My peeps are having a bang-up long weekend. Not only have they given us fire like true cave-men, they have drastically enlarged my garden. Now it awaits fresh manure which will simmer all winter and be lovely, dark-brown dirt by spring. I can't wait.

In appreciation of their hard work, I try to cook dinners they love. Last night I made a Thanksgiving-dinner-in-a-pan, a casserole of layers. First is the sausage and apple stuffing (StoveTop will NOT do), then turkey, then a drizzle of gravy, all topped with mashed potatoes. I wasn't sure they were really going to like this, but here's what the dish looked like after supper:

We've decided to go buy another turkey to fry, just so we can make this casserole again. The sausage and apple stuffing is my mother's recipe - if you want it, I'll share. Honestly, the boxed kind just can't compare.

Anyway, since it was such a hit, I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to match that performance at tonight's dinner. Any brilliant ideas?

Be thankful ~

Karen

HEAT!!

No more central draft! We are finally getting a woodstove! Actually, we've had one all along, but it's been in the garage waiting for the arrival of the stovepipe that goes through the ceiling and attic and out the roof. Yesterday the boys started by putting up concrete board in the corner to deflect heat and to have something to attach the stone to, whenever it comes in. We've decided not to wait for the stone, however, since our heat bills generally run around $400 a month and we have massive amounts of dry firewood in the back yard. So while it may not look pretty, it will be toasty warm in here. And that's what really matters.

Here they are putting up the concrete backer board:

And here they are putting the box through the ceiling. I don't know why Ben gets on a ladder - Mike could stand there and hold it.

Fitting the pipe in place:

And here's Mike on the roof installing the support for the whole thing:

I'll post more pictures when we get the stone done - I'm thinking it will be downright beautiful.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Some things I am not.

1. Shopping today. I was sorely tempted by an advertised HP laptop at Office Depot for $350, but I got hold of myself in the nick of time and was able to resist. I was never happier about that decision than when I cracked one eye open at 6 am and realized I was still snug under my electric blanket. I thought of all the poor souls who had been standing in freezing cold lines for three hours and was very sure I'd done the right thing.

2. Hungover. From food, that is. Most years, the day after Thanksgiving I wake up with what we call a "food hangover" - you know, that sick feeling that results from eating a week's worth of calories and a month's worth of pie in one day. I determined I wasn't going to do that this year, and I was successful. I ate one modest plateful of food, and ended with a sliver of pumpkin pie and one of cheesecake. And since we ate early in the day, we had a family turkey-sandwich-party at the kitchen counter last night before bed.

3. Looking forward to a long winter. I am very much a summer person. I love the sunshine, love the warm weather, the beach, and the long days. I have SAD - seasonal affective disorder - you know that thing where the short days make you depressed. Maybe I could get a prescription for a beach house on the Emerald Coast. Seriously, that is my favorite place to be. But the good news is that we are putting our woodstove in either today or tomorrow, so at least we won't be shivering under blankets while our central draft runs non-stop anymore.

OK, I can't think of anything else that I am not. I AM a lot of things, but I'll save them for another day. Stay safe out there.

Be thankful ~

Karen

ps. Winston is still alive.

Coffee, shopping, and the fish who wouldn't die.

We're going to have a busy day today. But since my priorities are sound, I'm sitting here reading and blogging first. And drinking coffee.

I'm going to put together a sweet potato casserole first, then make sausage-apple stuffing, start some laundry and bleach the kids' bathroom. Then the girls and I are meeting my mother at a nearby shopping center where she will shower gifts of professional clothing on my middle daughter who will be student teaching next semester. Grandmothers are wonderful.

Then we'll come home to a pot of made-in-advance ministrone soup (recipe courtesy of Giada DeLaurentis), fold all the laundry, inject turkeys, and remember something I forgot. Or maybe several somethings. I do this every year, but at least I'm consistent.

