Another MEME

Another one of these... probably totally boring to you... but they're way fun to fill out!   

Can you successfully blow up and tie a balloon?
OF COURSE!

What was your last purchase?
Can't remember... probably gas...?

Does anyone like you?
I sure hope so... at least my mom for sure!

Have you made anyone laugh while they were crying lately?
Lukey did a pretty good job laughing and crying at the same time today without much help from me. :)

Are you easily amused?
I don't know... no one has ever told me...

Do you sleep on your side, stomach, or back?
*looks both ways to make sure my chiropractor isn't looking* shh... my stomach...

Have you ever liked somebody and never told them?
what is this question? for tweens? 

What did you do Saturday?
 made food, went shopping, went to the nursing home, went to a party, came home.  laughed, danced, cried, worried, got mad, got depressed, felt sick and miserable, wished I was someplace else, wished I was cleaning my house instead of making bigger messes, surfed the internet, many other things I'm sure...
 
Do you trust all of your friends?
That depends on what I'm trusting them with...

Morning or night person?
neither! unfortunately... 

Are you taller than 5'5''?
no.

Would you rather have love or money?
depends.... JUST KIDDING! love, of course.

Do you have a best friend that knows you inside and out?
um... nada.  I don't even know myself inside and out, thank goodness.  I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Last person you watched movies with?
umm... probably Steph and Kate since that's almost all we do at night.

Do you hide your emotions?
I don't know... ask my family...?

 Do you prefer to take showers at night or in the morning?
at night for sure.  I'm very European that way. :)

If you could either float on the moon, or snorkel in the ocean, which?
OCEAN all the way! 

Do you think you'll be married in 5 years?
HA! I know better than to answer this question!  5 years ago I would have said yes...  which just goes to show that I have no idea what I'm talking about most of the time.

Third text in your inbox? from who?
answering this question would require going into the other room to unplug my phone...

Have you been to New York City?
nope.  just looked at it across the river.

Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
Mom.

Do you need to say anything to anyone?
Definitely. 

What were you doing at 7am?
Wondering what day it was... I was a little groggy :)

What do you think of your number 3 on your top friends?
Another "tween-y" question.  *sigh*

Can you legally drink?
Yes.  but, I don't.

When is the last time you saw your mom?
about... 30 minutes ago.

Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet?
that depends on what time of year it is.  in the summer, bare. in the winter, shoes outside, socks and slippers inside.

Have you ever been in an ambulance?
No, thank God.

Do you hold grudges?
I don't know... I try not to.

Do you sing obnoxiously in the car?
You would have to ask someone riding in the car with me.  I do sing in the car.  most definitely.  Loudly. 

When was the last time you had butterflies in your stomach?
Probably within the last hour.

Are you watching TV?
 No.  I'm filling out this meme... obviously.

Feedback

Ok, I'd really like to hear back from you guys about my blog.

It's all about the readers, right?

well, actually, it's all my creative outlet... but if you guys keep coming back, I figure you must enjoy it!  right?  or else, you're all my family... or you feel obligated for some reason or another...

So, I'd like to know what you like about my blog. 
And what you don't like.

If there's things you guys want to see more of, I'll do my best to oblige!

Do you like my Dr. Jak's posts?
Recipes?
Flower pictures?
Crafty stuff? (no promises there... my crafty things have been few and far between lately... *sigh*)
Book reviews?
Movie reviews?

Is there anything you'd like to see more of? less of?

Should I talk politics?  :)
More personal stories?

Whatever you like/don't like/don't care/whatever... I want to know! Thanks!

Dr. Jak's Changing Season Tips

Fall is in the air, whether we like it or not.
I actually love fall. It's one of my favorite seasons! I just don't like that winter comes after fall...
But, let's not talk about that right now :)

Right now, it's still hot during the day! And we can still wear our summer clothes a little longer... actually, a lot longer. We can make our summer clothes transition easily into early fall, with just a few adjustments.

This light sweater is thin enough to wear mid-summer, pair it with capris and it's great for shopping or laying around reading.. or... anything!

For cooler weather add boots and a jacket.

Matching bags are 'in' no matter what the season.

This week

begins a flurry of many things...
most of which I am looking forward to. :)

It's probably going to be a very busy week, but I promise to do my best to get on here everyday and post something interesting for you all, wonderfully faithful blog readers!

Right now, I just want to say a couple of things (or, to use Sarah B.'s new word "several" things)

1. I love my town. Really. Good, down to earth honest people, and I love feeling like I'm part of the community. Seriously, people, get involved in your community if you can. It's good.

2. I have some new books from the library, but I don't forsee much reading time in the near future and that is a VERY disappointing feeling.

