Better late than never...

It's the Birthday Boy last Friday night, blowing out the candles on his Spongebob birthday cake. Notice, too, that he's wearing the t-shirt of the bestest, most wonderfullest hockey team EVAR. I dress my kids right, peeps.

He had a great birthday and received several items from the Mars Mission line of LEGOs. A week later and they're still raking in heavy playing time.

I apologize for waiting so long to post a pic of the celebration. It's been a whole week, I realize, but in my defense, it HAS been a rather stress-filled, anxiety-ridden week.

Tangible proof that I am loved

That, my friends, is a box of Stam Chocolates... and on top is my very favoritest of all Stams, the Chocolate Mouse. It is filled with a lighter-than-air creme fluff that you almost can't even feel on your tongue when you scoop it out -- can't feel it, but you can taste it. That's got to be one of the richest substances on Planet Earth.

All this courtesy of my BFF (for you folks not hip to the latest netspeak lingo, that means Best Friend Forever).

Skwerls are eeeeeeevillll

How can you deny it in the face of so much overwhelming evidence?



MARAUDING squirrels are feasting on memorial flowers left by mourners at Manchester Crematorium.


Even the Norse knew that skwerls were B.A.D.


Terrorist skwerls take out power grids in Illinois city, at the University of Southern Mississippi, and in Yonkers, NY.


Disease-ridden skwerl carcasses are a biohazard


When will it end? When will these vermin be brought to justice?

An original thought?

Nope, not yet. I still have hope, though.

In the meantime, some thoughts that are unlikely to be original but which I can gladly declare to be unrelated to skrool:

I'm no fan of Michael Vick's, but I'm just bracing myself for the outcry from PETA over this photo.



Most of the time I really, really hate politics. Then when politics results in something like this, I want to round them all up and let them all see what it's like to starve for a while:

As a horse-crazy girl of 40 years, I want whoever's responsible for starving these magnificent animals to swing from a rope.





Did y'all see the lunar eclipse this morning? I did! I guess it's a benefit of having to get up early and go to work while the moon's still up. It was definitely K-E-W-L looking.

If I had a digital SLR, I'd've been able to get some wicked kewl photos of the event.



Ever wondered what a panic attack really is? I used to, until three o'clock this morning. I used to think they were psychosomatic. Well, I was wrong. And according to that Wikipedia article, SSRIs can have that effect when you're weaning on or off them, which I'm currently doing (on, not off). I hope I never EVER have another one.





I'm willing to bet that little Sean Albanese will NOT be pleased in a few years when his buddies at school Google his name on their iPhones and this picture and this article pop up. His fifteen minutes of fame were a ripoff, in my estimation.

And that's all for tonight. I'm going to bed early and I'm hoping to sleep all the way through the night tonight.

Four more days until the weekend

The first day went as well as I could've expected, but I have to say that it is rather frustrating to have NO equipment or resources... not even an overhead projector or a screen. Not even a whiteboard. I do have a chalkboard, but it's very slick and doesn't take chalk well. I may bring our small whiteboard from home and just use it. I don't know if I have any other options right now.

The kids were very similar to the ones I had last year, but I expected that.

My feet have blisters from my "nice" shoes I wore today. Being stylish doesn't always mean being comfy (unless you want to drop $500 for a "good" pair of shoes, and what public school teacher has that kind of change lying around?). If anyone leaves a comment suggesting I buy SAS shoes, I will hunt you down. I do NOT wear old-lady shoes EVER. I'll be wheeling through the nursing home one day, sporting a pair of Vans on my bunioned feet.

My hair looked sort-of okay until we got to school this morning. After I walked the kids to their buildings, I was completely soaked with sweat. It's just too darn hot and humid. Anyway, my hair was gross the rest of the day.

They DID bring me a brand-new locking file cabinet today... yay! And I'm supposed to have a new rolling chair in the next couple of days because the one I have is broken.

Alice will start riding a bus to a nearby school district tomorrow morning. The small schools in this area cooperate together for SPED; one takes behavior classes, one takes life-skills, one takes self-contained, etc. I think it will work out well for her, though.

Isaac's teacher is a MAN this year! When he found out, he piped up, "Finally! One of my OWN KIND." Good grief. Anyway, his teacher seems like a good guy.

