Food For Thought

Breakfast
Do you still have gifts to buy or are you done with your shopping?

I still have a couple to buy. We have to pick up something for Paul's uncle. He's so hard to buy for. I'm about halfway done shopping for Paul. We probably shouldn't be buying each other anything and saving the money instead, but we've been through quite a few Christmases where we didn't buy for each other. We're not going crazy, just a few things. I do have everything that I have bought already wrapped, though, so I'm ahead of the game in that regard. Paul, on the other hand, who has done no shopping yet is going to be a busy little beaver on Christmas Eve.

Lunch
Has the economy affected any part of your Christmas this year? How?

No, not really...but it probably should have. We spent the same on everyone else that we always do, but as I said above, we're buying a few things for each other. I picked an extra kid off the tree at work to buy for. I'm thankful the gas prices are down right now. That really helps. We're cutting down on a lot of things after Christmas, though.

Dinner
What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

I guess we don't really have any. With it just being the two of us and so many people coming in and out of our lives, we haven't really developed any traditions. We usually spend Christmas Eve with Paul's family opening gifts and eating finger foods. If we exchange gifts between the two of us, we do that on Christmas morning. I guess that's about it. Oh, and every year Abby gets a new big fuzzy ball. (Shhhh...don't tell her. She doesn't know it's under the tree.)

Midnight Snack
Are you feeling like a Jolly Elf or a Grinchy Scrooge right at this moment?

Definitely Grinchy Scrooge. It just doesn't feel like Christmas. Paul and I were just talking about this earlier tonight. It came up so fast this year, and I don't know if it's the state of the economy, the uncertainty of the country, or what, but as Paul said, it's really just another day. It's so commercialized. I was shopping last Friday after work and as I came out of Sams Club (where I didn't buy anything because they didn't have what I was looking for and even if they would have I can't say that I would have stood in those lines) and next to the Salvation Army bell-ringer were a group of carolers. It was more annoying than anything. I sent Paul, who knew I was out shopping, a text saying, "Bah Humbug." The stores were unbelievably busy...on a Friday afternoon...and I just wasn't finding what I was looking for. A lot of the stores shelves seemed emptier than usual. I heard the stores just aren't stocking up this year because they expected people to not buy as much. I don't know...it's just an all-around strange Christmas. I guess this is when we need to step back and remember the real "reason for the season." I think that's the only thing that will get a lot of families through it this year.

Recipe for this Week (instead of your recipe for life - what is it for just this week?)

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling...how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'til his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. ~Dr. Seuss.

Food For Thought

Breakfast
Do you have a real Christmas tree or an artificial one?

Artificial. Actually, it's not even actually a Christmas tree. It's about 4 feet tall. It's in our living room all the time as part of our "Northwoods" decor. We just put lights on it and hang tiny ornaments. This year we didn't have anything to sit it on and so I took a huge box that was in our garage and wrapped it with red wrapping paper and sat the tree on it. It looks like it's sitting on a big present. Looks kind of gaudy, but it works! I'll take a picture of it as soon as we actually get the little ornaments hung!

Lunch
Do you give a Christmas gift to your nearby neighbors each year?

Ha ha ha ha ha. No.

Dinner
Have you ever done the 12 Days of Christmas or had it done to you? Was it anonymous?

No and no.

Midnight Snack
What time do you typically get to bed on Christmas Eve?

We're going to Jerry and Krista's (Paul's cousin) for Christmas Eve this year. We usually alternate between there and Carol and Roy's (Paul's aunt and uncle). The one year we had it at our house was when I broke my knee and couldn't get out. Christmas day is usually at our house so we can have everyone over and not have to split the day. Plus I like to do it.

Recipe for this Week (instead of your recipe for life - what is it for just this week?)

Remember the real reason for the season.

A Cookie For You!

Frost your own cookie without the temptation

(and without all the mess) at BHG.

You Don't See This Very Often

Of course, unfortunately, you probably see it more than "Made in USA."
(It's Oral-B dental floss in case you're wondering)

Sorry, Charlie. It's not for you.

Waiting for a bite of my cookie...which she is not going to get....

Because it's chocolate.

How dare I make a type of cookie she can't have.

Another Winter's Butterfly

I love this set. It's the swirliness (is that even word?) of the snowflakes. This card is a lot more blingy in real life. I couldn't capture that on film for some reason. I stamped the flakes with Versamark on white glossy cardstock and then brayered over that with my "Big and Juicy" pad (hydrangia). All the die cuts are Cuttlebug. The layout was last Wednesday's weekly card sketch on SCS.