3. I love my babies. Love 'em! Story of the day: Yesterday while eating hamburgers and french fries Susie was putting a bib on Sarah. Which was a good thing, because the girl loves her ketchup. Sarah (ever the mindful motherly type) said: "Does Lukey need a bib, too?" to which Susie replies: "No." and Luke jumps in: "No, Sarah Beth, brother doesn't need a bib, he's a big boy." At this point I turned around to look at him, just in time to see him using his napkin to wipe ketchup off his shirt all the while explaining that "brother is a big boy." LOL!!! to his credit though, he VERY quickly realized the contradiction in his words and actions and started laughing. I tied a napkin around a neck.

4. I wish I had more time to study the Bible.

5. Pray for me? I'm still not feeling 100%... or even 50% sometimes... and I have a LOT going on this week...

hopefully, a Dr. Jak's fashion post coming tomorrow... :)

Bookshelves, part 2

WOW! You all did an excellent job guessing!  You were all right around the mark, but the winner is VALERIE!  She has many books of her own I know, and so probably has an eye for this sort of thing.  I will even forgive her for suggesting that I sell my  book collection.  As if!  :)  Valerie's guess was 212, and the actual number is... I actually don't know.  But, I DO know that it's right around 220.  There are few books hiding in places that I haven't found yet... and I didn't count the cookbooks...

Bookshelves

I spent an hour one day last week organizing my books alphetically by author, library style.  I must have been pretty happy with the results because I just found some pictures of the completed project on the camera. :)

Anybody want to take a guess how many books I own?

I'll give you a couple of clues:

1. There are some little bitty skinny books that are sort of wedged between bigger novels that you probably can't see very well in the picture.

2.  There are at least 10 or 12 that aren't on the shelves at all because they are on my nightstand or in the living room, or lent out maybe...

3. I've acquired about 10 books since the time of this picture :)

4. I don't own nearly as many as I'd like to... :)

My Kind of Science

This is chemistry, right???

See, you mix all these things together and you get a CHEMICAL REACTION.

Like I said.  This is my kind of science.  The kind where you get to eat blueberry muffins at the end.

Blueberry Muffin recipe courtesy of Krista at The IDD Blog

Media

I do love a good story!!!

I love them waaaayyy too much, which is probably why I'm always in the middle of 3 or 4 or 5 or 6.... things at a time...

Piled up next to me on the table right now :)

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.  This is the author The 101 Dalmations which I read as a younger teen and was totally captivated by!

I haven't finished it yet, but it has a very Pride and Prejudice feel to it, and so far I really love it.  It came to me very highly recommended by people I trust so I have high hopes of loving it all the way to the end!

I notice there is also a movie version, but it has an "R" rating... I did a little research trying to figure out what they could have done to the book to get it rated R, and from what I've found the rating is somewhat controversial, that is to say, a lot of people don't think it should be rated R.  I haven't seen the movie and can't recommend it until I do, so use discretion.

Painfully Shy by Gregory and Barbara Markway.  I hesitate to recommend this book,  because it IS written by psychologists from a psychological point of view.  In my opinion psychologists words should be dumped through a spaghetti strainer.  Most of it will wash right through and should be forgotten immediately upon hearing.  However, Barbara Markway does make some good points and I have learned some things. 

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien.

I made it through The Hobbit (it was slow going...) and have moved on to The Fellowship of the Ring.  I realize that Tolkien's books are highly controversial and it is for that reason that I am reading them.  I want to form my own opinions of them from my own personal experience.  I'll work on a post dealing with my take on the entire series once I'm done.  Don't hold your breath though... it may be a while...

AND.... recently arrived in the mail...

I watched the whole season through in one day while I sewed my bedroom curtains.  Only 13 episodes.  Can't WAIT for season 3!!!  I have to wait until December??!??!?!?!?!!?

Monday

It's Monday, and I am HOPING to get back to normal blog life this week.

I know posts were a little sporadic last week, I apologize for that.

I'm headed to work now, I hope everyone has a good start to their week!

Fireproof Official Trailer

Fireproof The Movie Trailer

New Bedroom Curtains

I've been planning on sewing curtains for my bedroom since we moved into this house.  But, being the horrible procrastinator that I am, and being so terrible at making decisions... it took me a while to get around to it. :)

But, I finally found some fabric that I liked and decided to just go ahead and DO IT!

My fabric choices were inspired by Amy Butler
and Anna Maria Horner's designs.
I couldn't afford to buy fabric that actually has their names printed on it... but I found some sort of imitation stuff at Wal-Mart. :) and this is what I came up with.

                                                                 Loops and Tiebacks.

                                                     And a few matching pillows for fun.

Overcoming

This past week for me has been about stretching my own limits. Facing my fears. Discovering pain. Frustration. Grief. Realizing once again the shortness and insecurity of my own life.

