Dirty? Thirty

This was sent to me in an e-mail this week, and I thought I'd post it just for kicks. It was called the "Dirty Thirty" which is sorta weird, considering the friend who sent it, and the Mom life we both lead! I guess with a different lifestyle, the answers might end up on the "dirty" side? I just realized as I was cutting and pasting that there was not a number 26, so I will add one of my own. I also may change the questions slightly to get a better answer, maybe!

1. In two words, explain what ended your last relationship?
leaving home (this was before college! whew! long ago!)

2. When was the last time you shaved your legs?
yesterday morning

3. What were you doing this morning at 8am?
I was meeting with my Moms in Touch group---praying for our school kids

4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago?
driving home from the grocery store

5. Are you any good at math?
Sure, but not as good as I used to be, and not as good as my husband!

6. Your prom night?
I had two---Jr. Prom was a fun with girls night, and Sr. Prom was a fun date with a friend, but he turned it into something special

7. Do you have any famous ancestors?
Not really

8. Have you ever taken out a loan to pay for school?
Actually, no. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

9. Do you know the words to the song on your myspace profile?
I don't have a myspace profile. But I do have a profile here on Blogger---take a look at it!

10. Last thing received in the mail?
A birthday card for J, bill, a Build-a-Bear Workshop holiday catalog/ad

11. How many different beverages have you had today?
Two---water and a Coke

12. Do you ever leave messages on people's answering machines?
Yes---I'm not afraid of that!

13. Who did you lose your CONCERT virginity to?
Survivor in 1985---Eye of the Tiger!

14. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?
I will, but I don't think I did when we were in South Padre this summer.

15. What's the most painful dental procedure you've had?
I have had several root canals. But the pain is in my teeth before the procedure, and I feel much better afterwards!

16. What is out your back door?
Our deck, Zuzu, dog dishes, dead plants!

17. Any plans for Friday night?
Well, my "date" Larry will be working until 9:00, so my plans will involve doing things with the kids. T.V. shows Numbers or Monk, anyone?

18. Do you like the ocean?
Yes!

19. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different kinds of popcorn for Christmas?
Yes, and J was selling them this past month (Boy Scouts), so I bought a 3-way cheese one for B.

20. Have you ever been to a planetarium?
Maybe? if so, it's been a long time ago, but maybe I haven't.

22. Something you are excited about?
Today is J's birthday! I will be taking him a Freebird's burrito for his school lunch, and for dinner I am making steak and shrimp, steamed veggies, and grapes. He is eleven years old. No more McDonald's Happy Meals for him! The steak and shrimp was a "special" from Angel Food Minstries. He is a shrimp lover, as am I. So I am excited about food. And the birthday---I hope it's a fun day for J even at school.

23. What is your favorite flavor of JELLO?
cherry

24. Are any of your great-grandparents still alive?
No, but I had one alive that we got 5 generation pictures with when J was a baby.

25. Describe your keychain:
A few too many keys, cross with purple stones on it (my own purchase), a keychain with my initial on it with a turquois/tan/white ribbon attached (a gift), mini-Blockbuster card and mini-Kroger card

26. What is your dream Halloween costume?
Okay, this one is added just because we are one day before Halloween and it's on my mind. I would love to have a pretty dress like what you see in the beginning of Gone With the Wind---that pretty green adn white one from the party.

27. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group of people?
How large? I did devo last Tuesday morning at my work for about 15 people.

28. What kind of winter coat do you have?
I have the coat I got when Larry and I had our first Valentine's day as a married couple. It's red and has a zip out liner, which I just about never wear down here in my part of Texas. I only zip in the liner when it's down in the 30s, otherwise, I sweat in it!

29. What was the weather like during your high school graduation?
I don't remember, but it was probably warm and sunny.

30. Do you sleep with the door to your room open or closed?
Closed, but our house has settled such that it doesn't close completely without using a strong arm, so it's usually cracked.

My twins---almost

This was my celebrity look-alikes from the picture I had to use. The one with me looking better had no matches! But here it is with the shiny-faced picture. Do you agree? My long-time friends would be amazed that Sissy Spacek (spelling?) isn't on here! She's the celebrity most-often associated with me!

