I finally caved . . .

and joined the crowd. Everybody here has personalized plates. Well, maybe not EVERY body, but we have the highest percentage of personalized plates in the country, because they are so cheap ($10/year).


I was totally inspired by my long time loopy friend Liz. Okay, I was more than inspired, I shamelessly took these words from her old signature line. But she doesn't mind.

------------------
P.S. No, if EVERY body jumped off a cliff, I would not.

The one where we meet Debbie's family!

I have met several of my loopy friends, and I was especially excited to meet Debbie and her family. Debbie and I first met eight years ago online. Debbie's two oldest kids are close in age with my two. We've also been part of a smaller list together, and we're part of a small Bible study group. They were camping several hours away but were eager to make the drive to our house!

Holly and Bess hung out and did some girlie things.


Trevor and Gabe disappeared into Trevor's room to talk, and play with Legos and DS, coming out only to feed a little. Okay, a lot.


Dan, Hannah and Rachel ran between the other kids and the grown ups.


Robert swapped stories with Brian . . .


. . . and squashed little kids.


Even Grace and Lucky played together.


And Debbie and I just enjoyed each other and enjoyed watching our families make their own friendships!


It was a SUPER fun afternoon. It's always wonderful to meet other loopies, but it's even more special to visit with a long time cherished friend who has been a blessing in my life, whose entire family seemed like a natural fit around my own.


Debbie, Brian, Bess, Gabe, Rachel, Hannah, Dan....thank you for sharing a part of your vacation with us, and for sharing your family with ours!!

I love my loopy list, I love my loopy friends. :)

Monday

Holly and I left early this morning for the three hour drive to Raleigh-Durham. Once we got into the airport, I realized I made the fatal mistake of leaving my camera in my car. Of course, Holly was happy that I wouldn't be trying to sneak pictures of her.



I love this little airport; at least it seems little. The parking is fast and easy; once again, I parked in the second row away from the door. The food is reasonably priced, and the gates are a very short walk from security. (Although nothing beats Roanoke's airport, which is smaller than Sam's Club; I guess that's why we don't have a chance to use it that often.)

After Holly left, I met up with one of my loopy friends. I first met Michele back on SHS eight years ago. We have a lot of things in common: we started hsing using Sonlight, we both made big family moves to an unexpected spots, we've both worked in the children's section of our libraries, we both go to Calvary Chapels. We had a very nice lunch together, and I was amazed to find out afterwards that Michele took a VACATION day from work to make this happen!



It's always SO much fun to meet my loopy friends in person. These ladies have been such a wonderful support, such a blessing in my life. It was a very good day.

...comfort each other, and edify one another... 1 Thess 5:11

I've seen this before

My loopy friend Laura has been on a three week long vacation "out west." Part of their family's trip took them through Wyoming and the Grand Tetons, and Laura was sweet enough to think of us and mail a postcard! (The white mark was a scratch courtesy of the USPS, and I probably should have fixed before posting here.)



I love this shot. I love this angle. I love this subject. I love it so much that we have it in a 6'x3' frame.



It hung on a big wall in our Colorado Springs house. We don't have walls quite that big here, so instead it hangs on a framed out wall in our dark, unfinished basement. It's kind of a waste, but at least it's out so I can see it sometimes. Maybe there will be a spot for it at some point, and we'll be able to truly enjoy it again.

Laura, it was so kind of you to remember us on your wonderful vacation. You and I long shared so many parallels in our lives, and without even thinking about it, you KNEW which postcard would touch me. Thank you!

The Christmas questions

Michele e-mailed this to me, and then I saw it popping up on other loopy blogs. Here goes:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?

Either!

2. Real tree or artificial?

We've had our artificial tree for years. This is the first time we've had a real tree since the early 90s. The only bad thing is remembering to water it.

3. When do you put up the tree?

Thanksgiving weekend (until this year, which was about two weeks later).

4. When do you take the tree down?

The first week of January.

5. Do you like eggnog?

No!

