Back In the Saddle

After the Sweet Potato Incident of January 2011, I have been apprehensive about cooking another one in the microwave.

But today -- nearly two years later -- I finally worked up the nerve. I had one sweet potato sitting on my counter and I really wanted to eat it for lunch.

I am pleased to share that my attempt was a success!

Did you ever see a finer looking sweet potato?!

 

Isn't She Lovely? :)

A gal from church had a baby a week ago today. (Yes.... Thanksgiving Day at 4:26 pm!)

Little Zoe wasn't expected to arrive for another month or so. She was in the NICU until Sunday and got to go home with her parents on Monday.

I was able to meet Zoe today, although she was asleep the whole time!

It occurred to me tonight that Zoe is probably the tiniest person that I've ever seen. Such a precious little thing. And a miracle. :)

Thank you, God, for this gift of LIFE!

Dad 125: In Maine With Snowflakes

(The weather outside is frightful!  .... Not really.  Enjoy Dad's post!  -- Tracy)

Derf Here!  Another cloudy, late fall day in the Northeast.  Wind from the North (according to my weather vane).  It has been rather cold lately and from what the experts say, we are in for a very cold Friday.  Lucky to get up to freezing!!  Brrrr!!!

One week ago I thought I'd be travelling to the Midwest today.  As late as two nights ago I was still planning on hitting the road.  My plans changed overnight and the planned trip is no longer.  I guess the thought of twenty hours in the automobile caused me to lack the incentive necessary to complete the trip at this time.  Perhaps old age??

Sure hope the Eureka College dinner/concert goes well this weekend.  I'm sorry I'll not be there to witness the event.  Wish the Henry family the best for the performances.  Will be thinking of you and will be with you in spirit.  Have to put off meeting Brendon and Sam until a later date.

Happy for our Indianapolis family as the Colts bounced back from their defeat by the Patriots.  Wish Andrew Luck and his team well the rest of the way.  Really happy to see the Patriots whip on Rex Ryan and his Jets on Thanksgiving evening.  Three touchdowns in 52 seconds.  Sorry to see Tim Tebow suffer through this year with this group.  Hope he gets to play for another team in the future.  Probably not at quarterback, but he'll find a suitable position, I hope!

Just looked out the window and noticed snowflakes falling.  At the rate I see them coming down, they will not cause any serious problems.  Just makes me think of what is about to happen in the next few weeks.  I'm ready for Spring already and Winter has not even arrived!!  The plow is ready!  The tank is full of fuel!  Bring it on!!

There goes another flake.  Don't think I'll have to plow today.

The flakes have stopped!  And so have I!

Talk to you next month!

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

P.S.  The flakes are back!  But I'm not!

I Love Free e-Books

I have some websites that I check quite often for free e-books for my Kindle.  (Some of these sites will even send you an e-mail reminder so that you don't miss out.)  Now that the Christmas shopping season is here, I thought I would share these sites in case my readers aren't aware of them.

I check the Amazon Best Sellers: Best Kindle Store page at least once a week.  The freebies are on the right hand side.

Publisher David C Cook offers at least one free title per week.  (Sometimes more than one!)  This site has the links to more than just the Kindle version.

The following two sites often overlap, but sometimes I find a book that I missed earlier.  I take a quick peek every day.

• Gospel eBooks (Free & Discount Christian eBooks for the Kindle)
• Inspired Reads (Christian Kindle Books on a Budget)

I usually check the Christian Book Distributors (CBD) site once a week for their free e-books.  I sometimes will "buy" the CBD version (which must be read on the free online CBD Reader), although I usually check to see if the books are also free on the Kindle.  Most of the time they are.


BONUS:  FREE MUSIC!
K-Love offers one free Christian song on iTunes every two weeks.  (One specific song will be available for about a couple weeks, and then a different song will be offered.)  I usually check the site each week so that I don't have to keep track of whether I've downloaded the current song or not.


Have fun!

Our Cats Don't Play the Piano

Jerry was using our keyboard as a springboard, so I moved it a few weeks ago. After that he wasn't really landing hard on it anymore, but he and Kurt were still walking around on top of it.

Lew and I weren't happy with the situation because our keyboard cover is flimsy -- a dust cover, really.

