January 29, 2008

• Random Thoughts/Windy Tuesday

  Our family had a nice day, yesterday.  It's not so much WHAT we did; but, it was the fact we did something together!

  James isn't feeling great (a day or so behind my "cold") and I am feeling better, but still not 100%.  Rissy wasn't feeling right - stomach upset.  Despite all the "symptoms," Jesse convinced us to get out of the house for a while.

  The wind was horrible, but we took a less traveled road to Sam's and did some major "meat" shopping.  I say that, because that's where we stock up on ground beef, lamb chops, roasts, etc.  You can imagine the grocery bill!!!

  In preparation for our Super Bowl party (I'm still not certain who is playing!!! LOL), we bought some old favorites and some new "party food" - and, by that I mean appetizers.  We always fix barbecued beef lil' smokies and Velveeta cheese dip.  This year we are having our favorites: mini quiches and mini tortilla roll ups.  We added a new type of chicken.  The Tyson boneless buffalo wings were too spicy for the girls & the adults weren't crazy about the flavor .  This year's chicken is precooked fried chicken strips and I hope they don't taste warmed over!  I like to serve them with ranch salad dressing or barbecue sauce for dipping.  I also found some mini bread bowls stuffed with cream cheese concoctions.  I always serve a veggie tray with dip and an array of olives & pickles.  Thus, the reason Jesse and I end up with indigestion the night AFTER the Super Bowl!!!  The girls love getting involved and I think the "mini size food" is something different and appealing to them.  Little fingers like little food!

  While at Sam's, we stocked up on some other things and, much to my dismay, I realized I now have two huge bottles (quart size) of Adolf's meat tenderizer!  I found 3 great activity books for Rissy (she likes to learn in her spare time!!!) and a wonderful book about the human body.  It has overlays that build the body parts as you turn the pages.  It was only $10, so we snatched it up.

  My friend, Tina, who sews for me, sent some wonderful CD's and tapes with my last order of clothing.  I'm enjoying them so much.  She had no way of knowing that the musical CD she sent was one I had contemplated ordering for the past 3 or so years!  "Amazing Grace" by The Antrim Mennonite Choir.  Just beautiful!  And, all sung without music behind it!  I'm listening to it as I type.

  The winds have really kicked up today and I'm glad our lunch plans to meet the guys' OTHER brother has been canceled.  We had planned to drive to a city, in between us, to meet for lunch and to visit.  Frank had to cancel late last night.  The winds are atrocious today - close to 40mph!  It would make driving dangerous.  The gusts are incredibly strong and are causing power outages and structural damage.  The sound between our neighbor's house and ours (only about 15 feet separate us) woke me up this morning.  It sounded like waves from the ocean crashing on the shore.  I peeked through the blinds behind my nightstand and the scene was one from "The Wizard of Oz" - trash flying in circles in the air.  Just a prelude to the rest of the week's cold temps and wind, AND, a definite end to our spring-like weather!  That's Oklahoma for you!

  Cat Story:  Jesse and I had a good laugh, last night.  We stayed up late to watch a movie and could hear the wind progressively picking up speed.  We could feel a draft through our thin window panes as we sat on the sofa in the den.  Jesse looked into the next room and saw our silk fig tree shaking.  The cause?  Stormy the cat playing with the base of the tree.  Jesse said, "You're right, dear, we need new windows.  The wind is blowing right through them and rocking the fig tree in the formal living room!"  The sound of the wind made the rocking fig tree entirely plausible!

  If I go outside today, I think I'll carry a bowling ball to anchor me to the ground!

  • 12:05 pm
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