I saw Martha hanging out with several other girls at lunch, so I guess she's found a niche. She wants to go out for track, which should be interesting. Her principal told me she was extremely polite and well-mannered. [silent fist-pumping]

I'm tired and I need to put some salve on my feet. I apologize for being a one-note samba the past week or so; I'm hoping to have an original thought again soon, and when I do, I will be sure to post it. In the meantime, I beg your patience.

Agitation and anxiety

I'm positively certain I will bomb tomorrow and this school year will suck.

Yes, it's the night before the First Day of School, and my mental state is right on schedule: nervous and wondering What Was I Thinking and feeling as though I should never have left stay-at-home-motherhood behind.

My regular haircut appointment was on Friday afternoon, and she used some different colors and cut it a different way. I haven't the slightest clue how to reproduce the style, so it looked crappy today for church and it will probably look twice as crappy tomorrow.

Why can't I just win the lottery and become a recluse on some South Sea island?

Birthday Boy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISAAC!

My buddy-boy is growing up fast... eight years old and just about to start third grade. This year he wanted a Spongebob Squarepants birthday cake, and has requested a Lego set called "Mission to Mars" for his present.

Eight years ago yesterday, I was sitting at the computer IMing with a friend from California when I felt a small "pop" and knew immediately that The Baby Was Coming. Twenty-two hours later, we were surprised to welcome Isaac into the world -- surprised, since the ultrasound tech had predicted a girl, and I had been watching the screen when he did it, and it certainly looked girlish to me as well. Definitely a nice surprise, though.

Yeah, it's only 9:21 PM

But I'm going to go to bed anyway. I finished the extra lesson plans and turned them in today. I've almost got my room in order... or at least in the best order I can muster at the moment. I was getting tired of looking at the computer shelving still lying on its side against the back wall, not mounted to the wall, and of not knowing which of the four computers in the room was the one I was supposed to use. So I employed a little "new-kid" wiliness.

I sought out the district tech dude (who must be about seven feet tall) and said, "Do you like chocolate chip cookies?"

He grinned.

"Because there'll be a plate of them on your desk tomorrow if you'll come to my room and set up my computer this afternoon."

He came to my room and set it up for me right then.

Heh.

As soon as they come out of the oven, I'm going to bed.

--------------------------------

A friend pointed out to me that "skwerl" and "skrewl" are very similar. Let's see... terrorist rodents and public re-education... hmmm... it's all becoming clearer to me now.

Swamped

Not with water this time, thank goodness. But I sat through my first day of mind-numbing teacher's meetings and apparently I'm supposed to invent and turn in twelve (12) extra lesson plans by Friday. Something about their Gifted & Talented accomodations... anyway, thankfully I have a sample textbook which has several GT lesson ideas which I can springboard from, but the district has a format they want the lessons in, so I'm going to be working my butt off here at the house to get these done. Why can't I do them in my classroom while I'm at school? Because I don't have a computer on my desk. Nothing's set up in my room.

I know that the first few weeks of school are always chaotic, so I'm not complaining. Really. But I did want my regular readers (all six of you) to know that I'M NOT DEAD YET and that I'm just really, really busy.

And clueless, for the most part.

The combination of these two is putting my stress hormones into overload; I can usually tell when things are getting tight because I get little outbreaks of dyshidrotic eczema on my index fingers. This week ALL my fingers have broken out in the telltale itchy blisters. YUCK! It's embarrassing to sit in the meetings picking at my fingers, but they're so itchy I can hardly help it. I'll slather them in anti-itch cream tomorrow and see if that helps.

So far, though, I have to say that this district is WAY friendlier than the last one was. School secretaries, administrators, they've all been very nice. I hope it bodes well for the future.

Carnival of the Recipes!!

Anywhere But Here: Recipes From Somewhere Else

Let's have a world-wide roundup of recipes from every corner of the globe:

Mediterranean-inspired recipes
Angel Hair Pasta with Basil Cream Sauce
If you like prosciutto and parmesan, this one at Quietly Into The Night is for you!

