A Flea Drop

Y'all, real quick, head here to an article my Evil Sister, now mother of Calum, sent me. A tiny town in North Carolina is having a Flea Drop tonight instead of a ball drop! They're even holding a contest to name the Flea! Read! Enjoy! It's my 15 seconds of indirect fame, after all.

Until I write again ...

Flea

What Dreams Are Made Of

Raise your hand if you're happily married. Raise it high.

Okay, I see your hand. You can put it down. You there - stop waving. And no, I don't want details. I know you're a newlywed. Keep the details to yourself.

I raised my hand, by the way. See this man? I'm happily married to him.

Now, and you don't have to raise your hand this time, are you married but don't want to be? Divorced? Single mom? I have a lot of friends who are in the above boats. It's a painful place for many of them. Not always painful, but often lonely, or just plain difficult. See this man? He's my Hunny. I was in the "don't want to be" boat for years, a long time ago now.

We're coming up on 19 years in a couple of weeks, so I'll have been happily married nearly as long as I was unhappily married. Isn't that an odd thing to say? But it's true.

Now, another question: how many of you might say you're happy, but you complain about your husband frequently? If you can't answer that question honestly, ask your best friend to answer it honestly. I'll bet she will.

Now, go back to the first statement.

I ask these questions because of a dream I had last night. Not a nightmare, but a very sad dream.

First, I watched the Lion King with the kids at work yesterday. It's been at least ten years since I'd seen it. I watched Mufasa die while his son, Simba, looked on. Second, my dad died more than five years ago. He was in poor health and excessive heat and stress were too much for him. We hadn't talked for years prior to his death. Third, my own husband isn't in great shape, but we're starting over next week with eating and exercise and I guess my mind is still chewing on that.

So in my dream, a strange man and his young daughter are in a crowd in the heat, walking, talking to lots of people. It's extremely hot. The man clutches his chest and dies in front of his eight year old daughter.

Next, I'm a teenager and it's my dad who's just died. I'm telling my mom that I'll never see him again, that I'm heartbroken. I'll go away to college and when I call or come home, he won't be there. He'll never be there again. I was sad, but not devastated.

Last, I was just me. My Hunny and I were traveling. It was my Hunny that died. I was crushed. I couldn't believe he was gone. He kept coming back to me - he'd hold my hand or touch my check - then he'd leave. It was killing me, even though I knew he was dead, that it wasn't real, his showing up.

I woke up at four a.m. to find he wasn't in bed. Hunny was sitting in the living room because he had heartburn. I went back to bed and cried for two hours before falling asleep snuggled up to him (he came back to bed).

What I realized after the dream was this: I'm very grateful for my sweet Hunny. I also love him more than I thought and would miss him more than I realized.

Another question: how many of you think you'd just move right on with life after a brief mourning period if your husband died? I thought that. I was protecting my heart, I think, from the thought of loss. But I was wrong. I can totally see being immobilized. I'm tough and all, but I love my Hunny. I've learned to love the man he's become over time. The man he's allowed God to make him. The man who loves me and our kids more than I can imagine.

Please don't take your husbands for granted. And don't cut them to ribbons with your words. Not to their faces or to others. It makes a big difference, the words you use, to them, and ultimately to you. Love them. It's worth your time and energy.

Until I write again ...

Flea

Hi!

Christmas is over! So why isn't all the Christmas food gone yet?

This will be a busy week. Oh joy. So. I'll post a couple of photos and we'll call it a day, yes? Yes.

Doesn't take much to make Oatmeal Head happy - tatt sleeves and a funny hat

The best part of Christmas is the company and laughter

Goof Ball got what he wanted for Christmas - leather trench coat and a mustache

Until I write again ...

Flea

Have a Rockin' Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, bloggy friends! Get off the computer and enjoy the day with your family! But not before you watch our family Christmas card.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Merry Christmas, buddies!

Until I write again ...

Flea

Merry Cajun Christmas, Everyone!

Merry Christmas Eve! As promised, here's a video of my rusty Cajun-accented reading of Cajun Night Before Christmas, by Trosclair. I love this book. Note to self: Don't video tape this myself again - get help. And slow down next time.

Here's a better version of the reading for your viewing pleasure.

Y'all have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Until I write again ...

Flea

P.S. My apologies for the watermark on the screen. Grr.

