Tea With Dee

Final update on January's "Slow Month"

2012-01-30T20:30:00.001-06:00

Well, folks, tomorrow is the last day of January and the official end of my "Slow Month" challenge. Here is what I've purchased since my last update:

Apple Market (Jan. 24th)

I forgot to write it down but I'm pretty sure this was what I bought. I don't have a receipt because I always donate them to a local mission project and never keep them (the store does this) but it was around $40, as I recall. I gave in to the temptation of a new recipe, hence the Mexican ingredients. In addition, I provided a large casserole of macaroni and cheese for United Campus Ministry which accounts for the macaroni and large package of cheese.

2 jalapeno peppers
bananas
lettuce
jar of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
small jar roasted red peppers
tortilla chips
(3) bags of macaroni (the smaller ones were on sale and it was cheaper this way)
16 oz. package cheddar
(2) half-dozen cartons of organic eggs (they only have them this way)
1 sympathy card

Total: about $40

Braum's (Jan. 24th)

1/2 gallon milk
1 pound butter

Total: $5.08

Braum's (Jan. 29th)

bananas
grapes
(2) 8 oz. packages of sharp cheddar cheese
package of sliced cheddar
cottage cheese
(2) limes
package of flour tortillas
1/2 gallon milk
1/2 pint cream
package of three peppers (red, yellow, green)
got free pound of butter for buying over $20 worth

Total: $24.18

I must also admit that I did succumb to a purchase for my Kindle. A book I wanted was on sale for $4.99 so I bought it. That, and the magazine earlier in the month have been my only non-food personal expenses, though.

The last total was $95.12 and when you add these it brings the grand total for the month to:

~$169.37~

I suppose that isn't too bad for feeding three of us most of the time, especially since most of what I bought yesterday at Braum's ($24.18) will actually be eaten in February.

I did run out of my organic Earl Grey tea a few days ago and have had to make do with organic black tea. I will be receiving my regular shipment from Amazon in a day or two. Yay! The other item that I personally have missed is blue cheese dressing. David and Chris both prefer ranch and I make that up with a mix I bought from Azure Standard in some mayo and a little milk, sometimes with a little sour cream added. I will also be receiving my scheduled shipments of Wild Planet low-mercury tuna (6 cans) and organic black beans (1 case). My monthly co-op order will arrive week after next and I am going shopping in the city with my daughter February 9th (local, natural health food stores).

So what have I learned from this experience?

1. Well, for starters I've discovered that I still have LOTS of food around. If you'll notice, most of

what I've bought this month consisted of fresh produce and dairy. And I still have a lot of produce left.

-Potatoes, carrots, onions, oranges, apples, grapes, limes, pears, celery, cauliflower, kale, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, cabbage and probably more I'm forgetting.

-We barely touched the meat in the freezer so I still have a whole chicken, turkey breast, ham, andouille sausage and 2 packages of organic sausage links.

-Staples like pasta, rice, baking ingredients, beans, oatmeal and such are still in pretty good supply.

2. I tried a few new recipes which turned out to be keepers and for the most part, utilize ingredients we tend to keep on hand.

3. We use a lot of cheese. Since we are mostly vegetarian, cheese plays a large role in our diet.

4. We need laying hens soon. I really miss my chickens, especially when paying outrageous prices for organic eggs.

5. Our true needs are few and even my wants are not excessive. Sure, I periodically think of something I want or "need" but for the most part I'm pretty satisfied with what we have. Oh! That reminds me though of something else I purchased not included above. Several months ago I had bought a pair of Birkenstock shoes (with closed toes) for winter and was given a $20 off credit on my next order. I got an email telling me that it expires tomorrow so this morning I went ahead and ordered another pair of Birkenstocks just like the ones I wear nearly every day. I've had them a few years and while they are still in good shape, the soles are wearing down a bit. I can get them repaired by Birkenstock, virtually indefinitely, so I wanted a second pair that I can break in before that becomes necessary. Many people have worn their Birks for 20-30 years so I figure this is a good investment.

6. I can probably do this again for the month of February with little difficulty.

So, it's been a good month and really not difficult at all. I didn't get around to trying to make my own tortillas because I had some in the freezer which I wanted to use up first. I did make homemade hotdog buns and beer bread but otherwise didn't bake regular sandwich bread in January. I started the month with two loaves of homemade bread in the freezer and that was sufficient. Tomorrow, however, that's hopefully going to get done. I did find a recipe for granola which David loves so I have that option for his breakfast cereal now. I will continue my search for good recipes using basic ingredients and for homemade substitutes for the few things I'm not already making myself.

More to the point of all this, I've done a lot of thinking about consumerism and the difference between "need" and "want". I'll be sharing more of those thoughts as I continue a similar challenge for the month of February. I'd love to hear your thoughts on all this and if you've done something similar and blogged about it, please leave a link in the comments so I can check it out.

Slow Month Update - #2

2012-01-23T15:06:00.000-06:00

I meant to do this earlier so I do hope I can remember my purchases.

One evening after work David was in town and asked if I needed anything. We were low on milk but since he didn't have cash and was going to have to write a check, he asked if there was anything else so he wouldn't be writing one for just a couple of dollars. He ended up getting:

1/2 gallon milk
bag of Italian blend salad
(2) 8oz. packages of cheddar

I didn't get the receipt but I'm estimating that he spent around $10.

Our local organic bakery got in their monthly shipment of produce last week so I bought:

kale
spinach
tomatoes
red potatoes
broccoli

I paid $12.41.

I then picked up my monthly co-op order that night:

10 pounds of oranges
3 pounds of onions
1 leek
celery
5 pounds of carrots
1 cauliflower
3 avocados
(2) 5 pound bags of potatoes
package of masa harina
green enchilada sauce
arborio rice

This all came to $51.21.

And that's it. I haven't been in the grocery store or any other store since my last update. The funny thing is that we still have oodles of food here. I haven't made a dent in my freezer or pantry supplies. I do need a few things which I will pick up tomorrow:

milk
eggs
butter (still have some but will need more if I do much baking)
lettuce

I plan to do some major baking tomorrow. Bread, hamburger buns, muffins, more granola (David LOVED it!).

I think it's becoming apparent that I can continue this challenge another month, just allowing for dairy and fresh produce. Looking at the things I have needed to purchase reminds me how much I miss having a ready supply of eggs from my chickens. I am looking forward to having laying hens again. And I'm hopeful for a good gardening year and being able to put up produce via canning and freezing. Dairy is always going to be something we will purchase from ordinary sources as neither David nor I have any intentions of milking a cow or goat. However, I'm seeing that most everything else we eat consists of "staples" such as flour, beans, rice, pasta, baking items, spices, etc. All of these items can be purchased in bulk a few times a year which means a lot less time in grocery stores. And that, my friends, saves money.

So here's my total thus far for the month of January:

$95.12

Not bad.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

2012-01-20T14:15:00.000-06:00

Notice anything different? I decided it was time for a little blog redecorating. I'm cleaning things up, getting rid of some widgets, adding some new ones and moving things around. This will most likely continue for the next couple of days so please be patient. If you have any suggestions, let me know. I'm also trying to make sure the page loads in a reasonable amount of time so widgets may come and go as I test this aspect. I also noticed that the center column width has decreased so old videos are now too wide in some cases. I'll be going back and fixing this over time. If you happen to see one and would like to help me out, please let me know the name of the post.

And now for a little music:

Dee, the Domestic Diva

2012-01-16T11:49:00.000-06:00

One of my New Orleans friends is fascinated and impressed by the fact that I iron my pillowcases when I wash my sheets each Monday. So much so that she sent me a link for a job:

"Domestic Diva Needed for Advice Blog"

It also included doing video blogs. She said I'd be perfect for the job but that I had to promise her two things:

1. Your first one will be about ironing pillowcases
2. When HGTV picks it up and you win an Emmy, you'll thank me in your speech.

Well, I'm not so sure about the video blog thing but it did get me to thinking. Why blog about domesticity on someone else's blog when I've got my own. I mean, I do write about homemaker-y stuff here sometimes but why not make it a regular feature? I'm not sure of the format yet but since I need to post something today, how about sharing what's going on in the exciting world of homemaking on Apple Tree Farm?

After a weekend with the guys around, Mondays usually greet me with the challenge of restoring order. In addition, this is the day I wash my sheets (and iron the pillowcases, of course), catch up on laundry, water plants and do a few other weekly tasks. I also try to take a look at the week ahead and plan my attack.

This Monday is worse than most for a few reasons. First, I had a couple of weeks of suffering with an asthma attack which left me pretty much incapable of doing more than the absolute necessities. Also, we are in the process of putting away the last of the Christmas decorations. I undecorated the tree this weekend but David has a cold and just didn't feel up to taking it down and putting it in the garage. I still need to carry the rest of the storage boxes upstairs and put them away in my closet. And you should see our bedroom! No, actually, you shouldn't. I'd be horrified. It's been a bit of a dumping ground through the holidays. Plus, the installation of my new computer and all the rearranging that required means I have a two-foot pile of papers/notebooks/folders/etc. on the floor to sort through and organize.

So all of that means that I really shouldn't be sitting here writing about homemaking but should actually get up and do some. When I have oodles to do I find it helpful to write it down. I start by just jotting things down in a stream-of-consciousness sort of way. Then I take out a fresh sheet of paper, put it in my purple clipboard and begin organizing the tasks in categories.

Here is what I've got today, and please try not to judge my terrible handwriting - I'm a pretty good typist but my handwriting went to pot during my years as a nurse writing patient notes.

Will I get all that done today? Not likely. But at least I have a place to start and it's not all floating around my head, buzzing in my ear like a nasty mosquito. I'll start with the things that have to be done in a timely manner, such as starting the beans (they've been rinsed, sorted, boiled for a couple of minutes and are now soaking for one hour) and making the hot dog buns (I'll start those right after lunch). Next, I'll take 20 minutes or so to simply tidy up the main living areas downstairs. Knowing that I wouldn't be horrified if someone dropped in unannounced makes me feel better.

With those things out of the way, I then start tackling one thing at a time as the mood strikes, trying to do the most important things first. Sometimes I like to set a timer for 15 minutes and then see how much I can do before it goes off. That was a little trick I learned from the Flylady and it really works for me. When it goes off, I take a short break with a cup of tea or glass of water and check Facebook or read emails. I also like to set a timer when I get on the computer because it's way too easy for time to silently sneak away from me as I get sucked into the vortex of the online world.

And speaking of that, my coffee break is over and so is this blog post.

Update on my "Slow Month"

2012-01-14T23:59:00.000-06:00

Well, here we are nearly half way through the month of January so I figured I should let you know how my January "slow month" challenge is going. Here is what I've spent thus far:

Last Sunday I bought the following at Braum's (regional dairy store):

1/2 gallon milk
package of three bell peppers
3 bananas

For a total of just under $5.

On Monday I went to the grocery store to get a few items for Chris' birthday dinner the next day:

lettuce
1 avocado
1 tomato
bag of tortilla chips
1 can of cherry pie filling
organic apple cider vinegar (I had it on my co-op list and it was on sale at the store)
1/2 dozen organic eggs

For a total of about $16.50.

And that's all I've purchased food-wise. David picked up a bag of cat food yesterday and I bought Chris' birthday gifts. I'd say I'm doing pretty well. If you read "Dee's Kitchen" you'll have seen my menus which I've stuck to fairly well. Here are some of the meals we've had:

homemade egg rolls with fried rice
curried vegetables over brown rice
Creamy Artichoke Pasta
Vegetable Soup with Parmesan Dumplings
gumbo and potato salad
green chili/sour cream enchiladas
red beans and rice (the beans were in the freezer)

I also found a recipe for a nut-free granola and made a batch of that.

When I made Chris' cherry pie for his birthday, I just had enough homemade pie dough in the freezer for one crust. Instead of the usual lattice top, I made a crumb topping from butter, brown sugar and flour. We all agreed it was better than the second crust. I have quite a bit of the topping left so I will be making apple muffins in the next day or two and using the remaining topping on those. I had bought 20# of organic apples a few weeks ago so I'm on the lookout for recipes to use them.

Oh, I forgot to mention one other expenditure. I had my monthly hair appointment last Tuesday. Call me shallow but keeping those gray hairs colored is a priority for me.

So far this hasn't been difficult at all which just goes to show how much stuff we already had on hand and that I'm not much of a shopper. Oops. I just remembered one other thing I bought. When I was purchasing a couple of things for Chris' birthday, I bought a Mother Earth News magazine. I used to buy lots of magazines of all types and had at least a couple of subscriptions at any given time. I have pretty much broken that habit with the exception of Countryside and Mother Earth News. I always find a lot of useful articles within each of these magazines and in fact, keep them for future reference. The current issue I bought has articles about eating well for less, pressure canning (something I plan to attempt this summer), seed companies and homemade cleaning recipes. All of these are topics I'm interested in and what I've read so far has been helpful.

Things I haven't bought this month include fast food and the occasional Diet Coke with vanilla on ice from a convenience store. Yes, I do indulge in those once or twice a week but not this month. And we don't do much fast food but on occasion if I find myself in town around lunch time, I'm not above picking up a hamburger from a local favorite, The Whip Dip. But again, not this month.

Tomorrow after church I will be picking up milk, butter and lettuce at Braum's. My co-op order pickup is this week and I ordered right around $50 worth, mostly produce, plus a bag of masa harina so I can try my hand at making homemade tortillas. The local organic bakery re-opens after a holiday break this Tuesday and they are receiving what will now be just a monthly delivery of organic produce. I will probably at least buy some broccoli and kale.

I have one loaf of homemade bread left in the freezer so I'll need to do some baking this week. I think instead of making the usual five loaves, I'll use part of the dough for hot dog buns since I have a package of all-beef, nitrate-free hot dogs in the freezer. While I'm making a mess in the kitchen that day, I should also make a bunch of pizza crusts to freeze and maybe some garlic breadsticks or focaccia. I'd also like to have muffins in the freezer and cookie dough. Perhaps I should just set aside a whole day in the kitchen and consolidate all that cleanup in just one day. We'll see how this week goes. I know I've got at least four activities this week.

Okay, it's almost midnight and I'd like to get this posted today. Goodnight and pleasant dreams!

Couldn't have said it better myself

2012-01-12T12:32:00.001-06:00

The Joy of Books

2012-01-10T08:43:00.000-06:00

Truly one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Enjoy!

The best things in life...

