Grrrr...

It started like any other walk. The big lady that yells but loves me anyway came out with those pants that 'swish'. Then she put on her shoes and her coat and her mittens and I knew we were in business! A walk in the morning. How good is that? And when she sits on the floor to put on her shoes or boots, I love to crawl up in her lap and lie upside down and show just how extremely grateful I am for her taking time out of her busy day to give me some fresh air.

And so we were off! A brisk breeze out of the west and fresh smells to be had. We circled around to the path (I think you readers know where this leads to because one time she took pictures of the journey), and then like she usually does, she took off my leash. Whew! I'm free. Now I can really get some good sniffs. Paw at some rodents. Chase a goose. And not far down the path, ohmygoodness, that dog is coming after the big lady! I could tell that dog was mean and so I got worried for the big lady I love. I got the hair on the back of my neck all tall and growled and that dog stopped running after the big lady. Then it came after me. I did what any sensible dog would do. I flopped down and exposed my belly so he didn't think I wanted to fight. He stood over me. He sniffed me all over. I was all a quiver with fear but tried not to show it. And then just like that the dog looked at my big lady and then at me and then took off back from where it came from. It was super scary.

The big lady that yells got down on her knees and put my leash on but the whole time she was doing it she was murmuring sweet things to me and rubbing me in just that right spot above my eyes. And then we walked quickly away. And I was proud that I almost protected her. And she was happy to see that there is just about 1/2 ounce of protection in me even though I'm a golden retriever. You see usually we'd just show the robbers around our house and point out to where all the valuables are kept. But sometimes, we know better and we can protect. And so I did!

Ed. note: Tonight an e-mail came from the subdivision saying that a 'brown dog' had attacked several walkers and actually bit one of them. And so... kudos to Lisi! I always wondered if she had it in her...

Sunday night thoughts

Wow... the past week was great. Fun. And funny too! Just a few thoughts...

* You know your Thanksgiving party was a real hoot when someone calls the next day wondering if we found their teeth! (I am not making this up... I promise!)

* I notice that when the fracas in the back seat gets worse that the Chairman drives faster. I asked him tonight, do you really think you can out-run them by speeding up?

* We went to a lovely performance of "Nutcracker" on Saturday. It was nice, the music serene. But at the falling of the curtain at the end Mira yells out so they could hear at least five rows up... 'FINALLY!'.

* Absence makes the heart grow fonder. It only took 36 hours for me.

* I still love my mom's German Chocolate cake. And pecan pie. And pumpkin. And the turkey gravy. My waistline doesn't.

* Holidays are nice, but normal is nice too. I look forward to it. And really isn't that a good thing? Loving 'ordinary' days?

* Someone dear is going far away this week with the simple intent to bring help to others. I can't stop thinking about it.

Happy new week ahead!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday to my dad! Not sure how to sum up someone like him. He gave me life. He supported, guided, protected, and loved. And now... he's a friend of mine. He loves others without reserve. Has a very hard time seeing faults in others (an incredible quality). Can't wait for his next trip to China. And discovered the fountain of youth years ago and keeps drinking from it. A laugh like no other. And a love for the Kingdom and those in lonely places.

Happy Birthday dear Dad! Have a great year.

psst: If you know him, please call. Write a little e-mail. Send a card. He'd love it!

Talkin' Turkey

dig in!
hmmm. what is mom-in-law saying to mom?
kinda nice when the parents all like each other, eh?
standing room only!

* We survived! We were 36 all told. The earliest ones came by 10. The latest left right at 10...

* It was a lot of family and a few of our friends. But really, that line is very blurred.

* I'm thankful for the 'extra' turkey breast I threw in since Mr. 18-pounder didn't want to give up the fight very quickly.

* We had Too. Much. Food. Really. (urp)

* The kids had a blast. At one point I saw they had made a slide out of two adjoining mattresses and sliding from the ceiling to the floor in the basement. It looked simply dangerous. I got out quickly.

* Lisi hates days like yesterday because she spends most of it looking in from the outside. I needed to convince one family member that she doesn't really suffer... In fact, I disappeared at one point to take a walk.

