly for her, but I know that there is nothing I can do except hold her hair back and give her a cold washcloth - a stomach virus must run its course. This is only the second week of school - I figure all those kids came back with germs aplenty and Daughter was the lucky lottery winner of the tummy bug. Hopefully none of the rest of us get it - I'm Lysol-ing everything like crazy. Maybe I have Mommy Immunity.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Crazy Lady Say What??

***SCROLL DOWN FOR WORDLESS WEDNESDAY***

Whoopi Goldberg has started her stint on The View, and already she's stirring up controversy. She is actually DEFENDING Michael Vick! Kind-of the "he didn't know any better" defense. According to Whoopi, "where he comes from" in the South, dogfighting isn't that unusual.
"It's like cockfighting in Puerto Rico," she said. "There are certain things that are indicative to certain parts of the country." She said that for many people, dogs are sport, and it appeared it took awhile for Vick to realize that he was up against serious charges. "I just thought it was interesting, because it seemed like a light went off in his head when he realized this was something that the entire country didn't appreciate," she said.

Ummm....EXCUSE ME???? Maybe - just MAYBE - if Vick were some kid from the sticks who was being raised to fight dogs and had never known any different, this could be a plausible excuse. But this man is/was a professional athlete! A grown man who knew right from wrong! The abuse and torture of his dogs was despicable, and he had to know that. How on EARTH could anyone defend his actions? I'm from the South and I find it reprehensible, and to generalize Southerners in that way would be as bad as me saying that she's defending him because he's black. Which I'm not doing.

Come on, Whoopi - we thought you were gonna be so much better than Rosie!

**UPDATE**

Whoopi is covering her butt today, apologizing and backpedaling like crazy. Do we give her the benefit of the doubt on this one??

Wordless Wednesday - BFF's


Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Ten Things I'd Save In A Fire

Ten on Tuesday snuck up on me this week! Guess the holiday threw me off....

Assuming Hubby can get out safely on his own, here are Ten Things I'd Save In A Fire:
  1. my kids
  2. my dogs
  3. my scrapbooks
  4. as many photos as I could grab
  5. my computer (well, the tower - the part that has all my "stuff" on it!)
  6. my Bible
  7. my calendar book
  8. our box of important documents (no they are not in a fireproof safe - shame on us!)
  9. the kids' baby books
  10. my vacation spoons (collection started by my grandmother and passed on to me - very special to me!)

Saturday, September 01, 2007

You like me! You really like me!

Not one but TWO awards for me this week! Wow - I'm feeling really special right now.

Misty Dawn at My Dogs Keep Me Sane bestowed upon me the Blogging Star award. She is such a neat person and takes AWESOME photos! Thank you Misty Dawn!


Stacey at Jamee Forever awarded me the You Make Me Smile Award - I am honored! She makes me smile every day both at her blog and the comments she leaves on mine. Love ya, Stacey!

I think I'm supposed to pass these along to others now, so I'm going to think about it some - I would gladly give both of them to USO Girl, but she got them, too! Lots of stuff to do today, so I'll mull on it and come back tonight to do my awarding.
Happy Labor Day Weekend everyone!