Tag, You're It

I got tagged by bookyg to write 7 things you don't know about me. Since I don't know who's reading this, I don't know what you don't know. But, here goes.

1. I didn't vote in the last presidential election. (I had to travel at the last minute- too late for absentee voting. I don't feel that bad since I lived in MA, which went blue (of course) anyway.)
2. I haven't slept uninterrupted for more than a 6 hour stretch in over a year.
3. I never wear a watch.
4. I wish I had gone to law school. I guess I still could, but I've got some other things I would rather do.
5. I hate wearing shoes. Flip flops all year long baby! (or birks)
6. I still don't know what I want to be when I "grow up".
7. I smoke. Gotcha! I'm just kidding. But, in college, Alex, Kelsey, and I used to roll our own cigarettes at parties because we thought it made us look cool. It totally did. But seriously, I think I have smoked about 22 cigarettes in my life.

I am tagging Anita, Justin, and Amy. I don't think I know 7 bloggers but I will add more if I think of it.

The steam roller

At nine months old, Lucy is in the 75th %-ile for weight and height. No surprise, since she eats everything in sight. She can't quite feed herself yet, but she grunts to let us know when she's hungry or wants more. Her favorite food seems to be ravioli with tomato sauce, but she also puts her 3 teeth to good use eating Cheerios, goldfish, and graham crackers.

She can pull herself up to standing with a little help and loves it once she's up. She's still not crawling and gets around by rolling, like a steam roller, across the floor. It's time to babyproof because she is curious and has long arms that can reach!

She is very much downward oriented- she likes to sit in her highchair and drop things off the side. She then looks at what she dropped, looks at me, and bursts into tears. Ah, gravity.

Lucy is easily entertained by peek-a-boo, the itsy bitsy spider, and Mollie. She says mama, dada, and squeals with delight at the sight of dogs. She really loves dogs. We have no idea why.

So, she's perfectly normal if a little on the large side (I can barely squeeze her into size 12 months clothes).

Papa George

Mollie called Papa her “grandpa who lived in a hotel” because her only memories of him were when he was at Mercy.

I wish she and Lucy could have known Papa in the prime of his life- when I knew him as a child. I have so many memories of working in the yard with him, digging, pulling weeds, planting bulbs, raking the sand around the big Maple tree. He always took an afternoon nap. And made the best banana milkshakes.

He wasn’t very good at telling jokes, but he had a good sense of humor. He used to tell Matt that he was like “a bad penny that always returns” and he had that little glimmer in his eyes while saying it. And I think we all know better than to take any wooden nickels.

He taught me how to do handstands underwater in the Russian river. He taught me how to paint a room. To plant seeds. To make paper hats and paper airplanes. To care for plants. To look things up in a book if I didn’t know the answer.

He was so good at working with his hands . He was proud of his heritage and proud of his family. He was trustworthy and reliable. He was respectful of others and in turn was well-respected. I learned the value of these traits just by spending time with him, usually afterschool, and watching how he worked and interacted with people.

He was confident. He always did things how he thought they should be done. Most of the time he was right, and he wouldn’t necessarily admit it if he wasn’t. He was a bone fide pessimist, but that was always balanced out by grandma’s optimism. He loved her so much.

Because they lived right around the corner, I got to spend a lot of time with him- carefree afternoons just doing stuff- riding around in the truck, picking boysenberries, playing in the playhouse. Most of my memories of him are tied to 3040 Arizona Street.

But after they sold the house and moved into Mercy, he had new lessons to teach. He retained his sense of humor and was always a graceful host. I think he taught us all how to age gracefully and to try to accept things the way they are.

Papa George made the most of his time on this planet. I know that we are all proud of the life he lived; his strength and determination will live on through his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Gasoline worries

This summer, I was pleased to see that the skyrocketing gas prices finally had some effect on Americans. A Wall Street Journal report stated that 2008 was the first year ever that gas usage in the U.S. had actually declined.

Those of us who live in the South also experienced a shortage after the hurricanes, forcing people to come up with alternatives and conserve their fuel.

But now gasoline prices are plummeting and the pump isn't so painful. What effect will this have? Has the mentality changed at all? Or will people gradually slip back into their old ways and the conservation trend reverse?

Easy Peasy Dinner

Need a quick, tasty dinner?

Here's my "recipe" for breaded chicken:

1 pkg. (about 8) chicken cutlets
about 1 cups of bread crumbs (crushed cornflakes work well too)
about 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing (anything wet will work here- eggs, pinapple juice, any salad dressing, etc).

Dip the chicken cutlets into the dressing and then dredge in the breadcrumbs. Bake in a preheated 350-400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

You can serve these with rice or potatoes and steamed vegetables. Or on top of a salad. Or wrap them in a pita. The same concept works well with turkey cutlets, zucchini slices, eggplant slices, summer squash... you get the idea.

Easy. Flexible. Dinner.

Beyond Ridiculous

Apparently I've been in the dark about something: J.Crew now has a line of clothes for children ages 2-10 (crewcuts) and a line of clothes for dogs (crew mutts).

The prices are unbelievable. What child needs a cashmere "everyday" dress?


And dog clothes? Seriously, I hate clothes for pets. That's what they have fur for people! But, I guess if you're crazy enough to buy clothes for your dog, why not spend $128 for a cashmere dog sweater.

One of my new favorite websites:

Whip Up

It's full of wonderful, creative projects, patterns, and tutorials on how to do it yourself!