6. Favorite gift received as a child?

The one that stands out is my Baby Go Bye Bye. Looks like it came out in 1969, so I would have been six. :) And I bet this will surprise my mom and dad.

7. Do you have a nativity scene?

Yes, I've casually collected them. I should do a blog post with some pics.

8. Hardest person to buy for?

My husband. This year, I was so busy pretending to ignore him when he was telling me that I quite forgot what he said.

And my dad, who already has anything he wants.

9. Easiest person to buy for?

Me? lol (Not really, as I was out Friday also trying to spend my birthday money on myself but not finding anything I wanted.)

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?

Now that wouldn't be nice!

11. Mail or email Christmas Cards?

Oh, mail.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?

Christmas Vacation.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?

In a good year, November. Otherwise, December.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?

What the heck is this? Every single person said emphatically denied this, except Dorothy who qualified it by saying she was destitute.

YES, I've recycled. With plenty of thought. Generic things, like photo frames. Jewelry that I don't wear but that someone else would LOVE. (And I'm quite sure I told my mom when I gave it to her.) But I wouldn't recycle just anything, like those "worst Christmas gifts."

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?

I'm supposed to pick just one? How about Baked Brie with Kahlua Pecan Sauce.

16. Clear lights or colored on the trees?

Colored. (And I seem to be alone in that opinion, based on what I've read so far!) We have the ones that twinkle slowly. Probably all the lead that they are covered in.

17. Favorite Christmas song?

Mmmm. Used to be Little Drummer Boy. I don't know right now. But I bought Third Day's Christmas Offerings CD for Robert this year, so maybe something off that. And Robert and I each grew up with and still love listening to Bing Crosby's White Christmas.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?

Stay home!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?

YES! And last year, the kids memorized 'Twas the Night Before Christmas in its entirety. (But I've known the reindeer names for a looooong time.)

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?

Star. Would you want to sit on a tree for a month?

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?

Morning!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?

I don't know if there's anything annoying . . .

23. What I love most about CHRISTmas?

That it's about JESUS. It's not just a holiday to give presents.

24. Most difficult thing about Christmas?

Yvonne had it right--it seems like 24/7 spiritual warfare. I'm grateful to her for posting that, I sometimes don't see things that way. And I should.

25. Favorite Christmas Tradition?

Oh, different things during different years, it seems. I used to love the Christmas tree lighting in Littleton, and the Denver parade. Watching the kids make their gingerbread house has been fun. I love reading the Jotham's Journey books. And I like opening the stockings when all the presents are gone. I couldn't pick just one tradition consistently!

Eight things about me

This is a list circulating among my loopy friends. I'm finally joining the party. (I'm usually five minutes late in real life anyway.)

1. I have nothing on my refrigerator. It is not a bulletin board, a message spot, or a photo showcase. I like it that way (although the list in the corner bugs me a little).




2. I rented my wedding dress. And I'd do that all over again. (Both renting the dress and getting married. To the same guy.)


3. I didn't start drinking coffee until five years ago. Now I drink it all day long. Robert and I go through at least 2-3 pots a day.

4. I don't like dirt. Therefore I don't like gardening, and I don't camp. Staying in a hotel is more than roughing it for me, and besides, I'm horribly allergic to mosquito bites.

5. The cars I have owned are a Datsun 210; a Toyota Corolla; a Toyota Camry (I stole it from Robert); a Ford Taurus; a Honda Odyssey.

6. I am excited about learning Latin and am therefore teaching it to my children. They can thank me when they grow up, lol.

7. In my former life, I was a legal secretary for 15 years. I was at the DA's office for 6 years, 3 in the child sex assault division. I later worked for a prominent criminal defense attorney for a year but quit because I couldn't work for the "bad" side. For five years, I had a wonderful part time job at a Denver law firm in the "cash register" building. It was on the 41-45th floors, and I quit after 9/11.