And just to keep you up-to-date on the Winston saga, he is still lying in the bottom of his bowl barely breathing. Every so often he struggles to the surface for what looks like a gulp of air. We've managed to get two betta bites down him in the last few days. I don't know if we're doing him harm or good. Yesterday I actually got out the Yellow Pages, looking for a fish specialist to call for advice. There are none in my area. My next plan is to google . . . what? What do you google to find out what to do for a fish who can't stay at the top of the bowl long enough to eat? *sigh*

Be thankful ~

Karen

Bensrib: saying what the rest of the world wishes they could say.

Elijah had a cold last week. Abbie has it now. I hate colds because I am a somewhat of a germophobe. I make the sickies cough into a hand towel, and I bleach it when they're through. I make them wash their hands incessantly, and I become a doorknob and lightswitch Nazi. The house smells of disinfectant. They have to wash their hands before they can use the computer, and we put the TV remote in a baggie to keep it germ-free. I hate colds.

Today I am going to call my mother and tell her that two of the children are sick. She may decide she and my dad won't come for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday because they don't want to get it. That may sound silly to some of you, but when you're 73 you will probably feel differently about it. My dad had the flu last year and it took him a very long time to get back to normal. So we're careful.

Last night at church I had the following conversation with Elijah's friend, C:

C: Hi Mrs. Sargent! Where's Elijah?

Me: He's home sick with your cold.

C (looking puzzled): What?

Me: Yeah. The one you gave him when you came to church sick.

C: That was two weeks ago!

Me: Well, he got it. And now Abbie has it too.

C: Well, tell him I missed him and I hope he feels better.

C completely missed the meaning of this conversation. I would like to say I speak for mothers everywhere when I say please stay home if you are sick. But I don't think I do, since so many mothers bring their kids sick. So I'll speak for my family.

Please stay home if you are sick. Please. We don't think you are more godly if you come to church coughing and sneezing and blowing and then shaking 30 people's hands during hand-shaking time. We think you are inconsiderate. Please stay home, drink your fluids, and get better quickly. We'll pray for you. But please keep your germs to yourself.

Be thankful (I wonder if we have to be thankful when people give us their colds?)~

Karen

And it squirts! What more could you ask?

I am all about promoting good health. At my house we eat a good, balanced diet, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, and have our annual physicals. I learned the good diet part from my mother, the woman who fed me liver and onions every Friday of my childhood because it is so full of iron. She's the one who taught me to be an avid label reader. So it was no surprise when I got this e-mail from her this morning:

No need to buy Cool-Whip!!! I am bringing two cans of light cream, whipped. Most supermarkets have it now - and we like it because it tastes good - just not heavy like regular whipping cream - and it doesn't contain any "partially-hydrogenated palm or coconut oil" - both really bad for arteries!! Your father thinks he's in heaven when he can shake the can and put that mostly-air light cream on his pie!!

Can you tell she's excited!!! about the light cream!!! in a spray can, no less!!! with no hydrogenated palm oil!!!

So I replied that I had just bought two cans yesterday after seeing it in the commissary. I had a can in the refrigerator which was supposed to be put on pancakes with strawberry sauce, but the human garbage disposal (Elijah) found it last week. In true teenage-guy fashion, he popped the lid off, threw his head back, and squirted it right in his mouth. He's learned to eliminate the middleman. So it is entirely feasible that he will have the other two empty by Thursday. I told Mom to bring hers.

Be thankful ~

Karen

RIP, Winston.

The Lord certainly blessed humans with the opportunity to have pets. I had a wonderful little dog, Spanky (see picture in the sidebar), who was just the best. Someday I will probably have another little dog - I just love the cuddly, cute, LITTLE ones. That don't shed. Or eat like elephants. Pete doesn't qualify.

OK, I'll admit I have a soft spot for him, but only because he's so stupid I pity him.

Anyway, two years ago Abbie decided she wanted a fish to keep in her bedroom. She decided on a betta, since they don't require the whole tank set-up. They're pretty happy just swimming around a bowl with a few rocks and a plant. We were told not to expect him to live more than a year, but really, how attached can you get to a fish?

