This month is the one year anniversary of my blog.. I took some time off here and there. But there is a pretty good year of archives to read.. This year has been kind of rough... Weve been through a lot.. but we are in such a good place now. Things arent all smooth and yeah there are so many things that are still floating around wild and willy nilly. But mentally I am in such a great place.
We have kind of a major thing going on.. a possibility of a MAJOR life change for us in the next few months.Im trying not to invest to much into it emotionally, and get excited over nothing, but its a distant possibility. I cant really go into details yet, but when I can, I promise to share.
This is premire week for television. I have enjoyed the season premiers of CSI NY and CSI Miami. As well as for Two and a half Men. (funny stuff) and Tonight watched the opener of "dangerous minds". Mostly though I am looking forward to tommorow night and the return of Grey's Anatomy.(YEAH!)
As far as new stuff there isnt much I am happy about. I dont assume I'll be watching "SMITH" or "Jericho" I dont like all that dramatic stuff.. I didnt get into LOST and I am assuming that Jericho will be a lot like that kind of show. Nah.. no thanks.One new thing that I am LOVING is the new Rachel Ray talk show. She is a taaaad hyper for 9 am, but I am adjusting. That girl is just to darn happy all the time.. maybe thats the reason I like her. She reminds me of my friend Michelle McGarity.
I dont care to much for Katie Couric on the evening news... I havent really weighed in on the change yet. I wanted to give her a chance.. heck yay for the gals I say, you know? But I cant take her seriously. I miss grandpa news. Old guys who know what they are talking about... well Im sure.. actually positive that Katie more than knows what she is talking about. But I want an old guy in a suit. I want a Papa to tell me about Iraq and plane crashes...a Grandaddy to be strong when bad things happen. Katie just doesnt hold the reassurance in her voice that I need when things are going wrong.
Charlie Gibson is still kinda fresh from Good Morning America but he is growing on me.I actually LOVED him on that show. I still prefer it to the other morning shows..but I miss the chemistry between Dianne Sawyer, Robin Roberts and Charlie Gibson. The today show was OK before, but I HATE Meridith Vierra... She is sarcstic and way way to liberal. I hated her on The View (Actually I hate the whole show...and they didnt make it any better for me by adding Rosie Odonnell... whom I LOVED on her talk show..but have found her less and less appealing as I grow older and more conservative.. Her being a lesbian having NOTHING to do with it. I just dont care to listen to people who feel obligated to spew thier convictions and condenm others for thiers all the time... liberal OR conservative. She can have hers.. I can have mine. We can keep them to ourselves and talk about shoes and handbags and recipes and have a great time.. Yeah, we can ALL be Rachel Ray and the world would be SOOO much better.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Friday, September 15, 2006
lean into the wind
We recently got satalite tv. Its an extravagance we never justified before now, but we figured we never go out, we spend a lot of time at home (especially me) so it was an expense that would be worth it. Since then we have watched a LOT of weirdness on tv..You cant imagine some of the pointless junk they put on television. You just cant look away.. its like a train wreck, you dont want to look, but you do.
The other day, when I should have been doing something constructive,I was watching a sailboat race of some kind. Some wierdo documentary about these guys who raced accross the Atlantic.Two teams were racing against eachother, and the time of another team who had completed the race another time for a world record. Things went well until there was a storm. A really really big bad one.
So you have team one and team two. Team one is floudering, so is team two. Seems like things are not going to turn out well for either team. They are bickering and fighting amoungst eachother and cant seem to get together on how to fight the storm and still make headway.Both teams head for safe harbor, drop anchor and batten down to ride out the storm stationary.Team one burries themselves in thier bunks and goes to sleep. Crying over thier loses and bitter over the circumstance.
Then team two makes a decision, They lean into the wind. The storm isnt blowing in the direction that they need to go, and they will surely lose time on the world record, and likely team one. The wind isnt sending them in the direction they THINK they need to go. But the yeild to the wind and follow it. They are flying at an AMAZING breakneck speed..wild and unsure but trusting in the strength of thier mast and in a direction they did not plan. They assume the race lost and resolve to just survive the storm.
