Feast and Flu Survival

Whew. It has been a pretty rough week around here. Doug came down with the flu Saturday night / Sunday morning. Amanda and I came down with it on Tuesday... or was it Wednesday? Must have been Tuesday. Anyway, so far James has survived it. I'm so glad to be feeling "alive" again. I have actually showered, paid bills, balanced the checkbook and started a load of laundry... already today! That more than quadruples what I've accomplished in the last few days...

Here is this week's feast:

Appetizer:
Who was the last person you hugged? I'm pretty sure that the last person I hugged was Amanda... when I gave her a goodnight hug last night. Hmmmm. Guess that I need to go hug someone today.

Soup:
Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us. I've heard this from a couple of different sources... Brush your hair 100 strokes every night before bed. I think that it is supposed to stimulate hair growth and distribute your natural oils evenly over your hair... or something.

Salad:
What does the color yellow make you think of? Sunshine!!!! This is something that I haven't had nearly enough of lately. Oh, what I wouldn't give for a week at the beach... at a warm beach!

Main Course:
If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around? Actually, I love taking pictures... of lots of different types of subject matter. I guess that if I could have my choice, it would have to be "nature" stuff. Doug always laughs at how many "flower" pictures I take... especially in the Spring. I love to take macro mode pictures of the blooms... they're so beautiful. I also love to take pictures while we are hiking... trail shots... overlooks... and the such. So, I guess my short answer would be - nature.

Dessert:
What was the longest book you ever read? I have no idea... It was probably something that I was forced to read in high school or something... surely the paperback mysteries and real-life crime books that I've read as of late wouldn't win a "high page count" contest. I'm sure that any of the hundreds of kiddo books that I've read in the last few years wouldn't win either... I know, lame answer, but I really don't know...

Time to Feast Again

Wow... with the abbreviated week last week (and this week, too), it is already time for the Friday's Feast! These are always fun for me. I hope that you enjoy them, too. Speaking of "you"... does anyone still even read my blog? If you do, drop me a comment so that I know someone is out there.

Ok... here we go!

Appetizer:
Have you ever played a practical joke on anyone? If so, what did you do and who was your victim? Oh boy. I've been involved in many a practical joke. I've helped mastermind a few (like having the State Police call a co-worker who had altered the expiration date on his temporary license plate)... helped coordinate a few (like when a different co-worker was supposed to meet a financial broker... but, it turned out to be a 30-year surprise birthday party). I used to work with the MASTER of practical jokes. He was the best... But, the one that sticks out in my mind that was 100% my doing was done to Doug on our honeymoon. We were standing at the deck railing on the cruise ship, and I violently gestured out that I had seen a dolphin... or maybe a whale... But, when I did, I pretended that my brand new wedding ring had flown off of my hand, deep into the blue Carribbean. I had already taken my ring off and put it into my pocket. I didn't let Doug go on too long before telling him it was a joke (it was April Fool's Day!).

Soup:
What do your salt and pepper shakers look like? They are kind of "chunky" and are royal blue. They match the flour, sugar, etc. cannisters that sit in our kitchen.

Salad:
Where is the next place you plan to visit (on vacation or business)? We have been talking about this lately... since we just returned from our last vacation (the Smokies). I know that we will be visiting Augusta, GA in May for our niece's 2nd birthday... we might even take a trip down there before May. So, that will more than likely be our next vacation destination.

Main Course:
What kind of lotion or cream do you use to keep your hands from getting too dry? Good question... I've been using a lot of it lately. While we were on vacation, I was totally paranoid that we would all get sick, so I washed my hands TONS. I've been using a bunch of Arbonne Intelligence Body Lotion. It seems to do the trick. If things get way out of hand (so to speak), I use Eucerin Cream.

Dessert:
Make up a dessert, tell us its ingredients, and give it a name. Well, it would have to be something involving chocolate... Ok, take some very rich and gooey made-from-scratch brownies... cut a large square and place it on a plate that has been drizzled with raspberry syrup. Then, put fresh raspberries in more syrup over the top of the brownie... top with a blob of fresh whipped cream. I would call it Chocolate Amore. It's probably been done before... but that's what I've come up with this early in the morning. Two of my favorites...