Here's a few shots of what we've been up to this week.

At school it was "Red Ribbon Week." This is the "Just say NO" week---a week against drugs. On Monday I walked around B's school as we chanted anti-drug type stuff. It was wear red day, and it was pretty fun.

Tuesday was the 50th day of school and hence, 50s Day. Yahoo! I made this skirt for B when she was in Kindergarten, so this is the 3rd year on it. I think we have at least two more years she can wear it.

J's school had Red Ribbon Week, too, but none of the special things except wear red on Friday. This wouldn't be a big deal if they didn't wear uniforms all the time otherwise.

I think my kids have gotten the "Don't Do Drugs" message, here at home and at school. Of course, because of certain influences, J is always saying stuff like, "Somebody's on crack!" if someone says something dumb or just weird. Maybe it shouldn't be a joke, drug use, that is, but here we are. Junior High is next, and I know the humor is going downhill in a hurry.

Today was our SUPER Busy Day. Two days to J's birthday. Three to Halloween. So of course, all the fun activities of the month have to fall upon this weekend. I have probably let B do too much for her 8 year-old body!

The Girl Scout Renaissance Faire was today from 9 to 3. It was a lot of fun. I stayed on as a chaperone. The weather couldn't have been more great. The first thing the girls did was make wedding cakes. Did you know that in the times of the Renaissance, if you were invited to a wedding, you brought your own little cake? Then the cakes would all be piled up together, and the bride and groom would try to kiss over the cakes for good luck.

They had tons of crafts to make today. The decorated their own Coat of Arms. B drew a snake on hers, with a snake symbolizing "wisdom" and blue colors representing loyalty and truth. They decorated goblets with jewels. They made masks with feathers and more "jewels" and glitter (girls and glitter---always a winning combination). They made sparkly headbands and leather amulets (B's was a turtle).

Some time before lunch, B turned her ankle while we walked on a road. I wasn't sure what to make of it, But Lis, our leader, picked her up and got an Ace bandage and ice for her. She seems to be fine now, and probably she is doing well since we took care of it like we did. Here's a picture of one of the "knights" who payed her some attention with her foot wrapped.

At lunch we picnicked and it was just beautiful. Lis brought a fun game they played long ago. B and her friend from school, M, are playing it. You toss the ring back and forth with the two sticks.

The girls had a lot of activities, too. They shot a catapult, bowled with pumpkins, juggled, had their faces painted, and cooked bread over a campfire. But their favorite thing to do was the stilts. B had already hurt her ankle, and she was VERY disappointed that she didn't get to do this activity.

We came home and had to nap after this day! That really was probably quite enough fun for one day. The next thing was a Halloween party in the evening, and now B is at a lock-in with her daddy and J.

J had a show last night and tonight; he was "the moon" as in hey Diddle Diddle", and Jack---as in Horner, Sprat, . . . and Jill, and . . . and the Beanstalk. It was a monlogue, and was very funny. He is good at what he does! After the show, the lock-in began.

The party was an invite from one of her friends from school, one of the girls we went to the Renaissance Faire with! I am sure she was super tired, too!! They have 4 kids, and they invite just Everyone to this party, which they've hosted for many years now. It's a fun time. I love all the dress up and the talking with the other parents and teachers who come.

Life is good! I'm tired now, and have already set my clocks back! :-)

Tagged by Janet L.

Okay, it did happen! I got a really busy week, and didn't post anything for a full week. I am trying not to do this!!

One thing that's been bothering me is that Janet tagged me about her book list, and now I need to post my answers. But I am not well read in my current life-era! I felt like my next post had to be what Janet tagged me with! Heehee! So here goes, for anyone who might like to know:


1.One book that changed my life: I think it was a V.C. Andrews book---Flowers in the Attic? I think it was the first book I read that I thought to myself, “Maybe I ought not to read this!” (And it changed my life in that my innocence was interrupted!)

2.One book you have read more than once: All of the Chronicles of Narnia Books. (and yet another go-round with my kids)

3. One book you would want on a desert island: As cliché as it sounds, I really would like to have the Bible there. It's poetry, stories, and inspration all in one.