Eventually they outrun the storm. They harness the wind of the hurricane to blow them ahead of it. Out of harms way they make thier way to the finish line. They are whole and unbroken revived by the new wind. They win the race beating the world record by hours and team one by 12 hours.. the 12 hours that they leaned into the storm. Team one finished... barely... broken, bitter, and battered by the storm.
The documentary struck me as ironic. How much are we like the sailboats? How often, when storms blow do we feel like dropping anchor and going to bed? What if we leaned into the wind? What if we allowed our storms to blow us in directions we didnt plan for? It might seem like the hurricane might sink us, and that we'd rather stay in safe harbor and venture out when things look safe. But what if we trusted the strength of the mast??
Lately it has seemed like my storm might break the ship apart. One storm after the other rocking my boat. "Such is life" they say.. Its all storms and trials.. but I guess its more how you weather them. How you deal with the problem that makes your life easier or harder.I was never promised calm seas. I wasnt even promised favorable winds. But what I was promised was that if I trusted the strength of the mast? Id make it to the end of the race in one piece.. possibly broken, possibly battered. But comepletely whole.
The other day, when I should have been doing something constructive,I was watching a sailboat race of some kind. Some wierdo documentary about these guys who raced accross the Atlantic.Two teams were racing against eachother, and the time of another team who had completed the race another time for a world record. Things went well until there was a storm. A really really big bad one.
So you have team one and team two. Team one is floudering, so is team two. Seems like things are not going to turn out well for either team. They are bickering and fighting amoungst eachother and cant seem to get together on how to fight the storm and still make headway.Both teams head for safe harbor, drop anchor and batten down to ride out the storm stationary.Team one burries themselves in thier bunks and goes to sleep. Crying over thier loses and bitter over the circumstance.
Then team two makes a decision, They lean into the wind. The storm isnt blowing in the direction that they need to go, and they will surely lose time on the world record, and likely team one. The wind isnt sending them in the direction they THINK they need to go. But the yeild to the wind and follow it. They are flying at an AMAZING breakneck speed..wild and unsure but trusting in the strength of thier mast and in a direction they did not plan. They assume the race lost and resolve to just survive the storm.
Eventually they outrun the storm. They harness the wind of the hurricane to blow them ahead of it. Out of harms way they make thier way to the finish line. They are whole and unbroken revived by the new wind. They win the race beating the world record by hours and team one by 12 hours.. the 12 hours that they leaned into the storm. Team one finished... barely... broken, bitter, and battered by the storm.
The documentary struck me as ironic. How much are we like the sailboats? How often, when storms blow do we feel like dropping anchor and going to bed? What if we leaned into the wind? What if we allowed our storms to blow us in directions we didnt plan for? It might seem like the hurricane might sink us, and that we'd rather stay in safe harbor and venture out when things look safe. But what if we trusted the strength of the mast??
Lately it has seemed like my storm might break the ship apart. One storm after the other rocking my boat. "Such is life" they say.. Its all storms and trials.. but I guess its more how you weather them. How you deal with the problem that makes your life easier or harder.I was never promised calm seas. I wasnt even promised favorable winds. But what I was promised was that if I trusted the strength of the mast? Id make it to the end of the race in one piece.. possibly broken, possibly battered. But comepletely whole.
Monday, September 11, 2006
We wont forget.
Today is the 5 year anniversary of the loss of 2973 americans. People like you and me who were just doing thier jobs.. making the coffee.. checking email.. making weekend plans...being a hero. All of them, just gone. I am listening to the loved ones of those we lost read the names at ground zero as I write this.I cant imagine the loss and pain this past 5 years has held for them. They gave up so much, just so someone who was angry could express thier madness.Steven just called, on his way to work, and left a message on our internet answering machine. Just everyday stuff, "I put this much money in the bank, I filled up the car... I love you, and I'll see you tonight." Usually I listen to the message and then erase it. But today... I think I'll leave it. How many wives did the same thing five years ago today?