8. As much as I try to not be, I am a hairspray queen: Aussie Instant Freeze AND 12 Hour Anti-Humidity. (Although it's not humid where I live. Yet.)

* * *

So not exciting, but at least I kept it short for once.

And more friends

Best said in a singsong voice:

"I met De'Etta, I met De'Etta!!"

I knew it was a possibility; it wasn't totally out of the blue. I'm just glad it wasn't much earlier in the morning! At 7:45, I received a phone call from a friend of De'Etta's telling me that she'd be at a nearby McDonald's in 30 mins. Trevor was already dressed and ready to go. I scrambled. This is a little early for us, and Holly was just waking up and stayed home.

Trevor and I pulled up shortly after De'Etta's family. A total of six of us met their family, the others being military friends from their stay in Alaska. Trevor was a little nervous ahead of time. I can't believe we didn't realize that Nolan and Trevor are the same age. They're the same height too, both tall. Once Trevor met Nolan, I only saw him briefly (like when his food came, haha).


I can only guess that De'Etta's kids will remember this trip as the one where they met Mom's friends at BK and McD's across the country, LOL.

This was so much fun. We've known each other for six years online. De'Etta, you have blessed me--and my family--in ways you can never imagine. It was wonderful to meet you in person. Thank you!


One more bonus to photo editing: I can blur myself out of pictures I don't like.

:)

The HomeScholar

I've posted before about my amazing online homeschool support group. Lee has been one of my loopy friends for many years. She no longer homeschools her boys but she stays on our list to inspire and encourage us. Even though her kids are much older than mine, she's been a great source of support for me in topics like chess, Latin, math, literature, science and more.

Both of her boys went off to college this year. One of them was just 16. They both received full tuition scholarships to their first choice college, and both skipped their freshmen year entirely through CLEPing several classes.

Impressive? Yes.
Unusual? Maybe.
Smart boys? Yep.
Impossible? No, in fact entirely possible.

When Lee's boys started college, instead of returning to her professional nursing career, she decided to continue doing what she knew, what she loved best--homeschooling. She started her own business to help other hs families successfully make the transition from home to college. She offers a wide variety of support services, including planning curriculum, creating transcripts, scholarship searches, and help with the college admissions process.

Check out her terrific website, The HomeScholar, and sign up for her free monthly newsletter. She's full of great advice and her recent topics include:

• tips for studying and passing CLEP exams;
• brilliant ideas such as planning a writing curriculum around scholarship essays
• how to keep skills sharp over the summer (like my post yesterday, although her newsletter didn't come out until today, lol)

Holly's only going into 7th grade. But it's not too early for me to keep an eye on high school and how those choices will affect college. This would be true whether or not we hs high school.

I am so grateful for those truly courageous families who forged the hs path ahead of us, making possible the many wonderful options we have now, which continue to grow each year. (Homeschooling wasn't legal in every state until the mid-1990s.) Lee is one of those people who not only blessed her own sons by teaching them at home, but she's also blessed so many of us, making a difference in the lives of our children. It's amazing what you can do just by encouraging someone else.

Check out the Space Station

Thanks to Marcia on the SHS list for this info.

To track the International Space Station and watch it pass overhead in your sky, see Heavens Above.

I was able to sign on easily as a guest. If you don't know your coordinates (okay, does anyone know their coordinates?), I found mine easily at Wunderground. Just plug in your zip code at the top, and your coordinates will be on the upper right hand side of your screen.

We saw the Space Station go by once several years ago, and it was AMAZING! It's going by a little too late tonight, but I hope to catch it tomorrow. Right now, there is also info on Atlantis, and the two are traveling pretty close to each other. (I don't know if that will be the same tomorrow night.)

Book Review - Great Books by Kathleen Odean

(Should I admit that I went to two different libraries today? Trevor and I stopped at the "big" one on the way home from karate, specifically looking for Thornton Burgess books for him. Later, Robert and I went to our neighborhood library to pick up books that were on hold for me.)