4. One book that made you laugh: The Stinky Cheese Man (a kids’ book---but very funny!)

5. One book that made you cry: In Case You Ever Wonder by Max Lucado. Not much really makes me cry except things tied to my being a mother. I can't read this one without being choked up.

6. One book you wish you had written: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (that would have made me millions of dollars!!)

7. One book you wish had never been written: Private Parts by Howard Stern----see? I don't have time to read really bad books, so I have to just name one I don't like just based on what I know about the author!

8. One book you are currently reading: I am currently between books, but just finished Memoirs of a Geisha, which I did like a lot.

9. One book you have been wanting to read: I have quite a list. But I welcome any recommendations. This list made me take a 30-minute side track to make a list for myself as I go to the library this afternoon. How about Like Water for Chocolate? It's on Janet's booklist and I had considered it before. Or The Notebook? The movie made me cry like a baby. In a theater---now that's a bit much for me!

10. Booktag five other people: my Mom (but no blog to post upon!), and anyone else who would like to respond. I don't know who would actually write their answers out, but really, I am interested in hearing your answers so I can get some ideas for myself.

11. One book you would like to see made into a movie: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. This is the first book, and I pick this one since I'd actually like to see a few movies made of the books in this series. I like stuff that takes me to another place, and this one took me to Botswana .

12. One (or in my case, two series of books) children's book you always recommend: All the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. You are always rooting for her, and learning about another time at the same time. Latest favorite series is the Series of Unfortunate Events. The last book, The End, came out this month. It's really witty; very enjoyable for the kids Jamie's age and adults, too.

13. One young adult book you always recommend: Any of the Madeline L’Engle books

14. One book character you'd like to have lunch with: Ninny Threadgoode from Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistletop Cafe.

I have taken a long time today just contemplating these answers. I have a headache that really won't go away, a little bit of sore throat, and a queasy stomach. A good excuse to just take it easy today and play on the computer!

What do you see?

This is the result of the book my preschool class and I made this past month. I am so proud! It is the best class book I've ever made, I think.

I started reading the Eric Carle illustrated book,Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See? , authored by Bill Martin, Jr. to my class. They, of course, knew this book already. One or two days we made our own paper, with sponges, roller paintbrushes, combs, or anything else. Ididn't at this point tell them that they were making an animal. I just had them make the paper. I know from experience that if you tell them you're going to make their paper into a rabbit, for example, they will paint a rabbit. But this isn't the point of the experence. I want them to make the book in the Eric Carle style---cut paper to make shapes, when put together, will make the animal.

Another day we discuss what their favorite animals are. I made them each pick a different one, which was distressing to some since lots of boys wanted "fierce animals," as one student put it! I tried my best to get something for each of them that they would like. At this point the book is in my hands, and the kids don't really have a lot to do with it. Unfortunate! At this point in our school year, though, most don't have the skills to cut something so precise. I found templates everywhere---Internet coloring pages, mostly. I actually had a parent cut the animals out for me. I made lily pads and water and land mass out of the scraps of paper. I typed up and order for the book, and---ta-daa!----I have a book I'm really proud of.

I think anyone could make a book like this. And what I love is being able to teach kids about how things are made. To make kids notice things they haven't noticed before, that's a teacher's job. And Eric Carle's artwork is really simple, and i hope now that we've done this, I can inspire them to make things on their own with scraps of beautiful paper.

Locomotives on Parade #29

We have noticed the trains back around town. The auction was in September, complete with a concert by Clint Black. The newspaper says that there was a bunch of money raised for future art exhibits for the George Bush Presidential Library. This one was one we never saw, so since we saw it now, we had to get the picture!! I think we were up to 25.

This train was sponsored by the Astin Mansion,
called the Astin Mansion Express. It was in downtown Bryan orginally, somewhere I could never find. Now it is at the west end of Sue Haswell Park. The artist was Allison Randleman. The train looked like it was made of pieces of marble.

I was hoping there would be a big rundown of the prices of the trains, and where they were ending up. I don't know which ones are now "public art" and are staying around or anything. I guess there is someone who I could call at the museum!

