Think Pink

Wordless Wednesday : He loves me

Making Stacey Proud

Miss Stacey is my hero.  From the top of her adorably curly head, right down to her dancing, unpedicured feet and all the lightning fast hooking hands in the middle.  She is my organizational guru.  And so, today, in her honor, I present to you.. my Menu for this week, AND (this is the part where she stops breathing)... THE EIGHT THINGS ABOUT ME meme.  That's right. Here we go.

Monday: Brats w/ green pepper & onion/ chicken drums and fresh fruit (Mexican salad for me)

Tuesday: GIRLS NIGHT! (I'm in charge of DESSERT); the kids are having homemade pizza and Craig will have chicken breasts w/ veggies and cheese

Wednesday: Spaghetti and salad

Thursday: Tilapia/ veggie or salad and fresh fruit

Friday: Roast Beef and Shrimp, broccoli with cheese, Strawberry/ Orange pasta Salad

Saturday: leftovers

Sunday: out to eat with friends

WHEW! I did it! One week.  I'd really like to start to have a kind of theme for certain nights but that's a plan for another week.

and now 8 THINGS ABOUT ME. I was tagged by Kris

The Rules:

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their 8 things) and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

1) I am currently obsessed with fresh tomato sandwiches.  Everyday I pine for lunch so that I can have their fresh tangy goodness between two slices of yummy bread.  I have been known to have one for breakfast and lunch.

2) I never ate any vegetable but corn until I was well into my 20's.  Now I am a vegetarian, a fact that continues to amaze people.

3) I would like to learn another language, maybe Italian.

4) I am on track to read over 200 books this year.

5) I first started taking voice lessons when I was 7 years old.  For some reason that also amazes people who think that singers either "have it" or "don't have it" Talent is about 10% pre-disposition and 90% hard work.  I work at what I do well.

6) My aspiration is to learn to play guitar next year. I will mostly likely learn to play right-handed though I am left handed.

7) My hair has not been it's natural color in over ten years.

8) This weekend I was told by our new pastor that he'd been trying to figure out how to set me up with his college age son.  Unfortunately it was also brought to his attention that not only am I in my MID-THIRTIES, I am his co-worker's wife. heh.

There.  Now that I have done this I am supposed to tag 8 other people, but well.  I DID it. Isn't that enough? You want it, DO IT!  I'll be happy to read your 8 things.

What Weekend?

This weekend is packed full of activity.  After starting school this week rather suddenly, we dubbed today park day.  It was actually pleasant when we rolled out of bed and the breeze was off the ocean so we packed up and spent the morning jumping, running, sliding, swinging and yelling. We'll be going basically ninety-to-nothing until Sunday afternoon now.  Which is OK; I just forgot how to schedule downtime instead of it being at hand most of the time.  Next week we continue with school, and I really and for truly start exercising.  I can't just overhaul everything all at once or I freak out and shut down.  Do you do that?

You will be happy to know that I am back to playing nicely.  We had some lack of communication issues that prompted my post yesterday.  Now that I am all in the know about the pertinent details (I don't want to know everyone's business, but it's fairly important that I at least know about mine! ) I am sure it won't be long before I am stirring the pot again.  It's my lot in life: pot stirrer.  Better than pot sticker, I'm sure. Hunky Hubby thinks that I am cute.  That's all that matters.

Speaking of Hunky hubby, he got his stitches out the other day.  It still gives me the bootie shivers to look at it.  He, on the other hand, delights is sharing it's gaping pinkness to all who come within a few feet of him.  Olivia has taken to walking around with her eyes closed.  It's just dangerous around here.

and now, memes:

Appetizer
Describe your laundry routine. Do you have a certain day when you do it all, or do you just wash whatever you need for the next day? I usually do two loads of laundry on Mon, Weds and Fri.  I do linens on Tuesday- everyone gets their sheets changed every other week.  Don't wrinkle your nose at me, they go to bed clean.

Soup
In your opinion, what age will you be when you’ll consider yourself to truly be old? I am skipping old. We are going young to dead.  That old stuff isn't for me.

Salad
What is one of your goals? Is it short-term, long-term, or both? Read every Pulitzer Prize winning book and every Booker Prize winning book.  And lose weight--don't I ALWAYS want to lose weight?

Main Course
Name something unbelievable you’ve seen or read lately. ummmmmm.  oooh THIS.  **shudders**

Dessert
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how happy are you today? today? hmm 6, maybe 7.  It's been awhile since a 10 day.  I'm working on it.