So I googled the problem and came up with the following solution: double-sided tape. Cats don't like getting sticky paws.

I didn't want to put the tape directly on the cover, so I designed a cardboard frame that fits over the top of the keyboard. I then put the tape on the cardboard.

It's not aesthetically pleasing, but it is working so far!

 

The Early Morning News

The radio station that we wake up to (instead of an annoying buzzer) has started its annual round-the-clock playing of Christmas music.

This 24/7 treatment always begins the day after Thanksgiving and ends on Christmas Day.

I enjoy it because they play some fun favorites (like "Little Saint Nick" by The Beach Boys), but they also play songs of a spiritual nature.

So -- whether intended or not -- this ordinarily secular station is sharing the story of Christ's birth. Immanuel. God with us.

And that is GOOD news!

No NaNoWriMo

Only one more week to go in November, so I guess I won't be participating in NaNoWriMo this year.

What is NaNoWriMo?  It stands for National Novel Writing Month.  It's a challenge that takes place each November.  The goal is to write 50,000 words by the end of the month.

I did it last year, and I made the 50,000 words.  Then I started the editing process, and -- sadly -- I have not gotten very far yet.

I'm getting to a point where I want to pull the draft out again, though, so I guess I'm glad that I didn't start writing a different novel this year.

My "clean-out-and-organize-the-back-room-upstairs" project should be complete by the end of this coming week.  Then I will have a nice uncluttered environment in which to edit.

Wish me luck!

(Postscript:  Yes, I know that there are six more days to go in November.  But I would have to average 8,334 words a day in order to make it to 50,000.  No can do!)

(Post-postscript:  Happy Birthday to my sister Debbie!)

The Day After

The Friday after Thanksgiving is perhaps the laziest day of the year for me.

No... forget the "perhaps."  It is the laziest day of my year!

I spent the day lounging around in my PJ's, watching a few episodes of "Murder, She Wrote" and "Perry Mason", eating leftovers, and watching Lew put up the Christmas tree.

Lew has now commandeered the DVR, so I decided to be a little bit productive....  But only a little bit!

Happy Thanksgiving!

There were sixteen of us here for our Thanksgiving meal today.

We had way too much food (as usual), and it was all delicious (as usual).

Everyone has gone home now.

Everything has been cleaned up.

We went from chaos to serenity in a matter of minutes.

It's now time to put on my snuggies and put my feet up.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Dad 124: Decisions, Decisions....

(I say that muscle is heavier than fat....  That's my story, and I'm sticking with it!  Enjoy Dad's post!  -- Tracy)

Derf Here!  From the most northeast section of the United States.  I might add from the most "liberal" state in the union.  Sorry to say such a thing, but it is true.

We've made another week with no snow.  The experts say the rest of this holiday weekend will be storm-free.  Thanks!

Well, the much anticipated Patriots/Colts game is in the book.  To our Colts fans, I don't feel your pain.  I'm sure in the future there will be a reversal of fortunes.  Hopefully not too soon, though.  I'll go back to rooting for the Colts the rest of the way.  Hope they make the playoffs.  Sure do have a great young leader in Luck.  However, he had none last Sunday.  Be rooting for the Pats on Thanksgiving day.  Not much time to prepare.  Hope for the best!

I'm having a big debate with none other than myself.  Can't make up my mind whether to travel to Illinois next week for a dinner/concert date to see Kaelen and Kelsey perform.  Of course, they will be directed by their dad.  I've got to decide soon as time is flying.  One minute I'm going, the next minute I'm not.  I'm almost as undecided as their mother is when she must make a decision.  I can't be in Kim's league, can I?  Please!  I'm also watching the weather.  I'll definitely not travel in a storm.  Those days are over! Believe it!  We'll see!  Let you know next week.

I've made it back to 46 minutes on the elliptical.  Believe it or not, I did five days last week (M-F).  I weigh in after Friday's session.  Well, I gained one pound from the previous Friday.  Could it be the large bag of Kit Kats I ate as I had them left over from Halloween?  I decided to eat them over the previous weekend.  I now look forward to a decrease in weight every Friday.  However, Thanksgiving week may not be kind to me.  We'll see!