I'd Like Breathing For Four Hundred, Alec

Whomever suggested using this:

With these:

Is a life saver. Two thirty in the morning, after trying to sleep in a chair, crawling back into a cold bed, hacking up a lung, blowing nose repeatedly, my Hunny grabbed the chest rub and told me to grab a pair of socks. He'd heard somewhere that coating the bottoms of the feet and wearing socks to bed would help.

It did. It really did. I slept.

Am I better today? Jury's still out on that one. But sleep ensured that I'm not worse. Yay!

Oh! If I manage to get my voice back by tomorrow night, I plan on video recording myself reading Cajun Night Before Christmas and posting it here for Christmas Eve. Between that and my husband's Polish roots, I sometimes sign my artwork Polish Coonass. It works for me.

Until I write again ...

Flea

Tuesday Review, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

This is good review/bad review day. I wish it didn't have to be. I wish like anything it could be good/good.

I love books. I have a favorite book. It's been my favorite book since high school. If anyone asks, the response is always The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C. S. Lewis. Always. I've read the entire Chronicles 30+ times, including this book. They all make me cry, but Dawn Treader is the one I relate to, the one which is my life book, so to speak.

Eustace - I connect with him at a soul level. I'm not always sure why, since I don't typically identify with surly and miserable. I think, though, the me which hides from everyone is a Eustace. The me which I don't want anyone to ever identify with Flea. Ever. And I rejoice at his transformation, wincing, cringing, crying at the difficulty it is for him. Weeping when he tries so hard to tear off his dragon skin - when Aslan asks him to, no less - and is unsuccessful. Nearly unable to see the page through my tears when Aslan uses his lion claws to rip deep into the dragon flesh and remove it, uncovering the boy within, the changed boy.

Change is difficult. Changing the core of who we are is nearly impossible. We can, with help, look at the deep ugliness within. But deep, lasting change is painful and takes so much more than most of us have. I see that played out with Eustace.

Which is all why I went to see the movie, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, with great trepidation. I was disappointed.

My Hunny and the kids thought it was poorly done in comparison to the first two, and I have to agree. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe was close to the book, but maudlin, and Prince Caspian, while nothing like the book, was engaging, entertaining. This third one was closer to the book than the second, but not well acted, by anyone except Eustace (it's saving grace, in my opinion). The odd thing about this one, from the perspective of someone who loves the book so, is that it follows the book's points fairly carefully, but introduces themes which weren't there.

I didn't like it. It disturbed me. I couldn't enjoy this movie. They even ruined my lovely little Dufflepuds. And the magician/star being punished. And the other star's daughter. So many elements missing.

My family, who don't know the book intimately, enjoyed the movie for it's own sake, but didn't think it well done. So if you've seen the first two and aren't enamoured of the books, I'd recommend waiting till it's out on DVD, but definitely see it. If, like myself, you know the books inside and out, still wait till it's released on DVD, and maybe see it. Maybe it won't break your heart like it did mine.

That's it. No spoilers. I can't stand to write anymore. I might cry.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Until I write again ...

Flea

Secret Christmas Recipe

Bloggy friends, because Christmas is a time of love, sharing and goodness, I am about to share with you one of our family's favorite Christmas foods. You must keep this just between us, though. This recipe is a secret. How do I know it's a secret? Because my mother-in-law never gave me the recipe. I had to cobble together multiple recipes, experimenting several Christmases, until I got it right. And OH! It's right. So right.

Prepare to fall over dead if you make this soup. It is so good that your family will have to dial 911. To die for, I'm tellin' ya. It will warm you to your toes and revive you once it kills you. Shoot, the smell alone will knock you over.

Be warned, though - this soup isn't for just anyone. It's special. I'd never heard of anything like it, growing up in the deep south. It's a Polish concoction, a Bigos, or hunter's stew. It has a magic ingredient that many people (including myself) don't like. Sauerkraut. Magic because it magically transforms all the ingredients in the soup to make it taste like Christmas!

Here's a Polish rhyme about the wonderful Bigos:

"Bigos is no ordinary dish,
For it is aptly framed to meet your wish.
Founded upon good cabbage, sliced and sour,
Which, as men say, by its own zest and power
Melts in one's mouth, it settles in a pot
And its dewy bosom folds a lot
Of the best portions of selected meats;
Scullions parboil it then, until heat
Draws from its substance all the living juices,
And from the pot's edge, boiling fluid sluices
And all the air is fragrant with its scent."

Adam Mickiewicz - Pan Tadeusz (1834)

Two things: 1) there are no pictures because I won't start making this soup till next week; 2) this soup needs to be made a day or two ahead of time to cook and refrigerate and cook again, perfectly melding the flavors and making the magic happen.