2012-01-07T18:07:00.000-06:00

This morning we received one of those phone calls that no one ever wants. One of our dear New Orleans friends passed away during the night. That's him on the right in the picture above. Del was our captain when we first got involved with the NOLA Wenches. He was one of those larger-than-life characters who lived life to the very fullest, sucking the marrow from the bone of every moment.

Del, along with his precious partner, Beth, chose to make New Orleans his home and embraced it with a fervor that was truly inspiring. A costumer-extraordinaire, New Orleans was the perfect place for him to display his talents. He was always planning some activity for all his willing cohorts. And there were usually jello shots, an art he had perfected.

As we mourn our friend, David and I are all the more determined to live our lives to the fullest, embracing each moment, trying new things, eschewing fear, loving on our friends and family, and squeezing every drop of joy out of life. After receiving the sad news this morning, David posted the following status update on Facebook:

"Life is not about money. Life is about love and friendship."

R.I.P. Del

We will miss your big heart, booming voice, lust for life...

and jello shots.

All done!

2012-01-06T14:46:00.000-06:00

I finished the lower half of my pantry today and that means all of my food storage areas are clean and organized. All at the same time, even.

Bottom drawer of pantry - before:

Upper drawer of lower pantry - before:

Bottom drawer - after:

Upper drawer - after:

Now one thing is apparent. I need to plan more meals using beans!

Freezer fun

2012-01-05T21:32:00.001-06:00

Today I finally tackled the chest freezer. It actually wasn't that bad due to the "Freezer Thawing Episode of Fall '11". We lost everything in our crammed to the gills freezer during a laundry room remodeling oversight so I was only dealing with stuff I've managed to toss in over the past couple of months. Here are the photos (if you go to the links below each one, you can see the items I've labeled):

Before:

Flickr link

I need a better container for the meat but this will do for now:

Flickr link

After:

Flickr link

Flickr link

Flickr link

Flickr link

I now know exactly what is in there and can find everything. I need some more plastic boxes so that as I add more things I can keep them organized but that can wait until after this month of no shopping. I was pleased to discover that I had a lot more vegetables than I had thought. We eat a LOT of veggies around here.

So for those keeping score, I've now organized my refrigerator, freezer compartment of fridge, chest freezer and not long ago, my baking cabinet and upper pantry. I did the spice cabinet a few months ago and it's still in decent shape. Tomorrow I will do the lower pantry and then I'll have all my food storage areas in order.

Having a good idea of what I have on hand means I can do a better job of planning meals and utilizing what I buy. It's also a good start for my larger plan of organizing my whole house this year. We have way too much stuff and I want to start weeding out the things we aren't using. I know there are people who could use these things and it's selfish of me to hang on to them. Plus, I'm feeling a very strong need to simplify my life in many ways. I'm not sure where I'm heading with all this but I feel as though I'm on the cusp of some big changes.

Organizing for success

2012-01-04T20:50:00.000-06:00

I didn't get as much done today as I had hoped. I had another episode of hives during the night and was left with a Benedryl-hangover this morning. I went back to sleep after David left and slept another couple of hours. I've been dragging all day so I scaled back my plans.

I did manage to clean out, inventory and organize the bottom freezer compartment of our refrigerator. I found some things I'd forgotten I had, such as a package of ground bison. We don't eat much meat these days so this package will easily make a couple of meals since I'll use it as more of a condiment than a main part of a meal.

Here are some pictures:

If you go to this link, you can see the labels.

If you go to this link, you can see the labels.

Tonight I made a vegetable curry over brown rice. I had planned to make naan bread but while cleaning the freezer I found a package with three whole grain pitas left. I toasted those instead and was happy to postpone naan baking for another day. I wrote about our dinner here, in case you are interested in how I made it. I also talked about last night's dinner of homemade egg rolls, fried rice and sweet and sour sauce. So far we aren't hurting a bit with this challenge. ;)

We also had leftover waffle batter from our belated Christmas celebration on Sunday so David cooked those after dinner tonight. I didn't want to waste it so we will have waffles for breakfast tomorrow and there will still be a few to freeze for another day.

I'm going to try to get to bed early tonight so with any luck I'll have more energy tomorrow. I plan to tackle the chest freezer so check back to see what treasures lurk within. It isn't quite as much of a mystery to me as it would have been a couple of months ago before David inadvertently turned off the breaker to the freezer while remodeling the laundry room. He didn't discover it until over a week later (we were out of town during that time or I would have noticed) so we lost everything in it. And it was crammed! Oh, well. At least I have a good opportunity to organize the current contents and hopefully keep up with it so things don't sift to the bottom, forgotten and forlorn.

For this month...

2012-01-03T21:51:00.002-06:00

A few years ago one of my favorite bloggers embarked upon what she referred to as "a slow year". She no longer blogs but is very active on Flickr where you can read all about what she means by "a slow year", as well as view her gorgeous and inspiring photos. I found her story so inspiring and while I'm not prepared to follow her lead for a full year, or even to the extent she did for a shorter period, I have decided to do my version, which I'm thinking of as "No Buy January".

I went grocery shopping this past Friday and my rule for January is that I will allow myself $25 per week for dairy and fresh produce but otherwise will not be shopping. I will be challenging myself to come up with interesting meals from what I have on hand. This is going to be my incentive to try my hand at some things I've been wanting to learn to make such as pita bread, tortillas and maybe some pasta. I am well stocked with basic ingredients such as flour, sugar, spices, etc. so I am going to put them to good use.

I will also be avoiding other buying to the extent that I have the control. This is my project, not my husband's so if he wants us to go out to eat or purchase something himself, that will be up to him (besides, our entertainment and meals out don't come out of my household allowance). The only other things I will be purchasing this month will be cat food if the big bag we have doesn't last the month (the cats aren't in on this experiment, either) and my 2012 calendars that I put in my cart on Amazon but never got around to ordering. Oh, and a small co-op order from Azure Standard. I would skip it this month but there is a new drop-off site here in town instead of 20 minutes away and this is the first month to order with it. I've started working on my order and aside from some produce I will be purchasing organic masa harina to make corn tortillas.

This means:

Making do if I run out of things. I do have a case of toilet paper, though. ;)
Planning ahead. I will be making all of our bread which is at least a two hour process to make 5 loaves. I can't allow myself to run out and just pick up a loaf at the store.
Being creative with basic ingredients so that we will have a varied diet.
Using up leftovers and not allowing anything to go to waste.
Learning new recipes.
Diligence, determination and yes, work.

Today I spent a couple of hours thoroughly cleaning out my refrigerator and reorganizing it in such a way that everything is easy to locate. Tomorrow I plan to work on the freezer compartment and hopefully the chest freezer, too. I want to make a list of what I have on hand and start jotting down ideas for how to use those things. I already organized my baking center and the top portion of my pantry not long ago. I've still got the bottom half of the pantry to do and then I'll have a good idea of exactly what I have on hand.

There are other aspects to this challenge which I'll be sharing as the days go by. I foresee this as not just a one-time experiment but as the start of a more deliberate way of spending my days, as well as my money. I hope you'll follow along on my journey and let me know what you think.

Updated: I decided to change the name of this challenge to "A Slow Month". For one thing, it more accurately describes what I'm doing than "No Buy". Additionally, I've found that others have done similar challenges using the term "slow year" (like Riana, whom I referenced above) or "slow month". If you'll look under the header, there is a page titled, "A Slow Month" and I will be linking all my related posts there for easy access.

Update #2: I'm participating in a "Pantry Challenge". Check out the link to read more.

New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T17:52:00.000-06:00

I've been in absentia largely due to a stupid asthma attack which has lingered the past two weeks. There was also a pretty impressive case of hives one night, too. But I'm not letting that keep me down. We went out with friends last night and we are getting ready to paint the town tonight. Well, sort of. Anyway, in lieu of a well-thought-out post about endings and new beginnings, I'll instead share a quote that I've loved for some time and which is making the rounds on Facebook in the past day or two.

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art - write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. May your coming year be a wonderful thing in which you dream both dangerously and outrageously. I hope you'll make something that didn't exist before you made it, that you will be loved and you will be liked and you will have people to love and to like in return. And most importantly, because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now - I hope that you will, when you need to be, be wise and that you will always be kind. And I hope that somewhere in the next year you surprise yourself."- Neil Gaiman

Happy New Year!

A wee bit of Christmas

2011-12-26T21:26:00.000-06:00

My mom and our daughter were both ill so things were rather quiet this Christmas. We went to my cousin's house for the extended family Christmas Eve celebration. That was at noon and I think there were perhaps 30 of us which, believe it or not, was on the "light" side as several were ill or just didn't come this year. Those of us who made it had a very nice time together, though.

We then attended our church candlelight Christmas Eve service. I've been doing breathing treatments for asthma all week and wasn't sure I'd be able to sing in the church choir. However, I got a little Christmas miracle and was much better that day. (It's back now, however.) Lisa and Justin couldn't be there but Chris and his very dear friend, Laura, attended with us. David ended up watching 8 children in the nursery (crazy story) but was able to join us just as we all lit our candles and sang "Silent Night", which is my favorite part of Christmas every year. Afterwards we went home and had our usual grilled hot dogs for a late supper while watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Yes, we have some odd traditions.

Here is a picture of our tree taken Christmas morning:

After we opened presents, I mixed up the ingredients for homemade waffles which David cooked in the old waffle maker which had been his grandmother's. I also cooked some bacon while David squeezed some oranges for mimosas:

After we ate, Chris needed a nap:

And here is a picture of my gift from David:

My PC was slowly dying so he bought me an Apple computer. We are still in the process of making sure everything is switched over the way I want it, thus I currently have two computers on my desk.

Chris really splurged this year and bought David and me The Beatles complete box set. We were overwhelmed! This is something David and I have each drooled over for quite awhile. All the music has been remastered and sounds incredible. Chris also loaded all 248 songs onto his computer and then onto each of our iPods.

As soon as Lisa is well we will have them over for Christmas #2. Hopefully I'll remember to take a few more pictures that time!

I hope y'all had a wonderful Christmas!

Getting there!

2011-12-23T21:33:00.001-06:00

I'm trying to catch my breath - literally. I've been dealing with an asthma attack this past week which has really put a damper on my Christmas plans. We were going to my niece's and nephew's Christmas program Monday night but I ended up doing a breathing treatment instead. I was so disappointed that I didn't get to see them. I've skipped other activities this week as well. David and I went out late this afternoon to finish getting the last items for the kids' stockings. Yes, we still do them for our adult children. I just finished cooking the items I'm taking to our extended family gathering tomorrow at noon. Now I just need to wrap some gifts and can call it quits for tonight.

My mom and daughter are both sick so our plans for Christmas day are still a bit unsettled. But it will all work out one way or another, I'm sure. I refuse to let anything get me down during the holidays.

How are your holiday plans coming along?

New Orleans Pictures

2011-12-17T19:33:00.000-06:00

It was a whirlwind of a trip. Yeah, I know, ten days sounds like a long trip but it went by in a flash of friends, food and frolic. I didn't even take very many pictures this time but here are some of them:

I had been craving raw oysters since my trip with Roz back in October. David thinks the very idea is disgusting but he refrained from saying so.

We went to the Mr. Bingle Christmas parade along with several Facebook friends I finally got to meet in person.

What a fun bunch of gals!

Here comes Santa Claus!

I rather like the combination of Christmas trees and palm trees. The weather was great the first three days of our trip - Monday was 78 degrees! But then it dropped dramatically with daytime highs in the low 50s. I must admit it was a little funny to watch their weather reports. All the dramatic "Freeze Warning!" hoopla for approximately 2 hours hovering around 32 degrees before warming back up during the day.

I had casually mentioned to David that one of these days we should go to a Saints game while in town. Apparently that's all he was waiting for because within a few minutes he had ordered tickets. We went to Champions Square outside the Superdome for the pre-party festivities. I tell, you, these people take their team seriously. It was a sea of black and gold as everyone got pumped up for the game.

Good seats, huh? Well, we lucked out. David had bought seats in the nosebleed section but one of the guys from his company happened to be in town (he's from New Jersey) and had been invited to watch the game in the suite owned by one of the railroads which the company does (lots of!) business with. He and his wife met up with us before the game and he told David that if there were any extra seats available in the suite he would ask if we could join them. We didn't really expect it so we bought our hot dogs and climbed to the top of the Dome. We had no more than sat down (and I had the beginnings of a panic attack as I looked down from that altitude) when David got a text from Bill. I want to tell you, that, my friends, is the way to watch a football game. Comfortable seats, two television monitors, free food and alcohol, AND our own bathroom. I'm now totally spoiled. It was so much fun and the Saints won. Great night!

This was our first trip to New Orleans at Christmas time and I thoroughly enjoyed all the decorations. This town loves any excuse to celebrate and decorate the French Quarter balconies. I loved this one.

Most of our trip, it was rather chilly at night. After walking several blocks through the French Quarter, I thoroughly enjoyed this coffee and Bailey's while warming my hands over the candle.

One of our favorite little places - Mother's. If you are ever in New Orleans, try the Ferdi Special po'boy.

There is a great little yarn shop near Jackson Square. Here's a shot of just a tiny portion of the colorful yarns.

Another pic from the yarn store.

I wish I had taken more pictures of the prettily decorated French Quarter houses and businesses. Most of the hotels were rather spectacular.

I talked David into trying on this hat and, well, it was perfect on him. He got so many compliments on it. One person said he thought he was Kid Rock for a minute. A young woman in a store said he was "rocking the Stevie Ray Vaughan vibe". I think he was glad I suggested the hat. ;)

We spent the first week in our condo and the last three days at the Sheraton on Canal Street. This was our view from the 41st floor overlooking the Mississippi River.

It was such a fun trip. We listened to lots of live music, ate fabulous food, spent time with friends (old and new), saw a parade, went on a Santa pub crawl with about 500 people dressed in Santa or elf costumes, and spent the last day with our dear friends, Bryan and Debi. Their daughter picked us up in the Quarter Sunday morning and drove us across the river where we had lunch with them and watched the first part of the Saints game. We then went to watch Debi and her daughter, Summer, shoot in a pool tournament. Summer won! Then back to their house for another bite to eat and back across the river to Tropical Isle to watch them perform again. It all went by so fast and as always, it was hard to say goodbye. Now we are counting the days until our next trip in April.