Kathy mentioned Kathleen Odean's Great Books for Girls a few days ago on our hs list. At the same time I requested it from my library, I noticed another book by the author, Great Books for Boys, and I picked both up today. These aren't book that I so much as read, but scanned through. Each one contains several hundred book selections for children, loosely grouped first by ease of reading (picture books, beginning chapter books, medium chapter books, and older books), and broken down by genre within each reading level category. Each book recommendation includes an age range and a brief description of the story.

I'm familiar with many of the selections and/or authors, and they are good, giving me more confidence with the other books. I wrote down many choices for both Holly and Trevor as I leafed through the descriptions. I winced at the author's obvious feminist slant and her refusal to include books such as Bemelman's Madeline ("...although she is described as fearless, Madeline does not actually do anything in the first book about her. Worse, her fellow students spend an awful lot of time crying") and Anne of Green Gables ("...at the end of the book, she consciously sacrifices her education to help her beloved relative. ...Anne has become dreamier and less given to speaking her mind that when she was young. ...the lesson it ultimately offers girls is a very traditional one.") Well, for pete's sake, let's not offer girls TRADITIONAL lessons!

There are several books out there that offer "great books," and this is one of the better ones. I recommend it.

Now I'm armed with yet another reading list (and I do have several floating around!). I just have to decide where to begin for my kids, lol.

Book Review - Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon by Myers and Ghiglieri

This factual account of Grand Canyon deaths has popped up repeatedly on my hs list. The title has not topped our group's "should read" list but appears when Chris's upcoming Grand Canyon vacation is mentioned. (LOL)

Five hundred fifty Grand Canyon deaths are explored here, grouped into a surprisingly small number of categories: falling, environmental, flash flood, Colorado River, airplane, freak accidents, suicide, and murder.

While similar to The Children's Blizzard, Isaac's Storm and other popular natural disaster titles that several of us have read, this one isn't quite as engrossing. The first two chapters were very interesting, but after a while, the drone of details becomes overwhelming. There are few "happy" endings, and I began to feel a little uncomfortable with my book selection. Instead of reading one book encompassing one disaster, this is a few hundred disasters within one book. Not every death occurs within the text, but each chapter concludes with a chronological chart that does include each documented death.

It was amazing to read of the many people (mostly men) who died as a result of their own stupidity: deliberately crossing guardrails; peeing into the canyon while drunk. Also surprising was the amount of people who come completely unprepared for the extreme weather conditions posed by the land, often not bringing nearly enough water, and just demonstrating reckless behavior in general.

Recommended. It might not be a page turner all the way through, but it's interesting nonetheless.

Miscellany

My first order of books from Chris came this week. I already know it--I'm addicted. I put most of them away, but not before Trevor sorted through them. You know it's good when an 8 year old boy is pulling out a bunch of books to read, but I only let him take one for now. (I figure the more off limits they are, the more appealing they will become.) Holly snagged one too and spent the day reading the whole book. The majority of these will be extra readers for school. Just reading through these titles gives me a thrill!


Holly's kitty Pumpkin has been wild this week. After I went to bed last night, she stayed downstairs and meowed loud enough for me to hear. When I came back down to see what was up, she ran from me. Once again, today, she hunted down Trevor's super stretchy lizard. She'll find this thing anywhere, literally digging through Trevor's dresser, closet, or Lego box to find it, then carry it around the house, and play with it endlessly.


Vader, on the other hand, continues to hold out hope for the real thing. Silly cat. He clearly needs professional help.


We have a fox that shortcuts through our yard frequently. Sometimes we see it every day, sometimes we don't see it for a few months. He was around quite a bit a few weeks ago, and today I realized we have at least two foxes. This one is considerably smaller. While it usually runs down our street, I've seen it/them travel through the backyards just trotting along the stringers at the top of the fence. Their balance and grace amaze me.

This one stopped for a drink in our "stream" before jumping the fence in their usual spot. They live in a nearby park/pond area, much of which is still a natural habitat. I love watching them run through.