• the sea breeze
• new tomato plants
• strawberries
• baked potatoes
• encouraging friends
• the start of new things
• Craig
• Dave Crowder

Friday Felicities 7/10

Somedays, you gotta look for the silver lining:

*the library - I just consider it the east wing of my own personal library.  They even pull the books for me. I *HEART* my library

*A cool breeze on a hot day.  We are finishing up an audio book and just parked by the river to listen for a bit and opened up all the doors and windows and caught the most AMAZING ocean breeze and listened to our book.  How we got a full 30 minutes without microwave style heat indexes I'll never know.

*Fresh cut grass.  I hate the process but MAN I love the results.

*Garden grown tomatoes.  So good my toes curl thinking about it.

*igoogle

*A new school year.  Even when you stay home, it's exciting.

*home. Be it ever so humble....I missed my space like the dickens.

*Remembering "the Noodle Brigade" (see tomorrow's blog for details)

*skinny dipping

*Miz Booshay over at A Quiet Life. She is all lovely, fun all the time.

*Remembering Nattie.  I have decided that I don't want to get over missing her.  I want to miss her forever, because loving her was a delight, and I don't want to lose that.

And in honor of Miz Booshay...Friday Feast

Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of pie? My mom's homemade apple.  There really isn't another pie even close.  I don't care how cliche it sounds.

Soup
Name something that made you smile this week.  This cartoon.  I am Ego-Man

Salad
What do you do to cool off when the weather is hot and humid? Go naked.  HEEEEEEEE. People everywhere are SO GLAD that is a joke.  Swim, hit the beach, drink fruity rum drinks.  Think about October when it's open window season again.

Main Course
You receive $1,000 in the mail with a letter that says you can only use the money to redecorate one room in your home. Which room do you pick, and what do you buy to spruce it up? My room.  All new furniture.  Most of what we have we have had since college, or childhood.  I would love a fancy-schmancy sleaigh bed with matching dressers.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: My _________ says __________, but I __________.

My daughter says no, but I tickle her anyway.

Friday Felicities and some other stuff

It is customary for mission trips to cause difficulties in your life. I call it warfare.  Call it what you will, life is never easy in the throws of preparation, and I think it is possible that the latest trip that hunky hubby undertook (at 2 am this morning, no less) may have been the most stressful yet.  Six months ago a strong core team of ten was formed.  Over the months various members dropped away (some on more than one occasion) leaving the team with five, yes five members to run a Native American high school age week of summer camp in the mountains of Arizona.

At 9pm last night the phone rang.  The designated driver (the team left from an airport 90 minutes away) was having a family crisis, not to mention her son was one of the remaining four members of the team.  What followed on what should have been a night with an early bedtime and much needed pre-trip rest, was fitful sleep punctuated by numerous phonecalls as we waited to hear what the final Dr's statement would be, who would drive, and whether or not the team would be four or five and most importantly, if said family member in crisis was going to live or die.  The good news is, yes, she will.  We received that news sometime after midnight, and the final team count is again, a whopping five.

I am tired. I am stressed.  I am still so. freaking. sad. And tired. My husband is gone for another two weeks, and this time around is no mini-vacation for me. So, I definitely need some Friday Felicities.

• Rain- it makes my grass grow, my flowers bloom, my heart light.  We needed it; we still need it. I love to hear it dancing on my roof, especially at night.
• My children coming home from camp. I miss them.  I need them.  I cant wait to hear all their camp stories and adventures.
• Organization.  I am SO OCD, but knowing where everything is what is coming next makes me happy, happy, happy, happy.
• My Ipod.  The honeymoon is so not over.  We were a match made in heaven my little pink dispenser of musical happiness.
• Vegetarian Mexican casserole and multi grain tortillas.
• Did I mention my girls are coming home?
• Yarn Yarn Yarn and a movie.

Friday Felicities

A meme created by Nattie

*the ocean

*good friends - even if they break your heart sometimes

*sharing a good, uninhibited belly laugh

*curls

*a husband who lets you vascillate wildly between hyterical laughter and hysterical crying - and who doesn't label you insane when you cry because you can't find the flat sheet for the bed you are making and he is standing there holding it.