Walnut Basil Pesto
Pesto is one of Italy's finest gifts to the culinary world, in my opinion, and A Weight Lifted has got just the thing to satisfy your basil cravings.

Mediterranean Stew
Wow, this one's great for cleaning out the fridge, being frugal, AND being delicious! Thanks to Stephanie from Stop The Ride.

Chicken Scallopini with Lemon, Artichokes and Capers
And did you know you can make it in 30 minutes? No, really. 30 minutes. The Expatriate explains it all.




Asia
My Mother's Tomato Ketchup Recipe
This ketchup's got an Indian twist to it; I am going to have to try this stuff from I, Me, Myself.

Indonesian Sate
Let's see... garlic... peanut butter... soy sauce... ginger... tofu... I am such a sucker for Asian dishes! Pipsqueak over at The Common Room is the fabulous submitter of this gem.

Japanese Summer Noodles
It's the perfect time of year to try these cold noodles. BlogDog over at Pugs Of War is your go-to guy for Asian recipes!

Mango Lassi
If you've been eating some spicy food from India, here's just the thing to cool you off, from Anywhere But Here.



Africa
Nigerian Spinach Stew, Peanut Butter Soup and Nshima
Everyone ought to branch out and try unusual new things. These sound scrumptious -- and none of the three recipes requires any hard-to-find ingredients, so you have no excuse not to try them. Besides, Wee Wifey says it's one of her family's favorites -- even the four-year-old loves it. Kids don't lie about tasty food, believe me. ---UPDATE: Triticale writes that the four-year-old is actually now 28! So this one's time-tested... all the more reason for you to enjoy it, too.








Mexico
Mexican Chopped Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing
Bored with the same old fiesta salad you find at every Mexican restaurant everywhere? Try this one and you won't need to visit a restaurant to find the good stuff. Kudos to Shawn over at Everything And Nothing -- this one's a winner!

Mexican Chicken Casserole
Easy and yummy, your kids won't turn their noses up at this "ethnic" offering. From the Chicken Recipes blog... where, if you're needing something interesting and new to do with chicken, you'll find what you're looking for.

Quick Black Bean Salsa
SarahK makes this tremendous stuff, and it's not only amazing and tasty, it's GLUTEN-FREE!


Europe
Scandinavian Pot Roast
And it's done in your slow cooker, which makes it tasty AND easy. From World Famous Recipes, where you'll find all KINDS of yum.

Apfelpfannkuchen
Or translated: German Apple Pancakes. Need I say more? And did you know that there's a blog devoted entirely to Pancake Recipes? Well, if you didn't, you do now. No more excuses for boring breakfasts.

Russian Beef and Cabbage Stew
Don't tell anyone, but this one's also [whispering] good for you... it's from Diabetic Recipes. Shhh... you'd never know it.

Hungarian Wine Spritzer
Simply sparkly! The Egoist keeps it uncomplicated and very, very tasty.


USA
BBQ Marinade from Montana (with bonus Apple Crisp recipe to accompany your meal)... there just isn't anything quite as satisfying as a thick slab of beef, and the folks from Innkeeping know it!

Make Your Own Buttermilk
This could be handy the next time you want to make buttermilk dressing and don't want to buy an entire quart. Lucynda's got the scoop on this tasty treat.

Acorn Squash, Green Beans Almondine and Asparagus with Orange Dressing and Walnuts
Disease-proof yourself by eating the healthy foods recommended on Dr. Fuhrman's site!

Mayonnaise With POW!!
This one's from Kneadle Work in California, but it originated in the South, where we hear it's used as a white barbecue sauce. Whatever it's used for, it must be too good to pass up, that's what I think. How could you go wrong with a little horseradish and cayenne, anyway?

Crockpot Indian Pudding
No politically-correct "Native American" or "First Nations" designation here... but who cares what it's called? It's got molasses and cornmeal in it; it's bound to be good, especially since it comes from Slow Cooker Recipes blog. I visit that blog often to plan my weekly meals.

Hawaiian Pancakes with Pineapple Syrup
Macadamia. Nuts. In. The. Batter. Oh, goodness, reading that recipe made my head swim. Thanks to Famous Recipes for that little equilibrium imbalance moment. I should wipe the drool off my shirt, I suppose.