It began last Wednesday with the death of my Great Grandma.  The week spiraled into a flurry of rearranging plans, organizing and trying to make arrangements.  Mom and Katie and Steph and I left early Friday morning to head to Great Grandma's house where we helped other family members go through her things.  Some of it we gave away.  Some we kept as mementos.  Some we wondered at.  Many, many things sparked "do you remember when's?"  We laughed and cried and missed her and Great Grandpa a whole lot.

So, we had the funeral, and we said good-bye at the grave.

And we came home worn out and emotionally exhausted and trying to imagine that we could just go back to 'normal' life.

But, I decided I should probably pay attention to the sore throat I've had for a few days, that wasn't going away and was awfully reminiscent of the strep I've already had twice this year.  My younger siblings all had strep only a week ago, and I guess I didn't stay away like I thought I did... ooops...

So, I never went back to work this week.  Instead I'm staying home and resting and reading and sleeping and thinking a lot.

Frustration is an underlying emotion that goes hand in hand with grief.  It also hangs out with sickness and depression.

Which just gives me one more thing to overcome....

Butterfly Man

Art

"Every artist was first an amateur" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

                                            

Life Changing

it's amazing how fast life can change. I was working at Mom's this morning, doing computer work, filing paperwork, and such. I left to go to work at the flower shop at noon, where I immediately loaded up the station wagon and started delivering flowers. 10 minutes into delivering I noticed a missed call on my phone. HOME... so, I dialed the number back. I figured it wasn't anything big, since I had just been there 15 minutes ago.

Joe answered the phone: "Hello?"
Me: "Hey! somebody just called me?"
Joe: "Uh, yeah, mom did. here she is... oh, never mind. she can't talk right now."
Me: "ok... is everything ok?" (his voice sounded REALLY wierd...)
Joe: "no. it's not ok."
Me: "what's wrong??"
Joe: "You need to talk to mom, and she can't talk right now. bye."
*hangs up phone*

so.... I panicked. I was all the way on the other side of town from home and I spent the whole drive getting myself more and more worked up thinking about all of the terrible possibilites.

I had pretty much convinced myself something tragic had probably happened to one of the kids when I arrived home and saw Dad's truck parked half in the driveway, half in the street. I ran inside and was partially relieved to find Sarah Beth calmly eating lunch in her high chair.

I demanded that Joe tell me what had happened, and he did. My last living Great Grandma had just died. It was a blow. She hadn't been sick, and it was totally unexpected.

So, after holding mom for a while and trying to finish my deliveries without crying too much, I headed back to the shop, and punched out for the day.

And I just kept thinking about how fast things change. In the blink of an eye, out of the blue my whole world went careening crazily. I'll never forget that terror as I drove home KNOWING something terrible had happened. And the realization that our lives are not ours to control, and that everything can change in a second and we may never know what hit us.

I'm going to miss Grandma. I'm especially sad because she always told me she wanted to live to see Great Great Grandchildren, and I really wanted her to... It could have been possible.

But, I also know that she has been miserable since Great Grandpa died unexpectedly almost 2 years ago. So, I know they are happy again, together. My sisters and I laughed when we imagined them driving around to visit all of their friends in heaven, since that's exactly what they loved to do here on earth!

"Of Flowers and Ribbons and Pretty Hair and Princess-ish-ness"

                                                                  

    13 Flowergirls.... adorable!

Wedding "Do's"

Do have hydrangea in your bridal bouquet.  They are gorgeous, summer-y, fresh and do NOT look like alien brains.

 

 Do have these cookies.  I'll come to your wedding. 

Do have flowers on your cake, too, just 'cause they're flowers and they should be everywhere you can possibly put them.

Awesome Website!

I heard about this website a few months ago as an awesome place to find used books.  I checked it out at the time but was disappointed because the book I was looking for at the time (The Chestry Oak) was quite expensive on the site.

But, a friend mentioned it to me again a few weeks ago, so I headed back out virtual book shopping and searched for some different books on my "To buy" list.

• As a side note I DID end up finding The Chestry Oak at a decent price through a very long and drawn out Ebay search.

The Website that has made my week is AbeBooks.  They have literally GAJILLIONS of books and most books you search for start out at $1.  Plus a 3 or 4 dollar shipping cost, that is one fabulous deal!  I dove into the site and filled my basket up pretty quick, let me tell you.

Cinnamon Lime Chicken

This is one of my favorite ways to eat chicken! I love it!  It's so light!



Chicken (however you like it, I generally use the boneless skinless chicken breasts)

Juice of 2 limes

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 jalepeno, diced

1 garlic clove, diced

2 Tblsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. black pepper

dash of nutmeg





Marinade chicken in rest of ingredients at least a couple of hours, overnight is best.  Don't underestimate the power of the lime-cinnamon combination.  And don't mince on the pepper and jalepeno.  Actually, I never even measure so I'm just guesstimating on all these measurements... :)