Saturday I am going to pick up the Angelfood box again. I got the special box of "surf and turf"---steak and breaded shrimp. I thought of J, and maybe it'll be his special birthday dinner.

I took B to her Brownies meeting today. The troop officially began working on their religious medals. B is the only one not a Catholic, so our program has different things to do. Today's first activity, though, fit right in with one of B's----to talk about the gifts God has given you, and then discuss how you can use these gifts to glorify God. The Catholic girls also had to tell one thing they wanted to get better at, and write down steps towards being better. Like better at not hitting my brother? Like better about cleaning up my room? We had a song and B and I read some scripture passages their books suggested. we read about Jesus being at the temple as a young boy, teaching the teachers there. And B read about the body being many parts, but each part is important. The leader talked to them about how they will grow up and fulfill their part in the body of Christ. To the left is her vest. I kept trying to get it to post with yesterday's post, but it wouldn't. Sigh.

points I'm pondering

Brief notes on my Random Thoughts:

• My uncle is still in the hospital and Mom is back in Texas (I think---I talked to her in while she sat in the Memphis airport yesterday!) There is a big possibility that his kidney, the only working one he has, the one which is 57 years old and actually was my Mom's kidney, might fail. If you're a praying type, pray for my Uncle John.
• It's raining here. A lot! My backyard is a swamp, which I haven't seen in a while. Like in a few years. I know why the previous homeowners built a deck right off the back door. We had that 2-4 inches last week, and now we have this today. It's "training" over our area today. I really love it. I'm an indoors girl. I'm happy here inside typing away! But man, do I really want to go take a nap instead of do laundry and dishes and the other tasks I have before me.
• I got to look through the book of Try-It patches for B's Brownie Scout activities. I thought I'd teach one of them to the girls in the spring. (Her troop leader is expecting in March!) I got all the patches on her vest and I think it looks so cool! These are all from last year, I think. She is excited about working on her religious medal. She did two activities yesterday, and she is very thoughtful in thinking about these special scriptures. We went over "The Golden Rule" yesterday, and she and her daddy went over Matthew 10:42---doing the small things will be rewarded. That one she had to draw a picture with it also. Oh! I guess it was 3 things, because we also did John 3:16 and she had that one memorized already. All 3 of those things she had to "discuss with her parent/guardian." Saturday she did a cool name plaque after reading about Jabez in I Chronicles 4:9-10.
• Today is my Half Birthday! I will be cooking chicken soft tacos for tonight's dinner. In the crock pot are some chicken breasts for the filling. Easy and yummy, and there will be leftovers for lunches and such this week. Tomorrow I will be closer to 36 than 35. J's birthday will be at the end of the month.
• I just heard on the TV that in a study in England, the kids with the biggest heads at one year old had the best IQs later in life.

Zucchini recipe

I copied this info off the Taste of Home website. I think the link wasn't available maybe because you have to log in to get on that site.


Stuffed Zucchini Boats
This savory side dish from Billie Moss of El Sobrante, California is reason enough to give zucchini extra space in your garden. "I like to serve these veggie-stuffed boats with a loaf of homemade bread and slices of melon and avocado nestled on crisp lettuce leaves," she suggests. "They're also wonderful paired with any meat."
INGREDIENTS
4 medium zucchini
1 egg
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
3/4 cups dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese

SERVINGS 8
CATEGORY Side Dish
METHOD Baked
PREP 20 min.
COOK 20 min.
TOTAL 40 min.
DIRECTIONS
Trim ends of zucchini; place in a steamer basket. In a saucepan, bring 1 in. of water to a boil; add basket. Cover and steam for 5 minutes. When zucchini is cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-in. shell. Set pulp aside. In a bowl, beat the egg; add spinach, bread crumbs, tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and zucchini pulp. Spoon into zucchini shells. Place in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes. Top each with tomatoes and Swiss cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 8 servings.

Celebrating with Food

The Before:
I took pictures of food again, so I thought I'd share. The guys in the family gave this a thumbs up. And J gave his "bravo" which is high praise around here. They are called Stuffed Zucchini Boats and I made them in honor of . . . (drumroll please) . . . Columbus Day. What recipes did you put forth for Columbus Day? What? No special recipes for this holiday?