It's a Wonderful Life

2011-12-13T23:25:00.000-06:00

My favorite Christmas movie is the classic, "It's a Wonderful Life". Ever since the kids were very young we have had a tradition of watching it together as soon as we get the tree up. It's one of my very favorite things we do as a family.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned on Facebook that I'd love to see it in a theater. Well, it just so happens that a friend saw my comment and told me that it was going to be shown in the beautifully restored McSwain Theater here in our town. I was ridiculously excited.

We got home late last night from New Orleans (more about our trip in the coming days) and I hit the road running today with a 10 a.m. meeting, hair appointment, errands and grocery shopping but despite being tired, David and I went to see the movie tonight anyway. It was the best $10 we've spent in a long time. That's right. Tickets for two, plus popcorn and a drink for each of us was only $10.

We had never seen the color version and while I'm pretty much a traditionalist when it comes to classic, black and white movies, I must admit it was fun to see it in color on a big screen. I've always wanted to see the flowers in color, as well as home interior details. Yeah, I'm one of those who checks out interior design in every movie or television show I watch.

As always, I was wiping away the tears at the end. This has to be one of the most heart-warming films of all time and I never tire of its message.

"Dear George, remember no man is a failure who has friends. Thanks for the wings. Love, Clarence."

NOLA Nights

2011-12-10T10:51:00.000-06:00

This was the view from our room on the 41st floor of the Sheraton last night. Pretty spectacular, huh?

Having fun, wish you were here

2011-12-08T00:22:00.000-06:00

It's chilly outside but toasty here inside.

I love you, NOLA

2011-12-05T15:42:00.000-06:00

Christmas fun

2011-12-01T09:24:00.000-06:00

Autumn to Christmas

2011-11-29T18:25:00.000-06:00

I'm in the process of turning my home into a cozy nest of Christmas-y cheer. Christmas is the bright spot in a season I could otherwise do without and I love to "deck the halls". Here are some before and after pics of what I've been working on:

This table is just inside our entry way. It's oak and belonged to my great grandmother. Here it is dressed for Autumn. The lace tablecloth was my maternal grandmother's.

And here it is all decorated for Christmas. This is always the first thing I decorate. I love setting up the Nativity which was a gift from my aunt and uncle either our first or second Christmas. You can't tell in the photo but the tablecloth is dark purple which looks pretty with the Advent candles.

This is my "redneck repair" of a broken angel wing. Duct tape rules!

My dad found this antique buffet at an auction and it was a Christmas gift from my parents just before I got married.

Here it is covered with another lace tablecloth that belonged to my grandmother. As the Christmas cards begin arriving, they will be displayed here.

Under the fall tablecloth and Jack Sparrow puzzle is the sweet little antique oak table that David bought for me on my 16th birthday.

And here it is in its Christmas finery, with yet another of Grandma's lace tablecloths layered over a burgundy tablecloth.

I moved the puzzle to our coffee table. The stack of books under the bowl of fruit includes a set of books about Christmas traditions in other countries, plus the Cajun version of "The Night Before Christmas".

And yet another table. This belonged to David's grandmother.

I actually bought this tablecloth. It's pretty but there is no comparison to the quality of the vintage ones.

Chris and I have been watching "Home Alone" while assembling the tree and stringing the lights all afternoon. David has always done this part and I never fully appreciated what a pain it is. Literally. My hands are burning and itching. But it's almost done and then I'll decorate it tomorrow. After we eat dinner we will turn off all but the Christmas lights and watch "It's a Wonderful Life", our annual tradition. It's my favorite Christmas movie and it never fails to get me in the Christmas spirit.

What is your favorite Christmas movie? Any special holiday traditions you'd like to share? I love hearing about other people's traditions.

Advent and Autumn Leaves

2011-11-27T22:59:00.000-06:00

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. I love the juxtaposition of Autumn leaves and Christmas decorations in this photo I took in church this morning.

I am thankful to attend a church which observes Advent, the anticipatory time leading up to Christmas. I love the fact that we save the Christmas carols for Christmas Eve and Christmas Sunday, which falls on Christmas day this year, and instead sing the hymns of Advent in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Here is a favorite of mine which we sang this morning:

Things I'm thankful for

2011-11-26T21:15:00.001-06:00

How was your Thanksgiving? Ours was nice. Our extended family gathered together at my cousin's beautiful new house Thursday evening. I heard someone say they counted over 40 of us. We really enjoyed hanging out with several of my cousins' young adult children. Most of the crowd left around 9:30 and we then sat around with my cousin's family, telling stories and laughing until, as my daughter said, "our cheeks hurt". I think one of the best parts of living in the rural South are the stories. You really can't make up anything better than the sort of stuff that actually goes on around here. There's a reason that Southern authors are amongst the best story-tellers.

Friday we had a Thanksgiving meal with our kids, son-in-law and my parents. I cooked a turkey breast, ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and homemade gravy, dressing (twice - since I let the first batch burn!), and green bean casserole (my own version made with alfredo sauce and caramelized onions). I had made cranberry sauce the day before, as well as pineapple cream and coconut cream pies from my grandmother's recipe. Lisa brought homemade rolls and chocolate chip cookies. My mom brought "Snickers Salad", a favorite of David's. And now we have enough leftovers for days!

Now that Thanksgiving is past, I'm ready to get into the Christmas spirit. I've been working on making a Christmas playlist on Spotify today. I also took down the fall decorations and decorated the entry table with the nativity set and advent candles. Next up is to decorate the banister. Then hopefully tomorrow afternoon we will put up the tree. I don't know that I'll get it completely decorated before we leave for New Orleans on Friday but I'm going to try.

I didn't post yesterday because I was wiped out after being on my feet cooking much of the day. Since I missed a day of "Thankful November" I thought I'd just list a whole bunch of random things I'm grateful for:

Earl Grey tea, pirate and wench friends, Jergens lotion, The Grateful Dead, peace signs, tiaras, kitties, line-dried sheets, feather pillows, books, quirky movies, a well-made cosmo, starry skies, Happyland Music Fest, Birkenstocks, chocolate, my French press, Mardi Gras beads, our fireplace, the sound of the ocean, my Prius, raw oysters, used bookstores, my iPhone, scarves, New Orleans, live music, singing in the church choir, coconut milk egg nog, advent candles, Spotify and Thanksgiving leftovers.

Contentment or greed?

2011-11-25T11:53:00.000-06:00

Today is Black Friday and great masses of humanity (?) began descending upon retail establishments as early as yesterday evening, before the dishes were even washed after the annual Thanksgiving feast. In addition to the usual pushing and shoving, reports are surfacing of fights, tasering and even pepper spray! I tell you, people are nuts. There are many reasons I wouldn't dream of shopping on Black Friday, one of which is that I really don't want my opinion of people to drop any further. If I personally witnessed these crazypants examples of creed and stupidity I think I'd have to seriously consider following Thoreau's example and go live by myself in the woods. Well, I'd take my family (some of them) but you know what I mean.

Today is also Buy Nothing Day and that, my friends, is an event I heartily endorse. For one single day of the year can't we get off the consumerism carousel and just be? Yesterday we gave thanks for all our blessings but today we are supposed to go out and buy more stuff? That just doesn't make sense to me.

One of my friends posted this quote today:

"There are two ways to get enough: one is to continue to accumulate more and more.

The other is to desire less."

~G.K. Chesterton

When I read that I immediately thought of my grandmother. She was truly the most contented person I've ever known. Everyone gave up asking her what she wanted for Christmas because her answer was always, "I have everything I need." She had truly mastered the notion of "enough" and I can't help but think of her when I hear of the crowds fighting over made-in-China Walmart crap.

We gathered with extended family for our traditional Thanksgiving meal last night and had a great time. Today I am cooking turkey, ham and all the trimmings for my parents and children. We will gather together to enjoy a good meal, share stories and just relax together. I've held off on the Christmas music thus far but I think today is a good time to pull out the cds. Or maybe I'll put on a Christmas movie to play in the background. It will be a relaxed, low-key day. And that, my friends, is how I intend to spend this Black Friday.

Giving Thanks

2011-11-24T13:57:00.000-06:00

I've got six homemade pie crusts chilling and need to go make the filling but thought I'd share my favorite Thanksgiving hymns with you:

Thankful for what isn't

2011-11-22T23:16:00.001-06:00

I've had this post pulled up to write for awhile, trying to decide what to give public thanks for today. I have so much to be grateful for that it's sometimes difficult to decide what to focus on for my daily November Thanksgiving posts. And then just a few minutes ago David called. He had gone out on a medical call for the volunteer fire department. The dispatcher had said it was a seizure so I wasn't overly concerned. It turns out that wasn't the case. A young man about our son's age had overdosed. One of the firefighters rode to the E.R. in the ambulance and David followed behind so he could drive him back to the station. It doesn't look good.

Most of the time when asked what we are thankful for we respond with something we have. Tonight I'm thankful for something I don't. Life is tenuous and not always "fair". Tonight a family is likely mourning for their son while mine is downstairs watching television. Tonight I will be giving my son an extra hug. Tonight I will be offering a prayer for another mother.

Labor saving devices

2011-11-21T22:22:00.000-06:00

Lisa and I went to Norman today to pick up the organic turkey breasts we had pre-ordered. We had a few other things we needed or wanted so we ended up going to five or six shops. Both of us have a lot to do this week so we managed to sandwich in this trip between lunch and dinner. Monday is my busier day in the house as I wash the bed linens, try to finish all the laundry, feed the parakeet, clean the litterbox, water all the houseplants (I have a LOT of them) and generally get things back in order from the weekend.

As I was thinking about what I am thankful for today, what came to mind are my washer and dryer. When my grandmother was a young housewife, doing the family's laundry was an arduous chore. Laundry was traditionally done on Mondays and it took all day. The reason that red beans and rice is the traditional Monday meal in New Orleans is because it was an easy meal for a woman who would be toiling over the laundry all day.

As I said, Monday is the day I wash our bed linens, as well as catching up on the rest of the laundry. I often do a load several other days a week but Monday is my main laundry day, just as generations of homemakers before me have done. The difference is that I have machines that make it almost effortless. Before I left the house today I was able to have our bed linens washed and mostly dry, plus another load in the washer. Despite being gone most of the day, I could still fit in laundry.

It's easy to take things for granted, like washers and dryers. Or refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers. What about something as basic as hot, running water? It's something most of us take for granted and yet much of the world hardly dares to dream of such luxury. I try to remind myself of these things as I am washing yet another sinkful of dirty dishes, or washing another load of laundry, or vacuuming the floor again. I'm very fortunate and I don't ever want to forget that.

November Thankfulness:

Today I am thankful for household labor saving devices.

Christmas Countdown

2011-11-20T21:03:00.000-06:00

It has begun to sink in that I've a lot to do before we go to New Orleans December 1st. We won't return until the 12th which means that I basically have to have all my Christmas shopping and decorating done before we go. Gulp. I just spent the last little while doing some online shopping and now have gifts for my nieces and nephews, birthday gift for my niece with a December birthday and gifts for in-laws and an aunt and uncle. I am going to Norman with my daughter tomorrow afternoon to pick up our organic turkeys and a few other things, plus the gift for my parents (I know what I'm getting so that will be easy). That just leaves David and our kids. They have all been given instructions that they must give me their wishlists before Thanksgiving. Hopefully I'll be able to place the last orders on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. No Black Friday shopping for me, thank you!

I've barely started working on my annual Christmas newsletter so I've got to get a move on. It's a four page (two sheets, front and back) letter than I do in Publisher, complete with photos, recipes, and our year in review. My goal each year is to have it done before Thanksgiving so I can hand out them out to relatives at our big Thanksgiving dinner and thus save some on postage. Oh, that reminds me. Must buy holiday stamps. I don't always meet this self-imposed deadline but I hope I can pull it off this year.

I generally don't decorate until at least a week into December because we leave our decorations up mid-way into January. However, this year I'll start right after Thanksgiving. I don't know if I'll get everything done before we leave but I'm going to try. If I can pull all of this off I think the rush will be worth it. It would be awfully nice to come home from our vacation and just be able to relax and enjoy the holiday. Okay, quit laughing. Ever the optimist, I think it might happen. Maybe?

Today I am thankful for:

Online shopping. Amazon, in particular.

Tag, you're it!

2011-11-19T22:31:00.000-06:00

Today I am thankful for people who demonstrate the courage of their convictions:

Read about Dorli Rainey here.

“Activism begins with you. Democracy begins with you. Get out there, get active! Tag, you're it!”

~Thom Hartmann

A Day in the Kitchen

2011-11-18T23:06:00.000-06:00

I've been meaning to bake bread for ages. I got lazy over the summer and bought bread from the little organic bakery not far from us or sometimes from the grocery store (although I made sure it had no trans-fats or HFCS). Still, neither of these options are as satisfying as my own homemade bread. I'm determined to get back into the habit of baking all of our bread.

Bread baking is a somewhat messy task and while the process doesn't take continuous hands-on attention, it does require a couple of hours total. I decided that as long as I was going to be tied up that long, I might as well work in some other kitchen tasks as well.

I started by making a pitcher of iced tea. I've heard that people in other parts of the country do not *get* the concept of iced tea during cool weather but here in the South, it's a year-round thing.

Then I started a batch of yogurt. I make all of our yogurt. It's so easy with a yogurt maker:

Next up: Laundry soap. I pour boiling water over several soap nuts and allow to soak several hours. I then strain out the nuts and pour the liquid in an old Perrier bottle which I then keep in the fridge.

Below is a picture of my bread-making equipment. I grind wheat into fresh flour and then use the Bosch to mix up enough dough for 5 large loaves of bread. Oh, by the way, it's VERY important to make sure that the lid is securely fastened on the container which receives the flour via the grinder. Very important. And it's also important not to turn off the grinder with wheat still in it because you've failed to fasten the lid and flour is going everywhere. This will jam the grinder and trip the little breaker-thingy thus shutting off the machine and making one think that an expensive piece of equipment may be ruined. Fortunately, after 10 minutes or so of digging out impacted flour and restarting several times, it finally cleared and began to work properly again. Whew!

I keep my bread recipes handy by taping them inside one of the cabinets in the baking center. The one on the left is my regular wheat bread recipe like I made today. The one on the right is for sourdough. However, I let my sourdough starter dry up in the refrigerator so I'll have to start a new one.

While the bread was rising I made chocolate chip cookies:

And then baked the bread:

You have no idea how marvelous my house smelled! For dinner I steamed artichokes as a first course and then we had bowls of fresh green beans and new potatoes. Then we each had a slice of the fresh bread with butter and some of my strawberry preserves. It was all so delicious.