Are you ready? Can you handle the soup? I hope so. Try it on a cold winter day if you're not brave enough to serve it for Christmas, but by all means try it! It makes a huge pot of soup.

Christmas Soup

2 slices diced bacon

1 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 pounds sauerkraut, drained and diced

1/2 teaspoon paprika

6 cups hot water

6 chicken bouillon cubes

2 cups diced apples

3 cups cubed red potatoes

28 ounce can diced tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 pounds kielbasa, diced

bay leaf

parsley

Make this a day before eating.

Fry bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat til browned. Saute' onion and garlic in Dutch oven 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in sauerkraut, paprika, water, bouillon, apples, potatoes and tomatoes, heat to boil and simmer, covered, 30 minutes.

Add kielbasa and seasonings, simmering another 12 to 15 minutes.

Refrigerate the soup overnight. An hour before eating, reheat soup and simmer til time to eat. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas, y'all! Maybe later, if you're good, I'll share the family eggnog recipe.

Until I write again ...

Flea

Last Minute Christmas

A quick Christmas shout out to Aubrey - LOVE YOUR SOAP!

Y'all, if you have to get a last minute gift for someone who's tough to shop for, I highly recommend soap from Aubrey. Or her Everything Balm (a friend of mine used it to heal his months long rash of poison ivy - overnight). Or the lip balms. Or the stick lotions (my Hunny's favorite).

Goodies Unlimited carries stuff for problem skin. I adore the Almond Creme, since I have thyroid issues and dry skin. The Doublemint Wake Up soap is divine - it's like washing with Wrigley's gum and makes the skin tingle. Yum! That one always sells out. Wait - I bought the last of it this time. The Stress Relieving green tea soap rocks, too.

Anywho, it's a great gift. Sunday school teachers, neighbors, great aunts. Y'know.

Until I write again ...

Flea

P.S. And a thank you to Jill of All Trades, who chose me for the gift pack contest on her 1,000th post! Yay! Fun stuff!

Happy What?!?

I love the end of the semester. I hate the end of the semester. I love the end of the semester. I hate the end of the semester.

Christmas is coming. Did you know that? Someone informed me of that just this week. I believe it was a three year old at work. She thought I didn't know.

GAH!!!

*breathe* *breathe* *breathe*

So. Christmas is coming. Food to shop for. A few presents left to buy. A tree to get and decorate. A party to plan for. And what happens at the end of the semester?

Concerts.

See this beautiful girl?

Maybelline's vocal concert was Monday night. I love her concerts. Professionally done. She always looks and sings like an angel.

But for Pete's sake. The last Monday night of the semester? Finals are this week!

If that were all, maybe I'd be breathing a little easier. But that's not all. See this boy?

Goof Ball's concert was Tuesday night. He plays - you guessed it - the bass. See the bolo? It was my grandfather's, the one whose name he bears as a middle name. He would have been so proud. He would have told him to cut his hair.

Again, I'm going back to bed. My children do me proud. But they wear me out.

I love the end of the semester. I hate the end of the semester. I love the end of the semester ...

Until I write again ...

Flea

A Dream - That's All It Was

No Tuesday Review today. Tuesday Review is postponed until January. Thank you for your patience. Wait. Except I should be reviewing a Christmas book next week. And this week, before it's too late, you should probably order OHmommy's Polish Christmas book, Wigilia. I did. I can't wait till it arrives!

Now where was I? Oh! I dreamed last night, which is more unusual for me than it used to be. This dream I held on to so I could use an idea in real life.

We all know how dreams wander, popping in and out, mixing locales and scenarios from real life with fantasy, right? I was in some kind of shop - not quite a gift shop, not quite a crafting place - and admiring the goods. Wishing I could make some of the things in the store. No idea what kind of merchandise they sold. At some point I asked if they needed part-time help. The shop keep gave me an application and said she'd need to see a resume'.

A resume'? Really?

She offered me one of hers, so I'd get an idea of what she needed. Oh. Em. Gee. It was the coolest resume' ever. I want to write mine now, just so I can make one like the pretend resume in my dream.

You tell me - does this sound cool, or just lame?

It was printed on glossy paper. The info was in loose columns down the sides. The woman's avatar - yes, avatar - was at the top. Almost like a curtain drapes from the center of a window, there were deep red and gold sweeping down and away from the avatar, outlined in black. It was SO COOL.

Or was it just cool in my dreams? I'm going to design one and let you decide. And really? And avatar on a resume'? I mean, the woman was an artist, so it's possible.

