not so smart

So sometimes I think I’m just pretty stupid not so smart.  I did the Random Dozen thingy yesterday, and the last question was:

12. True story: Once, in a job interview, I was asked this question and told there would be no clarifying; I simply had to answer the question: “When you’re fishing, do you feel for the fish?” So what about you? Do you feel for the fish??

You know how sometimes you can read a sentence and because of structure or some unknown factor, you just can’t seem to read it correctly or inflect it correctly in your own head so that the sentence makes sense.  So… I kept staring at that question and for the life of me, couldn’t figure out what she was talking about.  feeling for the fish???  I kept thinking feeling around in the water.  What would be up with that?  So I pretty much just skipped that one.  I even talked in comments on somebody else’s blog about how my daughter’s class went on a field trip and they went fishing and the leader guy told them it was CPR fishing.  Catch. Picture and Release.  And how I felt SORRY for the fish because I didn’t want them to die while the kids rinky dinked around with them.  So I guess I did answer the question, just not here. And no, I still didn’t get the question, even while I was answering it somewhere else. Later, it hit me and I just kept saying DUH. 

So there ya go. My pretty stupid not so smart inner workings.

Random Dozen #11

1. What was the last song you listened to? I thought I was going to say that I didn’t know, but then I heard We Will Rock You coming out of my daughter’s iPod this morning. I have no idea why. lol

2. Have you ever had “buyer’s remorse” over anything? Yes, I did once on a car, but ended up loving it. Bought it just before hubs and I started dating. It was a red Honda Civic back when that model wasn’t the size of a tuna can. We drove the wheels off that car. And again on a house we signed the deal on probably a year after our son died. We couldn’t do it and pulled out of the deal. I am so thankful we did. I think about that all the time. It just wasn’t for us…and we just weren’t ready to let go of the house we ALL lived in.

3. What is something in your life that you are thankful for now that you didn’t think you would be at the time of the event? (Something that seemed ill-timed, inconvenient or hurtful which turned out to be a good thing) There was tremendous growth during the time our son was ill. Not necessarily thankful for the situation, but thankful for all I learned through it.

4. Do you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade every year? If so, do you have a favorite float or balloon? Nope. Don’t watch.

5. Share a quote, scripture, poem or lyric which has been an inspiration to you lately. When I was doing the Beth Moore study for a little while, she made a comment during one of the videos she said “may there never be a rock that has to cry out in my place”. I think we should all feel that way.

6. This is meant to be a fun question, and this is a G-rated blog, but please share a “guilty pleasure,” something that you enjoy that’s probably not the most edifying, time-worthy or healthy thing you could be indulging in. Did I mention this blog is rated G? Hmmm too much tv, overeating. How’s that?!

7. What Thanksgiving food are you looking forward to? Dressing! My mom taught me how to make it, thankfully. And it’s so good. And interestingly, it’s Paula Deen’s basic dressing recipe, almost to the T. I kinda got a kick out of that when I noticed it for the first time. I use biscuits instead of bread and I use the cornbread recipe on Aunt Jemima cornbread packages… because that’s what my mama told me to do. I do skip out on adding shortening to the skillet though. I just spray it with non stick spray. Oh yes, I also skip the celery. : p

8. What is your favorite book to read to children, or what was your favorite childhood book? Gosh, I have no idea. The kids had a children’s Bible and we read that to both of our kids. Especially loved reading it to our son, because he was so animated during the stories and would act everything out. Very funny and very cute. A bit poignant to think of that now, as I can also recall when he was too sick to do it anymore.

9. Do you collect anything? (Feel free to post a photo.) When I was little, I collected mouse things…stuffed animals, figurines, just about anything with a mouse on it. I have a ton of mouse Christmas ornaments. And lots of other things. I even had some bigger things. Eventually I decided a grown up should not have that sort of thing all over the place and I got rid of most of it. I only have a couple of them out now and they’re small and I’m pretty much the only one that notices them.

This is on my window ledge at the sink. The one on the left is a candle topper.

Had relatives that went through the ceramics phase in the 70’s and I received this as a gift. It’s above my kitchen cabinets…and yes I stood on a stool to take this picture.

No… this is not a dead mouse. Although it sorta looks like one. I am not exactly sure what it’s made out of, but it has certainly not aged well, let’s put it that way. It has fur on the outside, that I’m thinking might have been real fur of some sort. But this was my favorite toy when I was a kid. I had a cousin with one of these and also a little friend had one, and we would play “mousie” I got together with either of them. She had a little bed and little toys and it was like we were playing doll house, but with our mousies. I know.. strange. But hello.. I’ve still got her. She lives in a little cedar chest on my dresser.

10. Gift bags or wrapping paper? Both. If it’s not a square and I can’t figure out how to wrap it, it goes in a bag. And also, if I want to hide it’s shape, which is frequent with a kid in the house, then sometimes I’ll go for the gift bag… or a bigger box.