But there were a few dishes:

And that's why we deserved cookies and hot tea after the kitchen was clean.

November thankfulness:

I'm thankful for our daily bread.

Busy, busy day

2011-11-17T21:57:00.000-06:00

It's been a long day. A good day, but a long one. I had to brave the chilly weather this morning in order to drive about 30 miles away to pick up my monthly co-op order. And when I say "chilly", I really mean "freakin' cold!". Tuesday afternoon got up to a perfect 79 degrees and yet this morning we awakened to a temperature of 27. No, that isn't a typo. It really was only 27 degrees this morning.

And since we're talking about mornings, let me just say that I don't really *do* mornings. I mean, I'm awake between 6:30 and 7:00, and I generally get up with David to fix his coffee and make lunches for him and Chris. But what I don't do, if I can help it, is go somewhere. And I'd rather not do much talking, either. I need a slow, quiet morning with a couple of large cups of Earl Grey. I need to gently ease into my day. Today, however, I had to leave the house before 8:30 a.m. Not my favorite thing to do but our co-op delivery didn't make it yesterday afternoon and was rescheduled for this morning. But that's okay. I had placed a fairly large order as I'm doing some winter stocking up. Here is picture of my haul:

If you click on the picture it will take you to my Flickr page where I've labeled each of the items. Just in case you're nosy like that. There should have been celery and 20# of apples but they didn't come in.

After I picked up my order, I drove back to town, got gas in the car and ran by the organic bakery where I picked up a couple of tomatoes and apples. Then I went home where this is what greeted me:

Isn't our driveway pretty right now?

I put away all the food and then over the next few hours I did normal household tasks and prepared the agenda for one of the meetings I had tonight.

First up, at 5:30 p.m., was the board meeting for our area homeless services. I have only served on this board for perhaps 10 months but in that time I've become acutely aware of how much need there is in our community. Our monthly allotted funds for emergency shelter were depleted in the first two days of the month. Two days. Because we don't have homeless people begging on our streets, people tend to be unaware of just how much of a problem we have. It may not be visible to the casual observer but it exists. Even though our unemployment rate is not as high as many other areas of the country, it's a little misleading. Many who are struggling to keep a roof over their head do have a job but their hours have been cut back and since wages are quite low here, this is especially devastating. These folks don't show up on the unemployment rolls but they are at great risk of homelessness. It's overwhelming at times but I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a part of an organization that is trying to address the problem.

Next up was the monthly board meeting of our local campus ministry. I'm just finishing up my two-year term as board Chair and after the first of the year I've decided to take a one-year break from the board. I've served for a number of years now and I've enjoyed it. However, I want to focus a bit more on the homeless organization this coming year. Plus, I was just named to our community's brand new Multiculturalism Committee and I look forward to all that will entail. Not to mention, I'm still a member of our local recycling coalition, as well as serving on our church's worship committee. I think that's enough for now. ;)

So here I sit, sipping a glass of wine and looking back on my day. I'm tired and there are a number of things I had hoped to do today that didn't happen. But overall I feel good about my day. I added to our stock of food for the winter, did the basic, daily household chores and lent my services to two organizations I feel passionately about.

When I arrived home late this evening I was tired and looking forward to winding down for the night. But as I got out of the car I looked up at the sky, something I often do, and was struck by the beauty of one of those especially starry nights. Out here in the country, where we are not subject to the light pollution of streetlamps, we are often treated to one of nature's most glorious displays. It was cold but I stood there for several moments simply enjoying the glories of heaven. Somehow it felt as though I was being given a special treat and I felt gratitude.

November thankfulness:
I am grateful for the opportunities I have to be an active member of my community and hopefully to help make a difference.

Oh, deer...

2011-11-16T16:45:00.000-06:00

This morning David noticed this in our backyard:

He told me about it when he came upstairs to finish getting ready for work so of course I had to go check it out. I took that first photo through our needs-to-be-washed sliding glass door because I didn't want to frighten it off by opening the door. It looked up and saw me but didn't run off. I then very, very quietly slid the door open just enough for the camera lens and took these:

I watched for several minutes but there was no sign of its mother. That's pretty unusual and I hope that doesn't mean it's an orphan. David teased me about trying to tame it if that were the case. Hmm...I could make it a pallet on the floor of our laundry room but it's too big to go through the doggy door. Still...

November thankfulness:

Today I am thankful that I get to see wildlife like this, right in my own yard.

Autumn on Apple Tree Farm

2011-11-15T21:08:00.001-06:00

Today was just gorgeous. I had a meeting in town this morning and had some errands to run later. In between I ate lunch in the park overlooking the small lake. I took this picture from our driveway as I was returning home this afternoon. Despite the record heat and drought this summer, we've had some amazing fall color. Unfortunately I think the dogwood trees across the front of our yard may have succumbed to the drought so we didn't get their usual dramatic burgundy-colored leaves and red berries but most of the other trees are putting on quite a show.

November thankfulness:
I am thankful for a day of 70+ degree temperatures and azure skies. Winter will soon be upon us so I'm soaking up every bit of warmth until that happens.

Making progress

2011-11-14T22:57:00.000-06:00

I tackled a couple of other kitchen projects today. I cleaned and organized the top portion of my pantry:

Before:

After:

And I cleaned out my messy refrigerator.

Before:

After:

If you click on the photos it will take you to Flickr and you'll be able to see my little notes about the various items in both the pantry and the fridge. Just in case you are as nosy as I am about these little details. You can also comment on any of my photos there.

And for today's thankfulness:

I am thankful for the ability to purchase healthy food.

One project down...

2011-11-13T22:51:00.000-06:00

I decided to clean and organize my baking center today in preparation for holiday baking. Now it's all clean and ready to go. If you'd like to see the before pictures, as well as one of the inside of the baking cabinet, check out my Flickr photos here. I took them with my phone so they aren't all that good (I look forward to getting the iPhone 4S one of these days - awesome camera!) so I might retake them tomorrow with my camera.

Do you like to bake? Are you getting excited about the holidays?

My daily thankfulness:

Today I am thankful for my beautiful kitchen. It is truly a pleasure to cook in it.

Hippie Chicks

2011-11-12T22:30:00.000-06:00

Today I am thankful for my wonderful daughter. We spent the whole day together in Oklahoma City at a peace festival and a few other things which I will blog about tomorrow. For now I'll just say it was one of our very best "hippie days" and it was truly a pleasure to enjoy it with Lisa.

11-11-11

2011-11-11T09:01:00.000-06:00

What shall be our legacy?

What will our children say?

Let them say of me

I was one who believed

In sharing the blessings

I received.

Let me know in my heart

When my days are through

America

I gave my best to you.

Today I am thankful for the sacrifice of others.

"Lord, bid war's trumpet cease; Fold the whole earth in peace." -Oliver Wendell Holmes

Soul Dusting

2011-11-10T21:49:00.000-06:00

Can you imagine a world without music? I can't. What a sad and dreary place it would be. Ever since I can remember, music has been important to me. My grandmother used to tell the story of how, at the age of two, I would walk around singing, "Oh, Jesus, I sure do like you", my version of "Oh, How I Love Jesus". I sang in school choirs throughout junior and senior high, and a couple of semesters in college. I have sung in church choir continuously for the past 20 years.

These days I'm grateful for the melding of music and technology. I've had an iPod for over 5 years and with the help of my music-expert son, it is filled with thousands of songs. David bought me a Bose docking station for it and hardly a day goes by that I don't listen to it. We have XM satellite radio in the car which means I have access to such stations as Bluesville or a station dedicated to the Grateful Dead. Or I can plug in my iPod. My latest musical pleasure is Spotify. Oh. My. Goodness. If you like music and haven't tried it, you absolutely owe it to yourself to check it out. I upgraded to the premium service so my playlists are available on my iPhone and offline. It is so incredibly cool to have access to approximately 15 million songs. You can also share playlists with friends via Facebook so I'm enjoying the discovery of new-to-me music. If you do have Spotify, click on the "Follow me on Spotify" link in my left sidebar and we can share music.

So that's what I'm thankful for today - music.

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

~Berthold Auerbach

Enough

2011-11-09T22:23:00.000-06:00

I've been participating in a very interesting conversation on Facebook tonight about poverty and hunger in our own community. The statistics are staggering. I'm encouraged to see the conversation moving into the realm of what we can do about it. Some very intriguing ideas are being tossed about and I'm encouraged by the compassion I see.

Tonight I am thankful for:

Enough. I have enough healthy food to eat, a comfortable house, reliable transportation, clothing and all other necessities. Millions around the world cannot make that claim and that saddens me. But more importantly, it makes me want to do something about it.

There is no frigate like a book...

2011-11-08T21:59:00.001-06:00

Ever since I can remember, books have been one of my favorite things. I can escape to a different world within the pages of a book. And while I love my Kindle, I must admit that there really isn't anything to compare to the look, feel and smell of a real book. We have thousands of books in our house. The picture above is in our library but we have shelves full of books in several other rooms of the house, too, and I can't imagine life without them.

Today I am thankful for books. And now I think I'll go to bed and read one. I've just got a few pages left of "Fresh From the Country" and then I'm going to re-read an old favorite, "Anne of Green Gables". Do you have old favorites you like to re-read once in awhile?

Homemaking vs. Housekeeping

2011-11-07T22:57:00.000-06:00

Is there a difference between homemaking and housekeeping? Do you differentiate between the two? A few days ago I wrote a blog post about homemaking and I've been pondering this question since. I also asked this question on the Tea With Dee Facebook page and received some interesting comments. The general consensus was that there is a difference. We all basically agreed that the term "housekeeping" seems to refer largely to cleaning while "homemaking" encompasses a much wider variety of activities.

In my mind, homemaking includes housekeeping but certainly isn't limited to that. It's entirely possible to be an excellent housekeeping but a lousy homemaker. And while a good homemaker has a reasonably tidy and sanitary home, she may not be a "perfect" housekeeper. Instead, I think a good homemaker keeps her focus on the people living in the house rather than the house itself.

I'm pretty much one of those naturally neat types (please don't hate me!) so keeping the house in decent order comes easily to me. And there are certain cleanliness things that are important to me. For instance, I want reasonably clean bathrooms, a kitchen that is sanitary for food prep, and clean sheets every week. I'm also fussy about my house smelling clean so cat litter is scooped often, garbage gets composted, and other sources of odors are dealt with promptly. However, I can let the dusting and vacuuming go, and right now my kitchen floor could use a good mopping. While the main living areas are usually tidy, please don't open my closets expecting to see color-coded perfection.

There's a limit to how much time I want to spend cleaning so I focus on what is most visible and what matters most to me and my family. That means that before I start actually cleaning, I make sure the house is in order first. Beds made, dishes done, "stuff" put away - that sort of thing. I also throw in a load of laundry and give some thought to the day's meals. In my experience, most men are reasonably content if they have clean clothes, good food and can find their things. At least that's the situation in my household. The needs of children and pets are a priority for those who have either or both. In fact, the thought "living stuff first" goes through my mind when I start my daily tasks. That also includes houseplants or a garden.

I also make an effort to set aside time at the end of the day, before David comes home, to make things cozy and welcoming for him. As the days shorten and grow colder, I try to make sure the house is warm and cheery. That means being sure that the porch light is on, as well as the lamp on our entry table and a few other lamps around the house (I think lamp light is much homier than bright, overhead lighting). Oftentimes I'll have music playing - never the television. And if he can smell something delicious cooking when he walks in, that makes him very happy.

Monday is the day I wash our sheets, tend to several weekly tasks, and generally catch up after the weekend. Today, in addition to these things, I baked a molasses cake with pumpkin cream cheese icing (I will be posting the recipe on my Dee's Kitchen blog in the next day or two), made a pitcher of iced tea (I used 4 black tea bags, plus one peach and one green tea), and baked a nice homemade macaroni and cheese with caramelized onions for dinner. David was home for just a bit after work before going to a meeting so I fixed a cup of tea for him to enjoy before he had to go. I also pulled out a puzzle for us to start working on in the evenings. When we go to bed in just a bit, we will crawl between freshly washed sheets and lay our heads on ironed pillowcases. And yes, the kitchen floor still needs to be mopped.

One of the women who commented on this topic on my Tea With Dee Facebook page said that homemaking is "about people and communicating love through actions". I think that sums it up beautifully. When I think about the homes where I've most felt loved and welcomed, it was not because the house was spotless but because the women in those homes know/knew how to truly make a house a home. That's the goal I strive for.

And now for today's thankfulness:

I am thankful for the women I've known who have shown me what is truly important in being a homemaker. I'll be writing more about some of those women in the days ahead.

If you liked this post, please share:

Good friends

2011-11-06T22:31:00.000-06:00

Good friends are one of life's true blessings. After church we went to lunch with a couple we've been friends with since our children were little. Even after our meal was over we sat and talked another couple of hours. We talked of our children, our church, funny things and serious stuff. We are fortunate to have them in our lives.

Today I am grateful for dear friends who enrich our lives.

Tea and Earthquakes

2011-11-05T23:09:00.000-05:00

I know this will come as a shock but I'm pretty darn fond of tea. Okay, so I'm obsessed with it. I begin every day with it. I've got a cup in front of me right now. I've been drinking it since I was a toddler and I'm sure I'll continue until the day I die.

So today I am thankful for tea, that elixir of life.

Several minutes later:
I was going to find a picture of a cup of tea to add here but then we had a REALLY strong earthquake. I think I won the "first to post about the earthquake on Facebook". There was just another tiny little shake a second ago so I think I'll go ahead and post this. Must stay ready in case I need to alert the world via Twitter or Facebook.

Friday gratitude...

2011-11-04T20:56:00.002-05:00

It was COLD in the house when we woke up this morning. Someone, who shall remain nameless (okay, it was me), forgot to turn the heater back on last night. It was 62 degrees in the house. David was up first and turned it back on while I continued to snuggle under the covers, savoring the warmth he left behind. That guy must be part werewolf, a rather attractive quality when the weather turns cold. He even made me a cup of tea and brought it to me in bed. I think I'll keep him.

So here it is pushing 9 p.m. which is very early for me to even think about going to bed but my hands are freezing and I didn't have a nap and my cozy bed and heating pad are calling my name. David is downstairs watching a football game but I think I shall slip the heating pad between the sheets, fix myself yet another cup of tea (I have no idea how many I've had today), then get in bed and read. Yep, sounds like a good plan.

Today I am thankful for:

My warm and cozy bed. We have a Sleep Number mattress (highly recommend this!) with extra padding, a thick mattress topper, high thread count sheets in a lovely shade of lavender, a down blanket and a down comforter. Oh, and six pillows.