The After:

Did you know that in Venezuela they instead celebrate Día de la Resistencia Indígena instead of Columbus Day? Can you translate that? It's "Day of Indigenous Resistance". Isn't this going a bit too far? As we ate our dinner, I Googled "Columbus Day" and came up with this tidbit.

Okay, I am not really a Columbus Day fanatic. I really don't celebrate it every year, at all, ever! But I did see this reciepe for Stuffed Zucchini Boats, and they were promoting them as a Columbus Day food. I wanted to make little masts for the boats out of popcicle sticks and paper, but I didn't. I definitely liked the combination of foods here. OH! I did not use any spinach in them, as is called for, since there was no fresh spinach in the grocery store when I shopped!

I DO love to celebrate the little days through the year with food. Anytime I can make a theme, I like to. Yesterday was orange day at my preschool. Orange dinner? I didn't, but I could have! (Think Cheese-its, oranges, creamy pasta, carrot sticks, pumpkin pie?) Chinese New Year? I did! Sticky Chins Day? Oh, wait 'till I tell you about that one in February. It's our family holiday, celebrating our first date. Ice cream for dinner! We all look forward to this one. My half birthday? Well, I have no food associations for this "holiday" but I definitely celebrate the halfs around here. My half birthday is Monday! Half a cake, anyone? Half a birthday song? Or shall we sing it "Happy half birthday to you?"

Uncles and books

I thought I 'd give an update about my Uncle John in Memphis. They found bleeding in him, an aneurism, in his area where he has my Mom's kidney. Mom said if they were going to do surgery, she'd fly to Memphis. So she did on Monday night. He is still in the hospital, and his bleeding stopped by itself. They are not choosing to do surgery on him right now, but they may have to go in (surgery) and look around to see what is happening. But Mom is going to have to leave on Sunday no matter what. He doesn't have a wife or kids to look after him, so Mom was feeling like the big sister she is, going there to watch over him!

My What do You See book is almost finished! I am planning on laminating it tomorrow at school. I should have scanned it in before I took it up there. I read it to the class, and they really liked it. I think it's something we can all be proud of. Penny told me I could teach a class on making that book. She's right! It's very formulaic, and it would be easy to duplicate and easy for me to explain.

Chocolate Cake or Celery?

I am a person who is uncomfortable with new things, new places, new people. But I am growing out of it, too. I am finding ways to cope through my shyness and insecurity. I can take a deep Yoga breath. I can slow down and close my eyes for a minute. I can find another person who's confident and latch on. I can hang back and observe for a while. I can find someone else who looks uncomfortable, too, and we can either be bouyed by the sameness of our feelings or we can be braver and tackle this "thing" together.

Not that I was all that scared to go this weekend to Ladies' Day in Midway! But I always try to imagine what an event will be like, and I am usually not close to being right. I have done things like this before, so I already had an idea of what to expect. And I knew the ladies from Cavitt who were going with me, so I knew I would have people to talk to.

All this to say that I imagine things one way, and then it turns out wonderful in other ways I couldn't have expected!

First the lesson. I think there were several points that hit me, and maybe they will be beneficial to you as well. The speaker was Robin Williamson, from Huntsville, who is a Mom to two teens, and a second grade teacher in a private Christian school. The title of her talk was "Chocolate Cake or Celery?"