I am watching President Bush stand bravely at the pentagon and listen. As much as he has been a disapointment. This is one instance where I am glad that he was there that day... and responded with words that still make me proud of him... even if living up to the promises he has been harder than even he imagined.
Tonight I plan to make a nice dinner and hold my kids till bedtime and to look at Steven with the eyes of a woman who lost her husband on a september morning five years ago.
I am watching President Bush stand bravely at the pentagon and listen. As much as he has been a disapointment. This is one instance where I am glad that he was there that day... and responded with words that still make me proud of him... even if living up to the promises he has been harder than even he imagined.
Tonight I plan to make a nice dinner and hold my kids till bedtime and to look at Steven with the eyes of a woman who lost her husband on a september morning five years ago.
Friday, September 08, 2006
This is our master bedroom. Pretty girly huh? Steven deals with it. I love the purple flowers above the bed. They were part of the trellis decoration at our wedding reception. The paint color on the wall looks more orange-y in the pictures but it matches the pink/salmon color in the bedspread exactly!
Roasted Pork Loin
I got a really great deal on some really fresh pork loin and some muchrooms yesterday and this is what I did with it... I entered this particular recipe in a "Make it with Mushrooms" contest for the mushroom council of America (I didnt actually know there was a MCA before yesterday)when I was looking up the name of the mushrooms I had bought... They were BUTTON mushrooms... tasty.
Funny story about this recipe.. it has white wine in it. Every few months I have to buy a bottle of red and a bottle of white wine.I freeze it in ice cube trays and store it for cooking in the freezer.As I dont drink generally, and as I live in a really small town where everybody knows everybody else, its interesting to actually BUY the wine. I go to a conservative church and since I am involved in ministry it is especially sticky... so anyway yesterday I was in the wine aisle at our grocery store (Id really LIKE to get my wine from a real wine shop.. but GAH! Try explaining THAT to sister Bertha better-than-you!)I was deciding between an Australian white and something random from California (never cook with wine that wouldnt taste good to drink, luckily our local Bi-lo has a pretty good selection as far as my budget goes) and round the corner? You guessed it. I looked like a guilty little kid... I stammered something like.. "hellosisterberthahowareyou?I ambuyingthiswinetogoinarecipeIamtryingtonightallthealcoholcooksoutIpromise" She just kinda stood there looking at me.... and I noticed her hand slowly moving into her cart..to sneakily cover something up. And then I saw it. A six pack of winecoolers. I had to giggle to myself.
Here is my recipe entry.
2 lb pork loin trimmed of excess fat
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary
3 or 4 garlic cloves minced
salt and pepper
1 lb mushrooms cleaned and cut in half
1 large onion sliced thinly
In a bowl combine wine,olive oil,rosemary and garlic. Salt and pepper the pork and place inside a roasting bag. Place onion and mushrooms over and around the pork and let rest in refrigerator at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake pork loin for 35-45 minutes.
remove pork and vegtables. Strain drippings and thicken with flour and water until gravy consistency. Serve over potatoes.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
rapidfire
I havent really felt much like blogging lately. Just a lot of BLARGH! going on. Here is a rapidfure update of junk and whatever.
1. Things One and Two were sick over the weekend. Some mystery wierdness. Fever,sore throat and tummy ache. It went as mysteriously as it came. Both are right as rain today. hmmmm
2. Our waterheater finally gave up the ghost last week. Saturday we purchased another one. Monday my Dad, my cousin, and my husband went to war with it, won, and it was installed. After some fine tuning and reversing all of the connections.. we turned it on? The heating element is bad in our BRAND SPANKING NEW GE WATERHEATER. GAH! *&%&^$*^(*^$%%#$%@$&^(!!!!!!!!! Of course I didnt use the actual bad language.. but it came close. Its been a week since I have had reliable running water.. and even longer since my house was normal.