What say you? Am I just going crazy?

Until I write again ...

Flea

P.S. Wigilia came! It's beautiful! Go look and get one for yourself!

Weekend

This weekend I decorated for Christmas. Well, Maybelline and I decorated. I'm tired this season. But the house is looking prettier.

Frosty says hi!

Except there's no tree. No energy to get a tree.

Lest you think this is all about my health (and there's some of that), it's just been a busy season this year. Working more than usual. And prepping for yesterday.

Toys for Tots.

Our church hosts Toys for Tots every year, and this year there were more than 6,000 children. There's live-action singing and dancing for kids while their parents "shop" for their gifts. Santa's there. Drinks and cookies for all. It's a great event. And just about every one of our 3,000 people volunteer their time to make it happen, and happen well.

I didn't volunteer. My entire family did, but I did not.

C'mon. Someone's gotta take care of all of those children of volunteers. I'd be one of those someones.

So if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to bed. The children are all off to school. It's Monday. Time for a nap. The cleaning and decorating fairy can let herself in.

Until I write again ...

Flea

It's That Time Of Year - A Meme!

I love a meme. It's been so long since I've done one, so I thought I'd use the meme I got in an email this week. Play along, will you?

1. What is your occupation?

I enable small children to find their creative potential. I encourage them to rest after a tough morning playing. I rock babies to sleep. I tell horrible shaggy dog stories to school aged children. They beg for more. I influence young minds while their mothers are away. Mwahahaha! I have the best job in the whole world. Child care, part time, at my church.

See? See how I influence them? For good, right?

2. What color are your socks right now?

Seriously? That's the best they can do? Sock color? Oh alright. They're white. Are you happy? But earlier this week, while I was influencing grade school children, I was wearing red and green striped toe socks with bells on the big toes. My 10 year old girls loved them. A six year old girl said they were tacky. I'm going to have to have a talk with her mother about her fashion sense ...

3. What are you listening to right now?

My thirteen year old, Goof Ball, is reading the latest Think Geek catalog. He's saying, over and over, "Rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock". Yeah. You're jealous. Admit it.

4. What was the last thing that you ate?

Oh man! Only the best dinner ever. And I have to say that using the little cast iron camping skillet in the kitchen? Rocks. I had bacon, eggs with parmesan and buttered toast. Beat THAT.

5. Can you drive a stick shift?

When I got married, at 24, I'd been driving for just a year. We ditched my little car and bought a stick shift station wagon. I had no choice but to learn. My husband would say, when I'd park and stop, "The Eagle has landed!" But yeah, I can drive a stick.

6 Last person you spoke to on the phone?

Let me check my cell record ... that would be my daughter, Maybelline. She stayed after school for help with her AP Chemistry and I picked her up.

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you?

Well duh. Yeah. But she doesn't have a blog, so I can't link to her.

8. How old are you today?

What a stupid question. I'm a day older than I was yesterday and a day younger than I'll be tomorrow. What is this? Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? I'm looking for my sign ...

9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?

I'm not really into sports, but I LOVE to watch my Saints play! Last year, when they were in the Super Bowl, I had to work child care. My boss set up a TV in the gym and one in our classroom, both tuned to the right station. The fourth and fifth graders and I watched nearly every minute of the game, screaming and jumping up and down. During commercials and halftime, the boys played tag football. It ROCKED!!! Holly, You and Joe rock!!!

10. What is your favorite drink?

Coffee, the self medicating choice of ADD people everywhere. Started drinking coffee when I was two. Started my kids on it at about the same age. Nothing like it! And don't give me any of that froo-froo flavored stuff.

11. Have you ever dyed your hair?

What? You ask that like I've had a choice. Oh alright - when I was a freshman in college I colored my auburn hair a deep shade of brown, thinking I could wear my friend's bright '80's clothing. I used a wash out dye, in case I didn't like it. Let me tell you RIGHT NOW that that temporary stuff? DOES NOT WASH OUT IN 12 WASHINGS. I know. I washed it at least twelve times the day after I put in on.

But now? Yeah. I dye my hair. I don't grey well so far. Light auburn is my color of choice.

12. Favorite food?

If you asked me an hour ago I'd have told you bacon and eggs. Now, with a full belly, I'd have to say mac'n'cheese. Something I never eat anymore because of my ADD. Dang. I could really go for a giant pot of the cheap boxed stuff right now.