It's not been a busy week, and I'm enjoying that.

Lazy, lazy week

This is such a dead week, and I'm feeling a little bit guilty.

Trevor came down with a nasty cold yesterday. We thought it was an allergy attack. He's been taking medicine daily for several months, but he was crawling through the grass on Sunday, playing Spiderman. Testing showed he is very allergic to pollen; this is not a great time of year for him. While it's not good that it's a cold, at least it's not allergies, and at least we have absolutely nothing going on this week.

We had a showing scheduled this morning and went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast.

We submitted a contract for the house in Virginia. We'll see what happens. We've been looking at this house for several weeks online, and we are sure this is the house for us. But we'll see what plans God has for us. We are getting antsy about selling this house. We know we are very competitively priced, however, and we're not willing to rashly sacrifice here in the hopes of moving things along.

He said to His disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Mark 4:40

Okay, so I have faith. :)

Feeling guilty for doing nothing over the past several days, I commented about it to Holly tonight. She says she's not bored at all and is enjoying this complete down time to read and write. I will take her lead and enjoy this week too, knowing that if anyone starts going stir crazy, they'll be sure to let me know!

The only things I have planned are to continue reading my Yada Yada book, and take Holly to riding lessons. I also want to pull together a list (easy, thanks to Paula) and take it to both the used homeschool bookstore and the library book sale coming up.

I never look at the donated books the library has for sale, but when I happened to last week, I found an Apologia Elementary Astronomy book--for $2!!! (This is ~$25 brand new and resells for quite a bit used too.) I already have my own copy, but I snatched this one up. I'm taking it to a friend next week to see if it is a good fit for her kids.

I'm eagerly awaiting my first book order from Chris. It will be like Christmas! Don't ask me why I'm buying books just before we move, but I'm excited to be finding things that I want now that might not be available later.

* * * * *
The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

* * * * *
Let your bookcases and your shelves
be your gardens and your pleasure-grounds.
Pluck the fruit that grows therein,
gather the roses, the spices, and the myrrh.
Judah Ibn Tibbon

* * * * *
Some books are to be tasted,
others to be swallowed,
and some few to be chewed and digested.
Francis Bacon

* * * * *
I cannot live without books.
Thomas Jefferson

* * * * *
There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away . . .
Emily Dickinson

* * * * *
When I get a little money
I buy books;
and if any is left
I buy food and clothes.
Erasmus

Book Review - The Young Peacemaker by Corlette Sande

Thanks again to my wonderful library, I was able to borrow this book as I consider using it with my kids. I first read about it on Kathy's blog, and then other loopy friends recommended it highly. I also read Corlette's husband's book, Peacemaking for Families.

I like this book, I am so tempted to buy it. There are additional student materials that go along with the book. I'm not sure what Holly and Trevor would think of it; they could go either way.

I am a curriculum junkie. So many things look good. So many things are good. I don't know yet what I'll decide, but I know it will be easier for me to say no once this book gets returned to the library. Meanwhile, I have my very favorite parenting book of all, Scott Turansky's Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes . . . In You and Your Kids, and I think I'll read through this again first before making up my mind.

Kathy, your posts are so often both thoughtful and thought provoking. I thank you for sharing so much of yourself through your blog and for being one of my loopy friends. :)

This book is definitely recommended.

TAG!! You're IT!

De'Etta tagged me for a Thinking Blogger Award. I'm not sure why I was chosen, but I know she was already thinking, dreaming really, of Great Harvest Bread earlier today. It must have stuck in her mind. De'Etta is one of the two list owners of our big hs list; she's blessed our lives in more ways than she can imagine.

I have a few other loopy friends who have been tagged. My biggest problem is that even online, I don't "get out" much. Like De'Etta, I read mostly for entertainment; I don't want to think too hard. I generally read just the blogs on my loop, and believe me, I don't even get to do that as much as I'd like. So I'll pick a couple that may not be as well known.