* There was a definite color-scheme of dark reds yesterday for some reason (me included)

* Folks of Italian heritage can be loud. Really! And a lot of them though polite would have rather eaten spaghetti yesterday.

* I love turkey gravy. And this year my mom made it!

* I took about six pictures at the beginning of the day. And then for some reason I forgot. Busy you know. Did I say there were 36 here?

Now I'm off for some fun with more family! Think birthday cake and the "Nutcracker" and seeing some faraway family that I miss...

In Two's or too's?

Today I have two kinds of cold symptoms (sore throat and sneezing). Baked two kinds of cookies (Mexican wedding cakes and a oatmeal choc. chip), two batches of dinner rolls. Two walks with the dog. Two loads of laundry. And! Finished the last two chapters of "The Tale of Despereaux". Really a kids' book, but enjoyable nonetheless. Oh. And was on the phone two times. I think that sums that up.

A year ago tonight I went into the ER at 3:00 am for excruciating pain which turned out to be a kidney stone. This year I'm thankful for drinking lots more water and (HOPEFULLY!) not having a repeat performance on that.

Uber-cool wood stove fan came today via the free delivery of Amazon.com. It's little blades start whirling around once the stove reaches 300 degrees. No electric needed!

I'm so looking forward to the end of this week. We'll have a ton of people here on Thursday and for that we're thankful. Mostly relatives, but friends that feel like relatives too. It usually starts early and ends late.

And! Then I get to see some other VIP family members after that! Throw in a "Nutcracker" performance with the girls and... (happy sigh)

But first... I must be too busy. Doing too much. In too little time. Happy Thankfulness to you and yours...

The Chairman's Favorite Granola

8 cups old-fashioned oats (not quick)
3 cups nuts (I used about 1 cup sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, and chopped pecans)
1/2 bag coconut
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup canola (or other kind) of oil
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup Craisens

Preheat oven to 300 F. In a large bowl mix the oats, nuts, coconut, wheat germ, brown
sugar, salt, and cinnamon. In a saucepan warm the oil and honey. Whisk in extracts.

Pour liquid over the oat mixture. Stir gently with spoon. Finish mixing with hands if you need to. Spread onto two 15X10 baking pans.

Bake 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Transfer granola to a rack to cool. Add the dried fruit if you want (I do 1/2 with the fruit, 1/2 without). Put in airtight containers or bags and enjoy!

(I told the Chairman that I had mentioned the granola on yesterday's post and he asked, 'did you tell them it was the best granola I've ever eaten?). Of course not! I'm (cough, ahem) too modest for that...

* Sigh. It must be the weather. Or my mostly dull week. Or... ? But the best word that describe me right now is blasé. Being a 'housewife' can be really dull.

* Gearing up for a big turkey day next week! We expect 33 here around our table(s). That in itself should keep me from being blasé, right?

* My creative first daughter had leftover mashed potatoes for breakfast. She usually has come down to the counter in the morning dreading what was ahead for breakfast. Now I just give her leftovers and she's eating way more in the morning that she ever has. But it goes against every tried-and-true, dyed-in-the-wool feeling I have of what breakfast 'should' be.

* I've been doing an experiment this week. No computer for the kids unless it has to do with homework or games from their school's website. And guess what? They are happier! Less moody! Playing games! I struggle with knowing how much they should really 'play' on the computer. Usually they are a pile of cranks when their time is up. This experiment has been very telling to me.

* There are different ways to show a love and care for someone. Mine was represented in a big batch of homemade granola yesterday. I concocted several recipes together and... well... yum! It is way cheaper (and tastier!) to make it yourself than to buy.

* How do you other mom's (or brilliant minds that have a suggestion) handle allowances and chores around the house. The kids have basic responsibilities around the house (ie., put clean clothes away, take out garbage, help in kitchen), but I've not done a real 'chore chart' in a long time. Nor been great about giving allowance for jobs. What works??? Sometimes I feel so very new at this parenting thing... and I think the older the kids get, the less I know!

* Hoping the blasé leaves me and soon!