So here we are, two years later, and it's obvious Winston (named after Winston Churchill) is dying. We brought him in the kitchen this evening to give him a bath (change his water) and he hardly swam away from the cup we were trying to catch him in. He sort of paddles a little bit, then slides down to the bottom of the bowl. Abbie was heartbroken watching him struggle. She actually cried a few tears. We gave him clean water and decided to leave his bowl where it is on the counter, so that he could die a peaceful death. It's really quite sad.

But in the interest of not having a totally depressing post here, I'll share a couple of short anecdotes about Winston. Yes, even fish have a story to tell.

Winston eats betta bites - little pellets of compacted, uh, betta food - whatever that is. We trained him from the beginning that, when we tapped on the glass bowl, food was coming. He learned to swim to the top in anticipation of yummy bites every time we tapped. I know you think I'm kidding, but I am totally serious. And if the house was quiet when you fed him, you could actually hear him crunching the pellets. Again, not kidding.

Betta bites must have given him great energy, because he was pretty active. His bowl is at least eight inches deep, holds a little more than a half gallon of water, and has a big plant in the middle. Abbie woke up more than one morning to find a rock on the floor. Winston was the only one who could have thrown it there. Still not kidding. And Leah said many times that the fish kept her awake at night flipping around in there.

So yes, Abbie was attached to little Winny, and said her goodbyes before she went out for the evening. She is already making plans for the next betta. She wants to replace the plant with a little pirate ship and name the fish Smee. :)

Update: This post was written Friday evening. As of a few moments ago, Sunday at 1:30 pm, Winston is still clinging to life. He has been mostly unable to swim to the top of the bowl to eat, but he did manage to get a boost from his plant yesterday and eat one betta bite. Mostly he lies in the bottom barely moving his gills. It's heartbreaking. If anyone knows of a humane way to put a fish out of its misery, please let us know. And once more, I'm not kidding.

Be thankful ~

Karen

I just can't help myself.

On the Yes, I have/yes, I do/yes, I will issue: You know how at a wedding the preacher asks the bride, "Will you have this man etc." and she answers, "I do"? I always have the urge to stand up and shout, " No! You WILL!"

And Bill Walsh of the Washington Post says we should never shorten Christmas to Xmas because it may offend some Xians.

If someone doesn't laugh at that, I'll know I'm really twisted.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Now, there's an idea!

A while back I signed up for a free stat counter for the blog. I thought it would be interesting to see the numbers and find out what brings people here. I'm almost wishing I hadn't.

I just found out that the number one, most often queried phrase that brings people to my blog is "women with wide hips." Did I really want to know that?


The most recent searcher of that phrase is from Canada. Others hail from Birmingham and London in the UK, Mexico, and Texas. Wide hips really are a universal problem.


I think I need a new hobby.

In other news, my sons are going camping tonight with a few friends. Here's what weather.com says about tonight's forecast:

TodayNov 21
Partly Cloudy / Wind
41°/21°

Do you see that last number? That's tonight's anticipated temperature.

Leaving your cozy bed for a 21 degree tent must be a guy thing. I wonder if wide hips would keep them warmer?

Be thankful ~

Karen

The littles are watching.

Last Sunday evening the ladies at church held a baby shower for a young woman who is pregnant with her first baby. She is due January 1st, and has a belly out to here. I was in charge of organizing everything - decorations, food, game, devotion. Usually the in-charge person asks someone else to do the devotion, but since I was behind in everything except breathing, I did it myself.

I started in Titus 2:3-5, where every sermon ever preached to women begins. I was trying to get to the part that says "to love their children" but I got stuck on the first three words: The aged women.

And it hit me like a ton of bricks - I AM AN AGED WOMAN.

Holy moly! How did that happen? Just yesterday I was the one sitting in the rocking chair, belly out to here, waiting to open gift bags filled with onesies and tiny booties. How did I get to be the older woman with a little gray hair (ok, maybe more than a little), standing at the podium sharing what wisdom my brain has been able to hang on to?

But as I spoke, I looked around the room full of ladies and saw many heads grayer than mine, many faces more wrinkled. And I realized I am in a Middle Place. Not exactly like Kelly Corrigan's, but definitely in one of those in-between places in life. I am at once the aged woman and the young woman referred to in Titus 2. And you know what? That's a pretty comfortable place to be. I didn't freak out when I turned 40, and I think I'll be ok with turning 50 in a few years.