13. What is the last movie you watched?

Seriously? I don't remember. Huh. Wait! I watched Clue when I was at my sister's the first week of November! Oo! Oo! Gratuitous Calum shot! (I need some updated photos *ahem*)

Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting (sing it!)

14. Favorite day of the year?

Most days that end in the letter "y" are my favorite. I'm partial, however, to Monday.

15. What was your favorite toy as a child?

Indoor toy had to be the giant Barbie head with the long hair. I went looking for one when I had a girl, but their hair was all short! I spent HOURS braiding my Barbie's hair. Big braids, tiny braids. I was obsessed. Probably because my hair was so short and thick and impossible to braid.

Outdoor toy was my pogo stick. I set personal records jumping back and forth across my street. That thing was like an extra limb. LOVED it.

16. What is your favorite season?

Autumn! Autumn! Autumn! The best time of year to go camping! The leaves all turn pretty! The weather is crisp and cool! THE CHILDREN GO BACK TO SCHOOL!!!

17. Cherries or Blueberries?

Ew! Ew! Neither! Keep them far, far away from me! Gross!

18. What occupation would you pick if you could pick any (and had the talent) if you could live your life again?

I think I would have been a trapeze artist or a clown. I never did dream of running away and joining the circus, but as an adult I've always thought it would have been kinda fun. If I could ride a unicycle, that would ROCK. Oo! And play the accordion! And the bagpipes! Wait. Maybe not the bagpipes.

See what fun this has been? You play too! Post this to your blog and answer the questions, then let me know it's up. What fun!

Until I write again ...

Flea

Tuesday Review, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Today's review is in honor of Pearl Harbor Day, as well as my mother's birthday. Happy birthday, Mom!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was recommended by one of my best friends in Florida earlier this year, then Scribbit wrote a review, I think. Still, I had no idea what the book was about. Only that it was loved by people whose opinion I trust. Already you know more about it than I did, simply because I've told you that there's a connection with Pearl Harbor Day. See?

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, is a compilation of letters (fictional, well researched, but not noticeably so) to and from a columnist in London, Juliet. She'd written a column during World War II, this book taking place in the year after the war has ended. The letter which triggered the book is simple enough - a man on Guernsey, in the Channel islands, happens to have read a book Juliet owned when she was young, her name in the front cover, so he writes to Juliet to let her know how much he has enjoyed the book and can she find a biography for him about the author?

The fellow, Dawsey, only began reading during the war, beginning with this book (a compilation of poetry by Charles Lamb), because he and several others were camouflaging a roast pig with a false book club, which became a real book club.

Oh, it gets convoluted from here. You'll really have to read it yourself.

I love that this book is entirely composed of letters to and from Juliet and her friends. I also love that the people of Guernsey win her heart - and mine - with their quirky ways, their heartbreaking experiences during the war. The tales of war, being an occupied island and cut off from the world, the character building which happened to these people during the worst hardships imaginable, endeared both Juliet and myself to these people.

Did I mention that this book made me laugh? My poor husband. I read this book at night in bed, and he'd be nearly asleep when I'd chuckle, then start reading aloud to him. Omigoodness - some of the characters take themselves so seriously, making them delightfully funny. Being able to read an entire book in first person via letters is wonderful!

I do recommend this book. I do. It's light hearted, yet the personal tragedies sustained in wartime are real and gut wrenching. If you have time over the holidays to read, get your hands on a copy of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. You won't regret it.

Until I write again ...

Flea

Changes Suck

I love All the Single Ladies, by Beyonce. It makes me move. Making this girl move is next to impossible. Here. Move with me!

This weekend I discovered a new version. Oh. Em. Gee.

Before I go there, I have to tell y'all that I've been in mourning for the me that was.

I think I'm going through The Change, y'all. My deodorant stops working at noon. I've used Secret for 30 years and I thought maybe they changed their formula. But the afternoon flushes, the weepiness for no reason, they tell me different. Y'all, I have been using compounded progesterone cream for THREE YEARS. And I'm forty three! Too young for this.

Alas, it seems not. The sucky thing is, I didn't think I'd mind this change. It's a kind of magical thinking, like telling myself when the kids were little that SURELY they couldn't change too much once they became teenagers.

Both. Were lies. Lies from the pit of Hell.

I hate this change. It's freaking me out. Well, it was. Until I found this video. Now I feel a tiny bit better. Better like I felt when I realized my teenagers would soon move out and go to college. Just watch.

Isn't that a beautiful thing? I'm ready for my closeup now.

Until I write again ...

Flea