Magic Milkshakes
A frequent commenter on my site, NorthernLight, says she found this recipe over at Hillbilly Housewife and TOTALLY loves it... except that she always calls them "Fake Frosties." Whatever you call them, you're going to love them... and you don't even have to feel guilty about eating them, either!

Key Lime Pie
Steve didn't submit this to the Carnival, but it's got to be the best Key Lime Pie on the face of Planet Earth, and I just wanted y'all to know, so I took the liberty of linking to it myself.

Happy Eating!

Progress is slow

Here's a peek into my new little corner of the world at Ballyhoo High School (not its real name, of course):

It's still a TOTAL mess, but much of that is due to the vast quantities of computer hardware lying around uninstalled. The yellowish thing in the floor up against that back wall is actually a long computer desk for several terminals, but it just hasn't been mounted to the wall yet. And the only reason I get several computers is because I'm also the yearbook coordinator. Yippee! Hey, NorthernLight, all that time I spent doing the church directory should pay off, ya think? heh

Carnival time!!

It's time for my go-round of the Carnival of the Recipes once again, so git yer recipes in, PRONTO! You can either send it to me (my e-mail's in the sidebar) or to recipe.carnival@gmail.com and I'll get it there.

This week's theme: Anywhere But Here -- Recipes From Somewhere Else. Submit a recipe that's not local.

Or just submit a recipe and I'll figure out a way to make it "not local."

If you have your own blog, post the recipe on your blog and then e-mail the link. If you don't have your own blog, that's fine -- just send me the recipe itself.

Note to all my friends and relatives who lurk here and read my blog every day but never leave a comment -- here's your opportunity!! Send me a recipe!! TODAY!! Because the Carnival's going live on Sunday.

When the cat's away...

Guess what was going on in this house while I was away at school today? This brood of punks built marshmallow guns.

I'm sure the Leftards would claim these are just gateway guns and that I'm introducing my children to violence.

To which I'd answer, "Uh... yeah."

(h/t on the Bloomberg article goes to Dustbury)

More skwerl naughtiness

Power restored to 5000 after squirrel causes outage

According to Delmarva Power, squirrels are the leading culprit in animal-related power outtages, Street said.

Squirrels have been responsible for 940 blackouts in 2004, 900 in 2005 and 1504 in 2006, Street said.

In contrast, birds cause 300 blackouts a year, snakes about a dozen and other animals cause about 50 a year, Street said.

I'm tellin' you, the skwerls are working the other side of the fence. They're on the side of the terrorists and they MUST be brought to justice.

Preferably in a hearty stew.

You Will Be Assimilated

Them skwerls, they ain't behavin'. The oft-maligned Eastern Gray squirrel not only has polluted the habitat of the cute widdle Red Squirrels of Merry Olde England, now they've invaded the American West and are pushing out the native squirrel species there, too.

Varmints, all of 'em. I don't believe in intervening in civil wars, anyway, so we might as well let the bleepin' rats duke it out on their own.

Guitar fun

The MacGyver Tip of the Day

Repair a scratched CD or DVD with a BANANA?

Lifehacker sez Yep.

Ricky

My husband, whose actual given name is "Ricky" (not Richard), just came in to tell me about a commercial he just saw that made him laugh. Here is it on YouTube:



My husband's mom wasn't known for her brilliance. She named him Ricky D Wood. No period after the D, and it doesn't stand for anything. Just Ricky D Wood. Say it really fast and you get "Rickety wood." He's been going by "Rick" since he was an adult (imagine that), but put "Rick Wood" together and you've got half a cord.

He can't win, poor guy. She very likely did not know that "Ricky" is a derivative of "Richard." This is the same woman who had Pentecostal experiences while working in the kitchen, and who wrote about one of them for some charismatic magazine called The Flame back in the 1950s. He calls that the "Dead Chicken Baptism In The Holy Spirit" story because she was actually standing at the sink cutting up a chicken when she was surrounded by the Holy Spirit. Or something like that. More likely she was having a stroke.

In need of refreshing?