1. Especially Heather. Heather is not on our loop; I just began reading her blog. She was living a pretty regular homeschool mom kind of life--until ten days ago, when it was discovered that she has a brain tumor. She and her husband traveled from Florida to Rochester, Minnesota today to meet with doctors at The Mayo Clinic. Words are inadequate to describe her blog--she freely shares her vulnerabilities and fears, her prayers and amazing faith. This is a blog that will make you think.

2. Amy. Amy is new to our loop. At this point, many of us are blogging, and it's difficult to read them all. This is a hidden gem, with a variety of topics, all inspiring. Amy's blog is also very attractively set up, with loads of great links.

3. Kathleen. Kathleen is one of our loopies, and we've become good friends offlist too. I can't believe it's already been almost two years since we met in person. We were both hoping that she'd end up out here and we'd be friends in real life too, but it looks like God has different plans for us. Her blog has awesome photos, the kind I'd love to take when I grow up. She also has a lovely way with words, sometimes writing fun stories, insightful posts, or sharing what her four girls have been up to.

4. Debbie's Project 365. I regularly read Debbie's family blog and don't get to this one as often. Project 365 encourages members to post one photo a day. I appreciate Debbie's perspective and ability to find beauty and interest in what might initially seem mundane.

5. Lisa's Homeschool Circus. Lisa's been on our list longer than I have (almost six years). I appreciate her honest posts about life in general, the day to day events, and her juggling as she integrates her new baby into her already busy schedule. (Besides, who can resist those darling baby pictures with the tongue always sticking out!)

***


The participation rules are simple:
1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

VOTE in the Homeschool Blog Awards

Cast your VOTE for your favorite homeschool blogs! We have at least three loopies who have been nominated for the 2006 Homeschool Blog Awards.

Live-What-You-Believe - Choosing Joy / De'Etta
Best Geographical Blog - You Did What? / Dorothy in London
Best Geographical Blog - Mountain Shade / Dody in Alaska
Best Nitty-Gritty Homeschool Blog - Choosing Joy / De'Etta (yep, she's there twice!)

These ladies have all blessed our list for years. It's a privilege to vote for them! Once you vote, you can see the results, and YOU can make a difference. Go to http://homeschoolblogawards.com/ and scroll down to click on each category.

(And you don't have to be a homeschooler to vote for these, hint, hint.)

Before you vote, say a prayer for Heather, one of the hs moms running the blog awards. She found out this week that she has a brain tumor, and it's not good. She's a strong Christian, leaning heavily on her faith. Her blog link can be found on the top of that link I posted.

Voting deadline is Friday, so don't wait!

Peep Show

Okay, I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself.


I've always loved these little marshmallow candies. They are even better when they have been out of the box for a few days and harder. I like the way the sugar crunches in my teeth and my throat hurts from the melting sugar. Oh, but Peeps are SOOO much more--they're great for science experiments.

After hearing about some of these experiments, last year I bought several packages of Peeps. I thought we might use them for our homeschool group's science fair, but we didn't participate. Meanwhile, the Peeps have been tucked away with my school supplies. My wonderful husband found them a few weeks ago.

"They're old," he said, "we need to throw them out." "Oh, no!" I told him. "They'll last forever!" He's continued to mention them a couple of times. We've been cleaning a ton of stuff out of our basement, and I found the Peeps out of their grocery bags, laying on the desk. Robert brought them out, "for Easter," he said. No way, I insisted, "They are for SCIENCE!" He rolled his eyes at me, as he really wants to throw them away. I'm not sure if he thinks I'll forget about them. Maybe he'll think they'll never get used. (Hey, I'm quite sure they'll still be good in 100 years.) Maybe he knows me well enough to know that I might go downstairs and eat them all myself one night. (Sorry--but I'm saving them for science!)

Meanwhile, I shopped for the kids' Easter baskets a few days ago. I don't think they really like Peeps. But I do. Of course I bought MORE Peeps, just for them, along with a box just for me. There's NO WAY I'm not going to use the ones I have saved for science. Not yet. The possibilities are endless.