11. Share an after-school memory from when you were younger. What was your routine like on an average day? Snack, homework and play. I remember I never got to watch Truth or Consequences with Bob Barker at 4pm. My dad was coming home from work, so I always had to turn it off.

12. True story: Once, in a job interview, I was asked this question and told there would be no clarifying; I simply had to answer the question: “When you’re fishing, do you feel for the fish?” So what about you? Do you feel for the fish?? As always, there is always a curve ball question that I have no idea what it means, and this is the one for this week. I have no idea!

To see how everyone else answered these burning questions, head over to 2nd Cup and check it out.

not much to tell

Hi. I feel like I don’t have much to share. Life is just plugging along. And I’m not getting out much these days. It hit me last night that I haven’t put up a post in a week… probably close to some sort of record or something. Not that it matters to a hill of beans. But whatever.

I woke up yesterday morning at 4am and immediately started thinking about and praying for Stellan. I have been worried sick about him. And I waited… along with a zillion other people, for the news that came at the end of the day yesterday. His ablation went perfectly! I was so relieved.

I’m glad they got their miracle. (he is still a bit in the woods with another issue, but his heart is doing wonderfully)

That was my bright spot yesterday. So much so that I was bubbling over to talk about it when hubs got home. And even though he’s a compassionate person, he’s not drawn as deeply into ‘my internet stories’. But he humored me anyway.

And today…laundry. And more laundry. And a little Sam’s Club thrown in, just for funzies. How about you?

who are you going to be?

What’s the question kids get asked this time of year? That’s right, who are you going to be? I can’t remember very many things I ‘was’ growing up for Halloween. I know I was never all that thrilled with the costumes, no matter what they were.

Because they were just costumes. Not the real thing.

And no matter what I wore, it didn’t change who I was.

But the question still begs to be asked, even as an adult. Who are you going to be? Who am I going to be? Am I going to be the busy mom that doesn’t stop long enough to spend time with God? Or am I going to strive to be the person God wants me to be?

Not that I can make myself into anything or recreate myself, for it’s God who is at work in me, for His good pleasure. But still, I can be a negative spirit by not submitting to the urgings of God to stop and listen to what He wants me to do and how He wants to go about recreating me.

And the two most important ways that comes about is by prayer and reading His word. So see, I have to actively say, yes I am going submit to these activities, and in so doing, submit to the One who wants to live in me and recreate me into His image.

So back to the question…who am I going to be?

This is who I want to be.

This is the picture I have hanging above my fireplace. The first time I saw her, I wanted to be her. And I knew God wanted me to be her.

I love her so much. Sometimes I just sit and stare at her. She’s beautiful to me. Not just the picture itself, which is just a signed print, but her. She’s praying and she has her Bible open… because reading His word and prayer go hand in hand. I can’t really experience one without the other. They form a union that binds me to Himself.

And bring me to be who He is recreating me to be.

Her.

What’s for dinner?

What’s the most often asked question around my house… especially by the girl?  That’s right… what’s for dinner?!  Just three little words that can send shivers down my spine and drive me nuts all at the same time!

We have a long list of things we eat regularly.  Just about everybody does.  I’ve heard different people say most people buy the same hundred or so ingredients at the grocery store over and over again.  Aaaaand that would probably be because they eat combinations of the same foods over and over.

And the key word for us is combinations.

I have lots of cookbooks.  Granted most of the cookbooks I have, feature quick and easy meals, but face it, that’s what most of us eat every day, isn’t it?

I love magazines…..

but food magazines are my favorites…..

But here’s the deal… the actual low down on eating at my house.  Yes there are tons of fancy recipes in all the magazines I get the in mail (but…).  So yesterday I was reading my new Southern Living magazine, which is a feast for the eyes, if not the tummy. And I turned the page and look what I saw….

One of our very own… The Pioneer Woman and an article about her cookbook.  I’m sure every one of her recipes is is delicious.  But….

we can’t eat like that.  We each have our issues.  From cholesterol problems (hubs), to needing to lose weight (ME!), to problems eating certain foods (Boo Boo AND me!).

So strolling through the recipes provided in the magazine just brought that gnawing question back to my mind… what’s for dinner?  Granted, these recipes are lovely. But there is a lot of beef (which I can’t cook much of, because of Miss Boo) and a lot of dairy * (which Boo and I can’t tolerate) and fat… which hello… NONE of us need to eat a steady diet of that.  And I don’t mean to pick on PW here, it’s everywhere.  Decadence… butter, oil, cheese.

So what is one to do? 

How about convenience foods?  I told hubs the other day that it would be a lovely thing if just every once in a while, I could just pop open a box of something from the freezer, nuke it, or bake it and call it dinner.  But we can’t. Just about everything in the frozen section is forbidden to us for one reason or another.  (sigh)

So, I have my grocery list with the things we’ll eat this weekend… simple things.  I am always on the lookout for recipes, new combinations of the things we can eat, so we can have creative, delicious meals. Sometimes I succeed. 