To all who happen to see this post, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you all enjoy your families.  I know we will.

Will I be posting next week from the Midwest or not?  Only "the shadow knows."  Sooo....

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Look, Ma! No Cavities! Zzzzzzz....

I go to the dentist every six months for a regular cleaning.

I rarely have any problems (only one cavity in my whole life), and today was no different.

My dental hygienist is quite nice and pleasant.  My dentist is an easy-going, down-to-earth guy.

I love the chair I get to sit in.  It's so comfortable that if I didn't have to concentrate on keeping my mouth open, I would be able to fall asleep.

I always get a free toothbrush at the end of my appointment.

Am I the only person in the world who enjoys going to the dentist?  :)

Wash, Dry, Wash, Dry... and so on

I usually try to do laundry over the weekend, but it didn't work out.  We had a young friend stay overnight at our house on Saturday, and yesterday I just wasn't motivated.

When I got up this morning, I decided that I would wash a couple fleece blankets before doing my "real" laundry.  Then I decided to wash a few other smaller fleece blankets.  Then I washed the linens on our bed.  Then the bed covering.  Then our "binkies," which are some blankets that Debbie made for us.

While I was at it, I decided to wash the guestroom linen.  (We did have company after all.)  I found a bedspread that hadn't been used for a while.  I decided to put it on the guestroom bed.  But first it needed to be laundered.  And I might as well wash the blanket that was already on the bed.

Lew was home from work before I started the "real" laundry, which I just finished folding around an hour ago.

And now, I ask myself:

WHAT WAS I THINKING?!

The Showdown

Today.

THE game of the regular NFL season.

Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots.

Known Colts fans:

• Relatives living in Indianapolis. They have abandoned their New England roots. That's right... abandoned! (LOL!)
• Pastor David and Laura, who just moved here from Indianapolis. They have not yet changed their allegiance. (Not yet....)

 

Final score: Patriots 59, Colts 24.

Not gloating. Not at all....

 

Simple Pleasures

Lew wanted a pillow from MyPillow.com, so I ordered one for him last week. It arrived today, so Lew is excited.

Jerry is excited, too, because he has a new bed: the box the pillow came in!

Feedback and Zack

Some family members had things to say about yesterday's post:

• Lew said that he liked the idea of Chocolate chip cookie taster, but I would need to be doing it while working out on the elliptical machine.
• My father thought that at least one (or both) of the last two jobs would be available soon.  I probably shouldn't wait for a phone call, though.
• And Debbie told me tonight that I could use origami to design and make greeting cards.  Hmmmmm.... I like that idea!

We just got back from Zack's birthday party.  Twelve years old today....

Happy Birthday, Zack!  Cha cha cha!

Throwing My Hat in the Ring

I should probably get a job after the winter is over.  (Note that I said "after" the winter, as I hate driving in the snow.)

But in the meantime, please let me know if there are openings for the following positions:

• Book reader
• Origami pattern tester
• Chocolate chip cookie taster
• Movie watcher
• U. N. Ambassador
• Secretary of State of the United States

If any of these jobs are available soon, I could be persuaded to reconsider my time frame.

Dad 123: Double Reds

(If the lady from the Red Cross is reading this, I assure you that he really does!  Enjoy Dad's post!  -- Tracy)

Derf Here!  Another great fall day in the Northeast.  Looks like a great stretch of sunny days in our future.  That's what the experts say.  Hope they are right!

I'm writing this post in the afternoon this week.  I had time this morning but just didn't do it.  I just returned from the Red Cross as I donated blood today.  I have donated as many times as possible over the last 20-25 years.  I used to donate every eight weeks but have changed that routine for the past few years.  Why, you ask, did I change the routine?  Well, now I give every 16 weeks because I give "double reds."  They separate the red blood cells and the plasma drawing the first pint.  Then the plasma, along with saline solution, is returned to the blood stream.  Then the process is repeated all over again.  So I can give six pints a year by only giving three times a year.  The maximum amount in half the visits.  It doesn't get any better.  I'll return in March to do it all over again.  Between now and then we'll have gone through another winter.  Whoopee!!  In fact, one of the ladies drawing blood said to me, "You will probably have your shorts on again in March."  I told her I wear them all year round.  Yes, I really do!  I'm not sure she believed me!