Check out Chris's blog (scroll down to April 5 and April 4 posts). She's sometimes referred to as "Chris, the science one." See for yourself what Peeps can withstand. You'll appreciate your stomach. It can do more than you'd imagine. And you'll never look at Peeps quite the same way again.

But even that won't stop me from eating them.

Resurrection Eggs

Holly's too old for this really, but Trevor asked me to pull out our Resurrection Eggs earlier this week.

I bought these four years ago from another great recommendation of a loopy friend. Meant to be used in conjunction with the book Benjamin's Box, the eggs tell the story of the last few days of the life of Jesus, along with His Resurrection.

Thank you, Trevor, for remembering these this week and asking me to read the book. I'm glad you've continued to enjoy these and had a great time playing with them once again this year!

Day's highlights

I was shocked to find that I've not taken one single picture since Monday night! I think I'm having camera ww-ii-th-d-r-a-w-a-l-s . . .

* * * *

We went to Mimi's Cafe for breakfast this morning. We haven't been there in ages, and it is so good. (Blissful sigh.)

* * * *

I made Lisa's Santa Fe Chicken tonight, which was a pretty big hit. Like Lisa and Eric, I ate it over rice; Trevor and Robert ate it in tortillas; Holly pushed it around her plate and filled up on guacamole and tortilla chips. But if three of us really like it, I consider it a hit! I'll definitely make it again; it was super easy, and the most time consuming part was cooking the brown rice. While a few of the ingredients are the same as the Emily's Tortilla Soup, they taste nothing alike. This is also very healthy, and I'm quite sure you could substitute fat free cream cheese. I'm copying my slightly modified recipe here, so I'll have it handy later:

SANTA FE CHICKEN

1 can black beans, drained
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 c. salsa
1 can corn, drained
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese (I used the "lite" cream cheese)
1 c. cheddar cheese
4-5 cups cooked rice OR tortillas

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large pot and cook until heated through. Stir in cream cheese just until melted and blended. Serve over cooked rice, or roll into tortillas, and top with cheese.

* * * *

My washer is dying. We bought it with a dryer 15 years ago, refurbished (meaning well used, and nicely cleaned up), for about $300 total. We replaced the dryer several years ago, but this washer has lived a long and useful life. We bought a new one tonight, and it will be delivered Tuesday. Robert's trying to convince me that I don't need to do any laundry for six more days. (We'll see when he runs out of socks.)

* * * *

Holly, Trevor and I watched American Idol. Chris was my favorite male singer, and while there are others that should have gone first, he probably wasn't good enough for the top several spots anyway. I wish Phil would get a tan and stop wearing those hideous hats. Bald is fine, but it doesn't need to be blinding white!

* * * *

Conversation with Holly:

Holly: The guy at Sears tonight was weird.

Mom: No, he wasn't.

Holly: You don't know who I'm talking about. It was Dad.


I almost died laughing.

Book Review - Dr. Denese's Secrets for Ageless Skin

This book recommendation came from Emily. Although I've never heard Adrienne Denese, M.D., Ph.D., she is a well known skin care doctor, appearing on several "news" style tv shows and sells her line on QVC.

I enjoyed her well written and informative book. It was a great lesson in skin care (both from the outside and inside), with a background in cosmetic companies and ingredients. When recommending products, Dr. Denese includes a few other choices, along with some in her own line.

So I now have a list of things I'd like to buy, or ingredients to either watch for or be wary of. Unfortunately, several of her recommendations (regardless of the product line) are not in a price range that I find reasonable. Since there are different steps to her skin care procedure, though, I can pick and choose between products. That will give me some flexibility without feeling that I'm sacrificing too much. I considered posting a bare faced, close up "before" picture with the thought that I will use some of the skin care steps--and then reality stepped in. That's not really something *I* want to see on my blog!

If you find this an interesting topic and can get the book at your library, I'd recommend it.