And sometimes I don’t. 

* Regarding the dairy. I know there are alternatives.  Boo uses rice milk in her cereal (and takes calcium chewables also).  But it doesn’t work in recipes very well… like exchanging rice milk for regular milk in something like corn bread, for instance.  It ends up doughy and as Alton Brown would say, that’s not good eats! There is also soy milk, which she and I drank for a few years before it started to ahem.. not work out for us.  Even some of the ‘fake’ cheeses still have a milk base.  Believe me, my eyes are wide open to substitutions. And I am constantly strolling the health food store for other options.  It just seems like they usually don’t work out for us.

And now I’m off to buy a few things for the weekend, including the ground turkey for the chili we’ll enjoy tonight and tomorrow.

Random Dozen # 9

1. Tell me something about your favorite teacher.  My English teacher in 7th grade (I think it was 7th) encouraged me to write and drew me out of my shell a little bit, since I was very shy.

2. Tell me about one pivotal moment in your life.  Well, coming to know Christ is one. Of course that changed my whole viewpoint on everything. And our son’s illness/death was definitely another. That took us into another world we never thought we’d enter. That also really changed our viewpoint on things.

3. About favorite colors--a lot of people will ask you what it is, but I want to know why it is. What feeling or memory does it evoke?  From when I was a little girl, I’ve always loved pink. It’s feminine and girlie, I guess.  I like to wear it, but I don’t have anything pink in my house. If I were choosing…say… an iPod Touch cover… I would want the hot pink! : )

4. What's a sure sign that you're getting older?  Gray hair. bifocals. Wanting to sit while I do my hair.  Forgetfulness.  Taking naps.  (Oh wait.. you said “A” sign… oops, sorry!)

5. Please don't sermonize, but Halloween--is it a yes or no for you?  It’s a no.

6. What's your favorite musical?  I don’t know very many musicals so maybe Mary Poppins.  Does that count? 

7. Are you more of a city mouse or country mouse?  Probably at heart, I would be a country mouse unless there are bugs.  And no Walmart.  (This answer provided by my hubby since he read over the questions while he was putting on his shoes. And he was correct, so I let him answer this one!)

8. Did you know that it is possible, for a small fee, to name a real star after someone? (It's true! Google it!) If someone were to name a star for you, would you appreciate it for its whimsy and romance, or would you say, "Are you kidding me? For $19.95 we could have gone to the movie and actually bought popcorn."  Would rather have the movie and the popcorn at this stage in life.

This question comes from Paula at His Ways Are Not Our Ways.
9. What's the craziest thing you've ever been doing and texted during it? I only thought of this b/c I was about to try to text during my walking video but I didn't.  I hardly ever text. And I stink at it.  Hey… maybe that’s another sure sign of age.  So I haven’t texted while doing anything else ever. It takes my full attention.  LOL

10. "It's not a party unless _______."  …there is food and laughter and friends.

11. When you're stuck in traffic or a waiting room, what do you do to pass the time? PS: There are no magazines available.  Bring my own book and read.  Or pray.  Or boring things like counting chairs and people watching.

12. If you weren't yourself, would you be friends with you? I think so. 

There ya go, y’all.  Another Random Dozen. To see how other people answered these questions, check out Linda at 2nd Cup.

distressed stool, a DIY

Since I’ve gotten, shall we say, a little more advanced in years, the idea of plopping my little butt tail end down while I blow dry my hair and put on make up is becoming more and more attractive.

Enter the plain ole little stool I bought recently when we make a trip over to Ikea.   There it is sitting under the test glass door for the other project I did recently.

I couldn’t decide how I wanted to paint it but then decided I’d kinda like to paint and distress it.  So I did.

I’m not original, but I know how to copy things I’ve seen tutorials of. So that’s what I did. I used the products the girls at Shanty 2 Chic recommend and checked several of their projects to kind of figure it all out. 

I painted it with Rust-oleum American Accents spray paint in a cream-ish color.  Then I sanded the edges a tad.  Then I used Ralph Lauren faux technique glaze in tobacco (in hindsight, I think I bought one shade too dark for me).  It seemed a bit heavy even after wiping the glaze back off, so I ragged some more of it off with a damp cloth and it came out perfect. 

When I was happy with the way the glaze looked, I decided to seal it with polycrylic.

This is old stuff I used for a project a few years ago. I didn’t know if it was any good or not, but I gave it a shot.  When I used it a few years ago, it seemed effortless to use.  So easy.  But maybe the stuff was a little old, because it was making bubbles when I used a cheap paintbrush. So!  I sanded some of that down, and put a couple more coats on using a lint free cloth and it did fine.

Turned out really cute, don’t you think?!

Just the right amount of color and distress.

Love it.  This was a nice practice piece to see if I liked the colors and technique. I have a bigger piece that may or may not get redone at some point.