I'm thankful for...

2011-11-03T18:33:00.000-05:00

Today I'm thankful for the opportunity to see wildlife in my own backyard. Chris and I watched these three deer for at least 10 minutes this afternoon. I just wish I'd had a video camera with telephoto lens so I could have captured the little drama that took place. A couple of our cats seem to think they are mighty hunters and were stalking the deer. I have no idea what they thought they'd do if they caught one but it was funny to watch.

Homemaking is back in style

2011-11-02T17:46:00.000-05:00

The other day I read this post by Jamie Lee Curtis in which she muses about how she became a woman who is "obsessed with making gourmet food, organically grown, artisanally produced as (she) plays Words With Friends...this generation's Coffee Klatch...". She's certainly not the first to make the observation that there seems to be a resurgence of the 50s-style homemaker. Our mothers may have burned their bras and climbed the corporate ladder but many of us today are reconsidering our roles. We are supremely grateful to the women who shattered the glass ceiling and to a large degree swept away hard and fast stereotypes of what a woman is supposed to do and be. We are free to make life choices based upon our own talents, desires and goals. Women can be astronauts, doctors and C.E.O.s. That's not to say we've reached total equality yet. Women still often earn less than men. But the women's movement made huge strides in opening up options for women and I, for one, am indebted to them.

Despite having grown up in the 60s and 70s when the women's movement was in full swing, all I ever really wanted was to get married and take care of my home and family. I spent almost all my free time as a child playing dolls, usually with my cousin/best friend who lived next door. Our grandparents lived right behind us and we spent countless hours "playing house" in our grandparents' den. I wistfully put my baby dolls aside when I turned 13 and then turned to babysitting in order to fill that need to nurture.

I occasionally thought about potential careers. I briefly considered being a stewardess (that was before they became "flight attendants") until I discovered there was a height requirement I didn't meet. Interior design was another interest and I even went so far as to send away for some information. But honestly? The only thing I really envisioned myself doing was rocking babies. And I was chastised for this by those who thought I was "wasting my intelligence". The thing is, I've never really cared too much about the opinions of others. Yeah, I know that comes as a big shock.

So, fast-forward a few decades and here I am, doing just what I always wanted to do. My kids are grown now but I'm grateful that I was able to be a stay-at-home mom most of the time. I did become a R.N. and worked for four years but health problems forced me to give it up. I then homeschooled the kids through high school. After my youngest graduated and got married, everyone asked when I would be going back to work. This interest in what I would be doing took me by surprise and I've yet to come up with a good answer to that question "What do you do?".

I know I'm lucky to have options. David would be supportive if I wanted to go back to work but we both agree that our lives are better with me at home. His job is very stressful at times. He puts in a lot of hours and travels a fair amount. Having me at home simply makes our lives more peaceful and it works for us. Sometimes I feel a little guilty about not having to go to a job each day, especially on those cold winter mornings when poor David drags himself out of our warm bed to get ready for work. But I try to remember that I have a job, too. I just don't get a paycheck and I don't have to leave the house to do it.

Sometimes I feel out of step with the world. Is it really so strange that I enjoy taking care of my home and family? Many women complain about cooking but I find it a pleasant, creative pursuit. Most of the time, that is. I'm certainly not above the occasional take-home pizza and believe me, if David wants to take me out to dinner I'm all for it. But generally I get pleasure out of preparing tasty meals. I also enjoy baking bread from freshly-ground wheat and making my own yogurt, vanilla extract, jams and jellies.

Believe it or not, I don't really even mind cleaning. I'm not all that crazy about picking up after other people but now that I don't have little ones around, there's not quite so much of that anymore. I used to hate doing laundry and was always behind. I'll even share a little secret, which won't be a secret anymore. On more than one occasion when the kids were little and producing great mounds of laundry, I got so far behind that I would gather it all up and take it to the laundromat so I could do it all at once and get caught up. Somewhere along the line I developed a system that works for me and I've stayed on top of the laundry situation for the past 17 or 18 years. And yes, I do iron my pillowcases every Monday when I wash the sheets and remake the bed. A lot of people seem to find this amazing/crazy/impressive and this one five-minute task gives me a tremendous amount of credibility as a homemaker. Never mind the fact that I haven't vacuumed in over a week. Ironed pillowcases seem to scream "June Cleaver" for some reason. And no, I don't wear pearls when I clean house. However, I have been known to wear my tiara.

I have so much more I could say about this topic but I'll save it for another time. I would love to hear your thoughts, though.

A few examples of "what I do all day":

Oatmeal Pumpkin cookies

Ironed tablecloth, dish towels, napkins and aprons

Black Bean Enchiladas

Thankful November

2011-11-02T14:23:00.000-05:00

I noticed that a number of my Facebook friends are posting something they are thankful for each day of November. What a nice idea. Instead of posting on Facebook, however, I'm going to post here. If I have another post for the day, I'll include my thankfulness at the bottom of it. If not, it will get its own post. If you would like to do this, leave me a link to your blog in the comments so I can read yours.

Since I'm starting this on November 2nd, here are two things I'm thankful for:

My husband, David. He knows how to make me feel loved and every day he makes me laugh. Oh, and he's a pirate. ;)
You, my blog readers. I sometimes wonder if anyone is reading but then someone will tell me in person that they love reading my blog(s). That makes me happy.

Now, your turn. What are you thankful for?

We got a little complacent

2011-10-31T23:20:00.000-05:00

Have you been wondering about our Raccoon Witness Relocation Program? I don't know if I shared the final count here or just on Facebook, but we relocated 14 raccoons. FOURTEEN! And then they seemed to get the hint that they were not welcome guests. In the past few weeks we haven't had any in the laundry room. Until last night. This morning I noticed that the door to the cabinet where we store the cat food was standing open and the opened bag of cat food was several feet away and mostly empty. And the really obvious sign was the filthy water in the cat's water dish where it (they?) had washed up. Oh, great.

Then tonight Chris opened the door to the laundry room and exclaimed, "Whoa!". A VERY large raccoon was exiting through the doggy door. So David apparently still has a hobby although I suspect he may be taking a different approach. There is currently a shotgun by the back door. I understand but I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. I know that raccoons are very smart. Do you think they might also be telepathic? I'm transmitting "stay away!" signals, just in case.

This is how we (rock and) roll

2011-10-28T18:02:00.000-05:00

We won't be going to Voodoo Fest in New Orleans this year but we did get to see the band David most wanted to see - Soundgarden. Chris, David and I drove to Dallas Wednesday afternoon for the concert that night.

But first we needed nourishment:

Burritos at Del Taco

(This was a favorite when we lived in California and we don't have them in Oklahoma.)

The concert was held at the Verizon Theater, a very nice venue:

Mastodon opened:

And then came Soundgarden:

And they were all we'd hoped for:

It was a great concert and we had a blast. I think my hearing has recovered. Huh? Did you say something?

Big doings in a small town...

2011-10-24T21:10:00.005-05:00

A lot of folks complain that there's nothing to do in a small town but they just aren't looking in the right places. We had a rockin' Saturday night which began with a fundraiser for the fire department David volunteers with.

Now tell me there's a better name for a community than Happyland. I just wish we had a post office so all our outgoing mail would have a Happyland postmark.

I would guess somewhere around 100-150 people showed up for the Indian tacos, bake sale, silent auction and entertainment provided by the local homeschool 4-H group.

This is David modeling their firefighter t-shirts. People are always asking if they can get one so I designed a similar shirt just for supporters. Let me know if you want one. Or a hoodie.

As if all that wasn't exciting enough, we had a rather severe storm come roaring through, dumping lots of rain and some pretty impressive hailstones:

My camera battery died so this was taken with my phone. That, my friends, is a hailstone on the brim of a hat. Can you imagine what it sounded like inside that big, metal fire station?

The hail beat the heck of the trees and left the ground littered with leaves and small branches:

It also took out its fury on my poor Prius. It's hard to tell from these photos but here is the cracked windshield:

And a little glimpse of the dents which pepper the entire car. It looks like someone took out their frustrations with a ball peen hammer.

Other than my first car, a '66 Mustang, this is the only car I've really felt much of an attachment to. I won't deny that I'm sad about what happened to it but I keep reminding myself that it's just a car and it can be fixed. To the tune of $5,000. We have full coverage but a $1000 deductible. Gulp. Oh, well.

I hadn't eaten at the fundraiser and David didn't eat much so he called *our* restaurant to see if they were still serving food that late - it was after 9:30 p.m. It's good to know folks. The guy David talked to said he'd put in our order for us and so our pizza was ready when we got there 15 minutes later. A couple of slices of margarita pizza and a glass of wine made me feel a little better about the car. A little.

We then went to what I fondly refer to as my favorite smoky dive bar to hear a friend perform. The place is dark, a little tacky and very, very smoky. What it lacks in class, it more than makes up for in atmosphere. There's not an ounce of pretension in the place and there's usually some good people-watching. This time there was a man, probably mid to late 40s wearing very short, tight, stone-washed denim shorts. With cuffs rolled up and black tennis shoes. No, I'm not making this up. The woman with him was a bleached blonde, emphasis on "was". She had fully five inches of very dark brown roots. But she was very friendly and acted like we knew each other when she walked by our table at one point.

During a break, Aaron (the singer) sent me a FB message which read, "That chick tipped me with a Xanax". She told him she didn't have any money so she would give him that instead. Well, guess that means he's hit the big time.

After the live music was over, we all extended the fun with music from the jukebox. You haven't lived 'til you've participated in a "Bohemian Rhapsody" sing-along in a bar with a bunch of drunk musicians (and others who can't sing).

The bartender finally shooed us all out around 1:30 a.m. My car wasn't any better but I was. There's nothing quite like music to make you forgot your woes.

So that's how we spent our Saturday in Small Town, Oklahoma.

Can't we all just get along?

2011-10-22T12:08:00.000-05:00

This is amazing and so very, very sweet.

Frozen Music

2011-10-12T20:59:00.000-05:00

"Architecture in general is frozen music."

~Friedrich von Shelling~

I was one of those kids who drew house plans for fun. I remember a really cool one I designed which was centered around a courtyard. That was long before I knew anything about French Quarter courtyards which just might be evidence that I lived there in a previous life. If I believed in reincarnation. Which I don't. Anyway, I was immediately captivated by the architecture of New Orleans on my first visit 30 years ago and I continue to enjoy it every time we are there.

Here are a few pictures I took on my trip last week:

French Quarter - Love the balconies

In the Garden District - Note the Mardi Gras bunting.

Love the lush green landscaping!

Porch and shutters

Classic elegance

Wrought iron and palm trees

The Steamboat House

One of the Brad Pitt houses in the Ninth Ward

Halloween decorations on a Bourbon Street house

French Quarter courtyard - sigh...

My idea of the perfect "backyard"

I wonder if I can talk David into building me a courtyard-type enclosure in our backyard. With a hot tub and palm trees? Probably not...

Thelma and Louise...with a happy ending

2011-10-10T21:17:00.000-05:00

Road trip! My friend, Roz, and I spent a week in New Orleans and despite the trepidation some expressed, we behaved admirably. I came home with a burn on my hand and a stubbed toe but no criminal record so I count that as a success.

We ate delicious food, listened to wonderful music, went sight-seeing with the funniest person I know (Roz's friend, Kathie), attended a cooking demonstration, were given V.I.P. tickets to the NOLA bartenders finals, spent late night hours sitting in the courtyard with our feet in the hot tub, talked and laughed. And laughed some more. We ate raw oysters and po'boys. We shopped. But mostly we just soaked up the whole experience of being in the city we both adore.

Here are a few pics:

St. Louis Cathedral

Looking toward the Jax Brewery

The Pontalba

Jackson Square

There will be more pictures and more stories of our adventures the next few days so stay tuned!

From A to Z

2011-10-04T12:43:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time since I've done a blog meme but I saw this one on Allie's blog, Wardrobe Oxygen and figured it would be something fun to post while I'm in New Orleans. Enjoy!

A. Age: 49
B. Bed size: Queen. We had a king size when the kids were little and sleeping with us but bought this one when they were ready to sleep in their own beds consistently. During the hot summer months I sometimes wish we had a king but it's perfect for snuggling in the winter. Besides, it's too pretty to get rid of.

C. Chore that you hate: Cleaning up cat poop.
D. Dogs: Sadly, we are dog-less at the moment. We lost two dogs within a couple of months of each other last year and haven't actively pursued finding another. Soon, though. I really want another Great Pyrenees. Duke was just precious and I miss him so.

E. Essential start to your day: Earl Grey tea.
F. Favorite color: Purple.
G. Gold or Silver: What? No platinum? Silver looks best with my skin tone.
H. Height: 5'4"
I. Instruments you play: Piano - minimally.
J. Job title: Hmm...blogger?
K. Kids: Christopher and Lisa. They bring me joy, make me laugh, and inspire me on a daily basis.

L. Live: Happyland.
M. Mother's name: Mary.
N. Nicknames: Most call me by my given name, Deanna. Some relatives and friends call me Dee. My kids call me Mom. David used to call me Dimples when we were teenagers. My grandparents called me Princess, which helps to explain this:

O. Overnight hospital stays: The birth of each of my kids, early in my pregnancy with Lisa and once for a severe asthma/allergic reaction.
P. Pet peeves: Litterbugs and judgmental folks.
Q. Quote from a movie: "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb inside his skin and walk around in it." ~Atticus to Scout in "To Kill a Mockingbird"
R. Right or left handed: Right.
S. Siblings: Two younger brothers, Dan and Mike.
T. Time you wake up: Around 6:30 or 7:00, except when we are in New Orleans where we get to indulge our night owl preferences and then sleep in.
U. Underwear: A little personal but usually black thongs from Victoria Secret.
V. Vegetable you hate: Mushrooms, largely because I am deathly allergic to them.
W. What makes you run late: My tendency to underestimate how long it will take to get ready.
X. X-rays you've had: Dental, and a couple of chest x-rays. I've never broken a bone. Oh, and I also had sinus x-rays once a long time ago.
Y. Yummy food that you make: I love to cook and have several dishes people often ask me to make but jambalaya probably tops the list. A dear friend in New Orleans shared her special recipe with me and it is spectacularly delicious.
Z. Zoo animal: Giraffe, of course.

Now it’s your turn! I’d love to read your responses,

so if you choose to do this meme,

please leave a link in the comments!