• Matthew 6:19-24 The eye is the lamp. Your eye determins how you view things---as cake or celery. And he didn't mention your "eyes" but instead one eye. You can only focus on one thing---like God OR Money. Like the Positive OR the negative.
• I like God's mercy when it's on me, but I say "it's not fair" when he gives it to others. Mercy is undeserved favor. This went along with the story in Matthew 20:1-16. Who am I to question when God gives people favor?
• Are God's ways "celery" to me? Do I look at Bible reading or fasting or praying or giving mercy as celery? But God's ways are really "chocolate cake" and good.
• Here's a big one: Joy follows suffering. The suffering I do as a parent, will bring joy to me and the world as I train the kids to be good people. Ah! This was so encouraging to me. I figured I was just doing parenting wrong if I had the suffering feeling. I figured I was not supposed to suffer. But this lady has what she called two strong-willed kids, and here at 17 years old for her son, her suffering was really paying off. He was really a joy. She said she thought she had 2 strong willed kids. I think I do too! But we see this order of things in God's world all the time: suffering through pregnancy and childbirth to get the joy of the baby. Suffering through learning the times tables will bring you the joy of easier Math problems. Suffering through the planting and harvesting of food brings you the joy of the eating of it. We coddle the children so much, they never have to suffer. They should get to suffer through things, so they may have the full joy of the work. This was a good thing for me to think about.
• The point of the celery and cake illustration was to get to look at God's word for the chocolate cake the it is.
• I ought to be adjusting my seeing to the Word of God, not adjusting the Word to fit my outlook. We ought to be looking at the Word as a whole, a story that goes together and points to Jesus. We ought NOT to be singling out scripture and hanging all our hopes on the one interpretation of something. Always in context.
• Psalm 19:7-11 talks about how God's Word is perfect. I like the different attributes it talks about there: perfect, gives strength, trusted, makes people wise, right, gives joy, shines, gives light to minds, pure, lasts forever, true, more priceless then gold, sweeter than honey, rewarding when obeyed.

So the ladies' day was chocolate cake. The singing was heavenly sounding, with only female voices. The lunch---served by their husbands there---was delicious, and we did get some chocolate cake to eat for dessert. I wish I had brought my camera because they had icing celery on the cake! Cute! The ride over and back was a chocolte cake conversation, and I was glad to get to know some ladies better. The church building itself was a treat to be in. Two of our Cavitt group got door prizes---that's the icing on the cake! I enjoyed seeing the Hull's new car, adn the joy thier son had in showing it off Just a fun day. We vowed we'd try to get out to some more Ladies' Days around the area!

Enter a contest!

I just came across a contest where you or I can win an Usborne book of Halloween ideas. I love Usborne books in general, and with J's birthday so close to Halloween, I am always having fun with Halloween stuff. If you go here you'll be connected to a blog called "A Readable Feast" which I am finding has some great ideas. Must read more!

Today is a holiday for students where we live, so the kids are already up (no surprise), and we are thinking of all the fun things we could do today. On mommy's list:

• change everyone's sheets
• do a few loads of laundry (because apparently I *never* wash clothes and the kids think that none of their clothes are clean. Actually, it's the one or two favored shirts that can't get clean often enough!)
• write out a bunch of bills and catch up the bank register
• vacuum
• finish my Brown Bear Brown Bear What do You See? class book. This one is the "fun" I am having for the day. :-)

pictures, finally

These are the pictures I wanted to put on last night's blog. I guess I can't complain about my free blog system. right?

Picture One
Meat Rolls---two, on a napkin

Picture Two

Our tree, flowering once again this fall, unexpectedly

Of course we don't have the only tree in town doing this! There are lots blooming again, and maybe they always do this, but I just can't remember it.

There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil . . . but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good.
Romans 2:9-10

So get out there and do good!

pictures will post at some point!

Here is a picture of my Meat Rolls! I meant to take a picture of the whole pan, but they were eaten before I got a chance.
Here's the recipe:
Filling
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp. worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. oregano
(I actually don't measure this stuff any more, and it may need to be adjusted to fit your tastes. The filling should be really moist and red from that ketchup.)

Biscuit dough
(I usually follow the recipe on the Bisquick box! However, if I don't have that on hand, I almost always have stuff to make biscuits. Any recipe you like would do.)
2 and 1/4 cup Bisquick
2/3 cup milk

Mix each part in a seperate bowl. Roll out the dough into a rectangle with a rolling pin, on a floured surface. Spread the meat mixture on the dough evenly. Roll it up like a jelly roll, and slice in 12 slices. Put each slice in a muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until meat is browned and tops of rolls are browned.

What is good about this recipe is, I almost always have all the things I need to pull it together. As long as I have the ground beef, I can make it. And it makes 12 rolls, enough to feed our family of four and have leftovers for lunch. It's not gourmet, but it's good and filling, and economical. I know not the healthiest, though, with the grease from the meat cooking right in, but a better ground beef would have less fat. My sister says ground turkey just wasn't right with this one!