100 Things I Have Done...Or Not

I came across this on another blog last week and decided to give it a go. The things I have done are highlighted in red. There is a lot of things on here I would love to experience...and some I don't plan on.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/World

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning - Never again will I eat black olives from Subway

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke - NOT by myself

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business - Does being a TAC demo count (although it was a hobby)?

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox - Apparently so, even though I don't remember. I test positive for having had it, though.

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Fostered a rescue animal (adopted)

Food For Thought

Breakfast
What is your favorite time of day and why?

5:30 p.m. This is the time that I'm usually home from work and see that Paul's car is in the garage and then I know that we both got home safely.

Lunch
If you could find anything under your Christmas tree this year, what would it be?

A goldendoodle puppy. Or a new car. Or a million dollars.

Dinner
Would you want to know when you were going to die?

I don't think so...that's just now how it's meant to be.

Midnight Snack
If someone gives you a Christmas gift that you weren't expecting to, do you give them one in return even though you didn't plan on it?

Yes. I don't feel right about it if I don't.

Recipe for this Week (instead of your recipe for life - what is it for just this week?)

The early bird catches the worm.

Beet Juice?

Here's something I've never heard of before. I just read this in the paper the other day. Apparently the salt that the county uses to spread on the roads in the winter has gone up in price so they're looking for ways to spread it a little thinner this season. In an effort to do so they are borrowing an idea from a neighboring county. Their plans are to spray beet juice on the county roads before the snow falls. Apparently something in the beet juice acts as a de-icer to keep the falling snow from adhering to the pavement and they won't have to use as much salt. They county didn't have all the equipment it needs before this week's storm, so they haven't been able to try it out yet, but they're working on it. Is that wild or what? I wonder who first came up with this idea.

What's For Dinner

Chicken Fried Chicken

Mashed Potatoes With Country Gravy
Green Beans

This was Thursday's dinner. I used another Rachael Ray recipe...sort of. Her recipe was actually for chicken fried steak. I have my own way of doing chicken fried chicken, but I used her way for the gravy, which really isn't any different from my way except she uses a combo of chicken broth and milk instead of all milk. I thought I would give that a try...pretty tasty. Her recipe calls for 1 cup of chicken broth and 3/4 cup milk. I used 1 cup of each...and a little more butter and flour. The beans are ones that I froze from mom's garden.

"Where's my chicken??"

Rudolph The Pink-Nosed Reindeer?

We took a trip to Archiver's last Saturday to get the supplies I need for this year's Christmas cards. They had their Hot Spot clear stamps for 2 for $1.99, so I got this little guy for $1. It's hard to tell from the photograph, but the pink paper is from the Bazzill Bling line, so it has a slight shimmer. The main image and the sentiment are embossed in silver, and I added a gem to the nose to bling it up a bit and turn him into Rudolph.

Bah Humbug

I think Abby was getting tired of our Christmas card photo session.

Happy Wishes

I don't think I ever posted these.

They're the cards I made for mom's and Lisa's birthdays.

I Think I'm Still Full

Notice the sliver of pie missing. Mom just couldn't help herself.

Caught Sheldon acting goofy.


Good thing mom reads my blog...see those lines.

She's probably thinking, "That boy needs to EAT (just don't give him my food)."

Food For Thought

Breakfast
What is the most stressful thing for you about the holidays?

Figuring out what gifts to buy.

Lunch
What one quality do you admire most in others?

I admire people who are good conversationalists, where the conversation just ebbs and flows and they never run out of things to talk about...yet they don't feel they have to fill up every second with words and the silence is not uncomfortable.

Dinner
Do you enjoy winter, tolerate it, or detest it?

If I don't have to drive in it, I enjoy it. I like the colder weather (hate being hot) and love the falling snow. If the roads are bad and the streets and parking lots icy, I detest it. I would be perfectly happy somewhere where I could wear jeans and a sweatshirt outside and be comfortable...no coat, I hate wearing coats...and it snowed every so often on a Sunday and then the roads were all clear by Monday morning. The snow can stick around on the grass and stuff but just not the pavement.

Midnight Snack
Where is your favorite place to shop?

Kohls.

Recipe for this Week (instead of your recipe for life - what is it for just this week?)

The more you say, the less people remember. ~ Francois Fenelon

Gobble, Gobble

I hope everyone had a happy turkey day and didn't stuff yourself too much...unlike me! I don't think I'll need to eat for a week. For those of you brave enough to venture out into the world on Black Friday, I hope you get lots of good deals!

This Or That?

For Thanksgiving dinner...