Anyway, this all got me thinking about a family we are friends with in Tennessee. They have three girls and a boy, and their girls adore my daughters. My Deb, Leah, and Abbie were teenagers when we lived there, and their Valorie, Rebekah, and Judith were ages 7, 5, and 3 at the time. The little girls just couldn't get enough of the bigger ones.

After we had moved away, we were visiting in Tennessee one time and went to our friends' home for dinner. The mom told me that, like some little girls play house, hers play "The Sargent girls."

Seriously. Each one chooses which Sargent girl she wants to be that day, and they "play Sargent girls."

My daughters were dumbfounded. Humbled. Speechless. Reminded that someone is always watching what they do, observing how they act, listening to what they say. And those little people want to be just like them.

I want to live my life so that someone wants to be just like me, and so God will be pleased with both of us.

Be thankful ~

Karen

The very long weekend.

My brain is still spinning from the activity of the last two days.

Saturday was the day of Leah's recital at her University two hours away. Since Deb had not seen her yet, Deb, Abbie and I left the house at 9:30 to get there a few hours early. We all had lunch together then went to Leah's apartment to "hang out" and yak. Abbie did Leah's hair, we set up a reception in the music building, and it was time for the recital.

We've been nervous about this because of the trouble Leah has been having with tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. But she's been being very careful, wearing her brace and taking her NSAIDs.

We had nothing to worry about. She played beautifully, piece after piece. It was just incredible. My one picture didn't come out great because I couldn't use a flash, but since it's the only one I have and I am a VERY proud mama, I'll share it anyway.

She played Aaron Copeland's Hoedown for her encore, and it was just fabulous. Her accompanist was the best; he really helped showcase her talent. If you want to listen to a great version of this piece (not hers), you can go here and click where it says "listen to hoedown." She really was phenomenal and brought us all to our feet. And I only cried a little - aren't you proud of me?

After the recital we had the obligatory reception, then went out for pizza with eighteen people. This would normally have been fairly easy, but her University just happened to have a home football game that day which was over about the same time as her recital. Franco's was jammed. My mom and dad got there first and commandeered four booths in the back, so we all played musical seats and shared eight pizzas. I just love hanging around with my family and a bunch of teenagers. They're all so fun!

Sunday morning we went to church. I had anticipated a busy weekend and made a pot of chicken chili earlier in the week, so we came home to dinner in the crockpot (I do love my crockpot!). I put one of my famous coffee cakes in the oven and started getting things together for a baby shower I was to host Sunday night after church.

One of Ben's co-workers came by in the afternoon with his wife to pick up some firewood. We sat and had cake and tea (I don't know why they call it coffee cake when we eat it with tea) with this couple and all I could think was, "If you put a spacesuit and helmet on this guy, he could be Buzz Lightyear." I kept expecting him to yell, "To infinity. . .and beyond!"

Buzz and his wife left twenty minutes before I needed to, so I had little time to throw all the shower stuff in the car and get to church. The girls and I set up the room and did what little decorating I can manage (not my strong suit, by any means) and I spent the first twenty minutes of the service working on my devotion.

Clearly, I lack Girl Scout training.

After church the ladies started coming into the room where the shower was being held. Like clowns out of a circus car, they kept coming and coming. Deb finally leaned in close and whispered, "Do I need to go to the store for more food?" to which I desperately answered, "YES. Take my credit card."

She and Abbie brought more food in while we played a dumb shower game and listened to an ill-prepared devotion. Everyone ate, the mommy-to-be got a zillion adorable pink outfits, we had enough food, no one complained about the game or the devotion, and a wonderful time was had by all.

So it all worked out, though I had my doubts at times. God surely picks up the slack, of which I have an excess.

Now it is Tuesday, I am struggling with Word Markup, getting a cold, and it's just started snowing. I feel a long nap coming on.

Be thankful ~

Karen

I would like to use my red pencil on MS Word 2007 and send it back to Bill Gates.

