Busy

I’m putting my homemaker cap on more firmly for a few days…

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 

Preparing

Suburban Correspondent wrote a post about preparing for Christmas, and it got me thinking…

For the past 4 years, I’ve alternated between getting decorations up and gift shopping/wrapping done early so I can “enjoy” the season [usually after H-J's December 5th birthday] or else waiting until the last minute as a protest December 15th when it hits me like a freight train that Christmas is 10 days away.

I’m still searching for the right mix. Frankly, I think the right mix was when I was a kid and it was mostly all about anticipation without all the work!! If so, perhaps my nirvana will be when I am an old lady in a nursing home.  The staff will dread me because I will always be asking, “Is it Christmas yet? How many more days?” but I will not have to shop and cook and plan… only anticipate.

[insert happy sigh]

WWC #110 (I think!!) : window & fence

WINDOW

FENCE

If you feel like you’ve seen some of these before, you are probably right!  I’m sort of cheating: I’ve previously posted the top 3 pictures on my blog (only the stacked rock wall/fence is new). I’ve been lagging behind with the Weekly Words Challenge and I’m just trying to get back on the ball. Lots of folks are now participating on facebook but Jay is faithfully keeping the blogworld end of the WWC together.
It’s been so long since I’ve actually posted for this meme that I nearly forgot it was Tuesday!

Punny Monday answer

I noticed that my 13yo had not gotten up this morning, so I opened his bedroom door and announced that he had 30 minutes until his school bus arrived.  He groaned and said, “Oh. It’s Monday.”

There were some great guesses for my first (only?)  Punny Monday:

Water tower
Water on the rocks
Rock bottom
Bottle rock(et)

Can’t get water from a rock
Trying to get water from a rock

I’m impressed with your creativity, folks!

But the saying/phrase that SnakeMaster & I discussed when he took this picture ….

MOUNTAIN SPRING WATER

[everyone groan in unison now]

If you could have clearly read the label on the bottle (which, admittedly, you couldn’t — sorry about that!!) you would have seen the words “Spring Water”… and while those on the West Coast will look at the Appalachian Mountains and call them hills, they really are called mountains.  SnakeMaster took this picture of his water bottle on the Appalachian Trail.
So, was that lame enough? Should I try this again some other Monday, or do I hear the resounding echo of silence … or perhaps worse, Booooo-ing?

Punny Monday, SnakeMaster Style

Quilly has a wonderful weekly meme called Punny Monday, where she posts a photo and asks her readers to guess what she was thinking when she took the picture.  I’ve seen a number of them and haven’t correctly guessed a single one… yet… BUT it’s fun!

One one of our recent hikes, SnakeMaster took this picture:

What saying phrase does it represent?

Feel free to confuse other readers in the comment section and e-mail me the actual answer, if you have my e-mail.

Fall Foliage

We have had some great color this fall. This tree is a prime example:

Just a few minutes ago, I stood on our back deck and took that picture. Last fall it had some bright color, but it definitely wasn’t that fantastic. Two years ago it was a disappointment: you could imagine it had a coppery tinge to the leaves as they went from green to brown, but it was mostly in the imagination. They clung to the tree long after other leaves had fallen, but a Thanksgiving day windstorm ripped those clinging leaves off in less than 5 minutes. That was 2007.
This year, we are enjoying the color.

I won’t forget

One month ago, there was a parade through a local town: a soldier was coming home.   SPC Stephan Mace’s death was heavily noted on a local level.   Citizens and flags of all sizes lined the streets and at the center of town, the largest flag flew somberly at half-mast.

The tragedy that occurred last Thursday at Fort Hood, Texas, is being acknowledged on a much larger scale, and many American flags are being flown at half-mast today in respect for those who died.

Tonight I will attend a Veterans’ Day program at our high school, which is put on every year by the student Veterans club.  They spend 365 days each year on this program, working with groups and individuals, teachers and administration, families and military contacts. It is always a moving experience to attend this program, but tonight’s program will be especially moving.

Thank you, Veterans. Thank you, SuperDad. Thank you, Military Man and Rescue Ranger. THANK YOU to so many (including my brother, my uncle, my grandfather) who have served to protect us and to help others.

Here’s to the Heroes:

POPcorn

Back in October, Melli blogged about a really cool trick with popcorn and I’ve been itching to try it ever since.   Tonight we were all finally available to gather around the microwave and watch an ear of Indian corn turn into this:

Isn’t that Cool?

It’s not exactly how the Native Americans taught the Pilgrims to pop corn at the first Thanksgiving but it does make for an impressive show!

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In other eye-popping news, Hilary awarded this post as a runner up in her “Post of the Week” award.  I am very honored.

Who knew that pointing out toilet paper changing skills (or lack thereof) could earn awards?

I just want my menfolk to learn to do the right thing…
*sigh*

Pssst!

A while back (don’t ask me when, my brain doesn’t work that way), I signed up for General Mills’ Pssst… program. It’s been a busy couple of months and I sort of forgot all about it… but General Mills didn’t forget about me (which, when you think about it, is kind of nice of them).  In my mailbox last week was a package from those nice folks and inside the brown wrapper were TWO meals, each serving 4 people!  PLUS there were a handful of coupons to purchase more or pass on to friends.

So on Wednesday night, when 2 of the 4 kids were off doing other things, I made this meal:

Romano’s Macaroni Grill® Chicken Piccata

The green beans were my own addition.

I was asked to share my opinion with friends, so here it is:

+ I found the flavor to be pretty good and not too salty.
+ I doubled the chicken amount because I feed hungry boys, but we had plenty of leftovers, so I really didn’t need to do that.
+ It was truly ready in about 20 minutes, as promised by the advertising on the box.

- The sauce was a little too strong on cornstarch.  I understand the need to thicken a sauce, but it shouldn’t taste like you thickened it, KWIM?
- It was lacking in what I’ll term “improved healthy choices”… meaning, it could have been whole wheat pasta instead of pale white pasta.  I’m a whole wheat kind of gal.  But I suppose you could skip the angel hair pasta and use your own… that would certainly be easy enough to do.

Overall, it’s okay as a quick meal.  With some imagination, I could come up with this on my own, but for someone who needed to reach for a quick meal in a hurry, it serves its purpose.   I confess I’ve never eaten at a Macaroni Grill, so I can’t tell you how it compares.

I haven’t yet made the Wanchai Ferry® Orange Chicken.

I’m waiting for another night when I am looking for a quick meal for 4 people.

You, too, can sign up for General Mills’ Pssst… program:  It’s easy, it’s free, and you get freebies! I’m having personal technical trouble giving you a direct link, but feel free to put in a quick search (google, bing, whatever) for “General Mills pssst” and you’ll get there.

And, hey! Yesterday was my 365th post. Who’da’thunk it?

Still reeling

Mary Alice has written the post I could not write.