1. Turkey or Ham? Turkey. It's not Thanksgiving without it. Ham is for Easter.

2. Cranberry Sauce or Stuffing? I like both, but it's not called stuffing...it's dressing. I don't want it if it's been up the turkey's butt (hello, salmonella). As far as the cranberry sauce, unlike my sister who likes the fresh stuff, I will only eat cranberry sauce that comes from a can. If it doesn't come out in the shape of a can, I don't want it.

3. Pumpkin Pie or Apple Pie? I could really pass on either, but I guess I'll say pumpkin...with Cool Whip.

4. Warm apple cider or hot cocoa? I don't do the warm cider thing. I absolutely hate mulling spices...makes my tongue numb just thinking about it. I'll take the cocoa...with a bunch of marshmallows or real whipped cream. Try stirring it with a peppermint stick and watch the peppermint disappear before your eyes. Or, even better, add a little bit of Bailey's Irish Cream Yum!

5. Cook the meal yourself or go to someone's house to eat? It varies from year to year. Going to mom's this year for dinner and to Paul's aunt's house for dessert later on.

6. After eating do you...collapse on the couch in front of the tv or go for a walk? Do people seriously go for a walk after Thanksgiving dinner? How is that even possible? I can tell you right now I will be vegging...and napping...and then vegging some more...

Season's Greeting

I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that this week is Thanksgiving. It just doesn't seem possible. Time to start thinking of the Christmas tree. We had planned last year to maybe buy a real tree this year. However, real trees make me think of two words...fire hazard. I have this huge fear of forgetting to water it and having it dry out and start a fire. I know...I'm totally paranoid. I'm also not big on having to clean up all the needles either. Since we have trees in our living room anyway due to the Northwoods decor, we're probably going to end up putting lights on them, buying some pine-scented air freshener to add that "realistic" effect, and calling it a day. I need to figure out a new arrangement, though. The addition of the new TV and the absence of the old entertainment center has displaced my trees. I need to figure out what to do. I am so not good at home decorating.


There's quite a bit of bling on this one...can't have Christmas without a little (or a lot of) sparkle.

Food For Thought

Breakfast
How do you usually spend Thanksgiving?
That depends on if we're having it at our house. The last couple of years we have because it's easier for us to have both families over here. If that's the case, I wind up sleeping too late and then frantically trying to clean the house and get the dinner started before everyone arrives. This year we're going to mom's so I'm going to purposely sleep late.

Lunch
What is the one thing you are most grateful for this year?

That both of us still have jobs and we're keeping our heads above water financially (barely but we're doing it).

Dinner
Do you usually shop on Black Friday or avoid it like the plague?

I usually shut myself up in the house and don't even look outside. This Friday I'm thinking of going to see the movie Twilight. I really want to see it since I just read the book, but there was no way I was going this past weekend (opening weekend). Going even next weekend will be pushing it, but I figure maybe while everyone in the city is shopping, it might be a good time.

Midnight Snack
What is your favorite part of the Thanksgiving feast?

Probably the turkey with gravy...or the candied sweet potatoes.

Recipe for this Week (instead of your recipe for life - what is it for just this week?)

I will not each too much turkey...or candied sweet potatoes (mom, you are making those, right?)

Be Merry

It seems I only ever have time to get in one sketch challenge per weekend, even though there are quite a few every weekend that I'd like to participate in. This weekend I really liked Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge (WSC67), so that's the one I chose to play along with.


The image stamp is by Northwoods Rubber Stamps and the sentiment by TAC. I've had the printed paper in my stash forever, so I really couldn't tell you where it came from. The larger square, however, was made using a printed copy of a scan of the "Christmas" page from a vintage dictionary (very cool!) so generously provided by Melstampz. I cut out the portion showing the definition for "merry." I crinkled it up and then rubbed it with "Old Paper" Distress Ink. Actually, I tried it first by rubbing it with red ink, but it came out looking a little too much like blood, which really isn't the look I was going for. The ornament of the image is cut from Real Red (SU!) cardstock and adhered to the image to pop it out a little. It would have probably looked better if I would have went with gold ribbon, but I wasn't thinking when I grabbed the silver brads, so I went ahead and used silver.

Well, I've got to go take the roast out of the oven and then settle in to watch 24: Redemption...the two hour movie leading into the new season of 24 that starts in January!

Forty!

40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 Happy Birthday, Sheila! 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

How lovely are thy branches.

What do you think about my Christmas tree? I know you can't actually see it yet, but you'll be able to someday. Right now it's just a tiny seed. Give it about 20 years or so and it will be a beautiful blue spruce. That is if I don't forget to water it, and transplant it, and feed it, and nurture it.