Have a great weekend!

Late Feast...

Since we were out of town with NO internet access and little contact with the "real world" last Friday, I was unable to do Friday's Feast then... Here it is, just a few days late. Enjoy!

Appetizer:
Name one thing that is unique about you. Oh boy... I'm thinking... and thinking and thinking. This is tough. There are several things about me that I would consider "rare"... but not totally unique. I guess the combination of these things make me unique! I am a part-Italian, bagpipe-playing, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, animal lover, mother, wife and nature lover... and, I really haven't even played the pipes for quite some time... so, I guess that doesn't count...

Soup:
Fill in the blank: My favorite _________ is __________ but I like _________ too. My favorite season is Summer but I like Spring and Fall, too. I love to be outside in the warm sun. It's great to be able to splash in the water with the kids... tend to the garden... mow the yard. I love it! Spring is fun because you get to open up the windows, hear the birds singing and see flowers start to bloom. Fall is fun because of the beautiful colors, bonfires and camping. I'm not really into Winter. Too cold...

Salad:
What type of wood do you have for your home’s furnishings? We have a little bit of this... and a little bit of that. Our dining room table, chairs and hutch are oak. The furniture in our master bedroom is stained a dark cherry color, but I'm not sure what type of wood it is. The rest of the stuff is kind of a hodge-podge... although it doesn't look as bad as that sounds.

Main Course:
Who do you talk to most often on the phone? Doug. I probably bug him too much during the day. But, it is so nice to hear his voice, especially when he has to work so late. The kids enjoy getting to call Daddy during the day to tell them what they've done, too.

Dessert:
What level of responsibility do you have in your job? I have a TON of responsibility. I am a mommy... a referee... a doctor... a teacher... an entertainer... a cook... a CEO of the household... I am ultimately responsible for the safety, education, feeding of, caring of, etc, etc. for two children, one dog, three cats, and a bazillion gallons of fish. I have much more responsibility here than in any other job that I have ever held. Of course, it is by far the most rewarding, too!

Back to the Flatland

We had a GREAT time in the Smokies! We arrived on Thursday afternoon... and didn't come home until yesterday. We celebrated Valentine's Day, Mimi's birthday and Amanda's birthday. I made a neat flower-shaped cake for the official celebration. Everyone really enjoyed themselves. The cabin that we stayed in was awesome! We were able to take Shasta along with us. She did really well... It took her a couple of days to get settled into a new home with new "puppy procedures", but overall she did great.

We did some shopping at the outlet mall in Pigeon Forge. As usual, I loaded up on stuff for the kids and managed to get nothing for me or Doug. We spent some time in the National Park... did the Cades Cove loop drive. The kids really had fun running around one of the open fields there... kinda like a scene out of "Little House on the Prairie". It was in the low 60s the day that we did that. We tried to go back a second time to take Mimi and Anzie through, but the road was closed due to trees being down. The last full day that we were there, the winds were horrible. I thought that the cabin was going to blow off the mountain.

Dean and Doug did some geocaching and hiking. The hiked to the top of Mt. LeConte on the super-windy day. Dean said that he felt like Jim Cantore at one point... just about to blow off of the mountain.

We are trying to get things back to normal today. Laundry... running errands... you know how it goes. I only wish that we could have stayed for a few more days. It is just so relaxing and beautiful there... As always, we'll try to get some pictures out here sometime.

Mini-Reunion

Yesterday afternoon I had a wonderful time with two girlfriends from college. One I hadn't seen since the day we graduated... nearly 16 years ago. The three of us met for lunch at Panera - one of my favorite places that I never get to go to anymore. We ate and talked, talked and talked. We finally had to say goodbye... about four hours later. We decided that it would be great to make our get-togethers a monthly event.