Well, a note to our relatives in Indiana.  I root for the Colts and their fine rookie quarterback Andrew Luck.  However, I will not be cheering them on this weekend as their opponent will be the Patriots.  If the Patriots don't play any better than they did this past weekend, the Colts have a chance.  I'm hoping for the Patriots to go undefeated the rest of the way.  Did someone say "Super Bowl"?  It is possible if they play as well as they did against the Rams in England two weeks ago.  Maybe I have hopes that are way too high.  Just maybe!  I can dream, can't I?

Big night Friday as we all will meet at Zack's house for his 12th birthday party.  It doesn't seem possible that "little Zack" is twelve.  I must admit that as I stood beside him one week ago I actually had the strange feeling of appearing small.  So, Happy Birthday, Zack.  Can't wait for the party.  Just think, a teenager next year!

Enough bloviating (a Bill O'Reilly word) for this week.

Sooo....

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Mary Low 256

I received a large envelope in the mail from Suzy's mother this past June. She had helped Suzy clean out a few things, and they came across a poster I had done as part of a calligraphy class during college. Suzy's mom made a copy and sent the original to me.

Below is a photo of the poster.  The poster is my attempt at a comical rendering of our dorm room during our sophomore year in college.  (I hear that Suzy's habits have changed since then!)  I used the panorama setting on my iPhone to take the photo.  You may need to right-click and save the photo to your own computer in order to look at the details more closely.

One thing that I'm surprised I didn't include on the poster:  My mathematical rendering of our dorm room number... Mary Low 16-squared!

Story Adaptations

During the premiere episode of the TV series "Elementary," I was ready to quit watching after the first ten minutes but Lew wanted to give it a chance. I'm glad he did! We've seen every episode so far.

We initially started watching because we both enjoy Sherlock Holmes. We have watched some of the older movies based on his character. We've seen the first of the recent Robert Downey Jr. movies. And we especially enjoy the Masterpiece Mystery series. And now "Elementary" is another adaptation that we are really enjoying.

I also like watching different interpretations of Cinderella's story. Lew is a good sport and will usually watch with me if I ask him to!

Craft Show, Day 2

Working two consecutive days at a craft show tuckers a person out. I'm just a rookie, but you can take my word for it! But it was a lot of fun. :)

The sale that made my day:

A lovely retirement-age couple stopped at our table. The wife really liked a certain necklace. As they walked away, I continued to make eye contact with the husband. He mouthed, "How much?" After I responded he said he'd think about it.

Several minutes later he came back (alone) and bought the necklace for his wife. His alibi: the men's room.

When this same couple returned to our table later, the wife was disappointed to see that the necklace was gone.

"Ma'am, look in your husband's pocket!"

I didn't actually say that, of course. But thinking about when she receives her gift... well, that makes me happy.

(Postscript: I'm pretty sure this couple doesn't read my blog, so I'm not spoiling the surprise. But then again, I DID give this very piece of advice in yesterday's post!)

Craft Show, Day 1

Carole and I had a fun day, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.  In the meantime, I have some tips for craft-show shoppers:

Ladies.... If your husband does not want to go to the craft show with you, then PLEASE let him stay home.  (LOL!)

Men.... If your wife makes you go to the craft show, then PLEASE pay attention!  If you do that, you will have ample ideas for Christmas gifts for her.  Then come back to our table when she's not looking, and VOILA!  You are done with your Christmas shopping.  I'm just sayin'....

Smile!

It's Craft Show Season

I have a busy weekend ahead. I'm going to help my jewelry-making friend, Carole, at a craft show. I will be responsible for collecting payments, but anything to do with "craft" is all up to Carole!

I have to leave my house at 6:30 tomorrow morning, so I think I'll be snoozing shortly.

G'night!

My Voting Success... Not!