I found this little kit in the Dollar Spot at Target yesterday. It contained everything needed to grow your own Christmas tree...all for a buck, so I thought why not? I could use a project. It even came with it's very own little pot and clump of dirt. Granted the pot is only 2 inches tall, but it's plenty big enough for the 5 little seeds. I'm supposed to transplant it when it gets 3 inches tall. I wonder how long that will take.

Getting it started was pretty interesting. The dirt came as a little clump about the size of a quarter and about 1/4-inch deep. The directions said to put it in a bowl and add 1/16-cup of water. I added the water and it just sucked it up like a sponge and grew and grew to about 10 times the size it started as. It was crazy! Then I had to transfer the dirt to the pot, add the seeds, and cover them with 1/8-inch of the dirt. I have to say it was kind of fun. Guess we'll see what happens!

Dreaming Of A Happy Day

Think This Will Work?

I figure if I make cards depicting a lot of snow, maybe it won't snow this weekend. One can only hope! I'm trying to use some reverse psychology on Mother Nature.

Fridge Magnet

I made this yesterday using an old CD. I have a ton of old CDs that I have saved from various sources such as the AOL disks that used to come in the mail. I never knew why I was saving them but figured I would come up with something. Yesterday I started playing around with one and came up with this. Paper attaches easily to the front using double-sided tape, and I added two small strips of magnetic tape to the back. This was a lot of fun to do. It's like a mini scrapbook page for your fridge!

Food For Thought

Breakfast
What are you looking most forward to in the next week?

Lunch out with the girls at work. Having lunch with Sheila and her family to celebrate her 40th birthday. Watching CSI...should be a good one. Visitors for Thanksgiving!

Lunch
What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

Actually probably a lot of things. I think fear of failure keeps me from doing a lot of things I would like to do. Even something as simple as scrapbooking. I love it but I just don't do it much anymore because I I feel it has to be perfect. I've been putting off scrapbooking our wedding for over 12 years now because it just won't be perfect enough. Stupid, I know. I just yesterday read a really good article in the current issue of Good Housekeeping called "The Thread Of Life." It was basically about weight loss and how no one is going to live forever so we need to start enjoying the life we have now, no matter the size of our thighs, before time runs out. It's so true and this concept can be applied to many other areas of our lives apart from our weight. Many people given the news that their days are numbered start living the life they have always wanted to live. The article basically explained how everyone's days are numbered, we just don't know the number, so what is stopping us from being fully alive and enjoying every moment.

Dinner
If you could choose to get rid of one animal on earth, what would it be?

Are you kidding me? Sorry...I just can't do that. Okay...so maybe snakes.

Midnight Snack
If your life were a made for TV program, would it be a reality show, documentary, sit-com, cartoon, drama series, or a talk show?

A combination of a sit-com, drama, and talk show. Whatever it would be, it would be the most boring hour on television...I can tell you that much. No one would watch it. Nothing exciting going on here. Paul would say his would be exactly like the movie "The Truman Show." There must be a big director in the sky saying to everyone, "Okay...here comes Paul...you two...stand in the middle of that parking space...you...get out of your car NOW...when he gets in the store remember everyone SLOW DOWN.

Recipe for this Week (instead of your recipe for life - what is it for just this week?)

Live the life you have. Love the body you've got.

Okay, So I Lied

Remember my Food For Thought post from Sunday where I said the thing I was most grateful for at that moment was that I didn't have strep throat. Well, I take that back. I got a call from the immediate care clinic this evening. The rapid strep test was negative, but the culture that they sent out came back positive. They called in a prescription for an antibiotic right away. I've been at work the last couple of days spreading my germs around. The health department was at the school today to give the employees their flu shots, and I decided to not get mine. I usually do, but I wasn't sure if I should this time with being sick. I read online that it should be okay if you don't have a fever. I'm glad now I decided against it.

Anyway, that's my big news for today. I guess I'll change what I'm grateful for is that I did decide to go to the doctor and am now on antibiotics.

I have one more thing for you today. Here is a picture of Abby posing in her new Christmas collar that mom made her. It's hard to get a good angle where her long hair doesn't cover it up.


She's so silly. I was on my way upstairs this past weekend when I told her to come upstairs when she gets a chance to try on her new collar. A few minutes later, here she comes and sits down in front of me. I take her old collar off and put her new one on and then she sat patiently while I adjusted the settings on my camera. She posed for some pictures and then I changed the collars back, saving this one for closer to Christmas, and she promptly sauntered off to go about her business. She's such a good girl.