This second picture may look familiar, but I only took it this week. Our trees in the back yard bloomed in July, but here they are blooming again. I don't remember them doing this before. They had already started loosing leaves, I guess because it was so dry. But a little unexpected happiness for me when I look out the window.

Two other notes concerning Memphis, TN. You might have seen the news about the historic church in downtown Memphis burning. I don't have any connections to that church, but I was intested, being my city of origin.

The other thing is, my Mom's brother is in the hospital there in downtown Memphis. Back in 1980, my Mom gave one of her kidneys to her brother, so he has one, and she has only one, too. But something undetermined is happening to my uncle, and he's sitting there not being able to eat (because they may do surgery), and he's been up all hours taking tests of all kinds. I hope nothing is wrong with his only kidney, but he does have organ donation specialists watching over him. So if you feel compelled, please say a prayer for my Uncle John.

I am going to a Ladies' Day at a church in Midway tomorrow. I hope it'll be fun. I guess I can blog about that later, too! The title of the speaker's talk is "Chocolate Cake or Celery." Hmm . . . I know what choice I would make.

Exciting news!

Quick notes about us:

• Today, CNN is going to be filming at both of my kids' schools, and also one other elem. in our town that is doing a Dual Language program. From the note home yesterday, CNN is doing a story about biligualism. I have no info about when they might be on, but look for them! Let me know if you see anything about it where you are.
• We were without power at our house for 5 hours last night. From 5:30 in the eve. until about 10:20. Our whole family was at Mr. Gatti's when the power started going on and off. We got in right before it happened, so we ate the pizza they had there, and when power totally went off, we had to leave. And I was a bit scared about driving home since all the traffic lights in town were crazy. Some worked and some were going on and off. I saw the results of two wrecks on the way home! So where were you when the lights went off?
• Both kids got report cards, and they were both good. B is getting number grades for the first time---and her lowest was a 95. Smart Girl! J has all his Spanish grades factored in, and he made the A-B honor roll. He is really interested in Science right now, and I'm impressed with the things he's able to remember and quiz me about!
• I worked by candlelight last night on our class book, What do you See? which is a takeoff on Eric Carle's Brown Bear Brown Bear book. I am going to have to scan them in and show you how cool it is!
• Off to work!

Things to do Tonight

I can blog while dinner is in the oven. It's Meat Rolls, a family favorite. They always fool people if I take them to a potluck---they look like cinnamon rolls, but inside is a meatloaf filling (minus breadcrumbs). I am starting to smell them, so I ought to finish this quickly . . .

Okay, the Aggies lost. Big Bummer. I was really disappointed right after the game, but the awful, terrible feeling has simmered down to just dissapointment. Larry said they (the ushers) had authority to kick anyone out of the game that threw a tortilla. (but it never came to that.) I guess I ought to be happy that I got to live through "the glory days" of the Aggie football team when I had an All-Sports pass. (Thank you, Mom and Dad!) I got to go to games and expect a win. Those feelings are just not with us any longer. But, being the hopeful type, I think the tide will turn once again, someday, and we will be back at the top of the rankings. Someday.

Tonight's activities are to take J to his TROUPE practice, buy some dog food, make B read her Bible (for her Girl Scout medal), and make the kids take baths.

Please, Lord take away my perfectionist qualities with shower and/or teethbrushing monitoring with J! I so want to go in that bathroom and wash his hair and underarms for him. To get it done right. So NOT what a ten-year-old boy needs! But he does need to wash the "product" out of his hair, am I right? Ug. When will he learn? Will it take him getting really into girls before this happens? (And I am not ready for that yet, although it's slowly coming on, I can see . . .)

I am too much a persfectionist with these children. I am way too critical. I am sure this is partly why J is so critical---I am messing him up! "Children who live with criticism learn to be critical," isn't that part of a poem I saw on e-mail? I gotta stop it. (But I go crazy looking at his teeth when they are so dirty!) Help!

The Meat Rolls are out of the oven, so I must sign off. Maybe I'll take a picture and post a recipe for them?

Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Psalm 31:3