I made some hot, spicy curry with coconut sauce tonight and now I'm wishing I'd made some Mango Lassi to go with it. Here's a recipe for it, from Elise:

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped mango (peeled and stone removed)
4 teaspoons sugar, to taste
A dash of ground cardamom (optional)

Put mango, yogurt, milk, sugar and cardamom into a blender and blend for 2 minutes, then pour into individual glasses, and serve. Can sprinkle with a little cardamom.

The lassi can be kept refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

Makes about 2 cups.

I am soooo buying a mango tomorrow. I don't really buy mangoes in the States because I got so used to the ones we ate in Aux Cayes, Haiti. But I've bought lots of Key limes (called sitwon there) here, so I might as well do the mangoes, too. I can remember that little Dave (a Haitian boy we were good friends with) had the nickname "Mango-Mi" which translates to "ripe mango." Eesh, Dave is probably fifteen or sixteen now. That's depressing. I miss getting to go to Haiti in the summer. :(

Another one?!?

Yesterday afternoon we got a phone call from Alice's neurologist requesting that we bring her down for another MRI.

TODAY.

As in, this morning at 8:15.

Do these people know where we live? [eyes rolling] And why, pray tell, did she need ANOTHER one when she just had one a month or two ago?

It was still dark when we left, of course. All of us, actually, because we were hoping (faintly) that we might be able to catch a quick five-minute conference with the neurologist while we were all there together. Since it's in the same building and all.

Naah. You knew that wouldn't happen.

Alice had a terrible time keeping still this time, which is very unusual for her. Sometimes she has these severely-distracted days where I think she's probably experiencing a great deal of seizure activity that I just can't see. We had to stop the test three times to tell her to be still so they could get decent pictures.

I actually don't mind the drive in to Dallas; unless I'm alone, we always have the option of the HOV lane, which generally zips us right to where we need to be. I *like* the Big City. And I like traveling, in general.

I do NOT, however, like getting up early. This Friday morning marks my first day back to Teacher Inservice at Ballyhoo High School, and I'm supposed to be there at 8AM. And compared to a regular school day, that's an hour late. [sigh] Yecccch. I'm looking forward to starting class, but I have never EVER liked going to work early. Maybe someday, when the kids are out of school, I'll apply to teach at one of those alternative high schools that meets at night.

Remember when...

Gas was 45 cents per gallon?

This old pump and three others occupy an abandoned gas station across the highway here in North Ruralville. I finally decided the other day to drive up to it and see how much they were selling gas for when the place shut down.

Forty-five cents. [sigh]

Crabby

Every single day, it seems like there's something more added to the pile of stuff we can't pay for, and something taken away from the (now nonexistent) pile of available funds.

The teachers' health insurance premiums have gone up significantly this year, I just found out. As if we could afford them to begin with.

The doctor just looked at me today... never laid a hand on me or even checked my blood pressure... and told me she couldn't help me. Wouldn't even give me something to help me sleep, even though I haven't been able to sleep for two weeks. And no, I'm not napping during the day. I can't nap because I CAN'T SLEEP.

We took the kids to Pancho's for lunch and I had to go sit out in the parking lot to throw up the three bites of cheese sauce I had. Why didn't I just go into the restroom to do this? Because their ladies' room was CLOSED FOR REPAIRS.


Okay, I get it. I'm done. Where do I turn in my resignation papers?

Sunday driver

Yesterday, after the church pot-luck lunch, we all hopped into the momvan and headed three hours north to Oklahoma City. Several weeks ago we got an invitation from my cousin Mac and her husband Nathan to come to OKC and hear about their work in a very large East Asian country which shall remain nameless. We cancelled the usual Sunday night service here at Microscopic Baptist Church so we could drive up and hear about this very exciting ministry. For as long as they've been over there, we have prayed for them by name every single night, so I was glad to get the opportunity to let the kids meet up with who they've prayed for and hear what's going on.

Listening to them was the first teeny glimmer of excitement I've felt in a very long time.

Afterward, we all went out to eat together, and I found out that their church regularly takes groups over there for short-term stuff. There's a possibility that I could go next summer, in fact...

Like I said, it's just a glimmer. Nothing more.

They'll be headed back in January, where they'll be embarking on a new and very exciting project. And we'll still be praying for them every night, even now while they're stateside.

And we all know what Baptists are best at, right?