Winter's Butterfly

I should probably not post this card because with my luck now that I have it will snow. We did get some snow on Friday afternoon, but it didn't stick. That's good enough for me. It's pretty as it's coming down, but I'm starting to really fear driving in it. This was hard to photograph because it's made with Bazzill Basics Bling cardstock...very shiny. Much prettier in real life.


For the layout I used Lauren's Saturday sketch from her blog, My Time...

Stamps are from Hero Arts. I love this set and know I'm going to be using it often this winter. The clear flakes are Snowflake Rain Dot accents from Cloud9Designs.

Food For Thought

Breakfast
What are you most grateful for at this very moment?

That I don't have strep throat. I've had a sore throat since Thursday morning that has progressively gotten worse. I tried the Throat Coat tea and Chloriseptic, both the spray and lozenges, but nothing was working. I took NyQuil and slept most of the day on Saturday and when I woke up this morning, it was still there. It was against my better judgment, but I told Paul he better take me to the immediate care clinic because there have been some illnesses going around some of the families at work, including mono. They tested me for strep, and the rapid test was negative. They told me to take Advil and gave me a prescription for some Rondec DM syrup. I'm just getting ready to take that now. It will probably knock me out. At least I won't have to worry about what it tastes like because I can't taste a darn thing. We stopped for breakfast after my doctor visit and on the way there I chewed a piece of gum. Have you ever had 5 gum? It's pretty intense flavor, but I couldn't taste a thing. I ordered a scrambled egg and toast for breakfast just so I would have something on my stomach when I took the Advil. I even drank my coffee without cream and sugar (gasp!!). The second cup anyway...I automatically put it in the first cup out of habit.

This would be a great diet. They need to invent some sort of pill that numbs your taste buds and sense of smell temporarily. Why eat if you can't taste it? Right now I'm drinking a chocolate shake from McDonald's because it feels good on my throat. Why chocolate? I don't know.

Lunch
Did this week's election results leave you feeling optimistic, pessimistic, or neither?

Optimistic...although the realist in me knows that one man isn't going to turn this country around and point it in the right direction.

Dinner
Name five meals you repeatedly have for dinner over and over.

Spaghetti, goulash, BBQ sandwiches (Manwich) and mac & cheese, baked mostachiolli, pizza. I wouldn't say we have these "over and over" but they're probably what we have most often.

Midnight Snack
If you had a robot to help around the house, what three jobs would you have them do? What are three jobs you would not let them do?

I would let them do anything and everything they were capable of doing, but the top three would be bathrooms, windows, and floors.

Recipe for this Week (instead of your recipe for life - what is it for just this week?)

I want to be the person my dog thinks I am.

I'm Just Not Ready For This

How can Christmas be next month when it seems like it was just last month??

I guess now is as good a time as ever to break out the Christmas stamps. For this card I used some paper that has been in my stash f-o-r-e-v-e-r. See that red paper with the embossed ornaments (I know...it's hard to see the embossing). It has been in my red/pink scrap folder for years getting in my way because it was a full sheet with only one ornament cut out of it. I never used it I guess because it was just too bright red. Good riddance!

God Bless America

Normally I stay as far away from the subject of politics as possible. First off, I don't know enough about it to get into any sort of debate. Secondly, I was taught that that is one of two subjects you stay away from in order to keep the peace (religion, of course, being the other) and I'm all about keeping the peace. No doubt about it, no matter who would have claimed the victory in yesterday's election, history would be made. We have come a long way and this is the beginning of a new era. An era in which maybe we as a nation can come together as one no matter the color of our skin and remember that we are all the same on the inside. That would be a beautiful thing.

My prayers are with our new President Elect in that he can lead us on a path of change that this country so desperately needs.

I think I'll send this card to someone who I know is very happy today.

I Thought It Was Autumn

It sure doesn't feel like it out there! Today's high was in the 70's...beautiful. Of course, I was stuck inside at work all day...didn't even get a chance to peek outside. We did a little bit of shopping after work, and it was even nice then. I don't think it's going to last, though. Friday's forecast is a high in the upper 40's with possible snow. I wish Mother Nature would make up her mind!

I have a few RAKs to send out for my duties on the RAK Welcoming Committee at Splitcoast Stampers, so I made up a few of these cards using the sketch challenge from a couple of weeks ago (#199).

Well, Paul's waiting for me to watch a couple of shows taped on the DVR on our brand new TV we purchased this weekend. He is just beside himself...let me tell you.