Remember that post about the busy weekend that I said I would put up here yesterday afternoon? Well, forget it. It will appear at some point, but I have no idea when that will be.

Right now I am working on an editing evaluation, sort of a test to see if I am smart enough to do a little editing, and I'm not so sure about this. I'm trying to "keep the writer's voice" while making the writing sound good and be grammatically correct, and that's a lot harder than it appears. My tendency is to completely rewrite a sentence or paragraph, but then I lose the writer's voice, so I go back to square one and change only what's necessary and spend a half hour second-guessing myself because I'm such a perfectionistic lunatic.

*sigh*

Last night I decided I would sit here and play around with MS Word Markup. I looked at a few tutorials and wondered why they didn't seem to match what I saw on my Word document. That's when I realized that I have Word 2007, and the tutorials are for 2002 and 2003. So I went hunting for a 2007 tutorial and couldn't find one. I fiddled with the program for over an hour before Ben came along and offered to help. It took the two of us thirty more minutes to figure out how to make a line through a word, and that happened by accident. Am I the only one who wonders why Microsoft felt the need to change a perfectly usable program?

But that was late at night and now it's a new day, and you know what they say - things always look better in the morning.

So I'll keep plugging along, playing with Markup, and learning things by accident. In the meantime, if you know anything about Microsoft's latest version of Word, feel free to share your knowledge.

Be thankful ~

Karen

A new look, but not because I wanted it.

Just doing my part to spread the happy fall feeling.

Actually, I came to my blog today and saw that my background had disappeared. So here you are. I am working on a post that describes my weekend, but it's taking me longer than I anticipated. I hope to get it on here later today.

Enjoy your fall!

Be thankful ~

Karen

We're having a food fest!

A friend of ours is going to a two-day conference today and tomorrow, so she has spent the last few weeks trying to find people to keep her five children while she's away. We have Jake, age 11. We brought him home with us last night after church.

We went through the usual is-he-allergic-to-anything-does-he-have-any-special-needs stuff, threw his duds in the car and got on our way. While we were driving, I asked Jake what time he usually got up in the morning. You'll never believe what he said.

Five.

As in a.m.

We all sat in stunned silence.

Finally Elijah asked quietly, "What time do you get up on weekends?"

Ten.

We all breathed a very deep sigh of relief and said, "NOW you're TALKIN'!" We told him to think of this as a long weekend, and thankfully he slept until eight this morning.

Today I am washing sheets, vacuuming up dog hair, and cooking for the weekend. Deb and David and Sticky Bean are on their way here to this very house right now and I have grand plans for great food. Tonight we are having Cheddar-Bacon Chicken (recipe courtesy of Crockpot365 - seriously, this woman has the most incredible crockpot recipes every day! Go look! And start using your crockpot!) and tomorrow I'm making Baked Ziti. Saturday we'll be gone all day at Lovely's recital and Sunday we're having Chicken Chili (my own recipe). I haven't gotten to Monday yet, but by then I'll probably want something Mexican.

And since I don't have to get up at FIVE in the A.M., I can get this all done. Have a great day!

Be thankful ~

Karen

The safer alternative.

Ben and I had an interesting conversation last night that made me go, "Duh!" But first, a little background.

I have been a stay-at-home mom since we got married almost 24 1/2 years ago. We had children right away and I have taught them all at home. All subjects, all grades, five times. I have loved every minute of it and wouldn't change a thing. I have a degree in finance, but that doesn't do much for teaching phonics, chemistry, and civics.

My last child is now in tenth grade, and my time as a stay-at-home mom is waning. I'm facing the inevitable question in life: what am I going to be when I grow up?

Before I got married I was office manager for a jewelry store, responsible for all the financial documents, tracking of income and expenses, stuff like that. I even went out to repossess a few pieces, and let me tell you, repossessing thick gold chains in North Philly is not my idea of a wise career choice.