3. I am SO sad over the loss of Croc Hunter Steve Irwin. We all realize that in the back of our minds we are all thinking. "Umm yeah.. Im not surprised that a wild animal killed him" But still. He has little kids, and he was an amazing advocate for the animal kingdom. We lost a good guy Sunday.
4. Recently our Sr Pastor resigned when he was promoted to be the overseer of the Northwest Region in the Church of God. This Sunday a vote was made and Bishop Joe Grice from Columbia was elected as our new shepheard. I am pretty happy with the selection. Since Things One and Two were ill, I was not there to make the vote, but Id have agreed had I been there. Pastor Joe had formerly been a member of the staff at Dillon Church of God, so he is not a stranger, and will make a good leader.
5.I am making Tortilla soup this week. I saw several chefs make it this week on FN and Im going to try it on my family. Kinda a dumbed down version, since no one here eats many onions or ANY peppers. I might make my very own little pot of it with all the yummy veggies in it. Other menu items this week include meatloaf and augrautin potatoes, with sauteed cabbage and beet salad, breakfast casserole and homemade sourdough toast, baked pesto pene with grilled chicken, and dressed out hot dogs with curly fries.Want some?
Did I miss anything?
1. Things One and Two were sick over the weekend. Some mystery wierdness. Fever,sore throat and tummy ache. It went as mysteriously as it came. Both are right as rain today. hmmmm
2. Our waterheater finally gave up the ghost last week. Saturday we purchased another one. Monday my Dad, my cousin, and my husband went to war with it, won, and it was installed. After some fine tuning and reversing all of the connections.. we turned it on? The heating element is bad in our BRAND SPANKING NEW GE WATERHEATER. GAH! *&%&^$*^(*^$%%#$%@$&^(!!!!!!!!! Of course I didnt use the actual bad language.. but it came close. Its been a week since I have had reliable running water.. and even longer since my house was normal.
3. I am SO sad over the loss of Croc Hunter Steve Irwin. We all realize that in the back of our minds we are all thinking. "Umm yeah.. Im not surprised that a wild animal killed him" But still. He has little kids, and he was an amazing advocate for the animal kingdom. We lost a good guy Sunday.
4. Recently our Sr Pastor resigned when he was promoted to be the overseer of the Northwest Region in the Church of God. This Sunday a vote was made and Bishop Joe Grice from Columbia was elected as our new shepheard. I am pretty happy with the selection. Since Things One and Two were ill, I was not there to make the vote, but Id have agreed had I been there. Pastor Joe had formerly been a member of the staff at Dillon Church of God, so he is not a stranger, and will make a good leader.
5.I am making Tortilla soup this week. I saw several chefs make it this week on FN and Im going to try it on my family. Kinda a dumbed down version, since no one here eats many onions or ANY peppers. I might make my very own little pot of it with all the yummy veggies in it. Other menu items this week include meatloaf and augrautin potatoes, with sauteed cabbage and beet salad, breakfast casserole and homemade sourdough toast, baked pesto pene with grilled chicken, and dressed out hot dogs with curly fries.Want some?
Did I miss anything?
Friday, September 01, 2006
Bloggy Parade of homes bathrooms!
In this weeks parade of homes we are showcasing our bathrooms.This is our master bath and I didnt realize it, but photographing a bathroom that size (teensie tinesie) is quite difficult. The angles dont allow for any sort of continuity. You cant tell that my theme really flows and it isnt so odd. I like our bathroom. The theme is dragonflies and I have had fun collecting them. I love the mosiac picture frames on the back of the toilet.. although I have yet to find an appropriate picture to go in them.. whos face do you put on the back of the pooper?
The other mosiac things I have in there are the garden stepping stones. I know they belong in the garden, but they were so cute I threw them up on the wall.
Cant wait to see how everyone else managed to photograph thier bathroom!
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