Music rocks my socks off

2011-10-02T20:04:00.000-05:00

Enjoying music at The Swamp...

Nurture My Body

2011-09-30T19:17:00.001-05:00

Are you looking for a skincare company that makes quality, organic, Cruelty-Free products? Would you prefer smaller, private company over one of the big name, faceless corporations? How about a company with fantastic, personal service and a commitment to the protecting the environment? Yes? Well, this is your lucky day.

Several years ago I *met* a lovely woman named Patty on the French Chic Yahoo group. She was just starting to develop her products and offered samples for some of us to try. I took her up on her offer and LOVED them. I'd like to say I've been using them ever since but I never seemed to get around to ordering before I'd run out and then I'd pick up something at the drugstore instead. Hey, just being honest here. But not long ago I decided to place another order.

One of the things I really appreciate is that Nurture My Body products are packaged in gorgeous blue glass containers. I'm trying diligently to reduce unnecessary plastic in my life so this is a real plus in my book. Besides, the pretty containers look nice on the bathroom counter so they don't have to be hidden away.

Of course, the really important thing is the quality of the ingredients. The products contain certified organic ingredients, as well as some wildcrafted ingredients. They are made in small batches and are not tested on animals. They also fully disclose all ingredients.

As if that weren't enough, Patty and her husband, Rich are extremely nice folks who honestly enjoy having a relationship with their customers. These days, I'm looking to make most of my purchases from smaller, more personal companies and local businesses instead of "big box stores" and Nurture My Body fits my criteria.

I took some pictures from my order and thought I'd share them here. Even their packaging shows how much care they put into their business.

This is after opening the box. Notice the sprig of lavender under the label.

That's from their own farm.

Under the gold tissue paper (which I carefully put away to reuse).

How's that for personal attention?

The packing "peanuts" are the eco-friendly version.

The bubble wrap is necessary to protect the glass but reusable.

That's a set of samples in the blue bag on the left.

The little piece of gold paper stuck on the jar to the right

has a Pearl S. Buck quote on it.

These are the products I chose for my sample/travel size set.

That's a Rachel Carson quote there.

I felt like I was opening a birthday present from dear friends. Tell me you get that feeling at Walmart. Ha! Obviously, quality products like these are more expensive than mass-produced items picked up at your local Walgreen's but I've seen department store brands which are WAY more and usually contain all sorts of chemicals and unpronounceable ingredients. If you are looking for natural/organic products from a company who cares, you really should give Nurture My Body a try. In addition to skincare products, they also have products for the hair, body, pregnancy skin care and babies.

*I wrote this company review solely in the interest of sharing and received no compensation.

Thank you, New Orleans!

2011-09-28T14:17:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow morning my friend, Roz, and I will be taking a little road trip...to New Orleans! We've promised our families to consider "Thelma and Louise" a cautionary tale rather than a blueprint for our trip.

Now, take a look at this weather forecast, would you?

Roz just happens to be one of my more sensible friends and therefore shares my love of warm weather. We are a couple of happy campers. Well, not real campers. She also shares my opinion of camping. We will be staying in a French Quarter condo, thank you very much. I don't know how much blogging I'll do while in NOLA but I'm sure there will be much to share when I get back. And perhaps a few things not to share. Ha!

Hero worship

2011-09-27T10:18:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday was our county firefighters association family day and awards ceremony. There were hot dogs and hamburgers, free rides on the carousel and train for the kids, good camaraderie and a great turnout, all wrapped up in a gorgeous day. I'm very proud that my husband is part of this fine group of people who work so hard to serve and protect our community.

*photo by a family member of an Oil Center firefighter

Autumn Arrival

2011-09-23T23:10:00.000-05:00

Isn't that a lovely picture? There are years when our driveway looks much like that but I'm afraid this won't be one of them. Due to the extreme heat and drought this summer many trees have already started dropping their leaves without ever turning those stunning shades of gold and red. It's a pity but not much we can do about it.

Today is the Autumn equinox and the weather was definitely fall-like here. It's a welcome respite from an exceedingly hot summer and many are almost giddy about the weather. I've been reading Facebook status updates from friends who can hardly wait to pull out the sweaters and scarves. I must admit I don't quite share their excitement. I'm a summer girl who loves skirts-and-sandals weather. While I like fall, I absolutely dread winter. Last winter just about did me in with more ice and snow than I've ever seen in this part of Oklahoma. But time marches on and so far I haven't been able to figure out how to control the seasons.

So I'm making the best of things. I've got my fall decorations up and just enjoyed a piece of homemade pumpkin bread with a cup of Earl Grey tea. I finally gave in and put some socks on my chilly feet. I prefer bare feet in my Birkenstocks but at least I've got these very cute tie-dye socks from Maggie's Organics:

I've started cozy-ing up the house, washing all the afghans and making sure there is one within reach no matter where one sits. I've traded summery accessories for things like a bowl of realistic-looking fruit and a large basket with my yarn sitting on the coffee table. I'm going to be crocheting granny squares through the winter to make a large afghan. I'm also on the lookout for a new puzzle to set out and will put a few of our board games on the end of the hearth for easy access.

I'm putting off switching out of my usual skirts and sandals for as long as possible. I may have to wear socks with my sandals (only at home!) and add a hoodie over my tank tops. At least I have lots of pretty scarves to look forward to wearing.

One of my current projects is trying to get at least one of the kittens to be willing to curl up and sleep in my lap. One thing I do like to do in the winter is to curl up with a blanket, cat and good book. So far Gracey seems to be our best shot at having a lap cat. Marley is the most cuddly and loving but for some reason he doesn't like to be in the house although he's fine in the laundry room. Berkeley doesn't like to be held quite as much and Dharma is the least likely suspect in the group.

The other thing on my mind is preparing for winter. We used up all the wood we bought last year so we'll need to order some. I also like to have a good stock of food on hand. My pantry is fairly well-stocked but my chest freezer is empty. I mean utterly, completely empty. David turned off one of the breakers while replacing an electrical outlet in the laundry room, didn't realize it was the same circuit the freezer is on, and didn't turn it back on. This was just before we left for New Orleans and he didn't discover the situation until it had been off about 10 days. Oops. He felt just awful about it but as I told him, at least I hadn't ever gotten around to putting up a bunch of summer produce this year. Additionally, since we so rarely eat meat these days it didn't contain any other than a box of bacon pieces and a one-pound package of hamburger I didn't remember was in there. That means it also didn't smell all that bad!

Since I have a nice, clean freezer to start with I'm going to go about filling it in a more organized fashion. I bought sturdy plastic baskets so I can easily keep things sorted. I'm going to keep a written inventory of what's in there. I'm also going to start baking bread, making cookie dough and pizza crusts to freeze. Maybe start making big batches of soups to freeze in meal-size portions. And I'll be placing a large order of organic frozen fruits and veggies with the co-op next month. In a way, it's rather nice to start from scratch.

How do you feel about the change of seasons? Are you looking forward to winter? What's your favorite season and why?

Sackcloth and Ashes

2011-09-20T21:27:00.000-05:00

Photo by Cher Groves

The trip wasn't nearly long enough but I'll take what I can get. David and I took a short trip to New Orleans to help celebrate the 21st birthday of the daughter of dear friends. Jade is part of our NOLA Wenches group but until now she couldn't enter many of the places we all went because she was under age. Over the years, we've all taken turns standing outside with her. But not anymore!

We arrived on Thursday afternoon and checked into the Bourbon Orleans Hotel. Our room over-looked Bourbon Street. See those umbrellas? That's the balcony of the Tropical Isle, where we have spent many a fun evening.

We took a nap before the festivities and slept surprisingly well to the Bourbon Street lullaby outside our window. The first stop on the tour was Finnegan's. When we walked into the courtyard, we were greeted with "Ohhh...klahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plains!" sung spontaneously be some of our friends. Hugs and kisses all around. Gosh, I love these folks.

Here's Jade, the birthday girl and her boyfriend, Parker:

Photo by Suzanne Grim

The invitation stated that the dress code was "BLING! Think Lady GaGa, disco balls, colors, Elton John...use your imagination." If you've followed this blog awhile, you've seen some pictures of these friends in their pirate garb. What you probably don't know is that most dress up in a variety of ways for various occasions. It seems many in New Orleans maintain pretty extensive costume collections. Because you never know when you might need to dress up for a party. Or because it's Thursday and you want to have some fun.

The two in the picture below on either side of Jade are a couple of masters of costuming. Del, on the left, is dressed as "Fairy GaGa". I didn't capture a decent shot of it but at one point he had lit sparklers coming out of his, um, chest area. They made sure David, the firefighter, was nearby with a bottle of water and something to smother the fire if things got out of hand. Fortunately all went as planned. It was a short-lived bit of excitement but pretty impressive. You may not be able to tell from this photo but Beth, on the right, is Harry Potter and she had a pretty amazing handmade wand.

Photo by Suzanne Grim

Here's a group shot taken in the courtyard of Finnegan's. I'm in the very back, middle, with a lavender scarf. I'm balanced precariously on a rather rickety bench. You can just see the top of David's head to my right (left, in the picture). Obviously he was *not* standing on a bench.

Photo by Suzanne Grim

Here are the two of us, enjoying a fun evening in our favorite city with some of the best friends anyone could be blessed to have:

Photo by Suzanne Grim

Friday morning we checked out of our hotel and into our condo, La Belle Maison:

We had some time to kill between the hotel checkout and our condo check-in. Ken and Cubby called and asked if we wanted to catch the streetcar with them and head out to Cooter Brown's for lunch. Well, of course. It was a gorgeous, sunny, absolutely perfect day. I always love to ride the streetcar, checking out the lovely homes in the Garden District. I snapped a few photos along the way but mostly just enjoyed the ride.

It was such a perfect day that we chose to eat out on the patio at Cooter Brown's. We hadn't eaten there before but the food was good and of course, the company was exceptional.

After a leisurely lunch, we all took the streetcar back to the Quarter. David and I got settled in our condo and rested a bit before meeting Ken and Cubby again. This time at Lafayette Square where they were holding the Seafood Festival. We watched Chef John Besh do a demonstration, enjoyed the music of Rockin' Dopsie Jr. and sampled some food. David was pretty taken with this:

Yes, that's a fire truck with television screens mounted for football game viewing. Pretty cool, huh?

While hanging out at Lafayette Square we ran into our friend, Claudia who introduced us to her friend, Liz. We had a nice visit with them. One of the things I love about New Orleans is that we almost always run into someone we know. In many ways, it feels like a small town. A very cool, small town, though. ;)

Before heading into the Quarter for the evening, we all stopped by our condo so I could grab a sweater. It gets COLD in some of the bars and I had nearly frozen the night before. The guys all seemed happy to sit and rest a bit before continuing the fun.

We walked to the Tropical Isle where our friends, Bryan and Debi, have been performing for 19 years.

After awhile, Jade and her family showed up and joined us for what I started to say was a memorable night. But in all honesty, there are some blank spots. When we went back the following night, Bryan called out from the stage, "Returning to the scene of the crime?" and then said they would talk to us during their next break and find out "what happened after midnight". Um, I think we were all a little fuzzy on that. However, it was one heck of a fun night.

We spent much of Saturday ~~sleeping it off,~~ er, *resting* then ventured out around 8 for dinner and back to "the scene of the crime" where we enjoyed a much quieter night of music and iced water. I think that's the night we got beignets and café au lait at Café Du Monde after the band finished playing.

We spent Sunday in a leisurely fashion starting with lunch at The Ruby Slipper which is just across the street from our condo. We then strolled the French Quarter for awhile. I left David to watch a street performer while I did a bit of shopping. Just outside the shop next door to my destination I met up with Liz, the woman we had met at the Seafood Festival. See what I mean about always seeing someone you know? We had a nice little visit and we are now Facebook friends.

One of my favorite shops in the Quarter is The Kitchen Witch. It's a quirky little place crammed full of cookbooks, both new and used. In the back they also sell some vinyl albums. Jazz music fills the air and a couple of sweet dogs snooze on the floor. It's the sort of place that makes you want to stay awhile. I bought a book and noticed that the man who waited on me looked familiar. I asked if he might be the one who told me about a legend several years ago. He was. Shortly after Katrina I was in The Kitchen Witch and got to chatting with this man (turns out he's the owner). I told him how much we loved New Orleans and he told me about an old legend which says that if you walk barefoot in the city, you will one day return to live there. Ever since, I make a point of removing my shoes for a short walk each time we visit. He and I had a very nice conversation about New Orleans. Turns out that he's lived all over the country but like me believes that nowhere else compares.

I'm trying to remember what we did next. See? That's why one shouldn't wait so long to write about one's trip. I *think* we took a little nap. And then we went to the Hi Ho Lounge to see the Mardi Gras Indians practice. Claudia had invited us and Liz was there, too. Wow. That was one of the coolest things we did on this trip. I cannot begin to explain it all but you can (and should) read about the Indians here and here. I took several photos and a short video but it was so dark that they really didn't turn out well enough to be worth sharing. The photo below was sort of funny. I was just taking a random shot of the bar but these guys asked me to take their picture again. They didn't think the first one would have shown them to advantage since they weren't posing.

After the Indian's left, we took a cab back to the Quarter and ate dinner at Pere Antoine's. David had the red beans and rice which we had been told were "the best in the Quarter". He said they were good enough but not the best he'd had. I had blackened chicken served with Creole rice and some lightly cooked fresh vegetables, something a little hard to come by in the typical New Orleans restaurant. At home we eat mostly vegetarian but don't try to do that on vacation. However, after a couple of days, we usually start missing salads and fresh vegetables.

After dinner we walked to the Tropical Isle and enjoyed the music of Debi and the Deacons one more time. It's always hard to tell our friends goodbye but at least this time we know it won't be long until we return. David and I have scheduled a trip the first week of December and I get to go with a friend NEXT WEEK! Yeah, I'm just a little bit excited.

We had to check out of the condo at 10 a.m. Monday morning but since our cab wasn't scheduled to take us to the airport until 12:30 we had a nice brunch at The Ruby Slipper and some time by the river. There was very little traffic on the river for some reason but I did get some shots of the Algiers ferry:

This bird sat up there the whole time we were there, just looking around and apparently enjoying the pretty day just like we were:

As always, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Big Easy and our time with friends. See y'all soon!