I have a meeting tonight, so this will be short.  Here's how I did at the polls on Tuesday:

• U.S. President ... Lost
• U.S. Senator ... Lost
• U.S. House Rep ... Lost
• State Senator ... Lost
• State House Rep ... Won (by only 18 votes!)
• Same-Sex Marriage in Maine ... Lost
• Four State bond issues .... Won 1, Lost 3
• Town council (one for 2-yr term) ... Won
• Town council (two for 3-yr term) ... Won 1, Lost 1
• Town bond for new fire truck ... Won

Additional comments:

Bummed about the president getting re-elected.
Bummed about the passage of same-sex marriage in Maine.
Happy that Scarborough is getting a new fire truck.

Dad 122: Election 2012 (The Day After)

(I asked Dad to keep his post short today, and he complied!  I agree with his sentiments.  I would add that our TRUE hope is in the Lord, and I know Dad would agree.  May God have mercy on us.  -- Tracy)

Derf Here!  Awaiting a nor'easter if the experts are correct.  Bring it on, I'm ready.  The day after the election and I won nothing.  I'm sad!!

The past couple days I've seen hate directed at daughter Deb for posting a Bible study on Facebook.  (The subject:  same-sex marriage.)  I heard an ex-president convicted of perjury tell us we don't want a president who lies to us.  (Good show, Mr. Clinton!  I still recall the finger wave in denial.)  I witnessed a president re-elected with unpatriotic debt (his words for his predecessor) and record-setting unemployment.  (Promises broken!)

We have dumbed down.  Our only hope:  John Boehner and the house.

My conclusion:  Only in America can a president be re-elected for failure.

God Bless the USA!

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Civic Duty

 

Kitty Klaws: The Sequel

In an earlier post, I expressed my apprehension about having to eventually trim Kurt's claws.

"Eventually" arrived.

When we've done Jerry's in the past, Lew has both held the cat and trimmed the claws -- while I distracted the cat.  Tonight we tried something different:  I held Jerry while Lew trimmed his claws.  It worked very well.

So we decided to use this new method on Kurt.

And....

He was such a good kitty!  Neither Lew nor I could believe how well-behaved he was.  After several weeks of dreading this event, it turned out to be a breeze.

We love our kitties!

Faith, Fashion, and Friends

A couple weeks ago I wrote about a women's event at church. My friend Trista was the main speaker.

You can see half of Trista in the leftmost side of this picture. And who is that other person?

Did I mention that I had a walk-on role???

A Crazy, Fun-Filled Day!

This morning I had six gals over for waffles -- which one of them made, of course!  We ended up watching a couple movies after our waffle feast.  My dear husband got home sometime early afternoon and cleaned the kitchen up.  (Thank you, Sweetie!)

Our "girls day in" ended at about 5:00 p.m.

By 5:30 p.m. Lew and I were at church for a potluck dinner.  Three of the six gals were there, too!

After the potluck we stopped at Glen & Debbie's house to check out their Halloween setup -- lights, sound, Glen making crazy noises, etc.  (Trick-or-treating was tonight in Scarborough due to Hurricane Sandy.)

When we got home, I immediately started on all of the projects and chores that I would usually have done by now.  But instead of doing my projects earlier, I decided to have a crazy, fun-filled day!  :)

An Energizer Day

Day #2 of my big push to clean/reorganize the back room. Worked as long as I felt I could, but I was still short of what I wanted to accomplish today.

So I kept going... and going... and going.

I finally made my goal, which makes me happy.

My feet, however, are aching. And I'm pretty sure that my back will be aching soon as well.

Aches and pains.... A small price to pay for being able to move the disco ball.... Eventually move it, that is!

A Woman With a Mission

It all started because of a disco ball.

"It" is the massive clean-out and reorganization of our back room upstairs.  Our back room has my desk, a daybed, several shelves, our elliptical machine, and Lew's home gym.  Oh, and we mustn't forget the cats' pooperias.

Our disco ball was displaced two years ago when we got the elliptical machine.  The ball was blocking the line of sight to the TV from the elliptical machine, and we couldn't have that!

I recently got it into my head that I would like to put the disco ball back where it belongs.  (We miss not being able to impress our guests!)  But to do that, we have to move the elliptical machine.  Which means we have to move my desk.  Which means we have to move Lew's home gym.  Which means.... Well, you get the idea!

So, the makeover of the back room has begun.  Lew is being very patient as I work out my plan.  But the cats are a little confused!