Pot lucks, of course!

Tomorrow after church they've scheduled an all-church pot-luck luncheon. I made a batch of my famous potato salad and two pecan pies already. There's a ham being prepared as well, and Martha volunteered to make deviled eggs (her fave). I'm trying to remember if there's anything else I signed up to bring... as if that's not already enough! But since our church is sooooooo small, I want to be sure there's enough variety there.

Isn't this WWII poster the coolest? I found it at Home Sweet Homefront. Gotta love the image of Hitler's unruly forelock doubling as a wasteful overflow of food and the pan-handle Nazi salute. Contrast it with the sturdy, stiff-upper-lipped Churchill Pot.

I found it when I did a GIS for "pot luck."

Saturday at Starbuck's

This afternoon, the kids and I went to Starbuck's in Denton and met Prochein Amy for coffee! We chuckled over our two cars parked side by side, hers with a Longhorns sticker, mine with a Sooners sticker in exactly the same position. Then and there, we decided that since politics and religion weren't off-limits for us, we'd just have to put College Football in that position. Our teams are die-hard enemies, but there's no reason we can't be friends... as long as we steer clear of football.

Meeting other bloggers that I've known online for several years is quite fun! Particularly when they're as kewl as Amy -- thanks, girl, for taking the time!

Chocolate review

Chocolate good.

After an hour-long full-body Swedish massage at this place, courtesy of my Manita, I figured I might as well top it off with a visit to Schakolad in downtown Fort Worth. The only other world-class chocolaterie I've ever frequented was the Chocolaterie Stam stores in the Des Moines area.

The chocolates at Schakolad were tinier than those at Stam, which meant I could get more varieties into the 1/2 pound box. (Don't think I'm going to waste a trip to a chocolaterie and just get a taste -- it may be a year or more before I ever taste it again, so it's going to count.) The flavor was distinctly different than Stam, too. I'm rather glad, to be honest, because I can truthfully say that I like both very well. But I can tell the difference.

Schakolad had a teeny white chocolate cheesecake truffle that was so good I almost drove off the freeway. And they had an amazing Key Lime truffle that defies description. They did NOT, however, have anything even remotely akin to Stam's Chocolate Mice with the creamy filling. I've never had anything that could hold a candle to that particular item.

It was a wholly successful trip to the Big City. I feel a gazillion times better.

Oh yeah babe

It sounds ridiculously indulgent, but I am here to tell you -- a good hour-long full-body massage is a beautiful, beautiful thing. I feel WAY better.

Redeemed! Redeemed!

Coupon redemption can be fun, particularly when it's actually a gift certificate to get a Swedish massage at an exclusive Fort Worth spa. I'll be gone this morning. I'll be relatively close to downtown, so I'm going to pay this place a visit and see if it holds a candle to Stam. I doubt it, of course, but I realized last night that I can't remember the last time I had chocolate of any kind, much less good chocolate. Probably back when my best friend actually sent me a box of Stam chocolate mice. Which, by the way, is one of the myriad reasons why I love her so much.

Oh... and it was my Manita who gave me the gift certificate for a massage. Ain't that thoughtful?

If, after the end of this day, a full-body massage and some chocolate haven't lifted my mood, I'm going to request psychotropic drugs.

TIME magazine gives Hillary a big wet kiss

Billy Graham: Hillary's Solace

"I keep up with her," Graham said. "I think a lot of Hillary...She is different from the Hillary you see in the media. There is a warm side to her — and a spiritual one."

These Kool-Aid swillers are doing their darnedest to get us to buy into the Hillary Machine. If she doesn't exude warmth and authenticity, perhaps there's a reason. It's kind-of pathetic to have to have your Media Minions running around making over your image all the time. Can't you just ride on what you've got?

Oh, that's right. You haven't got anything to ride on.

Things you should not do if you're the principal of a public school

If this isn't #1 on the list, I'm quite sure it's in the top five.

Okay, just a hint

The property we looked at today is neat-OH! I won't get my hopes up, and I fully expect it to sell before we can bid on it. Realtors ought to hire us, that's what I think. Guaranteed immediate sale to someone else.

Any-hoo, this property is out in the country and has a specTACular view of the whole gentle valley. The house will need some work before it's move-in-able.