*rain

*memories

*Friends quotes

*being a part of something bigger than yourself

*forgiveness

Wordless Wednesday

 

All I really want to do is to fall into
The emptiness that is
The space in-between us
To break this division
All I really want to do is to fall into
The emptiness that is
The space in-between us
Erase it and bring us together again

   --Building 429

Thankful Thursday 13

First of all, is it true that the Thursday 13 isn't going anymore? I never really went to the "main site" but just kind of tagged along with everyone else for the heck of it, catching a week here and missing one there.  Oh well, I've got thirteen things to share so here goes.

Thirteen GREAT things about today:

• Black olive hummus - who knew such a delicious treat for the taste buds existed.  Oh it is glorious my friends. glorious.
• Singing at a friend's wedding.  I was so excited when she became engaged.  I am even more excited, and honored, and giddy, and thrilled, and delighted to sing at it. WOOT!
• Time alone at the library.
• Books
• finding the book your daughter has been pining at said library and the smile on her face when you hand it to her.
• Driving with the windows down and music up, singing at the top of my lungs right by the side of the river while the dolphin herd the bait fish and the pelicans dip overhead.  Have I mention I live in paradise, people?
• Derek Webb, The House Show, album good, great stuff. Stuff you just can't hear enough of.
• Spiritual insight
• Grilled Veggie Sandwiches.  Today is not a day that I miss meat.
• Realizing the MY BIRFDAY is in two weeks--TWO WEEKS! It's time to start celebrating.
• Polish Frizzle Chicken the official chicken for the month of May in my Extraordinary Chickens Calendar (one of the best Christmas presents EVAH!)
• The Dream House for new-to-reader that is simply what I call my house.  Because I love it)
• Plans on Paper.  Crossing things off is a HUGE motivator for me, writing things down so I can cross them off--a.w.e.s.o.m.e. I now have a new plan, for a new month, in which I will begin another new year, and considering my love of newness.  It just don't get much better.

Wordless Wednesday

I told you he was hunky- MEEEE-ROWR

Google Says!

It started as just curiosity but the results were too darn funny not to share.  It's a simple meme really.  Use the Google search engine and type "Your Name needs/ wants/ can and can't"

For instance, Dana Needs:

• a woman like Dana needs to be the center of attention, be the prettiest, the most fortunate, the most talented, the bestest. ... (ah, sadly, all true.  Maybe this search was rigged)
• Dana needs a family that can give him lots of time and attention as he has missed out on this in his life. (Dana also needs a fmily who recognizes HER gender, which might solve some of her obvious emotional trauma)
• Dana needs to do her own thing now and SHOW people what she can do...(yes, I do need to be less of a conformist and wall flower)
• Dana needs some breathing room (sometimes I do.)
• Dana needs to hold down a job and pay taxes for a while (hunky hubby just shouted "AMEN")

Dana wants:

• Dana Wants to Know! (somethings yes, some not so much)
• Dana wants them to wear the clothes (always--i wasn't even aware that people ever questioned this)
• Dana wants to ride out his contract w/o a title shot (I really do. I'll probably never have a better season)
• Dana wants to play an agile, crafty warrior (I'm no longer your mild mannered pastor's wife)
• Dana wants the gravy train to continue  (that's right, baby, so keep the diamonds comin' and SHOW ME THE MONEY!)

Dana can:

• Dana can be a viable alternative to an expensive and fragile laptop computer. (Yes, I am a viable option, but my memory is not always reliable and my RAM is filled with 80's music)
• Dana can be used anywhere, inside or outside of the. classroom, all day long. (heh-I am so versitile)
• Dana can get undressed (just wait until the people who think I can't undo my bra hear about this....Now if I only I could read I would be a lethal combo)
• Dana can run, jump, create or destroy orange blocks (it's my orange block powers that first attracted my hunkster)
• Dana can engage in the proxying attack to proxy the use-value of X (WOW! super powers I was unaware of and can't even comprehend!!!!)

Dana can't:

Dana can't post anything without bashing MS  (It's true, but mostly because I just loathe Joanne and everything her family stands for.)

Dana can't afford to buy all of this stuff...(again, true--in pretty much any situation)

Dana can't believe that that was actually supposed to make her feel better. She leaves. (umm, well I didn't actually have such high hopes for this exercise and where am I going??)

Dana can't unhook her bra (not true.  I can.  And I did marry the hunky hubby for help in any and all bra crises)

Dana can't read yet (yes, it is true.  You are reading the ramblings of a complete illiterate.  the good news is, I won't be reading them.)

And there you have it.  A portrait of Dana painted by google.  Am I not impressive?   Blame Heather--she made me do it.