So now I'm trying to figure out what I want to do. I've considered teaching, but I'm not certified in any state, even though I've been doing it for 18 years. I've thought about the business world, but that just sounds dull, boring, and meaningless. I've even thought about getting a nursing degree since the jobs pay well and are easy to get, but the truth is that I just don't want to be a nurse. I've hemmed and hawwed (is that a word?) and gone back and forth and round and round and come up with nothing.

But last night Ben said, "If I could have any job, live anywhere, do anything, you know what I'd do? I'd be a Mets radio announcer. I love my job, but Mets baseball is what I'm really passionate about."

I thought about that and I do understand it. Since I've known him he's been able to spout off the most random, trivial stats about Mets players. Pick a year, pick a position, he can tell you who played it, what his batting average was, how many bases he stole, how many rbi's, what his best pitch was if he was a pitcher, whether he was a righty or a lefty. He can predict what pitch the pitcher is going to throw next. It's incredible. He has all that data stored neatly away and can't remember his kids' birthdates. He is definitely passionate about Mets baseball.

So then he said, "You know what you're passionate about?" and he was kind of smiling here, "You are afflicted with a special malady. You love grammar."

God help me, he's right. I love reading something and correcting it. What kind of weirdo am I? So I started looking into proofreading and copy editing. And you know what? I started to get excited about it! To think that I could actually make money doing something I like! It's a revelation.

There are two courses I'm going to take at two different colleges in the next year - one is proofreading and editing, and the other is advanced grammar. At least it's safer than chasing down thugs in Philly.

Be thankful ~

Karen

A man in a tux is even better than a man in uniform.

In honor of Veterans Day and the Marine Corps' 233rd birthday, I bring you MY veteran and my oldest son, on their way to the Marine Corps Ball last Saturday night. Aren't they handsome?

Mike really is that much taller than Ben. And yes, he is our natural-born son.

Within the first ten minutes of being there, a rather inebriated woman dumped her glass of red wine down Mike's sleeve. Good thing he's wearing a dark suit. Still, they had fun pressing the flesh, as they say, and managed to get home by 11 pm.

Many thanks to all the veterans (and their families) out there for your service to our country. And happy birthday, USMC.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Things I learned last week.

1. Carbohydrates are organic molecules, which are by definition composed of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, in various formulas. They always have the same ratio of hydrogen atoms to oxygen atoms as water does. That's where the name comes from. "Carbo" stands for carbon, and "hydrate," which means "to add water," stands for the fact that there are twice as many hydrogens as oxygens, just like in water. I'll end the explanation there, although it gets much more detailed.

2. Although the things that attach your muscles to your bones are called tendons (with an -on), the inflammation of them is called tendinitis (with an -in). Who knew?

3. I don't watch TV because I can't stand the incorrect grammar. Just last night I heard a commercial advertising a drug used to treat bladder control problems in which the announcer assured users they would experience "less interruptions" of their lives. Like fingernails on a chalkboard. *sigh*

4. Money grows on trees and we are made of it. At least that's what Ben told Lovely when she called to say she needed $125 to get her car out of jail. He's such a good daddy. He knew fussing about a few dollars would surely have sent her over the edge. My daddy once bought us a new stove when we could ill afford it but desperately needed one. I thanked him profusely and he told me he had a magic bank account - money just showed up each month and he sat around looking for places to send it. Every girl needs a daddy like that.

5. I am short on time these days. This post was originally entitled "Things I learned this week" but now it's this week and that was last week, and so I had to change the title. But in the meantime someone came to my blog and read a post I wrote one year ago. And actually left a comment on it! I thought that was so funny! I wonder if I'm less interesting now and people are resorting to reading the old stuff. Or maybe I need to update more often. Anyway, thanks for visiting, Livia!

And that's all. I quit for the day.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Lovely's week wasn't.

This might qualify as a rough week. But not for me - for my daughter, Leah, also known as Lovely.

This is opera week at her university, and Leah plays in the pit orchestra. Normally that would be a good thing, but she's suffering with tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome in her left arm (the fingering hand) so it's quite painful. Rehearsals every night and performances Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and she's pretty much shot. And now her right arm is starting to hurt from having to hold her left arm differently.

