Dinner idea

On a whim, I cooked this for dinner. I added mushrooms, and I think rotini pasta would be better than penne, but it was really good! And by "good" I mean that it took less than 30 minutes (Rachael Ray!) and my toddler ate it.

We have a winnah!

Got purple?

Did you watch Oprah yesterday? Maybe I am a little late to jump on the bandwagon, but this preacher guy has a great idea! He wants a Complaint-Free World. Wow! Those are high aspirations! Here is how it works:

You wear this purple rubber bracelet (the ones that got popular after LiveStrong) on one arm. When you catch yourself complaining, you move the bracelet to the other arm. The goal is to wear it on the same arm for 21 days. That means, no complaining for THREE WEEKS!

I am the queen of complaining. Okay, maybe the princess of complaining. This is going to be tough, but Daniel is sure I can't do it. So that means I HAVE TO! Few things beat the sweet taste of proving him wrong!

So, do you think this will work? Will you try it?

What are they judging him on, anyway?

I think American Idol is a little snoring this go 'round, but I do like Chris Sligh. Maybe cause he represents the guy in high school who was never quite popular. You know, he is a little chubby. He has a little speech thing. He has a ridiculously large puff of hair.

But he is funny, and witty, and holds his own with the judges. And that makes me like him. And that is why stuff like this totally gets under my skin! Who do these people think they are?

His eye is on the sparrow

Daniel and I have been talking lately about our wish lists. I think everyone has one - a running list of things that you would like to have to improve your quality of life. Luxury items, maybe. (I don't think "graham crackers" qualifies as a wish list item unless you don't have food, and if you are reading my blog and you have no food, you need to prioritize.)

Daniel's wish list and mine are really different. He wants a giant monstrosity of a television, I want leatherbound classic books. He wants a gun safe big enough to park a car in, I want a weekend with no laundry. The problem with wish lists is that they can leave the wisher feeling eternally dissatisfied, and that is what we are struggling with.

It is really hard to balance contentment with our drive to move forward. Of course, we all want better things for ourselves, right? Even Oprah searches for new things to make her life better.

God wants us to be content with the blessings we have. He wants us to recognize that they ARE blessings! The dashboard of my car is a mess - lights malfunction all the time. But that car is a blessing! It is safe. It gets my family from place to place. It is affordable and economical. And God provided that car when I wasn't working and we were living off one income! It is a blessing!

Oh, but how I would love to drive a huge SUV with leather interior and a DVD player! I would love to get the car detailed every Saturday morning while I get my nails done! (Those things are on my wish list.) But God is teaching me to be content with my life now. Content with my home, my car, my clothes, my shoes, my hair, and my yard. It is amazing that I even HAVE those things.

I am writing all of this, not because I live it, but to remind myself. What are the blessings that you have overlooked lately?

Tee-hehehehehehe!

Here I am! I guess I have been kind of MIA, so all of my three readers were probably momentarily befuddled when they checked my blog this week, then they went on with the more important things in their lives.

It is very spring-y out side. Hot, actually. Close to 90, somedays. So it feels like summer is just around the corner. But it isn't! So we aren't in the last leg of the race at school just yet.

Dillon has had quite a run of waking up really early. Like 4:30. And I have had quite a run of wanting so badly to sleep really late. Like 6:00.

So we have compromised and gotten up with The Wiggles so I can snooze on the couch for a couple of minutes in the morning. Is something wrong with me if I give serious consideration to the following questions?

1) Which Wiggle is the cutest? Provide suport for your answer.

2) Is Dorothy the Dinosaur sneezing or laughing absurdly when she makes that weird noise?

3) Is it okay that Jeff is basically narcoleptic, and that they treat it like just a funny thing on the show?

I am interested in your answers. Here are mine:

1) Greg (yellow). He has to fight the unibrow, but he is definitely the easiest to watch at 5:30 am.

2) I think Dorothy is having some sort of involuntary vocal spasm that is neither a laugh or a sneeze. But it is quite annoying.

3) Narcolepsy can be funny, as long as no one is in danger. And Jeff never drives, so that makes it okay.

Let me know your thoughts, because I am gathering data for some sort of informal dissertation. I think that would make me feel more useful in the wee hours of the morning as I am singing along to a song about "Fruit Salad."

Gardening

Since it is Spring Break, Daniel and I are both off work. The weather has been nice this week. Storms were forecast, but, so far, they have zipped right through, leaving us with some sunny skies and perfect temperatures.

Today, we did some much-needed work in our front yard. A year-and-a-half of neglect makes for some pretty thick weeds. I pulled weeds until my hand cramped. My thighs burned. My back ached.

I mounded the weeds on the sidewalk, then bagged them up when I was through. I washed the dog, and hosed off Dillon's outside toys. We planted new somethings in the pots under our front window. Daniel trimmed the hedges, edged the front yard, then spread some fertilizer out in a supportive gesture toward the grass.

It felt really good to do work in the yard. It is nice to have a visual reward for your labor.

I remember being in a Sunday School class one week, and discussing the parable of the sower. I am not one whose seed has rooted deep into the soil. My plant is not strong and fruitful. My seed grows, but only because of the mercy of my Father. I constantly battle the weeds in my own life, and sometimes get lax in the fight, letting the small things of the world become big and stunt my growth.

"18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful."

I thought about this today as we worked. My front yard isn't the only thing that shows signs of neglect.

Is that your final answer? Really?

Here is a riddle:

Who has fever, strep throat, the flu, and viral pneumonia all within the span of four days?

Take your time. Think about it....

Here is a hint:

YOU'RE RIGHT! It is Dillon!

You win the prize! Pack your bags and get ready to go on a romantic getaway for two, because Daniel and I sure aren't going!


*****

One year ago, my biggest concern was English language abuse. Ah, simpler times!

New addiction

Oooohhkay.

How low does your self-esteem have to be before you think this site is funny? Um, well, I guess I am there, cause I am snorting over the things this guy writes. For example, when dogging out Madonna (and who doesn't like to do that?):

Madonna getting upset with her daughter for dressing too slutty is like Mr. T getting upset with his son for pitying too many fools. I think there was a period in Madonna's life where all she wore was spaghetti pasta and condoms.
Note: It looks like Madonna attended a semester at Pink's School for Looking Like a Dude. And I think she already completed the course on arms.

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Next!

Clickety-clack

A train is coming. You can feel the deep rumble in the steel tracks long before you can see the engine coming around the bend. The ringing of the wheels on the rails is soon drowned out by the violent huffing of steam that billows out behind the smoke stack.

The train is all consuming. You cannot stand leisurely by and pretend like it isn't coming. You pause in your minute duties and await its approach. The whistle blasts loudly, and you can think of nothing but the massiveness of the engine and all the cars that follow. The steel-on-steel slicing of the wheels provides a hypnotizing rhythm.

Suddenly, it is here. The train is shooting by, sucking the wind from your lungs. The noises blur into one loud roar. All your senses are surprised by the intensity of the train.

And then all is still. The caboose slides off into the distance, and you stand in the silence. Exhausted by the intensity of your vigil, you sit in the dirt. Your hair swirls around your head.

And the minute duties call once again. So you stumble back to your work, confused by what just happened.

Well, my dear, that was the annual run of the Spring Break Express. It is coming, but it sho' ain't gonna take you away to someplace better.

Four down...

Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary. We have been married for four years. I know that doesn't seem like much, and in the grand scheme of things, it isn't. We have a lot further to go, and this is definitely the person I want riding next to me.

I love you, Daniel!

*****

One year ago, I was pretty worried about the states of a different union.