I'm trying to switch gears today and start to get things ready for our little trip to the Smokies. I have all of my cake making/decorating supplies stacked up and ready to go. I still need to finish a bit of shopping for various birthdays... and I don't know when I'm going to get it done. I was going to do some yesterday, but after my extended lunch I felt too guilty about leaving my family again last night. It will all work out.

We spent way too much money at Hobbytown on Saturday... but, we have all of the track for our cool HO layout. It has all been put together on the train table. Wow it looks SO neat! I can't wait to move forward more on the project and get some scenery in place. It definitely will be a work of art that evolves over time. For now, we're having fun running freight cars around and through the many switches that are on it. If only I had some photo editing software... I could post some pictures. Drat.

Doug got a call from the company that he submitted his resume to a few weeks ago!! Four of the "top guys" want to talk to him. I'm so excited to see how this works out..

No Feast Today

Well, the Feast website is having some troubles today... so, no feast. I thought about going back to look at other blogs to find an old "feast" to use. However, when I did that, I found that my answers were tainted by what other people had answered. So, I guess we wait until next week.

Shasta has begun her "short departure" crate training. This is for training her to go into the crate during the day when we have to go somewhere. Yesterday, we did four departures ranging from one to two minutes... and, she did great! At first, she resisted going into her crate... but, by the third time, she ran right to her crate when I told her to "kennel up". Each time when we went back to get her, she was laying down just relaxing and listening to her classical music. We may be on the right track! Woohoo!!

Well, I need to go in search of the Thomas track signal... Have a good weekend.

Wow!

Ok... I haven't said much about our canine friend, Shasta, lately. Honestly, I can't believe how well things are going. Sure, she has chewed two more leashes while hanging out in the truck... but, aside from that, we are seeing huge improvements!

She has been sleeping all night in her crate since the first day we started the prozac and sleeping medications. That in itself is a miracle. Well, last night when it was time for bed, Doug told her to "kennel up" and she went in there and got into her crate all by herself! Then, this morning after her potty break, she went back into the crate totally on her own! THEN, later this morning when Doug and the kids were playing back in that end of the house, she went back into the crate and laid down... all by herself! WOW... that is all that I can say!

That Was Easy

Doug is just THE best. I often write on here about how bummed and mad I am that he has to work so much. It's only because I miss having him around here. Well, ok... maybe I want some help with the kiddos, too.

Anyway, the other day he had to go to Staples to get some paper to print his resume on. He got a surprise gift for me while he was there... Here it is:


When you push the button, it proudly says, "That was easy!" We are all having a blast with it. Even when something wasn't easy... like changing the worst, ickiest diaper in the universe... hitting the button makes you laugh and changes your mindset. It is sitting on the corner of the hutch in the dining room, making it easy to access for all who pass by.

Thanks, Doug!

Friday's Feast

Appetizer:
What is your favorite kind of cereal? Wow, right now I would have to say Frosted Mini Wheats. I like them with a little bit of milk - don't like them soggy! I like the crunchiness and the sweet frosting on one side. Surprisingly, it is one of Amanda's favorites, too.

Soup:
When was the last time you purchased something for your home, what was it, and in which room did it go? Oh boy. I really had to think on this one. I think that the last time we got something big for our home it was one year ago. We got a really nice BIG flat screen TV to watch the Colts in the SuperBowl. It is in our family room... and gets used on a daily basis to watch Thomas and Friends... we watch other things occasionally, too.

Salad:
What is the funniest commercial you’ve ever seen? I just love the Budweiser commercials every year during the SuperBowl. Honestly, the funniest one? I guess it would have to be the one where the Clydesdales are playing football in the field. They call for a review on the play, and a zebra looks into the hooded monitor to review the play.

Main Course:
Make up a name for a company by using a spice and an animal (example: Cinnamon Monkey). the Sage Salamander

Dessert:
Fill in the blank: I haven’t ______ since ______. I haven't had my cholesterol checked since before Amanda was born. I guess that it's probably about time, huh?