"Just another day in paradise"

"Times are not good here. The city is crumbling into ashes. It has been buried under a lava flood of taxes and frauds and maladministrations so that it has become only a study for archaeologists. Its condition is so bad that when I write about it, as I intend to do soon, nobody will believe I am telling the truth. But it is better to live here in sackcloth and ashes than to own the whole state of Ohio."~Lafcadio Hearn

Last night in New Orleans

2011-09-11T23:39:00.000-05:00

Friday night on Bourbon Street

2011-09-10T00:22:00.000-05:00

Bourbon Street

Our condo

2011-09-09T17:11:00.000-05:00

La Belle Maison

I love giraffes!

2011-09-07T08:45:00.002-05:00

If you know me well, you know how much I adore giraffes. I keep asking David if we can get one but so far he hasn't agreed. I suppose this will have to do for now:

Six Years Ago...

2011-09-06T23:17:00.001-05:00

(Photo by Deanna Piercy)

Each year on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina I have written a post about it (links at the end of this post). Obviously this one is rather late. David and I were in Oklahoma City celebrating my birthday and since then I've either been too busy or just lacking in direction for this post. In a way, I wonder if there's really any more to say about it. It happened. It destroyed lives and property. Some things have been fixed while some will never be the same. The End.

But for those who live there or even those of us who love the city with an unreasonable passion, there really isn't a "The End" for the story. I don't want to discount the struggles that continue for many but in the larger scheme of things, Katrina does not define the city of New Orleans nor its people.

New Orleans has always been unique. While the most of the rest of the country is heavily influenced by the English Puritans who settled the New World, New Orleans was largely settled by French Catholics. Unlike the somber, often rigid Puritans, the French had great love for food, wine, dancing and fun. That attitude remains to this day. The people of New Orleans revel in life and simply don't measure success the way the rest of the country does.

In past posts I've alluded to the fact that what we witnessed in the aftermath of Katrina sparked an evaluation of everything we thought we knew and believed. Politically, spiritually, personally. It rocked our world, shook out the cobwebs of assumptions, and rattled the cages of our perceptions. We will never be the same again and I couldn't be happier.

When people ask me what I like so much about New Orleans -- and bear in mind that question is rarely asked by someone who's been there -- I usually toss out the obvious answers of food, music, history and architecture. But if I sense that the person asking the question really wants to know, I tell them it's the people.

Never in my life, in any other place, have I felt such a warm and loving acceptance as I experience on every visit to New Orleans. In a country which places a lot of value on conformity, a city which accepts and actually celebrates folks who march to a different beat is refreshing. There is absolutely no expectation that one will conform to some societal "norm".

Over the years we've amassed quite a group of friends in New Orleans. Catholics, Protestants, agnostics, Pagans and those who practice Vodou. Libertarians, liberals and conservatives. Rich, poor and in between. Accountants and rock musicians and lots of pirates. The one thing they all share is an innate sense of what really matters and we learn from them every time we visit.

They teach us this important lesson when they invite us to their homes for that special brand of hospitality you don't find just anywhere. They demonstrate it when they dress up in pirate garb and prowl the French Quarter simply because it's Tuesday night and it seems like a good thing to do. And they exhibit it every day of their lives simply by continuing to live in a place many consider "too dangerous" or "so dirty" or "evil".

They've chosen to embrace different values. Family, history and that indefinable "soul" rank higher than safety or clean streets. After living in New Orleans or even just spending a lot of time there, everywhere else seems as bland as vanilla pudding.

And speaking of food, I now have to carry a small container of Tony's Creole Seasoning in my purse for seasoning emergencies. The food in New Orleans is like its people. A flavorful potpourri of cultures all mixed together, intensely seasoned and served up with a hefty dose of friendliness.

I still occasionally hear people make ignorant comments about the folly of rebuilding New Orleans. These folks exhibit a stunning lack of knowledge about the city and its importance as a major shipping port, not to mention the heartlessness of depriving people of their one and only true home, but they also demonstrate a poverty of spirit which we really shouldn't allow to infect others. I'm not certain what the cure is but a long weekend eating crawfish, dancing, attending a parade and sitting by the river would be a good start. And if that remedy doesn't take, then I suppose they are best given up as a lost cause. Poor souls.

As for me, I intend to visit New Orleans as often as possible and in between times, to practice the lessons we've learned about how to live life. And someday, just maybe, we will live in New Orleans and have the opportunity to pass along those lessons to other willing students.

To our New Orleans friends: We will see y'all in a couple of days!

Previous post-Katrina writings:

"If there was no New Orleans,

America would just be a bunch of free people

dying of boredom."

~Judy Deck~

Best weekend. Ever.

2011-09-03T19:50:00.000-05:00

Last weekend David took me to the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City to celebrate my birthday. It's a lovely hotel but when they upgrade to a suite it's spectacular:

And when I saw the flowers David had flown in for me, I was utterly blown away:

Cocktails at the Red Piano Lounge:

Then room service breakfast the next morning:

Of course I have to bring a few items of my own:

The Skirvin is supposed to be haunted. I can almost believe it after taking this photo with the Hipstomatic app:

David originally made reservations for Friday and Saturday nights but then decided to take a vacation day on Monday. Three nights...bliss...

On Saturday afternoon we went to the Warren Theater in Moore to see "The Help". We sat in the balcony section and ate a late lunch there. It was rather fun to be able to order food from our seats and eat right there. And the movie was fantastic. I'm reading the book now.

Saturday night we went to The Mantel for dinner. The limo driver who serves the Skirvin drove us there and picked us up afterwards. His name is Mike and David has his number in his cell phone. Doesn't everyone have a limo driver on speed dial?

It was a perfect weekend and I'm a lucky gal. Thank you, David. You are the best.

I'm still here...

2011-09-02T22:13:00.000-05:00

I knew it had been awhile since I last posted but I didn't realize exactly HOW LONG. I've had meetings and committee work and volunteer activities and charity luncheons and a birthday and...oh, just all sorts of stuff. I do have two partially written posts. One is about my birthday weekend and the other is my annual Katrina anniversary post. I hope to get at least one of them completed and posted tomorrow. But since my house needs some serious one-on-one bonding time, I'm not making any promises. Please stay tuned, though. I have high hopes for getting life and this blog back on track soon. I even turned down a position on our church Session (sort of like a board, consisting of Elders) because I promised David and myself that I wouldn't take on anything else right now. Well, except a little bit of help with the Red Cross. And a fund raiser for another organization. And of course some meals for a friend undergoing radiation. But that's all! I think.

And so it continues...

2011-08-24T09:55:00.000-05:00

Our current count for David's raccoon relocation hobby stands at eight, not counting the possums and one of our cats who got a little too curious. The live trap he had been using was on loan from a friend but since this may be an ongoing project, David bought his own the other day. I think that may be the definitive purchase of a rural dweller, even more so than a tractor or shot gun.

More than one person has asked if it's possible that we are catching the same raccoons repeatedly. David is taking them 7 or 8 miles away so I don't think so. However, this cartoon did come to mind:

Perhaps we should figure out a way to safely mark them so we know for sure we aren't merely indulging in a losing battle with creatures that are way too smart for us.

Birthday Bash!

2011-08-22T19:02:00.001-05:00

Friday night was such a blast! Two friends and I celebrated our birthdays together at *our* restaurant. We had a room reserved just for our group and we enjoyed good food, good music and good friendships.

Lindsay, Heather and me - the birthday princesses

Me with my beautiful daughter, Lisa

(Photo by Stacey Stewart)

I think I counted around 30 of us.

(Photo by Brandon Moore)

Mandala Faulkner and Aaron Oliver provided the music.

(Photo by Heather Hammond)

It just wouldn't be a party without Karah's delicious and beautiful cakes.

(Photo by Karah Thompson)

We started the party at 7 p.m. and finished up around 11 p.m. --- just in time for something I never thought I'd see. Chris' friends' rap group, Ballz Deeep, somehow convinced the restaurant owners to let them have a private concert after hours.

"Ballz Deeep Party Party"

They hung a disco ball and used a fog machine and lights.

They opened with two DJ sets, DJ Yachtsman and DJ Bifurious.

Everybody dance!

My son, DJ Yachtsman

(amazing photo by Will Hogan)

DJ Yachtsman - making the people dance!

(Photo by David Piercy)

DJ Bifurious
(photo by Will Hogan)

And then it was time for Captain Manhands and Ballz Deeep.

"Put your hands up!"

Who knew there was a rave scene in little ol' Ada?

(Photo by Will Hogan)

My awesome kids!

"Princess Dave" - This is getting to be a tradition.

We were honored to have been the only parents invited to this fine event. Will Hogan, who shared several of these photos, said it was because we had "obviously not turned in our cool cards like most grownups", which was awfully sweet. I suspect the fact that we host Happyland Music Fest each year might have something to do with it, too. All of these young people go out of their way to be nice to the crazy folks who let them have their mini-Woodstock every Memorial Day weekend. What I don't think they totally realize is that we enjoy this stuff nearly as much as they do. It was an exciting and memorable way to celebrate. Thanks to everyone who helped make it so much fun!

And then there were five

2011-08-15T08:39:00.000-05:00

It all started with Rocky Raccoon, who turned out to be Rockette. And there were others. And they learned how to use the doggy door and help themselves to the bags of cat food in the laundry room. They kept coming back and bringing friends. "Hey, I've found this awesome place with free food and air conditioning. You'll love it!"

So we began "Operation Raccoon Relocation", otherwise known as the "Raccoon Witness Protection Relocation Program". This morning we awoke to these little cuties:

That brings the total to five, if you're keeping count with us. Do you think there are more? If so, what's your best guess for the total number of raccoons we will catch? Leave your guess in the comment section.

Raccoon Witness Protection Relocation Program

2011-08-13T11:50:00.000-05:00

The Apple Tree Farm Raccoon Witness Protection Relocation Program is up and running.

Jane Doe and her offspring

Baby Doe is a little shy

Relocation by dark of night

John Doe was awaiting us this morning.

Don't bite the hand that just fed you.

So, that means we've caught and relocated three raccoons. We know there is at least one more because we've seen four at a time. It's been fun and all but I hope this saga ends soon. And then we can figure out how to discourage the possums from moving in.

An ongoing saga

2011-08-12T20:08:00.000-05:00

Operation "Raccoon Removal" has thus far been unsuccessful but the battle rages on. David borrowed a live trap which he set up on our back patio. I'm just not sure there will be room for a raccoon.

Houston, we have a problem.

2011-08-11T10:54:00.002-05:00

I do believe we have a little problem here. Remember Rocky Raccoon? Well, I think we should have picked a more feminine name. And do you have any name suggestions for her two young'uns? More to the point, what do you do when these masked scallywags have watched the cats go in and out of the doggie door and decide to do likewise?

Oh, and I'd like to issue a formal apology to the cats. I'm sorry I was blaming you for the scene of destruction in the laundry room each morning recently. I should have wondered how you managed to dig holes through the reinforced plastic bags of cat food. I do have a suggestion, however. Please don't let the possums see you use the doggie door.

"Her name was Magil and she called herself Lil

But everyone knew her as Nancy."

A summer weekend

2011-08-09T13:32:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday we picked up the children of a friend (we actually think of her as a relative) who were in town visiting their grandparents and took them to visit David's fire station. Noah wants to be a firefighter and had been eagerly awaiting this little field trip.

I think he'll make a fine firefighter someday.

Super hero in training

Trying on the air pack

And the mask

Breathe!

Best fire department name ever

Let's go for a ride.

Lights and sirens

Sister, Kellyn, likes it, too.

Explaining the force of the water

Checking out the older trucks

We spent nearly an hour and a half at the station. David did a great job explaining everything and I learned a lot, too. I told him he should host field trips for schools and homeschool kids. He's really good with kids and they all love him.

We truly enjoyed the time with Noah and Kellyn. They were polite, charming, engaged and so eager to learn. What a pleasure to be with! After all that time in the 108 degree temperatures, I suggested sno-cones, which went over well with all of us.

We then returned the kids to their grandparents and went out for a late lunch. We had planned to have a quiet evening at home but around 8:45 David got called out to a fire. Ah, well...such is the life of a firefighter. I had been asked to make finger sandwiches for the Retired Teachers Luncheon that our church hosts each year. I decided that since David was going to be gone anyway I'd go make the sandwiches in the church kitchen so I could arrange them directly on the serving tray they would be using. While I was there I did some cleaning of the kitchen to help out the dear lady who takes care of all these activities at church. I got home around 10:45 and David returned from the fire at about 1 a.m. We decided to skip church Sunday morning and basically spent the entire day lounging around. David watched bits and pieces of various movies - for some reason he likes watching the last 20 minutes of things - and I watched numerous episodes of I Love Lucy which were being shown as a marathon. We never even got dressed. Which is something you just have to do once in awhile.

And what did you do this weekend?

Is it just me?

2011-08-09T00:08:00.000-05:00

For some reason I am unable to post a YouTube video or pictures from Picasa today. The html won't convert and I'm left with a post full of code. I've tried it on both Chrome and Firefox so it doesn't appear to be a browser issue. I've been blogging for years so unless I've totally forgotten how I've done these things (hundreds and hundreds of times!), I don't think it's user error. Did Blogger change something and forget to tell me? Will I wake up tomorrow morning and all will be well? Who knows? Really. Who knows? If you do, please fill me in.

Happy birthday, Lucille Ball!

2011-08-06T11:15:00.000-05:00

Ever since I was a little girl I have adored Lucy. I Love Lucy originally ran from 1951 to 1957 so I grew up watching the re-runs. Over the years I have seen every episode multiple times and own the first two seasons on DVD. That show is an absolute classic which never grows old.

Today would have been Lucille Ball's 100th birthday and in honor of the special occasion, Google outdid itself. If you haven't seen it, check it out:

Turner Classic Movies is showing Lucille Ball movies today, which I'm recording, and the Hallmark Channel is doing an I Love Lucy marathon. I'm not much of a television watcher but today will be an exception.

"I would rather regret the things that I have done
than the things that I have not."

~Lucille Ball~

Wild Kingdom

2011-08-01T23:15:00.000-05:00

Anyone remember this?:

My family used to watch this and The Wonderful World of Disney every Sunday night. Good memories.

We live in the country and it is sometimes like living in our own "wild kingdom". First there are the raccoons that I posted about the other night. And yes, I mean "raccoonS", as in plural, as in, there were TWO of them on the patio night before last. And remember this? I still shudder to think about having a wolf on my patio, although it's also kind of cool. Then tonight I went out to put up our poor, lonely rooster and was greeted by a 'possum on the back patio. I didn't get a picture this time but I'm sure he'll be back.