Monday she took her car to the Firestone place to ask them to put air in one of the tires. They scared her into letting them check ALL FOUR tires for holes, then charged her $12.99 for it. What they should have done was put air in the tire like she asked them to, and that for free. Seriously, air and three minutes' time? But they see a college girl and come swooping in for the kill. Whatever. I'm willing to pay $12.99 for her to feel and be safe.

Then Wednesday night she got out of opera rehearsal at 10 pm, went to Walmart, and on the way home got rear-ended. No big deal - no one was hurt and the car is barely damaged. The guy who hit her is also in the opera production, and his dad has the same car insurance we do, so it will be easy to take care of. We're just glad no one was hurt.

Friday night she was at a College Republicans meeting at another girl's apartment. When she went outside to get in her car and go home, her car was gone. GONE. Yes. Gone. Apparently there is a 12-inch high sign behind a bush that says not to park where she parked, or they would tow your car.

They towed her car. Since she had no get-my-car-out-of-jail-free card, the cost was $125. Payable to a company called "Affordable Towing." Yeah.

I'd say she's having a bad week. But hey, a few more hours and it's over. Tomorrow is a new day, the beginning of a new week. God's mercies are new every morning and every week and every month and year.

I'm praying for Lovely to have a better next week.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Not quite Methuselah, but I'm getting there.

I've decided getting older is not so bad. There are some advantages:


1. When you gather with a bunch of other home-school families to have a pancake brunch, you have the oldest kids, thereby ensuring the ones dumping cream cheese pancakes with strawberry syrup and whipped cream on the floor are not yours.


2. The other moms assume you are wise.


3. You have a great excuse for forgetting things.

4. You don't require as much sleep.

I'm sure there are more. What do YOU think are the positives about getting older?

Be thankful ~

Karen

Attempting to teach English in the zoo.

Today I spent some time teaching Elijah about paragraphs - unity, clarity, topic sentences, that kind of stuff. In the process, we read a LOT of paragraphs looking for examples of the things we were studying. One of them was taken from a report on Giant Pandas. In this particular paragraph, the writer was telling about the eating habits of Pandas in the wild, and here's what she said: Pandas spend about sixteen hours throughout the day and night eating.

I stopped in mid-paragraph and had an a-ha moment. I looked at Elijah and said, "You're a Giant Panda!" My humor was lost on him.

Then just a few minutes ago Abbie asked this question: "Doesn't the d-word mean the same thing as saying 'oh crap?'"

I answered in the affirmative.

She went on, "Well then, when they say somebody's a d*** good whatever, isn't that like saying he's a 'crap good whatever?'"

The English, it is so confusing. I explained that sometimes the d-word is used as an expletive expressing frustration, and sometimes it's used to show emphasis, as in "really good."

She thought about that for a minute and said, "Oh, so I guess it's like 'dude,' kind of an all-purpose word."

And THAT reminded me of the time we were visiting some incredibly intelligent, well-spoken friends of ours. We were sitting around the table talking about teenagers and the way they talk. We actually heard this sentence out of a real-live teenager's mouth: "Dude, dude, that dude is tall!" and I am not making this up. That's dude - an exclamation, dude - noun of direct address, and dude - a noun meaning guy or man.

No wonder immigrants don't want to learn English.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Beauties

Saturday Abbie and two friends went to our area's quaint little downtown and had fun taking pictures. Abbie and Joy are aspiring photographers, and Joy happens to have a really dandy camera and some fun editing software. Here are a few of the best shots.

Boo on the train tracks. This picture is posted on facebook and they've gotten all manner of comments about safety and such. I'm sure they were careful to put an ear on the tracks and listen for trains, right girls?

Joy in a well-lit alley in broad daylight. See? They really do understand safety.

Abbie, doing absolutely not-one-single-thing that's unsafe. See, Dad?

On the city dock. The only thing she lacks is a life preserver, but that wouldn't make for such a good picture, would it?

Don't we always worry about our kids when they are out of our sight? Seriously, girls this beautiful almost shouldn't be allowed to go out in public!

I'm thrilled and thankful that my daughter has such great friends.

Be thankful ~

Karen