I'll stop there, and then if it looks like it's going to happen, I'll fill you in on the fascinating details of this place.

Visitor #88,000

And I'm pretty sure it was my Aunty Lea from McAlester, OK!!! She's very, very kewl. She plays the piano quite beautifully AND she's super-sweet.

A word from George

George W. Rabbit is deeply concerned about the recent report of a sadistic rabbit-beheading incident in the UK. He urges UK officials to bring these terrorists to swift justice, and he expresses his heartfelt prayers for the grieving family members.

Dumplings for supper

We had steamed dumplings again for supper tonight. The whole family raves about them and how good they are. Here's what I put in them this time:

1 small can sliced water chestnuts -- finely diced
2 bunches cilantro -- finely chopped
1 bunch green onion -- finely chopped
5 large cloves garlic -- freshly minced
4 T beni shoga (sweet red pickled ginger strips) -- finely chopped
1/4 c sesame oil
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c sesame seeds
1 lb. ground meat (I used beef)
1 pkg small wonton wrappers (not the giant ones used for spring rolls)

I ended up using all the wonton wrappers before I had run out of meat mixture, so I cooked the remaining meat mixture for myself (since I don't always do so well eating pasta-ish or dough-ish food).

The kids lit into them like they were candy. I invited JoeMama to stop by and share them, too, and she liked them. Rick dropped everything to go to the store today to buy ground beef because I hinted I might make them.

They're quite popular, I suppose! And I'm getting the hang of using the bamboo steamer. It's a nifty little invention.

Carnival of Recipes

This week, it's just Too Hot To Cook (Crockpot recipes to keep your kitchen cool and tidy and your family well-fed and happy).

In two more weeks, I'll be hosting the Carnival right here in this lil' corner of the blogosphere. My theme will be "Anywhere But Here: Recipes From Somewhere Else" ... meaning, submit recipes that are from somewhere other than where you live right now or from where you grew up.

If you have your own blog, post your recipe there and then send me the link to your post. If you don't have your own blog, just send me the recipe and I'll post it myself.

Start thinking about it... I'm expecting LOTS of participation!!!

Decisions...

I honestly think I like the lightest one best. The kitchen is a rather dismal place because of the overkill of wood-grain, and the lightest one will (in my opinion) make the room look larger and more inviting.

Word to the wise: carpeted kitchens are a no-no. Very nasty, very unhygienic. Ripping that crap up will be disgusting, but satisfying.

Our owner is an elderly man who obviously grew up during the Depression. He told me to try to get the carpet up in one piece because he'd like to save it.

Okey-dokey. What anyone would want to DO with it is *none* of my business, as long as I don't have to step on it anymore.

Evil squirrels

The inimitable Boudicca has discovered that skwerls are, in fact, evil.

Bou, you should pick up one of these feeders... if only for the entertainment value of watching your pesky squirrel get tossed around the backyard. The boys would love it.

Enemy territory?

God save us from Evil Commingling Contamination.

I visited an organic grocery store today. I felt a little awkward when I went in, because I realized I was wearing a Marines t-shirt and there might be some anti-war types hanging around in there wearing Birkenstocks and hemp clothing. But there were a couple of items I wanted to try, so I braved the possible hostilities.

Cupboard Natural Foods is actually a pretty decent organic grocery store, especially for a city the size of Denton. I picked up some alternative flours and some Larabars and some Nut-Thins.

While we were out today, I got a phone call from my pal RedFish. No special reason, just because. I love those kinds of phone calls!

And to cap off the wonderfulness, while I was in the Cupboard place, I got a phone call from LJ telling me something she'd meant to tell me before but had forgotten.

Just getting TWO phone calls today was a huge mood lifter. Being so far away from my girlfriends is killing me.

LJ had recently sent me some money to take the kids out to Dairy Queen (since she couldn't do it herself and really wanted to), so this afternoon we went through the drive-thru at the DQ in Sanger, Texas. The fellow at the window graciously gave us our two Blizzards and a blue slush, then piped up: "Are you sure you wouldn't like some ice water or something? Everybody else in the van got something but you."

Talk about making me smile! "Oh, no, that's okay. I have some iced tea here already." But he has just guaranteed a return visit from me. That's just plain nice, don't you think?

Happy Birthday, Manita!

Last night was my lil' sister's birthday... she's on the downhill side of her 20s now.

Lighting all those candles with JoeMama...

And hugs from Pop!

Happy 26th, little sis. I love you.

Speak in a person's native language and they'll listen

I've long been a proponent of churches (or rather, the people IN churches) learning to speak the language of the people they're attempting to reach with the Gospel. It's pretty dumb to decide you're going to be a missionary to, say, Japan, but refuse to speak Japanese or make your message relevant in Japanese culture. The major mistake most early missionaries made was to convert people to Westernization rather than to real Christianity.

When watching Dog Chapman, some folks are seriously turned off because he dresses very oddly and uses quite strong language with the folks he's taking into custody. I know he and his troupe are not perfect people, but I believe that Dog's conversion to Christianity is genuine -- he continues to use rough language because the people he's "ministering to" speak that language, and frankly it's his own native tongue. That's not to say that Dog et. al. won't slip up and fall back into problems. They very likely will. But it's part of the journey, and I'm thankful God lets ALL of us walk with Him. I have a feeling God's "narrow road" encompasses a lot more paths than some of us want to know about.

I drive by the cowboy church in Tioga fairly often, and I hope I get the opportunity to visit it some day. I love the concept, and in this area, it's speaking the heart language of a target people group with the transcendent Gospel of Jesus Christ. Maybe they never sing "All Hail the Pow'r" accompanied by an enormous pipe organ... I don't see that those things are required in Scripture.

I think it's rather humorous when the pastor of a church has a total cow over "contemporary music" but wonders why there aren't any young couples joining his church. Why won't they take a look at those young people's everyday lives? On the way to work in the morning, they probably listen to the classic rock or the alternative radio station. They watch "So You Think You Can Dance" and do the vast majority of their reading on a computer screen. The only time they ever hear hymns is at their grandmother's funeral.

Music styles are very much like languages; people learn to "speak" a particular style and they're comfortable "conversing" in it. Boys who immerse themselves in death metal can understand the words just fine, even though their grandparents can't.

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I'm in a severe drought period as far as church and worship go, and it's lasted over a year so far. It's discouraging to see all the green growth vanish and die. The enthusiasm and passion I once embraced has dried up into dead dusty sand, and there's no end in sight. Imagine the ripply waves of heat rising off the endless dunes of the Sahara... that's my soul right now.

The understanding that a desert isn't really "dead" but just dormant -- well, that keeps me going most of the time. Eventually the rains will come again.

I don't need another study course or support group or tent revival or crusade. It doesn't help a sand dune to pour fertilizer granules on it.

Watching the skies for that little cloud the size of a man's hand (I Kings 18:44) which portends the sound of the abundance of rain...

R.I.P.

The kitties just quit eating, and we couldn't even force it down them. I think they were just too small and maybe had been away from Mommy too long by the time we got to them. We really, really tried. The girls and I are pretty broken up about it; you get attached to the little fellows and it's just the pits to see them slowly fading out until they're just gone.

[sigh]

Simpsonize Me!

I've been Simpsonized!!! hehe

Six Flags!

We've been a rather busy lil' family the past couple of days, hence the no-show on the blog. Today we went to the Six Flags Over Texas theme park and wore ourselves completely out.


At the park entrance


Bumper cars!


The Aquaman ride soaked us all!

The weather was just very nearly perfect today... mostly overcast, but no rain. Manita and I wanted to ride the Titan, the newest rollercoaster in the park, but it was closed due to flooding. We did, however, get to ride the Batman, which is one of those dangle-your-feet-underneath sorts of rollercoasters, and it was great. The most comfy coaster I'd ever been on; the seats molded to your form perfectly and even though the ride does some seriously breakneck twists and flips, you don't get off the ride feeling as though you now need a chiropractic adjustment. Dizzy, yes, but not cracked in a million pieces. And the feeling of the wind between your toes is quite interesting.

Tomorrow is Manita's birthday (twenty-six!!), so I think we'll head down to Denton to JoeMama's house to help her prepare the celebration.