Rocky Raccoon

2011-07-28T10:12:00.000-05:00

Sad news here at Apple Tree Farm. A raccoon has been picking off our hens one or two at a time and all we have left now is a very lonely rooster. David went out one night with the intentions of getting rid of the raccoon but it scurried under the chicken coop before he could get to it. I think he was secretly relieved. This is the guy who sees deer in our backyard and says, "Quick, come see!" instead of "Honey, get my gun!". And I'm very grateful for that. Still, we are both just barely practical enough to understand that there are times you have to do something you don't want to do in order to protect livestock.

That is, until this shows up on your back patio:

And you see his little face:

And you know he's just hungry:

And he gives you this look:

So the plan no longer involves eradication. David will be installing a taller, more secure fence with footings around the bottom to prevent digging under. Oh, and I'm calling him "Rocky".

How does it feel?

2011-07-25T12:50:00.002-05:00

You wanna know what we did Saturday night? Here's a clue:

Yep, we went to the Bob Dylan concert at the Winstar Casino. When I heard he would be performing somewhere so close I knew this was an opportunity we shouldn't pass up. And because David likes to indulge my whims, he got online and ordered tickets.

Bob Dylan is 70 years old - a year older than my mom. He's been on The Never Ending Tour since 1988 and is still playing around 100 shows a year. I think that's pretty incredible. Dylan's contribution to and influence on music has been immense and legendary. Hearing him perform felt like such an honor and I'm so glad we went.

We got there about 30 minutes early and took our seats. Or what we *thought* were our seats. The concert venue really isn't very well designed. It's basically a huge room with a stage. It's just a flat floor with chairs so visibility wasn't very good. However, about 45 minutes into the concert we found out that we were in the wrong seats. The usher took us to ours and they were actually better. Further away but on an elevated platform so we had a much better view.

One of my favorite things to do no matter where I am is to people-watch. I told David afterward that I thought it was like there was this major cosmic force which had drawn every man in the area over 50 with a ponytail to this venue. I'm so used to David being one of the few around here with long hair that it seemed almost odd to see so many in one location. It was fun to see so many people our age and older (some MUCH older) thoroughly enjoying the music.

Dylan's voice has deepened with age and his range has been diminished. But his vocal quality has never been what anyone would consider traditionally melodic so I can't say that these changes adversely affected my enjoyment of his performance. My only real complaint was that the concert was way too short. It was over in two hours, leaving the crowd begging for more, stomping and clapping and whistling. It was SO totally worth the cost of the tickets.

David had reserved a hotel room for us so we wouldn't have to drive all the way back home. We stopped for a light meal at Denny's which amused our daughter when she saw our Facebook check-in. But she had misinterpreted our after-concert hunger. This was the first concert I've been to where no one was smoking pot so this wasn't a case of the munchies due to second-hand exposure. ;)

I noticed several people taping portions of the concert and I found a few on YouTube this morning. Here is a little snippet of Bob singing "Like a Rolling Stone":

Thankful Thursday

2011-07-21T23:27:00.000-05:00

My friend who blogs at CrazyLadyx5 posted what she is thankful for today and that sounded like a good idea to me. So here's my list for today:

Air conditioning: We've had day after day of 100+ temperatures so air conditioning was the first thing I thought of when I began writing this.
My husband: David left early this morning for a short business trip. I really miss him but am so grateful that he works so hard to provide for us. And I'm also thankful that in addition to being a hard worker, he also knows how to have fun. He'll even take me out on a Tuesday night to listen to live music and stay until nearly 1 a.m. despite having to get up for work in the morning. Oh, and he's a pirate. ;)
My kids: I couldn't ask for better kids. They are intelligent, talented, kind, compassionate, free-thinkers who I'm proud to count as friends as well as my children.
My Prius: I've never had a car I enjoyed more than this one. Well, maybe my first car - a 1966 Mustang - because it was fast and gave me a bit of freedom. But otherwise, the Prius is the best. I get around 50 mpg so it's only costing around $65 a month for gasoline.
Running water: The excessive heat and drought conditions have taken their toll on some of the water lines in town. Several broke today and much of the town was without water or had very low water pressure. It hasn't affected us out here in the country (yet!) but I'm not taking water for granted.

What are you thankful for? Check out CrazyLadyx5's thankful post and if you write your own, you can link up there.

Vive la France!

2011-07-14T18:08:00.000-05:00

In honor of Bastille Day I would like to share a little French musique:

Merci to one of my favorite "French bloggers", French Essence, for sharing this lovely chanson.

Morning Harvest

2011-07-11T17:15:00.000-05:00

My plans for a big vegetable garden haven't quite panned out due to extreme heat and no rain. However, I did plant some potatoes a couple of months ago and today I decided to see what might be lurking beneath the soil. I pulled out a few small potatoes from one of the buckets. I didn't check them all but apparently my experiment worked to a certain extent. I also got one egg this morning. Sadly, we've had a predator of some sort (David thinks it's a raccoon) and we are down to one rooster and one hen. Guess I'll be raising chicks this Spring.

French Friday

2011-07-08T17:15:00.001-05:00

Gosh, it's been a long time since I've done one of these. I haven't been posting all that much lately but I'm going to get back to it. I promise! So...French Friday. Have you seen "Midnight in Paris" yet? If not, you absolutely must. It's one of the best movies I've seen in quite awhile.

I've never been to Paris but for some reason I've felt this sense that I belong there, at least on some level, ever since I was a kid. I can't really explain it. It's sort of like the way I fell in love with New Orleans instantly on my first visit and was overwhelmed with the feeling that the city is a part of me and I'm a part of it. I don't believe in reincarnation but if I did, I'd swear I'd lived in both of these cities in previous lives. Okay, maybe I'm just weird. ;)

Anyway, the opening scenes of the movie which show Paris actually brought tears to my eyes. The beauty of the city simply overwhelms me. I can only imagine how I would feel if I saw it in person. Which I truly hope I shall at some point. After we left the theatre, David said, "Well, I guess we need to plan a trip to Paris." If that's not evidence of the charm of this movie, I don't know what is. So go see it. If you are familiar with the people portrayed, you'll adore it but even if you aren't, the movie is still enjoyable.

I had so much more to say about all this but I've got to hurry and get ready for a charity event this evening. Look up some reviews and articles about the movie. Then go see it. You'll thank me.

Patriotism

2011-07-04T18:14:00.000-05:00

Patriotism isn't a solely American virtue. People the world over experience love, pride and loyalty to the nation of their birth. None of us has any control over where we were born so I find it interesting to encounter undue pride over this accident of birth. I think we often forget that the British are proud of England, the Chinese are proud of China and I think we all know that the French are exceedingly proud of France. ;) It's completely natural and something we Americans would do well to remember.

"He is a poor patriot whose patriotism does not enable him to

understand how all men everywhere feel about their altars

and their hearthstones, their flag and their fatherland."

~ Harry Emerson Fosdick~

If you aren't familiar with the lovely hymn, "This Is My Song", or as it is sometimes called, "A Song of Peace", please listen and pay close attention to the lyrics:

I think the second verse is particularly worth considering:

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
And sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.

Oh, hear my song,
thou God of all the nations,
A song of peace
for their land and for mine.

Something to think about, isn't it? Despite what some might like to think, Americans aren't the only people God loves and blesses. And we certainly aren't perfect:

If we truly love our country we should own up to our faults and address the many ways in which we fail to demonstrate that well-known line from The Declaration of Independence:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

I think we still have some work to do, don't you?

"None of us is free until we all is free." ~ Harriet Tubman

Best friends

2011-07-01T10:22:00.000-05:00

I know the photo quality is terrible but the original is rather faded and this is a "picture of a picture". This is me (on right) and my dear cousin, Sue, on the first day of school in 1968. She was starting kindergarten and I was going into first grade. Yes, our mothers often dressed us alike. We spent much of our childhood living next door to one another and doing virtually everything together. Sue wasn't just my cousin; she was my best friend.

Fast forward 43 years (whoa! 43 years?!) and we still have a special relationship. She lives in the city, has three children and works several days a week as a physical therapist. Distance and time constraints mean we don't get a chance to be together much these days but when we do it's just like old times. Her birthday was a couple of weeks ago and after consulting our schedules we found a day to get together and celebrate when she wasn't working and I didn't have a meeting to attend.

Yesterday I drove to the city and we met for lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. The food was good but the conversation was better. And we shared a piece of chocolate cheesecake which was to die for! After a lengthy lunch we still weren't through visiting so I followed her back to her house where we chatted a few more hours. I think we could have talked way into the night like we used to as little girls when we would spend the night at Grandma's house. Back then the only thing stopping us was Grandma saying, "Girls, hush that talking; it's time to go to sleep." Now we have kids and husbands and other responsibilities so I finally left her house at nearly 7 p.m.

I think we both realized how much we have missed each other so we made a promise to one another to make time for this more often. In fact, I'm checking my calendar right now. Love you, cuz!

Summer scene

2011-06-29T21:35:00.000-05:00

Isn't that pretty? I brought my dad some green beans cooked with new potatoes (a favorite of his and mine) and a couple of slices of cantaloupe this evening. I visited with my parents about an hour and a half and as I was leaving I snapped this picture of their pasture. I love the look of hay bales in a freshly mown pasture. It's been VERY dry this year so the yield isn't good and the grass is pretty much dried up. Still, it made for a nice photo, don't you think?

My daughter married well

2011-06-28T20:44:00.000-05:00

This afternoon I had a delivery from FedEx. Imagine my surprise when I opened the box and found flowers from my dear son-in-law. This Friday is my daughter's birthday and he sent ME flowers (well, he also sent her some gorgeous calla lilies - her wedding flowers). Aren't they lovely?

The picture doesn't do them justice but it's a dozen pink and white roses. (I added the ivy, honeysuckle and lavender).

And this is the note that came with them:

Isn't that the sweetest thing? I think Lisa ought to keep him, don't you?

Still In Love With You

2011-06-21T21:16:00.000-05:00

What can you say about a weekend like David and I just shared? Words can't do it justice but I'll give it a whirl. We drove to Oklahoma City Friday evening, stopping in Norman to drop off seven boxes of bottles (from Happyland Music Fest) at the recycling center. We then had dinner at Olive Garden. His mom had sent him a gift card for his birthday so we figured this was a good time to use it.

After checking in at the Skirvin we ran into Mike, the hotel limo driver, in the lobby. He came over to say hello. While we were chatting, Chris, the bartender, was walking across the lobby, spotted us and came over, too. He shook David's hand and gave me a hug. It's rather nice to stay at a place where the staff is so friendly. They even remember our names.

We went up to our room and I was greeted by the intoxicating scent of gardenias. My amazing husband went to great lengths to obtain my favorite flowers for me. During the years we dated, he always bought gardenia corsages for me when we attended dances and proms. My wedding bouquet also contained gardenias. I wish you could smell them but pictures will have to do:

And then he handed me two beautifully wrapped little boxes. I was totally blown away when I opened them and saw these:

I've been talking about wanting amethysts recently and apparently he was listening. He also had a couple of things from Victoria's Secret but there aren't any photos of those. ;)

I didn't take too many pictures this weekend but here's a shot of the room:

After we got settled, I changed from my jeans to a skirt and heels then we went downstairs to the Red Piano Lounge. My favorite cocktail is a cosmo but only if it's made *just right*. I don't even bother to order them at most places but Chris is a fantastic bartender and this is one place where I know I won't be disappointed. We sat at the bar and chatted with Chris until nearly 2 a.m.

David ordered room service for breakfast the next morning. Not shown here is the perfect cup of Earl Grey tea he made for me. By the time food gets delivered, tea just isn't very hot so David bought an inexpensive electric kettle for this trip, made my tea himself and brought it to me in bed. What a guy!

We didn't even leave the hotel on Saturday. We lounged around in our room watching television, eating room service for breakfast and lunch, and napping. We ate lunch so late that we weren't hungry for dinner until after the hotel restaurant was closed. I think it was about 10:30 p.m. when we finally went downstairs. Fortunately they serve food at the bar. David ordered a pizza and I had a chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries. Yum!

On Sunday, David asked if I'd like to see the movie, "Midnight in Paris". I'd been dying to see it but I was planning to go with friends because I didn't think David would be interested in it. But he's such a sweetheart that he insisted on taking me himself. We went to the beautiful Warren Theatre in Moore, someplace I'd been wanting to see. The theatre is gorgeous and the movie was everything I had hoped it would be. Even David enjoyed it and we are talking about a trip to Paris one of these days (a life-long dream of mine).

After the afternoon movie, we returned to the hotel and dressed for dinner. There was a message on our room phone from the valet, Chuck. Just before we left for the movie, David had talked to him about arranging for a cab to take him to the airport early Monday morning. Chuck had left a message letting him know that the car would pick him up in front of the hotel at 5:40 a.m. He then said to be sure to stop by the front desk because they had something for us. This is what was waiting for us:

Do you see what it says on the left? Chris, the bartender we know so well, doesn't work on Sundays so I'm guessing they must have called him to find out what our favorite drinks are. Isn't that amazing? It was fairly early (for us, anyway) so we went to the lounge for cocktails and an appetizer. We chose the spinach and artichoke dip with tri-colored tortilla chips. There were only a couple of other people in the bar so we got a chance to get acquainted with another bartender, Moe. He's from Morocco and speaks four languages.

We then went across the hotel lobby to the Park Avenue Grill for dinner. They were out of the scallops which was my first choice (it was late and everyone had been ordering them all night) so I opted for the filet, as did David. I generally don't order steak very often but this was outstanding. Following a lovely dinner during which David told me that it didn't seem like it had been 30 years while at the same time feeling like we'd been together our whole lives, we went back to the lounge. David had to be up really early so we didn't stay too late.

Skirvin Hotel lobby

David left the room a little after 5:30 a.m. Monday morning to catch a flight to Houston. I hated to see him go and he hated to leave but after such an amazing weekend with the love of my life, I could hardly complain. I finally managed to go back to sleep for a little while. When I woke around 9:15 a.m. I made myself a cup of tea and read the paper in bed. I checked out of the hotel at noon and then met my good friend, Roz, at Kaiser's for lunch. An almost four hour lunch! I've missed her since she moved to the city and we had a lot of catching up to do. Oh, who am I kidding? We could see one another once a week and still manage to find enough to talk about for four hours.

So, that was how we spent our anniversary weekend. I simply could not ask for a better husband. David, I love you more than words can say and after all these years, I'm still in love with you: