We're like good times that haven't happened yet - but will

I really liked this song the first time I heard it a year or two ago. Tonite I took time to check out the lyrics because he sings so fast I could never make them out. This is now one of my favorite lines "We're like good times that haven't happend yet - but will". If you're too lazy to check out Bob Schnieder, here's the complete lyrics to 40 Dogs...but you should really listen for yourself :-)

We're like 40 dogs, cigarettes, We're like good times that haven’t happened yet but will.
And I can tell you where we're gonna be When the whole world falls to the sea:
We’ll be livin’ ever after, happily.
All the boys taking you for granted, Tell you what they want with their eyes all slanted.
I don’t like the way they look at you, I don’t like the way they talk to, I don’t like the way they talk to you.
I wouldn’t let 'em talk to you like that.
Put 'em up high, reach for the ceiling. Tell them that I'ma walk, damn it, I'm real,
And it ain't no crime, it's just dreams we’re stealing -Anything to get more of this feeling
You take the high and I'll take the low, We'll get there before you know.
We ain't got no time to waste, We got too much life to taste.

We're like Romeo and Juliet, And 40 dogs, cigarettes,
We're like good times that haven’t happened yet but will.
And I can tell you where we're gonna be
When the whole world falls to the sea:
We’ll be livin’ ever after, happily.
Sometimes you remind me of a moonbeam,
On the ghost of a moonbeam out on the beach,
Down by the coast, slip into Manila,
Like the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

Come out tonight, come out with me, baby.
We'll throw the careful into the crazy, Turn the sky black into a sky blue,
Turn the close shave into a hoo-hoo. What I say is true, make a fire, gotta burn a few,
Make a fire, gotta burn a few, We can do what we want to do.

We're like Romeo and Juliet, 40 dogs, cigarettes,
We're like good times that haven’t happened yet but will. I can tell you where we're gonna be
When the whole world falls to the sea: We’ll be livin’ ever after, happily.

What do I like to read? A summary of the last 15 years or so...

I was in a great book club for the better part of 10 years. Met some fantastic ladies, read some wonderful and some not-so-great books, talked about all kinds of stuff... Every once in awhile someone asks me if I know of a good book. When I reply, it's always with a disclaimer such as "I liked it, but you may not". And some I can’t recall if I liked or not. So here are all (or at least most) of the books I've read over the last 15 years...I now only average about one every 6 months but it's better than nothing! Now, here they are, in no particular order:

Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand (amazing story about the human spirit that will not be broken!)

Mercy Train - Rae Meadows (As recently s 1929 our country sent orphans across the land in hopes of finding better lives. Read it!)

Olive Kitteredge - Elizabeth Strout (Strong female character but it left me feeling a bit depressed. I never quite connected with this one.)

Eye of the Raven - Eliot Pattison (a "who done it?" clash between the Quakers, Indians and British. I guess wrong! Worth the read!)

The Boys In the Boat - Daniel James Brown (didn't grab me like it did others until the last 30 pages or so. Lots of great NW references too. Worth reading, if for nothing more than the historical aspect.)

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Barbara Kingsolver (learn something about growing your own food locally and some good recipes thrown in.)

The Hotel and the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford (lots of local history mixed in a love story spanning the decades)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Smith (read it)

Entering Normal - Anne LeClaire (read it)

Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Wolf (hated it, didn't finish it)

The Secret Life of Bees – Sue Monk Kidd (read it!)

Between a Rock and a Hard Place - Aron Talston (true life account of the hiker who got stuck under a boulder. Ouch!)

How to Remodel A Man - Bruce Cameron (no recollection of this one at all.)

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston (disturbing but good)

The Christmas Shoes - Donna Van Liere (just like the song...that makes me cry!)

We Need to Talk about Kevin - Lionel Shiriver (disturbing and quite a twist at the end)

Tales from Margaretville - Jimmy Buffett (just OK. No cheeseburger in paradise…)

Tara Road - Maeve Binchy (great book!)

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - Anne Brashares (feel good book. Great for plane ride or beach)

Good Grief - Lolly Winston (sorry. Don’t remember this one.)

The Pilot’s Wife – Anita Shreve (read it)

Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides (great book!)

Going to Bend - Diane Hammond (recall it was a bit slow, but OK)

Under the Tuscan Sun – (Worth the read. Let’s go to ITALY!!!)

My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult (great book! Don't pass judgment until you get to the end!)

Outlander - Diana Gabaldon (fantastic! nearly 'bodice buster' but not quite)

The Sweet Potato Queen's Book of Love - Jill Conner Browns (wow. Don’t remember this one at all)

Beats of No Nation - Uzodinma Iweala (an insight into war like no other)

Reading Lolita in Tehran - Azar Nafisi (if you are in a book club, this is the ultimate inspiration and reminder that we are in a free society)

In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner - Elizabeth George (no idea if I liked it or not)

Plum Island - Neslon Demile (like his books a lot!)

The Charm School - Nelson Demile (excellent!!)

The Great Stink  - Clare Clark (This is about the sewer system in London. You can pass on this one. Bah Haa!)

Marley & Me - John Grogan  (sad and sweet, even if you’re not a ‘dog person’)

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini (truly gave me a new perspective on life. READ IT!)
A Thousand Splended Suns - Khaled Hosseini (read it!)

700 Sundays - Billy Crystal (it’s not the funny Billy you’d expect, but worth reading)

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox – Maggie O’Farrell (excellent!)

The Poisonwood Bible- Barbara Kingsolver  (excellent!)

She's Come Undone - Wally Lamb (good stuff)

Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden (read it)

Daughter of Fortune – Isabel Allende (great book)

The Joy Luck Club – Amy Tan (Good stuff)

The Know it all – A.J. Jacobs (boring, but there are some good general knowledge tidbits)

Interview With the Vampire – Ann Rice (creepy goodness)

The Red Tent -  Anita Diamant (amazing book!)

The Inocent Man - John Grisham (like his stuff, but once you’ve read one, you know his style and they’re all pretty much the same.)

The Prince of Tides – Pat Conroy (enjoyed it!)
My Losing Season  (good read, especially for basketball fans)

A Bend in the Road – Nicholas Sparks (worth your time)
Message in A Bottle (yep. Cried quite a bit too)
The Notebook (reminds you not to take your health, and memory, for granted)

Twilight –Stephenie Meyer (good stuff, but not good enough to read the rest of the series.)

The Notebook – Nicholas Sparks (go on...read it)

In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash – Jean Shephard (the basis for A Christmas Story (Ralphie and the gang) but not nearly as funny as you’d expect)

The Lost Symbol – Dan Brown
The DaVinci Code
Angels and Demons(oh, heck yes! Read all of them!)

Farther Than Any Man:the Rise and Fall of Capt’n James Cook – Martin Dugard (an informative and entertaining historical read about the Cook Islands)

The Shop Girl – Steve Martin (no, it’s not about banjos or SNL but a decent short book)

Water For Elephants – Sara Gruen (Fantastic!)

Cold Mountain – Charles Frazier  (a bit slow, but worth the time)

5 Quarters of the Orange – Joanne Harris (gotta read it~!)

The Help – K. Stocket (read it! Good stuff!)

Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert (worth your time)

Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan (Aboriginal stuff. Interesting)

Five Fortunes – Beth Gutcheon (yep, a good one!)

The Postmistress – Sarah Blake (a bit hard to get in to, not a ‘feel good’ conclusion, but worth reading)

The Sugar Queen – Sarah Addison Allen (great weekend read! Nice little twist. A little romance too.)
The Peach Keeper – (short and peachy. Didn't like it as much as the Sugar Queen, but a good weekend read.)

Under the Banner of Heaven – Jon Krakauer (will expand your understanding of religious zealots)

Into Thin Air – Jon Krakauer (read it!)

The Reader – Berhard Schlink (really worth your time)

It Takes a Village – Hillary Clinton (ummm…nope.)

The Perfect Storm – Sebastian Junger (worth reading. Not as corny as the movie)

The Christmas Train – David Baldacci  (a short romantic book. Good for a 2 hour flight. Then exchange it with the person sitting next to you.)

By Janet Evanovich – any of the Stephanie Plum series (these are a bit of cops-n-robbers, a bit of sex and some good chuckles along the way. Very light-hearted, break from reality books)

Schrodinger’s Cat – Robert Wilson (my husband spent the better part of an hour, patiently trying to explain what the hell this book meant. Honestly, I enjoyed that far more than the book. Can you say “WTF?”)

Three Cups of Tea – Greg Mortenson (read it!)

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West - Gregory Maguire (who knew the Wicked Witch had a sex life?! Really enjoyed this book!)

I stopped reading Stephen King over a decade ago. Found most of his books very hokey. But I recently picked up The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. Guess what? Still hokey. But I’d be interested to know how you think the book ends. Does she live or die?


                                                                And, my all time favorite book to date..?

As the Crow Flies – Jeffrey Archer (Just read it!!! Don’t’ let the number of pages bother you. It’s a page turner!!)


…just started The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series…

----------happy reading!------

Let's SPICE it up!

today many of my long time (and some short time) co-workers received layoff notices. I will have the pleasure of working with them until October and hope that they will find new opportunities before then. As with many of us, my emotions are on a roller coaster ride - one I didn't buy a ticket for and one I have no idea when will end. My head is spinning, my stomach hearts and my heart aches. I can only hope that they will begin a new adventure soon, share their stories with us, and end up in a better place than they are today. And, as I so often do, I am trying to find some humor in this day. It's cheaper than Prozac...

 

Strangely, I was asked twice today for "really spicy beef jerky". And since I needed to go to Costco anyway, I bought some jerky meat and pondered my spicy recipe. I made 1/2 a batch of my signature peppered, 1/4 batch of increasingly popular Rooster Sauce and  with the last 1/4 I got creative. I marinated it briefly in the soy/sugar/smoke concoction, squeezed out the excess, added 1 T. Hunan red hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne and sprinkled red pepper flakes liberally over the batch. I thoroughly 'massaged' the marinade into the meat to ensure it was all covered. I let it sit for a minute while I started to disassemble my slicer (which REALLY needs to be replaced). I started the dishwasher and noticed a funny (but not so funny) tingling in my fingertips. Must be from running my sponge and hands under the hot water as I cleaned up...right? The meat had sufficiently soaked up the marinade so I squeeze it once more before I carefully placed each piece (no touching or overlapping!) on the racks. Hmmmm....now my knuckles are tingling...odd. In about 5 minutes, all the "hot stuff" is on the racks and under the dryer. I continue cleaning. By now, the tingling has reached my elbows. This is reminiscent of an experience I had with Jalapeños about 7 years ago. No...really...I couldn't be that stupid again, right?! Or could I?! Sure as sh*t I think I have pepper burns again. As I type, my keyboard is singed & smoking. I can no longer read the letters on my keyboard as they have melted off. But this will only further impress my kids when I type my future blogs. "Mom...it's so cool how you type without looking at your fingers!!" A note to the wise...go to Costco, buy some latex gloves. Use them for car repairs, light gardening, and whatever else you do with "examination gloves". But most importantly, wear them WHENEVER you cook with peppers. You may also wish to wear them when cooking with garlic, onions, saffron, cumin or curry, when cutting beets or dying Easter eggs. Without gloves, all of these things will either stain your hands or leave you smelling like your food. Gloves will also prevent you from having to soak your hands in vinegar (not Malt) or call the nurse hotline for advice on how to make the burning stop. My advice is free...my jerky is not.

Testing out my new Helmet - Wednesday, April 13th

Mother Nature has had something against the baseball/softball season so far. After successfully rescheduling daughter’s rainout for this evening, we scrambled to contact everyone late afternoon to let them know it was rained out…again. As I drove home, in the rain, I watched the sky start to clear. Towards Emerald Queen Casino I saw a glimpse of a rainbow over the hillside (apparently Mother Nature like to gamble a bit too) and another glimpse hovering over the strads at the Port. Within the next 45 seconds I witnessed the complete rainbow emerge from the clouds and pop out in such vibrant colors I could hardly believe it was real. It reminded me of a poster my mom had long ago “Let us permit Mother nature to have her way, she better understands her ways than we.” (or something like that) I realized I was smiling and enjoying a sight we only see when it rains. As I looked around, everyone else was looking up from behind their steering wheels and smiling too. What a nice break from a boring commute! I even forgot I was ticked at Mother N in the first place.

I got home in time to send hubby off to his soccer game with a good luck kiss, chatted with the kids, started a load of laundry and contemplated my next move. I need to get my dad’s car to a lot near the airport no later than Friday afternoon. We have softball practice (rain or shine) on Thursday and I don’t want to wait until Friday morning. I come up with a plan…throw my bicycle in the back of his car, drive to Wally Park, jump on the bus, ride back to the bus stop nearest my house and ride the rest of the way home. Brilliant! And as good luck would have it, I bought a brand new helmet this very afternoon. My old one didn’t fit over my dreads & my friend said my new one made me look fast. Let’s go try it out! I changed clothes, grabbed my ORCA card, gloves, a book, my keys, his keys, and threw my coat on. Piece of cake drive to the lot, put his keys in a clearly marked envelope, made arrangements with the cashier and coasted down the hill to the Rapid Ride stop at 188^th. I waited approximately 97 seconds for my bus to come, spent the next 97 seconds trying to figure out how to secure my bike to the rack, joked with the Operator as I explained I was a rookie at the bike rack thing, and took my seat. The bus smelled more like smoke than a casino but it was all good. We cruised down

International Boulevard

and arrived at the Dash Point stop in about 15 minutes. I remembered to tell the driver that my bike was on front so she didn’t run over me and assured her I’d try to be quick. And hey, getting the bracket off is a helluva lot easier than getting it on. I got out of her way, zipped up my coat, strapped on the new helmet and realized someone had turned off the lights. Damn! It’s dark! And I have no headlamp, flashing red light, reflective gear or any other sort of safety devices other than to 2 factory reflectors on either end of my bike. And

Dash Point Road

is a narrow shouldered, very poorly lit road, which people motorists like the Autobahn. Never gonna get home standing here so let’s get this ride started! Most cars give me plenty of room and I swear I’m leaving only 3 inches between me and the edge of the shoulder. My night vision is taking its own sweet time so I’m focusing way too close to my front tire for my comfort. There’s all kinds of crap on the shoulder, a couple of animal remnants, branches, small potholes, big rocks…they all blend together because it’s dark and wet. All of a sudden, SMACK! Something reaches out of nowhere and thunks me just above my right eye. I’ve been so focused on the pavement that I haven’t noticed the narrow shoulder just went on a diet and I have to duck before the next branch takes my head off. Holy CRAP! Kids actually walk this way to/from school. This is horrible! The shoulder widens again, I relax a bit, although still anxious to get off this road, and I start noticing how many streetlights are burnt out. 15 out of 18 to be exact. Jeeze! I got home safe & sound though and I’m sure my new helmet helped me get here faster. Take time to enjoy the rainbows!

a night out on the streets - January 24, 2011

A co-worker and I spent 2 hours (of our OWN time) at the SR512/S. Tacoma Way interchange last night, hoisting Save Our Buses/Proposition 1 signs. 120 minutes gave me some time alone with my thoughts. So I started counting stuff. Here's my summary...

 

4,712 vehicles passed thru the intersection

4,671 drivers were texting/on cell phone while driving...paying no attention to our signs whatsover

38 public transportation buses went thru

37 minutes I was able to simultaneously wave 2 signs before my arms & fingers said "NO MORE"

15 drivers who did NOT take advantage of their free right turn

14 vehicles being towed thru the intersection

12 cars with bass so loud even I could hear it

8 flashes from the photo enforcement cameras

7 alternator belts on the verge of failure

6.99 the dinner special at the Casino

6 other people walking across the intersection

5 minutes spent crossing 2 legs of the intersection as we left

4 motorcycles riding in the rain

3 of Lakewood's finest headed north, sirens ablaze

3 horns honked in support of our signs

2 cars with seatbelt hanging out of the door

2 cars stopping to ask questions about Proposition 1

1 popped the clutch too fast and stalled his big truck as I tried not to laugh

1 person I lent my phone to as she sat in her broken down vehicle

1 Suburban we helped push across the intersection to the gas station

1 time I bonked myself in the head with my sign

1 car with sunroof open even tho it was raining

 

and the most surprising statistics of all

0 accidents

0 times I got flipped off

0 streetwalkers

My mellow Saturday, January 15th, 2011

Today  was such a nice, mellow day I wanted to share it with you…

Got up, brushed teeth, left Chris snoring while I ran out and got coffee for us - crucial to a successful day! Got home, Chris still sleeping, started on my ‘to do’ list…

Opened the garage, ran the last bit of ice out of the hose, emptied the car washing concentrate into the bucket, washed the LL and truck. Did you know my car is actually WHITE?!

Cleaned inside of my car, semi-permanently mounted the satellite radio antenna in a less annoying spot, tried to find the Windex, (it was magically handed to me just before I blew a gasket), finished the cars and put everything away.

Swept the driveway and part of the garage.

Grabbed the loppers and took care of the hydrangea and thinned out some of the raspberry stalks from last year. Found a tennis ball and Nerf ball in the process.

Picked up the large branches strewn all over the yard from the last wind storm. Re-set the braces I had to put under my favorite tree, again, after the last wind storm. (I’ve never cried over the loss of a plant/tree/shrub/bush but if this thing doesn’t make it, I just may.)

Threw some stuff in the Crockpot resembling chili for dinner tonite. Stirred it up, stole 2 servings of it for the smaller Crockpot (for my veggie daughter) and put some meat in the big crock for my carnivore boys.

Searched Google Maps for a better bar in Kent than the Ram for my annual hockey nite. Found 5. Hopped on the motorcycle and checked them out. Was unpleasantly greeted by an amazing amount of gravel and sand on the road but enjoyed the free exfoliation. Passed on two candidate bars but I think Pappa’s on Washington will do just fine. Jen down there said she’d love to have me for my birthday. (hmmmm….what does that mean, exactly?!)

Got home, wiped down the bike.

Oh look…it’s 1:00 and my daughter has just gotten up. Asked if she wanted to go shop with me. Surprisingly she said yes.

Stopped by Starbucks on our way across town. (I know, I know…it was convenient and I needed a boost. Hush.)

1:30 we get to Target to exchange a Christmas gift, look for an iPod docking station for Aleah and, oh dear lord, look for new bras for her too. Patience…patience…breathe and relax!

2:30 at Costco. It was a fricken ZOO! In the automotive section I ask the guy for car wash detergent. He says “oh yeah” and leads me away – to the window washing fluid. I look at it, and then at him and say “no, the stuff you wash the WHOLE car with – not just the windshield.” “Oh. No…we only carry that stuff in the summer.” Off we go. Almost there…last aisle, weaving and bobbing in between the aimless shoppers. I happened to look left when WHAM! Someone crashes into my cart…head on collision! WTF? Turns out to be our good friends Carol and Andrew who have just barely begun their shopping adventure. Aleah and I catch up with them briefly, wish them well and continue to the checkout line. Oh great…the annual membership is due! Ouch! Someone please remind my why I pay a company just so I can spend more of my money there?

Filler up with Costco gas (which is still more expensive than Fred Meyer if you qualify for their 10 cent per gallon discount, by the way. At least in

Federal Way

…)

Get home, opened the door and was greeted by a WONDERFUL smell. The chili can’t be a total bust! The family unloads the car in the rain (glad I got that ride in earlier!) while I had a brief break.

Checked the chili and it tastes great! I’ll eventually recover from the blister on my lip. (One quick blow does NOT cool off a full tablespoon of hot food…ever…)

I need to grate some cheese for 2 other recipes as well as to top the chili and grab the nearly new block of cheddar. I have many gadgets in my pantry and go in search of the one I need now…the food processor. I find the base but not the critical cheese grater disc. Dammit! I ask the kids if they may’ve seen it. Nope. I look thru the pantry, junk drawers, pots and pans cupboard, silverware drawer and even in the oven, just in case. Nope. Well…I can’t make much progress if I don’t have grated cheese so I do it the old fashioned way. My forearm is still tight. I have a mountain of cheese on my cutting board and divide it up just right. I let the family know they can eat whenever they’re hungry, no formal dinner time, but the chili is HOT. Chris goes on to tell me it’s my best chili ever! **

Start a load of laundry and scrub 2 toilets.

Have a phone chat with mom.

Re-organize the pantry: ½ due to the fact I just went to Costco and ½ hoping I find the cheese grater disc. No such luck on the disc.

Swap out the laundry, start another load.

Periodically throughout the day I’m perplexed about why I am so sore after playing volleyball last Thursday night. Yes, I know I’m getting older. But I work out 5 days a week and am shocked how sore my quads are, never mind the bruises in places I’m sure the ball never hit. Thank goodness I have 5 more days to recover before our next game!

Does everyone have a ‘junk’ drawer in their kitchen, or just me? Mine has evolved into multiple junk drawers so I made a half-assed attempt to at least consolidate them. After I empty one drawer and manage to somehow hold 27 utensils & gadgets in one hand I throw in the towel. I know I don’t have the patience for this task. But I do have one beautifully organized drawer!

I emptied the closet in the office which has been home to all kinds of junk and tried to consolidate. Ran across 3 separate ‘crafty’ projects in various states of completion. Oh great! Now I have more to do. Hurry, shut the closet and pretend I never saw it! But can’t help but be reminded of my aspirations: Aloha Northwest clothing, selling stuff for huge profits on e-bay, completing my dining room valance, some blanket thingy I was helping Devin with and oh, the bridesmaid’s dress that I can’t part with but will NEVER wear again. What is the deal?!

I think I’m tired. And it’s only 8:15. Am now listening to an awesome CD my friend Shannon made me which includes such timeless favorites as Buffalo Stance and Lost in Love, followed by Buffalo Stance and then I’m All out of Love. Then, surprisingly, Buffalo Stance followed by Your Every Woman in the World to Me…I think you get the theme here and yes, there’s definitely an inside joke. I’ll leave you with the knowledge that some of us have actually paid money to go see Air Supply later this month. And Buffalo Stance?! Well, I’ll leave you pondering that part of the joke for now. (Do YOU know what that song is all about? I was recently enlightened…thanks, Mike!)

Meanwhile, I’m drooling over some recipes my friend Tina sent. If I could find my cheese grater disc I might just go try to make some cookies. But no…

Added Aleah’s remaining 14 choir dates to our family calendar.

Reviewed my Flex Plan account statement as well as the Corvette insurance renewal policy (which “has changed drastically for this renewal. Please read all 27 pages to get the details”).

Thought about paying bills but opted not to based on all the money I spent today. Started a 2010 Income Tax folder instead. Gawd, I hope we don’t owe again this year!

Made contact with a pitching coach so I don’t make a complete ass of myself when I begin my new role as Federal Way National Little League’s first EVER Juniors softball coach next month. (the league is expanding its softball program this season to include a Juniors’ division (13-14 year old girls). Yahoo!!!!)

Wrote 2 very belated Christmas cards.

Updated my wish list and the Joint Honey Do list.  Jeeze, we need to win the lottery~!!

Checked to see if Depeche Mode or Erasure are on tour any time soon. (yes, part of me is stuck in the 80’s. No, neither of them is currently on tour. But Erasure MAY be coming late this year!)

Thought about watching my Fushigi “anti gravity ball” instructional DVD so I could learn how to do it, but read all the cautionary statements, such as “don’t let it hit you in the head. It is heavy and could hurt you” and “don’t let it sit in the sun because it will be hot and could cause a burn” and decided that if a toy has that many ridiculous cautions it will definitely test my patience. I’ll go crash repeatedly on my unicycle instead…

9:44 Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m tired. I need to go watch a DVD my friend Stacia lent me called Loose Change. She gives me the impression it’s very heartwarming and will make me feel safe and secure. Just the thing to watch before a good night’s sleep!

9:45 no wait. Aleah just asked if I could drive her to her friend’s house for a sleepover. Now, when I was 21 I remember just getting the party started at 10:00pm but a Saturday sleepover for 13 year old girls? Really?! “Sure, I’ll take you over there but your ‘non-birthday’ party starts at 3 tomorrow so you can’t sleep all day.” “Ya, I know. We plan to go to sleep around 2 so that will give us 12 hours to sleep and an hour for me to get home...” Ahhhh, those were the good old days! Sleeping in past noon!!

Tomorrow Devin has a soccer game at 9, then we’ll race to our friend’s to watch the ‘hawks kick some bootie, eat the other 2 recipes I made today, get home to welcome our daughter’s friends over for her ‘non-birthday’ party and listen all night to 7 girls do what 7 girls do when they get together…laugh, whisper, laugh, whisper, roll eyes, eat junk food…good stuff!!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little insight into my day and that yours was equally laid back!

**Chris says it’s the best ever Chile recipe (crap, I made it up on the fly…quick, try to remember what I put in it…)

1 28 oz can El Pato tomato sauce

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, not drained

2 12 oz cans kidney, drained

1 12 oz can red, drained

1 12 oz can black, drained

1 diced yellow onion

1 seeded & diced green bell

1# ground beef, separated

2 bay leaf

2 t chili powder

Cook in crock pot on high for 3 hours, test for your desired level of doneness. Continue cooking if you want/need. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream. Planned to serve over rice but ran out. Over Fritos would’ve been tasty too.

NW Blizzard 2011

As I sat in the hot tub tonight, watching the snow collect on the branches of our many trees, something occurred to me. We are all just branches...sometimes the extra weight of the snow causes us to collapse all together, sheer us off, and take those below us with it. Other times, a breath of fresh air shakes us clean, dusts us off, removes all the excess weight and we are free to sway in the wind again. The only bad thing is, you never know which category your branch is in until something drastic happens. Thank goodness so far I have had lots of fresh air to keep my branches mostly in tact. All the best to everyone in 2011. Be safe and sleep with a clear conscience.